Photography

After a big project is finished, I like to reflect on it a bit. Guess Whose Hair I'm Wearing turned out very differently than I had planned. I don’t mean that in one of these effete writerly ways of, “Oh I just started writing and the characters took over” (which I find incredibly annoying), but rather in the scope of the play’s subject – Hildegarde and Franklin. I had originally imagined this as a play of Dolson talking about Dolson. A reveal, if you will, of how, what we now call, the Oil Heritage Region had shaped her as a person and a writer. But when people asked me what project I was currently working on, I would say a one woman show about Hildegarde Dolson I was usually, even here in Franklin, met with blank looks.

So, for the record, Hildegarde Dolson Lockridge was a poet, playwright, and novelist who wrote 14 books, including the one that people locally had heard of, if they had heard of any at all, The Great Oildoarado. She was born and grew up here in Franklin, Pennsylvania. August 31st would have been her 100th birthday. After a stint at Allegheny College, she moved to New York City, where she wrote hundreds of articles for the major magazines of the day New Yorker, Harper’s, and dozens of others.

San Francisco Chronicle critic J.H. Task wrote of her 1955 book, Sorry to be So Cheerful, “She can pick any subject, take a brief highly personal look at it and when she puts it down again it will never be quite the same. . . Dolson [writes]deftly, wittily and with just the right dash of residual common sense which makes a funny piece stick in the reader’s mind.”

Yet, today, she is largely forgotten in her hometown. So, with the help of the Barrow Civic Theater, my wife Amy, my daughter Paige, The Franklin Public Library, John McConnell, Rosie Petulla, Ronnie Beith, Senator Mary Jo White, Roland Davis and his wife (who gave me a personal tour of Dolson's childhood home)and others, I began to put together both the research, the writing, and the funding to write and produce the play.

As I began haunting online rare bookshops, buying and reading everything I could find the Dolson had written, I began to change my outline for the play. There seemed something very poignant in the years 1959-1964 in Dolson’s life. In retrospect, readers can see it as a beginning of a turning point in her career, where she will quit writing the sort of essays that brought her fame and adoration and switch to murder mysteries, when she will abandon her free-wheeling “That Girl” persona for marriage to a fellow writer in 1965 and acting as his literary agent. What, I began to wonder, what would it have been like if she came back to her hometown as an honored guest (with all the internal stress of returning home and being expected to perform, both as an artist and in the role of small town girl made good), that was actually a last huzzah before she moved into a new place in her life. I drew largely from her own published writings, adapting them for the stage, cutting out references that were too obscure while attempting to preserve the unique feel of the time, linking them together and trying to tease out the themes that connect all of her pre-detective story writings.

By 2010, this play will be published with a critical bibliography of Dolson’s work. By that time as well, a request for a Pennsylvania Historical Commission marker to acknowledge Dolson and her contribution will have been submitted. If anyone is interested in helping with either of these projects, please feel free in contacting me. Some of you already have and I was deeply heartened by it. Here in Western Pennsylvania, we do a great job of saving the Great White Males, but many other voices have been largely forgotten. It’s my hope that this project will be the first of many that help to reclaim those lost voices of the Oil Heritage Region.

DIY Image Transfer


Yesterday, I saw three people (all in different locations) wearing local band t-shirts (the RickDan band, Veteran Status, and Newmen to be precise). It really made me feel incredibly hopeful about the little nascent scene here.


Golly, wouldn't a Venango Zine Fest be fun?


Thirteen years ago, William Dranginis saw Bigfoot. Fifty grand, a van, and a camera in a log later, the quest continues.

Foot doctor Richard Dunlap has photographed a wide variety of the detritus left by the oil boom. Now, several of the pictures are featured in a new Oil 150 exhibit in the Venango Museum of Science, Industry and Technology in Oil City. The public unveiling is set during an open house from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday , tonight, at the museum.
I've become strangely entranced with Slinkachou's art.:

I can personally vouch for these two; pros through and through and nice people to boot. So why not spend 3 nights and days honing your photographic skills, taking great fall images in the Appalachian mountain area of North East Pennsylvania.

Instructors Jim and Jessica Kronmiller, nationally known photographers, will share their years of experience capturing stunning nature images with a limited class size of 6 students. Allowing for plenty of one on one instruction time.

This workshop will be held October 9th thru the 11th, on the Buck Valley Ranch, a year round resort, and will include lodging (2 or 3 students to a ranch room), a horseback ride, and meals. If you like country style images; old barns, country churches, beautiful landscapes, scenic streams & mountain views, this is the workshop for you. Come enjoy a great fall experience!

