Friday, March 30, 2007

March 31 Indian Violin Music at Lewis and Clark

Carnatic music is the music of South India. Different from Western music in the pitches comprising its scales, it is familiar too from samples in dance music. So maybe it's just different enough to open the doors of perception.

Ganesh and Kumaresh are brothers. Each started their study of violin at age 3. Their first concert was performed at ages 5 and 7. They have collaborated with many famed Indian musicians and for the Tabla Beat Science project.

Ganesh and Kumaresh perform tonight at Lewis and Clark's Evans Auditorium. Arrive early to leave time to navigate the campus. More info at Kalakendra.org Tickets $15 advance at indogram.com or Tickets West; $20 at the door. 7:30PM

March 30 Fashion Show at Design Within Reach

Adam Arnold makes clothes for women and men. That's unusual in a town where the screened tee is considered a fashion statement for men. In Brooklyn, the low down style is rationalized as an anti-crime measure, a cloak of invisibility for trust fund kids. Is it necessary here though?

For contrast, see Arnold's bespoke design style in a runway show at Design Within Reach, which sells furniture similar in attitude. Arrive early to sit inside, or watch through streetside windows.

http://www.dwr.com/studios/portland 1200 N.W. Everett 7PM Free

Friday, March 23, 2007

March 25 Yoga Benefit

Everyone complains about the state of the world but what are they doing about it? Here is one approach. Invite college students from around the country. Immerse them in a summer-long program in Portland. Explore political and social change dynamics deeply; how they can be moved by media. Finally, turn the participants loose on their own projects: documentaries, blogging, podcasts, working in non profits, or in the government itself. Repeat, building a network of powerful activists.

The participants get college credit, the tuition is a free ride, the work itself, intense and world changing.

All this takes money, and to raise it consider an afternoon of yoga and a silent auction of things like a Flex-Car membership, Kayak lessons, home repairs, dinners, real stuff. Yoga classes are $8 and you can choose from Kripalu (1PM), Moving with Attention (2PM), Kripalu (3PM), Vinyasa (4PM). At 5:30PM the silent auction winners will be announced.

The Northwest Institute for Social Change also needs hosts for the students and internship opportunities, so take a look at http://nwisc.com/program/ to find out more.

Benefit at Yoga Shala North http://www.yogashalapdx.com 3808 N Williams 1-6PM

Thursday, March 22, 2007

March 24 Rollerderby Vampire Son

Rose City Rollers Rollerderby at the Expo Center

The Rose City Rollers kicks off its 2007 season tonight. Ticket prices have escalated as they have sold out shows. Hope the rollers are getting paid now! Details at rosecityrollers.com At the Portland Expo Center. Go by Train. Doors 5, rollers at 6PM $15/20 in advance $18/25 at the door


Annual Vampire Ball

The Vampire Ball is sort of a goth prom. If you are inclined to experience it, it is strictly dress the part and no spectators. Vampires like fun though, so dance music will be provided by DJ Horrid, DJ Curatrix and DJ Eternal Darkness. Sponsors include Dark Industry Clothing, Decarabia Gothic Jewlery, Dark Candles, Lemurgurlart, the Seattle stage production of Edward Scissorshands, Strange Monster, The Scarlet Garden, Tormented Artifacts, Fangs by Victor, Gothic Beagle, Alteration Nation, Mad Stoat Maskworks, the novel A Drop of Scarlet by Leisure Books, Leather Werks and Designs by Victoria. Details at http://www.myspace.com/vampireballpdx. $20 advance


Havana Heat at the Mambo Lounge

There is not so much distance between us and Cuba, even in the Northwest. Cana Son plays musica tradicional Cubana right here. Tonight they celebrate the release of their CD with a party. So if you are not leaving Portland for warmer climes, tonight's dance party might be the perfect tomic. Samples at myspace.com/canason Show at the Mambo Lounge 17 SE 8th (Imago) 10PM $10

March 23 Psychic Soviet Crux

Psychic Soviet Reading at Reading Frenzy

Psychic Soviet is a book which has nothing to do with either. Rather it is a compendium of laser brilliant writings, humorously deconstructing aesthetic theories of art, music and culture today. It is also in a "Little Red Book" style format - 3 1/2 by 5 inches - pocket or Old Joy camping trip size.

