FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY | JULY 29, 2015 | DAILYPUBLIC.COM | @PUBLICBFLO | I’M A LIBERTINE, BUT IT’S NOT MY SPECIALTY
3
NEWS: LEARNING FROM THE JOE MASCIA AFFAIR
5
COMMENTARY: LOTS OF NEW JOBS, BUT THE PAY IS POOR
10
SPOTLIGHT: GAITRIE DEVI BRINGS BOLLYWOOD TO BUFFALO
23
THE GRUMPY GHEY: TELL ME LIES, TELL ME SWEET LITTLE LIES
THE PUBLIC CONTENTS
Everyday Lunch Special
TWO SLICES + A 20oz. DRINK only $5.65 94 ELMWOOD AVE / Delivery 716.885.0529
ALLENTOWNPIZZABUFFALO.COM
design
REFULLY
print Z00Mcopy.com
AT DAILYPUBLIC.COM: MEET DASHURI, INFRINGING THIS WEEK AT GYPSY PARLOR AND NIETZSCHE’S.
E. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD
ature
PHOTO COURTESY OF DASHURI
THIS WEEK
________________
________________
Y15W22 _________________
716-853-3627
ISSUE NO. 37 | JULY 29, 2015
4
COMMENTARY: On the US prison system, Obama gets it partly right.
18
DRINK: Eight terms every beer geek—and every beer geek’s friend—needs to know.
6
LOOKING BACKWARD: Court Street, 1932, by Wilbur H. Porterfield.
19
FILM: Vacation, I Am Chris Farley, Felix and Meira, plus current cinema listings.
MAY ONLY BE USED FOR IN THE PUBLIC.
ON THE COVER
8
ART: Members show at Western New York Book Arts Center.
12
CENTERSPREAD: And I Knew Everything Would Be All Right by Maude White.
NEW GIRL BY BREZO, whose
work is currently exhibited at Rust Belt Books (415 Grant Street) as part of the Infringement Festival.
See and read more at brezoart.blogspot.com.
THE PUBLIC STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF GEOFF KELLY MUSIC EDITOR CORY PERLA MANAGING EDITOR AARON LOWINGER
ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER SPECIAL ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE CY ALESSI ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES KEVIN THURSTON, MARIA C. PROVENZANO
FILM EDITOR M. FAUST
PRODUCTION MANAGER GRAPHIC DESIGNER AMANDA FERREIRA
ASSISTING ART EDITOR BECKY MODA
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER BILLY SANDORA-NASTYN
EDITOR-AT-LARGE BRUCE JACKSON CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ALLAN UTHMAN, JAY BURNEY
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SEAN HEIDINGER
COLUMNISTS
ALAN BEDENKO, WOODY BROWN, KEITH BUCKLEY, ANTHONY CHASE, BRUCE FISHER, JACK FORAN, MICHAEL I. NIMAN, NANCY J. PARISI, GEORGE SAX, CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY
CONTRIBUTORS
JEANETTE CHIN, TINA DILLMAN, CALEB HOUSEKNECHT, MELISSA MEYER, VANESSA OSWALD, KELLIE POWELL, JEREMIAH SHEA
SECOND SIDE TO THE STORY: PAR PUBLICATIONS LLC
COVER ART BREZO
WE ARE THE PUBLIC
SUBMISSIONS
We’re a weekly print paper, free every Wednesday throughout Western New York, and a daily website (dailypublic.com) that hosts a continuous conversation on regional culture. We’ve got stories to tell. So do you.
The Public happily accepts for consideration articles, artwork, photography, video, letters, free lunches, and unsolicited advice. We reserve the right to edit submissions for suitability and length. Email us at info@dailypublic.com.
ADVERTISING Are you interested in advertising your business in The Public? Email us at advertising@dailypublic.com to find out more.
THE PUBLIC | 716.856.0642 | 1526 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14209 | info@dailypublic.com | dailypublic.com | @PublicBFLO
2
THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
LOCAL NEWS
THE PUBLIC RECORD:
MAD BOMBER MASCIA MESSES UP
Gates Circle Wine & Liquor 1430 DELAWARE AVE. 716.884.1346
MON-SAT 9AM-10PM SUN 12-6PM
What Joe Mascia did right and wrong in the wake of being exposed using racist language
GATESCIRCLELIQUOR.COM GATES CIRCLE WINE & LIQUOR
That is one lesson that Joe Mascia learned last week. Another, hopefully, is never to use vile racial epithets—not for fear of being caught but because they are vile and racist and damaging to the society we aspire to create. Mascia is an elected resident commissioner for the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority. He is challenging incumbent David Franczyk for the Fillmore District seat on Buffalo’s Common Council. He was recorded by an ex-employer, Peter Christopher, referring to a number of black public officials—including Mayor Byron Brown, Common Council President Darius Pridgen, and BMHA executive director Dawn Sanders-Garrett—as “niggers.” That recording was obtained by the Buffalo News, which published a story last Wednesday evening. It has since spread far and wide. You can listen to the unedited six-and-a-half-minute audio file at dailypublic.com. In the aftermath, his African-American campaign manager, who at first defended Mascia, has resigned and joined a chorus asking Mascia to drop out of the Fillmore District race. The mayor’s appointed BMHA commissioners have asked Mascia to resign his seat, too, and threatened to strip him of his office if he does not. It is hardly surprising that Brown’s appointees should seize the opportunity to try to rid themselves of a consistent critic, but they will be hard-pressed to find the means to do so in BMHA’s bylaws. And that’s a good thing, too: While Mascia’s language was odious, one ought to be wary of any effort to remove a duly elected official on the basis of offensive behavior. That’s what elections are for. Before the story broke on Wednesday, Mascia emailed an advance apology for his behavior. For what it’s worth, that email apology was exemplary—no suggestion that his remarks were taken out of context, no excuses, no hedging: It was brought to my attention today that I was recorded without my knowledge, and on the recording said something that I am deeply embarrassed by and ashamed of. The statement was totally out of character. I have deep regard and respect for the individuals mentioned in the recording and apologize to them personally and profusely. It is my hope that they will accept my sincerest apologies and forgive me for my weakness in that moment. What hurts me the most is offending my friends and people who had the faith in
me to ask me to represent them on the Common Council — specifically the minority community. When in office I will fight relentlessly for all minority communities — the African American community in particular — as I have done for five terms as housing commissioner. To my wife, my daughter, and my grandchildren — who expect much more of me than this — I am deeply sorry. Regardless of my frustration at the time, there is no excuse for the language that I used. I will continue to fight for neighborhoods that have been neglected and people who have been ignored. To the people I have hurt, and to the public in general: nobody deserves being described with such language — especially coming from me. It is my hope that I can regain your trust in the coming months. I have no intention of interrupting my progressive, inclusive vision for our city and the Fillmore district. As always, I will make myself available to the community to discuss this or any other issue related to the Fillmore district or my candidacy.
That last paragraph is a vain hope, of course: His campaign for the Common Council seat is effectively over. Mascia will never have another shot at elected office. In the first paragraph there is the seed of a narrative that Mascia’s supporters have tried unsuccessfully to plant: that he was set up by Christopher, possibly with the complicity of Joel Giambra, the former county executive. Nobody cares how or why or who, when the what is so abundantly obvious. Since that email, Mascia has done himself no more favors. In interviews, he has retreated into two overworked tropes: 1) in which the white person caught being racially offensive claims, “I have lots of black friends”; 2) in which that person claims, “I am not a racist.” The first trope irritates because it proves nothing and lays on those black friends an obligation to speak, whether in support or condemnation, to the behavior of the person who has just been exposed. The second trope irritates because no white person in late middle age raised in Buffalo—in this country, for that matter—should ever claim not to be infected with racism. Racism is everywhere. It is cultural and thereby unavoidable. Those of us who are white can only hope to confront our racism and the privilege our skin color affords us honestly. Mascia would have done better to say publicly, “I might be a little bit racist. But I’m working on it.” It’s what we all ought to say, if only to ourselves. P
M
T P c i a s P n p p t e
BY GEOFF KELLY THESE DAYS WE all would be wise to behave as if everything we do is being recorded and downloaded directly to the phone of the person we would least like to see it.
P E T C
15% OFF
TOTAL WINE PURCHASE EXPIRES 8-26-15
GATES CIRCLE WINE & LIQUOR
10% OFF
�
�
TOTAL LIQUOR PURCHASE
�
�
EXPIRES 8-26-15
�
750ML OR LARGER, SALE ITEMS EXCLUDED, VALID IN-STORE ONLY.
A
_
D
VILLAGE BEER MERCHANT
I
I T H T T P
NOW Serving! ELMWOOD M-TH 11-9 F-S 11-11 SU NOON-6 547 elmwood ave
716.881.1080
HERTEL M-TH 3-9 F-S 11-11 SU NOON-6 1535 hertel ave
716.768.1436
HERTEL Tasting Room Sip as you shop!
BUY 2 GROWLER FILLS
GET 1 FREE! EXPIRES 8-26-15
/TheVillageBeerMerchant DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC
3
NEWS COMMENTARY
Cummins State Farm, Arkansas, 1974.
THE ZERO-SUM PENITENTIARY GAME Obama takes a step toward acknowledging the problems with our criminal justice system BY BRUCE JACKSON PHOTO BY BRUCE JACKSON
OBAMA’S VISIT President Barack Obama last week made a notable visit to the federal government’s El Reno prison, after which he told the assembled reporters that we have far too many people doing far too much time for nonviolent offenses, many of them doing huge sentences for crimes that nowadays hardly get any time at all. You can see his nine-minute comment on YouTube. Obama pointed out that the US is five percent of the world’s population but owns 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. We currently have about 2.2 million people locked up and it costs us, Obama said, $80 billion a year. He was right, in all regards. Almost. That is what it costs to run all those state and federal prisons, most of whose inmates should not be there. It does not account for all the wrecked families, the children who become social problems who would not otherwise have become social problems, the pain and suffering and all the rest of the garbage that results from the US policy of overconvicting and oversentencing. The only person I’ve seen engage this directly on national television was John Oliver on July 26. Go to YouTube and find it: He nails the sentencing part or it.
SENTENCING AND SYMBOLS What he doesn’t nail is why we do it. Why do we give minor drug offenders sentences far longer than robbers, terrorists, or corrupt Wall Street financiers? Why do we have mandatory sentences with no parole? Why do we spend on bars and cellblocks billions of dollars that might go to neighborhood improvement, education, rehabilitation, and all that good stuff? If we took that $80 billion Obama mentioned (which doesn’t come close to the real number) and used it for other things, what then? Obama is the first US president to have visited a federal prison and said there shouldn’t be so many federal prisons, or that the room over his left shoulder that housed three men didn’t have enough room for one. That was good to have done. But Obama has also maintained, and expanded, the federal program of hiring private corporations, like Corrections Corporation of America, to set up private prisons in which both adults and children are kept for years with no charge. Several federal judges have said this abominable treatment of children is illegal, but the administration still stonewalls on letting them out. While they are locked up, they are not only abused but they are missing years of education and healthcare. They will never catch up. 4
THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
IF WE TOOK THE $80 BILLION THAT OBAMA SAYS WE SPEND EACH YEAR TO HOUSE 2.2 MILLION PRISONERS (WHICH DOESN’T COME CLOSE TO THE REAL COST) AND USED IT FOR OTHER THINGS, WHAT THEN? So Obama’s visit to El Reno is great, and his pardoning of a few dozen people who were doing absurd time is great, but this is like pissing in the Atlantic and hoping the water level will rise. It’s a nice gesture, but not much will change unless far more is undertaken.
dependent on a prison, a state college, or both. In addition to all the solid wages and benefits, those counties get to count all their convicts at Census time, so the convicts bring them additional state and federal funding.
Police routinely overcharge hoping something will stick; prosecutors routinely overcharge hoping to extort a guilty plea and avoid trial. Who else is in this game that has at its heart anything but justice?
—Private prisons. There is now in the US a huge private prison industry. They handle immigration families for the federal government. They handle overflow for the states. A state with a tight budget but a bunch more convicts simply ships them off to Corrections Corporation of America or one of its clones and says, “Take them, don’t make noise.” Since CCA and organizations like it are for-profit, they have to cut corners but stay legal: It’s not easy, but they manage. The lives of the convicts get smaller and smaller. CCA and organizations like it lobby against both prisons and sentencing reforms. A few million bucks paid to politicians is nothing to the profits they reap from barbed wire, barracks, and guards with guns.
WHO PROFITS FROM PRISON?
WHAT ABOUT US?
—For starters, the politicians, at all levels. I cannot count how many pols have said to me, “I never lost a vote because I voted to give criminals more time.”
Basically, we’re screwed. We have a criminal justice system dedicated to incarceration not justice, an incarceration system dedicated to self-maintenance rather than rehabilitation, and millions of prisoners who will for no humane reason die in the joint, or come out here feeling pissed off because they have been fucked over in more ways than you will ever know. And they are right.
THE REAL QUESTIONS Why do we have 2.2 million people locked up, with all the family destruction that incurs, and who profits from it? Social atrocities likes this don’t occur unless people profit. They may start out in passion or stupidity, but they only continue this long if people are getting something out of it.
—More specifically, former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who introduced the villainous Rockefeller Drug Laws, which in an instant turned former misdemeanors and minor felonies into crimes with huge time and mandatory minimums. He did it because he was trying to convince Republicans that he wasn’t really a liberal. He still hoped to be president and those drug laws and the Attica slaughter were the cards he put on the table. It didn’t work for him, but we’re still paying the bill. —Rural workfare. Corrections—prison workers—are the second-largest employee group in New York State, and probably several other states. Subtract Attica from Wyoming County, New York, and you’ve got Desolation Row. Subtract Dannemora from Clinton County, New York, and you’ve got a cold, lonely place: In the 2010 census, about 3,000 of the 3,936 residents were convicts. Likewise all those other upstate counties totally
We spend a huge amount of money on our prison system. That money, save for the profits made by CCA and its clones and for rural workfare, gets us nothing in human decency or personal safety. The money is going to the wrong people for the wrong reasons. Barack Obama has made some nice gestures. It will take more. Bruce Jackson is SUNY Distinguished Professor and James Agee Professor of American Culture at UB; he is also an associP ate member of the UB Law School faculty.
Discover unique architecture, PE history, and communities!
COMMENTARY NEWS
WE ARE POOR And those pesky fundamentals say the region’s economy needs more than parties and high spirits
T WRIGH
T C
E RIVER H T Y B
ME
THE FONTANA BOATHOUSE Enjoy an evening at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Fontana Boathouse with live music, wine and beer, hors d’oeuvres, cruises, and tours of the historic West Side Rowing Club!
FRI. AUGUST 7TH @ 7PM-9PM
25
$
GENERAL ADMISSION
20
$
30
$
SEASON PASS ADMISSION
AT THE DOOR
MORE DETAILS ON WEBSITE
*REGISTER ONLINE*
VISIT EXPLOREBUFFALO.ORG | 716.245.3032
FOR A FULL SCHEDULE, RESERVATIONS, + MORE INFORMATION
BY BRUCE FISHER LET’S HOPE THAT the 30,000 new workers in
the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area get a new president and a new Congress in 2016 who listen more to what Lane Kenworthy hopes for than to what Gary Burtless worries about. Kenworthy, author of Social Democratic America, thinks that the economic and political future of this country will be better if our national economic and social policies become more like those of Scandinavia and Canada. By contrast, Brookings Institution economist Gary Burtless thinks that existing income-support and social insurance programs like Medicaid and food stamps are actually subsidizing non-workers rather than low-income workers, and that supporting non-workers results in them not wanting to take low-wage, no-benefit jobs. While faraway intellectuals debate, we are experiencing the happy reality of 30,000 new jobs. But we are also experiencing the reality that we here in the City of No Illusions need to face up to—that most of those new jobs are low-income, no-benefits jobs that still leave most of the new workers here eligible for food stamps, Medicaid, and the Earned Income Tax Credit.
30,000 REAL JOBS! Here in America’s new party town, the Obama recovery is absolutely real—because we can count 30,000 new jobs in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan statistical area since 2008, the year that our esteemed friends Richard Fuld and his team at Lehman Brothers crashed the world economy when they went belly-up betting on junk mortgages. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that as of June 2015, there were 569,000 people employed in Erie and Niagara Counties. That’s 9,000 more than were working before the Twin Towers were rubbed out by those Saudi hijackers (not an Iranian among them). There haven’t been this many people working in Western New York since the 1990s, when our population was bigger. Sadly, the new jobs don’t pay much—and that’s where the discussion of the minimum wage, the Earned Income Tax Credit, food stamps, Medicaid/Obamacare, and our alphabet soup of economic development agencies and the subsidies they hand out gets very urgent. Happy fact number two: Our regional economy is growing, but we’re not producing enough income for enough people to keep ourselves going without ongoing subsidies of more than $1 billion a year from Downstate. Elon Musk’s 5,000 new high-paying jobs may be on the way to replace the 5,000 manufacturing jobs we lost since 2008, but unless a lot more boats rise with
the tide, expect more of what we see today— lots more people serving drinks, changing hotel beds, running casinos, working as nurse’s aides and home healthcare assistants, but a stagnant or shrinking number of higher-wage workers.
