EVG Etc.: A guide to legal marijuana in New York; a replacement for the Hester Street Fair

Photo on 12th Street by Lola Saénz 

• What you need to know about legal marijuana in New York (Gothamist) 

• The Chinese Hawaiian Kenpo Academy on Second Avenue sees increased interest in self-defense classes amid spike in anti-Asian hate crimes (NY1 ... official site) 

• The New York State Court of Appeals clears way for supertalls along the East River (The Broadsheet)

• Crystal Field on the past and future of Theater for the New City (B&B) 

• Thoughts on Precious Okoyomon's living installation "Fragmented Body Perceptions as Higher Vibration Frequencies to God" on view through May 9 at Performance Space New York on First Avenue (The New Yorker) 

• The upcoming live shows at the Bowery Electric (Instagram ... official site)

• Our faves: Cherry blossoms and brooding hawks in Tompkins Square Park! (Laura Goggin Photograophy) 

• Team behind Smorgasburg/Brooklyn Flea bringing Hester Flea to the Lower East Side (The Lo-Down) 

• Details on Beverly's, a pop-up homewares and specialty market at 22 Ludlow St. (Vogue)

• One day you might see a comedy with Iggy Pop and Bob Saget (Deadline)

Happy No. 20 to Academy Records

Wishing Academy Records a happy 20th anniversary ... the record shop at 415 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue first opened on April 1, 2001. 

Congrats to owner Mike Davis and his Academy staff on this milestone... to 20 more...  

A note to dogs from the Fragile Flowers and the Struggling Young Tree on Avenue A

A note on Avenue A between 11th Street and 12th Street... 

Dear Dogs -- 

 The daffodils are coming up! 

Instead of "going"

 here, please ask 

your human to walk you 

where no plants 

 are living.

Thank you -- 

The Fragile Flowers and the Struggling Young Tree

Fade to black at The Pyramid Club

Late this afternoon, workers removed The Pyramid Club sign outside the now-permanently-shuttered venue at 101 Avenue A... an anonymous reader sent in the top photo... while @drewallen shared the one below...

... and a little later...

As EVG contributor Stacie Joy exclusively reported yesterday, the iconic 40-plus-year-old club between Sixth Street and Seventh Street will not be reopening after the year-long state-mandated PAUSE.

Sweetness and light

 

The video for the new tropical-punk single by Pinc Louds is now available ... in the clip for "Tamarindo," Claudi returns to her Puerto Rican homeland where she chases chickens, serenades horses, meets a miniature version of herself and learns the secret to never growing up: tamarind syrup. The song bursts with the unbridled joy that you'd expect from anything related to Pinc Louds. 

The single, from the band's forthcoming release, officially drops on April 9. And you can see Claudi perform tomorrow afternoon at the East Village Flea... and the full band will be in Tompkins Square Park on April 10 at 2 p.m.

Gallery Watch: 'Group Sex' at Full Tank Moto Cafe

Text and photos by Clare Gemima 

Group Sex

Full Tank Moto Cafe, 49 Monroe St.

The New York City health guidelines — via its updated Safer Sex and Covid-19 fact sheet — discourage group sex, but provide advice for interested parties, suggesting “to find a crowd, pick larger, more open, ventilated spaces”…

This is an open-minded safety precaution endorsed by the New York City health department to take during the pandemic ... and also a genius conceptual parameter for a visual-arts exhibition. 

The East Village-based Ed. Varie is presenting Group Sex in their newest collaborative location on Monroe Street that showcases the works of artists Cavier Coleman, Colleen Herman, Esteban Ocampo-Giraldo, Giorgio Handman, Ivy Campbell, Leticia Infante, Moises Salazar, Nina Gilkshtern, Sarah Hombach, Scout Zabinski and Ted McGrath. (To learn more about each artist, please visit the gallery website here.)

The show explores group sex, sexuality and sensuality — both metaphorically and literally — in a raw, 2,000 square-foot space. This particular Ed. Varie collaboration marries gallery with the new Full Tank Moto Cafe — part cafe, motorcycle workshop and future bookshop all under the same beautiful roof. 

The building used to be a glass factory, and (thematically, if you will) hosts chains hanging from the ceiling. Ed. Varie founder Karen Shaupeter had to enlighten me that the bondage decor was not part of the show but a happy accident nonetheless. 

Through linoleum prints, gouache and acrylic paintings, soft sculpture and collage, the grit of the work in the space left an enduring impression as I walked through and witnessed exposed brick walls around the canvases and spilled dog food along the gallery floor. 

