Rock WILK: PRESS & THANK'S

5 Questions With undergroundzero Participant Rock WILK
By Byrne Harrison

Name: Rock WILK
Play: Broke Wide Open
Relationship to play: Writer and performer

An actor, playwright and poet, New York City's own Rock WILK is also a socially and politically charged vocalist and an accomplished multi-instrumentalist. He creates all of this art while riding the subways of NYC. Along with being a 2009 Nuyorican Poet's semifinalist and 2010 runoffs qualifier for The Nuyorican's national team, Rock has worked as a studio and touring background vocalist for many years, most recently singing with the legendary Patti LaBelle and contributing vocal and horn arrangements to the Grammy Award winning Les Paul compilation album, "Les Paul and Friends."

Rock's music can also be heard on such TV shows as MTV's "The Real World" and "Making The Band," among others.

You have a very interesting bio. What would you consider your best performance moments so far?

Hmm... that's a tough one because all of my performances are special in their own way. Lemme see... hmm.... well, I'm just gonna go with a relatively recent staged reading of Broke Wide Open. It was at a beautiful small theater down in Asbury Park, NJ called The Showroom, and it was going to be my last reading for a while because I was, at that time, in the process of workshopping with a number of directors, in the midst of trying to find the perfect person to continue this journey with. And so the day came for this performance, and there was a pretty big snowstorm, and I thought, "Damn, nobody's gonna come." To make a long story short, the theater was full, there were a few directors in the house, and the performance was profound for me, I felt like I found a lot of new things in my words that night, and we had a Q&A after the performance that was so deeeeeeeep. A man walked up to me after the performance with his son, who was about 20 years old, and they both looked kinda dazed. This guy had seen me perform at The Nuyorican Poets Cafe one Friday night and when he saw I was performing in his area, he decided to come see me and bring his father, not really knowing what to expect. I'm not sure he even knew that he was coming to see a play, that perhaps he thought he was going to see a night of poetry. Cool thing was this... he was adopted, was bringing the man who had adopted him, his father, and my play REALLY affected both of them. [Broke Wide Open is the true story of my search for my biological mother] They came up to talk to me after the Q&A, both in tears, and his father said to me, "I heard so much in your play that I have heard out of my sons mouth over the years. We have had some issues." The son said to me, "Yeah, we've had some issues. I've had some problems dealing with this 'being adopted' thing." It was very intimate, and so without getting into the details of our conversation, that experience really hit home with me, made me realize that there were people I was seriously connecting with, made me feel the power of the theater. Truthfully, I was humbled by that, everything changed for me that day. I have always felt like people go to the theater or to concerts or to any type of performance to FEEL something... that night I REALLY felt that, like this was a beautiful shared experience for me and the people who came out to see my show. So from that day on, every time I get on stage, I say to myself, "Tonight.. all I want is to have this beautiful shared experience with these people. Tonight is never going to happen again, so let's do something special together." And it seems like it always works out that way, I appreciate each opportunity to perform, but that night is one that I will never forget. Oh... and about a week later, I decided that my director was going to be the amazing Tamilla Woodard, and thankfully, she said yes!

As you mentioned, Broke Wide Open is a very personal piece. Tell me a little bit about how it came to be.

Broke Wide Open actually started as an album. Music. A collection of songs. My very close friend Jack Rollins, who was the long time manager of Woody Allen, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, David Letterman, and who also happens to be the father of my old girlfriend, who now happens to be my best friend, [whew! I digress]... Mr. Rollins encouraged me to embark on this journey of revealing myself in this collection of songs, to create an album that would, in a sense, be my legacy. He kept saying to me, "Rock, I feel like you NEED to do this, you have this interesting life story that people will want to hear, and if you are willing to REALLY open up, they will love you as much as I do." Damn, THAT stopped me, I took that moment in, we were sitting together in Riverside Park on a bench at 83rd Street that day. Anyway, he was talking about doing this for the sake of the art, like I said, he felt it was IMPORTANT for me to do this, and I respect Mr Rollins so much, and so after going back and forth for a while, thinking about whether or not I really had anything to say that anyone would find remotely interesting, I decided to take the opportunity to do this album. So I got on the subways and started to write songs. That's where I write, on the trains, just riding and riding, that environment is inspiring for me, it's where I feel most creative. Then when my little digital recorder was full, when the songs were written, I locked myself in my small studio in my apartment in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn and recorded the album in a few months. Then everyone who heard the album said, "Damn, this sounds like a play", and so I created this performance piece called Ma'Plej, each letter standing for someone in my family. At a performance of Ma'Plej, I met Stephen Bishop Seely, who was at that time the creative artistic director of The Revision Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ, and he said, "This is great, but it's about 14 plays, so you need to choose one, and write it." I chose the portion of Ma'Plej that was my search for my biological mother, my search for home, my identity, and so then this cathartic journey began, and Ma'Plej found it's way back to the beginning of this process and so Broke Wide Open, the play, was born, and here we are now.

I like that you call it a "verbal opera." What exactly does that phrase mean to you?

My director, Tamilla Woodard came up with that. And when she said it one day, it really hit home with me, felt like the perfect description of Broke Wide Open. There are A LOT of words in my play, and sometimes I say them REALLY FAST. They feel like a "movement" or almost like an opera or symphony. The play moves dynamically, with parts that are quiet and somewhat serene and then there are crescendos. We journey up and down, high and low, it feels like there is this beautiful motion, or EMOTION. So when Tamilla said that one day, "Rock, this is a verbal opera", my approach became like I was a conductor moving through this story like music, and it really feels that way for me, only verbally. There IS, literally, plenty of music in the play, along with these monologues and all of this poetry, all of these words are being weaved in and out of each other... yeah, Tamilla found the perfect way to describe Broke Wide Open.

What are your hopes for this production?