UNDERSTANDING THE NEWS New York State has a million more people working today than 25 years ago, half a million more than were working before Lehman Brothers collapsed. Around here, the hospitality and entertainment and healthcare/education sectors have rebounded faster than any others. There are even a couple of thousand people more working in banks. (Bob Wilmers of M&T grumbled proudly to me a year ago that he has had to hire hundreds of people, at high salaries, just to comply with the new Dodd-Frank regulations.) Healthcare employment is up, but get this: The hospitals don’t have as many people as before, while the nursing homes and the home healthcare agencies have more; i.e., there are fewer high-wage healthcare workers here and more low-wage healthcare workers here. Manufacturing is down 5,000 since 2008, but there were more than 93,000 manufacturing jobs here as late as 1990, a decade after the demise of the steel plants. Today, we’re down to 53,300. Technology, globalization, technology again, plus capital flight—the mind-numbing, low-skill/ high-wage work of yesterday barely exists here. It’s been replaced by mind-numbing, low-skill, low-wage work. And low-wage work is the new normal. In testimony Dr. Fred Floss and I prepared for the New York State Labor Department’s Wage Board, we laid out how most of the wages in most of the new jobs here are well below $15 an hour—the wage that, at 2,000 hours a year (40-hour weeks for 50 weeks) will pay a gross of $30,000. On the happy day six years from now when a few thousand fast-food workers here get their $15, we’d better hope that they’re joined by the approximately 180,000 other taxpayers here who today report that they work for less than $15 an hour.
COUNTING THE WORKING POOR Just under two thirds of the taxpayers in Erie County report less than $50,000 a year in taxable income to the IRS. Here’s how that translates: Beefing up the pay of the low-wage workforce here is a really good idea, because of all the beneficial behavioral effects that result when the rising tide lifts lots of boats rather than just a few yachts.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
MJPeterson
�
.com
C
� �
CANEADEA: 3BR 2BA A-frame on 15 acres with pond and large barn/garage. 6490 Shongo Valley Rd, $125,000. Tina Bonifacio, 570-7559(c)
ELMWOOD VLG: Unique 3BR 2.5BA condo w/ bsmt & hrdwd flrs in LR/DR. Updates incl. mechanics, windows, applcs. 1 assigned parking. 666 W. Ferry #21, $221,900. Susan D. Lenahan, 864-6757(c)
BY APPOINTMENT
ALLENTOWN: 3BR 1.5BA partially fin. rehab w/ new roof, plumb, elec, inspection. Off-st park. 54 Plymouth, $184,900. Mark W. DiGiampaolo, 887-3891(c) ALLENTOWN: 2BR rental unit w/ parking. 60 Mariner $895+. Christopher Lavey, 480-9507(c) BUFFALO: Well-maint 3 BR, 2 BA Bungalow w/ nat woodwrk, 1st flr BR, finished bsmt, updated elec, newer roof. 38 Freeman St. $54,900. Brigitte “Gitti” Barrell, 803-2551(c) CHEEK: Darling 2BR 1.5BA mobile home w/ deck, carport & gar. 18 Carefree, $25K. Christopher Lavey, 480-9507(c) CHEEK: 3/2 Double Bungalow w/ hrdwd flrs, new windows, updated kit, AC, updated bth, good mechs, patio. 34 Pendennis, $104,900. Mark W. DiGiampaolo, 887-3891(c) CLARENCE CTR: 4BR 2.5BA w/ gar, kit w/ bfast bar, 1st flr lndry, fam rm, formal DR, patio w/ awning, in-grnd saltwater pool. 9323 Pinyon Ct, $329,000. Andrew Whelan, 316-2038(c) DOWNTOWN: Updated apts w/ hdwd flrs & parking. UNIT #2: 1BR 1.5BA. UNIT #3: 2BR 2BA. $1,900+ ea. Priv elev access. 483 Main. Robin Barrell, 986-4061(c) D’YOUVILLE: 2 BR unit w/ LR, DR, deck & offstreet park. Great area! Fresh paint, new carpet. 720 Columbus Pkwy. $800+. Robin Barrell, 986-4061(c) NIAG. FALLS: 2/2 dbl. loaded w/updates (roof, furnc, plumb, elec., etc.)! 535 23rd St, $59,900. Mark W. DiGiampaolo, 887-3891(c) NO. BUFFALO: 4+BR 2.5BA Tudor. Remodeled kit w/ granite, island & SS, LR opens to sunrm, 1 BR w/ att’d sunrm, 3rd flr fin rm & full bth, covered deck, gar. 77 Chatham, $339,900. Timothy Ranallo, 400-4295(c) SO. BUFFALO: 3BR 1.5BA. Hrdwd flrs, formal DR, sunrm, gar; att’d drs ofc w/ recept, 3 exam rms, ofc, kit. 141 Coolidge, $179,900. Tina Bonifacio, 570-7559(c) UNIV. HGTS: 5BR 2BA steps to UB! Great investment opp. Hardworking tenant would love to stay. 25 Rounds, $47,000. James Collis, 479-0969(c) WEST SIDE: 3/3/3 Triple. Main house is dbl & carriage hse w/ loft unit & parkg. Shared courtyard. 154 Fargo, $410,000. Mark DiGiampaolo, 887-3891(c) WEST SIDE: Great 3/2/2 Triple w/ parking & sep. mechanics! Needs rehab but great bones. 149 Gelston, $27,500. Thomas Needham, 574-8825(c)
716-819-4200 431 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, NY 14202
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC
� �
NEW LISTINGS PHOTO BY THOMAS JABLONSKI
Tha PUB che inst as p ser PUB not pro pro this ema
5
Adve
____
Date
Issue
IF Y THIS HEL THO THIS PUB
COLLEGE WOMEN, HAVE A SMART PHONE?
The ad cannot be found The ad you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed or is temporarily unavailable.
Please try the following: If you typed the ad address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly. Open the Community Beer Works home page http://communitybeerworks.com and then look for links to the ad you want. Click the link.
NEWS COMMENTARY
PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY AS OF JUNE 2015, THERE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Here’s our challenge: The problem isn’t just that almost two thirds of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metro taxpayers report incomes of IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON THIS PROOF, THE $50,000 a year in a state where the median PUBLIC CANNOT BE HELDThe RESPONSIBLE. household income is $58,000. problem isPLEASE EXAMINE THE AD THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A that we’re poorer than that: More thanPICK-UP. 40 percent of people who file a federal tax return here � That CHECK COPY CONTENT TO ADVERTISER reportMESSAGE under $25,000 a year in income. Thank youis the for threshold advertising figure, $25,000, for the� federal CHECK IMPORTANT DATES with ofTHE PUBLIC.income Pleasefor a family definition poverty-level � that CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, review your ad and check wage of four. The $15-an-hour minimum for any errors. The original fast food workers in Upstate New York will#, & WEBSITE PHONE layout instructions have$30,000 in see six years from now will produce been followed as closely as � PROOF OK (NO CHANGES) income for a fast-food worker who works 50 possible. THE PUBLIC offers full-time weeks—not bloody likely for�a McPROOF OK (WITH CHANGES) design services with two Job, but let’s assume. proofs at no Between charge. now THEand then, if you’rePUBLIC making anything less than $12 an hour, is not responsible you’re poor. for any error if not notified Advertisers Signature
WERE 569,000 PEOPLE EMPLOYED IN ERIE AND NIAGARA COUNTIES. THERE HAVEN’T BEEN
Back button to try another
THIS MANY PEOPLE
Click Search to look for information on the internet.
WORKING IN WESTERN
HTTP 404 - File not found Internet Explorer
within 24 hours of receipt. ____________________________ The production department THE must ECONOMIC DIVERSITY WE NEED have a signed proof in Date _______________________ order to print. Pleaseidea sign Raising incomes is a smart because, acY15W30 andtofax this back Issue: cording research done or for approve every state by some______________________ by responding to this email. people at Berkeley, it’s expensive to subsidize
NEW YORK SINCE THE
PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY
1990S, WHEN OUR POPULATION WAS BIGGER.
businesses that don’t pay their workers enough. THIS PROOF MAY ONLY BE USED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC.
the best in custom window coverings
20% OFF EXPIRES 8/15/15
We need you for a study at UB on friends and drinking!
EARN $50 FOR 2 SESSIONS Call 716-645-0252 for more info
Custom Blinds • Draperies • Shades Shutters • Window Film & more!
CALL 970.4444
BUDGETBLINDS.COM
PUBLIC MARKET
SADLY, THE NEW JOBS DON’T PAY MUCH.
Thank you for advertising with THE PUBLIC. Please review your ad and check for any errors. The original layout instructions have followed as closely PHOTO COURTESY OFbeen THE BUFFALO HISTORY MUSEUM. as possible. THE PUBLIC offers design services with two proofs at no charge. THE PUBLIC is not responsible for any error if not notified within 24 hours of receipt. The production department must have a signed proof in order to print. Please sign and fax this back or approve by responding to this email. �
CHECK COPY CONTENT
�
CHECK IMPORTANT DATES
�
CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, & WEBSITE
�
PROOF OK (NO CHANGES)
�
PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES)
Advertisers Signature
____________________________ Date Issue:
KEVIN / Y15W30 _______________________ ______________________
IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON THIS PROOF, THE PUBLIC CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP. THIS PROOF MAY ONLY BE USED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC.
CLASSIFIEDS
WNY PETS
PERSONAL ADS
AUTOMOTIVE MARKET
LOOKING BACKWARD: COURT STREET, 1932
REAL ESTATE LISTINGS
JOB LISTINGS
Court Street, behind Buffalo City Hall, was one of the richly complex streets of the Lower West Side. This photograph, taken by Wilbur H. Porterfield in 1932, captures Court Street looking west from City Hall toward the Erie Canal.
IN THE COMMUNITY
LOCAL SERVICES
SALES / SEEKING
THE ARTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
HEALTH: MIND & BODY
IF YOU’D LIKE TO BE INCLUDED, CONTACT SEAN@DAILYPUBLIC.COM / 716.856.0737 6
Gary Burtless of the Brookings Institution, who generally supports raising wages for lowwage workers, worries that giving food stamps and Medicaid to low-income families may be nice things to do, but since those benefits are available to the whether or not they work, MESSAGE TOpoor ADVERTISER
THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
In the background, west of the canal, the Georgia Street bridge connects downtown to the lakefront, coal trestles and pockets dominate Erie Basin, and Centennial Park (LaSalle Park) is in the early stages of development. East of the canal, on the south side of Court Street, the Montgomery Door & Box Co. occupies a four-story lumber mill that was Buffalo’s largest and oldest, with origins dating to 1840. On either side of Court Street, two-to-four-story buildings house ground-floor bakeries, coffee roasteries, and the like. At one tenement building, on the corner of Court Place, two clotheslines are visible. On the lower left, Court Street intersects with the Terrace, one of surveyor Joseph Ellicott’s original parks dating to 1804. A six-story tower, used for training firefighters, stands in the Terrace. On the right, north of Court Street, is the Italian Colony, one of Buffalo’s most densely populated neighborhoods. Everything in this scene, with the exception of LaSalle Park, part of Court Street, and the fire department headquarters, has been erased. The canal was filled in starting in the mid1930s and was eventually replaced by the I-190. The Terrace was largely eliminated, starting with the construction of the Skyway. The Waterfront Urban Renewal Project, starting in 1963, P did the rest. -THE PUBLIC STAFF
COMMENTARY NEWS
P E T C
just giving stuff away isn’t good behavioral economics—and he is sharply critical of the Berkeley economists for saying that low wages constitute a subsidy to employers like fastfood chains. To that, we respond thus: The data in Erie County show that over 70 percent of the people on Medicaid here work for a living. Others who get Medicaid are indeed not in the workforce: They’re either old, or they’re children, or they’re too sick with problems like muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, etc. Our data are granular: In Buffalo and its suburbs, Medicaid is simply not a subsidy that keeps people too comfy to work low-wage jobs. Medicaid goes to people who work.
sustainable + organic + biodynamic
WED-FRI 11-7
And as for food stamps, the Erie County data are pretty clear, too: Eligibility was expanded under Obama because Obama’s people noticed that low-wage work was becoming widespread—like in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metro, where most of the new jobs pay less than $15 an hour. So as high-paying manufacturing jobs have dropped and have been replaced by low-paying hospitality, drink-serving, casino-tending, bed-changing jobs, food stamp utilization (you’re eligible according to your income) has gone up.
/
SAT 10-6
/
SUN 12-5
435 rhode island st 716.322.5396 paradisewinebuffalo.com
sustainable + organic + biodynamic
WED-FRI 11-7
/
SAT 10-6
/
Th PU ch ins as se PU no pr pr th em
SUN 12-5
435 rhode island st 716.322.5396 paradisewinebuffalo.com
�
�
�
�
�
It’s good news that Elon Musk is going to bring 5,000 high-paying manufacturing jobs here at Solar City to replace the 5,000 high-paying manufacturing jobs we’ve lost since 2008. For the sake of regional economic health, we need many more.
Adv
__
Dat
Issu
It would also be great if the 2,000 government jobs that evaporated after 2008 came back, too. To the chagrin and annoyance of Tea Party ideologues, government jobs—with their relatively high pay, their benefits, and their stability—help diversify and stabilize a regional economy.
IF TH HE TH TH PU
5
bw
But if new government jobs aren’t going to happen, a good alternative would be to raise the pay of current public-service workers. Too many members of the blue-collar unionized public workforce here make less than $15 an hour—even though many of them have to have licenses and training that certainly put them in the category of semi-skilled, if not skilled.
MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE ONE PERCENT: REAL ESTATE, RENTS, DIVIDENDS RISING The other data we’re working through these days show that finance and real estate, far from creating growth, higher incomes, and actual economic uplift for the region, seem to be making the problem of income polarization worse, not better—because the people making money off real estate are real-estate developers and real-estate financiers.
OCT 14
That’s why the continued emphasis of our government on subsidizing real-estate development is highly, highly counterproductive. To the extent that real-estate development is concentrated in the urban core, next to the medical corridor, adjacent to Canalside, in and along the existing commercial strips, hallelujah—but everybody should be troubled that the assessment growth that is happening in most of our suburbs (quite robustly in Amherst, Cheektowaga, Hamburg, and West Seneca of the first-ring suburbs, and also in the second-ring sprawlvilles, too), is not happening in the urban core.
ME
Basic agglomeration economics, and advanced agglomeration economics as well, tell us that anything that contributes to erosion of property values in the urban core is bad regional economics. That’s why high-end housing on the Outer Harbor is bad public policy. In our next installment, we’ll lay out how much of our economic growth is really about subsidized real-estate development—and why subsidizing real-estate development is a great deal for our bankers and our politically connected developers, but a trap for the regional economy. Bruce Fisher is visiting professor of economics at SUNY Buffalo State and director of the P Center for Economic and Policy Studies. DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC
7
ARTS REVIEW
F@#% YEAH by Brian Hensen, on exhibit at WNYBAC.
PAGE TURNERS Members show at Western New York Book Arts Center BY JACK FORAN AMONG VARIOUS AND VARIEGATED books and other print-
ed materials at the Western New York Book Arts Center members show, not a book nor printed material but nonetheless a story, Timothy Frerichs’s exquisite framed artwork—like a painting, but not a painting—called Icarus. Consisting of two disintegrating wing forms composed of milkweed seed pods and attached silky filament air transport apparatus that two minutes’ research on the internet revealed to be technically termed “coma,” Latin for “hair.” (But that I have always referred to by the term I still remember my older cousin—I was about five or six then, he would have been about nine—informing me was the correct name for those wonderful airborne floaters—referring to filament apparatus and seed pod together, though I don’t think at the time I would have even noticed the relatively tiny seed pod component—i.e., “money stealers.”) A minimalist format art book by Alex Jun, consisting of a few construction paper pages or partial pages, fewer words and numbers, and a single cut-out repeated image of a boat—initially upright, then overturning, then overturned—commemorates the fiasco disaster of the South Korean ferry that sank and capsized on April 4, 2014. More than 300 of the approximately 500 passengers and crew died, including 250 students from one high school near Seoul. Another current events art book about another sort of water di-
8
THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
WNYBAC’S ANNUAL MEMBERS EXHIBITION WESTERN NEW YORK BOOK ARTS COLLABORATIVE 468 WASHINGTON ST, BUFFALO WNYBOOKARTS.ORG
saster is by Amanda Maciuba. About global warming and its effects in terms of widespread flooding. A dozen or so pages, with images of rising waters and a Noah’s Ark type vessel. The text reads, “Building an ark…for the next five hundred year flood… every summer.” The most elaborate book is by Deb Eck, called Women’s Work. Countless to-do lists and notes and notices of other work to accomplish—actual or implied—pasted on page after page. And copious evidence of sewing, of the pages into signatures, of the book title embroidered across the 10-inch or so spine in black thread running off unbroken to a spool and needle at the ready for the next sewing job. Never done. The most enigmatic is by Elizabeth Switzer. A repurposed traditional book as fold book, with pages whitewashed over but sporadic lines left unwhitewashed and unobliterated, or copied over
and re-pasted back in their original place. The result a skeleton of sorts of the original story. Pamela Harris has a little necklace book of triangular design with leather cover and blank pages. Theresa Wyatt two books of different style and character but similar as to text, a poem about the Civil War battle of Gettysburg. One book consists of basically just the poem, the other intersperses poem and historical depictions presumably of the battle and aftermath. Emma Percy has a folded-hanky-sized book of faintly flower-patterned lavender hue fabric and embroidered text of gentle poetic images, “field of blooms…lunar glow…Summer light clear water.” Book-associated items include a banner of about a dozen little fabric pillows digitally imprinted with images of actual sign-out stickers of the sort that used to be stickered on the inside back covers of library books, with actual names of patrons who signed out the books, by Susan Hoisington. Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Thoreau’s Walden, Twains Huckleberrry Finn. Another book-associated item with special reference to Jane Austen—a bar graph showing, chapter by chapter, frequencies of appearance of Elizabeth Bennett and Mister Darcy, alone and together—by Matthew Nagowski. Posters with wisdom messages, such as one by Nicole Cooke quoting Mary Ann Rabmacher on the topic of courage, “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow.” A poster by Thomas Knab—called Buffalo Teacher—of teacher rubber stamp imprints in an overall figure of a Buffalo. Stamp messages like “Good Job!” or “Please Correct.” A comical word and image poster by Kathy Kastan of an Athenian owl asking, “What?” Other non-book artworks by Mark Lavatelli, Katherine Sehr, and Anne Muntges, with or without a books connection. Muntges’s piece is a screenprint of feminist books on a shelf. The members show continues through August 21.
