Tonite @ 255

Where have I been for the last 3 months, you might ask? Grindin. Come by, have a beer, watch a film and check out what Ive been working on!!

************
255 Custom Lab and the Maysles Institute invite you to

JOCK DOCS at 255

THE REAL: Rucker Park Legends
Special Q+A with director Bob McCullough Jr.

Thursday, February 11
255 Elizabeth between Houston and Prince

Doors at 7PM

Coming Up in Jock Docs at 255: 2/25, The Karlton Hines Story

***************
About THE REAL: Rucker Park Legends
More than five decades ago, a New York City Parks employee named Holcombe Rucker encouraged Harlem kids to stay in school with a basketball tournament and league that would develop into an international phenomenon. Upon his death, two of his pupils continued his work by drawing from the league's Pro Division to start the famous "Each One Teach One" program, pairing up basketball's greats with disadvantaged youth. The innovative idea attracted such legends as Julius "Dr. J" Erving and streetball heroes such as Earl "The Goat" Manigault and Joe "The Destroyer" Hammond. Rucker Park's reputation quickly grew, becoming a virtual training ground for the NBA, influencing the playing style of the game and transforming Hip-Hop culture. Told by the legends themselves, this is The Real: the incredible true story behind Rucker Park from its unpolished beginnings through its heyday in the '60s and '70s to its more commercial present-day. But most of all, it's an amazing tale of how one man's dream and his pupils' gratitude explosively transformed an ordinary neighborhood basketball court into the world's most famous streetball arena.

Ata Kak - Daa Nyinaa

For more on Ata Kak and ghana highlife check out Brian's dope blog, Awesome Tapes from Africa, here!!

Corinne Bailey Rae

British sweetheart Corinne Bailey Rae dropped her sophomore album, The Sea, today revealing a more mature and vulnerable side. Her self-titled first album was full of saccharine dipped pop melodies that brought her critical acclaim in 2006. After the death of her husband from an apparent overdose, she took a 2-year hiatus to release The Sea. Check the video for the new single, Id Do It All Again, below. Thanks Dame!

John Francis Peter @ YES Gallery

YES Gallery in Brooklyn, NY will be hosting a benefit show this Friday January 29th, for the Hospital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti.

John Francis Peter, the photo coordinator at The FADER, will be showing limited edition prints from the series "Where We Stood Together, Haiti, December 2009." "I made this series during the last two weeks of 2009 while I traveled around Haiti for the first time." All proceeds go directly to the Hospital Albert Schweitzer. Along with the images there will be Haitian arts and crafts on display, food and music, so please try to come out, support, and start the weekend off right :)

YES Gallery
147 India Street
Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Ego Trip x Maysles Institute

80 Blocks From Tiffany's
(Dir. Gary Wiess, 1979, 67 min.)

Shotgun
(Dir. Steven Goodman, 1982, 25 min.)

Egotrip and the Maysles Institute have partnered to present Egotrips favourite documentaries in a series titled, Under the Influence. It kicks off tonite with 80 Blocks from Tiffany's and Shotgun, a documentary short.

80 Blocks from Tiffany's is a rich film where filmmaker Gary Wiess and cinematographer Joan Churchill hang out with the South Bronx gang, the Savage Skulls. In Shotgun, this party atmosphere turns tragic. Steven Goodman, who has gone on to lead the field of video education with EVC, provides a portrait of Shotgun, an eighteen-year-old gang member living in the South Bronx, facing serious criminal charges.

Both filmmakers will be present at the In addition, Ponce Laspina, a former 5th Division President of the notorious Savage Skulls, and NYPD Detective Robert Werner (who appears prominently in 80 Blocks) will also be in attendance.

Check out the post Complex did with the crew from Ego Trip about the documentaries they chose for the series here!

About Ego Trip: Ego Trip is the New York-based creative collective behind the top-rated VH1 reality programs The (White) Rapper Show and Miss Rap Supreme as well as the critically acclaimed Book of Rap Lists and Big Book of Racism!

