Key of E Recording Session

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On August 6th he cast of the Key of E was gathered together at their secret lab to record a vocals session for the new soundtrack that will be available on CD and Vinyl. There is a Kickstarter campaign going to raise the $3,000 needed to cover costs. Andy had to pay $3 for a sound clip of someone pissing outside a bar, so you can imagine the escalating costs. As of this writing, they have raised $931 towards the goal. Be the person to push them over the $1000 mark and get a copy of the soundtrack.

Justin Beckler set up the sound equipment and directed each recording segment. Audio was mixed on the spot using his laptop.Corey Volence  and Marisa Ashley are the romantic leads in this post apocalyptic rock musical with music written by Andy Matchett. The recording session was for the dramatic interactions between the characters. Although it involved plenty of hard work, it also was hysterically fun to watch. As actors searched for the right inflections and drama, they at times would break into uncontrollable laughter. Marisa had to do one scene in which she reacts when she sees a huge Tsunami wave. She must have done the line 20 times or more with endless variations of shock, awe, horror and amazement. Her performance as the sincere loving girlfriend is heart wrenching.

Corey who wrote the show read his lines off of his iPhone.  It seemed quite appropriate that he had a “Day of the Dead” T-shirt on. Andy, as a world renowned scientist, recorded an address to colleagues in which he predicted the end of the world.  He said it was pointless to warn the citizens since it would only cause mass hysteria. On the fly, Corey suggested that Andy say that, “We are safe in our colossal invisible helicarrier“. It was a tongue twister that caught Andy by surprise but when delivered right, it was hilarious. Joel Warren was blunt, gruff and funny as a cocky jock who appoints himself boss and bully in the post apocalyptic island camp. He would shout, “Sco!” meaning “lets go”, when he wanted his female minion to follow. I laughed every time he delivered that line. Amanda Warren, who is new to the cast, did an amazing job as the female branch of Corey’s conscience. Her singing was pitch perfect, so much so that I had to stop sketching and watch. Like a fine wine, this show improves with age.

This show was the runaway hit from this years Fringe Festival. It won 11 Audience Choice Awards. It is returning for a brief run at The Venue (511 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL). So, Mark Your Calendar! You don’t want to miss the end of the world. Show times are…

Friday: 8/23 8 PM
Saturday: 8/24 8 PM
Monday: 8/26 8 PM
Thursday: 8/29 8 PM
Friday: 8/30 8 PM

Tickets are $10 pre-sale, and $15 at the door.

Taste of the Nation

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On Saturday August 10th, Terry and I went to the Orlando World Center Marriott to attend Taste of the Nation. 58 or so of Orlando’s best restaurants were there in the Cypress Ballroom to offer samples of their best dishes and wines. Proceeds from the event went to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank and Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida. Maria Diestro of Second Harvest asked me to document the event with a sketch. She walked us in a little early so I could get a jump on the sketch.

The Orlando Marriott World Center desert station is what caught my eye. A weeping willow tree covered in red lights illuminated the center of the exhibit. One of those spinning racks from a dry cleaner was suspended and constantly rotating with plates of pastries and deserts. Yellow and red circles were also hung creating an ever changing Calderesque effect that was eye catching. Chef Ramon Ramos, who came over to see the drawing, came up with the idea for the rotating display, and Wizard Connection, a special events design company engineered the display. Wizard Connection had a hand in a few other displays notably backdrops that looked like working charcoal ovens.

On the left of my sketch, several volunteers were talking to the auctioneer for quite some time. They later looked over my shoulder to say, “Hey, that’s me!” At the beginning of the event, only VIPs were sampling the pastries, but as the sketch progressed the display became mobbed. I decided to keep the crowd down in my sketch to show off the deserts spinning. For two hours as I sketched, I didn’t taste any food. Terry wandered the event found some friends and sampled everything.

