Showing posts with label Event. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Event. Show all posts

IFC Center to screen Blank City in NYC

Blank City, a documentary about the no wave film scene of NYC in the late 70's, covered here & at Stupefaction before, and which features some of Eugene Merinov's work, will be showing at the IFC Center here in Manhattan from April 6. That's a good thing because we haven't seen the movie yet! More info here.

Eugene in new book about Max's Kansas City



Hi folks...It's been a while and we hope you're doing alright. I'm just dropping in to let you know that a photograph of Eugene's is included in the new book about Max's Kansas City. For more info, including ordering, and an NYC launch party next week, click over to Stupefaction. We've seen a preview copy and its a beauty!

Blank City

Dan over at the Acute Records blog has a nice write up on the Blank City film. Read it here.

When punk & indie film ruled NYC

Here's a nice piece on two films making their debut at this year's Tribeca Film Festival: “Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB,” directed by Mandy Stein, and “Blank City,” directed by Celine Danhier. Besides the fact that both films are of cultural interest, some photographs by Eugene Merinov are being used in the latter of the two films, many of which were shot at CBGB's. For showtimes & tickets visit TribecaFilm.com. See you at the movies!


Johnny & Joey of The Ramones at CBGB by Eugene Merinov

Original story at the Downtown Express

Two tales recall long bygone era of East Village edge


BY RANIA RICHARDSON

The East Village had edge then — so it’s not surprising that two new documentaries, set to world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, take on the punk subculture of the late 70s/early 80s East Village arts scene.

The era had a mythic allure for two filmmakers who were in diapers at the time. “Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB,” directed by 34-year-old Mandy Stein, follows of the history of the club that launched the careers of Blondie, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Television, and Patti Smith. “Blank City,” directed by 30-year-old Celine Danhier, looks at the underground moviemakers of the period such as Jim Jarmusch, John Waters, Amos Poe, and Eric Mitchell (as well as the performers in their milieu).

“The Ramones and The Talking Heads were my lullaby music,” says Stein on the phone from her home in Los Angeles. “They were what my parents were listening to, what was playing at my house all the time.” Stein practically grew up in CBGB’s, where her father signed bands to his record label, Sire. Her mother was also a regular on the scene, as co-manager of The Ramones. CBGB’s owner, Hilly Kristal, became a family friend. He founded the club in 1973 and named it for the country, blue grass, and blues music he originally featured.

“I remember being there, and being really young, and Johnny Ramone was scolding my Mom and saying, ‘What the fuck did you bring your kid to?’” says Stein, recalling her early memories at the gritty venue. “There is so much flavor in the East Village; but when I was a younger, it was scary. There was a sense that you had to be aware and watch where you were going,” she says.

The family lived on the Upper West Side and Stein left to study art history at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Film production work kept her on the west coast until she got word that CBGB’s was in jeopardy because of a rent dispute.

“Oh, my God, can you believe what’s going on?” Arturo Vega, a member of The Ramones’ entourage, emailed Stein in early 2005. At that point she flew back to New York to document the battle for the landmark club. She collected clippings of all the news reports. She filmed every live performance in CBGB’s waning days, until it closed on Halloween, 2006 — with a performance by Patti Smith.

Stein was heartened by the many generous supporters of the club, including Deborah Harry, her lifelong fashion icon. “She showed up for every rally and was there on the last night,” she says. “Making the film has been a lot of pressure because a lot of people are so passionate about the legacy, including me. I’m a fan. I’m an Über fan.”

Stein (currently putting the finishing touches on her new film) describes the style of her CBGB project as a “hodgepodge” that includes live footage, interviews, and archival photography. “It’s a total collage. The throughline is that the club is in a precarious situation and we watch all these efforts to try to save it,” she says. “We have to reflect on the past and its great history because that’s why we care enough to save it.”

After CBGB’s closed, the space remained empty for a year before John Varvatos moved in with a men’s apparel shop in 2008. He preserved as much of the original club as possible, with walls covered in graffiti and flyers, and rock memorabilia all around. “Thank GOD for John it’s not a Duane Reade,” Stein says.

From across the Atlantic Ocean, “Blank City” director Celine Danhier was forming her own vision of New York, long before her move here in 2006. “I first discovered New York when I saw Martin Scorsese’s ‘After Hours,’ when I was a kid, living in Paris. The city seemed so strange and so dark and also so attractive,” she says via email from her apartment in downtown Brooklyn.

Danhier went to law school at the Sorbonne with the intention of becoming an entertainment lawyer. Before she graduated, her focus turned to filmmaking. “I realized I didn’t want to assist a director or be a struggling actress. I wanted to direct a film,” she says. “Blank City” is her debut feature.

