Saturday, September 18, 2010

Tonight! Last Chance to See the Tweed Fractured Classick "Raisinets in the Sunshine"

The TWEED Fractured Classicks Series presents: RAISINETS IN THE SUNSHINE
Saturday, Sep 18  8 PM - 10 PM
$20.00
Theatre 80 St. Marks, 80 St. Marks Place
Fractured by Stephen Pell, Directed by Kevin Malony, with Costumes by Ramona Ponce... Featuring The Unsinkable Flotilla DeBarge, Jodi Lennon, Nicole Byer, David Ilku,Clark Beasley and Special Guest Stars... Produced by TWEED TheaterWorks and Kearns Artists Services...Door proceeds to benefit The Actors Fund for HOWL! HELP.

Photos from last night's performance by Nathaniel Siegel



Friday, September 17, 2010

"Poetica": An Evening With...Rachael Sage, Dave Eggar & Deoro

Singer-songwriter and poet Rachael Sage joins long-time collaborator & friend Dave Eggar and his band Deoro for an eclectic mix of singer-songwriter fare and poetic material in honor of the Howl! Festival.
$10....


Thursday, September 16, 2010

Poetry Royalty Participate in The Reading of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" at the Opening Night of The Howl Festival in Tompkins Square Park

The Rock Stars of Poetry:  John Giorno, Anne Waldman and Bob Holman
photo by Lawrence Schwartzwald/SplashNews
Bob Holman Dances on Air (and Walks on Water!)
photo by Lawrence Schwartzwald/Splash News
Opening Night of the 7th Annual Howl Festival in Tompkins Square Park
Revelers Gather for the Traditional Reading of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl"
photo by Lawrence Schwartzwald/SplashNews

Anne Waldman Behind Bars?  Not Exactly Poetic Justice!
photo by Lawrence Schwartzwald/SplashNews


Photographer Lawrence Schwartzwald Shares Howl! Photos with the Howler!

New Yorkers know Lawrence Schwartzwald as the photographer who always seems to get one-of-a-kind shots of celebrities on the street.  Whether it's outside Barney's on Madison Avenue, or inside Central Park, or perhaps at a gallery in Chelsea or Soho, Lawrence Schwartzwald often seems to be the only photographer who finds himself in these right places at the right times, and he gets the money shots.  We inevitably see these exclusives in the New York Post, as well as throughout the world, syndicated by Splash News.  We are truly honored that he attended the Howl! Festival with his camera (!) and has offered to share some of these amazing shots with us for the East Village Howler!

Thanks, Lawrence!  Below is a great shot he took of poet Anne Waldman at the festival's opening night event in Tompkins Square Park on Friday, September 10th.  More to come!



Poet Anne Waldman
Photo by Lawrence Schwartzwald

The Tweed Fractured Classicks Series Presents: "Raisinets in the Sunshine" at Theater 80

Flotilla De Barge -photo by Sean Watters


Friday, September 17  and Saturday, September 18th  8 PM - 10 PM
   
$20.00

Theatre 80 St. Marks, 80 St. Marks Place
Fractured by Stephen Pell, Directed by Kevin Malony, with Costumes by Ramona Ponce... Featuring The Unsinkable Flotilla DeBarge, Jodi Lennon, Nicole Byer, David Ilku,Clark Beasley and Special Guest Stars... Produced by TWEED TheaterWorks and Kearns Artists Services...Door proceeds to benefit The Actors Fund for HOWL! HELP.

Poetry Turn On ! Tonight 8pm Parish Hall St. Marks Church in the Bowery NYC Poetry Reading

