STAR & DAGGER signing at Forbidden Planet
February 9th, 2012 by chocko
From left to right…Donna She Wolf (Cycle Sluts From Hell), Von Hesseling and Sean Yseult (White Zombie) form the killer blues metal combo STAR & DAGGER along with drummer Dustin Crops. These ladies are no joke! I used to see Donna perform in her band She-Wolves back in the day at CBGB and I do recall a lot of headbanging at Roseland shows seeing Sean rock the bass in the legendary band White Zombie. I’m really excited to see them back on the scene and joining forces along with the killer vocalist, Von Hessling! They recently made an appearance at NYC’s Forbidden Planet last month and brought along their limited edition (only 500 made!) vinyl EP titled “In My Blood.” The vinyl is clear and half of it is “blood dipped” red. The opening track is titled “In My Blood” and has Von Hesseling sounding seductive and sinister while the band provides the chugging metal riffs guaranteed to make you bang your head! The flip side features some heavy, bluesy metal riffage on “Stories” and a cover of “Out of Focus” by a psychedelic band from the 60’s called Blue Cheer. If you’re down…get your copy from Last Hurrah Records. Expect a full length album titled “Tomorrowland Blues” to come out in 2012, an appearance at SXSW next month and I’m sure a ton of shows to come!
Tags: cycle sluts from hell, sean yseult, star and dagger, white zombie
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celebrating chinese new year at PEARL RIVER MART
February 6th, 2012 by Mr. C
(all pics & video by mr c)
The Wan Chi Ming – Hung Gar Kung Fu School were called upon once again to help celebrate chinese new year outside the storefront of Pearl River Mart by performing a traditional southern lion dance on jongs (poles-stilts) and another lion dance routine that showed the side-effects of a drunken lion! The hung gar students did a tremendous job of showing finesse, power, & grace worthy of a lion! Eating the lettuce would provide good fortune & luck not to mention a healthy does of red envelopes too! Some videos of the performances are below.
But before the aerial dance assault ensued, the Hung Gar kung fu students demonstrated some traditional routines native to their Tiger-Crane style including weapons like the kwan dao, broadsword, tiger’s fork and two person fighting forms involving the double broadswords vs pole and the kwan dao vs a snake spear bladed like long weapon. All the energetic fighting routines were backed by the traditonal thumping of the chinese drum!
For all that have never been to Pearl River Mart located in lower manhattan, what have you been waiting for? This store sells all things chinese including fabrics, kitchen-housewares, tea, birdcages, musical instruments, clothing, furniture, books, bruce lee prints, & other cute knick knacks! It’s basically a hodge-podge of chinese culture all housed in one building! I remembered shopping at their original & very modest locations in chinatown way back in my flock of seagulls hairdo days when they set up shop on grand street before consolidating to one larger store on canal & broadway in the late 80’s. The reincarnation of the store that is now located in Soho for quite some time now at 477 Broadway is a sight to behold. Pearl River Mart is definitely a recommended stop on your way down to chinatown! See ya’ there!
Pearl River Mart
477 Broadway (between Grand & Broome Street)
NY, NY
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new york hospitality
February 2nd, 2012 by Mr. C
Upon frolicking in the streets of the east village & lower east side, we sometimes get greeted by this at the crosswalk as mondocurry recently witnessed on suffolk street…..fuggettaboutit!
(photo taken on 1st avenue & 3rd street)
Tags: street art
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t-mobile advertisement on canal street-chinatown,nyc
February 2nd, 2012 by Mr. C
T-Mobile, I think you’re tootin’ your horn just a little bit! Your data speeds could never match the bootleg process on Canal Street! Suffice to say that this ad was taken down just as quick as NYPD can make a donut run to the Donut Pub on 14th street. ~june 2011~
Photo by Christina from Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
Tags: ad, chinatown, t-mobile
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The 10th Annual New York Korean Film Festival at BAM Rose Cinema – Brooklyn
February 1st, 2012 by Mr. C
VIA the KOREA SOCIETY
The Korea Society presents the 10th New York Korean Film Festival with new releases showcasing the popular and prolific in Korean film. In cooperation with partners BAM Cinématek and CJ Entertainment, this 10th festival features blockbusters, cutting-edge action, drama, and comedy at BAM Rose Cinema.
