Sam Rivers Tribute Band at the White House.

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The Sam Rivers Tribute Band gathered once again after years of being apart at the Timucua Arts Foundation White House (2000 S Summerlin Ave, Orlando, Florida 32806.) this concert was thrown together at the last minute.  The band had not performed together for years. 

Sam Rivers is one of the greatest jazz legends of our
time, performing for over 70 years. In the 1970’s he was the first
artist to open a jazz cultural arts center in Greenwich New York, which
was used as a venue to help artist exhibit their talents and gain
recognition.

The one of a kind, intensely original compositions of Sam Rivers came to life once again in a rare performance of his 16 piece Rejuvenation Orchestra. (formally known as the Rivbea Orchestra. I sketched Sam Rivers as he performed at the Enzian Florida Film Festival wrap party in 2009.   He was a joy to watch and fun to sketch.   Sam Rivers died on December 26, 2010 at the age of 88 from Pneumonia.

I was excited to see if his magic still infused the Orchestra he had formed when he moved to Central Florida in the early 1990 with his wife Beatrice.  Several platforms were set up on stage for all the horns and saxophones.  Sam performed on bass clarinet, flute, harmonica and piano, but I loved watching him perform on the soprano and tenor saxophones.

I sketched as the orchestra took to the stage.  I recognized the string players but some of the sax players looked like they were still in college.  The performance was aggressively loud, as if each performer was trying to play louder that everyone else.  At times various performers stood for solos.  Rivers derived his music from bebop, but he was an adventurous player, adept at free jazz. He was also an adept composer and it was his sheet music that sat before every performer.  I hope this orchestra performs together more often.  In time they could bring back the polish that helps support the inspiration.  Sam’s parting words at many of his concerts was, “Tell them what they missed.”

Coldharts at the Timucua White House.

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The Timicua White House (2000 South Summerlin, Orlando, FL 32806) is usually host to musicians.  The evening before the home hosted a Composer’s salon.  However on this rare, dark and sinister night this became a place to stage some intimate theater, in a two person show titled, “The
Coldharts: Edger Allen” created and performed by The
Coldharts, Katie Hartman and Nick Ryan, two theatre artists based in
Brooklyn, New York. They create American Gothic-inspired, devised,
music-theatre.

The actors are US and Canada Fringe Festival audience favorites bringing this modern classic piece of theater to the Timucua stage immediately after a four-day run of “The Legend of White Woman Creek” at the Orlando Fringe Winter MiniFest. This was a two­-person, darkly comic musical inspired by the childhood and short stories of Edgar Allan Poe.  This is an astounding piece of intimate theater that can generate laughter in one second and a gasp of shock in another.

Katie began the evening performing on ukulele.  She played the part of a young Edger Allan who bragged of his dominance at an all boys school.  His supremacy was challenged when another boy entered the school and started answering questions intended for him.  The new boy spoke is a loud whisper.  The two discover in the school courtyard that they share the exact same name.  The young Edgar Allen gives every conversation a dark and brooding hidden meaning.  Rather than stay mortal enemies, the new Edgar Allen proposed they become friends.  After much deliberation Edgar Allen agrees.  However the best of intentions takes a twisted turn for the worst.

The scenes play out with exaggerated gestures worthy of a vaudeville act.  The inner working of a young boys mind are clearly sinister.  Children can be cruel but this takes misguided intentions to a new level.  The simple brick walls of the White House were a perfect backdrop to the drama that unfolded and bricks played an important part in the final act.

This piece was a stark reminder that amazing things were happening over at the Shakes at the Winter Fringe MiniFest.  I am a bit sad that I missed what were likely some amazing sketch opportunities.  Katie and Nick will return to Orlando in May for the Orlando International Fringe Festival with another Poe inspired piece, and I want to see what they come up with next. 

Lakeridge Winery Winter Music Series.

