Triple Cities Carousel April 2014

CAROUSEL triple cities

april 2014

free

vol. 2 issue 4

living local. loving life.

contents.

April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 3

editorial..................................................................................4 music........................................................................................5 tax day.................................................................................10 theatre and dance.............................................................11 art.........................................................................................14 events calendar................................................................16 film........................................................................................22 comedy.................................................................................23 food and drink...................................................................24 wacky tobacky.................................................................27 fun stuff..............................................................................28 crossword..........................................................................30 WE SCREWED UP!

IN THE LAST ISSUE OF CAROUSEL, WE WRONGFULLY CREDITED HEATHER MERLIS WITH THE ARTICLE ABOUT “THE TWILIGHT ZONE” AT BU. IN FACT, THAT ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY FELICIA WAYNESBORO. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY CONFUSION. TRIPLE CITIES CAROUSEL P.O. BOX 2947 BINGHAMTON, NY 13902 Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Christopher Bodnarczuk Assistant Editors Heather Merlis, Ronnie Vuolo Creative Consulant/Calendar Guru Ty Whitbeck Advertising Christopher Bodnarczuk, Kathleen Klein, Ahlpheh Ohtis Wilson Staff Writers Charles Berman, Stacey Burke, Ilana Lipowicz, Kaitlin Mooney, Rose Silberman-Gorn, Krissy Howard, Felicia Waynesboro, Ahlpheh Ohtis Wilson Contributors Paul O’Heron, Les Coppersaun, Kevin Salisbury Photography Ty Whitbeck Layout/Design Christopher Bodnarczuk Youth Liason Ahlpheh Ohtis Wilson Printer Our Press Chenango Bridge, NY On the Cover “Flora” -Christine Bahr FOR ADVERTISING: ads@triplecitiescarousel.com FOR LETTERS, COMPLAINTS, PRAISE, DEATH THREATS, AND MORE INFO: editor@triplecitiescarousel.com

editorial.

4 Vol. 2 Issue 4

It gets rather old Coming up with something new Each month to put here So this month I will Put it in haiku for you But mostly for me Spring is here yippie No alternate side tickets On my car each day Of course there’s still snow But only in shady spots There’s too many clouds I didn’t move here For impeccable weather But come on now guys I should say something About the new issue now Because it’s my job The new issue’s good There’s music art food and stuff You should read it all -Christopher M.F. Bodnarczuk

music.

April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 5

JUELZ SANTANA.. AT THE ICE HOUSE? Juelz Santana. Photo Provded.

Chris Bodnarczuk Editor-in-Chief

The answer is yes. Maybe.

It’s been a tough week to be a journalist, dear readers. A week ago, I walked into my neighborhood bodega for a pack of cigarettes; there, perched next to a stack of this very publication, was a stack of handbills, advertising a Juelz Santana concert at the Ice House. Juelz Santana. The Ice House. You see my confusion.

Hell, I didn’t even know the Ice House still existed. Apparently it does. Apparently Juelz Santana is playing there on April 4th. But… is he?

Here’s the thing. I was in 8th grade when Dipset exploded onto the scene. Well, I suppose they were around before that, but the average sheltered suburban middle schooler didn’t know anything about them until 2002, when Cam’ron started appearing on MTV. In 2002, Harlem rapper Cam’ron released Come Home With Me, which featured the soon-to-beplatinum chart toppers “Hey Ma,” and “Oh Boy.”

Both songs featured guest appearances from members of the Cam’ron founded hip-hop collective The Diplomats, better known by many as Dipset. The Dipset crew included a young rapper by the name of Juelz Santana, the emcee in “Hey Ma” that proclaims “Hand creepin’ up her left side/I’m ready to do it/Ready to bone/Ready for dome.” A lot of us 8th graders got detention for singing along that year. Myself included.

different websites, but none of them are in Binghamton. There’s at least 5 PR firms that come up when you type his name into an internet search, but I called every one of them, and they all pointed me to someone else. The only info that apparently exists on this show is a facebook event with 28 people attending, a youtube video of close up shots of the handbill, and… a craigslist ad trying to sell the last 8 tickets. I DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND THIS!

than me. I can’t say as I blame him.

Anyway, Juelz Santana later gained even greater acclaim, with the 2005 earworm “There It Go (The Whistle Song).” That, as well as a string of other hits, a regular spot on the VH1 show “Love and Hip Hop,” and a slew of legal trouble, has kept Santana’s name fresh for many of my generation.

Hoping against hope, I put Carousel’s amazing intern on the task of calling the number on the handbill and the craigslist ad. And she got through! She got through! She asked if she could get some contact info for whoever handles Juelz Santana’s PR, and was told she’d get a call back. Then? Nothing.

Until the next day, when Juelz Santana called her.

(This is the most irresponsible piece of journalism ever.)

Which is part of the reason why this concert, at a venue of such size, seemed so unbelievable when I first heard about it. My confusion just got worse when I got home and googled it.

Maybe I’m just too far removed from the scene, or maybe Juelz Santana is a lot less famous than I always assumed. But, the dude’s website hasn’t been updated in years. Try to find him on facebook, and you get linked to some chick named Karen. He’s got a twitter, but there’s no mention of the Ice House show. He’s got three tour dates listed on several

She relayed the information to me, ensuring that she’d listened to enough Juelz Santana to know his voice if she heard it. “He’s going to call you at 4,” she said. Well, okay then. 4pm came and went, and he didn’t call. She got in touch with him the next day, and then it was my turn to call him at 4.

So I did. And it went to voicemail. And so the intern talked to him again, and again he ensured he’d answer the questions I had finally just emailed to him. I probably should have just had the intern do the interview. Juelz Santana seems to like her more

As of press time, he still hasn’t gotten back to me.

I went, over the course of three days, from not believing this show was real, to preparing to interview the dude, to… well, I don’t even know what to believe now. All I know is that Juelz Santana’s ringback tone is Juelz Santana.

If April Fool’s Day wasn’t 22 hours and 56 minutes away from me typing this very sentence, I’d say yes, Juelz Santana is coming to the Ice House on Friday, April 4th. With DJ Boof. And a bunch of other DJs. But April Fool’s Day is 22 hours and 56- no, 55minutes away, and I just don’t know. Either way, this page is getting filled.

I certainly know that at 11pm on Friday, I’ll be at the Ice House (15 Charlotte St, tucked in behind Kingsley’s and Tom’s Gifts) awaiting doors to open, with my $25 admission fee in hand. I just hope it wasn’t a mistake to not get them on craigslist when I had the chance.

LIBERTY BELLE & THE UNION BOYS

6 Vol. 2 Issue 4

BUST OUT OF BU

Liberty Belle and the Union Boys. Photo Provided.

Ilana Lipowicz Staff Writer Laura Keim’s sweet demeanor does not immediately reveal the angsty Liberty Belle of Liberty Belle and the Union Boys, the BU student band trio that thrives on the chemistry between Liberty Belle Laura and Union Boys Harrison Teich on guitar and Andrew Williamson on drums.

Laura has the type of smooth, full voice that draws you in, and is pleasant to hear even when she’s only speaking to you. When she cranks it up to full magnitude on stage, it brings a stunning power to the indignant quality of their songs. Her vocals, combined with unconstrained guitar, gut-busting drums, and melodic baselines; will have your head nodding half in agreement with the cutting lyrics and half in a head-swinging rage.

And it’s all really about the feeling. Laura explains, “I write songs because I feel a lot and want to connect to other people.” For Laura, music is a way of isolating those intense human emotions and recreating them to share with the audience.

Music is also what has allowed the band members to connect deeply with each other. They fell together very naturally: both Laura and Andrew grew up playing music, and found themselves looking for people to share their music with when they came to college. The two met while they were both working at WHRW, and quickly found that they were compatible as musicians, as well as friends.

Now, they are a musical family. Harrison was the last member to be added to the team, after they lost their former guitarist. He is a freshman, and the youngest of the group, Andrew being a grad student and Laura a graduating senior. While I didn’t get a chance to speak with him, Laura and Andrew informed me that, “Harrison’s like, the coolest freshman.” It didn’t take long for him establish a strong musical connection to his bandmates.

Their friendship and intimacy helps to solidify their musical style and is the source of their onstage chemistry. Laura writes the songs and brings them

to the boys, who then add in the other parts. Andrew and Harrison always understand what she is trying to communicate, so they can mold the song in order to achieve the emotion for which she is striving. Andrew says, “It often happens that I can tell what she wants in the song before she even knows it.”

The age gap complicates their future, but if everything goes as planned, the band will still be playing by the time Harrison graduates, and beyond.

Next year, Laura and Andrew will be in New York City, while Harrison will be here going to school, but they plan on making it work. Laura drops her eyebrows and nods in impersonation of Harrison, saying, “I’d drop out of school for this,” but she and Andrew remind him he should probably stick around to get his degree.

That’s not to say they don’t see a real future for Liberty Belle and the Union Boys. It’s hard to tell people that music is your plan A for a career, when you’ve been told all your life that the chances of making it are slim, but perhaps that attitude is a self-fulfilling prophecy. “If I make music a backup plan, it’s a way of saying it’s okay if it doesn’t work out.” Laura also has some pressure from her younger self. “You know those letters teachers have you write to yourself to send to you five years later? In all of mine, well, aside from writing about boys I thought were cute, they all say, ‘When I grow up, I’m going to be a musician.’” She has her own expectations to live up to, and is diving into music as a full-time career path. As long as Harrison and Andrew are willing, she’s taking them with her.

Their fans have no doubt that they’ve got a pretty good shot, as the band is quickly gaining notoriety.

They played during last year’s Spring Fling at Binghamton University, opened up for Mary Lambert in the fall, and have recently begun moving their gigs into town. Building momentum from the show they played at Fitzies in March, they have a show booked almost every weekend this month, starting on April 5th at Cyber Café West.

They are also working on an album, which is currently being mixed. It’s a slow process, especially when everyone is also busy with schoolwork, but they plan to have it out this month to be downloaded online and as a physical release.

Rock out with Liberty Belle and the Union Boys at Cyber Cafe West at 8pm on April 5th.

April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 7

CAROUSEL PRESENTS:

PROF. LOUIE & THE CROWMATIX

Prof. Louie. Photo Provided.

Ty Whitbeck Creative Consultant [EDITOR’S NOTE]: We first brought legendary blues group Professor Louie and the Crowmatix to Cyber Café West in October 2013. Well, that’s not entirely true. Our good friend Jeff Kahn, who owns the café, brought them to town. But, we promoted! In anticipation of their return, our own Ty Whitbeck mentioned that there was quite a bit of unpublished material from his original interview with Louie… we present that interview now. Join us to welcome back Professor Louie and the Crowmatix on Friday, April 4th!]

choice to book shows here and we are hoping to make Binghamton a usual stop.

The Crowmatix. What’s their story and how did the two of you start working together?

How did your sound evolve after meeting up with them? The Crowmatix are: Miss Marie (Levon Helm’s band) on vocals, percussion, and piano; Gary Burke (Joe Jackson’s band) on drums, John Platania (Van Morrison’s longtime guitarist) on guitar and vocals, and Frank Campbell (Steve Forbert’s band) on bass and vocals. We all met through various recording projects, and at the time we met, I was looking for the best players in the Woodstock area to work in the studio with me. The group came into existence preparing songs for my studio productions for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group, The Band. They are also the backing group for solo CDs by Rick Danko, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson. Rick Danko really helped in getting us going on our own.

vvv How did you get the moniker “Professor Louie,” and do you have a degree in any field relevant to what you’re currently doing? When I was working for The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group The Band, I had many jobs. Filling in on keyboards, singing (mostly in the studio) whatever was necessary, engineering in the studio, co-producing their recordings and mixing their live sound. We recorded over a hundred songs, including three full albums. I started playing shows with Rick Danko (Band bass player and singer), and he started calling me Professor Louie on stage. Louie is my middle name, and most of the guys in The Band used their middle names, so, Professor Louie stuck.

I have always felt that it was a great compliment to have someone as talented as Rick give you a lifelong moniker.

What was it like working with The Band (one of my personal favorites) and Dylan? Do you still keep in touch with them? It was an honor to work with The Band for over 15 years and be part of keeping the older music catalogue alive and help to be part of new songs that contributed to that great catalogue. Of course, there were great songs written by Bob Dylan, such as “Blind Willie McTell.” Unfortunately, most of the guys are gone, but I do stay in touch with most of the people who were there at that time.

What do you have currently on the chopping block and what do you see the future holding for the group? All members of the group are professional musicians, and the art of performing live is what we all love the best...We are consistently on tour throughout the USA, Canada and Europe.

We would like to continue doing what we love. We have just recorded new songs and [just put out a] new release on The Woodstock Records label.

