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For every East Village business that’s opening or closing, dozens are quietly making it. Here’s one of them: Keshav Music Imports.

Shira Levine Keshav Das

During his forty-six years as a professional musician, Keshav Hunter (known to most as Keshav Das) has played with the likes of Sting, Jeff Buckley, and Alice Coltrane. He also spent twelve years touring with Krishna Das and playing with him at the Jivamukti Yoga School. “Everywhere we went people would say, ‘Hey man, where can we get a harmonium?'”, said the 59-year-old. Finally, he decided to open a store where fellow musicians could shop for Indian instruments or just sit around and play them while sipping chai and smoking beedies. Nearly eight years after Keshav Music Imports moved from its namesake’s Suffolk Street apartment to a 300-square-foot space at 67 East Fourth Street, between Second Avenue and Bowery, the owner is still plucking away at sitars as well as selling and repairing them. We asked him how he’s managed to make it.

Your store seems to be doing well. Why do you think that is?

Musicians and artists are always looking for a new flavor. People in general are looking to fill a hole. Some people fill it with music. Some people fill it being on the Internet. Some people fill it with sex, some with drugs. I fill it with music and find people with the same thinking. Read more…

Courtesy Brad Hoylman

Soon after Thomas K. Duane announced he wouldn’t run for re-election, the state senator all but endorsed Community Board 2 Chair Brad Hoylman, who has worked with him on many East Village issues. Over a plate of eggs over-easy, Mr. Hoylman told The Local the senator’s is “a huge legacy to live up to,” and that he considers it a “solemn responsibility to do so.” He also got specific on how he’ll carry the torch should he win in November, talking tenants’ rights, transgender equality and the new ideas that are at the top of his to-do list.

What parts of the Duane legacy do you plan to carry forward?

Tom’s advocacy on tenant rights is something that I feel very strongly about. I have some background myself, in the area, not only working with Senator Duane over the years in that realm, but also as a former board member of Tenants & Neighbors, the tenants rights group. And I, as Community Board 2 chair, just launched an initiative where the board will now have a tenants clinic for the first time in cooperation with MFY Legal Services: tenants who meet income level requirements in the CB 2 area will be able to come to our tenants’ clinic and get free legal representation from MFY.  So that’s the kind of tenant outreach that I want to do, and continue to do to build on Tom’s legacy.

Read more…

Scott Lynch

Good morning, East Village.

With the primaries on Tuesday, the race between Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and City Councilman Erik Martin Dilan is heating up, according to the Times: “Ms. Velázquez and Mr. Dilan plan to debate on NY1 on Friday, but they are already sparring. They have traded barbs over which one has more effectively delivered money to local projects. And Mr. Dilan accused Ms. Velázquez of inadequately supporting Israel, prompting her to bring forth a torrent of endorsements featuring Jewish Democrats, including former Mayor Edward I. Koch.”

Meanwhile, The Post endorses Ms. Velázquez for reelection: “Frankly, we’d be hard pressed to come up with even a scanty list of issues on which Velázquez agrees with us. But anyone who gives Vito Lopez (Brooklyn political boss who’s backing Velázquez’s opponent) that much agita can’t be all bad.”

Dangerous Minds reminds us that the Philip Glass Ensemble is playing a free concert in Battery Park tonight. Capital New York is very excited. Read more…

Melvin Felix Stanley Cohen at his home office.

Radical lawyer Stanley Cohen denies charges brought by federal prosecutors last week that he failed to file income tax returns, among other allegations. “But I did shoot steroids when I pitched for the Yankees,” he said sarcastically, speaking to The Local from his home office across from the Jacob Riis Houses on Avenue D. The 61-year-old lawyer said he believed an indictment brought against him Thursday stemmed from his representation of Middle Eastern clients charged with terrorism. “If you don’t believe that,” he said, “I’m going to try and sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.”

Mr. Cohen, who once said he would represent Osama bin Laden if asked, said his office had spent the past five years fighting the allegations with prosecutors in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, where the indictment was handed down by a federal grand jury. “They’re not going to win,” he said.

