BOOK: Bayou

"South of the Mason-Dixon Line, lies a strange land of gods and monsters. Born from centuries of slavery, civil war, innocent bloodshed, hate and strife lurks a world parallel to our own. LEE WAGSTAFF is the daughter of a poor, sharecropper in a depression-era, Mississippi Delta town, called Charon. She’s an introspective, brave child and hard labor in the fields has made her sturdy and strong. One day, Lee and her father help the sheriff retrieve the body of a boy who’d been lynched and thrown into the river. Lee dives into the depths to tie a rope around the boy. While under water, she catches a glimpse of a strange world. Ever since that day, Lee hears voices in the trees and rivers. When Lee’s playmate, Lily, is snatched by BOG, an evil inhabitant of that place she saw, Lee’s father is accused of kidnapping. The worst thing a black man could do in the 30’s was harm a white child. Lee must pursue Bog into his world in order to save her friend before her father is lynched. Lee enlists the help of a benevolent, blues-singing, swamp monster called BAYOU and together they trek across a Southern Neverland in search of Lee’s friend. Along the way, they meet several colorful characters, like BR’ER RABBIT. Lee soon realizes that Bog has some sort of hold on all the inhabitants in this world and feeds off of hatred and strife in our world. As the racial tensions grow, Bog grows more powerful, so not only are Lee’s friends and father in peril, but all of Charon." (source)

Bayou is a graphic novel by Jeremy Love and Patrick Morgan out now now via Zuda Comics. Peep is online here, or buy it here.

STAGE: Mother @ Wild Project

MOTHER @ Wild Project (closes August 1).

"MOTHER is set at a throwback West Virginia resort over the New Year's holiday, where one family's gathering is anything but traditional. Infidelity, sibling rivalry, and a dash of kidnapping are all in an evening's diversion for this eccentric clan." (source)

SCENE: SEC Happy Hour Tonight (7/29)

Hello Everyone:

NYC Southeastern Conference Happy Hour Sponsored by the

University of South Carolina

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 at 6 PM EST

It’s time for another Southeastern Conference Happy Hour and here are the details:

· Van Diemen’s Café & Bar (Official home of the South Carolina Gamecocks)

· 383 Third Avenue

· Between 27^th and 28^th Street

· New York, NY 10016

· Bar: (212) 532-1123

· Web Site: www.VanDiemensNYC.com

· Time: 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM

Beer Pong Contest, Drink Specials, Food Specials! Friends are welcome!

BOOK: Reasons For And Advantages of Breathing

Nashvillian (via Virginia, via Boston) Lydia Peelle reads tomorrow (7/29) afternoon (12:30PM - 1:45PM) at Bryant Park Reading Room.

"Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing conveys an almost Faulknerian ache for the pre-modern South, for a landscape and a way of life lost to the ravages of money and technology.....'Mule Killers' evokes the end of an era and of a grandfather's dreams when he decides to replace animal power on his farm with tractors. Two restless young girls in 'Sweethearts of the Rodeo' live out their last summer of innocence, riding ponies recklessly and spying on their boss and the wealthy women who visit him. In 'Phantom Pain,' the Tennessee woods are a sliver of what they once were, men now hunt with GPS and cell phones, and the rumor of a dangerous panther on the loose stirs up a small town." (source)

BONUS: The Bryant Park Reading Room has a really cool history: "The original Reading Room began in August of 1935 as a public response to the Depression Era job losses in New York. Many people did not have anywhere to go during the day, and no prospects for jobs. The New York Public Library opened the “Open Air Library” to give these out-of-work businessmen and intellectuals a place to go where they did not need money, a valid address, a library card, or any identification to enjoy the reading materials."

SOUNDS: Terence Blanchard in NY thru 7/26

New Orleanian Terence Blanchard (jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, Golden Globe-nominated film score composer, and Artistic Director at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz) wraps up a week long stint at Jazz Standard on 7/26.

SOUNDS: DMB + OCMS = NYC (7/21 & 22)

Necklace by Seize The Night (Etsy)

Nashvillians (via NYC & NC) Old Crow Medicine Show join Charlottesville, VA (via South Africa) megastars the Dave Matthews Band tonight (7/21) and tomorrow night (7/22) at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach.

Put some south in your mouth!

BBQ Pitmaster Class - July 18 2009 @ 11am
at Historic Richmond Town
441 Clarke Ave
Staten Island, NY 10306
718 351 1611

WHO: Smokin' Joe's True-Blue Texas Barbecue's Pitmaster's University (PU) brings the true Pitmaster's skills back to the “Art of Barbecue”. This one-day (that's one-long Pitmaster's day!) course is taught by seasoned Memphis in May Certified and Kansas City Barbecue Society Trained Judges.

WHAT: They will teach the home cook, BBQ enthusiast, the restaurateur looking to add BBQ to their menu or just plain you - “Joe or Jane BBQ Lover”, a variety of Pitmaster skills.

