PLANET CHOCKO – art/music/movies/beyond

Rooftops + Sidewalks show at My Plastic Heart

August 6th, 2016 by Mr. C

Boundless Brooklyn started as a company that had an idea to create a DIY water tower model kit that would be fast and easy to assemble in 10-15 minutes. These model kits come complete with everything you need — no scissors or extra glue are needed. All of their products are made in the U.S.A. from chipboard, a 100% recycled material. The fun comes in when you customize the kits with paint, markers, acrylics, oils, water colors, & maybe other creative ways that I can’t think of now! The water tower model kits did so well that other “canvas” kits were created such as mailboxes, billboards, half pipes, lifeguard towers, & lighthouses.

With that background, a group of 25+ leading and upcoming illustrators customized Boundless Brooklyn water towers and mailboxes for a show curated by Leo Espinosa called ROOFTOPS + SIDEWALKS on display at My Plastic Heart, a designer toy store located on Forsyth Street in the lower east side of Manhattan. All works at the Rooftops and Sidewalks exhibit are for sale! I stopped by today to check out these creations! All of the water towers & mailboxes had amazing designs,eye-popping colors, & crazy detail on them! I can’t wait to start my own water tower creation soon!

The Rooftops + Sidewalks show runs from August 5th – September 2 at MyPlasticHeart.

myplasticheart
210 Forsyth Street
New York, NY 10002

Participating Artists
Leo Espinosa
Bob Flynn
Bob Staake
Loris Lora
Micah Player
Raul Gonzalez
Charles Glaubitz
Jordan Awan
Aaron Meshon
Roman Muradov
Keith Negley
Jorge Gutierrez
Sandra Equihua
Sonni Adrian
Marius Valdes
Himanshu Sharma
Jacob Thomas
Rob Dunlavey
Andrea D’Aquino
Calef Brown
Ellen Surrey
Lisk Feng
Laura Osorno
Robert Neubecker
Claudia Pearson

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Tags: bikes, boundless brooklyn, graffiti, mailbox, summer streets, water towers
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my kinda town – rock n roll, kung fu, & new york city!

July 31st, 2016 by Mr. C

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THE BELLS: A DAYLONG CELEBRATION OF LOU REED

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Lou Reed left us way too early on October 27, 2013. Yesterday, we celebrated Lou’s legacy on things he loved the most: music, martial arts, poetry, experimental composition, film, his family, friends, & just living life in New York City. Thanks to his wife Laurie Anderson and producer friend Hal Wilner along with Lincoln Center for curating this event – Saturday July 30, 2016 – we celebrate Lou Reed all day long! I would only spend half the day stomping around the grounds of Lincoln Center experiencing the vibe of the gritty & eclectic Lou but I assure you, the events I attended packed a punch …. pun intended!

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(Chen Style Tai Ji Master Guang Yi Ren leading the class at Lincoln Center)

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The celebration started as soon as I entered the grounds of Lincoln Center where the iconic water fountain lay with its gushing water flow that spits in a synchronous and rhythmic manner. I can hear and see Master Guang Yi Ren – a teacher of the discipline of Chen Tai Chi, an art form that Lou Reed was very passionate about. He was dedicated to Chen Tai Chi and to the teacher that he looked up to & respected very much in Guang Yi Ren. Master Ren was leading a class to about a hundred on Josie Robertson Plaza in Lincoln Center. You can magically imagine Reed on the grounds practicing just the same.

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The next event was just next door at the Damrosch Park Bandshell and it would be a treat! The music of Lou Reed / Velvet Underground would permeate through the park with live performances from luminaries in the music industry that also shared the same training and playgrounds with Lou – New York City! All were inspired by Lou Reed and his many creative forms of expression! The House band with Don Fleming, Sal Maida, Kenny Margolis, Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelley, Matt Sweeney, and Karen Waltuch would join forces with special guests David Johansen, Jesse Malin, Bush Tetras, JG Thirwell, Lenny Kaye, Yo La Tengo, Jon Spencer, Joan As Police Woman, Kembra Pfahler, Harper Simon, Felice Rosser, Tammy Faye Starlite, and more! We included some video footage from the show below. See who performed what Lou Reed/Velvet Underground song! The ending with Yo La Tengo and friends doing “Sister Ray” was nothing short of amazing!

