Selling Salvation

I have a few articles that I'll post next week. Until then, enjoy this new poem I wrote today...

Drug dealers
and preachers
they're not that different,
selling salvation
one dime at a time.
Holy water and heroin
communion wafers and cocaine
the road to heaven has never been higher...

Who do you call
when all you want
is sleep
but all you do is shiver,
shake,
and sweat?

It's too hot to think
all I can think to do is drink.
My shirt sticks to my skin
like cellophane on processed cheese.

You tell me to quit killing
myself one braincell at a time.
Well, honey, you can want
all you want
but not a damn thing is going to change...

Filler

I decided to post a new poem as filler until I can crank out another article next week

"I Lied"
by Charles Wood

Spent shotgun shells
and empty ink ribbons
are the only proof
I've ever lived.

This was the summer of bad decisions
where cheap beer and thin blood
flowed into thirsty gutters
with reckless abandon.


We sat on the porch
drenched in our own sweat
and besieged by chubby mosquitoes.
You said you loved me
I said I didn't care...

Kodak Moments

1-A bunch of people and myself stayed at a house on top of mountain for a weekend to let off some steam. I took a bunch of E and danced like a mad man in the guest house which we deemed “the spook house”. I was wearing a camo vest, a woman's robe, and a gardening hat while dancing with reckless abandoned.

2-For my 26th birthday a bunch of friends and I went to the get strip club. I was on E (see a pattern here?) and I was forced to sit on a chair with my hands tied behined the stripper poll as the two strippers I picked danced on me. The later released me only to have one pin me down with her thighs as the other whipped me. It was a kodak moment

3-I tried rollerskating once, with disastorous results. That would of made for some funny pictures

4-I took karate lessions when I was five, for like a month or less. I was sparring with this kid one day and he suckered punch me. I went ballistic and they had to pull me off of him. No damage was done, we were both wearing padding. Still, it would of made a great photo...

5-When I was a sophmore I lived on campus in Grogan dorm. We had a fire alarm at 3am in the middle of December. It was snowing outside. I was so frazzled I didn't think to put on pants or a shirt so I was stuck out in the snow for a half an hour wearing my boxers. It would have been an embarassing photo but a good one none the less...

Lunch With Marty

I met with photographer Allen Martin of MartiniVision for lunch at McCoul’s a few weeks ago to talk about his work. As he enjoyed a delicious blackened chicken and gouda sandwich he told me, “I’ve always been in visual arts and I’ve always had a camera but I didn’t start shooting seriously until five years ago.” Martin does both fashion and art photography and believes, “At its best they [arts and fashion photography] blend together and become indistinguishable.”
Martin, originally from Greensboro, moved to New York because he needed more than Greensboro had to offer, a sentiment common among Greensboro natives. Martin’s father owned a type setting business and Martin ran the dark room. Once Martin left for New York he took his experience in the dark room with him to become an art director. As an art director in New York Martin had to, “separate fine art from commercial art. Commercial art became a way to make a living.” During his stint in New York Martin produced all the print tourism ads for Turkey tourism from 1994-1996.
Martin eventually left New York. Since his return to Greensboro Martin has been impressed with the state of the town, “With a city of its size I’m impressed with the talent and creativity of the people here. I feel now the [arts] scene is more crystallized and focus then it was before I left.”
A typical photo shoot begins with Martin discussing with his models every detail of the shoot, down to wardrobe or the lack there of, before they even meet. If it’s a fashion shoot a stylist may be involved but in most cases it’s just Martin and the model. The ideal model for Martin is someone who is capable of fashion photography but also open to artistic work as well as someone who has their own style. Beauty and intelligence are also necessary for a good model.
Film noir has been a major influence in Martin’s photography, “I really like the feel of classic film noir. The lighting and composition of those old black and white movies catches my attention. I also like the true Americana in it.” Noir can be seen in his fashion photography, which is very European in tone and feel, as well as his art photography, which can be dark but never delves into horror, sci-fi, or gore.
As for upcoming projects, “I'm currently shooting a series I'm calling Noirotica . It's Erotic more in subtext, than in blatant, obvious visuals. Think Sam Spade, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, James M Cain and Lew Archer. Think Maltese Falcon, Touch of Evil, Night and the City and Double Indemnity. My studio was formerly a group of insurance offices. And by "formerly", I mean the 1940s. It looks it too. It's not really a fetish series, but it's kind of leaning that way. It's black and white.”