Thomas Fucaloro

Meghann Plunkett

Jon Sands

Jeanann Verlee

Michael Warr

Melanie Hope

Metta Sama

Bridgette Wimberly

Amy Ouzoonian

Susan Scutti

Chavisa Woods

RA "R ! " Araya by Jo

Daniel Gallant

Vanessa Hidary by T RAH HOLLIDAY VEAL

Julian Brolaski

Paolo Javier

Dorothea Lasky
Joanna Fuhrman
Advocate of Wordz by Peter Woloszyn
Mariposa by elena marrero
The HOWL ! Festival is proud to present 21 poets from the Bowery Poetry Club, Cave Canem, A Gathering of the Tribes, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and The Poetry Project reading one night only for you ! This marathon poetry reading features: Thomas Fucaloro, Meghann Plunkett, Jon Sands, Jeanann Verlee, Melanie Hope, Metta Sama, Bridgette Wimberly, Steve Dalachinsky, Amy Ouzoonian, Susan Scutti, Chavisa Woods, RA "R!" Araya, Daniel Gallant, Vanessa Hidary, Mariposa, Advocate of Wordz, Julian Brolaski, Joanna Fuhrman, Paolo Javier and Dorothea Lasky. Hosted by Nathaniel Siegel tonights' reading is a benefit for the HOWL ! H.E.L.P. an emergency financial and social service assistance fund available to eligible Lower East Side and Downtown artists administered by The Actors Fund. Admission $8 cash only tickets at the door.
For more information go to www.howlfestival.com

Monday, September 13, 2010

More Fun in The Sun! Another blogpost about Friday night's reading of Ginsberg's "Howl" in Tompkins Square

http://afilreis.blogspot.com/2010/09/howl-festival.html

Artist Suzannah Troy Blogs About Retiring Tompkins Square Park Supervisor Harry Greenberg

http://suzannahbtroy.blogspot.com/2010/09/harry-greenberg-parks-supervisor.html

Youtube Video of Jennifer Blowdryer at Theatre 80, Howl! Arts Project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlP-ElDV1Xs&feature=player_embedded

More info:

http://blog.jenniferblowdryer.com/ 

www.howlfestival.com

Howl! Photos from Photographer Shawn Hoke, Saturday, September 11th

Click on the link and enjoy!

More Phantastic Photos from Stan Schnier!

The rain just doesn't stop certain people from looking fabulous. Low Life 4: Beat Girl fans and performers  may have needed an umbrella or two to keep their hair in place, etc...but it was an otherwise perfect day in Tompkins Square Park at The Howl! Festival.  Here are a few of Stan Schnier's photos... More to come!


Saturday, September 11, 2010

Saturday in the Park...A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood


It was a beautiful day in Tompkins Square Park and the 7th Annual Howl Festival was in full swing. Live performances by Open Music Ensemble, Vangeline Theater, Arthur’s Landing, Poets Emanuel Xavier, Eileen Myles and Bill Kushner, Tyler Burba’s Visit, Timbila and Chris Rael commanded the main stage with grace and beauty befitting the day of remembrance that September 11th will always be in the hearts of New Yorkers…and everyone. An abundance of children’s activities kept thousands of little ones entertained, while 9/11 tribute installations by artist Ujin Lee, Art Around the Park, a meditation walk and a beautiful Vendor Village and Health and Wellness Outreach section rounded out a full day of something for everyone and something everywhere!
Photographer Stan Schnier (www.stanschnier.com spent the day in Tompkins Square Park and has agreed to share some of his beautiful photos with us for this blog.  These photos are from Vangeline Theater’s performance of Mosaic, a spine-tingling  butoh dance performance in tribute to 9/11.

                                     Vangeline Theater-All Photos by Stan Schnier

A Special Shout-Out to EV Grieve...

Thank you, EV Grieve, for all the amazing coverage you've given the Howl Festival this year.  You've driven tons of traffic to our web site and blog...and it means the world to us!

http://evgrieve.com/2010/09/art-around-park-in-progress.html

Another Great Link to some of Today's Festivities!

http://melaniemusings2.wordpress.com/

Check out this cool video of Ujin Lee's 9/11 Performance Today at the Howl! Festival in Tompkins Square Park

http://gammablog.com/2010/09/11/ujin-lee-howl-festival-2010/

Howl Festival's Closing Day 2010

HOUSE OF HOWL!


Don't miss the final day of the 7th Annual Howl Festival in Tompkins Square Park, September 12th, 2010.  The festivities begin at 11AM.. see the full schedule at www.howlfestival.com  Tompkins Square Park is located between Avenues A and B, from 7th to 10th Streets.

