Tales of self-infringement

I had to smile the other day when I was driving through Allentown and saw a guy sitting on a tree stump with his head bandaged. I don't usually derive amusement from the misfortunes of others, but I was pretty sure I recognized the big white strip of cloth wrapped around his skull. There's a very good chance that he was just following orders: orders from the "Self-Infringement" box in the window of Rust Belt. Orders that I put there.

OK, so they're not really orders. Just instructions. Directions. Assignments. Scripts, if you will, created by Brian Milbrand and me (actually, some--like the bandage piece--are actually swiped from the Fluxus performances of Yoko Ono and her colleagues back in the late 1950s and early 1960s). Every one is different; a few contain variations on a common theme. I can't tell you how much I've loved working on this project: coming up with new ideas with Brian or on my own, putting them in sealed envelopes, and dropping them off at Rust Belt like a surrealist mailman when the stock got low.

I have also loved seeing evidence here and there that people are really carrying out their assignments. At a party last weekend I spotted someone wearing a prize ribbon he'd been given by someone else, and I knew immediately what was going on. I've also found crumpled pieces of paper, cryptic notes, and other traces of various missions.

So what about you? Have you reached in the box yet? (Hurry--you only have about 12 hours as of now to do it.) I realize some of the assignments are top-secret, but if you'd care to write about something you've done or seen thanks to the box, please do!

The year I missed the festival (part one)

See these people?



They are performing in The Tell-tale Heart at College Street, and as you'll notice, I am on the outside looking in. Got there too late, thanks to a lengthy search for a parking space in Allentown. (I actually had one right next to the gallery for Shakespeare in the Parking Space, but it wasn't a legal one, so I had to relocate, which took half an hour if you count running into friends on the street.) The door was closed, the room was full, and the stage was right next to the entrance. Damn!

It's just as well. Right now I fondly remember missing a day of the fest--only one, that is. I'm up to three and three-quarters now. Thanks to a huge backload of work and a looming drop-dead-line at my day job, I haven't seen a show since last Tuesday. (I'm counting yesterday as the three-quarters, because I was at least able to spot part of Exception from the car and see ten minutes of Squid Ink, and then host Shakespeare.) Very, very pissed off about missing so much after working for five minutes to help put it all together, and about not having time to blog as regularly as I would have liked.

So in lieu of scene reports or reviews of shows (I do still have plenty of each from the first weekend that I never got around to), I will post a few fleeting memories and photos I like, both here and in a future entry or two, in no particular order. You have my sincerest apologies for not posting most of these while the shows were still up and running. Oh, well: maybe next year.



Aidan Baker at Soundlab last Saturday. His set and Beta Cloud's marked the end of a long day of festivalgoing for me, and they were kinda perfect: soothing noise, to coin an oxymoron. Quiet music at a deafening volume, if you can wrap your mind around that. I know I can, and I bought CDs by both artists so I can relive that perfect moment any time I like. (Full disclosure: Not for everyone! I was playing Beta's Nephology in the car the other day, and my partner asked, "Is something wrong with the radio?" Ah, what a question!)



Live painting at the College Street Block Party last weekend. I like this photo (these four people should form a band, just so they can use this shot as their album cover), and I love the intersection of the party and the festival every year. Gracias to Mike Mulley for making the party happen, and to Jason Klinger for putting together the visual art component of the festival.



A rapper performing in Vendetta's Open Lot on Monday night. I didn't catch his name, but I also saw him at the open mic in the Steel Crazy lot on Tuesday.



S. Vestas' Squid Ink setting up in Days Park last night. As noted above, I only caught a few minutes of the show, but I'll see it tonight. These two women are famous around the fest for two things: an incredibly lax approach to start time (fortunately the Saturday crowd had a good sense of humor about waiting around for an hour for them to show up, which is a fairly common occurence) and even more incredible performances. Don't miss them. It was also fun to run into them at Jim's SteakOut, still in those sheep/goat/whatever costumes two hours after their show.

More to come!

The Iffys are (almost) here again!

Infringement is all about thinking things up and then doing them--sometimes really fast. Case in point: during the 2006 festival, Kurt S. got the bright idea to create a tongue-in-cheek awards ceremony for the Closing Night Party. Think of the "Iffy" Awards as every bit as DIY as the festival itself. We made up a dozen or two categories, wrote them on paper plates, and handed them out at Nietzsche's.

This year's bright idea--which 'll take credit for--was opening up the awards committee even farther. Now you can:

a. Head to Rust Belt Books before about, oh, 6:30 p.m. or so on Sunday and look for this box right next to the front door:



(There are already about 8-10 instant winners in the box.)

2. Or you can come to Staples (on the early iside) or the party, grab a paper plate or two, and start creating Iffies then and there.
3. Or post your winner(s) in the comments section of this blog, or email them to me (use: ronehmke @ roadrunner.com), by 5 pm. Sunday.

So do it! See you at the party....

Architecture's Sister

I had a vibe that this might be my "Wow!" performance of the festival, but I didn't know how wow.
One of my favorite concepts is the appropriation of space, as applied to relationships, buildings, movement, whatever.
From at least a theoretical standpoint, one of my favorite mediums (as an audience member) is dance, as it's simultaneously, absolutely, abstract and concrete. (In practice, it's really music, for its emotional/visceral impact)
Aaron Piepszny's ability to take up and move through space are beyond my descriptive powers. Let somebody else take up that task; comments, please.
Follow this guy. He's brilliant.
Check the schedule for when to see in these waning hours.

