Posts Tagged ‘downtown las vegas’

This Saturday morning, I’m scheduled to give a presentation at Design Drip, a monthly gathering of creative types at The Beat inside Emergency Arts in downtown Las Vegas. While I appreciate being invited to speak at events — or classrooms, or conventions, or whatever — I’m actually terribly uncomfortable doing so, or at least in my own head.

I know that’s kind of surprising, given how much I put myself out there in public, how chatty my friends know I can get, and how long I’ve been doing live performance. And I’m sure I do fine once I’m up there, because I seem to have maintained a career requiring leading meetings and appearing competent. But at least in the preparation for such things, I get really worked up over the details and probably over-think things.

Take, for example, my “DJ set” a few nights ago at Artifice Bar’s weekly “So You Think You Can DJ” competition. Despite the fact that I’d be in one of my favorite places, “competing” against friends, and surrounded by people who I knew and mostly loved, I was terribly anxious about putting my musical selection (defined by the evening’s theme, “songs to get down and dirty to”) out there for public consideration/ridicule. Of course, those hours and days spent agonizing over and re-working my half hour of shagging music really didn’t matter by the time I plugged in my laptop at the DJ booth — everything went swimmingly, I did not get booed off, and people even danced/made out to my set. But in my head, up until that moment (and a drink or two), I was surely destined to fail.

The combination of being a little obsessive about excelling at everything I do, dwelling too much on public perception of me, and always having a “little kid” complex about my own self-perception (seriously, I am 35 years old and always feel like the teenage runt in the room) would be a potent danger to my entire success as a functioning adult, except that all of it is underpinned by an inflated sense of self that ultimately trumps everything and brings to you the overconfident buffoon you normally see dropping his pants at local bars for everyone’s enjoyment and amusement.

Hmm. All that said, you should probably come to this Design Drip thing Saturday morning. I mean, not only will you get to see me either succeed or fail in talking about whatever nonsense to which I finally boil down my presentation (right now, it’s a long ramble about how awesome I am, of course), but you can also network with, learn from, and bounce ideas off some really cool, innovative people.

Remember “Sugarhook,” the short film I co-wrote/co-directed/co-produced with my team Mechanical Cow Productions for this year’s 48 Hour Film Festival? Want to see it on the (relatively larger than in your living room) screen again? For the first time? At a (admittedly small) film festival? Hell, son, your wish is my command. Or, more accurately, Theatre7′s command.

This Wednesday, Sept. 7, at downtown’s favorite (and only) cinema dedicated to 100 percent independent filmmaking, Theatre7 (1406 S. Third St.) will host the first of two nights of the Neon Reverb Film Festival, itself just a slice of the larger Neon Reverb Festival, which used to be just a weekend of rad live music, but is now a week-long celebration of theater, comedy, art, poetry and, yeah, music too. Starting at 7 p.m., the evening of film will include a series of music-themed shorts (including the aforementioned “Sugarhook”) leading up to the feature documentary, “Unauthorized: The Story of Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics.”

This is doubly exciting for me. First, it’s the first non-48 Hour festival in which “Sugarhook” is being screened, even if it is a small, local one. And secondly, I grew up reading “Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics.” The series, published by Revolutionary Comics, published unauthorized biographies of musicians and groups, and drew particular ire (and lawsuits) from such diverse acts as New Kids on the Block and Guns ‘N Roses. I still have (I believe) my copies of the Guns ‘N Roses issue (seventh printing, maybe?) and the Rolling Stones issue. The information I learned from reading the GNR bio helped me win a radio trivia contest once, so yeah, watching a doc about the publisher (and its owner’s murder!) is cool enough, but having my film open for it? Doubly rad.

Anyway, I know it’s kind-of short notice (long weekend and I just confirmed the date today), but if you have $7 and nothing better to do Wednesday night, join me at Theatre7 for some popcorn and rock ‘n’ roll (on DVD). It’ll be a blast.

