Not only is Anais Mitchell gracing the ReadyMade stage at SXSW in less than two weeks, she also releases her folk opera, Hadestown, today with help from Justin Vernon as Orpheus, Ani DiFranco as Persephone, Ben Knox Miller as Hermes, Greg Brown as Hades, and the Haden Triplets as the Fates. And as far as album operas go, this one doesn’t give off an overly gimmicky vibe, but surrounds the listener with good, down-home folk that happens to tell a haunting tale.
Anais’ riff on Orpheus (set in a post-apocalyptic society), though rooted in mythology, takes on a very familiar tone: Every artist has the desire to make something so beautiful that they inspire the impossible—in this case, bringing back the dead Eurydice. First developed as a stage production in Vermont, Anais and her friends hammered out the details, wrote new drafts, and debated between poetry and story clarity before she went into the studio to lay it all down. Give it a listen here, and enjoy.
SXSW info below, and for more of the history behind Hadestown, click here.
This year’s music line-up includes:
12:15p Anais Mitchell / 1:00p Sarah Jaffe / 1:30p Birds & Batteries / 2:30p Everest /
3:30p Matt Morris / 4:30p Carney Where: Beauty Bar @ Palm Door, 401 Sabine Street @ East 4th Street When: Saturday, March 20th, Noon – 5:00p. RSVP to attend: events@readymademag.com
Please put SXSW in subject line. Space is limited. RSVP does not guarantee entry. SXSW badges welcome.
He likes to introduce himself sometimes as Blake, sometimes as Sarazin, or maybe even Robert if you’re lucky. Any way you know him though, Robert Sarazin Blake’s music remains the same. He’s been strumming his guitar since his first festival at the ripe age of 15, and more than a decade later, he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
I had the opportunity to see him this past weekend, and whether Blake was all by his lonesome or playing with a ragtag bunch of friends on stage, you couldn’t help but keep your eyes locked on him. At one point, in front of a crowd of more than 1,000, he stepped away from the mic and let loose. Even in the balcony, I could hear him perfectly. Blake proved that his troubadour sound is at home just as much in a fancy theater as it is snug around a campfire.
And if you’re in the greater Midwest region these next few weeks, check out Blake’s tour dates here (he’s in Des Moines tonight at Vaudeville Mews). He’ll be tromping through venues with The Heligoats, an eccentric pop band with a whole lot of heart.
For four days, moviegoers, music-players, and filmmakers flocked to Columbia, Missouri, for True/False Film Festival. Thousands of us laughed, cried, drank, mused, and barely slept just so we wouldn’t miss a beat. I’ve split up the event into four non-scientific categories (film, music, art, and partay) for easier perusal.
Film
Inside the Missouri Theater before the closing night film, Last Train Home.
Only two of the eight T/F venues actually screen films year round, and the others run the gamut of a rarely seen Odd Fellows Temple to a university lecture hall. But the amazing thing is that all of them felt as if they did this kind of thing every day. The staff kept film rolling, snacks on the ready, and lights dim. For me, my favorite films of the weekend bashed straight through my usual go-to genre. While I usually enjoy lighter premises, Restrepo won out as the top showing for me. It follows a platoon in one of the most dangerous war zones (Korengal Valley, Afghanistan), and though it left me feeling very raw, it was also refreshing to witness someone’s story of war that didn’t rely on partisan politics.
The Mirror, about a small Italian town that doesn’t get sunlight for 83 days of the year because of a pesky mountain peak, had me rooting for the innovative—and optimistic—mayor and his giant mirror project.
I left this next film not really knowing if I liked it or not, but the fact that The Red Chapel brought us into North Korea and allowed the audience access to a country that is notoriously shut off made me sway to the “yes” side. The director, along with two Danish-Korean comedians, enter the country under the premise of performing a Danish cultural exchange. Devilish manipulation, breakdowns, and a rather disturbing anti-American march round out the film and leave you to rant and rave about what you just saw to anyone that will listen.
(Clockwise, top left) Director Lixin Fan and festival Co-Conspirator David Wilson take part in a Q&A during the closing night; the ever-helpful guidebook; (inexpensive) merch; Andy, Kyle, Kalei, and Tim enjoying the closing night reception’s free food and booze; tearing tickets in the Missouri Theater.
Dr. NakaMats, mimicking a very realistic life-sized cutout.
One of the most charmingly fun films of True/False Film Festival, which had its fair share of the larger impact hit-you-in-the-gut-and-make-you-think type of flicks, has to be The Invention of Dr. NakaMats. Director Kaspar Astrup Schröder, along with composer Silas Hite, were at the sneak peek to take it all in with the audience.
To set the scene, here’s a short list of the Doctor’s quirks and inventions:
He is certain he will live to 144; he concocted a magical potion for lovers called Love Jet (”I’ve tested more than 10,000 women. Of course, I’m not doing the sex. I’m checking meters.”); his biggest (and most lucrative) invention is the floppy disk; he developed the Cereberex chair for taking power naps during the day (he sleeps for only four hours); and for more than 35 years he has photographed every meal he eats, which lead to an elixir that combines 55 different ingredients to prolong life until the ripe old age of—you guessed it—144.