What do you think about the originality of music today? A lot of it seems watered down and tired but there are still badasses in rock and roll, if you know where to look. A couple of my favorites are JD McPherson and Jimmy Sutton, on Hi-Style Records. It sounds like it’s from the 50s but it was recorded only a couple years ago. I guess what I’m trying to ask is, how can we push this kind of thing- original, timeless music that will be remembered 30 years down the road- in a day in age where it’s all about right now?

Times always change, so what is popular today becomes old news. Originality can’t be replaced by time, and the new groups are very determined. I just played with Pokey Lafarge, and he is one of the best band leaders, and he has a fantastic group. His writing is excellent...There are many more new musicians out there, and they just have to be playing everywhere they can.

vvv Why Binghamton? How bad did they have to twist your arm to come play here? A couple years ago, we played the Binghamton Blues & Jazz Festival downtown and had a great time. People were into the music, and there are great musicians who live in Binghamton. It’s become an obvious

Professor Louie and the Crowmatix return to Binghamton for their second Carousel Presents show at Cyber Café West (176 Main St. Binghamton), on April 4th, at 9pm. Tickets are $10, and available now at Cyber Café West. Tickets will also be available at the door.

ADVERTISE HERE! SONTAG SHOGUN GETS ETHEREAL AT SPOOL MFG Why wouldn’t you?

8 Vol. 2 Issue 4

tum joins Sontag Shogun in a performance called “Quartet of 5 Unamplified Paint Brushes.”

Ty Whitbeck Creative Consultant

“I just want to go to sleep,” I keep telling myself. “This is too beautiful a dream to be awake for.” Rising up from the steam of the sewer grates in Brooklyn and surrounding the headspace is Sontag Shogun, providing the soundtrack for the scenes rolling by outside the window during a long, cold bus ride home. Or a slow paddle down the Gowanus Canal.

It takes a trio to make this production a reality. The noises of buzzing generators, the clicks of hundreds of typewriters, bird sounds, and the rattling of subway pipes together comprise a total New York City soundscape. The environment was captured by Jeremy Young and Jesse Perlstein and ran through samplers, oscillators and computers. They are then layered and looped with the utmost ambience possible without flatlining your heart. This provides the backdrop for Ian Temple’s lush, drawn out, echoic piano melodies, and the end result is aurally exhilarating.

The breadth of the show is expanded by its visual dimension- their musical performances are accompanied by video-loops using footage pulled from the archives out of old black and white films and home movies found at garage sales. At the performance at Spool, the visual accompaniment will be a slide presentation orchestrated by BU cinema professor Tomonari Nishikawa. The music and the visuals are integrated so that one element is not secondary to the other but they come together in a synthesis to render an experience. The trio has also improvised with other musicians and to the work of several Japanese video artists. They are currently touring with Blevin Blectum, an electronic musician and composer from Providence, Rhode Island. Blec-

The group that is now Sontag Shogun spawned out of the now-defunct band from Montreal, Canada, called [the] slowest runner [in all the world]. They were a large ensemble, playing structured and articulated orchestral rock pieces with an end point in mind. These three wanted something a little more airy and freeform- the possibility of starting small and then over the course of 7 to 30 minutes ascending to great heights of space sounds and bullfrogs.

Out of this aspiration, Sontag Shogun was born. Although the project wasn’t considered an homage to Susan Sontag, late writer, filmmaker and political activist (who had an affinity for Manhattan), the artists resemble her in their involvement in film, art, and the teachings of political theory while in school. Sontag Shogun became the art project that bridged their interests, and their innovative combination of media got them invitations to play at gallery openings and special events in New York City where they now hold residency.

There’s a difference between recording an album and recording a bunch of songs that sound good grouped together. Sontag records albums. They are conceptual and improvisational and often revolve around a common story or experimenting in just how far they can push the enveloping sound. After completing their self-titled sophomore album, they began exploring theories that moved toward planned composition of sounds and movements rather than relying on progression through the practices of meditation and improvisation. Continually evolving, in their most recent EP, LTFI (2013), Sontag slides the bar even further, adding diced up choral harmonies and hints of acoustic guitar.

Sontag Shogun will be bringing their textured soundscapes of the vast expanse to Spool MFG, 138 Baldwin St. in Johnson City, on April 19th. For more information, please visit sontagshogun.com or find them and their list of tour dates on Facebook.

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RECORD STORE DAY 2014

April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 9

Carousel’s very own Creative Consultant, TY WHITBECK, really loves vinyl. It’s his lucky month, because Record Store Day is just around the corner. In the following piece, Ty weighs in on this year’s top picks.

Calling all Selectors! It brings me great joy to let the needle drop on Record Store Day 2014! Known the world over since 2007, this year’s celebration will be the biggest yet. It’s the Black Friday for sound insinuators- the paramount for vinyl purveyors. On Saturday, April 19th, you can find me among the thousands of other collectors, huddled over crates of 45s and LPs, pouring over the paper sheathings like we haven’t been fed in weeks.

First, a little something personal. When I was a kid, my Uncle Tom Evans taught me to appreciate the simple things in life, because sometimes, all you need is something good on the stereo and the ones you love.

Sometimes, the ones you love are in a crate of 45s. He was known in the 315 as ‘Docta Syracuse,’ because of his incredible cranium, filled to the lid with ridiculous knowledge of everything Rhythm & Blues, and because of his clout in the Syracuse music scene. Uncle Tom used to come over to my house with stacks of music: R&B, blues, reggae, Motown– he’d just drop them off. Within the next couple weeks he would come back with another stack, reminisce with stories, and give me history lessons on the ones he dropped off previously. This is how my record and CD collection got started, and I truly cannot thank the man enough. I like to think that he’d be jealous of my still- sealed Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble Live Alive double LP that I found at a thrift store in Colorado for $5.50.

Oh, but back to present day. I wasn’t able to salvage much of my vinyl after the last big flood, so Record Store Day has helped replenish my crates and drain my bank account, all in one glorious transaction, year after year. The thing is, with Record Store Day- you cannot get these records anywhere else. They are store exclusives, and for one day only. It’s a world-wide event, and two sanctioned shops in the Triple Cities will have their hands full of limited edition quantities of select vinyl: Sound-Go-Round (305 Vestal Pkwy East) and Music City (3100 Vestal Pkwy). They have announced the official list of releases on recordstoreday.com. Here, I was able to compile a few that I’ll be picking up, definitely: Charles Bradley: I Hope You Find the Good Life Dubbed “The Screamin’ Eagle of Soul,” 65 year old Charles Bradley does more than deliver. He’s signed to Daptone Records, if that says anything. This 12” EP features backing band Menahan Street Band, some of the most talented players on the planet, and the Sha La Das, providing the backing vocals on the electric version of “Victim of Love.” It’s modern soul music that sounds like it was recorded in the 70s. So smooth.

Ron Jeremy: Understanding and Appreciating Classical Music with Ron Jeremy Exactly what the title says, this is porn legend Ron Jeremy, squatting behind a piano, caressing the ebonies and ivories with grace to the works of Beethoven and Bach. Splashed with Jeremy’s tongue-in-cheek way of bringing one to mental eargasm, he gives titillating facts on Classical music and what you can do to get more of it in your life. Pressed on a 7” gold record, I’m let down, as I was hoping for a full 12…

Fishbone: Fishbone Music took a drastic turn in 1985 when Fishbone popped up on the scene.

Fusing ska, punk, hip hop and blistering jazz progressions, this 12” (pressed on red vinyl) is a reissue of the album that helped start the “Black Rocker Revolution,” along the sides of bands like Bad Brains and Living Colour.

Man Man: The Man in a Blue Turban with a Face They’re a big band from Philly with a big sound. Man Man is like the carnival freakshow of your wildest dreams. The creepy harmonies and penchant for percussion, paired with the impressive rasp of front man and pianist Honus Honus’ diesel engine of a voice, gives Man Man a one-up in regards to bizarre.

Think if Captain Beefheart provided the soundtrack for Dr. Seuss’ “Halloween is Grinch Night.” The Man in a Blue Turban with a Face, Man Man’s debut album, originally released digitally and on CD in 2004, is now a 12” LP, marking this as a first-ever pressing, limited to 1,500 copies nationwide.

Audiophiles, your time is now! The thrill of the hunt. Seize this day, as it is your own! Hold these times dear to your hearts and bring forth the most sacred knowledge of scouring through the crates and bins for the prized missing links to your collections. But, please don’t forget… you can continue to frequent record stores and flea markets the other 364 days of the year, too!

For more information and locations, visit recordstoreday.com.

tax day.

10 Vol. 2 Issue 4

DEATH AND TAXES! (AND MAMMOGRAMS AND COLONOSCOPIES)

Ronnie Vuolo Assistant Editor

When I was assigned this particular article, I thought it must either be a mistake or some kind of cosmic joke: anything even remotely involving mathematics causes me to break out in hives. It made more sense when I was advised to “have fun with it.” While there is nothing remotely funny about paying taxes, a society that can find a way to laugh at colonoscopies and mammograms can surely find something funny about this particular brand of torture.

On the topic of colonoscopies and mammograms, Dave Barry did a hysterical piece on his colonoscopy, and I routinely refer to mammogram prep instructions that include slamming my breasts in the refrigerator door and having them run over by a car, in order to properly prepare myself for the action of having them squashed like pancakes between Plexiglas panels and x-rayed. If we can find humor in that, we should be able to find something funny about preparing our taxes. Personally, I’d rather do my taxes than get a colonoscopy, although taxes do not give me an enjoyable and legal seven minutes of drugged twilight sleep. On the other hand, with a colonoscopy, you purge first, and with taxes the purge comes at the end when you open your checkbook. I’m not sure which I find more objectionable and unpleasant, but at least I can read a magazine during one of them. Also, while the former doesn’t disturb my spouse’s peace of mind at all, the latter makes him cry and mumble dire warnings about not being able to afford underwear for the next year.

Just thinking about the IRS brings fear to the masses. Images come to mind of dark suited, serious looking souls with unsympathetic eyes looking into your finances and sussing out every untaxed item you ever brought back from a vacation and the candy bar you stole as a 6 year old and thus failed to pay taxes on. I have not been 6 for almost 5 decades, and I’m sure that few cents of unpaid tax has since amortized into a small fortune that I will have to mortgage my first born in order to pay.

The word IRS may officially mean Internal Revenue Service– but more sinister meanings come easily to mind. The government would like you to believe– when they spread endless piles of sepia

toned instruction booklets in public places– that IRS stands for ‘take one- It’s Really Simple.” Don’t believe it for a minute. Nothing simple requires sub catalogues from A– Zed and can only be decoded by someone with an advanced degree in aerospace engineering and a minor in arcane languages. If you’re reading Carousel, you must be in some way creative, or at the very least, be admiring of the creativity of others. Face it: we creatively inclined right- brainers are not generally known for our skill with mathematical formulae.

In my case, any IRS agent who ever had to sit across from me would most certainly be thinking to him/ herself, “I’m Really Smart– and she (me) doesn’t look as though she ever progressed beyond 8th grade math,” which sadly, despite heroic efforts by Mr. Slavkin, my tired and vastly underpaid Jr. HS Math teacher, is true (I know he was underpaid because it is my belief that no amount of money or free psychoanalysis could ever be enough to compensate anyone who makes a living locked up in a building full of raging hormones with feet).

It is more likely that IRS stands for “I Really Suck at this.” This meaning numbers in general and instruction booklets- that seem to be written in an odd combination of ancient Cyrillic and Sanskrit- in particular. It could also mean “I’m Really Scared.”

Everyone is scared of the IRS. They are mythic Elliot Ness type characters watching you from the shadows, ready to… I don’t know exactly what, but something unpleasant if you fail to correctly use a routing number with 9 digits on line 11b of your Form1040EZ, the first two digits being from 01-12 or 21-32. You’re not sure what will happen to you if you write in 33, for example, but you know– deep in your very DNA– that it won’t be good.

So it is that every year I gather all my tax information in a nicely labeled file and trot off to have it prepared by a left- brained professional who understands Sanskrit. I don’t have much to report anymore. A lifetime of being frugal and taking cheese sandwiches to work paid off. I have no debt. I was raised to think this was a good thing; however, I have nothing to write off anymore, which is a bad thing. I vividly recall my shock one year when my taxes equaled my entire salary (before taxes) the first year of my professional life. I enter the office with a resigned look and my checkbook already open. The days of refunds big enough to pay for home repairs are a thing of the past; refunds big enough to buy a bargain pack of socks are also a thing of the past. As I leave the office, I pass a box of tissues to my spouse and know that once again, we will not be buying any new underwear in the foreseeable future.

theatre and dance.

April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 11

MOSCOW FESTIVAL BALLET LEAPS INTO ANDERSON CENTER

ulous… what more can I say? That’s what sets us apart.” Performing both modern and classic ballets, “we stay as true to the original choreography as possible: as it has been handed down to us over the generations. The only innovations we use are on the technical side of the stage… for instance, lighting. The oldest ballet we perform is Giselle, which premiered in 1841. On this American tour, like all of our tours, our goal is to bring beautiful Russian Classical Ballet to people all over the world. Your audience doesn’t need to travel to Russia to see one our greatest cultural heritages, because we bring it to you.”

