Lipbone Redding has taken his singular vocal instrumental style to a new level by playing guitar and producing all of the instrument sounds while simultaneously singing and storytelling without the use of electronic effects nor a loop pedal. A one-man orchestra with no electronic effects, his natural human sounds of throat singing, bass and beat-boxing, and his astonishingly realistic lip-tromboning are a must-experience evening of entertainment—as he weaves his stories with funky rhythms, catchy melodies, brash humor, soulful singing, and inventive guitar playing. An engaging and entertaining show for all ages and musical tastes…there is truly ‘something for everyone’ at a Lipbone show! Potluck and doors at 6:30 pm. Music at 7:30 pm. For details and information, visit www.andrubemis.com.
Karla Lara and José Antonio Velásquez – “Live Life Singing!” tour
Presented in cooperation with Witness For Peace — Renowned Honduran resistance singer, feminist organizer, poet and performer Karla Lara performs with virtuoso jazz musician, pianist and composer José Antonio Velásquez. Their music addresses the struggle for justice and self-determination against the forces of capitalism, racism, and patriarchy in Honduras and globally. They sing to free those who have been unjustly incarcerated and denied their right to protest, about our world, and about this powerful time when women continue to be present and to “live life singing”! For details and information, visit www.andrubemis.com.
Johnny Irion houseconcert & CD pre-release
Massachusetts folk-rocker Johnny Irion performs songs from his upcoming album, Driving Friend, in an intimate Binghamton houseconcert. The album was recorded with Irion’s friends from Dawes, Wilco, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, and his wife Sarah Lee Guthrie (daughter of Arlo), produced by Tim Bluhm and renowned filmmaker/cinematographer Alan Kozlowski, and backed by Blackwing (the makers of the pencils with which Johnny’s great-uncle John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath). The songs from Driving Friend are California influenced folk-rock reminiscent of the best of Gram Parsons, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Neil Young and the Beach Boys. This is Irion’s only Northeast show before his California album-release tour, and you’ll be able to buy the new album well in advance of its release and May 18 feature on NPR’s Weekend Edition!
Get tickets and more information at www.andrubemis.com.
[video:http:youtu.be/9-OouTCeha4]
About Johnny Irion
Now and then in American culture, the written word fuses the worlds of music and literature. Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize is only the most obvious example. An individual singer songwriter can sometimes embody that fusion in his life and work. That’s Johnny Irion, whose family tree includes John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie, and whose new record Driving Friend was backed by Blackwing, the artisan pencil makers with a diverse musical heritage. The record, which includes members of Dawes, Wilco and the Mother Hips, ranges across a wide expanse of roots genres, from blues and gospel to folk and country. Everything about it feels authentically crafted, a carving out of raw, lived American experience that goes to the heart of the Blackwing ethos. Whether Irion is singing about Santa Barbara, Pittsfield or the Rapture, his sharp wit, telling description and brief character studies take us to a musical hometown of his own.
It’s been a long time between solo albums for Johnny Irion, more than a decade in fact, since Ex Tempore won critical acclaim upon its 2007 release. AllMusic praised that album and its songs, delighting in “how tuneful they are, how easy to catch onto, even on first listen.” The same is true of the handful of harmony-rich folk-tinged records Johnny’s made with his wife, Sarah Lee Guthrie—the most recent being 2013’s Wassaic Way, recorded at Wilco’s Chicago studio and produced by Jeff Tweedy and Patrick Sansone. And that can also be said of the rocking music he recorded with his band, U.S. Elevator, whose celebrated self-titled album hit the ground running in September 2015. In his January 15, 2016, review for Rolling Stone, Will Hermes wrote, “[Johnny’s] new band, U.S. Elevator, looks back even more evocatively, and boisterously, with songs that feel as lovingly hand-crafted as the jeans on the back of After the Gold Rush.”
Which brings us to Johnny’s eagerly awaited new Driving Friend album. Like Wassaic Way and U.S. Elevator, Driving Friend appears on Johnny’s custom Rte. 8 label, and it is set for a May 17 release, coinciding with Mother Hips’ Hip Nic Music Festival in Big Sur, California. The new album boasts A-list credits including drummer Griffin Goldsmith and pianist/guitarist Taylor Goldsmith from big-time folk-rockers Dawes; the aforementioned Pat Sansone (Wilco); James Raymond (David Crosby, Warren Zevon); singers Sarah Lee Guthrie and Nicki Bluhm (Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers); and producer/multi-instrumentalist Tim Bluhm (The Mother Hips).
About Chenango Craftsman Houseconcerts
Chenango Craftsman Houseconcerts take place at the home of Sarah Gerk and Andru Bemis in the Northside of Binghamton, New York. Because of the intimate nature of the space, and to ensure a seat for you at the show, we encourage you to make advance reservations through Brown Paper Tickets. 100% of audience donations go directly to the artist.
Guests without advance reservations may make their donation — cash or check — on the night of the show, and will be seated according to availability. Reasonably well-behaved kiddos and babies are always welcome.