P
[ INTRODUCING \
GALLERIES ARTS
IN GALLERIES NOW BY TINA DILLMAN = ART OPENING
464 Gallery (464 Amherst Street, Buffalo, NY 14207 464gallery.com): Reclamation, photographs by Johnny Joo, on view through Aug 2. Wed-Fri: 12-6pm, Sat-Sun: 12-4pm, by event or appointment. 1045 Elmwood Gallery for the Arts (1045 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, 716-228, photographics2.com/store/ welcome-to-our-studio-1045gallery-store): Currently exhibiting works by Carol Koziol Clark, Karen Foegen, Erma Kratzke, Susan Miller, Deanna Weinholtz. Thu & Fri 1-5pm, Sat 11am-4pm. Gallery Closed July 13-19. Albright-Knox Art Gallery (1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14222, 882-8700, albrightknox.org): Jeff Koons: Gazing Ball on view through Aug 16; Screen Play: Life in an Animated World, on view through Sept 13; Dan Colen: Shake the Elbow, on view through Oct 18; Artist to Artist, on view through Nov 8. Tues-Sun 10am-5pm, open late First Fridays until 10pm. Art Dialogue Gallery Custom Framing (5 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14209. artdialoguegallery.com): Fiber work by Estelle Hartman, on view through Aug 21. Tue-Fri 11am5pm, Sat 11am-3pm. Artists Group Gallery (Western New York Artists Group) (1 Linwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14209, 716-885-2251, wnyag.com): Collage- n. 1919, from French collage “a pasting,” from Old French cooler “to glue,” from Greek kola “glue”, a group show on view through Aug 21. Wed & Thu 11-5pm, Fri 11-4pm, Sat 11-2pm. Betty’s Restaurant (370 Virginia Street, Buffalo, NY 14201, 362-0633, bettysbuffalo.com): Currently on view, Chicken Little, drawings by Matt Duquette. Big Orbit (30d Essex Street, Buffalo, NY 14222, cepagallery.org/about-big-orbit): Skewed Perspective, installation by Anne Muntges, on view through Aug 9. FriSun 12-6pm. BT&C Gallery (1250 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213, 6046183, btandcgallery.com): You Don’t Own ME, a one-night performance by Tina Dillman and Liv Fontaine, doors 7pm, performance at 8pm. Fri 125pm or by appointment. Buffalo Arts Studio (Tri Main Building 5th Floor, 2496 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214, 833-4450, buffaloartsstudio. org/): Human, works by Allan Hebeler; You Were Wild, works by Maude White, both shows on view through Sep 4. Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am2pm, Fourth Fridays till 8pm. Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens (2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14218, 827-1584, buffalogardens. com): David and Julius McCann, on view in the Arcangel Gallery through Aug 9; Natural Conditions, public art installation by Shayne Dark, on view through Oct 4. MonSun 10am-5pm. Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, 8786011, burchfieldpenney.org): Charles E. Burchfield: Audio Graphics, on view through Aug 23; Charles E. Burchfield: A Resounding Roar, on view through Aug 23; The Scrutiny of Objects: sculptures by Rob-
ert A. Booth on view through Aug 30; Body Norms: Selections from the Spong Collection, on view through Aug 30; The Likeness of Being, portraits by Philip Burke, on view through Sep 13; Robert Blair: Selections from a Soldier’s Portfolio, on view through Sep 27; Patteran: A Living Force & A Moving Power, on view through Sep 27; Emil Schult: Portrait of a Media Artist Pioneer, on view through Sep 27; Inquisitive Lens: Richard Kegler/P22 Type Foundry; Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat 10am-5pm, Second Fridays till 8pm, Thu 10am-9pm, Sun 1-5pm. Admission $5-$10, children 10 and under free. Burchfield Nature and Art Center (2001 Union Road, West Seneca, NY 14224, 677-4843, burchfieldnac.org): A Retrospective in Color, Style and Substance, paintings by Carole Coniglio, on view through Aug 1. See site for upcoming classes and events. Castellani Art Museum (5795 Lewiston Road, Niagara University, NY 14109, 286-8200, castellaniartmuseum.org): Patrick Foran: Defacement, on view through Aug 9; Artists View the Falls: 300 Years of Niagara Falls Imagery, on view through Aug 16. Tue-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm. Casa de Arte (141 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201, 227-0271): Infinitely Complex, work by Rick Williams, on view through Aug 16. CEPA (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, 856-2717, cepagallery.org): Hollis Frampton, comprehensive exhibition and sale, on view through Sept 5. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 12-4pm. The CG Jung Center (408 Franklin Street, Side Entrance, Buffalo, NY 14202, 854-7457, apswny.com): Common Maladies of Uncommon Souls, works on paper by Joshua Nickerson, on view through Jul 31. El Museo (91 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 464-4692, elmuseobuffalo.org): Diversity Works, works from the collection of Gerald Mead, on view through Aug 7. TueSat 12-5pm. Fargo House Gallery (287 Fargo Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14213, thefargohouse.com, visit website for appointment): Currently on view, Caitlin Cass: Benjamin Rathburn Builds Buffalo. Glow Gallery (224 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14201): Illuminating the Darkness, Photographs by Nick Butler, on view through Jul 26, presented by Wise Arts. Thu & Fri 4-8pm, Sat & Sun 3-7pm. Hallwalls (341 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202, 854-1694, hallwalls.org/): A Mid Summer Night’s Draw, Drawing Rally & Silent Auction Wed Jul 29, @ 6:30pm, Admission $5; Hallwalls 41st Annual Members Exibition, on view through Aug 28. TueFri 11am-6pm, Sat 11am-2pm. Indigo Art Gallery (47 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 984-9572. indigoart.buffalo. com): Cabinet of Curiosities (an homage to the 16th century) Group Exhibition, on view through Aug 15. Wed & Fri 12-6pm, Thu 12-7pm, Sat 12-3pm, and by appointment Sundays and Mondays. Lockside Art Center (21 Main Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 478-0239, locksideartcenter.com): Lockside Members Exhibition. Opening reception Sat Aug 1, 2-4pm, show on view through Sep 5. FriSun 12-4pm.
Market Street Art Studios (247 Market Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 478-0248, marketstreetstudios.com): The Holley Brothers, on view through Aug 2. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm. Native American Museum of Art at Smokin’ Joe’s (2293 Saunders Settlement Road, Sanborn, NY 14123, 261-9251) Open year round and free. Exhibits Iroquois Artists work. 7am9pm. Niagara Arts and Cultural Center (1201 Pine Avenue, Niagara Falls, NY 14301, 282-7530, thenacc.org): Beyond the Barrel, summer art exhibition, on view through Aug 13. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 12-4pm. Nina Freudenheim Gallery (140 North Street, Buffalo, NY 14201, 882-5777, ninafreudenheimgallery.com): Gallery Selections, a group exhibition on view through Jul 30. Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Mon open by appointment only. Pausa Art House (19 Wadsworth Street, Buffalo, NY 14201, 697-9069, pausaarthouse. com): Time Exposures, a solo photography exhibit by John Parascak, on view through Aug 22. Live Music Thu-Sat. See website for more info. Prism (MyBuffaloPride, 224 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14201): Simply Natural, photography by Brandon Blount, on view through Aug 1. Thu & Fri 4-8pm, Sat & Sun 3-7pm. Queen City Gallery (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, 868-8183, queencitygallery. tripod.com): Rotating members work on view in the gallery. Tue-Fri 11am-4pm and by appointment. Open late every First Friday from 6-10pm and every Thursday open mic, 7-9pm. Open to all musicians and writers. Squeaky Wheel (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, squeaky.org): In the gallery, Hollis Frampton: Select Works; In the storefront gallery, Evan Meaney: Ceibas: The Well of Representation, both shows on view through Sept 5. Tue-Sat 12-5pm. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (3107 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214): Wood, Metal and Stone: A Sculpture Garden Exhibition, Presented by The University Heights Arts Association, with sculptures by William Herod, Richard Rockford, Robert Then, Mollie Atkinson, Ken Kash, Lawrence Kinney, on view through Aug 31. Stangler Fine Art (6429 West Quaker Street, Orchard Park, NY 14127, stanglerart.com): Open Members Exhibition, Buffalo Society of Artists, on view through Jul 31. Mon-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-3pm. UB Anderson Gallery (1 Martha Jackson Place, Buffalo, NY 14214, 829-3754, ubartgalleries.org): Transmaterial, a group exhibition curated by Alicia Marvan; Martha Jackson, Graphics: Our Own Devices: Exploring the Tools of Cravens World; These Fragile Truths, UB MFA Thesis by Tricia Butski, all on view through Aug 16, plus Cravens World: The Human Aesthetic, on view through Dec 31, 2016. Wed-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm. Western New York Book Arts Collaborative (468 Washington Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, 438-1430, wnybookarts.org): WNYBAC Members Exhibition, on view through Aug 21. P Wed-Sat 12-6pm.
PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY
FRANK’S NEW BAR!
join us for a fun day of shopping at the
ELMWOOD VILLAGE
MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER
Thank you for advertising with THE PUBLIC. Please review your ad and check for any errors. The original layout Craft Beer 5 Drafts 5 Bottles instructions have been followed as closely as possible. Cocktails 5 THE PUBLIC offers design services with two proofs at no charge. FullTHE Menu & Bar Served PUBLIC is notApps responsible for any error if not notified within 24 hours of LUNCH / DINNER / BANQUETS receipt. The production department must ALL OCCASIONS! have a signed proof in order to print. .BFLO 2491 DELA WARE VE fax 876-5449 Please signAand this .back or approve 5 by FREE OFF STREET PARKING 5 responding to this email.
4 Flat Screens
�
CHECK COPY CONTENT
�
CHECK IMPORTANT DATES
�
CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, & WEBSITE
�
PROOF OK (NO CHANGES)
�
PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES)
Advertisers Signature
____________________________
many participating shops & boutiques
Date Issue:
_______________________
DAys
OFCY/Y15W30 yOgA ______________________
IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON THIS PROOF, THE PUBLIC CANNOT BE (NEW STUDENTS ONLY) HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP. THIS PROOF MAY ONLY BE USED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC.
July 20th-August 31st, 2015
ELMWOOD AVENUE BUFFALO, NEW YORK
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC
9
DANCE SPOTLIGHT her business, Devi Bollywood Dance, she currently offers Beginners Bollywood, Bollywood/ Bhangra and Intermediate Classical Bollywood, and occasionally teaches special workshops at ODC and Barre Centric as well. “I love it,” Devi said. “I love meeting people. Some of my closest friends are from dance. I just feel like it’s a great way to meet people and way to stay fit. I’m very passionate about it.” Stephanie Frary, a 28-year-old accounting analyst at First Niagara Financial Group, started taking Devi’s classes a year ago. She’s taken every class Devi offers and describes the style of dance as “addicting.” “Gaitrie’s classes have improved my fitness level in terms of cardio stamina with the different styles of Indian dance that she touches on in class,” Frary said. “Most importantly, I have gained confidence in myself.” Each class Devi says she likes to remind her students, most of whom are women, how “strong and amazing” they are and how they should indulge in feeling great about themselves during that hour of class. “It’s not just about the dance,” Devi said. “It’s about being comfortable in your own skin. I still tell my students every session ‘this is your time, this is an opportunity for you to spend an hour with yourself. Look at yourself in that mirror. Don’t be afraid. Focus on yourself and be happy.’”
PHOTO COURTESY OF ONION STUDIO
GAITRIE DEVI
“No one feels like they are uncoordinated, bad at dancing, or out of shape,” Martini said. “She makes it accessible while still making it challenging. She does not do anything to make us feel ‘less than’ while in class, yet remains clearly the teacher. It’s the perfect mix of ‘she knows what she’s doing’ but ‘she’s one of us.’”
BY VANESSA OSWALD BOLLYWOOD DANCER GAITRIE DEVI is the type of person who is con-
stantly thinking of innovative ways to expose the community of Buffalo to different styles of dance. Her passion for the Indian art form, which began at an early age, has now blossomed into a full-blown career as she is now the only Bollywood instructor in Buffalo. One thing Devi fondly remembers about her childhood is gathering around the television with her parents and becoming completely absorbed with the various performers in classic Bollywood films. “I was born in South America, so the Indian roots, I wasn’t necessarily tied to Indian that way. Watching the movies and mimicking the actresses and learning that style of dance was almost keeping me connected with my Indian heritage,” Devi said. Her family moved from Guyana, South America to the Bronx when she was five. That’s where she was introduced to a wide range of cultures in her neighborhood, such as Hispanic, African, Caribbean, and Irish. Every weekend her family, which consisted of her mother, grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins, had parties and listened to Indo-Caribbean music, which is a fusion of Indian, soca, and reggae. Another tradition within her family was dancing at special occasions, like birthdays and weddings, which is a common practice in Indian culture. It wasn’t until 2002 when she attended the University at Buffalo, majoring in psychology and communications, that she became serious about dancing when she started choreographing routines for several student associations and cultural organizations. Once she graduated in 2006, she returned to New York City and felt a strong yearning to dance. She immediately looked up the nearest Bollywood dance schools online and discovered Bollywood Axion run by Pooja Narang. “She’s the one who made me realize how much I enjoyed Indian dance,” said Devi of her dance mentor Narang. “She has such a passion for it. There are various styles of dance through India and she would cover almost everything.”
DEVI BOLLYWOOD DANCE 920 NIAGARA FALLS BLVD, TONAWANDA DEVIBOLLYWOODDANCE.COM
“She had this vision of bringing authentic Indian dance to the mainstream,” Devi said. “The showcase was very rigorous and demanding, but an amazing experience. It was one of those experiences that really helps you grow.” It wasn’t until 2012 that she decided to make her home in Buffalo after she met her husband, Heamchand Subryan, who had attended UB and is originally from the Bronx as well. Within a month of returning to the city she found a reliable full-time job, which she was thankful for, but the absence of dance brought that aching feeling back. “I was very frustrated with myself and the position that I had at the company,” Devi said. “I knew that there was something missing.” As she searched for dance classes in the area she noticed there were a lot of styles offered—from contemporary to belly dance to hip hop—except she realized no one in Buffalo taught Indian dance, which is what sparked her idea to start teaching her own classes. “It took me months to actually get the courage and feel I could do this,” Devi said. “If it wasn’t for the support from my husband, my mentor, who is Payal Kadakia, and my friends and family, honestly I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off because I had no following.”
In 2009 she also joined the Sa Dance Company under the artistic direction of Payal Kadakia, who is now the CEO of ClassPass. With this group she performed a three-day showcase at the Alvin Ailey Theater.
In the next few months Devi gained more of a following and Faaria from Oasis Dance Center reached out to her asking if she wanted to teach Bollywood classes. Ever since then she’s set up shop at this location. Through
THE PODCASTS
During her time with Bollywood Axion she was a featured dancer in their dance company and performed at large-scale events in Times Square and the South Street Seaport.
Devi first connected with Lisa Griffis Davis, who at the time owned a space in Studio C located where Essex Arts Center now resides in Buffalo. She happened to be at the studio shooting a photo for the cover of Buffalo Healthy Living magazine and once she met Davis they instantly became friends. After becoming acquainted, Davis offered up her space for Devi to teach workshops so she could get a feel for teaching and to see if there was an interest among dancers in the region for Indian dance.
