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A Lafcadio Hearn Late Night Revue

Posted on March 2, 2012 by staff

On Friday, March 23^rdat 8pm, the People Say Project teams up with the Tennessee Williams Festival for an evening of live performances dedicated to the work of Lafcadio Hearn and the New Orleans he wrote about from 1877 to 1887. Part of the Festival’s late night programming, the show takes place at the New Orleans Healing Center, located at 2372 St. Claude Avenue.

In a choreographed evening of readings and performances, the People Say Project will present a diverse collection of up-and-coming talents, showcasing the city’s bohemian tradition while looking back at a figure who left an indelible mark on the world’s image of New Orleans. Performers include burlesque stars Trixie Minx and Chris Lane of Fleur de Tease, musician Ratty Scurvics, poet Chuck Perkins, playwright Andrew Vaught of the Cripple Creek Theater Company, the Hip-ocracy belly dancers, slam poet Kataalyst Alcindor, and writer CW Cannon.

In his introduction to the collection Inventing New Orleans: The Writings of Lafcadio Hearn, S. Fredrick Starr observes:

Louisiana represents the heart over the intellect, spontaneity over calculation, instinct over reason, music over the word, forgiveness over judgment, impermanence over permanence, and community over the isolated and alienated individual. Arguably the first writer to employ Louisiana settings to explore the entirety of this rich and provocative melange of topics, and to do so with an artistry that set the tone for most who followed, was Lafcadio Hearn.

Come celebrate the heart, spontaneity, instinct, music, forgiveness, impermanence, and community with us!

Tickets are $15, available on the Tennessee Williams Festival website.

The New Orleans Healing Center is located at 2372 St. Claude Avenue, at the corner of St. Roch.

For media inquiries, contact Ellen Johnson – 504-283-3227 / ejjester@aol.com

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From the Backyard to the Web: Chaz Fest

Posted on May 8, 2011 by klvillav

How much of what you read on the Internet has a direct influence on your daily choices? Do you take bad restaurant reviews whining about lukewarm entrées and grumpy waiters to heart or do you dub the commenters as persnickety nobodies with too much time on their hands? Would you buy a book or attend an event just because of the abundance of Facebook “likes” and “fans” next to its link? With the Internet, especially social media, taking over how grow as a culture, interviews reviews often have a big impact on the very success of a product, event, or even a single person. In this article we will discuss how the Chaz Festival matches up with the New Orleans Jazz Festival in regards to conversations and reactions via the web.

If you’ve read any entries on this site regarding Alex MCmurray, the singer/songwriter recognized as “the embodiment of the downtown New Orleans lifestyle,”* you’ve probably heard about “Chaz Fest”—a 10 hour event of nonstop music and culture founded by McMurray to celebrate local artists unable to make the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival roster. So how does this localized grassroots gig match up to the big time event attractive to both locals and visitors from around the globe? Lets first take a look at the brief history of the festival and move into how it is has gained reputation on the Internet. (*Source: alexmcmurray.com)

Named after washboard genius “Washboard” Chaz Leary, the Chaz festival began just after Hurricane Katrina when many local artists were “frozen out” of the New Orleans Jazz Fest lineups. Many believed the big festival had slowly drifted from its roots of artistic celebration and unfortunately evolved into an over-priced and commercialized event. While many New Orleans’ artists had claimed the Thursday event days as their own, this day had been cut from the schedule all together that year. Refusing defeat, rejected artists gathered outside the fairgrounds at what is known as the “Truck Farm”: four houses of which were quickly transformed into recording studios, party venues, and concert stages for the local musicians. (These houses are owned by: Trina Shoemaker (Grammy-winning producer), Karen Brady (former manager of the legendary Kingsway recording studio), David Pirner (of the band Soul Asylum) and Jeff Treffinger (a producer and engineer.) The event has since grown into a full-blown musical festival complete with permits, volunteers, food stands, and of course great jazz music.

