this week in music

BLINK YOUR EYES: SEKOU SUNDIATA REVISITED

The legacy of multidisciplinary artist and social activist Sekou Sundiata is being celebrated in wide-ranging retrospective

Multiple venues
September 10 – October 12, free – $20
www.sekousundiata.org

In his poem “Blink Your Eyes,” poet, writer, teacher, activist, playwright, musician, and performance artist Sekou Sundiata wrote, “I could wake up in the morning / without a warning / and my world could change: / blink your eyes. / All depends, all depends on the skin, / all depends on the skin you’re living in,” addressing what is now known as stop and frisk. Born Robert Franklin Feaster in Harlem in 1948, he adopted the name Sekou Sundiata while attending the Caribbean Festival of the Arts in Guyana in 1972, taking the first name from the first president of Guinea, Sékou Touré, and the last name from the founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita. Over the next thirty-five years, until his death in 2007 at the age of fifty-eight, Sundiata performed with his bands, Are & Be, the Kou, and dadahdoodahda; became the first writer-in-residence at the New School; kicked a heroin addiction; staged such theatrical productions as The Circle Unbroken Is a Hard Bop, blessing the boats, the 51st (dream) state, The Return of Elijah, the African, and The Mystery of Love, Etc.: An Anthology of Folk Tales, Stories, Poems, and Lies; received a kidney transplant; delivered keynote addresses at international conferences, including “East Coast, West Coast, Worldwide: American Artists and World Citizenship,” “An Artist’s Journey Through Transplantation and Recovery,” and “Ground Zero: One of Many Thin Places / Notes on My New Project”; and started WeDaPeoples Cabaret, all the while fighting for social justice, building local communities, and trying to make the world a better place for everyone.

In honor of what would have been his sixty-fifth birthday, MAPP International Productions has put together the wide-ranging retrospective “Blink Your Eyes: Sekou Sundiata Revisited,” a series of events around the city that continues through October. On September 10, Cave Canem presents “Oralizing: The Speed of Spoken Thought” at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture ($10, 7:30), with Juliette Jones, Marvin Sewell, Val-Inc, Dael Orlandersmith, Tyehimba Jess, and Karma Mayet Johnson, reimagining Sundiata’s “blues of transcendence.” On September 13, teachers, activists, artists, musicians, and others will gather at the New School for “The America Project Methodology Remix: A Symposium for Educators, Artists, and Students” (free but advance RSVP required, 10:00 am). On September 22, Michaela Angela Davis, Bryonn Bain, Ebony Golden, and others will participate in the public dialogue “From Double Consciousness to Post‐Black: A Long‐Table Conversation on Black Identity” at the Actors Fund Arts Center (free, 2:00). On September 27, Hip-Hop Theater Festival artistic director Kamilah Forbes will stage an updated version of The Circle Unbroken Is a Hard Bop with MuMs, Carvens Lissaint, and Traci Tolmaire at the Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts ($10, 7:30). On October 3, Columbia University will host “Geographies of Incarceration: A 21st-Century Teach-In” (free, 6:00) examining the role of the artist in social transformation, led by Kendall Thomas. On October 10, Arthur Yorinks directs a radio version of the 51st (dream) state at the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space ($20, 7:00), hosted by John Schaefer and starring the original cast, with LaTanya Hall taking over Sundiata’s narrator role. On October 11-12, Harlem Stage presents “Days of Arts and Ideas,” with a panel discussion with Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Rob Fields, Shani Jamila, and Forbes at Harlem Stage Gatehouse (free, 7:30) the first day and dance and talk with Jawole Zollar and Liz Lerman at Aaron Davis Hall (free, 4:00) the second day. The “Blink Your Eyes” festival then comes to a triumphant close on October 12 with WeDaPeoples Cabaret at Aaron Davis Hall ($20, 7:00), a community celebration with Chanda Rule, Liza Jesse Peterson, Mendi Obadike, Keith Obadike, Immortal Technique, Rashida Bumbray, Frantz Jerome, Aisha Jordan, and Zora Howard, with a special look at his seminal speech “Thinking Out Loud: Democracy, Imagination, and Peeps of Color.” In his poem “Hopes Up Too High,” Sundiata wrote, “And what if we could show / that what we dream / is deeper than what we know? / Suppose if something does not live / in the world / that we long to see / then we make it ourselves / as we want it to be.” Sundiata continues to be an inspiration to so many; this retrospective offers a great way to keep that legacy vibrant and alive.

