Bourbon Jockey Live!

Did I mention that the amateur musical ensemble with which I make joyous music will be performing at Roots Organic Brewing Company on Thursday, May 20, 2010? You are invited to join the festivities anytime from 8:00 to 11:00 or so. This won't be a "concert," so don't worry about arriving on time, staying through the whole set, or even paying much attention to what we're doing. Consider our music to be a soundtrack to drinking beer and hanging out with friends.

We'll be wailing and caterwauling through an ever-growing list of songs from the Great American Honky Tonk Song Book. In honor of flooding and oil spills, we'll be singing tunes from Nashville and New Orleans. We'll cover everything from Hank Williams to Tom Waits, from Fats Domino to Fats Waller. We might even let you sing along. All are invited to become Bourbonites by joining our fan club, The Bourbon Dynasty. It'll be fun.

I usually don cowboy boots and hat for these gigs, but I'm thinking of showing up in this getup:

In case you can't read the small print, here's the oh-so-sexy ad copy:

One easy piece.

Because one is enough, when it’s you. Show where you’re headed in the ultimate fashion climax.

Fits so tight it shows all you’ve got …you’re a walking turn-on. And treats your body as well as she does.

Easy on, easy off, quick as a flick of her tongue. Sexy cool crinkle cloth for those hot nights to come. Designed with your desires in mind …she’ll eat you alive in it.

The Big Zip in 50% polyester/50% cotton. Long-sleeved in rust, blue or black. Short-sleeved in natural, blue or camel.

Are you man enough to fill it?

$45

Scala & Kolacny Brothers

So I may be behind the curve on this one, but I’ve just discovered the Scala Girl Choir from Belgium. Founded by the two Kolacny Brothers, the choir features fabulous voices and unique covers of pop songs such as Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day”, Radiohead’s “Creep”, and the Divinyls “I Touch Myself” (yeah, baby).

Here’s a video of them covering U2’s “With or Without You”:

Be There or Be Square

Ladies & Gentlemen
Aficionados of Fine Music and Satisfying Beer
Members of the Press

Step forward and prepare to be dazzled, stunned and stupefied as The Mighty Toy Cannon and the members of the acclaimed musical ensemble, Bourbon Jockey, regale you with feats of vocal virtuosity and strumming of stringed instruments in a manner most astonishing. Step back, there's no need to push, shove or jostle--there will be plenty of room for all of you without raising a ruckus.

Should you choose to partake of a Bourbon Jockey performance, you will be transported on a journey down lost highways and dusty byways of America where you will meet truck drivers, libertine women and deadbeat desperados in the throes of drunken sorrow. Accompanied by the joyous amalgam of melody, harmony and rhythm, you will be besotted by tales of heartbreak and redemption, hope and despair. The bass notes will rumble deep in your bowels whilst the high notes shall pierce the veil of heaven and wrap you as if by the gossamer wings of the very angels themselves.

FEAR NOT brave spectator! The burden of sadness and introspection thus launched in your heart and mind may be soothed by quaffing ales concocted through the alchemical magic of the artisans of Roots Organic Brewing Company of Southeast Portland, Oregon and poured with the steady hand of attentive servers dedicated to ministering to your needs and lubricating your parched throat with AMBROSIA.

How much would you expect to pay for an evening of entertainment that lifts the soul while edifying in such a potent fashion? What price the opportunity to hear stirring tales of sin and transgression without suffering the searing heat of BRIMSTONE upon your own reddened cheeks?

Would you not gladly drop a treasury note adorned with the visage of Andrew Jackson into a collection plate for such a privilege? Would you not swoon upon being informed that the only cost of this extravaganza is the humble sacrifice of a token contribution--that is to say that the entry fee is just one thin dime? Two nickels are enough to swing aside the turnstile and afford you the opportunity to partake in the dulcet tones of this renowned ensemble of chamber players steeped in the vernacular of American roots music.

Would you not be further stunned to learn that this meager fee --one-tenth of an American dollar!--were to be fully and unconditionally rebated to you immediately, such that the true cost of this once-in-a-lifetime event is NOT A SINGLE PENNY (as long as you fully commit in your heart within the next ten minutes)?

Yes, you have not misheard us, ladies and gentlemen. But let us repeat this message for the weak-minded and slow of hearing: For the price of a small portion of your leisure and sporting time, you can experience one of the most FASCINATING and CURIOUS musical experiences of the year—indeed of your entire lifetime. Many years hence, your great-grandchildren will gather around your deathbed imploring you to sacrifice your FINAL breath to tell them about the night you heard Mighty Toy Cannon and Bourbon Jockey perform at Roots Organic Brewing Company in the early weeks of the year of Two Aught Ten. Can you fathom the ignomy of admitting to your progeny that you stayed home that evening to watch television?

Don’t take our word for it, heed the insights of others who have bathed in the euphonious river of glorious sound produced by this remarkable conspiracy of musical genius:

“I liked it. It was fun, I guess. The beer was real good. The band looked like they were having fun. I have to get up early tomorrow morning,” said one delighted spectator as he left the venue in the middle of Bourbon Jockey’s penultimate public performance last year.

