Rapper shot to death outside warehouse studios building

PIX News

Here's a map of what this dump looks like inside. And a review of the "maker" warehouse from someone who also tried to record some tracks.

Since this is mostly a venue to create art, it sounds like this owner wanted to make a couple extra bucks from the drill rap scene and wanted to do this the cheapest way possible.

 

Please turn your Brooklyn down, we're tryin' to sleep ova heah

Okay, 5 hours ago was pretty early in the morning. Don't you folks sleep? Oh, sorry, you couldn't because of these assholes. In all seriousness, this isn't just a Brooklyn thing, it's happening ALL OVER the damn city and Queens is getting more than its fair share.

Why is absolutely nothing done about this? The progressives want cars banned yet have nothing to say about this wackadoo culture, which affects not "pedestrians," "cyclists" or "drivers" but people trying to sleep in their own beds?

The night belongs to lovers but the day belongs to these people

"I've been living in Woodside since 1978 and this is the first street singer I've seen. And he is pretty darn good!" - SirBill55

How charming!

Watch behind the singer and you'll notice some not-so-kosher things going on. Cabs shouldn't be making U-turns in the middle of Roosevelt Ave and commercial establishment shouldn't be dumping their garbage next to public trash bins. It's funny to see the video end with the busker staring at a Hefty bag.

Thanks, Kent, for passing this along.

Learn the importance of parkland

Dear Editor (Queens Chronicle):

Madison Square Garden, AEG Live and Founders Entertainment, extremely wealthy entertainment giants, are seeking to use Flushing Meadows Corona Park for paid-for-admission music festivals this summer. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz has launched a pre-emptive strike against such use and she is correct.

For too long the NYC Parks Department has been complicit with myopic politicians and wealthy special interests in dumping all sorts of intrusions that do not belong in an urban park like FMCP. It is the most abused park in our municipal park system and that abuse must stop. The Parks Department fails to understand FMCP is important for many Queens residents who do not have summer homes or rear yards in which to relax during summer months. The park is wall-to-wall people during the summer months. Large paid-for-admission events are nothing less than an unwarranted commercialization of public park property which must never be permitted, and particularly as to those with political connections. There are many nonpark facilities in this city that would be available to these entertainment giants.

That Mitchell J. Silver, the NYC Parks commissioner, said he would explore a new rule to approve live large scale multi-day events in the park is unacceptable. It should immediately be rejected with no ifs, ands or buts. Mr. Silver’s attempts to compare this proposal to a charitable AIDS walk in a park or to concerts in other parks that are over in a few hours, free to all persons who which to attend, is political nonsense. There is a difference between such short, free concerts and those events that last for days, that people must pay to attend and given the inadequate parking in the park, will result in mass parking on park grass throughout the park. Public park users will for all practical purposes be denied use of their park so billionaire entertainment owners can make more money and the little people who use and need the park be damned.

Over 100 hears ago Frederick Law Olmstead, the genius who created Central and Prospect parks in this city and important parks elsewhere, said:

“The survival of our park system requires the exclusion from management of real estate dealers and politicians and that the first duty of our park trustees is to hand down from one generation to the next the treasure of scenery which the city placed in their care.”

If Mr. Silver is not familiar with the above or if he is uncaring about its meaning, it would suggest he has no place as an urban parks commissioner. If Mayor de Blaisio is likewise unfamiliar or uncaring about its meaning and fails to prevent Mr. Silver, his parks commissioner, from further desecration of FMCP, he should be aware it will be an issue he will have to confront should he seek re-election.

Benjamin M. Haber
Flushing

Festivals still may come to Flushing Meadows

From the Times Ledger:

Borough President Melinda Katz has launched a pre-emptive strike against the city Parks Department and three entertainment giants that are seeking to use Flushing Meadows Corona Park for paid-admission music festivals this summer. Madison Square Garden, AEG Live and Founders Entertainment have all filed applications with the city to close off large portions of the park in order to stage events.

“Without a fair policy in place, I remain opposed to any applications from for-profit organizations to run paid-admission events in Flushing Meadows Corona Park,” Katz said. “The absence of a revised policy, including a set selection criteria and process approved by the community, renders the process arbitrary and unfair. Cutting off public access to our treasured parks flies in the face of the very principle behind our parks, which is space designated for public access and equity.”

The same three companies attempted to stage music festivals in Flushing Meadows Corona Park last summer, but their applications were denied after fierce opposition from Katz and numerous civic associations. Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver said he would explore new rule-making to create an appropriate framework for approving large-scale multi-day events in the park, including limits on the potential number, scale and nature of any such events so as not to have an unreasonable impact on the park and its users.

These new rules have not been established as the Parks Department reviews the applications. The city has until Dec. 19 to approve permits for the entertainment giants.

