Closing this week: Transfer Lounge at Space Gallery

T. Foley demonstrating Locally Toned

Seeing a project come together is a rewarding experience and Carolina Loyola-Garcia, the curator of the "Transfer Lounge" exhibit at SPACE Gallery, could not be more pleased. The exhibit brings together artists from all over the world to present their ideas of transition and mobility.

According to Carolina, a transfer lounge is a temporary space, a connecting point between two different places characterized by ambiguity and loss of identity. At the same time it is a period of transition that can lead us to new circumstances. Carolina views the exhibit itself as a transfer lounge. She explains how thanks to the unified theme "there is a dialogue of work with each other" - together the works create even more circumstances.

Carolina's own installation Encuentros Bizarros, pictured below, is a series of images mixed with texts that she received from random instant messenger chats and used to show how we use communication technologies to form relationships. The images are collages of different places that she has combined together to create new inexistent places.

Other works include Antonio Montesinos's Suit-e, which depicts images he found online of people dressed in suits. Carolina believes that the work could be addressing the "social perception of people based on how they dress and look. The installation deals with the issue of identity - there are no facial features, just suits, which according to Carolina, "the identity becomes a suit."

T. Foley presents her ring tone website project Locally Toned where you can download sounds of Valencia and Pittsburgh for your cell phone. Carolina believes the project is a great example of a transfer lounge where you have one place's sound in another.

There are artists from numerous countries, but as Carolina pointed out the "artists are from all over the world, but you can't tell by looking at the work." Any form of nationalistic stamp is eliminated by the unity of this theme. The exhibit is brought to you by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and is on display at SPACE Gallery until November 21.

- Julia Kramkova

Antonio Montesino's Suit-E

The Future of Bluegrass: Sierra Hull

American Revival: Celebrating the New Stars of American Roots Music is another week closer. And despite her hectic schedule, Sierra Hull found some time to talk to me about her first time playing, the stress of pursuing music professionally and attending college, and what comes next for this immensely talented musician.

Sierra and I spoke on the phone while she toured in Virginia. Despite professing to be sleepy, her spritely voice and eagerness to laugh gave no indication of fatigue.

We began with talk of her childhood, and it comes as no surprise that Sierra spent hers surrounded by music. "My dad played guitar a little bit...[and] my brother and I would sing along to him playing. And, you know, we'd be in the car riding to church, and we'd listen to Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, all kinds of bluegrass and gospel music."

Because of Sierra's mastery of mandolin, one would expect it to be the first instrument placed in her hands. One might even imagine the scene as taking on epic proportions (the 8-year-old Sierra bathed in heavenly light as the mandolin is delivered to her upturned hands - that sort of thing). But no, at first she was given a fiddle. "My family got me a fiddle on Christmas, but of course they didn't know too much about instruments, so the got me a full-sized. That was too big for me; you know, I was pretty small for my age."

Because the "mandolin and fiddle are tuned alike," Sierra's father gave her lessons on the mandolin until a suitably sized fiddle could be found. But it never became necessary. "I fell in love with playing mandolin," said Sierra.

Shortly after her lessons began, Sierra started accompanying her father to bluegrass festivals. It wasn't long before she played before a crowd. The tale goes like this: "Well, I'd only been playing for a couple weeks. We were at this community center where they had music every weekend, and I remember I didn't want to play. But one guy whipped out 5 dollars to try and bribe me into getting on stage, and then another guy whipped out 5 dollars, and then another, so was inevitable. I had to get up there. After that, I started playing regularly."

Regular playing meant certain difficulties for a young girl still attending school. But when asked about it, Sierra remained buoyant and positive. "It was hard [juggling school and music], and right now I'm in college, so I'm still doing it. It's never-ending."

Sierra is currently in her freshman year at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. But for Sierra, college wasn't always part of the plan. "Well, I didn't imagine I'd go [to university], to be quite honest. In high school, Berklee started talking to me, but I just wanted to tour and play shows. Then I went and visited and they seemed very supportive of my touring. And they offered me a good scholarship. It seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass by." The scholarship is Berklee's Presidential Award scholarship, and only 3 or 4 are awarded in a given year, it being the college's most thorough scholarship.

Although she's only been at Berklee for a few months now, Sierra mentioned that it had already changed her outlook on music. "I've been exposed to many different kinds of music, but more than that I've come to realize that there's so much I didn't know about music. I've never studied theory. I don't read music. And school, it opens you up to a new way of thinking. There are many things that I know nothing about, and this has broadened my perspective."

