the Fader Issue 33 Party November 16, 2005

In what appeared to be a satellite location of the extraordinarily infinite Kodak Gallery depicted in recent television ads for the brand, Soho’s Kodak One Gallery provided the ideal atmosphere for The FADER magazine’s Issue 33 release party. Showcasing both the photography from featured article “Untold Hip-Hop Stories”, and the first-rate music of Brooklyn’s DJ J.Period, industry movers-and-shakers and general party-goers sipped cocktails— courtesy of Hennessy, while being hip and social, capitalizing on photo-ops and collecting fashionable gift bags throughout the evening— courtesy of Akademiks (who displayed original “denim-art” throughout the gallery as well).

 

Suspended by large easel clips were the remarkably hip-hop images of photographers: Dorothy Low, Joe Conzo, Al Pereira, Sue Kwon, Josh Cheuse, and Coreen Simpson, whose camera lenses chronicled the livelihood and everyday activity of Hip-Hop’s emergence. Enlarged black and white representations of our icons (Biggie & Pac w/ Redman at Club Amazon, a gold-fronted Jay-Z w/ Queen Latifah & Jaz-O at Big Daddy Kane’s birthday party in ‘89, JDC of the Cold Crush Brothers at a Bronx skating rink in 1980) provided visual stimulation as hip-hop fresh-face Juelz Santana of the Diplomats performed singles from his new album on a makeshift stage. The crowd rocked to an infectious Three 6 Mafia cut towards the end of the event as beautiful waiters collected empty glasses, a clear indication that this FADER party, and all its inner-workings, was eminent success.

Upper West Side’s Sip Bar November 15, 2005

Boasting the unrelenting work ethic of 22-7-365 (22 hrs a day, 7 days a week… you get the rest!)  SIP Coffee Bar & Lounge, located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, hosted a newly instituted “Open Mic Monday” in conjunction with happy hour drink specials (5p-7p/ 2a-4a) for thirsty patrons to enjoy. In its second installment, the open mic, which happens every other Monday, is hosted by a couple of guitar toting, beer swigging fellows who cover a wide range of musical assortments from cult classics to original songs with impressive character and contentment.

With a welcoming “come one, come all” aura throughout the bar, regulars and newcomers felt comfortable enough to do 3, even 4 selections. From the tiny “stage” could be heard a bluesy-voiced rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and several other folk-tinged performances. A local spoken word artist also dazzled the crowd with her song and poetry, playfully sharing a jazzy a capella piece entitled, “The Hunny-Do Song”, inspired by her love of both honeydew melons and good men! 

The crowd was intimate for a Monday evening, not jam-packed like many open mics tend to be. In talking to one of the co-owners of SIP, Matt— from Vermont (as he is illustrated on one of handbill flyers!) mentioned that he prefers the more intimate crowd that can come to the bar and be a part of something cool and accessible. Showcasing the work of local artist on their red and black walls (one covered in a mosaic of pennies), SIP Open Mic Monday may be flying under the radar now but is sure to become the home of some of NY’s most interesting talent.