Want a perfectly good excuse to check out the Arts District’s newest lounge while supporting a terrific cause? Then you’ll want to buy tickets now for the First Friday Las Vegas Summer Fundraiser being held this Thursday, June 23 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Lady Silvia (900 S. Las Vegas Blvd. on first floor of SoHo Lofts).

For only $20 (in advance), you’ll get complimentary “signature” cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while bidding on great art and gift packages donated by local artists and businesses, with all proceeds benefiting Whirlygig, Inc., the nonprofit organization that puts on the monthly First Friday art walk and street festival.

Say what you will about First Friday — there’s ongoing debate about its growth from an art-oriented event to a giant street party — but there is no denying that month after month, no other single force draws SO MANY bodies into the Arts District at one time to enjoy live music, patronize businesses and get out of the suburbs. Whether or not actual art is selling in galleries on that night is irrelevant (but it is, at least out of my wallet!). The mere fact that tens of thousands of people flood the streets around Main Street and Charleston Boulevard for hours on end every First Friday has enabled more and more businesses to open, draw new fans and thrive in the days and evenings between events, and that is something that would not have happened if not for the success of First Friday.

But as someone who has known the hard-working (and oft-maligned) organizers of the event for a long time, I can say if you’ve even attended First Friday once, you’ve reaped the benefits of a lot of others’ sacrifices for the cost of almost nothing, and much like consuming all that public radio programming for “free,” this is the perfect opportunity to give back and say “thanks.” I’ll be there, likely bidding on more art I don’t have room for, so come down and have a cocktail with me. The drunker we get, the higher we’ll bid.

I’ve been hinting at what’s been occupying most of my time the last two weeks here, but overtly giving peeks at it on Facebook, however, I haven’t completely revealed just what the heck I did in the windows of the Contemporary Arts Center until now. OK, technically the art installation itself was revealed to the public Thursday, when I put the finishing touch on it. But I haven’t really explained what the heck is going on.

Basically, the CAC separately curates its large, front window display facing Charleston Boulevard separately from the exhibits running inside the gallery. These “East Side Projects” essentially let an artist use the entire display to execute his or her vision. I was asked by the CAC board if I’d be interested in doing something with the window for March related to my comic book work, specifically The Utopian. I was honored, of course, but a bit apprehensive. After all, I’ve only had a few little piece of “art” shown in a few group shows, and had never done anything on the scale of filling a 22-foot-wide space, especially one that would be viewable 24 hours a day on one of the busiest thoroughfares in Las Vegas. Also, I didn’t want it to be (nor did the CAC) want it to be an overt ad for The Utopian, but I did know what I wanted it to be: fun, colorful and representative of my illustration style.

The concept I ended up developing was the effect of a passerby looking at life-sized comic book panels. I wanted to get across a few of the major themes of The Utopian, including the tendency to render the past with overly nostalgic eyes, and of course, the message of real change coming from the group up — something extremely relevant in light of the uprisings in Iran, Egypt, Bahrain and elsewhere. To my surprise, the initial designs I submitted — a combination of art and text culled from or inspired by the original comics — were accepted wholeheartedly, which left me to figure out just how I’d fabricate all the parts of this giant diorama.

There were three major elements to this installation: The two different backgrounds, the “stand-up” characters, and the foreground lettering (speech balloons and captions). It became almost more like set design. After initially considering producing everything digitally and printing in large format (which would have cost much, much more than the approximately $200 I poured into this project), I ended up doing everything by hand. The back walls — one a forced “exterior” perspective, one a high school hallway — were hand-painted with a combo of house paints and  acrylics. The stand-ups (four of them) were drawn onto and cut out of 5-foot-tall foam board, painted with  acrylics and outlined with a Sharpie. I created stands from left-over foam board. The lettering was done (poorly) by hand on poster board, and then suspended from the rafters with clear thread. Other elements were also created on the cheap, such as the “PRINCIPAL” door plate (white adhesive letters on black foam board) and a homecoming poster.