To serve the work, to really explore this and make it a beautiful work of art. To give it real opportunity to grow, to continue, for Broke Wide Open to have a long life. And to be REALLY honest... the first day I sat with Stephen Bishop Seely when we first began talking about what I was doing with this project, he asked me, "Where do you want to go with this? Where do you want to do it?" I immediately said, "The Public Theater." That was my dream from the beginning, my intention, and so I would like to see Broke Wide Open keep progressing, and yes, I'm saying it out loud, I WANT TO DO THIS AT THE PUBLIC, THE MARK TAPER FORUM, BERKELEY REP, BROKE WIDE OPEN ON BROADWAY!!!!!!!!!! I would love the opportunity to share this work everywhere and anywhere. And I visualize all of that, every day, seriously. But having said all of that, truthfully, it's all about the work for me, I am completely in love with this process, and we will just continue to attend to this work, to stay open to learning, I'm very grateful to be here at this particular moment.

What is next for you after undergroundzero?

We are fortunate enough to be doing a full workshop in September at The Medicine Show Theatre on 52nd Street in Manhattan, directed by and developed with Tamilla Woodard. We will have the full production being workshopped, collaborators included, lighting and set design, the video and music elements, I am VERY EXCITED to get this on. We open that on September 9th and will run Thursdays through Sundays until September 26th. After that, who knows? We are rolling!

Broke Wide Open
Written & Performed by Rock WILK
Directed by Tamilla Woodard

Staged Reading

P.S. 122
150 First Ave at 9th St.

Sat July 24 @ 2pm - Downstairs Venue

WILK, WIDE OPEN AND READY

Profile of the artist: He’s not posing for his face on a silver dollar just yet, but when Rock Wilk returns to The Showroom this Friday night, he’ll be commemorating the end of one chapter — and the beginning of an exciting new phase — in the evolution of his performance piece BROKE WIDE OPEN.

By TOM CHESEK

Maybe you caught a glimpse of a GOT WILK? sticker on a street sign and wondered vaguely what that was all about. Maybe you found yourself riding the G line of the NYC subway one night and didn’t know what to make of that intense character sitting across from you; taking down notes and talk-singing to himself not from insanity but inspiration. Or maybe you were just put in position to encounter him in guerrilla performance mode — be it on the streets of Asbury Park, at a coffeehouse in Long Branch, even the Borders bookstore in Eatontown.

If you’ve ever so much as dipped occasionally into our oRBit, you’ve probably encountered some mention of Rock Wilk, the Brooklyn-based “singer, scribe and spoken-word sensei” who’s likely racking up some new categories even as we write this. For the past couple of years, this seriously driven artist has staked out a second base of operations “down the Shore” in and around Asbury town, where the veteran studio musician — credits include recordings by such pop eminences as Nile Rodgers and Patti Labelle — went to hone and define the live performance piece that came to be known as Broke Wide Open. Taking its name from Wilk’s self-released 2008 CD — a sober set of songs rooted in anger, personal pain and a broader social anguish — the work has transcended its source material; morphing into a fully fleshed theatrical presentation that centers around its creator’s real-life search for his biological parents, and his consequent struggle with his own sense of self.

We first caught a very early version of this work in the historic parlor of the Crane House in Asbury, under the name Ma’Plej’ (the odd name roughly translates as “my pledge” and is composed of letters corresponding to the names of Wilk’s extended family members). The artist subsequently would show up at venues ranging from Asbury Park High School to SICA in Long Branch, to that aforementioned suburban bookstore — and along the line, the melodic vocals of the original album gave way to a new, more raw (but no less rhythmic) spoken-word-with-music attack that Wilk would mark with a second word-based CD (Valentine’s Day) and a second MySpace page dedicated to this developing aspect of his art and craft.

Wilk would continue to workshop his ever-evolving work at performance venues in NYC — but it was at The Showroom, that savvy storefront screening space in downtown Asbury Park, where Broke Wide Open took a quantum leap forward toward a new life as a real-deal stage play last year. This Friday night, the Wilkman returneth to Mike and Nancy’s place on Cookman Avenue for an occasion that marks the end of one chapter — it will be the last time he’ll be performing the one-man “staged reading” version of BWO — and the first step toward the project’s next logical phase; that being a fully staged New York production.

Red Bank oRBit rang up the Rock at this exciting career crossroads — Continue Reading for best results............

RED BANK oRBit: So, I’m understanding that this weekend’s performance at The Showroom represents a kind of closing one chapter in your project called BROKE WIDE OPEN. Is it more of a beginning or an end? Would it be the last time we get to see you perform down here for the time being?

ROCK WILK: This is the last staged reading of Broke Wide Open that I’ll be doing in this form. I’ve been workshopping it now with various directors; working with people who can confirm that I’ve been going in the right direction. I’ve been working on the script for about a year now — I feel like I’ve been in school for the past year or so.

I’ve also been performing it as much as five times a week in places like the Theater Lab in Manhattan,which is just an amazing place, and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. But down here is where I first performed it as Broke Wide Open, and when I first did it at The Showroom, I had an intermission for the first time; I did a Q&A with the audience for the first time, which was just ridiculously amazing.

Having seen what you’ve been doing as sort of a multimedia slide show; as a scaled-down reading for bookstores and coffeehouses, and as a more polished piece — how far has this thing evolved from what you first did at the Crane House in 2008?

Oh, it’s radically different from how it started out. Ma’Plej’ was more of a presentation piece, based on my album, with some other spoken material that explained the songs. It’s evolved into a two-hour play with intermission.

Basically, it’s about the search for my biological mother — I think of it as sort of an urban Wizard of Oz; you meet all sorts of characters along the way. I’ve taken actual things that have happened over the years; included people that I’ve known in my life.

When you first saw it in its original form, it was kind of an angry piece — there was personal anger in there, but also anger directed at broad themes like racism, prejudice. Now I look at it as a celebration of every experience I’ve had in my life

Anger sometimes comes off as honesty — you know, it’s easy to be angry, and harder to deal with truth and be balanced about it. So as far as being angry — I’ve evolved, definitely. I feel that I convey the same intensity, but at the same time I feel more secure in myself.

I’m aware of your famous method of writing on the subway, but would you say that the time you’ve spent down in our neck of the weeds has really had a big impact on shaping your work?

