...even though The Sky is Crying, it's time to shift focus a bit. George T. and the Destroyers have just reminded me that Fringeaholics can get more of That Same Thing, year-round, right here in the Twin Cities:
Jane and I went to Pillsbury House Theater last night (one of the Fringe venues, where Narcisso Lobo had captivated us with "Please Don't Eat the Dogs" two weeks earlier). We sat front row center in a pretty full house, and were thrilled to experience the music and spoken word and wisdom of Oliver Lake, up close and personal. Mr. Lake is one of the members of the World Saxophone Quartet, and has been artist-in-residence at Pillsbury House this summer, where he wrote the (solo violin!) music for Carlyle Brown's outstanding six-short-play production,"Talking Masks", performed earlier this year. (Shades of "Fast Fringe"!)
In last night's solo show "The Matador of 1st and 1st", which he wrote and performed, Oliver Lake wowed us with 70 too-short minutes of non-stop conversation, in song and rhyme and rap, through voice and saxes and flute, about the power of music. His message was unity: All music, from rap to reggae and bop to Beethoven, is about That Same Thing: the expression of human emotion. And he told us that god breathes the same breath into ALL of us humans. (But DAMN, Jane and I marveled afterward, some people are way better at breathin' it back out!) Jane said she had never heard musical instruments actually SPEAK to her in the way that they did that evening. Thank you, Oliver!!!
Saturday, August 21, 2004
Monday, August 16, 2004
Falling Down
That's what I feel like I'm doin' today -- riding the roller coaster with a load of post-Fringe depression in my gut.
Ending the Fringe -- It's just an Invitation to the Blues.
BUT... I had a great time in the last few days, which I'll talk about after this ride is over. And I'm actually groovin' right now to Holly Cole's "Temptation", from which the above two titles/sentiments derive. (No, I didn't get the blues from Holly, but she's absolutely the best company I could have with me on this ride.)
"They broke all the windows,
took all the doorknobs,
and they hauled it away
in a couple of days."
... and I've only been Fringing for a couple of weeks, as your audience representative on the blogger team. I can't imagine how performers and producers and administrators and support staff must feel. (Actually, I hope they're deliriously tired and happy!)
If you want to fall down deep and rise way up, listen to Holly's amazing voice interpret Tom Waits' gritty, carnival lyrics. The whole album is her singing Tom's songs, and it moves mountains in me every time I listen to it.
Ending the Fringe -- It's just an Invitation to the Blues.
BUT... I had a great time in the last few days, which I'll talk about after this ride is over. And I'm actually groovin' right now to Holly Cole's "Temptation", from which the above two titles/sentiments derive. (No, I didn't get the blues from Holly, but she's absolutely the best company I could have with me on this ride.)
"They broke all the windows,
took all the doorknobs,
and they hauled it away
in a couple of days."
... and I've only been Fringing for a couple of weeks, as your audience representative on the blogger team. I can't imagine how performers and producers and administrators and support staff must feel. (Actually, I hope they're deliriously tired and happy!)
If you want to fall down deep and rise way up, listen to Holly's amazing voice interpret Tom Waits' gritty, carnival lyrics. The whole album is her singing Tom's songs, and it moves mountains in me every time I listen to it.
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Dai...sy, ... ... Dai... ... ...sy
Dave? What are you doing, Dave?
Like HAL, I'm slowing down and my memory is going. But my bicycle built for town (a 1984 BMX Mongoose -- one of the first "mountain" bikes) is working wonders, getting me across town and back again. I've lived in St. Paul for 20 years, and have often ventured across the river. But I feel like I know Minneapolis far better now, having cruised it on my bike. Would you believe I found riding in Friday night downtown Minneapolis traffic to be exhilirating? I went from 25th and Nicollet to Bunkers at 7th and Washington, then back to Fringe Central. And parking was just a lamppost away, every time.
Saw the opening of The Angel and the Tower at the Ice House. Good show -- I think. The seating was folding chairs on a flat floor in a very tall room. I enjoyed the aerial work a lot, but the floor work was lost on everyone behind the third row -- you could only see arms (or feet) waving and the occasional burst of flame. The music was good -- I closed my eyes and listened to that. A surprisingly delightful bit of choreography came from the third row of the audience. A woman was craning her head left and right, watching the action on the floor. In perfect synchrony, the man next to her would lift his head to the left, then slowly, with several short, sharp nods, let it sink to his chest lower right. Again! 5,6,7,8... This venue needs bleachers!
Then I took a Fringe break to listen to and visit with my sax teacher Jeff King, wailin' at Bunkers. Heard a terrific rendition of Tied to the Whipping Post, with Jeff adding a marvelous dimension on tenor and baritone sax. We're going to start lessons up again in the fall!
Back to Fringe Central and a front row seat for 10 Foot 5 doing tap and percussion from their show Buckets and Tap Shoes. Front row, so I could marvel at their amazing footwork. This was followed by some jammin', accompanied by the multi-talented Allegra Lingo on saxes! Then the audience joined the fray and began dancing. I left after 12:30, and they were still going strong.
Twenty-five shows down, and, with luck, eleven to go! Some music I'm looking forward to: John and Jen,; Sonata Blue (with classical and blues harp -- read: harmonica!); Middle Age, the Musical; Knock!; Jaws: The Musical!; and Vision's Tale, with a hip-hop score!
Speaking of hip-hop, you should have been at Fringe Central Thursday, and heard Chicago's Malcolm Palmer, from Please Come Up, rail and wail with his home-brewed testifyin', which he framed, accompanied, and enhanced with sweet, spare guitar licks. Burn me a CD, man! Check out his buddy Narcisso Lobo (Please Don't Eat the Dogs, Please Come Up) at Fringe Central tonight, doing different but equally compelling emotional, autobiographical testifying.
Later, dudes!
Like HAL, I'm slowing down and my memory is going. But my bicycle built for town (a 1984 BMX Mongoose -- one of the first "mountain" bikes) is working wonders, getting me across town and back again. I've lived in St. Paul for 20 years, and have often ventured across the river. But I feel like I know Minneapolis far better now, having cruised it on my bike. Would you believe I found riding in Friday night downtown Minneapolis traffic to be exhilirating? I went from 25th and Nicollet to Bunkers at 7th and Washington, then back to Fringe Central. And parking was just a lamppost away, every time.
Saw the opening of The Angel and the Tower at the Ice House. Good show -- I think. The seating was folding chairs on a flat floor in a very tall room. I enjoyed the aerial work a lot, but the floor work was lost on everyone behind the third row -- you could only see arms (or feet) waving and the occasional burst of flame. The music was good -- I closed my eyes and listened to that. A surprisingly delightful bit of choreography came from the third row of the audience. A woman was craning her head left and right, watching the action on the floor. In perfect synchrony, the man next to her would lift his head to the left, then slowly, with several short, sharp nods, let it sink to his chest lower right. Again! 5,6,7,8... This venue needs bleachers!
Then I took a Fringe break to listen to and visit with my sax teacher Jeff King, wailin' at Bunkers. Heard a terrific rendition of Tied to the Whipping Post, with Jeff adding a marvelous dimension on tenor and baritone sax. We're going to start lessons up again in the fall!
Back to Fringe Central and a front row seat for 10 Foot 5 doing tap and percussion from their show Buckets and Tap Shoes. Front row, so I could marvel at their amazing footwork. This was followed by some jammin', accompanied by the multi-talented Allegra Lingo on saxes! Then the audience joined the fray and began dancing. I left after 12:30, and they were still going strong.
Twenty-five shows down, and, with luck, eleven to go! Some music I'm looking forward to: John and Jen,; Sonata Blue (with classical and blues harp -- read: harmonica!); Middle Age, the Musical; Knock!; Jaws: The Musical!; and Vision's Tale, with a hip-hop score!
Speaking of hip-hop, you should have been at Fringe Central Thursday, and heard Chicago's Malcolm Palmer, from Please Come Up, rail and wail with his home-brewed testifyin', which he framed, accompanied, and enhanced with sweet, spare guitar licks. Burn me a CD, man! Check out his buddy Narcisso Lobo (Please Don't Eat the Dogs, Please Come Up) at Fringe Central tonight, doing different but equally compelling emotional, autobiographical testifying.