“They seem to be having a good time up there,” reported another audience member as she plugged her ears, presumably to forestall an overload of joyous goodwill.

Another dumbstruck listener said, “I don’t know what to say. I guess I'll fall back on something my daddy always used to say, ‘Judge not, lest ye be judged.’ I mean, who am I to define what’s good? Look, I could tell you that it wasn’t horrible, but that’s really all I feel comfortable saying right now. Why are you writing this down? I liked the beer and the servers were nice. The band did seem to be having fun, and it’s not like I had anything better to do.”

One long-time fan proffers this advice: “Try to get there early in the set because the singer seems to forget the lyrics the later it gets. Unless you like a lot of humming, you might want to arrive before they’re all drunk, though there’s a better choice of seats after the first fifteen minutes.”

If you doubt the wisdom of your neighbors and common citizens, listen to what the experts have to say. Ethnomusicologist Humphrey Von Humphrey said this after listening to an acetate recording of Bourbon Jockey:

Their harmonies are wholly unique, not only within our traditional concepts of western music but, verily, to the entirety of world culture. Their choices of harmonic intervals – and their apparent ease in shifting those intervals at a microtonal level from moment-to-moment is astonishing. I can safely say that I’ve never heard anything quite like it. The jarring and unexpected microtonal dissonance carries into their instrumental work as well. I’m telling you that it is physically impossible to get that particular sound unless you intentionally fail to tune your instruments relative to each other. Of course, that would be crazy!

Another thing that intrigues me – perhaps 'baffles' is a better term-- is the band's artistic strategies with regard to shifting rhythmic patterns and its curious selection of tempo changes. As an ensemble, they display an uncanny knack for randomly speeding, then slowing the tempo– sometimes even within the traditional verse/chorus form. It’s simply remarkable that they all manage to end each song at approximately the same time—and here I’m talking about ending within at least two measures of each other. I’m reminded of the keening and wailing that accompanies the funeral rites of some tribal cultures, particularly the Oomaomao people who are, as a race, totally deaf.

In an unpublished review, a noted cultural critic declared, "It's as if T-Bone Walker and Hank Williams had a baby. And that baby was born with withered arms and something wrong with its soft palate and was raised by, gosh I don't know, Patsy Cline. And maybe it has a hugely swollen tongue or something. Oh, and the baby is drunk too. Forget the baby analogy ... it's more like if Howling Wolf and George Jones were arm wrestling while Fats Domino and Fats Waller argued over which one of the two was fatter. Never mind. There's just a lot going on during a Bourbon Jockey concert and these are grown men who should know better."

Important Details:

Bourbon Jockey
Thursday, January 7, 2009

--starting at 8:00 pm going until they tire--
Roots Organic Brewing Company

1530 SE 7th Avenue, Portland Oregon
No Admission Fee, Cover Charge or other Consideration

Free Membership in the Bourbon Dynasty

(the exclusive Fan Club of Bourbon Jockey)

Recommended Dress: Classy Dungarees/Tube Tops

Bourbon Jockey is:

Ross McKeen (aka The Mighty Toy Cannon): Singin’, guitar slingin’ and harmonica blowin'.
Alan Cole (aka The Perfesser): Six string fireworks and harmony yelpin'.
Matthew Jones (aka Matthew): Upright bass thumpin' and gravitas.

Heat Wave Habiliments

During Portland’s heat wave this past week, I wore shorts to work. I’m no preening primper, nor am I known for my sartorial spendor. Every day is casual day for this unrepentant slob. Still, I felt a little underdressed for work. I kept thinking of Teddy, a character in the play "Fabuloso," who laments about being a loser, saying (I paraphrase) "Look at me. I'm wearing shorts. I'm like a child."

A few summers ago, I was asked to fill in as guitarist with a hobby-band comprised of middle-aged men grasping at the dying embers of a rock and roll fantasy. We played two "gigs" in public together. One was a PTA-sponsored Family Fun Night at a local elementary school. We played in the auditorium, competing for attention with a Bouncy Castle in the cafeteria.

The other time we performed publicly was at a street fair in Northeast Portland. (One of the guys lived on the street, so had pull with the organizers). Though it was July and hot, I couldn’t wear shorts. For one thing, my wife would not have approved. For another, I agreed with her sentiment that shorts and rock and roll don't mix. Instead, I wore my best cowboy duds, including hat and boots. I sweltered cooly, while my colleagues looked positively geeky.

I thought of that when I saw a picture of Big Sandy performing with his Fly Right Boys at this year’s Pickathon. Rocker and social media maven, Dave Allen of Pampelmoose, tweeted a picture from the event. Wish I had that outfit a few years ago:

The heat wave also had me thinking of this poem by Liam Rector:

Fat Southern Men in Summer Suits

Fat Southern men in their summer suits,
Usually with suspenders, love to sweat
Into and even through their coats,

Taking it as a matter of honor to do so,
Especially when the humidity gets as close
As it does each Southern summer.