“I still have doubts if his inventions were actually real,” Kaspar says of the more than 3,000 patents Dr. NakaMats has under his belt. “It’s more like ticking off something and then not renewing the patent after the one-year deadline. It’s more about the total number for him.”
Even though the subject of the script is somewhat of a rockstar in Japan, how exactly did a Danish filmmaker find out about him, you ask? “I read a small article in the newspaper called something like ‘World Record Holder for Number of Patents Gets Ideas Under Water,” Kaspar says. And when he contacted Dr. NakaMats about the film, “he was very eager to put his ego on display…”
With a Pencil in My Pocket, a site based on six shared subscriptions to 500 Colored Pencils (mentioned in our December/January issue), includes a community of 150 people. Each person receives one colored pencil per month for 20 months and writes a short story on a manifestation of that particular color. Then, the stories are posted for all to see…and so far, I’ve appreciated every one of these Technicolor insights.
Today, filmmakers, directors, producers, buskers, and film lovers converge on an unassuming Midwestern college town, smack in the middle of Kansas City and St. Louis. Columbia, Missouri (home of the University of Missouri, Columbia College, and Stephens College), plays host to True/False Film Fest, now in its seventh year.
With 36 documentary films (selected from more than 700 submissions), 25 shorts, 30 musical acts, six concerts, three parties, one game show, and one parade crammed into 96 hours, this weekend will be an exercise in stamina. I’ll be taking in 13 of the T/F selection, including two secret screenings (which means these films are mysteriously showing up here before officially premiering at another film festival…and that’s all you’re going to hear about ‘em) and 11 other films that run the spectrum of a delightfully absurd plan in The Mirror to a right-in-the-middle-of-a-war-zone platoon in Restrepo.
The amazing thing about this festival, though, is that it’s more than just films. At least one person from each documentary makes it to the four-day event, and site-specific art installations create fanciful theaters from a collection of nine venues carved out of downtown Columbia. Musicians perform before each screening, filmmakers hustle along the sidewalks to make their next movie just like you do, and the folks in attendance are some of the nicest around. I’ll be your eyes and ears this weekend, hoping to capture as much as I can to share with you throughout next week. After the jump, I’ve collected various True/False tidbits for your perusal, so click “read more” and dive right in.
Lately I’ve been immersed in Colum McCann’s novel, “Let the Great World Spin.” The story revolves around the lives of several different New York City residents during the summer of 1974, when Philipe Petit decided to tie a tightrope between the then uncompleted World Trade Center Towers and take a stroll.
Anyone who has seen the 2008 documentary, Man on Wire, by James Marsh, has a sense of what it must have been like to actually witness the epic event. Of course, seeing it from the comfort of a movie theater or curled up on your couch can’t come close to standing on the streets of lower Manhattan on a muggy August morning and seeing a spec step off a 1,368 foot tall building onto a thin steel cable. Still, the film does a decent job. But I’m tempted to say that McCann’s description in “Let the Great World Spin” does it one better.
On a recent flight back east from California, I dug into the chapter, “Etherwest.” Here, McCann paints the picture of some computer hackers in Silcon Valley calling pay phones in Manhattan’s financial district in hopes of getting someone to pick up and give them the play by play of Petit’s walk. During this reading I was struck by what I found so amazing about this feat. Obviously it was an incredible physical undertaking and an adventure unlike any other. More than that though, I was taken with the fact that Petit took this amazing risk for seemingly no other reason other than to see if it could be done. To see what is possible. To see what would happen.
Much like Petit’s walk atop New York, the city of Detroit sparks similar emotions in me. I visited the city a few weeks back and it never ceases to amaze me so I thought I’d share some of my photographs from this recent excursion.
Dutch artist Jimini Hignettcarved this piece from discarded scraps from a burnt out house in Detroit this past summer.
Speramus Meliora Resurget Cineribus is the city’s slogan. In Latin, It means “We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise from the Ashes.” (more…)
If you’re into Italian turntablists and obscure Kyrgyz composers, then Okapi’s Love Him (out today) is the record for you. He riffs on Aldo Kapi’s symphonies using over 100 different elements, making a sometimes jarring, always intriguing lineup of 16 tracks. I found it a tad difficult to listen to while tapping my keyboard at work, but it did make a nice soundtrack for my morning run. The minimalist samples provided just enough rhythm without feeling like I should be in a black-lit room with a fog machine.
So what exactly is an Okapi, you ask? And what does it have to do with music? Here it is, straight from the artist:
One of its strangest characteristics is that it is the only known mammal to wash out its own ears with its tongue: just to catch the weird melodies of nature. He adores those ferocious and vindictive chants that make him sway…and he fights relentlessly for the domination and hegemony of incorrect and unlistenable music…
If you happen to be in the Brooklyn area, drop by Etsy Lab’s free-for-all craft night tonight from 4-8 pm. Though each event usually has a theme, tonight it’s all about what making whatever you want to make. Finish up something that’s been waiting in the wings, or try your hand at an entirely new trade. As always, the Etsy team has a stash of supplies and tools that you can use. So get crafting!
