The Nail In The Coffin

Often described as the last bastion for the East Village, Mars Bar is looking to close down to make room for a fancy new building, I'm assuming something shiny, metallic and out of place.    But I guess that is how things go now a days.   We should be thankful it lasted this long throughout this neighborhood transition.  

I'll miss that juke box that's for damn sure.   Filth, Dystopia, Crass, NWA, I mean what more could you want. 

I'm sure we all have a few good stories around this place.   If any of ya'll like to share, please comment.  I knew, um, someone, who after drinking waaaay too much went down to catch the F train and 2nd Ave stop and decided to hop off the platform and walk the tunnels.   Great plan.   Maybe if he had a flashlight, and wasn't blackout drunk he wouldn't have required those face stitches.   Listening to Filth will do that to you, be careful.

Mars Bar 'Renovations' Will Actually Be Total Demolition

By Nate Freeman
December 9, 2010

Mars Bar is a cramped, derelict bar in the East Village frequented mostly by the kind of crusty folk who wish the block were still crawling with addicts and punks. And the people adequately faking it, of course. Anyway, it's closing for two years, and we explained why this is a bad thing for the neighborhood and, well, the city's drinking establishments in general. Mars Bar is truly a gem, if you get to know it.

Which makes this news especially crushing: Curbed is reporting that instead of "renovating" Mars Bar and the two tenements above it, the plan calls for full-fledged destruction. Taking its place will be an eyesore sure to riotously offend anyone with taste below 14th Street — a blocky, too-sleek, 12-story apartment building that will rise up on the patch of Second Avenue where Mars Bar currently stands.

Though the new space will be three to four times bigger, the owner says, it will have to be incorporated into the same boring residential-cum-retail model that's infiltrated much of the area. So, basically, an extension of the Whole Foods that stands a few hundred feet away. We'll miss you, original Mars Bar.

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Roc Raida Tribute At BB Kings Oct 22nd

Here's the details cuz that font looks crazy mad tiny on the flyer....

Oct. 22: Grand Master Roc Raida Tribute

at the Tableturns Reunion!

BB King Blues Club 237 West 42nd St. Times Sq. New York City

On Thursday, October 22nd, 2009, many of the World’s top battle DJs, turntablists and party rockers will gather on the wheels of steel at BB King Blues Club 237 West 42nd St in Times Square, New York City to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Grand Master Roc Raida!

The Grand Master Roc Raida Tribute at the Tableturns Reunion will bring together many of the biggest names and crews in the art form of Turntablism including Raida’s fellow crew members from the X-Men and the X-ecutioners; fellow World DJ battle champions: Craze, A-Trak, DJ Shiftee plus DJ Scratch, DJ Dummy, DJ I-Dee, The Beat Junkies: Babu, J.Rocc, Shortkut and Rhettmatic; DJ Slyce, Roli Rho, DJ Z-Trip and a very special performance by MC legends: D.I.T.C.! Tickets are $20 in advance at Fat Beats NYC, the BB King Box Office and through ticketmaster, $25 at the door. Doors open at 10:30pm. The show begins at 11:15pm! 100% of the show’s proceeds will go to his wife and children.

Tableturns, founded by Doug “Sugarcuts” Cohen, was the World’s first open turntable event. It occurred monthly from March, 1997 through March, 1999 at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City. Not only did it markedly boost the skill level of DJs across the tri-state area, it became an institution!

Since Roc Raida’s unexpected passing on Sept. 19th, 2009, at the peak of his career (the 1995 DMC World Champion was DJing for Busta Rhymes) famous friends across the world have organized fundraiser/tributes for his wife and children. The outpouring of sympathy and love has been tremendous! The event on Oct. 22nd will be followed by another star studded fundraiser in NYC on Nov. 25th at Nokia Theater (more info tba). His wife and daughters have also announced that they will continue the very special DJ battle that he created and organized since 2006: Roc Raida’s Gong DJ Battle!

Friends who wish to organize a tribute/fundraiser should respectfully seek permission first, from his family, by writing to roc4raida@gmail.com. Friends who want to make a donation can log on to paypal.com and direct funds to the address: ladietye@yahoo.com. Please support a fundraiser near you and stay posted to myspace.com/rocraida for any and all official information released by his family.

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Mr Magic - Your Rap Attack Paved New Grounds - RIP

I'm a few weeks late on this one, so you can look around online ANYWHERE to find the rest of his story. Basically the first guy to have an all rap show on a major radio station. Boom! Thanks for laying down the foundation.

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RIP Baatin of SV

RIP Baatin

The man that put the character into Slum Village, gave it that distinct voice with his unique style. Put Fantastic in and appreciate it.

The reunited SV album Villa Manifesto is supposed to drop Sept 22nd so he'll get a chance to go out with some extra shine.

Listen to your old cds, find some new tunes, there is a lot out there he has blessed. Give a listen and show him some love.

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Longing For Hot Buttered Soul

I was first introduced to Isaac Hayes in elementary school via the Shaft theme song. Not the movie, only the song. I saw the movie a few years later before I was a teenager, and it didn't stand up to the song. After that introduction, I saw him (again while in grade school) in Escape From New York. Now, when I was a kid, they played this John Carpenter classic all the time on Detroit channels 50 and 20, and it was fuckin awesome. Hell, they even had the Crimestoppers song throughout the movie. What more could you want as a kid???

Fast forward to a few years later in high school I start buying old records looking for breaks and good music. In the beginning, Isaac Hayes was on the top of my list for digging. I heard his music and was blown away. I had to have Walk On By, The Look of Love, Ike's Mood I, Ike's Rap III, and the Truck Turner album. Good times, and a great introduction to the massive amounts of music out there. I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way about his music. I can only imagine how many kids were conceived to his tunes. Hip Hop owes some big respect too. Hayes was sampled to death. Freddie Foxxx, MOP, Foxy Brown, 112, Bushwick Bill, Compton's Most Wanted, Cypress Hill, Faith Evans, MF Doom, Biggie, Pete Rock, Tupac, Volume 10, Wu Tang, Westside Connection, Above the Law, DJ Quik, Ed OG, Ice Cube, King T, NWA, Public Enemy, Group Home, Brand Nubian, Massive Attack, 3rd Bass, Allure, Ashanti, Jay Z, LL Cool J, Lost Boys, Mary J Blige, Monie Love, Smif n Wessun, Snoop, Special Ed, Alkoholiks, Beanie Sigel, Biz Markie, Das Efx, Jeru, JVC Force, Korrupt, Naughty By Nature, Lox, Warren G, Mobb Deep, Beastie Boys, Camp Lo, Guru, Cormega, DOC, E40, Big Daddy Kane, Big Noyd, Ghostface, Portishead, OC, Gza, BDP, Eric B and Rakim, Inspectah Deck, Kool G Rap, Jungle Brothers, MC Lyte, Yo Yo, Ultramagnetic MCs, Spice 1, Mase, Group Home, Dr. Dre, Blahzay Blahzay, Outkast, Geto Boys, Scarface, Destiny's Child, TLC, KRS 1, Gangstarr, Stetsasonic, King Sun, Redman, Blackstreet, Boogiemonsters......... whew! I think you get the picture.

And then there was Chef

You leave a lasting legacy and will always be remembered.

Thank you personally for the introduction to digging.

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