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(Yo La Tengo performs “I Heard Her Call My Name”)

(Yo La Tengo closing out the show with “Sister Ray”)

(David Johansen singing “I believe in love”)

(Bush Tetras performing “Run Run Run”)

(Joan As Police Woman with “Ecstacy”)

(JG Thirwell performs “Men of Good fortune”)

(Jesse Malin with Rock n Roll)

(Jon Spencer performs “Venus in Furs”)

(Lenny Kaye with “I’m Set Free”)

(Tammy Faye Starlite performing Chelsea Girls)

(Kembra Pfahler performing “Disco Mystic”)

(Harper Simon with “Sweet Jane”)

(Felice Rosser)

(Don Fleming performs “Temptation inside of your heart)

(L:Lee Ranaldo R:Matt Sweeney)

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After the show, I peeked in on Master Guang Yi Ren and his students demonstrating at Hearst Plaza as well as a demo from the Ying Jow Pai (Eagle Claw Kung Fu School), an organization that Lou Reed had been a part of for many years as well.

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(Master Guang Yi Ren with Chen Style Tai Ji Broadsword)

(Chen Style double edge straight sword)

(Sifu Jose Figueroa(L) & Sifu Stephan Berwick(R) with moving/stepping Push hands)

(Chen Style Tai Chi Kwan Dao)

(Ying Jow Pai Kung Fu – Spear vs Kwan Dao)

(Master Guang Yi Ren’s senior disciples – Sifu Greg Pinney(L) – Sifu Jose Figueroa(R))

(Master Ren’s senior disciple – Sifu Stephan Berwick)

(Warrington Hudlin – filmmaker, Wu Style Tai Chi practioner, & curator of Museum of Moving Image’s film program “Fist & Sword”)

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I was running short on time so the last event that I would attend was the Lou Reed DRONES exhibit. It was an immersive sound installation created from six of Lou Reed’s guitars and amps in a feedback loop. Boy, was the sound in there intense! I can so see Reed get down with the noise to inspire creativity, instill peacefulness, and at the same time promote destruction and deconstruction!

(Drones installation – six of Lou Reed’s guitars and amps in a feedback loop)

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The Bells: an all day long celebration of Lou Reed was such a wonderful way to pay homage to an NYC icon, a pioneer of music and its many forms of creative expression, and to just simply acknowledge one of our own with his courage to live & appreciate life until spontaneous combustion.I hope they make this an annual event from here on in.

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Tags: lcoutofdoors, lincoln center, lou reed, new york city, tai chi, the bells
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Bike NYC – St. Marks to Brooklyn

July 24th, 2016 by Mr. C

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Mondocurry’s son Nathan was visiting from Hawaii last year around this same time and we setup a bike ride that started with having dim sum at the large & vibrant banquet hall in a mall called 88 Palace located underneath the Manhattan bridge. After the canto eats, the bike ride commenced on East Broadway Chinatown > Brooklyn Bridge > Brooklyn Bridge Park > Manhattan Bridge > Chinatown. It was a fun ride despite being the hottest day of the year.

