Kat Georges & Peter Carlaftes Featured at Huntington Poetry Series this Friday, July 16

This Friday, New York poets Peter Carlaftes & Kat Georges, along with Cliff Bliender, rock out in Huntington at the hottest series on the LIRR line. The series is organized by poet George Wallace (currently on tour in Oklahoma support of his Three Rooms Press release Poppin' Johnny.) Host for this event will be L.I. poet Barbara Reiher Meyers.

PETER CARLAFTES is a New York-based comic author, screenwriter, playwright, actor, poet, and director. He is the author of 12 plays, including a noir treatment of Knut Hamsun’s Hunger, and the celebrity rehab center spoof, Spin-Dry. He has appeared in numerous Off-Broadway productions, including his comic solo performance piece, Lenny Bruce: Dead & Well. His critically-acclaimed humor book, A Year on Facebook, was issued by Three Rooms Press in January 2010. In June of 2010, Three Rooms Press published DrunkYard Dog, an extensive collection of his poetry, as well as Triumph for Rent (3 Plays). In addition, he has published seven chapbooks, including The Bar Essentials, Nightclub Confidential and Sheer Bardom.

KAT GEORGES’ poetry appears in The American Bible Of Outlaw Poetry (Thunders Mouth Press). She co-edited The Verdict Is In, an anthology about the L.A. Rodney King Riots, (Manic D Press). She has three collections of her own poetry, Punk Rock Journal, Maiden Claiming and Slow Dance at 120 Beats a Minute (all Three Rooms Press). In New York, she has directed numerous Off-Broadway plays, including Jack Kerouac: Catholic, Memo from Allen Ginsberg and Twitter Theater, all written by award-winning playwright Larry Myers. Currently she edits Maintenant, an annual journal of Contemporary Dada Poetry, and serves as poetry editor for Tribes art and literary journal. In addition, she co-hosts a weekly poetry reading series at Cornelia Street Café in New York, where she has hosted such notable poets as Mark Strand, Anne Waldman, Paul Violi and many more. She is founder of Three Rooms Press and serves as editor-in-chief and creative director.

Friday, July 11, 8 pm

The Poetry Cafe at Huntington Historical Society Barn

welcomes poets, Kat Georges, Peter Carlaftes and Cliff Bleidner

hosted by Barb Reiher-Meyers at

HHS Conklin Barn

Corner High St/Rte 110, Huntington
(Route 110 and High Street, two blocks south of Main Street)

$5.00 donation appreciated

Peter Carlaftes & Kat Georges Fueled to Feature at NYC Reading Sun., July 11-6pm at Prairie Fire

Catch the hottest poetry in NYC this Sunday, 7/11, 6pm as Peter Carlaftes & Kat Georges burn at Peter Chelnik's renowned Prairie Fire Jazz Poetry Series.

Georges and Carlaftes are known coast-to-coast for their fiery readings, and this Sunday is sure to build that reputation. Carlaftes has just released his red-hot poetry collection "DrunkYard Dog" recounting wild tales from both sides of the bar (He's also had two other books published THIS YEAR, including "A Year on Facebook" (humor) and "Triumph for Rent" (3 Plays). Seeing Carlaftes read is like catching the ghosts of Bukowski, Bogie, and Baudelaire all rolled into one. Georges is the author of "Punk Rock Journal" and "Slow Dance at 120 Beats a Minute" and brings a sultry, yet adrenaline-powered edge to all her live performances reminiscent of a smoothie made from equal parts of Garbo, Girlschool and Gaga.

Also featured at the event will be Shana Yadid (vocals) and Danny Hartig (guitar). The monthly series is hosted by poet and neo-beatnik Peter Chelnik. Prairie Fire takes place at AMERICAN THEATRE OF ACTORS, 314 W. 54th St. (bet. 8th & 9th Aves.), in the Beckman Theater on the 2nd Floor. Admission: $5. Doors open at 5:30. Arrive early to sign up for the open mic.

