September 17 – September 25
FILM
Saturday, September 19
Blackout Film Festival @ SVA’s Visual Arts Theater
Take the Handle is thrilled to be co-sponsoring the Blackout Film Festival this year! According to our pal Tom Keefe, the festival’s founder & director, this year’s theme of “The Great Recession” has resulted in a surprisingly lighthearted compilation of short films about the current economic climate. It happens this Saturday, September 19th, at the SVA theater on 23rd St. Click here for more info, and here’s what CNN and The New York Times had to say.
MUSIC
Sunday, September 20 / Friday, September 25
Violens @ The Bowery Hotel / Violens @ Webster Hall
This isn’t the first time we’ve recommended Violens, and it won’t be the last. They tap into a sonic space that’s somehow nostalgic and futuristic at the same time. Singer Jorge Elbrecht has that rare ability to make long, complex, beautiful melodies sound catchy. Pretty sure the hotel show (which should be a stripped-down affair) is just for hotel guests, but I figure if you just walk around like you know where you’re going, you won’t get bothered. Should be on the 2nd floor.
READING
Thursday, September 24
Steven Millhauser & Annie Proulx @ 92nd St. Y
I can’t say that I know either of these writer’s works all that well, but I like what I’ve heard. Of Millhauser, The New York Times wrote, “so many of his…characters…are not particularly fond of the real world: they are dreamers, malcontents and escape artists, eager to leave behind their humdrum lives for the febrile world of fantasy and the imagination.” If you didn’t know of Ms. Proulx prior to Brokeback Mountain, I’m sure you knew of her after. This also seems to be a rare public appearance for this pair of critically-acclaimed writers, so I’m sure it will make for an interesting evening.
FOOD
7th Ave. South Grand Sichuan
I’ve long been familiar with the other locations of Grand Sichuan, but at the newest 7th Ave. South location, they’ve put a little twist on the menu. All of the dishes come in both small and regular style portions, so if so desired, one can engage in a tapas-esque Chinese feast. And let me tell you, if you enjoy pleasure, you will love the Diced Fish in Spicy Red Pepper Sauce. It brought me to new heights.
