CAROUSEL triple cities
march 2018
the fifth anniversary issue.
free
issue 57
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inside. credits...4 editor’s note...5 braggadocio...6 music...10 events calendar...20 art...22 theatre...29 food and drink...31
books...34 travel...35 fun stuff...37 star stuff...38
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credits.
ON THE COVER
Round and round the carousel goes until everything comes full circle. This being the fifth anniversary issue, we decided to harken back to where it all began: in March 2013 we asked Mason Mastroianni to draw us up a custom cover for the first issue of Carousel, featuring the beloved characters of the BC comic strip that Mason took over creating after his grandfather Johnny Hart’s passing. Here we are, five years and fifty-seven issues later, and Mason has been kind enough to make us a second cover. Thanks to Mason and the entire Hart Family!
CAROUSEL triple cities
101 Main Street Johnson City, NY 13790 (607) 772-1005
ON THE COVER: Carousel 5th Anniversary Cover by Mason Mastroianni LAYOUT/DESIGN Christopher Bodnarczuk
PUBLISHER Equinox Broadcasting
PHOTOGRAPHY Stephen Schweitzer
FOUNDER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Christopher Bodnarczuk
ADVERTISING SALES Joyce Knapik, Tom Shiptenko,
MANAGING EDITOR Heather Merlis
DISTRIBUTION: Joseph Alston
ASSISTANT EDITOR Ronnie Vuolo
FOR ADVERTISING: advertising@carouselrag.com
STAFF WRITERS Joseph Alston, Doctor B, Charles Berman, John Donson, Judith Gross, Ilana Lipowicz, Felicia Waynesboro, Phil Westcott
FOR CONTENT SUBMISSIONS: hmerlis@carouselrag.com FOR CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS: events.carouselrag.com
CONTRIBUTORS BaBs, Natassia Enright, Jeff Kellam, Chef Michelle McIlroy, Deborah Roane, Ty Whitbeck
FOR LETTERS, COMPLAINTS, DEATH THREATS, GLITTER BOMBS, AND OTHER INQUIRIES: editor@carouselrag.com
Triple Cities Carousel is published monthly, 11 times a year (Dec/Jan edition is a double issue). Copyright ©2018 by Triple Cities Carousel. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from the publisher. One copy of Triple Cities Carousel is free each month for regional residents and visitors. Anyone caught removing papers in bulk will be prosecuted on theft charges to the fullest extent of the law. Yearly subscription: $25. Back issues: $3. Queries and submissions should include a self addressed stamped envelope. Advertisers own/control all intellectual property rights to submitted advertisements and agree to hold Triple Cities Carousel, its agents, and assignees harmless from all liabilities, claims, losses or damage of any kind arising out of the publication of any ad submitted on behalf of the advertiser.
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editor’s note. In fifth grade I won first place in a D.A.R.E. essay contest, igniting a lifelong love of writing and irony. In later years, I would use the backpack they awarded me to sneak pilfered beer and assorted misdemeanors past my parents. The summer before seventh grade I made a four-page satirical tabloid newspaper and distributed copies throughout the day camp at Circleville Park. One of the articles was about the camp director giving birth to the antichrist, so they gave me garbage duty for a week. By high school I was working for a small regional arts publication, writing a monthly column about hardcore bands for a readership of mostly retirees. As often as I could get away with it, I’d skip school to hang out at the office. They taught me how to cuss and roll cigarettes, but also a whole bunch about opera. The editor’s other business was a nudist travel agency. When the idea of Carousel first came about, I found myself back in that office asking for advice. “Should I do this?” I asked. “Probably not,” they said. “Talk me out of it,” I begged. “No,” they said. On the way home, I bought a $300 laptop and a box of Ticonderoga pencils. It was time to get to work. Not willing to let a little thing like starting a newspaper get in the way of a good music festival, most of the editing and layout for the first issue was done from the passenger seat of a Camry speeding down I-95. There were five of us taking shifts at the wheel, and we made it from New York to Miami in just under 23 hours. When I wasn’t driving, I was writing. The trek home was similar, except by then I had sun poisoning and a hangover. Back in Binghamton, I slept for two hours before spending 36 more in front of the computer. The whole thing was only 16 pages long. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. Somehow, as the sun rose on the first day of March 2013, I sent the first issue of Carousel to print. A few hours later, I was handing copies out to local businesses. To say I was unprepared is an understatement. I knew how to write, but I didn’t know the first thing about design, ad sales, or running a business. I planned on spending life on a perpetual road trip, working from rest stops and campgrounds and returning to Binghamton once a month to distribute the new issue. I’d sell just enough ads to cover costs and basic living expenses, and I’d do it all in 40 hours a month. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell it would last more than a year. That was five years ago today. 40 hours a month was a real lowball estimate. An incredibly creative team of writers reached out to help, and together we set forth to change the narrative of Binghamton. Too many people believed that there wasn’t anything to do around here; our job was to prove them wrong. The Binghamton we knew was full of music and art and theatre and food and culture, and that is the Binghamton we wanted to share with the world. And so we wrote. And we wrote. And we kept on writing until people started to notice.
FOR JUST $25/YEAR, GET THE MONTHLY CAROUSEL DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME! THAT’S 12 ISSUES! WOW! ALL THE ARTS AND CULTURE NEWS YOU’VE COME TO LOVE, WITH NONE OF THE HASSLE OF PUTTING ON PANTS!
NAME: ________________________________________ ADDRESS:_____________________________________ CITY:_________________________________________ STATE:____________________
ZIP:_______________
PHONE:_______________________________________ EMAIL:________________________________________ To order, please mail check or money order (and this form) to Equinox Broadcasting ATTN: Carousel Subscriptions 101 Main Street, Johnson City, NY 13790 If you’d prefer to pay by credit card, give us a call at (607) 772-1005
I almost walked away after the first year. And the second. And the third. I thought the workload would get easier with time, but it did not. Month after month I’d find myself working in 60 hour marathon stints during deadline week, chain-smoking and drinking near-fatal amounts of caffeine, stopping for a few minutes once in a while to have a full-on panic attack. A little patch of my beard went grey. I’ve had half a dozen ulcers. If I make it to 30 without having had a heart attack or nervous breakdown, people will win money. Somehow though, month after month there was a newspaper, and month after month it would get a little bit better. There were missteps, for sure. The first two years of layout left a whole lot to be desired. We’ve printed content questionable enough to spur two boycotts. In July 2016, I spelt Riesling wrong in 250 point font. One time there was a nipple on the cover and nobody noticed until after print. Some guy in Candor wished eternal damnation upon the whole staff. If you’re reading this, there’s a 72% chance that I’ve borrowed money from you to pay the printer. Despite the odds, we’ve managed to not just survive but prosper. In five years, we’ve grown our distribution numbers exponentially and created a loyal following of readers. We’ve featured interviews with a plethora of world-renowned artists and musicians. We’ve provided much-needed attention to the efforts of local arts organizations and revitalization efforts. We’ve created a distinct voice along the way, towing the line somewhere between journalism and storytelling. We’ve played an active role in the cultural resurgence of a city once written off as a casualty of the rust belt blues. Recently, we paired with local media group Equinox Broadcasting to step things up to the next level… have you seen our fancy new newspaper racks? It has been five years and a lifetime since that first issue of Carousel went to print. I am beyond grateful to everyone who has gotten us to this point. The staff, contributors, backers, advertisers, and readers of this paper… together we have made a difference in the Triple Cities. Thank you all, from the warmest cockles of my heart. Round the world and home again, the carousel keeps spinning. May it keep spinning for many years to come. Christopher Mark F. Bodnarczuk Founder/Editor-in-Chief, Triple Cities Carousel
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HALF A DECADE OF
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braggadocio.
LOCAL ARTS PRESS
...AND COUNTING march 2018 triple cities carousel 7
talk the talk. Five years of notable Carousel interviews. going to respect them for putting themselves in that position. But if it’s a club owner who arbitrarily picks something? No. I’d rather not work for them.”
BRANFORD MARSALIS
TONY BENNETT
(Musician) August 2014 Interviewed by Felicia Waynesboro “My family was very accepting and demonstrated tolerance, so that was ingrained in me from the beginning. Ella Fitzgerald used to say to me, ‘Tony, we are all here,’ which sounds so simple but if you truly accept the fact that we are all on the same planet together and need to support each other then I think it follows that you want to help others.” On whether it’s true that he once said, “War is the lowest form of human behavior,” he replies, “Yes, war and any violence among humans.” He also modestly admits that it is true that hundreds of young women, dressed in black, stood outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the day he was first married, demonstrating their grief at the loss of his potential availability.
(Musician) October 2014 Interviewed by Heather Merlis “I’m amazed by the number of students who think that learning has to stop when they are 25 or 26. For a lot of people, it’s that way: like, you learn until you get your job, then you do your job and then you look forward to retirement. That is not really an approach that I would applaud… One of the reasons I’m doing all of these things, like learning Baroque music, is that I’m at this age where the learning curve shuts down. I’m at this age where you know what you do really well, and you can kind of hone in on that, and make a pretty decent living. And then, every year that you don’t practice, don’t challenge yourself, you get a little less good, so that by the time you’re 70, you’re shot.”
BRAD SHERWOOD
(Comedian) November 2015 Interviewed by Nick Wilsey “Whatever stupid idea pops into my brain when Colin [Mochrie, of Who’s Line..] asks me a question of how to solve something: I can grab an octopus, a popsicle stick, a bottle of nitroglycerin, and a map to Pluto, and that is viable. Or I can say ‘well, let’s just get in the car and go then.’ That is also viable. And that is sort of the true test of getting good as an improviser, is that everything that your partner throws at you, you have to make plausible and viable and over-accept, and go on that journey, even though a moment ago you were looking up in one direction saying, ‘let’s go towards the desert.’ And you turn around to Colin, and he did a fun thing, ‘We’ve got to go towards the waterfall!’ And so you can’t hold ideas of yours precious once something has gone off in a different direction. Throw them away and follow where the journey seems to be pointed.”
LEWIS BLACK JOAN OSBORNE
LISA LAMPANELLI
(Comedienne) September 2014 Interviewed by Amoreena Wade “Whatever you tell a comic not to do, we’re gonna do first. Unless you really, really respect the person. When we’re doing the Comedy Central Roast, and there’s one subject that the roastee doesn’t want you to touch, I respect that and say, okay, they’re volunteering to do this, it’s for charity, I’m obviously
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(Musician) October 2015 Interviewed by Heather Merlis “I think the machinery of being, you know, a famous person and becoming, sort of, a commodity, and the necessity of having to sell yourself as a commodity and do a lot of work to, sort of service your fame so you can sell a lot of records- that part of it was always tough for me to deal with. And the kind of public scrutiny, which I guess is even worse now- with the internet and trolls and all thatto me, it felt sort of ridiculous and beside the point, and I kind of felt like I’d been put back in junior high school, or something, the way that people would feel, just, completely okay making comments about the way you look, or saying they hate you, or sending you weird death threats in the mail, and just bizarre stuff like that. That aspect of it was hard to navigate.”
(Comedian) December 2015 Interviewed by Chris Bodnarczuk “I do social media but I don’t pay much attention. It’s another vote of madness. We live outside of a frame, okay? The life that you have in the frame, okay, but the bigger life is outside the frame. I don’t give a fuck if the frame is on your phone or your computer or your goddamn iPad. It’s a frame. It’s ridiculous. And then the kind of spewing of nonsense that comes out! Then if you try to say a joke on it, they don’t get the joke. They tell me social media unites the world, but as much as it unites it, it divides it. The people who get it—basically the millennials to the five year olds get it.”
DAVID RAGSDALE
(Fiddle player, Kansas) April 2016 Interviewed by Ronnie Vuolo “In a week, we did an amazing amount of
work toward molding these ideas into cohesive songs and then, you know, just go home and do your homework. Then go into the studio. And it was produced very efficiently and very effectively. There was almost a militaristic precision, if that makes sense, to the production of it. It all went very logically. Every song was recorded exactly the same way: drums first, bass, guitar- there was a methodology to the production of each song, and as a result of that, it sounds like it was all done at the same time.”
JAY LYNCH
(Artist) April 2016 Interviewed by Heather Merlis “This was when banana smoking was supposedly going on—it was like this thing about how you could get high by drying banana peels and smoking them, which was a myth. An urban myth. But a lot of people believed it, and we were doing a satire magazine, so we told them—in a Jonathan Swift Modest Proposal way - that they could smoke dog poop. And it just went on: that people who smoked dog poop were called shitheads, like potheads, just a bunch of jokes like that. And we said the most desirable kind is called ‘Lincoln Park Brown,’ and we told ‘em how to cure it and stuff… But it was satire. And I was selling the magazine on the street, and this kid came up to me and said, ‘hey, that last issue was great, man! We’ve been smoking that dog poop all week.’ And I said, ‘No - it’s satire!’ And he said, ‘No! It’s real! I know!’ So, we decided maybe the hippies weren’t ready for that kind of thing.”
BELA FLECK
(Musician) June 2016 Interviewed by Phil Westcott [On reuniting with the Flecktones:] “Well it’s totally unique. It’s really the only situation I play in with drums. Once in a blue moon I’ll go out and play with Dave Matthews Band, sit in for a couple of nights. Aside from that, most of my life is acoustic these days. Playing with that rhythm section, that sound is just unbeatable; they’re so cool. But we all grew up together; we all found our paths together, we all became men together. Not that anyone wasn’t before, but the years of playing together shaped us all. When we get back together it feels so relaxed and so easy, and yet it’s some of the most complex music that we play. It’s an odd combination of familiar and comfortable, and that we push each other. We push each other like friends, not like competitors. We’re not competing for applause. We’re ex-
cited to see what we can bring out in each other, what new things we haven’t heard in each other. It’s very exciting to get back together, and to prepare for that process again.”
as a reference for future work. So, marketing starts by observing the past and seeing what you can learn from that in terms of repeating your success. The repetition of success is disastrous to personal growth and to artistry.”
HENRY ROLLINS
BILL T. JONES
(Dancer) September 2016 Interviewed by Andy Horowitz “Because the potato crop was so lucrative at that time in the Steuben County region my Dad made a commitment to be a Black Yankee in 1955. I was the first of the kids who went K through 12 in an integrated school in the north. Thank God for Mary Lee Shapee, a forward-thinking, modern woman who wore many skirts, smoked cigarettes, and let it be known, was an atheist in that conservative, little community. She encouraged me as a theatre person, even letting me direct The Crucible as a senior. I got to dance the Buddy Hackett role in The Music Man, but it was as a solo because it was such a time of tensions around interracial relationships that I couldn’t have had a girl dance with me. I was so jazzed by the experience of being a star in my school’s Drama Club that I went off and thought I would be an actor. I didn’t know of any other world. I certainly didn’t know about Dance. I do remember there was a flyer when I was about 8 or 9 years old that was sent around saying that in Danville, about ten miles away, there were Tap Dance classes available, but my parents were working in the fields, so the idea of someone driving me after school to take Tap Dance and coming back another 10 miles in the other direction was out of the question… nobody was going to take me to Tap Dance classes.”
