Looking for new music? Look no further than your local Queens Library!
Every month, our expert staff will bring you the best of what's new in our physical and digital collections.
Check out our music recommendations for June 2016!
Beyoncé, Lemonade
Lemonade is the ground-breaking sixth album by Beyoncé. While its predecessor featured individual music videos for each track, Lemonade was accompanied upon its release by a one-hour film that aired on HBO. The album encompasses a variety of genres, including pop, R&B, blues, rock, hip hop, soul, funk, country, gospel, and trap. It features guest vocals from James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and Jack White. In case you didn’t know the origin of the album’s title, the song “Freedom” is derived from Jay-Z’s grandmother, Hattie White, who declares, “I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to cool myself off. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade.” Watch the HBO trailer for the album/concept video.
Sturgill Simpson, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth
Country is a limiting term for Sturgill Simpson. He’s a native of Kentucky, with deep southern roots, who has gained renown as a solo artist thanks to his 2013 solo debut High Top Mountain, an outlaw country record in form and feel. Says Shooter Jennings (Waylon's son), "Sturgill isn't imitating at all, and he sounds like my favorite era of my dad, the Seventies." On his latest, A Sailor's Guide to Earth, the former Navy man serves up life lessons framed as a letter to his son in songs like "Call to Arms," which Rolling Stone calls "an indictment of America's warmongering, media-stupefied culture.” Watch him perform that song live at KCRW.
Lukas Graham, Lukas Graham
From the free-living enclave of Christiania in Copenhagen, Denmark, 27-year-old Lukas Graham (along with his group) has crafted an album that is a combination of funky pop and R&B stylings. His musical influences range from classical—gained during his childhood experiences with the Copenhagen Boys' Choir—to the Beatles and the Stones, as well as the Prodigy and Dr. Dre. The first single, “7 Years” (a huge hit in Scandinavia), is the kind of song that gets crowds waving hands in the air, swaying and singing along. In it, the singer recalls his childhood, his hopes, his dreams—and smoking pot at a young age. You don’t have to get high to enjoy the video for the song.
The Lumineers, Cleopatra
With a sound that has been described as an amalgam of heart-swelling stomp-and-clap acoustic rock, classic pop, and front-porch folk, the Lumineers prove they're no flash in the pan with their sophomore album Cleopatra. Their story began in 2002, but after playing numerous gigs around New York, the band tired of the city’s cutthroat music scene and impossibly high cost of living and headed for Denver, Colorado. The new album, according to front man Wesley Schultz, is a more fully fleshed-out record compared to the “innocent demo feeling” of the band’s debut album, promising more electric guitar, piano, and storytelling. Watch the video for the first single, “Ophelia."
Keith Urban, Ripcord
Keith Urban’s career has seen a long list of groundbreaking firsts and accomplishments reserved for the music industry’s elite. Urban’s reputation as a premier songwriter, vocalist, musician, and virtuoso guitarist has afforded him the opportunity to collaborate with the likes of The Rolling Stones, John Mayer, Alicia Keys, Taylor Swift, Vince Gill, and Eric Church. Though he is Australian, his tenth album, Ripcord, includes an homage to America’s three favorite Johns, "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16.” Rolling Stone describes the music as “virtuoso picking on six-string banjo (or ‘ganjo’) locking in with steady basslines and ticking drum tracks to fuse the rootsy precision of bluegrass with the uplifting persistence of EDM." Check out the video for that “John” song.
Royce da 5’9”, Layers
Whenever anyone mentions the name of Detroit rapper Royce da 5'9", a whole list of other names surround it (LL Cool J., Willa Ford, DJ Premier). Mostly, though, people associate him with Eminem. Royce and Eminem have rolled together since their early days in Detroit. His first appearance for many was on Eminem’s The Slim Shady LP. On his sixth solo album, Royce checks all the boxes, fully loading it with big-time producers, skits, and tons of careful introspection, the typical keys to success for any traditionalist rap album. Royce has a newfound commitment to full-fledged storytelling, and it’s easy to hear those gears turning on a song like “Tabernacle,” in which he tells the heartbreaking story of losing his grandmother and meeting his newborn son within hours at the same hospital. Watch an interview with Royce da 5’9” where he talks about his sobriety, Layers, and writing "Tabernacle."
