Read more about the film series here.RESCHEDULED! Due to inclement weather, we have rescheduled our showing of the Little Fugitive for August 5th at 8:00 PM. See you there! pic.twitter.com/3FDXvMQONE
— Harvey Epstein (@HarveyforNY) July 23, 2024
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
A postponement for tonight's screening of 'Little Fugitive' in Tompkins Square Park
'Make Me Famous,' a documentary on 1980s-era East Village-based painter Edward Brezinski, finally gets an East Village screening
Starting on Saturday, Village East by Angelika will screen the film three times at the theater on Second Avenue and 12th Street.
"Make Me Famous" is:
... a madcap romp through the 1980s NYC art scene amid the colorful career of painter, Edward Brezinski, hell-bent on making it. What begins as an investigation into Brezinski's legacy and mysterious disappearance becomes a sharp, witty portrait of NYC’s 1980s downtown art scene resulting in an irresistible snapshot of an unknown artist who captures the spirit of an iconic era.
Director Brian Vincent and Producer Heather Spore will be at the following screenings with these special guests:
• July 27, 5 p.m.
Photographer Marcia Resnick, photographer Josef Astor, archival cinematographer Jim C
• July 31, 7 p.m.
Filmmaker and photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and curator and archivist Sur Rodney (Sur)
• Aug. 1, 7 p.m.
Artist Peter McGough and Basquiat's first gallerist Annina Nosei
Find ticket information here.
Brezinski and CLICK models for NY TALK Magazine, 1984, photo by Jonathan Postal
From 543 E. Sixth St.: B-Side Gallery Opening, 1984, photo by Gary Azon
In the past year, I've been in touch with Spore and Vincent (past posts here). I asked them both to comment on the film's EV premiere.
Heather
Our dream was to open in the neighborhood, but when you do your own theatrical run with no help from a distributor, you have to roll with the punches. Our indie documentary has had an incredible yet unprecedented run in theaters going now for over a year.
Back in the 1980s, indie cinemas were more likely to take chances on local filmmakers, and films often had long runs. Does anybody remember "Basket Case"? First-time director Frank Henenlotter shot it locally in 1982 and ran for several years at the Waverly Cinema (now IFC).
"Make Me Famous" has defied the odds in this current film landscape and maintained a presence in New York City for over a year. We might very well be the most successful film you have never heard of! I can't believe it took us a whole year to screen in the neighborhood we dreamed of starting at!
The major New York press turned their backs on us because we had an unconventional run. This was surprising to us, considering this really is a love letter to the creativity that burst out of the Lower East Side in the 1980s. Although it would have been nice to be in The New York Times — we made it without them.
I feel like our journey of DIY distribution has been very apropos, considering the artists of 1980s East Village followed the same path, really. They did it themselves, and look at what they accomplished!
Brian
I am a Juilliard-trained actor who was too young to experience the 1980s scene. I discovered it through books like Cynthia Carr's "Fire in the Belly" about David Wojnarowicz. So, I looked for a story that explores this era, when young people made their own scene after being rejected by the mainstream.
In the 1980s, NYC was broke, rent was dirt cheap, and anyone could act out their bohemian fantasies — and they did by the hundreds! As actor Eric Bogosian recalls, "The premium was on who could do the most creative things."
In "Make Me Famous," thanks to the artists and gallerists who lived it, we return to "the scene of the crime," as the artists like to call it. And thanks to their fantastic video/artwork and photographs, the audience is immersed in the gritty action. Only we take an unusual path. Instead of documenting the famous artists for the millionth time, our story revolves around an obscure, mysterious, and charismatic painter from the scene, Edward Brezinski, whose career, in many ways, parallels the rise and fall of the scene.
The doc is not intended to be a promo but rather an opportunity to experience what it was like to be a striving artist back then. It was a NYC moment that captured the world's attention, produced some of its biggest stars, and then exploded into history like a supernova.
And the official trailer...
Openings: Crepe City on Avenue A
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Crepe City debuted at 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street earlier this month.
I stopped by for a friends and family soft opening, and met owner Abdulnaser Alzokari (pictured below in the tie with staff).
After operating most recently as an unlicensed weed shop, this storefront was home to the first outpost of Mikey Likes It Ice Cream from 2013 to 2022.
We spotted Mikey here this past Sunday handing out free scoops for National Ice Cream Day.
Amid pending litigation, Memphis Seoul closes its outpost on 1st Avenue
Photos last Thursday by Steven
Memphis Seoul has closed its East Village location at 123 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place after 11 months.
An Instagram post from last week alleges the "gross negligence" of co-landlord J&M Realty Services for the loss of gas service (which has yet to be restored) two days into the shop's renovation last year.
The post says that Memphis Seoul has pending litigation against the landlord.
