twi-ny recommended events

AN EVENING WITH CLAIRE BLOOM

Claire Bloom will discuss her life and career in a special evening May 24 at Film Forum

Film Forum
209 West Houston St.
Tuesday, May 24, $25, 8:00
212-727-8110
www.filmforum.org

Born Patricia Claire Blume in England in 1931, Claire Bloom has had an exemplary nearly sixty-year-career onstage and in film, beginning in 1952 in Charlie Chaplin’s Limelight and continuing with such cinematic classics as Sir Laurence Olivier’s Richard III (1955), Richard Brooks’s The Brothers Karamazov (1958), Tony Richardson’s Look Back in Anger (1959), Ralph Nelson’s Charly (1968), Stephen Frears’s Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987), Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), and Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech (2010). In her 1996 memoir, Leaving a Doll’s House, the thrice-married Bloom, whose husbands have included actor Rod Steiger and author Philip Roth, wrote, “I have tried to shed light on an unfinished journey. It has been a trip worth taking. And understanding does away with regret.” Bloom, who has played opposite such icons as Richard Burton, Paul Newman, Sean Connery, and the aforementioned Allen, Olivier, and Chaplin, will be looking back at her career, most likely without anger, on May 24 at Film Forum in a special evening moderated by film historian Foster Hirsch. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see one of film’s most underrated starlets, up close and personal.

TWI-NY TALK: TODAY THE MOON, TOMORROW THE SUN

Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun will go wild at Cameo Gallery on May 24 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Cameo Gallery
93 North Sixth St.
Tuesday, May 24, $5, 8:00
718-302-1180
www.myspace.com/cameogallery
www.myspace.com/todaythemoontomorrowthesun

Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun’s debut full-length album, Wildfire (Avengeling, May 2011), is one of those records that just explodes out of the speakers and keeps reverberating in your head. After a brief, calm intro, “We Were Wild” blasts off in a blaze of synth and hard-rocking guitar as lead singer Lauren Gibson proclaims, “So if you’re not proud of / the cold that you’ve become / turn up the heat / pick up the pace with your feet.” TTMTTS has a lot to be proud of with Wildfire, a sizzling hot record that should get plenty of people picking up the pace with their feet. Featuring Gibson on guitar and keyboards, Cregg Gibson on guitar, Micah Silverman on bass and keyboards, and Jeremy Cole on drums and electronics, the band has been building a loyal fan base in their hometown of Atlanta and beyond with a series of EPs, including 2008’s striking Lightning, and such kick-ass songs as “Traits of a Traitor (Autonomic),” “Apologia,” “Like It or Not,” and “Never. Always. Good.” But they’ve reached a whole new level with Wildfire, fifty minutes of unrelenting thrills and chills. When Lauren sings, “The beast beats / you hear the sound / take your blood heat / you feel it now,” on “Old Monster,” just try not feeling the beast. TTMTTS will be at Cameo Gallery in Williamsburg on May 24 with She Keeps Bees, Ivana XL, and Little Insects.

twi-ny: Wildfire is a major step forward for you, your first full-length album after several EPs, and it features a much bigger, broader sound. Did you change the way you write and record with the longer LP in mind, or did you follow the same procedures of your earlier recordings?

TTMTTS: We definitely changed our approach this go-around. In the past, as songs were written we would play them live and record them pretty much how we played them live; so basically the newest songs we were playing out would become an EP every nine months or so. With Wildfire, we knew we wanted to write a full-length album. During the heat of the summer of 2010, we decided to take six weeks off the road and lock ourselves in our practice space/studio to write. We also wanted to try creating songs within a studio setting . . . doing as much preproduction work as we could, recording demos and listening back and writing more from there. We wanted to experiment with different sounds and instrumentation and dig a little deeper than we’ve been able to in the past.

twi-ny: So many great bands have come out of Atlanta in the last few years, including the Black Lips, Deerhunter, and Gringo Star. What’s in the water down there? Who are some of your favorite up-and-coming local groups?

