Makers

scene from The Pillowman– you need dentures to chew scenery like this–carpe diem!

Says Katy Helbacka of Renegade Comedy Theater:

‘The Pillowman’ holds auditions on Monday, August 25 at 7:00 at the Teatro Zuccone.
Actors should prepare a storytelling monologue, and be prepared to do some cold readings.
We are looking for 5 men, 1 woman, and a young looking girl and boy.

‘The True Story of the Three Little Pigs’ is also still looking for two women who can sing! If you are interested in auditioning, please call 722-6775 to set up a time.

shemekia copeland

The blues on Friday was lovely in ways totally distinctive to the site: a summer evening with a half-moon and no mosquitos–where else in Minnesota can you find that? And in the middle of Shemekia Copeland’s showstopping version of her dad’s song "Ghetto Child", a thousand-foot ore boat moved like a ghost under the bridge and behind the stage, slipping its interminable length through the music and letting loose a deep, dark whistle blast: the only possible competition for Copeland’s big voice.

The bluesfest is just gearing up, getting the momentum that’ll carry it through the weekend with flags flying–literally. All those chair flags are popping up, from the muscleman doll holding a little American flag to the red-lit black-lace bra to the windsocks and colored spinners and the pinata and the pink pig.

Next year, Friday will be the new Thursday, in a way–the Blues Festival organizers are dropping acoustic Thursday in favor of a bigger commitment to acoustic music throughout the remaining three days. And I’m thinking that Friday will take over that beginning feeling that used to be Thursday’s aura. There was still some of that today, especially toward the end of the day, when people were drifting back to the little blue city of RVs that springs up in the DECC parking lot, the hum of nomadic life going on like it has for thousands of years not so differently from this era.

Saturday will be a big day, and the weather is making a lot of promises. Every stage has got good acts coming up. The Jack Daniels stage will host Brandon Scott Sellner, a young Minnesota musician who’s been making Duluth a second home lately, it seems, and the main stage Hoopsnakes reunion show (2:40) should be great fun. The Bob Bingham / Gordon Thorne set in the Acoustic Tent at 3:45 ought to be of special interest–these two collaborators are not typical touring pros. Bingham’s a co-founder of the Cranstons and a convert to acoustic country blues. Thorne’s from the north, a carpenter who plays ragtime. Their collaborations are something to look forward to. And of course there’s those Fabulous Thunderbirds, headliners on the main stage at 8.

After seeing Bobby Rush in his solo guise–pretty interesting, all in all, see the review on the News Tribune website–I went off to the Saratoga to catch the Reverend Raven and his Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys.

I always did like the Toga, the jazz concerts were always fun. The big photo portraits on the walls of the girls are great; the stateliness of old-fashioned strippers is something else. And the club glitters with all that is not gold: neon and mirrors and chrome, brass and a vast gleaming back bar with bottles like pirate treasure. The place is as red-lit as a womb; this must be what it was like in the months before one was born, warm, welcoming, rosy, and carefree. No wonder we want to go back.

And the Rev himself was doing his reliable crunchy Chicago-style funky blues. A pair of girls with miraculous booties were bestowing their moves on a pair of blissful guys. The girls would make funny faces at each other when the guys weren’t looking. It was wonderful.

And after, the night air was gently swashing around Canal Park like a tropical tide, the coolness rising from the lake but not overpowering the remnant of sunshine that clung to the bricks.

You know, one more month of summer would transform this place. Maybe we’d learn to relax, drop our shoulders, talk about something besides the weather.

bobby rush in another place and time

On a soft Thursday afternoon Bayfront Festival Park looks awfully good. The music had an approriate simplicity–lots of solo acts, emphasis on the roots of the roots. Spider John Koerner in the acoustic tent and Bobby Rush on the main stage did a fine job of laying down the context for all future acts in the fest.

As evening fell the boats on the bay began milling closer to the action. A big white powerboat glided to and fro like a silent shark. Gradually the pink died out of the sky and a midnight blue rose out of the water, picking out the stars that began to appear. A half moon floated over the bay.

Minnesotans–such unlikely blues aficionados! –mostly listened stolidly in their folding chairs, but as Bobby Rush’s elemental blues developed nicely sexy overtones a few souls in the front began to oscillate. A big woman in a black sunsuit had real credibility–the music moved her, and she moved.

Tonight (Thursday) I’ll head over to the ‘Toga for the Reverend Raven. I hope to have some news of it tomorrow for you.

The arts website mnartists.org has an article by Ali Selim, the acclaimed director of "Sweet Land," on how you as a filmmaker can get your film seen. It’s stellar, and comes with a host of links to useful sites for filmmakers. See it here.

The Duluth Playhouse has released a list of productions for next season: "Don’t Dress for Dinner" by Marc Camoletti; "It’s a Wonderful Life" by James W. Rodgers; "Steel Magnolias" by Robert Harling; "The Full Monty" by Terrance McNally/David Yazbek; "Doubt, A Parable" by John Patrick Shanley; "Beauty and the Beast" by Wolverton/Menken/Ashman/Rice.

Sound like fun? They also need directors and set, sound, lighting, and costume designers for these shows.

Contact Christine Seitz at 733-7551.

glorious monster
mnartists.org sponsors MnSpin, a quarterly music contest for Minnesota musicians. Winning tracks from each round of the contest are selected by a different panel of judges from within the music industry, and each week a three-song playlist from the winning submissions will be featured on the mnartists.org and Summit Brewery websites. Quarterly live music showcases will take place at area venues and a compilation CD of music from the yearlong contest is planned.

ben connolly
The current three winners–Round Two victors– are all TC-area players: Glorious Monster, Ben Connelly, and Josiah Wordsworth. These diverse folks put out sounds ranging from electronica to grunge. But hey–they’re all from the Twin Cities, and they’re all guys. How about Duluth women do something about this?

josiah wordsworth
For the current round–round 3–the judges are all women: Andrea Myers, music editor at "City Pages", Pushkar Ohja, music director at Radio K, Melisa Riviere, a hip-hop producer and talent manager who’s studying for her PhD in anthropology at the U of M, and Rachel Joyce, aka DJ Nite Nurse on KFAI radio and assistant director of public relations for the Walker Art Center.

So get yer music to these women by July 7: any and all types of music accepted; only three tracks per musician will be accepted for review. Tracks can be uploaded onto your artist page on mnartists.org (and this will get you to make that page, right?) and then you send a URL of the page by email to mnspin@mnartists.org      You must be a member of mnartists to submit your work; it’s easy to join. Go to mnartists.org and click on "join." For assistance with registration or uploading tracks, email info@walkerart.org or call 612-375-7611.

CALL FOR
VENDORS: Still time to enter!

 The Paine Art
Center and Gardens, 1410 Algoma
Blvd, Oshkosh, WI 54901,
invites you
to participate in Faire on the Green. 

 Sunday, July 13, 2008, 9 am to 4 pm

 FAIRE ON THE
GREEN
Featuring
Original Art, Fine Crafts, and Garden Merchandise

 Please
contact Doris Peitz at info@thepaine.org, call (920) 235-6903 ext.
22 or go to the
event calendar on the Paines web site: www.thepaine.org
  for
more information and a vendor application.