Last night in Kingston

Last night I went down to the Molynes road site with Paul. Along the way we picked up Quarry Bastfield, a video director from Brooklyn. Quarry is an easy to talk to type of guy. His dad came from Jamaica so he has ties and has spent a good bit of time here. He came down to do a socially conscious/political short movie about violence. He has a plot that will play elsewhere, but is really a Jamaican story at heart. It sounds like it will be interesting and heart-wrenching. He'll try it out at film festivals and see if he can secure funding for bigger projects.

Quarry came out of the NYU film department. He has some of the same background as the Lap brothers, particularly James Lap. Quarry also worked on Fat Joe's early videos.

He is a contender for director for a music video of Tanice's first single release since she has known Paul. Quarry has a producer named (spelling) Cherie Doucile. I chatted her up while Paul and Quarry looked at another location for the video. It turns out she calls the acts at the Village Cafe, where we spend Tuesday nights listening to live music. She knows the people in the band Black Zebra personally. They are the group we saw and enjoyed on a previous Tuesday night

Quarry, Paul, Tanice and I went up to the rooftop "venue" while we were at Molynes Road. Quarry thought it was really a good spot. It would probably be a difficult place to shoot, though, with no elevator. It is on the third floor and the equipment is heavy. Quarry observed that there are no quiet music/bar spots in Kingston. It's hard to have a conversation anywhere with the music going. Christopher's comes as close as anything, but it isn't really a "date" spot, and it is not really quiet, either.

Paul was encouraged. He thinks I could work with Danny to move this place closer to opening. I do not really know anything about night clubs or the bar business or the music business but I can help get organized. I am willing to learn and provide process. That is kind of the same sort of thing I have done every day for years, but in a new direction. I REALLY need a new direction. The lab system consulting business provides good money, but watching the same misery happen over and over again because of bad resource allocation really stinks.