Bullet Catch

So much of what passes for modern entertainment is mean spirited; pitting people against each other in horrible competitions or trying to make fools of volunteers in some way. So it was a real breath of fresh air when Rob Drummond stood with his volunteer from the audience of Bullet Catch and said, "I will not be making fun of you or trying to embarrass you. We're here together to enjoy this journey." The audience loudly and positively affirmed this noble and good-hearted gesture and with that the stage was set for a very magical journey that blurred the lines between magic show and story telling.

Bullet Catch is now playing at 59E59 Theatres. It revolves, as the title suggests, around the infamous bullet catch; a feat so dangerous that even the amazing Harry Houdini refused to attempt the trick. Rob Drummond skillfully builds the necessary tension during the hour long show as he deftly pulls off magic tricks and tells the story of an unsuccesfful attempt at the bullet catch with the help of an audience member.

It's part story telling, part magic show, but what really carries the show is the sincerity and showmanship of Rob Drummond. Unlike so many so-called entertainers, Drummond isn't out to get a cheap laugh at the expense of someone else. You get the feeling that he's getting as much out of the show as we are and I really think that's what makes it such a special show.

Bullet Catch is playing now through April 21st. I highly recommend this show. The 59E59 Theatres rarely disappoint and this show is no exception. Great story. Impressive magic. And a sincere performance that reminds us of the good in each other.

 

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BYOB Painting Lounge

Our Masterpieces

If you're looking for something fun to do in New York City, I suggest checking out the Painting Lounge. From their FAQ:

Painting Lounge is a teaching art studio featuring daily group BYOB painting classes in a relaxed, social setting. Our experienced instructors make painting a masterpiece easy, fun and totally stress free. All supplies are included, and don't forget we are BYOB (bring your own beverage), so bring a little liquid courage to help get those creative juices flowing!

This was a wonderful birthday present I got this year. You can see the two pieces we did in the photo.

I have never painted in my life and I must say it was a lot of fun. I was sure my painting would turn out terrible, so I was really surprised by how much I actually liked it!

This was probably one of the easiest classes they have but all of the classes are designed for beginners. All the materials are provided, and the instruction made it all really easy to pursue your artistic vision.

Whether you're visiting or live here, the Painting Lounge makes for a great evening of fun. Plus you get to go home with your very own masterpiece! I imagine someone visiting the City starting out at MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) and actually seeing some of Andy Warhol's famous paintings and then heading over to the Painting Lounge to actually create one! (Other artists are also possible, of course).

 

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The Effectiveness of Stop & Frisk

The mainstream media does a very good job of framing issues. The recent criticism of the NYPD's Stop and Frisk policy is a great example of this. We are told again and again by liberal pundits that Stop and Frisk isn't effective (basically the same criticism these pundits will use to criticize war and other atrocities like torture). In a recent article for the Guardian, John Liu frames Stop and Frisk as being ineffective:

The numbers don't lie: New York City police have conducted 5m "stop-and-frisk" searches since 2002. More than 86% of individuals targeted were black or Hispanic, and 88% were innocent of any crime. The stop-and-frisk tactic is clearly discriminatory, often humiliating, and totally ineffective. It must be abolished.

The numbers don't lie, but they certainly don't tell the whole story. To believe, as Liu clearly does, that Stop-and-Frisk is ineffective we'd have to believe that it's intent is to stop crime. We would have to believe that the NYPD are complete bufoons who don't know the basic facts that Liu sums up for us. We would have to assume, as liberals often do, that this is a wrong-headed policy carried out by an otherwise benevolent and good institution: the NYPD.

The real intent behind Stop and Frisk isn't hard to comprehend if you're a youth of color in New York City, but thankfully NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly actually spelled it out in a meeting with New York State Senator Eric Adams:

Kelly “stated that he targeted and focused on that group because he wanted to instill fear in them that every time they left their homes they could be targeted by police,” Adams said.

In other words the intent has never had anything to do with crime. Ray Kelly and the NYPD wanted to instill fear in communities of color and they've done that. Couple Stop and Frisk with the indiscriminate murders of kids like Kimani Gray and Ramarley Grahm and many more people of color and the NYPD has been very effective at terrorising the people of New York City.

Stop and Frisk needs to be abolished; not because it's ineffective, but precisely because it is effective. Bloomberg's Army has terrorized the people of New York City long enough.