Going down to Asbury Park, which I did a while back for personal reasons and just to get away, was crucial to the development of this play. To me it was like exploring Roman ruins. I couldn’t have done what I’ve done if I didn’t leave the city — I’m a self-professed New York City snob, but it’s important to get out and see different places.

When I got to Asbury Park I didn’t know anybody; I had to learn about the city and the people who lived there. Like, I got interested in what the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park was doing, although to me there was a real disconnect between one side of the town and the west side; my intention was to kind of work with people to get things happening all over town, to kind of bridge the gap a little bit.

But I wanted to finish this stage of the project down here — partly as a way to thank the people who’ve had a lot to do with this project evolving the way it has.

Who are some of the people down here that have really taken an active interest in your project?

The people from The Showroom — I love those guys! I kept going over there before they opened; as soon as I saw the place I knew it would be perfect for what I was doing. And Stephen Bishop Seely, who you probably remember from ReVision Theatre Company, was the person who more than anyone else helped me to turn it into a real play. He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met — he got me to go deeper and deeper with this work; prompted me to make the choices I had to make. I’d be thinking I was being brutally honest and he’d be telling me, ‘I think you’re hiding.’

Stephen’s left ReVision to concentrate on his acting career again, but he put me in touch with some important people at Disney and at the Public Theater. And I’ve done a lot of community outreach with ReVision; I’d like to continue my association with them.



During the time that you spent around Asbury Park and the surrounding area, you got yourself involved in a few other events — for instance, you had something to do with a performance at The Showroom by the spoken word artist Tylik “TIGGA” Railey, which got cancelled a month or two back.

Yeah, Tigga’s show had to be postponed when he got sick, but they’re looking to get it together again, possibly later in February. As soon as I saw Tigga perform I knew that he was just the sort of artist who could help make the kind of connections I was talking about; he comes from Asbury Park, from a family of social activists, and I hope that ArtsCAP can work together with him.

Another local endeavor that you took an active role in was the Long Branch Poetry Festival, specifically the Young Poets portion of the event…

It was really great to host that program, and to work with those kids from the local schools — a great experience, and anytime the Arts Council people want to to do something together, I’d be into it. I was impressed that they had a political panel discussion on poetry, right there in the council chambers at the municipal building.

Well, thanks to Brian Unger, Long Branch is one of the few towns that can boast a published poet on the City Council.

Yeah, Brian’s a good guy, and so are Gabe Barabas and Robyn Ellenbogen from the Arts Council. And I got to know Long Branch a little better; I think the downtown, around where SICA is, is a nice area — the architecture’s really cool, which is something I’m always interested in. But there’s a definite sense of isolation from the beach, from all the new things that have opened up on that side of the city.

Yeah, downtown Long Branch is very much a work in progress, and if we all ever get out from under the economic nasties it’ll definitely be a place to watch in years to come. Evolving, just like you — it wasn’t so very long ago that I knew you as a singer, an arranger and a musician.

I come from the music business; it was my frame of reference for a long time, and I still have stuff going on musically with MTV and other things. But in order to make this project happen I had to abandon a lot of what I did in the past. I had to commit 100 percent to developing this work — and it was like public humiliation for the first six months! But now, when I’m introduced to people, I’m introduced as an actor and a playwright. I’m completely immersed in that world, when just a couple of years ago I would never have imagined such a thing.

Well, here’s a question to take this thing out — having put so much of yourself out there, when you meet someone for the first time, do you get the sense that they kind of feel they’ve got the drop on you; like they think they know all about you and you don’t know jackshit about them?

A lot of people think they know me, but I’m changing every day. I’m actually very shy, very private — at a party I’m the one who’s standing there not talking to anybody. So while there’s a lot of me in this work, I’ve made sure that it’s not just all about me.

You know, I never did get to meet my biological mother, so after all the searching I still don’t have the answers necessarily. But through that exploration, I feel like I have closure. For me, this whole thing has been a cathartic experience — although I want people to know they won’t be attending someone’s therapy session. It’s still entertainment!

Tickets for Friday’s 8pm show are $10 in advance ($15 at the door) and can be reserved online right here.

Rock Wilk at The Showroom. For a guy who’s notorious for doing his best writing while riding the subway back and forth all night long, the search often takes precedence over the destination. And, while we would never be so presumptuous as to suggest we “discovered” him in any way/shape/form, we’ve been pleased and proud to have brought you early ink on the artist known as Rock Wilk — singer, poet, producer, spoken word artist and compelling performer whose own personal quest for a sense of identity has resulted in an arresting body of work that’s raw, confessional and way beyond the realm of “Journey to Me” jackoffery. Wilk has also been searching for the perfect venue in which to feature his one-man multimedia performances, and his activities in and around Asbury Park — whether at the Crane House, Core Restore, SICA in Long Branch or even the Borders bookstore in Eatontown — arguably found their finest forum in his previous appearances at The Showroom, the storefront screening space that first hosted him and his program Ma’Plej back in May. This Saturday night, the Rock returns to Mike and Nancy’s place with Broke Wide Open, a presentation that takes its name from his autobiographical CD of songs (lest we forget, the man’s an accomplished arranger who’s worked with the likes of Nile Rodgers) and includes some new material that illuminates and transcends the personal stories within. The 8pm show’s on the verge of a sellout as we post this, but if nothing else make a note to investigate the work of this rare artist wherever and whenever you can in the future. Saturday, 8pm/ $10

Street poet, sweet singer and spoken word artist Rock Wilk returns Shoreside for a handful of live appearances.

Last summer in the virtual pages of Red Bank oRBit, we introduced you to Rock Wilk, a seriously skilled guy from Brooklyn who we described as “a veteran of the recording studio and a chronicler of stories. A poet who works in the cadences of the hip-hop tradition, and a character who claims to do his best writing while riding the subways.” Rock spent some time down Asbury way last year, where he spread the love via his GOT WILK? stickers and brought a multimedia show of songs and stories to the historic Stephen Crane House.

“The subway is the place where I feel most creative,” said Wilk, who in our profile had some refreshingly contrary things to say about the local state of the arts — and the distances we all need to travel to truly make this system hum. “I feel private when I’m there…sometimes I just ride the trains, all day and all night.”