Danhier had long been familiar with punk rock and the atonal “no wave” bands that were formed in response to the more pop oriented “new wave” bands of the era, so she sought out underground movies that exemplified the style. A chance screening in Paris of work by Jarmusch, Poe, and Mitchell whet her appetite for more. “The films captured the time so well; the music, the spirit and the attitude. They had such a brutal sincerity that I loved,” she says.

According to Danhier, her film reveals the emergence of New York underground filmmaking from 1977 to 1987. She interviewed over thirty people and went on a hunt for artistic examples that represented the times. “What was so unique about these films and the music is that even though there might have been a shared aesthetic or a do it yourself / lack of technique, they were all very different,” she says.

“I met a lot of people from that time, who were generous to share with me their stories and each person would lead me to the next. Sometimes I would interview somebody, and they’d say, ‘Hey, you should talk to Bette Gordon or James Nares,’ and then they’d give me a phone number or email address. I let the documentary unfold in that way, kind of organically,” she says.

“We had one American Express card and a lot of determination while also working full time jobs during the week,” Danhier continues. “We kept to the film’s philosophy as much as we possibly could to make our movie, doing everything very collaboratively and on the fly with no money. Now, though, the ‘Do It Yourself’ sensibility is completely tied up with the economic factors of living in New York, so filmmaking is much more of a struggle.”

In Danhier’s view, the East Village today is, “Construction, construction, construction. It feels strange because a lot of the new constructions don’t seem to fit with the landscape. I do think it’s very tame now. That feeling of being on the edge of something is gone. But, then you find other parts of New York to go to — areas of Brooklyn or a new place in Manhattan will open up — and you’ll feel that energy once again. It just is always shifting around,” she says.


Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators & friend by Godlis

Eugene Merinov at Tribeca Film Festival



As mentioned last November, we're happy to announce that a feature length documentary called Blank City, which uses many of Eugene Merinov's photographs, will be making its premier at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.

Cast & Credits
Primary Cast: Jim Jarmusch, Steve Buscemi, Lydia Lunch, Richard Kern, Nick Zedd, John Waters
Director: Celine Danhier
Producer: Aviva Wishnow
Directors of Photography: Ryo Murakami, Peter Szollosi
Editor: Vanessa Roworth

Program Notes
New York City in the late 1970s. Underground filmmakers collaborated with experimental musicians and vanguard performance artists, all on a shoestring budget, to create the most daring work of their generation. In stark contrast to the poverty and crime that seemed rampant in the economically struggling city, a community of aggressive, confrontational, vibrant artists flourished: hole-in-the-wall screening rooms abounded, manifestos circulated, and Jim Jarmusch, Nick Zedd, and Amos Poe debuted early works to an audience of their peers. These short-lived but profoundly influential movements dubbed themselves "No Wave Cinema" and "Cinema of Transgression."

Director Celine Danhier brings energy and style to her encyclopedic documentary on the figures and history of this rich but gritty era. Blank City includes compelling interviews with such luminaries as Jarmusch, Zedd, Poe, John Waters, Steve Buscemi, Lydia Lunch, Lizzie Borden, Eric Mitchell, Thurston Moore, Debbie Harry, Bette Gordon, Glenn O'Brien, John Lurie, and anyone who was anyone in the late-'70s East Village art scene. Ample film clips from seminal works bring to life a time and a place lost to gentrification and commercialization in the '80s, but that lives on in a still-thriving tradition of avant-garde art.


Be sure to visit the festival website for dates, times & more information!

Good news for 313 Bowery!

From our friends at uber-music photography gallery, Morrison Hotel:

Please come and celebrate with us the opening of The Morrison Hotel Gallery at 313 Bowery.

If this address is familiar to you it's the former site of CBGB's Gallery. For those of you hoping the site would not become a drugstore chain we have good news. This historic location will be preserved by providing some of the best in visual music art curated by the staff of our gallery and created by the talented photographers and artists we are presenting. Our first show will feature the multi-talented mixed media artist Steve Joester. The exhibition and sale begins with a reception for the artist on Thursday evening, March 27th at 7PM and runs through April 17th. The gallery hours will be 12 - 7 Sunday - Wednesday and 12 - 9 Thursday - Saturday. We will be closed on Monday.

Ten days left for Eugene Merinov exhibit

Only 10 days left to see the Eugene Merinov exhibit at Etherea Records in NYC if you haven't seen it yet. Original prints and reproductions are available for order if desired - all hand printed by Eugene himself.

What will happen after the show? Who knows? Not me. Keep your eye on this space.

Opening wrap & Eugene on the web

A very special thanks to all who turned up for opening last night - it was a smashing success. And please go visit the exhibit while it's up at Etherea (66 Ave A, NY NY) in the East Village. Open 7 days a week.

WFMU DJ Evan "Funk" Davies plugs us on his show. Thanks Evan!

UK artist Ralf Zeigermann links to us on his site.

Eugene or Bust!

