Deathcycle played The Acheron
February 26th, 2013 by chocko
Deathcycle, an old school hardcore punk band who called it quits in 2009 after about 6 years in existence, revved up the engines to ride once again at the Bushwick, Brooklyn show space, The Acheron in January with the also reunited Catharsis. Deathcycle played a handful of reunion shows after disbanding but to hear they were planning to play at least 2 shows in early 2013 was great news for fans of the NYHC crew. Chocko had the pleasure to be in the packed to the gills Acheron for the much anticipated show…wall to wall bodies! Deathcycle ripped through their politically charged set and crushed all non-believers right from the start with “Suicide Seeds.” Their songs and lyrics make the listener think and are still relevant today…their song “Punk Is A Joke” which was about protesting the Republican National Convention in 2004 could easily be about the Occupy Wall Street Movement today. Don’t even get lead singer, Ron Grimaldi, started about what he thinks of our current President! With all the ranting came the brutal hybrid of metal and hardcore songs which got Ron jumping into the pit most of the time joining in the battle royale of punks and metal heads. Deathcycle will be thrashing again tonight TUESDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2013 in Brooklyn, NYC at Saint Vitus Bar with Concrete Cross, Goosebumps and the legendary D.R.I. (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles). No holds barred…be there TONIGHT 8PM!
DEATHCYLE performing “Suicide Seeds”
DEATHCYCLE performing “An Accomplice To Murder”
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Tags: deathcycle, metal, nyhc, punk, saint vitus bar, the acheron
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Pui Chan: Kung Fu Pioneer – documentary
February 25th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Warrington Hudlin – moderator, Mimi Chan – Director)
Director: Mimi Chan
Stars: Pui Chan, Mimi Chan & family, Wah Lum Temple Sifu’s & students
Genre: Martial Arts documentary
Last Saturday, we were treated with an opportunity to watch a wonderful documentary on martial art legend Pui Chan. The film – Pui Chan: Kung Fu Pioneer was being screened as part of the Fist & Sword programming series at the Musuem of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. Despite the rains – loyal fans, family, & practioners alike showed up for the movie. A Lion dance performance and a Q&A with the director would also be on the menu for this festive event! Some of the New York martial arts community were also in attendance at the screening to show support for Pui Chan and Mimi which included Sifu Carl Albright, Sifu Pedro Cepero, Sifu Paul Vizzio, and Sifu Tak Wah Eng.
An accomplished martial artist in her own right, Sifu Mimi Chan directed/produced her 1st movie ever, a documentary on a subject matter really close to her heart – her father, martial art legend of the Wah Lum Temple Northern Praying Mantis system – Grandmaster Pui Chan. Master Chan is basically a living legend of Kung Fu — period. His modest beginnings started in the Guang Dong province in the southern part of China in a village called Shajing. This is where he would begin his journey in martial arts with the Wah Lum Pai system of fighting arts under Sifu Lee Kwan Shan. His rocky journey would continue onto Hong Kong where he immigrated to away from the arms of a turbulent and communist china. His martial studies would continue to progress in HK while he worked as a seamen. Opportunities presented themselves to a teenage Pui Chan while working on a ship in international waters, more specifically in New York City. Chan’s 3rd chapter would start here as he found himself jumping into the waters and ended up swimming to a pier in Newark, NJ! He eventually landed in Chinatown NY where relatives would drive down from Boston to whisk him away to eventually settle down in Boston’s Chinatown! This martial art legend would firmly root himself in Boston all the while gaining much fanfare and respect in the community eventually relocating to Orlando, Florida to create the Wah Lum Temple, a kung fu organization welcoming practioners from all over the world to share knowledge.
Pui Chan’s martial prowess and his liberal attitude to teach chinese martial arts to the non-chinese and to whomever wanted to learn the arts during a time when the community frayed on such practice is what cemented this Grandmaster’s legacy. He seemed to have such a genuine love and passion for chinese kung fu that teaching others about it to keep the culture alive was just an obvious progression.
