Gilbert Sun News; 1-3-15: Arts

30

Arts

January 2015

VENUES CCA—Chandler Center for the Arts 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler Tickets: (480) 782-2680, www.chandlercenter.org

MAC—Mesa Arts Center One E. Main St., Mesa Tickets: (480) 644-6500, www.mesaartscenter.com

GCC—Gold Canyon United Methodist Church 6640 S. Kings Ranch Rd., Gold Canyon Tickets: www.gcac1.com/cynsnds.html

MIM—Musical Instrument Museum 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix Tickets: www.mimmusictheater.themim.org

HT—Hale Theatre 50 W. Page Ave., Gilbert.

Tickets: (480) 497-1181, www.haletheatrearizona.com

MN—MusicaNova Central United Methodist Church, 1875 N. Central Ave., Phoenix Tickets: (480) 585-4485, www.musicanovaaz.com

HCPA—Higley Center for the Performing Arts 4132 E. Pecos Rd., Gilbert.

Tickets: (480) 279-7190, www.higleyarts.org

SUL—Stand Up Live 50 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix Tickets: (480) 719-6100, www.standuplive.com

ON STAGE “Lend Me a Tenor,” through Saturday, Feb. 14, HT. The Cleveland Grand Opera Company has planned a gala $50,000 fundraiser. World-famous Italian tenor Tito Morelli is slated to sing the title role in “Othello,” but he has other plans.

“Churchill,” Friday, Jan. 9, HCPA. “Churchill” is a one-man play about Sir Winston Churchill. It was written by Andrew Edlin and performed by Edmund Shaff.

Young Performers Concert Series, Sunday, Jan. 11, MIM. Arizona Musicfest

FIREFLY CROSSING

“Where the Past Meets the Present in a Unique & Eclectic Way”

THEHING EVESRTYOTRE!

NEW • ANTIQUE • REPURPOSED • HANDMADE SHABBY CHIC • INDUSTRIAL • VINTAGE

Home Decor H Kitchenware H Clothing H Jewelry Purses H Collectibles H Fine Art H Furniture H Tools All Items are Categorized for Easy Finds!

Open Every Wednesday thru Saturday 11-7 PM 2665 E. Broadway Rd., Mesa, AZ 85209 Located in Fry’s Shopping Center (SW Corner of Lindsay & Broadway)

480-621-7473

Always looking for antique dealers, crafters and vendors with unique merchandise Like Us on Facebook

www.GilbertSunNews.com partners with the Musical Instrument Museum to showcase talented young musicians.

Dave Nachmanoff, Sunday, Jan. 11, HCPA. Singer-songwriter/multiinstrumentalist Dave Nachmanoff is inspired by Al Stewart, whose London show he saw in 1985.

“Unexpected Affinities,” Sunday, Jan. 11, MN. Local chamber group Paradise Winds joins the MusicaNova Orchestra for the world premiere of Graham Cohen’s “Unexpected Affinities,” a concerto grosso commissioned by the Selznick Tikkun Olam Foundation in honor of Holocaust survivors Max and Nina Gurin.

Fab Four, Friday, Jan. 16, MAC. The ultimate tribute band pays homage to The Beatles with classic favorites like “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “Yesterday,” “A Day In The Life,” “Twist And Shout,” “Here Comes The Sun” and “Hey Jude.”

Carpe Diem String Quartet, Friday, Jan. 16, GCC. This unique string quartet blends a traditional string repertoire with a passion for tango-, folk-, pop-, rock-, jazz-inspired music and more.

Part of the Canyon Sounds Artist Series presented by the Gold Canyon Arts Council.

Alpin Hong, Friday, Jan. 16, CCA. Alpin Hong, called “a pianistic firebrand” by the New York Times and a fierce supporter of musical education, performs in his inspirational and energetic style.