Jen Vargas stopped to say hello. She had on the new Google Glass that lets you stay digitally connected constantly. She is beta testing the devise. The display is just above the eye line so you can just glance up to look at a GPS map or check your social media. She let me try it on. She told me to say, “Take picture” and when I did, the device captured my view. I decided to say, “Sketch picture with loose ink and watercolor.” The glasses responded, “Sorry Dave, I can’t do that.” The biggest drawback is that the power only lasts for an hour and a half. I suggested to Jen that they should have a pocket battery backup. “They thought of that and I have one.” She said. When you use the battery, you truly look like a Borg since a wire sticks out of the side of your head.

When the sketch was done, I texted Terry and she took me to sample the dishes she liked most. Restaurant vendors were beginning to pack up. I got a small cup of sea food from Cala Bella Italian Bistro which was decent with calamari and I believe lobster. We tried a small bowl of soup from Cress up in Deland which was light and a bit spicy. Then we found a table and had a couple of Cokes. She suggested I walk around to see what else I could find. The only open vendor was Olive Garden Restaurant, so I had a small sample of pasta. All these amazing restaurants and I was stuck with a Darden Chain. I also returned to the desert turntable station and got Terry a grapefruit desert cup. I tried it and thought it was apricot. Alright, so taste isn’t my strongest sense. I’m thinking I should start a “Sketch What You Eat Diet”. By the time you sketch your food, the meal would be cold and therefor you would eat less. This could be bigger than the “South Beach Diet” and much easier. That is if you like to sketch of course.

Share Our Strength‘s “No Kid Hungry“ campaign was also a beneficiary of Taste of the Nation. One in five children struggle with hunger. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $80 million dollars to fight hunger.

Broadway Brunch

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On Sunday July 21st I finally had the chance to experience “Broadway Brunch” at Hamburger Mary’s (110 West Church Street Orlando, FL). Mark your calendar, every Sunday there were show tunes, drink specials, and an
amazing show with Broadway performances by The Minx, Ginger Minj, and
special guests. Seating at 11:00am with show starting at Noon. If you want to jump start your Sunday, this is the place to do it.

Joshua Eads-Brown, who performed as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, first told me about “Broadway Brunch”.  When I arrived, the place was already packed. I asked for a table with a decent view of the stage. My table in Siberia wasn’t ideal, but it didn’t matter since performers circulated around the room. At first an artist named Timothy Thomas, Aka Snaps, was doing a painting of the Brooklyn Bridge live on stage. He was fast. He finished one bridge painting and started another while I waited for my burger.

The show began with Ginger Minj and the Minx warming up the crowd. They asked, “How many gay men are in the house?!” Should I be gay for the day? No, I kept my hands busy on the sketchpad. There was some serious clapping in the audience. They asked, “How many lesbians are in the house?!” One woman clapped.  “Lets try that again! How many lesbians are in the house!?” The same woman clapped, but this time a two year old girl started clapping as well. There was plenty of laughter. “I guess it’s true that we know or ‘orientation’ since birth!” “Alright, how many straight people are in the house?!” I was surprised that more than half the audience clapped. 

April Fresh danced and lip synced to “Everyone is Beautiful at the Ballet“. The over the top performance was hilarious and endearing. There was a cast of about a dozen performers all singing for the love of music and tips. If you have ever secretly wanted to slip some bills down a mans cleavage, this is your chance. Ginger Minj referred to one actress as “the Face” since she is so expressive. It is true that when she was on stage you had to watch every emotion as it flickered across her face. The whole cast came out in nuns habits and sang “Raise Your Voice!” There were people celebrating birthdays and they were asked to go on stage to share shots of NyQuil and turpentine. Ginger raised her glass and said, “We tried this at a McDonald’s once, but we got arrested in the ball pit”. In closing the show, Ginger said, “Do something special for someone and, if men can look this good, there is no excuse for ugly women!”

Weekend Top 6 Picks

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Weekend Top 6 Picks

Saturday August 17, 2013

10am to 5pm 19th Annual Grape Stomp. $2. Lake Winery and Vineyards 19239 US Highway 27 North Clermont FL. Live music wine tastings and gape stomping!

