[Image via Facebook]
On June 25, Tycoon Dog, a jam/rock band, played a free show in Tompkins Square Park. The band, which formed in 1996, plays in various parks — Including Tompkins Square in the past — throughout the city during the warmer weather months.
The band's founder, Scott Bailey, sent this email out... so perhaps if you were at that show...
We are asking for your help.
The NYC Parks Dep't has revoked all our 2017 permits. They say that at our June 25 show in Tompkins Square Park, police issued two summonses to us, and that we failed to turn down the band's volume when the police asked us to.
These things didn't happen at the 6/25 Tycoon Dog show in TSP - there were no issues or problems of any kind at that show. We think they may have happened at a big punk show there the previous day, and that there has been some kind of mix-up. However, as of now our permits are revoked and we need your help to try and get them back.
If you were at the 6/25 Tompkins show, especially if you saw the whole show, could you please email me? I am hoping some ... of you can give us a statement saying you were there and that the volume was fine and there were no problems.
Here's Scott's email.
So where are these two summonses? They have to be on file.
ReplyDeleteI was in the park for most of their set. They weren't at all loud.
ReplyDeleteWhere is there veriable proof that Tycoon Dog was "too loud"?
ReplyDeleteWhat if it's because the NYC Parks Department doesn't like this band for something they said/sang about thus the denial of the permit would be a violation of freedom of speech?
What's to stop the NYCDP from denying permits based on speech?
Where's the safeguard to prevent this? All they have to say is "you were too loud" and that's it.
Btw it's not cool for this band (you, Tycoon Dog, if you're reading this) to say maybe it was another show in the park the day before or whenever when they don't know that for certain - what's with putting it out there? Take care of your own business without bringing someone else into it. And wouldn't that give the NYCPD an opening to say "yeah it was the other show" and then those people get fucked. So this band can get fucked for talking out of their ass about another show. Again, get your own house in order.
'Reads to me like these guys want parks any time and as much as they want. And they already played the park this year so what's with them applying for a permit to play another 2017 show there? Let someone else play there. There should be a once a year rule for all bands.
Look on the Parks Dept. website for the appeals process for permit denials. Don't miss the deadline. Someone will eventually have to produce the summonses. Or do a FOIL request for them. I think you are wasting your time with statements from people who were in the park. It's the decibels that matter, not someone's impression of the volume.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of overly loud music in the park on the weekends, but I thoroughly enjoyed this band, actual talent rather than screaming into a mic.
ReplyDeleteThe Black Flag show was really loud. Good show by the punk rock standards of recent shows but really loud.
ReplyDeleteSomething about this story doesn't ring true. Of course this is EV Grieve, so the Park Dept and its workers must be involved in a conspiracy against this band.
ReplyDeleteI' m not sure where you get some vast Grieve wing conspiracy over the Parks Dept, but this story that doesn't ring true to you was actually initiated by me after having receiving Scott's email from a friend with whom I had watched the band's show. I asked EV to post about it as a way of helping this band right a wrong that I, for one, get testify to. I can also testify to the fact that the Black Flag show was very loud.
DeleteIt's funny that the 9th Pct. has to gin up a noise complaint against this band when it ignores community complaints about the Tuesday night biker block parties at Spiegel bar, 2nd St & 1st Ave. Every Tuesday night Spiegel holds "Two Wheel Tuesday" event. 30-50 bikers every Tuesday gun their engines (many with loud modified mufflers), circle the block, and yell at each other over the racket from 8PM-1AM. Complaints to NYPD are ignored. See Spiegel's Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/spiegelnyc/ for an idea of what's going on. These bikers drive into the EV, raise hell all night, then drive home to their quiet neighborhoods to sleep. No worries for the working people on the block who have to get up in the morning, the babies who need sleep, and the elderly and sick who need some relief.
ReplyDelete8:44 AM, this is a tough one. In my experience with noise complaints, if you call 311 and the complaint goes to the police it will bounce back with a no action necessary message. I looked at the liquor license application from 2015, on the CB3, and in it Spiegel agrees not to have promoted events and to close any façade doors and windows by 10 PM. Also, they said no wait lines outside, so maybe 50 motorcyclists outside would run afoul of that condition. You might complain to CB3, or to the State Liquor Authority. I've at least gotten a response from CB3 when I complained about Big Lee's, which used to blast music through their open doors until the wee hours...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sophocles, for that new information. I have contacted CB3 and the SLA and await some action. I have received the same "no action necessary" replies from 311 and nyc.gov. The one time I saw the NYPD on site was at 10:50PM on Tuesday, June 27. An NYPD SUV license plate 5263 was parked up the block on 2nd St. Spiegel's owner, Shmuel Avital, was having a mighty chummy conversation with the two officers inside the SUV. (Have you ever stood outside a police vehicle and leaned on the top of the driver's side door as you spoke with them through the open window? I haven't.) Despite violations in plain sight that included altered mufflers, idling bikes, a blocked sidewalk, double-parked bikes and bikers standing in the street, no action was taken.
ReplyDeleteBut if they think we're giving up, they're wrong. Thanks again for that info.
Community Board Three District Manager Susan Stetzer ALWAYS says to call 311. You won't likely get any immediate action, but there are several reasons why it’s crucial to make this call. Each complaint is immediately sent electronically to the police and helps to create a record against the offending establishment.
ReplyDeleteThose permits may be in the Russia File with the Justice Dept.
ReplyDeleteOnline complaints on nyc.gov are faster and easier to make than calling 311. Better call, maybe, is to NYPD 9th Pct. Community Affairs 212 477-7805. Or call 'em both. But call or write somebody.
ReplyDeleteIf someone with a camera phone would go down to 2nd St & 1st Ave on Tuesday night around 10PM and shoot and post some video, would be great.
ReplyDeleteReport this to NYPD internal affairs as maybe 9th Precinct cops are being bribed to look the other way, otherwise why no crackdown on this event?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. This is Hell Square moving uptown to the East Village with motorcycles. If no enforcement, what's next, a 7-night-a-week biker hangout?
ReplyDelete