DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 9 * * All Arts News On the Web * * September 29, 2005

STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS

      ArtBits always features a calendar of the goings on of Franklin County artists. Check out these events around Franklin County. Each issue includes the entire text of our weekly newspaper column.


      Stop in for live music and more at the Fairfax Music Sessions at the Foothills Bakery in Fairfax most Saturday afternoons at 1 p.m., at ChowBella or at the Overtime Saloon in St Albans 8-10 p.m. most Wednesday evenings, at the Bayside in St Albans Town most Sunday afternoons, and the Cambridge CoffeeHouses at 7 p.m. on the first and third Wednesday of every month.
     These gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, "show-and-tell" and occasional workshops. The booked performances and acoustic Open Mike Nights feature music, readings, and more from the best new artists in Vermont.


RIGELFEST

      Cambridge Arts Council presents RigelFest to celebrate the made-in-Cambridge Rigel mandolin with a two-day event full of workshops, performances, and factory tours.
      Friday includes an Open House at the Rigel Shop in Cambridge, starting at 2 p.m, with on-going tours and demos, and light refreshments. Then the Will Patton Quintet will play their own brand of Gypsy jazz and Brazilian sambas and choros, all on acoustic instruments including mandolin (surprise!), violin, guitar, drums, and string bass, all at the Second Congregational Church in Jeffersonville.
      The Saturday schedule of three workshops and two concerts will all take place at the Second Congregational Church in Jeffersonville. Peter Mix will hold a workshop on right hand techniques at 10 a.m. Will Patton's Gypsy Jazz mandolin workshop starts at 11. Bryce Milano plans to improvise in a workshop held at noon.
      Bryce Milano and Michael Kott is at home with bluegrass, Bach, and Gypsy jazz. Mr. Milano has played with Carlo Aonzo, David Grisman, John Jorgenson and more.
      On Saturday evening comes the hard-driving traditional bluegrass of the Big Spike Bluegrass Band at 7 p.m. Big Spike emphasizes 3- and 4-part harmonies and feature twin fiddles and solid original material in the traditional style.
      The suggested donation at Rigelfest is $10 per concert. Call 802.644.5900 or e-mail for Rigel info or call CAC 802.644.2233 or email for Festival info.


ON STAGE LIVE

ST. ALBANS--The 40th Army Band, Vermont Army National Guard will perform Americans One and All at the American Legion in St. Albans on Sunday afternoon. The concert is for the families of deployed soldiers and the general public. Army Band concerts are always open to the public.
      In 1979 and 1985, the unit performed at the request of Vermont’s Congressional Delegation in Washington, D.C., entertaining visitors on the steps of the Capitol and on the Ellipse in front of the White House. In 1990, the band played at the International Alpini Reunion Festival in Verona, Italy. As the only band representing the United States. In civilian life, band members work in technology, law, insurance, government, and education. Nearly one-third of the members have earned Bachelors or Masters degrees in Music.
      The free concert starts promptly at 1 p.m. Lawn chairs are recommended.


TOPSFIELD FAIR--Keeghan Nolan of Fairfield is usually in the eighth grade at Fairfield Center School but tomorrow she will be on her way to Massachusetts to compete in the Regionals for the Colgate Country Showdown. Her usual repertoire includes Patsy Cline, some Martina McBride, and more but her Colgate show will include only one standard plus One Year Gone, a song that she and her mother, Cheryl Nolan, wrote about an American soldier. She will front a live band at the Showdown.
      She is in recording a new CD now at West Street Digital. "Andre is really nice," she said. "My mom is writing songs and he's going to help us with the music." They need a band as good as she is now and one is able to grow with her.
      That's a tall order.


ENOSBURG FALLS--The Enosburg Harvest on Saturday is about more than corn chowder and pumpkin soup. The Enosburg Falls Business Association annual event includes AAC member Lauren Young will exhibit her books for children, photos, and photo magnets. Her new book, More Comfy Cozy Tales/The Silver Lake Champ, tells how 7-year old Alec finds a new friend, Willy the Frog, and learns why frogs croak at night.


GEORGIA--Fiddleheads will star in a Family Dinner and Dance at Georgia Elementary School at 5 p.m. The menu includes fiddle tunes and dances based in the French Acadian, Irish, Scottish and other cultural heritages of northern Vermont.
      Call Mark Sustic (849-6968) or email for more info.