* Cost: $80.00 (Staten Island Historical Society members $75.00) Light snack and beverage served during the day + Full BBQ Dinner
* Call to Register: (718) 351-1611 Ext. 236
Click this link for more information

Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow

On view now thru January 4, 2010 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage:

By the time World War II began on September 1, 1939, Germany had purged itself of its Jewish professors, scientists, and scholars. Some of these academics, deprived of their livelihoods by the Nazis, found refuge in the United States. But in this new world, they faced an uncertain future. A few dozen refugee scholars unexpectedly found positions in historically black colleges in the American South. There, as recent escapees from persecution in Nazi Germany, they came face to face with the absurdities of a rigidly segregated Jim Crow society. In their new positions, they met, taught, and interacted with students who had grown up in, and struggled with, this racist environment. Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow explores the unlikely coming together of these two groups, each the object of exclusion and hatred, and examines the ongoing encounter between them as they navigated the challenges of life in the segregated South.

A Wickham Anniversary

Today (7/13) marks the 40th Anniversary of the dedication of the Daniel Boone, Lester Solomon, Sitting Bull and Piomingo statue at The Wickham Stone Park in Palmyra, TN. This was the last statue to be formally dedicated.


"In the last grouping of statues that Wickham created, the selection of personalities at first seems odd. Daniel Boone and Sitting Bull are familiar characters from American frontier days, but Piomingo and Lester Solomon are more obscure to today’s audience. The lack of an elevated platform for these figures may be a reflection of Wickham’s age and reduced agility. Why did Wickham include these figures together in a grouping? Pioneering spirit, love of land, and involvement with the development and settlement of Tennessee might have been part of Wickham’s reasoning." (source)

So nice, they had to do it twice!

In case you missed them last night, you can catch NOLA's Rebirth Brass Band today (7/9) at noon for a free concert as part of BAM's Rhythm & Blues Festival at MetroTech.

BAM says: One of the indispensable staples in the New Orleans music scene, Rebirth Brass Band is known for their vintage, tuba-driven style that incorporates funk, soul, jazz and hip-hop into a classic march-music repertoire. Formed in 1983, the band has gone from marching the streets of the French Quarter to playing sold-out shows around the world. Committed to maintaining the traditional “second line” style, Rebirth grants their heavy funk and irresistible groove a relevance that resonates with old-school fans and first-time listeners alike.

Feel Like Funkin' It Up

According to their Myspace page: "Simply put, The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans institution. Formed in 1983 by the now infamous Frazier brothers, the band has evolved from playing the streets of the French Quarter to playing festivals and stages all over the world. Rebirth is committed to upholding the tradition of brass bands while at the same time incorporating modern music into their show. Their signature brand of heavy funk has not only won over several generations of music lovers, it has become the soundtrack to an entire city. In the wake of the sometimes-stringent competition amongst brass bands, Rebirth is the undisputed leader of the pack, and they show no signs of slowing down."

They play BB King's tonight (7/8) @ 8PM.

You Are Invited to Concord , Virginia

Concord, Virginia - Performance and Book Release Party tonight (7/7) @ 7PM at Dixon Place (161 Chrystie Street, NYC).

Having begun the saga of Concord, Virginia: A Southern Town in Eleven Stories at HOT! 2006, Peter Neofotis celebrates St. Martin Press’s release of his award-winning book - based on his Dixon Place show series - by performing The Botanist, a gay trial tale; and The Builders, a Prometheus Bound story. (source)

St. Martin's says:“In the places set between folds in the Earth, voices echo against mountains…”

So begins the story of Concord, Virginia, one of those places set between folds in the Earth. It’s a place like almost any other Southern town, filled with self-righteous preachers, descendants of slaves, upstanding town leaders, and the ladies of the local bridge club. But Concord has something else: a dark heart. A church has been abandoned. Vultures have been roosting in the trees at George MacJenkins’s house. Poisonous snakes follow Rachel Stetson into the river for a swim. And the ghost of Thomas Jefferson has recently spoken through a man chained to fate. Deftly spinning a web of stories from the voices of the town, Peter Neofotis creates a captivating portrait---comic, dramatic, bombastic, and tragic---of a place trapped in time and possessed by the valley landscape that surrounds it. In the tradition of great Southern gothic writing, Peter Neofotis brings to life the town of Concord, Virginia, allowing even the ancient voices there to swirl through the glazed brick streets like the Fork River. It’s a pulse-raising debut by a writer who’s created a place the reader will never forget.

Drop Me Off In New Orleans

Tonight (7/7) @ Midsummer Night Swing in Damrosch Park:

Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers

“With his shimmering tone, street-honed chops and over-the-top personality, Ruffins is a throwback to the days when entertainment and art were fast companions.” —The Star Tribune

With a knowing grin on his face and a smile in his voice, Kermit Ruffins kicks off the season with New Orleans flair. The trumpeter/vocalist and his band are sure to thrill with their unique sense of smokin’ swing. (source)

When:
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 6:30
Dance Lesson at 6:30, Live Music at 7:30

Where:
Damrosch Park
62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam

Program:
New Orleans Jazz, Swing
Lesson: Paolo "P Lindy" Lanna teaching the Lindy Hop, Lindy Hop All-Stars, SavoyCentral.org
DJ: Ryan Swift, Yehoodi.com

Hmmm...

If you've ever wondered what the countrified version of "Maniac" or "Hot 4 Teacher" would sound like you're in luck. "The 80s Go South" is live tonight (and every Monday) at 8PM at Hill Country Barbecue. FREE!