Well, riding the pedal-car jitney up and down the boardwalk all night just doesn’t have the same kind of cachet, so Wilk took it back to the tubes to work on some different projects, including a whole new set of spoken-word with music compositions represented on his latest self-released drop, Valentine’s Day. He’s even started a second MySpace page, dedicated to this developing aspect of his art and craft.

“The work is something I’m very proud of, a result of a real evolution of my art,” writes the music veteran who’s lent his backup vocals and arrangements to the likes of Nile Rodgers and Patti Labelle.

“I’ve been living in these spoken word clubs since just before Thanksgiving, performing all over the place doing poetry slams and finally finding my OWN voice in this genre, perhaps creating a new genre, somewhere between hip hop/music/spoken word.”

Wilk has uploaded several examples of his recent work to the page (as well as edited snippets appearing on his official website), and we think they’re a savvy synthesis of musical language and a forceful, yet conversational style of writing-out-loud. In “22 Stops to 198th Street,” Wilk wonders “who the fuck am I?” as he pieces together snapshots of the birth parents with his self-realizations as “my own little man” in a culture that still views the adopted kid as The Other. He’s that guy sitting across from you on the G line, suddenly shouting out not in subway-craziness but in epiphany. Think much-maligned Eminem in his his most devastatingly personal moments, minus the mawkish victim trip.

“A Letter” works a similar theme of Wilk’s thoughts on finally meeting his bio-mom, set against a jazzy upright-bass plunk that for once isn’t some corny hip-hop hybrid. This is a guy who knows words and music and the ways in which they either cooperate or compete. And best of all, there’s not a vein of vanilla ice running through it.

“The material is born of a lot of pain that I’ve been thru recently,” says Wilk. “So some of the material is brutal, but honest to say the least.”

The Wilkman cometh again to the Shore for a handful of appearances spotlighting his new projects, beginning this Thursday with a school show at Asbury Park High. On Friday, March 13, he’ll perform for the first time at the interesting setting of the Borders store on Route 35 in Eatontown, and one week later on March 20 he’ll be at Core Restore, that rather unique space devoted to both art and physical therapy, on Mattison Avenue in Asbury Park.

Times Topics: New Jersey Arts Listings | New Jersey Arts

THE seven-man band Monkeyworks has been performing around New Jersey and New York for 20 years, but its members are hardly deluged with invitations, they said. Its jazz-meets-African-meets-electronic music is not especially accessible or easily explained.

So when the chance to play at the ShowRoom movie house in Asbury Park cropped up in July, the band quickly accepted.

Before an audience of 52 — there are only 50 seats, so a pair of extra chairs were dragged out — Monkeyworks spontaneously concocted scores to six silent films. The bandmates’ eyes roamed from one another to their instruments to the 14-foot screen. By the time the oldies — including the 1915 Charlie Chaplin short “Work” and a 1922 “Felix the Cat” animated short — had run their course, the group had skillfully worked up an original soundtrack.

It was exactly the kind of borderline-weird performance that the ShowRoom, which opened April 1, is proud of bringing to the Jersey Shore.

The goal is “to present a different slant on culture for the community and the surrounding area,” said Michael Sodano, the co-owner with his partner, Nancy Sabino; the couple moved to Asbury Park from North Caldwell in early 2008.

“Yes, it’s a movie theater, but it also has all these other functions,” he said.

In its brief history, those functions have included hosting the Jersey Shore Film Festival; staging a multimedia poetry slam featuring the Brooklyn artist Rock Wilk, who will return Aug. 15; and presenting “Get Naked,” a slide show of nude men, a collaboration with the nearby Parlor Gallery.

Mr. Sodano and Ms. Sabino, both 57, together run Eventure, a company based in North Caldwell that handles the audio-visual element of business meetings for major corporations. They also have made two documentaries together, “Rock and a Heart Place,” a 2007 film about volunteering that centers on the charity Holiday Express, based in Red Bank, and “Greetings From the Parking Lot,” a 1999 film about Bruce Springsteen fans.

Someone Mr. Sodano met during the filming of “Rock and a Heart Place” told him about the dearth of cinema in Asbury Park.

“He recommended Asbury Park as a place to come down to — there was no movie theater here,” Mr. Sodano said. “And I said, Asbury Park? I remember Asbury Park as having this not-great reputation.”

The town’s reputation as a hotbed of live music, of course, was legendary, he said, but when local promoters did try to show films, Ms. Sabino said, the setting wasn’t right.

“Everything used to work out of the Paramount, which is a beautiful theater. But it’s got 1,600 seats, so it’s seldom filled. No matter what you have there, it looks partially empty,” she said. For small screenings, “there hasn’t been a real, devoted space for projection.”

Not one as intimate as Mr. Sodano and Ms. Sabino envisioned, anyway. At 2,200 square feet, the ShowRoom is sparsely appointed but invitingly dark. Its décor is classic — dark red carpet, heavy curtain. Its straight-backed lightly padded chairs are not bolted to the floor, though. Candy comes from local outlets like Candyteria. And Twisted Tree Cafe, a local vegetarian spot, supplies vegan cookies, which sell for $2.

The ShowRoom’s most important attribute, though, according to its owners, is its open-mindedness toward what goes on inside. In addition to regularly screening art-house, classic and independent films like “Outrage,” the recent documentary about closeted gay politicians, and the 1964 film “Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” Ms. Sabino and Mr. Sodano plan to continue recruiting acts like Monkeyworks for out-there performances.

If Monkeyworks is representative, fellow recruits will be appreciative.

“Improvised music can be quite a high-wire act,” said Jim Stagnitto, Monkeyworks’ trumpeter. His bandmate, Steve Peckman, the group’s woodwind player, said, “We’re incredibly grateful for people like Mike and Nancy, who are willing to take a chance.”

A ROCK AND A HISTORIC PLACE

Wilk to power: Singer, poet, spoken word artist Rock Wilk offers the Shore audience a look at his “work in progress” known as “Ma’Plej’.”

