Our Show This Weekend

We were going to play a show at St. James Church, but due to some insane posse of clowns, we can't.

Instead we're playing at an antique firehouse at 87 Lafayette St. between Walker and Canal. It'll be beyond dope. Help us, especially if you're a Christian, and beyond that, especially if you're Catholic, show the people who don't give a shit about common sense, freedom, or facts, that fun can be had in all kinds of places by coming out.

Regarding the events that took place at St. James on January 15th, here's my favorite summary so far (from a commenter on Brooklyn Vegan, no less):

Ariel is just the scapegoat for a perhaps bad, perhaps desperate, and perhaps very much well intended choice made by the proprietors of the St. James church in order to save it from closing. Be assured that they were paid very well for use of their space (which in turn supports the church and the local community), were well aware that the plan was to fill the church to capacity (600), and that alcohol was to be served. The show was over before 1, and Ariel and his crew stayed until the early hours of the morning cleaning the church and bleaching the floors. The place was spotless afterwards. There is no problem here, it’s a business transaction, plain and simple, that the proprietors not only agreed to, but sought out themselves. Now they're facing mounting pressure (with an angry mob suggesting the bishop step down from his position) from the Catholic community and Ariel is the fall guy. It's all his fault, right.

It wasn’t in bad taste to host a show here. It wasn't in the interest of self-promotion. It was driven by the desire to provide kids with a different DIY show experience, in an interesting space not previously made available. Ariel has booked shows under the high line, in a boat that sailed through the NY harbor, and in the basement of Damon Dash's offices in Tribeca - where Mos Def freestyled over Javelin to a crowd of 100 people. Give him a break. He's trying to set up cool shows for the community and you all just turn your back on him at the slightest indication of a controversy.

Ariel was in the process of meeting with the local community board, and most of the neighborhood was EXCITED to have him host shows at the church, because if he did not, the church was likely going to close it’s doors forever. And bulldozed to the ground. Probably for some shitty new glass condos. Why aren’t you guys getting angry over the real issues here? If there was this kind of anger and protest against regional landmarks vanishing from the New York landscape due to unrealistic rents with no protection from the city, then maybe we’d get MORE ARTISTS AND LESS CONDOS.

And more importantly, the church never would have needed the cash to begin with.