Loud music party stopped at Willets Point

This is the truck that has been playing the LOUD music in the junk yards at night. The owner is now in our cell. pic.twitter.com/waxheCW8qd

— NYPD 110th Precinct (@NYPD110Pct) June 19, 2016

Illegal park parties are back

"Can anything be done about the horrible loud music that we hear every weekend. It is so loud and it goes on into the wee hours of the morning. It coming from Willets Point and Flushing Meadows. Please put a cop there and maybe they won't stay there." - anonymous

No music festivals at FMCP

From the Daily News:

The city Parks Department has rejected all three proposals to host multi-day music festivals at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the Daily News has learned.

Concert promoter AEG, the force behind the popular Coachella music festival on the West Coast, applied for a permit to have an event at the sprawling Queens park.

MSG and Founders Entertainment followed with applications for the site which housed both the 1939-40 and 1964-65 World's Fairs "Parks reviewed all permit applications thoroughly," said Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver. "While we are heartened by the interest in one of Queens' most historic parks, our primary concern is ensuring the park is available for the many New Yorkers who call Flushing Meadows Corona Park their backyard."

Officials said large-scale, multi-day festivals had never been held on the grassy areas of the park and were surprised by the number of applications the city received for 2016.

Mayor's buddy lobbying for FMCP music festival

From the NY Post:

A close pal of Mayor de Blasio is trying to help a concert promoter score city approval for a music mega-festival in Queens.

AEG Live — which runs the popular, but crime-laden Coachella concert series in California — has shelled out $150,000 to lobbyist Harold Ickes, a former Clinton administration official and longtime mentor to the mayor, who also served on Hizzoner’s transition team, records show.

Since 2014, Ickes has lobbied for AEG to get a permit to host a music festival that would take up much of Flushing Meadows Corona Park for several days next summer.

Among the agencies he lobbied are the Parks Department and the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, a nonprofit arm of City Hall chaired by de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, records show.

As part of the mayor’s transition team, Ickes played a key role in the March 2014 hiring of Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, who signs off on all park permits.

Christmas in Hollis

From PIX11:

Darryl McDaniels, part of Run-D.M.C., returned to Hollis, Queens during Christmas time with a gift for kids — and he said it was better than toys.

McDaniels said he's trying to push them to explore the creative side of their minds.

"Not everyone has to be a baller it's okay to play piano or study ballet," McDaniels said.

"That was my house over there. I use to hop the fence and come over hear to rap on the corner," McDainels said while he walked through the streets of Hollis, where the creativity all began for him.

The town now has a mural on a wall at 198th Street and Hollis Avenue dedicated to his musical achievements.

McDaniels, who's now a comic book creator, is making it his mission to mentor kids. He spent Tuesday at Queens Central Library with community kids and families. He had one important lesson for them — to read as much as you can and expand their skills to be competitive adults.

Strange turn of events for Steinway Mansion

From the Times Ledger:

Mystery surrounds the future of the Steinway Mansion.

Philip Loria, an Astoria-based attorney, is denying he sold historic home to attorney Karl McNamara, which the TimesLedger Newspapers reported Monday based on information provided by the Greater Astoria Historical Society.

“I want to make it unequivocally clear that the Steinway Mansion was never sold not is it in contract to be sold,” Loria said. “Furthermore, I do not know of any attorney Karl McNamara not had I ever had any discussions, conversations or dealings whatsoever with this alleged individual.”

Karl McNamara is scheduled to make a presentation at a public meeting at the Greater Astoria Historical Society Monday at 7 p.m. to discuss the purchase of the iconic mansion, his plans to restore it and open the Steinway Conservatory.

Melinda's concert doused by fireboat!

From Rockaway Times:

Last week’s concert at Tribute Park was a bit of a washout, but it wasn’t because of the weather. On a beautiful but breezy Thursday evening, dozens gathered for the Katz concert series event featuring Ddendyl, from Season 6 of NBC’s The Voice, but an accident lead to an early end.

...Ddendyl and her three-piece band started playing under the gazebo of the park. Ddendyl sang some of her original music off of her new EP Lonely Heart, and captivated the crowd with a bit of Johnny Cash, before singing God Bless America, as a fireboat arrived and was supposed to put on a display. The fireboat began to shoot up water after the song finished, which was a beautiful sight at sunset with the skyline in the background, but with the combination of the southeast wind, the tribute turned into an unintentional disaster.

The saltwater blew right into the park, causing people to pack up their chairs, cars along Beach Channel Drive to turn on their windshield wipers, and the band to pack up their soaked equipment, putting an early end to the event. Some stuck around to watch the stunning sunset, despite feeling a bit salty.

