Friday Photo

(Pratt Sculpture Garden)

Cool Nabe Stuff This Friday, 6/1

First Friday @ RePop: FIRST FRIDAY JUNE 1ST: Hook-Ups & Meanderings by Ellie Balk

Join us this Friday, June 1st at RePOP 95% Recycled for Hook-ups & Meanderings featuring fine art by Ellie Balk.

The series of work on exhibition is an expression of both tension and beauty, and the balance of the space that lives between the extremes. Urban, raw nature, tone, color, line, expression, documentation, fantasy....these things find harmony on found objects and canvases.

Complimentary wine reception is from 7:30pm - 11pm so come on down the the Navy Yard, mingle with the art and get your vintage groove on!

Instead of our usual 10% promotion, this First Friday we will be donating 10% of all proceeds to a very dear 8 year old Huskie named Otto. Recently, Otto moved to Pennsylvania with his mommie, Amy, and a few days ago collapsed while on a walk in the park. Otto is suffering from paralysis in all four of his legs and in need of surgery to remedy the situation. This surprising attack on Otto's otherwise healthy nervous system has been quite frightening for both Otto and Amy. Please send them your utmost positive thoughts and help us to help them have a successful breakthrough surgery.

Pink Elephant Projects

Pink Elephant Projects (PEP) is excited to present Women et Homme, a new photographic body of work by Evan Schwartz. This is Mr. Schwartz's first show of new work in two years and the follow-up to his critically acclaimed body of work, Reclaiming Puberty.

In his new work, Women et Homme, Schwartz turns his camera outward in his search for truth in identity. The idea of self is layered in personal and societal constructions of gender. The women in Schwartz's photographs have found expressions of their individual selves within these outward constructions of gender to define their personal experiences.

Schwartz writes, "from dinners within the confines of this small Midtown garden apartment to events in restaurants and excursions to their favorite tavern, the seemingly average lifestyle of these women is what most interests me. What the general public fails to recognize is that a cross-dresser does not necessarily dress for entertainment or shock value: they dress to live as another gender for a series of moments. These women's stories are littered with wives and partners, children and professions. Some come from supportive backgrounds and some remain secretive. One can only honestly document what they understand; this series is the continuation of my responsibility as an artist: the pursuit of truth."

The photographs capture the women in all their vibrancy. The intimacy of a shared laugh in the company of friends, the gesture of applying lipstick or fixing an earring - all distinctively personal, feminine gestures captured by Schwartz in an engaging immediacy is Women et Homme.

Evan Schwartz was born in Lake Forest, IL in 1982. After a brief stay in Israel, Mr. Schwartz attended Pratt Institute where he received a BFA in photography. While still a student, Schwartz was given his first solo show, Reclaiming Puberty, at Schroeder Romero in Williamsburg in 2005. It was for this work that he received a review in the New York Times by Holland Cotter who, "look[ed] forward to more intense and startling work in the future," from Mr. Schwartz. "Reclaiming Puberty" traveled to Italy earlier this year to be included in "Other Families" curated by Peter Weiermair. Works by Mr. Schwartz can also be seen in L.A. Ruocco's Xero and in the permanent collection of Yeshiva University. Evan currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Crossdressers International (CDI) is a nonprofit, non-sexual group based in New York City whose focus is primarily on closeted male-to-female cross-dressers, offering a safe, informative, and welcoming means for CDs to overcome their fears of being discovered and to happily and constructively express their transgendered selves. Our experience suggests that a CD's female side is born inside each individual, and therefore cannot be denied. For those who want to escape the closet, CDI can help.

June Events @ Tillie's

June Events at Tillie’s Music

Saturday, June 9th Yonat Avi Fox-Rosen and friends 8 p.m. Two accomplished young New York-based singer/songwriters present an intimate evening of music, with intelligent lyrics, widespread musical influences, and riveting hooks. For a sample, click here and here. Cover: $5

Friday, June 15th Those Pesky Starlings 8 p.m. Indie folk from three singer/songwriters based in Easthampton, Massachusetts Matthew Larsen, piano and vocals Steve Biegner, vocals, guitar and banjo, drums Aric Bieganek, bass, vocals, guitar, glockenspiel, drums Their music features distinct melodies as well as quiet percussion, lush vocal harmonies, and a hushed, forthright approach to songwriting. Click here for more into. Cover: $5

Friday, June 22nd Elasticity Festival Check out accomplished, unexpected and exploratory music by some of New York’s brightest young talents

7 p.m. Jeremiah Cymerman’s Exploitation Project Jeremiah Cymerman, clarinet Matthew Welch, saxophone Tom Blancarte, bass Gil Selinger, cello

8 p.m. The New York Sound Painting Orchestra, directed by Evan Mazinuk

9:30 p.m. Rest/Unrest Lily Maase, guitar Matt Aranoff, bass Brian Adler, drums Cover: $5

Friday, June 29th Elasticity Festival

8:00 p.m. Jeremy Udden

9:30 p.m. Owen Stuart-Robertson, from Montreal Cover: $5 For more information about Brooklyn’s only ongoing new music festival, curated by Lily Maase, click here.

