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(09/18/12 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As an unofficial early start to the 19th annual Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, Richard Thompson will perform at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater at 8 p.m., today. His performance is also a continuation of the 90th anniversary of the BCT Presents Concert Series.“Thompson has played in Bloomington quite a few times,” said Maarten Bout, associate executive director for marketing and technology at Buskirk.”It’s an unofficial start to Lotus.”Bout said Buskirk is co-presenting the series with Lotus and the two are “very much intertwined.”“We’ve been doing BCT presents for a while now,” Bout said. “It’s basically a series featuring between eight and 16 concerts of major-label artists. Typically, we are a rental venue. We just supply people with space, but this is where we present things to the community as a promoter.”Bout said they sponsor both up-and-coming bands and established acts for the series.“It’s a very illustrious group of people that come to play here,” Bout said. “It is a very unique opportunity for the audience. We only have 600 seats which really allows them to have an intimate experience with the artist.” Bout spoke enthusiastically about the response Buskirk has received since programming Thompson.“The sales for the first day were pretty stellar,” Bout said. “I’ve never seen any show sell out half of the house in 24 hours, which happened this time. I’m pretty certain we’re going to have a sold out show tomorrow night.” Born in West London, Thompson’s early influences include Django Reinhardt, Fats Waller, Les Paul and Jimmy Shand, according to his website. He was a founding member of the British band, Fairport Convention. He performed a duo with his wife, Linda, from 1971-82 and has been working as a solo artist since their divorce in 1982. Thompson, a recipient of BBC’s Lifetime Achievement Award, was named one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s Top 20 Guitarists of All Time and received a Grammy nomination in 2011. He has written scores for numerous films, including Werner Herzog’s “Grizzly Man.”“It’s kind of like you’re canoeing down a river and you want to see what is around the next bend,” Thompson said in an interview on his website. “The future, the stuff you haven’t created yet, is very exciting.”Bout said he has high expectations for today’s show.“It’s going to be a fantastic performance,” Bout said. “He’s an incredible guitar player, a great songwriter and a great performer. That combination really promises an amazing show. It’s gonna be pretty wild.”
(09/13/12 2:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Kicking off the semester with its annual Coffeehouse Nights Series, the IU Art Museum will open its doors today at 7 p.m., providing free samples of coffee, sweet treats and music on the second floor of the museum.The Museum will feature one of their three permanent galleries every Thursday night until the end of the month.“The series began six years ago,” said Anita DeCastro, manager of events at the museum, in an email. “It currently celebrates the start of each new academic year while highlighting the museum’s permanent collection galleries.”DeCastro said the in-gallery musical performances correlate to the cultures being represented.The Gallery of the Arts of Asia and the Ancient Western World will entertain attendees tonight with free food samples and traditional Middle Eastern music by Salaam. Lucienne M. Glaubinger Curator of Works on Paper Nan Brewer said music has become a popular aspect of the series.“The series is a great way to experience the galleries,” Brewer said. “We are delighted that they are going on again this year.”
(09/12/12 3:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Translated as “city of light” in ancient Egyptian, the Federation of Damanhur is hidden in a town called Vidracco, Italy, in the foothills of the Piedmont Alps. Last night, partners Kaleo Wheeler and Bill Land elaborated on the beauty of the temples and discussed the Damanhur community in detail at the Venue Fine Arts and Gifts.Founded in 1975 by Oberto Airaudi, also known as Falco, Damanhur is home to “the eighth wonder of the world” and “a model for a sustainable future.”The Temples of Humankind were dug by hand into the side of a mountain. They extend for thousands of square meters and are connected by miles of corridors. There are several levels.“This is one of the most fantastic works of art on the planet,” feng shui expert Bill Land said. “These temples, known as the “eighth wonder of the world” by many, are marvelous.”The lecture was a preview of an upcoming visit by Crotalo Sesamo, who has lived in the Federation of Damanhur as a spiritual researcher for 20 years.“There is a place in the world that has created a sustainable living model for us to follow,” Land said. “What we’re asking you to do is to consider this for your own edification.” The small crowd of attendees remained attentive as Land explained the idea behind the conception of Damanhur.Damanhur, a cooperative community with a population of nearly 1,000 people, did not have an easy beginning. Italian authorities would not have approved the digging of tunnels into the side of the mountain, so Falco and the Damanhur community dug for 16 years in secrecy.“When they were discovered, Falco feared they would be shut down,” Land said. “But when the police saw the beauty of the temples, they were so in awe, you could see tears in their eyes.”The community was not stopped and continued their work on the temples and their research. The society believes in time travel and bringing the past to the future in order to create a more sustainable society.“They have brought ancient alchemy from the past and combined it with modern technology to create things such as this stiloself,” Wheeler said.Bringing out a small, golden shaft topped with a decorative square, Wheeler explained the power hidden behind the stiloself’s simplicity.Wheeler placed the shaft on an acupoint on her wrist. Making a deep, throaty noise, she aimed her breath at the square, which is composed of minerals and other complex elements while slowly moving the shaft.“I can feel it all the way down my legs,” Wheeler said.Jewelry is an important part of the culture in Damanhur. They make rings, bracelets, necklaces and other pieces that alleviate or aid stress, pain, success and several other elements. Selfica, introduced through the research of Airaudi, explores the energies that interact with the environment and humans. Wheeler shared her experience with this research.“They have these things in Damanhur that look like synthesizers,” Wheeler began. “You connect a set of pinchers to the plant, and you can hear it. Each one is totally different. Are they speaking? I don’t know, but I do know that I heard them. Some are really quiet. Others are really loud.”Damanhur is part of Italy but totally self-sufficient. The community has its own language, currency, government, schools, work and services needed to survive on its own. “Though they generate their own currency, jobs and such through their own sustainability, they put time into the community, and that is how they survive,” Land said.Their beliefs in the interconnectedness of people to the environment and a human being’s capability to create a better world through sustainability were awarded by an agency of the United Nations as a model for a sustainable future.“Falco’s intention in establishing Damanhur was to create a better world,” Wheeler said. “It’s a community that’s been very successful for years.”
