Saturday, February 23, 2008

Downtown Music Gallery needs help, seeking new home

A notice from the great NYC musical institution and new music booster Downtown Music Gallery:

DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY NEEDS YOUR HELP!

At the end of this past January, our five-year lease ran out here at 342 Bowery. Our landlord has graciously given us another 3-6 months to find another place but, with 4 to 5 times the rent we're paying being offered by bar/restaurants ['cause we know you can't get a drink anywhere around here - NOT!] for the space our stay will come to an end soon.

We have been searching for a new location for the past 6 months, but if it's anything close to the 1500 sq. ft. we now occupy and need, no matter how far east we go, the realtors are convincing the landlords to hold off renting until they get a minimum of $ 60-75 per sq ft per year - which for 1500 sq ft means a monthly base rent nut of $7500-9400 - even on Ave D, where no one ventures to!

The only people who can afford that are banks that now make a tidy new-found profit off of people taking $20 out of their account every ten minutes [!] and national chains that take a tax loss to blanket NYC with their outlets. No merchant who deals in anything but items that have over 1000% markup [like drinks] can afford to stay in business here, not even groceries and supermarkets, which have all been closing rapidly. Just think: the overuse of debit cards has caused the price of all everyday goods and food to skyrocket - most of the increased amount just goes to the rent!

Anyone in NYC knows there are many spaces - in both prime and not prime areas - that have remained empty for YEARS due to realtors who have sold their bill of goods to landlords - when we've met those landlords, many have lamented the money they've lost due to the pressure from realtors, and were perfectly willing to talk lower prices, when beforehand the agent said they wouldn't budge [and wouldn't put us in contact directly, naturally]

We have many friends here in NYC, some 10,000 of you around the world receive our newsletter each week. What we would like is a basement, second floor or higher loft space [with elevator] with about 1,500 square feet for under $4000, hopefully in lower Manhattan - we don't really care what it looks like, or what some snobs might have to say about the neighborhood, just as long as it's secure. We'll do the rest.

We would love to stay in the Lower Manhattan, but we might have to move to mid-town or further uptown or even nearby in Brooklyn or Queens

If you know of a space for us to rent - especially where we deal with the landlord directly - please contact us immediately!

Our time here is limited. We may have to go with one overpriced space - that otherwise meets our needs - within two weeks, so we'd like to hear from you before then

Thank You

Bruce, Manny, Mikey, Chuck, Bret & all at DMG

Friday, February 22, 2008

Saxophonist Andrew D'Angelo Has Brain Tumor

via Jazz Promo Services:

"On Friday, January 25, 2008 world-renowned saxophonist/composer Andrew D'Angelo suffered a major seizure while driving in Brooklyn, NY. Tests in the hospital revealed a large tumor in his brain. Andrew will undergo brain surgery at some point in the next few weeks. At this time, it is believed that the tumor is not cancerous, but this will not be confirmed until a biopsy is performed. Like many Americans, Andrew has no health insurance. A fund has been established to help with the costs of his surgery and recovery. Donations can be sent via PayPal at donate@andrewdangelo.com. We deeply appreciate any efforts that can be made to spread the word about Andrew's situation. Benefit concerts are currently being planned for New York City and Boston. More information about these concerts will be posted on
http://www.andrewdangelo.com/ as soon as it is available.

D'Angelo, born 1966 in Seattle, Washington is one of the key members of Brooklyn's avant-garde jazz community. His work as a composer, performer, and bandleader has been a pivotal influence on his peers, as well as on younger generations of musicians. Andrew first achieved worldwide notoriety as a member of Human Feel with his longtime friends Jim Black, Chris Speed, and Kurt Rosenwinkel. After moving to Brooklyn in 1986 he joined the downtown music community centered around the Knitting Factory, working with musicians like Mark Dresser, Erik Friedlander, Bobby Previte, and many other leading artists. He is also currently a member of the Matt Wilson Quartet and Hilmar Jensson's band Tyft. Skirl Records released "Skadra Degis," the debut of Andrew's trio with Jim Black and Trevor Dunn on January 31, 2008. For more information, please visit http://www.andrewdangelo.com/"

Teo Macero, 82, record producer worked with Miles Davis, has died.