PUBLIC SPEAKING ELECTROPAT INFRINGEMENT INTERVIEW
On top of teaching classes, Devi also formed her own performance group in late 2013, also recognized as Devi Bollywood Dance. The group consists of Devi, who choreographs the pieces and dances, along with flamenco dancer Lisa Amelia and Bharatanatyam dancer Bhavana Muddukrishna. Devi says she specifically chose these dancers, both who have previously taken classes with her, because of their advanced technique and skills. Together they’ve performed at numerous local events, such as City of Night, Elmwood Arts Festival, Taste of Diversity and Glen Park Festival. One performance that succeeded in capturing the true essence of Indian dance while sharing it with the community on a larger scale, which Devi organized herself, was her 2014 showcase. The show, comprised of 15 dances, included her performance ensemble, along with a few local artists, instrumentalist Ravi Padmanabha from Family FUNKtion, contemporary ballet dancer Mackenzie Lynch, and tribal fusion belly dancer Michelle Joy. “It was the first in the community to bring together these type of artists from various backgrounds and kind of infused it to be almost one style and then have this connection of Indian themes.” Most recently, Devi has also become the development assistant at Young Audiences Western New York, an organization devoted to making art accessible to children in order to enhance their development. Through Young Audiences she’s been involved in several programs teaching dance throughout the community and in public schools. “Young Audiences and their vision for what they want to do…[for] every dancer who wants to continue to grow and to teach others, it’s a great opportunity,” Devi said. “You learn so much about your skills, where you are and where you want to go.” While Devi may be busy with her many commitments, she never misses an opportunity to connect with others through movement if it presents itself. Her most recent endeavor was helping organize an all-day dance event for National Dance Day with studio owner Kara Mann, which was held at Free Soul Dance. The event, which featured a wide range of dance classes, like Egyptian belly dance, contemporary, Bollywood, salsa, and hip hop, had a successful turnout.
HEAR ELECTROPAT, THE FUTURISTIC PODCASTING SUPERBOT, INTERVIEW FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS HEATHER GRING AND CURT ROTTERDAM, AND TRY TO GET TO THE HEART OF WHAT THE INFRINGEMENT FESTIVAL IS ALL ABOUT. PHOTO BY CURT ROTTERDAM
LISTEN TO OUR PODCASTS ON DAILYPUBLIC.COM >> 10 THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
Lara Martini, a 33-year-old artist and graphic designer, who has taken the Beginners Bollywood and Intermediate Classical Bollywood classes for the past year, says she appreciates Devi’s fun, yet still professional, teaching style.
“I’m always looking to do more,” Devi said. “My brain is always thinking. It’s exciting at the same time to see what could happen. I have more P ideas. I’m not done.”
RECAP PHOTOS
LIVEMUSICEVERYNIGHTFOROVER30YEARS! WEDNESDAY
Humpday Hodgepodge
Chris Abbey / Bipolar Coaster Ollie Conover & Helen M. / Sara Elizabeth Jen Whitmore- Folk the 90’ & Other Sings Junk Puppets & General Purpose Rory McCormack / BlurrAngels
JULY 29
8PM-1AM
THE PUBLIC INVITATIONAL BY THE PUBLIC STAFF
THURSDAY
JULY 30
National CheeseCake Day Celebration
BYO CHEESECAKE. WE BROUGHT THE BANDS
Brett Cole / Irregardless / The Dark Matter Trio / Alset Alokin / chloroform 8:30PM-1AM PAY WHAT YOU CAN
FRIDAY
JULY 31
Car Stories
TAKE A THEATRICAL JOYRIDE! CAR STORIES SPARKED THE CREATION OF THE INFRINGEMENT FESTIVALS! TO RSVP OR PLAY CONTACT OPTATIF@GMAIL.COM / OPTATIVE.NET 4 - 7PM OUT FRONT
Nietzsche’s Masquerade Ball
: AKA THE BOO-YAH BASH DRESS UP IN SOME MASQUERADE FINERY TO HEAR A VARIETY OF RAP, METAL AND METAL RAP BANDS. BOO-YAH MY FRIENDS, BOO-YAH
ish kabbible / My Rap Name is Alex Governess / Hooked on Casiophonics / Video Beast Zev / Jack Topht 10PM-3AM
SATURDAY
AUG 1
Car Stories
4 - 7PM OUT FRONT
Journey To Uranus
SCI-FI / FANTASY COSTUME BALL)
Joseph & The Beasts / Grayo / The Goods $5 ADMISSION $3 W/ AN OUT OF THIS WORLD COSTUME
PAR FOR THE COURSE at the Larkin Links, the new nano-golf course in
Larkinville, is 19. When we held our first ever Public Invitational at the nano course on Sunday, the best individual score was 23. Needless to say, it’s a tough course. If hole six doesn’t bust you, hole eight certainly will. Nicole Biondi from the City Dining Cards team took home the individual best score trophy as well as the coveted Larkin Links plaid green jacket. Team Black & Blue eeked out a victory from under City Dining Cards to take home the grand prize trophy for best team score with a tally of 107. More than 20 teams of four showed up to play, and we’d like to extend our thanks to every one, as well as our hosts Harry Zemsky and Hydraulic Hearth. Good luck next year! P
SUNDAY
AUG 2
Susan Peters Presents
A STAGED READING OF THE NEW ONE-ACT PLAY, BLOOD CHILD, WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A ROUND OF NEECHARDY, OUR LOCAL TAKE ON THE POPULAR GAME SHOW 4 - 4:30PM
Car Stories
4 - 7PM OUT FRONT
graffiti reading
SUSAN PETERS PRESENTS A STAGED READING OF THE PONDERINGS AND YEARNINGS OF THE AWESOME WOMEN WHO FREQUENT NIETZCHE’S 5 - 7PM OUT FRONT
Closing Ceremonies & Iffy Awards Presentation / The grand finale THE IFFY AWARDS WILL BE DISPERSED BETWEEN ACTS ALL NIGHT
beerhall philosophers Kerry Fey Does Infringement / Ould Pound DASHURI / The Kerosene Brothers Volver / The Minions
9PM- 1AM PROCEEDS HELP US COVER PRODUCTION COSTS PAY WHAT YOU CAN
WEEKLY EVENTS EVERY SUNDAY FREE
6PM. ANN PHILLIPONE 8PM . DR JAZZ & THE JAZZ BUGS (EXCEPT FIRST SUNDAYS)
EVERY MONDAY FREE
8PM. SONGWRITER SHOWCASE 9PM. OPEN MIC W. JOSH GAGE
EVERY TUESDAY
8PM. RUSTBELT COMEDY 10PM. JOE DONOHUE 11PM. THE STRIPTEASERS
EVERY WEDNESDAY FREE 6PM. TYLER WESTCOTTS PIZZA TRIO
EVERY THURSDAY FREE
5PM. AFTERNOON TRIO w/ JOHN, PAUL, & BILL
EVERY SATURDAY FREE
4:30-7:30PM. CELTIC SEISIUNS (TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY)
248 ALLEN STREET 716.886.8539
NIETZSCHES.COM DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC
11
12 THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
AND I KNEW EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALL RIGHT / MAUDE WHITE’s paper cutouts are currently exhibited at Buffalo Arts Studio. More details on dailypublic.com. DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 13
EVENTS CALENDAR PUBLIC APPROVED
IN PRINT
MOTHERHOUSE Sessions (Demo) Recommended If You Like: Orenda Fink, Space Cubs
The ethereal, no-wave duo quietly released its three-track demo of
THE FINAL FOUR DAYS OF INFRINGEMENT THURSDAY JULY 30-SUNDAY AUG 2
haunting yet relaxing noise during
VARIOUS TIMES & LOCATIONS,
this past Wednesday’s waning
[INFRINGEMENT] This weekend is the final stretch for the 11th annual Buffalo Infringement Festival. Since the weekend usually begins on Thursday night for many folks in Buffalo, we’ve got the next four days planned out for you right here.
hours. The pair features past and current members of the Mordaunt Sisters, Actors, and Cross Stitch.
HIERONYMUS BOGS “I Wonder” (Song) RIYL: Devandra Banhart, Antony and the Johnsons, Andy Pothier
The Rochester folk artist premiered the startling first single from his upcoming LP The Angel early last week. Set to drop on August 15, the album features contributions from members of Buffalo Sex Change, Howlo, Passive Aggressives Anonymous, and Maybird.
A HOUSE SAFE FOR TIGERS “Evaporate” (Video)
THURSDAY, JULY 30
SATURDAY, AUG 1
When work ends on Thursday, Infringement Festival will be in full swing. Start with Barging into the Burch IV, an outdoor sensory trip where artists will make use of the Burchfield Penney’s elaborate outdoor projection system, as well as the cozy stage on the front lawn. At 7pm the Thursday Night Hootenanny begins at the 9th Ward with a slew of folk bands including Folkfaces and the Vine Brothers. Sneak over to Dreamland to view a collection of erotic and fetish-themed artwork at a show they’re calling Wet Dreamland. End the night at either Milkie's for a hip hop showcase featuring Chuckie Campbell & the Phaction; or the National Cheese Cake Day Celebration at Nietzsche’s with Dark Matter Trio, Brett Cole, chloroform, and more.
The forecast for Saturday is looking like 90 degrees and sunny, and Saturday’s Infringement Festival lineup is full of fun things to do outdoors. Start with Food Not Brahms in Symphony Circle outside of Kleinhans Music Hall where 11 acoustic acts will play all day (10am-4pm), fueled by a potluck picnic. From there, head to Hoyt Lake for 100 Drums Along Hoyt Lake at 1pm, where acts like the Slyboots Drum Ensemble and Buffalo Percussion Collective will hold the city’s biggest drum circle— which could end up running the entire the circumference of the lake itself. At 8pm, head over to Days Park to catch the BuffaFlow Hulagans hoop show, followed by the Hoopnosis Fire Faery flaming hula hoop show. Then head indoors for either Punk Rock Night at Mohawk Place, Journey to Uranus Sci-Fi Costume Ball at Nietzsche’s, or the annual Pirate Party this year at Milkie's.
FRIDAY, JULY 31 On Friday, July 31 every major Infringement Festival event is a masquerade ball. That means that whether you’re going to Mohawk Place to see Strange Standard, Manawi Thorn, Tomoreau, Look a Fang, and Guillotine, or Nietzsche’s for ish kabbible, My Rap Name Is Alex, Governess, Hooked on Casiophonics, Video Beast, Zev, and Jack Toptht, or Milkie’s for BlurrAngels, MatKa, the Finality Complex, DJ Leah, Wood Bois, and JeffRepeater, you’ll be best advised to wear your favorite Eyes Wide Shut mask. Or your favorite Point Break mask. Or even maybe the mask from The Mask. A couple of other Masquerade Ball events will happen simultaneously at the Tudor Lounge and Sugar City as well, so there will be many places to lurk to and from on Friday night.
SUNDAY, AUG 2 Sunday night is all about the Closing Ceremonies. Okay, maybe not all about–there’s also a whole Sunday Funday full of events like the Open Air Art Fair on Wadsworth Street, followed by Megafringe Movie Montage (also on Wadsworth Street) and of course the infamous outdoor interactive theatre show, Car Stories—but it’s mostly about the Closing Ceremonies. This year the final hurrah will feature beerhall philosophers, Kerry Fey, Ould Pound, Dashuri, the Kerosene Brothers, Volver, and the Minions. As always, the Closing Ceremonies will also include the Iffy Awards Presentation, where attendees vote for their favorite Infringement Festival performers and present those performers with the coveted Iffy Award paper plate with their name written on it in permanent marker. -CORY PERLA
RIYL: The Beatles, Mercury Rev, the Flaming Lips
The melancholic single was given a contemplative music video courtesy of former Son of the Sun bassist
WEDNESDAY JULY 29
Stevie Matthews. “Evaporate” is
Public Picnic
included on the duo’s debut LP,
6pm Silo City, 120 Childs St. free [DISCUSSION] The third Public Picnic will be Wednesday, July 29 at 6pm at Silo City (indoor location if it rains). The first two have seen lively but civil discourse around one of the most pressing issues in our country today: race. There will be a slight format tweak this time, beginning with a “What’s on your mind?” segment then moving into current events: Think Italian Fest/Sandra Bland/South Carolina. From there, the hive mind will lead the discussion to wherever things take us. Afterward, entertainment will be curated by Haute la Vie 2166. -KEVIN THURSTON
whose release will be celebrated at Mohawk Place on August 29.
LOCAL SHOW PICK OF THE WEEK PLEISTOCENE W/ JOSEPH & THE BEATS, LIKE A PANTHER SUGAR CITY 1239 NIAGARA ST, BUFFALO FRI, JULY 31 / 7PM / $5T
Westside Bikeride 3pm Streets of Buffalo, [INFRINGEMENT] Buffalo bike riders can participate in a bike ride through Buffalo’s West Side on Wednesday. The ride will stop at sever-
14 THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
al locations where experimental music groups will put on pop-up performances. The ride will end at LaSalle Park at 7pm for Westside Water World, a pop-up lakeside performance-art event featuring (fishy?) bands like Brass Pro and the Waterfront Revivalists, Tilapia, and the Seasides. -CP
A Midsummer Night’s Draw 7pm Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave. $5 [ART] Ever wonder what materials an artist uses to produce that awesome drawing you like so much? Wednesday is your rare chance to get a glimpse inside an artist’s mind. This biannual fundraising event for Buffalo’s oldest art nonprofit, Hallwalls, invites a wide spectrum of local artists to construct drawings in front of a live audience, after which then the attendees can bid on their favorite works. Artists in this year’s lineup includes Bruce Adams, Mary Begley, Emily Churco, Mickey Harmon, Jeremy Maxwell, Esther Neisen, Stacey Robinson, Katherine Sehr, Chuck Tingley, Adam Weekley, and Sara Zak. With the beginning bid on all drawings starting at only $39, you’d be mad not to attend. This is your opportunity to col-
lect one of a kind original artwork by the most talented artists around, and support an organization that has been providing opportunities for local artists for more than 40 years. -TINA DILLMAN
THURSDAY JULY 30 Deon Cole 7pm Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St. $15-$31 [COMEDY] Deon Cole has been the only African-American writer in the Conan writer’s room for the last few years, and in that time his coworkers have asked him such questions as: “Do black cats have harder lives than white cats?” He has played a key role on the two-time Emmy-nominated writing staff, but has also managed to tap into a larger fan base with his hilarious on-screen appearances as a correspondent. Cole has a finely tuned comedic style that is smart, vulgar when necessary, and blanketed by his laidback temperament and charisma. Cole has been working in comedy for more than 20 years, dishing out his astute, mild-mannered
CALENDAR EVENTS PUBLIC APPROVED
standup on Shaq’s All Star Comedy Jam on Showtime, Kevin Hart’s Hart-Beat Tour, John Oliver’s New York Stand-up Show, Laffapalooza, Def Comedy Jam, and his own standup special on Comedy Central. He is currently featured on ABC Family’s Black-ish as Charlie, and will soon star in TBS’s Angie Tribeca, created by Nancy and Steve Carell. Catch Deon Cole at Helium Comedy Club on Thursday, July 30 through Saturday, August 1. -KELLIE POWELL
Rhinoceros
IRON AND WINE W/ BEN BRIDWELL THURSDAY JULY 30 6PM / CANALSIDE, 44 PRIME ST. / FREE [INDIE] New recordings needn’t excite, innovate, and/or transcend in order to succeed. The best music conveys emotion, but sometimes listeners need to work for the payoff. Indie folk-rock buds Sam Beam (a.k.a. Iron and Wine) and Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses have teamed up for this eclectic set of cherry-picked covers that’s initially subtle but offers some curious transformations that reveal with time and repeated listening. Using a mostly Americana-steeped musical approach, the duo reworks Sade’s “Bullet Proof Soul” into something slow-waltzing and dead-serious, while Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)” becomes less weighty and seemingly campfire-appropriate. Lazy and languid, licks of pedal steel ooze throughout most of the tracks, portraying the feel of a late summer, Deep South afternoon. For the most part, the duo takes turns at lead vocals with Beam staying true to the mellow stance of his earliest recordings—his version of Paul Siebel’s “Any Day Woman,” made famous by Bonnie Raitt, is nothing short of delightful—while Bridwell rocks a tad harder through spirited performances of John Cale’s “You Know Me More Than I Know” and the Ronnie Lane tune, “Done This One Before.” Some treatments work better than others: The apathy, alienation, and ennui inherent in El Perro Del Mar’s vocal on “God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)” is gone altogether from Beam’s version and isn’t replaced with anything worthwhile. But when they join forces on a breathtaking run through JJ Cale’s “Magnolia,” the melancholy is overwhelming in all the best ways. Iron and Wine with Ben Bridwell will play Canalside on Thursday, July 30. -CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY
8pm Manny Fried Playhouse, 255 Great Arrow Ave. [INFRINGEMENT] Buffalo's left-wing drama house, Subversive Theater Collective, will present Rhinoceros at the Manny Fried Playhouse from this Thursday through Saturday. Rhinoceros, written by Romanian playwright Eugène Ionesco, is an absurdist drama that documents events in a small provincial French village whose residents are turning into rhinoceroses. That’s right—teetering on the line between drama and comedy, the work is largely an allegory on the implications of mass movements (i.e fascism, Nazism, and communism) and is now considered to be one of the essential works of absurdist theater. The show will begin promptly at 8pm and general admission will be donation based (however, on Friday and Saturday general admission will change to $10). -JEANNETTE CHIN
FRIDAY JULY 31 Paris and Simo 10pm Sky Bar, 257 Franklin St. $10 [ELECTRONIC/DANCE] Montreal has been pumping out a solid stream of talented, leftfield electronic music producers lately with festivals like Mutek. Paris and Simo, who hail from Montreal, aren’t as left-field as artists like Kaytranada, but they do bring a well curated selection of EDM tunes along the lines of Deadmau5 or Wolfgang Gartner, releasing a string of singles on the Dutch record label Revealed Recordings. Paris and Simo come to the rooftop at Sky Bar on Friday, July 31. -CP
Stokeswood
8pm Buffalo Iron Works, 49 Illinois St. $5 [INDIE] The first time you listen to Stokeswood, you will be surprised by how easily their hip hop beats and indie rock melodies hypnotize you and get your body moving. The Atlanta-based quintet have been spreading their sticky sound since the early 2000s, and are known for their captivating stage presence and their tendency to seamlessly trade off instruments throughout their set. While their previous efforts were quite popular in the South, the keyboard-filled dub-pop electro-beats from their latest album, 2075, deserve national recognition. The album drifts between the sexy synth dubs on the title track, to the perfect 1980s synths on “Our Streets,” which plays like an energetic Maroon 5 mega-hit. Catch Stokeswood with Mike & Dave (of Aqueous) Acoustic Wonder Emporium at Buffalo Iron Works on Friday, July 31. -KP
SATURDAY AUG 1 TwoGuysGoodBuys Pop Up Shop 12pm Ashker's Juice Bar, 1002 Elmwood Ave.
