Veselka the Movie

The Lo-Down Culture Cast

31:01

National Geographic photographer and conservationist Jaime Rojo has spent decades capturing the beauty and fragility of the monarch butterfly. Their epic migration is one of nature’s most breathtaking spectacles, but their survival is under threat. In this episode, Jaime shares how his passion for photography and conservation led him to document the monarchs’ journey. He and host Brian Lowery discuss the deeper story behind his award-winning images, one about resilience, connection, and the urgent need to protect our natural world. See Jaime's story on the monarch butterflies at his website: rojovisuals.com , and follow Brian Lowery at knowwhatyousee.com .…

год назад 28:05

MP3•Главная эпизода

This week on The Lo-Down Culture Cast we spoke the trio behind the new documentary, Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World. Filmmaker Michael Fiore, who wrote, directed and produced the film, joined host Traven Rice, along with Tom and Jason Birchard, the 2nd and 3rd generation owners of Veselka, the restaurant, to talk about the experience of making the film right as the Ukrainian war broke out.

The restaurant has been around for 70 years on 2nd Avenue and E. 9th Street and has been a refuge for Ukrainian immigrants, not to mention generations of New Yorkers living downtown, since it's beginning. As a neighborhood hub focused on community and refugees, we also talked about what it's been like to keep the business running during these tumultuous times.

29 эпизодов

#Arts #PLO

Veselka the Movie

The Lo-Down Culture Cast

published год назад

MP3•Главная эпизода

29 эпизодов

#Arts #PLO

Все серии

1
The Lo-Down Culture Cast - "Your Faithful Reader" 24:06

21 день назад24:06

24:06

Host Traven Rice talks with director Miriam Wasmund and performer Liz Dutton about "Your Faithful Reader," an experiential theater performance that merges the worlds of acting and dance with real letters. Participants were mailed writing prompts—suggestions of letters they may want to write: to others (known and unknown), to themselves, to their most beloved objects, or even the intangible. The response was pages of heartfelt words, ranging from the romantic and fun to the most honest and brutal truths. Now a company of actors, dancers, and creatives have given the letters (both anonymous and signed) new life in "Your Faithful Reader." Performances of the current iteration are January 30 - February 2 at Teatro Latea (107 Suffolk St.)…

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The Lo-Down's Lower East Side NYC Culture Podcast - "It's A to Z: The Art of Arleen Schloss" 23:32

4 weeks назад23:32

23:32

Lower East Side NYC arts and culture podcast host Traven Rice interviews Filmmaker Stuart Ginsberg about his new film " It’s A to Z: The Art of Arleen Schloss ." Schloss was a downtown performance artist who invited other artists to collaborate and perform with her on a weekly basis. The film explores Schloss’s creative work and evolution and how it changed over time. A highly original cross-disciplinary artist, she was known for her boundary-pushing, idiosyncratic performance art, video, and installations. Through exclusive never-before-seen archival footage shot by Schloss herself and mixed with commentary from people from the scene, we trace Schloss’s story and see, from her point of view, the texture of New York City's downtown art scene from the 1970s through the 1990s. Known as an “artist’s artist,” Schloss became influential through A’s, her loft space that was a hub for genre-defying music, gallery shows, performance art, films, and other happenings. A hotbed of experimentation, A’s featured the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Eric Bogosian, Glenn Branca, Kim Gordon, Shirin Neshat, Thurston Moore, Alan Suiclde, Ai Wei Wei, and John Zorn, among others. #artist #podcast #artsandculture #interview #lowereastside #film #nyc #nycart #performanceart…

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Gary Guarinello of Catalyst Records 21:09

13 weeks назад21:09

21:09

Host Traven Rice spoke with Gary Guarinello, founder of Catalyst Records in Essex Market, for this episode of The Lo-Down Culture Cast. Gary is a drummer and a music lover who is also a former butcher. He was working at The Market Line Food Hall at Ends Meat when he pitched the idea for a record store, which he opened in 2022. When the food hall shut down in the lower level of Essex Market, he moved Catalyst Records upstairs, across from Top Hops Beer Shop, and began hosting live music events, podcasts, and other local art openings and book signings.…