It so happened that Nathan was visiting again this year and we added a few revisions of the same ride and it was a blast! The only difference this year was that we all rode on Citibikes! Last year, I rode on my Brompton foldup bike but I decided that I didn’t want to lug the little brit around on all the stops so I opted to use the Citibike for convenience sake this year. And I’m sure glad I did! This time around, my citibike experience led to much more confidence in using their docking stations to checkin/checkout bikes. It seems like all the stations that I went to on Saturday were all operational as opposed to the experience I had a few years ago. Good job Citibike! The 3 gears on the citibike were good enough to navigate the slight inclines of all the bridge crossings. Come see how we get things started below! This year there was no dim sum. We opted for a lighter breakfast at Panya Bakery on 9th Street, instead. We’re looking forward to our 3rd annual Bike NYC ride next year! If you want to join us, let us know! Maybe next year, we will ride over the Williamsburg Bridge, spend time in Williamsburg > ride over the Pulaski Bridge to Long Island City, Queens > Queensboro Bridge> Manhattan . Just a thought! We welcome any suggestions!

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(We all converged on the Astor place – Citibike station. Only 3 bikes? That’s all we needed!)

(here we go)

(We got on 2nd ave past Houston St to head downtown towards the Allen Street bike path)

(Allen Street bike path – love this stretch of bike path to navigate lower manhattan)

(Due to the Citibike 30 min time-limit, we dock the bikes by Cityhall b4 we check them out again 2 min later)

(Brooklyn Bridge bound we go! Too much pedestrian traffic and not much respect for the bike path)

(The road shortly opens up thanks to a few local bikers that voiced there opinion forcefully to the pedestrians!)

(We dock the citibikes at the nearest station on Tillary St/Cadman Plaza after we get off the Brooklyn Bridge)

(Next destination, Brooklyn Bridge Park to dump the bikes off on Old Fulton Street so we can explore!)
(view from Old Fulton street – Brooklyn Bridge on foreground, Manhattan Bridge in background)

(Before we do anything else, must.Stop.at.Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory!)

(Brooklyn Bridge Park waterfront)

(We dive into the shady part of the park to get out of the sun and to head towards pier2)

(We run into this – over yonder in background is Pier 2 Sports Complex)

(Nathan surfing the boulder which was actually a big piece of foam)

(View from Pier 2 – Sports complex)

(Rollerskating rink at Pier 2)

(views off Pier 2 – Statue of Liberty)

(Behind us on Pier 2 is the Brooklyn Heights promenade and the infamous Brooklyn Queens expressway)

(We loaded up on fluids and back on the road again!)

(Citibike station by Pier 2 – purrrfect!)

(We continue on the Brooklyn Bridge park greenway towards Red Hook)

(Pier4 beach area)

(BBQ picnic area)

(nice views of a stained glass water tower)

(checked in the Citibikes at the Atlantic Ave/Furman Street station)

(continuing the path)

(This kid on a scooter was going haywire over the hay!)

(We backtrack because we did not want to forge onwards towards Red Hook. We needed to moonwalk to Brooklyn Heights!)

(mural on Atlantic Ave – the kids across the street were step dancing & selling lemonade!)

(We finally made it to Brooklyn Heights/Montague Street)
(We make a quick pit stop at Hanco’s to grab some bubble tea & a bahn mi)

(Back on the road to head back to DUMBO)

(old Fulton Street DUMBO area to check in the bikes b4 heading back to Manhatty via the Manhattan Bridge!)

(See ya Brooklyn – it’s been fun!)

(Mural on Pearl Street)

(Damn Manhattan Bridge, you steady incline uphill right away?!)

(I stop about 1/4 way to snap a photo of this old water tower)

(Afer dashing out of the bridge, we check-in/check-out the citibikes on Canal Street)
(conveniently back on Allen Street again to head for our final reward at 10 Below Ice Cream!)

(Green Tea & Strawberry rolled ice cream)

(Nathan got the Thai iced tea rolled ice cream with roasted marshmellows & plenty of berries)

(Walked it over to nearby Orchard street to see the old Moscot Eyeglass building & Wallplay Arts & Graff before the demolition)

Tags: brooklyn bridge, brooklyn bridge park, citibike, manhattan, manhattan bridge
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Paterson graffiti – Respect my name – Please no more Buff!!