[FASHION] Calling all local men with an appreciation for vintage clothing and 35-millimeter photography! We highly suggest that you swing by Ashker's on Saturday and Sunday, (Aug 1-2) for the second TwoGuysGoodBuys Pop Up Shop. An eclectic collection of fine vintage men’s clothing as well as 20 selected 35-millimeter “travel” prints will be available for purchase. All sales support Frank and Tyler’s 12-month expedition around the United States beginning in November. -SEAN HEIDINGER
Black Swan Summer Session 2pm Black Swan, 153 Elmwood Ave $5 [ELECTRONIC/DANCE] Black Swan Lounge returns with another raging summer patio party this Saturday, August 1. Black Swan Summer Session will feature DJs Brother Bear, Hattwein & Short, Twist, Spacelines, Arehouse, Alex Sarabia, and DJ Universal for an all-day, outdoor blast. -CP
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 15
EVENTS CALENDAR
STAY IN THE
THIS WEEK'S AGENDA WEDNESDAY JULY 29
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15
Giraffes? Giraffes!
PUBLIC APPROVED
9pm Buffalo Iron Works, 49 Illinois St. $8 [INDIE] California by way of western Massachusetts duo Joe Andreoli and Ken Topham of Giraffes? Giraffes! have earned a reputation for their pioneering math-rock, something that takes cues from 1970s prog-masters like Yes and King Crimson. They bring it current via use of loops, samples, and various other staples of the digital age while maintaining a scrappy, lo-fi edge. Occasional vocals don’t necessarily translate into a lyrical narrative, leaving the music sharp and undiluted. It packs a wallop and the talent is inarguable, but you might want to prep with some aspirin. The long-necked pair comes to Buffalo Iron Works this Saturday, August 1. -CJT
Passive Aggressives Anonymous
PITCHER IT! HUMP DAYS 7PM – 2AM at Fugazi, 503 Franklin St.
Mike, Mike, Mike…That’s your bartender on Wednesdays, mixing up mini-pitchers of everyone’s favorite drinks. Margaritas, Grape Apes, Fruit Punches, and Adam’s Apples are $6; Long Island Iced Teas are $6.50. Plus, $3 bottles of Labatt and Molson.
SUNDAY AUGUST 2
6pm Big Orbit Gallery, 30 Essex St free [WEIRD] From Rochester with heaping mounds of irony and sarcasm comes Passive Aggressives Anonymous, and if their tunes are any indication, the 12-step program isn’t working. That’s okay. It seems that frontman JP Valenti’s deadpan delivery would suffer if he suddenly lost the passive-aggressive edge informing gems like “Attracted for Morbid Reasons” and the new single, “Many at Once.” With an obvious love for crooners and the standards that made so many of them famous, Valenti turns his own tales into something that marries Pink Martini and Morrissey in an old-timey, five-piece ensemble featuring cello and upright bass. Attend the meeting at Big Orbit Gallery on Saturday, August 1. -CJT
House of Dance
THE BIG GAY BOAT RIDE 3PM – 6PM at Erie Basin Marina, 329 Erie St.
The Imperial Court transforms the Miss Buffalo II riverboat into an LGBT club for one summer day only. Arrive early, because the boat sets sail at 3pm sharp, rain or shine. Live DJ, drag show, and cash bar. Dry-Dock Party at Underground Nightclub after the ride. Tickets are $25 and available at most LGBT bars; 21 and up only.
SUNDAY AUGUST 2
1pm Karpeles Manuscript Library Porter Hall, 453 Porter Avenue free [INFRINGEMENT] This Saturday the stunning and lofty interior of Karpeles Manuscript Library on Porter Avenue will transform into the setting for a lineup of dance performances put together by some of the city’s most stirring dance collectives and choreographers. Beginning at noon, Si Si Nana Dance Ensemble will perform an eclectic blend of African, samba, Caribbean, and praise, the leave the floor to Glimpse, whose exquisite choreography is influenced by hip hop, African, and contemporary. The early-afternoon of dance performances will end with the mesmerizing contact improvisation of Body Obstacles. -JC
LIFE IN COLOR FEAT. ADVENTURE CLUB FRIDAY JULY 31 6PM / OUTER HARBOR CONCERT SITE, 325 FUHRMANN BLVD. / $54 [ELECTRONIC/DANCE] The first Outer Harbor concert of the summer approaches and it’s a unique and even messy one. Imagine a crowd full of fans ready to party, holding spray bottles full of paint, and standing in front of some fully loaded color-hoses wielded by a crew of costumed performers. This is just what Funtime Afterdark has in store for Buffalo when they bring the Life in Color, Big Bang world tour featuring EDM superstars Adventure Club to the Outer Harbor Concert Site on Friday, July 31. Life in Color is essentially a roving paint rave—a chance for crowds to let loose a few gallons of paint while partying to big EDM drops. Like their “filthstep” colleague, Skrillex, Montreal’s Adventure Club—Christian Srigley and Leighton James—came up in the hardcore and punk scene before moving to EDM about five years ago. Since then, they’ve landed spots on major festivals including Electric Daisy Carnival and Ultra Music Festival. Life in Color—an electronic music-based events promotions company—was formed by four fun-loving friends, Sebastian Solano, Lukasz Traz, Paul Campbell, and Patryk Tracz in 2006, and has since become known for this traveling paint tour featuring acts like Afrojack, Carnage, and Steve Aoki -CORY PERLA
PUBLIC APPROVED
SUNDAY AUG 2 Incubus with Deftones
A TOAST TO JEANNE HEALY 3PM – 6PM at Ohm Ultra Lounge, 948 Main St.
Join Roslyn Righetti for a toast in honor of beloved community member Jeanne Healy. Bring photos and memories to share, and help spread news of the event to her friends, family, and coworkers.
TUESDAY AUGUST 4
JOE DONOHUE’S BATHTUB GIN REVIEW 10PM – 12AM at Nietzsche’s, 248 Allen St.
Part pub sing-along, part spontaneous, rocking, ragtime circus, Donohue’s sets range from the expected to the iconic to the sublime. The Stripteasers burlesque troupe performs atop the bar following the set.
LOOPMAGAZINEBUFFALO.COM
6pm Darien Lake, 9993 S Alleghany Rd $29-$206 [METAL] Cutting their teeth on the Sunset Strip at venues like Whisky A Go-Go and the Troubadour, Incubus got their start at the epicenter of the LA metal music scene circa 1991. Blending hip-hop, metal, funk, and thrash, Incubus served up a sensational alternative rock cocktail garnished with an atmospheric ambiance. With each new album, hits like “Drive,” “Meglomanic,” “Anna Molly,” and "Wish You Were Here” captured the attention of both modern rock and mainstream audiences. Now, more than 20 years later, the California quintet is still hungry for growth and fresh music, releasing a four-song EP Trust Fall (Side A) in May. While no Incubus album sounds exactly like the one before it, this EP is a significant departure from the lush and warm tones that comprised its 2011 predecessor If Not Now, When?. “Make Out Party” may be the slowest Incubus song to date while “Trust Fall” boasts that caffeinated thrash-pop with skin-tight grooves and melodies remaining snuggly cemented in the familiar. Following their tour with the Deftones— talk about familiar—Incubus plans to head back to the studio to record Trust Fall (Side B) this fall. Catch Incubus and Deftones at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Sunday, August 2. -KP
Car Stories 4pm Nietzsche's, 248 Allen St. pay what you can [INFRINGEMENT] The interactive performance, which inspired the creation of the first Infringement festival in Montreal, Car Stories returns to the parking lot of Allentown stomping ground, Nietzsche’s for the Buffalo Infringement Festival. Car Stories invites courageous participants (three at a time) to go on a whimsical car-ride through the streets of Allen and Elmwood, giving riders the opportunity to experience these streets from a fresh vantage point. Parties interested in making a reservation can send an email to optatif@ gmail.com. -JC
16 THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
PHOTO BY EMMA TILLMAN
FATHER JOHN MISTY SATURDAY AUG 1 7PM / TOWN BALLROOM, 681 MAIN ST. / $22-$24 [INDIE] There is a short biography of Father John Misty on the Sub Pop Records website and it’s written by Mr. Misty himself. It’s not a biography in a traditional sense, though. It does not begin with the story of how Misty, a.k.a. Joshua Tillman, grew up in a household of Evangelical Christians in a Washington, DC suburb where secular music was not allowed and where hell was a real place, somewhere down there. The bio begins with a story about how Tillman tries to avoid writing love songs. They’re “just so passe,” he says, before explaining why he called his latest record, I Love You, Honeybear. (He admits he’s never called anyone Honeybear before.) The former Fleet Foxes drummer prefers writing music about, well, writing (see “I’m Writing a Novel,” “Bored in the USA”) or creating the sort of fun anti-love songs found on his Father John Misty debut, Fear Fun. Though he’d been writing solo music as J. Tillman since as early as 2003, Father John Misty became a completely new identity—a vaguely cultish drifting druggie figure—for the multi-insturmentalist. At times, his alter ego even communicates with his ego-ego on meta-folkish songs like “The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apartment.” Tillman clearly knows how to write a solid, rustic folk song, but on I Love You, Honeybear, he even moves into some Postal Service-esque drum machines and synth strings on “True Affection,” after teasing his musical range on a collaboration with rapper Kid Cudi in 2013. Father John Misty comes to the Town Ballroom on Saturday, August 1 with support from Springtime Carnivore. -CORY PERLA
CALENDAR EVENTS
VEG FEST SUNDAY AUG 2 10AM / MARCY CASINO IN DELAWARE PARK, 199 LINCOLN PKWY / FREE [FOOD] When VegFest co-founders Albert Brown and Sara Rogers were discussing venues for the upcoming event, they were met with many great options. They looked at Canalside, along with some other sites, but found that Delaware Park really had everything they were looking for. With the natural beauty of the park as its backdrop, it made sense to hold a large-scale, plant-based event there. “It had a lot of what we were looking for, plus it’s a historic site and a lot of people describe it as the heart of Buffalo,” said Brown. Delaware Park has it all: a great natural terrain for runners, allowing the 5K to be held on site and away from traffic, great facilities, plenty of room, and a stage for the various performers. With a focus on performances, workshops, and activities for children, VegFest has expanded to include more of what people enjoyed most last year. There will be more dancing, martial arts demonstrations, and silk aerial artists will be performing shows for adults and children. Additionally, the puppets will be back, as they were an exceptionally well attended showcase last year.
PUBLIC APPROVED
Let’s not forget the food. Brown said he is especially excited for Taste of Thai, his favorite Buffalo Thai restaurant. Veg-friendly local restaurants will be represented, serving up their most popular plant-based fare, including Allentown Pizza, Merge, Amy’s Truck, and Wheatberry’s Bake Shop, among dozens of other vendors. Wellness vendors will be on display, as well, with a focus on natural ways of maintaining a balanced wellbeing. Fest attendees can expect to see yoga practitioners, chiropractors, fitness specialists, and health food shops. WNY VegFest hosts the largest Tofurky Trot in the country, and the only one of its kind on the East Coast. Rogers states that last year people who registered the day-of came from 10 different states. Runners are encouraged to dress up and bring friendly four-legged running buddies. The entire community is invited to attend the festivities on Sunday, August 2. “We’re not trying to just hang out with our vegan friends,” said Brown. “We are trying to get a message to those who have not yet seen the benefits of this lifestyle and the only way to do that is through kindness, respect, humility, and inviting them to a party!” Festivities will be held at the Marcy Casino & Rose Garden in Delaware Park from 10am until 6pm. VegFest is free and open to the public. All proceeds will go to Asha Farm Sanctuary. Food Not Bombs will be accepting vegan food donations. Runner registration will take place beginning at 9:30am. More information about WNY VegFest and the Tofurky Trot can be found at wnyvegfest.com. -MELISSA MEYER
F E AT U R E D E V E N T S
WED 7/29 @ 8PM
DIRTY SMILE & MOCHESTER » FREE » 18+ » Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm
THUR 7/30 @ 9PM
THE TOMMY Z BAND
» $5 » 18+ » Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm
FRI 7/31 @ 9PM
STOKESWOOD W. MIKE & DAVE’S (OF AQUEOUS)ACOUSTIC WONDER EMPORIUM » $5 » 18+ » Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm
SAT 8/1 @ 9PM
GIRAFFES? GIRAFFES! W. CCDS & TRIPLIP
» $8 » 18+ » Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm
TUE 8/4 @ 8PM
FINGER ELEVEN
» $19 ADV / $23 DOS » 16+ » Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm
THU 8/6 @ 8PM
KMFDM
W. CHANT & INERTIA
» $23.50 ADV / $27 DOS » 16+ » Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm
FRI 8/7 @ 5PM
BREW FEST 2015
» $30 ADV / $35 DOS » 21+ » Doors: 4pm Show: 5pm “We’re all about focusing on digging in and making it inspiring, and the rest of the band definitely isn’t thinking about issues of stature. It’s an amazing cross section of experience and musicianship and there’s a level of hunger in this band currently that’s frankly hard to match. Every night when we get offstage there’s talk about what could have been better and what needs work instead of a bunch of backslapping. It’s about pushing and sharpening the blade, which I appreciate.”
PUBLIC APPROVED
Although just 36, Trucks has already had a career that many talented guitarists only daydream about. TTB is just five years old and has already walked away with a Best Blues Album Grammy for 2011’s debut, Revelator. His hugely successful Derek Trucks Band allowed him the freedom to develop his own signature blend of slide-heavy blues with rhythmic elements from all over the globe, while side gigs in the Allmans and with Clapton have allowed him to pick up tricks from seasoned industry greats.
PHOTO BY MARK SELIGER
TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND TUESDAY AUG 4 5PM / ARTPARK, 450 SOUTH 4TH ST., LEWISTON / $12-$17 [ROCK] For a guy whose guitar playing earned him an sit-in with the Allman Brothers Band in his teens and the #16 slot in Rolling Stone‘s 2011 Greatest Guitarists of All Time list, Derek Trucks is surprisingly unassuming. Humble, bashful, and always learning, Trucks and his wife—fellow guitarist and blues-belting powerhouse Susan Tedeschi—have evolved into a rock and roll power couple. It’s a journey that called them both away from their respective solo projects to merge musical forces. The resulting Tedeschi Trucks Band (TTB) is an 11-piece contemporary blues machine, incorporating bits of pop and funk with an improv-heavy jamband sensibility that’s won them a devout audience of repeat concert-goers. The band’s Wheels of Soul revue arrives at Artpark on Tuesday, a showcase of like-minded players featuring the retro-steeped grooves of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and Doyle Bramhall, perhaps best known for his reversed-string guitar style. “Call it willful ignorance, but I just don’t pay enough attention or buy into it enough to think about it much or really even know it’s there,” Trucks said of his many musicianly accolades, calling over the phone from a Georgia tour stop. “Actually, I feel like folks want me to show off a little more in TTB and I’ve purposefully steered away from that—we’ll let people get upset about it and move on.” Trucks is very clear about the role of chemistry as the propellant for a successful band dynamic, and just because his name might be more familiar doesn’t make him the center attraction.
