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Victrola Vault: In Summertime Down By the Sea (1904)

Posted in history, Music, Music Video, tagged 1904, Dan W Quinn, Graphophone, In Summertime Down By the Sea, record, summertime, Victrolaman on January 9, 2013| 1 Comment »

Temps in the mid-50s in January coupled with the news that 2012 was the hottest ever in the US has put us in the mood for a little summertime music. “In Summertime Down by the Sea” was sung by the successful early recording artist Dan W. Quinn in 1904, when Dreamland was brand-new and Luna Park was just one year old. “The splendid new summer song. Don’t fail to get it for your act,” said an ad in The New York Dramatic Mirror.

In summertime down by the sea
The only real place boys for me
Take a ride on a trolley get there before dark
Take your sweetheart to Dreamland or to Luna Park
In summertime down by the sea
The place where we all like to be…

The Columbia black wax cylinder record is played on a 1901 Columbia Model AB Graphophone. Both are from the collection of Victrolaman, whose 1920s recording of the Mills Brothers “Coney Island Washboard Roundelay” was previously featured on ATZ. Victrolaman’s YouTube channel features recorded sound from the 1890s up to the mid-1930s played on the original gramophones & phonographs of that era.

In Summertime Down by the Sea. The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music, Special Collections at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library of The Johns Hopkins University

Music Video: Jamaica and the Wishing Shrine by Agent Ribbons

Posted in Music Video, tagged Agent Ribbons, All New York's a Venue, Coney Island, Jamaica and the Wishing Shrine, Jason Hood on December 26, 2012| 2 Comments »

This music video for “Jamaica and the Wishing Shrine” from the Let Them Talk EP by Agent Ribbons was shot in Coney Island a few days before Hurricane Sandy. The Austin-based band, who describe themselves as sounding something like Girls in the Garage doing the Three Penny Opera, cavort on the abandoned MegaWhirl and trace their song’s title in the sand on Coney’s fabled shore. It’s a lyrical little gem: “I haven’t seen you since December. It was a long long drive…”

“The idea behind the video was to have sort of a wistful, nostalgic vibe, fitting the song about visiting an old friend,” film-maker Jason Hood of All New York’s a Venue, told ATZ. “Coney Island in the off season turned out to be the perfect place, and shooting it on Super 8 film gave the impression of an older version of New York.”

All New York’s a Venue is a web series featuring bands playing in special places around New York City. Hood did a similar series in Austin before moving to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and frequently works with bands with Texas roots. “Probably my favorite episode and location I’ve filmed was a moving Rockaway-bound A train, which happened to also feature Agent Ribbons,” says Hood. He’s also shot episodes at Central Park, the High Line, Shea Stadium, in a Bushwick basement, along the East River, and on rooftops in Red Hook.

Video: Coney Island Dancing 2012 by Jim McDonnell

Posted in Events, Music Video, video, tagged Boardwalk, Coney Island Dancers, Coney Island Dancing, dance party, dancing, free event, Jim McDonnell on September 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

For the past two seasons, photographer and film editor Jim McDonnell has released a video titled “Coney Island Dancing” after the boardwalk dancers pack it in for the season. We’re happy to report that the 2012 edition has arrived just in time for, well more dancing on the Boardwalk! The Coney Island Dancers have announced that they are extending their season of free outdoor dance parties with an October Fest from September 29 through Halloween.

Posted on Labor Day, “Coney Island Dancing 2012” opens with the legendary Tony Disco before segueing to the legendary dancing doll known as “Miss Coney Island.” Both are charismatic old-timers who are famous in Coney Island and deserve wider acclaim. Nice to see them start this show, which distills a season’s worth of dance moves on the Boardwalk and the Polar Express and at Luna Park, Wonder Wheel Park and the Mermaid Parade and Ball into a joyous four minute forty-five second video. Here are links to Jim’s dance vids from 2010 and 2011 in case you missed ’em. Party on!