 

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Ecstatic Music Festical

The Ecstatic Music Festival with Simone Dinnerstein, piano, and Tift Merritt, vocals and guitar, was quite the musical journey between the worlds of classical and folk music. On their own, they are both well accomplished artists, but together we are able to see how these supposedly very disparate musical worlds have much more in common than most of us realize.

It was a lot of fun to listen to the two genres blend together and even create new soundscapes all-together. It was great to see Simone Dinnerstein, a Juliard classical pianists from Brooklyn, step out of her comfort zone and open up the piano to play from inside it. As an audience member it was a lot of fun to see just how much Dinnerstein and Merritt pushed each other to grow as artists.

The Merkin Concert Hall was the perfect venue for such an eclectic night of music. The sound was amazing. The space was intimate, and I loved the way they set up the stage as more of a living room than a simple concert.

Overall a great night of music and I hope we see more collaborations like this. You can listen to their new album Night by clicking here.

 

 

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Bears

Bears is a delightful little piece of theatre. Jonathan Dickson (Growl Bear) and Nick Abeel (Timmy Bear) set the stage perfectly as two zoo bears living in a post apocalyptic America. The dialogue is quick witted and fun with lots of laughs. But there are also some really poignant and serious scenes with Growl Bear (Jonathan Dickson) reminiscing about times past. Jenna Panther does a wonderful job playing Susie Wild Bear, scoffing at the "civilized" nonsense of her zoo bear companions.

The tensions between wild and civilized are thoughtfully and creatively played out between the three bears. Civilization has broken down and yet there's still an effort to hold on to the past, to maintain and hopefully pass it on. But the stark reality of a life where food is no longer easy to come by and the pangs of hunger are all to real makes the wild life of a bear greatly appealing.

Throughout it all there's lots of great dialogue between the bears who use English but don't necessarily understand it. Growl Bear figures out how to use a radio but he doesn't quite get why the radio gets quieter over time (dead batteries).

The only minor criticism I have is that Nick Abeel (Timmy Bear) seemed to forget or stumble over his lines a number of times. This was only a minor distraction and I have to say he was great at never missing a beat. Despite the stumbles he repeatedly made it work, and I have no doubt he'll get past that in future shows.

Overall this is a wonderfully crafted, well written show with a talented cast. It was a joy to watch with plenty of laughs throughout. You'll definitely want to catch this gem of a play at 59 East 59th Street Theatres. It runs from now to March 31st. You can find ticket information by clicking here.

 

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Songcircle at the Astor Room this Friday!

The amazing and talented Mieka Pauley and other great singer songwriters at the Astor Room this Friday. The reception starts at 6, music begins at 8. You don't want to miss this.

Stop 'N' Swap

Following up on my post about the Really Really Free Market (RRFM) we have Stop 'N' Swap:

Community "swaps" provide the perfect opportunity to find new homes for things you no longer need. By taking home items that you can use, you are also helping to prevent waste from production,packaging and transportation required to get new things.

The Office of Recycling Outreach and Education coordinates the Stop 'N' Swap in the communities where we are working to improve recycling in order to facilitate waste prevention and material reuse.  We have held 8 swaps so far, serving more than 2,500 people.  

Go get yer swap on! The next one is scheduled for this Saturday, February 5th in the Bronx. But they are having them in all the boroughs. Click here for more details.

Museums

New York City has some of the world's best museums. Some of them can get a bit pricey for my tastes. Who am I kidding? It's not my tastes; it's my budget!

Artist Ron Anteroninen

The good news, though, is you can get into just about any of them for free on the right day and at the right time. Two of the best museums in the Galaxy--the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art--have "suggested donations," meaning you can pay as little as you like. Click here for more information.

And check back here often as I'll be reviewing many of the great exhibits going on.


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We Have Decided Not to Die!

Looking for something fun to do this Friday night? Look no further. Described as a night of coldwave, punk, and dance, this is sure to be an amazing night. There is a killer line-up of acts: Rosa Apatrida, Nomadic War Machine, Agnostic Pray, Shady Hawkins, Ice Age Crew, and it's a sliding scale of $5 to $10 and cheap drinks all night long. You can get all the details by clicking here, but make sure to RSVP so that you get the final location for the event.

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Free New York City

Our Galaxy

People tend to complain about how expensive New York City is to live in, but the truth is there is a lot of fun to be had for free here. From Urban Camping to free movies and open bars to some of the world's best museums there is no shortage of really fun stuff to do for free in New  York City. I collect links to great free stuff, and I'm always on the look-out for more. Click here for a  Sqworl page with nearly 40 links to great free stuff to see and do in New York City. Some of the stuff isn't available during the winter but bookmark it and you're wallet will thank you.

