March 2011

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The Red Hook Star-Revue March 2011

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Red Hook Graffiti Artist Turned Successful Fine Artist To Host AIDS Awareness Art Exhibition

by Danette Vigilante

Sadly, in the 1980’s, many people living in the Red Hook Projects lost their way when crack was introduced into the community. Others, like Frankie (Rek) Santiago Jr., found himself. With the help of a spray can and the graffiti underground, he had uncovered his path; an artist’s path.

Rek is the youngest of three children in a Puerto Rican working class family.

With his personal drive, along with the help of an older brother, sister and large extended family, he was able to stay in school where he studied architectural drafting and mechanical drawing at George Westinghouse High School.

After suffering the tragic loss of his older brother and cousin to AIDS, Rek took solace in expressing himself through visual art; taking his graffiti to the canvas where it exploded.

Armed with his background from George Westinghouse, Rek was more than equipped to bring to life his passion for vivid colors and sharp eye for contrasts and fades. “For me,” adds Rek. “Graffiti has always been more about precise graphics; crisp outlines; flawless fades and color blends than crime or vandalism. For me, when done legally, Graffiti Art is inspirational and revolutionary. It has helped to make me the man and artist that I am today.”

Soon after getting his work onto canvas, Rek captured the attention of gallery owners from Artsenario in Zurich, Switzerland to the Mark Hachem Gal-

I Dreamt and Did #2, photos courtesy Rek

lery in Manhattan where his work is currently on display and ready for purchase. Rek’s incredible artwork has also been featured in the United Nations.

Recently, Rek met Ozzy Ramos, the founder of Home of Miracles and Embraces ( H.O.M.E.), a non-profit AIDS service organization which hopes to open an all-expense-paid community in rural Virginia where children living

with HIV and their families can come together, connect and build a sense of belonging. Rek and Ramos hit it off immediately and beginning May 12 – 14, Rek is hosting the First Annual HIV Awareness Art Exhibition taking place in Manhattan at 110 Greene Street (SOHO), suite 805. Rek will also be the featured artist. This event will be the first of many for Rek. Rek is a member of the Brooklyn Waterfront Artist Coalition (BWAC), located at 499 Van Brunt (across the street from Fairway). Rek occupies a studio just a few doors down where his imagination and talent bring to life art, born from a medium which no one would have guessed when graffiti first made its mark. Graduating from the subways to the galleries, graffiti has transformed into its most beautiful form yet.

In Rek’s words, “Some people say they want Graffiti Art to be accepted as a traditional art form. I want Graffiti to be accepted for what it is; an outspoken, bold, non-traditional explosion

of artistic skill and visual expression!”

In times of uncertainty and hidden pathways, a light will always shine through in order to help guide you. You just have to be willing to see. In Rek’s case, it was not only a single light, but a light of countless colors.

For more information and for tickets to the First Annual HIV Awareness Art Exhibition, please contact Rek at: 917335-6346 or Ozzy at: 540-288-7100.

You can also learn more about Rek on his website at: www.rekworks.com.

R. Crumb to Play At Jalopy, see page 17

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The Red Hook Star-Revue The News of the Hook

by Danette Vigilante

Volume 2 No. 3, march 2011

Feature/Arts Editor............................................................................Josie Rubio Visual Arts Editor...................................................................... Krista Dragomer Reporter......................................................................................... Matt Graber Advertising Manager...........................................................................Matt Silna History Specialist........................................................................... John Burkard Gonzo Columnist and Night Owl................................................... John McLaughlin Graphic Art Supervisor.....................................................................Greg D’Avola Cartoons..............................................J.W. Zeh, Vince Musacchia, Harold Shapiro Contributors............Perry Crowe, Danette Vigilante, Stephen Slaybaugh, A.J. Herald The Red Hook Star-Revue is published monthly by Select Mail.

It circulates by mail and on newsstands throughout the downtown Brooklyn area. Our mission is to be the tie that binds our dynamic communities together, by providing one place for local achievements, art and history to be celebrated, local problems to be identified and solutions discussed, and also by providing an affordable advertising medium for local shops and institutions.

Our offices are at 101 Union Street, where you can take an ad, buy a coffee mug, make copies or simply tell us what’s on your mind in-person, and we can be reached by phone at 718 624-5568 and by email at editor@RedHookStar.com or info@RedHookStar.com.

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If you have story ideas or ideas in general of interest, please contact us by all means and methods outlined above or stop by our office. Next issue will be out the first week of March , 2010 - Advertising and Editorial Deadline is Friday, February 25, 2011.

ack when I was hiding beneath my covers fighting the sand man all in the name of, ‘just one more chapter,’ I had no idea becoming an author was something that anyone could do. In fact, it seemed so out of reach that I never entertained the idea just as I wouldn’t have entertained the idea of trying to sprout wings or spinning straw into gold. But you know as well as I do, that life is funny and if you don’t take hold of the reins or at least acknowledge that something is going on around you, life will whip you around faster than Willow Smith’s hair (oh, how I wish I could do that without my head twisting off)!

But, I’m getting ahead of myself so I’ll back up a bit.

While I was busy going about my business of, you know, trying to figure my young self out, my third grade report card informed my parents that I needed help in reading.

READING people! Me? I thought my teacher at PS 27 had surely lost her mind. She must’ve gotten me confused with that other wild haired kid. The one who tried to become invisible during math lessons …

Since I was the type of kid who just couldn’t stand not having the last word (sorry, mom), I set off to the Red Hook Library (first Clinton Street then Walcott Street) just to prove my teacher wrong and once I had the evidence, I planned to hold it up for all the world to see. Yes, I planned on laughing the laugh of a crazed villain all the while reading the biggest, fattest, most juiciest book the library had to offer. Or Judy Blume—whichever. Only then would I retreat back to being the sweet curly headed kid I normally was. Yes, I’d fold my hands neatly on top of my desk and politely listen as my teacher apologized and begged forgiveness; which of course, I’d grant since I was never one to hold a grudge.

If I remember correctly, I walked into the library quite pleasantly, if not a tiny bit smug.

I was there to spread the news; my teacher was wrong. I. Was. A. Fantastic. Reader.

A different world awaited me inside that library. One filled with soft voices coming together to form sentences I couldn’t quite make out. Were those already seated discussing some great secret?

The air held an unfamiliar scent. Paper and ink? The sun’s warmth streaming in and heating up the walls? The wooden shelves? All three mixed together? I couldn’t be sure but it didn’t matter; it wasn’t horrible. After all, I had a point to prove.

Funny though, how once I found myself standing directly in front of all sorts of books, their thicknesses were no longer important. Villain laughter died in my throat before it had the chance to live. I had suddenly become greedy for whichever book called out to me.

Once my arms were full of books, I sat amongst the other secret keepers, for I was now one too and together, yet separately, we’d each get lost inside a book.

Danette Vigilante is a children’s author living in New York City with one husband, two daughters, Mr. Noodle, her love hog Yorkshire terrier and Daisy, a cat with a seriously bad attitude.

Her newest book, The Trouble with Half a Moon, is in local bookstores and available for purchase online at Amazon and other booksellers.

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February 2011

March 2011

Red Hook Star-Revue Page 3

News From the Streets written and collected by the Star-Revue writing staff

Red Hook Transportation Update

Precinct Report Puncher Nabbed At 429 Columbia Street between Huntington and West 9th at 8:29 pm, Feb. 15th, a complainant stated that two perps punched him in the face multiple times causing injury to his nose and left eye. They also removed $120 from the victims pockets. Later on, the suspects were pointed out by the victim after driving around the area in a police car.

The complainant is a 49-year old male. The two perps were 18 and 19 year old males. Pedro Giminin was the arresting officer.

Unknown Robber At 15 Tompkins Place between Kane and Degraw, a burglary occurred in the hours between 11:45 pm and 8 am on February 17th. The perpetrator entered through the front door, which was unlocked, and made out with a wallet containing $200, the victims ID, and two credit cards. There were no witnesses, and no description of the suspect was reported.

Break-In At 68 4th Place between Clinton and Court, another burglary took place between 9:15 am and 6:45 pm, the night of Feb. 18/19.

The complainant noticed her rear apartment window open and miscellaneous items scattered on the floor indicating an unknown perpetrator. The perp used the fire escape to get to the unlocked window and took an Apple laptop worth $1,200 and other computer equipment worth $350.

The Department of Transportation released a report on its website in midFebruary updating the progress of the Streetcar Feasibility Study, which kicked off in October and was scheduled to be completed last month. While the final Community Advisory Committee meeting (the only meeting out of three that will be open to the public) has not yet been announced, last months report, called the Transit Demand Technical Memorandum, provides the latest news.

The report details an analysis of transit demand (ie, how many people can we expect to actually ride these hypo-

At the Community Council meeting on March 1st, Captain Jack Lewis awarded the honor of cops of the month to officers Ronald Pereira, Maggie Clamp, and Julio Rodriguez, who tracked down and arrested two young women after a mugging was reported on Butler Street on Monday, January 31st. The victim, a female, reported that she was attacked and that her purse was stolen. The crime was caught on surveillance tape, and luckily, as Captain Lewis pointed out, one of the perpetrators was wearing clothes that were easily distinguishable. After the suspects were spotted on the street and searched, the victims credit card was recovered. (photo courtesy Georgia Kral, carrollgardens.patch.com

cials were successful in restoring Title XX funding. thetical trolleys). The numbers that the study came up with are based on how many people currently use the B61 to get in and out of Red Hook and the strip of Atlantic Avenue between Columbia Street and Smith Street, how many new riders would choose to ride streetcars (estimated by comparing the Focus Area of Red Hook with other “Peer Neighborhoods,” and finally, how many new riders that would be generated by planned developments. The planned development of 160 Imlay Street, with its 153 new residential units, for instance, would generate an estimated 1,235 trolley trips per day.

Bicycle Race

The Red Hook Criterium No. 4—a bicycle race of 20 laps, held on a short technical circuit in Red Hook over cobblestone will be held on Saturday, March 26th starting at 11 am. Track bikes are mandatory for all

riders. The race is unsanctionered, but sponsored by Eastern Mountain Sports.

First held in 2008, the Red Hook Criterium has quickly become established as a prestigious and much-loved event in both the local community and greater cycling world. For more information and to register go to redhookcrit.com.

Public comments are accepted on the DOT website which you can easily find by googling red hook streetcar study).

Budget Cuts Impact Area

The Red Hook Senior Center located at 6 Wolcott Street is one among 105 senior centers within the city that are expected to close under Governor Cuomo’s proposed state budget. The Title XX funding of more than $25 million (according to CBS News) will be removed from the budget as “discretionary spending” that the state can’t afford.

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Page 4 Red Hook Star-Revue

March 2011

Editorial:

Remember When Governments Ran Parks?

These days you can’t watch or listen or read the news without hearing about how our local and federal government is in dire financial straits, with deficits threatening to lower the boom on our way of life.

At the same time that we are bombarded with talk about how public employees such as teachers and city workers need to have their salaries and pensions reduced, private corporations throughout the United States are reporting ever increasing profits. Here in NYC, and to a lesser degree throughout the country, private businesses catering to the wealthy are doing better and better. For example, read this excerpt from the latest quarterly report from Coach, a purveyor of high priced accessories that most of us know about but not that many own non-counterfeit products of:

make sure that the books were balanced and that there would be no possible impediment standing in the way of their profits. The way it is now, sudden shocks such as inflation might spoil it for them as government, bereft of enough income, which, by the way, comes from fees and taxes, which the corporations and their managers hate paying. And somehow, the private sector has convinced most everyone that their side is the absolute right side, because after all, who likes paying taxes?

“We were also particularly pleased with the traction we’re achieving in our Men’s business, a key global initiative for Coach. Specifically, we are achieving excellent results in our full priced businesses in our New York City concept store, shops in Japan and in our retail stores that carry a broader men’s assortment.

We’re also delighted with the initial performance of our dedicated Men’s factory stores, both in the U.S. and in Japan.”

What brings this to mind today is the predicament of our neighbor to the north - the vaunted Brooklyn Bridge Park. During the 1990’s, the idea of a park was pioneered by a group of neighborhood people who thought that it would be nicer to have a public park on the waterfront, rather then having it leased out to tool rental companies or simply abandoned. A plan was developed for presentation to the proper authorities that would have brought a park with multiple public uses and that would have brought Brooklynites from all over to enjoy sports and sunshine and maybe even a hot dog.

The point we are trying to make here is that while certain parts of America are doing better then ever, many of those same well-off people are convinced that our governments are going broke and if only they stopped doing things and let the private sector run everything, then the private sector government would

By the turn of the century, another group of people in the neighborhood who had different ideas (perhaps they didn’t like the idea of hot dog wrappers on the floor in their neighborhood) took over the planning of the park and presented the city with what in economic terms is called a ‘neoliberal’ proposal, namely,

March 2011

privatizing a portion of the public parkland to ensure greater efficiency and less reliance on the government to maintain the park. These ideas used to be thought of as pretty far out, until the 1970’s oil shocks and geopolitical changes caused our governments, and especially NYC, to suffer huge financial distress. One of the results of this distress was a lack of funding to the parks department, leading to the deterioration of many of our finest playgrounds.

