Hell Gate Social Club

Pita Hot

The Quays

Sai Organic

Sparrow

I feel fortunate to have seen Astoria grow in the 7 years that I’ve lived here and even more fortunate to have met so many people who are eager to be part of our renaissance. Artists, musicians, writers, business owners and residents are pulling together to make change happen – pushing it further.

I’m running out of steam here. The right words are becoming harder to put together to accurately convey what is happening. The Whiskey Dreg readings, art shows, open mics and now this festival and this is just one summer that isn’t close to being over yet. It isn’t difficult to imagine what the next few years will bring and what opportunities behold us.

The location of the after party is becoming more concrete but will be announced tomorrow. Think fun. Think nuts. Think isolated bedlams. Think, think, think and then throw it down with a beer.

Tomorrow night, several of us will be at LIC Bar celebrating the recent CBS acquisition of the Astoria-based television show called We Need Girlfriends. I’ve seen some of it and it’s funny. If you’re in the mood then you should come join us. It’ll be our last casual hang out (sorta casual) before the final front on Saturday but this is where it gets bigger. This is where those bright ideas go when the right people think them. And this is where I stop to get some sleep and cease all shitty writing for the night. You get the idea.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot…please be sure to pick up a program during the festival so you can get a good idea of who’s playing, who our sponsors are and the key players behind all of this.

Excitedly yours,

Carlos

P.S. I can’t wait to squirt you people with my water gun. Bring one and squirt back.

Justin, Evelyn and I have joined together for something really amazing. I know this sounds like bs but seriously, I feel pretty honored to come in and do whatever I can with this baby they have created. I am also really glad and excited that they’re allowing me to MC this thing. I’m writing notes on what to say, do, considering which friends I can embarrass and what info I will divulge. It is July 21st with only a few days left and the fan in my living room is blowing the hot air around.

I won’t write much in this post but I do want to say that there is a feeling – Justin, Eveylyn and Chris have this too – that something is going on in this community of ours. The Whiskey Dregs have only been publicly active for a few months and so much has happened – so much more to come.

I want to thank all of you for being a part of this experience. Even if you just click on one of our links, it shows that there’s an interest. Our blog/on line litzine has really exploded this month and is set to double our previous record for most amount of hits. I hope to take these good vibrations with me on Saturday and give my best to this collective of individuals who I am very happy to have met.

The line up is set. The drums are warm. The paint is wet. My water gun is at the store waiting for me. My notes are collecting more notes, bands are rehearsing right now, people are building something together. We are no Haight-Ashbury but this is a pretty unique moment that I’m going to treasure for a long time.

Peace and love,

Carlos Detres