A year ago, we were at the beginning of a five-day intolerable heat wave. Luckily, it seems we’ll only get a handful of 90°+ days this year which means more time outside drinking frozen cocktails! Boozy slushies are a bit of a trend right now and the neighborhood is full of them. It just so happens that they’re perfect for that cooling afternoon drink or to pretend you’re actually on a tropical vacation. Here are the spots happy to put a tiny umbrella in your drink. Continue reading →
Perhaps no local building combines Greenpoint’s proud industrial past and creative present and future than the Eberhard Pencil factory at 47- 61 Greenpoint Avenue. Like many other local factories the pencil factory building has been re-invented and is now home to an amazing variety of creative individuals and innovative firms.
The Eberhard Faber Pencil Company, originally the A. W. Faber Company, was founded by German Eberhard Faber, (1822-1879) in 1861. Faber came from a family already famous as German pencil makers. Faber received a trademark here for the production of lead pencils and started the American branch in a factory close where the United Nations now stands, making it the first American pencil factory. After a destructive fire destroyed the company’s Manhattan plant in 1872, Faber moved the to Greenpoint, where the plant remained until it shuttered 1956. The company first introduced German lead pencil making techniques stateside and Faber grew to become one of Brooklyn’s largest factories, employing hundreds of workers, most of whom were local women. Continue reading →
St. John’s Lutheran Church on Milton Street is one of Engelhardt’s most recognizable buildings in Greenpoint.
You certainly know his buildings, but probably do not know his name. Theobald Engelhardt played a huge role in shaping our local architectural heritage. His buildings are local landmarks and some of our most gorgeous buildings are his handiwork, yet few people today realize his important local legacy.
Timing can mean the difference between success and failure, and Engelhardt began his career just as a local building boom was hitting Greeenpoint. Born in Williamsburg in 1851, Engelhardt—a German-American—came of age just as German influence in this area was at its peak. Engelhardt became one of Brooklyn’s most prolific architects, designing hundreds of structures that include a range of buildings from factories and churches to stores and homes. Continue reading →
Vinyl might be making a comeback, but Greenpoint audio mastering legend Paul Gold never left it behind. At Salt Mastering (61 Greenpoint Ave.) in the Pencil Factory, he’s spent the last 10 1/2 years mastering for such acts as Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, and LCD Soundsystem.
I recently set aside some time to garner stories from Paul about his history in the business, and maybe get a few technique pointers along the way. Arriving at his place of business, I pried open his door on the fourth floor, and he shouted from the other room to come in.
Paul is a bit of a mad scientist. His hair bounces around as he moves about in his studio, and his large frame glasses are actually of his era, and not worn ironically. We sit in a relatively small unit, the front half filled with tools and scraps of audio gear, while the main mastering room is surrounded by large gear that looks like something out of those black-and-white Twilight Zone episodes on time travel from the 1950’s.
BKCF Founders (Julian Kiani, Chris Nester and Ashleigh Walker) headliner, Reggie Watts. Photo by: Rafe Baron
Last week the Brooklyn Comedy Festival filled Greenpoint and Williamsburg’s bars and music venues with top names in both local and big-time comedy. It was the festival’s third year to take over our hilarious borough, and we caught up with one of the founders, Chris Nester, to see how things went and what goes into making the fest a success.
Greenpointers: So, the festival is over! How’d it go?
Chris Nester: Oh my god it’s over? Really?! How did it go? JUST KIDDING…We’re really happy with how this year’s festival went. We were trying to pull off a lot, and I think we did it without letting anyone know how tired we were.
GP: I don’t know about that. You look pretty awful.
CN: They sent a comic to do the interview. Perfect.
GP: (Sorry). What made you decide to start the Brooklyn Comedy Festival in the first place?
CN: Julian [Kiani] and I were performing and going to shows in Brooklyn every night. We saw that something special was happening in NYC comedy, and that it was happening in Brooklyn. One night after a show, we had a candid conversation that basically went, “Is there a Brooklyn comedy festival?” “No, I don’t think there is…” “That’s crazy. We should start that.” Then we pitched it to Ashleigh [Walker], our producer, and less than a year later we had the first Brooklyn Comedy Festival.
GP: How long have you been in Brooklyn?