With this memory, the neoliberals gained traction with their ideas, resulting in the opening up of more and more traditional government responsibilities to private (profit-making) companies.

In 2002, the new leaders of the Brooklyn Bridge Park came to an agreement with the city in which they assumed the responsibility of an annual maintenance of the park which comes to around $16 million. Our local government representatives were complicit in this deal, which allowed the building of high rise apartment buildings within the actual park area. Until she was given her talking points, Hillary Clinton couldn’t believe that anyone would think luxury apartments were an appropriate use of public parkland.

Somehow, most of the regular joes that populate Brooklyn Heights (there are still some left), didn’t realize the implication of this. It seems finally more than a few people agree with Hillary Clinton’s initial assessment, and a re-

port was commissioned and released to try and figure out other ways accomplish this funding, as of course, NYC couldn’t possibly afford to do this (it seems to us that $16 million is a small price to pay for a beautiful park for its citizens - people are spending more than that in one shot for townhouses and apartments throughout Manhattan).

The report wasn’t very well received - it suggested, among other things, taking income from the sale of Watchtower buildings that haven’t been sold yet, taxing local businesses, and even selling naming rights to the various hills and dales and bike paths.

In the end, the luxury condos will be built, the developers will make a ton of cash, some of which will undoubtedly go into the campaign coffers of their enablers, and the worst part of it is that the maintenance would not come from the pockets of the developers but from the property taxes of the residents - in a program called PILOT, these taxes would be diverted from such proletarian things as public schools and subways and pay for the maintenance of their backyard.

Under an environment like this, I have to say, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, thank God for American Stevedoring - they are actually saving the Columbia Waterfront District from this sort of madness.

Red Hook Star-Revue Page 5

Red Hook Green

by Josie Rubio

Red Hook is fairly green. Many have visited Added Value’s Red Hook Community Farm (or enjoyed its yield at the Good Fork). And some have read about local manufacturer LinThis Cyclone Lounger, made from reclaimed wood from the demolished boardwalk, is inspired by the legendary rollercoaster (courtesy Uhuru Design)

Uhuru Design uhurudesign.com Each piece of furniture handcrafted at Uhuru Design, 160 Van Brunt Street, has a unique tale to tell, whether it’s about bourbon or summer amusementseekers. The design-and-build furniture company was founded in 2004 by Jason Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf, graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design who both ended up working in New York City. The goal of Uhuru is to create sustainable items from reclaimed, recycled or reused items in a process called “upcycling.”

In Uhuru’s third-floor space in the massive Golten Marine building, behind the holiday lights that spell “Red Hook” on Van Brunt, cast-iron fence pieces can become a base for a coffee table, or beams and support columns can be transformed into tables and stools. “One of our main inspirations is the amount of things found out on the street,” says Leah Reyes, who works with design and production at Uhuru. “Scraps, fencing, bicycle rims—all have found use in our furniture line. We also are drawn to materials that have a story behind them.”

Horvath came up with the idea to repurpose bourbon barrels from his home state of Kentucky into furniture; creations include the stave bench and stool, as well as the Cant End Table, which is made of the “cants” (ends) of the barrels. The Bilge lounge chair, recently featured in Dorian Lucas’ Green Design (Braun, 2010), uses bourbon barrel staves, as well as leaf springs from New York City fire trucks, to create a comfortable give when someone sits down.

The eye-catching curves and the metal base of the Cyclone Lounger are meant to mimic the legendary Coney Island roller coaster. The lounger—as well as the Boardwalk Console, Wonder Coffee Table (inspired by the Wonder Wheel) and the Drop End table (inspired by the Parachute Jump)—is part of the Coney Island Line, created from discarded planks that made up the iconic boardwalk. The pieces were created as a “local materials” line for New York Design Week last May. (Uhuru currently is designing a new line for Design Week in May 2011.)

Though the furniture designs can be viewed online, all the pieces are made to order, so prices vary. The lead time for furniture is about eight to 12 weeks.

Uhuru’s showroom space acquired last year is slated to be open by appointment some time in March, though Reyes says that regular hours might be established in the summer. But those who would like to sit in an Uhuru design need only visit Birdbath, City Bakery’s green busi-

Page 6 Red Hook Star-Revue

da Tool’s “green roof” and eco-friendly practices. But behind the weathered doors of the neighborhood’s industrial façade, there are a number of businesses that take the environment into consideration. Here’s a spotlight on six green businesses and one new real estate addition in the Red Hook/Columbia Waterfront District area.

Ralph Gorham of Brooklyn Farm Table was inspired to create a trestle-style table because, as a leftie, he's always sits on the end of the dining table. ness in the New Museum at 235 Bowery, and pull up a Stoolen, stools made from scraps of hardwood from local workshops, and, sometimes, a found bicycle rim. Each New Museum Stoolen has an outline of the museum building in the puzzle-like top.

Uhuru’s furniture also has been inducted into the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Museum, and the company will be included in an upcoming exhibition at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Uhuru also won best in show at Inhabitat’s 2010 BKLYN Designs Green Awards. “We had been doing the show for years, and to win that among our peers and friends was a great feeling of accomplishment,” Reyes says.

Brooklyn Farm Table brooklynfarmtable.com A career in construction and a lifetime of uncomfortable meals were the impetuses behind Ralph Gorham’s creation and design of Brooklyn Farm Table, a business that creates tables from reclaimed wood from old New York buildings. The trestle-style tables are made to order by Gorham in his shop at 284 Van Brunt Street, next to the Red Hook Lobster Pound.

Gorham had worked in construction and noticed the old joists and wood that were removed from buildings that were being demolished or renovated. “One day, I just looked at the stuff we were getting out of buildings and I said, you know what, let’s clean some of this up and see what

it turns out to be,” Gorham says. “And it ended up being gorgeous.” Gorham founded Brooklyn Farm Table in 1996 in DUMBO before moving to the New York Shipyards on Beard Street. When he had to move his business to make way for IKEA, he moved to his current location five years ago.

Because he’s left-handed, Gorham was always relegated to the end of the dining table. “I always got stuck on the leg,” he says. The trestle design eliminates the legroom dilemma for the people at the ends of the table and it also allows for maximum seating space, an important aspect of urban living. “New York is based upon stuffing five pounds of garbage into a two-pound bag,” he says. “So you have to make something that works.”

All of the tables are custom-built to order; once an order is placed, it takes about four to 12 weeks for completion.

Prices range from $2,000 to $12,000.

The largest Brooklyn Farm Table to date measured 54 inches wide and 22 feet long and weighed 1,600 pounds. “That went to a house up in the Catskills, and they had to boom it in with a crane,” Gorham says.

Though Gorham makes some custom leaves and benches, as well as shelving, he mostly sticks to tables. Furnishings such as chests and dressers are difficult to make due to the dry nature of the old wood and its tendency to expand and contract, he says.

Once the table is complete, it’s finished with nine coats of tung oil, which contains no VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds, gasses that are emitted by chemicals used in some paints, cleaning supplies, adhesives and other products).

Clients choose between two types of wood, the more rustic and knotty Douglas Fir, or Longleaf Heart Pine, which is more refined. Because of the different sources of the reclaimed wood, “No two tables will be the same, ” Gorham says.

The color varies widely, so Gorham asks that the client come in to watch the staining. “I want people involved in this,” he says. “It’s like a family affair.”

The end result, however, isn’t right for everyone. “We are not the right fix for some people,” he says. “We’re more on the rustic side, more on the imperfection side.”

The solid tables are built to last. “I consider them family heirlooms, I really do,” he says. “They’re something that I think you will keep in your household the rest of your life, and your children will fight over it.”

Since starting his business, Gorham has seen the green movement drive up the demand for reclaimed wood. “Companies from out of state would come in and buy up entire buildings,” he says.

Out of the 400 logs he received from the demolition of a local factory used for storing cotton, beans and coffee, Gorham has only three remaining. Wood comes from Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill and throughout the five boroughs, dating from the 1700s to the early 1900s. “It’s wild,” Gorham says. “The process to me, it’s like an adventure”

Brooklyn Farm Tables are made to order in Ralph Gorham’s Red Hook workshop.

March 2011

Red Hook Green 4Korners 4kny.com

At Bamboo Bike Studio weekend workshops, people make their own bikes out of bamboo and fiberglass and carbon lugs. (photo courtesy Bamboo Bike Studio)

Bamboo Bike Studio bamboobikestudio.com

I

n 2006, while living in Seattle and working as a product design engineer, Marty Odlin decided that he wanted to build his own bike, but was deterred by the cost of renting welding equipment. For his first foray into bike-making, he decided to work with less expensive bamboo, which also proved easier to work with.

Now he runs a build-your-own bamboo bike shop in Red Hook called Bamboo Bike Studio, which he founded with Sean Murray and Justin Aguinaldo in 2009 as a social entrepreneurship. Nearly 100 percent of the proceeds went to setting up a bamboo bike factory in Ghana to produce sustainable and affordable bicycles. The group reached their goal in September 2010, and Odlin recently returned from setting up the Ghana factory. Now the group has its sights set on building bikes with high school students, teaching them about sustainability and engineering.

But the story of Bamboo Bike Studio begins with Odlin’s first bamboo bike. “A bunch of my friends asked if they could build them,” he says, and then someone sent him a link about the Bamboo Bike Project, a non-profit project run by The Earth Institute, Columbia University, with the goal of implementing cargo bikes made out of bamboo as a sustainable form of transportation in Africa. Odlin took a job in Columbia University’s engineering department and moved to New York City so he could be more involved in the project. Murray, a teacher, and Aguinaldo, a bike messenger, also volunteered for the venture.

Then the project ran out of money. To raise funds, the three started Bamboo Bike Studio, teaching others how to make bike frames out of bamboo tubes and fiberglass and carbon lugs. Since then, more than 300 people have learned to build their own bamboo bikes at the Red Hook studio. “Over time it turned into a real company,” Odlin says.

Though “bike nerds” can buy a $632 frame, the cheapest bike is a $750 coaster brake bike, and the most expensive bike, with racing components, is $2,300. “We do road, local, Cyclocross, six-gear and coaster-brake bikes,” Odlin says. “So anything people would want in the city, we have.”

Bamboo bikes absorb vibration for a smooth ride, are fairly lightweight and have a stiff frame preferred by cyclists. “Bamboo bikes are really surprisingly high-performance,” Odlin says. “That combination of all three of those—really smooth, stiff and light—is really rare.”

The bike-building workshops are held on weekends and more frequently in the summer. (Building a bike takes an average of 20 hours over the course of a Saturday and Sunday, but people have the option of a Friday head start, Odlin says.) Once people reserve a spot, they are asked to take their measurements for the bike’s design and fill out a questionnaire about themselves. They also can select their own components, such as grips and handlebars.

Everyone comes to the workshops for different reasons, Odlin says—whether they’re drawn by the idea of building their own bike, the eco-friendly aspect, the social entrepreneurship element or the relatively low price of a custom bike. (However, Odlin notes, “‘Custom bike’ means something very specific in the bike nerd world.”)

But they all have one thing in common by the end of the workshop, he says. “When everyone leaves, they’re so stoked on the fact that they built it.”

For those with more building experience, Bamboo Bike Studio also offers a kit with an instruction book and online video, accessible with a password. “If you’re all thumbs, maybe it’s not the best idea,” Odlin says.

The workshops get their share of novice builders. “We have people that don’t know how to use a saw or rarely use hammers, and they have a great time,” he says. “It’s really funny—sometimes those people are the best builders, because they will listen to everything you say and just be so focused.”

Last summer, the Bamboo Bike Studio crew essentially built the Ghana factory workings in Red Hook, Odlin says. “We built the entire factory, all the jigs, tools and equipment—a lot of it was custom-built,” he says. “Then we loaded it into a container and shipped it to Ghana.”

Now that the factory has been built, Bamboo Bike Studio’s raison d’être has been accomplished, though Odlin says the group still helps with troubleshooting with the Ghana factory. Murray left in December, so Bamboo Bike Studio is now comprised of Odlin, Aguinaldo and Greg Schroy. The new mission is to teach high school students to build bamboo bikes. So far, Bamboo Bike Studio has worked with South Bronx High School and Churchill School, as well as a school in Maine.

Bamboo Bike Studio also has expanded to San Francisco, where a location opened in November. Odlin recently became a full-time employee of Bamboo Bike Studio and will be able to devote more time to the endeavor. “I guess the punchline is I still haven’t welded a bike,” he says.

March 2011

Scott Raffaele, owner, artist and designer of 4Korners, has implemented what he calls an “eKO philosophy” in his custom cabinetry and furniture business, which he opened in Red Hook in 2001. An ecofriendly lifestyle was instilled in him at a young age by his late grandmother, Lola Anching. “She would see the beauty in what most people rejected, and she raised me for a good part of my young life,” he says. “She was an inspiration.”