Stopped in their tracks

Facebook

"Hi Crappie, Last night I went to see the Queens Symphony play a concert in Forest Park. In the beginning, Melinda Katz got up on stage to sing a couple tunes - after all it was her father who started the Queens Symphony and she has been singing with them for many years. First though, she had to introduce the audience to her two sons, Hunter and Carter, and Curtis Sliwa, their father, who of course was wearing his red beret and jacket. I give her an A for getting up there and singing although some of the notes were cringe worthy. The conductor complimented her and said, "We could have the best singing Borough President in the city and she's not bad looking either."

During the concert, a group of about 12 bikers on ATV's and dirt bikes came roaring out of the woods in a cloud of dust and the conductor made a comment about the noise as they tore up the main road. On the way to the bathroom, I mentioned the incident to a Parks worker with a badge and he was unaware of what happened so I went over to a 102 PCT Police car in the parking lot just so they would have a heads up. Sure enough, the bikers came roaring back a half hour later with two Police vehicles on their tail and they got them right on the road by the concert. So on top of a great concert on a beautiful night we got to see a light show courtesy of the NYPD." - Rich

Loud parties continue at Flushing Meadows

Hello Queens Crap,

I live near Bowne Park and every weekend in the summer from 11pm to the wee hours of the morning I hear LOUD, blaring, bass-filled reggaeton/rap/latin music. It is so loud that even when I wear ear plugs, I can still feel the base. I can even hear the lyrics!

This happens EVERY summer. You even have multiple articles on it. However, NOTHING is getting done. I emailed stinky aka Paul Vallone, but he said there is nothing he can do about it. What?! Why not? There has got to be some law against this! My 4 and 7 year old daughters wake up nearly every weekend complaining of the noise.

I have tried calling 311, using their app, and even calling the 110th Precinct. Nothing is getting done. A few times after I called, the music stopped and my 311 app said "multiple summonses were issued', but this is obviously not enough, because the next week, or even hours later it will begin again.

As you can see, I am desperate. PLEASE HELP!! It is driving me crazy.

Flushing is down the drain

Thanks,

D

Astoria club is a pain in the ass

From the Queens Chronicle:

With summer right around the corner, some Astoria residents worry that one area night club, whose loud music has allegedly pestered those living in the surrounding neighborhood for months, will get louder as time goes on.

At this month’s 114th Precinct Community Council meeting, held last week in Astoria, a group of residents came forward with concerns over the disturbances from a sixth-floor rooftop lounge located at 32-72 Steinway St.

The establishment’s ownership changed eight weeks ago and the name went from Sunset Restaurant and Lounge to Escape Penthouse.

The residents asserted that the club was often so noisy it kept them up at night and that no amount of calls to 311 or 911 have had effect for more than a year.

Resident Chris Vega said the club’s glassed-in lounge seems to lack insulation.

“I can hear the whole song and I live a block away,” Vega said.

Capt. Dennis Mullaney, executive officer of the 114th Precinct, who led the meeting, said they are continuing to monitor the situation.

Farewell, Roseland

From the NY Post:

The punks mourned the closure of CBGB in 2006, the indie-rockers cried foul when Northsix became Music Hall of Williamsburg in 2007, but almost all of New York’s music lovers will be sad to see Roseland Ballroom close its doors. The historic venue will shutter in April with a run of seven shows by Lady Gaga, bringing almost a century of history to an end.

Initially, Roseland was located at 51st Street and Broadway when it opened in 1919. During that period, the 3,200-capacity room was a hot spot for jazz and big-band music. The likes of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman and Frank Sinatra headlined there multiple times, and ballroom dancing was also a big draw.

Roseland moved to its current 52nd Street location in 1956 and, at first, maintained its reputation for ballroom dancing — as well as being used for ice-skating and operating as a roller rink. But in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Roseland caught up with the times and started to host disco club nights and shows by modern rock, pop, dance and hip-hop acts (everyone from Red Hot Chili Peppers to the Rolling Stones to, last week, Lorde).

The sadness around Roseland Ballroom’s demise — five years short of its centennial, no less — is compounded by confusion. Owner Larry Ginsberg hasn’t made a public statement about what will happen to the site. Meanwhile, music-industry rumors vary from the building being demolished to make way for condos to an all-new Roseland opening in the future.

Music for the Mansion

From DNA Info:

A group trying to buy and restore the sprawling Steinway Mansion is turning to the very thing that made the landmarked Astoria building famous in the first place — music.

The Friends of Steinway Mansion will kick off a series of live concerts beginning Saturday to raise awareness and funds to turn the former home of the famous piano-making family into a museum and community space, the group announced.

"Using music to raise awareness for the plight of the Steinway Mansion was frankly a no-brainer," Bob Singleton, executive director of Greater Astoria Historical Society, said in a statement.

