The hospitality and tourism industry has been invited to attend a forum with Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, says SRAC head Pam Atchison. It will take place at 10 a.m., Thur, Sept. 21, at Artspace, 710 Texas, downtown Shreveport.
Landrieu wants to discuss his upcoming plans with industry officials. He wants feedback on issues important to northwest Louisiana attractions, hotels, restaurants, arts organizations, and other hospitality-related industries.
Your attendance is very important. This is our time to share our vision and let our voices be heard, says Atchison.
Parking is available at First United Methodist Church parking lot on the corner of Texas Street and Common Street. This forum will last about an hour.
Please RSVP to the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau at 318-222-9391, says Brandy Evans, Vice President of Communications. She is bevans@sbctb.org
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Classical Mystery Tour: the group Beatlemania plus the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra at the Municipal Auditorium Fri, Oct 6, 7:30 pm
Butterman, the new orchestra leader, and Beatlemania, the tribute band from Broadway: the best of rock's best, plus romance.
Fri, Oct 6, 7:30 pm
Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
tickets $15, 25, 35 & 40
227-8863
shreveportsymphony.com
Fri, Oct 6, 7:30 pm
Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
tickets $15, 25, 35 & 40
227-8863
shreveportsymphony.com
Jam spazz dance flight at Arodasi Dance, 327 Market St, Shreveport, Fridays 6:30 to 8 pm
The Arodasi Tribal Dance Friday Jam starts this week, says Suzanne de la Cour and Dorothinia. The session goes from 6:30 to 8:00pm at 327 Market Street. Says De la Cour, "We are following in the footsteps of other groups around the country who have been having Dance Jams one night a week often on Friday nights for a long time. Dorothy describes it as our Visual Sound and Movement Company troupe members "teaching," with many of us usually attending for the fun of improvisational dance. Designed for all abilities. Dance with us, dance in your mind, in a chair, with your body, or in your imagination. Learn how to let go and use the body fully. We plan to dance out the stress of the week for a full hour then cool down, relax, meditate then move on to enjoy the weekend. The cost is $5."
"People don't have to get dressed up, don't have to have a dance partner, she adds. " On a website I saw someone was quoted as saying 'It's like when you turn up the stereo and dance alone in your living room, just because you want to or need to...except there's a bunch of other people there doing the same thing.'"
More info: suzanne.delacour@gmail.com & www.myspace.com/ArodasiDanceCenter
"People don't have to get dressed up, don't have to have a dance partner, she adds. " On a website I saw someone was quoted as saying 'It's like when you turn up the stereo and dance alone in your living room, just because you want to or need to...except there's a bunch of other people there doing the same thing.'"
More info: suzanne.delacour@gmail.com & www.myspace.com/ArodasiDanceCenter
Rachel & David Stuart-Haas house, Shreveport, as seen on decor8.blogspot.com; fresh finds for hip spaces
Rachel & david Stuart-Haas house, Shreveport, as seen on decor8.blogspot.com
Originally uploaded by trudeau.
Are you into art? If it's color you crave, and you'd like to add a beautiful painting to your home, I think you'll love artist Rachel Stuart-Haas who is based in Shreveport, Louisiana and not only has amazing art, but a beautiful little house full of sensational color. Rachel would like to give us a mini tour of her home with hopes that we'll all be inspired to infuse our space with color. Another decor8 reader mini tour, coming up!
Becker also offers a sampling of Stuart-Haas' almond-eyed women.
The page is http://decor8.blogspot.com/2006/08/decor8-reader-spaces-tour-rachels.html.
Also, see more at the painter's gallery:
http://www.rachelstuart-haas.com/gallery.php.
And for finding Rachel online, thanks to my art source in Houston, Annabel Trudeau.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Shreveport Symphony Orchestra packs Riverview Theater, formerly Civic Theater, with Marcus Roberts, Gershwin & Brahms
Michael Butterman is not only dashing and articulate, he understands Shreveport's needs. Observations from his season opener . . .
1. Guest artist Marcus Roberts is not an A list jazz name. But the Shreveport audience was ready for a jazz group to accompany the SSO. It almost did not matter who did the job. Both Shreveport and Roberts benefitted.
2. Marcus Roberts is a black man from the heart of Florida and is accompanied by Creole musicians Roland Guerin and Jason Marsalis. Ethnic balance in the world of orchestral concerts is a healthy thing. Especially in a minority-majority city.
3. Butterman lead the SSO in the Star Spangled Banner, but in this quotidian act he found a way to uplift: it was an arrangement written by Stravinsky.
4. Helping the audience enjoy the Brahms & Hindemith pieces by explication from the podium was done smartly and with exemplary brevity. The audience will learn a great deal about the music this year.
5. Butterman as SSO director exemplifies how Shreveport ought to heal itself. The SSO, like everyone in the arts, has suffered from desperate budget shortfalls. But, with the arrival of a smartly chosen outsider as conductor, the door to the future is filled with light.
6. Credit to the team who built this gleaming stage: marketing director Scott Green is a hitmaker. Janice Nelson, Jennifer Akers and Susan Rogers kept the office and musical team stable. Board leader Paula Leonard initiated the conductor search. Ray Boswell has brought the transition to the house. Board members Ed Crawford, Virginia Sheehee, Sybil Patten and Bill Lacefield have impressed everyone with their care and insight. Associate conductor Kermit Poling held the center with elan and energy.
7. Online ticket sales are going to finally be reality - before next concert, said Kermit Poling.
8. The audience was cool. We showed hearty appreciation for Marcus Roberts' considerable re-working of the Gershwin. His arrangement didn't boogie in a way that would've swept us into the palm of his hand. It was complex and sober. But the clarity and breadth of his performance was compelling. The audience definitely seemed tuned in.
9. Lots of youngsters came to listen and see. I was happy to count 8 of my first-years from the arts high school, Caddo Magnet, in attendance.
Next up: Classical Mystery Tour, a Beatlemania concert at the Municipal Auditorium.
Fri, Oct 6, 7:30 pm.
Tickets - it's a special concert and not part of the season ticket package - at 227-8863.
1. Guest artist Marcus Roberts is not an A list jazz name. But the Shreveport audience was ready for a jazz group to accompany the SSO. It almost did not matter who did the job. Both Shreveport and Roberts benefitted.
2. Marcus Roberts is a black man from the heart of Florida and is accompanied by Creole musicians Roland Guerin and Jason Marsalis. Ethnic balance in the world of orchestral concerts is a healthy thing. Especially in a minority-majority city.
3. Butterman lead the SSO in the Star Spangled Banner, but in this quotidian act he found a way to uplift: it was an arrangement written by Stravinsky.
4. Helping the audience enjoy the Brahms & Hindemith pieces by explication from the podium was done smartly and with exemplary brevity. The audience will learn a great deal about the music this year.
5. Butterman as SSO director exemplifies how Shreveport ought to heal itself. The SSO, like everyone in the arts, has suffered from desperate budget shortfalls. But, with the arrival of a smartly chosen outsider as conductor, the door to the future is filled with light.
6. Credit to the team who built this gleaming stage: marketing director Scott Green is a hitmaker. Janice Nelson, Jennifer Akers and Susan Rogers kept the office and musical team stable. Board leader Paula Leonard initiated the conductor search. Ray Boswell has brought the transition to the house. Board members Ed Crawford, Virginia Sheehee, Sybil Patten and Bill Lacefield have impressed everyone with their care and insight. Associate conductor Kermit Poling held the center with elan and energy.
7. Online ticket sales are going to finally be reality - before next concert, said Kermit Poling.
8. The audience was cool. We showed hearty appreciation for Marcus Roberts' considerable re-working of the Gershwin. His arrangement didn't boogie in a way that would've swept us into the palm of his hand. It was complex and sober. But the clarity and breadth of his performance was compelling. The audience definitely seemed tuned in.
9. Lots of youngsters came to listen and see. I was happy to count 8 of my first-years from the arts high school, Caddo Magnet, in attendance.
Next up: Classical Mystery Tour, a Beatlemania concert at the Municipal Auditorium.
Fri, Oct 6, 7:30 pm.
Tickets - it's a special concert and not part of the season ticket package - at 227-8863.
Shreveport mayoral candidate forum to address the progress of Highland neighborhood Tues, Sept 19, 7 pm, Highland Center, 520 Olive
The Highland Area Partnership, Inc. (HAP) is sponsoring a Mayoral Candidate Forum, says Dorothy McDonald, Executive Director of Highland Area Partnership.
It is Tue, Sept 19, 7 pm, Highland Center, at 520 Olive Street
All announced mayoral candidates have been invited. Candidates Arlena Acree, Vernon Adams, Ed Bradley, Tim Goeders, Cedric Glover, Henry Hodge-Bey, Jerry Jones, and Liz Swaine have agreed to participate in the forum.
"The purpose of this forum," says HAP Chairman Will Loe, "is to give candidates for mayor an opportunity to address policy issues vital to Shreveport's future. These issues involve a range of crucial matters that include economic development, public safety, parks and open space, neighborhood schools, and historic preservation."
Ed Walsh, KTBS, will ask each candidate a question which has been submitted in advance. Members of the audience will also submit questions, said Teresa Edgerton-Scott, President of the Highland Restoration Association. .
For additional details, call 869-5706 or email hap@bayou.com.
It is Tue, Sept 19, 7 pm, Highland Center, at 520 Olive Street
All announced mayoral candidates have been invited. Candidates Arlena Acree, Vernon Adams, Ed Bradley, Tim Goeders, Cedric Glover, Henry Hodge-Bey, Jerry Jones, and Liz Swaine have agreed to participate in the forum.
"The purpose of this forum," says HAP Chairman Will Loe, "is to give candidates for mayor an opportunity to address policy issues vital to Shreveport's future. These issues involve a range of crucial matters that include economic development, public safety, parks and open space, neighborhood schools, and historic preservation."
Ed Walsh, KTBS, will ask each candidate a question which has been submitted in advance. Members of the audience will also submit questions, said Teresa Edgerton-Scott, President of the Highland Restoration Association. .
For additional details, call 869-5706 or email hap@bayou.com.
An artist's musings on the mayoral candidates at the SRAC forum; Noma Fowler-Sandlin searches for relevance in the leaders
If you've missed seeing the candidates perform, please slip into the Highland Area Partnership Mayoral Forum on Tuesday, 19 September at 7 p.m. at Highland Center, 520 Olive.
Here's what artist Noma Fowler-Sandlin wrote in her blog after the recent SRAC candidate forum:
To be fair, I've already decided who I am voting for. But I went to the Mayoral Candidate Forum, sponsored by the local arts administrators last evening, and tried to listen with an open mind. Beforehand, they were given some questions they might address for this art-related crowd, but only a few of them chose to do their homework. This is what I heard:
Liz Swaine: She clearly recognizes that arts are integral to the growth of the city. She has plans to continue the kinds of programs that Hightower implemented that were very good to the arts/tourism industry. And she wants to work with the state to soften the rules for renovating the dilapidated buildings downtown to continue to stimulate the West Edge.
Max Malone: He flat out said that the arts would be cut. He unashamedly said so. He lost me there. The rest of his rhetoric painted a pretty ugly picture of Shreveport. Man, what a downer. Plus, "god" came up way too often.
Jerry Jones: He's a likable enough fellow -- fairly nice looking, smiles a lot, says big words with proper conjugations -- but when you really analyze what was said, it's the same political double-talk we've had from Republicans for years. He did not specify on his plans for the arts. (Afterall, we've already heard from him that homosexuals are responsible for art. And I proud to call Debbie Buchanan Engle my friend as she walked around with her name tag that read, "artistic and heterosexual.") Again, he did not offend. And I'm sure a lot of people listened with enthusiasm. He is the nice-looking, silver-tongued, articulate, used car salesman that politics nurtures so well. It's just more of the same business, so I think I'll pass.
Henry Hodge-Bey: All I could think of is, why is this man in this race? He blamed all the problems of Shreveport on the people's apathy and lethargy. Now, I do agree that is part of the problem, but to have that be your platform will not fetch you many votes, especially if you present no plan to change it. He mentioned his "son of a sharecropper" roots. (Wonder how ones name gets pretentiously hyphenated from that beginning. Hmm. Must've really changed since those days, but he still can't conjugate a verb. And sorry, you may think I'm a snob, but I want the leader of our city to not look like a boob on tv.)
Tim Goeders: Again, this guy talked about all the business problems with the city. He seemed angry that last time he ran he got less than 400 votes. He had the personality of a cardboard cut-out. He didn't touch on the arts at all, but seemed to be running on a "make Shreveport more like Bossier" platform. Yikes.
Cedric Glover: Mr. Glover was the winner of this event in my mind, although there was no score-keeping -- it wasn't a debate. As far as presentation, speaking ability and getting to the actual point, he ran circles around most of the others (although Swain did a fine job as well, she ran out of time.) He sees the connection between the arts and stimulation of the economy through the things that Louisiana does best -- entertainment and tourism. Plus, I must add, he has a supportive, visible and well-spoken wife supporting his campaign all along the way. It doesn't hurt to know that you have that going on.
Ed Bradley: Talks and talk about his plan that's on paper somewhere...but he makes me snore so much I never pick up the plan. You have to tell people what you're going to do. Not everyone is going to read your plan, no matter how good it is. Plus, with an eager, receptive, artistic crowd, the only connection to the arts he made was to drop two names of administrators. Not enough, Mr. Bradley.
Arlena Acree: Of the Republicans running, she was the most palatable. As the former tourism board point person, she knows that end of Shreveport and knows how to do it. That includes the arts. She probably has very good ideas. (I hope that whomever does win this election will keep Acree and Goeders close at hand. They have their areas of expertise well covered. But it's not enough to win my vote.) And I have to say, that despite her career background, she is not a good speaker.
