Autumn Almanac 2013 — Vol. V

Intermountain seasons in transition

The snow on the Wasatch creeps lower and lower — photo by M.E.

Walking around Centerville dramatically demonstrates the contrast between Autumn and Winter.

Autumn lingers in the valleys. It isn’t Winter until the Solstice — photo by M.E.

Summer across the Atlantic

Events around Amsterdam in the summer of 2013

M.C. Escher owed a LOT to mathematical tessellations used by Moorish architects and craftsmen in stone and tiling — especially inside the former mosque at Cordoba. Making a connection between Holland’s modern cultural icon and Islam, even Medieval Islam, represents a courageous move in today’s sad world. I do not hesitate  to point out that there are whole neighborhoods where Muslims of different sects comprise the majority of inhabitants in Amsterdam and other large European cities.

Tekenen means “to draw” and the subtitle basically says “artists around the city.” I happened to see a lot of digital art on the walls of various Amsterdam cafes, and made some artwork of my own:

Photos and assemblage by M.E. — featuring Chandana Sarma, Harald Pretschner, Shelly Owen, and Matthijs Kuhlemaijer dancing in the courtyard of Eerste Nassaustraat 7.

Because the night is made for music — because the night is made for MiNX …

Raffi Shahinian and Ischa Bee as MiNX, at the release party for their new CD entitled 13 — photo by M.E.

At the invitation of my young friends, I went to the release party for Thirteen, their second CD in less than a year. (I missed the release party for Golden last April, while I was in San Francisco.)  Their shows are pretty theatrical anyway, but Ischa really threw down when it came to costume changes reflecting aspects of all those new songs.

Ischa is wailing her heart out, as the audience gladly gives up their hearts in return — photo by M.E.

The songs from Thirteen are literally being given away on their website MINXBAND.COM — I strongly suggest anyone who loves to hear the creation of new music to take advantage of this offer, and perhaps make a donation to the band!

… I’m like a bird in a gilded cage, if you open the door, I’m going to fly far away …

I repeatedly talk about the quality of MiNX’s songwriting, and musicianship, so let’s allow someone else, like Kolbie Stonehocker of City Weekly, to say something about the band and these new songs.

MiNX at Salt Lake City’s Music Garage — photo by M.E.

The Music Garage itself is a remarkable organization that promotes music education among local youth — instruments, equipment, and various technical skills. Hey Kolbie! What does City Weekly have to say about Steve Auerbach’s great project ?

I freely admit to being a sucker for MiNX’s music. Ischa’s handing me a “Lollipop” during their song of the same name has NOTHING to do with it — photo by M.E.

Check out the Youth Programs at Salt Lake’s Music Garage

More Diva Doings

Dance to Terabyte & the Battery Eaters — music from the big woods via Soundcloud.
Singer Kelly West is on the ski slopes above Fish, Montana.
Angie Brown’s S.L.U.G. Magazine may be online, but it is also distributed free on paper anyplace that’s cool.
Rasa Vitalia is singing and dancing with Katdelic around the Bay Area.
Dancer Katie Duck is back from her tour in England and Spain.
Lady GaGa continues to flog Botticelli’s sea shells by the sea shore.

In the days of the comet

Comet Ison, approaching the Sun on Nov. 14, 2013, 70 minute exposure taken by Bruce Gary.

My only chance to see this sun-grazer will be close to Christmas when it will be in the western skies after sunset, which means Winter. Dare I hope for clear skies?

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Online Versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom Novels:
REMINDER: Research this prolific author on ERBzine.

A Princess of Mars ; The Gods of Mars ; Warlord of Mars ;
( 1911 to 1913 — The heart of the Pulp-Classic world of Mars/Barsoom.)

And thereby hangs a tale As good luck would have it As merry as the day is long At one fell swoop …
(We’re stealing from Elizabethan/Jacobean Theatre, like Shakespeare did.)

Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
Buy one through RAUNCH Records’ Facebook page!

E-Portfolio for Michael Evans

Autumn Almanac 2013 — Vol. IV

Speaking of the Devil (Above):

Last Roses and Early Snow — Photo by M.E.

Snow has been falling regularly in the mountains of Northern Utah and at lower elevations every day. The benches of Davis County seem to be at or above the snow line now.

Night In Europe

Canal Boat on Stadionkade — Digital sketch by M.E.

Amsterdam had a boat festival at the end of the summer that celebrated watercraft of all sorts, at all times of day for over two weekends. I was staying on a pleasant canal on the south part of town, with mostly private pleasure boats plying the water, so it extruded a vibe of relaxation that was different from some other spots around that busy international harbor city.

Work and Play in Holland

Souvenir paper from Amsterdam’s south and west neighborhoods.

A shout-out to “Pebbles,” the personable manager of Ijsboutique (Delicious Ice Cream from the heart of Amsterdam) who read my post about her business in the lovely community surrounding Johannes Verhultstraat. The collage above consists of fragments from a few more more neighborhoods — My daily haunt at Studio Seven near Westerpark; The friendly printer on the other side of Vondelpark from Ijsboutique who helped turn my sketches into artwork; and Duende Dos, a Spanish Tapas place located at a fascinating  junction between the Brouwersgracht and De Jordaan. It is blessed with a resident Stork too.

Speaking of the Devil Below

This show was so interesting that I saw it twice in one weekend:

Memorabilia from the performances of late October 2013 — including credits. Yes, I went to the after-party and talked with some of the awesome cast. Finally met Stephen Brown too.

I had seen the “sneak preview” in June and was curious about how this challenging piece would continue to do in the cultured, but conservative, State of Utah. I’ve used the word “rambunctious” to describe what I saw in June. The energy of all the performers seemed high-strung, as if they were exploring their roles, which might have been true, or false, but is total projection on my part.
On Friday night, the dance was clean and smooth, the acting edgy and engaging, but Totem and Taboo’s music stunned me, although I’d heard it before.
Lead singer Vanessa Angulo had a somewhat more complicated part as Queen of the Damned that required her to join in with the drama, but her singing was brilliant, and the audio mix was superb. She has plenty of presence anyway, but the job she did as a dramatic bridge between the band, the dance, and the audience was nothing less than splendid — so there I was on Sunday to see and hear it all again. No knock on the superlative dancing and acting, but that 70 minutes of live music was powerfully satisfying.
Brian Kubayscz, the guitarist, told me that he was having more fun playing it after so many months. I took him at his word, and also thought the piece was a touch less cruel, although its Black Humor was just as dark — but it still retained its surprising and very subjective ending.

Alma Matters

I took a chance and saw this concert at the University of Utah:

From my program for the PDC at the University of Utah’s Dance Building.

Seeing dance performances on campus was something me and my friends did regularly at said University when we were students there. We had some talented people, and they did some wonderfully good things. It was fun sitting with one of those same friends at a whole new Dance Department, watching fine choreography and quality dancing. Criticism of the Performing Dance Company concert? Uhh — it got better with each piece, and started out beautifully.

Disco Never Dies !!!

Funky is what Funky does — the Disco Drippers were always a Funk Band and still are!

Disco Drippers at the State Room Oct. 26, 2013 — Photo by M.E.

A decade past, they would play two or more weekends a month, year in and year out, which could be really tough on their golden-voiced singers. (Thank goodness cigarettes are banned indoors now.) They are doing yearly reunion concerts recently, and the voices of the leather-clad angels from Heaven are worth most any time or effort to hear and see! I spent a bit of time assembling a Facebook Album of this high voltage event, instead of sketching and drawing the band like I used to do in pre-millennium days.