Funny Like a Funeral

Gavan Holden, vocalist and bassist for local punk act Funny Like a Funeral, met guitarist Jordan Holden at NYP. Jordan was sporting a Mohawk at the time so Gavan assumed he was a punk rocker and approached him about playing guitar. Jordan was a metal head and turned down Gavan’s offer. Years later they became friends and band mates though neither knows exactly when. “I’m a little too drunk to remember stuff like that” say’s Gavan.
Gavan and Jordan were both drawn to the “fast, loud, and sloppy” music of late 90’s Midwestern post-punk acts like Jawbreaker, Oscar, Get-Up Kids, and Hot Water Music. The influences of these bands can be seen in their music which, according to Jordan, “Juxtaposes happy, energetic music with dark lyrical content.” Gavan adds, “A lot of the lyrics are about past substance abuse.”
A typical Funny Like a Funeral Show consists of, “Seven or eight drunk kids standing around,” according to Gavan. There have, however, been a number of notable exceptions. They played a house show in Grand Rapids that drew in, “Hundreds of straight up college kids with jack shit else to do.”
The band also played at a Spanish poetry reading at a Christian coffee house in Indiana. The owners of the coffee house were especially nice, “They paid us and bought us food and asked to come back again sometime.”
While on tour with Social Life at Virginia Beach the band spent all their cash at the bar because everything was on sale for a dollar. Gavan and drummer John Robertson was lost and wandering around Virginia beach at 8am and was saved by Social Life’s drummer Caleb Gross who found them and picked them up.
Funny Like a Funeral has one album out entitled Evolved to Counter Act and it’s available at shows. The recording session was, “cheap and fast.” Local artist Sam King did the artwork for the album. “I want to make out with Sam,” says Gavan, “He did the artwork for free and deserves a kiss.” The band is currently working on releasing another album early next year. Gavan and Jordan expect the record to show more maturity. Jordan adds, “We’re going to pay more attention to detail on this record, use more layers, and concentrate on backup vocals and harmonies.”

You can check out Funny Like a Funeral online at myspace.com/funnylikeafuneralnc

Evan Wade and The Mad Ones

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue center light pop and everybody goes "Awww!”-Jack Kerouac

The above quote is where Mad Ones Films, a local Greensboro independent film company, derived their name. Mad Ones Films currently consists of Evan Wade, Jaysen Buterin, and Jennie Prince. Evan Wade, UNCG alumni, was introduced to Jaysen by their mutual friend Jennie. According to Evan, “Jaysen was a film geek. He had the gumption to be a screen writer. I became a producer and Jennie did what was left. That was in 2006.”
As a producer, Wade’s job consists of, “arranging schedules, talking to directors, getting a crew together. More than anything, you primarily feed people, especially in indy films, when you’re not paying them.”
Wade and Jaysen were both English majors and their education has influenced their work, “I pride myself that Mad Ones Films have some sort of literary element. My co-founder and creative director for the team, Jaysen Buterin, has a Master's degree in English Literature. So, there is a certain respect for the canon that comes across in several of our films, especially "The Devil's Tramping Ground," which is another take on Faustian myth.”
Wade also adds that the films of Quentin Tarentino and Robert Rodriguez, with their gritty over the top approach to film making, have also been a major influence and would love to work with the two, “That would have been an awesome time to work with those two, as they were just establishing themselves in Hollywood, and probably weren't rich enough to be jackasses yet... “
As with most independent film companies, a budget, or lack thereof, can become a concern, “Mad Ones Films has been built on the premise of doing "more with less." Having focused largely on modern spoofs or the occasional ‘slasher’ flick, we've had to get creative and find ways to do things on a budget, while still aiming for the delivery of a ‘quality’ product. We've garnered some really talented friends in our 4 years of producing "indie" films and that has helped us, as their talents have upped the production value of our films.” Some of the talent includes special effects from some of the Spooky Woods team, a local haunted house, during the off season.
Wade insists that if Mad Ones Films ever did acquire a substantial budget that Mad Ones Films would still hold onto its indie cred, “If budget was not an issue, I think we would continue in a similar vein with our films, but they would definitely show more polish and craftsmanship. More money would give us the freedom to purchase nice venues for film sets, as we seem to spend most of our money on venues and craft services to feed the cast and crew.”
Mad Ones Films first project was a short for the 48 hour film festival called “Z Day”. Wade describes the short as, “A zombie movie with a smart eleck tone. We didn’t try to be scary, just funny.” Since “Z Day” Mad Ones Films have recorded 10 shorts, 1 45 minute film and have recently begun shooting a 30 minute film entitled "Booze, Bullets, and Hot Pink Jesus - Ch. 1” which is going to be the first installment of a trilogy. Wade will also make his directorial debut in June at this years 48 Hour Film Festival.

Here's a trailer for one of their films:

The Decapitator Teaser Trailer #2 from Jaysen Buterin on Vimeo.

If you want to learn more about Mad Ones Films you can check out their site at http://www.madonesfilms.com/

Summer in Greensboro

I am uploading this poem basically as filler until I can add some more interviews and articles next week:

Summer in Greensboro
by Charles Wood


These summer streets are filled with the smell of freshly cut
Grass and french fries.
Leather skinned hobos hustle college kids for loose change during the day
While shivering for salvation and cheap drugs at night.
The faces of friends blur together as the hours fall on each other
Like clumsy dominoes.
I don’t know where I am
But I know it’s not heaven.