Art

Paintings by Taylor Fox June 18th – July 21st 2007 Newly arrived in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, Taylor Fox grew up on Cape Cod, a place famous for its unique light and those who try to capture it. He graduated from Pitzer College in Los Angeles with a fine arts degree and a different perspective from which to paint. He began, along with many others no doubt, to question the importance of painting in the midst of a camera-dominated era, with its endless array of technological devices that translate our world for us.

Statement

"I am a painter who creates context within existing framed borders. I borrow and take my own photos. I collect ordinary images that seem to come together accidentally and from these I create. It is this process of transforming that is the important thing in the practice of art, the place from which meaning emerges. I choose art as a response to being in the world."

Taylor Fox has shown his work at Jo Mama’s NY Bagels and El Dia Cafe in Orleans, MA and is currently exhibited in The Nicholas Harrison Gallery in Wellfleet, MA, Etherington Fine Art in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, and Clinton Hill Gallery in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. His work has also been featured in TKO online and Nylon Magazine. His next show will be at Snow Library in Orleans, MA this July.

For more information see www.taylorfoxart.com Reception: Thursday, June 21st 7 – 9 p.m.

Reminder to all garden lovers: Tillie’s is selling tickets for the annual Garden Tour

Sunday, June 3rd from 11a.m. – 5 p.m. $15 in advance, $20 on 6/3/07

A self-guided tour showcasing gardens in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Prospect Heights

Come to Tillie’s to hand in your ticket and receive a map on the day of the tour. For more information about the garden tour, call 718 707-1277.

For more information about any of these events, call Patricia Mulcahy at 718 783-6140.

SONYA STROLL: THIS WKND

The SONYA Stroll is by far one of my favorite events in the neighborhood. Tons of local artists open up their homes and workspaces to display and sell their creations. This will be my fourth year doing the self-guided walk and I can't wait.

More info on SONYA:

Who is SONYA? South Of the Navy Yard Artists, (SONYA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization of visual artists living, creating, and exhibiting in the Ft. Greene, Clinton Hill, Wallabout, and Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn. We are as diverse and dynamic as the community we serve. Our mission is to recognize, support, and celebrate the visual art and artists within our community.

Where is SONYA? Our artists live, create, and/or exhibit within the boundaries of Flatbush, Atlantic, Bedford and Flushing Avenues (including the Navy Yard) of Brooklyn. Our home base is ElevenTen Gallery at 1110 Fulton St. There we meet, plan, learn, exhibit, reach out to our community and celebrate.

When is SONYA? The South Of the Navy Yard Artists are creating and exhibiting all the time! And every 3rd weekend in May the SONYA Studio Stroll is an opportunity for you to become part of this experience. Be there!

For more info and to download a better map, go here.  I highly recommend the large buildings near Wallabout that host lots of artist spaces.  Cool to go inside, and you can see a lot of creations at one locale!

PEP Reception

Hope you didn't miss Friday night on Washington Ave in Wallabout. The weather was awesome, and the street was packed with patrons for RePop's First Friday and Pink Elephant Projects' Opening Reception at 64 Washington. The "Shadows" show at RePop is my favorite yet, and the two events worked wonderfully together. I was only able to stop in for a few minutes on my way to a grad school party, but I'm glad I did.

The Brooklyn Paper also did a recent story on PEP's new space.

(PEP's Joe Weiner and Tricia Wimmer)

Washington in Wallabout is poised to be THE summer hangout...

In Conjunction with First Friday: PEP at 64 Washington

Pink Elephant Projects (PEP) is proud to present "Denial and Acceptance," a new body of work by Charles Lutz. This will be PEP's first show in its new home at 64 Washington Avenue in Wallabout Brooklyn.

