Jen Shyu
Peoria, Illinois born Jen Shyu is one of the most fascinating new artists currently emerging from New York City’s experimental and avant-garde world. Or to quote Val Jeanty of Val-Inc “Jen’s work is amazing and inspiring.” What strikes me most about Jen Shyu is her stage presence and the aura she manages to create with a mere motion, with a facial expression. Even though placed in a completely different corner of the creative spectrum, it is a gift very similar to that of Genesis P-Orridge. Who, much like Jen, just by the look in her eyes manages to create greater artistic depth than other artists do with their full back catalog. No matter whether Jen appears under her own name or as part of groups like Bobby Previte’s Amniotic, her performances are nothing short of impeccable. Below is a selection of live impressions, presenting Jen Shyu on her A-game. With words by Steve Coleman/Five Elements, Patricia Magalhães/Poet & Writer, Jan VanAssen, Dale Fitzgerald/Founder & Executive Director Emeritus Jazz Gallery, Rio Sakairi/Artistic Director Jazz Gallery and Bobby Previte/New Bump Quartet.
[Patricia Magalhães | Poet]
Jen Shyu is an urban-tribeswoman. She is curiosity and dance, poetry and sense, and our collaboration is one of symbols and souls. Her compositions are an ineffable poetry, sonic art pieces with original handmade colors — they are a bouquet of wild flowers picked at dawn. Always eager to learn and discover new paths, Jen is somewhat the Bela Bartok of this time; from all sources she seeks, from all springs she drinks, and to us all she delivers the voice of beauty, tradition and modernity. She is symbiosis and semiotics, and an artist in its purest sense.
Patricia Magalhães | Brazil, January 2010
[Jan VanAssen]
Jen Shyu’s Raging Waters, Red Sands is a concept piece of power and beauty, often calm and meditative, while simultaneously fierce in its quiet intensity. The instrumentation is unusual: viola (the excellent Mat Maneri), clarinet and bass clarinet, vibes, small percussion, voice and er hu (Jen). A dancer in mime whiteface (Satoshi Haga) uses slow Tai-chi movements that relate more to the words than to the music. The text is based upon a Chinese legend and uses traditional sources as well as contemporary poetry by the Brazilian Patrícia Magalhães. The songs are in Tetum (the language of East Timor), Taiwanese, Portuguese, and Mandarin. The themes of Raging Waters….. (at least to my understanding) are both elemental and complex: the futility of human attempts to impose our will upon nature, one’s responsibility to society vs. self and family (conflict between the personal and political), the acquisition of wisdom through trial and suffering, and the interconnectedness of all things. I won’t reveal the specifics of the tale, except to say that it ends in an erotic joy.
Jen uses traditional material, as she does in her work with Jade Tongue, but this is most definitely not “folk” music. Nor does it fall under the meaningless category of “world music.” The musicians, here and in Jade Tongue, are generally regarded as jazz players and the music contains improvised sections, but Jen is uncomfortable with being labeled a jazz artist, with good reason. I think we can say that hers is creative art music of high caliber and leave it at that. I have long been impressed by Jen’s successful incorporation of poetry and text into her compositions. (“The Chinese-Cuban Connection” from Jade Tongue is a notable example.) The combining of music with poetry or prose is a tricky business that so often results in the dilution of both. (The fondness of some truly creative musicians for bad poetry has always baffled me.) Magalhães’s poetry is eloquent and evocative, filled with images of sorrow, passion, and rage. Jen uses Sprechstimme for much of Raging Waters…: soft, clear intonations that are frequently mesmerizing.
When one listens to a great deal of music, particularly music with improvisatory elements, as I do, occasional rare moments happen, exceedingly rare, in fact, when something I reluctantly define as magical occurs. They are difficult to describe without lapsing into the sort mystical nonsense I loathe. Transcendent intervals, I suppose I can call them, in which one experiences a sense of complete immersion. Such a moment occurred for me, late in Raging Waters, Red Sands: viola and bass clarinet joined in a repetitive figure, vibes shimmered in the background, little wood and metal percussion instruments clattered and clacked, the dancer moved with glacial grace, and Jen’s lovely voice floated through it all. I left the concert feeling fortunate to have experienced the music in live performance. Thank you, Jen. And thanks to your musical colleagues.
