#lack of support in Baltimore art scene

[thecoroutfitters]

Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.

Many aspects of the Modern Minuteman toolbox apply to preparedness in general, however personal and small-scale or widespread and earth shaking our pet disasters may be. As with overall preparedness, our exact situation and our expectations of disaster scenarios affects what we prioritize for our finite time and attention.

Last time, I concentrated on an “early/now” frame for prioritizing a handful of commonly recommended skills. This time, I’m actually taking the “at all” perspective, be it amped-up community watches, riot control, or some NWO-EROL situation we’re gearing up to oppose.

As always, opposing opinions are welcome. The more perspectives available, the better everyone is able to make their own decisions.

Gauge Community Climate

Absolutely and emphatically, yes.  

Heaven help me, I recently found myself agreeing with Nancy Pelosi. A group of students approached her in her office to express their displeasure in her lack of support for an AOC environmental bill. Her reply was essentially that stupid to waste time on something with absolutely zero chance of passing.

That was a fair enough point on its own, and speaks directly to taking the pulse of a population.

Even more so was a nugget that made fewer news sites in the following days: The belief that trying to push too-extreme an agenda – however much she personally might agree with it – was worse than doing nothing at all. It would only further ruffle feathers, making things harder to achieve the next time around.

I’m no more fan of politicians than the next, but the ability to accurately predict and read the masses is something that we do need to be aware of if we have any interest whatsoever in being a citizen soldier.

What the community will stand and what they won’t is the bedrock of insurgency and resistance movements.

What they will and won’t stand in good times, versus crux moments and tragedy, historically makes or breaks those movements, as well as the hold over a community by a commanding force – whether that’s a large, visible government with policing agents and military, or the behind-the-scenes types large and small. 

It applies to anticipating and either preventing or responding to something like a riot or demonstration, as well as guerrilla actions against occupations and undermining strongholds of loyalists for either/any faction.

Large scale, long-term or single-event short-term, we have to be able to gauge the mood of the mob and the climate of our communities, and our reactions have to come from a complete tool set – not just picking today’s hammer.

If we can’t, our chances of success are downright nil.

Denial & Disruption

Most emphatically, yes.

Riot control on sidewalks or countering the jackboot takeover, we want to be able to deny our enemy intel and assets, and disrupt their way of doing business (and ability to relax).

That can take all sorts of forms – and has, throughout history.

Interdiction and harassment take so many forms, it really rates its own set of articles even to nutshell the tactics and techniques employed by insurgency and resistance in guerrilla operations, community and large-force counters to guerilla operations, and even law enforcement and IT deterrents large and small, and internal policing by law enforcement and militaries and even lowly little small-business operations, as well as force-on-force operations from pre-tech eras to modern times.

On the larger scales, it involves all sorts of supply and travel disruptions, misinformation/counter-intel, harassing fire, false flags, etc.

Many of those can also be applied on the smallest of scales – even interpersonal conflict and self-defense situations – employing different techniques to the same theories, or adapting techniques to fit conditions.

Again, though, we really want to mind the effects on and reactions of our internal and closest-ties allies (family, coworkers, partners), the near neighbors, and the community at large, as well as our opposition and the reactions of their varying rings of influence.

Wilderness & Military Camp Setup

Yes, absolutely – anywhere.

Site development and placement of elements – modern or long past – have a lot of aspects that apply to preparedness in general, even “just” getting through a hurricane and “just” setting up our homes for everyday functional efficiency and security.

The same aspects keep them relevant to a modern minuteman intending to defend storefronts or residential communities from riots as well as the prepper who anticipates infantry-like service defending freedom.  

Positioning for ready communication, rapid responses, protection of key elements, LOS, external observation points, latrines/sanitation, deployment outside the wire and-or green zones, individual safety and incoming-fire cover, fire safety, supply distribution, and awareness of known effective ranges by position and armament all factor in.

They apply equally to both the able-bodied foot soldier and to the physically limited watchman or rear-echelon non-combatant, whatever the situation, however big or small the location.

*Think that one through, and consider our daily nothing-wrong lifestyles – It really does resonate everywhere, from where our smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are, to aggravations or eases when we grocery shop, bathe dogs, do laundry, file and maintain paperwork, coordinate with family and coworkers, get to and from our chores and recreations, etc. We don’t have to be totally paranoid or OCD to start seeing typical trends in non-prepper, non-minuteman sources for safety/protection and efficiency.

Camo & Concealment

Meh.

Really, it’s situationally dependent.

For most of the scenarios we can list off, from protecting our corner of Baltimore or Koreatown to taking our turn as the insurgents – or countering them, or splinter cells of a larger force – unless you’re a sniper operating from the woods, mostly, “meh” leaning “well, nah”.

Flip side: Oh hell yeah, because camo and concealment isn’t always green and tan splotches of paint or fabric.

Camo and concealment is a suit or slacks and a briefcase in a courthouse, yoga pants and a light bag at the park, a “normal” passenger vehicle instead of an off-road rock-climbing mudder or Humvee on the average street, high-vis vests with dirty pants on a road crew with their bucket or tool box/bag, and scuffed up boots on a farm hand.

That camo and concealment extends to mixing up travel patterns to avoid breaking foliage and creating “deer trails”, being able to slip out of a location without observation, and presenting the appearance of following habitual movements and activities while deviating from the norm.

It’s also developing the control to watch our mouths and non-verbals rather than fight every battle that comes our way and picking every hill as our hill to die on. (Return to Nancy Pelosi above to make that an even uglier pill to swallow.)

And, yeah, in a few situations, it’s being able to become a rock on the hill or another tuft of brush, but unless we’re evading birds or sniper hunters, mostly breaking up our outlines isn’t too hard and doesn’t always require paint or cammies.

Hand-to-Hand Combat

Yes and no.

Don’t get me wrong. Self-defense capabilities are great to have, period. It’s not like this world has ever been totally safe, or like it’s getting any crazier.

However you want to apply it, keep in mind how often we see 2-5 cops or foreign militias trying to wrestle a bad guy into cuffs or move them after arrest, and weigh how much training and daily practice they get, versus our ability to invest time and money into training.

Our expectations of the bad guy we’ll be encountering, and how we’re deploying also factor in pretty hugely.

If we’re countering a significant force, whether it’s widespread jackboots and organized invaders or forces that have the benefit of protective gear, our chances of success are much lower.

Similarly, our chances against servicemen from one of the nations that focus significant continuing training time on some pretty gnarly martial arts, knife work, and batons … not so hot.

There are exploits for hand-to-hand combat even against somebody wearing body armor groin to neck, face shields and helmets, and knee pads. We just have to be realistic about whether we’re going to personally stand a chance with our available investment capabilities, or if we want to focus instead on something else.

Learn some basics that fit your physical condition for everyday encounters, but don’t break the bank on this one.

Instead, for minuteman purposes develop awareness, de-escalation, and evasion skills as well as Gray Man presentation.

Also work reflex drills, ankle-knee lateral and start-stop strength (or chair skills), and balance exercises – especially for people who are limited in some way by age, injury, or genetic luck of the draw.

Urban or rural, footing can be iffy. The better able we are to compensate for shifting terrain, curbs, bumps, and slips, and the better able we are to change direction on a dime, the better chance we stand of staying in the fight, whatever the scenario we imagine.

Modern Minuteman Skillsets

Most likely, the term “Modern Minuteman” brings a certain image to our heads. And, most likely, any 2-20 of us would describe very different images – particularly as the most likely and most common potential for a modern minuteman to deploy.

Because we have very different situations and needs, with very different scenarios in mind and very different capabilities due to our physical shape and local environment, the skills we are most likely to need are going to vary.

Some, though, are pretty universal. We can sometimes assign a value across the board, regardless of situation or scenario.

With any luck, somebody disagrees with these, or the matrix I apply at large, and presents points for discussion.

If not and until then, go find somebody who thinks “bah, PC community-pulse nonsense” or “moron, every soldier should fight with sticks”. Weigh the argument presented for those situations, and decide what does actually make sense for you. It’s only having multiple perspectives that really lets us prioritize, whether we’re picking out groceries or putting together our minuteman to-do list.

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The post Modern Minuteman – Yes-No-Maybe Skillsets Vol. 2 appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[docscastlemedia]

Doc’s Castle Media had the opportunity to leave our regularly scheduled program to experience something we’re very familiar with outside of our comfort zone last weekend. Doc attended a hip-hop showcase in New York City, and there’s so much to be mentioned about why my experience out of town is worthy of being shared with Baltimore city hip-hop heads.