The Women of Grace

Homelessness is never easy even in the best of circumstances. Winter can be especially harsh, claiming dozens of lives every year due to exposure. Luckily, homeless shelters can be found scattered about Greensboro. A dozen women found shelter at Grace Community Church this past December. The women were mostly black and were in their late 40’s to early 70’s.
One of the people staying at the shelter is Tanya, a black woman in her mid 40’s, checked in at the shelter in November. Tanya has been a CAN for the past 30 years but lost her job at Hospice which caused a snowball effect which led her to becoming homeless. Tanya has also stayed at Urban Ministries and said, “They have great meals and plenty of love, love so thick you can cut it with a knife.” Tanya is planning on staying here so she can save some money to go back to school for nursing. The only complain Tanya had was that the women have to leave every morning after breakfast at 6:30 and go out in the cold to look for jobs until the shelter opens up again at night.
Denise Devine is originally from Mississippi. Her husband was incarcerated and got cancer when he was released. The financial strain eventually led her to becoming homeless last year. She stayed at Grace last year and is thankful that they now have showers.
Selma is from Baltimore and moved to Greensboro five years ago to take care of her elderly grandparents, both in their late 90’s. After her Grandparents passed away Selma moved in with her daughter who recently graduated from Guilford college and is raising three of her own children. Selma was forced to leave when her daughter’s husband returned from Iraq and round up in Grace Community Church which she describes as, “A nice shelter where they show us lots of love.” Selma is also grateful that Grace is strictly a woman’s shelter, “When men and women are in a shelter you lose your focus on why you’re there. When a man is in your face you can’t concentrate.” Selma’s plans for the future are simple, “I am just going to pray and keep on going. I am just glad I am not sleeping in alleys, dumpsters, or in trash to keep warm.”
Mary Anne is a disabled senior citizen in her late 70’s who has lived in Greensboro her whole life. During her years in Greensboro she has worked a variety of jobs ranging from working at laundry mat, Wendy’s, Shawnees, MCR, and Plastic Place. Her disability caused her to lose her jobs and she was unable to collect unemployment. Mary Anne’s family wouldn’t help her out so she was forced to brave the cold but was luckily approached by a volunteer from Grace asking her if she wanted to stay.

My Favorite Things Celebrate National Record Store Day

The slow death of BB’s Records marked the end of independent music stores in Greensboro. Gate City Noise suffered a similar fate a few short years earlier. Local entrepreneur Jackson Lee filled this void when he opened My Favorite Things on Grove Street.
Jackson was approached by Lee Counts, a local handyman, who informed Jackson that there was an empty space available on Grove Street. Jackson held an informal meeting with Counts as well as his friend Nate Hobbs to decide what they should do with the space. Originally, the trio was going to use the area as a practice space for local bands and artists but both Counts and Hobbs dropped out so Jackson opened My Favorite Things on April 2010.
My Favorite Things isn’t just a record store, it also serves as a bicycle repair shop. Jackson, who has worked on bikes for the past 15 years, believes combing cycling and music in one store makes perfect sense, “There’s a kind of image, a certain type of person who is interested in music, interested in art, and enjoys riding their bike.”
The record store also acts as a venue for local talent. Jackson is a member of Greensboro rock act Rough Hands and has connections within the communities’ music scene and uses the store to create opportunities for local bands. Jackson decided to have 10 bands play at My Favorite Things on April 17 to celebrate National Record Store Day with the intention to increase both sales and awareness for My Favorite Things.
I arrived at the show around four thirty. It was being held outside, behind the record store. The first band was setting up on the house-sized slab of concrete which served as the stage and was hooking their equipment to a drop cord which led into the window of an abandoned house on Grove Street.
Hidden Link Park started playing at 4:45 and by then a crowd of a dozen or so had gathered. A few people sat on a long, thick log that had recently been cut down while others sat on the grass or the concrete. I was feeling way to sober so I headed to the convenience store across the street and bought a six pack. Hidden Link Park’s set was over by the time I returned.
Rocket Science, a two piece from Greensboro, was the next band up and started playing at 5:30. Rocket Science is made up of guitarist Adam Thorne and drummer Andy Lamberr. The two met in high school and has been performing in Greensboro. According to Thorne, “Greensboro isn’t exactly a zenith of music culture.
Up next was The Old 1-2 who became performing around a quarter after six pm. They had dirty blues roots and were my favorite band thus far. The vocalist wore suspenders and sung into an old timey microphone. The Old 1-2 was formed in Hickory by brothers Nathan and Chad Meyers and their friend Hawke Kelley. The band decided to move to Greensboro because, “shows in Hickory are very hit and miss but we’ve always had a lot of support from people in Greensboro. The group is heavily influenced by Tom Waits, Carl Burnside, and the Black Keys.
The next band up was Mutant League who started playing at 7:45. A steady stream of people started to pour in with 40’s, tall boys, and 12 packs in tow. I was relieved to finally not be the only person drinking at the show. A slew of 20 something hipsters sporting oh-so-ironic trucker hats, v-neck t-shirts, bad facial hair, and worse tattoos were now sitting atop the fallen log. It may have just been the booze but the whole scene made me feel like I was in an American Apparel ad for a few moments. I left in the middle of their set to buy another six pack and a pack of cigarettes. It was starting to get dark and I wanted to be prepared…
Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands performed next. The adorned the concrete stage with cabinets, lamps, and other seemingly random assortments of appliances, toys, and farming equipment. The set looked like the inside of a gypsy’s wagon by the time they were through. I recognized their drummer, Taylor Bays, and approached him to ask if I could interview him and the band after the set. He said it was cool.
It was pitch black outside by the time Crystal Bright and the Silver Hands took the stage. . Charles played the up-right bass, Taylor played drums, and Diego played the guitar while Chrystal Bright sang and played the accordion and the saw. Their music had strong Spanish, Eastern European, and Gypsy tendencies and ended up being my favorite act of the evening.
The show moved locations to Legitimate Business, a practice space and venue a block or two away from My Favorite Things, after Crystal Bright finished their set. I decided to head on home since my ride was leaving and I didn’t feel like walking down Gleenwood drunk at night by myself. I ended up not being able to interview the band but will definitely try to interview them in the near future.

