Riotous Ren Faire Recap #Photo Filled Feature

Our fair faire is 25 and celebrating in fine fashion!   Bristol Renaissance Faire is one of our highly anticipated, annual, family favs.   In fact, we hope to get back there yet again next weekend.   We just can't stay away!



We hit all the new shows we'd never seen before (& a few old favs--like MooNie--we couldn't stay away from while we ate our traditional mile high chocolate crepes!)   There are so many fun, frequently changing acts throughout the run of the faire, that it's always a new fest, even if you're a frequent guest!   

This time around it was a joy to catch:

Sirena (July 7 thru Aug 19 ONLY) (NEW)

Travel back to the time of mythical gods, shipwrecked lovers, and the ethereal women whom all sailors both fear and adore--the Sirens. Straight from the depths of the sea, Aglaope, Legeia, and Raidne bring you a show filled with drumming, dancing, and all-original music. Their songs will hypnotize you and their stories will touch your hearts, but hold on to your souls, or you might find you've lost them to the hands of the Sirens!

Visit Sirena's Facebook Page

Gypsy Geoff – Fire Circus Show (July 7/8 & 14/15, Aug 18 thru Sept 3 ONLY)
A showman who is devoted to expanding upon the wonderment of children, Gypsy Geoff: Juggler,
physical comedian, and variety entertainer that is both mesmerizing and enchanting. Come witness
and be part of the master of mayhem and manipulation the flurry of fire that is Gypsy Geoff – Fire Circus Show!  Visit Gypsy Geoff's Website

Aerial Silk Fantasy (July 7 thru Aug 19 ONLY)

Lauryn Murray graces the floor and nimbly climbs the precarious heights of silk, appearing as though gravity were merely a suggestion, not reality.  Lauryn's beauty, grace and skill will awe the young and old alike as she floats effortlessly 30 feet above Shakespeare's Meadow near the RenQuest encampment.

Here's Sagezilla telling aerialist, Lauryn, that she'll have her job in 10 years!!   LOL.   Seriously, Sage WAS chatting her up, telling her that she takes silks, Spanish web, trapeze, lira, Chinese Pole, etc.....   all at the ripe olde age of 9.   Kid's got wings and she's ready to fly!

Tartanic (July 7/8 & 14/15 & 21/22 ONLY)

The roar of bagpipes and the thunder of the drums can only mean one thing. Tartanic returns to thrill audiences with a show that truly defines “Shock and Awe!” Taking tunes out of the session and into the sensational with their own brand of humor and theatrics. This is not just music... this is an interactive spectacle brought to you by... MEN WITHOUT PANTS! Visit Tartanic's Website

Street Painting through Chalk Art (July 7/8, 28/29, Aug 11/12, Sept 1-3)

Join Master Chalk Artist, Stacey Williams-NG, as she brings art to life with a mere pallet of pastels.

MooNie the Magnif'Cent (all season)
Enchanting audiences for over 20 years without saying so much as a word, MooNie is the undisputed master of Bristol’s Globe stage. MooNie presents a show that combines classic clowning, slack rope work and enough comedy to leave you gasping for breath. Enter the mind of MooNie. Visit MooNie's Website



.....and so much more!!

Of course, we couldn't keep our pirate maiden, Sage, from storming the castle walls and back flipping on the Bungee Catapult here.   She mastered the highest castle wall climb this year!   Ren Faire is truly a gymnast kids' mecca.

The costumed crowds are also at least half the fun.   So dress up...dress down....break out your best Renaissancie duds and join the game.    I'm always amused at the hodgepodge of traditionalists, gamers, steampunks, fantasy ware wearers, and anti-costumers all cavorting and having a jolly olde English time together.

Be sure to snag discount coupons at Walgreens before you go.   Also, check out  Bristol Ren Faire's main site right here, for advanced tickets, specials and must see events.   Then head out of town and back in time for some merry olde adventures at Bristol Renaissance Faire.    The fair runs through Labor Day Monday, then there's a special 25th anniversary bash September 14th & 15th this year.    Huzzah!!   

Play Locally Tonight: Babes With Blades and Mucca Pazza

CHECK OUT OUR MUCCA PAZZA PHOTO FILLED PAST COVERAGE AND SAFETY FIFTH ALBUM REVIEW RIGHT HERE.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 18, 2012 - 11:00PM

DOORS 10:30 PM / SHOW 11:00 PM 

17 & OVER, VALID ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRY. 

HTTP://MUCCA-PAZZA.ORG/

HTTP://OCCIDENTALBROTHERS.COM/

Twisted metal and piles of slag behind them, shish boom bah!