The Inauguration Concert was hosted my Rockview Entertainment, an independent entertainment group in NYC that specializes in the branding of New York City music artists. Taina and Jus Write are two New York artist of the brand’s roster that came to the showcase that evening. A majority of the Rockview Entertainment events feature local talent from all over NYC. But some artists travel from farther distances to perform. As a part of the entourage for Baltimore recording artist Jae Duckett, I came to work my talent covering the event by taking photos and experiencing the essence of the show. We came with a total of 9 people. All of us bearing cameras and media equipment in support Jae. We did this to show the people of the big apple how we roll. We go hard for Baltimore. But do we really?

I wasn’t the only media present at the Inauguration Concert. There were three internet radio shows present; Lyve Lyfe Radio, WVMR, and Baltimore’s own Strong Way Radio. But what took the icing on the cake was Shani Kulture from Hot 97 dropping by in full support of the showcase, as well.

Shani Kulture of Hot 97

Shani Kulture delivered a message of positivity that was well needed. He encouraged each and every artist’s’ passion for what they do. Coming from someone currently working in mainstream media with large notoriety, encouragement felt like it had come spewing from the fountain of youth. There’s no doubt admiration was projected at it’s finest from prospective talent in the audience that night.

The evening was full of energy and driven individuals. Simply off the atmosphere alone, you’d feel good about what you’re apart of, which is why I needed to write about this particular showcase for Doc’s Castle Media.

Where are these type of shows in Baltimore that have this energy?

Not to knock Baltimore too much, there are plenty of notable showcases and shows that receive a good amount of support from locals; like TheMixx Festival hosted by DTLR and The 2nd Anniversary of Baltimore Beat Club hosted by The Lineup Room. We even have shows like Baltimore Crown Awards that celebrate the successes of artists striving to share their passions in the city. But there are many shows that are “ghost,” without even a handful of spectators insight. Baltimore lacks the artist at the shows showing brotherly genuine support. I always ask why is it this way?

If Baltimore could take just a pinch of energy felt that night at the Inauguration Concert, I’d know it’d be another proud moment and a step forward towards the #NewBaltimore that we idolize in 2014 when there was buzz in the atmosphere of a new generation of artists changing how we celebrate indie artists in Baltimore.  If we gained the energy felt during the Rockview Ent. show, we might actually have a chance to climb out of the barrels this city seems to be too familiar with.

If I were to suggest some things that happened in New York that Baltimore artists should invest in doing, there wouldn’t be much I’d need to share. Simply to show up and show out for your friends is all that’s needed to be done.

Each artist in the building that night came with an entourage of supportive friends. Similar to attending a high energy sporting event, all friends cheered on their artist like no other. The night started off with each group of friends showing love solely for who they came for. But by the end of the night, the love shown spread into a huge circle of love. Everyone became one, with the help of the evening’s special guest Shani Kulture encouraging everyone to support all of their peers. He reminded the audience that performing in front of strangers isn’t easy. These artists had the courage to entertain the room. Shani basically told us to show our respect and listen to them.

Maybe artists in Baltimore don’t understand that concept of support at all. We ask our friends to come to our shows and end up partying with strangers. Every time we get to a point when we feel like we’re crawling away from the barrel of constant hate, we get pulled back in by those who are the closest to us. Trying to gain support in Baltimore is a never ending battle familiar to anyone who wants to pursue a dream.

“We are better off moving to another state to get ahead,” says a majority of dreamers spotted in the Baltimore arts scene. They say it as if other cities, like Atlanta, GA, and Los Angeles, are the chosen “mecca” lands, getaway places for serenity and peace, for their passions and talents.

This is not so if we’d just support everyone where we are.

Otherwise, my surroundings in NYC made me hopeful to see a concert like the Inauguration Concert replicated in my hometown. There were enough Baltimore natives there to experience the night’s vibes. Hopefully, those people can spread its essence somehow, or maybe I could be reaching.

Check out more from the night in the gallery below.

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Why do you think Baltimore artist struggle to gain support from their peers? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Did you catch the visuals for Boutzie’s Intoxico? Watch the music video for Intoxico feature Flu_x and Jimmy Apoet on Doc’s Castle Media.

Rockview Entertainment Presents the Inauguration Concert in Queens, NY (What Indie Support Should Look Like) Doc's Castle Media had the opportunity to leave our regularly scheduled program to experience something we’re very familiar with outside of our comfort zone last weekend.

[italianartsociety]

By: Amy Fredrickson 

The illuminator and painter Zanobi di Benedetto di Caroccio degli Strozzi was born into one of the largest and wealthiest families in Florence on 17 November 1412, although during his lifetime the Strozzi family would lose their battle for supremacy of Florence to the Medici. While Zanobi was primarily active as an illuminator, he also produced both private devotional works and altarpieces.

Zanobi, along with his older brother Francesco and sister Maddalena, were orphaned when he was fifteen. There is a lack of documentation regarding his early life, but tax records prove that between 1427 and 1430 he was living with the illuminator Battista di Biagio Sanguigni (1393-1451) in nearby Fiesole. Due to his aristocratic status, he began his training privately with Sanguigni, rather than an apprenticeship in a workshop. Sanguigni and Zanobi collaborated on several projects. The artists remained close, and in 1432 Sanguigni helped pay Maddalena’s dowry when she entered the Augustinian convent of San Gaggio. In total, the duo lived together for between eight and eleven years. Zanobi provided his tutor with financial support for another fourteen years. He also provided provisions and wine, and he even deeded the Strozzi property in Palaiuola to Sanguigni in 1446 when Zanobi moved back to Florence with his wife Nanna di Francesco Strozzi. Sanguigni continued to live in Palaiuola until his death in 1451 when the property reverted back to Zanobi’s brother, Francesco Strozzi. 

Due to their close working relationship, Sanguigni and Zanobi have rather similar styles. In Fiesole, the duo connected with Fra Angelico, whom they met at San Domenico, where Fra Angelico was working at the time. In Lives, Vasari included Zanobi in the friar’s biography, claiming that Zanobi was a fervent follower.

Interestingly, due to the regulations of the Florentine guilds, an aristocrat could neither rule the city nor take an active part in politics. Consequently, Zanobi never registered with the Arte dei Medici e Speziali in Florence and was therefore unable to secure commissions under his own name; the majority of his works are collaborations.

When Zanobi arrived in Florence, he may have been a tenant in Pesellino’s workshop, as there are no documents that prove he purchased his own studio until several years later. Another possibility is that he entered some type of formal partnership with Pesellino (c.1422 - 1457). They worked on an altarpiece together, and the main panel is The Assumption of the Virgin located in the National Gallery of Art in Dublin. Scholars have proposed different ideas regarding how much each artist participated in this work. They also worked on an illumination of the Bellum Poenicum from 1446 to 1449.

Between 1446 and 1454, Zanobi collaborated with Filippo di Matteo Torelli on Cosimo de’ Medici’s commission for choir books for the church of San Marco. Fra Angelico reviewed the miniatures according to a document dated 2 May 1449. In 1460, shortly after finishing the choir books, the Medici also ordered an altarpiece for the church of San Girolamo in Fiesole, which was in proximity to their new Villa Medici. In 1463, he began another large commission to illuminate choir books for the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. For this project, he collaborated with Francesco di Antonio del Chierico. It took eleven years to finish these works, even with the help of an entire workshop. In fact, the workshop incorporated several notable Florentine artists, including Cosimo Rosselli and Domenico Ghirlandaio.

While he worked primarily as an illuminator, he left behind several paintings. Zanobi’s only signed work is an Annunciation (c. 1440-1445) for the church of San Miniato al Monte, now housed in the National Gallery, London. The Lanfredini family commissioned this work for their private chapel in San Miniato al Monte. Zanobi depicted a traditional scene with the Virgin seated in prayer and the angel Gabriel announcing that she will bear the Son of God. Above Gabriel he placed a dove to represent the Holy Spirit, and he incorporated the lily as an emblem of the Virgin’s purity and grace. He also included the Lanfredini family arms on the capitals of the columns in the painting, and he concealed his signature, “ZANOBI,” on the border of the Virgin's blue robe.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art also holds an Annunciation in its collection, which demonstrates Fra Angelico’s influence on Zanobi's iconographic choices. His decision to portray the angel Gabriel flying in on clouds is unconventional, yet while working in Fiesole, he may have seen Fra Angelico’s 1425 missal depicting Gabriel in the same manner. Additionally, in 1434, Fra Angelico depicted Gabriel in pink robes in an Annunciation for the convent of Santa Maria Novella. In this work, Gabriel's garb is a similar distinctive pink ensemble adorned with gold embroidery. The painting supports Vasari’s statement that Zanobi worked with Fra Angelico and had an impact on Zanobi’s paintings.