African Children’s Choir, Sunday, Jan. 18, CCA. African children, 7 to 10 years old—many of whom have lost parents through war, famine and disease— take the stage to sing African tunes including well-loved children’s songs, hand clapping, traditional spirituals and contemporary music. The choir helps raise awareness for children’s needs in Africa and supports the program, which provides unique opportunities for the children involved.

Travis Tritt, Sunday, Jan. 25, CCA. Enjoy an up close and personal evening of music with two-time Grammy winning and three-time CMA-winning country artist Travis Tritt.

“Camelot,” Friday, Jan. 23 through Sunday, Jan. 25, MAC. The legendary tale of King Arthur and his knights of the roundtable told through Lerner and Loewe’s enchanting melodies and a classic stage performance.

Collin Raye, Friday, Jan. 23, HCPA. With 16 No. 1 hits and 24 Top 10 singles,

Collin Raye is one of the true hitmakers of country.

Celebrating the Year of the Sheep, Friday, Jan. 30, CCA. The Chandler Symphony Orchestra’s professionally trained musicians present a free classical concert.

Johnny Rivers, Saturday, Jan. 31, HCPA. Born Johnny Ramistella, Johnny Rivers has 17 gold records, 29 chart hits and two Grammy Awards.

The McCartney Years, Friday, Feb. 6, HCPA. The McCartney Years boasts that it offers a note-for-note, faithful recreation of a mid-1970s Paul McCartney concert.

“The Midtown Men,” Saturday, Feb. 7, CCA. Watch four stars from the original cast of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” reunite as they establish themselves as rock stars in their own right, bringing to life their favorite tunes from The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Motown, The Four Seasons and more.

Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, Saturday, Feb. 7, HCPA. Hailing from Salt Lake City, the five-man band is led

by Ryan Shupe, who has been playing violin for most of his life.

“Hardcore Legend: An Evening with Mick Foley,” Sunday, Feb. 8, SUL. The WWE champion, speaker, author and stand-up artist gives a performance that is by turns uproariously funny, simply surreal and surprisingly sensitive.

“Of Legends and Lovers: Doc and Kate,” Sunday, Feb. 8, CCA. A performance of the story of the West’s most famous dentist, a man who went, as he likes to put it, “from the one who heals to the one who keels” (kills) and his life with Mary Katherine Haroney Cummings.

“Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana: The Soul of Flamenco,” Saturday, Feb. 14, CCA. One of the nation’s premier flamenco and Spanish dance companies celebrates its 30th anniversary season with innovative music, exotic movement, passionate dancing and more.

2015 Chinese New Year Show, Sunday, Feb. 15, CCA. The Eastern Art Academy hosts the 2015 Chinese New Year Show in a lively and unique show that the entire family will enjoy. The year of the ram is welcomed with song, dance, instrument and martial arts performances and more.Symphony Orchestra’s professionally trained musicians present a free classical concert.

www.GilbertSunNews.com

The Duttons’ shows are a family affair

Arts

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

Ben Dutton understands the importance of family.

As a member of The Duttons music group, he feels strongly about uniting families through the magic of his act.

“We get a lot of parents who say, ‘This is the first show my 2-year-old has sat all the way through,’” Dutton says.

“That makes me so happy that we, as a family, can play a part in bringing families together.”

The Duttons have returned to Mesa from Branson, Missouri, for their winter performances at the Dutton Theater at East Valley High School, 7420 E. Main St. They will also perform at Lovin’ Life After 50’s Sun City Expo on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and Mesa Expo on Wednesday, Jan. 28. For information about The Duttons’ shows, visit www.theduttons.com. To find out about the Lovin’ Life After 50 expos, see www.lovinlifeafter50.com/expo.

“We’ve done (the expos) almost every year,” he says. “The winter visitor group knows us really well. Our show really appeals to all ages. Teenagers love it. It keeps moving. There’s a lot of variety. It really caters to families as well.”

Many folks know The Duttons from their several PBS specials as well as a stint on “America’s Got Talent.” The band will perform a different show each month through March at the Dutton Theater.