Those were the candidates the bothered to come to the event, which was horribly under-attended and rushed. I would've preferred some other format, where the audience could've asked questions. Most of the candidates stayed for a reception, but it wasn't the kind of venue that would support serious conversation.
So, there you have it. I am supporting Liz Swaine. She's a friend. I think she'll do a fine job. But Cedric Glover will, too. He really was wonderful last night. And if someone held a gun to my head and forced me to vote Republican, I'd chose Arlena Acree. The difference between Swain and Glover in my eye is that I suspect Swain can actually get more of her ideas utilized. I don't know that for fact. But Cedric Glover might actually motivate the black community here and that would be a wonderful thing. For a majority black city, I am surprised at how little of their voices I hear on these things. I am fine with either of them being Mayor of Shreveport. Neither would embarrass us.
So there you have it -- my opinions. Use them for what they're worth. You know I love to opine.
I hope all of you will vote. I hope you'll use it wisely; do some research of your own. From many of my friends, I hear about how they hate Shreveport and want it to change. Well, here is an opportunity to be a virus. Change it.
Noma Fowler-Sandlin
Musebite Management Co.
noma@musebite.com
Here's what artist Noma Fowler-Sandlin wrote in her blog after the recent SRAC candidate forum:
To be fair, I've already decided who I am voting for. But I went to the Mayoral Candidate Forum, sponsored by the local arts administrators last evening, and tried to listen with an open mind. Beforehand, they were given some questions they might address for this art-related crowd, but only a few of them chose to do their homework. This is what I heard:
Liz Swaine: She clearly recognizes that arts are integral to the growth of the city. She has plans to continue the kinds of programs that Hightower implemented that were very good to the arts/tourism industry. And she wants to work with the state to soften the rules for renovating the dilapidated buildings downtown to continue to stimulate the West Edge.
Max Malone: He flat out said that the arts would be cut. He unashamedly said so. He lost me there. The rest of his rhetoric painted a pretty ugly picture of Shreveport. Man, what a downer. Plus, "god" came up way too often.
Jerry Jones: He's a likable enough fellow -- fairly nice looking, smiles a lot, says big words with proper conjugations -- but when you really analyze what was said, it's the same political double-talk we've had from Republicans for years. He did not specify on his plans for the arts. (Afterall, we've already heard from him that homosexuals are responsible for art. And I proud to call Debbie Buchanan Engle my friend as she walked around with her name tag that read, "artistic and heterosexual.") Again, he did not offend. And I'm sure a lot of people listened with enthusiasm. He is the nice-looking, silver-tongued, articulate, used car salesman that politics nurtures so well. It's just more of the same business, so I think I'll pass.
Henry Hodge-Bey: All I could think of is, why is this man in this race? He blamed all the problems of Shreveport on the people's apathy and lethargy. Now, I do agree that is part of the problem, but to have that be your platform will not fetch you many votes, especially if you present no plan to change it. He mentioned his "son of a sharecropper" roots. (Wonder how ones name gets pretentiously hyphenated from that beginning. Hmm. Must've really changed since those days, but he still can't conjugate a verb. And sorry, you may think I'm a snob, but I want the leader of our city to not look like a boob on tv.)
Tim Goeders: Again, this guy talked about all the business problems with the city. He seemed angry that last time he ran he got less than 400 votes. He had the personality of a cardboard cut-out. He didn't touch on the arts at all, but seemed to be running on a "make Shreveport more like Bossier" platform. Yikes.
Cedric Glover: Mr. Glover was the winner of this event in my mind, although there was no score-keeping -- it wasn't a debate. As far as presentation, speaking ability and getting to the actual point, he ran circles around most of the others (although Swain did a fine job as well, she ran out of time.) He sees the connection between the arts and stimulation of the economy through the things that Louisiana does best -- entertainment and tourism. Plus, I must add, he has a supportive, visible and well-spoken wife supporting his campaign all along the way. It doesn't hurt to know that you have that going on.
Ed Bradley: Talks and talk about his plan that's on paper somewhere...but he makes me snore so much I never pick up the plan. You have to tell people what you're going to do. Not everyone is going to read your plan, no matter how good it is. Plus, with an eager, receptive, artistic crowd, the only connection to the arts he made was to drop two names of administrators. Not enough, Mr. Bradley.
Arlena Acree: Of the Republicans running, she was the most palatable. As the former tourism board point person, she knows that end of Shreveport and knows how to do it. That includes the arts. She probably has very good ideas. (I hope that whomever does win this election will keep Acree and Goeders close at hand. They have their areas of expertise well covered. But it's not enough to win my vote.) And I have to say, that despite her career background, she is not a good speaker.
Those were the candidates the bothered to come to the event, which was horribly under-attended and rushed. I would've preferred some other format, where the audience could've asked questions. Most of the candidates stayed for a reception, but it wasn't the kind of venue that would support serious conversation.
So, there you have it. I am supporting Liz Swaine. She's a friend. I think she'll do a fine job. But Cedric Glover will, too. He really was wonderful last night. And if someone held a gun to my head and forced me to vote Republican, I'd chose Arlena Acree. The difference between Swain and Glover in my eye is that I suspect Swain can actually get more of her ideas utilized. I don't know that for fact. But Cedric Glover might actually motivate the black community here and that would be a wonderful thing. For a majority black city, I am surprised at how little of their voices I hear on these things. I am fine with either of them being Mayor of Shreveport. Neither would embarrass us.
So there you have it -- my opinions. Use them for what they're worth. You know I love to opine.
I hope all of you will vote. I hope you'll use it wisely; do some research of your own. From many of my friends, I hear about how they hate Shreveport and want it to change. Well, here is an opportunity to be a virus. Change it.
Noma Fowler-Sandlin
Musebite Management Co.
noma@musebite.com
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Butterman takes over the SSO podium at the Shreveport Riverview Civic Theater Sat, Sept 16, 7:30 pm with Gershwin; 673-5108
Shreveport Civic Theater is a name that is being upgraded, and it's about time. Orchestra media managers Janice Nelson and Kermit Poling are calling it Shreveport Civic Riverview Theater at shreveportsymphony.com - in advance of getting everyone to call it simply Riverview Theater, formerly Shreveport Civic Theater. The tourism site, shreveport-bossier.org, is calling it Riverview Theater.
So, at Riverview Theater the number is 673-5108, which is info that I generally find unfindable as concert time approaches and I want to get seats for my Anytime Ticket vouchers.
May we all get seats for the Gershwin and Marcus Robert Trio concert.
So, at Riverview Theater the number is 673-5108, which is info that I generally find unfindable as concert time approaches and I want to get seats for my Anytime Ticket vouchers.
May we all get seats for the Gershwin and Marcus Robert Trio concert.
Garbage and the mayoral candidates: Swaine offers background & perspective on trying to green Shreveport
"I actually emailed each one of our mayoral candidates and asked them about various issues. I also asked them what they did personally to decrease their damage to the environment. Liz Swayne was the only one who responded and I am fairly impressed with the content of the email. Thought you might find this interesting and maybe you could forward it to others," writes Patricia Stafford to Janet Mighell.
Here's most of what Swaine wrote (if you see dots you'll know I shortened a passage):
Hi Patricia:
Goodness! One day I am hoping to get a 'what is your favorite color'
-type question that won't make me think quite so much so early in the
morning... :) Now I am going to make you read this "war and peace"
response!
Let me start with what I have personally done to be friendlier to the
environment. My husband and I both have motorcycles that we try to ride as able in place of driving our 4-wheel vehicles, but of course there are those days for me when helmet hair just won't do...
I have dogs, carry bicycles and loads of signs and whatnot now and
really need a vehicle with capacity, but I opted for a Honda Element.
Though it is an SUV, it gets much better gas mileage than those crazy tanks on the road today.
Up until a few months ago, I composted all household food refuse (except meats) for my garden.
Last week, my husband and I decided the two of us simply did not need a 2100-sf house so we downsized to a 1500- sf home that we renovated in Highland and absolutely love. Our smaller home requires less energy to keep cool/warm.
I try to recycle personal items through Goodwill, Dress for Success and freecycle websites instead of tossing them in the garbage. I have always found it amazing that there always seems to be a taker for almost any castoff stuff.
On the city side...
Shreveport has been aggressive in trying to educate the public on issues that we can have an impact on.
http://www.ci.shreveport.la.us/dept/dos/envirnmt.htm
http://www.ci.shreveport.la.us/AirQuality/index.htm
I wrote the information on Ozone and worked closely with our
Environmental Services office on educational material on the Cross Lake Watershed, our hybrid bus (the first in the state), Methane capture at the landfill (which we sell to General Motors), Household Hazardous waste day (see info below) and our Clean Air Committee (which is one of the ways we fight ozone--- by engaging the local business community in the discussion.)
"HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION DAY"
Saturday 09.16.06 8:AM – 12:Noon at Louisiana State
Fairgrounds
Sponsored by: Shreveport Green, Shreveport Dept of Public Works and Keep Bossier Beautiful
Bring your antifreeze, paint, oil, stain, bleach, disinfectants, fungicides, etc. 219-1888 673-7300 213-2100
On recycling...
we happen to live in a place in which eco-friendliness is not an
ingrained way of life and that is pretty typical in any area where
poverty is high. People here are much more attuned to economic
development, crime, transportation and the more basic 'bread and butter' issues. When I was at KTBS and recycling was making news, I remember doing a story on why Shreveport wasn't involved. We had a recycling coordinator, a fellow named Bill Robertson, and several of those drop-off sites had been set up. The issue was the cost of the set-up, as all-new trucks, bins, etc., would have to be purchased. It was a very substantial initial outlay that with all of the other needs facing the city could not be justified. At that time (and even now), there were no local processing facilities for the recycled goods, so in many cases, the items carefully recycled would all still be dumped into the same landfill. Perhaps even bigger than the cost was the lack of belief that they would be able to educate the public in the minutae of recycling.
I scanned Austin's recycling site and here are just a few of the rules
and regulations.
Place your recycling at the curb by 6:30 a.m. Keep your recycling about 5 feet away from your garbage, if they are collected on the same day. Rinse containers and put the lids in your garbage. Separate paper from the rest of your recycling. Put the paper in a brown, paper grocery bag or a second recycling bin. Flatten corrugated cardboard, cut or fold it . . .
Have you ever driven though Highland on a Saturday before Monday pickup? The city is lucky if stuff makes it into the can so we can haul it away!
It never ceases to amaze me what people leave by the curb expecting the city to 'make disappear'. I can only imagine what would happen if we started asking people to separate paper, plastics, glass, cardboard, yard waste, food products etc. into bins. The garbage collectors would either have to spend untold hours separating that stuff themselves, or more likely, just dump it all into the same truck for, you guessed it, the landfill.
I am truly not as cynical as I sound, just pragmatic. I think there are
opportunities to us to explore.
1. More recycling drop off sites throughout the city combined with an
education campaign. I think Shreveport Green could be very effective in helping with this. Perhaps figure out some sort of incentive for using the bins, such as points for schools. The telephone book recycling is very effective using this.
2. Designate a SMALL area, it would have to be a neighborhood with
buy-in, to use as a pilot program, a 'test case' for recycling. Start in
a small area with a small number of rules (paper, plastic, glass,
everything else) and see how it goes. If it goes well...
3. Consider allowing citizens to vote on recycling. To institute it full
scale, the city will have to charge for garbage pickup, which it does
not do now. Allow residents to tell the city if they will pay $XXX per
month to institute recycling. The city will also have to enact, through
the city council, a 'get tough' stance on those who do not, and that
could mean leaving garbage on the curb to the dismay of neighbors, who will then CALL their councilmember and tell them to get the city to pick it up. (Believe me, I have seen this happen many, many times.) I am sure other cities have already dealt with the issue of non-compliance and we can replicate. Would this mean hiring 'garbage police?' I am unsure. We would need to make sure that was covered in the citizen-passed garbage fees.
4. Appoint a citizen committee to come up with both ideas, AND how to pay for them.
On other issues, I am a strong proponent of the continue strengthening of our Cross Lake Watershed that ecompasses several hundred square miles around the lake. We have been given broad powers in protecting this area. We should continue to work with EPA on our aggressive brownfields development in which former light industrial areas are redeveloped, such as the old Moran Galvanizing plant into a Farmer's Market, etc. We have won millions in federal and state grants to rehabilitate these areas and
I would encourage our grant writer to continue these efforts. Our
partners at the DEQ should respond quickly to our air and water issues. I have not been happy at their speed in dealing with the extreme odors from Louisiana Protein in north Shreveport. No citizen should have to put up with that horrible stench. The "green building" downtown is going to be the National HQ of Shreveport-Bossier Community Renewal. The city has helped them access grants for asbestos abatement in the building and I am supportive of their efforts.
OK, whew.
So I may not be the only candidate who responds to your email, but I
will likely be the most verbose. :)
Thanks for the email and I hope you will consider supporting me!
Liz
Friday, September 15, 2006
Artspace exhibit Faces of Katrina drawing field trips, weekend visitors
"Jerry Davenport did a Second Line through the whole Artspace building today with a group of 27 Seniors from Saline High School. They got dressed and everything. Had a Blast!! The guests loved it also," said SRAC education director Julia Foley. Davenport, who was raised in New Orleans' ninth ward, is one of a group of artists who are guiding the school and weekend tours for students during the Faces of Katrina exhibit.
The artists for this weekend are Karen Wendt from 10-3 and Tony Neumann from 1-5, says Foley, who adds that "ArtSpace is open from 10-6, but the Fun-A-Torium is only open from 10-5."
