This Ensemble will present traditional Chinese music in a celebration of the 2012 Chinese New Year.  Founded in 1999 by a group of citizens who are originally from China and living in the Greater Kansas City area, the group is made up of both  professionally trained musicians and amateurs. They use traditional Chinese music instruments to play traditional and folk music from China. The group has been performing for communities in Kansas City and its neighboring areas including St. Louis, Des Moines, and Columbia, Mo. 

For information, call 785-670-1051 or visit chinesemusickc.com.

Leading off the music will be Two Blue, the Solo-Duo entrant to the IBC made up of  Josh Vowell and Justin Shelton (read the seveneightfive 5Q: Two Blue article by Tommy Anderson by clicking here).

The Nick Hern Band, the Band entrant to the IBC will round out the evening. Members of the band include Nick Hern, Mike Hern, Rod Peterson and Rick Bruner.

“Nick is an insanely talented guitarist at the forefront of the new generation of young players. He’s the real deal.” – Hamilton Loomis

The Topeka Blues Society will be taking membership applications and renewals during the event as well. Benefits of membership include a subscription to their newsletter, and the joy of helping to keep the the Blues alive in Topeka!

Women’s Health Issues Depicted in Unique Fashion Art Exhibit and Theatrical Performances Offer Strength, Support

The Waiting Room: Lost and Found, an interactive installation examining women’s health, opens Friday, January 13 at the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery at the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library.

The entire project is the result of collaboration by Marguerite Perret, Bruce Scherting, Stephanie Lanter and Robin Lasser, with artists and communities nationally. Artists will be on hand to answer questions during the opening reception from 5:30-8:30pm. Occurring throughout the opening reception will also be the ambient performance, Measuring Time in the Waiting Room, directed by Sharon Sullivan.

Visitors can also enjoy Tick Tock, an original one-act play by Marcia Cebulska, which follows a group of women in a medical waiting room as they move from solitary anxious boredom to exuberant song and dance. Performances are scheduled for Friday, January 13 at 6:00pm and 7:00pm and Saturday, January 4 at 11:30am.

An artists’ talk on January 14 at 3:00pm will provide another opportunity to discuss the project and corollary book, A Waiting Room of Her Own, with editor Sarah Smarsh.

In the exhibit, visitors will view distinct sculptural chairs that serve as symbols for a particular health issue, from bulimia to domestic violence.

“The artwork will spark a dialogue about and compassion for individuals affected by disease or by domestic violence,” said Sherry Best, Sabatini Gallery director. “Each chair has a story to listen to either from a patient’s or caregiver’s perspective – sometimes both. Expect to spend some time with the exhibit or plan return visits because there is so much to see and hear.”

Visitors are invited to sit adjacent to each sculptural chair on a ‘blank,’ unaltered chair, where they can listen to recorded interview excerpts and sound compositions that provide intimate and expanded perspectives for each health issue. Visitors will also have the opportunity to interact with the Gut Reaction Chair by describing their most guilty food indulgences by writing them on bakery papers and candy wrappers.

Interactive elements inside the installation include the Waking Wall in which visitors can leave messages describing experiences with domestic violence and/or supplies for families residing at the local women’s shelter. A collection of Milagros/ex-votos created by artists and community members will be on view in the library rotunda. Contributors to the display include Washburn students across disciplines and professional artists.

A Milagros Workshop organized by Marguerite Perret and Stephanie Lanter will be held Saturday, February 27 at 3pm in Marvin Auditorium. Participants will have the opportunity to create one or more Milagros, or exvotos, to keep or contribute to the project. Milagros means “miracle” in Spanish.

The exhibit ends March 16. For more information about this project, visit The Waiting Room website  or the Library’s exhibition webpage.  And, get updates on The Waiting Room Facebook page.

Principle installation artists are project leader Marguerite Perret, mixed media installation artist, designer, and associate professor of art and design at Washburn University, Topeka; Bruce Scherting, director of exhibits at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Natural History Museum, Lawrence; Stephanie Lanter, ceramic and fiber sculptor, writer and instructor, Emporia State University; and Robin Lasser, installation artist, photographer, & sound artist, art professor at San Jose State University, Oakland, CA.

