Tag: motorcycle

Categories
Featured Music

Premiere: “Motorcycle” By Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost

New Ways To Make Mistakes

“Motorcycle, there’s no god tonight. Only streetlights.”

Staten Island’s Lucky Witch and the Righteous Ghost is an eclectic group of erstwhile poltergeists.

LWRG formed in 2016 when vocalist/guitarist E. Niveous Rayside sought electronic sounds for the grunge-inspired music he was making. He started a musical partnership with his girlfriend (now wife), R. Brookes McKenzie, later rounding out the sound with bassist Eric Novak and drummer Jay Ackley. The quartet earned a cult following at the late SideWalk Café in the East Village.

“LWRG is driven by a strong muse to create,” says Niveous. Since 2016, the band has released a studio album called Spiderdust, as well as a live album chronicling their times in the East Village open mic scene called Night Owls. In 2019, they released an EP called All Hard Feelings, and they started off the year releasing their second studio album New Ways To Make Mistakes. Now the band is already crafting songs for album #3.

Motorcycle is the first single release from their second studio album, New Ways To Make Mistakes.

Self-described as “a concentrated ball of pure awesome,” LWRG is a rock n’ roll lineup with heavy grunge and garage influences, sprinkled with the ethereal chimes of a Suzuki Omnichord. “We have heard our sound referred to as “sunshine goth” and “What if the Cramps were Jefferson Airplane?” says Niveous. “We like to call it sparklegrunge. I write music for the sad kids.”

Motorcycle, inspired by the music of Curve, was written in the back of an Uber on the way to the studio to record LWRG’s first album. The dreary day inspired the song’s tale of a doomed motorcyclist. The video game Black Emperor by Jose Tomas Vicuna also served as inspiration.

The band worked with Alice Teeple to direct a live performance video with superimposed stock footage. Motorcycle was filmed on location in the cellar of a Gothic revival mansion in Hamilton Park, Staten Island. The eerie stone walls and psychedelic lights, straight out of the Addams Family, complement the dark lyrics of Motorcycle. 

Downtown is pleased to present the premiere of Motorcycle.

 

Purchase New Ways To Make Mistakes here

New Ways To Make Mistakes

 

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Categories
Featured Technology Travel

Escape the City This Spring on the New Ducati Scrambler 1100

Ducati Scrambler 1100 Action Shot

Towering skyscrapers, steamy side streets and the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps certainly don’t come without their charms, but every once in a while we all need an escape. Whichever direction you’re heading, if there are open highways or smooth stretches of scenic road, you’ll want to hit them on the new Ducati Scrambler 1100.

Ducati Scrambler 1100 Yellow Profile

Ducati has sold their fair share of Scramblers since they debuted them in 2015, but the new 1100 model is bigger, beefier and more advanced than its predecessors in the Scrambler family. Longer, wider and taller, the new Ducati Scrambler 1100 gives you a big bike feel without compromising its sleek retro aesthetic. Rumble through twists and turns with the air-cooled 1,079cc engine, corner confidently with the stiff suspension and advanced lean-sensitive ABS traction control, and then get back up to speed with the smooth, light-action clutch. If you’re looking for a solidly-built, minimalist bike that still comes with the bells and whistles of modern motorcycle manufacturing, the new Ducati Scrambler 1100 proves pretty stiff competition.

Ducati Scrambler 1100 Digital Gauges

City, Journey and Active are the three distinct riding modes featured on the Scrambler 1100. Journey mode is the equivalent of what we know as “touring” mode, meant for long hauls and cruising, while active is comparable to the usual “sport” mode, and tailored to more adventurous riders looking to dig into tight turns and put the engine’s 88 Newton meters of torque to good use. For those looking to get more out of their bike than weekends upstate, the Ducati Scrambler 1100 features a city mode that caps engine power to maximize fuel efficiency for short commutes or rides through the city.

The new Ducati Scrambler 1100 is available in classic ’62 yellow and shining black, and the current MSRP starts at $12,995. Learn more and find a dealer on their website. For more on the latest gear, head over to our Tech Spot.

Photos courtesy of manufacturer.

Categories
Business Lifestyle Living

Motor Cycle Kings – Chris Pennington

Mtrcyc03 20140516_DowntownMagazine_MotorcycleFullSize-0170

See how some of New York’s power players ride around the city in style.