The Allmans gig began innocently enough: As the nephew of drummer/founding member Butch Trucks, the young guitar-whiz was invited to fill in for Jack Pearson, suffering with tinnitus, for a specific run of shows. It ended up becoming a 15year tenure. When Trucks and fellow guitarist Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule) finally announced their collective intention to depart, the Allmans decided to throw in the towel altogether rather than attempt to assemble another lineup. Staged at New York City’s Beacon Theater last October, the final show was their 238th consecutive sellout. They could’ve kept going, but for Trucks, paychecks were not lure enough to keep him around. Leaving the Allman Brothers Band was an emotional ordeal, but it was a necessary, liberating step toward giving the Tedeschi Trucks Band the full-time attention it deserves. As the collective prepares a third studio release (the second, Made Up Mind, dropped in 2013 with a live set, 2012’s Everybody’s Talkin’, in between), Trucks expressed what sounds like a breakthrough in the ongoing quest to capture TTB’s adventurous live spirit in a studio. “Ideas for this record sprung up naturally,” he said. “We let things breathe a little more, wander a little further…it’s a bit more aggressive and also more experimental,” he said. “When you’re making a record, you go down the rabbit hole so far, it’s hard to be subjective. I don’t hear anything on it that’ll get played on the radio, but that’s probably all for the better. When I listen to current music on the radio, all I can think is ‘would you please just stop lying to me?’ whereas, you know, we’re giving it a more honest go.” -CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY P
SAT 8/8 @ 8PM
DREAM SPECTRUM W. PROXIMITY
» $5 » All Ages » Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm
TUES 8/11 @ 9PM
THE G-NOME PROJECT & SONDER
» $7 ADV / $10 DOS » 18+ » Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm
WED 8/12 @ 8PM SHIVERING TIMBERS, COSMIC KAT, THE LAST SENTRY
» $5 » 16+ » Doors: 7pm Show: 8pm
UPCOMING EVENTS THU 8/13 @ 10PM
EYE ON ATTRACTION
» $5 ADV/$8 DOS » 18+ » Doors: 9pm Show: 10pm THU 8/20 @ 10PM
DOLLAR DIPLOMACY
» FREE » 18+ » Doors: 9pm Show: 10pm FRI 8/21 @ 10PM
AN 80S PARTY W. HAIR NATION
FRI 8/14 @ 9PM
ALBERT THE FISH, IRREGARDLESS & SHATTERED GLASS
» $5 » 18+ » Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm FRI 8/21 @ 5PM
FUNK FRIDAY W. SMACKDAB & RANDLE & THE LATE NIGHT SCANDALS » $5 » 18+ » Doors: 4pm Show: 5pm SAT 8/22 @ 9PM
ANTHONY RE & LUKE CIMINELLI QUINTET
» $5 » 18+ » $5 » All Ages » Doors: 9pm Show: 10pm » Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm
TICKETS: BUFFALOIRONWORKS.COM OR TICKETFLY.COM CAN BE PURCHASED AT: BIW BOX OFFICE OR TERRAPIN STATION
49 ILLINOIS STREET • BUFFALO, NY
716.200.1893 • BUFFALOIRONWORKS.COM
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 17
DRINKS BEER
Beer-clean glass, good lace.
THINGS BEER GEEKS SAY ...or, eight terms every beer geek—and beer geek’s friend—needs to know BY CALEB HOUSEKNECHT THE TERM “BEER GEEK” WAS HIP AND COOL FIVE OR 10 YEARS AGO. Now it carries a heavy connotation of negativity. And truthfully, I
LEARN TO FENCE AGILITY • BALANCE • CONFIDENCE
don’t like that. In this age of hyper-interest, we hear the phrase “geeking out” on a regular basis. It means someone’s really into something. They love it. They live by it. And that’s beer geeks to a tee. Of course, there are snooty beer geeks out there, but I prefer to call that brand of enthusiast “beer snobs,” not “geeks.” If you know a beer geek, if you spend a lot of time at microbreweries and/or craft beer bars, or you aspire to one day become a beer geek yourself, here are eight terms you’ll hear and want know…
1. BOUQUET
5. MOUTHFEEL
The “bouquet” is the aroma the beer gives off. Beer geeks will tell you that you can’t experience a true bouquet if you don’t drink your beer from a glass. And they’re right. You want a glass because as you bring the beer to your mouth for a taste, the opening at the top of the glass allows its aromas to enter your nostrils. The best way to remember this term is simply to think of a bouquet of flowers.
“Mouthfeel” is another easy one. It refers to the way the beer feels in your mouth. When you sip the beer, the mouthfeel may be “thin,” “full,” “over-carbonated,” “under-carbonated,” “smooth,” or “creamy.” This term is also used when describing the aftertaste.
Though somewhat similar to “mouthfeel,” the “body” of a beer is slightly different. Body refers to the consistency, thickness, and mouth-filling property of a beer. ”Balanced,” “robust,” “heavy,” and “light” are all adjectives commonly used to describe the body of a beer.
2. SESSION BEER
1/8V
A “session beer” is a beer you could drink all day long. The style really doesn’t matter. It’s all about the alcohol content of the brew, or “alcohol by volume” (ABV). Just think of an all-day hangout session with friends. Any beer you could drink that entire day—within reason, of course— without exceeding the Buzz City Limits, is a session beer. Note: “Session beer” is often used synonymously with the phrase “lawnmower beer” or “lawnmower lager.”
3. EARTHY This one is so easy that it’s actually hard. You’re thinking, They can’t possibly be talking about, like, dirt, or grass, right? Well, no. Not right. They are talking about that. Have they tasted dirt or grass? I don’t quite know. But I doubt it. “Earthy” refers to aromas and flavors similar to, well, the Earth.
ENROLL NOW!
SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR CLASS REGISTRATION, DATES & TIMES * GROUP RATES AVAILABLE * USFA CERTIFIED COACH • ALL EQUIPMENT PROVIDED
716.553.3448
WWW.FENCINGBUFFALO.COM
Jay Brooks of the Brookston Beer Bulletin, a beer blog I very much respect, describes it as “a beer with aromas and flavor reminiscent of earth or soil—such as forest floor or mushrooms.” Still confused? That’s okay. So am I. Maybe even more so than I was when I started writing this one. I’m just not entirely sure what it means because I would never, and have never, used it to describe a beer I’m drinking. But the beer geeks still say it.
4. MACRO
6. BODY
7. HEAD This is one of the most common terms you’ll hear beer geeks use when describing a beer, and it’s another easy one to remember. The head simply refers to the foam at the top of a beer. When thinking of this one, simply think that the top of a human body is the head, and the foam at the top of a beer is its head. A good head is somewhere between one inch and one-and-a-half inches of foam. A related term you’ll also commonly hear is “head retention.” This simply means how long the foam lasts on top of the beer.
8. LACE/LACING “Lace” or “lacing” refers to the pattern of foam that sticks to the sides of a glass once it’s been partially or totally consumed. This term is typically used when analyzing the cleanliness of the glass or glasses used to serve the beer. If a glass is “beer-clean,” you’ll see rings of foam stuck to the sides of the glass. So, there you have it. Of course there are another hundred or more terms you could learn in order to master the beer geek lexicon. But this is simply a crash course. Memorize these eight, and you could walk into any brewery or bar and pass as an entry-level beer geek, which is not at all a bad thing.
PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY
This one is also pretty easy. Just think the opposite of “micro,” as in “microbrewery.” Budweiser, Coors, Miller—these are all macro beers. If a beer geek uses the term “macro,” assume they’re using it negatively. Small IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON THIS PROOF, THE equals good and big equals bad. Easy enough, right?
18 THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
PUBLIC CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP.
MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER
�
CHECK COPY CONTENT
The Public’s weekly beer column is produced in collaboration with the Buffalo Niagara Brewers Assoc. P
REVIEW FILM
HEAVY WEIGHT I AM CHRIS FARLEY BY M. FAUST WHETHER OR NOT you were ever a fan of Chris Farley’s
work on Saturday Night Live, where he was widely hailed as the second coming of John Belushi, you can’t deny that this was someone who really threw himself into what he was doing. Literally. At one point in this documentary, an SNL producer talks about the comedian’s refusal to temper his falls anytime he threw himself around the stage or onto the floor, which he did regularly. Even a talk from Chevy Chase, who suffered years of addiction to painkillers after taking too many falls during his one season of SNL, failed to sway him. Made for the Spike cable channel, I Am Chris Farley covers the short career of the comedian who died from a drug overdose in 1997 at the age of 33—the same age and cause as Belushi. It may not make you a fan, but if you already are it’s unmissable, featuring plenty of behind-the-scenes footage, including clips from his time at Chicago’s Second City. (And even if you’re not a fan, the stuff about Del Close, the man who essentially invented modern improve comedy, is worth a look.) After leaving SNL for the movies, his substance abuse problems (he was in rehab 17 times) are exacerbated by a poor self-image: A performer who didn’t write, he became a victim of the uninhibited fat guy character that shot him to fame. Farley is remembered by his family (who bring early home movie footage) and friends, including Second City castmates Mike Myers and Bob Odenkirk, Christina Applegate, Tom Arnold, Dan Aykroyd, Jay Mohr, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, David Spade, and others. It will be shown Friday at 9:30pm and P next Wednesday at 7:30pm at the Screening Room.
I Am Chris Farley
HEIRLOOM
with
HAPPY HOUR on soho’s rooftop patio +
FRIDAY JULY 31 / 6-10PM /
FEATURING DJ DOVEY & RICK JAMESON SPECIAL LOCKHOUSE COCKTAILS 1/2 PRICED WINE / 1/2 PRICED MARTINIS / $3 LABATT PRODUCTS / $3 DRAFTS EXCLUSIVE ROOFTOP MENU AVAILABLE 64 W CHIPPEWA ST BUFFALO / SOHOBURGERBAR.COM
H
3 HEIRLOOM
with
HAPPY HOUR +
FRIDAY JULY 31 6-10PM featuring
on soho’s rooftop patio
DJ DOVEY & RICK JAMESON + SPECIAL LOCKHOUSE COCKTAILS + 1/2 PRICED WINE
PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER
Thank you for advertising with THE PUBLIC. Please review your ad and check for any errors. The original layout instructions have been followed as closely as possible. THE PUBLIC offers design services with two proofs at no charge. THE PUBLIC is not responsible for any error if not notified within 24 hours of receipt. The production department must have a signed proof in order to print. Please sign and fax this back or approve by responding to this email. �
CHECK COPY CONTENT
�
CHECK IMPORTANT DATES
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 19
FILM REVIEW
Christina Applegate, Ed Helms, Skyler Gisondo, and Steele Stebbins in Vacation.
TRAILERS ARE BETTER THAN EVER VACATION BY GEORGE SAX THE NEW YORK TIMES offered a useful little feature this week
about the current release Vacation. It was a brief taxonomy of the possible subcategories into which this extension of the 1980s National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise might fit. This is, it turns out, no easy-peasy, flick-of-the-wrist choice. Very serious consideration, by a number of New Line studio’s sage marketing minds, must have been devoted to the question. There are considerable stakes entailed in such decisions. The higher executive-judgment faculties in Hollywood must weigh whether a new movie that revisits an older one should be sold to consumers as, for example, a remake or as a sequel. The public should be provided the appropriate advisory. As the Times piece clarifies, the possibilities range from “reset” to “reimagining.” Vacation’s co-writer-directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein seem to have settled on “reboot.” What they adamantly rejected is “remake.” They weren’t trying to “replicate or do over what Chevy Chase did in 1983,” Goldstein told the Times. Chase was the star of the three National Lampoon’s Vacation movies, and he’s been wedged into a guest-star shot late in the new one.
IN CINEMAS NOW BY M. FAUST & GEORGE SAX
PREMIERES OPENING FRIDAY JULY 31 FELIX ET MEIRA—Named Best Canadian Feature Film at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, a Montreal-based drama about a woman (Hadas Yaron) yearning to break free of the orthodox Jewish community and the free-spirited man (Martin Dubreuil) she turns to for companionship. Directed by Maxime Giroux. Reviewed this issue Eastern Hills (Dipson) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—ROGUE NATION—Sequel. Starring Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, and Jeremy Renner; written and directed by Cruise’s acolyte Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher). Area theaters VACATION—Another one of those franchises you knew they were going to reboot (well, technically it’s a sequel) sooner or later. Starring Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Chris Hemsworth, and Leslie Mann. The directing debut of Horrible Bosses writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein. Reviewed this issue. Area theaters
ALTERNATIVE CINEMA AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1945)—Classic adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians, in which 10 people trapped in an island castle try to figure which one of them is plotting to kill off the others one by one. Starring Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, Roland Young, June Duprez, Mischa Auer, C. Aubrey Smith, and Judith Anderson. Directed by Rene Clair (I Married a Witch). Tue 7:30pm. Screening Room DON’T THINK I’VE FORGOTTEN: CAMBODIA’S LOST ROCK AND ROLL—The recent history of Cambodia, culminat-
Strictly speaking, one might sympathize with the filmmaker’s reluctance to have their picture confused with the old ones, which don’t constitute a high-water mark in popular art. Each of them worked out of the simple premise of a doofus male parent and husband who is inspired to take the family on a trip or to stage a home holiday celebration, with drearily disastrous consequences. They were all written by the late John Hughes, the widely touted master of the poignant youth comedy (Sixteen Candles, e.g.). When people reminisce about Hughes’s mastery, they rarely mention his work on the Vacation films. Even if Hollywood’s aversion to originality is accounted for, it’s a bit of a mystery why anyone would want to resurrect this material. Has the industry’s dedication to recycling become desperate? Let’s get something out of the way: Vacation (a particularly insipid title that seems to evidence compromise) is a terrible movie. Its setup and development are mechanical and barebones. Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms), the grown-up son of Chase’s old character, decides to take the wife and kids on a cross-country motor trip to a California theme park to induce the family out of their joint rut
ing in the horrors of the genocidal Khmer Rouge, viewed from the perspective of that country’s musicians. Reviewed this issue. Tue 7pm. Sugar City, 1239 Niagara St. DRESSED TO KILL (1946)—Benedict Cumberbatch and Ian McKellan and Jeremy Brett and Robert Downey Jr. are all very nice, but when you close your eyes and picture Sherlock Holmes, you see Basil Rathbone. This was his last appearance as the detective, in a film better than most of its predecessors for not pitting Holmes against Nazi spies. With Nigel Bruce as Watson and directed, like most of the series, by Roy William Neill. Thu 7:30pm. Screening Room I AM CHRIS FARLEY—Documentary about the late SNL star. Reviewed this issue. Fri 9:30pm, Wed 7:30pm. Screening Room POKÉMON: THE FIRST MOVIE — MEWTWO STRIKES BACK (Japan, 1998)—Either you grew up with it or you didn’t. Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Michael Haigney. Sat-Sun 11:30am. North Park WHAT’S UP, DOC? (1972)—Peter Bogdanovich’s homage to the screwball comedies of Howard Hawks, specifically Bringing Up Baby, with Ryan O’Neal as the straight-laced academic and Barbra Streisand as the kook who complicates his life. That the script is credited to Buck Henry, David Newman, and Robert Benton indicates that too many cooks may have spoiled the broth, though it would have helped if Bogdanovich trusted his material rather than perpetually poking viewers in the ribs. With Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Fri, Sat, Tue, Thu 7:30pm. Screening Room
IN BRIEF THEATER INFORMATION IS VALID THROUGH THURSDAY, JULY 30 AMY—She should have gone to rehab, yes, yes, yes. Amy Winehouse’s short life followed a familiar pattern that would be banal if it weren’t so tragic:
20 THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
and spark natural bonding. Predictably, they meet with a series of disasters, most of which center on graphic sexual misadventures, irruptions of out-of-control bodily functions, and/or potty humor. The picture’s repetitiously episodic smuttiness, gross-out exertions, and vapid slapstick are threaded through with a smarmy sentimentality about family values, which amounts to casual cynicism. Daley and Goldstein have brought no real narrative skill to their work; Vacation is just a series of badly staged scenes of personal calamities, and their dialogue relies on dimwitticisms that seem to be only partly intentional. The biggest tension in the movie may be from the prolonged wait for Chase’s appearance, and that’s handled even more flatly and clumsily than what came before. It should be noted that one of the larger auditoriums in the local multiplex where Vacation was previewed was almost filled that night, and that there was a lot of laughter. Why all those people showed up is another hard-to-answer question; most of them looked too young to remember the originals. Perhaps trailers on TV and the web attracted them. Trailers are now big business and fortunes are being made by independent producers of them. Also, there are different kinds of laughter and what I heard seemed somewhat forced or reflexive to me, without much genuine hilarity. Another question did occur to me, as it has before: If we’ve all become so mature, liberated, and unselfconscious about sexual matters, why do movies with this kind of regressive grubbiness and junior-high-school-boy bawdiness so often produce such an approving response? It’s that sort of response the filmmakers are counting on, but I wonder if they’ve miscalculated this time. It’s not this department’s usual office to estimate financial returns, but I’ll hazard a guess that Vacation, despite its modest cost, won’t be cleaning up. Of course, there is H. L. Mencken’s famous assertion about the linkage between underestimating the American public’s taste and P profiting handsomely.