So is the festival just considered a success to the families and friends of the “uninvited” local musicians? Absolutely not. Whether taking a break from the crowds of Jazz Fest or skipping the big event altogether more visitors find their way into grassroots experience each year as it gains more recognition and even more coveted artists. This years event garnered great reviews:

One member of www.nola.com wrote: “Been to every one of them and its truly one of the greatest annual events we have in New Orleans…Alcohol selection is far superior to Jazz Fest.” Another remarked about the hype which has grown over the years for the event: “I’ve heard good things about this shindig, but I’ve been living away for a while and haven’t been able to get a first hand experience…that is until this year.” Some spoke of their appreciation for the laidback atmosphere surrounding the Chaz fest: “Go on by, take your shoes off, enjoy some music & meet the neighbors” only going on to point out “That, in & of itself, is a vanishing American Tradition, kept alive here by these intrepid & friendly people.”

On yelp.com, a New Orleans native wrote: “It was like paradise for hipsters young and old.” Facebook fans of the event also had their fair share to say about the event this year: as one fan wrote: “Thanks everyone for all your hard work and giving us one of the best days of the year!” as others dubbed it the best Chaz Fest to date. The Chaz Fest Facebook group enjoys 721 “likes”, 20 Facebook check-ins (this year) and 68 followers on Twitter.

If you attended Chaz Festival this year or you plan to head over for your first time next spring, make sure you to help raise awareness for the event by joining in the conversation whether its commenting on your anticipation for next years lineup, uploading a mobile photo of the event or even simply tweeting how it feels to be a part of the new Orleans musical grassroots movement.

For more information on Chaz Fest such as lineups and updates click here.

To become a Facebook fan of the Chaz Fest click here.

To follow Chaz fest on Twitter click here.

For pictures of this years Chaz Fest click here. (courtesy of Flickr and Offbeat Magazine.)

Fringe Benefits: All about the Fringe Theatre

Posted on April 6, 2011 by klvillav

There’s no doubt that some things just seem better without a mainstream following. Like a burger shack serving incomparably delicious beef patties from a hole-in-the-wall establishment or a dive bar one inexplicably gravitates to time and time again despite a lack of upper-shelf liquors and only a muffled jukebox for entertainment. It’s that nonjudgmental atmosphere that allows us to leave behind any facade we may feel necessary at our workplace or our social lives and simply let loose to enjoy the raw experience. I believe this is what the “Fringe Theater” is all about.

The term fringe originated in Scotland around mid 20^th century when activities began popping up on the “fringe” of the Edinburgh International Festival. Theater people who had been rejected from preforming in the festival decided to create their own productions outside of the event. These 8 “uninvited” performance groups performed unsanctioned at unconventional venues. While at the time the fringe was mostly regarded an event for “gypsies” and amateurs, word quickly grew that the outside shows were actually far more interesting and innovative than the official ones. While the original Edinburgh Festival no longer exists, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is alive and thriving, having inspired a fringe moment across the globe in most major metropolitan areas.

Many words are used to describe the fringe theater all relating the individuality behind each performance. The fringe theater is alternative, unrestricted, and anti-mainstream. The performance’s subject matters and content are also often regarded as “Avant Garde.” The performances are innovative and spirited, often emitting a bohemian vibe.

There are currently 15 official fringe festivals in the United States (registered with the United States Association of Fringe Festivals) in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, and Ohio. Each festival may last from a few days to a couple of weeks with performers from all levels of experience and skill. Most shows are from original material and last only for a brief time (around an hour). Technical requirements are usually kept relatively simple and most content remains uncensored. Ticket prices are often low although this depends on each festival.

The 2011 New Orleans Fringe Festival will be held on November 16^th to the 20^th. Any venue is eligible to be a part of the fringe and volunteers are welcome. Popular and past venues include The Always Theatre, St. Ferdinand Church, Den of Muses, Party World, The Skull Club, Mardi Gras Zone, La Chat Noir, Michalopoulos Studio, La Nuit Comedy Theatre, Shadowbox Theatre, Nola Candle Factory, Fringe Free-for-All Festival tent, Hi-Ho lounge and many others. If you are worried about uncensored shows and your kids, the festival actually provides a Family Fringe featuring a parade, market, paint party, drum circle and open mic event. This takes place on the 20^th and 21^st of November The New Orleans Fringe Inc. is a non-profit corporation with contributors ranging from volunteers, technicians, local businesses and talented performers.

For more information on New Orleans Fringe Festival visit www.nofringe.org.

(Logo courtesy of nofringe.org)