J Mascis, of Dinosaur Jr., has announced the first puzzle from the newly launched Puzzle Heads, a jigsaw puzzle subscription service. J Mascis founded Puzzle Heads alongside graphic designer Aaron Draplin and 7S Management in January.
The puzzle subscription service will showcase classic rock ‘n’ roll images and album art. The first jigsaw puzzle will celebrate the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’sThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars with its album cover as imagery. The inaugural release with the Bowie artwork will ship in December 2022, just in time for the holiday season.
Many of us have always loved a good jigsaw puzzle and many of us became fans during the pandemic … I personally always had a puzzle on the table, and during the pandemic, I found myself searching for imagery that wasn’t available. I wanted puzzles to just show up at my doorstep so we decided to do it ourselves. All of us at Puzzle-Heads love puzzles and we love music. We happen to have day jobs in music and so we have the network to license some of the most iconic cover imagery and rock ‘n’ roll art out there. With J and Aaron helping to curate, we’ll make Puzzle Heads members come back for more. We hope all the Puzzle-Heads out there enjoy many hours of piecing our puzzles. Get It Together!
– Brian Schwartz, Founding Partner at 7S Management.
Subscribers can receive a new jigsaw puzzle every other month. Upcoming puzzles will feature imagery from artists such as Dinosaur Jr., Joy Division, Bad Brains, Wilco, Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen, and more. Puzzle-Heads subscriptions are available now, including a 6-Puzzle subscription and a 3-Puzzle subscription. For every new subscription, the service will also donate a sensory necklace or sensory toy to benefit children with autism.
For more information about Puzzle Heads, and to see future puzzle releases, visit the subscription service’s website.
Ever since powerhouse music manager Albert Grossman arrived at the dawn of the ‘60s, Woodstock has served as the delightfully laid-back domicile for some of the biggest names in music. With Grossman came his stable of stars – Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Paul Butterfield and also non-Grossman managed giants like Jimi Hendrix and, much later, David Bowie. What also arrived was an abundance of top-flight recording studios and informal artist retreats, like The Band’s legendary basement recording space Big Pink, where some of the finest moments in modern music were crafted.
Musicians are perhaps the most social of the creative breeds. These are a seemingly tireless brood who love nothing more than to get together after a long gig or recording session to chat, imbibe and, of course, jam to create even more sonic magic.
For ten years beginning in 1988, The Tinker Street Café was the place where the biggest names who were living or recording in Woodstock could be found. Locals like Rick Danko, John Sebastian, Mick Ronson, Tony Levin and The B-52s Fred Schneider held court alongside passing-throughs like Gregg Allman, Living Colour, Dave Matthews and many more. And where there are musicians, libations and a stage with a ready backline, there’s sure to be great music. There are also sure to be some unforgettably comic moments courtesy of these toasted and/or tanked music makers – events that are the heart of Mitnick’s slim but richly entertaining memoir.
Mitnick relates these tales in rapid-fire chapters and the captivating banter of a seasoned barkeep, which I assume he was at some point during the Café’s run.
He begins his story in his native Brooklyn, where the seeds of his love of music were sewn – first as a schoolboy devotee of doo-wop, then as a bassist in a series of bands. Jerry was a professional musician from the mid-‘60s through the late ‘80s, one who, like many, also drove a cab to make ends meet. His gigs included everything from playing in showbands at Catskill resorts to a close call with mortality when his band, The Human Condition, flew to El Salvador to play a concert in the middle of its bloody revolution.
A call in 1988 from his friend Freddie Sandell not only forever changes his life, but also rewired the social scene in Woodstock. Sandell invited Mitnick to become a partner in a club on Tinker Street, one that would be in the site of the former Café Espresso. Sandell would handle the bar, Mitnick the music booking and a third partner the restaurant service. Then turning 40 and tiring of the working musician grind, Mitnick eagerly jumped on board.
