Buffalo Rising

BPO Pops: Hollywood on the Harbor

2010-07-11T14:25:52Z

As if your summer calendar hasn't been booking up fast enough, be sure to reserve Friday, July 23rd for a night of Hollywood on the Harbor with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Under the direction of the Pops Conductor Matthew Kraemer who is recognized for his "musical sensitivity" and "energized sense of interpretation", the Orchestra will perform a special one night-only 75th Anniversary Celebration concert with a program of popular songs and themes from 75 years of cinematic history.

There can be no one in Buffalo who doesn't realize how lucky we are to have a Grammy winning American Symphony in our own backyard. Since 1935 the Orchestra has been acting as Buffalo's cultural ambassador; the BPO has toured widely across the United States and Canada including the recently completed Florida Friends Tour with it's first ever female conductor JoAnn Falletta in March 2010. Currently, the Orchestra presents more than one hundred and twenty Classics, Pops and Youth Concerts each year and the award winning Education programs reach over 35,000 students per year from all eight counties of Western New York. Our Symphony is heard by millions on radio broadcasts across the United States and beyond on American Public Media's Performance Today.

Hollywood on the Harbor is this year's unique event meant to entertain hometown residents and appeal to audience members interested in a realm of pastimes, from classical to pop music, cinema and glitz. The first half opens with a Salute to Hollywood and then Erich Korngold's Overture to Captain Blood - released in 1935, the same year the BPO was founded. Audiences will also enjoy well-known themes from Gone With The Wind, Goldfinger and Ben Hur and classic songs from Henry Mancini, Burt Bacharach and Buffalo's own Harold Arlen. In the second half, hear John Williams' scores from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List, Harry Potter and Star Wars alongside themes from Gladiator, Spiderman and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Friday, July 23^rd, 8pm
Erie Canal Central Wharf

Click here to purchase tickets.
Prices are as follows:
$20 before July 18th
$25 the week of the performance
Children under 12 are free with a paying adult. Concessions will be available.

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Laura Duquette is a former ballerina who now dances with words and punctuation. She has a knack for asking questions faster than the speed of sound, and her interviews are often off the cuff and personal. She is Co-Owner of 12 Grain Studio, a Buffalo based creative firm that gives typical web design a kick in the ass.

Image courtesy of the BPO

Jazz at the Albright: Jesse Pabon and La Krema

2010-07-10T12:06:48Z

By: Rachael Vella-Garrido

You might want to miss the World Cup Final this Sunday for the first jazz show of the season to take place on the back steps of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. (ESPN and CBC usually replay the games later in the evening). The show starts at 2:00 p.m. when Jesse Pabon and La Krema, an energetic, Buffalo-based group, will get your foot tapping and probably your hips swaying, as well.

The music is lively bachata-merengue style. Bachata is a Dominican term referring to a rougher existence with a focus on the romantic side of things. The bands typically consist of five instruments: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, drum and güira. The güira keeps the beat with a cool scratchy sound. More modern groups have blended bachata with merengue and tend to further update their sound with a tambora drum instead of the original bongo. You can preview La Krema and their sound at their website.

It should be a nice day to bring a blanket or some chairs to enjoy the shade under the nearby trees, or even the sun on the steps, since highs should be in the low eighties.

Summer Jazz at Albright-Knox
Sunday, July 11th, 2pm
1285 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14222

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Rachael Vella-Garrido has just returned to the city after a brief hiatus in the suburbs. She is a teacher who will be spending the summer getting reacquainted with Buffalo.

Devo Does Buffalo

2010-07-09T12:50:27Z

By: Mackenzie Lambert

Devolution: the notion that a species can change into a more primitive form.

In light of recent times, you'd be hard-pressed to argue the opposite was occurring. On July 8th, punk/new wave legends Devo rocked the Town Ballroom as only Devo could.

Their new album, Something for Everybody, will likely be labeled as a "comeback" album, yet they never really left. While their last full studio album was Smooth Noodle Maps in 1990, they have released new tracks sporadically. Devo recorded the title track for the Jackie Chan action flick, Supercop, in 1996. They contributed "Huboon Stomp" for Chef Aid: The South Park album in 1998. In 2007, "Watch Us Work It" turned plenty of heads with its use in Dell television commercials. Many a listener was left realizing just how good a band like Devo can be.

Even in between single releases, the spirit of Devo lived on in their endeavors. Members of Devo founded Mutato Muzika, which produced music for such TV shows as Eureka, Big Love, Rugrats, and Pee-Wee's Playhouse. The company's film work includes Rushmore, Happy Gilmore, Mystery Men, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. That piano music in the background of those classic "I'm a Mac. And I'm a PC" commercials? Yeah, that's Mutato Muzika as well. Gerald Casale directed Devo-inspired music videos for the Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, and Rush.

