The Pianoman at Christmas

Jamie Cullum is a joy to audiences and a gift to music. I have boasted about his #SongSociety where he encourages artists to live with their mistakes without apology as part of the creative process. He gives himself and musicians an hour to create a favorite cover track, and then record it live to share. It is genius what he comes up with.

Last year he came out with an incredible Holiday disc. The Pianoman at Christmas. All original tunes. The biggest track that made headway was the infectious Hang Your Lights. Because he is English and somewhere in the world where jazz and pop collide, most people are not aware of his work. Similar to Ed Sheeran, he is a cute elf-type that looks like something out of the Hobbit empire. As to new holiday classics, I have been noticing this to be a trend in Holiday music from a younger generation of artists. Instead of relying on old chestnuts which are great, but can only be reinvented a limited number of ways, I applaud them all and have found around 50% of them to be pretty darn good. But this holiday LP has not a clinker in the bunch.

What I found really revealing is this 18 minute #makingofvideo that he released. Here he takes time to show his process, the great musicians he collaborated with... But like a true storyteller, he lets us know the Why of each song. How it spoke to him and what he wants to share in the telling. So many layers and such great music. Please, if this guy is not on your radar look him up. And check out both these videos for some true Christmas Spirit!

The Muttcracker

Yes this is a real thing! And also one of the most heartwarming holiday tales you may read. Everyone who knows me, understands how much I put value on rescue animals and underdogs. Also, how much of my professional past was spent dancing. So, the melding of these two worlds in a holiday setting is fantastic to me.

Kelly Pratt and Ian Kreidich are professional photogs who began a relationship shooting the dancers of St Louis Ballet back in 2014. They are also husband and wife. In 2017 Kelly had a concept of bringing her love of dogs into a gentle collision with the dancers. The work has gone viral with a small but devoted following quite soon after. They admit that it takes more than a good eye & a quick shutter speed. Most of the dogs used come from Stray Rescue also in St Louis, so they are not working with trained animals. Some shoots require patience and some good responses from the dancers to capture just the right moment.

 

This season marks the 5th round of Muttcracker photographs (minus a year for the pandemic.) The idea is to feature a different dog up for Adoption during the countdown to the actual Nutcracker performances. Not to be preferential, they are now also including cute kittens as well. The couple has now also a coffee table book called Dancers and Dogs. And one can get a full glimpse of their catalog via their Instagram feed. Here they show a wide ranges of dancers from other companies. The dancers are beautiful and the pets eager & adorable.

Everyone should get a puppy for Christmas!

Dancers and Dogs Instagram page: 

 

Fashion Santa

In the holiday season, Santa Claus is a fixture. We have opened up our culture and are aware of how the folk tale plays out in other countries. St Nick, Klaus, Sinterklaas. Sometimes he leaves a lump of coal, other times treats in shoes, down a chimney..... many versions of the story.

But this is a new one for me. Instead of a jolly, chubby man with a bag; here is a hunky fashionista that looks like an Anderson Cooper daddy on Grindr. Paul Mason is a handsome devil that has taken a career as a male model and found a lane that was wide open as a knock-out Santa who peddles high end products. Gotta give the guy credit, he knows how to market himself well.

His main access is his Instagram feed with over 68K followers. Somehow, I am just stumbling on to him now. He has had campaigns for #Hyundai, #GrandMarnier, #AmericanCrew, bathtubs, grooming products and of course an array of clothes designers. He is even doing an East Coast tour for #RitzCarlton hotels. It looks his fan base now has called for his own line of sexy greeting cards! Paul is from Canada and appears to have a lovely wife around his age who also is a model. What a dashing couple.

Here are a handful of my favorite pics. But you really need to click on his Insta page link to see the full volume of his work. A great holiday diversion for us adults that still believe in Santa.

FashionSanta insta:

Daytons Holiday Shows of Yore

One of the holiday traditions that brought so many of us joy were the annual Holiday and Flower shows in the 8th floor auditorium of Dayton's. They were massive, opulent and rivaled the displays of Macy's, Gimble's and Barney's. They were not a simple Holiday tree with Santa waiting at the end with a lollipop. They were works of art and craftsmanship set up in a labyrinth maze of panoramas that were animated beyond belief. By adding lighting, sound and even a musical score composed each year - they were fantasy wonder worlds.