Sin Bandera, Una Última Vez
Sin Bandera (which can be interpreted as "Flagless" or "No Flag") is a Latin pop duo based in Mexico. After getting famous, winning many awards and fans, splitting up, and then reuniting, Una Última Vez is their first original release in ten years. Fans of the group will love the six new songs showcasing their well-tuned voices. Together, they have a unique harmony that compliments their signature ballads. The album also contains upbeat pop songs as well as some hip-hop influences. Watch a trailer (in Spanish) for the new album.
Charlie Puth, Nine Track Mind
Charlie Puth began his career with acoustic covers uploaded to YouTube. An early supporter was Ellen DeGeneres, who signed the Berklee College alum—along with his duet partner, Emily Luther—to her label ElevenEleven. Though that deal fizzled, Puth, at age 24, signed with Atlantic in early 2015. His new album Nine Track Mind features two top 40 singles: the Meghan Trainor duet "Marvin Gaye" and "One Call Away." On "Marvin Gaye," Puth displays a flair for retro flourishes: doo-wop rhythms, sock-hop melodies, finger snaps, and sing-along piano. There's also a classic track in "Then There’s You," which features Puth’s beautiful tenor/falsetto and is made for pop radio in 2016. Watch the video for “Marvin Gaye.”
Santana, Santana IV
Carlos Santana grew up in Mexico, the son of a father who was a mariachi violinist. In the early '60s, the family moved to San Francisco. In 1966, he was one of the founders of the Santana Blues Band, which was evolving until the Woodstock Festival put them on the map. Carlos focused on the Santana band in various incarnations for most of the rest of the 1970s and into the ‘90s. His latest, Santana IV, reunites most of the Woodstock-'69 Santana, including drummer Michael Shrieve, singer-organist Gregg Rolie, and percussionist Michael Carabello, as well as guitarist Neal Schon. The sound of the album is equally rooted in the past, focusing on their much-loved conga-fired soul, funk, and jazz. They may not sound as young and radical as they were, but they do come off as if they never stopped playing and discovering together. You can stream the entire album on Freegal.
Flatbush Zombies, 3001: A Laced Odyssey
Friends since grade school, hip hop trio Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, and Erick "The Architect" Elliott were born and raised in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. Like their last project, Clockwork Indigo, 3001 pays homage to Darko's favorite director, Stanley Kubrick. According to Esquire magazine, "the songs have a much fuller, lush production than a lot of hip hop out there right now. It's a little bit of a callback to some '90s sounds, but feels especially distinctive right now," which is to say the group has grown in the last three years to where they dig everything from psychotropics to designer fashion and flannel shirts from Sears. Watch them perform the album's first single, "Bounce," on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
A traditional book club, this isn’t. There are no flustered hosts at the Gracie Book Club: instead, it’s hosted by New York’s First Lady, Chirlane McCray, in the mayoral mansion. May 17 marked the first meeting of the Club, and the First Lady pulled up a chair with authors James Hannaham and Tanwi Nandini Islam to get into the weeds of Ms. Islam’s debut novel, Bright Lines.
The Gracie Book Club is devoted to literature straight from the streets of New York—stories that illustrate the diversity, multiculturalism, and vibrancy of the city millions call home. Set in Brooklyn and diving headfirst into themes of cultural identity, sexuality, and coming-of-age, Ms. Islam’s novel hit all the right notes to kick off the first gathering of the Club.
It wasn’t just the live event that had book lovers excited. As a book club of the 21st century, the discussion was broadcast to several public libraries, and the live stream was also available online, meaning anyone with an internet connection could take part. “It is my great pleasure to welcome everyone who is taking part in today’s conversation, whether you are here at Gracie Mansion or tuning in from your local library, your smartphone, or your home computer. If you can hear me talking, you are part of this book club,” said First Lady McCray.