Some think men could do better
By just going ahead and taking the damned
Coats off, but the summer code stays

Because summer is the time
For many men, no matter what their class,
To be Southern Gentlemen by keeping

Those coats on. So late in life here I am
Down here again, having run to fat
(As Southern men tend), visiting the farm

Where my grandfather deposited
So much of his own working sweat,
Where Granddaddy never bought into any

Of "that Southern Gentleman crap."
Up north where I landed in the urban
Middle class I am seldom caught

Not wearing a coat of some kind. I love
The coats, and though I love them most
In the fall I still enact the summer code,

I suppose, because my father and I did buy
That code, even though I organized students
To strike down any dress code whatsoever

In the high school I attended (it was a matter
Of honor). And it still puts me in good humor
To abide with the many pockets, including

One for a flask. So whether it's New York,
Vermont, or Virginia, the spectacle
Of the summer seersucker proceeds,

Suspenders and all, and I lean into the sweat
(Right down to where the weather really is)
Until it has entirely soaked through my jacket.

Just curious...

Have you by any chance become strangely intrigued as I have with the new series Glee, which premieres tomorrow night on Fox?

At first I thought the whole thing looked a little too High School Musical 90210 for my taste (he said while watching American Idol). And then I wondered if I was just secretly suppressing all the joy and pain of my own high school drama experiences.

But then I saw clips that seemed to capture the whole rivalry thing with the jocks and cheerleaders, and I'm thinking maybe it's like Bring it On in a bad/silly fun kind of way. And then I see Jane Lynch and a few scenes with charismatic actors and potentially compelling plotlines I'm thinking damn, this thing might actually be good. And silly fun. And nostalgic. So now I'm like totally watching it tomorrow night.

Is there anybody else I can compare notes with on Wednesday morning?

This is not a paid advertisement, I swear.

Some Statistics + The Power of Music

Last month, my colleagues and I managed to put up 26 posts on this blog. I say "put up" because maintaining this blog is a lot like putting up canned peaches: Hot, steamy work with a risk of botulism, but with results that are oh so sweet when the root cellar is otherwise full of turnips and you have a hankering for pie.

That's 26 posts in 30 days ... or a batting average of .866 ... or a post just about every 28 hours. If our average post was a mile long (it wasn't), we would have run the equivalent of a marathon (we didn't, but I'm just saying).

In April, the cruelest month, we fell short of our record month, November 2008, with its 29 posts. Of course, November got a boost with 16 of the 26 posts in our “Election Soundtrack” series. Oh, that was fun!

Now I'm starting to wonder if we can reach a one-a-day average in May. That would be 31 posts this month. I don't know if my colleagues and I are up to the challenge. We have an unspoken policy of never letting each other know when we're planning to publish a new post. That way, if any one of us is captured and subjected to extreme interrogation techniques, he or she won't be able to betray the others. It's a security measure, plus it minimizes the amount of communication we have to do.

My main point--assuming you're wondering--is that posting something every day may require us to lower our standards. You may have to accept posts that are, frankly, space fillers. For instance, gratuitous posts with YouTube videos purloined from someone else's blog.

Here's an example to illustrate, using a video that juxtaposes the title scenes from “Diff’rent Strokes” with new music ... to striking effect.

Last Call

Although my own cultural journey will take me on a different path this weekend (including "Crazy Enough" at PCS, the CAP art auction, and "Left Unsaid" at OBT), here is a run-down of mighty fine offerings that will close in the next few days, so get 'em while you can.

Mighty Toy Cannon has already encouraged you to enjoy "Chunky Moves," Australia's thrilling, genre-defying dance company presented by White Bird at the YWCA (1111 SW 10th). Final shows Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm and 8pm.

Oregon Repertory Singers closes their 2008-09 season with 4 Classics and a Premiere, including Haydn’s Creation, Handel’s Messiah, Purcell’s Come Ye Sons of Art, the final movement from Mendelssohn’s Symphony #2, Lobgesang, and, you guessed it, a new premiere. Sunday at 3:30 and Monday at 7:30 at the First United Methodist Church (SW 18th and Jefferson).

There's also a PlayWrite performance on Monday night (7:30 at Miracle Theatre) in which young writers from Portland Night High School will direct professional actors in a staged reading of their original works. Admission is free.

Enjoy!

Last Call

It's Friday --and that means it's time for our weekly round-up of can't-miss arts opportunities that won't be around by this time next week.

Portland Chamber Orchestra performs "The Four Seasons" Saturday night at 7:30, in the Kaul Auditorium of Reed College. Love the Vivaldi this time of year!

Tahni Holt will dance the last "event.space" dances TONIGHT at 7PM and 9PM, at the Ace Cleaners (403 SW 10th). Could be interesting -- a "rumination on society's voyeuristic tendencies and how they manifest in modes of architecture and technology."

Speaking of dance, the annual "Mad Hot Ballroom" gala fundraiser for Young Audiences is this Saturday, with local celebs Connie Greenblatt, Anna Song, Ed Tonkin, Thomas Lauderdale, Paul King and Walter Jaffe among those being paired with professional ballroom dances. Tickets are steep at $250, but it is one of the "funner" fundraisers in town.

Monday night is Mayor Adams' follow-up Town Hall on arts and culture, and he will be joined on the stage by other electeds and art leaders like Jose Gonzales and Thomas Lauderdale. 5-7 PM at PCS ("The Bob"). Look for DK Row's story on Monday morning, and come get your copy of the region's new Creative Action Plan -- hot off the presses. It helps explain why I've been working so hard the past two weeks! (Past two years, actually.)