Among the schools touring or scheduled to tour the exhibit are Caddo Magnet High, Strong High, Arkansas, Vivian Middle, Youree Drive Middle, Saline High, Fairpark High School, Bossier Parish Technical School, Broadmoor Middle School, Mansfield Elementary,
Rusheon Middle School, Central Elementary, Barrett Elementary,
Bossier Elementary, Vivian Middle School, Youree Drive Middle,
Broadmoor Middle, So. Highlands Elementary and University Elementary.
"We have also had special guests to tour from Centenary and Bossier Parish Community College (4 classes with Kelly McDade), as well as Volunteers of America Leadership Team. Calls are continuing to come in."
SRAC: 673-6500.
The artists for this weekend are Karen Wendt from 10-3 and Tony Neumann from 1-5, says Foley, who adds that "ArtSpace is open from 10-6, but the Fun-A-Torium is only open from 10-5."
Among the schools touring or scheduled to tour the exhibit are Caddo Magnet High, Strong High, Arkansas, Vivian Middle, Youree Drive Middle, Saline High, Fairpark High School, Bossier Parish Technical School, Broadmoor Middle School, Mansfield Elementary,
Rusheon Middle School, Central Elementary, Barrett Elementary,
Bossier Elementary, Vivian Middle School, Youree Drive Middle,
Broadmoor Middle, So. Highlands Elementary and University Elementary.
"We have also had special guests to tour from Centenary and Bossier Parish Community College (4 classes with Kelly McDade), as well as Volunteers of America Leadership Team. Calls are continuing to come in."
SRAC: 673-6500.
Acquiring art: a Crescent City collector to speak at Meadows Museum, Sun, Oct 8, 2 pm
In conjunction with Meadows Museum's current exhibit, "Louisiana Collects: Paperworks from the Roland-Geist Collection of New Orleans," the Museum will host a lecture by collector George Roland, owner of the Roland-Geist Collection, Sunday, Oct. 8, from 2–3 p.m. The lecture will be followed by an art supper in Roland's honor.
Roland's lecture, "Collecting or Shopping?," will explain how he and the late Gregg Geist assembled this collection of modern art.
Roland will be the special guest at a supper at Ernest's Orleans Restaurant. This event will feature a silent art auction, poster sale, cocktail buffet, Ernest's menu items and music by Dorsey
Summerfield.
Hosted by the Friends of Meadows Museum, the gala is intended
to serve as a fundraiser to help the Museum purchase textiles and textile mounts for the Jean Despujols exhibition in March 2007. Tickets are $50. Reservations can be made through the Museum up until Oct. 6.
For more information, contact Diane Dufilho, director of the Meadows
Museum of Art, at 318-869-5169, or Nell Cahn, president of the Board of the Friends of the Algur Meadows Museum, at 318-861-3040.
The Meadows Museum of Art is located on the campus of Centenary College of Louisiana at 2911 Centenary Blvd. The Museum is free and open to the public as below.
Sunday: 1-4 p.m.
Monday: closed
Tuesday: noon-4 p.m.
Wednesday: noon-4 p.m.
Thursday: 1-4 p.m.
Friday: noon-4 p.m.
Saturday: 1-4 p.m.
Roland's lecture, "Collecting or Shopping?," will explain how he and the late Gregg Geist assembled this collection of modern art.
Roland will be the special guest at a supper at Ernest's Orleans Restaurant. This event will feature a silent art auction, poster sale, cocktail buffet, Ernest's menu items and music by Dorsey
Summerfield.
Hosted by the Friends of Meadows Museum, the gala is intended
to serve as a fundraiser to help the Museum purchase textiles and textile mounts for the Jean Despujols exhibition in March 2007. Tickets are $50. Reservations can be made through the Museum up until Oct. 6.
For more information, contact Diane Dufilho, director of the Meadows
Museum of Art, at 318-869-5169, or Nell Cahn, president of the Board of the Friends of the Algur Meadows Museum, at 318-861-3040.
The Meadows Museum of Art is located on the campus of Centenary College of Louisiana at 2911 Centenary Blvd. The Museum is free and open to the public as below.
Sunday: 1-4 p.m.
Monday: closed
Tuesday: noon-4 p.m.
Wednesday: noon-4 p.m.
Thursday: 1-4 p.m.
Friday: noon-4 p.m.
Saturday: 1-4 p.m.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Matt the Electrician looking for a Shreveport job Sept 27th, on the way back to Austin from an East Coast tour
My friend and aficionado of Austin righteousness writes, "this guy is good.
damn good.
we met him in austin numerous times.
he emailed my brother and said he was coming through town
on September 27 and wanted a place to play.
when we recommended the Savage, he said he has had trouble booking
with them in the past.
any ideas?
we need him to come to the port city.
and in his words "i need me some of that Pete Harris goodness."
Listen to his recordings at myspace.com/matttheelectrician and it might make you want to host the derned gig in your back yard.
damn good.
we met him in austin numerous times.
he emailed my brother and said he was coming through town
on September 27 and wanted a place to play.
when we recommended the Savage, he said he has had trouble booking
with them in the past.
any ideas?
we need him to come to the port city.
and in his words "i need me some of that Pete Harris goodness."
Listen to his recordings at myspace.com/matttheelectrician and it might make you want to host the derned gig in your back yard.
Brick, Shopgirl, Kontroll: Centenary Film Society movies return on Tues and Th at 7 pm, Mickle Hall
The Centenary Film Society remains one of the area's most important venues for cool movies. While the series starts this semester with what are familiar US titles, the list segues into Hungarian movies, British, South African, Australian and Mexican work.
See the schedule at centenary.edu/life/film. More info at 869-5254.
It's all free but far, far from mobbed. CFS is an intimate club.
See the schedule at centenary.edu/life/film. More info at 869-5254.
It's all free but far, far from mobbed. CFS is an intimate club.
American Tragedy, Shreveport, at Flanagan's Pub Fr, Sept 15, 10 pm
Charlsie Shaver, who has captured a world of smart images for the American Tragedy, is a member of the AT street team. Fans like her and the vaunted AT organization - few rock bands have headlined the Strand Theater but AT produced a well-attended show at the Strand in March with Tyler Read and Built for Speed - mean the group continues to show off its tight, crunchy rock across the region.
Currently they play the Houston, Dallas, New Orleans circuit.
Sample their well-made, melodic but explosive tunes at myspace.com/theamericantragedy. More at theamericantragedy.com.
They play the, ahem, thunderdome, Flanagan's Pub, on Kings Hwy Fri, Sept 15.
Currently they play the Houston, Dallas, New Orleans circuit.
Sample their well-made, melodic but explosive tunes at myspace.com/theamericantragedy. More at theamericantragedy.com.
They play the, ahem, thunderdome, Flanagan's Pub, on Kings Hwy Fri, Sept 15.
Marcus Roberts Trio Sat, Sept 16: Gershwin with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra at Shreveport Civic Theater, 7:30 pm
At age 21, Marcus Roberts joined Wynton Marsalis’ band and toured and recorded with the trumpeter for the next six years. Most likely, he played the Strand Theater with Wynton.
Since then, he has developed his own trio, made albums and toured the world.
Roberts’ most recent recording, New Orleans Meets Harlem, is a celebration of how the early roots of jazz - with its ragtime, blues, and New Orleans’ influences - can be combined with the virtuosic Harlem styles to create an entirely new sound, says Miami Fest.
Roberts performs with the jazz royalty. Examples: playing alongside Maestro Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, serving as the Artistic Director for a Franco-American celebration of Louis Armstrong’s legacy at the Opera House of Versailles, participating in the Cultural Olympiad as an artist-in-residence for the 2002 winter Olympic Games, and in 2003, premiering his new arrangement of Gershwin’s Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra in Japan with the New Japan Philharmonic and in Europe, with the Berlin Philharmonic.
To his left is bassist Roland Gurein and on his right is drummer-percussionist Jason Marsalis, the youngest brother of Wynton.
Sat, Sept 16, they join the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra for an evening of orchestral Gershwin.
Thursday, Sept 14, the trio will perform in Centenary College's Anderson Auditorium from 3:30-4:30 p.m. The concert is hosted by Centenary College faculty jazz artist Dr. Doug Rust.
Tickets and more at shreveportsymphony.com or at 318-227-8863.
Since then, he has developed his own trio, made albums and toured the world.
Roberts’ most recent recording, New Orleans Meets Harlem, is a celebration of how the early roots of jazz - with its ragtime, blues, and New Orleans’ influences - can be combined with the virtuosic Harlem styles to create an entirely new sound, says Miami Fest.
Roberts performs with the jazz royalty. Examples: playing alongside Maestro Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, serving as the Artistic Director for a Franco-American celebration of Louis Armstrong’s legacy at the Opera House of Versailles, participating in the Cultural Olympiad as an artist-in-residence for the 2002 winter Olympic Games, and in 2003, premiering his new arrangement of Gershwin’s Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra in Japan with the New Japan Philharmonic and in Europe, with the Berlin Philharmonic.
To his left is bassist Roland Gurein and on his right is drummer-percussionist Jason Marsalis, the youngest brother of Wynton.
Sat, Sept 16, they join the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra for an evening of orchestral Gershwin.
Thursday, Sept 14, the trio will perform in Centenary College's Anderson Auditorium from 3:30-4:30 p.m. The concert is hosted by Centenary College faculty jazz artist Dr. Doug Rust.
Tickets and more at shreveportsymphony.com or at 318-227-8863.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Ordinary People opens at East Bank Theater Sept 22, 8 pm, continues to Oct 1
Ordinary People is the play on which the award winning film directed by Robert Redford was based, says Anne Susman. It opens at East Bank Theater, Bossier City, on Sept 22.
It's a drama about “The anxiety, despair, and joy that is common to every human experience. if Conrad and his family are Ordinary People, why then so are we all.”
High school students from Bossier and Caddo Parishes are featured on stage and behind the scenes.
Sept. 22,23,29,30 @ 8:00PM
Sept. 24 and October 1 @ 2:00PM
East Bank Theatre/Bossier Arts Council
630 Barksdale Blvd. Bossier City, La. 71111
Adults - $13.00
Seniors, Students, Military - $11.00
Group rates available
Reservations: 741-8310
Anne Susman
Community Development Coordinator
Bossier Arts Council
630 Barksdale Blvd
Bossier City, La. 71111
It's a drama about “The anxiety, despair, and joy that is common to every human experience. if Conrad and his family are Ordinary People, why then so are we all.”
High school students from Bossier and Caddo Parishes are featured on stage and behind the scenes.
Sept. 22,23,29,30 @ 8:00PM
Sept. 24 and October 1 @ 2:00PM
East Bank Theatre/Bossier Arts Council
630 Barksdale Blvd. Bossier City, La. 71111
Adults - $13.00
Seniors, Students, Military - $11.00
Group rates available
Reservations: 741-8310
Anne Susman
Community Development Coordinator
Bossier Arts Council
630 Barksdale Blvd
Bossier City, La. 71111
Sunday, September 10, 2006
What can we do to help bridge the gap somewhere between Islamic terrorists and US nationalists?
Last week the Shreveport Times editorial page printed a provocation from the Jewish World Review's Michelle Malkin under the title "Post 9-11 Pop Quiz." It was far from a quiz. It was an inflammatory piece of extremism.
The middle way does not pump you up like the way of righteous indignation. Nor does anyone think the way of reason and inquiry will save the mass media from falling subscriptions.
I think every teacher and professional group in the city should take it upon themselves to pursue the middle way in regards our worries about Muslim terrorism. I suggest a small forum - in every work place - to recognize the growing world of Islam. Our workmates and neighbors are Muslims who are usually far, far from confrontational or embittered by the west.
In my classes at Caddo Magnet High School I was fortunate to have 2 Muslim teens who spoke to my classes about Islam and life in Lebanon. Both students' families were evacuated from Lebanon this summer. I think their talk and responses to questions resulted in a positive experience for all.
Just because we're not NYC doesn't mean that we can ignore the bridge building and educational efforts that will lead, we hope, to common cause in our diverse society.
The middle way does not pump you up like the way of righteous indignation. Nor does anyone think the way of reason and inquiry will save the mass media from falling subscriptions.
I think every teacher and professional group in the city should take it upon themselves to pursue the middle way in regards our worries about Muslim terrorism. I suggest a small forum - in every work place - to recognize the growing world of Islam. Our workmates and neighbors are Muslims who are usually far, far from confrontational or embittered by the west.
In my classes at Caddo Magnet High School I was fortunate to have 2 Muslim teens who spoke to my classes about Islam and life in Lebanon. Both students' families were evacuated from Lebanon this summer. I think their talk and responses to questions resulted in a positive experience for all.
Just because we're not NYC doesn't mean that we can ignore the bridge building and educational efforts that will lead, we hope, to common cause in our diverse society.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Artistic linkage at Lil Joes: Rock Popes sing, Joanna Ballard vends on Sat, Sept 9
One of the steady outpourings from the local art camp is a stream of ebullient notices from Joanna Ballard. She is a writer, photographer, actress, collaborator, organizer and vendor of artful goods. And she's an irrepressible communicator. Tonight she will set up shop at Lil Joes, she reminds us with a mad hatter's wit:
"It has been too long since the Rock Popes have blessed Lil' Joe's.
Come congregate and get blessed by three Popes!
Nooooooooooo I am NOT singing (count your blessings on that one!!). The Rock Popes have honored me by allowing me to vend with em so if you missed me not being there Wednesday night I am baaaaaaack and as always with new and original baubles! Also I am working on some new stories soooo if you tip me or buy a bauble or two or buy me just a cup of coffee you just might get a story as well!"