Raffaele commits to use materials to their full potential and creates versatile pieces especially suited to urban living.

Two 4Korners bar stools, for example, are created from one flat 4x8 sheet of wood.

The stools also can double as side tables or be stacked sideways to create storage units. “I want my common bar stool to have an added value,” he says. The 4Korners “tea table”—Raffaele’s take on a coffee table—doubles as a bench, and the credenza can serve as a sideboard, room divider, or, with the substitution of drawers for doors, a low dresser.

Maximizing space also is a consideration in 4Korners pieces. For example, the platform bed, designed with 11 pieces that fit together like a puzzle, has four drawers incorporated into its frame for storage, as well as optional slide-out tables.

Scott Raffaele of 4Kornders creates versatile furnishings especially suited to urban living (photo courtesy Scott Raffaele).

The stools and bed usually are made from bamboo, a fast-growing plant that is considered eco-friendly. However, Raffaele keeps importing materials to a minimum. “I always try to keep the business in Brooklyn for Brooklyn,” he says.

“It’s only when I cannot find a product here that I go outside of New York, then to the neighboring states, then overseas, in that order.

Wood shavings from 4Korners and several other businesses at Pier 41 go to Added Value’s Red Hook Community Farm, as well as to Brooklyn New School (BNS), where Raffaele’s son goes to school, for the student garden and for a primitive clay-firing project.

Prices for the furnishings range from bar stools for $125 to tables at $2,500 and large storage units for $3,000. Though 4Korners sells some storage units at Voos Furniture in Williamsburg, at 105 N. 3rd Street, Suite 105c, Raffaele mostly does custom orders, which take about three to four weeks for completion.

Jeremy Pickett uses Japanese-style joinery to create the unique Forbannelse Chair (courtesy Pickett Furniture).

Pickett Furniture pickettfurniture.com

Pickett Furniture, a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, draws inspiration for its furnishings from all over the world, from Japanese joinery methods to the re-use of antique and vintage textiles from Uzbekistan and Scandinavia. Founder Jeremy Pickett uses reclaimed and sustainable wood and hand-applied finishes for his inspired designs, created in his workshop at Pier 41, and the sawdust is donated to the nearby Red Hook Community Farm.

The green practices are in line with Pickett’s personal connection to Shintoism, an ancient belief in paying respects to ancestors and objects that have come before it. “I think when I started the line, it was more about the spiritual connection to wood, and the inspiration in creating these pieces,” he says. “It’s sort of like a celebration and continuation of the tree.

How can you respect the tree and present it in this furniture form?”

Much of the work is done by hand on the collection, which includes the Trylle Side table, Helvete Table, Djevel Dresser and Forbannelse chair made from American black walnut. “The thing I like about the Forbannelse Chair is it’s a single slab of wood,” Pickett says. One piece of wood creates the back and part of the base for the comfortable chair’s unique design.

The furnishings are all hand-finished to cut down on air pollution. “I worked for people in situations where they send products to the finishing factories, and you can almost smell the building three blocks away,” Pickett says. For commercial projects that require spray finishing, Pickett uses water-based, no VOC products. Studio furnishings range from $1,200 to $9,500 and custom furniture and built-ins can cost $2,500 to $30,000.

Pickett’s showroom/office also displays the mahogany Ond Bench, which holds throws made from antique Japanese silks and from Uzbekistan textiles from the 1800s. “The idea with furniture and upholstery is: reuse and repurpose,” he says.

Brann Pendant Lights, with bent laminate bamboo shades, were born from Pickett’s winter project last year, the results of which are hanging on the wall: three skateboards fashioned from (continued on next page)

Red Hook Star-Revue Page 7

Red Hook Green

Pickett Furniture (continued from previous page)

Remnant pieces of wood are saved and turned into butcher block (photo courtesy of Pickett Furniture) eco-friendly, fast-growing bamboo. The skateboards, he says, were “a mental project—how to figure out how to do a bent laminate structure.” The lights, which range from $200 to $500, are outfitted with energy-efficient LED bulbs.

Pickett also plans to substitute LED bulbs for the fluorescent ones in his workshop.

“We’re always trying to think what can we do to green up the manufacturing process,” he says. Pickett says that manufacturers today can learn from previous mistakes, from the use of lead paint to the extinction of certain types of wood because of the clear-cutting of forests.

Pickett’s introduction to woodworking was in Indiana, during a summer job at a millwork company while he home from college. For about seven years, Pickett worked in the music industry, but “(woodworking) was always a skill I could fall back on when I wasn’t too busy,” he says. After working as a tour

Page 8 Red Hook Star-Revue

manager and promoter in Chicago, touring with bands such as Superchunk and Flaming Lips, he moved to New York City in 2000. Though Pickett toured in Japan with bands such as Bad Brains and De La Soul, when he wasn’t on tour, he worked as a cabinetmaker.

When Pickett and his wife, Tera Petersen, purchased a space in Chelsea in 2001, they started to renovate the place themselves. “I was really enjoying renovating our house,” says Pickett, who was also road-weary and ready to spend more time with his wife. Deciding to switch careers, he did an apprenticeship with cabinetmakers in Jersey City. “These guys came over from East Germany and they were trained in the old trade schools of the Communist era,” he says. “It was a pretty intense apprenticeship.”

Pickett then worked for a French furniture maker, a start-up children’s furniture company and a cabinetmaker

in Williamsburg. In 2006, however, Pickett says, “Our world was completely upended.” Shortly after the birth of the couple’s daughter, Alta, now four years old, Petersen had a brain aneurysm and was in a coma for several months. After she recovered, he says, “We decided we needed to reorganize our lives and that’s when we sold our house and moved to Brooklyn.”

Pickett, Petersen and Alta then embarked on a seven-month world trip that took them to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, China, Mongolia, Russia (including Siberia) and through the Baltic region and Scandinavia. The inspiration from various aspects can be seen in the furniture business, which Pickett started upon his return.

Now, Pickett enjoys the short travel from his Columbia Waterfront District home to Pier 41. “We like the neighborhood,” he adds.

Lunacy Design lunacydesign.com In the Pickett Furniture showroom is an eye-catching array of T-shirts with whimsical designs, including a robot, a rocket and an owl. They are the creations of Jeremy Pickett’s wife, Tera Petersen, who hand screens the organic tees using water-based non-toxic ink in the Red Hook studio. “I‘m using organic T-shirts because I feel if you are starting a new business you should be green,” says Petersen.

She uses organic tees from American Apparel, Alternative Apparel (which also is free trade) and Colored Organics. Though a few $35 tees are available for adults, most of the designs are for children, from “snappers” available for babies ranging from three to 18 months,

Tera Petersen hand screens her designs on organic T-shirts (photos of shirts courtesy Lunacy Design). to T-shirts for children up to eight years old, all $25. “I came up with designs that I liked and would want to put on my child,” she says. The T-shirts are available online from the Lunacy Design website and the Etsy shop, and can be purchased at Random Accessories, 77 E. 4th Street, in

March 2011

Red Hook Green 2525carroll.com Carroll

(continued from previous page) Manhattan. You can also find Petersen at local markets and fairs, such as Renegade Craft Fair in June and Atlantic Antic in September.

Petersen had taken a glass-blowing class and had done mosaics and wall art, but she says it was working with T-shirts that “clicked for me.” She had been a designer/illustrator in Chicago before embarking on 15-year career as a flame/inferno artist, doing special effects for film and television, including commercials, music videos and a Woody Allen film. Currently, Petersen is expanding availability of her eco-friendly tees into stores in other states.

March 2011

For nearly 113 years, the five-story structure at 25 Carroll Street, built by Francis Romeo to house his Brooklyn Macaroni Company, has witnessed the changes in the surrounding neighborhood. So it seems appropriate that the building, which came into existence during the area’s booming industrial days, has been the recipient of some eco-friendly updates by Barrett Design & Development during its conversion to 17 condo units.

And the building now emphasizes the waterfront’s attraction today—the view.

The building was outfitted with energysaving systems, such as high-efficiency gas furnaces and high-efficiency condensing units on the roof that provide heating and cooling. But it’s the ties to the building’s past that are the most interesting green aspects, such as the reclaimed wood joists and beams taken out during the renovation that will become benches for the building’s lobby and for the common roof terrace.

Tenants of the units, which are all currently under contract, will have access to the terrace through a bulkhead that is made from two recycled shipping containers. “I’ve had some experience designing with shipping containers at a previous job, and have always been interested in their potential as building components,” says real estate developer and architect Alex Barrett. “When we acquired 25 Carroll Street and saw the view of the shipping container port from the roof, we knew it was a great application.”

Because the building had been vacant for years, no interesting artifacts were uncovered, though aspects of the building still tell tales of 25 Carroll’s past.

“Existing wood beams and columns bear a lot of the scars of previous tenants and activities,” Barrett says. “There are char marks where there were fires, holes for the hanging of machinery.”

One of the biggest challenges Barrett Design & Development faced in transforming an old manufacturing building into living space was limiting sound transmission between the condo units, so experts at Brooklyn Insulation and Soundproof-

ing were called in. “Loft buildings like this have notoriously bad acoustics,” Barrett says.

The melding of old and new that is evident in the Columbia Waterfront District is what drew Barrett to the project, which began construction in March 2010. “This part of the neighborhood has been undergoing a transition from industrial to residential use, and I saw our project as an important milestone, a chance to create a great residential building that still honors the industrial past of the local area.”

Red Hook Star-Revue Page 9

NEXT MONTH IN THE

Way Back When by Sal Meglio THE WAR IS OVER!

Red Hook Star-Revue A Look At The Local Real Estate Scene Call Matt 718 624-5568 for advertising information.

Van Brunt Street, between Delevan and Pioneer Streets displays patriotic fervor in the form of confetti and American Flags as residents celebrate the end of World War II in 1945. This scene is taking place in from of the Twin Barber shop at 272 Van Brunt. It seems that this building is no longer standing. Note the cobblestones on Van Brunt, as well as the 48 star American flag.

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March 2011

ArtView

Krista Dragomer

ARTISTS 1 Robin Ha, “Jelly Fish” Robin Ha works in art and design including cartooning, fashion illustration, textile design, and fine art. She is a member of Deep 6 studio in Gowanus and currently working on comics for children.

2 Jen Ferguson, “Railbird” Jen Ferguson is an artist working in DUMBO. Her recent projects include “Monster Mash-Ups,” wine label art for Brooklyn Oenology, and “Railbirds,” an ongoing drawing project inspired by the Aqueduct Racetrack. Jen’s art was recently featured on the HBO show “Bored To Death.”

3 Matt Murphy and Sarah Uziel, “Watermelon Sandwich (The Big Squeeze)” Collaboration by Boston-based painters .

4 Kat Roberts, “My Lover My Lady” Kat Roberts is an artist and designer living in Carroll Gardens. She is a member of the Act-I-Vate comics collective and the Gowanus based studio, Hypothetical Island .

5 Dean Haspiel, “DOGMA” Dean Haspiel created the Eisner Award nominated BILLY DOGMA and helped pioneer personal webcomics with the invention of ACTI-VATE. He has drawn many comic books published

by Marvel, DC/Vertigo, Dark Horse, Image, Scholastic, Toon Books, Top Shelf, and The New York Times, including collaborations with Harvey Pekar, Jonathan Ames, and Inverna Lockpez, and illustrates for HBO’s “Bored To Death.”

8 Bartek Walicki,”Fat Baby,”Bartek Walicki lives and works in Brooklyn.

He makes drawings, prints, books, dioramas and stop motion animations.

His art investigates the relationship of invented characters to their immediate surroundings.

6 Sanya Hyland, “Oaxaca Cantante” Sanya Hyland lives and works in Boston as a letterpress printer and illustrator. She has a DIY silkscreen studio in her apartment, helps run the Lucy Parsons Center bookstore, and is involved in the political printmaking movement.

7 Emily Dunne, “Songs of Sentiment and Home,” “Where Does The Dust Go?,” “Untitled I,” Untitled II” Emily Dunne is a mixed-media artist from Queens.

These four small works are part of a series of glass slides with collages inside, intended to be kept in a pocket to fiddle with while having an awkward conversation or worrying on the subway.

Krista Dragomer Page 12 Red Hook Star-Revue

March 2011

March 2011

ArtView Red Hook Star-Revue Page 13

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RED HOOK HISTORY BY JJ BURKARD

I

The Irish Influence in Red Hook

nfluence is like a two sided coin, or a two way street. Meaning it can have an effect from both directions, it can be either good or bad, depending on those exerting the influence.

Last month I spoke about those ambitious Irishmen who helped turn New York City and indeed New York State into the maritime shipping capital of our nation. They included Col. Sullivan with his Atlantic Basin and Mr. Beard with his Erie Basin, and so many others of Irish extraction who toiled so hard and were responsible for accumulating wealth and riches. Down through the years, other notable men of Irish descent have also made their mark, Dougherties, Murphy’s, Sullivan’s, O’Hara’s, a long list of Irish names, including religious men such as Fathers Casey, Kenny, Boyle, Keane, Fox, to mention just a few. Each in his own way influenced the lives of the people in Red Hook.