(Mimi Chan)
(Q&A with Mimi Chan moderated by Warrington Hudlin of the Fist & Sword series at MOMI)
Mimi Chan, the director/daughter of this living legend in Kung Fu is going to be the next generation’s standard bearer of the Wah Lum Praying Mantis system so it would make perfect sense that she would be the one to direct us with the moving images of this documentary in addition to being able to provide great footage and insight to her sifu and father. Mimi was the main narrator of the film as she leads the charge with telling us the tale of her father’s journey starting from his humble background in China in conjunction with Master Chan Pui travelling on location to China, Hong Kong, Boston, & Orlando while explaining to us in his broken canto-english about his unique story. It was asked in the Q&A after the screening to the director with their choice for Mr. Chan to speak english instead of chinese and they truly felt that being in the americas for so long that speaking his chinese-english was part of him. It was pretty funny listening to his canto-english, this coming from a chinese american background myself. We as viewers could tell that with every move, every word he spoke whether in english or cantonese that he was so full of energy, so charismatic, and so full of life! From the start of the film, it was apparent that this movie was more than just a martial arts documentary. Although, Master Pui Chan is universally known and respected because of his skill and dedication with his Wah Lum Tam Tui Northern Praying Mantis Art, this film really exposes a touching tale of an immigrant with high morals living the american dream. To go along with this dream, Pui Chan met the woman of his dreams – his wife Suzy who was raised in Kingston, Jamaica! Talk about a ball of fire between these two! This charming documentary definitely reminded us that martial arts might be the enabler in a person’s life but the real backbone of success, health, & happiness is sustained by having a supportive family. You get the feeling that the director’s objective of the film was to show everyone the legacy of her father but it also seemed to serve as a coming of age story for herself documented by footages of their trips to china to pay respects to Pui Chan’s sifu and parents. Other great video footage included clips from the great HK actor Shek Kin performing a kung fu routine. He was a skilled northern style practitioner and was a very close friend to Mr. Chan. You all might know Shek Kin from playing the role of “Mr. Han” in Enter The Dragon with Bruce Lee. Footages from Master Pui Chan’s performances from his younger years along with some from Mimi were very impressive! Interviews with students, family, and Wah Lum Sifu Bob Rosen help shed some light in Mr. Chan’s earlier years in Boston.
We would definitely recommend for everyone to keep Pui Chan: Kung Fu Pioneer on their to watch radar! Besides the martial influence that this man has had in the kung fu community in the States, he hasn’t forgotten where his roots are from and continues to support organizations such as the Shaolin Temple in China. From the looks of this documentary, the Chan family and the Wah Lum Temple are doing their best to preserve chinese culture and its fighting arts. Mimi Chan must be very proud of her father and her kung fu family. We are glad that she is continuing on the legacy and filming this documentary is proof that she is taking this to another level of awareness. Thank you for sharing the story of your family with the rest of us!
We recorded part of the Q&A with Mimi Chan moderated by Warrington Hudlin which can be viewed above. There was also a Lion Dance performance by the Wah Lum Temple students from Massachussetts before the screening of the movie.
Tags: documentary, kung fu, martial arts, mimi chan, Pui Chan
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Sound City Players played Hammerstein Ballroom
February 19th, 2013 by chocko
Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins
Dave Grohl recently made his directorial debut with his excellent documentary SOUND CITY, a movie about the legendary ‘dumpy’ Los Angeles recording studio that produced a ton of great albums by the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Cheap Trick, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Metallica and Nirvana. Grohl along with members of the Foo Fighters played a memorable night of music last Wednesday in New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom with many of the musicians that recorded at Sound City. The musical guests played short sets which included new songs recorded for the Sound City Soundtrack and familiar tunes that had everybody singing and hopping along. In between sets, clips from the documentary were projected onto a huge screen which would also introduce the musical guest about to perform. The night started with Alain Johannes, from bands ELEVEN and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, rocking out to a set which included “Hangin’ Tree” a song he co-wrote with Queens Of The Stone Age. Chris Goss of Masters Of Reality was up next and was accompanied by Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine on the drums. “It’s Shit” off the 1999 album Welcome to the Western Lodge was a highlight of the set and had heads snapping back and forth.
Dave Grohl, Lee Ving, Alain Johannes, Taylor Hawkins, Pat Smear
1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4! Legendary punk rocker Lee Ving of the band FEAR played next to the delight of all hardcore punk rock fans in the packed house. Pat Smear a punk icon who’s been in bands such as The Germs and Nirvana, was also on stage and always looks like he’s having a great time. Lee Ving played a new song “Your Wife is Calling” which featured some furious harmonica playing. Lee then followed up with a raging set of FEAR songs including “I Love Livin’ In The City” and “Beef Balogna,” a song which he also performed on Saturday Night Live in 1981.
Krist Novoselic + Dave Grohl = 2/3 of NIRVANA
Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, Taylor Hawkins, Krist Novoselic
Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and the towering Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic got the crowd going with a set of Cheap Trick songs with Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters on lead vocals. This set got me really psyched because I haven’t seen Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl on the same stage together since the Nirvana show at Roseland in 1993. Rick Nielsen is a bad ass on guitar and a great songwriter but also fun to watch on stage. Handfuls of guitar pics were thrown out to the crowd like confetti and during “Surrender” Rick flung a Cheap Trick album like a flying guillotine into the audience. I think it reached the second balcony. Rick Springfield played after the Cheap Trick set and Grohl provided the jokes and made sure Rick didn’t leave the stage without playing “Jessie’s Girl.” No “Don’t Talk To Strangers?” That was my jam…c’mon Rick!
John Fogerty
John Fogerty played with the Foo Fighters backing him up on classic Creedence Clearwater Revival songs such as “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising” and “Born On The Bayou.” Fogerty was having the time of his life playing his swamp rock songs including his 1985 solo track “Centerfield.”
Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks headlined the show, starting off with “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,”with Grohl singing the Tom Petty parts of the song. Next, Stevie performed a new song from the upcoming Sound City Soundtrack titled “You Can’t Fix This” which came from a poem she wrote after losing a godson to an overdose. She performed Fleetwood Mac songs including “Landslide” with Grohl on guitar. He was moved to tears by the end of that song. It’s such a beautiful song and to hear it sung live by Stevie Nicks was a highlight of the night. The night ended with “Gold Dust Woman.” It was an awesome concert…3 hours of rock n’ roll music by talented musicians. Sound City Players play one more show in London, England at The Forum. Check out the documentary Sound City in theaters or check it out on iTunes! The DVD, Blu-Ray and soundtrack titled Sound City: Real To Reel will be available on March 12, 2013.
SOUND CITY PLAYERS with STEVIE NICKS performing “Landslide”
SOUND CITY PLAYERS w/ STEVIE NICKS “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”
SOUND CITY PLAYERS with LEE VING performing “Your Wife Is Calling”
SOUND CITY PLAYERS with RICK SPRINGFIELD performing “Jessie’s Girl”
SOUND CITY PLAYERS at Hammerstein Ballroom 02.13.13 SETLIST
ALAIN JOHANNES
A Trick With No Sleeve
Why
All My Friends
Hangin’ Tree
Reach Out
BRAD WILK and CHRIS GOSS
She Got Me
It’s Shit
Time Slowing Down
Domino
The Blue Garden
LEE VING
Your Wife Is Calling
I Love Livin’ In The City
Gimme Some Action
Beef Bologna
Foreign Policy
I Don’t Care About You
RICK NIELSEN and KRIST NOVOSELIC
Hello There
Stiff Competition
I Want You To Want Me
Ain’t That A Shame
Surrender
RICK SPRINGFIELD
The Man That Never Was
I’ve Done Everything For You
Love Is Alright Tonite
You Better Love Somebody
Jessie’s Girl
JOHN FOGERTY
Travelin’ Band
Born On The Bayou
Centerfield
Keep On Chooglin’
Bad Moon Rising
Proud Mary
Fortunate Son
STEVIE NICKS
Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
You Can’t Fix This
Dreams
Landslide
Gold Dust Woman
Tags: dave grohl, hammerstein ballroom, john fogerty, lee ving, new york city, nyc, review, show, sound city, sound city players, stevie nicks
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Super Saturday Lion Dance performances in Chinatown – NYC
February 18th, 2013 by Mr. C
Festive Lions could be found covered in every nook & cranny in Manhattan’s Chinatown last weekend on a day which is known as Super Saturday. It’s a time during Chinese New Year when local organizations, Kung Fu schools, dance troupes, & chinese cultural groups roam the streets of chinatown going door to door to businesses performing traditional southern lion dances at the storefronts to welcome in a prosperous lunar new year and to ward away evil spirits! In return, the performers receive a red envelope with money as a token of wealth, health, & prosperity. The distinctive sound of the drums, gongs, & the colorful Lion’s body while it prances about under the performers’ guidance is truly a sight to see! I always look forward to combing the streets of chinatown on super saturday!
Some organizations that I stumbled upon last Saturday that took part in the performances included Yip’s Dragon Style Kung Fu, Jook Lum Gee Tong Long Pai (Southern Praying Mantis), Luen Hing, Shaolin Kung Fu Institute, Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute, Yee’s Hung Ga, United East Athletic Association, Golden Lion club, Staten Island Lions, New York United Lion Dance Troupe, Chinatown Community Young Lions, Chinese Freemason Athletic Club, & many more! Happy New Year of the Snake – everyone!
Tags: chinatown, chinese culture, chinese new year 2013, lion dance, new york city
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The Berlin File (2013) : movie review
February 13th, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: Ryoo Seung-wan
Stars: Ha Jung-woo, Han Suk-kyu, Ryoo Seung-bum, Gianna Jun
Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama
The Berlin File sets the tone with this epic espionage chase in Berlin, Germany involving various radical groups with their own agendas including the North Koreans, the South Korean Intelligence, the CIA, Russian Arms dealer, Israeli secret service, & Arab terrorists each with their own layer of deception introduced to us right from the onslaught of the film. The beginning of the movie sets us up in a hotel in Berlin where a weapons deal between the Russians and the North Koreans is taking place under negotiations by our main protagonist, agent Pyo Jong-seong (Ha Jung-woo) – a national hero of North Korea. The deal is secretly being watched by the South Koreans, North Koreans, and the CIA. When negotiations go awry, flurries of bullets start to fly! All the groups are introduced to us and only until after the dust settles do we start to peel away the layers of deceit. What basically is left is Pyo Jong-seong being left to fend for his own self as all fingers start to point to him in being a fall guy from the outlook of all parties involved. As part of the setup, Pyo Jong-seong’s wife, a translator for the North Korean embassy is also implicated in aiding with this twisted game of espionage. The root of all evil lies from the cover-up of unaccounted for loyalties being funneled within Kim Jong Il’s regime or might it be another group?
