Hot Times at Old Town

Appearing below are selections from the hard copy Hot Times. The objective is to highlight activities at the School and in the larger community, especially those featuring or of special interest to teachers and staff. Your suggestions are welcome. Enter a comment (under any item); it will come to me rather than automatically appearing.

Chicago’s Music Scene in Danger

UPDATE:

We’re told that this ordinance won’t be considered Wednesday; but one never knows. A call to Schulter’s office wouldn’t hurt in any case, to show public interest in the issue.

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On Wednesday, May 14th, the City Council is considering a poorly thought-out ordinance affecting coffee houses, bars, or any venue offering entertainment arranged by someone other than the owner. They would require expensive licenses, insurance etc.

The Council is thinking of places like nightclubs where the E-2 fire occurred, but would affect the entire music scene. Alderman Schulter heads the committee handling this — so if you are in his ward, a call to his office may help.

Printed below is an appeal from teachers and students who are demonstrating against passage of the ordinance.

Hi all -

I assume you all know about Promoter’s Ordinance issue. Please talk about the petition and Wed morning rally in your classes. Copy the flier I left in the teacher’s lounge.

We and our students could be very negatively affected by this. Please help out!

There is a rally at 9am Wed 5/14 at 121 N La Salle in front of
the building. We will play and sing out against the Promoter’s
Ordinance.

Please forward this info to media/groups/individuals.

Folks should SIGN THE PETITION TODAY www.savechicagoculture.org

Cheers and raised fists -
Andrea

Filed under: Interesting elsewhere by Skip | May 13, 2008 | Comments (0)

Old Town Jugs head to Memphis

On May 3rd, the Hump Night Thumpers, headed by teacher Arlo Leach, travelled to Memphis for a special occasion. (The Hump Night Thumpers are the school’s jug band/class).

Back in 2005, when Arlo stepped out of his car at Tennessee’s Shelby County Cemetery, he knew something wasn’t right. “It was just an empty field, quiet, with one tree in the middle. I thought I was at the wrong address. Then I noticed the little numbered plates on the ground.” The Chicago music teacher had traveled to Memphis to pay his respects to Will Shade, who led the most popular jug band of the 1920’s and 30’s, and brought a flower to place at his gravestone. What Arlo discovered, though, was that Shade was buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave, forgotten and unrecognized for his achievements; his passing in 1966 had not even been mentioned in the press.

Now Will Shade received a second chance for posthumous recognition. Earlier this year, Leach and his colleagues at the School presented a tribute concert featuring Shade’s pupil Charlie Musselwhite and young jug devotees, the Carolina Chocolate Drops. The show sold out to an enthusiastic crowd and raised enough money to buy a granite marker for the grave. Musicians from Chicago, Memphis and elsewhere met at the cemetery on May 3 to celebrate its installation. « Read more »

Filed under: Interesting elsewhere by Skip | May 4, 2008 | Comments (0)

The index to the right: Teachers’ gigs, 5-13 update

New additions for your calendar:

Wednesday, May 21st - Dave Specter DVD/CD Release party, Buddy Guy’s Legends, featuring Jimmy Johnson, Sharon Lewis, Tad Robinson & many special guests. 9:30-1:00 am. (and it’s Dave’s birthday!)

Thursday, May 22nd - Dave Specter at SPACE (Dave’s new club!) Featuring Jimmy Johnson, Sharon Lewis, Tad Robinson & many special guests. SPACE = Society for Preservation of Arts & Culture in Evanston, 1245 Chicago Ave. (at Dempster), Evanston, IL www.evanstonspace.com 9:00-12:30

Thursday, May 22nd - Ron Skertich, Rich Stevens and friends, Heartland Cafe, 7000 N. Glenwood, 8-10 pm.

(Items shown here also appear in the long list of teacher gigs, click the column to the right or just scroll down).

Filed under: Interesting elsewhere by Skip | May 3, 2008 | Comments (0)

Hooting with Chris Walz - Sunday, May 18th

Ever heard the word “hootnany?”

Sure, it was a TV show. But the real hootnanies were folks gathering to play and sing together; they were most popular in the 50’s and 60’s. Well, hootnanies are now back — at S.P.A.C.E. a new performance facility in Evanston.

Chris Walz, one of the school’s most popular guitar teachers, is now leading a hoot including folk, bluegrass, and popular songs the first and third Sundays of every month.

The first Hoot was great fun. About 30 folks attended; the chairs were in a circle and people who wanted to lead songs could do so. Some brought instruments, but many just came to sing. The next Hoot will be Sunday, May 18th, 3:30-6 pm, 1245 Chicago Avenue, Evanston.(847-492-8860). $5 individual, $10 family at the door. This is a whole family event, so bring the kids!

Filed under: Interesting elsewhere by Skip | May 3, 2008 | Comments (0)

Boneyard Prayer - Music by teacher Charles Kim - Runs to May 11th

Does anyone not know about Redmoon Theater? This is one of America’s most exciting, innovative theatrical organizations – a standout in Chicago’s dynamic community.

In this just-opened, new production, Redmoon explores struggle, sorrow, and salvation, drawing from such varied sources as William Kennedy’s Ironweed, Dante’s Inferno, T.S. Eliot’s The Hollow Men, tramp art, Santos sculpture, and other period literature, music, and art. Boneyard Prayer tells a Depression-era tale of one man’s fractured life and ultimate redemption using various forms of puppetry and shadow images, along with extraordinary music inspired by the songs of the age.

