Let the music play

See Donna Summer live in Brooklyn August 27

By Joe Maniscalco

The full line-up for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. and Seaside Summer Concert Series is here, and if you thought the preview was star-studded, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

In addition to the already announced Blondie, Donna Summer and Pat Benatar, get ready to stake out a piece of Asser Levy Park or Wingate Field for Keyshia Cole, Anita Baker, Gladys Knight, Connie Francis, Teena Marie and more.

You won’t have to spend Broadway show prices to experience the “Jersey Boys” – the one-and-only Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons are coming to Brooklyn.

This year, as in years past, the popular Brooklyn concert series cover the musical gamut from rock, R&B and soul to gospel, pop and calypso.

While audiences will enjoy veteran show-stoppers like Jeffrey Osborne and The O’Jays, they’ll also get a chance to see newer acts like Robin Thicke and Ruben Studdard.

So, whoever’s got “your jam” from the doo-wop days right up until the present, the Martin Luther King Jr. and Seaside Summer Concert Series have something to make the summer of ‘09 memorable.

All shows for the Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series take place at Wingate Field on Monday nights at 7:30 p.m.

The Seaside Summer Concert Series plays Asser Levy Park on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.

Seating is limited at both venues and the public is encouraged to bring their own chairs.

Five dollar rental seats will be available on a first come, first served basis at Asser Levy Seaside Park. Nearby parking is available for a fee at the New York Aquarium.

Asser Levy Park is located at Sea Breeze Avenue and West 5th Street. Wingate Field is located at East 17th Street between avenues K and L.

Here’s the full schedule for both the Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series and Seaside Summer Concert Series.

Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series

July 13 - Keyshia Cole and Lyfe Jennings
July 20 - The O’Jays and Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics
July 27 - Anita Baker and Charlie Wilson
August 3 - Robin Thicke and Jazmine Sullivan
August 10 - Teena Marie, Jeffrey Osborne and Ruben Studdard
August 17 - Yolanda Adams and Israel Houghton and The New Breed
August 24 - Sean Paul and The Mighty Sparrow

Seaside Summer Concert Series

July 16 Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Mountain and John Sebastian
July 23 - Gladys Knight and The O’Jays
July 30 - Frankie Valley & The Four Seasons, Connie Francis and Stewie Stone
August 6 - Daryl Hall & John Oats
August 13 - Blondie, Pat Benatar and The Donnas
August 20 - Salsa by the Sea, TBA
August 27 - Donna Summer

All dates are subject to change - check www.brooklynconcerts.com or call 718-222-0600 for updates.

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Vegan virtue times two: HERE plays it serious

By Aaron Short

Deep in an unmarked loft building somewhere in downtown Brooklyn, twin philosopher rockers Dan and Matt Mims want to change the way you think about the world.

Their band, HERE, aims to incorporate a naturalistic philosophy that challenges the politics of food and the accumulation of wealth while exploring sonic landscapes. Did we mention both twins are vegans?

“The world is constructed upon a lot of practices and institutions,” said lead singer Dan. “When you assess those institutions and how those economies works, it comes down to one point in human history: When mankind laid claim to land and animals as their own and to direct as they see fit. You can’t build wealth without natural resources. There’s the assumption that you have a right to build wealth and we question that.”

The Mims twins have been playing together for the past 15 years and formed their band a decade ago. School and college got in the way of their artistic pursuits, but they have been playing at loft parties in and around Williamsburg for several months.

“We’ve had a lot of incubation time,” said Dan. “For a lot of that, we were without a vocalist, and we recently decided I would just do it. I’ve had to grow into it a little bit. It’s definitely something I’m growing into and getting better any day.”

The music has evolved, with Dan’s brother Matt piecing together melodic parts by himself before collaborating with Dan over the rhythm and lyrics, which they describe as classical-style compositions in a melodic technical rock idiom.. Sometimes it can take as long as five months to put a song together, and when it is released, it “nurses the entire being,” as Dan said.

“If you’re into it, and you let yourself go and be swept up into it, it can be quite an experience, because it really does traverse this extremely diverse landscape,” said Dan. “We definitely think in terms of tension and release. We build a lot of tension.”