Lil Joe's
163 King's Highway
(across from Centenary)
Joanna Ballard ~ jb@ballardsbytes.com
Ballard's Bytes ~ http://www.ballardsbytes.com
http://www.myspace.com/ballardsbytes
"It has been too long since the Rock Popes have blessed Lil' Joe's.
Come congregate and get blessed by three Popes!
Nooooooooooo I am NOT singing (count your blessings on that one!!). The Rock Popes have honored me by allowing me to vend with em so if you missed me not being there Wednesday night I am baaaaaaack and as always with new and original baubles! Also I am working on some new stories soooo if you tip me or buy a bauble or two or buy me just a cup of coffee you just might get a story as well!"
Lil Joe's
163 King's Highway
(across from Centenary)
Joanna Ballard ~ jb@ballardsbytes.com
Ballard's Bytes ~ http://www.ballardsbytes.com
http://www.myspace.com/ballardsbytes
Friday, September 08, 2006
Blues for Herman Buzzard Lott, 1938 - 2006; benefit for Buzzard at Noble Savage Tues, Sept 12, 8 pm
Buddy and Bruce Flett and many other aficionados of Shreveport blues knew bassist Buzzard Lott from the Glass Hat Lounge, the 3 Dimension Club, Enoch's, the Silver Dollar on Fannin, and from the bands assembled behind Raymond Blakes, Marvin Seals and Elgie Brown. Here's Bruce Flett's homage to Buzzard:
IN MEMORIAM:
Herman Lott, better known as the bassist "Buzzard." He was born in Shreveport in 1938 and passed away almost two weeks ago. Buzzard was not buried for two weeks due to poverty.
* One of the Unsung Heroes of the local music scene.
* Arguably the best soul/blues bass player of his generation in this area.
* Poor Buzzard basically deteriorated over the past couple of decades, unkown to most but unforgettable to anyone that knew him or heard him play.
Buzzard toured with Ike & Tina Turner and Ted Taylor in the 1960s. As bassist for Elgie Brown & the Downbeats he backed up stars such as Johnny Taylor, Freddy King, ZZ Hill and Etta James in the early 1960s in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kansas and New Mexico.
We knew him as the bass player for Raymond Blakes and Marvin Seals in the late 70s, early 80s. A really lovable guy, he played his Fender bass with only 3 strings on it, and sometimes only two! Just the low strings is all he needed to hold down the bottom."
Buddy Flett says that he has put together a benefit for Buzzard to be performed Tuesday at the Noble Savage. Guitarist Flett says, "I'm calling up trombonist Dunny Gilyard, Elgie Brown, some more of the older heads, for the occasion." Please see SptBlog Links for the Noble Savage web site.
IN MEMORIAM:
Herman Lott, better known as the bassist "Buzzard." He was born in Shreveport in 1938 and passed away almost two weeks ago. Buzzard was not buried for two weeks due to poverty.
* One of the Unsung Heroes of the local music scene.
* Arguably the best soul/blues bass player of his generation in this area.
* Poor Buzzard basically deteriorated over the past couple of decades, unkown to most but unforgettable to anyone that knew him or heard him play.
Buzzard toured with Ike & Tina Turner and Ted Taylor in the 1960s. As bassist for Elgie Brown & the Downbeats he backed up stars such as Johnny Taylor, Freddy King, ZZ Hill and Etta James in the early 1960s in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Kansas and New Mexico.
We knew him as the bass player for Raymond Blakes and Marvin Seals in the late 70s, early 80s. A really lovable guy, he played his Fender bass with only 3 strings on it, and sometimes only two! Just the low strings is all he needed to hold down the bottom."
Buddy Flett says that he has put together a benefit for Buzzard to be performed Tuesday at the Noble Savage. Guitarist Flett says, "I'm calling up trombonist Dunny Gilyard, Elgie Brown, some more of the older heads, for the occasion." Please see SptBlog Links for the Noble Savage web site.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Thoughtful mayoral candidates spoke to small audience in forum sponsored by SRAC and numerous allied arts organizations
We are reminded of why the city council didn't worry about severely cutting SRAC's budget this past year. If we can generalize from the small turnout for the mayoral candidates forum sponsored by an alliance of arts-minded organizations, we must say the art class doesn't get it.
Artists of the wilder, purer sort are traditionally apolitical beings. Some of those eccentrics are impoverished, some are supported by a fund. But the rest of us exist in a world compromised by rent, medical bills and car payments. We are paying-the-bills sort of artists, often subsidy-friendly, commercial-minded, grant-aware and ambitious.
Seems to me that the majority of artists stand to benefit from being politically aware. Maybe even politcally active.
The next mayoral forum, you ask? That would be Th, Sept. 14, says Roy Gerritson of Red River Radio. The public radio affiliate and the Times will partner in a forum to be held at the UC Theater in the LSUS student center. It will be broadcast in real time from 7 to 8 pm. "Questions are being taken on the Times web page, and queries written by the audience may also be used Thursday evening," said Gerritson.
Artists of the wilder, purer sort are traditionally apolitical beings. Some of those eccentrics are impoverished, some are supported by a fund. But the rest of us exist in a world compromised by rent, medical bills and car payments. We are paying-the-bills sort of artists, often subsidy-friendly, commercial-minded, grant-aware and ambitious.
Seems to me that the majority of artists stand to benefit from being politically aware. Maybe even politcally active.
The next mayoral forum, you ask? That would be Th, Sept. 14, says Roy Gerritson of Red River Radio. The public radio affiliate and the Times will partner in a forum to be held at the UC Theater in the LSUS student center. It will be broadcast in real time from 7 to 8 pm. "Questions are being taken on the Times web page, and queries written by the audience may also be used Thursday evening," said Gerritson.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Mayoral hopefuls meet artists' queries Wed, Sept 6, PAC, from 5 pm until the grant money is gone
Meet and Try to get in a Word Edgewise with the mayoral candidates is set for Wed, Sept 6, at the Performing Arts Center, First United Methodist Church, says Ambassadors for the Arts.
5 pm Meet & Try to be Sincere
5:30 pm Candidates Equivocate
6:30 pm Let the Good Times Role
More: 429-6885
5 pm Meet & Try to be Sincere
5:30 pm Candidates Equivocate
6:30 pm Let the Good Times Role
More: 429-6885
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Pandora.com: a streaming expulsion of music parsed & divined for me - and for you
The New Tastemakers is the article in the NY Times that moved me into the world of Pandora.com. S'nice. S'cool.
For background I found a smartly explanatory article by Marc D. Allan at Nuvo.com called Your Own Private Radio Station / Pandora.com Takes New Approach:
An analyst from pandora.com listens intently as he works at pairing listener with artist.
Everyone who loves music should go to pandora.com immediately — after reading this, of course — where you will experience the joy of creating your own private radio station.
You’ll thank me for this later, much like I thanked Tim Westergren, who founded the site.
“I spend most of my time now corresponding with people who are using the service,” Westergren said. “I have to tell you, the emotion of people is wild. People want and need music in their lives, but they forget how much they want and need it until they get it back again. And there’s such a sense of gratitude, which is just amazing. People write love letters.”
As well they should. On Pandora, you start with a group — let’s say the Beatles — or a song — “Ticket to Ride,” for example. Pandora will create a station for you. It’ll start with a Beatles song, then continue on with similar-sounding tunes. You can tell the computer what you like (which keeps similar songs coming) and what you don’t (you can stop bad songs immediately). You can add more bands or songs, too. Or you can just let it play.
The site is advertiser-supported, and it’s free.
As of this writing, I’ve been on an eight-day XTC thread that has gone in magnificent directions, including one especially memorable run of “Adult Books” (X), “Rocket from a Bottle” (XTC), “Hardcore UFOs” (Guided By Voices) and “Star Sign” (Teenage Fanclub). There have been several new discoveries — most notably the jaunty “Out Out Damn Spot” by Anthony Rapp (“If you wanna know the truth about my life / it’s a mess, it’s a mess, it’s a mess, it’s a mess”) and maybe the greatest song title ever, “Outbreak of Vitas Gerulatis” by a British group called Half Man Half Biscuit. I’d never heard of Patty Hurst Shifter, Aspera Ad Astra, The Waxwings, De Novo Dahl and Ellie Pop, but I have now. And I’m glad.
So far, Pandora employees have catalogued nearly 400,000 songs based on an array of different characteristics such as major-key tonality, melodic songwriting and rhythmic syncopation. They call what they’re doing “the musical genome project” because it’s the musical equivalent of what scientists have done with human genes.
Westergren wouldn’t divulge how many users are on Pandora, but he said 8.5 million stations have been created in three months. Each user can start up to 100 stations.
“Music makes your life better,” said Westergren, a former musician whose acoustic-rock band Yellowwood Junction has just been added to the Pandora catalog. “I think it makes the world better. It’s goodness. And people like to bask in that.”
For background I found a smartly explanatory article by Marc D. Allan at Nuvo.com called Your Own Private Radio Station / Pandora.com Takes New Approach:
An analyst from pandora.com listens intently as he works at pairing listener with artist.
Everyone who loves music should go to pandora.com immediately — after reading this, of course — where you will experience the joy of creating your own private radio station.
You’ll thank me for this later, much like I thanked Tim Westergren, who founded the site.
“I spend most of my time now corresponding with people who are using the service,” Westergren said. “I have to tell you, the emotion of people is wild. People want and need music in their lives, but they forget how much they want and need it until they get it back again. And there’s such a sense of gratitude, which is just amazing. People write love letters.”
As well they should. On Pandora, you start with a group — let’s say the Beatles — or a song — “Ticket to Ride,” for example. Pandora will create a station for you. It’ll start with a Beatles song, then continue on with similar-sounding tunes. You can tell the computer what you like (which keeps similar songs coming) and what you don’t (you can stop bad songs immediately). You can add more bands or songs, too. Or you can just let it play.
The site is advertiser-supported, and it’s free.
As of this writing, I’ve been on an eight-day XTC thread that has gone in magnificent directions, including one especially memorable run of “Adult Books” (X), “Rocket from a Bottle” (XTC), “Hardcore UFOs” (Guided By Voices) and “Star Sign” (Teenage Fanclub). There have been several new discoveries — most notably the jaunty “Out Out Damn Spot” by Anthony Rapp (“If you wanna know the truth about my life / it’s a mess, it’s a mess, it’s a mess, it’s a mess”) and maybe the greatest song title ever, “Outbreak of Vitas Gerulatis” by a British group called Half Man Half Biscuit. I’d never heard of Patty Hurst Shifter, Aspera Ad Astra, The Waxwings, De Novo Dahl and Ellie Pop, but I have now. And I’m glad.
So far, Pandora employees have catalogued nearly 400,000 songs based on an array of different characteristics such as major-key tonality, melodic songwriting and rhythmic syncopation. They call what they’re doing “the musical genome project” because it’s the musical equivalent of what scientists have done with human genes.
Westergren wouldn’t divulge how many users are on Pandora, but he said 8.5 million stations have been created in three months. Each user can start up to 100 stations.
“Music makes your life better,” said Westergren, a former musician whose acoustic-rock band Yellowwood Junction has just been added to the Pandora catalog. “I think it makes the world better. It’s goodness. And people like to bask in that.”
Whether to enjoy visiting or remain immersed in the bargain book bins? Experiencing the Centenary Book Bazaar, Fr, Sept 8 and Sat, Sept 9
The sight of a jillion used books in one room quickens the pulse of SptBlog readers. So here's our annual bookgasm: some 50,000 books, along with audio and video tapes and CDs, will be sold at the 20th Anniversary Centenary Book Bazaar at the Gold Dome.
Friday, Sept. 8, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hummer & Son Honey is the corporate sponsor for this year's event, says Amy Giglio.
Zoe Ramsey, longtime Book Bazaar volunteer, points out that the event is the biggest book recycling project in the area. Ramsey, a retired librarian, manages a team of volunteers who are trained to price books fairly but affordably. The volunteers also look for extra special books to include in the event’s sealed bid auction.
“These books are donated by local people, and we want to give local people a chance to purchase them,” Ramsey said. If the books do not sell at the sealed bid auction, they will be offered on the Internet to attract a larger market.
Numerous vinyl records, including many Hollywood, Broadway and television soundtracks, will be sold by the Centenary music sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota, on the upper level of the Gold Dome.
Proceeds from the Book Bazaar help fund student projects and activities not included in the regular college budget. Among items funded by the Muses in the past are equipment for the student leisure and extracurricular activities, benches and decks, equipment for student publications, student travel, student recognition activities and a celebration for graduating seniors and their families.
The Muses accept book donations throughout the year at the Book House at 108 East Kings Highway in Centenary Square (across from George’s Grill). The Book House is staffed on Monday and Wednesday. Covered bins are available for donations at other times.
More info:
Amy Giglio
Director of Development Research
Centenary College of Louisiana
318.869.5136
Friday, Sept. 8, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hummer & Son Honey is the corporate sponsor for this year's event, says Amy Giglio.
Zoe Ramsey, longtime Book Bazaar volunteer, points out that the event is the biggest book recycling project in the area. Ramsey, a retired librarian, manages a team of volunteers who are trained to price books fairly but affordably. The volunteers also look for extra special books to include in the event’s sealed bid auction.
“These books are donated by local people, and we want to give local people a chance to purchase them,” Ramsey said. If the books do not sell at the sealed bid auction, they will be offered on the Internet to attract a larger market.
Numerous vinyl records, including many Hollywood, Broadway and television soundtracks, will be sold by the Centenary music sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota, on the upper level of the Gold Dome.
