Infringe THIS!

I'm leavin' it (almost) all up to youuuuu ...

2010-07-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

Lordy, can it really be Infringement time again already? Original Blogmeister Ron here; I'm the guy who started this, er, "official" BIF blog way back in Year One as a way of helping to share the word/compare notes about individual shows and other aspects of the festival. I've been playing a smaller and smaller role behind the scenes with each passing year, not because I don't still love BIF like the bastard son I (probably) never had, but because I wanted to--yes, it is actually true--spend more time with my family, including my South American mistress. And like a lot of people, I find myself drawn more to social networking than blogging at this particular moment in time (as you will see if you glance at any of the other blogs I now update about once or twice a year).

Thus, at least for this year, I plan to sit out the regular entries I used to make here every single day of the fest. Too much work for too little reward! I may still write a few times here if I think of anything blogworthy, but I am more likely to spread the word via Facebook (either my own page or the BIF one). This year, also, I want to devote more time than I have since Year Two to presenting my own stuff in the fest, like this brand-new thing, and this returning tradition--and, oh yes! I'm even bringing this old favorite back after taking a year off from it to spend more time with its family.

I hope you will get involved in the blog yourself this year, mainly because--with over 400 events to choose from--this is one of the few ways to read and write reviews of what you see or plug stuff you're in. It's a grassroots festival, and you are the grass, so grow, grow, grow!

See you around the festival.
PS. What shows do you most want to see? You can use the comments section here if you're not able to create a new post.

2010-06-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Spotted Infringing

2009-08-07T20:00:00.001-07:00

The plates are in! We have a winner--actually lots of them!

2009-08-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Here, courtesy of organizer Marybeth, are the fifth annual "Iffy Award" winners, as presented at the Closing NIght Party. (Remember, the premise behind the Iffys is that anyone can give anyone or anything an award for any reason--no nominations, all winners. What you see here is more or less exactly what was written on the paper plates available at Rust Belt throughout the festival, or posted here on the blog.) I missed last year's Iffys, too, but this looks like a record number of awards, which is great news on many fronts, and taken as whole it's a one-of-a-kind group portrait of 11 crazy days. Behold ...

The 2009 Buffalo Infringement Awards

Best Unsung Organizer: Mary Beth Wojtaszek
Hottest Sweat Your Balls off Venue: The Goddam Manny Fried
Best Weird Cartoon Face Rebel Rousing Red: Alex Klein
Punk Ass Bitch of the Fest : Mike from Riff- Tide
Worst Venue: Hardware
Best Punk Rock: Lowlander
Most Innovative Dance Performance: Angela Lopez
Best Impromptu Performance: Grammar Skool
Best Electronic: Dudley Ghost
Biggest Prick of the Festival: Josh Strauss & Dinky
Best Keeper of Tradition: MC Vendetta
Most Appropriate use of Nudity in a Theatrical Performance: You Know This Girl
Most Deserving of a Nap: Curt Rotterdam
Best 2 Piece: Hotel Nourishing
Best Short Horror Comedy: Zombie loves Vampire
Best Break up: Besnyo
Best Venue Coordinator: Chris Uebbing
Infringement Vanguard Award: MC Vendetta
Best Outdoor Venue: The Yard
Nicest Guy Ever: Rojo
Traveling Vanguard: Lazy Ass Destroyer
Best Comedy Acoustic : Pat O’Keefe
Best Performance : Soulbodega with On the Sly & Johnny M.
Rochester Noise Ambassador Award: Joshua Samuel Strauss
Most Convincing Impromptu Love Scene in a play or Musical : JFK The Musical
Bestest Song: Lara Buckley
Longest Documentary Film) : Matt Lucesec
Guy Who Needs a Bag but instead carries Bucket: Krusty Awesome
Best Femal Acoustic: Erin Sydney Welsh
Best Man Wearing a Lady Shirt @ Art Opening: Mr. Jason Klinger
Least Controlled BYO System of time: Scar Strangled Banner
Best Gallery Show : Reverend Soapbox
Best Band that shouldn’t Breakup: Beznyo
Best Single Photo: Carla 100% Art
The Enhanced License Mikro Chip Award: Car Stories
Biggest Prick: Dinky or Curt
Hardest Working Guy: Mr. Curt Rotterdam (received 2 awards)
Most Popular Guy whose Ass We Wanna Kick : Josh Strauss
Most Likely to Die Infringing: Josh Strauss
Most Entertaining Wildlife: The Bats of Burnwood
Best Human Alien Love Scene: Mel & Donny –Car Stories
Best Toga: Melissa Campbell
Most Improved Venue: Staples
Best Sound Guy & Housing Coordinator: Pat Sears
6 Pack Award for Best Use of Beer in Performance: Scar Strangled Banner
Awestruck Award for Keeping Audience most Awestruck: Pyromance
Best heard-of-but-didn’t-attend show: You Know This Guy
Best Theatre Experiment: JFK, the Musical
Best Festival Newcomer: Vincent Masci
Best Pit Orchestra : Gabe & Pat for Hairy Ape
Best Collage Sculpturw: Ashley Bobbit
Best Live Performance: Anal Pudding
Best New Filmmaker: Ron A, Wasted Talent
Best: Looking Mad Scientist: Tim
Best Fight Sequence in a spoken word/poetry event (you got a problem with that) : The Mullato Connection
Sweetest Moustache: Lazlo
Most Bad Assest Photo Exhibit: Fernal Photo - Amanda
Best Free PA: Josh Gaje
Best Jeweler: Kat Makib
Best New Concept: Infringement Dodgeball – Burnwood
Most Uber Awesome Fest Organizers: Mr. Curt Rotterdam & Mr. Jason Klinger
Best Festival Food: Lagniappes – Chris
Venue Vanguard: Knee Cheese
Best New Venue: Nobody’s
Most Under Appreciated: Dave Pape
Most Talent Award: MC Vendetta
We Miss You Award: Kurt Schneiderman
Most Missed Infringement Artist: Carmen Santore
Best Infringer: Ashley Bobbit
Best Cab Driver & Comic Illustrator & Time Traveller: Skitchy
Best Performance no one saw: The Feast
Worst Abuser of running jokes: Josh Smith
Best Play from a Former Organizer: The Hairy Ape
Best Love Art : The Kids &The Kids Paint Wall
Best Bartender: Deanna of Soundlab
Best Overall Venue Staff: Soundlab
The Bare Assed WNY Nude Model of 2009 Infringment Festival: Rachel
Best Noise At SoundLab: Everyone who played Tuesday
Kick Ass Woman Award: Francis Fallon
Best Shit : Josh Strauss
Best Free Art: Lindsey The Great
Best New Musical: Oscar the Hooker
Best Live Art: The Kids Paint Wall
Most Commercially Viable Film Award: Lachiusa – Ghost
Best Only New Venue: The Yard, 464, Grant Street Gallery
Best New Infringement Organizer: Leslie – Euphraxia
Category for least improved act – winner goes to Lazy Ass Destroyer
Best Tasting : Awesome Shea Brode
Best Organizer for the Festival: US
Best New Publication: Refried Zine – maybe
Big Whiney Bitch that’s Awesome in 10 Bands: Sonny Baker
Coolest Backyard Venue: Space @ 224
The I Saw You Motherfucker Award: Kenny G of Anal Pudding on the subway listening to his ipod
Best on the Spot Rocker: Sam Alba
Iffy Award for Best Fotos Hanging in a Park: Amanda Giczkowski (signed Jason “CarStories”)
Best Hair Award: Josh Smith
Best New Peeps I Got to Know a little better: Claire Fornmola, Newell Aussbauer & Chris Uebbing
Venue Most Likely to Perforate Chris Uebbing’s Ulcer: Manny Fried Playhouse
Best at Sticking to Commitement Although Being Associated with Ron Ehmke: Lynn Lasota
Best Blog Controversy : Ron Ehmke vs Wasted Talent
Best Rip Off Ad Logo: Artvoice
Best iffy moment: The lead singer of Anal Pudding leaving Allendale’s today
Best use of Colour: Euphraxia & Red Moon
Best New Artist: Quest 4 Friends
Sexiest Organizer: Curt
Greenest Performer: Mel K. from CarStories
Best Moveable Art: CarSTories
Best Singer Songwriter: Claire Fornarola
Best Hugs: The Lawn Disco Co-op House – Nobody’s
Friendliest Teddy Bear Guitarist: Jay Galbo
Best Supportive Crowd Car Accident: Nobody’s MC Showcase
Way Cutest: Quest 4 Friends
Most Helpful Czar: Rojo
Most Moving Beautiful Performance: Angela Lopez
Best Blood Curdling Scream: Dave Harter, Blood Thirsty Vegans
Too Drunk to Dance in a Crowd Award: Block Party during Global Village Idiots
Modi Sines: Best New Act. (Cause they're awesome.)
Best Original Musician: Claire Fornarola
Best Concept for Playing Multiple Infringement Shows: Claire Fornarola (For playing her albums in chronological order and making them delicious)
Best Acoustic nomination: Claire Fornarola
MC Vendetta/Janna: Gutsiest Vocalist
Best Infringement Band: Ramforinkus
Most emotionally heartwrenching while still being funny! : Bitch Bares All.
The most talked about event at the festival: Wasted Talent
Best Creative Concept: JFK Musical (fun, provacative and entertaining. I can see it on the big stage. Way to go Kilissa!
"JFK The Musical was an awesome and unique experience. Since this was the first ever production I expected something a little chaotic and disorganized. To my utter amazement and extreme pleasure it was executed by Kilissa with what can only be termed the utmost in vision and depth. Kilissa's music was an asset and playing in the cast was such fun. I can see this evolving into something that will continue for a long time to come.)

*** Late-breaking update! Organizer Josh Smith recalls a few more that were not on the earlier list:
Second Most Fun You Can Have In The Backseat Of A Car In Buffalo: Car Stories
Most Useless Attempt At Infringement: Josh Smith At The Allendale Theater
The Josh Smith Award For Advancement In Self Promotion: Jason Klinger

Subversive Theatre Collective: When things get Hairy

2009-08-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

No full-fledged Scene Report for this, the final day of the festival, because I wasn't part of any particular "scene" today. Despite my best intentions, outside factors intervened and I never even made it down to Allen Street at all. The closest I got was the Great Arrow Building, which this year, thanks to the Alt and Manny Fried Theatres, took the place of Rust Belt as the primary venue for live theater (a smart and understandable move, but, as one festivalgoer pointed out to me midweek, it does take away a bit of the centrally-located aspect of the early years of BIF). There was no way I could let the festival end without seeing the latest project from by its once and future Pooh-Bah, Kurt Schneiderman, and his Subversive Theatre Company.

I have vague memories of reading The Hairy Ape in or around high school, but other than the basic premise and the ending, not much of it stuck with me. And I confess I've never quite gotten America's Greatest Playwright, despite repeated attempts. Even so, I trusted that the Subversives would do something ... well, subversive, with the play.

No disappointment there! From the full-out opening surprise (which I won't spoil) to the live music score by Pat Cain and Gabriel Gutierrez to the overall framing device of "the Burn 'em & Bail 'em Circus," this is easily the most fun you're ever likely to have at an O'Neill play. (It's sinister fun, mind you, but still.) The relatively large cast of familiar and unfamiliar faces is something I've almost come to expect from Subversive projects, and I'm always amazed at how many talented actors Schneiderman manages to find and work with. I'll single out ringmaster Brian Zybala and protagonist Patrick Cameron, each an intense presence in his own way, by name, but pretty much everybody else is called upon to play multiple roles and does so with captivating ease. This particular production is practically a dance piece at times, and there are inventive bits of stage business every couple of minutes. (It's a noisy show, in more ways than one, and at times I had trouble hearing or following the main storyline because of all the hoopla on the sidelines.) Given its staging, I can easily envision this show being mounted in, say, 1967, but that's not to say it doesn't feel fresh and alive in our current era of burnout and bailout. (And face it: 1967 was a pretty cool time to see a play.)

As luck would have it, if you missed Ape during the festival proper, you can still catch it this coming Thursday through Saturday--if you're not already burnt out on artgoing for a while. Lord knows I might be, and I'll be happily taking a break from seeing stuff for at least a week or two. With that in mind, even though I only made it to one show today, I'm glad my own experience of Infringement 09 ended with a bang, not a whimper.

Scene report: Day ten

2009-08-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

My only regret when it comes to Lisa Vitrano's one-person show Bitch Bares All is that I didn't see it earlier in its run so I could tell more people about it. (Truth be told, I'm not nuts about the title, which is funny and eye-catching but also a bit misleading, and might scare off potential audience members expecting/fearing something totally different. Ah, well.) I've been a fan of Vitrano since I first started noticing her in Alleyway shows in the 90s. There's something about her energy, her physicality, and above all her timing that always makes me happy, even when I don't like the play she's in.

That's not an issue here, because she wrote this particular piece herself, and it turns out she's every bit as entertaining and interesting a writer as she is a performer. Updating an autobiographical monologue she first developed in 2001, Vitrano tells the story of giving birth to a son when she was essentially still a child herself. If that sounds like a heady, heavy dose of Lifetime Channel movie-of-the-week fodder, guess again--this tale is hilarious almost from beginning to end and utterly idiosyncratic throughout. (A handful of brief moments are alternately surreal, poetic, or directly didactic; some of these work better than others, but they're all essential to the fast-moving collage of voices and perspectives she presents.) At one point she refers to a Newsweek cover story on teen mothers; her own approach is about as far away from something like that as you can get. Clocking in somewhere around 45 minutes, it's short, sweet, smart, and sharp. You've got one more chance to see it as of this writing, but I hope she gets it out to the widest possible audience. Here's a photo that does little to convey the performer's talents--she just happened to be standing in brighter lights at the moment:

There's no way I could convey the appeal of Ella Joseph's A House of Stone or Sunk In, or . . . (or any of her other work I've seen in Infringement over the years) in a mere photo, either:

Entering this particular video installation reminded me a little of a labyrinth and a little of a confessional--only the ceiling is strung with fuzzy little creations that evoke both fishing flies and houseflies. This is the kind of piece you're best off witnessing alone, at a point when you have enough time to sit quietly for a while and let Joseph's imagery and audio wash over you. I won't claim to know what it all means to its maker, to me, or to you--in that sense it's the polar opposite of Vitrano's far more explicit message--but I love the mystery and elegance of it all.

Heading into Allentown, I stumbled upon something I wasn't expecting: an eye-catching installation of works in the fresnelphotography series. I'd seen the photographer's trippy lens up and down Allen Street over the last few days, but the grouping of finished images hanging by clothespins on string on the edge of Days Park was a wonderful surprise:

Speaking of wonderful surprises, Der Wundertisch (The Wonder Table) may well be the single most delightful experience I've had in five years of Infringing. The less I say about it, the better, but suffice to say if you're a fan of Michelle Costa's puppetry, or Joseph Cornell's boxes--or if you've ever wondered what it would be like to fall down the rabbit hole with Alice and take tea with the White Rabbit (? Mad Hatter? whoever)--don't miss this five-minute, one-audience-member-at-a-time project by a pair of artists visiting from New York and Boston. A big part of its charm on Saturday was the fact that it was on the back porch behind Space 224 on a perfect afternoon, whereas Sunday it moves indoors, to the Grant Street Gallery, but I'm pretty sure it would enchant me no matter when or where I encountered it. (Warning: the artist statement may make the piece sound a lot more academic than it really is; I have no doubt that the historical references and critical theory informing it will be relevant and illuminating to some audience members, but for me the appeal is in how homemade and delicate both the set and the performance are. My advice is to dive in first, and suss out its deeper meanings later.)

At this point in the evening, I snuck off with two friends to the Black Rock and Riverside Starry Night Gardenwalk, an event which started the same year as Infringement and, in its own way, has a similar kind of grassroots, funky, all-over-the-place creative energy that may totally challenge your stereotypes of the neigborhood, much as Infringement can expand your sense of what artists and musicians are up these days. (Amazingly enough, it's the only nighttime garden tour in WNY--this idea is too much fun not to catch on!) Alas, looks like it'll always be the same night as the biggest single night of BIF, but if Infringement just doesn't provide enough adventure and inspiration for you, check it out next year. Besides, it's not that far from some of the newest BIF venues.

OK, one more day of Infringing, and it's all over for 354 days! Fortunately, all the events I've mentioned above are viewable one last time, along with so much more. If I can somehow fit in even a third of what's still on my wanna-see list SUnday, I'll be in ecstasy.

Your turn

2009-08-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Hi, I'm the guy who started this blog five festivals back, and who tries to keep it going every year. At this point, it's pretty much my main contribution to the festivities. There seems to be a weird vibe around the edges of the blog this year, and I thought it might be useful to address that, in the spirit of free expression that makes the Infringement Festival such a wondrous and special thing.

I started the blog one afternoon midway through the first festival because, particularly in that first year, Infringement was truly "under the radar" of most of the city, along with the vast majority of artists included in it--folks who didn't stand much of a chance of getting a positive or negative review in Artvoice or the News--and I wanted there to be as many ways as possible for potential audience members to find out about shows. That's still my goal. Word of mouth remains the best, but every avenue helps. The more public, the better.

From the very beginning, I encouraged other people to post their opinions of shows here. I never wanted it to be all my voice, all the time. For the record, there are 27 people authorized to start a post at this very minute. (This matter of "authorization" is Blogger's idea and wording, not mine, btw.) Many of them joined to plug their own show (which is cool) and then dropped out of sight. As the little text in the upper left has suggested from pretty much the get-go, if you want to be #28, just send an email and we'll add ya. If you don't plan to write very often, you can always just add a comment to an existing post.

My posts in the first two or three years were so relentlessly positive I felt at times like a PR guy or a cheerleader; so much so that when another writer started posting here, she actually asked if it was okay to write less than glowing remarks about a show. (I, and everybody else around at the time, said "sure!," and the writing immediately got a lot more lively and less Chamber-of-Commerce-y.) On the other hand, I loved pretty much everything I saw in the festival in those days, and I still do. But it occurred to me even then that those of us who contribute to this thing are not really doing a service to the audience, or the artists, if we don't speak honestly and openly about what we like--and what we don't like, on the rare occasions when that happens. At five years old, with an almost entirely new crew of dedicated young organizers working year-round (who are always looking for new volunteers, hint hint), Infringement ought to be sturdy enough to withstand constructive criticism. An arts community that lacks the ability to discuss the good and the bad alike--as subjective as those distinctions may be--is not allowing itself a chance to evolve and grow.

