#music and art
How vulnerable is creativity?
- Céline, Spring 2015, rtw.
- Meredith Frampton, Portrait of a Young Woman, 1935, oil on canvas, Tate Britain, London.
Post link
I just think you should sing no matter what you sound like and draw or paint no matter what it looks like
Great shout out to Katy Gunn and her band performing at The Living Room: a Lower East Side treasure and music venue, as well as our neighbor on Norfolk Street.
Guys. This is Katy Gunn.
Last night I had the great good fortune to see Katy perform at the Lower East Side music spot, The Living Room. I was invited there by the lovely ladies of a beautiful LES art gallery called NOoSphere (thank you Sol Kjøk and Annemarta S. Mugaas), where Katy acts as their official “musician-in-residence”.
Anyway. KATY GUNN. She’s an incredibly talented, incredibly funny singer/songwriter who just happens to be a classically trained violinist. Katy performs with her brother, Fred Baker, who is able to do some pretty insane things with a Macbook and a pad. Click the link of Fred’s name to check out his music video “Pocket Full of Detritus”, which Katy describes as “poetry rap.”
For me, Katy’s music is like an amped up hybrid of Kimbra and Fiona Apple. Check it out.
Yay for new things!
With a name like HONK!, how can you not want to go?
by:Zoe V. Speas, The Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Arts
We might be historic and hauntingly beautiful, but that doesn’t mean we can’t throw down like the rest of them.
Here at the Angel Orensanz Foundation, we’ve been known to throw a raucous party or two. The fabulous launch of Chris March’s design for Target a couple weeks ago immediately springs to mind.
And in the spirit of promoting celebration of arts and music, I’d like to direct your attention to the following:
On the recommendation of former ‘Writers. We. LOVE.’ featured writer, Christine Mclaren, I checked out the buzz about the upcoming HONK NYC! music festival. I’m so glad I did.
I mean, hey, if I can find a way to sneak a trip into Brooklyn and say it’s for WORK you better believe, I’m going to do it.
So, in our interviews, Christine mentioned to me that she plays with a brass band in Vancouver called The Carnival Band (for which reason she owns a surprising number of miniature top-hats, remember?) and expressed her jealousy at not being able to attend the Honk! performance in October.
Not being as cool as our Writer. We. LOVE., I had to do some research to familiarize myself with what exactly HONK! is.
By the way, I’m going to be using the word HONK as much as possible in this blog post because it’s fun. FYI.
Here’s a little bit about HONK!
- HONK! is part of a long tradition of street band performers who incorporate the styles of a variety of folk music backgrounds, including New Orleans, European Klezmer, and Balkan and Romani music.
From the Honkfest.org homepage:
“'Honkers'all share a commitment to several core principles. Metaphorically speaking, they honk their horns for the same reasons motorists honk theirs: to arouse fellow travelers, to warn of danger, to celebrate milestones, and to just plain have fun.
- The music serves a dual purpose of tearing down constructed boundaries such as "performer” to “audience member”, while promoting social activism through universal inclusion.
The music is first and foremost a celebration in the style of Mardi Gras or Carnival.
Again, how can you not want to go?! Look how happy this girl looks with her tuba.
photo credit: Geoff Adams
So, the basics.
HONK! Begins its 2013 festival in Boston, MA between the days of 10 October and 13 October. And in case you’re in Boston reading this, here’s a link to the schedule.
But, don’t dismay, New York. They’re coming HERE, too.
Festivities kick off on Tuesday, October 15th in Brooklyn with a pre-show parade at 6:30 followed by an open dance-party.
Events are hosted on each of the days following until Saturday, October 19th, which includes a “Kids’ Honk!” festival at the Childrens’ Museum of Art.
But what I’m looking forward to is Friday, October 18th. 
photo credit: Ro Mo.
Below: From the Honk!NYC website.
Friday, October 18: HONK NYC! Friday Night Gala at Gowanus Ballroom
55 9th St New York, NY 11231
Pre-show Parade: Doors at Gowanus Ballroom: 8pm. Show: 9pm
HONK NYC!’s Friday night blowout begins with a parade around Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood, and ends on the shores of the canal in the cavernous gallery spaces of Gowanus Ballroom. The party starts with sets by visiting bands Os Siderais, Environmental Encroachment and Perhaps Contraption. Three Brooklyn-based bands round out the night. Hitting at the midnight hour will be PitchBlak Brass Band, the hottest hip-hop brass outfit in town. Inspired by the Romany Gypsy music of the Balkans, Veveritse, an irresistible party band, follows. The evening concludes with Brooklyn’s own Haitain rah rah band institution, Djarara.
IT SOUNDS LIKE A BLAST. YOU SHOULD GO.
You’d better believe I’ll be there with my eyes peeled and ears ringing. I hope you all get the chance to head out, but I’ll be sure to diligently take notes to provide you with an empirical report of the goings-on, in case you can’t makeit.
But seriously, I hope you can.
