River City Writer

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

List of Remembrance Day Events in Edmonton

The Raving Poets have announced their fall series. For the first time in a while, the series will begin in October, rather than November. It will also be 8 weeks long instead of a mere 5. I’m looking forward to it.

The Raving Poets Present

Born to Write

Open Stage Performance Poetry
with the Raving Poets Band and host Mike Gravel

Wednesdays, October 15th to December 3rd, 2008
Signup 7:30, Show at 8:00

The Kasbar Lounge
(below Yianni’s Taverna)
10444 – Whyte Ave. Edmonton

Eight weeks of musical and poetic symbiosis. Eight Wednesdays of camaraderie and poetic mayhem. Eight nights of beer, beats and E-Town’s finest versifiers. If you have never experienced a night with the Raving Poets, you don’t know what you’ve missing.

What is the Raving Poets Experience?
To quote our piano playerist Thomas Trofimuk, “It is akin to a ‘feeling’ and only hangs semi-translucent in the air on a Wednesday night when the band is ripping and the poet at the microphone is leaning back into the music and the two streams are in a gorgeous confluence.” There are certainly moments of ecstacy. Poets and poems that move to tears, elation, laughter or heart-wrenching sobriety. This is open stage performance at its best, where veterans bring their finely honed work and newcomers are welcomed with open arms.

You’ll find word-smiths of every stripe at the Kasbar. Come join your kindred spirits who were Born to Write.

In case you didn’t read my first quickie Fringe review post, the basic idea is that I write a review of a play I’ve seen at this year’s Fringe in 140 characters or less. Why only 140 characters? Because I’m writing these reviews as Twitter updates.

THE MOLE – Worth watching, but felt like something was missing. Flubbed a few lines, but good acting. Story was lacking something, though.

It’s Fringe time in Edmonton, and so I figured that it would be a good idea to add some reviews of plays that I’ve seen. I wrote some quickie reviews on Twitter earlier today, and thought that I’d share them here, as well.

Because Twitter updates are limited to 140 characters, these reviews are ultra-short. I’ve tried to get to the core of each piece (or at least, the core of my opinion on each piece). I’ll likely post more throughout the duration of the festival.

Here’s what I have so far:

THE SHAKESPEARE STORY – Very funny & entertaining, even if you know next to nothing about Shakespeare. Best show I’ves seen so far.

WHISKY, GIN & PINTS OF BEER – You’ve seen this story told dozens of times before, usually with better accents. Not bad, but not great.

DIE NASTY – Too many inside jokes this year. Not as funny, as a result. Fringe insiders will love it, others should get drunk before hand.

There are a lot of things going on in the city right now (as there will be all summer), so I figured the easiest way to share the information would be in a single round-up post.

• The Edmonton International Jazz Festival and The Works Art & Design Festival both wrap up this weekend. If you have the chance, check them outbefore they’re over.
• “Bash’d” the gay rap opera by Edmonton theatre alumni Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow is being performed as an off-Broadway production in New York City right now. The New York Times gave them a good write-up recently.
• The Freewill Shakespeare Festival (formerly the River City Shakespeare Festival) began this week, and continues everyday (excluding Mondays) until July 20. This year’s productions are “As You Like It” and “Richard III.” I’ve seen both already and they’re both good, though I have to admit that the performances don’t seem quite as strong as in past years. If you’re only able to make it out to one of the plays this year, I’d suggest going for the comedy, “As You Like It.”
• The Feats Festival of Dance begins tomorrow. I honestly didn’t even know that Edmonton had a dance festival until I started checking out the upcoming festivals at FestivalCity.ca. It looks like the festival includes a wide range of dance types, so there should be something for just about everyone.

I haven’t really pimped the Raving Poets as much as I usually do this season, but attendance has been a bit slim compared to past seasons, so I figured I’d dedicate some words to my boys and girls down at the Kasbar.

First, the W5 on the Raving Poets:

Who: Anyone and everyone. If you want to read a poem, just show up and add your name to the list. 16 readers are drawn from the hat. If your name is pulled, you are now a Raving Poet for the night. There are, of course, regulars, but everyone is welcome.

What: An open mic poetry night with live improvised music.

Where: Kasbar Lounge, in the basement of Yianni’s Taverna (10444 Whyte Avenue).

When: Every Wednesday until the end of May. Sign-up is at 7:30pm, readings start at 8pm.

Why: Because words matter, and they’re worth sharing. And because Edmonton has an incredible poetry scene. Even if you aren’t interested in sharing your work, there is always something worth watching.

And, on top of that, the Raving Poets will be selling “heart beat” pins this Wednesday—$5 for a pack of 4—with the proceeds going to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Not only will you get to hear some great music, some great poetry, and drink a lot of good booze, you’ll also be able to donate money to a worthy charity and get some cool buttons in return.

As a dude with a heart condition, the Heart and Stroke Foundation is one of my favoured charities, so you can bet I’ll be shelling out my $5. Plus, I love buttons and pins, so it’s a win-win situation.

After being on hiatus since December, the Raving Poets are back with their 2008 Spring Season, titled Heart Beat.