In April, Memphis Seoul (founded by former New York Post sportswriter Bart Hubbuch) filed a $500,000 lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court for alleged breach of contract, tenant harassment, fraud and misrepresentation against the building's landlord, Lunar Estates, LLC d/b/a Lunar Estates.
Public records show that Lunar Estates, LLC, bought the property in early 2022 for $4.3 million. (Public records show that the listed owner of Lunar Estates LLC is Won Moon, an orthodontist based in Orange County, California.)
Meanwhile, this past Thursday, a marshal also posted a notice on the storefront stating that the landlord has legal possession of the premises.
The quick-serve establishment serves "Southern cookin' with a Korean kick!" ... offering the comfort food of the South with the spices and sauces familiar to Korean food.
The original Memphis Seoul remains in service in Crown Heights. According to the Instagram post from last week, a new Lower East Side outpost is in the works.
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Tuesday's parting shot
A world premiere for the documentary on pioneering LES performance artist Arleen Schloss
Stuart Ginsberg, director and producer, shared information about the screening, which will take place at the 12th annual NYC Chain Film Festival on Friday at 8 p.m. Location: 312 W. 36th St. between Eighth Avenue and Ninth Avenue. Find ticket info here.
And bout the film:
"It's A to Z: The Art of Arleen Schloss" delves into the life and work of Arleen Schloss, a pioneering artist who heavily influenced the Downtown New York art scene. Known for her innovative work, Schloss has been a vital part of the avant-garde movement since the 1970s. The documentary features interviews with notable musicians, artists, and curators such as Alan Vega of Suicide, Eric Bogosian, Elodie Lauten, Phoebe, Legere, and Gracie Mansion, (Sur) Rodney Sur, as well as archival interviews with John Cage, Timothy Leary, and Glenn Branca.Schloss was one of the first performance artists to perform at the Museum of Modern Art and made experimental sound and video work throughout her art career. She is known in the New York Art Loft scene for A's, Schloss's iconic loft space that became a hub for the New York City underground and avant-garde scenes. A's was a breeding ground for creativity and experimentation, where artists from various disciplines came together to push the boundaries of art, music, and performance."I became intrigued by Arleen Schloss' story and about how hundreds, if not thousands, of artists in various disciplines owed their success, in part, to Arleen," Ginsberg said. "She typically embraced emerging forms and processes before they fully broke through, including performance art, spoken word art, video art, mail art, cyber art, lasers, and virtually any kind of technology that generated new possibilities."
East Village favorite International Bar reopens on Monday
Photo yesterday by Stacie Joy
The bar's Instagram account posted the reopening date yesterday (see below).
Back in the spring, the iBar folks told us that paperwork snafu was behind the closure, which seemed to last longer than some regulars expected.
In any event, it's a most welcomed return.
The hours after the reopening will remain the same: 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. daily.
Death of developer sheds light on status of new office building on St. Mark's Place and 3rd Avenue; 'The project is entirely on spec'
The story of NYC developer Brandon Miller, who died after being found unconscious in the garage of his $8 million Water Mill home, has become tabloid fodder in recent weeks. (A cause of not has not ben made public.)
Many of the stories focused on the lavish lifestyle that the 43-year-old Miller led with his wife, Candice Miller, a blogger and Instagram influencer, and two children who shuttled between their $50,000-per-month Upper East Side rental apartment and a Hamptons home in Water Mill with a collection of classic cars.Brandon Miller loved the high life. A Park Avenue home. An influencer wife. Vacations in Paris. A real estate inheritance. Then he was found dead.https://t.co/P8k5Hqokag
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) July 13, 2024
There is a local real-estate angle in the story.
According to The Real Deal, Miller inherited the commercial and residential real estate firm Real Estate Equities Corporation (REEC) from his father, shopping mall tycoon Michael Miller, who died in 2016. (The younger Miller joined the firm in 2004)
Per TRD: "It came out after the elder Miller’s death that he had allegedly told his assistant to forge Brandon's signature on loan documents related to a condo project, according to court records."
The many REEC investments under Brandon Miller's watch weren't paying off either. He was reportedly $17 million in debt to friends and facing several lawsuits when he died, according to published reports.
In November 2017, REEC picked up the 99-year leasehold for the assemblage on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place and Third Avenue for nearly $150 million. The Gabay family had owned the buildings for generations. (There were other suitors for the property.)
The previous buildings here, which included retail tenants such as Korilla BBQ, the Continental and McDonald's, were demolished in the summer of 2019 to make way for an office building.
There was a lot of drama surrounding the size of the building (flashback), and work was stopped for 10 months as Madison Capital Realty tried foreclosing on the property in 2021. Foundation work finally started in late August 2022 — this after crews and equipment were assembled here in the summer of 2020.
