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
Monday, August 11, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Wrapping up
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.
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.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Hopping onboard on day 10
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.
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
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
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....".
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!
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
Hope to see you there!
Bon Vivant to all you infringers, ah the good life!
janna aka mc vendetta
Last 72 hours, backwards
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.
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.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Festival photos
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.
More photos are in my flickr set. Floyd Baker has posted some as well.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Wednesday...in short
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.............
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
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!!!
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.
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.
•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
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.
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.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
massive synergy happening out there
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
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.
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.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
kick ass shows at bon vivant!!
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
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.....
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?
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?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Now it begins... AGAIN!
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!
•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...
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".
Sunday, October 28, 2007
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.
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