The audience was pumped for this concert. It had been 18 years since Devo took to the stage in Buffalo. Many an audience member wore the Energy Dome hats Devo sported in the classic music video for "Whip It." I even caught a glimpse of a man wearing the "Ken" hairpiece the band wore on the New Traditionalists album cover. Also, a youth was sporting a safety vest with the words "Don't Shoot! I'm a Man!" written on the back. I was in the presence of diehards. Around 8:30, the crowd was growing restless. At 9, the threat of chaos was looming. The opening video montage signaled Devo's imminent taking of the stage. The roof nearly blew when the band came on.

Right off the bat, they opened early with "Don't Shoot (I'm A Man)", "What We Do", "and "Fresh" off of Something for Everybody. They then proceeded to move through one Devo classic after another: "Whip It", "Girl U Want", their cover of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", "Uncontrollable Urge", "Mongoloid", "Jocko Homo", and "Peek-a-Boo!" You couldn't have asked for a better encore: "Freedom of Choice" and "Beautiful World."

The quality of musicianship on the part of Devo has been grossly underrated. Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale still have the pipes to sing as well as they did in the late 70s. Bob Mothersbaugh's guitar work has been criminally underrated on the part of music media. I would compare him to Steve Cropper. Bob Casale showed his music muscle by alternating between guitar and keyboards. But the real star, I would have to say, was Josh Freese on the drums. His Keith Moonian-like energy channeled itself into the other bandmates. Freese was integral, to say the least, to Devo's ability to put on a good show.

For a band that has inspired the likes of Fatboy Silm, Rammstein, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Weird Al Yankovic, Lady Gaga, Rage Against the Machine, and Nine Inch Nails, they can still put on one hell of a show. Their subversive, deadpan, cynical humor makes them more relevant today than they've ever been. They've been with us for over thirty years. We can only hope to get a few more out of them.

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Mackenzie Lambert is a Buffalo-based columnist. He has been featured in such publications as Penny Blood and Pantechnicon. He is also a movie columnist for The Men's Room Today (www.themensroomtoday.com).

Old Crow Medicine Show Brings Their Old-Time Sound to Buffalo

2010-07-09T07:56:03Z

Old Crow Medicine Show may be best known for their song "Wagon Wheel", which vocalist and fiddler Ketch Secor shares co-writing credit with Bob Dylan. In fact, they play it at almost every show they have, and will likely play it this Sunday when they make a stop in Buffalo at the Town Ballroom. They are an Old Time string band comprised of Kevin Hayes on Guitjo and Vocals, Ketch Secor on Fiddle, Harmonica, Banjo, and Vocals, Morgan Jahnig on Upright Bass, Willie Watson on Guitar, Banjo, and Vocals, and Gill Landry on Slide Guitar, Banjo, and Vocals.

As an Old Time string band, OCMS plays a type of music that is similar to Bluegrass, which gained a jump in popularity with the success of the Coen Brothers' film O Brother Where Art Thou? which featured Bluegrass throughout. Frank Goodman of Puremusic.com explains: "Old Time and String Band music received one as well...lots of folks out there wouldn't know how to tell one from the other, if they both had a banjo involved. And it's really not important--if it's good, it's good, right?"

OCMS is so good, as the story goes, they busked their way to Nashville by impressing the daughter of Doc Watson, who came across them playing outside a pharmacy in North Carolina. That good fortune eventually led to their Grand Ole Opry debut at the Ryman Auditorium, where OCMS received a standing ovation for their performance. Later that year they released their third album, and in 2008, they put out their seventh. Their music has been featured on "A Prairie Home Companion", NPR, and their ceaseless touring has brought them to numerous cities and festivals including Bonnaroo, Coachella, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and New Orleans Jazz Festival.

So make plans for Sunday night, and bring the family too, the show is all ages (anyone under 16 can attend but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian), and is sure to be a good time.

Old Crow Medicine Show
Sunday, July 11th, 8pm
Town Ballroom
681 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 852-3900

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Joseph DiDomizio is a local writer, filmmaker, and graphic artist. He graduated from UB with a BA in Media Study and English, and has been writing about music, movies, books and pop-culture for several years. A long-standing contributor to Buffalo Rising, he has also written a couple full-length screenplays, a handful of short stories, and been involved with the production of Nickel City Chef, as well as several short local films. Currently he is a contributor to The Way Of The Buffalo podcasts, and is developing a web serial, amongst other media projects.

Photo by Aaron Farrington

A More Creative Approach to Urban Renewal

2010-07-08T12:53:02Z

By: Julia Wald
Guest Editor: Vincent Sherry

History attests that art lays the groundwork for social awareness and change, a truism a noted sculptor has acted on in a new exhibit he hopes will help form the understructure of a better city.