Later, dudes!
Friday, August 13, 2004
Move it or lose it!
Gotta make this fast. Want to see a popular show at 5:30: Knock!
Wish I had a William Gibson-esque chip in my head, so I could just "jack in" to the 'Net and up(down?)load my thoughts (some of them).
FANTASTIC human percussion: BE SURE to see both Buckets and Tap Shoes and Splotches of Spain. Outstanding street tap and funky, funky music in the former, fascinating flamenco mixed with fluent Spanish guitar, marvelous jazz, and very cool beat poetry in the latter. Great rendition of Ginsberg's "Howl". (I also like the Johns version from They Might Be Giants.)
I want to see the tap and flamenco folks (from these shows, and Escape, Dance Like No One is Looking, and Dona Quixote) get together, show each other some moves, have some cutting contests, and cut up a rug!
Crazy, Fringey, fascinating story, music, acting and physical theater: Before Dark.
Fantastic, moving drama about a Yank "fil-um" production taking over (and steamrolling over) a small Irish town, with outstanding seamless performances of tens of roles by two very talented actors: Stones in His Pockets.
GO GO GO!
Wish I had a William Gibson-esque chip in my head, so I could just "jack in" to the 'Net and up(down?)load my thoughts (some of them).
FANTASTIC human percussion: BE SURE to see both Buckets and Tap Shoes and Splotches of Spain. Outstanding street tap and funky, funky music in the former, fascinating flamenco mixed with fluent Spanish guitar, marvelous jazz, and very cool beat poetry in the latter. Great rendition of Ginsberg's "Howl". (I also like the Johns version from They Might Be Giants.)
I want to see the tap and flamenco folks (from these shows, and Escape, Dance Like No One is Looking, and Dona Quixote) get together, show each other some moves, have some cutting contests, and cut up a rug!
Crazy, Fringey, fascinating story, music, acting and physical theater: Before Dark.
Fantastic, moving drama about a Yank "fil-um" production taking over (and steamrolling over) a small Irish town, with outstanding seamless performances of tens of roles by two very talented actors: Stones in His Pockets.
GO GO GO!
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Music is the River of the World
...That's my tagline at another Web site where I blog about music: Low_Reed Riffs on Music.
(Thanks for the HTML tip, Blogger Buddy Caitlin!)
It's a variation on a Tom Waits song title: Misery is the River of the World, from his Blood Money album. I love Tom Waits, in general. I love this album, in particular, for two reasons:
1) "It's Waits' treatment of Georg Buchner's 1837 socio-political play, Woyzek which premiered in 2000 in Copenhagen. It's a dark morality play performed in a style where a barker from a medicine show is mysteriously transported to the Weimar Republic via Tin Pan Alley." (Quoted from Amazon.com's album description, italics mine.) Weimar Republic? Tin Pan Alley? Check it out, Bremner Duthie (Whiskey Bars) and other Kurt Weill lovers. (You know, it occurs to me that Tom Waits is the quintessential life-long Fringe performer! Does anyone have any hot tips on how to get the lowdown on his concert appearances? I hear it's really hush-hush. Write to me -- click on Wanna talk? here, or in the description below my picture. )
2) FOUR of the songs on this album have bass clarinet in the instrumentation! How could I not love it?
Speaking of things musical (how did I get on that topic? :>), I saw Dona Quixote yesterday. The music and dancing were wonderful! I've seen this troupe perform before. Really good stuff. It started kind of slowly, with a back story about being stuck in a Minnesota winter, but once they were transported to Spain and began to dance and play (and sing -- check out the amazing Maria Elena 'La Cordobesa' ) in earnest, it was great!
Recollect the Snow was next - a gripping portrayal of a man clutched in the dual grips of hypothermia and memories. Jane's comment this morning: "That show made me thankful that you're not a Minnesota man!" ( OK, I'm a zealous 20-year immigrant who loves it here -- but I don't fish!). Very well done.
Next I heard a delightful set of stories by five local authors at Agog!, part of the Spoken Word Fringe at MCTC Whitney Studio. Funny, moving, and very entertaining.
And speaking of Ochen K., who did the soundtrack for Agog!, I am now listening to David Byrne's "Grown Backwards", whose music was featured in Everything and Nothing All at the Same Time, which I saw on Monday and then blogged about. I had seen a preview for this show at Ball's Cabaret last Saturday night, and asked Ochen (who is the tech director there) about that album. He said I should really check out the tune "Tiny Apocalypse", which he loved. Well, Ochen, I just heard it, and it was instantly familiar and wonderful. Have I perhaps heard you play that song before?
And speaking of Jon and Blythe and the gang at Everything and Nothing..., I just found out that Blythe knows Jeff King, an outstanding local sax player and teacher. I've been taking lessons from him on and off for five years, and really like his music. He's having a fairly rare public gig at Bunker's (716 N. Washington, Mpls.) this Friday evening, with the Kurt Jorgensen band, playing "a mix of original pop music with some cool covers". So I've invited aliens #1-5 (and the Big Guy) to come hear Jeff with me tomorrow night (after Fringing, of course!). [Jon Ferguson -- if you read this, be sure to ask Blythe to check her Walker e-mail!]
I'm about to stop speaking and start listening and watching: my schedule today includes Mary Kelly Sunshine Box (surreal), Buckets and Tap Shoes (high energy dance and music), Before Dark (cello, off-kilter dance, and more), and Splotches of Spain (flamenco dance and music, seasoned with Miles, Coltrane, and beat poetry!). See you around!
(Thanks for the HTML tip, Blogger Buddy Caitlin!)
It's a variation on a Tom Waits song title: Misery is the River of the World, from his Blood Money album. I love Tom Waits, in general. I love this album, in particular, for two reasons:
1) "It's Waits' treatment of Georg Buchner's 1837 socio-political play, Woyzek which premiered in 2000 in Copenhagen. It's a dark morality play performed in a style where a barker from a medicine show is mysteriously transported to the Weimar Republic via Tin Pan Alley." (Quoted from Amazon.com's album description, italics mine.) Weimar Republic? Tin Pan Alley? Check it out, Bremner Duthie (Whiskey Bars) and other Kurt Weill lovers. (You know, it occurs to me that Tom Waits is the quintessential life-long Fringe performer! Does anyone have any hot tips on how to get the lowdown on his concert appearances? I hear it's really hush-hush. Write to me -- click on Wanna talk? here, or in the description below my picture. )
2) FOUR of the songs on this album have bass clarinet in the instrumentation! How could I not love it?
Speaking of things musical (how did I get on that topic? :>), I saw Dona Quixote yesterday. The music and dancing were wonderful! I've seen this troupe perform before. Really good stuff. It started kind of slowly, with a back story about being stuck in a Minnesota winter, but once they were transported to Spain and began to dance and play (and sing -- check out the amazing Maria Elena 'La Cordobesa' ) in earnest, it was great!
Recollect the Snow was next - a gripping portrayal of a man clutched in the dual grips of hypothermia and memories. Jane's comment this morning: "That show made me thankful that you're not a Minnesota man!" ( OK, I'm a zealous 20-year immigrant who loves it here -- but I don't fish!). Very well done.
Next I heard a delightful set of stories by five local authors at Agog!, part of the Spoken Word Fringe at MCTC Whitney Studio. Funny, moving, and very entertaining.
And speaking of Ochen K., who did the soundtrack for Agog!, I am now listening to David Byrne's "Grown Backwards", whose music was featured in Everything and Nothing All at the Same Time, which I saw on Monday and then blogged about. I had seen a preview for this show at Ball's Cabaret last Saturday night, and asked Ochen (who is the tech director there) about that album. He said I should really check out the tune "Tiny Apocalypse", which he loved. Well, Ochen, I just heard it, and it was instantly familiar and wonderful. Have I perhaps heard you play that song before?
