Sunday, April 03, 2005

Door in the Floor: Kim Basinger at Centenary Film Society April 5 and 7


Centenary Film Society presents Basinger and Bridges in The Door in the Floor, Tues., Apr. 5 and Th., Ap. 7.

Children's author Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges), struggles with his relationship with wife Marion (Kim Basinger) after the loss of their two sons. Ted hires a sixteen-year-old boy named Eddie to act as his assistant. Hm. Eddie immediately develops an intense infatuation with Marion. Ahem. The relationships soon, it says in this press release, devolve into mind games and adultery. Oh my.
"At times it plays like an affecting portrait of a marriage on life support intersecting with an earnest coming-of-age story."  Ed Park, Village Voice.

* all CFS films are in Mickle Hall 114 (Carlisle Auditorium) next to the Magale Library
* all begin at 7:00 pm
* and are free of charge as well as open to the public
* to make sure nothing in the film schedule has been changed call the Humanities Department, 869-5254, 8:30 to 3:00 pm, says Ashley Moss, Student Director, Centenary Film Society.

Friday, April 01, 2005

Hot jazz and furious tap: Savion Glover and group at the Strand, Tues, Ap 5

Savion Glover's
Improvography II

Tuesday, April 5th
8:00 PM
For tickets, call (318) 226-8555 or visit

www.thestrandtheatre.com

More info? See Alex Kent's detail-filled Glover interview in the Times.

All night SciFi movies with Artspace hosts Stuart Dyson & Graeme Fowler-Sandlin

Artspace will present Stuart Dyson and Graeme Fowler-Sandlin as hosts for a SciFi all-nighter Friday, Ap 1. Beginning at 7 pm, the movies will trip on forever, or until a 7 am breakfast, say Laura Noland-Harter and Ashley Havird, Artspace board members. The French toast repast will be cooked and served by the movie marathon hosts.

The order of showings and/or starting times might best be determined by calling Artspace: 673-6535. Here are their choices, which, as you'll see, preclude bringing the kids:

2001: A Space Odyssey
Brazil
Donnie Darko
A Clockwork Orange
Young Frankenstein
Akira
12 Monkeys

Skipgo group at Columbia Cafe; reception Sunday, Ap 3, 5:30 to 7 pm

Photos, collage and paintings from the Skipgo artists, including Shannon Palmer, Rob Peterson, Katie Howell and Ruth Junto, will appear Sunday, April 3, at Columbia Cafe. The reception will take place from 5:30 to 7 pm, says swampland.org in a correction of its earlier 7 to 9 announcement.


And please see Times writer Jennifer Flowers' interview with Palmer et al.

Guitars and Voices, too: Sacramento trio Call Me Ishmael

Call Me Ishmael throws down some smart tunes - vocals with backup accents, uptown guitar riffs - at their site, one embroidered with neo-psychedelia such as images of Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell.

Negotiaing their way from Sacramento to a gig at the temple, NYC's Knitting Factory (joining Odd Zero, Drew Isleib & TigerBearWolf, Ap 12), this Friday, April Fool's, they sweat out a mid-continent trial at Lil Joes Tavern ($5).

Mars Vegas will be opening the show around 10, says Mars Vegas bassist Brett Roman. With a whaler's zest he adds "Be sure to bring extra cash to buy the new Call Me Ishmael cd; from the 4 mp3s off the web site, its going to be freaking amazing."

Which is all very nice but staggers round the question of who is to play the noble, heavily-tatooed Queequeg.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Tipitinas Foundation to serve musicians at 700 Texas St.

The Tipitina Foundation's work is in organizing and offering opportunities to musicians. They've had success in New Orleans. Now they're opening an office and studio in downtown S'port - next door to Artspace - in April. The word on the street is that Dan Garner is to be the big chieftan.

See more at musicofficecoop.com

SciFi book discussions: Michael Parker at Artspace


ARTSPACE at the WEST EDGE will host a monthly science fiction book discussion group as part of the continuing Art of Robots exhibit. The discussions will be facilitated by Michael Parker, local used and rare book dealer, freelance writer and independent scholar.

The Sci-Fi Book Discussion Group Series begins on Thursday, March 31, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, will be the topic of discussion.

April 21 -- Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land.

May 19 -- Philip K. Dick's classic novel, Ubik.

June 16 -- William Gibson's Pattern Recognition.

All free to the public.
Copies of the books will be available for purchase in GIFTSPACE, within ARTSPACE - 710 Texas Street.
More info: 673-6535.