Vivid Funk and Black Rock
Living Colour was on the road celebrating the 25th anniversary of Vivid, and I caught them live at the old Union Pacific Depot.

25 years of Vivid: “That makes me OLD!” sang Cory Glover.

It was great hearing Mr. Glover sing twice in one year! He fronted Galactic very, very well, and was radiant at the lead microphone for Living Colour. Still, nothing will ever match my delighted surprise when he defiantly sang Swampp Dogg’s magnificent and ultra-obscure Total Destruction to your Mind with Galactic.

All Souls Day

Take it to the Woodshed! Stars of Ladies That Rock: (L to R) Amber, Ischa, and Melody — Hey, what happened to Raffi, Amber? (Photos by M.E.)

Halloween night was on a Thursday, which made it a little bit difficult for costume-lovers. I saw fancy dress at the Disco Drippers and Meat & Marrow the preceding weekend, and a few more the weekend afterward.

(Right) Ischa Bee enjoys the wonderful music of Melody Pulsipher (Left); Sinister view of Melody on All Souls Day inset at the middle — Photos by M.E.

It was my first time hearing local professional Melody Pulsipher, and I was totally impressed by her voice, songs, and work ethic. It was another one of those Ladies Nights where every act was extraordinarily good.

Thanks for the melodic CD, Melody ! — partial scan by M.E.

I guess that’s ONE way of doing it  —  listen to the song above at http://melodyvocals.com/

Dia des Muertos, Batman — is there anything better than acoustic MiNX?

I can’t remember being at the Woodshed while MiNX did an acoustic set. Whether this was the first time they brought out the wood for the Woodshed or not, it’s always GOOD to hear these arrangements.

Waking up the “Dead” with electric MiNX — photo by M.E.

The sneaked one of their new songs from MiNX 13 into the electric set. We fans ALMOST convinced them to do one more, but we’ll just have to wait until the CD Release Party on November 16.

Lady Murasaki rocking the star spot on Ladies Night at the Woodshed November 2013. Amber Taniuchi – Vocals / Guitar; Stephen McSweeney – Guitar; Tyler Morris – Bass; Jonathan Baez – Drums — Photo by M.E.

The sound mix was really nice, and I enjoyed the Lady Murasaki band’s intricately-woven jams around Amber’s sexy contralto voice as people danced until curfew.

Speaking of Diva Vu:

(R) Kim Manning on the very high stage at De Paradiso in Amsterdam wearing roller skates. I was in the crowd, but this ain’t my picture; (L) Ms. Manning’s CD — our mutual Kickstarter project.

After the Parliament/Funkadelic show in Amsterdam, I met singer/skater Kim Manning in the lobby of the band’s hotel. She recognized my name and gave me a copy of her new CD for contributing to the Kickstarter project that raised the money for it — Good People!

More Diva Doings

MiNX is throwing their second CD Release Party this year in November.
They played one new song last Friday — and the audience wanted more.

Dance to Terabyte & the Battery Eaters — music from the big woods via Soundcloud.
Singer Kelly West still watches the ski slopes above Fish, Montana.
Angie Brown’s S.L.U.G. Magazine may be online, but it is also distributed free on paper anyplace that’s cool.
Rasa Vitalia is singing and dancing with Katdelic around the Bay Area.
Dancer Katie Duck is going on tour in England and Spain.
Polymath Lady GaGa continues to recover from her hip injury, and those sea shells are still selling by the sea shore.

Isn’t that the Sun ‘way over to the right, beyond the Moon … ?

The Earth and Moon — NASA photo from a Mars Express flyby.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Online Versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom Novels:
REMINDER: Research this prolific author on ERBzine.

A Princess of Mars ; The Gods of Mars ; Warlord of Mars ;
( 1911 to 1913 — The heart of the Pulp-Classic world of Mars/Barsoom.)

And thereby hangs a tale As good luck would have it As merry as the day is long At one fell swoop …
(We’re quoting Shakespearean Theatre.)

Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
Buy one through RAUNCH Records’ Facebook page!

E-Portfolio for Michael Evans

Autumn Almanac 2013 — Vol. III

Where am I?

The Old Mill, below Big Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake Valley. Site of many Rock concerts in the late 60’s — Fall photo by M.E.

Where was I?

Oudekerk-on-Amstel, near Amstelveen, a short tram ride from Amsterdam — Photo by M.E.

Any comparisons between the High Desert of Utah at 1300m and below-sea-level Holland are patently ridiculous.

Rockin’ October Legacy

Repertory Dance Theater presented a brilliant and ambition selection of pieces at their Legacy concert at the beginning of October.
(Below) What’s all this about Missa Brevis, Faith, Art, and War? The panel discussion at Utah Museum of Contemporary Art focused on the late choreographer Jose Limon — his family’s dreadful experiences during the long Mexican Revolution of the early XX Century, and US Army draftee Limon’s own days in Post-WWII Poland. It was moving indeed to hear direct observations of that period of time from Father Andrzej Skerzypiec, who grew up there during the Soviet occupation of his country. Besides the panel, Linda C. Smith wittily discussed Utah’s Repertory Dance Theater’s inventory of “dead choreographers,” and compared the minority of those “legacy” pieces with the modern works commissioned and created by the company. The generosity of BYU in donating a corps of well-trained dancers to RDT in order to present Missa Brevis with its proper number of performers impressed me beyond words.

RDT old and new, plus BYU too. So many names, so little time — collage on the fly by M.E.

The program began with a piece my companion saw when we were starting college and it was brand-new — For Betty, by Bill Evans. Next, it was time for intensity with Rosy Goodman Tennant on stage in Ariadne by Ze’eva Cohen with great actor Irene Papas on tape. Justin, Tyler, and Effen starred in two pieces by Ted Shawn. Sarah Donahue boldly leaped into the intensity zone via Linda Smith’s reconstruction of Doris Humphrey’s Two Ecstatic Themes, with coaching by Nina Watt.
Of course “Short Mass” was intense, in every sense of the word, but using it for humor does not do this performance justice, or honor the 22 wonderful dancers enough. The composer Zoltan Kodaly (Ko-dai) wrote it while the Nazis had their boots on the neck of his very culture in Hungary, and Limon seized on it as the aural web for the tapestry of this existential masterpiece from the fertile artistic turmoil of Late 1950’s America.
RDT’s next show is called Lively, and promises something a bit more “light” in the publicity. I’ll be there — stuff like that doesn’t scare ME.

Shaking off the intensity

Afterward, I re-grounded myself by going over to State Street and hearing some original music.

New bassist,  Wachira, Dimitra, and Brenda of Sugartown Alley at Ladies Who Rock, October 2013 — photo by M.E.

Roots-Rockers Sugartown Alley led off Ladies Night at the Woodshed. Merchant Royal had the star spot, but unfortunately the sound wasn’t as clear as it had been in September.

Raffi and Ischa as MiNX, under the saturated lights of the Woodshed.

MiNX gigs have been somewhat rarer than usual lately because they have been making another CD. Their support for Ladies Who Rock has been unwavering, though.

MiNX not only creates new music in the studio. They are constantly creating new music wherever they are — photo by M.E.

Note: I tried my video camera for still-shots that night, but they just don’t have the same resolution in low light as they do from my SLR. I’ve redigitized these images, and enjoyed playing with them, but it’s a fair amount of work.

Later on — a hot tip from Chris Snarr led me to the Widowmaker

Metro Music Club playing and singing for their dancing audience — photo by M.E.

Actually, it was Cliff House in Sandy, a few miles north of Corner Canyon.
Then I collapsed from a cold virus and hardly went anywhere for a week.