Hey, good blogging and commenting this week, people. Thank you all!

Last Call

Here we are, Friday's pretty much over and I have yet to post "Last Call" for the weekend of April 4-5. Sorry about that! I appreciate the work that Mighty Toy Cannon has been doing to post some really interesting tidbits this week while I've been slaving a way on the final draft of the final report of the Regional Creative Capacity Project. I know, I know. You've been holding your breath and you are atwitter* with anticipation and all of that. But seriously. Save the date for April 13 and come to the Town Hall meeting at PCS at 5PM where all will be revealed and the revolution will officially begin.

Meanwhile, your Last Call.

Don't miss the Foot Opera Files, which performs Saturday at 7:30 PM. (The final show on Sunday is sold out.) The reviews have been mixed, but for me the Tom Waits ballads as performed by three by trained opera singers fit fantastically with the Bodyvox style, wherein modern and whimsical dances are performed by classically-trained ballet dancers. The movements aren't always precise and the music sometimes feels strange in this stylistic in-between, but the collaboration is constantly magical. Bodyvox really shines in an intimate venue like this (their new home) and the live music contributes to the feeling that this is what a really good, late-night, old-fashioned cabaret must have felt like.

The Portland Gay Men's Chorus performs an international smorgasbord of music on Saturday at 8pm and Sunday 2pm with "Earthy Harmonies." Really, the Chorus just keeps getting better and better and this tour of China, Africa, Mexico, Estonia, Israel, India, and the South Pacific should be really great.

That's a shorter list than usual, so if you know of any other must-sees that are about to disappear, please tell us in the comments section!



* This seems like an opportunity to adapt Twitter somehow. CynSeattle, can you get on that?

Last Call

Here's my weekly summary of critically acclaimed or highly anticipated arts events that may have snuck up on you -- but they're about to close. So be sure you catch them this weekend if you possibly can.

I heard good things about Holcombe Waller's theatrical performance of original folk songs that opened last night at Imago Theater. More performances tonight (Friday) at 8PM, Saturday at 8PM, and Sunday at 2PM. Just fifteen bucks.

And, The Importance of Being Earnest at Portland Center Stage wraps up its run with final performances tonight and tomorrow, closing Sunday. My how time flies. If you're short on cash I highly recommend their rush line for $10 tickets, or use your Arts Card to get 2-for-1 tickets.

Profile Theatre has a One Night Stand coming up on Monday. Enjoy a reading of one of Neil Simon's lesser-known works, God's Favorite, on March 30th at 7:30PM. $5 suggested donation. "No reservations, no regrets." 3430 SE Belmont.

You've got just a little extra time to catch Benicio Del Toro's portrayal of Che Guevara. Steven Soderbergh's film Che ("The Complete [four hours, 23 minutes] Roadshow Edition") is at the Hollywood Theater now through Thursday. Ten bucks admission includes a special collector's edition program; check their website for showtimes.

Be sure to share your own final notices if I've forgotten anything good. Thanks, and cheers!

Last Chance!

The procrastinator in me of late has taken to scanning the arts calendars each weekend to find out what's closing, so that I might prioritize my options and be sure to catch anything good that I've missed. Since I'm doing this "research" anyway, I thought it might be helpful to share my findings with the readers of Culture Shock. Ideally this will become a weekly installment, with input from my colleagues, but let's see how it goes.

Rather than a laundry list of all the things that are about to close, I'd like to focus on the performances and exhibits that have received broad critical acclaim, because I think it's important for us to point audiences (and ourselves) to arts experience that reinforce why we invest our time and money in arts and culture in the first place. I admire the braver, more adventurous souls among us who muck through a lot of so-so art to find the gems that are out there, but frankly, that can get pretty exhausting. I'll venture out for the unknown on occasion, but for the most part, please tell me what's good and I'll make a point of seeing it.

So with that, here are the more sure-fire arts events that will disappear soon, so be sure to catch them while you can:

How to Disappear And Never Be Found at PCS. British playwright Fin Kennedy has received many accolades for this new work; the American premiere is directed here by Rose Riordan and features the brilliant Ebbe Row Smith. A few tickets are available for final performances on Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 7:30, Sunday at 2:00 and Sunday at 7:30.

White Bird presents anoukvandijk dc at the Oaks Park Dance Pavilion. This thrillingly interactive piece from the Netherlands is part of White Bird's "Uncaged" series exploring modern dance in interesting new venues. Final shows tonight (Friday) at 7:00 and 9:30 PM.

Honus and Me, staged by Oregon Children's Theatre in the Winningstad, is reported to be "one of the best children's plays that will grace a Portland stage this year." (--The Oregonian.) The Steven Dietz play, based on a novel about baseball cards by Dan Gutman, has tickets available for the final performances on Saturday at 2PM, and Sunday at 2 and 5PM.

Don't forget that 24/7 is this weekend. As reported here before, Bill Crane and Thomas Lauderdale have lined up 24 hours of intriguing live concerts to punctuate the fact that our country has been at war for seven years now. 7PM Saturday through 7PM Sunday.