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Friday, February 24 – Sunday, February 26, 2012
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BAM Rose Cinema
30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn
(718) 636-4100 x 1
http://www.bam.org
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Friday, February 24 6:50 Late Autumn (Manchu) 9:15 Hindsight
Saturday, February 25 6:50 The Servant 9:30 Quick
Sunday, February 26 3:00 Sunny 5:45 Moss 9:00 Glove
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Late Autumn (Manchu) 2010
FRIDAY, February 24 @ 6:50 PM
Directed by Kim Tae-yong. With Hyun Bin and Tang Wei. Anna is on her way to Seattle to attend her mother’s funeral on a special weekend release from prison, where she is serving time for killing her abusive husband. On the bus, she meets Hoon, a “companion for hire” for lonely, older women. Both are running away: Anna from her past and Hoon from one of his clients’ husbands. Both find something in each other while they spend a day together in the misty, autumnal city of Seattle. This is a remake of the famed 1961 film with the same title directed by Lee Man-hee. A co-production of South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and the United States, Late Autumn was shot completely in English in Seattle. A Special Tribute to The Korea Society’s November 2011 national outreach program to Seattle. 113 min.
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Hindsight (Poo-Reun-So-Geum) 2011 ^
FRIDAY, February 24 @ 9:15 PM
Directed by Lee Hyun-seung. With Song Kang-ho, Shin Se-kyeong, and Cheon Jeong-myeong. Retired mob boss Du-heon enrolls in a cooking class with the hopes of making a fresh start as a restaurant owner. In the class he meets a quirky girl, Se-bin, and finds himself drawn to her. Despite his determination to wipe the slate clean, Du-heon is summoned back into the criminal fold by his old colleagues. Veteran filmmaker Lee Hyun-seung – and top star Song Kang-ho and Shin Se-kyeong – succeeded in making a non-genre film dealing with gangsters. 120 min.
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The Servant (Bang-Ja Jeon) 2010
SATURDAY, February 25 @ 6:50 PM
Directed by Kim Dae-woo. With Kim Joo-hyuk, Ryu Seung-beom, Jo Yeo-jeong, and Oh-Dal-su. The Servant is told from the point-of-view of Bang-ja, a personal servant to Lee Mong-ryong, an aristocratic scholar, Both men love Chun-hyang, but as Mong-ryong courts her with the prospects of marriage, Bang-ja begins an illicit affair – which Mong-ryong soon discovers. In Kim Dae-woo’s re-telling of the classic folk tale Chun-hyang, the Servant illustrates the pursuit of love and class status with adventurous scheming, eroticism, and humor. 124 min.
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Quick 2011
SATURDAY, February 25 @ 9:30 PM
Directed by Cho Beom-goo. With Lee Min-ki, Kang ye-won, Kim In-kwon. Former motorcycle gang member Gi-su now makes a living as a bike messenger. One day, the building at which Gi-su had delivered a package blows up. Never suspecting that he could have anything to do with the bomb, Gi-su moves onto his next job: escorting Ah-rom, a singer who is also an ex-girlfriend from his biker days. When Ah-rom puts on a bike helmet, she triggers a timing mechanism which sets off a countdown clock. A Stranger calls to tell Gi-su to make a series of deliveries which a fixed time or suffer the consequences.
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Sunny 2011
SUNDAY, February 26 @ 3:00 PM
Directed by Kang Hyeong-cheol. With Yu Ho-jeong, Shim Eun-kyeong, Jin Hee-kyung, kang So-ra, and Hong Jin-hee. Director Kang Hyeong-chul follows Speedy Scandal with Sunny, a film about high-school classmates who meet after 25 years and re-live memories of the 1980s. With great performances and a charming storyline, Sunny was Korea’s biggest box-office hit in Korea 2011. 124 min.