The charges against him, he said, were precipitated by a complaint he said his office filed a month ago that asked the Inspector General’s office in Washington, D.C. to investigate prosecutors for what he described as “pervasive government misconduct,” including what he said were illegal seizures of cash, in their handling of the case against him. “There is no doubt in my mind that once I filed a formal complaint, that foreclosed any appropriate reasonable discussion,” he said. “When you file a complaint against a U.S. attorney, you’re done.” Read more…

Melvin Felix

It’s business as usual in Cooper Square: protesters who say Village Voice Media’s Backpage.com ads facilitate sex trafficking once again chanted “Village Voice, the choice is clear, no more selling humans here” outside of the weekly’s offices this evening. The demonstration drew a handful of counter-protesters, including a woman who shouted, “They’re not being sold, they’re selling themselves.”

Courtesy 5th Street Farm Project The Earth School’s rooftop.

Courtesy 5th Street Farm Project Manure awaiting installation

Not only are middle-schoolers at P.S. 64 creating traffic signs, they may soon be growing ingredients for school lunches. This fall, the Earth School, which shares a building with P.S. 64, plans to unveil a $1.1 million rooftop garden designed by Michael Arad, the architect of the 9/11 Memorial.

Five years ago, Abbe Futterman, a science teacher at Earth School, had the idea of turning the 56-year-old building’s roof into an outdoor classroom. To get there, the school had to develop a cost-friendly design, procure over a million dollars in funding with the help of local politicians, and get necessary city approvals – complicated steps for building professionals, let alone schoolteachers and administrators focused on students.

Courtesy 5th Street Farm Project Stairs to the green roof.

The Earth School’s principal, Alison Hazut, said the project received a major push from one individual: “It really was a parent saying, ‘I can help to make this happen.’ And that parent was Michael Arad.” Read more…

The Local is pleased to launch a regular column in which Pat Ivers and Emily Armstrong sift through their voluminous archive of punk-era concert footage as it becomes part of the Downtown Collection at N.Y.U.’s Fales Library. They’ll share their favorite stories and clips along the way.

Courtesy Nightclubbing The Nightclubbing archive.

Pat: On a hot sticky night in July, 1975, I began videotaping punk bands at CBGBs. It was during the CBGB Rock Festival of Unrecorded Bands, with 40 groups that formed the core of the nascent music scene downtown. I was part of Metropolis Video, a video collective of eight, most of whom worked at MCTV’s public access department. That first night, we shot Blondie (still doing some covers, like the Velvets, Femme Fatale), the Talking Heads on their third or fourth gig out of RISD, and the Heartbreakers, a downtown super group with Richard Hell, who had just left Television, and Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan of the Dolls. It was their first Manhattan date. It was exciting and we shot now and then for about a year but the center would not hold and the collective dissolved.

Luckily, I met Emily Armstrong and after a night seeing Patti Smith at CBs, she agreed to work with me and a new partnership was formed. Our first band was the Dead Boys in 1977 and we continued for the next four years, often at CBs but also at other clubs like Max’s, Hurrah’s, Mudd Club, and Danceteria.

Emily: Now 32 years later, N.Y.U.’s Fales Library is making everything new again. The Downtown Collection is preserving and restoring the Nightclubbing archive of nearly 100 musical performances, 20-plus interviews, video art projects and more. It will be available for scholars (yes!) to rifle through and enjoy. I hope they do – I know I did. Read more…

Sarah Darville

Marlon Hosang with Janette Sadik-KhanSarah Darville

Students at P.S. 64 Robert Simon want people to slow down and pay attention on the streets near their Fifth Street school — and they aren’t playin’. Well, maybe a little bit. City transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan was on hand this morning to unveil a “Safetyopoly” traffic sign, designed by the schoolkids, complete with Monopoly-like squares with messages like “no jaywalking” and “look both ways” and landmarks like Tompkins Square Park and Union Square. About 40 fifth graders watched as it was attached to a pole at the end of the cul-de-sac behind the school, between Avenues B and C.