The author gives some good backstory on the history of the legendary Café Espresso. It opened in 1962 in the former site of another popular hangout dating back to the Roaring Twenties, The Nook. It immediately became a hotbed of music with live performances by Joan Baez, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and Bob Dylan. The Espresso’s owners, The Pautrel’s, famously let Dylan live in “The White Room” on the second floor during 1963. It was here that he wrote much of the music for his 1964 classic, Another Side of Bob Dylan. The Espresso would also become the site of countless jam sessions featuring Jimi Hendrix and scores of other music glitterati. But after passing through a few owners, it was in a pretty sad state by the mid-‘80s. That was when it earned a new nickname among locals, “The Café Depresso.”
In the book, Mitnick recalls the many Christmas concerts The Band’s Rick Danko played for charity as well as the countless nights he dropped by to try out freshly-penned songs. There’s also a great tale about a legendary jam between Danko and Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, another rock luminary who resided in Woodstock in the ‘80s. Jorma and Hot Tuna would also come to hold the record for the “most songs played in a night” according to Mitnick. Another memorable happening was when the Dave Matthews Band took a break from their recording to play a benefit for the family of a girl killed in Kingston in 1995. Even though the event was unpublicized per Matthew’s wishes, the word spread fast and it drew scores who listened to the three-hour plus set from outside the packed club.
Jerry’s own highpoint might’ve been the night Gregg Allman dropped by. That night, Mitnick got to jam with him till the wee hours before a crowd of no more than 30 people. A low point may have been when Hendrix’s bassist Noel Redding came to town. He promptly passed out during the first song, ending his show. Mitnick also recalls other great events witnessed by surprisingly small crowds. This included when Joey Ramone sang “I Wanna Be Sedated” and B-52s Fred Schneider crooned the “Patty Duke Show” theme at an Open Mic night. There’s also a funny yarn about songwriter Loudon Wainwright III overhearing a woman wax poetic about what she’d like to do with his tongue. Loudon tended to poke his oversized licker out while singing, something that seemed to capture the bawdier quadrants of the unnamed woman’s imagination.
Mitnick also describes The Tinker Street Café’s renowned “Wall of Fame.” What the author calls a “Poor Man’s Hard Rock Café” exhibit would grow to include items like John Sebastian’s harmonicas, drumsticks from Steve Jordan, strings from the guitar Carlos Santana played at Woodstock ‘94, Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics to “To Ramona” and “It Ain’t Me Babe” and the bass guitar Tony Levin played on Peter Gabriel’s hit “Sledgehammer,” one that was burnt up in a fire before it was gifted to Mitnick for his display.
According to Mitnick, it was the Tuesday Poetry Nights and not the rock events that were the most volatile. Here seemingly peaceful wordsmiths/hosts like Gunga Dean, Les Visible and Max Schwartz, Jim Morrison’s old college roommate, would sometimes come to blows with each other over their strong opinions about their works. And speaking of wordsmiths, legendary metal wild man Ozzy Osbourne would come to the Café during breaks in his recording sessions to sit quietly and write lyrics. Mitnick also discusses the weekly Blues Nights hosted by Orleans’ axeman John Hall, its Sunday Jazz Nights hosted by vibraphonist Karl Berger, the very short-lived Karaoke Nights and its Smoke-Free Women in Music Nights, which featured notables like Jill Sobule and Patti Rothberg and no ciggies. There is also a discussion of the Live from The Tinker Street Café broadcasts on Radio Woodstock. These featured memorable sets by artists like Cracker, Aimee Mann, Garbage and Jewel, a then-unknown who Mitnick found “incredibly boring” and unlikely to be successful in the biz.
The author also devotes a good deal of space to local heroes who are not household names but were beloved. These include the late guitarist/studio builder Ted Orr of the band Futu Futu, singer/guitarist Jim Eppard and even some of the more off-the-wall customers and Tinker staff. There are also testaments to hysterical hijinks like “The Cockateering Club.” This effort, instigated by a Tinker bartender and his well-lubricated customers, erected 7ft. snow penises all along Tinker Street during winter storms. The Cockateers’ ultimate goal was to create a “Dream Field of Cream,” 300 or so of their snow schlongs on the town’s golf course. Sadly, this never came to be.