A young person bursting with talent finds enormous success, only to fall victim to the excesses of celebrity. Asif Kapadia’s documentary benefits from the fact that there was a lot of video footage of the British singer, going back to when she was 14 and already ferociously talented. And if the end result will start more arguments than it settles about who was responsible for her decline, it will also open her work up to viewers who only know the tabloid side of her story. Drag someone to see it and they’ll come away a fan. -MF. Amherst (Dipson) ANT-MAN—Despite being the product of a creative team whose backgrounds are in comedy—writers Edgar Wright, Adam McKay, and Paul Rudd (who also has the title role) and director Peyton Reed (The Break-Up)— this is another standard issue Marvel product, with sections that will fly over the heads of viewers who haven’t seen every other Marvel movie. (Even before being acquired by Disney, they were all about branding.) The special effects guys do swell work with the first scenes of our hero, equipped with a suit that shrinks him to the size of—well, read the title—navigating a world where tiny things become terrifyingly large. But in standard Marvel structure so much time is spent on set-up that there’s little left for a plausible conflict: Corey Stoll has the thankless villain role of the industrial genius with daddy issues who seems to threaten every superhero. With Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale and Judy Greer. –MF Flix (Dipson), Hamburg Palace, Maple Ridge (AMC), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Sunset Drive-In, Sunset Drive-In A BORROWED IDENTITY—Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis’s movies (The Syrian Bride, Lemon Tree) explore the lives of Arabs in the shadow of Israel. A Borrowed Identity follows Eyad, a boy of exceptional intelligence raised in an Israeli city with a predominantly Arab population. He is accepted into a prestigious boarding school where Arab students are rare and faces unexpected difficulties, including a romance with a Jewish girl that they must keep secret. For the most part, Eyad’s struggle with his identity is
displayed subtly, sometimes too much so for American viewers who can’t read Hebrew or pick up on other nuances that would be clear to Israeli audiences. But the film’s conclusion, surprising even though signaled by the title, packs a tragic punch. –MF Eastern Hills (Dipson) THE GALLOWS—Microbudget high school horror from the producer of Insidious and Paranormal Activity. Starring no one you’ve ever heard of and directed by Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing. Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Sunset Drive-In, Transit Drive-In GEMMA BOVERY—Don’t be expecting an adaptation of Madame Bovery in this French comedy based on a British comic strip by comic strip by Posy Simmonds (Tamara Drewe) It’s the story of a Normandy baker (Fabrice Luchini), a devotee of Flaubert, who becomes infatuated with his new neighbor, a young Englishwoman with little knowledge of French language or customs. His advice to her and her husband, colored by his groundless confusion of her with her literary namesake, leads to trouble culminating in a wickedly witty denouement. For all its sport with the literary classic, the baker’s ardor and obsession are a kind of literary conceit that is hard to treat cinematically, which keeps the film from ever being as sharp as it wants to be. With Gemma Atherton and Jason Flemyng. Directed by Anne Fontaine (Coco Before Chanel). –GS. Eastern Hills (Dipson) INSIDE OUT—A combination of the 1990s sitcom Herman’s Head with Christopher Nolan’s Inception is the best I can do for a brief summary of the new Pixar animation. As apparently the only person in the world who didn’t like it, I don’t expect you to deprive your children of it on my say-so. But I suspect that kids are responding to it for the relentless movement rather than the plot, which is spun out as such a heavy allegory that it collapses under its own weight. It’s as overwrought and out of control as Tomorrowland, but a dazzled audience is often a happy one. With the voices of Amy Poehler, Phyllis
PLAYING NOW FILM
LOCAL THEATERS AMHERST THEATRE (DIPSON) 3500 Main St., Buffalo / 834-7655 amherst.dipsontheatres.com AURORA THEATRE 673 Main St., East Aurora / 652-1660 theauroratheatre.com EASTERN HILLS CINEMA (DIPSON) 4545 Transit Rd., / Eastern Hills Mall Williamsville / 632-1080 easternhills.dipsontheatres.com FLIX STADIUM 10 (DIPSON) 4901 Transit Rd., Lancaster / 668-FLIX flix10.dipsontheatres.com
BREAKING AWAY FELIX AND MEIRA BY M. FAUST IT’S NO SECRET that drama and the cinema have separated, the former
having moved on to television while the latter has given itself over to wooing the young with spectacle and cartoonish characters. But is the split irrevocable—is divorce inevitable?
FOUR SEASONS CINEMA 6 2429 Military Rd. (behind Big Lots), Niagara Falls / 297-1951 fourseasonscinema.com
I hope not, because despite the modern taste for long-form drama being binge-watched in our living rooms, there are still ways in which cinema is superior at presenting drama. This Canadian film, named the best Canadian feature at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, is a good example.
HALLWALLS 341 Delaware Ave., Buffalo / 854-1694 hallwalls.org
Set mostly in Montreal during the snowy season, Felix and Meira charts the growth of a relationship between two disaffected people. Meira (Hadas Yaron) is a young wife and mother in the city’s Hassidic community. She is loved by her husband Shulem (Luzer Twersky), who tries to give her as much leeway as he can within the boundaries of his beliefs. But it’s getting difficult: Neighbors and families are starting to wonder why they only have one child, a three-year-old daughter, when “six, eight, even 14” are expected.
HAMBURG PALACE 31 Buffalo St., Hamburg / 649-2295 hamburgpalace.com LOCKPORT PALACE 2 East Ave., Lockport / 438-1130 lockportpalacetheatre.org MAPLE RIDGE 8 (AMC) 4276 Maple Rd., Amherst / 833-9545 amctheatres.com MCKINLEY 6 THEATRES (DIPSON) 3701 McKinley Pkwy. / McKinley Mall Hamburg / 824-3479 mckinley.dipsontheatres.com NEW ANGOLA THEATER 72 North Main St., Angola / 549-4866 newangolatheater.com NORTH PARK THEATRE 1428 Hertel Ave., Buffalo / 836-7411 northparktheatre.org REGAL ELMWOOD CENTER 16 2001 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo / 871–0722 regmovies.com REGAL NIAGARA FALLS STADIUM 12 720 Builders Way, Niagara Falls 236–0146 regmovies.com REGAL QUAKER CROSSING 18 3450 Amelia Dr., Orchard Park / 827–1109 regmovies.com REGAL TRANSIT CENTER 18 Transit and Wehrle, Lancaster / 633–0859 regmovies.com REGAL WALDEN GALLERIA STADIUM 16 One Walden Galleria Dr., Cheektowaga 681-9414 regmovies.com RIVIERA THEATRE 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda 692-2413 rivieratheatre.org THE SCREENING ROOM 3131 Sheridan Dr., Amherst / 837-0376 screeningroom.net SQUEAKY WHEEL 712 Main St., / 884-7172 squeaky.org SUNSET DRIVE-IN 9950 Telegraph Rd., Middleport 735-7372 sunset-drivein.com TRANSIT DRIVE-IN 6655 South Transit Rd., Lockport 625-8535 transitdrivein.com
Were Meira not so restless, she would never have met Felix (Martin Dubreuil), who first sees her in a kosher pizzeria. (That’s Montreal for you.) Felix has just lost his father, who was rich but never connected with his son, though it’s not clear exactly whose fault that was.
Félix and Meira
Where this story goes is not entirely surprising, but what makes the film engaging is the route it takes to get there, one that leaves you feeling differently than you might have expected. Director Maxime Giroux realizes that our expectations of the story save him the trouble of having to spin it out. Instead, he focuses on unexpected details, largely in the environments where the characters interact (aside from Montreal, a portion is set in Brooklyn, where Meira has been sent for a punishment that instead amplifies her interest in the outside world.) It’s this approach, visual over characters and dialogue, that doesn’t work as well on television, where the small screen is less able to hold our attention. Felix and Meira may be too slow for some, and lacking in character background, but its delicate presentation is a quality that is becoming increasingly rare.
Smith, Mindy Kaling, Richard Kind, and the dependto render the sight of men removing their clothing ably funny Lewis Black. Directed by Pete Docter and tedious. –GS. Co-starring Matt Bomer, Joe ManganRonaldo Del Carmen. -MF Angola Screening Room, iello, Kevin Nash, Amber Heard, Andie MacDowell, Elizabeth Banks, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Directed Flix (Dipson), Maple Ridge (AMC), Regal Elmwood, by Gregory Jacobs (Wind Chill). Four Seasons, ReRegal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria gal Walden Galleria, Sunset Drive-In, Transit DriveIn MINIONS is as review-proof as a movie gets: Anyone who enjoyed the Despicable Me movies will already JURASSIC WORLD—Unlike last year’s dreary Godzilla, be lined up for this spinoff prequel for Gru’s pill there is plenty of giant reptile action in this sequel/ and capsule-shaped yellow henchmen. As Scarlet reboot of the 1994 Steven Spielberg film (from Michael Crichton’s novel) about a theme park popuOverkill, the neurotic villainess with whom they had lated by cloned dinosaurs. It’s a well-designed Holearlier cast their lot, Sandra Bullock runs a distant lywood blockbuster filled with first-rate computer second to Steve Carrell’s voice characterization. imagery and the type of Spielbergian thrills that But the details are endlessly amusing (pay attenresulted in the creation of the PG-13 rating. In betion to the Minion’s speech, which is never actually tween dino attacks, the script provides sly jabs at gibberish.) It’s short on big laughs but consistently its own cynical merchandising. Chris Pratt makes giggle-inducing. In a voice cast that features Jon for a capable hero, but the leading female role Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coo(played by Bryce Dallas Howard) sets onscreen femgan, and Geoffrey Rush, only Jennifer Saunders inism back a decade or two: She’s no Laura Dern. makes any impact, as a Queen of England. Directed With Irrfan Khan and Vincent D’Onofrio. Directed by by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin. –MF. Flix (Dipson), Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed). –Gregory Maple Ridge (AMC), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Lamberson Flix (Dipson), Maple Ridge (AMC), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Galleria, Sunset Drive-In, Transit Drive-In Transit, Regal Walden Galleriaz, Sunset Drive-In, MR. HOLMES—The list of British actors who have not Transit Drive-In played Sherlock Holmes shrinks by one as Ian McKellen portrays the great detective as a 93-year old LOVE AND MERCY—Exemplary biopic of Brian Wilson, retired to the countryside to tend bees. The case who as the songwriter and architect of the Beach that caused his retirement three decades earlier Boys found new uses for the recording studio in crehaunts his failing memory, as he struggles to reating intricate pastries of sound. The film inevitably capture its details for the benefit of an admirer, focuses on his mental problems (misdiagnosed as his housekeeper’s young son. Even hidden under paranoid schizophrenia for decades) that may have pounds of makeup and doddering more than he been part and parcel with his creative gifts. He is needs to, McKellen turns in a touching perforplayed as a young man beginning to come apart mance. But the movie goes a long way (including, at the seams by Paul Dano, and as a middle aged somewhat tastelessly, to post-war Hiroshima) to lost soul by John Cusack: Both performances are make a fairly obvious point about Holmes’ charexcellent, even if Cusack doesn’t look much like the acter. Directed by Bill Condon, for whom McKellen real Wilson. The scenes of Wilson in the studio deplayed another late in life icon, filmmaker James vising tracks for the Pet Sounds album alone are Whale, in Gods and Monsters (1988). With Laura worth the price of a ticket. With Paul Giamatti as Wilson’s controlling therapast Eugene Landy and Linney, Milo Parker and Hattie Morahan. –MF. EastElizabeth Banks as Melinda Ledbetter, who got him ern Hills (Dipson), North Park out of Landy’s clutches. Directed by Bill Pohlad. -MF PAPER TOWNS—Adaptation of a young adult novel McKinley (Dipson) about a nerd enlisted into a mystery by the nextdoor neighbor he has a crush on. Starring Nat MAD MAX: FURY ROAD—It took 30 years for George Wolff, Cara Delevingne, and Austin Abrams. DirectMiller to get the fourth installment of his post-apoced by Jake Schreier (Robot and Frank). Flix (Dipalyptic series fof the ground, but his persistence paid off with this spectacular, stunt driven road son), Maple Ridge (AMC), Regal Elmwood, Regal chase picture Tom Hardy takes over the title role Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal (from Mel Gibson) of Max Rockatansky, former Walden Galleria police officer turned lone highwayman trying to PIXELS—Ghostbusters versus old school video survive in a nightmarish wasteland. But the film is games: that would be a great idea for a summer dominated by Charlize Theron as Furiosa, the most movie if it had been made about 20 years ago, fully realized action heroine since Aliens’ Ellen Ripwhen the generation that grew up in video arcades ley. In a film that is almost one long chase sequence, was still going to the movies. Adam Sandler and the cars and stunts are as important as the people, Josh Gad are a poor substitute for Bill Murray and and they are top of the line creations. Hopefully we Dan Akroyd as childhood gamers grown into adult won’t have to wait 30 years for the next installment. losers who are called on to save the world from an –Gregory Lamberson. McKinley (Dipson) attack by aliens in the form of Centipede, Donkey Kong and the like. Sandler’s whole career has been MAGIC MIKE XXL—This inept sequel to Stephen Soderabout milking the 1980s, but even he seems tired of bergh’s lightly entertaining 2012 film about male his usual character here, and the production values strippers lacks Matthew McConaughey and most of (Sandler’s company produced it) are shoddy. The the original cast. Only Channing Tatum as the title VISIT DAILYPUBLIC.COM FOR MORE best FILM that canLISTINGS be said about&it REVIEWS is that, unlike >> most character provides any kind of spark in his dance of Sandler’s films, it’s inoffensive: You could take routines; none of the five other actors cast as dancyour kids to it. But they deserve better. With Kevin ers are even crudely convincing. The plot is silly and James, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Monaghan, Brian minimal, and if the film accomplishes anything it is
CULTURE > FILM
Cox, and Sean Bean. Directed by Chris Columbus (Rent. –MF Flix (Dipson), Maple Ridge (AMC), New Angola, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In SOUTHPAW—Jake Gyllenhaal as a champion boxer with a troubled personal life. Where do they come up with these amazing stories? Co-starring Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker, and 50 Cent. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Olympus Has Fallen). Flix (Dipson), Maple Ridge (AMC), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria TED 2—Sequel, because that’s what Hollywood does in the summer. Metacritic.com rating: 49 percent. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, and Jessica Barth. Directed by Seth MacFarlane. Four Seasons, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In TERMINATOR GENISYS—Not a sequel or a reboot but what the comic book guys call a retcon, short for “retroactive continuity”: altering the previous story to fit in with where the producers now want it to go. That they do so self-consciously is initially amusing if you remember the first two films, which are replayed here in condensed versions with a Sarah Connor who has been raised by a protective Terminator since the age of nine. But the story is stretched and remolded so much that it soon becomes shapeless and impossible to connect with emotionally: two hours of CGI effects animating the corpse of a movie that once thrilled us with its originality and style. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, and J. K. Simmons. Directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World). -MF Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit DriveIn TRAINWRECK—The combination of edgy comedienne Amy Schumer (writer, star) and director/comedy guru Judd Apatow (working for the first time from a screenplay he didn’t write) will cause no one to say, “It’s exactly what I was expecting.” As a struggling Manhattan journalist devoted to drugs, drinking and hookups, Schumer draws on the comic persona she has honed on three seasons of her Comedy Central sketch show. But while the film contains plenty of the satirical jabs at modern gender issues that made the show a success, it takes a more serious look at the character as she falls in love and considers monogamy. Consistently surprising in ways you won’t expect (the ending is preposterous, inconsistent and adorable, all at the same time); it’s probably the only Hollywood movie of the summer that you need to see if you’re over 25. In a cast headed by Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, and Tilda Swinton, the funniest scenes belong to LeBron James and John Cena. –MF. Amherst (Dipson), Flix (Dipson), Maple Ridge (AMC), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In THE VATICAN TAPES—Exorcism horror. Rated PG-13, because that matters to horror fans. Starring Olivia Taylor Dudley, John Patrick Amedori, Dougray Scott, and Djimon Hounsou. Directed by Mark Neveldine (Crank). Regal Walden Galleria P
CULTURE > FILM
VISIT DAILYPUBLIC.COM FOR MORE FILM LISTINGS & REVIEWS >> DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 21
PUBLIC MARKET TO PLACE AN AD CALL SEAN AT (716)856.0737 OR EMAIL SEAN@DAILYPUBLIC.COM THE PUBLIC’S NOTICE The Public encourages you to use caution while participating in any transactions or acquiring services through our classified section of the newspaper. While we do approve the ads in this section, we do not guarantee the reliability of classified advertisers. If you have questions regarding advertisers in this section please email sean@dailypublic.com.
