A little bit of kid in me still...rocks

This past Monday, I had the pleasure of feeling like a kid again at the AfroPunk Festival in the BAM parking lot in Brooklyn. Presented by Mountain Dew the series in its 2nd year is a movement of alternative urban skaters, BMX riders, artists and musicians of color that are also raging innovators in this typically Caucasian scene. I was mainly impressed with the Bulldog Bikes team as they dominated the quarter pipes flying way over my head getting ridiculous amounts of airtime with out an engine. It was an all out urban circus! Brooklyn is representing on the Punk Syde. Check the pics.





Heres some hi-lights:

Grammy nominated Janelle Monae who I am a new fan of tore up the stage with her intergalactic electronic soul/punk style and even got up high on a stool to give an MJ tribute with her sweet rendition of "Smile". It was pretty damn adorable for a Punk show.



the artwork painted live during the event curated by my homie Rasu of coup d'etat Brooklyn


I heard these two pieces were by Remix, a graffiti artist brought in from Puerto Rico. Lovin this Fela tribute.


One of my favorite modern American poets Saul Williams known for his visually spoken word and industrial hip hop style rocked the stage with his lyrics and his band that included CX Kidtronik who was just crazy with the raw beat set! I have to give special props for their outfits reminiscent of the early hip hops days of Afrika Bambatta and the Zulu nation. It was all about good rabble rousin'music and conscious lyrics. Check out Saul Williams' breakout movie "SLAM" as well as his album "Amethyst Rock Star" and take it from there.



and now for more air...





and for those who want to catch whats left of the festival, BAM's cinematek will be showing Afropunk films tonight.

and...This Saturday July 11th theres the AfroPunk block party happening in Brooklyn on Clinton Ave between Myrtle and Willoughby in Fort Green.

Check the link for more info
http://www.afropunk.com/page/afropunk-2009

At your flying service,

The Boulevardist

Back out of the jacuzzi...

So its been a while since my last post. I realize what a commitment this whole blogging thing requires. And for good reason. We can experience so much in so little time that we can also forget. These moments are not only for you to look into and maybe get turned on to something new, their part of what I do and how I live my life.
Well, this past weekend I got to take part in a new movement happening in Brooklyn. The MyUberlife Rooftop Experience.Deity on Atlantic the former synagogue turn nightclub and living quarters just launched a roofdeck that is a little oasis in this great borough.

Hosted by MyUberlife in partnership with The Brooklyn Romance this new "private club" will sooner than later become the hot deck to park yourself at on a sunny Brooklyn day if you got the in's. Think of it as a little bit of that Soho house feel laced with Brooklyn flavor. They also have an aquatic element in the form of an infinity jacuzzi which I took full advantage of.


It was a day of live music showcasing a few emerging artists. We were graced with performances by Nicholas Howard who started it off on a hot note,


Rebecca Cherry brought in her own string section adding an angelic vibe to the roof.




and Naja Rosa who belted a sultry bluesy set that stirred things in the right direction.
Added were a couple cameos by Jenny Bapts who sang a quick accapella of "Rock with You" and a gent by the name of Shu who laid out some soulful keystrokes.

On the Dj side we had a solid trio, I had the opening set and led into performances then Hardy dropped a flyer than fly set post performance and MSB grabbed the baton and just took it into overdrive.The Roof was on fire!


It was an all out great day with some great people. Smiles all around.






Life is great.

Special shout goes to John Walder who captured moments of this crazy and amazing day. We were blessed with a double rainbow!!


Til next time. Get in where you fit in.

At your service,

The Boulevardist

Pics from the Pin Up Poet Book Launch

This week I got to catch up with my lovely and multi talented friend Andrea Grant for her Pin Poet book launch party at Le Poisson Rouge. Andrea also has an animated series called MINX, a comic with a character based on her dreams. The woman gets deep.

I got to mingle with a few of her loyal fans of her comic and her pin ups. How fun is it to know a friend of yours has some true fans?! I also fancied the tattooed pin ups in the crowd. Theyre fun girls to know ;)












For more on Andrea check:

http://www.andreagrant.com/pinups_gallery.html
www.copiousamounts.com

At your service,

The Boulevardist

Spring wanting Summer

Ive been seen
Stuck in between
Innocently white sheets

Ive been seen
Stuck in between
Irregular Heart beats…

Ive been seen
Swimming up stream
And I cant really tell
Where our line meets

If youre following this theme
Its not really extreme
You just Trust in me
This is what I do

This wont be the last time
I’ll be in this same line
Because Its real hard to find
My way to you.

At your service,

The Boulevardist

This is where I'll be this weekend

www.shanghaimermaid.com

Bike, Bike then Body and Soul Memorial Weekend

Hello Good people,

I sure hope you enjoyed the surprisingly great weather this weekend. I took advantage on 2 wheels all weekend and surprisingly had the juice to let loose at the Body and Soul annual memorial day party. You would have thought you were at a New Years Eve gala with all the Balloons that lined Webster Hall that night. If you've followed the Body and Soul movement you know that these 3 legendary Dj's get down and do so for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours...you get it right?

As a big part of my dancing history was spent in many a underground parties movin to deep house I tip my lid to these guys for bringing it that night and well into the morning. It was a musical journey with their distinct styles that just seem to flow seamlessly. Francois K with his Deep Space Soul, Danny Krivit with the Deep disco house remixes and then my favorite Joe Claussell with his percussion heavy-down and dirty house had me kickin and spinning non stop!

There was definitely no parking on this dance floor. "When you feel it in your soul let the groove take control and DANCE".

At your service,

The Boulevardist