Interplanetary Acoustic Team

Posted on by Thor

Poet Brian Turner invited me to sketch a performance of the Interplanetary Acoustic Team at the White House, Timucua Arts Foundation (2000 South Summerlin, Orlando, FL 32806). Jared Sylvia had an amazing knot of electronics set up on three tables. Wires flowed everywhere. He set up a relaxing loop track as ambient music as people arrived. Brian Turner was front and center with guitar and occasional poetry. Two more electric guitars filled out the soundscape. Brian had asked me to sketch the group live and I hoped to do a digital sketch that would project above the stage but I couldn’t figure out the way to hook up an iPad to the projector. Pam Schwartz had helped me set up the tech once before but she was at a onePULSE Foundation meeting. I messed with all the possible connections for an hour and had to give up. The digital sketch would have made sense considering all the electronic tech on stage but I went about sketching the old school way with pencil and paper.

The Interplanetary Acoustic Team is a group of musical explorers
whose mission is to listen to the stars, to record the deep
gravitational waves rolling across the wide sweep of time, the voices
carried on those waves. The music was haunting and moving

On their debut album “11 11 (Me, Smiling)” Ilyse Kusnetz created a lyric meditation that spans the universe, encompassing
everything from the Big Bang, to the creation of life as we know it, to
cybernetics, to the uploading of human consciousness for a journey into
the unknown. Her husband, Brian Turner, has collaborated with her
to intertwine their vision and create this album. Ilyse’s voice was recorded for use in one of the songs and Brian explained that this evening would have been his and Elyse’s wedding anniversary. Ilyse lost a battle with cancer but her poetry and lyrics live on. Beauty lives on when every something is created.

Brian Turner–Vocals, Bass, Guitars, Horns, Modular Synths

Benjamin Kramer–Bass, Keyboards, Theremin

Jared Silvia: Modular Synths

Sunil Yapa: Guitars

The next Interplanetary Acoustic Team event is at Valencia Winter Park campus, Oct 18, 201 at around 7pm. Then for a Burrow Press book launch on Nov 10, 2018.

The most authentic Oktoberfest in Orlando is at the German American Society.

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Each year I like to get to the German American Society (381 Orange Ln, Casselberry, FL) to sketch during Oktoberfest. This year, on October 24th, I was joined by a young UCF journalism student named Deanna Ferrante.I met Deanna at Artlando in Lock Haven Park and she seemed quite fascinated by what I do. She decided to use me as a subject for an article she has to research for her journalism class. So far she has interviewed my wife and several others. Since I consider my daily sketches a form of journalism, it makes sense for her to find what I do interesting.

Parking was hard to find, and for the first time I paid $5 to park at a nearby business. Getting into Oktoberfest is also $5, which gets you a wristband. Most of the action is behind the Liederkranz hall. A gazebo was set up for music and dancing in the center of the back yard. Long tables filled the yard with crowds of people drinking beer. I decided to go inside where a stage was set up in front of a huge photo of a German castle. Several accordion players and a saxophone player provided the music for traditional German dances. Tyrolean liederhosen outfits were everywhere. A small banner in front of the performers announced, “Beer is proof that God loves us.” There was a collection of different sized cow bells, but they weren’t used in the time I was sketching.

Where I sat was right next to where the teen aged dancers would congregate before they went out on the dance floor. The women wore white puffy sleeved blouses and a black bodice that cinched their wastes tight. The blue plaid dress and apron would billow out like a whirling dervish whenever they danced. The men would stomp and slap their heals as they danced. They would also help guide the women in a direction as they were spinning. One female dancer spun out of control as she exited the dance floor and she tripped on the stage. She wasn’t hurt and the adrenalin kept her spinning just as fast for the next dance.

The dancers became fascinated with my sketch and several crowded around to see what it looked like. Deanna used the opportunity to interview several of them. The main reason she stopped out was to observe first hand what a typical sketch excursion is like. She also interviewed people at my table. She didn’t ask me any questions, instead letting me work. Once in a while I would shout out a thought or two, trying to be helpful.

With the sketch finished, I decided to call it a day. The sketch opportunities were endless, but I decided to get home. I bumped into artist Leslie Silvia and her husband Jared on the way out, so I could have lingered and drank a beer, but I’m a lightweight when it comes to drinking. I get a headache the second I take a sip. Deanna said she got what she needed for the article and she headed back to UCF. I liked her approach. She gets right into the thick of the action to find the story. I’ll be curious to find out what the article turns out like.