Yes, she now divides her time between touring and college, but Sierra has lost none of her hunger, none of her drive. "I'd love to get started on a new record. [Secrets] has been out for about a year and a half. But the timing is hard right now. I feel like we'd be ready to go [into the studio] and cut another record. We have at least half the material. We'd need a little time to map everything out, but with me in Boston, and then being on the road nearly every weekend - it's hard to find the right time. But I feel very ready. You know, I'd be in the studio tomorrow if I thought it was the right time."

If she continues at this frenetic pace, it won't be long before Sierra Hull becomes a household name. Attend American Revival, and you'll be able to say you saw Sierra right before she attained Alison Krauss type levels of success.

And don't forget the rest of the line-up: Uncle Earl and The Dixie Bee-Liners promise to make this a bluegrass watershed.

American Revival: Celebrating the New Stars of American Roots Music. 7pm, Sunday, November 22, at the Byham Theater. This performance is part of the Cohen & Grisby Trust Presents Series.

Witness history in the making - order your tickets now.

- Ross Scarano

  

Bright Stars: The Musicians of American Revival

Spend just a little time with the Wikipedia pages for country, bluegrass and other styles of American roots music, and you'll notice something that comes as no surprise to the student of American history: there are not too many women mentioned among the first generations of these genres. For instance, take a closer look at bluegrass: it is generally acknowledged that the first bluegrass group came together in the 40s was Bill Monroe and his four bandmates, all of whom were male. And while this is not necessarily evidence of any sort of prejudice, the lack of female musicians garnering any acclaim for the next 40-plus years is. It wasn't until 1991 that a woman, Alison Brown, won an International Bluegrass Music Association award in an instrumentalist category. But now, it's 2009 and things have changed.

Today, roots music is recognized for its wealth of talent, male and female. There's no better proof of this than the all-star line-up of American Revival, the upcoming showcase of young folk, country and bluegrass musicians. The majority of the featured artists are women. Three cheers for progress, y'all.

American Revival: Celebrating the New Stars of American Roots Music brings Uncle Earl, The Dixie Bee-Liners, and Sierra Hull together for the first time, promising one exciting night of roots music. Haven't heard of one of these acts? Not to worry - read on for why even country-skeptics should clear their schedules to make way for American Revival.

Uncle Earl
Don't be confused by the name - nobody's uncle, nobody named "Earl" for that matter, is in Uncle Earl. The four ladies, or "g'Earls," of Uncle Earl play acoustic folk with one ear cocked to the past, the other to the present. It's the way modern composition flows against the barebones fiddle tunes Uncle Earl churn out that makes this group truly special. And for those classic rockers, take note: John Paul Jones of a little band called Led Zeppelin produced their most recent album, Waterloo, Tennessee. Hard to think of a better someone to give a group a certified seal of approval than him, right?

The Dixie Bee-Liners
In case being named the Roots Music Association's bluegrass artist of the year for 2008 isn't enough to convince you The Dixie-Bee Liners have chops - just give them a listen. If the vocal harmonies don't lift your ears to ecstatic heights, schedule a doctor's appointment. The honeyed tone of Brandi Heart's lead vocals, finely blended with Rachel Renee Johnson and Buddy Woodward's voices, creates an aural ambrosia fit for the bluegrass gods. This co-ed effort may embody the sound of progress.

Sierra Hull
So the past of bluegrass, the present of bluegrass - they've been covered above. But what about the future? Well, let's say it rests in the hands of one young lady. She sings, plays mandolin and guitar, and goes by the name of Sierra Hull.  First picking up the mandolin at the age of 8, an age when most of us are still fine-tuning our crayon technique, Sierra Hull is your prototypical wunderkind. At 16, Sierra Hull cut her first album, Secrets. Oh, and Sierra also has the blessing of bluegrass goddess Alison Krauss. Not that she needs it - her music is all she needs to prove her credibility and worth.

As a mandolin player, her talent has been recognized with a nomination for a 2009 IBMA Instrumental Performer of the Year for mandolin. The days when male bluegrass musicians would say to a woman, "Hey, you play almost as good as one of us!" are clearly over. Check out American Revival and see why. It will be the night of bluegrass in the 'Burgh this season.

And check back next week for an interview with Sierra Hull!

American Revival: Celebrating the New Stars of American Roots Music. 7pm, Sunday, November 22, at the Byham Theater. This performance is part of the Cohen & Grisby Trust Presents Series.

Order your tickets now. Three great acts for the price of one - Grand Ole Opry, eat your heart out.

