Its a Big World Out There Its ...
World music. That label?I'm sorry, but all I can think of is Tim Robbins' character in High Fidelity, ponytail and terrible cooking smells and all. It's not fair, and kind of xenophobic when you come down to it. I mean, do people in Brazil judge "American" music based on those Native American flute and chanting new age CDs?
Personal musical opinions aside, current politics have made negotiating the visa process and getting a foreign artist in the country an art in itself, not to mention the expense. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services charges a $130 visa application fee, plus an extra $1000 if you want to expedite the process. Not the kind of change your average musician has just laying around.
On the spectator side, short of filling your passport with exotic stamps (not a bad idea, actually) or buying those sketchy world music sampler CDs, it's kind of hard to break into the scene and separate the amazing from the awful when you've got a whole world of new names to cover. Sympathetic to your frustration, a trio of U.S. presenters put together GlobalFEST, a one-night, three-stage music festival at the Joseph Rupp Public Theater featuring 16 artists from all over the world on Saturday, Jan. 10.
Here's how the party will work. Tickets are $40. Yeah, a little hard on the post-holiday budget, but it's eight hours of music, and with acts going simultaneously on three stages, you'll still be missing some. Exchange your ticket for a wristband, and from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. the stages will operate on a 20-minute stagger, each artist presenting a 40-minute set. This way, you can spend all night in one seat and let the music come to you, or "if you're a channel surfer and you want to see some of everything you could theoretically catch a little bit of all the artists," says Bill Bragin, director of Joe's Pub at the Public Theater and one of the event organizers. "At least until you hear someone who completely knocks you out and you can't leave." At 1:30 a.m., the rotating acts wrap it up and DJ collective GlobeSonic takes over till 4 a.m.
Looking at the list of artists on the roster, I don't recognize much by name, but GlobalFEST does have a promotional website with sample tracks. The musicians run the gamut?from trance DJ Mercan Dede's Turkish Secret Tribe to the hiphop beats of Cuban singer Raul Paz. I have listened with skepticism and admit I'm intrigued. Not once did I feel like I was just waiting for a table at Chi-Chi's.
The three stages have been designed to suit the varying needs of the artists?a formal concert space, a cabaret theater and a club space. Bragin says this was done specifically to counteract the problem of presenting this music in inappropriate venues. The set-up will also work out nicely for the spectators. "If people want to come and dance all night they can, if they want a formal concert they can have that, if they want to sit and have a cocktail and see a show they can do that too," he says.
GlobalFEST has an ulterior motive, piggybacking on the fact that the Association of Performing Arts Presenters is in town en force for their annual conference. Some of these artists will hopefully catch their attention and perhaps build national tours based on this performance. That's all good for us, since it probably helped attract prime talent to the event. Just be prepared for a certain volume of conferencers bearing nametags.
For his part, Bragin's hoping to chase off a few of the stereotypes that dog the genre. "That's one of the reasons why we're doing as large and diverse an event as we are, so people can see that world music isn't any one thing. Seeing a lot of music that you're not familiar with and seeing how immediately it connects I think will do more for dispelling stereotypes than anything we can possibly say. It's all in the experience itself."
Joseph Rupp Public Theater and Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette St. (Astor Pl.), 212-239-6200, 8, $40.
Beginning the 8th, the JCC of Manhattan, in conjunction with the New York City Comic Book Museum, will be exhibiting "People of the (Comic) Book: Superheroes and Jewish Culture," an exploration of superheroes, their Jewish creators and their connection to Jewish culture. The exhibition features original art, covers, first editions and rare collectors' items from the 1930s through the present, chronicling how a generation of men from the tribe of cerebral problem-solvers and 97-pound weaklings made their trade in rippling muscles and laser beams.
Much of the first wave of Jewish cartoonists took on less ethnic noms de plume to help them advance in what was then considered the bottom rung of visual art forms. They created characters that, just like them, were different?outsiders who took on new identities and false, country-clubbish names, and who were always willing to fight the good fight. And it is no coincidence that these comics came out in the 30s and 40s; Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Captain America went after Hitler almost a full year before the United States Air Force did.
During the golden age of comic books, as their creators attempted to assimilate by capturing and redefining the all-American zeitgeist, overtly Jewish characters were non-existent. But by 2002, Jews were proudly kvelling when Fantastic Four's The Thing revealed himself as Jewish in issue no. 56. (How do you circumcise a gigantic heap of orange bricks?) Kirby, his creator, was himself a tough, thick Jewish guy who grew up in the tenements of the Lower East Side, and the JCC exhibit includes a rare drawing of The Thing wearing a prayer shawl and carrying a Torah that has never been shown to the public.
The exhibit also features recent, more overtly Jewish comics like the Jewish Hero Corps, created by Alan Oirich, who is also the exhibit curator. The Corps is sort of like a Justice League of America that got bar-mitzvahed together and still kept kosher. The team of Orthodox heroes includes Menorah Man, who can grow as many as eight arms, shooting flames from each one, and Matzah Woman, who after unknowingly eating an atomic radioactive matzah, gains microwave vision and the power of invisibility. Rest assured that though the ladies of the Jewish Hero Corps have the high-cheekboned good looks of their secular counterparts, they are drawn with the modest long sleeves and below-the-knee hemlines of Orthodox schoolgirls.