Art Museum Mountain Time

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts is in a building that was totally new to me, and I enjoyed exploring the massive airy structure after getting out of bed.

Shigeyuki Kihara’s artful movement pieces were showing on video in a corner gallery at the top — sharing a huge space with art from New Guinea, Asia, America, and Europe.

Diva Doings

Speaking of MiNX — Raffi and Ischa are throwing a CD Release Party this month.
Their excellent album Golden came out just last Spring, but they continue to write — WRITE ON!

Salt Lake’s Disco Drippers played their second annual Halloween Bash at the State Room. The beautifully-combined voices of Lisa Rodgers and Erin Royall Carlson are quite a treat to hear, and a year’s time between their engagements makes these occasions very special — may they continue! Vanessa Angulo sang triumphantly that same weekend with Totem & Taboo at the Rose Wagner Theater, with Stephen Brown Dance, performing Of Meat and Marrow. Seventy minutes of non-stop live music, movement, and a future review of that fine sonic weekend.

Dance to Terabyte & the Battery Eaters — music from the big woods via Soundcloud.
Singer Kelly West is watching the slopes above Fish, Montana.
Rasa Vitalia is in the Bay Area … singing as well as dancing with Katdelic.
Dancer Katie Duck is going on tour in England and Spain.
Polymath Lady GaGa is recovering from her hip injury, and STILL sells sea shells by the sea shore as Venus.

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Planet Earth from a geosynchronous satellite — Photo by Egeroff.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Online Versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom Novels:
REMINDER: Research this prolific author on ERBzine.

A Princess of Mars ; The Gods of Mars ; Warlord of Mars ;
( 1911 to 1913 — The heart of the Pulp-Classic world of Mars/Barsoom.)

If you think it is high time, and that THAT is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out … (You’re quoting Shakespearean Theatre.)

Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
Buy one through RAUNCH Records’ Facebook page!

E-Portfolio for Michael Evans

Autumn Almanac 2013 — Vol. II

Where have I been lately?

Haarlemerweg (the way to Haarlem) on the west side of Amsterdam.

This is a snapshot from a sidewalk lunch in my old haunts at the west edge of downtown Amsterdam. Haarlemerport is what they call that big arch in the distance at the right of the photo. It is near a cinema where I used to perform in the 70’s — which is still there and is still called The Movies.

Amsterdam on the big screen in America:

Amy Beth Leber of the Salt Lake Film Society introduces Open Screen at the Tower Theater — That’s a digitally-inserted still on the screen from my own movie  Just Another Day At The Ranch.

No, I didn’t win any awards at Open Screen, but no film got a warmer or louder applause than my 10 minute extract from Katie Duck’s Manson II at Orgelpark in Amsterdam. The audience clapped for the powerful music and awe-inspiring dancers, and I was proud to present a sample of this improvisatory work 6000 miles from where it played less than a month before. I’m also happy that my audio-visual recording efforts served this beautiful event so well.

Check out all the outstanding things that the Salt Lake Film Society does in this city.

Earlier on, there was quite a show OUTSIDE the theater too.

Sunset on 9th South and 9th East September 25, 2013 — catching the last beam of sunshine.

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Just Another Day at the Ranch is online here:

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What about the USA?

I hung out at the Coffee Garden, located next to the Tower Theater, waiting for the feature film to finish. The photo below made me laugh, as usual — I remember when the Coffee Garden was across the street, and Starbucks opened one of their myriad shops on the opposite corner.

A beloved grassroots business won THIS round!

This is actually a shot of workmen taking the Starbucks sign DOWN — Customers of the locally-owned Coffee Garden put the international chain out of business on 9th & 9th.

Once Upon A Time In The West

(L to R) The historic Tabernacle and Assembly Hall on Temple Square — Photos by M.E.

I went downtown the other evening to hear some beautiful singing in the Assembly Hall, next to Salt Lake’s Seagull Monument.

Details from the official brochure of this performance.

Soprano Carla Rae Cook was excellent for sure, but my favorite pieces included four more beautiful singers, including a mutual friend of the lady who accompanied me to hear this tasty aural confection.

Interior view of the Assembly Hall — Photo by M.E.

Cosmic Trolley, how do you do …?

… is based on a phrase from an obscure Grateful Dead song called Cosmic Charlie, if you must know. Truckin’ down the avenue, uh …
After a meal at the Desert Edge Pub, we went over to Weller’s Book Works to indulge our love of printed matter. Happily, the proprietor was hosting a monthly reception for book collectors, which includes ME — I couldn’t eat any more, but I drank a ginger ale and explored the Mezzanine area, which features rare and obscure books, just like the old store on Main Street.

Souvenir paperwork from my excursion at Trolley Square.

The offices of Ballet West are right outside Weller’s at the moment — despite the fact that this organization was a leading player in saving and restoring the Capitol Theater. A discrete question or two led me to finding out that they are building new offices and space next to the theater downtown, so this was a temporary deal. Coincidentally, the Capitol’s old street-spanning ironwork sign was relocated to Trolley Square in the early 70’s, and it would have been sad if Ballet West had been exiled here as well, but it wasn’t so.

That green bookmark (Above Left) happens to be an original commission by Jose Knighton from the old Cosmic Aeroplane — the things one can find by poking around bookstores!

What about the here and now?

Early snows after the hottest summer on record are affecting the High Country:

Snowfall and Aspens at the crest of Millcreek Canyon — Photo by M.E.

Diva Doings

Angela Brown’s SLUG magazine published a piece written by Ischa Bee about Ladies Who Rock (there’s another show this upcoming weekend) plus THE WOODSHED too.
Speaking of MiNX — Raffi and Ischa have been recording new material most of the last month.
Check out their album, Golden it is absolutely BRILLIANT!
Dance to Terabyte & the Battery Eaters — music from the big woods via Soundcloud.
Singer Kelly West is getting ready to ski down the slopes above Fish, Montana.
Rasa Vitalia is back in the Bay Area … singing as well as dancing with Katdelic.
Dancer Katie Duck is hosting weekly improv sessions, and a monthly Freakatoni performance in Amsterdam.
Polymath Lady GaGa is out of the hospital, twerking on the road, and STILL selling sea shells by the sea shore.

Some call it heavenly in its brilliance …

Thuria, Mad Queen of the Night, eclipses Cluros on Barsoom by moving west to east — animated photos via Emily Lakdawalla, Planetary Society.

————————————————————————————————————————-

Online Versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom Novels:
REMINDER: Research this prolific author on ERBzine.

A Princess of Mars ; The Gods of Mars ; Warlord of Mars ;
( 1911 to 1913 — The heart of the Pulp-Classic world of Mars/Barsoom.)

If you think it is high time, and that THAT is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out … (You’re quoting Shakespearean Theatre.)

Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
Buy one through RAUNCH Records’ Facebook page!

E-Portfolio for Michael Evans

Autumn Almanac 2013 — Vol. I

Where I’ve Been:

Let’s talk about Amsterdam again, since that city has been somewhat of a second home for me during these turbulent years. I was out of the worst of the heat wave that struck Europe and America, but some days were quite hot.

To get between the Beethovenstraat (L) and Westerpark (R) sections of the city, I made an hour-long bike ride through Vondel Park, and its own satellite neighborhoods.

