It feels like just the other day that Gossip Wolf wished a happy 90th birthday to Kelan Phil Cohran, the great jazz multi-instrumentalist, AACM cofounder, former Sun Ra trumpeter, and inventor (he made the frankiphone, otherwise known as the space harp, an electrified thumb instrument). It’s with a heavy heart that this wolf shares the news that Cohran passed away on June 28. On Sunday, July 9, a clutch of musicians, poets, and dancers will convene on the 63rd Street Beach’s bathing pavilion to celebrate Cohran’s life and commemorate the 50th anniversary of On the Beach; Cohran recorded it with the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, which he founded in 1965, and the group backed him at weekly performances at the pavilion on the 63rd Street Beach in 1967. The free celebration runs from noon to 6 PM, and includes performances by multi-instrumentalist David Boykin, singer and poet Ugochi Nwaogwugwu, poet Quraysh Ali Lansana, percussive collective the Drum Divas, the AACM Great Black Music Ensemble, and more.
Local indie-garage linchpins Shannon Candy, who runs DIY label Bernice Records and Tapes and plays guitar in Strawberry Jacuzzi, and Jen Dot, whose virtual zine Disappearing Media and bubblegum punks Swimsuit Addition are Gossip Wolf faves, are totally tired of bros—and they don’t care who knows! According to Candy and Dot, “Being a bro has nothing to do with your gender or clothing—it’s about behavior. They are a fucking drag.” This wolf couldn’t agree more! Their new No Bros Allowed zine and monthly showcase will feature a rotating cast of curators putting together bills of nonbinary and female artists and special guest DJs to fight the scourge of masculine-identified boneheadedness. The inaugural edition kicks off on Saturday, July 8, at Cole’s, with sets from the Runnies, Impulsive Hearts, Not for You, and She Speaks in Tongues. Don’t forget to grab a zine while you’re there!   v
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