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ONLY BE NEW YORKER
Only-Be New Yorker
Shakespeare in Central Park in New York
Some say that, if he was alive today, Shakespeare would have become a film director. With the permission of the critics, if he had been born in the 1980s, he would be a blogger. And not just a run-of-the-mill blogger, but a successful one with hundreds of thousands of followers. And that´s because the great English bard (1564-1616) was an artist of his time, a shrewd master of words. He exploited the possibilities of theatre, like we all know, but his sonnets are of memorable beauty (well, let´s say worthy of the top ten ones in world literature). The thing is the Shakespeare didn´t really invent, understanding by invent its current meaning. His plays (from King Lear to Hamlet as well as Romeo and Juliet) already existed in previous compendia. However, he retook this tradition (interdiscursivity it´s called), shaped it, changed it, transformed it and placed the right words so that it didn´t lose a bit of its dramatic tension. Although news keeps coming in about places where the English playwright premiered (the latest just a few months ago), we have to take into account that theatres, as we know them today, didn´t exist back then. The venues were improvised in any place (in a patio, on the street or in the court) and the stages (like the Noh Theatre in Japan) were almost empty. Also, the female characters were played by men (it also happened in Japanese drama) and the shows had to be profitable in the box office. However, with all of these conditions, Shakespeare built a play that, according to Harold Bloom in his ´Western Canon´, puts words to...
New York neighborhoods: Williamsburg
New York is a city which is composed of neighborhoods and each has a feature that gives a unique personality to this wonderful city. In each of them you will find history, nice places, commerce, fine dining and entertainment, just soak up the spirit of New York and go out to live them fully. Williamsburg is located in Brooklyn and is characterized by a zone of low buildings of three or four floors along with a few wooden houses painted in bright attractive colors, where many cultural and commercial activities take place. This is a trendy neighborhood for artists and intellectual Yorkers, because it is a nice area, full of life and has the high cost of Manhattan. While the music plays, you can visit the cafes, galleries, restaurants, vintage stores or specialist bookshops. If you like scenery, you can go to the park to see a wonderful view of Manhattan. You can also visit the street of book sales, where you can find real gems at bargain prices. The particularity of this district is its diversity and the number of people on bicycles in circulation. Different human groups living there without any problems where the streets are decorated with sophisticated graffiti that contribute to urban aesthetics. Walking down Bedford Avenue you will find many indie shops which you can check out and then sit down for a coffee while watching the village life. Do not be surprised if in an old abandoned building is a vintage stores or a handmade clothes shop for the young that sell at a fair price. You can also find bars with an attractive aesthetic look...
Ok Go in Concert in Williamsburg Park
On July 19, Williamsburg Park, New York, presents the American indie rock band OK Go together with the Russian-born comedian Eugene Mirman. Known for their musical performance and creativity, the band OK Go will give New Yorkers a glimpse of their newest work on this important stage. Ok Go is originally from Chicago but they currently live in Los Angeles. Their uniqueness, their special way of dressing, and their creative music videos have earned them followers. The band was founded in 1998 by lead singer Damian Kulash and bassist Tim Nordwind, who have known each other since they were children in the Interlochen Arts Camp. The later met Andy Duncan in high school and drummer Dan Konopka in college. The band’s name is a joke between Kulash and Nordwind, who took the common phrase of one their teachers: “Ok … Go”. Initially they participated in the public radio program This American Life for the fifth anniversary. In 2002 they released their first self-titled album and the following year they successfully debuted the song, Get Over It, in the UK, reaching number 21 in the singles chart. The song Top of the Pops, was considered the song of the week by Q Magazine. In 2004, they performed the main track for a political benefit album against George W. Bush, produced by Barsuk Records. That year, Kulash wrote a song against Bush that sought to help others fight to unseat Bush from the presidency of the United States. His second album, Oh No, was created in Malmo, Sweden. After the launch, Andy Duncan decided to leave the...
Big Daddy Kane in New York
Big Daddy Kane is one of the leading rap legends of the United States. His style has influenced many of the most important rappers of the last twenty years; among those are Eminem, Jay Z and Ice T among many others. Big Daddy Kane did it all and well back in the mid-eighties when hip-hop was living its golden age, and the MC Hammer’s low-slung pants had not made rap a bad parody of itself yet. Big Daddy Kane comes from the streets of Queens, New York, and have just been acknowledged with Grammy and MTV awards, as well as being part of the lists of best hip hop singers of all time. Daddy Kane has a very unique talent of phrasing, with extremely sexy lyrics. His first two albums, “Long Live the Kane” (1988) and “It´s a Big Daddy Thing” (1989) are considered rap classics by critics and by many fans. And it was not only in his rapping that Big Daddy Kane became popular, but also in his image and attitude in their videos and on stage. If you happen to be in New York on the 17th of July, do not hesitate to be part of the Big Daddy Kane’s live performance at the BB King concert hall, where along with other famous celebrities of the rap world will delight all the rap lovers in the “A Salute To Hip Hop” event. EPMD, Chubb Rock, Marley Marl and DJ Scratch are some of the artist confirmed in the agenda of the event. For more information about this legend of hip-hop of all time, visit his official...