Costs: Only $599.00 - includes; meals, lodging, 2.5 hr horseback ride and in-depth instruction.

Reserve your spot for this years workshop before August 30, 2008!

For more information call : (814) 673-0900 or email

Yesterday, Paul Westerberg made available a 44-minute single MP3 file of a dozen-plus songs, dubbed "49," for 49 cents. Amazon.com is handling the commerce via a link from the Westerberg Web site Men Without Ties.


Free and Legal Downloads:

Tor.com lists free and legal downloadable science fiction and fantasy e-books. (via)

Mike Doughty Live at Artscape on July 19, 2008

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Live at All Good Music Festival on July 11, 2008

Explosions in the Sky Live at The Grey Eagle on March 14, 2007

The Black Angels Live at The Grey Eagle on July 4, 2008

Mission of Burma Live at The Bohemian National Home on July 19, 2008

Venangoland previews the Thursday's Silver Cornet band concert which will feature Jim Self:
This week's Franklin Silver Cornet Band concert will feature an appearance by tuba pro Jim Self.

Self was born in Franklin and raised in Oil City. Consequently, though he's come back and appeared in the area a few times, I'm not sure that people in these parts get how enormous he is in the biz. He's the heir-apparent to the great Tommy Johnson, the go-to guy for film scores-- Self has appeared in everything from his famous mother ship solo in Close Encounters to more recent films like Lemony Snicket, War of the Worlds, & Sin City. He has way over a thousand film credits, as well as recording credits with everyone from Leon Redbone to Maynard Fergusun to Barbra Streisand. He has worked with orchestras and jazz groups around the globe. He is without a doubt one of the top low brass players in the world.
Meadville's skate park needs some repairs. And no wonder:
According to the attendance report compiled by the complex, a total of 1,500 users made use of the skateboard facility during June. . . . far ahead of the 875 who used the baseball fields and the 750 who made use of the tennis courts during public sessions.

I guess it's really not a crime. Who knew?



I'm reading Museum of the Missing: A History of Art Theft by Simpon Houpt for the Franklin Public Library's Summer Reading Program for Grown-Ups - it's an exploration of art theft, both thuggy and institutionalized.


What's the future of photojournalism?

Art makes better doctors.


Yeats in the Digital Age

Tomorrow's father daughter project? A papercraft steampunk x wing kit.


Free and Legal Downloads:

Fiery Furnaces Live at East River Park, NY NY July 17, 2008

Retribution Gospel Choir Live at Bottom of the Hill on July 8, 2008

Hayseed Dixie Live at Stella Blue on May 7, 2008

If you're coming to Guess Whose Hair I'm Wearing tonight or tomorrow make sure that you say "hi". I'll be the short fat ugly guy wearing black, a frantic expression on his face and a glass of box wine in his hand.

The Franklin Barrow Civic has made a fantastic move in offering a family friendly price package for all remaining shows in the current season. You can buy 2 adult tickets and 2 children's tickets for $50. About $12 per ticket. While I'd like to see a drop to $10 per ticket and maybe even a student rush program (Tickets drop to $5 for students in the last half hour before a show). This is a fabulous step in the right direction of making the arts available and accessibly to everyone in Venango County.

Speaking of the Barrow, Dave the tech guy (no last names please) is moving to a new position at Joy Manufacturing (with the very talented Linda Henderson of the Latonia Theatre). He will be missed.

The two most fabulous things I saw in downtown Franklin this week?

A fully-loaded for-touring Rivendell Atlantis bicycle bizarrely leaning in front of Spanky's Tobacco Emporium and a guy with a homemade prison style Tippy the Turtle Tattoo

I wonder if they were related somehow?



Venangoland has been updated with an essay on "Schools vs the Real World".



Aluminum Lego Key Chains? Yes. Yes. And yes.



The Erie Times News profiles the Chaffee Gathering Music Festival.



Pittsburgh's Irish and Classical Theatre is presenting the complete plays of John Synge. Wow.



Chatham University has announced thier "Bridges to Other Worlds: An International Literary Festival." from Oct. 4-5 will feature Robert Hass and, one of my daughter's favorite writers, Naomi Shahib Nye.


A new music festival in Pittsburgh is founded in memory of Alexander Berkman -- the anarchist who tried to assassinate Henry Clay Frick.


Pittsburgh's Brillobox, recently profiled in the NYTimes, has gone to an all vegetarian menu.