For all that waited in lines, it was not a distraction along the way, but an event that propelled the whole trip to downtown Minneapolis during the season. Adding in the Holidazzle parades of the 90s, it became a festive Day trip. Who can forget the majestic Skyroom with booths of white and the grand piano serenading as you grabbed your holiday buffet or the Oak Grill if you wanted upscale and hot pop overs? Hot cocoa and fresh crepes on the sidewalk as you waited in the cold outside for the nightly parade to start. Or if you were lucky enough to nab one of the few spots in the skyways overhead. There was also skating on the ice at Peavey Plaza with holiday concerts - although the ice was never prime because of the endless hordes of people using it - but you could get skates sharpened easily there. So many things to do. These must have been the glory days of Holidays in downtown Minneapolis.

Here are just a few snapshots that take me back. I do know that our traditions change, disappear or adjust as time moves us forward. I do love the new Holidazzle in Loring Park with the skating rink, the beverage hall and board games and of course the giant Yeti! I also love the European Market & holiday movie nights over at Union Depot. With the opening of the revived Dayton's marketplace, perhaps it will return in some form. At least we have SantaBears in the windows which is something that had been missing for years now. Support local.

Mill City blog post; Dayton Holiday show

Attached is a link to a recent Mill City Times blog post by Michael Rainville Jr that lists some of its history as well as a detailed list for each years theme from the beginning in 1963 until the final closure. 

Cinderella 1989

Dicken's Village 1967

Harry Potter 2000

The Polar Express 1988

Pinocchio 1991 - floor model

Fall Color Paintings

One of my favorite craft projects when I was younger were the rainbow crayon drawings. You would scribble in bright colors and then smudge the entire sheet in Black. By scratching away the colors with a needle or tip, you could then create panoramas in reverse silhouette. I found them fascinating.

These massive scale artworks follow that same concept. Much like sand art on the shore or chalk art on a sidewalk. They last only a brief amount of time until the elements of nature erase them like an Etch-a-Sketch.

These are nature works from Slovenia by a naturalist named Nikola Faller. It is a small town named Osijek. Using simple rakes and larger blowers. He works in urban parks and takes aerial images via a drone that reveal them as large mazes. I would guess their impact cannot be as appreciated from ground level. They are magical. It seems like a project that could take place as a community outing anywhere with a team of people and someone with a bit of artistic vision. Along our Mississippi or any of our large lake front parks.

the More Things Change .... the More they Stay the Same

I have to admit that I am stubbornly disappointed and saddened at the results of our Minneapolis 2021 elections. As much as we disagree, everyone would admit that this city has seen so much unrest and flux over the last 16 months. The world has literally shifted beneath us and we have all been searching for our own answers. And the Mantra since then is that we can never go back, we need to find out what our new normal is going to be. 

And yet, after all that, we as a community chose to stay exactly the same! With a handful of mayor candidates that came in all colors and backgrounds, we chose again to elect the dynamic white man back into office when 6 mos. ago he was practically being stoned in the streets. I am not saying he is evil or even a bad choice. But he is the status quo - or a lack of change. We are "okay" with this.

The monumental Police Ballot question has been a barometer of consequence since it was first raised a year ago. Our whole city had uprisings that burned acres. We all demanded change. But when it came down to it, fear won out and we again choose to keep our streets under the same authority even though everyone seems to align that it is not working. We are "okay" with this.

Even with a handful of City Council races in upsets, which include a few women, we seem to have gone with the white male quotient rather than make sweeping changes.

So where is this radical change that had been chanted for months now? I don't believe it can be said that the voters did not show up. I think it is the opposite; that they did show up, but when it came down to putting it in black & white, people chose fear. As much as we like to trumpet our Minneapolis Values of progressiveness and diversity, they are empty cries. Sure we have pretty parks and lakes, a few good theaters and some tasty eateries. But when it comes down to leading the way as a metropolitan area, we are just like everyone else. Des Moines, Madison, Sioux Falls - nice Midwestern towns that serves as a 2nd stop tourist destination when someone needs to visit family maybe. We are nowhere near a leader on urban progressiveness.