MILTON GLASER
(Artist) July 2017 Interviewed by Ilana Lipowicz “What happens is, after you produce thousands of pieces of work, you discover that people like certain of them more than others of them and then very often you’re at odds to consider what things are that made people choose those. For instance, the I Love NY; why did that become so incredibly dismal and popular in the world, all over the world? I have no idea. But I don’t look at my work entirely as a marketing issue. People in the marketing world and advertising view everything this way. They’ll tell you what is preference, what people like better than other things. They’ll say, ‘well, yellow and blue is a more popular combination than purple and orange.’ And then what that is used for—and this is the devil in marketing—is that is used
(Musician, Spoken Word Artist) December 2017 Interviewed by Doctor B. “I’m not trying to be mean to those who go on vacations. I’m glad people get a chance to get out and see things. The point I was trying to make is that a lot of people have lives that they have to vacate from now and then. It’s that punishment/reward thing that’s such a big deal in the West. The idea of a vacation is, in ways, connected to retirement. You’re going to beat yourself up so one day, you get a gold watch and can catch your breath and then die. The vacation is the temporary escape from the cubicle. You will be going back to it eventually. I would rather go on adventures. How about this, instead of a vacation, go on an evacuation. Put some intensity into it. To me—and it might just be me parsing words—but a vacation feels like part of an overall submission to a life that’s living you, rather than you living it. A lot of what I do is motivated by life’s shortness.”
A LOOK BACK:
5th ANNIVERSARY SCRAPBOOK
ALBERT MAZIBUKO
(Singer and Co-founder of Ladysmith Black Mambazo) February 2018 Interviewed by Joseph Alston “The place we grew up in, it was a place that was challenging all the time; the life was challenging in every way. So we were told that you should be brave in order for you to survive. I remember all the time my father used to tell me what Shaka Zulu would say, ‘A coward dies every day, but a brave one dies only once.’ And I said, ‘I don’t want to die every day! I want to die when my time comes!’ So, I said, ‘I am not going to allow anything to frighten me. I’ll be brave whatever happens to me.’ I remember I used to walk in the night with my brother, we were very little boys, maybe I was about eight and he was about ten. We would sing all the way and trade our sticks, and when we’d get home I would say to my brother, ‘With this small stick you gave me do you think I can hit something or not?’ And he would say, ‘Yes, we can beat anything with our sticks!’ That kind of braveness. After the riots in 1976... I was the one who would never get afraid. When we were stopped and they are pointing the guns at us, I was very calm and relaxed because I would never allow something to frighten me.”
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Squirrel Nut Zippers. Jimbo Mathus is pictured at center, brandishing a cobra staff. Photo provided.
Squirrel Nut Zippers
Founding member and bandleader Jimbo Mathus talks new music, lore, and love by Phil Westcott 10 carouselrag.com
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HE SQUIRREL NUT Zippers reached critical acclaim more than 20 years ago, with their neo-swing sound and sizzling album, Hot. Since then, the band has opened for Tony Bennett at Radio City Music Hall as well as playing the 1996 Olympics and Bill Clinton’s second Inaugural Ball. They had their ups and downs, with tensions ultimately leading to a split by the early 2000s. But around the 20th anniversary of the release of Hot, founding member, songwriter, and band leader Jimbo Mathus put together a new group of swinging musicians from New Orleans for a revival tour. The rest, as they say, is history. Invigorated by the creative spirit of the new members, Mathus and the Squirrel Nut Zippers went into Nappy’s Dugout studio (an old wine cellar in New Orleans’ French Quarter, rumored to be one of the hideouts of the pirate Jean Pierre Lafitte) and recorded the first new album of Squirrel Nut Zippers tunes in 17 years, Beasts of Burgundy. We got a chance to catch up with Jimbo, and talk about the new band and album, the place of swing and Americana music in today’s culture, and the Zippers’ upcoming stop at the Homer Center for the Arts. Triple Cities Carousel: You got a brand-new lineup that you started with around the 20th anniversary of Hot. What brought the revival to its full potential? What made you want to keep going past the anniversary concerts? JIMBO MATHUS: I realized it was a great opportunity to start a new chapter in the band, ya know? I didn’t know how it would go over. I didn’t know if anybody still cared. After the concerts started, there was a huge fan base, and people were so excited to see us. I realized the talent pool I could draw from for the orchestra, and it’s really been taking off on the second launch. TCC: It really seems to be something quite awesome; I was listening to the new single this morning. “Karnival Joe” seems to have a real cabaret, vaudeville vibe to it. JM: Totally! It’s really gelled; there’s so much talent in the band, and a real unity of purpose. We’re just trying to fit in and add to it. I feel like lightning striking twice in the same place. TCC: Can you tell me where the name Beasts of Burgundy came from? It seems like a lot of the songs have themes that come from an older place. JM: Yeah, well the whole thing came from… there’s a street in New Orleans called Burgundy. Of course, they pronounce everything different down there. That’s where the band held the rehearsals for the revival. It’s in a place called the Marigny. A lot of the players in the band played in the jazz clubs in the Marigny. It’s where Burgundy runs through. A lot of it draws from my love of history. I read a great book called The World That Made New Orleans by Ned Sublette that really turned me on
music. to a lot of really cool old stories and a lot of the history there. “Karnival Joe”—and pretty much every song—has some sort of tie-in to a New Orleans troupe—a musical troupe, a theatrical troupe or something. Everyone ties into some weird New Orleans history. And also to modern ties that still hold. The cast of the town, the living history that you can see and hear down here. It’s a key component. Of course, New Orleans has always been a key component of our sound, I’ve just [recently] been able to refine it with more skill, knowledge, and possibilities. TCC: Well, you—the Squirrel Nut Zippers—have been an outfit now for 25 years with some hiatuses. That’s incredible, the long history that you’ve had playing, and the ability you’ve had to play with some really great jazz cats over the years.
ing if there was reason you went into the swing style as opposed to a different form of jazz. What led you to record in the swing style, as opposed to the different things that were going on in the early ‘90s? JM: It stems from a lifelong obsession of mine to know the roots of American music. I’m from Mississippi. It was a pretty backwards place; there wasn’t a lot of options when it came to knowledge when I was growing up. Even Memphis, Tennessee, and Sun Records: the birth of rock n roll. That wasn’t really discussed down here. It was af-
JM: [very heartily laughing] Well, our recording technique hasn’t changed; we like to get into cool spaces and use the old ribbon mics, the old-timey RCA mics. All of our recording equipment is tubes and wires, just like they did up until really the ‘80s. We’re involved in the recording technique, too. I like to create a unique vibe, and just put everyone on the spot, kind of like lighting a firecracker and then waiting on it to pop. We get into a room, and we don’t have any headphones, just recording like they did for the last 50 years of the Golden Age, ya know? So, it’s quite unique, but I think other cats are
“Leave room for the room! It’s the screw-ups that are so cool, on most records that everybody likes.”
JM: I learned with great jazz players, with great blues players; I grew up at the knee of many greats. I always was inclined to listen to what they had to say, ya know? But this whole thing, man, this whole revival—it’s so cool. I never saw it coming, I really didn’t. But it seemed like the right thing to do. The concerts are so joyous, and so open, and everyone’s just having a ball. They’re seeing a band that a lot of people never thought they’d see. We could have been a myth or something, ya know, not really exist. But we’re there and it’s bigger than life. It’s super exciting to me. Like I said, lightning isn’t supposed to strike the same spot twice. But, it can. TCC: It’s funny that you say ‘like a myth.’ I remember picking up Perennial Favorites when I was 13, and popping it in and being like ‘WOW! Where the heck does this kind of music come from?’ and then not hearing any of it again until a few years ago. Some new swing and string bands playing your tunes, actually. There’s a group called the Vine Brothers, and they do a great rendition of your song “Hell.” JM: [laughing heartily] That’s one thing I’m proud of. We were able to step in and be a link in the chain, and get some people juiced on the weird old American music that’s so great—to explore and be curious about it. Even some of the cats I have in the band now, they’re younger…I mean, I’m fifty; I just turned fifty last year. Some of these cats are in your boat, hearing the weird old American stuff from listening to the Zippers when they were teenagers. Now they’re coming forward, and helping forge another link in the chain. TCC: I remember listening my grandma and grandpa playing the old swing records, Benny Goodman, when I was younger. Finding someone who was making swing music when I was younger was really cool. I was wonder-
ter moving to Carolina and getting access to bookstores, record stores, and other ways of thinking and other ways artists were looking back, and reevaluating things that I was able to research and find the roots of what I was so passionate about. Then, naturally we just started easing in, ’cause I’m a writer, that’s one of my main components. I learned this form; I started writing in this form. That involved a lot of music that involved Appalachian music, Deep South blues, and our repertoire was pretty varied. Right around the time we did The Inevitable, there was a conscious decision to focus in on the 30s. There was enough there to keep us busy forever. There was so much done: vaudeville, hot band, swing, big band swing, cabaret, theatrical stuff, cartoons. It was all a big piece of the puzzle. We narrowed it down and said, ‘this is the kind of record we’re going to make.’ It ended up being we were right, ’cause there’s enough to keep us busy for at least one lifetime. TCC: So it was a concerted effort for you to continue this tradition of music that started back in the early 20th century, and really push it and bring it to a new audience. JM: Yeah, to celebrate it. To laugh at it. To participate in it! It’s one of those things, you go back through old pictures, through your grandparents’ record collection, and you see a Benny Goodman record: Live at Carnegie Hall or something. To think that you could actually participate in something like that, you know, it’s pretty wild to think about that. That’s all we wanted to do, to participate in it, to have fun with it. Then of course it turned very artistic very quickly. But it was really just for the joy of it. TCC: What’s the most fun that you had while recording this album? I saw you recorded it in a wine cellar that was the hideout of a pirate?!
onto it. The old styles of recording will come back over time. TCC: Definitely. Some of my favorite albums have been done in just that style, with three or four players playing and singing around a mic, and just getting those tunes out. JM: Cool, and the thing with the Zippers is that it’s nine or 10 of us. So, it’s even more tricky to get the sound balanced and play properly. It’s even cooler to have all those jokers in one room… TCC: Yeah, stick the horns in the corner! JM: Yeah, stick the horns in the corner and put some blankets on the piano! Close the door to the kitchen where the drums are at! Or open it, ya know. Yeah, the recording is a big part of our sound. It keeps it a timeless feel. If you go back and listen to Hot and Perennial Favorites and the other stuff we did when we had control over recording. Hot is just on two tracks. We lost all the multitracks through a studio accident. It’s just a live room mic made stereo. That’s all. That definitely legitimizes what we’re doing; it’s part of it; it’s a whole different art form. You gotta be tight, you gotta be practiced, and you can’t go back and fix everything. TCC: You gotta leave room for the pearls. JM: Leave room for the room! It’s the screwups that are so cool, on most records that everybody likes. If you fix everything, you ruin it. TCC: How do you see swing’s place in the modern era? How do you see it moving forward? Continued on Page 12)
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Jimbo Mathus. Via web. (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Continued from Page 11) JM: As far as what we do, it’s a real amalgamation of old American stuff. I don’t see how it can ever not be cool. Because, we’re an American band, we’re incredibly talented, we bring a lot of joy, a lot of silliness, a little seriousness, and a lot of wild momentum: I just don’t think you see a lot of that on stage anymore. And definitely not in capturing that weird old America. Just keeping that live, and showing people ‘You can participate in this!’ I think it’s very liberating to see something that’s so out of whack with the world. Something that’s so convincing, something that’s so obviously well thought-out. Something that’s so exuberant. I don’t see how it will [ever] not be cool. TCC: Before you go, I was wondering if you could tell me the story of the Squirrel Nut Zippers name. JM: Well, it all started when I moved to Carolina and I got a job driving a backhoe at an airport, on a construction site. There was this little store out there where we would break for lunch. They sold Squirrel Nut Zippers, a little five-cent, wrapped candy. You could buy 50 cents of them, stick them in your pocket, and suck on them all day, the rest of the afternoon to keep that sugar fix going. I never really thought about it. I’ve always been attracted to, wanted to buy out-of-theway shit. Fast forward a year and a half, two years, and we’re sitting around the old house, and we’re trying to figure out what we’re going to name this band we just started. Somebody said, mentioned something about a candy name, and then the whole conversation lasted about 10 minutes. I said, “Oh my god,
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Squirrel Nut Zippers!” And it was just a few of us then: Katharine [Whalen], Don Raleigh, and Ken Mosher. And they were like “What the hell is that? It’s perfect!” And I said “It’s a candy! I got some in my pockets!” And it just stuck, so to speak. We immediately, as soon as we started having a lot of success and it seemed like we were really going to do something, we contacted the company. They were a very old-fashioned company, much aligned with what we were doing, a family business that’s just crazy. They loved our music, they were all in their 70s and 80s. It was a fading, dying company that just worked a couple days a week in this little old factory. They said, “We think this is the coolest thing—you can have the name,” and we just launched it from there. The owner was this man named Ted Garish—he’s dead now, he died back about ’99. But he lived to see his company have a second life because of our band. They were working five days a week and hiring more people, pumping out Squirrel Nut Zippers to the kiddos. Couldn’t have picked a better name. TCC: Is there anything you’d like to say to the world? JM: Man, let’s make America weird again. Let’s have a ball. Let’s bring the joy back. The Squirrel Nut Zippers will play the Homer Center for the Arts at 72 S. Main St. in Homer on Sunday, March 25 at 8pm (two days after the release of Beasts of Burgundy!) Tickets are available at center4arts. org or by calling (607) 749-4900. For more information about the Squirrel Nut Zippers, visit snzippers.com.
Leonard Bernstein conducts the Cincinatti Symphony at Carnegie Hall in 1977. Photo courtesy of BPO.
