Trouble The Water

Tomorrow night on NatGeo:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/trouble-the-water-4249/Videos#tab-Overview

Big Freedia the Queen Diva @ PS 1

New Orleans bounce artist Big Freedia is performing at PS 1's Warm Up tomorrow (8/28). It's gon' be Azz Everywhere y'all!

Well, it's shaping up to be Katrina week....

Out now via Creative Time:

WAITING FOR GODOT IN NEW ORLEANS: A FIELD GUIDE
EDITED BY PAUL CHAN

The final installment of Creative Time's multi-part Waiting for Godot in New Orleans by Paul Chan, A Field Guide brings together a rich collection of primary ephemera, photographs, articles, and essays that explore the project's unique community-centric process from conception to completion. Divided into eight sections—Remember, Picture, Relate, Organize, Appear, Play, Film, Reflect—the book centers around Creative Time's production of Samuel Beckett's classic play over two weekends in two New Orleans neighborhoods—the middle of an intersection in the Lower Ninth Ward, and the front yard of an abandoned house in Gentilly. The production re-imagines the post-Katrina landscape of New Orleans as the setting for the 20th century's most emblematic story of waiting, and in doing so, illuminates the personal and political conditions facing the people of New Orleans and the evacuees in surrounding cities. (source)

One Block

Photographer Dave Anderson’s recently released book One Block: A New Orleans Neighborhood Rebuilds is a powerful portrait of post-Katrina New Orleans as seen through the prism of a single city block whose residents are attempting to rebuild their homes. Using portraiture and still lifes, Anderson explores the very nature of community while testing its resilience. (source)

Katrina Ballads @ (Le) Poisson Rouge

Tonight (8/24) @ 6:30PM at (Le) Poisson Rouge:

Ted Hearne's KATRINA BALLADS featuring René Marie

KATRINA BALLADS, recipient of the 2009 Gaudeamus Prize, is a collection of songs by Ted Hearne. Featuring five singers and a band of eleven instrumentalists, it is set entirely to primary-source texts from the week following Hurricane Katrina - including everything from testimonies of survivors and relief workers to the words of Anderson Cooper, Kanye West, and George W. Bush's infamous "heckuva job." Like American music and New Orleans itself, Katrina Ballads is an omnivorous and multi-stylistic work. It is rhythmic and dramatic music, with an edgy post-minimalist drive and a deep jazz influence. With new work from renowned filmmaker Bill Morrison, Katrina Ballads calls us to reflect upon our own very recent history.

Katrina Ballads was premiered to rave reviews at the 2007 Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. It has since been seen at Chicago's Fine Arts Building, at the New York City Opera's VOX: Showcasing American Composers series and at the 2009 Gaudeamus Festival in Amsterdam. This performance commemorates the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and accompanies the release of the studio album, produced by Lawson White, on New Amsterdam/Naxos Records.

To stream audio: http://www.newamsterdamrecords.com/#Album/Katrina_Ballads

To read an interview about Katrina Ballads: http://www.indigestmag.com/hearne1.htm

(source)

Also tonight:

Spike Lee revisits New Orleans five years later with "If God Is Willing And Da Creek Don't Rise" tonight on HBO.

Brand new Flavor in your...eye!

NY Mag recently did a wonderful piece on Flavor Paper's move from New Orleans to Brooklyn. Here's the back story:

Founded on the Oregon coast by a guy named Ted, this small handscreened wallpaper company flourished in the Age of Aquarius.

Many years later, some young designers seeking striking wallcoverings discovered Ted’s greatness- just days before the designs and equipment were to be destroyed. Knowing what had to be done, these young designers headed west to save Ted’s legacy…

Relocated to the Bywater District of New Orleans, Flavor Paper continued to print using Ted’s traditional printing methods and vacuum table, but with greatly increased accuracy and detail. Contact (them) in (their) new Brooklyn, NY Flavor Lair to see samples of fine handscreened wallpaper designed in Ted’s days or fresh from the next generation of Flavor Paper designers.(source)

And, yeah, that's scratch-n-sniff wall paper above!