I had lots of conversations with neighbors and friends about all these topics. On both sides of the votes. There will be more years of trying to "work from within and make positive change." But that right was wasted in an election like this. It is all water cooler talk that sounds good in Mpls Monthly magazines, but does nothing to actually move the envelope further forward. We are left exactly right back where we started. No one really wins, we all just stay the same. And obviously for most of us, that is just fine. Sad. And pathetic.

 

 

Abandoned Places

After just watching a chilling Gothic thriller for the Halloween season, I am sharing this collage of photos.

It is actually an open page on Facebook. I don't actually follow it, but I do check in on it every few months to see what has been shared.

Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated with ruins. Part of it is the aesthetic of being able to see an original grandeur that has faded over time to the point that it shows only glimpses of what it used to be. But also the melancholy behind the image or place. My roving imagination wants to know what it was like when it was full of living moments with people, noise and in motion. In the country it was abandoned sheds where we would break the glass panes. In the city it was deserted alleys with scattered artifacts that betrayed their age. Rusted old cars, junkyards with broken toys, cobwebs in moldy basements. They are all stories waiting to be rediscovered.

During Halloween, these haunted places come back into fashion for a week or so. Even if fabricated and not true vintage. But they draw audiences and interest for those of us eager to find them. Here are a few that caught my eye. And a link to the page itself to share when you have some time.

Facebook: Abandoned Places 

 

 

 

 

 

Kukur Tihar Dog Festival

With the monumental loss of our Waylon just a day ago I was trying to find some worthy way of honoring him. Sometimes life, or in this case death, is serendipitous and leads us to an unusual destination.

I stumbled onto a post about this incredible Hindu Dog Festival from Nepal that occurs every year in late October or November. It is based in ancient folklore that is incredible in the sense of a journey of 5 Gods into Heaven as they climb the Himalayas. They all perish except Yudhishthira and his loyal dog. The King of Gods tells him he may enter - only if he leaves his dog behind. He refuses and returns to earth and as a result the dog disappears and is taken from him. Thus this festival of Kukur Tihal celebrates dogs to please Yama, the God of Death for the sacrifice of their lives. 

For the festival, dogs are elevated to hero status for the day. Dogs are given flower garlands around their necks and fed lavish amounts of meat, milk and eggs. The dogs are bathed and their faces smudged with tilaka which are bright colored powders of rice and yogurt. All dogs are honored whether pets, strays or military animals. Recently it has turned into a large day of charity for shelters in Nepal, Mexico and Australia. I am very curious as to why it has not caught on in Western countries.

It will be on Nov. 3 this year in 2021 and I plan to celebrate our dear Waylon and remaining Rosie by celebrating their incredible human/ animal bond and the unconditional love they bring to us daily.

 

Drum Corps is Alive and Thriving

Most of you know that drum corps has been a vital part of my life since childhood. Many of you have witnessed it in some form with me. But I am thinking very few of you really understand what the 2021 season has meant to us all.

I just watched watched the final show of the season tonight on a television screen streamed live from Indy. But there was such incredible energy coming out of that stadium that it was evident even on camera. The activity has been defunct for 2 years now, so getting it back on its feet was no easy task. I thought it was fitting that they did not call it a Championship this year, but a Celebration.

 

Last year was painful like so much else during the pandemic. Corps start their rehearsals and process in the Fall. So by the time major decisions were being made and everything came to a screeching halt, most units had already built the foundation for a season that had to be scrapped. It was not like fortunate athletic programs that forged on regardless of safety or protocols. There were disappointed age-outs that would never get the chance to march a final season. Staffs that did not get paid. And of course a few organizations that could not withstand the financial hit. Many resurfaced this summer, while others are chose to take the year off again and offer up some sort of summer activity to hopefully keep members interested while Boards drum up a cash flow.