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It is a bit of a drive up to the Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards (19239 US 27 North, Clement, Florida 34715), but the Winter Music Series made for a relaxing afternoon of music and wine.  It was chilly the day Pam Schwartz and myself went so we made our way inside the winery first thing when we arrived.  There was a wine tour in about half an hour and there was music upstairs in the Wine and cheese bar.  Joe Hand was performing cover songs on an acoustic and then electric guitar. Between sets he walked between tables talking amicably with member of the audience.  

Each Saturday afternoon during the month of January, Lakeridge Winery holds its famous Music Series, featuring live music on the outdoor stage, and inside at our Wine and Cheese Bar upstairs. The musicians selected are all fantastic performers, hand-picked from the wealth of talent located throughout Central Florida. Lakeridge wine, beer, soft drinks and a variety of food is available for purchase, along with complimentary Winery tours and tasting. This is a free event for all ages.

We did the wine tasting next, trying 10 different varieties of wine.  My favorite was the Pink Crescendo which is a sparkling wine with a fruity aroma and long lasting aftertaste.  Most of the wines were on the sweeter side rather than dry which I like.  The wines are made from Muscadine grape varieties which are Noble (red) along with Welder and Carlos (bronze) that flourish in Florida because of their disease resistance and adaptability to our warm, humid climate. The rows of vines  grow right behind the winery on the rolling hills leading down to a lake.  The vines were largely bare because it is winter and they will be full of grapes and ready to harvest next August.  A huge harvester rolls over the rows of grapes scooping them up for harvest.  The grapes are then crushed strained and the juice is fermented.  A short 10 minute film outlined the science behind the fermenting process.  The “Tour” however just involved our standing on a walkway staring st stainless steel storage containers and then standing on an empty patio.

The winery uses corks which have the advantage of expanding as they soak up the wine. Each cork costs ten cents. Much of the wine industry is moving towards synthetic corks for cost reasons not because they are better for preserving the wine.  The wines from Lakeridge are meant to be consumed within a few years.  I have always wanted to consume a wine from the year of my birth, but that might just taste like a sour mess that needs to be poured down the drain.  In August there is an annual gape stomp competition which sounds like an event I have to sketch. 

BAND SCHEDULE:
OUTDOOR STAGE

Jan 13, 2018 NOON – 4pm The Nightly Grove Band 

Jan 20, 2018 NOON – 4pm Shawline 

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Mike Quick Band 

WINE and CHEESE BAR 

Jan 13, 2018 NOON – 4pm Bobby Koelble

Jan 20, 2018 NOON – 4pm Bobby Blackmon

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Jeff Whitfield

Weekend Top 6 Picks for December 13th and 14th.

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Saturday December 13, 2018

6 AM to 1 PM.  Free.  Parramore Farmers Market.  The east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View.  Beginning on January 6, the Parramore Farmers Market will be open
every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the east side of the Orlando
City Stadium, across from City View.Purchase quality, fresh and healthy
food grown in your own neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet
Farming, Growing Orlando, and other community growers.

10 AM to 5 PM.  Daily through January 16th.   Admission to Otronicon is free for OSC members, $20.95 for adults, $18.95 for seniors and students, and $14.95 for youth (ages 3-11). Otronicon: Interactive Tech Expo.  Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803).  Otronicon will celebrate its 13th year as Orlando’s premier technology event you can’t afford to miss!

At Otronicon, guests walk on the cutting edge through state-of-the-art gaming and simulation technologies, including military and medical simulators not typically available to the public.

NEW THIS YEAR:

• See and feel what it’s like to pilot a plane in OSC’s new and permanent Flight Lab experience on its opening weekend!
• Learn all about drones by meeting drone experts and seeing live demos
• Go on a virtual test drive with Motion Sphere, where you’ll experience 7 G forces with six “Degrees of Freedom” – back/forward, right/left, up/down and roll/yaw/pitch

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND:

• Interact with industry leaders and educators and learn about STEM careers
• Experience the future of games and design
• See the latest in medical and military technologies, plus video gaming, art and more
• Check out workshops and presentations led by industry pros
• And so much more!