- Ross Scarano

   

Comic Love: Greg Behrendt & Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt at the Byham

It has become the stuff of pop culture legend.

While working as a consultant on the uber-popular Sex and the City, stand-up comic (and author and TV show host and sometimes actor) Greg Behrendt uttered the now famous words he's just not that into you to a co-worker and the world, or, at least, the world of relationship advice was never the same. The phrase ripped through the set of the show like a fire in California during the dry season, making an appearance in an episode soon after. Next, a book, co-authored with Liz Tuccillo, was in the works. It scorched its way to the top of the bestseller list, leading to the creation of a movie boasting an Altman-sized cast of Hollywood powerplayers. Greg himself even made an appearance.

But at the heart of all this glitzy hubbub is a very earnest attempt at shedding light on a subject that has always been central to Greg Behrendt's work: the seemingly large differences between men and women, and the ways that relationships suffer because of them. What Greg offers is realtalk about men and their behavior. But he does it with a winning combination of panache and humor that has proved irresistible. And very profitable.

Greg wrote the follow up to He's Just Not That Into You with his wife, Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt. It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken also perched atop the bestseller list.

I had the opportunity to speak with Greg on stand-up, He's Just Not That Into You, and he and Amiira's upcoming lecture at the Byham, "So You Think You Want to Be In Love?"

Ross Scarano: So how does one go from stand-up comic to relationship guru?

Greg Behrendt: I never transitioned out of stand-up comedy. That's how I identify myself. That's who I am. I sort of wandered into this other area. And I still see myself as a comedian while I'm there. I've always been really upfront about the fact that I have no formal training in psychology; I'm just a dude that worked on a show that, like most comics, has perspective from looking at the wreckage of my own disastrous relationships. And I report back what I know. I was fortunate enough to get to put my opinions in a book, and it seemed to resonate with folks. But at the end of the day, if you're seeking my counsel, you're seeking the counsel of a clown.

RS: I've seen some of your stand-up, and I've seen you giving advice during interviews - there's a tremendous overlap. Do you see comics as fulfilling a kind of helpful social role?

GB: I think in a really light sense, yes. Absolutely. If a comic connects with people, it's because people relate to whatever the comic's observations may be, even if they're surreal. As a comic, you report back from the experiences you have, and people see themselves in you. And they want to come hear more because they think you understand them on some level.

RS: Let's talk about He's Just Not That Into You - what's it like co-writing a book?

GB: She [Liz Tuccillo] had to con me into doing it because I didn't quite understand what we'd be doing. I knew that I didn't want to sit down and write full paragraphs about relationships. But she said, "No, what we'll do is I'll ask you questions and we'll go from there." And that made it easier because then I was returning the serve as opposed to serving. I was more comfortable with that. You know, she was just asking me for my opinion, and I'm happy to give that.

RS: Why do you think relationships are such a problem for most people? Given the sales of self-help books in general, it seems like people all over are having trouble.

GB: We lucked out in that there hadn't been a book written like ours. We were new to the market. It was a guy giving information, and not only that, it was a guy who had the approval of some very strong female voices [the female writers of Sex and the City]. I think people are always looking for solutions and answers, especially to love-related problems. They seem to be so important to so many people. They want love badly. I think the book had a crystal ball effect, in that people thought they could read it and find out if a guy was into them or not.

RS: How involved were you in the film adaptation of He's Just Not That Into You?

GB: Not at all. Other than that they wanted our blessing, and we approved of what they did. When you purchase movie rights, you essentially purchase the right to keep the author out of your business. And I think Liz and I were both like, "Hey, make it a Western - we don't care."

RS: Were you satisfied with the final product?

GB: Yeah, for the most part. Considering how movies can turn out, I was really happy. They made a nice, classy movie. Did it stick completely to the ideas in the books? I think it missed a bit, but I'm inside of it.

RS: Did the success of the book and the film make you feel pressured to change your stand-up to focus even more on relationships?

GB: When the book first came out, I did feel a little pressured. Because all of a sudden my audiences were 99% women. I remember doing a showing in Boston, and there were maybe 15 guys in the audience. But I've gotten past that. In a way, I've compartmentalized it - I save a lot of the relationship stuff for the lectures my wife and I do. But when I go to do stand-up, because it's my art, I don't want it to have any creative limitations. If that disappoints people, I'm going to go ahead and let that be the case.

RS: I think that's the right of any artist.

GB: Exactly.

RS: So tell me about the show in Pittsburgh.

