Quinn's Big City - 2010 December

2010-12-20/26 Weekly LOVIEE

posted 2010-12-21T23:45 last mod. 2011-02-11T16:03

For this week it will be a very brief list due to the holidays, and I’m trying to blast this out since it’s already Tuesday night and I’ve been slacking like an improperly adjusted seat belt. Following shortly on the heels of this post will be a recap I’m wrapping up and the New Year’s Eve LOVIEE.

Wednesday 12-22

Beatles Christmas/Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, Bohemeo’s, 708 Telephone Rd, 9-11:30pm. 10-W52-1

Toyz in the Hood/Ugly Sweater Twitter Party, Avant Garden, 411 Westheimer, 9pm-midnight, free entry but toy donations requested for Toys for Tots. 10-W52-2

Thursday 12-23

Untouchable Thursdays, Nouveau Antique Art Bar, 2913 Main, 8pm. Featuring the music of Bang Bang Boom, a 40’s and 50’s cover band led by Andrew Karnavas of Runaway Sun fame. (Event recurs every 2nd and 4th Thursday.) Z-16

It’s a Wonderful Life, Discovery Green, 6:30pm. Screening of the well-known classic Christmas movie from 1946. 10-W52-3

Saturday 12-25

A Nightmare This Christmas, The Orbit Room, 2524 McKinney, 9pm-4am, $10 (before midnight) / $?? (after midnight). Revolutions Christmas party, with costume and cos-play encouraged (Halloween vs. Christmas). See Facebook event page for more details. 10-W52-4

Christmas at Fitz, Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, doors 7pm, $10. Featuring: 30 Foot Fall, Monster Soup, Something Fierce, Skeleton Dick, Commie Hillfiger, The Cutters, Caddywhompus. 10-W52-5

posted by Shawn K. Quinn

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2010-12-13/19 Weekly LOVIEE

posted 2010-12-12T23:28 last mod. 2011-02-11T16:03

This week’s going to be heck on wheels so I figured I should go ahead and get this out tonight. I may be adding more events late (particularly for Thursday and Friday nights) so stay tuned. Also I have updated the ongoing LOVIEE which desperately needed it, and I’m going to start posting once- or twice-monthly events there that occur on a specified day of the month (first Friday, for example).

One of my biggest sources of events is you, the readership. If you know of an event you want to see, drop me a line using the contact form.

Ongoing This Week

Perspectives 172: Kirsten Pieroth, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. 5216 Montrose, Tue/Wed/Fri/Sat 10am-5pm. Thu 10am-9pm, Sun 12pm-5pm, free admission. Unusual juxtapositions of everyday objects. This exhibition is themed around the life and work of Guglielmo Marconi, inventor in the field of radio. Exhibit runs through January 2. 10/11-PERSP

The Ice At Discovery Green, $10+tax including skate rental per person, see website for hours and details. Back again for the 2010-11 winter, an outdoor ice rink in Houston! The model boat basin portion of Kinder Lake (the part directly behind the Anheuser-Busch stage) will be frozen over using renewable energy and transformed into an ice skating rink. Great if you miss outdoor ice skating in your northern US or Canadian hometown, or if you just don’t feel like battling Galleria traffic to go ice skating. 10/11-IADG

Tuesday 12-14 Through Sunday 12-19

Burn the Floor, Hobby Center, 800 Bagby, Tue-Thu 7:30pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm & 7:30pm, $32.75 to $79.05. A Broadway show that’s all about the dancing; there are no lines spoken onstage. High-energy dance moves make this a dance fan’s dream. 10-W50-1

Wednesday 12-15

The Calling, Rice Media Center building, Rice University Entrance #8, free admission (but many parking options are not free; please read the Directions & Parking page). A documentary about young Americans of various faiths preparing to become the next generation of religious leaders. 10-W50-2

Robert Ellis and the Boys, Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, 9pm. Country/Americana. 10-M12-5

Thursday 12-16

Canned Acoustica, Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, 6pm, free admission with a canned food item. Featuring intimate acoustic sets by Robert Ellis, Winter Wallace, Black Queen Speaks, Tyagaraja, Chase Hamblin, Ancient Cat Society, and others. 10-W50-3

Afton Showcase featuring Your Amsterdam, Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, 6:30pm, $10. One of my favorite hard rock/metal bands that must be seen and heard to be believed. 10-W50-9

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Discovery Green, 6:30pm, free admission. The 1989 holiday-themed comedy classic will be screened outdoors in the spectacular surroundings of Houston’s own Discovery Green. 10-W50-4

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Fitzgerald’s, 2706 White Oak, doors 8pm, $8 (in advance)/$10 (day of/at door). Vintage style country-blues act from Indiana. 10-W50-5

Friday 12-17

The Mighty Orq, Katie’s Bar and Grill, 315 Grand Ave. (Bacliff), start time not listed. 10-W50-6

Saturday 12-18

“Hype!” with GRRRL Parts and boyhoLLow, The Mink, 3718 Main. 10-W50-7

Indian Jewelry/Roky Moon & Bolt/Benjamin Wesley/Lick Lick/Leg Sweeper, Fitzgerald’s, 3706 White Oak, 8pm, free. 10-W50-8

posted by Shawn K. Quinn

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2010-12-06/12 Weekly LOVIEE

posted 2010-12-09T19:49

While much later than I usually post these, there are still plenty of things going on over the next two nights. I’m going to go ahead and get a head start on next week’s to try to keep it from being quite this late in the week.

