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(07/25/02 8:23pm)
A festival that began eight months ago on the west coast hits Bloomington today. Activities for Ladyfest Midwest will encompass women's issues as well as the arts.\nWorkshops will include women's self defense, how to combat "fat oppression," vegetarian/vegan recipe swap, women with disabilities panel discussion, spirituality and gender issues and more. Tickets are available for $15 for the whole weekend or $5 per day, payable by money order in advance, or by cash the day of the festival. Any proceeds from the festival will go to benefit the Middle Way House, 404 W. Kirkwood Ave.\nRegistration will be open today and Saturday at Secret Sailor Books, 202 N. Walnut St. The workshops will be held today and Saturday at Options for Better Living, 301 W. First St.; Lee's Martial Arts, 314 S. Walnut St.; Bloomingfoods, 3220 E. Third St.; and the Monroe County Public Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave.\nIndependent films will be shown Saturday at the Monroe County Public Library, and there will be an art display at the Runcible Spoon, 412 E. Sixth St. \nMusical acts including The Sissies, The Hussies, Love x Calvin, Pretty Pony, Penny Arcade, Karate Cowgirl, Violet Skin, The Star Death, Raunchy Reckless, Danielle McLelland, Drag King Half-time Show and Bionic Finger will be held today and Saturday evenings at Rhino's All-Age Music Club.\n"The festival's goal is to heighten community awareness about women's issues, through workshops, art, music and film," freshman Vanessa Kruse said.\nIt is an opportunity for women to voice their opinions on feminist issues and express themselves in a safe, positive and comfortable environment, Kruse said. People of different ages, sexual orientations, gender orientations, race and opinions are welcome to join and learn from each other. Kruse said it is something that people of all ages will enjoy.\n"It is a festival celebrating the creativity and sisterhood of women," Kruse said. \nGraduate student Elizabeth Bridges said she thinks this festival is a great idea because she is disturbed to see the message of Bloomington's devoted core of activists has been lost on much of the community. \n"Ladyfest will provide a forum where a true exchange of ideas can happen, rather than a confrontation," Bridges said.\nThe first Ladyfest was held in August in Olympia, Wash. Jennifer Fish, a Michigan native and general chair of the festival was inspired after performing spoken word in Olympia and decided to bring the festival to Bloomington. \n"By making this festival accessible to all genders, we hope to attract all people to come and take a peek at what's happening in the growing world of feminism," Fish said.\nAlthough the idea is to have fun, by bringing Ladyfest to Bloomington the people involved hope to raise money and awareness for the Middle Way House. The Middle Way House is a shelter and safe place for battered women and their children. \n"We are an organization whose mission is to end violence against women and children," Crisis Intervention Services Coordinator Amy Maidi said. \nThe Middle Way House is the only domestic violence shelter in Bloomington, so it is a necessity to keep it going, Maidi said.\n"Funding sources are getting more scarce," Maidi said, "and donations are what keeps us going." \nThe shelter can house 22 people. It is a confidential and safe transitional housing place for women. Middle Way House includes a domestic violence center, a rape crisis center, transitional housing, outreach programs, and economic development programs. It is free for women to stay there and counseling and support groups are offered. \nFor more information about Ladyfest Midwest, visit the Web site at ladyfest.cjb.net.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
With cameras flashing, lights dimming, hands clapping and people screaming, tuxedo-clad members of Straight No Chaser took their place on stage Tuesday night. \nPeople of all ages filled the Auditorium to see the seniors' last big performance. Even faces from the original Straight No Chaser in 1996 could be found in the crowd. Complete with dried ice, flashing fire and colorful lights, the group was ready to entertain. \nTheir voices joined to create beautiful, powerful sounds. People often looked around and whispered about how they could not believe that voices could sound that way -- that the sounds they heard were simply voices and not instruments.\nSeniors had their share of solos, allowing them to take their place in the spotlight. Although it was the last big concert for the seniors, the atmosphere was not sad. Group members were having fun and seemed to be entertaining even themselves. \nSenior Mark Holloway entertained the audience with his clever improvisations. During each song, Holloway let his personality shine through to entertain the audience and the other group members. Whether he was singing about how guys have sex on the brain or telling people "that's just the way it is," from the moment he opened his mouth and smiled the audience was listening. \nThe tears came when the men called their mothers up on stage for a special rendition of "Song for Momma." While the mothers sat on stools and listened to their sons, there were few dry eyes in the audience. \nThroughout each song, voices entered and left the air together. Each voice had a different job to do, a different note to hit and a different sound to create.