14850zine

Category: Arts + Culture

  • Street Vitae

    Street Vitae

    It’s often said that Ithaca is a great place to raise kids. But what about from the kid’s perspective? Kids – is it actually a great place to grow up? No doubt it can be tough on any youngster trying to figure out how to conform to the non-conformist ideal, not to mention growing up on a diet heavy on organic kale and brown rice. Why do parents have to be overeducated hippies and what happened to the simple life of watching TV, playing competitive football, and dreaming of becoming a high school cheerleader? These hardships, unique to Ithaca youth, are exactly what Ithaca-native and burgeoning rap artist Simone Bruyere-Fraser raises in her latest piece, “Street Vitae.”

    Produced right here in the streets of Ithaca by Bruyere-Fraser with director and cinematographer, Esy Casey and produced by Perinspire, Bruyere-Fraser gets down with locals to dish out her story about growing up in Ithaca. And it ain’t sugar-coated. The child of two PhDs, Bruyere-Fraser has plenty to rap about – from the local preoccupation with food allergies to the strict culture of composting and recycling. The music video for Street Vitae has just been released today, so check it out here for yourself and see if even a few points, albeit in humor, just don’t resonate with you (for those of you that know the town well). Original music by David Siegel, music produced and remixed by Carl Clark, and singing vocals by Jenny Karr.

    ABOUT THE ARTIST:
    Simone Bruyere-Fraser grew up in Ithaca but now resides in Seattle, where she pursues her acting career and produces rap music videos on the side. She believes everyone has a story to tell, and she shares hers through hip hop. Say’s Bruyere-Fraser: “These poems are my poems, these words are my words, these stories are my stories, and we all have a story, something to say that is of value, and I love the hip hop platform. I have a “hood” and my hood happens to be the most enlightened city in the US…and crazy stuff happens there too, but in an entirely different way that you might not imagine. In the juxtaposition of that idealistic world clashing with the hip hop image, we have to be true to ourselves.  We have to laugh at ourselves, embrace our hurts, and say I am what I am and it’s OK. This spring may you be reborn as your true self, do what you love more then anything, and allow the humor, joy and magic of it all shine through. You may indeed be the only one holding yourself back.”

    Also, check out her earlier music video, Nutskracker, where Bruyere-Fraser sets the record straight about being a ballet dancer.

  • Weighter Music Series

    Weighter Music Series

    For those of you out there in the local music scene, next Thursday, Feb. 27 is the launch of an interesting new Ithaca concert series with a bent toward the experimental. Weighter Music is excited to present the Weighter Music Series series in Ithaca with a solo performance from Weighter founder Nick Hennies. Weighter Music/Recordings is a record label founded in 2013 by percussionist and composer Nick Hennies and is focused on the release of unconventional musical compositions.

    Hennies, who very recently relocated to Ithaca from Austin, TX, has an active career as a solo artist as well as being a member of Meridian, a percussion trio with Greg Stuart and former Ithaca resident Tim Feeney. Through this new concert series venue Hennies aims to promote adventurous and artistic music outside of an academic environment. He hopes that this series will foster an open exploration of experimental music within his new community and attract both local and visiting musicians for guest performances.

    For the inagural program on Feb. 27th Hennies will perform two of his solo albums in full, Duets for Solo Snare Drum and Psalms. Duets for Solo Snare Drum opens the program, consisting of three pieces for the solo snare drum that are in “duet” with three different non-performative elements. One4, by John Cage, explores unconventional timbral possibilities of the snare drum while prominently using silence as a compositional tool. Snare Drum and FM Noise by Austrian composer Peter Ablinger pairs radio static with very soft, white-noise-like snare drum rolls. Hennies’ own piece, Cast and Work, a 23-minute continuous drum roll with sine waves, is a deeply meditative listening experience. Cast and Work will also feature guest performances by Ithaca musicians Annie Lewandowski (piano) and Chris Demetriou (percussion).

    The second half of the program is Hennies’ cycle of compositions called Psalms. Each of the five pieces are for a single percussion instrument (vibraphone, snare drum, woodblock, and triangle) and use long periods of rapid fire repetition to expose hidden depths and detail in what we normally think of as familiar sounds. Psalms is also notable in that includes Alvin Lucier’s classic piece for the solo triangle from 1987, Silver Streetcar for the Orchestra.

    The music event on Thursday, Feb. 27 will take place at 8 p.m. at the Community School of Music and Arts (330 E. State St.) in the 3rd floor performance space. Admission is on a sliding scale from $5-$10. The Weighter Music Series will continue on March 23rd with a performance by Chicago organ/electronics duo Coppice.

  • What a Riot!

    What a Riot!

    With the name of “Mid-Winter Puppet Extravaganza” presented by a puppet theater company appropriately called ‘It’s a Riot Puppet Theater’, I am (perhaps overly) excited to publish my first Wild Card post. This event certainly seems to fit the bill: This Saturday there will be a single, after-dark performance of life-sized puppets! Perfectly ‘wild card’ sounding!

    Adding to the mystery of the show, I know little about this event beyond the event announcement. Billed as an event for all ages, it will take place outside tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 1st from 6-7 p.m. behind the Standard Art Supply shop at 308 E. Seneca Street. It is hosted by the Durland Alternative Library and is free and open to the public; donations appreciated. Following the puppet show there will be live music and a reception with warm drinks. Dress warmly and have fun!

  • First Friday Gallery Night

    First Friday Gallery Night

    First Friday Gallery Night is a monthly community event hosted by galleries and art houses in downtown Ithaca. On the first Friday of every month, year round, downtown galleries, art houses, and boutiques show special screenings, new exhibitions, host receptions, uncork wine bottles, and showcase work of local, national, and international artists. It is free and open to the public and is generally an excuse to meet up with friends, have a few drinks and enjoy some colorful artwork and an evening stroll along the Commons.

