Radio is known as the necessary playground for all aspiring artists. It may not determine who the best are but it certainly dictates who is popular.
1984 Disc Jockey (via EOS_Boy of Flickr)
As of now, radio has a few different ways of determining who gets played the most. The first is by demand. The second way is by the deejay’s discretion. The third, though the most prevalent, is essentially illegal. Payola, the unlawful practice of record companies paying deejays for artist play, is something that has been going on for decades. Since the 1930s and the 1940s with jazz big bands taking over, on down to the 60s and 70s with the emergence of rock ’n’ roll, record labels have hired promoters to do their dirty work of getting their artists heard by any means.
The payola scandal of 1959 was one of the biggest bangs to hit the music industry of all time. After Congress announced its plan to begin holding hearings on payola after a television game show scandal, radio stations began a major sweeping of disc jockeys engaged in the act.
The entire event blew up after one of the performers’ rights organizations, Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), was subjected to investigation by their rival PRO, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) of using payola to secure their artists’ spots for airplay.
Phil Lind, a deejay in Chicago, revealed that $20,000 had been given to him to play a record. This caused uproar from the industry and the public, resulting in him receiving death threats and being granted police protection. Other deejays accused of this act eventually lost their career and their respectability, such as Alan Freed. Freed, the legendary deejay that coined the term rock ‘n’ roll, plead guilty to his accusations, became blacklisted from broadcasting and died penniless and miserable ten years later.
What is a mustache to you? A figure of patriarchy? A reminder of your thirst for milk? A symbol of world dominance? For two friends, it was the focus of one simple bet: “Who could grow the best mustache in a month?” said Jeff Matthews, founder and coordinator for the New York Chapter of Mustaches for Kids.
Originally, the organization began in Los Angeles in 1999. The two guys were Allen ‘Big Al’ Ewald and Dan Strange. Given the length of one month, they made a bet to see who could grow the best mustache between the two of them. After they both shaved off all of their facial hair, the bet began. “After about a week or so,” Matthews recanted, “they realized that neither one looked better than the other.” Instead of supplying the winner with a prize, they decided that the loser- the one with the worst mustache- had to give money to charity.
It was then that they came up with the concept of Mustaches for Kids. As its popularity grew, the organization began to inflate with “growers” or participants. Along with the laughter that is easily generated from the contest is the seriousness o f which the organization exists to contribute to society. Beginning with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Mustaches for Kids slowly began to contribute their funds to other charities created specifically for the betterment of kids around North America such as Children’s Hospital of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and this year’s DonorsChoose.org which supplies funding to teachers who are not met with the proper means for educational projects and school supplies for their students.
Jeff Matthews involved himself in the project soon after its creation. “I was a friend of Allen’s from college. I heard about the work they were doing in 1999 and thought it was funny, but at the same time, it was also a great idea. I had moved to NYC at the time, so I couldn’t help them in L.A. so I asked if I could expand it into the city.” Today the organization exists in over 40 cities around the United States and Canada.
As the idea developed beyond their immediate group of friends, they came up with a few ground rules to govern the process of becoming the ‘Sweetest ‘Stache’. Here’s to name a few: Continue reading →
“How does one obtain 18 losses in a row?” a teenage boy playfully asked his friend. Using his hand as a mic, he waited for a reply. “Uhmm… you call yourself the Nets and miss all of ’em in sight?” “Correct!”
The two boys passed by my stoop laughing, but for many sports fans around Brooklyn, this is a serious matter.
With the extensive planning by Bruce Ratner, the Atlantic Yards Project includes the creation of Barclays Center, the projected new sports stadium for the New Jersey Nets to call their new home. This center is expected to bring more to the community than just “concerts, fine arts performances, circuses, college basketball games, ice shows, and music award shows.” It also promises the return of an element of Brooklyn that had been dismissed for over 50 years– the spirit of fanatic pride.
The last time Brooklyn was home to a sports franchise was in 1957, when Walter O’Malley announced the end of the 67 years run of the Dodgers in the city.
Originally, Walter O’Malley, owner of majority of the Dodgers, planned to keep the team in Brooklyn. It was the stadium Ebbets Field – worn down, rigid, and old – that caused the lack of sold tickets at home games. Due to these conditions, the 32,000-capable seating of Ebbets Field was only being filled to about 13,000 per game. The only resolve was a new stadium. Continue reading →
October 1950, the Brooklyn Promenade opened in not only accord with Robert Moses, but also, the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights.
