Free Midtown Art Walk of the Week
06.10.09
1. Free art walk through Midtown
2. Human Rights Watch film fest turns twenty
3. Scientists gather for fascinating festival
6. The return of the New York Asian American Film Festival
Volume 8, Number 54
June 10-24, 2009
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Tara Donovan’s untitled sculpture creates an intoxicating kaleidoscopic effect on Park Ave.
Earl McGrath Gallery
200 West 57th St., Suite 908
Tuesday — Friday 10:00 am — 6:00 pm through June 27
Admission: free
212-956-3366
http://www.earlmcgrathgallery.com
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Earl McGrath Gallery welcomes visitors to Chuck Agro’s unusual HR dept.
We never miss one of Chuck Agro’s exhibitions, and neither should you. We’ve called the Brooklyn artist and teacher’s work "engaging, enchanting, and a whole lot of fun" ("My Embarrassing Beautiful Friends," 2005), "filled with bizarre, colorful characters" ("Cheeseburger in My Big, Fat, Greasy American Hands," 2006). For his current show at Earl McGrath (which has moved west to a new location on 57th St.), Agro turns his attention to the employment crisis in the United States, depicting fourteen men and women who do not look particularly happy about their job situation. Ranging in size from twelve inches by twelve inches to five feet by five feet, the oil-on-wood-panel pieces feature chest-high portraits of worried, frightened faces set against abstract, brightly colored backgrounds. A white-haired man in a tie has a deer-in-the-headlights gaze in "Tony Is Close to Retirement." A yellow-haired figure wears a crazed smile in "Temp." Tiny leaves surrounding "The CFO" makes it appear that the businessman is about to be knocked out, like a boxer seeing stars on his way to the canvas. The bags under the eyes of "The Applicant" reveal a man who is not exactly living out his dream. And the "Employee of the Month" looks anything but satisfied. In the past, the Agro has often used enamel and resin to give a fantastical quality to his paintings, but here he eschews that practice, resulting in a more realistic series with a different kind of emotional impact despite the cartoonish quality to his playful imaginings.
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Naomi Grossman, "Lo, I Am," shaped wire, 2003
UBS Gallery
1285 Sixth Ave. between 51st & 52nd Sts.
Monday — Friday 8:00 am — 6:00 pm through July 31
Admission: free
212-713-2885
In 1889, the Woman’s Art Club was founded in New York City. Later renamed the National Association of Women Artists, the organization is celebrating its 120th anniversary of promoting female artists with a strong exhibit at the UBS Gallery in Midtown, organized by the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Museum at Rutgers. The work of fifty-six artists is spread throughout the two sides of the vertical space, comprising painting, sculpture, video, woodcuts, and story quilts, arranged chronologically, in addition to archival letters, articles, and photographs. (Interestingly, Elizabeth Cady Stanton served as president of the group from 1928 to 1930.) Among the many outstanding pieces are Anita Weschler’s painted plaster "Martial Music #5: Drafted," a stunning sculpture depicting two lines of soldiers, one of which contains skeletal figures; Margaret Brassler Kane’s beautiful bronze "Harlem Dancers," which prefigures Botero by decades; Blanche Lazell’s inventive two-sided woodblock for "West Virginia Hills" and "Wayside"; Pam Cooper’s powerful "Shackled II," a narrow, dangling chain with a sharp knife at the end; Edith Prellwitz’s beautiful "Triptych"; and Naomi Grossman’s "Lo, I Am," a portrait of a female body made out of twisted wire. The show also includes fine work by Louise Nevelson, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, Cecilia Beaux, Bessie Potter Vonnoh, Sumiye Okoshi, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Malvina Hoffman, and Augusta Savage.
Lever House Lobby Gallery
390 Park Ave. at 54th St.
Through September 5
Admission: free
http://leverhouseartcollection.com
New York City native Tara Donovan uses found materials to create intriguing sculptures and site-specific environments, incorporating such objects as toothpicks, styrofoam cups, fishing line, paper plates, pins, straws, and tape into her work. At the Met last year, she lined the walls of the Gioconda and Joseph King Gallery with thousands of tiny silver Mylar loops, giving the walls a fascinating texture evoking water bubbles, topographical maps, and other formations. For her latest piece, on view at Lever House through Labor Day weekend, she has gathered more than a ton of transparent polyester film she purchased in an industrial supply store and has folded and arranged into a horizontal kaleidoscope visible from inside the gallery as well as from the street outside the front window. To get the full effect, keep your eyes glued on it as you first stare deep into it, then walk east and west past it; the work comes alive as light filters through the sculpture and people and cars — especially yellow taxis — speed by on Park Ave. "I develop a dialogue with each material," the MacArthur Genius Grant winner says in the exhibition handout. "With every new material comes a specific repetitive action." As with most of Donovan’s work, the more you engage with it, the more it will engage you, so take your time and enjoy.
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James Surls, "Big Bronze Walking Eye Flower," bronze and stainless steel, 2009
Park Ave. malls between 50th & 57th Sts.
Through July 2009
Admission: free
212-360-8163
surls on park avenue online slideshow
http://www.fundforparkavenue.org
Born in East Texas and currently based in Colorado, sculptor James Surls has installed seven large-scale sculptures that are blossoming on the Park Avenue malls between 50th and 57th Sts. Working in bronze and stainless steel, Surls has created pieces that evoke trees and flowers filtered through molecular structures with a futuristic bent, including "All Diamonds," "Again the Flower, the Tree, the Knot, and Me," "Knot and Needle," and "Standing Vase with Five Flowers." Unfortunately, the colors are rather drab; it’s probably best to see the pieces in the sunlight. We’ve caught them only in the rain so far, so we’re hoping they’re cheerier under bright blue skies.
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Farheen Haq, "Endless Tether," three-channel video
Austrian Cultural Forum
11 East 52nd St. between Madison & Fifth Aves.
Monday through Saturday through August 29
Admission: free
212-319-5300
Over the last half-century, the Islamic community has grown in Austria, primarily through migrant workers from Turkey, Bosnia and Herzogovina, and Serbia and the government’s official acceptance of Muslims, which includes promoting social and educational programs that encourage them to practice their culture and religion. The Austrian Cultural Forum’s latest exhibition, "The Seen and the Hidden: [Dis]covering the Veil," examines the social, cultural, religious, sexual, and metaphorical significance of the veil, the piece of clothing that hides Muslim women’s faces and causes such strong, often xenophobic reactions in people around the world. Through painting, sculpture, photography, site-specific installation, and video, a group of primarily women artists deconstruct and reimagine the meaning behind the veil, reclaiming it from the symbolism with which it has been imbued over recent decades. In Farheen Haq’s three-channel video "Endless Tether," a pair of male hands tries to unwrap a red cloth from the artist’s body. Shadi Ghadirian’s photos of women in burqas replace their eyes with such domestic household objects as a spoon, a yellow glove, and a pan.
Negar Ahkami’s "Persian Dolls" lines up a matryoshka, with the largest nesting doll showing an old woman in traditional Iranian dress and each succeeding, smaller doll growing younger and more Westernized. In Nilbar Gures’s "Undressing / Soyunma" video, the artist slowly removes multiple headscarves from around her face, announcing which friend or family member it belongs to, until she ultimately reveals herself. Asma Ahmed Shikoh evokes the Koran’s chapter on the bee with "The Beehive," a honeycomb-like wall sculpture that contains hijabs from one hundred women across the United States, with each one being identified by the donor’s first name and state, and some featuring short statements that show the different reactions women have to the head covers — while some have fond memories, others are glad to get rid of it. And Princess Hajib’s black-and-white prints line the walls in answer to fashion photographs that depict women as objects of sexual desire and consumption. "The Seen and the Hidden" is a revealing, enlightening look at the controversy and significance revolving around the veil in modern society.
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Willard Boepple, "The Way Things Work," detail, resin, 2009
545 Madison Ave. at 55th St.
Admission: free
http://www.loribooksteinfineart.com
In his proposal to design pieces for the revamped lobby of 545 Madison Ave., sculptor Willard Boepple wrote, "My idea is for a group of sculptures that will animate the space and provide some color and life — and hopefully viewing pleasure — at eye level for the tenants, workers, and visitors as they pass to and from the building." He won the competition, and the result is "The Way Things Work," four translucent tinted resin wall pieces that breathe with life, taking on different shapes and color and casting long shadows as you walk past them and the interior and exterior light changes. The three pieces along the north wall feature bright, bold colors, including a purple sculpture that evokes Donald Judd gone haywire, a red rocketlike work that looks ready for takeoff, and a gold piece that mimics burning candles. A longer, more subtle piece hangs behind the security desk. Be sure to examine each work from all angles, including underneath, to get the full effect. Born in Bennington, Vermont, in 1945, Boepple was stricken with Guillain-Barré syndrome in the early 1980s, leaving his legs paralyzed; he moves with the help of crutches, adding an interesting element to this work, which he designed "for people in motion, walking to work."
THE RECKONING opens fest with penetrating look at ICC
Walter Reade Theater
65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Aves.
* indicates filmmaker(s) will be present at screening
June 11-25
Tickets: $11 (series pass $40 for any five films)
212-875-5050
Human Rights Watch celebrates twenty years of opening the world’s eyes to international problems through feature-length and short fiction and nonfiction works with two weeks of narrative films and documentaries at Lincoln Center, beginning June 11. This year’s slate examines illegal migrants in Europe, ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, female genital mutilation in Malia, competing poverty and American investment in Kenya and Nairobi, HIV-positive former sex workers in South Africa, undetonated cluster bombs in the Middle East, children of war helped by the Italian aid organization Emergency, and the risks associated with participating in the reality show AFGHAN STAR, in addition to other hot-button topics. Among the directors represented in this year’s festival are Joe Berlinger and Costa-Gavras, whose EDEN IS WEST gets things going with a special benefit screening and reception on June 11; stars include Oscar nominee Pete Postlethwaite in Franny Armstrong’s THE AGE OF STUPID and chess master Garry Kasparov in Masha Novikova’s IN THE HOLY FIRE OF REVOLUTION.
Anne Aghion won this year’s Nestor Almendros Award for courage in filmmaking with MY NEIGHBOR, MY KILLER, completing her trilogy about modern life in Rwanda. For its twentieth anniversary, Human Rights Watch also looks back at five previous Nestor Almendros Award winners, with special screenings on June 14 of such important and influential works as BORN INTO BROTHELS, IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS, and REGRET TO INFORM, films that shed new light on critical situations in Calcutta, Iraq, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Ramallah, and Jerusalem. Human Rights Watch itself has spent more than thirty years as "one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights," according to their mission statement. "By focusing international attention where human rights are violated, we give voice to the oppressed and hold oppressors accountable for their crimes." Despite three decades of success, it is clear they still have their work cut out for them, with so many nations still participating in horrific abuses of human rights in the twenty-first century.
*Thursday, June 11 Benefit Screening: EDEN IS WEST (Costa-Gavras, 2009), followed by a conversation with Costa-Gavras and a reception, $500+, 6:30
*Friday, June 12 Opening Night: THE RECKONING: THE BATTLE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (Pamela Yates, Peter Kinoy, and Paco de Onis, 2009), with special guests, followed by a reception, 7:00
*Saturday, June 13 THE RECKONING: THE BATTLE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (Pamela Yates, Peter Kinoy, and Paco de Onis, 2009), with special guests, 1:30
*Saturday, June 13 CRUDE (Joe Berlinger, 2009), 6:30
Saturday, June 13, 4:00
and
Sunday, June 14, 7:00 SNOW (Aida Begic, 2008)
Saturday, June 13, 9:30
and
Sunday, June 14, 2:00 THE AGE OF STUPID (Franny Armstrong, 2008)
Sunday, June 14, 4:30
and
Monday, June 15, 9:15 KABULI KID (Barmak Akram, 2008)
Unwanted baby is at center of Afghani drama
Sunday, June 14, 4:30
Monday, June 15, 9:15
When a woman wearing a burqa leaves a baby in the back of Khaled’s (Hadji Gul) taxi and runs off, the cabdriver sets out to find the woman and return the baby. During his search — he refuses to believe the woman did it on purpose — he goes to the police and an orphanage, but no one wants to take responsibility for the abandoned boy. Khaled considers abandoning it himself, or maybe even keeping it — he has only daughters and has been praying for a son. Each night, he brings the boy home, and his family gathers around to help care for the child, but there’s an unspoken subtext between Khaled and his wife (Helena Alam) that lies just below the surface. Directed, cowritten, and scored by Barmak Akram, who was born in Kabul but is a political refugee living in France, KABULI KID is a compelling drama that casts a sharp eye at modern-day life in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Cast with nonprofessional actors — including Gul, who is a part-time cabdriver — the film has a lovely charm to it despite its heavy subject matter, a soft rhythm that moves with an infectious ease.
