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New York Pinays Redefine the "Struggling Artist"

For Immediate Release

Reference: Valerie Francisco, Secretary General, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment, 925-726-5768, fire.nyc@gmail.com

New York Pinays Redefine the "Struggling Artist"

New York, NY--On April 19, 2008, a women's organization, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE), held a cultural night dedicated to the artistic talents of Filipino American women. Pinay artists from all over the US showcased their work, alongside New York Filipina artists.

Using art as a vehicle, Diwang Pinay urged Filipino American women in New York to connect their struggles in the US to the ones faced by their counterparts in the Philippines. The evening brought together over 100 people in Greenwich Village's historic Judson Memorial Church, and began with a Brooklyn-based artist, Fly Lady Di, setting up a blank canvas and gradually painted an abstract Philippine flag.


The audience was called to attention as members of Kinding Sindaw, a Moro dance troupe, began playing the kulintang as a backdrop to traditional ceremonial dances. Then, Pinay artists like singer/songwriter, Taospuso, and 1st Quarter Storm, a hip hop duo based inSeattle, Washington performed politically charged work which forced attention to the unresolved human rights situation in the Philippines. The night affirmed an intact community of Filipino women able to nurture artistic growth across their mediums in the New York City area, as well as across the nation.



The featured speaker of the night, GABRIELA secretary general Emmi De Jesus, was flown in from the Philippines and ended the New York leg of her US speaking tour at the first annual Diwang Pinay. After a few days of attending forums representing various local communities organized by FiRE, De Jesus brought a sobering testimony of Filipino women's resistance amidst the corruption and the atrocious human rights record of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.



"Although GMA is a woman president, she is a shame to Filipino women in the Philippines and all over the world," De Jesus stated, "GMA's blatant neglect of basic rights to life, education, employment and the repression of women's right to fight for social justice is an attack on Filipino women globally."



FiRE, as a part of the first overseas chapter of GABRIELA, committed to calling attention to the human rights violations enacted on women leaders and activists in thePhilippines. Diwang Pinay was intended to be an evolving space tackling issues faced by Filipinas in the United States and abroad. Ultimately, FiRE hopes to encourage women to continue developing the culture of resistance surrounding these turbulent times by bringing awareness to how these violations impact women's lives daily.

FiRE's first annual Diwang Pinay in New York precedes the Diwang Pinay being held in San Francisco on April 25 with a women and art theme, organized by babae-San Francisco and League of Filipino Students and San Francisco State University.

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Official DIWANG PINAY after party: Katra Lounge

Please join us for the official DIWANG PINAY after party at Katra Lounge. Help us welcome back two of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment's founding members: Robin Castel (now living in the Bay Area, CA) and Sandra Panopio (currently in London, England.) Thank you to these two women for taking the time to return to ring in our first anniversary! We can't wait to see you all!

Katra Lounge
11 pm
Sorry, 21+ only
217 Bowery
(6 to Spring St. / F to 2nd Ave / NR to Prince St. / JMZ to Delancey)

Many thanks to the fabulous Isis for landing this space!

Jonna Baldres!

Our loyal kasama and the current SecGen of AnakBayan NY NJ! In lieu of a trraditional bio, she instead submitted a short description of her work which will be on display at Diwang Pinay:

"Baril, Baraha, Biktima"
Everyday, a woman activist's life in the Philippines is at stake. Ironically, the perpetrator of the hundreds of our fallen and missing fellow Filipinas fighting for their rights in the homeland is also a woman. Apparently, violence inflicted upon women is not only a matter of sexism but of class struggle -- the poor versus the rich, the oppressed versus the exploiter, the people versus the hegemony. And at these times when no one is spared, it is not impossible that the next victim of this growing state terrorism could be YOU.

1st Qtr Storm!

All the way from SEATTLE El Dia and Rogue Pinay will be in NYC this SATURDAY for DIWANG PINAY!

1st Quarter Storm is a Filipina hip-hop duo currently based in Seattle, WA. They first appeared on the scene as rogue pinay and El Dia in late 2006, taking to the mic like babies take to the nipple. Their commitment to social justice and cultural work, combined with their love and respect for hip-hop, led to a number of significant collaborations, which organically grew into a partnership in early 2007.