Maysles Institute
2/3 to 125th St
Located on the west side of the street between 127th and 128th streets on Lenox Ave (aka Malcolm X Blvd.)

Barnstormers for Haiti

Barnstomers is organizing a night of music, art, food & drink this Saturday, January 23 in Brooklyn The line up looks dope and includes our friends Dhundee, Yuri Shimojo, B. Satz & Doze Green. If you haven’t seen the teaser for our studio visit, see it here.

Sucre ( Haitian Cafe )

520 Dekalb Avenue
(On the corner of Bedford)

Saturday, Jan. 23 – 7:30pm till enough

$10 suggested donation
All proceeds go to first response efforts on the ground in Haiti.

Shipping containers for food and clothing will be on site – suggested items are baby food, shoes, first aid supplies, non-perishables and water.

Eclectic mix of music from Stevie Wonder to Johnny Cash to ODB. DJs, Jazz musicians, Percussionists, dancing and art all night.

BLK JKS Molalatladi Video Debut!!

Directors - Chell Stephen & Nadia Hallgren
Producer - Lisa Diebner
NYC D.P - Gregg Conde
Soweto D.P - Nadia Hallgren
Editors - Chell Stephen & Sam Winter
Production Company - Polite Company
Executive Producer - Jamie-James Medina

RIP Teddy Pendergrass

Rest in Power Teddy Pendergrass!

Taz Arnoldvision

Straight from the LA Valley, Taz Arnold aka TISA from Sa Ra Creative Partners gives a tour of his working studio, his designs for classic 80s cult brand MCM and performs a lil sumthin sumthin with his homies Major and Bailey. BANG! Check it from Creative Control.

Diplo x Gucci Mane Mixtape

As Gucci Mane sits in jail serving out his year-long bid for parole violation, dont think his fans arent thinking of him. Diplo has just dropped a free mixtape off the Mad Decent website with remixes from a great stable of musak tweakers including Teenwolf (from Ninjasonik), Benzi, Memory Tapes, and Flying Lotus. Download it here.

1. "Danger's Not a Stranger (Diplo Remix)"
2. "Dope Boy (Bird Peterson Remix)"
3. "Excuse Me (Memory Tapes Remix)"
4. "No No No (Brodinski & Monsieur Monsieur Remix)"
5. "Frowny Face (Douster Remix)"
6. "Frowny Face (Emynd Remix ft. Playboy Tre)"
7. "I'm Expectin (Teenwolf Remix)"
8. "Boi (Zomby Remix)"
9. "My Shadow (Salem Remix)"
10. "Excuse Me (Diplo Remix)"
11. "Photo Shoot (Flying Lotus Remix)"
12. "I Be Everywhere (Mumdance Remix)"
13. "I Be Everywhere (DZ Remix)"
14. "I'm the Shit (Benzi & Willy Joy Remix)"
15. "Break Yourself (Diplo Remix ft. Lil B)"

Adventures with Ruth

Even though Gourmet Magazine shuttered with its last print issue in November of 2009, the brand continues to live on through some interesting programming choices online and on TV. I caught the last episode of Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth first season today on PBS. Part travelogue, part cooking show, Adventures with Ruth has the former Editor-in-Chief jetsetting to food capitols in Laos, Morocco, Mexico, the US and beyond. The episode I caught features the amazingly charming Jeffrey Wright and explores the culinary landscape of Jackson Heights, Queens with chef Julie Sahni. Not only do we get an insider's peak into the community, the restaurants, and the green market, but our guides introduce straightforward recipes to try out at home. In Brooklyn, you can catch the show next Monday, 1/11 and 1/18 at 7:30PM on WLIW Channel 21. Check the clip below.

Watching

This week's ungodly weather has me inside enjoying some sofa cinema.

The REAL Situation

It's no secret that Jersey Shore is a guilty pleasure of mine. Check out this spoof from FunnyOrDie of Mike "The Situation," Snookie, and Pauly D doing their thing.

