The Filtered Excellence: May 24, 2021
Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Once a week we take a break from comedy to bring you this week’s picks of the best things to watch, the most interesting things to do, great things to try, the best picks to read, our favorite things to listen to and more.
WATCH THIS
Flatbush Misdemeanors. Dan Perlman and Kevin Iso’s award winning web series has now moved over to Showtime. They play fictional versions of themselves: Dan is a teacher who barley manages to keep his students in line, and pops Xanax to help maintain his depression. Kevin is an aspiring artist who, when he’s not crashing on Dan’s couch, delivers food for a Caribbean restaurant. When they are not dealing with the day to day awarkwardness of living in a drastically changed Brooklyn, they’re also trying to stay out of the crosshairs of local criminal Drew (Hassan Johnson). Perlman and Iso play well off of each other, displaying great The chemistry and timing between Perlman and Iso is undeniable, as they effortlessly give off reactions that range from cringe to laugh out loud funny. This is the must watch comedy series of 2021. Flatbush Misdemeanors airs Sunday nights at 10:30 East on Showtime.
LISTEN TO THIS
Delta Kreme by The Black Keys. For their 10th album, The Black Keys revisit the North Mississippi hill country blues that dominated their earlier work. Recorded over two days in Nashville, the duo tackles material by John Lee Hooker (‘Crawling Kingsnake’), Mississippi Fred McDowell (‘Louise’), and R.L. Burnside (‘Mellow Peaches’). Nearly half of the album features the songs of the late Junior Kimbrough, whose pretty much the Fat Possum label on the map. While the spirit and feel of the material remains, but also incorporates elements of soul, garage rock and full throttle boogie. It’s the perfect album to have on whether you are in the car, and chilling out in the backyard. Delta Kreme by The Black Keys is available now through all major streaming services .
Silver Linings by Charlie Benante. Looking to pass the time during the pandemic, Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante held a series of video conferenced jam sessions with featuring bandmates Scott Ian and Frank Bello, girlfriend Carla Harvey and friends Corey Glover of Living Colour, DMC, Skid Row’s Snake Sabo, Alex Skolnick of Testament, Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda, and bassist Ra Diaz of Suicidal Tendencies. After posting highlights of the sessions online, it’s now the basis of Benante’s first solo album. Hard rock and metal heads are treated to covers of KISS, Iron Maiden, and Living Colour, but Benante and the crew take on songs by Tom Petty, U2, Billie Ellish, Massive Attack, Mother Love Bone and Run-DMC. The respect and love for the material is evident throughout revealing a range that one wouldn’t expect from someone long associated with thrash metal. It’s a fun project that deserves repeated listens. Silver Linings by Charlie Benante is available now through all major streaming services.
Sacred Places by Dope Sagittarius. In late 2017, Funkface frontman Luqman Brown released Sacred Places, the 2nd album under his alter ego Dope Sagittarius. But a series of serious health setbacks – coupled with COVID – prevented him from properly promoting the project. Back at 100%, Brown is now giving the album a second life. It expands on the DIY-based electro-funk/rock, punk, hip hop path that was laid out on his debut effort Ghetto Glitch, but it’s also more refined and smoothed out. There’s also an array of guest stars including Corey Glover, Mazz Swift, the late Ronny Drayton, Roy Radics, Marc Cary, and Mike Ladd to help bring the blizzard of rock, funk, reggae, pop and down and dirty blues into the mix. Rich in grooves, political bent and a whole lot of love, it’s living proof that you can’t keep a good man – or album – down. Sacred Places by Dope Sagittarius is available now through Bandcamp and all major streaming services.
STREAM THIS
DO THIS
New York City: Arthur Jafa. With credits on the film Daughters Of The Dust, the video short, Love Is The Message, The Message is Death and his work on videos by Solange, Jay Z and Kanye West, Arthur Jafa has an in-demand videographer and cinematographer for over three decades. He’s also an outstanding photographer and his latest exhibit at The Gladstone Gallery marries a series of images and images that is described as ‘surface and metaphor collude as accomplishes’. Jafa’s work as always been arresting and stimulating and his latest is no different. Another stunner from one of the best in the game. Arthur Jafa will be at the Gladstone Gallery through June 18th. You can also go to www.gladstonegallery.com for more information.
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