The artist died in his native Florence on 6 December 1468 and is buried in Santa Maria Novella. Zanobi is most remembered for his miniatures in illuminated manuscripts and is considered by some as one of the minor masters of his generation. 

References: 

D'Ancona, Mirella Levi. "Zanobi Strozzi Reconsidered," La Bibliofilía 61, no. 1, 1959, pp.1-38. 

Kanter, Laurence, "Battista di Biagio Sanguini and Zanobi Strozzi, " Fra Angelico, ed. Laurence Kanter and Pia Palladino, (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005).

Leader, Anne, The Badia of Florence, (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2012).

Little, Amanda, Florentine Villas in the Fifteenth Century: An Architectural and Social  History, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005).

Mayer Thurman, Christa C, Laurence B Kanter, Barbara Drake Boehm, Carl Brandon Strehlke, Gaudenz Freuler, and Pia Palladino, Painting And Illumination In Early Renaissance Florence, 1300-1450, (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1995).

Pope-Hennessy, John, The Robert Lehman Collection: Vol. 4, Illuminations, (New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997).

Strehlke, Carl Brandon, Italian Paintings 1250-1450 in The John G. Johnson Collection and The Philadelphia Museum Of Art, (University Park: Pennsylvania State Univ. Press, 2004).

Vasari, Giorgio, The Lives Of The Artists, ed. George Anthony Bull, (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1997). 

Images:

Book of Hours for the Use of Rome, c. 1445, Manuscript, 135 x 93 mm, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore.

The Annunciation, 1440-1445, Panel, 104.5 x 142 cm, The National Gallery of London. 

Madonna of Humility with Two Musician Angels, 1448-50, Panel, 84 x 57 cm, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan.

St Jerome Altarpiece, 1460s, Oil on wood, 220 x 261 cm, Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon. 

The Annunciation, c. 1453, Tempera and gold on panel, 37 x 30 cm, Museum of Art, Philadelphia.

Saints Cosmas and Damian Saved from Drowning, c. 1435, Tempera and gold on panel, 20 x 22 cm, Museo di San Marco, Florence.

Madonna and Child with Angels, c. 1434, Tempera and gold on panel, 138 x 127 cm, Museo di San Marco, Florence.

Gradual, 1450-55, Manuscript (Corale 3), Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence

[dawnfelagund]

Fandom Snowflake: Day 11

Here’s the day’s challenge:

Share a book/song/movie/tv show/fanwork/etc that changed your life.

I’m going to choose the Fellowship of the Ring movie. I feel like I’ve told this story about a billion times over the last twelve years, so I’ll use a cut to spare those of you who don’t want to hear one more time about how a literary snob came to become ginormously nerdy Silmarillion geek.

As Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls would have said: Picture it, Baltimore, 2001 ...

I was in a movie theater with Mr. Felagund--he wasn’t Mr. Felagund yet--and a trailer came on for Fellowship of the Ring.

I should backtrack a bit. I was a literary snob. I was an undergrad at a research university that was very self-consciously Serious. The school was known for its STEM programs, but I was a writing minor, and the writing minor was also Serious: one of those unsmiling programs where one exists to produce Art about Life, which is almost always privileged, upper-middle-class Life. I was once rebuked by the professor in a fiction class for writing a dystopian story set in the future. Because it was futuristic, that made it science fiction, which made it genre fiction, which made it unacceptable for my classmates to waste their time workshopping. Instead of discussing my story, my fifteen minutes of workshop time were spent bashing Dune. (Which is not a book I personally care for, but I’m not sure that insulting it was a better use of everyone’s time than discussing the story they’d all read and come prepared to discuss that day. I later won the argument that allowed me to include the story in my portfolio for the semester, but that lost workshop time was never something I got, or was offered, back.)

So that is the kind of writing I did and the kind of writer I fancied I was. The thing is that I was a huge nerd. Probably my first fandom was The Legend of Zelda--the NES one where you literally had to burn down every bush on the map to find all the entrances you needed to access--and my first fanworks were possibly cosplays with my sister in our bathrobes, using wrapping paper rolls as swords and acting out scenes we imagined our little pixellated characters enacting in Zelda. I adored horror fiction in my teens, always chose the video games where you got to explore and rescue something, and still feel this nostalgic sense of bliss when I open a book and find a map among its first pages. So I really was repressing a part of myself to be the writer I believed I needed to be in order to be considered accomplished and successful.

This is the young woman who watched the trailer for Fellowship that day with her boyfriend.

This is the young woman who thought it looked so fucking good and found her imagination carried away just by the glimpses of setting alone.

But didn’t know how she could manage to see it while holding her idea of her necessary identity intact. A person like she wanted to be--was--would not want to see Fellowship of the Ring.

Thankfully, Mr. Felagund saved me when he wanted to see it, and since we accompanied each other to movies the other wanted to see, I got into a theater on the pretense of going with him. But really, I wanted to see it so g-d bad and was really excited about it. (I didn’t pretend that I didn’t want to see it, but I tamped down my enthusiasm considerably.)

Seeing FotR was a life-changing experience for me. I’d read The Hobbit in 5th grade--it was okay--and was turned lose with FotR in 6th grade, but we were not really supported in reading it, and I lacked the skills needed to comprehend a high school-level book unaided, so I gave it up after the second chapter. That failure convinced me that I “hated Tolkien,” as I would say over and over again across the next ten years. Possibly, this experience would be why I’d turn my personal reading to horror rather than fantasy, even though I’d enjoyed fantasy novels when I was younger.

Sitting in the theater, I was transported to this world, this Middle-earth. I had the old sense of opening a book and seeing a map after the title page and studying it and wondering at the names and features, so excited to explore them in the book. (And vaguely disappointed--and vaguely intrigued--when something that caught my eye didn’t make it into the story.) I wanted to know what lay around every corner in this new world. I couldn’t wait for The Two Towers to come out.

I would ease into being a Tolkien fan. It would be nice to say that I bought all the books that night, read them in a week, and went back to school after break and told my writing program to fuck off, but of course I didn’t do that; one’s identity--especially one tied so tightly to one’s dreams, as mine was--doesn’t get reforged overnight. But seeing FotR and being honest about my reaction to it--and to my credit, I was honest about that--gently forced me to question what I was doing with myself creatively. It made me question the unequivocal rejection of “genre” fiction as too indulgent and formulaic to take seriously.

I do wish I could go back to that class when my professor refused to workshop my story and swap the quavering, shy person I was with the person I am now, but I tell myself that everything turned out okay, and I honor art and creativity in its myriad forms with my own teaching.

As is often the case, seeing the films made me read the books. And that hunger was there and not easily sated. I kept reading and reading and eventually started writing fanfic, then discovered that other people did this too, started writing AMC, built the SWG ... and the rest is history.

[hannibalanalysis]

Hannibal Analysis: s01e05 – Coquilles

Coquilles: A scallop shell or a container shaped like one, in which seafood is served. 

We open this episode with Will walking along an empty road at night, dressed only in his underwear, and hallucinating our old friend, the Ravenstag. This sleepwalking and hallucination scene is the first real clue the show gives us that Will is really not okay– that we aren’t just talking about weird trauma from the Hobbs case and his own pre-existing social inability, but that his work in the FBI and his relationship with Hannibal are having psychological consequences we cannot yet measure. As he tells the police officers who find him, “I’m not even sure I’m awake now.”  Will was already starting to lose grasp of his own identity, as a result of his empathy disorder, but now he might be losing grasp on reality too.

We are now starting to see just how much Will trusts and already relies on Hannibal: after getting back home, Will immediately drives an hour from Wolf Trap to Baltimore and turns up at Hannibal’s house apparently unannounced, as Lecter has not had time to get changed. This is also the first time Hannibal calls Will his ‘friend’. They discuss Will’s sleepwalking, and Will suggests a seizure (only one of many moments in this episode that foreshadow his encephalitis), while Hannibal simply blames it on the emotional and psychological stress from working with the FBI, and both of them express their dissatisfaction with Jack, as Will says he no longer feels like a fragile teacup (a metaphor which will be heavily exploited in the next seasons) but like an old mug, and Hannibal flat out states that Jack manipulates Will.

