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Market Hotel Raided By NYPD, Closed Temporarily
I know what you’re thinking: typical DIY venue! Didn’t bother to get a liquor license! It was just a matter of time! Well, that’s not really the case. The space has a nonprofit status, which means they could apply for event permits, which acted like a temporary liquor license during shows. One was recently denied, but that was only because the venue is in the processing of applying for an actual liquor license. So, the NYPD was able to swoop in before the staff could remove alcohol stored for an upcoming event- an event they had no reason to believe would need to be dry. As this excellent piece by The Observer points out, compared to bars in the immediate area, Market Hotel has virtually no 311 complaints and does important work in Bushwick’s community instead of just getting people drunk. Plus, they host amazing shows and similar spaces are going out of business left and right.
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Lighten Up With This Talking Heads Parody
Watch Fred Armisen and Bill Hader perform as Test Pattern, a Talking Heads parody that was featured in one of the duo’s Documentary Now! episodes that poked fun at Stop Making Sense. Check out “Art + Student = Poor” below:
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ICYMI: Check Out This Musical Map
It’s rumored that a 1976 Sex Pistols’ show made such a big impression that members of the audience went on to start bands like Joy Division and The Smiths. The Design studio Dorothy took this idea and ran with it, organizing bands into a kind of map of who influenced who, with a complex series of lines (inspired by a transistor radio circuit board) showing the connection between alt-rock bands. Check it out via WIRED.
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Musicians Unite Against Trump
In order to stop the nightmare of a Trump presidency, musicians are taking part in the “30 Days, 30 Songs” project. Each song has a strong anti-Trump message; Death Cab For Cutie’s “Million Dollar Loan” includes the lyrics “He’s proud to say, he built his fortune the old-fashioned way/ Because to succeed, all you really need is a million dollar loan.” Aimee Mann wrote a song from Trump’s point of view, explaining that “My own feeling was that it wasn’t really the job itself he wanted, but the thrill of running and winning, and that maybe it had all gotten out of hand and was a runaway train that he couldn’t stop.” From the project’s website: “As artists, we are united in our desire to speak out against the ignorant, divisive, and hateful campaign of Donald Trump… We hope these songs provide both motivation and soundtrack to doing the right thing these last few weeks before this most pivotal election.”
