Buffalo, New York. Hockey, the cold, the canal, the train yard, Rick James and Ani DiFranco, cheap dilapidated Victorians, potholes brimming with ice and slush . . .
Buffalo is a place where people grow up, and a place people sadly—but understandably—end up leaving in pursuit of their dreams. And it’s Buffalo where MiWi La Lupa started his musical adventure, as so many public school kids in America do, by picking a dented, smelly old instrument off the shelf in band class and giving it a go. MiWi picked the trombone. It fit—sort of. He started a band, Thought. Then he packed his bags.
MiWi made his way east, first to Rochester and the Eastman School of Music, trading in his trombone for a bass trumpet, before, like many musicians, continuing on down the Hudson and arriving in NYC in the summer of 2005.
Once in the city things began to take off for MiWi, and he soon found himself performing with music greats like Les McCann, David Byrne, Bill Frisell, Femi Kuti, Charlie Hunter, and El-P. MiWi would also become an original member of the band Red Baraat, with whom he would go on to tour the world.
Be it the diversity of MiWi’s palate, his growth as a musician and experiences on the road, or his roots coming from a blue-collar corner of the country often passed over and left for dead by the chronologists of the musical cannon, MiWi’s endeavors were aligning, naturally, with the art of songwriting. Expression—of loss, desire, grief, forgiveness—and a growing need to examine, document, and articulate his life began to take over, and soon the seeds of MiWi’s first solo album were firmly planted.
New Way Home, MiWi’s debut album on Team Love, is the result of life taking an unexpected turn. With the help of Monica Frisell, the songs began to take shape in early 2013. As things developed, friends such as Joanna Warren, Conor Elmes, Curtis Fowlkes, Rob Jost, Mara Kaye, Natalie John, Timothy Allen, Bill Frisell, and Conor Oberst, all enthused at the sound, eagerly jumped in to lend a hand. New Way Home is a short, immediate, and catchy album, but its real magic lies in its ability to invoke a wide range of sonic diversity while not losing sight of its singular vision.
A track like “Ashes To The Wind” invokes legendary bluesman Howlin’ Wolf, while “Here I Am” positions itself neatly between singer-songwriters like Ron Sexsmith and Stuart Murdoch. The album’s songs range from playfully vengeful (“Everybody’s Fuckin’ With Me”) to sorrowfully serious (“New Moon”). MiWi’s voice is frank, his phrasing crisp, his lyrics easy to grasp yet full of twists. The songs document a season in a life, offering empathy to the listener while asking for the same in return.
New Way Home was released on Team Love Records January 21, 2014.
ChiIL Live Shows shots from The Burlington-The Luck of Eden Hall & The Foreign Resort (from Copenhagen, Denmark) opening for Rocket Miner 10-11-12 The back room at The Burlington isn't stellar for live show shots, as it's somewhat of a dark cave. Still, it lends that intimate "somebody's basement" garage band aesthetic, so we enjoy seeing shows there nonetheless. Here are our shots of both Chicago's own The Luck of Eden Hall and Foreign Resort all the way from Copenhagen, Denmark. Here are the Dudes from Denmark--Foreign Resort
They were featured in ReverbNation's Breaking Artist's Spotlight in September and we thought their bass player in particular kicked ass. They're a band worth watching and you can say you heard of them first. Check 'em out.
The Luck of Eden Hall will be opening for Exit Ghost at Double Door on Nov. 20: Double Door Welcomes:
Exit Ghost
The Violet Lights, Parallels and Lies, The Luck of Eden Hall
(Worlds collide alert: My husband, Dug, did the location sound for a TV show featuring Seven on Ridge host, Michael Essany, back when he was a home schooled high school boy, just getting his start hosting his own interview show. Michael's mom made the crew sandwiches.)
We're so excited to offer one of our lucky readers 4 free tickets to the opening performance of Six Stories Tall at 4pm on Saturday, November 10th. Enter right here for your chance to win! *Wait for Rafflecopter to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page title and it should pop right up). Enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often. Entries accepted through midnight on 11/2/12. Winner will be announced on Saturday 11/3. Thanks to Adventure Stage for once again providing us with rockin' awesome tickets for our give aways.
Check out ChiIL Mama/ ChiIL Live Shows Past Interview With Director Tom Arvetis right here.
We have an exclusive interview with Tom Arvetis, Adventure Stage's Producing Artistic Director, and his infant daughter, Vivian, which we first ran in December of 2011. Check out our video below for insights into balancing creative work and parenting, life after birth with 3 girls under 6, their past productions Walk Two Moon, and The Giver. Walk Two Moons was adapted by Tom, who also expounds on "adapting" to fatherhood & life in theatre. We continue our series on "How Creatives Parents and How Parents Create".
