Ready to Fire!

Hey folks! So about that Faith & the Muse show... Damn it was the business! My friend Casey & I drove up from Columbus to Lakewood Ohio (just outside of Cleveland) to the Phantasy Nightclub. The place is a complete and total dive, but the kind of dive you want to visit. The space looks like it was once a seafood restaurant or something, because it has a halved sailboat inside (called the Bounty), and other weird architecture (like a random streetlight, the kind that overlooks the highway in the middle of the ceiling). It's great though. I had been in this space something like 14 years ago or so and completely forgot it's location, so stumbling upon that space again unexpectedly was a trip!

Anyway, before we got there U.T.O. and Ludwyg had already performed so I can't say much about them. We caught the tail end Queue Up, they seemed pretty cool, I'd like to catch them again.

So on to the main act. Faith & the Muse is made up of William Faith and Monica Richards. Joining them was Paul Mercer on violin, Julia Cooke on taiko and percussion, Marzia Rangel on cello & percussion (Christ vs. Warhol/The Deadfly Ensemble, ex-Scarlet's Remains), Steven James on guitar/viola/percussion (Christ vs. Warhol/The Deadfly Ensemble, ex-All Gone Dead and Scarlet's Remains), and Aradia and Lucretia*Renee of the dance troupe Serpentine also on backing vocals (and featured in the photo on the left, sorry about the quality but that's what you get with a cell phone). The whole performance was extremely theatrical, it's one of those 'you had to be there' type situations. The crazy part, the whole show was six bucks(!?), that's just crazy talk! Anyway Faith & the Muse tour is on a pretty aggressive schedule, they had been performing every night for the past 16 when they got to Cleveland. So yeah if you can check them out live, and if not just check out some of their music. Below is their video promo for their tour. I tried to shoot some with my camera but I haven't figured out how to get it off the chip yet, if I can do that I'll of course post it. If you want more check out this interview by Bryan Reesman.



So yeah! In other news the Pagan Newswire Collective blog is about ready to launch. There are 8 other bloggers including myself, and everything seems to be running on schedule! I'll post an announcement in a few days when the official launch happens, expect something by Sunday at the latest. This is gonna be groovy, I don't think there's anything else like it out there.

Also, in Second Life it looks like I'm going to be having a show in May. Also I'm almost done setting up my own gallery in The Wastelands, and I'll be able to host small performances as well. I'll post the slurl for those locations and dates once I have them.

Plus I'm going to be taking part in the Fires of Aisling Pagan Arts and Music Fest down in Reynoldsburg Ohio on May 16. Myself and a few other folks will have some art up, and it looks like there will be all kinds of festivus going on. It's free so come on down if you're arse'd. I know at the bottom it says it's by invite only... but hell if you're one of the two or three people who read this blog, you are my guest, I invite you (friend me on facebook and ask for an invite if you're inclined). So come, bring drums if you're the drumming type and let us kick this metaphorical pig!

So yeah, it's all good in the neighborhood. See you later!

getting out more

1St off. Happy Earth Day. The image above is something I made last year after seeing a tree who had all it's limbs cut off regrow just like this... and no I didn't intend for it to look phallic but if you want to take it that way I'm completely fine with it (and mildly amused).

Last Tuesday some friends and I caught the Gypsy Nomads show at the Shrunken Head (formerly Victoria's Midnight Cafe). Regarding the band, they consist of two folks from New York, a lad and lass called Frenchie and the Punk. They say of themselves that they are a "Gypsy Celtic Cabaret w/ tribal and punk elements and an undercurrent of the mystickal", & they're currently touring about the country (with a pretty rigorous schedule I might add). They have a kinda tribal French/Spanish vibe, with a sly sense of humor & a rambling bohemian varnish. They put on a great show, along with the other tye-dyed 80's-ish hippie band that opened for them (sorry didn't catch the name, I believe they're local to Columbus). I'd say the Gypsy Nomads are one of those groups that are best seen in person. We all had a great time, and I'd see them again for sure.

and a footnote about the Shrunken Head. I was a fan of Victoria's, it's the 1st place I showed my work after I got out of college & I spent more than a few evenings/mornings there. I know the owner had to move on, and everything changes but still I was kinda bummed to see Vic's go. Under it's new persona as the Shrunken head... well I gotta say the food was good (I had the Reuben), and they kept much of the decor (so far) while adding some tiki-god elements. It's still a bit of a hole, but I like holes and this one still has character. Columbus needs more holes I think, so yeah we shall see how that place develops.

MAN, I don't know if it's the spring or what, but I really want to go out and dance or otherwise cause mischief. Later folks!

Research Mode...

I'm always looking for stuff, and here's what I'm looking at lately.

Check out this photographer Courtney Brooke. I like all the arts, but it takes a groovy vibe-thing to make me pay attention to photography. Her work has this otherworld 70's but contemporary aura and color, & she does a nice job of framing up her images. Courtney has a flickr account that looks like it's updated regularly, and a blog that is not, but it's worth checking out. I found an interview here at Revel in New York, so yeah if you wanna peer into these depths it's worth a read.