To this day, Andy Warhol's work continues to capture record prices in the contemporary art market as well as inspire generations of artists. In "Denial and Acceptance," Charles Lutz creates a collection of Warhol's most iconic works, including the Flower paintings, Self Portraits, and Brillo Boxes. In time with the Christie's sale of a Warhol green Car Crash from the disaster series, Lutz will also create a disaster canvas. These flawlessly executed works with their saturated colors and glossy surfaces have been presented to the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board for review. Issues of authorship and validation are raised in Mr. Lutz's new work: faithfully produced to factory standards, Lutz's original works now bear the Warhol Foundation stamp - the stamp of denial. Lutz pushes his project further by creating a replica of the stamp himself to mark each one of his works, taking on the function of authenticator himself and imposing the role of validation - acceptance or denial - on his audience.

Charles Lutz was born in Greensburg, PA, in 1982. Upon completing his BFA at Pratt Institute in 2004, Lutz was employed as a painter by Jeff Koons. In 2005, Lutz was commissioned by Yoko Devereaux to create a line of limited edition, luxury suitcases. Since then he has exhibited his work in many shows, most notably the infamous Terminal 5 show at JFK. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

ALSO at 64 Washington this weekend:

on saturday may 5th from 3-10pm there will be an open studio at 66 washington ave featuring the fine art of Hannah Mishin (hannahmishin.com) and Gary F. Cullen (garyfrancisxaviercullen.com)

First Fridays at RePop: May 4

Recently featured in Best of NY 2007 for Best Vintage / Thrift Shop, please join RePOP 95% Recycled at 68 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205 this Friday May 4th, 2007 for our spring art event featuring fine artist and photographer, Dominic Albo.

Dominic features works of context and depth through the use of collage, transfers, oil, acrylic and epoxy on canvas, wood and paper. His art focuses on shadows. The taut, textured canvas embraces the shadow to present a luminous and ephemeral subject. In his wood pieces the solidity of the wood evokes a different reaction. It tells a story of permanence and allows the shadow to take root.

Complimentary wine reception is from 7:30 - 11pm so come on down to the Navy Yard, mingle with fine art and get your vintage groove on!

All vintage furnishings, collectibles and decoratives in shop on First Friday are 10% off.

"Shadows' will be on exhibition at RePOP from May 4 - 30.

G train to Clinton/Washington Ave. RePOP is located between Park and Flushing just 5 blocks North.

email: info@repopny.com phone: 1-718-260-8032 web: http://www.repopny.com 

May Events @ Tillie's

May 07 Events at Tillie’s of Brooklyn248 DeKalb Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11205 (718) 783-6140

Open Mic

5/10 5/24

Hosted by Conquest Cover: $2

Art

Music and Me Photographs by Jennie Baptiste

May 14th – June 16th 2007

Jennie Baptiste was born in London, where she still lives. Hailing from the Caribbean island of St Lucia, her parents came to London in the sixties. She attended the London College of Communication and received a B.A. with Honors in Photography at the University of Westminster.

As a photographer, her work is inspired by youth culture and music in relation to her identity. She has documented the music phenomenon dancehall, as well as the rise and influence of hip-hop and tattoos -- the latest fashion accessory within the hip- hop culture. Artists she has photographed include Nas, Mary J. Blige, Mos Def, and De La Soul, for clients that ranged from Nike to Virgin Airways to Sony Music.

“Music and Me” is about her influences and the subject matter that has helped define her photography within portraiture overall.

“I continue to be fascinated by the influence of black youth culture in London. I wish to use my work to inform and educate people beyond the stereotypes, so that our history is also their history, creating a greater understanding of the different cultural diversities that makes up British society, here and beyond.”

Her photographs have been exhibited widely in Paris, Berlin, and London, including the show “Black British Style” at the Victoria and Albert Museum. In addition, her work is included in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. Jennie is also curator of a photographic exhibition on the Maroon People of Jamaica, which will tour London and Jamaica.

Reception: Friday, May 18th 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Music

Friday, 5/11/07 Cyminology 8 p.m. An exciting and eclectic Berlin-based ensemble that seamlessly blends mesmerizing vocals by Iranian-born Cymin Samawatie, who is inspired by 11th century Persian poetry, and modern European jazz. With: Benedikt Jahnel, piano (from France) Ralf Schwarz, bass (from Germany) Ketan Bhatti, drums (from India)

Cyminology has shared stages all over Europe with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin and has recorded three CDS, all to warm acclaim. Said one German critic: “Cyminology shows that it is possible to glow without exploding.” Tillie’s is a Brooklyn stop on a tour that includes an appearance at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan. Cover: $5

For more information, click here.