In 1940, Moses attempted to design construction that would rip the neighborhood apart for the sake of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Moses usually faced no opposition, but due to the complaints of the wealthy and powerful residents of the nieghborhood, construction was delay for four years until they reached a compromise.
If Moses would create a “cover” for the neighborhood, to protect the residents from highway noise and automobile smoke, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway could be done. And so was the story.
Known as the “to-go” place for first dates, it may not be so much for the time being. Though the view is not blocked, the mission to “enhance” it is temporarily taking away from the serene scene. This enhancement is known as the Brookyn Bridge Park. Projected to be completed “by the end of 2009,” the nearly incomplete product is to include large lawns for “playing and sunbathing,” “salvage granite ‘river steps’,” a dog run and sand volleyball courts.
With the intent on becoming one of the best tourist attractions for New York City, it has even been awarded a national honor by the Washington, DC-based non-profit Waterfront Center for Comprehensive Waterfront Plans. Of the many pitfalls Moses has accomplished, this definitely has to be the best of them all— although that may be due to the fact that this was not an “original” idea of his in the first place.
Dating back to 1827, New York pioneer Hezekiah Pierreponte imagined a place for his neighborhood that could rival Manhattan’s Battery Park. He “lived and died in the belief and desire, that the Heights some day be made a public promenade,” reads a 19th century history book of his passion. In the end, he gave up his dream in the light of keeping a valued friendship, of which his proposal had began to deteriorate due to heavy opposition.
Possibly Moses didn’t come up with this idea on his own– but it definitely can be considered one of his most successful designs yet.
View of the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters (Eastern PArkway & Kingston Avenue) via CrownHeights.info
Surrounded by the Jewish Children’s Museum, the popular Hasidic-based store Judaica World of Crown Heights, and the Albany Bake Shop (which caters all kosher food), there’s no doubt you will come to the hypothesis that you are in Crown Heights. Straight off the 3 train stop at Kingston Avenue, the first sight of 770 Eastern Parkway, known as the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters, quickly gains any visitor’s attention.
With the steady presence of two to three colorful emergency medical trucks that quietly lay along the side streets of the synagogue every day, many first-timers guess that an incident of grandeur details may have occurred; some assume some of the ambulance workers simply live on the street; and a few of the neighborhood (such as myself) anticipate another unexpected parade or celebration is readily to occur—all of which are incorrect. Continue reading →
It was 8:30 pm. Fred Scribner sat in a cozy corner of a 6×6 square foot stage with his fingers emblazoned within the strings of his flamenco guitar, speakers appropriately mounted on the walls to his left and right, and about 10 people surrounded by a mellow candlelight setting and quiet conversation. The lighting was dim, the energy was calm, and the music was perfect.
“Who needs electricity? We don’t need electricity.” Scribner politely joked with Debi Ryan, General Manager of Vox Pop, about the power outage that had occurred. With his recurring Tuesday appearance, it’s no doubt their relationship is a very friendly one; he made fun of her for attempting to create a spotlight with a flashlight… to no avail.
“[It’s a] good thing I brought my battery-powered amp today,” he said to me about a half hour earlier while puffing on a cigarette before the show.
His attire was casual. Standing about 6’1 or taller, he wore a blue jacket that read “IBM” over a black button-up that overlapped a black tee, accompanied with a pair of clean, crispy blue jeans. “Lemme think,” he said before a quick inhale during our brief conversation, “probably the most significant thing me, [Little] Sammy [Davis], and the band [Midnight Slim] are known for is our long run on the Imus Show—over 20 years now.”
Don Imus, who is today most remembered for a nationally covered controversy back in 2007, was firstbetter known for his popular show Imus in the Morning which has been running since 1971. Midnight Slim, (including Brad Scribner, John Thompson, and Randy Weimer) along with the legendary harminist Little Sammy Davis, became Imus’ regularly featured act, recognized as his “House Band” in 1991, and has been moving along strongly ever since. The band was seen on MSNBC on a daily basis and heard on the radio from coast to coast, partly in thanks to the exposure from the Imus show, mostly in great a due to their unquestionable chemistry. Their music of choice: the blues.