100 years of Bernstein Binghamton Philharmonic celebrates the life of a legend by Ronnie Vuolo
B
RILLIANCE COMES IN many forms, and sometimes in the person of one man. Such is the case with Leonard Bernstein—legendary composer, conductor, musician, educator, and humanitarian—a man so important to the landscape of American music that the corner of Broadway and W. 65th Street in NYC was renamed “Leonard Bernstein Place” three years after his death in 1990. 2018 would have marked his 100th year. In honor of the occasion, Leonard Bernstein at 100 events commenced on his birthday, August 25, 2017, and will continue into 2019. Celebrating a Legend: 100 Years of Leonard Bernstein marks the Binghamton Philharmonic’s contribution to this momentous celebration. The concert is held in memory of another figure important to BPO, David Agard, cofounder of the orchestra and artistic director of the BC Pops, who passed away in 2017. “The performance is going to be all Bernstein,” explains Principal Guest Conductor Daniel Hege. “As a composer, obviously it’s the legacy he left behind for us to keep immortalized, but he lives on in so many other ways. His contribution to the musical world and to cultural life, I think, is difficult to exaggerate. He was among the very first musicians to become famous on television as a classical musician, and he was able to have
one foot firmly in the classical style of composition, and Broadway and jazz with the other foot. He was a tremendous educator—in fact, that may be his greatest gift—a great conductor, and world-class pianist as well. He was really a polymath within the field of music, and many people said even outside the field of music. So, I think it’s justly deserved that we give a full concert of Bernstein’s music.” Through his immensely popular television broadcasts of Omnibus and Young People’s Concerts, Bernstein made classical music accessible and understandable to millions of viewers, commencing in the 1950s. His tenure with the New York Philharmonic lasted from 1958 until his death—11 years as music director followed by 21 years as laureate conductor. His association with Tanglewood lasted even longer—from 1940 studying under Serge Koussevitzky to his final concert just two months before his death. His popularity extended to the Broadway stage, film, and ballet, in such treasures as West Side Story, On the Town, On the Waterfront, and Fancy Free. “Bernstein infused even his serious music with a feeling of jazz. It was just very original. It was very much his own voice. I think Bernstein’s music—it’s so natural in the way that it comes out and can be received by attendees to the concert. And also for the orchestra, they’re familiar with its language: its
harmonic language, melodic rhythmic language. I think people can connect to it in a very direct way.” Hege continues, “My job is to perform the work in the most sincere and passionate and powerful way the music can be expressed. I’m simply trying to be as respectful to the composer and make the art as great as I possibly can.” Hege has clearly proven his ability to make the art as great as he possibly can. Hailed as one of America’s finest conductors, with both national and international credentials, he currently serves as the music director of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra (a position he has held since 2009), and principal guest conductor for both the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and Binghamton Philharmonic. “Every orchestra develops their own kind of culture within the orchestra. They have their own traditions, they have their sound, they have their own way of reacting in rehearsal to making music—and in the performances as well. So each orchestra is a little bit different and unique.” Hege invites everyone to join BPO for this incredible tribute. “It’s going to be incredibly exciting. They’re going to hear a lot about Bernstein as a composer, obviously, through his music. Some of his most enduring works
were written for Broadway: West Side Story, Symphonic Dances, On the Town, Candide (the Overture and Suite), and these are all the places Bernstein was most at home as composer. So, they’re going to hear extraordinary music, and extraordinary music making by the Binghamton Philharmonic. He elaborates: “They’re also going to hear some readings about Bernstein—we’re going to develop some readings to be done throughout the concert to talk about Bernstein as the polymath that he was: as a conductor, as a composer, and as an educator. There are few people who could excel in the number of areas that Bernstein did. They can dabble in it, but not excel in the way he did. He was an extraordinary person.” The Binghamton Philharmonic, now in its 62nd season, is well known for bringing the highest quality music, performed by a talented and dedicated group of professionals, to our region. Celebrating a Legend: 100 Years of Leonard Bernstein will take place on Saturday, March 17 from 7:30-10pm at the Broome County Forum, 226 Washington Street in Binghamton. Tickets can be purchased by calling (607) 723-3931, online at binghamtonphilharmonic.org, or at the office located at 71 West State Street (Lower Level), Binghamton: Adults $20-$45, children 18 and under free with purchase of an adult ticket, students $10 with college ID.
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BINGHAMTON
1 20 E SERVICE HW Y BI NGH A M T O N, NY 607 - 72 2 - RID E
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JL: Well, immediately, Jimmyjohn McCabe’s record “Stir” comes to mind as being one of my favorite records where I was a session musician because obviously, working with him we’ve already got a great relationship. And he writes songs that I really love. So I think that making the basslines on that record is one of my favorite studio recording experiences. I was on two other records that JimmyJohn put out. There was a band called Cementhead; I was on that record. There’s a producer in town named Jeff DeBella and a studio called Audio Arts. There were several artists in the late ‘90s who were in that studio where I was the bass player. And then I moved on from that. I haven’t done studio work in a while, but I miss it!
Honker. Photo provided.
TCC: Though you’re not a cover band, I’ve loved your choice covers of Talking Heads, David Bowie, and Frank Zappa. How do you choose tunes to give the Honker treatment to? JL: We’re almost certainly going to choose a cover by Frank Zappa because Tim and Jeff [Howard] and I are all very big Zappa fans. HG Thor—I think he’s a big Zappa fan. I’m still getting to know his musical background. He only joined the band a few weeks back. He’s on guitar. So, choosing covers up to this point has been really easy, as long as Tim and I know it and want to do it, that’s how it happens. Now, since we do have HG in the band, we have to relearn our entire repertoire, so some of those covers—we haven’t re-learned them yet!
Honker
TCC: What are Honker’s plans for the future?
An interview with bassist Jim Lomonaco by Doctor B.
H
ONKER IS A Binghamton band who is in it for the music, if nothing else. They’re not trying to go on tour, though they’re serious about practicing. And even though they don’t have dreams of topping the charts, they write their own music, throwing in a few choice covers when they play local venues. The group comes from varied musical backgrounds, with a wide range of experience between them, and they are continuing to grow as they get into their groove. Carousel spoke with Honker founder and bassist, Jim Lomonaco, about the band and his musical roots. TRIPLE CITIES CAROUSEL: How did you come to name your band “Honker”? JIM LOMONACO: Well, we just thought that if we came up with a name then we were admitting that we were a real band. Tim Linkroum, the guitarist, had lent me a Frank Zappa video, and at the end it said Honker something productions, or Honker something video. I can’t remember the exact phrase but I thought, “Geez, honker is a great word, and I can’t believe I’ve never heard of a band named Honker before!” So, since we’re toying with the idea of needing a name, since I just heard that word—that’s just too
good of a word to pass up on! Let’s use that as our band name! It’s just silly enough and just short enough. It sounded like the perfect band name, and we stuck with it. TCC: You’ve described your band’s sound as “original, electric, funky rock.” Judging by what I’ve heard so far, I don’t think you’d be out of place sharing a stage with say, Parliament Funkadelic. JL: I’m very much influenced by George Clinton and Parliament, and as a bass player, Bootsy Collins. Yeah, I’m a huge fan of Parliament. I’m proud that you made that association for sure! TCC: You were the bassist for the band Yolk in the ‘90s and ‘00s. Yolk shared stages with bands like Fishbone and Sonic Youth. Won’t you please tell us a little bit about Yolk? JL: Sure! Yolk was my major project between ‘92 and ‘99 or 2000, which is when it really started to fizzle out. We all got together—we were all in our late teens and early twenties at the time. Every member of the band would have their own sort of perspective on the history of it, but for me, there was a band out of Susquehanna Valley High School called “Thelonious Funk.” And there was a guy by
the name of Phil Clark who deserves some amount of credit for the history of Yolk, because he had come up with this idea for a funk band with horn players, doing original music. So I got hooked into that band, and gradually over the course of time, that band became Yolk. Phil Clark exited at some point. I guess you could say that we kicked him out of his own band or whatever; these things happen in bands. But yeah, at some point we came to the lineup that we wound up with: Dave Fitzhugh on guitar; the second guitarist, Pete Carvelas; Jeff Pettit on alto saxophone, and Adam Ash [on tenor sax]. [Then there was] JimmyJohn McCabe and myself, and our original drummer, Matt Murphy, who is now deceased. So, the history of Yolk is a long story. We started out as Thelonious Funk and ended up as Yolk about ‘92. We enlisted one of our friends who wanted to be a manager, Vlad Efros. And we got hooked up with a booking agency. Over the course of a few years, we started playing up and down the East Coast. We released a few albums under our own financing. Wrote a lot of great songs, met a lot of great people, had great times. TCC: You’ve also been a session musician. Won’t you please name a few records you were on? Which one stands out from the others in your opinion?
JL: Well, we’re fairly realistic about what the music industry would have in store for old guys like us! Jeff Howard, our drummer, of course is the exception to that rule. He’s in his early twenties and he’s in another promising band called Raibred. I certainly hope that band has a future perhaps similar to Yolk’s, or even beyond that. My aspirations—and I think most of the guys would agree—are that we just kind of want to spread as much joy and peace as we can. People seem to like the songs we make. So, we simply have to keep getting together, writing new songs and recording them. We’re not interested in playing shows every single weekend, but we are interested in trying to play a few shows a year. We’re not interested in going on the road, but we are interested in playing around Binghamton or any local or upstate area gigs that sound like fun. Otherwise, we just want to write new material. That’s the major driving force that keeps the four of us coming back every week. We all want to create catchy songs that we would enjoy listening to, and we certainly hope that others would enjoy them also. Honker will be playing on Saturday, March 17 at Cyber Cafe West, 173 Main Street, Binghamton. Show starts at 9pm. They will be opening for Raibred. More information on the band can be found at honker.rocks. Honker’s music from previous live performances can be found on their web site and at archive.org/details/honker.
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so I was fortunate enough to go to a preshow band rehearsal – a very coveted ticket! So… I was playing a jazz gig at the old House of Yu on the Vestal Parkway, and the sax player said he knew Dave Brubeck’s drummer Joe Morello really well, so he said [to] tell him “Ernie sent me.” I auditioned again and took lessons from one of my idols! JN: You were still in your late teens. What came next?
Joe Roma. Photo by Deborah Roane.
JR: I worked my way through college teaching private lessons, playing weekend gigs. Weddings, rock in clubs, classical music with the Philharmonic and the BC Pops. The BU jazz scene included playing with the Harpur Jazz Ensemble with Urbie Green, Lou Soloff, Marvin Stamm, and Frank Wess who was with Count Basie. Jazz fans will know those names. JN: Tell us about your radio days. JR: When WSKG radio first went on the air in 1975, someone said I should submit a “demo tape” (I didn’t even know what that was), and because I had musical background in both jazz and classical music, I became the music director and librarian there, and had an air shift every night. JN: And you are still teaching today?
Jazz Notes Drummer & Educator Joe Roma by Jeff Kellam & Deborah Roane
“S
TAY OUT OF THE way and make the band sound good” is what drummer Joe Roma says his job is. “I don’t like solos. I don’t want all that attention on me.” Yet off stage, Joe is animated, quite the jokester, gracious, and talkative, especially when it comes to his family. JAZZ NOTES: Do you remember the first music you heard at home growing up? JO ROMA: My mother liked listening to Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett records every night – I’d lie in bed and I’d hear the music through the walls of my bedroom. One record that influenced me was the 1967 Sinatra album with Antonio Carlos Jobim; when people want a bossa nova these days, I learned it from the best. JN: You were already a drummer by then, right? JR: Oh, yeah! I started lessons at St. Ambrose School in Endicott when I was eight. Then I went to the Hooper School in Endwell and played snare drum in the band. In eighth grade, my band director found out I had an ear, so he moved me to tympani – the kettle
drums – because it’s all pitched. I didn’t have a drum set until a little later. JN: What attracted you to the drum kit? JR: I was maybe 15 and went to see the great drummer Buddy Rich at what was then Broome Tech. There was no MTV then, so in 1969 you just didn’t see the big drummers at work. But when I saw Buddy Rich, it was like an epiphany! I couldn’t believe it; I had never heard anything like that! I want to do that! So, Ken Craig got me started with those lessons. Another epiphany [in 1969] was hearing a song on the radio… Quincy Jones had a hit with “Killer Joe,” with Grady Tate on drums, and that turned me around from thinking drumming had to be flashy, to seeing the value of percussion as support, just making the band sound solid. JN: When was your first paid gig? How old were you? JR: My first professional job wasn’t as a jazz drummer. I was 16 and my high school band director recommended me for an opening with the Binghamton Philharmonic. I kept a copy of the check. I think it was $35. I loved
orchestral music. Still do. About that same time, I started playing with a big band, The Melody Masters, which played vintage arrangements from the ‘30s and ‘40s. JN: And then a year or so later you were playing with the legendary trumpeter Clark Terry? JR: Yes, Clark Terry came to Jazz at Harpur, a summer program Al Hamme started at Binghamton University. I enrolled at SUNY Binghamton as a pre-med student, but the music program was so good there… I wound up studying percussion with David Buttolph who was a Yale and Julliard graduate and a student of the NY Philharmonic’s Saul Goodman. JN: Talk about going to New York City for lessons. JR: I wanted to study with the best drum set players in the world. I got connected with drummer Ed Shaughnessy who was playing with trumpeter Doc Severinsen and the “Tonight Show” band, back when Johnny Carson was still in New York. I was 18 when I auditioned for Shaughnessy, and he took me on as a private student. But then the TV show moved to California around 1972, and I was bummed. But my lessons were late in the day
JR: I’ve been teaching for 48 years. And I still love doing it. I taught Michael Buble’s drummer Pete VanNostrand; Tim Blake, who plays with the “President’s Own” band; Joe Smales, director of bands at Binghamton High School’s Rod Serling School of Fine Arts and principal percussionist with Tri-Cities Opera Orchestra; Joel Carle, band director at Windsor Schools; Steve Roessner and Jeremy Kinney. JN: Could you sum up the last couple of decades after you served as adjunct faculty in the BU Music Department, leading the University Percussion Ensemble? JR: I performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC in 1981, then founded and ran Joe’s Drum Shop in Johnson City from 1983-2004. I continue to teach privately, serve as adjunct at SUNY Broome, and play in the Miles Ahead Jazz Quartet, the Ralph Muro Trio, my own group called Anything Goes, plus the Andrew Williams Quartet, and an acoustic trio Old Friends. I also play for the Tri-Cities Opera, the Binghamton Philharmonic, and play rhythm section at the Firehouse Jazz Sessions. When asked to chronicle his career, he was amazed at himself. He grew up in the age when there were so many opportunities to play there just wasn’t enough time to fit every job into one’s schedule. Yet even now, for the veteran Roma, his professional plate is full, partly because of the experiences and the contacts he nurtured over fifty years of playing drums in the Triple Cities. Roma regularly plays with the Andrew Williams Quartet at Moxie Woodfire Grill; Miles Ahead Jazz Quartet; Anything Goes at Number 5, and on the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage.
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music briefs
Lutheran Skirts play Carousel’s 5th Birthday Bash on Sat. 3/24. Photo by Stephen Schweitzer.