Saturday, 5/19/07 8 p.m. Indoda Entsha Percussion Ensemble Directed by Preston Riddick A terrific crew of local talent raises the roof with drumming, singing, and sometimes dancing inspired by African rhythms -- always a delightful evening. Donation: $6

Friday, 5/25/07 ElastiCity Festival Brooklyn’s only ongoing new music festival

7 p.m. Shimmer Rob Mosher, saxophone Zach Brock, violin Evan Mazunike, accordion Matt Wigton, bass www.mattwigton.com

8:15 p.m. UBUNTU! Rick Stone, saxophone Evan Mazunik, keyboard Alex Foote, guitar Jay Foote, bass Jason Nazary, drums www.jayfoote.com

9:30 p.m. The Adventure Club Justin Wood, saxophone Adam Schneit, saxophone Tyler Wood, keyboards Devin Gray, drums

Cover for all shows: $5

An Addtract Inititative www.rules-of-addraction.org

For more information about events at Tillie’s, please call Patricia Mulcahy at 718 783-6140, or email her at mail@tilliesofbrooklyn.com. See our website for location, hours, etc.

Cherry Blossoms at BBG

I'm working on a comprehensive post about the area's community gardens. In the meantime, check out the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's famous cherry trees.

This weekend:

Sakura Matsuri April 28, 29 Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s peerless collection of cherry trees—-the largest and most diverse outside Japan—-creates a canopy of blossoms in the spring worthy of celebration. Over the past quarter-century, BBG’s Sakura Matsuri has evolved into one of the city’s most anticipated weekend events, as hundreds of thousands of visitors have experienced the breathtaking beauty of the cherry tree’s fleeting blossoms and learn about Japanese culture. Again this year, visitors from around the world and the New York metropolitan area alike will enjoy a dynamic weekend of music, dance, food, workshops, demonstrations, art exhibits, and guided tours of the Garden’s plant collections.

Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All activities are free with Garden admission and take place rain or shine, with indoor locations provided for all activities in the event of rain. Tickets are available through www.TicketWeb.com; for same day ticket information, visit bbg.org or call 718-623-7200. A detailed schedule of the festival is available by visiting Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s website, and additional information is available by calling the public events hotline at 718-623-7333.

If the weather's nice, you can walk right down Washington Ave, all the way to the Garden.

May Events!

Some of the neighborhood's coolest events are happening in May. Mark your calendars! May 5: Gigantic Clinton Ave Sidewalk Sale SpringFest at PS 11

May 6: Society for Clinton Hill 30th Anniversary House Tour! A unique opportunity to see 12 marvelous private homes, apartments, and private spaces in several public institutions. Learn more about the neighborhood, its architectural history, and surprising interiors. Get ideas for your own projects and appreciate the blending of art, architecture, interior design, and creative genius. See the exhibit of posters from the last 30 years of house tours and other events sponsored by the Society for Clinton Hill.

Sunday, May 6, 2007, noon to 5:00 pm

Tour starts at St. Luke’s Church, 259 Washington Avenue, between DeKalb and Willoughby Avenues. Buy or pick up tickets here.

Tickets: Advance $20, Day of tour $25

Purchase tickets now by clicking the Paypal button on the upper-left. Or pick up tickets at the following neighborhood locations: Outpost, Pillow Café, Sister’s Hardware, Tillie’s Coffee Shop, YU Interiors. May 10: Second Annual Brooklyn Blog Fest The Second Annual Brooklyn Blogfest will be on Thursday May 10th at 8 p.m. at the Old Stone House located on Fifth Avenue between 3rd and 4th Streets in Park Slope. Theme: The Impact of Brooklyn Blogging There will be special speakers, photo bloggers, an open mic (sign up soon), refreshments from a top notch Brooklyn eatery. Lots of time to meet and greet. Donation (Tip Jar): $5.00 (to defray costs).

OK, so it takes place in Park Slope, but this event is what inspired me to start CHB last year. It's a really cool opportunity to meet your favorite Brooklyn bloggers. I plan on attending and hopefully speaking, but it's my last night of class so I'll be late. Please say hi if you see me there.

May 12: Habana Outpost reopens for summer

May 20-21: SONYA Stroll Noon - 6:00pm both days. Rain or shine. (718) 789-2545 Over 100 artists and their work at locations throughout Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and the western edge of Bed-Stuy. Free and open to the public.