Ms. Islam agreed, and thanked her fellow New Yorkers for attending. “As a New Yorker, it is absolutely surreal to think of people reading your work. I can’t believe it,” she said, before launching into an excerpt of her book.
While the fun may be over at Gracie Mansion for now, the spirit of the event lives on. Rebroadcasts will be happening at Broadway, Rochdale Village, and North Hills, and book discussions will be taking place at eight community libraries.
Looking for new music? Look no further than your local Queens Library!
Every month, our expert staff will bring you the best of what's new in our physical and digital collections.
Check out our music recommendations for May 2016!
Rachel Platten, Wildfire
Wildfire, Rachel Platten’s major label debut album, reveals that hiding under all that earnest intention is a savvy pop star itching to be heard. Growing up in Boston, Rachel recalls harmonizing with her family to finely crafted pop songs, from Sam Cooke to The Beatles. As a teenager, Rachel gravitated towards hip hop and female singer-songwriters. After finishing college, she immediately set out for New York's Greenwich Village. She struggled to get recognition for a few years, but now, it seems, is her time to shine in the spotlight. You can hear her whole album on Freegal.
Randy Houser, Fired Up
Randy Houser is a singer/songwriter from Mississippi. Like his contemporaries Trace Adkins and Luke Bryan, Randy specializes in what is known as “bro-country." That genre is basically country music influenced by hip hop, hard rock, and electronic music. It won’t play at the Grand Ole Opry, but you’re sure to hear it at NASCAR events. His latest album is Fired Up and you can stream it on Freegal.
2 Chainz, ColleGrove
Tauheed Epps, better known as 2 Chainz, is a rapper from Georgia. He’s been on the scene for almost 20 years, moving from label to label before founding his own, The Real University (T.R.U.). His latest release is actually a duet album with Lil Wayne, but because of ongoing legal issues only 2 Chainz is credited. The two engage in wordplay akin to a heavyweight boxing match, but you can tell that they are having a lot of fun. That is certainly evident on the album track "Bounce." Listen to it here.
Nevermen, Nevermen
The Nevermen are actually three frontmen—Adam Drucker, Mike Patton, and Tunde Adebimpe—who have been collaborating since 2009. It took seven years, but this "leaderless trio" has finally released their self-titled debut, and the result is an indie pop, post-grunge, industrial funk, rock-rap odyssey. It isn’t for everyone, but fans of the singers’ other bands (Faith No More and TV on the Radio) will certainly find a lot to enjoy here. Sound interesting? Listen to the whole album on Freegal.
Anthony Hamilton, What I’m Feelin’
“Have you ever read an R&B obituary where R&B is pronounced dead?” Anthony Hamilton jokingly asks. The answer, according to Vibe magazine, is of course no. The Charlotte, North Carolina native is back with his fifth studio album, What I’m Feelin'. His voice, according to NPR, “is undeniably and unabashedly thick with Southern rasp and charm, passion overflowing every note he sings." The songs remain rooted in the unmistakable influence of the church, but the vibe is pure, alive R&B. You can hear the entire album on Freegal.
Birdy, Beautiful Lies
The daughter of a concert pianist, Birdy learned to play piano at the age of seven. At age 12, she won the Grand Prize in the UK talent contest Open Mic UK against 10,000 other competitors. Her commercial breakthrough came at 14, when she covered Bon Iver's "Skinny Love." Beautiful Lies, her third studio album, is already garnering raves stateside from the likes of Entertainment Weekly, who cite highlights such as "Keeping Your Head Up." Watch that song's video here.
Kendrick Lamar, untitled unmastered.
After winning five Grammy awards at this year’s ceremony, rapper Kendrick Lamar decided to release untitled unmastered., a compilation of demos from his previous album To Pimp a Butterfly, and it perfectly complements the live performance that was a highlight of the Grammys show. Kendrick continues to push boundaries by incorporating styles like free jazz, funk, and avant-garde with his lyrical social commentary. It is obvious that he is an artist at the peak of his creativity when even leftovers sound this good. Listen to “Untitled 1 & 2."
