World Music Festival 2 - Willy Street Fair

Saturday's portion of the World Music Festival in Madison, WI, took place in conjunction with the annual Willy Street Fair. All afternoon and evening bands imported from various parts of the world played, for free, to delighted crowds. First up was Kepa Junkera playing Basque Country, and featuring Madison's own Robert Schoville sitting in on percussion.



I don't know exactly what the Basque call this instrument, tamborine, riqq, pandiero, but man he sure could play it! Awesome.



Next up was a return visit of the Dragon Knights (see prior post). They were followed by a musical act that blew the minds of the audience. I spoke to a dozen people whose minds were reeling after the performance.



This was Hanggai from Mongolia. Their music, described by Pitchfork as “traditional Mongolian folk music and instrumentation project[ed] into a loosely rock-based structure…creating something new and exhilarating in the process.” The instruments were unusual to our ears, the structure different, and the throat-singing an amazing oddity.



The crowd continued to swell as they played, drawn in and captured by what they heard, and were jumping around by the end. Fortunately CDs were available!



And there was more to see, and experience, and eat, and hear. There will be more posts, so stay tuned. In the meantime, view my larger slide show of photos HERE. And did I mention that the Willy Street Fair really gets going TODAY? What a great city! I plan to catch Yid Vicious at noon, right after the parade.

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World Music Festival 1

Here we get to the heart of why I love living in Madison, Wisconsin. This weekend is the time for not one, not tow, but THREE super-cool things to do. First is the World Music Festival, a free event hosted through the UW consisting of 3+ days of world beat music and assorted extravaganza. The second is the 2nd annual Forward Music Fest, a rock-n-roll series hosted by a variety of venues in town. Third is the Willy Street Fair, a rollicking good time in the heart of the eclectic East Side.

Last night I met friends on the University's student union, known locally as the Terrace. There was free music all evening, and an appearance by Chicago's Dragon Knights, a troupe of stilt performers. Here are a few pics of them:







What a crowd-pleaser they were!

There is a set of photos of them, and the first musical act at my Flickr site, HERE. It's a slide show, so the images are much larger. Enjoy! There is more to come.

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Intriguing Dragonfly

I spotted this dragonfly in the yard today. I have never seen a variety like this with wings so completely transparent and a clearly defined coloration in the center. It really looked a lot like the flower heads it was sitting on. View it large...


View LARGE On Black

Can any one tell me the variety?

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No! Not yet!!!

Dangit. We just really got summer here a couple of weeks ago.

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Martinis with a friend

Tonight we are indulging in a new tradition: We are having martinis with a friend. Thing is, the friend lives in Virginia, so we do it over the phone. We just hang out, slurp a martini, and talk for an hour just as though she were here, Nice.

Cheers!

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Back from Bierland

It has been an entire week since I posted here. What the heck was I thinking? Maybe the better question is, what the heck was I drinking? The answer is beer, or more correctly, bier. As in German bier. A lot of German bier. For four days.

There are parties, and there are Parties. This was one of the latter variety. The sort of party where there undoubtedly is a lot of bier consumed, but it is consumed by people who are hand-picked to be there. This is no frat house kegger, goodness no. This is the sort of party where you cannot come if you are not invited, and you cannot invite someone unless you have been there 4 times, and even then inviting someone is strongly discouraged. Thus, the people who are there are people who Pass The Test. They drink bier and it makes them want to dance, or make music, or prepare tasty meals for 100 of their friends, or wash dishes after such a meal, or perhaps to simply hang out and talk for hours at a time.



The bier is on tap at all times, and we simply help ourselves to our preferred variety. Wanting a wheat? Obsessing over orange Ocktoberfest? Pining for a Premium from Spaten? Salivating for a Salvatore? Well, we were in luck because they were all available.

Great party, you are thinking! Right. Which is why I am not going to tell you where it is, or who attends. Safety First. However, I will show you some scenery pictures because the spot is so darned pretty, especially in the fall when the days are warm and the nights are briskly cool.

Prosit!