One thing that Dan will never write about is his private life, instead favoring songs about the environmental and political consequences to the natural world of consuming meat.

“For me, it seems, I’m just not that important,” said Dan. “My personal love life is not very important to anyone other than myself. We take ourselves pretty seriously.”

Their current studio, located near Cadman Plaza, is a raw industrial space with a sound proof room that functions as a practice space by day and a stage two or three times a month. With their next show, when they headline a performance by the Daniel Striped Tigers on July 11, expect to sweat a lot.

“They’re scions of the new do-it-yourself,” said Dan. “They have an element of punk, and also super crazy complex rhythms, atonal progressive rock with punk chanting and a guy yelling into a mike. It’s just a trip, live show is amazing.”

We don’t doubt it.

For the location for the July 11 show featuring Daniel Striped Tiger and Here, RSVP to yolknyc@gmail.com. Also visit www.here.am, www.myspace.com/danielstripedtiger, and www.yolknyc.com for more information.

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Pan PurBri: Stuffed with hugs and made with lotsa love

By Joanna P. DelBuono

French toast or Pan Purdue, (lost bread, because it uses day-old bread), with fruit compote and turkey breakfast sausages is a favorite Sunday breakfast/brunch in our house.

I have made it with good old fashioned white bread, rolls, bagels and even Italian bread. But recently I tried a new twist on an old favorite, Stuffed Raisin Cinnamon French toast or Pan PurBri.

A while ago we enjoyed something similar at a holiday brunch held at Cousin Pat’s house. She made the stuffed French toast, but made it in the oven, on the order of a stuffed bread pudding.

Since my family likes breakfast quick I decided to cook it on the stove, sauteeing with a little bit of butter and canola oil. It was a hit.I’ve named it Pan PurBri in honor of my daughter, who loves French toast almost as much as she loves me, well almost as much as me.

You can also substitute the cream cheese with peanut butter, add jelly, or use marscapone cheese for an Italian flair. Which ever you try, bake it- sautee it- Just make sure to Mangiare Bene!

Ingredients

Stuffed Pan PurBri
3 large eggs
1/4 cup of milk (heavy cream if you dare)
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of good vanilla
8 slices of cinnamon raisin bread
1/2 package of cream cheese

Directions

Mix the first five ingredients in a deep bowl, beating the eggs well.

Divide the cream cheese between the eight slices of cinnamon raisin bread, liberally spreading each side, make into sandwiches. Dunk each sandwich into the custard mixture until the mixture is well absorbed by the bread, about 2 minutes.

Sauté in a big skillet with butter and oil until golden brown and delicious.

Fruit compote

1 qrt strawberries
1 bunch grapes
1 pint blueberries
1/4 cup of orange juice
1 tablespoon of sugar

Clean and slice the fruit into bite sized pieces. Add the OJ and sugar mix well and let sit in the chiller until well macerated (about 1 hour).

Turkey breakfast sausages - follow the instructions on the box. Serves four.

Sprinkle the dish with powdered sugar for presentation.

I’m always open to new dishes, so drop me a line at JDelBuono@cnglocal.com.

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Brooklyn Bowl: It's official

Brooklyn's newest bowling alley set to open this Tuesday, July 7. From an email:

Brooklyn Bowl, the highly anticipated 16-lane bowling alley, 600-capacity performance venue with food by Blue Ribbon in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, is pleased to announce it will be open for business in a soft launch capacity beginning this Tuesday, July 7, at 6:00 p.m.

Operating hours will be scaled back during the soft launch: Sunday, Tuesday - Thursday, 6:00 pm - 2:00 am, and Friday and Saturdays 6:00pm - 4:00am. During this time Brooklyn Bowl will not be open on Mondays, and are serving only to a 21+ crowd. A small snack menu will be served from July 10 through the 20th. On the 21st, an expanded "preview" menu will be presented, with the full menu by Blue Ribbon debuting on August 4th. Live music performances, advance lane reservations, and extended hours (including child-friendly weekend days) will begin in late summer. Brooklyn Bowl is located at 61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211.

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Whole new take on pop iconography

Ever wish you could see your favorite songs played out in all their visual glory (kind of like the movie “Across the Universe,” but not laughable)?