Upcoming Shows Of Interest:

Guess Whose Hair I'm Wearing? at the Barrow Civic Theatre Little Theatre 91223 Liberty St, Franklin, PA) Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7pm. Tickets $5 at the door - free for students and seniors with ID.

An Evening of Ragtime And Klezmer - 8pm Saturday and 3 pm Sunday at Foxburg PA's Lincoln Hall. $15 at the door.


The Butler Art Center's open mic Spirit Cafe runs Friday from 8-10

Gypsy Dave and the Stumpjumpers play Meadville's Artist Cup Cafe Fridy at 9 pm. No cover.

Newmen play a free show at Meadville's at 9 pm Saturday.

The Cellar Dwellers bring improv to Seneca's Brother Bean Saturday night from 7-9 pm. No cover.

Free and Legal Downloads

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Live at All Good Music Festival on July 11, 2008

Animal Collective Live at Lux Frágil on May 28, 2008

Spin Doctors Live at Fiesta Days on July 12, 2008

Slammed by work, just a quick one.

I have iminta beta invites. If you want one, email me.

Oil Heritage is going regional.

indie.tv streams independent films, documentaries, and more.

Writer's Mug is a collection of woodblock print portraits of writers.

It's good to see that nice Feist girl getting some work


Free and Legal Downloads:

..And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead Live at Illini Media Building (WPGU 107.1 Studios) on November 9, 2007

The Black Angels Live at Logan Square Auditorium on June 20, 2008

I still have some free tickets (good for any day for this weekend's show at the Barrow Civic's Little Theatre - Guess Whose Hair I’m Wearing! – based on the writings of Hildegarde Dolson. July 18th & 19th at 7pm

Dolson is the most famous writer to come from Venango County, Pennsylvania. Her sidesplitting essays, published in the leading magazines of the day, like The New Yorker, captivated and brought America to tears with their quirky tales of a big city career woman who was still a small town girl at heart.

This show is appropriate for all ages. Tickets are $5 at the door, students and senior citizens admission is free with ID.

Email me to claim them


The book I'm reading this week for the Franklin Public Library's Summer Reading Program for Grown ups? The Graphic Novel, The Rabbi's Cat




Pittsburgh Opera is looking for an African-American boy between the ages of 8 and 13 whose voice has not yet changed for the role of ‘Starving Boy’ in The Grapes of Wrath. Auditions take place on Monday, July 21 at the Pittsburgh Opera offices located at 2425 Liberty Avenue in the Strip District. Each candidate must be present at 5:30 pm for the group instruction and be prepared to stay until 7:30 pm.

Candidates must be able to act, sing solo vocal lines, and project their voices from the stage. Participation in the opera also includes being part of the ensemble (chorus). Candidates must be prepared to sing 16 measures of a song of their choosing. They will also be taught a brief excerpt from the opera in a group setting. Each will then be heard separately, performing his song and the excerpt.

For more information or to schedule an audition, please email Iris Lin or call 412-281-0912 ext. 266.

$10 bike cam? No problem.



Read Print offers thousands of free online books.



Lyle Lovett says he has "never made a dime" from album sales during his two-decade career.


My underwater protrait of my daughter, called "The Selkie" was named a "hot photo" by JPG Magazine on Saturday.

10 Best Practices of Online Music Promotion

Free and Legal Downloads:

Civil Disobedience & Life Without Principle by Thoreau (e-book)

Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) poetry performance March 9, 2006

Little Feat Live at House Of Blues on June 17, 2008

On the right hand side of the blog today, you'll see a new addition - a widget for something called "Chip- In".

I've been thinking a lot about Arts Funding in a rural, economically depressed area like the Oil Heritage Region (See what a team player I am? Even though I loathe the petro-fetishism of the area, I'll use the brand to promote). We have some stellar events and spaces. Yet, I think that places like the Barrow, for instance, price their performances too highly for the natives to attend regularly.

$45 (not counting to glasses of box wine at intermission – why don’t they sell local wine?) for my family of three to see my neighbors doing a show that I’ve seen am million times before? Probably not.The Barrow has big bills, I understand, and a lot of our large time honored cultural landmarks also benefit from the largess of the state (full disclosure: I have received a number of grants, local , state and federal, in support of my work). But for individual artists or new series just getting off the ground, finding that initial funding can be really difficult.

What I’m suggesting is an experiment – a technological twist on the tip jar, using Chip In's widget. The idea is that not only will a widget like this motivate donors, but the constant updates cut out the “middle man” and save time for volunteers seeking updates as well. Funds are processed through Paypal, which is very familiar to those donating on the internet already. People donating can be part of the “winning team” and feel that they are making a difference versus a small drop in a bucket that may never be filled (a la those gigantic tacky thermometers outside churches and United Way offices) .

