Puerto Rico

So before I go too deep into the future and into a post for this current week which was a turbulent ride on liquid slide, I think it would be best to reflect on one of the reasons why I love New York.

The feeling you get when you get back from a trip.

I had an amazing time on my seriously needed trip to Puerto Rico last week. So many little experiences and meeting new and creative people. I had a chance to be in a music video as well as help with a little choreography. As I started taking notes on what I experienced out there I decided the list itself had a certain flow that would be best left alone. Heres a quick list of some captured moments from my trip.


Puerto Rico…oh-woah

Palm trees
Cool breeze
Old cars
Warm air
Long hair
Short hair
Light skin
Dark skin
Big butts
Goin nuts
Breath opening
Eyes widening

Barrilito sipping
Medalla drinking
Pina Colada gulping
Beach walking
Papaya eating
birds whistlin
Skip Skippin
Step Steppin
1…2…1…2…
Check Checkin

Ocean dwelling
Sand digging
In the jungle
Really breathing
Waterfall exploring
With my back Leaning
Water pounding
Back loosening
Vortex inhaling
With my wings spreading
Lose control
Gain control
Puerto rico…
…oh woah

jaw dropping
fingers snapping
gum popping
looks locking
lip licking
hair whipping
drips dripping
neck sweating
Tempurature rising
Drum beating-
Horn blowing
Bass pickin
chest expanding

Right Papi
Aye Mami
Rasta beat
Conga beat
Salsa beat
Move your feet
In the heat
Pretty neat

Lose control
Take control
Gain control
Shake patrol
En espanol

Say soul
Feed soul
Breath slow
Walk slow
Trippin out
Without a doubt
This is what
Its all about
When you leave town.
And go
To Puerto Rico.

I want to thank Lea Muses and Naja Rosa Koppel for being such amazing co-pilots on this experience. I would have never left town if it wasnt for their invite.

At your service,

The Boulevardist

Cocktailing We Go

So I spent most of my seven nights last week having cocktails at several hot cocktail spots in the borough of Manhattan. The mini blitz of cocktail joints have not just to do with the fact that I love a good cocktail (as I also play in a little cocktail mixology) but I’ve taken on a project to write about cocktails in NYC for a website. The site soon to be revealed hails from my hometown of San Francisco and will soon be making its premiere in NY for your drinking pleasure. Details to follow as the project progresses.
My first stop on Monday was Tribeca's Macao Trading Co. A bi-level restaurant decked with antiques to evoke "the 1940s portside feel of Macao’s red lantern district." The Employees Only crew collaborated with David Waltuck (chef/owner of Chanterelle) on this beautifully reincarnated space that was formerly the Sugar Room. Although I only had cocktails there, the sights and aromas in the air was more than enough to lure me back for dinner sooner than later. Tuesday, I hit one my favorites Angels Share, a speakeasy tucked inside a sushi bar thru an unmarked door located in the East Village. My friend Shigei the lead mixologist is one of the most finessed barmen out here and I personally love the fact that the menu is comprised of classic cocktails as well as their house cocktails named after famous jazz tracks. Thursday and next on the list was Apoteke, once an opium den where I had pleasure once again to walk down the infamous Doyers alley that just a couple decades ago hosted Chinatowns most notorious gangsters and gangland activity. Esteban one of the lead mixologists and long time colleague to Albert Trummer had me stunned silly with his tequila based “Sweet and Vicious”. Moving on to Friday, I made my way to BoBo, the beautifully bohemian duplex of a restaurant in the West Village where my good buddy Naren the cocktailian jet setter (my take on his lifestyle), added a tongue and cheek style to the cocktail menu and served me a delicious blue elixir followed by toasty and spicy truffle butter rum cocktail. Mmmmm. To end my Friday I slid over to the notorious GoldBar where my good friend Tim designed the cocktail menu and laid out one of the most elaborate tastings of the week. Out of the all the cocktails I had (too many to count) I’d have to say the standout was the cocktail fit for the season, the Pumpkin Egg Nog. It was another warm cocktail for this cold evening with Spice infused Hennessey, Navan Vanilla cognac, Pumpkin Puree, Egg Nog and Maple syrup. Mmmm. The libations put us in the mood and sent us to groove as we got to rub elbows with the likes of Benicio Del Toro amongst others. It was a great night. To end the week on Sunday, I made my way over to Gutter, the vintage bowling alley in Williamsburg for a surprise Bday party. Upon arrival I dove straight into their Bloody Marias (tequila) that were spicy to my liking and a great way to spend an end to a great week of cocktail tastings. Now the fun begins. I’ve got to collect all the cocktail napkins with my notes and make sense of it all.

At your service,

The Boulevardist

Bangin in 2009 with a Bollywood twist!

As I have in the past three years, I had the pleasure to Dj the New Year in with the Avroko restaurant family. The first 2 at Public, their first restaurant now a Nolita institution and this past NYE at their new venture Double Crown. This year, the Bollywood theme had us up to our manicured eyebrows in bindis, saris, champagne and tons of antics. As you entered the space lavished in colored lights and lotus flowers, an androgynous deity greeted you with a glass of champagne while in a standing yoga position. To include everyone in the experience there was a make up area where you could get an intricate Double Crown tattoo, make up and a bindi. Themed parties are so much fun when the guests get involved and with all the staff in costume it was an outrageously transcending experience. I'm now a fan of “Mission to Mars” the band brought in for a live set that consisted of a sitar player and throat singer backed with an electric guitarist and a drummer. They played a rockin electronic breakbeat set for the “wedding ceremony” of the 2 beauties and a half human half horse being. An exotic belly dancer completed the performance and seduced the crowd with swirls of snake-like hip moves while balancing a tray of lit candles on her head. The temperature rose about 20 degrees. You had to have been there to see all this in action. To keep the heat going, Tamer and I took the reigns and dropped a hard mix of electro and house music to set the dance floor on fire. It was an all-you-can-dance boogie buffet to bring in 2009! Special thanks to Nacho who started the evening with a musical trip around the world.