Proceeds from the Book Bazaar help fund student projects and activities not included in the regular college budget. Among items funded by the Muses in the past are equipment for the student leisure and extracurricular activities, benches and decks, equipment for student publications, student travel, student recognition activities and a celebration for graduating seniors and their families.
The Muses accept book donations throughout the year at the Book House at 108 East Kings Highway in Centenary Square (across from George’s Grill). The Book House is staffed on Monday and Wednesday. Covered bins are available for donations at other times.
More info:
Amy Giglio
Director of Development Research
Centenary College of Louisiana
318.869.5136
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Hello, Louisiana: travel film by Monty & Marsha Brown to air on LPB Sun, Sept 10, at 3:30 pm
"Hello Louisiana", a film by Bossier City filmmakers Monty & Marsha Brown, is scheduled to be aired on Louisiana Public Broadcasting Sunday September 10th at 3:30PM, says Monty. It is a musical travelogue highlighting our state's unique culture, cuisine, history, and.... music.
Hello Louisiana is of particular interest to Northwest Louisiana because of the film content featuring Elvis and the Louisiana Hayride, Leadbelly and his cottonfields, Mudbug Madness, the Red River, Oil City, Lake Bistineau, the story of Bonnie & Clyde in Bienville Parish, and an entertaining and historical segment on Natchitoches.
Hello Louisiana also provides a humorous and fascinating view of the whole state. The Browns originally based their film on a musical program they devised and performed for middle school students in the Northwest Parishes. That program was a historical overview of Louisiana music and was underwritten by The Louisiana State Division of The Arts.
The travelfilm industry keeps Monty and Marsha on the go. This film, as well as two others the Browns have made, "La Belle France" and "It's Great! Britain" are booked throughout the country by TRACS (Travel Adventure Cinema Society), starting in Seattle, WA. on October 2nd. They spent two months in Europe this summer filming their fourth film "La Manche-Reflections on the English Channel", which Monty is currently editing.
DVDs of "Hello Louisiana" are available locally at Artspace, 710 Texas Ave., Shreveport, and Tubbs Cajun Gifts, 615 Benton Rd., Bossier City; and in Natchitoches at The Book Merchant and Georgia's Gift Shop, both on Front Street. Also online at www.floydsrecordshop.com.
Friday, September 01, 2006
A couple of nights and a few delicious pounds in Lafayette, La: Alicia Ault for the NY Times
If you're tired of thinking about the endless conundrum called Post-Katrina New Orleans but still need a gulf coast sojourn, maybe Lafayette is your cup of fish. Writer Alicia Ault penned a 36 Hours in Lafayette for the NY Times travel section this week. A few excerpts follow:
BAPTISM OF FIRE
Start your culinary tour at Prejean’s Restaurant (3480 Interstate 49, North Lafayette; 337-896-3247), a semi-haute tribute to that South Louisiana trinity of salt, fat and deep-frying. “If you’re on a diet, you came to the wrong place,” chirped our waiter, Sebastian. Prejean’s has the scent of a tourist trap, with a 14-foot, 600-pound alligator watching over the dining room, but the food is the real deal. Start with the crawfish enchilada ($6.99), a baked cheese-covered tortilla rolled in a deathly rich crawfish-tail-studded velouté and move on to the blackened catfish étouffée, a moist fillet topped with a pile of roux-covered crawfish tails ($17.99).
ROOTS AND BEER
Since opening in 2002, the Blue Moon Saloon (215 East Convent Street, 877-766-2583; www.bluemoonpresents.com) has grown from a quirky youth hostel to a premier place to listen to local Cajun, zydeco and swamp pop, as well as national roots acts like the Iguanas and the Weary Boys.
BOOGIE-WOOGIE OMELETS
After eight years, it’s no longer a novelty, but the zydeco breakfast at Café Des Amis in Breaux Bridge (140 East Bridge Street, 337-332-5273) still packs them in every Saturday morning from 8:30 until the band stops at 11.
SOHO IN GRAND COTEAU
Near a convent on Grand Coteau’s main street is an understated restaurant whose ambience somehow suggests a cross between a quiet country inn and Manhattan chic. The polished wood floors and oversize Kodachrome-rich photographs of local flora and fauna are the perfect backdrop to the sophisticated Louisiana-rooted offerings at Catahoula’s (234 Martin Luther King Drive, 337-662-2275).
Ault has more on food and music, including the news that Grant Street dancehall has reopened.
Sadly, she ignores the rest of the arts scene. Try the ULM Museum for starters. And if you're serious about South Louisiana, check out Rebecca Hudsmith's 3 articles on the scene in Arnaudville. They ran on SptBlog in June.
BAPTISM OF FIRE
Start your culinary tour at Prejean’s Restaurant (3480 Interstate 49, North Lafayette; 337-896-3247), a semi-haute tribute to that South Louisiana trinity of salt, fat and deep-frying. “If you’re on a diet, you came to the wrong place,” chirped our waiter, Sebastian. Prejean’s has the scent of a tourist trap, with a 14-foot, 600-pound alligator watching over the dining room, but the food is the real deal. Start with the crawfish enchilada ($6.99), a baked cheese-covered tortilla rolled in a deathly rich crawfish-tail-studded velouté and move on to the blackened catfish étouffée, a moist fillet topped with a pile of roux-covered crawfish tails ($17.99).
ROOTS AND BEER
Since opening in 2002, the Blue Moon Saloon (215 East Convent Street, 877-766-2583; www.bluemoonpresents.com) has grown from a quirky youth hostel to a premier place to listen to local Cajun, zydeco and swamp pop, as well as national roots acts like the Iguanas and the Weary Boys.
BOOGIE-WOOGIE OMELETS
After eight years, it’s no longer a novelty, but the zydeco breakfast at Café Des Amis in Breaux Bridge (140 East Bridge Street, 337-332-5273) still packs them in every Saturday morning from 8:30 until the band stops at 11.
SOHO IN GRAND COTEAU
Near a convent on Grand Coteau’s main street is an understated restaurant whose ambience somehow suggests a cross between a quiet country inn and Manhattan chic. The polished wood floors and oversize Kodachrome-rich photographs of local flora and fauna are the perfect backdrop to the sophisticated Louisiana-rooted offerings at Catahoula’s (234 Martin Luther King Drive, 337-662-2275).
Ault has more on food and music, including the news that Grant Street dancehall has reopened.
Sadly, she ignores the rest of the arts scene. Try the ULM Museum for starters. And if you're serious about South Louisiana, check out Rebecca Hudsmith's 3 articles on the scene in Arnaudville. They ran on SptBlog in June.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Second Lining with sax player Steve Allen; catch Allen & Rust at the Noble Savage Fri, Sept 1
Second lining on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina was not something I wanted to do. Nearly all the umpteen parades I've led in these couple of decades of second lining in Shreveport have been performed to recorded music. Recorded music is a necessity in many situations. But for a serious occasion like Katrina - and at a musician's forum - I said I would dance only if there was live music. Happily, I was talking to producer Julia Foley, a can-do woman, and she connected me with Steve Allen, man with a horn.
Steve, on sweet and powerful alto sax, with me and Jerry Davenport, originally from the Ninth Ward, New Orleans, led the line at the forum and it felt terrific.
The goal established by Foley and myself, both involved with the Faces of Katrina exhibit at Artspace, is to organize a brass jazz marching unit ready to be booked in carnival season. Pardon my nosiness, but isn't it time that Shreveport's krewes and party producers book live jazz bands for all their Carnival occasions? Not just the rare deal, but consistently. As in * this Is Louisiana.*
Said busy musician Allen,"It was fun to play, especially on the anniversary of the storm. From there I went to Centenary, where my partner in my jazz group - Doug Rust - was having his faculty recital. It was actually really a blast, he's the jazz guy there and he proved it. I was on part of the performance for 5 pieces. Not easy pieces, either."
Musicians who want to play, please drop me a line or call 318-861-6809. Needed are a bass drummer who can bang a cymbal atop the big drum as well as a snare, tuba and lead instrument such as clarinet, trumpet or sax. A banjo would not be turned away. The pay would be union scale. Be ready to march while playing Crescent City basic repertoire.
Adds Allen, "I'll be standing by for exciting, worthwhile and lucrative (not necessarily in that order) musical ideas."
Krewe-types, call to book this mythical marching group. At Artspace, we want this group for the closing of the Faces of Katrina exhibit.
PS, wrote Allen: "Doug Rust and I are at Noble Savage Friday night. Please come and enjoy and bring the wife, too."
Steve, on sweet and powerful alto sax, with me and Jerry Davenport, originally from the Ninth Ward, New Orleans, led the line at the forum and it felt terrific.
The goal established by Foley and myself, both involved with the Faces of Katrina exhibit at Artspace, is to organize a brass jazz marching unit ready to be booked in carnival season. Pardon my nosiness, but isn't it time that Shreveport's krewes and party producers book live jazz bands for all their Carnival occasions? Not just the rare deal, but consistently. As in * this Is Louisiana.*
Said busy musician Allen,"It was fun to play, especially on the anniversary of the storm. From there I went to Centenary, where my partner in my jazz group - Doug Rust - was having his faculty recital. It was actually really a blast, he's the jazz guy there and he proved it. I was on part of the performance for 5 pieces. Not easy pieces, either."
Musicians who want to play, please drop me a line or call 318-861-6809. Needed are a bass drummer who can bang a cymbal atop the big drum as well as a snare, tuba and lead instrument such as clarinet, trumpet or sax. A banjo would not be turned away. The pay would be union scale. Be ready to march while playing Crescent City basic repertoire.
Adds Allen, "I'll be standing by for exciting, worthwhile and lucrative (not necessarily in that order) musical ideas."
Krewe-types, call to book this mythical marching group. At Artspace, we want this group for the closing of the Faces of Katrina exhibit.
PS, wrote Allen: "Doug Rust and I are at Noble Savage Friday night. Please come and enjoy and bring the wife, too."
Intuition Band, Shreveport, to rock the Revel with new and old school sounds
Intuition's lead vocalists are Cameron Johnson and Elise Gardner and background singer is Adreana Harvey, says Ken Latin of the young group. The keyboardist is Brent Latin, drummer is Zack Burton and guitarist is Joseph Harrison.
They have performed in the Red River District, Holiday Inn-Dowtown, Let the Good Times Roll Festival, parties, weddings, anniversaries and other events.They will be playing at the Red River Revel in October. A variety of music comes from Intuition: jazz, rhythm and blues, old school classics, soft rock, gospel and hip-hop.
Each of these performers has been playing or singing since childhood. Brent Latin, keyboardist, played with Byrd High School Jazz Band and currently plays with the Centenary Jazz Band. He has played with Freddie Pierson and other well-known musicians . Zack Burton, the drummer, is a highly skilled percussionist and perfectionist.
Intuition has their own style and presence, says Latin, but also does well imitating the artist they are representing. Fans have said "if you closed your eyes, you would think it was the actual performer who was doing the playing and singing." The lead singer, Cameron Johnson, has a voice that transcends time, adds Latin.
To book them, call Ken Latin of SciPort at 424-8679 or 422-0876.
They have performed in the Red River District, Holiday Inn-Dowtown, Let the Good Times Roll Festival, parties, weddings, anniversaries and other events.They will be playing at the Red River Revel in October. A variety of music comes from Intuition: jazz, rhythm and blues, old school classics, soft rock, gospel and hip-hop.
Each of these performers has been playing or singing since childhood. Brent Latin, keyboardist, played with Byrd High School Jazz Band and currently plays with the Centenary Jazz Band. He has played with Freddie Pierson and other well-known musicians . Zack Burton, the drummer, is a highly skilled percussionist and perfectionist.
Intuition has their own style and presence, says Latin, but also does well imitating the artist they are representing. Fans have said "if you closed your eyes, you would think it was the actual performer who was doing the playing and singing." The lead singer, Cameron Johnson, has a voice that transcends time, adds Latin.
To book them, call Ken Latin of SciPort at 424-8679 or 422-0876.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Steve Allen to appear at Musicians Forum at LSUS Tues, Aug 29, 7 pm; all welcome to second line
Musicians Forum #2, says Julia Foley, will be Tu, Aug 29th, at LSUS Student Center in the Ballroom, 2nd Floor. She says, "We'll kick off at 6:30 pm with networking time to meet and greet new and old friends.
At 7:00, we are going to pay tribute to New Orleans musicians, since it will be the anniversary of Katrina that day and we have a special guest coming up from New Orleans to perform an original song about surviving Hurricane Katrina and that is DC Sills. We also have some other performances and a live music second line led by Robert Trudeau to the sax wail of Steve Allen. He is to be joined by Jerry Davenport, a local artist who was raised in New Orleans' ninth ward.
At 7:30, our panelists will start by sharing and answering questions about Shreveport's music scene, their venues and what they need from local artists to grow our community and their businesses. Panelists will include Tabitha Taylor (booking agent for El Dorado Casino), Mary Martin (Clear Channel radio host), Sharon Bryant (Shreveport Sound Syndicate), Ron Stroope (Podcast expert), Danny Alan (Manager of the newly opened Theater and Hall of Fame), Eric (Noble Savage artist bookings) and many others. All area venues are invited to attend and participate.
At 8:30 it will be done.
For more information, you can call me, Julia Foley, at 402-2398.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Burning Man documentary by Austin-based web moguls who once lived in Shreveport and partied at LSU to be aired Oct 7, 4 pm, Centenary College
Far from rich enough to attend Burning Man festival, I can still afford to watch a documentary about the edgy crowd of producers that assemble each pre-Labor day week in the Nevada desert. So I will watch a Burning Man movie on Oct 7 , 4 pm, at Centenary College. It's the award-winning movie Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock. Among the movie's producers are former Shreveporters Michael Wilson and William Haskins, says Chris Jay.
