Friday, July 31, 2009

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.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

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)

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

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 CafĂ© & Bar (Official home of the South Carolina Gamecocks)

· 383 Third Avenue

· Between 27th and 28th 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!


Tuesday, July 28, 2009

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."

Thursday, July 23, 2009

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.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

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


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.

Friday, July 17, 2009

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