That’s my own bicycle in the lower left of the Westerpark shot, parked outside Studio Seven. I hung out in three VERY DIFFERENT sections of town: Westerpark had a lot of Caribbean families, Muslims from Africa and Asia, and sturdy working-class Dutch. I was friends with the local hardware storekeeper, because of my work, and Rasta locksmith Bo Hauk — who kept his shoemaker’s shop jumping with Reggae music and introduced me to Tarrus Reilly; The area around Beethovenstratt was mostly populated by people who looked like me. That IS a Starbucks you see, and the lady is riding to that very place to get a coffee. The shops are staffed by people from all over the globe, though — they speak good English, but generally converse in Dutch.

I prefer locally-roasted coffee, like Douwe Egberts, but the Theater of the Street tends to be excellent around any sidewalk cafe or coffee shop.
Watching the waking-up process of a commercial district is one way of combining laughing and learning. For instance, the traditional green grocer on Beethovenstraat put on a real production as he scrubbed down the front of his family’s produce store.

In every neighborhood, street life is a major feature of Amsterdam living.

On another day at Johannes Verhulststraat, just south of the park, I was sipping a double latte prior to work one morning outside of Douwe Egberts when a lady began to open the Ijsboutique ice cream store across the roundabout — primly and ideally dressed for the job at hand. She waved to our entire row of cafe patrons and went about her business of unstacking tables, putting chairs in place out on the sidewalk, and dozens of things necessary to prepare her shop for the upcoming day. She moved effortlessly and efficiently, smiling at all and sundry as they moved through the brick-lined urban world surrounding her.
It was charmingly clean and pleasant entertainment, so I drew a sketch so I wouldn’t forget the experience. She was a partner in the enterprise, and gave me her business card when I went over and checked out the various flavors. Their confections made with fresh fruit are exquisite, and the praline ijs, or ice cream, is literally “to die for.” Since I did my laundry nearby, I visited both Douwe Egberts and the Ijsboutique more than once.

Public transportation is quite good in this city!

A Tram Pass graces the upper right corner of this candid pic from aboard Tram 5, which goes from Centraal Station to semi-rural Oude Kerk and beyond. The lower corner has a card reader.

The streetcar above featured a couple of posters featuring thin models in tight clothes, supposedly to encourage the buying of thin long-term passes. I used those things when I needed to accomplish tasks that would have been a bloody pain on my bike. Other cafes and their micro-societies around Vondel Park, Leidseplein, et cetera, are worth many more stories, which I will gladly tell later.

What about my part of America?

Well, what about it? A good friend introduced me to the music of a wonderful musical group, and we saw their concert midweek with a whole roomful of dancing aficionados:

Was Ist Das? A portion of a DVD cover for Marchfourth Marching Band, and my ticket to the State Room where I saw their delightful performance.

This act is so excellent in so many ways! Unpretentious and energetic, they create a show for the ears and eyes that is a whirlpool of joy. My highest recommendation follows along with this hard-gigging ensemble.

The State Room lobby, with members of Marchfourth meeting their fans after the gig, who were shopping at the “Merch-fourth Merch Table.” This band WORKS !!

One amazing thing that happened at the Marchfourth concert, besides their great performance, was a chance meeting with …

Original logo by model and Shot in the Dark bass player Lisa Versteeg.

Lisa Versteeg was at the State Room too, and remembered me from the 80’s and 90’s ! She isn’t online, so wasn’t really aware of the Cosmic Aeroplane Memorabilia Site, but we spent a few minutes showing her some examples on a mobile device, and scheduled a scanning session soon afterward. Lisa later enjoyed seeing images from her career as a retailer, musician, artist, and model on a larger computer screen, and gladly contributed dozens of pictures to our project.

See Lisa’s updated chronicle at the Cosmic Staffers Project

Cosmic Coincidence — We scanned Lisa’s material at a coffee shop that could have graced any European city with it’s comfortable tables, fast wireless, good food, and pleasant staffers. Nostalgia occupies the the far side of building that once housed the old store where Lisa worked:

The 200 East block of First South in Salt Lake City, looking southward — Color photo by M.E. 2013; B&W photo by Stew Ellington circa 1983.

There is a mural inside the Nostalgia coffee shop, literally drawing together the Blue Mouse movie theater and Cosmic Aeroplane bookstore of the past across time itself to greet the present patrons of this trendy and friendly modern cafe:

Portion of Nostalgia’s “Cosmic Mural” — drawn in menu chalk.

Where I am:

Last Summer’s brutal heat and the drought affected the mountain greenery. Autumn leaves are tinged with colors that tend toward brown, rather than the luminous reds, oranges, and golden yellows of last year.

One view from my daily walk, in City Creek Canyon — photo by M.E.

What ?? I leave town for a few months, and come back to THIS?

You sure those sightings weren’t folks seeing Smokey, or maybe seeing things while they were a little bit smokey themselves? Nahhh !

There are still many things that were happening, and will continue to happen, but this post is almost finished.

Diva Doings

Minx has been recording new music and not performing as much as usual, but they still took time to prepare for Ladies Who Rock at the beginning of next month.

Raffi and Ischa getting ready at The Woodshed in September 2013 — Photo by M.E.

Angie Brown’s SLUG magazine published a piece written by Ischa about this excellent event, and THE WOODSHED too.
Terra M. spent the end of her summer working in Wyoming.
Kelly West played well with others in Fish, Montana.
Rasa Vitalia took a trip to the East Coast, but is back in the ‘Bay … oh wait.
Katie Duck is punching the clock for the university in Amsterdam, but still hosts weekly improv sessions.
Lady GaGa is out of the hospital, back on the road, and selling sea shells by the sea shore.

Having a camera on the surface of Mars is so much fun — The skies are the limit !!!

NASA / JPL / MSSS / Emily Lakdawalla

Animated series of photos showing far Cluros with Thuria, Mad Queen of the Night, shot from the surface of Barsoom itself, thanks to NASA’s Curiosity rover. This is a scene I’ve visualized in my imagination since childhood, and it is visible via robots.

————————————————————————————————————————-

Online Versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom Novels:
REMINDER: Research this prolific author on ERBzine.

A Princess of Mars ; The Gods of Mars ; Warlord of Mars ;
( 1911 to 1913 — The heart of the Pulp-Classic world of Mars/Barsoom.)

If you think it is high time, and that THAT is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out … (You’re quoting Shakespearean Theatre.)

Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
Buy one through RAUNCH Records’ Facebook page!

E-Portfolio for Michael Evans

Inter-Continental Jet-Lag Blues

Where I’ve been:

Classic view of Amsterdam from atop their new City Library, overlooking the harbor.

I was up on this building last year, enjoying the restaurant, before seeing the fabulous Stanley Kubrick Retrospective at the nearby Amsterdam Film Institute (A.K.A. The Eye — which happens to be a linguistic joke about this waterway, known as Het Ij, or Ijsselmeer. Once it was a port on the Zuider Zee, but the great Dutch sea dikes changed all that.)

Where I am now:

Antelope Island, in the Great Salt Lake — no Antelope live there, but a herd of American Bison were transplanted to this place before I was born.

Why in Satan’s Own Hell was I suffering swarms of greedy Mosquitoes at this overlook west of Bountiful, Utah? Sometimes the madness of Astronomical Photography overtakes my good sense.

Nearly-new Moon prior to Autumn, with Planet Venus.

What’s that you say? Can’t see Venus? Well, read this whole post, and you’ll get a closer view. I tried shooting on the mountainside behind me afterward, but those low clouds obscured everything up there. I did see THIS while fighting off the insects, though:

A flock of Canada Geese heading south — the seasons are changing!

At the time of this writing, I’ve been in the USA less than a week, and have marked my return with more jet-lagged insanity, like going to the Utah State Fair about 36 hours after I landed to revisit the neighborhood where I grew up — with one of my best friends, and to see Road Warrior Karen Quest at work on her stilts.