Weezer, Weezer (2016)
Since coming together in Los Angeles in 1992, the members of Weezer have gone from dorky alt-rock heroes to absentee cult figures to arena-filling megastars. Their tenth album is also their fourth self-titled album, and like the others it will be better known by the color of its cover, in this case "The White Album." It's been called an all-out Beach Boys parody, with song titles like “Endless Bummer” and “L.A. Girlz." There are plenty of synth-shimmering guitars, gooey double-tracked vocals, crashing drums, and Rivers Cuomo lyrics about Darwin, Sisyphus, and cumulonimbus clouds. In other words, it is classic Weezer. Listen to the single “King of the World."
Dream Theater, The Astonishing
After roughly three decades of redefining the parameters of hard rock and progressive heavy metal, Dream Theater has released their 26th album, The Astonishing. It is a rock opera set in a retro-futurist, post-apocalyptic dystopia ruled by medieval-style feudalism. Like any opera, it has a cast of characters and a fantastical plot. The heavy rock sound is accompanied by lush orchestrations and digital age bleeps, reminiscent of vintage Pink Floyd. They even made a mini-movie that you can watch here.
Anthrax, For All Kings
Nearly as much as Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer, Anthrax were responsible for the emergence of speed and thrash metal. Their 11th album, For All Kings, is sure to please their legions of fans. Lead singer Joey Belladonna's melodic voice has never sounded better, and the guitar attacks are as fast and heavy as ever. There are some songs that would fit on hard rock radio stations, but for the most part it is an album of full-on aggression. Get ready to bang your head when you stream the album from Freegal.
We’re very pleased to welcome Dr. Mikisha Morris to Queens Library as the new Executive Director of the Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center. She succeeds Andrew P. Jackson (Sekou Molefi Baako), who will be retiring in July 2016 after more than 35 years of service to the Queens community.
Dr. Morris, who recently earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership, has an extensive nonprofit and public education administration background, having spent the majority of her career serving children and communities in Philadelphia. She brings a strong understanding of and value for culture and cultural arts in the community and in a library setting.
Dr. Morris was gracious enough to speak with us about some of her plans for her new role, her first message for the customers of Langston Hughes, and more.
What role did libraries play in your life growing up?
The library played a very significant role in my life. My parents strongly encouraged reading and writing in our household. So, as a little girl with a big vocabulary and an even bigger imagination, the library was the perfect escape for me. I would lose myself in a stack of books for hours.
Your doctoral study focused on using cultural arts programs to empower urban communities. That sounds like a fascinating topic. Can you tell us more about it?
The focus of my study was a school in South Philadelphia, which over the course of a decade developed a really strong cultural arts program. The program was fully funded by a small group of community members, through fundraising and grantwriting. In this program, students participate in African djembe drumming classes, Ailey-inspired dance, tap dance, strings, Shakespeare/theater workshops, art classes and more. Well, a few years ago this school was slated for closure. While one part of their argument to remain open was the school’s good academic standing, the hidden gem—its cultural arts program—was the centerpiece of the community's fight to save their school.
Having spent an entire school year working with the school’s community, I witnessed firsthand how this program empowered young people by teaching them about themselves, African culture, and African-American history. Students who were once shy or who had acted out tapped into talents and skills that they never knew existed, or that had never been encouraged. Parents and the community showed up in large numbers to support the students and this program. This helped increase parent involvement in both their children’s education and activities in and around the school. Surrounding music and arts institutions also supported the efforts of the school community. Both of these combined to create a unified, grassroots group of individuals who were highly invested in the fight to keep this school open.
When the time came to fight against the school’s imminent closure, the empowered community attended school board meetings and public hearings where the students would sing, rap, recite, and play their arguments to board members to “save their school.” This applied strategy proved to be a creative and successful approach to their fight. I saw the integral role that cultural arts can play in urban communities where so many resources and programs are most frequently cut. The result depresses so many neighborhoods and leads to an overall deterioration of communities. Cultural arts serve as a great unifier. People from every cultural and socio-economic background can harmoniously engage in a music event, a dance workshop, a theater performance, or an art class. It is a means to educate, inspire, and promote a greater tolerance towards people from cultures other than our own, and as my study proved, it can lead towards the empowerment of urban communities.