And speaking of Jon and Blythe and the gang at Everything and Nothing..., I just found out that Blythe knows Jeff King, an outstanding local sax player and teacher. I've been taking lessons from him on and off for five years, and really like his music. He's having a fairly rare public gig at Bunker's (716 N. Washington, Mpls.) this Friday evening, with the Kurt Jorgensen band, playing "a mix of original pop music with some cool covers". So I've invited aliens #1-5 (and the Big Guy) to come hear Jeff with me tomorrow night (after Fringing, of course!). [Jon Ferguson -- if you read this, be sure to ask Blythe to check her Walker e-mail!]
I'm about to stop speaking and start listening and watching: my schedule today includes Mary Kelly Sunshine Box (surreal), Buckets and Tap Shoes (high energy dance and music), Before Dark (cello, off-kilter dance, and more), and Splotches of Spain (flamenco dance and music, seasoned with Miles, Coltrane, and beat poetry!). See you around!
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
"Clarinets and Accessories"
You got it in one, pal!
Bloggers Kate Hoff and Chris Kidder have both commented on the Blog*Spot banner ads that appear at the tops of their blogs. I hadn't noticed mine until this morning, when the above peeked out at me. *Spot on! I consider myself an essential (bass) clarinet accessory -- where would my horn be without its bellows? And where would I be without its seductive low murmerings in my ear?
Had a highly enjoyable Monday night at the Fringe. At the BLB, I huddled around the fire, entranced by its flickerings and the deft use of language, gesture, and expression by Todd Conner as he regaled us with tales from Ovid's Metamorphoses. I had some trepidation that, not being steeped in the classics, these tales might be over my head. Howver, Todd brought to life legends and goddesses and gods with whom I had previously had only a passing acquaintance. He periodically plucked a lyre and sang melodies that were in keeping with his tales. But his best instrument is his spellbinding, tale-weaving speaking voice. If you were enchanted by Charlie Bethel's "Beowulf" in 2002 or 2003, or if you just love language and storytelling, go immerse yourself in Todd's and Ovid's stories!
Next, I went to Fringe Central and enjoyed several good conversations and some good music, provided by Ochen K. Fringe Central is a great concept -- it's delightful to talk Fringe shop with friends and strangers.
Capped off the evening with a delightful visit with a pod of brothers and sisters from another planet: Jon Ferguson channeled David Byrne's offbeat sensibilities in Everything and Nothing All at the Same Time, and provided us with some of Byrne's latest music as well. As we left the theater, Jane mused that, though she couldn't pin down the concept of "fringe", she was sure that this was the Fringiest show she had seen so far -- something that you just won't see in other theater venues. She delighted in the cast's frequent forays through the fourth wall, as I did. Go learn something about the uniqueness of the human condition, as inquisitive aliens try to figure out what our emotions are all about.
I had been intrigued by an earlier Fringe preview of "Everything and Nothing", where I learned that Jon had flown over from England and recruited a local cast for this play. Then I had a chance encounter with one of the cast members yesterday, after a play at another venue. Blythe was initally completely puzzled (behaving much like her alien character!) by my out-of-context query: "Have you discovered any emotions yet?" Then she told me that, shortly after Jon's arrival, they had seen David Byrne perform at the Walker's Rock the Garden, which provided inspiration for their play. This spirit of adventure and improvisation was carried right up through showtime, as they had audience members write out definitions of several emotions, which they used during the performance. I highly recommend this piece -- it's funny and immediate and offbeat and thought-provoking: Pure Fringe.
Oh, I almost forgot to metion another music tie-in: In an earlier blog, I had mentioned Devil's Tower and mashed potato sculptures. Well, "Everything and Nothing" brought me another close encounter of the Fringe kind, as one of the characters picked up a brass euphonium (an instrument that looks like a small tuba) and played the 5-note communication ice-breaker from the mother ship. I laughed aloud -- what a hoot!
Bloggers Kate Hoff and Chris Kidder have both commented on the Blog*Spot banner ads that appear at the tops of their blogs. I hadn't noticed mine until this morning, when the above peeked out at me. *Spot on! I consider myself an essential (bass) clarinet accessory -- where would my horn be without its bellows? And where would I be without its seductive low murmerings in my ear?
Had a highly enjoyable Monday night at the Fringe. At the BLB, I huddled around the fire, entranced by its flickerings and the deft use of language, gesture, and expression by Todd Conner as he regaled us with tales from Ovid's Metamorphoses. I had some trepidation that, not being steeped in the classics, these tales might be over my head. Howver, Todd brought to life legends and goddesses and gods with whom I had previously had only a passing acquaintance. He periodically plucked a lyre and sang melodies that were in keeping with his tales. But his best instrument is his spellbinding, tale-weaving speaking voice. If you were enchanted by Charlie Bethel's "Beowulf" in 2002 or 2003, or if you just love language and storytelling, go immerse yourself in Todd's and Ovid's stories!
Next, I went to Fringe Central and enjoyed several good conversations and some good music, provided by Ochen K. Fringe Central is a great concept -- it's delightful to talk Fringe shop with friends and strangers.
Capped off the evening with a delightful visit with a pod of brothers and sisters from another planet: Jon Ferguson channeled David Byrne's offbeat sensibilities in Everything and Nothing All at the Same Time, and provided us with some of Byrne's latest music as well. As we left the theater, Jane mused that, though she couldn't pin down the concept of "fringe", she was sure that this was the Fringiest show she had seen so far -- something that you just won't see in other theater venues. She delighted in the cast's frequent forays through the fourth wall, as I did. Go learn something about the uniqueness of the human condition, as inquisitive aliens try to figure out what our emotions are all about.
I had been intrigued by an earlier Fringe preview of "Everything and Nothing", where I learned that Jon had flown over from England and recruited a local cast for this play. Then I had a chance encounter with one of the cast members yesterday, after a play at another venue. Blythe was initally completely puzzled (behaving much like her alien character!) by my out-of-context query: "Have you discovered any emotions yet?" Then she told me that, shortly after Jon's arrival, they had seen David Byrne perform at the Walker's Rock the Garden, which provided inspiration for their play. This spirit of adventure and improvisation was carried right up through showtime, as they had audience members write out definitions of several emotions, which they used during the performance. I highly recommend this piece -- it's funny and immediate and offbeat and thought-provoking: Pure Fringe.
Oh, I almost forgot to metion another music tie-in: In an earlier blog, I had mentioned Devil's Tower and mashed potato sculptures. Well, "Everything and Nothing" brought me another close encounter of the Fringe kind, as one of the characters picked up a brass euphonium (an instrument that looks like a small tuba) and played the 5-note communication ice-breaker from the mother ship. I laughed aloud -- what a hoot!
Sunday, August 08, 2004
I'm So Glad, I'm So Glad
I'm glad, I'm glad, I'm glad...
I'm sitting outside Calibanco Theater (entrance on Garfield!), with a half-hour before showtime. Ticket in pocket, pen and notebook in hand: I'm going to try some virtual blogging this afternoon. Tonight I'll transfer it from this ephemeral hard copy to the permanence of the Web. :>) I hope I can read my own writing!
This day didn't start out so damn glad: I woke up too late (after a late, great night at Leslie Ball's Cabaret's Out-of-Towners' Fringe Showcase). (How's that for possessive?) Agonized over my obligation to dash off a blog, then decided that writing, for me, is a labor of love, not an obligation. I need to write when I'm moved to write, as I am now.
Temporarily mollified, I sat down to read the paper for a bit, then realized it was noon in St. Paul, and I had a date with a must-see show in Minneapolis. Shit!... Shit, shower, and shave, and run out the door. Let's see -- I wanna go from A to B to C to D (out, out, damn Left Brain!), and my bike would really help. Throw the bike in the back of the car. Where's the cable lock, damn it! Did I leave it in Jane's car? But she and her car are already at another show. OK. Just drive. Leave the bike in the car; deal with it later. Just as I approached the I-94 on-ramp, I checked my purs... Shit, and double shit -- I left my Man Purse at home, complete with wallet and Fringe pass. There's no WAY I'm gonna make the 1:00 show now. You bloomin' IDJIT!