There were spirit and realness both on and off-canvas, and if you’re exhausted by the Chelsea gallery hoity-toity, then please visit Group Sex for a revitalization. Authentic work is out here in the Lower East Side, ready to challenge and capsize the whitewashed and straight status-quo of what being an artist in New York looks like. 

Thank you Ed. Varie for curating a show that, much like its title, isn’t afraid to show its roughness, its realness, its core. Among the standout work: Esteban Ocampo-Giralso’s Mañanas oil painting, depicting an illusionary, self-pleasuring scene that collides ecstasy with the mundanity of one's own bedroom confines. The forms in this piece are curvaceous and rich with highlighting and shadow play that is seductive and wildly transportive.

Another highlight was Ted McGrath’s Marat Moods/“…stop me if you heard this one…”/Haw haw haw. For me, the more disturbing looking the work is, the better. In this oil painting, we see multiple characters looking both humanly and mystically entrenched in a scene that looks so uncertain and on edge that it becomes nerve-wracking and uncomfortable to be around. There are skulls, banana peels and a sense of impending doom all captured in a sizeable canvas. Confusing and wretched, my favorite work in the show, hands down. 

And there is Spring Fever by Moises Salazar, which captured me immediately both from Ed. Varie’s social media and in person. The work depicts a female form wearing heels on a fur backdrop embellished with constructed floral arrangements. 

This to me is a kitsch daydream from the color right through to the glitter, yarn and sequins used to create the piece. The work is so polished and technically precise that it will leave you wondering how Salazar made it, let alone how the idea came into existence. Super cute, super ridiculous and super exciting to see how this artist grows. To no surprise, this piece has already sold.

If you are in need of a visual explosion, or even a new lease on your own creative practice, then I recommend visiting Ed. Varie’s amazing new space, and even striking up a conversation with its founder and staff. The experience was extremely welcoming and informative and I thank Karen for curating a potent and memorable show that represents a handful of talented and young practitioners. 

Group Sex will be showing until April 18 at 49 Monroe St. (across the street from Coleman Skatepark under the Manhattan Bridge). Full Tank Moto Cafe is open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the gallery will remain open until 6 p.m.

Ed. Varie’s sister location, 184 E. Seventh St. at Avenue B, is currently exhibiting a solo show of Cavier Coleman’s work titled Heaven & Hell, also showing through April 18. 

 

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ 

Clare Gemima is a visual artist from New Zealand. New-ish to the East Village, she spends her time as an artist assistant and gallery go-er, hungry to explore what's happening in her local art world. You can find her work here: claregemima.com 

Making the grade: So long to the sidewalk bridge outside P.S. 19

Workers this week removed the sidewalk bridge and construction netting that had surrounded/covered P.S. 19 on First Avenue between 11th Street and 12th Street for what seemed like a long time... Steven shared these photos...

The city approved the sidewalk bridge permit in July 2019 ... for the roof-replacement roof here...

East Village Flea returns on Saturday (tomorrow!)

The first flea market of 2021 at First Street and First Avenue (Peretz Square) is tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. ...  aside from vintage clothing, handmade jewelry and vinyl rock and soul records, among other items, there will be live music: Claudi from Pinc Louds will play from 2:30 to 4 ...  and the Carvels NYC will be on at 4:30.

April Foils Day from Tompkins Square Park

A new cardboard art installation today in Tompkins Square Park courtesy of East Village-based artist Tom Manco of Manco Studios ... titled April Fools'/Foils Day... (top photo by Steven)...  and a few of the messages attached to the display via Stacie Joy... (The question: What is the most foolish thing you have ever done?)

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 the neighborhood and NYC ...  

Exclusive: Iconic East Village venue The Pyramid Club will not be reopening after year-long PAUSE

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

The Pyramid Club, a defining venue of the East Village scene in the 1980s, will not be reopening, another iconic NYC establishment to shut down as a result of the pandemic.

Having photographed a lot of events and personalities at The Pyramid Club over the years (including the Harley Flanagan and the Cro-Mags, Lydia Lunch and various anniversary parties), I was crushed to learn that the venue at 101 Avenue A between Sixth Street and Seventh Street would not be reopening after COVID-19 restrictions ease.

