And now, a selection of some musical happenings from today through Wednesday in Brooklyn, paying special attention to tonight’s free Jill Scott show at Wingate Field:

Monday 8/11/08
MLK Concert Series, Wingate Field: Jill Scott. Free! 7:30 PM

Jalopy: Country Blues Jam–Bring your fiddle, accordion, banjo, washtub, mandolin, guitar, or maybe even spoons and participate in an open jam session. Free!! 9:30pm

Barbes: Gato Loco (Cuban) $10, 9:30pm

Tuesday 8/12/08
Barbes: Jenny Scheinman (Violinist/Composer) $10, 9:00pm

Wednesday 8/13/08
Music Hall of Williamsburg: The Melvins, Big Business(Punk/Sludge/Metal) $25, 9:00pm

—Dan Bennis

[Photo courtesy of Deborah Matlack/Matlack Photography]

Here’s an angle on the Friday night Coney Island fireworks that one doesn’t often see and that’s really cool. It comes from the Belt Parkway from the camera of GL Contributor Deborah Matlack.

[Photo courtesy of Deborah Matlack/Matlack Photography]

Movies Under the Moon actually started last week, but there another showing in the series tonight with The Astronaut Farmer playing. Here’s a bit of the hot description of the series from the press release:

This August, as summer draws to a close, Williamsburg’s hottest and soon-to-be largest residential condominium development, The Edge, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will host “Mondays Under the Moon.” Everyone from Edge buyers to neighborhood residents to film buffs throughout the City are invited to watch a free flick at East River State Park. Guests are welcome to bring a blanket or chair and lounge in the park, as they snack on complimentary popcorn and watch beloved films along the Brooklyn waterfront. Showcasing family-friendly films ranging from classic to contemporary, “Mondays Under the Moon” will be held every Monday in August starting at 8:30 pm.

The Wind and the Lion is showing on August 18 and 2001: A Space Odyssey is on the August 25.

Fans of odd, abandoned Williamsburg real estate, know the corner of N. 7 & Berry Street well. It’s been the site of an abandoned gas station and services station for a long time, with its peeling, old Mobil sign making an interesting juxtaposition against new condos like Karl Fischers Seven Berry and, of course, the unfinished Finger Building. So, what’s going there? A new Hot Karl perhaps? A Pinkie Building? A green building? Nope. A Tibetan Cultural Center. You are not seeing things. The property is not being developed as a condo. The owners of the property, aka 125 Berry Street, made a presentation recently before CB1 and spilled the non-condo beans. It’s owned by Tibetan LLC. The olive green paint job is new.

We have to say this is the first time we’ve ever seen a nasty smell in a subway station as a Craigslist Missed Connection. This is about the sewage stink that has plagued a station on the G Line. We go to the copy and past:

M.C. WITH A DECENT SMELLING SUBWAY STATION – 28 (Nassau Ave.- Ave G Train)

Dear M.T.A. & D.E.P., How many times have I seen you at the Nassau Ave. subway station fixing that sewage main that is broken? 0!!!! I really love the new scent that you have been flaunting around. What is that cologne you are wearing? Is that raw sewage? Or is that the smell of your musk? Please fellow Greenpoint area residents, call 311 and let’s get this situation fixed. No, really this stinks!! – The Truest M.C. of All Time

Nasty.

[Photo courtesy of hungrynadchen/GL Flickr Pool]

This magnificent image, which juxtaposes religious icons with South Florida-style lawn ornamentation is priceless. It comes from Crown Heights at Schenectady and Eastern Parkway. C’est magnifique.

[Photo courtesy of Tricia/Coney Island Message Board]

The latest Summer of Hope attractions brought to Coney Island by Thor Equities, several blow up rides places in the big empty lot at Stillwell Avenue, are not necessarily being warmly received by the Coney Island crowd. Tricia on the Coney Island Message Board writes:

The Summer of Hopelessness continues on Thor’s Stillwell lot. I guess this why they kept the ticketboxes…four inflatable bounces were delivered to Thor’s forlorn rock and glass strewn lot. The nightmare on Stillwell continues…The inflates are: Batman, Cinderella. other Disney characters…I guess this what Thor rep Stefan Friedman meant when he said they were “committed to rotating” other rides after the carnival began leaving when the summer was half over. This is a pathetic excuse for a “commitment to the amusement industry”– Joe Sitt’s words in “Summer of Hope/Dreamland” press release.

Meanwhile, Kinetic Carnival says the “Summer of Hope” is “full of hot air” and writes:

Thor Equities is back with its insatiable love for cheap inflatable attractions. Last year it was the inflatable Hippo water slide and the inflatable outdoor movie screen. But now some kiddie bounce-house type party attractions have been set up on Thor’s lot. Unless they will be used for a private function these are a cheap shot to the character of Coney Island…this only shows that Thor Equities lacks the kind imagination to come up with what’s exciting – or at least more suitable for Coney Island – especially after demolishing what was on those lots before.