Ronnie Vuolo Assistant Editor

The Moscow Festival Ballet, led by founder and Artistic Director Sergei Radchenko, will be closing the silver anniversary season of the Anderson Center on Monday, April 7th, in a one-time only performance from 8-10pm in the Ousterhout Concert Theater. Made up of some of Russia’s leading dancers, the 40 members of the current U.S. tour have been dazzling audiences since arriving in the states on January 1st. The Anderson Center is fortunate indeed to be included in the tour before its conclusion May 11th.

The Gala program consists of a mixed repertoire including: The Sleeping Beauty- Act I- The Rose Adagio; The Ocean and Pearls from The Little Humpbacked Horse; The Quatre; Cinderella- Act III- Adagio; Adagio from Romeo and Juliet; Don Quixote- Act III- Grand Pas; Pas de Quatre; Allegro; Dying Swan; and selections from Paquita.

Among the technical highlights of the performance are the perfection of the technically difficult Rose Adagio and the masterful and complex duet in the wedding scene of Don Quixote. From the “fantastical tableaux set on an enchanted Isle of Mermaids” in The Little Humpbacked Horse, to Cinderella’s kitchen turned into a “magic glade,” the Moscow Festival Ballet transports the audience to a world of dreams. As the program progresses, so do our emo-

Moscow Festival Ballet. Photo Provided.

tions from the incredible loss of Romeo and Juliet to the adventure and excitement of Paquita. The wonderful variety of subjects and sets is a perfect recipe for an evening to be remembered forever.

The Moscow Festival Ballet is the brainchild of Sergei Radchenko, a 25- year veteran lead dancer in the famed Bolshoi Ballet. It was his dream to form an independent company dedicated to Russian classic ballet, a company that would mirror the high standards set by the Bolshoi and Kirov Troupes. Since its inception in 1989, the company has toured extensively throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Radchenko continually seeks

After their tour of the U.S., the company will take a short rest before touring Siberia in summer. As to their artistic plans for the future, Daev concludes, “Russian Classical Ballet is ‘tried and true,’ and our plan is to keep it alive with fresh young dancers and their new energy. It is one of the world’s greatest art forms and we feel sharing it with the world and passing it on to the next generation are very important… and we love it.” to add new works to their repertoire including newly commissioned works from Russia and beyond.

“When Sergei Radchenko created this company,” says Ballet Master and Assistant Director Alexander Daev, “his idea was to have a touring company to show the world true high quality Russian Classical Ballet. He made a company large enough to perform the large classical productions, but small enough to be a viable touring company. The fact that we stay true to Russian Classical Ballet is what sets our company apart from others. Also, we hold true to the highest standards. Our costumes are lavish and beautiful, our sets are magnificent, our lighting sets the mood, and our dancers are fab-

vvv The Anderson Center Theater is located at 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Binghamton. Tickets are $45 for the general public, $40 for faculty, staff and senior citizens, and $22 for students. For tickets and information, call 777-ARTS or go to anderson.binghamton.edu. *Special thanks go to Madelaine Collinson, of Columbia Artists Management Inc., for her kind assistance in bridging the gap of distance and language in order to give me access to the words of Alexander Daev.

12 Vol. 2 Issue 4

KNOW THEATRE MAKES IT RAIN Felicia Waynesboro Staff Writer

Some fans of live theatre might think of the 1954 Broadway classic The Rainmaker as one of the old workhorsesdurable and dependable. But after hearing how Tim Gleason- artistic director of the KNOW Theatre and director of a new production of the play- feels about it, it’s easy to realize that The Rainmaker is more than just a recycled relic.

“It’s a beautiful play,” he leads by saying. Back in the day, The Rainmaker was made into a film with mega movie stars Burt Lancaster and Katherine Hepburn in the lead roles. “I first fell in love with it as a film and later, when I got older and became an actor, I realized it was a play and-” he pauses, searching for the right words, “-that just made me smile.” He calls it “magical” and finally concedes, “It’s my favorite play in the world, actually.” Such honest rhapsody about a script is difficult to discount.

There was a time when the name Starbuck didn’t suggest coffee. It is the name of the central character created by playwright N. Richard Nash. The Rainmaker is the story of a young woman, Lizzie, who has become convinced by past failures that she is too plain ever to marry or find intimate love. She lives with her father and two brothers, who are all as pessimistic about her future as she is. The setting is a scorching summer day on the family’s ranch during a stultifying drought that is killing their cattle and their prospects. Into the midst of this comes the energetic, sweet-talking Starbuck who promises the family that- for a fee- he can make it rain. The quenching he promises comes in more than just the literal sense; the director says, “he also changes their lives and opens their eyes to the possibility that there’s more than they’re looking at.”

The play is categorized as a romantic comedy, and it is certainly driven by humor and charm. The story covers a single, pivotal day in the characters’ lives.

The compression of time and a small cast lend an immediacy to the experience, and today’s audiences would be more likely to call it a “romantic dramedy.”

The KNOW Theatre in downtown Binghamton, is in its 20th season and is doing a kind of retrospective of the shows it has produced since it first came into existence. (Note the spelling of theatre, which some might consider posh compared with the more common theater. Gleason says that was inspired

by England where the “…er” indicates the cinema while “…re” is reserved for the stage.) Dave Merrell portrayed one of the brothers in KNOW’s original production of The Rainmaker, which showed in 1998. Now he returns to the play in the role of the Lizzie’s father along with Jessica Nogaret as Lizzie, Joe Andrews in the title role and Eric Patten, Alex Boyce, Rick Mertens and Josh Sedelmayer completing the cast. Gleason describes KNOW’s core group of actors as, “semi-professional,” meaning that there is “a mix of people who are in the profession. and we also use local actors who have this as their avocation versus their vocation. Whenever possible, we use the local actors because there are many, many, many talented people within our community.”

“The definition of ‘know’ is to experience, to understand, so that’s exactly what theatre is for in my opinion,” Gleason explains, “for people to experience and understand the world around them.”

KNOW audiences get a special opportunity to experience life intensified through theatre on Pay What You Can Nights- the first Thursday after the opening of the run of any of their shows. People with little discretionary money to spend can come to the theatre for as little as they can afford for a ticket, “because,” Gleason insists, “theatre should not be kept from anybody.” No matter what the price of admission, “it’s about touching people’s hearts, and as craftspeople, we’re trying to take it to the highest level possible.”

vvv The Rainmaker runs weekends, Friday, April 11th thru Sunday, April 27th. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8pm; Sunday performances are at 3pm. The Pay-What-You-Can Thursday, April 17th performance is at 8pm. General admission $20, Seniors $15, Students $10. Reservations and more information at 607-724-4341. KNOW Theatre, 74 Carroll St., Binghamton, NY. KNOW is pleased to announce that credit cards are now accepted at the ticket window and through a link at their website, knowtheatre.org.

CIRQUE DREAMS ROCKS AT THE FORUM

Kaitlin Mooney Staff Writer

Cirque Dreams Rocks, the awe-inspiring show that mashes European cirque-style performance with Broadway theatrics, is dropping into town. The extensive stage production will be at the Forum Theatre on Tuesday, April 15th and Wednesday the 16th at 7:30 pm. The show is nonstop action, with a dazzling array of singers, dancers, a live band, hula hoopers, jugglers, aerialists, roller skaters, gymnasts, trapeze artists, tightrope walkers, unicyclists, and even tightrope unicyclists!

Cirque Dreams Rocks debuted in the United States in 2012, and since then has had incredible success on their national tour. Plucked from the mind of Neil Goldberg, the business mogul behind the Cirque Dreams Entertainment Brand and the creator of the runaway Broadway hit show “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy,” this latest installment incorporates modern day rock and pop music into a carnival fun house atmosphere. Hundreds of costumed characters, stage props, lights and lasers galore, Cirque Dreams Rocks spares no expense to transport the audience into a wild alternate dimension of lights music and color. The show follows a loose story line which is pulled forward by live performances of a diverse spectrum of chart topping hits from “Rapper’s Delight” to the goofy “She Bangs.” Sprinkled abundantly throughout the production are jaw-dropping and gasp-inducing aerialists flying across the stage, powerful strongmen, and gravity defying balancing acts. The show

has been garnering rave reviews, and is sure to continue to amaze audiences.

This is not the first time that Binghamton has hosted something of this magnitude: “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” was here in early 2007 and “Cirque Dreams Illumination” came to town in 2010. “The Southern Tier auidiences enjoyed past Cirque Dreams shows, so when another one was coming through the area, Albert Nocciolino, President of the Broadway Theatre League, booked it,” explains NAC Entertainment Spokesperson Tina Niles. NAC Entertainment specializes in the presentation of nationally touring Broadway shows, as well as the production of the Broadway season series in New York State and Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Albert Nocciolino, a Binghamton native who has received Tony Awards for Spamalot (Best Musical, 2005) and Throughly Modern Millie (Best Musical, 2002). He has also been a Tony Award voting member since 1982. Nocciolino heads up the Broadway in Binghamton program under NAC Entertainment and the Broadway Theatre League, which has brought national tours to Broome County for over 35 years. These nationally touring productions exhibit the same quality seen on Broadway, right here in your home town for a fraction of the price. The program funnels money back into the community with a portion of proceeds from an M&T Bank sponsorship benefiting the Broome County Arts Council.

Head down to the Forum Theatre at 236 Washington St on Tuesday April 15th and Wednesday the 16th at 7:30 pm to catch Cirque Dreams Rocks, a complete sensory spectacle. Tickets are on sale at the Arena Box Office and Ticketmaster, but try to get them at the Box Office to avoid processing fees.

Tickets range from $35-$65 with student discount balcony seats going for $25 (with valid student ID at the box office). For more info check out BroadwayInBinghamton.com

14 Vol. 2 Issue 4

Christine Bahr: A COLLAGE OF CONNECTIONS

by Ilana LipoWICZ

Clockwise from Top Left: “Flora.” “Red Dress, Blue Shelf #1.”

“Mardi Gras Mary.” “Pompeii Head Red Head.”

Opposite Page: “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman.”

art.

April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 15

This month’s cover artist, Christine Bahr, is small and unassuming, but full of stories and ideas that jump around, pixie-like, always coming full circle and ending with a giggle.

She might seem jumbled to those who don’t see how her tangents all connect, but she makes an art of bringing out connections where they are not immediately apparent. Any impression of Christine as disarrayed is quickly dispelled by her studio’s almost compulsive sense of order. Located on the top floor of the Avenue Antique Gallery in Endicott, where her art is on display, the studio is filled with stuff: books, artwork, supplies, et cetera. It is all arranged in some undiscernible order, as if each trinket’s placement was considered in its relation to everything else in the room, inviting the eye to travel steadily along each color and shape. I imagine this is what the inside of Christine’s head must look like: a beautiful clutter, tied together so tightly and smartly that it all fits, and still leaves room for the sun to shine through.

Christine’s approach to art is all-inclusive.

Anything is an inspiration, and everything somehow falls into an intricate web of connections. Images from many different cultures and religions are found across her work, each piece a personal exploration of the stories their symbols carry. Her use of collage is less an aesthetic preference than a symptom of her approach to art, which is not a meditation on any certain medium, but rather an expression of feeling. In her process, she equalizes herself with surrounding forces and the natural interactions of things. “Everything is made of energy and light particulates, so I stream-of-consciously extricate what grabs my attention at the time, and use whatever materials are on hand to express the idea.”

Christine was born in California, but lived there only briefly as a baby before her parents moved with her to the Southern Tier. All that’s left of West Coast beginning is her blonde hair and a vague feeling of belonging- she sometimes wonders if she was meant to live there. “It’s weird- it’s like your soul is born somewhere and then you go somewhere else of your own volition.” She was first led into art through jewelry making, and it was this interest that led her to join the renowned, intensive metalworking program at SUNY New Paltz. There, she

also found an outlet for her love of fashion design and collaboration, joining the theatre department as a costume designer.

The taste for shine and aesthetic pleasure that led Christine into art is still apparent in her work today.

“I like embellishment- verbal as well as decorative,” she says. “When people use ‘decorative’ as a word to describe art, they usually mean it as derogatory, but I see it as a powerful statement to make something shiny and beautiful.” Glitter and jewels lend vivacity to her pieces, while also adding a tactile dimension. Deriving power from its physicality, her art dismisses the usual boundaries between

home to fellow artist Orazio Salati. Now she works above the space where her artwork is arranged in harmony with antique tables, dressers and lamps.

Christine sometimes finds herself having dreams of both art and antiques in a strange synthesis. The top floor is the gallery’s hidden lair; those less curious might neglect to follow the staircase in the back corner of the shop that leads up to it, and those who do are often surprised by what they find. “There’s nothing that makes me happier than when people come up here and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know all this was here!’”