July 22nd, 2016 by Mr. C

(Respect my name – no more buff!!)

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School 15 in Paterson, NJ has been a holy place for graffiti where the 3 tiered playground and its concrete walls have been a canvas
for beautiful aerosol art for New Jersey’s best urban street artists. In January 2016, I took a stroll to School 15 to get the latest and greatest of 2016 with the 3 tiered layer cake of the graffiti temple and was shocked to find that all the walls were buffed out. Okay, I said to myself – maybe they buffed the walls in order to prepare for a fresh layer of new art for the spring. I stopped by recently and was shocked that amongst some graff & tags, much of the walls were buffed over and many of the existing art bombed over and defaced by vandals. This isn’t what School 15 was known for – the mecca of graffiti – the Temple and holy space of urban art for Paterson. I’m not sure what’s going on with the future of graffiti at School 15 but I sure hope the community and curators of the space can re-organize and get back to what the 3 tiered playground of School 15 once was – a graffiti wall of fame for talented street artists.

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Tags: new jersey, paterson, paterson graffiti, street art
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A Rose in Spanish Harlem + Love Warrior + Five Elements Ninja : New York City ups

June 27th, 2016 by Mr. C

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The triple headed monchhichi crew at Planet Chocko did our fair share of exploring NYC last Saturday as we covered Spanish Harlem all the way
down to Chinatown. Some of the notable events that we attended included stopping by two art exhibits powered by two iconic female street artists.

Hi-ARTS Gallery hosted “A Rose in Spanish Harlem” which featured the works of Sandra Fabara aka Lady Pink. Pink is a legendary 1st generation graffiti artist from NYC,renowned painter,muralist,educator, & just a plain one woman badass outlaw solely responsible for inspiring a whole new generation of street artists – male or female. A Rose in Spanish Harlem includes Lady Pink’s latest prints, paintings, & woodcuts that displays various stages of her creativity these past several years. The subjects she paints almost always involves a strong female figure that emanates the beauty and power of femininity all the while being graceful. Lady Pink’s exhibition will be on display from July 16th – July 30th, 2016. Viewing hours: Tuesdays,Thursdays, & Saturdays 2-7pm

Hi-Arts Gallery
304 E 100th St, New York, NY
www.hi-artsnyc.org

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Meanwhile, 100 blocks down south on the same Island of Manhattan – lives a fun designer Toy Store on Forsyth Street called My Plastic Heart. Here is where another renowned graffiti artist & designer from NYC – Maria Castillo aka TooFly is having her “Love Warrior” art print exhibition. Love Warrior represents feminine power and a heightened sense of spirituality. The drawings of Toofly’s warrior figure reminds me of the indigenous and tribal type that symbolizes
strength and power! Castillo’s Ecuadorian heritage and upbringing on the streets of New York City serves as the inspiration that helped put her ancestral experiences into a form of art in order to relay the message of love, spirituality, & freedom. I absolutely love the style, colors, & bubble lettering of Toofly and Lady Pink. The flow and boldness of their hand lettering expressed on wall murals in aerosol – amazing! Toofly and Lady Pink are superhero writers in my book!

Love Warrior exhibit runs until July 1st. Get that Native Soul!

My Plastic Heart
210 Forsyth Street
New York NY 10002

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(Master Shi Yan Ming + RZA at introduction of Five Element Ninjas @ Metrograph)

