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Welcome to another issue of The Brownbag, the official newsletter of Brownscape Productions. In this issue you will continue to find BP project updates, interesting reads and great suggestions about events and restaurants. You will also find some new additions. This month features new articles about traveling adventures and the thrilling upcoming World Cup 2006 in Germany. If you have any suggestions for stories, events, or advertisements feel free to contact us. We truly hope you enjoy this issue of The Brownbag! Sincerely, Featured Story: Behind the Scenes with The Kiddos!by Francy Andrade
As if everything Brownscape followed a predestined path, the formation of The Kiddos-a progressive alternative rock band- fell right into place at BP. The band, which originally began as a casual project between cousins Mery Diaz (vocalist and rhythm guitar) and George Trivino (lead guitar), has been developing in style and membership since Fall 2004. When Made In India?’s Deepti Paul approached her long time friend and soccer-mate Mery Diaz about the possibility of turning a poem she had written into a song for her documentary, the opportunity was readily welcomed. Consequently, Deepti’s younger sister, Elizabeth “Chikku” Paul, who had previously contributed music for her big sister’s film projects, was enlisted as keyboardist. With this, the beginnings of The Kiddos emerged. The trio worked on Deepti’s lyrics, which later became the song “Sold” (heard on MII’s soundtrack), and recorded a couple of versions of this and other instrumental melodies. Although satisfied with the outcome, the group felt something was missing. As the documentary neared its completion, the band decided a more dynamic sound needed to develop. This is when they signed up the musical talents of Josh Moore (bassist and background vocals) and Greg Nunez (drummer) to form what is now the five-member composition of The Kiddos. Josh and Mery had been colleagues in the non-profit world, but had always talked about collaborating on musical projects. The trio welcomed his musical contribution. Greg Nunez, a long time high school friend of the lead singer, had previously jammed with the cousins and eagerly joined the creative effort. The Kiddos was finally complete. Fusing together varied musical influences and experiences as musicians, the band has been able to create a unique sound that is consistent with a democracy of emotion and instrumentality. Their two recorded efforts, “Sold” (rerecorded) and “Let It Begin” display the range of sound the band can bring forth. A sound that is melodic, emotive and experimental, The Kiddos is sure to have something for everyone. Both songs were debuted on the same night when The Kiddos and MII were publicly introduced at BP’s Made in India? Fundraiser. The crowd’s response was outstandingly energetic, requesting encores. Since then the band has been adopted as BP’s house-band headlining the production company’s musical undertakings. They have been continuously working on new material for their demo album and for future Brownscape film projects such as the upcoming Browntown. “Let it Begin’s” video, directed and shot by Deepti Paul, will soon be seen on BP’s website. The Band also hopes to soon play at a venue near you, so keep your eyes and ears open for The Kiddos! For Kiddos music and more information on this band please visit: www.myspace.com/Thekiddos
The Real Browntownby Noel Agnew
With the Browntown scriptwriting team busily penning the forthcoming cop feature, I decided to take a closer look at the home of and inspiration behind the movie…. Queens has often been labeled as 'the suburbs', but perhaps it only looks that way because it neighbors Manhattan. The fact is that if Queens were a city, it would be the fourth largest in the U.S. The 2000 census revealed a population of 2,300.000, and six years later this is sure to have increased. Browntown director Deepti Paul and chief scriptwriter Sudha Narasimhan, residents of the borough, call Queens "crowded and immigrant-orientated", continuing, "Queens is not hip like Brooklyn. Browntown will talk about that". The characters will parallel the 'outsider' nature of the area. The movie will feature Srinivasan Ravichandran and Ana Ramirez, a detective team with Indian and Caribbean roots respectively. Queens is the perfect setting for the story: "We live in a borough that is mostly made up of minorities, and we wanted to write a story where minorities are the heroes". It seems that every subway stop brings the visitor something fresh to see in Queens. Immigrant communities huddle together to produce unparalleled color and local flavor. Meeting the Greeks of Astoria, the Indians of Jackson Heights, the Chinese of Flushing or the Irish of Woodside, the traveler can trot across the globe without ever leaving the borough. It's the sort of place that produces the likes of Martin Scorsese, Christopher Walken, Run DMC and the Ramones, and will provide a special kind of energy to Browntown. - noel@brownscapeprod.com
