http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture Arts and Culture for North Texas and Far Beyond Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:08:57 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Heads up everyone: Paul Slavens returns to blog live during his 5th Anniversary Show on Sunday. When we first tried this experiment two weeks ago, we had a huge response from 90.1 at Night listeners. Paul will be posting the set list for this Sunday's show a little bit before ... http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2009/07/03/slavens-blogs-again-on-sunday/ Separated at Birth? The Morning News ran a story today about how the Hotel Congress inTucson has for years held a '30s-styled event called Dillinger Days -- a way of commemorating the fact that gangster John Dillinger and several cohorts were arrested there in 1934. It happens to be a prominent ... http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2009/07/02/north-texas-and-john-dillinger/ A large group of MJ fans assembled last night at House of Dang to pay tribute to the Man in the Mirror. The store's weekly "Summer Smackdown" hosts retro movie screenings or musical performances each Wednesday all summer. Last week's Sarah Jaffe show packed it in and had attendees braving the ... http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2009/07/02/michael-jackson-tribute-at-house-of-dang/ One of the perks of this job is that you occasionally get to talk to people who you've long admired from afar.  Wednesday morning was one of those times, when I spoke with Christina Marrs. She's one of the founding members of the Austin-based Asylum Street Spankers, a band I ... http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2009/07/02/5-minutes-with-christina-marrs-of-the-asylum-street-spankers/ HITTING THE BIG TIME: Arlington artist Pavel Melecky has been named a finalist in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Never heard of the contest? Neither had I before today. But the prize for the winner is what caught my attention: $25,000 and a commission to make a portrait of a ... http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2009/07/02/thursday-morning-roundup-27/ It's a familiar enough high-low, East-West, future-now interaction these days: gallery art,  pop culture, robotics, dystopic sci-fi, pulpy comic books. You get the picture: The Terminator Conquers Hiroshi Araki. But what's interesting about SUPER DYNAMIC ACTION GO!, the current exhibition at the Fort Worth Contemporary Arts gallery -- interesting, that is, ... http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2009/07/01/super-dynamic-action-go/ He was half of Light & Sie Gallery, the chic contemporary space off Industrial Boulevard that specialized in smart new works. According to Scott Hilton, assistant director of the gallery, Sie passed away last Thursday. Although no immediate cause of death is known, Hilton said Sie suffered from "long-term health ... http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2009/07/01/gallery-owner-andrew-sie-has-died/ The owners over at indie clothing hot spot House of Dang on Bryan Street are continuing their weekly Summer Smackdown (last week's free Sarah Jaffe performance had the backyard party space packed) with a Michael Jackson tribute party tonight. Coincidentally, the organizers had been planning this party weeks before MJ passed ... http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2009/07/01/remembering-michael-jackson-at-house-of-dang/ GETTING PLUCKY: There are some instruments that are relatively easy to play. With its 47 strings and seven pedals, the harp is not one of them. Could that be why we don't hear from this ancient instrument all that often. Susan Dederich-Pejovich, principle harpist for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, explores ... http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2009/07/01/wednesday-morning-roundup-29/ [caption id="attachment_7854" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Photo by Orville Brown"][/caption] "Jazz has no promo, there's plenty of good jazz out here, but no one promotes,  starting with the record companies. But we cannot stop fighting status quo, keep playing, singing and improving.  Jazz is Art for the Ear !!!" -Wendell Sneed's Facebook status on ... http://www.kera.org/blogs/culture/2009/06/30/wendell-speaks-jazz/