THE DANCE CARTEL: ONTHEFLOOR

Liberty Hall at the ACE Hotel
20 West 29th St. at Broadway
Monthly Saturday nights at 9:00 through December 7, $15-$20
www.thedancecartel.com

Earlier this year, in an exclusive twi-ny talk, dancer and choreographer Ani Taj Niemann said about OntheFloor, “We really embrace the idea of making dance happen in unexpected places so that people outside of the usual dance crowd can have access to it. . . . Our MC offers a few simple guidelines at the top of the show, but mostly it’s common sense: If you see a body flying toward you, move; if you like the beat, groove. Part of the fun is that you’re being asked to be aware of your own body in space — as you would at a crowded concert or club.” Conceived by Niemann and codirected with Sam Pinkleton, the Dance Cartel’s OntheFloor is back at the newly renovated downstairs Liberty Hall at the Ace Hotel for monthly shows September 14, October 5, November 2, and December 7. Among the special guests scheduled to join Dance Cartel members Alexandra Albrecht, nicHi douglas, Thomas Gibbons, Audrey Hailes, Sunny Hitt, Danika Manso-Brown, Justin Perez, and Niemann are Reggie Watts, the Mast, Grace McLean, DJ Stefan, DJ Average Jo, BatalaNYC, and others. When we saw the immersive, interactive production last fall, we raved, “After spending about an hour and a half with the Dance Cartel, you might not know exactly quite what hit you, but you are likely to feel energized and exhilarated. . . . Things get fast and furious, the dancers getting right in everyone’s face, eventually leading to a free-for-all finale.” The frenetic show features tantalizing costumes by Soule Golden, lighting by Vadim Ledvin (be careful not to block the spots), and video by Harrison Boyce and Stephen Arnoczy, making sure there is plenty for you to see and do every step of the way.

GLOBAL CITIZEN FESTIVAL 2013

Great Lawn, Central Park
Saturday, September 28, free lottery with eight action points
www.globalcitizen.org

There’s still a week left to accumulate enough action points to be eligible for unclaimed free tickets to the 2013 Global Citizen Festival, taking place September 28 on the Great Lawn in Central Park. This year’s all-star lineup features Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon, Alicia Keys, and John Mayer, after the 2012 inaugural event included the Black Keys, Neil Young, K’Naan, Foo Fighters, Band of Horses, and John Legend. Global Citizen is an online project that encourages people to take action to help bring an end to extreme poverty around the world. Through education and support and advocacy campaigning, people can accumulate points by watching and sharing videos, signing petitions, purchasing fair-trade products, and calling and e-mailing political representatives. The Global Citizen website examines such critical issues as child mortality, gender equality, food and hunger, polio and other diseases, primary education, and environment sustainability, providing links to find out current information and to donate to various causes. Even if you don’t get tickets, you can still make a difference, as every little step helps, so sign up and do your part in changing the world for the better.

LOWER EAST SIDE OPENING NIGHT: ART AND FASHION

Strange Loop group show focuses on fashion design and photography (photo by Ryan Burke)

Orchard St. at Grand St. and other locations
Sunday, September 8, free, 4:00 – 8:00 pm
www.lowereastsideny.com