It took me about three days to paint the backgrounds and a day and a half to cut and paint the stand-ups.  Installation of the stand-ups and hanging elements took another day and a half. I did it all myself, with some last-minute assistance from Sara.

Feedback so far has been very kind. I personally think it turned out just “OK.” Of course, you lose a lot going from a perfectly controlled digital design to a real-life environment. But the effect is there. And it definitely brings attention to the CAC’s windows. If you get a chance over the next few weeks, swing by the Arts Factory and check it out.

The boys are back in town. Actually, we didn’t quite leave town. But it has been since November that the band in which I bang on drums, As Yet Unbroken, has graced a stage to perform live. If you follow us on Facebook (and, um, you should), you’d know that’s because we’ve been hunkering down in my home studio, recording new (and old) songs for our forthcoming debut album. But we’re venturing back into the Las Vegas live music scene for one night because we were asked to play a benefit show for the non-profit co-op preschool our lead singer’s kid attends, and aside from being a good cause, it gives us an excuse to stretch our musical muscles once again.

So it would be lovely to see your faces at Las Vegas Country Saloon (425 Fremont St., above Mickey Finnz) at 8 p.m. this Thursday, Feb. 24 as we join fellow local bands Pigasus and Viva Valhalla for a night of fund-raising rock ‘n’ roll. If you’re over 21, you’re in like Flynn, and there’s technically no cover charge, but of course, any donation amount for Kids’ Co-Op is appreciated. We’re going to be playing new stuff, old favorites and maybe even toss in a surprise or two, so come on down. It’s a school night, yes, but it shouldn’t be too late for you sensitive types.

Hmm. Those are a lot of numbers in that blog title.

A few months ago, As Yet Unbroken was invited to perform at the opening reception for a group art show at Studio 8 Ten. I’d heard the name of this place before, but had no idea what it was. So, not wanting to just show up with my drums ignorantly, I did a little research, and discovered that Studio 8 Ten is the public venue for Transition Services, Inc., which provides employment opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities.

It was cool that I could help out such a noble venture by providing a loud soundtrack for the art show, but after getting to know the staff and employees a bit, I wondered why more people didn’t know about this place. And when it was brought to my attention that not only was Transition Services launching a new venture (Circles magazine), but also had a holiday open house planned, I figured it was a good time to shed some light on the little shop. Thankfully, my editors at Vegas Seven agreed, and so we have today’s article all about Studio 8 Ten.

Even as you’re reading this, I’m probably checking out the open house there. If you still have last-minute Christmas shopping to do, why not stop by 810 Las Vegas Blvd. S. this week and buy some locally produced, handmade gifts? Why not indeed!

Discussing the art and business of self-publishing with Keith Knight and Ryan Claytor. (Photo by Katrina Miller)

Well, I did it. I broke myself. I kind of knew it would happen, but I was hoping it wouldn’t: I managed to pull through the last few weeks of whirlwind activity and then my body finally gave out upon waking Sunday morning. It’s my usual change-of-season cold (because, of course, the temperature dropped drastically on Sunday as well), but I’m sure it also had something to do with the self-abuse of this past weekend’s shenanigans. But everything went spectacularly well, and despite the stress, it was about as fun as it comes.

Friday — after running around all day with last-minute prep for the weekend’s festivities — we opened the “Inside the Boneyard” original art exhibit at Blackbird Studios during First Friday. It was also the first chance anyone had to get their hands on a physical copy of Tales from the Boneyard. The turnout was great, both for our show, and for the Day of the Dead exhibit in the front of the gallery (in which I also have a terrible piece of art). We sold a bunch of comics, and I sold at least a few pieces of original art. Very exciting! Both shows will be on display through the end of November, so I suggest you waste no time and head to 1551 S. Commerce St. to check them out!

