About today's free concert — a Staten Island invasion! — in Tompkins Square Park

Six Staten Island-based bands are playing a free show this afternoon from 2-6 in Tompkins Square Park. 

Per the invite: 

This show was put together to try and bridge the gap between the forgotten borough of Staten Island and the rest of the boroughs in NYC. It seems that bands and fans will travel to Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey and even Pennsylvania, but not to Staten Island for shows. 

Yeah, we know about the ridiculous toll, but there's also a FREE ferry that serves beer! To be honest, Staten Island does suck, but every borough has its areas that suck as well. But we have Mother Pugs Saloon, an awesome dive bar with an old-school vibe in an area that doesn't suck...

So I put together some bands to represent Staten Island and play a free show at Tompkins Square Park ... in hopes of bridging the gap and getting bands to possibly exchange shows with bands from other boroughs and for fans to see bands we have here.

Saturday's parting shot

"Sissy" (this one) as seen in Flloyd's current show, "Dicks and Divas," at Howl! Happening, 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery. 

The exhibit is up through Oct. 22.

The gallery is open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

6 posts from September

A mini month in review... (and awaiting the unveiling of Beastie Boys Square on 9/9 via Stacie Joy) 

• Here's the first look at the new building slated for 50-64 Third Ave. (Sept. 15) 

• The former P.S. 64/Charas is now headed to a bankruptcy sale (Sept. 13) 

• At Fucking Awesome with Chloë Sevigny (Sept. 13) 

• Welcoming Beastie Boys Square to the Lower East Side (Sept. 11) 

• A memorial for Dennis Edge in Tompkins Square Park (Sept. 7) 

• Neighbors come together to create a streetscape on 9th Street (Sept. 3)

Lenny Kaye at the Tompkins Square Library branch

Photos and text by Robin McMillan 

On Thursday evening, Lenny Kaye, longtime guitarist with Patti Smith, sang his own song — "World Book Night" — to reopen the refurbished Tompkins Square Library branch, express his love for books, and promote his own new work—"Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock and Roll."

In each chapter, the 76-year-old musician covers the "moments" as a witness and an ardent researcher. For the record, those "transformative moments" are: Memphis '54, New Orleans '57, Philadelphia '59, Liverpool '62, San Francisco '67, Detroit '69, New York '75, London '77, Los Angeles '84/Norway '93 (yes, Norway — think black metal), and Seattle 1991. 

Kaye covered everything from his first performances with Smith — at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery in 1971 — to listening to his friends play his favorite East Village clubs to his love for artistic change and progress.

This was the first in a series of East Village arts-scene evenings at the Tompkins Square Library, 331 E. 10th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. Next up: Writer (and tour guide) Jesse Rifkin and jazz maestro Matthew Shipp will discuss "The East Village in Music and Words" on Oct. 26, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Previously on EV Grieve:

• The Tompkins Square Library branch reopens TODAY; a conversation with Lenny Kaye on deck

Lights, cameras, filming notices — action!

This is the first filming notice — before May, a ubiquitous part of the streetscape — that we recall seeing in months since the start of the strike this past summer. (Spotted on the Bowery bear Bleecker.) 

"The Dutchman" stars André Holland, Kate Mara, Zazie Beetz and Stephen McKinley Henderson ... in this psychological thriller based on the Obie Award-winning play by Amiri Baraka. 

Per Deadline, this film has previously received a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement. 

And some more background on the film via Deadline: 

Set on a New York subway, "The Dutchman" centers on an encounter between a well-to-do Black man and an enchanting white woman who match wits in a sexualized game of cat and mouse that leads to a violent conclusion. The searing confrontation amplifies the dimensions of racial conflict in America in this adaptation of the stage show first presented at the Cherry Lane Theatre ... in March 1964, which was later adapted into a critically acclaimed 1966 film starring Shirley Knight and Al Freeman Jr. 

Hollywood's writers strike ended on Tuesday after nearly five months. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists continues.

Noted

Photo by Stacie Joy

Fall arrived at Key Food on Avenue A this past week... just one sign of the Halloween season around the grocery.  (And why would someone with straw hair smoke a pipe?)

Saturday's opening shot

A grand entrance on 10th Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

Scenes of standing water in Tompkins Square Park today

Top photo by Joe; all others by Steven 

There were plenty of reports showing flooding and damage throughout the city during today's storms... as remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia prompted flash flood warnings.