To cap off the night, I attended a screening of one of my favorite classic Shaw Brother Kung Fu films directed by Chang Cheh – 5 Element Ninjas (1982) aka Super Ninjas aka Chinese Super Ninjas as RZA would remind us! I knew it as Chinese Super Ninjas from my VHS bootleg copy that I bought from the great 43rd Chamber store! This event was billed as RZA’s dream double grindhouse feature including 5 Element Ninjas + Shaolin vs Wutang. Shortly after the press release, the theater announced they couldn’t get the print of Shaolin vs Wutang on time and House of Traps would be the replacement. RZA was still scheduled to introduce the films and be present for a Q&A afterwords. Throw the WU’s in the air! As to no surprise, 5 Element Ninjas is a blood soaked revenge film with an evil school of renegade kung fu fighters scheming to eradicate another school in order to reign supreme in the kung fu world. Shaw Brothers made sure to throw in the stereotypical anti-japanese sentiment with the ruthless and heartless Japanese ninjas as they dispatch the chinese by any means necessary! Those sneaky japs! 5 Element Ninjas is an encyclopedia of excellent weapons fight choreography with video gamish like battles and background settings. The only thing that wasn’t retro about the screening which I actually appreciated was that the film was not english dubbed but in its native mandarin. 5 Element Ninjas is a vicious little film that displays first rate acrobatic kung fu skills especially with traditional weapons. The movie is filled with wall to wall action, has colorful content, violent with guts and gore, and what else, contains lots and lots of ninjas! Five Element Ninjas is available from various distributors including Tokyo Shock and Celestial. This one belongs in your Kung Fu DVD database for sure! Oh, don’t forget to see and hear what RZA had to say about his experiences
with Kung Fu films and how it influenced him and his Clan at the Q/A after the film below!

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2016 Big Apple Barbecue Block party

June 12th, 2016 by Mr. C

(Memphis Barbecue and their baby back ribs. Loved the enthusiasm of the pit crew! Ribs were amazing!)

I had a smokin’ good time with friends at the 14th annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in Madison Square Park on Saturday. We didn’t stay for too long but just enough to sample 5 ‘cue plates that included a succulent whole hog pulled pork sandwich, a pulled pork shoulder sandwich, baby back ribs, smoked wings, beef brisket, & smoked sausage. We noticed that Ed Mitchell and his BBQ team made a triumphant return to the block party this year but we did not have enough room in the belly to get in a round of Ed’s wonderful smoked creations. What we did have was the familiar Big Bob Gibson’s pulled pork shoulder sandwich accompanied by their delicious spicy mustard cole slaw. Shoveling their tasty cole slaw in with the sandwich is messy but a necessity! Moist pulled pork with the mayonnaise based white sauce is hog heaven! Our next victim would be another pulled pork sandwich and my favorite from the day and from Big Apple BBQ block party past. Thank you Skylight Inn/Sam Jones BBQ! They served a smoked whole hog with the entire carcass roughly chopped & mixed with vinegar & various spices by a master butcher with knife skills that everyone should be scared of! The double action cleavers that he used to dispatch the carcass and his rebel yells made things interesting and fun! What I love about Skylight’s whole hog sandwich is the moist meat with the tasty spices and crunchy cracklings that randomly get tossed in with the pulled pork mixture. Add that in with the tangy sauce and slaw and hmmmmmm hmmmmmm – words fail me! Another Big Apple BBQ block party favorite is Texas based Salt Lick. They killed it again this year with their tender beef brisket and smoked sausage with cheese. The sausage had a little snap upon contact with your teeth and the smoke flavor was apparent! The Salt Lick BBQ sauce had a happy blend of sweet, smoke, & spice! The white bread was the perfect vehicle to carry or should we say mop up the brisket, sausage, & sauce!

(The Cue crew hard at work minding the bbq block party!)

Our next plate was the tender baby back ribs from Memphis Barbecue. The meat fell off the bone with minimal contact and the sauce was tasty. I just wish there was more ribs to the order! I think I needed a whole rack! The last plate was my least favorite of the day. It was the smoked Alabama white wings from Blue Smoke in NYC. First, I thought the wings were too soggy and gloppy from the sauce. I didn’t like the texture of the wings nor the taste of the sauce. Something tasted gamy to me. Was it cheese or something else? Not sure but I wasn’t fond of the taste. It almost seemed like the wings were stewed in with the sauce. Maybe this dish is far too difficult to execute with the amount of covers they needed to churn out for the block party.

