An evening with Cole Porter - Attic Theater - July 27

A group of us from the PAC got together to attend Attic Theatre's A S'welegant Evening with Cole Porter to support a fellow staffer, Chelsea Crevcoure.  Wine was served as we were serenaded with a history and tunes from Cole Porter. The singers were elegantly attired in tuxes and black dresses, the tables had candles and black linens. It was definitely S'welegant. 

Chelsea performed well with her beautiful booming voice that does not need to be miked. She also showed humor when she stuffed the red nose she had been wearing the performance before her solo into the front of her dress. Got some chuckles from the audience on that one. Chelsea's voice fit her solo for Anything Goes, a highlight of the evening. Well done, Chelsea, well done.

The PAC group after the show

Karate School at Deja Vu - July 23

Even though the group continues to change, Ryan Englehardt on drums and Kevin Koutnik on guitar keep on playing. On July 23 at Deja Vu Karate School brought Kevin's wife Michal to play on her bass. Not too shabby! Although I do miss Jon Westbrook on guitar and Gregg Lewiston on bass, the sound and songs that I love are still there. Looking forward to their next gig on October 14th at Cranky Pats in Neenah.

The Sound of Color - Solo Exhibit by Gregory Frederic at The Hang Up, Neenah - July 22

I love the use of strong colors and flow in Gregory Frederic's expressionistic and eclectic work. A few pieces from his Sound of Color collection are shown below. But first here is his artist's statement:

"Proudly born and raised in Haiti, I am an artist aspiring to represent the economic hardships and complex realities of life. The inspiration for my colorful pieces comes from the circumstances of the world around me, people I meet and places I visit. My expressionistic art focuses on justice.  I hope to inspire change, living in harmony and respect for one another.  I use color and movement to capture the culture of the society in which I was raised.  Mostly self-taught, I believe God gave me my talent, but also I have been mentored by successful Haitian artists.  I painted commercial murals after school and went on to paint on to clothing and jewelry.  I custom mix most of my acrylic colors to create the desired depth and vibrant synergy within each piece.  I would categorize my work as modern eclectic with a bit of surrealistic cubism.  Primarily I want my work to evoke a feeling, memory or tell a story, which is evident in the uniqueness of my technique.

A side note while talking to Gregory's wife. She was explaining to me that the reason he is in the area is that they met while she was on a mission trip to Haiti. Gregory was their bodyguard. How sweet is that?

Here is his website to see more work Crewl Art

Raddison Courtyard Series - Christopher Gold - July 20

It was a very hot day and a last minute call to perform, but Christopher Gold rose to the occasion and performed well. A versatile musician with a booming voice, he is worth a listen either solo or with his band Christopher Gold and the New Old Things. follow the links below.

Facebook  Website  On Spotify and I-tunes

Art in the Park in Neenah - July

Once a year in the summer the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum in Neenah hosts an art fair in Riverside Park. A variety of art can be found including pottery, photography, paintings, many glass vendors, jewelry, etc. These artists are the ones that interested me the most.

 Leif Kutschera - Glass

Leif has been making glass objects since he was 12. He is now 18 and some beautiful pieces. The blue coral bowl in front of him was my personal favorite. Click here to see more of his work.

Bambi's Lint (Bambi's Corner) - Recycled Paper Bead Jewelry

All the necklaces you see below are made of recycled paper, strips of junk mail, discarded music books and maps, and magazines. Click here for Facebook and here for Etsy.

Debbie Rades (Maggie E) - Handmade Glass Bead and Chainmail Mesh Handbags and Accessories

These beautiful purses are all beaded with the tinest beads. This must have taken so much time to make! My favorite is the black and white one, almost looks like a textile.

Facebook       Etsy

Annette Renee (dragonmar) - Pencil,  graphite, color pencil, charcoal, pastel, acrylic and oil. 

The whimsy of Annette's work put a smile on my face. A variety of fantastical critters could be found ranging from the lightness of baby dragons climbing a garden gnome and steampunk kitties to the more gothic crows.  Click here to view her fantastical work.

Jim Hatton - Jim's Custom Metal Art

These sculptures are actually made out of new metal and then treated to accelerate the rusting process.  My favorite is the dragon in the foreground. Jim Hatton can be found in Crivitz, WI. Phone number is (920) 851-6022 for custom ordering

 Jerry Aronowitz (A1 Woods) - Scroll Saw Artist

Jerry uses a scroll saw to create his highly detailed work. Check out that Cheetah! Click here to see more of his work.

Joseph Larsen - Chainsaw Creations

This really impressed me. I can't fathom how he has that much control that he can actually sculpt with it. Here he is making a leaf for me.  Call (920) 460-7004 for custom orders of visit his Facebook page.

The artist at work

The finished piece

Neenah Farmer's Market - Adria Ramos - July 16th

Adria Ramos performing at Neenah Farmer's Market

I enjoy spending a Saturday morning at either the Farmer's Market in Downtown Appleton or in Shattuck Park in Neenah. What may be surprising is that there usually is a local musician serenading the attendees. It was on such an occasion in Neenah where I heard Adria Ramos perform for the first time. What caught my attention to the singer/songwriter was her smart lyrics and soft easy to listen to voice. "Buzz" on her album Apollo is why I purchased her cds. I also wanted "Itch", "Mercury", and "Biting" in my collection because of the original way she worded them.  When lyrics are written well they are a type of poetry. To me, that is what Adria brings to her music. What I realized after listening to the cds is that she is a talented violinist as well.  Below is a video for "Mercury" and some links to help you discover Adria Ramos's music for yourself.

Facebook  Website  ReverbNation  Can be found on I-Tunes, Spotify, and Amazon

For more information on the Farmer's Markets, check my summer local schedule page on this blog.

Karate School Listening Party - July 15th

Karate School's Test Printing of their first self-titled album

My husband and I had the lovely opportunity to attend my first listening party at Ryan of Karate School and his girlfriend Sheena's home where we made some new friends and music connections. It was so awesome listening to vinyl again, hadn't done it years due to the lack of a record player.  As I listened, I was transported to a time when I listened to albums on the stereo components I received for my 18th birthday.  Due to the Exclusive Company gift certificates that I received every year since junior high (I had started with an all in one) I had a decent collection of albums. I remember how much of a treat it was going to Exclusive Company spending time filing through the albums and viewing the album art as I chose my newest treasure. There is something more authentic and timeless about albums that's hard to describe. I wish my Dad had saved his collection which included almost every Beatles album recorded. An entire wall of a room was devoted to storing his collection.  I think I made the transition to cds not only because it was the newest technology but because they were easier to store and for the same reason made the switch to few years ago to digital. Over the years my husband and I have collected hundreds of different albums.  But I missed the album art and that physical presence so I  have started to collect cds again, mainly to support the local artists whose music I enjoy.  Now that I have figured out where to put it, I may even get a record player and a few records starting with Karate School.