Mitnick’s book would not have been possible without the assistance and artwork by Mike Dubois of HappyLife Productions. The veteran poster and graphic artist who has worked with artist like Grateful Dead provided the cover art for book, one based on his artwork for a 1994 Tinker Street Café compilation CD, and several more posters within.
Today, Dubois is also playing a role in the revitalization of the former Tinker Street Café, under the direction of its new owner, Lizzie Vann, who also runs the Bearsville Theater complex.
Dubois’ HappyLife art gallery/gift shop has moved into half of the former Tinker Street Café space at 59 Tinker Street. The other half will feature food, drink and some periodic music performances orchestrated by Vann. It will also serve as a satellite to Vann’s popular Bearsville Theater, where folks can purchase tickets to events, merchandise and more.
The David Bowie Glamour Fanzine and Sound City have come together to organize the first annual David Bowie World Fan Convention. From June 17th-19th, Bowie enthusiasts will have the opportunity to show their love for the iconic artist in Liverpool’s Mountford Hall.
The unconventional convention will have a number of events and performances to keep fans entertained. Hula-hoop artist Natasha Moonshine will make an appearance, along with dancer Joshua Hubbard and performance artist Pretentious Dross. Drag artist Jonny Woo will serve as a host for the Bowie Ball events. Woo, owner of the London LGBTQ+ venue The Glory, is also a founding member of Glastonbury’s drag scene at NYC Downlow.
The David Bowie Glamour Fanzine and Sound City have hand-picked the musical acts for the convention, with Bowie tribute band, Rebel Heroes, being the first group confirmed. DJs The MenWhoFell2Earth and Sonic Youtha will entice fans to come to the dance floor with Bowie deep cuts, familiar favorites and associated hits.
David Bowie during David Bowie’s 50th Birthday Celebration Concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Patti Ouderkirk/WireImage)
There will also be an array of art installations and displays. Painter Shaun Lowndes will be exhibiting his surrealist, comic book inspired work, while ceramic artist Maria Primolan will be displaying her series of sculptures, each piece modeled after a different Bowie era.
Some of Bowie’s closest friends and collaborators will make appearances during the two day event. Influential image makers like Tim Bret-Day and Brian Duffy will answer fan questions and give insight into Bowie’s creative processes and life.
There once was a time when marijuana was illegal in New York State, and on March 21, 1976, David Bowie and three associates found themselves arrested for possession in Rochester. How he ended up taking the most iconic mugshot of all time unveils a deeper layer to the story.
David Bowie’s iconic mugshot
On March 20, 1976, David Bowie was in Western New York performing amid his 65 show international Isolar Tour, in support of Station to Station, having performed just once previously in Rochester on June 17, 1974. On this evening, as he was two years prior, Bowie was at the Rochester Veterans War Memorial, and began the evening as he did at each stop this tour – without introduction and showing the 1928 surrealist film Un Chien Andalou by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, which includes a famous section of a razor blade cutting into a woman’s eyeball. Bowie appeared on stage immediately as the film finished, while the audience was still disoriented.
9,200 fans came out for this Saturday night performance, and although Bowie reportedly had the flu during the concert, he sang without issue. As Bowie closed the show with “Jean Genie,” he said to the audience, “Thank you very much, we’ll see you in about five months from now, thank you.” Seeming to imply a return to Rochester that fall, tonight would be Bowie’s last time ever performing in Rochester.
David Bowie – Rochester War Memorial Auditorium – March 20, 1976
Setlist: Station To Station, Suffragette City, Fame, Word On A Wing, Stay, Waiting For The Man, Queen Bitch, Life On Mars, Five Years, Panic In Detroit, Changes, TVC, Diamond Dogs Encore: Rebel Rebel, The Jean Genie
Bandmates performing with Bowie this tour included music director Carlos Alomar (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Stacy Heydon (lead guitar, backing vocals), George Murray (bass guitar, backing vocals), Dennis Davis (drums, percussion), and Tony Kaye (keyboards). The band became collectively known as Raw Moon.