... It's now Sunday evening, and I'm doing some REAL blogging from home. Just typed in the above, and left it pretty much alone, but Bowdlerized the last expression. But to continue: Even as I was writing this this afternoon, I realized that it was a good thing that I had forgotten my purse. When I went back to get it, I immediately found my bike lock cable. Then I got back in the car and realized that there would be more opportunities to see that 1PM show, and that I had a leisurely hour and a half to get to the 2:30 show. Halfway down Hiawatha, "I'm So Glad", by Cream, worked its way into my head, and eventually into this blog. Drove to a central location, parked, got out my bike and had a pleasant and leisurely ride to the 2:30 show. Go with the flow!
Saw an OUTSTANDING hour of multi-character storytelling done by two young women from out of town. The show was called "The Superbowl and Other Stories". I had seen a segment of it at the BLB Fringe preview. Donna, the author of three very different, very well-written short stories, brought them beautifully to life with the help of her friend Jo. They changed, even traded characters effortlessly during the telling, even moving from 1st person narrative to first person in-the-moment, in mid-sentence. They were just mesmerising. Go see it!
Yesterday I saw a WONDERFUL show at Pillsbury House -- "Please Don't Eat the Dogs" -- a solo, autobiographical show by Narcisso Lobo from Chicago. It was the story of his growing up, learning a love of music from his father, suffering through troubles, depression, and a not-very-meaningful job, and coming back to find himself as a musician and actor. EXTREMELY beautiful and heart-felt lyrics in several self-penned songs he sang and played on acoustic guitar, and an abiding love of family. Go!
Ari Hoptman was great in "Delaware and Other Lies". See his show, then re-read his self-penned capsule description. Ari in a nutshell!
Other shows I've seen and recommend:
"Mouth" -- warm, insightful, improvisational. Conversational jazz, good intro music, and tasty treats!
"Does This Monologue Make Me Look Fat?" -- beautifully done, with a great eye for detail. Funny, fascinating, and poignant.
"Escape, Dance Like No One is Looking" -- inspiring dance, from ASL-as-dance through tap and hip-hop.
"Tasteless..." -- riveting, emotional, raw modern dance.
"The Van Gogh Exhibit" -- blogger Matt F. as a fetching pin-up boy. Hilarious interplay between two brothers.
Others I've seen previews of and am looking forward to:
"Before Dark"
"Agog"
"Vision's Tale"
"Ludiker"
"Axis Mundi"
"Metamorphoses"
"Everything and Nothing All at the Same Time" -- inspired (and accompanied by!) the new music of David Byrne!
And finally, my musical high for today: "Whiskey Bars" -- The music of Kurt Weill, magnificently delivered by the deep, rich, raw, plaintive voice of Bremner Duthie, who, with his whole being, channels a washed-up cabaret singer. And he has a CD, too! Terrific singing and acting, both. And the final clinchers: A full and powerful rendition of "Mac the Knife", sung like Bobby Darin never imagined, and a brief yet provocative foray into "Alabama Song", which I first learned to love as rendered, bleakly and powerfully, by Jim Morrison and the Doors. (Omaha boys -- I said, don't be dissin' the Doors!)
I'm sitting outside Calibanco Theater (entrance on Garfield!), with a half-hour before showtime. Ticket in pocket, pen and notebook in hand: I'm going to try some virtual blogging this afternoon. Tonight I'll transfer it from this ephemeral hard copy to the permanence of the Web. :>) I hope I can read my own writing!
This day didn't start out so damn glad: I woke up too late (after a late, great night at Leslie Ball's Cabaret's Out-of-Towners' Fringe Showcase). (How's that for possessive?) Agonized over my obligation to dash off a blog, then decided that writing, for me, is a labor of love, not an obligation. I need to write when I'm moved to write, as I am now.
Temporarily mollified, I sat down to read the paper for a bit, then realized it was noon in St. Paul, and I had a date with a must-see show in Minneapolis. Shit!... Shit, shower, and shave, and run out the door. Let's see -- I wanna go from A to B to C to D (out, out, damn Left Brain!), and my bike would really help. Throw the bike in the back of the car. Where's the cable lock, damn it! Did I leave it in Jane's car? But she and her car are already at another show. OK. Just drive. Leave the bike in the car; deal with it later. Just as I approached the I-94 on-ramp, I checked my purs... Shit, and double shit -- I left my Man Purse at home, complete with wallet and Fringe pass. There's no WAY I'm gonna make the 1:00 show now. You bloomin' IDJIT!
... It's now Sunday evening, and I'm doing some REAL blogging from home. Just typed in the above, and left it pretty much alone, but Bowdlerized the last expression. But to continue: Even as I was writing this this afternoon, I realized that it was a good thing that I had forgotten my purse. When I went back to get it, I immediately found my bike lock cable. Then I got back in the car and realized that there would be more opportunities to see that 1PM show, and that I had a leisurely hour and a half to get to the 2:30 show. Halfway down Hiawatha, "I'm So Glad", by Cream, worked its way into my head, and eventually into this blog. Drove to a central location, parked, got out my bike and had a pleasant and leisurely ride to the 2:30 show. Go with the flow!
Saw an OUTSTANDING hour of multi-character storytelling done by two young women from out of town. The show was called "The Superbowl and Other Stories". I had seen a segment of it at the BLB Fringe preview. Donna, the author of three very different, very well-written short stories, brought them beautifully to life with the help of her friend Jo. They changed, even traded characters effortlessly during the telling, even moving from 1st person narrative to first person in-the-moment, in mid-sentence. They were just mesmerising. Go see it!
Yesterday I saw a WONDERFUL show at Pillsbury House -- "Please Don't Eat the Dogs" -- a solo, autobiographical show by Narcisso Lobo from Chicago. It was the story of his growing up, learning a love of music from his father, suffering through troubles, depression, and a not-very-meaningful job, and coming back to find himself as a musician and actor. EXTREMELY beautiful and heart-felt lyrics in several self-penned songs he sang and played on acoustic guitar, and an abiding love of family. Go!
Ari Hoptman was great in "Delaware and Other Lies". See his show, then re-read his self-penned capsule description. Ari in a nutshell!
Other shows I've seen and recommend:
"Mouth" -- warm, insightful, improvisational. Conversational jazz, good intro music, and tasty treats!
"Does This Monologue Make Me Look Fat?" -- beautifully done, with a great eye for detail. Funny, fascinating, and poignant.
"Escape, Dance Like No One is Looking" -- inspiring dance, from ASL-as-dance through tap and hip-hop.
"Tasteless..." -- riveting, emotional, raw modern dance.
"The Van Gogh Exhibit" -- blogger Matt F. as a fetching pin-up boy. Hilarious interplay between two brothers.
Others I've seen previews of and am looking forward to:
"Before Dark"
"Agog"
"Vision's Tale"
"Ludiker"
"Axis Mundi"
"Metamorphoses"
"Everything and Nothing All at the Same Time" -- inspired (and accompanied by!) the new music of David Byrne!
And finally, my musical high for today: "Whiskey Bars" -- The music of Kurt Weill, magnificently delivered by the deep, rich, raw, plaintive voice of Bremner Duthie, who, with his whole being, channels a washed-up cabaret singer. And he has a CD, too! Terrific singing and acting, both. And the final clinchers: A full and powerful rendition of "Mac the Knife", sung like Bobby Darin never imagined, and a brief yet provocative foray into "Alabama Song", which I first learned to love as rendered, bleakly and powerfully, by Jim Morrison and the Doors. (Omaha boys -- I said, don't be dissin' the Doors!)
Saturday, August 07, 2004
It's the crack of noon, and I've been up for hours
...well, half that actually.
I've been up two hours, after Fringing way too late last night. Got out of "Look Ma -- No Pants" at 1:30 a.m., unlocked my bike from the lamppost, and stumbled back to the car with Jane, my long-time soulmate and a recent Fringe convert (she bought an UltraPass this year!). Put the bike in her trunk (most of the way in) , then drove to my car, moved the bike to it, and caravanned home, with the help of toothpicks in my eyelids. (And that's a metaphor, not a plug for St. Sabrina's!).