The action sequences including the firearms, the explosions, and the hand to hand combat are all moving images that will quickly demand your attention! The set pieces where all this takes place, mind you in a foreign land is amazing and adds extra tension to the story line. The soundtrack and the exceptional camera work helped set up the viewer perfectly for that frenetic pace and suspenseful mood. Even though the fight choreography and stunt work were well produced, I didn’t care for some of the sudden closeups of our combatants and the slight camera shakes during the hand to hand exchanges to provoke more frenzy in the scene. It gives me the feeling that the closeups and the shakes are visuals used to distract me from the fact that the scene is being filmed with a double which might or might not be the case. The main character played by Ha Jung-woo does a great job of being a cool and nonchalant customer all the while being super intense even with his constant uphill battle. The main villain in the film played by Ryoo Seung-bum does a tremendous job with being the cold blooded North Korean assassin! The performance by the leading lady, Gianna Jun was just o.k. for me. Her role didn’t provoke as much emotion as I would have expected and the few action sequences that she was in – was not quite convincing enough. My other gripes with the film was the incomprehensible english being spoken by the korean cast. I honestly had a hard time understanding some of the dialogue. Maybe they should have had english subtitles when they were speaking in english or maybe have the voices dubbed?
Despite a few shortcomings like the ones I mentioned above and an over complicated story that rushes to unravel to its conclusion, I most definitely found The Berlin File to be quite entertaining as an action film. I’m a big fan of director Ryoo Seung-wan’s past works including City of Violence, Crying Fist, & The Unjust. And with The Berlin File – the overall action is amped up a notch in terms of production value. I actually can’t wait to see this film in the theaters – the way that this type of explosive movie is made to be seen – on the big screen! See you guys and gals at the cinema!
Tags: action, korean movies, thriller
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Toy Fair 2013
February 12th, 2013 by chocko
The Toy Fair in NYC is in full swing, bringing together exhibitors, toy makers, buyers and media all wandering the Jacob Javits Convention Center searching for the next big thing in the world of toys and games. The huge foldout map handed to me at the press table read “If You Can Imagine It You Can Find It At Toy Fair” – ya got that right! Chocko always dreamed of going to this massive event so it definitely was a fun time checking it out on a Monday, taking photos and playing for a few hours.
Ahhh…real Monstaz in front of the Ty booth! They don’t have arms?
These Rody Racin’ Horses looked fun to ride. They’re made of super strong vinyl but no way could they hold the weight of Sumo Chocko.
I never understood the appeal of the Elf On The Shelf Dolls and what’s up with the sideways glance? Are they all covering up their naughty bits?
Stuffed animals with huge dilated pupils are very popular. Kids love ’em I think. Pac-Man is a legendary video game character who chomped his way through mazes and ate ghosts. He’s back with a new animated show Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures. Look for it on Disney XD in 2013.
Safari Ltd. had some dope toy displays including the Civil War one above.
The Create-a-Character toy is super cool…it’s an unpainted wooden toy that comes with paints and a brush and the rest is up to you and your imagination. There were a bunch on display but I’m a sucker for robots.
Ran into a display that honored the French inventor and creator of the Etch A Sketch, André Cassagnes who passed away last month.
Kaskey Kids impressed me with their quality sports action toys. Very cool toy sets for kids which featured baseball, football and hockey. Also, the people at the booth were so friendly and thanks for the baseball figures!
Nothing freaks me out more than creepy looking dolls and rats. Although the radio controlled rodent might be a fun gag in parks and restaurants.
This jigsaw puzzle features some unusually shaped pieces like whales!
Tonner Doll Company had a lot of dolls inspired by different TV shows and Hollywood movies including The Hunger Games and Warm Bodies.
The Skylanders Swap Force booth was colossal and featured a video game which also combined toy collecting and power portals. Looks fun!
Bruce Lee’s Temple of Kung Fu Series features some mean looking 3-inch dudes. Kick that elf on your shelf to the curb and collect all 29 figures!
Diamond Select Toys had a massive display. A couple things that made me geek out were the Munsters figures and Aardman 5-Pack of DC characters. Quit drooling…the set won’t be available until Fall 2013.
Diamond also had some nice looking action figures including The Marvel Select Classic Green Goblin and Ghostrider. Lots of detail! You’ll be the life of the party with a Galactus bottle opener. You know you want that.
Batman has a huge presence in the toy world and it is ultra cool to repesent the classic series starring Adam West. I couldn’t get into the Mattel booth because you needed to make an appointment and they were all booked so nope…didn’t get to see Mattel’s take on the classic tv series, but I did run into the bad boy picture above at the NECA booth. The Batman doll is 1/4 scale figure and NOT FINAL. Changes might still be made but it looks really cool. WB, release the series on DVD already!
More Breaking Bad dolls merchandise coming your way in the form of plush dolls and action figures from Mezco Toyz. Heisenberg is da man!
ThinkGeek featured lots of cool and geeky items at their booth including the zombie head mug…gotta have it. If you are a fan of chemistry and hard liquor, then the set of laboratory shot glasses are for you.
Robots will eventually dominate the human race, but for now they’re cute and fun including Romo, which turns your iPhone into an interactive robot that has lots of personality. Another of the many robot toys at the fair was the Cubelets which is a robot construction kit. The robots can be assembled like blocks, are mobile and can respond to light and sound.