The next week, the penultimate North American tour performance took place at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which was recorded by RCA Records with portions broadcast by The King Biscuit Radio Network, later released as Live Nassau Coliseum ’76. It is from this show that Bowie and his entourage would drive back to Rochester for their eventual arraignment on the 25th.
The Arrest of David Bowie
So how did Ziggy Stardust end up getting arrested in Rochester after the show? As detailed by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in 1976, and again in 2017 with a first hand account of the arrest, it seems Bowie was set up following the after-party, acting on a tip.
That first hand account comes from Chi Wah Soo, who at the time was a twenty-year-old Rochester local that had moved to Rochester from Hong Kong with her parents when she was eleven. Soo used lyrics from her favorite music to learn English, and attended the concert, catching Bowie’s eye from the front row. Bowie passed a note to her through a third party, saying “Meet me at my party. David”. Obliging him, Soo remarked that he had a “halo around his head” when he arrived at the party, saying “Hello, love” to her.
After the party, Bowie, his bodyguard Dwaine Vaughs, Iggy Pop and Soo went to American Rochester Hotel, at 70 State Street (now a Holiday Inn), and met two girls (undercover cops) at the hotel bar, who were looking to score cocaine. After receiving a seemingly unrelated prank call, and with police listening next door, the party was over for the night as the four were arrested for possession.
At 2:25 am on March 21, three police detectives and a state police officer searched Bowie’s three-room suite, where they found 182 grams of marijuana – a little more than six ounces. It does seem that Bowie mugged for the camera before being taken to jail, with the photo below showing Bowie posing for a photo opp., with Iggy Pop to his right and the arresting officers on either side.
All four were booked at Monroe County Jail on fifth-degree criminal possession, which at the time was punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The four were all released around 7 a.m. on $2,000 bond each, with Bowie covering the cost for everyone.
Upon being brought to jail, Bowie used his real name, David Jones, and an address of 89 Oakley St., London, England. The others he was arrested with were identified as James Osterberg, Jr., 28 (Iggy Pop) of Ypsilanti, Michigan, and Dwaine Vaughs, 22, of Brooklyn, who was Bowie’s karate instructor and bodyguard. Soo was also arrested, and while the three men moved onto the next show in Springfield, MA, it would be a few days before all four were back in court to face the charges.
The Return for Arraignment
On March 25, the first day Bowie had a break from tour to return to Rochester, the Thin White Duke was greeted by a large crowd that included a teen fan who got his autograph as he stepped off an escalator, and “a half-dozen suspected prostitutes,” according to the John Stewart from Democrat and Chronicle.
Bowie wore a gray three-piece leisure suit and pale brown shirt, holding a matching hat, and was represented by Rochester lawyer Anthony F. Leonardo. He was arraigned within 10 minutes, pleading “Not guilty, sir.”
Reportedly at the arraignment, Soo gave Bowie her traditional Chinese wedding blanket, and Soo believes that in the music video for Bowie’s 1983 hit “China Girl,” her blanket appears in the music video. The pair would not speak again after this day.
Bowie and his entourage used stairwells and elevators to avoid the crowds, using a side exit to arrive at Leonardo’s office on the Times Square building’s seventh floor. Although he had remained silent throughout the morning, Bowie granted a five-minute interview to newspaper reporters in Leonardo’s office, although his lawyer would not allow any questions directly concerning the arrest, saying it was the first criminal charge he’d ever faced.
While complimenting the city police, Bowie noted the protection they provided him when he arrived back in Rochester. “They were very courteous and very gentle. They’ve been just super,” said Bowie. His fans efforts were also noted, saying he felt “honored” by fans’ support and insisting that the arrest would not sour him on future concerts in the city. Bowie answered most questions in the brief interview with short answers, shaking hands with reporters as they entered and left Leonardo’s office.