I still have 30+ shows on my schedule today -- didn't make it to the 40 that I scheduled yesterday -- and I'm not quite ready to begin strategizing. So I think I'll ramble on here for a bit, then take a break and run out to one of those Organization stores. I need to buy some shelving and filing units, so I can better organize my music room at home. It's time to stop building and excavating, building and excavating, that Devil's Tower of sheet music and equipment on the floor. Say, I'm getting a sudden urge for mashed potatoes...
Speaking of Ramble On, you've GOT to see Ferrari McSpeedy blow up the Led Zepplin at their Punk Rock Awesome show. ("The Zep is like the Moody Blues with a drinking problem") Go see your favorite geezer rockers skewered mercilessly, and watch Neo battle the bad guys in slo mo, with the invisible help of the Kabuki stage manager. (And yes, I'm a geezer rock fan: stood in line all night to get tickets for the Moody Blues in Ann Arbor in 1972. And yes, I do still love Stairway -- just bought the sheet music so I can play it on my bass clarinet...) Anyway, these guys are having the time of their lives up on stage, shifting characters at a dizzying rate, and grinning with nerd naivete (apply accent marks as needed) along with the audience, at their hilarious antics. "Father! Son!" I sat next to these guys at the Loring later in the day -- found out their real names are Ad and Lib... My only advice: Add "Stairway" to the soundtrack!
"Look Ma.." was hilarious, too. If you haven't seen that beer-buzzed variety show before, (as I hadn't) think Johnny Carson guest-hosted by John Belushi and Buster Keaton. If you have, well, go again! Blue lights, Santana, and beer, oh my!
I met fellow blogger Caitlin (http://caitlindoesfringe.blogspot.com/) (Hey, Caitlin -- how do you put in those not-the-URL titles to URLs in this BlogMachine?), doing her second, or third, or fourth job as Fringe House Manager at the Loring. She's been writing up a storm, putting me to shame :) . But I just discovered her secret: She posted her "...tony goes to" entry 12 times! Better stop dancing on that keyboard, Caitlin!
Hey, Ray Bills, thanks for the note! Those of us performing in the Written Fringe enjoy feedback as much as everyone else does. Go see his "Stones in His (Her) Pockets", people -- I know I will. It's about "The Quiet Man", my mother-in-law's favorite movie, and my wife Jane knows every line in the movie. (She promises not to speak them aloud, so it'll be OK to sit near us.)
Hey, fellow LXF Bloggers, let's meet up at Fringe Central, say after the 10:00 show some night/nights. I'd like to meet you face to face, and see if this rumored "Matthew Foster" is more than a (kickass!) avatar and Web guy. I went to the "beer tent" yesterday early evening, but it turns out that I was too early. (Believe me, that's RARELY my problem!) But according to the Fringe site slideshow, things were hoppin' there in the late evening.
Wish I had me a tiny laptop and universal WiFi, so I could both blog and "put my ear down, to the ground" (Jim Morrison -- and back off, Omaha boys!) during my corporeal Fringe wanderings. Oh well, gotta go... and get organized.
I've been up two hours, after Fringing way too late last night. Got out of "Look Ma -- No Pants" at 1:30 a.m., unlocked my bike from the lamppost, and stumbled back to the car with Jane, my long-time soulmate and a recent Fringe convert (she bought an UltraPass this year!). Put the bike in her trunk (most of the way in) , then drove to my car, moved the bike to it, and caravanned home, with the help of toothpicks in my eyelids. (And that's a metaphor, not a plug for St. Sabrina's!).
I still have 30+ shows on my schedule today -- didn't make it to the 40 that I scheduled yesterday -- and I'm not quite ready to begin strategizing. So I think I'll ramble on here for a bit, then take a break and run out to one of those Organization stores. I need to buy some shelving and filing units, so I can better organize my music room at home. It's time to stop building and excavating, building and excavating, that Devil's Tower of sheet music and equipment on the floor. Say, I'm getting a sudden urge for mashed potatoes...
Speaking of Ramble On, you've GOT to see Ferrari McSpeedy blow up the Led Zepplin at their Punk Rock Awesome show. ("The Zep is like the Moody Blues with a drinking problem") Go see your favorite geezer rockers skewered mercilessly, and watch Neo battle the bad guys in slo mo, with the invisible help of the Kabuki stage manager. (And yes, I'm a geezer rock fan: stood in line all night to get tickets for the Moody Blues in Ann Arbor in 1972. And yes, I do still love Stairway -- just bought the sheet music so I can play it on my bass clarinet...) Anyway, these guys are having the time of their lives up on stage, shifting characters at a dizzying rate, and grinning with nerd naivete (apply accent marks as needed) along with the audience, at their hilarious antics. "Father! Son!" I sat next to these guys at the Loring later in the day -- found out their real names are Ad and Lib... My only advice: Add "Stairway" to the soundtrack!
"Look Ma.." was hilarious, too. If you haven't seen that beer-buzzed variety show before, (as I hadn't) think Johnny Carson guest-hosted by John Belushi and Buster Keaton. If you have, well, go again! Blue lights, Santana, and beer, oh my!
I met fellow blogger Caitlin (http://caitlindoesfringe.blogspot.com/) (Hey, Caitlin -- how do you put in those not-the-URL titles to URLs in this BlogMachine?), doing her second, or third, or fourth job as Fringe House Manager at the Loring. She's been writing up a storm, putting me to shame :) . But I just discovered her secret: She posted her "...tony goes to" entry 12 times! Better stop dancing on that keyboard, Caitlin!
Hey, Ray Bills, thanks for the note! Those of us performing in the Written Fringe enjoy feedback as much as everyone else does. Go see his "Stones in His (Her) Pockets", people -- I know I will. It's about "The Quiet Man", my mother-in-law's favorite movie, and my wife Jane knows every line in the movie. (She promises not to speak them aloud, so it'll be OK to sit near us.)
Hey, fellow LXF Bloggers, let's meet up at Fringe Central, say after the 10:00 show some night/nights. I'd like to meet you face to face, and see if this rumored "Matthew Foster" is more than a (kickass!) avatar and Web guy. I went to the "beer tent" yesterday early evening, but it turns out that I was too early. (Believe me, that's RARELY my problem!) But according to the Fringe site slideshow, things were hoppin' there in the late evening.
Wish I had me a tiny laptop and universal WiFi, so I could both blog and "put my ear down, to the ground" (Jim Morrison -- and back off, Omaha boys!) during my corporeal Fringe wanderings. Oh well, gotta go... and get organized.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
Maps? I got maps!
And I think I misaligned my spine, shot my shoulders, and crapped out my carpals workin' on the damn things!
I've been an increasingly eager Fringe fan over the last four years, and, I imagine like many of you, I have developed strategies for seeing the most best shows with the least amount of traveling. You know, if we could harness all the brain power that's been put to use a) organizing the Fringe infrastructure, b) preparing the plethora of Fringe offerings, and c) deciding what shows to see, why, we could...
... put on, and share in, the best damn Fringe this side of the globe! What better use of our creative energies?
Anyway, I have long longed for a single map that showed all the Fringe venues. There have been maps of clusters of venues, but both the venues and the clusters are expanding this year, and I wanted the big picture of how to get from A to B to Zed. So I developed my own, using the Fringe venues page on the Web site and some Web-based mapping services. I requested maps of each venue, then found the best combination of zoom and center that showed just (well, almost), the right balance of breadth and depth.
I finally found a view that covered all venues but the two Northeast ones, did some print screens and some Ctrl-V's and some Word picture editing, and created a single, fairly detailed map, with arrows to 22 of the 24 venues. Then I used the Fringe venue numbers and location clusters to tag and color-code each arrow. Then I did NordEast on another map. Then I displayed the text venue info on page 3, also numbered and color-coded.
Then I got really tired and stiff.
Then City Pages Fringe insert came out, and it turns out the wonderfully creative Fringe folk had read my mind (again) and produced a single, 24-venue, Fringe map!
But, mine has more detail. And I can reprint it when it gets crumpled and unreadable. And you can check mine out if you see me, (say at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Fringe preview tonight, or at Leslie Ball's Cabaret Fringe preview Saturday night). I'd be happy to e-mail you a copy, but keep in mind its a hair, I mean a beehive hairdo, over 2 megs. So your mail server may get indigestion.