(09/12/12 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Photographs of smiling faces and helping hands line a staircase in City Hall. The photographs, taken by Kendall Reeves, help visually detail local nonprofit organization United Way of Monroe County’s newest campaign, Live United.Reeves, owner of Spectrum Studio of Photography and Design and gallery406, has worked with United Way for many years.“I got involved with United Way several years ago, donating photography to them for their brochures,” Reeves said. “The people in the photographs at City Hall right now are recipients of United Way’s fund with United Way staff and volunteers.”Reeves has photographed people and places in Monroe County for more than 25 years. His work has been in recent books including “Bloomington: A Contemporary Portrait” and “Terre Haute: The Crossroads of America.” In 2011, his photographs were featured in the book “A Home of Her Own,” published by IU Press.“Kendall is a true gem in our community,” Jennifer Hottell, United Way community engagement director, said in an email. “He has donated his amazing photography skill to United Way for at least eight years. He embodies the spirit of Live United by giving his time and talents to make our community stronger and more vibrant.” Hottell said the photographs depict the daily lives of Bloomington locals.“I think what’s really exciting about the photos is that they show community members making a difference every day as they live united,” Hottell said.The photographs are separated into five groups. The first group features United Way volunteers and staff helping children paint, play with blocks and read. Men wearing shirts emblazoned with the Live United logo were photographed as they cooked and carried fruit in the second group.The third group of photos is similar to the first, focusing on children.The last two groups portray United Way members involved in the community. Fund recipients featured in the photos vary from the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington to Stone Belt. “We just launched our fundraising campaign last Friday,” Hottell said. “It’s in the very early stages. However, I can tell there is going to be a lot of excitement surrounding the photography featured in City Hall and with the campaign in general.”Despite being part of United Way Worldwide and the Indiana Association of United Ways, United Way of Monroe County is able to retain local control. More than 98 percent of donations remain in Monroe County.“We are part of an international network, but we are run totally independently,” Hottell said. “We’re powered by dedicated volunteers, donors and staff that make everything possible. We are able to tie into the larger network for training and resources and are potentially able to borrow ideas from other cities and share our own success stories.”Hottell said United Way’s focus is developing the building blocks of a better life. The United Way website reads, “Our partnerships create and sustain solutions that ensure everyone in our community has the building blocks for a better life — education, earnings and essentials.”“I think it’s a great organization,” Reeves said. “It’s something you can give money to, one organization, that helps a lot of different projects with one donation.”Hottel said when people live united, they choose to better their community.“It reminds us all that when we think of others instead of ourselves, we can make a positive impact on the community,” Hottell said. “We change the lives of those who walk by us every day by living for the community.”
(09/11/12 3:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Hidden among a foray of limestone buildings and passed every day by IU
students, a gem lies in the midst of campus, lit up every night with
dancing colors.
“I visited the IU Art Museum last fall around this time,” author and journalist Susan Jaques said. “I was blown away.”
Jaques recently completed her book “A Love for the Beautiful:
Discovering America’s Hidden Art Museums,” which is to be published in
October or November.
In the book, Jaques features 50 art museums, one of which is the IU Art Museum.
Specializing in art and travel, Jaques has written for numerous
magazines, newspapers and websites, such as the Los Angeles Times,
Christian Science Monitor and the Toronto Globe and Mail.
Traveling from Italy and the Scrovegni Chapel to Holland and Rembrandt’s
400th birthday, Jaques’ interest in seeking “remarkable, hidden
museums” was piqued.
“I really felt a strong attraction to museums that were lesser known,”
Jaques said. “I was visiting Florida several years ago, and I visited
the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. Back then it was small, nondescript
and in a former boat warehouse, but they had the most valuable
collections, and the artwork was amazing.”
Jaques said after her visit to the Dali Museum she started to wonder if
there were other such museums that passed below the radar. She had never
heard of the IU Art Museum until she began asking curators where she
could find a great collection of African art.
They all said IU.
“The IU Art Museum was at the top of everyone’s list for having one of
the best African art collections in the country,” Jaques said. “I
traveled from my home in Los Angeles all the way to this little town in
the Midwest and was amazed after Diane Pelrine gave me a tour.”
Diane Pelrine, curatorial services curator of African, Oceanic and
Pre-Colombian Art at the museum, said she was happy Jaques appreciated
the collections.
“I was pleased that Susan recognized that we have one of the finest
collections in those three world areas in the U.S.,” Pelrine said. “It’s
really remarkable for a museum of our size to have collections like
this.”
Jaques discovered the museum itself was designed by I.M. Pei, which she learned when she started researching the museum.
“I was familiar with his early museum at Cornell in New York,” Jaques
said. “I had not heard of his work in Bloomington. That was really
impressive.”
Jaques said she found the gallery setup fascinating, as well.
“It was an eye-opening experience to see the artwork presented so
beautifully,” Jaques said. “The museum really displays the objects so
that visitors can appreciate them for their aesthetic value, not just
their anthropological value.”
Though Jaques discusses the African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian art in
her book, she devotes most of her lines to African art. Jaques said each
museum she discusses is different and has different strengths in
certain areas of art.
“Our strength is the African area,” Pelrine said. “It goes with the
strength IU has had in the African studies department since the 1960s.”
Featuring museums from across the country, 14 of the 50 museums Jaques discovered were at colleges and universities.
“We don’t always know what we have,” Jaques said. “You’re busy when
you’re a student. The University art museum isn’t something necessarily
appreciated. For people who are really interested, the IU Art Museum is a
must-see on a museum tour. It’s pretty wonderful to have that at a
university.”