Teo Macero, 82, Record Producer, Dies

By BEN RATLIFF, NY Times
Published: February 22, 2008
Teo Macero, a record producer, composer and saxophonist most famous for his role in producing a series of albums by Miles Davis in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including editing that almost amounted to creating compositions after the recordings, died on Tuesday in Riverhead, N.Y. He was 82 and lived in Quogue, N.Y.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/22/arts/music/22macero.html

Thursday, February 21, 2008

STN seeks interns

We're seeking an intern for variable and relatively light duties which might include anything from postering and placing magazines in key areas to proofreading to transcribing interview material from mp3s. If you can work your system to turn it into course credit, more power to you. Any interested parties should send me an e-mail with formal (or informal) resume and references:
editor@signaltonoisemagazine.org

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Two Print Passings

Sad news reflecting a tough time for print periodicals: two favorite music magazines, Resonance and No Depression, will cease publication, citing falling ad revenues and generally untenable business climate. It's a huge challenge to do something like this, and to keep a publication alive for 14 and 13 years, respectively, seems to me like a huge success. Along with Punk Planet, which wrapped up its own unbelievable run earlier this year, both Resonance and No Depression served as models of what might be achievable with Signal to Noise. So I applaud you guys and wish you the best with whatever you do next.

In their own words:
http://resonancemag.com/editor.html
http://www.nodepression.net/blogs/letter/

The Art of Noise

Thought I'd remind those of you in the Houston area to check out "The Art of Noise: poster art, album cover art & ephemera from the Signal to Noise collection" at the Steve Gregg gallery at the Art Institute of Houston, through March 14th. The exhibit features approximately thirty pieces, including work by Reid Miles, Wes Wilson, Frank Kozik, Amy Borezo, Peter Brotzmann, Chubby Jackson, Gerrit Gollner, David Wang and others. The gallery is at 1900 Yorktown Street in Houston, open from 9 to 8 from Monday through Thursday, 9 to 5 on Friday and 9 to 2 on Saturday.

You can read Chris Gray's very generous story about the exhibit in the Houston Press from a couple of weeks ago right here:

http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-01-17/music/the-art-of-noise/

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

STN @ SXSW!

Signal to Noise is excited to announce that we're making our SXSW debut, hosting our own showcase at Austin's Central Presbyterian Church on Saturday, March 15th. The lineup features some of Houston's best creative music, both past and present:

Jandek
Nameless Sound Youth Ensemble under the direction of David Dove
Space City Gamelan
Christina Carter & Shawn David McMillan
Weird Weeds

We have found both the festival staff and the musicians to be extremely accommodating and we look forward to a night to remember. Come join us!

Welcome to the Signal to Noise blog!

Greetings, and welcome to the new Signal to Noise blog! This will be an online repository of news and commentary built and maintained by the Signal to Noise writing staff. SIGNAL to NOISE is a nationally distributed, quarterly publication focusing on the confluence of avant-garde jazz, electro-acoustic improvisation and left-of-center modern rock, with an emphasis on independent production and promotion. Featuring a vibrant mix of seasoned music writers and new, previously unpublished voices, STN has been nominated by UTNE Magazine for “Best Arts And Creativity Coverage” in their 2004 Independent Press Awards, as “Zine of the Year” at 2007’s Plug Independent Music Awards, and four years running as “Best Periodical Covering Jazz” by the Jazz Journalists Association. Each issue of STN mixes in-depth features on the most significant and cutting-edge creative musicians with original, exclusive photography and hundreds of reviews of the season’s key concerts, books, and recorded music in all formats from CD to DVD to LP to MP3. All of the content is exclusive to STN's print edition ... this blog is meant to serve only a supplementary function. Hope you'll stop by frequently!
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