Scallops and Portobellos on the Grill




Misty Mornings on the lake


Our little Schwarzvald decorated with fresh hops

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I fought Photoshop, and I won!

It was a nasty, dirty fight. It started sort of passive-aggressively. I read this short little How-To on a technique in Photoshop and thought it would be a valuable thing to learn. A quick, easy addition to my toolkit. Little did I know that Photoshop does not give up its secrets easily, and the faint of heart get chewed up and cast forth into The Land of Amateur Editors. All I wanted to do was quickly and easily add my name and copyright to any photos I was editing. This How To showed - sort of - how to do it with a single click. Yeah baby!

[insert negatory buzzer here]

I already had my digital signature available, so I brought that image into Photoshop, selected it, and created a Brush Tool in a few simple steps. No worries. Then I followed the How To instructions on how to use it.

And then I spent over an hour swearing, shouting, stomping out of the room, and generally frightening the cat.

Eventually I pinged two friends seeking help. Neither had an answer for me, but one did point me at a website that contained the crucial clue. Since there are 9,586,393,538 ways to do anything in Photoshop but 9,586,393,357 are esoteric and convoluted, the trick is to find the one way that makes sense to you.

Eventually I discovered the Secret. Send $19.95 to my PayPal account and I'll reveal all.

So I made certain that I could replicate my results, then had a Much Needed beer. Here are a few examples of images that were otherwise tweaked and manipulated in Photoshop, and then had my signature added with a couple of clicks. Simply Only If Known. These are nice viewed large.


View LARGE On Black


View LARGE On Black


View LARGE On Black

(Hint: The Secret is in which Brush tool you select!)

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Now What?

With all the rehearsals and preparation for the Orton Park Festival performance by Cycropia Aerial Dance behind me, I find my self with a bit of a quandary. For the past four months (and the four months prior to that leading up to the spring performance) my life has pretty much been a whirlwind of activity.



Now the show is over, and there is nothing on deck yet for which I need to rehearse. I have a lull. So now what? I suddenly have a few evenings a week back. Tired muscles will get a rest. That twinge in my elbow can heal. All that specific muscle can fade away.

Wait...what?

I would prefer that last one not occur! I need to find ways to incorporate some specific muscle work into my life to keep the tone I now have. Some of it I can get on a simple chin bar in the basement, but I know the likelihood of me doing determined "exercise": Slim. I can, and will, step up the warmup exercises I do for contact improv dance, adding in some harder arm work. I can double down on the drills that work core muscles. All that is easy, as it is simply ramping up things I already do. I hope it is enough.

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the audacity of Mother Nature

It is difficult to describe just how disappointing it was to get rained out last night. At an intellectual level, I am fine and understand completely that there is weather related risk associated with any outdoor performance. The inner child, the spotlight hungry performer on the other hand, is still on the verge of stomping his feet and howling in outrage at the audacity of Mother Nature.

We started rehearsing for this show in April, seemingly about 15 minutes after we finished striking the spring show. For me that meant twice a week rehearsals, plus class and related strengthening work, for four months. As this weekend drew imminent, extra rehearsals were added, further chewing up free time to be with our partners and simply get things done.

When yesterday turned into the most perfect late-summer day with a blue, blue sky and warm sun, my heart was bursting with joy. This show is a real treat to perform, and it seemed like we had finally caught a break in the weather this year and would have two nights of performance. Then about 45 minutes before show time, we started watching a front move in. Out came the iPhones and Blackberries for live weather radar. It did not look good. There was a narrow but sever band of storm that was going to hit us without a doubt. We started prepping for rain; moving things into tents or covering them with tarps. The sound and light table got quietly powered off and bagged, then covered with tarps. The crowd was seemingly unaware of the gathering storm until the wind hit and the lightning became frequent. Many scattered for cars, bikes or other shelter. Some die-hards stayed in hopes that it would just blow over. It was not to be, however, and the storm hit with high winds and driving rain. We battened down the rest of what was still open and jammed into either the back stage tent or the sound/light tent. We had dropped the E-Z-up sound booth tent down to half-height and thrown a tarp over the whole thing to further protect the expensive gear therein, and eight of us jammed into there as well. The rain only lasted 20 minutes, but the timing could not have been worse. The entire crowd (2000+) had scattered. There would be no joy in Mudville this night.

