CAROUSEL triple cities
november 2017
free
issue 54
your local arts and culture rag.
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inside. music...5 theatre...17 events calendar...20 art...22 food and drink...31
film...33 poetry...36 travel...37 star stuff...38 fun stuff...39
“He has been married against his will in Thailand (for just a few minutes to a nearly irresistible bride), and has narrowly escaped ritual execution twice (once for unauthorized entry into a sacred Men’s House in Papua New Guinea and once for not accepting the marriage to the nearly irresistible bride).” -Page 26
CAROUSEL triple cities
101 Main Street Johnson City, NY 13790 (607) 772-1005 PUBLISHER Equinox Broadcasting
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Triple Cities Carousel is published monthly, 11 times a year (Dec/Jan edition is a double issue). Copyright © 2017 by Triple Cities Carousel. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from the publisher. One copy of Triple Cities Carousel is free each month for regional residents and visitors. Anyone caught removing papers in bulk will be prosecuted on theft charges to the fullest extent of the law. Yearly subscription: $25. Back issues: $3. Queries and submissions should include a self addressed stamped envelope. Advertisers own/control all intellectual property rights to submitted advertisements and agree to hold Triple Cities Carousel, its agents, and assignees harmless from all liabilities, claims, losses or damage of any kind arising out of the publication of any ad submitted on behalf of the advertiser.
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music. to the Egress and Hayley Jane and the Primates. But in Massachusetts, New England, it’s folk and dream-pop, alternative, and a new wave of grunge. Those crews have a good solid scene with many different bands that are a part of it in many different levels. We’re kind of on our own on in that, so we’re trying to build community with other types of artists. We’ve been trying to skew more towards dance bands, and that seems to work. We’re really trying to build community, to ensure our far-left-than-center politics and protocols are followed in the pit. We try to ensure that women are comfortable, and people of color aren’t being crushed by dude-bros. We’re not a mosh-pit band; we’re a dance band. I think that pit etiquette has fallen off in the last couple of years. We want a safe place, a place where people can forget about the day and work whatever they need to work out with us.
Bella’s Bartok. Provided.
Breakin’ It Down with Bella’s Bartok
Klezmer-folk-pop group invades Ransom Steele by Phil Westcott
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F YOU’VE NEVER listened to Bella’s Bartok, stop what you’re doing right now. Put down the paper. Run to the nearest computer and listen to their uproarious, joyful, eclectic sound. The band plays a mesmerizing mix of Eastern European, Americana, punk, and pop music. Their live shows are theatrical, “a mix of The Nightmare Before Christmas and the Rocky Horror Picture Show” says frontman Asher Putnam, who Carousel recently got the chance to interview. The theatrical aspect began with the boys busking on the street. They couldn’t afford amps, so they reached into their crust-punk sensibilities to attract attention. “Thankfully we grew out of that,” says Putnam, who speaks in a soft voice with a slightly clipped pattern of speech (he is the grandson of Eastern European immigrants). “We all met [Chris Kerrigan, guitar and clarinet; Dan Niederhauser, bass; and Crisco, drums] at UMass originally. Except for Amory [Drennan], the trombone player; we went to high school together. We’re from Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Our most recent addition, even though it’s been over a year now, is our trumpet player [Gershon Rosen], who we met on the scene, thankfully.” Asher took classes in ethnomusicology at UMass, and about half the band shares his Eastern European roots. Their name and combination of Eastern European folk and Americana did not come by accident, nor is
their name just a fun music pun. “Bela Bartok is the Alan Lomax of Eastern Europe,” says Asher. “He was hunting Roma music, Jewish music, and Hungarian mountain folk music before World War I, which started getting popular with gypsy jazz or hot jazz - whatever you want to call it - in the interwar period. He kept that stuff alive. Kind of like how Alan Lomax did with blues musicians of the South and Appalachia. We bring a lot of klezmer and Roma music in as well, and Americana music too, since we are American kids. Just with funny-accented grandparents. We try to bring them together, meld the Americana and Eastern European music, with a pop sensibility.” Do you find that the two types of music have similarities? Was it easy to put those two types of music together? It’s the people’s music. The lyrics are based in and around the stories told, kind of tonguein-cheek political music. A lot of Americana music is talking about class and race relations. It’s the stuff we wish to bring to the fore. I think that’s how those two inspirations complement each other. Very punk, for lack of a better word. Especially in modern folk music, it seems like that aspect is lacking. If you go back and listen to early Bob Dylan, and even earlier folk music, a lot of the time the lyrics are focused on the issues of the day. It seems like a lot of bands that call themselves folk now that just sing about love and loss, and miss that aspect of social critique. Yeah, totally.
And don’t get me wrong, I do love a good love song but it’s like: working people’s rights, indigenous people’s rights - Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger’s stuff is moving to me. It seems to me that Bella’s Bartok wants to preserve that, to keep that tradition going. Yeah, totally. If you listen to the Carolina Chocolate Drops they definitely bring that aspect in their lyrics and musicality. We’ve played a couple of festivals with them, and they’re definitely pushing back. What’s interesting to you about preserving this style of music, and what role has theatre played in its evolution? The theatre and music are blended together. The commercialization of our theatre and music in general, for lack of a better word, whitewashes everything. It all begins to sound the same. It’s not just us; there’s a bunch of groups out there combining those lost aspects, ignored by mainstream music and art and performance and theatre. But I think it’s there, and I think it’s important to preserve it. We get reactions from crowds of all types. Festival types - once the crew catches onto what we’re doing- the jam band scene, the punk scene, older folks, and kids. As this one older guy said, ‘You have this primitive bounce that everyone can get behind,’ and I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, I can get down with folk bounce.’ I’m interested in how you view the music scene. There are growing bands that are bringing theatricality to performance that we’re growing with, bands like This Way
I saw on your website that you’ve broken multiple dance floors. Can you tell me a story about one of those experiences? Yeah, we just broke one three weeks ago, but one comes to mind. There was this place called The Hinge in Northampton. We were playing our second show there. There were over 120 people, and the max cap was 118, and for good reason. It was kind of like an old mill building kind of thing. We were playing, and we saw the floor was moving like an ocean wave. The dance floor was on the second floor of the club. If we had gone on two more songs the floor would have failed, and a lot of people would have been hurt. But thankfully those old beams held. It seems to me that you think that politics does have a place in music, especially traditionally. What do you think of today’s political scene, and how music can affect that? It’s a pedestal, that we as musicians and artists are put on. It’s a privilege to do what I do. It’s hard work, but without the people who come to our shows, we’re nothing, really, at all. But with the pedestal, we have to be accountable for our actions, and the people who associate with us, and the people in the scene. It’s important that when you see instances of injustice - when you have a mic, when you have a pedestal, when you have a certain following on Facebook or at festivals - I think it’s important for us to express that. To let people know that we are anti-racist and pro-queer. A lot of our loved ones would be harmed if policies head in the way they have for the last 15 years. We’re not a fan of federal government. But local government? That’s all us. Community? That’s all us. Bella’s Bartok takes the stage with at Ransom Steele Tavern on Friday, November 3, with local gems Big Mean Sound Machine. The show starts at 8pm, and doors open at 7. You’re going to want to get your tickets early, as this show is going to be kick-ass. Get ready to dance your booty off. More information about the show at ransomsteeletavern.com, and more information about the band at bellasbartok.com.
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Ron Dante and The Archies. Provided.
Life is Sweet
Ron Dante brings his golden voice to Binghamton by Heather Merlis 6 carouselrag.com
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HATEVER RON DANTE IS having for breakfast, we want some. His vibrant voice and mellow personality have carried him from his teenage years at the storied Brill Building, to the role of producer of Tony-winning Broadway shows and countless recordings - including the badass original version of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” and Barry Manilow’s first nine albums. Having played the role of vocalist for The Archies (“Sugar, Sugar”), The Cuff Links, and The Detergents, Ron Dante continues to reinvent himself. Carousel recently got a chance to interview Dante in anticipation of his December 1 performance at Touch of Texas, where he’ll be performing alongside “5 O’clock World” singers The Vogues: You started your career at a young age. What was it like getting into the business while you were still becoming a person? It’s true. I was in New York City – I had a couple of groups I fronted - and we played CYO centers and sock hops and things, so I was doing it since I had been about 14 or 15 years old, in Staten Island, where I lived and grew up. I signed my first publishing deal at 17 with a guy named Don Kirshner, who was a very famous music mogul in the sixties; he had one of the biggest music publishing companies in the world. He had so many hits and hit writers signed to his company that I came in as just kind of a staff songwriter, singer-slash-demo-maker. He believed in me - and he had people on his staff - and there was Carole King, and Neil Sedaka, and Tony Orlando: all very famous people at the time in their songwriting and artist careers. So that was the beginning of my professional music career, and it was a great start, because I was a young kid in the office, and I learned from everybody. I did backgrounds and sang leads for these songwriters’ demos. It gave me a great kickstart to my career. I’ll always be grateful to Mr. Don Kirshner. I was listening to some of the songs by The Detergents, and the humor really holds up! You have a great sense of humor. As a vocalist, is there something in singing parodies that fulfills you in ways that serious music does not? Not really – I mean, I’d rather sing real songs – I’d rather sing songs that touch people’s hearts. But it was fun. It was fun to make that record because we knew we were parodying a huge hit at the time. “The Leader of the Pack” was a breakthrough record because it had sound effects in it, and it had speaking in it. The Shangri-Las were a very cool girl group because they were the first girl group to have some edge to them, you know; they were kind of like, ‘don’t mess with us, guys – we know how to handle ourselves.’ It was an interesting time to do it. And, also, it gave me the opportunity, because it was a hit record, and it was on a big label called Roulette Records, which was owned by the mob. So it was in every jukebox – there were jukeboxes then, in America – and we toured with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars – and we went to, like, 50 cities all summer and fall. So I got to see all these fans and play all these different places, from Canada to Texas. It was very interesting. And you toured with the band that you were parodying? Yes! The Shangri-Las
They wrote, maybe, 40 hits - “Be My Baby,” “Hanky Panky,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “Then He Kissed Me;” Jeff also wrote “I Honestly Love You” for Olivia Newton-John in the seventies – they were phenomenal tunesmiths. They wrote [“Sugar, Sugar”] directly for the Archies – the Archies needed a hit, and Jeff was our producer and songwriter, and he called Andy and said, ‘Andy, do you have any ideas for the group?’ And Andy said, ‘How ‘bout “Sugar, Sugar”?’ And that’s the way the song began. But he wasn’t a sugar junkie, no. Was the pianist the sugar junkie, or am I just making this up? I thought I heard on one of your other interviews that there was some guy that had candy falling out of his pockets while he was playing piano, but maybe… No, there was – Don Kirshner had a piano – mister music mogul had a white piano in his office, and in one pocket was alcohol, and the other pocket was jelly beans. Ahh… Don Kirshner. Yes, Kirshner – he had a sweet tooth. In the studio with Barry Manilow in the 1970s. Via web.
would go on and do their hits, and we’d come on and do our parodies of their hits. And people would laugh and get a kick out of it - even the [Shangri-Las] liked us. That’s so great. I feel like people weren’t taking themselves too seriously then. I wonder if that could happen now. I don’t think so. People are so politically correct – ‘don’t make fun of us.’ You have a gift for transforming your voice – you know which vocal styles and tones people want to hear at a given time. You know, it just evolved. I grew up listening to lots of pop singers – from my dad’s type of singers, to people I discovered – and I could imitate a lot of the different sounds, from the early sixties: The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons; then there were the duets: The Everly Brothers. I had this tenor voice – I always sang, from when I was six or seven years old; I was always imitating and singing a little bit – I would imitate my father’s favorite singers, sometimes, just for kicks. I came from a big Italian family; everybody sang a little bit at the weddings and get-togethers, but nobody did it professionally. But I studied guitar a little bit, so I had a musical background, and I just sang. I kept evolving my voice as I went along; I tried to choose really cool songs that people would like, and that I liked - because if you don’t like it, who else is gonna like it? You can’t just do it for the money, or if you think somebody else it gonna like it. I really liked what I recorded, and I was always saying yes to different songwriters. If they’d call me up and say, would you sing this song for me, this demo, I’d listen to the song and I’d say yes. You did say yes to a lot – your voice led you to many things that weren’t directly related to singing. You published the Paris Review, you are a producer – you’re known in so many ways, but you’re also not the kind of celebrity who’s going to get run over walking down the street by a mob of crazed fans. Do you think that by being kind of
a chameleon, and, in some ways, keeping under the radar, that allowed you more freedom in your career? That’s the absolute truth. My voice, my singing, led me to different careers. I was of the mind that you don’t have to be buttonholed, when people see you and say, ‘oh, he’s just a singer; he’s just the guy that performs onstage.’ I always felt I could do more, but when I was coming up in the music business, people like to buttonhole you, put you in this box and say, ‘that’s what you do, and we don’t accept you in anything else. We’re not going to consider you as a producer, or the manager, or the person who stages the shows.’ And I always felt that you could – if you have ambition – you could do a lot. So my voice took me into different camps, and I always knew it would take me to different places. When I started to sing commercials, and jingles from Madison Avenue, I used my pop background to enhance my singing. But I always felt I could do more, but I had to break through. It was like there was a ceiling, also, for a performing artist.