"The Steinways revolutionized modern music and modern New York," he continued. "The Steinway Mansion Music Fest pays homage to both legacies and appropriately launches our fundraising effort to save the Mansion."

The 27-room villa, which sits atop a hill at 18-33 41st St., was built in the 1850s and was home to the Steinway family from the end of the 19th century until 1925. It was declared a New York City landmark in 1967, and has been up for sale for the past several years.

The Friends of Steinway Mansion want to open the building up to the public and estimate they will need around $5 million to purchase the house and its surrounding grounds, and then another $4 million to restore it.

Illegal street parties at the Point

From the Times Ledger:

Residents of a serene North Flushing block spent six weeks tracking down the elusive source of blaring music — and were shocked to find it across a river and more than a mile away.

Peter Condiles lives in the leafy section of Flushing north of downtown where lawns, driveways and carefully manicured bushes are the norm.

It was a quiet place to grow up and live.

“At least it use to be,” he said.

On May 11, Condiles was awakened by loud music pulsating through the walls of his home.

When the racket returned the following weekend, he began walking around the neighborhood, thinking someone might be throwing a party.

But the sound seemed to be playing tricks on him.

Main Street? Linden Place?

Just when the lifelong Flushing resident thought he had cornered the source of his sleepless nights, the sound would vanish.

Condiles had been in contact with another neighbor also seeking the source of the pumping bass, Flushing activist Paul Graziano, and the two spent several evenings driving around, ears tuned to the night air. They went as far as College Point Boulevard before they agreed the sound must be coming from farther away, across the Flushing River.

After another unsuccessful venture into Corona, on June 21 Condiles stumbled upon hundreds of people congregated in Willets Point, a gritty area of junk yards and auto shops across from Citi Field and more than 1 1/2 miles from his house.

“There were between three and five cars or vans. Each one had its trunk or back doors open and maybe 20 or 30 speakers on the doors,” he said. “They were all playing the same thing.”

Condiles and Graziano believe the combined amplification power of the souped-up speakers had sent sound waves bouncing across the Flushing River, off of building facades and into their quiet enclave — and they want the parties, which have been driving neighbors nuts, to stop.

Deputy Inspector Ronald Leyson, commanding officer at the 110th Precinct, said police had already driven the pop-up parties — which may be organized through social media — from around Meadow Lake inside Flushing Meadows Corona Park several months ago.

Now that they have migrated to Willets Point, the precinct has started to do patrols and issue summonses.

Last Friday, officers confiscated a car, he said.

Good luck with that

From DNA Info:

A new beer hall and a music venue might be on tap for Court Square — part of a plan to turn the booming neighborhood into a nightlife hub.

Rockrose Development Corp. is building thousands of luxury residential apartment units in the industrial Long Island City neighborhood, but retail amenities are still sparse.
The company's president, Justin Elghanayan wants to change that.

Rockrose has plans to draw retail tenants to the neighborhood — with hopes for a beer hall, music venue and high-end restaurants — with the anticipation that Court Square will be one of the city's next nightlife and cultural destinations.

Jamaica Garbage Problem Music Video, part 2

Some of the highlights include:

1. An abandoned house located at 170-05 Cedarcroft Rd (corner of Cedarcroft Rd & Homelawn St), which ironically when I went to check the status of the my 311 complaint today (Service # 1-1-758763221 dated June 20th) said and I quote: "The Department of Sanitation investigated this complaint and found no violation at the location." Interesting since I went to the location this past Saturday to find it in the same condition but with more garbage. How about removing the person who wrote that up and hire me. This location has been like this for way too long.

2. The abandoned playground (private property, not city) located at the corner of 109 Ave and 171 St, which has so much garbage inside of it and on the surrounding sidewalk. From what I read, this property has been in this state for a couple of years. Pamela Hazen of Jamaica had been complaining for some time according to a 2010 article in the Queens Chronicle and the owner of this property lives nearby, yet NOTHING has been done about this notorious garbage dumping site to date. SHAME!!

3. Sidewalk surrounding an empty lot at 171 St and 104 Avenue has not only a couple of mattresses on the surrounding area but 2 huge animal cages, which look like they were for a rabbit or guinea pig, which still contained the food dishes and the cedar chips. Totally disgusting. This seems to be in the area with the above playground and it makes sense, since that area over there seems like the bottom of the bottom of the barrel. It is a crime, considering that probably at one time that was a nice area, but with all the tearing down of one family homes by greedy developers (and the city allowing this) to building those cheap mini projects, all the garbage and residents of little quality who have moved in there, this is just another shit hole neighborhood in Jamaica. Might as well post a sign over there "Gone To Hell".

Joe Moretti