This morning dawns hazy with a thin cloud cover. The NOAA weather forecast is for mostly clear and cool all day. Right now it's a chilly 56 degrees (F) and the high is only supposed to reach 66. It will be a challenge keeping muscles warm between the end of warmup and the performance itself. I desperately hope the weather is not a repeat of yesterday. I think my inner diva would win and I would stomp and shout my disappointment. With fingers crossed, I start my day and hope it ends in performance.

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loaded with foliage and bearing numerous acorns

I drove past Orton Park today and was surprised to see a tree down that had been standing as recently as last night. It had clearly been cut down - I looked for any evidence that it had toppled and been cut up.



The tree that Cycropia will perform on this coming weekend is visible in the background. It is the one with the obvious scar.



The tree appeared healthy at first glance, loaded with foliage and bearing numerous acorns.



When I looked at the stump, there is a section that looks rotted. But it didn't extend very far up the trunk, rather it looked more like a chainsaw had been inserted down the trunk but not up. That is not what happened: It was clearly a rotten section, I am just attempting to describe what it looked like in shape. The upper sections of the tree showed no signs of rot to an uninformed observer like me. Does anybody reading this have some insider info?



It is pretty distressing to me, since it makes me wonder if the lovely tree that Cycropia flies in each year will fall to whatever made the Madison Forestry department deem this tree to be doomed. Will I drive by in a month and see "our" tree down? While it seems unlikely, the forestry group did just trim a bunch of dead branches out of it. How is the core?

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Cycropia Rehearsal at Orton

Wow, am I tired! In preparation for the aerial dance performance at the Orton Park Festival, a bunch of us dancers and dancer-friends gathered at the park at 9 AM. First on the agenda was to rake and rake and rake under the oak tree in which we perform. Nothing quite like stomping bare-footed on an acorn. After raking, we picked up buckets full of sticks and acorns. Simultaneously, folks prepped the branches with rigging for the apparatus we use. By noon, the space was clear and we started a long rehearsal process.



Each piece got a set amount of time to rehearse. One of the pieces I'm in got a bit longer time slot, because we need the polishing time. For two hours we ran the piece and lab'd certain sticky spots. Equally important was simply learning how things worked on the actual rig points in the tree.



The second piece I am in had a shorter time slot as it needs less work. We ran the physically intense piece three times and called it sufficient. Reena got a really nice shot of our finale:



Tomorrow we have another long day of rehearsals.

There are more photos posted in a slide show HERE at my Flickr site. Enjoy!

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"My Big Adventure" by C. Hook

Today began as most others, with a frustratingly slow, relentless pursuit of breakfast. My human companions were slow on the switch, still asleep well after the sun was up. I don't get it. Why don't they nap during the middle of the day? Then they would be up and at it, feeding me when it was appropriate. But no, like the mewling kittens they often seem to be, they needed rousing. I got the female up first, and after an interminable period she gave me First Breakfast. It was...adequate. The male rolled out later (as is his due) and also attended to himself before me. He challenges me constantly for alpha status and I am thinking I might have to remind him, again, just who is in charge. These moments are never pretty.

After Second Breakfast I was ready for either a trip Outside or perhaps a nap. The male indicated that we were going Outside, so I accompanied him. This particular morning was different though, because instead of merely attaching that Mobility Limiting Device (MLD), effectively curtailing my meanderings to a tiny piece of turf, we loaded into the pregnant looking Machine. I was uncertain as we moved away from My Yard and gave a few low growls to voice my displeasure. Male consoled me, and I relaxed seeing that he was at ease. After a Long Time we jumped out. All I got was a few tentative sniffs of the immediate surroundings, shackled as I was again by the MLD. This was vaguely familiar, but an old memory. We went back inside and then it hit me. We were at a place the male referred to as the Vet. Still on the MLD, I explored the area. It seemed calm, no canines being all spastic and alternately trying to eat me or drool on me! Then I spotted him; a big orange tabby lurking on a bench! He looked at me and I at him. Deciding that I could whup him, I ignored him. Bad move as it turned out. But I didn't notice what a sneak he was until later.