And lastly, you may have noticed that Coraline got bumped out of the 3D theaters a couple weeks ago by the hideous Jonas Brothers and their own 3D ambitions, but I am pleased to report that the Laika Studios hit is BACK at Lloyd Center and a few other select 3D theaters through next Thursday. To see it in anything but 3D is to miss out on something truly special. Check fandango for theaters and movie times.

24/7 Concert to Mark the War Approaches

A few weeks ago, I posted the press release from the organizers of a 24 hour concert to mark seven years of war. The “24/7 Concert” is fast approaching: The music will start in the Weiden + Kennedy building at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, 2009 and continue until the same time on Sunday.

A few nights ago, I crept around the internet looking for information about the event and located an updated schedule on W+K Radio. But I got worried when I failed to find much more than that online. Indeed, my post on Culture Shock was eerily at the top of the search results – always a bad sign.

Yesterday, I called organizer Bill Crane for updates. In addition to being swamped by programming details and rehearsals (he’s not only producing the event, but will also be performing and conducting), Mr. Crane was ironing out niggling details such as liability insurance (which will be needed if a musician dozes off at 3:00 in the morning and causes a bassoon accident).

I applaud the vision and fortitude of Mr. Crane and his co-conspirator, Thomas Lauderdale. Imagine the logistics involved in putting together a program with over 250 artists performing over 24 hours. (Clarification: All 250 won't be performing for 24 hours). Just figuring out where to stack all the instrument cases must be a huge problem. Will a piano tuner be needed in the middle of the night for a quick adjustment?

Along with an updated performance schedule, Mr. Crane generously shared what he called his “stream of consciousness” ramblings about the scheduled acts, and his enthusiasm leaps delightfully from the page. Mr. Cranes concludes, "Does it matter? Will it do any good for a bunch of musicians to make a bunch of music as a comment about war? I don't know. Conversely, I know that remaining silent won't do any good ... If with all this great effort we wind up with at least one person who goes on and does what she must do, I'll be happy."

Mr. Crane's narrative was originally sent to David Stabler at the Oregonian, who is working on a story for Friday’s A&E. I don’t want to scoop that story by sharing further details. (Plus I’m lazy and not a journalist).

I will note that the schedule spans a range of musical genres from the opening with Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" (from a big brass band) and its conclusion, 24 hours later, with Beethoven's 9th (performed by an orchestra of 50 musicians and a chorus of 75). The event will include rousing percussion from Obo Addy to wake things up on Sunday morning, and more drums from Portland Taiko Sunday evening. The Oregon Symphony's concert master, Jun Iwasaki will show up at 5:00 in the morning to play with Thomas Lauderdale. Third Angle is appearing in the wee hours, along with plenty of solo piano, jazz bands, chanteuses, and piano prodigies throughout.

Donut makers, insomniacs and dairy farmers who are up at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday morning should drop in to hear the indescribable Sneakin' Out, featuring the crazy mandolin stylings of David Gerow, with the just-as-crazy rhythm section of Don Henson (percussion) and Mike "Cheddar" Schmitt (bass). Here's a video of the band playing a little classical music at the White Eagle.



I regret that Culture Shock doesn't have a cadre of interns to do our bidding. Had we such, I'd assign one to attend the entire event and live blog with posts at no less than 15 minute intervals. I'd do it myself, but I already know I wouldn't make it.

UPDATE: A poster for the event is now out (designed by Tony Frusciante), and is posted above.

UPDATE #2: Charles Noble, violist for the Oregon Symphony, has posted about a rehearsal for the final performance of the event on his blog "Daily Observations: Classical Music Insights."

UPDATE #3: David Stabler's piece on 24/7 is in today's A&E. In addition, on his OregonLive blog, Mr. Stabler has printed Bill Crane's entire "stream of consciousness" description the event.

Free Jazz to Cleanse the Palate

I found at least two items of import while cruising Facebook today:

1) The March 12th deadline for NEA grants was pushed back a week due to technical problems. (Thank you Baby Jesus!) The computer that processes NEA grants was apparently covered in chocolate while yams were stuffed into its expansion slots. (If you don't get that joke, find a time machine and set the dial for 1990).

2) Friend of Culture Shock and cultural gadfly Tim DuRoche posted a video of himself performing as a member of Better Homes and Gardens with compatriots Reed Wallsmith (alto sax) and Bob Jones (bass).

After all our moaning about the Oregon Cultural Trust, I decided that Culture Shock needs a palate cleanser. And while Ornette Coleman may not be the first person to whom you should turn for such a task, that’s who you’re about to get. (Those of you with a low tolerance for inscrutable free jazz, may want to move along). I liked the Better Homes and Gardens rendition of Coleman’s “Song X” because:

1) I love crazy jazz drumming and Mr. DuRoche is a master.

2) As cacophonous as it all may be, they’re laughing at the end—a reminder that we shouldn't be too serious in the midst of chaos.



If that's not enough to keep you satisfied, I'm working on a new Robot Report, as well as an account of a recent brush with the criminal justice system--a report with the working title: Testify! A Morality Tale in Which Our Hero Uses the Power of Persuasion and an Eye for the Truth to See that Justice is Served. Curious?