Chicago’s Mucca Pazza marches on, from the steel mill parking lots of Chicago across the nation. Wielding homemade headgear amps and shouting surreal algebraic cheers, the dozens-strong band insists on Safety Fifth (Electric Cowbell Records; June 12, 2012).

They march in formation, rip through drum cadences, bust out cinematic stories, and incite mass dance outbreaks. They channel everything from Bartok to a love-struck Godzilla, re-imagine the uptight 19th-century march, and make up soundtracks for classic Egyptian movies that never happened. Not bad for an eccentric gang of loud-and-proud, self-proclaimed band geeks.

“We look like a marching band and occasionally behave like a marching band, but we don’t sound like one,” explains Gary Kalar, mandolin player and member of Mucca Pazza’s “freak” section of stringed instruments and accordion. “We care about the music we play; it’s not a novelty thing. We just don’t fit into any hyphenated genre.”

“We’re a marching band that thinks we’re a rock band,” exclaims sousaphone player Mark Messing.

This May and June, Mucca Pazza will rock New York, Washington DC, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Louisville, and, of course, Chicago, with a live show too big to stay on stage.

Why play a gritty factory parking lot for free every Sunday morning?

“We figured no one would bother us in an industrial area,” reflects Messing. “It was also weirdly inspiring to be there, by ourselves on the Chicago River, among all these big scrap yards. We felt like we were putting together something from scrap.

“We came together in a whole bunch of ways. The connections were pretty random,” explains trombonist Elanor Leskiw. “Some of us met while protesting the war here in Chicago. Many of us are involved in theater and music for theater. About seven of us wanted to explore playing original compositions and just have an outlet. As a composer, you don’t have an ensemble to try out new music, unless you’re at an academic institution or orchestra. It grew from there. We were having so much fun playing at the parking lot at noon. People would show up to listen every week, with donuts and coffee.”

“All the rock bands and the singer-songwriters have a place to be, but we grew up in school bands,” Messing adds. “We had to come up with our own alternative that was fun.”

The alternative evolved during those impromptu Sunday sessions, melding a devil-may-care rock vibe with the devil’s-in-the-details focus and precision of the best marching bands. Cheerleaders praising the wonders of integers and verbs—or staging bold rallying cries against the Dewey decimal system—became part of the team, as did a motley crew of unexpected instruments.

For example, when guitarist Jeff Thomas approached the band, psyched about the music but dismayed that he only played guitar, the helmet amp was born: a hockey helmet DIY-melded with a tiny loudspeaker. “The hockey helmet has this strange resonance, which was odd at first,” laughs Thomas, “but it frees you.” The same setup allows mandolin, accordion, and violin to march alongside the brass, glockenspiel, and drum corps, and sparked the Mucca Pazza section lovingly dubbed “the freaks.”

Freakdom adds a fresh layer to the marching band sound, as funky guitar lines talk back (“March Anormale,” a slightly twisted take on 19th-century military band music) or the accordion sets the pace (the whimsical beauty of “Tube Sock Tango”).

Like the band, the music also came together from disparate, awesome bits: Quirky winks at TV shows’ theme songs (“Maui Waui 5-0” is a 70s-style car chase of a romp, for example) meet garage band songs gone drum and brass (the bad-ass “Boss Taurus”). A fascination with the work of Ennio Morricone (audible in “Hang ‘Em Where I Can See ‘Em”) crosses paths with a red-hot tango of love between the Mummy and Godzilla (the Tom Waitsian “Monster Tango”).

The fluid movement between genres, styles, and influences matches the band’s mobility. Even when performing in canoes on the Chicago River—the wild idea of an environmental non-profit that put the band in boats—the group uses formations familiar from their band geek days and high-energy drum cadences (like “Coolashell”) to transition from place to place, from piece to piece. They can also set a whole audience marching—sometimes right off the street and into the club.

This dynamism is tangible in the music and makes for an audience experience that’s up close and personal. “I never moved around much when I played in rock bands. I was chained to an amp,” notes Thomas with a smile. “The helmet was liberating. I could explore my body more, and it actually affected the way I played. Because of the directional quality of the helmet, I have to get really close to people. When I perform in the audience, I love getting obnoxiously close.”

Personal space issues aside, Mucca Pazza pushes the envelope, bringing punk aesthetics to the parade and marching band chops to the rock club. “We were marching in the Kentucky Derby parade in Louisville, with all these 100-member marching bands,” Thomas recounts. “We’d march like a regular band and then with a whistle blow make these random honking noises. At the point when a TV newscaster started to announce us on the air, we started honking away, and the announcer stopped mid-band name. He said, ‘I don’t think we’ve seen anything quite like this before.’”