I take this arts community, this festival, and this admittedly self-appointed job of writing about it every night for 11 days when I come home, seriously. If you know me personally, you know I'm not one to take potshots. If you don't know me, you may be among the handful who now seem to think I get off on attacking other people and/or venues. Despite the fact that i've continued to write glowing remarks about almost everything I've attended this year (and intend to do so again, for the last 2 days of the 09 festival), I seem to be striking some readers as a close-minded hater of ... well, whatever it is that they liked more than I did.

Maybe this is just the nature of the internet--after all, the first 4 years of the blog yielded very few reader comments, so it's personally rewarding to see that suddenly people actually read it and care enough to talk back to the guy saying all these apparently horrible hateful things about everyone. That's democracy in action.

I'm not presenting my opinion as the only one or the best one. As I see it, I don't have the last word, I have the first word in what will hopefully be an ongoing discussion.

OK, your turn.

Dance = Art ... an evening of Infringement DANCE at the Albright Knox

2009-08-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful experience with the Albright Knox this year. The staff (especially Anna) were so good to us all, that I have to thank everyone who helped make last night happen... Lynn, Anna, Christine, John (who was kind enough to do our sound) and of course, all our talented, enthusiastic dancers... the ladies of Red Moon and Euphraxia, Nadia Ibrahim, and Erin Bahn. Excellent turn out, great evening, and all in all, something we are very happy we had the chance to so as part of Infringement. So, now we all move on to our shows at the Allendale today, beginning at 3:30pm, we have "Life Rhythm: a Celebration of Movement & Sound" with special guests Nadia Ibrahim, Vikki Krugger of Erie PA, Anjali Shastri, and the amazing Daughters of Creative Sound. And immediately following our show, around 5pm, we have the Nadia Ibrahim Middle Eastern Dance Company.

I've always been so fascinated with the Allendale Theater, and am thrilled to be performing there again this year. Even more so, since it's one of the theaters being featured in the film, Ghostlights: Folklore, Skepticism & Belief", which has been running as part of the 2009 BIF. Have you seen it? You should.

(PS: Yes, that's me, holding one of Jason Klinger's painting. The ABK was kind enough to house a bunch o' Infringement last night, including Josh Smith's 'Urban Smackdown!" event.)

Scene report: Day nine

2009-07-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell a lie: after a long workweek, finding the weather unexpectedly pleasant, I came very close to sitting out one of the biggest nights of the festival--and knew I would regret it if I did. Still, I made time to listen to this 1985 interview with the late Merce Cunningham and this one with John Cage from the same year on Fresh Air while working on a fresh batch of Self-Infringement instructions. It's pretty safe to say there would be no Infringement without these two fearless pioneers of Art Under the Radar, and I wish there was some way to salute them during the festival. So: "saaaaaaa-LUTE!," as they used to say on Hee-Haw.

After a quick stop at Rust Belt, I paid a quick return visit to Mrs. Squandertime, who was back in action after taking a night or two of rest. I see she has company in the window of 224 Allen now, too, in the form of a witty computer installation called eyeMacs (by another of my WoyUbu colleagues--represent, y'all!):

One window over is another cool-looking digital project whose name escapes me, but I'm told it's the work of 224's owner. There's an interactive component, and if I remember, I'll add more details about that here later:

I got to the Albright-Knox just in time to miss all of the Infringement festivities in Gusto at the Gallery, but I heard good reports from many people about the poetry and the dance. I did manage to make my way through the museum's two current exhibitions, one devoted to (allegedly) "subversive" work in the permanent collection and the other a lovely tribute to Ed Ruscha, another of those precursors who gave everybody else permission to do weird stuff in the name of Art. Walking around the upstairs galleries gave me a nice opportunity to think about how "subversive" work bubbles up from spaces like most of the other venues in BIF into mainstream cultural institutions like the AKAG about 20-30 years later, or doesn't, and how sometimes lately that process is sped up by a couple of decades. Some subversion gets forgotten after a good night's sleep, and some ends up accompanied by a child-friendly wall text in a major American museum. My tour of the show also gave me yet another chance to marvel at just how much money Matthew Barney makes for his often gorgeous, always completely hermetic jibberjabber. Plus, he gets to date Bjork!

While I saw no actual BIF work at the Albright, I consider the costumes of Euphraxia and Red Moon to be art objects in themselves, not so far off from Barney's elaborate getups. The dancers looked astounding in the bright lights just outside the museum's entrance. Because I am not David Lynch, I lack the ability to take a photo of them that captures the surreal glory of the moment:

Headed from the AKAG to Days Park for the first of three performances this weekend by Pyromance. I shot video of their fire dance, but haven't yet figured out how to upload it, so you'll just have to get to the park Saturday or Sunday to see them in action. (They promise a new show every night, so go early and often.) While waiting for them to set up, I ran down to La Tee Da to catch another snippet of Pho Malpica, which is shaping up to be the word-of-mouth hit of BIF09. I escorted the newly arrived cast of Car Stories to it, and then crossed paths with them again later during the aptly named Yet Another Cool Showcase at Nietzsche's. I was very happy that I got to catch ROJOMOJO's set: straightforward blues, an excellent country-flavored original (something about the grass being bluer on my side--I don't remember the chorus, but it was a damned catchy song), and covers of Marvin Gaye and James Taylor, all performed without a shred of rockstar pretense. Anybody who thinks Infringement is nothing but bizarre, out-there oddness (not that there's anything wrong with that!) is missing the fuller picture: it's a celebration of homegrown creativity in all its manifestations, from Cunningham-influenced weirdness to feel-good party music.

To coin a phrase, it's all good.

Phó Malpica: The Last White Elephant

2009-07-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

I had originally planned to attend several Infringement performances yesterday, but due to my own over- booked schedule, was only able to attend one. And, to be honest, I think it's probably the best "piece" I've seen at Infringement 2009.

It's called, "Phó Malpica: The last White Elephant", and it's taking place every evening, at 10:30, in the alley next to La Tee Da. Every, single evening, rain or shine.

Creator, Angela Lopez, brings to life this story, in a way I have never seen a piece done before. I don't want to spoil it, because it's short, emotional, textured, fresh, and intense. And, it's something you should experience, live. But, I will include some photos I shot, to give you a bit of an 'appetizer'.

The Iffys are back!

2009-07-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

In time-honored INfringement Festival style, we invite you once again to help us recognize excellence throughout the most excellent 11 days of the year by means of THE IFFY AWARDS, the ultimate DIY awards for the ultimate DIY festival.

Simply head over to Rust Belt Books (202 Allen) anytime between now and Sunday afternoon and look for the Iffys Box. Reach in to the front part, grab a paper plate, and write down BOTH a category AND a winner, then put the plate in the back part of the box. (These are not nominations, these are the actual awards, so please write clearly and be sure to include both category and winner or you will be made fun of at the awards ceremony.)

If you're too lazy or too busy to do that, you can also post your category and winner in the comments section below.

Then head over to the Closing Night Party on Sunday at Nietzsche's, which starts at 7 PM. The awards are usually given out within about an hour of that time, and the party continues till the wee hours.

Infringement Film Festival @ Sugar City, Tuesday night

2009-07-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

Not sure how to write about this one; I've been putting it off for the last two days. Here are a few thoughts:

1. Arrived midway through Ghostlights, the LaChiusa brothers' and Bob Kupczyk's doc about the ghosts allegedly haunting several WNY theaters. Knew a lot of the interview subjects, which helped me think that the film's greatest interest lies in its unstated subtext: a portrait of a closeknit local arts community and the way stories travel from one part of it to another.

2. A Grim Touch, a comic short about the Grim Reaper's newest employee, may have a one-joke premise and a lot of telltale student-film traits, but it got me to laugh a time or two.

3. Lord knows both of these, for their own reasons, are good fits with Zombie Loves Vampire, possibly my favorite project title in this year's festival. Plot's pretty self-explanatory. Really nice camerawork and lighting, especially for a $400 15-minute opus.

4. Between those last two came Wasted Talent: The Neighbors from Hell. I'd seen a few (okay, TWO) minutes of this in the Samples @ Sample press preview event, and that pretty much covered the highlights. Wanted to like it, because the filmmaker seemed like a nice/bright guy, and ya always wanna encourage the younguns, but I gotta say, the full length version upset me like nothing I've seen in any Infringement past or present. I looked hard for anything resembling art in the movie, but after a nicely animated prologue, it just looks like a blatant ripoff of Jackass stringing together a bunch of particularly mean pranks, many of them involving guns, car air bags, weaponized body waste, and/or other quasi-legal acts of vandalism, in an especially incoherent way. (VERY hard to tell what the hell is going on in most of the segments.) I couldn't find anything very funny about most of them, and when the handful of other people in the audience laughed at a bit in which one of the exploding air bags is detonated on a bike path purely to scare the hell out of an unsuspecting passerby, I got pissed off. I wanted to yell, "How would you feel if you were the guy on the bike?" What's the point of all this?

I was fuming the rest of the night, and at one point it hit me: at least since high school, I've seen DIY art--and music, and movies, and humor--as one of the main refuges of the meek against the bullies of the world. Wasted Talent puts the camera in the hands of the bully. Thanks, YouTube!

4a. I don't even want to complain about the movie, because I have a sinking feeling its maker takes every negative review as a badge of honor, as if he's really sticking it to the Powers That Be. He's not. It's an incoherent mess. A big part of what annoys me so much about this thing is the title. I know the guy is young, but rather than joking about how he's wasted his talent, he might want to think about convincing us he has talent, and then do something with it. Life is too short, and art too important, to dick around, no matter how young you are.

5. You know it's a special kind of night when the work that moves me the most comes from the notorious Josh Strauss. If you know the guy, you won't be surprised to learn that his performance on this particular evening consisted of showing part of a German bondage porn tape, then random excerpts from a vast stack of DVDs strewn all over the floor, before settling on The Lucky Strike Revolution, a short in which we are treated to a man taking a dump in a ... dumpster. But I'll be damned if the film doesn't also contain some incredibly beautiful shots (often of incredibly ugly things). A provocateur in the tradition of Buffalo's own Paul Sharits and the late great Jack Smith, his work is absolutely not for everyone. Most of it is not for me. And yet, I have no problem finding an aesthetic at work in it.

6. Uh, guys, any chance you might all want to loosen up a little on using the word "bitch" every two seconds? I know everyone does it these days, and you're gonna tell me that it's not sexist anymore, that it's just a word, but that's bullshit, bitches.

Tail End of Wednesday

2009-07-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

VERY long day of work, etc., but I did make the effort to end my day with a few Infringement events.
First (well, it didn't really feel FIRST), off to Soundlab at 10 for the last show of "Oscar and the Hooker" which was described as a short musical one act about the adventures of a young man in a downturned economy. This was written/scripted/produced by Evan Courtin, who I am familiar with from Peanut Brittle Satellite. A number of musicians (many from the band), a handful of actors, and a very familiar narrator collaborated on executing this piece.
Either these guys have a lot of friends, or word-of-mouth was good, because the place was packed.
The music was very good; serious, almost orchestral. Contrast the play; a silly/sophmoric romp that was unfortunately a little difficult to hear. In any event; well-received.
I headed over to Burnwood for the end of their acoustic showcase. I was actually planning on being there briefly, more a nod to the venue (which I adore) than anything else.
I arrived mid-set for Janna Willoughby. We all may know her better as MC Vendetta, or as a member of the Blood Thirsty Vegans (who I caught for ABOUT 30 seconds earlier this week doing a drive-by during the Lawn Disco). I remember seeing her 2 years ago doing some more traditional poetry, and was struck by the ability of her non-persona persona.
Once again. Although she confessed she had not practiced in awhile (with the resultant stress on her callus-free fingers), she moved from song to song with an easy familiarity that illustrates her versatility. Lovely work.
Next (and last) Claire Fornarola. Obligated to stay for this show, as Claire has been helping me out as one of the venue czars over @ Nobody's. I was feeling pretty comfy in one of Burnwood's generous couches. Claire is currently pairing with a young man whose name I unfortunately forget, but will find out soon as they are planning on continuing to work together.
Wow!
I had seen Claire play before, but tonight was truly special. I must admit a weakness for singer-songwriters who can not only make pretty music, but are adept wordsmiths as well. I think she's got a future. The venue really suits her, as well. The bats were out to play.

Brazen-Faced Varlets: And now for something COMPLETELY different

2009-07-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

No full-fledged Scene Report today, since I only had the time/energy for one BIF event. But even it was two--two!--shows in one, so there.

By my thoroughly unscientific estimation, Buffalo Infringement is now (and for the last two or three years) about two-thirds music acts, which is fine by me, since a lot of them interest me and the mix of art forms is absolutely true to the vibe of WNY. But my heart will always be with the kind of theater that was the (or at least an) original focus of the festival, both here and elsewhere. Amazingly, I hadn't been to a single sit-down play till today, and that just didn't feel right.

There was no way I was gonna miss the latest Brazen-Faced Varlets show if I could help it, and the news that they'd be performing an early play of Holly Hughes's sealed the deal. I've been a fan of this (primarily) lesbian-focussed theater company since the first time I saw them, in the 2006 festival doing Ramona and Juliet, and one of my companions at the show tonight reminded me that I first met Holly 23 (!) years ago, when I brought her and other members of WOW Cafe (some of them members of the original cast of The Well of Horniness) to Hallwalls. A marriage made in heaven, assuming heaven is more welcoming of same-sex alliances than we mortals appear to be.

You'll notice I've used the name of the group as the subject line and haven't even mentioned the title of the show yet. That's because "HERstrionics! A HERstorical and HERsterical Hour of Homosexuality" is a clunker of an omnibus name that I doubt many people can remember. All you need to know is that this is the latest group undertaking by one of Buffalo's finest ensembles.

Well, you should probably also know that they're working outside their, and their audience's, comfort zone this time. If you've seen either of their two Shakespeare de-/re-constructions (or, I assume, Catholic School Girls, which I missed), you know they're collectively blessed with terrific comic timing. Apparently they're feeling comedy is too limiting, because they've paired Hughes's ultra-broad (pun not intended but appropriate) soap opera parody with--brace yourself--Kim Yaged's ultra-serious, ultra-didactic one-act about the fate of lesbians in the Holocaust. I'm hard pressed to think of two plays that have less in common; the only link I can think of is the fact that both playwrights love to play with language--but let's face it, Hughes's way with words, even in an intentionally tossed off sketch like this (it was born as an ongoing serial for WOW's teensy club/theater in the East Village in the early 80s) is on an entirely different level than Yaged's in Vessels.

OK, so the other connecting thread is that they're both well performed. Vessels does showcase the talents of three of the four main Varlets, Heather Fangsrud, Kelly M. Beuth, and Lara Haberberger. (Katie White is otherwise engaged with Shakespeare in the Park this summer, though her spirit does make a kind of cameo I won't spoil.) They each embody aspects of The Lesbian Experience in the Weimar Era (and yes, the script pretty much obliges them to describe themselves in roughly that way) in a loosely plotted tale that is undeniably moving, but so heavy-handed that you feel like it's straight out of a Women's Studies conference from the mid-70s. I'm glad someone has documented the period, and there are some powerful parallels to the current era in the play's observations on the price of apathy in the face of totalitarianism, but this is the kind of art that feels like it's Good for You, like eating your vegetables, rather than the kind of art that shakes you to the core and transforms the way you live, which is what I suspect it aspires to do.

Hughes's raunchy Well of Horniness doesn't set out to change anyone's life, either, but one never knows--its shoestring aesthetic and anything-goes spirit just might inspire another generation or two of young queer theater artists, as it has been doing for the last two decades. (When I first encountered Holly's work, it felt like a huge breath of fresh air after years of plays like Vessels.) (I realize my continually pitting these two playwrights against each other violates the non-competitive nature of both art and feminism, but the juxtaposition wasn't my idea in the first place.) The core trio is joined by Bethany Sparacio (a born Varlet herself) and Amelia Kraatz (a worthy grounding force for the "herstrionics" of the others, as she's used here) in a show tailor-made for this cast's considerable gifts. Everybody plays multiple roles, and plays them with irresistible energy. I won't bother you with the plot; trust me, it's not really the point, just a springboard for all manner of hilarity. (Obligatory disclaimer to non-homos of either gender: you absolutely do not have to be a member of the "Tri-Bad" sorority to laugh your ass off here.)

Ah, hilarity and the Holocaust: what a double bill! I don't mean to hate on the serious half; I'm sure its content will be a revelation to many audience members, and I can't fault the company for venturing beyond what they do best. (Besides, it's only thirty minutes long.) But when a certain phone call arrives half an hour into the proceedings and the tone changes radically, allowing the Varlets to do that voodoo that they do so well, I think you'll agree that a good belly laugh is sometimes more subversive than a heartfelt lecture.

PS. Exciting news! More Brazen-Faced Hughes ahead, since the company's next production has Haberberger directing Beuth in the monologue Clit Notes at Rust Belt, Oct. 1-10.

Photos - Days 3 & 4

2009-07-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

"Far Away" // Spiritwind Internal Arts // "The Hairy Ape" // The Miraculous Rhythms of Sankofa // Bob Z // "the GREAT SHINER'S show" // The Bloody Noes

Chris chimes in: the first 3 days

2009-07-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how or why Chris Uebbing's Scene Report ended up as a comment to an empty post by somebody else, but it's too good to miss, so I'm reposting it for her here. -- Ron E

My first comment is related to my rusty brain's inability to start my own topic...

More importantly, a summary of the last 3 days...

Friday (opening night), I made a point of getting to Nietzche's early to see Dotson Moon. Friends of a friend, I'd listened/quite liked much of their stuff from their MySpace page, but hadn't seen them play.I believe they come out of hiding only for Infringement.

They've had an addition of a very strong vocalist since I'd listened much,which has altered their focus. Used have a dreamy, ambient-pop sound; things are earthier and more accessible now.

Glad I made the effort.

Friday was busy. I started over at the 464 Gallery on Amherst, a new venue for BiF this year. This is part of the Blackrock contingent that also includes the Yard near Buff State. I needed to put name to face with Marcus Wise, who owns 464.

This was the opening event for the MINDWEB members show, plus Abnormal Growth #s 1 & 2. I was particularily struck by Marcus's photos, some fibre-based sculptures, and one-of-a-kind painted furniture pieces.