Save College Hill?

This is a post from John Sanford. If you like it you can check out some more of his work at http://www.carolinianonline.com/

Who’s in charge of your own life and the future of your community? Some of the wealthy and well-connected in our city don't think you should be. Against a backdrop of school funding being slashed, crowding on campus and your tuition rising higher and higher every semester, as if the administration were trying to build a tower of Babylon out of student debt, in steps a dashing and attractive corporation from Ohio who will solve so many of your problems and do it so quickly. Just don’t ask too many questions. This corporation proposes to destroy the currently dying set of factories that lie between Spring Garden and Market Streets on the way to downtown. In their place, a series of towering and characterless ‘student housing’ apartments will be slapped together. Charging at least $500 per bedroom with some utilities is not exactly ‘affordable’ for those students who don’t have money pouring in from the folks. Many homeowners in College Hill, which fills the area between UNCG, Greensboro College and the edge of downtown, are worried that by suddenly housing over 700 students in the middle of a residential neighborhood you will drastically affect the quality of life for the entire patchwork of students and families that occupies the century-old houses nearby. They have successfully prevented the Zoning Board from approving the development and the issue now moves to City Hall.
Some of this concern is snooty and self-interested: the local homeowners want fewer students leaving beercans, vomit and broken dreams on sidewalks and lawns, fewer loud parties or anything else that resembles college life and also lowers property values, if not rent. The corporation deftly responded to the concerns of this segment of the community by suggesting that if they open this student-complex, then students will flock out of the old houses of College Hill like rats leaving a sinking ship. I’m not so sure that people who enjoy living in unique apartments carved from ancient houses will run to live in a cookie-cutter corporate environment with sturdy fences, even if they offer the advantage of not having mice in the attic. You can choose for yourself.
Choice. That’s really what this comes down to. The corporation must have been shocked and even offended when the College Hill residents began actively opposing the proposed development as soon as it was made public. I’m proud of us for that. The company expected to grease the wheels of a few local political types, throw up some buildings and soon rest on their heels, collecting over a quarter-million dollars per month in rent. Not so fast.
Dying factories do nothing for the community, I won’t argue that. I suppose nearly anything would be preferable and create more tax-revenue. But why isn’t the city, county and UNCG offering a vision for this place? I don’t see why we shouldn’t create a cultural complex, with outdoor theaters, parks and maybe a few wineshops and even some upscale apartments with a view of the downtown. Maybe you’d rather see an elementary school built for neighborhood kids or a monument to the veterans of the Iraq war or all of the above. This is our community. You or future-Spartans will have to live with the results for a long, long time. Our culture has a hard time turning down instant bucks for future rewards. These hastily built student towers will decay, and a less scrupulous company may take over management. They could become ‘ghetto’ and a bigger eyesore than the 1960’s era factories. Even the unimaginative may see the wisdom in placing dormitories there rather than profit-seeking and unaccountable builders. Dorms create revenue which goes back to the university and by extension the citizens of North Carolina. The university’s drug and alcohol policies would be quieter for the neighborhood. Women would be protected by campus regulations against sexual violence, which are in many ways superior to what is offered by city police.
Why should you have to passively accept whatever scheme a well-financed builder or corporation thrusts at you? We are Americans, and we should be free to determine the future of our own neighborhoods.

Updates

I've been too busy with school and work to update as much as I would like too. Hopefully this week I'll be able to post one or two more articles.

Come Hell or High Water Part 1

Come Hell or High Water is a local five piece with strong alt country tendencies. The band consists of Suzanne, Matty, Shane D., Gael, and Dylan. Suzanne started playing around Greensboro solo after an earlier project she was involved with, The Scarlet Harlot, disbanded.

According to Suzanne, “We (Come Hell or High Water) came together in October. Matty came up to me in NYP and asked, ‘do you need a guitar player?’ I did and we played a lot together. And then Shane D. asked, ‘do you want someone to play drums’. Then Gael saw us play at the Four Corners and asked if we needed a bass player. At that point, I was still learning how to play the guitar. Dylan, who was also in Scarlet Harlot, joined in June.”