Social Dress Buffalo, at the Buffalo Arts Studio, is a presentation meant to galvanize communities to revitalize the East and West sides. It is the latest installment of New York City-based artist Takashi Horisaki's Social Dress projects, sculptures addressing urban sprawl and decay.

As Horisaki's website says, "The project is intended to inspire a sense of togetherness and similarity of purpose within the community so as to foster empowerment among local citizens that may inspire creativity in local responses to this ongoing crisis."

Though cities around the country, including better-known ones, suffer from urban decay and sprawl, Horisaki said he chose Buffalo because he worries that the lack of attention to its problems could worsen them.

"(Buffalo) has been and continues to be affected by both the general trend of migration out of urban centers and the specifics of the home loan crisis," he said. "Some of the cities that are worse off have gotten a lot of press, but my concern is that those that have not received as much attention are in the most dangerous situation as they could be on the precipice of a downward spiral with another economic downturn or housing crash."

The Japanese-born performance artist, whose post-Hurricane Katrina work in New Orleans drew a national spotlight, sought to include the community in every step of the creative process, working with students and urban renewal organizations such as PUSH Buffalo and Buffalo ReUse. The effort began with an invitation from the Buffalo Arts Studio after Horisaki visited Buffalo last summer.

The sculpture is dome-shaped and covered with thin, colorful latex molds of the exoskeletons of abandoned homes on the East and West sides. Horisaki said the shape is meant to be a bridge between the past and the future because 20th-century architects proposed that domes would become prominent design elements. Although at first glance the structure appears to be somewhat like an igloo, the texture of the latex coverings draws the viewer in for a closer inspection. Horisaki is definitely interested in the small details that give homes their character, as evident in his use of disintegrated bricks and the fragile design of an old window frame.

But most interesting and moving is the memorial to a neighborhood of ghosts: a wall of address numbers, colorful latex casts hung adjacent to the dome, that emphasize that mail was once sent to these homes.

While the exhibit, running through Aug. 7, is supposed to send a message of community action and rebirth, it also raises some questions. Why were these homes abandoned in the first place? Are these homes even salvageable? Or are they just husks, their roofs caving in, their wooden floors rotting, and their walls eaten by mold?

Nevertheless, not all is lost: These houses after all still stand, and there is time to save the communities they occupy. The belief is that Buffalo, just like its other Social Dress counterparts, can renew and rebuild.

Buffalo Arts Studio
2495 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214
(716) 833-4450

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Julia Wald is a student working towards a degree in journalism and fine arts at a local college. She enjoys biking around Buffalo, going to concerts, creating art, and writing her music blog.

Vincent Sherry, a Buffalo native, is a freelance reporter and copy editor. He also tutors second-language learners of English. He graduated from Howard University in 2007.

Curator Interview: Cori Wolff

2010-07-08T12:51:27Z

Established as a not-for-profit gallery in 1990, Buffalo Arts Studio is one of the oldest galleries in the city and has stuck to its core values and mission since day one: expose everyone to more art. The organization is active in community education, offering a number of programs for children and adults through out the calendar year, and acts as a cultural hub, inviting in musicians who hale from Ghana to the Caribbean to the East Side. The exhibits are filled with both established and emerging artists working in a variety of mediums and subject matter while the resident artists maintain some of the most affordable studio space in the city. This rentable venue is also the new home to curator Cori Wolff and her fresh ideals.

Buffalo Rising: How long have you been a curator and how did you get your start?
Cori Wolff: A little over two years. I did several internships: one with Hallwalls, one with Big Orbit and CEPA Gallery. And then before that in NYC, so I had some experience in curatorial activity. I helped out with collection and installation, then I got my Masters in Art History and Museum Studies so I took a lot of courses that helped me know what curators do, but this is still my first curating job.

BR: Have you ever considered curating outside of Buffalo?
CW: When I first got out of the masters program, I did apply to a few places around the country and I really wanted to stay in Buffalo because it's my home now. I'm not originally from Buffalo but I've been here for six years now, so I was really happy when this opportunity presented itself to me.

BR: How many shows per year do you have?
CW: Between six and eight exhibitions, so usually we have two artists with two solo shows at once and then one group show each year.

BR: What is the process of selecting an artist to exhibit at Buffalo Arts Studio?
CW: We have submission guidelines on our website, so the artist would submit to me an artist statement, images, image list and cover letter. Then I review the submissions and go on studio visits. Also, going to other shows and seeing what's out there is really important. I do discuss choices with Joanna Angie, the director, and she isn't afraid to share what she thinks.

BR: Do you have an ongoing list of artists you'd like to work with in your head?
CW: Oh yeah! Definitely! Buffalo has a lot of amazing artists. If I'm at an opening and something really catches my eye, I will try to find the artist's website and if I do, I will ask them to send me a submission packet or at least talk to me further about their work.