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Author Dan Slater's "The Incorruptibles" 39:19

13 weeks назад39:19

39:19

Host Traven Rice spoke with author Dan Slater about his new book, " The Incorruptibles - A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld ," which focuses on the true stories of the Lower East Side underworld and the secret efforts by wealthy uptowners to eradicate them during the late 1800's and early 1900's. It's a "harrowing, true-life tale of an immigrant underworld, a secret vice squad, and the rise of organized crime" in New York City. And most of it took place right here on these very neighborhood streets, as waves of Eastern European Jews were immigrating to the U.S., (pre-WWI) and in turn created one of the largest ghettos in the world. In the mayhem of these teeming streets, a dense web of crime syndicates emerged. Slater writes: "Gangs of horse poisoners and casino owners, pimps and prostitutes, thieves and thugs, jockeyed for dominance while their family members and neighbors toiled in the unregulated garment industry. But when the notorious murder of a gambler attracted global attention, a coterie of affluent German-Jewish uptowners decided to take matters into their own hands. Worried about the anti-immigration lobby and the uncertain future of Jewish Americans, the uptowners marshalled a strictly off-the-books vice squad led by an ambitious young reformer [Abe Schoenfeld]. The squad, known as the Incorruptibles, took the fight to the heart of crime in the city, waging war on the sin they saw as threatening the future of their community. Their efforts, however, led to unforeseen consequences in the form of a new mobster class who realized, in the country’s burgeoning reform efforts, unprecedented opportunities to amass power." Dan Slater is the author Wolf Boys , which was a Chicago Public Library best book of the year, Love in the Time of Algorithms , and The Officer & the Entrepreneur . His new book, The Incorruptibles , was selected as an editors' pick by the New York Times Book Review. A graduate of Colgate University, New York Film Academy, and Brooklyn Law School, he has written for more than a dozen publications, including the Times , the Wall Street Journal , the Washington Post , New York magazine, the Boston Globe , The Atlantic , Texas Monthly , The New Yorker online, and GQ .…

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Filmmaker Claire Ayoub 27:26

17 weeks назад27:26

27:26

Host Traven Rice spoke with writer-director Claire Ayoub for this episode of The Lo-Down Culture Cast. Claire's first feature film, Empire Waiste , is out now. The boundary-pushing film tells the story of Lenore Miller (Mia Kaplan) an overweight, insecure teen whose talent for fashion is discovered by her confident, plus-sized classmate Kayla (Jemima Yevu), forcing her into the spotlight—and into the path of both bullies and new friends. Claire shares the story of her brave journey to get the film made and how it stemmed from her own childhood fears and challenges. Claire is a writer, director, and performer on a mission to create entertaining, educational, and empowering stories through her production company Try Anyway Productions. Claire launched her career in the New York City comedy scene as a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater where she wrote, directed, and performed both sketch comedy and storytelling shows. The EMPIRE WAIST script was named the #1 Comedy on The Black List and selected for both the Black List Feature Lab and Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriting Fellowship at Sundance. The film has since won Best Empowerment Film and Best Social Impact Film at Sedona International Film Festival, Wavemaker Award: Best Future Wave Feature, and Best Feature at the Coney Island Film Festival. Claire is also the creator of The Gyno Kid, an award-winning solo comedy show about growing up as the child of small-town gynecologists that encourages audiences to laugh and learn about their bodies.…

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Musician and Activist Fury Young 19:54

20 weeks назад19:54

19:54

This week's episode of The Lo-Down Culture Cast features a conversation with musician and activist Fury Young . Fury grew up in the neighborhood, and recently released Tree Indeed , his first solo EP as a musician. His music is "artland rock meets surrealist rap, a melodic record about growing up in the LES and life." His late father, the artist and social worker Lee Brozgol , helped turn a once derelict building on Eldridge Street into a fully functioning co-op back in the 1980's. Fury is also the Founder of FREER Records , the first known non-profit record label for prison-impacted musicians in the US.…