This pair of bisexual Filipinas use their art to speak truth about today's world, contextualizing their struggles in the current conditions of their homeland and promoting a message of conscious action for all. Known for their fierce performances and raw delivery, they call themselves the 1st Quarter Storm in honor of the legacy of warrior women and men who have dedicated their lives to defending the Philippines against conquest and corruption. With Tagalog and English lyrics and a wide range of musical influences, their music grasps imperialism by the horns in hopes of casting it away for good.

Starting here in NYC, 1st Quarter Storm will be sweeping the nation with a walis ting-ting, with plans to drop a full-length album in 2009. They will open in late April for Geologic (Blue Scholars) and Kiwi as a part of the People Power Tour, raising funds and mobilizing support for the Filipino people in their fight to oust current dictator Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The 1st Quarter Storm mixtape, which includes both solo and collaborative efforts, is now available. For booking, contact 1stquarterstorm@gmail.com. More information can be found on http://www.myspace.com/1stqtrstorm.

Our Keynote Speaker, Emmi De Jesus!

Emmi Amaya De Jesus was born to parents of humble and hardworking peasant backgrounds from different Philippine provinces. Due to economic conditions both moved to the capital city Manila for a better life where they met and married. Even in the city, the De Jesus family struggled economically with her father working as a taxi driver and her mother being a home care provider. The eldest daughter of 7 children Emmi took on responsibilities of helping her mother raise her siblings and maintain the household. She excelled in school and was conscious of her family’s economic struggles, once citing that even though school was free sometimes her siblings didn’t have enough money for transportation to go to school. Despite this Emmi was salutatorian of her elementary school and passed the exam to enter Manila Public Science High School, one of the more prestigious public high schools. She went to the University of the Philippines for college and graduated with a BS in Physics.

During her college years, President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law to quell the uprising social activism that challenged his corrupt government. Emmi was a part of “First Quarter Storm” a time period of militant student activism during martial law. She honed a lot of her organizing skills as a student and had the opportunity to work with trade unions and learn more about the exploitation and oppression of Filipino laborers.

In 1977 as part of a May Ist labor day action, she and two other colleagues were putting stickers on jeepneys (Philippine public transportation) that highlighted workers issues and demands. Unfortunately one of the passengers was a police agent and arrested two of the three activists when they ran from the jeepney. This arrest exposed Emmi to how brutal the military was and how Martial Law was being used as means to exercise state power through military might. Emmi’s house was raided and her sister was picked up for questioning and later Emmi’s husband was arrested with very vague charges. The military subjected to mental and psychological torture, often letting her hear how they tortured other arrested activists.

Emmi was released ahead of her husband because of humanitarian reason when she found out she was pregnant. Her husband was released together with other political detainees during the visit of international human rights lawyer as part of the people's organizations' campaign on human rights and against fascism by the Marcos' government.

This was where Emmi started her involvement with the women's movement. She was one of the founding members of SAMAKANA, formed in September 1983. Originally, the name stood for Samahan ng Malayang Kababaihang Nagkakaisa (United Free Women) and composed of women of various professions but majority were women from the urban poor communities. SAMAKANA was one of the organizers of the all-women march in October 28, 1983 where they were able to gather around 10,000 women from various sectors carrying the demand to end Marcos dictatorship.

This led to further coordination and processing among women's groups until the decision was arrived at to coalesce and form an all-womens group.In March, 1984, GABRIELA-Philippines was born, a national alliance of women's organizations where SAMAKANA was a founding member.

Emmi continued to work as an organizer of women in urban poor communities. With 3 children growing up and with a very supportive husband who agreed to be the primary income earner for the family, she had the opportunity to continue and develop her work in the women's movement. Emmi made it a point to expose her children to the work she would do and bring them whenever possible; be it in the community, in the meetings, or in street actions. She shared with them the issues and the work that is done vis-a-vis the national situation, the women's situation.

In 1987 Emmi became part of the GABRIELA National Office. She held various positions ranging from part of the administration to coordinatorship of the Campaigns Department. She also did organizing work among women professionals, young women based in schools and women workers while part of the National Secretariat. In these years structures and other organizational matters of the alliance went through various changes. More importantly, GABRIELA principles were sharpened and made sure that its programs of actions are more direct and pronounced for women of marginalized sectors.