The Lower East Side says goodbye to the summer season and welcomes the new fall shows at the second annual Lower East Side Opening Night: Art + Fashion, taking place on Sunday, September 8, from 4:00 to 8:00. More than fifty galleries will be participating in the free block party, with opening receptions for such shows as Jella Gueramian’s “Let’s Go Further” at Allegra LaViola, “Vaginascope: Sijae Byun’s Solo Exhibition” at Tally Beck Contemporary, Katherine Bradford’s “Small Ships” at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects, Brian Leo’s “Party’s Over, If You Want It” at S&J Project(s), and the group exhibit “dots, stripes, liquid cyber, and other platitudes: Fashion Design — Fashion Photography” at Strange Loop, which provides an excellent segue into the evening’s other highlight, the “Looks of the LES” fashion show. Curated by Amy Odell of cosmopolitan.com, the fashion show features hairstyling by Adel Atelier and makeup by Dustin Knoblauch, with presentations from such local stores as Any Old Iron, the Cast, the Dressing Room, Old Hollywood, the Great Frog, Earnest Sewn, Urban Cricket, By Robert James, and others. In addition, there will be live music by DJ Onda Skillet, Nancy, Countdown Love, DJ Anton Bass, Heaven, and Threats.

VIDEO OF THE DAY: “THE PUSHER” BY AK

Classically trained pianist and opera singer Alexandra Kalinowski will lead her five-piece chamber-indie-folk-pop band, AK, in a free Thursday-night residency this month in the Upstairs Lounge at Pianos. The Brooklyn-based group will go on at 9:00, preceded by a specially selected group of friends, including Chris Rubeo and Kaybee on September 5, Holly Cordero and Khaled Dajani on September 12, Stewart Brodian and Amanda Davids on September 19, and Pictures of the Sun and Gracie and Rachel on September 26. AK, which consists of AK on lead vocals and piano, Ross Marshall on drums, Lindsey Cosgrove on clarinet and vocals, Hajnal Pivnick on violin, and Carl Limbacher on upright bass, will be highlighting songs from its 2012 debut two-track, Stars | Right which you can listen to here (“Stars” is particularly lovely), as well as promised surprises.

VIDEO OF THE DAY: “LITE DREAM” BY DIARRHEA PLANET

The idea of the earth overrun by dysentery isn’t the most appetizing of thoughts. But as it turns out, Diarrhea Planet might not be such a bad thing after all. The Nashville six-piece has just released its sophomore full-length, I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams (Infinity Cat, August 20), the follow-up to 2011’s Loose Jewels. The new album (which can be streamed here) is a furious forty-minute unrelenting blast of psychedelic garage punk and indie pop, with nods to the ’50s, ’60, ’70s, and ’80s, powered by four shredding guitarists, Jordan Smith, Evan Bird, Brent Toler, and Emmett Miller, along with bassist Mike Boyle and drummer Casey Weissbuch. Citing such wide-ranging influences as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Japanese literature, Steely Dan, the animated movie Heavy Metal, Bad Religion, and Roberto Bolaño’s 2666, DP investigates loneliness, unrequited love, boredom, evil, and dead bodies on I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams, although it’s far from depressing. “I feel so lost, man / I try to bring myself down / so I can relate to / the things you think about,” Smith sings on “Kids,” continuing, “Like burning bridges / and happy children / the salty taste of / my sweat in the ocean.” Other explosive tracks include “Separations,” “Hammer of the Gods,” “Ugliest Son,” and “Babyhead.” Diarrhea Planet will be letting loose at Mercury Lounge on August 30 with Brooklyn punks the So So Glos, who are touring behind their latest, Blowout.

VIDEO OF THE DAY: “LIGHT ON” BY BAD COP

Nashville anarchic punks Bad Cop are out on the road in support of their latest release, The Light On EP (Jeffery Drag, July 2013), and detailing their madventures through a series of webisodes dubbed The Light On Chronicles. The five-song EP, which can be streamed for free here, includes “Can’t Get Enough,” which cofounder Adam Hoult wrote while in the hoosegow, and “Light On,” which is about other cofounder Alex Hartness’s nearly fatal overdose — he was actually pronounced dead at one point. Fleshed out with bassist Mike Frazier and drummer Kevin Kilpatrick, the band goes all-tilt shriek-out on “Post McDonalds Punks,” while EP opener and closer, “The Wind” and “My Dying Days,” respectively, are downright melodic in comparison. Bad Cop will be at Cameo Gallery on August 27 with Automotive High School, Plastic Visions, and Such Hounds and at Pianos on August 28 with Monogold, Slonk Donkerson, Plastic Visions, and Of the Opera.