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JellyNYC Hits Back At Brooklyn Paper For Declaring Rock Beach A Dud
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 1, 2011
Modified Aug 2, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Aug 1, 2011
Modified Aug 2, 2011
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Photo of this past weekend's turnout at Rock Beach, by John Huntington/Control Geek
Last we spoke to JellyNYC's jack-of-all-trades Chris Goldstein, he had high hopes for the agency's second go of Rock Beach, a free series of concerts at the Aviator Sports Complex adjacent to the Rockaways. At the first date on July 9, Goldstein said "around 500 or so people" showed up, which may have been considerably less than their Pool Parties, but around what they were seeing at their Rock Yard events in Williamsburg. But according to the Brooklyn Paper, Rock Beach's second effort on July 24 was a "beach-blanket bomb" after "little more than 150 people showed up."
One former Gothamist intern told us that she wouldn't go again after attending the first outing because of "very low attendance, really unappealing/awkward location (parking lot behind aviation center)," and "lame food options," so it sounds like the scene got even sadder last weekend. While the Brooklyn Paper quotes "the promoters" who say "they are considering moving 'closer to home,'" at the end of the story the Paper mysteriously contradicts their previous statement: "E-mails to JellyNYC for comment were not returned." Who is this Murdoch-owned paper's source? Viane Delgado? Hugh Grant? Deep Throat? Smuckers?
So we reached out to Goldstein, who emailed us his thoughts about the story in the publication that he says never reached out to Jelly and is "barely a step up from my high school paper:"
People keep blaming the turnouts on the bands. We stand behind our booking and feel we deserve some respect for our booking history. Give us the PS1 MOMA or the waterfront venue, we'll see how much the booking matters when hoards of euro-trash and weekend warriors fill up the space. One of the coolest things about New York is that you see bands before your friends do in Po-Dunk, Iowa. You can then send them some message online being like, "You have got to check out Death Grips." Fast forward 6 months from now and you get a call from your old drunk friend and they are like, "Death Grips" is the shit!" And your like, "No shit, I told you that six months ago. Have fun in loser-ville with the wife/kid combo."
Goldstein does admit that Jelly is having "problems with the venue," but states there's no location switch just yet. "If anything changes we will let people know," Goldstein says, "not wait for the sleuths at Brooklyn Paper to unravel the mystery."
Tagged
brooklyn paper
free concerts
hipsters
jellynyc
pool parties
rock beach
summer
williamsburg
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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