But coming into 2021, much was still in flux. It was not until Spring that DCI decided to put some sort of season into the mix. Of course with hesitation, knowing that the plug could be pulled at any time. This threw the ball back at the corps who had to make haste decisions about what they could feasibly put together in a shorter amount of time, and how to pay for it. What came to fruition was a shorter calendar. Instead of a 10 week tour, it was limited to a mere 2 1/2 weeks including the final Celebration back in Indy. As corps made tour schedules, they found it was easier to go back to the old standard of "local circuits" where units would stay in their relative home Regions the entire time and eventually all meet up for the final 3 shows. The other huge change was eliminating the element of judging and competition. No scores, only performing for audience appeal in smaller stadiums.

 

What I found very interesting, was what formulas some of the units chose. I would say half opted for simpler programs that could be learned in shorter camps that did not even begin until July - 2 mos later. The activity has grown so much intellectually and artistically in the last decade. Now we were back to traditional programs that relied on old chestnut tunes, several classic uniforms pulled from the trailers and gone were most of the props on the field, reverting to a plain green football field. Only 3 of the Open class corps felt they could afford and take the risk of touring; 2 from the Midwest and 1 from California. And most surprising - three of the biggest champions chose to not participate at all. They had a modified program that produced a video performance that was partial live and mostly editing and post production. A handful chose to take on a full field show that may have had moxy but never quite arrived in terms of member confidence. I cannot even imagine the hurdles to pay for the actual touring. Corps usually rely on performance fees for their budget. With only 10-12 shows for an entire season, that does not amount to much. Souvie profits have to be less since there are less paying audiences. I know alumni had to up the ante on everything from helping out with member dues to covering meal costs over the summer. DCI adopted the bubble concept like professional sports. Corps were isolated the entire summer. No family meeting in the parking lot after a show. No coming onto the field to speak to staff. No parking lot jams in the lot where corps could watch each other. They came from their practice site, warmed up, performed, then hopped right back on the bus back to their housing site. So the only real connection they got was the short 15 minutes on a field under the lights in front of a crowd.

I do know from judging summer parades and a DCA show virtually, that the bar and expectations were somewhat lowered. We were told be to thankful that members were able to participate at all and that the activity was going to need time to bounce back. I saw this at the end of July when clips from corps started to emerge. Members looked so young. They were lacking both confidence and experience. Design choices were questionable on more than a few units as they figured out a game plan.

 

But I am beyond impressed with the end result. Yes, there were some very ugly uniform choices and some musical arrangements were pretty cheesy or predictable. But what a marriage of teaching staff and members. Units were spot on and somehow made up for the 8 weeks of the season they missed. I loved the close-ups of their faces on screen. Joy, Determination, Accomplishment, Fierceness. I saw so many boundaries being broken. Certainly my alma mater Madison Scouts making a triumphant return as a co-ed corps, proving they had lost none of their mojo and are even stronger than last seen. Stories like the Academy from Tempe that suffered such a heat spell that they sent members home from camp in June for a 4 week leave. They canceled their entire tour, but came back to learn a show in 14 days and then performed it only 3 times at the Finals in Indy. Talk about heart and work ethic. Women are everywhere in the ranks now. Out of the 20+ corps I think 90% had female drum majors! And also women filling the drum lines and horn features which has never been seen. No longer did it feel like an activity for rich white kids. There seemed to be tons of representation in all units across the board. And of course the major contenders like Bluecoats and Boston Crusaders upped the ante with massive, complex shows that would have won them a title in any single year other than this one.

Everyone made a very strong statement and I cannot wait to see what a year brings. For those that made the push and for those hoping for the comeback next year as well. Fantastic!

Sunset Selfies

A trend that has been going viral for the last few years is to pass out a cardboard cutout or icon and have friends take social media photos of it as it tracks it way around the country - or the globe. I know my sister is doing this with an avatar of herself and tracking it for the students at her local library where she is the director.

I guess my take on it over the last decade is geocaching where we set trackables off into the world by hiding them in hidden caches along roadsides or in the woods. I see all of these as a way to find an audience far from home and get a glimpse into just how big the world is.