Bodega Talk

Where does the food in your bodega — or the corner grocer, the local minimart — come from? Who decides whether to stock tortilla chips or salad greens, and how much they'll cost? How come it's easier to find fresh fruits and vegetables in Brooklyn Heights than in the South Bronx? What's the connection between the incidence of diabetes and the food market supply chain?

Last year the Brooklyn-based Center for Urban Pedagogy set out to answer these questions, and the result is Bodega Down Bronx, a 29-minute video created by CUP staff in collaboration with local high school students at New Settlement's Bronx Helpers, a service learning organization focused on civic engagement.-Thanks DesignObserver

Black Santa!

Right before the holidays Stephen told me "Black Santa" would be available for hire. Little did I know this gem of a video was on its way. Start celebrating Christmas with the South Pole. February 1st it goes down!! Thanks Angelo!

The Gift of Giving in 2010

What if an email for free money was actually true? Mother London explored the gift of giving for the holidays. What a nice way to end the year!
thanks SwissMiss!

Art Wok

From PaperMag.com:

Up-and-coming artists and Chinese take-out restaurants: two things Williamsburg isn't lacking for. Seeing a similarity in the arrangement of the neighborhood's many Chinese restaurants to a traditional art district's closely placed art galleries, Yuhi Hasegawa and Gregg Louis organized Art Wok, an all-day art crawl in which artists will display work in five restaurants. Louis told PAPERMAG he hopes the debut project will allow artists to show their work to a "broader audience -- people who would maybe be intimidated or not as interested in making the effort to go to see art in a museum or gallery." This Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., artists, including Louis, Hasegawa, Yen-Ting Chung, Chao-Ying Lin, Akasha Wu, Hai-Hsin Huang, Robbie Huang, Jenny Lee, Habby Osk, Hui-Yu Su, Cheng-Ta Yu, and Shai Zurim will have work on display at Golden Dragon, Garden Kitchen, New Red House, East Meets West, and New Peking Chinese Restaurant. Go, have an egg roll, and see some art in an unexpected place.

Golden Dragon, 394 Metropolitan Ave. (718) 782-8024
Garden Kitchen, 487 Grand St. (718) 486-7121
New Red House, 622 Grand St. (718) 388-8111
East Meets West, 752 Metropolitan Ave., (718) 218-7777
New Peking Chinese Restaurant, 76 Bushwick Ave., (718) 388-8866

Inspiration Procrastination

Taiwanese art student Bang-Yao Liu got a scholarship to take one year at SCAD in Georgia. I only just found his amazing final project on YouTube, which took him two weekends and four days of no sleep this summer to finish:



This is my senior project at Savannah College of Art and Design. Where my idea comes from is that every time when I am busy, I feel that I am not fighting with my works, I am fighting with those post-it notes and deadline. I manipulating the post-it notes to do pixel-like stop motion and there are some interactions between real actor and post-its.

Directed by Bang-yao Liu
Music by Röyksopp (http://royksopp.com)
Sound design by Ian Vargo, Shaun Burdick
Actor: Chun-yao Huang

The Making Of Video:

Kickstarter

Kickstarter is a funding platform for artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, inventors, explorers... Kickstarter is a new way to fund creative ideas and ambitious endeavors. Project creators keep 100% ownership.

At reality bites: a mail-order snackfood company, pledge $ to have homemade ice cream, fig bars and other yummies delivered to your doorstep. Reminds me of those Urban Fetch days when we were too *lazy* to walk from our dorm room to the corner store.

RIP Jeanne-Claude

Rest in Power Jeanne-Claude! The world will miss your creative vision, boundless energy and love for life. Like all of their projects, these were intended to be temporary, a quality at the heart of the artistic enterprise. Whether executed in oil drum or brightly colored fabric, the art of her and her husband, Jeanne-Claude said, expressed “ the quality of love and tenderness that we human beings have for what does not last.” -from the NYTimes

Javelin

Dope music from Greenpoint-based producers Javelin and some amazing music video visuals from director Mike Anderson. Just a little hump-day action for you. Thanks Nate!!!