And when I pair the artists, I try to relate them through a common theme or subject matter. It's often more interesting and maybe the visitor can draw their own interpretations that way as well. Sometimes a theme will come to mind first and I'll have to find artists to fit the theme. Other times a show comes together very naturally.

BR: As you progress in your career, does curating become easier?
CW: It does. It's a lot of fun, but the first year took a lot of learning and I'm still learning now, but it's helped to be surrounded by a number of artists. They are always giving me their opinions which has made me look at some work in a new way.

BR: Do you give preference to regional artists?
CW: I wouldn't say that we give preference. We try to be balanced; we have local artists that are emerging and established but we also try to obtain art from around the country to spice it up a bit. Our current exhibitor, Takashi Horisaki, is from Brooklyn. I have shown a couple of other artists from NYC because I had done an internship there, I knew some artists. When I made contact with them it was actually quite bizarre because they had heard Buffalo was a great region and were looking for opportunities to come here. When they did the site visit, they were even more excited to do site specific work.

This coming year, I'm showing a couple of artists who didn't make it into the Beyond/In exhibition but they were finalists. That's how I chose the upcoming artists. Next year is the Buffalo Arts Studios 20th Anniversary so I'm booking artists who have exhibited here in the past or have had studios here past and present. It'll be a celebratory year!

BR: Do you ever give artists a reason for being turned down? And do you think by giving them a reason it might make your job of narrowing the pool easier in the future?
CW: I think actually that's a good idea. It's one reason we offer the portfolio and proposals class here each year and I teach it every other season. It's a two to three hour workshop that goes over how to prepare your proposal and what elements you need. I focus a lot on how to tailor your proposal to a specific venue. A lot of artists do a really good job already and maybe the reason I select someone over another is simply the theme for that year, like our 20th Anniversary. So the letter that I sent out recently was generic out of practicality, but I would be open t-- and think it might be better--to craft each response letter around my thoughts.

BR: Is there a yearly submission deadline that artists should be aware of?
CW: We have rolling deadlines here. Sometimes I will put out a call for work in January or February.

BR: Does that come in the form of an email or press release?
CW: Well, we list in Artvoice and NYFA, and then on our website. If there is something I've seen that might be a real possibility for a show, or I have an idea how it could fit into a group show, I might hold on to the submission packet. Generally though, I'd like to encourage the artists to submit a new packet with new work each year.

BR: Do you think it's more important to have a solid body of consistent work or a great concept proposal?
CW: Either could work, depending on the venue, but its generally better, if you're an artist who works in a variety of media or subject matter, to submit one body of coherent work. Instead of submitting 20 images that depict everything you do, maybe just send me 8 best, that might work together. The idea is to present what you have in mind for an exhibition if you were to be chosen. It's also helpful to visit the gallery and imagine what you would hang in the space if you were the curator.

BR: Have you formed a personal taste that differs or aligns with the Studio's vision?
CW: Even though Joanna has a say in the artists I suggest exhibiting, she has been great in letting me make the final decision. That's a lot of faith she has in me as a first time curator! But I believe she also realizes it's important to let me figure out what works and what doesn't work, as well. Now that I'm working on the 20th Anniversary exhibit, I've learned a lot about the history of the gallery and what's been shown here in the past. The direction I've been taking it so far has been towards conceptual art or performance and video art. I think I'm still staying within the mission and vision of the organization, but adding something a little new to it.

BR: Do you feel responsible for shaping the Buffalo art community and the public's perspectives on local art?
CW: I think it's more the artists who do that. I simply facilitate the dialogue between the artist and the community. If there's any influencing going on, it's certainly the artist's fault!

BR: Do you ever refer artists to other spaces they'd be better suited for?
CW: I would. Generally though, I don't have a lot of communication with the artists. If they submit online, I'm able to give them more feedback because it's more instantaneous, more personal if the email is casual. If they call you out by first name, you tend to feel like you owe them a little more than if you had never seen their face. Also, if the artists come to visit me here or come to my class for a portfolio review I'm able to give them more feedback early on. That's a free class, and the next one will be in the fall.

BR: Is there a common misconception about Buffalo Arts Studio?
CW: It surprises me that many people don't even know we're here. They may be in the building for some other reason, wandering around and they stumble across here. We're one of the oldest galleries in Buffalo, we've been around for 20 years now and we have a huge mailing list. We're really involved with community as well; education programs, a mural program, jump-start scholarship for kids and 38 artists studios. To me, it feels like such a big organization. It's a great feeling when you realize someone's just discovered the space, but I wish more even more people would recognize the gallery.