Doors open at 6:30 pm. Join us for potluck-style food, snacks and drinks before the show, if you wish. Don’t feel that you must bring something to be included; there’s always enough for everybody. Music starts at 7:30 pm. Johnny Irion will play till 9 pm or so. Feel free to stay and visit after the show, and don’t be afraid to arrive late or leave early if your schedule requires it.
We’re looking forward to seeing you at the show!
For tickets and more information, visit www.andrubemis.com.
“EVERYONE HAS A HOMETOWN”
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST 2016
Sponsored by PAST Preservation Association of the Southern Tier May 3rd to May 29th
Broome County has been home to many and has a rich history. In the "Everyone Has A Hometown" Photography Contest, sponsored by the Preservation Association of the Southern Tier, we invite you to submit original photographs that highlight and celebrate the historical, architectural and cultural uniqueness of Broome County. Through this competition we hope to advocate, educate and encourage civic engagement. All entries will be on display at the ART Mission and Theater gallery beginning on May 6th and throughout the month of May.
Deadline: Tuesday, May 3rd, 3:00 to 6:30
Entrants may bring their framed photography to the ART Mission and Theater, 61 Prospect Street, Binghamton (www.artmission.org). All photos must be of Broome County. Applications will be available at the ART Mission, at the PAST Salvage Center, 21 North Depot Street and PAST’s web site (www.pastny.org). Each photo requires a short application and a $15 entrance fee. Students in high school or middle school will have a $10 fee. Make checks payable to PAST.
Photos need to be framed and ready to be hung. A 3×5 card needs to be attached to the back of the frame and be filled out with the title of the picture, the location, and the photographer’s name, email address and phone number. Note: The photographer does not have to be from the town that they photograph. Judges will use the number assigned to the frame to determine winners.
Download application below.
Mural Fest April & Path Through History
Save the Date! Mural Fest scheduled for April 26th, along the riverwalk, with mural painting, interactive art, musical entertainment and much much more.
Also note Path Through History June 20th, a Sat. We will be doing a mural tour downtown as well as lots of other historical tours and events.
A Bad Idea Part II Metro Center Parking
A Bad Idea Part IIA Guest Viewpoint was recently published in this space regarding the questionable conversion of the MetroCenter Plaza in downtown Binghamton into a ten space parking lot, at what amounts to about $35,000 a space. Much has happened since that initial piece.
Members of the Commission on Architecture and Urban Design (CAUD) were the first to raise concerns about this project. Other concerned citizens also raised meaningful points and voiced these in person at City Council Meetings. As a member of the City’s Planning Commission at the time, I also voiced my concerns. We were all told by the Administration that CAUD approval was not needed, that our claims were inaccurate and untrue. Good citizens raising questions were told Traffic Board review and approval was not needed, that our concerns were inaccurate and untrue. Taxpayers watching the city’s spending habits were told that the Mayor could use unspent Bond Funds from another Capital projects without any other approvals, that our objections were inaccurate and untrue. We were told that the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) was not applicable, that our concerns were inaccurate and untrue.
How time changes circumstances. Since these concerns were raised, the Administration has now engaged CAUD, sought approval from the City’s Traffic Board, acknowledged the need for new bonding authority to fund this project and committed to compliance with SEQRA. All of this begs the question, what was the Administration trying to do before these issues were raised?
I think the answer is pretty clear. The goal was to circumvent the existing process, those checks and balances that are in place to ensure good governance, and deliver a quality project that benefits the public’s interest. This was an attempt by the Administration to force this project through the process hoping no one would notice. The ultimate goal of the project the benefit of a select few at the expense of the many.
So what can we say to this? At the February 18th City Council meeting, Council members will have to decide whether to borrow the funds and ultimately build the project. Is spending $350,000 of our tax dollars a good investment for ten parking spaces? If we are going to bond, and borrow from our future, shouldn’t it benefit more of our citizens?
A colleague pointed out to me in an e-mail that it took three years of strong advocacy to get $25,000 invested in the ball park and bathhouse at Columbus Park. West End Park will get tens of thousands of dollars in investments this coming year, but largely because of a state grant. It took eight years to reach agreement to borrow $100,000 to tear down the First Ward Pool. Through the Design Your Own Park, resident groups on the North Side and West Side worked tirelessly for a few years to get $20,000 in public investments in new park spaces.
Neighborhood parks are used by thousands of our city's families, kids, and individuals every year! Is Council really going to approve borrowing $350,000 to build a ten space parking lot in the heart of our downtown, two blocks from the City’s three parking ramps, all of which are in dire need of repair?
Obviously if the City is to borrow there are better uses that will have a broader impact on our citizens and help build community. We all, as citizens need to be paying more attention to what goes on in City government. Go to the City’s website, review City Council, Planning Commission, and Zoning Board agendas and minutes. Even better, reach out to your Council representative before the February 18th meeting and tell them to think twice about spending so much money to convert the MetroCenter public courtyard into a ten-space parking lot. Tell them to say no to “David’s Dead End.”
Good government needs you!
Mark D. Bowers is a resident of Binghamton’s West Side
Virtual Reality Mural
Welcome to the Birthplace of Virtual Reality, at the entrance to the Water St. Parking Ramp. Design and execution by Bruce Greig.