Monday, June 15 Special Anniversary Event: IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS (James Longley, 2006), 4:00
Monday, June 15, 6:30
and
Tuesday, June 16 Special Anniversary Event: FORD TRANSIT (Hany Abu-Assad, 2002), 4:00
Wednesday, June 17 Special Anniversary Event: REGRET TO INFORM (Barbara Sonneborn, 1998), 4:00
Wednesday, June 17, 8:45 IN THE HOLY FIRE OF REVOLUTION (Masha Novikova, 2008)
Wednesday, June 17, 6:30
Thursday, June 18, 9:00
and
Thursday, June 25, 4:00 REMNANTS OF A WAR (Jawad Metni, 2009),
Thursday, June 18 Special Anniversary Event: BORN INTO BROTHELS (Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, 2003), 4:00
*Friday, June 19 Special Anniversary Event: JUNG: IN THE LAND OF THE MUJAHEDDIN (Alberto Vendemmiati and Fabrizio Lazzaretti, 2000), 4:00
*Friday, June 19, 7:00
and
*Saturday, June 20, 2:00 Youth Producing Change, presented by Adobe Youth Voices
*Friday, June 19, 9:15
and
*Saturday, June 20, 4:00 BACK HOME TOMORROW (Fabrizio Lazzaretti and Paolo Santolini, 2008)
*Saturday, June 20 MY NEIGHBOR, MY KILLER (Anne Aghion, 2009), followed by a reception, 6:30
*Saturday, June 20 Festival Centerpiece: AFGHAN STAR (Havana Marking, 2009), 9:00
*Sunday, June 21 Festival Centerpiece: AFGHAN STAR (Havana Marking, 2009), followed by a reception, 4:30
Setara Hussainzada puts it all on the line to become singing star
*Saturday, June 20, 9:00
*Sunday, June 21, 4:30
http://www.afghanstardocumentary.com
AMERICAN IDOL contestants such as Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Carrie Underwood, and Clay Aiken have become household names. But what about Rafi Nabzaada, Lema Sahar, Hameed Sakhizada, and Setara Hussainzada? In AFGHAN STAR, the centerpiece selection for the 2009 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, director Havana Marking (THE CRIPPENDALES) follows these four wannabe singers as they battle it out on the Afghani version of AMERICAN IDOL. Music and dance was banned by the Taliban from 1996 to 2001, and the Mujahiddeen still considers such forms of entertainment sacrilegious, but that didn’t stop some two thousand people — including three daring young women — from auditioning for the program, seeking the first-place prize of $5,000 and a recording contract, as well as instant fame. Marking visits the four contestants’ hometowns, speaking with their rabid supporters, in addition to the Khan family, who devotes their life to the popular show. But Marking also meets with plenty of detractors who find AFGHAN STAR to be perverse and offensive — and when Setara actually dances on the show, her life is suddenly in grave danger. In a country where freedom and democracy have been suppressed for so long — except for a short respite in the 1980s, when popular culture and modernization flourished ever so briefly — AFGHAN STAR has brought back hope and dreams to millions. “When I listen to music, I feel, I feel really happy,” one young boy, smiling broadly, says in the beginning of the film. “If there was no singing,” his friend adds, “then the world would be silent.”
*Sunday, June 21, 2:00
*Monday, June 22, 6:30
and
*Tuesday, June 23, 4:00 LOOK INTO MY EYES (Naftaly Gliksberg, 2008)
Naftaly Gliksberg follows an alarming trail of anti-Semitism in powerful doc
*Sunday, June 21, 2:00
*Monday, June 22, 6:30
*Tuesday, June 23, 4:00
http://www.antisemitism-movie.com
In LOOK INTO MY EYES, Naftaly Gliksberg, an Israeli director and cinematographer, travels to Poland, the United States, France, and Germany in search of anti-Semitism in modern society, and he gets a lot more than he bargained for along the way. The son of a rabbi in Tel-Aviv, Gliksberg, who nearly became a rabbi himself, talks to Poles putting on a Passion Play, a French-Arab comedian, a black man in Harlem married to a Jewish woman, a Chicago evangelist who regularly visits the Holy Land, a West Virginia farmer, a German Holocaust denier, and others who do not necessarily admit to being anti-Semitic but who do not have to be pushed too hard before casting disparaging remarks and making stereotypical comments about Jews and Israelis — while looking right at Gliksberg, who approaches it all from a very personal point of view. LOOK INTO MY EYES is a sobering film that will make you gasp in shock — and raise your fist in anger. Gliksberg will be on hand for all three Human Rights Watch screenings at the Walter Reade Theater.
Sunday, June 21, 7:00
*Monday, June 22, 4:00
and
*Tuesday, June 23, 9:00 MRS. GOUNDO’S DAUGHTER (Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater, 2009) and SANCTUARY (Lovejit K. Dhaliwal, 2008)
*Monday, June 22, 8:45
and
*Wednesday, June 24, 4:00 MY NEIGHBOR, MY KILLER (Anne Aghion, 2009)
Tuesday, June 23, 6:30
and
Wednesday, June 24, 9:00 TAPOLOGO (Gabriela Gutierrez Dewar and Sally Gutierrez Dewar, 2008)
Wednesday, June 24 GOOD FORTUNE (Landon Van Soest, 2009), 6:30
*Thursday, June 25 Closing Night: THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD (Mike Bonanno, Andy Bichlbaum, and Kurt Engfehr; 2009), followed by a reception, 7:00
The Yes Men are back with more anti-corporate high jinks
Thursday, June 25, 7:00
http://www.theyesmen.org/movies
In 2003, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno revealed their unique brand of anti-corporate performance art with THE YES MEN, a documentary in which they go to elaborate lengths to pose as spokespersons for major international companies, making ridiculous announcements that are often taken for fact at conventions and press conferences around the world. Bichlbaum and Bonanno are back fighting corporate crime in THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD, employing what they refer to as identity correction to bring to light wrongs perpetrated on the public by Exxon, HUD, Halliburton, and Dow. They often start by creating fake Web sites that ultimately get them invited to speak at conferences and on business-related television shows, where they make statements and announce new products and programs that are both absurd and revelatory, especially when they apologize for companies that care more about profits than people. The Yes Men have elements of Sascha Baron Cohen’s Borat character, only better dressed and with less bathroom humor, making important points about the state of the world. THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD is the closing-night selection of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival; the June 25 screening will be followed by a reception. The film will be broadcast on HBO on July 27, then released theatrically October 7 at Film Forum.
© Tim Hetherington
Tim Hetherington goes inside Liberia in photo exhibit
Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery
Walter Reade Theater
65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Aves.
Open daily 1:30 — 6:00 pm through May 25
Admission: free
http://www.timhetherington.com
At last month’s New York Photo Festival, Tim Hetherington’s installation as part of the "Home for Good" exhibit was one of the stand-outs, a mix of video and still photos that imagined the violent dreams of sleeping American veterans of the war in Afghanistan. In association with the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, Hetherington is presenting "Long Story Bit by Bit: Liberia Retold," consisting of photography, oral testimony, and personal writing he collected during four years spent documenting the people and politics of the embattled African nation. In addition to being a photographer and filmmaker, the British-born, New York-based Hetherington worked as an investigator for the UN Security Council’s Liberia Sanctions Committee, giving him fascinating access to the violence and strife captured in his remarkable photos.
Multiple venues
June 10-14
Tickets:
http://www.worldsciencefestival.com
Science has taken quite a hit the last few years, as opinions and facts get confused and misinterpreted for political and financial gain. The second annual World Science Festival is back to help set the record straight, with five nights of special programming at venues all over the city, including Lincoln Center, the American Museum of Natural History, the New-York Historical Society, the 92nd St. Y, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in addition to such educational institutions as NYU, CUNY, and the New School. This year’s honoree is E. O. Wilson, who has done pioneering work in biological diversity and conservation — and is celebrating his eightieth birthday. Scheduled events feature unique conversations among Nobel laureates, paleontologists, neurobiologists, actors, musicians, high school students, scientists, philosophers, and others ready to examine the state of the planet and the human mind. Tickets generally run $12 for kids and $25 for adults; even though some programs are already sold out, there very well might be tickets available at the door, so get there early and give it a shot. Just like last year, one of the stars of the festival is Alan Alda, who will be hosting and moderating various events.