ITALIAN INVASION 2018: TADAYON/ERAMO/SALETTI
This chart-topping world music trio from Italy returns to Binghamton this month for three special events—two concerts and a film showing. You may remember Barbara Eramo, Pejman Tadayon, and Stefano Saletti and their beautiful, intriguing music from their shows in town back in December of 2016. They perform songs in a variety of languages on traditional instruments such as the bouzouki, oud, and setar (not to be confused with sitar). They have toured extensively in Europe, as well as North America, Africa, and Asia. First, catch a film screening and discussion on Tadayon’s film When Rumi Meets Francis, at 7:30pm on Thursday March 8 on the main campus of Binghamton University: Chenango-Champlain (C4 MPR) Room 114. Free admission. The following day, March 9, the trio will be performing “Songs of St. Francis and Rumi” (music from the film) at 7:30pm at the BU Downtown Center. Admission is also free for this event. Round out a trio with the trio at Cyber Café West (176 Main St. Binghamton) on Saturday March 10, where they’ll perform an array of their multilingual songs before welcoming special guests Voodoo Highway onstage for a cross-cultural jam. $5 cover. The film screening and the Friday concert are sponsored by Binghamton University’s Department of Romance Languages, Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies. More info on all events on the ol’ facebooks.
DONNA THE BUFFALO AT RANSOM STEELE TAVERN
Get your dancing shoes on, Donna the Buffalo’s coming back to town! They’ll be performing at Ransom Steele Tavern in Apalachin on Saturday, March 17. One of the most dynamic and determined bands continuously touring America since 1989, Donna the Buffalo has created a community environment at their shows through their distinctive, groove-heavy, and danceable music. It’s a band for the people that is accessible, positive, and memorable. With roots in old time fiddle music that evolved into a soulful electric American mix infused with elements of
cajun/ zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country, Donna’s music often contains social and moral responsibility as core beliefs, and they are just simply fun to get out and celebrate life with. They’re legends in the Southern Tier music scene, due in no small part to their hosting role at the Fingerlakes Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance, held each year in Trumansburg. Ransom Steele Tavern is located at 552 Main Street in Apalachin. Tickets and more info at ransomsteeletavern.com.
CAROUSEL’S 5th BIRTHDAY BASH WITH LUTHERAN SKIRTS, MILKWEED, BESS & THE MAGIC RING
Once upon a time, a handful of unemployed writers and artists spent a night drinking too much boxed wine and emerged with the grandiose if half-baked idea of starting an alternative arts and culture publication in Binghamton. So it was written, so let it be done. The first issue of Triple Cities Carousel was published in March 2013, and it quickly developed into the region’s go-to source for news and profiles on local music, art, theatre, dining, and cultural sustainability. The naysayers said “there’s nothing happening in this town” and “print is dead,” but to the naysayers we said “nay!” Five years later, the local scene is thriving and so is our lil’ paper: that means it’s time to party! And so, we cordially invite you to Carousel’s 5th Birthday Bash, in celebration of half a decade of missed deadlines, egregious typos, and alternative press in the Triple Cities. Join the staff and supporters of Carousel at Atomic Tom’s in Downtown Binghamton on Saturday, March 24 for an evening of dancing, sappy speeches, and special surprises. Featuring music by Lutheran Skirts, Milkweed, and Bess & the Magic Ring, plus interactive light painting by Lucem Picturae, a big ol’ cake, and all of our covers hanging from a wall for you to ogle at. Saturday March 24 at Atomic Tom’s (196 State Street, Binghamton, across from Social on State). Doors at 8pm, music at 8:30pm. Full cash bar. Tickets are $10/adv, $15/door, available now on eventbrite.com and during regular business hours at the Equinox Broadcasting offices (101 Main St, Johnson City). More info at carouselrag. com and binghamtondrive.com.
Music briefs compiled by John Donson. music@carouselrag.com
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triple cities carousel events.carouselrag.com mon. sun.
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Paint & Sip (BBW) The Magic of Adam Trent (CLEM) Durante! (FHS) Lucero (HAU) Trevor Hall (HOM) Pancake Breakfast (LEG) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Legally Blonde the Musical (TIA) Karaoke w/ DJ Dave (CAL)
Postcard from Morocco(AC) Home Grown: A Farm Artisan Market (BCFM) Orchestra of the S. Finger Lakes (CLEM) Melvin Seals (HAU), The Weight Band (HOM) March Chamber Concert (PHL) FrogWatch USA Training Session (RPZ) Digital Planet Show (ROB), Cabaret (JCC) Legally Blonde the Musical (TIA) Miss Rodeo Benefit (TOT) Karaoke w/ DJ Dave (CAL) Binghamton City Limits (MGRX)
That 1 Guy (HAU) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Freedom Train (STAT) Legally Blonde the Musical (TIA) Karaoke w/ DJ Dave (CAL) Binghamton City Limits (MGRX) Record Fair (TC)
Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers (CLEM) Whistle Down the Wind (EPAC) Squirrel Nut Zippers (HOM) Make Your Own Pasta (PHNT) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Judy Gold (JCC) Goodnight Moon & Runaway Bunny (STAT) Cooperpalooza Benefit (TOT) Karaoke w/ DJ Dave (CAL) Celtica Pipes Rock (MGRX) Pianist Jinah Lee (AC)
(AC) Anderson Center, BU (ATOM) Atomic Tom’s, Binghamton (ARE)Broome County Veterans Arena, Binghamton (BBC) Binghamton Brewing Co, Johnson City (BBW) Black Bear Winery, Chenango Forks (BCFM) Binghamton Regional Farmers Market (BEL) Belmar Pub, Binghamton (BTP) Blind Tiger Pub, Johnson City (BU) Binghamton University, Vestal (BUN) Bundy Museum, Binghamton (CAL) Callahan’s Sportsman’s Pub, Binghamton (CAR) Carol's Art Cafe, Owego (CCW) Cyber Cafe West, Binghamton
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Open Mic (BEL) Watercolor Workshop (CHE) The Bud Light Comedy Club (CLEM) All You Can Eat Spaghetti Dinner (LEG) Tango Night (RANG) Oil Painting Class (YHP) Paws to Read (YHP) Trivia Night (CCW)
Watercolor Wkshp (CHE) Jazz Session (FHS) Hear About Frances Perkins (PHL) Tango Night (RANG) Oil Painting Class (YHP) LEGO Club (YHPL) Trivia Night (CCW)
Jersey Boys (FRM) Open Mic (BEL) Watercolor Workshop (CHE) Clementine (CLEM) Tango Night (RANG) Oil Painting Class (YHP) Paws to Read (YHP) Trivia Night (CCW) Marv Williams (MGRX)
Open Mic (BEL) Watercolor Workshop (CHE) Jazz Session (FHS) Tango Night (RANG) Oil Painting Class (YHP) Trivia Night (CCW) Celtica Pipes Rock (MGRX)
(CHE) Chenango Arts Council, Norwich (CIT) Citrea Restaurant, Binghamton (CLEM) Clemens Center, Elmira (CMS) Cider Mill Stage, Endicott (COD) Castle on the Delaware, Walton (COL) The Colonial, Binghamton (CRT) Chenango River Theatre, Greene (CS) Clinton St, Binghamton (DCS) Discovery Center, Binghamton (DOCK) The Dock, Ithaca (DTB) Downtown Binghamton (DTO) Downtown Owego (DUB) Doubletree by Hilton, Binghamton
tues.
06 13 20 27
Tuesday Farmers Market (BCFM) Acoustic Music with Greg Neff (CAR) Tuesday Bluesday (DOCK) I-Town Jazz Jam (DOCK) Swing Dance (TCK) Open Mic (CCW) Team Trivia (MGRX) Trivia w/ Alex (LDC) Super Troopers Stand Up (SPOT)
Tuesday Farmers Market (BCFM) Acoustic Music with Greg Neff (CAR) TCO Go-Round Opera 101 (CLEM) Tuesday Bluesday(DOCK) I-Town Jazz Jam (DOCK) Tab Benoit’s Whiskey Bayou Records Revue ft. Jeff McCarty and Eric Johanson (HAU) Swing Dance (TCK), Book Discussion: (YHPL) Karaoke (CCW) Team Trivia (MGRX) Trivia w/ Alex (LDC)
Tuesday Farmers Market (BCFM) Jersey Boys (FRM) Acoustic Music with Greg Neff (CAR) Swing Time! (RANG) Swing Dance (TCK) Movie Night: The Space Between Us (YHP) Karaoke (CCW) Team Trivia (MGRX) Trivia w/ Alex (LDC)
Tuesday Farmers Market (BCFM) Acoustic Music with Greg Neff (CAR) Kinky Boots (CLEM) Swing Dance (TCK) Team Trivia (MGRX) Trivia w/ Alex (LDC)
wed.
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Canning with Ann (BCFM) Acoustic Music with Greg Neff (CAR) Reggae Night with The Crucial Reggae Social Club (DOCK) Matt and Kim (HAU) Rockabilly Night (RANG) Beginner Line Dance (TOT) Nate Calzetoni (CCW) Deep Cuts Pro Jam (CAL) Jazz Jam w/ Miles Ahead (LDC)
Acoustic Music with Greg Neff (CAR) Irish Comedy Tour (CLEM) The Crucial Reggae Social Club (DOCK) Open Mic (JBC) Weird Al Yankovic (STAT) Beginner Line Dance (TOT) The Vollmers (CCW) Deep Cuts Pro Jam (CAL) Rick Pedro (MGRX)
Jersey Boys (FRM) Acoustic Music with Greg Neff (CAR) Night of Comedy (CHE) Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles (CLEM) Too Many Zooz (HAU) Beginner Line Dance (TOT) Bess Greenberg (CCW) Deep Cuts Pro Jam (CAL) Budd Ash (MGRX) Jazz Jam w/ Miles Ahead (LDC)
Russian Nat’l Ballet Swan Lake (AC) Acoustic Music with Greg Neff (CAR) Kinky Boots (CLEM) Open Mic (JBC) Beginner Line Dance (TOT) She’s A Spy (CCW) Deep Cuts Pro Jam (CAL) Lori Bass Brown (MGRX) Whiskey Pairing (GXY)
(EPAC) Endicott Performing Arts Center (FCC) First Congregational Church, Binghamton (FHS) Firehouse Stage, Johnson City (FIVE) Number 5 Restaurant, Binghamton (FRM) Broome County Forum Theater, Binghamton (GXY) Galaxy Brewing Co., Binghamton (GVF) Grapevine Cafe, Johnson City (HAU) The Haunt, Ithaca (HID) Holiday Inn Downtown, Binghamton (HOM) Homer Center for the Arts, Homer (JBC) John Barleycorn, Owego (JCC) Jewish Community Center, Vestal (KNOW) KNOW Theatre, Binghamton
(KOP) Kopernik Observatory, (LEG) American Legion, Endi (LDC) Lost Dog Cafe/Lounge, (MGRX) McGirk’s, Chenango (NIM) Nimmonsburg Method (ORG) Original’s Bar and Lou (OTS) Otsiningo Park, Bingha (OUH) Old Union Hotel, Bing (OWE) Owego, NY) (PHO) Binghamton Photo (PHL) Phelps Mansion, Bingh (PHNT) Phantom Chef, Endic (RANG) The Range, Ithaca
thur.
01 08 15 22 29
Poetry Open (BEL), Ugly Dolp. (CCW) Adam Ate the Apple (BEL), Team Trivia (CAL) Carol’s Acoustic Open Mic (CAR) Comedy at the Dock (DOCK), Raibred (GXY) PEAK Album Release Show (RANG) Humble Beginnings Band (RST) Mid Level Line Dance (TOT) Bowling for Columbine (STAT) Drawing Class: Proportion and Values (YHPL) Humble Beginnings (RST), Karaoke (LDC) Mid-day Concert (BU)
Poetry Open (BEL), Adam Apple (BEL) She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (BUN) Team Trivia (CAL), Open Mic (CAR) Rhythm in the Night (CLEM) Comedy Night at The Dock (DOCK) Drag! (RANG), Doug & Eamonn Hubert (RST) Mid-level Line Dance (TOT), Cabaret (JCC) Chefs: A Sizzling Kitchen Showdown (STAT) Drawing Class (YHPL), Ugly Dolphin (CCW) Acoustabees (MGRX), Karaoke (LDC) Mid-day Concert (BU)
Trivia (CAL), Poetry Open Mic (BEL) Adam Ate the Apple (BEL) Carol’s Acoustic Open Mic (CAR) Comedy Night at The Dock (DOCK) Sip & Shop the Bistro (DUB) Solar Power Hoppy Hour (GXY) Classic Flix: Top Gun (WAL) Drawing Class/Herb Class(YHPL) Mid-level Dance (TOT), Ug Dolphin (CCW) Humble Beginnings Band (MGRX) Karaoke (LDC), Mid-day Concert (BU)
Jersey Boys (FRM) Poetry Open (BEL), Adam Ate Apple (BEL) Palabras Spoken Word Event (BU) Carol’s Acoustic Open Mic (CAR) Whistle Down Wind (EPAC), Drag! (RANG) Drawing Class: Proportion and Values (YHP) Mid-level Dance (TOT), Ug Dolphin (CCW) Team Trivia (CAL), The Vollmers (RST) Hummels Jug (MGRX), Karaoke (LDC) Mid-day Concert (BU) Mac N Cheese Fest (HID)
Pints and Ponderings (BBC) Poetry Open Mic (BEL) Adam Ate the Apple (BEL) Carol’s Acoustic Open Mic (CAR) Drawing Class: Proportion and Values (YHP) Mid-level Line Dance (TOT) Ugly Dolphin (CCW) Team Trivia (CAL) Karaoke (LDC) Mid-day Concert (BU)
, Vestal icott ,Binghamton o Bridge d. Church, Binghamton unge, Owego amton ghamton
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02 09 16 23 30
fri.
calendar of events march 2018 sat.