Well, they say if you’re a sugar addict as a kid, you’re more likely to end up drinking as an adult. It’s true. Let’s talk about producing. Is there something specific that you listen for, to know that something is right, when you’re choosing a song or someone to produce? I look for goosebumps; I look for the emotion that comes when I’m listening to it. When I met Barry Manilow, he played me one of his songs; he needed a record producer. He was working with Bette Midler at the time, and he said, ‘I want to be a soloist.’ I said, ‘Fine, play me some of your songs.’ He started to play me a song called “Could It Be Magic” which is one of his hits now, but then it was just his piano and him in the room, and I got goosebumps when he started to sing. There was something about his voice, his physical presence, and the song, and when those things all come together, I absolutely have to get involved.
Doing jingles, having a cartoon band – it’s not a superficial thing where people are getting used to seeing your face everywhere. It’s not just your calling card. You can do more, and I always felt that. You have to break through, though. You have to tell people ‘I can do this,’ and they look at you, and they go, ‘Can you really produce? You’re the singer. You’re the songwriter. You just write songs.’ And I would always say, ‘But no – we can do more. People can do more.’ You have to challenge the rules that were kind of set up to keep people down. And I broke through. And a lot of people came after me and broke through, because once the doors were open, they were open.
You have such a great attitude. Do you have a philosophy or mantra that stays with you as you go through life? Not much of a philosophy except do no harm; leave it better than you found it, and just enjoy the ride. This is a beautiful life. I’m very grateful for all the opportunities that came my way, because they came my way and I said yes. A lot of people get bogged down on one focus, one track, and they don’t realize that there’s a lot more opportunities out there, you just have to open up to the universe. That’s kind of the way I run my life, and it’s led me down some wonderful paths. Lots of fun; it keeps you young. I love performing for a live audience and I’m really looking forward to coming back to Binghamton. I want everybody to dance. The Vogues are a great vocal group, and I’m looking forward to visiting the town!
You talked about writing. Was the writer of “Sugar, Sugar” really a sugar junkie? No. There were two fellas involved: Jeff Barry and Andy Kim - those were the two writers. And Jeff Barry, in particular, was one of the biggest hit songwriters of the sixties, with his wife, Ellie Greenwich.
Ron Dante will be playing Touch of Texas with The Vogues on Friday, December 1 as part of Solid Gold 104.5 FM’s Christmas concert; doors at 6pm, concert at 8. Tickets $20-$35; visit solidgold1045.com or touchoftexas.net. For more information on Ron, visit rondante.com.
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ally know an ‘A’ from an ‘E’ until the string broke!” But he got the job. The venue was the Dublin Palace, Brooklyn. The pay was $3 for the night. It was 1945. Shortly afterward, he went into the Navy, while “the boys held that job for me.” At war’s end, with his “mustering out pay” totaling $230, he bought his “first real guitar - a Gibson.” The music of the post-war era was still that of the big dance bands, and among the most respected was Benny Goodman’s. Though Goodman’s guitar player Charlie Christian had died at the age of 25 in 1942, his artistry is given credit for moving the guitar from the band’s rhythm section to prominent jazz solo work. More than anyone else, it was Charlie Christian’s guitar work that influenced Lou Francavillo’s own music. “Even to this day, I try to emulate him,” he admits. The other guitarists for whom he has high regard are Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Byrd, and Tal Farlow. Unlike those guitar giants, however, Lou never played jazz full time. He’d get gigs a couple of nights a week and on weekends, playing in bars, small clubs, for weddings and bar mitzvahs. But his workdays were filled with selling paint. He worked full time at a New York City paint store, but often kept a suit or tuxedo at the store so he wouldn’t have to go home to Queens to change for a nighttime jazz gig.
Francavillo onstage. Photo by Jeff Kellam.
Jazz Notes
Guitarist Louis Francavillo, Sr. by Jeff Kellam & Deborah Roane
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OU FRANCAVILLO, SR. confesses to us, “I didn’t do the right thing.” The choice he made while playing guitar in small clubs in the New York City area in the 1940s “was the worst thing I could have done.” But that decision was ultimately one he would never really regret. It was 1947. 20-year-old Francavillo had moved from his native Brooklyn to Woodhaven, Queens, and with only a handful of formal guitar lessons; in the Navy he’d entertained shipmates with an old guitar aboard a minesweeper in the Pacific toward the end of World War II. Back in the city, he started playing in small jazz combos: piano, bass, guitar – that kind of thing. New York City got hit with a couple of feet of snow during the holiday season, and a bass-playing neighbor called asked him to sub for a storm-bound musician. “Can you help us out tonight?” Lou obliged. It was a paying gig after all. The gig went well. They liked his sound, and
offered him another job a few days later. It was a Christmas party for the employees of a New York radio station. That led to an offer to play on some advertizing jingles. Things were looking up for this young guitarist. The next gig with this trio would be New Year’s Eve in New York. “I can’t make it,” Lou told the leader of the group. Looking back, Lou knows that may have put the brakes on his budding jazz career. Why turn down that gig? “My girlfriend came before anything else.” When Lou decided a New Year’s Eve date with his girlfriend was more important than the job, his “boss” said, “You’ll never play with us again!” If he’d stayed with that trio, it might have led to radio exposure, and then, who knows? But he was blackballed. Why no regrets? Lou’s been married to that girl (Phyllis) for 67 years now. While Lou has had many other opportunities to make jazz guitar his livelihood, he maintains, “I like my family life too much to go on
the road and leave my wife and kids.” Still, staying home hasn’t meant the guitar stayed in the case very long. Lou Francavillo Sr. has been making music since he was five years old, and continues to sit in at various jazz venues in the Triple Cities area at the age of 90. Lou moved to Endicott in the early 1960s, and his jazz guitar has filled places like the old Beacon Inn, the Paramount Lounge, Duke’s Place, and The Keg. More recently, Lou sits in at the Lost Dog Jazz Jams and the Firehouse Stage Jazz Sessions. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. His story begins on E. 2nd Street, Brooklyn, when five-year-old Lou could pick out a few tunes on the family piano. When he was 17, Lou got an inexpensive guitar and a friend taught him some basics. Two cousins were in a band and Lou went to a rehearsal and saw his first big band arrangements there. “I can do that,” the teenager thought. But at a tryout, “I asked the piano player to give me an ‘E’ so I could tune up. Well, most bands tune from ‘A,’ and from my experience, I didn’t re-
After his move to Endicott (his brother lived there), Lou took a job as a kitchen designer, but the pay was lower than promised, so his guitar would help support his family. Though Lou Sr.’s kitchen design background is impressive, his music beckons in his retirement years. Looking back on his jazz career in our area (part-time as it may have been), he’s crossed paths with local jazz notables such as Slam Stewart, Al Hamme, Pat ‘the Cat’ and Tony Monforte, and Jim Noyes. In the late 1960s, he also found himself at the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York, thanks to the late cartoonist Johnny Hart. Hart had enjoyed Jim Noyes’ group at Duke’s Place (Noyes on bass and vocals, Don Zampi on piano, and Lou’s guitar) and had a connection in New York. He helped set up an audition for Jim Noyes’ group for Sullivan’s popular CBS-TV variety show. The group played through a couple of tunes and a producer told Lou he really liked his guitar work. “Do you guys have a record?” No, they didn’t. “Well, call us back when you do.” So much for TV exposure. But here’s the thing: Lou Francavillo Sr. thoroughly enjoyed success on the local scene here. He played with a group called Just Friends, was a charter member of Al Hamme’s Music Unlimited band, and in the present tense masterfully plays jazz guitar wherever a gig opens up. He and Phyllis raised two sons, both talented musicians. Lou, Jr. plays trumpet and flugelhorn and Bobby is a composer and arranger, a Berklee graduate whose background includes the former BC Pops Orchestra. Now, Lou Sr. enters his tenth decade as one of the youngest sounding jazz guitarists in the business. You can find Lou sitting in at Lost Dog Jazz Jams & Firehouse Stage Jazz Sessions; visit his Facebook page for more information.
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music briefs The Blind Boys of Alabama play the Anderson Center at BU on Nov. 2. Photo provided.
NOLA LEGENDS TO PERFORM AT ANDERSON CENTER
The Anderson Center for the Performing Arts presents a very special night of New Orleans’ best music on November 2, when they welcome to the stage Irma Thomas, the Blind Boys of Alabama, and the Preservation Legacy Quintet. If the French Quarter is the musical heart of New Orleans, then Preservation Hall is its heartbeat. Take a group of long-time performers from the venerable concert hall, combine them with the Crescent City’s “Soul Queen” Irma Thomas, throw in the spiritual authority of The Blind Boys of Alabama, and you get a very special evening of music that showcases “The Heart and Soul Queen of New Orleans.” As part of New Orleans’ musical royalty, Irma Thomas is a Grammy Award-winning singer with her own rich musical history. Her first single in 1960 reached the Billboard R&B charts and from there she recorded for many labels, including Chess and Rounder Records. Her soul-drenched voice can be heard on the Allen Toussaint-produced track “It’s Raining,” which was featured in the Jim Jarmusch’s cult classic, “Down By Law”; in 2007, she was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame; and in 2008, she was featured on the poster of the world-famous New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The Blind Boys of Alabama have the rare distinction of being recognized around the world as both living legends and mod-
ern-day innovators. These Six-time Grammy Award-winners are not just gospel singers borrowing from old traditions; the group helped to define those traditions in 20th century and almost single-handedly created a new gospel sound for the 21st. Since the original members first sang together as kids in the late 1930s (including Jimmy Carter, who leads the group today), the band has persevered through seven decades to become one of the most recognized and decorated roots music groups in the world. In 2005, they released “Down in New Orleans”, a Grammy Award-winner for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album. The Preservation Hall Legacy Quintet represents a tradition that started in 1961, when Preservation Hall first opened in the French Quarter. This band is comprised of some of the most revered alumni of the Hall, many of whom have toured the world with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band for decades. As the world-renowned Preservation Hall Jazz Band continues its exciting exploration of the boundaries of New Orleans jazz, the Preservation Hall Legacy Quintet has formed, with the help of the non-profit Preservation Hall Foundation, to help maintain a connection with the traditional aspects of the Hall’s musical legacy. Touring together for the first time, “The Heart and Soul Queen of New Orleans” featuring Irma Thomas, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and The Preservation Legacy Quintet, will treat audiences to a special eve-
ning filled with musical collaborations and traditional standards. They’ll be appearing at the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts’ Osterhout Theater on the campus of Binghamton University (4400 Vestal Pkwy E, Vestal, NY) on Thursday, November 2. GA tickets are $45, and discounts are available for university faculty and staff, seniors, BU alum, students, and children. For tickets or more info, visit andersoncenter.showare. com or call the box office at (607) 777-ARTS.
VOODOO HIGHWAY PLAYS TRIBUTE TO THE DEAD
On November 3 and 4, Binghamton blues rockers Voodoo Highway will be presenting a tribute to the Grateful Dead’s 1977 Broome County Arena show on the weekend of its 40th anniversary. On Friday night, they’ll play the set list from the Broome County ‘77 show in its entirety at the Binghamton University Downtown Center (directly across from the Arena), with an encore performance Saturday night at Cyber Café West. They’ll be joined onstage both nights by former Jerry Garcia Band bassist Rob Wenig, who will be flying in from California special for the event. The Friday night show at the University Downtown Center (67 S. Washington Street, Binghamton) takes place 6-9pm and is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs at Binghamton University. The Saturday show at Cyber Café West (176 Main Street, Binghamton) takes place at 9pm. More info on the ol’ facebook.
FALL CREEK BRASS BAND AT LOST DOG LOUNGE
The Fall Creek Brass Band’s headwaters are found in the funky beats, groovy bass lines, and hot licks hidden in the hills in the outskirts of Tompkins County. The waters of Fall Creek flow, at times slow and meandering and at times raucous and untethered, carrying this miasma of groove to Ithaca and surrounding towns where it infects the local population with an inescapable need to dance, sing, smile, and laugh. When the party ends, the waters of Fall Creek evaporate to travel back to their hilltop homes to rejuvenate their funk juices for the next party. Originally formed at Dryden High School a decade ago, FCBB has experienced a lot of evolution in that time. Graduation from high school dispersed the band’s original members far and wide and the band played only a handful of times in the past few years. However, a new cadre of Ithaca’s and Cortland’s funk masters have joined the band and Fall Creek has found itself reinvigorated with new life. In their inexhaustible effort to get the world up and shaking that groove thing, the Fall Creek Brass Band plays a wide variety of dance music from traditional New Orleans tunes to funk, hip-hop to rock and roll. On the heels of a much celebrated set at Binghamton Porchfest this past August, Fall Creek Brass Band returns to the Parlor City on Friday, November 3 for a free evening of raucous tunes at Lost Dog Cocktail Lounge (222 Water Street, Binghamton).