After looking around the gallery, Bahr takes me in-

spaces led her to build altars in exploration of this idea, which prompted her discovery of the connections between nature and our own manmade structures.

Her references to spirituality and religion are not so much related to a belief system; rather, Christine explores the imageries associated with them and finds how they are connected. She did a series of portraits that compare and synthesize the image of the Virgin Mary as she recurs across cultures. She is not didactic in her art; she makes discoveries through what she creates. “As an artist you get in tune with the spirit of the times, so you may place certain things together before realizing the underlying meaning.”

It takes a certain artistic modesty to surrender some control to outside forces and allow the work to take on its own life, but the ability to do so is rewarding, as the artist can return to it and find connections that she did not see before, or deliberately make.

Her art repositions things so that they can be seen in a new way.

The painting on the cover is “Flora,” which zooms in on the face of Flora in Botticelli’s “Primavera.”

It was made as counterpart to another work she did, “Frida,” an adaptation of a self-portrait done

by Frida Kahlo.

The two represent the “light and dark aspects of love,” as they relate to Ezili Freda, the Afro-Caribbean goddess of love. On its own, “Flora” offers a re-envisioning of an old artwork; when viewed in conjunction with “Frida,” the temporal and spatial barriers between the original works are overcome, their shared imageries and ideologies revealed.

the canvas and the space in front of it, while also managing to obey some other less obvious rules of relationships. “The work is about surface design and ornament- which I love- but it comes from a deeper sort of physics and spirituality level, using signs and symbols in various recombinations that are recognizable,” she says.

The antique gallery is a fitting place for an artist who draws influence from so many sources. Christine has had her studio upstairs for fourteen years, since before the gallery started selling antiques.

Previously, she had her studio in the building that is now the KNOW Theatre, also once creative

side her studio, where we sit in what seems to be a lounge area, underlined by a square red carpet, with a table and two chairs. It is arranged so pleasingly that it is a work of art in itself, a set design for the talk show of a quiet eccentric; I almost do not want to enter it for fear of disturbing its aura. Her experience of life is through a lens of art and possibility. Her way of being is one of conscious perception, and an active effort to design spaces that are beautiful and spiritual. Every place and thing is endowed with a feeling, and everything within a space affects the energy of its surroundings. “I want to create a space that is spiritual and that people are moved by.” Her interest in the protective quality of

Her vision of the world fuses together cultures, stories and ideas, and her work fluently blends art, science, and religion, the separation of which she sees no cause for. To Christine, it all grows out of nature and so the same principles are at the core of each of these ways that we interpret life. “I think it’s all nature-based, and we try to layer all this stuff on top it and think we live for a purpose,” she says with a laugh. To separate these things is to deny them their nature, and deny our ability see through them to the greater underlying truths. “We need to bring it back to the interdisciplinary.”

Christine’s art is on display and for sale at Avenue Antique Gallery at 114 Washington Avenue in Endicott.

triple cities carousel sunday.

monday.

06 13 20 27

Easter Egg Hunt (10&under) (VCH) Second Sunday at the Phelps (PMM)

EASTER SUNDAY International Cannabis Culture Day (WW)

Chorus & Wind Symphony Concert (BU) Run For Your Heart 5k (VCH) Civil War Day (PMM)

01 08 15 22 29

Binghamton Restaurant Week (DTB) Speakeasy Open Mic (CCW) Milkweed (OUH)

The Triple Cities Carousel Events Calendar is featured each month as a courtesy to our advertisers, however we welcome everyone to submit their events to ty@ triplecitiescarousel.com by the 15th of the month prior to publication. Space is limited, so calendar entries, which have no cost, are picked on a first come/first serve basis. Triple Cities Carousel reserves the right to reject any submission deemed to be non-arts related, or, well, for any reason.

Binghamton Restaurant Week (DTB) Mason Warrington Orchestra (FHS) The Color Run (BCC) Shrek (EPAC) Michael Salmirs (AC) Deathtrap (CMP) Jewish Film Festival (JCC) BU Music Dept Recital (PMM) Making the Band (TTC) David Young: Spiritual Music/Meditation (BUN) Summer People/Crimson Brethren (FTZ)

tuesday.

APRIL

07 14 21 28

Moscow Festival Ballet (AC) Binghamton Restaurant Week (DTB) Open Mic (BEL) Open Mic w/Dan Pokorak (KING) Jazz Jams (FHS) Comedy Writing Workshop (BUN) Willis Sharpe Kilmer (PMM)

Roberson Adventure Week (ROB) Open Mic (BEL) Open Mic w/Dan Pokorak (KING) Fuck the Facts, Dialysis, more(FTZ) Comedy Writing Workshop (BUN) Portraits of Native Americans (PMM)

Open Mic (BEL) Open Mic w/Dan Pokorak (KING) Jazz Jams (FHS) Comedy Writing Workshop (BUN)

Comedy Writing Workshop (BUN) Open Mic (BEL) Open Mic w/Dan Pokorak (KING) Miss Massive Snowflake (FTZ) Vines Spring Fundraiser (LDC) A Lifetime of Trails (PMM)

Binghamton Restaurant Week (DTB) BTO Presents: Ben Hur (FORUM) Cullen Wade (FTZ)

Cirque Dreams Rocks (FORUM) Milkweed (OUH) Roberson Adventure Week (ROB)

Open Art Studio (MHAST) Piano Concert w/Michael Salmirs (BU) Milkweed (OUH)

wedne

02 09 16 23 30

Binghamton

Jazz J

Binghamton Thoughts as Devices, Isamu Mc

J Prima

Cirque

Jazz J

Roberson

Puzzled Playe

Wh Prima

Florence Rasbey Ha Prophets of Addiction,

In the

L 2014

esday. thursday.

n Restaurant Week (DTB) All That Jazz (FHS) Raibred (CCW) Open Mic (JBC) Live Music (KING) Jam w/Miles Ahead (LDC) Comedy Open Mic (MB)

n Restaurant Week (DTB) , Finished, In Heat (HCS) cGregor/Aquarium (CCW) Open Mic (JBC) Live Music (KING) Jewish Film Festival (JCC) al Beat Open Drum (BUN)

e Dreams Rocks (FORUM) Dirty Moon Frank (CCW) Open Mic (JBC) Live Music (KING) Jam w/Miles Ahead (LDC) Comedy Open Mic (MB) n Adventure Week (ROB)

Teen Jazz Project (FHS) ers Comedy Improv (LDC) Jamie Willard (CCW) Open Mic (JBC) Live Music (KING) hiskey Symposium! (LDC) al Beat Open Drum (BUN)

amme Jazz Concert (FHS) , The Erotics, more (FTZ) Chris Padgett (CCW) Open Mic (JBC) Live Music (KING) Zone w/R. Serling (BUN)

03 10 17 24

Binghamton Restaurant Week (DTB) Mid-Day Concert (BU) Cult Movie Thursdays (BUN) Deathtrap (CMP) Shrek – The Musical (EPAC) Chris Mollo (BTP) InnerMission (CCW) Duo Sonic (GIP) The Falconers (GXY) Jewish Film Festival (JCC) Local Hip Hop (MOS) Binghamton Restaurant Week (DTB) Mid-Day Concert (BU) Shrek – The Musical (EPAC) Harpur Jazz Concert (BU) Vermont Cheddar (BTP) InnerMission (CCW) Donal O’Shaughnessy (GIP) Free Music Orchestra (GXY) Jewish Film Festival (JCC) Local Hip Hop (MOS) Cult Movie Thursdays (BUN) Chris Mollo (BTP) InnerMission (CCW) Enerjee Jazz w/Ayana D (LDC) Roberson Adventure Week (ROB) Local Hip Hop (MOS) Cult Movie Thursdays (BUN)

Eternal Summers, Krooked Knuckles, more (FTZ) Bert Scholl & Friends (GXY) Mid-Day Concert (BU) Vermont Cheddar (BTP) InnerMission (CCW) Acoustic Jam (EPAC) Wine & Food Fest (ROB) Local Hip Hop (MOS) Cult Movie Thursdays (BUN)

(AC) Anderson Center (BBW) Black Bear Winery (BCC) Broome Community College (BEL) Belmar Pub (BTP) Blind Tiger Pub (BOB) Bobby’s Place (BU) Binghamton University (BUN) Bundy Museum (CCW) Cyber Café West (CMP) Cider Mill Playhouse (DTB) Downtown Binghamton (DTO) Downtown Owego (EPAC) Endicott Performing Arts Center (FHS) Firehouse Stage (FIVE) Number 5

events calendar

friday.

04 11 18 25

Binghamton Restaurant Week (DTB) First Friday Art Walk (DTB), Shrek (EPAC) Prof. Louie & Crowmatix (CCW) Deathtrap (CMP), Opera Recital (BU) Rick Iacovelli (BTP), Virgil Cain (BOB) Brotherhood (FIVE) Tumbleweed Highway (FTZ), Milkweed (LDC) Pete Ruttle & Friends (OUH) Can You Go the Note (HDT) Juelz Santana (ICE), Scott C. Hause (PMM) House Party w/DJ O Face (MOS) The Three Musketeers (FHS) Shrek – The Musical (EPAC) Live Music (BBW) Thom & Beth (BTP) Splash (FIVE) Woodshed Prophets (CCW) Water Monsters (GIP) Pete Ruttle & Friends (OUH) Can You Go the Note (HDT) Discovery Center’s Spring Fling (TC)

Live Music (BBW) A Country Mile (BTP) Brotherhood (FIVE) Black Mountain Symphony (CCW) Third Friday Art Walk (DTO) Peaches & Crime (LDC) Pete Ruttle & Friends (OUH) Roberson Adventure Week (ROB) House Party w/DJ O Face (MOS)

Rooster & the Roadhouse Horns (FIVE) Upright Citizens Brigade (FHS) Anne Boleyn (BU) Live Music (BBW) Toy Box Trophies (BTP) The Troubadours (BOB) Milkweed (CCW) Raibred (FTZ) Pete Ruttle & Friends (OUH) Can You Go the Note (HDT)

(FORUM) Binghamton Forum Theatre (FTZ) Fitzies Pub (GIP) Gallagher’s Irish Pub (GXY) Galaxy Brewing Co. (HCS) HCS Skatepark Vestal (HDT) Hilton Double Tree (ICE) Icehouse (JBC) John Barleycorn (JCC) Jewish Community Center (KING) Kingsley’s Pub (KNOW) KNOW Theatre (LDC) Lost Dog Café/Lounge (MB) Matty B’s (MC) Music City (MHAST) Mental Health Ass. of the S. Tier

saturday.

05 12 19 26

Binghamton Restaurant Week (DTB) Madrigal Choir (CHT), Shrek (EPAC) The Yadda Yaddas (BTP) Highline (BOB) Bruce Beadle Band (FIVE) Liberty Belle/Union Boys (CCW) The Quantum (FTZ) Lunchbox Comedy Show (SB) Never Enough (MOS) Deathtrap (CMP), Dinner Duo (TTC) Moose Pie Sketch Comedy Show (VCH)

Robin Hood (FHS), Shrek (EPAC) Delta Blues w/Gerard Burke (BTP) HiWay Fruit Market (BOB) Rum Runners (FIVE) Alex Smith (CCW) Broadway Divas (CMP) Toy Box Trophies (GIP) Brenna Swanger (LDC) Live Music (MOS) Bluegrass w/the Hilltoppers (TTC) Road to Ruin, Devilock, Hollow Bodies (FTZ) Eggstravaganza Easter Egg Hunt (OTS) Sontag Shogun & Blevin Blectum (SPOOL) Hindsight (MOS) Doug Mosher (BTP) Giant Steps (BOB) Beauty & the Beats (FIVE) Raibred (CCW) 100% Black, Pretty Poor (FTZ) Record Store Day (SGR/MC) Country/Western Dance (TTC)

Anatomy for Artists (WHIP) 19th Century Circus: Sex/Violence/Politics (BUN) Anne Boleyn (BU) The Revelers (BTP) Odd Man Out (FIVE) Rachael Sage (CCW) 80s Burlesque Show (FTZ) DJ Castle (LDC) Earth Fest (ROB/BCC/TDC/RPZ) Dance Party (SB) Wreckless Marci (MOS)

(MOS) Mosquito Lounge (OTS) Otsiningo Park (OUH) Old Union Hotel (PMM) Phelps Mansion Museum (ROB) Roberson Museum (RPZ) Ross Park Zoo (SB) Searchbar (SGR) Sound-Go-Round Vestal (SPOOL) Spool MFG. (TC) Terra Cotta (TDC) The Discovery Center (TTC) Tioga Trails Cafe (VCH) Vestal Coal House (WHIP) Windsor Whip Works (WW) Worldwide

April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 19

TECHWORKS CELEBRATES OLD-SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY

WITH INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP Ilana Lipowicz Staff Writer

Now that cameras are always at hand and taking a photograph requires no more than pushing a button, we have no need to think about how this technology actually works. But, on April 17th, at Techworks’ Trapping the Light Fantastic, you will have the opportunity to build your own pinhole camera and participate in Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day, an event dedicated to celebrating the centuries old art of pinhole photography.