East Coast Filipinos “AsPIRE”s to Inspire the Heart by Luis Pedron Filipino Americans should pay particular attention to a disease that continues to be the number one killer of this community: cardiovascular disease (CVD). Studies consistently demonstrate higher rates of hypertension, a CVD risk factor, among Filipino Americans compared to other Asian subgroups, Whites, and African Americans. In recognition of the scarcity of research and interventions addressing CVD in this community, the National Institutes of Health, National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities has awarded a 3-year planning grant to the Center for the Study of Asian American Health (CSAAH) at the NYU School of Medicine. This grant seeks to improve cardiovascular health, particularly hypertension, for Filipino Americans living in New York City and New Jersey. Project AsPIRE (Asian American Partnerships in Research and Empowerment) brings together community members and academic researchers to assess the community's health needs and resources on cardiovascular health, in order to develop a culturally and linguistically appropriate community health worker intervention. The community health workers, representatives of the target community, will assist Filipino Americans to reduce the risk of CVD and stroke by connecting them to the health care system and helping them control their blood pressure. To carry out this initiative, CSAAH has partnered with Kalusugan Coalition (KC), a multidisciplinary collaboration dedicated to creating a unified voice to improve the health of the Filipino American community in the New York/New Jersey area. KC consists of staff from Filipino and Asian American organizations, Filipino artists, students, youth, immigrant advocates, community organizers, health professionals, and academic researchers. Other partners include Center for Immigrant Health and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. This partnership is committed to gaining a better understanding of the Filipino American community's health care needs, facilitating their access to culturally and linguistically appropriate healthcare services, and improving the overall health status of the community at large.
by George Trivino Ecuador’s debut at the World Cup Germany 2006 is against Poland in Gelserkirchen on June 9th. Thirty-two countries will compete in this world tournament, being one of the most important of all sporting events. The first worldwide meeting was held in Uruguay in 1930, during which the host won the title of the first champion in the history of the world cups. However, the team with most overall wins has bee Brazil team, with a total of five trophies. Most recently, Brazil beat the Germans at the final of the Korea-Japan cup in 2002. The teams that follow Brazil are Germany and Italy with three crowns each. My favorites for this world cup are, like always, the South American teams, Brazil and Argentina. Germany has the home field advantage, but the European teams like Italy, England, France, Portugal and Spain are a favorites also, and we can never dismiss the possibility of a surprise. In my country, Ecuador, soccer is huge. The moment we exit our mother’s wombs, we are fanatics of our local teams. We practice the sport, and we follow it with intensity. It is our passion. I think the passion for soccer can cross over any language barriers. In United Stated soccer is not as popular compared to the rest of the world because most people tend to follow American football, baseball, basketball and other sports. However, the U.S team has a great team and could be one of the surprises. The first world cup that I remember following was Mexico 1986—it was awesome! I was only six years old, but soccer had such a heavy influence on my life, that it became one of my biggest passions at that age. Argentina won that cup, with Diego Armando Maradona (10) as the front man of the team. He is, without a doubt, one of the best soccer players of all times along the ranks of Franz Beckenbauer of Germany, Bobby Charlton of England, Paolo Maldini of Italy, Zinedine Zidane of France. However, the number one player ever is Pele from Brazil. Even though this is only the second time that my country is in the world cup, we were always followers. However, now that we are going to be there, Germany 2006 like Korea-Japan 2002 has a different taste. Ecuador will play the in group A, along with Germany, Poland and Costa Rica. I only hope that we will perform well, and that the Ecuadorian players don’t give up. It is a very difficult group, one of the likely favorite are the Germans. In conclusion, like any huge soccer fan, writing about the world cup is always interesting. I am going to follow Germany 2006 very close, and I will try to watch as many games as I can. Soccer is the world wide passion. Good luck to all the nations, I hope that the best win. I hope it's Ecuador!