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music briefs
1240 Upper Front St. Binghamton, NY (607) 771-1000 touchoftexas.net
STRATOSPHEERIUS AT CYBER CAFE WEST
single is a Top 20 hit in Canada and soared to become the #1 video on Australia’s CMC Lead by electric violinist/vocalist Joe DenCountdown. Bryant’s Top 3 up-tempo rocker inzon, who has been called “The Jimi Hendrix “Little Bit of You” led Rolling Stone to laud of the violin,” Stratospheerius has showcased Bryant one of its “10 New Country Artists their “frenzied mélange of alt-bluegrass, proYou Need To Know.” Bryant’s new single, the gressive rock, jazz smoldering “Room fusion and funkato Breathe” marks billy” throughout a thrilling evolution the world. The New in the young star’s York-based group artistry. The musical has opened for Tim maverick has been Reynolds, Micknamed an “On the ey Hart, and John Verge” Artist by USA Scofield, among Today and iHeart many others. Their Media; a “Hot Star” live performances by Pollstar; one of are filled with funky “10 Country Artdance grooves, ists You’re Going rip-roaring guitar/ To Love” by Teen violin jams, and Vogue; “One of the hooks that mix jazz, Best Things We Saw funk, rock with at CMA Fest” by Gypsy influences. Rolling Stone; “a suStratospheerius perstar in waiting” was a winner of the by Taste of Country, John Lennon Inter- Joe Denizon of Stratospheerius. Provided. a “Next Big Thing national Songwriting Competition, and was 2015” Star by MusicRow Magazine as well as named “Best Jam Band” in the Musician’s an “Artist to Watch in 2015” by The HuffingAtlas Independent Music Awards. They have ton Post, Nashville Lifestyles, Taste of Counbeen featured in Relix, Downbeat, and Jazziz, try, Roughstock, Country Music Is Love and among other publications. many more. Bryant joined Tim McGraw’s Shotgun Rider Tour in Summer 2015. Stratospheerius takes the stage at Cyber Café West (176 Main Street, Binghamton) on Chase Bryant rolls into Touch of Texas (1240 Friday, November 10, at 9pm. Cover charge Upper Front Street, Binghamton, in the is minimal. More info at cybercafewest.com. Northgate Plaza) on Friday, November 17. Tickets are on sale now at the box office or by CHASE BRYANT calling (607) 771-1000. More info available AT TOUCH OF TEXAS at touchoftexas.net. Music defines Chase Bryant. At every level his truths are expressed in melody, lyrics, hooks TUNING IN TO and sounds ... but his reality goes even deep‘ALICE’S RESTAURANT’ er than that. Bryant’s heritage is defined by Thanksgiving without Arlo Guthrie would music. His upbringing, his craft, his inspirajust be a bunch of football and hand-traced tion and his obsessions are all centered in the turkeys and revisionist history, which is why same. How else could a 24-year-old be a topeveryone’s stoner uncle insists on turning up flight guitar player, head-turning songwriter, the radio every year during Turkey Day to RED BOW recording artist and co-producer celebrate and remember the “Alice’s Restauof his debut album? rant Masacree.” The classic song tells the somewhat possibly maybe autobiographical Raised in Orange Grove, TX (pop. 1,200), story of how Guthrie spent Thanksgiving ’65, Bryant’s grandfather played piano for Roy which started with a goodwill effort to throw Orbison and Waylon Jennings. His uncles out the accumulated trash at his friend Alice’s co-founded the group Ricochet. Conway, church-turned-home in Great Barrington, Merle, Petty, Vince, Bob Wills, Steve WariMA, and ended with poor Guthrie sittin’ ner, Bryan Adams and more were early influthere on the Group W bench amongst the ences as were records by Keith Urban, Sarah mean, ugly lookin’ people: the mother-rapers Buxton and Jedd Hughes. “Those records and father-stabbers and father-rapers. It’s told me that I could be a mainstream country become tradition for radio stations across artist and also write guitar riffs that would the country to play the song multiple times stick in somebody’s head,” says Bryant. during the day on Thanksgiving (probably because it’s the only song about ThanksgivBryant’s guitar-wielding Top 10 debut single ing not sang by Adam Sandler in a stupid fal“Take it on Back” has reached THREE MILsetto), and two local stations are keeping that LION combined views on YouTube/ VEVO, tradition alive. Tune into Cool 106.7FM or spent 15 consecutive weeks on the CMT Hot Solid Gold 104.5FM on Thursday, November 20 Countdown and is a GAC Top 20 Coun23, and you’ll be sure to hear it: they’ll each try Countdown video. “Take it on Back” was be playing the full, uncut song at 6am, 9am, a Top 20 Billboard Hot Country Song in the noon, 3pm, and 6pm. U.S. and a Top 20 Most Watched Video on VEVO TV Nashville. Internationally, the Music briefs compiled by John Donson. music@carouselrag.com
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MONDAYS: Requests & open dancing w/ Johnny Montana 11/13 Special guest instructor “Mr. Showcase” John Robinson WEDNESDAYS: Line Dance Lessons w/ Ed & Nancy (7pm) THURSDAYS: Latin/Salsa Dance Lessons w/ Gerald Iglesias (7pm)
nOVEMBER 17th CHASE BRYANT IN CONCERT
NOVEMBER 24TH FROSTBIT BLUE 30 ANNIVERSARY PARTY TH
FRI.
SAT.
11/3
1 1 /4
100.5 The D rive
Battle of the Bands
A Co un t r y Mile
11/10
The Wanted
1 1 /1 1 Li ve Lati n M u s ic & D an c i n g
11/17
1 1 /1 8
Grand Finale
OCD , Trace of Life, Forgotten Son
Chase Bryant
C o un t r y C omedy
11/24
1 1 /2 5
showcase
Frostbit Blue
T wo Do llar P isto l
12/1
1 2 /2
30 th A nni ve r s a r y P a r ty
Th e Vog ues C hr istm a s S how
Sundown
Coming in December:
12/8 Wreckless Marci & The Gunpoets, 12/9 The Beadle Bros, 12/30 UUU, 12/31 Hats Off & A Country Mile
November 2017 triple cities carousel 13
every wednesday at 8pm
concert series
11/ 1 B e s s G re e n be rg 11/8 G reg Ne f f 11/ 15 Devin n e M eye rs 11/ 2 9 M a rv W illia ms 12 / 6 Ju s tin M oya r 176 Main St. Binghamton cybercafewest.com (607) 723-2456 open daily mon: trivia tues:open mic (11/7), karaoke (11/14, 11/21), thurs: ugly dolphin, fri & sat: live music 14 carouselrag.com
EXPLODING
FINGERS
GUITAR DOJO
A monthly lesson in music theory from guitar player extraordinaire Chris Arp
H
OWDY, PILGRIM. LAST MONTH we discussed that we could utilize an expressive approach to soloing by first mastering the 5-chord arpeggio. This month we are going to build off of that lesson by introducing the idea of chromatic colors, and how isolating these tones can control melodic expression. You can find this month’s column online with all other past articles at www.explodingfingers.com. For review, a root and a perfect 5th make a 5-chord. The major, the minor (m), the sus 2, the sus 4, the major 7 (M7), the minor 7 (m7), the dominant (7), and the minor major 7 (mM7) chords all contain a root and perfect 5th. Therefore, you could technically play this two-note arpeggio over any one of these chords. But, as you might be able to imagine, that could get pretty boring. So, let’s make it interesting. In previous issues, we discussed “tension and release.” For review, if we play over a melody only using the notes that a chord is built on, or its arpeggio, the melody will be consonant (release). But if we only play arpeggios then the melody will be boring, or sterile sounding. To create a more interesting melody it requires utilizing notes that are not in the chord (tension). Now if you spend too much time consecutively creating tension though, your melody will start to sound like noise since it lacks a relationship with the chord you are playing over. The idea behind tension and release is that the player should utilize a balance of both, tension to create variety, and release to stay grounded. Since we have established that the 5-chord arpeggio is found within the list of chords above we can assume that mastering this arpeggio enables us to stay grounded universally over all of those chords. Over the next few columns we are going to be exploring the values of different chromatic tone values, or the tension notes that are not in the chord. We will not discuss minor or major 3rds. Nor will we cover minor or major 7ths. Those tones are generally found as notes in our chords. They define our chords’ gender. So theoretically these tones can provide melodic release. Sometimes even the greatest of tensions. We do find exceptions with the sus chords since they do not use 3rds. But since the 3rds and 7ths are chord tones that are not universal to each of those chords, we will excuse them from the study. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s discuss both of this month’s chromatic tones: the flat 9th (b9) and the 11th (11). The flat 9th (Fig. 1) is a tension within a melody that will creates a sound that is often associated with the exotic expression, like in a Spanish gypsy scale. The playing of Latin-jazz fusion guitarist Al DiMeola comes to mind. It’s the pitch that makes playing the harmonic minor scale over its dominant V chord so uniquely exciting, if not sexual. “Muy sexy.” It is a very dissonant interval against most chords, but with the proper utilization of tension and release it is one of the tastiest chromatic tones available.
Fig. 1
The 11th (Fig. 2) is a tension often most related with blues playing. It is the tone that, when added to the minor 7th arpeggio, turns it into the minor pentatonic scale. Whereas the flat 9th is found more on the minor side of the spectrum, the 11th could be consider more on the major side of the spectrum. With this in mind, the two can offer a nice contrast in syncopation with each other. Practice these patterns against the 5-chord arpeggio and let your ear take in how adding these tones will inspire the expressive nature of your playing.
Fig. 2
Please visit my website www.explodingfingers.com to see an example of how to perform these exercises. If you have any questions, comments, column suggestions, or are interested in getting guitar lessons in the Binghamton area, contact me at explodingfingers@hotmail.com. Until next time, have fun playing!
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BRINGING GOOD THINGS TO LIGHT. 16 carouselrag.com
theatre & dance. For soprano Stacey Geyer, who plays the younger Alyce, that precise quality is a guide to the attributes of each character: “The music paints these people very, very accurately,” she says. “It’s interesting with my role specifically, as young Alice - I kind of go back and forth between reality and what is almost like artifice - someone’s hope of who they are, or someone’s vision of who another person was. My character is both an idealized vision of who Jim needs Alyce to be in these dark times he is living through, but also who Alyce wants herself to be - whom she maybe is frustrated with or whom she needs to stick to, to make her life work.”
Scott Purcell plays older Jim Thompson in TCO’s production of Glory Denied. Photo courtesy of TCO.
Geyer is in her second season with the Tri Cities Opera as a resident artist, after arriving through the Binghamton University Masters of Music and Opera program. To her, the reality of the characters themselves was the key to understanding the piece and its appeal to a country embroiled in two long wars that have both been compared to the one fought in Vietnam. “It’s really important to do a piece that we can relate to,” she reflects. “That we can see people up there who might be a part of us. Whether it be a family member, whether it be us personally, or whomever we can relate it to. I think it’s incredibly important to present work that makes that empathy palpable - that makes us commiserate with the people onstage in a way that is directly related to us. I didn’t live during the Vietnam War, but I have veterans that are in my family. I’ve been through a couple of wars in my life now, seeing how it affects society, how it affects me personally. I think if you’re looking for a human experience and something that you can relate to, this is definitely a show for you.”
Glory Denied at Tri-Cities Opera A modern opera about a Vietnam POW by Charles Berman LORY DENIED TELLS THE story of Colonel Jim Thompson, the United States’ longest held prisoner of war. This month, Tri-Cities Opera presents its own production of this modern opera by Tom Cipullo. The work - which had excerpts performed in 2004, premiered in 2007, and was revised in 2010 and 2013 - is new to the Tri Cities Opera and to the Binghamton area. Its subject and source material are usual and evocative: Thompson was held in prison in Vietnam from 1964 to 1973, during which time his wife Alyce, who was expecting their fourth child as he left, assumed he was dead and attempted to have him legally declared so. Cipullo based Glory Denied on Tom Philpott’s book of the same title, which was released in 2002.
Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel last year. For her, the opera’s newness and immediacy are an attractive virtue. “When I’m directing an old warhorse, I try to direct it based on what’s happening in the world in 2017 and to find a way in,” she shares. “And that’s sort of an extra step, to ask: how does this resonate now and why are we doing this now? With something that’s written this recently, that step is gone. It’s very immediate. Instead, it’s about how do we bring the story to life? And the vision of the composer, who is alive and will come to some of our rehearsals. And we have to be true and ask some questions. When you’re directing a Mozart opera you can’t call Mozart up and say, ‘Mozart, what were you thinking?’ But now if we have questions we can contact Tom Cipullo and say, ‘What do you think about this? We’re struggling.’ And that’s really fun.”
The contemporary nature of the piece has had a significant effect on their artistic process of those involved. Stage director Cara Consilvio was asked to return after directing
A modern opera also commands stylistic attention in ways that one that has been in the repertoire for hundreds of years does not. Scott Purcell plays the older Jim Thompson
G
in this production. He debuted with TCO as Figaro in 2015’s production of The Barber of Seville, and has wide experience appearing in new opera, and even world premieres. As he explains, “In Mozart or Rossini, there are strictures to that music that happen over and over again in each of their operas. But with a lot of modern operas you couldn’t even guess. So, I take the approach of being more strict and knowing it inside and out both musically and rhythmically, because a lot of times especially in Glory Denied - you have to be right on or it’s not going to work.” According to Purcell, character development goes hand in hand with the composer’s exacting approach. “As a singer, musically, it is a huge challenge. But it’s not just difficult for difficulty’s sake, and that actually helps me flesh out my character, because the music paints each character really, really accurately. And really well - so that it’s all sort of laid out for you. It’s difficult - but once you see the big picture, all of it makes sense; it makes it a little easier to digest.”