Buffalo Arts Studio
2495 Main Street, Suite 500
Buffalo, NY 14214
(716) 833-4450

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Laura Duquette is a former ballerina who now dances with words and punctuation. She has a knack for asking questions faster than the speed of sound, and her interviews are often off the cuff and personal. She is Co-Owner of 12 Grain Studio, a Buffalo based creative firm that gives typical web design a kick in the ass.

New Amsterddannnncee!

2010-07-08T06:01:48Z

By: Tony Wilson

Hey Buffalo, today after you're done rockin' out with partytastic Ozomatli at the Square be sure to keep those legs limber. Just a short distance away, over at Soundlab, two very special guests will perform: Nobody Beats the Drum and C-Mon & Kypski. Both of the bands are from the Netherlands and are set to embark on their co-headlining Pass the Dutchie U.S. tour--starting right here in Buffalo!

C-Mon & Kypski might most easily be described as an electronica outfit, since they frequently utilize their turntables and mixing boards during performances. But that description falls short of the other worldly influences that can be heard in their music. Breezy lyrics and soulful vibes blend together, creating a more intimate sound. They're touring in support of their album We Are Square.

On the other hand, their countrymates, Nobody Beats the Drum,offer perhaps a more straightforward message with their music: DANCE! Electronic dance hall beats combine with crazy visuals and distortion to bring the crowd a full-on assault to the senses.

One thing is for sure, they're in town expecting to get a party started. Here's a preview:

Nobody Beats the Drum (umm, this video is awesome)

C-Mon & Kypski

Thursday, July 8th
Soundlab
110 Pearl Street
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 440-5907

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Tony Wilson is a freelance music journalist. When asked about his experience he says "I'm just a guy who likes music". Follow his musings at xsonicanarchyx.blogspot.com or email him at xsonicanarchyx@gmail.com.

BPO Summer in the Park Starts Tonight

2010-07-07T20:35:33Z

This evening marks the opening of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra's seasonal Summer in the Parks series.

"We are so proud to again partner with the BPO to offer classical music in a classic park, two of the best of Buffalo's classics in one place," said Thomas Herrera-Mishler, CEO and President of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. "Come and enjoy a relaxing evening performance for the whole family, open air music, free to all, set in Buffalo's Olmsted Delaware Park meadow."

Delaware District Councilmember Michael LoCurto, who helped underwrite the concert, added "I am excited the BPO is returning to Delaware Park, which is one of the crown jewels and most utilized parks in the Olmsted system. This free event is a shining example of the great cultural resources we have in Buffalo."

Thanks to the support of First Niagara Bank and everyone else involved, the concert is free and open to the public.

The rest of the series makes stops throughout July in parks located all over Western New York; see the BPO's website for details.

Wednesday, July 7th at 7pm
Delaware Park near Parkside
Ball field behind the Buffalo Zoo

MUSIC IS ART Needs Your Votes Today for $20,000 Grant!

2010-07-07T18:38:33Z

By: Tod A. Kniazuk
Executive Director, Music is Art

Music is Art (MiA), founded by Buffalo native and member of the Goo Goo Dolls, Robby Takac, is in the running to win $20,000 in the Chase Community Giving contest on Facebook. When voting closes at 11:59 p.m. on July 12th, the top 200 vote getters nationwide will share in a total of $5 million from Chase. We need your help to get us there--two minutes of your time is worth $20,000!

We're currently in the top 200, which would secure $20,000 for our work with both student and professional local musicians. However, voting is tight and there will undoubtedly be a huge push in the final week for votes. Music is Art is the only Western New York not-for-profit in the top 200.

We need everyone who loves what Music is Art does to cast a vote for us and help us get that $20,000. This year especially, for a small non-profit like us, that money is tremendously important. Sponsorships are tough in this economy, and we're caught up in the county and state cultural funding issues. So we need everyone to take two minutes, go on Facebook, and vote for us.

The direct link to the MiA page on the Chase Community giving site is: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/61719187-music-is-art

Voters will first have to click the "like" button for Chase Community Giving, then they can cast their vote for Music is Art. Following the vote, they can then click "share this charity with friends" to further get the word out.

Music is Art, founded in 2003, has as its mission to help explore and reshape music's cultural, educational, and social impact on our community. It does this through seven programs including an instrument drive, student battle of the bands, The Big Easy in Buffalo music education & concert series, and the absolutely free annual Music is Art Festival being held this year on September 11th on the grounds of the Albright Knox Art Gallery. More information on our organization can be found at www.musicisart.org.

SiDP Inspires Much Ado About Something

2010-07-07T13:00:56Z

Much Ado About Nothing (the Musical), as it has come to be called, runs through July 11th. If you plan to attend, and I recommend it highly, I suggest you arrive early, because if the crowds of the past two weeks are any indicator, the hill will fill quickly for these final shows.