SONG: Dr. John 8/2 & 3 @ City Winery

That's pretty much all you need to know. Go here

CONGRATS!!

I'm excited to see 3 very cool southern (yep, i'm including TX in this one) projects selected for 2010 Black Rock Arts Foundation Grants!! (Full disclosure: I won a Black Rock Arts Grant in 2005 for my public art/restorative justice project, ArtCarTraz). Needless to say, BRAF funds some cool stuff and I'm happy they are here!

Community Art Makers

David Umlas, Marrilee Ratcliffe - Austin, TX

photo by Ira Weinschel

'Community Art Makers' are Austin, Texas based community leaders offering work and meeting space, guidance and assistance to artists endeavoring to engage our community. Former notable projects have inclulded recently showcasing the 32 foot tall fire tornado from the BRC 'Fire of Fires' Temple for a public audience of thousands, and the fist public burn night on NYE, 2009 of the Resolution Clock in the center of Austin, Texas for 100,000 people. Attached photo by Ira Weinschel.

BRAF's infrastructure investment will allow the Community Art Makers to build upon current resources and offer more structured, resources and work space for artists. Their upcoming projects are focused on artist empowerment and community building. Some of these projects for 2010 include partnerships with the City of Austin Library, Parks and Art in Public Places Departments, 'Art Outside' and 'First Night' pieces that showcase interactivity to a public audience and hands on classes and training for trained and aspiring artists.

The Music Box

The New Orleans Airlift, featuring Swoon - New Orleans, LA

The Music Box will be an interactive environment built from the remains of an 18th century derelict cottage in New Orleans. This imaginatively reconstructed, and ultimately livable “house”, will become a musical instrument to be played by visitors. Instrumentation will range from the rudimentary banging of wooden boards to more elaborate sounds mechanically triggered by opening doors or pulling levers. In addition to visitors, a range of local and national musicians, including a regional high school marching band, will be invited to play the house for the project’s Block Party series, which will be free and open to all.

The installation will visually resemble works Swoon is best known for – a series of intricate handmade boats that have floated the Mississippi, the Hudson river and most recently the Adriatic Sea and the canals of Venice, Italy during the 2009 Biennale. As with these floating crafts, the focus for The Music Box is on found materials, artistic and community collaboration, functional environments and interaction that involves sound and performance.

The New Orleans Airlift is a multi-disciplinary arts organization that produces and facilitates innovative artistic opportunities for New Orleans-based artists locally and around the globe. Bringing influential artists like Swoon from abroad to participate in cutting edge collaborations with local artists at home in our own community increases exposure, amplifies resources and aids the creative development of our city’s unique and irreplaceable creative community that still struggles for sustainability in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The Music Box is the first incarnation of what will become a permanent performance, exhibition and residency space for he New Orleans Airlift.

Reclaimed Art: Community Art from Recycled Materials

Wayne Andrews - Oxford, MS

The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, working with students from the University of Mississippi Student Art Association and volunteers from the community, will host a series of community art days. The purpose of the community art days is to reclaim materials from a 1928 building, transform them into works of art, and utilize the work of art to create a focal point around the building the materials where removed which is be renovated into a community arts center.

“We are excited that we have been able to reach several community goals with this project”, shared Wayne Andrews, Director of the Arts Council. “ The project will provide a demonstration of how art can impact a community both by providing beauty and economic development. The art, artists and volunteers will transform an industrial building into a community center with the “undesirable & unwanted” elements repurposed into a piece of community art.”

SWING: New Orleans Moonshiners NYC Debut!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 6:30

Dance Lesson at 6:30, Live Music at 7:30

“They are the type of group that takes away any worry about the future of traditional jazz in the city that created it.” — AllAboutJazz.com

The jaunty swing of N'awlins has become so iconic that even those who've never visited the Crescent City can get wistful about what it has to offer. Fittingly, the New Orleans Moonshiners are a septet you won't soon forget once you've danced to their bouncy, reverent music. It's the sound and spirit of Louis Armstrong shot through with the subtlest contemporary harmonies, just one reason that the Moonshiners are poised to develop a national following with their first show beyond their Louisiana home base.