These qualities are not the only ones to appeal to the opera’s creative team, however. For Joshua Horsch, a Tri-Cities newcomer, there is nothing more basic to the appeal of an opera than its music. He tells us, “It’s some of the most beautiful music that has been written recently. There are some arias in there that are really breathtaking. Both older Alyce’s and younger Alyce’s arias in Act II are extremely beautiful, as are the arias that old Jim has. It really is striking. And along with that, you are also going to get a unique music experience that you won’t get in something like a Mozart opera. This is something you won’t hear anywhere else. So, I think it’s a pretty easy sell if you’re interested in opera even a little bit.” Glory Denied also features Tascha Anderson as Older Alyce, and Frederick Schlick as younger Thompson. Performances are November 10, 12, 17, and 19 at 7:30pm at the Tri-Cities Opera Center, 315 Clinton Street in Binghamton. Tickets cost $40, or $55 for premium seats, and they can be purchased at tricitiesopera.com or by calling (607) 7720400. November 11 at 7:30pm there will be a free performance for US military veterans and their families. Tickets can be reserved by calling Cara Tilton at the Broome County Veterans Services Agency at (607) 772-2393.
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41 court street
binghamton 2-4-1 TUESDAY
Dani’s 2-4-1 tuesdays
wednesday LADIES NIGHT DRINK SPECIALS ALL NIGHT
THURSDAY BU NIGHT DiscouNT WITH BU ID (STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF)
party time fridays drink specials 4-6pm Live music:
11/3 The gunpoets 11/17 honey jar habit 12/1 Ayana D. open for lunch & dinner tues-sun 11am-late
galaxybrewingco.com FOR FULL EVENT LISTINGS AND MORE INFO 18 carouselrag.com
theatre briefs EPAC REPRODUCES THE PRODUCERS
hours & info at drconcrescence.com
First 50 people through the door get a health filled goody bag!
high-heeled hit. With songs by Grammy and Tony Award winning pop icon Cyndi Lauper, this joyous musical celebration is about the Endicott Performing Arts Center reprises friendships we discover, and the belief that one of its most popular productions ever, Mel you can change the world when you change Brooks’ musical The Producers. Its original your mind. Inspired by stage production was one true events, Kinky Boots of the greatest successes takes you from a genin Broadway history, wintlemen’s shoe factory in ning an unprecedented Northampton to the glam12 Tony Awards. Brooks orous catwalks of Milan. adapted his own 1967 cultCharlie Price is struggling film comedy of the same to live up to his father’s title about a pair of Broadexpectations and continway producers who plot to ue the family business make a fortune by bilking of Price & Son. With the their investors on a defactory’s future hanging in liberately terrible musical the balance, help arrives called Springtime for Hitin the unlikely but specler. This EPAC Repertory tacular form of Lola, a fabCo. production is directulous performer in need of ed by Patrick Foti. Musisome sturdy new stilettos. cal direction is by Jeffery Kinky Boots on tour. Photo via web. With direction and choreogWahl who, just this past Ocraphy by two-time Tony Award winner Jerry tober, was in New York City directing the pit Mitchell (Legally Blonde, Hairspray) and orchestra for Wicked and will conduct a full a book by Broadway legend and four-time twelve-piece pit orchestra for this EPAC proTony Award winner Harvey Fierstein (La duction. Choreography is by Andrew Shaul. Cage Aux Folles), Kinky Boots is the winner The cast of local talent includes Matt Gaska of six Tony Awards including Best Musical, as Max Bialystock, Jamie Cook as Leo Bloom, Best Score and Best Choreography. RecomJana Kucera (who also collaborated on the mended for ages 10 and up. costumes) as Ulla, Vito Longo as Franz Liebkind, Greg Williams as Roger DeBris, and Ian Show dates are November 14 & 15 at the FoCook as Carmen Ghia. rum Theatre, 1 Stuart Street in Binghamton. Curtain is 7:30pm. Ticket prices run from The musical runs November 9 through 12 $35 to $59. For more detailed information at the Endicott Performing Arts Center, 102 visit nacentertainment.com and click “BingWashington Avenue in Endicott. Evening hamton” or call (607) 772- 1391. performances are at 8pm, Sunday matinee is 3pm. Cost is $20 for general admission; 14TH ANNUAL PLAYWRIGHTS $18 for seniors 65 & over and children 12 & AND ARTISTS FESTIVAL under. To purchase tickets or for more inforIN THE KNOW mation visit endicottarts.com or call (607) This festival is an important part of KNOW 785-8903. Theatre’s season; it is about inspiration and interpretation. The challenge is for playTHE WIZARD OF OZ AT THE wrights to look at three chosen pieces of artANDERSON CENTER work and see where inspiration takes them No wicked witch, no matter how fierce, will - and each of the journeys are unique. After get in our way as we follow the yellow brick blind reading the plays, KNOW had to whittle road to the magical land of Oz! This new 90 plays down to six - two for each artwork. take on the classic musical is full of surprisAnd this year they are bringing back the eles, and promises to warm hearts and inspire ement of music to the collaboration. Now it the dreamer in all of us. By L. Frank Baum is you, the audience, whose turn it is to go with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and and be a part of the process. For a playwright E. Y. Harburg. This production is directed by there is nothing better than seeing his or her Tommy Iafrate. work fleshed out onstage, and in seeing it also receive feedback. Each night of the weekend The musical plays November 10 & 11 and KNOW chooses one artwork and the two November 17 through 19 at the Watters plays inspired by it. The plays are performed, Theater of the Anderson Center for the Perafter which there will be a talkback that informing Arts on the Binghamton University cludes the playwright, the composer, the dicampus in Vestal. Show time Fridays and rector, and actors. They also like to include Saturdays is 8pm, Sunday matinee is 2pm. the artists if possible. This makes for an exTickets are $10 for students; $16 for alumni, citing night of theatre. faculty, staff, and seniors; $18 for the general public. For directions and additional Festival nights are November 17 through 19 information visit andersoncenter.showare. and November 24 through 26 at the KNOW com, call (607) 777-6802 or call the Box OfTheatre, 74 Carroll Street in Binghamton. fice at (607) 777- ARTS. Each evening, performances begin at 8pm. Cost is $15 per night or $25 for the entire KINKY BOOTS GLITTER weekend. For tickets or more information AT THE FORUM visit knowtheatre.org or call (607) 724-4341. Kinky Boots is Broadway’s huge-hearted, Theatre briefs compiled by Felicia Waynesboro: stage@carouselrag.com
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triple cities carousel events.carouselrag.com mon. sun.
tues.
wed.
01 05 06 07 08 12 13 14 15 19 20 21 22 26 27 28 29
Greg Neff (CAR) Jazz Jam w/ Miles Ahead (LDC) Deep Cuts Pro Jam (CAL) Liz & Jim Hull (MGRX) Bess Greenberg (CCW) Line Dance Lessons (TOT)
Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Karaoke (CAL) Binghamton City Limits (MGRX) Southern Tier Bass Collective (CCW) Harpur Cinema: Funeral Parade (BU) Milkweed & Pete Ruttle (RED)
Paws to Read (YHPL) Team Trivia (CCW) Open Mic Night (BEL) Bess Greenberg (MGRX) Open Dancing (TOT)
Greg Neff (CAR) Farmers Market (BCFM) Team Trivia (MGRX) Swing Dance (TCK) Open Mic (CCW)
Greg Neff (CAR) Open Mic (LDC) Deep Cuts Pro Jam (CAL) Budd Ash (MGRX) Greg Neff (CCW) Line Dance Lessons (TOT)
Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Mason Warrington Orchestra (FHS) The Producers (EPAC) Karaoke (CAL) Binghamton City Limits (MGRX) Glory Denied (TCO)
Lego Club (YHPL) Team Trivia (CCW) Open Mic Night (BEL) Marv Williams (MGRX) Guest Instructor Mr Showcase (TOT)
Greg Neff (CAR) Farmers Market (BCFM) Book Discussion: Dogs of Littlefield (YHPL) Team Trivia (MGRX) Swing Dance (TCK) Karaoke (CCW) Trivia Night (LDC) Kinky Boots (FRM)
Greg Neff (CAR) Jazz Jam w/ Miles Ahead (LDC) Deep Cuts Pro Jam (CAL) TCF & the Mix (MGRX) Devinne Meyers & Angela Marion (MGRX) Line Dance Lessons (TOT) Kinky Boots (FRM)
Make the Perfect Pie (BCFM) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Hillbilly Silly Science Spectacular (FHS) Karaoke (CAL) Binghamton City Limits (MGRX) Glory Denied (TCO) Wizard of Oz (AC) Playwrights Fest (KNOW) Harpur Cinema: Toni Erdmann (BU) NYS Record Fair (TC) Tyler Nelson/Joel Harder Concert (AC)
Paws to Read (YHPL) Team Trivia (CCW) Open Mic Night (BEL) Brady Goldsmith (MGRX) Open Dancing (TOT)
Greg Neff (CAR) Farmers Market (BCFM) Movie Night: Big Eyes (YHPL) Team Trivia (MGRX) Swing Dance (TCK) Karaoke Night (CCW) Trivia Night (LDC)
Greg Neff (CAR) Elixer (BTP) Deep Cuts Pro Jam (CAL) Brittany Miller & Corine Roma (CAL) Rum Runners (MGRX) Line Dance Lessons (TOT) DJ Space One (LDC)
Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Karaoke (CAL) Binghamton City Limits (MGRX) Playwrights Fest (KNOW)
Student Loan Repayment (YHPL) Team Trivia (CCW) Open Mic Night (BEL) Open Dancing (TOT)
Greg Neff (CAR) Farmers Market (BCFM) Team Trivia (MGRX) Swing Dance (TCK) Trivia Night (LDC)
Greg Neff (CAR) Deep Cuts Pro Jam (CAL) Rick Pedro (MGRX) Marv Williams (CCW) Line Dance Lessons (TOT)
(AC) Anderson Center, BU (AMT) The Art Mission & Theater, Binghamton (ATOM) Atomic Tom’s, Binghamton (ARE)Broome County Veterans Arena, Binghamton (BBC) Binghamton Brewing Co, Johnson City (BBW) Black Bear Winery, Chenango Forks (BCFG) BC Fairgrounds, Whitney Point, NY (BCFM) Binghamton Regional Farmers Market (BEEF) The Beef Restaurant, Binghamton (BEL) Belmar Pub, Binghamton (BO) Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY (BREW) Strange Brew, Binghamton (BTP) Blind Tiger Pub, Johnson City
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(BU) Binghamton University, Vestal (BUN) Bundy Museum, Binghamton (CAL) Callahan’s Sportsman’s Pub, Binghamton (CAR) Carol's Art Cafe, Owego (CCW) Cyber Cafe West, Binghamton (CHAT) Chat a Whyle, Apalachin (CHE) Chenango Arts Council, Norwich (CIT) Citrea Restaurant, Binghamton (CMP) Cider Mill Playhouse, Endicott (CNY) Cortland, NY (COD) Castle on the Delaware, Walton (CRT) Chenango River Theatre, Greene (CS) Clinton St, Binghamton
(DCS) Discovery Center, Binghamton (DOC) Doc Concrescence, Binghamton (DTB) Downtown Binghamton (DTO) Downtown Owego (DUB) Doubletree by Hilton, Binghamton (EPAC) Endicott Performing Arts Center (FCC) First Congregational Church, Binghamton (FHS) Firehouse Stage, Johnson City (FIVE) Number 5 Restaurant, Binghamton (FOUN) Fountains Tavern, Johnson City (FRM) Broome County Forum Theater, Binghamton (GAR) Garage Taco Bar, Binghamton (GXY) Galaxy Brewing Co., Binghamton
(GVF) Grapevine Cafe, Johnso (GWJ) George W Johnson Par (HBF) Health Beat Foods, Joh (HP) Highland Park, Endicott (HID) Holiday Inn Downtown (HOM) Homer Center for the (JBC) John Barleycorn, Oweg (KIL) Kilmer Mansion, Bingha (KOP) Kopernik Observatory, (LEG) American Legion, Endi (LDC) Lost Dog Cafe/Lounge, (MGRX) McGirk’s, Chenango (OK) Owego Kitchen
thur.
02 09 16 23 30
Dia De Los Muertos Fiesta (CIT) Open Mic (CAR), Open Mic (RED) Irma Thomas, Blind Boys, Pres. Jazz (AC) Trivia Night (CAL), Bess Greenberg (BTP) Poetry Open Mic (BEL), Karaoke (LDC) Ugly Dolphin (CCW), Adam Ate Apple (BEL) Joe Stento & Todd Russell (MGRX) Komodo Lemonade (RST) Latin/Salsa Lessons (TOT) Visiting Filmmaker Speaker Series (BU) Contemp. Jazz Concert (BU)
Farm to Table Dinner (BCFM) Open Mic (CAR), Open Mic (RED) The Producers (EPAC), Trivia Night (CAL) Devinne Meyers (BTP), Poetry Open Mic (BEL) Karaoke (LDC) Ugly Dolphin (CCW) Adam Ate the Apple (BEL) Acoustabees (MGRX) Tim Ruffo & Nick Gacioch (RST) Latin/Salsa Lessons (TOT) Mid Day Concert (BU)
Open Mic (CAR), Trivia Night (CAL) Noah Gacioch (BTP) Poetry Open Mic (BEL) Karaoke (LDC) Ugly Dolphin (CCW) Adam Ate the Apple (BEL) Hummels Jug (MGRX) Latin/Salsa Lessons (TOT) Beaujolais Nouveau (ATOM) Line of Descent (FRM) Harpur Jazz Ensemble (AC)
on City rk, Endicott hnson City t n, Binghamton Arts, Homer go amton , Vestal icott ,Binghamton o Bridge
THANKSGIVING!