“It’s not a regular concert,” Dutton says. “It’s a full show with special effects, backdrops and choreographed lighting.

It’s a bit to change the show with how we do it, but it definitely makes it better. It’s never stale. We want to mix it up to give people that new experience.”

The audience is just as varied as the music The Duttons play.

“I like to tell this story,” Dutton says.

“A guy was in the front row of one of our shows with gold teeth, chains around his neck, big combat boots and kind of looked like a gang banger type. I came up to him and asked him what drew him to our show. He said that ever since ‘America’s Got Talent,’ he’s been a fan. He said he loves the variety and it keeps him interested.”

The Duttons have been playing music since they were youngsters. Persuaded by their parents, the Dutton siblings each started on classical violin when they were around 4 years old.

“They wanted to teach us to work hard,” he says. “They didn’t have the plan that we were going to be professional musicians. My dad was a tenured professor of economics and my mom was a school teacher.

“They knew that music would be a great thing for us. We worked really hard.”

NOTHING LIKE FAMILY: The Duttons put on a variety show that includes music, special effects and choreographed lighting. Submitted photo

The children were soloing with symphonies when they were young. That is, until a man came knocking at their door after a gig.

“He spent the afternoon teaching us bluegrass,” Dutton says.

Soon, the kids were gigging and were then asked to perform in Europe.

“We thought it was just a hobby, although we worked really hard at it,” Dutton says. “We were on the biggest TV shows. We toured Europe several times.

We made some videos for TV stuff, we did over there, and then agents got a hold of it over here.”

By 1991, The Duttons were playing 250 to 300 shows a year. In 1997, the family opened its theater and subsequent hotel, the Dutton Inn, in Branson. After seven years in Branson, they expanded to Mesa by partnering with East Valley High School and building an auditorium that could serve as a permanent winter venue in Arizona.

“It’s been a great thing,” says the Utah native. “This has been our 10th season in Mesa. It’s been awesome.”

The secret of The Duttons’ success is hard work, he says.

“Not only did we practice a lot growing up, but our parents really stood by our sides,” he says. “We’re all adults with our own children now, but we’re still working with them. There are three generations in the family. First and foremost, aside from the music, they tried to teach us to live according to good principles and have good values. That’s kept us together, to keep focused on the good things.”

January 2015

31

Programs abound at downtown’s Art Intersection Art Intersection, located at Gilbert and Elliot roads, has scheduled a plethora of programs and exhibits throughout the winter and spring.

Emerging photographers and artists will benefit from a seven-session seminar during which their works will be critiqued. They are scheduled for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 5, Feb. 12, Feb. 19, March 12, March 19, March 26 and April 16.

Whether participants want help bringing a project to completion, direction in establishing a unique artistic voice, or preparing a portfolio for admission into school or gallery, this opportunity provides individuals with a structured option. The seminar is facilitated by veteran educators who understand the creative process. Both instructors provide a professional and supportive atmosphere in which to grow.

Seminar meetings are strategically spaced throughout an almost three-month period to allow time in between to create new work.

In addition to group critiques, each participant will have a private, oneon-one consultation with nationally renowned artists James Hajicek and Carol Panaro-Smith.

SEMINAR: Emerging photographers and artists have the opportunity to engage in a sevensession seminar that includes one-on-one consultation with James Hajicek and Carol Panaro-Smith. Submitted photo

Past participants have been accepted into graduate school, found gallery representation and have been invited to exhibit work at Art Intersection Galleries.

‘Home’ exhibit to open Jan. 17 Home, it is at once a noun and an adverb; physically and metaphorically, it is a dwelling.

“I believe that one carries the shadows, the dreams, the fears and dragons of home under one’s skin, at the extreme corners of one’s eyes and possibly in the gristle of the earlobe,” writes Maya Angelou in her book, “Letter to My Daughter.” see ART INTERSECTION page 34

DO YOU HAVE LOWER DENTURES THAT DON'T FIT? MISSING TEETH? TALK TO US ABOUT IMPLANTS!