Theatre that leaves a mark......

If you're not already intrigued and entranced with that tag line....    What can we say to convince you.    We'll be catching opening night tonight and we'll have a full review up for you in the very near future.    We've been fans of Babes With Blades for years and highly recommend their high energy, fight laden shows.   They're kicking off their 15th anniversary season in style

TICKETS ON SALE NOW for Reina Hardy’s Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride: CLICK!

Several shows are already SOLD OUT, so don’t delay – get your tix today!

BABES WITH BLADES KICKS OFF 15^th ANNIVERSARY SEASON  WITH “SUSAN SWAYNE AND THE BEWILDERED BRIDE”

WORLD PREMIERE OF REINA HARDY’S VICTORIAN DETECTIVE COMEDY

   

  

Babes With Blades Theatre Company (BWBTC), Chicago’s all-female stage combat ensemble, will open their 15^th anniversary season with the world premiere of “Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” by Reina Hardy, directed by Dan Foss.  It’s 1888 in London, and the Society of Lady Detectives meets discreetly to indulge its members’  tastes for swordplay and sleuthing.  As the genteel club considers a disturbing series of murders in the Whitechapel district, a frantic heiress turns up with a startling accusation towards one of their own.  Society member Susan Swayne takes the case, defying societal norms and pursuing the truth through the Victorian streets.  Combat sequences from violence designer/BWBTC ensemble member Libby Beyreis will feature smallsword and bartitsu (a Victorian mixed martial art influenced by jujitsu and savate).  Tickets are $8 for previews or $20 for regular performances, students and seniors $12.

  

Originally submitted to BWBTC’s inaugural Joining Sword & Pen Playwriting Competition in 2005, “Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” began as a one-act play inspired by a print of Emile Bayard’s “An Affair of Honor.”  The script was selected for the company’s New Plays Development Program in 2009 and became a full-length play through a series of three readings and feedback sessions.  Director Foss describes the resulting script as “a quirky Victorian detective comedy.”

   

  

The cast includes BWBTC ensemble members Lisa Herceg, Kimberly Logan, and  Megan Schemmel, joined by guest artists Kathryn Acosta, Justine Serino, and Kelly Yacono.

    

 Production staff includes  Leigh Barrett* (Lighting Designer/BWBTC Artistic Director), Libby Beyreis* (Violence Designer), Matthew Cummings (Props Designer), Alison Dornheggen* (Production Manager), Dan Foss (Director), Gillian N. Humiston* (Assistant Violence Designer), Christopher Kriz (Sound Designer), Dennis Mae (Scenic Designer), Tara Malpass (Stage Manager), Kjerstine McHugh* (Assistant Director), and Kimberly Morris (Costume Designer).

     *Denotes BWB Ensemble Member

    

 “Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride” will open on Saturday, August 18 at 8:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Square Theatre, 4754 N. Leavitt (inside Berry Memorial UMC, lower level).  Previews are Saturday, August 11 and Friday, August 17 at 8 p.m.  The show runs Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., August 23  to September 22.  In addition, there will be Saturday matinees on September 1, 8, and 15 at 2:00 p.m.

For tickets, call 773-904-0391 or to go http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/222921.

Key Bios:

Dan Foss (Director) has been involved in the development of "Susan Swayne and the Bewildered Bride" since spring of 2009 and is thrilled to finally be bringing it to life with Babes With Blades.  Recent directing experience includes "Erratica" with American Demigods (also by Reina Hardy), "Vanishing Points" with Point of Contention, and various projects with Appetite Theatre Company, The Side Project, Hobo Junction, Rogue Theater Company, and Rascal Children's Theater.  You may recognize Dan from his brief return to the stage as Uncle Saul in BWBTC’s production of "The Double" last fall.  He is also the Secretary of BWBTC’s Board of Directors.

Libby Beyreis (Violence Designer) has been fighting on stage since 1994, and is proud to be a company member of Babes With Blades.  She has designed violence for companies including Idle Muse, Strangeloop, The DIVISION, Focal Point Theater Company, Chase Park, Free Street, as well as a number shows with the Babes, most recently Romeo & Juliet and The Double.

Kjerstine McHugh (Assistant Director) is tickled to be working on this wonderful script with such an amazing group of artists. She hopes that she gets more stuff right than she gets wrong on this, her second foray into the wonderful world of not stage managing.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company will complete its 15^th anniversary season in spring of 2013 with an all-female “Julius Caesar.”

