Saturday, March 21st, 12-3pm

Oliver Recreation Center, 1400 E. Federal St, Baltimore MD

FREE

The Baltimore Free Store - a volunteer-run organization that redistributes free and salvaged goods – is having their monthly free market at the Oliver Recreation Center.  The point of the free market is the same as that of the free store: to get things from people who don’t need or want them to people who do.

Free stores and free markets have been popping up all over the country in an effort to confront America’s problems of waste, poverty, and isolation.  There’s no money needed in the “free market” economy.  Just give what you can, take what you need, and meet your neighbors.

Free Lisi: Fear And Loathing In Denver

Barbes, 376 9th St (@ 6th Ave), Park Slope, Brooklyn

7pm, free

The Brooklyn Independent Cinema Series has been screening interesting independent films free of charge every other Monday night for four years.

Free Lisi explores Hunter S. Thompson’s personal mission during his last years to free Lisi Auman, sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of a Denver police officer.  After receiving a letter from prisoner Lisl in 2001, Hunter enlisted the support of the nation’s top criminal defense lawyers, held a rally on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol, and co-wrote an article for Vanity Fair subtitled “Lynching in Denver” – all in an attempt to free Lisl from life in prison.

Directed by Wayne Ewing

Bring Out the Sound System: The West Indian Roots of Hip Hop

Saturday, Feb 28th, 3-6pm

The Point CDC, 940 Garrison Ave in the Bronx

FREE

Hip Hop came from the Bronx.  But hip hop’s Bronx pioneers came from the West Indies, and the Jamaican sound system tradition of “toasting.”

Dr. Natasha Lightfoot of the Bronx African-American Oral History Project, will lead a discussion featuring Hip Hop pioneers and legends including DJ Kool Herc, Kool DJ Red Alert, Ralph McDaniels (Video Music Box) and VP Records co-founder, and Patricia Chin.  

The discussion will be followed by a demonstration on Jamaican and hip hop sound systems from the 1970s by DJ Kool Herc and Brother Vincent. The evening concludes with a reception, where audience members can view From Mambo to Hip Hop: The Exhibit, a photo exhibit which complements City Lore’s award-winning documentary directed by Henry Chalfant, From Mambo to Hip Hop: A South Bronx Tale; dance to the music of DJ Just Ice; and purchase West Indian fare provided by Bascom Catering with delicious roti, jerk and curry chicken, and salt fish.

Then ride to Brooklyn for Arthurdesh!

The New Dark Age

Feb 5 – Feb 28

Deitch Gallery, 76 Grand St, New York

Interdisciplinary artist Ben Jones of the Paper Rad art collective has an ultra-neon, hyper-real, flashing 3D freak out world on display at Deitch Gallery until the 28th.  The exhibit includes video, sculpture, drawings, paintings all in seizure-inducing colors.

It’ll probably be like drowning in this Youtube video

Sunday, Feb 15, 12-6

at the Warsaw, 261 Driggs Ave, Greenpoint

$3

Better get out the elbow pads for some record geek jostling this Sunday at the third installment of the Brooklyn Record Riot.  Over 40 dealers will be selling more vinyl than you could ever possibly afford.  But that’s no reason not to go look.

Comfort your post-Valentines-Day depression with beer and Keilbasa from the Warsaw, multiple DJs, and the knowledge that you probably aren’t the only one there who didn’t get laid last night..

And if you really want to get the best gems, 20 bucks will get you early entry at 10am.

Intrepid Arthur Intern Camilla Padgitt-Coles didn’t want to shamelessly promote herself on the blog, but i will.

Sauce on the Side opens Saturday the 7th at Lumenhouse in Bushwick, Brooklyn with a free opening reception from 6-9pm.  The exhibit features work by Padgitt-Coles, Tony Luib and Zaun Lee.

Take a walk through the blowing black plastic bags and trash of Bushwick, where strange things await behind rusty metal doors.  Lumenhouse is at 47 Beaver St, by the Flushing stop of the J,M train.

Opening reception, Thursday Feb 5th, 6:00-8:00pm, free

Mark Ruwedel’s new exhibition Onward the Course of Empire opens Thursday at the Yossi Milo Gallery, 525 W. 25th St in New York City.  Ruwedel photographs abandoned 19th and 20th century railway lines in The United States and Canada.  Ruwedel’s gelatin silver prints bear witness to the grown-over traces of North America’s railway past.

I know.  It’s cold in New York City.  But it’ll be warm soon.  Get your bike ready.

Showpaper Benefit  with Asa Ransom, Sigmund Droid, the Muggabears, and Nymph @ 92Y Tribeca, 8pm, $7-20 sliding-scale donation 

The Showpaper has been covering all-ages shows in the NYC and tri-state area for almost two years and has turned into a huge success.  It’s a simple formula, and a magnificent idea: a huge list of all-ages d.i.y. shows, absurdist horoscopes, a hipster-kid “I saw you” section and consistently rad artwork printed every two weeks and distributed to coffee shops/venues/etc. to keep your broke, (possibly underage?) ass in the loop.

But printing 10,000 copies without any advertising or other commercial support isn’t easy.  Showpaper stays afloat because of volunteers, donations, and revenues made at the benefit shows that they throw every two weeks.  Help the Showpaper help you by coming out to 92Y Tribeca and checking out Asa Ransom, Sigmund Droid, the Muggabears, and Nymph.