Carousel Covers Show (ATOM) Parlor City Pubs: Binghamton Before State Street (BUN) Mixed Media: An Eclectic Experience (BUN) , City Limits (DOCK) The Proud Walkers (DOCK), First Friday Art Walk (DTB), Art Walk (DTO) 70s Party (FIVE), Start Making Sense w/ Swift Technique (HAU) Keller Williams (HOM), Bryan Wark, #2A (PHO) The Darts & Mortal Combine (RANG), Voodoo Highway (RST) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB), Kerri Powers (SOS) Legally Blonde (TIA), Bings Got Talent (TOT), Mel & Boys (CCW) The Neighbors (CAL), Voodoo Highway, Tijuana Danger Dogs (RST) Beard of Bees (MGRX), Dude & Damned (LDC)
Postcard from Morocco (AC), Smart People (AC) Julia Felice and the Whiskey Crisis (DOCK), Terrapin Station (DOCK) Scott Danzig: Four Short Films (PHL), Knife Skill Fundamentals (PHNT) John Gain and Michael Thuesen (RANG), Digital PlanetShow (ROB) The Mallet Brothers Band & Tim Ruffo (RST), Searson (SOS) Legally Blonde the Musical (TIA), Morgan Wallen (TOT) Acoustic Brew (CAL), Mallett Bros Band, Tim Ruffo (RST) Greg Neff/Rum Runners (MGRX), Live Music (FIVE) Frankie C (LDC) Bess Greenberg (ORG) Matty B’s Roast Battle (SPOT)
The Purple Valley (DOCK) Stardust Gala Featuring Maureen McGovern (DUB) Bendher (HAU), Bronwen Exter (RANG) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB), Voodoo Highway (SCPH) Legally Blonde the Musical (TIA), Doubledown Rock (TOT) Raibred (CCW), Adam Ate the Apple (CAL) Giant Steps (RST) Shambles (MGRX) Live Music (FIVE) VJ Alex (LDC) Kellam Throgmorton & Brian Vollmer (ORG)
(RRB) RiverRow Books, Owego (RED) Red's Kettle Inn, Johnson City (RFG) Rolling Fire Glassworks, Endicott (ROB) Roberson Museum, Binghamton (RPZ) Ross Park Zoo, Binghamton (RST) Ransom Steele Tavern, Apalachin (SCPH) South City Publick House, Binghamton (SCR) Scranton, PA (SJJ) Sarah Jane Johnson Church, Johnson City (SOC) Social on State, Binghamton (SOS) Six on the Square, Oxford (SPOT) Spotlight, Binghamton (STAT) State Theater, Ithaca
Sesame Street Live! Let’s Party! (FRM) A Tasteful Day for HCA! (DUB) Whistle Down the Wind (EPAC) Tink Bennett and Tailor Made (HAU) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) The Musical Box: 50 Years of Genesis (STAT) Magic Mike Night (TOT), Like Astronauts (CCW) Hot Dogs & Gin (RST), Sirsy (MGRX) Live Music (FIVE) Silent Disco (LDC) Milkweed (ORG)
Daughtry (FRM) Sophistafunk (HAU) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Demetri Martin (STAT) Doubledown Rock (TOT) Ship of Phools (CCW) Devinne Meyers (CAL) Virgil Cain (MGRX) Live Music (FIVE) DJ Thaddeus (LDC) The Vollmers (ORG)
03 10 17 24 31
Binghamton Parade Day (DTB), Real Irish Breakfast (BBC) Saturday Farmers Market (BCFM) , An Evening with Grouch (CHE) Parade Day Brunch (CIT), Wacky Seussical Day (DCS) Pale Hound, Tim Woulfe, Boy Scouts, Clam Lust (DOCK) Greg Neff (FIVE), Deer Tick (HAU), Photography Workshop (PHO) The Tragedy Brothers (RANG), St. Patrick’s Day Smorgasbord (RED) Planet Show (ROB), Hi-Way Fruit Market (RST), Legally Blonde (TIA) Jason Wicks (TOT), Uncleshake (CCW), Highway Fruit Market (RST) Stoutmen/Old Friends (MGRX), Pat Kane (LDC) DJ Space One (LDC) Pre-existing Conditions (SPOT)
Smart People (AC), Saturday Farmers Market (BCFM) Home Grown: A Farm Artisan Market (BCFM), Second Saturday (CS) Live Music (FIVE), The Discovery Center’s 34th Birthday (DCS) Panhead & Throw Down Cold (DOCK), One-Man Star Wars (FHS) Ire Clad (HAU), Photography Workshop (PHO), Salsa Night (RANG) Alice McDowell Book Signing (RRB), Kites & Powerlines/Tom Jolu (RST) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB), Cabaret (JCC) Legally Blonde the Musical (TIA), Coffeehouse w/ Joe Alston (VM) Small Town Shade (TOT), Voodoo Hiway (CCW), Bess Greenberg (CCW) Kite & Powerlines, Tom Jolu (RST), Odd Man Out (MGRX) DJ Space One (LDC)
BPO Celebrating 100: Leonard Bernstein (FRM) Saturday Farmers Market (BCFM), Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) The Gunpoets & Thru Spectrums (DOCK) Rockin’ St. Patrick’s Day w/ Iron Horse & City Limits (HAU) Photography Workshop (PHO), St. Patrick’s Bash w/ Kitestring (RANG) Donna the Buffalo & Bess Greenberg (RST) Legally Blonde the Musical (TIA), The Brewery Dubbel (WSBC) Book Sale (YHP), UUU (TOT), Raibred (CCW) The Vollmers w/ Kellam Throgmorton (CAL) Kellam/Joe/Brian, FC3 (MGRX) Live Music (FIVE), DJ Space One (LDC)
Carousel 5th Birthday Bash (ATOM) Saturday Farmers Market (BCFM), Common Time Choral Group (CLEM) Eggstra-Special Egg Hunt (DCS), Mama Rabwa (DOCK) Root Shock w/ The Analogue Sons (DOCK), Whistle Down Wind (EPAC) Live Music (FIVE), Caps for Sale/3 Billy Goats (FHS), Wild Child (HAU) Photography Workshop (PHO), Propaganda: Selling a War (ROB) FrogWatch USA Training Session (RPZ), Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Beard of Bees & The Kitchen Sink Band (RST), The Young Novelists (SOS) Mike Birbiglia: The New One (STAT), Preview Gala (TCO) Baby It’s CODE Inside (TECH), Iron Cowboy (TOT), Ultra Vibe (CCW) Ship of Phools (CAL), The Stoutmen (MGRX), DJ Space One (LDC)
(TC) Terra Cotta Catering, Binghamton (TCK) Tri-Cities Karate, Endicott (TCO) Tri-Cities Opera House, Binghamton (TECH) Techworks!, Binghamton (TIA) Tiawaga PAC, Owego (TMC) Trinity Memorial Church, Binghamton (TOT) Touch of Texas, Binghamton (UDT) University Downtown Center, Binghamton (UNC) Uncorked Creations, Binghamton (UPC) United Presbyterian Church, Binghamton (UUC) Unitarian Univ.Church, Binghamton (VAM) Vestal American Legion (VM) Vestal Museum, Vestal
Saturday Farmers Market (BCFM) , GoGone (DOCK) Photography Workshop (PHO) The Phryg w/s/g Noon Fifteen (RANG) Eggstravaganza (ROB)(RPZ) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Driftwood (RST) A Colorful History: Retouched Photos of Vestal (VM) Big Country (TOT) Under the Rug (CCW) Masterpiece (MGRX) Live Music (FIVE) DJ Space One (LDC) (WAL) Walton Theater, Walton (WSBC) Water Street Brewing Co, Binghamton (YHP) Your Home Public Library, Johnson City
march 2018 triple cities carousel 21
The current cast of characters of BC, as drawn by Mason Mastroianni.
Carrying on an artistic legacy The Hart-Mastroianni Family’s collaboration in comics by Judith Gross 22 carouselrag.com
T
AKING THE HELM of a comic strip dynasty was never at the forefront of Mason Mastroianni’s plans for his future. Growing up in the Binghamton area, drawing and art were naturally his inheritance, with cartoonist Johnny Hart for a grandfather. Hart was an Endicott native who had built a home and spacious studios in Nineveh, at the northeastern end of Broome County. He had become famous for his two iconic comic strips carried daily in newspapers: B.C.—a look at the modern world through prehistoric sensibilities; and Wizard of Id, similar observations through assorted medieval characters and their quirks. Mason always knew he would make his living as some sort of artist, but his interest in film drew him towards animation. After graduating from the Digital Animation and Visual Effects school on the back lot of Universal Studios in Orlando, Mason found work at Wet Cement, an animation studio in Minneapolis, helping create the company’s Emmy-Award-winning children’s series Auto B Good, among other projects. Then came a spring day in 2007 when Mason returned home after learning the sad news of his grandfather’s sudden death from a stroke. Hart’s family, still grappling with their grief, was faced with an uncertain future and a range of questions. What would become of Hart’s two daily comic strips? He had written and drawn B.C. for 49 years and he and artist Brant Parker—and more recently Parker’s son—had produced Wizard of Id for 43 years. Difficult questions and an unexpected answer Not only were the two enormously popular strips carried in close to a thousand newspapers, but they were the family business, providing careers for Mason’s mom, Patti Hart, and especially his aunt Perri Hart, who had been working with her Dad since 1985. Much of the discussion at the family gathering, Mason recalled, centered on the future of B.C., which Hart wrote and drew, and which he was working on even up to the moment of his death. The strip could go into reruns, as Peanuts had after Charles Schultz’s death. Or it could be retired, leaving an unclear path ahead for family members engaged in the business. Was there anyone else to fill the famous cartoonist’s shoes? “I could give it a shot,” Mason volunteered. Afterwards, the casualness of his remark, shared with the rest of the family around the dining room table in the aftermath of the funeral, would surprise him, but make perfect sense at the same time. “We had never talked about this before, even when my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer,” Mason says. “But I knew this was something I could do for my family—continue the legacy.” According to Mason, words of support from the rest of the family were instantaneous—they all knew he excelled as an artist. But they voiced concern for his own future. He was building a strong career in animation, forging his own path and, as his grandmother asked, “Are you sure this is what you want to do with your life?” Mason remembers his own thoughts were mixed. “I’d be giving up something I really love, but I felt I was going toward something I really loved, too.” “Ghosting” grandfather’s creations Mason wasted no time getting started, going upstairs that very night and starting to draw the familiar cavemen and cavewomen and prehistoric creatures of B.C. His aim was to craft them so exactly that there would be a seamless transition from the strips his grandfather had completed to the new ones Mason would create from there on.
art. “I knew I was a pretty good ‘ghost’ artist—and it helped that I’d grown up with it and had a drawing background,” says Mason. He practiced until all involved agreed he had nailed the images. But there was more to the work than getting the characters drawn correctly. The other part of a cartoonist’s job is to keep the gags flowing, day after day, week after week. One-tothree panel black-andwhites Monday through Saturday, and an extended color strip every Sunday—and all had to be true to the spirit of the themes and personalities Johnny Hart had been developing for nearly 50 years. The pressure was enormous, but Mason kept drawing while the newspapers ran previously-published strips for six weeks. He created enough to begin publishing. Then came the transition.
Today, Mason remains the cartoonist for B.C.—drawing and the writing—as well as the artist for Wizard of Id; Mick writes Wizard of Id and contributes ideas for B.C. And even though those duties sound like more than a full-time job for both, the two brothers also produce another original comic strip: Dogs of C-Kennel, which Mick created in 2003 after volunteering at an A.S.P.C.A. shelter and noticing how the personalities of its canine residents could become a unique source of humor. Currently, Mick writes the strip; Mason draws it. The old-fashioned way If cartooning in the 21st century sounds like an easy craft, with computers and digital technology, the Hart/Mastroianni family turn those assumptions upside down. All three comic strips are to this day hand-drawn by Mason, the old-fashioned way—every single panel. Every. Single. Day.
“We kept it low-key and some people never noticed that Mason had taken over B.C.,” notes his younger brother Mick Mastroianni, now also involved in the family business. “We lost some newspaper outlets right after my grandfather passed away, but it eventually leveled off.” Some newspapers still carry the Hart byline on the strip, while others have added the Mastroianni name. Either way is fine with the family.
hands of the next generation. This arrangement continued until 2015, when Parker stepped back and Mason took over the drawing of Wizard, with Mick continuing as the writer.
Johnny Hart.
Aunt Perri—a successful artist in her own right— does all the lettering for B.C. and Wizard, also by hand—each painstaking word. “It actually doesn’t take that long and after doing it for years; it comes naturally to me. It gives each strip a unique look, with slight differences in the lettering for B.C. and Wizard,” Perri says, explaining that the letters aren’t any particular font, just her own style.
Wizard gets a new writer But the way forward for Hart’s other strip, Wizard of Id, took a different trajectory. Hart had written the strip, but it had been drawn by Brant Parker from its inception in 1964. Parker’s son Jeff She also used to had later taken over and hand-color each Sunday had been drawing it for strip with a watercolor a decade. Coincidentaloverlay, but since Johnny ly, just eight days after passed, she has conceded Hart’s sudden death, to the faster process of Mick (L) and Mason (R) Mastroianni. Brant Parker also passed digital scanning and colaway, while the Hart oring of all the strips. family was still working on the matter of who would assume the writing of the strip. Completing the family affair, Mick and Mason’s mom, Patti, handles the organizational and administrative part of the Mick, who had been developing a comic strip of his own, bebusiness, working closely with all three. gan writing the Wizard of Id with the younger Parker drawing it, leaving the legacy of the two strips completely in the (Continued on Page 24)
march 2018 triple cities carousel 23
(Hart Legacy, continued from Page 23) Handcrafted strips mean that tens of thousands of past strips are a part of the family inheritance, in vaults, and sometimes auctioned for charity events. Giving back to the community Charity and concern for the communities of Broome County are additional hallmarks of Johnny Hart’s legacy. Broome County Transit and county parks use characters from B.C. as their mascots, and it’s not uncommon to see Hart’s beloved creations associated with various fundraising for nonprofits. Whereas many artistic or media businesses might enforce restrictive copyright rules and steep licensing fees, initially Hart himself—and nowadays his family—have been more inclined to permit the likenesses without charging, out of a sense of supporting worthy local causes. Hart’s characters have also made their mark on well-known local events. Before Dick’s Sporting Goods took over the annual PGA Golf Tournament, it was the B.C. Open, with some of the strip’s characters used for publicity. A Christian fellowship breakfast originally hosted by Hart continues now as a memorial breakfast in his honor when the tournament comes to town each summer at En-Joie golf course. Johnny Hart’s well-known Christian beliefs occasionally found their way into the themes of his comic strips, causing controversy among detractors and delight among readership with similar sentiments. At times when the Christian theme was too overt, some newspapers would relegate the strip to the opinion pages. As for Mason and Mick, they say they don’t deliberately try to include or exclude such themes, but simply follow their grandfather’s advice to “stay simple and be funny,” according to Mick. They’ve successfully walked a sometimes-delicate line between staying true to the spirit of what Hart created and infusing today’s strips with their own blend of humor and personality. “The one strip where I will do a Christian theme is on Easter Sunday, because I see it as carrying on my grandfather’s legacy,” Mason notes. New horizons and coming full circle Now that this comic strip legacy lives securely in the hands of Hart’s family, what might the future hold for dinosaur Gronk, Peter, the character known as B.C., the King, the Wizard, and all their assorted cohorts, along with their canine brothers in C-Kennel? B.C. turned 60 this year and celebrated early with The Best of B.C.: 58 Years of Pithy Prehistoric Puns and Fun, a hardcover collection available on Amazon. On the 50th anniversary of Wizard of Id, many other prominent cartoonists paid tribute in their own comic strips. The future of comics strips can seem fraught with uncertainty; Mick points out that newspapers are struggling to stay relevant in the age of digital media, but all three comics: B.C., Wizard, and Dogs are carried online daily at GoComics.com. Viewing them there carries the added delight of being able to pore over decades of strips. Mason and Mick look ahead and speculate about the possibility of related merchandising: books, licensing, perhaps even movies or TV, which would bring Mason back full-circle to his previous career in animation. For now, all family members stay super busy keeping up with the pace of daily comic strips. They voice happiness that Hart’s creations continue, that they bring chuckles to millions of people every day, and that they’ll continue to provide satisfying careers and secure futures for Perri, Patti, and especially Mick and Mason. Mason seems to speak to all of these sentiments when he says, “I love getting up and going to work every day. The fact that I can do this with my family is a gift.”