Another interested and related footnote are these 'inspiration blogs' that I keep stumbling across. Courtney Brooke has this one. Witch Mountain is kinda interesting, so is Sun in Scorpio. There seems to be a ton of these. If you know of one you really like post it in the comments so we all can have a look-see. My only complaint is that some of these don't reference what the image is or where it came from. If I find one that has lotsa great stuff I'll post it.

Here's something completely off topic. I've been looking at getting a corset and I found these folks at Absolute Corsets. I totally know where my tax refund is going this year. Plus size clothing that doesn't look like a bag and is made out of decent materials can be hard to find. Almost makes me want to take up sowing... almost (maybe someday when I have time). I don't classify myself as 'goth', but I like vintage style clothing, and if I had the cash I'd dress in a strange combo of contemporary and WTF and vintage on a daily basis. So I found this link here that has some promising stuff. Some of the links are broken, and some are more for ren-fair folk or people who do reenactments, which I don't. If you like the same kinda stuff, maybe that will interest you.

Anyway. I loves me some Thelonious Monk, here's Epistrophy.

Bus Driving

Hey folks. I'm a little late than what I'd normally prefer insofar as updating goes. So let me tell you what's going on and what I've been up to. So far there are 2 shows that I'm invovled in the planning of. One is for the Fort Hayes Alumni Art exhibition, which will happen at the Fort Hayes Shot Tower (if you haven't been, it's a beautiful & very large space). It's open to everyone who has graduated, whether it be from the high school or from any of the vocational programs. There is a Facebook page here if you want to join, and soon there will be a blog that will post the call for entries. I'll also post a link to that here as well. We got the judges and the dates set up, and so yeah, everything is moving along with that. Another project that is getting off the ground is I will be co-curating a show with Helma Groot in conjunction with the Creative Arts of Women (CAW, website coming soon). The interesting footnote with that is I'll also be producing a book that features the artists that are taking part in the show, & it will be available for purchase online. We have the space and are decinding on dates, so more info as it comes. There's a few other things, soon this won't be the only place I'm blogging. In May the Pagan Newswire Collective will be launching an arts & culture blog, & I'm going to be covering the arts. There I'll be looking at and promoting art with pagan themes and professional pagan artists. So yeah, should be groovy. I'll post a link when it goes live.

Of course it hasn't been all work and no play. I checked out the new Outland on Liberty (a goth/industrial/whatever bar n' dance club located in the Brewery District in Columbus Ohio), & I had a really good time. It still has that anything goes vibe which I miss in the other clubs around town. You can still wear whatever you want, jeans and a tee to high plastic fashion of rubber & saran wrap are welcome. Goth/Industrial isn't my usual fare of music (I actually love jazz and folk) but the music was jumpin' and good to dance to, plus now they are having bands and performers which is nice. If you like a taste of the weird and the festive I'd suggest you give it a try.

That's it for now! For music I'm going to show you something that will be a part of a suicide mission for me next week. Faith and the Muse is playing in Cleveland on Tues the 27th. A friend and I are driving up after work to see the show, and then driving back so we can work the next day. We figure we should come back at around 4 am or so, heh! This is something I used to do all the time... 15 years ago. But hey you only live once right? Besides, I've heard they put on a great show.

Show tonight at Bristol with 83 Gallery

(left is a detail of one of the prints I'm showing tonight)
Hey folks, just a quick update.

Tonight (Friday, April 9) I'm taking part in a show, & here's the PR on that:

Join 83 Gallery, The Anti83 and The Opulent Bohemia at Bristol Bar this Friday, April 9th, for our fourth exclusive art opening. Hors d'oeuvres will provided by Lindy's at 7pm, with an optional 83 cent cover before 10pm. If you've been there before, you know the drill, if not, come check out one of the best events in Columbus. Fifteen new and resident artists will be featured this month. As usual, expect plenty of beautiful people, killer sounds and unique cocktails on the corner of 5th and Summit. 83 Gallery is an independent gallery house showcasing and entertaining local artists. For more info, visit 83gallery.com

The address is:
132 E. 5th Ave Columbus, Ohio (on the corner of 5th and Summit Ave.)

See you there!




Here is Faithless, We come one

Spring Breakin'

Today is just stupid nice, so I'm going to step out for a bit, but I wanted to show you the portfolio website of Nicomi 'Nix' Turner. From her website:

Alchemy and Nature are the base studies and themes in Nicomi 'Nix' Turner's pieces.

Her Southern Oregon upbringing and an early interest in alchemy, kindled an infatuation with the study of plants, animals, their symbology and properties.

Using this knowledge, the pieces created often reflect subject matters pertaining to Religion (specifically Paganism and counter-religious belief), Nature's Legacy, Alchemy, Fables and Anatomical Deconstructionism.

Seriously banging stuff. She has a great quality of line in her renderings (meaning her drawing is the shit), I especially liked her Maidens & Crones series. She also sells her drawings as well as other work on Etsy, which is where I found her. So yeah, check her out!


Before I scoot into this most fantastic of spring evenings, here's Bonobo, Eyesdown feat. Andreya Triana