Holiday Auction (BCFM) Open Mic (CAR) Open Mic (RED) Trivia Night (CAL) Chris Mollo (BTP) Poetry Open Mic (BEL) Karaoke (LDC) Ugly Dolphin (CCW) Adam Ate the Apple (BEL) Latin/Salsa Lessons (TOT) Mid-day Concert (BU)
03 10 17 24
fri.
calendar of events november 2017 sat.
First Friday Art Walk (DTB/DTO), Freestyle: Student Works (BUN) Robert Bellospirito Exhibit (PHO), Reapers Revenge (SCR) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB), Flamenco First Frisday (ATOM) Doug & Eamonn (BTP), Joe Stento (MGRX), String of Pearls (MGRX) Eugene Tyler Band (CCW), Voodoo Highway (UDT), Ultra Vibe (ORG) John Truth Experience (BBW), Slow Burn (FIVE), Soup for Syria (FCC) Art of Binghamton (AMT), Fall Creek Brass Band (LDC), Gunpoets (GXY) Bellas Bartok/Big Mean Sound Machine (RST) The Drive Battle of the Bands Finale (TOT), Taste of the Tier (DUB) Harpur Cinema: Funeral Parade (BU) Raul Melo/Thomas Goodheart Recital (BU)
Digital Planetarium Show (ROB), Piano Men (FHS) The Producers (EPAC), Gerry Jarcia Stringband (BTP) Next to Kin (CAL), Brady Goldsmith (MGRX) Beard of Bees (MGRX), Stratospheerius (CCW) Voodoo Highway (ORG), Rooster & Roadhouse Horns (FIVE) Glory Denied (TCO) Wizard of Oz (AC) The Wanted (TOT) Werk (LDC) Harpur Cinema: Death of Louis (BU) John Truth Experience (BBW)
Digital Planetarium Show (ROB), Stand Up Comedy (FHS) Open Acoustic Mic (RED), Brady Goldsmith (BTP) Molina (CAL), Bess Greenberg (MGRX), Old Friends (MGRX) Mike Davis & LBE (ORG), Splash (FIVE), Glory Denied (TCO) Wizard of Oz (AC), Chase Bryant (TOT) Silent Disco (LDC) Honey Jar Habit (GXY) Harpur Cinema: Toni Erdmann (BU) Playwrights Fest (KNOW) John Truth Experience (BBW) Tenor Tyler Nelson Master Class (BU)
(OQ) Ouquaga, NY (ORG) Original’s Bar and Lounge, Owego (OTS) Otsiningo Park, Binghamton (OUH) Old Union Hotel, Binghamton (OWE) Owego, NY) (PHO) Binghamton Photo (PHL) Phelps Mansion, Binghamton (PHNT) Phantom Chef, Endicott (RRB) RiverRow Books, Owego (RED) Red's Kettle Inn, Johnson City (RFG) Rolling Fire Glassworks, Endicott (ROB) Roberson Museum, Binghamton (RPZ) Ross Park Zoo, Binghamton
Digital Planetarium Show (ROB), Dan Pokorak (BTP) Bess Greenberg (CAL) Alex Creamer (MGRX) Emily Angell (MGRX) Driftwood’s Foxfire Weekend (RST) Mel and the Boys (ORG) Brotherhood (FIVE) Frostbit Blue (TOT) Fri-yay w/ Frankie (LDC) Playwrights Fest (KNOW) John Truth Experience (BBW)
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Book Fest (DCS), Greg Neff (CAR) Digital Planetarium Show (ROB), Flamenco Workshop (FHS) Reapers Revenge (SCR), Magic Beyond Imagination (BUN) Marv Williams (BTP), Adam Ate the Apple (CAL), DJ Space One (LDC) Wreckless Marci (MGRX) Voodoo Highway (CCW) Beard of Bees (RST) Lori & Chris Brown (FIVE) A Country Mile (TOT) Photography Wkshp (PHO) Tenor Raul Melo Master Class (AC)
Second Saturday (CS), Greg Neff (CAR)Digital Planetarium (ROB) Formenco Espiritual (SJJ), The Producers (EPAC) Drag Show (BUN), Rick Iacovelli (BTP), Burning Moonlight (COD) Brian Vollmer & Nate Marshall (CAL), DJ Space One (LDC) Last Call (MGRX), Raibred (CCW), Ralph Muro Trio (FIVE) Glory Denied (TCO), Wizard of Oz (AC) Owego Holiday Showcase (DTO) Live Latin Music (TOT) 34th Anniversary Open House (HBF) Photography Wkshp (PHO) Harpur Cinema: Death of Louis (BU)
Girl Scouts Workshop (DCS), U Lee (CHAT) Hillbilly Science Spectacular (FHS), 15th Anniversary Open House (BBW) Greg Neff (CAR), Blue Velvet Big Band (LEG), Thom Ormsby (BTP) Dusty Wayne & Mr. Pete (CAL), DJ Space One (LDC) The Stoutmen (MGRX), Andrew Alling (CCW) Nick Marra Comedy (ORG) Anything Goes (FIVE) Wizard of Oz (AC) Country Comedy Showcase (TOT) Playwrights Fest (KNOW) Photography Wkshp (PHO)
(RST) Ransom Steele Tavern, Apalachin (SCPH) South City Publick House, Binghamton (SCR) Scranton, PA (SJJ) Sarah Jane Johnson Church, Johnson City (SOC) Social on State, Binghamton (SOS) Six on the Square, Oxford (TC) Terra Cotta Catering, Binghamton (TCK) Tri-Cities Karate, Endicott (TCO) Tri-Cities Opera House, Binghamton (TIA) Tiawaga PAC, Owego (TMC) Trinity Memorial Church, Binghamton (TOT) Touch of Texas, Binghamton (UDT) University Downtown Center, Binghamton
Greg Neff (CAR), Digital Planetarium Show (ROB) Mick Herman (BTP) Devinne Meyers & Kevin Ludwig (CAL) DJ Space One (LDC) Odd Man Out (MGRX) Amanda McCarthy & Voodoo Highway (CCW) Driftwood’s Foxfire Weekend (RST) Greg Neff (FIVE) Two Dollar Pistol (TOT) Playwrights Fest (KNOW) Photography Wkshp (PHO)
(UNC) Uncorked Creations, Binghamton (UPC) United Presbyterian Church, Binghamton (VAM) Vestal American Legion (VM) Vestal Museum, Vestal (WSBC) Water Street Brewing Co, Binghamton (YHP) Your Home Public Library, Johnson City
November 2017 triple cities carousel 21
Michael J. Micha On the cutting edge by Ronnie Vuolo “Multidimensional Human� by Michael J. Micha.
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art.
M
ICHAEL MICHA DID NOT set out to be a visual artist. Music took up much of his work and personal life, as it had for many years and still does. But sometimes fate has other ideas and life throws you a curveball. Tamp down creative energy in one area, and it pops up somewhere else. But that is Michael’s story, and no one can tell it better than him…
I’ve done a lot of portraits, now I’m kind of trying to go into a different realm. I’ve always loved the collages I found in the early months - they have really interesting scenery. They would take four or five different elements and make this otherworldly scene, and so that kind of stuck out in my head. I thought maybe I can try and do a twist on it. So, yeah, I’m kind of going in a direction of trying to make very realistic, surreal scenery. So that idea of using the church and the cityscape, I loved the idea that the ideas, and generally what happens in a church and in a big city like that, are probably vastly different, and so I loved the idea of just trying to smash those together.
“I was born in Johnson City in the late 80s, attended high school at JC - generally a typical high school experience. I didn’t fit into any one group: first trying to fit in with the athletes, then trying to fit in with art room kids, then finally fitting in with some other kids that were starting a band. My parents bought me a guitar in tenth grade when I showed an interest in playing. My senior year I stopped playing sports altogether and started playing in a local pop-punk band. That quickly became the most important activity in my life. It helped me meet other creative, likeminded people, and was the first time I felt the real satisfaction from artistic expression. I continued to play music, which continually got more and more experimental as my tastes changed. “After getting a two-year degree in communications at BCC, I decided to attend SUNY Oneonta for audio engineering. After returning from Oneonta, I started running a recording studio in Johnson City above Spool Contemporary Art Space. Sessions started to pick up and I was beginning to really sharpen my skills in the realm of recording and mixing music. In August of last year, only about a year into opening the studio, I severely injured my back. I had to take weeks off of work and couldn’t play or record music. I was in so much pain for the first two weeks I couldn’t do anything except go from my bed to the bathroom, literally crawling to get there. In almost an instant, all of my creative outlets were gone. I started to feel extremely depressed. During that time, my incredible wife introduced me to some surreal collage artists she discovered online. Something about the surreal imagery and the way the artists used found images to create this otherworldly imagery really stuck with me. This is when I started collaging, because I was stuck at home with nothing else to do and no creative outlet. In a way I am grateful for my injury although I’d never want to experience it again - because it led me to another very fulfilling creative outlet. “At first, the images I specifically wanted to work with were National Geographic images paired with astrophotography. I was more trying to mimic some of the collages I’ve seen and loved, trying to find my own style. Lately, my collages have been a combination of portraits and nature or astrophotography. I enjoy removing faces from the images I use because it forces the viewer to imagine a face there. They draw on their own experiences, and each viewer might see a different face. It also creates a feeling of anonymity or mystery. For a while I was using only images of non-manmade objects; I enjoyed the connection between humans and nature. I’ve always had this theory that for humans to progress
Where does the idea for a new piece come from? Most of the collages that I make, I go through each book or magazine that I have probably six to ten times. I’ll go through and make a first pass and cut however many images stand out to me. And then I take another pass. And so I think what ends up happening is I go through banks of photos that end up just kind of swimming around in my brain. And then I’ll get an idea, I wonder if they’ll work together. So then I’ll sit down with those two images and see if there’s something I can do with it. I think I kind of create a bank of memory photos in my brain and then I go through them in lulls throughout the day.
“Timekeeper #6” by Michael J. Micha. beyond the constraints of our physical domain, a higher understanding and respect between us and nature is essential. A lot of the collages I make stem from this idea. I enjoy the process of making these collages more than anything. Sitting down listening to music, all of my thoughts about what’s going on politically or in my personal life drift away, and I get caught up in creating something that can’t exist in our world.” Which artists have the most profound influence on you? A lot of the collage artists that I’ve found - it’s just online - and they actually go by aliases. One artist is Chad Yenney - he goes by Computarded. He’s got a really interesting style: he uses a lot of vintage magazines and it’s got kind of like a sweet-psychotic feeling. It’s really strange, almost like Willie Wonka seems just a bit off in the original movie, and that really speaks to me a lot. And there’s another collage artist that goes by The Human Wreckage. I saw him using this old portrait photography from the 50s in Hollywood, and I really loved the way he would juxtapose those images with something from nature or something from astrophotography. He has a bunch of old im-
agery, I want to say late 60s - laboratory photography - bacteria and chemicals and things like that. Are you involved in photography or do you draw strictly from other sources? I have never used any photography that I’ve personally taken, but I do enjoy photography. When I met my wife - she’s a photographer - she introduced me to shooting film. She’s actually a filmmaker as well, and so she kind of introduced me to shooting in 16mm and she showed me some techniques of how she manipulates film. I’m definitely interested in that realm as well. I haven’t incorporated it in my collages yet. Many of your pieces feature old photographs of Hollywood screen stars; what appeals to you about them? I’m really drawn to the aesthetic of the look - the way they used the lighting, the way they have the actors sitting, the posture - the aesthetic techniques they used back in the 40s. Worlds Colliding 2, on the other hand, has a very complex architectural element. That was one of the more recent ones.
Have you ever considered using your images for album covers? Never, until someone came to me asking me if they could use a collage on one of their albums. It was a close friend who recorded their album at the studio and told me they had loved “Garbage of Eden” and they would like to make it their album cover. The only specific collage that I designed was a skateboard - a local skate company called the Barren Company. In the spring, it’s looking like there’s going to be a series of three skateboards that I designed collages for. Two of them are already designed and then the third I’m currently working on. Do you have any shows in the works? I’ve shown maybe 13 of my collages at the Garage, a great place that some friends of mine own. I really would like to display my art more, locally. I don’t really have the connections necessarily to book shows. I volunteer for Spool Contemporary Art Space in Johnson City, and so maybe there might be something in the works for next year. Is there anything else you’d like to say? I’m really excited to be in the Carousel. I’ve absolutely adored the Carousel for a while now - I think it’s such an essential thing for this area. Aww, shucks, we’re blushing. In addition to being an artist and running his own business as an audio engineer, Michael is the broadcast engineer at WSKG (recently moving there after many years at WICZ), and performs with Joe B. Springsteen in a duo called Archemist. His collages - compelling, eye-catching, and exquisite - are like potato chips: one will never be enough.
November 2017 triple cities carousel 23
This page, clockwise from top left: “Exposed Nerves #1,” “Exposed Nerves #2,” “Fall Feelings,” and “Exposed Nerves #3.” Opposite: “Behold, the Guardian.” All artwork by Michael J. Micha.
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Art by Michael J. Micha.
November 2017 triple cities carousel 25
Artwork from Borneo on display at the Roberson Museum through January. Photo by Don Boros.