Jan VanAssen | New York City, January 2010
[Dale Fitzgerald | Jazz Gallery]
My initial exposure to Jen Shyu’s talents was limited to her performance as a vocalist with Steve Coleman’s group, Five Elements. It was immediately clear to me that her warm, supple voice is endowed with a penetrating power that projects well, even when embedded in an instrumental ensemble. And she consistently hits the notes she targets.
Subsequently, I had numerous opportunities to attend her performances as a leader, featuring instrumental, choreographic and dancing skills.
By the time I attended the premiere of her Raging Waters, Red Sands in December of 2009 I counted myself among those “in the know” about the impressive dimensions of Jen Shyu’s multiple talents. Nonetheless, I was unprepared for the complete tour de force she displayed in this fascinating project. Every single part of the performance worked and, moreover, worked with all the other parts. Each instrument was keenly balanced with the other instruments and beautifully aligned with the striking visual presentation by a skilled dancer. Into this ensemble her voice breathed a fire that made it all come magically alive. I found it one of the most remarkable performances ever staged in The Jazz Gallery and, moreover, one that would be appreciated on any major stage in the world.
Dale Fitzgerald | New York City, January 2010
[Steve Coleman]
I’ve known Jen Shyu for 7 years now, and most of that time she has been performing with my group. What has impressed me has been how hard Jen works on her projects; on the musical composition, the performance, and on the connection between the music and the underlying symbolism. All of Jen’s work has been developed from this solid foundation, and Raging Waters Red Sands follows this approach. It is extremely rare for a vocalist to make this kind of complete contribution to the world of creative music. This path requires a unique blend of musical skills, a passion for original research, an insatiable curiosity, and an ability to merge seemingly disparate elements into a holistic expression. Jen’s work sets an excellent example for future vocalists and musicians, the world definitely needs more creative work on this level.
Steve Coleman | New York City, January 2010
[Bobby Previte]
The thing that most impresses me about Jen is that she’s all the way in. Total commitment. When you watch her perform, she pulls you to her so completely, there’s no room left for doubt. This is a gift that cannot be learned or faked. You have it, or you don’t. She has it. Lot’s of people try to do movement, and it’s just embarrassing. Not her. She has a stage presence that makes you believe . We have a band together called Amniotic, more of a rock/psychedelic band than her other projects, and when we play she completely morphs into this rock goddess. Amazing.
Oh, and she can sing, too.
Bobby Previte | New York City, January 2010
[Rio Sakairi | Jazz Gallery]
Jen embodies sincerity and passion through her music. Her quest for self-expression is quite a joy to listen and watch.
Rio Sakairi | New York City, January 2010
Coalesce
Twelve years ago I reached out to Sean Ingram for a Coalesce interview and soon after received a two pages strong handwritten response. The questions of course are long lost. Unless you have access to a copy of Trust Zine #72 (October 1998) in which a German translation of the interview appeared, along with eternal praise and appreciation for their brutal full length masterpiece “Give Them Rope”. While having been in Germany the other day, I went through some old stuff and excavated Sean’s letter as documented above. Love the stamps…
Extra Life
Charlie Looker’s Extra Life is a non-conformist powerhouse, highly unique and very much at the forefront of what we call avant-garde. In that respect the Brooklyn based outfit is quite in line with Looker’s previous projects and collaborations. Zs (profiled here), Period, Hillmer Looker Pride Trio or Dirty Projectors all specialize in the fine art of awe inspiring architectural sonic designs. (((unartig)))’s Extra Life video profile presents the early days as a solo act as well as the current full band lineup. Along with original and mostly unreleased footage shot in New York City between 2006 and 2009 come words by Sam Mickens/The Dead Science/Sam Mickens’ Ecstatic Showband & Revue, Mike Pride/From Bacteria To Boys, Larkin Grimm, Nat Baldwin/Dirty Projectors and Hunter Hunt-Hendrix/Liturgy. A song index is located at the end of the feature.
[Larkin Grimm]
The first time I saw Extra Life, it was like revenge of the choir boys. Extra Life is totally evil and beautiful, and they stand peerless in a category of music that is completely their own. This is no soft-cocked indy rock group. There were dominatrixes and vampires in the audience, as well as noise rock legends and classical composers. We all had our jaws dropped in overwhelming awe, admiring their skill and ecstatic life force.