\nIn addition to the songs, a special video put together by senior Ben Cohen and alumnus Randy Stine was shown as a comical tribute to the seniors. Set to the background music from "Growing Pains," it joked that Straight No Chaser would be in Little 500 this year. Although the video was a joke, it highlighted the mens' personalities. \nThe video was a great way to show that the members of the group have fun together, and that the meaning of their involvement is more than just singing. It is about friendship and fun; this is obvious when the group enters the room. It is seen in the way they joke with each other, the way they introduce each other and the way they tease Cohen by telling him how short he really is. Those are things only a friend could get away with doing.\nBefore the show was over, Cohen sang Frank Sinatra's, "I've Got You Under My Skin," and audience members could not get enough. A few songs later, the show was over and the group received a standing ovation.\nNext month, the seniors will part ways. Mike Landau will be singing on a cruise ship; Kyle Coffman is going to medical school; Cohen is pursuing a career in entertainment in Chicago and Holloway will be leading expeditions around the world, in hopes of starting his own business.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
In September 1996, Daniel Ponce worked with a few other students to assemble a group of guys with one mission in mind: to form a men's singing ensemble that would put the Hoosiers on the a cappella map. \n"I looked around at other universities and saw many a cappella groups," Ponce said. "Then when I came to IU, I noticed that they did not have any a cappella groups, and I wanted to do something about that."\nThe group began with 10 members practicing several times a week and put on its first performance at the 1996 IU Dance Marathon. From the members' point of view, it wasn't their best show, but they said the campus response was overwhelmingly positive.\nSince then, the group has brought in new members and seen old members depart, some of whom have continued to work in the field of music.\nShortly before graduation, the original members got together and decided they wanted to forget their original, sensible plans and try to make it in the world of musical entertainment. So Steve Morgan, Michael Itkoff, Charlie Mechling, Daniel Ponce and Jerome Collins set off to conquer the world of music.\nThe group started in Indianapolis singing a little and trying to figure out what to do to be noticed. The members all said they were not really happy with what they were doing there. \n"Then we had a little good luck," Collins said. He was on a plane and talking to the person next to him, who told him that he knew someone who knew someone who could get them an audition with RCA Records. Collins jumped at the opportunity, though he admits he was a little skeptical. After the audition with RCA Records, the company signed them on in January of this year. \nNow the five original members of Straight No Chaser live in Atlanta where they are working on their first CD with RCA Records. The band's name is TEN to FIVE, which it got from Straight No Chaser, because they were originally a group of 10 and five of them are still together.\nRandy Stine, also one of the original 10, moved to Atlanta upon Ponce's request in October 1999 to help the group with business and marketing and give input on new song possibilities. When they begin touring, Stine will take on the position of tour manager.\n"Unfortunately, it's not all glamour and glitz like most people think," Stine said. "Most of the time is spent writing and recording music for the first album, and although the record label does help out with living expenses, since we can't work full-time, most of us work," Stine said.\nCollins and Itkoff valet-park cars, Ponce teaches violin, voice and piano at the local college and Morgan and Mechling have been waiting tables. Stine does digital-video editing for a post-production company. \nStine describes their living situation in midtown Atlanta as almost like a sit-com. "There are six of us, living in three 2-bedroom apartments, all on the same floor, in the same building," Stine said. "Imagine Joey and Chandler from 'Friends' times three."\nThe CD will include a few a cappella songs, but it will also include songs with instrumentals in the background. "We want to be part of the new wave of men's groups," Collins said. They compare themselves to Boys II Men, but Collins said, "We want to do more than get up there and sing -- we want to pull some stools out and kill you vocally."\nAlthough the members have been out of college for two years now, they continue to hold their experiences at IU close to their hearts. \n"I majored in Straight No Chaser at IU," Ponce said. "It's just amazing how something you begin in college can have such a great effect on your professional career," Ponce said.\nThey all agreed that anyone with a dream of pursuing music can go after it and conquer it but they must be willing to give it their all and be prepared when the time comes. \n"Since everyone told us to follow our dreams and do it now of you'll regret it later, we decided to go for it," Stine said. "Obviously, we hope for this new group to be the next big thing, but even if the album flops and we're never heard from again, we know we tried for ourselves and for everyone who told us to keep singing." \nThe album should be out within the next year, and the group can be contacted at IndianaUgraduate@aol.com.
