FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY | JULY 1, 2015 | DAILYPUBLIC.COM | @PUBLICBFLO | IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO WEAR?
4
COMMENTARY: BRUCE JACKSON ON SCALIA’S GAY MARRIAGE DISSENT
8
ART: MAX COLLINS, DAVID MITCHELL, FLATSITTER AT HI-TEMP
10
SPOTLIGHT: SHAWN PATTERSON & CO. AIM TO CHANGE THE WORLD
18
FILM: THE BEST OF THE NIAGARA INTEGRATED FILM FESTIVAL
THE PUBLIC CONTENTS
AT DAILYPUBLIC.COM: CHECK OUT THE PLANS CITY HONORS HAS TO RESTORE FOSDICK FIELD—IF IT CAN BUY THE PROPERTY FROM BMHA.
PUBLIC SCHOOL
6
FRIDAY JULY 3 / 11PM / $5
12
FEATURING STONES THROW RECORDS
HOMEBOY SANDMAN + RICK JAMESON ALLEN STREET HARDWARE
245 ALLEN STREET BUFFALO BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOUR FRIENDS AT
@PUBLICBFLO
#THEPUBLICSCHOOL PHOTO BY RAUL BUITRAGO
2
THIS WEEK
THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
ISSUE NO. 33 | JULY 1, 2015
7
NEWS: Parents, teachers, students protest receivership proposal for PS 6.
ART: Tina Dillman’s Project Grant enters phase two.
CENTERFOLD: Joseph Radoccia’s Game of LIFE: Get Married.
19
FILM: Gemma Bovary, Magic Mike XXL, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.
23
THE GRUMPY GHEY: Now that we can get married, let’s attend to how we meet.
ON THE COVER GENE WITKOWSKI’s “Little Planet” photos have been exhibited at various locations, most recently this winter at
16
the Waterfront Memories &
EVENTS: Public School presents Homeboy Sandman at Allen Street Hardware.
More museum, 41 Hamburg Street in the First Ward.
THE PUBLIC STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF GEOFF KELLY MUSIC EDITOR CORY PERLA MANAGING EDITOR AARON LOWINGER
ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER SPECIAL ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE CY ALESSI ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES KEVIN THURSTON, MARIA C. PROVENZANO
COLUMNISTS
ALAN BEDENKO, WOODY BROWN, KEITH BUCKLEY, ANTHONY CHASE, BRUCE FISHER, JACK FORAN, MICHAEL I. NIMAN, NANCY J. PARISI, GEORGE SAX
FILM EDITOR M. FAUST
PRODUCTION MANAGER GRAPHIC DESIGNER AMANDA FERREIRA
ASSISTING ART EDITOR BECKY MODA
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER BILLY SANDORA-NASTYN
EDITOR-AT-LARGE BRUCE JACKSON
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SEAN HEIDINGER
BRUCE ADAMS, SARA ALI, DAN ALMASI, JUSTYN BELLITTO, JEANETTE CHIN, TINA DILLMAN, SHANE MEYER, KELLIE POWELL, JEREMIAH SHEA, CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR ALLAN UTHMAN
COVER ART GENE WITKOWSKI
COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU: PAR PUBLICATIONS LLC
CONTRIBUTORS
WE ARE THE PUBLIC
SUBMISSIONS
We’re a weekly print paper, free every Wednesday throughout Western New York, and a daily website (dailypublic.com) that hosts a continuous conversation on regional culture. We’ve got stories to tell. So do you.
The Public happily accepts for consideration articles, artwork, photography, video, letters, free lunches, and unsolicited advice. We reserve the right to edit submissions for suitability and length. Email us at info@dailypublic.com.
ADVERTISING Are you interested in advertising your business in The Public? Email us at advertising@dailypublic.com to find out more.
THE PUBLIC | 716.856.0642 | 1526 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14209 | info@dailypublic.com | dailypublic.com | @PublicBFLO
Discover unique architecture, PE history, and communities!
LOCAL NEWS
T C
VENTURE D A K A Y URBAN KA
ME
ELEVATOR ALLEY KAYAK TOUR Get to see the awe-inspiring scale of Buffalo’s grain elevators from the best view possible–the water! Enjoy a 4 mile kayak + learn about this vital chapter in Buffalo’s history! *SPACE IS LIMITED, RESERVATIONS REQUIRED*
6PM
FRIDAY
SUNDAY
10AM
10AM
WEDNESDAY
DATES + DETAILS ON WEBSITE
VISIT EXPLOREBUFFALO.ORG | 716.245.3032
THE PUBLIC RECORD:
FOR A FULL SCHEDULE, RESERVATIONS, + MORE INFORMATION
�
GET FIT IN A PARK NEAR YOU!
This is something of a surprise: Peoples-Stokes has been rising through the ranks in the Assembly and is tight with new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. Her decision to embrace that career trajectory rather than commit to a run for mayor in 2017 is reportedly what caused Darius Pridgen to implement the coup that made him Council President, thus moving himself to the front of the line of potential successors to Mayor Byron Brown.
How bad is BMHA’s situation? BMHA’s fund balance has dipped below HUD’s guidelines. Union officials have complained to HUD that they are worried about the authority’s ability to make payroll. That may be why the projected price for the property in question has risen to $2.1 million. HUD’s position on the price is, we are told, somewhat contradictory: It does not require BMHA to sell at the highest possible price, but HUD wants BMHA to get as much money as it reasonably can, in order to restore its depleted cash reserve. We are told that HUD wants BMHA to receive cash upfront—not just a down payment while City Honors runs a capital campaign. Finally, we are told that HUD wonders if the $2.1 million assessment might be low, given that this property sits on the northern end of the medical corridor, where so much economic activity is centered.
So why is she pushing for a patronage job that will take her out of politics? Here’s a better question: Why is she being considered for a job whose present and past occupants have had serious academic credentials? The current director, Julius Gregg Adams, has a PhD in education psychology; his salary is $119,000. Adams’s predecessor, Sherryl D. Weems, also has a PhD; she was making about $150,000 when she retired. Peoples Stokes has a master’s degree in student personnel administration; the base salary for a member of the Assembly is $79,500, though she makes more than that, thanks to committee assignments and per diems. THE PRICE OF FOSDICK FIELD: The plans to restore Fosdick Field to City Honors march forward, and you can read more about those plans at dailypublic.com. In this column, we have some questions about the costs and who’s paying them. The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority bought the four acres adjacent to City Honors from the city in 1977 for $15,000 and built Woodson Gardens, a 14-building public housing complex. Due to environmental issues, deterioration, and vacancies, Woodson Gardens was razed in 2013. That’s when the school began advocating for the property’s return. Not long after the housing complex was demolished, Joe Mascia, an elected commissioner of the BMHA, drafted a resolution recommending that BMHA simply give the four acres adjacent to the Buffalo Public Schools; the only cost to the
Why? Perhaps because even then, BMHA was falling into a financial black hole of its own making, accelerated by huge cost overruns and lawsuits associated with the demolition of the Kensington Heights public housing complex. That financial drain, coupled with quotidian mismanagement and overspending—because what good is a patronage pit like BMHA if it doesn’t keep issuing contracts and paying outside law firms—have led BMHA to its current situation: At the end of March, BMHA’s principal funder, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, wrote in a letter that “BMHA is in a precarious financial position. It is imperative that specific corrective actions be taken as soon as possible to avoid potential receivership.”
At Tuesday’s press conference, when City Honors revealed its $5 million plan to acquire the property and build new athletic facilities on the site, Mayor Byron Brown suggested that the city could be relied upon to help fund the project. Perhaps the mayor sees here an opportunity to help prop up the beleaguered administration of BMHA, whom he installed and who have been a consistent source of embarrassment. He cannot transfer city money directly to the authority’s deficient bank accounts, but he can provide money the Buffalo Public Schools to help City Honors buy BMHA’s property. Which amounts to the same thing. So the City of Buffalo, which sold the property for a song 38 years ago, will now help to pay market price, or something close to it, to get the property back—largely in order to bail out BMHA and its management. CHRISTMAS IN JULY: Coming soon to this column—July periodic campaign finance disclosure reports. Arriving just six weeks after the raids on the homes of political operatives Steve Pigeon, Steve Casey, and Chris Grant, this year’s P should be a treat.
C
� �
Adve
BY GEOFF KELLY schools would be the cost of the demolition— about $500,000. That resolution went nowhere, opposed by appointed BMHA commissioners, who are all selected by Mayor Byron Brown.
� �
PEOPLES-STOKES LOOKING FOR A JOB? REPORTS FROM THE PATRONAGE MERRY-GO-ROUND: Last week, Masten District Councilman Demone Smith announced that he would leave that office to become the head of the Buffalo Employment Training Center. That patronage plum last belonged to Antoine Thompson, who represented Masten on Buffalo’s Common Council before Smith, left that job to become a state senator, then lost that job after two terms. Thompson resigned from BETC last year to run a primary challenge against Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes. Peoples-Stokes, meanwhile, is rumored to be lobbying hard to be named director of the University at Buffalo’s Educational Opportunity Center. The Buffalo EOC is one of 10 in the state, and it provides literary training, GED and college prep classes, and various other educational programs to prepare low-income and non-traditional students for higher education and jobs.
Tha PUB che inst as p ser PUB not pro pro this em
___
Date
Issue
IF Y THIS HEL THO THIS PUB
FREE COMMUNITY EXERCISE CLASSES
JUNE 21 TO AUGUST 29
Everyone is welcome to participate in these FREE, 60-minute fitness classes, taught by YMCA certified instructors.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND FITNESS IN THE PARKS: AMHERST Bassett Park
CLARENCE Main Street Park
LOCKPORT Goehle Marina
Zumba®: Mondays and Fridays, 6 p.m.
Cardio Dance: Fridays, 11 a.m.
Garrison Park NEW Boot Camp: Wednesdays, 6 p.m.
JAMESTOWN Allen Park
Yoga: Mondays, 6 p.m. Boot Camp: Wednesdays, 6 p.m.
BUFFALO Bidwell Parkway NEW Yoga: Fridays, 6 p.m.
Delaware Park Yoga: Sundays, 10 a.m. Boot Camp: Tuesdays, 6 p.m.
Kettlebells: Mondays, 6 p.m. Kick, Tone & Stretch: Tuesdays, 6 p.m. Yoga: Wednesdays, 8 a.m.
Bergman Park NEW Boot Camp: Tuesdays, 9 a.m.
Larkin Square NEW Cardio Dance: Mondays, 5:30 p.m. Cardio Kickboxing: Thursdays, 5:30 p.m.
LANCASTER Westwood Park NEW
CHEEKTOWAGA Town Park
Pilates: Wednesdays, 10 a.m. Zumba®: Saturdays, 10 a.m.
Zumba®: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 a.m.
Zumba : Wednesdays, 6 p.m. ®
LEWISTON ArtPark
Day Road Park Zumba®: Tuesdays, 6 p.m. Zumba® Kids: Thursdays, 6 p.m.
ORCHARD PARK Chestnut Ridge Park Yoga and Zumba® (alternating weeks): Tuesdays, 6 p.m.
Ralph Wilson Stadium NEW (only during the month of July) Boot Camp: Mondays, 6 p.m.
TONAWANDA Ellicott Creek Yoga: Thursdays, 6 p.m.
Presented by:
No sign up or registration is required; just show up! For more information, visit independenthealth.com/fitpark Please note: Day-of cancellations, due to rain or poor weather, will be listed at ymcabn.org. IH21078
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC
3
NEWS COMMENTARY US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
SCALIA’S IMPOTENCE Examining the sophistry and hypocrisy of one justice’s dissent in the US Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision BY BRUCE JACKSON
SOPHISTRY AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS
ROBERTS, THOMAS, & ALITO
In cases like this week’s same-sex marriage case in the US Supreme Court, it is hard not to conclude that, for some of the justices, at least, neither justice nor the Constitution has anything to do with what they’re doing. Rather, it is an antecedent position which they can, using anything from sophistry to blatant name-calling, always justify. The most accomplished and snidest of the sophists on the current court is the court’s most vocal member: Antonin Scalia. He was one of the four justices who dissented in the June 26 ruling in James Obergefell, et al. v. Richard Hodges, Director, Ohio Department of Health, et al. (The decision also included cases brought by the governors of Tennessee, Michigan, and Kentucky.) The other three, unsurprisingly, were Alito, Thomas, and Roberts, each of whom wrote his own dissent, which is rare, particularly with Thomas, who rarely says or writes anything. Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion was joined by Ginsberg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan. Chief Justice Roberts filed a dissenting opinion joined by Scalia and Thomas. Scalia filed a dissenting opinion joined by Thomas. Thomas filed a dissenting opinion joined by Scalia. Alito filed a dissenting opinion joined by Scalia. If this reads like a circle-jerk, that’s because it is, although all the dissenters except Scalia limited their reach: Roberts joined nobody; Scalia and Thomas joined everybody on the anti-14th Amendment side.
Roberts argued that gay marriage infringed on states’ rights. You could make the same argument about the Ku Klux Klan. Thomas argued that the decision was an insult to human dignity (but, he said, slavery was not). He also argued that “In our society, marriage is not simply a governmental institution; it is a religious institution as well.” By that logic, the Mormons can have multiple wives again. Alito’s argument was the shortest and most vapid: Gay marriage is something new, therefore it is not covered by the 14th Amendment. He also argued that the one key reason for marriage was children. What about all the straight childless couples—those who can’t have children and those who chose not to? Alito doesn’t go there at all. It doesn’t fit his very religious argument, so why bother.
EQUAL PROTECTION The 14th Amendment, ratified on July 9, 1868, is the one that provides equal protection under the law to everyone. It is a direct consequence of the Civil War. The key text is in the first section: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” That would seem to make same-sex marriage a no-brainer, which is the essence of Justice Kennedy’s eloquent option, which had two main points: All states had to permit gay marriage, and all states had to recognize gay marriages performed elsewhere. This isn’t just about romance. The legal implications are profound. The law of the land now says that gay marriages are no different from straight marriage: No special conditions or exclusions obtain when it comes to property rights, medical care, child custody, inheritance, all those things that come along with saying, “I do.” This ruling abolished the adjective: We now have marriage, pure and simple.
4
THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
SCALIA’S DISSENT There is surprisingly little law in Scalia’s nine-page dissent. His first paragraph is, “I join THE CHIEF JUSTICE’S opinion in full. I write separately to call attention to this Court’s threat to American democracy.” Yes, you read it right: The threat to American democracy deeply troubling him is the Supreme Court itself. He then writes that it “is not of special importance to me what the law says about marriage. It is of overwhelming importance, however, who it is that rules me. Today’s decree says that my Ruler, and the Ruler of 320 million Americans coast-to-coast, is a majority of the nine lawyers on the Supreme Court.” He just discovered that? Hypocrisy, or phony naiveté, doesn’t get much balder than that. This is a justice who voted for Citizens United, the 2010 case that said corporations could spend as much as they liked influencing elections. In that case, Scalia wrote his own opinion about how this was a First Amendment issue. Scalia also voted to block a recount in the 2000 election, which gave us George W. Bush and two wars. That case, ironically, also hinged on the 14th Amendment. Scalia had no difficulty ruling in a case about who could buy elections or who would be president, both of which affected far more people than the marriage ruling. After his opening claim that “what the law says about marriage” is of no “special importance” to him, he spends three pages arguing that since gay marriage was not an issue when the 14th Amendment was passed, it is not covered by the 14th Amendment. That is
about as logical as saying that airplanes didn’t exist when the Constitution was written, therefore the government has no authority to regulate air traffic or to inspect our luggage for weapons or bombs before we board an airplane. “Except as limited by a constitutional prohibition agreed to by the People,” he writes, “the States are free to adopt whatever laws they like, even those that offend the esteemed Justices’ ‘reasoned judgment.’ A system of government that makes the People subordinate to a committee of nine unelected lawyers does not deserve to be called a democracy.” Why did the 14th Amendment apply when it came to stopping an election in process and making a Republican president and not to gay marriage? Why was it reasonable for the court to license corporations and billionaires like the Koch brothers to spend as much as they like influencing elections, thereby neutralizing or trumping the ability of the majority of citizens to have similar influence? Why didn’t Scalia lament the threat to democracy in those decisions? Because he liked them; he was part of them. In those cases, democracy for Scalia was what the majority Scalia was part of said was democracy. This time, when he’s in the minority, the Court itself is democracy’s greatest enemy. “But what really astounds,” he writes, “is the hubris reflected in today’s judicial Putsch.” Hubris? They did what the court does every time it renders a decision. Putsch? That word means a violent attempt to overthrow a government. All this decision did was remove an adjective: There is no more gay marriage in America; there is just marriage, for anyone who wants it. He also complains that all the court’s members studied at the two best law schools in the country, there are no “evangelical Christians,” and only one is from the middle of the country, He writes, “Not a single…genuine Westerner (California does not count.).” I don’t suppose Californians would be too happy about that one. The Mojave Desert and the Sierra Nevada aren’t Western? But that parenthetical isn’t just silly and absurd; it is also nasty and ad hominem: Justice Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion, is from California, a state which, Antonin Scalia tells us, “does not count.” In this case, it very much does. Then he waxes sarcastic and snide, with lines like, “The opinion is couched in a style that is as pretentious as its content is egotistic… Of course the opinion’s showy profundities are often profoundly incoherent.” And sometimes he is simply incoherent: “One would think Freedom of Intimacy is abridged rather than expanded by marriage. Ask the nearest hippie.” Hippie? What decade is he living in?