TTMTTS: Pretty sure what’s in the water down here is PBR. There are a ton of great bands in the ATL. Since we’re on the road so much we unfortunately haven’t gotten to see quite a few that we’d like to. We’ll be in the studio a little more this summer and are hoping to catch a lot of live music while we’re in town. A few bands we have seen that we love (and I’m sure we’ll be forgetting some other greats) include: Jungol, Royal Thunder, Baby Baby, This Piano Plays Itself, Sealions, A: The Color, O’Brother, Mighty High Coup, the Booze, and the list goes on and on. . . .

twi-ny: You’re playing May 24 in Williamsburg. What kinds of things are you planning to do while you’re here?

TTMTTS: Finding cool, free things to do. Any suggestions? That, catching up with old friends, and LAUNDRY!

twi-ny: Of course, we suggest you check out This Week in New York for lots of cool, free things to do here in the city. Your name comes from what the Weekly World News claims would have been a Polish astronaut’s first words if Poland were the first country to put a man on the moon. What would come the day after tomorrow?

TTMTTS: Today is actually May 19, so forget the sun and the moon, the day after tomorrow is . . . the Rapture. ; )

FOOD TRUCK RALLY

Joyride will be at Grand Army Plaza Food Truck Rally, selling frozen yogurt, coffee, and specialty drinks (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park
Sunday, May 22, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
www.prospectpark.org
www.nycfoodtrucks.org

The food truck revolution in New York City is becoming overwhelming as new mobile eateries pop up every week, tweeting their changing locations, leaving lunching Gothamites’ heads spinning, not knowing what to look for when and where, just heading out onto the street and hoping a cool truck is somewhere nearby. So we’re thankful for events such as Sunday’s Food Truck Rally in Grand Army Plaza in front of Prospect Park, where eleven trucks will be stationed from 11:00 to 5:00. You can make up quite a multicourse menu of your own, with edamame, sesame noodle salad, and dumplings from the Rickshaw Dumpling Truck, artisanal grilled cheeses from Milk Truck, salads, bifteki sandwiches, and pita souvlakis from Souvlaki GR, personal pies from Eddie’s Pizza Truck, Belgian and sweet potato fries from the Frying Dutchmen, lobster and shrimp rolls from the Red Hook Lobster Pound, coffee from the Mud Truck, cookies, brownies, and crispy squares from the Treats Truck, unusual ice-cream flavors from Coolhaus, frozen yogurt from Joyride, and frosty floats from Kelvin Natural Slush Co. The event is sponsored by the NYC Food Truck Association and the Prospect Park Alliance and is a great opportunity to jump on the food truck bandwagon, if you haven’t already.

NEW YORK DANCE PARADE 2011

There will be a lot of boogalooing down Broadway on the way to Tompkins Square Park at the annual Dance Parade (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Parade: Broadway & 21st St. to Tompkins Square Park, 1:00
DanceFest: Tompkins Square Park, 3:00 – 7:00
Saturday, May 21, free
www.danceparade.org

It looks like it might actually be a beautiful day for the fifth annual Dance Parade, which gets under way this afternoon at 1:00 at Broadway and 21st St. More than 150 organizations performing approximately 75 different types of dance will shake and bake, move and groove toward Tompkins Square Park, led by Grand Marshals Charles L. Reinhart, Joseph Harrington, and Kat Wildish. The parade started as a response to New York’s antiquated Cabaret Law, which in 1926 held that dance was not a form of artistic expression and was not protected by the Second Amendment. The event’s mission is “to promote dance as an expressive and unifying art form by showcasing all forms of dance, educating the general public about the opportunities to experience dance, and celebrating diversity of dance in New York City.” Some nine thousand participants and sixty thousand viewers are expected this year, with such groups as Yosakoi Dance Project, MEC Imani Dance & Drum Ensemble, Kotchegna Dance Company, Olaya’s Woman’s Circle of Belly Dance, the New York Raqs Sharqi All Stars, NYC Bhangra, Mopsaicos del Peru, Carnaval de Tlaxcala Mexico, Mortal Beasts & Deities, Joffrey Ballet School, Dance New Amsterdam, NY Hustle Flash Mob, Mambo Bravo, Kansas City Marching Falcons Drillteam, Giant Dancing Divas, Electric Bubble Bus, and GrooveHoops. Be on the lookout for such international dance styles as African, Belly Dance, Polynesian, Tahitian, Korean, Drum and Dance Improv, Turkish, Bollywood, Nepal Sherpa, Bolivian Tinkus, Ecuadorian, Caporales, Flamenco, Bomba y Plena, Bulgarian, Shaman, Liturgical, Stilt Dance, Country and Western, Zydeco, Jazz, Ballet, Ballroom, Tango, Roller Disco, Salsa, Yoga Contortion, Jamaican Dancehall, Urban Fancy Trick, and many more. At 3:00, the free DanceFest begins in Tompkins Square Park, with live performances, workshops, demonstrations, information booths, special presentations, and other activities, followed by a ticketed Groove Area Circus Saturday after-party at Webster Hall.

