New York City hosted a flurry of events last night, that rained as hard on its guests as the snow from the sky. A concert at SOBs sponsored by Hot 97, Mint and Serf’s Armory Week after party at The Westway, DJ Getlive’s gig at 19 Kenmare St. Parties kept the streets warm. So I embraced walking to every stop regardless of the winter blast. Allow me to take you through most of my night in photos.
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Mass Appeal magazine and Ka are products of Brooklyn, New York. The lifestyle and art magazine—originally based in Red Hook—relaunched in 2012 recapturing the nostalgia of its golden era in the mid-’90s, while Brownsville’s Ka was arguably one of the only rappers to maintain fanfare at his mature age in 2012. Ka was once a member of the group Natural Elements and one-half of Nightbreed. Few rappers have a chance at a comeback, much less magazines that fold.
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Ann Hamilton’s Event of a Thread was New York City’s other most important spectacle to kick off 2013. The month-long exhibit that opened on December 6th brought together visitors like its midtown counterpart—the Times Square Ball. Except the Park Avenue Armory was much more interactive, and didn’t confine bodies behind police barricades. Hamilton erected a matrix of ropes with swings attached to them. As people swayed back and forth, it would move a ginormous white blanket that billowed in synchronization. To watch it took your mind and body to another place. You were able to wander for that moment gazing into its hypnotic motion. It was the closest thing to staring at a cloud indoors. Elsewhere in the space, a woman read philosophical messages sitting in front of a table of homing pigeons (not NYC’s rats with wings) that were released every day at the end of the exhibit. A man at the opposite side of the Armory faced the Tiffany Clock writing journal entries with pen and paper. The climax came when the lights dimmed, the reading and writing paused, and a singer serenaded the Armory. That very song was recorded onto a vinyl record. It was unlike anything that you’d probably ever see in its purest form: writing by hand, reading from printed materials, and a voice cut into an analog medium. I savored this moment with my lady and my son.
Visual artist Ann Hamilton combines the ephemeral presence of time with the material tactility for which she is best known to create a new large-scale installation for the Wade Thompson Drill Hall. Commissioned by the Armory, the event of a thread references the building’s architecture, as well as the individual encounters and congregational gatherings that have animated its rich social history. A multisensory affair, the work draws together readings, sound, and live events within a field of swings that together invite visitors to connect to the action of each other and the work itself, illuminating the experience of the singular and collective body, the relationship between the animal and the human.
Click the link below for photos from Ann Hamilton’s Event of a Thread.
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Flyer via OAKNYC
Last Tuesday, a string of luck led me into the Models x Waffles party at Le Baron in Chinatown. Venus X who posted the flyer on Instagram a few hours before the event stated that the list was closed. Taking a chance at getting in led me to an opportune meeting of the self-proclaimed Princess of New York. After being denied entry because I wasn’t on the guestlist, I used my iPhone’s map to give me directions to 19 Kenmare St. As I looked up, Jazmine Venus Soto walked past me. I introduced myself, after already being more familiar with her by way of Instagram, Tumblr, and another article I wrote. She kindly invited me to enter Le Baron with her friends. That gesture solidified her royalty in my book.
Given that it was a Fashion Week party, I expected models, but not food. Waitresses offered everyone little chicken tenders wedged in between two slices of waffles. The waffles were room temperature, but soft at least. The mini treats were special because it brought back the memory of Bobbito Garcia’s Monday night Waffles & Falafels party in the basement of APT, a shuttered nightclub of the Meatpacking District. As the party carried on, so did the entertainment, provided by Venus X who deejayed for Spyda and Magic whose pole dancing acrobatics had the crowd perplexed. Using the little support of the pole in the middle of the dancefloor, the ladies balanced themselves on each other horizontally. Upon achieving that feat, they proceeded to rock vertically like a see saw. This was impressive. But another act that defied the laws of physics was watching money being thrown into the air, to eventually get stuck in a vent overhead. There are NSFW pictures of this scene, Venus X, plus a shot of Posso a DJ duo that played in the basement of Le Baron that night when you click the link below.
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If you knew Blind Benny the way I know Blind Benny, you outta know that everything they do gets better with time. The release of “No Honor,” from BB’s forthcoming EP is their watershed moment. Their future is now, and it just shifted into emo-hyperdrive.
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On Monday January 30th, DJ Greg Poole, my homie Danny Miller and I are spinning at VON. This gig will be fun, promise! It’s kind of a big deal because I’m sharing the flyer’s marquee with an O-Gee of deejaying. Basically, if I didn’t bump the Suite903 mixtape he did with DJ Qool Marv, I wouldn’t have repped the Suite903 brand in 2010. Monday, it’s on!
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eXquire bumaye!
I just want to say Mr. MFN eXquire would still be my favorite rapper right now, even if he was from Albuquerque. But because he reps Brooklyn (HARD), I am biased as a mu’fucka. It all goes back to this summer when my homie Dart Parker booked a show for the KnuX, where eXquire was the opening act. I didn’t know what to expect. About two weeks earlier, Dart told me about eXquire being on the bill, so I just went ahead and did my research on him.
Many artists display their work in Chelsea, causing 24th Street to be flooded with people. Yesterday was one of those special summer nights at Benrimon Contemporary art gallery that bridged past and present with paintings by Nachume Miller and my good friend Danny Miller. The opening reception welcomed friends, family and new fans of the Miller legacy. You too can see their subconscious vision of color and abstract imagery come to life through July 16th.
Excerpt from the Benrimon press release:
“Benrimon Contemporary is pleased to present Nachume Miller vs. Danny Miller, a father and son exhibition exploring the patriarchal influence and subsequent modernization of Nachume Miller’s legacy through his son, Danny.”
Check out Danny’s brand identity work by his company The Bear Cave and his other paintings and photography on his personal Tumblr, Steak N Shrimp (as seen on Complex.com). I’m a little partial to one little critter, also on his Tumblr—this guy.
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The F is for Flattering.
I was had by Hot Guys On the Train, a covert operation snapping photos of attractive men on the F train. Beware.
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The low end theory.
Normally, words like “shenanigans” and “tomfoolery” are best used to describe a night of music with yours truly. My friend Luna Vega though, chose to be more socially conscious by mentioning Haiti in her blog post for next week’s party. So I say that to say this, use the philanthropic bones in your fingers by texting HAITI to 90999. Your $10 donation will go to the American Red Cross aiding in Haiti’s relief. Click here for more info on how you can help.
Via Sauvage Studio
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