ROBERTS ARGUED THAT GAY MARRIAGE INFRINGED ON STATES’ RIGHTS. YOU COULD MAKE THE SAME ARGUMENT ABOUT THE KU KLUX KLAN.
COMMENTARY NEWS
[ FAMILY RESTAURANT \
REPRODUCTION BY PERMISSION OF THE BUFFALO & ERIE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, BUFFALO, NEW YORK.
w BANQUETS
2 Banquet Rooms \ Parties: 25-100 Family & Business Parties
w ALL OCCASIONS! Drop Off Catering \ Italian Specialties Custom Designed Menus Traditional Favorites & More Every Day!
2491 DELAWARE AVE .BFLO . 876-5449
BANQUETS 5 CATERING 5 OFF STREET PARKING
LOOKING BACKWARD: LIBERTY POLE, JULY 4, 1895 “Yesterday was, with one possible exception, the most glorious Fourth of July Buffalo ever saw. If one leaves out the day that witnessed the unveiling of the monument in Lafayette Park, yesterday certainly was the day of all days, all things combining to add to its glory.” – Buffalo Courier, July 5, 1895 The Liberty Pole No. 4 was dedicated on July 4, 1895, amid song, speech, and cheers. Here, at Main Street and The Terrace, thousands of people blockade the streets and gather on the rooftops. The Grand Army of the Republic lines up near the stand. As the American flag is raised and unfurled, the G.A.R. double quartet sings “Rally ‘Round the Flag, Boys,” accompanied by Miller’s band. This Liberty Pole was the fourth and last in a series at The Terrace, the first being erected in 1838. It was also the tallest, a mast towering 175 feet above ground level. The pole weighed 13 tons, and was anchored on a 24-foot-diameter, 13-foot-deep concrete foundation. It was made of rolled steel plates from the furnaces of the Park Brothers of Pittsburgh. The plates were riveted in place by boilermakers employed at the Riter Brothers, corner of Indiana and Mary streets. “Long may it stand,” read the Buffalo Courier headline of July 5.
Come Sail with Us!
ay to Regis d o T s U ter Call 716.432.6589
The Liberty Pole stood for another 44 years, rust spelling its end in 1939, when Mayor Thomas Holling ordered it taken down, with no replacement. The 400-pound bronze eagle was preserved and is now in the collection of the Buffalo History Museum. By 1959, the I-190 expressway cut through this P former public space. Not one building in this photograph stands today. -THE PUBLIC STAFF
He ends with a sentence that is either about jurisprudence or the condition of his penis, I’m not sure: “With each decision of ours that takes from the People a question properly left to them— with each decision that is unabashedly based not on law, but on the ‘reasoned judgment’ of a bare majority of this Court—we move one step closer to being reminded of our impotence.” Bring on the Viagra! Logic has nothing to do with this, nor does law. Scalia can twist anything six ways from Sunday. (His comments from the bench when the opinion was delivered were even more nasty, sarcastic, and, regarding Justice Kennedy, ad hominem.) I read his dissent and I think of the famous exchange between Alice and Humpy Dumpty (whom he rather resembles) in Through the Looking Glass: “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,”’ said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”
THE LAST WORD The final words belong neither to the most cynical and arrogant member of the Supreme Court or to his 19th-century clone, Humpty Dumpty, but to Justice Anthony McLeod Kennedy: No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right. The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed. It is so ordered. Bruce Jackson is SUNY Distinguished Professor and the James Agee Professor of American P Culture at the University at Buffalo.
WEEKLY JUNIOR SAILING PROGRAM
LEARN ABOUT the Physics of Boating, Weather, Charting a Course & Recycling
Mon-Fri 9am-4pm Ages 8-18
CAMP DAYS are filled with Sailing, Stand-up Paddling & NUTRITIONAL EDUCATION, Boat Excursions Gardening & Greenhouse Activities
716.432.6589
- take rt.5 to outer Harbor exit -
2 FUHRMAN BLVD. BUFFALO Follow signs For Coast guard station
EXPLORATION and History of the Buffalo Lighthouse
SAIL-BUFFALO.COM
CORPORATE
Team Building
SAILING COURSES & CERTIFICATION DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC
5
PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF
THIS WEEK’S
PUBLIC PICK UP
J
J
GRANT ST
GARNER AVE
PARKDALE AV
E
BIRD AVE
NEWS LOCAL
RUST BELT BOOKS
Rust Belt Books hosts the area’s most comprehensive collection of used books and The Public every Wednesday.
PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY
257 ALLEN STREET, BUFFALO NY (ALLEN AT WADSWORTH)
BUFFALO’S OLDEST LOCAL
LATE NIGHT LIQUOR & WINE SHOP Continuous Operation Since Prohibition
* DELIVERY *
HOURS: MON-SAT 10:30- Midnight
MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER
June 23: protesters the Buffalowith Elementary School of Technology. Thank you forat advertising THE
PUBLIC. Please review your ad and check for any errors. The original layout instructions have been followed as closely as possible. THE PUBLIC offers design services with two proofs at no charge. THE PUBLIC is not responsible for any error if not notified within 24 hours of receipt. The production department must have a signed proof in order to print. Please sign and fax Teachers, students, parents rally this back or approve by responding to this email.
SUNDAYS Noon-9pm
* GIFT * BASKETS
WHO’S FAILING WHOM?
Late Night Service Open All Holidays
i i OPEN JULY 4 i i TH
INDEPENDENCE
SALE! RIKALOFF VODKA
1257 $ 1899 $ 4999 $
1.75L
SEGRAM’S GIN
1.75L
JACK DANIELS
1.75L
CANADIAN LEAF WHISKEY
1596
$
11
$
19 1.5L
1.75L
FISH EYE PINOT GRIGIO
3 FOR
26 $ 1099
$
99 1.5L
EL COTO RIOJA
750ML
DON RAMON TEMPRANILLO GRENACHE
7
$ 99
750ML
SPIRITSOFALLENTOWN.COM
716.884.4357
6
�
CHECK COPY CONTENT
�
CHECK IMPORTANT DATES
against proposal to place “failing” schools in receivership BY SHANE MEYER
ON JUNE 23, ONE WEEK AFTER the Board of education commissioner and may be fired at � CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, & WEBSITE
Regents released its proposal for the Implemen� Receivership PROOF OK (NO tation of in CHANGES) Struggling Schools, a crowd of � public PROOFeducation OK (WITH supporters CHANGES) gathered on the steps of the Buffalo Elementary School of Technology (PS 6), rallying to “Reclaim Our Schools:Advertisers Refuse Signature Receivership,” in the words of one banner.
____________________________ PS 6 is one of 14 Buffalo Public Schools targeted by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Failing Schools CY / Y15W26 _______________________ Report Date as “persistently failing” since 20052006. Over the years, many have bristled at the Issue: ______________________ designation “failing”: Are the schools failing the state, or is the state failing the schools? In reAPPROVE ERRORS WHICH AREthem ON sponse IF theYOU Board of Regents has relabeled THIS PROOF, THE PUBLIC CANNOT BE “struggling”; the consequences remain the same.
her discretion.
Tyler Norfolk, a student at Math Science Technology Prep, picked up the theme of bureaucratic meddling in local affairs, criticizing the state education department for its lack of intimate knowledge of Buffalo schools: “We don’t have [the state education department] inside the schools to actually see what is going on. They are just saying things off the top of their head: ‘This school is failing, that school is failing.’” “Leaders need to know that we need to be informed and consulted,” added Janine Schuster, a teacher at PS 6.
HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASEunder EXAMINE THE AD In fact, the Board of Regents appears to have “Persistently struggling” schools, the proposed plan, will be EVEN givenIFone the heard some of the complaints from education THOROUGHLY THE year AD ISunder A PICK-UP. receivership of theMAY superintendent—a position professionals, and has made several updates to its THIS PROOF ONLY BE USED FOR which, at the time of this writing, the Buffalo initial draft proposal in the most recent proposal. PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC. Board of Education hasn’t filled—to turn around. The revisions include a greater focus on “engageShould the school fail to demonstrate acceptable ment of parents and local communities.” results, it “may be placed in independent receiv- Engagement entails the creation of a Commuership for three years,” according to the Board nity Engagement Team, which must “include of Regents. Schools which haven’t been “strug- representatives with direct ties to the school,” gling” for 10 consecutive years face the same fate, and expansion of its duties to include the power although they have two years to improve under to “review, assess and report on” the plan of the the superintendent/receiver. receiver, and the power to “consult” with the disBoardmember Dr. Barbara Seals Nevergold, who trict. Put plainly, the Community Engagement spoke at Tuesday’s protest, called the stipulation Team has no power at all. that schools be turned around in one year “a Schools activist Dino Lawvere pointed out that, built-in mechanism for failure,” based on “unre- in addition, the Community Engagement Team alistic expectations” set by bureaucrats in Albany. members must be “approved by the [state educaInvoking civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, tion] commissioner [to] carry out the commisNevergold said that she is “sick and tired that our sioner’s plan.” Members may also be “removed” children are forced to take one-size-fits-all stan- by the commissioner. dardized tests, that aren’t even developmentally Parent and teacher Mel Holden called the appropriate, but are used anyway to label our Community Engagement Team a “fake grasschildren as struggling or failing.” roots team.” Nonetheless, the independent receiver has broad The Board of Regents will accept public compower to hire, fire, force staff to reapply for their ment for 45 days following the publication of the jobs, change the budget and curriculum, overrule the Board of Education, expand the school day final proposal on July 8. At the Board of Reor year, convert the school to a charter school, gents’s September meeting the “proposed rule request changes to the collective bargaining will be presented for permanent adoption.” agreement, and convert the school to a commu- Given the massive dissent faced by the state edunity school. She or he is appointed by the state cation department during the most recent round
THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
of Common Core opt-outs, and its stubborn decision to not make any meaningful changes, the fate of the “Refuse Receivership” campaign is uncertain; indeed, it remains to be seen what the precise dimensions of a “refusal” entail. Nevertheless, activists were cheered by the prospect of unification and defiance. “We reject the idea that we’re the problem; we accept the challenges before us,” said Dr. Mark Garrison of D’Youville College. Buffalo Teachers Federation president Phil Rumore suggested that the union is eyeing the judicial route. He asked union members, who are placed in the schools designated as failing, to “make a list of every single thing you need: class size of 10, special education teachers, [English Language Learners] teachers, etc.” He continued, “You’ll have that list and what we’re going to do with that list—I’m asking members all across the state to do this—we’re then going to go to court, and we’re going to say, ‘State ed, state legislature, this is what you want us to do, fine, you don’t give us the resources to do it, don’t blame us, blame yourselves.’ They’re the ones that are underfunding our schools.” The other schools labeled as “persistently failing” since 2005-2006 are Bennett High, Bilingual Center, Burgard Vocational High, MLK Multicultural, Herman Badilllo Community School, Lafayette High, PS 17, PS 37 Futures Academy, PS 59 Dr. Charles Drew Sci Magnet, Riverside Institute of Technology, South Park High, Waterfront, and West Hertel. Build Academy, Wright School of Excellence, D’Youville Porter, East High, Sedita School 30, Harriet Ross Tubman Academy, Harvey Austin 97, Highgate Heights, Inter Prep, Mckinley Vocational High, PS 66 North Park Academy, PS 74 Hamlin Park Elementary, Stanley Makowski Early Childhood Center, are also marked as failing but have not been so for 10 consecutive years, as the case with the previously menP tioned schools.
FEATURE ARTS
P E T C sustainable + organic + biodynamic
WED-FRI 11-7
/
SAT 10-6
/
SUN 12-5
435 rhode island st 716.322.5396 paradisewinebuffalo.com
sustainable + organic + biodynamic
WED-FRI 11-7
/
SAT 10-6
/
ME
Th PU ch ins as se PU no pr pr th em
SUN 12-5
435 rhode island st 716.322.5396 paradisewinebuffalo.com
�
�
�
�
�
Adv
FOUNDATION OF ONE
__
Dat
Issu
The indefatigable Tina Dillman and Project Grant
IF TH HE TH TH PU
BY JACK FORAN EVER GET THE FEELING you’d like to be a
foundation? Like the Rockefeller Foundation or the Ford Foundation? Not just to have all that money to throw around, but to actually do something good with it, accomplish something, something tangible. Like fund individual artists’ residencies and associated art projects. Tina Dillman isn’t rich. She just got out of school, with an MFA degree and substantial school debt, and moved to Buffalo from San Francisco—partly because it’s so much cheaper to live here, but more because when she visited she saw so much going on, in the arts, in the whole city revitalization, the ferment—and has started her own artists’ residency program. On a shoestring or less. Out of her own residence. A house she rents on Grant Street. The residency program is called Project Grant. The current program season is in three parts. The fruits of the first part—artwork of aspiring kid artists following free instructions by Project Grant artists at a West Side park on consecutive Saturdays last month—are currently on display at Buffalo Arts Studio. Part two—currently underway—includes free art instruction at the Old First Ward Community Center. The instructees’ work will be unveiled at the City of Night festival—being held in the Old First Ward this year—July 18. Part three will be a performance work, tentatively set for early September. Still somewhat in the planning stage. Dillman said she realized during the course of her undergraduate studies—basically in painting—that for her making art wasn’t enough. “For me,” she said, “it’s important to provide opportunities for other artists. It’s part of who I am.” She added that she also has a problem with the whole idea of commodity art. Art made for sale and purchase. Which is a little the same as art made for galleries. “It’s important for me, too,” she said, “that art be accessible to everyone.” So that after finishing her undergraduate program, instead of making and trying to sell paintings, she got working with youth groups. Then a variety of art non-profits, first in Providence, RI, and then San Francisco. And eventually started her own art space in San Francisco, out of her house. “We did everything,” she said, “visual art, poetry, music, film, even a performance art dinner by a traveling chef.” Next, her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Following which she won her own grant for a residency in Los Angeles. But a family emergency brought her back to Central New York, where she had grown up and family still resided. The family emergency be-
*
PROJECT GRANT TINADILLMAN.COM/PROJECT-GRANT
came protracted and she had to give up the LA gig. But meanwhile visited Buffalo on several occasions—she has relatives here, too—and realized this was the place for her and her evolving idea about what would become Project Grant. So how is Project Grant funded? By Dillman herself, for the most part. She works several parttime jobs—as a program coordinator at Squeaky Wheel and putting together the art listings every week for The Public—to keep herself and the program going. In addition to lots of Project Grant sweat equity. “I wear all the hats,” she says, “program director, marketer, outreach coordinator, fundraiser…” The list goes on. Also by some money donations—mostly quite modest—from individuals of good will, and supplies donations from Hyatt’s art store and Golden Artists Colors (a manufacturer of artists’ paints sold at Hyatt’s and elsewhere). Participants in the various instruction programs also get free supplies. But funding is a continuing and major concern. Her website includes an appeal for contributions to Project Grant, as well as her personal appeal for work for hire—jobs from “hang out with kids and teach them cool things” to cook, clean, or “make a mean drink”—for a suggested $15 an hour. (Meanwhile, an official Project Grant fundraiser event is scheduled for July 24 at Ironworks, in the cobblestone district.) The residency artists who worked on the West Side project were Hope Mora, a photographer and other media artist originally from Pecos, Texas, now living in Buffalo, who taught about still life painting; Christine Heller, a mural painter currently living in Cooperstown, New York, who taught about murals; and Jenna North, currently living in Utica, NY, who taught about abstract art. Erik Parra a painter and collage artist from San Francisco is the instructor for the Old First Ward sessions. Kyla Kegler, originally from Buffalo, now living in Berlin, Germany, will be the part three performance artist. Dillman has a neatly lettered tattoo on her upper right arm, reading: “I am not an object that can be bought or sold.” One of her teachers in art school interpreted the slogan—in a word—as “commitment.” She doesn’t reject the interpretaP tion. “Yeah,” she says, “I’m committed.”
COMING IN JULY *
A NEW VOICE FOR BUFFALO’S RAPIDLY GROWING IMMIGRANT POPULATION
STORIES IN ENGLISH / ARABIC / BURMESE / & OTHER LANGUAGES
CALL OR EMAIL FOR ADVERTISING & STORY IDEAS
893 TONAWANDA ST / 536.6617 / KARIBUNEWS@GMAIL.COM
*
COMING IN JULY *
A NEW VOICE FOR BUFFALO’S RAPIDLY GROWING IMMIGRANT POPULATION STORIES IN ENGLISH / ARABIC / BURMESE / & OTHER LANGUAGES CALL OR EMAIL FOR ADVERTISING & STORY IDEAS
KARIBUNEWS@GMAIL.COM 893 TONAWANDA ST / 536.6617
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC
7
ARTS REVIEW
From Max Collins’s installation at Hi-Temp Fabrications.