ACatch Theatre of Things the world before it leaves the Roberson by Felicia Waynesboro
I
T HAS BEEN ABOUT a year now that artifacts and curiosities from Borneo, Viet Nam, the Solomon Islands, Myanmar, Brazil, and many other areas of the world have been quietly tucked away in a glass-fronted gallery of the Roberson Museum and Science Center under the enigmatic title “A Theatre of Things: Conjuring the World on the Westside.” The exhibit has come to feel like a permanent installation at the Roberson but, in fact, its long run will conclude at the end of January.
irresistible bride), and has narrowly escaped ritual execution twice (once for unauthorized entry into a sacred Men’s House in Papua New Guinea and once for not accepting the marriage to the nearly irresistible bride). Though all of this could be said to have a theatrical ring, the theatre aspect actually comes into play as a result of his never-ending quest to find “the genesis of things.”
The assembly is a portion of the acquisitions of Binghamton University Associate Professor Emeritus Don Boros who has purchased, traded for, or been gifted with each of the displayed pieces - 180 or so - during the visits to, and sojourns with, indigenous peoples throughout the world that he has slotted into seasonal breaks from university teaching since the early 1970s. His West Side Binghamton home, composed of a number of small rooms, contains around 200 additional collected objects.
“How did theatre come about?” he asks. “Of course, there are millions of thoughts about that,” he answers himself but, “I wanted to know whether there is a theatrical instinct.” After several decades of solo travel around the world - accompanied only by native guide/interpreters - to live in indigenous communities and interact with diverse cultures, he says, “I’m convinced there is. You just can’t help it; you express yourself for some reason.” Mythologist Joseph Campbell famously declared that there are three basic reasons for ritual: for pleasure, for power, and for duty. “I found out he was dead right,” Don confirms. “No matter where I went, that was the case. Theatre had to have grown from this.”
These are things; so why is it theatre? Boros, now an advisor at the University, used to teach acting and directing, and theatre and performance history in the classroom. He once traveled two days by elephant to visit the Akha tribe and ended up bartering for five days to buy a hat. Immediately after a rabid dog bit him in Brazil, he drove from JFK airport to Binghamton for hospital treatment with the delivery end of a long, elaborate blowgun sticking out the backseat window. He has been married against his will in Thailand (for just a few minutes to a nearly
The gallery is light and airy. “Everything that looks like gold is gold,” Boros explains, such as the golden hues in the Circle of Life Buddhist painting from Nepal near the entrance. The very first artifact in the room is an unobtrusively elegant black necklace that appears, at first, to be a solid piece but proves, on closer inspection, to be made of smooth shells of graduated size; Don calls it, “the Oscar of headhunting.” Parts of the exhibition attempt to replicate Boros’ home through photos and a scene set-up in one cozy corner with a large desk displaying a note that invites visitors to
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open the drawers and discover hidden surprises within. “This is not my desk. I don’t have anything nearly that formal,” Don confesses. “I’m one of those to put a door on top of two file cabinets.” While these works appear to be ancient, most were created in the 20th century (a few are from the 19th) and represent these cultures in a modern-day world. The carvings, masks, figures, bodywear, puppets, etc. are grouped not by their geography but by their esthetic, visual flow. Don can be seen and heard on a large television screen on one wall, in a 20-minute video loop, talking from his home about the collection. When Carousel visited, a woman with two or three delighted children rushed past on their way out. Her richly brown face was animated as she said, in an accent that sounded African, “West Africa has some scary stuff.” “She’s right,” Don says. “West Africa is the most ritual-driven part of the continent.” “Some places I’ve gone, I’ve terrified people,” he says, pausing for the effect to sink in. How could this gentle man terrify anyone? “White,” he says, “is the color of death,” pointing to a white mud doll in one of the displays. “So, if I show up at certain places,” he goes on, now rubbing his white hands and forearm, “children, in particular, get really, really, really, upset and afraid.” They can usually be appeased with the gift of a balloon. One way to tell whether a people has been exposed to Western culture – in any of our variegated splendor – “is just by looking at what they’re wearing,” says Don. “If they’ve been introduced to westerners, they will
want Western clothing – t-shirts, shorts, flip-flops, for example. If they’re not wearing any of that, if they’re naked or wearing a penis gourd or just wearing things of fiber and grass, then basically, you can infer that either they want to preserve their culture – which is usually not the case,” (Don had related earlier that some teenagers in “long ear” cultures have been known to cut off the elongated ends of their earlobes in an attempt to reject their own cultures and become more Western) “or else they’ve never been introduced [to Western ways].” The influence does, in a minor sense, go both ways; a look at much of the fine arts of the 20th century – cubists, Giacometti, etc. - betrays the strong influence of tribal art. In the center of the exhibition there is a rare, full set of armor gifted to Boros by a family living in a longhouse in Borneo. Reluctant, at first, to part with this inheritance from a grandfather, the family changed their minds when Don made it clear to them that he wanted these possessions in order to educate his own society about the past and present of this peoples’ mores and lifestyle. “You mean, you will tell people we exist?” he says one woman asked with tears in her eyes. He assured her he would. A Theatre of Things is a promise kept. A Theatre of Things: Conjuring the World on the Westside is currently showing now through January 2018 at the Roberson Museum & Science Center, 30 Front Street in Binghamton. Hours of operation are Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays 12 noon to 5pm and Fridays 12 noon to 9pm. For more details visit roberson.org or call (607) 772-0660.
Artwork from China on display at the Roberson Museum through January. Photo by Don Boros.
November 2017 triple cities carousel 27
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art briefs OWEGO SENIORS’ EXHIBIT AT CAROL’S
BU ART MUSEUM CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
For the month of November, Carols’ showcases the work of the Community Center Seniors Group of Owego - a variety of senior artists with a large array of style and medium. Opening reception takes place First Friday November 3 from 6-9pm with live music by Greg Neff.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the museum, 50 Years/50 Highlights showcases treasures including: a Neolithic Chinese vessel, 20th-century paintings and works on paper, paintings and drawings by the old masters, prints by Picasso and Rembrandt, and a Buddhist temple painting figure. The exhibit can be seen in the Main Gallery through December 16.
Carol’s is located at 177 Front Street in Owego. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 7am-5pm, Thursday from 7am-8:30pm (open mic), Saturday from 8am-6pm, and Sunday from 9am4pm. More information can be found at carolscoffeeandartbar.com or by calling (607) 972-7532.
Lower Galleries exhibits include: Wood Engravings with Lynd Ward; French Prints: 16th-18th Centuries, featuring portraits, landscapes, maps, frontispieces, and genre scenes; Issues in Accessioning Pre-Hispanic Objects, an ongoing evolving exhibit illustrating the problems associated with managing gifts with unclear provenance; and in recognition of the founder of the museum, playful drawings by Kenneth C. Lindsay on display in the study room bearing his name.
LEGO EXHIBITION AT TIOGA ARTS COUNCIL
TAC’s first ever Lego sculpture exhibit features work by community residents of all ages. Starting with an opening reception First Friday November 3 from 5-8pm, the show remains on view through November 25.
The Museum is located in the Fine Arts Building on the BU campus at 4400 Vestal Parkway East in Binghamton. Hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday from 12-4pm and Thursday from 12-7pm, closed whenever the university is closed. All exhibits are free and open to the public. For further information, go to binghamton.edu/art-museum or call (607) 777-2968.
BINGHAMTON’S FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK
November 3 First Friday includes 31 venues throughout Downtown and the West and South sides from 6-9pm (unless otherwise noted). In addition to opening receptions listed separately at the Cooperative Gallery 213 and Broome County Arts Council, the visual arts abound, including a number of photography exhibits: Brunelli Fine Arts presents images of Binghamton in Andrew Morgan: Beyond the Garden (through November 11); Freestyle highlights the work of SUNY Broome Photography students in the Bundy’s 3rd Floor Gallery (through November 28th), while large format fine art landscape prints by Robert Bellospirito are on display in the 1st Floor Photo Gallery (November 3-December 30). At Whole in the Wall Restaurant, Expressions of Nature includes birds, animals, and flowers, by Helga Stein (through December 2017); in Breathe: An Invitation, Maureen Stroka invites us to notice the beauty surrounding us at Healing Elements Spa & Salon (their grand opening kicks off First Friday with a ribbon cutting at 4pm); Untitled, photographs by Sean Murphy are on display at Citrea Restaurant and Bar; and at First Congregational Church’s Sophia Center for Spirituality, the work of Two Rivers Photography Club and environmental art by Claudine Jones are on view in addition to Soup for Syria: Book Sale and Soup Supper (details and reservation information for Soup for Syria can be found in Food Briefs). Continuing on with the fine arts, Ice and Fire/Recent Work by Amy Hoi-Ngen Hsiao is on display at the Salati Gallery (through November 25); Color Escape: abstract expressions by Cynthia Rotella is on show at Lost Dog Café (through November); an opening reception for Jan Peterson’s Embossed Paper Prints includes an artist’s talk at 7pm at Gallery at 5 Riverside Drive/Towers (on display through December); and jewelry designer Alexis Bittar’s new collection can be seen at The Goldsmith (open First Friday from
Located at 179 Front Street in Owego, the gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 11am-4pm and First Fridays from 5-8pm; admission is free. Further information can be found online at tiogaartscouncil. org or by calling (607) 687-0785.
LAST OF THE BEST AT BUTTERNUT GALLERY
Jean Luongo’s “Count My Sins” will be featured this month at Co-op Gallery 213.
10am-8pm). Several exhibits can be viewed one-day-only on the 3rd: colored pencil and oil pastel works by Victor Lay at Phelps Mansion Museum; Cornucopia of Art, a multimedia exhibit by Ann Marie and Peter Graham at Christ Church; the work of Zuri at Doc Con’s Kava Bar & Social Club; and Upcycled Luminaries and acrylic paintings by Carol Lanois at Community Options New York, Inc. A complete schedule for First Friday can be found at gorgeouswashington.com. First Friday Art Walk is presented by Gorgeous Washington Street Association and sponsored in part by M&T Bank, Equinox Broadcasting, and Triple Cities Carousel.
DUAL EXHIBITS AT COOPERATIVE GALLERY 213
Two new exhibits take pride of place at the gallery through November 26: Shelter by Joanne Thorne Arnold, and Jean Luongo’s Current Work. According to Thorne Arnold, Shelter is a current body of work that explores the layering of colors and the energy of line. “With every mark, I attempt to translate nature into an abstract and distinctive vocabulary. I experience a renewal that may contain the noise of the chaotic or the silence of calm.” The iconic house shape in her work symbolizes warmth from the cold and light from the darkness. “Shelter is a basic human need. It’s a place to protect, a place to feel safe. It can be home, the studio, or under a canopy of trees.” Luongo’s new works include portraits and landscapes. “It is the idea that the viewer will come away knowing something of this person, even though they have never met them,” she says. “It is the personality I am depicting. Within the landscape or still life, it is the world in which I live and where I find comfort inside myself.” Opening
Art briefs compiled by Ronnie Vuolo: art@carouselrag.com
reception takes place First Friday November 3rd from 3-9pm, with an artists’ discussion slated for 7pm on November 16. On Thursday, November 30, the Annual All-Member Holiday Show opens with an artists’ reception gala from 6-8:30pm. The work of more than 50 artists and fine crafters will be showcased and available for sale through December 23. The gallery, located at 213 State Street in Binghamton, is open in November on First Friday from 3-9pm, regular Fridays from 3-6pm, and Saturdays from 12-4pm. Extended hours for December are: Fridays 3-6pm, Saturdays 11am-4pm. More information can be found at cooperativegallery.com or by calling (607) 7243462.
VETERANS PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW AT BROOME COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL
BCAC commemorates Veterans Day by featuring the work of local veterans who are students of a class given by local photographers JW Johnston and William Bay as part of a collaboration between the Josephine Herrick Project, the Department of Veteran Affairs, and the Arts Council. A nonprofit organization, the JHProject offers free programs to community members of all ages with the goal inspiring them to transform their community through the visual language of photography. Opening Reception takes place First Friday November 3 from 6-9pm. The show remains on view through November 22. Located at 81 State Street, Suite 501, in Binghamton, the gallery is open Monday through Friday from 11am-5pm and First Fridays from 6-9pm. Further information can be found at broomearts.org or by calling (607) 723-4620.
With an opening reception Saturday, November 25 (Small Business Saturday) from 3-6pm, Last of the Best: Artists of the Butternut Gallery includes the work of gallery favorites such as Betty Bryden, Tom Canouse, Rodrica Tilley, Joe Welden, Karen Farmer, Linda Truman, Esther Cristol, Cate Gundlah, and John Jackson. It will be the final gallery exhibit in its current space, and will remain on display through the holidays. The gallery, located at 204 Church Street in Montrose, PA, is open Thursday through Saturday from 11am-5pm. Further information can be found at butternutgallery.com or by calling (570) 278-4011.
HAUDENOSAUNEE CULTURE AT AMERICAN CIVIC ASSOCIATION
On First Friday December 1, the American Civic Association presents Haudenosaunee Culture: Treaties and The Great Tree of Peace. The event kicks off at 6pm with a beadwork sale by Onondaga beadwork artist Karenlyne Hill, and a painting display by visual artist Karen Kucharski. Presentations follow at 6:30pm by Native American speakers from the Onondaga and Cayuga Nations. In addition to discussion of traditional and contemporary arts, presentations highlight treaty obligations and shared history that continue to shape contemporary relations between cultures and how these relate to the practices of peace, friendship, and environmental stewardship. Speakers include Hickory Edwards (Onondaga Nation), Dan Hill (Cayuga Nation), and Karen Kucharski. Indigenous to the region, the Haudenosaunee are also known as the Six Nations, Iroquois, and People of the Longhouse. ACA is located at 131 Front Street in Binghamton. Suggested donation is $5 per individual/$15 per family. Further information can be found online at americancivic.com by calling (607) 723-9419.