Turner Art Gallery, Centenary College: Art from Angola

Since most Louisianians live maybe six degrees away from a path leading to Angola, Turner Gallery will help remind us of what we're trying so hard to avoid.

Turner's hours: M-F 10-5, Sun 3-6 (On view until 4/14; closed 3/18-3/28)
 
Exhibition talks:
March 31, 7 pm, Turner Art Gallery:
Larry Milford, artist and prison educator

April 14, 11-11:50 am, Kilpatrick Auditorium, Smith Building:
Phyllis Kornfeld, author of Cellblock Visions: Prison Art in America (Princeton Univ. Press)

Also showing in the gallery:
Two films by Jonathan Stack: The Wildest Show in the South: The Angola Prison Rodeo and The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison

Free and open to the public.

Dr. Lisa J. Nicoletti
Art & Visual Culture
Turner Art Gallery Director
Centenary College of Louisiana
2911 Centenary Blvd.
Shreveport, LA  71104
318-869-5261

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Hunter Carter and Evan Falbaum's films at the Louisiana Film Center Gala

Hunter Carter and filmmaking partner Evan Falbaum are award-winning teen artists. They won the Louisiana Film Center student division award in 2004 with their droll "Hey, God." That piece will be shown at the La Film Center gala, to be held Fri., Ap 29.

Carter and cohorts will produce the Mosaic Film Festival at Caddo Magnet High School at 7 pm Wednesday, April 28, showing their new short films in the course of presenting numerous new works by other CMHS students.

See the Carter-Falbaum work at the web site they founded and operate, 2Manshows.com.


More on the LFC event from Sylvia Goodman, director:

The Louisiana Film Center will hold its first annual fund-rasing gala Film Fantasy Fandango on Friday, April 29 at Fox Creek Farms from 7-11 p.m.  Come and mingle with fantasy movie stars.  Enjoy a sumptous cocktail buffet by Bella Fresca and dance to recording artists The Terms (formerly the Sidewalks). Clyde Hargrove and the Terms have signed a recording contract with a major label.  Tickets $100. Call the Louisiana Film Center office at 424-9090.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Hitch your trailer, horse and saddle; the Strand's hosting a downtown trail ride Friday, Ap 1

Riders in the Sky, the singing cowboys best known for their childrens songs in Toy Story 2, are performing at the Strand Theater Friday, April 1. To celebrate the show, the theatre is hosting an official trail ride open to the public, says Danny Fogger, Strand general manager. Here's their imaginative package:

* riders get a buy-one-get-one-free discount.

* no charge for the trail ride, but please pre-register by calling the Strand at 226-1481.

* riders depart from the Strand at 6:00 p.m., travel throughout downtown Shreveport.

* show begins at 7:30 p.m.

* plenty of free parking for horse trailers in the vicinity of the Strand.

* security will be provided before, during and after the performance.



"This is a fun event and we invite families to get in the spirit, dust off their cowboy boots, jingle their spurs and saddle up with the trail ride," says Fogger.


Riders in the Sky shows are feature western music and humor. They are best known for their children's music, including Woody's Roundup from Toy Story 2, which earned them a Grammy award, and Monsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites.


Tickets: call the Strand Theatre Box Office at 318-226-8885 or see thestrandtheatre.com

Thursday, March 24, 2005

The Cotton Club Returns: Southern University Shreveport Foundation benefit at the Strand Theater Saturday, March 26

Patrons will be dressed to the nines for an appearance by New Orleans jazz songstress Germaine Bazzle at the Strand Theater, Shreveport, on Saturday, March 26.

Bazzle leads a show entitled "The Cotton Club Returns, a tribute to great jazz legends." It is sponsored by the Southern University Shreveport Foundation and KSLA TV, said Frank Williams, jr., president of the foundation's board.

Also bringing the Crescent City jazz groove to the show is singer George French, who is a City That Care Forgot classic. New Orleanian Sharon Martin will also jazz the audience with a Mississippi-soaked voice.

Sharing the stage with the veterans are young tap dancing twins Jonathan and Sean Scott.

Ticket proceeds will go to scholarships, says the foundation's mission statement.

Expect to see a who's who of the local political structure listening to Bazzle and comperes at the Strand Saturday night. Join them for a ticket ranging in price from a $25 balcony seat to a $2,500 table for 10. More info: 674-3359.

How to move art in Shreveport: match the Montessori Art Auction modus operandi

Lots of paintings, photos, prints and sculpture went home with new owners on the night of the recent Montessori Art Auction. Some 125 pieces of art from regional artists were purchased at the exposition, says Montessori volunteer Donna Walker.

