(718) 260–2500 Brooklyn Paper’s essential guide to the Borough of Kings April 12–18, 2019
MERMAIDS
Fin folk
Good morning, Coney Island, how are you?
Don’t you know him — he’s your native son!
Folk music star and Coney Island native Arlo
Guthrie will join his sister Nora Guthrie in leading
the 36th annual Mermaid
Parade this June, reigning
over the summer celebration
as its King Neptune
and Queen Mermaid. The
son and daughter of folk
legend Woodie Guthrie
are looking forward to
returning to their roots
for the beloved annual extravaganza,
since growing
up in the area had such an indelible impact
on them, according to the future Queen.
“I love it, because we were born and raised
there — I’m a real mermaid, I don’t have to fake
it!” Nora Guthrie told this newspaper. “Much
of my identity really comes from Coney Island,
including my silliness.”
The pair will return to the People’s Playground
to lead the June 22 procession, which will occur
just blocks from the now-demolished Mermaid
Avenue home where the pair grew up with their
music sensation father, their mother Marjorie,
and their five siblings. Their connection to the
avenue the Mermaid Parade is named after makes
them a natural fit to be crowned King and Queen,
according to the parade’s organizer.
“They are the only King and Queen of the
Mermaid Parade to actually grow up on Mermaid
Avenue, so I’ve always had them in mind,”
said Dick Zigun. — Julianne McShane
DRAGONS
Winter has come!
The final season of the gritty fantasy series
“Game of Thrones” will air on the Home Box
Office network on April 14, and Brooklynites
are making ready to celebrate the saga of swords
and dragons.
On Saturday, April 13
— the night before the
premiere, Williamsburg
nightclub Schimanski
(54 N. 11th St.
between Wythe and
Berry streets, bit.ly/raveofthronesbk)
will host
a “Rave of Thrones,” with
actor Kristian Nairn, who
plays the simple-minded
giant Hodor on the sorcerous show, spinning
music all night. The party starts at 9 p.m and
keeps going until the White Walkers come for
you (4:30 a.m). Tickets are $30.
Meanwhile, famed nerd bar the Way Station
(683 Washington Ave. between Prospect and St.
Marks places in Prospect Heights, www.thewaystationbk.
com) will host “Mother of Drag(ons),”
a night of literally fantastic performances from
drag queens Tyler Ashley, Patti Spliff, West Dakota,
and more. This show is going to be fire (and
ice)! The bar will tap a keg of the official “Game
of Thrones” beer to serve during the show, which
starts at 9 p.m. Admission is free, and any donations
will go to the Bard Prison Initiative, which
encourages incarcerated rogues to multi-class.
For those want to watch the season opener
with company, one big spot stands out:
On April 14, gather your party and journey
into the underworld, to the Dekalb Stage in the
subterranean Dekalb Market Hall (445 Albee
Square West between Fulton and Willoughby
streets Downtown, www.dekalbmarkethall.com).
The 250-seat spot will show the season premiere
— and every following episode — on its giant
projection screen, with two smaller televisions
for those on the edges. Attached bar Understudy
will serve two “Thrones”–themed cocktails: “The
Red Wedding” and “The Dragon Fire” — each
will cost $12, but you can get one for free if you
are an OkCupid app user looking for a dragonloving
date. The free screening starts at 8:30
p.m. — Bill Roundy
By Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Paper
Brooklyn’s in for a ton of bun!
Kings County kids have an eggstraordinary
variety of Easter events to
choose from over the next two weeks, as
Brooklyn prepares to celebrate the Christian
holiday with a variety of fun pagan traditions
representing fertility, spring, and
the pursuit of tasty sugar.
Fun with the bun
On Saturday, Park Slope’s Battle of
Brooklyn Museum, the Old Stone House
at Washington Park, will host its annual
photo shoot with the Easter Bunny, where
both kids and dogs are invited to pose with
the beloved holiday hare.
Pose with the Easter Bunny at Old Stone
House 336 Third St. between Fourth and
Fifth avenues in Park Slope, (718) 768–
3195, www.theoldstonehouse.org. April
13, 10 a.m.–noon. $10.