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Luis Fernandez of "Forsyth Fire Escape" 19:23

26 weeks назад19:23

19:23

"Culture Cast" Host Traven Rice speaks with Luis Fernandez , a partner in the popular " Forsyth Fire Escape " (of the amazing scallion pancake burrito creation) which started in 2021 during Covid. Founder Isabel Lee created the "burrito" with inspiration from her Chinese and Thai roots and Luis's Dominican background. During the pandemic, they served burritos out of their apartment by lowering them in a bucket off of their fire escape. The burritos were an instant hit and when they started to gain traction, their landlord served a cease and desist letter threatening a lawsuit by the end of the day. So they pivoted and partnered with their local bodega, Don Juan's on Forsyth Street, to serve burritos, which sold out every Sunday, on a preorder basis. They also created other special events and pop ups. They have since opened a 6-month residency at Olly Olly market in Chelsea. Luis is prepping for a new solo popup project, " Feitos ," coming back to Don Juan’s Deli on the corner of Forsyth and Broome on Sunday, Sept. 8th. The premiere item on the menu will be a Dominican-style fried chicken sandwich that you can pre-order here . He’s also an indie rap musician, makes paintings and has a clothing label. He's been featured in Grub Street, Eater, and Bloomberg's "50 Ones to Watch."…

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Remote Theater Project's "Thank You For Listening" 25:08

38 weeks назад25:08

25:08

Host Traven Rice spoke with Alexandra Aron , Founder and Artistic Director of Remote Theater Project , about the upcoming production that will take place in Sara D. Roosevelt Park on Saturday, June 8th at 2pm and 4pm. The show, titled " Thank You For Listening ," is a community engagement project that's been in the works for over a year. It's based on conversations and workshops with three different communities that intersect in the park; the unhoused community, Chinese seniors and more recently, migrant workers who are temporarily living in hotels near the park. The team explains the background of the project here : "In September 2022, Remote Theater Project produced "Embrace the Tangle" as part of Little Amal Walks NYC, a project involving over 1,000 community members in the Lower East Side/Chinatown. The event was a celebration of diverse communities coming together to welcome newcomers, like Little Amal, a Syrian refugee. How can we continue build on this experience to connect diverse groups of people who share the same public space? From this question, The Sara Roosevelt Park project was born." Playwright Carmen Rivera wasn't able to join the conversation in person, but did offer some thoughts about her experience with the project in a phone interview with us after the episode recording. “We’re living in this divisive time when everyone is screaming at each other," she said, "so let’s take a step back and remember that we are living on the same planet. Everyone wants to be heard - giving space to their stories, and giving space to the idea that we should all listen to each other was the work...'open your heart’ is what we want to say with the piece." In the play, the park itself is a character. Carmen said, in thinking about bringing everyone's stories together, she thought, “Where can we find intersections? So …it’s the park…what has the park seen? For me it was, let’s bring the park to life….so we started exploring the history of the park and also the relationship the community has to the park." The park has been a witness to the community and their struggles.…

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Pioneer Gallery Owner James Fuentes 30:22

39 weeks назад30:22

30:22

This week's episode of The Lo-Down Culture Cast features pioneering Lower East Side gallery owner James Fuentes . Host Traven Rice spoke with Fuentes about how growing up in the neighborhood influenced his creative aesthetics and the intention behind the gallery, which he opened in a live/work space on St. James Place in 2007. Those were the early days when the Lower East Side was just beginning to be recognized as an art gallery neighborhood. Fuentes was born on the Lower East Side to Ecuadorian immigrant parents and was raised on the Lower East Side, residing in the Vladeck Houses during his early years, and later in the South Bronx. The gallery moved to its location at 55 Delancey Street in 2010 and quickly became a lynchpin in the gallery scene. Its final exhibit in that space is a large group show curated by Arden Wohl titled " A Study in Form (Chapter Two) ." The show closes on May 25th and a block party will ensue. Since its inception, James Fuentes has "championed a gallery program that is led first by exceptional contemporary artists who are atypical from the conventions of their field. The gallery is known for its focus on humanity, history, and society with a non-exclusionary approach, positioning itself as a leader in the field as our contemporary institutions seek to do the same. In the spring of 2023, the gallery opened an outpost in the Melrose Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles, and in March 2024 it inaugurated its new location at 52 White Street in Tribeca."…

