A band to know: Um, Jennifer?

Photos by Stacie Joy

The playful punk-tinged local duo Um, Jennifer? — Fig on the left, Eli on the right — is on tomorrow's free Show Brain bill in Tompkins Square Park. 

We've had a chance to see Um, Jennifer? a few times, including a record-release show at Night Club 101 on Avenue A this past April 25 (with PMFD)... and we really like them.

Stereogum named them a Band to Watch this spring. Indeed.

Check out their brand new video for "Car Wash" here...

 

What happened to the blue mail collection box outside the Tompkins Square Post Office?

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

If you've noticed the blue USPS mailbox missing from outside the Tompkins Square Post Office on Third Street between Avenues B and C, you're not alone. 

According to postal employees, the box was removed last week "due to vandalism." 

"This is a rough neighborhood," one employee said, explaining that people kept gluing the box shut. There were also instances of "fraudulent mail removal events," they noted. 

As for whether the mailbox will return: "I don't know, but I don’t think so," the employee added.

East Village artist reimagines where and how we see art, starting with exhibit at corner market

Local artist Maria De Victoria is beginning a series of gallery shows at unexpected spaces in the East Village, starting with the Village Gourmet Grocery on the SE corner of Second Avenue and Sixth Street tonight from 6-8.

She shares more about the project here: 

I moved Desnivel from the basement of my home to the storefronts of the East Village — the neighborhood I’ve lived in for the past 15 years — to highlight the financial challenges of establishing and running an art space, and to make art more accessible to viewers who may not have the opportunity to engage with it otherwise. 

Desnivel aims to increase visibility and accessibility, allowing the artwork to be seen and experienced at various times of the day, in a way that is convenient for visitors and hopefully leaves a lasting impact. 

The inaugural exhibit is "EN EL KIOSKO," a presentation of new paintings by Juan Jose Heredia. It will be on display through June 29. Find more information here... and if you're on Instagram.

Titi’s Empanadas opens today (Friday the 13th!) on 7th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Titi's NYC Inspired Empanadas is expanding from Williamsburg to the East Village (first reported here), opening its new outpost today (yes, Friday the 13th) at 130 E. Seventh St., just west of Avenue A. 

"People asked me, are you really opening on Friday the 13th? Why? 'Hey, I gotta pay the rent,'" joked co-owner Jesus Villalobos (below right with co-owner Nate Ramm).

Villalobos and Ramm are bringing their popular lineup of Latin-inspired empanadas to the new outpost, which will be open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 4 a.m. There was a friends-and-family test run last night...

The new shop will feature a rotating "empanada of the week" — a limited-run of 100 special-edition empanadas with creative fillings, such as fish-cheek crab curry and a fried eggplant, broccoli rabe, and beef combo.

"We want to be part of the community," said Ramm. Villalobos added that they aim to "pay homage and represent the Latino flavors that are the New York we grew up in."

A walk-up window will offer grab-and-go coffee and snacks. Beer and wine are coming soon. 

And while patacones fans may be out of luck for now — they're only available at sister restaurant Cachapas Y Mas. Villalobos and Ramm offered to have a patacones empanada as a special of the week if I showed up to help. (Will keep EVG readers apprised if that comes to fruition!)

About tomorrow's Show Brain-sponsored concert in Tompkins Square Park

The second Show Brain-sponsored concert of the season takes place tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon in Tompkins Square Park... featuring headliners Vial, an excellent indie punk trio from Minneapolis.

The lineup (times are tentative):

•  2-2:35 — Crush Fund 

• 2:50—3:25 — Um, Jennifer? 

• 3:40-4:15 — Desert Sharks 

• 4:30-5:05 — Shilpa Ray 

• 5:20-6:05 — Vial

This is a rain-or-shine event ...

The Sagittarius Moon

A dispatch from Felton Davis, the now-retired founder of the Second Avenue Star Watchers... 

Telescope gathering dust in the office, but the sidewalk astronomer still wakes up in the middle of the night to chase the waning moon across the sky.

The 4th annual LUNGS Theater Festival takes place this weekend

The fourth annual LUNGS (Loisaida United Neighborhood Gardens) Theater Festival is this weekend — weather permitting — at the 6th Street and Avenue B Garden. 