In 1998, at the 8th GABRIELA National Congress, Emmi was elected Deputy Secretary General and held this position until 2003. In 2001, Liza Maza, the elected Secretary General, ran and won as one of the 3 representatives under the Bayan Muna Partylist, and Emmi practically functioned as the SecGen of this alliance. In 2003, at its 9th Congress, she was elected as the Secretary General and holds the position at present.

In reflection, Emmi notes that “…24 years of my existence have been fruitful as being part of GABRIELA. With my 3 children now grown-up and all married, with two grandchildren (one each from my two daughters), I take pride that they know me not just as their mother but an activist. My being a GABRIELA is not just delivering my work but a way of life, a 24/7 thing, applying our principles in practical life.”

She also notes that though age and the accompanying stress brought about by my involvement are now taking their toll with my physical capacity she is still trying to her best to deliver what is expected of her. It is the strong support of Gabriela co-workers that makes this possible. She is inspired by the expansion of the organization in the communities and the successful campaigns launched. Youngblood in the organization gives her confidence that this work shall continue to develop and improve as long as the basis for our existence to struggle for women's rights and welfare are there. She is looking forward to the growing support of Gabriela friends internationally and the empowerment of Filipina compatriots with the formation of a Gabriela USA chapter that will educate, organize and mobilize Filipinas towards our liberation.

Your host for the night!

Isis Arias is proud to have been one of the original pinay brunchers before the fire started, and is super proud to be here to watch the flames! Her grandparents hail from Samar but mom was reared in Brooklyn. Bronx born, Brooklyn & Queens raised, she attended Montclair HS in NJ and continued on to Rutgers University. College was an important time for Isis' cultural growth and she went on to run the Douglass Asian Women's Association where she gained most of her event planning and hosting experience. Isis is alumni to the Tagalog On Site program from 05 and sites the trip as one of her most 'spiritual experiences'. She currently works in music publicity for a major label, works events on the side and loves what she does. Shoutouts to FiRE, Moms, Grandpa and all the folk that are in attendance! Peace and love to Grandma, and respect to all that have paved the way.

I'm perfoming, too!

Hanalei Ramos is a writer, performer, and community educator. She has toured around the nation to various college and university campuses as a spoken word artist. Hanalei has authored Letters to Martha, a personal testimony to her firsthand experience with domestic violence, and published her first collection of poetry and prosetry, Foiled Stars. Hanalei developed her first one-woman show, Guns and Tampons: A History of Violence Against Women I Know, through the generosity of the Asian Arts Initiative, which was performed at the first ever National Asian American Theater Festival. Most recently, Hanalei and Jiny Ung were named fellows for Project Rowhouses (Houston, TX). Hanalei is a proud founding member of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) and lives and works in her native Jersey City, New Jersey. Please visit www.myspace.com/hanaleihanalei

Kinding Sindaw

The dances of Kinding Sindaw originate from the royal court dances of the Maranao Sultanate- a repertory of the sacred, classic, and secular combining grace and vigor, dances that directly reflect their rich natural environment. Dancers imitate the graceful movements of birds, fish, butterflies, rivers, streams, and ocean trekking boats, celebrate fertility in vigorous choreography, sway delicately using colorful fans and scarves, and dramatically inspire through the martial art of silat.

The musical accompaniment is performed on a variety of percussion instruments, including the kulintang, a tuned bronze kettle drum set, known more commonly in the West as gamelan, a variety of hanging gongs which include the bossed agong and the unbossed gandingan and bababdir, and the dabakan, a cylindrical drums. These instruments are played as an ensemble and were prototypes for the instruments of the gamelan ensembles of Java and Bali. Other instruments of the Mindanao cultures include the salunay- a polychordal bamboo tube zither, the kudlung- a two-stringed lute, and kubing- a bamboo jaws harp.

New York Filipinas Act Through Art

For Immediate Release

Reference: Valerie Francisco, Secretary General, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment, 925-726-5768, fire.nyc@gmail.com



New York Filipinas Act Through Art

Women's Organization Calls Attention to Human Rights Violations in the Philippines



On April 19th, 2008, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) will celebrate the first year by honoring Filipino American and Filipino women's talents and art. The anniversary of women's organization's first year in service to the Filipino community in New York is reflected by the cultural night's women-centered and women-powered night.