For the experiment, I've chosen the 2008 Venango Digital Film Fest (Full Disclosure: I’m involved with planning of the fest).

The first annual Venango Digital Film Festival took place in November of 2007 and attracted 12 films of excellent quality which showcased the region and the region's filmmakers. This year, The Venango Digital Film Festival will be held in three beautiful restored historic theaters: the Crawford Center in Emlenton, PA (Friday, September 12), the Latonia Theater in Oil City, PA (Saturday, September 13), and the Barrow-Civic Theater in Franklin, PA (Sunday, September 14). People's Choice awards will be selected each evening, and the winner will be carried over to compete the following night. The top three films will receive cash prizes.

In addition, we are sponsoring a 10-15 minute screenplay competition with the theme of Oil Boom Days in Venango County, in conjunction with the 150th Anniversary of the Discovery of Oil. The two winning screenplays will be produced and screened over the weekend and over the two year period of the Oil 150 Celebration. The People's Choice winner will receive a cash prize and will be screened at the Great Lakes Film Festival. Now, last year, the Film Fest was free $5 – talent rich but cash poor, so in effect I’m projecting a model where the door stays free, but you pay ahead what you think it’s worth.

Consider this for a moment. With the door free of charge, you can choose, by using Chip-In, what you want or can pay. Last month, I took the family to see the inexplicably horrible Indiana Jones movie. Total cost (excluding popcorn) ~$25 (Yes, I realize that the city folk reading this have passed out at what you perceive as the inexpense. Once you recover, call Joann Wheeler and set up an appointment to buy a house and studio here. Seriously. We’d love to have you.) was it worth that amount of money. No. Not a chance. I would have, however, paid a total of $12 (or $4/person) to see it.

To me, last year’s fest was worth about a $5 door. So, I’ve dropped $10 (for my wife and myself) in the widget you see on the side. Donate whatever you feel is appropriate .25 to $2500. The goal I chose is $1000, an amount that I see as large, but not insurmountable.

I’ll keep track of it here, and then make the donation to the Film Fest on Sept 1, 2008. Even if you don't or cant or won't contribute, I'm interested to hear what you think of this as a model for fundraising for the arts in our area.

While Franklin's Farmer Market is disintegrating rapidly (on Wedensday when I went down to get some beans for yakni, there was only one stall and the City had "forgotten" to close off the street to traffic making it a death trap that I decided to skip) Titusville's is expanding in size and moving in location.

Submit your original 10-15 page screenplay on the theme Oil Boom Days in Venango County for filming. Your opportunity to produce and direct! Cash Prize! Screening September 14.

Deadline: August 1, 2008

FILMS

Submit your original short digital film by western PA filmmaker or about western PA themes. Cash Prizes for People’s Choice awards September 12-14.

Deadline: August 25, 2008

CAST, CREW, SUPPORT

Want to get in on the fun? We will need cast, volunteer film crews, costume and location help – just give us a call! Mark your calendars for

September 12, 13, and 14,

The Second Annual Venango Digital Film Festival

Details at www.artsoilcity.com or call 814-677-1260

If I get all my work done today (doutbtful) I'll be building this papermodel polar bear with a nodding, empty head and a beer tatoo on its butt. Kinda reminds me of a woman I used to know...



Free Four Color T-Shirt Printing Press Plans

Want to buy a Super Bowl Ring?

Since the music scene is slow this weekend, I'll be heading to Erie's 20th Annual Panegyri Greek Fest (today from 2:30 - 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. - 11 p.m., and Sunday noon - 9 p.m.) at the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church on 4376 West Lake Road. Free parking and admission. For more info call (814) 838-8808.

Speaking of Erie, The Erie County Historical Society will hold a Ghosts and Legends Tour tonight and every Friday at 8 p.m., now until September 26 (exception: September 5th). Discover the mysteries of downtown Erie with a 1 1/2 hour walking tour. Since the size of each group tour is limited, reservations are required; call (814) 454-1813, ext 0. Cost: $8 Adult, $4 Child.

The Cinema and Digital Arts Program of Point Park University is creating the CINEMA ACTORS DATABASE. This will be a catalog of actors and actresses who are interested in being cast in cinema student productions. The database will be accessible to the students of Point Park¹s Cinema and Digital Arts Program.

