Creature Comforts USA - Art

Someone has videotaped us talking about art!!!

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Summer of the Lightning Bugs

Drew Minson at RRL

Drew plays harmonica and acoustic guitar in this clip

Natalie Zanot

Another Photo by Hideo Ueda

A Japanese View of Catherine's Dinosaurs

Janet Biggs Video Installation

Janet Biggs Video Installation

If you haven't seen the video show at Cornell's Johnson Art Museum, you still have a few weeks. The video is a clip I took while standing outside the building at night a month ago.

Stop. Look. Listen:
An Exhibition of Video Works
October 13 – December 23

Catherine Joy Sings Imaginary Friend

More from Catherine Joy at Rural Research Labs!

Catherine Joy @ Rural Research Labs

Catherine and her dinosaurs

Live Joy

Friday, Nov. 16 - Singer-songwriter Catherine Joy comes to play at RRL. She moved from Brooklyn to Ovid a few years ago for a job controlling the seagull population, and that has found its way into her visual art, songs and performances.
"The love child of Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits," Catherine plays piano, guitar and stompbox; and cohesively combines folk, pop, jazz, cabaret, comedy and performance art – making her one of the more original acts to emerge on the Ithaca scene. She's also a painter and graphic artist, as seen on her delightfully disturbed poster art.

Please come and see something special and unique – and bring a guest or two. It's FREE.

Music and more info here.

Honest Work

(Billy Bragg)

The Labor Songs show 'Halfway to May Day' at RRL on Nov. 1 was fun, and the kind of RRL experience we usually hope for. We filled over two hours with readings and songs. There were four musical performers, one of whom took our flyer at Showcase Elmira and another who saw a listing in the newspaper. It was evident that everyone was invested and worked hard on preparing their material for the show. Thanks to all who participated and came to watch.

Here's a partial list of performances (from memory)
- & songwriters, where known:

To Have and To Have Not - Billy Bragg
Do You Want My Job? - John Hiatt/Little Village (Dan A)

Reading: Don't Let Us Get Sick - Warren Zevon (Tom O)

Israelites - Desmond Dekker
Next Train to Memphis - Tom Brown
Mercenary Song - Steve Earle (Tom B)

Takin' Care of (Patients) - Randy Bachman/Fred Turner/Dan Maloney
If I Had a Hammer - Pete Seeger (Dan M)

Reading: Pa. coal miners' letters (Tom O)

Between the Wars - Billy Bragg
Tip Your Waitress - Loudon Wainwright III (Dan A)

The Long Black Veil - Lefty Frizzell
and several others (Andy)

Reading: Funeral - Mekons (Tom O)

A-L-O-I - Tom Brown
Viola Lee Blues - ? (Tom B)

Nothing is Perfect - Neil Young
Christmas in Washington - Steve Earle (Dan A)

Dark as a Dungeon - Merle Travis
Nice Guy - Dan Maloney
This Land is Your Land - Woody Guthrie (Dan M)

Thinking out loud here: One of the lessons we're learning from trying new things is the challenge of attracting an audience. This first event went well in every other respect; one factor affecting attendance (and drawing more performers) might have been a competing folk concert at the Clemens Center.
(I'm also not sure if adding 'Dan Aloi presents' to this and other shows would make a difference in this town; I'd be willing to try it and trade on past recognition or alleged respect, etc., only if I wasn't one of the performers!)

The idea now is to do this again, and for everyone there on Thursday to commit to bring two more people (and then those people bring two people the next time, and so on - sounds like a union organizing model!).

Result: We will try doing this on a regular basis through the spring, with shows monthly, and usually on the first . The only criteria is work-related (however loosely defined), topical/political songs and readings.

For now, mark your calendars for Friday, Dec. 28 (updated date) and Friday, Feb. 1. Since someone asked me if I could do it in Ithaca, I'm also considering finding a venue for an RRL-presented show there in this format for March or April (to be discussed). Then it's May Day at RRL! Outside, if the weather allows?
I'm already working on songs for the next show.

Ideas, thoughts, comments here, if you have 'em.

Technicolor Close Up

Technicolor Trailer Park at RRL

Showcase Elmira

Technicolor Sounds at RRL

Coming to RRL on two wheels

come one, come all -- it's free for you and Grandma.

Technicolor Trailer Park
This Friday- Oct. 12 @ RRL
7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Redneck glam rock? that's what they call it. here's a few more -- rootsy acoustic and very original anti-neo-alt-whatever? two guys and a girl, three singer-songwriters? guitar, mandolin, bass, melodica, funky garage-sale vintage keyboards and assorted props? improv stories with audience-contributed Mad Libs, all about a young misfit named Stanley? all that and more.
The most fearless band I know.

This kicks off a Friday music series at RRL.

Saturday is Valley Folk's season opener as well, with Adam Miller, autoharp virtuouso. There aren't many of those. Minnie Pearl? pu-leeze and how-dy. June Carter Cash? Love her, rest her soul, but hardly a prodigy. Reese Witherspoon? Zing go the strings of my heart, but she barely knows G, C and D.
There's an admission charge.

And next Friday (10-19), Catherine White will present "Showcase Elmira," with live music, food, spoken word, and performing drag queens! Also free and the showcase gives the public another chance to see the studio tour artists' work. And drag queens.

The very NEXT Friday, Oct. 26, is words by Charlie James and music by Jesse Bennett, who are equally entertaining offstage as on. A Molly Perry Production.

Nov. 1 (a Thursday) is a themed open mic: Labor Songs. Not just old Wobbly songs and field hollers, but those would be cool. Anything goes. Dan A. (which is me) has a clutch of work-related songs from the '80s and '90s. [I was going to do "She Works Hard (For the Money)" but the chords are eluding me.] There will be some other Likeminded Pinkos singing about the Big Boss Man, and a special surprise RRL guest performer.

That's just one little month.
Our humble brick hut is alive with cul-cha.

Please forward this notice to all possibly interested parties. Or invite the parties to our parties. Either way, let's have more parties.

Blessing the Boats by Lucille Clifton

may the tide

that is entering even now

the lip of our understanding

carry you out

beyond the face of fear

may you kiss

the wind then turn from it

certain that it will

love your back may you

open your eyes to water

water waving forever

and may you in your innocence

sail through this to that

Yoko Ono: About The IMAGINE PEACE TOWER.

She is just the best.