“What holds the band together,” according to Gael, “are Suzanne’s lyrics”. Suzanne and Matty are the primary song writers for the band, “Matty and I have been writing a lot recently. He plays guitar and I’ve written some stuff down and we make a tune out of it. They’re (the lyrics) are very personal. Most of the lyrics come out of my personal life, except for the song about robbing a bank.”

Come Hell or High Water has a very open creative process. “The first time I played with Suzanne I was playing with the slide and I asked her what she wanted. She replied, ‘play what you feel.’” says Matty. The other band members do their own thing and see what works.

Suzanne’s vocals and lyrics capture the whiskey soaked heartache of country’s hay day while Matty describes his sound as, “Old timey blues meets sonic youth”. Other inspirations for the band include Wilco and Willie Nelson. If Come Hell or High Water could chose any band to open for it would be Zoe and the Lost High Rollers because, according to Suzanne, “They are fucking amazing.”

Note: Come Hell or High Water has just added Harrison Barrow to their lineup to play key board. I will interview the band once again as a result and try to post it relatively soon...

Post later this week, I promise..

I have just finished a draft for the piece I'm writing about local band Come Hell or High Water. I'll put the finishing touches on it tomorrow and post it for your viewing pleasure.

Coming Up

In the next week or two I'll be posting an article about a local homeless shelter, record store, and film maker. Stay tuned.

Meet an Artist: Harrison Barrow

This article originally appeared in Go Triad

Meet an Artist: Harrison Barrow

Harrison Barrow with art for his latest movie project. Credit: Joseph Rodriguez/News & Record

Thursday, May 21 (updated 3:00 am)

Harrison Barrow is a musician/animator from Greensboro; jhbarrow@uncg.edu

His Interest in Stop-Motion Animation

What I like about stop-motion animation is that you can invent a character. You can draw them and then make puppets out of them. They're like little people you can move.

I'm still very new to it. I've drawn goofy cartoons since I was in middle school. I would draw random characters and comic strips. I first got into stop-motion animation in high school. Me and my buddy Frank Adamek would do (stop motion) in my mother's basement. During that time we did three little short films. One (of the shorts) was for our Spanish Cultures 2 class. I don't remember what the project was. We made the short using geometric shapes that we painted on. It was about a man who vomited and then turned into a butterfly. The short had nothing at all to do with the project, but we got an "A" for it anyway.

Banging on the Piano

Me and the piano have a weird relationship. I first wanted to learn the piano in elementary school. At that time, my older brother listened to Ben Folds a lot, and so I naturally wanted to listen to it, too, and later to play piano myself. I asked my mother if I could take piano lessons; she agreed. I became impatient during the lessons. I wanted to rock out and bang on the piano and not do little exercises. I was thinking too far ahead.

Later, a friend of mine gave me a Warren Zevon CD -- that really made me want to play the piano. I knew enough about music to play the simplest chords. Over time I taught myself by practicing and listening to a lot of music.

His Newest Film

My current project is called "Esterhauzy." It's a stop-motion film about a young man, named Graham Ricketts, in his post-college slump. He's not actively pursuing a career. He's kind of lost his self-respect, his dignity, pretty much anything that keeps you going every morning. He's not necessarily depressed, he's just missing something required to be a 3-D human being.

He discovers that what he thought were his imaginary friends he had as a child were actually real and existed in another dimension. (The friends) and their home world are linked to his mind and his emotional state because he created them.

To the young Graham, the characters represented the few times he thought his family was normal. His family would go to the circus sometimes. (The characters) have themes from the circus; they're tightrope walkers, clowns, etc.

Now, everything in their world has gone haywire because of Graham's mental state. The individuals have become mutated, maniacal, demented and perverted. Now, basically, they're sociopaths. These are carnies and sideshow freaks that are losing their mind and subsequently, their home is dying. They have come back to grab Graham and drag him back to their world to solve their problems that have risen from his unhappiness.

Selecting film Music

For "Esterhauzy," the music and animation are two parts of a whole. What I'm doing musically has to reflect the personality of the character on screen. The music can't just be anything.

Sometimes it's really fun to make another statement with the music that's contrary to the animation. For example, I might have an upbeat song about something terrible or godawful happening on film and portray it as something innocent.

I have about three other people who have helped me with the music; it's not 100 percent me. I really like to have other people bring different ideas to the numbers.

A Work In Progress

This summer we're going to film a portion of it ("Esterhauzy") and use it to try to get more backing. Basically, we want the film to be quality, so we don't want to rush it. We've already done a lot of work for preproduction, like concept art and writing the script.

We also have a fair amount of tracks recorded for it, all they need is some polishing up.

The only way to do all of the stuff for the film without rushing it is to get artists to help. We don't want a huge crew, just a bigger one than we have now. We need artists, filmmakers, people that like to sculpt and draw.