“Frances, the Farmer’s Daughter” greets her public just before a storm hits the fairgrounds.

The oncoming storm hit Utah Valley to the south of Salt Lake with several inches of rain, causing flooding and chaos from Alpine to Payson, but it wasn’t nearly as bad when it roiled over Salt Lake and Davis Counties — people were glad to be done with the record-hot summer.

However — the CRAZIEST thing I did was attending Ladies Who Rock at The Woodshed bar the night before to see my friends in the fine group MiNX. My sleep schedule was AFU anyway, and this event has been a jewel crowning local nightlife.

Ischa transforms herself at the start of almost every “electric” MiNX gig — she was ready for a hot night on September 6, and Raffi’s outfit matched his green Gibson.

Ischa laughingly talked about feeling a little cold afterward, which just invited silly “hot” jokes — Ladies Who Rock‘s closing act The Wild Ones created all the heat anybody needed, and brought the boyz back up to the front of the stage:

Robin, lead singer of The Wild Ones — knocking ’em dead at the Woodshed!

The music of the Wild Ones was aggressive hard-rocking Neo-Punk. I heard influences of the Plasmatics and Stooges, especially when they hit me in the face with Iggy’s I Wanna Be Your Dog. Their lyrical content was first-rate, and extremely well-integrated with the deceptively simple, but charging, rhythms. They were both funny and moving — their song told stories about our sometimes-ugly social landscape, like Streetwalker, Bitch Ball, Murder Ballad, Survival etc.

NOBODY could resist when Robin sang:

Gotta Gotta Have It
Really Really Want It
Gonna Make It Mine
All the Time …

During the sound set-up, Robin tested her microphone by screaming CHECK! CHECK! CHECK! in her highest loudest voice.
Speaking of which — the ambient sound and balance were superb — congratulations to the Woodshed’s staff!
Coincidentally, local journalist Gavin Sheehan was also there, and wrote an article about this night for City Weekly.
I’ve also posted some more pictures and info on the Facebook site for this event, including this one:

I know, I know — but Robin was just outright ANIMATED throughout the Wild Ones’ set — you can see her pretty face on the aforementioned Facebook site.

Astronomy Domine

The Moon and Venus — September 9, 2013

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Online Versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom Novels:
REMINDER: Research this prolific author on ERBzine.

A Princess of Mars ; The Gods of Mars ; Warlord of Mars ;
( 1911 to 1913 — The heart of the Pulp-Classic world of Mars/Barsoom.)

If you think it is high time, and that THAT is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out … (You’re quoting Shakespearean Theatre.)

Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
Buy one through RAUNCH Records’ Facebook page!

E-Portfolio for Michael Evans

Super Moon and June ’13

Time may fly when you’re having fun — but in which direction?

The weather for the Arts Festival  in Salt Lake was refreshingly cooler than the Hammer of Hell last year:

June 2013 “Super Moon” over Amphitheater Stage — All photos by M.E. unless noted otherwise.

What else happened? Well, more than I could see, but I sure saw some interesting things.

“Big Mouth” poetry stage, under the cool trees, with my friend Alex Caldiero watching fellow poet Hector Ahumuda (inset) from San Francisco.

There were vendors from all over the Western USA, including my old stomping grounds in Montana.

The Sensations Soul Band from Oakland made the crowd shake what they brought.

Stomping around in the Amphitheater grass was a lot more fun than concrete or pavement, though

I spent many a fine hour inside the old Salt Lake County Library building in my youth. Now it is dubbed “The Leonardo,” and was lit up specially for the Arts Festival.

They had a show with an admission price, but the upper floors of The Leonardo were open without charge. It has remarkable displays of hands-on learning — a great place to duck out of occasional heat when the breezes died down, with a nice corner cafe and music as well.

Sunday was pretty special.

I ain’t crazy, I’m DIFFERENT !! — MiNX in concert at the Utah Arts Festival

Lots of people got a chance to hear MiNX play and sing their wonderful original songs in the afternoon.
I introduced some of my friends to Ischa, as well as the wonderful music made by MiNX. Raffi was busy setting up and tearing down, though and didn’t meet the posse.

(L to R) Raffi Shahinian and Ischa Bee — MiNX is really all about the music.

On our way to see Repertory Dance Theater, we caught Bandaloops merrily dancing on the side of the new library building.

Tango in the clouds

Let’s see — have I ever said how much I like RDT?

(L) Sarah Donahue was out front, leading the dancing more than I’d seen before.

Well, maybe I have — but Aaron (R above) repeatedly flew without wings again, and did an extended duet with Sarah as the main group went back and forth, like a high Super-Lunar tide.

There’s no monopoly on INTENSITY, but it crackled around Toni Lugo and Nicholas Sendese like an aura created from summer lightning.

Following printed suggestions, we parked our car well away from the Festival and took the light rail (Trax) to Library Square/Washington Park. We waited a bit, but got to our destination in a reasonable time. Afterwards we got back on Trax, went to our transfer point, but found out there were no more trains on an early Sunday evening. We were STRANDED a full mile away from our car. Luckily we were both in good shape, and in a good humor that night, so we walked back through the mostly-deserted downtown laughing.
It wasn’t all that funny for the elderly and others who trusted that Salt Lake City would support one of their most important public events. We saw no taxis, and there were no alternatives — bit of a shame actually.

What Else?

Mondo days continued indoors at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art:

Rack-cards for Raivo Puusemp and Ignacio Uriarte via UMOCA

I met Raivo Puusemp, an associate of my distant friend Paul McCarthy, and we swapped stories about burying artwork and additional tales of the Alternative 60’s. Ignacio Uriarte’s installations of office papers and motifs were humorous and clean examples of Conceptual Art, or Graphic Display, or refreshing wit.

A portion of my program — this show wasn’t playing around!

(Above) THIS was a particularly fine evening of challenging Modern Dance and cutting-edge Rock singing by Vanessa and her group Totem & Taboo. We also met their guitarist Brian at MiNX’s show two weeks later, being a fan-boy like me. Stephen Brown Dance will restage Meat and Marrow in October — it is VERY strong drink, but wonderful in its horrific beauty and grim humor.

Where have I heard that name Totem & Taboo before?

Brian and Vanessa — front line of Totem & Taboo.

Ah Yes — Ladies That Rock at the Woodshed in May! What about June, though?

Oh Be Clever performs wickedly fine Dance music.

The “opening act,” La Femme Medea was a brilliant music trio led by a tall woman with a perfect Tenor voice who wrote heartbreakingly incredible songs.

La Femme Medea outdoors at the Venture A Go Go — er — Woodshed on June 7, 2013.

MiNX continues to graciously give their star spot to others, but they ain’t foolin’ ME!

This is MY blog, and I say that MiNX are MY stars!

That night I was fortunate enough to hear THREE young singers/composers in the prime of their creative powers, and I was totally humbled by the beauty of Humanity as I witnessed their shows.

Where did Ischa find all those tall women at the Woodshed? An ad hoc club of young Drag artists who called themselves Bad Kids tried out various routines in between the bands. The Pride celebration was also in Salt Lake the previous weekend.

The great singer Thelma Houston sang solo for her dancing fans on the last day of SLC’s Pride celebration. BAY-BEE my heart is full of love, and it’s all for you …

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Well, Thelma — I got a bike you can ride it if ya’ like …

It’s got a basket and a bell and things to make it look good — I’d give it to you but I hired it ! (from a song by Syd Barrett)

That’s another picture of my rented Green Bike, parked outside the old Guthrie Building, which still has artists’ studios upstairs.
As promised, I’m posting a few more photos from the terminus of SLUG’s Alley Kat bike rally:

By coincidence, this snap shows the winner resting after her victory. SLUG publisher Angela Brown processes participants further in the back.