Some of the highlights include:  

Rosie O’Donnell’s Rosie’s Broadway Kids will perform a Broadway-style cabaret Show http://www.rosiesbroadwaykids.org
ROSIE'S BROADWAY KIDS



GRAVESHIFT
Graveshift, featuring the pop melodies of the Graves Family from the Bronx, 2 brothers and their two sisters who get along famously on stage.


Fashions from The Hemma Collection,
to be featured in House of Howl
Singer Yoshi, House of Howl
Riki Colon’s House of Howl – a flurry of color, costume and cavortin’ – a vivacious variety show with vogueing, dance , song, fashion, art- you name it.  Featuring House of Ninja dancers Javier, Edwin and Star Ninja and dancer Akiko Tokuoka. Fashions by the hot NYC Hemma Collection with live musical performance by Yoshi, music written and composed by Ev Price.




Hip Hop Howl- A massive live mixtape showcase featuring the hottest up and coming hip-hop artists in the country. http://www.hiphophowl.com

Finding Sukha Yoga, the East Village’s newest Yoga center, will welcome both adults and children. Bring your yoga mat or borrow one.

Finding Sukha Yoga


LOW LIFE 4: BEAT GIRL -JACKIE FACTORY producers CHI CHI VALENTI and JOHNNY DYNELL will present their fourth annual LOW LIFE to crown the 2010 HOWL! FESTIVAL. LOW LIFE is the free and fabulous Sunday evening climax to HOWL! - a two hour spectacular inspired by East Village decades past. Each year's theme is served up in a lavishly costumed production starring dozens of downtown's finest. This year's LOW LIFE 4: BEAT GIRL pays homage to homegrown fifties beatnik culture and the BOWERY BEATS - the rebel painters, poets and performers drifting east from Greenwich Village. The show also sheds light on the Women of the Beat Generation, often overlooked, and their influence on 50's Burlesque.


Low Life 4:Beat Girl Amber Ray
photo by Alex Colby









Monday, September 6, 2010

Howl! Spotlight -ARTHUR'S LANDING-A Tribute to the Musical Genius of Arthur Russell


ARTHUR'S LANDING is a group of musicians, all of whom worked at various times in various contexts with the late Arthur Russell, a cellist and composer from Iowa who lived on the Lower East Side for most of the later part of his too-short life. Russell brought together the worlds of dance, pop, and folk with that of downtown’s new music, and fused Western and Eastern musical traditions, driven by his engagement with Buddhist thought and practice. He collaborated often with Allen Ginsberg and Phillip Glass was also an early mentor. Dance music aficionados will be also be familiar with Russell's underground dance hit: IS IT ALL OVER MY FACE?. Arthur’s Landing (songs by Arthur Russell) features Mustafa Ahmed (percussion) , Joyce Bowden (voice) Ernie Brooks (voice, bass), Steven Hall (voice, guitar), ), Bill Ruyle(drums, hammered dulcimer), John Scherman (lead guitar), Peter Zummo and special guest Nomi Ruiz from Hercules and Love Affair & Jessica 6. The (UK) Guardian described Ruiz as 'boasting the spookily effortless air of a future pop icon.'

Howl! Spotlight- Open Music Ensemble's "Chanting for Everyone" in Tompkins Square Park in NYC's East Village, Saturday, September 11th, 2010 from 11AM until 1PM

On Saturday, September 11th, from 11 AM until 1 PM,  The OPEN MUSIC ENSEMBLE will present "Chanting for Everyone," a multi-cultural program of universal, non-sectarian chants under the same elm tree in Tompkins Square Park where Allen Ginsburg, the author of  the poem, "Howl," chanted the Hare Krishna mantra with Swami Prabhupada and his followers in 1966. The chants will be led in a call-and-repeat format by Michelle Brochu on vocals and Derek Newman on vocals and harmonium, and will include "Gate, Gate, Paragate," a Buddhist text on liberation chanted by Ginsburg at Naropa University, and "Fanga Alafia", a Yoruba chant for peace and well-being. People of all faiths, or none, are most welcome to participate. 
At 1PM, the chanting will be followed by a live acoustic improv performance by the pioneering cooperative Open Music Ensemble, whose sounds will guide the heart and spirit in meditation, relaxation and healing 
Admission is FREE. For more information, please visit see www.howlfestival.com and www.myspace.com/openmusicensemble.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