This is similar, but with a much more creative slant. The Mind Circle is great at featuring these off-the-beaten-path forays into art. Jon Marshall is a writer/ filmmaker, so it is no surprise that he bridges his creative skills into photography with a bit of magic as well. His "gig" is getting very clever with two dimensional cardboard and then uses the beauty of sunset lighting and a touch of Photoshop to make astonishing portraits of himself. Part of his creative writing comes into play as he captions the shots as well on his posts. His choice of perspective as well as setting is pretty spectacular. 

These are perfect for these Dog Days of Summer with seemingly endless heat and gorgeous sunsets when we are lucky enough to see them. Here are a handful of my favorites. His platform of choice continues to be Facebook where you can see his real face as well.

Jon Marshall: SunsetSelfies

 

Beefcake or Cheesecake?

I am pretty comfortable with the concept of Sexy - certainly how I see things. The idea of Beauty gets confusing for me. How it is marketed and how all of us collectively try to balance our image vs what others see of us. Where I get really lost, is on the concept of Beauty Pageants. You get a prize for how "pretty" you are. This is not limited to the female pageants, but also the array of everything from Bodybuilding to Drag Queens as well. This objectification of a perfect body by our Western standards of civilization totally messes with all our egos. It has created an enormous industry of beauty products that used to be exclusively for women - no more. And plastic surgery is now a common procedure even if not medically necessary.

And yet I am one of the first to tap into a handsome figure in a Pin-up Calendar of Firemen with puppies or the latest Marvel Universe adventure with a hunky Chris Evans. Thus, a dilemma which makes me a hypocrite.

So when I stumbled onto this studio series 2 years ago, it was something I could enjoy with a guilty pleasure of satire and parody. David Talaski took some of his favorite Super Heroes and reimagined them in drawings that are in the style of old 50's cheeky boudoir shots ala Vargas. He takes their magnified physical traits and a hint of their superpowers, then turns them tongue in cheek. You get both a giggle and a raised brow at the same time. I believe he made a killing with them in everything from Tee shirts to greeting cards. I am sure he targeted the gay market which ate them like hotcakes.

Here are my classics without apology. If you want to see more... 

David Talaski; Instagram

Captain America @ Chris Evans

Loki @ Tom Hiddleston

Green Lantern @ Ryan Reynolds

Thor @ Chris Hemsworth

The Incredible Hulk

Splashing in the Water

 

With our hot summer heat wave upon us, I am again thankful for our Twin Cities Lakes at my disposal. My ritual of early evening swims has returned. At dusk I head over to a side street, throw a towel on the sandy beach and dive in to cool down my body. It is low-brow, hardly a luxury pool. The neighborhood is diverse and the water is already tepid warm from the streak of hot days. Already there is a stench from the algae bloom and the water is barely clear. But I am grateful nonetheless - not there to impress.

Photographer Christy Lee Rogers elevates this same "dip into a pool" to highbrow art. Modern digital photography and photo manipulation continues to amaze me. She uses a lit swimming pool as her canvas and then plays with her subjects as free floating costumed figures. By shooting at night and a slow shutter speed, it creates almost psychedelic effects. This highlighted exhibit was called Muses. Christy states that she was attempting to portray something that resembled a Baroque painting and I think she succeeds in capturing something truly ethereal. Sometimes even the bright colored oils of a John Singer Sargent portrait, whom I love.

Here are just a few samples of the collection which premiered back in 2018. Click on the link to see a larger selection of the works.

Christy Lee Roger's: Muses

 

 

Mothers in the Animal Kingdom

In honor of Mother's Day: Here is a collection of mothers from the Animal Kingdom. No matter what the species, they are always the original caregiver. From Day One they offer food and warmth. And from there come all the other gifts of love, attention and nurturing among others.

 

These are a collage of images grabbed off a social media post. I am sure there are countless others which capture similar moments. I just find them unique in the immediate and intimate connections. It doesn't matter if gorillas, a baby elephant or a tender little owl. You can tell there is a bond.

 

If your mother is still alive, remember that same bond connects you. Years may temper the connection, but it was there and strong in the early years regardless of where life has taken you both since. Happy Mother's Day.