PHOTO WEDNESDAY : AFROPUNK IS WHATS UP EDITION

So yesterday was a lot. I'm still recovering from the greatest weekend in Brooklyn this summer of 2014.

The Afro Punk Festival had been on my calendar since I was forced to miss it last year, and then outta the blue Spike Lee, 40Acres, DjSpinna and the New York Knick City Dancers (?!) decided to throw a huge old fashion Brooklyn block party styled tribute to Michael Jackson at Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy.

So of course I hit both.

And (as you can see) I got pictures, click through the one below or check the album (since yahoo killed flickr's slideshow function https://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_fuetur/sets/72157646939767815/)  and it's like you were there, only much quieter and less cool.



and video and stories and my god there needs to be another weekend between last and next just to express all the greatness that went down, from Spike hosting a good all family event for longterm Brooklynites and newcomers from around the world, including bringing out two of the newest Knick players, to a free rock event that somehow got a fraction of the Arcade Fire concert's media coverage despite it being just walking distance away from AfroPunk which was hands down the greatest music event last weekend and possible of the August if not the summer.

Here's a list of bands if you were getting married last weekend or just had fingers in your ears:

Meshell NDegocello
Fishbone
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
D'Angelo
Bad Brains
Alice Smith
Lianne La Havas
Unlocking The Truth
Body Count with front man Ice-T
SZA
The Bots
Valerie June
about half The Roots
and thats only about 1/5 of the show. Plus there was food beer and rows of tents with vendors selling artwork, clothing and more. And entry was free.

So up there is a slideshow of some of the best pics and I'll be getting the video I shot soon with some special clips.

AfroPunk Festival Rain or Shine in BKlyn this WkEnd

AFRO PUNK POSTPONED DUE TO HURRICANE IRENE

For evacuation zone info go to

http://gis.nyc.gov/oem/he/index.htm

As you should know by now this year's Afro Punk Festival has been indefinitely postponed due to Hurricane Irene, which is slated to hit late Saturday and all day Sunday.

With the mandatory evacuations of coastal NYC and the scheduled shut down of mass transit at 12 noon today, no to mentioned the forecasts of 60+ MPH winds, its not wonder the shot won't be going on any time too soon.

The line up included Santigold, Janelle Monae, Cee-Lo and FISHBONE during a rare NYC concert appearance! Plus skaters, Bmxers, vendors of food, gear and culture in all directions, what could be bigger than that? Possibly a hurricane.

Damn.

Current forecasts continue to show a possibility of a direct hit with NYC this saturday and sunday which of course are were the days of the festival. I've been looking forward to this for weeks since the announcement dropped back in July and now the elements seem to conspire against it.

Well the forecast held does hold open the possibility of a miss inland, or even better out to sea.

But after the stage collapse recently in Indiana that killed 7 due impart to a bad storm, you can bet people will err on the side of caution.

I hope the festival and especially the concert go off without a hitch, and as of now the promoters promise the festival will happen rain or shine. One thing is certain with that line up like that there's an incredible amount of talent and energy ready to be released so a storm is coming to Brooklyn's Commodore Barry Park (near the Navy Yard) whether it's made of a maelstrom or music we'll have to wait and see.

For more details check the Afro Punk Website: http://www.afropunk.com/

Afro Punk Festival scheduled for Saturday Aug 27 and Sunday Aug 28 @ Commodore Barry Park

Free to Enter
Cancelled.

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Afro Punk is Back! Summer weekends officially start

Afro Punk that recent annual Brooklyn tradition fusing the cultures of rock, punk, skater, bmx, with a dusting of Hip Hop returns to the space across from the Brooklyn Academy of Music today and will be on through. Bad Brains and Mos Def are headlining the performances and the aerial action will be put up by some of the city's most daring skaters and bmxers.

Here's the post from last year's event, which served as my introduction to Janelle Monae:

Missed it Mondays: Wknd of 7/11-7/12 Edition

Whooooo-a-Wheee! Busy Weekend, I got to do lots, hope you did too...but nuff about me, let's talk about you! Did you have a full weekend around Brooklyn?

Then this "Maybe you missed it Monday" is for you. Wknd of 7/11-7/12 Edition

First stop was marked on the calendar 7/11! as in Free Slurpees at 7-Eleven!
I shot over to the Bed-Stuy boarder 7-Eleven grabbed the biggest cup and then had a moment of reality. I asked the dude behind the counter which was the free size. He handed me a cup like the one pictured to the left.

That cup is almost life-sized. Sheesh! But free is free!

And too much of that Slurpee mix ain't good for me, even though in my life I've probably had three total Slurpees. Of course I had something Blue to celebrate the rare occasion.

After wandering through Restoration on Fulton St. in a hypoglycemic stupor, I made my way to Crown Heights just in time to see Council Member Letitia James (Tish to friends) doing her best to drum up business for the Franklin Av/Sterling Pl Flea Market.