24/7: 24 Concerts in One Day to Mark Seven Years of War

For a few moments, let's step away from the savaging of the Oregon Cultural Trust and the gloom of the coming budget battles. I just learned of an event which is as timely as it is important. The following is from the organizer's press release:

By mid-March, the United States will have been at war in Afghanistan and Iraq for seven years, yet one hardly hears that fact mentioned. To mark this important, if tragic, anniversary, over 150 of the Portland area's best classical musicians are uniting to make a giant musical gift to the city and region. Event curators Bill Crane and Thomas Lauderdale have recruited an amazing roster of performers. The public is invited.

Titled simply "24/7," it will be a series of 24 dramatic concerts, each starting upon the hour, from 7:00 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and continuing through to 7:00 p.m., Sunday, March 22.

All 24 concerts are free and will take place in the auditorium of the Wieden+Kennedy building, 224 Northwest 13th Avenue, between Davis and Everett Streets, in Portland's Pearl District. Wieden+Kennedy join the performing artists to invite sincerely all area residents of good will to these concerts. No tickets are required.

Neither a protest nor a memorial, "24/7" nonetheless is a profound calling by its performers to their fellow citizens to remember that we are a nation at war. The musicians creating 24/7 hope to move their neighbors by their music to "do what must be done" as our city, region, and nation face many challenges. This will be music of encouragement as well as entertainment.

To add to the conviviality of this big occasion, the popular and award-winning restaurant Bluehour, next door to the concert venue, will be open all night and the following day. Restaurateur Bruce Carey and chef de cuisine Kenny Giambalvo are planning a special bar menu just for 24/7 performers and audience members.

"It will be an honor to have these music lovers join us for refreshments before, after, or between the concerts. We are having so much fun planning a menu to go with that much music!," said says Bruce Carey as he considered what it will mean for his restaurant team.

And, what of the planned music itself? --

"I am heartened, thrilled, and humbled by the unparalleled enthusiasm of my musical colleagues to create this musical gift. What a 'Portland' thing to do! Everyone is working so hard and being so creative in their programming. Every program that our audience friends attends will be great" said Bill Crane as he headed off to yet another rehearsal.

Some of the 24/7 performances will be broadcast on Wieden+Kennedy’s new Global Internet radio station, WK Radio, at www.wk.com/radio. The radio station launched in January 2009 and exists to inspire provocative conversations, interviews, and artistic expressions relating to the arts, culture, music and media.

Final scheduling is still somewhat in the works and will be posted in www.wk.com/radio when confirmed, but here are highlights that have been nailed down:

Saturday, March 21

The first program (Sat., 3/21, 7:00 p.m. sharp) A huge ensemble of brass and percussion players opens with Aaron Copland's famous "Fanfare for the Common Man" and continues with music of Gabrieli, Richard Strauss, and others.

Second up (Sat., 3/21, 8:00 p.m.) is the astonishing 17-year year-old virtuoso pianist Rosa Li, most recently heard in Portland in Mendelssohn's First Concerto with the Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra. Her solo program will include works of Ginastera, Prokofiev, and Chopin.

At 9:00 p.m., the Portland Gay Men's Chorus, Bob Mensel, music director, will take the stage to present the critically acclaimed extended work "BraveSouls and Dreamers" of composer Robert Seeley.

Other highlights include three hours of particularly adventuresome programming by area new-music ensembles playing in succession:

11:00 p.m., Fear No Music

12:00 midnight, Melegari Chamber Music Ensemble

1:00 a.m., Third Angle New Music Ensemble

Programs in the middle of the night will range from wild to mild:

3:00 a.m., . Thomas Lauderdale of "Pink Martini" in a special, extravagant program;

6:00 a.m., Pianist Ron Potts in an exceptional recital of Scarlatti, Schumann, Ravel, and Bartok.

7:00 a.m., Obo Addy, world beat drummer, in a solo frenzy and Gregory Dubay, cellist, and Bill Crane, pianist, in music of Brahms and Schubert.

And, as the day (Sunday) goes on:

8:00 a.m., Tamara Still, pianist, with Bach's "Goldberg Variations."

11:00 a.m., Pianist Jeffrey Payne of Fear No Music with ten movements from Olivier Messiaen's monumental "Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus."

12:00 noon, Vancouver tenor Les Green in a recital of French art song, including little- known works of Saint-Saëns and Fauré.

1:00 p.m., Soprano Lisa Mooyman and Mezzo-soprano Sherry Olson with Clarinetist David Hattner in a varied program, including the famous "Lakme" duet and Schubert's "Shepherd on the Rock."

4:00 p.m., Alto Angela Niederloh, pianist Janet Coleman, and violinist Julie Coleman in a wide-ranging program best described as "rip-roaring."

5:00 p.m., Violinist Carol Sindell and pianist Janet Guggenheim (two-thirds of The Florestan Trio) in a recital to include both the Franck and Debussy sonatas.

6:00 p.m. All 24/7 artists and other invited musicians will join in the final program to present the last movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the "Ode to Joy." David Hattner, the new music director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, will conduct the assembled forces, including many singers from the Portland Symphonic Choir and instrumentalists from the Oregon Symphony and other ensembles.