Photo credit:  Steven Townshend

Kelly Yacono (Left) as Katherine Denn and Lisa Herceg (Right) as Susan Swayne

KNOTFEST PERFORMANCE TIMES For This Weekend & Broadcast Details #photos #video interviews

KNOTFEST 
PERFORMANCE TIMES RELEASED FOR FIRST-EVER TWO-DATE FESTIVAL ON
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17 IN COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA
SATURDAY, AUGUST 18 IN SOMERSET, WI/MINNEAPOLIS, MN

Some of ChiIL Live Shows favorite metal bands will be there!   Will YOU?!  Click the links below for our original past coverage of these Knotfest Bands:

ChiIL Live Shows' Photos of Slipknot's M. Shawn Crahan's book signing at Chicago's Abby Pub

ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows know parents and kids rock and life doesn't end with birth.    Check out these rockin' parents raising the next gen of metalheads and banger babies.    Then see how M Shawn Crahan's photography and music are influenced by his own young daughter.

*Check out our video interview with Prong here

*Dillinger Escape Plan Pit Photos from Chicago's Vic Theatre, opening for Mastodon

*Previous Knotfest Coverage

Coming soon:  

*Prong Pit Photos from Indianapolis With Clutch

*The Urge at Bottom Lounge in Chicago, pit photos and live video

Leading up to the first-ever KNOTFEST powered by Rockstar Energy Drink®--an extraordinary two-day metal and hard rock festival--organizers have released set times at www.knotfest.com (see times below).  KNOTFEST headliners SLIPKNOT as well as DEFTONES, LAMB OF GOD, MACHINE HEAD, SERJ TANKIAN, CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, THE URGE, PRONG, GOJIRA and more will perform live in the heart of America on Friday, August 17 in Council Bluffs, IA at Mid America Motorplex and Saturday, August 18 in Somerset, WI/Minneapolis, MN at Somerset Amphitheater.

August 17, 2012 - Council Bluffs, Iowa (Mid-America Motor Complex)

Doors: 2:00 PM

Main Stage
Slipknot: 9:30PM-11:00PM
Deftones: 7:20PM-8:20PM
Serj Tankian: 5:25PM-6:15PM
Prong: 3:55PM-4:35PM

Second Stage
Lamb of God 8:25PM-9:25PM
Machine Head: 6:20PM-7:15PM
The Urge: 4:40PM-5:20PM
Dirtfedd: 3:20PM-3:50PM

August 18, 2012 - Minneapolis, MN (Somerset Amphitheater)

Doors: 1:30 PM

Main Stage
Slipknot: 10:20PM-12:00PM
Deftones: 8:10PM-9:10PM
Serj Tankian: 6:10PM-7:00PM
Dillinger Escape Plan: 4:30PM-5:10PM

Second Stage
Lamb of God: 9:15PM-10:15PM
Machine Head: 7:05PM-8:05PM
Cannibal Corpse: 5:15PM-6:05PM
Prong : 3:45PM-4:25PM
Gojira: 3:00PM-3:30PM

For fans that can’t attend the festival this year, SLIPKNOT has partnered with TODOCAST and Event View Live to broadcast “SLIPKNOT Live at Knotfest” on demand starting Saturday, August 18. To reserve and purchase, visit: http://www.EventViewLive.com/. Fans worldwide can Pause Rewind and Watch the show--live as it happens, AND for a full 30 days after the event. Day-of-show footage includes a behind the scenes tour of the festival grounds, pre-show interviews withKNOTFEST artists and Mistress Juliya, the stunning high definition main stage performance of SLIPKNOT as well as exclusive post-show interviews with the band.

Step into KNOTFEST whose festival grounds will feature a one-of-a-kind apocalyptic underworld where firebreathers, nightmarish creatures on stilts and wild amusement-park rides, while fire, percussive light, and stunning visuals set the stage for an intoxicating and unforgettably sinister concert experience.

KNOTFEST 2012 dates:

DATE                         CITY                                                   VENUE

Fri       8/17                Council Bluffs, IA                            Mid America Motorplex                  

Sat      8/18                Somerset, WI/Minneapolis, MN     Somerset Amphitheater

KNOTFEST INFORMATION:
Purchase tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/KNOTFEST-tickets/artist/1741056.
VIP package options: http://vipnation.com/programs/knotfest-2012/
August 17: Hotel accommodations: http://knotfest.com/aug-17
August 18: Camping options: http://www.tempotickets.com/knotfestcamping

www.knotfest.com
www.slipknot1.com
http://www.EventViewLive.com