IMMERSIVE WONDERLAND A captivating LAST EXIT at Hi-Temp BY BRUCE ADAMS
THERE’S SOMETHING EERIE in the dark-
ness. Exactly what isn’t immediately clear. Your eyes strain to make out the scattered twigs and bark underfoot. What looks at first like leaning birch tree limbs, are actually branches shrouded in white paper, their natural skin encased in an unnatural one. In the center is a towering cylindrical structure improvised from loosely stacked tree limbs wrapped wildly in white paper and glowing like a demonic Japanese lantern. Light escapes from gaps in the covering, casting beams that slice like knives through the surrounding fog. A beacon? A sub-bass drone, more corporal than audible, penetrates your body. There’s a force here, emanating from somewhere—yet nowhere. In the distance, beyond a pile of tarp-covered branches, a doorway beckons you with a golden radiance. You walk toward the light like a moth to a flame, drawn partly by the intensifying hum that now begins to sound like otherworldly music. You think to yourself, I’m definitely in X-Files territory here.
Sounds like a scene from a movie, right? That was my reaction upon entering LAST EXIT, a site-specific “blind collaboration” project by artists Max Collins, David Mitchell, and the sound art group Flatsitter ( Jax Deluca, Kyle Marler, Frank Napolski). It’s anybody’s guess whether this is what the artists intended—or what others experience. LAST EXIT is wide open to interpretation; no didactic wall text telling you what to think. The immersive installation is housed on the fourth floor of HiTemp Fabrication’s warehouse at 79 Perry Street, which has become something of a haven for artists in need of a large raw space to mount experimental work. You walk up narrow wooden stairs (or take the freight elevator), and you’re there. The collaborating artists approached this project with an agreed-upon set of guidelines loosely inspired by the film Five Obstructions. In this instance, a more apt title might be “Five Conditions,” as these were compulsory guiding 8
LAST EXIT HI-TEMP FABRICATIONS, 79 PERRY ST CLOSING RECEPTION, JULY 8, 5-8PM
principles. To start, they agreed to work with the unifying theme of “meditations on nature.” They were also required to respond in some way to the unique qualities of the Hi-Temp building, and play-off the idea of “cinematic space.” They could discuss these concepts in general terms as they planned their work, but not reveal what they were doing individually. That would only be known upon installation. In such a collaboration, connections between individual components are left largely to chance. And of course, viewers will create their own associations. The entrance to the voluminous industrial space is through Collins’s portion, described above, which feels like a movie set piece. There is a slightly different vibe when viewed during the day, with light leaking in through loosely covered windows, rather than the opening at night when I saw it. But it maintains an uncanny eeriness. An ethereal ambiance permeates the work, setting the tone for what comes next, though the offhanded appearance of the plastic-covered woodpile seems out of step with the exactness of the overall piece. Collins created this work in response to a personal tragedy, though it isn’t apparent in the final result. The convoluted path of the artistic process often leads to unforeseen destinations. Visitors will hear a recorded version of the live Flatsitter performance from the exhibition’s opening. Deluca and Marler composed the backing audio elements, and Napolski did live mixing. At the opening, the three silver-masked
THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
From David Mitchell’s installation at Hi-Temp Fabrications.
GALLERIES ARTS
IN GALLERIES NOW BY TINA DILLMAN = ART OPENING 464 Gallery (464 Amherst Street, Buffalo, NY 14207 464gallery.com): Day Eclipsed: Art & Installation by Stephen Seguin, on view through Jul 3. Wed-Fri: 12-6pm, Sat-Sun: 12-4pm, by event or appointment. 1045 Elmwood Gallery for the Arts (1045 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, 716-228, photographics2.com/store/ welcome-to-our-studio-1045-gallerystore): Currently exhibiting works by: Carol Koziol Clark, Karen Foegen, Erma Kratzke, Susan Miller & Deanna Weinholtz. Thu & Fri 1-5pm, Sat 114pm. Gallery Closed July 13-19. Albright-Knox Art Gallery (1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14222, 882-8700, albrightknox.org): Special Fundraising Event: Animotion, Fri Jun 19, 7-11pm, tickets $150, members $125; Screen Play: Life in an Animated World, on view through Sept 13; Shake the Elbow: Dan Colen on view through Oct 18; Jeff Koons: Gazing Ball on view through Aug 16. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, open late First Fridays until 10pm. Art Dialogue Gallery Custom Framing (5 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14209. artdialoguegallery.com): Fiber Work by Estelle Hartman, on view till Aug 21. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-3pm. Artists Group Gallery (Western New York Artists Group) (1 Linwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14209, 716-885-2251, wnyag. com): Screenprints: A Retrospective, work by Dorothy Markert, on view through Jul 10. Wed/Thu 11-5pm, Fri 11-4pm, Sat 11-2pm. Betty’s Restaurant (370 Virginia Street, Buffalo, NY 14201, 362-0633, bettysbuffalo.com): Seeing and Being: Making Art in WNY Neighborhoods, group exhibition, on view through Jul 19. Big Orbit (30d Essex Street, Buffalo, NY 14222, cepagallery.org/about-bigorbit): Skewed Perspective, an installation by Anne Muntges, on view through Aug 9. Fri-Sun 12-6pm. BT&C Gallery (1250 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213, 604-6183, btandcgallery.com): Indicted, new work by Lawrence Brose, on view through Jul 24. Fri 12-5pm or by appointment. Buffalo Artspace Gallery (1219 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14209, 8120696, buffaloartspace.org): Atavism, new work by Eric Evinczik, on view through Jun 30. Buffalo Arts Studio (Tri Main Building 5th Floor, 2496 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214, 833-4450, buffaloartsstudio.org): Painting Workshops on the West Side Project Grant Residency on view through Jul 10; Alicia
Marvan: Auxiliary Constructions & Barbara Buckman: New Works, both shows on view through Jul 1. Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-2pm, Fourth Fridays through 8pm. Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens (2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14218, 827-1584, buffalogardens. com): David & Julius McCann, on view in the Arcangel Gallery through Aug 9; Natural Conditions, Public Art Installation by Shayne Dark, on view through Oct 4. Mon-Sun 10am-5pm. Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, 878-6011, burchfieldpenney.org): Currently on view in the galleries: The Likeness of Being: Portraits by Philip Burke, on view through Sep 13; Robert Blair: Selections from a Soldiers Portfolio, on view through Sep 27; Patteran: A Living Force & A Moving Power, on view through Sep 27; Emil Schult: Portrait of a Media Artist Pioneer, on view through Sep 27; The Scrutiny of Objects: sculptures by Robert A. Booth on view through Aug 30; Body Norms: Selections from the Spong Collection, on view through Aug 30; Inquisitive Lens: Richard Kegler/P22 Type Foundry; Charles E. Burchfield: Audio Graphics, on view through Aug 23; Charles E. Burchfield: A Resounding Roar, on view through Aug 23; Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat 10am-5pm, Second Fridays till 8pm, Thu 10am-9pm, Sun 1-5pm. Admission varies, visit site for more information. Burchfield Nature and Art Center (2001 Union Road, West Seneca, NY 14224, 677-4843, burchfieldnac.org): An Alaskan Adventure, artworks by Tom Dalbo, on view through Jun 28. MonFri 10-4pm, Sun 1-4pm, see site for upcoming classes. Castellani Art Museum (5795 Lewiston Road, Niagara University, NY 14109, 286-8200, castellaniartmuseum. org): Patrick Foran: Defacement, on view through Aug 9; Artists View the Falls: 300 Years of Niagara Falls Imagery, on view through Aug 16. TueSat 11am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm. CEPA (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, 856-2717, cepagallery.org): Hollis Frampton: A Comprehensive Exhibition and Sale, on view through Sept 5. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 124pm. The CG Jung Center (408 Franklin Street, Side Entrance, Buffalo, NY 14202, 854-7457, apswny.com): Common Maladies of Uncommon Souls, works on paper by Joshua Nickerson, on view through Jul 31. El Museo (91 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 464-4692, elmuseobuffalo. org): Diversity Works, works from the collection of Gerald Mead, on view through Aug 7. Tue-Sat 12-5pm. Enjoy the Journey Art Gallery (1168 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca, NY 14224, 675-0204, etjgallery.com): Through Our Eyes, work by Suzanne
& Carl Borowicz, on view through Jun 27. Tue & Wed 11-6pm, Thu & Fri 2-6pm, Sat 11-4pm. Fargo House Gallery (287 Fargo Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14213, thefargohouse. com, visit website for appointment): Currently on view, Caitlin Cass: Benjamin Rathburn Builds Buffalo.
view through Aug 13. Mon-Fri 9am5pm, Sat & Sun 12-4pm.
Glow Gallery (224 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14201): Chroma 2015: Pride Buffalo Art Exhibition, on view through Jun 28. Thu & Fri 4-8pm, Sat & Sun 3-7pm.
Pausa Art House (19 Wadsworth Street, Buffalo, NY 14201, 697-9069, pausaarthouse.com): Time Exposures, photographs by John Parascak. Opening Jul 3rd, 6-11pm. On view through Aug 22. Live Music Thu-Sat. See website for more info. Queen City Gallery (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, 868-8183, queencitygallery.tripod.com): Rotating members work on view. Tue-Fri 11am-4pm and by appointment. Open late every First Friday from 6-10pm and every Thu Open Mic, 7-9pm. Open to all musicians and writers.
Hallwalls (341 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202, 854-1694, hallwalls. org): Amid/In WNY Part 3, survey of local and regional contemporary artists, on view through Jul 3. Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 11am-2pm. Hi-Temp (79 Perry Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, 852-5656, Gallery hours are by appointment only): Last Exit, work by David Mitchell, Max Collins & Flatsitter, on view through Jul 10. MonFri 10am-4pm. Indigo Art Gallery (47 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 984-9572. indigoartbuffalo.squarespace.com): lakelines, recent paintings by Dorothy Fitzgerald, on view through Jun 27. Wed & Fri 12-6pm, Thurs 12-7pm, Sat 12-3pm, and by appointment Sundays and Mondays. Kenan Center House Gallery (433 Locust Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 4332617 kenancenter.org/arts/gallery. asp): Fine Arts League of Buffalo 62nd Annual Spring Juried Open Exhibition, on view through Jul 19. MonFri 12-5pm & Sun 2-5pm. Lockside Art Center (21 Main Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 478-0239, locksideartcenter.com): Photography Exhibition, on view through Jul 25. Fri-Sun 12-4pm. Manuel Barreto Furniture (430 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202, 867-8937, manuelbarreto.com): The Art of Harold L. Cohen, on view through June 26. Tue-Sat 1-6pm. Market Street Art Studios (247 Market Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 4780248, marketstreetstudios.com): The Holley Brothers, on view through Aug 2. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am4pm. Meibohm Fine Arts (478 Main Street, East Aurora, NY 14052, 652-0940, meibohmfinearts.com): The Ridge, Benefit Exhibition for the Chestnut Ridge Conservancy, on view through Jul 18. Tue-Sat 9:30am-5:30pm. Native American Museum of Art at Smokin’ Joe’s (2293 Saunders Settlement Road, Sanborn, NY 14123, 261-9251) Open year round and free. Exhibits Iroquois Artists work. 7am-9pm. Niagara Arts and Cultural Center (1201 Pine Avenue, Niagara Falls, NY 14301, 282-7530, thenacc.org): Beyond the Barrel, Summer Art Exhibition, on
Nina Freudenheim Gallery (140 North Street, Buffalo, NY 14201, 882-5777, ninafreudenheimgallery.com): Lilt, New work by Kyle Butler, on view through Jun 24. Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Mon open by appointment only.
River Gallery (83 Webster Street, North Tonawanda, NY, 14120, 2601497, riverartgalleryandgifts.com): Todd Chalk: Then and Now; Norine Spurling: Childs Play, on view through Jul 11. Wed-Fri 11-4pm, Sat 115pm Squeaky Wheel (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, squeaky.org): In the gallery-Hollis Frampton: Select Works; In the storefront gallery- Evan Meaney: Ceibas: Epilogue-The Well of Representation, both shows on view through Sept 5. Tue-Sat 12-5pm. Starlight Studio and Art Gallery (340 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202, starlightstudio.org): Projected Portrait Series, work by Amanda Giczkowski, on view through Jul 10. Mon-Fri 9-4pm. Studio Hart (65 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 536-8337, studiohart. com): Artists & Gardens, on view through Jun 27. Tue-Fri 11:30am3:30pm, Sat 12-4pm, and open every First Friday 6-9pm. Sugar City (1239 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213, buffalosugarcity.org): People That Rock, Photographs by Michael Mulley, on view through Jul 11, see site for more details. UB Anderson Gallery (1 Martha Jackson Place, Buffalo, NY 14214, 829-3754, ubartgalleries.org): Transmaterial, a group exhibition curated by Alicia Marvan; Martha Jackson Graphics: Prints from the UB Art Galleries Permanent Collection; These Fragile Truths, UB MFA Thesis by Tricia Butski; Our Own Devices: Exploring the Tools of Cravens World, on view through Jun 28. Wed-Sat 11am-5p, Sun 1-5pm. Western New York Book Arts Collaborative (468 Washington Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, 438-1430, wnybookarts.org): Through A Dirty Window, work by Joseph Scheer, on view through Jun 26. P Wed-Sat 12-6pm.
The ethereal atmosphere generated by Flatsitter enhances each component differently. The visceral hum experienced at the start, morphs into electronic ambient music upon entering Mitchell’s brightly lit “white room.” This aural disparity is due partly to the wooden floor and walls of Collins’s installation, which absorb sound, while Mitchell’s concrete space acts like a giant reverb machine. The building’s acoustical idiosyncrasies are put to effective use—one guideline met squarely. Moving from Collins’s space into Mitchell’s is like being transported from an impenetrable primitive culture to an indecipherable advanced civilization. Photographic lights positioned around the room might be intended to suggest “cinematic space,” but it also creates the effect of a cavern-like archeological display. While Collins’s room is a single unified environment,
Mitchell offers discrete elements in a quasi gallery setting. In the middle of the room a large shiny amoeba-shaped copper surface adheres to the concrete floor. In its center an upright log stands next to an architectural fragment and a pile of ambiguous fiber. The curious arrangement echoes the obscure purposefulness of Collins’s work. Spotlights beam down on the gleaming surface, creating a mottled golden reflection on the ceiling, again echoing a glowing effect above Collins’s cylindrical tower. The most compelling aspect of Mitchell’s installation takes the form of several large photo-reproductions of landscape paintings on canvas, each selectively obscured by coarsely applied gold leaf. This gilding follows natural contours in the paintings—a mountain range or line of foliage. It’s reminiscent of gilding used on Christian icons, Hindu idols, and other objects of veneration. These landscapes are as alluring as they are mildly disquieting. They hint at Gaia worship or neo-druid mysticism, if such worshipers used cheesy landscape reproductions. A spotlighted pile of crinkled gold leaf on
Custom Blinds • Draperies • Shades Shutters • Window Film & more!
CALL 970.4444
BUDGETBLINDS.COM
MJPeterson
.com
NEW LISTINGS!