Larkin Grimm | New York, November 2009
[Hunter Hunt-Hendrix | Liturgy]
When I first heard the Secular Works recording, it really hit me hard. I was addicted to it yet cringing at every listen because my perceptual apparatus was burdened with the task of literally reconfiguring itself trying to generate appropriate aesthetic criteria for judging Charlie’s music. Which is to say, it is mercilessly original (among other things). And I think it takes Zarathustran courage to make a record like that, which inherently cannot fit the mold of whatever scene out of which it is born, since it breaks all the molds. It was a profound inspiration to watch him pull it all together.
Hunter Hunt-Hendrix | Brooklyn, November 2009
[Sam Mickens | The Dead Science]
EXTRA LIFE::THE NEW ASCETICS
Main Entry: as·cet·ic
Pronunciation: \ə-ˈse-tik, a-\
Variant(s): also as·cet·i·cal \-ti-kəl\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Greek askētikos, literally, laborious, from askētēs one that exercises, hermit, from askein to work, exercise
Date: 1646
1 : practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline
2 : austere in appearance, manner, or attitude
What is powerful in Extra Life performances is not any sense of frenzy or abandon; it is in the very exercise and limits of control. It can be viewed, in this sense, as something of a musical fascist state—it derives all of its power from the complete alignment and subservience of its component parts and none from the emotional outburst of the individual. It is a music of gleaming, mechanical force, not a headless, communal force but one of severely pointed and sharpened intent. Fascism’s etymological root, the Latin Fascis denotes “strength through unity” and, literally, “a bundle of sticks;” both true and clear sympathetic ideas to the work of Extra Life. Entirely through-composed music, it rings out as a cascade of tightly wound voices, a musical bundle of sticks made Leviathan by their close-hewn and tightly bound arrangement. It is not a music of open space but of battened hatches and sealed exits, and nuclear fission.
While essentially contemporary punk rock music, Extra Life can also be viewed as the logical progression of experimental music production from the post-improvised music generation. Like the developers and practitioners of most forms of occult science and “magic,” Extra Life observe and act by the tenet that the true ecstatic spiritual state can be reached only through applied efforts and coordinated design and not through an ephemeral abandonment of worldly bonds. Truly higher states must be reached by divinely arranging the present structures and elements of this world rather than flaccidly dissolving amongst them.
Unlike many of their recent predecessors and contemporaries, Extra Life do not find their punk rock in the debasement and relaxing of grip of musical understanding, nor in the oft-clung-to excuse for sloth of musical “freedom,” but rather in making themselves operators of the highest level, taking formal musical educations and classical senses of personal discipline and leveling them against the contemporary environment. They understand that in modern art action, as in modern political action, the dissident and avant garde must possess as great a sense of rigor and militancy as the forces that establish and maintain the ruling class; that in this age no power will be overturned nor new paradigm reached with diffuse or sentimental pursuit of a better tomorrow.
Their title, “Extra Life” can be delineated in two primary ways—
I. The portion of lived experience definitively above/outside the bounds of functional living, “extra-life” as in “extra-curricular” or “extra-terrestrial”
II. An experiential overload; the overflowing portion of one’s sustainable human experience
While both of these ideas can generally be viewed as the most basic and constant themes of music or, indeed, of art in general, the degree to which Extra Life’s work recognizes, notes, and penetrates these concepts places them at a high level of refinement in content delivery. Their primary lyrical fixations—sexual negotiations, itinerant moral defectiveness, individual (primarily physical) self-construction, figures of organized religion—all function as somewhat metalogical concepts in Extra Life’s songs—art that understands, undermines, and redirects the poetic traditions inherent in itself. At the point of experiential overdrive and at the white-hot fringes of control, Extra Life creates crushingly powerful new work by walking a path of severity and austere definition.
Sam Mickens | Brooklyn, November 2009
[Mike Pride | From Bacteria To Boys]
I should have seen Extra Life in full band mode many times by now. Charlie Looker is one of my closest music partners in the world, and while I had seen him perform Extra Life solo many times over the past 3 years I wasn’t prepared for the revelation that awaited me on November 5, 2009 at the Cakeshop. I had opened the night with Sam Mickens’ Black Lantern Trio. Over the years, Charlie and I have been involved in many projects/bands; starting with Antenna Terra (w/ Ty Braxton in 2001), which morphed into our duo Aardvarks, which went on hiatus then became Period, which we then expanded to its current quartet. But, alas, time moves faster and faster as it progresses, and before you grasp it, you might have missed out on something profound.