New Mesa Dental Center DAVID CHIANG, D.D.S. 1423 S. Higley, #101 Mesa 1 Block North of US 60

Walk-In Emergencies Interest Free Financing

Most Insurance Accepted • Senior Discount • Alternatives to Conventional Dentures & Dental Implants • Denture Lab on Premises 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE+ | STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES WE WILL MEET OR BEAT ANY LOCAL COMPETITOR’S PRICE!

480-396-9900

WWW.NEWMESADENTALCENTER.COM

DENTURES

SIMPLE EXTRACTIONS $

50

Each From with Immediate New Dentures Some restrictions apply. Expires 1/31/15. GSN

From

(Money Back Guarantee on Our Dentures) Some restrictions apply. Expires 1/31/15. GSN

UPPER OR LOWER REPLACEMENT

ROUTINE CLEANING $

FREE Denture

Includes: Exam & 4 Bitewing X-Rays

Consultation

Some restrictions apply. Expires 1/31/15. GSN

Some restrictions apply. Expires 1/31/15. GSN

49

290 Each

$

CROWNS From

545 Each

$

Some restrictions apply. Expires 1/31/15. GSN

32

Arts

January 2015

Gilbert dancer among prestigious grant winners Leah Roman of Gilbert was among the 13 applicants who received Artist Research and Development Grants for fiscal year 2015 through the Arizona Commission on the Arts, as announced on Dec. 29.

This highly competitive grant program awards funding to Arizona artists practicing in a variety of artistic disciplines in support of research and development leading to the creation of new works of art. This year, 13 of 95 applicants received up to $5,000 in funding.

Roman will use her funds to develop a model and platform for bridging dance scenes, the public, musicians, and young people. Roman and her dance partner, Rae Rae, will collaborate with, interview and observe local representatives of the choreography and freestyle scene during this year and next.

She has taught workshops in studios around the Valley including Dance Element, Precision Dance and CanDance Studios. She has also traveled around the world to teach, compete and “battle.”

Roman is the co-director and founder of The Jukebox Dance Studio, a dance studio in Gilbert that specializes in street styles.

Other Arizona grant recipients include: David Adams (Phoenix): Adams will employ an 1850s photographic process known as wet-plate collodion to make tintype photographs of power plants and oil refineries on 55-gallon oil drum lids. Adams’ work is exhibited nationally and internationally. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Society for Photographic Education’s Crystal Apple Award, the Magenta Foundation’s Emerging Photographers Award, and the Nathan Cummings Travel Award.

Susan Bendix (Tempe): Bendix will adapt and integrate techniques used in choreography, improvisation and ritual to develop a movement-based curriculum for use with people experiencing grief or loss, as a means for the intense energy of grief to take expressive form. Bendix trained with the Mark Morris Dance Company in Dance for PD (Parkinson’s disease) and teaches dance for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center in Phoenix. She has conducted workshops for incarcerated young women at the Black Canyon School and with women recently released from prison.

Geneva Foster Gluck (Phoenix): Through an interdisciplinary performance project featuring elements of circus, trained physical performance and multimedia, Gluck will deconstruct the genre and traditional narrative of the Western.

Gluck was a founding member of Tucsonbased Flam Chen Pyrotechnic Theatre.

She earned her M.A. in scenography from University of London and went on to work with some of the U.K.’s most successful contemporary and immersive theater companies before establishing her own company, Sugar Beast Circus, in 2007. In 2012 Gluck returned to Arizona to teach theater design classes at Pima Community College.

Paul Nosa (Mesa): Nosa will embark on a statewide “sewing tour.” With a portable sewing machine powered by a solar panel and a bicycle that generates electricity, Nosa settles in public areas and asks people to describe a scenario in five words or less. He interprets these scenarios in the moment, sewing intricate designs onto a patch. An artist, musician and DIY inventor, Nosa started sewing in 2003 to make functional art, creating a

HONEST, RELIABLE SERVICE YOU CAN COUNT ON!