Opening in 1979, The Pyramid ushered in an era of “socially-conscious drag performance, led by the likes of the Lady Bunny, Lypsinka and RuPaul,” as Village Preservation once put it. In an oral history of the space, Tricia Romano noted: “[The Pyramid] served as a safe haven for freaks, geeks, weirdos, queers, and dreamers to come together and create. Sometimes it was bad; sometimes it was beautiful. But it was never boring.”

The club continued to attract an audience with a variety of dance parties and themed nights, such as Friday I’m in Love.

Manager Maria Narciso and her fiancé, general manager and house DJ TM.8 (aka Quirino Perez), met me outside the venue yesterday to talk to me about the closure, why it happened and what their plans are going forward.

The Pyramid Club, after 40-plus years, has closed. What happened Maria?

The Pyramid Club closing is another consequence of COVID-19. Once we heard that COVID-19 had reached NYC, we immediately decided to close to keep our staff and patrons safe. In doing so, we became the first NYC business to close. March 7, 2020, was the last time our doors were open to the public. 

No one expected this “Pause” to last more than a year. While many businesses were allowed to open with heavy restrictions, nightclubs and performance venues/theaters have suffered the most. With no relief in the near future, or clear requirements/restrictions for reopening, not to mention the loss of being shuttered over a year, The Pyramid Club owners decided to close. 

Can you speak a bit about how things have unfolded over the past year? Would you say this is solely COVID-related? Did you have hopes of reopening? 

Quirino and I never doubted that The Pyramid Club would reopen. Throughout 2020, and as recently as two weeks ago, we’ve worked on plans to reopen. We reached out to friends in the community to provide food we could sell at the venue, even considered purchasing tables and chairs to place in six-foot squares on the dance floor, among other options, but we were never granted permission to present our plans.

When and how were you notified about the closure?

After many months of asking the owners about their reopening plans and always getting the same answer, “we’re not ready, yet” and knowing that now we had a date from NYS/NYC to open on April 2, Quirino asked once again and received a text message reply stating that due to COVID-19, The Pyramid Club will not reopen. 

Any chance another owner might take over the space/name? Do you know what the landlord might be planning for the space?

For decades, managers have run The Pyramid Club with unfortunately very little communication from the owners. We don’t know what their plans are, as they are very private people and rarely, if ever, talk about their business plans with us. 

You and Quirino have been hosting DJ sets on Twitch. How have those gone? Do you think there’s still a market for what the Pyramid offers?

We have worked really hard this past year to keep our community intact, close, and have grown our audience throughout this Pause. During the tougher months in 2020, when so many people became sick and we all experienced so much loss, we came together, grieved together, and supported one another in our livestream chats, while DJ TM.8 kept everyone’s mind off what was going on outside their homes.

Our community is strong and resilient: we’re survivors, and The Pyramid spirit will live on. The Pyramid Club is not just a building, it’s an energy, a vibe, and it lives inside of all us. 

How do you feel about being a part of such an iconic East Village venue?

DJ TM.8 has been with The Pyramid Club family for more than 37 years. They were his first and only employer since he began working in his teens. He started washing dishes at their restaurants, became a barback at many of their now-closed nightclubs — including The Bank — and discovered his passion for music while working at The Pyramid Club, where he taught himself how to use the necessary equipment. 

He worked his way up from dishwasher/barback to GM and now he is recognized worldwide. It has truly been an honor to have been part of this legendary NYC landmark. He’s very appreciative and humbled to have been given such an opportunity and responsibility. 

I have always been a people person, and planning events was something I’ve done as a hobby over the years. When I met Quirino, and became part of his team, I was able to do what I love and organize events every week. 

Always a 1980s music lover, The Pyramid Club seemed like a perfect match for me. Assisting him these past five years, and being employed by The Pyramid Club has had its ups and downs, but it’s been overall rewarding. You can’t put a price on friendships, and I’m grateful for the many wonderful friends we’ve made while working there.

You mentioned that you and DJ TM.8 are taking your party (or parties!) to DROM on Saturday nights? Is this a Pyramid revival? What are the plans for this new venue and location? 

Because we had no response from the owners for a long while, we looked for venues for booking DJ TM.8 until The Pyramid Club was able to open. Now, with the news of The Pyramid Club not opening, we are excited to announce that we have found a permanent home for DJ TM.8’s events. The Rapture Dark ’80s and Obsession Friday will take place at Eris in Williamsburg and Temptation Saturday will take place at DROM. Details and dates to be announced soon. 

What are your plans going forward, and how can people keep in touch? 