But was this influence really enough, should they or could they have done just a little bit more? We all know of course that the religious of any denomination played by a different set of rules than your average businessman or woman.

Many a sacrifice was made by these men of the cloth in order to assist the people in their congregation.

If you care to wander up to our potential Landmark edifice on Verona Street, the Visitation of the B.V.M. and read the names inscribed on the historic Tiffany windows, you will find a litany of Irish names which might lead one to think they’re standing in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. These were all financially affluent people who loved their church, and loved their neighborhood, and loved their neighbors.

The world was indeed different then the 1800’s, and like the religious leaders, most played by a different set of rules. It was like a game to see how you could

outdo your neighbor in status. And don’t kid yourself, that neighbor who came out a loser, played by the same set of rules. When or if you succeeded it was your turn to blow your horn, too boast and enjoy your moments of fame. But just how was this accomplished? Well you loved Red Hook, but you moved away to a more affluent location. Your business was thriving but Red Hook was not the place to call home. You had to live in Long Beach or Upstate New York, or Greenwich Connecticut. How could you possibly live in Red Hook?

After all you needed the best schools for your children not available here. All of these reasons were consistent with the times. It was not unusual to think along those lines. It was not being selfish. It was the appropriate and accepted norm.

Now before every Irishman in Red Hook decides to take the shillelagh to me, you must understand I’m not singling out any one group of people. And if you read on, you’ll understand. Perhaps in my old age I’m sounding more and more like a guy getting ready to meet his maker. But be careful How you judge me. For perhaps also my age has kindled a certain amount of wisdom that I’d like to share with those who are capable of making our neighborhood a better place to live. I like to think it’s the latter rather than the former.

During my long lifetime, I’ve always wondered why many successful businesses in our community didn’t express more of an interest in Red Hook. People never looked at a successful businessman as being anything but correct, and of course, according to the rules followed back then, they were. It was cut and dry, they had every right to earn a living, treat their families to the best, and enjoy the fruits of their labor without feeling any remorse whatever.

But we’ve learned so much since those days, way back when as our Editor likes

to call it. For one thing, we’ve learned that most of the worlds hunger can be eradicated, starvation wiped completely off the face of this planet. We’ve learned that wars are caused by individuals, selfish individuals, greedy individuals,.

Pompous, vain individuals, many times individuals with a warped mentality. I don’t refer to defensive wars necessary to protect a nations citizens. I refer of course to wars for convenience, for territory, to covet thy neighbors goods or wealth. Or for wars provoked by just plain jealousy of the other country. Or even wars in the name of religion.

We’ve learned these wars are unjust, and can never be started or fought with a good conscience on the part of the perpetrator. But what has all this jabbering got to do with the Irish influence on Red Hook you ask? Well, just think of it, with all this new knowledge we possess today about our responsibilities to others, and all the resources at our fingertips that was not available in those days wouldn’t you think the Irish or any other nationality could have done a lot more than the normal trends of the day expected? Sure they could have. But it was not their fault, nor were they contributing to or prolonging the neglect that did exist in Red Hook, it was their way, the accepted way of playing by the rules.

Looking back in time at those prosperous Irishmen we can see how they did indeed influence Red Hook and it’s good residents. And we can even cite them for their generosity and benevolent ways. They were truly an asset to our town playing by the rules of yesteryear.

But can the same thought be applied to today’s standards? We must be affected by all the new knowledge we possess today. The knowledge that demands we love our neighbor, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick. All this is common knowledge today and to pretend it’s not is just avoiding the truth. Fortunately, many of the residents of Red Hook have a head start on all this love thy neighbor stuff. We in Red Hook have been sharing our bread

and hospitality with others for so long it’s hard to see who is the have’s, and who is the have not’s… In any game, especially the game of life, playing by the rules is great, but every once in a while the rules need to be changed to address the current situation. Way back when people wouldn’t dream of changing the rules, everyone played by the same rules.

But today, I believe most people do see these rules must be adjusted to benefit all of our sisters and all of our brothers.

For we really are our brothers keeper, I am heartened to witness so many today are revising the rules to make it easier for each other to exist in peace amongst our fellow human beings.

So the Irish were certainly influential, and so was any other nationality that amassed their huge fortune here. Some had ideals and put them into practice.

Some donated their vast properties to build hospitals one not far from here.

And some just played by the accepted rules and they were not wrong for doing so. Just like the other Nationalities they sent their children to the best schools, and lived in the best neighborhoods.

But thank God the rules of the game are being changed and updated. People are much smarter today and more concerned with the hardships of the world, and anxious to get involved in order to lend a hand trying to set things straight.

Red Hook residents have always been leaders. And with attitudes like this, we just have to be successful. Red Hook is destined to be the greatest little town in any country, anywhere in the world. I can feel it in my bones.

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March 2011

Books: A

uthor Gabriel Cohen’s love affair with Red Hook began 15 years ago, when a friend called him one evening to invite the writer to a bar he’d been hearing about called Sunny’s. Though Cohen lived in Boerum Hill at the time, he says, “I didn’t know much about the neighborhood. When we walked through it that night, though, I immediately fell in love with it.”

Cohen has been organizing Sunday at Sunny’s book readings on the first Sunday of the month since June 2002, at what he calls “my favorite bar in the world.”

The March 6 reading at 3 pm was a bit different from the usual format of three published authors reading from their own works. Instead, seven guests—six of whom are alum of the reading series— read something they wish they’d written or an excerpt that influenced them.

The “Knock Your Socks Off” reading included Marian Fontana, author of A Widow’s Walk: A Memoir of 9/11 (Simon & Schuster, 2005); poet Vijay Seshadri, author of The Long Meadow (Graywolf Press, 2004) and Wild Kingdom (Graywolf Press, 1996); Anya Ulinich, author of Petropolis (Viking Adult, 2007) and Martha Southgate, author of Third Girl from the Left (Mariner Books, 2006) and The Fall of Rome (Scribner, 2001). Also reading will be essayist and blogger Ennis Smith, independent book publicist and blogger Lauren Cerand and nonfiction writer Tom Zoellner, author of Uranium (Penguin 2010) and The Heartless Stone (Picador, 2007). “In this case, I thought it would be fun to mix things up a bit and give writers a chance to wax enthusiastic about someone else’s work, and also to give the audience a sense of how other writing might influence their own,” Cohen says.

Carroll Gardens independent bookstore BookCourt, 163 Court Street, co-sponsors the series, so featured books always are available for purchase at the readings. The $5 admission includes coffee and bakery from Court Pastry Shop, 298 Court Street. (“I particularly like their sfogliatelle and their cream puffs,” Cohen notes.) The bar is open before and after the readings, but not during, he says. “It’s really important to me to create a quiet environment for the readers in which the audience is totally focused on their readings.”

When there are three authors, on a typical Sunday, each person reads for about 20 minutes. “I usually don’t try to book according to a single theme,” Cohen says. “I think it’s more entertaining to mix things up. We have novelists, memoirists, journalists, poets, short story writers, and even an occasional photographer, if there’s a local connection.”

The April 3 reading features education blogger Alexander Russo, author of Stray Dogs, Saints, and Saviors: Fighting for the Soul of America’s Toughest High School (Jossey-Bass, 2011), the story of the reform of the dysfunctional Locke High School. On May 1, Emma Straub reads from Other People We Married (FiveChapters, 2011), a collection of 12 short stories, and author Jennifer Egan reads from A Visit from the Goon Squad (Knopf, 2010), in which every chapter is told from a different point of view—and in various formats, including a PowerPoint presentation.

March 2011

Author Gabriel Cohen Hosts Weekly Readings at Sunny’s

by Josie Rubio

Though there’s no theme to the events, Cohen says he sometimes likes “to book people with books that relate to the harbor or the waterfront, since Sunny’s is just a stone’s throw from the water.”

The Red Hook waterfront provides the backdrop for three of the six books Cohen has written, a series of crime novels driven by protagonist Jack Leightner, a detective with NYPD’s Brooklyn South Homicide Task Force. In the first novel, Red Hook (Minotaur, 2001), Leightner is drawn back to the neighborhood after the discovery of a body along the Gowanus Canal, and Leightner’s son, Ben, a documentary filmmaker, finds himself captivated by Red Hook’s history.

The follow-up, Graving Dock (Minotaur, 2007), starts with a coffin washing ashore in Red Hook. The neighborhood is seen through the eyes of three different generations: a middle-aged detective who sees the area as declined; his father, who was a longshoreman, and Ben, who sees beauty in Red Hook.

“I thought that the neighborhood itself was a bit of a mystery,” Cohen says. “In the middle of the last century, it was a very thriving place with shipyards, lots of bars, markets, theaters, and about twice the population it has today. I was very curious as to what happened that changed the place so drastically.”

Some of the area’s history is interwoven in Cohen’s novels as well. “In my latest novel, The Ninth Step (Minotaur, 2010), there’s a whole subplot about what Red Hook was like in 1965, as well as an absolutely amazing true story about a fire on a munitions ship in New York harbor back during WWII that came incredibly close to wiping out a huge chunk of Manhattan, New Jersey and Staten Island,” he says. Another book in the Jack Leightner series, Neptune Avenue (Minotaur, 2009), takes place mainly in Brighton Beach and Crown

“I thought that the neighborhood itself was a bit of a mystery,” Cohen says.

“In the middle of the last century, it was a very thriving place with shipyards, lots of bars, markets, theaters, and about twice the population it has today. I was very curious as to what happened that changed the place so drastically.”

Heights. Storms Can’t Hurt the Sky (Da Capo Press, 2008) is a personal look at how Buddhism helped Cohen through a divorce, and Boombox (Academy Chicago Publishers, 2007) takes place among neighbors on a block in Boerum Hill.

It’s Red Hook, however, that’s had a hold on Cohen’s imagination since that first stroll to Sunny’s. The lack of a nearby subway stop keeps the area from becoming another neighborhood overrun by hipsters then priced out by wealthy Wall Street types, he says, citing Williamsburg as an example. “I loved the fact that it was right across the harbor from Manhattan but felt like a completely different world,” he says. “It was quiet and very intimate and very open to the sea breezes and the sky. That some parts of it were in disarray, like the old Revere Sugar factory, didn’t bother me. I really liked the fact that this was a beautiful place with an amazing sense of nautical history.

Sunday at Sunny’s is the first Sunday of every month (save for a break every August and for conflicting holidays) at Sunny’s Bar,

Author Gabriel Cohen hosts Sundays at Sunny’s readings on the first Sunday of the month.

253 Conover Street, at 3 pm. Admission is $5.

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Red Hook Star-Revue Page 15

RunAround Sue Brings Sugar Shack Burlesque to Jalopy Theatre

I

n a typical anxiety nightmare, you take the stage to make a speech or find yourself roaming the halls of your high school. That’s when you realize you’re naked, or you’ve forgotten to put on something important, like pants.

Sue Gardner, better known by her stage name of RunAround Sue, founder and artistic director of Sugar Shack Burlesque, actually found herself in that situation. About six years ago, as a relatively new burlesque performer, Gardner was performing at the Slipper Room on the Lower East Side, and she got to the tassel twirl part of her act. “I hadn’t put on any pasties,” she recalls with a laugh. “I just pretended like I was wearing tassels, and it worked.”

Though a burlesque performer may be more comfortable on stage—and, perhaps, clad in less—than the average person, Gardner says a wardrobe malfunction still can throw a wrench into a performance. The key is to take it in stride. As long as “you’re having a good time,” then it’s not awkward for the dancer or the audience, she says.

And good fun is at the heart of Sugar Shack Burlesque shows, performed quarterly at Jalopy Theatre and School of Music. The next show, March 11 at 9 pm, features performances by RunAround Sue and Bunny Love, plus musical accompaniment from Miss Broadway Brassy. The $10 cover also will grant you admittance to the first aerial performance with Sugar Shack from Airin DeSkies, who will dance on silks suspended from Jalopy’s ceiling.

Those who aren’t familiar with burlesque often picture what Gardner describes as the “Golden Age of Burlesque” and the time of Gypsy Rose Lee, with boas, fans, gowns and glamour. Others may think of the recent Burlesque film with Cher and Christina Aguilera. Though Gardner says the film is very different from her own life, she enjoyed it. “It’s a topic that people get really ignited over, and I think it’s one of those battles we don’t need to fight.” She adds that that story arc is similar to burlesque films in the ’40s and ’50s.

“You have this beautiful new girl, this domineering protagonist character and there’s this love conflict, and they’re going to lose the theater,” she summarizes.

Sugar Shack is not quite either. A show could include, “a really hilarious pop culture number where someone’s dressed up as Count Dracula, and then you have a really elegant sophisticated piece, and you have someone contorting through a tennis racquet,” she says.

By Josie Rubio

ates, Gardner says. “They’re in that room for a minute and everyone’s laughing at the same thing and there’s no posturing.”