Financial and other essential support for this project is through private donations, the artists and partners, Washburn University, the Center for Kansas Studies, The Washburn University Department of English, the Mabee Library, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Kansas Arts Commission, the University of Saint Catherine, The Ragdale Foundation, The Salina Art Center, and The Topeka YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment.

The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library is a 21st-century, landmark library, and features the Alice C. Sabatini Art Gallery, the Millennium Café, Chandler Booktique, meeting rooms, and free computer and Internet access and training. Gallery hours are the same as library hours: Mon. through Fri. 9 am to 9 pm, Sat. 9 am to 6 pm and Sunday 12 pm to 9 pm.

[Submitted by Lisa Coble-Krings, Communications Editor, Topeka-Shawnee Co. Public Library]

The following article by Tony Davis originally appeared in the October 15, 2011 issue of seveneightfive magazine. Since then, a Kickstarter project has been set up to raise funds for the Highland Park HS Scots Theatre group to go to (fittingly) Scotland, to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We encourage you to visit their Kickstarter webpage by clicking here, and help them reach their goal. You can also call 785.274.6119, or email Scott Kickhaefer to make a donation.

For those in Topeka who are looking to enjoy a good comedy or tragedy, or maybe something a little more off-beat, most immediately think of the Topeka Civic Theatre and Academy or the Topeka Performing Arts Center. To be sure, these fine establishments are bright focal points in the community, and with the Jayhawk Theatre progressing in all current renovations, no doubt there are some big things coming for the Topeka stages.

What many local patrons of the arts seem to have forgotten is that there are several other venues for actors to display some serious talent, and one of these places is the stage at Highland Park High School.

To some, the thought of high school theatre evokes visions of poorly delivered lines from plays so classic that they have become a bit cliché. To the Highland Park Scots Theatre, nothing could be further from the truth. Scott Kickhaefer, a language arts teacher at Highland Park and resident “Drama King”, loves to point out that his students cannot only deliver lines and convey emotion with the best of them, but are willing to put everything, even their own personal lives, out for everyone to see.

“It’s like they have no fear, like they feel like they have nothing to lose out there,” Kickhaefer says, managing to look both bewildered and proud at the same time. “To most people, getting up in front of a crowd would scare them silly, but not these kids.”

Kickhaefer points to the wall where dozens of playbills plaster almost every available inch. “We have done almost every kind of play out there.” Which, as he explains, can be tough on a public school budget, especially as funding for the arts in schools is becoming more and more scarce. “I would love to do ‘Hairspray’ when it comes out, I mean, that’s us! We have the school for it if anybody does, but to do it, and do it right, takes money.”

Instead, the Scots find other plays which are more economical to produce. One such play was The Me Nobody Knows, an Off-Broadway musical from the 1970’s by Gary William Friedman and Will Holt. It is a series of narratives from the perspectives of underprivileged children in New York, taken from their own writings. Despite its critical acclaim, the play just wasn’t enough for Kickhaefer and his Scots.

“These are compelling stories,” says Kickhaefer, “ but I thought, ‘We have kids here with their own stories, let’s make this more Topeka.’”

By adapting the stories, the Scots told a different set of stories in their version of Me, and the stories were of some of the very same student portraying them.

This kind of creativity and passion has not gone unnoticed. The Scots have standing invitations from the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) groups in the region to perform another original Scots production at their meetings to provoke discussion among members and leadership.

Additionally, the Scots have come to the attention of the real Scots. In August of 2012, Highland Park thespians will be performing a new original play as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in Scotland, a huge rally of performers and the arts. From over 2300 high school theatre groups nominated throughout North America, only 51 groups were chosen to be invited to perform, and the Scots were among that select group.

“It’s an honor to be invited by the AHSTF (American High School Theatre Festival) to perform,” says Kickhaefer, “we would only be the second school from the state of Kansas to ever attend.”

This trip could be life-changing for the students involved, especially since some of them have never even left the state of Kansas. Traveling to the United Kingdom, the students would get to stay in dormitories with other young actors from many countries spanning the globe, and even get to participate in a workshop at the Royal Shakespeare Company, possibly the most famous classical theatre company in the world. But, this opportunity doesn’t come cheap.