FiRE's first annual cultural show Diwang Pinay (literally translated as"Spirit of the Filipina"), focuses on the rich and growing Pinay art community in New York city. The show will feature Filipino women singers, bands, poets, dancers and visual artists. Pinays from all over the United States are also coming to celebrate the night in hopes to build a national network of Filipino women interested in art and activism.

Through a night filled with art and performance Filipinas will call attention to the gross human rights violations situation in the Philippines. In the past year, this issue has garnered international attention and Diwang Pinay aims to contribute to raising awareness in our community through Filipino women's art.

"No human rights case in the Philippines has yet to be solved. The disappearances, killings and harassment of community leaders and members have consequences for Filipino women," states Valerie Francisco, secretary general of FiRE, "As women work hard to combat the ill effects of landlessness and lack of jobs their partners, children, cousins, loved ones and sometimes even themselves experience the wrath of state violence."

The one-of-a-kind Filipino women's event hosts a special guest speaker, Emmi De Jesus, the secretary general of GABRIELA, a national alliance of women's organization in the Philippines. De Jesus will highlight the impacts of the human rights violations on Filipino women there.

Diwang Pinay promises to fill the historic Judson Memorial Church in New York City with the cutting edge artistry of young Filipino American women who, even thousands of miles away from their motherland, insist on connecting their lives here in the US to the lives of women in the Philippines.

"The first step to solving a problem is being aware that it is there in the first place," stated Jackie Mariano, an active member of FiRE. "I hope that Diwang Pinay serves as a wake-up call to all art-lovers out there. Art imitates life. While our art will depict our struggle, it will also depict our international solidarity."

As a member of GABRIELA-USA, FiRE is mounting a momentous event in initiating action around the human rights violations in the Philippines through showcasing Filipino women's art. Diwang Pinay will serve as a testament to the struggles and triumphs of Filipino women all over the world.

There will be a community reception on Friday, April 18 at 7:30pm at the Bayanihan Community Center, 40-21 69th Street in Woodside, Queens with Emmi De Jesus and the Filipino community in New York.

Diwang Pinay will be on April 19, 2008 from 6pm to 9pm at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South in Manhattan, New York. General admission is $10 and a discounted rate of $5 for young people.

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DIWANG PINAY in YOURFACE!

04.19.2008 DIWANG PINAY: RISE, WOMEN, RISE!

Rowena Cruz is back!

Our ally and trusted friend,




Rowena Cruz is an MFA Candidate in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) at Columbia University. She is the former coordinator of Our Word, the student group for writers of color, an officer of Quart, the queer artists group, and treasurer on the Arts Student Council. Rowena has taught writing workshops for Sumisibol, a NJ-based non-profit organization serving Filipino American youth in Jersey City. She is also participating in teaching artist training programs with Community Word and Marquis Studios.

Rowena is currently writing her thesis project, a collection of memoir/essays on the four generations of women in her family and her obsession with beauty queens and figure skaters. She hopes to start on her next project, travel essays on her years of self-discovery throughout her homeland and all 50 United States.

Born in the Philippines, raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and a former resident of New Orleans pre-Katrina, Rowena now calls New York City, home.

Hello, Jennifer Cendaña Armas!

