“The Trials of Henry Kissinger” screening at the Bloom Collective

originally published in the Rapidian

 

                                                                                                                                                      Grand Rapids infoshop The Bloom Collective (8 Jefferson SE, Grand Rapids) will host a screening of the documentary ”The Trials of Henry Kissinger“.

The film is based on the book by Christopher Hitchens, and examines some of the allegations of war crimes aimed atHenry Kissinger, National Security Advisor and Secretary of State during the Nixon Administration. The film calls into question the actions of Kissinger in regards to U.S. foreign policy and involvement in Indochina, Bangladesh, Chile, East Timor, and Cyprus.

“The Trials of Henry Kissinger” is portrayed from the perspective that Hitchens approaches the narrative by maintaining a focus on the accusations and evidence that would potentially stand up, based on precedents like Nuremberg, in the international courts.

 

The screening of the film is in response to Kissinger’s visit to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids on Monday, May 6th. Requests for a statement from the office of Henry Kissinger in regards to the film, and whether he would be attending the screening, were unanswered.

“The Trials of Henry Kissinger“ at The Bloom Collective (8 Jefferson SE, Grand Rapids)

 

6pm, Tuesday May 7th, 2013

The film showing is open to the public and no one is turned away for lack of funds.

Local Music Review: “Softer Sticks” by Chain of Lakes

originally published in the Rapidian

On Saturday, May 4th 2013, Grand Rapids MI band Chain of Lakes releases their newest album, “Softer Sticks”.

The 9 track album opens with the instrumental “Something Along Those Lines”, a brief meditation featuring a beautifully processed vocal harmony  juxtaposed against the song’s delicate phrasing on strings. A “Tom Yorke meets Nickel Creek” vibe momentarily manifests before transitioning flawlessly into “Follow”, which due to its energy is definitely the stand out track on the album.

After the strong opening, “Softer Sticks” takes on an increasingly internalized, gentler sense of self-introspection. Elements of that high, lonesome Nashville twang intertwined with lyrics more breathed than actually sang, supported by softly articulated arpeggios, all adds up to “Softer Sticks” landing somewhere on the map between Ryan Adams and Iron & Wine.

The addition of steel guitar, as well as violin, and expanding the vocals by adding a strong female voice into the mix, balances out the sound of Chain of Lakes as the band evolves from the solid foundation established on their 2011 release ”Kind of Quiet“.

While still retaining their strong West Michigan roots sound, evident in the clean, crisp execution of the instrumentation, the impact of adding new members to the lineup shows itself in a new layer of sophistication that expands the band’s musical dialogue.

Founder’s Brewing Company will hosting the cd release party for “Softer Sticks”. The show will also feature the Wallace Collective, who will also be releasing their self-titled EP. The show starts at 9pm, with Strawberry Heritage in the opening slot. Admission is $5 at the door, 21 and older.

The Banjo Gods Demand a Blood Sacrifice;The Hangdog Hearts

To see the Hangdog Hearts live in concert is to witness firsthand the raw potential of a one man band in all its unruly glory.

Born out of the frustration of not being able to keep a reliable band lineup cemented together, Austin Stirling chose to push on and evolve the sound of the Hangdog Hearts into a more stripped down, sustainable version of his musical vision.

The solid guitar and banjo work is still there. The rhythm section has transformed into kick pedals handling the bass drum, snare, cymbal, and tambourine, and manages to carry the songs better than many drummers can do with all four limbs dedicated to keeping the beat. Stirling’s fiesty, salt-of-the-earth vocals are punctuated by the addition of a 2nd microphone (possibly a Copperphone?) that he alternates into the mix, lending that classic scratchy “telephone” sound at vital points in the songs’ narratives.

Combining all of these elements, Stirling has managed to assemble a musical-mechanical beast that is a series of conflicting extremes: Insightful reflection inverts into bouts of murderous rage. Reckless self indulgence gives way to compassionate concern for others. The search for a meaningful relationship with a higher power struggles against a grim acceptance of inevitable damnation brought on by nefarious misdeeds.