Adventure Stage Chicago (ASC) at Northwestern University Settlement House is thrilled to present the Midwest Premiere of Six Stories Tall: a play about mermaids, monsters and spray paint!, written by Marco Ramirez and directed by ASC Producing Artistic Director Tom Arvetis.
Pictured top to bottom: Lance Newton, Alyssa Vera Ramos, Alexandar Knapp, Mark Anthony Gonzalez, Sarah Rose Graber, Kevin Brown and Danielle Davis. Production Photos by Johnny Knight.
ABOUT THE PLAY
What Does It Mean To Be A Hero?
Inspired by Hispanic folklore, Six Stories Tallis a storytelling spectacle unlike anything ever seen on our stage. Featuring a live DJ and incorporating a unique mix of narrative influences including comic books, video games, hip-hop music and mythology, the six fantastical tales that comprise this remarkable play create a thrilling, heartfelt journey that families will not soon forget.*Recommended for ages 8 and older (grades 3 and above).
Six Stories Tallis a play of six stories commissioned by Washington D.C.’s The Kennedy Center, where it made its premiere in October 2008 under the title Mermaids, Monsters and the World Painted Purple and was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for Best New Play. One of the stories in the play, “I Am Not Batman,” was part of the 2007 Humana Festival and won the Heideman Award for Best 10-Minute Play before being incorporated into the complete script of Mermaids, Monsters and the World Painted Purple. This Adventure Stage Chicago production marks only the second time the complete play has been staged, and the first time under its new title Six Stories Tall: a play about mermaids, monsters and spray paint!
Tom Arvetis (Director/ASC Producing Artistic Director) says of the play: “The gift that Marco Ramirez has given us with Six Stories Tall is the joy derived from the power of youthful imagination and the conceit that young people can be superheroes, guardians and saviors. Through six uniquely wrought adventures we see a boy save a mermaid, a girl defeat the devil at the crossroads, another boy become Batman, another girl defeat a legendary monster relying on video game skills, a boy and a girl invent a musical language together, and a boy express his love for his grandfather by literally changing the world.“
Please join us for a FREE open rehearsal of Six Stories Talland gain a glimpse into the journey that awaits you as we pull back the curtain for a sneak peek into what you can expect on show day. Refreshments provided. Limited seating - register at 773.342.4141 or www.adventurestage.org.
OPENING DAY CUPCAKE SOCIAL Saturday, Nov. 10, 4:00-8:00pm Celebrate opening day with us and mingle with the cast after the show while enjoying yummy cupcakes from Kyle’s Cupcakery.
*ChiIL Mama's four pack ticket winner can have a show and cupcakes too!!
SETTLEMENT SATURDAY Saturday, Nov. 17, 4:00-8:00pm Settlement Saturday is a day to celebrate our parent organization, the Northwestern University Settlement House, as well as the Settlement's neighbors. This performance includes Spanish supertitles, and the pre- and post-show discussion are conducted in both Spanish and English. The show is followed by a food and game reception in Vittum Theater's Burnside Hall for all audience members to enjoy.
CAST AND CREWCast: Kevin Brown (Drummer/Chorus)
Danielle Davis (Rebecca/Marta Elena/Yennifer/Chorus)
Mikhail Fiksel (DJ/Chorus)
Mark Anthony Gonzalez (Tomas/Stranger/Abuelo/Chorus)
Sarah Rose Graber* (Sirena/Abuela/Lawn Guy/Chorus)
Alexander Knapp (Alfredo/Carbon/Warrior 2/Store Clerk/Chorus)
Lance Newton (Boy/Warrior 1/Chester/Chorus)
Alyssa Vera Ramos (Emilia/Lupe/Chorus)
Sara Sawicki (Understudy) Tony Garcia (Understudy)
Crew:
Director: Tom Arvetis* Asst. Director: Emilio Robles Stage Manager: Phil Claudnic Asst. Stage Manager: Morgan Gire Dramaturg: Brian Bell* Music Direction/Composition/Sound Design: Mikhail Fiksel Movement Director: Stephanie Paul Scenic Design: Brandon Wardell* Lighting Design: Heather Gilbert Costume Design: Jessica Kuehnau Wardell* Props Design: Catherine Campbell Technical Director: Jarrod Bainter
*denotes ASC company or ensemble member
BIOS
Marco Ramirez (Playwright) is a two-time Latino Playwriting Award winner at the Kennedy Center's American College Theater Festival and has had plays produced at The Juilliard School, The Arsht Center, and Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays (where he's twice received the Heideman Award). TV writing credits include FX's "Sons of Anarchy." He trained at both NYU and The Juilliard School.