Ongoing This Week

Thursday 12-09 through Saturday 12-11

Museum of Dysfunction III: A Showcase of Shorts, Obsidian Art Space, 3522 White Oak, 8pm, pay-what-you-can. Mildred’s Umbrella presents an evening of shorter plays ranging from two-minute monologues to 20-minute plays. 10-W49-1

Friday 12-10 and Saturday 12-11

City Dance Company’s Edge Dance Concert, Rice University, $10 (Rice students with ID)/$15 (GA). Featuring pieces with contemporary pointe, jazz, urban, classical, and nontraditional styles. According to artistic director Sherese Campbell (originally to the Houston Press): “Art is not just for the elite. We think it should be open to everyone, both onstage and off.” 10-W49-2

Saturday 12-11

Second Annual Gingerbread Build-Off, Market Square, 300 Travis, 10am-3:30pm. See the recap of last year’s event to get an idea what this is about. 10-M12-3

Guitar Shorty, The Big Easy, 5731 Kirby, no time given. Local blues legend who has been in the music business for over half a century. 10-M12-4

posted by Shawn K. Quinn

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Recap: Via Colori (10-M11-6)

posted 2010-12-08T02:04

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year since the last Via Colori in Houston. And I will admit the reality did not really hit me until I actually arrived downtown in the early afternoon to witness a scene similar to the one in 2009. Except, of course, much drier, and with a slightly different position for the main stage.

I went ahead and did the paperwork for my volunteer assignment, not due to start until 2pm. I figured I would take in the spectacle and catch the first part of the Runaway Sun set, which theoretically my volunteer shift would start before the conclusion of. I take a good hour or so to walk the entire festival grounds and see what this year’s street art looks like. And I was quite impressed by what I saw.

And then it was time for Runaway Sun, who started their set right around 1:15pm with “Lovebite” which is the catchy yet disappointingly short track from the band’s full length album “The Bridge.” I remember “Miss Whiskey,” “Lily,” (from the EP) and “Headin Down South” in the set as well, and from a distance “Sweetheart” but I’m a bit fuzzy on the remainder of the set list.

I’m back at the volunteer tent around 2pm. I’m instructed to wait over at the photography tent, then after about a half hour of waiting, I venture out for a soda and I just happen to bump into the guy I’m supposed to be helping out. I had been given what would be a surprisingly helpful description of his appearance by Elaine Mesker-Garcia, a friend of mine who was volunteering in the photography tent, so it was just a question of approaching and asking. He tells me we will probably begin around 3:30pm so I make a mental note and go back to strolling around until about that time. I think it was about this time I ran into a few other people I knew, including Ingrid Fuller, who is not only one of the artists but also represents one of the sponsors, CityScope Net. It’s an honor to know Ingrid and others like her who help make Via Colori what it is.

Then, I check back in with the volunteer tent, and they tell me to wait there until it’s time to start with the scissor lift run. And I wait a while, and a little while longer, and before I know it 3:30pm comes and goes. Then, the volunteer working the tent wonders why I’m still there; it turns out the other two volunteers had already been sent out, and she had radioed over to send me out as well. Thankfully I hadn’t missed much; I catch up to the scissor lift crew (photographer, guide, and two other volunteers also helping with crowd control).

Apart from a few issues with the condition of the streets, it’s mostly a problem-free shift. We started from the intersection, worked our way down to the end, then back the other way, then back towards the main stage.

There’s still a sizable crowd as we approach the main stage, which we approached in the middle of The Tontons’ set. I didn’t get to catch a whole lot of it, as I was more focused on the task at hand. However, I heard enough to know that the band has still “got it.” I’ll have to make a point to see The Tontons’ next show when there’s one in the area as it seems like they are becoming a rarity.

Anyway, we go away from the main stage and turn down the last of the streets. There are a few issues with being able to get the entire picture in frame (during the square layout, there were places where insufficient room was alloted for the scissor lift). Hopefully this won’t be an issue next year.

I had a unique perspective, getting to see many of the artists putting the finishing touches on their squares as we came by. I was able to take a few snapshots of my own, which hopefully I’ll find time to post to my Flickr account in the coming days.

In summary, there are many reasons that Via Colori is becoming one of my favorite annual events in Houston. Due to my busy schedule this year I was only able to show up for Sunday, but next year I’ll make it a point to be there both days, as I was in 2009. Congratulations to the Center for Hearing and Speech for another successful year of Via Colori.

posted by Shawn K. Quinn

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