I stayed for the first few songs by Android's Dream. They started with "Me and my Rythym Box" which was covered from an early 80's cult/sci fi flick "Liquid Sky." I am quite certain I was the only one in the audience who had seen this movie in the theatre on first-release. Meagan Breen had the appropriate dead-pan delivery which I found very amusing.

Had to leave to bring the neccessary cheese/crackers/fruit to Gateway Gallery for their opening party. Nice crowd,LOTS of space for the visual artists, excellent line-up of bands. I was there largely for my son's "There is No Title", a modest collection of ink comics, still-lifes, and a self-portrait, with Brooklyn price tags (he studies @ Pratt Institute). My review has no objectivity whatsoever; I love the self-potrait because A. it looks like him, and B. it's well-executed.

Totally split Infringement after an hour at Gateway to see Mark Eitzel on Marty Boratin's porch in Hamburg (navigated there and back with no mishaps), and wrapped up @ Gateway to pick up what remained of my portion of the spread. No four-cheese pasta for me;cheese all gone.

Yesterday was spent trying to beg/borrow/steal for venue coverage @ MANNY FRIED (thank you, all), then off to Nobody's for their electronica show (missed WNYBA opening, much to my chagrin; I was caught in a downpour in Clarence)

Started off there with Android's Dream once again (and no, I am not stalking them; despite the assertions of the conceited David Anderson). Heard the cover of a favorite Laurie Anderson (no relation;whose hairdo I have been trying to emulate for ABOUT 25 years), plus the much ballyhooed "Cougar", which allegedly struck close to home with some audience members the previous night.

Stayed through City of God, an electronic dance band that I really enjoyed, but had to cut short, as we were running late. (I was czaring for Melissa @ Nobody's while she escaped to see something OFF-SITE.

Sorry I missed This is the Sun (@ Soundlab later today) and Modi Sines, who I will see at Grant Street Gallery next weekend.

Later.

Scene report: Day four

2009-07-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

Garden Walk and personal commitments kept me from doing much on the Infringement side Sunday. I only had time to make a brief appearance at ...

•A sound check/rehearsal/hangout session by Grammar School, a supercool noise/punk band whose members look to be about 10-12 years old apiece, outside Lagniappe's. If Sonic Youth had a Saturday morning cartoon where they were depicted as pre-teens, they would surely look something like this:

I especially enjoyed the look and attitude of the Mini Kim Gordon. I heard no actual music but would in no way be surprised if they end up dominating avant-rock in the 2010s. They were apparently next in line to perform at

•the College Street Block Party, which is always a good time. When I was there, I saw the Global Village Idiots

and watched kids making a glorious mess with paint (much to ringleader Klinger's delight).

•I ducked into Nietzsche's for Mimi Loco, only I missed her entire set. Said hello. Seemed nice enough. Drove here from DC just for Infringement.

•Final stop of the day was the Yard for Zombie Fest. I've driven by the big graffiti'ed text reading "The Yard" on the side of an industrial building off the Thruway (where Niagara splits off with Tonawanda St.) for at least a year now and wondered what it was. And now I know: yet another archetypal DIY Buffalo venue! You pull up to the back of a warehouse, sit on i-beams (which carry the music directly through your body, via your ass!), and marvel at Bflo's Rust Belt legacy. THIS PLACE WAS MADE FOR METAL! If Penelope Spheeris ever directs another installment of her ongoing Decline of Western Civilization doc series, she should film concerts here:

Me, I'm not that much of a metalhead, but I enjoyed the three songs I saw from the Phoenix Resistance (which included one by Alice in Chains and one by GNR, neither of which was one of those ironic indie covers I was just going on about) as much as I possibly could. Mainly I enjoyed the only patch of truly great weather of the weekend. I was in the right spot at the right time, along with about six other audience members, only one of whom could accurately be described as zombie-clad.

Scene Report: Day three

2009-07-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday was one of those days that makes WNY such a special place to live; in addition to Infringement, I spent some time on the outskirts of both the Canal Fest (still probably my fave of all the area's many small-town summer festivals) and Garden Walk. Between those two and Infringement alone, there must have been at least 400 things to see and do yesterday, even with the crappy weather, so at this point in my life, I'm pretty much convinced that anyone who claims Buffalo is boring is too stupid/boring to waste my time on. If you don't get what's remarkable about the place you live, don't bitch to me about it! So here--on my way out of the house and back into GardenFringementLand for another day, is a quick recap of just the Infringey things on my itinerary yesterday:

First up was Nobody's Estro-Acoustic Showcase and Potluck, where my husband and I saw most of Lara Buckley's set and the first three songs from Erin Sydney Welsh before the ticking clock sent us to our next few non-festival stops. I know Buckley mainly from her always-memorable guest appearances with the Real Dream Cabaret, but this was my first chance to experience a fuller set (and from the audience instead of backstage), and I loved what I saw and heard. In this incarnation, she was performing songs that reminded me of Phil Ochs's material in the way that her lyrics invest topical subject matter with heartfelt ultra-personal meaning--only with a voice far more acrobatic than Ochs's, and accompanied by loops of nature sounds. The terms "freak folk" and "psych-folk" get bandied about a lot these past few years, but they seem to really fit Buckley's work almost literally. Undercutting the acoustic prettiness of the music is the sense that the singer (or at least her songwriting persona) is a woman on the edge. Highly recommended. So is Welsh--at the tender age of 13, she's got the confidence and stage savvy of a far more experienced performer. If you've ever wondered what it must have felt like to catch Ani DiFranco as an unknown teenager in a Buffalo bar, this may be the closest you'll ever come:

I often assume music scheduler Curt Rotterdam's titles for showcases are tongue-in-cheek, but this really was a potluck, and the pulled pork was particularly yummy. This was my first time to Nobody's, and the venue encapsulates much of what thrills me, as well as much that annoys me, about Buffalo's ongoing DIY art scene--it's clearly a labor of genuine love, absolutely in line with a rich tradition of artist-run live/work spaces in this town, deliberately beneath the radar but radiating a passion for art. At the same it's not exactly what I would call inviting to a first-time visitor: intimidating entrance, pitch-black interior, no ventilation (until I stumbled upon an ancient air conditioner in the back), almost no seating, and just plain dirty in that punk-rock way that gets a little old as one reaches a certain age. I was originally planning to head back after midnight for Nobody's Electronic Showcase" but the thought of hanging out with total strangers in total darkness in somebody's (er, nobody's) living room made me opt for my own home instead. I'm sure if I was in a different mood, or 20 years younger, or both, I would have gone back, and probably loved the show. (Call me bourgeois, but I've got my own Autechre albums to listen to, and A/C to boot!)

After a few detours, it was off to an opening at the WNY Book Arts Center. 'Twas my first time there after reading and hearing a lot about the place, and it's safe to say I was blown away by the joint: street-level gallery and gift shop, incredible collection of (working!) vintage printing equipment in the basement, future home of Just Buffalo on the second floor. There is a lot I want to say about this place and my maiden voyage to it, but in the interest of time I will vow to post those remarks elsewhere, later. Just go check it out, pronto--and tell 'em Infringement sent ya.

We headed next to Gateway Gallery (yet another first visit--does Buffalo know how to crank out new spaces, or what?) for Walri but they were still setting up when we got there, so we braved the rain for a quick bite at Sample (this was exactly the kind of situation Sample was born to address!) and then caught a good chunk of Phó Malpica: The Last White Elephant in the alley next to La Tee Da. This butoh-influenced site-specific dance/audio/video piece is the first example I've seen this year of the kind of work that suits Infringement best. Sure, it could be performed at any time in any location, but it fits its impromptu venue like a teeny-tiny glove and uses the festival setting to generate critical mass. Being a bit of a butoh-phobe myself, my favorite thing about the performance is the way it creates an audience for itself, and then inadvertently makes them part of the spectacle. Every time someone walked out of LTD or simply headed down Allen, they came across an oddly configured clump of onlookers staring at ... something, but what? How could you resist the temptation to investigate for yourself, in the process discovering a delicate, moving piece with both aesthetic and (subtle) eco-political impact? Don't miss this one.

We nearly missed all of Walri's set as a result, returning to Gateway just in time to hear the Rochester-based band play "Ziggy Stardust." Taken out of context, it was hard to tell at first whether this was that indie-rock staple, the Ironic Classic Rock Cover, or we'd stumbled upon a Monroe County cover band. (Spoiler: it was option A.) There were only two songs after that, and I loved 'em both enough to buy a CD on the spot and to mark my calendar for their next BIF show, this Wednesday.

WNYNM

2009-07-25T14:44:00.001-07:00

Photo Report - Day 2

2009-07-24T23:18:00.001-07:00

Scene Report: Day one!

2009-07-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

Given how little of last year's festival I got to see and write about, I vowed to start early this time around. Didn't see or do a lot tonight, but I'm glad I forced myself out into the rain and onto Allen Street.

*Stopped at Rust Belt to deliver the Self-Infringement box which Brian Milbrand and I have filled with a fresh batch of audience instructions/scripts. (On my laptop I still had most of Brian's contributions from last year, so I started by creating "remixes" of all of them--tweaking his ideas in subtle or drastic ways--and then came up with some wholly new ideas.)

*While at Rust Belt I ran into several people who had headed to Lafayette Square for the Neko Case/Jason Lytle show that got rained out. I felt perversely relieved about this, because it was the first show I've really wanted to see at TATS in at least 3 years, but the weather scared me off, and I was feeling guilty about wimping out. Come back again soon, Neko!

*Quick bite to eat, which gave me time to start studying the beautiful job that Artvoice did with the thankless task of laying out the complete festival schedule. This is the first year I didn't end up proofreading that beast, which may add to my joy and surprise at its final form.

*Next up, a stop at Nietzsche's for the annual kickoff party, which was a chance to catch up with a lot of the current organizers. (Here's a badly lit photo of one of them, Josh Smith, involved in some sort of Mad Libs activity with the emcee between sets:)

Since I am not really among their numbers anymore, I can say without any hint of back-patting that these organizer dudes and dudettes look like they're doing a phenomenal job with an undertaking that keeps growing exponentially; I was truly impressed at how smoothly the party seemed to be going. I walked in on the middle of a lengthy instrumental by Rochester's X-Planet Id, a jammy jazz-fusion-y trio:

Not normally my cup of tea, but I soon found myself really liking them and ready to recommend them to a friend who really goes in for rock/jazz hybrids. I wasn't as fond of the vocal numbers that followed, but they seemed like an ideal First Festival Act for moi. (They were not the first act to play, mind you--that honor went to Pat O'Keefe, whom I've only seen in action during the annual "Samples @ Sample" press preview. I gotta catch a set of his this year!) I wanted to stay longer but had bill-paying work waiting at home, plus I felt like I needed to start mapping out my weekend, pronto. Forgive me, MC Vendetta, for missing what I have no doubt was yet another stellar performance of yours. (There were lots of other acts, too, and for all I know, one of them is still playing at this very minute, but I have an appointment with a mattress and pillow now.)

*On my way back to my car, I noticed that the video projection screen filling the window of Space 224 was now active. (Full disclosure: I thought it was incredibly beautiful earlier in the evening, when it was showing nothing but bright blue light, which I originally assumed was the piece, and I was perfectly happy with that.) Took me a few seconds to realize that what I was seeing was not a slideshow but video, and then to marvel at the elegance of the (slowly changing) image, and then to read the accompanying text (highly recommended if you want to get what's going on), and finally to realize that the creators of this work are none other than my friends and collaborators Dave Pape and Josephine Anstey. The installation is called Mrs. Squandertime--love the title, love the premise, and I look forward to visiting the window at 224 Allen many more times during the festival to see what Mrs. S is up to next.

Speaking of squandering time, it's looking like I will be attending little if any of the festival on Day Two, so I am counting on you, dear reader, to fill me in on what I missed.

Start your engines!

2009-07-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

The 2009 festival is just around the corner. Maybe you've seen the full schedule of events or noticed this exciting preview in the Buffalo News.

So tell us: what are you most looking forward to about this year's festival? Are there artists you saw last year you can't wait to see again? New stuff? Let us know! Share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.

New event this year!

2009-07-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

This year, I've set up a showcase of talented writer's, The Creative Well: Well SPoKen, to read their creative works, both poetry and short stories, to a new crowd at the Festival. We're excited to perform on Sunday July 26th at Gateway Gallery at 8pm and ALSO at Rust Belt Books on Thursday July 30th at 7pm. There will be different writer's featured on different nights so be sure to check us out a couple of times at least! LOL

And check out the FREE haiku bookmarks we are giving away!

So far, the undertaking has been manageable, but there is still a lot to do. Because the show not only features myself but 9 other writer's there is organizing and co-ordinating aspects, besides the usual prep for a show. Communication is key, so I've been doing my best to keep them all informed every step of the way. Also, trying to think about their needs and how to get them prepped so the show runs smoothly. And if I do say so myself, I'm doing a pretty good job so far. You can ask them after the show if they agree. :)

And a little PS for all you readers out there: I'll be participating in Urban Smackdown! at the Albright Knox Gusto at the Gallery on Friday the 31st, so come and check out how I fair against some of Buffalo's Finest Poetic Talent!
~Denise Amodeo Miller

Can't wait for the festival? Come see WOYUBU!

2009-03-10T23:43:00.000-07:00

We always talk about using this blog year-round to promote upcoming work by Infringement-related artists, so here's an effort along those lines. And, in fact, the show I'm plugging here involves a lot of Infringement regulars, including (among others, I imagine) the Intermedia Performance Studio, the Real Dream Cabaret as a whole, individual Dreamers Josh Hinsdale (Galoshes/Goulashes), Brian Milbrand (Reactionary Ensemble, Self-Infringement), and yours truly (Shakespeare in the Parking Space, Self-Infringement), plus Joe Wiens (a play or two, back in the day). You may recognize other names from the cast and crew as well, including actor Kate LoConti, director Sarah Bay-Cheng, and composer David Kane (among many others).

WoyUbu is really two plays in one, performed more or less simultaneously on either side of a wall. Each is a classic in its own right--Buchner's Woyzeck and Jarry's Ubu Roi--but they've never been the subject of a mash-up quite like this one. Two and a half years in the making, the production opens this Friday (March 13) and runs every weekend at 8 pm through March 28 in a specially constructed space at 1716 Main Street near Lafayette.

Show details, including online ticket orders, here.
Special bonus! Ongoing blog chronicling the origin and development of the show, here.

And hey, fellow Infringers--if you've got a production of your own to promote in the months before or after the festival, by all means blog about it here. If you don't have access to posting here yourself, you can submit your info the same way you would during the fest (or we can send you an invite from Blogger).

WNYNudeModels.com Photos

2008-08-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the festival shots I took...
*ALL* that I took are here..:
flickr.com/photos/buffalotango/collections/72157606443989213

***

Kickoff Thursday.

Monday...

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday...

Friday #2...

Saturday #2

Sunday #2

Our Favorite Figures... From the Figure Drawing and Photography sessions we held.

WNYNudeModels.com

2008-08-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

What a blast. Thanks everyone for being there. :-) We had a super time meeting and seeing the people, events, and places visited. The same for everyone else too, I'm sure.

Thanks to Curt R, Kurt S, Clinger, Chris for info and mental support.., Lynn for the BLOG, Gateway for the venue, Bella Photography for the equipment, our models for working so very hard and looking sooo very good.., and many others. Please put us down for next year... I wanna do it again.

We couldn't do as much Figure Drawing and Photography as I would have liked but we'll get on the schedule a little earlier next year. But what we did do was unbelievably awesome. There are some samples on our website. Click on the Infringement link at www.wnynudemodels.com .

We also took a LOT of photos during the festival... I'll be putting many if not all of them here on the blog.., but for now you can cut and paste this path to a browser and see them on flickr.

http://flickr.com/photos/buffalotango/collections/72157606443989213/

Infringe away.

Floyd

Wrapping up

2008-08-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

And now comes the part of the festival where the regrets start.....what did I miss, who did I stiff, why did I bother.......
My most sincere apologies to co-volunteers Taunee Grant, Virginia Brannon, Curt Rotterdam, Jason Klinger, Josh Smith, Janna Willoughby, etc. who's stuff I missed either totally or partially. When we have a festival this huge (nearly 600 performances scheduled), there's no way to attend even a reasonable fraction.
My apologies as well to Roaring Sequoia, Genuflektors, brrnn, Gateway Gallery, and maddgraffix gallery for the superlative reviews that never transpired.
Confession, however; I was so saturated with the 'fest that I spent the bulk of today at a horse show in Clarence. Horses are another part of my life that have gotten shorter shrift than they should while planning for this festival. So now it's time to turn my thoughts to other things, as we all will, and gradually drift back to planning for '09.
Be well.

More photos

2008-08-03T05:11:00.000-07:00

Hopping onboard on day 10

2008-08-02T22:55:00.000-07:00

Given how much is going on, everyone creates their own festival, and mine this year has been ... pretty damn minimal. Between work, schedule conflicts, and sheer exhaustion from a recent trip, I have missed every single day of Infringement 08 until Saturday. For a while I thought the most radical thing I could possibly do would be to see NOTHING whatsoever this time around. Not for lack of interest (far from it!), but just because that's where things seemed to be taking me. But I finally caved in and eased my way in this afternoon with a trip to A Piece of Earth..., Ella Joseph's video installation in her home. (It runs Sunday, too, and she tells me it will still be up through September, so if you miss it during the festival, you can still check it out later in the month.) My friends and I arrived at an off moment in the 10-minute looping video, and we were baffled for a while, but we soon started making out images--birds, cattle, a body on the beach hovering over the trash bags floating in space.

I had to race home to prepare more envelopes for Self-Infringement (turns out the box in the Rust Belt window was empty) and get stuff together for Shakespeare in the Parking Space. By the time I finished those two tasks and drove from Tonawanda to Rust Belt, I realized I'd missed every single one of the shows I'd spent an earlier hour writing down, so I had a great conversation with Kristi outside the bookstore (comparing notes with her is one of my favorite Infringement rituals) until a whoppin' shower forced us inside. I bought a few books then headed BACK home for a nap. Then it was off to a wedding reception in North Buffalo (the nerve! scheduling a wedding during the most happenin' 11 days of the summer!), then to the street outside Lagniappes for Shakespeare. Smaller crowd this year, fewer readers, but still a lot of fun. At the end of it, 3 women in cheerleader outfits emerged from Nietzsche's next door to beseech us all to come inside for their show. These were (half of) "Skitch's Bitches," who reminded me of that posse of Japanese teenagers who followed Gwen Stefani everywhere for a year or two. I was slightly sad to learn that there really WAS a (male) Skitch, who was sequestered in one of the stageside balconies creating artworks based on audience cues gathered by the Bitches while various bands played. Caught Lowlander, a trio from West Virginia with a pronounced fondness for late 70s pop punk. Lots of Ramones covers, played pretty much as well as or better than the Ramones themselves did 'em.