Welcome to the sixth installment of Wedding Wednesdays. Semi-regularly, we will share a lovely handmade wedding with you. Check out our previous installments here, and if you know of a wedding that we simply need to feature, please email us!
Thank you to Monica Parcell for putting this post together, thank you to Jessica for providing the amazing tale of her hand-hewn wedding, and thank you to photographer Sherry Lee for the beautiful photos.
This wedding, from a dashing couple in Charleston, South Carolina, proves that you don’t need to wear white or have a fancy string quartet for the bridal march, and you can make all of the food yourself (while still having a great time).
Jessica and Ben, in the rain and loving it!
Jessica and Ben Garbee both have tons of (DIY) style, but, as partners in a start-up personal chef company and catering business, not as much cash. So when the Charleston couple got married last fall, they looked at each aspect of the day as an opportunity to use local resources—and their own resourcefulness—to make it a personal, and stylish event. “We knew that the only things that would keep us really happy would be good food, good beer, and style,” said Jessica. They roasted oysters and cooked up Southern barbecue for friends and family, set their wedding in a sculpture-filled park on the Cooper River—and the bride wore gold.
Minor Love from Adam Green, Periphery from The Seven Fields of Aphelion, and Falling Down a Mountain from Tindersticks released today.
Adam Green’s Minor Love has him playing the majority of the instruments himself, and this helps to round out a more tender, earnest side of the Moldy Peaches co-founder. If you need some folksy jams this chilly February, Green will be there to warm you right up. Listen to tracks here.
Periphery is the debut solo record from Black Moth Super Rainbow’s The Seven Fields of Aphelion. But in this album, she’s ditched the dance floor and and embraced the sunshine. Listen to tracks here.
Tindersticks’ second North American album, Falling Down a Mountain, draws inspiration from acoustic rehearsals held in venue corridors while on tour. This is hazy music-making at some of its finest. Listen to tracks here.
The date is set, so pencil it in: March 19th marks Swap-o-Rama-Rama Chicago’s repurposed textiles fashion show. re:MAKE has three different categories (K-12 student designers, college/pre-professional, and professional) highlighting DIY collections that use at least 50% reused material. Even if your garments have never graced a catwalk before, you are more then welcome to submit your designs, with a chance to support worthy beneficiaries and get a little exposure while you’re at it.
Threadless partnered up with Chris Cardinal to host a grand knitting competition called Threadknits. Yes, we said a knitting competition. You can win cash, artwork, and other neat-o prizes by turning your favorite Threadless design into a fiber masterpiece. Check out the rules, get signed up, choose a design, and view the gallery to see what you’re up against. They’re accepting entries now through March 1st, so get to it!
Everyone loves them, everyone hates them, and everyone wants to be in them. Since we will most likely never make the pages of Vanity Fair, we have taken matters into our own hands. As part of our ongoing Society Pages, we present you with…ReadyMade’s February/March Launch Party at Jonathan Adler’s SOHO Outpost.
Great people, good drinks, and falling snow made this a night for the books.
Click here to check out the full HDYGTFAJ story featuring Jonathan Adler.
As we were strolling through the aisles of the New York International Gift Fair earlier this week, we happened upon Screech Owl Design’s Jacqueline and George Schmidt from our current issue. It was one of those “We’ve never met before, but I’ve stared at your photos for the past four weeks” kind of moments. And then they were kind enough to join us for our little party at Jonathan Adler’s shop. Thanks for stopping by!
Alexa Fornoff is the assistant editor of ReadyMade, and she blogs here about art and happenings. She enjoys reading—a lot—and is currently making her way through the Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions. When her nose isn't buried between pages, she likes to eat good food and drink good drinks. Contact Alexa | Read posts by Alexa
Amy Palanjian is originally from a mile-wide town in south Jersey. When she's not creating color-coded spreadsheets, watching out for excessive garnish on food shoots and keeping the ship afloat as ReadyMade's deputy editor in Des Moines, she quilts, bakes granola and blogs about people who make things at her appropriately titled blog, Things We Make. She blogs daily about food. Contact Amy | Read posts by Amy
Katherine Sharpe is the online editor of ReadyMade. She lives in Brooklyn, where she mostly makes food and to-do lists, but she's interested in bigger, headier creations: think Buckminster Fuller-esque architectural utopianism. She blogs daily or almost-daily about furniture, design, buildings, awesome jobs, and books. Contact Katherine | Read posts by Katherine
Andrew Wagner, ReadyMade's editor-in-chief, has long been driven by his curiosity about how people and places mutually affect one another. After founding Dodge City Journal, and helping to found Limn and Dwell, he saw American Craft through a major redesign. His interests include architecture, design, art, music, baseball, and the ineffable yogurt/granola combination. He tries his best to post on Tuesdays about architecture, design, and cities. Contact Andrew | Read posts by Andrew
