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

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.

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

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

The Iffys are back!

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.

Start your engines!

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.

Gearing up for '08

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.

We're baaaaaack...

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.