This has to be the most colorful, riotous, boisterous, and yes, musical Shakespeare production the park has seen in years. The cast is a good mix with veterans like Tom Loughlin as Leonato, Dan Walker as Don Pedro, Tim Newell as Don John and Jim Maloy as Antonio. Loraine O'Donnell anchor a very capable troupe of singers and some wonderful young actors, in particular Adam Rath and Leah Russo, who play the young lovers Claudio and Hero.

John Fredo and Lisa Ludwig (who is also the company's Managing Director) play the immortal Benedict and Beatrice. As one insightful friend declared, "They are perfect leads for Shakespeare as musical comedy."

In the interest of full disclosure, my recommendation does come with a caveat, as this writer also appears in the production (as Friar Francis--I am almost always cast as clergy for some reason, quite unrelated to my actual life). In fact, this writer is not remotely impartial, having appeared in or produced some twenty-five Shakespeare in Delaware Park productions since 1980, including several years as the chairman of the board of directors and a five-year stint as the CEO.

This is the 35th Anniversary Season of Shakespeare in Delaware Park, a huge achievement. When founder Saul Elkin began the festival, back in 1976, The Winter's Tale was produced on a postage-stamp sized stage with simple lights powered on a single electric cord, and with no amplification. Now averaging 50,000 patrons a season, Shakespeare in Delaware Park has grown to become the second best attended free outdoor Shakespeare Festival in the country (after New York's in Central Park). It is also the third oldest, after New York Public's and the Louisville, KY festival. Coincidentally, all three take place in Fredrick Law Olmsted designed parks.

Much Ado is a fitting play for this anniversary season, a perennially popular and easily followed comedy, it also lends itself to song and dance, which to some degree has been included in each of the previous four company productions (1979, 1989, 1997 and 2003).

Director Elkin can take the most casual reference and build an entire Busby Berkley production around the concept. In 1997, Shakespeare's simple (sexual) references to "horns" led to the invention of a wildly popular 1870's "Wild West Texas" production of Much Ado (yours truly played Leonato in that one). This time around, the Bard's reference is "oranges" and Much Ado is suddenly set in an orange grove in the 1940's, and is accompanied by your parent's (or grandparent's) favorite big band hits (with the exception of a show stopping rendition of Aretha Franklin's "RESPECT", belted out by Norm Sham as the bumbling constable, Dogberry. Crazy? Yes. Does it work? Yes).

Outdoor theatre is not indoor theatre, Shakespeare in Delaware Park is not Shakespeare at Stratford, but Shakespeare it is, and much beloved by Buffalo audiences. Some people cannot abide the adaptations of time and place, nor the re-interpretations of characters and story-line, although Elkin's productions always stay largely true to Shakespeare's script. And what a great script Much Ado is, I still laugh out loud at lines I have heard a hundred times.

Some people simply cannot tolerate the distractions of outdoor theatre. I argued for years with Buffalo News Theatre Critic Terry Doran about the virtue of Shakespeare in Delaware Park, but he could never quite get over the occasional barking dog, or the passing ambulance or the jetliner overhead. Admittedly, it can be hard to focus.

But I find it an almost primal experience. There comes a point in the evening, when watching Shakespeare in Delaware Park, sometime just after the intermission, when a sort of hush descends upon the urban landscape, the hustle and bustle of the traffic settles down, the darkness envelops us, the stage lights, set and costumes vibrate with color, the production takes on a magical quality, a kind of gentle extension of Hoyt Lake, suspended in air, floating among the surrounding trees.

It is then one feels transported--hearing the faint strum of a Renaissance troubadour, a strolling feudal minstrel, envisioning the flickering lights of an amphitheater with ancient Greek chorus, a shaman reciting tribal myths before the campfire, and so the lineage extends to the dawn of human language.

Someone once said that live theatre is the last act of community. In so many ways it is, especially outdoor theatre, and especially Shakespeare, whose 400-year-old plays remain a touchstone of Western culture and values.

Sitting on the hillside below the Rose Garden, audiences composed of couples and families, young and old, friends and strangers, all share a communal moment, a fleeting few hours, huddled in the twilight. They watch the actors craft a story in that very moment, just for that moment, like a snowflake which will never be repeated exactly the same way again.

So it has been in Delaware Park for the past 35 years.

Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Saul Elkin, with Theresa Quinn, Musical Director, at Shakespeare Hill in Delaware Park, through July 11th.

Followed by Macbeth, July 22nd - August 15th, directed by Eileen Dugan. 7:30 pm every day except Mondays.

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Neil Garvey, attorney/actor/writer, is a native East Auroran and 30 year resident of Buffalo's Elmwood neighborhood. Long involved in the cultural & civic life of Buffalo, he has served on several theaters & civic boards, including the Delaware Park Steering Committee. The first board chair of Shakespeare in Delaware Park, he served as the company's first CEO and appeared in or produced some 25 Shakespeare plays. Stage credits include Shea's, Studio Arena, The Kavinoky, The Irish Classical, Road Less Traveled, and played Santa Claus for the BPO Holiday Pops for the past eight seasons.