Wilson graduated from Woodlawn High School in 1988 and now lives in Austin, Texas, wrote Alex Kent in the Times. Wilson was co-producer and assistant director for the movie.
William Haskins, the documentary's co-producer and story supervisor, is also from Shreveport. He graduated from Woodlawn High School in 1984.
You'll see on the gorgeous movie website, burningmanmovie.com, that both these burners are successful in digital media and actually once attended LSU.
Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock is a presentation of the Centenary Film Society and Robinson Film Center. Michael Wilson will chat with the audience following the screening in Kilpatrick Auditorium. Admission is like breakfast at Burning man: free, because it's being provided by someone wealthier than you.
MoInfo: (318) 424-9090.
A visit to www.burningman.com will fill your head with intoxicating images but I like wikipedia.org's extensive description of burners and moop. Seen in photos at flickr.com and other sites, the art created at the playa in Nevada is some of the most ambitious and self-conscious I've seen. Yet among my favorite items are the fantastic maps by Lisa Hoffman: http://www.studioninedesign.com/BManMaps/index.htm
Do you know any burners? What do you think of the sculpture so expensively assembled on this glamorous, clothing-optional desert plain?
Wilson graduated from Woodlawn High School in 1988 and now lives in Austin, Texas, wrote Alex Kent in the Times. Wilson was co-producer and assistant director for the movie.
William Haskins, the documentary's co-producer and story supervisor, is also from Shreveport. He graduated from Woodlawn High School in 1984.
You'll see on the gorgeous movie website, burningmanmovie.com, that both these burners are successful in digital media and actually once attended LSU.
Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock is a presentation of the Centenary Film Society and Robinson Film Center. Michael Wilson will chat with the audience following the screening in Kilpatrick Auditorium. Admission is like breakfast at Burning man: free, because it's being provided by someone wealthier than you.
MoInfo: (318) 424-9090.
A visit to www.burningman.com will fill your head with intoxicating images but I like wikipedia.org's extensive description of burners and moop. Seen in photos at flickr.com and other sites, the art created at the playa in Nevada is some of the most ambitious and self-conscious I've seen. Yet among my favorite items are the fantastic maps by Lisa Hoffman: http://www.studioninedesign.com/BManMaps/index.htm
Do you know any burners? What do you think of the sculpture so expensively assembled on this glamorous, clothing-optional desert plain?
Jazzing the orchestra: the Marcus Roberts Trio and the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra Sat, Sept 16, 7:30 pm, Shreveport Civic Theater
"Gershwin on Fire" is the title for the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra's season opening concert. While "Gershwin on Fire" may be a dubious title (is it a nod to the Burning Man arts fest?), the jazz trio sharing the lights with the SSO is not at all dubious. They are redoubtable. It is the Marcus Roberts Trio. To fans of jazz piano, like me, seeing this trio is serious fun.
Roberts, a pianist and composer from Jacksonville, Fla., grew up with the sound of music from his local church where his mother was a gospel singer, says the National Academy of Sciences. He decided to pursue a career in jazz after hearing a Duke Ellington recording at the age of ten. From there he went on to study at Florida State University.
Performances throughout his career have earned him a great deal of recognition, including awards from the National Association of Jazz Educators and the Thelonius Monk International Jazz Competition. Roberts was particularly honored to receive the Helen Keller Award for Personal Achievement in 1998. The artist has been blind since the age of five, seven years before he began formal training on the piano.
Drummer Jason Marsalis, true to the tradition of his highly musical family, is known as one of the most capable drummers performing today.
Bassist Roland Guerin learned to play a variety of stringed instruments growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is also known for playing a variety of styles with equal versatility, and is one of the few bassists today who plays slap bass technique.
"My music is meant for everyone, not just those who already know about jazz," says Roberts.
More about the concert, the SSO's season opener, at shreveportsymphony.com.
Also, please see my earlier post on the concert.
Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet presents Ballet Under the Stars at Festival Plaza, Sat, Sept 9, 7 pm
Ballet Under the Stars, presented by the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet, will be held Saturday, September 9, in downtown Shreveport’s Festival Plaza, at 7 p.m. Admission is free, says Susan Gross.
A variety of dance styles ranging from ballet to jazz and modern dance will be featured. The dancers of the Junior and Senior Companies of Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet will perform alongside those of other regional dance troupes.
Also, the River Cities Jubilee Chorus will perform several vocal selections.
Guest choreographers for the show include Yves de Bouteiller and Jenny Siu-kan Chiang. There will be a special salute in honor of the 250th birthday of Mozart.
During intermission, children in the audience will be invited to perform onstage. Concessions will be available for sale.
This event is sponsored in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier and by a grant from the Shreveport Regional Arts Council with funds from the City of Shreveport. For further information, call the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet office: 459-1457.
A variety of dance styles ranging from ballet to jazz and modern dance will be featured. The dancers of the Junior and Senior Companies of Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet will perform alongside those of other regional dance troupes.
Also, the River Cities Jubilee Chorus will perform several vocal selections.
Guest choreographers for the show include Yves de Bouteiller and Jenny Siu-kan Chiang. There will be a special salute in honor of the 250th birthday of Mozart.
During intermission, children in the audience will be invited to perform onstage. Concessions will be available for sale.
This event is sponsored in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of Shreveport-Bossier and by a grant from the Shreveport Regional Arts Council with funds from the City of Shreveport. For further information, call the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet office: 459-1457.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Faces of Katrina opening reception mobbed; who knew flood victims would prove so popular?
Bill Joyce, Artspace artistic director, and Pam Atchison, director of Shreveport Regional Arts Council, were elated at the mob which attended the Faces of Katrina opening.
Mingling in the sea of usual suspects were Katrina evacuees, some of them bewildered by the hoopla.
In the photo above are Janice Nelson, Bill Joyce, Laura Harter and Pam Atchison.
Please see ShreveportFaces for a series of photos snapped at the gig.
Mingling in the sea of usual suspects were Katrina evacuees, some of them bewildered by the hoopla.
In the photo above are Janice Nelson, Bill Joyce, Laura Harter and Pam Atchison.
Please see ShreveportFaces for a series of photos snapped at the gig.
Artists guide kids' activities at Artspace during Faces of Katrina exhibit
During the week, students from Webster, Bossier, Lincoln and Caddo parishes will visit Artspace with their teachers. On weekends and afternoons parents can take their kids to the dramatic exhibit called Faces of Katrina.
These artists will aid them as they enjoy a couple of the 9 exhibits designed for youths. From left front: Steven Sofer, Jamie Dromgoole, Tamura Davenport, Linda Gaston, Karen Wendt, Judy Hegrle, Robin Jenkins, Jerry Davenport, Michael Neal Philips, Tony Kean and Jane Heggen.
Artspace is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 - 6. The Kidspace FunArtorium is open 10 - 12 and 2 - 4 on Saturday.
Mo: 673-6500.
These artists will aid them as they enjoy a couple of the 9 exhibits designed for youths. From left front: Steven Sofer, Jamie Dromgoole, Tamura Davenport, Linda Gaston, Karen Wendt, Judy Hegrle, Robin Jenkins, Jerry Davenport, Michael Neal Philips, Tony Kean and Jane Heggen.
Artspace is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 - 6. The Kidspace FunArtorium is open 10 - 12 and 2 - 4 on Saturday.
Mo: 673-6500.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Crescent City Creole people on Texas Street: Faces of Katrina exhibit, Artspace, Shreveport
An exhibit of powerful portraits from the evacuation of New Orleans opens Fri, Aug 25 at Artspace. Designed by moviemaker Bill Joyce, the exhibit aims at informing viewers and elevating the status of the people flung out of the hurricane-raked city.
The Faces reception begins at 7 pm Friday.
Along with the photographic work of Kathryn Gaiennie, Stan Carpenter, Mike Silva, Talbot Hopkins and Philip Gould, there are materials developed by Mike McSwain and Bill Joyce.
Downstairs are clipboards, foil, video and costumes. These are elements of the art activities designed for students on school tours or on weekend visits. These projects were developed by a veteran teacher and writer: me. I had the good fortune to have a deeply thoughtful project manager in Wendy Benscoter.
Encouraged and guided by SRAC director Pam Atchison, the art-making side of Katrina has some 9 stations. It has already been booked by school field trips for a total of 200 students, says new SRAC education manager Julia Foley. Centenary's freshman English students will also be asked to visit Faces of Katrina, says Dr. Lisa Nicoletti, a Centenary professor and member of the Artspace exhibition committee.
Also terrifically helpful in assembling the artivities were Duane Rousseau and Michael Neal Philips.
The faces soundtrack festures solo piano tunes written and performed by Steve Ramey and a gospel tune, "I'll Go," from singer Monica Blake Mickle's album Perfect Peace.
The Faces reception begins at 7 pm Friday.
Along with the photographic work of Kathryn Gaiennie, Stan Carpenter, Mike Silva, Talbot Hopkins and Philip Gould, there are materials developed by Mike McSwain and Bill Joyce.
Downstairs are clipboards, foil, video and costumes. These are elements of the art activities designed for students on school tours or on weekend visits. These projects were developed by a veteran teacher and writer: me. I had the good fortune to have a deeply thoughtful project manager in Wendy Benscoter.
Encouraged and guided by SRAC director Pam Atchison, the art-making side of Katrina has some 9 stations. It has already been booked by school field trips for a total of 200 students, says new SRAC education manager Julia Foley. Centenary's freshman English students will also be asked to visit Faces of Katrina, says Dr. Lisa Nicoletti, a Centenary professor and member of the Artspace exhibition committee.
Also terrifically helpful in assembling the artivities were Duane Rousseau and Michael Neal Philips.
The faces soundtrack festures solo piano tunes written and performed by Steve Ramey and a gospel tune, "I'll Go," from singer Monica Blake Mickle's album Perfect Peace.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Artful animalia: in a fantastical forest with Donna and Leland Strebeck and children
Says the quiet but stealthy Donna Strebeck, "Hello! We have a new website. We even added our children. I have to say I am pretty proud of their drawings! :) See it at www.strebeckart.com
I also made a new bear this weekend and haven't had the time to put it on the site yet. If you want to check it out, click here:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/e/derangytang/dayofthedeadbear.jpg"
Donna, long known in my column as wife of artist Leland Strebeck, has arrived with a DayoftheDead bear sure to grab attention. And the family web site is cool. It's cheerful, but with an edge.
Watch for work from both of them in the Bubble Rap II show, curated by Michael G Moore (please see an earlier post on submissions to Bubble Rap).
I also made a new bear this weekend and haven't had the time to put it on the site yet. If you want to check it out, click here:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/e/derangytang/dayofthedeadbear.jpg"
Donna, long known in my column as wife of artist Leland Strebeck, has arrived with a DayoftheDead bear sure to grab attention. And the family web site is cool. It's cheerful, but with an edge.
Watch for work from both of them in the Bubble Rap II show, curated by Michael G Moore (please see an earlier post on submissions to Bubble Rap).
Monday, August 21, 2006
Work by 10 Cuban artists at Meadows Museum, Centenary College, Shreveport
Cuba Plastica features artwork by 10 artists living and working in Cuba, says meadows Museum of Art, Centenary College, Shreveport. It is one of 3 new shows at Meadows.
Presented are paintings, drawings, videos, photographs and prints by Juan Carlos Alom, Agustin Bejarano, Zaida del Rio, Juan Roberto Diago, Roberto Fabelo, Alicia Leal, Guillermo Malberti, Juan Carlos Menendez Ruiz, Cirenaica Moreira, and Juan Moreira. Their art translates the daily struggles and suffering of everyday Cuban life into personal artistic responses.
This exhibition was organized and circulated by the University of Richmond Museums and is made possible in part with the support of the Associated Colleges of the South.
Meadows Museum
Open from noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, noon to 5 p.m. on Thursdays and 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. It is closed on Mondays and some holidays. There is no admission charge for the current exhibits.
Contact Museum Director Dianne Dufilho at 318-869-5169.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Pondering Katrina and the aftermath via LPB programs and the Faces of Katrina exhibit at Artspace, which opens Fri, Aug 25
La Public Broadcasting has productions to remind us of where we've been this past year. If we're fortunate, these programs will enlighten our thinking on where we must go next.
And please don't forget that Bill Joyce and his Artspace team - which includes my wife, Talbot, and me - have an experience for you called Faces of Katrina. It opens at Artspace with a $20 per ticket reception Fri, Aug 25. Please come to see our work.
Artspace, 710 Texas, has been again transformed. More info at SRAC: 673-6500.
The TV shows:
LOUISIANA: THE STATE WE’RE IN
The Year of the Storms
Friday, August 25 at 7:00PM
Sunday, August 27 at 2:00PM
Louisiana’s only weekly newsmagazine kicks off its 30th year on the air with a one-hour look back at how Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have disrupted the lives of many of the people and places in South Louisiana. LPB poured all of its resources into bringing the people of the state the in-depth stories of the survivors and their families, the government and its response; and the massive effects on our culture and livelihoods. Join Robyn Ekings and Charlie Whinham as they journey through the one year path of destruction and reconstruction during this anniversary of the storms to end all storms.
WASHING AWAY: LOSING LOUISIANA
Tuesday, August 29 at 8:00PM
Sunday, September 3 at 4:00PM
Thursday, September 7 at 8:00PM (National broadcast)
This new LPB documentary looks at six Louisianians and how hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected the coastline, their land and their livelihoods. The characters share their stories and their knowledge of the larger impacts of coastal land loss on the environment, wildlife, economics, industry, culture and community. The participants include New Orleans chef Leah Chase; Errol Domingue, a third-generation sugar cane, rice, cattle and crawfish farmer from Erath; Preston Doré, a shrimper from Delcambre whose seafood restaurant, bar and distribution business were destroyed by Rita; Marlon Horton, a 26-year-old New Orleans East resident displaced to Houston; Port Fouchon port director Ted Falgout; and Kerry St. Pé, a marine biologist and Director of the Barataria-Terrebone National Estuary.
