Author: Alice Teeple

Alice Teeple is a photographer, artist and writer. Her work spans documentary and the arts scene in NYC. All of her photos are proudly shot with a Canon EOS 7D and a Canon EOS 5D. She also writes for Post-Punk.com.

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Culture Featured Music

White Denim At Le Poisson Rouge

White Denim At Le Poisson Rouge

Photos and feature by Alice Teeple

There’s an old adage advising against white clothing after Labor Day, but consider an exception for Austin’s White Denim. A rollicking performance by the Texan quartet at Le Poisson Rouge proves that rock n’ roll is always in fashion.

The extensive lineup of songs blended seamlessly, with nary a break in between. It was quite a sight to behold. The hardcore White Denim fans in the front row were especially enthusiastic: geysers of foaming beer splashing about during raucous pogo dancing; front row fan girls setting their heart eye beams on frontman James Petralli. But Petralli beatifically floated above them all, lost in the music. 

White Denim is not a band for the fainthearted; you had better be prepared for the long haul. Pack some granola bars and G.O.R.P for the sonic journey: you’re going places you’ve never expected. 

Although White Denim initially sound like they might have jammed with half of Skynyrd in previous lives, they certainly do not shy away from the bombastic stylings of classic prog rock. At times they channel Fragile-era Yes, with their Moog noodling, constantly shifting time signatures, and psychedelic lyrics. But listen closer and you can hear NEU! Influencing Michael Hunter’s keyboard chops; even some 70s-era Stones lurking in Steve Terebecki’s bass. Something for everyone, really: a band to conjure spirits with, or at least imbibe a few.  

While all the musicians of White Denim are equally impressive in their musical talents, the remarkable drumming of Greg Clifford stands out as a true tour de force. The man barely stopped once during the 1.5-hour medley of hits, furiously pounding through each song as if he’d sold his soul to the Devil himself. (On Bleecker Street, it’s possible.) 

White Denim is currently in the midst of a fall tour supporting their latest album, Side Effects, released in March. They also recently wrapped a triumphant SXSW run with celebrated FLOODfest and Aquarium Drunkard shows. Their unique sound, at once modern and retro, has earned the praises of Mojo, Variety, Q, NME, and The New York Times. Add Downtown to the list; they brought down the freakin’ house.

It is impossible for any studio recording to accurately capture their robust, raw live energy, but this album does not skimp on the richness of their sound.  Like all good jam bands, they are masters of their craft. 

Check out some tracks from Side Effects here.

NY Money

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwJirNKUGR4

Shanalala

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WffATcSKUQE

Reversed Mirror

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edfah0QmaMs
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Culture Featured Music

Karolina Rose Opens The Gates To Greytopia

Karolina Rose Opens The Gates To Greytopia
Karolina Rose Opens The Gates To Greytopia

Photos and feature by Alice Teeple

 

Greytopia

Welcome to Greytopia, the newest single from alt-pop songstress Karolina Rose. It is a danceable shout out to those clinging to self-help books and crystals, searching in vain for the path back to Source. Karolina Rose paints a beautiful vision of an idealistic planet: a world free from judgement, condemnation, and the roadblocks to our dreams. 

‘The internet here only has positive news, fangirls and boys are lounging, exposing their tattoos.”

Imagine no disappointment, no guilt…no vicious commentary. In Greytopia, everyone is special. Everyone is free to do as they please, and manifest all they desire. And yet…despite the relentless messages of positivity, one can’t help but feel that blue note of melancholy throughout the track.

“It’s written with a little bit of irony. It seems like everything is rosy, but in reality we’re simply accepting what’s happening,” the alt-pop songwriter explains. “In Greytopia, everything we feel along the spectrum is acceptable. Black and white is blended into grey. We glide through Greytopia to pursue our highest self. It’s a bit idealistic from that standpoint.” 

Karolina Rose takes cues from the pulsing synths of Depeche Mode, the lush vocal stylings of Florence and the Machine, and the wry, sociopolitical commentary of the Pet Shop Boys. Greytopia, written and produced with Elliot Jacobsen (Elle King, Allie X), is a dance-pop triumph. 

Karolina Rose Opens The Gates To Greytopia
Karolina Rose Opens The Gates To Greytopia

Fresh off a summer European tour and a brief stop in NYC, Rose is currently writing new music in Los Angeles through autumn. She plans to head back to Europe for her next project. It is evident that her European adventures and Polish-American roots have made a mark on her unique sound.  This is clever pop crafted through the sharp observations of a world citizen.