See Sonia Sanchez play Sister Son/Ji on Labor Day 4pm NYC with Talk-back by Sonia



SISTER SON/JI at Theatre 80 – HOWL! Festival
The HOWL! Festival wants you to know about this rare opportunity.
SISTER SON/JI by Sonia Sanchez
Monday, Sep 6 4 PM – 7 PM
$10.00
Theatre 80 St. Marks, 80 St. Marks Place 212-388-0388

The Howl! Festival presents iconoclastic poet Sonia Sanchez & a production of her play Sister Son/ji. Ms. Sanchez will be present for a rare audience talkback moderated by the artistic director of BeBop Theatre Collective, SC2.  This event also celebrates the publication I’m Black When I’m Singing, I’m Blue When I Ain’t and Other Plays. Fans of Ms. Sanchez receive for the first time all of her plays which span five decades.
In Sister Son/Ji, written by Sonia Sanchez, directed by SC2 and starring Jacqueline Gregg, poet/playwright Sanchez unflinchingly examines the paradoxical notions of liberation within in the Black Power Movement.
Sonia Sanchez is a Poet. Mother. Professor. National and International lecturer on Black Culture and Literature, Women’s Liberation, Peace and Racial Justice, as well as an author of over 16 books.
This solo play stars Jacqueline Gregg, who has performed in countless plays, both classical and modern, also works extensively with various educational theatre organizations, bringing classical as well as contemporary theatre to schools in and around New York City.
Door proceeds to benefit the Actors Fund for HOWL! HELP.
Tickets will be available at the door 1 hour before showtime on the day of the show (cash only).
 






Following the play and talk back a special Dance Performance in honor of Ms. Sanchez will be presented by Genesis Dance Company.
Under the direction of Karen L. Arceneaux, Genesis Dance Company, a modern dance company founded in 2001, believes that dance feeds the soul and rejuvenates the mind, body, and spirit. Since its debut season in July 2002, the company has been relentless in its mission to uplift and inspire humanity through the beautiful art form of dance.
Celebrating 9 years of fearless endurance and mesmerizing appeal, Genesis Dance Company is honored to be a part of The Howl Festival. A new addition to the Festival series, the company will perform a dynamic, thought-provoking, and energetic evening of excerpts from its rich and diverse repertory, woven together in suite titled "In Passing". Breathtaking, Awe-inspiring, Electrifying…Experience Genesis Dance Company! For more information: www.genesisdance.org
photo: Genesis Dance Company, by Rachel Neville 2010

Friday, September 3, 2010

Spotlight on Chris Rael and Deep Singh

(l to r) Deep Singh and Chris Rael, photo by Bernd Auers


...Appearing at the Howl! Festival in Tompkins Square Park, Saturday, September 11th, 5:05PM

Chris Rael and Deep Singh are the engine of Church of Betty, one of Downtown's longest running and most influential bands. They brought sitar and tabla back to rock n roll earlier and more organically than anyone else, drawing raves from music critics. Magnet called them "purveyors of urban psychedelia, with a voice sweeter than Prince." The Village Voice said Rael "has consistently blended rock and Indian music better than any Western guitar guy, ever." NY Times: "Sliding, scalloped phrases shape Hindustani music to the concision of pop hooks... irresistible." The pair's duo work "squeezes the expansive soul of raga into the tight curves of rock, to create a complex and surprisingly harmonious hybrid." (ThinkIndia.com) Their duo CD Tunnel Ragas was called "at once pure, devotional, improvisational and profanely urban, a fascinating listen." (All Music Guide)

Rael went on to write film music (Outstanding Soundtrack Award, Outfest 2005) and the stage musical Araby, based on James Joyce's Dubliners ("the type of musical bliss that is currently missing from Broadway" - Back Stage). Singh went on to perform hundreds of shows on Broadway as a star of the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical Bombay Dreams.