Check www.lpb.org/washingaway/ for educational materials. LPB appreciates the support of the America's Wetland's Foundation which provided the underwriting for the development of these resources.
AMERICAN CREOLE: NEW ORLEANS REUNION
Tuesday, August 29 at 9:00PM
Thursday, September 7 at 9:00PM (National broadcast)
In the wake of the hurricane Katrina, Don Vappie -- musician, bandleader, Creole -- struggles to find work and his cultural identity in New Orleans. This documentary follows Don as he tries to keep his band together and bring musicians back to the city. Through his journey Don also begins to question what makes a community, and whether the culture he grew up in can survive, not just the storm, but its aftermath. Rich with music, the film features performances by numerous stars of New Orleans jazz, as well as Don’s far-flung, talented family.
KATRINA’S SMALLEST VICTIMS
Wednesday, August 30 at 8:00PM
When Hurricane Katrina’s high winds and floodwaters knocked out the major hospitals in New Orleans, medical personnel stayed with the hospitalized children and expectant mothers until they could be transported to Women’s Hospital in Baton Rouge. This LPB documentary tells of the heroic efforts by Women’s Hospital personnel to not only get these fragile babies and expectant mothers out of New Orleans but to handle their medical and personal needs at their own facility in Baton Rouge.
And please don't forget that Bill Joyce and his Artspace team - which includes my wife, Talbot, and me - have an experience for you called Faces of Katrina. It opens at Artspace with a $20 per ticket reception Fri, Aug 25. Please come to see our work.
Artspace, 710 Texas, has been again transformed. More info at SRAC: 673-6500.
The TV shows:
LOUISIANA: THE STATE WE’RE IN
The Year of the Storms
Friday, August 25 at 7:00PM
Sunday, August 27 at 2:00PM
Louisiana’s only weekly newsmagazine kicks off its 30th year on the air with a one-hour look back at how Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have disrupted the lives of many of the people and places in South Louisiana. LPB poured all of its resources into bringing the people of the state the in-depth stories of the survivors and their families, the government and its response; and the massive effects on our culture and livelihoods. Join Robyn Ekings and Charlie Whinham as they journey through the one year path of destruction and reconstruction during this anniversary of the storms to end all storms.
WASHING AWAY: LOSING LOUISIANA
Tuesday, August 29 at 8:00PM
Sunday, September 3 at 4:00PM
Thursday, September 7 at 8:00PM (National broadcast)
This new LPB documentary looks at six Louisianians and how hurricanes Katrina and Rita affected the coastline, their land and their livelihoods. The characters share their stories and their knowledge of the larger impacts of coastal land loss on the environment, wildlife, economics, industry, culture and community. The participants include New Orleans chef Leah Chase; Errol Domingue, a third-generation sugar cane, rice, cattle and crawfish farmer from Erath; Preston Doré, a shrimper from Delcambre whose seafood restaurant, bar and distribution business were destroyed by Rita; Marlon Horton, a 26-year-old New Orleans East resident displaced to Houston; Port Fouchon port director Ted Falgout; and Kerry St. Pé, a marine biologist and Director of the Barataria-Terrebone National Estuary.
Check www.lpb.org/washingaway/ for educational materials. LPB appreciates the support of the America's Wetland's Foundation which provided the underwriting for the development of these resources.
AMERICAN CREOLE: NEW ORLEANS REUNION
Tuesday, August 29 at 9:00PM
Thursday, September 7 at 9:00PM (National broadcast)
In the wake of the hurricane Katrina, Don Vappie -- musician, bandleader, Creole -- struggles to find work and his cultural identity in New Orleans. This documentary follows Don as he tries to keep his band together and bring musicians back to the city. Through his journey Don also begins to question what makes a community, and whether the culture he grew up in can survive, not just the storm, but its aftermath. Rich with music, the film features performances by numerous stars of New Orleans jazz, as well as Don’s far-flung, talented family.
KATRINA’S SMALLEST VICTIMS
Wednesday, August 30 at 8:00PM
When Hurricane Katrina’s high winds and floodwaters knocked out the major hospitals in New Orleans, medical personnel stayed with the hospitalized children and expectant mothers until they could be transported to Women’s Hospital in Baton Rouge. This LPB documentary tells of the heroic efforts by Women’s Hospital personnel to not only get these fragile babies and expectant mothers out of New Orleans but to handle their medical and personal needs at their own facility in Baton Rouge.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Marcus Roberts Trio, a world-class jazz combo, opens season with Shreveport Symphony Orchestra Sat, Sept 16
Gershwin on Fire is the name of the opening show of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra. New SSO conductor Michael Butterman has invited the enormously cool pianist Marcus Roberts to help the orchestra open the season, says Shreveportsymphony.com.
Roberts has recorded a ton of great albums. My favoprite is Alone With Three Giants, a solo piano album based on tunes by Ellington, Monk and Jellyroll Morton. Roberts once played in Wynton Marsalis group. Today his trio includes Jason Marsalis, brother of Wynton.
The opening bill:
Gershwin Cuban Overture
Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Gershwin Piano Concerto in F
Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Weber
September 16, 2006 at 7:30 PM
600 Clyde Fant Pkwy
Shreveport , LA 71101
Michael Butterman, conductor
May I recommend the symphony's Anytime Tickets? That's what I've found perfect for my family.
Here's how SSO marketing director Scott Green puts it: "Buy Anytime Tickets for Flexibility. Don't put off buying your Symphony tickets because of scheduling difficulty. Our Anytime Ticket Package provides you with six vouchers you can redeem for tickets to any concert - except special events concerts. You can use all the vouchers at once, or spread them out over several concerts.
To redeem them for tickets, just call in advance. We'll reserve the best seats available. Cost for the six-vouchers Anytime Tickets Package is $192. You get all the privileges of a season subscriber plus up to 20% off the cost of single tickets."
Call 222-7496.
Roberts has recorded a ton of great albums. My favoprite is Alone With Three Giants, a solo piano album based on tunes by Ellington, Monk and Jellyroll Morton. Roberts once played in Wynton Marsalis group. Today his trio includes Jason Marsalis, brother of Wynton.
The opening bill:
Gershwin Cuban Overture
Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn
Gershwin Piano Concerto in F
Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Weber
September 16, 2006 at 7:30 PM
600 Clyde Fant Pkwy
Shreveport , LA 71101
Michael Butterman, conductor
May I recommend the symphony's Anytime Tickets? That's what I've found perfect for my family.
Here's how SSO marketing director Scott Green puts it: "Buy Anytime Tickets for Flexibility. Don't put off buying your Symphony tickets because of scheduling difficulty. Our Anytime Ticket Package provides you with six vouchers you can redeem for tickets to any concert - except special events concerts. You can use all the vouchers at once, or spread them out over several concerts.
To redeem them for tickets, just call in advance. We'll reserve the best seats available. Cost for the six-vouchers Anytime Tickets Package is $192. You get all the privileges of a season subscriber plus up to 20% off the cost of single tickets."
Call 222-7496.
Where to go with your Shreveport movie industry celeb shots: maybe it's scoopt.com
Scoopt.com, a British Web site that sees itself as a “citizen journalism agency,” is connecting camera phone reporters with newspapers, says the NY Times. "The site’s founder, Kyle McRae, a former freelance technology writer, counts the major British dailies, along with newspapers on the Continent and in the United States, as his clients.
Unlike Bild, Scoopt’s reader-reporters license their photos for three months to Mr. McRae’s organization, and in return receive 50 percent of the sale price every time Scoopt sells a picture.
The Web site has members in 90 countries, and Mr. McRae talks of a day when a global legion of bloggers and camera phone reporters replaces journalists in covering major news events.
“Being the first on the scene is valuable,” he said. “It’s thousands of times more valuable than the quality.”
That's from the NYTimes story Amateurs Get In on the Paparazzi Beat.
Unlike Bild, Scoopt’s reader-reporters license their photos for three months to Mr. McRae’s organization, and in return receive 50 percent of the sale price every time Scoopt sells a picture.
The Web site has members in 90 countries, and Mr. McRae talks of a day when a global legion of bloggers and camera phone reporters replaces journalists in covering major news events.
“Being the first on the scene is valuable,” he said. “It’s thousands of times more valuable than the quality.”
That's from the NYTimes story Amateurs Get In on the Paparazzi Beat.
Ruston's Dixie Center for the Arts: Leon Russell, Susan Cowsill, Kenny Bill Stinson on Fri, Aug 18, 8 pm
Ruston’s Dixie Center For The Arts will play host to the legendary Leon Russell on Fri, Aug 18 at 8 pm, says producer Trey Merrill.
A portion of the proceeds will be going to the Tipitina’s Foundation, which aids those musicians affected by the 2005 hurricanes.
Leon will be joined by both Kenny Bill Stinson and Susan Cowsill.
Primarily remembered as a classic rock artist, the Leon Russell/Willy Nelson album “One For The Road” was honored by the Country Music Association as "Best Album of The 1989." Leon has written such songs as "This Masquerade", “Superstar," "A Song for You," “Tightrope,” “Lady Blue,” and “Delta Lady” which became Joe Cocker’s biggest hit.
Susan Cowsill will be opening the show. Formerly of “The Cowsills” and “The Continental Drifters” which featured her former husband Peter Holsapple (of The DB’s and REM) as well as Bangles guitarist Vicki Peterson, Susan was a member of Dwight Twilley’s band and has lent her vocals to albums by such artists as “Hootie & The Blowfish”, “Giant Sand”, “the Smithereens”, “Carlene Carter”, and “Jules Shear”.
Concert promoter Trey Merrill met Cowsill when he produced the debut album for the Louisiana college rock act “Benjy Davis Project” which she sang on. Cowsills' debut CD “Just Believe It” features both Lucinda Williams and Adam Duritz (of Counting Crows). She highlighted the release by performing at this years New Orleans Jazz Festival.
The show is open to all-ages and tickets are $32.50 and $38.50. With the limited number of seats being sold (550), Merrill says there’s not a bad seat in the house.
Trey Merrill Presents
335 Coffee Street
Mandeville, LA 70448
225/240-1664
treymerrillpresents@hotmail.com
A portion of the proceeds will be going to the Tipitina’s Foundation, which aids those musicians affected by the 2005 hurricanes.
Leon will be joined by both Kenny Bill Stinson and Susan Cowsill.
Primarily remembered as a classic rock artist, the Leon Russell/Willy Nelson album “One For The Road” was honored by the Country Music Association as "Best Album of The 1989." Leon has written such songs as "This Masquerade", “Superstar," "A Song for You," “Tightrope,” “Lady Blue,” and “Delta Lady” which became Joe Cocker’s biggest hit.
Susan Cowsill will be opening the show. Formerly of “The Cowsills” and “The Continental Drifters” which featured her former husband Peter Holsapple (of The DB’s and REM) as well as Bangles guitarist Vicki Peterson, Susan was a member of Dwight Twilley’s band and has lent her vocals to albums by such artists as “Hootie & The Blowfish”, “Giant Sand”, “the Smithereens”, “Carlene Carter”, and “Jules Shear”.
Concert promoter Trey Merrill met Cowsill when he produced the debut album for the Louisiana college rock act “Benjy Davis Project” which she sang on. Cowsills' debut CD “Just Believe It” features both Lucinda Williams and Adam Duritz (of Counting Crows). She highlighted the release by performing at this years New Orleans Jazz Festival.
The show is open to all-ages and tickets are $32.50 and $38.50. With the limited number of seats being sold (550), Merrill says there’s not a bad seat in the house.
Trey Merrill Presents
335 Coffee Street
Mandeville, LA 70448
225/240-1664
treymerrillpresents@hotmail.com
Thomas Little's mural for A Stone's Throw Cafe: a new view of the pasture out back
Rachel Ginsberg Stone had a conventional looking diner - A Stone's Throw Cafe - until she sat down to work on a blank wall with painter-sculptor Thomas Little. The result of their planning was a droll trompe l'oiel mural ("fool the eye"). Seems to me it carries a hint of Austintation.
Seems to Debbie Engle, one of the founders of West Edge Artists Co-op, that Little's mural brings glory to the co-op. She writes of the group, "Check out our Citywide Gallery Program exhibits at Christus Schumpert's Integrative Medicine Clinic, Stone's Throw Cafe', Bistro 6301, and Marjorie Lyons Playhouse. Be sure to visit WEACo member Thomas Little's mural at Stone's Throw Cafe' - it's absolutely fabulous! Coming down the pike are huge shows at both Harrah's Horseshoe Hotel and the downtown Convention Center.
We've juried in several new artists lately: Jamie Sanders, LaShea Brittain, Lena Hall, Alice Guerrero, Suzie Paulovich and Reba Neel, among others. West Edge Artists Co-op is growing exponentially it seems, and our gallery will be open before you know it. We will curate the largest, privately-owned gallery in downtown Shreveport. Friends of WEACo are welcome to stop by 725 Milam Street on Saturday mornings while we're working on renovating the space."
Seems to Debbie Engle, one of the founders of West Edge Artists Co-op, that Little's mural brings glory to the co-op. She writes of the group, "Check out our Citywide Gallery Program exhibits at Christus Schumpert's Integrative Medicine Clinic, Stone's Throw Cafe', Bistro 6301, and Marjorie Lyons Playhouse. Be sure to visit WEACo member Thomas Little's mural at Stone's Throw Cafe' - it's absolutely fabulous! Coming down the pike are huge shows at both Harrah's Horseshoe Hotel and the downtown Convention Center.