Prioritizing Your Cars Needs One Step at a Time!

Family owned and operated.

We care about educating our customers!

COMMUNITY APPRECIATION OFFER

Receive

480-497-4787

10% OFF

Any Auto Service Up to $50 —W. Guadelupe Location Only—

1655 W. Guadalupe Rd., Gilbert 85233 | SW Corner McQueen & Guadalupe | OPEN SATURDAY!

clothing line from resourced material. In 2005 he began sewing patches. Drawing with a sewing machine has developed from a rewarding art form into a full time career.

Jia Oak Baker (Peoria): Baker will write “Radius,” a book-length collection of poetry that tells the story of three generations of immigrant women. Baker’s poetry was awarded first place in the 2013 Tucson Festival of Books Literary Contest as well as first place in the 2012 Arizona Literary Awards. Other honors include a 2012 Pushcart Prize nomination, a full merit scholarship to the New York State Summer Writers’ Institute, the 2014 Archie D. and Bertha H. Walker Scholarship to the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and a Helene Wurlitzer Foundation Artist Residency. She serves on the editorial board for Four Chambers Press and teaches writing at Paradise Valley Community College.

Forrest Solis (Phoenix): Solis will complete a series of paintings, titled the L&D Day Series and expand her discipline of figure painting into the realm of installation, audio documenting and archiving women telling their stories of labor and delivery. Solis earned her B.F.A. in 2001 from the Kansas City Art Institute and an M.F.A. in 2003 from Indiana University. She is an associate professor of art at Arizona State University. Her paintings have been exhibited regionally and nationally in solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, juried exhibitions and at major Art Fairs. Her work has been published in American Art Collector, Arts+Culture Magazine, Direct Art, Studio Visit and Visual Overture Magazine.

Lauren Strohacker (Scottsdale): Collaborating with Kendra Sollars, Strohacker will expand the scope of their ongoing Animal Land project, wherein larger-than-life video projections of wild animals are directed onto and within urban spaces. The grant will enable Strohacker to incorporate more sophisticated projection techniques and

www.GilbertSunNews.com

interactive technologies. Strohacker’s work has been published in the National Endowment for the Arts eBook, “Exploring Our Town” (2014), Sierra Magazine (2014), Java Magazine (2013) and Phoenix Magazine (2013). In 2014, Strohacker was named one of the top 100 creatives in the city by the Phoenix New Times. Animal Land was awarded the Contemporary Forum Emerging Artist Grant (2014) by the Phoenix Art Museum.

Jonathan VanBallenberghe (Tucson): VanBallenberghe will explore the potential of fulldome cinema, developing new techniques for filming live performances, cultural events, and natural phenomena throughout Arizona with a six-camera, 360-degree fulldome rig. VanBallenberghe earned an MFA in poetry from the University of Arizona in 2001. In 2005 he and his wife created Open Lens Productions, which has produced independent documentaries, wildlife films, commercials, website videos, and fulldome planetarium shows.

VanBallenberghe’s documentary films have screened at festivals including SXSW, Tribeca, the American Conservation Film Festival, and the Arizona International Film Festival.

Steven Yazzie (Phoenix): Yazzie will incorporate elements of his Indigenous Tours Project, a video documentation and social engagement project centered on regional tours with indigenous participants, into The Mountain Project, an exploration of the artist’s personal and cultural history through a documented hiking expedition, culminating in threechannel video projections in a mix-media installation environment. Yazzie is a proud member of the Navajo Nation and served honorably with the U.S. Marine Corps. Yazzie has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York; National Museum of the American Indian, New York, New York; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; the Museum of Contemporary Native Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and museums throughout Arizona.