By TOM CHESEK

At first glance, it’s a matchup of vocalist and venue that’s simply strange — the kind of idea that just seems “too true to be good.”

At center stage, you’ve got the man known as Rock Wilk, a lifelong New Yorker recently (temporarily?) transplanted to the Shore. A veteran of the recording studio and a chronicler of stories. A poet who works in the cadences of the hip-hop tradition, and a character who claims to do his best writing while riding the subways.

Hovering above it all, you’ve got Stephen Crane (1871-1900), the renowned 19th century author whose Civil War novel The Red Badge of Courage has been taught in high schools for generations. A war correspondent and prolific journalist who served as an early editor of the Asbury Park (Shore) Press.

It’s at Crane’s house on Fourth Avenue in Asbury Park that Rock Wilk will be standing in the modestly scaled parlor on Thursday night; addressing visitors to the historic Victorian-era home with a program entitled Ma’Plej’, a “work in progress” that’s built upon a foundation of tracks from his self-released CD Broke Wide Open.

A collection of songs inspired by personal travail, current events and other messy aspects of life — yeah, real songs, with the veteran vocal arranger multi-tracking his vocals into the tight harmonies of millennial R&B sounds — the CD was performed and produced in its entirely by Wilk, inside his Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment. A look here brings you a telling of the artist’s life story, the making of the album, and a sharing of the view from his window.

There’s more to Ma’Plej’ — the title’s an acronym of Wilk family member names, as well as a representation of the author’s “pledge” to use his musical gifts for the betterment of the world — than a run-through of album cuts. It’s a performance piece that uses spoken word interludes and visual elements as well, to convey “a show that’s socially and politically charged.”

A serious guy whose steely-eyed intensity brings to mind the younger work of actor Vincent D’Onofrio, Wilk has a background that has allowed him to work on records by some of the era’s pre-eminent purveyors of pop — including Nile Rodgers and Patti Labelle, to name a couple. But, as the singer says, “I try not to be the kind of guy who drops names…I’ve always rather been the guy who speaks out against injustice.”

On closer examination, the Wilk-Crane connection starts to make a lot more sense. The impassioned observer giving voice to the souls in transit beneath the streets of the city. The dynamic young reporter whose sympathetic studies of “women of the streets” enhanced his legacy, even as they jeopardized his professional standing. Together these guys are destined to create a wild duet.

Red Bank oRBit slipped away from a family barbecue to talk with Rock Wilk about his ever-evolving work, his strange new surroundings, and the things that remain constant through good times and bad.

Underground artist: Rock Wilk, pictured in the setting from which he draws his greatest inspiration.

RED BANK ORBIT: I guess the obvious question here would be to wonder just how your presentation traveled from Brooklyn to the Stephen Crane House — you can’t take the subway to the Crane House, and a boardwalk pedal-car jitney just doesn’t mean the same thing. Did you get a look at the place?

ROCK WILK: I did, yeah, and I thought it was great. I open Ma’Plej’ at a theater in Manhattan in a couple of months, and I was looking for a unique place to do the piece down here. Somebody from ArtsCAP introduced me to (Crane House owner/curator) Frank D’Alessandro, who’s a really good guy — I walked in there and said, “I wanna do it here.” I really like the vibe in there.

It’s a room that’s certainly never seen anything like you’re planning to bring there. Not sure what Crane himself would’ve made of it. But it’s also a very intimate space, so aren’t you thinking that you’re gonna need a bigger boat, as they say?

I’ve done this material for five people out in the street, and I’ll do it for a crowded theater. As long as I’m connecting with somebody, its a piece that will work on any level.

So what exactly is Ma’Plej’, compared to the album Broke Wide Open? Does it utilize all the songs from the album?

It’s a combination of music from my album, including remixes of things on the album, along with a lot of spoken word, and some visuals. It’s personal stories; my life story basically. I’m running the whole thing off my computer.

What kind of visuals?

Believe it or not, a lot of photos that I took with my cell phone. Sometimes I just have it as a background; the visuals together with the music gets the point across.

And you did the whole album yourself at home; tracking all the vocals, playing all the instruments.

Anybody can record a great album now on a laptop. You can do better than Earth, Wind and Fire did back in the 80s. But it’s really not so much what you do with the technology, it’s who you are.

You’re not an unknown quantity, though. You’ve worked with a lot of well known people in the business, so do you think that gives the project a higher profile from the start, no matter how small and personal it may be?

I’m a background singer; I’ve been in bands, I worked with some of the best singers in the world — people who probably appear on about half the records that ever get released. But if you don’t have the funding, you just can’t be part of the mainstream.

Like most new artists these days, you’re savvy enough to know that there’s not going to be a record label looking after the promotional details for you; you’ve got to be versed in all of the alternative methods of getting the word out.

I did very well with MySpace. The MySpace site exploded when I put it up after the album came out. I actually got jobs off of MySpace — I did vocal arrangements for someone in Australia!

I’ve been lucky, doing what I can to make a living. And I’m a pop music freak — Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Eminem — but I’m also influenced by Pete Seeger, Gil Scott-Heron, anybody who has something to say.

And you do all of your writing on the subway.

The subway is the place where I feel most creative. I feel private when I’m there. Sometimes I just ride the trains, all day and all night.

You’re a lifelong Brooklynite?

The Bronx, Manhattan, where I lived for twenty years, and Brooklyn — Bed-Sty. But I’ve actually been down here in Asbury Park for the past eight months. I locked myself in an apartment for all this time, just working.

When I came to town, I didn’t know anybody down here. And when I saw what was going on around town, I said damn.

So you like what you see happening in Asbury?

Well, the west side of town is not part of what’s going on — not a lot of people want to talk about it. It reminds me of Williamsburg about 15 years ago. There was no rhyme or reason to it; people just started coming in and forcing the older people out. Living in Bed-Sty, it’s like — people stayed there, weathered the storm for years, and when the money starts coming into the neighborhood, things start opening up, they’re not in a position to take advantage of the new stuff. They can no longer afford to live there.