“The AHSTF takes care of everything for us, and they are really trying to help us out, but it will still cost around $6,000 per student to fund the trip.” The grimace on Kickhaefer’s face as he relates the daunting costs is one everyone has seen in these tough economic times. “We’re only a little behind our goal right now, but we need community support to make this happen for these students.”

Topeka has the honor of being home to internationally recognized talent, and with that comes a responsibility. These 18 passionate students and their self-titled “live-in teacher” can be wonderful ambassadors of our community and fulfill the legacy of brilliant actors and actresses at Highland Park for the past decade and beyond. They don’t need a hand-out, they need a hand-up; a little help to seize the opportunity of a lifetime.

So, Topeka, do you have a spare dollar?

[ story by Tony Davis | photos by EJ Drake | EJ Drake Photography ]

The following interview by Tommy Anderson originally appeared in the December 1, 2011 issue of seveneightfive magazine. With the upcoming International Blues Festival, held January 31 through February 4 in Memphis, we wanted to share this with you and encourage you to root for Two Blue, who will perform in the solo/duo category.

Two Blue, a side project of “Josh Vowell & the Rumble” is comprised of frontman Josh Vowell and harp extraordinaire Justin Shelton. The duo joined together to perform in the Topeka Blues Society competition, where the finalists compete at the International Blues Competition in Memphis. Josh and Justin will travel there in February.

1Q: If you could add any musician to your duo, who would it be?
Justin: Go online and look up the most ridiculously crazy Cajun box drummer, and that’s who I would add.
Josh: Cool sexy chick singer with a good defined voice like Samantha Fish, Bessie Smith, or Aretha Franklin.

2Q: What makes your band unique?
Josh: We were able to grow up with our generation’s music and take it back to the blues. We’ve combined the new-aged ideology of our generation with the blues ideology of the late 19th century.
Justin: We both have back grounds in heavy metal and I think that brings a lot, rhythmically, to the table.

3Q: What are the advantages/disadvantages of being a duo as opposed to a full-sized band?
Josh: There’s no rhythm section so it requires us to be on our toes but you don’t have to set up all the chords, drums, and extra instruments.
Justin: A duo doesn’t have the variety that a full sized band would have but it’s still fresh and produces a butterfly effect on the stomach.

4Q: What is the most palm-head-worthy moment of the duo’s musical career?
Justin: Showing up in Kansas City to perform and realizing all of the harmonicas have been left at home.

5Q: What bands or musicians have inspired or influenced your music?
Justin: John Nemeth, Sonny Boy Williamson, Sean Costello, and Tab Benoit.
Josh: Son House, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Sean Costello.

Bonus question: What is your biggest message to the public?
Two Blue: Get out and support live music. There are too many forms of entertainment that are taking away from the majesty that is music.

[ story by Tommy Anderson| photo by Colin McMillan | Nathan Ham Photography ]

Jam4Dan V
Saturday + Sunday| Jan 14 + 15
The Celtic Fox

Click here for a poster with the full line-up!

Jam4Dan V will be held Saturday and Sunday January 14 and 15, 2012, at The Celtic Fox. What started as a benefit for Dan Falley’s daughter led to almost $6,000 being donated to young local musicians over the last three years. Both youth and adult bands will take the stage at The Celtic Fox, with music playing all day Saturday and Sunday. Tickets and shirts will be sold at the door, and a raffle drawing will be held for a guitar.

All proceeds raised at Jam4Dan are put into a scholarship fund for youth guitar and bass players, and the funds are then used to provide the musicians with lessons from a local instructor. Students are chosen for the scholarship based on three criteria: the student’s need for the scholarship, the impact of music on the student’s life, and an assessment of the student’s commitment by their instructor. After Jam4Dan V, the trustees will sort through applications and award the scholarships in the spring.

The event is led by trustees Tom Krebs, Mike Fox, Danl Blackwood, Joel Edison, and Ren Richardson, who work together to make Jam4Dan a successful event. Danl Blackwood and Tom Krebs agree that the event thrives thanks to help from countless members of the community.

“Chip Janda is our rock star. He has clearly been the leader in trying real hard to work with us for his students,” states Danl Blackwood.

Sonny Heller runs sound both days of the event, and J.D. Bloomar has been added to the staff as a volunteer coordinator. Countless others donate their time, talents, and resources to keep the local music scene thriving for the next generation.