Pacquiao Karaoke on Kimmel

The Pacquiao v. Cotto fight at the MGM Vegas this weekend was phenomenal. Cotto put up a good fight but he couldnt touch Pac-Man in the 12th-round TKO. Its amazing to have such a huge API sports figure in the news. Check out the below clip of his Karaoke debut on Jimmy Kimmel. Filipinos worldwide stand up!

10.Deep Holiday Preview

10.Deep Winter 2009/2010 Photoshoot Preview from 10 Deep on Vimeo.

The gents at 10.Deep know how to have a good time. Check out the preview for their upcoming Holiday collection dropping in stores this week!!!

Blowfly @ Wreck Room

Blowfly, who is as old as my father, is the original dirty rapper. He was rapping before people even knew what rap was.

The elusive talent will be in town next week for a Knitting Factory show with Anal C*nt (see the bigger picture here?), and this is the place to prime your pump.

Wreck Room, Bushwick, 940 Flushing Avenue, btw. Central Ave & Evergreen Ave.
Tonight: Colt 45, no cover / 10pm-11pm

I saw Blowfly perform at Brooklyn's Southpaw a few years ago. He's a true visionary who lives up to his silly reputation, though you can only take so much swearing from an old man in a wrestling suit. Thanks myopenbar.com!

Performa 09

There's never a shortage of performance and art in New York City. Check out the Performa 09 calendar for shows around town. Participating artists include Terrence Koh, William Kentridge and Joan Jonas. Venues include Eyebeam, MoMA, PS 1, The Swiss Institute. This year seems to focus on futurism.

In Cyprien Gaillard’s groundbreaking video “Desniansky Raion,” a view of Belgrade’s futuristic town gate opens a triptych where architecture embodies the failure of the modernist social utopia in a brilliant, fascinating demonstration: an epic fight between hooligans in a Russian suburb; a grandiose lightshow preceding the destruction of a habitation tower near Paris; and a breathtaking flight over a circular ensemble of Ukrainian buildings somewhat remniscient of a concrete, monumental version of Stonehenge.

Acclaimed musician Koudlam, a long-time collaborator of Gaillard, will provide his adrenaline-pumping live music to accompany the screening.

The Kitchen, 512 W. 19th Street on Friday, November 20 8:00pm. $10 at www.thekitchen.org.

Copyright Criminals

Last night IFC's Stranger Than Fiction doc series presented Copyright Criminals. It's an informative look at the way copyright issues affected hip-hop's birth into the mainstream. The film airs on PBS's Independent Lens in January 2010.

Maybe Mars: A Showcase of Chinese Underground

Last night, PK14, Carsick Cars and Xiao He doled out a teasing sampler of Chinese indie rock to a packed crowd at the powerHouse arena. Beijing-based music label Maybe Mars has arranged for a month-long East Coast tour. I'm psyched because these bands are energetic, fresh, original, traditional and totally unlike some of the Mainland cover band-types that have come before. Catch their longer sets at a show this weekend at Glasslands tonight or Santos on Saturday!

Glasslands is located at 289 Kent Ave.
Santos Party House is located at 96 Lafayette St.

P.K.14: “How Majestic Is The Night / 多麼美妙的夜晚” from Maybe Mars / 兵马司 on Vimeo.

Dam Funk for Clae

I heart Dam Funk. After last Tuesday's epic 2 hour album release set at Brooklyn Bowl, I needed more from my keytar slaying friend repping the Leimert Park Funkmosphere. Lucky for me, LA-based footwear company Clae has me covered. They teamed up with Dam Funk for a special mixtape commemorating Clae's pop-up-shop at the Stussy LA Chapter. Cop the mixtape here but dont forget to pickup Toeachizown out on Stonesthrow Records now!

DIY Hot Sauce

Thanks to Monihan for the pic!

With the last of my banana peppers sturdily clinging to the vine, I thought what better time to explore the world of hot sauce! I adapted this simple recipe from something I saw on the Bitten blog to start me out on my hot sauce adventure.

