June 8, 2006

LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT

Jen Ambrose performs Saturday along with a host of acts raising money for cancer research. Submitted photo

Relay For Life this weekend at Raider Stadium

Entertainment and music will fill the day for a good cause

The American Cancer Society presents the Ashland Relay for Life Saturda at the Southern Oregon University’s Football Stadium. A total of 39 teams have been raising money for months. Each team will have a campsite decorated around the theme “Cruisin’ for a Cure” and each team will have one member, in relay, walking the track for 24 hours. The public is invited to listen to some great music and support the people walking the track. The event is free, though there will be luminaries available for purchase to light the track during the 9 p.m. ceremony.

The following is the entertainment schedule for Ashland’s Relay for Life:

10 a.m. Opening Ceremony with music by Jim Quimby, speeches, a survivors lap and introduction of the teams.

11 a.m. Jen Ambrose — Ambrose blends folk, blues and world music into an earthy style that is in one moment melodic and subtle, and in the next deep and gritty. Her vocals are strong, soulful and penetrating, supported by a guitar style that ranges from driving rhythms to intricate finger and flat-picking. The poetry of her lyrics speaks to a changing humanity within a changing world, they sing to what is real, natural and raw.

11:50 a.m. Livia Genise — Genise, artistic director of Camelot Theater, presents excerpts from her Spotlight on Billy Holiday.

12:40 p.m. Elias Alexander, bagpipe and Taylor Sharp, fiddle — Two Ashland High School students who are passionate about playing music bring their expertise to the Relay for Life.

1:30 p.m. Robert Towers — Towers performs Jewish and other up-lifting spiritual music accompanied by the mandolin.

2:20 p.m. Douglas Ross — Performing on the Appalachian dulcimer, Ross plays original alternative music.

3:10 p.m. Frankie Hernandez Band — Hernandez has been called “the Latino Stevie Wonder” by the State of Jefferson. His powerful, soulful voice, manic optimism, and catchy and eccentric songwriting have made him an Austin, Texas music scene staple, indispensable touring sideman, Los Angeles session musician, front man and band leader. He has played on stage and recorded with acts such as: Michael Franti and Spearhead, Leftover Salmon, Phish, Seal, Outlawz, Rod Stewart, internationally renowned flamenco guitarist David Broza, David Garza, The Killer Bees, and Chris Chandler to name a few. The band consists of: Frankie Hernandez, vocals, trumpet, guitar, and percussion; Joe Ginet, guitar, vocals, mandolin, harmonica, and percussion; Chad Sweely, bass; Matthew T. Wells, drums and vocals.

4:00 p.m. Maggie McKaig and Luke Wilson – From Nevada City, CA, Mckaig and Wilson are The Celtic Wonder Band. The Band plays what they call “California Celtic”: music from Ireland, Scotland and England as well as original material inspired by these places and influenced by rock, jazz, bluegrass, and classical.

4:50 p.m. Runs With Scissors – A new band on the Ashland scene, Runs With Scissors is Christopher Wells, bass; Sam Maggi, guitar; and Norm, drums. The band plays alternative rock written by band members.

5:40 p.m. Pyramid Band – Steve and Ellie Read perform 60-90s classic rock. Although there are just two of them, with all their electronic gear, they sound like a full band.

7:00 p.m. Beatgreens — The Beatgreens is a jam-band that warms the feet and swarms the body with deep bass, bangin’ drums, true melodies and a slick hip-hop/funk tone throughout.

8 p.m. Montana Soul — Montana Soul is a musical fusion of sound and spirit between Anna Christensen on vocals and percussion, Tom Klinefelter on vocals, guitar and harmonica, Ken Bendat on lead and rhythm guitar and Richard Cole on bass guitar.

Drawing from American folk and blues, rock and country, bluegrass and gospel, native chants and their own originals, Montana Soul makes good medicine with music to lighten the heart and soothe the soul.

9 p.m. Luminaria Ceremony – Luminaria’s (candle-lit, sand-filled bags) purchased to honor those who have survived cancer and the memory of those who have died are placed around the track.

‘The Voice of Perfection’

The Southern Oregon University Department of Music concert and chamber choirs will present “The Voice of Perfection” on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the SOU Music Recital Hall.

The SOU choirs celebrate the choral music of Tomas Luis de Victoria and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in a concert that will bring SOU’s quarter-long celebration of the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a climax.

Fredna Grimland leads the concert choir in opening chorus of Mozart’s “Vesperae solennes de confessore” and his moving “Ave verum corpus,” Mozart’s last completed composition.

Tickets for this performance are $8 for general admission, $6 for seniors, and free for students.

Tickets and season passes can be purchased at the SOU music box office or by calling 552-6101.