In Danl Blackwood’s words, “when it boils down to it we really just want to try to remember Danny, what he was about, which was teaching the kids how to play guitar.”

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is probably my all-time favorite Christmas story. I’ve seen movies, plays, and even cartoons based on the story. To think that I would now get to see the musical version was so exciting – and that the score was done by none other than Alan Menken meant it should be stellar. I’ll be the first to admit, I walked into the invited dress rehearsal of A Christmas Carol – the Musical at Topeka Civic Theater and Academy with very high expectations.

For the most part, my expectations were met with gusto by the cast and crew of nearly 70. As the curtain opened on act one, I was struck by the sparseness of the set. I guess it would have to be pretty sparse to have room for such a large cast.  As the play progressed, the set and lighting design worked in perfect harmony with the help of some wonderfully subtle special effects. The audience is seamlessly moved from the cozy fireside, to the bustling, wintery streets – from the love around the Cratchets’ hearth to the emptiness and fear of the stone-cold graveyard. Yes, the set is sparse, but it works so well - with one exception. The first scene of the second act left me uninspired with its departure into a dream sequence. However, the rest of the show kept me quite welcomed in Victorian era Britain and completely enthralled.

Being a musical, the music is of utmost importance. Menken’s score has moments that tug at the heartstrings, especially around the character of Tiny Tim – played superbly by Griffen Ramos. When Tiny Tim and Bob Crachet, played by Robbie Ramos (Griffen’s real-life dad) interact, the genuine father-son relationship shines through and brings a small tear to your eye. But the best part about Menken’s score is that you don’t notice it on a conscious level, unless you are specifically listening for it. You find yourself angry, nervous, calm, etc. and realize it’s the subtle music in the background, directed by Marylin Foree.

And what about Scrooge, you ask? Ebenezer Scrooge, the crotchety old miser, is played extremely well by Walt Boyd. I almost wish he had been nastier at the beginning, just to make his conversion all the sweeter. Even so, the transition from miser to charitable human being is played very sincerely and is wonderfully believable. Scrooge is warned that spirits will be visiting him by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley (Daniel Lassley), and a crew of condemned, chain-carrying spirits.

We are then given glimpse into Scrooge’s past provided by an innocently and beautifully sung Ghost of Christmas Past (Sarah May Shaffer), allows us to see how remembered suffering from childhood contributes to Scrooge’s miserly ways. The Ghost of Christmas Present (Ivory Mazur) finally gives us an emotional break as we find some joy and humor in the world. However, the Ghost of Christmas Future (Julie Moffet) is not so kind.

Her silence is deafening as she glares at Scrooge and the way she seems to float across the stage gives her an incorporeal essence that adds to the graveyard scene.

In all, Director Shannon Reilly and the team at Topeka Civic Theater seem to have another hit on their hands. While it is definitely a family favorite and appropriate for all ages, a few of the darker scenes such as the graveyard or the visit by the ghosts to Scrooge’s bedroom may find smaller children in their parent’s lap. This writer, who was full of high expectations, left with a smile. Highly Recommended!

Click here to purchase tickets.  Showing until December 23, 2011.

Implementing the time-honored, stripped down, guitar-bass-drums format made popular by such greats as Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Cream, the Police and the John Mayer Trio, Chris Aytes and the Good Ambition play passionate no-frills Rock and Roll music from the heart.

Josh Hartranft [bass/vocals] • Renelle Aytes [drums] • Chris Aytes [guitar/vocals]

1Q: What genre of music do you consider your music to be?
Chris: Rock and Roll! I love the history of rock and roll and we play stuff that sounds just like Buddy Holly, the Beatles, Tommy James and the Shondells, the Who, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, the Ramones, it all mixes in for us. So we are Rock and Roll.

2Q: Where is your hometown?
Chris: We all live in Topeka now, but Renelle and I are originally from Great Bend, Kansas. Before that I lived in Concordia, and before that she lived . . .
Renelle: . . . in Oberlin, Kansas, way out northwest.
Josh: I came here from Springfield, Missouri. My quote, unquote hometown, is Poplar Bluffs, Missouri, but we moved there from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when I was 11.
Chris: But we’re now in Topeka. I’m really starting to enjoy it and finding it a good place to start a band. Not a whole lot of people making music similar to what we’re making, so we can stick it out and not be just another fish in the pond. And it’s not too big of a music scene so there’s no pressure. We can have some time to kind of germinate. It’s a good incubating town so far, it has been good to us.