(09/11/12 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“One and two.”“One and two.”“One and extend.”A large wooden door set back on a brick wall on East Sixth Street, between Subway and Skinquake, was left partially open.Through the wooden door, creaky with age, and up a set of long, wooden stairs, graduate student Ardea Smith sat in one of many black chairs lining a white wall.“I took one tango class when I was in Argentina and I’ve always enjoyed watching performers,” Smith said. “I guess that’s what got me into tango.”On Monday, the Bloomington Argentine Tango Organization met for their evening practice at the Lodge. At least 15 dancers showed up.“I’ve always liked the pace of the dance,” Smith said. “It has a slower quality than the salsa and it’s a lot easier to listen to what the lead is telling you. It’s definitely been an interesting class.”Sunlight streamed through the clear windows, shining on the marred wooden floor of the dance studio. As people slowly filtered in and filled the chairs on the far wall, changing into their dancing shoes, tango instructor Amaury de Sigueira entered the room. Greeting his students, de Sigueira went to the stereo on the other side of the room.“I was a martial artist for many years,” de Sigueira said. “After practicing for so many years, tango was a nice change for me.”Originally from Brazil, de Sigueira moved to Bloomington in 2005 to pursue graduate studies in education. He started the tango organization in 2006. “I wanted to give something back to the city,” de Sigueira said. “Everybody in Bloomington seems to want to give something back, and I wanted to as well. If I could share this I would be doing something culturally for the community.”The first half of practice, which ran from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., focused mainly on warming up and practicing basic steps, including the salida basica and linear technique. The second half of practice turned to a more detailed aspect of tango, the pivoting and turning technique. De Sigueira charges his students a minimal fee for practice and he receives none of the benefits. All proceeds are given to scholarships for dancers and are used to bring instructors to workshops. “I had a friend who recommended this group to me,” Bloomington resident Sidd Maini said. “I’ve been coming for three years now.”In addition to weekly practices, the organization has a monthly tango social dance called the milonga. This weekend, the organization is bringing Jorge Torres, a world-renowned tango choreographer and dancer, to the stage. “The biggest thing that drew me to this organization is the community,” dance assistant Elise Boruvka said. “The people are really friendly. They start with the fundamentals and basics and I could actually understand what I was doing. Everyone here has a common interest, tango, and come together and have fun.”De Sigueira said the idea is not to be just a dance club as the organization wants to give back to the community.“Tango has changed me as a person,” Maini said. “It’s a very elegant, common dance that I enjoy.”
(09/06/12 2:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Stacked neatly on shelves at the end of the soup aisle in the College Mall Target, Campbell’s soup cans feature a limited-edition label.Derived from iconic pop artist Andy Warhol’s original artwork, the cans commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first showing of Warhol’s paintings of the Campbell’s soup can. The cans also bear Warhol’s signature, face and quotes.“He used the imagery from the Campbell’s soup can in his art,” said Nan Brewer, the Lucienne M. Glaubinger curator of works on paper at the IU Art Museum. “A lot of his work was derived from mass media. That’s where the term ‘pop,’ ‘popular,’ art comes from.” The new cans were produced under license from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The foundation was created in 1987 shortly after Warhol’s death.“Warhol and Campbell’s have had a very symbiotic relationship over the years,” said Liesl Hendreson, spokeswoman for Campbell’s North America, to the Associated Press. “He was able to establish a name for himself by painting Campbell’s soup, and we’ve been able to benefit with the growth of pop art. That’s what prompted us to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his first solo show.” Warhol was an American artist and a leader of the pop art movement of the 1960s.Graduating from Carnegie Institute for Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1949, moved to New York to pursue a career as a commercial artist. He dropped the “a” at the end of his last name, becoming Andy Warhol. Warhol devoted his attention to painting in the 1960s. In 1962, he exhibited “32 Campbell’s Soup Cans.”“He’s looking at consumer culture through these products,” Brewer said. The IU Art Museum collection houses 150 Warhol photographs, one of which is a print of the Campbell’s soup can.“The Campbell’s soup can image was based on a photograph one of his assistants took that he used to make his prints and posters,” Brewer said.Cans were stocked exclusively at Target in Bloomington and Targets around the country earlier this week and are currently selling at 75 cents each. “The 50th anniversary commemoration shows how iconic and popular the image has become,” Brewer said.
(08/31/12 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The smell of fresh-cut lumber and paint wafted through the air in the small theater at Bloomington Playwrights Project. As people slowly filtered in to watch the musical “Working,” directed by Eric Anderson Jr., credits and thank-you’s flashed on a projection screen.The first performance of the musical, presented by the Monroe County Civic Theater, kicked off three nights of performances on Thursday. The theater was nearly filled.Creating a casual atmosphere, actors and actresses milled around the stage — set up as a bar and restaurant — and chatted with each other. Neon Budweiser and Pabst Blue Ribbon signs hung from the ceiling.Characters in the musical varied from housewives, mill workers and waitresses to elderly care workers, fast food workers and technical support.“You couldn’t have a small character in this musical,” fifth year senior Ben Fraley said. “I’ve worked with the director before and I heard about auditions that way. I auditioned hoping I’d get a part and I ended up with five different characters.”Though some were played by the same person, each character was different. “We worked a lot on making each character genuine,” Fraley said. “If we played every character the same, I feel the musical would have lost some of its power.”Zilia Estrada, a Ph.D. candidate in the department of folklore and ethnomusicology, played a mill worker. Sheila Butler, board president of the Monroe County Civic Theater, participated in the musical by playing the housewife. Freshman Kate-Lyn Edwards played three characters in “Working.” Acting as an office worker, a prostitute and a cleaning woman, Edwards expressed each character differently.“How would you feel if you could make $500 dollars in 20 minutes?” Edwards asked the crowd when she was playing the role of the prostitute. “And I’m only in high school.”“Working” is based on a book by Studs Terkel. The book is a collection of interviews he conducted with average American workers. Both the book and the musical embrace the nature of the working men and women of America.Playing the part of a fireman, Steve Scott used a New York accent and described his life as saving others’ lives.“I used to be a cop,” Scott said to the audience. “I always wanted to be a fireman. You want to know why I switched to a fireman? Because I like people.”Scott went on to tell a story of how he could “feel the hate” in himself when he was a cop. He told about nearly shooting someone.“The firemen produce,” Scott said. “You see them save a baby from a fire. You see them give mouth-to-mouth. I get to say I helped put out a fire, I helped save a life. Shows I did something on this earth.”Scott’s hand covered his face as he stared past the crowd. The crowd roared as Scott’s monologue ended.“I really enjoyed this musical,” Bloomington resident Susan Harder said. “You can’t beat Bloomington when it comes to theater.”The musical ended with the song, “Something to Point To,” by Craig Carnelia. “We put this together really quickly,” Butler said. “Everybody buckled down and learned their parts. I think it turned out to be an amazing show.”