Wednesday, June 10 Opening Night Gala Performance, with Alan Alda, Glenn Close, Harrison Ford, Marin Alsop, Christine Baranski, Joshua Bell, Danny Burstein, Todd Ellison, Yo-Yo Ma, James Naughton, Anna Deavere Smith, the National Dance Institute, the Inspirational Voices of Abyssinian Baptist Church, and more, honoring Edward O. Wilson on his eightieth birthday, Alice Tully Hall, 7:00
Thursday, June 11 Pioneers in Science, with Nobel laureate Harold Varmus and marine biologist Sylvia Earle interviewed by New York City high school students, Tishman Auditorium, The New School, 4:00
Thursday, June 11 Navigating the Cosmos, multimedia presentation with Jim Gates, Lawrence Krauss, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, Hayden Planetarium, American Museum of Natural History, 6:00
Thursday, June 11 The Hudson Since Henry: A Natural and Unnatural History, multimedia presentation with Eric Sanderson, David Gonzalez, Andrew Revkin, and Alex Matthiessen, New-York Historical Society, 6:30
Thursday, June 11 WALL-E's World: Designs for an Invisible Footprint, the Museum of Arts and Design, 6:30
Thursday, June 11 Transparent Brain: Visible Thoughts, NYU Kimmel Center, 7:00
Thursday, June 11 Nothing: The Subtle Science of Emptiness, with Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek, cosmologist John Barrow, and physicists Paul Davies and Michael Turner, Tishman Auditorium, the New School, 8:00
Thursday, June 11 Carbon Conundrum: Testing Earth’s Limits, moderated by Bill Rittter, CUNY Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 8:00
Thursday, June 11 Watching Wilson and Watson . . . and the Future of Life on Earth, with Anna Deavere Smith, NYU Skirball Center, 8:00
Festival looks at altruism and humanity
with evolutionary biologists and Alan Alda
Friday, June 12 Cool Jobs, with Majora Carter, microbiologist Hazel Barton, Maurizio Seracini, and biologist Tyrone Hayes, NYU Kimmel Center, 4:00
Friday, June 12 WSF Spotlight, science happy hour, 92nd Street Y Tribeca, 5:00
Friday, June 12 !@#$% Traffic: From Insects to Interstates, NYU Kimmel Center, 7:00
Friday, June 12 Da Vinci Detective, with Maurizio Seracini, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 7:00
Friday, June 12 Picturing Earth: The Story of Life in Images, with National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting and paleontologists Michael Novacek and Derek Briggs, Elebash Hall, CUNY Graduate Center, 7:00
Friday, June 12 Matter: Stories of Atoms and Eves, the Players Club, 7:30
Friday, June 12 Portraits of Perception: The Human Face, with neurobiologist Margaret Livingstone and artist Devorah Sperber, Baruch Performing Arts Center, 8:00
Friday, June 12 What It Means to Be Human: The Enigma of Altruism, with host Alan Alda, E. O. Wilson, Sarah Hrdy, and other leading evolutionary biologists, NYU Skirball Center, 8:00
Friday, June 12 Rising Waters in a Thirsty World, Tishman Auditorium, the New School, 8:00
Friday, June 12 Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus, with scientist Daniel Levitin and musical artist Bobby McFerrin, CUNY Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 8:00
Friday, June 12 Battlestar Galactica: Cyborgs on the Horizon, with cast members of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, 92nd Street Y, 8:00
Saturday, June 13 Einstein, Time & Cool Stuff, with physicist William Phillips, NYU Kimmel Center, 12 noon
Saturday, June 13 Bio Blitzing in the Boroughs, various parks and gardens, 12 noon - 4:00 pm
Saturday, June 13 Mathemagician, with Arthur Benjamin, Tishman Auditorium, the New School 12:30
Saturday, June 13 Flash of Genius, film screening with Alan Alda, Baruch Performing Arts Center, 1:00
Saturday, June 13 Avian Einsteins, with Erich Jarvis, Irene Pepperberg, and other bird scientists, NYU Skirball Center, 2:00
Saturday, June 13 Science Faith Religion, Tishman Auditorium, the New School, 3:00
Saturday, June 13 Time Since Einstein, with physicist Sir Roger Penrose, philosopher David Albert, and others, CUNY Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 4:00
Saturday, June 13 Peak Experience, sleepover for forty children ages nine to twelve, Rubin Museum of Art, 7:00 pm - 7:00 am
Saturday, June 13 Yours to Decide: Fate, Free Will, Neither or Both? with Nobel laureate Paul Nurse, neuroscientist Patrick Haggard, psychologist Daniel Wegner, and philosopher Alfred Mele, 92nd Street Y, 8:00
Saturday, June 13 Time: The Familiar Stranger, with neurologist Oliver Sacks and psychologist Daniel Gilbert, CUNY Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 8:00
Saturday, June 13 Infinite Worlds: A Journey through Parallel Universes, with physicist Brian Greene, cosmologists Alan Guth and Andrei Linde, and philosopher Nick Bostrom, moderated by Robert Krulwich and with a musical interlude by DJ Spooky, NYU Skirball Center, 8:00
Saturday, June 13 A New Look at Nuclear Power, Tishman Auditorium, the New School, 8:00
Saturday, June 13 Emily at the Edge of Chaos, performance by comedian Ellen Levine, followed by a discussion with Levine and physicists Lawrence Krauss and Janna Levin, Baruch Performing Arts Center, 8:00
Sunday, June 14 World Science Festival Youth and Family Street Fair, including the Math Factory, Authors Alley (including E. O. Wilson, Lawrence Krauss, Eric W. Sanderson, Richard Wrangham, Brian Floca, Mary Stetten Carson, Evalyn Gates, Deborah Heiligman, Bill Schutt, Lucy Hawking, Carl Zimmer, Arthur Benjamin, Laurel Neme, and Meg Daley Olmert), Discovery Labs, Bio Blitzing in the Boroughs: What Did You Find? (with E. O. Wilson, Mark Moffett, and others), the CSI Experience, Central Park Zoo’s Wildlife Theater, the Bio Bus, Cooper Union’s Formula SAE Racing, Franklin Institute Traveling Scientists, demonstrations from the NY Hall of Science, "Galileo: The Starry Messenger," Math for America, a hands-on exhibit from the New York Botanical Garden, New York City / New Jersey FIRST Robotics, and more, Washington Square Park, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Cruz Angeles’s DON’T LET ME DROWN opens BAM fest
BAMcinématek, BAM Rose Cinemas
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
June 17 — July 2
Tickets: $11 unless otherwise noted
718-636-4100
The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s inaugural BAMcinemaFEST celebrates ten years of bringing the best in international and independent cinema to BAM Rose Cinemas in exciting series that often feature appearances by filmmakers, actors, and journalists as well as CinemaChats with Elliott Stein. The festival will include eighteen new works by such up-and-coming directors as Andrew Bujalski, Bradley Rust Gray, and Nicolas Winding Refn, sneak peeks at films that will open in theaters later this year. The BAMcinématekalogue sidebar will be screening seven films that have been part of previous BAM series, offering another look at such unique fare as Jim Jarmusch’s DEAD MAN, Luchino Visconti’s THE LEOPARD, Marco Bellocchio’s SISTERS (SORELLE), and two films chosen by Arnaud Desplechin, Wes Anderson’s THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (followed by a discussion with Desplechin and film critic Kent Jones) and François Truffaut’s MISSISSIPPI MERMAID (introduced by Desplechin). There will also be two special outdoor programs, including a free screening of Catherine Gund’s WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? in Fort Greene Park, in addition to a special presentation of Fritz Lang’s METROPOLIS with a live score by the Irish group 3epkano. And to round things off, on June 27 BAM will stay open all night long, offering three triple features starting at 11:15 pm, highlighting Diana Ross, current Scientologists, and stoner movies.
Wednesday, June 17 Opening Night Film and Party: DON’T LET ME DROWN (Cruz Angeles, 2008), $20, 7:30
Thursday, June 18 CHILDREN OF INVENTION (Tze Chun, 2008), 6:30
Thursday June 18 BROCK ENRIGHT: GOOD TIMES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME (Jody Lee Lipes, 2009), 9:30
Friday, June 19 BIG FAN (Robert Siegel, 2008), 6:30
Friday, June 19 YOU WON’T MISS ME (Ry Russo-Young, 2009), 9:30
Saturday, June 20 WILLIAM KUNSTLER: DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE (Emily Kunstler & Sarah Kunstler, 2009), followed by a Q&A moderated by Amy Goodman, 12:30
Saturday, June 20 CHILDREN OF INVENTION (Tze Chun, 2008), 3:15
Saturday, June 20 HUMPDAY (Lynn Shelton, 2009), 6:30
Saturday, June 20 IN THE LOOP (Armando Iannucci, 2008), 9:00
Sunday, June 21 Repertory Classics: DO THE RIGHT THING (Spike Lee, 1989), 12:30
Sunday, June 21 BEESWAX (Andrew Bujalski, 2009), 6:15
Sunday, June 21 EVERYTHING STRANGE AND NEW (Frazer Bradshaw, 2009), 3:30
Sunday, June 21 BRONSON (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2008), 9:00
Monday, June 22 THE GLASS HOUSE (Hamid Rahmanian, 2008), 6:30
Monday, June 22 BIG FAN (Robert Siegel, 2008), 9:30
Tuesday, June 23 YOU WON’T MISS ME (Ry Russo-Young, 2009), 6:30
Tuesday, June 23 EVERYTHING STRANGE AND NEW (Frazer Bradshaw, 2009), 9:30
Wednesday, June 24 BROCK ENRIGHT: GOOD TIMES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME (Jody Lee Lipes, 2009), 6:30
Wednesday, June 24 SORRY, THANKS (Dia Sokol, 2009), 9:30
Thursday, June 25 THE EXPLODING GIRL (Bradley Rust Gray, 2009), 6:30
Thursday, June 25 Outdoor Screening: WILLIAM KUNSTLER: DISTURBING THE UNIVERSE (Emily Kunstler & Sarah Kunstler, 2009), GGMC Parking Lot adjacent to the Mark Morris Dance Center, $11, 9:00
Thursday, June 25 THE SQUARE (Nash Edgerton, 2009), preceded by SPIDER (Nash Edgerton, 2008), 9:30
Friday, June 26 PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI (Paul Saltzman, 2008), 6:30
Friday, June 26 REPORTER (Eric Daniel Metzgar, 2008), 9:30
Saturday, June 27 Outdoor Screening: WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? (Catherine Gund, 2009), Fort Greene Park, free, 9:00
Futuristic classic gets special screening at Brooklyn fest
Saturday, June 27 Centerpiece: METROPOLIS (Fritz Lang, 1927), with live musical accompaniment by 3epkano, $15, 5:30 & 9:00
Saturday, June 27 BAMcinématek All Night Marathon 1 — Diana Ross Coming Out: THE WIZ (Sidney Lumet, 1978), 12 midnight, and MAHOGANY (Berry Gordy, 1975), 2:30 am
Saturday, June 27 BAMcinématek All Night Marathon 2 — Before They Were Scientologists: TOP GUN (Tony Scott, 1986), 11:15, LOOK WHO’S TALKING TOO (Amy Heckerling, 1990), 1:30 am, and STAYING ALIVE (Sylvester Stallone, 1983), 3:00 am
Saturday, June 27 BAMcinématek All Night Marathon 3 — All Night Bong: SMILEY FACE (Gregg Araki, 2007), 11:15 pm, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (David Gordon Green, 2008), 1:00 am, and FRIDAY (F. Gary Gray, 1995), 3:00 am
Saturday, June 27 BAMcinématek All Night Marathon 4 — BAMcinématek FAVORITES: IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai, 2000), 11:15 pm, MILLENNIUM MAMBO (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2001), 1:15 am, and DEMONLOVER (Olivier Assayas, 2002), 3:15 am
Sunday, June 28 Shorts Sunday: four programs, 12:30, 3:15, 6:00, 9:00
Monday, June 29 BAMcinematekalogue: MARKETA LAZAROVÁ (Frantisek Vlácil, 1967), 7:30
Tuesday, June 30 BAMcinematekalogue: SORELLE (SISTERS) (Marco Bellocchio, 2006), 6:15
Tuesday, June 30 BAMcinematekalogue: THE LEOPARD (Luchino Visconti, 1963), 8:00
Wednesday, July 1 BAMcinematekalogue — An Evening with Arnaud Desplechin: THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson, 2001), followed by a discussion with director Arnaud Desplechin and film critic Kent Jones, 6:15
Wednesday, July 1 BAMcinematekalogue — An Evening with Arnaud Desplechin: MISSISSIPPI MERMAID (François Truffaut, 1969), 9:30
Thursday, July 2 BAMcinematekalogue: DEAD MAN (Jim Jarmusch, 1995), 6:30
Thursday, July 2 BAMcinematekalogue: INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN (Yuen Chor, 1972), 9:30
twi-ny/mdr
Fans can see live music from Jessica Stockholder’s colorful installation
Madison Square Park
Broadway & Madison Ave. and Twenty-third & Twenty-fifth Sts.
Wednesday nights June 17 - August 5
Blankets encouraged, no chairs allowed
Admission: free
https://www.madisonsquarepark.org
Beautiful Madison Square Park is home to some of the best music, art, and food in the city. People flock to one of the former sites of Madison Square Garden in order to wait forever for a burger and fries at the Shake Shack, listen to free live music, and check out site-specific installations such as the current "Flooded Chambers Maid," a colorful if not particularly thrilling construction that comprises a viewing stand, a garden, and an arrow-shaped platform. This summer’s diverse roster of free shows at seven on Wednesday nights include Latino sounds, bluegrass, folk, funk, jazz, and alt-country, with members of the Wainwright-Roche family, the legendary John Scofield, popular singers Jonatha Brooke and Raul Malo, and the great Don Byron playing the music of the great Junior Walker. More so than at other outdoor music concerts, many people come just to hang out and have a picnic, talking incessantly through the shows, and that might actually get worse since Stockholder’s piece is so kid-friendly, so be careful about where you sit, because it could get noisy. (Please note that the starting time is either 6:00 or 7:00, so make sure you get to your show on time.)
Wednesday, June 17 Loudon Wainwright III, Sloan Wainwright, and Lucy Wainwright Roche, 6:00
Wednesday, June 24 Alex Cuba, 7:00
Wednesday, July 1 The Claire Lynch Band, Missy Raines and the New Hip, and open-pit BBQ from Hill Country Barbeque Market, 6:00
Wednesday, July 8 The Duhks and Red Molly, 6:00
Wednesday, July 15 Don Byron Plays Junior Walker, 7:00
Wednesday, July 22 Jonatha Brooke, 7:00
Wednesday, July 29 Raul Malo, 7:00
Wednesday, August 5 The John Scofield Trio, 7:00
Stuyvesant Town Oval
Enter at First Ave. at 16th St.
Wednesday nights at 7:00 through July 15
Admission: free
Competing on Wednesday nights with the concerts in Madison Square Park, Stuyvesant Town hosts its own great series, this year featuring another terrific lineup, kicking off with the afro-soul of the Budos Band and including Memphis punk Jay Reatard, the Brazilian sounds of Forro in the Dark, and shoegazer Kaki King. Each show is supplemented by such hot DJs as Honeydripper, Probus, and Justin Carter.