Gardner herself discovered burlesque six years ago. “I really love people and being out amongst people, so performing was just like the next natural step for me— and then I love being in control,” she says, punctuating the statement with her infectious laugh. “So the next step was producing.”

Gardner learned about burlesque performances by attending shows, and through trial and error. “I definitely learned on my feet,” she says. “Some shows were great successes and some were just very hard to get through.” Additionally, she attended a workshop called “School of Shimmy” and took a few classes at the New York School of Burlesque, run by performer Jo “Boobs” Weldon, author of The Burlesque Handbook (It Books, 2010). “Every burlesque dancer has taken a workshop there and is involved some

“she attended a workshop called “School of Shimmy” and took a few classes at the New York School of Burlesque, run by performer Jo “Boobs” Weldon.” way,” Gardner says. Sugar Shack also offers burlesque classes.

While Gardner was producing her first burlesque show, for Habana Outpost in Fort Greene, she met a performer called Lady Satan, who now runs the West Coast Sugar Shack Burlesque in San Francisco. “We just immediately bonded and she and I loved going out and having a good time and using burlesque to ignite us,” Gardner says. “We would see a burlesque show and just go out dancing all night.” Sugar Shack was born, as was the “Shaken and Stirred” dance party, now hosted by RunAround Sue and Scooter Pie, held every Wednesday at the

Delancey on the Lower East Side.

Since then, Sugar Shack has established itself in the burlesque scene not only in New York, but on the road, in Washington D.C., Montauk, London, the Berkshires and Richmond, Va. The group even performed the first public burlesque show in Bermuda in 2009.

Since starting the troupe, Gardner has seen burlesque become a viable career option. “It’s grown exponentially,” she says.

She even held a burlesque workshop in her hometown of Richmond, where she earned a theater degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. After graduating, she says, “I moved into this green Volvo with my friends and we just drove around and around the country.” They would return to Richmond for months at a time to wait tables, before hitting the road again.

After a small Warner Bros. film role earned Gardner enough money to move to New York City, she packed her bags and moved into a one-bedroom Queens apartment with seven friends in July 1999. “We’d sit up on the roof and just look at Manhattan and be like, ‘What are we doing here?’” she recalls. In years since then, she says, “Some of us are still here and some of us have moved on. I fell into burlesque.”

Good Screamer but Better Dancer Gardner has always been interested in performing; her first role was in an American frontier musical at Prickett’s Fork State Park in West Virginia, where she lived with her grandmother for several years. She played a 12-year-old girl who met an unfortunate end at the

hands of Native Americans. “I played that character because I was a really good screamer,” she says.

However, Gardner says burlesque suits her more than theater. “With acting, I didn’t have enough control and I probably wasn’t any good,” she says. “I think I’m really good at being me, so that’s why I’m a good burlesque dancer.”

Sugar Shack Burlesque is at Jalopy Theatre, 315 Columbia St., on March 11 at 9 pm.

For more information, visit jalopy.biz or sugarshackburlesque.com.

LONG WALK HOME BY J.W. ZEH

Three Wishes

Sugar Shack’s performance at Jalopy in December, for example, included music from the Peculiar Gentlemen and an array of performances, running the gamut from sexy glamour to sharp wit and playful humor. RunAround Sue did an elegant number, as well as an act with plumes and tassels, while Legs Malone did a playful skit that involved being granted three wishes by a genie.

Fern Appeal undressed as Samuel L. Jackson’s character from Pulp Fiction, complete with applied facial hair and a cheeseburger (or Royale with cheese).

The performers also invited audience participation with a tongue-twister and a limerick challenge.

Audience participation not only makes the shows more fun, but it also reinforces the sense of community burlesque cre-

Page 16 Red Hook Star-Revue

March 2011

Music: D

espite their new album’s title, by comparison to when they released their first record, Sweet East River, in 2006, things look pretty peachy these days for Eden and John’s East River String Band.

They will unveil the new release, Be Kind To A Man When He’s Down, with a sure to be sold-out show at Jalopy Theatre (advance tickets are required), where they will be accompanied by world famous comic book artist and old-time music aficionado Robert Crumb, who plays mandolin on the new record and provided the cover art.

But as John Heneghan, guitarist and one half of the East River String Band’s core that also includes singer and ukuleleist Eden Brower, tells me, it used to be hard for the band just to get a gig that covered cab fare.

“When we started out, we played the Lakeside Lounge and CBGB’s Gallery,” he recalls. “CBGB’s Gallery was one of these places where they booked 12 bands, and if you didn’t get 10 people, you had to pay them. It was one disconnected band after another, and was pretty horrible. So until Jalopy came around, we didn’t really perform that much in the area. We just did whatever fell into our laps, because the gigs just really weren’t that good. It’s hard to get interest from the general public when they have no idea what you are doing. If you say ‘old-time music’ or ‘country blues,’ 99 percent of the people has no reference for it, and the 1 percent that does is wrong. But now there are places like Jalopy that cater in, not only acoustic music, but an old-time thing.”

By “old-time music,” he’s referring to the broad label placed on traditional music of the early twentieth century that included early forms of country and blues. Before he and Eden started performing music from the period, Heneghan had been collecting 78rpm records mostly from the ’20 and ’30s. When Brower continually

Eden and John’s East River String Band plays at Jalopy together with R. Crumb

By Stephen Slaybaugh

suggested that he get some gigs playing the music he loved, he only acquiesced after she agreed to sing with him. But it wasn’t until after a new generation of musicians began generating interest and Jalopy opened that it seemed worthwhile to perform in public.

“If you say ‘oldtime music’ or ‘country blues,’ 99% of the people have no reference for it, and the 1% that do are wrong.”

“I attribute (the interest) to Jalopy, and I attribute it to a younger generation that came out of nowhere,” he says. “ Guys like Dom Flemons, Eli Smith and Feral Foster, who, even before Jalopy, were trying to book nights of old-time music anywhere they could. They were really trying to help whoever was interested in playing this stuff to have a weekly or monthly gig and did a lot of work so that the 15 people in New York who were really into old-time music would have a place to hang out.”

Flemons and Smith played on the East River String Band’s 2009 release, Drunken Barrel House Blues, which also features artwork by Crumb, as does 2008’s Some Cold Rainy Day. The couple met Crumb through his daughter, Sophie. “Eden had met Sophie when she was living in New York and they became friends,” Heneghan says. “Basically, she came over to our

Eden Brower (left) and John Heneghan (middle) with Robert Crumb (right) apartment and said, ‘Wow, this looks like my parents’ house! You have to meet my father. You have all these records and stuff.’ So she introduced me to him, and we became friends through our mutual love of the old music. We started playing right away just because that’s what you do when you hang out and listen to records.”

Crumb lives in France, but because the band basically records using one microphone direct to a computer, they were able to get nine of the album’s 14 tracks down while visiting overseas. “We started out with stuff that we had been playing,” Heneghan remembers, “and then as we started recording, we picked a couple more songs. Most of the stuff is first takes. Crumb is just like, ‘Ah, that’s good enough,’ which I’m like too. I don’t like to fuss too much about it. One of the great things about this old music is it’s not about having everything be perfect. It came from an age where you just played and it was never perfect. So we did everything first-take and some of the songs we picked on the spot. ‘Fare Thee Blues’ was something we had never played before Crumb suggested it. We didn’t have any particular plan, and I like the way the album came out. It has a nice flow, but at the same time, if we thought about it too

much, we might have ended up doing all string-band songs or all blues. It’s a pretty nice variety.”

Like past records, Be Kind consists entirely of covers of songs from the oldtimey period. But where once, John and Eden tried to replicate the records in Heneghan’s collection, they’ve learned it’s better to have a little fun with the songs.

“We try not to take it too literally notefor-note, because then it gets tedious and you’re a cover band not unlike Sabbath Cadabra doing Black Sabbath,” he says.

“When we started out, we thought if you did Mississippi John Hurt, every lick had to be perfect the way he played it. Over the years, you stop playing them note-fornote out of boredom and then you come up with your own interpretation that’s much more enjoyable to play. We want to have our own sound and hopefully, if it were 1927, no one would say we sound weird. Hopefully, we would fit in with that crowd without just sounding like some other record.”

Eden and John’s East River String Band will celebrate the release of their new album on March 24 at the Jalopy Theatre. Please note that advance tickets are required for this show. For tickets, call (718) 395-3214.

Music Bits: Seanchai & the Unity Squad;Budos Band from its original Manhattan location on Lexington Avenue in 2007. For the holiday, Byrne’s Seanchai & the Unity Squad, who regularly plays at Rocky’s on Saturday nights, will perform.

Seanchai & the Unity Squad, March 17, Rocky Sullivan’s In Red Hook, where to go for St. Patrick’s Day is something of a no-brainer: Rocky Sullivan’s. Located at the corner of Van Dyke and Dwight streets, the pub is a loose interpretation of an Irish pub, serving both brick-oven pizza and Guinness.

Somehow that seems appropriate, as it’s owned by Chris Byrne, a Brooklyn native who’s made a living modernizing Irish music. Formerly of Black 47, the Celtic rock band best known for its hit, “Funky Céilí,” he relocated the bar to Red Hook

March 2011

The Unity Squad’s beginnings date back to 1994, when Byrne, inspired by Ireland’s World Cup squad, released “C’mon Ya Boyz n’ Green” under the name Seanchai (Gaelic for “storyteller”). After Byrne formed the Unity Squad with vocalist Rachel Fitzgerald, the band released its debut, There Will Be Another Day, in 1997. In 2000, Byrne left Black 47 to focus on his new endeavor, and in subsequent years, the band has released another five albums.

Over the course of those records, the Unity Squad has cultivated a unique hybrid of styles: Irish folk, rock, ska, punk, and, most surprisingly, hip-hop. It all actually blends together without seeming forced, sounding at once traditional and modern, a perfect accompaniment to a stout and a slice. - Stephen Slaybaugh

Budos Band, The Bell House, March 11

Since forming in 2003, the Budos Band has become adept at creating killer instrumental grooves. On their most recent release, last year’s Budos Band III (their third album, in case you couldn’t guess), the ten-piece Staten Island outfit combines elements of Afro-beat and highlife, R&B, ska and surf-rock into something wholly unique and captivating. The album, recorded at their label’s Daptone House of Soul studio in Bushwick, is thickly layered with all the components of the band’s repertoire — multiple drums, horns and guitars, and an underlying whir of synthesizer — coming together to make a sound that’s as distinctive as it is reminiscent of big bands of the past like the JBs, Egypt ’80 and Orchestra Baobab. On songs like “Golden Dunes” and “Mark of the Unnamed,” the funk the band emits is every bit as nuanced as it is soul-kissed, with guitar reverberations melding with bass thumps, Wurlitzer whines, horn punctuations, and an air of intrigue. Live, the band is known for electrifying performances, taking their soulful revue to a whole other level. - Stephen Slaybaugh (photo by Kisha Bari)

Red Hook Star-Revue Page 17

Food: D

ean Caselnova, the chef, owner and namesake of Caselnova on 215 Columbia Street, didn’t expect to own trattoria in the Columbia Waterfront District until very recently. He could very well still be on Wall Street, where he worked for 10 years, or in Italy, where he lived for a year to attend culinary school. “When I was in culinary school, I wanted nothing to do with the restaurants,” he says, adding that he initially wanted to go into catering.

But when the local 2 Fifteen Cucina Napolitana spot closed, Caselnova saw his opportunity to open his own establishment, which serves pastas, Italian fare and brick-oven pizza. “As life goes, sometimes you make a left and sometimes you make a right,’” he says. “I’m here. I’m happy about it.”

Caselnova has previously managed a small East Village Italian eatery, as well as a kitchen for a destination restaurant in Greenport, Long Island, and, most recently, he worked in a 200-seat Italian restaurant. But it was the time he spent pursuing formal training in Bologna, Italy, and living in Maori, on the Almafi coast, that honed his culinary skills.

“Mostly you learn how to use the products properly,” he says.

For example, “Pastas shouldn’t be overly sauced,” he says. And indeed, judicious use of sauce was shown in the rigatoni I tried, with just the right amount of filetto di pomodoro sauce, simmered with prosciutto, onions and bits of basil.

The sauce itself is rich in flavor, yet is light on the tongue. Though it’s right for the pasta, you would sneak a few extra spoonfuls if there were a pot simmering on the stove in your own kitchen.

Caselnova prides himself on his Bolognese sauce that comes with the housemade tagliatelle. He also makes the ravioli, served in a light tomato sauce, as well as the manicotti, filled with sweet ricotta and created from his family’s recipe. Caselnova says that though the pennette alla vodka is not a traditional Italian dish, his recipe draws praise from diners.

Bread from Mazzola

Meals started with rustic seeded Italian bread—also used for salad croutons and for the paninis—from nearby Mazzola.

“I’m usually there once or twice a day,” says Caselnova. Recently, the restaurant also started baking its own bread to serve at the table and use with paninis.