There were plenty of board games at the fair too. Old Age Opoly, a parody of the classic Monopoly board game made me chuckle along with the Fanny Bank. Hear one rip every time a coin is dropped in dat crack.
That’s it for now. Chocko hopes to visit the Toy Fair again next year!
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Tags: action figures, batman, breaking bad, games, kaskey kids, pac-man, review, temple of kung fu, toy fair, toy fair 2013, toys
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Lions on Mott Street and Mighty Quinn’s BBQ
February 12th, 2013 by Mr. C
Chinese New Year celebrations started last Sunday and before I was sentenced to a night of family gatherings, I darted into the sloppy and slushy arms of NYC’s Chinatown – a day after we got about a foot of snow! Festive Lions were out and about on the streets dancing to a familiar beat going door to door to welcome in a prosperous new year for the local businesses. Street vendors were also milling about selling tubes of confetti that rocketed into the air with a twist of the wrist! Two for $5 dolla’ – Two for $5 dolla’ – We would hear! The lion dancers would ping pong from the slightest gong gong drum beat as they swaggered from Haagen Daz to Cha Chang Tang to the Tofu shop and back to Tearrific which would be perfect to collect those auspicious red envelopes of happy new year cheer! Of course this dumb dumb didn’t get any dim sum but instead opted for some classic americana from the same streets where Madonna used to roam looking for her latin prince to romp around with! Slow cooked smoky meat can’t be beat as I celebrated my first new year meal cheer with a pilgrammage to the East Village’s – Mighty Quinn’s Barbecue! You can have your beef brisket ($8.50) or pulled pork ($7.50) – naked or on a sandwich, it doesn’t really matter which because the slow cooked meat will melt from the slightest heat and rake from your teeth! Let me go as my mouth is full – of this wonderful smoky goodness! Gung Hei Fat Choy and Happy Year of the Snake, y’all!
Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque
103 2nd Ave (between 6th & 7th St)
New York, NY
(Pulled Pork Sandwich w/ pickled peppers & vinegar based slaw – $7.50)
(Brisket w/ pickled peppers and onions with baked beans – $8.50)
(New York United Lion Dance Troupe)
(Lions entering Tearrific Cafe at 51 Mott St, New York, NY 10013)
(Lettuce for the Lions at Fong Inn Too Tofu – 46 Mott Street)
Haagen Daz Chinatown – 53 Mott Street – the oldest Haagen Daz store in the City since 1977)
Tags: barbecue, chinese new year
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National Pro Wrestling day in Philadelphia
February 5th, 2013 by Mr. C
(The high flying A.C.H. during the day session)
Last Saturday’s festivities to celebrate National Pro Wrestling day in Philadelphia originated in the Bronx as the Mondo-mobile scooped me up in Northern NJ as we hightailed down the dirty NJ turnpike to the National Guard Armory in Philadelphia for an afternoon and evening lineup of matches. It was pretty surreal to see a fleet of our armed forces in training as another band of wrestling outlaws were smacking each other down in the main space of the armory. But before we would be entertained by these high flying-athletic warriors in tights who have a bit of flair for the dramatics, we had to grease ourselves up with a meal fit for champions – cheesesteaks! Destination – Steve’s Prince of Steaks – it truly made me feel like I was King of the Cheesesteak Throne for the day! A tender slice of steak bathed in a warm & generous spread of cheese-whiz hugged between a torpedo roll which was slightly crispy on the outside and not too doughy. We also loved the self serve pickled peppers in the clear jars! It was so nice that we stopped in at Steve’s Prince of Steaks twice before our trip back up north! This time I got an Italian Hoagie, though!
(Steve’s Prince of Steaks – 7200 Bustleton Ave Philadelphia, PA 19149)
(Steve’s Prince of Steaks – 2711 Comly Road Philadelphia, PA 19154)
After refueling our bodies fit for a blogger, we dipped back to the armory to catch the last few matches of the daytime card. An all star collective of independent wrestling organizations would be called upon to restore order on this day! Of course I’m a complete neophyte to modern day wrestling as my comfort zone lies to the likes of the 1980’s WWF when Bob Backlund, Andre the Giant, Paul Orndoff, Adrian Adonis, Jimmy Superfly Snuka, Pedro Morales, Big John Studd, George the animal steele, & others dominated! Though recently I’ve been catching up with an Independent wrestling outfit based in NJ called ECPW. The cards at the National Pro Wrestling day in Philadelphia included organizations such as Evolve, Chikara, Resistance Pro Wrestling (Billy Corgan), NYWC, Ring of Honor, Wrestling is Fun, Wrestling is Awesome, Wrestling is Respect, International Wrestling Cartel, & many others! A list of the wrestling organizations as well as the cards can be viewed at the National Pro Wrestling Day homepage.
