Hello again, friends!
Lisa window shopping.
My girlfriend and cohabitant of 15 years, Lisa Hensley, just had a birthday last weekend. She finally got a cake! Two of them, actually. I bought her an ice cream cake and her friend, Julie Hull, made her a cake. I forget what kind but it was really good. I volunteered to provide a PA and run sound for the belly dancers at the Ethnic Festival out at the fairgrounds on September 3rd and 4th and Lisa came out with me. We usually attend the event every year and last year I really thought I could help improve the sound and Kari Dotson took me up on my offer. Lisa had an awesome time and this weekend we are going to see a Latin band in Chicago that she likes. Her promotion at work has had her busy and I know she really needed the time to be special and relax.
Kari Dotson and Troupe Zahava at the 2011 ethnic Festival - the troupe tried something different this year in one act, a Bollywood theme.
Things have slowed down a bit for the Access 4 Producers Group. Paperwork still needs to be finished and the editing station set up at Crowdson and Company, but things are still moving. We are looking forward to another fundraiser down the road.
The Third Thursday Art Show (http://www.thirdthursdayartshow.com) will be held at two simultaneous locations coming up this September 15th for the first time. Norb Andy’s is back in business with their old hours and interest peaked there to have the shows back at that location upstairs in the Hickox House. Don White is running the bar and talked everyone concerned into having the show there as well as at Andiamo! this time. Everyone expects this to be a success and that we will start doing it at both locations every month now that the show has grown.
Hickox House front room woodwork
We spent some time cleaning the historic house earlier this week and will be working on it again tonight (Thursday, September 8th, 2011). Joe Kozak helped out by doing some reconstruction after treasure hunters removed some wood paneling and the entryway, requiring some work to be done to make it presentable during the show. We oiled and polished the wood work and cleaned and moved furniture and lamps etc. into the upstairs rooms.
Don not only has Tom Irwin doing his open mic in Norb’s during the show, but he also enlisted Micah Walk to host an open mic upstairs in the Hickox House as well! All the same amount of DJs and music will be happening at Andiamo! as well. Deep Lunar Blue is the band at 10pm in Charley’s Club.
Matthew Schultz performes as Lab report/The Division in Chicago on the street as people pay for their parking, July 2011 (you can see my hand on the BabyTG spring in the lower left, ha!) - photograph by Robert Hyman
Back in July I had the amazing experience of performing with Matthew Schultz and the Division in Chicago (http://www.thedivision.org). We were part of the Milwaukee Avenue Art Fair at Logan Square. We performed with his Anti-Tank Guitars which he constructed himself and performed a ritual with Krishna and the Crow just like at the June 3T.
Matt Schultz as Krishna and me in Chicago at the Milwaukee Avenue Art Fair in Logan Square.
It was amazing and I also saw Chris Turner perform from Lens Records. The restaurant across the street came over to complain during his set plus a guy walked up off the street and started singing “Ebony and Ivory,” during his set, CRAZY!
Hot Bag O’ Donuts (http://www.hotbagodonuts.com) played a great show at Third Thursday in Charley’s Club after having won the monthly contest to play. We have also been playing at Bourbon Street now through Roger Smith who is now booking there. It used to be the old Bruce’s Tavern where Tom Irwin did his Hootenanny Lovetrain Express and the Underground when Skippy used to do sound there. Now the current owner (funny enough his name is also Bruce) wants to have a more racially integrated crowd there and we have been playing shows to help out with that. We also have been donating our door money to worthy causes, first the A4PG and this month on September 24th we will be donating our door money to the Illinois Stewardship Alliance (http://www.ilstewards.org).
Revelry at Bourbon Street: Casey, Erin, and Damion from HBoD
At one point Wendell Crook painted during the show and donated the sale of the painting to the cause, which was awesome. Catalyst played with us, one of our sister bands that some of the members of Hot Bag O’ Donuts also play in. They will be playing on the 24th again with us.
Hot Bag O' Catalyst - photograph by Richard Naylor
Richard Naylor who lives across the street from Casey and Erin’s where we practice came over to help us by taking a photo of members of both bands which Tom Irwin did a band spotlight about to promote the show. Things went well. Oh and Tom did a front cover article about the Third Thursday Art Shows as well, thanks, Tom!