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Moss (Iggi) 2010
SUNDAY, February 26 @ 5:45 PM
Directed by Kang Woo-suk. With Jeong jae-yeong, Park Hae-il, and Yu Hae-jin. Ryu Hae-guk realizes that the residents of an isolated village are hiding something about his father’s recent death. He learns that his father was a town savior and shared absolute power with the town chief. The film depicts both community violence and human redemption through Ryu’s investigation of his father’s death. 163 min.
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Glove 2011
SUNDAY, February 26 @ 9:00 PM
Directed by Kang Woo-suk. With Jeong Jae-young, Sun Yoo, and Kang Shin-il. Kim Sang-nam, a hot-tempered former professional baseball player, is sent to the countryside to coach a team of hearing-impaired players in order to avoid media coverage of his recent involvement in an assault case. At first, Kim has a difficult time imagining how he can teach baseball to a group of boys who can’t hear, but as he spends time with them he starts to believe that they can play the game. Motivated, Kim decides to help them prepare for the nationals. 144 min.
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celebrating the Year of the Dragon with films
January 30th, 2012 by Mr. C
DB from Unseen Films & I celebrated KOWLOON (NINE DRAGON) days worth of film reviews to help rake in the lunar new year starting from January 21st-January 29th. Thanks to DB at Unseen Films for hosting the event & letting me co-maestro this fun movie theme! I listed all of the films that we shined the interrogation light on below. Maybe you’ll find a film, two, or three that will rock your world! Click on the image or the link to transport you to another galaxy of chinese movie bliss at Unseen Films. Enjoy & GUNG HAY FAT CHOY!
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Day 1: Classic Wu-Xia with Tsui Hark
Peking Opera Blues (1986)
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Day 2: Happy new year from the Shaw Brothers Studio – 1973!
The House of 72 Tenants (1973)
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Day 3: Happy Chinese New Year with Jet Li!
The Sorcerer & the White Snake (2011)
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Day 4: Wu-Xia with puppets
Legend of the Sacred Stone (2000)
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Day 5: Wu-Xia parody + a stoic Jackie Chan
Eagle Shooting Heroes (1993)
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1911 (Jackie Chan-2011)
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Day 6: Kung Fu & billiards with Stephen Chow + something viral from 2012
Legend Of The Dragon (1990)
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The Viral Factor (2012)
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Day 7: Romance Doubleheader led by Andy Lau and anchored by Zhang Yimou
What Women Want (2011)
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Under the Hawthorne Tree (2010)
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Day 8: Double dose of director Gao Shuqun
Old Fish (2007)
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Wind Blast (2010)
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Day 9: All about Hong Kong!
0506HK (2007)
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I Love Hong Kong (2011)
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Manitoba played Bowery Electric
January 27th, 2012 by chocko
Finally, HANDSOME DICK MANITOBA is back on stage in New York City!
Manitoba played a show last night at Bowery Electric with a lineup that consisted of Handsome Dick Manitoba (lead vocals), Ross The Boss (guitar), JP “Thunderbolt” Patterson (drums), Dean “The Dream” Rispler (bass) and Daniel Rey (guitar). The band took to the stage in dramatic fashion, while the theme to “Chariots of Fire” blared through the speakers. The Dictators haven’t played a show in about a decade, so the crowd was pretty pumped up to see Manitoba play. The band ripped through a baker’s dozen worth of Dictators songs including a Flamin’ Groovies cover of “Slow Death.” Despite being absent from the stage in recent years while running an NYC bar, hosting a radio show and becoming a father, Dick Manitoba hasn’t skipped a beat, providing the vocals and comedic moments throughout the night with his witty insights and social commentary. The dude is pretty light on his feet too and was jumping around like a teenager all night. The rest of the band was amazing…Ross The Boss killed on the guitar and JP is a beast on the drums! Jesse Malin was in the house and the birthday boy was definitely in punk rock mode while joining the band for two songs during the encore: “Loose” by The Stooges and “California Sun.”
SET LIST
The Party Starts Now
The Next Big Thing
Avenue A
Baby, Let’s Twist!
Haircut and Attitude
Pussy and Money
Who Will Save Rock and Roll?