Bust Magazine was kind enough to list us on their event calendar.

Thanks to WFMU's Cherry Blossom Clinic for mentioning our opening on their listings page at WFMU.org.

The Eugene Merinov Story

Etherea Records is proud to announce the opening of "Press the Eject and Give Me the Film: The Photography of Eugene Merinov, 1977-1981."

Sept 19-Dec 12, 2007

When it comes to photographs of New York’s original, hallowed punk and post-punk era, the world has justly recognized important works by Roberta Bayley, Bob Gruen, Stephanie Chernikowski, George DuBose, Laura Levine, Godlis, Ebet Roberts, and others. Perhaps flying just under that radar, but every bit as striking and iconic, are the images captured by Eugene Merinov. From 1977-1981 Merinov similarly and tirelessly trod the boards in front of the stages at CBGB, Max's Kansas City, Hurrah, Trax, Danceteria, Irving Plaza, TR3, Maxwells, Ukrainian National Hall, Paradise Garage, The Palladium, and the original Peppermint Lounge — sanctified names, all, in the history of the local New York City scene. Merinov was there three nights a week or more to capture all the action.

Along the way, he became perhaps the ultimate and sharpest visual recorder of the emerging & amazing post-punk scene, with his searing shots of such greats as Bauhaus, Wire, Gang of Four, X, XTC, New Order, Monochrome Set, James Chance’s Contortions, Richard Hell’s Voidoids, Suicide, Pere Ubu, Lydia Lunch, Only Ones, Bush Tetras, and more, all caught in their primal infancy/urgency. His shots of the band synonymous with CBGB, the Ramones, in their ancestral home circa Rocket to Russia are perhaps the best of all of them.

Now, for the first time, his original works, all in the stark and arresting black & white that suited this shadowy scene best, will be featured in a gallery that suits his work the best; on the walls above the CDs and vinyl of the Etherea store in the neighborhood that spawned so much of this music, the East Village. Previously best known for the cover shot to Bauhaus’s 1982 live album for Beggar’s Banquet, Press the Eject and Give Me the Tape, more recently his work appeared on Wire’s Live at CBGB—a natural fit given Merinov’s series of photos from that pioneering band’s historic first and only visit to punk’s Mecca in 1978 (their New York debut).

Along the way, Merinov didn’t merely collect the images of groups whose stature has increased ten-fold since those intimate small-club days. Though less-remembered or seen, Merinov valuably set his lens on a plethora of fascinating regular acts also playing those clubs, valuable members of the thriving local scene. It has been 25 years, perhaps, since most of us have seen the sights of such cutting edge types as the Erasers, Johnny Thunders-associated punks the Blessed, rockabilly rebels the Senders, Max’s weekends’ sensation Von Lmo, power-pop faves the Speedies, and the avant-pop of Polyrock, Revelons, Student Teachers, Zantees, and Model Citizens, England’s dance minimalists Delta Five, San Francisco’s incredible new wavers the Mutants and the Offs, and tough Boston acts like La Peste and Human Sexual Response — and more. Having not laid eyes on any of these familiar faces in 25 years, the effect is as jarring as the images that jump at you.

Merinov is no longer active in the field, but as he puts it best of the time, “I felt I was part of a new scene and didn't want to miss out on it.” Typical is his remembrance of his favorite concerts of this period, by Wire. “Visually and musically. I came out of those shows drenched in sweat and shaking all over.” That quality always comes across in this exhibition. And, stumbling on the scene after seeing Patti Smith in 1976, Merinov saw everyone, experienced everything, and made sure it wasn’t lost for posterity. Influenced by Egon Schiele, Ingmar Bergman, the French New Wave, Italian Futurism, Russian Constructivism, the photography of August Sander, Rodchenko, Koudelka, Peter Hujar and Anton Corbijn, the design work of Peter Saville for Factory Records, (as well as many Friday afternoons picking up new 45's, LP's, and issues of the NME, Sounds, and Melody Maker at Bleecker Bob's) his keen eye and sense of darks amid the lights is beyond powerful.

From the absolute last years before MTV arrived and ruined any sense of an alive & kicking club scene as being the place to see and hear new, breaking sounds, these bands, and these photographs, feel as timeless as the uncompromising art made by so many artists depicted in them — who fought the good fight for the ultimate expression of the form over mere commerciality and video-camera ready looks. It’s the last era where the real kooks, geniuses, and wily, oddball artistes ruled the forefront of underground cool and left a legacy that will never diminish. And the Bavarian-born, Russian descended, School of Visual Arts-trained Merinov captured every last bit & dusty breath of it.

- JACK RABID, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER, THE BIG TAKEOVER, 7/19/07

Etherea is located at 66 Avenue A (between 4th & 5th St) in the East Village, Manhattan. Phone number: 212-358-1126. Open Noon to 10:00PM daily.