What attracted you to the Executive Director position at Langston Hughes Community Library?
My background is in public education and nonprofits, specifically program development and operations management in educational environments. The foundation of my previous work was serving students and communities. When I researched Langston Hughes Community Library, I knew that I had found something very special. The ED position at Langston Hughes fulfills everything that I was looking for professionally—the opportunity to serve urban communities; promote education and literacy; provide amazing cultural arts experiences for diverse audiences; encourage the study of Black cultures and heritage; and hopefully inspire children and adults alike to make reading a strong part of their lives.
We know you just arrived, but what are some of your early plans for your new role at Langston Hughes? Are there any programs or events that you’d like to develop?
My early plans are to glean as much knowledge as possible from Director Emeritus Andrew Jackson so that I may continue the great legacy that he has created over the past 35 years. I want to develop resources and programming that will be relevant to a community that was once predominantly Black and is now home to various Hispanic immigrants; but also sustain the original founders’ vision for the institution, which is to provide a means for the community, students, teachers, and scholars throughout the borough to have direct access to and study Black culture. Finally, I would like to extend the reach of Langston Hughes. This is an amazing institution, with a powerful legacy; it offers so much, academically and culturally—and I wish for even more people to walk through the doors and experience it.
What are some of your favorite books and authors? And what are you reading at the moment?
I am someone who greatly appreciates a “good read.” But for the past 7 years, while earning my master’s and my doctorate, my reading has strictly been academic books for a class or to write a paper. Some of my favorite authors are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Paulo Coelho, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and James Patterson. At the moment, I am re-reading a book that I received as a gift from a great friend over a year ago—The Woman Code by Sophia A. Nelson. Oh, and I just have to add that my childhood favorite was Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema. I still pick up that book and read it from time to time.
Do you have a message for the customers of Langston Hughes and the communities of Corona and East Elmhurst?
This is the Langston Hughes COMMUNITY Library and Cultural Center, meaning: it belongs to you. I invite you to come in and explore all that we have to offer. We welcome you, we appreciate you, and we are here to serve.
Perhaps the most important question: even though you’ve come to us from Philadelphia, are you ready to start rooting for the Mets?
Every time the Phillies have a bad season, I swear out of frustration to “cheer for a new team next year.” Philly has my heart; so I have to root for my home team. BUT, if I continue to have my heart broken every season…I may have to reconsider. And I do have a few friends and family members who are Mets fans, so they would be more than willing to help me with the transition!
Thank you to our patrons for sending us their poems in honor of National Poetry Month—and now it’s our pleasure to share them with you!
And be sure to join us at the Library for our poetry-related events for the rest of April and beyond!
One Year Ago
by Agnes Wong
I see the melancholy in my mirror as I rise and remember
One year ago I lost my father the 31st of December
I hear a silence that replays its own piercing echo
One year ago an audience sat in mourning row after row
I smell the fragrant flowers many offered in kind gesture
One year ago I laid some gently about his peaceful posture
I touch a replica of his portrait that perched tall on a stand
One year ago his smile reached out that day to hold my hand
I taste the bitterness of my swallow near my part in the ceremony
One year ago I read a letter saluting dear father's memory
Today I need to weep and face my grief in the senses I expressed
Tomorrow I'll find strength to bid him Happy New Year where he rests
***
The Way Fish Move
by Shoshana Goldman
Silver darts swerving madly.
Hues of rainbows floating angelically.
Half cats gliding along the pebbled water roads.
Little pink crabs scuttling along the sandy shore.
Rows of spears along a sleek menacing predator
looking for prey.
A mysterious giant (bubblegum) squid waiting
in the deep dark shadows of the most perilous waters.