(Skylight meat handler showing his knife skills!)

(The whole hog pulled pork sandwich from Skylight. My favorite of the day. One word – cracklings!)

(Salt Lick BBQ before the storm)

(The Salt Lick team before the opening bell of the block party!)

(TEXAS!)

(Salt Lick beef brisket & smoked sausage!)

(Ed Mitchell’s BBQ team – hard at work)

(Ed Mitchell himself making sure things are smooth!)

(Memphis BBQ with some basting and grilling of the baby back ribs)

(Memphis BBQ baby back ribs with smoked beans)

(Big Bob Gibson’s pork shoulder sandwich – steady & delicious every year!)

(Bakers Ribs hard at work)

(Mike Mills and his 17th Street BBQ team)

(Impressive setup by Skylight Inn/Sam Jones BBQ)

(What a rig of smokers by Sam Jones/Skylight Inn)

(The Dinosaur BBQ street team & Ubon’s BBQ street team in a little bit of verbal debate for competition in which line you should get into before the crowds magnify)

Tags: BBQ, big apple barbecue block party, ed mitchell, food, pitmasters
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Bolt-Ups and Brooklyn Ups

June 7th, 2016 by chocko

K-NOR is a Brooklyn based artist and who’s absolutely killing it on the streets with creepy images of drippy skulls and skeletons oozing in brighter than day colors. A couple of months ago K-NOR collaborated on some bolt-ups with another Brooklyn artist CB23 and Staten Island’s Robots Will Kill. The bolt-ups were placed in different parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. These small pieces of art were not easy to find…working on subtle clues on instagram and after many hours of Joey Teacups working diligently in the cave in Encyclopedia Brown-mode, we were able to find the bolt-ups locations. The first three photos below are of the tag team bolt-ups and the rest are of stickers, wheat paste, graffiti and street art by talented artists in various locations around Brooklyn, NYC.

Tags: art, bolt-ups, CB23, graffiti, K-NOR, new york city, nyc street art, Robots Will Kill, street art, wheat paste
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Frankie Cosmos played Other Music

June 6th, 2016 by chocko

Frankie Cosmos at Other Music March 31, 2016

Greta Kline records sweet and shimmering indie pop under the name Frankie Cosmos. Her new album Next Thing dropped a couple months ago and Frankie Cosmos performed a decent chunk of the new record at the intimate and soon to be gone forever, Other Music in New York City. The lineup at the in-store consisted of Gabrielle Smith (eskimeaux) on synths, David Maine on the bass, Luke Pyenson on drums and Greta Kline on guitars and vocals. They played a fantastic set of melodic and poetic pop songs and threw in some synchronized dance moves to boot. Their next show in the NYC area will be at Rough Trade for the Northside Festival along with Ava Luna and Deradoorian. Frankie Cosmos will be playing songs from Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville which should be worth the price of admission. Check Frankie Cosmos on some upcoming dates below.

Sat-Jun-11 Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade (Northside Festival: Playing songs from Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville)

*with Warehouse
*Wed-Jul-27 Baltimore, MD @ Windup Space
*Thu-Jul-28 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
*Fri-Jul-29 Asheville, NC @ Mothlight
Sat-Jul-30 Macon, GA @ Bragg Jam Music Festival
*Mon-Aug-01 Nashville, TN @ The End
*Tue-Aug-02 St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
*Wed-Aug-03 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
*Thu-Aug-04 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
*Sat-Aug-06 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

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Tags: frankie cosmos, greta kline, in-store, live, new york city, nyc, other music, performance, record store
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Memorial Day Punk Show 2016

