Deep winter is a tough time to live in New York. No one much feels like going out to brave the squalling wind and snow, especially for a drink in a hot, crowded bar with people so bundled up they resemble haystacks. February tends to be the month that we all burrow down into our skins and make a ream of plans that we have no real intention of carrying out, or research dream vacations that we will never be able to afford. Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for the ‘Soul and Funk’ Category
January 9th, 2010
It’s funny how some American cultural institutions, though supposedly predicated on reality, are in fact products of our collective imagination. Take ‘tiki’ culture, for example. When I was in LA, I had the good fortune to go to one of the country’s longest operating tiki bars: Tiki Ti. Ray Buhan opened Tiki Ti in the early 1960s after working for some of the city’s original tiki establishments, and it stands in the same spot to this day. Unbelievably, it is also still run by his family– his son, and now his grandsons tend the bar and make the 85+ concoctions on the menu. Read the rest of this entry »
April 10th, 2009
So, spring is finally eking its way across America, reaching small fingers to my corner of Brooklyn. As a sort of anticipation of the summer, I’ll head due south for this mix, to New Orleans.
I grew up a few hours from New Orleans, and to be honest, it has doggedly followed me around since the first time I visited. They say that the city either gets in your blood or not– it chooses some people to retain for its own, some people to leave outside the circle of influence. Even before the hurricane, it could be a vicious place, full to the brim with poverty, a dark past replete with the worst offenses of the colonial era, and a bizarre, violent sense of humor. It was very cruel… and very beautiful. Read the rest of this entry »
November 12th, 2008
In an attempt to up the tempo here a bit, I hereby present to you a collection of songs falling into the oft-maligned category ‘disco’. However, I am no disco fanatic, nor do I harbor false nostalgia for seventies sleaze (I wasn’t born yet). Instead, all of these lean more to early house, rap, or synth– for some reason, this particular genre is the absolute best for putting a smile on your face as you saunter down the well-pounded pavements of the Lower East Side. At least until you hit a pothole and faceplant in front of a Reena Spaulings opening. But don’t blame me. Read the rest of this entry »
October 23rd, 2008
Some days are, admittedly, better than others. For the Mondays of the world, there will always be soul. No matter how tired, cranky, or miserable I am, this is the music that turns my sniveling into something epic. Read the rest of this entry »