This month, the Brick Theater has what you’re looking for.From July 9 to 18, the Williamsburg venue will host DMTeatrics’ The Badass Record Collection, a late-night series of musical extravaganzas, featuring tributes to great composers, performers, and genres of 20th and 21st century pop music.

Each theme is selected by DMTheatrics founder and acclaimed director Frank Cwiklik, OOBR-award winning creator of “Sugarbaby,” the Vegas-themed “Antony and Cleopatra,” and the infamous “Bitch Macbeth,” as he pulls from his collection of nearly 10,000 records, CDs, and even 78s of pop, rock, jazz, and esoterica.

First up in the series is the pop songwriting genius Elvis Costello. The agonies and ecstasies of love, lust, and life, the ups and downs of friendships, relationships, and marriage, and the exquisite pains of heartbreak, all are beautifully portrayed in this selection of great compositions by the music legend.


Cwiklik reteams with longtime conspirator, musical director Adam Swiderski and a recent DMT arrival, choreographer Becky Byers, for the production, entitled “Taking Liberties: An Evening of Elvis Costello,” which acts as both a history of the music of the songwriter, and the performance, musical, and visual styles of the past 50 years of entertainment.

Performers include “Orgy of the Dead!” star Carolyn Demisch, as well as DMT newbies Adam Enright, Aaron Fuksa, Colleen Horan, Elaine Moran, Evan Toth, and Brianna Tyson. Michele Schlossberg also co-produces.Together, this powerhouse cast presents a live musical performance that is touching and invigorating, exciting and moving, hilariously funny and deeply disturbing – all that music can be, and all uniquely theatrical.

Beyond this first installment of larger-than-life pop theater, the series will feature the musical talents of both indie theater legends and up-and-coming musical theater performers, it’s a collection of the greatest pop music of the past hundred years.

Don’t miss the inaugural event, as “Taking Liberties: An evening of Elvis Costello” runs July 9 through 18 at The Brick Theater (575 Metropolitan Ave.), at 10:30 p.m on Thursdays and 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are $15 and are available at wwww.bricktheater.com or Theatermania (212-352-3101).For more information, go to call 718-907-3457 or go to www.dm-theatrics.com.

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Kitchen Klutz: The Revolution will not be grilled

**Check back Monday for this recipe!


By Michèle De Meglio

It’s the Fourth of July. That means M-80s going off in the street and burgers being burned in the backyard.

Oh, that’s just my backyard.

To celebrate America’s birthday I, the Kitchen Klutz, set out to...wait for it...barbecue!

Picture it: my clueless self attempting to navigate a grill. With hot coals. And flames up to my shoulders. Yeah, that’s a great idea!

Whether it was dumb or not (Hello! I’m afraid of my toaster oven!), I bought a modest-sized barbecue and came up with my own recipe for Honey BBQ Hamburgers.

Yep, you read right. The Kitchen Klutz created her very first recipe! (Could my accomplishment be going to my head now that I’m talking about myself in the third person? Hmm...)

Here’s what I did — I filled a mixing bowl with ground beef, chopped red peppers and onions, and BBQ sauce.

I attempted to make my own sauce by combining equal parts of honey, molasses and worcestershire sauce. It was disgusting. Terribly, horrifically disgusting.

So instead, I poured Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue Sauce into the mixing bowl and combined all the ingredients using my bare hands. That was totally GROSS!

It only got better (not!) when I put the patties on the grill and they fell through to the bottom. Geez!



Since this was a real BBQ, there were a few dishes that had to be on my red and white checked tablecloth.

For one, chips and dip are necessary while my pals impatiently wait for their burnt burgers. So I made French onion dip from scratch. Okay, I admit that all I did was combine a Lipton packet with sour cream but hey, stirring is hard!

But I really, truly made coleslaw from scratch. First, I shredded cabbage with my trusty grater. That was really annoying so I switched to a food processor.

Sadly, both techniques provided the same results — itty-bitty pieces of minced cabbage. Not what coleslaw usually looks like.

