Gas Water Nothing: Catching Up With the Glass Bees

Catching Up With the Glass Bees

October 6, 2008

Sufficiently faithful readers will be aware that I perform and record music with a group called the Glass Bees. We have a performance this Friday at Monkeytown (58 N. 3rd St in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) collaborating with video artist Guillaume Clave. If you’re in the New York City area, it would be great to see you at the show!

In other Glass Bees news, we have released a full-length CD Tops Crops Snaps Hots. You can order a copy via e-mail or buy one from us at the show.

Filmmaker Nerina Penzorn has used our music in soundtracks for two short documentaries about artists: an episode of “Caught in the Act” about Chico MacMurtrie, and a profile of Mary Lynch, entitled “Saint Jude”.

The Glass Bees have released about eleven new tracks since I last mentioned us on this site. Artwork (all by me) and links below. Somewhere in there, Chris and I were officially joined by third member Andrea Williams.

Trackwork, Breakwork

Captains of Industry

Another Year With Nothing to Do

Getaways in New Jersey

Take Advantage of the Setting Sun

Welterweight

Copper Canyon Can-Can

Family Disaster Plan

Roland’s Big Day Out

Roland’s Song (This track was also remixed with added vocals by Meth Jive as Wht God Ntended)

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Launching Launchpad in Brooklyn

from UrbanSketchers: Jason Das

March 7, 2010

Last night I went to a pre-opening "pencil party" for a new community/arts space on on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn a few blocks away from my home. The space will be called Launchpad. I had a chance to chat with Mike, the founder (and owner of the building) and his priorities seem right on. Most remarkably, there is no obvious political, religious, or ideological agenda--how rare is that for a grassroots community space?! They just want to provide a place for people to hold events, classes, share resources, etc. Mike expects non-profit incorporation to be completed within the week.

Launchpad is reaching out for foundation funding, and Mike is donating his storefront, but they do need financial support from individuals as well. They're raising start-up funds via Kickstarter, and have about one more day to meet their goal. Please consider contributing! I really hope this place gets a strong start and thrives.

The gist of the "pencil party" was to draw on the walls, in this case with markers instead of pencils. One of my contributions was an urban sketch--a view from the window right on the window frame:

Urban Sketch on the windowframe at Launchpad

(Sorry the pics are so lousy--it was dark and all I had was my phone.)

I neglected to take any photos of the space or the party, but here's one I snagged from Mike's Facebook:

While I'm excited about Launchpad and have high hopes for it, the crowd at the party did give me cause for worry--it was extraordinarily skewed in terms of age, race, and class. As they go forward, I really hope Launchpad can involve a more representative cross-section of who lives in the neighborhood. A major point of a place like this is that everyone will feel welcome, and given the demographics of the neighborhood (shifting fast and loose these days), it may take some real effort and reaching-out to achieve this.

Launchpad is located at 721 Franklin Avenue, between Sterling and Park, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York City.

Day 28: Thinged-Out Self Portrait

from Jason Das Makes a Thing-A-Day

March 1, 2010

Catching up is hard to do...

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Day 26: I Combed My Hair

from Jason Das Makes a Thing-A-Day

March 1, 2010

I know it wouldn't be a big deal for many people, but it is for me! Besides, I didn't have a chance to make another thing that day. (The occassion for getting dolled-up was a Krinkle Bearcat show.)