Manleez.com

Digital Graffiti Cover Photos

Manleez — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:05:48 +0000

So often I see cool characters incorporated into street art. Sometimes, I try and remember how the character is drawn so that I can record them in my notebook. Recently, I started taking pictures of some of them with the intention of digitizing them. Nothing beats the appeal of analog image, but nothing beats the versatility of a digital one.

Here is the photo from which I was working:

And here’s what I came up with:

I admit this cover is a little all over the place. A quote by Banksy was apt for two reasons: first, the post has to do with street art and second, because I’m posting this at 7am, after having been up all night :/

I intend to work with this character a little more in the future, so be on the lookout for that. Anyone have a name for him/her/it?

Jordan.

Facebook Cover Photo Fun

Manleez — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:46:08 +0000

Today I pulled Illustrator of the shelf and had some fun designing cover photos for Facebook. Although they really aren’t my style, I was pleased with the results. Check them out and, by all means, feel free to use them.

The BTK Band Will Rock Your Face Off!!!

Manleez — Wed, 11 May 2011 05:16:24 +0000

On the second Monday of every month the BTK Band commandeers the stage at Under St. Marks in the East Village to play their unique form of rock, story telling and improv to the intimate crowd. And it is awesome! It started with a cool, nerdy comedian followed by a medley of well known rock songs, followed by some improv, followed by a story about buying pot in nyc in the company of cops and , well I could go on. This is a video of one song the band improvised about the life of Christy, one of the women in the audience.

Check out their website here.

When: Second Monday of Every Month

Where: Under St. Marks -East Village

Cost: $5

Spring Flowers.

Manleez — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:22:42 +0000

Just a few shots of the beautiful flowers that spring to life all over New York in the spring.

The Village Gate’s Old Fashioned Piano Party

Manleez — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:50:36 +0000

Every Sunday evening, you can, for free, sit in a cabaret style bar and listen to dozens of performers sing show tunes. The songs range from the well known to the sublimely obscure and the talent ranges from good to ‘oh wow, you just happened to have the night off Broadway and decided to come and sing here!” Grab a drink, bring someone you love and enjoy a wide array of music.

The first half of the show is planned around one or two composers. But the second half is open to anyone with the guts to sign up and select one of the thousands (yes, thousands) of songs the pianist, Caleb Hoyer, can play by sight.

Enjoy this video of a song by one of the composers being featured this particular evening.

When: Every Sunday at 9pm

Where: Le Poisson Rouge, NYC

Voting Now Open For Battle of the Boroughs: The Bronx

Manleez — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 18:45:26 +0000

The three finalists have been chosen from the seven groups competing to represent The Bronx (see the video here). When you are ready click here to vote.

And the finalists are:

Finotee

Finotee: The Poly-ethnic train to funky town.

Led by a dynamic pair of glamourous ladies, Finotee was the poly-ethnic train to funky town. This band was made up of mature musicians who clearly are comfortable making music together. They have more than 100 years of music experience between them and it all culminated in a rich, if somewhat lyrically unintelligible, song on Friday night.

Just A Lil Bit

Representing Co-op City, Just A Lil Bit left no doubt as to their musical prowess.

Representing not only the Bronx, but more specifically Co-op City, Just A Lil Bit showed the crowd what a band of virtuosos could do. From the funkadelic guitar riffs to the sizzling saxophone solo to the outstanding drummer the song was a tour through the band’s musical abilities. Just A Lil Bit has also been playing together for many years. These guys practically grew up together. One member of the band said, “We know what works because we don’t only know each other’s styles, we know each other’s personalities.

The Steven Oquendo Latin Jazz Orchestra

Let's all get up and dance to the wonderful music of the Steven Oquendo Orchestra.

While it’s not fair to compare this amazing orchestra to the other six groups, they were clearly the most outstanding. This is the type of group that you hire if you are wealthy and your daughter is getting married. This is the type of group you hire for civic events honoring foreign dignitaries. The whole time they played, I just eyed the floor in front of me debating whether they would be bothered if Kenya and I started dancing. I refrained, but not because they left me wanting. This band is outstanding.