(08/30/12 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Standing quietly next to one of the window tables in Jake’s Now! Nightclub on Walnut!, owner Shelly Johns waited patiently for the Pepsi delivery man to put away the soda she had just purchased. As he drove away, she sat down and stared blissfully at the newly remodeled interior of Jake’s. A long bar edged in silver trim stretched halfway across the room before opening into a wide space. Another bar had been added to the far right wall. Co-owner Mike Galardo came into the room and stood next to her.In December, Johns’ daughter, an IU graduate, was driving around Bloomington and discovered Jake’s was for sale. “Last Christmas, my daughter and my brother, who also graduated from IU from the Kelley School of Business, got to talking,” Johns said. “They were like, ‘You’ve been in business your whole life. You can do the business part, he can do the bar part.’ So that was something, you know, we just kind of put our heads together, and it’s how we ended up with it.”Johns and Galardo have been working on remodeling all summer and closed down for a month to finish.“The back bar was pretty much non-operational,” Galardo said. “We were able to use it, but it needed to be fixed.”A 25-year-old bar was ripped out, walls were painted, electricity was renewed, a new sidewalk was put out front and many other changes were made to the old Jake’s. The name was not part of those changes.“There’s too much good history here to change the name,” Shelly said. “There’s been a few years of bad, but the two to five years of bad really can’t erase the 20 of good. My brother was here in 1989 and talked about what a good time he had here then. We can go two hours every direction of Bloomington and everybody knows Jake’s.”After kicking around names for a month, they eventually settled on adding “Now!” to the end of “Jake’s” and “on Walnut!” to the end of “Nightclub.”“I just really never wanted to leave the ‘Jake’s,’” Shelly said. “Why lose that history to begin with?”As part of Jake’s history, the “wall of fame” remains standing in the back.“Jake’s has been around for 25 years,” Galardo said. “There’s a lot of history in this place, which is why we kept the ‘wall of fame’ intact. When Jake’s was built, it was originally a car dealership. An old sign off that building was left here and now hangs on the wall. We took all that history and moved it back to this wall and changed out the front to Jake’s Now!. This is now.”Both Johns and Galardo are proud of Jake’s.“We have the second-largest stage and the best sound system in Bloomington,” Galardo said. “We can definitely put the sound out there, and it is quality sound. We hire sound engineers to make sure that everything we do is done the right way.”Though Jake’s has suffered a reputation knock, Johns is confident they can pull the place back up on its feet.“It just takes time getting everybody back on board,” Johns said. “We’re trying to break the ice, trying to get people to see that we’re not what we used to be.”Johns and Galardo are working to generate a “safe, respectful environment” and consider everyone who works at Jake’s family.“We definitely pride ourselves on being a safe, respectful environment,” Galardo said. “People that we invite in, we expect them to respect our club, our family. If we respect them and they respect us, it just makes for a much better atmosphere.”
(08/29/12 2:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For one Indianapolis family, the last 16 Labor Day weekends have been a celebration of ribs and music.The tradition will continue with the 17th annual Rib America Festival from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday at Military Park at White River State Park.This year’s musical lineup will feature bands varying from George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic to Blue Oyster Cult. The Werks will perform Saturday.“Saturday is centered more around jam band kind of music,” said Chris Lucas, marketing and social media specialist for Rib Fest. “We have a bunch of local acts that are coming as well as the bigger acts. We’re really excited about Saturday and the new music we’re doing.”Lucas said this year’s Rib Fest will focus more on music than in the past.“George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic are very animated, very lively,” Lucas said. “It’s always a good time. Everybody always jokes about how crazy Clinton is. It will be interesting to see him in this type of crowd.”Lucas said The Werks, based in Ohio, are a “pretty strong scene in the Midwest.”“I’m looking forward to going to Rib Fest,” said Rob Chafin, drummer, singer and songwriter for The Werks. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. We have a lot of good, close Indiana friends, and they’ve always said it’s fun. We’re excited to get in there, have fun, eat some ribs.”Rib Fest, whose sponsors include Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Indiana Pork Farmers, Hoosier Mama and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, will have at least seven businesses cooking ribs to feed the crowd.“Food’s gonna be great, acts are gonna be great,” Lucas said.Dave Lucas created Rib Fest in 1996 as a local family event combining summer food and music. It has grown since then, drawing musical talents as well as barbecue businesses from across the country.“I’ve been going my entire life,” Chris Lucas said. “It’s going to be a really fun event, and we’re really excited about the musical acts we have.”Chris Lucas graduated from IU last spring with a degree in telecommunications. Though he has always been a part of Rib Fest, he recently accepted a position working with his father in Rib Fest’s management.“It was a great opportunity, and it is definitely the combination of music and barbecue that have made this event a self-sustaining presence in the Indianapolis market for the past 16 years,” Lucas said.The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the Indianapolis Fire Department will stage a barbeque cook off Saturday. Attendees will vote for their favorites based on samples. “It’s the second annual IMPD versus IFD cook off,” IMPD officer Tiffany Haston said. “We each get ribs that are donated to the event, and we cook them up. We each have our own secret recipe.”The winning team donates their cash prize to a charity of their choice. If IMPD wins, the money will go to Heather’s Voice, a domestic violence awareness charity. Debbie Norris, Heather’s mother, created Heather’s Voice to educate teens about domestic violence after Heather was murdered by her boyfriend in 2007.Tickets are free if purchased from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday through Monday. Tickets cost $7 otherwise.“We had well over 300 people try our ribs last year,” Haston said. “We expect it to be a huge event this year.”Bands to perform at Rib FestFridayDuke Tumatoe and the Power TrioEddie MoneyGeorge Clinton and Parliament-FunkadelicSaturdayUpshotInfamous StringdustersThe Twin CatsThe WerksIvan Neville’s DumpstaphunkMoe.SundayPicture YesHunter Smith BandNight RangerTeslaFlatbed TwitchMondayDudeCheap TrickBlue Oyster CultThe Late Show