"The majority of the art purchased was priced $300 and below and was 24 X 30 inches or smaller in size," said Walker, chairperson of the art show.

Some 85 artists participated, said Montessori event organizer Jennifer Moorhead. The night was a boon for artists in another way: "Artists may claim up to 50% of the purchase price and set their own minimum bids at the MSS auction," said Montessori Head of School Angie Day.

Above: new painter Carl Bearden with admirers of his work. More on the March 5 Montessori Art Auction in the blog archives.

Renwick & Daniel: art films at minicine Saturday at 9 at 824 Texas

Vanessa Renwick and Bill Daniel, funky filmmakers, once hung together in Oregon. Today Daniel has exited the naulish Northwest for la la land South: Shreveport. This weekend Renwick slides in for a visit with a trunkful of projects to show.

mini-cine presents:

BomB<>BlisS from Portland artist Vanessa Renwick.
Her collection of films will alternately rollercoaster us thru heaven or provide a hellride - art hell? - says host David Nelson at minicine.
The films are by Renwick, Daniel, Gretchen Hildebran, Miranda July, Matt McCormick and Tom Pallazolo.

Nelson also announces Folksonomy, a new art show in which collaborations by local artists is the meat.

Also in the gallery is News from Nowhere, Things on the wall by Bill Daniel, and Grain, which is a video installation by Vanessa Renwick.

Saturday, March 26
824 Texas Ave
5$ Donation
Doors @ 8
Films @ 9. BYOB
http://www.swampland.org

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Metropolis, Blade Runner: SciFi movies free at Artspace Friday night, March 25

ARTSPACE at the WEST EDGE will kick off its Science Fiction Double Feature Series on Friday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m. The series will consist of two sci-fi movies -- one a classic, the other a more modern movie, says SRAC. Hosts for the evenings will give a brief history of the movies and share their perspectives on why the two segue. This event is part of the Art of Robots Exhibit, featuring the artwork and concepts behind the movie ROBOTS designed by William Joyce, at ARTSPACE, 710 Texas Street.


Host for the first Science Fiction Double Feature is Chris Jay. Chris is a filmmaker, writer and musician based in Shreveport, LA.  He has produced several short films spanning a variety of genres, including The Dog Thief and A.R.S.E. (narrative) and Generation Gap (experimental), as well as various small documentary projects. Interests that inform his work are politics, socio-economics, the Southern identity, and emerging forms of urban music. 


Chris will be presenting the classic movie, Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang in 1927, and pairing it with Blade Runner, the 1982 Ridley Scott film.


Science Fiction Double Feature will continue throughout the run of the Art of Robots Exhibit, occurring on the last Friday of the months of March, April, May and June. Future classics being presented include Forbidden Planet, The Day the Earth Stood Still and Barbarella. The Science Fiction Double Feature Series is free to the public.



For more information on Science Fiction Double Feature or the Art of Robots Exhibit, please call Artspace at 673-6535.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

"Kerrville groovemeister;" Tom Prasada-Rao, at Fairfield Studios Thursday night

Tom Prasada-Rao burst on the scene in 1992 and has not let up since, says the Fredericksburg Songwriter's Showcase web site. Over the last five years, he has played close to 150 dates a year "wowing audiences with his gentle stage presence and explosive musical ability" (Lydia Hutchinson, Performing, Songwriter)

Tom was born in Ethiopia of Indian parents, and educated in England, the US, and India, and his music reflects that diversity--blending pop melodies with R&B rhythms and finely crafted lyrics into his acoustic guitar, 3rd World instrumentation, and his voice - "like cream of angel soup".

Both Sandra Odom and Greg Williams say that Tom is the tops. Audition songs from his album "Hear you laughing" at Amazon. And read why I enjoyed a recent Fairfield Studios concert.

Tom Prasada-Rao / Red River Radio House Concert Series
Thursday March 24, 2005
Concert starts at 7 pm
Please arrive by 6:30.

Reserve your seat by return email or
call Fairfield Studios: 318 220 0400.

Dana McCommon
Fairfield Studios
1510 Fairfield Avenue
Shreveport, LA. 71101

dana@fairfieldstudios.com
www.fairfieldstudios.com

Monday, March 21, 2005

Cameron Meshell & Pelle Hillstrom in the studio in NYC

Young, talented and footloose in NYC: Shreveport rocker Cameron Meshell says, "Stream new music from www.cameronmeshell.com and watch random video clips from the studio."