From the story last Thursday at TRD about 1-3 St. Mark's Place:
...but progress was slow. Before foundations were even dug, Madison Capital Realty tried foreclosing on the property in 2021. Parkview Financial rescued the project with a $70 million refinance the following year.
Only the third and final tier of the nine-story building is still under construction. But as the building nears completion, 24 percent of Manhattan offices remain vacant, according to a Cushman & Wakefield report, and for the first time since 2021, no new construction or full renovations of offices were completed last quarter.
REEC recently fell behind on loan payments at the project, Parkview Financial CEO Paul Rahimian told TRD, and there are not yet tenants for the building's retail or office space. "The project is entirely on spec," Rahimian said.Elsewhere on the Lower East Side, REEC took over the leasehold at 156-166 Bowery, a 15,000-square-foot assemblage just south of Delancey, in a deal valued at $50 million.
Per TRD:
In 2022, the firm filed plans for a 73,000-square-foot mixed-use commercial building and landed a $60.5 million loan from Raven Capital Management, according to property records.
But progress at that property appears to have stalled.
Said Parkview's Rahimian: "We think there will be demand for new offices in such a popular neighborhood, and we were surprised like everyone else to learn about what had happened [with Miller]."
Someone wrapped this tree on 14th Street in lights — and no one knows who or why
Beauty Bar bartender Brock Michael Napoli said the lighting happened sometime after his shift this past Sunday at 3 a.m.
"Nobody knows who did it," he told us. "All we saw on our security cams was a person in a box truck thingy with a lift."
For now it's a mystery... so might as well enjoy it...
Top photo via Brock Michael Napoli
Signage alert: Loong Noodles on St. Mark's Place
Signage arrived yesterday for Loong Noodles at 28 St. Mark's Place. And the signage promises noodles and dumplings upon opening.
If you're on Instagram, you can find their placeholder account here.
Until December, No. 28 was Kung Fu Tea for the past 10 years.
Monday, July 22, 2024
Monday's parting shot
The frontman for Shellac and Big Black worked with dozens of bands, including Nirvana, Slint, Pixies, the Breeders, PJ Harvey, the Jesus Lizard, Superchunk, Low, and the Wedding Present.
Per the Superiority Burger Instagram account: "His influence and words of advice are all over this restaurant."
East Village mainstay Katinka is closing after 45 years on 9th Street
Jane Williams and Billy Lyles, partners in Katinka and in life, made the announcement yesterday on Instagram:
Thanks for your love and support for 45 iconic years! We will be closing at the end of August. We loved every moment spent with you all. Please come and purchase our treasures, which will be on sale in the coming weeks.
The shop is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5-8 p.m.
The two opened their closet-sized shop in 1979 at 303 E. Ninth St. just east of Second Avenue... offering hand-made pieces — including shirts, vests, quilts and rugs — all made and imported from India.
For the past 15-plus years, Williams has worked with the Lasksh Foundation, an NGO in Mangar Village, Haryana, India. She travels there twice a year, volunteering her design services and supplies to educate women in the village.
Here's a 2021 video about the shop and the couple by photographer-filmmaker Josh Charow ...
Boulton & Watt has closed
In announcing the closure earlier this month on Instagram, the bar-restaurant's management wrote, in part: "To all of our guests, staff members, friends, and family, thank you for making Boulton & Watt your home."
The Boulton & Watt brand will live on with an outpost at JFK's Terminal 4 in the coming months (we happened to spot it while catching a flight last month)...
Look for the prime EV corner to stay in the Paradise Hospitality (Mister Paradise, Wiggle Room, Pretty Ricky's) family. The Instagram post also notes: "Stay tuned for some exciting news about a new project in this space; see you all very soon!"
And because someone will post "Bring back Nice Guy Eddie's" in the comments... this space was previously Nice Guy Eddie's. The bar-restaurant with Chico's KISS mural closed in June 2011 after 16 years in service.
Openings: G's Cheesesteaks on Houston and Avenue B
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
G's Cheesesteaks is set for its soft opening today at 6 Avenue B on the NW corner at Houston. (First mentioned here.)
The storefront (and upstairs floors) have undergone extensive renovations recently. This is the first retail tenant in 15 years in the long-empty building that the new landlords call The B.
Mom's Liquor Store was here until 2009, and the interior was trashed as we saw.
More seating was expected to arrive over the weekend...
And this is NOT part of the seating. While we were there, the restaurant was swapping out toilets in the ADA-compliant restroom.
Owner Giacomo Pisano's family-owned business specializes in 100% grade-A ribeye cheesesteaks. This version differs from traditionally Philly-style cheesesteaks with a heartier, thicker/chewier/crustier New York-baked bread as opposed to a softer hoagie roll. You can find a menu here.