Not one for penning cliché pop rhymes, Karolina Rose’s lyrics occasionally border on the psychedelic:

“Haters from Earth are waiters

It’s always sunny, the post is run by bunnies

Marble message on the wall

We wash our hair with crushed flowers”

Where is THAT planet? 

The rose-colored video for Greytopia depicts a delightful romp through a lush landscape, making us long for its freedom and beauty. But look more closely, and you realize Rose is actually marching through this bucolic wonderland in a stylized uniform.  It is a jolly nod at old Soviet propaganda promising unified peace and prosperity to a disaffected populace…with a modern Law of Attraction twist.

“Greytopia is the Communism of dreams,” she quips, “where people forever march toward their highest selves.” 

Karolina Rose raises an important question with this artistic metaphor. We often rue those opportunities deprived through capitalism, politics, religion, and cultural expectations. Would the highs of victory be so sweet if success, adoration, manifestation and unconditional support were equally granted to everyone on the planet? Does the difficult Earth experience ultimately serve the ultimate purpose of gratitude? Perhaps it is the struggle itself that propels the Law of Attraction after all.  

Food for thought.  

Blare this banger loud and proud, and follow your dreams. 

Greytopia is available on all platforms and will be featured on her upcoming EP, Rosemary, due in 2020.

Greytopia video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8EfSatzaZI

Official Site

https://www.karolinarose.com/
Categories
Culture Featured Music

Jimmy And The Band Brings Sex and Motivation To Bowery Electric

By Alice Teeple

Photos by Alice Teeple

Jimmy Dudding
Jimmy Dudding of Jimmy and the Band

The final act of the night at Bowery Electric opens with a Greek chorus, asking the crowd what art means to them. Suddenly two statuesque dancers in mesh shirts and hot pants part the crowd, breaking out in supercharged dancing to Jimmy and The Band’s new single, Sex and Motivation. The audience eats it up. 

Jimmy Dudding, the electrifying frontman for Jimmy and the Band, has been stunning Lower Manhattan crowds with explosive performances at Bowery Electric, Coney Island Baby, Pianos, and City Winery. 

“I love to put together a whole experience,” Dudding said in a phone interview. “A lot of people can’t afford a $150 Broadway ticket, so I like to bring some of that magic to my gigs.” 

A JATB show is more of a rock n’ roll cabaret production than your average bar gig. The band incorporates choreography, acting, headbanging, props, and garish outfits.  The band’s sound takes inspiration from a multitude of sources: Queen, Flaming Lips, Depeche Mode, Lady Gaga, Madonna, NIN, and David Bowie. Although the band still operates on a tight budget and is completely DIY, the experience is always great fun to the audience.

The stage is, quite literally, Jimmy Dudding’s playground; he treats every show like a hyper kid unleashed at recess. He’s already done onstage backflips and improvised belly dancing with an audience member. He will climb on equipment, perch on top of bar stools, and rip off half his clothes onstage. Iggy Pop meets John Cameron Mitchell. 

Jimmy Dudding

The current lineup consists of Dudding, guitarist/vocalist Jackie Lain, bassist Ramon Rodríguez, drummer George Vahamonde, and choreographer Sarah Elaz. The large personnel create a rich rock opera sound onstage; some members have contributed their own songs.

Dudding’s background as a classically trained pianist can be heard in his vivacious keyboard playing. He also studied voice, contemporary dance, and acting, bringing these talents onstage. His magnetic persona stirs up audience members to actively participate in the show. Community continues to be very important to him. 

“I was raised by my grandparents in a nondenominational Christian community. When I came out nine years ago, and faced the subsequent circumstances, I had a lot of soul-searching to do. I found a new home in the local art community. I derive a lot of inspiration from my spirituality, although I do not belong to any organized religion.”

Jimmy Dudding hopes to ramp up the shows’ excitement as they continue, reinvesting the band’s income into live shows and recording. He stresses the importance of supporting and representing the local community in larger venues.

“We see people dancing, shouting, jumping up and down, hugging, kissing, awestruck, filled with joy. We want to inspire children across the globe to identify with their uniqueness, to be leaders of their destiny, to feel loved and spread the love. Of course, it all starts here in New York!”

Indeed it does. The new single, Sex and Motivation, dropped on 20 September. Time to boogie!