The Hangdog Hearts prove that a one man band has no excuse for being thin on sound, shallow in depth, or missing horsepower in the delivery and execution. When the Hangdog Hearts play, people connect, the feel something, they get up off of their asses and dance! That’s a hell of a lot more than many “full” bands manage to ever do.

The Hangdog Hearts has a new ablum coming out in 2013, do yourself a favor and get it here 

Lou Shields and the high science of low fidelity

I met Lou Shields at a gig at the Tip Top Deluxe in Grand Rapids, MI. Since then I have had the privilege of playing a 2nd gig with him in Chicago.

Immediately what struck a chord with me in regards to Lou’s musical approach, is that his sound is emblematic of what is at the core of “real” American music, meaning the rootsy, deep, raw music coming from the immigrants and early settlers that occupied this land. The sound is in the soil, in the air, radioactive and insinuating its way into the very atomic structure of your body.

For me, a major part of the attraction to Lou’s sound, is the driving, hypnotic quality that a lot of his tunes are built upon. A throbbing, humming, buzzing, sitar-like pulse… like some primordial mantra rising up from the depths of the collective consciousness of the American diaspora.

Another aspect of Lou Shields’ music that is notable is his combination of primitive percussion and loose sense of timing or phrasing. The harshness of the slide bottle clashing on guitar strings, a kick drum pedal pounding heartbeat rhythms on a 5 gallon bucket, broken skateboard decks stacked with rusty license plates and bolted on bottlecaps. Its the sound of an old Model T falling apart as it winds down a mountain road. A lineman’s tool belt falling off a ladder. The jailer’s keys striking the tumblers on the cell door locks.

His music embodies a certain honesty and humbleness that you only really encounter in people that never knew what it was like to have an easy life handed to them. People with dirt on their hands, worn out faces, hollow and hungry eyes, aching backbones know that sound… and so do you.

Opening reception for “Ancestral Art” Indigenous Voices, An Artists’ Benefit for Haitian Peasant Groups.

Originally posted in the Rapidian.org

On Friday, March 8, 2013, West Michigan Center for Peacebuilding will host the opening reception for “Ancestral Art” Indigenous Voices, An Artist Benefit for Haitian Peasant Groups.

The month long showing held at the Ice Cream Gallery and Toys (117 S. Division, Grand Rapids, MI) brings the public into contact with artists Jose Noe Castro, Picardo, Ted Jauw, Joel Howell, and Ian Swanson

In collaboration with Holland Friends of Art, and the Caribbean Coalition for the Arts & Culture West Michigan, a series of artist events will be occurring throughout the entire month. Roundtables and discussions will help the community actively engage with elements of the Haitian culture, particularly with a focus on the Vodoun spiritual perspective. Documentaries, as well as vinyl record parties, will investigate in-depth the Haitian people and their spiritual experience. Insight into the culture will be explored in the building of community altars, as well as presentations of the Creole table.  Immersion in traditions of Haitian singing, drumming, and dance will welcome newcomers and demonstrate the cultivation of strong communal bonds

“Within each individual moment all events are spoken within dedication to the Lwa, Erzulie Dantor; who in Vodoun cosmology represents both the spiritual protection of women, children, single mothers & lesbians, and is associated with the Black Creole Pig of Haiti and the Haitian Revolution. Most Haitian women serve Erzulie Dantor, and many men serve Dantor as well, especially those enlightened men who honor, love and respect women.” – Ian Swanson, Executive Director of West Michigan Center for Peacebuilding

The opening reception begins on March 8th, 2013 at 6pm, and is located at Ice Cream Gallery and Toys, 117 S. Division, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The show will include live music performances byBlack Cat Bone, Invisible Mansion & Cangue League Orchestra, with Josh Villaire on the 1s & 2s.

On Friday, March 8, 2013, West Michigan Center for Peacebuilding will host the opening reception for “Ancestral Art” Indigenous Voices, An Artist Benefit for Haitian Peasant Groups.