Alemania 2006: La Perspectiva Ecuatoriana El debut de Ecuador en la copa del mundo alemania 2006 es contra Polonia en Gelserkirchen el 9 de Junio. Treinta y dos naciones estaran en este certamen, el mas importante de futbol del planeta. La primera edicion se realizo en Uruguay en 1930 y el pais anfitrion se adjudico de el titulo en el primer campeonato en la historia de las copas mundiales. El maximo ganador de copas del mundo es el seleccionado de Brasil, con un total de 5 trofeos, la mas reciente ciendo en Corea Japon en el 2002 ganando en la final contra los alemanes. Las selecciones que le siguen a Brasil son alemania e Italia con tres coronas respectivamente. En mi pais, Ecuador, el futbol es gigante! Nacemos siendo fanaticos de nuestros equipos locales. Practicamos el deporte y lo seguimos con intensidad porque es una passion. Las conversaciones acerca del futbol traspasan las barreras de los idiomas Mis favoritos equipos para esta copa del mundo son como siempre los equipos sudamericanos Brasil y Argentina. Alemania tiene a favor su calidad de local, pero las seleciones europeas como Italia, Inglaterra, Francia, Portugal y Espana son siempre favoritos tambien, y no podemos dejar como posibilidades algunas sorpresas. La primera copa mundial que recuerdo haber seguido es la de mexico 1986 fue incredible. Yo solo tenia seis anos pero el futbol es tan apasionante que ya desde esa edad se convirtio en una de mis mas grandes pasiones. La copa la gano Argentina con Diego Armando maradona como lider del seleccionado. Es sin lugar a dudas uno de los mas grandes futbolistas de todos los tiempos. El numero uno, en mi opinion, es Pele de Brasil, y a la lista se le pueden agregar nombres como Franz Beckenbauer de Alemania, Bobby Charlton de Inglaterra, Paolo Maldini de Italia, Zinedine Zidane de Francia, y muchos mas. A pesar de que esta es solo la segunda vez que mi pais disputa la copa del mundo en Ecuador siempre estuvimos pendientes del torneo, pero ahora que estamos ahi tiene un sabor especial. Nuestro grupo es el a y lo integramos con Alemania, Polonia y Costa Rica. Lo unico que espero es que hagamos un buen papel y que los jugadores ecuatorianos entreguen todo en la cancha. Este grupo es muy dificil y uno de los grandes favoritos para ganar la copa esta aqui el seleccionado aleman. En los Estados Unidos el futbol no se lo vive como en el resto del mundo . Son otros deportes como el futbol Americano, el beisbol, el basketball, que tienen mas popularidad que el soccer. De todas maneras creo que la seleccion de USA tiene un buen equipo . Podria ser una de las sorpresas. En conclusion como un gran fanatico del futbol escribir acerca de la copa mundial es siempre interesante. Estare siguiendo Alemania 2006 muy de cerca y vere todos los partidos que sean posibles.Buena suerte a todas las selecciones espero que gane el major! Ojala sea mi Ecuador!
by Gisela Aydin Wish you traveled more? Then this is the monthly column for you. I’ll share stories, tips, and more stories about the places I’ve been (and the places I wish I hadn't). This month, it’s all about the goat I met in Jamaica. So I’m in Jamaica for a long weekend, as I was pale as Hell and desperately needed some color before people started to ask if I was "feeling okay". I stayed at this resort that turned out to be sort of like an MTV Spring Break Hot-Spot for Mid-Westerners in their 40’s. Now I’m not that old, and I’m not from the Mid-West, but I went anyway. It was a rather festive place with lots of activities going on around the clock. When I heard they were holding GOAT RACES on the beach, I thought, “Ha, that will be funny,” and then promptly forgot about it. Unbeknownst to me, I was signed up for those very same goat races that Sunday night. When Sunday night rolls around, I’m sitting at the bar overlooking the beach, chatting with my sister, and taking it all in, one salty-aired breeze at a time. Suddenly, a man on a microphone is calling my name. I look around, people look at me. The crowd starts cheering, and, like a bunch of followers, everyone starts cheering. I’m confused as I’m thrust forward with the three other people whose names were called. We are lead to the beach, where we find 4 goats with ropes tied around their necks. The goats’ expressions mirror our own- we all look...puzzled. The goat handler hands me a rope that is tied around the neck of a black goat (WITH HORNS) who seems much more interested in sniffing the butt of the other goats than in me. This is a good thing, as I did not want any attention from the goat. I hear, “Come on New York!!” from the crowd. I have no idea what to do- to imagine a situation this absurd would be impossible. Quickly, I review: I am standing on a beach in Jamaica holding a rope tied around the neck of a goat as the sun is setting over the Caribbean Ocean with gangs of Midwesterners cheering me on. There are three other people in this contest and they are all three very large (and by "large" I mean "HUGE") men. I look at the host of the contest and say, “Will it bite me??” He laughs. “What do I do with it???” He says, “You have to run with him.” Yeah, thanks, I figured that was part of the