June 4th, 2016 by chocko

Spike Polite of Sewage NYC at Tompkins Square Park May 29, 2016

Hey ladies and germs! It’s that time of year again and there’s nothing like a free punk show at Tompkins Square Park in The Lower East Side, NYC. I look forward to them every year. This particular edition, The Memorial Day Punk Show was organized by the SHADOW, Time Warp Zine, and Uncle Don Yippie. Chocko arrived late to the party but was still able to catch a couple bands play. First up was the straight outta da prison system and back in da park, Spike Polite and Sewage NYC. Spike’s been away for 10 years and in that time, the NYC landscape has changed drastically…CBGB is closed, Tompkins Square Park has been cleaned up and the Lower East Side and Brooklyn have been gentrified beyond belief. It’s good to hear Spike’s gritty punk anthems in the park again. Welcome back and stay outta trouble! Next up was the band, The Omega Men…decked out in matching black outfits with neon green ties. They played a solid set of psychobilly tunes that got the zombies on Ave. A doing a two step with their caramel lattes. The Omega Men are awesome, I’ve never heard of them before but they happen to be from NYC and playing a bunch of shows this summer including the Johnny Thunders Birthday Bash at Bowery Electric on July 14. If you’re into that rockabilly, surf punk sound then check them out. They’re hard at work on their upcoming record, so all you mutants keep on the lookout for that too.

The Omega Men

Legendary horror punk rockers, The Undead headlined the show with a pummeling mix of classic Undead material, Misfits songs and new stuff off their new album, THE MORGUE THE MERRIER. I always enjoy their Neil Sedaka cover of “I Go Ape” and when bassist Paul Mauled takes over the lead vocals on “I Got Your Number” (not to be confused by the Cock Sparrer song with the same name), swing those elbows and start up the mosh pit! The present lineup features Bobby Steele, his wife Diana Steele on the keys, Paul Mauled on bass and Boris on drums. There were some new faces that popped up during The Undead set at Tompkins: Ethan (Son of Boris) played a bunch of songs with the band and Ryan on the bass when Paul Mauled terrorized on lead vocals. The Undead capped off their set with a 1963 Allan Sherman cover of “Rat Fink”, a song which gained popularity when the Misfits covered the song on the B-Side of their 1979 single “Night Of The Living Dead.” Look, videos below!
The Undead at Tompkins Square Park May 29, 2016

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Tags: Bobby Steele, horror punk, new york city, nyc, punk, punk rock, sewage nyc, spike polite, the omega men, The Undead, tompkins square park
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Storm King Art Center

May 30th, 2016 by Mr. C

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Memorial day weekend’s adventure had us going out to Storm King Art Center located in New York State / Lower Hudson Valley region. Storm King is a magnificently well manicured 500 acre outdoor playground of abstract heavy metal sculptures on steroids which are strategically placed throughout the campus. The art center is about 20 minutes north of Woodbury Commons Shopping Outlet which I’m sure everyone’s mother’s brothers sister in the Tri-state (NY/NJ/CT) + PA has probably been to. Ironically, I ended up meeting part of our Wild Chocko team at the outlets before we headed to the art center and boy, this bargain high-end shopping center has grown exponentially since I’ve been here last! Woodbury Commons is most definitely an oasis for those seeking for brand name clothing & accessory deals! Hell, they bus them in from all over the area! Planet Chocko shopping outlet bus tours? – just saying! For me though, Woodbury Commons was less about the shopping and more about the scenic drive alongside the forests, mountains, and Palisades Interstate Park!

I’ve always wanted to hike the Storm King mountain (West of the Hudson River) but it looks like I would have to settle with the tame but not lame hike at the Storm King Art center first! By NO means did we exhaust every nook & cranny of the art center and actually to the contrary. We only spent a little less than 3 hrs seeing what we saw today and there’s much much much – more that we didn’t see! You really need multiple all day visits to the park in order to explore the whole terrain. The different landscapes and textures of the land made the exploring that much more fun! You can hike, bike, casually walk, or even take the shuttle tram through the grounds. The massive & quirky sculptures on the hillside and those in the forest often made you wonder how they were constructed and what inspired their creations. I’m not in a position to judge art but some of these large installations simply just looked amazing backed by mountains and countryside! On the day that we went, there was a wedding ceremony and reception being held on the grounds of Storm King! What a way to exchange your vows! Get a glimpse of what you might see at the Storm King Art center with the photos below!