Gotta go eat, and get over to the BLB. Then a good night's sleep, and tomorrow I take a vacation day from work and begin to map out my strategy. Which at present consists of seeing about 40 shows in the first two days of the Fringe. Now, my right brain don't need no stinkin' math, but something's not quite right here... More on my Fringe saturation strategy later.
Say Hey if you see me, post a comment if you'd like, but most of all, DANCE to the MUSIC of the FRINGE!
I've been an increasingly eager Fringe fan over the last four years, and, I imagine like many of you, I have developed strategies for seeing the most best shows with the least amount of traveling. You know, if we could harness all the brain power that's been put to use a) organizing the Fringe infrastructure, b) preparing the plethora of Fringe offerings, and c) deciding what shows to see, why, we could...
... put on, and share in, the best damn Fringe this side of the globe! What better use of our creative energies?
Anyway, I have long longed for a single map that showed all the Fringe venues. There have been maps of clusters of venues, but both the venues and the clusters are expanding this year, and I wanted the big picture of how to get from A to B to Zed. So I developed my own, using the Fringe venues page on the Web site and some Web-based mapping services. I requested maps of each venue, then found the best combination of zoom and center that showed just (well, almost), the right balance of breadth and depth.
I finally found a view that covered all venues but the two Northeast ones, did some print screens and some Ctrl-V's and some Word picture editing, and created a single, fairly detailed map, with arrows to 22 of the 24 venues. Then I used the Fringe venue numbers and location clusters to tag and color-code each arrow. Then I did NordEast on another map. Then I displayed the text venue info on page 3, also numbered and color-coded.
Then I got really tired and stiff.
Then City Pages Fringe insert came out, and it turns out the wonderfully creative Fringe folk had read my mind (again) and produced a single, 24-venue, Fringe map!
But, mine has more detail. And I can reprint it when it gets crumpled and unreadable. And you can check mine out if you see me, (say at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Fringe preview tonight, or at Leslie Ball's Cabaret Fringe preview Saturday night). I'd be happy to e-mail you a copy, but keep in mind its a hair, I mean a beehive hairdo, over 2 megs. So your mail server may get indigestion.
Gotta go eat, and get over to the BLB. Then a good night's sleep, and tomorrow I take a vacation day from work and begin to map out my strategy. Which at present consists of seeing about 40 shows in the first two days of the Fringe. Now, my right brain don't need no stinkin' math, but something's not quite right here... More on my Fringe saturation strategy later.
Say Hey if you see me, post a comment if you'd like, but most of all, DANCE to the MUSIC of the FRINGE!
Friday, July 30, 2004
Shameless self-promotion
It can't hurt to try, right?
So while my dinner's settling, after which I can rehearse my horn, let me tell you about me and my bass clarinet. Because I have a couple of free public gigs tomorrow, along Grand Avenue in St. Paul, and I'd like to invite you to check them out. (Yeah, that's right, free: I refuse to offer cash bribes to scare up an audience, so I'm not payin' you a plugged nickel to sit through my squawking!).
Grand Ave. is host to an event called Blooming Day on Saturday, July 31 (tomorrow!). It's like a WAY scaled-down Grand Old Day. The street won't be closed off, and there should be parking available. The attractions are free samples of desserts, and drinks, and flowers; kids' events; store sales; and... oh yeah, music! Get the lowdown at http://www.grandave.com/Blooming_Day.htm.
I'll be playing twice along the avenue:
My mixed clarinet quartet, The Cylindrical Bores, will be performing from 10: - 11:30 a.m., in front of the Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand, between Victoria and Milton. Our mixed-up clarinets consist of two B-flat soprano clarinets, one E-flat alto clarinet, and one B-flat bass clarinet (that's my baby!). We play a variety of jazz and classical tunes, and the occasional movie theme (think Inspector Clouseau). Up tempo, down tempo, and always fun.
Then, from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., my self-accompanied solo bass clarinet band, Bruce Has the Talking Stick, will perform in front of Kowalski's Market, 1261 Grand, at Syndicate. I play jazz, classic rock, a bit of classical, a show tune or two, accompanied by either A) me on a recorded bass clarinet bass line, or B) a recording of my computer simulating (nicely!) a piano accompaniment. (NO, my accompaniment is NOT a pair of cymbals between my knees, or a bicycle horn in my armpit -- but maybe I'll work up to them someday!) Some classic rock and Leonard Cohen sing-along sheets will be provided.
Why THAT instrument on THOSE tunes, you ask? 'Cuz it's music I love, and an instrument I know how to play, one that burbles along, sweetly and resonantly, in the lower register of a man's voice. The BC is typically a low-register support instrument in a band or orchestra. I've done that, still do, and enjoy it, but I've been wanting to take me and that horn to unexpected places, and work with some of the music I've loved listening to.
My musical bona fides: seven years of recreational bass clarinet, in junior/senior high and college, followed by 27 years of intensive album and CD playing (where I refined (?) my eclectic tastes). Then came five years of on-and off tenor sax lessons and community band work. (Tenor sax seemed much more sympatico with my musical tastes than did bass clarinet.) Then, I decided to try BC again, researched and bought one (using my trusty factotum the World Wide Web), and fell in love.
See, the upper and lower registers of clarinets are a twelfth apart, so the same note an octave up is fingered totally differently. On a sax, the register key is a true octave key, so the fingerings are the same for two octaves. (Never mind the altissimo, for now.) And the upper register of a tenor sax and a bass clarinet, both B-flat instruments, are fingered very nearly identically. So it should have been easy to move from clarinet to sax, never mind the 27-year grand pause.
But, but, but... when I got that BC in the mail, and tried it out, I felt like I'd come home. My fingers and their kinesthetic memories naturally sought out the right notes. And those delicious low tones! The BC's range extends from the bottom of the baritone sax range to the top of the tenor sax range. And I'm having lots of fun nudging my BC repertoire out of traditional band and orchestra tunes and into jazz, and classic rock, and more. I've been playing for two years now, and I just can't stop.
So come on by and check it out tomorrow. Or see me at Leslie Ball's Cabaret in the wee hours of some Sunday morning. Oh, and what the hell is "Bruce Has the Talking Stick" all about? If you'd like some background on that band name, and a brief glimpse into my head, check out my 1/23/04 blog at http://www.musiciansconnected.com/Blog/Low_Reed.aspx?ID=1/23/2004112647AM#1/23/2004112647AM . Enter at your own risk.
Gotta go now. My BC is beckoning!
So while my dinner's settling, after which I can rehearse my horn, let me tell you about me and my bass clarinet. Because I have a couple of free public gigs tomorrow, along Grand Avenue in St. Paul, and I'd like to invite you to check them out. (Yeah, that's right, free: I refuse to offer cash bribes to scare up an audience, so I'm not payin' you a plugged nickel to sit through my squawking!).
Grand Ave. is host to an event called Blooming Day on Saturday, July 31 (tomorrow!). It's like a WAY scaled-down Grand Old Day. The street won't be closed off, and there should be parking available. The attractions are free samples of desserts, and drinks, and flowers; kids' events; store sales; and... oh yeah, music! Get the lowdown at http://www.grandave.com/Blooming_Day.htm.
I'll be playing twice along the avenue:
My mixed clarinet quartet, The Cylindrical Bores, will be performing from 10: - 11:30 a.m., in front of the Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand, between Victoria and Milton. Our mixed-up clarinets consist of two B-flat soprano clarinets, one E-flat alto clarinet, and one B-flat bass clarinet (that's my baby!). We play a variety of jazz and classical tunes, and the occasional movie theme (think Inspector Clouseau). Up tempo, down tempo, and always fun.
Then, from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., my self-accompanied solo bass clarinet band, Bruce Has the Talking Stick, will perform in front of Kowalski's Market, 1261 Grand, at Syndicate. I play jazz, classic rock, a bit of classical, a show tune or two, accompanied by either A) me on a recorded bass clarinet bass line, or B) a recording of my computer simulating (nicely!) a piano accompaniment. (NO, my accompaniment is NOT a pair of cymbals between my knees, or a bicycle horn in my armpit -- but maybe I'll work up to them someday!) Some classic rock and Leonard Cohen sing-along sheets will be provided.