Beyond the bunny
Bed, Bath, and Beyond will host a massive
Easter egg scavenger hunt at the homegoods
supplier’s Third Avenue outlet, featuring
photos with the Easter Bunny, snacks,
music, and other holiday events.
Joint the hunt at Bed, Bath, and Beyond
850 Third Ave. between 30th and 32nd
streets in Sunset Park, (929) 324–3492.
April 13, noon–5 p.m. Free.
Eggs and the City
Industry City invites kids to craft their
own Easter holiday fun at the second annual
Bunny Hop on April 13! Activities
will include face-painting and craft workshops
at the Sunset Park maker space,
along with free chocolate eggs and the
Rock ‘n’ Roll Playhouse churning out
Beatles tunes for kids.
Make an egg at Industry City (274 36th
St. between Second and Third avenues in
Sunset Park, www.industrycity.com. April
13; 12:30–3:30 p.m. Free.
Bun in Bushwick
Swerve Church will offer a variety of
holiday-themed amusements — including
music, snacks, games, face paint, and candy
at Irving Square Park on April 13.
Join the fun at Irving Square Park (Wilson
Avenue between Weirfield and Halsey
streets in Bushwick, www.facebook.com/
swervechurch). April 13, 2–3 p.m. Free.
Easter Evergreen
Bushwick’s biggest boneyard will host
a bun mix of free Easter events, including
an egg hunt, magic show, petting zoo, and
photos with the holiday rabbit.
Get your eggs at Evergreen Cemetery
1629 Bushwick Ave. near Stewart Street
in Bushwick, (718) 455–5300, www.theevergreenscemetery.
org. April 13, 2–4 p.m.
Free.
Farm fresh
Green Meadows Farm returns to the
Floyd Bennett Field sports and events
center for a six-day holiday bonanza featuring
egg hunts, hayrides, pony rides, a
petting zoo, and photos with Whiskers the
Easter Bunny, along with variety of other
fun Easter treats.
Enjoy an egg-stravagent Easter at Aviator
Sports and Events Center 3159 Flatbush
Ave. between Belt Parkway and Marine
Parkway Bridge in Marine Park, (718)
440–3358, www.aviatorsports.com. April
13–14, 19–22, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $9.
Hop to it
Brooklyn’s oldest house will host a party
for the borough’s youngest residents! The
lawn of the Wyckoff House Museum will
feature an Easter egg hunt, face-painting, a
visit from the Easter Bunny, music, games,
and more!
Have an old-fashioned Easter egg hunt
at the Wyckoff House Museum, 5816 Clarendon
Rd. at E. 59th Street in Flatbush,
(718) 629–5400, www.wyckoffmuseum.
org. April 20; noon–3 p.m. Free.
Search party
Brooklyn’s Legacy Church will host a
free egg hunt for kids at Bedford-Stuyvesant
green place Herbert Von King Park
on Easter’s eve!
Get your eggs at Herbert Von King Park
(670 Lafayette Ave. between Marcy and
Tompkins avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant,
www.legacybklyn.com/easter). April 20,
noon–3 p.m. Free.
Egg-ceptional art
A Crown Heights events space that offers
wine and painting nights will ditch the
booze on Easter Sunday, when parents are
invited to bring up to three youngsters to
decorate eggs at the quirky craft space. All
paint supplies are provided, and the event
will also feature face-painting, games, music,
and other attractions.
Paint eggs at Colors Effect 1454 St.
John’s Place between Utica and Rochester
avenues in Crown Heights, (347) 921–1869,
www.colorseffect.com. April 21, 3–5:30
p.m. $35–$85.
‘Game’ on!
DIVAS
Double Dion
Her tour will go on and on!
Legendary pop artist Celine Dion will perform
at Barclays Center for two nights early next
year, but if you want to get a seat, you should get
ready right now! Dion will land at Barclays on
Feb. 28, 2020, as part of her Courage World Tour
— her first tour of the United States in more than
a decade. The vocal star is eager to get on the
road again after her 16-year residency at Caesar’s
Palace in Las Vegas,
Dion said in a press
release.