Time Clock Stencil
The Birthplace of Virtual Reality mural project also includes stencils for each level of the parking ramp, correlating with the history of this site. The Time Clock, the Player Piano, the Blue Box flight simulator, and the Parking Ramp Dancer.
1. The Bundy Manufacturing Co. (1893-1906) stood at 183-185 Water St., and became the International Time Recording Co (1906-7) and eventually IBM, which, of course, manufactured some of the first computers.
2. The Automatic Musical Co. (1907-14) took over the site to manufacture player pianos, which were robotic innovations.
3. Ed Link, famously, was sitting on the organ bellows at his father’s Link Piano Co. (1914-1933) and got the idea for the Link Flight Simulators (1929, patented 1931) and started Link Aviation and Flying School in that location (1929-34). The Link “blue box” trained WWII pilots.
4. After the devastating floods in 1935 and ’36 the building was not useable and in the late 60’s the Parking Ramp was built in two sections. The American Dance Asylum celebrated the architecture with several performances of the Parking Ramp Dance, which pioneered multi media, video feedback, and dance performances (1978, 1980, 1981, 1984).
Virtual Reality Mural Project Celebrated; Community Meeting Planned
The Dept. of Public Art is celebrating the completion of their mural project at the Water St. Parking Ramp and looking forward to the next public art projects.
A follow up to the successful Third Thursday meeting will be held Tues Dec 2 7pm at Lost Dog Cafe. The brainstorming from the meeting yielded many ideas and new faces and energy. One major focus is the role of public art in blight remediation, using "movable murals." Another idea is to use trees, gardens and landscaping, including an arboretum of mixed species in the flood plain along the river.
More about the Virtual Reality Murals: “Punching In” commemorates the Bundy Time Recorder made by the Bundy Time Recording Co., the first to locate at 183-185 Water St, became IBM and led to the computer. “Punching In” on Level 2 C was painted last summer as part of a Mural Arts Training workshop.
The next business, the Automatic Musical Co., produced player pianos with robotics, another innovation necessary for virtual reality. The complicated robotics are captured in an air brushed mural designed by local artist Zach Wilson and painted by Bruce Greig, also on Level 2 C.
The Link family bought out that company and added organs to the line and Ed Link Jr. invented the flight simulator there and established a flight school on the property. The mural (on the basement level) depicting the tiny “blue box” or flight simulator shows the magnificent flight of a jet with the caption: “On this site Ed Link invented the flight simulator which transformed how pilots learn to fly.”
In the 1980’s, the American Dance Asylum mounted the Parking Ramp Dances which pioneered blending multi media, video feedback, and dance performances. The 4th floor stencil is of ADA choreographer and dancer Lois Welk.
COMPUTERS + ROBOTICS + SIMULATION + VIDEO FEEDBACK =VIRTUAL REALITY!!
The “Welcome to the Birthplace of Virtual Reality” mural greets people at the entrance of the Water St. Parking Ramp and shows a “Matrix” like virtual reality grid with computer code. In addition to the flight simulator mural, it was designed and painted by master mural artist Bruce Greig.
Each level of the ramp represents one of these innovative technologies: time clock, player piano, flight simulator, dancer, and is also a different color, helping people remember where they are parked.
The Dept of Public Art is a group of volunteers, artists and activists who promote public art and execute public art projects. DPA is sponsored by the Center for Gender, Art, and Culture and the Virtual Reality Mural Project was supported by a grant from the Chenango Arts Council and the Hoyt Foundation. For more information email binghamtonbridge@gmail.com.
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Week One of Parking Ramp Mural Project
Week Two at the Parking Ramp witnessed 20+ volunteers of the APO Service Fraternity descend upon the parking ramp and leave behind lots of color in the stairwells. Part of the overall Virtual Reality project is to improve directions. Each level has a different color and symbol stenciled on each level.
It was a great weekend for public art!! The Dept of Public Art started work on the Water St. Parking Ramp, the Jablons and several helpers worked on mosaics on the planters on Water St. and Kady Perry, Bruce Greig and others began photographing for murals of children on the Flood Wall. The public seemed to appreciate the art too–spare change and dollar bills were donated freely to the DPA, "enough to buy 2-3 gallons of paint" according to organizers. "We are really heartened by the outpouring of support from people using the parking ramp. It is clear that people appreciate what we are doing to improve the ramp," commented Peg Johnston.
Here is a video of Day One, by videographer Mark Urban:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ26nqa2LuE
Video of Day Two, also by videographer Mark Urban; Music by local favorite Dan Pokorak:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PbTjfs_Dag
And there is such a need for improvements. Volunteers, cleaned the stairwells, scraped loose paint off walls, and put color blocks on each level. Artists painted stencils for each level too. The orange first level is the Bundy time clock, which became IBM and led to the computer; the next is green and is the Player Piano level; the blue level is for the Blue Box, the flight simulator that Ed Link invented on the ramp site, and finally the pink Dancer level that represents the Parking Ramp Dances sponsored by the American Dance Asylum.
If you are interested in volunteering, sign up here: www.tinyurl.com/DPAVolunteers.
Many more photos on the Facebook page Dept. of Public Art.