Still shaking out just "who will be when" are these splendid acts to be scheduled:

Portland Taiko, thunderous Japanese drumming;
Cellists Justin Kagan, Adriene Welch, Irving Levin, Gregory Dubay, and Lizzie Adelsheim
Flutist Abby Mages
Violinists Paloma Griffin, Sara Watts, Ron Blessinger, Greg Ewer, Julie Coleman, and Nick Crosa
Sopranos Ida Rae Cahana, Lisa Mooyman, Peggie Schwarz, and Marie Fiorillo
Trombonists John Walling and Robert Taylor
Pianists Carol Rich, Jon Stuber, Jeffrey Payne, Chad Heltzel, Susan Chan, Mike and Elizabeth Strickland, Janet Coleman, Jerry Deckelbaum, Win Hall, and Thomas Mark

I'll post schedule updates as the event approaches.

Title? We don't need no stinkin' titles.

Under normal circumstances, I’d post music related videos over at my eponymous blog site, Mighty Toy Cannon. Indeed, if you go there now, you’ll find a few new posts I put up over the weekend.

But right now I’m watching the Grammy Awards and feeling despair about just how bad (or boring) most of what I’m hearing is. How much are these people getting paid? Stevie Wonder singing “Superstition” with the Jonas Brothers? Kill me now, please. Morgan Freeman introducing Kenny Chesney, saying he’s proud to call him a “good friend.” Really? At least Robert Plant and Allison Krauss won Record of the Year. But didn’t that album come out two years ago? Okay, now Radiohead is playing with a marching band. That's not too bad and a very original idea. Or didn't Fleetwood Mac already do that on one of these shows years ago?

As an antidote, I listened some truly great music while taking the hound for his last walk of the evening. Then I came home and looked up some videos that made me happy. And I found a way to make the thematic connection to arts and culture in Portland:

One of my many weekend activities was welcoming a few thousand kids and their families to the theater (an estimated 5,000 people over the past three days alone). I took several dozen kids on backstage tours and watched their eyes grow wide with wonder as they looked into the house from the stage. Folks, tomorrow’s theater artists and audiences are coming to shows today and I’ve seen them.

So here are a couple of music videos featuring kids watching shows. The first one is from Morphine, the greatest rock 'n roll band that features a baritone sax as a lead instrument. Nay, let's just say one of the top five best rock n' roll band of ever and all times.



The second video is from the White Stripes, another band that knows how to kick out the jams.



For the record, Oregon Children's Theatre production of "Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type" does not have puppets and is not at all creepy like the preceding shows. In fact, it is heckuva lot of fun. One more weekend to go. If you have kids bring 'em to the show.

Mighty Toy Cannon in the House

Bob Hicks, our Art Scattering friend, was snooping around where he didn’t belong and discovered--and then exposed--my eponymous, super-secret blog site: Mighty Toy Cannon. He even posted the very first comment. So now I feel obligated to tell Culture Shock readers what’s up:

Several months ago, I set up a new Blogger account and began to post personal musings on music, illustrated by videos culled from YouTube. I didn’t want to clutter Culture Shock with posts about my quirky musical tastes (my 25 "Election Countdown" posts in October and November notwithstanding).

My plan was to announce the new site after posting several entries to prime the pump and to test whether I could sustain my own interest long enough. Then two things happened: (1) I got busy with both real work and play work (this blog); and (2) I contracted a case of Blogger-Doubt—an affliction characterized by self-examination and the question: "Who could possibly care to read any of this?”

Now that the Mighty Toy Cannon site has been exposed, I’m inclined to dig back in. I will endeavor to keep posting new entries there at least weekly. My inaugural post on that site, described my intentions as follows:

The Mighty Toy Cannon blog will be akin to your friend with the big record collection. You know, the one who can stay up all night spinning tunes, with each song triggering a recollection of another in an attention-deficit-disorder frenzy of free association.

What I post won't be from my own collection, but what I find on YouTube or similar video warehouses. Like most, I thought YouTube was all skateboarding dogs, things being blown up, and adolescent ravings. I quickly discovered that it is also a rich source of music, both new and vintage. As a musician and glutton for music, YouTube has served me as an able research tool. I'm often surprised at what I discover. And, I'm the kind of sharing person who is wont to say, "Hey, look at this cool thing I just found!"

I'm not a music writer, nor do my insights into music go very deep. Don't expect Greil Marcus here. This will be a tour of my eclectic musical tastes and influences. I'll try to make each post fit within a thematic framework, and include just a few comments to explain what I've posted and why. I'll try to limit the number of videos I embed in each post to no more than three. And I'll try to add a few new posts every week.

I'll keep blathering on Culture Shock, but please drop in from time-to-time at Mighty Toy Cannon and let me know what you think.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp ...

The words in the title are from the last lines of Elizabeth Alexander's inaugural poem, Praise Song For the Day.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

This morning we splurged on coffee and scones to accompany the inaugural events. We tucked the Oregonian out of sight for the moment. (We'll get back to Sam another day; this is not a day for feeling disappointed in our leaders). Tonight we opened a celebratory bottle of champagne to toast the President and First Lady (imagine that!) dancing at one of the many balls capping this historic day.

