Soak up the 'Sun'

 

Sunflower Bean, a band with some East Village roots, released a new single last week titled "Moment in the Sun" ... along with a summery video.

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around NYC ... as well as political observations on current events...

Tats Cru pay tribute to Bittman 'Bimbo' Rivas on 2nd Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

Tats Cru created a new mural this week on Second Street at Avenue A... paying tribute to Bittman John "Bimbo" Rivas (1939-1992), who coined the term "Loisaida" in 1974...

There are also street scenes that depict these COVID-19 times...

H/T KTMac!

Save the date: The 9th annual Lungs Harvest Arts Festival is Oct. 3-4

An abbreviated version of the annual Lungs Harvest Arts Festival is taking place on Oct. 3-4 in participating community gardens around the East Village.

Here are a few details via the EVG inbox...

It's 2020 and we are all stuck inside somewhere ...  This year's festival is dedicated expressing our situation through art ...  sharing the reality of what is going on in our lives

All the exhibits will take place behind the garden fences with the audiences on the sidewalks.

The audience will be moving, fluid. The art stationary. We want to foster our wild variety of sentiments through our art. We are all politically bent, given the times and election. Vote with your ART too. Let people know how you feel.

This as an Art exhibit and the gardens are the Green Museum.

It's perfect for touring audiences to visit and enjoy our community gardens.

More details will be on the Lungs website closer to the festival.

'We're just hoping for some miracle'

[Nomad photo from June by Stacie Joy]

ICYMI: The Times had a sobering piece Wednesday titled "9 of Every 10 Restaurants and Bars in NYC Can't Pay Full Rent."

Mehenni Zebentout, the owner of Nomad at 78 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street is predominately featured. 

Nomad, a North African and Mediterranean restaurant in the East Village, shut down in March after the pandemic engulfed New York City, leaving its owner unable to pay the full $11,500 rent for months.

After opening for outdoor dining in June, the owner, Mehenni Zebentout, has struggled to pay 70 to 80 percent of the rent. But he had to cut his staff from nine full-time employees to four part-time workers. And his landlord still wants Mr. Zebentout to pay what he owes from the spring.

"We're just hoping for some miracle," he said. "I believe, according to my experience, two out of three restaurants will close by December, and I'll be one of them if there's no help from the city or the government." 

Thursday's parting shot

Photographer Ed Yoo captured this moment last evening on First Avenue at Seventh Street...

Breonna Taylor

Protests broke out around the city — and elsewhere in the country — yesterday after the news that none of the three officers involved in Breonna Taylor's death were charged with her killing. 

A Kentucky grand jury charged Officer Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing into Taylor's neighbors' homes during the raid on the night of March 13. 

One of the NYC protests — a group estimated to number in the thousands — traveled down Second Avenue from 14th Street before turning west on Third Street to Broadway. 

EVG contributor Stacie joy shared this video clip from Second Avenue around 10:30 p.m. ... as the protestors chanted "Breonna Taylor — say her name" ...

 

 

"I was surprised by just how many people were there, and also by the astounding police presence," Stacie said. "I haven't seen that many police vehicles mobilizing for a protest in a long time. My entire time at the protest was orderly and peaceful." 

There were no reports of arrests related to the protests citywide, per published reports.

Cults classic: East Village-based duo on the release of their fourth record Host

Cults, the celebrated indie-pop duo of Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion, have just released their fourth record, the enchanting Host. In case you didn't know this, Madeline and Brian both live in the East Village. Madeline answered a few questions for EVG the other day about Host and her East Village home since age 8.

You both live in the East Village. You spent time in Arizona while working on Host. So how do your surroundings influence the songwriting-creative process? Does it make a difference where you are? 

I think there are pros and cons for both recording at home and leaving town. When we're at home it's a bit harder to tune out the distractions and we get a little looser with our working schedule, which can be a good thing because we have the time to sit with what we've worked on.

We went to Arizona because we don't know anyone there and we just wanted to fully immerse ourselves in the record and be able to work round the clock which we can't really do in our East Village apartments. 

You've spent a lot of time on the road supporting your previous records. Given how much time you can be away, does the East Village feel like home to you?

It does feel like home! My mom and stepdad moved to the East Village when I was around 8 so it has always been home. Brian has lived here for about 12 years. 

With the COVID-19 crisis, what have you had to differently leading up to the release of Host?

Everything has been different! We had to find different ways to make videos and do our photos. We did a lot of things creatively that I'm not sure we would have done pre-pandemic. We probably wouldn't have done a "mukbang" video [see "Spit You Out" below] or agreed to having someone direct a video from our respective homes but our friends have helped us make some really cool stuff. Also, not touring the record is very different.

Four records in now, starting with 2011's self-titled release, do you feel as if you have a good assessment of the band's evolution?

I guess our evolution has been about slowly broadening the influences we allow into our songwriting. In the beginning it was very kind of early 60s and that was it!

Each album it feels like we’ve moved up a decade or so, letting the light in a little. This next album I guess we'll have finally caught up with ourselves. What a scary thought.

Speaking of a new record: You've said that you usually start on one after a tour wraps up. Without touring on the horizon, how might this impact record No. 5? 

We are hopefully going to start writing the next record the day after Host is released!

You can catch a livestream of Cults on Oct. 1 from (Le) Poisson Rouge. Find the details here.

Save the date: Help clean up Tompkins Square Park on Oct. 10

Johnathan Young, the head gardener in Tompkins Square Park, along with longtime EV resident Penny Rand, are organizing a cleanup day on Saturday, Oct. 10. 

Here are more details via an email from Young:

As many of you know, the city and the Parks Dept. have had massive budget cuts. Recently I have been assigned to work many other locations, leaving Tompkins vulnerable to trash and weeds.

So with that being said, we are hoping to gather as many folks as we can for Saturday, Oct. 10. We will meet at the main office in Tompkins at 11 a.m., have some coffee and donuts, and then concentrate on areas of the park together. Bring a mask and gloves. Feel free to bring any gardening supplies you prefer —otherwise we will have tools and such.

H/T Steven! 

Eliza's Local has closed on St. Mark's Place

Eliza's Local has closed at 2 St. Mark's Place just east of Third Avenue.

An all-too-familiar set of circumstances are behind the bar-restaurant's closure: "Unfortunately, we had no choice with the current situation, our landlord and no inside dining," a rep told us.

Eliza's had been open in the early days of spring, selling beer to go (and giving away bread). They later had some expanded outdoor dining space with the closure of St. Mark's Place on weekends for Street Feast. Still, it wasn't nearly enough volume to overcome the drop-off in business.

The bar, which opened in December 2018, was named for Elizabeth Hamilton (aka "Eliza") co-founder and deputy director of the first private orphanage in New York City. She was the wife of Alexander Hamilton. She lived next door at 4 St. Mark's Place in what was later known as the Hamilton-Holly House.

This space adjacent to the entry of the St. Marks Hotel was previously Ayios Greek Rotisserie, which quietly closed at the end of 2017 after 16 months in business. St. Mark's Ale House had a 21-year run until July 2016. And once upon a time it was the second location of the Five Spot Cafe.

H/T @unitof