HOUSE FOR SALE WEST SENECA / SOUTH BUFFALO 2/2 double in desirable area 10 minutes from downtown Buffalo & 8 minutes from Larkinville. Maintanence free exterior, A/C, new furnaces and roof, 2 car garage, updated interior, plenty of extras. Patio, remote control Kohler awning. 829-9094
Buffalo Housing Associates is currently accepting applications for 1,2,3 & 4 bedroom apartments. Large units, located on the upper west side, include all utilities, appliances, 24 hour emergency maintenance and a professional onsite management staff. Applicants must meet HUD Section 8 criteria, including income requirements. A thorough background check is required. Please visit our rental office at 491 Connecticut Street for an application or call
716-881-2233
APARTMENTS CANISIUS COLLEGE 70 Blaine Avenue Upper. 3 bdrm includes stove, fridge, dishwasher. Washer and dryer in basement for tenant use. $900 Call 239-7160 -------------------------------------------------WEST SIDE Large 1 bedroom in quiet home, heat incl., no smoking, no pets, $850. Jim 510.0591
INVESTMENT OPP ELMWOOD VILLAGE Investment opp private corp. seeking up-front investment capital for private real state renovation project. 12-48 month roi serious inq. only High return. Email dl7one6@gmail.com
THE ARTS DANCE CLASSES
BELLY DANCE CLASSES 716.560.1891 nadiaibrahim.com
THANK YOU PATRONS MATTHEW BAKER THOMPSON TAYLOR GRIFFITH JOEY GLADSTONE-RUSSELL ELMER PLOETZ PAIGE MECKLER LAURA SUTTELL TAWRIN BAKER JASON HURLEY BRETT PERLA BILL BOULDEN REGINALD GILBERT LOVERN PHOTOGRAPHY MATT O’BRIEN ALEXIS PERLA DERIK KANE 19 IDEAS FRANKIE NP TONY & JOANN MODA NANCY HEIDINGER SARAH JEAN D. LUDWIG AMBER JOHN JASON HURLEY MATTHEW NAGOWSKI JANE GUARD TODD CASEY HENRY JAMES
WORKSHOPS
TANGO EVERY THURSDAY 1526 Main Street. Buffalo. FREE intro class 7 to 7:30 PM For more information call Travis at 517.7047 or visit traviswidricktango.com
COMMUNITY
CONE FIVE POTTERY! SIX WEEK POTTERY CLASSES BEGINNING JUNE 9TH AND JULY 21ST. 332.0486 OR conefivepottery.com
IT’S ALL AROUND YOU 1 ARTYARD STUDIO offers the most in pottery classes for adults and children, New Try-it and Date Night Pottery, Now registering for spring classes and summer camps. 5701 Main St. Williamsville, NY. Register on line artyardstudio.com or call 634.0989
EMPLOYMENT HIRING NOW! BUSY RESTAURANT IN WILLIAMSVILLE LOOKING TO HIRE IMMEDIATELTY! Seeking to hire for multiple positions please contact via email Hiremenow5601.gmail.com or contact the restaurant and ask to speak to Diondria 716 -626-2670 -----------------------------------------------BOX OFFICE MANAGER for the Irish Classical Theatre Company, 35-40 hours per week. Strong communication, organizational and computer skills required. An undergraduate degree and previous experience with computerized ticketing system a plus. Pay rate $11 per hour plus paid health insurance. Send letter of interest and resume to fpezz@irishclassical.com or mail to ICTC, 625 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! KALI BAIRD JOE CRACK ANDY DELUCA BRET BLAKELY JIM PROULX CHRIS BAKER HARLEY TAGLIARINO ALICIA MALCOLM JUSTIN BONDI SARA SERAFIN JILL GREENBERH SCOTT ANDDREW COREY WEIDNER BRENT GARNER NATE PERACCINY
MISSED CONNECTION NOTICE If you would like to follow up with a missed connection seen here, contact information will be provided to you by emailing sean@dailypublic.com.
2
3
4
5
7
8
9
10
15
16
17
18
19
20 22
23
25
24
27
30
31
32
39
TATE Friday & Saturday August 7-8th 9AM-4PM 1128 Main St Buffalo Vast collections of household items, antiques, collectibles, framed artwork including prints and posters, sporting goods, etc. This will be a HUGE sale don’t miss it. Contact 1128sale@gmail.com for more information Cash or Credit card. No personal checks
in size (I’m “Howdy , cowpok e. The name’s Little Bill. What I lack for (A neutere d 11 pounds ), I make up for with masculi ne pep! I’m all man! mix, man, but a man noneth eless!) I’m four-ye ars-old and a terrier make my but I won’t tell you my full story ‘till you come down and togethe r!!” #Adop tionMir acle come true. Let’s ride off in the sunset . YOURSPCA.ORG . 205 ENSMINGER RD. TONAWANDA 875.7360
22 THE PUBLIC / JULY 29, 2015 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM
34
40
41
43 47
33
37
36 38
46
13
26 29
28
35
12
21
42
44
48
49 53
52 59
51 54
56
57
62
63
64
67
68
69
70
71
ACROSS
58
45
50
55
60
61 65
66
64. Port vessel
40. Retail products co.
1. Plaids not made in Scotland?
67. Bit of crying?
41. “Animal House” chant
68. “Grand” opening?
11. “Survivor” network
42. Pickle choice
69. Type of transfer
14. Blown away
70. “Grand Ole Opry” airer
15. Genesee River transport
71. Wall climbed over to escape?
16. Equity’s initials 17. Feature of the Venus de Milo
DOWN
18. “Alphabet Suite” artist
1. ___ Island
19. “Heat’s coming on” sound
2. Start of a basic Latin conjugation
20. Events celebrating the newest iPhone?
45. Children’s “guest” 46. Boathouse architect 47. When shadows are shortest 48. Pot cover 49. “Apocalpyse Now” setting, briefly 50. Langley-based org.
3. “The Jungle Book” snake
22. ‘50s Dem. candidate
4. Pound of poetry
25. “Hollywood Squares” victory
5. Tuscan villa restaurant
26. Word used by some name-droppers
7. October Surprise casualty
54. Cost ___ and a leg 57. “All You Need ___” (2008 Morrissey song)
6. Commercial
58. “Land of Enchantment”: abbr.
27. Close securely
8. Modern Maturity org.
29. For some, it’s a habit
9. Metro offerer
35. Acts unpredictably
10. Suffix with game or gang
37. Algonquin hotel?
11. Niagara Falls site
38. People who create missing children ads?
12. Get noticed
43. W. E. B. Du Bois was one of its founders
21. Avocat’s forte
65. “50 Shades” protagonist
23. Anti-discrimination agcy.
66. Word-word separator
59. “Ben-Hur” broke its Oscar record 60. Somme state? 61. Classic Vegas hotel, with “the”
13. Talks back
24. “Don’t ___ thing!”
PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY
46. Canalside, e.g. 51. “Rio” content
28. He played Ben on “Bonanza”
52. 5, e.g.; abbr.
30. Highest Philippine peak
53. “A clue!”
31. 2013 Oscar nominee
55. 56 Across feature and what’s added to eachERRORS theme IF YOU APPROVE answer
32. Back (out)
Crossword Puzzle by LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS (donnahoke.com)
CITY OF SUPERLATIVES
WHICH ARE ON THIS PROOF, THE 33. Former Portuguese coins PUBLIC CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD Goat Island statue 56. Event that inspired this THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A34. PICK-UP. puzzle’s theme LIQUIDATION OF MULTI-FAMILY ES-
11
14
44. Lake Erie sight
Meet Little Bill!
6
B O N A N Z A V E G F E S T
U P O R
R E T R E S A U T F I I S T S O O A V H E U R
B R I O W I Z S O P D Y I A T C U S E S L L K E
G A R D O D E A S A D R T A L C E M A A I L O T N G U S A R O E B A D I I M O N U P T S E R Y T R O
E N A U A S Z E T A D L I V
A L D I S
W A L K E R I E S T E N P U M A O R R E R O K I E Y G P H D E A T E N G L C E N E O B I T R O T E E Y E S
36. Theater District plaza O � CHECK COPY CONTENT 62. Brazilian carrier MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER feature F Thank you for advertising T 39. dancer 63. Lovestruck, old style �Awful CHECK IMPORTANT DATES with THE PUBLIC. Please review your ad and check � CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, for any errors. The original PHONE #, & WEBSITE layout instructions have been followed as closely as � PROOF OK (NO CHANGES) possible. THE PUBLIC offers design services with two � PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES) proofs at no charge. THE is boasting freshest and most reliable advertising option in Western New York. All ads are “publicly PUBLIC is the not responsible and trustworthy marketplace Advertisers Signature that highlights what the public needs to see. for approved,” any erroryielding if nota safe notified within 24 hours of receipt. ____________________________ The production department must have a signed proof in Date _______________________ order to print. Please sign
MARKET
FAMOUS LAST WORDS BACK PAGE
THE GRUMPY GHEY TELL ME LIES, TELL ME SWEET LITTLE LIES Revisiting the Matthew Shepard case and the recent incident at Cathode Ray BY CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS TREACY FOR LOOP MAGAZINE
AS A COMMUNITY, we seem to do a pretty good job of kid-
ding ourselves. When we bend the truth to suit our own purposes or to reflect a specific agenda, we often fail to consider the longterm ramifications. I used to do this all the time. As an alcoholic and drug addict in recovery for over a decade now, I spent a lot of my late teens and twenties devising ways of spinning scenarios that framed me and my intentions in a specific light. Busted stealing? They owed me. Fell out with a close friend? They turned on me. Got fired? Management was homophobic. When life handed me a bag of shit, I got busy figuring out how to make that look like the desired outcome, somehow glorifying myself along the way. My trials were designed to seem like hard knocks that were earning me some kind of imagined stature. By devising ways of repackaging my life events after the fact, I created the illusion that the awful things transpiring were somehow meaningful and important well beyond the mundane, ugly truth: I was a deluded fuckup who needed help. Slowly but surely, people backed away from my mess. It can take years for folks to catch on, but eventually a discernible pattern emerges, and when that happens, buddy, you’re on your own. On a small, interpersonal level, the damage done with these little lies is reasonably well contained. It wreaks havoc on relationships and, over time, erodes any possibility of trust. Credibility goes out the window. But on a larger scale, lies can define history. All because we desperately wanted to deflect blame or couldn’t own the truth for whatever reason. Putting pretty bows on ugly events is nothing new in American culture, but I would hope for more from the LGBTQ throng. Then again, we’ve always seemed to enjoy stirring up drama. Last winter I read journalist Stephen Jimenez’s The Book of Matt regarding the murder of Matthew Shepard. The book presents an alternative to the commonly accepted hate crime/panic defense hybrid that we’ve come to understand as the cause of the murder. Instead, Jimenez attempts to expose the case as a drug-fueled scenario, perpetrated by methamphetamine-addicts-turned-dealers who were caught up in a ripe and rapidly growing Midwestern market. Meth would eventually take the world by storm, hitting gay men rather hard over the next 15 years. But in the 1990s, the full effects of chronic use may not yet have been well understood. That meth (much like crack cocaine) tends to inspire a hyper-sexual state in which the lines of one’s normally defined sexual preferences get blurred—something that could be frightening and even rage-inducing for an otherwise straight male who doesn’t understand what’s influencing his ‘choices’—is at the heart of Jimenez’s proposal. In it, Shepard knew his assailants well. At least one of them he knew intimately. The book did not win a largely supportive gay audience, in no small part because it rewrites an important bit of our history. It takes an already ugly tale and makes it even uglier, simultaneously draining the heartstring-tugging innocence right out of it. But it also makes sense, and there are too many people who were close to Shepard who are willing to talk about his drug use (and his then-growing interest in the business end of meth) to dismiss it as utter nonsense. Police in Laramie, Wyoming have since blasted Jimenez for inaccurate reporting, but that’s hardly any reason to offer
them the benefit of doubt. The police tell lies when it suits their needs, as we’ve all witnessed through the recent rash of high-profile brutality cases in the news. They repackage and reframe reality all the time. Curiously, Jimenez has not been sued, from what I can tell, which speaks volumes. Gays have cloaked Shepard’s death in a great deal of meaning. To accept Jimenez’s account is to part with some of it, reducing the murder of Matthew Shepard to the mundane stuff of drug-addled, money-hungry youths running amok. There’s still a hate/panic element to the Jimenez scenario, but in it Shepard is nowhere near the above-suspicion, little-boy-lost character we’ve come to know. He is the face of methamphetamine tragedy, not the face of hate crime tragedy. It gives the case a completely different feel. I don’t mean to imply that the murder of Matthew Shepard was in any way deserved if what Jimenez has suggested is true—not in the slightest. To my understanding, that’s not what Jimenez is saying, either. But when you think of all that’s been made of the case, what it stands for in our culture, the ensuing activism, legislation, and how it has shaped our understanding of what constitutes hate-motivated violence, the ramifications of such a proposal are staggering. And when you take in the information as Jimenez logically lays it out, there’s nothing far-fetched about it. Nothing at all. When news broke recently surrounding the issue of gender fluidity and use of the bathroom at Allentown’s Cathode Ray, The Book of Matt came to mind—and with it, resounding echoes of our ability to kid ourselves. A 25-year-old, trans-identified female claims that she was singled out for using the ladies restroom at the longstanding local bar, an establishment where she’s been let to do so without argument for years. She maintains that security informed her she “wasn’t dressed female enough” to be using the ladies room on this particular occasion. But she wasn’t put together in any dramatically different way than normal. The owner of the bar hasn’t recently changed and the security guard remains the same. All the characters in this play have known each other for quite some time. So what’s different? Well, for one, the issues of gender and transition are in the news. It’s the next big pile of debates on our legislative plate. The trans community now has our collective ear like never before. But there are numerous devils in the details that render this situation farcical. Representatives from the bar allege there was a second person in the restroom, someone that they deemed to be male. The jury is out as to whether this is a clear violation of law, but it’s standard policy for restrooms that are specifically gender-allocated that simultaneous coed occupation isn’t permitted. Some cities, such as Raleigh, North Carolina, have specific ordinances to further clarify this. This is the grounds upon which the bar maintains it asked the pair to leave—two people, two different genders, same restroom. From that angle, it doesn’t matter whether they were in the stall together or whatever else may or may not have been going on. That, right there, is enough to ask them to leave. Period. Both patrons were eventually escorted from the bar, but not before insisting that the second party wasn’t male. Rather, they said, it was someone who identifies as gender neutral. Touché? Not really. Because it has a hair-splitting air of desperation to it. And it doesn’t solve the problem. Actually, it leaves us
with another puzzling scenario: If we were dealing with a trans man using the men’s room, the gender-neutral party still wouldn’t be in the right place. So, should we then assume that gender-neutral-identified people aren’t to use bathrooms in public establishments? Hogwash. A protest rally ensued the following Monday night. Apologies were demanded, to no avail. Accusations of discrimination were made. Longstanding exclusionary behaviors were alleged. And yet none of that makes any sense. Why? Because we are being asked to swallow a repackaged, reframed version of events. Bar owners aren’t interested in socio-political issues—not above and beyond their bottom line, anyway. They’re interested in staying open, making money, keeping the state liquor board at bay, and making their honest, paying customers want to keep coming back. Yes, they may occasionally align themselves with relevant causes, but this is far from the primary list of objectives. So, the incident begs the question: Why would Cathode Ray owner John Little choose this particularly sensitive moment in time to strike an unflattering pose that will alienate customers? Because, as has been proposed by some, of a deep-seated hate and ongoing pattern of discrimination? Not likely. Mind you, I got bounced from bars in the 1990s. And usually it was because I was up to something of questionable legality. There were plenty of times when I either got warned by a bouncer or flat-out asked to leave because I was doing drugs in the bathroom or fooling around with another customer, or both. Unlike so many other scenarios I found myself in during those years, these weren’t incidents that I felt the need to repackage or spin to glorify my intentions. Like a rock star getting fined for destroying a hotel room, getting busted in the john doing lines and giving head was fine with me. I could live with that. But that was another city in another time. A bigger city in a different state with many other LGBT establishments around. Here in Buffalo, they run a tighter ship and, I’m told, the liquor board is looking for excuses to hassle gay establishments. Which presents the other issue: We’re never going to know exactly what those two were doing in the restroom because it will bring unwanted attention to the bar and could result in further hassle for Little’s business. Call it damage control, but maybe that’s why nobody can seem to make up their mind about who was found where and doing what. Trying to exploit a preventive measure taken to avoid legal scrutiny and repackaging it as discrimination cheapens and demeans the very real plight of discriminated people everywhere. It also insults the intelligence of those onlookers you might someday look to for support. Strength and integrity are derived by being upfront and unapologetic about who you are, but also by maintaining an admirable level of honesty and not shitting where you eat. Own your behavior—as much as you can—and learn from your mistakes. Without the lies and repackaging, life is so much easier to live. That is, for those of us that don’t thrive on drama. It makes the most logical sense that the pair of bounced customers at Cathode Ray got caught doing something illegal and were told to leave as a result—nothing more, nothing less. I would urge you to draw your own conclusions but also to be careful. Our tendency is to want to hang greater meaning on these events. People will use them to glorify their own passions and particulars—to reframe them according to their own designs, whatever those may be. We’ve all done it at one time or another. The truth can be so boring. But at the end of the day, it’s all we really have. P
DAILYPUBLIC.COM / JULY 29, 2015 / THE PUBLIC 23
PHOTO BY SHAWNA STANLEY
Welcome to The Public, Partner. Here at The Public, we aim to get BIGGER and BETTER. Our publication has attracted some of the region’s best WRITERS, ARTISTS, and DESIGNERS. We want to reward their talent with MORE work and BETTER pay. That’s where you come in: Subscribe to The Public at PATREON.COM/THEPUBLIC at any level that makes sense for you. Every dime will go to one of the contributors who make our publication great. You’re their public. And we’re your Public. Let’s tell our stories together.