I have always known that Charlie was brilliant (truly) but I never could have anticipated how deeply the band’s performance would stir me. Having known Charlie for nearly 10 years with varying degrees of ultra-closeness and distance, I was moved by how bare Charlie was exposing himself: through his compositional methods which myself and many others have internalized and been inspired by over the years; through his lyrics which seemed to run from self-effacement to social critique, completely confidently; and through the band’s rivetingly precise, emotional and powerful performance. Extra Life is a band of top-notch musicians, performing amazing and powerful music with grace and nobility. By the end of the concert I was holding back tears of a powerful impression and just couldn’t stop myself from thinking how proud I am of my good friend, Charlie.
Mike Pride | Sunset Park, Brooklyn Thanksgiving 2009
[Nat Balwdin | Dirty Projectors]
Extra Life combines beauty and brutal force like no other band in New York, or anywhere for that matter. Even at the music’s densest moments, Looker’s unique melodic sense prevails. The music feels hundreds of years old and futuristic at the same time. Looker’s voice is delicate, yet powerful. You get the feeling that one moment he might break your neck, and next he might make out with you. When music has so many contrasts within, sometimes the ultimate goal can be lost and the results lacking. That is not the case with Extra Life, as each contradiction only adds to each other to create something truly unique and utterly beautiful.
Nat Baldwin | Brooklyn, November 2009
Matt & Kim
There’s this pizza joint in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It used to be a pretty decent spot. A bit on the pricey side maybe, but at least one could bring their own alcohol rather than spending an offensive dollar amount on some ‘three letter shitbrew’ in a can. The rustic “warehouse turned restaurant” feel was charming and one never had a hard time grabbing a seat at the mostly communal style tables. Of course at one point the owner(s) came up with the ingenious idea of applying for a liquor license and from then on served beverages in jam jars! A classic ‘wtf’ moment, right?! While I certainly do appreciate a good quality Hefeweizen being available, even if it’s at standard Manhattan prices, the concept of drinking beer out of a way to small jam jar is beyond me. Add to that a pizza quality that over the years has become increasingly soggy or the large number of Meat Packing district type patrons swarming the place these days and we pretty much have a textbook example of a downward spiral. In 2009, all “Roberta’s” is good for is an allergic reaction.
A notion actually, even though for very different reasons, that is quite similar to my feelings when I first stepped into the place. The visit was of course before some entrepreneurs turned the dump into a money grabbing hellhole with questionable service. In 2007, the building on the corner of Moore and Bogart was nothing but an empty warehouse space, coated in thick layers of dust and grime. On June 22nd “261 Moore” hosted a Parts & Labor record release show, headlined by Matt & Kim and supported by The Death Set, Best Fwends and DJ Dirty Finger of the infamous Black Label Bike Club on the wheels of steel. The show was originally scheduled for a different space. However, around 6pm on the day of the show promoter Todd P found out that the planned location had been turned into a sweatshop. So he quickly moved the party to what could only be described as the “Moore Street Barracks”. This spot looked like it was beyond repair. Piles of junk where everywhere. And the dust… Jesus Christ, the dust! Holy asthma attack. But once the sweltering security- and bouncer less warehouse packed in with hundreds of kids none of this mattered. The dust was soaked up in an ocean of sweat and filtered by nonstop waves of crowd surfers. In other words, the typical mayhem of a Matt & Kim show drowned out every aspect one could possibly bitch about. Shows and circumstances like these are what I consider to be punk. Raw energy in an environment most ‘nine to fivers’ would run from screaming. Fuck! Huge streams of piss flowed into the streets from every corner of the shack. Yes, there were a few port-a-potties but it wasn’t like any of the drunks gave two shits. It was a filthy yet bizarrely heartwarming experience all at the same time. Such memorable and uniquely entertaining punk rock moments don’t come one’s way too often. Funny enough 2006 and 2007 saw plenty of them and many were associated with Matt & Kim performances.