Prototype
Slow Death (Flamin’ Groovies)
Faster and Louder
New York, New York
Stay
ENCORE
Two Tub Man
Loose (Stooges cover w/ Jesse Malin)
California Sun (w/ Jesse Malin)
the videos below were shot by Mr. C!
Tags: dick manitoba, jp thunderbolt patterson, new york city show, nyc, ross the boss, the dictators
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Sean Price and Smif-N-Wessun played Highline Ballroom
January 24th, 2012 by chocko
Sean Price
Smif-N-Wessun
Duck Down was definitely in the Building…Highline Ballroom that is. Anytime you got members of Brooklyn’s Boot Camp Clik performing a show, you know you’re going to get some REAL Hip Hop. Opening up the show last Wednesday, was Maffew Ragazino from the Brownsville section of Brooklyn. A couple years ago he was on a Sean Price Mixtape titled “Kimbo Price” and now it’s great to see him branching out, making things happen in the world of hip hop. He’s got excellent flow, swagger and energy on the stage. I like the way he got the audience involved in the performance particularly on the track “Slum Lord.” I couldn’t find the dude after the show to get a CD, so after stalking him on twitter and a paypal transaction, I got a CD coming my way. I’ll be anxiously awaiting its arrival at my mailbox.
Next up was Phony Ppl a collective of musicians who write songs, produce and sing R&B songs and hip hop. Tonight they were in hop hop mode, a bit on the jazzy side at times but these young dudes had oodles and oodles of energy. They lost most of the crowd later in their set who grew impatient and yelled out for “SEAN P!”
Smif-N-Wessun (Tek and Steele) aka Cocoa Brovaz came out next along with the debut of Duck Down Man, the record label’s mascot! Tek and Steele went right into “Let’s Git It On” from their classic 1995 debut album, Dah Shinin’ and proceeded to crank out the hits. Smif-N-Wessun shared the stage with a few cats including Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire and Jakk Frost from the mean streets of Philly who showed some of his lyrical skills and busted some rhymes…The Beards In The Building! A highlight was bringing out Sean Price for the classic Boot Camp Clik track, “And So.” Another highlight of the Smif-N-Wessun set was their performance of “Bucktown” from the top of the bar.
Sean Price headlined the show and shortly brought out Rock which made it an official Heltah Skeltah reunion. By this time, the crowd was pretty toasted but the enthusiasm was always kept at a high level due to the presence of the great MC from Brownsville. Sean Price performed a slew of songs including Heltah Skeltah stuff and solo material “P-Body”, “Onion Head” and “Boom Bye Yeah.” Price brought out Apollo The Great from Camden, New Jersey who definitely looks like he’s got a future in the rap game. Hopefully 2012 brings more Duck Down shows and fingers crossed…a new album from Sean Price titled “Mic Tyson.”
(left to right: Maffew Ragazino, Jakk Frost and Apollo The Great)
photos and video by chocko
Tags: apollo the great, cocoa brovaz, duck down records, hip hop, maffew ragazino, new york city, nyc, show
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happy lunar new year of the dragon!
January 23rd, 2012 by Mr. C
Happy Chinese New Year – the Year of the Dragon! May y’all find health, happiness, strength, & prosperity no matter what galaxy or rock you may crawl out of!
I wanted to drop a few well known flavors in your ear to help celebrate the festivities. This includes a famous cantonese folk song often used to honor & inspire soldiers. This track has become synonymous with Wong Fei Hong, China, & kung fu. It was also the theme song for Tsui Hark’s – Once Upon a Time in China & Drunken Master with Jackie Chan!
Wong-Fei-Hong-Once-Upon-A-Time-In-China by planetchocko
The 2nd tune is the theme song for Drunken Master 2 sung by Jackie Chan himself.
Jackie-Chan-Drunken-Master-2-Theme by planetchocko
Also some videos below to salute some of our well known dragons in cinema.