(04/24/01 4:37am)
Local professional musicians are calling all music lovers to join them in a jam session. \nAt 7:30 p.m. today in the John Waldron Arts Center auditorium, 122 S. Walnut St., the third annual gathering of "Jammin' With the Pros" hits the stage. Professional musicians Jeff Hiatt, Pete Wilhoit and Craig Brenner will perform and give students and Bloomington residents a chance to play music. The event, which is free of charge, will allow people to play jazz tunes while improvising with the professionals.\nHiatt, a bass player and graduate of Bloomington High School North, has been playing professionally for more than seven years. Wilhoit, a drummer and graduate of Bloomington High School South, has been playing professionally for just as long. Brenner, an alumnus and piano player, has been playing piano for more than 40 years. He is in a band called the Crawdads, which perform at various events in Bloomington, including the upcoming retirement celebration for Bloomington Chancellor Kenneth Gros Lois.\nStudents are encouraged to bring their own instruments and music to the event.\n"People learn a lot from what they hear, and they are not given as many opportunities to hear and learn if they just play with other students," Brenner said. \nBrenner said he hopes this event will allow students to advance their love for music and ear for sound. He said it will be a comfortable environment where people can have fun. The men will start by playing together, and then anyone can submit a request and perform.\n"Students are not on the spot like they may be during a band recital at school," Brenner said. "They should come to have fun and enjoy playing with the professionals."\nPeople of any music ability are encouraged to come.\nSenior Todd Sibener played trumpet in middle school and quit. He said he would have jumped at the chance to play with professionals for fun, rather than be in the spotlight and nervous at a recital. He said it is a great idea to get children interested in pursuing music. \n"If I could have played with a professional, and he could have shown me a couple of things, I might have kept with it," Sibener said. "It would have been like playing basketball with Michael Jordan."\nBloomington High School South Band Director Bob Dubinski said the event is a wonderful opportunity for students.\n"It will be an evening of celebrating jazz music," Dubinski said.\nThe event has no scheduled time for conclusion and could continue for several hours.
(04/17/01 5:43am)
Straight No Chaser will say goodbye to its seniors with a farewell performance today. Ben Cohen, Kyle Coffman, Mark Holloway and Michael Landau will leave the group next month.\nThe final show will mark an emotional end for the graduating seniors. The night will include music, dancing, new and old songs and a fun time, Landau said. The group will perform at 8 p.m. today in the IU Auditorium. Tickets are $10. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.\n"The show will allow the seniors to say goodbye, with special solos for each one," Holloway said.\nThe graduating seniors said they hope to leave a legacy and that their replacements will continue to make Straight No Chaser a success.\nDan Ponce, a Singing Hoosier, assembled what would become the original Straight No Chaser in 1996.\nSince then, the group has produced albums, performed in more than 200 shows, sung the National Anthem at Chicago White Sox and Cubs games and made appearances on NBC, CBS and in Carnegie Hall. It began as a student-run group whose members wanted to have fun and make a difference at IU. It was not until October 1998 that Straight No Chaser signed on with the Indiana University Alumni Association as an official performing group.\nThe departing seniors said they will miss the friendships they have formed.\n"A lot of groups are about singing," Holloway said. "But for us it's more than that -- we have a good time together."\nCoffman said it's about, "meeting many people, seeing different parts of the country and just enjoying music."\nThe group is being left in great hands, Landau said.\n"I can easily say that the group next year will continue the SNC tradition well. They are going to be great next year," he said.\nFreshman Jermaine Miles, who joined Straight No Chaser this year, said the members taught him that the group's job is making the audience happy.\n"Though we will all miss the graduating seniors," Miles said, "we wish them luck and say 'here\'s to what's to come with SNC next year.'"\nAfter graduation, the men will head for different states, though some plans for next year are still uncertain. Coffman will leave for medical school, and Holloway said he hopes to be a tour guide. Wherever their lives take them, they said they will cherish the memories of being part of an IU tradition.