Regardless of your background, whether you work in the tech industry or just have a passion for learning, Otronicon will engage your mind and spark your curiosity.

Visit Otronicon.org to see what’s new and check out our list of exhibitors!

Noon to 4 PM.  Free.  Winter Music Series.  Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards 19239 US 27 North, Clermont, Florida 34715.  Each Saturday afternoon during the month of January, Lakeridge Winery
holds its famous Music Series, featuring live music on the outdoor
stage, and inside at our Wine & Cheese Bar upstairs in the winery.
The musicians selected are all fantastic performers, hand-picked from
the wealth of talent located throughout Central Florida. Lakeridge wine,
beer, soft drinks and a variety of food is available for purchase,
along with complimentary Winery tours and tasting.

BAND SCHEDULE:

OUTDOOR STAGE

Jan 13, 2018 NOON – 4pm The Nightly Grove Band

Jan 20, 2018 NOON – 4pm Shawline

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Mike Quick Band

WINE & CHEESE BAR

Jan 13, 2018 NOON – 4pm Bobby Koelble

Jan 20, 2018 NOON – 4pm Bobby Blackmon

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Jeff Whitfield

Sunday December 14, 2018

 Noon to 1 PM.  Donation based.  Yoga.  Lake Eola at the field near the red gazebo. 

1 PM to 5:30 PM Free.  Family Day on the Second Sunday.  The Mennello Museum of American Art (900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803).  The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents
are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in
the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

2 PM to 5 PM $5. Film Slam.   Enzian Theater (1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL 32751).  Originally a project of University of Central Florida’s Downtown Media
Arts Center, Enzian became the home of FilmSlam when DMAC closed in
2006. Now in its fifth year at Enzian, FilmSlam continues to be a
popular outlet for indie and student filmmakers throughout the State of
Florida.

FilmSlam will usually be held on the second Sunday of each month at 1PM at Enzian.

COME CELEBRATE INDEPENDENTS DAY!!!

It’s so hot outside our brains just melted! So, this month we’ve booked the craziest FilmSlam line up of the year.

Experimental
Films, Puppet Films, Art Films, Bartenders throwing bottles, Gangsters,
a Music Video….this has to be the most amazingly eclectic line we’ve
had for all of 2012.

Program starts at 1pm sharp. Q&A with the filmmakers to follow screening.

Buddy Dyer and Scott Maxwell ride into the Danger Zone.

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Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer previewed the new immersive Flight Lab, while Challenging Orlando Sentinel’s Scott Maxwell in a Virtual Contest to be Top Gun at the Orlando Science Center (777 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803). The Mayor and Sentinel Columnist continued their decades-long video game rivalry. Since 2006, they have competed for dominance at
the annual Otronicon. From Halo shootouts to Dance Dance Revolution,
these two combatants have given their all in a bid for techno supremacy.
The competition came days before the 13th annual Otronicon Tech Expo.

The high tech Flight Lab is located on the top floor of the Science Center in the Dino Digs area. I arrived a bit early to sketch the room, waiting for the contestants to arrive. One of the Oculus Rift Virtual Reality technology experts in the room noticed my John Henry crew jacket and he asked if I had worked at Disney. He had worked for 10 years at Universal so we shared a few war stories. He lamented that CAD technology has produced a generation of tech architects and artists who are content use homogeneous stock imagery. The life in hand crafted sketching is quickly becoming a lost art. Now that I am looking for work, it seems like Tech is all that exists in this Digital World.

The contestants were given a chance to try out the technology before their flight. They both put on Virtual Reality headsets which allowed them to look around their cockpits. “Maverick” (Dyer) glanced out his cockpit window to see “Ice Man” (Maxwell). They both took off the flight deck of the carrier and took to the sky. Each jet required a pilot and co-pilot so the tech experts helped in the co-pilot seats. With the test flights out of the way the pilots prepared for their head to head flights. Maverick got off the flight deck first with Ice Man flying in formation behind. This was not a dog fight but a simple test of speed and agility. Buddy Dyer took the title of “Top Gun.”