Tom Arvetis (Director) founded Adventure Stage Chicago in 2004 and is responsible for the creative vision of the company, the implementation of all programming, and the supervision of the theater staff. Tom's directing credits for Adventure Stage Chicago include And A Child Shall Lead by Michael Slade, Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back by Jason Tremblay (world premiere), The Blue House by José Cruz González (world premiere), and A Woman Called Truth by Sandra Fenichel Asher. Tom also directed a reading of Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back as part of the 2008 New Visions/New Voices Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Other directing credits include Dragon/Sky by Elizabeth Wong (workshop reading for Silk Road Theatre Project), The Search for Odysseus by Charles Way (The Simple Theatre) andThe City Wears a Slouch Hat by Kenneth Patchen (Wanderlust Productions). Playwriting credits for Adventure Stage include Walk Two Moons (honorable mention in Chicago Theatre Beat's Best Shows of 2011) and I Dream in Blues (dubbed "the sleeper hit of the season" by the Chicago Tribune). Tom was an Ann Shaw Fellow with TYA/USA in 2009 and a finalist for a 2010 Chicago Community Trust Fellowship. He is a board member with the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.
ABOUT ADVENTURE STAGE
Adventure Stage Chicago creates dynamic and transformative theatre for young audiences that activates the imagination, inspires dialogue and strengthens community among families, educators and artists. We strive to become Chicago's premier destination for theatrical productions and programming designed for young people and the adults in their lives; we aim to be leaders in theatre education through professional development workshops, residencies and resources that offer innovative ways to infuse theatre into the classroom; and we seek to cultivate and create challenging new work as well as produce celebrated stories. This is Adventure Stage's ninth season.
Adventure Stage has received numerous honors since its inception in 2004, including:
Recipient of a prestigious Continuing Innovation Stage II grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Selected participant in EmcArts' Innovation Lab for the Performing Arts, a program generously funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Zeta Phi Eta Winifred Ward Award for Outstanding New Children's Theatre Company from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education
Two-time Finalist for the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theater Award
Participant in the New Visions/New Voices Festival at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Washington D.C.
Four-time Recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Access to Artistic Excellence Grant
Adventure Stage Chicago is a program of Northwestern University Settlement House, the oldest continually operating settlement house in Chicago. Throughout its 121-year history, the Settlement has remained committed to providing resources that empower neighbors to overcome the obstacles of poverty. Adventure Stage extends this mission by presenting Chicago's young audiences, educators and families with an affordable artistic experience rooted in performance. Last season, Adventure Stage served over 7,000 students from 85 schools throughout the Chicagoland area and over 2,600 audience members for our weekend performances.
Each Adventure Stage Chicago production presents weekday matinees primarily for school groups, as well as weekend performances for the general public. Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the cast. Out of respect for our actors and audience members, children under age 5 are not permitted in the theatre during a performance.
All shows are performed at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., in the heart of Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. Street parking is available, and the theater is close to the Noble St. stop on the #56 Milwaukee bus line and the Division stop on the CTA Blue Line. The theater is wheelchair accessible.
Check out ChiIL Live Shows video interview with the band and original pit photos from FIDLAR's Lincoln Hall Pre-Lollapalooza 2012 Show!
We caught up with FIDLAR for a sweet pre-show video interview and got the inside dirt on their tattoos, views, new material, and more. They've got a sound all their own, but if you dig 80's punk, Social D, and The Pixies, check out FIDLAR!
FIDLAR-Lincoln Hall, opening for Delta Spirit--ChiIL Live Shows 8/1/12 So-Cal punks, FIDLAR, rocked Lincoln Hall in a sold out pre-Lolla bash. These skaters are taking Chi-Town by storm with a 4 day string of sold out gigs culminating in a 1pm set at Lollapalooza Saturday.
Check back with ChiIL Live Shows like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often for more exclusive band interviews, live show shots, reviews and music news.