(08/28/12 3:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Kicking off Labor Day weekend, Okkervil River will be performing at 6 p.m. Friday at Upland Brewing Company.The White Lightning Boys and Barbecue James will be the opening act. All ages are welcome.The show brings together Bloomington organizations Jagjaguwar, Upland and the Sycamore Land Trust. It will be outside in the parking lot of Upland.“We do this concert annually and it is a fundraiser for Sycamore Land Trust, an organization that helps protect the natural landscape of southern Indiana,” said Charles Stanley, strategic projects manager at Upland. “Hundred percent of the proceeds from the event go to them every year.”Stanley said this is the fifth year Upland has coordinated the concert series. Big Damn Band headlined the event last year.This will be the first year that Upland has worked with the record label Jagjaguwar, who have been releasing records with Okkervil River for a decade.“We’ve tried to come together on bands before,” Stanley said. “Due to scheduling conflicts this will be the first year we’ve been able to work together. We’re happy to work with the local label.”Jagjaguwar was created in the late 1990s by Darius Van Arman. He moved to Bloomington from Charlottesville, Va., and got in touch with the record label Secretly Canadian. In 1999, Van Arman partnered with Chris Swanson, part owner of Secretly Canadian. The two labels combined forces and continue to work together today, though they choose their bands separately and have different rosters.“Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian are pretty interchangeable,” Jagjaguwar publicist Abe Morris said. “I work for both labels simultaneously.”Morris said Upland has been familiar with the label for a while and they have finally been able to book a show.“The timing and everything worked out for this weekend,” Morris said. “Okkervil seemed like a good fit for the event. Okkervil has played here in Bloomington once before at theBuskirk-Chumley Theater, but it was a few years ago I believe.”Okkervil is one of the biggest artists on Jagjaguwar records, Morris said. They have been featured in Billboard, Rolling Stone, Spin and Pitchfork magazines.Pitchfork called Okkervil’s lead singer Will Sheff “one of indie rock’s most ambitious thinkers” and Spin called “I Am Very Far,” the group’s latest album, “simultaneously raw and symphonic…recalling Dylan in deep basement mode.”The band has appeared multiple times on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the Late Show with David Letterman and Austin City Limits and has performed at various shows, concerts and festivals such as SXSW, Bonnaroo, Coachella and Lollapalooza. They have toured with contemporary artists Wilco, The Decemberists, The New Pornographers and Band of Horses.“I think it’s gonna be a great show and I think it’s going to draw a younger crowd than we’ve seen before,” Stanley said. “It has a lot of local appeal with supporting acts White Lightning Boys and Barbecue James and the fact that Okkervil is on a local label.”
(08/27/12 2:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Upon entering the narthex of First United Church on Third Street, people milled around a table laden with fliers and a donation box for the Interfaith Winter Shelter. Then they moved into the large, wood-ceilinged sanctuary. First United coordinated the benefit concert, Voices United, for the shelter Sunday evening.“Interfaith is an association of local faith communities with the single purpose of providing a warm place to sleep for guests who have no home,” IFWS Board President David Schilling said. “This concert is not just a celebration of great music. It is a celebration of sharing.” The concert was free, but donations for the Shelter were encouraged. “I just want to say that this was something that came out of the blue and came together so nicely,” First United Music Director David Wood said. “I’m just blown away. I think it’s gonna knock your socks off.”A number of well-known Bloomington musicians, including Nathaniel Olson, Kevin Murphy, Tom Walsh and Rachel Caswell, performed at the concert for free to benefit the shelter.After Schilling and Wood made introductions, baritone Olson and pianist Murphy opened Voices United. Olson, currently pursuing a master’s in voice at IU, sang “Long Time Ago” and “Simple Gift,” among other pieces. Olson played the lead role in “A View from the Bridge” with the IU Opera Theater in October 2011.Murphy, professor of practice and head opera coach at the IU Opera Theater, accompanied Olson on the piano.Following Olson and Murphy, jazz performers Rachel Caswell, Tom Walsh, Steve Zegree, Jeremy Allen and Ben Lumsdaine took the stage.“If you’re into the jazz scene here in Bloomington at all, then these names are probably familiar to you,” Wood said. “I’m ecstatic to present this group at this benefit.”Before leaving the stage, Wood asked the crowd if they were having a good time. Enthusiastic applause greeted him.Vocalist Cindy Kallet and flutist Grey Larsen were next to perform. Singing different folk songs and playing Irish jigs, Kallet told the audience, “don’t be shy about singing along.”During a brief intermission, the orchestra set up gear and prepared the final performance of the evening, “Missa Solemnis in C Major,” K. 337 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The words to “Kyrie,” “Gloria,” “Credo,” “Sanctus” and “Agnus Dei” were printed for the audience.From opera to jazz, folk style to orchestra, the concert remained diverse and drew a large crowd.“I think it’s important to find ways to support the shelter,” Bloomington resident Julia Livingston said. “I would prefer the city had a permanent shelter. I feel like this is a good effort, but much more is needed to help those in need.”