There are several salad options with housemade dressing, including baby arugula salad with citrus vinaigrette. I tried the Caesar salad, with shaved reggiano and croutons. It was nicely dressed, and

Page 18 Red Hook Star-Revue

Caselnova Set to Live Up to Its Promise of Becoming ‘the Neighborhood Trattoria’

by Josie Rubio

though my dining companion thought that the dressing needed more garlic, Caselnova’s version is a good choice if you want to enjoy Caesar salad without being self-conscious of your breath the rest of the evening.

The calamari fritti was lightly breaded, as promised, and the calamari was perfectly tender, served with lemon and marinara sauce. Other appetizer options include antipasto misto for two, cozze (mussels simmered in marinara sauce) and vongole al forno (baked littleneck clams with house breadcrumbs and lemon sauce).

Diners can choose toppings for the Neopolitan-style brick-oven pizzas, or select from the six house pizzas, including verdure, topped with seasonal vegetables, and the Bianca. “My favorite is the plain old Margherita,” says Caselnova.

“It’s kind of like the litmus test,” for an establishment’s pizza. Caselnova’s passes, although on our first visit, the Margherita pizza was devoid of basil and our server forgot to bring the topping when it was requested. However, a second sampling redeemed the pizza. Nicely chewy crust is topped with richly, flavorful, yet light sauce (a theme here), mozzarella—and this time, basil! The pizzas, which have six slices each, are enough for one person, with possible leftovers, or for two people to share, provided they’re also eating something else.

Carbonara Pizza is a Hit

“A big winner is the Carbonara pizza,” says Caselnova, adding he receives a lot of compliments from diners. He can add me to the list as well. The decadently creamy white sauce that tops the pizza dotted with just the right amount of onion and pancetta. I also sampled the intriguing diavola pizza, topped with hot sopressata pickled cherry peppers and pepperoncini oil. The oil provided heat without being too spicy, and the crust is strong enough to support the pepperoncini oil, though some ends up on the pie dish.

During our several visits, we never made it to the Secondi course, which includes choices such as maiale, pan-seared pork tenderloin, and cotoletta, veal cutlet with proscuitto, fontina and machiatto cream sauce. As for the scarpariello, bone-in chicken with sausage, red peppers and new potatoes, Caselnova says, “I get compliments on that dish a lot, from people saying it’s the best they ever had.”

On Sundays, Caselnova offers a familystyle meal for $18.95 per person, with house salad, fuscilli with gravy (sauce) and meatballs and sausage, with ricotta and housemade biscotti.

peppers, arugula and extra virgin olive oil. It was served with a side of roasted red pepper sauce/puree, though I enjoyed the sandwich better without it. The sesame seeds on the bread sometimes overpowered the other sandwich ingredients, but I can’t speak for the paninis with Caselnova’s homemade bread.

The establishment itself is cozy and inviting, with exposed brick and warm wood.

On the wall, you’ll also see the work of some of Caselnova’s youngest guests;

children are given crayons and a pizza picture to color. The family-friendly establishment also has a children’s menu, says Caselnova, who has a 2-year-old and another child due in June. Overall, the feeling is as the sign outside proclaims, “the neighborhood trattoria.”

Caselnova is open from 11:30 am-10 pm Tuesday through Friday, 2-11 pm on Saturday and 2-8 pm on Sunday, with extended hours in the summer. Delivery also is available.

&

UNION LIVE IN CONCERT

Homemade Desserts

Most desserts—save for the gelato, sorbeto and tartufo—are made in-house.

Among the choices are tiramisu and panna cotta, as well as an Italian cheesecake made with ricotta that we can personally recommend. Caselnova also says he recently offered “the world’s best chocolate pudding” as a special. If you prefer to end the meal with a digestivo, there’s also a selection of grappas. (Caselnova received its liquor license in January.)

The paninis, available only at lunch, were consistently good, especially the hearty chicken and meatball parmesan. I also tried the Pompiere: hot soppressata, provola (smoked mozzarella), sautéed

Saturday March 19 at

THE UNION STREET STAR THEATER

101 UNION STREET

(Between Van Brunt & Columbia) FREE ADMISSION Doors Open at 7:30 pm

March 2011

Art:

Sculptor Antonio Bilotta Creates a Unique World

by Frank Galeano

Antonio Bilotta was born in New York city and raised in Calabria Italy. He currently lives in France. I recently attended an exhibit of his work sponsored by Workshop Gallery Artists Foundation at Brooklyn Workshop Gallery. We will talk about the foundation in greater detail later.

First a few questions for Antonio: RHSR: Why become a sculptor?

AB: As a means of expressing myself.

RHSR:What are you expressing?

AB: Feelings emotion each figure is different.

RHSR:What materials do you work with?

AB: I work in clay. I use fiberglass for large sculptures and plaster for small ones.

I really enjoy clay.

Workshop Gallery Artists Foundation is a small non profit foundation. Its purpose is to help young artists gain experience. The foundation sponsored Antonio's show as a way to introduce him to their Brooklyn neighborhood and as a way for their younger, less-experienced artists to gain experience by working alongside him with loading the kiln, setting the show and the business of an exhibition. Antonio taught a children's workshop for the foundation where to their surprise he told them to, "Go faster. Trust yourself."

I enter the gallery and see several busts all displayed at about eye level. At first they all look the same , but as I spend more time I realize that they are all very very different.

Each sculpture invoked different emotions. After a few minutes moving from bust to bust I had the sensation of being with people. The busts are so descriptive in their malformation as to have different personalities and vastly different life experiences. Martine comments on this observation, "The first purpose of art is to sensitize us to our own experience and the experiences around us -- others, the world. Not all art does that, Antonio''s does.

It makes us more open to the human experience in all forms. That's what counts. When ever we do something positive or negative to another person we change them forever.”

“The Boxer” The sculpture above in front is the boxer. Antonio tells me, "You can find him anywhere.

Little by little life has destroyed him. Now he is quiet. He accepts his broken existence."

I move close and put my hands on the piece. I feel where Antonios fingers have left impressions. it’s a powerful moment.

Next I move on to “Primo: The Professor” (pictures above to the our left of the boxer) Antonio Explaines that the professor knows the world cannot change , but still he tries.

He never gives up even thoughn he knows he will fail. Looking at the Professor , His downcast eyes his sad yet determined expression tell his story .

“The Lovers” two sculptures facing each other but slightly askew. He is strong yet damaged like the boxer. He is a man that knows what he wants. She is much more finished and fine. Very pretty even petite. Antonio tells me he he protects her. They look out for each other each looking over each others shoulder. They choose to be together yet don’t quite see eye to eye. Oh how true to life.

Mr Bilotta has recently acquired a Studio/Workspace on the Beard Street Pier in Red Hook. He will be The Boxer leaving for France in the first weeks of March then returning in April to work on his art in Red Hook.

New BWAC Show Opens Season BWAC’s second national art show, Wide Open, opens Saturday March 12th at the BWAC gallery, across from Fairway at 499 Van Brunt Street.

As described by BWAC: “The broad theme of “Wide Open 2” encompasses all the possibilities of knowledge and freedom and love …wide open spaces…arms wide open…eyes wide open…but as with all things, there is the inevitable opposite… wide open to attack …corruption …failure.

What kind of fantasy is this? What does it really indicate?”

This is a juried show with a total of $1750 awarded to artists, including a $500 People’s Choice award to be selected by gallery visitors over the three weekends of the show. The $1,000 Best in Show will be presented at a ceremony on the opening day of the show, Saturday, March 12th.

The show is jurored by Nathan Trotman, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Guggenheim Museum. He holds a Master of Philosophy from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he focused on performance, photography, and time-based art, and is a graduate of the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program. Among the exhibitions he has curated are Haunted: Contemporary Photography/ Video/Performance; Catherine Opie: American Photographer, and he served as assistant curator for Spanish Painting

March 2011

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from El Greco to Picasso: Time, Truth and History; exhibitions on David Smith, Richard Serra and Constantin Brancusi; and the acclaimed Matthew Barney: The Cremaster Cycle.

Says Trotman, “In reviewing the many entries for Wide Open 2, I was consistently impressed with the variety and quality of the works. I was struck in particular by a sort of fervent surrealism that repeatedly appeared across all the mediums submitted. Many works mixed obvious concerns about the war in Iraq,

the state of the economy, and other contemporary issue with colorful, often humorous, otherworldly visions. These scenes, together with a rich selection of abstract work and strong installation pieces, should make for a powerful and compelling exhibition.”

The hours of this show are 1 - 6 pm, and the gallery is open weekends only from March 12-March 27. The opening reception and Awards Ceremony will take place at 3 pm on the 12th.

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BigSkyBrooklyn.com

by Adam Eisenstat

PortSide New York: All Aboard the Mary A. Whalen

O

Who does your ropes? (All photos by Adam Eisenstat except where noted)

n a sunny day in late February, I visited the Mary A. Whalen at Pier 9B, on the Buttermilk Channel. The old tanker is headquarters to PortSide New York, a non-profit organization with a mission to bring New York’s blue space—“the water part of the waterfront”—to life through cultural/ educational, environmental and vocational programs.

A few dirty mounds of snow scattered along the pier were the harsh winter’s only vestiges.

The deck of the handsome, rugged boat (built in 1938) seemed like an ideal spot to appreciate the first stirrings of spring. Carolina Salguero, founder and director of PortSide New York, lives on the boat year-round and described what it was like in the winter.

Matter-of-factly, she recounted eight-hour days shoveling snow—the 90-foot long deck and large sections of the pier must be totally cleared—securing lines in 50 milean-hour winds and unfreezing exposed water pipes with a torch. She and a small staff run the operation, with help from a crew of consultants, advisors and volunteers.

The Brooklyn waterfront has undergone a dramatic renaissance over the last 15 years, with large swaths of once inaccessible and decaying space steadily opening up to the public. Brooklyn Bridge Park and other endeavors promise more of the same, as the splendid nautical charms of old New York re-emerge from a long epoch of decline.

The blue space, though, is one element that has been neglected in this otherwise commendable effort.

“What do you have once you get the access? A lawn with a bench—a view,” Salguero says. “The designers are usually landscape architects and consider only the pedestrians.

They don’t account for the conditions of the water and the piers in their planning.”

She believes that waterfront experts—from the Army Corp of Engineers, for example—should play a greater role in developing waterfront projects. “When you build a pier right, it allows for a lot more variety in what you can do; there’s a whole other dimension, with the participation of different types of watercraft.”

PortSide New York was started in 2005, and its floating headquarters has been a guest of American Stevedoring at the Red Hook Container Port since 2006 (with occasional forays to other spots along Brooklyn’s western shore).

Negotiations are underway to move the Mary A. Whalen to a new home in Atlantic Basin—just south of Pier 9B, next to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. This would give PortSide New York permanent space inside the Pier 11 shed and use of the pier, while the Mary A. Whalen could readily visit other communities.

The new location’s main advantage is that it would allow greater public access. This in turn would enhance PortSide New York’s development as a maritime cultural center and vital community resource. Given Salguero’s expansive vision and tireless energy, along with the community’s abundant nautical tradition, it might not be a stretch to say the organization’s possibilities are oceanic.

Up from below

Down in the engine room

The Mary A. Whalen (photo by Carolina Salguero)

Page 20 Red Hook Star-Revue

March 2011

Star-Revue Restaurant Guide RED HOOK

BAKED 359 Van Brunt St., (718) 2220345. Bakery serving cupcakes, cakes, coffee, pastries, lunch items. Free wi-fi.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

AE, DS, MC, V. THE BROOKLYN ICE HOUSE 318 Van Brunt St., (718) 222-1865. Burgers, barbecue and pulled pork sandwiches.

Open for lunch and dinner daily. Cash DEFONTE’S SANDWICH SHOP 379 Columbia St., (718) 855-6982. Variety of large sandwiches, including roast beef and potato and egg. Open for breakfast and lunch Mon-Sat. Cash only.

DIEGO’S RESTAURANT 116 Sullivan St., (718) 625-1616. Mexican and Latin American cuisine. Open for lunch and dinner Mon-Sat. AE, DS, MC, V. Grade: A. F&M BAGELS 383 Van Brunt St., (718) 855-2623. Bagels, sandwiches, wraps, chicken salad, breakfast plates, burgers, hot entrees and more. Open for breakfast and lunch daily 5 am-5 pm. AE, DS, MC, V. Delivery available.

FORT DEFIANCE 365 Van Brunt St., (347) 453-6672. Brunch, sandwiches and small plates. Open for breakfast Tue; breakfast, lunch and dinner Mon, WedSun. AE, DS, MC, V. THE GOOD FORK 391 Van Brunt St., (718) 643-6636. Fare from Chef Sohui Kim in an unpretentious atmosphere; menu varies seasonally and can include pork dumplings, roast chicken, homemade gnocchi and steak and eggs Korean style. Open for dinner Tue-Sun. AE, MC, V. HOME/MADE 293 Van Brunt St., (347) 223-4135. Seasonal, local and rustic/elegant cuisine, with an extensive wine list of

40 selections by the glass, and local brew and Kombucha on tap. Coffee and pastry Mon-Fri 7 am-2 pm, dinner Wed-Fri 5 pm to 11 pm, brunch Sat & Sun 10 am-4pm, dinner 4-11 pm.