Wednesday, June 10 The Budos Band, with DJ Honeydripper
Wednesday, June 17 Phenomenal Handclap Band, with DJ Duane Harriott
Wednesday, June 24 Easy Star All-Stars, with Ticklah
Wednesday, July 1 Jay Reatard, with DJs Doug Mosurock and Mr. Vacation
Wednesday, July 8 Forro in the Dark, with DJ Probus
Wednesday, July 15 Kaki King, with DJs Justin Carter and Raspberry Jones
New Kim Ki-duk film is one of festival highlights
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
June 19 — July 5
212-924-7771
One of our favorite film festivals of the year, NYAFF, run by our friends at Subway Cinema, features dozens of cool flicks from all over Asia, including China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Vietnam. The opening night film is Wai Ka-fai’s WRITTEN BY, the centerpiece selection is Yoshihiro Nishimura and Naoyuki Tomomatsu’s VAMPIRE GIRL VERSUS FRANKENSTEIN GIRL, and the closing night choice is the world premiere of Sion Sono’s BE SURE TO SHARE. As always, there’s an eclectic mix of gangster movies, horror, black comedy, love stories, and indescribable genres, ensuring that there’ something for everyone. And several of the directors and stars will be on hand to introduce their films and participate in postscreening Q&As. Tickets are going fast, so get yours now.
Friday, June 19 EMPRESS AND THE WARRIORS (2008, Ching Siu-tung), 12:00
Friday, June 19 EYE IN THE SKY (2007, Yau Nai-hoi), 2:00
Friday, June 19 MONSTER X STRIKES BACK: ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT (2008, Minoru Kawasaki) and GEHARA: THE LONG-HAIRED GIANT MONSTER (2009, Kiyotaka Taguchi), 3:45
Friday, June 19 THE WARLORDS (2007, Peter Chan), 6:30
Friday, June 19 WRITTEN BY (2009, Wai Ka-fai), with introduction and Q&A with director Wai Ka-fai and star Lau Ching-wan, 9:00
Friday, June 19 GROPER TRAIN: BLACK PEARL (1984, Yojiro Takita) and JAPANESE WIFE NEXT DOOR (2004, Yutaka Ikejima), 11:30
Friday, June 19 YOROI SAMURAI ZOMBIE (2008, Tak Sakaguchi), 12:00
Saturday, June 20 DREAM (2008, Kim Ki-duk), 11:30
Saturday, June 20 TACTICAL UNIT: COMRADES IN ARMS (2008, Law Wing-cheong), 1:30
Saturday, June 20 PLASTIC CITY (2008, Yu Lik-wai), 3:30
Saturday, June 20 THE LONGEST NITE (1998, Patrick Yau), 5:30
Saturday, June 20 K-20: LEGEND OF THE MASK (2008, Shimako Sato), 8:15
Saturday, June 20 WHEN THE FULL MOON RISES (2008, Mamat Khalid), 11:30
Saturday, June 20 SAMURAI PRINCESS (2009, Kengo Kaji), presented by its producer and special effects director, Yoshihiro Nishimura, and visual effects director, Tsuyoshi Kazuno, 11:30
Sunday, June 21 20th CENTURY BOYS (2008, Yukihiko Tsutsumi), 11:30
Sunday, June 21 20th CENTURY BOYS 2 (2009, Yukihiko Tsutsumi), 2:15
Sunday, June 21 MAGAZINE GAP ROAD (2007, Nick Chin), with introduction and Q&A with director Nick Chin, 5:00
Sunday, June 21 WRITTEN BY (2009, Wai Ka-fai), with introduction and Q&A with director Wai Ka-fai and star Lau Ching-wan, 11:30
Sunday, June 21 DACHIMAWA LEE (2008, Ryu Seung-wan), introduced by director Ryu Seung-Wan, 9:45
Monday, June 22 CAPE No. 7 (2008, Wei Te-sheng), 11:00
Monday, June 22 ANTIQUE (2008, Min Gyu-Dong), 1:25
Monday, June 22 EYE IN THE SKY (2007, Yau Nai-hoi), 3:25
Monday, June 22 TACTICAL UNIT: COMRADES IN ARMS (2008, Law Wing-cheong), 5:20
Monday, June 22 IP MAN (2008, Wilson Yip), 7:15
Monday, June 22 THE CLONE RETURNS HOME (2008, Kanji Nakajima), 9:30
Tuesday, June 23 OLD FISH (2007, Gao Qunshu), 11:00
Tuesday, June 23 HIGH NOON (2009, Mak Hei-yan), 1:05
Tuesday, June 23 EQUATION OF LOVE AND DEATH (2008, Cao Baoping), 3:10
Tuesday, June 23 QUICK GUN MURUGAN 2009, Shashanka Ghosh), 5:10
Tuesday, June 23 THE WARLORDS (2007, Peter Chan), 7:15
Tuesday, June 23 ROUGH CUT (2008, Jang Hun), with introduction by star So Ji-sup, 9:30
Kengo Kaji splatterfest should be a hoot
Wednesday, June 24 CHILDREN OF THE DARK (2008, Junji Sakamoto), 1:25
Wednesday, June 24 IF YOU ARE THE ONE (2008, Feng Xiaogang), 4:00
Wednesday, June 24 ROUGH CUT (2008, Jang Hun), preceded by Rising Star Asia award presentation with actress Kong Hyo-jin and actor So Ji-sup, 6:30
Wednesday, June 24 CRUSH AND BLUSH (2008, Lee Kyeong-Mi), with introduction by star Kong Hyo-jin, 9:15
Thursday, June 25 PLASTIC CITY (2008, Yu Lik-wai), 11:00
Thursday, June 25 OLD FISH (2007, Gao Qunshu), 1:00
Thursday, June 25 MAGAZINE GAP ROAD (2007, Nick Chin), 3:10
Thursday, June 25 CRUSH AND BLUSH (2008, Lee Kyeong-Mi), with introduction by star Kong Hyo-jin, 5:00
Thursday, June 25 BREATHLESS (2009, Lee Hwan & Yang Ik-joon), 7:15
Thursday, June 25 HOUSE (1977, Nobuhiko Obayashi), introduced by its devoted fans, directors Yoshihiro Nishimura and Noboru Iguchi, and featuring video message from director Nobuhiko Obayashi 10:00
Friday, June 26 RAINBOW TROOPS (2008, Riri Riza), 11:00
Friday, June 26 SNAKES AND EARRINGS (2008, Yukio Ninagawa), 1:15
Friday, June 26 MSFF Korean Short Films Program #1, 3:40
Friday, June 26 DACHIMAWA LEE (2008, Ryu Seung-wan), with introduction by star Kong Hyo-jin, 5:30
Friday, June 26 VAMPIRE GIRL vs. FRANKENSTEIN GIRL (2008, Naoyuki Tomomatsu & Yoshihiro Nishimura), with introduction by and Q&A with director Nishimura and action director Tak Sakaguchi, 7:30
Friday, June 26 YOROI SAMURAI ZOMBIE (2008, Tak Sakaguchi), with introduction by and Q&A with director Tak Sakaguchi, 9:45
Friday, June 26 Pink Film Double Feature: BLIND LOVE (2005, Daisuke Goto) and GROPER TRAIN: WEDDING CAPRICCIO (1984, Yojiro Takita), with introduction by director Daisuke Goto, 11:55
Friday, June 26 HARD REVENGE MILLY (2008, Takanori Tsujimoto), with introduction by Nishimura, 12:15
Available on DVD
Loosely adapted from the book by John Godey, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE wonderfully captures the cynicism of 1970s New York City. Four heavily armed and mustached men — Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw), Mr. Green (Martin Balsam), Mr. Gray (Hector Elizondo), and Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman), colorful pseudonyms that influenced Quentin Tarantino’s RESERVOIR DOGS — hijack an uptown 4 train, demanding one million dollars in one hour from a nearly bankrupt city or else they will kill all eighteen passengers, one at a time, minute by minute. The hapless mayor (Lee Wallace) is in bed with the flu, so Deputy Mayor Warren LaSalle (Tony Roberts) takes charge on the political end while transit detective Lt. Zachary Garber (a great Walter Matthau) and Inspector Daniels (Julius Harris) of the NYPD team up to try to figure out just how in the world the criminals expect to get away with the seemingly impossible heist. Directed by Joseph Sargent (SYBIL), the film offers a nostalgic look back at a bygone era, before technology radically changed the way trains are run and police work is handled. The film also features a very funny, laconic Jerry Stiller as Lt. Rico Patrone and the beloved Kenneth McMillan as the borough commander. The film was remade as a television movie in 1998, starring Edward James Olmos, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Lorraine Bracco, and as a big-budget feature in 2009 by Tony Scott (who is also remaking THE WARRIORS), with Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, James Gandolfini, and Luis Guzman.
Malcolm McDowell prepares for some ultraviolence in Kubrick classic
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
Weekends at midnight through July 4
212-924-7771
The IFC Center’s series of midnight weekend screenings of Stanley Kubrick films continues on June 12-13 with 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, an unforgettable cinematic experience that is a treat for the eyes and the ears. Then IFC turns back the clock to Kubrick’s first film, the seldom-screened New York City-set noir KILLER’S KISS, followed by his second movie, the great heist film THE KILLING, starring Sterling Hayden. The series concludes with three viewings of the controversial classic A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, adapted from the novel by Anthony Burgess and filled with a language and violence all its own.
Friday, June 12
through
Saturday, June 13 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
Friday, June 19
and
Saturday, June 20 KILLER’S KISS (Stanley Kubrick, 1955)
Friday, June 26
and
Saturday, June 27 THE KILLING (Stanley Kubrick, 1956)
Thursday, July 2
through
Saturday, July 4 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (Stanley Kubrick, 1956)
Al Pacino can’t believe the crowd in Bryant Park for free films
Bryant Park
Sixth Ave. from 40th to 42nd Sts.
Monday nights through August 20
Lawn opens at 5:00 pm for blankets and picnicking
Films begin at dusk (between 8:00 & 9:00 pm)
Admission: free
212-512-5700/212-983-4142
Bryant Park seems to be home to everyone’s favorite free outdoor summer film festival, and this year’s lineup is another great, wide-ranging group of movies, ten classics (well, nine, really) that should be a welcome way to end the awful Monday workday. Things get going on June 15 with THE STING, one of the most entertaining films ever made, and continues with BREAKING AWAY, about which you can just about say the same thing. People in the packed park will be chanting, "Attica! Attica!" along with Al Pacino on July 6, and they’ll be rooting for Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Steve McQueen, and the rest of the magnificent seven on August 10. Just remember to get their early if you actually want to watch the movie and not just sit way in the back and hang out with friends.
Monday, June 15 THE STING (George Roy Hill, 1973)
Monday, June 22 BREAKING AWAY (Peter Yates, 1979)
Monday, June 29 GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933)
Monday, July 6 DOG DAY AFTERNOON (Sydney Lumet, 1975)
Monday, July 13 HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (John Ford, 1941)
Monday, July 20 HAROLD AND MAUDE (Hal Ashby, 1971)
Monday, July 27 THE DEFIANT ONES (Stanley Kramer, 1958)
Monday, August 3 KRAMER VS. KRAMER (Robert Benton, 1979)
Monday, August 10 THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (John Sturges, 1960)
Monday, August 17 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
Doc will get under viewers’ skin
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
Opens Friday, June 19
212-924-7771
For everyone who thought Lyme disease was a minor little annoyance that is going away, Andy Abrahams Wilson is about to open your eyes. In UNDER OUR SKIN, the director-cinematographer details horrifying stories of men, women, and children stricken with the tic-borne illness who have often been misdiagnosed for years by doctors and health-care companies that believe their symptoms are all in their head — or that they are actually suffering from fibromyalgia, lupus, MS, or other diseases. Wilson, who refused to believe that his twin sister had contracted the potentially debilitating illness many years ago, speaks with people battling Lyme disease — which affects the neurological system, causing both physical and psychological problems — as well as family members dealing with difficult situations, doctors who are finding it harder to get funding to do research into the causes of the disease, and even one physician who seems to be on a personal mission to prove that most people who claim to have Lyme disease do not — and that they should not be covered by insurance companies. Unsurprisingly, as with so many health-related issues, it’s always best to follow the money, which Wilson does, uncovering some fascinating and infuriating information. UNDER OUR SKIN is a powerful, important film, one that will leave you scratching your head — in addition to other parts of your body.
DJ Spooky goes deep inside BIRTH OF A NATION in multimedia examination
MoMA Film
Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
June 22-28
Tickets: $10, in person only, may be applied to museum admission within thirty days, same-day screenings free with museum admission, available at Film and Media Desk
212-708-9400
http://www.rebirthofanation.com
MoMA will be showing DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid’s multimedia reexamination of D. W. Griffith’s controversial 1915 film, the epic BIRTH OF A NATION, for a special one-week run, with DJ Spooky (Paul D. Miller) on hand to introduce the opening-night screening. The piece was first performed in New York at the 2004 Lincoln Center Festival; Miller reinvigorated it for the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, where we saw one of the live performances at the World Financial Center Winter Garden that were filmed for the DVD release. MoMA will also be presenting the original BIRTH OF A NATION on June 25 at 4:30 and June 27 at 1:15, with live musical accompaniment by Jon Spurney (June 25) and Ben Model (June 27).