It has been an honor to serve our East Village community at this NYC landmark. We have continued to grow our worldwide community started by the original Pyramid management and patrons. We owe them so much for building that strong foundation. 

Together with all the promoters and events: Defcon NYC Industrial, No Return Post Punk Society, DJ Rob Xtian, Occulture, and Friday I’m in Love, we will carry on and continue to be there for our community. 

We will eventually change the name of our social media pages, but for the moment, we’d encourage everyone to follow us on Instagram and Facebook, plus DJ TM.8 on Twitch.

The Pyramid Club means so much to so many and many have created beautiful memories here. We truly wish we could do something to change what has happened, but we cannot. The Pyramid spirit is inside all of us though and will live on! 

Sales: 'Unique and endless' possibilities for this unique church on 4th Street

Through the years we've written about one of the most unique properties around — the San Isidoro y San Leandro Western Orthodox Church of Hispanic Mozarabic Rite at 345 E. Fourth St. between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Well, it's for sale ... again. Curbed first took notice of the new listing (and photos!). 

Per the listing at Leslie J. Garfield:

The possibilities are unique and endless at 345 East 4th Street. The property is currently configured as a former religious assembly space with 30' ceilings on the main floor, a mezzanine space, and an owner's apartment above. Delivered vacant and outside a historic district, with a total of 9,232 buildable SF, this property offers the opportunity to create a large community facility or a residential single-family home. The property presents a unique opportunity for a developer or an end user.

If you don't have the $5 million asking price, then it's also for lease. 

The property was originally listed in the fall of 2017 with a $6 million price tag. Per the listing at the time: "A new development (of 9,232 SF) could be residential single family/multi-family or Community Facility." There were air rights too.

According to public records, Patricio Cubillos Murillo (there are several variations of this name) is the building's owner, with a deed dating to September 1975. The document on file with the city shows that this building changed hands for $6,000 that year. His nephew is now said to be in charge of the property.

Here are two pics via the new listing...

And some history via Curbed:

It was built in 1892 for the Church of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, which served the Slovak and Hungarian immigrant communities. In 1918, the building became a Russian Orthodox Church (the white-painted wrought iron entrance gate still has a crest with a double-headed eagle), and finally in 1975, a Western Orthodox Catholic Church that sought to practice Mozarabic liturgy, which was used by Christian communities living under Arab rule in early-Medieval Iberia (now Spain and Portugal). The Mozarabic Rite, also called the Hispanic Rite, is extremely uncommon outside of Spain.

The city declined to landmark the building a few years back.

There's hope that an arts organization might take it over... or the new owner could knock it down and build up using the 4,700 square feet in unused air rights.

The building to the east of the church recently sold. The former community center will be converted into residential use.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Unique 4th Street church on the market for development

Openings: Cadence debuts on 7th Street

Cadence, the latest vegan entry in Ravi DeRossi's Overthrow Hospitality group, debuted last night at 122 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. (First mention here.)

As Florence Fabricant reports at the Times, the chef, Shenarri Freeman, "is interpreting the Virginia Southern and soul food of her youth through a contemporary plant-based lens."

And...

Here, a compact dining room with a chef's counter and seating outdoors are the backdrop for Ms. Freeman's smoked grits with torched oyster mushrooms, a black-eyed pea and garlic pancake, maple buttermilk cornbread, stuffed collards with Aleppo rice, roasted purple yams with blackberry coulis and toasted marshmallows, and a seasonal fruit cobbler. Plant-based stand-ins are used in place of real dairy, as in the ice cream for the cobbler and the rosemary butter on the grits.

Cadence is currently open for limited indoor and curbside dining. Hours: Wednesday-Saturday 5-11 p.m., and Sunday from noon-10 p.m. You can find the menu (and make reservations) at this link.

Image via @cadence.newyork

Coming soon: bagels at 105 E. 9th St.

Updated: A good point in the comments... this all might be just to show up the potential for a tenant... and isn't necessarily going to be a new bagel place...

Noting the recent arrival of bagel signage over at 105 E. Ninth St. between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. (First post on this in November.) 

Not sure at the moment what the business will be called... there are three signs in total: Bagel Deli, Everything Bagel and (gulp) Toasted Bagel. 

The sign with Toasted Bagel is also odd as it includes what looks like two slices of bread in the form of a sandwich, which isn't a toasted bagel. Anyway!

Yuba, the 9-year-old Japanese restaurant, closed here last summer as business dwindled during the pandemic.