Traditional Jazz, Swing
Lesson: Paolo Pasta Lanna teaches Lindy Hop and Charleston
DJ: Tomo Tanaka

Damrosch Park
62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam

source

ART: Paul Chan - Waiting For Godot in New Orleans Talk tonight @ MOMA

In November 2007 in New Orleans, artist Paul Chan worked with New York's Classical Theatre of Harlem and the public arts group Creative Time to present five free site-specific performances of Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot in two neighborhoods destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. But the project involved much more than the play. In this program Chan—whose work will be on view in the upcoming reinstallation of MoMA's Contemporary Galleries (June 2010–Summer 2011)—and some of his key collaborators discuss the project and all the different components that made it possible. Participants include Robert Lynn Green, New Orleans resident and "neighborhood ambassador" for the Godot project; Greta Gladney, Executive Director of The Renaissance Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in New Orleans; and Christopher McElroen, Co-founder of the Classical Theatre of Harlem. The program is moderated by Kathy Halbreich, Associate Director, MoMA. (source)

Tonight - Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 6:30 p.m.

ART: Skylar Fein's "Remember The Upstairs Lounge" opens 4/28

Remember the Upstairs Lounge by Skylar Fein

Curated by Dan Cameron & No Longer Empty

447 West 16th Street, at 10th Avenue

A New Orleans bar is coming to New York, but with a difference. This bar doesn't serve alcohol. And the regulars are long gone. No Longer Empty is pleased to present Remember the Upstairs Lounge, the recreation of a bohemian French Quarter bar that was destroyed decades ago in a mysterious fire whose story has a surprising power.

Official Opening: April 28, 6pm-8pm

Open to the Public: April 29-May 30, Wed-Sun., 12pm-7pm

The exhibition will be accompanied by programming including a panel discussion on Tuesday May 4th which will address the relationship between art and social causes. Skylar Fein will give an "artist talk"and tours of the exhibition throughout its run.

Skylar Fein is represented by Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, New Orleans. The exhibition is made possible with the generous support of Taconic Investment Properties.

HBO's Treme premiere re-airs tonight (4/13)

In case you missed it on Sunday, the premiere episode of HBO's new NOLA series, Treme, will re-air tonight (4/13).

Read the New York Times' take here.

SCOOP: Scout Designs (part one)

I first read about the NYC-based dynamic southern design duo Nicki Clendening and Callie Jenschke of Scout Designs on Daily Candy. Southernist digs a little deeper with our 2 part Q&A with the women. First up, Nicki Clendening :

Q: How long have you both been here?

A: Almost 10 years! I thought I'd be here 2....no plans to leave but I get back to Charleston and New Orleans several times a year thankfully!

Q: How has being from the south influenced your design aesthetic (assuming it has).

A: It definitely has for me. For me, the South has a 'patina' to it that I grew up with and gravitate towards in design, in particular in New Orleans and Charleston where I lived and worked before moving to NYC. Because both places were/are important port cities, you have so many wonderful homes (and stores) filled with pieces from around the globe that help create the exotic mix of furnishings I love (antiques from Europe, furniture from Asia, African artifacts, textiles from India....) and it's the way the interiors we design our interiors. Always a mix.

A: Do you have any fave southern (owned, themed, based) shops/restaurants here in NYC?

A: Hill Country BBQ! We eat there almost every Saturday after our flea visit. I love the pulled pork BBQ of S.C. but have become a devoted Texas BBQ fan now too!

Q: What’s one cool place from back home that you miss (place, thing, experience)?