(08/24/12 3:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Monroe County Civic Theater will present the musical “Working” at 8 p.m. Thursday in celebration of Labor Day weekend. “Working,” based on the book by Pulitzer-prize winning author Studs Terkel, is a compilation of interviews with people talking about their lives and their jobs.“We chose Labor Day weekend to honor workers,” MCCT President Sheila Butler said. “It’s an excellent play to do with a great group of people. There are lots of opportunities for people to play small parts.”Terkel was born in the Bronx on May 16, 1912. He and his family moved to Chicago, where he attended the University of Chicago after graduating from high school. During World War II, Terkel attempted to enlist and was rejected due to a perforated eardrum. He later joined the Red Cross but never served overseas. Terkel became a familiar voice on the radio during the 1940s. In the 1960s, he wrote his first book on oral history titled, “Division Street: America.” He wrote “Working” in 1974.“The show isn’t a story musical at all,” MCCT Treasurer and Director Eric Anderson said. “It is a collection of monologues and songs that were lifted directly from the original book.”Anderson said the group will be performing the newest version of “Working.” This production brings together 17 performers, varying from professionals to first-timers.“Being the treasurer doesn’t take away from working on the show,” Anderson said. “It actually helps me direct the show because it helps me know how much money I can or can’t spend.”“Working” was adapted to the musical stage for the first time in 1978, according to a press release. Songwriters Stephen Schwartz and James Taylor helped write the original songs. Schwartz has written lyrics for songs in popular Disney movies such as “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Pocahontas” and the Dreamworks film “The Prince of Egypt.” He won two Oscars for his work on “Pocahontas.”The new version also features two musical numbers by Tony-award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda.“The version we are performing was produced in Chicago two or three years ago,” Anderson said. “They’ve written a couple new songs to keep it more contemporary.”“Working” was a musical Butler chose to feature after she saw it in Chicago three years ago.“I really like it,” Butler said. “I thought it would be a great musical to have in Bloomington.”There will be four performances of “Working” at the Bloomington Playwrights Project next Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.MCCT, Bloomington’s longest-serving amateur community theater organization, provides opportunities for theatre enthusiasts, students and anyone who is interested in theatre, to get involved.“Whoever wants to present a play, we are open to their ideas,” Anderson said. “We do Shakespeare, short plays, musicals and lots of other things.”
(08/24/12 3:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Al Cobine Big Band performed Thursday night at Bear’s Place on Third Street. The band — featuring jazz players Dominic Spera, Pat Harbison, Tom Meyer, Tom Walsh, among others — stirred the atmosphere with smooth notes.“Every time they play, they are a tribute to Al Cobine’s legacy,” Jazz Fables Concert Series Director David Miller said. “It’s my pleasure to have them come and play as a concert band and to hear the extraordinary arrangements.”Jazz legend Al Cobine formed the band in 1955 while he was a student at IU. Miller said big bands, a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz, were still functioning in the 1950s as they had done during the big-band era as dance bands. Cobine was one of the preeminent band leaders in the country in the 1960s and 1970s.“The Al Cobine Big Band was pretty much the band that played at a lot of various functions, especially on campus, as a dance band,” Miller said. The musicians played Al Cobine arrangements such as “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” and “East of the Sun.” Sarah Stivers was the only vocalist. Director Michael Lucas was not present due to recent health complications.“Al Cobine was a great arranger of big band music,” Walsh, also an associate professor of music, said. “He had a distinctive style and his band was one of the busiest big bands in the Midwest.”Cobine organized orchestras using local musicians to back prominent artists such as Henry Mancini, Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams.“We are playing the music that he wrote,” Walsh said. “He took pre-existing tunes and arranged them for big bands.”Miller said Cobine took music composed by men like Duke Ellington and put his own stamp on it.“One of the things Al Cobine did was he was a great arranger,” Miller said. “People may not appreciate what that means, considering the kinds of music that are popular right now, but it takes a talented individual to do what Al did. This band sounds the way it does because it’s his style.”Though also known for performing as a dance band, the Al Cobine Big Band played solely as a concert band.“In a lot of ways, musical arrangements that Al put together for this band were designed for people to dance to,” Miller said. “The beauty of this particular band is, it’s not stock arrangements, it’s not someone’s arrangements that wrote them forty years ago and has no connection with the band at all, these were written by Al for the band.”While audience members chatted, sipped coffee or munched on burgers, the band played Al Cobine’s arrangements late into the evening.“The beauty of it is that these arrangements are strong,” Miller said. “They’re still strong enough that when the band plays you can tell, if you’re an aficionado at all, that they have his personal stamp on it.”
(08/23/12 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mark Ratzlaff, a waiter at Mother Bear’s Pizza, has another side that can be viewed at the Blueline Gallery until September.“Our curator, Jim Andrews, actually selected Mark,” owner Chelsea Sanders said. “He had a show a few years ago, so we kind of went to him and asked if he wanted to have a show here.”The exhibition, titled “Works from Life,” is a collection of figurative drawings and Bloomington landscapes Ratzlaff drew with ink or graphite or painted. His art lines the walls around the studio, as he is the only artist featured at the moment.“Our main focus is on local artists or artists in surrounding areas,” Sanders said. “What we usually do is we’ll take submissions. When we first started, we were doing, like, kind of callouts, but now we have artists coming in all the time.”Ratzlaff has his own style and isn’t afraid to make a few sketches with a ballpoint pen.“The ballpoint pen is a weird development,” Ratzlaff said. “I wait tables for a living, and we always take orders with pens. In down time I started drawing friends from work, and I started getting good at it. I took some pens to a figure drawing session, and I thought it would be a complete failure, but it wasn’t. When I tried to use pencils, I was like, ‘This isn’t working.’”Every Monday night, Ratzlaff helps monitor the open drawing sessions at the Fine Arts building. While there, he also does some sketching.“Some of the figures are friends, professional models, stuff like that,” Ratzlaff said. “I try to paint what I see. You can always see the process as well.”Emma, Claire and Dan are the names of some of the subjects featured in the figurative drawings. Ratzlaff also worked with landscapes, painting familiar Bloomington scenes, some of which were titled “Indiana and Cottage Grove,” “White Birch, Rosehill,” “Bloomington First Presbyterian” and “Bloomington, Alleyway West.” He has painted the alleyway four times.“Once I find a spot I like, I keep going back there over and over again,” Ratzlaff said. “I used to make a mental list of spots, but I don’t make lists anymore, so I keep going back to the same place.”An oil painting of a Serta sheep holding a dead rose hangs at the end of the row.“I don’t do still life that often,” Ratzlaff said. “It was just a chance thing. I like him so I enjoy painting him. Some people get it, some people don’t. There’s a woman in Colorado, and she found one of my paintings online and ended up buying five of them. She really likes Serta sheep.”Sanders was intrigued by Ratzlaff’s style and liked both the figurative and landscape concepts.“I think it’s great,” Sanders said. “It has a little bit of Bloomington. I think that’s one concept. As far as life drawing, it’s definitely a different technique. It’s a little bit more detailed, and that’s what I like to see for life drawings. It’s interesting. I like it.”