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Culture Featured Theater

Cabaret Dazzles At The Gallery Players

Cabaret

By Alice Teeple

Photos by Alice Teeple

Cabaret

Have you been to the Kit-Kat Club, meine Lieblinge?  It’s appeared in many places over the years; you can find it in Park Slope right now at Gallery Players. Make yourself comfortable cozying up to the stage at intimate candlelit tables. The regal Emcee and a diverse cast of sizzling entertainers will serenade you. Pay no attention to the impending rise of the Third Reich and violence in the streets. In the Kit-Kat Club, life is beautiful. 

The Gallery Players’ excellent production of Cabaret takes a strong stance on the already dark classic. Cabaret examines the fall of the Weimar Republic through the eyes of everyman Clifford (Jonas Barranca), an American tourist searching for inspiration and sexual liberation. Cabaret begins with charming glimpses into the seedy bohemian utopia of Berlin: the surprisingly tolerant spinster landlady, the loose neighbor‘s endless queue of amorous sailors; the thriving queer community; the fading squeaks of the Roaring Twenties party horn. As the story progresses, Clifford falls for Sally Bowles (Erica Lustig), a delightful but self-centered English singer with delusions of stardom. 

In this production, director David Thomas Cronin focuses on the real villainy of nationalism via the collective. We witness kindly neighbors, family, and friends yield to prejudice and paranoia.  Cabaret delves into homophobia, abortion, and the destruction of democracy. 

The lighthearted atmosphere of the first act takes a chilling turn when a swing lowers and a small boy sings the show’s Nationalist anthem, Tomorrow Belongs To Me. The song is revisited as the characters react to the dangerous political climate. The star-crossed romance between Fraülein Schneider (Liz Gurland) and Jewish fruit peddler Herr Schultz (Paul Page) reflects the personal tragedy of xenophobia. Despite Clifford’s growing concerns for their future, Sally blithely refuses to relinquish the bliss of ignorance and privilege.

The enigmatic Emcee, brilliantly played by Brian Levario, dials down the more traditional Greek chorus element and transforms into a ghoulish Pied Piper. The audience, through his interactions, also serves as the cabaret audience, and ultimately a stand-in for passive enablement. 

“The role is a great kaleidoscope of the human condition,” says Levario. “The same darkness is creeping into so many of our present national conversations. Our Emcee is not one to see you safely through Berlin, but instead to show you just how through either mass action or inaction, the darkness can win.”

“What we have here is uniquely gritty, audacious, sexy, and…dangerous,” adds Lorinne Lampert, who plays Fraulein Kost,  “David has mined every corner of the script to give roundness and clearer motivation to certain secondary characters.”

This proved to be a provocative artistic choice; many thoughtful questions could be heard in the chatter after the show. Cabaret at the Gallery Players is at once a rueful look at the rise of fascism and a cautionary tale. 

Cabaret runs at the Gallery Players until 29 September. It is not to be missed, meine Damen und Herren.

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Culture Featured Music

Miss Eaves Is A Font of Wild Creativity

Miss Eaves

By Alice Teeple

Photos by Alice Teeple

Miss Eaves

There is a tour de force coming straight out of Bed-Stuy, usually seen with some giant french fries dangling from her ears.

Her name is Miss Eaves. You may have read about her in the New York Times, Jezebel, or Glamour…or perhaps one of your friends sent you a link to her 2017 viral video Thunder Thighs, a balls-out anthem to body positivity that captivated over two million people.

Miss Eaves is a vivid onstage treasure. There is nothing precious about her performances. In a society hell-bent on silence and censorship in the name of propriety, Miss Eaves lets it all hang out in a stream of unfettered truths.

Her shows are a potent mix of John Waters, Amy Sedaris, and Missy Elliott. She is shocking, blunt, and funny as hell. She also isn’t shy on stage, playfully confronting her audience, calling out bad behavior and celebrating the good stuff of being human. 

Miss Eaves

Despite her comical joie de vivre delivery, Miss Eaves still wields the power to shock…and she has a lot to discuss. Ghosters, manchildren, masturbation and the absurdity of self-hatred are all fair game for this modern-day Puck. From Fuccboi Salute, an anthem for the Tinder Generation, to Thunder Thighs, a bop about being comfortable in your skin, her raps resonate with anyone striking out with romance and true connection. 