deal- HELLO, I AM HOLDING ONTO A GOAT! At this point, the host screams into the mic and tells us that we are to run WITH the goat or BEHIND the goat, but never in front of the goat. And, we are supposed to race against the other people’s goats. Fine, ok, fine. Where was my drink, and how did I get suckered into this? As the host yells, “GO!!” I look at my goat expectantly. The goat looks back at me, bored. The other goats are starting to take off around us, but there was my lame-ass goat, taking a POOP right there in the sand, less than a foot away from me. Yes, my loyal readers, my goat was just too damn busy to be bothered. Someone screamed, “Ya gotta grab its tail and pull!” To which I replied, "HELL NO!" I was NOT about to grab anything on that goat- HELLO, THE THING JUST TOOK A POOP IN THE SAND. DID YOU MISS THAT PART?? But then, suddenly, my goat noticed his friends were missing and CHARGED ahead, pulling (and by "pulling" I mean "DRAGGING") me behind him. Unfortunately for us, it was a bit too late. Needless to say, my goat and I...we lost the race. The culprit who signed me up? A Wisconsin Boy who used to play pro hockey— proving once again that there’s always a silver lining. -gisela@digitalseamstress.com
by Ines Saldana This past Saturday Thomas and I met up with our friends Nicole and Eric. Still hitting the hipster town of the east village, we met at Zerza, a small Moroccan restaurant. The restaurant is located on the same street known for the myriad of Indian restaurants on sixth street. Zerza is quite small and its use of space leaves a lot to be desired. During most of our dinner we were surrounded by an endless flurry of hipsters waiting for their table. Needless to say I wasn’t too impressed with this aspect of the venue. The food itself was good, yet unremarkable. My husband and I shared the mixed grill consisting of chicken, lamb and merguez, accompanied by cous cous. The dish was generous in size, but the flavor was dull and uninteresting; it did not leave your palette yearning for more. In all honesty, the best thing about our dinner was our the company we held, and the great bottle of Israeli red wine we consumed. The lack of space and the fact that the hipsters kept bumping into our chairs all night forced us to hurry up and have dessert elsewhere. However, if you are still interested in the scene and some tasty Israeli wine you can find more Zerza info at www.zerza.com -ines@brownscapeprod.com
Tuesday may 9th: 8pm-midnight Latin&Funk Trio feat. Franco Pinna (drums) Taku Kuroda (trumpet) Matthias Bublath( Keys) @ COCO CAFE, 253 Grand Street in Williamsburg (L-train Monday May 15th, 10pm - 12pm Roboto Funkfest Feat.Tim Collins (vibes) Simon Lott (drums) Taku Kuroda(tp) Matthias Bublath ( organ)@BOZU, 296 Grand Street ( L-Train to Bedford Ave) Tuesday May 16th 8pm-12pm Jazzy Jazz, Matthias Bublath (piano) Nathan Peck (bass)
Dark Side of the Moon by Anna Paul My senior year humanities class decided on a near-year-end class trip. It was cold and windy, highs about 20 or 30 degrees. Since most of the trip would be taking place outside I, like a normal human being, bundled up: three pairs of pants and countless layers of shirts. I was the modern day abominable monster...or something close to it. It's a humanities class, so we're outside taking pictures and sketches of old houses. One of the buildings we had to take a picture of was practically a mansion or perhaps closer to a castle. No lie. And of course equipped with the mansion/castle was a waist high brick wall and perhaps a football field length lawn. In order to get a good picture (and thus a good grade) we all had to climb over the "...Anna you're the athletic one, I could never get back fast enough." As a blind-hearted fool to this day, I took her comment to heart. Why yes, I am the athletic one. Why just look at me! I do- what is it now?... 10? 20? steps to my car everyday...? So with that in "Anna! Run! There's a dog!" A quick look behind me told me everything I needed to know. A great big rottweiler was just feet behind me, bundling towards me as fast as its four legs would carry it. As it turns out, my two feet were faster. I ran like the devil himself was behind me (perhaps he was). I didn't care how stupid I looked, I didn't care that my many layered pants were drifting downward. I simply didn't want to be eaten. And if you were ever in fear that you were about to be eaten I think you too would not care. So I bundled down the football field length lawn, and very, very clumsily lowered myself from the wall. Of course that wasn't the only thing lowered. Remember my many layered southern drifting pants? Yes well, they completed their journey. Yeah. I mooned my entire senior class. Not even my underwear showed the tiniest bit of loyalty. Would you like to hear the best part of it all? Yes indeed this gets better. Junior, my long time crush and a super hot guy, had a front row seat to the whole debacle Yeah....
Archive: April 2006 |
©2006 Brownscape Productions LLC |
Dear Reader: 
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Energy Gallery's juried 2-d-2 art show on-line was just launched, you may find Ilyan Ivanov’s