From there it was off to The Venue Formerly Known as Kitchen Distribution for Subversive Theatre's ...and they put handcuffs on the flowers. Subversive's stuff can always be counted on to be a festival highlight, and the staging is always pretty great. This year was no exception--there's nothing quite like piling into the basement of a factory on the Lower West Side at 11 p.m. But I gotta be honest: while the environmental staging was effective, the cast was impressive, and the shadow-play elements were cool, the script itself left me flat. It was immediately clear that there are distinct parallels between this tale of political prisoners in Franco's Spain and contemporary phenomena like Abu Ghirab and Guantanamo, but that point didn't require an hour and a half. I get it: fascism bad, prison = soul-draining, dehumanizing nightmare. No question there. Now tell me something I don't already know. (Actually, there's a monologue in which one character has a vision of gay marriage--this in 1969--that now seems oddly prescient, and I enjoyed the opening metaphor of the then-recent lunar landing. After that, not so much.) The script is an interesting historical document and I'm glad I saw the performance, but I found myself looking at my watch a lot--something I'd never done in any previous Subversive show. Still, it was a perfect "infringement moment," as Kristi put it.

Resting now, before a day in which I'll attempt to make up for lost time.

Last chance to catch "Scheherazade" at this year's Festival

2008-08-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to Chris for the generous review of my very first Festival appearance. (See "Lone ranger summarizes the last few....)

If you missed that show and would like a 2nd chance, I'll be repeating "The Largely Unexpurgated History of Scheherazade" tomorrow, Sunday, August 3rd, 1:30PM at El Museo, 91 Allen St near Delaware. It's pay-what-you-can and runs about 25 mins.

Also, a chapbook edition of my poem is finally ready and will be available for purchase, if you're interested.

Recommendations: This week I attended the staged reading of Matt La Chiusa's Red Clay Railroad by Morphine Hearts in association with American Repertory Theatre. Fine work, as always. Last night, I caught Floaters, Mike Fanelli's surrealistic one-act, at the new Alt Theatre venue, 255 Great Arrow. Fun, insightful and peppered with belly laughs. Mike, Ionesco would be proud!

Enjoy the last day, everyone! I've been a fan for years and am proud to be part of this year's magic!

Forward, then back

2008-08-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

This festival, at four years of age, is still a baby by any measure, but I guess it's been around long enough to establish some traditions, anyhow.

I had the pleasure of seeing the performances of two of the more established artists from the Infringement fold this afternoon.

First, "Byrdbrain" a one man play produced/directed/acted by Scott Andrew Kurchak at Rust Belt Books. This was an engaging one act piece about an Ontario high school English teacher's battle with himself while locked in a classroom closet over a holiday weekend. Tight/unflawed production/execution.

Then, "Box" from TheatreFiguren (Michelle Costa) another of her accessible but moving puppet theatre presentations. This was staged at the Crane library. Mostly free of dialogue, her poetic figure action was supported by various bits of accordion music. Delightful.

Both performers have a clear following; these were two of the best attended performances of the festival.

Summary of Thursday's & Friday's events from this audience member will have to wait. Seems like today I'm viewing things from fellow Infringement organizers all day. Headed down shortly to see Jason Klinger's "Too Much" later Ronawanda's "Shakespeare in the Parking Space" and MUCH later, Kurt Schneiderman's "And they put handcuffs on the flowers....".

Blood Thirsty Vegans take Nickel City by Storm!

2008-08-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

SO, after a minor snafu, (no one reserved the UU Church on Elmwood) we managed to secure another, much cooler venue, the porch of the Nickel City Co-Op on Elmwood and North. This was our first show with the current band members and it was amazing! Great songs, great beats, humor, intelligence and talent! Oh man the talent!! SOOOO, we are playing again sunday at Nietzsches, we're playing second so don't get there late! I think this is the beginning of one of the greatest bands of all time. (hehe, "cause you've gotta have goals!"~denis leary)

Hope to see you there!

Bon Vivant to all you infringers, ah the good life!

janna aka mc vendetta

Last 72 hours, backwards

2008-08-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Back to this task, now that my houseguests are gone.
Have been attending stuff throughout, but no blogging for the past few, so it's time to catch up...
JUST came back from the lovely, stately Allendale Theatre where I absorbed AudioOdyssey, Installment 1. This is an auditory travelogue, five independant, studio-recorded pieces intended to place the listener in various landscapes. It is played in a darkened theatre; the listener provides the visuals in their own mind.
I'm no techie, but I don't believe that's required to appreciate the crispness and brilliance of these recordings/mixings by Brian Wantaugh at his Wasteland Studios. So distracted by the above, I stumbled out of the theatre, and stood, completely forgetting where I parked my car. It took a minute to realize it was right in front of me. Which apparently delighted Brian, as he stated he'd achieved his objective if he disoriented his audience.
Experience still available tomorrow, last day of the festival.

Festival photos

2008-07-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

At Chris's request, here's some selected photos from the last few days:

More photos are in my flickr set. Floyd Baker has posted some as well.

Wednesday...in short

2008-07-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hydroplaning home after the last show: I'm deconstructing this evening, and deciding it doesn't get more prototypically ideal than this.

Started off as planned; dropping the kid off to czar at Allentown Music. Ben Joe was playing to an audience of passers-by due to a snafu in the brochure. Headed down to Allendale to catch Configuration Dance Theatre. I've seen them perform before; professional, classically trained, spend a lot of time en pointe, but not "tutu foo-foo", if you know what I mean. Superb combination of athleticism and abstraction. I was particularily moved (to tears) by "Deportation" which was choreographed by Joseph Cipolla (artistic director), and danced to music by Sigur Ros. Gorgeous.

This show ran over, so I was too late for Michele Costa's "Box"across the street at Rust Belt. Swung by Allentown Music again in time to see Eleven80's packing up their gear,
and half a set by Crappy Stick. That was intriguing and enjoyable.

Blah, blah at home, then over to Squeaky Wheel to see "The Voidologists" whom I had missed at the Noise Fest on Monday. I HAD to go see this act, which was described as a footnote on their promotional material as sounding "like a robot orgy in hell...gone wrong". I thought they deserved an audience just for their marketing acumen. "They" is a misnomer; "The Voidologists" are essentially one techy guy named Dave that puts it all together in his basement, backed by a video his sister made. That last sentence makes it sound like kid stuff; au contraire; this was the audiovisual equivalent of being run over by a tank, and enjoying the experience. I was thrilled. For those with an acquired taste, NOT to be missed. At Squeaky Wheel at 6pm on Saturday.

Continued over to Nietszche's to see "Peanut Brittle Sattelite" who allegedly had been compared to the Mahavishnu Orchestra. That's starting to traipse on messin'-with-my-religion territory, so I was skeptical. (Case in point; first time I walked into my college boyfriend's dorm room, and saw 'Birds of Fire' on his turntable, I thought I was mated for life.) I was delighted to discover they were not as far off the mark as I would have thought (that's a big compliment). TWO drummers, bass, guitar, violin, keyboards. Sorta jammy(read:improvisational), but not in a bad way.

Then home. Tomorrow.............

Film Photographers of Greater Buffalo Exhibit @ El Museo

2008-07-30T13:19:00.001-07:00

The Film Photographers of Greater Buffalo are currently exhibiting at El Museo. El Museo is located at 91 Allen St.

The opening reception took place on Friday July 25th. The turnout was incredible! Folks who stopped out for the opening were treated to a spectacular display of photographs. The photographs represent a diverse range of subjects and styles. Many of the photos are hand developed and printed by the artists.

Thanks to everyone that attended the reception on Friday and anyone else that has visited El Museo since the opening. We'd like to also sincerely thank the Infringement staff, volunteers, and El Museo Staff for their assistance and putting together an awesome festival!

The exhibit runs through August 3rd, please stop by and check it out!!!

What did I miss? What SHOULDN'T I miss? Etc.

2008-07-30T09:54:00.001-07:00

The fates scheduled an out-of-town trip for me that made me miss the first 5 days of the festival, and left me too tired to venture out on Night 6. Now I'm stuck catching up with work and will surely miss even more. Still, I want to hear from folks about:
•great shows I missed completely (guess I'm a masochist)
•great stuff you've seen that is coming back later in the festival
and maybe even
•things I should be glad I didn't see.

The posts from Curt R and Chris and Vendetta have given me some sense of all of the above, but I want to hear more more more, especially from those of you who haven't spoken up thus far. I can at least experience the festival highlights vicariously, after all.

the 10 % that isnt working or still a couple of disasters

2008-07-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

couple things went wrong. the eleven 80's got screwed due to no soundguy at diablo. aron cole didn't have power outside laginappes. lara buckey was a no show at buffalo barfly. staples double booked the room thus providing stress (despite a vailiant effort by richie and i to eliminatite confusion) causing mr. hakim to leave, bwt to not show and on top of that dick whiskey's drummer bailed on him. shut eyes was a no show there last night. the wynne band blew off their show. also attendance is poor at nietzsche's and soundlab.
on the theater front i heard connelly's plays was a bust, and a waste of time for rust belt. apparently connelly didnt have a play.

massive synergy happening out there

2008-07-29T23:57:00.000-07:00

One thing I've noticed out there is that there is some major seeds being planted out and about. The whole Gateway Gallery experience this weekend was incredible. Between the photo shoot and music and art in one place through out the day. Steven Meyers should be given a medal. Buffalo Barfly HQ had a quaint backyard session with Erie Lackawanna Railroad. Jim has been so hospitable and it's awesome to see that non-traditional venue work. He put up a banner we can decorate during the fest. Burnwood and Bon Vivant really taking off as premiere venues with wonderful success. These venues are sure to infringe year round. Tonight at Stillwater 112 people came to see Shapes of States followed by Laginappes' own Alex Kelly sing with Amungus in a beautiful space that truly is a work of art. The staff there was amazingly awesome. Great relationships are being formed across the spectrum city wide as we speak. I'd say 90% of the fest is going smoothly (at least the music portion). I hope everything is going well on the theater front.

Niagara Noise Fest @ Burnwood

2008-07-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

No, this wasn't just an excuse to head over to Burnwood; I had some business at hand. That, plus I actually am a bit of a noise fan.
I arrived about 2 hours late, midway through the set of Black Bloc. This was a single performer with a hardcore attitude; lots of angry vocals and slamming metal. My irreverent eye did note that a few of the cans that were being sheared apart to full effect had previously housed some green tea, which seemed a bit incongrous.
Next band (whose name I failed to obtain) was much more subtle. Perhaps too much so; my favorite part of their performance was when the lone dog in attendance raised his head and yawned, and it was AUDIBLE!!
The Lazlo/Rozler noise project was next, and much more listenable. It was interesting to watch what devices were applied to more traditional instruments to produce atypical sounds. Most curious was a brandy snifter laden with what looked like nipple clamps sliding up and down the strings of a horizontal guitar (?).
Axis of Evil finished up the night. I had seen them before at an Infringement fundraiser a few months back, and had been impressed by their home-made instruments, sense of humor, and musical ability (not always evident with noise bands). Had to split early, but not because I didn't want to hear more.

kick ass shows at bon vivant!!

2008-07-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

hey all you fellow infringers! mc vendetta here to let you know that my new venue, Bon Vivant (1862 Hertel Ave) is off to an AMAZING start. First of all, we had Extreme Exhibition! hosted by 29 Cent Productions (Josh Smith, the Rated-R Rockstar). I was featured playing my folksy guitar songs, then we had Chris Gullo, very funny new comedian, and then Anne Huiner bringing it home with her amazing poetry. All in all, the first show was a huge success, we broke the Extreme Exhibition record for donations to the artists, so we must've done something right. :) There is another Extreme Exhibition! show tomorrow (monday) night at 7pm. After the show, I warmed up the crowd for Breezee One, white-chick rapper from Detroit (if you saw her you're lucky, she's fun!). I loved her song that included "LTC! LICK THE CLIT, Lalala Lick the clit!" AWESOME!

The next night we had "Woman, Sister, Mother-A Celebration of Life and Love" which is a play from Entertaining Angels-a multi-talented group of women who sing, dance, read poetry and act out the different types of relationships that women have. I really enjoyed the performance, they have costume changes and everything! I loved the singing most of all because it seriously gave me goosebumps. It was very spiritual and not in the pushy way, which was good. This is a great show to see, also good family event. They have three more performances at Bon Vivant during the festival.

After the play we tried to host an open mic night but Saturday night is just not the right night for that. I'm hoping that the word will have spread more by next saturday and that our next open space will pick up. I decided that I would just play for our 5 audience members (most of whom were my friends or were related to me) so I busted out my guitar and played a few tunes. Then my roommate yells out "WE WANNA HEAR YOU RAP!" Not one to turn down requests, I jumped head first into my alternate persona and her extensive reportior. Towards the end of my set there were a whole bunch of young kids (probably 15 of them, about 8th or 9th grade) hanging around the door, peeking in. I told them to come in, and they asked if they were allowed to play too. I handed over the guitar and our drum kit to two kids who really rocked a cover of RHCP's Californication. They were really good for kids in 8th grade. Hopefully they will come back and rock out some more. Aah, infringement, you never know when a 13 year old might steal your show from you! haha.

So tonight, Sugar City Showcase rocked the socks off of about 50 different beats and hippies and punks and skater kids. There was an awesome creative vibe pumping throughout the space, from all the visual art they brought and displayed, to the videos they showed, music they played, poetry they read, funny commentaries they performed and the random questions that they answered. All in all, we had over 50 people at the show which was FUCKING AMAZING!! Everyone was respectful to the performers and the art and there was a lot of idea generation and inspiration flying around the room. It was also a great networking event for local artsy folks. I can only hope that their next show is equally amazing. They really brought down the house. Definitely check out their other showcase on Friday at Bon Vivant. The art is on display throughout the festival if you would like to stop by and see it.

Thanks so much to everyone who participates in this festival to make it the rollercoaster of sweetness that it is.

Enjoy!

Bon Vivant!

love,
vendetta

Lone Ranger summarizes the last few.....

2008-07-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday night and I'm dog-tired but GUILTY because this is the first legit entry I've made on the blog for BiF '08.

Taking a slightly different perspective this year because of my other responsibilities with the 'fest, you'll (I hope) see me doing some reviews of the venues I've been in while happily enjoying the role of CONSUMER.

Going back to Friday, comments must be made about Christina Wos Donnely's reading of
" The Largely Unexpurgated History of Scheherezade". I was acting as venue czar @ the Nina Freudenheim gallery on North, and was thus obligated to be there. Fortunate to be there as well....wonderful poem: moving story, gorgeous language, evocative delivery. The performance and the spare, elegant setting were absolutely complementary.

Christina confessed that she was led to this poem by her interest in harems, from a feminist perspective.

Thrilled with the experience, I purchased "Venus Afflicted", a collection of her poems that have me equally impressed. Not an easy thing to do; I find poetry a difficult medium.

Then shot west to Burnwood, which is the space I've been vibing on being spectacular while planning for this thing. The instincts were correct. A massive red stone warehouse on the far west side, this venue has a (recently) roughed out gallery in one room, and a cavernous performance space with stage and open sound booth in another. Bryan Lohr and two friends have been residing there for about a year-and-a-half (with very few of the usual amenities), getting rid of the inventory of antiques that came with the building, and getting it in shape for events such as this one, plus studios. Artspace, beware!

Qualia was playing while I was there. This has to be the half-dozenth time I've seen them play; always professional, always enjoyable. (see review from '07)

Yesterday I described in a lazy comment under Ron's latest narrative. Today; oops, garden walk and sprucing up my new home. Tomorrow I'm back on track. And you?

Now it begins... AGAIN!

2008-07-22T20:56:00.000-07:00

Lordy, can the 2008 festival REALLY be less than 48 hours away? Here's your chance to post your thoughts on:
•shows you want to see
•shows you're part of
•the festival itself as it enters Year Four
•and anything else you want to say about Infringement '08.

If you're not a registered post-er on the blog, just hit the "Comments" link and type away.
If you want to BECOME a regular post-er here, email lynnlasota (at) gmail.com and let her know.

See you on the streets of Allentown--and beyond!

Just a Sample...

2008-07-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ya gotta love this: Colin D. of the Buffalo News interviewing "Nobody" (aka Paul Painkiller) after the latter's presentation at our now-annual "Samples at Sample" press event as a photographer looks on. This intimate affair ("Samples," that is, not their tete-a-tete) features one-minute pitches for acts in the upcoming festival on a first-come, first-served basis. It's mainly for the benefit of the media, but it also gives the rest of us our first glimpse at what we're in for.

Many thanks to Jennifer Goetz and everyone else at Sample (that's the restaurant/bar that specializes in bite-sized goodies and cocktails you won't find anywhere else) for a terrific evening.

PS. If you want to see the end result of Colin's labors, check out the cover story on the festival in last week's Gusto (at least as long as it's online for free, that is) and his accompanying video segment, shot at "Samples at Sample".

Gearing up for '08

2007-10-28T23:05:00.000-07:00

OK, we already know you love the festival. Now we need you to share that love--by getting involved in next year's fest. We've formed a fundraising committee, which is meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 1, 2007, at Staples (253 Allen St., next to Spirits of Allentown). Everyone is welcome--and we need you.

Tales of self-infringement

2007-08-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-08-05T05:24:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-08-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-03T10:55:00.001-07:00

Not the kind of record I'm proud of

2007-08-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

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

"The radar" under the microscope

2007-07-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

Numerous people over the last two years have joked that our motto "11 days of art under the radar" may no longer be appropriate, given the incredible amount of press the festival has been getting: the covers of both Gusto and Artvoice two years in a row, numerous other articles in other papers and magazines, tv spots, and so on. (The obvious response to smart alecks is: Hey, it's the art and the people who make it that are--and remain--under ye olde radar, not this 2-week blip once a year. I can almost guarantee that most of these same media outlets would be much less likely or able to cover most of these same acts if it weren't for the critical mass that the festival provides. Which is one of the main reasons Infringement is so handy for so many of us--artists, audiences, and journalists alike.)