Happy New Year!!

At your service,

The Boulevardist

Giant Step w/ Victor Duplaix and on...

Last night I got to shake a tail feather at the last Giant Step dance party of the year. Since spring, Giant Step records brought in a guest Dj once a month and took over the Hudson bar in an invite only event for their e-subscribers. For the final party they brought in Kervyn Mark and Kamala with Viktor Duplaix as the headliner so I knew we were in for some good soulful house music. I happen to come in on Kamala's set and the current track was so hot, it sent me straight to the dance floor, kickin. I love walking into a party like that! Viktor Duplaix jumped on and worked it with his smooth style mixed in with a little afro and brazilian beats. I've been hearing more Dj's mix Baile funk into their sets which encourages lots of hip movement and is so much fun to dance to. After all the holiday eating I've been doing, this was the perfect party to work it out and I'm sure I was'nt the only one feeling this way. I also noticed a nice handful of Dj's in the house for this one which usually suggests the Dj line up is good. A few to mention that I bumped into were my boys Obah and Cato of the Manjinga parties, Nickodemus, Talib Kweli (who I caught the other night, no comment) and Taboo of the Soul Summit parties.

After that party our crew felt the tequila in our blood was pumpin too hard to stop, so we made our way back downtown to Mr West where the sound system PUMPED! The Dj had the new Common track Universal Mind Control on and it sounded hot. I was wondering if they kept the same system from space's former incarnation Opus 22 by the same techs that put together Cielo's. Oddly enough, during the course of the evening there was a gent who was apparently recession-proof as he would toss a short stack of $1 bills out to the crowd. In the air of wanting to look "cool" not too many people reacted to it as a frenzy you would think so I decided to photo document all the bills as they dropped and sat there...Of course I picked a few up.

I've gotta give thanks to my new friend Chris who was a great host there. Chris is part of the crew over at Mr West who walked in our crew of 15 and set us up with a table of what seemed to be endless amounts of liquor which kept our crew happy and dancing. I got a few reports this morning on the after effects.

Going to check out now. I've gotta put all my music together for short Dj set New Years Eve over at Double Crown. Should be big fun.

At your service,

The Boulevardist

From the Subway to the Jazz Club

This past Tuesday I had the pleasure of catching the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble in a sold out show at the Jazz Standard. HBE is a 9 piece band comprised mostly of horns performing with a Jazz sound heavily inspired by Hip Hop. Think: Hip Hop Big Band. I was inspired to see them when I happen to catch them down in the Union Square subway station just days before. Now I see lots of live music on the street, subways and stations all the time but for once I was drawn by the music and with the acoustic ability of the underground station to let sound travel it was undeniable. Their sound was so big and true that I felt myself emotionally engaged and "hypnotized" if you will, (I would love the chance to catch a skilled MC with a real story to tell at the microphone with these guys). I was pumped by the high energy and vocal range of the horns, especially the thump of the tuba backed up by the slick drum licks and percussion section. Check "Balicky Bon", "War" and "Hypnotic" off their NY Live album and you'll hear what I'm nodding about. I definitely picked up what they were putting down literally, in the form of 2 CD's.

In this digital world its a breath of fresh air to be reminded where music comes from. Once again I've been touched with the sweet sound of live music.

www.myspace.com/hypnoticbusiness

At your service,

The Boulevardist

A Decadent Sunday Evening a la Double Crown

Good Day people,

This past Sunday after taking in some culture and supporting a friend who was performing in a take on the Cinderella Story, our group unanimously decided to head down to Double Crown over on the Bowery for dinner. A good friend, Tamer Hamawi who was part of our group and happens to be one of the Managers of the restaurant, influenced the decision. Who’s to say no, especially having dined there the week before and being a regular at Madame Geneva, the enchanting cocktail bar tucked away in the back. It is remarkable how they transformed this space from the old Manahatta, into something far more visually exciting. Its almost like going on that long needed trip without springing for airfare.

As we perused the menu with its bold take on British colonial/Far east influenced cuisine we decided to have Tamer take us on a tour instead. First stop the Spicy Singapore style Laksa, then the East and West coast oyster platter, the crispy sepia, and the scrumptious chili-caramel pork belly, each dished paired with the perfect wine and/or champagne.

I have to say that as a carnivore to the bone (pun intended), It was the cross cut bone marrow glazed with miso and orange-olive marmalade and the succulent Big Braised beef short rib glazed with a Guinness 5 spice sauce, perfectly paired with a 2005 Chateau de Chorey burgundy that really set the experience on fire. We were satisfied and delighted by our jaunt through the menu. To finish, I imbibed my usual, a little Fernet Branca to ease the digestion because a million Italians cant be wrong!

I'll be back...

for more info: www.doublecrown-nyc.com

The Boulevardist

Cindy Sherman One-Person Photo Exhibit

I've been a fan of Cindy Sherman's work for several years now and had the opportunity to view her latest exhibit in NY since 2004. Maybe its because she has been a successful one woman production for the past 30 years. Acting as Photographer, Model, make up artist, hairstylist and wardrobe stylist, her work displays her unbelievable ability to shape-shift as she further investigates distorted ideas of beauty, self image and aging. All shot in a green room, Cindy Sherman is able to transport the story from anywhere on earth (or in a surreal world) while slightly toying with your curiosity and perception. This collection of work is on exhibit til December 23rd at:

Metro Pictures 519 West 24th Street New York, NY www.metropicturesgallery.com