3pm to 7pm Free, Cruisin’ Downtown DeLand Car Show! Free. East Indiana Ave Downtown DeLand, Deland FL. Classic cars & rods.  Live DJ, giveaways, shopping & dining. Fun for the family! Every 3rd Saturday night! INFO: & for showing your car 386-738-0649. http://mainstreetdeland.org

6pm to 8pm An evening with Sean Sexton and Florida short films. Free. The Gallery at Avalon Island 39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32801. Heather Godwin will show her documentary about cowboy, poet Sean Sexton. Sean is a fifth generation Florida cowboy. Woodruff Laputka will be showing a piece from his micro-documentary series, Picture Book. Robert Bartlett will be showing his documentary photos of Florida cattlemen making sugar cane syrup.

Sunday August 18, 2013

2pm to 4pm  Music at the Library. Free. Downtown Orlando Public Library. Surabhi Adesh on sitar, and her sons Sanhalp Goberdhan on Tabla, Pratyush Goberdhan on the Violin.

5pm to 9pm Orlando Food Truck Bazaar. The cost of what you order. Fashion Square Mall 3201 East Colonial Drive, Orlando FL. http://www.thedailycity.com/2011/05/thedailycitycom-food-truck-bazaar.html

7:30pm to 9:30pm  Ramy Adley Concert.  Free, but good form to bring a bottle of wine or a side dish to share. Timucua White House 2000 South Summerlin Ave Orlando FL.

RAW Elevations

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0n July 11th, I went to RAW “Elevations” at The Abbey (100 S Eola Dr #100  Orlando, FL). Once a month, RAW showcases local Art, Fashion, Film, Performing Art, Photography, and Accessories. There is a dress code, so I put on my best cocktail attire. The Abbey was already packed when I arrived. I pushed my way through the crowd to look at all the art and decide what I should sketch.

I liked Tyler Ackom‘s art which was right near the entrance. I found a leather seat right next to the fake fireplace and I got to work. The crowd was so thick that I seldom got a complete glimpse of the work, but I pieced it together by always shifting my gaze. Tyler’s work is a representation of Art and Music combined into one. He uses everything he can find from computer parts to wood, bamboo, plastics metals, ceramics and anything that would make the piece look cool. I imagine he must have quite the cluttered studio.

A young woman asked if she could sit in my artists stool which I had sitting next to my leather chair. She had high heels on and and her feet were killing her. There really wasn’t anywhere else to sit in the place. The bar was full and everywhere else was dominated by art.  Tyler’s aunt took an interest in my sketch and she photographed it in progress several times. Leggy models walked through the crowd presumably from a fashion show on the stage. For some reason Batman was there as well posing for pictures. By the time the sketch was done, I was exhausted from trying to look through the crowd. Leaving, I bumped into Parker Sketch, Shannon Holt and William IwasReallynothing seated outside which was really the only place where you could carry on a conversation. I showed them my sketch and expressed my frustrations in trying to get it done. They seemed to like the colors, and looking back, it isn’t half bad.

Mark your Calendar, the next RAW Event at The Abbey is called “Translations” and it will be Thursday September 5th at 8PM. Tickets are $10.

Fill the Grill Challenge

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Cheftestants Ricky Ly, of the Tasty Chops blog and Kendra Lott, of Edible Orlando Magazine, faced off in the third annual “Fill the Grill Challenge“. The competition took place at Whole Foods at Phillips Crossing (8003 Turkey Lake Road Orlando FL). Ricky Ly has just published a book called “Food Lovers Guide to Orlando“. Ricky and I had been on a Daily City panel discussion about blogging in Orlando so he recognized me and gave me a warm handshake. His next door neighbors were also there to root for him. They ate pizza straight out of the box they had just ordered as they watched. It smelled so good!

The Cheftestants were given $20 and had 20 minutes to speed shop the store for their ingredients.  Two shopping carts awaited the contestants but one was swiped by an intrepid shopper. When a second cart was once again found, the competition began. An announcer on the stores loud speakers tracked the contestants progress down the isles. At the check out, Ricky Lee was over budget and he had to return some items and Kendra experienced the same problem. She did save 10 cents by reusing her own shopping bag. This is a Whole Foods policy and she cashed in.

When they returned, they were given a few minuted to prepare their work areas. They then had 20 minutes to prepare a dish to impress the judges, Brandon Moss, Chef Lenning and Chef Bruno who won last year’s challenge. Dishes were judged based on presentation and of course taste.