Also, someone reports that the admission is $2.

Yesterday, we ran an item circulated via Park Slope Parents about someone getting oral sex on a staircase at the 15th Street F Train station, and re-ran it this morning because we had server problems yesterday (again). There is follow up and react as well, including an email suggesting that it’s about poverty. Here goes:

The best way of doing something about security and such things as [the public oral sex act] is to do something about poverty. I dare say that you rarely find middle-class people having sex in public. Middle-class people are also not described as “drunks and people generally up to no good”. Those are descriptions we use for poor people. Last time I checked, the poverty in this country was grinding for those who experience it. If you have concerns about security, contact your representatives and tell them that you don’t want your kids to grow up in a world where so many people must live in abject conditions, and that security would be greatly enhanced by re-distributing income in ways that makes this country live up to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

But wait, the middle class does it in public too.

· Brooklyn Bands Shut Out of Art Under the Bridge Fest [NYDN]
· Brooklyn Georgians Concerned Over Conflict at Home [NYT]
· Strong Place Church Looking More Like a Condo [Lost City]
· Of Course, It Helps If DOB Actually Inspects Things [NYT]
· Brooklyn Bedbug Complaints Up 1,900 Percent Since 2004 [McBrooklyn]
· NYPD’s Skywatch Tower of Fun Comes to Williamsburg [Animal]
· Curb the Dog Because Cameras Are Watching [New York Shitty]
· Good Old Route 48, Still Alive and Well [Bed-Stuy Banana]
· Peach Porn [A Year in the Park]
· To Brooklyn From Ireland [Sail Brooklyn]

[Image courtesy of Adrian Kinloch/Brit in Brooklyn]

The Ikea in Red Hook was one of those projects that created strong opinions on both sides: among those who said it would destroy the neighborhood and those who thought the benefits would outweigh the problems. Two months later, the neighborhood isn’t gridlocked, but the store has definitely had an impact and today the Times takes a look at the issue and concludes, in effect, that the store “has turned out to be less annoying than people thought.” Here’s an excerpt:

But since the store opened, something unexpected has happened. Ikea has won grudging acceptance from some of its detractors, who admit, somewhat sheepishly, that the feared blue box has brought perks enjoyed even by those who have no interest in stepping into the store. There is the daily water taxi and shuttle bus service provided free by Ikea, technically for its customers…The grassy waterfront esplanade that Ikea built, featuring benches with a view of the Lower Manhattan skyline, framed by remnants of Red Hook’s maritime past, is also catching on as a neighborhood attraction.

And the onslaught of Ikea-generated traffic that so many predicted has yet to materialize. Indeed, traffic is so light on some days that a rumor started among locals that Ikea was actually turning out to be a customer-starved failure (Ikea said its store was meeting its financial expectations).

The article doesn’t include any figures on Ikea’s local hiring (which the retailer won’t release) or actual traffic stats. There is, of course, more to be said on the subject, not to mention neighborhood discussion (one email we got calls the story “rather absurd”) but that’s today’s take.

[Photo courtesy of David Shankbone]

(We originally ran this item early yesterday morning, but since our server was down most of yesterday, we’re reposting it this morning.)

There is nothing like a little public oral sex to liven up an afternoon trip with the kids to Cobble Hill for ice cream. This is what’s being reported in a Park Slope Parents email as taking place of Friday around three in the afternoon at the 15th Street F Station (doesn’t say which exit). The parent who reports the incident was with her son and daughter. Here’s are some excerpts from this neighborhood story:

As we entered the turnstile, I looked up towards one of the staircases, and saw a man sitting on the stairs receiving oral sex from a woman whom I recognized from the local women’s shelter. I was so shocked that I just stopped in my tracks, and the man actually made eye contact with me and smiled. Ugh. I can’t quite find the words to describe how I felt (not very hungry for ice cream, anyway…). I rushed down the stairs with my kids as quickly as I could and called the police.

What’s worse is I see the guy from time to time…and what about JJ Byrne Park?

[Photo courtesy of janelerner/Flickr]

The annual Hal Willner tribute show closed out the Celebrate Brooklyn season this weekend. This year’s subject was Bill Withers, who sat up front, and watched a lot of performers do his songs. Mr. Withers sang one song and went up on stage for the “Lean on Me” finale. There’s a full photoset of the festivities posted by janelerner on flickr.

