Tales of self-infringement

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

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

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

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

The year I missed the festival (part one)

See these people?



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

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

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



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



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



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



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

More to come!

The Iffys are (almost) here again!

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

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

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



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

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

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

Architecture's Sister

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

Summer is Short

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

Shakin' in the parking space

Not the kind of record I'm proud of

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

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

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

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

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

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

Up For Round Two

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

Murphy's Law - Channel cancels

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

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


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

"The radar" under the microscope

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

day one.

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

Zilla's One-man Circus at Nietzche's

Genuflektors at Nietzche's

Sunday, all day

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

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

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)....

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)

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.)