Hip-hop and indie pop ‑ together again

Reggae hip-hop band Luminous Fog performs live at the Mobius with rock indie pop band This Holiday Life Thursday, June 15 at 9 p.m.

Luminous Fog is a funky reggae hip-hop groove machine from Portland. This nine-piece crew is dedicated to spreading positive messages through psychedelic beats

with explosive energy. The band has West Coast performances planned from Burning Man to Seattle Hemp Fest. The group blends mind-bending synthesizers with a rhythm, horns, latin percussion and robotic beatboxing, which compliment fresh lyrics delivered by Jamaican dance hall singer, and conscious hip-hop MC diva Rasheeda.

This Holiday Life was formed in early 2003 by Scott Anderson (voices, guitars), Bobby Anderson (bass guitar, keys), Mark Nagel (drums) and Joe Freeman (lead guitar, keys).

Based in San Diego, the four began playing together locally and quickly started writing songs for their first record, “The Fallout.” Released in 2004, this six-song EP showcases the aggressive and captivating talent of the band and was nominated for “Best Rock Album Of The Year” at the 2004 San Diego Music Awards.

This is an all-ages show at the Mobius, 281 Fourth St. Cover is $10 at the door. For information call 488-8894 or see the Web site www.TheMobius.com.

Just 4 Kicks

A cappella concert promises vocals of the highest order

Kicks a cappella vocal jazz quartet in concert with Jefferson State Choral Coalition SOU’s Jefferson State Choral Coalition offers two gala performances featuring special guest artists Just 4 Kicks on Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the SOU Music Recital Hall to raise money for scholarships for SOU music majors.

“The best word to describe the amazing Four Kicks is hip. They have the kind of knowledge, jazz feeling, musicality, humor and audience contact that make them a unique, world-class jazz vocal group. Listening to them will make you feel glad to be alive,” said Ward Swingle

The Swingle Singers Just 4 Kicks is an a cappella vocal jazz quartet in demand at jazz festivals throughout the United States and Canada and have released three CDs. Four uniquely talented and musically successful vocalists from the west coast, each with independent careers in the music industry, were thrust together at several northwest jazz festivals in 1993, and a quartet emerged.

Kirby Shaw is one of the most well known choral an vocal jazz composer/arrangers of our time, and has directed of SOU’s Jefferson State Choral Coalition for the past four years. Randy Crenshaw is among the first-call studio singers and arrangers in Los Angeles. Four Freshman alumnus Kirk Marcy directs the internationally-acclaimed Soundsation vocal jazz ensemble at Edmonds Community College, just north of Seattle. Vijay Singh, widely known for his versatility as a Just 4 Kicks/Choral Coalition composer, arranger, soloist, and director of the vocal jazz program at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington, rounds out the quartet.

Just 4 Kicks takes listeners by storm with a collection of their own arrangements, exquisitely sung, with all four doing scat solos, vocalese, tight harmonies and impersonations of various instruments. Though they are music makers of the very highest order, the Just 4 Kicks crew doesn’t take itself too seriously, making for a breathtaking, zany, and beautiful concert experience.

“Great music, masterful arrangements, and a wonderful blend of sophistication and playfulness.” – Darmon Meader, New York Voices The first half of each of these concerts will be a performance by the Jefferson State Choral Coalition, under the direction of master choral teacher/composer/arranger and performer Kirby Shaw. The Coalition is a 55 person university/community ensemble offering a mixed brew of American popular music … Standards, Blues, a cappella ballads, 40s Swing, 50s Rock ’n’ Roll, Gospel … with lots of vocal soloists ... and backed up by some of the best instrumentalists in the valley, including a rockin’ horn section.

Randy Crenshaw has been described as a “premier utility infielder in the ballgame of music.” He holds degrees from Willamette University and Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. Randy’s professional background includes everything from orchestral and big band trumpet playing, playing and singing Renaissance and pre-Baroque music at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, and singing country music to arranging for and singing with such groups as No Strings Attached, the Berklee Yocal Jazz Choir, a cappella vocal jazz quintet Terra Nova, world music/R&B a cappella sextet Wahoo Do-Re, and contemporary Christian vocal group Haven.

Kirk Mafcy is a 1983 Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Northern Colorado where he received a Bachelor of Music Education degree. Kirk brought honors to himself and his programs at Lake Washington High School with the 1985 downBeat Magazine award of “Best High School Yocal Jazz Ensemble in the U.5. and Canada.” ln 1987, he joined the prestigious Four Freshmen, and performed with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with Buddy Morrow.