Why THAT instrument on THOSE tunes, you ask? 'Cuz it's music I love, and an instrument I know how to play, one that burbles along, sweetly and resonantly, in the lower register of a man's voice. The BC is typically a low-register support instrument in a band or orchestra. I've done that, still do, and enjoy it, but I've been wanting to take me and that horn to unexpected places, and work with some of the music I've loved listening to.
My musical bona fides: seven years of recreational bass clarinet, in junior/senior high and college, followed by 27 years of intensive album and CD playing (where I refined (?) my eclectic tastes). Then came five years of on-and off tenor sax lessons and community band work. (Tenor sax seemed much more sympatico with my musical tastes than did bass clarinet.) Then, I decided to try BC again, researched and bought one (using my trusty factotum the World Wide Web), and fell in love.
See, the upper and lower registers of clarinets are a twelfth apart, so the same note an octave up is fingered totally differently. On a sax, the register key is a true octave key, so the fingerings are the same for two octaves. (Never mind the altissimo, for now.) And the upper register of a tenor sax and a bass clarinet, both B-flat instruments, are fingered very nearly identically. So it should have been easy to move from clarinet to sax, never mind the 27-year grand pause.
But, but, but... when I got that BC in the mail, and tried it out, I felt like I'd come home. My fingers and their kinesthetic memories naturally sought out the right notes. And those delicious low tones! The BC's range extends from the bottom of the baritone sax range to the top of the tenor sax range. And I'm having lots of fun nudging my BC repertoire out of traditional band and orchestra tunes and into jazz, and classic rock, and more. I've been playing for two years now, and I just can't stop.
So come on by and check it out tomorrow. Or see me at Leslie Ball's Cabaret in the wee hours of some Sunday morning. Oh, and what the hell is "Bruce Has the Talking Stick" all about? If you'd like some background on that band name, and a brief glimpse into my head, check out my 1/23/04 blog at http://www.musiciansconnected.com/Blog/Low_Reed.aspx?ID=1/23/2004112647AM#1/23/2004112647AM . Enter at your own risk.
Gotta go now. My BC is beckoning!
I'm Sittin' on Top...
OF THE WORLD!
A terrific week at work, and now I'm off early on Friday, so's I can A) talk to (with?) you about the Fringe, and B) rehearse for my bass clarinet gigs tomorrow. (And, OK, C) talk up my bass clarinet gigs, too, he said shamelessly.)
When last we spoke, I promised to tell you about my encounter with Leslie Ball, chanteuse extraordinaire. Now, I first interacted with Leslie at the Southern Theater, one year ago, during the 2003 Fringe Previews at Leslie Ball's Midnight Cabaret at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. I'll bet many of you know this eclectic, offbeat cabaret far better than I do -- Leslie has been hosting it nearly every weekend for nigh on thirteen years now. I had heard about it, and had been hoping to be able to stay up late enough to take it in sometime or other. But it was the prospect of being able to preview excerpts from local (one week) and out-of-town (the next week) Fringe productions that pushed me into taking the plunge last July.
I found Leslie to be a warm, gracious, casual, friendly host of these cabarets. She warned the newcomers in the audience that, if we were hoping to one day bring our own unpolished, un-juried acts to her Cabaret stage, and were intimidated by the quality of the Fringe previews, that we should bear in mind that these were unusually high-caliber acts (at which the Fringe actors present guffawed loudly). We were then entertained by brief snippets of several shows, which served to get us salivating for the upcoming Fringe immersion, and gave us some ideas on shows we'd like to see in full. This was a terrific service, one that continues this year (more on that later).
It was several months before I returned to a "normal" weekend at Leslie's cabaret. I started going again in late May 2004, with the notion of eventually dipping my own toe in the water and trying out a couple of bass clarinet solos on the stage. I eventually did this, twice in June, and was rewarded with a warm welcome by Leslie, the rest of the staff, and the audience. These visits confirmed my initial impressions of Leslie, andI was happy to be able to talk with her and bask in the glow of her humanity and her optimism. I even heard her sing a little, when she performed on stage one night with Ochen K. Nice voice!
BUT... all that did little to prepare me for the absolutely ecstatic experience I had last Thursday, being washed over and enveloped by her tender, tough, playful, earnest, broken, healed, spiritual voice as she put on a full performance at the Dakota in Minneapolis. Accompanied by local standout musicians Dean McGraw (guitar), Peter Schimke (piano), Anthony Cox (bass) and Kevin Washington (drums), she offered us a local music love-fest that lasted four hours, and left my wife and me floating several feet off the ground as we departed, arms wrapped around each other, marvelling at the experience we had just had. Leslie, THANK YOU for sharing yourself with us. You're a hell of a songwriter, a hell of a participator/oberver/chronicler of this sweet mess we call life, and you have a damn fine group of musicians that you count among your friends!
I took lots of hasty notes in the dark during that wonderful performance, but not too many to be fully in the moment with Leslie and everyone else (including Ochen K, who provided Leslie and us with some sweet, ad hoc(!) accompaniments on acoustic guitar and accordion). As I look over those notes, now, and think back to that evening, and recall some of her lyrics, I feel myself choking up with emotion. Damn it, Leslie, Big Boys Don't Cry! Well, I'm much better off having got shut of that foolish notion.
"I will not whisper,
Will not hide,
Will not keep this thing inside.
But listen up everyone:
I'm not leaving 'til I'm done!"
Leslie, you're beautiful -- from your head, to your heart, to your face, to your voicebox, to your gut and your soul.
And your Cabaret embodies the spirit of the Fringe, which I'm here to testify about. More on that later -- I need to take a breather.
A terrific week at work, and now I'm off early on Friday, so's I can A) talk to (with?) you about the Fringe, and B) rehearse for my bass clarinet gigs tomorrow. (And, OK, C) talk up my bass clarinet gigs, too, he said shamelessly.)
When last we spoke, I promised to tell you about my encounter with Leslie Ball, chanteuse extraordinaire. Now, I first interacted with Leslie at the Southern Theater, one year ago, during the 2003 Fringe Previews at Leslie Ball's Midnight Cabaret at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. I'll bet many of you know this eclectic, offbeat cabaret far better than I do -- Leslie has been hosting it nearly every weekend for nigh on thirteen years now. I had heard about it, and had been hoping to be able to stay up late enough to take it in sometime or other. But it was the prospect of being able to preview excerpts from local (one week) and out-of-town (the next week) Fringe productions that pushed me into taking the plunge last July.
I found Leslie to be a warm, gracious, casual, friendly host of these cabarets. She warned the newcomers in the audience that, if we were hoping to one day bring our own unpolished, un-juried acts to her Cabaret stage, and were intimidated by the quality of the Fringe previews, that we should bear in mind that these were unusually high-caliber acts (at which the Fringe actors present guffawed loudly). We were then entertained by brief snippets of several shows, which served to get us salivating for the upcoming Fringe immersion, and gave us some ideas on shows we'd like to see in full. This was a terrific service, one that continues this year (more on that later).
It was several months before I returned to a "normal" weekend at Leslie's cabaret. I started going again in late May 2004, with the notion of eventually dipping my own toe in the water and trying out a couple of bass clarinet solos on the stage. I eventually did this, twice in June, and was rewarded with a warm welcome by Leslie, the rest of the staff, and the audience. These visits confirmed my initial impressions of Leslie, andI was happy to be able to talk with her and bask in the glow of her humanity and her optimism. I even heard her sing a little, when she performed on stage one night with Ochen K. Nice voice!
BUT... all that did little to prepare me for the absolutely ecstatic experience I had last Thursday, being washed over and enveloped by her tender, tough, playful, earnest, broken, healed, spiritual voice as she put on a full performance at the Dakota in Minneapolis. Accompanied by local standout musicians Dean McGraw (guitar), Peter Schimke (piano), Anthony Cox (bass) and Kevin Washington (drums), she offered us a local music love-fest that lasted four hours, and left my wife and me floating several feet off the ground as we departed, arms wrapped around each other, marvelling at the experience we had just had. Leslie, THANK YOU for sharing yourself with us. You're a hell of a songwriter, a hell of a participator/oberver/chronicler of this sweet mess we call life, and you have a damn fine group of musicians that you count among your friends!