Scribner, born in New York City, did not begin as a blues musician. Following in the footsteps of his favorite band, The Beatles, he picked up the guitar at the age of 11 and began performing for high school crowds “within the next 6 months,” according to his online biography. By the age of 13 he had a steady gig at a country bar with a local singer named Ken Henry in Orange County, NY (where he and his family moved to about 2 years prior).
By the time he turned 18, he was playing professionally with bands, booking his own gigs, and creating master recordings. Once he reached his early 20s, he had already dabbed in music from country, rock n roll, blues, funk, and disco.
Since their critically acclaimed proof of success with the record “I Ain’t Lyin” on the prestigious Delmark Records in 1996, winning them Best Comeback Artist, Scribner more recently has been working on a new album. Opening shows for Gavin DeGraw, recording with Joey DeGraw, and continuously playing shows with Little Sammy Davis, as well as his continued appearance on Don Imus’ show keeps him busy.
Scribner’s sound, which infuses many different genres from which he has studied, is one of the reasons his music is so captivating when he plays. Whether it’s with the accompaniment of his band, or a solo cover of a Santana classic, every note seems flawless and ever lyric sounds harmonic. In a world that claims genres such as the blues to be a thing of the past, I question what could happen if we all placed down our iPods and sat in front a true musician, such as Scribner for some time.
The crowd in the coffeeshop of Vox Pop continuously poured in and out from the rain as the sound resonated from his battery-powered amp to the lackluster streets of Courtelyou Rd. His brilliance is undeniable and his personality is warming. It felt as if I was sitting amongst and speaking to a true musical legend… It’s a shame it takes some musicians a lifetime to get the spotlight they truly deserve. But since that lifetime is far from up, I’ll be waiting to see what lies ahead.
The month of October is usually spent in preparation for what lies on its last day; a day of mockery and blatant insensitivity (in all good fun), Halloween. But for millions of others who have hidden behind masks on a day-to-day basis, who share similar stories of abuse, it is also known as Domestic Violence Awareness Month (which was enacted by Mayor Rudoph W. Giuliani on October 1st, 1999).
The Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence opened in the City of New York, November 2001. The vote came about from city residents who chose to vote for the amendment of the City Charter to be replaced with a permanent office instead.
The need for such a change had been advocated for many years prior. Governor George E. Pataki was the first governor to begin a fight for such an office, publicly declaring a plan for funding on December 14, 1996. With the aid of four grants, NYC totaled nearly $1.5 million to combat domestic violence. Administered by the New York State Department of Health, these grants were given to provide families and adolescence with violence prevention and safety.
“Fighting domestic violence takes action on two fronts – law enforcement and services for victims,” said Pataki. Seven years later, it all came into fruition. In 2001, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg appointed Yolanda B. Jimenez as the first commissioner to head the new office; a position that she remains today- 8 years later.
This office provides a sense of safety and stability for victims, monitoring the delivery of domestic violence services around the city. They also work within communities to increase awareness, from community leaders to health care providers, city agencies to representatives from the criminal justice system, to insure that batterers are held accountable, assisting with solutions and critical steps that follow for both victim and oppressor.
Since January 2002, the office has helped gain 35% more shelters citywide. Statistics from the 2008 fact sheet states that the Domestic Violence Unit conducted 72,463 home visits (a 93% increase since 2002); that 134,903 calls were answered via the Domestic Violence Hotline, averaging nearly 370 calls per day; and 70 family related homicides were accounted for. (71% of which had no prior police contact, and 93% of which had no current order of protection.)
Services they provide for victims range from the NYPD (response, arrests, follow-up), Legality (connects victims with District Attorneys; restraining orders), Housing (shelters, subsidized permanent housing, etc.), Counseling (for victims and family), and Treatment (healthcare) amongst others.
Earlier today, the Commissioner spoke about the role her office partakes in the prevention and awareness of dometic violence, “Domestic violence does not discriminate, and we continue to seek innovative solutions to help all domestic violence victims achieve safety,” said Yolanda B. Jimenez. “Victims do not have to suffer in silence. We provide assistance through the criminal justice, health, and social service systems to all victims and their children.”
At this event, Mayor Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn announced the introduction of the Domestic Violence Civil Protection Act. This act was designed to force legislation that would broaden protection for domestic violence victims who are abused by their past or current domestic partners, or live-in boyfriends or girlfriends. Another responsibility of the city, another dash of hope for its victims.
Metrosectional 