3Q: What influences you most: Literature or Music?
Chris: Music.
Renelle: Music.
Josh: Music has this way of taking over your entire soul . . . just takes you off somewhere. You have to actually sit down and put yourself into something, get into reading something in order for what you’re reading to take you somewhere . . . with music as soon as it’s on you’re in a world of greatness.
Chris: I do read, but it’s usually a biography of John Lennon or somebody like that . . . most of my reading has to do with music, which inspires me in the first place. Most of the films I watch have to do with music.

4Q: What is your favorite movie?
Josh: “The Jungle Book”
Chris: I’m a huge fan of “That Thing You Do.” It’s great, it really kind of captures a time period of music and what the industry was like at the time, what it was like to have a band with a hit record. I adore the film “Stranger Than Fiction” . . . “High Fidelity” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” We watched this old film from like the 30s, a young Jimmy Stewart was in it . . . “You Can’t Take It With You.” After we got through watching this movie with some friends, I said, if anyone asks me what my favorite film is, this is my favorite film, and Renelle just reminded me of that.
Renelle: When I think of favorite movies, I think of the “Bourne Trilogy,” but then I think about movies that really tie a lot of meaning to them, and that speak to my life; I can think of tons of others.

5Q: What’s the ultimate direction for your band?
Renelle: Making a living off of our music. People always say, find something you love, and get paid to do it. Well, we love doing this, and so we want to be able to support our families doing this, and hopefully other people’s families that will be on board with us.
Josh: It will be very nice to not be living on a minimum wage all my life, but still be playing music. I decided with myself a few years ago, especially after high school, even if I have a crappy run-down car and I just live in a one room apartment by myself, if I continue to play music and that’s what I do regularly, my life would be fulfilled.

[ story by Robin Cremer | photos by Ryan Bishop | GIZMO Pictures]

There are a lot of great artists in this town, a lot who want to be heard, and we want this to be the place for them. – Jeff Toda

After a year of performing the, “Jeff Toda,” act every Tuesday at College Hill Tavern, Jeff woke up after a fitful sleep and realized he wanted something different from his weekly performance. “There is a musical climate growing in Topeka,” explained Jeff. “The number of songwriters is growing and I wanted a jam that would foster and showcase that local talent.” With these hopes the, “Songwriter Session: Tuesday Open Jam,” was born.

Jeff teamed with the lyrically-gifted guitar guru Nate Dingman to host a laid-back jam playing original songs or songs that inspire them.
“For many songwriters, a typical bar jam isn’t their scene, but a coffee shop just doesn’t cut it,” said Jeff. “We hope to create an atmosphere to musically explore and entertain.”

Kicking off the Songwriter Session on October 4, the crowd drew a dozen new faces and for once, a bar that was listening to the music. Appreciation for originality was reflected in applause from the audience, without competition from shout-outs for Jagerbombs booming across the bar.

Bring your songbook and join Jeff and Nate for the, “Songwriter Session every Tuesday at College Hill Tavern, 1616 SW 17th Street. Food and drink specials include 75-cent tacos, $3.00 margaritas, $2.75 import bottles, and $2.25 domestic bottles.

Sponsored by Valeo Behavioral Health Care, ” ‘Creations of Hope’ strives to raise awareness and widen views of mental illness by providing an event that celebrates creativity, strength, and hope in recovery rather than focusing on disability.” This juried exhibit also aims to raise awareness and educate the general public about mental illness.  Throughout the exhibition floor you’ll see tidbits of information such as:

Stigma erodes confidence that mental disorders are real, treatable health conditions, creating attitudinal, structural and financial barriers to effective treatment and recovery. – National Alliance on Mental Illness

The Upstage Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, and stays open until 9:00 pm on Thursdays. They also participate in ArtsConnectTopeka’s First Friday Art Walk from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Be sure to stop in to support these artists as they find their place in the art community and continue their recovery.