Over the next month, all four were allowed to remain free, and Bowie, being in Europe on tour at the time, was excused from appearing at the next hearing. Perhaps having a sense of humor about the case, Judge Alphonse Cassetti set the preliminary hearing for all parties on April 20, 1976. The charges, however, were effectively dismissed in May when a grand jury declined to indict Bowie or the other three.
Another Look at the Mugshot
The mugshot photo was uncovered in 2007, when auction house employee Gary Hess was clearing out the estate of a retired police officer. Hess gave the print to his brother Todd to sell on eBay, and wanting to garner some publicity for the sale, Todd leaked the photo to The Smoking Gun, which quickly published the photos and helped the image go viral.
The photo ended up selling on eBay in 2007 for over $2,700 to an “uber fan” in the Midwest, who notified the singer of the special purchase; Bowie was reportedly “pleased” at the news.
As you might notice, the mugshot displays March 25 for the date, and while this is not a typo or error, the circumstances are certainly unique given that David Bowie was arrested in the early morning hours of March 21, yet the date displayed is four days later. The reason for this was that Bowie’s lawyer successfully argued to delay arraignment until March 25, given that Bowie was mid-tour – with four stops left in North America – and the penalties for being forced to appear in court on March 21 would be stiff, given that he was due to perform at Springfield Civic Center in Massachusetts that night.
Bowie took the opportunity for a ‘staged’ mugshot photo to look as dapper as possible, posing for one of the most iconic mugshots in rock n roll history. The mugshot has even spawned a documentary, Bowie Goes to Jail, as well as merchandise.
Every wonder what David Bowie classics might sound like if they were reset to the jingle jangle style of America’s folk-rock pioneers, The Byrds? Now you can thanks to “mysterioso rocker” David Byrdie has a new mashed up cover of the Thin White Duke’s 1983 # 1, “Let’s Dance.”
Byrdie is actually a nom de sound of Jeff Keithline, a Woodstock-based bassist best known for his stints with the bluesy Jon Butcher Axis and the band Silverado. His new cover merges Bowie’s lyrics and layered vocal style with the driving music of The Byrds’ 1967 hit, “So You Want to Be A Rock’n’Roll Star.” For good measure, the tune’s outro even features a quote from John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.” This is the jazz masterwork that helped inspire the style of this Byrds’ mid-career classic and their even more modal and improvisatory “Eight Miles High.”
Byrdie/Keithline plays all the instruments on the track. He does a fantastic job of nailing and marrying the many stylistic flavors of these two rock icons – from The Byrds’ jangly 12-string guitaring to Bowie’s over-the-top vocal delivery and stacked harmonies. The single, which will hit the artist’s Bandcamp site March 1, has been preceded by a playful video produced by Tonus Maximus (aka Anthony Sunseri). It boasts a boatload of psychedelic visuals, the spirited go-go dancing by Hudson Valley choreographer Laura V. Ward and Byrdie himself, who looks like a cross between White Album-era John Lennon and the bearded L.A. bass legend Leland Sklar. There is also a second video up now on YouTube where a costumed Keithline provides the humorous (and entirely fictional!) backstory on his musical alter-ego.
NYC singer-songwriter Miles Francis is here to bring back old memories with their new single, ‘Let Me Cry,’ from their upcoming album Good Man, out March 4th. The album covers the topics of masculinity and Francis’s own struggles with identity.
Produced by Francis over quarantine and recorded in the basement of their Greenwich Village building, the single plays into emotions we’ve all had at one point or another. During the creation of the album, Francis came out as non-binary, which resulted in a deeper dive into the ideas of masculinity and all it entails.
Along with this self revelation came the desire to help others, with Francis assisting organizers during the height of NYC’s Black Lives Matter protests. They played the drums during marches as a way to help organizers keep beat and also helped to found New York-Based collective Musicians United. They plan on continuing their activism efforts by organizing a benefit concert for Trans housing in April.