Images courtesy of Shakespeare in Delaware Park

Writing with Light

2010-07-07T12:29:23Z

Since 1974, the non-profit CEPA Gallery has been the standard in our region for great photography and has provided a context for understanding the aesthetic, cultural, and political intersections of photo-related art. The gallery is an artistic force, and yet, one of its lesser-known achievements over all these years is its hand in educating the city's youth.

CEPA Gallery's youth programs provide students across the region with an opportunity to explore and appreciate photography through school programs and extra-curricular workshops, including after-school and summer offerings. Many of the students who partake in CEPA's education programs throughout the year come from dramatically under-served communities in our city who would otherwise be unlikely to experience photography, both as a learning tool and critical means of expression. One of the most highly-regarded programs, Picturing Poetry, creates opportunity for at-risk youth to develop creativity in a combined photography and writing curriculum. Students emerge from this process with an increased sense of tolerance and empathy for others.

The spring Writing with Light campaign will serve to encourage positive behaviors and healthy decision making but there is substantial cost in bringing this program to those who need it most. Equipment, supplies and trained professionals are necessary to maintain the Gallery's educational outreach and the demand for these services increases each year. CEPA is hoping to raise $150,000 for this year's programs. "We know these programs enhance public school resources, encourage positive social development and provide unique opportunities for students to strengthen academic skills," stated a representative of CEPA. Please help CEPA Gallery continue to empower these students as they "expose the beauty".

How exactly does your money help?

$25 gift will buy 5 pinhole cameras
$100 gift will buy darkroom chemistry for 10 children
$250 gift will sponsor one child in CEPS's Photography Camps
$500 gift will buy 75 single use film cameras

... the list goes on! You can donate online here, or send a check to the physical address:

CEPA Gallery
617 Main Street, Suite 201
Buffalo, NY 14203

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Laura Duquette is a former ballerina who now dances with words and punctuation. She has a knack for asking questions faster than the speed of sound, and her interviews are often off the cuff and personal. She is Co-Owner of 12 Grain Studio, a Buffalo based creative firm that gives typical web design a kick in the ass.

Listen: BR on WBFO- Green Stuff and Good Food

2010-07-06T18:04:07Z

Good Day, Readers! We hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July celebration and long weekend.

This week's podcast with Newell, myself and WBFO's Mark Scott goes over a number of stories we've posted here recently. Newell shows us his green side as we discuss the Hands Across the Sand event which was held on Emerald Beach, and his recent acquirement of an environmentally-friendly scooter (photo: Mark Scott takes it for a spin). We continue that line of thinking with a quick chat about our sustainable city farmers markets, urban farms and local CSAs.

Discussion of the upcoming Taste of Buffalo and the Culinary Theatre schedule whets our palate for this weekend's upcoming food fest. Merge's ability to thrive, to overcome obstacles and to serve the needs of its community are arguably unparalleled by any other new restaurant in town, so we spend a little time chatting about that as well.

Last, but certainly not least (in the eyes of many of our readers and the overall online community), we discuss the changes The Buffalo News is planning with their comment policy. Here Newell and I share a few of our own thoughts, as does Mark, who is very passionate about the subject.

Thank you for joining us!

Listen: Buffalo Rising on WBFO.mp3

Image: Scooter from the Buffalo Scooter Company

Listen: The Set List for July 2010

2010-07-06T14:38:10Z

The Set List is a podcast produced by Buffalo Rising music writers Ann Marie Awad and Joseph DiDomizio, who discuss upcoming music events in the city.

Each podcast features our hosts recommending various local and national acts to see over the course of the month. Naturally, each show has its own local flavor, be it a local band, the recording location, or the Un-Celebrity Guest. The Un-Celebrity Guest is a local music savant who illuminates the hosts--and the audience--on a particular band or genre they are passionate about.

This month, Alex Johnston joins us to discuss the all strings metal band, Apocalyptica, while Ann tells you about Tokyo Police Club, and Joseph struggles to explain why Titus Andronicus is his pick in about 47 takes.

Listen: The Set List for July 2010

Titus Andronicus w/ The Halleljuah Hills (tickets)
July 13th
Ninth Ward
341 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202

Apocalyptica (tickets)
July 17th
Town Ballroom
681 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203

Tokyo Police Club (tickets)
July 25th
Town Ballroom
681 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203

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Ann Marie Awad is a senior English major at the University at Buffalo, who is also studying journalism. Awad has been published in Artvoice, Generation Magazine and Eat Me Daily. She has a passion for supporting local businesses, great coffee and Saturday mornings at the farmers market.