Kirby Shaw has made a major impact in choral music education and has shared his musical expertise in 44 states, Canada, Australia, the Bahamas, Sweden and The Netherlands. He has degrees in Music Education and Choral Composition from San Jose State University and a DMA degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Washington. Kirby taught in the Mt. Shasta public schools before joining the faculty at College of the Siskiyous in California where he founded and directed the innovative and highly acclaimed COS Vocal Jazz Ensemble.

Vijay Singh is an active teachel composer/arranger, conductol and performer residing in Ellensburg, WA where he is Professor of Jazz and Choral Music at Central Washington University.

Well known for his eclectic versatility, he is committed to music education and performance at the highest level. He holds music degrees from Willamette University and Portland State University and taught public school music in the Northwest where his groups were consistently ranked among the best in the region.

Tickets for this special performance are $15 (children under 12 and students free). To purchase tickets call 552-6101. All profits from ticket sales for this event go toward Music Department scholarships. To make a separate donation to the scholarship fund, please call Alice Geankoplis at 552-6128.

For more information about the Jefferson State Choral Coalition, including a list of the songs performed at this concert, see www.sou.edu/music/jscc.shtml.

Southern Oregon Gay Pride Festival 2006

Southern Oregon Gay Pride Festival 2006 kicks off this week with a series of events running through Tuesday. The festival is sponsored by The Abdill-Ellis Lambda Community Center Association. AELCCA has been a non-profit organization that supports, educates and celebrates the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, intersexed and allied community for more than ten years.

The Bringing it Home Picnic on June 10th is the feature event, and will include political speakers, and entertainers.

Other events include:

• Thursday, June 8 — Queer Film Night Meese Auditorium at Southern Oregon University 7-10 p.m. Free

• Friday, June 9 — Brokeback Prom: The Prom You Never Had. Contests for Prom Queen & King and Best Belt Buckle A Street Marketplace, All ages welcome. 8 p.m.-midnight $5-20 sliding scale

• Saturday, June 10 — Bringing it Home! Pride Picnic Speakers, information, entertainment and dancing.

• Alba Park, Medford 10am-9pm Free.

Tuesday, June 13th AELCCA Annual Meeting Come elect new board members and review the year!

Ashland Public Library 7-9 p.m. Free.

For information call Danielle Mancuso or the Center at 488-6990.

Rock band camp for kids

A rock band camp for kids ages 9-14 is scheduled for June 19-22 and June 26-27. The camps run Monday through Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Scoggin Family Farm on Wagner Creek in Talent.

The camp band will rehearse for three hours a day with a break for snacks and to play outdoors in a beautiful wooded setting with a creek and an island. Musical material will be chosen by band consensus from a pool of modern and classic rock including Green Day and the Beatles. Lyrics will be clean and non-controversial. Instruments including guitars, electric bass, drums, synthesizers, piano, microphones, and amplifiers will be provided. All camp band members will get the opportunity to play every instrument they want to try including singing. Instruction on all the above instruments will be provided.

The band will be led by David Scoggin who currently teaches American Jazz at Southern Oregon University, directs the Skiddlz rock band at Walker Elementary, and teaches private piano, guitar and bass at his Briscoe Art Wing piano studio. David has been a guest instructor for the Ashland High School jazz band this year through a grant by the Siskiyou Piano Institute and offers courses in jazz theory, history, and aesthetics through the Rogue Valley Jazz Society. He performs weekly on solo piano and with various groups.

There will be a performance on Friday, June 30 at 7 p.m. A maximum of 8 students can enroll and the cost is $180. For information call 512-0680 or e-mail scoggs @jeffnet.org.

‘Exploring Earth Energies’

People are invited to join Catherine J. Larkin on Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Rogue Valley Metaphysical Library, 258 A St., Suite 2A, for a talk entitled: Exploring Earth Energies.

One way of attuning to the earthis to be more aware of the earth’s energy flows, according to Larkin. Participants will learn about the anima mundi (soul of the world) with her deep axis (world tree) and her ley lines (similar to acupuncture meridians). There will also be information about Celtic lore on earth energies, and legends about the many megalithic sites in the UK.

Specifically, participants will look at the work of Scottish dowser, Hamish Miller, and his work about major patterns in both Britain and Europe. Come and appreciate the planet.

Larkin has been a healer, teacher and astrologer since 1983, when she graduated from the Institute for Creation Centered Spirituality. Her articles on psychology and spirituality have been published in Conscious Choice magazine in Chicago. She was certified in Self Attunement in 1989 and this soul level energy work has evolved into planetary healing.

Catherine offers individual readings and attunement sessions. Her workshops, “Deepening into the World Soul” utilize meditations and constellations for collective healing.

For information e-mail: catherinejanelarkin@yahoo.com or call 482-8291.