(Team Chikara)
Some outstanding wrestlers that we saw that day included A.C.H. who we happened to catch on the daytime lineup as he battled in a tournament for the right to fight 2 Cold Scorpio on the evening card. Scorpio is a veteran of the ECW and WWF from the mid to late 90’s. Shameful to say, I didn’t know much about Too Cold but he was pretty impressive especially for an older guy – smashing roundhouse,crescent, & spinning heel kicks to A.C.H. . 2 Cold Scorpio seemed to be most comfortable going toe to toe but he did have some heavy duty splashes off the top rope as well! The diminuitive but diesel A.C.H. on the other hand was a high flying monster performing frog splashes in and out of the ring to parkour type of moves from one rope to another using his whole body as an arsenal! Another impressive match pitted A.R. Fox vs Shane Strickland from Evolve. They both had technical skills on the ground and in the air. There was some serious high flying action that took place outside the ring for this bout! The audience went bonkers with the Chikara tag team match with Los Ice Creams & FIST vs The Colony & 3.0 . This match was all about the comedy and the action. The crowd really got into this one. The New York guys from NYWC – Tony Nese & Apollyon vs Alex Reynolds & John Silver was a power match. Apollyon, sort of a Bam Bam Bigelow’esque large guy had some serious splash in him as well as a few slingshot moves! Another hilarious & fun tag team match from the Wrestling’s Heroes and Outlaws organization pitted The Hurricane & Matty De Nero vs Ophidian & Kobald. The Hurricane looked good but was quite reserved from his WWF/WWE days as I was told. There would also be a danceoff as Ophidian busted a few B-Boy moves as The Hurricane countered back with his 2 step combination! All in all it was a great day of indie wrestling and we can most definitely say – we’ll be back! Support your local independent wrestling circuit, y’all! Checkout the National Pro Wrestling Day website to get more information on the organizations that were involved that day.
(Too Cold Scorpio and A.C.H. locking grips!)
(A.C.H. believes he can fly!)
(Too Cold Scorpio doing damage w/ some roundhouse kicks)
(AR Fox vs Shane Strickland)
(Apollyon)
(The Hurricane & Matty De Nero vs Ophidian & Kobald)
(Team Chikara)
During intermission between the day & nightime bouts, we dipped into South Philly to catch Parts Unknown – a Pro Wrestling Photography show by Zia Hiltey hosted at a really neat cafe called the Grindcore House – The Vegan Coffeehouse! The back room of the cafe was where the photos of the wrestlers were on display. Some intense punk music, metal, & even a soundbyte of Dr. Octagon’s (Kool Keith) ‘3000’ went blasting in our ears as we gazed at the visuals! Some really neat photos of Tatanka, The WWF Wrestling album (1985), El Generico, and more were showcased on the wall! Parts Unknown – A Pro Wrestling Photography Show is on display until March 6th at Grindcore House – 1515 South 4th Street Philadelphia, PA 19147
(Grindcore House – the vegan coffeehouse)
(Massive Awesome comic)
Tags: independent wrestling, national pro wrestling day, philadelphia, photos
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Paul Baribeau and Jason Anderson played Stardust Video & Coffee
February 3rd, 2013 by chocko
PAUL BARIBEAU at Stardust Video & Coffee (Orlando) 01.27.13
JASON ANDERSON at Stardust Video & Coffee (Orlando) 01.27.13
Another recent excursion to sunny Florida was coming to a close and on a Sunday night after nearly a week bouncing around all the Disney and Universal theme parks I decided to catch a local show in Orlando. It was quickly decided to check out Paul Baribeau play some folky punk music at Stardust Video & Coffee which is just around the corner from one of my favorite Orlando shops, Park Ave CDs. My friend from NYC, Ariela and I walked into the place while openers Among Giants played some intense punk songs. I encountered Baribeau at the merch table and bought some of his albums. His beard (sorry I had to talk about it!) made mine look like peach fuzz. I didn’t wait too long for the next act, Jason Anderson to set up but it was fun checking out all the video rentals stacked on the shelves near the stage. Jason didn’t plug in his guitar, use a microphone or the stage, but for most of his set had everybody gather ’round in a circle..a really tight one at that. He has a great way of interacting with the room and telling stories and sharing lessons and advice. He also sang emotional songs on his acoustic guitar and had everyone singing along. He sang a song that he just made up outside of the venue while waiting for the show to start. The song was about his day, hanging out with Paul Baribeau at Downtown Disney eating vegan cupcakes. During one song he decided that we have to all sing under the stars. The doors were swung open and we all ran out into the parking lot and sang at the top of our lungs under the nighttime sky. It was a memorable and inspiring performance and I’m sure a game changer for many in the crowd. Definitely check out Jason Anderson when he comes and plays your town! Paul Baribeau played last and the crowd bum rushed the stage and sang along to his sincere and refreshing songs about imperfect relationships and the angst and banality of everyday life. A highlight for me was the performance of “If I Knew” off his 2010 album Unbearable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for Paul’s whole set because I had a plane to catch in the wee hours of the morning. I stopped by the merch table, shook Jason’s hand and told him how inspiring his performance was and picked up his new album Summer Style. That night of music was the best way to cap off a week of escaping from the bitter cold of winter in NJ. Check out some videos below of Paul and Jason at Stardust!