BENEFIT CONCERTS

BURLINGTON--The Events for Tom Series presents the Musician-to-Musician Relief Benefit Concert for the Lafayette Music Alliance. The concert, featuring Paul Asbell, Mango Jam, Mark LeGrand and the Lovesick Band, Mango Jam and the Starline Rhythm Boys, emcee George Thomas of Vermont Public Radio, and others, starts Sunday at 7 p.m. at FlynnSpace.
      Lafayette Music Alliance was designed specifically to help displaced New Orleans musicians with their financial, medical, and housing needs. The concert is supported in part by the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Smith Bell and Thompson Insurance, and the Champlain Valley Festival. Admission is $15 at the door. E-mail Mark Sustic for more info.


MONTPELIER--Dance for the Delta features the Vermont Jazz Ensemble, Yankee Chank, Mango Jam, Wayne Warner, Jenni Johnson, and Bethany Carrier at Alumni Hall at Vermont College tomorrow evening starting at 7:30 p.m. The program will benefit music education programs in New Orleans schools and is sponsored by the Montpelier Downtown Community Association and the Vermont Arts Council. Call 802.223.9604 for info.


MIDDLEBURY--The Great Falls Club presents Paul Asbell (who is quite busy this weekend) at the Great Falls Club in Frog Hollow Alley on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. to benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims. Mr. Asbell will perform solo from his Steel-String Americana repertoire. The Great Falls Club is a performance space that exists as part of an art gallery on the same alley as the craft center. The ticket price is $12, with 100% going to the Red Cross. Any additional donations would be welcomed! Email Raph Worrick for info.


SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER ART DEADLINES

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION (October 14)--The Vermont Youth Orchestra Association wants high school-aged artists to collaborate with New York City composer Daron Hagen and the Vermont Youth Orchestra. Submissions should be two-dimensional works on paper that loosely explore the relationship between visual art and music. Mr. Hagen will use four works chosen by a jury to compose an orchestral suite that will be premiered by the VYO at their spring concerts Students who submit work must be Vermont residents The works must be submitted on CD only for viewing by the composer and jury. Call 802.655.5030 or email for more info.


THE CREATIVE JOURNEY (September 30-October 2)--The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts invites New England teachers, artists, arts specialists, administrators, parents, and community arts leaders to the 2005 Arts in Education Conference in Manchester, NH. Conference highlights include sessions led by David Darling and Eric Booth, an advocacy talk by Tomie dePaola, hands-on workshops to build skills in the classroom, and an Improvisational, Theatrical, Musical Circus of the Arts. Call 603.271.0795, email or click here for conference details and workshop descriptions, and registration forms.


CREATIVE ECONOMY CONFERENCE AND DINNER (October 19)--New England Board of Higher Education 50th Anniversary Conference will focus on The Creative Region: Channeling New England's Arts and Culture Assets for Success in the New Economy on Friday, October 28 in Groton, Connecticut. Conference Keynoters include best selling author Dan Pink on why the MFA is the new MBA, New York Times columnist David Brooks on the new creative economy, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam Call 781.849.6130 x349 or click here for registration information and the complete agenda.


CLICK HERE: ART SITE OF THE WEEK

     Yessy.com was founded by an artist in Boulder, Colorado, to offer an online venue to buy and sell art. The pages load quickly with little clutter, and some interesting techno-tricks. There are no popup ads, spam, or similar tactics. The name Yessy is a tribute to a Colombia, South America, artist.
      Lauren Young of Enosburg Falls has more than a dozen items in her Yessy catalog.


FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF

     The Vermont Art Guide by Ric Kadour and Christopher Byrne is a comprehensive and up-to-date guidebook focused exclusively on the Vermont art scene. Authors Kadour and Byrne combed the state for art galleries, open studios, and other halls and walls that show Vermont art. They describe the kinds of art they found at over 300 venues and events with an emphasis on community art centers and significant points of interest.
      The Guide arrives in bookstores on Saturday with a preview, Buying Art, at the Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts in Burlington this evening at 7 p.m. Buying Art is part of the Here & There Lecture Series. Art enriches our lives and adds value to our homes. Mr. Kadour will explain what is and isn't art in ten minutes or less and will share insights and tips on how to buy it. Call 802.865.7166 for info.


FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF

      ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site.


SUPPORT LIVE ARTS IN YOUR TOWN!


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      This article was originally published in the St Albans Messenger and other traditional print media. It is Copyright © 2005 by Richard B. Harper. All rights reserved. Archival material is provided as-is. Links are not necessarily maintained (if a link in this article fails, try Google.com or your favorite search engine).
      Thanks to recent misuse of copyright material on the Internet by individuals and archival firms alike, we emphasize that your rights to this article are limited to viewing it and printing it for personal use only. You must receive explicit permission from the All Arts Council and the author before reprinting or redistributing this article in any medium.