The above still photo is a frame for the music video I shot & directed for the song "To Begin Again" by Darren Gaines & The Key Party. The world premiere of this video - 6 years in the making (long story) - will be this coming Friday night in New York City as part of the next leg of my book tour for "A Rose by any Other Name."

Here are the details for the night:

Dixon Place Presents

To Begin Again: A Modern Campfire  -- 7:30PM sharp

A music video collaboration between Brian Mazo and Darren Gaines - “To Begin Again” - will introduce Gaines reading vignettes from his forthcoming novel, “Billboards.” Gaines, born in San Francisco but working in New York for the moment, will also perform a song from his book. 

Mazo, born in New York, wrote “A Rose by Any Other Name” in Los Angeles and published it from Minneapolis, where none of it takes place. The twenty-six short stories that comprise the collection take place at that crossroads where lovers meet, bisect, dissect each other. Mazo, fresh from appearances in the Mid-West and LA, will read three of his tales in his native accent.

Roses and red wine: New York is all right if you like trombone…

BIOs
Darren Gaines: “Gaines is a poet in the same sense that Exene or Lou Reed is a poet.” – PopMatters

Gaines records have been favorably compared to the “gutter street” styles of Tom Waits, Jim Carroll and Nick Cave. (LA Weekly, Village Voice, SF Chronicle). His DIY albums have graced year-end lists from Boston’s WFNX to Spain’s Ruta 66. He’s charted on CMJ, made a record with the producer who recorded The Clash’s Combat Rock, enjoyed an artist-in-residence at The Gershwin Hotel, broke a guitar at the legendary Mint in Los Angeles and even performed in a cathedral on a mountaintop in Jamaica.

Brian Mazo: Brian Mazo graduated from NYU Film School, had a few movies produced from his screenplays and has written for a number of newspapers and magazines. Mazo claims to be the only screenwriter in captivity who has written movies starring women who have won both the Best Actress Academy Award (Oscar) and the porn equivalent (AVN) “A Rose by any Other Name” is his first book.

“If there is one thing Brian Mazo knows about it is women...and words, and together, this is what you get!” – Pamela Holm, author of “The Toaster Broke So We’re Getting Married”.

We are proud to be the debut installment of the monthly series, Gershwin Live at Dixon Place, hosted and curated by Michael Wiener and Neke Carson.

The Dixon Place Lounge is open before, during, and after the show. Proceeds directly support Dixon Place’s artists and mission.

I will be making a second appearance on Sunday, June 9th at the Commonwealth Bar in Brooklyn, NY from 3-6pm approximately. My brother will be making food for the event and his kick-ass homemade jerk marinade will be available for purchase.

Much like the appearance last month at the Bronson Bar in Hollywood, CA, I will be reading 3-4 of the tales from my short-story collection, but will break up the reading- the plan is to read a story close to the top of each hour. If quite a number of the same people who attended the Dixon reading are present in Brooklyn, I will read a few different tales from the ones that I have been performing on the tour.

The bar is located at

497 5th Ave  Brooklyn, NY 11215 Cheers & thanks and looking forward to seeing you New York & Brooklyn! Brian