This is one of my favorite events in the neighborhood! It's a great way to see more of the neighborhood, walk around all day, check out some cool and largely affordable art, fashion, jewelry and best of all, see the inside of hundreds of art studios. You won't believe how many warehouses in Wallabout are a maze of artist spaces inside.

Meetings & Events in the Hood

Mark your calendars, and attend if you can: 1.   88th Precinct Meeting with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly

Tues., 4/17/07, 7:30 pm, St. Luke's Church, Washington Ave. between DeKalb/Willoughby

Everyone welcome.  Your opportunity to raise questions about crime, safety, etc.

2.  Rally against demolition of historic buildings for contractor parking

Wed., 4/18/07, 8:00 am, Flatbush/Atlantic Ave.

Everyone invited.  Show the powers that be that demolition should be prevented until the law suits are settled.

3.  Town Hall Meeting with Councilperson, Letitia James

Wed., 4/18,07, 7:30 pm, St. Luke's Church, Washington Ave. between DeKalb/Willoughby

Learn about the 16 story building proposed for Washington Avenue behind Kum  Kau Restaurant.  This building would extend from Washington to Hall.  The proposed building is out of scale for this 3-4 story brownstone block and not compatible with the proposed Wallabout Historic District or the proposed zoning change.

4.  Huge side-walk sale on Clinton Avenue between Myrtle and Greene Ave., Sat., 4/21/07.

5.  Society for Clinton Hill House Tour Tickets:  available at the Farmer's Market, Tillie's, Outpost, Pillow Café, Sister's Hardware, YU Interiors, Choice. $20 advance sale.

5.  Brooklyn Friends of Chamber Music Recital

Sun., 4/22/07, 3 pm, Lafayette Presbyterian Church, Lafayette/So.Oxford St., $15 at the door.  Information and advanced tickets: 718-855-3053

Theater @ St. Joseph's College

Chapel Players will be presenting Steve Martin's comedy: "Picasso at the Lapin Agile"

Directed by Tom Hoefner '00

Thursday, April 26 - 7:30pm Friday, April 27 - 8:00 pm Saturday, April 28 - 7:00 pm - Catered Dinner/8:00 pm Show

Tickets

SJC Students - $5 Faculty/Staff Price - $8 Community/Guest Price in advance- $10 Community/Guest Price at the door - $12 All Dinner Show Tickets in Advance - $15 All Dinner Show Tickets at the Door - $20

Contact Adam Mace amm0996@student.sjcny.edu for advance purchase information

Events at Paul Robeson Theater

The Paul Robeson Theater on Greene Ave in Fort Greene is one of the few all-black owned theaters in the country. It's housed in a former church. I can't seem to find a website for them, but next week they will be hosting a series of live shows. Check it out- seems like there will be something for everybody.

****THE PAUL ROBESON THEATER SERIES**** A MeanRed Production

See past the stain glass windows into this historic church turned theater, located in the heart of Fort Greene. MeanRed Productions invites you for a week of rock puppet opera, electric fusion jazz orchestras, spirited experimental world music, and a child's fantastical kaleidoscope concert.

Paul Robeson Theater // 40 Greene Ave, Brooklyn, NY Advance Tickets Available at ticketweb.com and at Halcyon www.halcyonline.com

April 10 7:30pm Earthdriver 10pm Essie Jain and Friends

April 11 7:30pm Crabquistador

April 12 7:30pm Landau Orchestra and Burnt Sugar

April 13 7:30pm Olde English Comedy Troupe 10pm Sun Ra Arkestra and Nublu Orchestra with Butch Morris

April 14 1pm Family show with Alex and the Kaleidoscope Band 10pm El Michel¹s Affair and Budos Band

Details:

***APRIL 10th***

EARTHDRIVER 7:30 Doors Paul Robeson Tribute Set Earthdriver is a high powered New York City based mothership comprised of some of the hottest musicians on the scene. From this diverse collective comes an intense hybrid of funk, rock, soul, hip-hop, drum & bass, world music, and experimental genres. Beginning as an organic meeting ground where musicians of all backgrounds were free to explore their own creativity, what has resulted is an uncensored explosion of art and music overflowing with the liberating spirit of 'harmonious subjectivity'. Since Earthdriver is just as much a movement as it is a band, there is a common understanding of the importance of free thinking and creativity to the larger struggle in the United States and to peoples' movements around the world. Admission $12 // www.myspace.com/earthdriver