Flight Lab will be premiering at this year’s Otronicon. This new permanent exhibit uses real-world mission scenarios to teach standards-based concepts and to develop critical communication, decision-making, team building, and collaborative skills. Flight Lab is an immersive experience with 13 flight simulator stations to accommodate both a pilot and co-pilot. Oculus Rift head-mounted display units take participants right into the danger zone as they learn how to fly, navigate, communicate, and work as a team. Funding for the exhibit is provided by the Office of Naval Research.

Otronicon connects visitors with the creative professionals and technology that are turning Central Florida into a hub for innovation. It is a celebration of our community’s technology leaders, including the latest from Lockheed Martin, Walt Disney World Resort, Florida Hospital for Children, University of Central Florida as well as a cross section of our region’s top indie game developers and so much more. The 13th Annual

Otronicon is January 12-15, 2018. The hours are 10 AM to 5 PM each day. Tickets are available online.

Adult ($20.95)
Senior ($18.95)
Student ($18.95)
Youth ($14.95)
Two and Under ($0.00)

Black Bear Memorial at Lake Eola.

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In 2015 a black bear hunt was authorized in Florida.  This was the  first bear hunt in Florida in 21 years.  The
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) set a quota of 320
bears despite the fact that a complete bear population study won’t be
available until 2016.  It only took two days for the hunt to reach the Commissions limit.  The Florida black bear was removed from the threatened species list just three years prior to the hunt.  In response, bear advocates organized a memorial inspired in part by a you tube video by 5 year old Khendall.

The states Humane Society director Kate MacFall said, “This
is a sad day for Florida’s black bears. This weekend, trophy hunters
will take to the woods to kill our bears for rugs and taxidermied
trophies. This hunt is completely unnecessary and it’s not supported by
science or by public sentiment. Research overwhelmingly shows that
hunting bears in the woods doesn’t reduce problems with bears in
neighborhoods. The state would be better off helping citizens manage
trash and outdoor food sources. Unfortunately for bears, most of
Florida’s wildlife commissioners failed to listen to the overwhelming
majority of Floridians who publicly opposed the hunt.”

At the Lake Eola band shell about 300 people gathered dressed in black to memorialize the bears that had been killed.  Advocates say that the hunt will affect the remaining bear population.  About one third of the bears killed were lactating mothers.  I was told that one hunter decided to bury a bear cub alive after he had killed the mother bear.  Those who attended the memorial want to fight to make sure Florida never does this again.

In 2016, the seven-member Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
voted to postpone bear hunting in Florida in 2016. Although the
framework for bear hunting in Florida remains in place, there will be a
zero hunt objective set for 2016, 2017, and 2018. The FWC “needed more time” to better explain itself and turn public opinion around. Driving out of New Smirna, I saw a bear crossing sign.  I find that odd since I have never seen a bear from any Florida Road. Having worked on the character of Koda in The Disney feature animated film “Brother Bear“, I have a soft spot for bear cubs.

Nerd Nite is expanding in 2018.

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 Nerd Nite Orlando is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking
presentations, all while the audience drinks along in a casual
atmosphere. Speakers present for 15-20 minutes each on a fascinating
subject, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following each
presentation is a brief Q&A with the audience. The premise is simple, drink and think. 

Nerd Nite operates in over a hundred cities around the world,
including Tokyo, Seattle, London, Los Angeles, Des Moines, Austin, and
many more. Nerd Nite launched in Orlando on Thursday, March 14, 2013
with founding organizers Valerie Cepero, Josh Manning, and Ricardo
Williams.

Since its inception, Nerd Nite Orlando has taken place on every
second Thursday of the month and is now organized and hosted by Ida
Eskamani and Ricardo Williams.

The announcement of Ida’s addition to the Nerd team was made on Thursday, September 14th at “Nerd Nite
Orlando LV: Neural Networks, Autonomous Vehicles, and The
Procrastination Paradox” where Eskamani took the stage at the end of the
evening to emphasize big plans for 2018 including a Nerd Nite Prom and
how they’re going to “triple everything in size and Nerd Nite this whole
damn town!”