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Arts

YOU’RE MORE

LIKELY TO AN AD BECAUSE IT’S RUNNING IN

LOCAL MEDIA (WE’RE ALSO RUNNING THIS AD IN LOCAL MEDIA, IN CASE YOU DON’T BELIEVE IT) Ads in local media are 49% more likely to be considered trustworthy and reliable than those in other everyday media. We offer special pricing for new advertisers.

To find out more, visit www.GilbertSunNews.com

January 2015

33

34

Arts

January 2015

ART INTERSECTION from page 31

Members’ Portfolio Sharing Event Members of Art Intersection will show their work during the Members’ Portfolio Sharing Event on April 30 and Sept. 10.

One of the benefits for all membership levels is the opportunity to exhibit at Art Intersection. Each member will have a table top space about 30 inches by 72 inches to show their work.

The event is free and open to the public for viewing at Art Intersection, 207 N. HOME: Daniel Coburn will have his Field of Dreams piece Gilbert Rd., Suite 201. on display during the “Home” exhibit at Art Intersection.

Members wishing to Submitted photo participate should RSVP by In this Art Intersection exhibition, a emailing info@artintersection.com or by selected group of artists looks at home calling (480) 361-1118. and all the ghosts of memory that inhabit it. The artists include Daniel Coburn, Emily Matyas, Kristin Bedford, Joshua White, Angela Bacon-Kidwell, Kelsey Vance, Christina Z. Anderson and Liz Steketee.

The opening reception will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17.

The show is open from Saturday, Jan. 17, through Saturday, Feb. 28.

SHARING: Members of Art Intersection are For more information, email meredith@ invited to participate in the Members’ Portfolio artintersection.com.

Sharing Event. Submitted photo

Kobar’s Auto Service FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED FOR OVER 15 YEARS

Lube, Oil & Filter

$

3695

Includes: Up to 5 qts. Major Brand Oil • Chassis Lube • New Oil Filter

Add $4 EPA Fee. Most cars & light trucks.

Not valid with other discounts. Expires 12/20/14.

“Professional Service You Can Trust”

Cooling System Maintenance

1021 N. Gilbert Rd. #101 Between Baseline & Guadalupe www.kobarsauto.com

• Drain, refill radiator w/up to 2 gallons new coolant • Pressure test cooling system & radiator cap Must Present Coupon • Inspect water pump, Additional charge for shop supplies, hoses & belts up to $4. Add $4 EPA fee. Most cars and light trucks. Not valid with other • Tighten clamped discounts. Expires 12/20/14. connections

480.813.6400

• ASE Certified Technicians

$

Transmission Maintenance

• All Work Guaranteed In Writing • State of The Art Equipment

• Replace fluid

• Towing Services Available

• Road test

• Free Shuttle Services

• 12 month/ 12,000 mile limited warranty

• We Service All Extended Warranty Contracts

Your Neighborhood Place for Total Car Care!

Gilbert Rd.

Baseline Rd.

Guadalupe Rd.

4995

Member Central/Northern Arizona

$

6995

Special gaskets, filters extra if needed Converter draining extra..

Add $4 EPA fee. Most cars and light trucks. Not valid with other discounts.

Expires 12/20/14.

Brake Special from

$

15995

• Install quality disc pads • Resurface front rotors • Bleed system • Pack wheel bearings • Inspect rear brakes

Must Present Coupon. Add $4 EPA fee. Most cars and light trucks.

Not valid with other discounts. Expires 12/20/14.

www.GilbertSunNews.com

SMOOTH VOCALS: Valley singers can now perfect their craft at Inspire Entertainment in Gilbert.

Submitted photo

New school hopes to ‘inspire’ kids to pursue the arts

community service with other groups or With schools regularly cutting funding nonprofits. to arts programs leaving the Valley’s “We sing. We dance all different talented kids without a performance performance styles,” Sackett says. “When outlet, Michael Sackett and LaDawn the studio opens, the goal is to start all of Pettitt felt they needed to do something. our music programs and dance programs.