ESSIE JAIN & Friends 10pm Doors "Essie Jain is a totally new voice. Her debut album, We Made This Ourselves, manages to impress on the strength of its maturity first and foremost. The arrangements are extremely minimal, utilizing piano, slide guitar, and strings to create a stark sound as coherent as it is fragile. The same can be said of the lyrics, which eschew whimsy in favor of life experience every time." Artist Direct: February 2007 Admission $10 // www.essiejain.com

***APRIL 11th***

JOLLYSHIP THE WHIZ-BANG'S "CRABQUISTADOR" 7:30 Doors Brooklyn¹s nautical rock wunderkind Jollyship the Whiz-Bang is a puppet troupe, rock band, and theater production company. They have performed in festivals worldwide, invited on the renown of their legendary live shows, which incorporate music, puppetry, video and comedy in elaborate spectacles.

Fresh from their Galapagos run of Little Building, Jollyship the Whiz-Bang presents a rewritten version of Crabquistador, their seminal 2005 puppet rock opera. Featuring a five piece rock band, sword fighting puppets, powerpoint presentations, video projected backgrounds, fire, brimstone, and eight original songs, Crabquistador is a Christian puppet show like you've never seen before - hilarious, edgy, & relentless! Admission $15 // www.thewhizbang.org

***APRIL 12th ***

BURNT SUGAR & LANDAU ORCHESTRA 7:30 Doors Burnt Sugar, described by the Village Voice as "electric Miles with soul, Maggot Brain with a PHD, the Hendrix Evans band of dreams, the underwater funk some hear in A.R. Kane," was conceived as the contemporary version of the Miles Davis Bitches Brew Band, exploring the connecting tissue binding jazz, rock, funk, twentieth century composition, and African music in a lyrical, improvisational manner.

The Landau Orchestra combines acoustic brass, piano, strings, wind instruments and electronics to recreate a melodic mix of jazz, classical music and modern electronic production. Admission $12 // www.burntsugarindex.com www.netlandau.com

*** APRIL 13***

OLDE ENGLISH COMEDY TROUPE 7:30 Doors In four years of performing, they have produced over a hundred short videos, and have performed at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival, and the San Francisco Sketchfest. Their work has been featured on Good Morning America, MSNBC, and Entertainment Weekly's "Must List." Olde English is Caleb Bark, Ben Popik, David Segal, Adam Conover, and Raphael Bob-Waksberg. Admission $7 // Sponsored by Re: Up Magazine www.oldeenglish.org

SUN RA ARKESTRA & NUBLU ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY BUTCH MORRIS 10pm Doors From its inception, Sun Ra Arkestra's music was infused with Sun Ra's unique philosophy, an unexpected hybrid of space-age science fiction and ancient Egyptian cosmo religious trappings. This philosophy gained a visual manifestation in the colorful robes, mock-metallic capes, and space headgear worn by the band (it's the only jazz orchestra that brings a tailor on tour), and in a stage presentation that usually features several dancers, a number of group chants ("We travel the spaceways/From planet to planet"), and at least one instance of the entire band juking its way, single-file, through the audience.

"Nublu Orchestra is made up of, but not limited to, musicians from many different camps: jazz, funk, pop, fusion, Brazilian, R&B, classical, but the music we make is none of these... If Nublu means anything it means "inclusive nature" (rather than exclusive). It means we will find the center of balance and cosmology no matter whom is in the band, Nublu reflects the music and the music reflects Nublu. It's a total encounter in the moment." -Butch Morris The Nublu Orchestra¹s music is an amalgamation of sounds from free jazz to techno just as the club and label¹s sound as a whole is the same. www.elrarecords.com www.myspace.com/nubluorchestra Admission $15 Advanced/ $20 at door

***APRIL 14th *** Family Show!!! ALEX & THE KALEIDOSCOPE BAND 1pm Doors Alex & the Kaleidoscope Band offer lively and engaging musical concerts for children. Concerts are based on music from the award winning CD series Kaleidoscope Songs. Alex Mitnick and his five-piece band bring children and adults together on a fantastic musical journey. Audiences sing along, clap, dance and participate in spontaneous musical improvisations with the band. "It was an hour of music from the heart, for the heart," Sharon Orlando, Youth Services Librarian. Alex sings and plays guitar and is joined by Natalie Merritt singing and dancing, Sean Dixon on bass, Sebastian Guerrero on drum set and Jon Thompson playing the sax and electric guitar. Admission $12 // www.kaleidoscopesongs.com

EL MICHELS AFFAIR and BUDOS BAND 10pm Doors The sound of El Michel's Affair, a seven member instrumental ensemble is described as a set of "cinematic soul, vampy numbers with quick changes in tempo and mood." Opening for the likes of Mos Def and playing regularly as the back up band for Raekwon, the members of this Brooklyn based ensemble are also the founders of Truth & Soul Records. They carry an easygoing style that's as much 70s jazz as it is 60s funk, tunes that allow more room for instrumental interplay, unusual rhythm and instrumental flair, echoing the 70's soundtracks, Latin albums and funky 45s that sparked the initial inspiration.