REVISITING THE QUIET MAN: IRELAND ON FILM — THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY

THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY is part of MoMA series on films about Ireland, curated by Gabriel Byrne

THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (Ken Loach, 2006)
MoMA Film, Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Wednesday, May 25, 8:00
Friday, May 27, 4:30
Series runs May 20 – June 3
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
www.moma.org
www.thewindthatshakesthebarley.co.uk

Winner of the 2006 Palme d’Or at Cannes, The Wind that Shakes the Barley is a brutal masterpiece from director Ken Loach (Riff-Raff, Bread and Roses). It’s 1920, and the English black and tans are running roughshod through Ireland, leaving broken and dead bodies in their wake as they keep the population frightened and in poverty. But poorly armed yet determined local guerrilla armies are forming, prepared to fight for freedom in their homeland. In one small town, Damien (Cillian Murphy) is getting ready to move to London to train as a doctor, but he decides instead to join the burgeoning Irish Republican Army after seeing one too many bloody beatings. Swearing their loyalty to the cause and led by Damien’s brother, Teddy (Padraic Delaney), they set up ambushes of British forces, gathering weapons in a desperate attempt to win back their country. Damien also falls for Sinead (Orla Fitzgerald), one of many women who work as messengers and spies and run safe houses. But when a questionable treaty is signed, loyalty is tested and families torn apart. Written by Paul Laverty and also featuring Liam Cunningham, Mary Riordan, Myles Horgan, and Mary Murphy, The Wind that Shakes the Barley is a fierce, no-holds-barred, if one-sided, look at a violent conflict that has lasted for centuries.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley is screening May 25 and 27 as part of MoMA’s “Revisiting The Quiet Man: Ireland on Film” series, curated by Gabriel Byrne and featuring such other works made in and/or about Ireland as The Magdalene Sisters (Peter Mullan, 2002), The Dead (John Huston, 1987), The Informer (John Ford, 1935), The Butcher Boy (Neil Jordan, 1997), and Into the West (Mike Newell, 1993), with such actors, directors, writers, and experts as Jim Sheridan, Enda Walsh, Dr. Luke Gibbons, and Byrne participating in introductions and postscreening discussions and Q&As that examine the way Ireland has been portrayed on film throughout the years and how that relates to the true social and cultural concerns of the nation.

DELTA DUGOUT

Jose Reyes will lead the Mets — without Ike Davis and David Wright — against the Yankees this weekend in the Bronx, but fans can catch all the action in Madison Square Park as well (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Madison Square Park
May 20-22, free
www.madisonsquarepark.org
www.delta.com