I took lots of hasty notes in the dark during that wonderful performance, but not too many to be fully in the moment with Leslie and everyone else (including Ochen K, who provided Leslie and us with some sweet, ad hoc(!) accompaniments on acoustic guitar and accordion). As I look over those notes, now, and think back to that evening, and recall some of her lyrics, I feel myself choking up with emotion. Damn it, Leslie, Big Boys Don't Cry! Well, I'm much better off having got shut of that foolish notion.
"I will not whisper,
Will not hide,
Will not keep this thing inside.
But listen up everyone:
I'm not leaving 'til I'm done!"
Leslie, you're beautiful -- from your head, to your heart, to your face, to your voicebox, to your gut and your soul.
And your Cabaret embodies the spirit of the Fringe, which I'm here to testify about. More on that later -- I need to take a breather.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Rehearsing for the Fringe
While the Fringe performers are getting their acts together in preparation for August, I'm trying to do the same thing as an audience member. I've been attending some pre-Fringe showcases, and it's time to tell you about them.
But first, I want to riff on this thought for a few measures: Even with the comparatively languid tempo of pre-Fringe activities (for audience members, anyway), I have learned that I have to watch my pace, or I might find myself running out of breath. (And being a horn player, that's not a good thing.) I'm a glutton for all kinds of artistic stimuli, and sometimes don't know when to ease off when there are so many goodies on the table in front of me. (Of course, one look at the girlish figure I HAVEN'T been able to keep will tell you that I indulge in multimedia gluttony!)
But, food metaphors aside, I found myself taking in too many artistic events, Fringe and otherwise, in the last few days. And I recall vividly that the opportunity for that is way greater during Fringe week. So, see all you can, but not when you're too worn out to enjoy it!
OK, onward:
My First Fringe Showcase
I went to see the first showcase on July 2 at "Patio Nights at Minnesota Museum of American Art", a new Thursday-Friday evening OUTDOOR venue high above the Mississippi in downtown St. Paul. (Check it out at http://www.mmaa.org/pationights.html.) (I was predisposed to attend this showcase because I had just performed a gig on the Patio the night before, as "Bruce Has the Talking Stick", a self-accompanied bass clarinet solo band. But enough about me... for now!)
The most memorable music-related act, for me, was Before Dark, by the Live Action Set. They did a couple of excerpts from their Fringe show, one of which involved two leery dancer/acrobats, and a cellist, who played a minimalist, minor key accompaniment, in fits and starts, as a counterpoint to the dancers' physical fits and starts. A wordless call and response, full of music, silence, expression, and physicality. Delightful!
Also on the music front: Dean J. Seal and Steve Anderson did excerpts from An Empire Disguised as a Nation -- a clever and pointed dark political comedy. Part of Dean's contribution was some hilarious songs, which he also peppered through the evening in his role as Fringe preview M.C. He treated us to La Bamba in Norwegian, with references to Haagen Dasz and Husker Du. And a country-western satire encouraging Mexico to take back California and Mexico, which the U.S. "appropriated" some time back... More on this one later.
I also need to mention The Driving Instructor, a hilariously seductive solo rant and romp, which included a tent-revivalist session with a wild man preaching pop culture as religion, as he exhorted the audience with cries of "Elvis lives!".
We also heard from Allegra Lingo, who gave us some enjoyable excerpts from her spoken-word reminiscences of a trip to Italy (part of a show called Agog, I believe), and the Flower Shop Project, who acted out part of a ghost story called Drowning in Velvet (which looked intriguing, but needed better miking of the actors, who were competing with Taste of Minnesota noise from across the river).
Keep in mind that these folks were all good enough to take time out of their rehearsal schedules to give us a taste of the Fringe, and that what we saw was a full month before the Fringe begins. They sure whetted my appetite!
Damn, there I go again. Note to self: Enough with the food references, already! I'm the Music Man, and I'm searching for the Fringe Heartbeat, not its stomach rumblings!
Coming soon: My report on Leslie Ball's stunning vocal comeback at the Dakota last Thursday, and on the Fringe Showcase at Leslie Ball's Cabaret last night.
But first, I want to riff on this thought for a few measures: Even with the comparatively languid tempo of pre-Fringe activities (for audience members, anyway), I have learned that I have to watch my pace, or I might find myself running out of breath. (And being a horn player, that's not a good thing.) I'm a glutton for all kinds of artistic stimuli, and sometimes don't know when to ease off when there are so many goodies on the table in front of me. (Of course, one look at the girlish figure I HAVEN'T been able to keep will tell you that I indulge in multimedia gluttony!)
But, food metaphors aside, I found myself taking in too many artistic events, Fringe and otherwise, in the last few days. And I recall vividly that the opportunity for that is way greater during Fringe week. So, see all you can, but not when you're too worn out to enjoy it!
OK, onward:
My First Fringe Showcase
I went to see the first showcase on July 2 at "Patio Nights at Minnesota Museum of American Art", a new Thursday-Friday evening OUTDOOR venue high above the Mississippi in downtown St. Paul. (Check it out at http://www.mmaa.org/pationights.html.) (I was predisposed to attend this showcase because I had just performed a gig on the Patio the night before, as "Bruce Has the Talking Stick", a self-accompanied bass clarinet solo band. But enough about me... for now!)
The most memorable music-related act, for me, was Before Dark, by the Live Action Set. They did a couple of excerpts from their Fringe show, one of which involved two leery dancer/acrobats, and a cellist, who played a minimalist, minor key accompaniment, in fits and starts, as a counterpoint to the dancers' physical fits and starts. A wordless call and response, full of music, silence, expression, and physicality. Delightful!
Also on the music front: Dean J. Seal and Steve Anderson did excerpts from An Empire Disguised as a Nation -- a clever and pointed dark political comedy. Part of Dean's contribution was some hilarious songs, which he also peppered through the evening in his role as Fringe preview M.C. He treated us to La Bamba in Norwegian, with references to Haagen Dasz and Husker Du. And a country-western satire encouraging Mexico to take back California and Mexico, which the U.S. "appropriated" some time back... More on this one later.
I also need to mention The Driving Instructor, a hilariously seductive solo rant and romp, which included a tent-revivalist session with a wild man preaching pop culture as religion, as he exhorted the audience with cries of "Elvis lives!".
We also heard from Allegra Lingo, who gave us some enjoyable excerpts from her spoken-word reminiscences of a trip to Italy (part of a show called Agog, I believe), and the Flower Shop Project, who acted out part of a ghost story called Drowning in Velvet (which looked intriguing, but needed better miking of the actors, who were competing with Taste of Minnesota noise from across the river).
Keep in mind that these folks were all good enough to take time out of their rehearsal schedules to give us a taste of the Fringe, and that what we saw was a full month before the Fringe begins. They sure whetted my appetite!
Damn, there I go again. Note to self: Enough with the food references, already! I'm the Music Man, and I'm searching for the Fringe Heartbeat, not its stomach rumblings!
Coming soon: My report on Leslie Ball's stunning vocal comeback at the Dakota last Thursday, and on the Fringe Showcase at Leslie Ball's Cabaret last night.
Monday, July 19, 2004
I'm bringin' you a Fringe that's true...
... Get ready, get ready. Cuz here it comes!
Do' doo do do do' do
Do' doo do do do' do
Doo doo doo doo.. do' do
Oh. Hi! Got carried away there for a minute.
But don't expect an apology. I CRAVE getting carried away by music, and I'm gonna sniff out such experiences wherever I can find them in Fringeville. And then I'm gonna blab/blog about them here.
So, tune in, turn on, and drop by. Join me in my search for Fringe ear candy!
Do' doo do do do' do
Do' doo do do do' do
Doo doo doo doo.. do' do
Oh. Hi! Got carried away there for a minute.
But don't expect an apology. I CRAVE getting carried away by music, and I'm gonna sniff out such experiences wherever I can find them in Fringeville. And then I'm gonna blab/blog about them here.
So, tune in, turn on, and drop by. Join me in my search for Fringe ear candy!
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