I refer my readers to SLUGs Bicycle Issue (link below) for the online recap of this hilarious event!

(L to R) One of the items on the Alley Kat List was a picture of each racer on a Green Bike — this was MY bike, taken earlier in the day near Liberty Park; The legendary and awesome DFL Helmet — Dead F’ing Last!

More Diva Doings

MiNX performed their new album Golden at the Utah Arts Festival, and it was BRILLIANT as always.

Dance to Terabyte & the Battery Eaters — music from the big woods via Soundcloud.

Angie Brown’s bicycle issue of SLUG Magazine was a total groove, and so is the current mag.
Kelly West is back home in Fish, Montana.

Katie Duck is rockin’ Studio Seven, OT 301, and expecting me to show up in early July!
We are going to collaborate, and create more Improvisatory Dance Videos

Looking up, looking down:

Satellite Phobos from above, orbiting the Planet Mars via NASA

———————————————————————————————–

Online Versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom Novels:
REMINDER: Research this prolific author on ERBzine.

A Princess of Mars ; The Gods of Mars ; Warlord of Mars ;
( 1911 to 1913 — The heart of the Pulp-Classic world of Mars/Barsoom.)

If you think it is high time, and that THAT is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out … (You’re quoting Shakespearean Theatre.)

Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
Buy one through RAUNCH Records’ Facebook page!

E-Portfolio for Michael Evans

On the Mondo Side of the Street

Avant Mondo

From the UMOCA website: Celebrating the diversity of Utah’s cultural landscape. The inaugural Utah Biennial, titled Mondo Utah consists of succinct artistic statements, collections, artifacts and positions that celebrate the diversity of Utah’s cultural landscape. Cultural lore, forgotten icons and parallel art worlds are explored in this exhibition …  Projects include Andy Warhol’s hoax … a tower of tumbleweeds … a contemporary guide to a lost Utah … and an attack of a giant brine shrimp on downtown Salt Lake City.

(R to L) Actor Allen Midgette, guest of honor at the opening reception for Mondo Utah at UMOCA; Archival scan of a 1970 poster for one of my own early forays into Conceptual Art/Technical Production at the University of Utah, in collaboration with Curt Setzer and Rodney Daynes of Lucky Thinks, Paul McCarthy, Mike Cram, Al Payne, Michael Whipple et cetera. (Primary composition by L.T.)

As we wandered around this show, we lingered to watch The Giant Brine Shrimp do his thing, and wondered why the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art was so empty on an opening night, until we realized that everyone else was watching Allen Midgette’s lecture about impersonating Andy Warhol at the University of Utah in 1967.
I was actually THERE during that event — my peer group of 18 year old high schoolers were expecting an evening of put-ons by the notoriously flippant Warhol, and we thought we’d got what we’d expected. Later, when it turned out that he’d sent out several impersonators to colleges around the USA we marveled at how an artist who was already renowned for mass production had mass-produced himself!

Envoy from the Sixties

I had been active myself in the local avant garde during my first years at the University of Utah, and saw some work by friends and people I’d known, like filmmakers Larry Roberts and Mike Cassidy. The real eye-opener for me was a series of large B&W photographs attributed to my friend Paul McCarthy — a bowling ball was rolling and tumbling down a mountainside, but I’d already heard THIS story a dozen times from both Paul and Al Payne about how they’d bonded doing this project on the slopes of Ensign Peak, above Salt Lake City. However, the captions said nothing about Al or even credited his photography.

M.E. circa 1970, during the days of Upriver Skool at the University of Utah.

I became friends with Payne, McCarthy, and Paul’s best friend Michael Cram during 1970. We worked on and off with each other through 1973, plus they put me up in Paul’s house in Pasadena, California while I was preparing my theater company’s tour of Los Angeles in early 1975. The foundation of my long career as a technician was built in an environment of Ken Kesey-style blowouts, light shows, gallery concerts, and participatory art projects, along with a few somewhat more formal installations.

(L to R) Post-Upriver Skool artwork by my late friend Al Payne; Outrageous videos helped make Paul McCarthy famous in the ‘Mondo’ field of Conceptual Art. His early performances were often shot by our mutual friend Michael Cram — images via contemporaryartdaily.com

These times had been on my mind since a current graduate student at the University of Utah had contacted me about a paper he was writing about our “movement,” which we’d jokingly named “Upriver Skool,” and it was amazing to see our once-obscure efforts garnering attention after forty years in the metaphorical wilderness where certain authorities might have wished us to remain. The powers-that-be in those times hadn’t thought Warhol’s stunt was particularly funny, either, but Alan’s reminiscence drew well over a hundred curious art-lovers several decades later.

One of the more hilarious things I saw in the gallery was a flier from a modern organization called Always Learning — Free Skool & Events Calendar. — made me wonder how they happened to mis-spell ‘school’ the same way we did.

Why Mondo Why?

‘Mondo’ once advertised a genre of pseudo-documentaries in the 60’s (Right), but expanded over the decades to envelop a variety of non-mainstream films, events, and happenings, like the late Mike Cassidy’s stop-action Giant Brine Shrimp attacking landmarks ala’ Godzilla in Cassidy’s own home town (Left).

Trent Harris, a local filmmaker, published a book of essays called Mondo Utah in the 1990s which was revised and reprinted in 2006. This particular Biennial (they were presented in the past at Finch Lane) adopted Harris’ title, and sold copies of his book at the main desk of the museum. Trent was happily signing them for his fans. The closest link to his tome in the show was Cassidy’s Giant Brine Shrimp looping on a large TV in the gallery. (Follow the link to see it on YouTube.)

I went to the after-party at the Central Utah Artist Collective gallery A.K.A. Piccolo Mondo, carrying some scans from back in the day, thanks to the grad student mentioned above. I happened to meet his adviser and spoke a bit about my late friend Al Payne and some of the other fine projects he’d done before we parted company as the 80’s began. I kept meeting other people interested in the heady days of the late 60’s/early 70’s too. Aaron Moulton of UMOCA actually knew my name, so I gave him some then-contemporary photos of me (with long hair of course) from my rumpled ad hoc dossier.

My acquaintance DJ Ria was spinning records there, and we took a few minutes to talk about our mutual interest in cabaret videos. Later that night I witnessed a whole room of 20-somethings shaking it down to Marvin Gaye’s Got To Give It Up, released when I was their age, possessing the same magic it had so many decades past. I was speaking with a gentleman who had once led a very successful dance band himself and we enjoyed the timeless vibe. Ria did some great work, but at the end of the night she had to shed her shoes, suffering some acute distress. I tried to lighten things up by mentioning Lady Gaga’s recent troubles with shoes and injuries, but Ria wasn’t laughing. (Sorry!)

Prelude to Mondo: Sky Jones and Siren Bliss

Earlier this year, UMOCA hosted a show called Of The Siren and the Sky by Triple Candie — A gallery full of meditations based on the career of another one of my Upriver Skool inmates, especially art produced under his many pseudonyms like Siren Bliss, Sky Jones, Joseph Banker, Richard S. Dickens, and Art Carter. (Look ’em up on the Internet!) I was going to say “coincidentally,” but I’m not sure if it was a coincidence.

