Category Archives: Local News

August 6, 2009 · 8:12 AM

Jam of the Day – Long Long Long Animal Love

As a fan of both My Morning Jacket and George Harrison, when I heard about the first Jim James solo EP where he covers some of George Harrison’s best songs, I was intrigued. James (the singer, songwriter and guitarist of My Morning Jacket) initially recorded the songs after George Harrison’s death in 2001 as a way of coping with his passing and paying tribute to his music. The resulting EP, Tribute To, is an intimate, beautiful homage that features simply James’ voice over acoustic guitar, and it does not disappoint.

James says that he wasn’t sure that the songs would ever be released until he was approached at a restaurant by animal rights activist, Jenny Brown, who asked him if he could perform a concert to benefit her animal sanctuary in Woodstock, NY. A few months later he decided to release the EP and donate a part of the proceeds to Ms. Brown’s Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. James saw a clear connection to the work of the sanctuary and the life that Harrison, an animal-lover and vegetarian, lived. As he told the Times, “George was one of those people that always seemed to be a good inspiration for other humans, seemed like he was a very socially conscious person, a very responsible person.”

The 6 song EP, released on Tuesday, includes covers of two songs that Harrison wrote for The Beatles, “Long Long Long” and “Love You To,” as well of four songs from Harrison’s critically acclaimed album All Things Must Pass, which was released after The Beatles broke up. You can preview and buy the whole EP here and listen to the original version of “Long Long Long” off of The Beatles White Album here. “Long Long Long” is, in my opinion, one of the great Beatles love songs and it’s often overlooked in their extensive catalog of hits. This cover is sure to remind people how beautiful Harrison’s lyrics really were.

Yim Yames – Long Long Long:

The above spelling is not a typo, by the way. Jim James decided to go by the moniker “Yim Yames” for his solo projects, I guess as a joke or something? Whatever makes you laugh dude…

-Melissa

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July 28, 2009 · 8:20 AM

Jam of the Day – Lookout! for Lighting

During the fierce storms that hit NYC this past Sunday, a man was struck by lightning at Marine Park in Brooklyn where his cricket game was just getting underway. Apparently the strike was really intense, and it sent him up into the air and shredded the pants and hat that he was wearing (one team member, as an aside, proudly noted that his team shirt was intact). The man, a construction worker from East Flatbush named Patrick Gibson, 41, went into cardiac arrest from the shock. Luckily, paramedics were able to resuscitate him and he is now listed in critical condition at Beth Israel Hospital. As worst fear scenarios go, this one is up there, and I hope that he pulls through.

By a strange coincidence, over the weekend I started to read a new book by Joseph O’Neill, Netherland, part of which is about the subculture of cricket players in New York and the sense of community that they find with each other despite their many cultural differences. It is a great read so far and it has been widely critically praised (even Obama is reading it). Judging by the different people on the scene when this incident occurred, it seems that the cultural melting pot portrayed in the book is true to life.

A fitting Jam when talking about lighting bolts (in no way intended to make light of the tragic incident), is the hot first single from the upcoming, self-titled full length from The Entrance Band, entitled “Lookout!”. The power-folk trio based in LA headlined the amazing-sounding (((folkYeah!))) Festival in the Forest in Big Sur, CA in September of last year. They are on tour now and will be in NYC and playing at Santos Party House on August 22nd. We’ll be on the “lookout” for it!

The Entrance Band – Lookout!:

The sound quality of this video is not the best so if you want to watch the video on mute and listen to the song below, that’s probably best.

The Entrance Band – Lookout!:

-Melissa

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July 28, 2009 · 7:52 AM

ev News – Just in Case You Missed It…

EV-TONY Last week’s issue of Time Out NY featured a pretty nice series of pieces on the East Village, which we think is at least worth a read (although, as a couple of people point out in the comments section, TONY may not win any fact-checking awards for this one).

But at the very least, it’s worth a click for this list of delicious, cheap eats.

-Drew

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July 14, 2009 · 8:00 AM

Jam of the Day – Tutti Fruitti Vendor Wars

This morning, the Times wrote about the escalating fruit vendor wars in midtown Manhattan – specifically on the stretch between 9th Avenue/42nd Street and 10th Avenue/43rd Street. Apparently some MAJOR turf struggles are afoot. As I am pretty close to ground zero today, I walked outside to see if I could catch any crossfire in action. Unfortunately, when I went out around noon it was business as usual and the vendors all looked busy.