If you haven't seen them yet, here are:
*Tom Dooney's cover story (complete with suggestions on how to improve the fest in the future) from last week's Artvoice, and
*Colin Dabkowski's coverage of one typical day in the fest, which appears in today's Buffalo News. (That link will only work for free for a few days, so hurry on over.)

(Dabkowski's earlier Gusto story on the festival as a whole has already moved into the archives, so you'll have to pay to see it here if you missed it earlier. And depending on when you see this, you can find all of Artvoice's week-one coverage here.)

The main Artvoice story in particular has elicited a lot of response--I've heard everything from "How dare they!" to "Hey, great story; Tom made some excellent points"--so here's your chance to weigh in on any and all of the coverage thus far. I'm gonna hold my tongue till some of the rest of you have had your say.

Have at it: What do you think about the media coverage of the festival thus far? Good? Bad? Ugly? Spill it, people!

MC Vendetta @ Nietzche's

2007-07-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

day one.

2007-07-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

Well what can I say, so much cool stuff i have seen....

Day 1:

I checked out Rust Belt for the Ed Powell thing. Cool. What a great display.

Nietzsche's! The kick off!!!! - Rap of 3 varieties, classical/ folk rock, and well.... some art with instruments, free expression to say the least. Loved every minute of it. MC Vendetta commanded the audiences attention, with spoken word and song. Insightful, inspiring, and at points side spitting hysterical. The Genuflecktor's were really cool, first time I've seen the trio. Josh Gage also did an great job running the event. Z Mann Zilla, I have deep respect for since we work together often. While it may have not been the best Zilla outing. He still danced a good jig and drew some cool shit while doing it. MasterPeace Soicety, from the falls, cool cats, enjoyed meeting them. Had a techinical snag with their audio track but still delivered. Check em out if you can at the wrap up. The last act was "Forgotten Figures Fighting Over A Piece Of Bread" (or something). They presented a sound collage of acoustic and electric guitar, ramblings and poetry, a hammer hitting a makeshift metal xylophone with great enthusiasm. All in all a great evening, including an impromptu Joke / Story by the Rated R Superstar. Finally the kid made me laugh.

Subversive Theatre

2007-07-31T11:02:00.001-07:00

Zilla's One-man Circus at Nietzche's

2007-07-31T11:01:00.001-07:00

Genuflektors at Nietzche's

2007-07-31T10:59:00.000-07:00

Sunday, all day

2007-07-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

So much to see, so little time. Running way behind on my reviews; there's stuff going as far back as Saturday that I have yet to comment on. Hope to catch up by tomorrow, which is our lightest day in the schedule. Looking AT tomorrow, quick thumbs up for "Axeman's Jazz", Dali's Ghost (a taste from the College Street Block Party), and of course, MC Vendetta. I think both of us (that would be, two or, 2) that have ventured a comment thus far, have pointed out her facility with the language that neither had appreciated adequately before. Ron described her as a "wordsmith" (a favorite term of mine) which I concur with wholeheartedly.
Yesterday was, uh, recent, but already blurring, so let me just outline the streetscape....arrived at the tail end of the College Street Block Party, missed the Global Village Idiots to my chagrin; highly recommmended by at least two people I know. Caught much of Ramforinkus. They'll be at my venue Thursday, so more details then, but definitely a worth-see! Dali's Ghost made an unscheduled appearance, as well. More on them tomorrow, when I catch a full set.
My background in art criticism is lacking, but I must admit I'm attracted to Jason Klinger's work; really chaotic and visceral. Hard to avoid. He was putting the finishing touches on this massive piece hanging on the outside wall of Samples when I did a quick walk-thru. He also has a number of pieces (oil on canvas) hanging in Staples, with a book on the back mantel for commentary. Lotsa commentary! Check it out. Post it here.
Later (much), and inside by now, a short set by the Master Peace Society, followed by Qualia. There was some initial confusion with the schedule; I actually had thought I heard that they would be jamming together, which was retrospectively ludicrous given their disparate styles. Both groups skilled, though, both thoroughly enjoyable, both in command of their audience. I promised the kids in Qualia a full-length review; it's forthcoming. In the meantime, check out their page @ myspace.com/qualiamusic. They'll be a part of the Psychedelic Infringement Show @ Soundlab on Friday. The Master Peace Society will be back with their rotating cast of characters and mindful raps to close the Festival off next Sunday.
Tonight, a series of Summer Shorts @ Staples. Heavy on the superlatives here, as well, but I gotta work tomorrow, so we'll talk then.

Electronica at Soundlab

2007-07-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

I was really looking forward to this event at Soundlab Saturday night. I had done a brief investigation of the myspace pages of both Beta Cloud and Aidan Baker (I was going to be too late for Praying for Oblivion because of another commitment); and was intrigued by what I had heard. Intrigued enough to notify a friend of mine who has VERY similar taste in music; he made the same investigation, and drove in from Niagara County late Saturday to meet up and listen. We were anticipating an evening listening to dreamy aural landscapes and abstract sounds.
I'm still apologizing!
I've been to events of this ilk before, and had forgotten how often very little is going on onstage. For Beta Cloud, at least this deficit was noted, and partially compensated for by frenetic black-and-white photographic images assaulting the backdrop. Since I had just left the cunnilingus workshop (see below), though, many of the shots looked vulvar to me, shades of Georgia O'Keefe. (not a bad thing)
Rather monotonous, albeit pleasant background music. Turn down the volume, give me a mattress; they could have lulled me to sleep.
I'm certain listening in a different setting (without a twenty minute drive between me and my bed) would provide a different experience.

Certified Graduate of the Institute

2007-07-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Strike all of the frivilous commentary made in anticipation of "The Art of Ypsilform Dining" the cunnilligus workshop being generously provided by caesandra this and next weekend at Squeaky Wheel. This was a thoughtful, playful, well-researched, and artfully composed tutorial on the exploration of this means of providing female sexual pleasure.
The workshop sprung from caesandra's labors while working on her MFA thesis at UB.
Saturday was a "mixed" night, which allowed for both male and female participants; straight and lesbian couples, singles, etc. I arrived a few minutes late, so I may have missed the whole story, but one of the gentleman was a fine art (read:erotica) photographer who was raised in Sweden. Apparently all the above is part of the curriculum for middle schoolers (or below?) in his country of origin. Provided for some interesting perspectives.
The workshop featured a history of tongue-dancing through art and literature, a tour of female anatomy, tongue exercises (some of us ate our peaches; mine was a little under-ripe), positions (thank you, yoga), associated slang, and a few toys, as well.
We even got goodie bags to take home!!!! And a Certificate!! Might be worth less for me than some others, but I think it's important to be informed on the receiving end as well.
I forgot to pay my required $5.00. This is probably one of the few events at the Infringement Festival that might be worth the extra zero or two.

Letters (from here)....

2007-07-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

I was sprinting (after a way-too-long day at work) to make the first monologue of Susan Hodge Anner's "Letters to the World", the one written-in-stone committment I had made to myself for Friday evening. Arrived mid-way thru the first.
I was experiencing some trepidation, as Susan is my co-czarina for Staples (where her show is playing), and I had never seen any of her work before. What if it sucked, and I had to play nice?? (something I can only fake with Herculean effort)
Clearly, a healthy contingent of the Buffalo theater audience IS familiar with her work, as the room was packed. Heavy on estrogen; an older crew than perhaps I'll see at Soundlab tonight. ARTVOICE's Anthony Chase was also in attendance (I am surrounded by professional writers). I needn't have worried.
These verbal snapshots were obviously wrought by a feminine hand, heavy on character development and exposition of feelings. Subject matter ranged from the joys of substitute teaching to post-partum depression to professional anxiety to death and loss. The monologues were nicely executed by a number of Buffalo's professional acting community. I was particularly moved by "Frozen in Time", performed by Kristen Tripp Kelley.
Last chance to see this show tonight @ 8pm @ Staples on Allen.

Scene report: Day Two (Friday)

2007-07-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

I now know from comparing notes with my fellow roving reporter Lynn that I"m not the only person who has trouble getting to the first show of the day. Once I'm out of my house and in the heart of the festival, I can happily zip from one show to another and another, but it's hard to get going in the first place.

Which explains why, despite my goal of getting an early start tonight, I only managed to make it to two things, starting at 8:30 and ending by 10 p.m.:

1. Theatre Of Truth(s): Within Boundary Or A Ride In The Air

This was one of those cases where I had NO IDEA what to expect--the abstract image on the postcard was as vague as it was beautiful, while the brochure had me thinking this was some sort of ithree-hour-long nteractive multi-media performance environment/happening/whatever--and the location (for the first weekend only) was a studio I'd never heard of on Linwood Avenue. I actually enjoy this sort of mystery: getting in the car and seeking out some unfamiliar destination, not having a clue what I'll find when I get there.

So I kind of hate to spoil some of the intrigue for those of you who share this taste for adventure--but I'm going to do it anyway, for the benefit of everyone else, who likes a liiiitle bit more explanation. "Theater of Truth(s)" is an eleven-minute video installation by Ella Joseph. And "Scenoart Studio and Gallery" is the artist's home. (Next weekend, the piece moves to Hallwalls--where I have a hunch it may be ever so slightly less exciting, if only because that weird sense of intimacy you get from walking into a stranger's house, hearing people cooking and eating dinner in the background, won't be there.) If you want a least a hint of surprise to remain, skip the next paragraph.

The piece is the essence of simplicity: projected video of parts of a body in an abstacted landscape, very school-of-Bill-Viola. What makes it most interesting to me is not the image or the accompanying soundtrack, but the way these elements are presented: headphones dangle from the ceiling, alongside IV drip bags, each containing a single live fish. It's a simple, very arresting image, and while I'm not entirely sure what it means in the strictest sense, I can definitely identify the feelings it evokes in me, from initial amazement to mild creepiness to admiration for its elegance.

2. Something to Say

The "earth's daughters" writers' collective was probably one of the first local cultural institutions I was aware of when I moved to Buffalo in 1982, so I associate it with the era of Black Mountain II College at UB, Yeast-West Bakery, the North Buffalo Co-Op, Emma Books, and other long-gone reminders of WNY's post-hippie era. (I'm not implying any direct connection between the writing group and these other fabled anti-institutions, just suggesting a context.) I confess I didn't realize the group was still around, so their current cycle of readings during the festival provides us all with a chance to catch up with them.

It's been a while since I've attended a straightforward poetry reading (okay, a poetry reading with banjo accompaniment and audience-participation chants of "avocado! avocado! avocado!", but still), and I'd largely forgotten how closely they tend to resemble old-school folk--er, acoustic music--concerts: longish background stories preceding/explaining the poems, polite applause after every piece, no matter how brief, and so on. But this is not to suggest that e.d. is stuck in the 70s: there was a pretty wide range of styles presented by the ever-changing stream of readers, much like the annual "Urban Epiphany" event, in this case moderated by Ryki Zuckerman and culled from her colleagues, students, and fellow travellers. Some of Friday night's writers had never read in public before; others have been active on the scene for decades. Their subject matter ranged from, y'know, the personal to the political, with plenty of overlap. We heard love poems, anti-war poems (one beautiful one linking the debacle in Iraq to the October Surprise Storm and vice versa), a nice evocation of female masturbation, a followup poem about the public response to that nice evocation of female masturbation, funny poems, sad poems, and all manner of other things. I wish I'd taken notes about who wrote what, quotable quotes, and other descriptive details, because as I write this seven hours later, it's all kind of a blur. A nice blur, mind you--a blur of powerful images and powerful voices (Joyce Kessel comes to mind in both of those departments, though there were others who impressed me as well whose names I didn't get)--but a blur all the same. It was hot and the lights flickered a lot. And it finally dawned on me that the woman I know as M. C. Vendetta is actually the daughter of Robin K. Willoughby, a name I recall from that bygone era I mentioned earlier. Turns out young Jana W. literally grew up around earth's daughters meetings, and it was a rare treat to see her in this tamer setting than the noisy bars and sidewalks where I'm used to seeing her. I assumed she'd bust out some of her Vendetta moves, but instead she read two capital-p Poems in a style utterly unlike her hiphop/slam/street-poet persona. I loved both of them, and they brought a whole new level of depth to her obvious skills as a wordsmith and performer.

(Note: the lineup of these readings will change from day to day, with a mix of new and returning anchor readers plus, I assume, more newbies each time--just like the issues of a poetry magazine.)

From there, I went to a party, and then home, where I won't be for long before heading out again for what promises to be a wild weekend: Garden Walk by day, Infringement by night. I love this town!

Amount spent on admissions for the evening (1 installation, 1 group reading): $0
(No collection taken at the former; arrived late at the latter and left early, so if a hat was passed, I missed it.)

Your turn

2007-07-28T01:40:00.000-07:00

Here's one of those periodic posts that exists purely to give foilks who don't want to officially join the blog a chance to share their own reviews of shows they've seen, previews of shows they want to see, and ads for shows they're in. So have at it!

Wandering (A Turn)

2007-07-28T01:18:00.000-07:00

It was the combo of playwright Lanford Wilson and director Matt LaChiusa--and the intriguing promise of that "epilogue by Stephen Hawking"--that got me to College Street Gallery on Thursday night. I didn't know the script in question, and I arrived late, which meant I missed the Hawking part (actually a prologue, as it turns out), but I was up for anything.

The play--which is far shorter than the hour-long running time the brochure had me expecting--reminds me a lot of other short pieces by Wilson's Off-Off-Broadway contemporaries from the mid-to-late-60s, writers like Robert Coover and John Guare back before they all went on to win National Book Awards and Tony Awards and such. The structure is simple: seventeen (or so) lightning-fast vignettes performed by three actors, each scene incorporating the word "wandering." The language is conscciously poetic and repetitive and the staging is remarkably efficient--perfect for the tiny playing space of the gallery. I sat on the floor close enough to rub elbows with the cast, and felt just like I was in some teeny Greenwich Village cafe watching the original production, say around 1967.

It's easy to imagine why LaChiusa picked this play at this time: the Vietnam-era saga of a young man confronting the military-industrial complex is (sadly) every bit as relevant in 2007 as it was 40 years ago. While the general aesthetic is High Sixties Experimental Theater, there's not a single line that sounds dated today. I don't know if that's a sign of how progressive Wilson was back then, or how backward our country is today, but either way, this short piece is well worth a visit.

Call It Chocolate Cake

2007-07-28T00:12:00.000-07:00

At the risk of sounding like a jerk, I'm just gonna come right out and say it: between the title and the 20-word description in the brochure, I had fairly low expectations for "Call It Chocolate Cake" before I even walked into the room. More specifically, I was expecting bad standup comedy. (For no particular reason, I was even more specifically envisioning some well-meaning middle-aged liberal straight person's take on the oh-so-hilarious subject of gay marriage.) It looked short, it was just down the street, and i'm gonna be tying the knot with the man o' my dreams pretty soon myself, so I thought I'd give it a try anyway.

The moment I walked into Sp@ce 224, saw performer Janet Werther getting ready, checked out the crowd, and heard some early Ani DiFranco on a boombox as preshow music, my preconceived notions vanished--only to be replaced by a whole new set of expectations/stereotypes. Now I was imagining a super-earnest young dyke's perspective on the same topic, and for the first few minutes of her piece--a solo movement section accompanied by a reading of a text consisting of found definitions of various key terms--that's pretty much what I got. I figured I'd seen this kind of thing (both the dance vocabulary and the verbal content) a lot over the last 20 years or so, particularly in various small performance spaces throughout the East Village back in the late 80s and early 90s.

But. But. But. Werther is way smarter about what she's doing than my first impression allowed. She may be covering some familiar territory (okay, familiar to a tiny portion of the general population), but she absolutely makes it her own. She's got a wonderful sense of humor--which is to say a sense of perspective--about herself, her subject matter, and her art, and is terrifically alive to the twists and turns of live performance. That's not to say the piece was a laugh riot on Thursday night; she apologized at one point for the fact that we might be expecting a comedy and were getting something quite a bit heavier. (Hell, I got pretty misty-eyed as she evoked the hypothetical possibility of being in a coma and her life partner not being able to visit her in the hospital. Having dealt with numerous emergency-room adventures with my own spartner, her story truly hit home for me.) No, the greatest compliment I can pay "Cake" is this: it doesn't strive to be polished and perfect, it strives to be human--and totally lives up to that simple-sounding, difficult-to-achieve goal. One performer with one recently injured foot, two readers recruited from the crowd to deliver the aforementioned text cold after some hastily delivered direction in full view of the rest of the audience, several bags of Skittles deployed at just the right moment, and a t-shirt. She's even got a response for people like me who are tempted to turn up our noses at her use of those Ani songs. I don't want to give too much more away, partly because Werther is really good at surprises, and partly because the piece is designed to change from night to night. (There's an excellent chance that any lines or actions I quote will be gone next time around, only to be replaced by other great stuff.) I'm hoping to catch the show a second time later on, to see how it evolves. And I'm even more excited about watching Werther evolve, too: her instincts are fantastic, and she's a born performer.

Come to think of it, I'd even watch her do stand-up if I had to.

Epicircle: The Ed Powell Project

2007-07-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for indulging in out-and-out hyperbole right out of the starting gate, but this installation of outtakes from the archives of the late, much-loved UB sociology professor and activist Ed Powell is not to be missed. It's one of the most fascinating and imaginative archival exhibits I've ever seen. The back room of Rust Belt has been transformed into a wild, slightly surreal dreamscape of papers, notes, personal effects, books, still-packed boxes, and miscellaneous ephemera. They cascade from the ceiling, they accumulate in corners, they spill across the floor, and they're tucked into every available nook and cranny of the small space.

Curator Erin Verhoef (familiar to most everyone who has spent time in the front part of the store) explains in a photocopied note that the project is an outgrowth of her work with Powell's archives at UB; what we're seeing here is mostly duplicates from the main collection. "With the technological advances in information science, paper communication is being replaced by virtual communication ... and frankly, it breaks my heart," she writes. "I am not resistant to change; I am resistant to disrespecting physical contextual history ... which is now and everywhere." (Reading these words in a 21st century used bookstore gives them even more weight.) Visitors to the show are even encouraged to take a part of it home with them ("but please do so with consideration")--a brilliant notion, because in trying to pick my own souveneir, I was obliged to think about the very act of collection (my home office is almost as cluttered and crazed as this simulated one) and about the difficult choices entailed in curating any posthumous show.