Ricardo Williams said, “I am incredibly excited for our plans for 2018, including the continuation of our monthly events, the second season of our show, our new documentary film, the 5-year anniversary, the cosplay prom, and so much more!”

Presentations at Nerd Nite XXXI included, “The Amazing Fabric of Gordon Space Time” by Scott Gordon, “Vulnerability: You ARE crazy and its GREAT” by Rodrigo Groppa, and “The Science of Jurassic World” by Trevor Valle. 

On January 11th from 7 PM – 9:30 PM, Nerd Nite will be held at The Geek Easy (114 S Semoran Blvd, Ste 6, Winter Park, Florida 32792.) The evenings them will be “Space.” The suggested Donation is $5.00.  Doors open at 6pm. Program starts at 7pm.  Like the universe after the big bang, Nerd Nite is expanding in 2018. 


Dates for Nerd Nite in 2018:

January 11, 2018

February 8, 2018

March 8, 2018

April 12, 2018

May 10, 2018

June 14, 2018

July 12, 2018

August 9, 2018

September 13, 2018

October 11, 2018

November 8, 2018

December 13, 2018

Test Track at the gun range.

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In Tavares Florida there is a large parking lot at the private Eustice Gun Club that is converted into a test track for The Porche Club.  Cones are set up to create a course that tests drivers skills.  Many drivers have magnetic numbers that they add to the hood or car door.  Topics are varied, from how to drive out of a skid to how to hold the steering wheel to avoid having hour wrists broken by air bags should there be a crash.

All of the Porches line up on a service road leading to the track, and then one by one, they drive the track competing against a stop watch.  All drivers had helmets and if they didn’t, they were required to rent a helmet.  All during the test runs gunfire popped off at the gun range.  In my sketch the covered canopy is where shooters line up to fire at targets.  There was also an indoor range which was always active. 

I sat in the grass watching the endless test track runs.  I sat close to a tree thinking I could make a run for it if a car skidded off the pavement out of control. Only one car did push the limits spinning off the track and stopping just short of a chain link fence.  Across the street, I could see model air planes buzzing above a landfill.  

Native Gardens at the Shakes.

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Native Gardens written by Karen Zacarias is being performed at the Orlando Shakespeare Center (812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803) .  A young couple, Tania (Alea Figueroa) and Pablo (Fredy Ruiz) move into a quiet Washington D.C. suburban home.  The place is a bit run down, but Tania has big dreams for the back yard, with it’s big old oak tree, planning to turn it into a Native Garden with all native plants.  Pablo is working at a law firm putting in long hours.  Their neighbors, Virginia (Kate Ingram) and Frank Butley (Michael Edwards) are an older couple on the verge of retirement.  Frank shares Tania’s love of gardening.  Each year he plants a gorgeous perennial flower bed with hopes of winning the neighborhood’s best garden award.  

An old chain link fence separated the back yards of the two properties.  The butlers welcomed the young couple bringing them wine and chocolates.  Tania is allergic to chocolates but liked the gesture.  The four of them chatted amicably and agreed that a nice wooden fence would be nice to replace the old chain link fence now overgrown with ivy.  Pablo in a move to impress his boss, decided to host an office BBQ in his backyard.  With the yard a mess, the couple had to rush to get ready for the party.  As the couple made plans to install the fence, they discovered that their property actually extended two feet beyond the fence, essentially the full width of their neighbors flower bed. 

When they informed their neighbors that they planned to place the fence right on their property line tempers began to flair.   Being a lawyer, Pablo stated the case with blunt force and with no notion of compromise.  Frank is crushed since the flower bed was his labor of love.  First the men bickered and then the woman bickered and postured.  What had been a friendly welcome shifted into a brawl.  To top it all off the older couple were Republicans and they suspected their neighbors were Democrats.  The escalating tension was treated with hilarious results.  Both side felt they were the victims and polite manners melted away into crude name calling.  

