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Finding the Rhythm; Breaking the Boredom

Day three winds down here in Concord, the Granite State’s capital city. I just finished watching another second season episode of ABC’s hit “Lost.” Guess you could say that this is my TV fix, a balm for the boredom of a small town. I’ve spent a good deal of time online, finding episodes, and wasting time with the crap that gets incorrectly labeled (iTMS is so much easier, but expensive). I’m also learning how to tie knots and juggle, but I’d rather be outside with the carny games.

This job has developed a sink and swim cycle: four 10-hour days of gigs, four days of nothing to do except errands and busy work. Rain washed out a few days of gigs this week, though I did manage to drive to Portsmouth, NH and table for a Dave Lippman show. It was an 11-hour day that ended with me driving back to Concord in pouring rain. The early part of that day was spent driving around buying things that I needed. I did that a lot in Burlington too, and am a bit over having to consume.

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puppetsFlashback: NYE06 Puppet Pics

NY06_SeaofDreams

While Googling for photos to send to an upcoming Puppet Workshop I tried to get into (too late, they’re full), I came across a few great New Years shots of me in the Wise Fool jester puppet. I spent most of that afternoon putting the puppets together with Jonathan and Emily. We then did a run-through with a cast of dozens, and many great volunteers that played the other puppets (about a dozen total). Then we did a Dr. Feelfine show at our small stage, met up, went backstage at the String Cheese Incident stage, jumped in to our puppets and were on! What a great way to bring in the New Year.
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Meet the PieMobiles

PieMobiles
This photo just dropped into my in-box. While Sensible Priorities’ national office is located in Burlington, VT, there are two smaller state offices in Concord, NH and Des Moines, IA. The folks working in those offices will get their very own “educational vehicle” to drive around, the PieMobile. Sure to knock ’em dead in the city and hopefully not catch a gust on the highway, these wonders will add to the spectacle of ubiquity that Ben and Duane hope to amp up for the next few years.

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puppetsA Visit to the Bread & Puppet Museum

Route 122, Glover, VT

InsurrectionThough you wouldn’t know it from Vermont’s official tourist maps and info brochures, an amazing treasure of art history resides in the state’s Northeast Kingdom. For over 40 years, Peter Schumann, and his collaborative project Bread & Puppet Theater, has produced amazing shows, pageants, and street theater via an infinite amount of imagination, scrap materials, and papier-mâché. Nestled in postcard-perfect rolling hills and meadows, their farm and land serve as a production area and summer performance area. They’ve been there since 1974, and have at least 3 buildings for storage.

The largest building by far is their over-100-year-old, 5 story barn, and it overflows with large and small art from decades of creativity. Only 2 floors are open for viewing, with the top two floors being full of costumes and other things. The bottom area, where the cows used to live, is currently being retrofitted due to a groundwater drainage problem.

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puppets4/29/2006: Puppets from Perversia in SF

Just got an early lead for this San Francisco show via Jack Rabbit Speaks (the Burningman em list). Puppets from Perversia is a benefit to raise USD to fly 7 Bangkok puppeteers to the USA and to Burningman this year. I say go to this show to support this cross-cultural puppet exchange (I may try to meet up with them on the Playa).

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Landing Into a Burlington Spring

Once again, I arrived to a new place at a perfect time to see nature herself bloom into maidenhood. During my first day in Burlington, VT, my host Bram got his daughter to tell me that Vermont has extra seasons. Seven-year-old Tasha had just met me, so she shyly recited “summer, fall, stick, winter, mud, and spring.” Winter left mildly this year, so mud season wasn’t that muddy. I got to see the last throws of mud season my first few days here.

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Meet the CarnyMobile

Burlington, VT
CarnyMobile
More of a mobile billboard than an art car, this van and high-striker-as-a-trailer will be my new “home” for the next six months. I shot this photo on the road to Ben Cohen’s house (outside of Williston village) yesterday; a farmer in the orchard behind the van gave a wave as I walked into the muddy field to frame this photo. I had just spent about 15 minutes backing this thing down part of Ben’s driveway, and it wasn’t easy.

The CarnyMobile is the latest addition to the Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities grassroots auto-art fleet: the Oreo Mobile (photos soon), the Piggy Banks van (photos soon), the Pie Mobiles, Pants on Fire, Spank Bush/DeLay Mobile, and a few other earlier buses and autos.

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createBMIS Flyer Art

BMIS

Finished this flyer just in time before my departure East for Black Mesa Indigenous Support. I initially wanted to go on this caravan to help the people of Black Mesa, but I have been sent somewhere else. I’m glad that I got to be part of this via the flyer design and hope to go out there soon.

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CELLspace – 10: War in Iraq – 3

The spring equinox passed Monday, reaching the beginning of year 4 for the Iraq morass as well as year 11 for CELLspace.

Three years ago, I co-produced the Funky Puppet Supper at CELLspace. At that time, CELL had just been shut down by the SFPD and the collective scrambled for ways to keep the space open. We couldn’t allow more than 49 people in the space and went about 7 months with no events. Jonathan Youtt and others started the Mission Village Market, hoping to bring in the rent money. Mia Rovegno and others produced a series of “Save the Cell” events in other venues. Zoe Garvin and others furiously wrote grants. Even our landlord gave us a few months break on rent to help out.

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4/9/2006: Slow Foods Feast of Fools

OK, Sunday, April 9 will be the absolute last time that anybody can see me before I head East to VT, NJ, and IA (via SC) for my crazy, 6-month stint at being a political carny operator (many blog entries to follow I’m sure). Other than working one last shift at Teatro ZinZanni that day, I’ll be stage managing this unique night of slow food, performance, video, and talks. The Slow Foods Feast of Fools promises to open your eyes to the local food chain, the farmers and distributors who work locally, and the CounterPULSE community that supports local arts and communities. A bit on the pricey side, but all proceeds go to paying off the CounterPULSE debt.

I’ll be running around most of the night, doing my SM thing and making sure that everything runs smoothly. Kitchen a little behind on that course? We’ll extend the performance beforehand. You know, just like Circo Romani and the Funky Puppet Supper.

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sound4/8/2006: DJ HappyFt Spins @ ArtSFest’s Spectra Ball

Justin Katz (Epic Arts, Paradox Media, Rosin Coven) dropped me an e-mail last week asking me to throw down some HappyFt zaniness for ArtSFest’s Spectra Ball. If it wasn’t for Justin’s support (along with Epic Arts’ Jess Ivry and Tim Barsky), the world would probably never get to hear the meshing of styles and cultures that leak out of my brain’s ears. Looking over this line-up, I’m humbled to be among a throng of amazing performers for this last night of DJing before I head East.

My set is early and I think I’m still doing between act fills. That’s the best way to throw out my many genres and cartoon tangents. Who needs a big set to get the good times going?

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