Our phones are attached to us like a fifth limb. One side effect of our recent cyborgification is that most people now have a camera within reach at all times. Photography is so accessible that we may find ourselves snapping shots of anything we find even remotely interesting.

You may have, in your phone’s gallery, a shot of a curiously curved tree branch or a potato chip with a face in it.

Once upon a time, having your photograph taken was a big event, one requiring thought and planning. Many folks had only one photograph taken of themselves their entire life.

They’d put on their best clothes and their straightest faces to create one of those eerie portraits you now find stacked in shoeboxes in antique stores.

Still earlier, there was the pinhole camera, and that is what you’ll have the opportunity to use here.

So what is a pinhole camera? Take your high-tech film camera, strip it down to the absolute essentials, and what you have left is a box with a small hole in it. That’s a pinhole camera. Light travels through the small hole and exposes the film, or whatever light-sensitive material is inside. At Techworks, you will have the opportunity to make your own pinhole camera and take a photograph with it, which you will then upload to the WPPD website. There you can see photos taken by people with pinhole cameras all around the world.

SUNY Broome professor Tara Monaco will lead the workshop, teaching you how to build the camera and set up your shot. You will also get to see the camera’s inner workings, when BU professor Tomonari Nishikawa takes you inside the camera obscura, a camera the size of a whole room. A small hole in the wall will capture the image of the people going by outside on the street, and you will see this

image projected upside down on the opposite wall.

If you’re not there to make a camera, you’re invited to come down and walk around or dance in the street to become part of the picture!

The idea of a camera is hardly novel to us, but when you’re inside the camera obscura, or taking a photo with your handmade pinhole camera, you’ll be experiencing the ancient invention which evolved into a single feature on the little device you carry everywhere with you. The process of shooting with a pinhole camera is very different from that of a digital camera or a lensed camera. Requiring longer exposure, you need to choose the subject of your photo carefully. If you’re trying to add to your collection of cat photos for example, you’ll have to make sure it stays still (only kidding, you probably shouldn’t bring your cat). There is also no zoom or focus. While you’ll have the power to choose the subject, much of the outcome is left to nature. The picture will be produced entirely by you, but there will be an element of surprise, and you can expect to see your environment in a new way.

To Tomonari, it’s this new way of seeing an old subject that makes photography an art.

“Photography is more about framing. It’s not only about subject, but shapes, lines, exposure, contrast.” As an art, photography is known to be on the expensive side. The cost of cameras, film, and editing equipment, make it hard for just anyone to become a professional photographer; however, at its most basic level, photography is accessible to everyone. Now that everyone has a camera built in to their phones, and multiple arenas in which to share them, this is perhaps truer than ever. As Tomonari says, “Everyone can be a director now. It’s great!”

Everyone does feel like a photographer now. Always having a camera with us means that there is always the potential for a great photo. When, as you go about your day, you see something beautiful and feel the urge to capture it, you can. Now that photography has become a basic human function, why not learn how it all started?

Old technologies are more than just museum displays that are fun to think about. Seeing the fundamental aspects of a certain technology can help us see it in a new way. Tomonari feels that understanding old inventions is important for technological progression. “When we look to the past we can get new ideas by combining old and new technologies.”

Take your pinhole photograph with “Trapping the Light Fantastic” at the Center of Innovation & Technology (Techworks), 321 Water Street, on April 17th.

20 Vol. 2 Issue 4

FINDING BEAUTY IN DECAY: GREG CHIANIS

Rose Silberman-Gorn Staff Writer

Architect Greg Chianis, of Binghamton’s Chianis + Anderson Architects, had no interest in photography until being diagnosed several years ago with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After completing a brutal 3- year course of treatment, something deep inside moved him to pursue photography.

Soon after, he embarked on a 3- week trip to Italy, which served as a crash course in the practice of his new medium. Chianis spent every day, from dawn to dusk, taking photographs. From then on, he was hooked.

Chianis was drawn to photography because it’s a creative endeavor rooted in technical skills, much like architecture; however, he appreciates different things about each medium. “With architecture, it’s a great experience to develop an idea based on people’s needs and see it come to life, from a hand-sketch on paper to a finished building. Photography is more about conveying a message and making things that are meaningful.”

The thirst to capture meaningful images has led Chianis around the country and the world. He’s traveled to 10 national parks throughout the US, has been to Greece, France, and Scotland, and has returned to Italy several times. Drawn to photograph buildings and natural landscapes, he has a particularly affinity to the abandoned buildings he comes across in his travels. “The history behind va-

cant buildings is really intriguing to me. I also like to go off the beaten path and photograph unexpected places, rather than the most popular attractions.”

He approaches the buildings in what he feels is a respectful manner: by shooting in black-and-white, not moving any of the objects, and trying hard not to trespass. Though he’s not sure why he is drawn to abandoned buildings specifically, it makes sense that someone in the business of creating buildings would also be interested in their final stages- decay and deterioration.

A selection of 20 of Chianis’s photographs of abandoned buildings, collectively called “Forgotten,” will be on display from April 4th through May 31st at Orazio Salati Fine Arts. First Friday receptions will be held from 6-9pm on April 4th and May 2nd. Chianis hopes the images will arouse curiosity about the buildings and their pasts, as well as draw attention and appreciation to places that have long been overlooked. He has already had several solo shows at Orazio Salati, including one in 2009 that featured images from his first trip to Italy. This proved to be Salati’s highest selling show ever.

An interest in photography that began as a hobby and a healing process has grown to a full-blown love affair for Chianis. “The good thing about photography is that there’s not a real endpoint- you can always improve.” His goal is to continue honing his craft, and to find meaning for himself and others through his photographs. “If I can get one or two pictures that are meaningful, then I’m satisfied,” he concludes.

The Orazio Salati Gallery is open on First Fridays from 6-9 pm, Saturdays from 11-3 pm, and by appointment. For more information on Greg Chianis’s photography visit chianisphotography.com.

MUCKLES’ INK TAKES ON THE WORLD! April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 21

are happy with their product. Chauna describes one of the best parts of their job as seeing the looks on people’s faces when they first see their shirts.

Ilana Lipowicz Staff Writer

Muckles’ is less than two years old, and Ink is only the first sector of what should become a Muckles’ Empire of sorts. Right now they are working on an artists’ series; they have several artists lined up whose work they will print onto t-shirts and sell on their almost-completed website. Casey and Chauna imagine Muckles’ expanding beyond t-shirts into a conglomerate including a Muckles’ Media, Muckles Presents, and whatever other ventures they take on.

The Muckle is the character you see in their logo– the silhouette of a baby triumphantly holding up a root that is a symbol of branching out. “We like cute, weird stuff.” While it may not have been their intention, the baby image is in harmony with their model of Muckles’ Ink as a blank slate, free to take on a life of its own.

It’s not much to look at from the outside, but on stepping into the Muckles’ Ink workshop on Alice Street in Binghamton, you’ll know you’ve entered the lair of creative minds. If you haven’t heard of Muckles’ Ink, you’ve probably seen their products on people’s chests around town. They are Binghamton’s resident silk screen and embroidery service. They printed the groovy Carousel t-shirts you might have purchased if you came to our birthday party, and pretty soon the whole city will have a Muckles’ printed t-shirt from some event or another.

From the conception of Muckles’ Ink, owners Casey Addason Coolbaugh and Chauna D’Angelo set out to build much more than a t-shirt company. They were artists first and “business people by accident,” and as artists, their interests have always spanned across media. They grew up around here, Chauna in Chenango and Casey in Windsor, and met while studying at BCC. Both transferred to BU, where they became film majors, and it was there that they first started collaborating. Their first major creative achievement together was their production of a black and white silent film, “Jane and the Painted Window,” which was accompanied by an original score written by their friend Jim Glasgow. Casey calls film the gateway drug to all that followed. This film brought them together with the KNOW Theatre, and was the first feature of The Loft Presents, a variety showcase they hosted there which exhibited creative projects of all media.

The Muckles’ Crew Hard at Work. Photo by Ty Whitbeck

The pair was obviously talented and energetic, but shared the artists’ woe of figuring out how to turn their ability into careers. The answer came to them when they met George, an art teacher who also ran a silk-screen shop. George was looking for some young, ambitious people to sell his business to, and when he met Casey and Chauna, he could see it would be safe in their hands. George taught them the ins and outs of the operation, and when they were ready, he sold them the business. They set up shop in Chenango before moving to their current location on Alice Street.

It didn’t take long for Casey and Chauna to take what they inherited from George and make it their

own. This is partly due to the changing nature of silk-screen. George did everything manually, while all of Muckles’ prints are handled on their computer. “That’s Casey’s department,” says Chauna, “I’m on the hands on stuff.” The pair have a charming dynamic; their creative compatibility comes from the way that they balance each other. When Chauna chose a bright yellow paint for their office, Casey dimmed the lights, and the space now has a sunset glow which complements their posters, abstract art pieces, and strange statuettes, all which fit together with an uncanny cohesion. The shop itself is evidence of their aesthetic sense, and Casey and Chauna are both friendly and incredibly perceptive; they truly care to make sure that their customers

Muckles’ really gets its character from its creators.

Casey and Chauna even gave Muckles’ a narrative while toying with the idea of a children’s book- the story of Muckle’s journey to the surface of the earth as he uses screen-printing in order to get the word out about his whereabouts. Casey expresses interest in one day making a Muckles’ animated cartoon.

“We’ve stuck to our multimedia routes,” he says.

Live t-shirt printing is another exciting avenue for them. On Parade Day, they were in Jungle Science printing shirts live while a local band played music.

It’s fun to show people how it’s done and it adds a quality of performance to t-shirt printing.

The possibilities are wide for Muckles’ and for the brains behind it. In not pinning Muckles’ down to any one creation, Casey and Chauna are preparing for the long-term potential of the business that is their baby. Muckles’ is a product of the creative endeavors of two people, and as Casey and Chauna grow and evolve as creators and as people, there is room for the company to grow and evolve as well.

film.

22 Vol. 2 Issue 4

BTOS PRESENTS “BEN HUR”

WITH ORGAN ACCOMPANIMENT

A still shot from Ben Hur. Photo via Web.

Charles Berman Staff Writer On April 8th, at 7pm, the Binghamton Theater Organ Society will present a live theatre- organ accompaniment of a classic silent film. In this case, Scott Foppiano will play music to accompany Fred Noblo’s 1925 historical epic Ben Hur. The Theater Organ Society serves multiple functions with its regular presentations; entertaining audiences with fine organ playing from around the country is but one of them, but one not to be underestimated. Scott Foppiano, a nationally-known artist, comes to the Southern Tier all the way from Kansas City to demonstrate his skill in this rare musical art form. The musical accompaniment of a film is an unusual and specialized skill, one not taught in music classes. It requires a deft hand with material that can sometimes be improved and other times pre- prepared, in order to accent and enhance the mood of the film without distracting from it.

Only a few people in the country do it well, and the Society’s shows are invaluable in preserving this special tradition.

Not only do they preserve an extraordinary musical traditional, but also the instrument used to transmit it. The Society has as its charge, the preservation of the organ itself, a rare 1926 Robert Morton IV/24 model that originally stood in a demolished theatre near where the M&T Bank now stands on Exchange Street. Its great size and particular design produce a sound that can’t be equaled. The combination of a qualified musician playing a period instrument, coupled with an appropriate silent film, present a rare musical opportunity.

And what of the movie? “I played a part in ‘Ben Hur’ once,” Groucho Marx declared in I’ll Say She Is. “A girl. She played the part of Ben. I played her!” Familiar to absolutely everyone in its time, the movie has been surprisingly forgotten today. It started as a novel by Lew Wallace in 1880, a religious tale of a Jewish hero who is victimized by the Romans, vows revenge, and then becomes a follower of Jesus after the crucifixion. The word Ben in the title (meaning

“son of” in Hebrew) reflects an old Jewish naming tradition. To say it was popular at the time would be an understatement. “Ben Hur” became the best selling novel in history, remaining that way until the publication of “Gone with the Wind.” It was the first novel to be blessed by the Pope- likely because fiction had never really been used as an evangelical tool in this way before. Viewers in 1925, though, would have been familiar with the story not just as a novel, but more immediately as a stage play that run uninterrupted for twenty- one years after its premiere in 1899. The play relied for its success, not just on its canonical Christian message, but also on the fact that it was produced with live fights and enormous visual spectacle.

