John Lennon partied in Riverdale

Riverdale isn't exactly the Village, but that didn't stop the likes of John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Miles Davis, Yoko Ono, Phil Spector, Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol and so many others coming up for the big bash.

Gothamist reports that in July of 1971, a 31-year-old John Lennon celebrated the conclusion of the Imagine album recording sessions with a party like no other, held at Allen Klein's home in Riverdale. The below footage, mostly taken by friend Jonas Mekas (and included in his 1996 film Happy Birthday To John) shows party guests hanging out and even playing some basketball. Jump to the five minute mark to see Davis and Lennon shoot some free throws--as the video shows, Lennon is apparently a horrible athlete.

Can anyone help me find the location of the party? Where's Lloyd Ultan when you need him?

Video for today's 'Anthrax Day in the Bronx'

As we blogged last week, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. declared today, Sept. 14, 'Anthrax Day in the Bronx.' He met with the heavy metal band at Yankee Stadium, where they will be joining Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth in a mega-concert tonight.

The video posted here is Diaz giving Anthrax a proclamation for their special day. As you can see, bassist Frank Bello got a kick out of the statement--as does the rest of the band--because Diaz threw a handful of the band's song titles into it.

Anthrax's Bello, Charlie Benante and Rob Caggiano are all Bronx natives. Both Bello and Benante grew up in Throggs Neck, while Caggiano is a native of Pelham Parkway.

The statement reads:

"WHEREAS, For over 30 years, Anthrax continues to Bring the Noise through the Persistence of Time in the Bronx, New York City and across the world; and

WHEREAS, Anthrax, a band with strong Bronx roots, is worshiped by their fans worldwide for giving them a Fistful of Metal, both by touring and selling albums in the millions; and

WHEREAS, Today, I welcome Anthrax back home, as they 'Keep It in the Family' 'Among the Living' here in the Bronx, while bringing a State of Euphoria through the Sound of White Noise to tens of thousands of people in Yankee Stadium;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ruben Diaz Jr., President of the Borough of the Bronx, do hereby proclaim September 14, 2011 Anthrax Day in the Bronx;

And urge my fellow citizens to take appropriate recognition of the occasion and get Caught in a Mosh."

The Bronx welcomes 'The Big 4' with 'Anthrax Day'

The Big 4 will be in
the Bronx next week.

The Bronx is known for hip hop and salsa, but the borough has also produced a good amount of head banging and heavy metal.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. is rolling out the welcome mat for fans coming to town to see iconic heavy metal bands Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer, “The Big 4,” all performing live right here in the Bronx on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at Yankee Stadium.

A bonus in this mega concert is Anthrax has a handful of members born and bred in the Bronx - Charlie Benante, Frank Bello and Rob Caggiano. Both Benante and Bello grew up in Throggs Neck, while Caggiano is a native of Pelham Parkway. In honor of the band’s return home, Diaz has officially declared Sept. 14 as “Anthrax Day in the Bronx." 

Diaz, whose love of hip hop is well known and who initiated the first-ever “Bronx SalsaFest” this past summer, is “moshing” to a much heavier beat this month, hoping the event will spur some economic activity in the area. 

“This mega concert, one of the most anticipated events in recent memory, will bring thousands of new visitors to the Bronx,” said Diaz. “We’re inviting concert goers to come early and count down to the start of the show at our great neighborhood restaurants and bars, and take in a little of what the Bronx has to offer. 

“The Bronx may be known as the home of hip-hop and salsa, but make no mistake, our musical contributions are much more expansive. These heavy metal legends grew up right here in our borough, and I am proud to welcome Anthrax back to their Bronx home."

However, not everyone may be excited for the metal heads to invade the Bronx. As Candice Giove at the New York Post (formerly at the Riverdale Review) pointed out two weeks ago, 161st Street BID executive director Dr. Cary Goodman is worried that what happened at other concerts may happen here. "Heavy-metal devotees shut out of sold-out performance venues rioted last year in Colombia and Chile, leading to hundreds of arrests and damaged property," Giove wrote Goodman told her.

Jump below to see what the Bronx Tourism Council has in store for the event and a video of Bronx bred Anthrax.

Two weeks left of SalsaFest

Photo courtesy of Marisol Diaz.

I've always been a bit jealous of some of the other boroughs (the one with the "too big to fail companies" and those on Long Island). It always seems like they have the best free concerts. However, because of a new summer concert series at Orchard Beach, the Bronx is showing that it has the ability to host those same great concerts.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and new hairdo (or lack thereof) helped kicked off SalsaFest over the weekend in the first of a three-weekend concert series in the Bronx.

A Warm-Up party preceded the concert last Thursday at Pregones Theater, where there was a screening of the award-winning documentary by City Lore, "From Mambo To Hip Hop, A South Bronx Tale” followed by a discussion on the history of salsa music by film co-producer Elena Martinez and multi-Grammy nominated percussionist Bobby Sanabria, who was inducted to the Bronx Walk of Fame in 2006 and appears in the film.

“The Bronx helped propel salsa into an international phenomenon, and we’re welcoming visitors and native New Yorkers to experience it here this weekend in what will become a new annual celebration,” Diaz said. “With the popularity of TV shows like ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ more people than ever are curious about this rich, rhythmic music. The weekend festival is a chance to put down the remote and put on your dancing shoes.”

The first ever “Bronx SalsaFest” continues at Orchard Beach with two more weekends packed with live music and dancing.

On Sunday, July 17, jazz legend and Grammy award-winning flutist Dave Valentin performs live at Orchard Beach. On Sunday, July 24, sizzling salsa returns to the beach with popular band Tipica 73.

Both concerts are part of the Summer Music at Orchard Beach concert series hosted by Diaz and the Bronx Tourism Council. The events are sponsored by the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Bronx Lebanon Hospital and Latino Sports. Sets start at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

For more information visit ilovethebronx.com and bronxsalsafest.com.

I'm not much of a salsa fan, but if the crowds are passionate enough for this, I can imagine the borough's "music leaders" (whomever they may be) could entice some of those great free Central Park concerts to shuffle up here. Or is that just a pipe dream?