Bedford and Bowery highlighted why those in the know come to The West for coffee or cocktails, day or night!
You should totally join us some weekend for our BIG GLASS Build Your Own Bloody Mary fundays. The Garnish Bar is typically stocked with tasty olives, celery, lemons, limes (of course), and pickles!
Thanks Daniel Maurer for writing about author Bradley Spinelli guesting at our Ray Jicha Reading on Monday, May 5th, 2014.
Thanks to Jenna Wilson at The Couch Sessions Magazine for a great review of The West. She has highlighted many of the ways which we’ve been focused on making the best for our patrons!
The Couch Sessions started in 2005 to highlight emerging artists in underground and emerging urban culture. They are based in New York City. Follow The Couch Sessions on Twitter & Facebook
Last week we happily hosted a party for our friend Keith Gonzales and his crew from FON (the world’s largest WiFi network). The occasion was the launch of GRAMOFON, a modern cloud jukebox that uses your smartphone as the remote to stream cloud music to your sound system! Ammazing!! Using WiFi as opposed to blue tooth… guess this is wayyy better streaming.
When Gonzales contacted us about a West takeover, because he and his compatriots love the place soooo much, of course we said yes! Stay tuned for the official GRAMOFON video, filmed at The West!
The KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN is LIVE, and one of the big reasons you might consider contributing is for the discounted price of $30, a GRAMOFON can be yours! According to multiple tech news desks like Tech Crunch, and GigaOM, we’ve read that this is considered a rare opportunity coming out of a larger tech company, with a healthy revenue. (By the end of the day, the first few pledge levels have hit their limits, but you can still pledge to get the discount deal.)
GRAMOFON 1st Edition white-black
What makes GRAMOFON so special is its WiFi sharing technology (no more spotty short-leashed blue tooth connection) that greatly improves streaming quality. FON is big in Europe, originating in Madrid, but didn’t take off in the States (Americans are still learning how to share?). FON hopes that will all change with the launch of GRAMOFON.
Raymond Crookes
Make your playlist to rock-out while you clean your room, then go pick up your laundry, and when you return the music will still be going. This is a pretty cool device. For now GRAMOFON only supports Spotify, and another web radio service called Wah Wah. And also the ability to connect through Facebook. More connections are on the way.
Thanks again to Keith Gonzales (also the Founder of Stirplate) for making sure FON hosted a party at the neighborhoodie spot, The West!
Rising Sun Performance Company (Akia, Founding Artistic Director) announced today that it will present a new short play reading series “UNDER REHEARSED” and have partnered with The West Brooklyn as their venue.
The Reading series is intended to create new artistic relationships with Guest Directors, Playwrights and Actors as well as provide a fun and engaging night for our audiences. The Series will of course also feature the critically acclaimed ensemble of Rising Sun. The Creative Team for each series will be announced a week prior to each series, and will be listed on RSP’s Website, Facebook and via media outlets. The plays will be 10-15 minutes long, and each reading will have a short break in between to allow for conversation, libations and connection between the artists and audience.
The West Brooklyn is the perfect location for this fun and informal monthly gathering and reading, Akia, Rising Sun Performance Company’s Founding Artistic Director, is thrilled to present these short plays in such a wonderful and artistically nurturing environment and for us to bring our work out to Brooklyn audiences.
“Rising Sun Performance Company is a youthful, enthusiastic company and I look forward to
seeing more from them.”
William Coyle, Off Off Online
“It’s worth the price of admission to see the Rising Sun Performance Company’s aspiring talent.”
Last Thursday we hosted a semi-secret soft-launch pop up! Nadu is the creation of our friends Nalini Periasamy, and Josh Sachs. Featuring the ‘real-deal’ South Indian street food which, of course, everyone was raving about.
It was a packed event of friends and neighbors enjoying Nal’s traditional cooking which was paired with two signature cocktails especially for the event. The Chai White Russian, and the Tamarind Whiskey Sour were winners, judging by the excitement of the crowd that just kept growing!
*Thanks to Tara Kuzma for working wonders with her iPhone:
For those who were unable to attend the Florida services for Nicholas Mevoli, there will be a NYC based memorial and gathering honoring Nic/Nick/Nicholas’ Life & Memory
Friday December 6th 2013
4PM Catholic Mass (In Memorial for Nicholas)
Our Lady of Consolation Church 184 Metropolitan Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11211
At The West, we will have a microphone set up and we invite you to bring/share stories, poems, songs, instruments to honor Nic’s memory. One of Nic’s favorite things was a meal shared amongst friends. We invite you to bring a Dish to share with others, and we will feast potluck style in Nic’s honor. Some light fare will be provided, “cash” bar for drinks.
If you would like to drop off food prior to church services or contribute financially to food ordering please private message us for details. Additionally we are gathering a play list for the memorial as well as photos. Please let us know if you have songs that you’d like to request or suggest and any photos for the slide show.
During his many visits for competitions at the Blue Hole he assisted at the local St. Peters and St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Clarencetown, Long Island Bahamas, shuttling elderly and school children as well as helped in rebuilding their church roof damaged in a hurricane. There is a newly created charity fund, in his name and remembrance, in which all monies will go directly to that church to help rebuild the physical building and also assist the local families in Clarencetown.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations for Nicholas charity. All donations will go direct, dollar for dollar, to St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Clarencetown, Long Island Bahamas.
For: “Nicholas Mevoli Memorial”
c/o: Most Holy Name of Jesus Church, 5800 15th Ave. S. Gulfport, FL 33707.
(Checks Payable to Most Holy Name of Jesus Church)
PROCEEDS for the film starring NICHOLAS MEVOLI (EXIST) go to his family and the charity fund of their choosing.
The West would like to wish all of our friends and patrons a very Happy Thanksgiving. Taking the opportunity to say thanks for helping The West become so much more than a coffee shop slash bar.
We are thankful that we’re turning out to be so many things for so many people. We are so much more than a place to get your work done, we’re a communal ground. We are so much more than a place to perform, we’re a nurturing ground. We are more than a place to have your reading, launch party, community event—we are a Salon for new ideas. We are truly grateful that we can be much more than an establishment that just sells and serves some thing. Thank You.
BLANKSNYC does it again! That was what one would call a party.
The place was packed on Saturday, November 2nd for BLANKS annual Halloween costume mayhem party. This year’s theme was “Exercise Your Demons.” Judging by our emptied booze cabinet, we’re pretty sure all souls were cleansed. BLANKSNYC is a collective of creatives, and their parties are themed around music, costumery, and visual projections. Thanks to all who came out and boogied!
Big thanks to all of the performers and DJS:
Shirley House, DJ 50 percent, FUXCS, Onesie as Smashing Pumpkins, Interstella, Jana Skankmajer, Oxygentester
The West has entered the Mission Main Street Grant competition.
Its the final 10 days, down to the wire… and we really want to WIN THIS GRANT! Sponsored by Chase and Google, Mission Main Street aims to stimulate the economy by supporting small business in your community. 12 small businesses will share $3 million in grant money.
Voting for The West is really easy. Just goto MISSION MAIN ST GRANTS and type The West in the search box and vote for “The West Cafe.”