For instance, the 2006 late night patio show at the Brooklyn Diner, which later became Duff’s and now serves as some sort of construction company truck parking lot or whatever. Doors were at 11pm which was great because my wife and I were at Carnegie Hall earlier that night to see Ornette Coleman. While I have the deepest respect and appreciation for Coleman’s body of work, I feel alienated by places like Carnegie Hall and its museum-like atmosphere mixed with a subtle vibe of music school elitism. Consequently the trip to the Brooklyn Diner felt like a homecoming. A down to earth outdoor space surrounded by a scenery reminiscent of a war zone rather than that of anything remotely posh. The building across the street looked like a ruin from the Kosovo conflict. Add to that a bit of an industrial feel in the air and you get the general atmosphere. Simply put, we loved every single aspect of this show and had forgotten about the dull Carnegie Hall experience within 2 minutes of our arrival. And it only got better. Every single band on the bill killed it, with the exception of High Places, who probably couldn’t even murder a slice of vegan cheesecake. As far as I can recall it was their first show ever but whether or not that’s an excuse for a performance who’s stiffness rivaled that of a two hundred year old oak tree I don’t know. Thankfully all the other bands on the bill totally delivered. Big Digits, Hawnay Troof and Matt & Kim nothing short of destroyed. While the crowd’s response was modest for the first three of the four bands, Matt & Kim’s set opened all flood gates. As soon as Matt hit the first note on his keyboard nobody in the diverse crowd, which was equally made up of artists, scenesters, bike punks and what gets referred to as ‘Hipster’ I guess, held back. The stage less location turned into a wildly undulating pit with kids performing all sorts of crazy stunts, such as swinging from the rafters. Glass bottles shattering all around, speakers toppled over, as did Kim’s drum kit. It was greatness in its purest form and the final proof that Atom and His Package’s heirs had finally claimed the crown in the kingdom of quirky nerdy party punk.
Whenever I pass “Roberta’s” nowadays it brings back memories of these shows and how things have changed since then. Not only real estate-wise, but also for Matt & Kim. Never in my life would I have thought that this warehouse and Brooklyn backyard party phenomenon could be converted into a ‘MTV award winning major spotlight’ type of act. While I personally find very little joy in all things washed ashore by the mainstream entertainment industry I’ve got to hand it to those two. They grew with their challenges, stepped up their shit, refined their sound and even after hundreds of shows played every year, Kim is still smiling, disarmingly.
Below is our visual account of aforementioned events and additional impressions from a 2009 headlining show in front of 5000 ecstatic fans, illustrating Matt & Kim’s current state of affairs. All footage was shot on location in New York City. Complimentary text contributions from diverse ends of the spectrum come from Edan Wilber/Entertainment4Every1, Ty Kube/Team Robespierre, Kelie Bowman/Cinders Gallery & Hot Box, Teenwolf/Ninjasonik, Johnny Sierra/The Death Set, TD/Big Digits, Nicholas Chatfield-Taylor/Matt & Kim Stage Manager, and Josh Brown/Jamband Josh Jodoin
[Nicholas Chatfield-Taylor | M&K Stage Manager]
I spent the majority of the Hudson River Park Pier 54 show in between the stage and the barricade running a camera/DVD/projection system Matt and I had put together. The barricade was not anything sturdy, just metal dividers that are more normally used to coral a line in front of a venue to keep the sidewalk clear. As soon as Matt and Kim started, the barricade was pushed nearly to the stage, much to the surprise of security. For the rest of the show, three or four security guards leaned back in to the barricade and held the crowd off. Unfortunately they pushed the crowd far back and stage diving was then not possible. I think 5000 people were there. When Matt and Kim closed with Daylight the crowd singing along was just as loud as the speakers I was standing under. Pretty awesome welcome home for Matt and Kim after their tour which closed with the Pier show.
Nicholas Chatfield-Taylor | Brooklyn, November 2009
[Ty Kube | Team Robespierre]
Maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’m not….. But i think i saw Matt and Kim’s first show ever…. If i remember correctly it was at my friend Fletcher’s, Matt’s older brothers, birthday show. At this point I didn’t really know Matt. I remember Fletcher telling me I was gonna be really impressed by his “little brother’s” band. Needless to say that was the first time I ever witnessed Matt and Kim steal the show.