Swerving, floating, gliding, scuttling, looking,
waiting fish of the 7 oceans.
***
Queens
by Michael P. Kusen
Queens is a patchwork quilt of more than ninety neighborhoods,
From Astoria to Jamaica, from Glen Oaks to Briarwood.
And almost half of all the people who now reside in Queens
Came here from other countries, following their dreams.
A salad bowl or melting pot, take your choice of metaphor—
That’s what Queens now represents, “America’s open door.”
There is no place on the earth of such diversity,
Mixing languages and cultures in a free democracy.
We reflect the people of the world in all our different ways.
And we strive to get along and sing each other’s praise.
We are a living symbol of cooperation—
Queens, all by itself, is like a mini-nation.
We live proudly in this borough of the City of New York
With all our mix of cultures and accents when we talk.
So be proud, my fellow residents, knowing what it means
To be all stitched together in the patchwork quilt of Queens!
***
Teeth Falling Out
by Qi-Hong Zheng
We both dreamt that all our teeth fell out that one night.
According to Freud,
We both wish to be nurtured by each other’s presence
Day and night.
Like Drake said, you’re just negative energy to feed off of.
Mama, aren’t you tired of putting me down?
Why do you let my tears drown you in your insecurities and self-image?
Let my smile and laughter bring your life to a balance.
Mama, I’m begging you.
How are we so in sync in our dreams
Yet so out of touch in reality?
You were born on 0218,
I’m born on 0812.
My only wish this birthday is to make things less complicated
between me and you.
Perhaps this dream can be interpreted by Carl Jung,
and let this be a rebirth of what is already said and done.
***
All poems copyright 2016 Queens Library and the individual authors.
In my first weeks as the newly-appointed President and CEO, I visited every community library to meet the staff and gain an overview of what each library adds to the community. Among the most impactful programs are the Job and Business Academy’s job skills training workshops.
Library users attend free classes at the library that would cost several hundred dollars from other educators. The students who complete the course have successfully gained skills and certification to become better employed, and the overwhelming majority do. Just last week, a class of new home health aides received their certifications at Queens Library at Arverne. On average, there is an 85% success rate for employment for graduates.
Queens Library also offers workshops for basic and advanced computer skills, certification workshops for security guards and construction safety, and classes on computer coding and creating websites. These workshops are more than interesting and informative. They put real paychecks into the hands of real people. That makes me proud of Queens Library’s staff and our mission.
I look forward to working with our staff, the Board of Trustees, and other community stakeholders to create partnerships that bring more future-positive programs to Queens Library customers. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Bank of America for underwriting workforce development programs for Queens Library's customers.
Dennis M. Walcott
In honor of Jane Jacobs’ 100th birthday, Queens Library presents Jane Jacobs @ 100: A View of Western Queens. This event includes a live interview with Gianna Cerbone, owner and chef of Manducatis Rustica and long-time Long Island City resident. The interview will be followed by a panel discussion on Jacobs’ enduring impact on Queens, and what she would think about the extensive development and changes in the Western Queens area. Arrive before the program begins to get your photos of Western Queens digitized for free by the Queens Library Memory team.
A Pennsylvania-born urban planning writer and activist who made New York her stomping ground, Jane Jacobs championed a community-oriented focus in city planning. Despite no formal education in this area, she left behind a legacy of inclusion, diversity, and accessibility
Jacobs’ most influential work is likely her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities*, published in 1961. Cultivating the vibrancy of a city, she argued, came down to understanding the role of each element, including sidewalks, mixed-use buildings and parks, and how they worked together. She also promoted the idea that residents were just as qualified to speak out on their changing spaces as elected officials and certified planners. This didn’t always make her popular. "What a dear, sweet character she isn't," noted Roger Starr, then a New York City housing administrator and one of Jacobs’ regular sparring partners.
She had her own sounding board, too: Thomas Jefferson. Though the Founding Father had long been dead, Jacobs revealed to Azure magazine in 1997 that she made a habit of conversing with him in her head. When these exchanges started to run dry, she began speaking to Benjamin Franklin. Both men were inquisitive and interested in the “nitty-gritty,” making them ideal companions with whom she could discuss her passions.