(L to R) Meditation by Triple Candie; Upriver Skool at the Student Union Ballroom, University of Utah 1970  — a plausible photo of Paul McCarthy (far) and Al Payne (near), although there were hundreds of people involved with set-up, clean-up, and the gig itself.

His real name was Michael Whipple — he grew up in my neighborhood, and went to my high school. We were friends for awhile in the Art Department at the University of Utah, but his embrace of Scientology put an end to that — along with him moving to Los Angeles. We reconciled somewhat after I returned from Europe, but his career took him elsewhere, to say the least.
I’ll always remember some real good times drawing and painting with Mike — we learned a lot from each other, and had a hoot doing the Upriver Skool. Whipple was involved with the Cork Room happening at the top of this essay, playing guitar in his rock band “Toilet.” When the grad student I was interviewing with took me to UMOCA’s Siren and the Sky show, I was amazed at the interest shown in our youthful efforts by people who weren’t even born then.
A man I didn’t know from Adam came up and shook my hand at Piccolo Mondo, claiming he was my fan. I think he’d only heard my first name, because it turned out that he’d mistaken me for Whipple. I smiled , but had to let him know that I wasn’t who he thought I might be — besides Scientology, which isn’t harmless in the least, there’s a person on the lam somewhere because of some false names.

Recently, my head has gone back to the 60’s/70’s quite often — The Cosmic Aeroplane Memorabilia site has been a very fascinating project, especially since I’ve met so many interesting people who want to contribute to this history — anybody who is curious about Alternative Culture is invited to check it out and follow the links.

The Alternative Movement was a worldwide phenomenon, and our local contributions were part of it all — apparent lino-cut print by an unknown artist from 1967. NOTE: Powered By The Pillar of Salt refers to one of Salt Lake’s underground newspapers. Courtesy of saltlakeconcertposters.com.

2013 has surprised me by revealing an apparently wider interest in what was truly a creative era. All the jokes you’ve heard about those times are based on facts, but despite the wildest things we did,  there were amazing innovations in all the arts. Upriver Skool was an minor, but good-natured manifestation of an already-existing social moment, directly traceable to the San Francisco Bay Area, that would grow in scale to evolve into world-class phenomena like Burning Man. Our cultural allies persisted in Salt Lake City, even during the 1990’s, with Street Legal Theater and the Burning Man enthusiasts at China Bleu.

Upriver Skool at the Student Union Building, University of Utah: (L to R) April and December of 1970 — recovered from the Daily Utah Chronicle archives by Patrick McGuire.

So that’s M.E. in my early twenties (above) — perched on what will be many a scaffold and ladder, beginning to create what will become hundreds of future events, and the operation of thousands of pieces of high-tech equipment. I’m still laughing about current curiosity directed towards the culture of my Sophomore time. Why not? I was laughing THEN!

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Here and Now

I skipped 300 Plates at Art Space this year and was on-time, at last, for the semi-regular meeting of my ol’ high school classmates. It was also good to hear Chris Snarr and Jeremy Abernathy doing their ever-shifting trio with another guitarist.

(L to R) Marty, Chris, and Jeremy playing as “AM Bump” at The Bayou on State Street; M.E. at the monthly West High Class of 1968 dinner — photo By Sharon Kisselburg Peake.

Green Bike Tourism in the Big City

After some serious rainfall, I drove into Salt Lake City on a Saturday to test out their new Green Bike system — stations of bicycles for rent on a point-to-point basis at various locations around the downtown. I pedaled to my old haunts around Liberty Park and the 9th & 9th, then lingered a bit at the terminus of SLUG Mag’s “alleycat” race in front of Este’s Pizza, which happened to be right across the street from the CUAC gallery, in the building that once housed Guthrie’s bicycle shop, along with artist studios on the upper floors — another place where we spent a lot of time in the early 70’s, especially since I also owned and aggressively operated a ten-speed back then.

(L to R) The first SLUG Cat race comes to a conclusion in front of the old Guthrie cycle shop; My own Green Bike — awaiting further adventures.

I’ll post some more photos and stories of this rally/scavenger hunt in the near future. After the awards were given out, it was time to ride down to the Living Traditions Festival outside City Hall.

Sunset in Salt Lake City

(R to L) Éric Beaudry, André Brunet & Pierre-Luc Dupuis bringing the audience to their feet as De Temps Antan at Washington Park in Downtown Salt Lake City.

I met some of my friends in the park surrounding the building. We heard some wonderful music before returning my Green Bike to the racks and driving back to Davis County after nightfall.

Another sunset in San Francisco

(L to R) Katie and Justin between performances near Market Street last month, along with students and collaborators — photo by M.E.

I met a couple on the train back to Salt Lake who were going to see a friend of theirs conducting live music for Ballet West’s production of George Balanchine’s Jewels. We got into town at 3:30 AM, and their B&B didn’t open until 9:00, so I offered to drive them to a well-known local all-night eatery to wait it out during the unseasonable sub-freezing night.

Looking westward, towards San Francisco, from above the University of Utah.

The Village Inn, near the U of U had been a reliable all-night spot since my daze as a student. (see above) The lights were on, but the doors were locked, and I developed a serious case of cognitive dissonance dealing with this turn of events — Village Inn CLOSED ?!?! We had no alternative except sight-seeing at night until the Beans and Brew coffee shop on upper State Street opened its doors. While placing my order, I told the barista about our experience, and she got that same look of cognitive dissonance on her face — Village Inn CLOSED ?!?!

Diva Doings

MiNX took a road trip to the Best Coast, and played on the radio in Las Vegas.
Their new album, Golden is BRILLIANT!

Dance to Terabyte & the Battery Eaters — music from the big woods via Soundcloud.

Angie Brown’s bicycle issue of SLUG Magazine is a total groove. (see above)
Kelly West is back home in Fish, Montana.
Katie Duck is rockin’ Studio Seven, OT 301, and the University of Amsterdam.

It’s OK — I just need some space:

Time lapse photo of Earth and the Moon — via NASA

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Online Versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom Novels:
REMINDER: Research this prolific author on ERBzine.

A Princess of Mars ; The Gods of Mars ; Warlord of Mars ;
( 1911 to 1913 — The heart of the Pulp-Classic world of Mars/Barsoom.)

If you think it is high time, and that THAT is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out … (You’re quoting Shakespearean Theatre.)

Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
Buy one through RAUNCH Records’ Facebook page!

E-Portfolio for Michael Evans

Looking Back and Looking Around with Moving Pictures

I was involved with two video events the first part of May:

I brought a little bit of San Francisco to the venerable 9th & 9th Alternative Community on Wednesday, and played a supporting role in a video from Sketch Cabaret, the nightclub extravaganza, not long afterward.

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Magpie in San Francisco 2013 — From the first set of the performance from April 5. Organically beginning at the start of Justin’s shirtless solo, with Katie flowing soon afterward.

(L to R) Justin Morrison and Katie Duck above Market Street in San Francisco — Video by M.E.

An audience and M.E. watched it on a full-sized theater screen, bridging the final two movies with a clear, clean Modern Dance piece. Choreography and Music by Improvisation was the only clue I gave in the credits as to how miraculous Magpie can be — watch it and see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITeYUGuM2Vo

Scroll down for more about Open Screen at the Tower Theater!
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MiNX Episode 7 MiNX at Sketch Cabaret — Shot by Todd Cole
MiNX made a video featuring segments from Sketch Cabaret and generously included my sketch book, which had to be much more photogenic than moi:

MiNX center stage at Sketch Cabaret — Video by Todd Cole.

Friends helping friends — The following 4 minute video displays several MiNX sets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E01MN738f5E

Ischa says Inspired by MiNX! during my short sketchbook sequence.