The free performances start at noon on both Saturday and Sunday. (Note: The program is the same each day.) For a detailed preview, visit the LUNGS website here. 

Joseph Papp began the outdoor theater tradition on the Lower East Side in 1956 when he introduced "Shakespeare in the Park" in the (now-demolished but being rebuilt) East River Park Amphitheater.

In 2022, LUNGS continued this part of his legacy with the free Summer Theater Festival.

Changes brewing at Associated on Avenue C and 8th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The Associated Supermarket at Avenue C and Eighth Street is undergoing a rebrand and refresh.

According to store employees, the neighborhood grocery is merging with Monza, a Brazilian brand. Renovations are underway, with plans to introduce a barista bar with pastries, a cheese station and a new sandwich bar.

Despite the changes, the store will remain part of the Associated marketplace and continue sourcing products from Associated suppliers, including Met Food and Compare.

The current staff has been retained and is now sporting Monza-branded shirts, aprons, and caps. Store employees say all the products locals rely on will still be available.

The owner reportedly operated several other Associated stores in the area (like 14th Street), but this is the last one remaining. 

H/T Dave on 7th!

'Placeholders' highlights businesses located in HDFC storefronts

In case you have been wondering about the window displays in the currently vacant storefronts at 165 and 167 Avenue C between 10th Street and 11th Street. 

Per the Cooper Square Committee:

Due to decades of grassroots organizing, the Lower East Side is home to many Housing Development Fund Corporation cooperatives (HDFCs), a unique type of affordable housing collectively owned and operated by residents. 

Offering a glimpse into this vibrant community, "Placeholders" showcases items from local businesses located in HDFCs in a site-specific installation created by local artist Delphine Le Goff. Items include a camera from Fourth Street Photo Gallery, the city's oldest Black-owned photography studio; a hand-painted mortar and pestle from Puerto Rican restaurant Casa Adela; and handmade Mexican folk art from La Sirena. 

Cooper Square Committee co-created "Placeholders" with Scott Kelly and Le Goff as part of "Design Sprints: Building Creative Capacity," an initiative of Van Alen Institute and the NYC Department of Small Business Services. 

The displays will be up through June. There's a closing reception on June 27. Visit the Cooper Square website here for details... plus contact info for local artists, nonprofits and entrepreneurs seeking commercial space in the neighborhood. 

And here are HDFC storefronts on the Lower East Side...

 

On the clock: Lower East Side Lidl Watch

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The Lidl outpost is looking closer to opening at 408 Grand St. (at Clinton) on the Lower East Side.

Larger COMING SOON signage is up for this "Super-est Market" with a big fan following...

News arrived last August that the German supermarket chain with 12,000 stores worldwide was opening a branch here. For now, the company hasn't announced an opening date — only that it will be in Summer 2025.

Lidl US signed the lease for the 23,000-square-foot space — previously a Rite Aid — on property owned by the affordable housing nonprofit Grand Street Guild. 

There are several Lidl outposts around NYC, including in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island ... with a location also slated for Chelsea. 

This article tells you what you can expect from a Lidl.

Wednesday's parting Instagram post

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A post shared by Urban Archive (@urbanarchiveny)

Noted

From around the blogosphere: The history of 106 Avenue C

Through the years, we've received some queries about the bank-ish-looking building on the NE corner of Avenue C and Seventh Street. (We even lived for a time across the street and never quite figured out what was going on at 106 Avenue C.)

A few days ago, Daytonian in Manhattan posted about the landmarked building, which has served as a library, bank, nursing home, and private residences in its over 120-year history. Read the post here. (We did a post on it here in 2012.)

H/T Daniel Root!

About the East Village Music Festival, taking place on June 22 at La Plaza Cultural

Grady Tesch has called the East Village home for more than a decade, drawn in by its creative pulse and offbeat charm. 

Last year, he had the idea for an event that could celebrate all that the East Village has to offer. That thought turned into action — with the help of friend and jazz/soul drummer Kobi Abcede.

The result is the East Village Music Festival, a community celebration set for Sunday, June 22, from noon to 7 p.m. at La Plaza Cultural, the community garden on the SW corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street. Music aside, the event will also feature local food vendors.