I never took a class from Powell; I had a passing conversation or two with him over the years, and I certainly remember seeing him on his bike and at events all over town. (He was pretty hard to miss.) So I am not be the best judge of how accurately Verhoef has captured his spirit. (Whoops, bad choice of words: no way to capture a spirit this wild and wooly. "Preserved"? "Honored"? "Evoked"?) But the minute I walked in the room, I got the basic idea: Epicircle is every bit as eccentric, and as inspiring, as the legendary packrat to whom it pays tribute. The installation is so damn cool I almost wish it coud be permanent--but the notion of "permanent ephemera" is an oxymoron Powell would surely find hilarious.

Important note! If you want to see "Epicenter," HURRY! Today (Friday, July 27) is the last day, and then it will be gone forever.

Scene report: Day One (Thursday)

2007-07-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

After last year's festival, one reader of this blog suggested that we stick to a one-show-per-post principle so it's easier to find info on individual projects in a hurry. Makes sense to me, but I also think there's something to be said for daily "scene reports" as a way to capture the essence of the festival as a whole: the difficult decisions about what to see and why, fleeting observations about peripheral activities that may or may not be "part of" the fest in an official sense, and the ever-important question of economics. So when time permits, I'm gonna do both: write in broad terms about my day at the festival, and also provide more detailed notes on each show I see in separate posts.

I was really wiped out Thursday afternoon, and I didn't feel like I was up for a lot. Besides, even though I'd spent many, MANY hours proofreading the festival brochure and press release, I hadn't taken any time to make up my own personal list of what I wanted to see. I spent at least an hour at home highlighting descriptions of stuff that sounded interesting, then threw up my hands in despair and said, "Oh, the hell with it; I'll just head to Allentown and see what's playing when I get there." Ended up spending another full hour at Jim's SteakOut just mapping out possibilities for Thursday through Saturday, and checking out the fab Artvoice cover story. By the time I was done, I'd already missed at least three shows on my original list, all of which I figured I could catch another day anyway. While there are several full-length, serious plays this weekend that I'd like to see, I just didn't have the energy to commit to an hour-and-a-half-long production. The main thing I knew I wanted to catch was "Epicircle," the Ed Powell retrospective at Rust Belt, and I was very glad I got to spend some time in that amazing installation (which is only up through Friday night).

From there I headed to Sp@ce 224 (my first visit to this ever-changing site since it was a comic book store) for "Call It Chocolate Cake," followed by "Wandering" at College Street Gallery, at which point I realized I'd lost my wallet. Back to Sp@ce 224, where it was waiting for me, and then to Nietzsche's for the tail end of the Kick-Off party, where I caught part of a typically noisy, anarchic set by Josh Strauss and the other members of Forgotten Figures Falling Between Two Twigs.

Walking into Nietzsche's, I couldn't help but notice a huge piece of fabric rolling out the front door like a giant tongue. Music Czar Curt Rotterdam tells me this thing will be reappearing at future showcases, and you're welcome to add your own comments to it. Just like this blog! Long live Infringement!

(That blurry figure to the left is my Dream Cabaret colleague Jeannine Giffear, whom I'd hoped to see in the Genuflektors during the Kick-Off Party, but I missed their set, so I'm gonna have to catch one of their two Steel Crazy gigs later on.)

Amount spent on admissions for the evening (2 performances, 1 concert showcase, 1 exhibition): $1
(Okay, I know I sound like a total cheapskate, but in my defense, I did lose my wallet. And I also shunned one of Artvoice's hot tips for festival survival: I didn't bring enough small bills! Lesson learned...)

The fun part

2007-07-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

After all the months of planning, it's hard to believe the 2007 festival is a reality instead of just a series of agenda items at a meeting in the back room of Staples. "Now comes the fun part," as many of my fellow organizers are fond of saying.

A big part of the fun, at least for me, comes not just from attending lots of shows, but comparing notes on them with other people. That's where this blog comes in: it's a vehicle for anyone and everyone to play critic, advocate (devil's or otherwise), roving reporter, hypester, or any other role that suits you. The main blog innovation this year is that we've tried to organize a small cadre of folks who have volunteered to see as many shows as possible and write about them here on a daily basis. You've already read some of Chris Uebbing's thoughts on Day One; I'm gonna be posting my own mini-reviews in a sec; Lynn Lasota will surely be chiming in soon; Caesandra S. promises to share the many photos she's been taking; and we're hoping to hear from Lawrence Rowswell as well. If you'd like to join the team, just send an email to me at (ronehmke @ hotmail.com) and I'll be happy to add you. (If you're already a member of the blog from last year, you're good to go.)

Of course, if you don't feel like committing to more than an occasional post, you can always click on the "comments" line below any review and add your thoughts about the same show. From time to time, we'll also create spaces where you can write about any show you've seen that we haven't reviewed yet, or simply share your thoughts about the festival in general.

Without further ado, let the games begin.

Cunning Linguists

2007-07-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

In the venerable tradition of "Snap Judgements" this writer is so excited (damn!) about her attendance at the first Infringement installment of "The Art of Ypsilform Dining" this coming (shit!) Saturday that I have to review it BEFORE I'm there.
First, caesandra, thank you for your role as a community service provider. Sorely (oops) needed in this town (I speak from the perspective of a gracefully aging heterosexual female).
Per my observation, the heterosexual male audience at last Saturday's pre-Infringement bash (where a teaser was provided) was divided into two camps: the "I could GIVE this workshop" contingent, and the "Will there be live demos?' crew. I jest; actually this seems like an enlightened batch of folk.
Discussion about this workshop proved fodder for some highly entertaining conversation at the Left Bank last night, as the Infringement calendar worked its way across the bar. A bartender I'll call Jeffrey confirmed my suspicion (with his expertise as the poor man's, well, not POOR, it was the Left Bank....counselor) that cunnilingus is highly preferred to straight..poor choice of words..simple intercourse. Statistically, anecdotally.
I really just want to see who has the stones to show up.
A real review to be posted later.....G'night, all.

Some Hero!

2007-07-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

What a relief to see a professional at work!! Scott Andrew Kurchak's reading of Jon Byrd's "For Want of a Hero" was another of his engaging, impassioned, and moving performances. This is a one-act play depicting a young man's experience with a disabling illness, and his disenchantment with a hero that had sustained him during his early trials. The Infringement Festival is likely to be once again the venue for refining this work-in-progress for a later launch in a more traditional theater setting (see "My Life as an Ape").
To be available (and deservedly, better attended) tomorrow, Wednesday, and next Friday evening @ Squeaky Wheel.
This reviewer is personally jonesing for Scott's "Audition Day" premiere @ Staples on Monday, July 30. Other short films from this same artist will be screened at this time and several more occasions after.

First Night (not to be compared to another event of a decidedly different ilk)

2007-07-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

First foray into Infringement 2007 started with a standing-room only fledgling performance of "CSI:Buffalo"; the half-hour skit parodying the popular prime-time TV show and its' spawn. This one-woman show received polite attention as the comic (who remains unknown by this reporter, clearly lacking in the most rudimentary of detective skills) segued loosely from the predicted format to standup and back again.
Street noise and the humidity were an early distraction.
One young fan in the front in particular seemed to get all the in-jokes accesible to fans of the series(es?). Seems like Buffalo crime solving is light on the forensics, and high on.....intuition???? Humor?
Plenty of opportunity for the show to tighten up a bit, as performances extend though August 5th at the College Street Gallery.

Comments re: schedule release party

2007-07-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

1st installment from this neophyte on the Blog Street Team; my impressions of the schedule release party @ Staples (as tempered by a couple glasses of red grenache recommended by Chris @ the bar) : if this is representative of what's to transpire, we're in good shape.

This event was pretty much what I would have hoped for, a loose combination of thin hustles, intact/succinct segments of full-fleshed performances, and a couple of more lengthy sets by musical acts involved with/appended to the Infringement Festival.

A few of the more notable moments from my perspective......

M.C. Vendetta demonstrating some range by veering pleasantly from her more usual strident and in-your-face political rants with a lovely poem about her mother's acceptance of things broken yet still viable in "Teakettle."

Z Mann Zilla's (self-described as the Laziest Man in Show Business) donation to my vocabulary with "Monochromonotony".

A short excerpt from the Brazen-Faced Varlets ribald romp "A Midsummer Dyke's Dream".

And then regarding some performers who played full sets....

Matthew LaChiusa's vigorous showmanship fronting "Dick Whiskey" was nearly as amazing as the band's insistence on covering some of the most embarrasing components of this writers vinyl collection with aplomb and expertise.

I'm not sure how "infringy" Tori Spark's music is, but it's immaterial as she was just damn good. She was the exhuberant and muscular vocalist/songwriter/guitarist from Tennesee who finished off the core of the evening's performances. The half-dozen or so individuals who were not yet wrapped up in the more social end of the festivities were paying rapt and appreciative attention. If I heard correctly, one of her songs is showcased in Scott Andrew Kurchak's series Audition Day/Summer Shorts. I was enthused enough to buy a CD. She's got a non-Infringement gig (who's keeping score?) at Merlin's on Thursday.

More to come. See you the 26th.

Schedule Release Party THIS Saturday

2007-07-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

July 21st 8pm at Staples Bar on Allen St (across from Nietzches)
Live music and featured festival performers will be present to meet you, schmooze you and figure out the best way to coerce you into attending the Fest!!
(Personally, I prefer rubbing of chest hair, but if you don't have any, we'll think of something else)

Infringe TONIGHT at Soundlab

2007-06-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

BIZARRE BAZAAR

Saturday June 16, 8pm at Soundlab

All proceeds benefit the

2007 BUFFALO INFRINGEMENT FESTIVAL

Music By
Baby Machines
Draconians
Laura Jean and Friends
Ramforkinus
Drivers to Warsaw
Jack Toft and the Vegetables

Live Performances By
Alemaedae Theatre Productions
Caesandra
The Rated-R Rockstar Josh Smith

Film / Video By
Scott Andrew Kurchak
Ron Ehmke
Andrew Michalski
Morphine Heart Productions

Added Attractions!
50/50 Raffle
Indoor Garage Sale: Hidden treasures at rock-bottom prices!

Saturday June 16, 8pm at Soundlab

110 Pearl St. http://www.bigorbitgallery.org/

Suggested donation $5 and up

We're baaaaaack...

2007-06-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

After several months of much-needed hibernation, this newly redesigned blog is back in action. And so is the spirit of Infringement! We've been meeting off and on since March to plan this year's Buffalo Infringement Festival, which runs from Thursday, July 26 to Sunday, August 5, 2007 and things are really starting to heat up. Here's a little of what has happened so far:

*we held our first fundraiser of the year on April 28 at Nietzsche's, featuring the Skiffle Minstrels, Jax Deluca, Z. Mann Zilla, Gentlemen Callerz, Acoustic Therapy and Buffalo Soundpainting Ensemble. Many thanks to all of 'em for helping out!

*proposals for this year's festival have been pouring in; we should have a tentative schedule in the next few weeks, but it already sounds like we're going to have a great mix of artists from past festivals and newcomers.

*the festival was awarded a Certificate of Excellence at the 2007 Arties, the annual theater awards sponsored by Artvoice, for "supporting a breadth of new performance and independent production in Buffalo." Aw, shucks!

And here's what's coming next:

*look for our table in the Allen West festival (ie, the fun part of the Allentown Art Festival) this weekend, June 9-10. There you'll get your first glimpse at our spiffy new postcard designed by the one and only Mr. Paul Szp.

*attend our second fundraiser, "BIZARRE BAZAAR," at Soundlab (110 Pearl,here in Buffalo) on Saturday, June 16 from 8 p.m. until the wee hours. It's a concert! It's a screening! It's a night of wild live performances! It's a chance to buy cheap stuff at an indoor garage sale/Chinese auction! Read all about it (at least until the event itself) here.

*audition to be in someone's show! A bunch of festival directors will be sitting in the back room of Rust Belt Books, 242 Allen Street, on Saturday, June 23, 2007, from noon to 3 p.m. Actors of all ages, ethnicities, and genders are asked to prepare a 2-5-minute monologue of their choice. To schedule a specific audition time, contact Matthew LaChiusa at 716-884-4858 or MORPHINEHEART@msn.com with your name and the time you would like to come in--or just drop by on a first-come, first-served basis.

We also hope you will get even more directly involved in making this year's festival a reality by joining our volunteer organizers. Meetings are fun, funny, and relatively short. The next one will take place Tuesday, June 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the back room of Staples, a.k.a. the bar at "Spirits of Allentown" (near the corner of Allen and Wadsworth).

There's waaaaay more to be said than that; your best bet for keeping informed about the festival is this page on our main site devoted to announcements, meetings, events, and other news.

More to come--promise!

2006-08-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

I see a few people are still dropping by here every day, and I assure you: I still have more to post about the 2006 festival. (OK, so I'm not ready to let go yet... You shoulda seen the looks on people's faces when they saw us organizers meeting yet again @ Hardware last week. "Fools! Don't they know it's OVER?!")

But no posts from me for a while--heading offline for a week, then I'll return with those final thouhts. Don't let my temporary absence stop you from posting some post-fest thoughts of your own in the meantime!

Scene Report: Day 10 (Saturday)

2006-08-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

One lesson I learned last year was that if I didn't post reports like this on the blog within about 24 hours, it was practically a lost cause, because I'd forget what I originally felt about a show, and there would also be about 5 more to deal with on top of the previous 5. I knew that this year, but I came home so wiped out most nights toward the end of the second week that I didn't have the energy to write, no matter how excited I was about a given event. Next day I was torn between catching up on the blog or heading out for more shows. Or dealing with festival business of one kind or another, or maybe just trying to sleep as late as possible.

All of which helps to explain why I missed some shows I really wanted to see, like this one I'd heard so much about and this one by a young playwright/director I had wanted to support. So instead, my day began with a search for

The Allentown Telecommunications System,
a street piece that was supposed to happen on Elmwood between Allen and North. I doubt I would have had much luck finding it if I hadn't experienced artist Julie Perini's project from last year in the same spot.

The original premise this time--a tin can phone stretched across Elmwood--sounded really cool, and I was sad to learn that it had fallen through when Perini's collaborator had to leave town. Here's what happened instead:

The compromise was fun but frankly disappointing, especially because it didn't seem like there was much effort to draw people to the project. It was so subtle that I'm guessing few people ever even noticed it. That's a shame, because the general theme--a clever critique of interpersonal communication in the cell phone era--is well worth exploring. Oh, well: maybe next year.

From there I headed to Cafe 59 for the
Spirit Wind performance.
The fairly tiny space filled up quickly, and more and more people kept pouring in. I was especially gratified to see so many kids at this one--not that it was tailored for children, but it was certainly one of the more accessible events of the festival. Part self-contained dance performance and part lecture-demo, it opened my eyes to the deeper themes and metaphors behind the movement vocabularies of tai chi, kung fu, and other martial arts techniques. (It put the "art" in "martial arts," you might say.)

I was expecting something a little more New Age-y, but K G Price's partly improvised keyboard and percussion score was a lot more aggressive than meditative in spots, much to my relief. I kept thinking the performance would have worked really well outdoors, say in Days Park, but one of the performers told me afterward that the group rehearses/performs there every Sunday anyway, and they needed level ground for some of what they wanted to do in this show.

Speaking of Days Park, that lovely spot became my next stop for the evening as I enjoyed the concert by Montreal songwriter/guitarist
Francis Halin
with his bass player (whose name I can no longer remember because I waited so long to post this).

Small turnout, and I wish there'd been at least three times more people. Granted, the brochure description was misleading: this was not a poetry reading, it was a collection of poems by French and Quebecoise writers from the 70s set to music, in addition to several of Halin's own verse. The lyrics were in French, a language few of us spoke, but that didn't matter one bit to me since Halin's guitar playing was so pleasant, his melodies so catchy, and his between-song patter so charming. (Well, I'm focussing on the poppier side of his work; there were also plenty of darker, nearly atonal aspects, too.) He generated a lot of positive word of mouth, and impressed everyone in attendance by giving away copies of a special Buffalo CD sampler from three of his recordings. It was clear he was sharing his music for the sheer love of doing so, and that made the concert all the more enjoyable. Keep an eye and an ear out for him, and hope he returns to town someday soon.

Grabbed a quick meal at Hardware Cafe, then enjoyed a second helping of Pan-o-Matic's combination broadcast/street performance
The Zero Hour.
I had loved this at the Albright-Knox, but felt overwhelmed and overloaded then, and wanted to experience it again.

The first time around, what I had enjoyed most (and wanted to be able to enjoy even more) was the freeform audio collage, but the Rust Belt version was much more interactive, more of a street spectacle. True, my particular group did not actually enter Sweet Tooth and order ice cream in the languages we'd just learned from each other (though other groups evidently did), but we did do the Time Warp to squaredance music, and pretty much everything else our guides instructed us to do. My favorite moment came when an older couple abandoned their initial plan to get sweet treats (in English, I assume) and joined us instead in the wearing of the ridiculous foil hats. Well, the wife joined in while the husband stood patiently by as she lined up at the Rust Belt window, waved her hands to the music, TimeWarped, and everything else. In its combination of a simple concept with multple layers of content, The Zero Hour is surely one of my favorite public art performances in a long, long time.

I had to leave the broadcast in order to prepare for Ronawanda's 10 p.m. appearance.

MC Vendetta
was wrapping up her latest show when I got to the Hardware Cafe just before 10:

The second annual Shakespeare in the Parking Lot (okay, Parking Space)
was next. Scott Kurchak and I emceed again this year, and the audience did the rest, rooting through props and costumes from the trunk of my car (one of two vehicles which doubled as lighting instruments, with some assistance from flashlight-wielding onlookers). We could only go on as long as there were performers willing to spout some Shakespeare, and that meant about 30 minutes this year, much to the disappointment on late arrivals. Some folks used the scripts we provided, others delivered soliloquies they knew by heart, and a couple of folks ventured into the realm of poetry slam, which seemed like a signal that it was time to wrap things up. Judging from audience response, you can pretty much count on this returning next year. Makes a nice tradition for the penultimate night of the festival. (I think we can use a few more participatory events, too, so if you have any ideas in that department, propose 'em in 2007.)

Here's Kim Young as Lady Macbeth:

and here's a nice shot of the crowd:

Special thanks to John Carocci for these two photos, and the many others from SITPL he has posted here. Much nicer than my cell phone pix, wouldn't you say?

Topped off the evening at La Tee Da for Happy Hour, where I reconnected with old friends and made new ones, then slumped home (skipping the band lineup at Merlin's, much as I wanted to check it out) to rest up before Day 11. Watch for a report on that one, soon.