I added sliced carrots, mayonnaise and white wine vinegar. Apparently, too much vinegar. I guess it’s important to use a measuring cup and not just tip the bottle into the bowl.

Since the dish was completely inedible, I followed a friend’s advice and minced an apple (so it would resemble the disintegrated cabbage) and tossed it in.

All I could do now was pray.


Verdict: The burgers looked like dog food. Since only two made it off the grill intact, the other six were piled high into one giant mess. (A smart colleague thinks the burgers would have stayed together if they were refrigerated before hitting the grill. Good idea!)

Well, they may have looked yucky but they were still tasty! With the red pepper, onion and Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce, they were more flavorful than any Fourth of July burger I’ve ever had!

Maybe I can be a chef after all!

E-mail tips and recipes to MDemeglio@CNGLocal.com.

Kitchen Klutz follows 20-something Michèle De Meglio as she burns casseroles and her fingers, all in hope of trading frozen dinners for home cooking.

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'Hachet Man' cuts a wide swath

By Junico Simino

With a $350,000 grand prize and a guaranteed spot at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Williamsburg filmmaker Ivan Hurzeler couldn’t resist the temptation of entering his film “Hatchet Man” in the Netflix-sponsored “Find your Voice” film competition.

A short film about an ad agency employee, the premise of “Hatchet Man” may sound familiar to those who remember reading about last year’s sex tape controversy with the BBDO ad agency. Hurzeler, who was a freelancer for BBDO at the time the video came out, based his film on that incident as he tells the story of a man who always does the right thing but finds unexpected freedom when he does something bad for the first time.

The short film, a cross between a drama and comedy, stars Matt Boren and Billy Warlock of “Baywatch,” and was produced by Hurzeler’s fiance, Cami Delavigne, as well as friends Julian Katz and Alexis Fish. The film takes place in New York City.

Currently in ninth place in the Netflix competition, which accepted either trailers or short films, “Hatchet Man” was the only short among the 2,000 entries. The top 10 will be judged by the general public to determine the final five (watch and vote for it here), which will then be judged by a committee, Which is headed by actor Josh Brolin, to determine the winner.


A South Bronx native, Hurzeler has lived in Brooklyn for more than 10 years, four of which have been spent in Williamsburg. He said that most of his inspiration and help comes from his friends who all live in Brooklyn. Hurzeler has worked on such films as “Sling Blade,” “Wet Hot American Summer,” and “Origin of the Species.”

The filmmaker describes “Hatchet Man” as a piece of “American neo-realism” inspired by the American realist writers of the early 20th century. Hurzeler also cites 2005’s “Junebug” as an inspiration for the style of filmmaking he implored in his short film, which he and his fiance have put everything into to make.

“We’ve spent our entire savings” said Delavigne on producing “Hatchet Man,” which cost $10,000 and was shot in downtown Manhattan.

A Brooklyn resident for the past seven years, Delavigne has some projects of her own coming up, including the upcoming feature length comedy “Blue Valentine,” staring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, which she co-wrote.

If Hurzeler wins the grand prize, he plans on using the money to make his next project, the feature length film “Church,” also written by Delavigne.

“Her [Delavigne] script combined with my style equals something pretty unique” said Hurzeler, who added that he enjoys making “ironic” movies, while Delavigne enjoys doing comedies.

A thriller about a Christian pastor who attempts to “save his church by committing the ultimate sin,” Hurzeler describes “Church” as having “its morals in the gray area; there are no right or wrongs.” He said that part of the inspiration for “Church” comes from living in Brooklyn. He wanted to do a film that showed the similarities between people living in the city and those in the Midwest. The film teaches you to love your neighbor, no matter where they come from.

“It’s is a place where you live next to many different types of people.” Hurzeler said about living in Brooklyn, “You have to understand 20 different accents in a day.”

He hopes to complete the film by next April to have it ready for submission into the L.A. Film Festival by June 2010. And having $350,000, as well as the production and distribution help for your next film, certainly won’t hurt.

“Making a movie is like saying you want to join the NBA,” said Hurzeler. “It’s that hard.”

You can help Hurzeler reach the finals and get a shot at that top prize by voting for his film online at www.netflixfindyourvoice.com. Voting ends July 6.

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