Tonight author Ian F. Svenonius reads at Reading Frenzy early, later he DJ's at Holocene as Name Names. Calvin Johnson, mr K and The Dub Narcotic Sound System, DJ's as Selector Dub Narcotic along with DJ Atole at Holocene.

Reading Frenzy
7PM Free!

Holocene 9PM on Free!



Identity Art Event at Crux Arts

Crux is an art studio by a cookie factory. Formerly Jen Rhodes studio gallery. Aritsts Serena Barton, Terry Dote, Stephen Ferreira, Jennifer Gritt, Kiri Hargie, Doug Smith, Andrew Sperry, Barbi Touron, Allison Ulmer, Matt Vosberg, Alisa Walton and Jerry Worley of the Black Sheep Art Collective create for you tonight Identity. It's a night of art, including performance and installation, conversation, music, and you.

Crux Arts 55 NE Farragut St 7PM

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

March 21 Two Talks

A Writer's Coach

I have an interest in writing, and, a newfound one, in writing fiction. I've had a chance sometimes, to travel. Sometimes to out of the way spots, where the foreign correspondent's club was the expat's speakeasy, in the spirit of Graham Greene. It is a place to make sense of the chaos, to sort fact from fiction. So how apropos that Portland's Press Club would invite tonight, Jack Hart, author of A Writer's Coach, to speak. Maybe he has insights into balancing the fact and fiction of writing.

The Press Club 2621 SE Clinton 7PM Free


"Everything You Know About Money is Wrong"

Economics is unfortunately our largest abstraction. Simple models of the infinite small behaviors of 6 billion people constitute a huge fragile edifice. Frank Ackerman, Director of Research and Policy at Tuft's Global Development and Environment Institute, tunnels termite-like into the foundations of economics. Flaws he finds there, resolved, may hold the key to a sustainable economics.

www.illahee.org First Congregational Church 1126 SW Park 7:30PM $20

Thursday, March 15, 2007

March 15-18: Visualists at Play in Seattle and London

Pixelflip Performs at the 911 Media Arts Center March 15

The 911 VJ series continues with Pixelflip. Pixelflip was schooled at the Vancouver Film School, another datapoint for cinema's expansion.

911 Media Arts Center http://www.911media.org/ 402 9th Ave N. 7:30-10:30


Addictive TV and Peter Greenway Perform on the BFI IMAX March 16

Addictive TV performs live visuals. While their dissing Voila is massively disingenuous, they are one of the leaders in the genre, which has stronger and deeper roots in the UK. Joining Addictive will be Peter Greenway. Greenway is known for a series of spectacularly self indulgent art films, presaging Mathew Barney, who expanded the concept. In neither case this is not necessarily a bad thing. Born 1942, in Wales, Greenway, director of 59 films, has been awarded Commander of the British Empire by the Queen. Tonight he will perform live samples from the 92 Tulse Luper series, accompanied by DJ Radar. Greenway performs on a purpose built touch screen video server presaging future tools for live performance.

Both artists perform on the British Film Institute IMAX.

The Optronica Festival runs through Sunday. Pioneers EBN, who mixed visuals on VHS tape in the wayback, will be represented by Gardiner Port and Brian Kane. Ryoichi Kurokawa also performs.

All this is happening in London.

See the website for locations, times, particulars.

Note all the links here from the site http://www.optronica.org annoyingly trash the browser address bar. Poor form gents!