Councilmember Letitia James "Tish" (center) enticing passersby to check the nascent
Franklin Av/Sterling Pl. Flea Market. Below she seems to be happily product testing.

The Council Member was pushing for the Smoothies being made by the ladies of Bristens at 715 Franklin Av (next door). According to Tish her toughest competition were a bunch of locale kids hawking water. For me, the idea of natural banana and mango purifying my blue tongue made for an easy sale.

Fresh banana/Mango/Honey Smoothie by Bristen's (over exposed poor photography by yours truly)

I had never heard of Bristen's Eatery (I've actually been meaning to write that Franklin (imho) needs more diverse businesses) but if that smoothie and the cool ladies who made it are any indication, I'd say a good meal is to be had at Bristen's.
I'll check them properly and let you know soon.


Councilmember Letitia James "Tish" with a soon to be flea market customer.

While the blender whirled and the ladies and I chatted a smoothie little line had formed before I knew it. I gotta tell ya Ms. James has a pretty effective sales pitch.

Smoothie in hand, cool sweet natured in belly, I made the rounds of the Franklin/Sterling Flea. It's a modest entrepreneurial encampment as Fleas go but filled with a variety of goodies, like the mobile below there were all variety of crafts.



Next things got saucy! (I'm so corny. I know)

I met up with chef Jason Hait and Marketing Director Ayelet Prizant of the "Pour Gourmet"(below). Jason's a local Chef currently hard at work bringing his sauces to market. He said the Franklin Av/Sterling Place flea market is perfect for him because it's nearby, and provides him an opportunity to get direct feedback from the public plus make some sales.

I declined to taste the sauces, explaining to Jason, that my reason was the Smoothie, and not a lack of confidence in his culinary skills. Scott then demonstrated he's as skilled with the pitch as he is with the sauces, he pointed out a Plantain based barbeque sauce which he assured me would blend nicely with my then taste sensations. It did. It was delicious, for real though.
I coulda ate a whole bottle of that stuff without a meal.


Next I met this duo whose table of jewelry and accessories shimmered in the warm July SUN (Capitalized because after a month like this, we need to be capitalizing on the SUN)


And they'd like you know their website is: http://925ikonz.com/


I enjoyed my trip to the Franklin Av/Sterling Pl. Flea but there was more to do so I broke out and headed for the subway (the long way) which led me to run into this sister at my fave Fort Greene Triangle; Cuyler Gore Park.Here's her clip:


This was an organized event with signage and everything. Seemed to be similar to those neighborhood blood pressure testings that happens at community events. But I was in a hurry and this wasn't a planned stop, so after this clip I kept it moving. The vibe was cool though, no hypertension there.

After that I was off to (gasp) Manhattan, "The City".


You may ask yourself (or me) Why oh Why would ANYONE choose to go to Manhattan when they could be in Brooklyn?!? And my answer is Central Park, and specifically one of the things I like as a Born and Bred (CityBoy) is the looming presence of the city as a location reminder. Sometimes I draw comfort from the geometric confines that the city provides. And unlike in Prospect Park, it's easier in Central Park to be reminded how much in a city you still are. I like the contrast.


It's even more interesting when you look at what goes on inside and think of the hard fast city being home to these activities...

Which led me to the Skate Dancer's Circle near the Band shell in Central Park that has been going strong for over 30 years. Did you know that your boy "Brooklyn Born" spent most of the 90's going in circles out here trying to pick up women in a space heavily enlivened by gay men? Took me years to figure that out. No wonder the women couldn't understand why I was interested.


Cooley I ran into several characters I hadn't seen in ten years and a circular pleasure ensued. Here's a skate level view, (not for the faint of heart or easy to dizzy)

Then came Sunday 7/12 late in the day I got over to what is fast becoming the ritual end of each season's Afro Punk festival, the AfroPunk Block Party.

I did just enough housework Sunday to miss all the concert performances. Sad. I really wanted to see John Forte, after all how many Hip-Hop acts get a presidental pardon, from a white republican President at that! Yeh inflammatory, I know.

Anyway maybe you missed it or maybe you'll enjoy reliving but here's some sights, some sounds and lots a motions from (warning shaky camera) from the day:


















Wanna see more? Here's a video clip from the block party:


And as if all that weren't enough I got an earful from damn-near everyone that the Soul Summit, the party in the park (specifically Fort Greene Park) was back and celebrating it's first jam of the summer.

I sped on over and got there while it was still light enough out to notice a lot more people were there than I'd ever seen. The Soul Summit has grown from an outdoor dance party to a nexus for meet-ups, picnics and general socializing. What's additionally cool, and I noticed this as I entered the park, is how well the event works with all the other activities of the park. Tennis was still being played on all courts, bike wheels and soccer balls continued to spin all overlapping each other's energy. beautiful thing.


Wanna see a shakey clip? Here we go!:


And it keep on an on and on, even after the sun got tired and went down, the dancers and drummers stayed up.




Now let's get this Monday over so we can get back to the weekend!

