Citizen Curious

Part 2 of our interview with Jay Sweet! This one really brings it all back home. Your humble host takes a little solo time explaining what we have in common with Jay and Stuart Bogie. Our theory: New Orleans & Pres Hall;)  We also humbly honor the life of Justin Townes Earle. In part 2 we sit down and cover how Jay became involved with the Newport Folk Festival, cancellation of this year's festivals, operating Newport as a non-profit, Newport's history with the civil rights movement, musicians relief fund,  fond memories of John Prine and a certain truth John shared with Jay, what makes Newport so special = the Newport family, amazing artist related stories from years of running the event (Brandi Carlile, Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin, Roger Waters, Mavis Staples), and on and on... 

Be Present, be kind, be open, be together! Folk on!

"Music Guy" goes a long way towards describing this week's guest, Jay Sweet. Mr Sweet is the executive producer and organizer of the crown jewels of the music festival circuit,  Newport Folk & Newport Jazz Festivals. Taking a page from The Grateful Dead splitting their concerts into 2 distinct sets, we've split our conversation into 2 episodes. This is part 1. 

Founded by George Wein, the Jazz festival was birthed in 1954 and the Folk festival followed in 1959. Mr Wein invented the concept of the modern music festival. The civil rights movement gained traction w/ NFF in the early 60s. Bob Dylan went electric here in 1965, much to the chagrin of the audience. It's an understatement to say these festivals are steeped in American and musical history.

Mr Sweet took the reins starting in 2009, with a famous 18 page proposal to Mr Wein. In this episode we'll discuss: processing the cancellation of this year's events due to COVID, where Mr Sweet's love of music came from, listening to Howlin Wolf at an early age, the Grateful Dead and the power of the steal your face logo, first concerts, becoming enamored with cowboy poetry and a quest to become a lyricist, working on the set of Me Myself and Irene, a mythical jam session b/w Phish and Jim Carrey,  and how his early career evolved into being the "music guy."

If you love music and Del's Lemonade this episode is for you! Enjoy! Part 2 coming up next week!

Professional musician, composer, arranger, and overall upstanding citizen, Stuart Bogie (@stuartbogie), is this week's guest. Since the early 2000's Mr Bogie has been a mainstay in the Brooklyn music scene. His full discography is too lengthy to mention in full, but he's recorded or played live with everyone from Antibalas to TV On The Radio to Arcade Fire.  Most recently, he contributed to new releases by Hamilton Leithauser and Run The Jewels. 

We met Mr Bogie down in New Orleans as part of the Krewe Du Kanaval festivities for Mardi Gras. It was a different time and place. Dancing, drinking, hanging with new and old friends, live music. February 2020, pre-COVID.  A friendship was made that allowed for this great convo to take place. We start off with our memories from that amazing weekend and also discuss: Stu's musical education, coming up in the NYC & Brooklyn music scene of the 2000's, working at Niagara, Fela Kuti, his contributions to some of NYC's most seminal bands, post show rituals, his daily Clarinet Concerts, creativity during COVID, and how the pandemic has brought to light economic realities of being a professional musician. If you're a music nerd you're gonna love this convo!

Citizen Curious is thrilled to have owner of The Elk & Bar Beau, Claire Chan, on the show.  We became acquainted with The Elk after moving to NYC in the summer of 2018. It packs alot of character into a small space. You can go there for a cup of coffee or have a quick bite, but you'll keep coming back for the amazing staff and vibe.  Miss Chan was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, and from an early age developed an appreciation for the restaurant and hospitality industry. After making her way to NYC to pursue an education and professional career in the fashion industry, she struck out on her own and opened The Elk. It quickly became a neighborhood staple. Miss Chan's unique design and curatorial aesthetic is what really gives The Elk its special glow. More importantly, The Elk is built upon community and inclusivity. Miss Chan leads with her heart and head and isn't afraid to voice her support for social causes. Our type of (Canadienne) citizen! Link in bio! Enjoy!

Ro The Show (@rotheshow), aka Ratchet Dojo, is a boxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu trainer based in NYC. His clientele includes the usual coterie of Manhattan high profile public figures, as well as undistinguished common folk like your humble host.  We discuss his journey from the Philippines to the US and his personal and professional lows and highs.  In this episode we also touch on the amazing community at Mendez Boxing Gym and the impact of COVID on the fitness community. This one is from the heart. Ro is a real ass dude. He's learned to take a punch or two and still keeps swinging!

We go deep with the founder/CEO of Happy Cooking Hospitality, Gabriel Stulman. A New York City based restaurateur, Stulman has made his claim owning and operating cozy restaurants built for any occasion. Stulman and Happy Cooking Hospitality think of their restaurants as "homes." They are intimate spaces packed with a vibrant energy only accentuated by the top notch staff. The restaurants include: Fedora, Bar Sardine, Fairfax, Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey's Grocery, The Jones, Studio, Simon & The Whale, and George Washington Bar.  Stulman is also an active civic leader. Whether's it's publicly advocating for the restaurant and hospitality industry or voicing his support for social causes, Gabe leads with his heart and his head. Our type of citizen!

Topics covered: Gabe's childhood, the origins of his appreciation for food, thoughts on community, impact of COVID on his business.