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.

Headbanging x Making Fire

Dude this video is AWESOME. Thanks Ash!!

David Ellis x BLU = COMBO

Check out this amazing looped timelapse video of David Ellis and BLU's collaborative piece for the FAME Festival in Grottaglie, Italy. The concept for the festival is pretty dope -- pairing international artists with local artisans in a small Italian town famous for their ceramics. The final product of this loose residency is a group show that takes place in, "one of the most ancient ceramics workshop of the area." I love the idea of bringing together contemporary artists with traditional craft. BLU, an Italian street artist known for his large scale murals with a political bent featuring bald, wide-eyed, flat characters collaborates with David Ellis, founder of the Barnstormers crew, who in contrast, has a more textured and illustrative style. The stop motion film does a great job telling the overarching story behind the collaboration set in an abandoned building in Grottaglie.

Old Skool Hip Hop Tapes

I remember staying up all night in middle school waiting for my favorite song to air on the radio with both fingers ready to press the play/record button. This dutch hip hop head has put up over 200 of his favorite old school hip hop tapes online for download with a great collection from Mr. Magic (rest in power) and other legendary NYC radio hosts. Totally amazing archive and resource for dedicated music folks. thanks scott!

The Mapping Project : Williamsburg

BODEGA warmly invites you to be a part of our first endeavor, The Mapping Project. The Mapping Project is an exercise in connecting creatives, startups, social entrepreneurs, and small business owners in the borough of Brooklyn in order to help bring their ideas to fruition. By creating an interactive digital map, we consider how geography and the proximity of an area’s clustered residents can stimulate change through collaboration.

This Thursday, October 8, from 7-10pm at 303GRAND - A Revolving Storefront, we’re having a party to gather YOU, Brooklyn’s creative and entrepreneurial force, to introduce you to one another, draw awareness to the project, begin creating a platform for connecting change-makers, and allow you to register for the project. The meet-up will start collecting the data needed to construct the digital interactive map of community members that will not only stand as a symbol of the growing movement taking place, but serve as a resource for the community to continue business development.

Mostly, it’s going to be rad. Please RSVP here:

http://www.themappingproject.eventbrite.com

We also want to give a shout out to our event partners, DJ Jubilee who will be spinning, 303GRAND, IfWeRanIt, cut&paste, and PBR who is generously providing free beer for the event.

Cheers,

BODEGA

HSNY Screening: Know Your Mushrooms

Im a huge fan of The Horticultural Society of New York and tonite they have an awesome program...a special screening of Know Your Mushrooms followed by a Q+A with Gary Lincoff, one of the experts interviewed in the film. Check the info and trailer below!

WEDNESDAY, October 7
Green Screen Film Series:
Know Your Mushrooms
With special guest speaker Gary Lincoff
Written, Produced and Directed by Ron Mann
Original music by the Flaming Lips

Mushrooms – we put them on our pizza and steaks and in our soups and salads, we marvel at their variety and are sometimes repelled by their grotesque beauty when encountering them in the bush. And yeah, some have even sampled their more exotic possibilities and asked the question: "Do mushrooms come from a far away planet?" Still, others have asked: "Can mushrooms save the planet?"

The world of fungi and their integral relationship with the health of the planet have only recently been appreciated. The oldest and largest living organisms recorded on Earth are both fungi. And their use by a new, maverick breed of scientists and thinkers has proven vital in the cleansing of sites despoiled by toxins and as a “clean” pesticide among many other environmentally-friendly applications.

Know Your Mushrooms follows uber myco visionaries Gary Lincoff and Larry Evans (two of the more expert and unforgettably mercurial characters in the community) as they lead us on a hunt for the wild mushroom and the deeper cultural experiences attached to the mysterious fungi.

At The Horticultural Society of New York
Doors open at 6pm; film starts promptly at 6:30pm
HSNY Members $5; non-members $10

T-Pain Obama Autotune

T-Pain x Obama = awesome. Thanks Nate.

Shaniqwa + Friends

My sister Shaniqwa in London curated an amazing show with folks from NYC and beyond! Amazing lineup from dope artists working across mediums. Congrats to the whole crew!!! Go out and support!