Yojiro Takita’s DEPARTURES examines man with very unusual job
Quad Cinema
34 West 13th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
212-255-8800
http://departures-themovie.com
After the orchestra in which he plays cello is dissolved, Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) and his wife, Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) leave Tokyo and head back to his hometown in Yamagata. Seeing a classified ad in the local paper listing a job in “departures,” Daigo schedules an interview, thinking it is a travel agent position. But as it turns out, the boss, Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki), claims it was a typo — it should have read “the departed” — and immediately hires Daigo as his assistant encoffinor. Daigo quickly learns that he and Sasaki attend to the newly dead, picking them up for funeral directors and then preparing the bodies, in front of grieving friends and family, for the coffins and cremation through an elaborate, detailed ceremony. Daigo takes the job out of financial desperation — Sasaki throws money at him to come on board — but doesn’t tell anyone, including Mika, what he is doing, since people who work in businesses involving corpses are shunned in Japan, considered dirty. But as Daigo grows to appreciate the importance of what Sasaki does, everything he has built threatens to fall apart when his secret starts getting out.
Winner of the 2008 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film (As well as ten Japan Academy Prizes), DEPARTURES is a moving portrait of life and death, told beautifully by director Yojiro Takita (WHENT THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN, ONMYOJI) and screenwriter Kundo Koyama. Motoki, who had the original idea for the film, gives a wonderfully subtle performance as a Daigo, while Yamazaki is a riot as the stern boss with a sly sense of humor. Despite an embarrassingly unnecessary montage scene and sappy music by Joe Hisaishi (who’s never met an emotion he couldn’t overexploit), DEPARTURES is a moving portrait of a man searching for his place in the world — and meeting personal and professional obstacles when he thinks he might have found it.
Sam Raimi returns to horror with DRAG ME TO HELL
Michigan-born writer/director/producer Sam Raimi makes a welcome return to the horror genre with DRAG ME TO HELL, his first thriller since 2000’s THE GIFT and only his second legitimate scarefest since 1987’s EVIL DEAD II. (In the interim, he has made such films as A SIMPLE PLAN, THE QUICK AND THE DEAD, FOR LOVE OF THE GAME, ARMY OF DARKNESS, DARKMAN, and the SPIDER-MAN trilogy.) Battling for a promotion, loan officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) decides not to give old, decrepit Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) a third extension on her mortgage. But the vile-looking woman won’t give up that easy, getting into a frightening physical fight with Christine that ends when the craggy old bat casts a wicked spell on her. Christine tries to return to her safe, conventional life with her boyfriend, Clay Dalton (Justin “I’m a Mac” Long), but she is haunted by an evil creature that just might drag her to hell in three days if she can’t find a way to stop it. Written by Raimi and his brother Ivan, DRAG ME TO HELL is a potent mix of horror and humor, ire and irony, always ready with a funny joke or two, its tongue firmly imbedded in its cheek — when it’s not rolling out of Mrs. Ganush’s absolutely disgusting mouth.
Spock and Kirk go back to the beginning in newest STAR TREK flick
Just as Kirk has his Khan, Spock gets his Nero in J. J. Abrams’s immensely entertaining time-traveling STAR TREK movie. Abrams (LOST) goes back to the very beginning, with the tumultuous birth of one James Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine), whose father was a legendary member of Star Fleet. Soon he winds up aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, surrounded by a crew that includes a logical Vulcan named Spock (Zachary Quinto); Uhura (Zoe Saldana), a hot language specialist; Leonard "Bones" McCoy (Karl Urban), a goofy doctor; seventeen-year-old helmsman Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin); engineer extraordinaire Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg); and rookie pilot and swordsman Hikaru Sulu (John Cho). In this sort-of Star Trek Babies tale, the young cadets are suddenly thrust into action with Captain Pike (Bruce Greenwood), on a mission that involves evil villain Nero (Eric Bana), a rogue Romulan with an ax to grind. STAR TREK fans will love all the little homages to the series and the previous films, with both obvious and obscure references every step of the way as we learn how this famous crew first met one another and developed their extremely familiar relationships.
Juliette Binoche stars in Olivier Assayas’s latest
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
212-924-7771
Lincoln Plaza Cinemas
1886 Broadway between 62nd & 63rd Sts.
212-757-0359
http://lincolnplaza.moviefone.com
At their annual family gathering, Frédéric (Charles Berling), Adrienne (Juliette Binoche), and Jérémie (Jérémie Renier) are celebrating their mother’s seventy-fifth birthday. But Hélène (Edith Scob) does not care about the present; instead, she is more concerned with preserving the past and preparing for the future. She pulls aside her oldest, Frédéric (Assayas’s on-screen alter ego), to tell him what to do with her belongings after she’s gone, but he is not ready to think about that. Her house is more like a museum, filled with valuable works of art and furniture that were collected by her uncle, a famous painter who died thirty years before. Frédéric would prefer to keep the house intact, donating a few items to the Musee d’Orsay and saving the rest for the next generation, but Adrienne and Jérémie don’t necessarily feel the same way, and Frédéric’s and Jérémie’s kids fail to see any value in the pieces, including two oil paintings by Camille Corot, begrudgingly noting that they’re from a different era. While Frédéric, a professor who has written a controversial book about the state of the economy, attaches personal memories to each object, Adrienne, a successful designer in New York, is more interested in the functionality of things, and Jérémie, who manages a company that profits from cheap labor in China, sees only monetary value. As the three siblings discuss what to do with their mother’s estate, relationships come into focus, and a long-held secret emerges.
Written and directed by Olivier Assayas (LES DESTINÉES SENTIMENTALES, DEMONLOVER, IRMA VEP), SUMMER HOURS, which was selected for the 2008 New York Film Festival, is a thoughtful, intelligent slice-of-life story that avoids overbearing cliches and melodramatic moments; there are no blow-ups or overemotional scenes. Instead, the family deals with its situation directly and matter-of-factly, a sort of French CHERRY ORCHARD for the twenty-first century. However, Assayas does include far too many red herrings, little flourishes of cinematic language that seem to set something up that never comes full circle. The project was initiated by the Musee d’Orsay, which had commissioned a group of international directors to make short films related to the institution’s holdings. Assayas’s friend and colleague Hou Hsiao Hsien ended up making the full-length FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON, which also starred Binoche. Although the project later fell apart, Assayas combined the idea with the worsening condition of his mother, resulting in a bittersweet and very personal work.
Eleanor works out something new for latest FF album
(le) poisson rouge
150 Bleecker St.
Thursday, June 11, $15, 7:00
212-505-fish
http://www.myspace.com/lepoissonrougenyc
http://www.thefieryfurnaces.com
Brooklyn’s own Fiery Furnaces are in the midst of a four-day romp through Philly, New York City, Boston, and Wellfleet, MA, playing their upcoming release, I’M GOING AWAY (Thrill Jockey, July 21, 2009) in its entirety, but not in album order. “Sing along to songs you don’t know!” they recently tweeted, and we heartily agree. Be sure to know these tunes as soon as you can, because the disc is another outstanding collection of eclectic music and lyrics by the Friedberger siblings, keyboardist Matthew and singer Eleanor, along with bassist Jason Loewenstein and drummer Robert D’Amico. They also promise to open the show with “Here Comes the Summer” on what they’re calling their “unreleased album tour jaunt,” offering “more hot times in the city and the beach jaunt of a lifetime.” On the new album, Eleanor’s quirky delivery leads the way through such great numbers as “The End Is Near,” “Charmaine Champagne,” “Ray Bouvier,” “Take Me Round Again,” and the title track as well as the radio-friendly, nearly anthemic (?!) “Even in the Rain.” They’ll be debuting the tunes on June 11 at (le) poisson rouge — in the round — as part of the Wordless Music Series. We’ll have more to say about this terrific album the next time the band comes to town; in the meantime, don’t miss this special show — for which the band will be giving out a handful of guest list spots via Twitter.
Mika Miko comes to town with frantic new record
Saturday, June 13, Market Hotel, 1142 Myrtle Ave. at Broadway, 8:00
Sunday, June 14, the Cake Shop, 152 Ludlow St. between Stanton & Rivington Sts., $8, 8:30
http://www.myspace.com/mikamiko
http://www.myspace.com/markethotelnyc
Mika Miko’s latest album, WE BE XUXA (Post Present Medium, May 2009), is not the kind of music to make love to — unless you’re in a real hurry. The songs speed by at a furious, frantic pace — including a cover of the Urinals’ "Sex," which clocks in at a non-Viagra-like sixty-five seconds. In the same vein, "On the Rise" is 1:48, "Beat the Rush" 1:57, and "Johnson R. Cool" 1:35. Lovers have a little more time with "Sex Jazz," three minutes and five seconds of slower, more experimental meanderings. The album opener, "Blues Not Speed," does not quite live up to its title, as it races by in a flurry of guitars; "Keep on Calling" includes a surprise smattering of blaring horns. And there’s such an explosion of sound on "Totion" that it literally ends with an explosion. Formed in 2004 in L.A. and part of the Smell crowd that has also brought us Abe Vigoda and No Age, Mika Miko — consisting of Jessie Clavin, Jenna Thornhill, Jennifer Clavin, Michelle Suarez, and the very brave Seth Densham — will be at Market Hotel on June 13 with the Strange Boys, Coathangers, and Fiasco and at Cake Shop the next night with Silk Flowers, X-Ray Eyeballs, and the Strange Boys again.
Miss Derringer will get conceptual at the Highline Ballroom
Highline Ballroom
431 West 16th St. between Ninth & Tenth Aves.
Friday, June 19, $10-$12, 7:00
212-414-5994
http://www.myspace.com/missderringer
http://www.highlineballroom.com
“I’ve never been afraid of broken hearts,” singer Liz McGrath declares on “Click Click, Bang Bang,” the opening song of Miss Derringer’s latest album, WINTER HILL (Nickel and Dime / Triple X, July 14). What follows are nine more groovin’ tunes that together form a soundtrack to a movie you’ve never seen but think you might have. WINTER HILL is a concept album in feel, sound, and attitude if not actual narrative, inspired by the infamous Winter Hill gang in Somerville, MA, which began their dirty dealings in the early 1960s. The song titles alone tell much of the story, from “Bulletproof Heart” and “Black Tears” to “Heartbreaks and Razorblades” and “Drop Shot Dead.” The L.A.-based band, featuring McGrath on vocals, Ben Shields and Morgan Slade on guitars, Sylvain de Muizon on bass, and Cody James on drums, have created no mere retro gimmick, instead mixing punk, girl-group pop, and outlaw biker rebel music, leaving in their wake a plethora of lost love, broken hearts, and loneliness, as well as infectious guitar lines, soaring background vocals, and even a tender throwback ballad. Miss Derringer will be playing the early show at Highline Ballroom on June 19 with San Antonio garage punks Girl in a Coma.
Amy Speace will unleash the killer within at CD release show
Joe’s Pub
425 Lafayette St. at Fourth Ave.
Friday, June 19, $15 (includes magazine subscription), 9:30
212-967-7555
http://www.myspace.com/amyspeace
Born in Baltimore, raised in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and based in the New York City area for many years, singer-songwriter Amy Speace mixes country, rock, and folk in her heartfelt songs, reaching deeper than ever on her latest album, THE KILLER IN ME (Wildflower, June 24). Produced by FOT (friend of twi-ny) James Mastro, who also plays lead guitar in Speace’s band, the Tearjerks, the record features thirteen emotionally honest tunes, with Speace concentrating primarily on love and death. “You write the things that you’re afraid to say out loud,” she points out in the liner notes. Roaming into Lucinda Williams / Rosanne Cash territory, Speace gets bluesy in “Dirty Little Secret,” poetic in “Blue Horizon” (“If love were to die without apology / Take these tears you claim are lies / Wipe out the wishing stars, wipe out the warming sun / Leave the moon to grieve the sky”), and intensely personal in “Piece by Piece,” written for her father after his older brother died; the song ends with glorious sounds that lift and then calm the soul. Speace goes honky-tonkin’ on the irresistible “I Met My Love,” dueting with the great Ian Hunter, who also sings backup on the powerful title track. (Producer-guitarist Mastro also plays in Hunter’s Rant Band, which will be playing Rockefeller Park for free on June 24; see below for more info.) Speace shows both her inner strength and her tender vulnerability throughout the record: “If I’m good enough for you, am I good enough for me?” she asks on “Dirty Little Secret,” while she admits that “we all lie just to get by” on “Would I Lie,” written immediately after she learned of the death of Johnny Cash. THE KILLER IN ME is a worthy follow-up to her breakthrough disc, 2006’s SONGS FOR BRIGHT STREET. She’ll be celebrating the release of the album on June 19 at Joe’s Pub, an intimate setting for such an intimate record.