Laurie Tisch Sussman Gallery, Jewish Community Center, 334 Amsterdam Ave. (76th St.), 646-505-5708, free.
?Elana Berkowitz
Elvis Has Entered the Building!
It's never easy finding a decent Elvis impersonator on the East Coast. Normally you'd have to trek down to Atlantic City, Baltimore or points further south. That's why when one does show up in town, you should see him while you can and quit your bellyachin'. And where in New York are you more likely to find one than at Trailer Park Lounge? We can't make any claims as to the quality, but if you want to test him out, demand that he sing "Hurt." 271 W. 23rd St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.), 212-463-8000, 8:30, free.
Kevin Phillips
Remember 1969's The Emerging Republican Majority, the book that correctly forecasted the emerging Republican majority? Neither do we. But now its author, Kevin Phillips, has since switched sides with a vengeance and is touring in support of his recently published American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush. Barnes & Noble, 2289 Broadway (82nd St.), 212-362-8835, 7:30, free.
Thur. 1.8
Autodrone
Moody, very moody. Alternately pretty and darkly intense, Autodrone have made the daring step of embracing influences from the 90s while the rest of New York is mired in 1968, '77 or '80. An unapologetic nod to the shoegazer bands of yore, but with a modern rock band's pop sensibility, AD is the audio equivalent of what you see on a restless night as you just begin to touch the edge of sleep. Tune in, turn on and trip out with the band along with photographic projections at Galapagos. Also featuring Surface, Satellite Lost and Jenni Alpert. 70 N. 6th St. (betw. Wythe & Kent Aves.), 718-782-5188, 8, $8.
Fri. 1.9
Hollertronix
These Philly DJs will have you moving to the crunkest Southern hiphop and electro trash as they weave their set tonight at the cavernous Southpaw. If you get the chance, pick up their mix, Never Scared, at Turntablelab. You'll need to get this before it gets stale. Until then, we'll be lapping up all the fried chicken and malt liquor we can get our hands on. Hot sauce, please. Hot sauce. With DJ Diplo and Low Budget. 125 5th Ave. (betw. St. John's & Sterling Pls.), 718-230-0236, 9, $10.
Liars with Black Dice and Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The funniest thing about the Liars?Brooklyn's exalted post-punks with British accents, vocal and instrumental?is that they are from California and Nebraska. Except for the high-planes-drifter's production of 2001's They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top, Liars' deadpan sing-song-iness and synth thwack-iness is a ringer for the London art school sound of Wire and Gang of Four, circa 1978.
Hilarious, right? Good. Because after that chuckle, it's frowns all around, as the Liars assault listeners of their new CD They Were Wrong, So We Drowned with a spaciousness more distant than their previous effort and an emotional distance more cutting, claustrophobic and gloomy than any rainy British fortnight. Rather than rely on the pulsing rhythms, jerky guitars and catchy (albeit doomy) melodies of Trench, the Liars' new Wrong embraces a buzzing, clanging lo-fi esthetic whose vocal focus sarcastically intones lyrics of blood and sorcery. Like the hunched Anglo-monotone of Angus Andrew and the broken hinged guitars of Aaron Hemphill, the cut-and-paste Hammer Horror-rock of "If you're a wizard, then why do you wear glasses" and "Broken witch" groan atonally, while their mechanistic drums icily skitter along these glacial songs more wildly than a broken Zamboni. With the exceptions of the dumb-thudding of "There's always room on the broom" and the dub-housing of "We fenced other houses," Wrong's primal-screaming sound is solitary and solicitous. But, it's as brilliant in its rubbed-wronged monotones, noisy poptones and slender rhythms as Trench was in its grooves and gracious harmonies.
Opening is the equally aggressive Black Dice, another Brooklyn act whose recent EP, the death-rattling disco of "Cone Toaster" (and its menacing, metal-machine b-side "Endless Happiness") is as hypnotic as it is alienating. Look away; it's hideous. I dare you.
Hammerstein Ballroom Manhattan Center, 311 W. 34th St. (Betw. 8th and 9th Aves.), 212-307-7171, $26.50.
?A.D. Amorosi
Poltergeist
We all knew the suburbs were creepy, but never knew how creepy until this 1982 pop horror classic. Why, it's got everything! Pot-smoking parents, slutty teen daughters, killer trees, sweaty neighbors and fake endings. The opening credits say "directed by Tobe Hooper," but it's pretty much accepted now that this was Spielberg's baby from the get-go. And who could've guessed that the actresses playing the daughters would both be dead by now? Landmark Sunshine Cinema, 143 E. Houston St. (betw. 1st & 2nd Aves.), 212-330-8182, 12 a.m., $10.
