La Gente Es La Gente is a monthly performance by Aera, an aerial dance company based in Brooklyn. Aera quote Oscar Wilde in their publicity for the show: "Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."

Because the last show at Casa Mezcal was on April 20^th, the theme was 420, and each dancer created a performance about drug or alcohol use inspired by a character from popular media that has influenced them.

Casa Mezcal is a basement room with an alligator on one wall, a bison head on another, a stage with tasseled red curtains and space for about 100 people. The red curtains closed and opened music hall style between each act, while the dancers cleaned the pole themselves.

The first performer, Stella Fink, skipped on in a summer dress, followed shortly afterwards by a man dressed as a cannabis leaf. They then smoked a herbal cigarette, and Stella stripped down to a cannabis leaf-decorated bikini to do some amazing moves on the pole while the cannabis leaf man relaxed.

Jessica Linick at La Gente es La Gente 420

The next performer, Jessica Linick, came on in a striped shirt and wasted-looking make-up. She put on a fantastically desperate and creative performance, throwing herself around the pole as if she wanted to choke the life out of it.

Next came NYPD instructor, Caitlin Goddard, who slinked on in a black dress, taking swigs from a bottle of whiskey. The character she chose was Meg Ryan in the movie, When A Man Loves A Woman. At the end of her performance, she threw a glass of whisky at the pole and lolled against the back curtain.

Kelly McLaughlin strolled onstage wearing a floral dress with a man dressed as some kind of animal on a leash. A psilocybin mushroom poked in from the side and after she took a bite, she started indulging in shenanigans with the animal man, and I think she might have killed him at the end, but I’m not sure.

Jessica Mari at La Gente es La Gente 420

Jessica Mari followed, doing a sultry dance around the pole with a black bob and black leotard. She brought to mind Louise Brooks or Liz Taylor.

The elegant Nasty Canasta, came on and drank from a bottle while washing herself in a tin bath. This was not pole dancing, but the audience seemed to love it.

Steven Retchless danced to Johnny Cash’s "Hurt." Steven emerged to screams, removed his g-string to more screams, (he was wearing underpants underneath) and revealed a pair of plastic breasts to even more screams. Steven’s dancing is fierce and fluid, and I admired the strength with which he handled the pole.

Danielle Romano's bucket hat and khakis made me think of 70’s tv series Gilligan’s Island. She did a funny pole walk while suspended on the pole, and combined some very creative and strong moves.

What I love about Aera is that they combine dance, props and performance to create something artistic, surprising and often very funny. I look forward to seeing what they do next.

Aera photo by Christopher Butt, Golconda.org

Louis, Carrie, Kaleen and Nova of The Amputees

Two years ago, I decided to say hello to three new people every day for a month. One of those people was Carrie of The Amputees. When I mentioned I was seeking a guitar teacher for my daughter, she suggested her husband, Louis Ramos, who soon incorporated my daughter, Nova, into the band.

Louis said the formation of the band was “like a weird series of events. A guy upstairs gave me an 8 track-recording machine and my father in law gave me a guitar. It was beyond my control. It just happened.”

“When Nova came for lessons, I knew she could sing,” said Louis. “I wrote these songs around what I thought her voice would sound like. As soon as she opened her mouth it was perfect with the songs. I thought she’d be perfect with the band.”

“Then when I met Kaleen and I saw her play with Misstallica,” said Louis, “at one point she got so excited that she stood up while she was playing and I thought, wow, she should be in my band.”

The Amputees bandmembers are Louis Ramos, Carrie Ramos, Kaleen Reading, Geena Spigarelli, Gary Young and Nova. John Meredith of the Mollusk Studio has helped bring the music to life in their recording sessions.

Cover Art for Scream by Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females

“Everybody who I want in the band is in it,” said Louis. “And Marissa Paternoster from Screaming Females is doing the art for the upcoming 7 inch “Scream” which is amazing cause we’re all big fans.”

Although The Amputees are featured on a Garage Punk website, their music is not easy to define by genre.

“It’s punk in essence because it’s kind of do what you want,” said Nova.

The Amputees’ upcoming 7-inch record, Scream, boasts five rock songs, ranging from the frenetic King Jubs through the rollicking Beaner about bassist Geena, and the haunting Holden, which was inspired by Catcher in the Rye.

“At the very end of the book, Holden says you better not tell anyone anything because when you tell people things you’ll start to miss them,” Nova said. “That’s why I say at the end of the song, “If I tell you I’ll miss you.””

The Amputees have 400 followers on Facebook, although Louis claims that not all of them are fans.

“Some are fake,” he said. “Prosthetic limb factories and amputee fetish people.”

Some people have criticized the band’s name and some of their lyrics and images.

“I got accused of having a bad message,” said Louis. “When I put up the video of Commence the Slaughter, somebody wrote to me and said this is vile which I thought was a great comment.”

Louis Ramos, Gary Young, Geena Spigarelli, Carrie Ramos, Kaleen Reading and Nova

“The best part for me is that the people in the band are my closest friends,” said Louis. “Music is what started it, but it’s gone beyond music.”

The Amputees next concert is Kaleen’s birthday bash at Don Pedro’s on March 23rd. All are welcome.