“Everyone starts from the same place, regardless of gender. As children, we let our emotions go, uninhibited and in touch with our vulnerabilities. As we age, we go through a ‘boxing in’ by family or society – unless we can break out.”
Miles Francis
The one-shot music video utilizes the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the method of improvisation to perfectly mirror Francis’s inner feelings. Inspiration for the project was drawn from greats like Prince, David Bowie and the early 2000’s boy bands Francis had listened to in their childhood. Actor Jim Carrey and artist Marcel Duchamp have also impacted Francis’s work.
Good Man Album Cover
The single is available on all streaming platforms and the music video is available to watch on the Miles Francis youtube channel. Pre-order for Good Man as well as its’ vinyl and cassette forms are available here. Check out photos from Miles’ show at Baby’s All Right in October 2021.
Celebrating David Bowie’s Birthday will be easy this year with remixed and reimagined versions of five of his albums being released by the Bowie Estate and a Giveaway from A Bowie Celebration and Licorice Pizza Records.
David Bowie during David Bowie’s 50th Birthday Celebration Concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Patti Ouderkirk/WireImage)
David Bowie was born on January 8, 1947. There are 26 studio albums released of Bowie’s extensive works. This celebration will be focusing on five of Bowie’s albums in particular Heathen, Reality, A Reality Tour (Live), The Next Day, and★ (pronounced “Blackstar”). These albums have been remixed and reimagined exclusively in 360 Reality Audio by the David Bowie Estate. It features a new immersive music experience driven by Sony’s spatial sound technology. The content is the latest David Bowie music to be mixed in 360 Reality Audio, following Space Oddity, which is currently available on 360 Reality Audio-supported streaming platforms.
These albums are being released in conjunction with the ongoing Bowie 75 – an extended celebration of David Bowie’s 75th birthday featuring two physical pop up locations in NYC and London equipped with 360 Reality Audio listening experiences at each location. Longtime Bowie producer Tony Visconti has crafted 360 Reality Audio mixes of the albums and they will be available for streaming in 360 Reality Audio beginning January 21, 2022 on Amazon Music Unlimited, Deezer, and TIDAL.
A Bowie Celebration and Licorice Pizza Records are partnering to give away the ultimate David Bowie haul, as well as seven additional vinyl prizes, in honor of Saturday’s A Bowie Celebration livestream which will be taking place on January 8, 2021 in celebration of Bowie’s birthday and the 35th anniversary of Labyrinth. The event will be available on Rolling Live Studios website.
The grand prize includes Bowie’s Brilliant Adventure 18-LP box set and the A Bowie Celebration Supreme Bundle, which includes a one-on-one Zoom with Bowie pianist Mike Garson, a streaming ticket to the January 8 event, virtual set list, access to the virtual Q&A with members of the band, show laminate, enamel pin, Bowie’s Piano Man book signed by Garson, the limited edition event t-shirt and a second Bowie t-shirt (total value $772).
All people have to do to enter is follow @bowietour, @licoricepizzarecords or @rollinglivestudios on Instagram, comment on the post about the contest, tagging at least five friends who love Bowie and asking them to follow. Whoever generates the most new follows wins, and will be announced at Noon PST Friday. Seven additional winners selected at random will receive one of the following Bowie albums: self-titled (aka Space Oddity), Station To Station, Aladdin Sane, Scary Monsters, Last Dance, Bowie Pinups and Bowie Glastonbury 2000 (three records).
Between the remixed and reimagined versions of five albums released by the Bowie Estate and a Giveaway from A Bowie Celebration and Licorice Pizza Records there will be many ways to celebrate Bowie’s birthday this year. For more information visit Rolling Live Studios website and 360 Reality Audio’s website.
Updated on 1/13/2022: Access to the A Bowie Celebration livestream has been extended through Sunday, January 16, 2022.
