Hello readers! I apologize for the lack of posting. But don't worry, the revel is not dead (actually, she's alive and kicking), nor has she been axed by the icky governmental cutbacks. So if you have given the revel up for dead, you thought wrong wrong wrong. (You might as well go stick your head in the sand with shame along with the Y2K alarmists and folks who think Crocs are still in style. Okay, maybe not...as I am trying to be more forgiving.)
I have been enjoying the summer and the arts scene. However, this post isn't about shows I saw a few weeks ago, as I like to be au curant. This is more about things you can do to wind down the summer. The best part? They're all on the cheap...or totally free! Consider it revel's gift to you.
--Grant Park Symphony
The Grant Park Symphony is not in Grant Park; it is in Millennium Park in Chytown. You can see and hear two hours of classical music by a world-class ensemble. Millennium Park is quite an excellent concert venue, as you can see the symphony orchestra from ANYWHERE you sit (unless, of course, you have a 7-foot-tall person standing in front of you) and can hear the orchestra from just about anywhere. If you get there early enough, you can even sit in the pavilion and see the ensemble up close! However, it's a great way to spend a summer evening. Did I mention it is free?
--The Modern Wing at the Art Institute
The Modern Wing is truly spectacular. Each piece of art is unlike anything you have ever seen in your life, and the wing stands out from the rest of the museum but fits in with the rest of it. You could spend hours and hours simply lost in the modern art masterpieces. It's free on Thursdays and Fridays from 5-9 pm. My partner and I discovered this completely by mistake after crossing the bridge from the Millenium Park (after a free concert, natch) into the modern wing--and were we ever glad we did!
--Local bands and artists
I am always on the lookout for local talent. You name the festival or venue, and I have my eyes and ears peeled for the latest and greatest from the scene. (Which probably explains my fondness for the Boneyard Arts Festival, Artists Against AIDS, and the like during my college days at the U of I.) Sometimes you can catch fairly well-known acts at local festivals (I just took in a Patty Larkin concert during a trip to Door County) or you can find "the next big thing" before they're famous. Or you can just go to have plain old fun. Good places to check would be your local park district for concerts in the parks, the arts council of your town, or local bars and clubs for live music. If you live in the Chicagoland area, you might want to check out www.metromix.com for a good listing of what's going on.
A good local show can cost anywhere from nothing to too much, so keep prices in mind before you go.
--SummerDance Chicago
Another free event! Yes, the revel is on a roll! This wonderful event features live music every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Grant Park with a free dancing lesson beforehand. You can learn all kinds of dances (salsa, swing, African jazz funk, zydeco, and many others) or you can just groove to the fine sounds of the free band. Sound good? Then hie thee hence to Grant Park and bust out your finest moves.
These are but a sampling of the great things going on in the Northern IL scene. Do you have any suggestions? Let me know, and your idea just might show up in my newest posts!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
More benefit pics
And here are my pictures from Bellies for Life, the bellydance benefit for cancer research!
I am such a do-gooder....;)
Recognize the stage? It is the High Dive again!
And I must say, belly dancing is incredibly fun to watch and the music is simply addicting! It looks like quite the workout, because those women (and men in some troupes) looked like they were moving like a fluid, as if they had no bones. One lady even balanced a sword on her head. That's some real talent there!
ROAR softly and carry a great microphone!
Well, I am pretty darn late in updating, but there's been a lot going on recently. This past weekend was the ROAR (Rock Out Against Rape) concert at the Highdive. ROAR was put on by and for the crisis center of Champaign, and it featured tons of bands (seven in total) that played for four hours straight! All the proceeds went to the crisis center, and the bands did not disappoint. In fact, I think it was the most devastatingly good benefit I ever attended! (And I am a regular with them benefits--I have gone to two V-Day ones, two AIDS Awareness ones, four Habitat for Humanity, 3 Rock Against Rape, one I-SHAG, and goodness knows how many others. Those are just the ones from the past two years alone!)
But here are the pretty pictures from it!
The bands/artists are, from top to bottom: Eleni Moraitis, Vanattica, On Again Off Again, and Lumus. They were all excellent! Moraitis sounds like a cross between Shawn Colvin and Lucy Kaplansky, with a soulful voice and some wicked guitar licks. Vanattica stole the show with their blistering rock and roll and light show. Lumus and On Again Off Again were jam bands that had no shortage of creative lyrics and unexpected syncopations to spice up their set.
All in all, a fabulous night of music and an even more fabulous cause!
Missed the ROAR? Don't worry! There's going to be another crisis benefit at Firehaus on campus later in the month. It's put on by Men Against Sexual Violence and Fraternity Peer Rape Education and Prevention. They're student groups, but it should be another great time!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
I was there in the room. I remember.
This weekend was the weekend of The Vagina Monologues. I've been in that great play for the past four years now, and I have loved every minute of it. My monologues have included "Introductions," "Wear and Say," "Smell," "I Was 12, My Mother Slapped Me," "The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy," and "Intro to Reclaiming Cunt." I have seen over a hundred actresses and volunteers for the play. In short, I'm a veteran of the play.