The film shown at the Forum represents the second time “Ben Hur” was adapted for the cinema, and by contrast, a noticeable mark in the development of the motion picture as an attraction. The previous version, released in 1907 (which set a legal precedent when its producers were sued for making it without the author’s permission), was only fifteen minutes long. The 1925 version arrived when the feature film had become a known institution. At a length of around two hours and twenty- three minutes (depending on how fast the film was projectedsilent films didn’t have dialogue tracks to match the speed of), it was far longer than the vast majority of features of its era. Additionally, not only was it the most expensive film ever made at the time of its release, it was the most expensive silent film ever made. “Ben Hur’s” strongly religious message may not be as emblematic of a bygone era of filmmaking as are the slapstick of Charlie Chaplin or the horror of Lon Chaney Junior, but its enormous popularity and its status as “the film every Christian needed to see” give it a permanent place in film history. It will never lose the value it has for historical impact and as an indication of social trends of its time.

The performance will take place at Binghamton’s Forum Theatre, 236 Washington St. Tickets cost $15 general admission, $5 for students and others under 22 years old, $10 for donating members, and $30 for entire new families. They may be purchased by calling (607) 722-0020 or by visiting the forum box office between 12 and 2:30pm the day of the show. More information and online ticket purchases are available at www.binghamtontos.org.

comedy.

April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 23

UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE

RETURNS TO JOHNSON CITY

Heather Merlis Assistant Editor

Never before, never again: I’m not referring to that time I snorted Pixie Stix in sixth grade; I’m talking about the nature of improvised comedy. When the Upright Citizens Brigade puts on a show, it is the only one of its kind: completely unpredictable and never to be repeated. The original troupe, which included the likes of Amy Pohler, was formed in Chicago but made New York City their home in the mid- ‘90s. The UCB Theatre is the place to go for sketch and improv performances and training, and their touring company will be making its way to Johnson City later this month.

I spoke with two of the Upright Citizens who will be a part of the upcoming performance: Jackie Jennings, an improvisor who has been with UCB for the past five years, and John Frusciante (not a Red Hot Chili Pepper), the Associate Artistic Director of UCB in New York:

vvv What do you think makes something really funny? Is there a surefire way to get laughs?

Jennings: The core of what they teach at UCB is that when things are honest, they’re funny. I don’t think there’s a surefire way, ever, to get laughs. In improv, if you’re thinking about it, you’re probably not going to get laughs. Probably not thinking about how to get laughs, and just being super honest and realistic… if there is a surefire way, that’s probably the best one.

Sketch comedy has long been a maledominated field. How have you navigated that? Jennings: I’ve never been confronted with that. I’ve never felt that I couldn’t do something or have something because I’m a woman. I don’t think that mentality exists. I think there are some old institutions where that culture exists, but I’m not a part of it. Just go militantly, do what you want to do, and people can’t ignore it.

Has an audience member ever totally thrown you off? Jennings: Well, the show always begins with an audience interview. I’ve never been totally thrown off, but I know some people have had audience members borderline confessing crimes or affairs, because sometimes people have had one too many, and they get onstage and start talking.

We came out to a lot of booing but then managed to win the crowd over. At UCB, it has been just getting to perform with some of the funniest and best people whom I’ve ever worked with. And being in scenes where somebody makes a move onstage and I’m desperately trying not to laugh, because I know that what’s happening is so funny.

What do you think of the current state of comedy? Jennings: I think it’s kind of incredible right now. There’s tons of really good stuff out there. With the influence of the internet, jokewriting is different: individual lines are punchier, the dialogue is more important, and the jokewriting is tighter. You have to hone what you’re saying and how long it takes you to say it, but that’s always been true of comedy. Maybe the internet’s just distilled it a little bit.

Do you have any tricks to stop yourself from laughing? Frusciante: Honestly, no; I’ve given up with that. The trick is to commit to the scene. You have to remember, up there, that you’re acting.

What else can you tell me about the UCB show? Jennings: The shows are really fun and funny, and they’re always different. The stuff we do in Johnson City, the characters we play, it’s inspired by the audience, and we try to do a little research before we come, like read the local paper.

So it’s very much inspired by where we are and what we’re doing. It has never been seen before, and it will never be seen again. So it’s definitely worth checking out, if for no other reason than that it will never exist again. It’s pretty fun.

Tell me a little about yourself and your work with UCB. Frusciante: I started studying at the UCB Theatre in 2000, and saw a lot of shows. Then I auditioned and was put on a house team, and have been preforming ever since. Aside from that, I write, direct, and teach.

As a teacher of comedy, what’s your philosophy? Frusciante: The basic philosophy that we follow at UCB is based largely on agreement, and on building things. Agreement is very important in long-form improv, because you’re building a scene from nothing, so you want to be able to establish the base reality of the scene.

Then you start looking for the first unusual thingthe first unusual statement, or unusual behavior.

Are there any moments that stand out to you in your time doing comedy? Frusciante: I was in an improv group in college that had the opportunity to open for Weird Al Yankovich before one of his concerts. I think we were given about an hour- and- a- half’s notice. That was pretty amazing.

Usually his opening acts would get booed offstage.

Have you ever encountered any really bizarre audience suggestions? Frusciante: Occasionally you’ll get someone who will enthusiastically raise their hand to be interviewed, and then refuse to answer questions, or have nothing interesting about their lives. Or once, we did a tour and a guy just lied, and you could tell that he was lying. And not even imaginative lies, just, like- asshole lies.”

Do you think there’s any surefire way to get laughs? Frusciante: No, I wish there was.

Different audiences are different. One of the worst feelings, as an improviser, is making one of those moves where you think, “oh, this is going to kill,” and then it just feels like taking a huge swing at a baseball and completely missing. You can say the most base things and get laughs, but I think the real reward is in trying to build something truly interesting and real, and to get laughs off of that.

Was there a pivotal moment in your life when you knew you wanted to do comedy?

Frusciante: I remember when I was a kid. I was maybe six, seven years old, and I was hanging out with a friend at his house, and I think he got scolded by one of his parents. When the parent left, I said or did something that made him laugh, and instead of being upset, he was laughing. I remember that moment, feeling, “Oh, this feels good. This feels like a thing that you can do- to make people laugh, to make them not sad anymore.

vvv The Upright Citizens Brigade Touring Company will be at the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage, located at 46-48 Willow Street in Johnson City, on Friday, April 25th, at 7pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and senior citizens. Visit goodwilltheatre.net or call (607) 772-2404, ext. 1.

COMICS TO WATCH

Kevin Salisbury Contributing Writer

This month’s featured comic is Tim Joyce. Joyce has been a comedian for over 25 years and has been bringing a unique and honest brand of comedy to audiences all over the nation in that time. He has been featured on Comedy Central and ABC, and has acted in numerous movies and plays, in addition to be being an author. He also teaches comedy classes and still tours the country with one thing in mind... Make them laugh.

What got you into stand up comedy? In 1985, I went to Chicago to study improv at The Second City. The whole time I was there, my instructors kept saying “You’re a good improvisor, but you could be a GREAT stand up!”

After my first open mic, in 1987, I was hooked.

Every comic is inspired, in one way or another, by another comic. Who inspired you and who inspires you now? As a kid I idolized Red Skelton, The Marx Brothers, The Smothers Brothers, Cheech and Chong, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Carol Burnette…Later on I became a Letterman junkie, of course.

Tell us about your books. I’ve have had two humor books published, along with a theatre textbook, a compendium of poetry, and five plays professionally produced. “Seize the Day Job” is a collection of comedic essays about self-help, from a very ironic point of view.

You have definitely spent a lot of time on the road. What is the best city you have performed in? It is a tie: I love Sackets Harbor, NY… and I’ve never had a show at the Ice House in Pasadena that wasn’t a dream.

Nobody ever really hears about the ugly side of comedy. Got any horror stories? In Hibbing, Minnesota, in 2002, a rodeo performer rushed the stage threatening to kill me. I hit him in the head with the base of the mic stand. A cop ran up, and I thought I was being arrested.

To my surprise, the cop cuffed the cowboy. Next day, I talked to the cop, who told me the cowboy was going back to jail for violating his multiple assault parole conditions. He had a gun in his pocket when I opened up his skull, and he cried when the judge sent him back to prison for 5 years… he also took 15 stitches… good times.

There are a lot of comics out there who are just starting out. Got any advice for them? Get on stage every chance you can, even if the venue sucks. If there aren’t enough open mics in your town? Start one! Also… edit your material viciously; cut out every single syllable that slows down the jokes. I always say that every word in your act should have to audition to get in.

Tim Joyce is one of the many featured comics performing at The 2nd Annual Binghamton Comedy & Arts Festival, which takes place in September at The Bundy Museum. The festival is proudly sponsored by Triple Cities Carousel.

For info, tickets and a full line up, go to www. binghamtoncomedy.com.

24 Vol. 2 Issue 4

THE BEST OF BING: Since its inaugural run in early 2010, Binghamton Restaurant Week has quickly become the most highly anticipated culinary experience in the Triple Cities. With both Spring and Fall events, Restaurant Week is like a crash course in Binghamton dining. The small group of original participants has grown to 21 eateries, spanning Binghamton’s Downtown, West Side, and South Side. These restaurants concoct special tasting menus for the event, allowing local foodies a chance to experience a full on gastronomical overdose… with three course lunches ringing in at $12 or less, and three course dinners for under $25. This year’s Spring run extends April 1-10, and is a must for anyone that’s ever said “well, I’d like to go out to eat, but I just can’t afford it.” Proceeds from Restaurant Week go to support worthy community organizations: this time around, VINES and The Boys and Girls Club. The event would not be possible without the tireless work and support of not only the featured businesses, but also the sponsors: Bing Spot, Maines Paper and Food Services, The Binghamton University Student Assoc., Sysco, WSKG, Hue, M&T Bank, and The City of Binghamton.

Remember, tip your servers!

THE GREAT GALAXY APPETIZER PREVIEW

I’m here in the kitchen of Galaxy Brewing Company with Chef Brian Lovesky, and tonight… tonight, we’re going to be stuffing sausage together. Rosie Newton and Richie Stearns are playing bluegrass in the dining area, and I’ve got the first pull off a freshly tapped firkin of Lemon Honey Maté Ale. Lovesky has the station prepped for an appetizer that he and his crew will be making for Restaurant Week, and he’s going to show me how it’s done.

First, he offers me a piece of local habanero chocolate to nibble on as the bacon fries on the skillet behind us. I start coring the Andouille sausage, making little cups that will hold the mixture we’ve just begun to create. After the bacon’s crispy, we add a handful of chopped red onion, a little garlic, and sliced roasted red and green peppers. Once the onions are translucent and everything’s happy, we toss in a couple handfuls of chopped winter kale, and a splash of St. Stusan, a Belgian inspired Pater ale, until it’s cooked down. Between the bacon sizzling, the Andouille warming in the oven, and the other cooks doing their thing, this kitchen is smelling wonderful right now. It is now time to stuff the sausage.

Each of the five links of sausage gets about 2 teaspoons of the bacon/onion/kale/pepper concoction, and then is topped with a sprinkle of grated parmesan. It’s then tossed back in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. While that’s cooking, we assemble the plate, throwing down a bed of organic micro greens, some more of the roasted peppers; surrounding it all with a drizzle of a 3 mustard ale sauce. It’s made with whole-grain mustard, spicy brown mustard and mustard powder, mixed with a bit of the St. Stusan. Once the sausages come out of the oven, they are placed around the greens and then served up.

I’m now the envy of the dining room, as they feast their eyes upon my bacon and kale stuffed Andouille sausage with mustard ale sauce. I find a table and begin to stuff my face with these things. I wish I could share, but they’re just going to have to wait until Restaurant Week to get theirs. These bite-size little sausage nuggets are just right for an appetizer. Running the risk of looking gluttonous, I forego the fork and knife and use my hands. The first bite is intense. You get the smoky sweetness of the sausage, paired with the crisp, saltiness of the bacon and kale, all seasoned to perfection with just a pinch of salt. The tang of the mustard ties this whole dish together, though. Wow! Chef Brian does it again!

The chef recommends you pair this appetizer with the full-bodied Pulsar Porter, the Spring Farfalle Pasta (with wild mushrooms, peas, asparagus, and mozzarella cheese) as your main entrée, completed with the dessert du jour and another beer. You’re going to be happy you went with these options, come Restaurant Week! Now, eat up! -Ty Whitbeck

PARTICIPATING LOCATIONS LUNCH

Binghamton Hots Cafe West 46 Cortese Restaurant Crepe Heaven Czech Pleeze Galaxy Brewing Company House of Reardon Little Venice Restaurant Lost Dog Cafe Remliks River Bistro Sake-Tumi South Side Yanni’s Thai Time Water St. Brewing Whole In The Wall Restaurant Zona & Co. Grille

DINNER

Burger Mondays Cafe West 46 Cortese Restaurant Czech Pleeze Galaxy Brewing Company Little Venice Restaurant Loft @ 99 Lost Dog Cafe Number 5 Restaurant Remliks River Bistro Sake-Tumi South Side Yanni’s Thai Time Tranquil Bar & Bistro Water St. Brewing Whole In The Wall Restaurant Zona & Co. Grille

lunch: $12 or less. dinner: $25 or less.

food and drink.