We miss the Mayor’s Trophy Game, the annual battle between the Mets and the Yankees that used to be held during the season but was only an exhibition match. Purists that we are, we refuse to financially support the way-overhyped Subway Series that this weekend brings the Queens-based Metropolitans, struggling to get out of last place, to the Bronx, where the Bombers are trying to fight their way into the division lead. In celebration of this overrated event, Delta Air Lines is setting up the Delta Dugout in somewhat neutral Manhattan, hosting a bevy of special programming in Madison Square Park, including a baseball memorabilia silent auction that will benefit Harlem RBI. Each day will feature a Gaming Village and the Delta Sky360 Lounge, with children’s activities, trivia contests, a photo booth, batting cages, a fast-pitch challenge, and other baseball- and airline-related things to do and see, after which Mets and Yankees fans can join together to watch the games. On Saturday at 12 noon, Joba Chamberlain will give a pitching clinic, while Josh Thole will lead a home-run derby contest; the very scary Mr. Met will pose for pictures at 3:00, followed at 5:15 by a concert by former Yankees outfielder and current jazz sensation Bernie Williams. On Sunday, the third annual Fan Flair Challenge will take place, with lots of giveaways for most spirited and best costumed fans. Even if you’re not much of a baseball person, Madison Square Park is a great place to spend an afternoon; don’t miss Jaume Plensa’s spectacular “Echo” sculpture on the lawn, and avoid the ridiculously long lines at Shake Shack and instead pick up something to eat at the cool booths at the intersection of Fifth Ave. & Broadway. Oh, and also, “Let’s go, Mets!”

TEDDY THOMPSON

Teddy Thompson will sing about love and heartbreak at City Winery on May 21 and 27

City Winery
155 Varick St. at Vandam St.
Saturday, May 21, $18-$28, 8:00
Friday, May 27, Off the Cuff w/ Friends, $18-$25, 8:00
212-608-0555
www.citywinery.com
www.myspace.com/teddythompson

Last year we were having trouble watching eclectic British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson perform solo at City Winery because the woman in front of us, who had a clear view, kept leaning over a railing, blocking us completely. After a little while, we decided to nicely ask her if she could stop doing that; when she turned to us, mouthing the words to the song Thompson was playing, our heart instantly froze as the woman we suddenly recognized to be Thompson’s former wife and singing partner, Linda Thompson, said in a friendly way, “I’m sorry. Of course. I’ve seen him enough. After all, I used to live with him, you know.” Richard and Linda Thompson produced some of the greatest records of the 1970s and 1980s, from I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight to Shoot Out the Lights. The relationship also produced the musical progeny known as Teddy Thompson, who has been releasing his own records since 2000, including Separate Ways (2005), Upfront & Down Low (2007), and A Piece of What You Need (2008). His latest, Bella (Verve, February 2011), is an intimate song cycle inspired by his most recent ex-girlfriend. (There seem to have been a lot of ex-girlfriends for the thirty-five-year-old musician.) Melding the folk-rock style of his father with the country twang of his mother, Thompson paints a searing portrait of love and loneliness through direct lyrics and boldly admitting his shortcomings when it comes to honesty and fidelity. “I been looking for a girl who drinks and smokes / Who takes a lot of drugs and can take a joke / Where does this girl of mine hide herself away / Whoever she is I hope she’s on her way,” he declares in the album’s opener, “Looking for a Girl.” Later, on “I Feel,” he admits, “There’s a road that I travel and it’s long and it’s narrow / Without signs along the way to take you home / You were there when I needed something to believe in / But I’ll only let you down and break your heart.” And on “Over and Over,” he confesses, “Some time ago I came up with a plan / Shit on myself so that no one else can / I have perfected this stance / You better keep your distance,” the last line echoing a song by his dad. The production is steeped in traditional country rhythms with flourishes of 1960s pop, with strings and Thompson’s falsetto voice evoking Roy Orbison (when not sounding, on several songs, like Jackson Browne); the album also features a lovely duet with another musical progeny, Jenni Muldaur, the daughter of Geoff and Maria Muldaur, on “Tell Me What You Want.” Born in London and living in New York City for the last decade, Thompson, with drummer Ethan Eubanks and bassist Jeff Hill, will be playing a pair of hometown shows at City Winery, on May 21 and, by popular demand, on May 27 for a show being billed as “Off the Cuff w/Friends.”