Storm King Art Center
1 Museum Rd
New Windsor, NY 12553

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(Wedding ceremony – can’t help but think of torture and sacrifice with those huge metal structures a la Mad Max?!)

Tags: hiking, hudson valley, nature, new york state, sculptures, storm king art center
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The Zombies played Rough Trade

May 27th, 2016 by chocko

Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone of The Zombies at Rough Trade NYC May 12, 2016

UK psychedelic relics, The Zombies played an intimate show at Rough Trade in New York City recently and treated the crowd to a sweet, 30 minute set. The lineup was whittled down to the duo of Rod Argent on keyboards and Colin Blunstone on vocals, both original members of the band which formed in 1962. Their second album with the misspelled title Odessey and Oracle is a critically acclaimed classic which features the 1969 hit “Time Of The Season.” Lots of great songs on that slab of wax from yesteryear…many still resonate generations later. The first song on the album, “Care Of Cell 44” was covered by many artists including Elliot Smith and “This Will Be Our Year” has been covered by artists such as Avett Brothers and Foo Fighters. The Zombies started their set with two tracks off their 2015 release Still Got That Hunger, “Moving On” and “Edge OF The Rainbow” a bluesy track that showcased the duo’s talents and love for performing. The Zombies also played “Care of Cell 44”, “Tell Her No”, “Time OF The Season”, and “She’s Not There”. Blunstone’s huge smile and outstretched arms encouraged the crowd to sing along and harmonize. The show ended with their cover of George Gershwin’s “Summertime.” The band stuck around to sign their new album. Check them out when they play a venue near your jungle hut. They’re playing a whole bunch of festivals in the UK this summer then coming back to the States in September to play shows all over California, Arizona and Colorado. Check out some videos from their Rough Trade show below!

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Tags: in-store, live, odessey and oracle, performance, rough trade, rough trade nyc, show, the zombies
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The Presby Memorial Iris Garden

May 27th, 2016 by Mr. C

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The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in Montclair is one of those hidden treasures of sanctuary that I like to roam around in during blooming season. Wandering around the city and walking around the grounds of a well manicured garden such as the Presby are some of my favorite types of exploration. There’s something about the calming effect to walk the presby and just let the eyes scatter around absorbing the beauty of the irises which at that moment lets the mind escape the everyday mundane & troubled times. Peak bloom time is usually around mothers day but this year, the irises bloomed really late. As it stands, the best time to see the irises at the Presby Gardens is now through Memorial day! So NYC, get those zip cars ready for a trip into suburban NJ! The colors of these many many varieties of Irises and its hybrids at the Presby are amazing! I’m not a horticulturist – don’t pretend to be, and far from a connoisseur of irises or any plant life for that matter. I just appreciate the beauty of these plants when they bloom which also signifies a change into the summer season. Live jazz bands play on the grounds of the presby every weekend in May. The free Summer Series – movies under the stars is also another fun event. The Presby Iris Gardens is one of the venues for the free movies under the stars. Check the Summer Series schedule! In the meantime, go checkout the Presby Iris Gardens this weekend for the booming blooms! If you get the bug to grow irises, definitely check out the plant sale they have at the Presby Memorial Iris gardens every weekend in May. All the iris plants on sale at the garden have been cultivated onsite! All proceeds go right back into the preservation of the garden! The cycle of life!

“The Citizens Committee funds and manage the operations of the iris gardens. The public/private partnership with the County of Essex allows for the continuation of this historic and beautiful site so that it can be enjoyed by new generations of iris lovers and garden enthusiasts alike.”

The Presby Memorial Iris Gardens
474 Upper Mountain Ave
Montclair, NJ 07043

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