I went to one of the First Night events in the downtown, and I didn’t see one person of color. And this is a town that’s been majority African-American for years. Then I met a bar owner over on the west side, and he had never heard of the First Night thing. So, I really appreciate what ArtsCAP is doing, but there’s still a lot that needs to be done, to get people working together.

And you’re thinking that music, or the arts in general, can play a big role in that?

Well, we were talking about influences a moment ago, and the thing that had the single biggest influence on me was this one event; after 9/11 I went to Yankee Stadium to see this program with all of these spiritual leaders coming together. All of these different singers, working together. I said, that’s what music is for. And anything I do from now on, should be along those lines.

Which brings us back to Ma’Plej’ and songs like “New Orleans, a Warning.”

I’m the guy who can’t keep his mouth shut. This is perfect for me!

Rock Wilk is scheduled to perform at the Crane House at 8pm Thursday; tickets are $10 each and can be reserved here. Seating, however, is extremely limited, so if you’re unable to attend in Asbury Park, check the link for some upcoming opportunities to catch Rock in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Free MP3s: Wilk Music, Plastic Little: Hip-Hop Hopefuls
Posted 37 minutes ago by Ken Micallef in Better Living Through MP3

Dime store rappers are a nickel a dozen, just take a ride on the New York City
subway or walk down a street through the borough of your choice. Personally, I
miss the days when promising young hip-hoppers could be seen city-wide,
carrying a big boombox on their shoulder, blasting crazy beats like a loud message
to the masses. Now, they don't even bother with the CD player, these psych-cases
just get in your face, spouting moronic verses while channeling their inner
Tourette's syndrome. Sure, they carry pen and paper, but can they read?
Anyway, one young hip-hop soon-to-bemogul
has recently invaded my personal
space--and it's all good. Wilk is a New
York City native (da Bronx) who uses the
subways for more than simple
transportation. Riding the rails from his
home in Bed-Sty way up to 207th street
in Manhattan or down to Coney then
round to the East Village, Wilk envisions
our beautiful, if overly commercialized
city, as his own personal inspiration pad.
Broke Wide Open was written entirely on
the New York City subway system. Does
this remind me of Travis Bickle's
response to the Yellow Cab dispatcher's
inquiry as to whether he would work
uptown and Jewish holidays, only to reply, "Anytime, anywhere, don't make no
difference to me"? You bet it does! Wilk's Broke Wide Open is his personal
mission statement of a journey through brain melting times.
You see, folks, our man Wilk is a real New Yawka. His friendships attest to his
attachments to the Big Apple's history and entertainment circles. One of Wilk's best
pals is movie producer mogul Jack Rollins. A really big cheese in this wacky
industry of ours, Jack has managed none other than David Letterman, Dick Cavett,
and Woody Allen, and is perhaps best known for his long time partnership with
Charles H. Joffe, the executive producer for practically every Woody Allen film in
existence. Not bad street cred, huh? Whenever Wilk was feeling depressed during
the recording of Broke Wide Open, Rollins would simply say "Stay with it," no
doubt the same advice he offered to everyone from Woody Allen to David
Steinberg to Tiny Tim. That, and an egg cream is all a real New Yawka needs to
get off his ass and turn lemons into lemonade.
Recorded entirely in Wilk's Bed-Sty loft, with our protagonist singing all the
harmonies, playing all the instruments, and programming everything else, Broke
Wide Open matches blue eyed soul vocalizing with a typical hip-hop template.
Opener "Be Quiet" rides its own rails over a swaggering programmed hip-hop
beat, but Wilk's vocals, which are rapper-lite at best, are actually more of the
crooning, Daryl Hall (of Hall and Oates) school. Does it work? Only because Wilk's
big choruses quickly grab our attention. "I need to find a white girl, I meant to say
the right girl" is the kind of clever subversion Wilk offers over super catchy,
infectious hooks.
There is enough evidence in the album's 14 tracks to suggest that Wilk is a
crossover driven artist, from the honey dark, Creed worthy, hands-in-the-air
harmonies of "Johnny" to the multi-tracked gospel chorus of "Stroke." He gets all
weird and Travis Bickle-like (again) in "Song For My Mother," proclaims his "nice
Jewish boy roots" with weight in the finger-snapping, throat-humming "What Did
You Mean," and creates a Ninjatune worthy moment in "Jane's Talkin' Union."
Gospel inspired, R&B enabled, and "nice Jewish boy" sanctified, Wilk is on the way
up. (See Wilkmusic.com for more madness)

Wilk's new CD, Broke Wide Open is aptly titled. An accomplished composer, lyricist, performer and producer, he's opened up his head, his heart and his life to tackle subjects like love, death, family, religion and racism. It's obvious this a very personal piece of work, even before you know that he also provides every voice and instrumental performance heard on the disc. With a well-developed sense of sound and self, Wilk is definitely ready to break.

T. Lambert
contributing writer, NY Times
Independent journalist
Editor, ARRAY magazine
former Blender columnist

"There has been no writer/performer since Lennon and McCartney and the Beatles broke up as a team that has been able to dominate the charts and capture the heartbeat of their generation for more than a few short years. Michael Jackson, Prince , and Bruce Springsteen all came close and the sounds of their great songs will always fill our memories. But if you were to pick which one was the dominate one for their era you would have to pick all three. In recent memory the " collective whole" has dominated the music scene. The entertainment industry is and always will be looking for the next "big thing" but where are the artists that have the "talent that sticks." After listening to Rock WILK's full catalog of songs, from his solo album BROKE WIDE OPEN to his Samah Productions catalog, I believe this artist/producer has the potential to be one of "those artists" ---- Enjoy !! "
Neil Bond,
Mayor Of FreeAudioPlayer Radio Network

Thank you’s in no particular order………..
Gabriel Rollins Arce, whose vision and sensibilities make me optimistic for the future.
Richie Hart, my teacher who is HUGELY responsible for me being able to pull this album off. Basically I’ve had the opportunity to study guitar with the best jazz guitarist in the world, and he has taught me not just guitar, but music. Indescribable talent to play and to teach. I owe him a lot.