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A little bit of local flair! Clockwise from top left: 1970s BC Open logo by Johnny Hart, Dicks Open logo by Mason Mastroianni, BC Council of Churches logo and BC Animal Response Team logos, both by Mastroianni.
HEY THERE, HEMINGWAY! Have you always fantasized about having your words printed in Triple Cities Carousel, but were too afraid click send? Well, we've been thinking about you, too, you beautiful coward. Send your fiction, poems, ideas, observational humor, and whatever ELSE YOU'VE GOT to Heather Merlis: hmerlis@carouselrag.com.
BE INSIDE US! GET IN TOUCH TODAY TO ADVERTISE IN THE COOLEST LITTLE ARTS RAG IN THE SOUTHERN TIER! ADVERTISING@CAROUSELRAG.COM (607) 772-1005
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Carousel: The Covers Show
A look back at half a decade of free arts and culture press in the Triple Cities.
Friday March 2 nd
6-9pm during the First Friday Art Walk
Atomic Tom’s 196 State St. Binghamton (also on display during Carousel’s 5th Birthday Bash on 3/24)
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art briefs NATURES BEST AT THE ROBERSON
Nature’s Best Photography continues with incredible photographs from the Smithsonian presenting up close views of animals and natural phenomenon (through June). The Museum and Science Center, located at 30 Front Street in Binghamton, is open Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday 12-5pm, Friday 12-9pm. More information can be found at roberson.org or by calling (607) 772-0660.
BINGHAMTON’S FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK
Visual arts abound First Friday, March 2 with 22 venues throughout Downtown and the West and South Sides from 6-9pm (unless otherwise noted). On March 2 only, our very own Carousel: The Covers Show at Atomic Tom’s looks back at half a decade of free arts and culture press in the Triple Cities, and Chatterbox Café presents The Amalfi Coast, a photography slide show by Damien Sotohp. In addition to opening receptions listed separately at the Bundy, Coop 213, and the Salati Gallery, Hole in the Heart, a multimedia exhibit of contemporary abstract expressionism by E.B. Schott is on view at Whole in the Wall restaurant (through April); the Maine-Endwell HS Student Art Show is at Lost Dog Café (through April); and Phelps Mansion Museum presents photography by Patti Schwartz, Artwork by Bob Alan, Brooklyn Heights Healing Help - Various Healing Techniques by Jemma Paventi, and Simple Card Reads (Tarot) by Angela Cook. Women’s History Month takes center stage at three locations with work by SUNY Broome art students: at Christ Church, Suffragists’ FACES: classical realist, life-size portrait drawings in the Great Hall (March 2 only); at The Gallery at 5 Riverside Drive/Towers, FACES: drawings and biographies of suffragettes and Holocaust victims (through April); and at Broome County Arts Council, FACES: Women Suffragists, as well as a show by Patricia Evans, Sincerities of Life, which features architectural drawings from vernacular historical farm buildings (opening reception 6-9pm; on view through March 28). A complete schedule of First Friday events can be found at gorgeouswashington.com. First Friday Art Walk is presented by Gorgeous Washington Street Association and sponsored in part by M&T Bank, Equinox Broadcasting, and Triple Cities Carousel.
THOMAS LA BARBERA AT THE SALATI GALLERY
Using a process he calls Contemporary In Camera Art, the photographer creates pieces “bursting with energy… that uniquely possess the vibrant flowing qualities of color and movement,” according to gallery owner Orazio Salati. Artist’s receptions take place March 2 and April 6 from 6-9pm; on view through April 28. The gallery is located at 204 State Street
in Binghamton. Further information can be found at oraziosalati.com or by calling (607) 772-6725.
ART AND FILM AT THE BUNDY
Three floors, three shows, and a movie! In the 3rd Floor Gallery, Mixed Media: An Eclectic Experience showcases Matthew Card, Denise Franchino, and Andrea Wood, and in the 2nd Floor Gallery, The Golden Age of Parlor City Pubs: Binghamton Before State Street continues (both through April 3). Next door at Binghamton Photo’s 1st Floor Gallery, Bryan Wark, #2A: The Right to Bear Arms is on view through May 2. On March 8 at 7pm, in honor of International Women’s Day, there is a free screening of the documentary She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry in the Annex Theatre behind the museum (doors open 6:30pm). The film resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women’s movement from 1966 to 1971. Opening artists’ receptions take place March 2 from 6-9pm. The Museum of History and Art, located at 129 Main Street in Binghamton, is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am5pm. Admission to the Art Gallery is free. Further information can be found at bundymuseum.org, on the museum’s Facebook site, or by calling (607) 772-9179.
SMARTPHONE PHOTOS AT COOPERATIVE GALLERY 213
“Smartphone photos are ubiquitous on social media and at all gatherings,” says Peg Johnston, of the gallery’s first-ever Smartphone Photo Contest and Exhibit. “I am curating our show to see the best of our smartphone pictures on the wall of a gallery.” Awards to be announced Saturday, March 17 at 1pm; exhibit on view through March 24. The gallery, located at 213 State Street in Binghamton, is open First Fridays from 3-9pm, regular Fridays from 3-6pm, and Saturdays from 12-4pm. More information can be found at cooperativegallery.com, by calling (607) 724-3462, or on the gallery’s Facebook page.
HEIDI GALLO AT CAROLS COFFEE & ART BAR
The Nichols painter and photographer focuses on animals and nature and makes it a point to get to know her subjects in order to achieve the true feeling of the painting. Her style ranges from abstract to realism. Opening reception March 2 from 6-8:30pm during Owego’s First Friday Artwalk features live music by Greg Neff. Located at 177 Front Street in Owego, Carols is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 7am-5pm, Thursday 7am-8:30pm (open mic), Saturday 8am-6pm, and Sunday 9am-4pm. For more information, go to carolscoffeeandartbar.com or call (607) 972-7532.
Art briefs compiled by Ronnie Vuolo: art@carouselrag.com
ANTIGRAVITY AT THE ROCKWELL MUSEUM
The 2018 inaugural Emerging Artists Rotunda Installation features the work of sculptor and fiber artist Crystal Gregory. Using woven lace structures as the foundation of her work, the artist pays particular attention to negative space and light, pairing materials not often found together, such as handwoven fabrics and molten pewter, or lace and concrete. The Assistant Professor in Fiber Arts at the University of Kentucky, Gregory holds an MFA in Fiber and Material Studies from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and served as Artist-In-Residence at The Gerrit Rietveld Academie of Art in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums nationally. On view March 2-February 17, 2019 at 111 Cedar Street in Corning; the museum is open weekdays 10am-4pm, weekends and holidays 10am-5pm. Cost for non-members: $20 adults, $18 seniors, $17 veterans, $10 college students with ID; free 18 and under. Further information can be found at rockwellmuseum.org or by calling (607) 9375386.
TWO RIVERS PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB
On March 3 at 10:15am, club members present “Get Out of Your Rut: Challenges and Gadgets,” an informal talk at the Vestal Library ($5 non-members). In April, nationally known nature photographer Roman Kurywczak presides over two separate events: Saturday, April 7 from 9am-4pm, lecture and instruction include photography of wildlife, night scenes, and macro images (at the Doubletree Hotel in Binghamton); Sunday, April 8 involves close-up photography of plants and flowers at Tioga Gardens in Owego (two sessions: 9:30am-noon or 1-3:30pm). April 7 registration (includes lunch): $50.00 members and students, $60.00 non-members (after March 30, $65 all attendees). April 8 workshop: $45.00 members and students, $55.00 non-members. Complete registration information can be found online at 2rpc.com.
THE LIVING END AT JOHNSON MUSEUM OF ART
Postmodern artist Matthew Weinstein is featured in a multilayered exhibit that includes paintings, a computer-generated installation, and his new animation entitled The Last Cigarette. His five large-scale paintings on aluminum and copper depict a hallucinatory landscape reminiscent of images flashing on a computer or film screen, more apparition than image. In Anna Kavan: The Living End, sensors throughout the gallery record the heartbeat and body temperature of viewers, which then affect the projected images. The installation is based on British sci-fi writer Kavan’s final book, Ice, and her life. Additionally, his 2010 work Cruising 1980 is projected nightly on the museum façade from sundown-11pm. On view through April 1 at the museum, located at Cornell University, 114 Central Av-
enue in Ithaca. Hours are Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm (Thursday until 7:30pm). Information can be found at museum.cornell.edu or by calling (607) 255-6464. Admission is free.
MYSTERY IN SIX PARTS AT BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM
The Binghamton Nuvolone: Restoring an Object in Six Parts focuses on a 44” x 55” painting by the Milanese Baroque painter Carlo Francesco Nuvolone (1609-1702) from the university’s permanent collection. Depicting Saint Benedict with two cherubs, it had been cut into six pieces and later reassembled without any effort to disguise the damage. The painting had long belonged to Max Eisenstein (1884-1980), a successful Viennese businessman who fled Austria with his family in late 1938 and settled in Binghamton. His son, Norbert, gifted it to the gallery in 1982. The exhibition delves into its origin, Eisenstein’s life in Vienna and Binghamton, his efforts to restore his property, the puzzling condition of the painting, and its recent conservation. Two smaller complimentary exhibits are also on view. The first, taken from the university’s library collection and Reinhardt archives, focuses on the life and work of Austrian-born theatrical director and producer Max Reinhardt (1873-1943). The second features items relating to the work of “Monuments Man” Kenneth Lindsay at the close of WWII. The founder of the Harpur College Art Department and the Art Gallery, Lindsay spent two years working for the US Army finding, researching, and restoring to the proper owners, artwork that had been looted by the Nazis during the war. His papers will soon become part of the Archives of the Binghamton University Libraries. The exhibits run from March 15-May 19, opening reception March 15 from 5-7pm/ special presentation on the Nuvolone findings May 3 from 4-7pm. The Museum is located in the Fine Arts Building on the BU campus at 4400 Vestal Parkway East in Binghamton. Hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday from 12-4pm and Thursday from 12-7pm, closed whenever the university is closed. All exhibits are free and open to the public. For further information, go to binghamton.edu/art-museum or call (607) 777-2968.
STUDENT ART EXHIBIT AT CHENANGO ARTS COUNCIL
The work of Chenango-area students is showcased at this annual exhibition featuring mixed media, painting, photography, drawing, and 3D art. Awards for entries, as well as announcement of the two 2018 recipients of the CAC Lucy Funke Arts Scholarships take place at the opening reception Friday, March 2 at 5:30pm. The exhibit is on view through March 16 at 27 West Main Street in Norwich. The gallery is open Monday-Friday 10am-4pm. Receptions and exhibits are free and open to the public. Further information can be found at chenangoarts.org or by calling (607) 3362787.
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Exposing the secret self BU Music & Theatre Depts. send a Postcard from Morocco by Charles Berman
T
HIS MARCH, THE Binghamton University Music Department will be joining forces with the university’s Theatre Department to step outside the realm of the conventional and present Postcard from Morocco, Dominick Argento’s successful 1971 one-act opera in a fully-staged production.
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Argento, an acclaimed composer and laureate of the American Choral Directors Association’s Brock Commission award for choral composition, scored the opera to a libretto by John Donahue which was based on A Child’s Garden of Verses, a collection of somber-themed children’s poetry by Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish author best known for his widely read novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. First performed by the Center Opera Company (now the Minnesota Opera), Postcard from Morocco proceeds from a relatable scenario, but tells a story that is more symbolic in its significance than it is narrative. A group of strangers are waiting together for a train that is late. Each is carrying a common object, be it a hand mirror, a cake box, or an old luggage. Rather than being named, they are known only by the object that they carry. And, as the production’s music director Willy Waters explains it to Carousel, “Each of their scenes deals with what they have in that box or how they relate to whatever it is, and their past relationships with whomever and whatever is in it. But they are very, very, very protective of what is in there. I tell my students that I heard once that everybody has three lives. You have a public life, a private life, and a secret life. So this deals with the secret part of that, and them trying to protect that secret, because this is the thing that means the most to them. Many of the characters feel that their whole world is uprooted and destroyed if that secret is revealed.” Waters, who has over 30 years of opera experience including working as the general director of the Connecticut Opera and Florida Grand Opera, chose this piece carefully. And foremost in his mind is the need to stretch the students who will be performing the piece and aid them in growing their skills. “It gives all of these performers individual opportunities to shine and to develop,” he says. “One of the things I’m trying to do here—because we have some very good singers here—is to get them to the point at which they are developing characters, and they are thinking not only about the musical aspects but about the psychological and acting aspects of the opera. And this piece is rather abstract musically. It requires a lot of imagination and a lot of thought which young singers don’t often get.” Appropriately for a piece that is sung in its expected audience’s main language of English and that is so theatrically experimental, Postcard from Morocco begins a collaboration between the music and theatre departments of the university. And for that purpose, Tommy Iafrate—the director of the musical theatre program within the theatre department—will act as stage director, and staff from the theatre department will be on hand designing and building scenery and costumes.
