How very civilized

The lovely Village TeaRoom in New Paltz is offering tea leaf readings by Tara O'Sullivan.

The readings, which begin Aug. 18, take place every first and third Saturday of the month from 3 to 6 p.m.

A portion of the proceeds from the readings, which cost $15, benefit a home for displaced boys in New Paltz.

For more information, call 845-255-3434.

(Poughkeepsie Journal photo by Darryl Bautista)

DIY comedy comes to Kingston

Punk rock comic Justin "JT" Habersaat returns to Kingston tonight for an underground comedy show at the Muddy Cup.

Habersaat has performed at Stand Up NYC, Laughing Wolf, Truly Twisted Comedy Festival and helped found the improv group, 5 Drunken Immortals. He also appeared on Comedy Central's "Upright Citizens Brigade" as well as Troma Film's "Toxic Avenger 4" opposite porn legend Ron Jeremy.

The former host of Indie Flux on WDST (100.1 FM), Habersaat in 2005 moved from the Hudson Valley to Austin, where he publishes the punk zine, Altercation.

Tonight's special guests include Chris Cubas and Jess Cohen.

Admission to the 8 p.m. show is 5 bucks.

(Photo courtesy Justin Habersaat)

Shout out to DJ Gaza

So my baby sister got married this weekend. The reception was at the new Grandview in Poughkeepsie. I was a little wary of it being a factory-style wedding, but I have to say it was absolutely flawless. Food was great, service was impeccable and all my sister's guests had a really great time.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was DJ Gaza, a turntablist from Brooklyn who made the wedding feel more like a dance club than a cheesy affair. He stayed away from too much MCing, letting the bride and groom be in the spotlight.

DJ Gaza, aka Gary Hoffmann, spun Blondie, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, A-ha (a request from the ring bearer), Outkast and Deee Lite, to name a few.

He even played some polkas, a nod to all the partying Polish-Americans in attendance.

Most of all he was really kind, checking in with my sister and her husband to make sure they were happy and keeping them informed.

Book him.

(Photo of Michael and Michelle Brenes by family friend Lou Miressi)

Art in the office

Artist/curator Christopher Albert of Beacon has injected contemporary artwork into a general accounting, auditing and tax consulting practice in Poughkeepsie.

The public is invited to view his efforts tonight at Bailey Browne CPA & Associates, 80 Washington St. in Poughkeepsie.

The reception takes place between 5 and 7 p.m.

In the photo above, Peter Acheson's work was placed among the plaques and awards Deborah Bailey Browne has hanging above her desk.

Other participating artists include Simon Draper, Alexis Elton, Marnie Hillsley and Matthew S. Kinney

Chris e-mailed me the following: "I'm interested in seeing how the visitors will respond to the artwork, as it is predominantly a very non art audience. Each time I've done this with Deborah Bailey Browne, I've tried to demonstrate the variety of work being done in contemporary art, and with each installation, I've wanted to (take) a step further into the real(m) of the unexpected in terms of the office environment.

Here, I've placed some work in a traditional manner, but I've also used the work in a spare, non-frontal way in some instances."

(Photo by artist Chris Albert)

McMansions as kaleidoscope

"Earthscapes," which opens Saturday at the Kingston Museum of Contemporary Arts, is an exhibition of landscape photography made through the open door of a Cessna 206.

Artist Paul Joffe captures the strangely beautiful patterns of tract houses and cul-de-sacs. He also documents cloud formations.

KMOCA, 103 Abeel St. in Kingston, is open Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. or by appointment.

The reception is this Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m.

Bard show is psychedelic, melancholy

Psychedelic, dramatic, melancholy, beautiful: "The Elliott Smith Project," which plays Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Spiegeltent is many things. Uplifting isn't one of them.

The theatrical song cycle based on the singer/songwriter's posthumously released album, "From a Basement on the Hill," features two vocalists who utilize small cabaret tables and the stage of the round tent. The three musicians, who play guitar, ukulele, violin, bass and piano, are stationed in different booths that run the perimeter.

All the while a video artist moves through the audience (also seated at cabaret tables on the teak dance floor) and the performers, projecting the images she captures onto a screen.

"The Elliott Smith Project" will make you feel uneasy. It will disturb you. It will haunt you.

Tickets are $25.

Check out my story, which includes interviews with director Daniel Fish, in the upcoming issue of Enjoy!

(Bard College photo by Joanne Savio)

Start building your soapbox

From bearings and brakes to steering linkages, a workshop this Saturday will prepare you to enter one of the coolest events of the Hudson Valley summer: the 13th annual Artists' Soapbox Derby in Kingston, which takes place Aug. 19.

Saturday is the first of four informational public workshops on the design and construction of soapbox cars. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cornell Shops Building, 110 East Strand.

Other workshops take place Aug. 4, 11 and 18.

Now you have no excuse.

(Photo by Poughkeepsie Journal staffer Kathy McLaughlin)