CHEEK: Charming 3BR 1BA Ranch w/ updated kit, fenced yrd, elect svc (’12). 224 Poinciana, $99,900. Mark DiGiampaolo, 887-3891(c) ELMWOOD VILLAGE: 4BR w/ orig. features, carriage hse, sunrm, part. fin 3rd flr has 2 fin. rms & bth. 204 Bidwell, $369,500. Susie Lenahan, 864-6757(c) LOVEJOY VLG: 3BR w/ hrdwd flrs, newer roof & mechs, kit w/ walk-in pantry. 82 Benzinger, $59,900. Rich Fontana, 605-2829(c) NO. BUFFALO: 4BR 2.5BA Tudor w/, sunrm, gourmet kit, mstr w/ sunporch, fin rm & bth on 3rd flr. New roof (’13). 77 Chatham, $349,900. Susie Lenahan, 864-6757 WEST SIDE: 2/3/2 Triple. Lrg garage & commerc zoning. Updates incl roof, elec, plumb, windows, insul, siding, kits/ bths, HVAC. 596 Niagara, $495,000. Mark DiGiampaolo, 887-3891(c) WEST SIDE: 3/3/3 Triple. Main house is dbl & carriage hse w/ loft unit & parkg. Shared courtyard. 154 Fargo, $410,000. Mark DiGiampaolo, 887-3891(c)
CITY & SUBURBAN LISTINGS
CHEEK: 2BR 1.5BA mobile home w/ deck, carport & gar. 18 Carefree, $25K. Christopher Lavey, 480-9507(c) DEPEW: Spectacular 3BR 1.5BA all brick Ranch. LR w/ fp, updated kit, bsmt rec rm w/ fp, patio, garage. 121 Rumford, $159,900. Thomas Needham, 574-8825(c DOWNTOWN: Updated apts w/ hdwd flrs & parking. UNIT #2: 1BR 1.5BA. UNIT #3: 2BR 2BA. $1,900+ ea. Priv elev access. 483 Main. Robin Barrell, 986-4061(c) D’YOUVILLE: 2BR w/ LR, DR, deck & off-street parkg in great area. Freshly painted & new carpet. 720 Columbus Pkwy, $800+ util. Robin Barrell, 986-4061(c)
MOVING FROM COLLINS’S SPACE INTO MITCHELL’S IS LIKE BEING TRANSPORTED FROM AN IMPENETRABLE PRIMITIVE CULTURE TO AN INDECIPHERABLE ADVANCED CIVILIZATION. players sat impassively at a table located in an open freight elevator, meditatively focused on their electronic equipment. Marler played acoustic guitar and Deluca contributed vocals. It felt like the control center to the exhibition.
the best in custom window coverings
EGGERTSVL: 2BR 1.5BA. Airy LR/DR area w/ wbfp, hrdwd flrs & pic window overlooks deck & yard. Part fin bsmt, 2car gar. 262 Allenhurst, $109,900. Susan D. Lenahan, 864-6757(c)
the floor suggests unfinished work, as if someone stepped away and never returned. One wall component, made of eight fluorescent lights arranged in a spoke-like pattern, flashes circularly in rapid sequence. The comically excessive mass of wires, plugs, and devices used to produce the simple effect sits below the piece like the punch line in a joke. The sci-fi absurdity of this seems superfluous to the studied stillness of the rest of the installation. Given the blind collaboration of LAST EXIT, the individual components could have been jarringly incompatible. That’s not the case. The three separate elements resonate with each other, evoking a myriad of fascinating associations. Viewers caught up in this immersive wonderland might feel like they are in a movie. A movie in which they can only guess at the plot. The exhibition runs through July 10, but may be extended. Open during business hours daily from 10am to 4pm Monday through Friday. Best to make an appointment with the artists at: David Mitchell [davmit@gmail.com], or Max P Collins [makscollins@gmail.com].
ELMWOOD VLG: 3BR w/ newer mechs, lrg kit, 2car gar. Loads of potential! 288 Baynes, $242,000. Tina Bonifacio, 570-7559(c) KAISERTOWN: Updated 2BR 1BA w/ new furnc, HWT, etc. Lovely shade tree & small deck. 102 Weiss St. $54,900. Bryan Bollman, 472-9936(c) KENMORE: 4BR 2+BA w/ eat-in kit, mstr ste w/ full BA & stall shower and part fin bsmt. Needs updating. 210 Doncaster, $149,900. Susan D. Lenahan, 864-6757(c) LEWISTON: Build dream home on 5.6-acre along NY 104/Ridge Rd. $120,000. Thomas Walton, 949-4639(c) NIAG. FALLS: 2/2 dbl. loaded w/updates (roof, furnc, plumb, elec., etc.)! 535 23rd St, $59,900. Mark W. DiGiampaolo, 887-3891(c) TONAWANDA: Reduced! Updated 2BR 1.5BA condo. New eat-in kit & appl, BRs w/ lrg closets, full bsmt. 16 Queens Guard, $125,900. Susan D. Lenahan, 864-6757(c)
716-819-4200 431 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, NY 14202
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC
9
MUSIC SPOTLIGHT
Left to right: Adriana Gonzales-Vera, Christopher Greco, Shawn Patterson, Jasmine Fiero, and Yan Shmatnik.
PHOTO BY SHAWNA STANLEY
HAUTE LA VIE GOING WITH PLAN A Shawn Patterson’s entertainment startup enters the high life BY AARON LOWINGER SHAWN PATTERSON HAS a soft-spoken nature that comple-
ments his natural curiosity, so that when he starts talking, new worlds and possibilities start to open up. You get the feeling he can talk himself into anything, whether that’s selling you a shoe or changing the culture of his hometown of Buffalo. Patterson is the owner of a Buffalo entertainment and fashion startup, having spun part-ownership in the Atlanta-based label LoveRenassiance and successful collaborations with pop singer Lorde and rap mogul Jay Z’s Roc Nation into the dream that is his Haute La Vie 2166. It’s crazy to consider that a little more than two years ago, Patterson was selling high-end women’s shoes at a Nordstrom in Atlanta. What happened was a wakeup call. Patterson, who was born into a tight-knit Buffalo family and moved with other family members to Charlotte, North Carolina when he was nine, learned in early 2013 that his cousin was diagnosed with terminal cancer. For years, Patterson’s business and creative endeavors played the B-side to the gig that put food on the table and money in his pocket. After transferring from the Art Institute of Chicago to the Art Institute of Philadelphia to study fashion marketing management, the young Patterson translated his studies to the practical matter of selling women’s shoes at Nordstrom. “For eight years, I was Al Bundy.” Push came to shove one day in March 2013, after he learned the bad news about his cousin. “I quit my job on a Sunday, and gave up everything in my apartment. Like literally everything. I sold my TV to a guy at a barbershop. I’m knocking on neighbors’ doors, giving them DVDs, pots, literally everything in my apartment. That was like a Wednesday. By that Friday, me and the composer I was working with at the time, we bought bus tickets to New York City. So mind you, I have five suits to my name, a duffle bag with my toiletries, and we took a bus to New Yok on a whim and wanted to meet with Jay Z. That was our goal. Go to Roc Nation, find Jay Z, and work with Jay Z. “We got to Roc Nation on a Sunday, so of course nobody’s there. We end up making friends with a security guard, tell him what we’re doing, and he’s like, ‘Oh, good luck!’ We went to the studio, which is maybe eight blocks away, so we’re toting all our stuff around Manhattan. It was heavy as shit, to be honest. We end up getting to the studio around 8pm, and there were people in there but no way for us to get access. But there was this girl that came 10 THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
into the lobby and started talking to us, and on the second floor of that building there was a pole-dancing class, I kid you not. So she says, ‘Why don’t you guys just come up to the class? There’s Wi-Fi up there and you can just sit in the lobby.’ So there we are, sitting in this lobby with all of our stuff, watching about 40 women practice on the pole.
ANTIVENUE
“We ended up sleeping on the stairwell of the Roc Da Mic studios; we didn’t have any money for a hotel room. I used the suit bag as a sleeping bag and just laid it on the steps. We didn’t get much sleep that night, to say the least. We got up at 6:30 and went to a Starbucks. ‘We have to make this happen, we have to make this happen,’ we kept telling ourselves. We went back to the Roc Nation, the offices, at 8:30 the next morning, everyone’s coming in with their coffee, and the security guard who we met the day before was like, ‘There’s [ Jay Z’s best friend] Ty Ty.’ So we go up to him and tell him we got some stuff he just has to listen to and he says, ‘Okay, let’s go.’
464 GALLERY / 464 AMHERST ST, BUFFALO
What happened next is something out of a movie script. Still carrying all their luggage, Patterson and Michael Holt—of Michael Holt & the Children—were ushered into Ty Ty’s midtown office and asked to play some of their music. They met with other Roc Nation brass including Emory Jones and Dominique “Domo” Dunn. They agreed to use some of Holt’s music for two overtures in the film Annie and elements they reimagined for the track “Tomorrow.” Most importantly, they put Patterson and Holt up in a hotel for a week and offered not only a glimpse into the industry but a series of contacts that has snowballed for Patterson. One of LoveRenaissance’s artists, Raury, had his song “God’s Whisper” featured in 2014’s Lucy and was used by Lorde in The Hunger Games, Mockingjay, Part 1.
In the short-term, Patterson and Haute La Vie are providing musical morsels all month long, every Tuesday and Thursday in their AntiVenue (#antivenue) series, which seeks to book performances in spaces not otherwise thought of as music venues. Public spaces, small art galleries, house shows, that sort of thing. The main course will be served on July 18 during the first-ever Buffalo Reunion Weekend, a three-day festival aimed at introducing Buffalo ex-pat communities, primarily in the South and Mid-Atlantic, with the changes in their hometown, with July 18th’s VibeFest at Buffalo Riverworks as its focal point.
Somehow, all paths led Patterson back home. His great-grandmother, the matriarch of his sprawling family, is still alive. His grandparents just recently sold their neighborhood tavern, Mr. P’s on Paderewski Street, to enter retirement. Patterson credits his grandparents for his entrepreneurial spirit. But it’s not just about business for Patterson; he wants Buffalo to be at the forefront of a changing American society and believes he can do that through music. And by talking. “This is home. I want to do something dope for my city. [When I committed to living here] I started going around and meeting everybody I could possibly meet. Because there is this resurgence
FEATURING TRUEY V + SAINT OPAL + RADARADA THU JULY 2 7PM
happening, there are more openminded individuals. This Millennial generation, they’re just so open. It’s not about anything that’s happened in the past, it’s about coming together and being more inclusive. I believe in that energy, in people becoming leaders and steering change in that way that makes cities great. I know that it’s possible here and I’m not going to stop until it becomes a reality for all of us. That’s my goal.”
Patterson hopes to grow the company with event promotions, talent management, and even fashion design. Currently, he’s assisted by part-timers Adriana Gonzales-Vera, Yan Shmatnik, Christopher Greco, Jasmine Fiero, and Mark Pasqualotto. At one point in our talk, Patterson pulled a quote from an unlikely source: Will Smith. “There’s no reason to have a plan B because it distracts from plan A. “ “Every day is a promise,” Patterson says, reflecting on his most recent, turbulent 24 months. “You have to live it to the fullest. I realized I’m not happy here working at Nordstrom, I have to go do what I love, and what I love is music. I had an artist at the time that believed we could do this, and that’s all it takes, is two or more individuals with the same common goal and energy, P putting it toward that goal to make something happen.”
` Three Days ` FOUR Outdoor Stages ` 52 Artists `
lord huron 7 lucinda williams desaparecidos 7 deerhunter st. paul and the broken bones built to spill 7 shakey graves the strumbellas 7 punch brothers will butler 7 ron sexsmith 7 fishbone skydiggers 7 cold specks 7 elliott brood chuck ragan & the camaraderie
the sadies 7 murder by death heartless bastards 7 royal canoe 7 northcote kitty, daisy & lewis 7 the elwins 7 HOP ALONG nq arbuckle 7 union duke 7 ron hawkins & dga’s steve poltz 7 JIM BRYSON 7 grand analog julian taylor band 7 restorations the river & the road 7 sate 7 catl Birds of Bellwoods 7 Rattle & Strum les hotesses d’hilaire 7 Kathy Reid Naiman TIER TWO Earlybird sale ends wed july 29
single day tickets $ 79.50
TIER TWO Earlybird sale ends wed july 29
single day VIP tickets $ 129.50
TIER TWOEarlybird sale ends wed july 29
3 Day Pass 169.50
$
TIER TWO Earlybird sale ends wed july 29
3 Day VIP FOS Pass 269.50
$
TIER TWO Earlybird sale ends wed july 29
3 Day VIP pluS Pass 369.50
$
TICKETS On Sale at ticketfly.com rotate this soundscapes Earlybird ends WED JUly 29 @ Midnight ` Plus service and facility fees
www.torontourbanrootsfest.com
PUBLIC MARKET CLASSIFIEDS
WNY PETS
PERSONAL ADS
AUTOMOTIVE MARKET
REAL ESTATE LISTINGS
JOB LISTINGS
IN THE COMMUNITY
LOCAL SERVICES
SALES / SEEKING
THE ARTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
HEALTH: MIND & BODY
IF YOU’D LIKE TO BE INCLUDED, CONTACT SEAN@DAILYPUBLIC.COM / 716.856.0737 DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC
11
12 THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 13
THE GAME OF LIFE: GET MARRIED / JOSEPH RADOCCIA’s diptych is part of the SAMESEX 2015 exhibit at Bridgeport, Connecticut’s City Lights Gallery, opening July 9.
EVENTS CALENDAR PUBLIC APPROVED
IN PRINT
TOMOREAUX "Bennington” (Song) Recommended If You Like: Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai
Formally known as Yesterday vs. Tomorrow, the rebranded fourpiece released the first single from its yet-to-be-titled new album
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS THURSDAY JULY 2-5
early last week. “Bennington” is a contemplative, building cut of
VARIOUS TIMES & LOCATIONS
triumphant post-rock.
[CELEBRATION] As a famous Kwiki Mart employee once stated, the best way to celebrate the independence of your nation is to blow up a small part of it. Buffalo is never short on fireworks displays to celebrate Independence Day, and you can also expect a few bumping beach parties again this year too. Here we’ve compiled a list of some of the best Independence Day celebrations happening this weekend.
CHILL ALI “Misguided” (Song) RIYL: Bishop Nehru, Joey Badass, De La Soul
The smooth-flowing MC dropped the video for the socially conscious track “Misguided,” which tackles the subject of youth without
JULY 2
FIREWORKS AT UB NORTH CAMPUS
JJ & UNCLE SAM’S 4TH ANNUAL BIRTHDAY BASH 7PM DUKE’S BOHEMIAN GROVE BAR, 253 ALLEN ST.
Celebrate the birthday of Uncle Sam (and Duke’s Bohemian Grove Bar’s JJ) this Thursday at Duke’s with a bunch of your favorite local DJs including Basha, LoPro, Sike, Charlie the Butcher, and many more. You bet there’ll be a complimentary buffet too, because that’s how they roll at DBGB.
parental guidance.
CANALSIDE INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION 1PM CANALSIDE, 44 PRIME ST.
“Let It Slide”
Canalside will host an entire day of celebrations including live music, food, children’s activities, and fireworks from 1pm to 11pm on Saturday.
(Song) RIYL: Ben Gibbard, Loudon Wainwright
The Rochester
Each year since 1991, UB has hosted one of the biggest Fourth of July fireworks displays in Buffalo at Baird Point. This year they’re once again expecting 40,000 to 50,000 attendees, so get there early if you want to grab a prime spot. Entertainment by the Bar-Room Buzzards will begin at 7pm, followed by a performance by the Erie County Wind Ensemble at 8:45pm and fireworks at 10pm.
HOLLOWFEST
JULY 4 JON LEWIS
7PM BAIRD POINT
THU 5PM-11PM, FRI-SAT, 11AM-11PM CLARENCE TOWN PARK, 10405 MAIN ST.
For the third year in a row, the Clarence Hollow Association will hold Hollowfest at Clarence Town Park. The festival, which runs from Thursday, July 2 through Saturday, July 4 will include fair rides, delicious food, midway games, a beer tent, and fireworks at dusk on July 4.
OLD FALLS STREET INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION NOON-10PM, 101 OLD FALLS ST., NIAGARA FALLS
Old Falls Street will host a family-friendly Independence Day festival on Saturday, featuring entertainment by the Kokomo Time Band, White Chocolate, and Whiskey Reverb. Expect fun a c - tivities for children and adults, as well as plenty of local food, drink, and merchandise vendors, culminating in a fireworks display over the Falls.
JULY 5 BEACH PARTY! 2PM WOODLAWN BEACH TIKI BAR, 3580 LAKESHORE RD., BLASDELL
MNM Presents and Wax Museum Radio will turn up the volume at Woodlawn Beach in Blasdell this Sunday for the third edition of their Beach Party. The five-part series continues the day after Independence Day with DJs Xotec, Pizza Pizza, 3PO, Medison, Abstyles, and Drop D, and it’s all free. -THE PUBLIC STAFF
singer/songwriter shared the Winnie the Pooh-starring music video for his latest song. The midtempo “Let It Slide” will appear
WEDNESDAY JULY 1
on Lewis’s upcoming album, Panic
Live At Larkin
Rock, set to drop in mid-July.
5pm Larkin Square, 745 Seneca Street free
LOCAL SHOW PICK OF THE WEEK ORATIONS W/ STRANGE ACRES ALLEN STREET HARDWARE 245 ALLEN ST THURS, JULY 2 / 10PM / $5
[FUN] The Live at Larkin Summer Concert Series, presented by First Niagara and sponsored by Independent Health, continues this Wednesday, July 1 from 5-8:30pm. David Michael Miller & the Other Sinners ft. Zuri will kick-start your holiday weekend early to the tune of high-power bluesy R&B/soul. Free music and parking and cheap (but very good) eats courtesy of local food truck vendors make for an enjoyable, affordable evening in downtown Buffalo. Miller, also the lead-man of Buffalo favorite Dive House Union, will return to Larkin with DHU on September 16 to close out the Summer Concert Series. -DAN ALMASI
14 THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
Marianas Trench
6pm Artpark, 450 South 4th St. $17
[ROCK] Traditionally, Americans are slow to accept Canadian music. Please note: This lag is rarely associated with a band’s talent. Case in point: Marianas Trench—a great Canadian pop band that didn’t break into the American market until their fourth studio release, Ever After. Frontman Josh Ramsay’s vocals are so sugary sweet they could put you into diabetic shock. Their songs feature sticky choruses and infectious verses, underpinned by pristine production. Their music videos are quirky and ironic. Check out the video for their later single “Here’s to the Zeros,” which parodies the entertainment industry. Catch Marianas Trench with Ivy Levan at Artpark on Wednesday, July 1. -KP
THURSDAY JULY 2 Jamie Lissow 8pm Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St. $15-$23
[COMEDY] "Whoever said money can't buy happiness has never worn BOSE noise canceling headphones near a crying baby,” tweeted comedian Jamie Lissow before tuning out all of his haters to the sounds of his favorite Adam Sandler album. If you're not as lucky as Lissow and you can't tune the world out with a fancy pair of BOSE headphones, then your next best bet is to tune in to this hilarious comic's stand-up act, this Thursday through Saturday, July 2-4 at Helium Comedy Club. -CP
CALENDAR EVENTS PUBLIC APPROVED F E AT U R E D E V E N T S
WED 7/1 @ 7PM
BLUES NIGHT W.