The piece presents interesting challenges for Iafrate in this role. “Not only is this a different experience for me because it’s an opera and not a musical,” he says, “but also because this piece is so contemporary and expressionistic and surreal, and obviously a lot of golden-age musical theatre is a little bit more straightforward! So it’s a really exciting opportunity for me to start playing with a form or a style that I don’t normally get a chance to work with.” As Iafrate explains, it’s not just the style of narrative that breaks with tradition; the story itself plays with expectations of consecutive time. “It jumps all over through time and different time periods. The opera does not necessarily take place chronologically. There isn’t a direct cause-and-effect relationship where one scene follows the previous scene. But over the course of this hour-and-a-half piece, we do get to see the way characters put up walls and keep each other at bay in order to hide our own secrets and hide our own pain, or whatever figurative baggage we carry around with us on a daily basis.” But for all involved, the real attraction of the opera is, of course, the music. And in that area, it presents a score that is both innovative and expressive. According to Gina Moscato, a soprano second-year master’s student in voice who will be playing the role of the Lady with a Cake Box, the score is both challenging and rewarding: “I think it’s more that the music is very different from what people think of as opera. We have sections where we’re all singing together but it doesn’t create quite a tonal chord that normal music listeners are used to listening to. But it really does have quite a charm to it. Once you get used to it you hear these arias and trios and you find the gem within that piece. And it really grows on you.” And for Waters, such a complex and avant-garde score requires careful attention and rehearsal. “My approach is always from the music,” he reveals. “A lot of it is rather freeform. It’s multi-metric. The meter changes every other measure in lots of places and it goes with the flow of the text. So a lot of times I tell the students to just read the text and get the flow of the text in your mouth before you go to the music. Then begin to add the music to it, and that becomes a very difficult process because the music is very complicated. But in the end, once you have got it learned, you find that the music does go with the natural flow of the words. You’ll see in this piece that a lot of the music is rather abstract, but very angular. Sometimes you have to look hard, but there is a lot of melody in this piece.” The cast also includes Carina Kahane, Lianne Aharony, Jordan Bowman, Deanna Morgan, Kelly Lynn, Seokho Park, Cole Tornberg, Erik Tofte, and Evan Julius Nelson. Postcard from Morocco will be performed Friday, March 9 at 7:30pm and Sunday, March 11 at 3pm at Binghamton University’s Watters Theatre, 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Vestal. Tickets: $20 for the public; $15 for staff, faculty, and seniors; $10 for students. They can be obtained at the door or by calling (607) 777-6802.
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theatre briefs LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL GETS A TRIAL AT TI-AHWAGA PLAYERS
This action-packed musical explodes on the stage with laughs and lots of pink! Based on the novel and the hit movie of the same name, Legally Blonde: The Musical follows the professional and personal transformation of Elle Woods as she tackles stereotypes, sexism, snobbery and scandal in pursuit of her dreams. Written by Heather Hach, the show features a catchy score with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin. Directed and choreographed by Brian Flynn, the principal cast includes Caitlin Westfall as the fashionable sorority queen dumped by her handsome but self-centered boyfriend played by Gil Choi, and Christine Hafer as the beautician who encourages Elle to be true to herself and her natural hair color. Other principals are Nick Sewcheck, Jamie Cornell, Jean Graham, Alondra Hughes, Marjorie Donovick and Brandy Engel - and Annie Fabiano as the prestige-seeking Vivienne, Elle’s nemesis. Diane Arbes designed the costumes. The musical runs weekends, March 2-18 at the Ti-Ahwaga Performing Arts Center, 42 Delphine Street in Owego. Friday and Saturday curtain is 8pm, Sunday matinees are 2pm. Reserved seating prices are $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors and students. To purchase tickets or for more info visit tiahwaga.com or call (607) 687-2130.
SEE SMART PEOPLE IN THE ANDERSON CENTER
The Binghamton University Mainstage Season presents Smart People, a gripping, contemporary campus drama about race, class and gender politics among scholars on the eve of the 2008 election of President Obama. Written by Lydia Diamond, the play is directed by Godfrey Simmons. Smart People runs March 9 through 11 in Studio B/Gruber Theater of the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts, 4400 Vestal Parkway East in Vestal. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 8pm; Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2pm. General admission is $5 at the Anderson Center box office. For additional information visit binghamton.edu/theatre, or call the box office at (607) 777-2787.
TRI-CITIES OPERA AND CLEMENTINE IN ELMIRA
This month, the Clemens Center’s SchoolTime Series presents two separate events: Tri-Cities Opera Go-round and Clementine. Celebrate Music in Our Schools Month with Tri-Cities Opera Go-round, an interactive program that explores the style, conventions, and cool-ness of opera and how it connects with our lives! Performing a collection of arias and duets, Tri-Cities Opera’s resident artists provide an overview of this unique art form and explore some of the idiosyncrasies of opera, such as how a character finds the strength to sing a beautiful, long aria… while dying! The production is recommended for grades five through 12. Then, darling Clementine is having a “not so good of a day” – but this spunky eight-year-old doesn’t let a trip to the principal’s office get her down! Whether she’s cutting the glue out of her best friend Margaret’s hair, concocting a scheme to prevent her teacher Mr. D’Matz from moving to Egypt, or riding the service elevator with
Mitchell - who is N-O-T not her boyfriend - Clementine’s antics are sure to make you laugh. Come join America’s favorite curlyhaired carrot-top as she navigates the waters of friendship, family, school, and mischief on an epic third-grade adventure. Clementine is recommended for grades one through four. Each production runs about 60 minutes. Tri-Cities Opera Go-round is presented March 13 at 10am. Clementine performance is March 19 at 10am and 12:30pm. Both productions are at the Clemens Center, 207 Clemens Center Parkway in Elmira. Tickets for each show are $5. For more details, or to get the pre-show study guide, visit clemenscenter.org. To purchase single or group tickets, or for more info, call (607) 733-5639.
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND AT EPAC
In this Andrew Lloyd Webber coming-ofage musical, a 15-year-old girl growing up in America’s deep South in the fifties discovers a mysterious man hiding out in a barn. When she asks who he is and the first words he utters are “Jesus Christ,” it’s as if all her prayers have been answered. She and the town’s other children vow to protect the stranger from the world that waits outside: the townspeople who are determined to catch a fugitive hiding in their midst. The emotive score combines hauntingly beautiful love songs and explosive rock music, including “No Matter What,” which was covered by Boyzone, hitting number one in 18 countries. The local Endicott Performing Arts Center cast was directed by Patrick Foti with musical direction by Paula Bacorn. Whistle Down the Wind runs March 22 through 25 at EPAC’s Robert Eckert Theater, 102 Washington Avenue in Endicott. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday curtain is 8pm; Sunday matinee is 3pm. Reserved seating is $20 for general admission, $18 for seniors and children. Further information is available by visiting endicottarts.com or calling (607) 785-8903.
SWAN LAKE COMES TO THE OSTERHOUT THEATER
The Russian National Ballet brings Swan Lake to Binghamton. Considered one of the greatest Romantic ballets of all time, Swan Lake is a tragic, good-versus-evil fairy tale that is set to a score by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The RNB was founded in Moscow during a transitional period in the 1980s when great dancers and choreographers were exercising their freedoms by starting new companies. The troupe, led by Artistic Director Elena Radchenko, is dedicated to upholding the traditions of Russian ballet. Impressive dancing, exquisite costumes, and gorgeous sets help tell the tale of this timeless classic ballet. The ballet is performed March 28 in the Osterhout Theater of the Anderson Center, 4400 Vestal Parkway East in Vestal. Performance time is 7:30pm. Ticket prices are $45 for the general public, $40 for BU faculty & staff, $40 for seniors & BU alumni, and $18 for students & children. Additional savings are available for group rates, three events or more, and family four packs. For tickets or more information visit binghamton.edu/ anderson-center or call (607) 777-2787.
Theatre briefs compiled by Felicia Waynesboro: stage@carouselrag.com
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food and drink. gredients that I won’t name because I don’t want to give away the recipe). When I came back a third time, the owner–Alise Willerton, who had been my bartender–remembered what I’d ordered on my previous visits, a testament to her attention to detail and to my love of gin. She suggested I try the gin fizz, a classic cocktail that is fun to drink but not easy on the stomach, as it involves lemon and raw egg whites.
205 Dry. Photo by Heather Merlis.
In addition to the cocktails, there are eight beers on tap – all of which are served in tulip glasses – as well as a good selection of wine. The food menu seems to be a work in progress, with a focus on bar food that’s a couple of steps up from your average pub grub. There are some interesting items like duck confit nachos, but I opted for the short rib poutine on my first visit. I love poutine, which is normally served with cheese curds and gravy, and I liked this one alright. They serve house fries, along with delicious cheese curds (with some spots burnt to perfection) and a heap of pulled short ribs. The fries, despite not being house-cut, were tasty but the meat was over-salted. Next time, I’d go for the cheesy fries and skip the ribs.
Getting ossified downtown A juice joint by the name of 205 Dry by Heather Merlis
become prickly.
ROUCHO MARX ONCE said, “I don’t want to belong to any club that will have me as a member.” Personally, I don’t want to belong to any club, but I do like to get into places that present the illusion of exclusivity.
While drunk and hungry people can be unpleasant in any setting, these are particularly close–albeit thoughtfully decorated– quarters. But if you are patient, the bookshelf will swing open and you will be ushered into a bygone era, or at least something like it.
205 Dry, State Street’s new speakeasy-themed bar, makes patrons feel like they are not members of the club, until they are finally let inside. If it’s not busy, you won’t have to wait at all, but if the staff feels like they’ve reached capacity, you’ll be stuck in what feels like the first chamber of an immersive period piece theme-park ride until the crowd thins. This becomes more uncomfortable if you happen to be enclosed in the vestibule with inebriated, cold, or hungry strangers who don’t feel like waiting. Some people just leave; some
Once inside, 205 Dry is surprisingly sprawling, and better lit than expected for a speakeasy. The coziest room is in back (we’ll call it “The Study”), with plush armchairs and a huge garage door window. The end tables would benefit from being cleared of some tchotchkes– they make the place feel more like the set of a play than a bar – but it’s still the most intimate setting in the house.
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Sitting back there, it’s easy to forget that State Street (not that side of State Street) is right
outside. The music helps to set the mood: the playlist consists of tunes from all the way back to the 20s, as well as electro swing and Postmodern Jukebox covers of contemporary hits, apropos for a throwback-themed bar. The setting reads like the opulent home of an eccentric historian, or an approximation of one. I’ve never been to a real speakeasy, but I’d always pictured them to be cramped and dark. This space is huge, and would be a great spot for a party, with the décor highlighting the building’s original character. The cocktail menu reflects the ambiance, with a focus on gin and an old-timey bent. Over the course of my first couple visits, I ordered the Rosey Posey (a gin cocktail with rosewater, lime, and St. Germain), the Ramble (another gin number that features fresh raspberries), and the Corpse Reviver (gin again, with absinthe and a couple other in-
On my last visit, my dining partner and I ordered a few things, and our server was happy to accommodate our requests to alter our dishes. We had the chips and dip platter, which was quite good–the salsa was a standout. It was housemade–all their dips are–in the style of a finely-chopped, subtly seasoned pico de gallo. I ordered the Cat’s Meow salad, substituting the hard-boiled egg with a fried one and adding bacon. I highly recommend this combo–it looked beautiful and was enough to fill me up. The dressing was a little overpowering, but it was a satisfying dish. We also ordered the Prohibition Burger, adding bacon and leaving off the cheese (not my idea). The patty was tasty, amounting to an overall good meal. They’re planning on adding dessert to the menu, which is perfect, because I think this is more the kind of place where I’d get dessert and a drink than a sitdown dinner. They also mentioned adding a weekend brunch menu. Frankly, the drinks feel more inspired than the dinner menu: they are carefully crafted and era-specific, while the food selection brings my awareness back to the reality that I am in Binghamton, in 2018. I don’t think anyone’s expecting a full-on throwback menu, but I look forward to seeing the dishes develop as the chef gets more comfortable. Regardless of any drawbacks, 205 Dry draws a more than steady crowd of local professionals. The staff stays dressed to the nines, most of them upping the ante with a pair of suspenders. Some of the bartenders are so finely frocked I get the impression that they are the ones out on the town, another reminder that this bar is very much about keeping up appearances. The effort is appreciated, even if the food hasn’t yet caught up to the concept. 205 Dry is located at 205 State Street in Downtown Binghamton, (607) 760-8448. Find them on Facebook or at 205dry.com.
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food briefs REAL IRISH BREAKFAST AT BINGHAMTON BREWING CO.
Line your stomach with an authentic Irish breakfast to start Binghamton’s favorite holiday (no, not Halloween) off right. On Parade Day, Bing Brew will be importing black and white puddings, back bacon, Irish sausages, soda bread, and more to get your day going. Donal O’Shaughnessy will be providing the Irish tunes, and Irish brews will be flowing. Binghamton Brewing Co. is located at 15 Ave. B, Johnson City. Irish Breakfast will be served on Saturday, March 3 from 9am12pm.
PARADE DAY AT LOST DOG WITH PAT KANE
One of the many eateries that will be celebrating (sorry, we couldn’t print them all), is Lost Dog Café and Lounge, where they’ll be serving Irish eats all day and night. They’ve got your corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s (and the vegan “gentle shepherd’s”) pie, and chocolate stout & Bailey’s cream cupcakes, just to give you an idea. Parade Day is getting more appetizing by the year. Saturday, March 3. Live music starts at 2pm with Pat Kane in the lounge, but food starts at 11:30am and festivities go til 2am! Lost Dog Café & Lounge, 222 Water Street Downtown Binghamton.
HOME GROWN FARM ARTISAN MARKET
First annual! The Broome County Regional Farmers Market is hosting a culinary and craft fair in which all vendors are either farmers, or have feature an “agricultural component” to their products. Featuring Better Food for Busy Folks, J & M Wax Works, Sea Hag Soaps and Mercantile, Awestruck Ciders, Caselle Italian Imports, and more. And if that’s not your thing, check out this month’s class at the market, Canning with Ann: Preserving Meats. You’ll make your own jerky and learn to use a pressure canner for chicken or beef! Canning with Ann is on Wednesday, March 7, 6-8pm, $25/person. Home Grown Artisan Market takes place on March 10 from 4-7pm and March 11 from 10am-2pm. Broome County Regional Farmers Market, 840 Upper Front Street, Binghamton.
ST. MARY’S ANNUAL GNOCCHI DINNER
March is the month to go to church, whether or not you’re a believer. We believe in fresh gnocchi, and St. Mary’s is cooking it up at their annual gnocchi dinner. Adults pay $8, kids under 12 $6, and little ones five and under eat for free! Takeout is available – bring your own container. Sunday, March 18, 11am-5pm. Columbus Park East Parish Rec Center, 152-156 Hawley Street, Downtown Binghamton.
3RD ANNUAL MAC & CHEESE FEST
The cheesiest throwdown in town is back for its third triumphant year: The Annual Mac & Cheese Fest, raising money for the Binghamton Philharmonic in all its gooey glory. Tickets cover all-you-can-eat mac & cheese, as well a handful of beer tasting vouchers. After you’ve filled yourself with so much pasta and dairy that you can hardly walk, cast your vote for the winner! You don’t need to be of drinking age to enjoy the event – there are five categories for the reigning mac, including kid’s choice. The 3rd Annal Mac & Cheese Fest takes place on March 22, 5:30-8:30pm, Holiday Inn Downtown Binghamton, 2-8 Hawley Street. Tickets available at bingmacfest.com.