Ingredients
- A couple quarts of chile peppers (Can be a mixture of different kinds including but not limited to jalapeno, chipotle or poblano)
- Plastic gloves (make sure theyre safe for food handling!)
- White Vinegar
- Salt to taste

Once your chiles have ripened to your desired color/taste, put on your plastic gloves (The plastic gloves will save your hands from burning from handling chiles) and rinse and trim the stems and any bad spots off the chiles. It's okay if they are in different stages of dryness, you just want to remove any potential rot. Remove seeds if you'd like but I prefer to keep them in.

Place the chiles into a food processor and pour in enough white vinegar to submerge the chiles. Add about a tbsp of salt (or more to taste!) Puree until smooth. 

Transfer to a pot and bring to a boil stirring once or twice. Be careful not to inhale or stand over the boiling pot! While youre waiting for the sauce to boil, wash and rinse a bottle with a reclosable cap. Rinse the inside with the white vinegar to disinfect the bottle.

Funnel the sauce into the clean jar or bottle and cool. Cover with a cloth napkin or dish towel. I use a rubberband to secure the towel and prevent any fruit flys from invading. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for three days, undisturbed. Carefully pour off all but a thin layer of the vinegar (which true enthusiasts save for another use) and refrigerate. 

The sauce keeps for months; you’ll know if it goes off when it starts to ferment and get sort of effervescent.

Happy Birthday Fela!!!

Happy Birthday Fela!!!!!

Don't miss Rich Medina's Jump N Funk party tonite at SOBs! It'll be a special Felabration in conjunction with the Broadway musical FELA opening on October 19th at the Eugene O'Neill theater. This musical is going to be amazing -- choreographed by Bill T Jones with music by Brooklyn's own Antibalas, the NYMag profile of actor Sahr Ngaujah is convincing enough to make you want to check the show if only to see the range and stamina of this phenomenal actor. If you can't celebrate with us in NYC, Jump N Funk's FELABRATION is going on a nationwide tour so check here for the full listing.

Fela Kuti was born October 15, 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria, north of Lagos and received his early education in his homeland. In 1958 Fela's parents sent him to London to go to school for medicine, but he opted to register at Trinity College's School of Music where he studied composition and chose the trumpet as his instrument. Fela became influenced by legendary artists such as Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra and formed the Koola Lobitos in 1961. They soon became a fixture in London's club scene. Two years later, he created "Afrobeat", which was inspired by James Brown, the Yoruba culture, high life and jazz. Fela reformed the Koola Lobitos to Nigeria 70 and returned to Lagos. He founded a commune/recording studio called the Kalakuta Republic, complete with his own private nightclub, The Shrine.

Playing constantly and recording at a ferocious pace, Fela and his band now called Africa 70 became huge stars in West Africa and beyond. His music served as a rallying cry for the disenfranchised, critiquing the military government and made Fela not only a pop star but a political figure as well. People took to the streets singing his songs and the military responded by viciously harassing Fela, jailing him and nearly killing him on several occasions. As with any musical icon, his work crossed over musical genres and influenced a multitude of artists. Fela died on August 3, 1997 of complications from AIDS. One million people attended his funeral in Nigeria. His incredible body of work, almost 70 albums, is now available
through public demand all over the world.

FELA! The Musical brings the colorful life of this icon front and center through a provocative hybrid of concert, dance and musical theatre. FELA! features arrangements by Aaron Johnson and Antibalas with direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones.

DJ Rich Medina's renowned Afro-dance party, Jump N Funk, is the world's premier celebration of the life, legacy and music of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Armed with an unparalleled love for Fela and an unrivaled collection of Afrobeat records, Rich Medina re-creates the vibe of a Fela Kuti concert. Jump N Funk has been a staple in venues from New York to Berlin for nearly a decade and has established itself as the only DJ-based party dedicated to Fela Kuti and his message of peace and equality through music.