Ricky was preparing a surf and turf. He said, “My dish was a spice rubbed flank steak with lemon butter seared sea scallop, purple potato, and  a whole ear of corn. My Biggest challenge was time from prepping and grilling and getting everything together in 20 minutes.” He spent a sizable amount of time back at the spice table marinating the meat. “The rub I had used had garlic powder, dill weed, a touch of cumin, chili powder, coriander, and salt. The last minute countdown was nerve wrecking ” he said. When the 20 minutes were up, he had to serve the grilled steak rather rare.

Kendra told me about her 20 minute creation,  “I did Key West shrimp with lemon and black pepper,
and a paella-style rice with grilled heirloom tomato and Vidalia onion.
I had planned to stuff the rice into a hollowed out avocado along with
some chunks of avocado, but I ran out of time and had to just use a few
avocado slices as garnish.”

The judges spent a good deal of time tasting the dishes. The savory smell made my stomach rumble. The MC finally was given the tallied results. She announced, “And the winner is…..” She paused. I shouted out, “Commercial break!” Sure enough, she began discussing discounts available in the store. The contestants groaned and waited. “The Winner is Kendra Lott!“

Mark your calendar! The next Fill the Grill Challenge is tomorrow August 15th starting at 6:30pm again at Whole Foods (8003 Turkey Lake Road Orlando FL). Nicole Aidelbaum of WHERE Orlando will face off against Christine Pittman of Cook the Story. The winner of that round will then face off against Kendra Lott for this year’s championship title.

Adult Workshop, Patterns in Life

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On Wednesday July 24 from 6-7:30 p.m. I went to the Mennello Museum of American Art (900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, Florida)  for an adult workshop called Patterns in Life. After last summer’s success, the museum brought back a series of one-time classes for adults (and mature high school students). The classes are taught by UCF art students and include coffee in the morning sessions and a glass of wine in the evenings.

Patterns in Life explored intriguing designs created by the Florida Seminoles. Their native patterns are often inspired by plant motifs and other aspects of the natural world. Attendees tried their hands at designing symbols of their world. The four UCF Student Instructors were Mary Joy Torrecampo, Charles Morrison, Kristine “Kiki” Esdaille and Lujan Perez. I was impressed that Charles was doing the same thing I was doing, by documenting the workshop with a sketch. Lujan, seated at the head of the table was working on an orange painting that evolved into a portrait. It was encouraging to see students doing impressive figurative work. I told them about the World Wide SketchCrawl and Charles seemed intrigued.

The Cunningham paintings on the walls seemed to glow on the dark purple walls creating a vibrant pattern. Spanish moss draped off the branches of the huge Live Oak behind the museum. I never got a closeup look at any of the five attendees paintings. But everyone certainly had a fun time.

Any Road Will Take You There

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Terry and I went to the Kerouac House (1418 Clouser Street Orlando FL) on Saturday, July 20th at 8PM to hear David Berner read from his book “Any Road Will Take You There: A Journey of Fathers and Sons“. David, a past resident author at the Kerouac House, now resides in Chicago. He felt his life was at an impasse and decided to take a road trip with his sons to loosely follow Jack Kerouac‘s journey’s cross country. Rather than travel in a vintage automobile, he decided to travel in an RV. One of his sons said, “Its not cool dad, it is a tin can.” Regardless his son was up for the adventure.

David found a family photo which hinted at strained relations due to infidelity. He realized he had never been told about the hurt feelings and anger as he grew up. He wanted to know his own sons better. The mid-life “On the Road” trip would be a way to connect. While writing in the Kerouac House, David felt Jack’s presence in the back room and he decided that is where he would have to write.  David knew quite a bit about self publishing saying most authors never sell more than one thousand books.

After the reading David signed books at the dining room table. Brooks Teevan, the present resident artist, told us all about a news cast about a plane crash of Asiana Flight 214. The names of the pilots had been researched and a call to an intern at the MTSB confirmed the names. The captain was Sum Ting Wong, and the other pilots were Wi To Lo, Ho Lee Fuk, and Bang Ding Ow. The newscaster never skipped a beat as she read the names off the teleprompter. Someone must have been playing a prank which somehow slipped through the rigorous checks needed before the story aired. As horrible as the news of the crash was, it was impossible not to laugh. Long after the conversation had moved on to a more literary topic, Terry kept laughing uncontrollably. Just when she could catch her breath, she would start again and everyone would join in.