WEDNESDAYS: Basic & Beginner Line Dance Lessons (7pm) THURSDAYS: Mid-level & Progressive Line Dance Lessons (7pm)
RODNEY ATKINS FRI. 4/20
A TASTEFUL DAY FOR HCA
Now in its tenth year, the annual benefit for Helping Celebrate Abilities has returned. The event will feature food and beverage vendors, including The Farmhouse, Galaxy Brewing, Despina’s, and Black Bear Winery. There will also be raffles, an auction, and live music by Rick Fry. Come by and indulge for a cause!
JUST ANNOUNCED!
A Tasteful Day for HCA will take place on Friday, March 23, from 6:30-9:30pm at the Binghamton DoubleTree, 225 Water Street in Downtown Binghamton. Call (607) 7987117 x323. $25 advance/$30 door.
PIROHIS ARE BACK!
The most beloved pirohis – or pirogies, or pierogies, or pyrohies – in town are back through March 3o! Place your order with St. Michael’s or come by for one of their community meals. Some say that Binghamton is home to the world’s best pirohis. Now is the time to get the best of the best! To order, call (607) 729-0261, and leave your order on the answering machine. Cooked potato or frozen cabbage pirohis are available, as well as vegetable soup and haluski. Monday evening community meals are at 6pm, doors at 5:30, in the rec center located at 296 Clinton Street in Binghamton’s First Ward. Lunch is also being served in the hall on Fridays from 11am-2pm.
BRUNCH GETS FOXY AT BEER TREE BREW CO.
Fox & Farmer is now serving Sunday brunch over at Beer Tree Brew Co. To give you an idea: the Southwestern Biscuit (which is homemade) features chorizo gravy and queso fresco, pickled onion, and plenty we’re not mentioning here. They’ve also got cinnamon buns, huevos rancheros, and a breakfast sandwich that somehow incorporates raspberry jam. Taking a trip down to the bucolic brewery sounds like the perfect Sunday morning. Beer Tree Brew Co. is located at 197 Route 369, Port Crane, New York. Fox & Farmer can be reached by calling (607) 414-2433, or at fox-farmer.com.
Food briefs written by Heather Merlis: hmerlis@carouselrag.com
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IN THE KITCHEN WITH THE PHANTOM CHEF A new monthly recipe column from Chef Michelle McIlroy
Citrus Salad with Vanilla-Ginger Syrup
I
(serves 6-8)
WOULD LOVE TO be able to say that March brings with it the end of winter and the first stirrings of gorgeous spring produce. But here in Upstate New York, we have to wait just a bit longer. In an effort to add a much-needed punch of freshness to my late-winter menus, I turn to a variety of citrus fruit. Not only does citrus fruit offer beautiful color and bright flavor, it also offers a dose of Vitamin C to help ward off the last of the winter sniffles. This recipe is relatively simple, but it will give you a chance to practice cutting citrus into supremes. To cut any citrus fruit into supremes, you’ll remove the skin, the white outside pith, the membranes between the segments, and the seeds. That bit of knife work will maximize the citrus flavor, minimize bitterness, and produce an attractive final dish. Interested in improving your knife skills further? I’ll be offering a Knife Skill Fundamentals class on Friday, March 9 at 6pm. Register online at phantomchefcatering.com/classes. Ingredients: -4 navel or Valencia oranges -4 cara cara or blood oranges -2 pink grapefruit -10-12 fresh mint leaves
(For the syrup:) -¼ cup sugar -¼ cup water -1 vanilla bean, split & scraped -1” piece of ginger, thinly sliced
Instructions: 1. In a small saucepan bring water, sugar, vanilla, and ginger to a simmer and cook until sugar dissolves. 2. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20-25 minutes. Strain out the ginger and vanilla and cool syrup completely. Syrup can be prepared ahead and stored in the refrigerator. 3. Cut oranges and grapefruit into supremes and arrange them on a platter with a rim. 4. Remove the mint leaves from the stems and stack on top of one another. Roll them tightly and slice the leaves into thin ribbons. This is a cutting technique called a chiffonade. 5. Drizzle the syrup over the citrus supremes and garnish with mint. Chef Michelle McIlroy is the chef and owner at Phantom Chef in Endicott, trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. Phantom Chef is located at 49 Washington Ave. in Endicott, and can be reached at (607) 765-2408, and at phantomchefcatering.com.
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books.
The Twilight Zone A self-help manifesto by Natassia Enright (on loan from Your Home Public Library)
T
HE TWILIGHT ZONE, the beloved horror/science fiction anthology series created by hometown hero Rod Serling, might seem like an odd source to mine for a self-help book. Nevertheless, that is precisely what Mark Dawidziak, a theatre, film, and television critic (and lifelong Twilight Zone fan) seeks to do in his new book, Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Twilight Zone: A Fifth-Dimension Guide to Life. Part philosophical rumination, part love letter to the classic series that ran from 1959 to 1964, his book draws from the show’s original run to explore such lessons as “Read every contract… carefully” and “The civilization that does not value the printed word and the individual is not civilized.” The book features an introduction by Anne Serling, who herself published a memoir of her father’s life and work in 2013’s As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling. The early chapters of Dawidziak’s book explore Rod Serling’s school years, his experience in World War II, and his early work in television leading up to the inception of The Twilight Zone. It is here that Dawidziak discusses just how formative Serling’s work was for him and lays out his central thesis: that The Twilight Zone’s enduring popularity can be attributed to more than just entertaining storytelling— that the series, which was largely written by Serling himself, speaks to universal human truths and that, as guides to life go, one could do worse than looking to The Twilight Zone. It’s an interesting proposition, and Dawidziak is clearly enthusiastic about his source material; his love of all things Twilight Zone shines through in every sentence. The execution is somewhat uneven, however. The author’s autobiographical focus sometimes obscures the points he is trying to make, and he’s fond of dropping references to Mark Twain, another literary idol of his, in ways that don’t quite mesh; while he makes some effort to connect Twain’s writing with Serling’s, the fact remains that there is little to link the two other than unlikely, enduring popularity, and it sometimes seems that Dawidziak is simply shoehorning in another of his enthusiasms where it doesn’t quite fit.
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He has clearly cast his net far and wide when it comes to soliciting opinions on the show, and each chapter includes a “Guest Lesson” from a notable name in the field of science fiction or TV writing. Some of these seem like little more than an opportunity to drop in a blurb by a famous name, though others are excellent; the legendary Harlan Ellison observes, in a hilarious dig at the author’s entire project, “And the lesson? I have no idea what the lesson is, kid. I’m eighty-one years old. Things don’t have lessons for me anymore.” Other than these relatively minor flaws, however, the book is entertaining and even, potentially, useful. It is inarguable that The Twilight Zone is inclined toward the didactic, which makes it a better-than-average framework, at least as far as television shows go, to hang a self-help book upon. The lessons that Dawidziak references are clearly not pulled from thin air; for example, Lesson 24 (When nobody else believes in you, keep believing in yourself) references “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet,” in which Bob Wilson (played by a youthful William Shatner), discovers a monster trying to destroy the plane he’s on, and rescues both himself and the rest of the passengers despite the fact that nobody else believes that the monster is there. Believing in himself, and his own perception of the world, was what allowed him to save them all. “To Serve Man,” one of the show’s most infamous (and chilling) episodes, is mined for a number of lessons, including the maxim that something that seems too good to be true probably is. The Twilight Zone, Dawidziak observes, does not push a cynical worldview—but neither does it endorse wholesale credulity. In fact, this call for a measured, thoughtful humanism could be considered the most enduring lesson of the show. All in all, this is a heartfelt tribute to The Twilight Zone and its creator, wrapped up in a book of life lessons. Worth a read for fans of the classic show, or anyone who enjoys selfhelp books with an unusual approach. Mark Dawidziak has been a theatre, film, and television critic for over 35 years. In addition to his many works of fiction, he is the author of two acclaimed histories of landmark TV series: The Columbo Phile: A Casebook and The Night Stalker Companion.
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Prophet Isaiah’s House in Niagara Falls, NY by Felicia Waynesboro
O
NE OF THE MOST overused words in the English language is “awesome,” but observing the power of Niagara Falls does generate wonder that elevates to awe. The Falls are awesome. They shall become even more so if Prophet Isaiah Robertson’s prophecy is right and Niagara Falls becomes the site of the Second Coming of Christ. If you find yourself in, or on your way to or back from, the U.S. side of the Falls, swing by 1308 Ontario Avenue in Niagara Falls, NY. There, a temple stands next to a small house, both so brightly adorned with massed symbols in painted wood cut-outs that, together, they give the appearance of a stationary kaleidoscope. The work is from the hands of Isaiah Henry Robertson and, thus, can be considered his creation. But it isn’t really – not according to him. “This is not the work of a man,” he has often said. “No man could be capable of this.” He believes he is a conduit for the message of God, and visitors from everywhere are attracted, and welcomed, to come and survey the glorification. As to the prophesied Final Judgement, Prophet Isaiah is the gentlest, calmest purveyor of fire and brimstone imaginable. The story goes that as a child in his native Jamaica, just before her death when he was 12 years old, Robertson’s mother received a vision from God that there was something special about her son. Like Jesus himself, the boy became a carpenter – without any
training in carpentry. As an adult he moved to Canada and worked in the building trade, then crossed the border to Niagara Falls, NY where his work suddenly became more exquisite – with no training in art - and a force began directing him to fashion the parabolic decorations for his home and the temple. The neighborhood is otherwise ordinary. Some travelers, who may have led more sheltered lives, have gone so far as to call it “sketchy” or even “crummy.” The neighbors are nearly unanimously supportive of the oddity of Robertson’s home which, according to Fred Scruton - a videographer who has documented Prophet Isaiah’s work and the works of many other “Yard Artists” - is rare in these situations. Most visitors just drive by slowly, often snapping photos. If Prophet Isaiah happens to be driving home in his familiar black truck or out retouching the artworks with fresh paint as a visitor comes by, he has been more than willing to have a chat, in his Jamaican English, with intonations at once clipped and lilting, about the meanings of the symbolism. Occasionally he invites those with the inclination to linger, inside, which is nearly as dense with ornamentation as the outside. The embellishments are not all from Christianity; there are Jewish Stars of David and Islamic symbols as well. Throughout are stars representing the scattered believers of the world. “All of us is a star, praise God,” Robertson says. “Praise God,” and “Praise the Lord,” are phrases Prophet Isaiah uses like punctuation at the end of his sentences or, as blogger and
one-time visitor Rich Gabe says, “like ‘Over,’” in a ship-to-shore radio communication. Gabe blogs on the art environments of outsider artists and both he and videographer Scruton agree on the exceptional quality of the work here. Gabe says, “The craftsmanship on Prophet Isaiah’s house is really impeccable and it’s really well cared for.” Robertson matter-of-factly pontificates about the reckonings to come. He prophesizes that the Rapture, the Second Coming - when the “sheep” will be separated from the “goats” and those who refuse redemption will burn in the “lake of fire” - will happen right there in Niagara Falls and souls will pass by his house. Originally, the prophecy was set for the year 2014 when he said of the glorification work on his home, “Ten years, five months, and nineteen days and now it’s completed…” “Whoopsie,” Gabe gently quipped in his blog, adding to me over the phone, “I guess for a lot of prophets it just works best if they move the finish line.” I found it surprising that this person, so spiritual as to seem almost other-worldly, has a spouse. When I spoke to Miss Gloria, his wife, she said of “Rob,” “When he talks, the candles dance.” Prophet Isaiah has experienced some health problems of late so the site may not currently be quite as superbly pristine as he has always maintained it. (The message here, says Scruton, may be, “Get off your rears and go now!”) But he assures me that when he gets stronger, he will resume the spiffing and keep it, “real, real, real pretty.”
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star stuff.
HOROSCOPES This month we call upon guest columnist Ty Whitbeck for sage advice from the stars. Ty is a musician, designer, writer, photographer, and vegan chef from Johnson City, NY. Ty is one of the original members of the Carousel team and we haven’t got the slightest idea what we’d do without him. He designed the artwork for the birthday party ad on the back cover of this issue. He has a dog named Bodhi. As far as we know he knows nothing about astrology. Pisces (February 19–March 20): I regret to inform you, Pisces, but March is not your month. Your long stretch of personal and professional failures has caused you to finally hit rock bottom. This is not the time to change your ways, though. Keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing. Maybe you’ll last until April, where you will definitely shine, but for now, stay in bed and wade out the storm. Aries (March 21–April 19): If you’re going through hell right now, you should probably just simmer—I mean, sit there for a bit. Build up that base tan, move a couple stones, get your beach bod back. Summer is right around the corner and you could use some motivation to get out of that hole you dug for yourself. Taurus (April 20–May 20): One of the things about all the snow melting is seeing the varying consistencies of dog dookie left on the sidewalks. You could blame the owner, or you could blame the weather; but why cast blame when you could just walk around it like everybody else? If it’s your dog, try not to step in what you’re scoopin’ up and always wash your hands. Listen to “Dog Shit” by the Wu Tang Clan to feel connected to your earthly duties. Gemini (May 21–June 20): “Measure twice, cut once!” is what the mohel always told me. Or was it the woodworker? Either way, it’s good to be precise or you’ll end up screwed. Cancer (June 21–July 22): So much to do, so much to see, so what’s wrong with taking the back streets? Get out of your comfort zone this month. Find a country road and put on your Spotify Discover Weekly playlist and get lost in something new. Top 40 is not your friend, but Fela Kuti is.
Virgo (August 22–September 22): Don’t piss off your neighbor this week. He happens to have a very established connection with some real delinquent Sagittarius who owns a couple of Super Soaker flamethrowers that do, like, 800 damage. Libra (September 23–October 22): Now, look in the mirror and tell me what you see. I’ll tell you what I see. I see pride! I see power! I see a badass motha’ that don’t take no crap off of nobody! Scorpio (October 23–November 21): I looked at the stars, and they said that there is an abundance of quality live music in your future. From local shows to festivals, you should get your Hi-Liters primed for your programs and Carousel calendars henceforth. You will find a new band this month named Shannon & the Clams. They are good. Sagittarius (November 22 –December 21): Today is the day we give babies away for a pound of sugar and a bale of hay. If you haven’t any babies, and would like some, may I suggest finding a mate with similar interests and compatibility, or looking for the mother that has the most use for both sugar and hay. Capricorn (December 22–January 19): Here is a good tip on feeding your donkeys: Do NOT overfeed them! While you should always have some clean, filtered water for them, these asses require far less feed than horses or other domesticated animals, closer to the camel. Overfeeding results in obesity and metabolic disorders like laminitis and hypolipidemia. Aquarius (January 20–February 18): You got five on it?
Leo (July 23–August 22): You had one job! Now you have two. Making money is cool and all, but do you really enjoy what you are doing? Life is too long to be bogged down by a time card. Maybe you should start a newspaper or get into standup comedy. Boom. Instant happiness and tons of income! “Poor People Store” by Shinyribs comes to mind.
FIND THE DIFFERENCES (12)
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