So the duo founded Inspire We are planning on starting a preschool, Entertainment, which is slated to open which will very much focus on music, this month in Gilbert. but it has an actual curriculum to be “We’ve noticed that schools, when they certified.” cut the budget, they take out music and Sackett and Pettitt are lifelong performing arts,” says Sackett, a resident performers. At Brigham Young University, of Mesa.

Sackett was in Young Ambassadors and “They’ve done so many Vocal Point, a nine-man studies on this. Music enhances a cappella ensemble. He all sorts of things. It helps with moved to Arizona six and brain development and child a half years ago. growth. It gives kids confidence “I noticed there were a and breaks down the barriers lot of little groups here that a lot of teenagers are and there, with more having these days. We want to dance opportunities than keep music and the performing singing and performing— arts a valued thing for the especially here in the youth in the community and THE VOICE: Inspire East Valley,” he says.

Entertainment will offer Valley. It’s so important and “We wanted to create a unfortunately it’s being cut left voice lessons. Submitted premiere performing arts photo and right.” studio, where people can Inspire Entertainment— start at age 2 or 3 and, by the time they’re located at 3244 E. Guadalupe Rd., Suite 18, they understand all those things and 109—provides high-quality education know where they want to go with that.” and instruction in music and dance Sackett adds that after several years for children ages 2 through 18, Sackett with Inspire Entertainment, kids will have says. For more information visit www. been schooled in entertainment. Whether inspireent.com or not they make it as a YouTube Music education is broken down by age sensation or hit on Broadway, young to include: music and movement-based adults will have the goods to succeed in pre-school; parent-child music classes; the music field. music education, arts and creativity; fun The duo chose Gilbert because of the with music; music theory, games, group proximity to talented kids. piano; and basic performing techniques.

“We both have lived on the east side,” Music instruction for ages 13-18 consists he says. “There’s just a really good market of continued performing skills, music for it. We’ve researched all the dance workshops, master classes, performance studios, all the music groups, and there opportunities, choreography, voice are a lot of really talented kids here who lessons, tours, building repertoire books, are not necessarily using their talents and composition, recording and more. abilities.

The school provides monthly “They need one main place to go to get opportunities for its performers to do all that.”

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

www.GilbertSunNews.com

Raye yearns to bring back classic country music

Arts

great ‘Rhinestone Cowboy,’ ‘Galveston’ Country singer Collin Raye is up for a and ‘Wichita Lineman’ are. We’re challenge. probably never going to get new songs The ’90s hitmaker, known for “Love, like that ever again.

Me” and “I Can Still Feel You,” wants to “Our society—and it trickles down to show that he’s still relevant with his latest the music—is into fast food, fast music, album “Everlasting,” a collection of 11 fast gratification. We’re shallower than classic love songs and two original tracks. we once were. You can notice that in all “A label approached me about doing walks of life.” a classic love songs album and I jumped He laments the never-ending cycle of at it,” Raye says during a recent phone “no-brainer” comic strip movies and the interview. absence of poetry in music.

“I like being known more so “There’s this country as a singer than a guy who’s ‘lifestyle’ of the wanna-be connected with my hits from cowboy and his pickup 1991 to 2002. I’m very blessed truck,” he says. “They party and thankful for every one on a truck. They party on a of those hits, but I like to be dirt road. They’re hoping to known as a singer.” get lucky in the truck. The He elaborates that God has first 300 or 400 of those blessed him with “biceps in songs didn’t bother me too his throat” and he says that in much. It’s been a decade humility, not arrogance. of this stuff, though. Who EVERLASTING: Raye doesn’t “I know I was blessed with want to be known as a “one- are these people who are trick” pony. His new album a powerful voice and I can loving this music?” do a lot of things that other is designed to illustrate his Born in De Queen, range. Submitted photo singers can’t,” he says.

Arkansas, Raye says he Raye doesn’t want to be grew up in a time when known as a “one-trick pony.”