The commissioner said the sign was her favorite of the city’s 1.3 million. “I don’t think it gets any better than this,” she told the crowd. The students worked with an artist from Groundswell, a nonprofit focused on public art, throughout the year and also had a chance to see the sign fabricated at the city’s sign shop in Long Island City.

Earlier today we shared some snaps of Model Ts lined up outside of John’s of 12th for the ongoing “Boardwalk Empire” shoot. Well, now there’s more of ’em! And they’re moving! Above: footage of the buggies purring as extras in old-time garb practice their Prohibiton-era struts.

N.Y.P.D. Carl Knox

Carl Knox, the 47-year-old who allegedly stabbed a man to death on East Fifth Street last week, turned himself in to police and is in custody, Deputy Inspector John Cappelmann announced at last night’s meeting of the Ninth Precinct Community Council.

Mr. Knox, who turned himself in on Sunday at the 44th Precinct near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, faces a charge of murder in the second degree. Inspector Cappelmann shared a few additional details about the dispute that led to the death of 31-year-old Corey Capers. Mr. Knox, who was staying at 737 East Fifth Street in the Lower East Side II houses, got in a dispute with the goddaughter of his girlfriend over the fact that she was watching television. The argument escalated to the point that Mr. Knox began abusing his girlfriend, and the goddaughter alerted a group outside of the building. The group then chased Mr. Knox to scaffolding in the front of 709 East Fifth Street, where he allegedly stabbed Mr. Capers.
Read more…

Daniel Maurer

Daniel Maurer

Good morning, East Village.

“Boardwalk Empire” enters its second day of filming and what do we have here? Model T Fords parked outside of John’s of 12th Street, which is adding the HBO show to its recent claims to fame (Guy Fieri being the other one). At right: a bonus shot of a car parked outside of the former Elizabeth Home for Girls, and below, an old-fashioned peanut cart. Nuts!

Yesterday, Off the Grid reminded us that this part of town was “once a thriving Italian-American community. Not unlike the South Village, the center of this Italian immigrant community was its church.”

Occupy East 4th Street is annoyed that its landlord, Magnum, has given its building an “ugly, grey, oppressive George Orwell 1984 look” and stripped it of some colorful old tilework. Read more…

Scott Lynch

Curbed spotted a backhoe working at 35 Cooper Square today, though it’s still uncertain what will come to the closely watched lot. Above, a shot of wall art yesterday.

Melvin Felix Kerry Bright in what will be his new showroom.

When Kerry Bright designed and built custom audio and video systems in the basement of 205 Avenue A, passersby would note the name of his company – Bright Home Theater – and buzz to ask about improv shows or to try to drop off their acting resumes. He’s hoping to clear up that confusion by opening a proper showroom across the street, under the name Bright Audio.

After working as a general contractor specializing in home theaters for about 15 years, Mr. Bright spent eight years at 205 Avenue A, showing products by appointment only. He signed a 10-year lease across the street at 202 Avenue A, previously the studio of artist M. Henry Jones, and moved out of his old digs last week. His current clients, he said, range from do-it-yourself audiophiles in search of components to “very, very wealthy people,” including a couple of celebrities he couldn’t name. One of the high-end speakers featured on BHT’s website retails for $13,995 per pair.

The new showroom, set to open in four to five weeks, will display high-end audio systems as well as gadgets that control anything from speakers to projection screens and shades. The store’s eight employees will continue to provide installation services ranging “from hanging a TV on a wall to creating a custom home theater,” said Radek Nesnidal, an employee. Read more…

Daniel Maurer Scene of Monday’s shooting.

Tonight is the last meeting of the Ninth Precinct Community Council this summer, and one subject is sure to come up: the recent uptick in crime in the East Village.

According to the latest crime statistics compiled by the Police Department, felony assaults have increased by 33 percent in the last 28 days in comparison with the same period last year. Robberies are up 29 percent when comparing the same time frames.

In the year to date, overall crime is up by roughly 3 percent when compared to 2011, according to statistics.