I cut out of the reception early to run over to the Double Down Saloon (OK, so I drove, whatever) to talk comics, music and other shenanigans on Double Down Radio. It’s a pretty impressive set-up they have over there. I expected one dude with a laptop and Radio Shack microphone. But there are actually producers, hosts, call-in lines and all sorts of other fancy broadcasting things going on. Of course, it’s all done while downing shots and beer, but still, impressive. Self-described Star Wars fanatic Dave Prophet hosts the Friday night live shows, and I had a great time just hanging out and talking smack. If you want to hear the program, you can get the full, two-hour episode here, though I don’t come on until about 1:21 (that’s an hour twenty-one).

Saturday morning was a bit of a rough start, as the Double Down was not my last stop the night before, and it got rougher when I failed to find an envelope holding about $125 in petty cash I needed for the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival, where I needed to be set-up by about 10 a.m. Thankfully, because of sales the previous night at the gallery reception, there was enough cash in that box to get through the day, but misplacing that much cash wasn’t happy news either way (it eventually turned up, two days later).

The festival itself was awesome. We sold copies of Tales from the Boneyard like gangbusters — a feat I owe a lot of credit to the supportive local press, who have been promoting the anthology for almost two months — and my other Pop! Goes the Icon titles didn’t sell too shabbily either. I also sat on my first convention-style panel, a self-publishing discussion with the great Keith Knight and Ryan Claytor. The room was packed, and we must have talked for well over an hour, mostly answering dozens of questions from the crowd.

This year’s festival was packed with people, and felt way too short. I mean, it’s only five hours anyway, but those five hours went by insanely fast. Last year’s event was good, too, but I recall having a few more periods of downtime. Of course, I didn’t have two tables to run or panels on which to sit. It was great to connect with so many people, and I predict next year’s event will just be even more fun.

There was little time to breathe in between the end of the festival (from which I departed at 5 p.m.) and band rehearsal at 6 p.m. It was the first time we were able to practice with our singer Tim in almost a month, and also the first time he’d performed with our former/temporary guitarist Rick in more than a year. But Rick, Mark and I had been practicing nearly every other day, and Tim jumped right into the mix. We blazed through our set relatively error-free, and packed up to head for Brass Lounge downtown, where we were playing the release party for both the Boneyard comic and Dead Neon: Tales from Near-Future Las Vegas.

Despite fears that we’d clear out the room of Saturday night revelers whom Kirby Krackle (which was just a solo, acoustic Kyle Stevens) warmed up, getting them dancing, our performance actually went really well — maybe the best in years. I don’t know if it was Rick’s (temporary) return, the energy of the crowd, the free drinks, or what, but people were actually dancing to our rock-metal-punk attack, and inexplicably cheering. Of course, that was nothing compared to our follow-up act, Jarret Keene’s Dead Neon, which was the obvious main draw of the night. The trio’s post-apocalyptic sludge metal was strangely hypnotic, infectious and grooving, and some hardcore fans were actually hanging on every growling word from Jarret’s mouth.

The final band of the night, 11K, featured a few members from Dead Neon, but its sound was more indie-dream-rock than death metal. Still, it’s a shame so many people left after Dead Neon finished, because 11K put on a great set, and I was kind of sad to learn the band only reunited for that night’s performance (most of the same line-up appears in Minor Suns, who was supposed to play originally).

All in all, it was a good night. We sold a few more copies of Boneyard, and hopefully impressed the booking agent at Brass to invite As Yet Unbroken to perform in the future. Of course, we’re at another crux, as our full-time guitarist parted ways with the band a few weeks ago (hence Rick’s pinch-hitting appearance). Much as we did about this time last year, we’ll probably focus on recording before diving back into the search for a new guitar player. Or, you know, just build a guitar-playing robot. Hmm …

I’m taking it relatively easy this week, though this mild cold I have is also kind of forcing me to do so. I’ve been trying to plug away at my NaNoWriMo entry, but apparently, I’m a slow writer. Also: Brain borked the last few days. I do have one event to attend this week, but I’ll talk about that more tomorrow. Back to my headache and work …