So in my last semester I at NYU I am trying to do all those New York things that I've never done, see all the places I've never been, eat all the foods I've been meaning to eat, and so on and so forth. Last weekend was one of those firsts for me because, believe it or not in my three and a half years living in New York, I have never been to Coney Island. This atypical trip in the dead of winter to Coney Island was spurred by a free show sponsored by the Carnegie Hall neighborhood series and the company of my good friend Elena, taking place at the Coney Island branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. The band I was trying to check out was Slavic Soul Party. Touting a frankenstein combination of slavic feel and soulful groove, the result is surprisingly jazzy with an eerie down to the ground funk that is hard to deny. The show was a reserved yet celebratory affair, as to be expected in the upstairs of a library.
Coney Island is home to many people of slavic origin, as was highlighted by the audience's questions (also an untraditional, yet welcome performance practice owed to the library setting) on their knowledge of slavic music. These questions led to an interesting discussion of why they don't play in Manhattan anymore. There response is, there aren't any intimate places. Having residency every Tuesday at Barbes in Park Slope probably helps them to say this, but I thought it was an interesting comment despite its perhaps contrarian nature. They mentioned they used to play in Lower East Side establishments Mehenatta, but I doubt they would fit in anywhere like like the Rockwood Music Hall, the Mercury Lounge, or Arlene's Grocery for the fact that they have already earned their keep in the New York music scene. Where would they play in Manhattan is a pretty good question? Besides places that specialize in jazz or prototypical types of dance music, it seems most places either specialize in low paying, not well promoted shows or hosting some of the biggest acts in the country. This weird aspect of the island is one I have never really thought about, that the sheer competition often squeezes the middle sized man out, leaving me to make an excursion to a Coney Island public library....
Here is a video of them from the great music show Soundcheck on public radio WNYC. Enjoy!
The dedication of people to the simplest of pleasures is something I always enjoy seeing. John Nese, the owner of Galco Soda Pop Stop loves the simple pleasures of drinking pop. Now, I don't really drink it much myself. Nor do I recommend others to. However this video is a pretty interesting portrait of a man's passion for the sweetness of a bygone era.
