Monday, August 26th

DSP Shows presents Wallis Bird Live in the 9th Ward

Tickets: General Admission Standing $10 at Ticketfly.com or the Babeville Box Office (M-F 11a-5p), or charge by phone 877.987.6487

7pm Doors, 8pm Show

“It’s her humour and bold honesty that makes Bird so special” The Guardian “The intensity of Wallis Bird’s sound will pin you to the wall.” Sydney Morning Herald “The sheer visceral energy of Wallis Bird could kick-start an entire economy.” The Irish Times

It may sound like something out of Spinal Tap that Irish artist Wallis Bird lost all the fingers on one hand in a bizarre lawnmower accident as a baby, but it’s no exaggeration. Though most of her fingers were saved through surgery, one was lost for good. Happily it didn’t stop her picking up a guitar as a child, flipping it upside down to strum with her damaged hand, and carrying on as if nothing had ever happened. Today she’s a veritable virtuoso on the instrument, and with a chuckle she describes that fateful ‘Lawnmower Incident’ as having given her “her mojo”. That mojo carried her to record deals with Island Records and Columbia Records, several high profile awards and nominations, tours across the world with the likes of Rodrigo y Gabriela, Billy Bragg and Emiliana Torrini, and invitations to open shows for Gossip, Frightened Rabbit, and many others. The two-time Meteor award winner (Ireland’s national music prize) and two-time Irish Choice Prize nominee (equivalent of UK’s Mercury Awards) was born into a large family in Wexford, Ireland. She cut her teeth as a teenager playing cover gigs in pubs and learning to deal with drunken hecklers by way of cheeky comebacks and good- natured ripostes. Moving to Germany in 2005, she self- released the single Blossoms in the Street which spent twenty weeks in the airplay charts. It grabbed the attention of Island Records who signed her almost on the spot. Her debut album hit the Top 5 UK digital album charts and she continued to chart in various European countries with her subsequent albums.

Wallis has toured constantly, headlining over 800 shows in the past ten years. Over 30,000 people attended her last album release tour alone. Well known across Europe for her live performances, her 2016-2017 tour for the album ‘Home’, was expanded to include Australia and Japan for the first time. On the Australian leg of the tour, Wallis gained a new fan in cult artist Amanda Palmer, who tweeted repeatedly to her million-plus followers to go and catch a show. Palmer subsequently invited Wallis on stage for a duet during one of her festival appearances, and Wallis reciprocated by having Palmer sing at one of her own headlining shows. In 2018, Wallis embarked on a month-long tour of Canada, her first time in the country, tearing it up at multiple folk festivals including Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver, and coming home with a raft of new fans.

Most artists can’t sustain the kind of energy levels that Wallis exhibits on stage. Every performance is characterised by an almost startling passion; one that frequently leaves her breathless and her acoustic guitar strings shredded to pieces. Her refreshingly honest, self-effacing manner has endeared her to audiences of every kind, whether her own fans or someone else’s. Audiences will likely be invited to “show me your sweat patches!” when a grinning Bird wants them to throw their hands in the air and dance unabashedly. Or they might be told with a wink before a ballad “this is the one where you’re all going to take a toilet break, isn’t it?” Going from delicate whispers to explosive cries in a heartbeat, and inciting rousing sing-a-longs or spellbound silences, few can cast a bewitching spell over an audience in the way Wallis Bird can.

Indeed, when she hit a road-block during the writing of 2016’s ‘Home’, she did the only thing she could think of…something that would be unthinkable to most artists. “I figured a 12 hour free concert would fix all the issues I had,” she recalls. Bird stepped onto the stage of Berlin’s Auster club at 1.30pm one cold January afternoon and stayed there until the early hours, raising money for refugee charities at the same time. Afterwards she even found the energy to play two encores. No surprise, then, that the Irish Times wrote that “the sheer visceral energy of Wallis Bird could kick-start an entire economy”.

Bird is currently focused on making her next record, which will be heavily soul-influenced, and is to be released in 2019. Always eager for a challenge to keep her on her toes during the creative process, instead of a 12-hour gig, this time Wallis is bringing the fans into the mix in a different way. She’s recording a series of covers, allowing fans to choose a song for each decade, which she then records within a few days. As she explains: “when I’m writing my own music, I give myself homework that keeps the engines oiled. Playing 12 hour free gigs to complete strangers is a great way, and another is dissecting a well known song, finding what it is that makes the song so special to the world and to me personally, and putting my own spin on it”.

Once the album is done, Wallis will be eager to get out on the road again. It’s unlikely that her shows will last 12 hours again, but of one thing you can be sure: few can enrapture an audience the way Wallis Bird can.

Nationally-renowned and award-winning singers Amy Broadbent and Matthew Hill will perform at a free concert at Lenna Hall at Chautauqua Institution on Tuesday, August 27 at 7:30 p.m. The duo will sing a varied repertoire, from classical compositions to Broadway favorites. The concert is presented by Encore Creativity for Older Adults, the nation’s largest choral organization for people 55 . Mr. Hill, a Washington D.C.-based tenor, has performed with the Washington National Opera, Maryland Opera Studio and Music Academy International, among others. He has earned numerous awards and was the winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions at the Washington D.C. District Level and the Choralis Young Artist Competition. Ms. Broadbent, a soprano and also Washington, D.C.-based, performs “with consummate poise, limpid clarity, and faultless intonation” (Washington Classical Review). She was a prizewinner for the New York Oratorio Society Competition at Carnegie Hall and the Franco-American Grand Concours Vocal Competition, among others. Her upcoming solo performances include Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the Washington National Cathedral. For more information about Encore and its programs at Chautauqua Institution, visit Encorecreativity.org or call 301-261-5747.

