Spring Awakening

An emergent quality of meta-physical existence, Air!

Mar 22, 2026

Alright good time to check in, I’ve been back in NYC for a few weeks, the rhythm is a-flowing, the birds are singing with grace in their hearts, Spring is here!

My world of focus has been shifting slightly outside of film distribution towards media production again, and I am finding a lot of inspiration there. Being situated in the cultural hub of NYC bears many fruits, here’s what’s going on.

My calendar had been packed with stuff I’d love to attend but I needed to take a break to regain some health and composure, which was honestly essential ~ after a few days of recovery here’s what I ended up checking out this past week:

cinema gone freaky, LA playing baltimore

Dance Freak — finally got out of the house to see Robby Rackleff and Alan Resnick’s experimental loser odyssey, Dance Freak. This micro-budget film emerged out of a crowd-funding campaign, and had been several years in the works. The detail that went into the cinematography, lighting and editing is all remarkable ~ it’s a heady challenging watch that only has a faint sense of direction, the exploration is the reflection of one’s own life lost in the midst of chaos and confusion.

Video Odyssey — that word again, it’s been coming up a lot lately, might have something to do with the Christopher Nolan movie on the horizon, or some sort of zeitgeist moment we’re collectively moving through in a great unknown adventure. I was excited about the concept of this show, mixing elements of comedy and multimedia performance, but the show itself felt too DIY in a way that didn’t create a sense of immersion, at least not for me. Kudos to them for attempting it, and to Life World for creating a space for this type of experimentation to exist in the world.

a light invatation towards civil disobedience

Lamp Club Meeting — went to my first Lamp Club meeting after work (school) on Friday in Tompkins Park. Lamp Club is a group of young activists & performers based in NYC who are firmly against big tech. They have a radically playful approach to addressing this totalitarian grip on society in a way that invites warmth, care, generosity and boundless possibilities. They are an inspiring group. We mostly bounced a ball around :)

Ditcher’s Eddy — I went to the latest Ditcher’s Eddy screening event, this is Ella Sinskey’s on-going experimental screening series, usually hosted in unconventional settings and almost always paired with a menu of food. This one happened at (spring) bar, a new spot in Two Bridges, the films were shown in the basement in true eddy fashion, the food was super creative and tasted great, and the films were bold and vibrant to my eyes, with a lot of work exploring the edges of the medium and levels of crazy we don’t usually see expressed in such an honest and bold ways. I’m a big fan of Ella’s programming ~ I’ll be a stan for this series as long as it’s around.

Cinema Showdown — The Nicos at Screen Slate and 1-2 Special got together and came up with a Cinema Showdown soccer match to celebrate and hype up the release of two European films in NY this weekend, Miroirs No. 3 and Dry Leaf. It was an almost sunny, slightly cold and windy affair in the late morning on a Saturday at a soccer field along the river in the Upper West Side. I left the house with shorts under my pants in case extra players were in need. It turns out that the field was full of high-quality, cleat-wearing athletic cinephiles who had it all covered. There was a surprising amount of people who came out to watch and cheer on, people with a serious passion for independent film and casual soccer viewership. In the end, Dry Leaf won the game, but I’d say everyone who made it out, and took part in this fun unconventional film event walked a way with something special, would be glad to see more of these games happen.

Tara Clerkin Trio / Starcleaner Reunion — despite being totally exhausted from a full day, I made it out to Public Records for the Tara Clerkin Trio show on Saturday night. I’ve been a fan of their music for many years, and was not gonna miss this concert. I arrived at the early end of Starcleaner Reunion’s set, this was the second time I’ve seen them, and I’m also a fan of their music. Their sound is still great, super rich and dynamic in their tones, they all seem a bit older and more mature now, keep an eye out for their new record. Tara Clerkin Trio hit the stage next, and played a delightfully experimental set, full of subtle compositional shifts and build-ups that required a deep sense of listening to engage with. It was at times hard to connect with the soundscape, especially with Tara’s voice being lower in the mix, but I do think that’s a product of design around a very loose compositional structure that includes moments of confusion and searching to find something beautiful, subtle and unexpected which did in fact emerge through the set. They are touring across North America including a date at Open Melody in LA in a couple weeks, go see them if you can.

Okay that takes me to the present moment ~ def woke up feeling exhausted from a busy few days and am trying to again rest in between as best I can. NY can be a roller coaster, it’s good to hope off when you can from time to time. Having said that here is my hypothetical calendar for the upcoming week, hoping to make it out for at least a few of these events.

Take care ~ be well, your friend, Drew.