Bob Dylan was a master. The Eagles were “I love a challenge at this point in my writing incredible lyrics, as was Billy Joel. life,” he says. “I want to sing songs by “In country music, you have the Glen great artists and take them on head on Campbells, the Waylon Jennings, Willie and see if I can bring something new to Nelson had ‘Red Headed Stranger,’ which them.” was a concept album, almost a country To promote the album, he’ll perform at opera. You had all this stuff going on. the Higley Center for the Performing Arts “That’s what has created me as the on Friday, Jan. 23. He will also spend next artist that I am. I miss that. I know that summer in Branson, Missouri. for a fact there are a lot of people who “It’s a challenge,” he says, saying that miss that. If I can be one of those vessels word again. “It’s something new for me. who keeps those beautiful songs with I’m 54 years old. Being able to sit still great melodies and phenomenal lyrics for three months is huge. I dare say we and moving stories alive, then I’ve done will probably cut another record in the my job.” midst of that as well. I’ve got two or Sure, he says, there have always been three projects I’d like to do, but I haven’t drinking songs in country music. But, for decided which one yet.” example, Merle Haggard and his song The key is to stay relevant, Raye “The Bottle Let Me Down” are sheer explains. He says he loves when a label poetry. asks him to do something other than “He’s very cleverly and poetically produce a traditional new record. So, for lamenting his state that he has sunken example, in 2013 he released “Still on the down to,” he says. “He’s not celebrating Line...The Songs of Glen Campbell,” in being drunk. Now it’s just singers honor of his friend who is stricken with basically celebrating drinking and driving.

Alzheimer’s disease.

Getting behind the wheel of a truck— “I wanted to do a tribute to him while it’s always a truck—and they’re driving he could still comprehend it,” he says. around with a case of beer, getting “We barely got it done in time.” drunk, never leaving the cab of that Besides being acquainted with truck. It’s embarrassing.”

Campbell, Raye is a longtime fan. He Some of country music’s greats would knew there were tributes in the pipeline feel the same way, he continues. once Campbell’s family announced he “A lot of people say Hank (Williams) was ill. But he wanted to be the guy who would roll over in his grave,” he says. beat everyone else to the punch.

“Hank would get out of his grave, get a “The nice thing about it is I get to sing 12-gauge and go down to Music Row and Glen Campbell songs every night,” Raye shoot every label head on 16th and 17th explains. “I get to remind people how avenues for putting this junk out.

January 2015

35

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

COMING TO TOWN: Country singer Collin Raye is reimaging classic love songs with his album “Everlasting.” He performs at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Jan. 23.

Submitted photo

“I feel it’s trashed this beautiful musical genre that people like Hank created.

It’s the music of the people. Now we have sunk way back into this safe party boy (mode) with piercings and they’re tattooed up. They have six-pack abs, of course. You can’t get a record deal unless you have six-pack abs. It’s silly.”

He describes himself as a glass-halffull person and he’s optimistic that acts like himself can swing the pendulum of

country music back to a meaningful art.

“I think it can return to a greater sense of thought,” he says. “I’m up for the challenge.”

Collin Raye performs at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts, 4132 E. Pecos Rd., Gilbert.

Tickets are $44 to $74.20. For more information, call (480) 279-7190 or visit www.higleyarts.org.

We want EVERYONE to get this message.

We want you educated.

Some want you ignorant.

We want EVERYONE to get this message.

Gun safety and marksmanship is too important to you let petty gun We want educated. controllers andyou anti-rights Some want ignorant. bigotry rule over you. Go to TrainMeAZ.com to learn is too Gun safety and marksmanship important to let petty controllers more. Go there. Itgun won’t and anti-rights bigotry rule over you. hurt you. LEARN. Go to TrainMeAZ.com to learn more.

Go there.

It won’t hurt you. LEARN. THIS MESSAGE IS SPONSORED A BROAD INDUSTRY THISBY MESSAGE IS SPONSORED

BY A COALITION BROAD INDUSTRY COALITION