Amount spent on admissions for the day (6 shows total): $14 (I donated an extra large amount to Francis H since I was the guy who talked him out of charging $9)

It's over, but it's not over

2006-08-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

Just got home from the Closing Night Party at Nietzsche's, and like everybody else in attendance, I'm wiped out. Fear not: I still have two more "Scene Reports" to file, plus a few random observations, and I will do so as soon as I regain consciousness.

But this seems like a nice place to invite you, gentle reader, to share your thoughts on the festival--the highs, the lows, what you loved, what you hated, what you would like to see next year. (A word about that last part: NOTHIN' happens unless someone makes it happen, so you're welcome to say "I want more stuff to see 10 more venues in 2007," but we're going to hope that means you are volunteering to work on the Venue Committee--and we will welcome you with open arms!)

FYI, our wrapup meeting is this coming Wednesday, August 6, at 6 p.m. in the Allen Street Hardware Cafe (245 Allen St.) We'd love it if you showed up in person to share your thoughts, but if you can't make it, post suggestions and feedback here and we will share them with the group.

After the meeting, we'll all take a break for the rest of the year (hallelujah!) and probably reconvene in January to start planning next summer's festival. (Once again, the last week of July and the first week of August.) And we are definitely going to need fresh help to pull it off. Watch the main site for details about future meetings. (If I remember, I'll post 'em here, too, along with minutes of each meeting--if I get that ambitious.)

So stay tuned for some more Ron-posts in a day or two. It's gonna be hard to stop!

Off the beaten path: Gusto at the Gallery and Rock'n'Bowl

2006-08-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

There was a certain small amount of controversy among the Infringement organizers this spring about whether we should take the festival into totally un-fringe-y spaces like the Albright-Knox (which also happens to be quite far from the heart of the action in Allentown). I was all for it, because I want to do everything in my power to help audiences and artists find each other, and I couldn't care less about distinctions like "mainstream" and "alternative." Back in the day (ie, the 60s and early 70s) , some of Buffalo's major cultural organizations (the AKAG, the BPO, Studio Arena) were hotbeds of experimentation and collaboration; it was only when they started to ossify that artists felt a pressing need to start creating grassroots alternatives. Under the directorship of Louis Grachos, the gallery has taken a huuuuuuuge leap forward in recent years, and its "Gusto at the Gallery" series of free Friday events is an unmistakeable sign that the museum is once again embracing not just (truly) contemporary culture but local culture as well.

Judging from Friday's mini-infringement fest, I'd say the gallery was a great fit for the fest after all. The lineup, like the rest of the festival, was an uncurated grab-bag and unfolded in numerous sites around the museum. Sadly, I missed the site-specific production of The Staircase (after missing every one of its performances at Nickel City as well, dammit) and the dance piece by Janet Reed and her company, and I only caught the final moments of Kathleen Foster's poetry-and-visual-art piece, ...And So I Moved to Buffalo:

I did manage to see the strolling madrigal singers the Western New York Chorale performing first in the auditorium and then in the sculpture court:

Anyone who thinks the festival is nothing but a collection of oddball avant-garde bizarreness (not that there's anything wrong with that) might be advised to take note of this community chorus performing music from the pre-medieval era through the 19th century in a fairly straightforward (if informal) way. I had misread the description of their program and expected a full bill of ballads from the early days of sailing on the Great Lakes, but those didn't come along until fairly late in the set. Perhaps because that was what I was expecting, I thought those songs were the strongest part of the performance, and I also thought the show worked much better outdoors than in the auditorium, but I loved the very fact that these men and women were part of Infringement.

Where else could you go from sea shanteys and medieval polyphony to hiphop in the space of an hour? I'd really enjoyed Aaron Piepszny's dancing in the Temporary Dream/Nimbus show the night before, and I wasn't quite sure at first if it was the same guy wowing the crowd in the Lower East Gallery,but it was:

That photo absolutely does not do justice to the power of Piepszny's performance. For one thing, he was constantly in motion, his body a veritable museum of classic breakdance, locking, robot, and other pop culture moves spiced up with the language of contemporary dance. You also don't get to see the impressive audience he gathered--young and old, black and white, (ahem) "mainstream" and "alternative," etc. A delightful festival moment.

As was the segment that followed, in which Annette Daniels Taylor (a Gusto regular by now) and the Flawless Records team offered up their signature blend of spoken word, R&B, gospel, and hiphop.

Throughout all of this, people were strolling all over the gallery wearing the unmistakeable headgear of The Zero Hour:

I'll say more about this incredibly fun mobile radio broadcast in a separate post (since I revisited it the following day in its Allentown digs), but let me just say it was a mind-expanding way to experience the Albright. As a friend and I wandered aimlessly wherever the signal allowed us, we'd bump into other foil-hat-wearing gallery goers, and many bemused newcomers. I talked to another (non-equipped) friend for at least 5 minutes before she caught on that we were listening to something in the headphones beneath the crazy headgear. "Ohhhhhhh," she said when I finally let her listen in. "I thought you just got really high before you came to the gallery and decided to wear foil on your heads."

After we left the museum, we headed even farther away from Allentown, to the Kenmore Lanes for a taste of Rock-n-Bowl 2006:

This WBNY-sponsored event would have gone on with or without the festival (and I doubt there was much crossover in terms of audience), but it looked like folks were having a great time. We couldn't stay long because we had to meet up with still more friends returning from the previous night's Flaming Lips/Death Cab for Cutie show in Cleveland to compare notes. I would have loved to have seen the Cleveland concert, but nothing on earth could have dragged me away from Buffalo this week.

Temporary Dream

2006-08-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

I caught this show on its second and final night at Gallery 164. (Ah, if only it had had a longer run!) Given how impressed I was by the last event I'd seen in this space by the same folks, Story of a Girl back in April, there was no way I was going to miss this one.

If you ask me, choreographer Beth Elkins and designer/architect Brad Wales of Nimbus Dance have done more for movement/performance in WNY than just about anyone else I can name. Granted, I don't follow local dance that much, mainly because I haven't cared for most of what I've seen--until these folks came along. Their combination of movement, media, live music, and other material feels fresh and exciting. I've seen other artists using many of the same tools in other cities--primary in the East Village in the mid80s and early 90s--but this doesn't seem like a retread, more like a reinvention for a new place and time. Watching Thursday night's show I had the strongest sense yet that Buffalo's live performance scene is in a kind of golden age right now.

This was a perfect coming-together of artists from several media whose individual work I've long admired: media artists Brian Milbrand, Meg Knowles, and Vince Mistrettra, musician/video artist Dave Gracon and his band (they're really the ones called "Temporary Dream," I believe), architect Wales, dancer/choreographer Elkins, and her small but amazing company of performers.

While the evening had a looser structure and theme than Story, it held together beautifully, since all the elements were so strong. I enjoyed it all, but Brian Milbrand's 3-screen projection The Film Robert Longo Should've Made was a particular favorite. Think of it as a remix, in the DJ sense, of Longo's horribly disappointing feature film debut, Johnny Mnemonic. By eliminating the (silly) plot and all the dialogue (thus rendering Keanu Reeves blissfully mute), replacing the original's color with breathtakingly crisp black-and-white, and presenting the whole thing as a triptych with live accompaniment by Gracon and company (sounding very much like early Longo buddy Glenn Branca's group), Milbrand created something that totally lived up to its title:

The final piece of the evening brought everything together: the band played while the dancers did lots of aerial work (on straps hanging from the ceiling, as rigged by Wales); meanwhile Milbrand and Mistretta were hand-manipulating 16mm film (live!) and projecting results on the dancers' bodies:

FYI, the male dancer in these photos is Aaron Piepszny, and I saw his solo piece at the Albright-Knox Friday. If you read this in time, you may still be able to catch his show at College Street Gallery on Sunday night at 7.

Like everyone else in Thursday's show, he's evidence of a wonderful moment in Buffalo's cultural history.

Infringies (aka The IFfys): The do-it-yourself awards

2006-08-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

Several audience members have suggested that there by some sort of end-of-festival awards as a way of singling out particular shows and performances from among the 200 or so total. Now, we infringement organizers can be a contentious group, but we pretty unanimously nixed this idea for two reasons, one philosophical and the other logistical:
1. It goes totally counter to the spirit of the festival, encourages competition instead of collaboration, sets up a potentially bad vibe, etc., and
2. It's physically impossible for any one person to see everything in the festival, so there's no way to objectively rank stuff.

So instead of a panel of jurors, we thought it might be fun if EVERYONE felt free to create awards of their own--not just for shows, but for audience members, venues, weather conditions, you name it. Some random examples we've tossed around for awards beyond the usual kind: drunkest audience member, smallest crowd, most creative use of a small budget, etc. But really: use your imagination. Be as serious or as silly as you want. IF we get enough of these before Sunday night's ultra-casual Closing Night Party at Nietzsche's, maybe we'll read 'em out loud. If not, they'll be here for all the world to see until the end of time, or until Blogger goes out of business, whichever comes first.

Post your nominees/winners in the comments section below.

Brush up your Shakespeare!

2006-08-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

As I write this, SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKING LOT is mere hours away. This late night event was so much fun last year that we decided to bring it back once more.

This is self-serve Shakespeare--it's up to the audience to make the show, so bring your own props, costumes, and scripts, or use ours. (Hot tip: you can download selected monologues here
and full plays here.)

Of course, you're welcome to just watch, too. Emcees Ronawanda and Auntie Establishment will do their best to make sure a goodly time is had by all.

Saturday, August 5th at 10 PM
in front of
The Allen Street Hardware Store Café
245 Allen Street
It’s FREE!!!

SOME IMPORTANT FESTIVAL UPDATES

2006-08-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Infringers - Just a quick update to let you all know about a few new cancellations we've had at Day's Park:

S.Vestas, the fire dancers everyone's been talking about, had to cancel all of their remaining The Sky Could Fall shows. They will not be performing anymore this weekend.

Also, Laughing at Clouds is cancelled for Saturday and Congenitalia is cancelled for Sunday.

But there's good news too - Francis Halin will still be performing his remaining shows at the park. I did not see his show on Friday night, but heard from another Infringer that it was incredible - some great music.

There's still plenty more Infringement left too and only two more days to take it all in. Keep checking our festival website and the festival info hotline (408.0488) for all the latest updates.

UNDERGROUND, OVER THE MOON

2006-08-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

This puppetry piece by Michele Costa of TheatreFiguren is really magnificent. A tribute to the underground railroad, it's filled with inspirational moments of perseverance and the stuggle for liberty. There are also some great voiceovers quoting Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass as well as the other usual suspects on the subject.

The performance is geared toward children. The kid in me always loves watching puppetry, but I honestly think people of any age will enjoy this show -- not only because of the significance of the subject matter, but also just because of the raw beauty of Michele puppets and puppeteering. The music, the voiceovers, the intensity of Michele's performance, and the unmistakable presence of the spirits of those who struggled to travel on the Underground Railroad, all come together in this piece to make for a very magical experience.

Yet another infringement show you don't want to miss. Only one performance remaining so don't miss it on Saturday!

Kinda Sexy

2006-08-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

The Sky Could Fall
Overheard at the end of last night's show presented by S.Vestas (the fire dancers):

First guy in a trance-like state, "That was kinda sexy. Women and fire."
Second guy in a trance-like state simply responded, "Yeah."

Perhaps they were so subdued by the fire because that's all they could say before wandering off. But then, who hasn't been drawn in by watching fire in motion at some point in their lives? Staring into a bonfire, letting a match burn down until it almost reaches your fingers, using sparklers to write your name in air...fire can be powerful, scary, relaxing, seductive...it all depends on you.

(A note to parents: Fear not, for as Ron said earlier, the show is still definitely suitable for the young ones. For a more in depth review and an "obligatory crappy cell phone shot" see Ron's post below.)

S.Vestas did indeed hold their mayhem parade from Nickel City down Allen Street right into Day's Park before their show. There were probably around a dozen people (many of them in some sort of costume), but it seemed like more - mostly due to all the noise they were making. It was a happy noise though - my favorite was the five gallon bucket used as a drum. I was in front of Nietzsche's when they went by and everyone outside the bar stopped to feast their eyes on this delightful spectacle. If we're lucky, they'll parade again. You have three more chances to catch this enchanting show.

The fire dancers aren't the only women bringing heat to this year's festival...

Flawless Presents: Words and Music
As part of this Flawless Records performance, Annette Daniels Taylor simply steals the show. Last night at Nietzsche's was the second time I saw her perform as part of Words and Music. I've seen her perform solo twice before (both times in connection with Infringement) and every time I've seen her up on stage she has just blown me away. She has a lot of power in her voice, not just in the way she speaks and sings, but also in what she has to say. She does a beautiful spoken word piece in honor of her Grandma Cilla Mae, who has clearly been a huge influence in her life - that piece alone is worth coming out to see the show. Annette has an incredible stage presence and she knows how to work an audience. Before she was done, several people who were up front (waiting to see another band that was not part of Infringement) came to the back to hear her perform.

Of course, Annette doesn't do all this alone. She has a lot of help from DJ Reazon, JHeat, MODES and Aaron Piepzny. Flawless describes their show as a stylistic collaboration between musical beats and poetic lyricism. All of these performers do have a lot of style - the beats and the lyricism go down smooth. Be good to your ears and take in this show while you still can. Their last performance is tonight during Gusto at the Gallery at Albright Knox.

Saucebox
This group originally formed in 2001 as a forum for young women writers. Eventually they split up and went their separate ways, but two of it's founding members have regrouped with some new women artists. And just in time too...seven of these women are using their talents over the course of Infringement to celebrate and give voice to who they are and women everywhere, past and present.

When I saw this show early on in the festival, the line-up included four of the women. Katherine DuVall, a visual artist, brought several of her pieces to the show that were on display all around the room. It is well worth spending some time checking it out after the performance (the work she brings to the show is all for sale). The other three women were all spoken word artists: MC Vendetta, Kisha Patterson-Tanski and Robin Brox, founder of Saucebox and host for the evening.

If you've never heard MC Vendetta perform, you really should. She warmed up the crowd with a couple of her shorter poems before doing a longer piece from her other show Preserving Our American Way of Life (you can catch that show this Saturday and Sunday). She has a lot to say and does so with great passion, intensity and guts. Her words clearly invoked strong feelings in the audience and reached across the generations too - an older couple came in at the beginning of her Preserving piece and were so absolutely impressed by her words, that they immediately bought a cd and couldn't stop raving about her (even though Robin was already up on stage doing her thing).

Perhaps my favorite thing about this show was that each artist had such a different style. Robin and Kisha each performed in a quieter, calmer fashion. That is not to say they were any less passionate about spoken word or their own performances, they just delivered their words in a subtler way. Some of their poems were still pretty intense, but they also brought a lot of humor to this show.

My only regret is that I cannot see all of their performances. All four of these women appeared again last Sunday along with two new performers, Shayna Raichilson-Zadok and Elizabeth Mariani. While I did not see that show, I did hear something about dueling fiddles (?) from someone who did. I don't know about the specifics on that, but you can find out for yourself. The last Saucebox performance is tonight at Rust Belt Books and will include spoken word by six of the women, including a first appearance by Rebecca Stanievich, and on the night before her wedding no less.

Three More Days...
There are plenty of other shows to see too, but only three days of Infringment remain, so whatever you think you might want to see, just get out and see it while you still can.

Scene Report: Day 7 (Wednesday)

2006-08-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

Queen Kong
Dana Block takes the notion of a one-person show to the limit: not only does she play all the characters, but admission ($5 or pay-what-you-can) is via an unstaffed can, stage lighting is nonexistent, she runs the sound herself, and does a costume change midperformance, beseeching the audience to enjoy the music on the boombox while she's gone and everything else grinds to a halt.

This show is nuts, and I mean that in the best possible way. Take the premise: Leni Reifenstahl (under a slightly different moniker, but how many other 90-year-old German women film directors can you name?) plots a comeback by filming a new version of King Kong starring Ken and Barbie. The usual complications ensue.

I really don't want to give too much away, especially since the whole show is less than half an hour long, but there's just so damn much good stuff here, including the best use of both slam poetry and the Vagina Monologues I've seen. Oh, and here's the Queen herself:

There's something delightful, and also a little off-putting, about the sight of a grown woman playing with dolls and costumes with this much abandon. I thought at various points about Gilda Radner, Andy Kaufman, and especially Pee Wee Herman--but I'm only mentioning those revered names to provide some reference for Block's idiosyncratic craft, in which the toys of childhood are used for thoroughly adult purposes. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I walked in (probably a far more sedate multi-character comic monologue), and I completely enjoyed the whole bizarre adventure. Leni assured the crowd it was a work in progress, and I'm pretty tempted to return near the end of the run to see where the hell it all ends up. If you appreciate a truly eccentric sense of humor and relish rough edges as much as I do, you'll want to check this out for sure. (The show continues every day through Sunday at Rust Belt.)

Journey to the West
All of us organizer types were astounded when we learned that an artist was planning to come all the way from Taiwan to perform a 15-minute puppet/video piece twice during the festival. Sadly, the live portion of the show was not to be, but the video seems to stand on its own just fine. The short, witty animation/live action segment was fun and just weird enough to leave folks scratching their heads.

Ask Her to Dance
I wanted to be sure to support this new project by two young media artists (Brian James Griffo and Ryan James Detzel) not only because the stills on their site looked cool but because they just seemed so excited about being part of the festival and I didn't want them to be disappointed with a small turnout. Little did I know they'd pack Hallwalls' screening room with very little help from me or anyone else! Their video, a travelogue of their journey to Thailand, was technically quite impressive--a real treat for the eyes (and the ears, since it feels a bit like a music video for a 70-minute mix tape--a really nice mix tape at that). I confess I had my qualms about the content--which was somewhat interesting as an abstract portrait of a foreign country seen through the eyes of American visitors; not so interesting when the two filmmakers were onscreen, at which points it seemed too much like (extremely well-edited) vacation footage. Much of the imagery here was glorious to behold purely on a visual level--I just wish there was more going on beneath the dazzling surface. (Though I admit I ducked out early in time to get to a 9 o'clock show, so maybe I missed something crucial near the end.) The tape will make a killer demo reel should these guys decide to pursue jobs in the industry, and I wish them luck if that's their goal (even if it's not a particularly infringe-y one--but hey, maybe they'll donate a portion of their first million to the festival...). No matter what, they've got a good feel for the possibilities of their chosen medium, and I expect to see great stuff from them in the future.