CN: I’ve lived in Brooklyn for six years. Moved here Sept. 10, 2010.
GP: Have you seen a change in the Brooklyn comedy scene since you moved here?
CN: Mostly, I’ve just seen it grow – not only in the amount of performers getting up every night in BK, but also in the number of shows happening and the number of people coming to watch those shows. In many ways, the festival has grown with the scene and the borough, and I think that has helped us a lot.
GP: Your team works out of the Pencil Factory in Greenpoint. What made you choose that space as a home base?
CN: Free coffee.
GP: Sounds about right. What’s your favorite place to watch comedy in Greenpoint?
CN: I am a huge fan of the show Broken Comedy that happens at Bar Matchless every Monday night. They’ve tapped into something there – there’s always a good crowd and a full room, and the line-ups are always killer. It’s FREE. It’s become a great Monday night spot for comics to hit before they run off to Whiplash or wherever, and also for comics to hang if they’re done for the night.
GP: What’s Whiplash?
CN: It’s a great showcase at UCB’s mainstage every Monday night. Also free.
GP: Back to the festival: What venues were added this year that weren’t a part last year?
Crowd at Music Hall of Williamsburg on the last night of the fest. Photo by: Rafe Baron
CN: We had a few this year… Bell House, Threes Brewing, Dizzy’s Backroom, Music Hall of Williamsburg… As the scene continues evolving, with certain weekly [and] monthly shows ending and new shows always popping up, I think we’ll have new venues every year. A lot of our new venues are for shows that already exist and we attach to the festival.
GP: Did you notice a difference in the turnout this year?
CN: Every year we add more shows and bigger venues…it’s amazing that every year people continue to pack out almost every single show. It blows my mind, every single year.
GP: There were some big names on the roster like Reggie Watts and Vanessa Bayer, to name a couple. How do you get the larger acts on the lineup?
CN: I’ll just say that we have a lot of friends doing amazing things in comedy, and sometimes the stars align and we get to work together.
GP: Can we be friends?
CN: I sent you a friend request like five min before this interview even started, soooooo ball’s in your court.
GP: Score. What would you say is the biggest factor in the success of the festival?
CN: One huge factor in our festival’s success is the growth of its namesake borough. There are so many more people in Brooklyn now, and that mixed with the comedy boom we’re currently living in… I think people wanted this type of festival and they’re responding to it. We also work our asses off year-in and year-out to put on a good festival.
GP: Reggie is magic. So, what are your plans for the future of the festival?
CN: 1.) To make sure Trump doesn’t get elected….not sure how but we’re really working hard on that.
2.) That’s a tough question, and we try to make changes every year based on what we’ve seen and learned from the year before so we’re kind of just starting to look at next year. Our main goal has always been to lift up our scene, its fans and performers however we can, so we’re going to try and continue to do that as best we can.
Check out the Brooklyn Comedy Festival on places like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for highlights from this year and info on the next!
Lobster Joint’s beer garden (courtesy their Facebook page)
Greenpoint (and pretty much all of NYC) will be experiencing record breaking temps of almost 70 degrees over the next two days. It’s March, people. Are you ready to strip off those coats? Here are some of our favorite outdoor spots in Greenpoint where you can soak up some of that good ol’ Vitamin E.
Lobster Joint – 1073 Manhattan Ave. Open from noon every day, they’ve got a lovely New Englandy open air beer garden in the back of their seafood restaurant. Grub on a lobster roll and chill out with a beer.
When he’s not working from his studio in Greenpoint, teaching at the School of Visual Arts, or filling in as art director for the New York Times Op-Ed page, Josh Cochran holds his annual Get Nude. Get Drawn exhibitions with fellow artist and friend Mike Perry. This year will be their fifth. The project consists of getting together some of Brooklyn’s most talented illustrators and dedicated day sessions of drawing nude models in their respective styles. The exhibition will show drawings made by the two originators themselves, along with artists Chrissy Angliker, Jon Burgerman, Mario Hugo, Julia Rothman, Edward Ubiera, and Joo Hee Yoon. Anticipating tonight’s show I asked Josh to share a few words about the playful collaboration and what it’s like to delve into the world of nude art.