Jennifer Cendaña Armas is a NYC born, raised, and based poet/actor/dancer/singer

/writer/violinist/community worker. She has extensively organized and taught political arts and activist workshops in schools, prisons and community based organizations stateside and internationally, including Brooklyn Academy of Music, El Puente Academy of Peace & Justice, Harvard University, and Riker’s Island Prison, Presbyterian Secondary Boys Academy (Ghana), and Casa De Milagros (Peru). She facilitates poetry and theatre workshops for Brooklyn Academy of Music and Arts Horizons and is production manager for We Got Issues!, feminine centered leadership organization, where she also facilitates rantfest workshops and red tents. Her show, skinimin12, premiered at 2004’s Downtown Urban Theatre Festival and later featured at 2006’s New York City Hip Hop Theater Festival at the Public Theater. She is company member of We Got Issues! and feature contributor of the We Got Issues! A Young Woman’s Guide to Leading an Empowered Life (Inner Ocean, 2006). She has been blessed to share the stage with powerhouses such as reg e. gainese, Willie Perdomo, and Rha Goddess. Poetry features include: Lincoln Center’s La Casita, Joe’s Pub’s Urban Griots, the world famous Nuyorican Poet’s Café, Bowery Poetry Club, Culture Project’s Women Center Stage Festival, Museum of Contemporary Art and Louder Than A Bomb (Chicago), World Stage and ‘da Poetry Lounge (L.A.), Lizard Lounge (Boston), Esperanza Peace and Justice Center (Houston), Sista’hood Festival (Vancouver),Ladyfest Bristol, Speakeasy and Poetry Café (London), Poetry Vandals Present…(Newcastle,UK). University performances and performance workshops include: University of California- Berkeley, Harvard University, University of Virginia, New York University, and Vanderbilt University Jennifer’s televised poetry features include: Spoken (Black Family Channel), Word (FreeSpeech TV), Curvations (PSA). Publications include: My Mouth May Not Know the Words But Everything Else Understands (self-published), NYU Review for Law and Social Change, AWOL, Aesthetica, X, Monsoon. Theatre credits include: We Got Issues!(national company), co-creator/performer in Mango Tribe’s Sisters in the Smoke (HERE/touring company) and Creation Myth (Henry Street Settlement/ABRON ARTS CENTER), dancing with Urban Bush Women’s Are We Democracy? (Brooklyn Museum of Art), The Vengeance of Mami Wata (Theater for a New City), Queens Theatre in the Park’s Black Theatre Festival, Movement Choreographer- BLAK (HERE Theatre).
Jennifer’s creative workshops are interactive and link the personal and political.
She specializes in creating multi-lingual work, analyzing and fortifying the relationship between art, politics, and nurturing women’s voices as an integral component of social change.
She graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in theatre and politics.

Lisa Ascalon, back for more!

This woman has been an incredible supporter of FiRE! She brought down the house durring Pinay HERstories in the fall, and now, she's back because you asked for her! :)

Born and raised on the Lower East Side, Lisa Ascalon is a Pinay writer/performer who has been working with NYC youth for 17 years. She is currently a teaching artist for several arts-in-education programs Ms. Ascalon, along with fellow teaching artist, Ellen Hagan, co-founded the multicultural, multigenerational women’s collective, girlstory, whose first full length work was featured in the American Living Room’s 2004 Festival. She has performed her solo work at Nuyorican Poets Café, Asian American Writer’s Workshop, and the Bowery Poetry Club. Lisa was also awarded a fellowship to Kundiman’s inaugural Emerging Asian-American Poets Retreat.

Emmy will blow you away...

Emmy Catedral was born in Butuan and raised in Iloilo and Queens. She works in photography, installation, sculpture, & video. Her work has been shown at The Center For Book Arts, Flux Factory, LaMama Experimental Theater Club, The New York Historical Society, and other unnamed, temporarily named, and virtual spaces. She co-edits the online journal 2nd Ave Poetry and her work is currently part "This Case of Conscience", an exhibition on the subject of religious tolerance at The Queens Museum of Art. She is a member of the Filipino arts and cultural organization Arkipelago, and lives in Spaarlem. Her website is notadancingbear.com/ec

Why not CALAMITY?!

This woman is another amazing ally to FiRE! Representing Shaolin (Staten Island in the house!) She makes this year's DIWANG PINAY line-up even better!

Corinne Manabat aka Calamity is an aspiring documentary filmmaker by day, and spoken word artist/lyricist by night. She has performed at a few NY venues such as Guerrilla Words Open Mic and Sulu Series, and at various college events including FIND D4 Barrio Fiesta. This native Staten Islander has always had a love for hip-hop and loves to breakdance. Always down for the good fight, she is also involved with several social justice organizations. She won the 2005 ImaginAsian TV's PSA Contest for APA (Asian-Pacific-American) Heritage Month with her spoken word montage "Proud and Free," dedicated to her deceased Lolo (grandfather). In May 2008, she will be finishing up "Excuse My Gangsta Ways," a documentary short about a Chinese-American woman who is a former gang member from the 1990s Lower East Side. For more info, check out: www.myspace.com/calamityc

Cling for DIWANG PINAY!

An amazing kasama and organizer in our sibling organization, AnakBayan NY-NJ! We can't wait til you hear her gorgeous voice, and see her in all her fierceness onstage! Please welcome our homegirl of many names, Cling!