We’re sorry to note that GL continues to suffer some technical difficulties via our cruddy webhost Lunarpages, which is the webhosting equivalent of the Ninth Circle of Hell. Yesterday, they took us down from 10:30AM until 5:30PM. Other days we’ve been taken down for 3-4 hours at a time. We apologize if you’ve come around and found nothing where GL is supposed to be. We’re working on moving to a new host ASAP.

The legendary Isaac Hayes died yesterday at the age of 65 in his home in East Memphis, Tenn. On June 12, he opened the 30th Anniversary season of Celebrate Brooklyn and ran through a set of soul and R&B classics that climaxed with his classic, Shaft. Here are some of the photos we shot that night. Rest in Peace, Mr. Hayes.

So, a building in Prospect Heights at 349 St. Johns had the honor of being featured on This American Life on NPR…because of its bedbug problem. —This American Life via Brooklynian

[Image courtesy of June Carter Cash/GL Flickr Pool]

Here’s a shot of Prospect Heights (aka the Atlantic Yards Footprint) with the warm light of dusk making it glow.

We’re looking at a mix of things today, with the forecast calling for clouds and sun with a shower or thunderstorm around. The high will be 75. There could be some showers around tonight and the low will be 67.–Accuweather

[Photo courtesy of David Shankbone]

There is nothing like a little public oral sex to liven up an afternoon trip with the kids to Cobble Hill for ice cream. This is what’s being reported in a Park Slope Parents email as taking place of Friday around three in the afternoon at the 15th Street F Station (doesn’t say which exit). The parent who reports the incident was with her son and daughter. Here’s are some excerpts from this neighborhood story:

As we entered the turnstile, I looked up towards one of the staircases, and saw a man sitting on the stairs receiving oral sex from a woman whom I recognized from the local women’s shelter. I was so shocked that I just stopped in my tracks, and the man actually made eye contact with me and smiled. Ugh. I can’t quite find the words to describe how I felt (not very hungry for ice cream, anyway…). I rushed down the stairs with my kids as quickly as I could and called the police.

What’s worse is I see the guy from time to time…and what about JJ Byrne Park?

For this week’s Sunday Craigslist Missed Connection, we have one that has a kernel of truth in it (somewhere), but is overall, amusing in a bizarre kind of way:

I SPILLED COFFEE ON YOUR BABY! – m4w – 26 (Brooklyn)

Hello there! This is a total shot in the dark, but I am the gentleman that accidentally spilled about a half a cup of coffee onto your baby’s head and face at a Starbucks last Friday. Let me start by saying that I’m very sorry for that blunder. I’m also sorry for when I tried to dab at the spill with a napkin and ended up spilling the rest of my coffee on his head. I hope he’s ok... (Jesus Christ is his name? or were you just yelling that because of the situation?) At any rate, I found you to be very attractive and later at my house, I couldn’t help but to notice that there wasn’t that “ring mark” in my forehead even though you punched me pretty square in the face. Are you single? I’d love to get together sometime if you’re interested in meeting a really nice guy. Maybe we could do coffee or something. By the way, I was the man wearing the blue shirt that said, “Who Farted?” Anyways, that’s about it. I hope Jesus Christ finds the necessary skin graft donors soon. Take care and I hope to hear from you soon.

Okay, so it’s creative Missed Connections writing, but fun, nonetheless.

The fame of Coney’s Waterboarding attraction has now spread nationwide as per this clip on CNN that we came across via Kinetic Carnival.

[Photo courtesy of Adrian Kinloch/Brit in Brooklyn]

This is Brooklyn Flea, which is going on again this afternoon, of course, as captured by valued GL Photo Contributor and Brit in Brooklyn blogger Adrian Kinloch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

[Photo courtesy of jplpagan/GL Flickr Pool]

We love this image, which the photographer, jplpagan, calls Bottle Up & Go. He writes, “A collection of (30s era?) soda bottles, property of Eli, the local seltzer & soda delivery guy. Doesn’t every borough have one?” Excellent stuff.

“Compared with New York, the District might lack a real Chinatown and authentic bagel shops, but all that doesn’t really matter when we don’t even have enough space to walk around. I realized this recently when visiting a friend in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood, a mix of rowhouses, restaurants and small businesses similar to my neighborhood, Adams Morgan. But in Brooklyn, as I traveled from stores to restaurants to the subway, I felt oddly comfortable walking. Unlike in most D.C. neighborhoods, I had plenty of room to walk, even though many people were on the sidewalks that Sunday afternoon. Everywhere we went, I noticed how wide the sidewalks were. The sidewalk on my friends’ street was easily 12 feet wide, even though the street had only rowhouses on one side and a park on the other — no businesses or bus stops.”–Washington Post

[Photo courtesy of Rubys Host/GL Flickr Pool]

Here’s a sudden Coney downpour on Friday captured by our valued GL Photo Pool contributor, Rubys Host.