Aubrey Edwards
Glasslands Gallery
289 Kent Ave. between South First & South Second Sts.
Saturday, June 20, $6, 7:30
The Austin-based trio of bassist Eric Larson, drummer Jeff Barrera, and singer-guitarist Lauren Larson are touring behind their explosive SUNSHOWER EP, which has been blasting out of speakers since its release this past February. Lauren Larson’s shrieking guitar rips it up through the five songs, tearing apart “The Conductor,” “Pendulum,” and “East of Hercules” while balancing in whispery vocals. Elements of punk, metal, and hardcore show up as well, with killer riffs driving the band’s powerful sound. They’ll be playing at the Glasslands Gallery on June 20 with local bands Aloke and Black Swan Green in what should be a loud and raucous show.
Sylvain Sylvain and David Johansen will be getting all dolled up in Williamsburg
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North Sixth St.
Monday, June 22, $32.50-$35, 9:00
http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com
The New York Dolls will be playing Williamsburg in support of their latest record, 'CAUSE I SEZ SO (Atco, May 2009), headlining a bill with Black Joe Lewis & the Honey Bears and the Madison Square Gardeners. The Dolls are down to just two original members, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, but they still pack quite a punch. The new album, produced by Todd Rundgren, who also produced the group's 1973 debut record, features loud, in-your-face glam-rock psychedelia as well as some "Trash," er, actually, a slowed-down version of one of their all-time classics. Johnny Thunders, Arthur "Killer" Kane, and Jerry Nolan may no longer be among us, but DJo and SylSyl are keeping the faith, with Steve Conte on guitar, Brian Delaney on drums, and Sami Yaffa on bass. We’ve seen them several times since they reunited, and they are an absolute blast.
twi-ny/mdr
Ian Hunter & the Rant Band will be playing
free show in Rockefeller Park
River to River Festival
Rockefeller Park in Battery Park City
Wednesday, June 24, free, 7:00
212-945-0505
http://www.rivertorivernyc.com
For more than forty years, Shropshire-born glam rocker Ian Hunter has not only had the best hair in the business, golden locks that still light up a room, but he has been making outstanding music that keeps falling below the radar. From his days with Mott the Hoople through such solo albums as ALL AMERICAN ALIEN BOY (1976), YOU’RE NEVER ALONE WITH A SCHIZOPHRENIC (1979), ALL THE GOOD ONES ARE TAKEN (1983), THE ARTFUL DODGER (1996), RANT (2001), and SHRUNKEN HEADS (2007), Hunter has proved himself to be a unique songwriter with a very dry, wry sense of humor who is not afraid to say what he thinks. Hunter is still "up and running," as he sings on his forthcoming album, MAN OVERBOARD (New West, July 2009), scheduled to play a can’t-miss free show at Rockefeller Park as part of the River to River Festival on June 24. We hope to hear some new tunes — we’re seriously digging "The Great Escape," "Flowers," the piano ballad "Win It All," the gorgeous "River of Tears," and the beautiful title track — in addition to a bunch of amazing classics that often includes "All the Way from Memphis," "Once Bitten Twice Shy," "All the Young Dudes," "I Wish I Was Your Mother," "Wash Us Away," "Irene Wilde," "Michael Picasso," "23A Swan Hill," "Roll Away the Stone," and our fave, "Saturday Gigs." Hunter’s still touring with his excellent Rant Band, which features Steve Holley on drums and percussion, Paul Page on bass, Jack Petruzzelli and James Mastro on electric guitar, and Andy Burton on keyboards. And believe it or not, Mott the Hoople is getting back together for a week of shows in London with original members Hunter, Verden Allen, Dale Griffin, Mick Ralphs, and Overend Watts. See you at the Hammersmith!
twi-ny/mdr
New truck has been unexpectedly on the move
Changing locations?
Over the last few years, sweets have taken to the streets of NYC, with the Treats Truck, which roams the city selling cookies, crispy squares, and brownies; the Dessert Truck, which dishes out such delights as warm molten dark chocolate cake, bread pudding, creme brulee, and pavlova on 55th & Lex during the day and Third Ave. & St. Marks at night; and Wafels & Dinges, which makes awesome Brussels and Liege waffles with dulce de leche, chocolate fudge, and other tasty toppings. The latest to join the trend is Street Sweets, which opened the first week of June on 55th St. near the Love sculpture on Sixth Ave. Started by husband-and-wife team Grant Di Mille and Samira Mahboubian, who both left the corporate world to follow their dream, the truck offers rich brownies, cupcakes, candied ginger shortbread cookies, coconut macaroons, awesomely chewy flourless chocolate walnut cookies, tasty pecan sandies, and mind-blowing croissants freshly injected with different creams, honey, and other flavors. We highly recommend the chocolate cream and nutella croissant. (They’ve partnered with the Brooklyn bakery One Girl Cookies, with about eighty percent of the baking done there and the rest done right in the truck. And some of the special recipes were inspired by Di Mille’s recent visit to his family’s hometown in Italy.) And we have to admit that although we’re not big on nuts in our cookies or ginger in general, Street Sweets might just be changing our minds a bit. Come support them as they do battle with some of the other food vendors and restaurants in the neighborhood; they’ve already been forced out of West 55th St. and have tried to get things going on the northwest corner of 47th & Park. Di Mille and Mahboubian, who are joined in the truck by their friend Natalie Bishar, were hoping to open last fall, but they wanted to get things right. They’ve done just that with the food — now comes firming down a location.
Grand Central Oyster Bar
Grand Central Terminal, lower level
Scheduled to begin: June 9, 11:30 am
212-490-6650
Every year around late May / early June, we start getting that itch for the new Dutch herring from the North Sea to arrive on these shores, served up first at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal. The Silver of the Sea is scheduled to show up on June 9, and it should be available for about two weeks after that. The Oyster Bar devotes a cozy nook in the fabled restaurant to the Dutch delicacy, serving the fabulous Hollandse Nieuwe Haring from Scheveningen with chopped egg, diced raw onion, and seeded flatbread, along with genever (Dutch gin) as desired, from a special cart (marked De Haringkoning — the Herring King) between 11:30 and 3:00 and again from 5:00 to closing, as long as they don’t sell out.
Mushrooms loom large in Ron Mann’s food flick
Water Taxi Beach, Long Island City (LIC)
Water Taxi Beach, South Street Seaport (SSS)
Astor Center Gallery, 399 Lafayette St. at East Fourth St.
June 13-19
Admission: free unless otherwise noted
http://www.nycfoodfilmfestival.com
The third annual NYC Food Film Festival arrives onshore for a week of food, film, and other sources of fun all surrounding the act of eating. Films about growing, gathering, cooking, and devouring food are screened at several locations, including the Water Taxi Beaches in Long Island City and the South Street Seaport, with guest appearances and other forms of entertainment. This year’s crop of movies looks at okra, buttermilk, mutton, mushrooms, sandwiches, street food, clam pie, Italian food, and more. Bon appetit!
Saturday, June 13 Opening-night gala, with screenings of Joe York’s MUTTON: THE MOVIE and BUTTERMILK: IT CAN HELP, MR. OKRA, CHEF ROSARIO DEL NERO AND THE ART OF ITALIAN FOOD, barbecue, and food featured in many of the films, Astor Center, $35, 7:00
Sunday, June 14 In the Kitchen with Brad Farmerie: THE FOOD HYPNOTIST and KNOW YOUR MUSHROOMS (Ron Mann), with mushroom tastings and Harry Hawk’s aged rib-eye cheesesteaks, Astor Center, $85, 7:30
Monday, June 15 CELERIAC, THANKSGIVING, BEEF IS BUENO, VIVE LA FOOD, EAT OF WE BOTH STARVE, SIXTY HANDS, STREET CHOWS, LIC, 8:30
Tuesday, June 16 THE FOOD HYPNOTIST, FOOD COPS, THE SACRED FOOD, THANKSGIVING, MUTTON: THE MOVIE, THE SANDWICH THIEF, and NEW JERSEY’S RED OCTOBER, LIC, 8:30
Wednesday, June 17 COME HAVE AN OMELETTE WITH ME, CLAM PIE, THE SACRED FOOD, CELERIAC, EAT YOUR FILL, and 24 HOURS, 24 MILLION MEALS: FEEDING NEW YORK CITY, SSS, 8:30
Thursday, June 18 THE FOOD HYPNOTIST, CHEF ROSARIO DEL NERO AND THE ART OF ITALIAN FOOD, and BIG NIGHT (Stanley Tucci & Campbell Scott), with servings of timpano, SSS, 8:30
Friday, June 19 Closing Night Awards Ceremony, with Laurence Kretchmer, Brad Farmerie, Ed Levine, Katherine Oliver, and Cat Greenleaf, COME HAVE AN OMELETTE WITH ME, SAVE THE HONEY BEES, MR. OKRA, IN THE KITCHEN WITH MARCUS SAMUELSSON, MANDARIN, and POWER OF THE PEEP, LIC, 7:45
David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center
Broadway at 64th St.
VIP Tasting (5:00) $195, Grand Tasting (7:00) $95
http://www.wineenthusiast.com/toast
Monday, June 15 More than five hundred premium wines and spirits will be accompanied by signature dishes from two dozen New York restaurants, sponsored by Wine Enthusiast magazine
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RedBull Space
40 Thompson St. at Broome St., second level
Tickets: $15 two week pass
Tuesday, June 9
through
Friday, June 19 Live art competition as eight artists work on their pieces in front of an audience, with the winner performing at SummerStage and designing a mural for a new Hell’s Kitchen condo complex, 12 noon — 8:00 pm
Public Theater
425 Lafayette St. between East Fourth St. & Astor Pl.
Tickets: $10
212-967-7555
Through Monday, June 29 The Public Theater, collaborating with the LAByrinth Theater Company (KNIVES AND OTHER SHARP OBJECTS) and the Center Theatre Group in association with Les Freres Corbusier (BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON: THE CONCERT VERSION), is back with its annual Public LAB, completing its presentation of four stripped-down productions over four months, with a new work by Suzan-Lori Parks, with all tickets a mere ten bucks
Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Ave. at 70th St., 212-517-ASIA
BAM Harvey Theater, 651 Fulton St. between Ashland Pl. & Rockwell Pl., 718-636-4100
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, BAMcafé, 30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St., 718-636-4100
Through June 14
http://www.muslimvoicesfestival.org
Thursday, June 11
and
Friday, June 12 The Divas of the Maqam, with vocalists Nassima Chabane of Algeria and Kamilya Jubran of Palestine, accompanied by a pan-Arab ensemble, Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium, $35, 7:30
Thursday, June 11
and
Friday, June 12 Parissa: An Evening of Persian Classical Music, with Parissa (singer), Tar (traditional plucked lute), and Daf (frame drum), playing songs based on poems by Rumi and Hafez, Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium, $25-$35, (preceded by 6:00 pre-performance lecture free for ticket holders), 7:30
Friday, June 12 zerobridge opens for Brahim Fribgane and Adam Rudolf, BAMcafé, free, 9:30
Saturday, June 13 Qawwali Gospel Creation, with Craig Adams and the Voices of New Orleans and Pakistani singer Faiz Ali Faiz and his Qawwali Ensemble, BAM Harvey Theater, $20-$35, 8:00
Saturday, June 13 Adam Matta with vocalists Dr. Fawzia Afzal-Khan, Nihan Devecioglu, and Remi Kanazi, cellist Noah Hoffel, guitarist Eyal Maoz, and Kenny Muhammad the Human Orchestra, BAMcafé, free, 9:30
Saturday, June 13, 7:30
and
Sunday, June 14, 3:00 Sardono Dance Theater of Indonesia: Diponegoro, Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium, $25-$35
Brooklyn Academy of Music
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.