THE BLACK & BLUES BAND
LIVEMUSICEVERYNIGHTFOROVER30YEARS!
WEDNESDAY
JULY 1
9PM $5
w/performances by Cat Sinclair & members of the Buffalo Burlesque Collective 9PM $5
SHEEPDOGS THURSDAY JULY 2
TUE 7/7 @ 8PM
STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES W. THE MASTERSONS
DEVON ALLMAN BAND W. DIVE HOUSE UNION
10PM $5
SATURDAY
JULY 4
WEDNESDAY
JULY 8
» $12 ADV/$15 DOS » 18+ » Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm
Pam ryder
THU 7/9 @ 7PM
9PM FREE
THE GROWLERS BLUES BAND
The Jon Lehning Quintet
» FREE » Doors: 6pm Show: 7pm
9PM FREE
FRI 7/10 @ 5PM
BUFFALO HEARING & SPEECH CENTER
THURSDAY
JULY 9
Intent To Sell The Proles / Rustic Radio White Light Spectrum
GOLF CLASSIC FUNDRAISER W. BUSTED STUFF » $30 or more » Doors: 4pm Show: 5pm
WED 7/15 @ 5PM MIKE & DAVE’S (OF AQUEOUS) ACOUSTIC WONDER EMPORIUM & THE FREE HENRY! HERITAGE DUO » FREE » 18+ » Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm
6PM FREE
JULY 10
[POP] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, New Kids on the Block were the “bad boys” of hip hop, donning ripped jeans and leather and spitting freestyle with a pop sheen. Throughout the 1990s, TLC pioneered hip hop for young women with their brand of self-confident, independent girl power. The 2000s hip hop charts are dominated by Nelly’s catchy cuts like “Ride Wit Me” and “Hot in Here.” Together, these three acts created a host of hip hop and R&B chartbusters of the last two decades. They’ve all teamed up for The Main Event Tour, coming to the First Niagara Center on Thursday, July 2. -KP
Handsome Jack johnny nobody / Bearhunter
THU 7/16 @ 10PM
TURKUAZ
» $12 ADV/$15 DOS » 18+ » Doors: 9pm Show: 10pm
10PM $5
FRI 7/17 @ 9PM SATURDAY
JULY 11
WORKINGMAN’S DEAD
Presents:
» $5 ADV/$8 DOS » 18+ » Doors: 8pm Show: 19pm
BLACK SOL 9PM $5
UPCOMING EVENTS FRI 7/17 @ 5PM
WEEKLY EVENTS
HAPPY HOUR W.
EVERY SUNDAY FREE
FRIDAY JULY 3
6PM. ANN PHILLIPONE 8PM . DR JAZZ & THE JAZZ BUGS (EXCEPT FIRST SUNDAYS)
Great Blue Heron Festival
EVERY MONDAY FREE
9am Great Blue Heron Festival Site, 2361 Waits Corners Rd
8PM. SONGWRITER SHOWCASE 9PM. OPEN MIC W. JOSH GAGE
[FESTIVAL] This Friday, July 3 marks the kickoff of the 24th annual Great Blue Heron Music Festival. This year the festival features a packed lineup including Donna the Buffalo, the Town Pants, Jimkata, Big Mean Sound Machine, Big Leg Emma, Los Straitjackets, Driftwood, and many more. Come ready to camp, as this popular festival runs July 3 through July 5. -CP
EVERY TUESDAY
8PM. RUSTBELT COMEDY 10PM. JOE DONOHUE 11PM. THE STRIPTEASERS
EVERY WEDNESDAY FREE 6PM. TYLER WESTCOTTS PIZZA TRIO
Dreamland Fun-Raiser
[ELECTRONIC/DANCE] DJ Christopher Lawrence has been delivering engrossing trance music for almost long as the genre has existed. Not only is he considered one of the best progressive trance DJs in the world, but many know him by his highenergy, high-quality productions like “Rush Hour” and “24/7.” Let loose with Lawrence when he comes to Sky Bar on Friday, July 3 presented by Factory Nightlife. -CP
» $5 » 18+ » Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm
WED 7/8 @ 9PM
Scope and Figure Dreambeaches / Buxom
FRIDAY
7pm First Niagara Center, 1 Seymour H Knox III Plz $29.50-$92
10pm Sky Bar, 257 Franklin St. $13
INTENT TO SELL, DOLLAR DIPLOMACY, & THE PLAGIARISTS
» $35 ADV/$40 DOS/$50 VIP » 18+ » Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm
Happy Hour: Neville Francis reggae band
Christopher Lawrence
FRI 7/3 @ 9PM
6PM FREE
9PM $4
New Kids on the Block, TLC, Nelly
» $7 ADV / $12 DOS » 18+ » Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm
Happy Hour: Legendary Longjohns
6PM / CANALSIDE, 44 PRIME ST. / FREE [FOLK] Sheepdogs got lucky back in 2011 when the band won Rolling Stone’s “Choose the Cover” contest, elevating their profile at a time when they had yet to be signed. Hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (original home of Joni Mitchell), the Dogs capitalize on the 1970s-steeped Southern-blues-boogie revival that’s brought bands like Blackberry Smoke to national prominence—something that can clearly be heard in the derivative (but incredibly catchy) anthem “Feeling Good.” Now signed to Atlantic, Sheepdogs are on the road with a new lead guitarist (Rusty Matyas, replacing Leot Hanson, who left the band last year) as they prep a new disc to be produced by Black Keys’ drummer Patrick Carney. Progressive bluegrass faves Yonder Mountain String Band will help get things started at Canalside on Thursday, July 2, featuring two new members brought in to fill the void left by co-founder Jeff Austin, who quit last year due to “creative differences.” Arrive early (gates are at 6pm, event is free) for the locally based, rootsy twang of Rear View Ramblers, Americana winners of the Canalside Carnival Battle of the Bands last month. -CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY
MIKE LOVE
Adam Bronstien’s Bachelor Party w/ Ellen Pieroni Quartet Adam Bronstein’s Freehand Band BrownSugar / Erica Wolfling
JULY 2
JULY 3
THU 7/2 @ 9PM
Dashuri, Jenevieve, & Dean Egriu
w/ House Band: Colin Brydalski, Evan Lipton, Bryan Segarra,& Scream Maker The Producer
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
» FREE » 18+ » Doors: 6pm Show: 7pm
PHOTO COURTESY OF LOOP MAGAZINE
7pm Dreamland, 387 Franklin St. $5-$10 donation
[FUN] Even Buffalo's go-to off-the-grid art space Dreamland can't pay its electricity bill (yet) with ideals alone! This Friday, the dreamers are inviting all to come down and help kick in some cabbage to keep the place and its programming up and running. There'll be music, drinks, and food trucks on hand as Dreamland unveils its Gallery B. -AARON LOWINGER
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
EVERY THURSDAY FREE
5PM. AFTERNOON TRIO w/ JOHN, PAUL, & BILL
KICKSTART RUMBLE
EVERY SATURDAY FREE
(TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY)
248 ALLEN STREET 716.886.8539
NIETZSCHES.COM
EAGLES AFTER-PARTY W. WILD ADRIATIC
» FREE » 21+ » Doors: 4pm Show: 5pm
» $5 » 18+ » FREE w. Eagles Stub » Doors: 9pm Show: 10pm
TUE 7/21 @ 6:30PM
WED 7/22 @ 8PM
I PREVAIL W. DANGERKIDS, MERCURY BLUES FIT FOR RIVALS, DAYSEEKER, BAND THE ANIMAL IN ME » FREE » 18+ » $15 » 16+ » Doors: 6pm Show: 9pm » Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm THU 7/23 @ 10PM
THU 7/24 @ 5PM
FUNKTIONAL FLOW
HAPPY HOUR W. TEN CENT HOWL
» $5 » 18+ » Doors: 9pm Show: 10pm
4:30-7:30PM. CELTIC SEISIUNS
SAT 7/18 @ 10PM
» FREE » 21+ » Doors: 4pm Show: 5pm
TICKETS: BUFFALOIRONWORKS.COM OR TICKETFLY.COM CAN BE PURCHASED AT: BIW BOX OFFICE OR TERRAPIN STATION
49 ILLINOIS STREET • BUFFALO, NY
716.200.1893 • BUFFALOIRONWORKS.COM
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 15
EVENTS CALENDAR
STAY IN THE
M AG AZINE
THIS WEEK'S AGENDA THURSDAY JULY 2
SEXYBACK THURSDAYS 10PM – 2AM at Underground, 274 Delaware Ave.
A night of drag hosted by Miss Disco Diva 2014 TeMonet and Alexis Cadour. DJ Remi spins the beats, and Nick is behind the bar with specials on Fireball and well drinks. Shows at 11:30PM and 1AM. No cover.
FRIDAY JULY 3
MR. & MISS FIRECRACKER PAGEANT 8PM – 11PM at Club Marcella, 622 Main St.
A pageant of patriotism! Don your red, white, and blue for this crowning. Britney Shea steps down as new contestants compete. Doors open at 7PM. Cover: $5. All proceeds benefit the charities of the Imperial Court of Buffalo.
MONDAY JULY 6
PUBLIC APPROVED
PUBLIC SCHOOL: HOMEBOY SANDMAN FRIDAY JULY 3
11PM / ALLEN STREET HARDWARE CAFE, 245 ALLEN ST. / $5 [HIP HOP] If you’re of the impression that hip hop needs saving, Homeboy Sandman might be your savior. The Queens, New York-based Stones Throw Records rapper is known for dropping knowledge like Gideon's Bibles into hotels. He’s done this not only on his critically acclaimed records— which include 2012’s First of a Living Breed and 2014’s Hallways—but also as an author for websites like the Huffington Post and Gawker, on which he’s talked extensively about everything from race relations in America to the the lack of diversity in contemporary hip hop lyrics. His most recent—and most controversial—article appeared last year on Gawker, titled “Black People Are Cowards.” In the piece, which was motivated by the racist scandal involving LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, Homeboy Sandman (real name Angel Del Villar II) made a direct call to action: “I call us cowards,” he says. “It’s almost as if people have forgotten that struggle includes struggling. You might have to lose your job. You might have to lose your life. That’s what it takes for change to happen. There’s no easy way to do this.” This Friday, July 3, Homeboy Sandman comes to the Back Room of Hardware for a special intimate performance as part of The Public’s monthly Public School event series, with support from I Am Many, Root Shock, and Rick Jameson. The 34-year-old rapper took some time this week to talk to us about how he’s updated his thought process in light of the most recent racial tensions in America, and to talk for the first time about his next full length record, Navy Blue. The last record you put out was 2014’s Hallways. What are you working on now? I’ve got a record called Navy Blue that’s going to be my next release. I don’t have a date for it yet but it’s already recorded. We’ve got some more to do, as far as the artwork. Just before you called I was typing out the lyrics for possible inclusion in the artwork. It may be as early as October but it could be early next year. Hallways was 12 tracks and you worked with 11 different producers. How does Navy Blue compare? Navy Blue in that regard is similar. It’s got 12 tracks and I think it’s 10 producers. The one thing that is different, though, is I’ve never written an album like this before. I’ve always written a bunch of songs here and there and then put them together, like formulated an album, like a Frankenstein album. I’ve been able to form very capable Frankensteins, but on Navy Blue I sat down and I wrote a whole album. I’ve never done that before. On Hallways, there were songs, like “Stroll,” which I wrote a couple years ago, and then there were songs like “Problems” that I wrote a couple months before the album came out. On Navy Blue everything was written during the same time period. Was it tough to keep it cohesive working with so many different producers? No, because the way I wrote this record I had a certain vibe in mind; I have the themes that I’m looking to touch on. I have the picture of what I want to make in mind. Once I have that vision, then even if I’m working with 100 different producers, I can look for what fits the mold I’m looking to fill. This new record is my philosophy. Pain and philosophy are really, really big on this Navy Blue record. Hallways was a really introspective record. It was written at a time of transition. But [Navy Blue] is my philosophy coming through right here.
You wrote a piece about a year ago for Gawker called “Black People are Cowards,” which was essentially a call to action. There have been so many more terrible injustices since you wrote that piece including the events that have transpired in Charleston, and the rash of police brutality cases caught on tape. How would you update that piece? I look at things a little differently today than when I wrote that piece. At that point it was kind of a call to arms or me trying to get a bunch of other people to think like me, which I think to be pretty futile. I now focus primarily on being the way I think I should be and not trying to tell other people how they should be: living my life in a way that I think is honorable, courageous, definitely free. How would I update that piece? I would just write it for myself. I would say “Angel, make sure you’re never a coward.” Looking back at it, I wrote that piece for public consumption so that people would think “I want to be like Homeboy Sandman,” but that’s so ego-driven. People are welcome to be whatever way they want to be. I wouldn’t even write a piece called “Black People Are Cowards,” now, I would just write a piece to myself called “Angel, Don’t Be a Coward.” There is a track on Hallways called “America the Beautiful” and it seems like you kind of let America off the hook on that track. I think there is a bunch of great stuff going on in America. I can speak for myself, I feel very fortunate to have a lot of the luxuries I had growing up where I grew up. That’s where that song came from, it’s about being grateful. People have asked me if I’m letting America off the hook. I did a song called “Illuminati” on my record First of A Living Breed and it was a lot of pointing out things that were real spooky going on in America. It was a less appreciative tone, a much more critical tone, and when I made that record, nobody said “Yo, what about the good things?” But when I make a record about the good things, everybody is saying, “Yo, what about the bad things?” America is not a perfect place, but at the time I wrote that record, I felt artistically and personally like being grateful. -CORY PERLA
PHOTO BY ROBERT ADAM MAYER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15
MANIC MONDAYS 9:30PM – 11:30PM at Q, 44 Allen St.
The closest thing to a piano bar in LGBT Buffalo? Joe Donohue of the Albrights on his keyboard taking requests and testing out new music at Q. And, it’s an early show, so you get your dose of live music without being a night owl.
TUESDAY JULY 7
BUFFALO FRONTRUNNERS
Canalside Battle of the Bands 5pm Canalside, 44 Prime St. free
[BATTLE] The Canalside Battle of the Bands plays on this week. This Friday, July 3, local alternative rock bands will battle for the opportunity to open for Iron & Wine when they play a free show at Canalside on July 30. Bands will be judged by a panel of local professionals on performance quality, stage presence, and audience engagement. Each participating band receives a $100 stipend just to compete. If you’re in a local “girl power” band, it’s not too late to sign up for next week’s battle for the chance to open for En Vogue on August 20. -DA
Difficult Night
6PM at Delaware Park
8pm Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St. $5
This club of LGBT walkers and runners just celebrated its 25th anniversary. Join them for an atyour-own-pace trek around Ring Road in Delaware Park every Tuesday night and Sundays at 10AM. Meet at the snack shop, and join members for a bite to eat afterward.