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Tags: folk, jason anderson, music, orlando, paul baribeau, punk, stardust, video & coffee
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Slick Rick played Brooklyn Bowl
February 3rd, 2013 by chocko
Slick Rick performed at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City last month a couple of days before his birthday. The celebration performance featured all the hits from The Ruler’s career that dates back to the Golden Era of Hip Hop in the 80’s. When his debut album The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick came out on Def Jam in 1988, that album rocked my world and I wore that cassette out! His rhymes with his British swagger made him unique, along with his narratives incorporated into his songs which often times had a sick sense of humor that had me hooked. Slick Rick, decked in his trademark eye patch and gold chains, performed a solid 45 minute set and was accompanied by a live band with a DJ and back-up singers. He started off the set with “Street Talkin” off the 1999 album The Art of Storytelling and after introducing the band, went into a classic, the up-tempo “Mona Lisa.” Check the videos below! Slick Rick performed an excellent mix of songs including “Lick The Balls” which I’ve never heard live. I wished he did “Treat Her Like A Prostitute” but ya can’t win ’em all. The Ruler was presented a birthday cake at the end of the night and it looked like he was truly touched when a birthday shout-out video played for all to see. There were a lot of familiar faces in the video including Raekwon, Biz Markie, Humpty Hump and MC Lyte.
SLICK RICK performing “Street Talkin'” and “Mona Lisa”
SLICK RICK performing “Hey Young World”
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Tags: birthday, brooklyn, hip hop, new york city, nyc, show, slick rick
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John Gorka played at the Ringwood Library – New Legacy Concert Series
January 29th, 2013 by Mr. C
NJ bred folk singer/songwriter – John Gorka performed at the Ringwood Public Library in NJ last Sunday as part of the New Legacy Concert Series to a crowd about 150+ strong! It’s always fun driving to the shows in Ringwood because the library is nestled up in the mountains which provides a beautiful backdrop for the performances! And of course listening to the Gorka live is always a treat because of his clear & soulful baritone voice, his funny intros to his songs, his storytelling, and catchy hooks. Sometimes I wonder if John twilights as a comedian because he is just that hilarious! He has a great knack of knowing how to connect with his audience by poking fun at himself to break the ice. He started his matinee set by stating that he knew the audience was curious as to what a “Gorka” looked like. And that the picture of himself on the programming bill looked like his son. He thought about coming out saying that he was John Gorka’s dad and that he couldn’t make it to the show so he would be filling in for the afternoon! That got a few chuckles out of the salt & peppered haired crowd! Another fun story was at the Newport Folk Festival when the late Earl Scruggs, a legendary bluesgrass banjo player was playing on stage and John Gorka seized an opportunity to talk to Pete Seeger about finger picking on the banjo. Gorka proceeded to tell Seeger that the brain releases oxytosin (not oxycontin) when playing and Seeger just looked at him with a blank stare!
John Gorka’s lyrics range from the funny to the witty then back to the somber with love and hope in these ever changing troubled times. John is a true documenter of life – observing, writing, and singing about the everyday. Some sad & heart wrenching but beautiful tunes that he played on his set that afternoon included ‘I saw a stranger with your hair’ & ‘Love is our cross to bear’ as well as a song of unearned advantage – ‘Ignorance and privilege’. Gorka also played some tunes that he re-recorded with his Red Horse band on Red House Records like ‘Blue Chalk’, ‘Wayfaring Stranger‘, & ‘If these walls could talk’. Some of my favorites from the set included some blues tunes that he created on his miniature G-sharp guitar like ‘Baby Blue’ & ‘Where the bottles break’ as well as ‘Houses in the fields’ & ‘Down in Milltown’ on the piano. Some of the more funnier songs that he sang at the Ringwood Library were ‘I’m from New Jersey’ & ‘People my age’ which he jokingly said he wasn’t looking forward to playing. People my age was the antithesis of Dar Williams’ song ‘Aging well’. I really dig how Gorka uses his emotion, facial expression, and clever play on words to tell us a colorful story with his voice and guitar play. It was such a wonderful performance as witnessed by the unanimous standing ovation after the show. He ended his set with a ‘Coda for Bill’ (tribute to Bill Morrisey). My favorite contemporary folk acts to watch live are Lucy Kaplansky, Dar Williams, & of course – John Gorka! If you get a chance to see any of these 3 play live – do it!
SETLIST
Outside
Where no monument stands
I’m from New Jersey
Land of the bottom line
Blue Chalk
Houses in the fields (piano)
if these walls could talk
Branching out
Flying red horse
I saw a stranger with your hair
diminishing winds
Oh Abraham
I know
Down in the Milltown (piano)
Baby Blues (G-sharp guitar)
Where the bottles break (G-sharp guitar)
Wayfaring stranger (G-sharp guitar)
Ignorance and privilege
People my age
Love is our cross to bear
Coda for Bill
Tags: contemporary folk, folk, john gorka, music, new legacy concert, ringwood library
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The Black Kung Fu Experience – (2012)
January 22nd, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: Martha Burr & Mei-Juin Chen
Stars: Ron Van Clief, Dennis Brown, Tayari Casel, Donald Hamby
Genre: Martial arts and culture – documentary
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The Fist and Sword ongoing movie series at the Museum of the Moving Image curated by Warrington Hudlin is one of my favorite events to attend in New York City! Hudlin is very knowledgeable in the martial art scene in New York and is a student of Jujitsu Master Lil’ John Davis. Warrington is also a walking knowledgebase of information on martial art films as well. Last Monday on Martin Luther King day – we were treated to a screening of The Black Kung Fu Experience which was part of the Fist and Sword series. Michael Woods, Sifu Carl Albright, and Sifu Alan Goldberg were also in attendance.