This (project) is going to take awhile. As you grow as an artist, you are going to continually look back at what you did and want to improve it. However, the project isn't going to take 30 years to complete; so sometimes you have to put your foot down and end it at some point.

Meet an Artist with Matt Grady

This article originally appeared in Go Triad

Thursday, April 23 (updated 8:05 am)

Painter from Greensboro -- www.myspace.com/mdgrady

Cars, Airplanes and Monsters

I started drawing when I was a child, around four or five. At the time, I drew mostly cars, airplanes, and monsters. I really enjoyed drawing and everyone told me I was good at it, so I kept doing it.

It was around junior high that I became serious (about drawing). By that time it (drawing) became definitive; I was the kid that could draw. I had also gotten into comic books at that point. I was really into Ghost Rider, I thought flaming skulls were cool.

The Influence of comic books

Reading comic books helped and hurt my drawing. Later, when I was in college, I had a professor lecture me about comics saying it would taint my style. To some extent, he was right. Whenever I draw something out of my head it always has a comic book feel to it even if I don’t mean it to.

There’s a difference (in my style) that can be seen if I’m drawing out of my head or if I’m doing something like a portrait. Commercially, there is a stigma to comic books. A lot of people in the art community consider comic books to be low brow.

If I could be any superhero, I would probably be Multiple Man (from the comic series X-Factor). I could have 40 versions of myself all working at the same time.

Art School

My uncle was also an artist. I didn’t see him often (when he was younger), but we had his paintings in the house. He’s probably the only reason my parents let me go to art school. He went to art school in Michigan. After he graduated, he got a very well paying job at GM motors doing design.

I graduated from the UNCG art program with a degree in painting. I was trained in oil painting, so I tend to stick with it.

I guess I kind of hated it (art school), mostly because of the other students. Being an artist was a fashion choice to them; they spent more time on their outfits and hair than on their homework. Their presence lowered the bar, which also meant that my degree is that much less valuable as a result.

Having a BFA has helped (my career) a great deal. A lot of people won’t give you a hearing unless you have a degree. People who don’t know any better put too much faith in that piece of paper. I don’t think that it (a degree) is a good standard. Many people who have graduated art school couldn’t draw out of a paper bag. An art degree is like a math degree in that you only learn as much as you want to.

The Painting Process

I have an idea of what I’m going to do very much before I start painting. First I develop the concept and symbolism in the painting.

After that, I go through a brainstorming session. Once I work all that out, I sketch out the painting and draw thumbnail sketches and composition patterns. After that, I do a larger sketch and then I start the painting.

Dissecting Sho’nuff

Lately, I’ve done more commission work. The last commission I did were two bouquets of wire sculpture flowers. That was very tedious. It was just me, a pair of pliers, and 200 yards of wire.

I had one guy commission me to do a portrait of him beating up Sho’nuff (the villain from the movie “The Last Dragon”). He was glowing just like Leroy (the protagonist of the movie). It was the funniest commission I ever had. Usually the stranger ones are more fun.

The strangest thing I remember doing was a painting of a guy dissecting himself, mostly his face.

I think I painted it mostly to freak out my teacher. I enjoy painting the creepy stuff for the shock value, but I’ve been trying to tone it down lately. Not many people want something like that on their wall.

Spiritual Renisance Singers

This article originally appeared in Go Triad

Spiritual Renaissance Singers keep a historic tradition alive

Want to go?

What: "The Spirtual as Art Song" by the Spiritual Renaissance Singers of Greensboro

Where: Pfeiffer Chapel on the campus of Bennett College for Women.

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Admission: Free and open to the public

Information: www.srsg99.com or 273-3237

Thursday, May 14 (updated 3:00 am)

By Charles Wood

Patricia J. Trice is keeping the tradition of spirituals alive through her group, the Spiritual Renaissance Singers of Greensboro.

For the past 10 years, the Spiritual Renaissance Singers have performed spirituals in churches, colleges and as part of concert series. Under Trice's direction, the 24 performers have dedicated themselves to preserving spirituals ---- traditionally unaccompanied folk songs.

The spirituals performed by the Renaissance Singers are filled with emotional complexity, often expressing grave sorrow and intense joy within the same song. The songs are interwoven into American history and culture.

On Saturday the Spiritual Renaissance Singers will be celebrating their 10-year anniversary with a gala, "The Spiritual as Art Song," at Pfeiffer Chapel at Bennett College.

Trice describes the "art song" as "a piece for the singer and a piano. It's written using poetry as the text and a freely composed melody with the piano. The point is to show the versatility of spirituals."

Most, if not all, of popular music can trace its origins back to the spirituals sung by slaves. If it weren't for these songs of intense sorrow and worship there wouldn't be jazz, blues, gospel or R&B.

"Originally, these folk songs sung by slaves were unaccompanied. Their owners would take away their African instruments, especially the drums, because they knew they could communicate with one another through them," Trice says.

The slave owners were so afraid of rebellion that they severely restricted communication. They wouldn't even allow the slaves to talk to one another. The slaves, however, could sing, especially if the song was religious in nature. These songs often contained coded messages that were passed from slave to slave. It was from these plantations the spirituals were born.