Bob Cutarella, my soulmate in this business, integrity would describe him, in addition to mad talent, as a player, producer, publisher and most importantly, a great friend. Continue to live your life!

Natasha Kubis for her input, wisdom and encouragement with Ma'Plej, and for helping me to find my inner poet and to cut him loose, I will never forget you and your rubbing heart. To all the poets of The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, The Bowery Poetry Club, Bar 13, the Inkwell and Loserslam and that entire community of amazing people on the New York/New Jersey spoken word scene, you inspire, you teach, you B Badass!
Jeff Bohnhoff, Jim and Phil Wharton, who are pretty much the reason I can still walk. As Jim would say, I’m like a high performance engine, and when I go down, I go down hard. They, along with Tommy Nohilly, are the only people who could ever put me back together.

Phil Clendennin who has been incredibly influential in my development as a “self contained” producer. He taught me “midi” and put up with all of my questions for years. A giant to me, and one of the greatest piano players you will ever hear. Tunde Ra and Taharqa Aleem taught me how to be an independent artist, these are true warriors who I refer to everyday with regards to my approach to many things.

Nicky Kalliongis, my brother, who, along with me, has owned every piece of equipment ever made. The greatest ears in the business and I’m a better musician because of him. We’ve been through a lot together, and this business could never break us down, You are my friend for life. Bobby Gordon, who gave me the keys to the studio for my first project and basically let me “go to school”. Dick Scott, my first manager who was my foray into the actual “business”.

The entire Rollins family, [see my liner notes]. Joe Ham, the funkiest drummer in the land and my great friend. We hit 100,000 miles together in the “death mobile”, coming back from a gig at Creedmore Psych.

Gene Torres was the first musician I met when I came back to NYC from college and he is “ground zero” for me. Introduced me to almost everyone I know, and a GREAT BASS PLAYER. Almost like a mentor to me, one of the most professional people I have ever known. He is truly a Rock, someone you can ALWAYS count on and showed me where to get all the good pizza in town.

Curtis King Jr., like my brother, always there for me no matter how many tracks that meant, [“wait, check out one more part”], One of the most talented people you will ever meet.

Lisa Fischer, my heart and soul and truly a sister to me. Always lent me her talent with no strings attached and her love, understanding and intelligence is something I am lucky to have. A true friend, and her talents are well documented. I was so excited when she won her Grammy, that I went out and ran from 95th and Amsterdam to the Brooklyn Bridge!
Cindy Mizelle, the nicest human, greatest singer on the planet earth and someone who has “the joy”. I love and appreciate you, and thank you for always being there for me when I needed you. I’m here for track and field advice anytime! Dennis Collins. Darryl Tookes.

Pat and Mike Mikell, who owned the club that I feel like I grew up in, Mikells. NYC has never been the same since that club closed. Kathryn Bostic, whom I love like my family. The epitome of an artist, with exceptional drive to go with it. I am so proud of you and think about you often. I miss our conversations and will always be your biggest fan. Kelly Coffield, where you at? Your humor and love will always be a part of me, no matter how much time and distance come between us. Steve Ferrone and Doc Powell, 2 people who taught me what it was to be a professional musician.

Kevin Jones, my partner in crime for many years, always trying to “hook me up”, the greatest sound engineer in the business and as a road manager, he has no peers. Get yo’ ass to Brooklyn!!
Ralph Schwartz, damn, yo; we’re letting too much time go by. Always will be my boy, I have to admit, I still slap myself on the shoulder occasionally to get into a better mood. Bernard Davis. “Still” Phil Hamilton. Ginny Reichert Altman, “I love you just the way you are”. Tanya Walton, where u at? Never will forget you. AB, rest in peace. Drew, king of the NYC street musicians, rest in peace. “Johnny B” Baldante, a “lifer”, and a poet, “put 5 bucks on number 9”. I will never forget that you accepted me as an equal when I came in as an outsider.
Michael Raysses, heart hanging out all over your skin, on the outside, integrity dripping all over you, never at a loss for a metaphor, and the perfect example of a real friend,

Noel Meller, who had faith in me and trusted me.

Jim and Joy Spain who paid for my first demo and my example of what you’re supposed to wind up like in this life. TM Stevens, your boundless energy and talent has always inspired me to be better.

Famous Famiglia, I love you all for your friendship over the years and the best pizza in NYC, I’ll always be your first customer!

Debbie Smith, the most sincere heart on this earth, we went to war together and I’m so happy to still be connected with you. I love you. Lloyd Phillips, thanks for my clear mind and my continued, invaluable education.

Lili Wu, you saved my life when I was stumbling around, and became one of my best friends. Thank you for all the love and the “balance”. Bonnie Rabin, intuitive to the point of being scary, nurturing to the point of always making me feel as if everything is OK. You are the best, and truly the “real deal”.
Diane Garisto, a perfect singer and fellow NYC snob, even though you “settled” for the beach. You’ll be back. ;)
Don Lawrence, you showed me how to keep this voice healthy and your music is the first thing I hear everyday, part of my workout, no different than running over the bridge each morning.
Lynda Hamilton, I will NEVER forget that your voice was what kept me sane while my father was dying.
Ralph Rolle, who IS the funk. My brother.
Peter Brown, [where’s tony and pops?].

Kenny Gorka, the best and only person to deal with in the clubs in NYC. Fair, sincere, always willing to give a good artist a chance and never books a bad band. Johnny Kemp, the first time I saw him perform, I cancelled 6 months of gigs because I didn’t want to perform unless I was at that level. He was like seeing the “standard” that we all should be at.

Chris and Anita, my extended family who have always been there for me. When I have no idea what to do or where to go, like when my father passed away, I head straight to these two, and they always put up with their “3rd wheel”. I love you guys. OK, I won’t mention LBH. Jan Newman who’s intelligence, wit and amazing input has really helped me during this project. A friend for life, doin’ it in the UK!

Abby and julie, VERY happy we’re “reunited”. I had this lingering pain while you were gone.
Rosie DeSanctis, crazy talent that she doesn’t even know about, and one of the largest hearts known to humankind. Keep singing and I hope Sonar is being good to you.

