Modern Needs: Aspirin Aspirations


Modern Needs is listening and dance party with special guest DJs and monthly musical themes, held monthly at the great Last Exit bar in scenic Brooklyn, U.S.A. ... The August throw-down of Modern Needs features returning guest DJ ERIC DAVIDSON (author, and frontman of punk-rock heroes The New Bomb Turks and Livids).

Eric, and your Modern Needs host and boss DJ, MR. LEE (Dead Flowers Productions), will be spinning only the finest rock, punk, power-pop, and juvenile delinquent anthems until the wee small hours.

Tuesday, August 7th at Last Exit
136 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, U.S.A.
Kicks off at 9PM... No cover!

Brooklyn Yes Indeed!


"Style is knowing who you are, what you
want to say, and not giving a damn." -Gore Vidal  

Brooklynites have a pride that is unmatched, and while the borough has gone through many changes as of late, one thing holds true, Brooklynites from the '70s and '80s have style, and we know it. This style was exhibited in many ways, from the way we dressed, walked (with a knowing swagger), talked (despite mythology, there's more than just one Brooklyn accent), made a stoop our own, or how we wrote on subway trains, walls, and later, canvasses.

While street-art is often referred to as a worldwide movement — and it truly has has become one, co-opted by small commercial interests and big business alike — the art-form got its humble, ink-stained start in the five boroughs of NYC, kicked-off by city-kids for city-kids. The County Of Kings can lay claim to breeding and nurturing many a talented and acclaimed urban artist, hailing from places as diverse as Red Hook, Coney Island, Park Slope, and Bedford Stuyvesant.

The BROOKLYN YES INDEED show intends to highlight an art movement and subculture that has grown leaps and bounds from its insular D.I.Y. origins, by showcasing artwork that shows the trajectory of a clutch of legendary Brooklyn artists who have taken their work from the trains and walls of our great city onto the next level. In addition to canvas and sculpture work, the exhibit includes photography in an effort to give a context as to where the art was birthed, and by whom.

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Featuring artwork from legendary Brooklyn artists
JOUST • Mr. KAVES • KEO • RIBS • Jamel Shabazz • TRIKE
(Curated by David "CHINO" Villorente and Lee Greenfeld)

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Opening reception & party - Friday, July 27th at 7PM
Urban Folk Art® Studios, 101 Smith Street, Brooklyn U.S.A.

Show runs until the end of August.
Gallery hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 12-9PM and Sundays, 1-8PM

Ranking Full Stop


THE ENGLISH BEAT
DJ Mr. Lee (Modern Needs)

The Beat were formed in Birmingham, England in 1978, during a period of high unemployment and social upheaval in the United Kingdom. Ranking Roger, one of the band's vocalists, added a Jamaican vocal flavour to the band's sound with his toasting style. Jamaican saxophonist Saxa (b. Lionel Martin, 1930, aka Papa Saxa) added a Jamaican ska instrumental sound. Saxa had played saxophone with Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken and Desmond Dekker in the first wave of ska (as well as with The Beatles in their Liverpool days). He joined The Beat to record their first single, "Tears Of A Clown," a cover version of the Motown hit by Smokey Robinson.

Although The Beat's main fan base was in the United Kingdom, the band was also popular in Australia, partly due to exposure on the radio station Triple J and the TV show Countdown. The Beat had a sizable following in North America, where the band was known as The English Beat for legal reasons (to avoid confusion with the American band The Beat). The Beat toured the world with well-known artists such as David Bowie, The Clash, The Police, The Pretenders, REM, The Specials, and Talking Heads. Members of the band often collaborated on stage with The Specials, and in the early 1990s, Roger joined members of The Specials to form the new band Special Beat, which toured and released two live albums. They supported the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and participated in the collaborative recording "Nelson Mandela."

Thursday, July 12th at The Bell House
149 7th Street, Brooklyn, U.S.A.

Doors at 8PM. $25 cover.
(Tickets available via TicketWeb)

Modern Needs: Summer In The City


Modern Needs is listening and dance party with special guest DJs and monthly musical themes, held monthly at the great Last Exit bar in scenic Brooklyn, U.S.A. (and occasionally at other locales within the Five Boroughs)... The July edition of Modern Needs features special guest DJ RONIN THE SWORDSMAN (DoubleBarrel/Copasetic).

Ronin, and your Modern Needs host and boss DJ, MR. LEE (Dead Flowers Productions), will be spinning only the finest in punk slop, street-rock, power-pop, reggae, soul, and rock'n'roll!

Tuesday, July 3rd at Last Exit
136 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, U.S.A.
Kicks off at 9PM... No cover!