Gospel music also was derived from these spirituals.

"It resulted from the freed slaves moving into the cities. Once in the cities, these people composed songs with accompanied music. Spirituals are unaccompanied. Gospel music also has simpler rhythms than the spirituals," Trice said.

Trice, a lifelong fan of spirituals, wanted to form a group that would perform these songs in Greensboro.

"I had been involved with a similar group in Tampa," Trice said. "When I moved up here to Greensboro, I began asking around for people who would be interested in starting a spiritual group. I sent out a call for people I knew."

One of the people who answered was Trice's friend, Gerald White.

"Spirituals were something I always heard at my church," White said. "Since then, I've always been drawn to it (spirituals)."

Eventually, others began to join the group, including trained musicians and those who simply just "love the music," Trice said.

With the group formed, all that was missing was a practice space.

"I told the then-president of Bennett College that I wanted to start a spiritual group and she said, 'Why don't you practice here?'"

Their first concert was at Bennett College in Pfeiffer Chapel in front of 400 people.

"It took my breath away," White said. "I didn't expect to see that many people.

Performing at Pfeiffer Chapel now isn't that much different than it was a decade ago, Trice said. The group itself, however, has changed drastically.

"In the 10 years the ensemble has been together, Spiritual Renaissance Singers of Greensboro has grown tremendously in terms of blend, balance and tone quality," Trice said. "The support and dedication of each of the singers has been an inspiration to me."

Social LIfe

Social Life known for punk rowdiness

Want to go?

What: Social Life
When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Westerwood Tavern: 508 Guilford Ave., Greensboro
Admission: $1
Information: 274-4410
Etc.: www.myspace.com/sociallifenc

Thursday, April 16 (updated 3:00 am)

By Charles Wood

The members of Social Life agree that punk is what brought them where they are today. Guitarist Zach Miller prefers the simplicity of punk to the highly technical aspects of other genres.

"Guitar solos are like garlic," Miller says. "A little garlic is great but too much and you kill every vampire around."

The Greensboro punk band Social Life includes Miller, vocalist Andrew Denoff, bassist Tony McCarthy and drummer Caleb Gross. They all started listening to various forms of punk when they were about 13.

"If punk rock is dead then we're all zombies," Denoff says. "Punk is supposed to have heart. Lately punk rock has become really commercial; just look at the Warped Tour."

Miller adds, "We hate how indie and punk music has now become a fashion show. We write a lot about how much we hate hipsters."

Drinking, hanging out and girls inspire the music of Social Life.

"The lyrics are usually about the angst that is attributed to early 20s or 30s males," McCarthy says.

"Shut up, Kerouac," Denoff chimes in.

The members of Social Life continually riff on one another. When Miller's girlfriend, Erin Thrasher, calls him during the interview, the other band members exclaim, "Zach is whipped" because of his prompt response and his shift in tone while talking on the phone. But it's all in good fun.

Denoff and Miller formed Social Life in March 2007. The pair's taste in music, particularly punk, meshed so well that it seemed natural. Denoff already had a song in mind that they began to rehearse. That song would eventually become "Patty Hearst Syndrome."

Like most of Social Life's song titles, "Patty Hearst Syndrome" has nothing to do with the song itself. The titles are usually random or funny quotes that someone in the band heard and felt like writing down, such as "Ralph Nader's Suit" and "Trolls in the City."

McCarthy met Denoff at a party on Halloween in 2006.

"I couldn't think of anything to wear so I just wore a suit," McCarthy said.

"Andrew comes up to me and asks, 'Are you dressed like a mod?' I was like, 'No, but it's awesome that you know what a mod is.' I had just moved to Greensboro from Fayetteville and hadn't met that many people into rock 'n' roll."

McCarthy hung out, partied and talked about rock music with Denoff for several months before eventually joining the band in 2007.

Social Life had its current lineup for only a few months before the band played its first show in October 2008 at Nate's Place in Greensboro.

"The show was free and the beer was only $1, so the place was packed and rowdy," Denoff says. "By the time we got done playing the bar had completely sold out of PBR."

That show quickly built Social Life a reputation for its rowdy live shows, with a trail of broken bottles and cigarette butts in their wake.

Social Life's first EP, "Happy Hour," was released in June 2008. Since then, McCarthy says they have enough songs for a second EP but are holding out for enough material for a full-length album — which McCarthy says will be more layered and intricate than their EP — and a tour around North Carolina. When not touring, they plan on "blowing our tax returns on tattoos and alcohol."

This article originally appeared in Go Triad

Show shines light on destruction in Peru

Show shines light on destruction in Peru

By Charles Wood

David Hewson's life dramatically changed six years ago when he was introduced to Peruvian shaman Don Ron.

The two met at Burning Man, an art event based on radical self-expression held every year in the Black Rock Deserts of Nevada. The shaman was there to conduct ceremonies dedicated to the healing power of medicine. Hewson was drawn to the intense, transformative powers of the medicine, as well as a deep connection to the shaman and his rituals.