The month long showing held at the Ice Cream Gallery and Toys (117 S. Division, Grand Rapids, MI) brings the public into contact with artists Jose Noe Castro, Picardo, Ted Jauw, Joel Howell, and Ian Swanson

Related articles

• Forget the zombies, Voodoo is gay friendly (repeatingislands.com)
• Haiti’s LGBTQ Accepting Vodou Societies (ukprogressive.co.uk)
• Haitian Culture on the Move as Artists Rebuild Ties Abroad (repeatingislands.com)

Tatsuya Nakatani at Mexicains Sans Frontieres

 

I recently had the priveledge of witnessing Tatsuya Nakatani at Mexicains Sans Frontieres. His avant garde percussion performance was impressive to say the least…

 

His performance utilised 3 massive gongs, a smaller (18inch?) gong, some prayer bowls, a few misc. objects and a kick/snare/tom combo all assembled in a cirlce formation. Nakatani also used his hand-made bows to vibrate the edges of the gongs to create a sort of hell-bent theremin effect that was impressively powerful.

At times Nakatani was nearly serene in his patient coaxing of the gongs, seducing them to reveal their inner voices. Alternately,  he raged in  a manic, elemental fit as he wrangled unruly drums and assorted objects in primordial battle, imposing his willpower of his disobedient array of instruments

 

 

The low rumble of the gongs permeated our bodies, and left such an impression that several people asked about where he placed his mic/effects pedals… there were none, the performance was entirely acoustic!  The sound waves were nearly palpable as they emanated in every direction. His orientation of instruments in relation to the loft space of MSF was spot on.

 

 

I got the impression that he wasn’t too keen on being video’d for this performance, but I did manage to capture a series of photos to share here.

 

 

Afterwards, Mr Nakatani patiently answered our questions about his gongs, his techniques, the unusual custom bows that he makes for using on his gongs, and where his tour was taking him next.

I managed to score 3 cd’s from him. One was a solo performance of one track (57minutes of perfect improvization!), while another was a collaboration with a japanese flutist. This second disc I found to have a very haunting, ethereal quality about the entire recording. The 3rd I have not had the chance to spin yet… but plan on taking with me on the mp3 player on my next trip to the gym.

 

Related articles

• Drummer, dancers team up for Erie performance (goerie.com)
• Shen and Bones, drummer team up for Saturday performance (goerie.com)

Remnants of Route 66; the Collage Art of Jewly Warren

originally published in the Rapidian

Jewly Warren is a Grand Rapids artist who has spent the last few years exploring collage techniques. She describes herself as a self-taught artist, whose main passions are painting and photography. Active in the arts community in the Detroit metropolitan area for over a decade, she brings her talents as an artist and experiences as a promoter and producer of the arts to Grand Rapids, where she has experienced a renewed interest in helping build and support a creative arts community.

Since moving to Grand Rapids in 2009, Jewly has focused heavily on collage. She views it as a more sustainable form of art, recycling and repurposing found materials into a new and exciting medium, and reducing the waste stream of by-products that frequently accompanies the artistic process. The element of surprise involved in manipulating and reconfiguring existing images into new contexts is another source of fascination for her as an artist.

Jewly’s new series of collage work, Remnants of Route 66, combines her interest sustainability, with her quirky eye for creating bizarre juxtapositions of American pop culture iconography and characters who suddenly find themselves in unexpected circumstances. Marilyn Monroe and a deadly, lime green serpent rendezvous under a full moon. A google-eyed bull dog oversees the operation of his barbeque chicken stand. A Volkswagen micro-bus transports a rock-a-billy band across a strange alien landscape.

Remnants of Route 66, which has been described as absurdist, slapstick surrealism, is Jewly’s vision of the unusual and interesting stops along the iconic American highway. Those spots represent some of the great things about our history as a nation, in a time of great growth, increased productivity, and seemingly endless expansion. The sky was the limit. But there was also a price that was to be paid for all of this unprecedented, uncontrolled excess. As Jewly puts it, “If our grandparents had known what some of the effects of all this would end up costing future generations, how it hurts their grandchildren, would they have done things a little differently?”