Lady Gaga at Madison Square Garden, New York--Review

by

Kat Georges

Lady Gaga's opening night on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden was a landmark event for the most talented force in pop music of today. Gaga supplied a powerhouse performance with a 2-hour, 19-song set which she seemed as much in awe of presenting as those who watched were of her.

Gaga has come a long way in the past year of almost non-stop touring. Her live vocal chops are on fire and she has assumed unfettered, total command of the pacing and glitter of the show: her music now encompasses more than just straight-out dance tunes; indeed her scope, shown by a huge variety of musical styles is growing increasingly impressive.

The show covered all songs off her last disc, The Fame Monster, and eight of 13 songs on her 2008 hit album, The Fame. It also featured three additional songs including "Glitter and Grease," "Vanity," and "You and I," plus impressive "interludes" with music and short wondrous b/w films and visual effects. With 10 crazy costume changes, and a set that brought Gaga and her 10 dancers, 3 backup singers and 7-piece band to dizzying heights, the show had the floor of the Garden (all General Admission) jamming non-stop, and kept patrons in the surrounding seats on their feet throughout.

Remarkably, for a show that focused so much on dance hits, Gaga interspersed musical booty-shaking with dramatic pauses marked solely by the sound of her breathing and the audience hanging onto what her next word would be. And she had plenty to say, dedicating the show to the people of New York City, and remarking that she had sat in the nosebleed seats as a kid to see such stars as Madonna, Cher, The Rolling Stones, and Kiss. She truly seemed ecstatic to find herself on the same stage as these idols, and such enthusiasm is refreshing in a world where musical stars seem to be blessed with little talent and a huge sense of entitlement.

Gaga was able to provide numerous intimate moments, especially during her solo piano versions of "Speechless" and her new as-yet-unreleased rock ballad "You and I." During "Speechless," she mentioned that the song was written for her father, and that he was actually present at the show. While the lyrics stemmed from a disillusionment with his drinking, she acknowledged, "Out of all the drunk men in my life, Dad--you're my favorite." A compliment, sort of . . .

Throughout the show, Gaga reaffirmed her mantra of "You can do anything you want," and "Don't let anybody hold you back--you're free!" Trite as it may sound in the retelling, when you hear it said by this orangey-blonde-wigged woman, flat on her back, clad in metallic lingerie and stilettos, her hands and chest covered in fake blood, and the word "FUCK" fingerpainted on her upper arm, surrounded by 10 gorgeous dancers--you'd swear it was true.

At Tuesday's show, Gaga delivered an especially powerful version of the soulful "Fame Monster" song "Teeth"--accompanied by a wondrous introduction, in which Gaga concluded, "I am the most delusional bitch on the earth." As a delusional idealist myself, I couldn't be happier.

Here's the set list from Tuesday's show:

Dance in the Dark

Glitter & Grease

Just Dance

Beautiful Dirty Rich

Vanity

The Fame

Love Game

Boys Boys Boys

Money Honey

Telephone

Speechless

You and I

So Happy I Could Die

Monster

Teeth

Alejandro

Poker Face

Paparazzi

Bad Romance

If you can get to the Garden in the next two days, do it. Who knows how long this ride will last? It's worth everything to catch it while it's real.

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NOTE:

If you have GA East tickets, you better arrive EARLY (by 4:30, the latest) and plan to wait outside until 7 when they open the doors. Don't be disappointed but you won't be right next to the stage. The only people next to the stage are VIP ticket holders and GA West tickets. The GA East area is divided by a metal barrier. If you're in the front, you'll be about 15-20 feet from the end of the ramp, but if you're not in the very front, you might not be able to see very well, because the very front of GA East section is about 6 inches higher than the rest of the section, due to a support for the metal barrier. I was in the front and it was great! But if you can afford VIP, you can get right next to the stage and ramp.

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Time Jumpers at Midsummers Night Swing, Lincoln Center, 7/1/10

What a hoot at Lincoln Center Thursday night where the Nashville-based western swing band The Time Jumpers held court to a crowd of about 400. New Yorkers are not known for their Texas two-step skills, but that almost made it an even more fun event, with everyone trying some kind of dance to this marvelous band, which filled the night sky with the sounds of Bob Wills, Milton Brown, Gene Autry and swing arrangements of standards like "All of Me" and "Route 66."

If you wanted to dance on the huge "dance floor" in front of the band, you had to pay $17, and get a ticket, then a hand stamp. I asked a genial fellow if he'd rub his hand stamp off on my hand to get me access and lightly and politely said, "No." Oh, well. The biggest problem was the band played two full sets to a half-empty dance floor, while meanwhile, behind a screened in sound booth at the back of the dance floor, a SECOND, FREE dance floor was packed with rockin' swingers bungling through the two-step in free form fashion--and having a ball.

A bit about The Time Jumpers--who were screwed by not being able to see the 300 adoring fans surrounding the $17 dance floor: This band is the be-all, end-all of modern Texas Swing. They count in their number THREE fiddle players (masters, one and all); stand up base, two guitars, mandolin (Vince Gill), three wonderful singers, and the top-ranked Academy of Country Music pedal steel player, Mr. Paul Franklin. They're Nashville's top session musicians, and they play the Grand Ole' Opry every week, and various members have sat in for studio sessions with such luminaries as Slim Whitman, Carrie Underwood, Barbara Streisand and Megadeth. Their gigs at the Opry draw such notable fans as Robert Plant, Jimmy Buffet, Kings of Leon, Norah Jones, Bonnie Raitt, Robben Ford, Ronnie Milsap, and list goes on and on.

Every song at the MNS show was fun--especially loved the yodeling in the second set, and the Bob Wills sprinkled throughout. But the Lincoln Center should consider a policy of allowing ALL people onto the dancefloor after a certain time (say, 9:30 pm) so that the band can get the respect they deserve from adoring fans who just can't afford $17 for a ticket.

Go, Time Jumpers!

July 2 Cornelia St. Poetry Blowout with (back from Chicago) Marty McConnell & (out from the UK) Caroline Gilfillan

FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2010
6 PM | CORNELIA STREET CAFE
SON OF A PONY POETRY SERIES
Featuring
Direct from England!
Poet CAROLINE GILFILLAN
and
Back from Chicago!
Poet MARTY MCCONNELL
PLUS
NYC's Best Open POETRY Mike
Hosted by Kat Georges

Join us this Friday for two STRONG women poets at the Fabulous Son of a Pony reading series in the wondrous basement performance space of Cornelia Street Cafe. Caoline Gilfillan and Marty McConnell will rock your world--be sure to catch them (as well as join in NYC's most varied open poetry reading).

Caroline Gilfillan was brought up in Sussex and spent her formative years in east London writing, playing in various bands, and working in publishing and education. She’s written poetry all her life, and her work was published in Seven Women and One Foot on the Mountain early in her writing career. Her poem The Painter was nominated for the Forward Prize for the best individual poem in 2007 and her work appeared in the Forward Collection of Poetry in the same year. She was a winner of the North West Poetry competition in 2000, and Drowned in Overspill, a collection of her poetry, was published by Crocus Booksin the same year. Yes, her new collection, was published by the Hawthorn Press in December 2009.

For nearly a decade, poet Marty McConnell co-curated the flagship reading series of the New York City-based louderARTS Project, which featured poets including Yusef Komunyakaa, Mark Doty, Marie Howe, Dorianne Laux, and more. She appeared on both the second and fifth seasons of HBO's Def Poetry Jam. She returned to Chicago in 2009 to co-found Vox Ferus, an organization dedicated to empowering and energizing individuals and communities through the written and spoken word. Her work has been published in numerous anthologies, including Word Warriors: 35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Movement, Spoken Word Revolution Redux, Women of the Bowery, Homewrecker: An Adultery Reader, Bullets and Butterflies: Queer Spoken Word Poetry, Will Work for Peace, Women.Period and In Our Own Words: Poetry of Generation X, as well as journals including Salt Hill Review, Rattapallax, Fourteen Hills, Pedestal, Boxcar Poetry Review, The November 3rd Club, Thirteenth Moon, 2River View, Lodestar Quarterly, Blue Fifth Review, and Rattle. She recently relocated to Chicago so don't miss this rare opportunity to catch back on NYC turf.