June 9-14
Tickets: dance $20-$85
718-636-4100
The fiftieth anniversary season of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater concludes at BAM with "Best Of" (featuring George Faison’s SUITE OTIS, REVELATIONS, and a new production of Judith Jamison’s HYMN,) and "Classic Ailey" (including Ailey’s BLUES SUITE with live music by Kenny Brawner and the Brawner Brothers Band, Anniversary Highlights, and, again, REVELATIONS). The company has been in rare form over the course of this celebratory season, reveling in the past, present, and future of dance in America. Among the current standout performers are Matthew Rushing, Linda Celeste Sims, Clifton Brown, Olivia Bowman, Anthony Burrell, and Renee Robinson.
Darek Pietak
Visionary musician Marshall Allen
is honored at Vision Fest
Abrons Arts Center unless otherwise noted
466 Grand St.
June 9-15
Tickets: $20-$30
Tuesday, June 9 Opening Invocation with Hamid Drake, Patricia Nicholson, and William Parker, 7:30; Brass Bang, 8:15; Douglas R. Ewart and Inventions, 9:15; "Vision of New York," video by Luciano Rossetti, 10:15; Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris Conducts a Chorus of Poets and String Ensemble: "Conduction® No. 187, Erotic Eulogy," 10:30; hosted by Lewis Barnes
Wednesday, June 10 Marshall Allen — A Lifetime of Achievement: special set featuring Marshall Allen on reeds, Kidd Jordan on tenor sax, William Parker on bass, Henry Grimes on bass and violin, and Hamid Drake on drums, 7:30; Bill Cole’s Untempered Ensemble, 8:30; the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen, 9:30; hosted by Steve Dalachinsky
Thursday, June 11 Yvonne Meier’s Score, 7:00; William Hooker’s Silent Film/Live Music Project: "Symbol of the Unconquered" film by Oscar Micheaux, 8:30; Ernest Dawkins New Horizons Ensemble, 9:30; Sunny Murray Quartet, 10:30 (and a special dance installation with Jason Jordan and friends to appear in different sites throughout the night), main stage
Thursday, June 11 David Budbill / Hamid Drake / William Parker: "The Fire of Compassion / Meaning of Jazz" in words and music, 7:45; "Turquoise Beads" by Lili White, Installation DVD video projected on assemblage, 9:15; (and a special dance installation with Jason Jordan and friends to appear in different sites throughout the night), downstairs theater
Friday, June 12 Miriam Parker, 7:00; Charles Gayle Trio, 7:30; the Ras Ensemble, 8:45; Ayler Project, 10:00; Collective Quartet, 11:00, followed by after-party at the Local 269, with a jam session led by Sabir Mateen and friends, 12 midnight (and a special dance installation with Jason Jordan and friends to appear in different sites throughout the night), main stage
Friday, June 12 Reaching into the Unknown with special musical guests: A Rogue Art Book Release, 8:15; As the Crow Flies, by Jo Wood Brown and Jody Henenfeld, with video by Rob Brown and live music, 9:30 (and a special dance installation with Jason Jordan and friends to appear in different sites throughout the night), downstairs theater
Saturday, June 13 Seth Meicht’s Big Sound Ensemble, 2:00; Bear and Eagle, 3:00; Chaedria LaBouvier, 4:00; Darius Jones Trio, 4:30, main stage
Saturday, June 13 Panel discussion: Art and Politics Past, Present, Future, free, downstairs theater, 5:30
Saturday, June 13 Matthew Shipp Solo Piano, 7:00; Rob Brown Trio, 8:00; Milford Graves Quartet, 9:00; Lisa Sokolov Trio, 10:15; Joe Morris GoGo Mambo, 11:15 (and a special dance installation with Jason Jordan and friends to appear in different sites throughout the night), main stage
Saturday, June 13 Henry Grimes Solo, 9:45; Paul Harding Spoken Music, 10:45 (and a special dance installation with Jason Jordan and friends to appear in different sites throughout the night), downstairs theater
Sunday, June 14 PS 182Q K-2 Recorder & Percussion Ensemble, 1:00; Achievement First Bushwick Middle School Orchestra, 1:30; Brooklyn Friends School Jazz Band All-Stars, 2:00; York College Blue Notes HS Big Band, 2:30, hosted by Patricia Nicholson, main stage
Sunday, June 14 Panel Discussion: Integrating Innovative Music in Our Schools, main stage, 3:30
Sunday, June 14 Planet Dream, 5:00; Fred Anderson Trio, 6:00; Michele Rosewoman and Quintessence plus special guests, 7:15; Yamamoto / Dickey / Carter, 8:15; Full Blast, 9:00 (and a special dance installation with Jason Jordan and friends to appear in different sites throughout the night), main stage
Sunday, June 14 Patricia Spears Jones, 6:45; Bill Brand’s "Angular Momentum" (1973), short film with live music, 8:00 (and a special dance installation with Jason Jordan and friends to appear in different sites throughout the night), downstairs theater
Monday, June 15 Sound, Sculpture, Movement, Color, with Jason Kao Hwang’s Spontaneous River, featuring a thirty-string ensemble, 7:00; Trio X, 8:00; Dance & Music, 9:00; William Parker Quartet + 2, 9:30, Angel Orensanz Foundation; followed by an after-party at the Local 269 with closing jam session led by Bobby Bradford, Angel Orensanz Foundation, 172 Norfolk St., 11:00
Multiple locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan
Tickets: $9
718-417-7362
Wednesday, June 10 Tales of Mere Existence: short films by Lev Yilmaz, with Yilmaz reading from his new book and live music by Glass Ghost, Brooklyn Tech, 29 Fort Greene Pl., 8:00
Thursday, June 11 Eco-carnival, live performance by the Hungry March Band, and screening of NO IMPACT MAN (Laura Gabbert & Justin Schein, 2008), Automotive High School lawn, 50 Bedford Ave. at North Thirteenth St., 7:30, followed by after-party (with free beer) at Matchless
Friday, June 12 New York Non-Fiction short films and live music by Julianne Barwick, Open Road Rooftop above New Design High, 350 Grand St. at Essex St., 8:00, followed by after-party (free beer) at Fontana’s
Saturday, June 13 Panel discussion, 5:00; outdoor reception with free sangria, 7:30; live music, 8:30, and screening of PERSONA NON GRATA (Fabio Wuytack, 2008), Old American Can Factory roof, 232 Third St. at Third Ave., Brooklyn, 9:00
Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center
129 West 67th St.
Tickets: $20
212-501-3330
http://www.myspace.com/Hopestock
Thursday, June 11 A Night of Hope and Harmony, with Beth Arentsen, Giuseppe Spoletini, Maiysha, Mark Anthony Lee, and Sirens of Shrine, 7:30
Multiple venues
Admission: free - $15; all-access badges $45
http://www.northsidefestival.com
Thursday, June 11
through
Sunday, June 14 Four days of music and art in Brooklyn, including live music and exhibition openings, with Brightblack Morning Light at Studio B, the Hold Steady at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, These Are Powers at Death by Audio, Drink Up Buttercup at Bruar Falls and Trophy Bar, Sharon Van Etten at Union Pool and Trophy Bar, Les Sans Culottes at Spike Hill, Ghislain Poirier at Studio B, the Jagged Hearts at Like the Spice, the Dodos at Studio B, the Brian Wilson Shock Treatment at McCaig-Welles, Damian Catera at the Hogar Collection, Ponytail and Thank You at Studio B, the Crest Hardware Art Show at True Value, and many more bands and artists at many clubs and galleries
Governors Island
Admission: free
Friday, June 12
through
Sunday, June 14 Annual celebration of art and culture on Governors Island, with site-specific sculpture and installations, a mobile art parade, children’s activities, visual arts, live performances, music and dance, a miniature golf course, and more
Washington Square Park
Admission: free
Friday, June 12 MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (Luc Jacquet, 2005), 8:30
Friday, June 19 MICROCOSMOS (Claude Nuridsany & Marie Pérennou, 1996), 8:30
Friday, June 26 THE BIG BLUE (Luc Besson, 1988), 8:30
Washington Heights & Inwood
Admission: free
212-568-4396
Saturday, June 13 NoMAA Art in the Park, featuring art, dance, and music, and more in Fort Tryon Park, 1:00 — 7:00
Site specific performance is highlight of Bay Ridge green festival
Greening the Ridge 2009
69th St. Veteran’s Memorial Pier, Bay Ridge
Admission: free
917-971-0007
Sunday, June 14 Special site-specific dance-performance installation by Cassie Mey and Jesse Phillips-Fein at 11:00 am and 1:00 and 3:00 pm as part of the second annual festival, featuring environmentally friendly booths and exhibitors, the Xavier High School Jazz Band performing "Bailout" at 10:00 am, a kids dance workshop at 12 noon, the OLPH Twirlers at 2:00, Phil Hill Radio and musical guests 12 noon — 6:00
Riverside Park at 96th St.
Registration: $15 in advance, $20 day of walk
800-867-0885
Sunday, June 14 Fifth annual fundraiser to help fight scleroderma, featuring food, face painting, raffles, silent auctions, children’s activities, and more, walk at 10:15 am
Fifth Ave. from 44th to 86th St.
Admission: free
http://www.nationalpuertoricandayparade.org
Sunday, June 14 Annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade, 11:00 am, with other special events scheduled the week before, including dances, banquets, concerts, street fairs, and more
The Town Hall
123 West 43rd St. between Sixth Ave. & Broadway
Tickets: free, available day of show at 12 noon
212-840-2824
http://www.the-townhall-nyc.org
Sunday, June 14 Violinist Hilary Hahn, 2:00
Sunday, June 21 Emerson String Quartet, 5:00
Blender Theater at Gramercy
127 East 23rd St. at Lexington Ave.
Tickets: $116-$126
212-777-6800
Monday, June 15 Annual battle of the bands, with profits benefiting the NYPD Widow’s and Children’s Fund, 7:30
Symphony Space, Peter Jay Sharpe Theater
2537 Broadway at 95th St.
Tickets: $20-$25
212-864-5400
Tuesday, June 16 Annual celebration of James Joyce’s ULYSSES, with a focus on food, with readings by Frank and Malachy McCourt, Marian Seldes, John Shea, KT Sullivan, Colum McCann, Robert MacNeil, Frances Sternhagen, David Margulies, Cynthia Harris, Paul Hecht, Bernadette Quigley, Stephen Lang, Barbara Feldon, Jonathan Hadary, Fritz Weaver, Harris Yulin, and many more, hosted by Isaiah Sheffer, 6:00
DIA at the Hispanic Society Audubon Terrace
Broadway between 155th & 156th Sts.
Admission: free with RSVP: 212-293-5582 or Tuesdays@diaart.org
Tuesday, June 16 Lessons in the Sky: A Filmic Tribute to Audubon, featuring artist-made short films, 8:30
French Institute Alliance Française
Florence Gould Hall
55 East 59th St. between Park & Madison Aves.
Tuesdays June 2 through July 28
212-307-4100
Tuesday, June 16 MAY FOOLS (MILOU EN MAI) (Louis Malle, 1990), 12:30, 4:00, 7:30
Tuesday, June 23 I’M GOING HOME (JE RENTRE À LA MAISON) (Manoel de Oliveira, 2001), 12:30, 4:00, 7:30
Bryant Park Reading Room
42nd St. side of Bryant Park between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Wednesdays at 12:30 through September 11
Admission: free
212-768-4242
Wednesday, June 17 Monica Ali, BRICK LANE, in conversation with Megan O’Grady, 12:30
APON’S BIKE wheels into fest on June 21
Anthology Film Archives unless otherwise noted
32 Second Ave. at Second St.
212-505-5181
http://bicyclefilmfestival.com
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org
The annual Bicycle Film Festival has pedaled back into town, featuring live music, happening after-parties, art exhibits, a parade, and lots of films from around the world that involve bicycles.
