S T E M W A Y  P R O D U C T I O N S -  3 4    W A L K E R   S T .   N E W  Y O R K , N Y,   1 0 0 1 3
September 11, 2001
What's Good - By Frank Wood

Well I'm not gonna start with the obvious, because then they win--- F**K THEM!
Mon. nite was a dog. The day was a beaut! but with the nite came torrential downpours (an excuse to stay in, if I needed one) but I promised my friend I would film his band for him.(Meand my BIG mouth). So it's off to Meow Mix (Houston & Suffolk sta..) to check out Maggot. I take a cab because of the rain, only to find they cancelled due to an accident. Oh well, I'm in the city, I might as well eat. Around the corner I go to EL PATIO ( 212-253-9375 ) on Stanton St. For under $22 I had an awesome steak & some rice and beans (Dominican-style ) and 5 or 6 beers. Talking to Tony (owner) I find out Mika Gough is playing. This turned out to be a pleasant surprise. These guys laid down some easy/airy jazz that was quite refreshing. The bass and guitar players were brothers ( Josh & John ) whon didn't even know the names of the other guys in the band (Leon [formerly of Vernon Reid] / keys, and Don/drums). Led by Mika Gough they were very relaxing.

Being it was early I was gonna call it a nite but I remembered it was Manic Mondays at the Motor City Bar (Ludlow & Rivington), this bar has a Detroit motif ( the tap handles are car pistons), and beers are $3 with $4 Bass and Guinness. Plus the dj's were Pat Pervert (that's what he said not my opinion) and Jack, laying down a wild mix of R&R, ska, punk, rockabilly & whatever the crowd feels that turned what could have been a fiasco into a 4am nite. Now you wake up to find some people try to f**k up everyone's day, but this is nyc, they're gonna have to try harder than that. Nyc showed it's class as things were taken in stride.

No subways--F**K THEM!-- let's get a drink, then we'll walk home (stopping for a drink or2, or 3 along the way).

The city responded magnificently, everybody pitching in with the relief efforts. I mean where else in the middle of chaos do you find people in 1 or 2 hour lines to give bloodand no one is bitchin'. I got home and decided F**K THEM! we're going out. OK so there's no one allowed to go into the city, but Brooklyn's part of this city too. So we got on our bicycles (I usually travel by taxi, so I had to wipe clean and oil up the old Fuji ) and off we went to express ourselves: F**K THEM!
Farrell's ( 16st & Prospect Park West ) the oldest bar in brooklyn., a staunch Irish / workingman's bar that didn't allow women 'til 1976. The place was packed and there were no sports tonite, but you could feel the energy.

Brooklyn. and New York City would not be deterred. We WILL deal with this. So tomorrow it's off to acme underground and arlene's. Now let"s say it together: F**K THEM.

See ya, Frank Wood.