Florida Overtures Undertones, Subplots

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On July 18th, I went to the opening of “Florida Overtures, Undertones and Sub Plots” at Gallery at Avalon Island ( 39 South Magnolia Avenue, Orlando FL). The opening featured live
music from Chris Aycrigg’s group , all nestled inside an
Orlando architectural gem, the Rogers Building.

The show was a
multimedia collection that examined the state’s intricacies and
idiosyncrasies through the eyes of 13 artists.The artists included, Gary Monroe, Carmon Colangelo, Therman Statom, Matt Roberts, Brian Phillips, Tamara Cedre, Phillip Estlund, and Jay Flynn. I was intrigued by the black and white photos of Gary Monroe of hasidic Jews in Miami beach. In the front window Jay Flynn had large sheets of plastic or glass had prints on them and the sheets were bent or melting giving a warped surreal effect.

As I sketched the musicians, one of their wives entered with her daughter.  Her daughter was intrigued. She stood beside me watching as I splashed color onto the sketch of her dad. Once the sketch was done, I treated myself to some nuts which were on the table. As I left, Carl Knickerbocker was just arriving. He told me that one of the artists inside, Gary Monroe, wrote “Extraordinary Interpretations: Florida’s Self Taught Artists”, published in 2003. Of course this book showcased, Carl’s Suburban Primitive work.

I also went over to City Arts Factory which was insanely crowed. The Re Define Gallery had toy Marquette’s which were decorated by different artists. I’m pretty sure I recognized a toy by Woolfrich.  Toni Taylor had several of her magnificent futuristic oil paintings on display. I told her that I wished I could take the time to create more refined pieces like hers. She said I should just keep doing what I’m doing. I didn’t explore any other galleries. I decided I needed to get home.

James Taylor Concert

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On May 18th The Friends of the Orlando Philharmonic met at the Springs Community, in Longwood for a James Taylor Tribute Concert. The event was catered by Bubbalou’s Bodacious BBQ. While it was still light, everyone got their fill of BBQ chicken and an open bar. As the sun set we all moved down to seating set up on the edge of the spring looking across from the stage. Others set up blankets on the grass hill that sloped down towards the spring with their own private picnics. The the annual outdoor concert at The
Springs featured an amazing tribute to the quintessential American
singer, songwriter James Taylor.

“Shower The People” was a faithfully rendered presentation of more
than two dozen James Taylor classics from his iconic pop masterpiece
“Fire And Rain” to the Carole King treasure “You’ve  Got A Friend.” These songs
have become entrenched as part of the musical landscape of our lives.
The presentation explored a retrospective journey of
James Taylor’s music and revealed anecdotal information about the history and
creative process behind many of these musical gems. “Fire and Rain” chronicled James’ experience in a mental institution the McLean Hospital in Massachusetts as a senior in high school. The fire in the song refers to his shock therapy. Rain is the cold showers that follow shock therapy. “Suzanne the plans they made put an end to you,” refers to Suzanne
Schnerr, a childhood friend of his who committed suicide while he was
away recording his first album.

“Shower The People” featured the voice and guitar work of Neil
Donell. Respected as Canada’s premier session vocalist and referred to
in the media as the “man of a thousand voices,” He was accompanied by a group of the most accomplished musicians and singers in
the country, including Kathryn Rose, Leah Salomaa, Paul DeLong, Bob McAlpine, Jay Speziale and Lou Pomanti. The entire Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra offered gentle backup. Heat lightning flashed on the horizon while star light flickered on the water. The concert ended with “How Sweet It Is” and as we walked under the huge Live Oaks up the grass hill back to the car, it began to rain. Some lady pushed and shoved past me, running over my toes with her beer cooler. I pushed and shoved right back. The magic of the music was gone and I fumed in bumper to bumper traffic.