Summer is Short

Seems like I've been playing catch-up since this thing started, but the most ridiculous delay thus far is my review of "Summer Shorts" a series of short films presented @ Staples by Scott Kurchak. The first in a round of presentations was this past Monday, including the premiere of Scott's first film "Audition Day."
I've known there's some serious film talent here in Buffalo, but most of what I've been familiar with is the more left-of-the-dial stuff produced by the folks attached to Squeaky Wheel. Looks like there's room for some product with a different vibe.
Two of the three other films were from Buffalo artists; "Life in 3D" which features a young man looking incredulously at his life in Buffalo from a not-so-different persective, and "Boxed Out" an hilarious look at being outsourced by technology. Both were well-executed, well-paced, nicely framed, funny, and cute (and I don't mean in a disparaging way).
"Audition Day"'s debut was marred ever-so-slightly with some technical problems which resulted in poor resolution of the film. Still, highly digestible. This was a "longer" short, which outlined the preparations of a young actress for an audition. Possible (probable?) obstructions to her success were explored in a sequence of "what if" scenarios, many of which were LOL funny. Wistful, sweet, too; again, more than a worth-see. Fortunately, an opportunity to catch things both today @ 8 pm, tomorrow @ 5:30 at the above venue.
I'm certain the technical problems have resolved. The film was literally hot of the presses as it was rushed to its debut.
Seen immediately before/after "Summer Shorts" is "Rag Doll", a more abstact 5 minute film that allows the audience to endure being on the receiving end of a rather aggressive haircut.

Shakin' in the parking space

Not the kind of record I'm proud of

I'm not positive, but there's a pretty good chance that Wednesday, August 1, 2007 marked the first day in the three-year history of Buffalo Infringement that I did not attend a single event. (I did add about 30 brand-new envelopes to the "Self-Infringement" box and create a last-minute poster for Shakespeare in the Parking Space, but that doesn't really count.)

You may also have noticed that I've slacked a bit in my posting scene reports and show reviews--I've got plenty to say, and still hope to catch up before the festival ends, but after devoting most of my waking hours to festival-related tasks for the past month, I am so unbelievably behind on my actual paying job that I could work all day and all night and still be swamped.

So here's another opportunity for those of you who don't feel like joining the blog (which you're always welcome to do) to post your own thoughts about the festival in the comments section.

What shows have you seen so far that you loved? Hated?
Which ones are you looking forward to this weekend?
Which ones did you miss completely?
Which ones have you heard good (or bad) things about?
What's the first thing you intend to do when the festival ends and normal life resumes?

And so on. Feel free to add questions of your own and answer those, too.

Because I can't resist, and in a desperate attempt to make up for posts I haven't written yet, I'm gonna post my own replies as a comment and hope that others follow suit.

Up For Round Two

Sunday night I promised the youngsters in Qualia I'd have a review posted sometime in the next few days...it's seventy-some hours and counting, so here goes...
Actually, I'm going to condense things and discuss two bands here. It's really hot, I'm lazy, and these bands share a few things in common.
I was sorta iffy when I saw the band dragging their gear in. Buncha earnest white kids that met (most of them) at City Honors. Young!! Perhaps toying with the whole rock star thing??? No; Qualia is composed of some serious musicians who have studied their craft, are comfortable with their instruments, know what they like, and know what they want to say. Sorta trippy, they describe their output as "Experimental music rooted in jazz, psychedelia, and progressive rock". (King Crimson?; no, Mogwai, etc. A friend of mine heard the psychedelia moniker and dismissed them as an, eww, jam band) They've put some effort into their myspace website, too, including the requisite video. The group consists of Jon Emerling, James Warren, Adam Fix, and Harvey Barnes; I forget who's attatched to what 'cuz it's been a few days, but definitely MORE than a worth see!!!
As is Dali's Ghost. Last night, one woman sitting next to me (who I recognized from yoga class) looks at me incredulously and says, "I can't believe I never heard of them!!!!!!" Exactly!! Perhaps a few (very few) years older than the kids upstairs, these guys have logged some serious miles in pursuit of their sound. Stylisticaly versatile, their music includes funky baselines, wailing guitars, aggressive drumming, on-target vocals, and the occasional trumpet. They switch from guitarbased rock to jazzy riffs to ballads and back seamlessly. Having a frontman with the allure of Kurt Cobain (but living) will not hurt their popularity.
Both bands will be playing @ Soundlab's Psychedelic Infringement on Friday, along with Fountainhead and Drivers to Warsaw, whom I have yet to see.
I plan on heading over.
Oh, additional comment, the back room at Staples is small, but has a really good sound. Nice addition to the venue option for smaller shows. Thanks, Adrian.

Murphy's Law - Channel cancels

So I get this in my mailbox this morning...

"Channel has been asked to perform at the big civic center in boston as an opener for the Dave Matthews Band on the side stage for 2 days in a row. this is the biggest opportunity the band has seen yet.
The band is in the beginning stages of signing with a label and this is the first effort in that.I hope you understand" damon fowler - channel


I want to be pissed, but I can't blame them