[ROCK] You’d be hard-pressed to find a better under-the-radar outfit than the fourpiece known as Difficult Night. Though the band has been together just over a year, lead man Shane Meyer and bassist Damian Weber have been making music together for more than 10 years, and somewhere along the line David Hooper picked up the drums and joined forces with keyboardist Miles Kirsch. On Friday, July 3 at Mohawk Place, they’ll be joined by Lifemusik Mit Andre, Space Is Haunted, and Peter Kirsch. -AL
LOOPMAGAZINEBUFFALO.COM
PUBLIC APPROVED
16 THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES TUESDAY JULY 7 8PM / BUFFALO IRON WORKS, 49 ILLINOIS ST. / $35-$40 [AMERICANA] Frequently hailed as one of the “great American song-writers,” Steve Earle’s longevity as an artist can be attributed to his ability to juggle eclectic subjects within his songs—from political observations to brilliant confessionary lyrics. It was his debut album Guitar Town in 1986 that marked his claim to fame and the folk artist has been unstoppable ever since—releasing 14 albums within three decades, as well as a novel and a collection of short stories. Regarding his immense output, Earle remarked to Mother Jones: “What else would I do? I don’t take drugs anymore. I don’t drink. I’d fish more if I lived someplace else, but I don’t.” Next Tuesday, July 7 Steve Earle will play at Buffalo Iron Works alongside his band, the Dukes. -JEANNETTE CHIN
CALENDAR EVENTS Scope & Figure
10pm Nietzsche's, 248 Allen St. $5
PUBLIC APPROVED
[INDIE] This Friday night, Rochester’s fivepiece indie-rock outfit Scope & Figure will be playing at Nietzsche’s as part of their 2015 Exemplary Sports Magic Summer Tour. Fronted by Thomas Varner, they demonstrate a certain tenacity for melody with an edge, their music rife with dissonant chord progressions and punctuating rhythms that are further accentuated by Varner’s resonant voice. Buffalo’s up-and-coming lo-fi baroque-pop project, Dreambeaches will be opening alongside Fredonia-based swamprock outfit Buxom. -JC
SUNDAY JULY 5 Dale Watson 4pm Sportsmen's Tavern, 326 Amherst St. $25-$30
[COUNTRY] An old-school gem amid the tide of commercial country bilge clogging the airwaves and winning TV contests of late, Dale Watson is mighty refreshing with his high white pompadour and silver-tongued baritone. A local celebrity in Austin, Texas, Watson isn't a newcomer, though his career has gained momentum in recent years thanks to the increased popularity of Americana and a degree of backlash in response to the genre's diluted bastardization. The new Call Me Insane, out on Red House last month, marks an eye-popping pile of nearly 30 releases in 20 years, but Watson's blend of classic country melded with honky-tonk, western swing and rockabilly with outlaw overtones never seems to dry up. A born storyteller, he brings his musical charisma (and his Lonestars band) to Sportsmen's Tavern on Sunday, July 5 for an early 4pm gig. -CJT
Ceremony 6pm Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St. $12
[ROCK] The fifth disc from California's Ceremony, The L-Shaped Man (Matador Records), just dropped in May and it's a heavy affair. Focused on a recent breakup endured by frontman Ross Farrar, the collection employs a minimal musical approach that's much less high-energy-hardcore and more bare-bones intensity—a conscious choice to mimic the loss inherent in the menacing, pain-drenched narratives. The band is joined Sunday, July 5 at Mohawk Place by Ann Arbor shoegazers Pity Sex and Tony Molina. -CJT
BLONDIE W/ MELISSA ETHERIDGE TUESDAY JULY 7 6PM / ARTPARK, 450 SOUTH 4TH ST. / $12-$27 [ROCK] It seems like a strange pairing, but Blondie is enough of a universally liked band to charm the Melissa Etheridge clan. The New York City-based six-piece spent last year on the road in support of Ghosts of Download, a mostly electronic set of new songs released in conjunction with Blondie 4(0) Ever, which featured re-recordings of their most well-known material. Neither collection was quite up to snuff and the double-disc set suffered from poor distribution, but Blondie has little to prove, constantly filling venues since reforming in the late 1990s and charming the nostalgia crowd anxious to hear “Rapture” and “The Tide Is High.” The 2015 incarnation of Blondie—featuring three original members—may not bowl you over with punk irreverence, but the band remains tight and Debbie Harry, turning 70 this week, is still very much a bewitching focal point. Etheridge, meanwhile, self-released her 12th studio disc of original material, This Is M.E., last fall. Assisted by co-producers RoccStar and Jerry Wonda, she tries some fun new tricks, vacillating between a shuffling hip-hop vibe and some blues-rooted fare that suits her well. The two come together at the Artpark Amphitheater on Tuesday, July 7. -CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY
PUBLIC APPROVED
s k r o w Fire Sale! GlaTIOsNsTHIS AD FOR
F F O % 25 GLASS
MEN
ALL
EXPIRES
7/31
1251 HERTEL AVE. BFLO 873-2573
SHARE YO U R EVENT
TUESDAY JULY 7 Elmwood Village Summer Concert Series: John & Mary and the Valkyries 7pm Bidwell Park, Elmwood Ave at Bidwell Parkway free
[ROCK] John Lombardo was an influential member and chief songwriter of a fledgling 10,000 Maniacs. Mary Ramsey provided back-up vocals before replacing a departed Natalie Merchant. The duo known as John & Mary bring their own eclectic folk-rock sound to Bidwell Parkway on Tuesday, July 7 at 7pm. Merging Mary’s classical violin training with John’s instinctive guitar melodies, the two will be joined on stage by the Valkyries, a collaboration of venerable Buffalo music veterans that includes Kent Weber, Patrick Kane, Joe Rozler, and Robert Lynch. -JUSTYN BELLITTO
THURSDAY JULY 9 Arcade Night
STS9 WEDNESDAY JULY 8
7pm Tri-Main Center, 2495 Main St.
6PM / ARTPARK, 450 SOUTH 4TH ST. / $12-$27
[GAMING] Local gaming enthusiasts should seize on this opportunity to nerd out with fellow gamers: A new gamers’ paradise graces the streets of Buffalo with the bi-weekly event, Arcade Night. Hosted by Buffalo Game Space, Arcade Night features mainstream and locally made games that are put on display for everyone to play. The event is normally held on Fridays, but will instead happen this Thursday, July 9 due to the holiday weekend. In addition to playing games for free, attendees get to decide which games get played. Arcade night begins at 7pm in the Tri-Main Center, suite #454. -SARA ALI
[ELECTRONICA] Forming in Atlanta almost 20 years ago, Sound Tribe Sector 9, a.k.a. STS9, have yet to deflate. Built on collaboration and cooperation—literally, the mission statement of the group’s own record label, 1320 Records—they use organic instrumentation and samples to create a tightly woven tapestry of progressive funk and intergalactic electronica. They’re at their best when they play live, spending much of their time relentlessly touring and headlining festivals across the country. With impeccable raw musicianship, all five members are catalysts to their sound, making the live experience surreal and irresistibly dancey. STS9 is on a constant mission to self-improvement, and their 2014 tour was no exception, touted as one of the best in the band’s history. The 2014 tour also marked the introduction of a new bassist, Alana Rocklin, who proved to be a complete animal, boasting groovy basslines that popped and slapped with unparalleled conviction. If history tells us anything, it’s that STS9’s only next direction is up. Catch STS9 at Artpark on P Wednesday, July 8. -KELLIE POWELL
EVENTS@DAILYPUBLIC.COM
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 17
FILM FEATURE
Want to advertise in The Public?
Bel Powley and Kristen Wiig in The Diary of a Teenage Girl.
ADVERTISING@DAILYPUBLIC.COM
DAILYPUBLIC.COM
Want to advertise in The Public? ADVERTISING@ DAILYPUBLIC.COM
FILM FEST ON THE LAKE The best of the recently held Niagara Integrated Film Festival
DAILYPUBLIC.COM
BY M. FAUST
LEARN TO FENCE
FILM FESTIVALS COME and film festivals go, and usually the second follows the first. A successful one can bring a lot of money into a region, but it takes more to get one up and running than a bunch of movies.
AGILITY • BALANCE • CONFIDENCE
Now in its second year, the Niagara Integrated Film Festival appears better situated than most to make it. For one thing, it has some world-class talent running things, including founder and artistic director Bill Marshall, one of the founders of the Toronto International Film Festival (the festival that every city wishes they could emulate), and veteran programmer Tony Watts, who since 1970 has worked with film festivals as notable as Berlin, London, Rotterdam, Thessaloniki, Barcelona, and Goteburg. Just as important, it has an eminently exploitable setting, the wine region of southern Ontario. The primary focus of this years NIFF, which was held June 18-21, was a series of “Filmalicious” events, combining meals at a half dozen of the area’s top winery-based restaurants with screenings of new films. (And how serendipitous was it that this year the festival was able to premiere a new movie that shows off the tourist values of wine country, the romantic comedy-drama The Colossal Failure of the Modern Relationship, by Toronto filmmaker Sergio Navarretta?)
1/8V
ENROLL NOW!
SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR CLASS REGISTRATION, DATES & TIMES * GROUP RATES AVAILABLE * USFA CERTIFIED COACH • ALL EQUIPMENT PROVIDED
716.553.3448
WWW.FENCINGBUFFALO.COM
If you’re happy to dine on popcorn and just want to see a bunch of new movies before they come to local theaters, NIFF obliged with three days of screenings at two area venues. The Landmark Theater in Saint Catharines is a chain multiplex house; what it lacks in personality it more than makes up for in quality of presentation. The Seneca Queen Theater in Niagara Falls doubles as a live music club, which unfortunately renders it a bit too, shall we say, funky for filmgoing, though having a bar on site may get you past that objection. I saw 11 of the 28 new features shown at NIFF, and the overall quality was high: There was only one film I disliked (the British girls-school drama The Falling), and even that was a respectable failure. Three of them will be in Buffalo moviehouses in the coming month. Testament of Youth is based on the memoir of British pacifist Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander) that detailed her experiences during the First World War. The completely opposite The Overnight, an indie comedy about two couples having a getting-to-know-you evening, includes a scene with Jason Schwartzman and Adam Scott that may go down in movie history. Almost as shocking is The Diary of a Teenage Girl, based on Phoebe Gloeckner’s graphic novel inspired by her teenage years in San Francisco in the late 1970s. Actress Bel Powley received a special award from the festival for her bold performance in the title role as a girl with body issues who has an affair with her mother’s boyfriend.
As for the movies that you go to a film festival to see because you won’t get another chance: From Costa Rica, Viaje spends time with two 20-somethings who meet at a party and spend a drunken but chaste night together. He has to leave the next day for a research project on which he will be alone in a forest area, and on the spur of the moment she goes with him. Charting the few days they spend together, the film carefully builds a very special mood, one that wasn’t fully apparent until it was over and I found I couldn’t get it out of my mind. From Hungary, Liza the Fox-Fairy would be a perfect midnight film if that circuit still existed, and will probably appeal to that sizeable number of art house habitués whose all-time favorite film is Amélie. A young woman who has spent her life until her 30th birthday tending to a widow gets a chance to find love when her charge dies. Her guide is the ghost of a Japanese pop singer who has his own designs on her: Instead of helping her, he curses her to become a “fox-fairy,” who will bring death to all who fall in love with her. Its odd middle-European humor is a bit wearing, though Wes Anderson buffs should seek it out. Film festivals are often the only places where films that don’t get theatrical distribution are ever seen on a screen larger than the one in your living room. The nearly IMAX-sized screen on which the microbudgeted science fiction film Advantageous was shown could have been an unintentional disservice: Most films made on this scale would have their limitations exposed when blown up so large. Instead, it displayed to strong advantage the oddly conceived and designed cityscapes that director Jennifer Phang commissioned from her students at the School of Visual Arts in San Francisco. They serve as a futuristic background for a story of a woman who works as the spokesmodel for the “Center for Advanced Health and Living Well”—an institute for advanced cosmetic surgery. Threatened with the loss of her job at a time when she needs to place her adolescent daughter in a school that will guarantee her own future, she undergo the Center’s most radical new procedure. It’s available ONdecides THIS to PROOF, THE P now for viewing on Netflix.
PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY
The film I most enjoyed, and one I hope will get a Buffalo play date, was Best of Enemies, a documentary about the debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. that were televised live on network TV during the political conventions of 1968. It made for fascinating viewing both as a chance to revisit these two larger-than-life personalities (with egos to match) who openly loathed eachIFother, well as forERRORS capturing what may YOUasAPPROVE WHICH ARE be the exact moment when reasoned public political discourse died.
18 THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
William Buckley and Gore Vidal in Best Enemies.
PUBLIC CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP.
MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER
�
CHECK COPY CONTENT
REVIEW FILM
WHEN THE MAGIC HAS GONE MAGIC MIKE XXL BY GEORGE SAX
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, not long before the still-young Stephen Soderbergh announced his retirement from feature-film direction (strictly speaking a vow he hasn’t kept; he’s done an HBO biopic about Liberace), he directed an inexpensive little B‑movie about male strippers, Magic Mike. Produced for an almost ludicrously low $7 million, it brought in 16 times that amount just in the US. And as I wrote then, it was a surprisingly painless experience—a lightly entertaining one, in fact.
Matthew McConaughey was the most prominent player, portraying Dallas, a lubriciously unctuous and vaguely sleazy strip-club owner, but the biggest attraction turned out to be Channing Tatum as the title character. Supposedly Tatum was a very youthful “male entertainer” in real life and his routines in the movie had me convinced of that backstory’s authenticity. He was awesome. He still is. At the “advanced” age of 35, he still manages to be toothsomely cute and super-athletically dynamic in the totally unnecessary but almost inevitable sequel to that movie, Magic Movie XXL. (And no, I don’t know what the title means.) He’s also virtually the only object of interest in this mangy dog. The almost indiscernible storyline has Mike (Tatum) joining the dancers from his past, all abandoned by Dallas, for a European venture. They head to a Florida stripper’s “convention” for one last hurrah. This one is essentially a road movie, if the most boring I can remember. There’s no point in my trying to summarize the plotting, it’s so silly and minimal. This thing is so inept that none of the five other characters is even crudely convincing as a strip-joint entertainer. When Tatum does his stuff, the disparity is pitifully highlighted. (I have to report that the largely female audience at the preview hollered, hooted and laughed at the, shall we say, sexually candid performance numbers.) The movie renders men removing their clothing tedious—something of an accomplishment, I suppose.
Channing Tatum in Magic Mike XXL.
When he retired, Soderbergh said he was tired of Hollywood’s crass, obstructionist ways. He produced this thing. ’Nuff said? P
853-3627 737 Main St.
ZOOM BUFFALO design lab
Web Design Logo Design Social Media
zoombuffalo.com
Z00Mcopy.com
design print postcards window graphics stationary mailings banners envelopes murals
Wednesday Special
Wed. Night
Vegan Special
LARGE CHEESE + 1 ITEM PIZZA ANY LARGE VEGAN PIZZA only $11.95 only $16.25
Everyday Lunch Special TWO SLICES + A 20OZ. DRINK only $5.65
94 ELMWOOD AVE / Delivery 716.885.0529 / ALLENTOWNPIZZABUFFALO.COM Hours SUNDAY-THURSDAY: 11AM-12AM / FRIDAY-SATURDAY: 11AM-4:30AM
9
A
Prep for tonight. PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFU
YOU A APPROVE ERRORS THIS PROOF, BE T HELD PLEASE E PrEP IFI S DAI LYWHICH PI ARE LLONFO R HTHE IVPUBLIC P RECANNOT VE N IORESPONSIBLE. N. THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP.
� CHECK COPY CONTENT MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER To learn more about PrEP, call Evergreen at 716.541.0676 or visit takeprep.com.
Advertisers Signature
Thank you for advertising with THE PUBLIC. Please review your ad and check for any errors. The original layout instructions have been followed as closely as possible. THE PUBLIC offers design services with two proofs at no charge. THE PUBLIC is not responsible for any error if not notified within 24 hours of receipt. The production department must have a signed proof in order to print. Please sign and fax this back or approve by responding to
�
CHECK IMPORTANT DATES
�
CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, & WEBSITE
______________________
Date
Issue:
_________________
Y15W22 ________________
�DAILYPUBLIC.COM PROOF OK (NO CHANGES) / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 19
THIS PROOF MAY ONLY BE
FILM REVIEW
MOVE OVER FLAUBERT GEMMA BOVERY BY GEORGE SAX SOME OF THE CRITICAL REACTION to Anne Fontaine’s
Gemma Bovery has expressed disappointment that the movie doesn’t provide any insights into Gustave Flaubert’s novel or his famously dissatisfied, personally reckless and doomed heroine. They’re right about this lack, but their objection is rather beside the point, not to mention a bit stuffy. The people behind this film don’t seem to have had any intention of seriously commenting on Emma Bovary, either the novel or the character. It’s a little hard to see how anyone could have confused the movie’s obvious comedic approach with any of Flaubert’s literary and social themes. There’s a wry, not-so-subtextual point of view at work as the picture rolls on to its mordantly witty resolution. Whether the execution is really successful is another question, but it’s a relevant one. Gemma is a French film and it may seem more or less protypically Gallic in its casually humorous sexual vibe, but its origin was in a comic strip by Posy Simmonds in the British Guardian newspaper. (Simmonds’s take on Far from the Maddening Crowd, Tamara Drewe, was also filmed in 2010). Gemma isn’t the central character, although she’s important. That role is taken by Martin Joubert (Fabrice Luchini), a middle-aged baker in small-town Normandy, and a devotee of Flaubert. It doesn’t take him long to begin identifying, and confusing, an English newcomer with the novelist’s creation. Gemma (Gemma Atherton) has come with her husband Charlie ( Jason Flemyng), speaking little French and largely innocent about French culture and country life. She begins to rely on Martin’s advice and assistance, and he harbors an unacknowledged attraction to the younger woman. He also is increasingly haunted by his concern that she’s an incarnation of her near-namesake and headed for that one’s fate. His meddling only makes a holy mess of things, and leads to a wickedly witty denouement. There’s a barely obscured irreverence percolating just beneath the movie’s surface events, not so much toward great literary works as to those who take them too seriously, or seriously in the wrong ways. Luchini is an economically deft actor and his Martin is creatively solid, but the general proceedings aren’t consistently enough amusing to give contextual shape to his performance. An important and ironic part of the problem is that for all its sport with the literary classic, Martin’s ardor and obsession are a kind of literary conceit. His muddled sensibility is hard to treat cinematically. Gemma Bovery has its amusements, but P it’s never quite as sharp as it wants to be.