It was after this encounter that Hewson, a 1989 graduate of Guilford College, decided to travel to Iquitos, Peru, and study with shamans in 2006, marking a turning point in his artistic career.

Hewson has documented his experience in Peru with a traveling exhibit of paintings and photographs called "The Road and the Wilderness: Beauty and Destruction of the Peruvian Amazon." The exhibit is on view through April 29 at Guilford College.

The subjects of Hewson's paintings include the jungle, native Peruvians and figures from Peru's rich folklore. His photos show the culture and people of Peru and how they have been affected by oil contamination and deforestation.

"When I arrived in Peru, there were eight plots of land that the Peruvian government put up for exploration and excavation," Hewson says. "Now, there are 64 plots of land up for excavation, land that has been illegally taken from natives. Peru Petrol leases this land to America."

The idea to document these aspects of Peru came to Hewson during a ceremony in which he drank the medicine ayahuasca, a combination of plants used by shamans for religious and medicinal ceremonies. Shamans are intermediaries between the spirit and the material worlds and often give advice to their tribes, treat illnesses and act as spirit guides.

"A woman came to me in my vision," Hewson says of the experience. "She told me, 'Take your talent and show the beauty and destruction (of the Amazon) to your people.'"

The event, Hewson says, was, "such a great cleansing. It was a physical, mental and spiritual purging."

Since then, Hewson has made it his mission to shed light on the destruction of the Peruvian Amazon through his artwork.

"We're all complicit (in this atrocity)," he said. We (the U.S.) now make up 4.5 percent of the world's population but consume 25 percent of the world's petrol. We are destroying the Amazon for a week's worth of oil in America."

Hewson hopes his exhibition will make people more aware of the destruction of the Amazon and the crimes committed against the Peruvians,

"Land rights had been given to the native people after centuries of abuse by the West, but when resources were found, the rights were taken away," he says.

After the exhibition ends, Hewson plans to return to the Amazon to build a house in the jungle.

This article originally appeared in Go Triad

St. Mary's House: Community religious center, sanctuary for the homeless

Here's the last article from The Carolinian I'm going to post:

The house at 930 Walker Ave. is completely unassuming and blends in with of its neighbors. It's only distinguishing mark would be the various street people who lounge in the yard and uses its grounds as a make-shift sanctuary.

The interior is just as unassuming - with big, soft couches and armchairs replacing pews. If it wasn't for the sign in front of its door, one would never suspect this place was an Episcopal/Anglican place of worship.

"We think of ourselves as a household, not as a formal congregation," says the Rev. Charles M. Hawes, a middle aged man with a beard who wears a necklace of a cross that morphs into a peace sign. Hawes has been Chaplin of St. Mary's House for 22 years. This will be his last.

St. Mary's House has held this sentiment ever since it was erected to be a center for Episcopal ministries for UNCG in 1900, according to Hawes. When the house was first built, it didn't have any heating and the women of UNCG were forced to hold service in the homes of some of the faculty in the dead of winter. In 1929, it was decided St. Mary's wasn't going to make it as a chapel and was deconsecrated. Since then, its become a kind of "reception house."

"It's a big, soft place people can come by and relax," says Hawes.
St. Mary's House differs from other places of worship not only in an aesthetic sense, but by a theological stance. The sign above the door reading "Jesus died to take away our sins, not our minds" epitomizes their stance.

"Over the years, our identity has kind of segued. We are recognized as a center that tried to make religion thoughtful," says Hawes. "We've earned a certain amount of respect from the academic community because we allow people to come to our services with an open mind and ask questions.

As a result, St. Mary's house has a congregation made up of members of the greater Greensboro area, students from UNCG, Greensboro College and A&T, as well as many members of the faculty from UNCG.

Former UNCG student Michael Hayworth attended St. Mary's proudly.

"It's a great place for open minded people to come and talk and share commonalities," he said.

Another group of people have decided to attend St. Mary's: the homeless.

"Homeless people have been at St. Mary's House since the 1960's - a lot longer than I have been here," says Hawes. "A lot of them are alcoholics, drug addicts, and psychologically impaired. We recognize these people as 'sick,' not 'bad.'"

The presence of homeless people has created a controversy among some of St. Mary's House's neighbors and local businesses. Mike Grady, a manager at Tate St. Coffee, described the situation.

"I call it the silent protest - no one complains, just no one comes back," Grady explains. "They're trying to do a good thing, but I would absolutely love it if it was 3 miles away."

John Sanford, who lives two houses down from St. Mary's House, shares a similar sentiment.

"They are trying do good Christian charity, but by not enforcing trespassing and panhandling laws on their property, they are creating a haven for beggars."

Additionally, a local organization called "Food not Bombs" meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in St. Mary's House to cook for whoever feels like stopping by, including the neighborhood homeless.

Hawes supports them and has a simple response to critics.

"How could I, a servant of Christ, turn away homeless people when Jesus and his fellow apostles were beggars themselves?"