Central Park had nearly 6 inches of recorded rainfall, per media reports. Closer to home, there were many clips showing flooding along the FDR near the Williamsburg Bridge. 

We saw a lot of standing water in Tompkins Square Park, but thankfully no downed trees...

The area near the chess tables at the entrance to Seventh Street and Avenue A seemed to have the most flooding...

Whether by roads or public transportation, getting around today was a maddening experience. As Gothamist reported earlier: "Commuters and critics alike said their experiences reflected poor planning by city and state officials and severe lack of communication in the face of a cascading situation."

'Paving' the way

 

A song in EVG's heavy rotation since its release last month — "The World's Biggest Paving Slab" by the UK (Leeds!) band English Teacher.

2 men arrested for allegedly dealing drugs outside an NYPD block meeting

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Yesterday afternoon, the 9th Precinct held a Sector A Build the Block Meeting at Virginia's, the bistro on Third Street at Avenue B. 

Few people were in attendance (business owners I spoke with were unaware it was taking place). 

Topics for this part of the neighborhood during the session included drugs and crime on Third Street and Avenue D ... smoke shops and illegal cannabis sales and enforcement ... package thefts from residential lobbies... additional street lights for Third Street between A and B (a DOT issue), and shoplifting at Duane Reade on Avenue B and Second Street.

An unexpected highlight: Despite the heavy NYPD presence, at the tail end of this meeting, two local residents were observed selling/purchasing white powder drugs directly outside the meeting (next to a giant POLICE MEETING sign) and were arrested.

For those about to shred... [UPDATED]

Here's a potential rainy-day activity: Box up some paperwork that you need to have shredded.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 1!), the city will have a shredding truck on Avenue B and Eighth Street outside Tompkins Square Park. Updated: Now happening on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place.

You can shred up to one standard-size file box per person. 

Remember: Just paper! No batteries! No dead laptops or monitors! No art projects that belonged to former lovers!

Noted

Avenue A at 10th Street... please let us know if you spot the rest of the vehicle anywhere.

The 12th annual Harvest Arts Festival starts Saturday in East Village community gardens

Updated: Due to the rainy forecast, the opening-night party is now on Saturday at 6 p.m. — still at LaPlaza...

The 12th annual LUNGS Harvest Arts Festival gets underway tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 29)  Saturday night at 6. 

This year's festival, which runs through Oct. 8, includes 10 days of free activities at dozens of East Village/LES community gardens, each featuring various performances, concerts, workshops and other related events. Check the LUNGS website here for the day-by-day, garden-by-garden schedule. 

The opening night party at La Plaza Cultural on the SW corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street features jazz standards from Trio Daphne and "Blue Note Americana" from Kid Java.

A farewell to Big Lee and the Hard Swallow

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The Hard Swallow is going out in Coney Island style this weekend. 

The neighborhood bar at 140 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street closes after service on Saturday night.

This comes two-plus months after the sudden passing of co-owner Leroy "Big Lee" Lloyd, who was 51. 

Maria "Sasha" Lloyd, his wife and business partner, has planned a closing-night party on Saturday — which also happens to be close to Lee's birthday — featuring regulars from the Coney Island Circus Sideshow. (Big Lee grew up in Coney Island.)

"Anyone who feels connected to the bar and Big Lee is invited to come here on Saturday," said Sasha, a lifelong neighborhood resident. "Lee didn't want tears; he wanted a celebration."

She has also hired a videographer to record testimonials about Big Lee as a keepsake for her two sons, Nicholas and Jacob. (People who can't make the event can record a video and post it on social media with the hashtag #ThankYouBigLee, and those will be included in the keepsake for the family, she said.)

I recently stopped by the bar and met (from the left) bar manager Audreana "Storm" Janelle, bartender Socks Markley, Sasha and bartender Caitlyn "Aurora" Milkman

While the Hard Swallow is closing, Sasha's business partner will be keeping the space and eventually opening a new bar after going through the liquor license process.

As for Sasha, she decided to make a fresh start and will be moving to Hawaii next month, a plan put into effect while Big Lee was still alive. 

Sasha said she is having difficulty mourning and grieving while still in the same apartment and bar. She and Big Lee had the Hard Swallow for over eight years; it was their whole life, she said.