This episode’s killer of the week ties with the main plotline in a number of interesting ways: most obviously, his brain cancer mirrors Bella’s story (who is possibly the only character in the entire series who has absolutely no bearing on the main plot), but it also provides a few moments of foreshadowing for Will’s encephalitis in the very episode in which it starts to affect him. And lastly, it’s the beginning of the series’ use of heavy christian symbolism, excluding Hannibal’s speech on God in Amuse-Bouche. The theme of transformation through murder seems oddly reminiscent of Dolarhyde’s “Becoming”, as does Budish’s obsession with religious imagery.

Back at Hannibal’s office, the psychiatrist continues his attempts to, as Will himself puts it, “Alienate [Will] from Jack Crawford,” questioning whether Will feels abandoned by the head of the BAU. In scene, the staging is again relevant, as it’s a reverse of their first session in Amuse-Bouche: if then, Will was uncertain and distrusting, facing away from Hannibal and staying up on the balcony, now it’s Hannibal who’s up there, towering over Will. This comes at the moment where Hannibal begins to manipulate Will in earnest, assuming the upper hand in their friendship.

And all this manipulation seems to be working, as Will talks back to Jack, frustrated at his inability to understand the Angel Maker, until he snaps, essentially telling him to actually do his job instead of just shoving everything into Will’s arms. Jack’s reaction makes the entire team excuse themselves and leaves Will muttering a half-assed apology like a misbehaving teenager, calling to mind last episode’s mention of Jack as a stern father figre for the BAU. As he leaves, Will goes back to contemplating one of the series’ most religiously charged tableaux: The victim not only was wings like an angel, but was also set up to appear as if floating in mid-air, guarding over his murderer. The light behind him suggests the heavenly light associated with angelic appearances in art, while the shape of the alley is even reminiscent of the long rectangular towers of gothic cathedrals. And, as this post points out, there is a second, smaller light shining just behind Will’s head. It’s clearly a foreshadowing of the episode’s last scene (which is in itself another foreshadowing of Will’s encephalitis), but the most obvious association is of course, that of a halo.

Bella’s cancer is handled in a very interesting way during this episode: first, we are lead to believe that she is, indeed, having an affair, as in her first session with Hannibal they only mention her doctor as “him,” and never mention a disease, while focusing on her guilt and Jack’s possible reaction. It’s only after Jack tries, in an extremely awkward way, to confront her about his suspicions that her condition is outright stated, though the episode had been throwing some hints at us, especially with Hannibal smelling her and immediately telling the story of his teacher’s cancer, clearly telling her that he knows (he will diagnose Will’s encephalitis in the same way later in the episode). Instead of making it a big twist, her disease is told to us in a nonchalant way, as if the earlier omission had been simply on accident. This avoids a “plot twist” type of revelation, and instead creates a certain level of tension as we wait for Jack to realise what is the real problem, watching his face fall as he connects the dots between Bella’s behaviour and Elliot Budish’s, as recounted by his wife.

Will and Jack’s confrontation at the shed seems to confirm that Hannibal’s attempts to turn Will against Jack are working: Will complains about Jack about the lack of the support he was supposed to be giving, and mentions that’s it’s getting harder and harder to empathize with the killers he’s trying to catch. This had been discussed earlier in the episode, at Hannibal’s office, and is almost a reversal of Will’s earlier situation: before, he empathized with Garret Jacob Hobbs to the point where he would feel like they were doing the same things at the same time– even after he was dead. Now, he’s unable to connect with Budish enough to catch him in time. It could just be a side effect of his growing encephalitis, or could it be that his mind is so full with Hobbs and the copycat that he cannot focus on others?

The scene where Will hallucinates Budish still alive has an interesting background: In the script, it plays in the exact same way, except it’s not a hallucination– Budish actually drops down and tries to “transform” Will before collapsing. This change fundamentally alters the significance of this scene, since it isn’t Budish who believes Will to be a criminal, but that is how Will views himself. The vision of his head in flames may be more than guilt, too: it could be that he’s aware there’s something physically wrong with him, instead of simple trauma, as Hannibal would like him to believe. And this scene ends with a very deliberate foreshadowing to the Dolarhyde plot, three seasons away– just before the dream fades away, Budish tells Will: “I can give you the majesty of your Becoming.”

Despite their fight in the shed, Jack and Will do manage to have what is possibly their closest moment at the end of this episode, as Will gently demands Jack be honest with him about what’s going on in his personal life. But their earlier conflict is more than just a hiccup in their relationship–it’s one of the biggest turning points of the season. Will has just begun to see the signs of the disaster that will befall him, and attempts to get off before the train crashes, while Jack, in a very fatherly manner (and reminding Will he is not his father), tells Will he can quit if he wants to (and making it clear that’s not quite an option). Had Will actually bailed then, he probably would have escaped mostly unharmed, but then there would be no series. This episode is the point of no return. Having made his choice not to leave the BAU, Will has made himself a powerless victim to all that will happen in the rest of the season.

The Lamb is set for sacrifice.

[tyleroakley-obsessed]

Ed. Note: Veena is here to tell us about Young Arts Patron’s event this weekend, the fourth annual Youth Collectors Contemporary: several days of art shows, art sales, workshops, and speakers. It’s happening this Friday through Sunday, with the big party and art sale on Friday at Crosstown Arts at 7 p.m. You can find out more on the YCC website and purchase tickets for any or all of the events here. What Is The Young Collectors Contemporary? The fourth edition of the Young Collectors Contemporary is right around the corner! I had the opportunity to speak with Whitney Hardy, founder of Young Arts Patrons (and the brains behind the YCC) about the importance of the conference and art fair in the Memphis arts scene. In front of the Birdcap + Sentrock mural at Crosstown Arts. Philip Murphy, provided by YAP. The mission of Young Arts Patrons is to link audiences with emerging art to better support the arts economy. What began as a simple Meetup is now a group of powerhouse women who connect community members (that’s you) and artists. Young Arts Patrons is proof that Memphis does have a strong art patron community, i.e., people who enjoy going to art openings, having artistic conversations, and supporting creative work. Young Art Patrons hosts plenty of events throughout the year.  The Young Collectors Contemporary highlights up-and-coming artists from around the country, allowing these artists to reach new audiences. They can meet and learn from one another, and Memphians can meet them and check out their work. In the words of Whitney, “it’s four-day party celebrating artists and collectors”. Photo by Philip Murphy, provided by YAP. (Whitney Hardy in center.) Young Collectors Contemporary Schedule Friday, March 22: Workshops and Opening Night Party  Friday night is a giant party in Crosstown Arts (sponsored by NEXAIR) where you can mix and mingle with the artists and buy their art. Artists are coming in from Seattle, Brooklyn, Baltimore, Nashville, Atlanta, Charleston, and more to showcase their wares, in addition to local Memphis artists who will have items for sale. Food for this party will be provided by Paradox Catering and is included in the ticket price. Tickets are $35, or $50 with alcoholic beverages. (Plus fees.)  Earlier that day, Amy Walleston, faculty member at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, will lead a sold-out masterclass on arts journalism: a topic conference organizers feel is lacking in Memphis. Aspiring writers will workshop pieces to better be able to write art criticism and to fill in the knowledge gaps that exist.  On Friday afternoon De Nichols, an artist and activist from St. Louis, will lead a workshop around community and the arts that is designed to bring together artists and community organizations. According to Whitney, there are not enough opportunities to bring both sides to the table to learn from one another. Tickets for this workshop are still available for purchase at time of publication.  Saturday, March 23: TED-Talks Style Speakers Saturday will follow a TEDx format, with artists and journalists coming to speak. One of the keynotes is Allison Glenn, the Associate Curator for Contemporary Art at Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, who will be making her first visit to Memphis. The entire day will focus on the state of the arts, social justice, mental health, innovation, and more and sounds like it will be an incredible experience. Tickets are $50 (plus fees) and include access for Saturday and Sunday Sunday, March 24: Workshops and Mimosas Sunday will feature vignettes on incorporating art into your home with Shavonda Gardner, a designer and blogger from Sacramento, and Carmeon Hamilton, a local interior designer. Both women will speak about the role art plays in interiors, and there will be mimosas all around! (Thursday night there’s also a sold-out Progressive Dinner Art Bus Tour. Keep a look out for it next year.)   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Young Collectors Contemporary (@theyoungcollectors) on Feb 13, 2019 at 12:20pm PST See Work From Local & National Artists at YCC One featured artist is Memphis native and current MCA student Anna Bearman, whose work will be on display for the first time. Anna and Whitney met during Anna’a internship at Epicenter co-working space in Cooper Young (which is Whitney’s day job), and Anna is on the Creatives Council with Young Art Patrons.  Anna Bearman Self Portrait. Provided by the artist. Anna attended YCC in 2018 and met “so many genuinely cool artists” who inspired her to focus more of her time on her personal work, the result of which is being featured at this year’s event. Anna’s take is that the more time spent around other freelancers and artists increases her drive to create, and she is excited about the exposure being featured might bring. As a native Memphian she is especially excited that this event was started by local Memphians from the ground up and is the first event of its kind in the area. More About The Young Collectors Contemporary Whitney is quick to point out that this event cannot happen without the awesome YAP team (Claire Brulatour, Whitney, Emily Oppenheimer, Denise Parnell, and Mary Webster) along with support from the Creatives Council and local collectors. Her hope is that this event will encourage more young collectors to interact with artists and engage in conversation. L to R: Emily Oppenheimer, Mary Webster, Claire Brulatour, Whitney Hardy, Denise Parnell. Photo by Veena Rangaswami. Overall the YCC sounds like an awesome event bringing together artists and community members to celebrate the role art plays in all our lives, and I cannot wait to attend and see it all for myself. And maybe pick up a thing or two for my house! Again, you can find out more on the YCC website and purchase tickets for any or all of the events here. Tickets for Friday’s opening night party are $50 with alcohol included, or $35 without alcohol. The Saturday + Sunday pass is $50 +fees and gets you in the art fair, to all the speakers, and the interior design tour. Events on Friday-Sunday will take place in the Crosstown Arts spaces at the Concourse, and Saturday’s talks will be in the Crosstown Theater.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Young Collectors Contemporary (@theyoungcollectors) on Jan 22, 2019 at 2:46pm PST Go There: Young Collectors Contemporary 2019 Crosstown Arts, Crosstown Theater March 21 – 24, 2019 $35 – $50 Friday’s Opening Night Party $50 Weekend Pass (Saturday + Sunday only) + fees Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout https://ift.tt/1B5z3Pc