This is an opportunity for actors and actresses to participate in productions by some of the most talented film students in the Pittsburgh area.

Works by Point Park students have gone on to be exhibited at film festivals both nationally and internationally.

Anyone interested in submitting a headshot/resume can do so by emailing the materials to:

infocinema@pointpark.edu

Please put Actors Database in the subject line.

Hardcopies of headshots/resumes could be sent to:

Cinema and Digital Arts
Point Park University
201 Wood St.
Pittsburgh, Pa 15222
www.pointpark.edu

Further, any questions may be addressed to infocinema@pointpark.edu

Pittsburgh's Phipps Conservancy has acquired 26 pieces from the "Chihuly at Phipps: Gardens & Glass" exhibit,including 13 of these swirly, curly Amber Cattails:

Upcoming Shows of Interest:

Newmen plays Oil City's The Howling Dog Cafe tonight at 8 pm and Meadville's Artist Cup Cafe tomorrow at 9pm. Both shows are free.



Free and Legal Downloads:


Sharon Van Etten Live at Zebulon on June 25, 2008 Zebulon


Drive-By Truckers Live at 80/35 Festival on July 5, 2008

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Live at Penn's Peak on July 6, 2008

The Silver Cornet band plays in Franklin's Bandstand Park tonight at 7:30 pm. Come see Venangoland scribe Pete Greene tootle his strumbungler. By which I mean play with one of the country's finest community bands.

This Saturday is another chance to take an orientation class at the Franklin Public Library for the Region's Grant Center. The free, one hour class starts at 2pm and runs for about an hour. Sign up calling (814) 432-5062.

The Beginner's Guide to Indie Hip-Hop

Anarchists need picnics too.

The Pittsburgh City Paper previews tomorrow's Rust Belt Bloggers Summit taking place in Erie on July 11-12.

Free and Legal Downloads:

The Evens Live at Ahimsa House on February 25, 2007

Mike Watt Live at Jillian's on February 6, 1998

The Ditty Bops Live at Freight & Salvage Coffee House on March 7, 2008

Thursday, my lovely and talented wife, Amy will be participating in the Brown Baggin' series at Franklin's Fountain Park Gazebo at 12 noon. She'll be doing some sorytelling for grown ups from authors like Bill Bryson. It's free and open to the public.

So lovely and talented she is that she will also be preforming her hilarious one woman show – Guess Whose Hair I’m Wearing! – based on the writings of Hildegarde Dolson and adapted for the stage by, um, me...for two nights only- July 18th & 19th at 7pm

Dolson is the most famous writer to come from Venango County, Pennsylvania. Her sidesplitting essays, published in the leading magazines of the day, like The New Yorker, captivated and brought America to tears with their quirky tales of a big city career woman who was still a small town girl at heart.

This show is appropriate for all ages. Tickets are $5 at the door, students and senior citizens admission is free with ID. I also have some complimentary tickets to give away to blog readers. So, send me your name and address (via email or in the comments box if you're devil-may-care about privacy) by Monday July 14th at 10am, and I'll drop a pair in the mail for you, free, good for either day.

As an aside, if you're interested in bringing the show to your meeting, church, synagogue, mosque, trailer park, whatever, drop me an email for pricing and availability.

This project is being made possible in part through the Samuel and Edith C. Justus Charitable trust, the Elizabeth S. Black Charitable Trust, and the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA), a local decision-making program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), a state agency. PPA is administered in this region by the Venango County Center for Creative Development.

The Titusville Herald previews Titanic, Titusville Summer Theater's 40th anniversary show. It plays at Titusville High School's Colestock Auditorium Thursday through Saturday night.

The Art of Amusement Parks show runs from July 1-Aug 22, 2008 at New Castle's Hoyt Institute for the Arts

Sisters In Healthcare History Project is a study of the hundreds of Roman Catholic Sisters who worked as nurses in Western PA from 1847-1969.

Pittsburgh's Cultural District Gallery Crawl is Friday from 5:30 - 9pm.

The Afro-Punk festival is underway in Brooklyn and includes screenings of The Upsetter: The Music and Genius of Lee Scratch Perry.

Topp.org is an interactive website that allows you track radio-tagged animals.

Animoto is an easy-peasy way to put together music videos.

Free and Legal Downloads:

Avett Brothers at Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 14th, 2008

Mason Jennings at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 14, 2008

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 15, 2008

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 15, 2008

Bradley's Almanac is featurng soundboard recordings from Sub Pop's 1992 Vermonstress Festival includes sets from Coedine, Velocity Girl, Pond, and Beat Happening