The featured readings follow the fabulous Son of a Pony open reading at the cafe. Poet/convivial mistress of ceremonies Kat Georges hosts. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.; the open reading begins at 6 p.m. Admission is $7, which includes a free drink.

Cornelia Street Cafe is at 29 Cornelia Street, between W. 4th Street & Bleecker, just around the corner from the W. 4th Street subway station. Phone: 212-989-9319.www.corneliastreetcafe.com

E.J. Strickland Group at Small's

Next time you're in the mood for a night of phenomenal new jazz, check your local jazz calendar to find either the E.J. Strickland Group or Marcus Strickland Trio and go check them out.

Twins Marcus (on soprano & tenor sax) and E.J. (on drums) are phenomenal musical forces. Both are composers as well as players and at Small's on Saturday night E.J.'s group was happening— playing a late night set of cookin' cool jazz originals, plus a steamin' version of Wayne Shorter's ESP.

With Joe Sanders and bass, Fabian Almazan on piano and Jaleel Shaw on alto, the band started the set with two of E.J.'s pieces dedicated to jazz drummer legend Elvin Jones. With intricate melodic lines and an underlying pulsing, inspired stickwork by E.J., the pieces set the packed house on fire. But it was a few more tunes into the set, with the ballad "In This Day," that the band really hit a groove. The song is the title track on E.J.'s 2009 CD debut (produced by Ravi Coltrane). On the CD, the track is preceded by and built upon a poem, as E.J. explained (during a long break in which Marcus' soprano broke, and--because Small's is so cool--someone in the audience happened to have a soprano sax for him to borrow). The tune is a real wonder.

Marcus plays with great tone and style on even an unfamiliar horn, swinging through an intelligent and soulful theme, with E.J. tripping around and over and under the beat with melodic stickwork. The tune elicits a feeling of a musical diary of a full urban day--starting slowly at sunrise, coming to live in an daytime rush hour mayhem, then relaxing into a gentle groove of luscious nighttime scenery, and sluicing into a final mood akin to a lullaby.

The set ended with special guest jazz guitarist David Gilmore sitting in on Shorter's ESP, with solos all around and E.J. in particular displaying extensive dynamic range.

Check out the Strickland brothers online at www.marcusstrickland.com and on myspace (E.J. at myspace.com/ejsq; Marcus at myspace.com/marcusstrickland2). Then see them live A.S.A.P. They are a New York sensation.

Poet Peter Carlaftes set for Book Launch at Son of a Pony Poetry Series: June 18, 6 p.m., Cornelia St. Cafe

FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2010

6 PM | CORNELIA STREET CAFE

SON OF A PONY POETRY SERIES

Book Launch for

DRUNKYARD DOG

by Poet PETER CARLAFTES

PLUS

NYC's Best Open POETRY Mike

Hosted by Kat Georges

Power poet Peter Carlaftes will launch his first full-length poetry collection, DrunkYard Dog (156 pages, Three Rooms Press, 2010) at the venerable Son of a Pony Poetry Reading Series on Friday, June 18, 6 p.m. at Cornelia St. Cafe.

Carlaftes work has been described as "a beautiful poetic voice, filled with drop-dead humor, searing insight and reselient originality, even while resonating with overtones of Bukowski, Baudelarie and Bogart." He discovered his poetic voice on the playgrounds of the Bronx, and, after seeing the world, branched out to the bars of Manhattan. According to Carlaftes, DrunkYard Dog offers poems from "both sides of the bar," and marks his third Three Rooms Press release in 2010, following A Year on Facebook (humor) and Triumph for Rent (three plays).

The featured reading follows the fabulous Son of a Pony open reading at the cafe. Poet/convivial mistress of ceremonies Kat Georges hosts. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.; the open reading begins at 6 p.m. Admission is $7, which includes a free drink.

Cornelia Street Cafe is at 29 Cornelia Street, between W. 4th Street & Bleecker, just around the corner from the W. 4th Street subway station. Phone: 212-989-9319. www.corneliastreetcafe.com