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Photographer Alain Levitt 28:39

40 weeks назад28:39

28:39

For this edition of The Lo-Down Culture Cast, host Traven Rice speaks with photographer Alain Levitt . Alain is well known in the neighborhood as an artist and the co-owner of the beloved restaurant Bacaro . Alain recently celebrated the publication of his first official photo book, "Alain Levitt, NYC 2000-2005," edited by Tim Barber. It features a series of photos of the downtown "creative class" in New York during the early 2000s and serves as a celebratory time capsule from this time period. Along with the book, Alain has a solo show at the gallery Whaam! (15 Elizabeth St.) on view through May 25. Alain talked with Traven about his arrival in early 2000 from Los Angeles. He ended up on the Lower East Side, working for the NY Post as a street photographer and then later at the (in)famous bar, The Cock. From there, he went on to co-host a party at The Hole, a bar where all sorts of creative people crossed paths and hung out, and eventually became co-owner of Bacaro with his wife, Kama Geary. Living Proof NY writes, "In the early 2000s, New York’s economic landscape created a world in which one could survive off of little. Artists, skaters, graffiti writers, poets & musicians inhabited the city, organically creating style & culture in a way that permeated into the life of the neighborhood. Common streets became legendary as the 14 block radius of downtown New York housed a thriving underground scene flourishing in a carefree time of unhindered creativity. At this time Alain Levitt was hanging out in the Lower East Side on a daily basis with a small film camera on his person. Spending the early 2000s living amongst the people, Alain shot the downtown New York Scene during an era that laid the foundations for events & people that went on to deeply influence the world of skate, graffiti, art & culture. His debut book 'NYC: 2000-2005' is a collection of these photos." Alain writes that he "grew up free range on the west side of Los Angeles. Skateboarding, Graffiti, Raving - the trifecta of 90’s subcultures- helped inform his world view and gave him a home amongst the outcasts. The same world he would focus his lense on after moving to New York in 2000. Not yet a photographer, Alain picked up a camera out of necessity. His first job in NY was shooting street fashion for his sister’s, Danielle Levitt, Sunday style column in the New York Post- a job that required carrying a camera 24/7. Alain recalls showing up to Max Fish and being gently made fun of for his oversized Paparazzi rig. His second job, at the infamous gay bar The Cock, gave him a front row seat to a wild NY that was quickly being choked out by Mayor Giuliani and provided enough income for this budding photographer to only work two evenings a week. More time to run the streets. Alain quickly found his community on the Lower East Side. Alife by day, Max Fish at night. And after starting a bi weekly party, with Spencer Sweeny, at The Hole, Alain planted his seed in the downtown scene."…

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Roxy Hunt, Co-Founder of The Lower East Side Film Festival 22:52

44 weeks назад22:52

22:52

We spoke with Roxy Hunt, Co-Founder of The Lower East Side Film Festival (LESFF), for this week's episode of The Lo-Down Culture Cast. Roxy talked with host Traven Rice about the festival's beginning, founded in 2011 in an interactive storefront, and how they have continued to engage devoted movie fans by creating unique live experiences and surprising programming for the last 14 years. The festival features the innovative work of creative, up-and-coming filmmakers, and showcases those low budget, independent films. They offer a week of curated films, panels and parties "with a focus on diversity, originality, quality, and impact." And they always find new ways to celebrate counter culture spirit. The team's production company, BFD Productions, recently launched the Stay Indie Project as a way to connect visionary independent filmmakers with development, financing, and production support. Their first cohort includes four narrative feature projects and two documentaries, all at various stages of development and production. Learn more about the festival and get tickets here . If you know local "culture changers" that you think deserve to be spotlighted on The Lo-Down Culture Cast, send us a note here: tips@thelodownny.com…