A: There are a lot of things, of course, that I do miss but two things probably most: being able to be outdoors for the vast majority of the year, and the people and ease of life. People in the South are just more 'open' than people in the North. It's a "the more the merrier mentality", come sit on the porch and have a cocktail, the door is always open, come over for Sunday supper...it's just easy and welcoming. If you asked any of my Northern friends this is what they'd say I struggle with here, still, the most. I have enough glasses in my tiny NYC kitchen to host a group of 30 for cocktails! I always want people to just drop by and sit and have a cocktail and catch up, but suffice to say that's not really a NYC way of life. We laugh, but sometimes it takes a month to get a date that works for everyone to get together for dinner.

Q: Is there anything else about being “southern in the city” that you’d like to comment on?

A: When I first moved here I was a bit self-conscious about my Southern accent...which isn't that strong but got a lot of comments like "where are you from little darlin'..."! I railed against that for a while, but I let it go shortly after having someone from Long Island who had a very strong accent pick on me for my slight Southern one.

And, most importantly, good manners, or lack thereof. Sorry NYC, but it's something men AND women need to work on. I know it's every man/woman for themselves in NYC but, really, would it kill you to hold the door, or not elbow your way into the train past others, is it really that important that you get somewhere 10 seconds faster? Now, that's a very Southern thing of me to say. ha!

Be on the lookout for part 2 with Callie Jenschke next week!

EAT: Gumbo!

With Mardi Gras almost right around the corner (2/16), it's never too soon to start planning your menu. Time Out NY's Gumbo pick is definitely on my list!

Gumbo at the Green Table
This frequent special is the only NYC gumbo we can get behind. NOLA transplant Brent Sims knows his way around a roux, plus he cooks with what’s in season. This time of year, that means a bowl packed with house-made sausage and chicken or roasted duck. Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave at 16th St (212-741-6623). $18.

SCREEN: Mine

Not to be confused with my new endeavor, also called MINE (but more on that another time) - MINE the movie is a documentary about the pets left behind by Hurricane Katrina and all the thorny issues surrounding that.

SOUNDS: Export NOLA tonight (1/8)

Export NOLA: Experience New Orleans Music!
Two Venues For One Ticket!

Sullivan Hall Lineup:
Funky Butt Revisted featuring
Big Sam Williams, Christian Scott, Jon Batiste, Will Bernard, Doug Wimbish,
Adam Deitch & more /
Jason Marsalis’ Vibes Quartet /
John Ellis and Double-Wide/
Christian Scott / The Jon Batiste Band /
Paul Sanchez Duo (feat. Matt Perrine)

The Bitter End Lineup:
The Iguanas / Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys / Paul Sanchez /
Jamie McLean Band / Mia Borders

MORE LIVE SHOWS (Fri 1/7 & Sat 1/8 - roundup!)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2010

James Cotton (of Muddy Waters fame) @ BB King's

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2010

The Dixons & Defibulators (Brooklyn honky tonkers) @ Southpaw

Pine Leaf Boys ("rockin cajun from Louisiana") @ Connolly's Pub

Del McCoury Band w/Preservation Hall Jazz Band @ BB King's

SCREEN: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans @ BAM

Tues, Nov 24—Wed, Nov 25 at 4:30, 7, 9:30pm
Thu, Nov 26 at 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30pm

"Fueled by Nicolas Cage’s performance—which requires adjectives as yet uncoined, typed with both the caps-lock key and the italics button engaged—Mr. Herzog’s film is a pulpy, glorious mess. Its maniacal unpredictability is such a blast that it reminds you just how tidy and dull most crime thrillers are these days."—The New York Times

In Werner Herzog’s new film Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans, Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs—while playing fast and loose with the law. He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (played by Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion, and conscience. The result is a singular masterpiece of filmmaking: equally sad and manically humorous.

Synopsis courtesy of Apparition.

Source - BAM website

SOUNDS: EyeHateGod in BKLYN tonight

They've been called doomcore, sludge and stoner rock, survived line-up shuffles, label hassles and a short-lived split. And after more than a decade of creating some of the most corrosive, vile music known to man, EyeHateGod still hasn't lost the piss and vinegar that fueled them back in 1988. (source)

Jimmy Bower & co. play tonight @ Club Europa in Brooklyn.