Learn to down an oyster shooter with the boy and podno Pelle (Abandoned Pools, modwheelmood, currently in NIN tour) and his Brit manager, see his band rehearsing - in Shreveport - and enjoy a couple of lovely newly-recorded songs, "Second chance" and "Father."

Raw and low-key and rockin.

Squint & Mars Vegas at Sully's Tavern - formerly Alligator Joe's - Saturday

"Squint will be performing Saturday at Sully's Tavern with special guests, Shreveport's own Mars Vegas," says Brett Roman Stampley. "We are thrilled about this show as it promises to win 'show of the year' honors by people who keep tabs on this sort of thing.

We also ask that you support this event to display your enthusiasm to local bar merchants for quality and original rock acts that don't suck."

"The show starts at 10pm sharp. Admission is only $5 and there will be alcohol served till 6 am. There can be no drinking between the hours of 6am to 7am; if you break this Blue Law then you will be forced to say 12 Hail Marys and 2 Our Fathers at the next Shreveport City Council meeting."

The Squint story is a tight one: musicians from small-town Michigan relocate to the metropolis of Ruston, Louisiana, to get their career rolling.

They're such a good riffin' band with a smart vocalist - Dane Adrian - that they've become a success, location be damned.

Chris Smith of Houston Press says of their album,"Squint's music is chock-full of sticky pop hooks, with lyrics both general enough for mass appeal and clever enough to set the band apart."

Casey Jones said on ShreveSpoon this week: "Squint is always a great show. I'll be there. Friday night, Trip Rocket is playing at Sullys; check them out also."

And if you scroll back on this blog you'll see my enthusiastic review of Mars Vegas new album.

Sunday, March 20, 2005

Robot speaks apparently amusing syllables to Artspace visitor

Animatronix robotoid heads assembled and customized for the Artspace Robots exhibit were produced by Bruce Allen, Walter Washington, Donna Moore, Susan Breeland, Robert Trudeau & Talbot Hopkins Trudeau, Theresa Mormino, Michael G. Moore, Jerry Davenport and Allison Dickson, said project manager Jeff Courtman (who built the first one of the batch).

There are 5 stations of art activities and amusements as well as shopping awaiting kids and adults at Artspace, open 1 to 6 Sunday ($5).


More info: 673-6535.

The entire Roboteration is free during the week: Mon - Wed: 8 am to 2 pm. Th and Fri 8 am to 9 pm.

Having seen Robots, the movie, I must say the exploration of the art behind the animation at Artspace is fulfilling.

New work at Robin Rothrock's Backroom Gallery in the Arodasi Dance Center

The Backroom Gallery presents "Lunar Intoxication," paintings by Robin Rothrock, Saturday March 19th, and Sunday, March 20th, 1:00-2:00 PM. Come and have a glass of wine and a snack and stay for the performance entitled "Intoxication" (please see Intoxication post below) by the Arodasi Dancers, says Robin.

Rothrock occupies a permanent corner gallery in the back of Arodasi Dance Center - 327 Market St.; Bistineau Gallery is part of the same space - where she works on staging her work for showing. She is creating a series of lunar and planetary inspired works which establish an organic and textural glimpse of the immediate world and beyond.

Recent previously unseen works will be on display which explore the intoxicating spirit of the moon.

Information at robinred@hotrock.com or call 318 227 3075.

Friday, March 18, 2005

Welcome to Shrevetown and Artspace, Blue Skivvies and fans of Robots

Robots producer-designer Bill Joyce is bringing illustrators from the Blue Sky Studios team to Artspace for the opening of the The Art of Robots exhibit, says SRaC's Pam Atchison. The Artspace grand jeter is Friday, March 18, at 7. Tickets are $50 for all the food, entertainment and concepts you can consume.

Saturday, March 19, Artspace's Rivet Town and Robot City - veritable Russias of recycled goods fashioned into a world that mimics our own - are open 10 am to 9 pm ($5). Sunday enjoy the whirring cog wheels of the Robots exhibit from 1 pm to 6.

SRAC has heard the complaints of the impecunious artists & downtowners and provided something free to enjoy: in the Artspace window will be a Robotnik Family going about their daily life-in-storefront-window ablutions.

Hip-hop Robotoids? B-reakdancers will be onsite, says SRAC.

Coffeespace will be open, too, and the reconstituted Giftspace is stocked and upfront.

More info: 673-6535.

The entire mechanoid gulag can be ogled and toggled free during the week: Mon - Wed: 8 am to 2 pm. Th and Fri 8 am to 9 pm.