IN CINEMAS NOW BY M. FAUST & GEORGE SAX
PREMIERES GEMMA BOVERY—Reviewed this issue. North Park MAGIC MIKE XXL—Stripper sequel. Reviewed this issue. Flix (Dipson), Maple Ridge (AMC), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL—Reviewed this issue, Amherst (Dipson), Eastern Hills (Dipson), Regal Quaker, Regal Walden Galleria TERMINATOR GENISYS—Killer cyborg sequel/reboot. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, and J. K. Simmons. Directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World). Flix (Dipson), Maple Ridge (AMC), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In
ALTERNATIVE CINEMA BOULEVARD—In his final film, Robin Williams plays a married man trying to come to grips with his long-suppressed homosexuality. With Bob Odenkirk, Kathy Baker, and Roberto Aguire. Directed by Dito Montiel (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints). Tue 7:30pm. North Park THE NATURAL (1984)—You probably know someone who was an extra in this beloved baseball fantasy. Here’s your best chance to be able to spot them in the crowd, on the big screen. Starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close, and Robert Dovall. Directed by Barry Levinson (Diner). Sat-Sun 11:30am. North Park
Niels Schneider and Gemma Arterton in Gemma Bovery.
GIMME SHELTER (1970)—Documentary on the infamous 1969 Rolling Stones concert at Altamont, where four people died. Directed by Albert and David Maysles. Thu, 7, 9:30pm, North Park; Fri, Tue 7:30pm, Screening Room. SOAKED IN BLEACH— Not to be confused with HBO’s recent Montage of Heck, this Kurt Cobain docudrama is based on the investigation of LA County Sheriff’s detective Tom Grant, who concluded that Cobain may have been murdered. Directed by Benjamin Statler. Mon 7:30pm. Screening Room WE ARE STILL HERE—A mourning family moves into a house with a dark history in this acclaimed indie horror film. Starring Barbara Crampton, Lisa Marie, Larry Fessenden, and Monte Markham. Directed by Ted Geoghegan. Thu 8pm. Screening Room
IN BRIEF
THEATER INFORMATION IS VALID THROUGH THURSDAY JULY 9
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON—The latest and most elaborate special effects extravaganza from Disney-owned Marvel Studios is the weakest of that company’s interconnected crowd pleasers, neither as smart as Captain America: The Winter Soldier nor as fun as Guardians of the Galaxy. Of the overstuffed cast reprising their roles from other superhero movies, only Scarlett Johansen and Mark Ruffalo are called upon to do much more than provide action for green screen technicians and stunt doubles to enhance. So many characters and subplots have been crammed into this film that there is little opportunity for characterization or suspense. Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, James Spader, Jeremy Renner, and Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). –Gregory Lamberson Four Seasons, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit
20 THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
DOPE— A geeky high-schooler gets in over his head when he attends a local gangster’s birthday party in this tribute to/parody of black films of the 1990s. Starring Shameik Moore, Kimberly Elise, Chanel Iman and Kiersey Clemons. Directed by Rick Famuyiwa (Our Family Wedding). Regal Elmwood I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS— A star vehicle, and one long overdue after 50 years as an actress, for Blythe Danner: Could you need more reason to see this? She plays a SoCal widow dipping her toes back into the social world after the death of her dog. It’s not a story big on plot, but moment by moment it’s wonderful. The terrific ensemble cast includes Rhea Perlman, Mary Kay Place and June Squibb as the friends she plays cards with, Sam Elliott as a love interest, and Martin Starr, toned down from the arrogantly snarky nerds he usually plays, as a younger loner with whom the widow discovers she has a lot in common. But it’s Danner’s movie, and she makes the most of every moment. With Malin Akerman and Max Gail. Directed by Brett Haley (The New Year). –MF Eastern Hills INSIDE OUT—A combination of the 1990s sitcom Herman’s Head with Christopher Nolan’s Inception is the best I can do for a brief summary of the new Pixar animation. As apparently the only person in the world who didn’t like it, I don’t expect you to deprive your children of it on my say-so. But I suspect that kids are responding to it for the relentless movement rather than the plot, which is spun out as such a heavy allegory that it collapses under its own weight. It’s as overwrought and out of control as Tomorrowland, but a dazzled audience is often a happy one. With the voices of Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling, Richard Kind, and the dependably funny Lewis Black. Directed by Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen. -MF Aurora, Flix (Dipson), Hamburg Palace, New Angola, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In
JURASSIC WORLD—Unlike last year’s dreary Godzilla, there is plenty of giant reptile action in this sequel/reboot of the 1994 Steven Spielberg film (from Michael Crichton’s novel) about a theme park populated by cloned dinosaurs. It’s a well-designed Hollywood blockbuster filled with first-rate computer imagery and the type of Spielbergian thrills that resulted in the creation of the PG-13 rating. In between dino attacks, the script provides sly jabs at its own cynical merchandising. Chris Pratt makes for a capable hero, but the leading female role (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) sets onscreen feminism back a decade or two: She’s no Laura Dern. With Irrfan Khan and Vincent D’Onofrio. Directed by Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed). –GL Flix (Dipson), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In A LITTLE CHAOS—Alan Rickman directed, co-wrote and co-stars in this historical costume drama as Louis XIV, France’s “Sun King,” eager to move to his new palace at Versailles. Among the finishing touches is a rockwork garden, which is put in the hands of a designer who is not only inexperienced but a woman as well, Sabine de Barra (Kate Winslet). Rather than stick to the usual Greek or Roman models, she wants to design something that speaks to the French soul—something with “a little chaos.” The provincial Sabine’s misadventures in Louis’s suffocatingly hidebound court never build up a full head of steam. But there’s a lovely scene with the two of them (he incognito) in his garden, and a charming dance sequence ends the film on a high note. With Matthias Schoenaerts, Helen McCrory, Phyllida Law, and a giddily campy Stanley Tucci. –MF Amherst (Dipson)
REVIEW FILM
LOCAL THEATERS
Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann, and in RJ Cyler in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.
AMHERST THEATRE (DIPSON) 3500 Main St., Buffalo / 834-7655 amherst.dipsontheatres.com AURORA THEATRE 673 Main St., East Aurora / 652-1660 theauroratheatre.com EASTERN HILLS CINEMA (DIPSON) 4545 Transit Rd., / Eastern Hills Mall Williamsville / 632-1080 easternhills.dipsontheatres.com FLIX STADIUM 10 (DIPSON) 4901 Transit Rd., Lancaster / 668-FLIX flix10.dipsontheatres.com FOUR SEASONS CINEMA 6 2429 Military Rd. (behind Big Lots), Niagara Falls / 297-1951 fourseasonscinema.com HALLWALLS 341 Delaware Ave., Buffalo / 854-1694 hallwalls.org HAMBURG PALACE 31 Buffalo St., Hamburg / 649-2295 hamburgpalace.com LOCKPORT PALACE 2 East Ave., Lockport / 438-1130 lockportpalacetheatre.org MAPLE RIDGE 8 (AMC) 4276 Maple Rd., Amherst / 833-9545 amctheatres.com MCKINLEY 6 THEATRES (DIPSON) 3701 McKinley Pkwy. / McKinley Mall Hamburg / 824-3479 mckinley.dipsontheatres.com NEW ANGOLA THEATER 72 North Main St., Angola / 549-4866 newangolatheater.com NORTH PARK THEATRE 1428 Hertel Ave., Buffalo / 836-7411 northparktheatre.org REGAL ELMWOOD CENTER 16 2001 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo / 871–0722 regmovies.com REGAL NIAGARA FALLS STADIUM 12 720 Builders Way, Niagara Falls 236–0146 regmovies.com REGAL QUAKER CROSSING 18 3450 Amelia Dr., Orchard Park / 827–1109 regmovies.com REGAL TRANSIT CENTER 18 Transit and Wehrle, Lancaster / 633–0859 regmovies.com REGAL WALDEN GALLERIA STADIUM 16 One Walden Galleria Dr., Cheektowaga 681-9414 regmovies.com RIVIERA THEATRE 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda 692-2413 rivieratheatre.org THE SCREENING ROOM 3131 Sheridan Dr., Amherst / 837-0376 screeningroom.net SQUEAKY WHEEL 712 Main St., / 884-7172 squeaky.org SUNSET DRIVE-IN 9950 Telegraph Rd., Middleport 735-7372 sunset-drivein.com TRANSIT DRIVE-IN 6655 South Transit Rd., Lockport 625-8535 transitdrivein.com
DEATH AND THE DORK ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL BY GEORGE SAX EARLIER THIS YEAR, the New York Times had a front-page feature about
the testamentary wishes—“end-of-life plans”—of dying adolescents. Some of it was painfully sad, although it was obviously intended to offer hope and guidance. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s Me and Earl and the Dying Girl tries to work some of that feeling into its serio-comic coming-of-age narrative. Adapted by Jesse Andrews from his own young adult novel, Earl may be most appreciated by people rather older than the ostensible target market. YA fiction has been read by increasing numbers of adults, in recent years, but the movie has a special potential appeal to older audiences. “Me” is Greg (a surprisingly resourceful and intermittently successful Thomas Mann), a clever, self-consciously dorky 17-year-old outlier in his Pittsburgh high school. Greg is essentially friendless except for Earl (RJ Cyler), a poor African-American kid from a stereotypically pathological family. (For an urban school there seems to be a paucity of other blacks.)
LOVE AND MERCY—Exemplary biopic of Brian Wilson, who as the songwriter and architect of the Beach Boys found new uses for the recording studio in creating intricate pastries of sound. The film inevitably focuses on his mental problems (misdiagnosed as paranoid schizophrenia for decades) that may have been part and parcel with his creative gifts. He is played as a young man beginning to come apart at the seams by Paul Dano, and as a middle aged lost soul by John Cusack: both performances are excellent, even if Cusack doesn’t look much like the real Wilson. The scenes of Wilson in the studio devising tracks for the Pet Sounds album alone are worth the price of a ticket. With Paul Giamatti as Wilson’s controlling therapast Eugene Landy and Elizabeth Banks as Melinda Ledbetter, who got him out of Landy’s clutches. Directed by Bill Pohlad. -MF Amherst (Dipson), Eastern Hills (Dipson)
For years, he and Greg have been making brief, shrewdly funny movie parodies with joke titles like 2:45 pm Cowboy. By now, there are 42 of them. Greg’s own family is cartoonish and dysfunctional, albeit middle class, and it’s his mother who adamantly nags him into hanging with Rachel (Olivia Cooke), a classmate he scarcely knows who has just been diagnosed with leukemia. From this conspicuously contrived conceit—not the movie’s only one—we follow Greg’s difficult journey toward sobering maturity and self-knowledge. Rachel herself seems to be little more than another device, and Earl is an increasingly annoying instrument of the filmmakers’ attitudes: a hip hop jivester speaking in a deliberately artificial black patois, who is all but discarded by the movie’s end. But there’s a more glaring discrepancy than those. The boys’ cinephilia will very likely be of little consequence to youthful movie goers, who are more likely to react to the film’s smart-ass serio-comic depiction of Greg’s teenage angst and anguish, and his eventual, melodramatically satisfying, coming-to-terms with himself. There is no large young-American film culture to draw on. Some of their parents and grandparents may get Greg and Earl’s filmic japes. This is in contrast with the strange movie madness of the Angulo brothers in Crystal Moselle’s documentary The Wolfpack (which Earl will be displacing at the one local cinema showing it). Their remarkable transcribing and restaging of movies in their apartment in New York’s East Village was an almost desperate response to a cloistered, grotesque upbringing, but it actually happened. The movie has its defects, but the boys are fascinating. A few writers have objected to Moselle’s alleged exploitation of these kids, but, in some cases, they’ve missed the cruder, supremely artificial manipuP lation in Earl.
MAX—Family drama about a dog that served with the US Marines in Afghanistan. Directed by Boaz Yakin (Safe). Flix (Dipson), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In SAN ANDREAS—I admit to being a sucker for disaster movies, a genre that would seem to have peaked a few years back with 2012. This one steps back a bit, content to destroy only California instead of the whole world, and to do so with only one name-value box office star, Dwayne Johnson (though having an actor as able as Paul Giamatti on hand as the Science Guy who explains what’s happening helps a lot). If you’re of a mind to, you’ll have no trouble finding inconsistencies and improbabilities (no, a tsunami wave would never be that high). I won’t try to defend it (especially the last half-hour), but I enjoyed it. With Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario and Kylie Minogue. Directed by Brad Peyton (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island). -MF Angola Screening Room, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Transit Drive-In
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD—It took 30 years for George Miller to get the fourth installment of his post-apocalyptic series fof the ground, but his persistence paid off with this spectacular, stunt SPY—At last, a starring role for Melissa McCarthy driven road chase picture Tom Hardy takes over that takes advantage of her substantial talents the title role (from Mel Gibson) of Max Rockatanand doesn’t require her to play a troll. As a CIA sky, former police officer turned lone highwayman desk jockey who gets her first chance at a field trying to survive in a nightmarish wasteland. But assignment, she predictably gets into lots of comthe film is dominated by Charlize Theron as Furiic scrapes but just as often displays her physical osa, the most fully realized action heroine since agility in action scenes. Shooting in numerous EuAliens’ Ellen Ripley. In a film that is almost one ropean locations, writer-director Paul Feig has fun long chase sequence, the cars and stunts are as concocting a gently feminist spoof of the James VISIT DAILYPUBLIC.COM FOR MORE & REVIEWS >>enimportant as the people, and they are top of the BondFILM genre. LISTINGS And he has assembled a terrific line creations. Hopefully we won’t have to wait 30 semble cast in the real sense of that word, includyears for the next installment. –GL Four Seasons, ing Jason Statham (who plays especially well with Regal Elmwood, Regal Transit McCarthy), Jude Law, Rose Byrne, Bobby Can-
CULTURE > FILM
navale, Allison Janney, and British TV favorites Miranda Hart and Peter Serafinowicz (England’s answer to Hank Azaria). Directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids). -MF Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In TED 2—Sequel, because that’s what Hollywood does in the summer. Metacritic.com rating: 49 percent. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, and Jessica Barth. Directed by Seth MacFarlane. Flix (Dipson), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In TOMORROWLAND—If you consider unpredictability a virtue, this science fiction fantasy from former animator Brad Bird is a must see: that it retains your interest while keeping its overall shape hidden for most of its two-plus-hour running time is certainly an accomplishment. Problem is, even when you get where you’re going, you’re not sure where you are. I’m guessing that a lot of that blame falls on co-writer Damon Lindelof, who on the evidence of Prometheus, World War Z and TV’s Lost overrates the idea that the journey is more important than the destination. Appropriately for a Disney movie (though a tad dark by ol’ Walt’s standards), it’s a long homily about the value of optimism and forward-thinking, like what got us on the moon. Starring George Clooney, who looks very grumpy, Hugh Laurie, whose speech about our indifference to global destruction is the film’s high point, and a young actress named Raffey Cassidy who has an amazing career ahead of her if she stays in the business. –MF Four Seasons P
CULTURE > FILM
VISIT DAILYPUBLIC.COM FOR MORE FILM LISTINGS & REVIEWS >> DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 21
PUBLIC MARKET TO PLACE AN AD CALL SEAN AT (716)856.0737 OR EMAIL SEAN@DAILYPUBLIC.COM THE PUBLIC’S NOTICE The Public encourages you to use caution while participating in any transactions or acquiring services through our classified section of the newspaper. While we do approve the ads in this section, we do not guarantee the reliability of classified advertisers. If you have questions regarding advertisers in this section please email sean@dailypublic.com.