http://ilovememphisblog.com/2019/03/meet-the-artists-at-the-young-collectors-contemporary-this-weekend/

[aggerholmhuffman6-blog]

Bullying (Eva K).

Skyler White is an avid writer and anthropologist that has written for various publications. Great art, for that reason, requires a double consideration-- it asks the artist to contemplate her interior life as well as provide shape to exactly what she discovers there in abstract kind; it asks the target market to obtain and ponder the abstraction from it transcendent vibration with our own interior life, taking part in just what Jeanette Winterson so memorably called the paradox of energetic abandonment" as well as expanding ourselves in the act of contemplation. Sara Baker Netzley carried out a research study on depiction of gay individuals, discovering that the high degree of sexual activity associated with gay personalities in the media led viewers to view the gay area as exaggeratedly sexual and highly promiscuous 2. There's certainly no lack of research on exactly how various media could impact body photo 3, yet the standard principle has also been related to every little thing from sex stereotyping 4 to substance abuse 5 as well as alcohol usage 6. For example, the letter p" will constantly be included two sub-paths: one for the outside of the letter consisting of the descender, as well as one for the inside round form (being deducted from the former). He traveled to Chihuahua to buy bulk loads of marijuana and partied in Juárez discos with rising drug lords. The trainees are provided no selection: If their parents enlist them in the Comprehensive Alcohol as well as Medicine Reduction and also Education, or CADRE, program, they need to send to pee examinations. As an example, people with strong confidence frequently launch control of their struggles and fears to a greater power, which could assist to soothe anxiety and also anxiety. Generally, a wonderful picture book that urges viewers to determine the shapes they see everyday around them. Dalgleish claims the immunotherapy medicine could have usages in a wide range of cancers cells. I was so split apart and also my health and wellness was so negative that I needed some substantial support, and also as my life confirmed, neither medication treatment neither imprisonment helped me give up. They settled to legalize all drugs, as well as move all the cash they made use of to invest in jailing and incarcerating drug abuser, and also spend it rather on reconnecting them - to their very own sensations, and also to the larger culture. As you could see, destructive results of smoking are something like falling dominoes. But if deep down, they do not truly want to quit smoking (for whatever reason), they will turn down the suggestions. As http://tamogatasegeszsegugyi.info/titan-gel-velemenyek-suly-vasarlas-titan-gel-titan-gel-tapasztalat-olvasd-el-ezt-a-bejegyzest-mielott-vasarolni-ezt-az-eszkozt/ to the medicine's visibility, the individual making use of the medicine builds resistance and should continuously raise the dose in order to attain the initial satisfaction sensations. They form our lives, influence our behavior as well as add to better consumption driving the Anthropocene Impact. A sensation like the civil liberties activity develops a vocabulary and a toolbox for social change used around the world, to ensure that its effects far overtake its goals and also particular achievements-- and also failings. As a Member of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Pressure in Congress, I've supported for a boost in financing for avoidance and prescription medication monitoring programs, which was provided as part of the Bipartisan Spending plan Act and also authorized into regulation. Sea surface temperatures at La Jolla have actually increased by concerning 1.8 levels Fahrenheit over the last century, two times as high as the global standard. When consuming particular types of foods, Apple shapes have also harmful as well as stubborn belly fat that makes it difficult to lose weight. Too an areas on Flying/cable rigs, tools,. projectiles, Pyrotechnics, Fireworks, Special effects for stunts. The seniors of the tribes, identifying the harmful results of alcoholism, placed these soberness circles in place to help tribal members recover their lives. Due to the fact that the trafficking of medicines stands for a straight, the U.S. State Department keeps that even more effort is required to interdict medications coming right into the United States hazard to national protection. The neighborhood store here is well stocked with fruits, veggies, fish and also chicken. Currently, if a medicine has actually created you irreparable or severe damage, you can talk to an attorney and also consider taking legal action against those who gave you the drug (the doctor that recommended or provided it) or those that made the drug (normally a pharmaceutical firm). Though past researches have actually offered grim projections of a warming world, the record released Thursday by the California Workplace of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment took an inventory of three lots shifts that are already taking place. Episode, Baltimore City mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced plans to create a new job force to research heroin and also other substance abuse in Baltimore. A screening examination can detect THC in pee, however the examination may have a cutoff worth. http://tamogatasegeszsegugyi.info/ with National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA, in order to experience the enjoyment and also avoid the crash, more and more of the medication is taken until the user can no more bear not taking the medicine and also comes to be an addict. The special results get on the same level with a fundamental film you 'd see concerning a giant squid on the Science fiction Network, and the story is just as boring. Prescription medicines normally feature medication education and learning sheets - review them thoroughly, particularly the medication cautions and also communications area. Subtract as well as combine: Incorporate, deduct as well as develop the shapes in the teams you produced previously. Researchers are presently gathered in Marrakech, Morocco, to work out information of the spots Paris environment agreement, which aims to maintain the globe from warming more than 2 levels Celsius. Late last year the Beattyville Venture reported that pharmacists in the community were attracting medication companies for greater control over an additional prescription medication, Neurontin, which is significantly sought after and also has actually been found at the scene of overdose fatalities. Sixty per cent of financiers anticipate no adverse impacts on their pension plans in the aftermath of a Brexit as well as are spending even more cash. The Division of Transport and also Advancement as well as the U.S.G.S. would need to agree on a shape and after that apply an expensive substitute plan for photos presently in circulation. That year, under the mantle of its new ownership by HSBC, HFC also acquired the shop card service of the John Lewis Collaboration, the respectable chain store that also owns grocery store chain, Waitrose. Consequently the assertion that the CIA was complicit in the medication trade ought to be taken a grain of salt.

[rockrevoltmagazine]

ALBUM REVIEW - The Front Bottoms, Ann

Okay, so admittedly, I am a newish fan of the folk punk rockers, The Front Bottoms. I’d asked a friend to recommend some tunes for me, as he knows what I like. And, his first and most enthusiastic recommendation was for The Front Bottoms. And boy, oh boy, he hit the nail right on its little head. Their latest EP, Ann, out May 18, 2018, is an absolute masterpiece of the good truth wrapped in slyly profound lyrics. From front to back, there isn’t a song that lacks a lyric I can relate to.