For those who may not know about the Raving Poets, here’s a run down of what goes on at these things:

• People drink a lot of alcohol.
• People read poems—some are good, some are not-so-good, almost all are interesting in one way or another.
• The band rocks out (jazzes out?).

There is, of course, a bit more order and structure than I’m letting on, but the point is that the Raving Poets Experience is unlike anything else. It’s part spoken word, part live improvisational music, and part bacchanalian release.

If you’ve never experienced the Raving Poets, I highly recommend you come and check it out. It runs every Wednesday at 8:00pm for the next 13 weeks down at Kasbar Lounge (10444 Whyte Avenue, downstairs from Yianni’s). If you want to get on the reader list, you’ll have to arrive early: sign-up is at 7:30pm and closes promptly at 8pm.

For more information about Heart Beat, check out the Raving Poets website.

And now, for the final piece(s) of the night, Duke Ellington’s arrangement of a suite from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.

Jazz…and The Nutcracker. I’ve never heard this arrangement before, but I’ve got to say I’m loving it. It’s a great twist on pieces that, while great in their own right, can sometimes feel tiresome after hearing them every year when the holidays roll ’round.

It’s funny, like most people, I have some familiarity with The Nutcracker (though, I admit, I’m not a huge fan, so I’m hardly an expert), but I’m having some trouble recognizing the different songs. I mean, I know they’re from The Nutcracker, and I know that I recognize them, but…well…I don’t recognize them.

I realize, of course, just how little sense that phrase makes, but hopefully you’re able to decode my cryptic ramblings and get some sense of what I’m trying to say.

Obviously, I’m not allowed to record this evening’s performance, but I’m sure you can find a version of the Ellington arrangement of The Nutcracker online somewhere. I highly recommend it.

Ah…here’s one I recognize. “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies,” or, as Ellington’s version is called, “Dance of the Sugar Rum Cherry.” If you’d have told me before tonight that I would ever be using the word “sexy” to describe “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies,” I’d have called you a liar, but there is some definite sexiness coming from the horn section right now.

And now: “March” (known tonight as “Peanut Brittle Brigade”. Another instantly recognizable yet totally unexpected version of a song that almost everyone in the Western world knows. I can’t say that I disapprove of this version.

Really, this entire Ellington suite has been very cool. It’s very different from the traditional versions, of course, but that’s the beauty of it. I really do recommend looking for a version of it online, or picking up a record if you can find one. You’ll thank me later.

And, that, ladies and gentlemen, is #5.

Note: I’ll probably go through and edit these posts sometime tomorrow, and toss up some afterthoughts, so make sure to check out River City Writer again tomorrow.

And, we’re back… with “Dreaming of the Masters II- Rhapsody GEB,” which was written by Allan Gilliland especially for Eddins, who is conducting and playing the piano. Impressive. And on top of that, he appears to be playing without reading any music. Extra impressive.

Unfortunately, we’re having a moment of technical difficulties—the sound system in the room isn’t working—so I can’t tell just how impressive it truly is. This room is quiet soundproof. We’re able to hear some of the louder parts…and, there we go. We’ve got sound again.

Seriously…conducting and playing the piano? I’ve never seen that before. I don’t want to call it gimmicky, because it’s really not, and he’s doing a good job of it, but it’s so usual that I really don’t know what else to say about this piece.

Let’s start with this: it’s beautiful. I love jazz piano, and this is jazz with an orchestra. It’s got all the playfulness of jazz, with the power of the symphony. Very cool. I’m not even sure what to call this. It’s not jazz, but it’s definitely got elements of jazz to it.

Whatever it is, it’s an enchanting piece of music. It reminds me of the ocean…East Coast ocean, with large waves crashing against cliffs on a grey day. Except, it’s happening in slow motion. And in silence. And in black and white. The music is the soundtrack to a silent movie whose core emotion I can’t quite pin down.

In the midst of this, there is a moment of high energy. We’re in a dance hall or a ballroom somewhere. We’re in the same film, but now there is colour. Are we in the same location? Is this dance hall in a town on Canada’s east coast, or somewhere in New England?

We’re taken back outside for a brief moment before something dark and sinister creeps in. Violence? No. There’s a playful note underneath this seemingly dark section. It’s audible in the music, and visible in the way that Eddins is moving and interacting with the musicians he’s leading.

Still, something here is not quite kosher. There is a tension. Is it a fight? Is it tension between lovers? Whatever it is, we’ve hit the big jazz number. This could be a playful dance between two strong characters, or it could be the lead-up to a fight between two rivals.

And…wow…let’s call that #4 with a bang! If I wasn’t in this room, I might even been standing with the few people who are giving a standing ovation.

I’m fascinated by the percussion section in orchestras, particularly the guys who seem to only perform a few notes all night. There is strange sort of nobility about getting dressed-up in a tux, only to sit still at the back of orchestra for most of the night, waiting for your 30 seconds of drum-pounding glory.

This especially true when one considers that, if they’re doing their job right, you likely won’t even notice those 30 seconds. Or, rather, they won’t stand out as anything other than a seamless part of the whole performance. And, yet, without them, something would be noticeably amiss.