Wednesday, June 17 Bike Rocks, with live music by the Teenagers and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Pier 17, South Street Seaport, free, 6:00
Thursday, June 18 Joyride, featuring art and live performances at Collective Hardware, the Puffin Room, and Sara D. Roosevelt Park, including the Hungry March Band at the Pit, with an after-party at Lit Lounge
Friday, June 19 Bike Movies, including Chiara Clemente’s CURIOSITY, Joe Stevens and Nicolas Randall’s MADE IN QUEENS, Benny Zenga and Brian Vernor’s WHERE ARE YOU GO, and Andrea Dorman’s THOUGHTS ON MY BIKE, 7:00, 9:15, 11:15
Saturday, June 20 Bike Parade, meet in front of Anthology Film Archives, 12:30, followed by party with contests, games, and more
Sunday, June 21 Bike Movies, including Christopher San Agustin’s KRITSADA PRATHUMMA, PIRATES OF THE BROADWAY: PART TWO, and Matthew Halla’s THE BIKE CHURCH, 3:00
Sunday, June 21 Bike Movies, including Marco Svizzero’s I’M GOOD ON THAT ONE, Joe Rich and Tuben Alcantara’s TRAIN TRIP, and Joe Stakun’s I LOVE MY BICYCLE: THE STORY OF FBM BIKES, 5:00
Sunday, June 21 Bike Movies, including Luke Stiles and Christian Thormann’s EMPIRE, Irvin Coffee’s SUNCHASERS: KARISSA WHITSELL, Jamie Harper’s THE FORCE, Giovanni Giommi’s KEIRIN, Chris Walker’s PUT THE FUN BETWEEN YOUR LEGS, and Rafael Flores’s THE SCRAPER BIKE KING, 7:00, 9:15, 11:15
Sunday, June 21 After-party extravaganza, CSC Cultural and Education Center, 107 Suffolk St., 10:00 pm - 4:00 am
Randall’s Island Tennis Center
Admission: free
212-792-8500
Thursday, June 18 Boys and girls between the ages of eight and eighteen can try out to become ball boys and ball girls for the New York Sportimes, NYC’s team in the Advanta World TeamTennis Pro League, which features such players as John McEnroe, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, and Anna Kournikova, 4:00
UNIQLO SoHo
546 Broadway
Admission: free
Friday, June 19 Finals with walk-in challenge, featuring such preliminary competitors as Giant Robot, Lime Wire, NY Comic Con, Pitchfork, Evil Monito, Anime News Network, Hypebeast, and others, 4:00 — 8:00
KeySpan Park
1904 Surf Ave. between 16th & 19th Sts.
Tickets: $8-$15
718-449-8497
http://www.brooklyncyclones.com
Friday, June 19 Opening Day against the Staten Island Yankees, with postgame fireworks; first 2,500 attendees receive a schedule magnet, 7:00
Banya Russian baths
602 Coney Island Ave. between Beverley Rd. & Ave. C, Kensington, Brooklyn
Tickets: $30-$40
http://www.geminiandscorpio.com
Friday, June 19 Gemini & Scorpio host an evening of baths, steam rooms (Russian, Turkish, and Swedish), Jacuzzi, sauna, hookah lounge, energy healing room, cold plunge pool, rooftop smoking deck, DJ Joro-Boro and his EthnoMesh Megalophonia mix, food, homemade infused vodka, optional platzas and massage.
CabaretCinema
Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th St. at Seventh Ave.
Friday, May 8, 9:30
Free with $7 bar minimum (includes admission to galleries)
212-620-5000 ext 344
http://www.rmanyc.org/cabaretcinema
Friday, June 19 THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (Roman Polanski, 1967)
Patrick Cashin
Nostalgia train will take passengers on special trip from GCT to Bronx Zoo
Train tickets: $30 adults, $10 children five to seventeen
Bronx Zoo admission: $13 adults, $10 children
Saturday, June 20 The MTA has teamed up with the Bronx Zoo to present a unique way to experience the tenth anniversary of the Congo Gorilla Forest by riding a vintage train from Grand Central Terminal to the Bronx institution, including a special tour of the “Animal Tracks” Arts for Transit thirteen-panel mosaic installation at the 177th St. / East Tremont Ave. subway stop, led by artist Naomi Campbell, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Bohemian National Hall
321 East 73rd St. between First & Second Aves.
Tickets: full-day pass $60, full-day pass and gala steward, $100
917-696-6264
http://www.sustainable-planet.net
Saturday, June 20 This year's Sustainable Planet Film Festival, organized by our dear friend Pamela Peeters, will feature such environmentally conscious films as GREEN APPLE, SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE, BURNING SEASON, and THE LOVE ECONOMY: ETHICAL MARKET, as well as lectures, discussions, and debates with Dr. Jaime Lerner, Josh Dorfman, Steven Lovink, Alberto Gonzalez of Gusto Organics, and more
Coney Island
Beginning at West 21st St. & Surf Ave.
Registration to march: $2-$10
718-372-5159
Saturday, June 20 With the rising popularity of the Mermaid Parade, this year the route has changed, beginning on West 21st St. at Surf Ave, continuing down to West Tenth St., then heading for the boardwalk and ultimately end on West 15th St.; among this year’s special guests are the Uptown String Band from Philadelphia’s Mummers Parade, Harvey Keitel (!) as King Neptune, and Daphna as Queen Mermaid, 2:00
Bryant Park
42nd St. at Sixth Ave.
Admission: free
Saturday, June 20 Annual gathering in support of LGBT rights, as kickoff event to Gay Pride Week, 2:00 - 6:00
Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery at Bleecker St.
Tickets: $8
212-614-0505
Saturday, June 20 Spring ends with poet Ryan Buynak, live performance of "Sarah’s Choice" by Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges, and music by Bob Musial and the JDs, 4:00
Broadway & Seventh Ave. between 43rd & 44th Sts.
Admission: free (preregistration and waiver required to participate)
Sunday, June 21 Annual Mind over Madness Yoga-thon celebrating the summer solstice, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Governors Island
Admission: free
http://www.myspace.com/mmnypunkisland
Sunday, June 21 Second annual event, featuring more than seventy bands on twelve stages, including Angry Youth, Bucket Flush, Descender, Iconicide, Piss Ants, Skum City, S.M.U.T., the Wheezing Stumblers, and more, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Bronx Museum of the Arts
1040 Grand Concourse at 165th St.
Admission: free
718-681-6000
Sunday, June 21 Street fair on the Grand Concourse featuring local food and art, participation in photo memory project, free admission to "Living and Dreaming" exhibition, the virtual journey BX3D, haiku hikes with E. J. McAdams, walking tours with Sam Goodman, music by DJ Eli Efi, and unveiling of Katie Holten’s "Tree Museum" ribbon-cutting ceremony in Joyce Kilmer Park, 12 noon - 5:00 pm
Times Square
West 48th St. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
Admission: free
Sunday, June 21 Visitors can try out various musical instruments and get lessons from experts, 12 noon - 6:00 pm
Aviator Sports and Recreation, Floyd Bennett Field
Flatbush Ave., south of Belt Pkwy, exit 11S
Tickets: $59-$100 (children under twelve free)
718-282-8041
http://www.brooklynmusicfestival.com
Sunday, June 21 All-day event featuring live performances by Beenie Man, Bounty Killa, Mavado, Elephant Man, Capleton, Serani, Tarrus Riley, Big Daddy Kane, Spice, Ding Dong, Natural Black, Barbee, and New Kingston Band, 1:00
NY Marble Cemetery
41 1/2 Second Ave. at Second St.
Admission: free
http://www.myspace.com/jessicadelfinotunes
Sunday, June 21 Comedian-musician Jessica Delfino presents Haunted Oyster, 1:00 - 5:00
Dominick St. & Hudson St.
Admission: free
Sunday, June 21 Kofi Ghanaba: Memorial to the Divine Drummer, with Randy Weston, Obo Addy, Kwaku Martin Obeng, and others, 2:00 - 7:00
© Shanee Epstein
Shanee Epstein exhibit closes with live music
440 Gallery
440 Sixth Ave., Brooklyn
Exhibit continues through June 21
Admission: free
718-499-3844
Sunday, June 21 New York City-based artist Shanee Epstein’s third solo exhibition at 404 Gallery comes to a close with a special closing reception featuring a live musical performance of new music by Moshe Weidenfeld, 3:00 - 6:00
Central Park Summerstage
Rumsey Playfield
Central Park (enter at Fifth Ave. & 69th St.)
Admission: free
212-360-2756
Sunday, June 21 Make Music New York: Mayra Andrade, Coralie Clément, and Yannick Noah, celebrating the last fifty years of chanson française, 3:00 - 7:00
Socrates Sculpture Park
Broadway at Vernon Blvd.
Admission: free
718-956-1819
http://www.socratessculpturepark.org
Sunday, June 21 Eighth annual event, featuring art workshops, live music by the Ebony Hillbillies, the Big Apple Showdown Spectacular with State Fair, transformational face painting, special solstice ritual by Urban Shaman Mama Donna, food from local restaurants, snow cones and lemonade, and more, 5:00 - 9:00
The Bell House
149 Seventh St., Gowanus
Tickets: $10
718-643-6510
http://www.myspace.com/hahatonka
Monday, June 22 Springfield, OH’s Ha Ha Tonka comes to Brooklyn behind their latest release, NOVEL SOUNDS OF THE NOUVEAU SOUTH (Bloodshot, June 16, 2009), featuring the gorgeous "Close Every Valve to Your Bleeding Heart," with Via Audio and the Dig, 8:00
The Angel Orensanz Foundation Center for the Arts
172 Norfolk St. at Houston St.
Admission: free
212-529-7194
http://artgallery-angelorensanzfoundation.com
Monday, June 22
through
Wednesday, June 24 Exhibition of Japanese pressed flowers by Yoshiko Wakabayashi, with reception and demonstration on June 22 at 6:00
Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th St. between Sixth & Seventh Aves.
Tickets: $125
http://www.cityharvest.org/home.aspx?catid=5&pg=30
http://www.metropolitanevents.com
Tuesday, June 23 Annual tasting fundraiser benefiting City Harvest, featuring signature dishes from more than thirty local restaurants, including Oceana, Butter, Cuba, the Stanton Social, Dirt Candy, Ditch Plains, Yerba Buena, Rosa Mexicano, Le Marais, and many more, 7:30 — 10:00
Birds of Avalon will fly into Manhattan and Brooklyn for two shows
Multiple venues
click here for free mp3 download!
http://www.myspace.com/birdsofavalon
Birds of Avalon — Cheetie Kumar (guitar), David Mueller (bass), Scott Nurkin (drums), Paul Siler (guitar), and Craig Tilley (vocals, keyboards) — come to town for two shows on the heels of their latest release, UNCANNY VALLEY (Volcom, July 21, 2009)
Tuesday, June 23 Sessions at Santa’s, Birds of Avalon with DJ Ted Leo, Santos Party House, 100 Lafayette St., 212-714-4646, $10 ($5 with advance RSVP: sessions@santospartyhouse.com), 11:00 pm
Friday, June 26 Birds of Avalon with the Library Is on Fire and Gigantic Hand, Union Hall, 702 Union St. at Fifth Ave., 212-220-1460, $10, 8:00
City Opera Pop Up Shop
717 Madison Ave. between 63rd & 64th Sts.
Tickets: $75-$300
212-870-5622
Wednesday, June 24 Fourth annual shopping event raising money for costumes for New York City Opera, with cocktails, music, dancing, gift bag, and clothing from top designers at special discounted prices, 6:00 — 10:00
Duvet
45 West 21st St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Tickets: $100-$250
http://www.safersexinthecity.org
Thursday, June 25 Annual fundraiser benefiting AIDS Service Center NYC, featuring VIP Champagne Lounge, live performances, and more, hosted by Flotilla DeBarge, with DJ Vic Latino, Vivid Girl Savanna Samson, Reina, an exhibit from the Museum of Sex, a silent auction, open bar, and other special guests and events, 6:30 — 10:00
Tribeca Grand Hotel
2 Sixth Ave. between White, Walker, and Church Sts.
Admission: free with RSVP to three@ladieslotto.com
http://ladieslotto.blogspot.com
Thursday, June 25 Third anniversary party for Ladies Lotto — “the international women’s lifestyle network that cultivates an empowered community by providing its members with the support, inspiration and tools for professional and personal success” — featuring an open bar, photo booths, sets by DJ Benzi, DJ Jaclyn, and 24 Court, a secret live performance, and more, 10:00 pm