Due to a problem with the building's gas line (there is no gas!), the kitchen is all-electric, which means all-electric grills, fryers, cooktops, etc.
Pisano, whose family has been in the restaurant business for several generations, founded G's in Staten Island in 2015 at age 20. There are now four G's locations, with one slated to open this fall on Eighth Avenue and 31st Street.
Here is Giacomo with his father, Jack...
If possible, they are trying to preserve the "Liquors" signage on the storefront. They say the building will move the scaffolding, which is blocking their Houston entrance door.
Hours of operation: 10 a.m. until 11 p.m., seven days/week to start; eventually, Friday and Saturday night hours will extend to 2 a.m.
Previously on EV Grieve:
First sign of Moody Tongue on St. Mark's Place
As previously reported, the owners of Chicago's Moody Tongue Brewing Company received conditional approval last November for a beer-wine license for the space. According to the brand's CB3 questionnaire, the unnamed Japanese restaurant will serve a variety of sushi platters and entrees.
This address will also likely be a Moody Tongue (so to speak). EVG reader Jose Garcia spotted this Moody Tongue apparatus (so to speak) being loaded into the space this past Thursday...
People seem to like what they do — the Dining Room at Moody Tongue in Chicago boasts two Michelin stars, for instance.
This space just west of Avenue A last housed Pop's Eat-Rite, the veggie burger joint.
A new taqueria for 221 2nd Ave.
We don't know who's behind this Tex-Mex-style taqueria (aside from Wayne and his sons!), which appears to be a new brand. (There's only one Instagram post about it; only a little else is available about the establishment.)
Wayne & Sons takes over the space from Dear Rufino, another taco shop that was only in operation for a few months before moving to West 50th Street in the spring.
Sincerely, Ophelia, the speakeasy in the back of the address remains in operation.
Sunday, July 21, 2024
Week in Grieview
Posts this past week included (with a photo from 13th Street at First Avenue by Heather Dubin)...
• Report: East Village building owner plans demolition amid ongoing controversy and litigation (Monday)
• Groundbreaking ceremony held for new ABC No Rio building on Rivington Street (Wednesday)
• David's Cafe abruptly closes on St. Mark's Place (Monday)
• Report: New owners for the 3 buildings on the SW corner of 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Monday)
• The Ninth Ward plotting its return to 180 2nd Avenue after 8 years (Monday)
• 14th Street residents looking for solutions for the congregating e-bike delivery workers (Thursday)
• 10th Street tree freed from death by concrete (Friday)
• Grillify-NYC opens in the former Le Burger space on 5th Street (Tuesday)
• Did you hear the one about the Upright Citizens Brigade NYC being in preview mode? (Tuesday)
• Knitting Factory at Baker Falls temporarily closed for more soundproofing (Thursday)
• Large branch down in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday)
• E-bike retailer moves into this Avenue B storefront (Monday)
• Grocery & Coffee for Avenue C (Monday)
• Today in sidewalk sarcasm (Monday)
Also, for a second time recently, someone made a disparaging comment about the Colonel's offerings on Second Avenue at 14th Street...
Bands we like: Francie Moon
Photos by Stacie Joy
Flashback to last Sunday in Tompkins Square Park, where we caught headliners Francie Moon (aka New Jersey-based musician Melissa Lucciola) in a show organized by Show Brain.
We've heard Francie Moon's music, described as "garage psych & rock n roll," though never live until this day. We enjoyed the high-energy set and her appreciation of the opportunity to play in front of an audience. 
Lucciola also plays drums with Gustaf, another band we like. (Gustaf guitarist Vram Kherlopian and percussionist Tarra Thiessen joined this set. And if you're keeping track — they both also play in Tea Eater.)
You can find more from Francie Moon here and here.
The next show we're aware of is the 36th annual Tompkins Square Riot Reunion via The Shadow on Aug. 3.
The buzz about the bee hotel on Cooper Square
Photo by Carol from East 5th Street
ICYMI, this new hotel is on Cooper Square.
This spring, the NYC Department of Transportation, the Horticultural Society of New York (The Hort!) and Rutgers University announced the Pollinator Port Project to create habitats for at-risk native bee populations in select NYC DOT public plazas and Open Streets.
Per the city:
As part of the project, 'bee hotels' and 'bee bunkers' will be installed, and vegetation will be planted to provide nourishment for bees and other pollinators. According to the United Nations' Environment Programme, bees are essential for the planet and are a crucial part of the biodiversity needed to sustain life. Bees have fewer habitats in urban areas and often have long distances between green spaces in cities. The installations announced today will provide connections between other green spaces across the city and will attract tickle bees, a small, native bee species that rarely sting.
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