Exhibition:
Thursday, January 28th
Tictail Market
90 Orchard St
7 – 11 pm
Photo source @joshcochran
GP: Can you introduce yourself? I’m an illustrator for magazines, newspapers and advertising. Sometimes I make murals as well.
GP: I hear you have a studio here at the Pencil Factory. What is your history with the space and what is a typical day in the studio like for you? I’ve been here off and on for about seven years. It’s this big building with a bunch of other creative people working in various studios. Sort of feels like school, in a good way! Sometimes if I’m working on a project, it’s really nice to lean over and get an opinion of one of my studio mates. I come in around 10am and leave around dinnertime. I try to get my commissioned work out of the way so I have some time to work on personal projects. I try to work during daylight hours but of course if I have a deadline, this gets shifted around a little.
GP: How did the idea for this exhibition come along? How did you and Mike meet? Mike and I met at the ADC Young Guns awards party. We were both getting an award, and just started talking. The idea for the project came about when we were both talking about how we wished we could draw nudes again but maybe approach it from a different perspective. In art school, drawing the nude was really academic and I wanted to find a fresh, spontaneous way to work. Drawing from normal, non-professional people really changes how you approach drawing. There is a certain amount of awkwardness and honesty that I hope to capture.
GP: Have you worked with any of tonight’s artists before? I’ve worked with a couple of them before. Edward Ubiera and I did a mural project together last summer. Also I’ve done a few projects with Julia Rothman. This Brooklyn art world is pretty small actually.
Photo source @joshcochran
GP: What other kinds of shows do you plan on putting
together in the future? No immediate plans just yet. Though this is the 5th year of doing nudes and definitely planning on keeping this project going until we’re both very old. It’s been really interesting seeing how the project and work has evolved through the years.
GP: With these drawing sessions, what is the procedure like in order to get people the most comfortable? We try to keep it as professional as possible. There is a changing area and we usually set up a bunch of props and lights that the models can interact with. Usually we try to chat a little bit with each model to see what kind of poses they want to do or what will make them feel more comfortable. I think one person this year drank half a can of beer, which seemed like it helped!
GP: What are you looking forward to the most with this exhibition? I’m really looking forward to meeting some of the models. It’s been fascinating hearing the stories from people that have modeled for us. We’ve gotten people who’ve wanted to pose in order to get over a phobia of being naked in public, women who are about to have a baby, my studio mate who wants to embarrass me, etc. It’s always been sort of a crazy experience.
In the fast-paced shell game of who is making money off of Greenpoint’s real estate scene, carpenters are getting no love these days. The Brooklyn Woodworkers Co-op–a Greenpoint carpenter collective– who has been sawing, slicing and molding wood for the last 30 years inside the Pencil Factory is now on the chopping block after being presented with, you guessed it, an insane rent increase.
Philippe Prelati, owner of Atelier Prelati who makes custom doors and member of the Brooklyn Woodworker’s Co-op, says the landlord is jacking up the rent from $20,000 to $55,000 a month—practically 3x’s what they are paying these days.
Lexy Funk (Brooklyn Industries) delivering her speech.
Tuesday night, the newly revitalized Greenpoint Chamber of Commerce held its first annual meeting inside the Kickstarter Headquarters, Greenpoint’s pencil factory for the digital age.
More than 200 of the neighborhood’s foremost capitalists, investors, workers, and a smattering of politicians attended the event, which honored Kickstarter as the Community Anchor of the year, and which featured a terrific speech by the supremely well-named Brooklyn Industries co-founder, Lexy Funk. Continue reading →
Late in his life, Henri Matisse would turn to creating cutouts, which eventually covered the walls of his lofty studios from floor to ceiling inside the Hotel Excelsior Regina Palace at Cimiez in France. Matisse would direct his numerous assistants and his Russian mistress, Lydia Delektorskaya, with a 12-foot long bamboo cane from his bed, and they would all rush to adjust his colored paper compositions. Echoing Matisse in his own way, and paying homage to the beauty of industrial America, multimedia artist Michael Hambouz has created a series of 18 large-scale, cut-paper collage works called Factory Made using paper stock from the mill located in his hometown of Niles, Michigan. We met in front of The Richardson, and walked to his studio a few doors down, where his cat, Pickles, was waiting. Continue reading →