Wish You Were Here
Curated by Shaniqwa Jarvis
Saturday, October 3rd
11-6PM

8 Newburgh Street
Lower Level
London WC1

Where the Wild Things Are x OC

The folks at Opening Ceremony have partnered with the upcoming full-length feature film of Where the Wild Things Are for an amazing capsule collection. Choose from an adult-sized Max suit onesie ($610) to furry signature pieces that would fit the fall wardrobes of fashion-forward and wild things alike. Thanks Refinery29!

Mmmmm...Deep-fried Butter

My childhood BFF Wendy went to the State Fair of Texas near her current home in Dallas this past weekend and enjoyed the bounty of the State Fair -- corndogs, funnelcake, turkey wings, Texas tater tornado, and deep fried butter. Yes, that's right, DEEP FRIED BUTTER! The evil mastermind behind this artery-clogging creation, Abel Gonzales Jr., is the current State Fair Fry King and has come up with a slew of deep fried goodies over the past year including Fried Coke, Texas Fried Cookie Dough and Fried Peanut Butter, Jelly and Banana Sandwiches. For this year's fair he came up with an idea of scooping a golf-ball sized ball of butter (your choice of garlic, cherry or grape flavored), freezing, battering and dropping the little bundles of butter into the deep fryer. Check the full Dallas News story here. "It tastes like a doughnut hole or butter stuffed in a roll."

DEEZ NUTS @ Hip Hop Theater Festival

Founded in 2000 to celebrate work with a hip-hop aesthetic, the Hip-Hop Theater Festival is a 3-week celebration of art, dance and theater in the heart of downtown NYC. This year's program kicks off on October 1st with DEEZ NUTS, a workshop production in honor of the highly acclaimed underground rap duo The Beatnuts, written by long time music writer and egotrip member Sacha Jenkins, and produced with noted promoter and homie Peter Oasis. Deez Nuts explores the rich musical legacy of the Beatnuts through the performance of their tunes by the maestros themselves; Deez Nuts also canvases the sights, smells and characters of their native Corona, Queens. A fellow Queens-ite turned journalist, on a fact-finding mission, returns to the old neighborhood in order to meet group members Psycho Les and JuJu. This journey not only nets cultural nuggets about the Latino duo and their surroundings, but crucial observations about self and the state that created hip hop. Check the Beatnuts video below and support the family!!

Deez Nuts
A play by Sacha Jenkins. Produced by Peter Oasis.
October 1-3
The Ohio Theater
66 Wooster Street, NUEVA YORK

Movie Night: The Hunger (1983)

It's starting to feel like fall and i'm putting together my fall movie night list. To kick it off, I want to check Tony Scott's feature film debut; the 1983 vampire lesbian goth rock classic, The Hunger. Starring Susan Sarandon, Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie and set in New York, the film tells the story, "of a bizarre love triangle between a doctor (Susan Sarandon) who specializes in sleep and aging research, and a stylish vampire couple (Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie)." Check the trailer below. Thanks Jenn!

Friday Fun: DC Tea Party

Living in New York, Brooklyn in particular, I realize that we live in a kind of bubble. With over 138 languages spoken between the 8 million folks who populate our strange little community, our city is a pretty amazing cultural experiment in at least tolerance, and at best a celebration of diversity. In light of President Obama's recent push for a public solution to the health insurance quandry and some of the reactions coming out of the townhall meetings, it shouldnt have surprised me to see and hear some of the comments from the folks who participated in a recent anti-big governmentTea Party. But its a different reality to actually see the faces and hear the misinformation coming from protesters. On 9.12.2009, reporters from New Left Media went to Washington DC to document the Tea Party protests against, well, a lot of things, including health insurance reform, the IRS, abortion, global warming, and our "socialist/communist/fascist/Nazi/Muslim " president, Barack Obama. Some of them called for a return to McCarthyism, while others called for Glenn Beck to run for office--indeed, it seemed the only thing that everyone agreed on was Fox News. Thanks Dame!