Thomas Rome, the best attorney anyone could ever hope to have in this business because he approaches everything as if it’s the most important deal, no matter how small. He’s been there for me since I started and the security I feel because of him keeps me sane.

Barry Knapp, my best friend, can’t put words to what he means to me. Just think of something that you KNOW is always there, like the Empire State Building, and that describes him. Kathy Alexander, one of the more supportive humans on the planet earth and the place I go to when I really need a voice of intelligence and reason. Venus Smith.

Affi, one of the beautiful spirits traveling around this planet, her mind/body/spirit in perfect balance giving off positive energy to anyone lucky enough to be around her. Benjy King, who IS music and gives every bit of his soul to everything, whether it's a gig or a conversation. Ivy Ray, where would I be if you didn't introduce me to Dr Lili? Ivy always brings the funk and her spiritual center has given me so many gifts over the years. Bert Glassberg, thanks for giving me the opportunity to own some real art. I will always carry your love for what you do, and who you are around with me.

Gene Giles, rest in peace, the world is not quite as fun without you here. Q Bear, holdin’ it down in Minneapolis.
John Adams, NOBODY gives more in a rehearsal, or on stage than this great keyboard player. Makes you feel as if your gig is the most important he's ever done.
Bill Dotts, Sir Groove, the kid from Red Bank and his old soul is one every musician, or person for that matter, should have the opportunity to be around. Richard Brown, crazy mad talent.

Tom Coleman, I think about you every day and I just hope you don't feel as if I abandoned you. I love you.
Sam Owens, rest in peace.

Country Pancake House, Ridgewood, NJ, the greatest pancakes in the history of the world!
Priya, in Suffern, NY, indian restaurant with no peers.

Monica and Aminta, new friends for life, sometimes you just know.
Drame, this man is just plain magic, and we are going to Burkina Faso together soon.

Ted Lambert and Susan Carragher, Great friends, true artists who teach me to never stop, to always continue working and good things will happen. I appreciate you guys. Natasha, your insight into these songs has been an immense help, as you throw your entire heart and soul into every comment.

Harvey and Christine, always there for my family over the years.
Rich Isaacs, always answers the phone when I need advice, the voice of reason and intelligence.
Jon Wiederhorn, the most talented music writer I know. Uncle Shelly, my final link to my mom and my grandparents, you are one of the good people on this planet. Peaches, I'll never forget you. Sterling, my "cousin", you amaze me all the time, including the time you drove from Atlanta to NYC to see one of my shows and then drove back to Atlanta the same night. Crazy.

Will @ Food 4 Thought & Pierre and Raoul @ Le Dakar, These guys represent all that is good in my neighborhood, from Bed Stuy to Ft Greene. True "salt of the earth" business owners making real and major contributions to their community. Providing all of us with great places to congregate and eat some of the best food in the world. I am inspired by you and learn from your commitment to people around you.

Lisa Wieneke, your passion is unmatched, other than by your talent. I love every word that comes out of your mouth. Greg Demaras, am I looking in the mirror?

Trina "Love" Perrineau, to know her is to love her, thus “Ms Love”. I’m honored that you include me in your creative process. Mad Love.

Dina and Yochanan, Hadas and Tamar, who have brought a lot of love into my life, and give me a great example of a beautiful family, something to aspire to.

Herb Kurzman, could I have ever gotten thru all the financial affairs of my family without you? All the responsibility laid upon me for so many years, and you guided me thru all of it. You will always be a part of my family.
and finally……………………………………..
My brother Michael, I’m very proud of you and all of your accomplishments, but most importantly the way you are raising Sean and Logan. I’m in awe of your commitment. Just watching them grow, I’m sure, will fill you and make your life worthwhile. I love you
My sister Amy, one raw emotion just “out here” for the world to see all the time, it’s gotta be tiring being you. The most sincere person I know, Rachel and Leah ARE you, and anyone who knows them knows that is a GREAT thing! I love you.
The three of us are pretty much all that’s left, so maybe when I’m out there in Cali touring off of this music, we can get together, just the 3 of us and have some dinner sometime. I’m thinking the Cheesecake Factory.
Rachel, Logan, Sean, Leah, don’t forget me! When you guys are president of the united states, head of the peace corp, finding a cure for aids, don’t forget me! I love you all.

Mick and Andrea, how do you keep it all together with all you’ve had to deal with? You amaze me and Andrea, I will NEVER forget that you called me when my mother died. Oh, and by the way, Mick, get away from McDonalds and KFC, that’s your sister’s kidney you need to take care of. And remember which way to vote in the next election…………….

Aunt Sheila, Gail and Angelo………. Part of my history, links to my past. I look forward to our meals all the time. “It’s not even that”
Howard and Joan, thanks for continuing to include me.
Helen and Leonard, 2 of my favorite humans, thank you for always treating me as “real” family. I noticed.

Donnie…………. You are the true link. When we talk, I hear my father’s voice, I feel the history of my family. You will live forever in my heart. As a matter of fact, you may just live forever, period! The world is a better place because you’re here.


Cesca, all I can say is thank god I walked into “Sport Stripes” that day and you hired me. You are so deeply a part of my life, running around New York City with you for all those years and seeing it thru your eyes is one of the greatest things that I own, and I keep it in a safe place. You are my best friend and MY Rock. I thank you for “adopting” me and giving me a “home” and keep me up to date on all the Henryisms! I love you

Kathleen, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Stinson Beach, Stinson, Death, Kidneys, houses, this has been a ride, for real, and I’m glad it was all with you. I have learned a lot, and in the end, that is what it’s all about. To learn from one another and to hopefully apply that knowledge to the rest of our lives. You are the greatest gardener in the world, the earth loves you and is a better place because of you, but to me you will always be the best actress I have ever seen. I was reminded of that recently one night on Canal Street in a Chris Cartmill play, and I hope that is a starting point, not the end. People are affected by you when you are given an opportunity to do something like that, so my hope is that you continue to share that with the world. I love you

I’m sure there are so many more people so if you’re not here, I just ran out of brain matter and forgive me. I love you all.