The Budos Band has erupted onto the Funk and Soul scene with a malicious sound that all but commands you to burn down the dance floor. This eleven piece group offers up nasty cuts of cosmic afro-influenced psychedelic funk that haunt your head long after the music stops. Admission $12 adv/ $15 Day of Show

**Advanced tickets can be purchased at TicketWeb and at Halcyon: 57 Pearl St. at the corner of Water & Pearl Sts. in Dumbo, Brooklyn

New Classes @ Move With Grace!

Open House/Children's Classes Wed 4/4-Fri 4/13 @ Move With Grace Studio Open House Wed-Fri (April 4th - April 5th) 12pm-6pm Pick up your Brochure and Sign up this week for Children's Classes (ages 0-14) To register for classes over the phone, please call 718.230.0013 You may also register Online. *Playgroup*Creative Movements*Kids Yoga*Pre-Ballet*All That Jazz*Hip Hop*African Dance & Drumming*

New Adult Classes added!!

Just when you think there isn't anything to do in your nabe...

+Brazillian Samba is back...Pilates Mat is finally here...and West African Dance is making its first appearance!! Each of these classes are free for first timers at the studio. Classes to be added *4/9/07 - 4/23/07*

+Belly Dance is so popular that it will now meet twice weekly. (Currently meets Tuesdays 7-8:30pm)

+April's Karma Class (Free class for MWG Members) is YOUR choice of any of the new classes added...Belly Dance (excluding the tuesday class), Brazillian Samba, West African or Pilates - Valid through 4/14/07

+There is indeed a schedule hotline. Bookmark this phone number folks: 718.670.7285...Schedule is updated daily..so call to make sure your class is on and leave a message if you have any questions.

+Final week of April (the 4/22 - 4/28) Take advantage of another buddy pass special!! All Dance classes $13 or $10 when you bring a friend. Yoga & Pilates $16 or $13 when you bring a friend.

Move With Grace Studio 469 Myrtle Avenue Next Door to KUM KAU ;)

register online at: http://www.movewithgracestudio.com info: 718.230.0013 hotline: 718.670.7285

First Fridays at RePop: April 6

In celebration of their recent article in Best of NY Magazine 2007please join RePOP at their next First Friday event featuring the Bejewelled Beauties Collection offered by John and Ellie Mathias. John and Ellie will be showcasing their artisan jewelry, decorative arts, ephemera and gilded paintings. Be prepared for a wonderful assortment of fantastic people and belly dancing performed by none other than the fabulous artist herself: Miss Ellie.

Complimentary wine reception is 7:30 - 11pm, so pull on your favorite digs, come on down to the Navy Yard, mingle with the art and get your vintage groove on! All furniture, decoratives and collectibles in shop on First Friday are 10% off.

Show runs until the last day of April. New show goes up May 4! Join us!

Climate Change Day

I just learned that an enviro-group called Step it Up has organized something called the "National Day of Climate Action" on April 14th. All around the country, various groups will be doing creative things to express the same thing: "Step it up Congress! Cut Carbon by 80% by 2050." Based on the Supreme Ct. decision yesterday that the EPA better start regulating CO2 emissions, like auto emissions, I bet Congress will get tough. But a little activism never hurts. In Battery Park City, for instance, tons of people dressed in blue will create a "Sea of People" to show in concrete terms what lower manhattan will look like under 10 feet of water, which is what climatologists predict for us if we don't change our ways. That's the biggest event of the day (there are 800 in all nationwide!) but here, in our very own Ft. Greene Park, Urban Spring has organized a festival called "Spring into Greene" from 1 to 6 pm that will include "live music by local artists, inspirational speakers, practical green business and lifestyle solutions, an artwork display from local students concerned about climate change, and the weekly Saturday morning farmer's market." There's tons more info here, but kudos to Urban Spring for taking part in this very cool day.