Independence Day
July 4th or Independence Day is the national holiday of theU.S.that unites the country in patriotic fervor. It celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence from theBritish Empirein 1776. On this day, everyone leaves home and life flows on the city streets. New Yorkis not on the sidelines of this festival. Its streets are decorated for the occasion and the bars and stars fill the shop windows and parks and a party atmosphere reigns. On that day, Wall Street is closed and the NYSE forgets the pulse of the global economy. Families host outdoor barbecues or spend a day at the beach, the countryside or simply go to the nearest park to have a picnic and enjoy the festive atmosphere. In the morning there are parades in various parts of the city, which can be seen without a problem if you like this type of activity. The shops, offices and banks are all closed on this day in commemoration of the holiday. That’s another reason that tourists celebrate like New Yorkers, attending the parades, strolling throughCentral Parkand eating to the beat of jazz bands and Latin music that populate this wonderful natural park in the heart of the city. For those who like curious popular activities, there’s the legendary hot dog eating contest in Nathan´s Famous onConey Island. If you want to participate in this famous competition you’ll need good teeth, an incredible stomach capacity and a love of hot dogs. The competition takes place atnoonand is full of cameras, tourists and hungry contestants. This tradition was initiated as part of the July 4th celebrations in 1916. The...
Norah Jones Concert in New York
On the 3rd of July at Rumsey Playfiled in Central Park, in New York, the concert of the American composer, pianist and jazz and soul singer Norah Jones will take place. Geethali Norah Jones Shankar, the real name of Norah Jones, was born in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York, in 1979. Her family tradition meant she developed a special interest for music, since her father is Ravi Shankar, the great Indian sitar artist. She lived in New York with her mother during her childhood and then moved to Dallas, developing a special taste for blues and jazz at the age of 7. She started studying singing, joining the church choir where they sang gospel. Later, she began music, piano and saxo lessons. Her inspiration came from classic artists such as Etta James, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and others. To these influences she added those inherited from her grandmother, who was a fan of country. In 1996 and 1997, still a student, she won performance and composition awards and entered the University of North Texas to study musical theory and piano, specializing in keyboards for jazz, forming her first music band in the process. After minor jobs as a restaurant singer, she decided to go back to New York temporarily, choosing the city as her base-camp to enter the world of music. With some previously-established contacts, she worked in clubs and small concert venues in Greenwich Village. During that season, Jones collaborated with different bands During that first period she worked arduously composing her own songs and tried to start a band. Together with the bass player Lee Alexander, the...
Iron Maiden and their Maiden England in New York
If you´re in the right place at the right time in 2012, you´ll surely be able to enjoy one of the most highly-awaited shows of the year. On the 2nd of July, the legendary British heavy metal band Iron Maiden will offer one of their international tour concerts in New York. There can´t be a better prospect for any fan of the band and, if you´re one of those who has never seen them live, you can´t miss out on this event. The concert is part of the new tour of this legendary band formed in 1975 in Leyton, East London. Maiden England North American Tour 2012 arrives at its second phase to see some of the most important cities in the USA and Canada, so it´s not excessively international and some of us will have to cross the pond to go there. The 2nd of July concert will take place in Newark, NY, and the band will play their final gig on the 18th of August in Houston, TX, although supposedly there will be new dates for 2013. Obviously, ´The Final Frontier´, the latest album of the band released in 2010, will have a special place in the concert playlists, but Iron Maiden will also play their classic songs and others that were lying in music oblivion. In fact, this new tour is a tribute or is based on the famous 1988 tour 7th Tour of a 7th Tour , to bring to the stage the first album of Iron Maiden that included keyboards, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Precisely, in the winter of ´89, still during the...
Eric Benét in New York
On the 27th of June, at the Beacon Theater in New York, the American R&B and neo-soul singer Eric Benét will be playing live, together with the also American singer/songwriter Ledisi. This versatile singer, whose long career has brought him to different stages, will be playing to meet his New York fans once again, reminisce his old songs and present the new ones, which keep him always at the forefront of music. Eric Benét Jordan, the real name of Eric Benét, was born in 1966. His early days in music go back to the late 80s, when he participated in the band Gerard. Later, with his sister Lisa and his cousin George Nash Jr., they formed the band Benet and released their first album, with a homonymous name, with such success that they sold over 100,000 copies. In 1994 he signed an important contract with Warner Bros. Records and in 1996 he released his first solo album, ´True to Myself´. The songs on the album were highly successful and the song ´Spiritual Thang´ was even in the R&B Top 10. Also, the song ´Let´s stay together´ was part of the original soundtrack of the film ´A Thin Line Between Love and Hate´. His personal life has been full of tragedies that have affected his career temporarily, such as the loss of his father to cancer and then his girlfriend and mother of his son Maria Tami Stauff. Despite this pain, he managed to overcome it and carry on with his career. Today, he´s married to Manuela Testolini and has a daughter that was born in December 2011. His taste for...
Aerosmith concert in New York
This June 29 at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York, the American hard rock band Aerosmith will be performing live. The concert is part of the annual meeting of the New York band with its audience coming to enjoy their hits. Aerosmith is a band formed in 1970 and consists of Joe Perry, guitarist, Steve Tyler, lead singer, Tom Hamilton, bassist Joey Kramer, drummer, Brad Whitford, guitarist. Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay Ray Tabano were Initially part of the band In 1972, Aerosmith signed with Columbia Records to launch several albums which were an immediate success, earning multi-platinum disc for sales. In just three years the band was consolidated as a group and musically praised with the album Toys in the Attic, becoming stars in the rock world. By the end of the 70 they were known throughout the world and had imposed a musical sound that has accompanied them so far. However, the rapid rise, the exhausting days of touring and recording took their toll on the group, some members started doing hard drugs that resulted in conflicting relations and the departure of some members. These complications led to a decline in production of the band, between 1980 and 1984 they released one album Rock in a Hard Place, achieving a gold record, without achieving platinum as in previous albums. Only in 1987 they were able to recover the public´s affection with the album Permanent Vacation, achieving the success rates of the 70. The 80 and 90 conducted new productions that achieved notable successes, Aerosmith is one of the bands that have achieved the highest...