One of the feuding vendors in question is Bulent Unal, 45, who was the first to set up on 9th Avenue and has enjoyed a bustling business of Times Square office workers and tourists for some time now. A competing vendor, Eyup Durmus, set up shop not far down the road on 43rd between 9th and 10th. In retaliation, Unal has opened another fruit stand, operated by his brother-in-law, right next to the one run by Durmas. A third vendor, Mahbubul Islam, operating on the opposite side of the same block is also in the mix, complaining that his sales are down by nearly half and as he told the Times, “These guys are both trouble.”

For these guys, the “rules” are hard to enforce; it’s more of an unspoken understanding that you don’t encroach on someone else’s spot. Many blocks are not open to vendors and those that are only have to follow regulations about the size of their table, not being too close to building entrances or fire hydrants, and not blocking traffic. An organizer for the Street Vendor Project, Ali Issa, explains that although there are no laws against stealing someone else’s location, “it’s a self-regulation mechanism that has been in place decades and decades.” Although the battle continues, with Mr. Durmus threatening to strike back by opening yet another stand, let’s hope they resolve their disputes and no one gets struck with a stray mango in the process.

This news reminded me of one of the most ridiculous videos I have come across in some time put out by the Swedish musician, Günther. Günther is the stage name of Mats Söderlund, and I was amazed to find out that you can buy his album “Pleasureman” on Amazon. It’s too absurd to explain this video in detail, you have to watch it yourself to really understand. If you haven’t seen Brüno yet – this video might get you in the mood. Let’s all just hope that these vendors come together and find some “Tutti Fruitti Summer Love” soon.

Günther – Tutti Fruitti Summer Love:

(For those of you with strict work places, beware that there are about 2 seconds of boobs and 1 second of man-tool that might be NSFW.)

A big shout out to econoblodger Adam Shapiro for showing us this video masterpiece – Bananas, Melonas, Yeah…

-Melissa

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July 9, 2009 · 8:00 AM

ev2bk News – NYC Flights delayed by turtles?

Turtle This morning, dozens of turtles closed down a runway at JFK airport causing flight delays of up to an hour and a half! The 78 diamondback terrapin turtles (which are the state reptile of Maryland apparently) are thought to be in mating season and were probably looking for a nice quiet place to umm… meet up? Apparently the sand along the runway and its proximity to water attracted them to the location. The details of the incident seem to have puzzled everyone, including John Kelly, a spokesman for the Port Authority, who told the Times “It is unclear whether the turtles pair off, or if the numbers indicated it was a group activity.” Not to worry, the turtles have been safely removed and transported to a more discreet location.

When I heard this news, of course, I thought of the classic “Happy Together” by 60s American folk-rock band, The Turtles. “Happy Together,” released in 1967, was their biggest hit, it replaced “Penny Lane” by the Beatles to become number one on the Billboard charts. They made it to number one with the guy wearing a mustard sweater with a tie sewn onto the front, now that’s saying something.

The Turtles – Happy Together:

-Melissa

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July 7, 2009 · 8:00 AM

Jam of the Day – Inside a Boy

I hope everyone enjoyed the gorgeous holiday weekend. Now that you’re back in the city, easing into the week (hopefully with a little tan), we here at ev2bk wanted to welcome you back with a free show and a stellar new video. Tonight in the ev, Pianos is hosting the weekly Cross-Pollination show where two local singer-songwriters will each play a 45-minute solo set, followed by a three-song collaborative set where both artists share the stage. The two-hour concert is free and doors open at 7:30, so if you’re in need of your new music fix for the week, go check it out.

Liberated Matter created the Cross-Pollination concert series with the goal of strengthening the local music community and forging bonds between musicians and creating new collaborations. They pair musicians based on the diversity of their music styles as well as the compatibility of their sounds. Cross-Pollination at Pianos has been going on for two years now (since June 2007). They partnered with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, ASCAP, to produce the event.

Tonight’s featured local performers are Alex Drewchin and Louis Schefano (aka Louis) formerly of the mostly one-man-band, Regia. Listen below to get a sample of what you might here tonight from Louis Schefano, from his EP “Louis’s Freak Show Revenge.”

My Brightest Diamond, led by the operatically-trained, Brooklyn-based, singer-songwriter Shara Worden, performed at a past Cross-Pollination concert. The band released their first album, Bring Me the Workhorse, in 2006. Today’s jam comes to you from their 2008 release, A Thousand Shark’s Teeth. The haunting vocals on this track, at times reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, and the Anime-meets-Pixar escape video are definitely worth checking out.

My Brightest Diamond – Inside a Boy:

-Melissa

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