Filed under: St Paul
Last Thursday night at the James J Hill Reference Library, the Real Phonic Radio hour closed out another season of monthly music and art shows for a summer hiatus. The season ended on a rocking note with headliner Jim Oblon.
Up from Nashville, Oblon is a singer, song writer and guitar player who pays homage to his roots by playing them not with nostalgia but with currency and passion. He played Nat King Cole, Little Richard, Muddy Waters and a Roy Buchanan version of Patsy Cline. There’s a music lesson onto itself.
Oblon noted that it was hard to describe his music because it was such a blend of influences, that the sound defied definition. There’s certainly a general blues undercurrent. He has a rasp to his voice. But watching him play guitar is a little like watching Charlie Daniels play fiddle. It’s hard to believe his fingers don’t leave his hands. Even if its country, it’s rocking.
Stevie Ann also played. She is a young woman from Holland. She has more of an alt country sound that sort of merges to twang-rock on a song like I Believe in Love. She had a fantastic controlled range to her voice and makes that control look so easy. Her songs are the sort of songs you sing along with in the car and you think you’re nailing it and you aren’t. Because that kind of control really isn’t that easy – and less easy to some of us than others. She also sang a lovely version of Say a Little Prayer for You; even my 10 year old date noted she knew the song.
The featured poet was Desdemona. She read a poem called I Touch off her iPhone. It was clever and an interesting commentary on how many of us choose to live our lives – capturing snippets of our lives for posterity rather than living those moments. “Touch screen resistance is futile,” she explains.
Erik Koskinen and the Real Phonic Band (JT Bates, Paul Bergen and Frankie Lee) started and ended the set with many songs off the new CD, which includes live songs previously performed on Real Phonic. Art imitating life imitating art.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the guest junior emcee, who joined the real Master of Ceremonies Thom Middlebrook for one introduction. In part I mention it because it was my own 10 year old date (Aine O’Donnell) who took the stage but also because I think it’s indicative of the generosity and family feel in the room – even if Aine is often the only kid. It’s a group that loves music done well. Some like to play and others like to listen and sometimes those lines blur in a friendly way.
The Real Phonic show will start up again in the fall; there’s always room for a few more folks who love music.
Filed under: TC Daily Planet
(originally post in the TC Daily Planet now archived here)
Art in Bloom: Timeless art and fresh flowers at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts | Twin Cities Daily Planet//
Last weekend, April 30 – May 3, spring sprouted inside and out at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) 32nd annual Art in Bloom where florists create arrangements that match, balance, mirror or somehow bounce off 150 works of art around the museum. We visited twice and I still feel like we weren’t able to take it all in but we enjoyed trying!
The first treat were the flower arrangements by Steven Ward of Arts and Flowers Design Studio around the Chinese Guardian Lions that are as sentries for the 24th Street entrance. It was also part of the MIA 52 birthday surprises. The 24th Street entrance usually feels like the gorgeous forgotten sister but for one weekend it got all dressed up in bold red and orange colors making it both welcoming and majestic.
Majesty continued with the Ojibwe Cape “bloomed” by Edge Center for the Arts, another pairing of glory. The florists did a wonderful job replicating the original in color and pattern. The florists noted that they chose the piece because of on interest in the history of Native American artwork; the created a nice homage.
Other pairings were not replications but opportunities to highlight an aspect of the work; CJ Renner and Pam Clark bloomed Vicki – I Thought I Heard Your Voice! They took the idea of Lichtenstein’s comic book Ben-Day dots (or dot matrix pattern) and replicated it is hole-punched greenery and berries. And as my 10 year old date noted, te use of green emphasizes the lack of green in the art. We liked the work even more knowing that CJ Renner creates comic books and because we had seen the International Pop Art exhibit at the Walker earlier in the day.
The Epitaph of Prince Cheng Ching was bloomed by Muse Flora and Acanthus Floral; it’s a fanciful replication with delicate white flowers representing the Kanji in the work. It was very pretty and reflective of the piece on a very surface level. The florist explained, “In my interpretation, the piece, not the person becomes the focus… The written characters are then seen for their form and not for their meaning.”
Cartonnage of Lady Tashat was bloomed by Mickey O’Kane and Kristie Harrison looked more at what was inside the art – literally. The work is a tomb with two heads in it because the tombs that are the cartonnage contain two heads. What a great way to impart new information on an artwork!
Your Dog was bloomed by Wendy Lutter and Stephanie Ross; according to my 10 year old date is was the most memorable pairing. The flowers were a designed as a well-placed fire hydrant. Very cute.
Marc Chagall’s The Poet with the Birds was bloomed by Amy Chapman, Amy Able Gardens. Their interpretation focused more on the colors. Several of the pairings were similar in their focus. The blurs of mimicking colors and smells is what really makes the Art of Bloom feel like a healthy shot of spring.
A special bonus that extends through June 21 and will be of extra appeal to younger visitors is the Microsafari. Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) student Mercedes Knapp has created tiny fanciful animals and placed them throughout the gallery. A fun addition and a great way to keep kids engaged.
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