(08/22/12 3:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Think spelling bees are only for grade schoolers? Sara Neely, executive director of the Foundation of Monroe County Community Schools, begs to differ. The Great Grown Up Spelling Bee will be tomorrow at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre. Participants range from WTIU members to Ball State students. “The idea came up about three years ago, when our events coordinator, Cyrilla Helm, went down to Austin, (Texas)” Neely said. “A school down there did it, and it was such a great idea — they raised so much money for the schools.”Though the event is at the Buskirk-Chumley, it is coordinated by the Foundation, and all proceeds will benefit educational programs for MCCSC students.“This is our biggest fundraiser,” Neely said. “This is where we raise the majority of our money. The money goes in through a huge grant pool where teachers can apply for grants to buy equipment, books, you name it. It’s a big, huge grant cycle.”Buskirk-Chumley Executive Director Danielle McClelland said management will rent out the theater for the event.“The Buskirk is a community resource,” McClelland said. “BCT management operates the theatre on the city’s behalf. We make the theatre accessible to the community.”Organizations throughout the community go to the Buskirk-Chumley if they want to rent the theater for an event, and it is set at an affordable price.The Bee is a team competition, and each team consists of three members. Supporting each team is a local business, civic group or individual. As part of the fun and festivities, the teams will dress in PG-rated costumes. “This is our third year doing this, and the turnout has always been excellent,” Neely said. “We usually have between 10 and 12 teams competing.”John Whikehart, chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College, will return as emcee of the Bee.“The words are phenomenal,” Neely said. “John Whikehart is our emcee, and just to see him is worth coming. He’ll say the word, then come up with his own definition for the contestants.”Also in attendance will be Mayor Mark Kruzan, Jill Bolte Taylor, Judith A. Demuth and Valerie Haughton, who will act as judges of the competition. David Pillar will be the official timekeeper.“We operate a box office, have professional staffing, event planning as well as technical stuff that makes the event happen,” McClelland said.Spellers will compete for the championship trophy and the 2012 Bloomington Spelling Title.“We have had so much success with the Great Grown Up Spelling Bee,” Neely said. “It’s a grown-up event, and we always have a lot of fun.”
(08/21/12 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Known as either Gateway Mortgage Group or Gallery Group, the small venue on Sixth Street shows the work of local artists. It juggles the precarious world of banking and art simultaneously.“This space was an art gallery for decades,” branch manager John La Bella said. “The latest one was Prima Gallery, which went out of business over three years ago, so we rented the space from Mortgage banking office.”Art on the walls of the Gallery varies by show. Art lining the shelves placed strategically around the small two-story building stays the same. Ceramicists’ work rests on the shelves and waits to be purchased.“We had a photography show in here once that had about 20 artists in it,” La Bella said. “Sometimes we have a solo show. It’s just one artist’s work up. Bellevue, the current group we have here, has six or seven artists’ work up.”The Bellevue Group is comprised of local artists who express themselves through a variety of media. “Bellevue is a group of up and coming artists, usually right out of school, so they haven’t really established themselves yet,” La Bella said. “They had a gallery, but there was some politics involved, and now they no longer have a gallery. They’ve been basically just trying to have shows all around town, wherever they can get space.”Art created by Jay Garst, Jenna Jacobs, Joey Like, Patricia Coleman and a few others will hang on the wall until Sept. 26.In the downstairs gallery, Garst’s screen prints were suspended together in the back corner. His first work was titled “Under the Sea” and depicted twining seaweed and mermaids floating through them. His second painting, “The Minotaur 1,” showed a girl breaking free of a fiery stake.Garst used only two colors on his final piece. The sharply contrasting white and black print featured a girl sitting on a log at night. Faces stared down at her from the trees.In the upstairs gallery, Like’s style was abstract and involved acrylic paints and permanent inks. Ranging from colorful and geometric to lines and black and white, Like’s paintings were plastered across canvas.Paintings done by Patricia Coleman, owner of Patricia’s Wellness and Arts Café, were next to Like’s on the wall. Her work was large and colorful, and faces embedded in the greens and blues stared at the viewer.A framed ink portrait by B.J. Kish Irvine called “Summer Bamboo” was placed at the foot of the stairs.Jenna Jacobs artwork was made using a different medium, fabric.Over-lapping green, black and gray cloth squares were sewn together to create a large rectangle. “The Bellevue Group hasn’t really had the opportunity to be in an actual gallery,” La Bella said. “So when they approached me about eight months ago, I said ‘yes.’”
(08/20/12 2:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Department of Theatre and Drama concluded the Indiana Festival Theatre season yesterday with “Solana,” a musical that has been at the Wells-Metz Theatre since last Thursday.Director George Pinney and cast have polished the musical for three weeks.IU alumni and Grammy-nominated songwriters Michael Heitzman and Ilene Reid, who wrote the musical, attended the final performance of “Solana.”Though the cast recently learned a new act, they performed with precision and clarity.“I thought it was really well put together,” first year graduate student Austin Wilson said.The play highlighted the value of family and the importance of making the right decisions.Chloe Ellsworth, played by Stephanie Mieko Cohen, took the audience on a journey through both her struggles and triumphs.Ellsworth was an adopted Asian-American who struggled with an identity crisis after finishing college and returning home to Middle Valley, Ind. As a young writer, her head was filled with multiple story ideas, yet she couldn’t come up with one to transcribe to paper. Her boyfriend was the perfect man, yet she couldn’t decide whether or not to marry him. She wanted to know more about her birth family, but she couldn’t decide whether or not to pursue it. Ellsworth struggled to make important decisions.Growing up as the much-loved daughter of Albert and Adele, played by Aaron Densley and Chloe Williamson, Ellsworth was stunned when her long-lost grandfather arrived on her doorstep and anointed her princess of Solana, her native country.Ellsworth made the decision to return with her grandfather to Solana and discovered the truth about her identity and real family there.Following Heitzman and Reid from New York, equity actors Herman Sebek, Raymond J. Lee and Cindy Cheung worked with IU students for the show.“That’s what’s so exciting about premiere musicals,” Pinney said. “Developing musical theory at Indiana University, being able to take a piece and manipulate it, see it, change it. It’s just nice that way. Especially here because to do this in New York would cost $100,000.”Bidding “Solana” a fond farewell, the audience cheered and rose to their feet as soon as the performance ended.“I thought the musical was great,” Wilson said. “It was really heartfelt.”