HOPE & ANCHOR 347 Van Brunt St., (718) 237-0276. Large menu that includes burgers, entrees and all-day breakfast.

Open for lunch and dinner Mon-Fri; breakfast, lunch and dinner Sat-Sun. AE, DS, MC, V. IKEA One Beard St., (718) 246-4532.

Swedish meatballs, pasta, wraps and sandwiches; breakfast items include eggs and cinnamon buns. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. AE, DS, MV, V. KEVIN’S 277 Van Brunt St., (718) 5968335. Seafood, seasonal and local fare.

Open for dinner Thu-Sat, brunch Sat-Sun. AE, MC, V. MARK’S PIZZA 326 Van Brunt St., (718) 624-0690. Open for lunch and dinner daily. AE, MC, V. Delivery available.

RED HOOK CAFÉ & GRILL 228 Van Brunt St. (718) 643-0166 or (718) 6430199. Bagels, pancakes, omelettes, wraps, salads, hot sandwiches, burgers and daily specials. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Mon-Fri 5 am-5 pm, Sat-Sun 6 am-4 pm. Cash only. Delivery available.

CASELNOVA 214 Columbia St., (718) 522-7500. Traditional Northern and Southern Italian dishes, brick-oven pizza, pasta, lunch panini. Open for lunch and dinner Tue-Sun. Delivery. AE, DS, MC, V. FERNANDO’S FOCACCERIA RESTAURANT 151 Union St., (718) 8551545. Southern Italian fare, including pasta and panelle. Open for lunch and dinner Mon-Sat. Cash only.

FULTUMMY’S 221 Columbia St., (347) 725-3129. Coffee shop with sandwiches.

Free wi-fi. Open for lunch and dinner TueSat, lunch Sun. Cash only. Delivery.

HOUSE OF PIZZA & CALZONES 132 Union St., (718) 624-9107. Pizza, calzones and sandwiches. Open for lunch and dinner daily. Cash only. Delivery available.

IRO 115 Columbia St., (718) 254-8040.

Japanese cuisine, including sushi and noodle dishes. Open for lunch and dinner daily. AE, MC, V. Delivery available.

JAKE’S BARBECUE RESTAURANT 189 Columbia St., (718) 522-4531. Kansas City-style barbecue, including baby back ribs. Open for lunch and dinner daily. AE, MC, V. Delivery available.

KOTOBUKI BISTRO 192 Columbia St., (718) 246-7980. Japanese and Thai cuisine, including sushi, teriyaki, pad Thai and special maki named after area streets.

Open for lunch Mon-Sat, dinner 7 days.

AE, MC, V. Delivery available.

LILLA CAFE 126 Union St., (718) 8555700. Seasonal fare, hormone and antibiotic-free meats, bread baked on premises and homemade pasta from Chef Erling Berner. BYOB. Open for dinner Tue-Sun, lunch Thu-Fri, brunch Sat-Sun. MC, V. MAZZAT 208 Columbia St., (718) 8521652. Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare, including falafel sandwiches, kibbe, bronzini, lamb shank, baklava and small plates. Open for lunch and dinner daily.

AE, MC, V. Delivery available. PETITE CREVETTE 144 Union St., (718) 8552632. Seafood, including corn-and-crab chowder, salmon burgers and cioppino, from Chef Neil Ganic. BYOB. Open for lunch and dinner Tue-Sat. Cash only.

TEEDA THAI CUISINE 218 Columbia St., (718) 643-2737. Thai dishes include papaya salad, dumplings and massamun curry. Open for lunch and dinner Mon-Sat, dinner Sun. MC, V. Delivery available.

RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND 284 Van Brunt St., (646) 326-7650. Maine lobster rolls, Connecticut rolls and whoopie pies.

Open for lunch and dinner Fri-Sun. MC; V. ROCKY SULLIVAN’S 34 Van Dyke St., (718) 246-8050. Irish pub with brick-oven pizza, sandwiches and Red Hook Lobster Pound feasts Fri 6-9 pm, Sat 5-8 pm. Open for lunch and dinner daily. AE, DS, MC, V.

COLUMBIA WATERFRONT DISTRICT

5 BURRO CAFE 127 Columbia St., (718) 875-5515. Mexican. Open for lunch and dinner Tue-Fri, brunch and dinner SatSun. AE, DS, MC, V. ALMA 187 Columbia St., (718) 643-5400.

Modern Mexican fare. Open for dinner Mon-Fri, brunch and dinner Sat-Sun. AE, DS, MC, V.

TAKE OUT from CASELNOVA ...the easy way to lower your utility bills...

CALEXICO CARNE ASADA 122 Union St., (718) 488-8226. Tex-Mex burritos, tacos, quesadillas and more. Open for lunch and dinner daily. Cash only.

Delivery available.

March 2011

Red Hook Star-Revue Page 21

Music & Arts Calendar CHILDREN

Jalopy Theatre and School of Music—315 Columbia St., (718) 395-3214, jalopy.biz. Okee Dokee Brothers and Rolie Polie Guacamole, 3/13 at 3 pm. Adm $10, $35 per family of four, babies free.

CLASSES/WORKSHOPS

102Commerce—102 Commerce St., (718) 710-1773, annamumford.com. Gravity Surfing, workshop building core strength, 3/27 at 2 pm, $20 in advance, $25 at door.

Brooklyn General—128 Union St., (718) 2377753, brooklyngeneral.com. Finishing Tips & Tricks, 3/28, 4/4 from 6-8 pm, $80; Lace Knitting (intermediate-advanced), 3/6, 13, 20 & 27 from 5-7 pm, $160; Sewing Pajama Bottoms and Zippered Pouch, 3/12, 19 & 26 & 4/2 from 9:30-11:30 am, $160; Sewing All-Day Tote Bag (intermediate), 3/10, 17, 24 & 31 from 7-9 pm; Sewing Dress (intermediate to advanced, 3/23, 30, 4/6, 13 & 20 from 6:30-8:30 pm, $200; Introduction to Embroidery, 3/13 from 11 am-1 pm, $50; Fair Isle Knitting (intermediate to advanced), 3/15, 22 & 29 & 4/5 from 7-9 pm, $160.

Everbrite Mercantile Co.—351 Van Brunt St., (718) 522-6121, ebmerc.com. Open-level yoga with Felecia Maria, bring your own mat, 3/2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 from 7:30-8:30 pm. Donations accepted.

Jalopy Theatre and School of Music—315 Columbia St., (718) 395-3214, jalopy.biz. Foghorn Trio Workshop, 3/20 at 4 pm, $25 (includes 5 pm performance workshop); Foghorn Performance Workshop, 3/20 at 5 pm, $25 (free if attending 4 pm workshop); Lap Style Bluegrass Dobro Workshop with Todd Livingston, 3/27 at 1 pm, $25; Beginner Level Old-Time Jamming Workshops with Bill Christophersen and Alan Friend, 3/27 at 2 pm, $20, advance registration required for each workshop; Jessy Carolina’s Washboard Workshop, 3/27 at 3 pm, $20.

Valentino Pier—Ferris & Coffey sts, (718) 7101773, annamumford.com. Red Hook morning outdoor yoga class, weather permitting, check site for cancellations, 3/26 from 10-11 am. Suggested donation $10.

COMEDY

The Bell House—149 7th St., (718) 643-6510, thebellhouseny.com. WTF with Marc Maron, live taping of podcast, 3/10 at 7 pm (with guests Patrice O’Neal, Keith Robinson, Liam McEneaney, Heather Knight, Otto and George and more), $10, SOLD OUT; 3/10 at 9 pm (with guests Sarah Vowell, Chuck Klosterman, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen and more), $10, SOLD OUT. Sugar Lounge—147 Columbia St., (718) 6432880. Sugar Laughs, 3/10 at 9 pm. FREE.

DANCE

Jalopy Theatre and School of Music—315 Columbia St., (718) 395-3214, jalopy.biz.

Sugar Shack Burlesque, with RunAround Sue, Bunny Love and an aerial performance from Airin DeSkies, plus music from Miss Broadway Brassy, 3/11 at 9 pm, $10.

EXHIBITIONS

Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition—499 Van Brunt St., (718) 596-2506, bwac.org. Wide Open, juried by Nathan Trotman, associate curator at the Guggenheim Museum, 3/12 through 27. Sat-Sun 1-6 pm. Opening reception: 3/12 from 1-6 pm, awards ceremony for Best in Show in each medium, presented by Trotman, at 3 pm.

Gallery Small New York et Petit Paris—416 Van Brunt St., (347) 782-3729, smallnewyork. com. Original French Textile and Wallpaper Design, from 1840-1935, through 3/5; 19th and Early 20th Century Paintings of New York, 3/6 through 4/9. Open Thu-Sun 11 am-5 pm.

Kentler International Drawing Space—353 Van Brunt St., (718) 875-2098, kentlergallery. org. Beverly Ress and Arezoo Moseni, through 3/27. Open Thu-Sun noon-5 pm. Artists’ Talk: 3/12 at 4 pm.

Page 22 Red Hook Star-Revue

Look North Inuit Art Gallery—275 Conover Street, Suite 4E, (347) 721-3995, looknorthny. com. New Artwork from Northwest Alaska, art from Shishmaref and St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, on view through 3/31. Call for hours.

The Waterfront Museum & Showboat Barge—290 Conover St. at Pier 44, (718) 6244719. On the Waterfront: Visions of Red Hook

by Melora Griffis and Tad Wiley, through 3/26.

For directions to the museum, visit waterfrontmuseum.org. Open Thursdays 4-8 pm, Saturdays 1-5 pm. (Also see Museum.)

WORK Gallery—65 Union St., redtinshack. com. Decidedly Ambivalent, through 3/12. Closing reception: 3/6 at 7 pm. The Beings I Love Are Creatures, 3/11 through 26. Opening Reception: 3/11 at 7 pm. Fri 3-7 pm, Sat & Sun noon-6 pm and by appointment. (Works by Eric Ayotte and Karin Stothart also represent WORK Gallery at Brooklyn Art Now, 111 Front Street, 2nd Floor, DUMBO, 3/3 through 6.)

FILM

The Bell House—149 7th St., (718) 643-6510, thebellhouseny.com. Sneak preview of The Best and the Brightest, an R-rated farce about getting a child into NYC private kindergarten, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Amy Sedaris, John Hodgman and more, with special appearances

by Adam Stein, co-writer/director Josh Shelov and actors Steve Park, Bonnie Somerville, Kelly Coffield Park and Jenna Stern, 3/18 at 7:30 pm, $10.

Sugar Lounge, 147 Columbia St., (718) 6432880. Movie Tuesdays, 3/1, 8, 15, 22 & 29. Call or check the Sugar Lounge Facebook page for updates. FREE.

FOOD & DRINK

The Bell House—149 7th St., (718) 643-6510, thebellhouseny.com. The Pizza Packet Pizza Party, three teams of four people go head to head in a pizza-eating contest (those interested, e-mail amateureaters@gmail.com), spectators also get pizza, in the Frontier Room, 3/28 at 8 pm, FREE. Brooklyn Family Ho-Down & Potluck, country from Brooklyn bands, bring a covered dish, 21 & over, 3/31 at 7:30 pm, $10.

Dry Dock—424 Van Brunt St., (718) 852-3625, drydockny.com. Behind the Bottle, Sat 3/12 from 4-7 pm; Kraken Black Spiced Rum, a unique spiced rum from Trinidad, Fri 3/18 from 5:30-8:30 pm; Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, Sat 3/19 from 4-7 pm; Naturally Done Tastes Great: Wines from Italy and Spain, Fri 3/25 from 5:308:30 pm. FREE.

at 8 pm, $5; Secret Science Club, Matt Strassler lectures about the Large Hadron Collider, 3/16 at 7:30 pm, FREE; Minnesota State Fair, with Sam Osterhout of Radio Happy Hour, John & Molly Get Along, trivia, food-on-a-stick competition for $100 prize (write info@bellhouseny.com to enter competition), Minnesota Food Trucks, Minnesota beer selections for $3 with Minnesota ID, 3/20 from 3-7 pm, FREE; Video Smackdown, screen your own video, in the Frontier Room, 3/27 at 8 pm, $5; Muppet Vault: Superheroes!, Muppet-themed drink specials, audience participation, trivia contests, cool giveaways, sing-alongs and more, all ages, 3/27 at 2 pm, $8; A Very Special TV Party: ’90s Drug Awareness Episodes, plus ’90s trivia, in the Frontier Room, 3/29 at 8 pm, FREE; Bingo Is For Lovers, 3/30 at 7-11 pm, $5 packs; Hundredaire Matchmaker, hosted by Liam McEneaney and Myka Fox, in Front Lounge, go to Bell House site to enter, 3/30 at 8 pm, $7.