One thing that I especially like about it is that it offers an open and non-judgmental way for women to discuss their sexuality and experiences. Sexuality is such a hushed up thing in our society, in particularly women's sexuality. I'm not saying that I want everyone to dish every little detail of their private lives, but I do think that there needs to be more openness between women and between men and women about what they think and where they're coming from on each issue. The Vagina Monologues is one way for actresses to speak the lines of real women from real interviews, and it encourages them in turn to share their own experiences. And many of our male audience members were really supportive as well, especially in the monologues about current or historical events (comfort women, Congolese conflict, Bosnian conflict, etc.) It's such a totally uplifting, completely empowering experience.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Champaign, It is A-Changin'
Come gather 'round sudents
It's almost time to go.
Your schooling's almost over,
Can you believe this is so?
This town looks similar,
But some things sure don't
If you've heard what some folks are sayin'.
Then you best pay attention,
In your last months to go
For this town, it is a changin'.
Come DI and Buzz,
Write this down with your pen,
You need some good subject matter,
It won't come again.
Le Shoppe changed owners,
And Impasta had to go,
For Champaign wasn't where it'd be stayin'.
And Luna expanded,
It's in a depot.
For this town, it is a changin'.
Now the feminist folk
Should be pacified
Cause they have a women's center
With new events inside.
Meanwhile the charities
Learned they had to fight,
For their funding supply was decaying.
And Illini Orange was demolished,
It's now a construction site,
For this campus, it is a-changin'.
PAR has gone trayless,
And Lincoln has too,
And the luxury apartments
Are frighteningly huge.
The co-ops are still insane,
And it's certain that you
Have many options of where you'll be staying!
And the South Quad is sporting
A bell tower that's new.
For the campus, it is a-changin'.
Come down, Alumni
Come and reminisce.
Your obnoxious reflections
Will get us all pissed.
Your good old days are over,
Though it's true they are missed,
But they're a time you won't be regaining.
So let's toast our grads,
And wish them all the best,
For without them, UI will be a-changin'!
--Go Ask Alex
With all apologies to R-Zimmy/Robert Zimmerman/Bob Dylan
It's almost time to go.
Your schooling's almost over,
Can you believe this is so?
This town looks similar,
But some things sure don't
If you've heard what some folks are sayin'.
Then you best pay attention,
In your last months to go
For this town, it is a changin'.
Come DI and Buzz,
Write this down with your pen,
You need some good subject matter,
It won't come again.
Le Shoppe changed owners,
And Impasta had to go,
For Champaign wasn't where it'd be stayin'.
And Luna expanded,
It's in a depot.
For this town, it is a changin'.
Now the feminist folk
Should be pacified
Cause they have a women's center
With new events inside.
Meanwhile the charities
Learned they had to fight,
For their funding supply was decaying.
And Illini Orange was demolished,
It's now a construction site,
For this campus, it is a-changin'.
PAR has gone trayless,
And Lincoln has too,
And the luxury apartments
Are frighteningly huge.
The co-ops are still insane,
And it's certain that you
Have many options of where you'll be staying!
And the South Quad is sporting
A bell tower that's new.
For the campus, it is a-changin'.
Come down, Alumni
Come and reminisce.
Your obnoxious reflections
Will get us all pissed.
Your good old days are over,
Though it's true they are missed,
But they're a time you won't be regaining.
So let's toast our grads,
And wish them all the best,
For without them, UI will be a-changin'!
--Go Ask Alex
With all apologies to R-Zimmy/Robert Zimmerman/Bob Dylan
Sunday, February 22, 2009
What's cookin at the Beat Kitchen?
Take some funky grooves, solid strong vocals, a ten-piece band, horns, and a seriously modern twist on classic R&B...
And you have the recipe for the perfect weekend band!
Meet the Beat Kitchen. They're ten folks from Champaign-Urbana (there is also a restaurant in Chytown with that name, but this article isn't about them), and can they play! They play some R&B/funk with some solid, danceable grooves, and their songs get everybody up and dancing. Most of the songs are originals, but they've been known to do a funkified cover or two (think an R&B cover of Radiohead's "Karma Police" for starters!). My friend DoMonique and I went to see them, and their worldbeat co-headliner Mhondoro, a few Saturdays ago. We were in for a fabulous double act, as both groups did not disappoint. They just kept us dancing and singing along, and the crowd in the whole bar, the Iron Post, was on its feet. I've liked R&B for a while now, but this only cemented my love for it. This band really knew how to work a crowd while also staying soulful and emotive. And that singer has a terrific set of pipes! He has a big deep voice, with a wide range for a guy.
The rhythm and blues crowd also knows how to behave, think the manners of the folk crowd mixed with the good exuberance of the rock one. Sure, the Iron Post was crowded and a small venue. But, there was no shoving, moshing, feeling-up when you don't want to be felt up, or creepies being creepy like I've seen at other shows. The fans behave, but that doesn't mean they can't get excited and energized. And their dancing is so much fun. You don't have to know any particular steps or anything, but rather to find your own groove. Some folks were doing West African style dancing to Mhondoro, since that group does have Zimbabwean and Guinea influences, but the rest of us were simply doing what we liked. Our friends Jane and Megan, who are more into social dances with lots of rules and steps (Megan's been known to ballroom and swing dance during punk shows--and pull it off), also could find their groove. It wasn't hard at all.