I’m not sure if Matt and Kim are my “favorite” live band but they are definitely the one i respect the most. Its amazing the energy those two people can bring to the stage (or floor/or swimming pool). The spectacle is almost uncanny. I once saw Matt and Kim play their set using a real piano instead of their synths…IT WAS AMAZING. Their shows aren’t just “fun or crazy” but genuine.
It’s crazy to think just how much these two have taught me…..From how to handle yourself in a touring band, to giving it your all each and every night. I’m so greatful for these experiences and all the help they have given to me as a person, and as a musician through these past few years. Matt and Kim are not just an amazing band, Matt and Kim are amazing people who just happen to make amazing songs that drive the kids crazy. I value both their friendship and music immensely.
Ty Kube | Brooklyn, November 2009
[Edan Wilber | Entertainment4Every1]
Dear lord, how many times have i seen Matt and Kim in some odd place in the past 5 odd years. They have always been the sweetest of hearts whether they are at McCarren playing to thousands or in someone’s 3rd floor apt off the J train or in a pizza factory playing a huge show that happened at the last minute, they have never disappointed. Sometimes i look around at their shows now and i have no idea who anyone else in the crowd is, but i remember those times when it was like a social circle around the front of Kim’s drums keeping them from toppling over. Its just a testament to attitude, we know ‘em and know how real they are but these kids just hear this music without knowing them and it speaks volumes to them. I think thats pretty rad. Hopefully they’ll keep at it as long as they can. Maybe we’ll all be at Madison Square Garden in top hats someday, im down. I wish i could count the times i have yelled the words to 5k at the top of my lungs but its gotta be more than a hundred.
Edan | Brooklyn, April 2009
[Kelie Bowman | Cinders Gallery]
I’ve known Matt and Kim ever since I moved here, it seems like forever ago. I remember when they first got together as a couple. I thought Matt was older than Kim. Hehe. I also remember when they decided to start playing music. At the same time Kim and I were learning how to tap dance to start something called tap core. I think this is what ultimately made her pick up drumming so fast. I was at their first shows when it was all homies and they were so nervous but still had huge ass smiles on their face. The most memorable show for me was when they played in a kitchen and people were throwing food all around and crowd surfing from the top of a fridge. It was pretty special, like them. They work harder than most people I know and I am happy they are in my life and spreading the gospel…
Kelie | Brooklyn, November 2009
[Teenwolf | Ninjasonik]
First time i saw Matt and Kim my heart almost jumped out my chest. They are literally the most exciting performers on the face of the earth. On top of that, they are the happiest, most awesome people i have ever encountered. Their energy is undeniably awesome. To quote the movie “the last dragon” it seems obvious to me “they got the glow”. They are incredible and i don’t know where our band would be without them. They inspire and drive us to work harder.
Teenwolf | Brooklyn, November 2009
[Josh Brown]
The first time I saw Matt and Kim was one of the first shows I saw after moving to Brooklyn. I would compare it to mass hysteria because it was also the first time I saw a large crowd of people going absolutely insane over truly mediocre music. This foreshadowed a lot of the “style music” I saw over the next few years. In my mind, Matt and Kim stand for the complete failure of my generation’s conception of a popular counter culture; vegans on bikes in condos complaining about newer condos getting their sex from art magazines and popular television shows they can’t admit to their friends they watch. They make terrible art. They think dancing is humping or moshing. But for all the doubters out there: Matt and Kim are unbelievably nice people based on the handful of times I met them.
Josh Brown | Minneapolis, MN November 2009
[TD | Big Digits]
We’ve only played with Matt & Kim a couple of times but I can certainly say that they are the nicest people in New York City and I have never seen two people who exude such unabashed joy at playing music than them. They are a guileless party machine.
TD | Cambridge, MA November 2009
[Johnny Sierra | TheDeathSet]
Wow! Seeing your friends hold MTV trophies when you saw them play house parties and DIY spaces just a year or two before is amazing. And they really deserve it. Toured like maniacs, worked like crazy people and were smart with their decisions along the way. Plus their tunes are catchy as fuck of course! I remember the first time I saw them was at a small punk space in Baltimore with Parts and Labor to about 7 people. Matt was ranting about some kind of personal stuff about Kim and his relationship which was so cute, kind of weird and completely hilarious. More power to them as they take over the world.
Jonny Sierra | Brooklyn, November 2009