Red Hook Criterium No. 4—bicycle race of 20 laps, held on a short technical circuit in Red Hook over cobblestone, track bikes are mandatory for all riders, presented by Eastern Mountain Sports, 3/26 at 11 pm, visit redhookcrit.com for more information. Racing fee $20.

Rocky Sullivan’s—34 Van Dyke St., (718) 246-8050. March with O’Donovan Rossa Society in the Queens St. Patrick’s Parade, 3/6 at 1 pm at 47th St. & Skillman Ave.; march with the O’Donovan Rossa Society in the Brooklyn St. Patrick’s Parade, 3/20 at 12:30 at Prospect Park West & 15th St.); Rocky Sullivan’s World Famous Pub Quiz with quizmaster Sean Crowley, 3/3, 10, 17, 24 & 31 at 8 pm.

Visitation Church—St. Mary’s Hall, 98 Richards St., (805) 300-6913. Fundraising Event with Celebrity Hairstylists Francesco Carta and Mimmo Rossi, 3/7 from 9 am-9 pm. Hair cut, wash and blow-dry $30 & up; hair cut and dye $60 & up, hair cut and highlights $60 & up.

MUSEUM

The Waterfront Museum & Showboat Barge—290 Conover St. at Pier 44, (718)

Folger Day and Friends, 3/19 at 9 pm; Ben Ratliff, 3/25 at 9 pm; Amanda Joe Williams and Mathew O’Neill at 3/26 at 9 pm; Brownbird with Tigersaw, 3/27 at 9 pm. FREE. The Bell House—149 7th St., (718) 643-6510, thebellhouseny.com. Budos Band and the Jay Vons, 3/11 at 8 pm, $15; The Blasters, 3/12 at 6:30 pm, $15 adv, $20 DOS; St. Patrick’s Day For Sinners, with Alex Battles & the Whisky Rebellion and an All-Redheads Edition of Wasabassco Burlesque, in Frontier Room, 3/17 at 7:30 pm, $10; The Little Mermaid Sing-Along, with drink specials, Goldfish crackers and trivia, 3/17 at 7:30, $5; That’s My Jam, mixed-queer dance party, 3/19 at 10 pm, call for adm info; Bess Rogers, Rachel Platten and Katie Costello, in the Frontier Room, 3/22 at 7:30 pm, $10; Surprise Me Mr. Davis and Washington, 3/23 at 8 pm, $15; Eddie Clendening & the Blue Ribbon Boys, the Buzzards and Billy Woodward & the Senders, 3/24 at 7 pm, $10 adv, $13 DOS. Hope & Anchor—347 Van Brunt St., (718) 2370276. Karaoke, Thursdays through Saturdays from 9 pm-1 am.

Jalopy Theatre and School of Music—315 Columbia St., (718) 395-3214, jalopy.biz. Tony Scherr Trio, 3/8 at 9 pm, $5; Lunas Altas and the Raya Brass Band, 3/10 at 9 pm, $10; Brian Dewan and Doug Skinner and David Gold, 3/12 at 9 pm, $10; the Whistling Wolves and Harry Bolick and Joel Wennerstrom, Harry Bolick and Brian Slattery, 3/13 at 8 pm, cover TBD; Hilary Hawke Solo Banjo Recital and Rick Snell, 3/15 at 8:30, $5; The Debauchery Series: Episode 1, hosted by the Whistling Wolves, 3/17 at 9 pm, $10; Beatbox Guitar and Radio Jarocho, 3/18 at 9 pm, $10; Allison Williams and Thomas Bailey and M. Shanghai String Band and Friends, 3/19 at 9 pm, $10; The Dust Busters and Foghorn String Band, 3/20 at 8 pm, $10 adv, $12 DOS; Jessy Carolina & the Hot Mess, 2/22 at 9:30 pm, $7; the Whiskey Spitters, the Little Brothers, Eden and John’s East River String Band, with Ernesto Gomez, Pat Conte, the Dust Busters and very special guest R. Crumb, 3/24, $15,

FUNDRAISER/PARTY

Beer for Beasts—BeerAdvocate and Sixpoint host event to benefit the Humane Society of New York City, with 16 new Sixpoint beers, plus live entertainment from JerseyFresh Burlesque and other local artists and food from Calexico, Mile End, Pizza Moto, Prime Meats and Brooklyn Soda Works, 3/26 from 1-5 pm or 6-10 pm, Bell House, 149 7th St. (718) 395-3218. Tickets $60, for more info, go to beerforbeasts.com.

Make Your Own Benefit—laugh, dance, network, and help Falconworks Artists Group raise money to keep changing lives in the Red Hook community;renowned actors bringing to life selections from plays written by Red Hook youth and adults, Red Hook musicians and artists, food and drink from Red Hook establishments, MVS Digital Photobooth and a dance party, 3/7 at 7 pm, Bell House, 149 7th St. (718) 395-3218 or myob@falconworks.com. Suggested adm $100.

MISC

Bait & Tackle—320 Van Brunt St., (718) 7974892, redhookbaitandtackle.com. Crafternoon, knitting and crafts, 3/13 & 20 at 3 pm; Quiz Night 3/28 at 8:30 pm. FREE. The Bell House—149 7th St., (718) 643-6510, thebellhouseny.com. Cheryl Castle, 3/12 at 11 pm, call for info; TV Party: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in the Frontier Room, 3/15 & 22

Oil Painting by Melora Griffis - Former Revere Sugar in Red Hook, exhibited at the Waterfront Museum 624-4719. The last covered wooden barge of advance tickets required; Howard Fishman and its kind, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge #79 Dennis Lichtman’s Brain Cloud CD Release, is now a floating museum. The museum’s per- 3/25 at 9 pm, $10; Brooklyn County Fair: Rammanent display tells the history of the Tug and blin’ Andy & the See Ya Laters, Spuyten Duyvil, Barge “Lighterage Era” (1860-1960) and how Citizens Band Radio, Sam Otis Hill and Co., food and commercial goods were transported the Newton Gang, free Sixpoint Craft Ales from prior to today’s bridges and tunnels. Group 8-9 pm with paid admission, 3/26 at 8 pm, $10; reservations for schools, camps & seniors Moxie Block and the Little Green Apples (Zara available by appointment. For directions to the Bode ad Stefan Amidon), 3/27 at 8 pm, $10; museum, visit waterfrontmuseum.org. Open The Homemade Supper Show, blues musicians Thursdays 4-8 pm, Saturdays 1-5 pm. FREE. playing classics for local charities, hosted by (Also see Exhibitions.)

Shaky Dave, 3/29 at 8:30 pm, $10 suggested

MUSIC

Bait & Tackle—320 Van Brunt St., (718) 7974892, redhookbaitandtackle.com. DJ Spencer, 3/4 at 9 pm; Rob Reddy Jazz Groupe, 3/6 at 3 pm; Dr. Zsa’s Powdered Zydeco Band, 3/11 at 9 pm; Shenendoah and the Night with 3 Beanstew, 3/12 at 9 pm; Singer/Songwriter Night, 3/13 at 8 pm, 3/20 at 9 pm; Erin Frisby, 3/14 at 9 pm; Tik Tok, 3/18 at 9 pm; Cal

donation; The Fiddle and the Banjo: A Night of Duets, 3/31 at 9 pm, $10.

Rocky Sullivan’s—34 Van Dyke St., (718) 2468050. Seanchaí and the Unity Squad, 3/5, 12, 19 & 26 at 10 pm, St. Patrick’s Day Show 3/17 at 8 pm; Monday Night Trad Seisiun, 3/7, 14, 24 & 28 at 8 pm, FREE; Tuesday Night Trad Seisiun, 3/1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 at 8 pm, FREE. Call for adm info not listed.

Sugar Lounge, 147 Columbia St., (718) 643-

March 2011

2880. Karaoke Wednesdays, 3/9, 16 23 & 30 at 9 pm; Free Music Fridays at 10 pm: Elisa Flynn, 3/4; TBA, 3/11; El Diablo Robotico, 3/18; Mark Geary, 3/25. Check the Sugar Lounge Facebook page for updates. FREE. Sunny’s Bar, 253 Conover St., (718) 625-8211.

Smokey’s Round-up, 2/2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 at 9:30 pm; acoustic jam every Saturday. FREE. Union Street Star Theater—101 Union St. (between Columbia & Van Brunt), (718) 624-5568.

Thursday Night Music Jam, open to musicians and listeners; stage, PA, bass amp, drums, mic and refreshments provided, 3/3, 10, 17, 24 & 31 from 7-10 pm. Monthly Concert - Saturday, March 19th, 8 pm Union/The Other Side, FREE.

READINGS

The Bell House—149 7th St., (718) 643-6510.

A Night of Digital Reading, with readings by novelist and musician Chris Eaton; New Yorker editor Ben Greenman; Jim Hanas, author of short story collection, This Is Why They Cried; poet and author Stephen O’Connor, author of Rescue; relational technology writer Kio Stark, and Lynne Tillman, novelist, short story writer, and cultural critic, a Kobo eReader will be raffled off, 3/21 at 8 pm. FREE. Freebird Books & Goods—123 Columbia St., (718) 643-8484. Launch Reading of a New Chapbook, NICOLE C. ( APARTMENT 4 ) (Dusie Kollektiv, 2011), by Jennifer H. Fortin, with poetry readings by Fortin and Nate Pritts, 3/3 at 7:30 pm. FREE. Jalopy Theatre and School of Music—315 Columbia St., (718) 395-3214. John Szwed reads from his biography, Alan Lomax: The Man Who Recorded the World, 3/6 at 7 pm. FREE. Rocky Sullivan’s—34 Van Dyke St., (718) 246-8050. Dublin-born storyteller Honor Molloy reads from Outta Goosetown, Kevin McPartland reads from a short story called “Happy Hour” and novelist John Kearns reads new work, 3/23 at 7 pm; Last Wednesday Reading Series and Open Mic, a showcase for published writers and a peer review event for new and upcoming writers, with Lisa McLaughlin, 3/30 at 7 pm. FREE. Sugar Lounge, 147 Columbia St., (718) 6432880. Cherry Poppin’ Poetry, 3/20 at 7 pm.

Check the Sugar Lounge Facebook page for updates. FREE. Sunny’s Bar, 253 Conover St., (718) 6258211. Sundays at Sunny’s, writers read short exceperts of other people’s works that have influenced them or that they’d wish they’d written, with Lauren Cerand, independent book publicist and blogger; Marian Fontana, author of A Widow’s Walk: A Memoir of 9/11; poet Vijay Seshadri, author of The Long Meadow and Wild Kingdom; Ennis Smith, essayist and blogger; Martha Southgate, author of Third Girl from the Left and The Fall of Rome; Anya Ulinich, author of Petropolis, and nonfiction writer Tom Zoellner, author of Uranium and The Heartless Stone, curated by Gabriel Cohen and co-sponsored by BookCourt, 3/6 at 3 pm, with free coffee, Italian pastries and cookies, (cash) bar open. Adm $5.

March 2011

STAR-REVUE CLASSIFIEDS REAL ESTATE Houses for Sale

Columbia Waterfront District - 3 story mixed use, excellent condition, brick, 5 years old, 2 family plus store + 2 apts. 900 sq ft ea. 2000 sf storefront. PS 29. R6-addl FAR avail. Galeano RE 718 596-9545 / 917 453-3651

BUSINESS FOR SALE Barbershop Fully-equipped. Everything incl. + furniture + basement access. Call for price 917-701-9902

HELP WANTED

Freelance Writers: The Red Hook Star-Revue is looking for freelance writers for both the arts and news sections. We want to buttress our special sections as well as local theater and music coverage. Call George at 718 624-5568 or email Josie@redhookstar.com Great opportunity! Must have Real Estate License. Flexible hours, part time, or full time.

For more info please call Carol Ann Natale @ 646-210-0103 Japanese fine art photographer looking for VARIOUS types of people to photograph. I can pay $20/hour or a print. Please send photos of

Immacolata Giocoli Lic. Real Estate Salesperson 917 569-9881 igiocoli@elliman.com

Roseanne Degliuomini Lic. Real Estate Salesperson 718 710-1844 rdegliuomini@elleman.com

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

189 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Office: 718 935-6152 Cell. 718 710-1844

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yourself to usokono@gmail.com

Services Movers COOL HAND MOVERS Friendly local guys that can relocate your life, or just shlep your new couch from Ikea. We’ll show up on time, in a truck or van if necessary, and basically kick ass -- you might even have a good time! Call for a free estimate at (917) 584-0334 or email at coolhandmovers@gmail.com Customer reviews on YELP.COM

Flooring/Carpets Union Street Carpet & Linoleum - sales and service, commercial and residential. Expert carpet installation. Eric 917 600-4281 Real Estate Classified ads are $8 per listing per month. Neighborhood Services are $10 per month or $100 the year. Display classifieds are also available. Call Matt for details, 718 624-5568. You may email your ads to us, or drop them in the mail. Credit Cards accepted. Ads@RedHookStar.com; 101 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 All other line ads are $5 per listing per month.

Red Hook Star-Revue Page 23

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Page 24 Red Hook Star-Revue

March 2011