(Warrington Hudlin – curator of Fist and Sword series)
The Black Kung Fu Experience was a very inspirational documentary about 4 african american martial artists, all from various backgrounds but carved from the same mold of inner strength, humility, and passion. These Masters of their respective fighting arts all have something in common from the 1960’s and 1970’s – the influences of kung fu through movies while growing up in the inner city. We as viewers got to travel to NYC, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, and Jamaica to get a glimpse of these warriors in mind, body, & spirit. Masters: Ron Van Clief, Dennis Brown, Tayari Casel, & Donald Hamby are highly regarded asian fighting art experts that went through similiar paths and struggles yet their storyboards are all unique. While the movies might have introduced the asian arts to these individuals which started a spark towards their martial arts journey – their resilience, intestinal fortitude – their endless search to learn & grow as a person while keeping the thought of bettering their community by passing on knowledge has kept their internal flames of fury & peace on high. These four teachers have all pledged their allegiance to the arts but more importantly they have all pledged their allegiance to their communities. The determination and drive despite the racism that these four went through are truly inspirational. I can truly say that not only are they great role models for the black community, they are great role models for Americans!
(Master Ron Van Clief)
Ron Van Clief in particular is a real life american hero. I was familiar with the Black Dragon’s martial arts prowess and his dip into films in Hong Kong in the 1970’s but I was not aware of the struggles that he went through while serving in the Marines as he faced racial discrimination from fellow americans in the Carolinas. Furthermore, being black – he was sentenced to serve in a one way mission in the Vietnam War, but as god would have it – the Black Dragon made it a roundtrip affair though lots of psychological scars from warfare would haunt him for decades. Master Ron Van Clief had made martial arts as an outlet to express himself and 40+ years later – he continues to spread his knowledge as well as not being afraid to empty his cup to learn new things. He seemed to be such a gentle and peaceful soul when he spoke at the panel at the Musuem of the Moving Image after the screening. Master Van Clief has roots in Brooklyn but has relocated to the U.S Virgin Islands to spread his knowledge.
Sifu Dennis Brown is another throwback kung fu relic that teaches Shaolin kung fu in the Washington D.C/Maryland area. His life story tells a tale of a martial hero’s uplifting ascent from poverty to the gold mountain of old-school traditional kung-fu! The interaction between himself and his young students always showcases nuggets of discipline and encouragement as well as rewards and acknowledgement when the student does well in academics. Sifu Brown teaches in the Maryland metropolitan area.
(Sifu Tayari Casel)
Sifu Tayari Casel was one of the first fighters in the U.S. to put kung fu on the map in the 1970’s with his many successful bouts in the ring. His legendary fight at Madison Square Garden against the real shogun of Harlem – Master Little John Davis drew much attention! Sifu Casel has an impressive form that flows like water but can strike with the power and speed of a cobra! I was really impressed by Sifu Casel’s eclectic mix of Chinese martial arts blended with African culture. Tayari Casel Martial Arts Academy is a perfect example of how to combine traditional cultures together to make a product that is relevant to you and your community, all the while still being true to yourself! Well done sir! His inspirations reach as far as Jamaica and beyond! Sifu Tayari Casel teaches in the Washington D.C./Maryland Metropolitan area. Tayari was also on the Q&A panel with Ron Van Clief after the screening. They both were very articulate and humble in speech.
Sifu Donald Hamby representing the 5 animal – Hung Ga Kung fu family is a style that traces their lineage back to the likes of China’s most celebrated hero – Wong Fei Hong! Sifu Donald and his flesh tearing tiger grip was a force to be reckon with for sure! He was truly a gentle giant, but one that you did not want to mess with. Sifu Donald’s story along with his son following in his footsteps was a very touching tale indeed! The humbleness of this sifu has him visiting Hong Kong periodically to keep his kung fu family within arms grasp as he pays respect to Sifu Lam Jo’s Hung Ga family tree. The film had a nice clip of father and son on the Steve Harvey show doing a metal bending – mind blowing demonstration of steel rod vs neck. Sifu Donald teaches in Los Angeles.
The Black Kung Fu Experience is a documentary that takes a look at how urban america fused the teachings of traditional martial arts along with their own culture and made it into something relevant to their environment. At the Q&A after the screening of the film, Tayari Casel and Ron Van Clief made it clear that “Kung Fu” is more than just punches and kicks. It’s a journey about discovering yourself. It’s a lifelong journey of empowerment, survival, and being self-aware!
(Michael Woods at the Museum of the Moving Image)
(Q&A with Tayari Casel and Ron Van Clief after the screening)
Tags: documentary, martial arts, musuem moving image
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