Miss Eaves recently dropped a new EP, called sad, written during the throes of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Since the album release, Miss Eaves spent this summer globetrotting all over Europe, Canada, and the US. Her April show at the Bowery Electric in NYC was a mix of uproarious laughter and, with the merry announcement of Bush For The Push, a song about pubic hair grooming…the shifty discomfort of your grade 4 sex-ed class. 

“Don’t tell me I’m too hairy to eat

‘Cause I’m all natural: Bon Appetit!

In addition to her eight-year career as a feminist rapper, Miss Eaves’ alter-ego, Shanthony Exum, is an accomplished multimedia artist. She is also proudly DIY, self-funding her projects and occasionally collaborating with other talented artists and designers. She is particularly supportive of small businesses, particularly those that are queer-owned.

Miss Eaves recently released a video for Left Swipe Left, describing the depressing nature of Tinder dating. It will undoubtedly have you chanting along during your next attempt at online love….but “it’s ok, tho’.” 

Eaves recently took her creative design sense to the streets with a clever guerrilla marketing campaign. Xeroxed street flyers of Eaves trapped in a cardboard Tinder world with the frantic heading “DATE ME! PLEAAAASE!” appeared in Manhattan and Brooklyn, complete with pull-off tabs linking to the video. Eaves hung them herself, documenting the results on her Facebook feed.

sad is now available on all streaming platforms. Get that plate of cheese and chocolate out and play this jam loud. You’re gonna be fine and she’ll tell you why.

Categories
Culture Featured Music

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown Heats Up Le Poisson Rouge

Arthur Brown
Photo: Alice Teeple

Fire, to destroy all you’ve done.

Fire, to end all you’ve become.

The Amazon is ablaze, the West Village is so thick with humidity you can practically chew the air.  The time is ripe for those queued outside Le Poisson Rouge to descend underground, and bear witness to the legendary God of Hellfire, Arthur Brown.

“Who is Arthur Brown?” a friend asked. The answer requires a time machine to another volatile point in history. 

It’s 1968. Arthur Brown, a soft-spoken Englishman, is recounting his recent American tour to Brian Matthew in a BBC Radio One interview. Brown languidly lists the costumes used in his act: masks, gowns, face paint…a fire helmet. 

“It’s very spectacular,” Matthew interjects. “Is it dangerous to you?”

“Yes. Well, ah, we set one stage on fire. Set my gowns on fire. I burnt my face the other day.”

Arthur Brown lit so many fires in his wake that he got booted off a tour with Jimi Hendrix when venues feared incineration. 

Even if Brown himself isn’t a household name, he certainly made a distinctive mark in music history. His neo-pagan theatrics, inspired by the wild antics of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, served as a catalyst for musical newcomers in Great Britain.  Despite Fire being his one major hit, the list of Brown’s imitators is staggering. 

A young Londoner attended Brown’s Paris gig, cribbed his mime and drag elements, and studied with legendary performance artist Lindsay Kemp…emerging as David Bowie. The Who wrote Tommy with Brown’s operatic voice in mind; he appeared in the film as the crazed priest of a Marilyn Monroe cult. Iron Maiden borrowed Brown’s banshee screeches. Alice Cooper nicked the corpse paint. Peter Gabriel owes a thank you to Brown’s flamboyant headdresses. Ozzy Osbourne covered Fire; Lizzy Mercier Descloux’s frenzied disco version in 1979 remains a club banger today. 

Arthur Brown
Photo: Alice Teeple

Back to Le Poisson Rouge 2019: Arthur Brown, now 77, crackles with the vocal prowess of a man five decades younger. His band, each wearing costumes, headgear and face paint, is ready for the long haul. Brown is a mystical spectacle, beginning the set with Nightmare, lyrics straight out of a William Blake painting:

Dynamic explosions in my brain

Shattered me to drops of rain

Falling from a yellow sky

Orange faces to an opened eye

After each song, he runs offstage during a musical interlude, returning draped in a different costume. Pirate shirt! Sequined tunic! Fiber-optic waistcoat! He is mischievous, jamming a microphone down his trousers for Muscle of Love, his ode to kundalini rising.  Brown paid tribute to Screamin’ Jay with a screeching rendition of I Put A Spell On You. No fire helmets at this show, but he did don a massive black feather headdress during a twenty-minute performance of Fire, his frenzied keyboardist practically in trance as Brown mingles with the audience.

The show generates so much energy that one leaves feeling exhausted, rejuvenated, and wondering if Brown is, in fact, a sorcerer. The answer is…perhaps.