Tags: chinese new year, mr c
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Santigold played at Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn
January 18th, 2012 by Mr. C
(photo by chocko)
Planet Chocko was in full gear sportin’ a triple fat goose-down & carhartt jacket as we prepared to descend down upon the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn to catch the Santigold show last Monday night despite being low on chi & with mother nature strutting her stuff! The last time we laid eyes on Santigold was in June of 2009 at Terminal 5 so Brooklyn…we come hard! Chocko was squared up to the stage looking to do some post up battles in the paint while I was hovering around the 3 point line by the bench getting ready to launch some John Stark 3’s….video style.
Spank Rock was on offense when we stepped into the Williamsburg arena and they reminded us a little of Digital Underground with their brazen sex’em up songs in a very similar – offbeat & fun package! The live congo drums provided a nice jungle beat to compliment the electronica with the occassional 2 live crew thumping sound & vocal delivery. For a second, I thought Shock G or Play from Kid n Play was on the stage kickin’ it!
Santigold was next on deck as she graced the stage with her blend of dance fusion of pop, dub, reggae, & electronica as she moved the crowd! Some songs make you want to sway back & forth like Courtney Cox did in the Dancing in the Dark video while other jams make you want to bust a groove like Leroy Johnson did in Fame. Santi’s setlist included most of the songs from her debut album, Santogold from 2008 and a few newbies like Disparate Youth, God From the Machine, & Big Mouth. Shove It with Spank Rock, Disparate Youth, & Creator were some of my favorite Santi performances of the night! Chocko had some nice ‘post up’ videos as I lurked by the bench with some of my own. Checkout some of the vids below, y’all!
(photos by mr c)
The song – L.E.S. artistes has a beat that reminds me of a Tegan & Sara tune while other tracks such as “Creator” & “Unstoppable” bring the M.I.A. style quirkiness & outer-space sounds! The stage sets, costumes, & choreography from Santi & her crew brought back hot flashes of Janelle Monae with her outrageous performances. Santigold’s two dancers, basically the female versions of Scoob & Scrap lover from Big Daddy Kane’s dynamic dance duo were definitely shaking that thang with a robot like gyrating-rhythmic-synchronous swing!
All in all, Santigold brought mucho fun music to the table enabling all at the music hall to shake that ass without any inhibitions. Lookout for her new album, Master of Make-Believe sometime in the near future!
(all videos by chocko & mr c)
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I am Bruce Lee – opens february 9th
January 18th, 2012 by Mr. C
Who hasn’t been influenced by Bruce Lee one way or another – martial artists, kung fu movie freaks, musicians, athletes, artists, dungeons & dragon nerds, hollywood…the list goes on & on. Being chinese, Bruce Lee adds even more pride to the equation for his people especially at a time when we needed an inspirational figure to look up to the most while growing up in the wild wild ‘gweilo’ west. He was a strong person – mentally, verbally, & physically. Lee was a well educated, brazen, & passionate individual. We all shared the love of his art and the very special way that he manifested it. His spirit still lives on!
I AM BRUCE LEE is a neat looking documentary on the man himself and based on the trailer, looks like a nice rewind for all of us especially it being the Year of the Dragon to celebrate the Little Dragon! There probably hasn’t been any footage on Bruce Lee that we as fans haven’t seen but the awesome image quality of the trailer and the cameos in the documentary that lent to some inspirational words on Lee Siu Lung (Lee – the Little Dragon) seems to be a very nice & modern way to repackage the spirit of Bruce in documentary format to a newer generation of fans!
I AM BRUCE LEE opens on a limited run on February 9th at a theater, hopefully listed near you : http://www.iambruceleemovie.com/ .
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Belleville Street Art
January 14th, 2012 by chocko
Belleville is a working class and multi-cultural neighborhood in Paris and is also home to one of the city’s two Chinatowns. Belleville is really easy to get to by Metro or spaceship. Located not too far from the Metro Station is Rue Dénoyez, a stretch of cafes, stores and tons of street art and graffiti. Artists paint there all the time, transforming the walls into a constantly changing canvas of lively colors and images. Not too many tourists come by the neighborhood, but if you do find yourself in the City of Lights, Chocko recommends the spot for some great food and art.
(a big shout out and merci beaucoup to Sandra!)
Tags: france, graffiti, paris, photos, street art, travel
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