New Track From Forthcoming Debut LP, Out Early Next Year On Mom+Pop Music and Wichita Records
West Coast Tour With The Hives Starts Today, On Tour Soon With Jeff The Brotherhood And Delta Spirit
"FIDLAR channel elements of classic acts like the White Stripes and Pixies, while practically begging for a co-headlining tour with contemporaries like Bass Drum of Death and JEFF the Brotherhood" -SPIN
"The tune can be summed up in a handful of image descriptions; sandboarding, grim reaper, suicidal flip-up hat, skull mask, and shred." - Filter Magazine
"We all have a major music crush on FIDLAR here at VICE" - Vice.com
"They remind me of Pixies a lot (an obvious link, given the singer's Frank Black style screeeeeeam), but there's also some really, really nice'n'fuzzy guitars in there that sound like they've been nicked from the blueprint Death In Vegas followed on 'Aiesha'." - NME
"FIDLAR has an agressive, straightforward, but melodic conception of punk." - LA Times
"But one wouldn't mistake the band for one of its slacker subjects, not when they play this fast. The tracks sizzle with the aggression and bargain-price fidelity of the SoCal punk tradition, though FIDLAR's catchy hooks have more in common with Social Distortion and Wavves than Black Flag. " - MTV Buzz
Tour Dates With The Hives
09/05 - 9one9 - Victoria, BC 09/06 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC 09/08 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR (Musicfest NW) 09/10 - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA 09/11 - The Observatory - Santa Ana, CA 09/13 - The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas Pool - Las Vegas, NV 09/14 - The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
Tour Dates With Jeff The Brotherhood And Delta Spirit
10/31 - House of Blues - New Orleans, LA 11/1 – House of Blues – Houston, TX 11/4 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX 11/6 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA 11/8 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA 11/9 – Fillmore – San Francisco, CA 11/12 – The Grand – Salt Lake City, UT 11/15 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO 11/16 – Bogart's – Cincinnati, OH 11/17 – St. Andrew's Hall – Detroit, MI 11/19 – House of Blues – Chicago, IL 11/21 – Cambridge Room – Chicago, IL 11/23 – TLA – Philadelphia, PA 11/24 – Fillmore – Washington, DC 11/27 – Irving Plaza – New York, NY 11/28 – House Of Blues – Boston, MA
The House Theatre's smash hit,Death and Harry Houdini, reaches the end of it's final extension today. This is, without a doubt, one of our favorite shows of the year.
We published this interview with the show's lead, Dennis Watkins, back in the spring on Facebook and Twitter, but want it to live on in a searchable archive form, so we're breaking it back out at both ChiIL Live Shows.com and ChiIL Mama.com to celebrate the show's close.
It was our great pleasure to be invited to Dennis' lovely northside home. His passion for magic extends from the stage to his after hours, where he surrounds himself with vintage magic props that have been in the family, collector posters of renowned magicians, and even a Houdini coffee table volume. Check out "the magician's lair" here.
We got a rare peek into the home of magic man, Dennis Watkins, star of Death and Harry Houdini, The House Theatre's smash, sell out hit. His love of magic goes beyond his roles in Magic Parlour and Death and Harry Houdini. He's a 3rd generation magician whose home decor includes vintage tricks from his Grandfather's shop and sweet magic show posters, for his own endeavors and others. A big show banner from The House Theatre's first incarnation of Death and Harry Houdini 10 years ago, hangs just inside his front door.
In our interview, Dennis expounds on the history of the show, Death and Harry Houdini, and it's numerous reincarnations with The House Theatre since 2001. He gives insight into how to prep for the physically and mentally challenging role and how being successful at illusion isn't about ego and mastering trick, but it's all about the magic and wonder going on in the audience's heads.
My husband and I caught Death and Harry Houdiniopening night and loved it so much I spent months trying to buy tickets to take the kids back to see it. The run originally sold out in minutes, and although I was stalking their Facebook page, every time a trickle of tickets became available, they got scooped up before I could get my finger on the button. We finally scored a block of tickets and my kids were able to see the show for my son's March birthday, with one of his best friends. As I'd expected, the kids were enamored with the show and amazed with the acting and the illusions. We all sincerely hope that this is not the last we've seen of Harry Houdini, skillfully brought back to life by Chi-town's own magician extraordinaire, Dennis Watkins!
“A highly polished and visually thrilling show… MAGIC OF THEVERYHIGHESTORDER!”
- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“…high energy, buzzy blend of traditional storytelling, music and spectacle… A THRILLINGRIDE!”
– Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago
“Soars on Dennis Watkins’ brilliance as a genuine magician and fearless stuntman… INGENIOUSLYWRITTENANDDIRECTED!”
– Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
We've seen numerous productions by The House Theatre over the years and they do not disappoint. We highly recommend you check out their 11th season.
(click the show title for tickets and more info) Next up:
THE IRON STAG KING: PART ONE
August 31st, 2012 to October 21st, 2012
A myth of crowns and country
By Chris Mathews and Nathan Allen Directed by Nathan Allen Original Music by Kevin O’Donnell Choreography by Tommy Rapley
Featuring Company Members Cliff Chamberlain and Joey Steakley
From the writer/director of ‘Death and Harry Houdini’ comes a new epic journey filled with heated battles and life-size puppets.
Our unsuspecting hero, Casper Kent, is the son of a poor farmer. When an old storyteller reveals that Casper is the rightful heir to the throne, his life is threatened from all sides. Young Casper must escape the rebels, choose compatriots and question what is good and right for the land. Join him on his quest to lift the magical hammer that will unite or destroy them all.
LOCATION: The Chopin Theatre
1543 W. Division St., Chicago, IL
“A perfect evening of illusion and laughter… The Magic Parlour transformed a roomful of tired adults into wide-eyed, wide awake innocents. And that in itself is Watkins’ most impressive trick.