We've juried in several new artists lately: Jamie Sanders, LaShea Brittain, Lena Hall, Alice Guerrero, Suzie Paulovich and Reba Neel, among others. West Edge Artists Co-op is growing exponentially it seems, and our gallery will be open before you know it. We will curate the largest, privately-owned gallery in downtown Shreveport. Friends of WEACo are welcome to stop by 725 Milam Street on Saturday mornings while we're working on renovating the space."
Monday, August 14, 2006
Mayor's Forum presented by Gay Rights group, PACE; report by Adrienne Critcher of PACE
Adrienne Critcher writes to her gang, "Thank you to everyone who attended Political Action Council for Equality's Shreveport Mayoral Forum last night. The 85 seats in the auditorium were filled and the crowd spilled out into the lobby of the Deaf Action Center. David counted 120 there. It was a great crowd. Representatives from the local TV stations, The Times and The Forum were there. Seven of the 11 candidates participated in the panel, with 1 showing up after he got off work.
It was an enlightening event. Very importantly, the candidates and the audience treated each other with respect even on matters on which we obviously disagree.
I want to make 2 main points about the forum.
First, even the most extreme candidate on Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/ Transgender issues did not use our event to gleefully proclaim his or her opposition to our interests. For example in their answers to the question on the 2004 constitutional amendment, there was considerable "tap-dancing", claims of forgetfulness about their vote, and even those who admitted voting for the amendment discussed either the difficulty in arriving at that position or qualified their vote with the assurance that they don't support discrimination. Of course all of us realize the contradictions here, and I am not trying to soft-pedal their responses, but no one was there to throw red meat to the radical religious right. In NW Louisiana, you acknowledge that small step in the right direction.
And the candidates knew the media was there, so this wasn't just an attempt to try to appease the audience.
Second, after the forum we all got an opportunity to visit with the candidates during the social time. The last of us didn't leave until around 8:30. We made perhaps some of our best points during these individual visits. My husband, son and I all had good respectful conversations with various candidates and their spouses in which we presented them with information that they had obviously either not heard or considered before. We found them willing to engage in a meaningful dialogue. I watched as many of members of the audience did the same. I now believe that I can have a rational conversation with any of the serious candidates, one of whom will be our next mayor.
Many thanks to Rodney Grunes for his very professional job as our moderator - and for keeping a straight face during Madjun Ali's stand-up comedy act. Well, no one could keep a straight face during all of that. And during Vernon Adams' statement that only those who had accepted Jesus as savior would be appointed to city committees/commissions if he were elected mayor. See what you missed if you weren't there!
Most of all thanks to you who came out to support PACE's first public forum. We showed the candidates that we exist, that we have legitimate concerns, that we are a thoughtful, knowledgeable group. PACE has come a very long way, and has done so in one of the parts of the country most hostile to LGBT issues. With your help we will continue to make our presence known, and to change hearts and minds and lives."
Adrienne
Editor:
Times writer Joel Anderson penned an issue-oriented account of the PACE forum that I enjoyed reading.
And the Times says the next mayor's forum is Wed, Aug 16, LSUS Science Lecture Hall, 4 to 6 pm. It features moderator Tom Pace (no relationship).
It was an enlightening event. Very importantly, the candidates and the audience treated each other with respect even on matters on which we obviously disagree.
I want to make 2 main points about the forum.
First, even the most extreme candidate on Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/ Transgender issues did not use our event to gleefully proclaim his or her opposition to our interests. For example in their answers to the question on the 2004 constitutional amendment, there was considerable "tap-dancing", claims of forgetfulness about their vote, and even those who admitted voting for the amendment discussed either the difficulty in arriving at that position or qualified their vote with the assurance that they don't support discrimination. Of course all of us realize the contradictions here, and I am not trying to soft-pedal their responses, but no one was there to throw red meat to the radical religious right. In NW Louisiana, you acknowledge that small step in the right direction.
And the candidates knew the media was there, so this wasn't just an attempt to try to appease the audience.
Second, after the forum we all got an opportunity to visit with the candidates during the social time. The last of us didn't leave until around 8:30. We made perhaps some of our best points during these individual visits. My husband, son and I all had good respectful conversations with various candidates and their spouses in which we presented them with information that they had obviously either not heard or considered before. We found them willing to engage in a meaningful dialogue. I watched as many of members of the audience did the same. I now believe that I can have a rational conversation with any of the serious candidates, one of whom will be our next mayor.
Many thanks to Rodney Grunes for his very professional job as our moderator - and for keeping a straight face during Madjun Ali's stand-up comedy act. Well, no one could keep a straight face during all of that. And during Vernon Adams' statement that only those who had accepted Jesus as savior would be appointed to city committees/commissions if he were elected mayor. See what you missed if you weren't there!
Most of all thanks to you who came out to support PACE's first public forum. We showed the candidates that we exist, that we have legitimate concerns, that we are a thoughtful, knowledgeable group. PACE has come a very long way, and has done so in one of the parts of the country most hostile to LGBT issues. With your help we will continue to make our presence known, and to change hearts and minds and lives."
Adrienne
Editor:
Times writer Joel Anderson penned an issue-oriented account of the PACE forum that I enjoyed reading.
And the Times says the next mayor's forum is Wed, Aug 16, LSUS Science Lecture Hall, 4 to 6 pm. It features moderator Tom Pace (no relationship).
Pierce Pettis in Home Concert at Fairfield Studios Th, Aug 31, 7 pm
"Hello," says singer-keyboard player Sandra Odom, "to all music lovers! After what seems like a long break, Fairfield Studios Home Concert Series is going to be coming at you hot and heavy from now through next May.
I've heard so many things about Pierce Pettis I don't know where to start. His music takes me back to a place of innocence and security and warmth, of something I could count on as a child. Our friends Michael & Kendra Terry of Uncle Calvin's Coffee House in Dallas call him "One of modern folk music's most important artists. Pierce's Deep South heritage influences his songs of treasured emotion, spiritual inspiration and a belief in the promise of a new day. Percussive urgency often frames Pierce's dexterous finger picked guitar works and his eloquent melodies linger long after the listening."
Just so you'll know: Uncle Calvin's has concerts every Friday night in the world. If you can't get enough from our shows or if you find yourself in Dallas on a Friday night with nothin' t'do, check 'em out: www.unclecalvins.org
And if any of you remember one of our early concerts: Lynn Adler & Lindy Hearne from our neighboring Winnsborough, TX? ......... they now have a near-weekly concert if you still can't get enough. www.crossroadsmusic.com
Lynn & Lindy had Pierce at their place not long ago and gave a great account of his story. If you're interested, check out his website: www.piercepettis.com
Pierce Pettis
Fairfield Studios
1510 Fairfield Ave. (across from the State Bldg.)
Thursday, Aug. 31st
7:00 p.m. come early to get a good seat.
Non-alchoholic beverages will be served.
Bring your drink of choice.
Reservations:
Call: 220-0400
email: reservations@fairfieldstudios.com
Here's the list of upcoming artists:
Aug 31, Thurs: Pierce Pettis: roots, soul (Nashville)
Sept. 16, Saturday: Beth Patterson: Celtic, (Austin)
Nov 4, Saturday: Jay Mankita: family show - fun, inspired (NYC)
Nov. 19, Sunday: Diana Jones: empassioned, free spirit (Nashville)
Dec. 2, Saturday: Randall Williams and Claudia SanSoucie
Jan. 21, Sunday: the Laws: country-esque duo (Canada & Texas)
Feb. 9, Friday: Billy Jonas: kickin' solo "Stomp"-style percussion & song.
Peace,
Sandra
I've heard so many things about Pierce Pettis I don't know where to start. His music takes me back to a place of innocence and security and warmth, of something I could count on as a child. Our friends Michael & Kendra Terry of Uncle Calvin's Coffee House in Dallas call him "One of modern folk music's most important artists. Pierce's Deep South heritage influences his songs of treasured emotion, spiritual inspiration and a belief in the promise of a new day. Percussive urgency often frames Pierce's dexterous finger picked guitar works and his eloquent melodies linger long after the listening."
Just so you'll know: Uncle Calvin's has concerts every Friday night in the world. If you can't get enough from our shows or if you find yourself in Dallas on a Friday night with nothin' t'do, check 'em out: www.unclecalvins.org
And if any of you remember one of our early concerts: Lynn Adler & Lindy Hearne from our neighboring Winnsborough, TX? ......... they now have a near-weekly concert if you still can't get enough. www.crossroadsmusic.com
Lynn & Lindy had Pierce at their place not long ago and gave a great account of his story. If you're interested, check out his website: www.piercepettis.com
Pierce Pettis
Fairfield Studios
1510 Fairfield Ave. (across from the State Bldg.)
Thursday, Aug. 31st
7:00 p.m. come early to get a good seat.
Non-alchoholic beverages will be served.
Bring your drink of choice.
Reservations:
Call: 220-0400
email: reservations@fairfieldstudios.com
Here's the list of upcoming artists:
Aug 31, Thurs: Pierce Pettis: roots, soul (Nashville)
Sept. 16, Saturday: Beth Patterson: Celtic, (Austin)
Nov 4, Saturday: Jay Mankita: family show - fun, inspired (NYC)
Nov. 19, Sunday: Diana Jones: empassioned, free spirit (Nashville)
Dec. 2, Saturday: Randall Williams and Claudia SanSoucie
Jan. 21, Sunday: the Laws: country-esque duo (Canada & Texas)
Feb. 9, Friday: Billy Jonas: kickin' solo "Stomp"-style percussion & song.
Peace,
Sandra
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Faces of Katrina exhibit, Shreveport's Artspace, designed by author-moviemaker William Joyce; reception Fri, Aug 25, 7 pm
Gigantic photo murals - faces, maps, newspaper pages, aerial views - are soon to be added to the new walls built this week at Artspace, 710 Texas St. The warren of exhibit walls and mural-like portraits of Katrina evacuees were designed by moviemaker/author/illustrator William Joyce.
In fact, Joyce is planning to immerse visitors in the somber - if somehow appealing - world of New Orleans after the deluge.
Though he has a new movie coming out (Meet the Robinsons, Disney Pictures), Joyce seems to haave been mesmerized by the plight of the Crescent City. It is a community he says is still digging out from the shock of dislocation and loss.
The exhibit is based on the photography of Stan Carpenter, Kathryn Gaiennie, Philip Gould, Mike Silva and Talbot Hopkins (who is my wife). In October and November, 2005, the photogs slipped into Shreveport's shelters to capture the visages of people in the whirlwind of displacement. Shreveport Regional Arts Council sent interviewers to record the stories told by those photographed.
Additional photography and a wide range of materials have been added to the mix to make Faces of Katrina.
The Artspace show opens with a reception at 7 pm on Friday, Aug 25. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Hosts are Steve Ross and Mark Hermasillo.
Also sponsoring the show is Bill Robinson and The Times. Coordinating the exhibit is the hardest-working woman in the gallery business, Pam Atchison.
One of the generous donors in the effort to commemorate the flood and displacement of Louisianians is Ridgways Inc, printers at 719 Marshall.
Info: SRAC at 673-6500.
In fact, Joyce is planning to immerse visitors in the somber - if somehow appealing - world of New Orleans after the deluge.
Though he has a new movie coming out (Meet the Robinsons, Disney Pictures), Joyce seems to haave been mesmerized by the plight of the Crescent City. It is a community he says is still digging out from the shock of dislocation and loss.
The exhibit is based on the photography of Stan Carpenter, Kathryn Gaiennie, Philip Gould, Mike Silva and Talbot Hopkins (who is my wife). In October and November, 2005, the photogs slipped into Shreveport's shelters to capture the visages of people in the whirlwind of displacement. Shreveport Regional Arts Council sent interviewers to record the stories told by those photographed.
Additional photography and a wide range of materials have been added to the mix to make Faces of Katrina.
The Artspace show opens with a reception at 7 pm on Friday, Aug 25. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Hosts are Steve Ross and Mark Hermasillo.
Also sponsoring the show is Bill Robinson and The Times. Coordinating the exhibit is the hardest-working woman in the gallery business, Pam Atchison.
One of the generous donors in the effort to commemorate the flood and displacement of Louisianians is Ridgways Inc, printers at 719 Marshall.
Info: SRAC at 673-6500.
Target bargain: 256 mb USB drive for $13, according to local newspaper ad
Target bargain: 256 mb USB drive for $13, according to local newspaper ad
Originally uploaded by trudeau.
Every serious secondary school student, artist, advanced techie kid, etc, should have one of these to:
* store projects and open them up at home or in the library or your mom's office or grandfather's house.
* store writing Or powerpoint-type projects.
* store photos.
* store music, too.
They replace the diskette. Diskettes are frustratingly easy to damage and quick to fail. Saving to a CD usually means the material is frozen.
A flash drive lasts years and is endlessly erasable and loadable. I've used 2 of them for maybe 3 years now - a 128 mb and a 256 mb - and they're super effective. One way I use them is transfer material from my desktop computer to the laptop. I often move projects from home to work on a flash drive.
See background on the flash drive at wikipedia.org.
There is a cheap alternative: send your material to a site such as Yousendit.com. They will store a large file for one week, free. You can download it anywhere. Not quite the same utility and ease of a USB drive, but an important item to know.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Th, Aug 10, Regal Cinema, Bossier: last area showing of An Inconvenient Truth
Regal Cinema Bossier lists Inconvenient Truth on Th, Aug 10, but does not show it as being screened Fri or Sat.
You've seen it? Terrific.
You've seen it? Terrific.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)