The Battle of Algiers
Back before they were peacenik, dictator-coddling weasels, the French knew how to work the testicular torture devices with the best of them. This classic feels like a documentary but was actually made three years after Algeria won its independence in 1962, following a long and brutal war with France, in which almost a million Algerians were killed. The film follows Col. Philippe Matheiu in his hunt for the emerging guerrilla leader, Ali La Pointe. Though director Gillo Pontecorvo sympathized with the insurgents?making this an instant new left, campus art-house staple upon release?Jean Martin plays Mathieu with such cool matter-of-factness that viewers also get a sense of the French position. In a sobering side note, the Pentagon has recently begun screening The Battle of Algiers for its employees responsible for managing the locals in Iraq. Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St. (betw. Varick St. & 6th Ave.), 212-727-8110, call for times, $10.
Sat. 1.10
Cheap Art Show
Plagued with empty walls or unadorned shelves? Wallet too light for a Picasso? Today, the worlds of art- collecting and bargain-hunting collide. Bowery Poetry Club is holding a two-hour art extravaganza?with all works on display for sale at Costco prices. While organizers can't guarantee you'll walk out with a $20 Monet, or even a discounted Bob Ross, they do promise free chili and biscuits while supplies last. Which makes the event a masterpiece already. 308 Bowery (betw. Bleecker & Houston Sts.), 212-614-0505, 2, free.
Beat Society withBahamadia and DJj Avee
With the Roots having pushed fellow Philadelphian hip-hoppers toward a more "collective" mindset (a share-the-wealth vibe that started with its Black Lily nights at Wetlands), crews like Beat Society have been popping up fresh with a mix of Washington, DC and Philly types wreaking wack havoc wherever they land. It's in a live forum that Beat Society shines brightest?with performers like Hezekiah, rhythmatists like Illmind, and DJ Sat-One leading the charge of the dark brigade. Along with keeping their own ranks open to live laboratorial experimentation, Beat Society?like anyone who throws a great party?loves its guests, bringing the likes of DJ King Britt, soulstar Musiq and Roots men Black Thought and ?uestlove to the ball.
Most recently, BS have acquired the talents of legendary Philly hip-hop mother superior Bahamadia, the socio-serious lyricist, freaky-flow mistress and smooth-soul esthete whose laid-back jazziness in the early 90s, then under the aegis of the Gang Starr banner, made her an inspiration to many a female follower. Recording too little for anyone's liking (1996's Kollage and 2000's BB Queen are her only full-lengths), the madam of intensity seems to be moving away from reclusiveness and into the light of Beat Society, bringing her anti-bling anthems like "Beautiful Things" and "Commonwealth (Cheap Chicks)" onto the stage where she belongs. She's having fun.
Where fun is to be had, audiences should look upon DJ Avee. He's the righteous Rap Attack magazine mix-tape reporter, partner of DJ 3D in the mix-downs of new Masta Ace material, and the live DJ/on-wax mix-master associate of Prince Paul and his prodigy MC Paul Barman, who with a mere swipe of a sample, can turn a frown upside-down.
Knitting Factory (Main Performance Space), 74 Leonard St. (betw. B'way & Church St.) 212-219-3006, 12, $12.
?A.D. Amorosi
Manhattan Libertarian Party Annual Convention
Republicans that do drugs call themselves the Libertarians, and today the city is theirs during their annual convention, an eight-hour event that's priced at a hot $50, including sit-down dinner. That may seem steep for a group that's always harping about keeping dollars in your pocket, but check the speakers list: Reason magazine senior editor Jacob Sullum (author of Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use), Unabomber brother David Kaczynski and former subway killer/current insane vegetarian Bernie Goetz. Should be fun. 1050 Restaurant, 735 10th Ave., 212-252-3449, 2, $50, $25 st.
The Joint Is Jumpin Tour
Both a confluence of country and blues and a rollicking good time for AARP members, "The Joint Is Jumpin Tour" features blues legend Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and revered cult country musician Dan Hicks. At 79, Gatemouth still possesses one of the sweetest voices in the biz. This will be a night of soul and down-home twang that might make you forget for an hour or two that you live in a concrete box of a city. With Hot Club of Cowtown, B.B. King Blues Club, 237 W. 42nd St. (betw. 7th & 8th Aves.), 212-997-4144, 8, $35, $30 adv.
Means4war Records
There may be a better way to dust out the January blues than taking in a night of death metal and hardcore, but we'll be damned if it's half as loud as Don Hill's tonight. These bands, all signed on Means4war, will pretty much sound the same, but that's a good thing. P.Y.F., Triumph the Will, Tomorrow's Victim, Sever All Ties, For Crying Out Loud, Suffer the Children, Point Pleasant. 511 Greenwich St. (Spring St.), 212-219-2850, 7, $10.
E.L. Doctorow
The man who brought you such hits as The Book of Daniel, Ragtime and The Waterworks speaks tonight as part of the Conversations w/The Nation series. We're very excited about this appearance, because we thought he died three years ago. He didn't, which means that all of our questions about the wretched movie versions of Ragtime and Billy Bathgate will finally be answered. Tishman Auditorium, New School, 66 W. 12th St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves.), 212-229-5488, 7, $15.
Contributors: Ernest Barteldes, Adam Bulger, James Griffith, Philip Henken, Jim Knipfel, Dan Martino and Will Sherlin.