If you can read this, you are already HERE!

Listen to the music of this fine band — scroll down for further info.
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Salt Lake Film Society’s Open Screen Night

While shooting photos for the Cosmic Aeroplane website, I noticed an advertisement for Open Screen evening at the Tower Theatre, Salt Lake’s pioneering art house, on the first day of May.

9th South and 9th East at sunset, May 1, 2013.

I had plenty of High Definition dance video, but they only wanted ten minutes. There happened to be a solo by Justin, leading to a duet with Katie, finishing on a break that was complete in itself. This segment lasted TEN MINUTES — with a beginning, middle, climax, and end.

Memorabilia from Open Screen at Tower Theatre, and around the 9th & 9th neighborhood.

The Film Society showed my film in the second half of the program, along with other material that might be rated PG. They did me a very good turn by placing it second-to-last. The audience appreciated relaxing with a well-flowing dance piece between two of the best movies of the night. We tore off our choices for favorites at the bottom of our programs and dropped them into a ballot box.

Magpie in San Francisco 2013 on the same screen where I saw the movie Woodstock — composite by M.E.

The next day — Salt Lake Film Society May 2 near Salt Lake City … our Local Open Screen Winners from last night are … *drumroll*
Audience Award goes to SUMMER by Stephen Simmons …
A VERY close second was the futuristic, THE COLLINS DEVICE by Michael Donen
The SLFS pick goes to David Komatar’s FOUR AND A HALF …
We’ll try to make these available for viewing on our youtube soon. So keep an eye out. Thank you everyone for contributing & attending. We have a great local filmmaking community. Congrats!

(L to R) Justin, Katie, and Alfredo — Full frame of a snapshot in the dark by M.E. during Open Screen.

Now is a good time to re-post my link to the movie again.

Magpie In San Francisco: April 5, 2013 — First Set

The friendly staff requested another Dance movie in the Autumn, after my return from Amsterdam.

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More Moving Pictures

Light portable video is my current interest, and I on the lookout for various innovations.

Web Cam Capers

Almost right off the train, I helped set up an event called Music For Marshall at Tucci’s Restaurant and loaned them a spare HD webcam. They didn’t need the microphone stand I normally use because they coincidentally had a camera mount already installed — at an ideal position to capture the entire stage, eight feet above the floor, AND within easy connection to a laptop Mac, utilizing UStream to show it over the Internet with sound. I’m happy to report that the web-concert was part of a successful fundraiser, and that Marshall is in good and improving health.

Simplicity can be so effective — Last month I saw some inspiring examples of youthful film making at  local elementary school, and enthusiastically donated to the Hearts 4 Paws fund there.

Literature from Hearts 4 Paws Film Festival

Elementary schoolers of various ages deftly made films by using iPads slipped into sturdy holders cleverly mounted on tripods. The monitor screens were as big as their faces, and the children saw clear images from their computers’ built-in cameras, which pointed forward, plus these kids had no problems operating those machines. They made short movies of amazing quality. This multicultural inner-city school has a wonderfully good and effective art program for their students’ growth and development.

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Diva Doings

The material on MiNX’s new album, Golden is nothing less than BRILLIANT!

Angie Brown put out an issue of SLUG Magazine devoted to bicycles.
Terabyte & the Battery Eaters are in the big woods creating new music.
Kelly West SEZ she’s going to Montana from the Gulf Coast.
Katie Duck returned to Europe after sojourns in Mexico and California — she’s back to work at Studio Seven, OT 301, and the University of Amsterdam.

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Space and Time

I’ve been playing a lot of Pink Floyd lately, especially their work prior to Dark Side of the Moon.

The REAL “Dark” Side of the Moon — Photo by Bill Dunford via spacecraft Messenger.

—————————————————————————————————————–

Online Versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom Novels:
REMINDER: Research this prolific author on ERBzine.

A Princess of Mars ; The Gods of Mars ; Warlord of Mars ;
( 1911 to 1913 — The heart of the Pulp-Classic world of Mars/Barsoom.)

If you think it is high time, and that THAT is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out … (You’re quoting Shakespeare & Elizabethan/Jacobean Theatre.)

Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
Buy one through RAUNCH Records’ Facebook page!

E-Portfolio for Michael Evans

Sketchy April & California Aftermath

Welcome to Sketch Cabaret

I was kind of walking on air after over a week of gigging in San Francisco with Katie, Alfredo, and Justin — convalescing from the travel and frenetic activity, actually, when MiNX contacted me about attending Sketch Cabaret at the Mixx Club. Ischa accepted NO prattle from this old bird, so a certain Friday found me in concentric circles of elaborately made-up models, fellow artists scribbling away, the tall stage where MiNX had played for the community garden last November, and club-goers out for a good time in the entertainment district just west of Salt Lake’s Gateway development, between the historic  Rio Grande and Union Pacific train depots.

Rapidio-collage from official Sketch Cabaret images — Mixx Club, Ashlee & Keanu, MiNX, Yours Truly, and others in the sketchers circle — photos by Todd Collins & GentleAssassin.

I brought some bond paper bound in a book, and started making thumbnails right away:

Taking a look around …

A little atmosphere:

Mixx Club DJ, models posing on the dais and preparing in the upper room (we can see ya’ up there!)

Models, models everywhere — just drink it all in:

Candid thumbnails between poses.

There was more going on than just models and artists — it WAS a nightclub!

Well over a hundred people circulated through the bar.

The very best aspect of the whole evening was seeing and hearing MiNX as stars of the show — singing and playing mostly new material for an appreciative audience!

(Above) Sketch Cabaret photo of Ischa, with Ghosts of Costumes Past and Present by M.E.

Ischa has been a model for this event before, and expanded her role wonderfully that night:

(Left) Ischa in a later costume — never standing still, although SOME did — Thumbs by M.E.

The sound was excellent — Raffi and his guitar visually lit up the place like a galaxy too!

“Lipstick” sketch of Raffi and Ischa as MiNX by M.E.

LIPSTICK !?!? — I brought some colored sticks, but they were quite greasy and didn’t readily blend with pencil or charcoal. I tried to “make do,” however.

Beauty and the Beast: Lovely Ischa Bee and an initial draft of MiNX, with M.E. grousing: “That’s the last time you’ll catch me drawing with lipstick!” — Photo by Todd Collins.

CHECK THIS OUT: The material on MiNX’s new album, Golden is nothing less than BRILLIANT!

More Diva Doings

Angie Brown is still juggling SLUG Mag, Craft Lake City, and at least one belly dancing group. (Wonder if her arms ever get tired?)
Terabyte & the Battery Eaters are still creating new music in the big woods.
Kelly West has been slow in returning to Montana from gigs on the Gulf Coast.
Katie returned to Europe after sojourns in Mexico and back to California — going right to work at Studio Seven, OT301, and the University of Amsterdam.

Space is the Place

Moonrise ( with Saturn and Jupiter ) in Davis County, Utah — Salt Lake City lies over the far mountains to the right.

Online Versions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom Novels:
REMINDER: Research this prolific author on ERBzine.

A Princess of Mars ; The Gods of Mars ; Warlord of Mars ;
( 1911 to 1913 — The heart of the Pulp-Classic world of Mars/Barsoom.)

If you think it is high time, and that THAT is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out … (You’re quoting Shakespeare & Elizabethan/Jacobean Theatre.)

Read my very personal review of 004’s CD State of Affairs: HERE
Buy one through RAUNCH Records’ Facebook page!

E-Portfolio for Michael Evans