(02/16/01 4:31am)
Laughing at yourself in love was the theme of "Love, Candy" at the Bloomington Playwright's Project, 308 S. Washington St., Wednesday night. Anyone who ever got excited when the cute boy at school said "hello" or looked to see how the pretty girl in class signed her Valentine could relate to this event. \nMore than 70 people gathered on Valentine's Day to hear tales of love lost, love found and the crazy things people do on their search for that special someone. The night began with a champagne and dessert reception. Couples chatted, children laughed and parents recalled stories from their younger years as the anticipation of what they would soon see mounted. \nThe stage was lit only by pink and white lights, some in the shape of hearts, others adding to the romantic feel of the room. The champagne was distributed continually throughout the show, and audience members whispered, creating a friendly, intimate atmosphere.\nAfter a brief introduction, Candace Johnson appeared wearing a smile that permeated the room. She stood alone on the floor in front of the stage with only her piano accompanist, Jennifer Hughes, behind her. It was Valentine's Day and Johnson said she was going to take the audience on a tour through love during various parts of life, some that would make them cry and some that would make them laugh.\n"Far too often, we are pressured by the holidays like Valentine's Day to find the perfect event, have the perfect dinner, and, well, nothing is perfect,'' Johnson said.\nJohnson's energy filled the room through her songs, stories and audience interactions. She was hysterical. Her stories of trading valentines in grade school made the whole room laugh and shout with agreement. In one of her stories, she explained how in grade school, she would sit at her desk and wait to see who gave her valentines.\n"He came over to my desk with a valentine in his hand and he gave it to me and said 'Hey,''' she said.\nShe said this moment -- when all the boy did was say "hey" -- was the best thing in the world at that time. The idea that this one insignificant event was once a huge moment in a young girl's life was so ridiculous that everyone in attendance laughed.\nJohnson's words had emotion, excitement and intense energy. Audience members sat up in their seats as she told them stories of love, lust, friendship and heartbreak. \nShe continued with stories about perfect dates that end with your boyfriend giving you his ex-girlfriend's favorite CD, and asking your grandmother how you know when you have found true love. The audience listened attentively to each tale and eagerly awaited the next. \nThe night was filled with songs from the past and songs from the present. Some, like "My Funny Valentine,'' people knew and sang under their breath. \nOld songs were presented with a twist. One of the best parts of the night where everyone cheered and yelled the loudest was when Johnson told a story using the song "I Will Survive." She used gestures and her voice to make the song into a story describing her feelings after she broke up with her college boyfriend. It was an old song, but the spin she put on it made it funny, emotional and entertaining for the audience.\nIt was a night that ended with cheering, yelling, whistling and people leaving the theater talking about their own funny experiences in love. The room itself was intimate and the people on their way out said they felt that throughout the show. It made for a Valentine's Day to remember and an event to recall the next time you find yourself doing all those crazy things on your search for love.
(02/14/01 5:50am)
Until recently, cabaret was something that only happened in New York or Chicago.\nAward-winning Chicago actress Candace Johnson brings the art of the cabaret to Bloomington. in the Bloomington Playwrights Project production, "Love, Candy," complete with entertainment, champagne and dessert at 8 p.m. today.\nCabaret allows for an intimate atmosphere and a direct relationship between the performer and the audience, Johnson said. It is unique because it is music, theatre and audience participation. \n"It lets the audience be a part of the performance because it's about connecting," Johnson said.\nIn her show, Johnson said she will highlight love throughout people's lives, from the love you yearn for and get from your mother to the love you long for and need from your wife. Love is wonderful and funny, she said, and the show is an opportunity to share with everyone a universal theme and celebrate Valentine's Day.\nA student who saw Johnson in a recent Christmas cabaret said the best part of her shows is that she adds in her own little stories. \n"They're heartwarming; they're just really good experiences,'' junior Hubbell Carothers said. "If I could describe her in two words, she's hilarious.''\nStories and songs of love will go full circle and will highlight the trials and heartbreaks we all face while searching for the one true love of our lives. Johnson said she hopes to make audience members laugh, cry and just have fun.\n"It's a chance to hear some of the greatest romantic songs that have ever been written, as well as an event to make Valentine's Day one to remember," said Richard Ford, artistic director of the Bloomington Playwrights Project.\nPeople always want Valentine's Day to be complete with the perfect red roses, lit candles and elegant dinner, just like it is in the movies, and it never is, Johnson said. She said she wants people to laugh at themselves in love and understand the imperfections of love.\nSenior Betsy Rubenstein said she agrees that people want Valentine's Day to be perfect and she said the show is a great way to laugh at the reasons it is not, while spending time with someone special. \n"People do crazy things to prove they love people,'' Rubenstein said. "They do it because it's the thing to do with no emotion behind it, but a show like this allows people to experience an event together that is meaningful.''\nHer show will address the highs and lows of love. The songs she sings range from sentimental standards to comic love tales and will be combined with stories from funny to heartfelt.\n"The entire show is a tribute to Ms. Johnson's belief that Valentine's Day is not just a greeting card holiday; it's for everyone who believes in love," according to the flier distributed by the Bloomington Playwrights Project.\nIt celebrates a Valentine's Day that is for everyone.\n"It is a program full of favorite songs and funny moments," according to the flier.\nIt's a different way to celebrate Valentine's Day and a different way to learn to laugh at ourselves during our search for love.