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Hester Street Fair 14:48

46 weeks назад14:48

14:48

Host Traven Rice spoke with Hester Street Fair 's manager and producer Janine Ciccone for this week’s episode of The Lo-Down Culture Cast. Hester Street Fair kicks off its 15th year next weekend down at the Seaport. Formerly located at Seward Park on Hester Street, off Essex Street, it moved to the Seaport four years ago after losing their lease. It's been an incredible incubator for small business over the years and The Lo-Down has featured many of the vendors that have successful "brick and mortar" shops in the neighborhood today. Some of the creative food, fashion and art makers that started at the fair include, Melt Bakery, Cheeky’s, Kopitiam, Round K, Petee’s Pie, Party Bus Bake Shop, La New Yorkina. In a preview of what's ahead, they write: "As always, the 2024 season will offer visitors a world of creativity, craftsmanship, and culinary delights. Visit veteran vendors like Hanzawa Market and Red River Vintage for a trove of vintage treasures, or indulge yourself with exquisite handcrafted jewelry from Mottive and Eden’s Harvest. Turn up the heat with Cantina Royal Hot Sauce, or turn down the mood with The Mantel NYC’s signature candles. And discover goods from a lineup of new vendors this year like ceramics from Dune Brooklyn, beauty products from Clear Morning Wellness, and brownie delights from Snack Lab BK. And to our beloved food enthusiasts: indulge in a culinary voyage from the savory delights ofTacos El Guero to Brooklyn’s own Big Mozz, who will make their triumphant return in a newly revamped food truck. For cheese connoisseurs, Sunday is your day to cruise by Coluccio Cooks for a taste of Southern Italy with their Caciocavallo Impiccato — a delicacy dating back centuries. If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing gooey, soft cheese suspended over a grill, be sure not to miss."…

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Ellen Weinstein 25:50

47 weeks назад25:50

25:50

Host Traven Rice spoke with Author-Illustrator Ellen Weinstein for this week's episode of The Lo-Down Culture Cast. Ellen's vibrant picture book, Five Stories (for children and adults alike) is being released this month. The story features five children, from five different cultures (Russian, Italian, Dominican, Puerto Rican and Chinese) through five different decades, who grow up in the same tenement building on the Lower East Side of New York City. Ellen is a third-generation resident of the LES, and the story begins with her grandmother and continues to the present. Her grandparents and great-grandparents came to the Lower East Side as part of the Great Wave of Immigration from Eastern Europe in the early 1900s. She writes: "Research for this book was conducted over eighteen months, during which time I met with and interviewed historians, curators, and librarians at the Tenement Museum, Eldridge Street Synagogue, Henry Street Settlement, Seward Park Library, and the principals and students at Public School 1 and Public School 42. I asked my neighbors and friends about their stories of migration and the stories of their parents and grandparents. While listening to all these different stories, I found they had much in common." The book is a love letter to the neighborhood and a poignant depiction of the diverse cultural heritage that continues to make the Lower East Side such a fascinating place.…

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Pat Enkyo O'Hara 25:29

48 weeks назад25:29

25:29

Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, PhD, is the Abbot and co-founder of The Village Zendo, a contemporary Zen center based in downtown Manhattan. A Soto Zen priest and modern day American Zen Teacher, O'Hara integrates traditional meditation and koan practice with social engagement and peacemaking. A Founding Teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order , she taught for many years at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, centering on new media technologies, media ecology and social justice. Her focus is on the expression of Zen through caring, service, and creative response. (Host Traven Rice has studied formally with O'Hara for many years.) Roshi O’Hara’s writing has appeared in Tricycle , Lion's Roar , Shambhala Sun, Buddhadharma and other Buddhist journals, as well as her books, Most Intimate, A Zen Approach to Life’s Challenges and A Little Bit of Zen. Her numerous talks can be found on YouTube here . She was an early pioneer in the field of teaching Zen - and Engaged Buddhism - in America. Today she continues to encourage practitioners from all walks of life to incorporate social action, compassionate care-taking and creative expression into their daily practice.…

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Veselka the Movie 28:05

50 weeks назад28:05