Here, Tesch discusses more about the event and what residents can expect. (Q&A edited for length and clarity.)

What inspired you to create the East Village Music Festival? 

I've lived in the East Village for 13 years now and have a deep love for this wonderful neighborhood. The idea popped into my head late last year. I thought, Wouldn't it be so much fun to create an event that celebrates the creative, fun and weird energy of the East Village? 

My good friend, Kobi Abcede, who is also one of the most sought-after jazz and soul drummers in New York, agreed to co-organize with me, and we got to work making this vision a reality.

How did you choose La Plaza Cultural as the location for the event? 

La Plaza Cultural is a space that we feel embodies the vibrancy of East Village, from its beautiful amphitheater to the cute turtles enjoying the sun in the pond. Many of the people I started asking said I had to have the event at La Plaza Cultural.

What can attendees expect throughout the day? 

We'll have live music starting from noon to 7 p.m. Each artist will bring a unique sound, ranging from folk to funk, soul, indie pop, and the genreless. There'll be music for everyone! 

Julian Klepper, the former owner of Wild Birds, will be emceeing, DJing and hosting throughout the day. There will be food vendors and numerous opportunities to socialize with friends. We are hosting this event to celebrate the community, and everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy the festivities.

How did you curate the lineup of performers, and what makes Pinc Louds a standout for this event? 

Kobi and I have so many favorite bands in New York that it was hard to choose, but we ended up reaching out to the artists who we felt embody the diverse energy of the East Village. And, intentionally, three of the bands we chose are East Village-based. 

We also didn't want to limit the festival to a single type of music, so we made sure to include artists from various genres. Pinc Louds was our first call to get on the bill, and to us, they are the quintessential East Village artist. Their journey of bringing joy to the people of EV during the pandemic, when they performed concerts in Tompkins Square Park, is one that I lived through and witnessed firsthand, showcasing their own commitment to bringing the joy of music to people, no matter what. 

We're really honored to have them headline the festival. 

Is this a one-time celebration, or do you want to make it an annual tradition? 

We are 100% hoping to make this an annual tradition!

What’s one moment you're most looking forward to on the day of the festival? 

I can't wait to see La Plaza Cultural light up with the faces of all the amazing people of the East Village. That's the moment I'm most excited for and the reason we're doing this.

------

The lineup:

1 p.m. — Youth in a Roman Field

1:55 p.m. — Syl DuBenion

3 p.m. — The Quashie Collective

4:05 — p.m. — Olivia K & The Parkers

5:10 p.m. — Momentum

6:15 p.m. — Pinc Louds

A suggested donation of $20 helps support the artists and cover production costs.

You can find updates via Instagram.

Sip + Co. to close Sunday on 9th Street

Sip + Co. has announced a closing date at 433 E. Ninth St. (Thanks to Choresh Wald for the photo.)

Sunday is the cafe's last day in business after a little more than a year here between Avenue A and First Avenue, per notices for patrons. No reason was cited for the closure. 

The cafe, which serves a variety of sandwiches, pastries, and coffee drinks, also offers evening events, including a book club, live jazz, and art events. 

This is the cafe's second location; the first opened on West 58th Street in 2021. 

Founder Chin Keung Mong is also behind Hard to Explain, the sake and wine bar on 10th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue, and The Pastry Box on 12th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Duane Reade is not sleeping on this Rite Aid closing-soon situation

Photo by Stacie Joy 

The Duane Reade/Walgreens on the corner of Avenue B and Second Street is not being passive about the pending closure of the East Village Rite Aid. 

Signage is up welcoming Rite Aid pharmacy customers from the First Avenue and Fifth Street outpost, even though that business may be open untill later next month. (An official closing date hasn't been set.)

Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy (again) in May, citing years of financial struggles and a rapidly changing retail pharmacy market. All of the company's New York locations either have closed or will soon. 

In previous posts about Rite Aid, EVG readers suggested ideas for local, independent pharmacies to consider:

• Abacus Pharmacy, 168 Second Ave. 

• Avalon Chemist, 7 Second Ave. 

• Avenue C Pharmacy, 178 Avenue C 

• Block Drug Store, 101 Second Ave.