I should be writing something benedictory, solemn and congratulatory. Instead, I'll just share a few of my random observations from the day.

(1) Dick Cheney arrived in a wheelchair, reportedly because he hurt his back moving boxes. Carrying files from his office to the incinerator perhaps? I hate to kick the man in pain (though he's accustomed to inflicting pain), but can't help but point out his resemblance to old man Potter from It's a Wonderful Life.



(2) During NBC's coverage, anchor Pete Williams* provided viewers with interesting insights into President Obama's personal aide, Reggie Love (top photo). Unfortunately, this was while the camera was showing footage of Michelle Obama's brother Craig Robinson (bottom photo) at the inauguration. When Mr. Williams eventually realized his error, he tried to cover by saying that his "good friend" Reggie was on his mind because they had been chatting earlier that morning. Oops. * CORRECTION: This morning, my wife pointed out that it was BRIAN Williams who made the mistake ...you know, all those white newscasters look the same to me.




(3) Barack Obama flubbed his lines while taking the oath. Wait ... I mean Chief Justice Roberts screwed them up. The President (for he was already in that role as soon it was noon) handled it with equanimity and followed along with a smile. According to the Constitution, the oath reads: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Roberts put "faithfully" in the wrong place. Do you suppose some nutbag right-wingers are going to try making a case that Obama isn't really President because he didn't give the proper oath? UPDATE: My observant wife has informed me that this argument has indeed started to spread. UPDATE 2: A colleague informed me that President Obama redid the oath today just to make sure he was swearing properly.

(4) After the oath of office, the camera zoomed in on Joe Biden taking a picture with a little digital camera. I wanted to shout "Joe, you're the frigging Vice President now!" But then I realized he was using Malia Obama's camera, taking the picture for her because she was stuck in the second row. How sweet is that? I'll bet they call him "Uncle Joe."

(5) The Queen of Soul! With her rendition of "America the Beautiful," Aretha Franklin proved that she's more than a fabulous voice -- she is a truly great stylist and interpreter.


(6) Tonight, at one of the inaugural balls, Joe Biden quoted an excerpt from Doubletake, a section of Seamus Heaney's poem The Cure at Troy. I looked it up and decided to post the whole section (Biden quoted the third stanza):

Human beings suffer,
they torture one another,
they get hurt and get hard.
No poem or play or song
can fully right a wrong
inflicted and endured.

The innocent in gaols
beat on their bars together.
A hunger-striker's father
stands in the graveyard dumb.
The police widow in veils
faints at the funeral home.

History says, Don't hope
on this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
the longed for tidal wave
of justice can rise up,
and hope and history rhyme.
So hope for a great sea-change
on the far side of revenge.

Believe that a further shore
is reachable from here.
Believe in miracles
and cures and healing wells.

Call the miracle self-healing:
The utter self-revealing
double-take of feeling.
if there's fire on the mountain
or lightning and storm
and a god speaks from the sky.

That means someone is hearing
the outcry and the birth-cry
of new life at its term.

(7) Elizabeth Alexander's inaugural poem was simple, direct and perfect for the occasion. I thought she read it beautifully, with a careful, deliberate pacing and without Angelou-ish inflections to distract from the words.


(8) Reverend Joseph Lowery's benediction was another beautiful work of poetry, starting with "God of our weary years, God of our silent tears," and ending with

"...help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right."

Predictably, cries of outrage are already being heard about how the last phrase inappropriately injected racism into the proceedings. Some will try to do to Reverend Lowery what they did to Reverend Wright. Let's ignore them this time.

That's all. I'm proud to be an American today.

Art to Come

Figure 1: Let's look into our crystal ball, shall we?

Figure 2: The Crystal Ballroom, site of the Portland Jazz Orchestra's upcoming “Intricate Rhythms," one of 102 projects receiving funding for 2009.

While our friends at Art Scatter were shaking the money tree last Wednesday, the RACC Board was quietly approving record sums of grant funding for artistic projects in 2009. Now that artists and organizations have had time to receive their award letters (and rejections), I'm giddy to help announce the winners.

Actually, let me just link you to the full description of all projects that have received awards for the year ahead. This is one story that actually gets a fair amount of attention each year, as the media and bloggers have fun picking out the projects they are most excited to see. What's your favorite?

Two themes are especially noteworthy here, in my opinion. First, how many of these project grants would you guess are going to the "same old" groups vs. first-time winners? Would you believe 50-50? It's true.

Secondly, this is the most money ever awarded by RACC for project grants, and while the recipient artists and organizations have plenty to cheer about, I suspect it will trigger a few critical remarks from folks who think this a frivolous investment amidst serious economic woes. You'll notice that the press release was written to counter any such sentiment, but we as an arts community must be sure to respond swiftly and intelligently to any Letter to the Editor or other public document that ridicules these investments or calls for arts funding cuts. It's time to gear up for the spring budget cycle, and we have much work to do to maintain arts funding locally as well as renewing statewide arts funding, including the Oregon Cultural Trust, for the next biennium as well.

To arms!