Only drawback is that the "comfortable" boots we both had on turned out to be not so comfortable after dancing for four hours straight! The bus ride we took to IHOP and then back home provided a welcome opportunity to sit down for once that night! Definitely a fantastic night and show, and one to hopefully be repeated!
And if you would like to cook up some grooves at the Beat Kitchen, hie thee hence to http://www.myspace.com/beatkitchenfunk, and find out when you can see them next!
And you have the recipe for the perfect weekend band!
Meet the Beat Kitchen. They're ten folks from Champaign-Urbana (there is also a restaurant in Chytown with that name, but this article isn't about them), and can they play! They play some R&B/funk with some solid, danceable grooves, and their songs get everybody up and dancing. Most of the songs are originals, but they've been known to do a funkified cover or two (think an R&B cover of Radiohead's "Karma Police" for starters!). My friend DoMonique and I went to see them, and their worldbeat co-headliner Mhondoro, a few Saturdays ago. We were in for a fabulous double act, as both groups did not disappoint. They just kept us dancing and singing along, and the crowd in the whole bar, the Iron Post, was on its feet. I've liked R&B for a while now, but this only cemented my love for it. This band really knew how to work a crowd while also staying soulful and emotive. And that singer has a terrific set of pipes! He has a big deep voice, with a wide range for a guy.
The rhythm and blues crowd also knows how to behave, think the manners of the folk crowd mixed with the good exuberance of the rock one. Sure, the Iron Post was crowded and a small venue. But, there was no shoving, moshing, feeling-up when you don't want to be felt up, or creepies being creepy like I've seen at other shows. The fans behave, but that doesn't mean they can't get excited and energized. And their dancing is so much fun. You don't have to know any particular steps or anything, but rather to find your own groove. Some folks were doing West African style dancing to Mhondoro, since that group does have Zimbabwean and Guinea influences, but the rest of us were simply doing what we liked. Our friends Jane and Megan, who are more into social dances with lots of rules and steps (Megan's been known to ballroom and swing dance during punk shows--and pull it off), also could find their groove. It wasn't hard at all.
Only drawback is that the "comfortable" boots we both had on turned out to be not so comfortable after dancing for four hours straight! The bus ride we took to IHOP and then back home provided a welcome opportunity to sit down for once that night! Definitely a fantastic night and show, and one to hopefully be repeated!
And if you would like to cook up some grooves at the Beat Kitchen, hie thee hence to http://www.myspace.com/beatkitchenfunk, and find out when you can see them next!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Wicked Wisdom!
I greatly apologize for my leave of absence from Club Revel, but I'm back, my readers! This is a post for my metal fans. Listen up, all you metal heads and rock and rollers!!
Normally, when they start handing out recording contracts to actors, conventional wisdom dictates you head for the hills (think Jennifer Lopez, Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars, Keanu Reeves and Dogstar, or Minnie Driver). Not in this case!
I have just discovered this excellent nu metal band, WICKED WISDOM! You can find them at www.wickedwisdom.net. They come from California and are considered nu metal (incorporating some rap and thrash elements into their music). Their lyrics are intelligent, the guitars and basses are thundering, and the vocals are melodic. They have all of the attitude with little posturing, and at times they sound a lot like Rage Against the Machine with a less whiney vocalist (I'm a Rage fan and have seen their farewell tour, I can criticize them if I want). The best part is that their lead singer is an actress I like, Jada Pinkett Smith. Wicked Wisdom gives her the spotlight as the lead singer as opposed to being merely defined as Will's wife (although Will is skilled at rapping, I think that with a little more press, his wife could easily overshadow him). Jada does not disappoint, as her vocals can shred your speakers and get you moshing but not destroy your hearing. Her band is tight and spot-on. Definitely worth a listen.
Normally, when they start handing out recording contracts to actors, conventional wisdom dictates you head for the hills (think Jennifer Lopez, Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars, Keanu Reeves and Dogstar, or Minnie Driver). Not in this case!
I have just discovered this excellent nu metal band, WICKED WISDOM! You can find them at www.wickedwisdom.net. They come from California and are considered nu metal (incorporating some rap and thrash elements into their music). Their lyrics are intelligent, the guitars and basses are thundering, and the vocals are melodic. They have all of the attitude with little posturing, and at times they sound a lot like Rage Against the Machine with a less whiney vocalist (I'm a Rage fan and have seen their farewell tour, I can criticize them if I want). The best part is that their lead singer is an actress I like, Jada Pinkett Smith. Wicked Wisdom gives her the spotlight as the lead singer as opposed to being merely defined as Will's wife (although Will is skilled at rapping, I think that with a little more press, his wife could easily overshadow him). Jada does not disappoint, as her vocals can shred your speakers and get you moshing but not destroy your hearing. Her band is tight and spot-on. Definitely worth a listen.
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