While Jacobs’ works proved controversial at the time of publishing, she’s now seen as an “apostle of livable cities.” To learn more about Jane Jacobs, you can borrow a range of books from Queens Library, or join us to celebrate her 100th birthday at Manducatis Rustica on Wednesday, May 4 at 6pm. Get $5 off tickets here.
*Available at Queens Library
Queens Central Library celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 20, and we're capping off a wonderful day of festivities with an amazing concert with R&B artist Alexis Hightower.
Described by critics as “mesmerizing," Alexis’s chic sound is a sophisticated mix of classic jazz touched with the hip hop and classic soul she grew up on.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Alexis grew up in California and made the move to New York City during the heyday of hip hop, spoken word, and neo-soul in the 1990s. A piano player and singer from a young age, Alexis’s search for her sound led to collaborations with emerging talents like Roy Hargrove, Kareem Riggins, and Saul Williams. She has headlined at venerated NYC venues including The Blue Note, The Bitter End, and BAMcafé Live; made her European festival debut in Spain in 2001 at the San Sebastian Music Festival; and later toured throughout Spain, Austria, and Japan. Her first full-length album, Girl Next Door, is out now.
Thanks for taking the time to talk with us before your concert, Alexis! What led you to New York City for your musical career?
I first visited New York when I was about nine years old. I think I knew then that I was going to end up here, so to speak. I was so drawn to the energy and all the possibility that New York had. And, of course, world-class music and culture is in the DNA of the city, which immediately made an impression on me. Later on, it was kind of a push-and-pull. I think that living in New York is still a rite of passage for many creative types, and also business types if you think about it. At the same time, I also wanted to get away from home. Independence and culture mixed with limitless possibility, that’s what brought me here.
You got your start in the late ‘90s NYC café-poetry scene, working with spoken-word performers like Saul Williams. When you’re writing your songs, do you find yourself developing your lyrics first?
Actually, for me the lyrics are usually the last piece of the song to emerge and get fine-tuned. I tend to start with a groove in my head that I build out in the sequencer, or the song will start at the piano in both hands with a kind-of vague melody and maybe a word or two. Lyrics take a lot of time to craft. Those poets and performers instilled in me a great love for crafted, signature lyricism and showed how there should never be any wasted words. Or throwaway words, for that matter. For me, it takes time to develop them and I need to know exactly what I want to say. So…lyrics take time.
Who are your top five creative influences?
That’s actually a tough question to answer, because I’m always finding new sources of inspiration. That’s one of the great upsides of the creative life—you always get to find influences everywhere and in everything. Right now, I’m listening to a lot of King, Kendrick Lamar, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, and A Tribe Called Quest.
What books are you currently reading?
I just started a book called Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor. I actually got it at the library! A friend of mine, Olaronke, started a pop-up library called the Free Black Woman’s Library and you have to bring a book to take one with you; you can’t buy anything. Right now, I’m finding out about all these amazing female authors of color from around the globe. I didn’t even know about a lot of them. So, libraries and books are really important to me and always have been. I’m also reading a book called The Attention Revolution, which is about mindful meditation.
What can our patrons expect to hear at your concert on April 20?
I’m excited to play some songs from my first EP, Lucy’s Blues, and from my album, Girl Next Door. I also have some new material that I think is a nice evolution of those projects, so I think that any fans of that material will like the new stuff, too. Also, there are so many great artists who either came from or lived in Queens. I mean, everyone from Cyndi Lauper to LL Cool J, Burt Bacharach, Louis Armstrong, the list is pretty amazing. So, I’ve got to do some of that material, right?
Do you have any advice for aspiring singers and musicians?
I would say…be very free creatively, but take your work very seriously, if that makes sense. I think there’s a constant balancing act between expressing your creative voice and handling your business. You really have to manage both. And who you surround yourself with is important. Try to be around people who take their work as seriously as you take yours, because that’s something you can build on.