Artist Viola Provides Visuals for NIN

Video artist Bill Viola created visuals for 3 songs in a recent US tour by Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails. The visuals are front projected on a transparent scrim between the band and the audience. In a previous tour, NIN commissioned visuals by artist and designer David Carson. Carson tapped friends in the surf community to develop visuals from surf footage, especially the blue crush outtakes as the camera people were dragged beneath the wave. Carson's visuals are documented in the Fragility tour DVD; Viola on the Beside You in Time [Halo22]DVD, also available in HD.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

March 3 - Indian Flute Giant Performs

Pandit is an honorific; in Indian music it is a musician who has developed great sensitivity and skill in interpreting centuries old rags - the canonical compositions of classical Indian music. I have seen Indian bamboo flute-Bansuri musician Pandit G.S.Sachdev. At age 73, playing for 50 years, he has a relaxed style. As a child his father discouraged his musical interests; his mother secretly encouraged them. Early in his career, he played for Bollywood soundtracks, but became disenchanted and refocused on deepening his experience with classical music. Sachdev is also comfortable with fusion of Western styles and has resisted Indian discrimination against musicians outside the established multigenerational musical families. Of his playing he reflects. "While playing, I have become not there. I feel the flute is shrinking, becoming smaller and smaller until it's not there. I'm on the stage...I am, and I also am not. I'm just gone. Those moments make life worth living and the music worth doing." Sachdev will be accompaned by Abhiman Kaushal on Tabla www.kalakendra.org
First Congregational Church
1126 SW Park Avenue
$15 advance www.indogram.com $20 door

Thursday, March 01, 2007

March 2 - Eastside Art Openings

811 block - 811 East Burnside

Kelly Williams Ray puts images on objects in "Body Double Image". " "Vintage magazines, Department of Defense manuals, children’s books, and propaganda posters" are repurposed as commentary on the impact of advertising on our identity. In celebration of Redux's first anniversary birthday cupcakes and pink champagne will be served. Saint Cupcake to the rescue! At Redux 6-9:30

MoshiMoshi shows Full Orange, a cartoony show.

Often visual and musical creativity are correlated. Perhaps it is the attraction of deep inside time required for creation. Maybe desiring the accolades of audience plays a role too. I wonder how the fancy hall's polite applause or old school moshing would work to mark gallery-goers appreciation? Tonight musicians Adam Zeek, Curtis Knapp of Watery Graves, E*Rock (whose bright drawings are well known from other 811 shows), Hooliganship (who may be making some kind of viewmaster animation totem pole), Lucky Dragons & the Sumi Ink Club, Phil Elverum, White Rainbow and YACHT make visual. Given the musicians schedules, the opening will be both Thursday March 1 and the regular first Friday March 2. At Grass Hut




The "Burnside Rocket" is a condo development at 10th and Burnside under construction next to the rock gym. Four by six foot persistent canvases will adorn the building's shell - they will be seen daily by passers-by. Curator Ruthann Brown selected artists Rachel Allen, Austin Bales, Mazana Bruggeman, Peter Burr, Cecellia Cannon, Matt Cardinal, Sean Clark, Tim Dalbow, Jessie Dejonghe, Arcy Douglass, Dave Edgar, Ty Ennis, Justin Fry, Jason Greene, James Gudat, David Herbold, Yoshihiro Kitai, Felice Koenig, Gabriel Liston, Rose McCormick, Gustaf Mortier, Eldon Potter, Greg Simons and Bailey Winters to create the panels. They will be on view for one night close up at the New American Art Union, otherwise see them on the building later in the spring! At New American Art Union http://www.newamericanartunion/ 922 SE Ankeny



Newspace Photo
shows Mariana Tres & Scott Jackson 1632 SE 10th



Small A has taken a bold step at representing some recent PNCA grads. Gallerist Gitlin has the pulse of Miami and LA whose bold collectors are perhaps more broad minded. Yeah!



Brian Marki shows Noah Nakel Artist Auditions I finalist & Madoka Ito. 2236 NE Broadway