Weekend One-Liners 7/10-7/12

Friday, July 10, 2009 7:30 p.m. (this one I'm late on, I know...)
Celebrate Brooklyn! Presents Los Amigos Invisibles & Aterciopelados
A featured performance as part of the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC), this double bill brings together two great South American acts.
http://www.prospectpark.org/calendar/event/141658

Saturday July 11th

Saturday, July 11th at 2pm
Yes there is more than one Flea in Brooklyn and Councilmember James will be there!
"Smoothie Making Event at the Franklin/Sterling Flea Market
Council Member Letitia James and Carleen Haughton, owner of Bristen’s Eatery located at 751 Franklin Avenue, will be serving up fresh smoothies to the community on Franklin Avenue and Sterling Place (next to 751 Franklin Avenue)"

ALL DAY Saturday
Every year on July 11th (7/11 get it?) 7-Eleven celebrates their birthday by giving away Free Slurpees!!! And today on their 82nd birthday they will give away 7.11 ounce slurpees at over 6,000 locations. Store locator: http://www.7-eleven.com/StoreLocator/tabid/214/Default.aspx

Sat. July 11 - 11:45 AM
Brewed in Brooklyn Tour ($45:holy crap!) includes: A private tour+A slice of pizza+Stories of brewing+Tastings of traditional German beer and Brookyn beer with gourmet small plates at Huckleberry Bar.
http://www.urbanoyster.com/brewed-in-brooklyn-tour.html

Sat. July 11, 4:00 PM
A Very Special Show with They Might Be Giants
Featuring Readings of Keats Stories by Claudia Marshall of WFUV
http://www.tmbg.com/index1.html

Sat. July 11, 6:00 PM
Narrows Knockout! Staten Island Yankess vs. Brooklyn Cyclones!!
"Be one of the first 2,500 fans and you'll get a free PEPSI visor! And don't forget to stay for a post-game fireworks show!"
http://www.coneyislandfunguide.com/Events/Brooklyn-Cyclones-vs-SI-Yankees_7_11_2009-1802.htm

Danny Simmons Corridor Gallery
“Portraits of Obama” will be up through July 25 at Corridor Gallery, 334 Grand Avenue, open Thursday through Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m.
http://fort-greene.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/new-ways-to-see-the-president/

Sunday July 12th

"Brooklyn Bridge Flea takes place directly under the world's most beautiful bridge...vendors of vintage furniture, clothing, collectibles and antiques, as well as new jewelry, art and crafts by local artisans, plus delicious food...open from 11am to 6pm every Sunday."
http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/

Sunday July 12th 1-8pm
Afro-Punk Block Party: Clinton Ave between Myrtle and Willoughby
FREE! "The 2nd Annual Afro-Punk Block Party, Live Music, DJs and D.I.Y. Fashion, food and craft vendors...underground and local artists, performances by John Forte, Joya Bravo, Maiysha Shinobi Ninja"
http://www.afropunk.com/page/afropunk-2009

Photo Wed: 7/08/09 : Janelle Monae the future now

The AfroPunk festival at BAM continued through this past Monday and featured a terrific example of what the next big thing looks like in the form of Janelle Monae. I've been hearing about Janelle for more than a year and I may have seen her a stage in the last 6 months, but what I saw on Monday was an unforgettable "I saw her when" moment.


The set was short about a half hour, in front of a crowd seasoned with neon teen skate rockers, artists of all kinds, counter-culture holds outs and Hip-Hop grandparents. The audience, hyped on Janelle for hours leading up to the show erupted when she appeared and kept high and deep energy levels for her throughout.


Her band of three was as fast and furious and rock star appropriately over the top as Janelle was, black ties and all. Janelle as you'll see in the pics, has a specific style that accentuates her moves whether shes posed for shock, or poised to bare her soul, or even suddenly paint a picture, while singing, which she did.

Of the band's style I especially dug the Prince Valiant do on the bass player. The songs went from high powered herky-jerky rock funk pop numbers that I recognize but whose titles escaped me, to a very sweet rendition of Smile, dedicated to Michael Jackson.


Moving The Crowd: two guys were motivated to these heights, climbing a nearby
trailer and becoming impromptu backup dancers, by Janelle Monae's performance.

The descriptions I heard, in the many post performance conversations were heavy with references to André3000 and Annie Lennox. I could add to that Grace Jones, Gwen Stefani and Marvin Gaye. But I think while it may be hard to aptly condense her windup-metropolis-robot-slash-moshpit-rage-meets-pop-syncopated-movements and the jasmine-velvet-whispers-broken-by-primal-screaming-and-funk-grunts of her voice into an easy description; I think you'll agree when you see her that we owe it to her to condense all that she is and will be into two descriptive words; Janelle Monae.


And since this is Photo Wednesday, here are some more views from Afro Punk 09
(Don't for get the Afro Punk Block Party is this sunday in Clinton Hill)


lemme guess; radiohead.