The Front Bottoms, Ann 

I don’t know if this was a coincidence or kismet, but the fact that this EP came out during Mental Health Awareness Month was really the perfect gift to fans. Putting words to feelings of depression to anxiety, self doubt masked within existential dread to pure unadulterated joy, this album is self-care in six songs.

Lyrically, this album is some of the most amazingly raw and gut-punchy (not a word, but it is now, you’re welcome) art I have ever ingested. Musically, the beauty is found in the simplicity. If you’re looking for driving drums and rippin’ guitars, you’re not going to find it here. And that’s actually really great; you shouldn’t.  

The first track, “Today is Not Real,” had me hooked from the start. Honestly, vocalist Brian Sella makes these complex truths sound so raw and beautiful with his voice. With the lyric, “In a half hour, I’ll be fine. The next 29 minutes are gonna flow like concrete,” Sella brought to me to my knees. Putting feelings into words using imagery like that is powerful, and not everyone can do it well. Sella does it more than well; his delivery is flawless.

Sella’s voice puts me in the mindset of a good friend who has seen some shit. He wants to talk about the shit, but he does it better through images, one who shows and doesn’t tell. He doesn’t want you to feel bad for him, but he wants you to understand him. That is precisely what Sella does during the entire album.

I could go track by track and point out my favorite lines, but you don’t care and I prefer you to experience it yourself.  Go and do that. I am telling you, lyrically, this band is pretty much untouchable in terms of content and emotion, being simple and beautiful while also dealing with complexities. It brings to mind another punk favorite, The Menzingers, in that both bands tackle real world relatable content and do it in a way that cuts through the bone and sucks out the marrow of the issue. Personal favorite tracks are “Lonely Eyes” and “Somebody Else.” Again, just go listen. Thank me later. 

Track by track, the instrumentals provide an incredibly moving backdrop to the lyrics. While I can imagine the track “I Think Your Nose is Bleeding” being recited as slam poetry on some awesome Buzzfeed-esque video filmed in a small local coffee shop, the album could not stand as strong without the accompaniment of the music. I love a rippin’ metal track as much as the next girl, but that kind of power doesn’t belong in folk punk. And, The Front Bottoms are honestly one of the best folk punk acts on the scene. They understand their audience, they know what feels good to them as a band, and if this album doesn’t make you feel something, we probably couldn’t be friends. 

Luckily for all of us, The Front Bottoms are touring this summer supporting Ann, as well as their incredible previous releases. If they are coming to a city near you, go check them out. And if you’re heading to their Pittsburgh show in June at Mr. Smalls, I’ll see you there! In all, this EP is a powerful one, perfect for either sitting outside in the sunshine with a beverage of your choice, playing badminton on the lawn with your friends, or lounging in your room writing shitty poetry. Either way, there is something for everyone to enjoy and come away with in Ann. And, from me, it gets a coveted five-skull rating! 

Ann Tracklist 1. Today is Not Real 2. Somebody Else 3. I Think Your Nose is Bleeding 4. Pale Beneath the Tan (Squeeze) 5. Lonely Eyes 6. Tie Dye Dragon

The Front Bottoms Tour Dates MAY 22   UPSTATE CONCERT HALL   CLIFTON PARK, NY MAY 23   BALTIMORE SOUNDSTAGE BALTIMORE, MD MAY 25   THE ORANGE PEEL                ASHEVILLE, NC MAY 26   GEORGIA THEATRE               ATHENS, GA MAY 27    106.5 BBQ                                  JACKSONVILLE, FL MAY 29    HOUSE OF BLUES                 NEW ORLEANS, LA MAY 30    SATURN                                    BIRMINGHAM, AL MAY 31    CANNERY BALLROOM         NASHVILLE, TN JUN 01    BUNBURY MUSIC FEST        CINCINNATI, OH JUN 02    SPRING FLING 2018              CLEVELAND, OH JUN 04    MR. SMALLS THEATRE        MILLVALE, PA JUN 05    THE CLYDE THEATRE          FORT WAYNE, IN JUN 07    20 MONROE LIVE                   GRAND RAPIDS, MI JUN 08    THE DANFORTH                     TORONTO, CANADA JUN 09    CORONA THEATRE               MONTREAL, CANADA JUN 10    THE STRAND BALLROOM   PROVIDENCE, RI JUN 23    WESTWORD, MAIN STAGE DENVER, CO JUN 24    SUNSHINE THEATER            ALBUQUERQUE, NM JUN 26    CAIN’S BALLROOM                TULSA, OK JUN 27    SOKOL AUDITORIUM            OMAHA, NE JUN 29    FIRST AVENUE                        MINNEAPOLIS, MN JUN 30    101WKQX PIQNIQ 2018         TINLEY PARK, IL JUL 01     MAINSTAGE                              MORGANTOWN, WV JUL 12     GREAT SOUTH BAY FEST     PATCHOGUE, NY AUG 24   READING & LEEDS FEST      READING, UNITED KINGDOM AUG 25   READING & LEEDS FEST      [LEEDS FESTIVAL] LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM SEP 29    SEA HEAR NOW FESTIVAL   ASBURY PARK, NJ OCT 02   LIVEATLAGUNITAS                 PETALUMA, CA OCT 06   CAL JAM FESTIVAL                 SAN BERNARDINO, CA

Connect with The Front Bottoms:

Review by Devon Anderson, Managing Editor

ALBUM REVIEW – The Front Bottoms, Ann was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

[chorusfm]

Pianos Become the Teeth – Wait For Love

For the better part of the 2010’s, it’s been a apparent that Pianos Become the Teeth are a special band. Their particular blend of lyricism, coupled with their ebb-and-flow instrumental intensity has earned them a place in the hearts of emo and hardcore fans alike. In 2009, the band’s first full-length Old Pride introduced Pianos as students of 90’s screamo, quickly followed by 2011’s The Lack Long After, which was masterclass in Melodic Hardcore. Their previous full-length, 2014’s Keep You traded in the strained yelps and anger for a more reserved sound. The post-rock influences that had been peppered throughout the band’s catalog were on full display, with the melodic, sung vocals taking center stage for the first time. A change in sound like this was considered a huge risk in “the scene” at this time, and it payed off fantastically. So now in 2018, we’ve been gifted with another LP from the Baltimore, MD band, one where they double down on the things that made Keep You their greatest record, and continue to experiment within the new sonic landscape they’ve carved out for themselves. Looking at album art and music videos alone, one might think that Wait For Love is Pianos’ “Happy Record.” Lyricist and frontman Kyle Durfey has gotten married and had a child since we last heard from him.  However, as is the case with most of the band’s discography, the seriousness of the emotions is always present. Even the happiest moments, such as proposing to a significant other or the birth of a child are filtered through the lens of angst and anxiety. The past two albums from this band have largely revolved around the passing of Durfey’s father, and now it seems that we have some semblance of peace in that storyline. So now, on Wait For Love’s closer, “Blue,” we see the roles reversed, with Durfey contemplating the balance between adopting the best parts of his father while not entirely becoming him. Shortly before the release of the album, the band shared a small batch of writings, with each paragraph providing context for each song on the record. It should be considered required reading before diving into the album and you can find it here. Sonically, there’s an intensity on this album that the band held back on Keep You. Perhaps the best example of this return is the drumming, which plays a role second only to the vocals. Drummer David Haik’s seems to have been given free reign to experiment with his percussion and the result is a performance that not only keeps impeccable time, but also manages to emote, a characteristic rarely found on records in general, nevermind in the crowded alt-rock space of 2018. From the first hits of “Fake Lightning” it’s clear that vocals and lyrics aren’t the only things worth being poured over. Pianos Become the Teeth’s guitar tones haven’t changed much since Keep You, but their ability to jump back and forth between intense, in your face overdrive and reverb-laden space-builders, has become a signature characteristic that would have been sorely missed otherwise. The basslines are predictably complementary to the percussion throughout the record, and thanks to the return of super-producer Will Yip, the entire record straddles the line between sleeker, cleaner production, and the harsher tones of the band’s older works. It seemed clear three years ago that the screaming and intensity of previous Piano’s records was a thing of the past, and Wait For Love proves that it might just be the best thing that’s happened to this band. Durfey’s voice weaves in-between the guitars and drums like a pro, emoting better than he ever did previously on songs. Lead single “Charisma,” is possibly the only true “Love Song” the band has written. It feels triumphant to hear Durfey repeatedly sing “And what a way / you won me over” during the song’s chorus. Similarly, his opening line on “Fake Lightning” feels like a signal, calling on people to “come and celebrate / come move and shake.” Wait For Love is not about having come out on the other side of personal struggle to find pure happiness, it’s an album about self-evaluation and searching to find the things that keep you moving forward through that struggle. --- Please consider supporting us so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/review/pianos-become-the-teeth-wait-for-love/

[flickdirect]

In 2009, the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women opened its doors with 120 students. A middle and high school charter school in inner-city Baltimore, it graduated its first class in 2016 with 60 young ladies (100 percent of the senior class) attending college. The all-girls school also boasts a winning step team and in the 2015- 2016 academic year Director Amanda Lipitz followed three members of the senior class and step team as they navigated school work, the college application process, and practices for their most important competition. Step is a heartfelt look at these ambitious young ladies as they strive to achieve their goals.