    To be sure, gallery hopping on a balmy summer’s evening has its allure, but First Friday Gallery Night is also something that can be especially enjoyed on a darkened winter evening to kickstart the weekend. Sample the art, warm up with a glass of wine, grab some hors d’oeuvres and duck in and out of the galleries with quick jaunt in the frosty wintry night between each stop. Capping the evening off with a dinner at one of the downtown restaurants ain’t a bad idea either.

    First Friday Gallery Night takes place on the first Friday of every month from 5-8pm. Gallery guides with maps of participating locations and show descriptions are available at all participating venues. In all there are usually about 20 venues.

  • Happy Birthday, Johnson Museum!

    Happy Birthday, Johnson Museum!

    This Friday evening the Johnson Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary as well as the opening of its five fall exhibits. A special lineup of artsy concert performances, music, and a reception get the festivities going and a and ’70s-themed dance party continues the revelry late into the night.

    Here is the evening’s schedule of events (as described on the Museum’s website):

    Opening Reception for the Fall Exhibits
    5:00–7:00 p.m.
    Throughout the Museum

    Performance by Michael Ashkin, Tim Feeney, and Annie Lewandowski
    7:00–8:00 p.m.
    Lynch Conference Room, Floor 6
    *Please arrive early, as elevator access will be restricted to avoid interrupting the performance.
    Depot/Centralia/Tiber features works filmed by Professor Michael Ashkin (CU Department of Art) at a decommissioned military depot in upstate New York, in a Central Pennsylvania mining town, and in Rome along the Tiber River. The improvised soundtrack is performed by Annie Lewandowski (lecturer, CU Department of Music) on piano/electronics and Tim Feeney (former lecturer, CU Department of Music) on percussion. This performance was made possible in part by the generous support of the Cornell Council for the Arts.

    Performance: Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Co.
    8:30–9:30 p.m.
    Lecture room, Floor 2L in the wing
    Mother Mallard returns to the Museum, where they have held performances since its opening 1973! Founded and directed by David Borden in 1969, Mother Mallard is the world’s first synthesizer ensemble. Their program will feature selections from Borden’s Earth Journeys, all variations on “Happy Birthday” and receiving their first performance tonight. Mother Mallard dedicates this performance to the memory of Tom Leavitt (1930–2010), founding director of the Johnson Museum.

    Performance: Cornell Avant Garde Ensemble
    9:30 p.m.
    Mallin Sculpture Court, Floor 2 (rain location: Appel Lobby)
    The Cornell Avant Garde Ensemble performs music inspired by Leo Villareal: Cosmos under the installation and the stars.

    ’70’s Dance Party
    10:00 p.m.–12:00 midnight
    Get up and get down with the best ’70s grooves, plus art, activities, and far-out fun. Can you dig it? Wear your sharpest ’70s threads and party hearty!

  • Porchfest

    Porchfest

    This Sunday  is the seventh annual Porchfest! If you have never been, Porchfest is an Ithaca music festival held on the porches of houses in downtown Fall Creek and Northside neighborhoods. This year music-goers can wander the neighborhood streets and hear over 100 bands playing on various porches. Maps are created to show what bands are playing, where, and when. According to the Porchfest website, music this year will range from classical to roots, rock to country to pop to reggae to punk rock, and from Appalachian to Brazilian to Irish to Swedish to Zimbabwean, and more.

    The thing I like about this festival is the community involvement and local flair. Fall Creek and Northside homeowners volunteer their porches – either to bands they know, bands they like, or even bands they know nothing about. Many of the bands are local, and it is fun when you stumble upon a porch with your normally staid co-worker playing drums for a rock band.

    The event is refreshingly simple and the only street vendors to be seen at this festival are two tasty food trucks at Thompson Park and the occasional lemonade stands manned by entrepreneurial grade-schoolers. Porchfest 2013 is sponsored by Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, a non-profit, community development corporation whose mission is to revitalize Ithaca’s neighborhoods, encourage stability and diversity, and to help people of modest incomes obtain affordable housing on a long-term basis. The event is free, though donations toward the cost of printing the maps is appreciated.

    Porchfest 2013 takes place this Sunday, Sept. 15th from 1:00pm – 5:00pm with an open jam session to follow at 5:30pm in Thompson Park.

  • Welcome to 14850zine

    Welcome to 14850zine

    Welcome to 14850zine! Well, at least welcome to the approximately four people who are reading this initial post (hi mom, dad, husband, and, if lucky, at least one of my sisters!) My hope is that a readership of plus four will soon exist. After much time spent dreaming, planning, designing, and building, I am excited to launch 14850zine. Named after the main Ithaca zip code, 14850zine will cover all things Ithaca and surrounding area – with reviews on restaurants, free events, exploring hidden nooks and crannies in the gorges, classes, and much more. While 14850zine does not claim to be an exhaustive listing of events and things-to-do (see other great blogs, such as IthacaEvents.com or VisitIthaca.com, for up-to-date listings), this blog aims to cover interesting finds – both old and new, and celebrate the small jewels and quirkiness this area has to offer.

    It has been a long time coming, but I am happy that the launch of this blog will catch at least the tail end of summer. Though there are more than enough stories to cover  in every season, summer is especially abundant with exciting events: The ever-popular Farmer’s Market, the Scottish Festival, outdoor movies at the Straight, Shakespeare in the Park, Taughannock Falls concerts, salsa nights at the Big Red Barn, 4th of July festivities and fireworks, the Ithaca Festival, and of course the opportunity to explore the many surrounding trails and gorges.

    Thank you for visiting 14850zine. Please check back regularly for more posts as we go forward and get in touch with us if you have ideas to share.