The other human, my male referred to her as "Sin-dee", went out of sight and made A Noise. The orange, who Sin-dee called Kal-vin, leaped off the bench and moved his corpulent body surprisingly fast. I would have laughed at his pudge swinging back and forth - actually pulling him into a comic gait as it wallowed back and forth - but that would have been Uncool. Instead I tried to figure out what would make him run, a clearly uncommon event for him. Only one possibility really- Food! Sin-dee came out and I moved towards her as far as the MLD would allow. As surely as mice have tasty brains, she had Food and she put it down for me. Right on! This Sin-dee is OK. I scarfed.

As I was rending the Food, Kal-vin snuck in from the side. Instantly on offense I laid my ears back, bulked up, and let out a mighty hiss! I'll be damned if he didn't do the same. As if he could take me! What was he thinking? Amusingly the humans intervened. My male dropped to my side as if to defend me, while Sin-dee used her hind foot to brush Kal-vin back. Still alert and letting everyone know I was not to be messed with, I allowed my male to move me to a better defensive location. Kal-vin allowed himself to be protected in some undisclosed location. Being no dummy, I remained on high alert, even when Sin-dee gave me some more Food.

Whatever strange reason brought us to the Vet, my male now allowed me to lead him back outside to the Machine. He was all elbows and knees, trying to carry two boxes, a small bag, the business end of the MLD, and an array of jingly things that he fussed with. Eventually he got it together and we loaded back into the Machine. He made soothing noises, and eventually I quit worrying about Kal-vin.

After Some Time we stopped bouncing. The male reattached the MLD and opened the Machine. I jumped out, trying to clear a strange looking puddle. Unfortunately I misjudged and landed weirdly on a strangely-rounded rock, and almost dabbed a paw into that weird muddy puddle. Close call!

This place was Different. The wind was blowing my fur so hard it was almost uncomfortable. There were strange and wonderful smells. There was a ginormous body of water, rolling and splashing like I have never seen. Then, just as I was getting used to the water, I spotted a flock of peculiar Giant Birds. Immediately I dropped into a crouch and started stalking them. My male seemed intent on the hunt as well and the MLD was not inhibiting my movements. The doofus on the other end of the MLD Clearly does not understand stalking, and the Birds flew off before I could get close. Drat! Just one of those would have filled my belly half a dozen times, at least. The male crouched and seemed to want to linger, so I hunkered down in a sunbeam where the wind didn't wreak such havoc on my fur. We chilled.

When I had had enough, I started to lead my male back the way we had come. We loaded back into the Machine and again began bumping. What the heck is going on I do not know, but after indeterminate Time the bumping stops and we were Home. I lead to the Door and we go In. In a bit of brilliance, my male puts Food out for me, an unexpected treat. When I'm done eating, one imperious command is enough to have my male open the Door and allow me back Out. The jerk reattaches the MLD. Well, at least there is fresh rain water out here for me to get a good drink. Now it's time for a little nap under the day lilies. Who knows what incomprehensible thing my human male will do. I really just cannot figure him out, but when all is said and done, he really is an OK sort.

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Al Khemia at the High Noon Saloon

This event slipped past me completely. At the beginning of August, Reena's other band, al Khemia, played an early show at Madison's popular High Noon Saloon. They opened for another local band, Patchwork Monkey. Al Khemia plays a melange of Arabic music, mostly classics. Joining them on stage for this performance was talented local belly dance instructor Mona N'wal. It was a pretty good show, and the audience seemed appreciative. It bears mentioning that members of al Khemia also play in other bands: Reena and Marko play with Pagee Go Go, and Alec and Rebecca play with Patchwork Monkey. Bill plays on demand for Mona's dance classes.

You can view photos on my Flickr site via this full-size SLIDE SHOW, or you can view them right here in a smaller format.




Marko

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