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BEEF THE
Restaurant & Pub
daily drink & dinner specials live music every week 62 LEROY ST BINGHAMTON (607) 779-BEEF 30 carouselrag.com
food and drink. SOUP FOR SYRIA BOOK SALE & SUPPER
a special. We could go on, but it’s probably time for you to get some soulfood.
During a time when so many families gather to give thanks, it’s important to remember that there are hungry people everywhere. The Sophia Center for Spirituality is doing their part to help remedy this worldwide crisis by hosting Soup for Syria: Book Sale & Soup Supper. A simple meal of soup and bread will be served, and gratitude will be shared around the table. Furthermore, copies of Barbara Abdeni Masaad’s cookbook Soup for Syria will be sold at $30 each, with all profits benefiting food efforts for refugees. The book is full of recipes from acclaimed chefs worldwide who came together to bring relief to those in dire circumstances.
1237 Upper Front Street in Binghamton; (607) 644-7272 and on Facebook.
COOP’S LATIN & SOUL FOOD KEEPS IT COOKING
Meanwhile, on the other side of town… more soul food! But this time, it’s two separate words, with a Latin touch. That means not only jerk chicken, but also stew chicken, oxtail, and empanadas. If you miss Mi Casa (lord knows we do), Coop’s might fill that empty place in your soul and your stomach. There was recently a different Caribbean restaurant at this exact location, and we’re not sure if there’s any affiliation, but we are glad they’re keeping the food coming. 124 Broad Ave. in Binghamton; (607) 2175703 and on Facebook.
Friday November 3, 5:30pm at First Congregational Church, 30 Main Street in Binghamton.
HANGOVERS DON’T STAND A CHANCE: BRUNCH AT GARAGE
TASTE OF THE TIER
Some of the best restaurants, wineries, and breweries in the Southern Tier are congregating to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Led by some of the region’s finest young professionals, the event will include great food and drink as well as a silent auction. Friday, November 3 from 5:30-8:30pm at DoubleTree, 225 Water Street in Downtown Binghamton. Tickets and more information at tot.finestcff.org.
PETERSON’S TAVERN & GRILLE TAKES US BACK
200 years ago, everyone who was anyone living in or passing through Binghamton spent some time at Peterson’s Tavern. Today, a new pub hopes to live up to its name. Located on the corner of Front and Main, Peterson’s projects sports games onto their building’s back wall for outdoor drinkers and diners, and hosts live music. They also boast a menu that features pancetta sweet shrimp, bacon frickles, a cheesesteak, burgers, and salads. And - much to our delight – house-cut fries. From the name, to the photos of old Downtown, Peterson’s takes Binghamton history very seriously, and we like that.
Beer Tree Brewing. Via web.
11 Main Street, Downtown Binghamton and on Facebook.
brew.com; Beer Tree and Fox and Farmer can also be found on Facebook.
BEER TREE BREWING CO. IS UP AND RUNNING
JRAMA’S SOULFOOD GRILLE & BARBECUE PIT
Literally built from the ground up, Beer Tree Brewing Co. is now open to the public. Sourcing their hops from Willet Hop & Grain farm, they feature a beer menu that focuses on showcasing local ingredients. Outside of the spacious and rustic brewhouse, Fox & Farmer have stationed their food truck and are serving up a rotating menu with everything from Bahn Mi tacos, to a smoked spaghetti squash sandwich, to beer dinners. Overlooking a pond and built right on a farm, Beer Tree is taking the beer garden experience to the next level. 197 Route 369. Port Crane, NY; beertree-
Food briefs written by Heather Merlis: hmerlis@carouselrag.com
First, let’s get this out of the way: Jrama’s is still open at their Front Street location. This place has been around for a couple of years, but we somehow neglected to stop by until recently. While we are not the first (nor second, nor third) to recognize Jrama’s, we must concur: this place is great. When we pulled into the parking lot and saw someone outside manning the grill, we knew we were in for some serious food. Then we learned that the outdoor grilling is a year-round thing: they grill in the snow, people. We tried some specials: fried softshell crab and barbecue beef links. Both dishes came with cornbread (delicious), as well as sides: coleslaw, baked beans, mac and cheese, and collard greens that were perfection. And, of course, they’ve got wings, and a couple of kinds of fried chicken. They even serve up jerk chicken as
Speaking of soul: how does Saturday, soul music, breakfast tacos, and a tequila-spiked mimosa sound? Enter brunch at Garage every Saturday, featuring a DJ spinning soul, a unique array of drinks, and a menu that offers huevos rancheros. (We love the huevos over at Citrea, but Garage’s actually have beans and salsa verde). Truth be told, we can’t wait to try their brunch, and can only hope that you all don’t pack the place so tight that we can’t get a seat. 211 Washington Street Downtown Binghamton; (607) 217-7464; binghamtongarage.com.
THE CAVE REDEFINES PIZZA PARTY
Very close to the Binghamton bus station, there’s a new nightclub in town that looks like a real disco lounge (we’re talking LEDlit floor). What’s more, they have a kitchen with a woodfire oven for pizza! Along with wings and burgers, they make their own crab cakes, tenderloin steak sandwiches, jumbo bacon-wrapped barbecue shrimp, and spinach artichoke wontons. Finally, a place where you can order a pizza and bottle service. 53 Chenango Street in Binghamton. (607) 217-5495 and on Facebook.
Residential l Commercial l Interior l Exterior
607-222-9225 Binghamton, NY
Fully Insured. Now Accepting Major Credit Cards! 5% OFF WITH MENTION OF THIS AD November 2017 triple cities carousel 31
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film.
Still footage from ‘Line of Descent’ courtesy of Jay Dash.
Passion and perseverance Warren Miller’s Line of Descent by Lauren Sahlman
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ALLING ALL WINTER-SPORTS enthusiasts and fanatics! On Thursday, November 16, Warren Miller’s film, Line of Descent, is premiering at the Broome County Forum Theatre, on the film’s North American Tour presented by Volkswagen. The film showcases beautiful mountaintops from a plethora of slopes around the globe; from famous North American Mountains, like Jackson Hole and the Northern Rockies, to mountains in France, New Zealand and Canada - Miller takes the viewer by land, sea, and air to explore the greatest mountains sought after by skiers and the winter sport community all over the world. And not only does Miller display the slopes in beautiful, cinematic shots, he also takes the audience through a one-of-a-kind viewing experience, through point-of-view shots down massive mountains and interviewing professional skiers and winter athletes about their personal experiences and passions. Whether your interest is in downhill skiing, cross-country, snowboarding, or something a little more off the beaten path, Miller gives insight into it all in Line of Descent.
On the film’s website, Miller interviews professional skiers as they reflect on the legacy left on the communities they come from, and what skiing has done for their lives. Talking to one professional skier, Marcus Caston, he claims he doesn’t know where he would be, or what his life would be like without skiing. Skiing runs deep in his blood as he inherited his talent from his father. McKenna Peterson, who comes from a racing-based background, now prefers to explore and tour mountains, untouched by lifts and less-seasoned athletes. Freestyle skier, Lexi duPont, finds the adrenaline rush of skiing brings her right back to her childhood on the slopes, and has “no doubt in [her] mind that this is what [she’s] supposed to be doing.” She claims skiing keeps her “young and inspired.” Miller talks to many different types of skiers - from professional athletes to winter-terrain voyagers - they all have one thing in common: passion. This passion and perseverance is what keeps many of these long-term skiers going. One American couple recounts their move to Norway in pursuit of their dream life, admitting that it can be hard to go outside and
hit the trails when the temperature is way below freezing, which puts this enormous strain on one’s body. But ultimately for a true ski-lover, after a long day - or few days, or weeks - of skiing and exploring the world’s vast emptiness, they are reminded that their chosen lifestyle is one of beauty and accomplishment. To get out there and do what might scare you ultimately becomes rewarding - and for this couple it strengthens their bond as partners when they work together to accomplish a goal. One of the most well-known skiers in the community, Michael “Bird” Schaffer is prominently featured in Line of Descent because of his sense of adventure. Even Power magazine says that “if skiing were to choose a spiritual creature, it’d do well to tap Michael Schaffer.” His family raised him in the snowy mountains of Washington State. They gave him freedom to hone his skills as a child and his passion for it grew into a lifestyle. In an interview with Portland Today, he humbly describes being a part of Miller’s film as “a dream come true.” When asked about the main goal or takeaway from the film, he claims the driving message is to show why
skiers “continue to be out in the mountains and experience that life,” even though to most it seems dangerous and risky - to skiers, to see what’s out there in the vastness of the mountains and feel that adrenaline rush is what makes the nerves dissipate. Not only does Warren Miller showcase the beauty of the colder areas of the earth, he also explores the passions and relationships that arise from the athletic skiing community. Skiing allows these people to open themselves and live their passions - not only as athletes but as people, too. For many of the winter sport competitors, skiing is their job, not just their hobby. Every day out of the year is dedicated to training and confronting new challenges. Clips and mini-interviews of the athletes discussed in this article can be found at warrenmiller.com, as well as more info about the movie itself, and its tour dates across the country. More info about the Binghamton showing can be found at forumtheatre.com, and tickets can be purchased on site or at ticketmaster.com.
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film briefs Amy Adams as Margaret Keane in “Big Eyes.”
VISITING FILM & VIDEO ARTISTS & SPEAKERS SERIES AT BU
John Knecht (Nov 2) – “Knecht has been active in making experimental and avant-garde film and video since the 1970s. His films, animated videos, and multiple channel installations, paintings, and drawings are informed by his rural Midwestern evangelical upbringing in the 1950s. They reveal a fascination with unknown, imagined spaces that exist outside of our rational, physical world. Most of his better-known work is animated, including The Possible Fog of Heaven and The Poxiox Series.” The viewings and discussion will take place at 7:30pm in Lecture Hall 6 on the BU campus. Admission is free. For more information call (607) 777-4998 or email vgrenier@ binghamton.edu.
HARPUR CINEMA SERIES AT BU
Funeral Parade of Roses (Nov 3 & 5) – “Directed by Toshio Matsumoto - possibly the most prominent Japanese avant-garde filmmaker who died recently - Funeral Parade of Roses features drag queen Peter (as Eddie, a hostess at a gay bay in Tokyo) and retells the Athenian tragedy Oedipus Rex. The film had been unavailable in the U.S. for decades, and it was restored for rerelease in 2017. It is ‘one of the most subversive and intoxicating films of the late 1960s: a headlong dive into a dazzling, unseen Tokyo night-world of drag queen bars and fabulous divas, fueled by booze, drugs, fuzz guitars, performance art and black mascara’ (Cinelicious Pies and Cinefamily).” (R) The Death of Louis XIV (Nov 10 & 12)“Albert Serra takes his audience through a historical event, the final days of Louis XIV, in 1715 in Versailles, placing us by the royal deathbed where the extravagantly wigged Sun King lies, surrounded by his devoted servants, favorite pets, and hopeless physicians. ‘Serra has crafted a ravishing, darkly witty evocation of 18th-century aristocracy and neoclassical period piece’ (Film Comment). Filled with entrancing candlelit images, exquisite cinematography and costumes, and painstaking details, ‘the film is as darkly fun-
ny as it is moving’ (Film Society Lincoln Center), and fuses two great myths: Louis XIV as myth of Power, and Jean Pierre Léaud - icon of the French New Wave immortalized in the final freeze-frame of Trauffaut’s The 400 Blows – as myth of Cinema.” (NR) Toni Erdmann (Nov 17 & 19) – “A divorced, recently retired father with a prankish sense of humor, and prone to assuming absurd outrageous invented personas, decides to reconnect with his career-obsessed daughter. The attempt throws her ordered life into chaos at times, and leads to profound revelations, transformations, and many surprises for the characters as well as the viewers. At once hilarious comedy, intimate story, powerful social commentary, existential protest against the standardization of life, and supported by fearless performances, ‘the film wants to shake its audience out of habits of complacency and compromises, to alter our perceptions and renew our sense of what is possible. There are things that you will look at differently after seeing Toni Erdmann’ (The New York Times).” (R) Viewings take place at 7:30 pm Fridays and Sunday in Lecture Hall 6 on the BU campus. Admission is $4 at the door. For more information call (607) 777-4998.
MOVIE NIGHT AT YOUR HOME PUBLIC LIBRARY
Big Eyes (Nov 21) – This 2014 Tim Burton film is based on the life of American artist Margaret Keane. Keane (Amy Adams) made paintings of people with exceptionally large eyes that became a hit in the 1950s and 60s. She left her first husband, going on to raise her young daughter on her own. The movie shows the rise of her artwork as her second husband, Walter Keane (Christopher Waltz), markets her paintings as his own, reasoning that art made by a woman wouldn’t sell. The film follows the lawsuit between the two once Margaret comes out as the real artist behind the paintings. (PG-13) Your Home Public Library is located at 107 Main St. in Johnson City and hosts regular movie nights throughout the year. Showing starts at 6pm and admission is free. More information can be found at yhpl.org.