The spike comes amid recent high-profile incidents in the neighborhood, including the first homicide of the year, as well as a stabbing in East River Park. Read more…

Stephen Rex Brown The door to Martha Fedorko’s apartment.

East Village landlords often make for easy villains. Just ask State Senator Thomas Duane about Benjamin Shaoul, the Shalom family, and Alistair Economakis. But the residents of 510 East Sixth Street face a particularly vexing situation.

Stephen Rex Brown 510 East Sixth Street.

By most accounts their landlord, Martha Fedorko, was once a generous owner and accomplished doctor who helped out tenants when she could. Luc Sante wrote all of “Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York,” in the building, and thanks her in the acknowledgements of the book published in 1992. “She was absolutely the best landlord I ever had,” said Mr. Sante, who now lives in Kingston, N.Y.

But residents say that as she has grown old, Ms. Fedorko has started cutting their electricity for no reason, telling them to vacate their apartments at random times, menaced one of them with her cane, and left inscrutable letters in the hallway. Read more…

Taking a cue from The Local Fort Greene’s Dog of the Day, we’re launching a new column featuring canine confessions from the dog run and beyond. Today: Jubilee and friends.

Jubilee, photographed by her owner Alberto Reyes.

Hi, I’m Jubilee. Sometimes my human friends call me “Little Boss” because I like being in charge. I’m 10 pounds, 11 months, and a terrier mix. Being a mix – a little bit of Yorkie and a little bit of Schnauzer – makes me feel like a real New Yorker. Every morning my mom and I walk to the dog run at Tompkins Square Park where I meet up with my friends.

The park has two runs. The small dog area is the best because of the raised wood platform and a large shady tree. While we dogs play, the humans also get to know each other – so well sometimes that they plan trips together and take us along! My best girlfriend Rosie, a hybrid Peagle (half Beagle and half Pekingese) and her two-legged companion Lexa recently took a trip with the group to Larchmont dog beach, meaning we got to go swimming! Read more…

Sarah Darville Kirk Marcoe at the bar.

“It’s going from a crappy, super dive bar to a more appealing one,” said Fred Brown yesterday as he helped turn Joe’s Bar into Josie’s.

Kirk Marcoe, a new co-owner of the longstanding bar on East Sixth Street near Avenue B said it would reopen with a slightly cleaner look and a new name in mid-July. “We all appreciate a good dive bar, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have clean restrooms,” he said.

Mr. Marcoe and Rich Corton, who together also own Mona’s and Sophie’s, said they both had a special appreciation for Joe’s. They spent much of the late 1980s and ’90s playing pool there, and still live blocks away. And Mr. Brown met a woman at the bar who’s still with him 17 years later.

Mr. Marcoe’s story about a former girlfriend wasn’t quite as romantic: “She broke up with me in this bar, right over there,” he said, pointing to a spot near the front windows. Read more…

Edna Ishayik

Community Board 3 may have set a record last night: with 27 items on the agenda  – including Ninth Street Espresso’s bid to serve beer, a pitch for a German beer hall on the Bowery, and a Starbucks location’s attempt to win back its sidewalk seats – the board’s State Liquor Authority committee meeting ran past 2 a.m.

The main event: the owners of B-Side are hoping to open a spot at East Broadway and Clinton Street that would be “totally different” than the punk bar on Avenue B and would include a chip shop purveying “the best fish, chips and falafel you’ve ever had,” according to owner Sivan Harlap.

In an e-mail, Ms. Harlap called the new venture a “grown-up version of B-side,” explaining that “there are things I am interested in now that I wasn’t that all interested in when I was 22 – craft beers, cocktails, thoughtful food, this new place will reflect those new interests.”

Speakers lined up to argue in favor and against the new watering hole that would be catty-corner to the Seward Park Cooperative. Some neighbors said they looked forward to having a place to grab a drink or a bite in an area that isn’t laden with bars and restaurants. But opponents, some of whom were concerned about loud noise, had collected over 600 signatures, partially through churches and schools nearby. Read more…