“I’m so grateful to
all the fans who have
come to see my show in
Las Vegas for so many
years, and now I get the
chance to create a brand
new show and bring it to
them in North America,
and around the world. I’m
very excited about this tour, and my new album
coming later this year,” said Dion.
Tickets will go on sale on Friday, April 12 at
10 a.m. Would-be concert-goers should point
their browsers at Ticketmaster.com , or at www.
barclayscenter.com .
The show is not to be missed, said one producer
of the tour.
“We’ve been thrilled to be working with Celine
for these last 16 years in Las Vegas, and
we’re even more delighted that for the first time
in more than a decade, she will be bringing her
show to her fans, all around the world, starting
here in North America this September,” said
John Meglen. “Celine is a treasure, truly a voice
for the ages.”
Celine Dion at Barclays Center (620 Atlantic
Ave. at Pacific Street in Prospect Heights, www.
barclayscenter.com). Feb. 28–29, 2020 at 7:30
p.m. $100–$150. — Maya Harrison
By Aidan Graham
Brooklyn Paper
The road to Disaster ends in
Coney Island!
A Brooklyn duo known for
murder ballads and witchcraft-inspired
tunes will wrap up its first
national tour with a ghoulish concert
in the Sodom by the Sea. The band
Charming Disaster will open for surreal
rock act Cookie Tongue at Coney
Island’s Sideshows by the Seashore
on April 19, launching the 2019 “Music
of Curiosities” series. Both bands
draw on folk tales and mystical stories
for their songs, said Charming
Disaster’s ukulele player.
“The subject matter tends to be
on the darker side. We get a lot of
our inspiration from folk lore, fairy
tales, and ancient mythologies,” said
Ellia Bisker, who also sings and plays
piano with bandmate and guitarist
Jeff Morris.
Bisker, who used to play with a circus
MUSIC
show, promised that the concert
will be as wild as the duo’s music.
“The shows are highly theatrical
and pretty interactive. For example,
we’ll go out into the audience and sing
in the middle of people,” she said. “We
like to break the fourth wall.”
Visitors to the show can get an
advance listen to Charming Disaster’s
upcoming third album, “Spells
and Rituals,” set to debut on June
9. The 11-track album, filled with
songs like “Soft Apocalypse” and
“Be My Bride of Frankenstein,” represents
an evolution of the band’s
music, said Morris.
“It’s a natural progression. It’s definitely
Fil e photos by Steve Solomonson
in the spirit of the first two,
but I think it’s more sophisticated
and more ambitious,” he said.
The gothic-folk duo formed in
2012, after the pair met in a Park
Slope bar and decided to write music
together, as a side project to their
respective bands. The musical chemistry
soon led to Charming Disaster
becoming their primary focus,
said Morris.
“It was quickly taking up a lot of
our creative energy,” he said. “We
found that we work very collaboratively
and complement each other
really well.”
The new band allowed each of them
to focus on the gothic, noir source
material they both enjoy. But working
together has not been without
challenges, said Bisker.
“As a two-piece band we have to do
a lot more with a lot less,” said Bisker.
“There’s less instruments, but this project
focuses a lot more on storytelling
that we find interesting.”
Hoppy
hunting An eggs-clusive guide to Easter
events all across the borough
Having bun: The Easter Bunny has a busy weekend coming up. (At left) Young Adam
caught a bagful of colorful eggs in Marine Park last year.
This Charming band
Duo sings of murder and witchcraft in Coney
Charming Disaster at Sideshows
by the Seashore 1208 Surf Ave.
at W. 12th Street in Coney Island,
(718) 372–5159, www.coneyisland.
com. April 19 at 9 p.m. $20.
Charmed, I’m sure: Brooklyn goth-folk duo Charming Disaster will
perform in Coney Island on April 19. Shervin Lainez
Helen Sloan
Brian Purnell Cissy Van Kralingen / Courtesy of Rising Son Records
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