April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 25

RESTAURANT WEEK THE CAROUSEL LIST OF ESSENTIAL

RESTAURANT WEEK EATS

Binghamton Hots (Lunch) It’s rare that we step into Binghamton Hots sober, if only because we like to save our money for the inevitable Hot Plate trip after a Friday night bender.

That said, every time we get sober food there, we’re shocked at the range of palette. A place that we long associated only with piles of garlic mashed potatoes with cheeseburgers and chili and mustard piled on top is the last place we’d ever expect to grab a decent salad, but alas, salad we shall get. Because when we see the term “Pear, Pecan, and Gorgonzola Salad with Chicken,” we will always eat it. Always.

Cortese (Dinner) If you’re eating at Cortese, you should be saving room for dessert. We’ve never had a tiramisu so orgasmic. On second thought, eat your first two courses at Cortese.

Take this home with you. Because your reaction to the first bite of tiramisu is going to be so inappropriately sexual that you really should be in the privacy of your own home.

Galaxy Brewing Co. (Dinner) Start your meal off with the Kale and Bacon Stuffed Andouille. Because it’s served with ale Dijon and parm. Because we teach you how to make it in this very spread. Because it’s freakin’ delicious.

House of Reardons (Lunch) Chicken/Pork Spiedie Sub. Because a spiedie is never a bad idea. Especially when it’s from Reardons.

Lost Dog Café (Lunch/Dinner) Rigatoni ala Vodka… the Lost Dog signature… garlic and tomatoes flamed in vodka, w/ cream, fresh basil, and grated cheese. Try it old school w/ cayenne pepper and chicken or tofu (add $4), or shrimp (add $5) Number 5 (Dinner) Number 5 is perhaps the region’s best (certainly the region’s most legendary) steakhouse, and that’s exactly what you should get: delicious, bloody red meat. The Prime Sirloin Steak Restaurant Week entrée is the way to go. Of course, they’re also serving Coquille St. Jacques (sea scallops and mushrooms baked in a sherry cream sauce), so you should probably bring a date and get one of each.

Remlik’s (Dinner) Artichoke Bruschetta. There’s no other description necessary. Seriously… Artichoke Bruschetta. Eat it.

Water Street Brewing Co (Dinner) Water St. makes beer so good it’s a meal in itself, and for their dinner menu during Restaurant Week, they’re offering that beer as an appetizer. Get a pint, then follow it up with the Salmon Burger.

Whole in the Wall (Dinner) If you thought Broome County had exhausted all possible uses of a pierogie, you would be wrong. Exhibit A: Whole in the Wall’s Pierogie Lasagna. It’s the richest, creamiest, most otherworldly thing we ever… oh, just eat it. Make sure you grab a garlic ball for the app, though, because there’s no such thing as too much garlic.

Zona & Co (Lunch/Dinner) Dessert of the day- it really doesn’t matter what it is, just get it. The first time we had dessert at Zona, they served a Bacon Bourbon Bread Pudding. No word yet on whether it’ll be back this year, but needless to say, if they can construct such a masterpiece, anything they want to feed you is going to be off the hook.

A SNEAK PEAK AT THE REMLIK’S ENTREES...

In anticipation of Binghamton Restaurant Week, I recently sat down with Executive Chef Jay Pisculli of Remlik’s. As one of the participants during Restaurant Week, Remlik’s will be offering three course lunches for $12 and three course dinners for $25. Jay is hoping that this promotion will generate more return customers who will start to see Remlik’s as more than just a place for special occasions.

We sat down to discuss two of the signature dinner entrees that will be featured during Restaurant Week: the Prime Sirloin Au Poivre and the Sesame Encrusted Ahi. The Prime Sirloin (Jay is expecting this dish to be in high demand) is a USDA prime grade sirloin cut to look like a traditional tenderloin but more flavorful. The steak will be encrusted with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt, pan seared in a super-hot pan, then cooked to temp in the oven. The pan juices will be retained, and added to them will be Christian Brother’s Brandy, cream, beef stock, peppercorns and a pat of butter to finish this delightful sauce. This will be served with whipped potatoes- skin on with garlic milk and butter.

The Sesame Encrusted Ahi is a sushi grade Ahi tuna rolled in sesame seeds and seared to rare in sizzling skillet. This will then be sliced and fanned out over a bed of Jasmine rice. This will be served with a pickled slaw of zucchini, summer squash and carrots pickled in rice wine vinegar, honey and spices. This will be served with a Ginger Hoisin sauce comprised of fresh ginger root, Siracha, hoisin (Asian bbq), sesame seeds, fresh garlic and various other spices.

Remlik’s will be offering their full regular menu as well during restaurant week and during dinner guests will be welcome to replace the first course or dessert with a glass of wine. Support your local eateries and get out frequently this restaurant week and Enjoy! -Ahlpheh Ohtis Wilson

26 Vol. 2 Issue 4

ROBERSON MUSEUM RAISES FUNDS AT

HEALTHY 14TH FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL EATS Ahlpheh Ohtis Wilson Staff Writer

Stacey Burke Staff Writer Spring is upon us here in Upstate New York (I think?), and soon we will start seeing an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s likely our meals have consisted of more protein during this long, cold winter, as availability and freshness of produce can be scarce. While meat can be an easy dose of protein, getting sources from plant-based foods is important as well! Nuts, such as cashews featured in this recipe, are not only high in protein, but provide us with “healthy fats,” which are important for our brain and heart! I also love the concept of soaking cashews, which can provide us with a creamy base for many dairy-free creations, such as sauces, cheese, and this delicious spread!

Cutting down on dairy can provide many health benefits, as many people have a lurking intolerance to it they are unaware of. Give this spread a whirl, you’ll be amazed at how easy and delicious it can be!

Garlic Cashew Spread 1 cup raw cashews 1/2 whole head of roasted garlic* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoons lemon juice 2 1/2 tablespoons water 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Directions: Soak the cashews in a large bowl of cold water for 6 hours or overnight, then drain.

Place the drained cashews in a food processor.

Add the roasted garlic, squeezing out the contents of each clove. Add the remaining ingredients and process until very smooth. (**To roast garlic - Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice off top of a whole head of garlic, and wrap in tin foil. Place in oven for 40 minutes)

Stacey Burke is a Holistic Health and Wellness Coach, and founder of New Roots to Health.

She works with busy individuals whom struggle with stress around weight loss, cravings and low energy by supporting them in setting personal goals in balancing diet and lifestyle.

How often do you get the personal attention you deserve when talking about your health and nutrition? Email her at Stacey@newrootstohealth.com or visit her website www. newrootstohealth.com to learn more about programs that could change your life. Mention you read about her in Carousel, and receive 25% off a 6-month, personalized program!

On Thursday, April 24th, the Roberson Museum and Science Center will be opening its doors and outdoor courtyard for its biggest yearly fundraiser.

Roberson marketing and public relations director Jason Fiume describes The Food and Wine Fest, now in its 14th year, as “one night of delighting your taste buds with appetizers, dinner and dessert from over 30 Greater Binghamton restaurants, sipping on wine tastings from over 30 New York State Wineries and throwing back some refreshing gulps of beer samples from local and regional breweries”.

munity at a reasonable cost.

Some of the food vendors already signed to participate are: Baked Euphoria, Binghamton Club, Cakes for Every Occasion, California Grill, Caselle Italian Imports, Chef William, Edible Arrangements, F. Olivers, Food & Fire, Gallager’s Irish Pub, Harry Tuft’s Public House, Holiday Inn Arena, Istanbul Turkish Grill, Jaret’s Stuffed Cupcakes, The Kitchen Store, Little Venice, Lost Dog Café, Marilu’s Catering, McGirks Irish Pub, Red & White Catering, Remlik’s Grille & Oyster Bar, Tranquil Bar & Bistro,

This year’s Wine and Food fest also coincides with the 60th anniversary of Roberson, which provides great learning opportunities for local children and adults, also including organized programs for schools. The Roberson Mansion, which was completed in 1907, is extensive, with a multitude of displays and historical local treasures, as well as many sections that offer a glimpse The Roberson Museum. Photo Provided. of Binghamton’s past. Roberson also holds a digital planetarium that features Whole in the Wall, and Zona & Co Bar and Grille. programs from astronomy to underwater life. The With this extensive sampling, and many others exproceeds from the Wine and Food Fest enable Rob- pected to sign up in the next few weeks, the event erson to provide educational programs to the com- should prove very entertaining.

Some of the Wineries already signed to participate are: Americana Vineyards Winery, Anthony Road Winery Co, Bellwether Hard Cider, Bet the Farm Winery, Black Bear Farm Winery, Buttonwood Grove, Cateau LaFayette Reneau, Cherry Knoll Farm, Damiani Wine Cellars, Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Vinifera, Finger Lakes Distilling, Fox Run Vineyards, Fulkerson Winery, Glenora Wine Cellars, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Hermann J. Weimer Vineyards, Hosmer Winery, J.R. Dill, King Ferry, Knapp Vineyards, Lakewood Vineyards, Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, Long Point Winery, Pleasant Valley Wine Co, Red Tail Ridge, Sheldrake Point Vineyards, Six Mile Creek Vineyards, Standing Stone Vineyards, and Thirsty Owl Wine Co. Several others are expected to be joining the list before the event.

The Wine and Food fest runs from 5:30pm until 8:30pm, and is sponsored by M&T Bank, with additional sponsorship from Remlik’s Grille & Oyster Bar. The last few years have seen attendance numbering around 700, as guests travel the halls of the mansion’s multiple floors and relax in the courtyard while sipping and sampling a wide variety of local specialties. Tickets are available on Roberson’s website (www. roberson.org), and the cost is $40 for Roberson Members and $45 for Non-Members. All guests will receive a souvenir wine glass or beer mug. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone by calling 607-772-0660 or in person at Roberson’s front desk. This event is open to all adults 21 years and older.

CHROMA CAFE FINDS A NEW HOME

Heather Merlis Assistant Editor

on Court Street.

“Chroma is an art term; it has to do with the intensity of hue or color,” explains Nancy Hauptfleisch, co-owner of the bakery. “We apply it to food, so it’s about the intensity and palette of flavors.” At Chroma, everything from brownies to focaccia bread is made from scratch. “We care a lot about what we are doing,” says Renee Potter (Nancy’s daughter), “She won’t compromise with the fast, easy, and cheap route. We’re not doing that.” What the duo, who hail from Holland, Michigan, are doing is making sandwiches, soups, and baked goods, from ingredients that are as authentic as they are.

If you haven’t been to Chroma before, it may be because it is something of a hidden gem. Its current location at 34 Chenango Street, while in the heart of downtown, can be easy to miss. But once you’ve sampled their food, you’ll surely find yourself wandering in again for an oversized empanada (the jerk chicken variety comes complete with rice, beans, and peppers), or a super-moist scone (the way a scone should be). In the name of full disclosure, I am biased towards Chroma because they give me a free cookie every week- but only because I buy my lunch there. Wednesdays are customer appreciation days, and for every five dollars spent, you earn a cookie. The molasses cookies are delicious, the first of their kind I’ve ever encountered. Sometimes I am afraid to go into a bakery for fear I will leave feeling as though someone shot sucrose into my carotid artery. I don’t run that risk at Chroma, because they are careful not to ‘sugar- shock’ their customers. “I think, more than anything, my specialty is being able to do really good flavor combinations- knowing what works and what doesn’t, without making things overwhelmingly sweet.” Nancy continues, “I will admit, my stuff is often very rich.

We make sure that our goods are full of well-balanced flavor.”

Chroma was born of a couple’s love for baking beautiful things together. Nancy tells how she and husband Heath, a local native, dreamt up the place: “One day we were at home making gingerbread, and I said, ‘So, could you do this every day?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I could bake every day. I would like to do that.” The result of that conversation came a couple of years ago when they opened their bakery on Chenango Street, where it quickly became a neighborhood favorite. It will remain in that location until mid-April, when it moves to its new spot

Beyond the meticulous attention paid to proportions of ingredients, Chroma creates immaculately designed cookies and cakes for special occasions, holidays, or just for fun (like the notoriously detailed Valentine’s Day cookies that our editor deemed un-printable in February’s Sex Issue of Carousel). Heath has a fine arts background, in addition to baking a wide variety of breads; he and Nancy have created some breathtaking cookies and cakes. “If you can think of it,” Nancy quips, “we can make it into a cookie.”

Revitalization is sweet. Walking around downtown Binghamton on a sunny day, there are signs of new life everywhere. A particularly invigorating one was found in the window of 97 Court Street, a sign announcing the new location of Chroma Cafe & Bakery.