Board Game Olympics

Once a year the best board game players from across the Galaxy
meet to determine who is truly the best. The Board Game Olympics happen this Tuesday at Union Hall.

Be a part of the magic and breathe deep the history. Teams of two will compete for glory and our love.

Teams of two just $15. Winning: priceless.
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Really Really Free Market

Of all the free things I highlight here at the Straphanger's Guide to the Galaxy few are as free as this. The Really Really Free Market is just that: A free market. But this isn't anything dreamed up by Milton Friedman or Ayn Rand; this is the real deal!

Do you have some stuff you want to get rid of? Bring it to the Really Really Free Market (RRFM). See something you like at the RRFM? Grab it. It's all free. It's all wonderful.

The RRFM will be this Sunday at Judson Memorial Church, (55 Washington Square South) from 3 to 7pm.

Marked Man

Consider this a follow up to my last post. You're in for a real treat. I've recorded Mieka doing Marked Man countless times but this is the first time I actually got what I consider good sound. Check this out and you'll understand why I think Mieka is so amazing.

Last night was really special because not only did Mieka debut with her new band, but we also had the special guest appearances of the lovely Kiri Jewell and Stefanie Bassett from AwShockKiss.

Pillow Talk

Looking for something fun to do on a Tuesday night? Head on over to the Loving Cup Cafe in Williamsburg for Pillow Talk: A live monthly variety talk show brought to you by Ariel's Guide to Successful Living. Doors open at 7, show starts at 7:30p.  And, of course, it's free.

Yanni J. Launch Party

Have some fun Tuesday! The music should be killer, but it's not clear if there will be an open bar.

Reclaiming the Dream: The Revolutionary Martin Luther King

Martin & Malcolm

The folks at Brecht Forum are paying tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a special screening of two classic documentaries At the River I stand and The Negro Protests. If you want to remember Dr. King for the revolutionary he was, click here for more details.

"It is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages." ~~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking to striking sanitation workers in Memphis, March 18th, 1968

Future Shorts

Lots of fun happening at Liberty Hall at the Ace Hotel. Check it out:

Future Shorts will be showing January's official FS ONE selection in

the basement of the Ace Hotel, which includes Michael Cody's 'Foreign Parts', tales of a lobster tragedy in 'Kitchen', Deadmau5's epic film for 'Ravers' with This Is England star Stephen Graham, and much more.

A Q&A will follow the screening with Cody Stokes, director of

"Heartland Transport" and Luke Geissbuhler, director and creator of "Homemade Spaceship" will be present to talk about their films.

7pm doors / 7:30pm films to start

Sunday 16th January

Free entry Liberty Hall @ The Ace Hotel

20 West 29th Street New York 10001

No need to rsvp, just turn up!

Grub Community Dinner

Grub Community Dinner

Free beer. Free Vodka. Free everything! Who doesn't love free stuff? Grub is a free and open community dinner held on the first and third Sundays of every month. In a world that throws away over half of the food it produces while tens of thousands do without, events like this are a great reminder that a lot of really great food gets thrown away.

If you're not hip to the whole freegan thing, check out this great Food Rescue Map with great tips on when and where to rescue food in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

From the folks who put on the Grub Community Dinner:

We plan to be able to serve approximately 50 people, so it's first come first serve. There will be plates for vegans and vegetarians alike. About 99 percent of the food we serve is freegan, which means it is excess, ripe, nearly ripe, or slightly damaged food that has been recovered from the waste of grocery stores.

All this wonderfulness happens at 136 Lawrence Street on the second floor, between Fulton and Willoughby in Brooklyn. You can get all the details by clicking here.

AwShockKiss at Mercury Lounge

AwShockKiss

New Yorkers! Mark your calendars for this Saturday (1/15/11). AwShockKiss will be bringing their amazing sound to the Mercury Lounge. Get your tickets here. AwShockKiss go on at 10:30. You really don't want to miss this. Check out the hot promo vid for their upcoming show:

Moving Pictures by Kaves

Booze, awesome music, and a movie screening all for free? All you have to do is RSVP here and show up! Open bar from 8:30 to 9:30; Music by ADM, and a screening of The Shoemaker at 9:30. Not a bad Wednesday night.