APARTMENTS ELMWOOD VILLAGE Elmwood at Cleveland. 1 & 2 bdrm apartments available. Great location, walk to everything, unique and sunny apartment. Application, heat and water included. No dogs/smoking. References, appl. Call 886-3374 -------------------------------------------------ELMWOOD VILLAGE Elmwood at Lexington. Great location, unique, sunny, 1 bdrm apt. Hdwd. appl. storage. laundry. nodogs/smoking. ref, appl. 886-3374 -------------------------------------------------ELMWOOD VILLAGE Colonial Circle at Lafayette - Large 2 bedroom, unique, open concept, hdwd flrs, skylights, all new! Off street pkng, porch, coin op lndry. MUST SEE! No pets/smoking. $1395 incl all util. Call 912-2906 -------------------------------------------------CANISIUS COLLEGE 70 Blaine Avenue Upper. 3 bdrm includes stove, fridge, dishwasher. Washer and dryer in basement for tenant use. $900 Call 239-7160
Buffalo Housing Associates is currently accepting applications for 1,2,3 & 4 bedroom apartments. Large units, located on the upper west side, include all utilities, appliances, 24 hour emergency maintenance and a professional onsite management staff. Applicants must meet HUD Section 8 criteria, including income requirements. A thorough background check is required. Please visit our rental office at 491 Connecticut Street for an application or call
716-881-2233
ACTIVISM SUMMER JOBS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT NYPIRG is now hiring students, grads & others for an urgent campaign to fight climate change. Get paid to make a difference! F/T positions available. EOE JobsForActivists.org Call Chris: 716.795.7012
AUTOS FOR SALE
THE ARTS DANCE CLASSES
BELLY DANCE CLASSES
2004 CHEVY IMPALA - SWEET! Fast, clean , maintained, all records kept. Engine is fast and powerful $2800. 833-4804
WORKSHOPS 716.560.1891 nadiaibrahim.com
CONE FIVE POTTERY! SIX WEEK POTTERY CLASSES BEGINNING JUNE 9TH AND JULY 21ST. 332.0486 OR
TAYLOR GRIFFITH JOEY GLADSTONE-RUSSELL ELMER PLOETZ PAIGE MECKLER LAURA SUTTELL TAWRIN BAKER JASON HURLEY BRETT PERLA BILL BOULDEN REGINALD GILBERT LOVERN PHOTOGRAPHY MATT O’BRIEN ALEXIS PERLA DERIK KANE 19 IDEAS FRANKIE NP TONY & JOANN MODA NANCY HEIDINGER SARAH JEAN D. LUDWIG AMBER JOHN
HAMBURG LA FITNESS I was in the row machine. We made eye contact. I feel like we’re always looking at each other. If you’re reading this and want to reply tell me what color my shirt was.. -------------------------------------------------ONE STOP IN DEPEW You work here and I thought you were gorgeous. I ordered something from you, tell me what it was. I hope to hear from you soon -------------------------------------------------BUFFALO NY NEIGHBORS There’s no way I could ever come out and tell you how I feel. Because of our situation I know it would have to be a secret. We see each other all day and its hard to keep it all bottled in. I know this is a long shot but hell, who knows. -------------------------------------------------BLONDE AT GYM No idea why I am posting this haha but I saw this gorgeous blonde at the gym last night and I guess I have to at least try. You were doing a ton of cardio and I couldn’t tell if you were with someone or not. We kept making eye contact but I didn’t want to be that annoying creepy guy at the gym so I’ll be that annoying creepy guy here instead hahaha -------------------------------------------------HOME DEPOT NF CASHIER Your a new cashier at home Depot in niagara falls you’ve cashed me out a few times not sure if your into guys or not but I’d like to do a thing or two with you or we can just be friend’s if you see this please tell me what your name is so I know it’s you. And we can go from there thanks buddy hope to hear from you -----------------------------------------------RED JEEP LIBERTY You where behind me a Tim Hortons at about 745am ties morning on the corner of Niagara Falls blvd and military rd then you pulled up next to me in front of ollies and parked there for awhile. If you have time to kill let’s make some good use of it for the both of us. You have a red and gray jeep. What color and make was my car so I know it is you ? -------------------------------------------------WAITING OUTSIDE THRIFT STORE We were talking while we were waiting for the store to open. I enjoyed our chat and was looking to maybe have more. If this is you, respond with some way to prove it was you.
FEST INTERESTS
1
2
3
4
19
18 22 26
9
10
11
12
33
34
35
51
52
53
15
27
20
21
23
24 29
28
31
25
30
32 37
36
38
40
39
41
42 44
8
b
17
45
43 47
46
49 54
48
50 55
56
57
58
60
64
63
ACROSS
59
62
61
54. Hurl
1. Hamburg
58. Stand by
34. “Reader, I married him” speaker
7. Cuba
61. Some are public
35. East Aurora
13. Event that might make one feel old
62. Not as timely
37. West Side activity
63. Lakewood
38. Lawn ___
15. Falls between two countries?
64. Buffalo
40. Blood classification
16. Madrid daily 17. Big name in Rochester 18. “Bottle Rocket” director Anderson 19. Buffalo Rising, e.g.
24. Falls transport?
ARTYARD STUDIO offers the most in pottery classes for adults and children, New Try-it and Date Night Pottery, Now registering for spring classes and summer camps. 5701 Main St. Williamsville, NY. Register on line artyardstudio.com or call 634.0989
22 THE PUBLIC / JULY 1, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
7
16
NATE IGNATZ CHRIS WALCZAK CORY PERLA ELIZABETH CONNORS JENNIFER MIKOLL GREGORY RAYMOND MARISSA MANGO DANIELLE ARTHUR BRIDGET MORRIS DUKE MATTINA MELISSA COCCIONITTI TORRE FRANZ TJ DONOHUE EMILY PERILLO
. YOURSPCA.ORG . 205 ENSMINGER RD. TONAWANDA 875.7360
6 14
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
the kittens It’s kitten season at the SPCA and Cher is just one of one either , shelter anda Tonaw our to in Stop le! availab have we n adoptio e off-sit 21 our of one or s, center n of our mall adoptio r! summe this happen acle tionMir locatio ns to make your #Adop
5
13
conefivepottery.com
Meet Cher!
CROSSWORD BY DONCrossword puzzle NA HOKE DONNAHOKE.COM (donnahoke.com)
FEST INTERESTS
21. BUF info
ARGENTINE TANGO CLASSES Argentine Tango at Ashker’s in June! FREE Tango Open House Tues. June 9th. 7 pm + 6 week Beginners series starts June 16th traviswidricktango.com or 517.7047
THANK YOU PATRONS
MISSED CONNECTIONS
22. Just Buffalo series
DOWN 1. Cobblestone district 2. 700-mile Congolese river 3. Barbados products 4. African antelope 5. “A” as in Aachen 6. Passed on the trail
41. “Canoe row a boat?” e.g. 43. Lack a date 44. Silo City 45. Channel that shows college athletics 46. “Attack!” 48. Baking chamber 50. Acceptances
26. Bucket o’ bolts, to some
7. 1970s-’80s supermodel Carangi
29. “Land of a million elephants”
8. Batteries for mice
52. “It fits you to ___!”
9. Army org.
53. Eden
10. Less impressive
55. “I’m thinking”
11. About to erupt
56. 180 on the road
12. North Tonawanda
57. Battle of ___ (1st allied victory of WWI)
31. Repeller of 40 Across 32. It’s Greek on Elmwood 33. Handful 36. Hiking hotspot 37. “Insert here” sign 38. “Go ___ kite!”
14. Iditarod terminus 15. Battery terminal; abbr.
40. Bow accompanier
20. Where to find WNY festivals, as illustrated by sampling on the perimeter of this grid
41. It has Sheas’ back
22. Bad party guest
42. Bridges in Hollywood
23. 0% ___
43. Disemboweled
24. Axe
39. Polar Bites host
PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY
44. Confer
51. Raceway trouble
59. “A Kiss Before Dying” author Levin 60. Burnable data holder: abbr. Crossword Puzzle by LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS (donnahoke.com)
RUBY DAYS
R U F F
O P I O I O D N S T H O E R H E I L O L U I
M S G R
E O A N D A T E A R A C S T I E T H S H A E S T C O C H A K E S S O P H K A A O I E T W E L F V A L H A N A A D E L A W
J O E Y
U L I E R N E D F L E A R N A S L I O E T B E A R E T I L O S T E H N I G R T E E U V R E P A
T S S E A U A L N E I L K P I O N E H T L E E A R K
25. Pack bearer 47. Who came to the 26. Lewiston A D M E unattended meeting? IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ONending THIS PROOF, THE 27. “Buck” S P 49. The fitting of BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD S I PUBLIC CANNOT 28. ROFL alternative G semiconductors onto tinyAD IS A PICK-UP. THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE S N chips: abbr. 30. Good way to begin T O C CHECK COPY CONTENT 50. Concubine MESSAGE TOquarters ADVERTISER 32.�Legal beginning M N for advertising 33. N A 51.Thank Animalyou pocket �Airless CHECK IMPORTANT DATES with THE PUBLIC. Please review your ad and check � CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, for any errors. The original PHONE #, & WEBSITE layout instructions have been followed as closely as � PROOF OK (NO CHANGES) possible. THE PUBLIC offers design services with two � PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES) proofs at no charge. THE is boasting freshest and most reliable advertising option in Western New York. All ads are “publicly PUBLIC isthe not responsible Advertisers Signature that highlights what the public needs to see. yielding a safe and trustworthy marketplace for approved,” any error if not notified within 24 hours of receipt. ____________________________ The production department must have a signed proof in Date _______________________ order to print. Please sign
MARKET
FAMOUS LAST WORDS BACK PAGE
THE GRUMPY GHEY SMARTPHONES, DUMB HOOKUPS BY CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY NOW THAT MARRIAGE IS A LEGAL, universally defined op-
MOVIN’ ON UP! PHOTOS BY SHAWNA STANLEY
More than 300 people came to The Public’s offices last Friday to view Blake Dawson’s drone photography, learn about Mercy Flight, raise money for Massachusetts Avenue Project, and have a great time. Thanks, all, and see you again soon!
tion for same-sex couples in this country, we might want to take a look at how we find each other. For the bulk of LGBTQ history, we met at bars. Sometimes mutual friends introduced us at dinner parties or holiday gatherings, but more often than not bars and nightclubs were where the action was. Reasonably loosened up over a few drinks, we felt comfortable leering at one another until a conversation was struck. Or maybe we just paired off in a dark corner. Sometimes dating ensued, sometimes it didn’t. But we’ve always been more of a “screw now, see if we can stand each other later” tribe. If this is honestly changing, that’d be great news. But I think the truth is that it’s getting worse, especially now that we can set the nightclub to vibrate and stick it in our pockets. Sometime in the early aughties I became aware of a Boston-based online hookup network called Manhunt. At the time it was a beta-test endeavor, limited to the Boston area with only a small community of users. Having recently quit drinking, I was excited by a boozeless, cyber-environment, leaving the lines blurred between the quest to date or just have sex. There were tangible thrills: the danger of luring a stranger to your home, the possibility of hot, spontaneous sex, the ability to cruise alone without the presence of competition. Sure, competition was out there, but you didn’t have to watch them moving in for the kill. For a while Manhunt was fun and users were friendly. It took time for the coy, bitchy behaviors to manifest. When they did, I slowly backed away. All the negotiating, the back-and-forth emails saying nothing, the beating around the bush—it seemed absurd. Even when I was at my most fit and confident, I barely mustered the patience required to summon sexual company. Truth told, I had better luck sitting out on my stoop in the evening. Every once in a while someone from the neighborhood would pass by and start a conversation that eventually led to a worthwhile encounter. Manhunt, meanwhile, grew into a snarling hotbed of obnoxiousness. Narcissus reared his head (and his personality disorder), rendered in profile descriptions that read, “I am this, I am that—UB2.” Celebrating diversity? Embracing differences? Nope, the gays I encountered online literally wanted to go fuck themselves. I began hearing stories of men making online arrangements to meet, then hiding at the edge of the living room window to survey the goods upon arrival, often opting not to answer the door. And while there were still guys trying to find real dates on Manhunt, it seemed like a way of pretending more than anything else…a little dance they were doing to try and make themselves feel better about their true motivations. Dating-only sites certainly have their own brand of insufferable smug. “I’m looking for a healthy, handsome, surefooted, self-sufficient, well-adjusted man who knows what he wants in life and isn’t afraid to reach out and grab it. Let’s embark on an adventure together!” The women aren’t much better: “Horse lesbian seeks mare—come, let’s run!” I remained a stubborn Blackberry user until sometime in 2011. An ending AT&T contract allowed me to switch devices at a low cost, and I quickly became an iPhone diehard. I’d heard about networking apps focused on finding locals for sex, but it wasn’t until I got to Austin later that year that I began using one. Between ditching Manhunt years earlier and moving to Texas, I’d been busy with my career. I dated one person and didn’t have much sex, but it didn’t seem to matter. I remember having lunch with an old friend who characterized it as a problem that needed solving. I hadn’t thought of it that way until he said it. The power of suggestion quickly rendered my sexless existence an emergency. By this point I was a cub. A sedentary writing career had meant a sizable weight gain. And Austin’s gay community was so spread out, so lacking in unity, it seemed the only way to meet men was using an app (besides hitting the bars or joining special-interest groups). I installed Growlr, the bear’s answer to Grindr. This family of sex-specific social networking apps, which also includes Scruff, Mister, BoyAhoy, Jack’d, and others, are set to organize your prospects by decreasing proximity according to the coordinates of your phone. It’s possible to find someone in the same apartment complex—how convenient! Or, out to dinner, your phone might buzz with an offer to meet in the restroom from someone three tables over—a risky but thrilling prospect. It sounds enticing on paper, but the reality is far less exhilarating.
I soon discovered the hookup apps are everything intolerable about Manhunt on steroids. Worse yet, it appeared that we’d dispensed with all formalities, cordialities, and semblances of social interaction. It breeds a total caveman mentality. Picture the object of your desire grunting, apelike, while pointing helplessly at his crotch—a man-child trying to let you know he desperately needs something. Maybe there’s even something sexy about that, until you realize that’s the best he can do to express himself. The animalism doesn’t stop there, either. I discovered we’d entered a barnyard phase, likening ourselves to our grazing, four-legged brethren: bears, cubs, pigs, otters, foxes, and wolves “woof,”“grrr,” and “oink” at one another to voice approval and demonstrate interest. Welcome to the farm! Bah ram ewe and a word of caution: The goats are notoriously two-faced. In my long absence, prowling men had begun making assertions like, “I’m a masculine, straight-acting guy who prefers masculine men.” Is that right, buddy? Well isn’t that a hoot. I’ve got a hot flash for you: We all like masculine men, but we’re also all gay. Stop shaming us for being comfortable with ourselves while you’re so busy posturing. Have fun out there, looking for Mr. Goodbar. Speaking of which, the apps champion a whole new level of invasiveness. Gentlemen callers get pushy and annoying. Fast. Potential hookups send you messages while you’re in business meetings, out for lunches with old friends, grocery shopping, racing to meet a deadline, or sneaking a nap. They seem not to understand you’ve got other things going on. You can always shut off notifications, but any good phone addict knows this doesn’t solve the problem— the prospect of sex (or at least flirtation) is just a screen or two away. It keeps you reaching for the phone to see if you’ve missed anything. An addiction quickly develops. I know several people who enjoy fairly active sex lives using apps, but they also put a good chunk of time and energy into the chase. One recently caught me glancing at his phone during an AA meeting. At the top of Grindr’s main page is a recurring clip of two guys having sex. When that caught my eye, I couldn’t help but zero in. “Don’t look at my screen—that’s so rude,” he mouthed at me. So, let me make sure I understand this correctly: You’re trolling online while people around us are sharing intimate details about their most personal struggles, and I’m rude for being distracted by the pornographic imagery flashing on your phone. Okay, just checking. I’ve witnessed another man I know doing the same thing at several large group dinners, his phone lodged just below the lip of the table so only those on either side of him can tell what he’s doing. This guy’s a former high-powered executive in his later 50s. And yet you cannot be sure he’s heard a word you’ve said to him because his head is so deeply imbedded in the chase. Just imagine how much attention’s required. You’re fielding texts from your mom, your roommate, and your best friend. Fresh emails file in every few minutes along with multiple Facebook notifications. And now, on top of this, you’ve got several men simultaneously flirting with you, sending naked photos and maybe even getting pissy if you’re slow to respond. It’s a lot of work. Having sexual opportunity in your pocket is more temptation than many of us can stand. On more than one occasion, I’ve been asked if I would engage in a lie to cover up the truth about a friend’s app-based sexual exploits so his boyfriend would remain none the wiser (or, more likely, suspicious without proof). While trying to maintain an open relationship in Texas, someone texted me to say he’d seen my boyfriend on Grindr just moments earlier. He and I had been exchanging texts for hours, as though nothing much was going on. Despite our open-door policy, discovering that he was messaging me while simultaneously cruising for sex on the same device was more than I could endure. Last week I tried Growlr for the last time. I’ve installed and uninstalled it six times in four years. It never gets any better. This time I was struck by how hollow and desperate it all felt. Whether a lack of sex in your life truly qualifies as problematic is a matter of your own perception. Once you open yourself up to this sex-in-your-pocket world, it consistently calls you, despite having so little to offer—like a bad drug. I don’t know about you, but I definitely don’t need anything else in my life perpetuating the illusion that P I’m missing out.
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 1, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 23
PHOTO BY TOM SICKLER
Welcome to The Public, Partner. Here at The Public, we aim to get BIGGER and BETTER. Our publication has attracted some of the region’s best WRITERS, ARTISTS, and DESIGNERS. We want to reward their talent with MORE work and BETTER pay. That’s where you come in: Subscribe to The Public at PATREON.COM/THEPUBLIC at any level that makes sense for you. Every dime will go to one of the contributors who make our publication great. You’re their public. And we’re your Public. Let’s tell our stories together.