SOU symphonic band hits the stage

The Southern Oregon University Department of Music presents the SOU symphonic band and wind ensemble for an evening celebrating talent from within the SOU Music Department.

The event will be the final concert of the year for the symphonic band, a 60-piece ensemble comprised of music and non-music majors, will be on June 8 at 8 p.m. in the SOU Music Recital Hall.

The performance will feature piano soloist Aaron Blenkush, a freshman performance major. He will perform Grieg’s “Concerto In A Minor” accompanied by the symphonic band.

Featured composers for this event will include Frank Ticheli, Philip Sparke, Percy Grainger, Francis McBeth and SOU student composer Mark Knipple.

Tickets for this performance are $8 for general admission, $6 for seniors, and free for students.

Tickets and season passes can be purchased at the SOU music box office or by calling 552-6101. For more information please visit Southern Oregon University’s Music Department website at www.sou.edu/music.

Student Film Festival exhibits young filmmakers’ talents

SOU gathering offers a venue for future Fellinis

By Donald Lind
For the Tidings

Last Wednesday night, students at Southern Oregon University had the opportunity to showcase their talents in filmmaking at the third annual SOU Student Film Festival.

A group of students involved with a new project called the SOU Movie Producers’ Association (SOUMPA), presented a selection of their completed films along with assorted gag clips at 10 p.m. on May 31 in the Meese Auditorium at the university art building.

Admission was free, which led to a large and receptive audience. The students who attended laugh often at the comic selections and paid close attention to the more serious films.

This festival established itself right away as an alternative to mainstream films. The content in the selections necessitated an over-18 admission policy. The 90-minute film showcase demonstrated this idea perfectly with its opening bit.

The opening clip saw a man walking out of a bad film, “Caribbean of the Pirates 7,” and is attacked by patrons who have been turned into zombies by the film. He is saved by a government operative working on a cure to stop movies from turning people into zombies.

The festival then launched into more serious territory with the film “Prisoner of Mind,” which dealt with a man recalling his father’s experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some of the biggest laughs came from quick interludes between the short films, which featured students talking about the value of media arts and student filmmaking.

Clint Bowers’ “Absorbed,” previously seen at this year’s Ashland Independent Film Festival, was a big hit with the late night audience, as was his appearance in a preview of a parody of “The Blair Witch Project.”

Brian Planer, the head of SOUMPA, presented the bizarre, yet thoughtful “Vegetable Theory,” a vulgar discussion about relationships and the cosmos that had the audience laugh and think at the same time.

“They really make you think,” Bowers said about the films at the festival.

Closing out the show was a clever “murder mystery thriller” called “A Resonant Knell,” starring Alyson Marchi-Young and the film’s director Glenn Crosse, which was an inventive take on Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

All of the students involved in the films showed a lot of promise. The photography on the films was great and the acting in both the serious and comedic bits was well-done.

“They all poured their hearts into it,” said Erik Staack Christianson, an SOU student in attendance.

The third annual SOU Student Film Festival showcased the talents of up-and-coming filmmakers. For more information on the SOU Movie Producers’ Association, please visit www.soumpa.com, or contact Brian Planer at planerb@students.sou.edu.

OSW produces wet comedy

OSW’s “The Memory of Water” plays through July 3.

Oregon Stage Works presents Shelagh Stephenson’s acclaimed play, “The Memory of Water.”

Called “wickedly funny and moving” during its long London run, “Water” won England’s prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 2000 and was voted the United Kingdom’s “Play of the Year” in 2001. The play opened on June 2, at Oregon Stage Works, in Ashland’s A Street Market Place.

“Water” tells the story of three sisters who come home for their mother’s funeral, bringing their long-held recollections, yearnings and resentments back with them.

As it explores vital topics of memory, family relationships and identity, “Water” manages to be “both insightful and very, very funny,” said director Wendy Spurgeon. The play’s comedy, she siad, is deeply human.

“Only in real life,” Spurgeon noted, “can important and painful moments also seem absurd.”

Spurgeon said she appreciates the chance to work with a play that has so many strong roles for women.

“The parts are really well-written,” said Spurgeon. “We see the humanity, pain and humor of these women’s lives so fully. The relationships and rivalries among the three sisters, the relationship between the sisters and their mother-- the way each remembers her differently and sees her wanting different things from them-- these are especially fascinating and strong.”

The theater will also offer a special Senior Night on Friday, June 9. Tickets will be available for $12 to all seniors 65 and over.

“The Memory of Water” will run at 8 p.m. Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays through July 3. Tickets are $17 ($10 for students) at Grocery Outlet in Medford and the Music Coop in Ashland.

For information and reservations, call 482-2334.