The Sky Could Fall
Watching this Montreal-based duo breathe, eat, twirl, and dance with fire in Days Park with an audience of 100 other folks was one of those moments I'm going to cherish from this year's festival for a long time to come. I'm having trouble finding words to describe this one, but then why do I need to bother? If that last sentence isn't enough to get you out to the park after the sun goes down between Thursday and Sunday night, then you clearly have no idea what a special opportunity awaits you there:

That's a burning umbrella, in case you can't tell from my obligatory crappy cell phone shot. John Carocci, my colleage in the Real Dream Cabaret, has posted some far better images from tonight's show here, and the group's own site has many more from past performances around the world--but trust me, no photo can capture the experience of fire in motion. FYI, this is one Infringment show you can bring the kids to see with no qualms. (Bonus FYI: The group announced after the show that they are planning a "mayhem parade" from Nickel City Co-Op to Days Park starting at 8 p.m. tomorrow, although that was before they learned the Violent Femmes are at Lafayette Square.)

Happy Hour at La Tee Da
I finally made it to La Tee Da, the festival's nightly post-show hangout. Heard this was hoppin' last Saturday; tonight there were about three tables' worth of folks I recognized as performers and/or organizers, along with a nice jazz combo. Lots of talk of plans for the future, a little festival gossip, tasty bread and hummus, and 2-for-$5 beers. Can't beat that.

Amount spent on admissions for the evening (4 shows total): $8 + the boombox I donated to S. Vestas for the run of their show.

Sincerity Forever

2006-08-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a little beef of mine: David Mamet gets all this attention for being some great master of dialogue, when in fact there are plenty of other contemporary playwrights out there doing pretty amazing things with language, and not in nearly so formulaic a fashion. Take Mac Wellman, whose 1990 play Sincerity Forever makes something entirely fresh out of one of Mamet's favorite devices: endless repetition of simple phrases (many of them commonly considered obscene). Most of the characters in this brief (under an hour) show are ostensibly smalltown Klansmen, but they behave like horny high school students while simultaneously addressing the Big Questions of existence itself. (Spoiler: the answers to those questions involve potty-mouthed furballs.) "Life is so mystical sometimes," one of them says during one of many moments that seems straight out of an updated remake of Our Town (albeit an NC-17 remake).

Wellman has been a highly regarded writer for the stage for a couple of decades now, but as far as I know the Subversive Theatre's is probably the first local production of one of his plays. And it's a doozy, staged under the stars on a set that consists of a vintage Mustang convertible, behind Quaker Bonnet on Allen St.:

There's no place I would rather have been on the hottest night of the year than watching this show, revelling in Wellman's often-hilarious flights of fancy as delivered by a wonderful ensemble cast.

On the night I went, director (and festival poobah) Kurt Schneiderman introduced the play by mentioning its origins in the heyday of the NEA culture wars at the start of the 1990s, but don't get the wrong idea: this is by no means a period piece. You don't really need to know anything about its historical context to appreciate the message; in fact, in these days of rampant religious fundamentalism on multiple fronts, I'd say it feels more relevant than ever.

(An added bonus, if you want to call it that, to Tuesday night's performance came from a particularly noisy voice during the masterful final scene that I first assumed belonged to a cast member--particularly since the voice was spewing the same wild and nonsensical profanity as the characters in the show. Turns out this interruption was not in the script, but the cast incorporated it so briliantly that my head started to spin. Infringement, like those furballs, is a force beyond anyone's control, it appears.)

Three more chances to catch this one as of now; click here for details.

Rants 'n' Raves

2006-08-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

My last few multi-artist reviews took up a lot of room, so here's another of those periodic spaces where you can post reviews of your own. Have at it! (And if you want to file "scene reports" of your own, feel free to email them to me and I'll gladly post 'em for you. The more voices, the merrier around here.)

Scene Report: Day 5 (Monday)

2006-08-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Caught two shows back to back at Nietzsche's last night, and it's hard to imagine two more different events in the same room (both of them well worth my time):

Locust Sympathizer
I missed the first half of this show, but I got the basic idea pretty fast: dark ambient industrial sounds, most of them produced by Ben Hockenberry adjusting a table full of knobs and plugs. Samples of The Decider in Chief uttering fragmentary phrases like "America must reward..." and "Justice is distorted..."

If all that sounds familiar and/or off-putting, be aware that Hockenberry's approach to the genre also incorporates traditional American folk instruments like a banjo, washtub, and jug, which tells me he's up to a lot more than just making noise. (He had an accomplice, but the other guy was mostly hidden behind the aforementioned table, squatting on the ground.)

It's dark music for dark times. Given that folks on the other side of the world are busily blowing each other up while our little festival rages on, it feels perfectly right for this particular moment in history. You've got one more chance to catch this, Thursday, August 3rd, from 8:30-9:00 p.m. (That show is a shared bill with Praying For Oblivion.)

Ramona and Juliet
At the opposite end of the spectrum in every way was this fast, funny, four-person feminist re-envisioning of Romeo and Juliet. I happened to catch the opening night not only of the play, but of the new company presenting it, Brazen-Faced Varlets, and I am completely convinced that both are going to cause a sensation in this town. The room was full (on a Monday night, no less), and people loved the show. DC-based playwright Shawn Northrip (a boy writing quite skillfully about girl stuff, ladies and gentlemen) ditches 98% of Shakespeare's dialogue but retains the essential plot of R&J (based on my super-fuzzy memory of it)--only now the central battle is not between two families or even the Sharks and the Jets, but between queers and homophobes. The laughs are broad (and raunchy) as all get-out, but they are relentless, and every single cast member in the quartet--Heather Fangsrud, Lara Haberberger, Kelly Beuth, and Katie White--does a beautiful job delivering them. (Beuth and White must play a dozen characters between them.) Nietzsche's is not the most lavish setting in town for live theater, which makes their collective accomplishment all the more impressive. (Here's hoping they make a cameo appearance during this year's Shakespeare in the Parking Lot this Saturday, hint hint.)

I've been missing Hag Theatre since they evaporated a couple of years ago, and the arrival of BFV is an extremely encouraging sign for the future of lesbian and/or feminist theater in Buffalo. Welcome, welcome!

There are three more performances of Ramona during the festival--tonight through Thursday night--and I have a feeling you'd better arrive early, because something tells me this one's gonna be packed.

Amount spent on admissions for the evening (2 shows total): $5

Scene Report: Day 4 (Sunday), Part Two

2006-08-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

Handclaps and Cowbells: A Klezmer Dance Party

I was so tired by the time the sun was setting Sunday night that I almost didn't go to Soundlab, but I'm mighty glad I did, because this Paul Kozlowski-curated evening was a high point of the festival for me so far. The space was used brilliantly, starting with a shadow play (masterminded by an artist whose name I didn't catch) featuring a huge cast of puppeteers and musicians in one nook of the room:

Then came The Baby Machines on the main stage for some relatively straightforward, very catchy indie rock featuing a strong lead vocalist (who later cameoed during one of Paul's numbers):

Next up was Gaybot from Rochester. Sheer insanity. I described it to one latecomer as the look and sound of a human brain melting. I forget how many people were in the band, and it was hard to tell because throughout the night there were so many people running around in bizarre costumes that you were never quite sure who was "in" what. Safest to say we were all a part of everything, although only a few of us came wearing feathers, rubber nipple-y outfits, or other festive attire. I do know for sure that Gaybot included one cheerleader, one guitarist playing heavy metal cock-rock solos that were always being interrupted by other band members, and one guy who stood completely still on the edge of the stage like those guys that used to accompany Public Enemy--at least until he burst into maniacal dancing for about thirty seconds, then stopped. Instruments were bashed, PA-system speakers were whirled around, and general mayhem ruled. The word "Gaybot" appeared often during their lyrics. I thought of Negativland a little. And I was glad no one got hurt.

After that, Paul K (and his partner whose name I never know) got the whole room dancing to his virtuoso flamenco guitar playing, and without losing a beat, the 12/8 Path Band took over. I am normally not the biggest fan of the 12/8 and was a little skeptical about how they'd go over at Soundlab, but I'll be damned if they didn't rock the house. Their blend of New Orleans brass band and Latin and African rhythms was so much fun, and such a huge crowd hit, that I'm pretty sure almost everyone in attendance will be remembering that night for a long time to come. I turned to a friend of mine at the bar and said, "When is the rest of the world finally going to catch on to what an amazing hotbed Buffalo's art/music scene is?"

I had intended to leave many hours earlier, but I was having such a great time I couldn't get out the door. By the time Dimetrodon played (the band I had originally come to see!), it was getting late, so I figured I could catch a few numbers and then depart. I know 'em, I love 'em, but I had to get some sleep sooner or later.

Thanks to all the musicians, to masterful Paul K, to Curt Rotterdam and Kyle Price, and to Craig Reynolds and everyone at Soundlab for a wonderful night.

Amount spent on admissions for the day (4 shows total): $6

The Real Dream Cabaret melts in your mouth

2006-07-31T22:20:00.000-07:00

Kudos to this year's Infringement performance by TRDC. A rather "quiet" piece compared to the usual hootenanny the cabaret is known for. "The Picture" exposed the hidden history of the infamous, mysterious and utterly divine Dorian Gray, beloved to both Styx, Bono Vox and Motley Crue (according to the word of wisdom wikipedia). I laughed. I laughed. I laughed. I almost cried but somehow it did not become a part of me. But all the same a truly remarkable performance even without the lovely Katie Young (absent at Sunday matinee due to globalization) and her OCD cement monologue. And this year's fashions! Miss Ronawanda you make Miss America look like peat bog. Throw her the towel (jacket)!!!!!
yours truly, sr

Scene Report: Day 4 (Sunday), Part One

2006-07-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

Once the Real Dream show ended around 3 pm, I was finally free to get out and start seeing more of the festival. I was still pretty groggy, but I managed to make it to...

Subversations
Even though I was exhausted enough to want to fall asleep the minute I sat down at Squeaky, Brian Fending's long-distance collaboration with Ric Royer was so exciting that I felt totally energized when it was done. The project compiles recordings of 8 people telling stoies from their lives, chops each oral history into tiny chunks, and then recombines them in a random, computer-generated sequence (preserving the beginnings, middles, and endings in that rough order). This might sound really dry and electronic and inaccessibly avant-garde, and you might be expecting a lot of this:

But that only happened during the setup. The actual "performance" looked pretty much like this:

In other words, bare stage, no human interaction whatsoever. I realize that may sound even less appealing than watching a guy twiddle knobs, but trust me: it works, thanks in part to the voices telling the stories, all of whom are endlessly listenable. (The tales themselves seem to have something to do with cross-country travels, orthodox Jews, and a porn version of Tron, among many other things.) The concept owes a bit to the audio experiments of John Cage and Glenn Gould, but the end result is incredibly entertaining. If you're a fan of This American Life, you should love this. (And the producers of that show would be wise to pick up on this project, even if some of the best lines would have to be bleeped out.)

There's another performance of the show this Thursday evening at 7:30 at Squeaky, and Fending is doing a different project on Friday at Squeaky at 8:30. Based on this one, it promises to be interesting.

Palimpsest
Festival PooBah Kurt Schneiderman was sitting next to me during this movement piece at College Street Gallery by Brittany Murchie, and when it was over he raved, "This is exactly what Infringement is all about!" I totally agreed with his comment. Murchie is a relatively young dancer/performer trying out an idea, and that's why the festival exists. She is exploring terrain that many women artists before her have explored--which is why it didn't totally blow me away, but that's no reason why a new generation can't also give this material their own spin (and thank god somebody is still raising the issues Murchie raises in the era of Paris Hilton and Christina Agulera!). I don't want to reveal too much of what goes on, but here's a shot of the opening tableau:

Between this shot and the last one of Subversations, you're probably wondering if there are any human beings in this year's festival, but fear not-- here's Murchie in action:

The movement is impressive, the staging is just plain cool, and the piece has a wonderful soundtrack. I also appreciate the fact that piece is only about 15-20 minutes long; the dance makes its point and then ends without any extraneous filler, and it's a perfect appetizer-sized offering for an action-packed festival. You have several more chances to catch this, and it's well worth the visit.

College Street Block Party
This low-key affair offered free food, a chance to catch up with friends and festival peformers/organizers, and several bands. I caught one punk group (never learned the name) and then saw the Pamplemousse Explosion one more time. Totally different setting and crowd than Merlin's the night before, but once again they delighted the audience. Wish more people could have seen them; hope they come back to town soon. They say they're heading back to Montreal with fond thoughts of Allentown, the festival, and Buffalo in general. Next year we hope to have details on the block party in time to include them in festival materials.

Reviews, previews, and other festival talk

2006-07-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

Here's another space for you to add your two cents. Just click on the word "comments" below.

The Real Dream Cabaret's "The Picture"

2006-07-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all - Lynn here with a very quick report on a show I saw yesterday:

"The Picture" presented by the Real Dram Cabaret: it's their interpretation of the book "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde. Admission to the show is your hourly wage and it was well worth every hard-earned cent. I traded an hour of my work for an hour of theirs - I have to say I think they work much harder than I do though and their work is truly so much more enjoyable!

I never did read the book they adapted and now I think I never shall. While it was a rather loose interpretation, I'll still happily consider this show as my Cliff notes. If only all the books on my highschool reading list could've been this much fun! "The Picture" was just so creative and laugh out loud funny...there was some really beautiful singing, dancing, all manner of costume changes, a magic cat, even candy and jello shots...and oh, so much more...

Well, you'll just have to go see for yourself, but do it today - their last show is at 2 pm.

Now I'm off to see The Pamplemousse Explosion at Nietzsche's...

Word from the New Phoenix and beyond

2006-07-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

Hey, all! This is Virginia, Director of The Respectful Prostitute at The New Phoenix Theatre on the Park, and co-actor with the fabulous David Autovino in The Staircase at Nickel City Co-Op. So far, all has gone very well with my shows and with the shows at the Phoenix where I am Venue Czar. Great feedback from audience members, although more would certainly be appreciated!

Must-see shows being presented at The Phoenix (besides my own, of course) are Action Theatre's No Title featuring some of the best young actors I've seen in this area; and Totally Liegl Productions' Holy Crap and Breaking the Chain, two short plays which had me laughing out loud! A little longer and more serious is The Immaculate, a Ghost Story, a play by a new playwright which has come a long way since its inception. This show is very well acted, thought-provoking, and different from most of the other shows in the Festival. It is definitely worth a viewing!

Due to my many duties at the Phoenix, I haven't been able to get out to see any other events (although I am going to try and sneak away to a few!). Good luck to all the participants and hope to see you soon!!!

The Pamplemousse Explosion

2006-07-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

As Anthony Chase suggests in his Artvoice story on the festival, Infringement can be a chance to broaden your horizons, move outside your safety zone, etc. And so it was that for the first time in my 25 years of living in Buffalo, I found myself inside Merlin's tonight.

I was there to see the Pamplemousse Explosion, a Montreal band that came highly recommended by uber-Infringer Jason of Car Stories. Truly had no idea what to expect, and I was very pleasantly surprised by what I saw and heard: keyboard and drum duo (Anna Luisa Daigneault and Sam Vipond) playing a very catchy batch of musically sophisticated cabaret-ish art songs with a jazz vibe that sometimes took a turn toward punk/hardcore in intensity (well, as hardcore as you can get with electric piano as one of your main instruments). I thought at times of both Bjork and Zappa, though mostly I just enjoyed their thoroughly unique sound, peppered as it was with little flourishes of Tibetan chanting, funny mouth noises, and eccentric lyrics about eggs, dinosaurs, visitors from the future, and other surreal subjects. In less confident hands, this might get annoying or pretentious pretty quickly, but TPE have a wonderfully down-to-earth quality about them, and a playful sense of humor--to say nothing of some killer melodies--and they utterly charmed the small but enthusiastic audience in this legendary biker bar. Here's the obligatory crappy cell phone shot:

They are also playing the musical brunch at Nietzsche's on Sunday (July 30) at 2 p.m., and rumor has it they might appear elsewhere in town while they're around, too. If you like well-crafted, off-the-beaten-path music, you'd be wise to seek them out before they return to their native land.

Or maybe visit their MySpace page for some audio clips, and hope they return, soon.

Scene Report: Day 1 (Thursday)

2006-07-29T00:21:00.000-07:00

I will do my best to post report on shows I see throughout the festival, and I invite you to do the same. If you want to file regular reports like these yourself, email ronehmke@hotmail.com and I will send you an invite from Blogger so you can do so anytime you like. You can also just email me your reports and I'll post them for you as soon as I am able.

I've been so busy with the show I am part of that I haven't seen too much other stuff yet, and I probably won't get a chance to do any heavy-duty festival going until we wrap up ours on Sunday afternoon. However, I did check out one of the plays sharing the space at Squeaky Wheel with us: Morphine Hearts' production of Matt LaChiusa's Fred's Requiem, which runs off and on through August 4. (FYI and BTW, another show running at Squeaky now is Scott Kurchak's My Life as an Ape, which got some blog comments by several people last year.)

Requiem is an ambitious play for the festival and the space: about an hour and a half long, with a cast of eleven. It unfolds as a series of two- and three-character vignettes (many of which could probably stand on their own as self-contained mini-dramas), capped with one piece featuring most of the cast onstage at the same time. As always, my blurry cell phone photos don't do it justice, but here's a quick glimpse:

For a play that centers around a funeral, there's a lot of humor here (though I wouldn't exactly call the show a comedy, per se), and it's fun figuring out the various interconnections between the characters, who span three generations of working-class Buffalo.

Tried to make it to La Tee Da for the 10-11 pm Happy Hour, but it was not to be, so instead I stopped by Soundlab for the Kick Off Party. I was mainly there between acts, and most of the decent-sized crowd was outside, which gave me a chance to catch up with 2 of the acts who drove down from Montreal: Car Stories (which has a different cast and storyline this year) and The Pamplemousse Explosion. Jason from Car Stories (he's one of the founders of the Infringement movement) tells me that Buffalo's may well be the largest festival on the circuit this year.

Back inside, I caught a snippet of Axis of Evil, whose elaborate setup apparently involved four carloads of equipment,including a bicycle wired for sound:

Had a long day ahead of me the next day (which involved no festival-going beyond the Dream Cabaret), so I headed home. But the hoppin' scene outside Soundlab--punctuated by spontaneous percussion and singing by performers and audience members--was a sign that festival season is back, and not a moment too soon.

Amount spent on admissions for the evening (2 shows total): $5