Blessin Giraldo is one of the seniors highlighted in the film. She is a talented stepper who has a great sense of rhythm and a creative mind. She also comes from a less than ideal home life (as many of these girls do) and missed school 53 days in her junior year alone. Subsequently, her grades have suffered and the lack of support and seeming disinterest at home only add fuel to the fire. Now faced with senior year and limited college options, she is determined to turn things around to prove she can get the grades, graduate and go on to college.

Cori Granger is a solid student who has plans to head to college. She is shyer than some of the other steppers but enjoys the work and the team. She is raised by her single, corrections officer mom who doesn't mess around. She ends up enrolling at Alabama A&M University.

Tayla Solomon is the brightest in the group and is on a trajectory to be the school's first valedictorian. She dreams of attending Johns Hopkins University close to home but isn't sure she will get nor if she can afford to go there. As the oldest of six kids, there isn't always money for the basics (including electricity), let alone an expensive private school. She not only gets accepted to Hopkins and other schools, she is also offered a full-tuition scholarship and ends up at her dream school in the fall.

The gem of this documentary are the young ladies. Each is bright and articulate but so different in almost every aspect. They have a bond of step team that ties them together but, of course, some drama does rear its ugly head part way through the year. We see Blessin's and Cori's grades slip and Tayla worry about affording college. They fight amongst themselves which threatens the cohesiveness of the team as they try to win a championship.

However, thanks to Lipitz's artful direction we become invested in these ladies and root for them not only in the step competition but in life as well. We hope to see them succeed and when the scene arises and we watch them graduate I, for one, found myself holding back tears right along with their families, teachers and step team coach. The year flows seamlessly, from the beginning to their step competition and their cap and gown ceremony. Luckily, Lipitz ends with a follow up of where the ladies are in 2017 giving the viewer a sense of closure.

The extras on the DVD include deleted scenes, Commentary by Liptiz, Lethal ladies music video, Step is Life, The Lethal Ladies of BLSYW, and inside the rehearsal room. All are worth watching and the deleted scenes are worth watching twice – once without Lipitz commentary and once with it. Included in the deleted scenes is the poignant "college signing day" which once again had me teary-eyed as the seniors reveal which college they will attend.

This is a realistic look at life as a teenage girl in inner-city Baltimore and the challenges they face. It also looks at the remarkable school they are privileged enough to attend. It is heartwarming and uplifting and makes you root for the Lethal Ladies from start to finish.

Grade: A-

About Allison Hazlett-Rose Allison Hazlett-Rose has always had a passion for the arts and uses her organization skills to help keep FlickDirect prosperous. Mrs. Hazlett-Rose oversees and supervises the correspondents and critics that are part of the FlickDirect team. Mrs. Hazlett-Rose attended Hofstra University where she earned her bachelors degree in communications and is a member of the Florida Film Critics Circle.

Read more reviews and content by Allison Hazlett-Rose.

via FlickDirect Entertainment News and Film Reviews

[afishwithfeathers]

Good Times and Noodle Salad

This is not a comedy piece.  This is a paper I wrote while I was at USC film school.  The assignment was to compare and contrast a film with another work of art that was not a film.  I chose to write about "As Good As It Gets" and the stage musical "Avenue Q."  Enjoy.  And thanks for reading.  

 “What if this is as good as it gets?”  - Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) in “As Good As It Gets.” “Everyone’s a little bit unsatisfied… Everyone goes ‘round a little, empty inside.”  - Cast of “Avenue Q” from the song “For Now.” BACKGROUND. “As Good As It Gets,” a feature film, opened in theatres on Christmas Day, 1997. It was written by Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks, and directed by Mr. Brooks. It stars Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear. The film was the third highest grossing film of all films released in 1997. It currently has a score of 85% favorable on the Rotten Tomatoes website. Mr. Nicholson and Ms. Hunt won Academy Awards for their work. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor and Screenplay. “Avenue Q,” a stage musical, opened off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre on March 20, 2003, where it ran for seven weeks. The songs were written by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, and the book was written by Jeff Whitty. The show then transferred to the Golden Theatre on Broadway. It won the Tony for Best Musical, beating out the popular favorite “Wicked.” After a highly successful six year run on Broadway, the show returned to off-Broadway, to the New World Stages theatre, where it performs to this day. THERE IS LIFE OUTSIDE YOUR APARTMENT. At first glance, “As Good As It Gets” and “Avenue Q” may not seem like obvious companion pieces. The first is an A-list film comedy made by multiple Oscar winners. The second is a stage musical featuring puppets in a twisted parody of “Sesame Street.” Yet both deal with the struggles New Yorkers face every day. These include loneliness, crime, economic uncertainty, dissatisfying jobs and the distinct sense of alienation that comes from living in a large city. Neither story shies away from showing the dark side of city life. And yet, both stories remain, each in its way, optimistic about the future and open to the possibility of finding joy in everyday existence.

SUCKS TO BE ME. In the opening number of “Avenue Q,” Princeton, a recent college graduate laments his lack of job prospects in the song “What Do You Do With a B.A. in English?” (Princeton’s specific college major is never stated, but since later in the show he demonstrates a desire to write a stage show, one can safely conclude he was a creative writing or playwriting major.) The character of Simon, a painter featured in “As Good As It Gets” could be a spiritual cousin to Princeton. They are both sensitive and creative but unsuccessful young men living alone in New York. They are fairly normal guys surrounded by far more colorful neighbors. They’re both emotionally overwhelmed by their inabilities to pay their bills. And both are characterized by a profound longing for greater meaning in their lives. As the opening scene in “Avenue Q” continues, more characters appear, joining in the conversation. They argue (in song) as a group over whose life “sucks more.” They all plead (effective) cases that their lives are full of disappointments, unmet needs and overwhelming problems. In a similar scene late in “As Good As It Gets,” the characters discuss their backgrounds and how past disappointments helped to shape their worldviews. Simon talks about how his father rejected him as a teenager, because of his homosexuality. His new friend Carol responds, and Carol’s would-be boyfriend Melvin weighs in as well. CAROL You’ve got to get past it all when it comes to your parents. We all have these horror stories to get over- MELVIN That’s not true. Some of us have great stories, pretty stories that take place at lakes with boats and friends and noodle salad. Just not anybody in this car. But lots of people, that’s their story. Good times. Noodle salad. And that’s what makes it hard. Not that you had it bad but being pissed that so many had it good. THE MORE YOU LOVE SOMEONE THE MORE YOU WANT TO KILL THEM “As Good As It Gets” is primarily the story of Melvin Udall, an obsessive-compulsive writer who lives alone and cares nothing for the problems of other people. He eats his lunch alone every day at the same neighborhood restaurant, waited on by Carol Connelly, the only waitress who can tolerate him. When Carol quits her job to be closer to her ill son, Melvin decides to pay for the boy’s medical expenses. This will allow Carol to continue to be his waitress. Melvin’s act of kindness leads to others, and in time he becomes a more caring person. A sort of connection is formed between Melvin and Carol, gradually evolving into a kind of romance, albeit one where Carol’s patience is continually tested by Melvin’s emotional problems and limitations. At one low point late in the film, Carol finds herself voicing her own frustration to Melvin, when her mother Beverly suddenly appears, joining in the conversation. CAROL Why can’t I have a normal boyfriend? Why?... Just a regular boyfriend who doesn’t go nuts on me. BEVERLY (suddenly appearing) Everybody wants that, dear. It doesn’t exist.