The music, composed by Old Town School guitar teacher Charles Kim, includes Kurt Weill/Tin Pan Alley period songs, Tom Waits-like crunch, and chamber music arrangements. This is Charles’ fourth work for Director Frank Maugeri, “a beautiful, eerie world based on, among other influences, William Kennedy’s novel Iron Weed. “ The production runs until May 11th. For information and tickets: www.redmoon.org.

Filed under: Interesting elsewhere by Skip | March 22, 2008 | Comments (0)

Lead Belly’s Birthday Party, Tues. January 29th, 10 pm

Note: Folks who were there said this was wonderful. Sue Strom read from the radio feature text while Mark played Huddie’s songs; people sang along on the popular ones.

Huddie Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly, left us a rich legacy of song, but few remember who he was. Mark Dvorak will remedy that on Tuesday, when he sponsors Huddie’s first ever birthday party at the Grafton. There will be a reading by Sue Strom, then she’ll join him in singing Lead Belly’s best known songs. The party is at 10 pm, just down the block from the School.

For Mark’s email about his trip down south to learn more about Lead Belly’s roots, click « Read more »

Filed under: Interesting elsewhere by Skip | January 23, 2008 | Comments (0)

The equivalent of great musicianship….in paper art

What are the elements of great musicianship? A vision of the music, an intimate knowledge/love of the instrument, and technical skills? That’s a try, but as always, words and concepts are inadquate pointers. Those are my thoughts when I think about creativity while looking at the work of Peter Callesen. http://petercallesen.com/index/index2.html

Filed under: Interesting elsewhere by Skip | January 20, 2008 | Comments (0)

Reggio’s Holiday Show — look for it in December ‘08!

On December 9th 2007, Reggio performed his annual program, “The Nut Tapper.” This spirited Christmas show put a new twist on Tschaikovsky’s holiday classic. Instead of ballet, Reggio uses percussive dance to tell his story, drawing fascinating rhythms from multiple traditions, including Spanish gipsy flamenco, Mexican Zapateado, Appalachian clogging, and — of course — American tap dancing.

You can enjoy this show In December 2008 at the Athenaeum Theatre. Many families make this show an annual part of their holiday season. Call the theater and ask about the 2008 dates. It will be a reminder to the theatre of Reggio’s popularity.

Filed under: Interesting elsewhere by Skip | November 9, 2007 | Comments (0)

Dark Morris: Dancing the Sun Down

If you enjoy energetic activities and want something ENTIRELY different, consider Morris Dance. Morris is a traditional performance dance involving almost athletic moves, marching, and distinctive costumes. These outfits usually include white pants and shirt, black shoes, leather pads covered with large bells tied around each leg below the knee, and brightly coloured ribbons attached at various places. A vest, double-baldric, or suspenders is usually worn over the shirt. The dances are unusual and fun, performed by an eclectic, interesting group of folks – very open to observers and future participants. (They’re happy to dance with no observers; that’s how much fun it is).

A good introduction to Morris dance was watching their celebration of Halloween. This year, as in the past, Chicago’s Ravenswood Morris joined Morris dancing teams all around the world to dance the sun down – an old tradition known as “dark Morris.”

If this unusual celebration has caught your attention, think about getting acquainted with this group and their unusual way of celebrating life through this age-old form of dance. For more information on Morris Dance, see www.RavenswoodMorris.org.

Filed under: The joy of dance, Interesting elsewhere by Skip | October 29, 2007 | Comments (0)

The Exquisite Corpse Lives! (At least for a while)

This is about an art show that begins November 1st.

Want to impress a friend with your non-conventional taste? Or shock your Aunt Hazel, visiting from Kansas City? Visit our favorite funky café, The Heartland, in November. They’re having an exhibition by a circle of young, Chicago-based artists working with the “exquisite corpse” technique developed in Surrealist circles during the 1920s.

In one picture, a man’s ear and nose turn into the wings of a bird. In another, a jester remains stoic as her coattails turn into carnivorous swans. Nearby, a winged bird reconciles itself to being rooted to the ground like a tree. These uncanny creatures are just a few of the “exquisite corpses” that make up Constraining Play, this new exhibit of more than three dozen provocative drawings that will be on display from November 1 to November 29th.

The technique relies on accident and serendipity: Separate artists draw the top, middle, and bottom of each piece. The first artist draws the top portion and extends her drawing a centimeter below the first fold. With the top folded out of view, the second artist incorporates the fringes of the first artist’s drawing into his own composition. Then, the third artist follows suit, drawing the bottom portion based on cues provided by the second artist.

Such signs of freedom and constraint, which are interwoven in many of the figures, can prompt critical reflections on the social and psychological worlds within which we are enmeshed. Like the exquisite corpses in this show, our lives today are structured by a mixture of freedom and compulsion, pleasure and misery.

This technique regained popularity more than a decade ago through an exhibition at the Heartland Café entitled “Totems Without Taboos: The Exquisite Corpse Lives!” During November, the Exquisite Corpse will live again!
The Heartland is open seven days a week; check their schedule at heartlandcafe.com.

Filed under: Interesting elsewhere by Skip | October 25, 2007 | Comments (0)


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