National Volunteer Week 2016 was technically last week, but you loved our Volunteer Spotlight profiles so much, we wanted to share a bonus one with you!
Besides, we love celebrating the important role of volunteers at Queens Library whenever we can!
Thank you again to every Queens Library volunteer for their service!
Patricia Fitzgerald first began her volunteer work as an Adult Basic Education (ABE) tutor at the Peninsula Adult Learning Center (Peninsula ALC) in 2000. She had to stop volunteering for some time due to personal reasons, but was so determined to help her students that she returned to Peninsula ALC in October 2015.
“Patricia is one of our most dedicated tutors; she is very committed to her ABE students,” says Ebru Mestizo Yenal, Assistant Manager of Peninsula ALC. “Pat, as she is fondly called at the center, has come to view the students, and indeed the ALC, as an extended family of sorts. She often works hours earlier than her agreed-upon schedule, because there are students who she thinks need additional attention. When Pat realizes that those students still require more time, she will add another day to her schedule in an effort to assist them better. She buys teaching materials like flash cards and workbooks for all of her students according to their needs. She also makes it a point to talk to every one of her students to find any possible obstacles to their learning, and she will go out of her way to resolve them!”
Pat currently has seven students who are from different cultures and range from beginning to advanced level speakers of English. Her students have many different goals: to get their High School Equivalency diploma, to become a citizen, to get a job. Pat’s main objective is to ensure that all her students achieve those goals.
“In a very short time, all her students’ literacy proficiency levels have improved tremendously,” says Ebru Yenal. “When you consider how challenging it is to move the proficiency levels of basic literacy students, all of Pat’s hard work has paid off.”
“This is more fun than I’ve had in 20 years,” says Pat about teaching her students. “In life, you rarely come across the level of courage that these students demonstrate when they walk through the door and say ‘I can’t read.’ It’s an honor to be with them and it adds value to my life every day!”
Our thanks to Pat for her determination and persistence in helping her students!
It’s National Volunteer Week 2016, and we want to celebrate the important role of volunteers at Queens Library!
All this week, we will share stories of our volunteers on our blog. Thank you to them, and to every Queens Library volunteer, for their service!
Liad Mizarhi and Kiane Joseph are typical high school seniors counting the days to summer. Over the past few months, their lives have been consumed with applications, college visits, exams, and acceptance letters. Looking ahead, they are preparing for spring break, prom, graduation, and possible summer jobs before going off to college.
With such busy schedules, each girl was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were nominated for a Volunteer Spotlight in recognition of their service work at Forest Hills Community Library.
“They are dependable, efficient, and punctual. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award,” says Forest Hills Senior Librarian Kerline Piedra (pictured with Liad [left] and Kiane [right]).
As high school students, Liad and Kiane are part of a group of more than five hundred teens that volunteer with Queens Library each year. Collectively, these civic-minded young people are challenging the misperception that teens aren't reliable or don’t think about the future.
A student at Forest Hills High School, Kiane will be attending Savannah College of Art and Design. "I'm going to major in game design," she says. "It's what I've been preparing for in high school."
Liad, a student at the Summit School, is staying closer to home for college. “I’m going to Baruch College and I’m thinking about psychology. There’s a concentration called commercial psychology that I want to learn more about.”
Both girls have been volunteering since the fall and have been taking full advantage of the experience. Along with their primary duties helping to shelve books and materials, Liad and Kiane have been assisting with sorting through the numerous donations of books, games, music, and magazines collected by the library.
The girls have also taken some time to discover a few new authors. “I’ve been able to find books on the shelves that interest me, and when I done working, I’ll take them out,” commented Kiane, who picked up a copy of Tupac Shakur's The Rose That Grew from Concrete. Liad has also come across a new find; she's been reading Deborah Feldman’s Exodus: A Memoir.
Regardless of the path each girl travels, both agree that volunteering at the library has been a positive part of their senior year. “You gain a lot of experience that will stay with you throughout your life and your career,” says Liad.
Our thanks and congratulations to Liad and Kiane! Good luck!