• East Village Prescription Center, 41 Avenue A 

• Equal Care Pharmacy, 753 E. Fifth St. (specializing in hepatitis and post-heart/kidney/liver transplant drug therapy) 

• Loisaida Drug & Surgicals, 273 E. Third St. 

• Medilane Drugs, 227 Avenue B 

• New York City Pharmacy, 206 First Ave. 

• Whitney Chemists, 50 University Place

Keys to the city: The Sing for Hope piano has arrived in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Steven 

The 2025 Sing for Hope pianos are out in the wild... including in Tompkins Square Park. 

Background! 

Sing for Hope is an NYC-based nonprofit founded in 2006 by opera singers Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora. The two vocalists established Sing for Hope as a resource for New York artists who want to use their art to give back to their community, and the program fosters interaction between artists and communities and makes the arts accessible to the public. 

The Sing for Hope Pianos project brings (one-per-key) artist-painted pianos for three weeks in June each year since 2011 to parks, street corners, subways, and other outdoor public spaces of the five boroughs of New York City.

Artist Kate Fauvell created the designs on the Tompkins piano, titled "Human Kind." Read more about it here.

The piano, one of 15 in the five boroughs, will be here through June 29. 

After their public residency, the pianos will find permanent homes in schools, hospitals and community-based organizations throughout the city.

Also, as far as we can recall, this is the first piano for Tompkins since 2018.

RIP Billy Jones

Photo via @billysrecordsalon 

Members of the local music community were shocked and saddened by the news of Billy Jones' passing on Saturday. The indie music impresario was known for running Baby's All Right in Williamsburg and, more recently, Night Club 101 on Avenue A. 

According to Pitchfork, he died from an aggressive brain cancer. He was 45. 

Jones had been a regular in the local music scene, booking shows at several now-closed EV spaces, including Sin-é on St. Mark's Place and Elvis Guesthouse on Avenue A, as well as Pianos on Ludlow Street. 

In 2013, he and Zachary Mexico opened Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, which "helped revive the city's indie scene," per Pitchfork. More recent collaborations included Funny Bar on Essex Street and Night Club 101, which debuted at the end of the year in the former Pyramid space on Avenue A. 

He was also known for his work as a DJ with The Lot Radio and running his vinyl emporium, Billy's Record Salon, in Brooklyn. A friend to many, Jones left an imprint on every scene he touched.

As a tribute at Brooklyn Vegan noted yesterday: 

It's hard to underestimate the impact Billy had on the NYC music scene of the last 20 years. His taste was impeccable and the clubs he ran became places you hung out even if you weren't there for the band... More than anything, Billy was a friend and also a very rare bird in the music industry: a genuinely nice person who would always greet you with a smile and hug. 

The tributes on social media included...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jesse Rifkin (@walkonthewildsidenyc)

A celebration of his life is planned for later this summer at Baby's All Right. Details to come.

The Merchant's House Museum remains open during exterior restoration work

Restoration work got underway at the end of May at the Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street.

Despite appearances, the Museum is open for business per usual here between the Bowery and Lafayette. Visitors can enter the rear garden through the gate located in Manual Plaza, just next door to the east.

Here's more about the work at the landmarked building dating to 1832: "This $3.6 million capital project includes a full restoration of the marble stoop, weatherproofing, and repairs to the brick. Work is expected to take 12 months."

As we've been reporting in recent years, concerns have been raised about the future of the Merchant's House Museum, with a new development being approved next door to the west. 

Does this restoration change anything with that project? (Spoiler — no.) 

[I]n spite of this critical restoration work, the Merchant's House is still at risk from development next door. It is disheartening that after spending $3.6 million, the City may still allow the development next door to move forward, destroying all the work that is currently taking place and wasting taxpayer dollars. 

Find visitor info here.

Signage alert: Crêpes le Bon on Avenue A

Signage arrived over the weekend for Crêpes le Bon at 221 Avenue A between 13th Street and 14th Street. (Thanks to Greg for the photo!)

 

Aside from the signature dish, the awning promises sandwiches, waffles and desserts. We haven't found a website or any social media presence for the business yet.

Nearby creperies include Honey Crêpes at 400 E. 13th St. east of First Avenue and Village Crêperie at 445 E. Ninth St. near Avenue A.

Crêpes le Bon takes over the space from a smoke shop.