GB: It's going to be thick with relationship stuff. Much of it will be a dialogue with the audience. That's one of my favorite things to do, to just take questions live. Amiira and I love doing that. It gets rowdy. But you know, my wife and I, we are not therapists. We try to make it light. In a way, it's like AA - we're just people sharing about our relationship, but we're certainly no better or worse than the people that come to see us.

Hear that, Pittsburgh? Part stand-up act, part Q&A, part RA (relationships anonymous) meeting - sounds like you can't afford to miss it. Take a date - it might give you two an idea of what your chances are.

"So You Think You Want to Be In Love?" with Greg Behrendt and Amirra Ruotoloa-Behrendt. 8pm, Friday, November 6, at the Byham Theater. No kids under 15 without parental units.

You can purchase tickets now, and you can also win a copy of Greg's soon-to-be released DVD by posting your best relationship advice on the Trust's Facebook page. This performance is part of the Cohen & Grisby Trust Presents Series.

- Ross Scarano

  

Julien Marie at Wood Street Galleries

Friday, October 2, at Wood Street Galleries everyone was asking the same question: "How does he do it?"

French installation artist Julien Marie made his U.S. debut at Wood Street Galleries during the Gallery Crawl earlier this month with his "Matter and Memory" exhibition. At the Crawl, Marie graced the audience with a personal performance of "Digit." Marie sat at a table, with a lamp and a blank sheet of paper in front of him, writing text with nothing but his finger. Sliding his finger over the paper, he formed words and sentences that followed the direction of his movement.

Julien was deep in concentration as he performed his piece and allowed the audience to get as close at they wanted to follow his motions. The Crawlers' speculations about the secret behind this piece ranged anywhere from "He must have something on his finger!" to "So it's like a really fancy Scratch Art, right?" Despite the questins, Marie let his technique remains a mystery.

Other installations in the exhibition include "Exploding Camera," which projects images from what appears to be a blown-up camera, and "Model for the Apocalypse," where an unnamed performer builds a form with "slow motion material," a substance that disintegrates in slow motion, and watches it fall apart under a camera. The Crawlers were also able to participate in Marie's most recent "Memory Cone" piece, where the projected image can be slowly revealed by arranging white pieces of paper under a camera that is connected to the projector beam. You can read Kurt Shaw's review of the exhibition here.

Matter and Memory is on display at The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Wood Street Galleries through First Night on December 31.

- Julia Kramkova

Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Margaret Jenkins and Guangdong Modern Dance Company

Pittsburgh Dance Council's 2009-2010 season opened earlier this month with the Vancouver-based company Kidd Pivot. This Saturday, the Dance Council goes to the other side of the world, presenting Margaret Jenkins Dance Company and Guangdong Modern Dance Company in Other Suns.

The Jenkins/Guangdong collaboration began in 2004, when the San Francisco-based Jenkins began leading choreographic workshops with Guangdong artists in Guangzhou, China. Jenkins noted that the Chinese choreographers excelled at creating symmetrical dances, a feature that was at once both powerful and restrictive. Jenkins is known for her collaborative process with dancers, so the cross-company collaboration was an opportunity to expand the choreographic language on both sides.

The first portion of Other Suns debuted in San Francisco in 2007, followed by new sections in 2008 and 2009. In September 2009, the Guangdong dancers worked in residence in San Francisco to assemble and complete the trilogy, which premiered to rave reviews. Other Suns is an extraordinary trilogy of dance performances that explore the symmetry and asymmetry of the two cultures and reveals the many balances and imbalances of the world. The tremendous athleticism of the dancers keeps this show constantly moving at a high speed while the two cultures collide, interact and inform each other.



The Pittsburgh Dance Council presentation of Other Suns is Saturday, October 24, a 8pm at the Byham Theater. Tickets are available at the Box Office at Theater Square, by calling 412.456.6666 or online at pgharts.org. Pittsburgh Dance Council is a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

- Julia Kramkova

Nothing Tragic About These Guys But the Name

How many bands can claim to have been around for over 20 years? And how many of those bands can say they are just as successful, if not more, than when they began?

The Tragically Hip is one such band: something rare, something to be respected. Since their formation in 1983, the band has released 13 studio albums, 8 of which have debuted at number 1 on the Canadian Albums Chart, a record that has yet to be broken. Since 1990, The Hip (as their fans call them) have won 14 Juno Awards, the Canadian counterpart to the Grammy Awards. But making memorable music isn't a numbers game.
    