Film briefs compiled by Ilana Lipowicz: film@carouselrag.com
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poetry.
THE POETRY OF ANGELA B. CHRYSLER
Angela B. Chrysler is a writer, logician, philosopher, and die-hard nerd who studies theology, historical linguistics, music composition, and medieval European history in New York with a dry sense of humor and an unusual sense of sarcasm. She lives in a garden with her family and cats. Learn more at angelabchrysler.com. ONCE UPON A SUMMER SUN
Once upon a summer sun, once while in my youth, I grew to love my dearest friend and loved him in our youth. I found beneath the summer sun, when I first loved my friend, In silence, he had since loved me. To him alone I’d bend. Once upon a summer storm, my love I did adore, Until my love I lost one day to Autumn’s fire storm. I searched for him alone in vain. I screamed inside. I mourned, For in the wake of winter’s might, my love was there no more. Through him I laughed and loved and sighed. Through him I could fly. Without him I had ceased to breathe. Without him I had died. Blanketed in winter’s cold without my lover’s warmth. Slowly death I did consume, chilled as I called, “Come forth.” In death, I searched. In death, I lived. In death I grew to hate, My sweet and bitter “Incomplete”: my dire autumn fate. Years passed by. My heart decayed for naught and in vain. Toward death’s door and in the dark, I reached, succumbed to pain. And only when I did submit with my final breath, Did my friend from light’s last flame save me from my death. At death’s door my love found me and pulled me from the dark. From the dark he carried me, my love restored to me. In his arms with laughter’s tears we rose up from the ash, And there we kissed, we loved, we soared for always ever more.
SILENCE
There where the shadows rise, there the darkness it lies There where I cannot breathe. Death now consumes me. Taking my air from me. Gasping, I die for thee, Wanting what I can’t see. Slowly I falter. And the silence, it cuts me. The silence, it gores me, Spilling my blood as the rain falls on me. The wind passes o’er me, and my blood runs right through me. There you cut into me. Slowly, you’ll take me. Let the fire engulf me, while the pain, it consumes me, And to you, I cry writhing, “Wash this pain from me.” And the silence, it cuts me. The silence, it gores me, Spilling my blood as the rain falls on me. Slowly encumbered. Dying outnumbered, Death now I’m vanquished. Broken and battered. There on the cold, stone floor, I raise my eyes to the storm, There where the crow doth go, left me to ponder. And the silence, it cuts me. The silence, it gores me, Spilling my blood as the rain falls on me.
THE WRITER
I write my final ode: “The End.” My pen sits on my desk. Sitting back into my chair, I nod. “‘Tis done. My book. My ‘script.” Without a doubt, I search the net until I find the one: The agent who I do believe will love my work like me. I prep the file and google search until my eyes grow dim. Once I’m sure I’ve done my best, that’s it, and I click ‘send.’ Now I sit and wait and write. Soon I have a “Yes! Please send on this manuscript!” I squeal and I hit ‘send.’ Now the waiting game, it starts. “He’ll love this book like none before. I’m sure that he will love Ka’llan,” But doubt soon fills my heart. I wring my hands. I watch the clock, then curse and slam my desk. “It’s only been a single hour! He’ll need more time than that.” The next few days, they pass with sweat. I’ll need more antiperspirant. Instead, I turn my thoughts onto My friends, my cats, and booze. “I’ll make a hoot, I’ll draw them near. They’ll love me. That, I’m sure, For I have wit…A twisted sense! I excel at idle charm.” I then cave in and soon message The NYC agent. “This is my plan and my goal… Just wanted you to know.” His answer’s swift. “That is fantastic… Oh! And by the way, Your book is very…” Yes? Yes? Yes? “…much under consideration!” I squeal! I jump! I dance! I twirl!
Interested in having your poetry featured in an upcoming issue? Please email 3-5 poems and a short bio to: hmerlis@carouselrag.com
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But wait! What does that mean!? “An exclamation point!” I cry. “That’s great news, I’m sure.” But time it stretches on and on. My inbox stays mercilessly calm The days mold into stale weeks. Surely it can’t take three weeks to love my book. Where’s he? I stare. I study. I memorize those few rare hopeful words “Very much…,” I read and wipe my brow. I can not read. I mourn. The days droll on. My heart sinks low. My gut twists like a snake. The coffee cups pile on my desk. I really should clean up. With black eyes sunken deeply in, I weakly lift my head My greasy hair sticks to my chair “Just love my book,” I plead. And so I sit and wait and lurk. Each day my hope shrivels. I take my pen and, just once more, I pour my heart upon my paper.
MY SEA OF DREAMS
Once, before enchantment ebbed, Once before my magic’s end, There beyond the forest’s edge, I saw my sea of dreams. Abandoning my shoes and socks, Rolling up my jeans and frocks, Taking up my sticks and rocks, I dove into my sea. And there it was my dreams were real. There my magic I could wield, There it was I learned to yield, to my sea of dreams. Soon my mother called for me. With a sigh, I snatched my things. Looking back, I left my dreams, My fantasies, my sea. Watching now from my porch swing, My children dance, they squeal, they sing. With a sigh they answer me, And then I see the world they see. They found my sea of dreams.
travel.
Just a 15 minute drive from downtown Binghamton
OFF THE BEAT A monthly look at quirky nearby people, places, and things by our own Felicia Waynesboro
Bored with your booze?
Photo credit: VisitHersheyHarrisburg.org
delve into a taste for something different!
HARD CIDERS WITH A TWIST! WINE WITHOUT GRAPES! Cherries, currants, apples, elderberries, blueberries, raspberries
DO SOME TASTING
Then enjoy a glass of your favorite while you do your christmas shopping! we’ve got gift baskets, gift carDs, and all sorts of wine toys!
15th Anniversary Open House Sat. and Sun.
November 18 th and 19 th
12:00-6:00 Free Tastings, Hors d’oeuvres, Facility Tours
New Wine Release!
248 COUNTY RD. 1 CHENANGO FORKS, NY bla c k b e a r w i n e r y .c om ( 6 07 ) 6 5 6 - 9 8 6 3 Open Tues-Thur 12-6, Fri 12-9, Sat-Sun 12-6
MINI STATUE OF LIBERTY IN THE DAUPHIN NARROWS
I
ASK LOVABLE and heroic, or unbearably irritating – depending on where you stand politically – political activist Eugene Stilp which was the riskier endeavor: to sneak an unauthorized, 450-pound replica of the Statue of Liberty onto an 8 ½-foot-wide piling in the windy rapids of the Susquehanna River in the middle of the night in 1986, or to burn a composite Confederate/Nazi flag near a NASCAR race in Alabama last month. He answers, “The Statue of Liberty in the river was put up to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the real Statue of Liberty in the NYC harbor. Using the combination flag that represents the confederacy and represents the Nazi belief systems by joining the two flags together – one image on each side – is a totally different type of event. I don’t think there’s a risk involved in either one.” Seriously? What do you consider risky?
The mini Statue of Liberty that currently stands in the Dauphin Narrows outside of Harrisburg, PA, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Binghamton, is the second to be constructed by Gene Stilp and his crew. It is much more substantial than the first which stood 17 ½ feet tall and was only intended to last from July 4th to Labor Day. Stilp allows her origins remained a mystery but, “People liked it so much we let it stay,” he says. The plywood construction housed inside an outer covering of venetian blinds stayed erect for six years before succumbing to the tremendous winds over the rapids. In 1997, the current 4-ton, 25-foot-tall Statue was, as Gene describes, “flown in by helicopter and bolted,” into the pier. He relates, “We had a very skillful pilot…His vertigo level was at a maximum, he said.” It wasn’t until 2011 that Stilp revealed that he was the force behind the creation and installation of both statues. Gene Stilp is a practicing attorney, well-known as a thorn in the side of public officials and judiciary who operate on the edge of or attempt to circumvent the law. He calls them “fights for justice,” and what I haven’t captured here is the fact that his earnestness causes thoughts to sputter out with a lot of disfluency and repetition in his expression of concepts and intentions. But when he sums it up for me with, “I just don’t like to see corruption, that’s all,” in that succinct sentence, there is no disfluency between his words. He famously uses attention-getting props to make his point – like the giant, inflatable pink pig he used to protest greedy, secretive legislative pay raises. With his wife of more than 25 years, Judy Richard, as part of his creative team for environmental issues, Stilp says, “Right now, we’re building three new sperm whales for use on the West Coast because of ocean degradation,” and he lists other inflatables, and/or designs for them, available for groups around the country to use to raise climate change awareness and protest harmful environmental practices: caribou, manatee, salmon. Inflatables are easy to move far and quickly, as needed. He is also pleased to be the designer of the Flight 93 flag because he thought it was, “important to have something that people could hold and fly in their own hometowns,” to honor the heroes of Flight 93 in the 911 attacks. Oh, and the only reason the mini Statue of Liberty’s torch doesn’t light at night is because he knew there would be crashes on Route 322 from the excitement of the sight.
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star stuff.
HOROSCOPES
This month we call upon guest columnist Jessica Bannister for sage advice from the stars. Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21) The world needs your courage right now. There are so many that can benefit from your ambition. Share your secrets to success with those around you. Doing something completely selfless will give you an opportunity to exercise your gratitude. Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21) Settle in, Sagittarius. You’re on fire! You’ve been flexing your hustle muscle and now it’s finally paying off. Your curiosity and generosity have paved a pretty smooth path for you this month. Time to let it ride. Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19) It’s not that complicated. We both know that you have a way of getting what you need, but don’t overthink it. Don’t waste your energy on manipulating every circumstance. You may find that when you let go, you’ll have more get-up-and-go at the beginning of each day. Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18) You’re finally getting the attention you deserve and not because you’ve gone around tooting your own horn. Your open minded and socially conscious character will continue to come full circle this month, but don’t forget to keep people guessing. Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20) You have been surprising yourself lately. Not only have you been delivering double-time at work, but another new devotion has recently been recognized and reciprocated. Do yourself a favor and don’t second guess it. You’re no sucker. You know when you’ve found something worth your effort. Aries (Mar 21- Apr 19) Yay Aries! November is a month of giving and thanks. This month you can use your pride and in-charge attitude to take charge of something that you can be proud of. It may take some patience but, give and you shall receive. Taurus (Apr 20- May 20) You don’t need a horoscope to tell you that you’re straight killin’ it right now! Props to you for being your patient self in getting what you want and deserve. November would be a great month for you to share some of your hard-earned stability with those less fortunate. Gemini (May 21-June 20) In your dreams, Gemini! No, literally. Pay special attention to the messages that the Universe is sending your subconscious this month. There will be abundance in following a path that comes to you when the lights are out. So, if you’re feeling a bit tired get some rest. It will be the most productive thing for you. Cancer (June 21-July 22) It’s not the end of the world. Your intuitive nature can often lead you to jump to conclusions and dive into doubt. Instead of getting caught up in the what-ifs, try to use your sentimental character to reflect on all that you can be thankful for this month. Leo (July 23-Aug 22) So, you got sucked in again Leo? I know you’re not looking for pity here but, I am going to have to say that you kind of deserve some. Reach out to your “family” this month and connect with those who honor your nurturing nature. Your consistent loyalty will be reflected back to you. Virgo (Aug 23-Sept 22) It is okay not to have a solution to every problem. Believe it or not, some things really do work themselves out. It can be difficult for you to trust in the Universe. Stay focused on your balance and keep chipping away at those mole hills. Less thinking and more doing will do you well this month. Libra (Sept 23-Oct 22) It’s your move Libra! You can’t wait for the Universe to drop an apple on your head. While tact and diplomacy are usually your tools for success, this month it’s going to take a bit more to get the ball rolling. It’s decision time. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
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RECORD FAIR
Terra Cotta
81 State St. Binghamton
Sunday Nov. 19 10am-4pm
100,000 Records-CDs-DVDs for sale For more info go to NYRECORDFAIRS.COM
OLD UNION HOTEL 246 CLINTON ST.
FIRST WARD, BINGHAMTON
607-217-5935 OPEN DAILY
fun stuff. B.C.
by MASTROIANNI & HART
aaa TUES. NIGHT TACOS
DOGS OF C-KENNEL
by MICK & MASON MASTROIANNI
Soft or hard tacos, 2 for $1 (6-9pm)
WED. $2 BURGERS 1/2 lb, handmade & charbroiled (6-9pm)
WIZARD OF ID
HEY THERE, HEMINGWAY! Have you always fantasized about having your words printed in Triple Cities Carousel, but were too afraid click send? Well, we've been thinking about you, too, you beautiful coward. Send your fiction, poems, ideas, observational humor, and whatever ELSE YOU'VE GOT to Heather Merlis: hmerlis@carouselrag.com.
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Every Wednesday: Deep Cuts w. Dan Pokorak Every Thursday: Team Trivia Fridays & Saturdays: Live Music Every Sunday: Karaoke Connection w. DJ Dave 11/4 Adam Ate the Apple 11/10 Next to Kin 11/11 Brian Vollmer & Nate Marshall 11/17 Molina 11/18 Dusty Wayne & Mister Pete 11/22 Brittany Miller & Corinne Roma 11/24 Bess Greenberg 11/25 Devinne Meyers & Kevin Ludwig
If we’re open, the kitchen’s open! Burgers, spiedies, phillies, reubens, wings, fries, etc. 190 Main Street, Binghamton (find us at the corner of beethoven and main on the west side) sun-thurs 3p-1a, fri-sat 3p-3a
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