Don’t forget! Click here to vote for your favorite.

The Parade of Eternal Youth (kind of looks like Halloween out of season).

Manleez — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:49:45 +0000

The best parades, not least of all because they are short and to the point, don’t always happen on fifth ave. This one took us by surprise today walking down Metropolitan Ave in Brooklyn. And, Kenya got the first Easter egg of the season out of it.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Battle of the Boroughs Video – The Bronx

Manleez — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 20:13:53 +0000

Last night seven groups competed to represent The Bronx this year in the Battle of the Boroughs sponsored by WNYC at The Greene Space. More commentary to come — for now, dig into this short video showing a little taste of each group.

Don’t forget the free Clifton Anderson concert at BAM tonight. Hope to see you there!

Cool Events in NYC April 1 – 3, 2011

Manleez — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:58:14 +0000

On this blog, in a previous incarnation, I had a weekly feature where I posted the top 3 coolest things to do each weekend. I have decided to bring it back. Why? Because too often I am talking about once a year or once in a lifetime events in the past tense. Too often I’m hearing, “Oh, I wish I had known about that!” If I can’t find 3 great things to do in a weekend, if it is a particularly dry weekend, than I’ll just suggest whatever I do find.

For this weekend, I recommend the following:

April 1st: Battle of the Boroughs

This amateur music competition does not disappoint.

Battle of the Boroughs is back with the Bronx edition. In case you don’t know, Battle of the Boroughs brings together bands from a single borough to compete for the opportunity to perform at summer stage. With Brooklyn and Queens already decided, Bronx is up for this Friday! The Queens edition of this event was the best amateur musical competition I have ever seen.

This event will be held at the absolutely wonderful Greene Space at:

44 Charlton Street (at Varick Street)
New York, NY 10013
Hudson Square

Tickets for this event are $15 per person with one drink included or $30 for an open bar option. Not only is seating limited, space is limited. Both Brooklyn and Queens sold out. Buy your tickets here.

Here is a video of Mala Reinz, one of the Bronx artists who will be competing Friday night:

April 2nd: International Pillow Fight Day

The softer the better, that way the feathers just explode as soon as you hit someone.

There are two really wonderful ways to enjoy this event. Either get yourself a pillow and come prepared to slug it out, or take a seat in the armchairs overlooking Union Square on the fourth and fifth floor at Filene’s Basement. Either way, this is an unforgettable and totally enjoyable sight. Its supposed to be a whopping 49 degrees cold. But if you move toward the center of the fight, believe me — you will not be cold.

Cost: Bring your pillow.

Time: 3:00pm

April 2nd – BAM Cafe

This and every Friday and Saturday, the cafe at BAM hosts awesome performing artists (who ever is doing the booking leans toward jazz). The shows are always free and take place in a wonderful open hall. You’ve got a top flight bar behind you, cool music in front of you and awesome people all around you.

On Saturday Clifton Anderson will be performing. Here is a video of him:

The address is: At Lafayette and Ashland in Brooklyn

Show starts at 9pm.

Welcome to the Church of What’s Happening Now

Manleez — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 06:06:46 +0000

That line, from a song by Sia, fits perfectly over todays topic: The Limelight. This deconsecrated Episcopal church-cum-nightclub-cum-shopping mall opened last May. It has steadily added unique one off vendors becoming a “Festival of Shops”. It was really fun to wander through it last weekend. It’s an amalgamation of a Hobbit’s home and the kind of malls I grew up with in Southern California.

The view from the entrance; not sure what part the astro turf path plays.

One of the many shops peddling unnecessary amusements.

I recommend going when the weather is warmer. With a jacket on, I felt like I was always at risk of knocking expensive things over.

Every nook and cranny where saints did pray and sinners did lay, now you too can play if you are willing to pay.

It was a pleasure to squeeze and nose my way through this church. There was plenty to see, taste and try. Expect to pay more than you do in non-ex-religious shopping venues. Check out the Limelight website.