(08/17/12 4:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After arriving at a house in Bedford, David Davis, a Bloomington resident and small business owner, had to run to the grocery store, get wooden pallets to put on the floor and carry the electric sewer machine across the flooded basement. He put a cable down the stopped-up drain and began working on the blockage. He started drilling and noticed the floor drain began to function, so he slowly pulled the cable out.“Every time I pulled my cable there was a big clump of roots on it and water would just come shooting back out of there,” Davis said. “After a while, this ball came out and started bobbing in the water, so I grabbed it up and put it in my pocket. I said, now that’s going in a collection.”Today, the ball sits on a shelf in his home office.“This was my very first item,” Davis said. “When I was working with Roto-Rooter, I was down in Bedford drilling a sewer and this is the first thing I saved. I was in a basement that had about a foot and a half of water in it.”A treasure trove of other unexpected items pulled from pipes, gutters and drains — like the ball he pulled from the Bedford basement — hold their own special place inside both Davis’ home and heart. He calls it his “Wall of Shame.”“I started plumbing when I was about 12 years old with my dad,” Davis said. “I came up with all this because people were asking me, ‘What’s the strangest thing you’ve pulled out of a drain,’ so I started saving it. Now when they ask me, I just bring them in here and I tell them, what is the strangest thing, you tell me.”Each and every piece decorating the wall has a story behind it. Objects ranged from a cracked, glass dolphin and toy train to a busted sewer pipe top and comb.“I’ve got about 40 items there that I ain’t mounted yet,” Davis said, pointing to a large drawer. “And that’s just from the last year and a half.”The biggest thing mounted on Davis’ shelf is the head of an antique sewer cable he cut from a 53-foot cable at 10th Street Market. Although it was the biggest, it was not Davis’ favorite object. Davis’ favorite wasn’t even something he had pulled out of a drain.“My favorite thing that I’ve done would be this one,” Davis said as he held up a small piece of pipe with a large hole in it. “I was sent out to a house in the wintertime, to the garage,” Davis said. “It was for a waterline that had busted and exploded in the garage and water was just spraying everywhere. The water meter was buried underneath a pile of snow, so I couldn’t shut the water off and the owner asked me if I could still fix it. I said I tell you what, if you’ll let me dry my clothes here when I’m done, I’ll fix it.”Once Davis told the owner he could fix it, he did just that. In the dead of winter, Davis cut the pipe at both ends, got another section, put the compression cuppers on both ends and started tightening it up. As he was tightening the new pipe, water was spraying all over him.“I knew I was gonna get soaked,” Davis said. “After I put the pipe back together and I took my clothes off, the owner handed me a bathrobe, I dried my clothes and I went on down the road.”Looking at his wall, Davis shared one final plumbing adventure. Pulling down an old pipe that was broken in two, he said people really get a chuckle out of stories like this one.“This guy got caught smoking in his bathroom,” Davis said. “He was supposed to quit, but his wife came knocking on the door so he flushed the pipe down the toilet. I got it out for him.”Having never been artistically inclined in the past, Davis said part of the reason he started saving and mounting things he found was due to extra time.“I just did this for my own amusement,” Davis said. “I’m a single guy, my wife died in 2002, so I have a lot of extra time on my hands.” Davis said his success as a plumber was not due to chance. After his mother died, he started going to church in 2006, and now the “blessings keep coming so fast” that he doesn’t know what to do with them.“I couldn’t go to her funeral,” Davis said. “My business was just starting and I was struggling to get by. Every month I was thinking that this may be the month that I have to start living in the truck.”Davis started David Sewer Cleaners in 2003, using the same name his uncle had, and it didn’t take off. After 2006, his small business did take off and he takes no credit.“My success for getting the stuff out that other people couldn’t wasn’t all me, it was God,” Davis said. “So that’s another story.”
(08/16/12 1:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After years of waiting, Comedy Attic owner Jared Thompson will see stand-up comedian Nick Griffin perform at 8 p.m. today.“We’ve tried to book him for years, and this is the first time we’ve had him,” Thompson said. “We’re considered, if not the best, one of the best clubs outside of New York and Las Vegas. It’s a destination point for people, and audiences are good. We wanted to book him, he wanted to come here.”Griffin has been a frequent guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, which Thompson said counts for a lot.“The most impressive thing about Nick’s resume is he’s been on the Late Show with David Letterman seven times,” Thompson said. “Nick is one of only a handful of people out there who are consistently at the top of other comedians’ lists.”Griffin travels around the country performing at different clubs and working on material. His most recent comedy album is called “Bring Out the Monkey.”Besides his frequent appearances on Letterman, Griffin had his own half-hour special on Comedy Central and is a favorite on the Bob & Tom Show radio program. He has been invited to well-known festivals such as the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal and The HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Las Vegas.“We don’t know what to expect from the audience, but we’re probably going to be sold out for all four of his shows,” Thompson said.Griffin will have to take the Attic in stride because it’s not a place he’s used to performing at, Thompson said.The biggest disservice they could do to an audience is to have attendees that do not want to be there, Thompson said.“That means we don’t usually have the biggest audience,” Thompson said. He said the venue would prefer a 50-person crowd that cares about the show than one with 90 people, some of whom don’t care.Thompson believes that Griffin’s performance is a good way to kick-off the fall semester. “It’s kind of a catch-22,” Thompson said. “We don’t usually attract a lot of students and most parents will be trying to avoid this part of town, so it’s going to be people who really appreciate comedy that show up this weekend.”Students can buy discounted tickets for $6 Thursday night only, with all other tickets costing $12. Griffin will have additional shows at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.