Carol’s dissatisfaction with her love life is similar to the dissatisfaction felt by Kate Monster in “Avenue Q.” Both are attractive, pleasant young women, hopeful that they will find love and impatient with male selfishness. Kate enters into a relationship with Princeton. After an awkward first date and a passionate night of sex, Princeton withdraws, afraid of committing himself. Like Carol, Kate Monster opens up about her love life to an older, presumably wiser woman, in this case, would-be therapist Christmas Eve. (Please note that English is not Asian-American Christmas Eve’s first language.) KATE MONSTER Why can't people get along and love each other, Christmas Eve? CHRISTMAS EVE You think getting along same as loving? Sometimes love right where you hating most, Kate Monster. The two sing a duet. CHRISTMAS EVE The more you love someone the more he make you crazy. The more you love someone the more you wishing him dead! Sometime you look at him and only see fat and lazy. And wanting baseball bat for hitting him on his head! Love... KATE MONSTER Love... CHRISTMAS EVE And hate... KATE MONSTER And hate... CHRISTMAS EVE They like two brothers... KATE MONSTER Brothers... CHRISTMAS EVE Who go on a date. KATE MONSTER Who... what?! CHRISTMAS EVE Where one of them goes, other one follows. You inviting love he also bringing sorrows. As the song continues, Christmas Eve explains how she finds a balance between her love and her frustration. As quoted above, when Christmas Eve looks at her unemployed and overweight husband Brian, she sometimes “only see fat and lazy.” But by the end of the song, she sides with love, which, for her, is the more dominant emotion. CHRISTMAS EVE So if there someone you are wanting so to kill 'em, you go and find him, and you get him, and you NO kill him, cause chances good... CHRISTMAS EVE AND KATE He is your love. In this respect, Christmas Eve is like Simon in “As Good As It Gets.” Early in the film, Simon explains his approach to creating art to his new model. “If you look at someone long enough, you discover their humanity.” It might be said that this is the experience the audience is intended to have while watching the film and getting to know Melvin. (This comment, made early in the film serves as a perhaps too neat summing up of the film as a whole.)

PURPOSE. IT’S THAT LITTLE FLAME THAT LIGHTS A FIRE UNDER YOUR ASS Both stories feature creative young men suffering from emotional paralysis. Simon has lost the will to paint (and live) after a mugging leaves his physically and emotionally damaged. Princeton struggles to find his “purpose” in life. He refuses to allow his existence to be defined by boring office jobs and dissatisfying relationships. Both of these artistic men eventually find transcendence and salvation through their creative work. In “Avenue Q,” at the beginning of act two, the characters try to cheer Princeton up by taking him out of his apartment and going on a fun trip around the city. Similarly, in “As Good As It Gets,” Carol and Melvin take the depressed Simon on a road trip to Baltimore. While staying at the hotel, Simon accidentally observes Carol’s naked body, and bewitched by her beauty, he begins to draw again. The experience invigorates him, and he finds himself able to face the future with newfound optimism. (In the film, Simon’s creative and emotional breakthrough is symbolized, perhaps too blatantly, by having him happily break off his arm cast so that he can draw more effectively.) Like Simon, Princeton in “Avenue Q” also finds his creativity sparked by a random encounter with another person. Meeting someone who reminds him of himself at an earlier stage in his life, Princeton finally finds his purpose. He will write a show about his experiences living on Avenue Q. In both instances, creating art becomes, for these men, an empowering, transcendent experience which helps them break free of their emotional paralysis. WHEN YOU HELP OTHERS, YOU CAN’T HELP HELPING YOURSELF Princeton gives some money to a homeless man, and in so doing, discovers the joy of helping others. He sets out to raise the necessary funds for Kate Monster to achieve her dream of running a school for monsters. (The bulk of the funds come from Trekkie Monster, the character from “Avenue Q” who most resembles Melvin Udall in terms of personality. Like Melvin, Trekkie lives alone, dislikes most people and has a history of childhood trauma and therapy. Both characters are well off financially, and eventually use their wealth to assist young women in need.) Melvin, as has been mentioned earlier, also comes to learn about the inner satisfaction one can experience when helping others in need. Nevertheless, both Melvin and Princeton harbor hopes that their kind acts might facilitate romance with the women they are helping. Kate Monster and Carol Connelly are understandably grateful for the kindness and wary of what happens next. At the end of the play, Kate Monster is reluctant to give her heart fully to Princeton, recognizing, as she does, his commitment issues. Still, his act of generosity has moved her deeply, and she’s willing to meet him half way, and see where the relationship may go. Carol Connelly ends the film in a similar emotional place. Having witnessed Melvin’s generosity, to both her and Simon, she finds herself open to the possibility of a relationship with Melvin.

(It’s also possible that both women are tired of the dating scene. They may have reached the point where they are willing to let go of their idealized expectations and embrace the companionship these flawed but well intentioned men have to offer.) EXCEPT FOR DEATH AND PAYING TAXES EVERYTHING IN LIFE IS ONLY FOR NOW Yes, life in the big city can be cold and alienating, and these stories make no attempt to pretend the dark side of city life doesn’t exist. Yet both stories, in the end, lean ever so cautiously towards optimism. Even in the seemingly heartless world of New York City, there are comforts and pleasures to be found: Friendship. The families we create for ourselves. The satisfaction that comes from helping others. The empowering experience of creating art. The sublime surprise of learning that people aren’t always as bad as we thought. The joy that comes with forgiving the flawed people we love. Perhaps the most important comfort is the enduring hope that life will be better in the future. This life may be as good as it gets, but the problems we face are only for now. 

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Who’s a die-hard hip-hop fan? Everyone enjoys claiming the title. In reality, it’s rare to find the truth behind who can truly be labeled a fan because many so called fans lack the knowledge of hip-hop’s true origin or how it fits into society.

Hip-hop holds history. Enough that there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of books written about this art that emerged and continues to thrive since the early 1970s. Even in its birthplace there a grand opening scheduled possibly in 2018 for the country’s first ever hip-hop museum in the Bronx, NY. Now, Hip-hop is more than music that we dance to in our aunt’s basement celebrating birthdays. It’s a way of life.

Hip-hop does not stop at New York. All over the world, it has created a culture that people now eat, breathe, sleep and live by. Over the weekend, Baltimore artists exhibited a piece of what hip-hop consists of to them at the #HipHop4thePeople Cypher: A Mini Hip-Hop Museum fundraiser held at the SAND gallery, formerly known as the Incredible Little Art Gallery.

I attended the cypher expecting it to be like any other I’ve gone to in the art scene. But what made it different this time was majority it’s location, and that the event served a bigger purpose for the creative community.  

There has never been any platform in Baltimore created to solely pay homage to hip-hop. In fact, artists in Baltimore often nag about lack of support in the city from their peers. So when there’s a notion that a Mini Hip-Hop Museum is coming to town, local culture fanatics become excited because there is finally a place that will represent their way of living. Not only will we finally have somewhere that will represent the history of hip-hop, but also there will be a place to symbolize hip-hop from a Baltimorean perspective.

#HipHip4thePeople was exactly what it stated to be; for the people emerged in the culture of hip-hop. The atmosphere mimicked what hip-hoppers find familiar in a cypher’s circle. MCs took turns hopping in spitting their most vicious lyrics. Many were caught freestyling and others brought recycled hot 16 bars.  

President Karl Keels opens the evening.

Mini Hip-Hop Museum President and Creative Director Karl Keels opened the night up as the host and DJ of the event. Event goers were queued in on where donations towards the cypher were being made. Partial proceeds were gifted to hurricane relief for Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria to aid victims in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Other funding went towards the opening of the Mini Hip-Hop Museum expected to open in early 2018.

The cypher went for an hour and was followed up with another event sponsored by the SAND Gallery, Adult Game Night. To drop a few names of MCs who participated in the evening’s cypher were:

Kontrah Diction , Da’Rious, Donnie Breeze, Ollie Voso, Mobish Rico, and Tony Ray

All rappers are from Baltimore making a name for themselves in the “game.” Hopefully, we will find them on the walls of the Mini Hip-Hop Museum in the future. Thanks, guys, for your contribution to the culture over this weekend. I know I definitely enjoyed it.

See more photos of participants in the gallery below.

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When the Mini Hip-Hop Museum opens in Baltimore, what local artist do you expect to be exhibited in its halls? Leave your comments below.

Have you seen photos from the 3rd Annual Madonnari Arts Festival? View awesome chalk work done on the Baltimore street here on Doc’s Castle Media. 

#HipHop4ThePeople: There’s A Mini Hip-Hop Museum Coming to Baltimore Who's a die-hard hip-hop fan? Everyone enjoys claiming the title. In reality, it's rare to find the truth behind who can truly be labeled a fan because many so called fans lack the knowledge of hip-hop’s true origin or how it fits into society.