The pair witnessed the Twin Towers fall from the roof of Rael’s Stanton Street building, and return to Tompkins Square this September 11 to share a memorial moment with the community in which they’ve lived and played for so long. Chris will play guitar and sing, while Deep will play the dhol: a loud, rocking two-headed Indian drum used in bhangra music. They will perform Rael's ode to the post-9/11 downtown skyline Hole in the Sky, The Balloon Song, their insane, frenetic Bollywood cover with English lyrics, and Church of Betty classic I Smoke You Jack, a high-energy meditation on downtown's father of experimental film and performance, Jack Smith.

Further Info: www.howlfestival.com

"R" You Ready For This?

His name has been misspelled on various Howl! Festival press materials, as were the names of fellow poets Emanuel Xavier, Susan Scutti, Amy Ouzoonian and Thomas Fucaloro.  Just when we were about to correct the spelling and do a little “spotlight” on the poet formerly known as RA Araya (correct spelling), he decided to make it much easier for us.  He has now changed his name to one simple letter, “R.”
We’re not quite sure if the drastic name change is a direct result of our shameless spelling errors or if he was in fact just Ready (with a capital “R”) for a change, but it is quite a coincidence that the spelling errors and name change overlap with such perfect timing. In any case, “R” has definitely made it pretty difficult for us to botch up the spelling of his new name.  The only way possible to misspell “R” might be a slip of the finger, choosing  “T,” or “E,” which are right next to “R” on the keyboard. Or, if we wanted to be cute, we might spell his name “WR,” and claim the “W” is silent, like the old “Wremember- The ‘W’ is Silent” Wrangler Jeans advertisement. But we R just not going to go down that Road. From heRe  on in, he is R and we R going to spelling it coRRectly. Below is some background on R, the poet formerly known as RA ARaya.
Photo of "R" by Jo


R will be appearing at the Howl! Festival TWICE.
Friday, September 10th 5-7PM The reading of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”
Tompkins Square Park, Avenue A at 7th Street – FREE!
and
Thursday, September 16th –8-10PM The Howl! Arts Project 2010 Presents: POETRY TURN-ON, St. Mark’s Church In-The-Bowery,
131 East 10th Street at Second Avenue $8.00


R is a Costa Rican poet and songwriter living in NYC. Under his former name, R hosted poetry readings and poetry with music performances in venues such as Tribes Gallery and The Bowery Poetry Club,and along the East Coast since 1992.  He hosted the Open Mic after Friday Night Slam at Nuyorican Poets Cafe in 1997-98, and has acted in three of Steve Cannon's plays, among other NYC and New Hampshire productions. R has performed with Lawrence "Butch" Morris' "A Chorus Of Poets" at Lincoln Center in 1994, founded and manages since 1998 the Danish American Costa Rican rock poetics of 'flash-back-puppy,’ has curated art works with Lee Michael Klein and Dora Espinoza in NYC and is enjoying his three young sons tap dance, piano recitals, soccer games and martial arts tests.



Spotlight on Timbila! Performing Live at the Howl! Festival in Tompkins Square Park

The Howl! Festival is thrilled to announce that Timbila will perform live in Tompkins Square Park on Saturday, September 11th, 2010.  They will appear on the South Stage, Avenue A at 7th Street, from 4:25 -4:55PM.


TIMBILA blazes ecstatic African rock with an East Village edge. The trance of African spirit possession merges with the trance of free-spirited head-bangers. The surreal buzzing beauty of timbila (Chopi xylophone, Mozambique) and hypnotic dream melodies of mbira (Shona thumb piano, Zimbabwe) soar with stinging guitar riffs and sassy celestial vocals in grooves that are deeply funky, fierce and danceable. No other band sounds like TIMBILA:

NORA BALABAN - mbira, timbila, vocals 
BANNING EYRE - guitars 
DIRCK WESTERVELT - bass 
LOUISA BRADSHAW - vocals 
ED KLINGER - drums, vocals 


Further info:  http://www.myspace.com/timbila or www.howlfestival.com