Some of the most successful businessmen in New York City, from Google to Ciprianis, are ditching their suits on the weekend and trading them in for leather gear. Exchanging the boardroom for open roads, these successful men are turning to motorcycles to free themselves from the grind of city life. Not only are motorcycles classically cool, but they provide those who ride a feeling of freedom, adventure and challenge. See why men are loving being a part of the bike fraternity.

What do you do professionally?
I am the director of the east coast for Google Enterprise. I have a sales team that sells Google’s enterprise products to enterprise customers. My clients range from as far east as Boston and as far down to Miami. I spend my time flying out of LaGuardia.

How did you get interested in motorcycles?
I’ve been riding for 30 years. My father rode a motorcycle, and my mother rode a scooter. My grandfather rode only motorcycles, and when my grandmother got sick of rid- ing on the back, he bolted a sidecar to his motorcycle. It’s always been in my family. It’s a passion and a love.

What advice do you have for people interested in riding in New York City?
The obvious answer is always to assume someone is going to do something really silly. You have to ride defensively and drive very consciously. Because of this, I spend a lot of time getting out of the city—to go upstate to Bear Mountain or to Connecticut to get a change of scenery.

How do you describe your biker style?
It’s basically safety, but I have to admit, I’m a bit of a tart. I like to go for the Italian brands like Dainese. They’re a bit more stylish, but you have to make sure you’re getting the protection. If you can throw in some nice touches or afford the nicer brands, it just makes the experience a little more fun and luxurious.

What’s your favorite part about riding?
The great thing about motorcycles is getting to ride with a group of friends. It becomes very social. New York is a tough city, but the motorcycle fraternity is classless.

 Photographs by Adrianna Favero
Interview & Styling by Charlotte Rose Coleman

Chris Pennington is featured in DOWNTOWN’s Summer 2014 edition. Check out all our Motor Cycle Kings in our latest issue on newsstands now! Or subscribe to DOWNTOWN Magazine for home delivery by clicking here.

Categories
Business Lifestyle Living

Motor Cycle Kings – James Mansfield

Mtrcyc02 20140516_DowntownMagazine_MotorcycleFullSize-0069

See how some of New York’s power players ride around the city in style.

Some of the most successful businessmen in New York City, from Google to Ciprianis, are ditching their suits on the weekend and trading them in for leather gear. Exchanging the boardroom for open roads, these successful men are turning to motorcycles to free themselves from the grind of city life. Not only are motorcycles classically cool, but they provide those who ride a feeling of freedom, adventure and challenge. See why men are loving being a part of the bike fraternity.

What do you do professionally?
I am the CEO of West Village GC, a construction company. I just unveiled my first design under my name, JGMansfield. I started it 12 years ago. We do high-end, luxurious interior build-outs.

How did you get interested in motorcycles?
My interest in motorcycles started about 15 minutes before my parents said I could never have one. I’ve been racing motorcycles for the past 25 years. I was married to a yoga teacher for 10 years, and I found that motorcycle racing was very similar. It’s a deep mediation. To do 180 miles per hour down 16 feet of asphalt coming into a right angle corner, you have to be deeply focused on what is happen- ing. This meditation lasts for 20 minutes of absolute uninterrupted concentration where nothing comes into your world.

What advice do you have for people interested in riding in New York City?
I would tell them to go to the track. The track is designed for you to go as fast as you want or dare. It is a safe environment, and you will be around riders that have amazing ability. Riding in New York City requires a certain skill level and awareness around you. You have to keep in mind that everyone is not looking for you. They’re looking for someone who is going to hurt them, like taxis or trucks. They’re not expecting you, because you’re not a threat.

How do you describe your biker style?
I wear a lot of leather. There’s an old saying, “Use your skin; use our skin.” Using their skin is generally a lot less painful, and there is a lot of risk riding in Manhattan traffic. I wear full Dainese leather from head to toe with body armor every time I get on the bike. There is a certain style that goes into it. It’s not 1975, and I’m not wearing flared leather. It’s 2014, and I’m wearing $250,000 worth of leather gear.

Where is your favorite place to ride?
The Isle of Man. It’s an amazing place with like-minded bike lovers. It’s like an England I never knew. I can ride as fast as I’d like, and I keep my favorite bike (a very rare Yamaha YZR500 replica) there full time. I go there very infrequently, and it’s 3,500 miles from where I live!

Photographs by Adrianna Favero
Interview & Styling by Charlotte Rose Coleman

James Mansfield is featured in DOWNTOWN’S Summer 2014 edition. Check out all our Motor Cycle Kings in our latest issue on newsstands now! Or subscribe to DOWNTOWN Magazine for home delivery by clicking here.