Native Gardens is a fun and highly entertaining show.  The show runs through February 4th.  Start your year off with a good laugh.  Go and see native Gardens. 

New Year’s Eve.

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I wanted to sketch a New Years Celebration while avoiding the drunk drivers after midnight.  Raglan’ Road Irish Pub (1640 Buena Vista Dr, Orlando, FL 32830) celebrated New Years at 7 PM which is midnight in Ireland.  This seemed like a good pan, celebrate, at Raglan’ Road and then watch the ball drop from home, away from the crowds.   The Pub in Disney Springs had a limited number of reservations and when Pam Schwartz called they couldn’t take any more, but walk ins were welcome.  We decided to risk it, hoping there would be a few spaces at the bar.  

The lime parking garage at Disney Springs was listed as full, but we found a parking spot rather quickly on the second level.  Disney Springs was crowded and bustling with all the holiday decorations ablaze in the night.  The Raglan’ Maitra D’ didn’t have a table available for an hour and a half but she did offer the bar.  Our spot at the bar didn’t have a good view of the stage.  After stating a sketch several patrons moved on, and we slipped into their seats with a decent view of the stage.  

Sketching at Disney always seems frantic.  Every tourist is desperate for a good time and they are in a rush to find it.  Our bar stools were at a spot which created a bottleneck between the bar and the center tables. The restless crowd flowed past and often stopped because of the tight quarters.  I was constantly trying to see around the crush of the crowd.  It is a mind game that takes tons of patience.  I ended up loosing patience with one dad who stood right in front of Pam and the stage holding up his cell phone shooting video.   I got up stood in front of him and asked him to move to his right.  After wards he apologized saying he didn’t realize he was in our way.  There is hope for humanity.  

On stage just before 7 PM, the band performed with a guitar, accordion and fiddle.  I never did sketch the fiddle player, I tried several times, she was elusive.  A line of three female and one male dancer danced an Irish jig, their upper bodies perfectly still.  At one point children from the audience were brought on stage where they were taught how to dance the jig.  Two of the youngsters knew how to dance the jig, and the audience broke out in thunderous applause. Everyone was given a complimentary champagne which couldn’t be consumed until the countdown at 7 PM.  Everyone cheered sipped and kissed.  

After New Years, Pam ordered ham and colcannon, an Irish dish of cabbage and potatoes boiled and pounded. Pam rated her meal as a 5 out of ten. I ordered gnocchi, small dumplings made from potato, served with a white cream sauce. and scallops. The meals were cool by the time we got them.  Pam ordered a Rosemary Whiskey Sour and maple drink that she rather liked I took one sip, and it was STRONG.  I just ordered a Funky Buddah beer which was decent.  I was shocked that the beer was $10. 

I recently did one of those Ancestry DNA tests and found out that I am mostly Irish.  I always thought that I was half German and certainly Thorspecken sounds German but the DNA results begged to differ. I therefor am inclined to seek out more Irish celebrations so I can document more of the culture of my people. 

Walking through Disney Springs, a huge hulk of a man noticed my John Henry crew jacked.  He asked if I had worked on the film and I told him that I had.  He simply wanted me to know that he loved that short film.  The drive home wasn’t too bad.  A few people tapped their brakes on I-4, but most people were just getting ready to go out for the night.  We settled in on the couch and watched the Times Square Ball drop on Pam’s lap top.  We had to watch the insipid time wasting banter of the hosts who interacted with the freezing crowd.  The count down finally began before midnight Eastern Standard Time.  10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5…  The streaming video live feed froze.  A small icon covered the video screen and spun.  Noooooooooo! Fireworks were exploding all over Orlando.  We searched other digital streams to see if we could find the ball drop.  There was no instant replay. We think that Verizon must have frozen the data stream to convince people to upgrade to a cable package.  Apply was just in the news for slowing down data streams on old iPhones.  It doesn’t inspire customer loyalty. It instead inspires people to stop staring at digital screens and get out to experience life in person.