Joseph DiDomizio is a local writer, filmmaker, and graphic artist. He graduated from UB with a BA in Media Study and English, and has been writing about music, movies, books and pop-culture for several years. A long-standing contributor to Buffalo Rising, he has also written a couple full-length screenplays, a handful of short stories, and been involved with the production of Nickel City Chef, as well as several short local films. Currently he is a contributor to The Way Of The Buffalo podcasts, and is developing a web serial, amongst other media projects.

Engineered and edited by Hugh O'Donnell. Additional podcast work of Hugh's can be found at http://wayofthebuffalopodcast.blogspot.com.

Wait Till Next Year By Doris Kearns Goodwin

2010-07-06T14:00:48Z

The books reviewed each week by a member of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library staff are all available at the Downtown Central Library (or through the system of 37 libraries located within Erie County). Your free Library card is the ticket to millions of books, CDs, DVDs, and downloadables; free use of library computers; extensive databases for additional research on jobs, the region, funding sources, schools, and homework help; access to resources at other libraries; and the convenient way to renew books or request new ones. Check out all the activities, exhibits, courses and programs offered at your Public Library at www.buffalolib.org.

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Patricia Covley:

In Wait Till Next Year, Doris Kearns Goodwin reveals the profound impact baseball had upon her childhood and her becoming the adult she is today. Goodwin makes the 1950's come alive with the names of Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella and others. Goodwin, definitely "Daddy's little girl," learned about the game of baseball at her father's knee. At a young age, she was given a scorebook and was taught by her father the correct way to use it. She would sit by the radio for every game during the summer, carefully recording each at bat. In the evening, she would recount the game for her father, taking delight in retelling the daily minutia that makes baseball the game that many of us love. Goodwin looks back fondly at this exercise, wondering if it helped to cultivate her love of history and storytelling.

Discussions of baseball were not confined to Goodwin's home. Growing up in suburban New York City, Goodwin enjoys a friendly (for the most part) rivalry with fans of the Yankees and the Giants. It was a time when neighbors knew each other and visits to the corner store were social events.

Goodwin eloquently discusses the Dodgers' leaving Brooklyn in 1957. This traumatic occurrence was followed by the death of Goodwin's infirm mother. The two events marked the end, she says, of her childhood. Goodwin stays away from baseball for a time, but eventually shares her love of baseball and the Boston Red Sox with her sons.

I recommend Wait Till Next Year not only to baseball fans, but to anyone who enjoys history or a good coming of age story.

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
1 Lafayette Square
Buffalo, NY 14203

Jeff Vincent Show Offers Kreepy Sale

2010-07-06T13:26:06Z

Our favorite kreepy local is hosting an exhibition and silent auction featuring a new medium of work than we've formerly seen. Jeffrey Vincent of Kreepy Doll Factory fame (see video below) will be selling acrylic paintings, large and small, at The Vault on Friday July 16th at 6 pm.

The auction is a two part benefit says Jeffrey, "I am attending the Hoffberger School of Painting at MICA in Baltimore, Maryland in August. I will be enrolled in the masters program at this institute. The money from the auction will go towards my tuition and living expenses while attending this program. Secondly, I haven't exhibited in Buffalo in over a year and I have created over forty new paintings since last October. I wish to give my friends and fans of my work the opportunity to purchase some of my new work at an affordable price before I have to leave town. I like the idea of leaving little pieces of myself here. The show will also function as a going away party where I can say farewell to many faces."

In a similar fashion to his whimsical and somewhat sinister dolls, his primary focus when painting is contemporary folklore and modern visual narratives. The colors and landscapes are brightly colored planes of texture but some of the people depicted have a grimace or smirk--sometimes they lack any facial distinction at all. Jeffrey's work has hints of a Ben Shahn influence; a study of polemic themes that do not directly call out any specific guilty parties, but instead open the topic for discussion. These new works are a rejuvenation of Vincent's creativity and allow us (gulp) more insight as to what exactly goes on inside of his head. Jeffrey states that his inspiration comes from the studio space he rents and the creatives he surrounds himself with. "All of this new work was made possible by Brian Wantuch of 'Wasteland Studios' at 700 Main. I rent a studio from Brian and my experience over the last year at 700 Main has been an excellent and inspiring experience."

*This is a cash auction, credit will not be accepted, checks will be considered.

More of Jeffrey Vincent's paintings can be see on his Flickr page

Exhibition and Silent Auction
New Works by Jeffrey Vincent
702 Main Street at The Vault
Friday July 16th, 6-10 PM

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Laura Duquette is a former ballerina who now dances with words and punctuation. She has a knack for asking questions faster than the speed of sound, and her interviews are often off the cuff and personal. She is Co-Owner of 12 Grain Studio, a Buffalo based creative firm that gives typical web design a kick in the ass.