True fans of The Hip know that the band really shines during their live performances. The sheer propulsive force of lead-singer/guitarist Gordon Downie drives each show. His propensity for improvising during songs, even going so far as to rewrite lyrics as he sings, gives their live shows a sense of surprise and wonder in a time when it isn't all that surprising to find popular bands relying on backing tracks and lip-synching. For Downie, a published poet, that would be unthinkable.

   
Over the years, the sound of The Hip has stayed remarkably consistent, but has never stagnated. Their stripped down, back-to-basics approach to rock and roll meshes with Downie's highly literary lyrics, creating a striking contrast that brings to mind the artistic highs of R.E.M.
   
On October 16, when The Hip grace the stage of the Byham, be ready to experience one of the best bands Canada has produced. Order tickets now.

The Tragically Hip appear as part of the CD Live! series, co-presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Three Rivers Arts Festival and WYEP 91.3fm.

- Ross Scarano

 

Carnegie Mellon Students Illuminate the Cultural District

Starting last month, the students began a series of public forums on the project. At the first forum on September 18, they displayed their research and analysis at the former Watercolors Gallery at 901 Penn Avenue. In an interactive display, visitors placed  little LED lights at their favorite spots on a scale model of the District. Participants also recorded their frequent routes of travel through the District, including mode of transportation. The biggest surprise of the night came when a small group came on rollerblades, showing that buses and cars aren't the only way to travel.

The students also surveyed visitors on their perceptions of the Cultural District, what they like and what they are concerned about. The biggest concern is safety and the amount of dark areas that currently exist downtown and make people feel insecure when walking at night. The project hopes to address these issues by illuminating these areas as well as using light to help people navigate about the area.

The lighting design students enhanced the night by creating interior and exterior lighting of the building using white and color changing LED technology to demonstrate the impact of light on architecture and its ability to reveal space and create focus.

The second public forum will be held during tonight's Gallery Crawl (Friday, Oct. 2, 5:30 - 9pm). On December 5 and again during First Night, students will make their final presentations and demonstrate full-scale lighting mock-ups of select sites in the Cultural District.

All events will be held at 901 Penn Avenue.

- Julia Kramkova

 

John Tesh - The Renaissance Man

John Tesh might actually do everything. And by everything I mean John Tesh can offer you advice on the hazards of cell phone spam; he can list the qualities that keep couples in strong relationships; he'll keep you abreast of the latest work-from-home scams; he'll inform you of things your pets might be doing to make you sick; he hosts a radio show. There is very, very little that John Tesh hasn't done (including once playing a Klingon warrior on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation) or doesn't currently do. He also plays the keyboard in huge venues for sold-out crowds.

Many people know John Tesh as the former host of Entertainment Tonight, a position he held for a whopping ten years. In fact, it was during his tenure on ET that he first began to pursue music professionally, playing piano in Yanni's touring band. Since then, his career as a musician, specializing in highly dramatic, lushly orchestrated, new age music, has moved confidently in one direction: up.

But how could it not? After all, John Tesh is responsible for one of the most famous pieces of television music:  "Roundball Rock", otherwise known as the NBA on NBC theme. And perhaps what's most remarkable is that it was first recorded on his answering machine using the only available instrument at the time: Tesh's mouth. But that's pure John Tesh.

The unique drive that he possesses, the one that made him dial his own answering machine during a moment of inspiration, has fueled a fire that has produced over 40 albums of music. His most recent endeavor has been a tour that combines Tesh's trademark keyboard skills with a gospel choir and hip-hop dance.

With an artist like Tesh, you can count on some surprises when he brings his soaring sounds to the Benedum October 11. Who knows what he'll do next. Order tickets now.

John Tesh: Live in Concert is a presentation of the The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Cohen and Grisgby Trust Presents Series.

- Ross Scarano

  

The Rockettes are here!

From the Radio City Christmas Spectacular on-sale event this morning to the Pirates game this afternoon, the world-famous Rockettes are taking Pittsburgh by storm!

Rockettes Kristin Altfather and Katie Russell on the Q Morning Show
with John Cline and Kerri Griffith

 

The Rockettes, lovely Benedum Center volunteers and... Larry the Parking Guy!

 

The Rockettes threw out the first pitch today at PNC Park.

If you had your picture taken with the Rockettes this morning, you can download your image at qburgh.com.

And if you missed your chance, not to worry! You can still meet the Rockettes at Carnegie Science Center's Senior Fest, tomorrow, Sept. 29, from 11am - 12pm at Carnegie Science Center, or at USX Tower on Grant Street from 11:30am - 1:30pm on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Tickets for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular are on sale now! Visit the Box Office at Theater Square, buy online or call 412.456.4800.

- Lauren Bracey