Hammered: Season Two

Season Two of Hammered starts April 4, and will air every Wednesday night at 11:30 pm on HGTV.

Make sure to check it out! The show is filmed on Waverly and the guys are super nice. The window on the top left was made for a bed and breakfast in Bed-Stuy, and the lamps on the lower right were made for Outpost Lounge on Fulton! (I've written about the show here and here.)

Click here to see a commercial for the new season filmed in the hood.

Upcoming at Le Grand Dakar

I STILL haven't tried this place, but they have a lot of cool events, live music, etc. Just received this schedule for next week:

April Events @ Tillie's

April 2007 Events at Tillie’s Open Mic

4/12 4/26

Music

Friday, April 6th 8:30 p.m. The Fort Greene Trio Janis Russell, vocals Jeff Van Nostrand, keyboards Mike Weatherly, bass Cover: $5

A soulful sonic stew of musical influences that draws on jazz, blues, pop, gospel, early Americana and even nursery rhymes. Director of the Lafayette Inspirational Ensemble at Fort Greene’s Lafayette Presbyterian Church, Janis Russell has performed with Barry Harris, Clark Terry, and Taj Mahal. Jeff Van Nostrand’s career has ranged from playing banjo with the Rochester Philharmonic for composing for “As the World Turns.” Mike Weatherly is an in-demand bassist who plays everything from big band to Cajun to gypsy jazz.

Friday, April 20th 7:30 p.m. “Who Killed the Electric Car?”

Film screening sponsored by Common Sense Projects

An acclaimed exposé that chronicles the life and mysterious death of the GM EV1, this is a whodunnit about cars, the people who love them, the companies that build them and fuel them up, the governments that regulate them, and the fight for our future. The film has screened at this year's Sundance, San Francisco International, Tribeca, Seattle, and Los Angeles Film Festivals. Interviews include actors Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Alexandra Paul, Peter Horton, Phyllis Diller, Collette Divine, and J. Karen Thomas, as well as automakers, political leaders from the right and left, and writers, activists, engineers, inventors, and everyday people who what happened to the electric car. Nominated for the 2007 Documentary Screenplay Award by the Writers Guild of America.

No cover.

Friday, April 27th ElastiCity festival

7 p.m. Michael Maher, trumpet, with Zach Brock on violin and tuba

8:15 p.m. Brinsk, from Boston Noah Preminger, tenor Aaron Kruziki, alto Leftherios Kordis, keys Thor Thorvaldson, drums Aryeh Kobrinsky, bass

9:30 Josh Hinton’s Holus Bolus Jeremy Udden and Josh Sinton, saxophone Peter Bitenc, bass Mike Pride, drums

Cover: $5

For more information, see myspace.com/elasticity

Art

Boxes, Collages and Drawings

Diana Leidel

April 2nd – May 12th 2007

Diana Leidel, a Fort Greene resident, is an artist who has also been a longtime creative director in magazine publishing. She has been the recipient of numerous design awards for her work with Pointe magazine, Pilates Style magazine, and Dance Magazine, and has been a contributor to Graphic Design USA. She holds a BFA from The Cooper Union and an MA from New York University, where she also taught graphic design. Exhibitions include: Small Works 2006, Brooklyn Artists' Gym; A.I.R. Gallery Postcard Show 2006; Women's Studio Center 2006; International Signage Exhibition, The Art Directors Club of Chicago, 1978; Small Works, Washington Square East Galleries, New York University, 1977, 1978; Brooklyn Artists, The Brooklyn Museum, 1978; A.I.R. Gallery, New York; and Art Without Walls Gallery, Newark, New Jersey, 1977.

Diana describes the work in this exhibition as Non-Fiction Art, where the fictional world of the artist's mind meets the news of the real world. She combines words and statements from news stories with painting, collage and found containers to make wall-piece boxes. The pencil drawings are portraits of newsmakers, from chickens to health workers.

Reception 4/6/07 from 7 – 9 p.m.

Call for Historical Essays

Since lots of readers are interested in neighborhood history (as am I!), I thought I'd put out a call for some resident-penned essays on the Old Days of Clinton Hill. The essays can be about whatever you'd like and if they are compelling, I will try to post them verbatim without editing. It would be nice if they were well-developed, maybe 500-1,000 words. I can credit authors however they'd like. I can't promise to publish everything, but hopefully neighbors will be motivated to submit some cool stuff. I'll see how it goes, and hopefully I can turn it into a regular feature.

Send your submissions to:

clintonhillblog (at) gmail (dot) com