We are starting a new segment for Intuitive Development – Beginner. It’s every other Thursday for 6 sessions.
Learn the basics and how you can use your intuition in your daily life!

We are all born with a connection to our intuition. Join Angie Hewett-Abt & learn to “remember what you already know.”
We will meet Thursday, 6/6, 6/20, 7/11, 7/25 8/8, 8/22

In the series you will learn how to use your intuition in your daily life.
And:

– how to connect to & stay connected to your Intuitive side of your brain.
– learn about the ways Spirit gives us messages. Clairvoyance- clear seeing, Clairaudience – clear hearing & Clairscentience – clear feeling
– why it’s important to develop your intuition & use it in your daily life
– how to receive & give Intuitive messages to others
– how to communicate with your spirit guides
– how to communicate with loved ones on the other side.
– Psychometry & Personal billets
– how to give yourself a reading. Future, Past Life, & more

$20 per class. Pay up front for all 6 get one free

The 12th Annual Encore Summer Institute at Chautauqua Institution is proud to present a grand finale concert showcasing singers from around the nation. The event is a culmination of a week-long program of intensive vocal training and challenging rehearsals for the performers. Audience members will enjoy a repertoire of favorite compositions by Frank Loesser, Nat King Cole, Schubert and others. The concert is free to the public and will take place at Lenna Hall. Encore Creativity for Older Adults is the nation’s largest choral program for people 55 . For more information about Encore and its programs at Chautauqua Institution, visit Encorecreativity.org or call 301-261-5747.

Explore & More, the Naval Park and Buffalo Waterfront have joined forces to bring more than a dozen military and emergency vehicles to our waterfront for some family-friendly hands-on play and exploration. Come show your appreciation for our brave military personnel and emergency responders who keep our country and community safe! $15 ticket includes admission to Explore & More and the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park ($4 for members of Explore & More, & Naval Park). Car and truck exploration is FREE and open to the public. Tickets available at www.exploreandmore.org.

Naval Park members must purchase tickets in person at either the Naval Park or Explore & More. Valid member ID required.

Nonprofit organization Rock Autism announces it’s 2nd annual benefit concert to raise autism awareness and funds for music and art therapy programs. The event will take place August 31st, 2019 at Chamber of Commerce Field in Ellicottville, NY. Gate opens at 4pm. Pre-sale admission is $25 with VIP packages at $75. Children 12 and under get in free.

Max Muscato founded Rock Autism to raise awareness and empower a new generation living on the autism spectrum. Max, whose brother was diagnosed with autism at the age of four, knows firsthand the grim reality youth living with autism face, “When they turn 18 or 21, they’re cut-off from creative arts services. There’s nowhere for them to go; they slip through the cracks and so do their families.” His brother Sonny was lost for years battling autism symptoms, unemployment and drug abuse. The only thing that saved him was playing music. Rock Autism is shining the spotlight on autism and raising funds to develop and grow local music, film and arts programs that serve youth and adults on the spectrum. Rock Autism is supporting programs that help individuals living with ASD carve out a career path and gain employment in the creative arts.

Exhibition Dates: August 31 – September 21
Industry Night (Opening Reception): Saturday, August 31, 6-9pm
First Friday: September 6, 6-9pm
Admission: $2/Free for members

Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) announces Take Back the Walls, a juried exhibition of artworks by New York State artists who also work in museums, galleries and arts organizations. This new, statewide project highlights the many talented creatives employed by New York’s numerous arts institutions and galleries, yet are often behind the scenes.

This exhibition was curated by Karlos Carcamo, a multidisciplinary artist and a framer at The Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

Featured Artists & Institutions:

Rachel B. Abrams (Brooklyn, NY) The Museum of Modern Art
Berly Brown (Troy, NY) University Art Museum at SUNY Albany
Steven Duval (Amherst, NY) The Albright Knox Art Gallery
Maryrose Fridey (Williamsville, NY) Albright Knox Art Gallery
Paul Harp (Fairport, NY) Memorial Art Gallery
G. Peter Jemison (Victor, NY) Ganondagan State Historic Site and the Seneca Art & Culture Center
Emilie Lemakis (New York, NY) Metropolitan Museum of Art
Paul Loughney (Brooklyn, NY) Galerie Lelong
Victoria Manning (Brooklyn, NY) The Museum of Modern Art
Nick Marshall (Rochester, NY) George Eastman Museum
Karl Mattson (Buffalo, NY) Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Matthew Osiol (Brooklyn, NY) Museum Of Modern Art
Saloman Pritchard (Tonawanda, NY) Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Davana Robedee (Syracuse, NY) Schweinfurth Art Center
David Russo (Webster, NY) The George Eastman Museum
Andrew Salomone (Rochester, NY) The George Eastman Museum
Rachel Shelton (Buffalo, NY) Mirabo Press, Eleven Twenty Projects and Argus Gallery
Greg Slick (Beacon, NY) The Katonah Museum of Art
Hiroshi Tachibana (Brooklyn, NY) Museum of Modern Art
Adriano Valeri (New York, NY), Fisk Fine Art Services, Levy Gorvy Gallery, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
Bob Wagner (Rock Tavern, NY) Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz