MONDAY!!!!!!

The other night, I just have to say, was perfection.  Went to the show around 10 and there was next to no one there.  It was just me and My friend Meg in my party.  About eleven Future Islands went on.  I have seen there names on a lot of club posters and events, so I knew they would be good, but they were great.  The played a whole bunch of new stuff.  And were nice and high energy.  Plus the Zodiac space is great.  They left more room for dancing this time than before so me, being a dancer, really appreciated this.  They had a somewhat electronica sound very dance-able, with a lead singer whos voice and demeanor was a bit punk, a softer version of LeTigre with the same idea maybe.  Plus I think the lead singer was wearing the same pants my high school Marching band had.  Hooray!

Second, was the always amazing Dan Deacon.  I'm so glad I got to bring Meg to his show since she only got to see him in the hirshhorn sculpture garden.  This was the best show I had seen of his in a long time.  First of all, the crowd seemed to be a bunch of his friends from Purchase College, who were wicked fun.  My friend Benjamin was there (who I'm totally in love with, and does amazing work {www.showbeast.net} just throwin' it out there)  and I was talking to him before the show, when he said Dan was only going to play songs he wrote from 01 to 04 (the years at Purchase) I didn't know what to expect.  This was me being stupid and not realizing I saw him in 05 so it was pretty much the same music and bantar that I love.  Any absurdist commentary about Space Jam is fine by me.

So, I know there is usually some form of interactive dancing, I know the last time there was a dance circle, where two had a dance off then chose people from the crowd to go next, I didn't know Meg and I would be 2 of 6 girls there.  Therefore we were definitely chosen for the dance off.  Hopefully no one was scarred for life by my braless moves.

So yeah that was great, but after all that shakin' a leg, we were way pooped.  We stayed for a couple Blood Baby Songs, which had a great beat, also funny bantar from Adam Endres But the Band had a lot harder and definite rough edge.  I'd love to see them a time that is not 1:30 at night when I have to teach at 7 the next morning.  Anyway, it was a great night, I recommend those acts highly.  I'm so glad my friend Megan was there to share it with me.  Thanks again for the Ass and titties call out.

Fresh Air Boxes

So my good friend Deb had one of the most wonderful ideas I have ever heard of, about a year ago.  Lets just say a lot of people in our lives are addicted to smoking, and she wanted to help encourage them to quit.  So she took an empty cigarette box, turned it into a piece of art specifically for that person, filled it with notes, good wishes and things to help that person quit, things that when they were having a craving and really needing a cigarette, they could take out that box, hold it, look at it, and know that they are important, someone cares for them, and that they don't need the addiction.

She has been making these boxes for a year, giving them to people to give to others they care about.  So she hasn't really known what to do with this idea, but everyone is so excited about it, and now it is finally reaching a larger number of people.

So today we taught a workshop on making them at carol community college since it is going smoke free.  The students were so excited and into it.  They made great boxes and more importantly had a great dialogue with themselves about the people in their lives struggling with addiction and how much they care about and want to help them.  I really think this is a great thing, and hopefully it will turn into something everyone can experience.

Jurassic Park

 Alright, where do I start with this event.  What i thought would be a nice little play certainly turned into an event.

First of all, I will Preface this telling you guys that going to this I was in a bad mood.  I was sick from eating TWO JUMBO SLICES the night before, I didn’t really know where I was going because wham city likes to keep you guessing, and I was by myself, which usually I like going to things by myself, but for some reason I just wanted company... Anyway.....

I get there, get directions, meet these nice people going up there (the girl had a shirt on that said “mason sucks.”  Must have been his sister of girlfriend maybe.)  We get there a half an hour early and its in a hallway area and already full.  I don’t know why they didn’t  think people would show.  We get the last seats and I luckily get to sit in the middle of obnoxious Goucher students who won’t stop complaining, making bad jokes, and making fun of Wham City members and people who weren’t students seeing the show.  The wait time was unfortunately long too because they couldn’t turn the lights off.  I felt bad but I was dying in that crowd.  Anyway, the place is packed, people sitting on the ground, stairs, and everywhere.

I didn’t realize my friend Ben was playing the Fat Newman Character who sabotages the park.  Also, I forgot that this character eats the whole  time.  Since Ben is a Raw Foodist he was eating raw chicken, steak, and cracking and eating raw eggs the whole time.  He was disgusting everyone and loving it I’m sure.  Listening to the complaints and knowing how sweet he is was really funny to me.  All of the characters were hilarious.  The costumes were great.  The dinosaur puppets were done really well.  (I want them to have a big puppet show.  Between Ben’s and the rest of wham cities talent it would be awesome.)  The actor who played Timmy looked just like the kid in the movie, which was creepy.  Everything was going great, the music was excellent.  Then the fire alarm went off.   At first we thought it was a joke.  Then all the students and scenesters had to clear out.  Luckily it was just long enough for the ultra cool looking, organic endorsing, biking to reduce emissions kids, to have a cigarette.  

We all watched until the end and all sang together in the Finale.  It was a really good show.  You could really tell they worked hard on the scenery, costumes and acting, channeling absurdist comedians and having child-like whimsy throughout with adult acting, which was really funny.  Ed Shrader played the old man/park creator and really reminded me of the “daddy” character in Strangers with Candy, if that character talked.  They exaggerated the awkward relationships and the acting in the movie beautifully, and dedicated it all to the memory of the author.  With all the glitches, I’m really happy I got to see this uninhibited creativity.  Hold on to your Butts!

Vixen Variety Show

Thursday night I had the pleasure of checking out the Palace of Wonders.  It is a divey, old school, punk retro kind of place.  (hopefully that didn’t sound too pretentious)   I went with my friend Troy Cool, yes that is his real name, who is a wonderful fine art model and really cool guy.  It was smaller than I expected with a nice bar area, little stage, and very cool small upstairs where you can also view the stage.  The crowd there was very small, but very hilarious.  Some of the women hecklers were fantastic.  GOOD heckling might be one of my favorite things ever, I am just not very good at it.  But anyway, the decor was very cool too, it was what you would expect a burlesque club to look like.  Lots of dark reds and dark woods, with freak show and human oddity souvenirs all over the walls.

I went to see the Vixen’s Variety Show.  I didn’t know what to expect, but was impressed.  It was very comfortable to be in the crowd there and very easy to love the acts.  It was my first time seeing a black burlesque performer as well, Miss Private tales. She and Lil’ Dutch were definitely the highlights of the evening for me.  Their first two acts were very good, one to a chicago medley, the other to a sleazy lounge version of Brass Monkey.  But their second acts were fantastic and very very funny.  Private tales portrayed herself as an old woman singing the song “if i can’t sell it, i’ll keep sitting on it”  that lends itself perfectly to burlesque.  You have to check it out.  Then Lil’ Dutch decided to turn into the Poultry Queen dancing in white feathers and yellow stockings to the chicken dance.  Her facial expressions are fantastic and watching her lay eggs was well worth the 10 dollar cover.  In the words of Troy “we’ll never be able to go to a wedding reception again.”

The other acts were also very entertaining.  New to the monthly Vixen’s Variety was Laura Ernst who was a beautiful juggler. She had a very impressive act to 99 Red Balloons. 

The rest of the acts consisted of very talented belly dancers Samantha and BellaDonna, both who were very talented.  BellaDonna performed twice to a more traditional song with fire which was very impressive, and then a smashing pumpkins song, both really showed what she could do.  If I could get as low as her I would never have a problem being single.

All in all, it was a really entertaining night.  I really encourage you to check it out and be as sassy, heckling, money throwing, and raunchy as you want.  Gotta love activities that foster that kind of behavior.

Stoop Storytelling

Monday night I went to Stoop.  This is in baltimore at the center stage, check out the website www.stoopstorytelling.com.  Everyone has a story, right?  This is an event where every month there is a theme and 7 set storytellers.  they have 7 minutes to tell an interesting story on the theme and then other people can sign up through out the night to tell their own story.  I think this is a great idea.  

This months theme was money.  There were tales of winning and losing thousands of dollars gambling at 19 (told by the very handsome host of NPRs show, the signal ), winning 100,000 dollars at horse racing, funny antics of young millionaires in the tech boom, and heartwarming stories of help after tragedy.  All in all it was a good night.  My friend Annliese said it lacked humor of a lot of the other nights, but hey, we are in a recession, what else is there to expect.  

I'm very excited for the holiday spectacular.  If everything goes right my friend Ben will tell a hilarious holiday story that will have me rolling in the isle.  There will also be more music there.  The house band, which is a sort of alt country band with an amazing lead singer Caleb, is called Caleb Stine and the Breakmen (which you can check out on myspace).  They are the house band and fantastic, they had me knee slapping like a grandma at the fair.

I think I am going to sign up to be a storyteller for the valentines show so I can share some of my bad dates, which are in abundance.  So look forward to that entry.

Hirshhorn Afterhours Dan Deacon Style

On friday I went to the Hirshhorn after hours to go see Dan Deacon.  Now, anyone who knows me knows that love wham city stuff and Dan Deacon.  I have seen him four times now.  I first saw him open for grandbuffet in high school, and then again at a few other warehouse and alternative tiny places.  Those shows were amazing.  Loud, colorful, intense, smelly, involving of all senses pretty much.  Dan's music is pretty experimental and you should check it out on youtube or myspace for the full effect.  

Even though I think his music is amazing his absurdist banter is pheonominal.  The first show I saw had stories of abduction and traveling into harry potter's meatus.  Also, we did samuel jackson countdowns, and new years count downs so sassy that the walls turn

ed purple and prince himself came out with diamonds and pearls.  A good example of this online is the video drinking out of cups.  That is one of the best youtube videos I have ever seen.  He has cut the talk a little bit over the years, but I really hope he brings it ba

ck in a big way.  Keep Boinking Ragedy Anne, thats what I say.

Anyway, about the Hirshhorn show.  Lets just say it was a great accomplishment for him that was terribly underwhelming for us, all things out of his control ofcourse.  We stood in line for 2 hours to get in.  2 HOURS!  I don't think I have waited in line that long for anything.  Once we got in, there were so many people, lines for everything, the sound was so quiet an muffled and one side of the speakers cut out half way through.  The talking that dan deacon did do, no one could hear.  A lot of the DC crowd was way to fancy to dance and I don't think the

y knew what to think.  The cops even told him not to have us run in the middle.  BUT, it was totally worth the twelve dollars to go through the smelly armpit tunnel all the way around the sculpture garden. AMAZING.

Reconstructing Wood

I went to my friend Noah McWilliam's art show the other day at the blue elephant art center. (We used to share space together there, its a co-op type of center.)  I really encourage you guys to check out this show.  It is some of the best art I have seen come out of frederick.  Especially go if you like texture.  He explores a lot of textures with food, a chalk piece that is a portrait of a croissant, a wall length installation like, chalkboard piece that is just the glare off bags of grapes, and one of my favorite pieces, close up views of sunflower seeds, the value done in shades of brown made with lemon juice and a heat gun.

Chalk, jersey, and other less than fine art materials are used all throughout the show and used in a beautiful and thoughtful way.  I particularly liked another piece that is a self portrait of prayer portrayed with contradiction in a very and personal way.  So check out  this work.  Hopefully he'll tour it around a bit.  It is definitely strong enough.