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It’s been awhile since I chronicled my adventures in the Big Apple so these span a rather large period of time.
A couple of weeks ago I saw Scott Mathews and his band play at the Glasslands Gallery. I hadn’t been to the venue before and I fell in love with the pure whimsy of the place; it feels like a fort out of Peter Pan’s Neverland. B’s friend Eugene, who I’ve mentioned in his role as DJ Eugene Tambourine, is part of the band; he and another band member opened as their side project- The Readers. It was their first show as The Readers and while they’re clearly not confident yet you can tell that they have talent. Scott Mathews on the other hand is the consummate performer- no lack of confidence there. He backs it up with interesting lyrics and a lot of raw emotion. They’re on tour in Europe at the moment but I would recommend checking them out upon their return.
Scott Matthews at Glasslands
Later that week I attended a very different sort of musical performance; I saw the St. Matthew Passion at BAM. S and I had stage seats, which was a really unique experience. I was close enough to touch the violinist in front of me and there was the somewhat disconcerting feeling that the whole audience was watching me; I was afraid to fidget throughout the 3 hour performance. This was the Jonathan Miller (Director) version – semi-staged, in the round, two choruses, two orchestras – sung in English (translation by Robert Shaw) (for more info on the St. Matthew Passion click here). The vocalists were incredible and I think the director’s choice to have them wear street clothing really added to my ability to connect with the piece. I couldn’t take pictures once the performance began but here’s a shot from the stage as people were taking their seats:
BAM Harvey Theater before the start of St. Matthew Passion
Last week I saw Brit Boras and the Cavalry play at Spike Hill. All four of them are incredibly talented musicians. I expect their performance will feel a bit tighter when they’ve played together more but you can already see that they have a huge quantity of potential. Brit has a very big voice for such a petite girl; it takes you by surprise. Liam Veuve is wonderful on the cello and both Alex Beckmann and Jay Goodmann bring talent to the table. They’ll be playing again May 24th at Mercury Lounge and I would definitely urge you to check them out.
Brit Boras and the Cavalry
This past Saturday my grandmother and I saw our first ballet of the spring season- Concerto Barocco (Bach/Balanchine), Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux (Tschaikovsky/Balanchine), La Valse (Ravel/Balanchine) and Symphony in Three Movements (Stravinsky/Balanchine). I vastly enjoyed all four though the Pas de Deux was definitely my favorite; I just adore how pairs of dancers move together.
Later that day I met up with JBM & Co. at the Bell House to watch the Kentucky Derby in style. It was hellishly crowded but many of the ladies were properly decked out in enormous hats, which made them amusing enough to tolerate the lack of breathing room. There wasn’t anything quite as fabulous as Audrey Hepburn’s hat in My Fair Lady, but hey, they don’t make hats like they used to…
Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady
I’m looking forward to attending another event there sometime soon.
On Monday I went to Solas for the St. Mark’s Bookshop reading I mentioned in my first post this week. Andrei Codrescu was vastly amusing and while I’m not sure I’ll read his book I certainly hope to see him read/perform on another occasion.
Please check out my roster of events for the week and my recent additions and stay tuned for my weekend post!
NOTE: The Big Red Apple is now TheBigRedApple.net
To view this post at its new location click HERE!
I totally forgot to mention two terrific concerts happening this week!
Tonight at the Frederick Loewe Theatre, the NYU Symphony Orchestra will be performing for free:
Camille Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto in A minor
Soloist Tzu Yun Chen, concerto competition winner
Conrad Winslow: Ceilings in your Eyes (2008)
Matthew Giannotti: Dichotomy (2008)
Composition competition winners
Aaron Copland: Prairie Night and Celebration Dance from Billy the Kid
Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 “Reformation”
Check out these talented young musicians before they’re charging top dollar at Carnegie Hall.
On Thursday Brit Boras and the Cavalry will be playing a free show at Spike Hill; check out what you’ll be missing if you don’t go (I hear you’ll also miss out on homemade cookies!):
Be sure to read my earlier post and of course stay tuned for additions!
NOTE: The Big Red Apple is now TheBigRedApple.net
To view this post at its new location click HERE!
Here are a few additions to my previous post:
On Tuesday the lovely ladies of Medicine Woman will be playing at Spike Hill. Their unique version of rhythm and blues is augmented by a talented friend of mine from NYU who plays a mean fiddle.
Medicine Woman
They will also be playing at the aforementioned benefit for Clearwater on Thursday.
On Wednesday my friend B (aka DJ Brian Blackout) will be spinning at Hugs with Eugene Tambourine. It’s going to be fantastic and Hugs has an awesome dance floor so please make your way out to Williamsburg and rock out this Wednesday (trust me it will make the week go by faster).
Finally, I’d like to add an ongoing event that my friend Anindita tells me is well worth checking out- The Hank Willis Thomas exhibit showing until March 14th at the Jack Shainman Gallery in Chelsea.
Much of the work focuses on the use of African American male body in advertisements. I am interested in the connection between this body type and the cotton and slave trade industries that brought this country so much wealth.
Hank Willis Thomas- Branded Head
Be sure to check that out before it closes and stay tuned for more of this week’s events!
The Big Red Apple 