On the Wednesday I visited Chroma for this story, I enjoyed a snicker doodle cookie after savoring that day’s lunch special: pulled barbeque chicken with slaw on a pretzel roll and a cup of butternut squash soup. It’s pretty incredible, but they really do make everything from scratch… and you can taste it. The soup, sweet and very fresh, was also vegan. And its true- butternut squash soup does not need cream to be creamy. The only thing as important as what goes into their food at Chroma, is whom their food goes into. From the moment you walk in the door, you’re treated like family. “We hear how we’re the best part of people’s day,” Renee says, after greeting a customer by name. “You can feel like you have a friend here, and get something sweet.”

Customers aside, the big focus at Chroma today is the move around the corner to Court Street, where they will be more visible, have longer hours (opening at 7:30am on weekdays), and offer an expanded menu. For Saturday brunch they plan on bringing back the waffle breakfast sandwich (a homemade buttermilk waffle with sausage, eggs, and cheese, topped with maple butter and maple syrup or bacon marmalade). In addition to providing the answer to a question that has plagued me for infinity of brunches (sweet or savory?), they plan on being the local resource for artisan bread. “Our breads are going to be different,” Nancy enthuses, “They’re going to be unique. It’s hard to find bread that has actual crust. We’re looking to do breads that have texture, body, crust, and flavor, all the way through.

And we will be sourcing local grains.”

Chroma is excited to be a part of our community, and we are excited about bacon marmalade. “There is so much to offer here,” beams Nancy, “This is really a beautiful town. I see recovery happening. Binghamton is hungry for good food. They’re ready.”

wacky tobbacky.

April 2014 Triple Cities Carousel 27

HIGH HOLIDAZE

A 420 HISTORICAL PRIMER Pot. Photo via Web.

Krissy Howard Staff Writer

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a comedic history of an unofficial holiday that takes place every year on April 20th, an unofficial holiday that celebrates marijuana. The following article should in no way be construed as advocating any illegal activity. We at the Carousel are all very hardworking adults that don’t have time in the day to be doing illegal things, because 1) They’re illegal things, and 2) You can’t construct a newspaper if you’re watching “Adventure Time” and eating Taco Bell all day. That said, there is some cultural relevance to the day, especially in a state that’s making very real moves towards legalizing marijuana use for medical purposes, and even outright legalization. That’s what this article was going to be about: an issue piece about the future of legalization in New York State. But, alas, we gave this article to Krissy. And she’s hilarious, so we’re going to print it anyway, even if it doesn’t talk about the socioeconomic repercussions of prohibition or whatever.]

Duuuuuude!

So, there are some truly awesome holidays out there, but few have such debatable origins as that of the holiest of all high holidays, 420. Everyone knows Christmas was Jesus, and Easter was Jesus, and Thanksgiving was Christopher Columbus, and Columbus Day is half-off futons, like, everywhere… but, where did 420 come from? Why do we celebrate it? What are we celebrating? I really, REALLY hate that “Celebrate Good Times” song , I wish they would finally find something less lame and annoying to play at every wedding ever since the beginning of time, ugh! Wait, is it called “Celebration?”

Oh my god, it is. I just Googled it. That is SO crazy!

I always thought it was “Celebrate Good Times”.

So but yeah, speaking of “good times,” 420. April 20th. The one day of the year when Boulder, Colorado is positioned exactly 420 degrees from the center of the sun, creating a perfect rainbow prism from the tear-shaped crystal hanging from my 1998 Volvo wagon’s rear view mirror. This one time, I was eating mushrooms with a friend of mine, and I thought I was done tripping, and my (other) friends came home for Spring Break from CU Boulder, and they were like: “let’s smoke a bowl”, but they just kept looking at me and saying “Simpson’s trivia?

Simpson’s trivia? SIMPSON’S TRIVIA?!” and I was just like, “...I...don’t know what you want from me…” and I was so freaked out by that terribly awkward encounter that I started tripping again for like, two more hours! It turns out they were just trying to play a game to determine who got greens on the bowl, which I guess is something you learn in college, but I wouldn’t know as I was working at

a gas station at the time. Also, if you (for whatever reason) feel compelled to do push-ups when you think you’re done tripping, you will continue to trip for AT LEAST two hours.

But OK, the origins of 420. There’s been a lot of debate, but the trusty dudes over at High Times (according to the trusty dudes over at Wikipedia) claim that it all began in San Rafael, California, which is not surprising at all because, I mean, California, you know? I’ve only been to California once, but I quickly learned that if you refer to California as “Cali” to someone who is from California, they will think you’re a wicked tool and not laugh at any of your jokes, which really is just the worst feeling ever. I like saying the whole thing though, like how Schwarzenegger says every syllable really exaggerated-like. Is there anyone who can’t do, like, a perfectly spot-on Schwarzenegger impression? Is it even possible to do it poorly? “It’s not a too-ma!”

It’s so easy! I feel like I should also mention that I spelled Schwarzenegger correctly the first time, probably just from seeing it so much. I’m really glad I never ended up getting that McBain tattoo.

Dude, focus.

So, California: 1970-something. A bunch of high school kids who hung out by a wall in front of their high school affectionately began referring to themselves as “Waldos,” because that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my life! They would meet every day and smoke weed at 4:20pm, or just meet up and partake in other such stoner-ly pursuits as eating or sitting or talking about how no one has ever died from smoking weed “and I can’t believe

alcohol is legal and weed isn’t, it’s so messed up!,” or whatever. Some versions of the story make mention of an abandoned crop, while others speak of something about The Grateful Dead, at which point I immediately stopped reading because The Grateful Dead equals bor-riing! Way to give weed a bad name, Grateful Dead… You made it hard out here for a punk rock pothead in the late 90s to be taken seriously by her peers! What is crazy, though, is that Hitler was born on 4/20, which everyone already knows, but do you know what’s really crazy? I bet that, when people first learn about Hitler and everything he did, I bet right around...95% (?) of them all make that same face where they squint their eyes and kind of twist their head and just shake it “no.”

Maybe between 75-95%, depending on where in the world you are, and which century this sample of the population was pulled from.

So yeah, that pretty much covers it. Although 420 is a day typically spent celebrating, may we all take a moment from our upcoming festivities to observe the death of a great man who was at once a true athletic hero and admired master thespian, Mr. “Ravishing” Rick Rude. There aren’t many things that can bum me out on 420, but the fact that the date of this man’s death falls upon said date, well... does. It’s a bummer. Oh, no! Wait, Rick Rude was kind of a prick, I was thinking of Andre the Giant.

Is he dead? Was he literally a giant, like technically?

That would be so crazy. *in lieu of flowers, please send a ton of cards and balloons to the Andre the Giant for Kids in Fresh Air Foundation.

fun stuff.

28 Vol. 2 Issue 4

B.C.

by MASTROIANNI AND HART

HOROSCOPES Each month, CAROUSEL features a guest horoscope columnist. For April, we welcome LES COPPERSAUN, a local preacher. As far as we know, he knows nothing about astrology.

Aries (Mar 21-April 19) It’s your birthday.

There’s already cake and cocaine. You don’t get to have an awesome horoscope, too.

WIZARD OF ID

by PARKER, MASTROIANNI, AND HART

Taurus (Apr 20-May 20) Okay, maybe it is a beautiful day in the neighborhood, but it doesn’t change the fact that with Mr. Rogers is gone, Prince Wednesday probably starved to death behind that wall. Mr. McFeely’s the only one that knows what a good feeling it is being alive. Well, at least at this point. Your children don’t even know what this all means, and that’s the worst part.

Gemini (May 21-Jun 21) Wait, are you the one that’s the twins or something? Gemini?

Wait, don’t go anywhere! That’s… um… that’s kind of hot. Whatever happened to the Olsen twins? Didn’t one of them kill the Joker?

Cancer (Jun 22-Jul 23) There once was a man from Nantucket, but he moved away when “Wings” came to town. Not the show. Dude really hated Paul McCartney. Listen to “Band on the Run” 100 times without stopping. You’ll hate Paul McCartney, too.

DOGS OF C-KENNEL

by MICK AND MASON MASTROIANNI

Leo (Jul 24-Aug 23) You can tell a lot about a person by the type of people they hit with their car. I ran over a guy once. Alabama. 1982. Drifter. I just kept on going. I’m… I’m pretty sure I killed him.

Virgo (Aug 24-Sep 22) You look like the kind of guy that stares at mannequins in store windows for a few seconds too long. Like, in a sex kind of way. Hey remember that movie? The one where that guy from that show had sex with the chick from “Sex in the City?” Except she was a mannequin?

Libra (Sep 23-Oct 22) It’s a shame that Betamax never took off. You’re the world’s Betamax, Pisces. Someday someone will pick you up at the Flea Market. Someday. Until that day, hang tight next to the churro stand.

CROSSWORD ANSWERS! (CROSSWORD ON PAGE 30)

TRIPLE CITIES CAROUSEL

is always looking for contributors!

Articles, Pictures, Comics, Puzzles, Poetry...

We’re not going to pay you or anything, but THINK OF THE FAME! THINK OF THE GLORY! THINK OF HOW MUCH COOLER THIS PAGE WOULD BE WITHOUT A BIGASS GREY BLOCK ON IT! Email editor@triplecitiescarousel.com today! (then wait a month or so, because we’re super flaky and probably won’t respont for about that long)

Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 22) You should take a vacation to Greece. If you can’t afford a vacation to Greece, maybe watch “Grease” and think about where your life went wrong. Tell me more. Tell me more. Or as they say in Greece, “peite mou perissotera.”

Sagittarius (Nov 23-Dec 21) Give a man a fish, and he’ll probably put some tartar sauce on it. Teach a man to fish, and there’s going to be a lot less Pisces lying around.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 20) Did you know that if you lived in Australia, your birthday would be in the summer? Did you know that no matter where you live, no one will ever care about your birthday, because: Santa, Jesus, Judah Macabee, Dick Clark?

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19) I believe the children are the future. And that scares the hell out of me. Most of the chairs in the future are far too big for children. It’d be utter chaos. They’ve barely even got opposable thumbs.

Pisces (Feb 20-Mar 20) You had a good run, Pisces, but now you’ve got to wait a whole year to be treated with some respect. The last sign in the column. You’re most likely to have your horoscope cut short because of space constraints. Watch out for Sagittarius.

crossword.

30 Vol. 2 Issue 4

“All Around the Town(s)”

by Paul O’Heron

ACROSS

DOWN

1. These can be flown at Otsiningo Park on windy spring days

1. Town home to Five Mile point Speedway, River Run II Golf Course and Frito-Lay

4. Town home to Highland Park and its massive July 4th fireworks celebration

2. Town home to the Whitney Point Reservoir, Dorchester Park and the almost annual Crappie Derby

7. 2014 is celebrated as the 50th anniversary of the _____ Four 9. In 2013 Allan Dykstra led the Binghamton Mets in this category with 82 10. Village home to the Lumberjack Festival each July 11. Quote from Hamlet: “Neither a borrower _____ a lender be.”

12. Village home to Klumpp Park and, in the 1890s, was the buggy whip capital of New York State 14. The designation for travelling at the speed of sound 16. DuPont created the first acrylic fibers in 1941 and trademarked them under this name.

17. “Codependent Lesbian Space _____ Seeks Same”, movie shown in June 2012 at the Binghamton Art Mission and Theater 20. Relating to the eye or vision 21. While in Downtown Binghamton, you could stop for this at many restaurants/cafes/bistros 24. Broome Community College has study abroad programs in Quito and Guayaquil in this country 25. Sherman D. Phelps and Alonzo Roberson each built one of these you can now tour 26. The number of rivers that meet at Confluence Park 27. Something offered on the Viewpoints page of the Press-Sun bulletin 29. TV network airing an eight-part documentary series about Lindsay Lohan 30. _____ Tapatios Mexican Restaurants located in Vestal, Endicott and Owego 31. See 4-Down.

32. New York State sanctioned gambling game with the motto “Hey, You Never Know.”

3. Duds N _____s, laundromat on Glenwood Avenue 4. With 31 across, village at the northern end of everything mentioned in 2-Down 5. Comment about the Safe Ride program at Binghamton University: “Safe ride promotes safety on campus with its rides and door to door escorts, while all at the same time giving the _____ student a chance to earn a pay check.”

6. M&D-R-_____s, long standing downtown Binghamton snack shop 7. Town home to Chenango Valley State Park and golf course 8. Town north of 19-Down, bisected by the Tioughnioga River, and home to half of Chenango Forks 13. Town home to Oquaga Lake and Oquaga Creek Park.

15. Town home to Schnurbusch Park and “the Castle” built by Alpheus Corby circa 1900 17. You may see these looking through the telescopes at Kopernik Observatory 18. Village home to EnJoie golf course and the George F. Johnson library 19. Town south of 8-Down bordered by its eponymous river, and home to half of Chenango Forks 22. Town home to Binghamton University, the Rail Trail and Kopernik Observatory 23. Assistance offered by Literacy Volunteers of Broome/Tioga County 25. Town home to the Binghamton Regional Airport.

27. A Snowy one has been recently seen at the Broome County Landfill 28. Zero, zip, nada