The Afro-Punk Festival: not your mama’s punk show

Each week, Gadling is taking a look at our favorite festivals around the world. From music festivals to cultural showcases to the just plain bizarre, we hope to inspire you to do some festival exploring of your own. Come back each Wednesday for our picks or find them all HERE.

You think you know what punk is. But you haven’t seen anything until you’ve joined the thousands of head-bangers who make the pilgrimage once a year in June to Brooklyn’s Afro-Punk Festival.

This two-day celebration of music, skating, and film has become a Mecca for the burgeoning movement of Afro-Punk, a collection of African-American bands, fans, and misfits who are embracing hardcore rock culture and making it their own. Launched in the summer of 2005, the festival was the brainchild of record executive Matthew Morgan and filmmaker James Spooner, who wanted to give voice to the growing popularity of indie and punk rock in traditionally urban communities. It has ever since been a focal point of musical and cultural cross-pollination, fueled by an audience as diverse as the music itself.

Each day of the festival features bands ranging from eclectic rockers like Houston-based American Fangs to genre-bending artists like crooner Janelle Monae, that by turns, awe and electrify the crowd. Afro-Punk is the wild, weird alternate universe where anything is possible (I personally will never forget seeing bass guitarist Ahmed of Brooklyn’s Game Rebellion strut onstage sporting a fan of giant peacock feathers). Want to learn more about the Afro-Punk Festival? Keep reading below…

For first-timers, the Afro-Punk mashup of grunge guitar and streetwise swagger can be overwhelming. But have no fear: punk is a contact sport, and no one can stand still for long. Crowd surfing is encouraged, from the tiniest faux-hawked kindergartener to the heaviest thrasher, so dive away! And if you yearn for the days of good ole-fashioned moshing, you’ll have no trouble finding a scrum for a little full-body ping-pong.

Other thrill-seekers can get their kicks on the festival’s custom-built skate park. The dizzying array of jumps, ramps and rails is also the battleground for the annual URBANX skate and BMX competitions, where pro-skaters and bikers defy gravity and common sense for a coveted $5,000 prize.

Listen for the distinctive clink and hiss of spray cans and you’ll also find a one-of-a-kind outdoor art exhibit. At Afro-Punk, graffiti is king, and true to form, the artists work at lightning speed, to the delight of onlookers, tagging a rich tableaux of original pieces along a 30-foot wall of wooden panels.

On Sunday, the festival closes with a block party featuring live DJ’s, fashion, and food. But before you go, take a moment to enjoy the greatest spectacle on display: the crowd itself. Revel in being someplace where piercings outnumber iPhones two-to-one, and ‘business casual’ means keeping your shirt on. There are few places on Earth where dreadlocks and leather chokers so seamlessly co-exist. Afro-Punk is the center of a movement that defies definition. In the end, what could be more punk than that?

The 2010 Afro-Punk Festival hits New York June 26th and 27th, and will this year open in two new cities: Chicago and Atlanta. Check out afropunk.com for dates and updated details.

Plant a tree, help fight climate change


We live in a “Golden Age” of travel. Never before in history have so many people traveled so widely, easily, quickly or cheaply. But this convenience comes with a hidden price. All those vehicles that take us there – the planes and cars – play a significant role in the gradual warming of our planet. In honor of Earth Day, the Conservation Fund is offering a way for you to help.

Check out the Conservation Fund’s new video for a campaign called “Go Zero.” The project seeks to raise awareness of the amount of carbon each of us produces from activities like travel, offering a chance to offset our carbon emissions. The group is trying to get 10,000 new trees planted before the end of this year’s Earth Day. It couldn’t be more simple to help – just click the button “plant a tree” on the embedded video above if you’d like to donate. If you want to learn more, make sure to stop by Conservation Fund’s website and try out the Carbon Calculator to see what you can do to fight climate change.

Our lives have all been immeasurably enriched by travel – let’s make sure future generations have a chance to enjoy the same opportunities.

Naked rock climbing: Anyone can do it–maybe

Two months ago I went rappelling in the Hocking Hills State Forest with Earth, Water, Rock Adventures Ltd.

I was pretty proud of myself that all I ended up with was a scrape on my calf when I slipped on some moss on my first time down the rock face.I could have scrapped a lot more if I had followed the thrill of nude rock climbing.

There is a trend where people cast off their clothes to experience nature from high places in the buff. The trend seems to have started in California, but has been transported to Great Britain as well.

The friend who sent me the article to the naked Barbie on the dash board story sent me this article about nude rock climbing. All I could think of when I read this story was that Jerry Seinfeld episode where he had a girl friend who insisted on being nude as much as possible. Jerry wasn’t too thrilled, particularly when she attempted to open a pickle jar.

Nude rock climbing would probably really set Jerry on edge. It certainly brings being naked to a higher level.

Dean Fidelman, a rock-climber and the guy who took this picture has made a calendar dedicated to this endeavor. The project is called Stone Nudes.

His work reminds me a bit of Spencer Tunick’s, another artist who sees the human form as one that lends itself well to being photographed sans clothes in nature. There is a simplicity that is very alluring.

Don’t miss the sky this Christmas!

I’ve always loved watching the sky, looking out for constellations, spotting the North Star and looking for Mars. Having lived in Dubai for a while, I had the opportunity to see amazingly clear and starry skies — ones only possible to see in the desert.

On that note, in case you haven’t caught the news already: today and tomorrow, the Moon and Mars will be the brightest and closest ever to the Earth.

The moon will be the highest-ever and 98% full, and Mars will be aligned with the Sun and the Earth so you will be able to see its full-face lit-up. They say it’s the first time in 47-years that we are able to see this and it’s unlikely to happen again until 2023.

Also, if you go out right after sunset tomorrow night, you are bound to see satellites and some shooting stars. So if you were wondering how to spend a perfect evening this Christmas Eve, you might want to get your binoculars out and add this to your list.

Happy Holidays!

One for the Road: Planet Earth

The BBC’s much-praised Planet Earth series was shown in the US on the Discovery Channel earlier this year. It was accompanied by the publication of a companion book, Planet Earth: As You’ve Never Seen It Before, which jumped up some notches on the New York Times bestseller list this week, partially due to an encore presentation of the show.

As another year of traveling comes to a close, the book offers wanderers an opportunity to sit back and truly look at the bigger picture: this astounding planet that we all move upon, and all the amazing creatures we share it with! Over 400 color illustrations create a “visual odyssey” of landscapes, packaged beautifully in 300-pages! The spectacular collection of photos takes readers along to remote and far ranging locations – mountains, forests, deserts and rivers, showcasing natural wonders and wildlife from around the world. Nomads from all walks of life will appreciate this hardbound tribute to our shared home.