Anne Beryl Corotan also known as Taospuso; Cling, is a noble descendant and the international advocate for the Mandayan tribe of the Philippines and the indigenous peoples of Mindanao. She is the present Philippine Fiesta trader's ambassador. She is a graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, with a Bachelor's in Health Science, Public Health and Theatre Arts with a minor in International Studies in 2006 and a Bachelor's of Nursing in 2007. Presently, she is the east coast director of SANDIWA, the National Filipino American Youth. Concurrently, she is the National Director of the cultural and indigenous sector of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns. She is the former district III chair of FIND in 2006 and was also the district's Miss Philippines in 2005. Regardless, she remains a humble servant selflessly devoting her life in advocacy for the youth, the indigenous people and the local community of Filipinos especially within the walls of the Bayanihan Filipino Community Center, a project of Philippine forum. She shares the stories of the community through her proficiency in the field of arts, academe and community health. Taospuso is a revolutionary artist who embodies the courage and humility of a Filipina, living as a herald of Christ and a vanguard of transformation.

Please help us distribute this flyer far and wide!

Diwang Pinay 2008: Rise, Woman, RISE!
Saturday, April 19, 2008 doors open @ 7 pm
Judson Memorial Church (bet. Thompson and Sullivan Streets)
55 Washington Square South, NYC, NY 10012
ALL AGES WELCOME! $5 for Youth (18 and under)/ $10 Regular
Child Care Available! Please inquire: (925) 726-5768

FEATURING THE FOLLOWING PINAY ARTISTS:
M. Josephine
Fly Lady Di
Isis
Binky*Bianca
DJ Vettie Vette
Tao's Puso
...and many more
check www.firenyc.org for frequent updates!

Diwang Pinay ("Spirit of the Filipina") is an annual performance and silent auction in New York City showcasing Filipina/ Filipina-American performers, writers, and visual artists. Diwang Pinay promotes the work of Pinay artists everywhere AND represents the expanding cultural backbone of the Filipina diaspora. This FiRE event is one of the few venues solely dedicated to providing Filipinas and Filipina-Americans a platform to display their triumphs and struggles through art, linking history to the narrative of today's Filipina.

April 19, 2008 will mark the first of the annual Diwang Pinay series, and in 2008, calls attention to the human rights violations that run rampant in the Philippines. The toll of women community leaders who are murdered or disappear continue to rise, which has prompted FiRE to create this artistic venue featuring singer/songwriters, performers, and visual artists in order to draw attention to the hostile climate which women organizers face today, and the culture of resistance that triumphantly surfaces during these times.

Please join the women of FiRE for a night of PINAY artists showcasing their talents, and stay a little bit longer to celebrate ONE YEAR of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment organizing in the New York City area!

Silent Auction: DIWANG PINAY

Please stay tuned for details on the amazing work we'll have up for auction on April 19. Artists from around the nation have donated work to Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment. This event is a great opportunity for you to purchase original art work (all made by Pinays) at very low prices! All money from the Silent Auction will go toward FiRE's programming, so save your allowance and payday splurges, folks, as it's cash only to some great causes! :)

ps: and yes, we WILL have the piece pictured above. More details later. Yet ANOTHER slow reveal for you!

Binky*Bianca all up in here!

DIWANG PINAY just can't wait for this band to handle the night! A fantastic performance and an incredible set of musicians, yet another lovely addition to the line-up on April 19th at Judson Memorial Church:

Binky*Bianca has rocked, shocked, and amused audiences all over the nation; from New York City, Chicago, to becoming the next internet phenomenon! In the last year, the band has pushed their tasty lyrical madness resulting in features at Five Points NYC, Jammin Asian, CBGBs, and the Rock In The Box 2 Fil-Am Compilation Album. The band evolved from singer songwriter Binky Veloria's solo artist career, but has since taken the New York City scene by storm with foot stomping fun refrains, and witty sharp-edged lyrics. Binky*Bianca is known for their brand of musical heartbreak often described as "Cute-with-Spunk Rock," winning their audiences over in perfect irregular time and tempo! Catch Binky*Bianca at their next gig, because they are an experience!

Don't forget to look for their free album to be given out at gigs and also to be available for free download in late 2008! For more information, please visit, www.myspace.com/binkybianca!