Wonderland Tea Party

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Lesley Silvia teaches photography at Full Sail. I first met Lesley and her husband Jared at the Kerouac House. Jared is a writer. Leslie decided to host an Alice in Wonderland themed tea party for her birthday party. The tea party was held in a large pavilion at Secret Lake Park (200 Ivy Road, Casselberry). Terry and I used an iPhone GPS to drive to the Secret Lake. We arrived at a softball field and parking lot. There was only one other car in the parking lot. This couldn’t be it. We decided to drive off and find another road that approached the secret lake. No wonder the lake was secret. Paper bag mushrooms lined the approach to the pavilion. A white rabbit and topiary decorated the tables. It was a lavish affair.

A dozen or so of Lesley’s friends were gathered in the shade of the pavilion. It was a hot humid day. Women were given bright top hats that Lesley had made with paper and hot glue. Men were given newspaper bow ties. Vegan cupcakes were being arranged on the center table and Lesley had jars of raw tea that we could scoop up to make our own tea bags. A coffee machine supplied the hot water. Jared set up several large fans that offered a welcome breeze.  I made iced tea by soaking my tea bag in a half cup of hot water and then putting in ice cubes.

Many of the people gathered were artists and Leslie gave each one of those Russian nesting dolls that stack inside each other. Markers, colored pencils, brushes and paint were supplied so anyone who wanted to could create a masterpiece. Terry created one of her patented smiley face creations. There were some fabulous creations. One had monster’s heads that could be rotated to sit on various monster bodies. After tea, finger sandwiches and cupcakes, a few people braved the sun to play bocce ball on the lawn. Terry and I rushed off to see The Avengers movie.

There Will Be Words

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There will be words featured local authors reading excerpts from prose they had written. The event happens on the second Tuesday of every month at Urban ReThink. When I arrived I spotted Darlyn and Brad Kuhn who had recently been married. I congratulated them and hope to attend a celebration in their honor at the end of the month. I then sat next to Leslie Silvia to talk visual art as the stage was set. Lesly did the cover and all the headers for the “Best of Orlando” issue of the Orlando Weekly. She executed the assignment using silhouetted paper cut outs.

When the authors were ready to read, I went upstairs for a birds eye view. Jana Waring was introduced as being the “Best Local Author” as voted by Orlando Weekly readers. She read a short story in which the protagonist didn’t like pets. She described manic and unpredictable pets from her childhood. With plenty of tongue in cheek humor, she indeed convinced me that owning pets is insane.

Jared Silvia read a hilarious piece about Lobster Fest. I laughed the whole time realizing I’m just as much of a misguided geek at heart. Darlyn Finch read a touching story about a present she had brought for her ill brother. Knowing he had recently lost the battle, often forgetting those who loved him before he died. Darlyn has a way of writing from the gut that I admire. Small collectible books called “chapbooks”, were hand bound of each of the author’s stories. The evenings host, J. Bradley, announced that we should buy them now before the authors died and the value of their words escalated. There is something very rewarding about being in a room of people sharing their stories. Events like this remind me that Orlando has a thriving literary community.

Orlando Home Grown Show

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As part of the week long Snap Photography celebration, there was to be an exhibit of photography from Orlando locals at the Orlando Museum of Art as part of First Thursdays. Johannah O’Donnel was there and I was told she helped organize the exhibit. On exhibit in the front gallery were paintings which all revolved around an urban theme. I made my way back towards the sound of music. I bumped into Joe Rosier who was promoting his one man storytelling show in the up coming Fringe festival. I am trying to arrange to sketch Joe since he has so much character.

In the central room of the museum with the giant blue blown glass sculpture by Dale Chilhuly a simple two man band was warming up. Adriaan Mol was playing guitar in his laid back fashion. The bands name was, Please Respect our Decadence. There was a nice tall cocktail table right in front of the stage so I started to sketch. I always get nervous sketching in museums now and I kept tracking the museum guards movements as I worked.

Jared Silvia said hello and he let me know where the photography exhibit was. When I finished sketching I went to the back gallery where the photo exhibit was hung. Jared let me know where his wife Silvia’s piece was hung. She was near her photo talking with friends. I jokingly asked her to stop crowding the art so I could get a look. It was a stark almost black and white photo of a woman in a flowing white dress lying in a stream. I couldn’t see the woman’s face. It looked to me like a murder scene. I talked to Jared about it and he said I was wrong. It was a more romantic and symbolic image with personal significance. I mentioned Dustin Hoffman floating in the pool in a scene from “The Graduate.” I hit much closer to the mark with that visual analogy.

Snap was like a week long shot of adrenalin. This dynamic, inspiring event shook me to the core making me realize the importance creative media can have to affect positive change. The city of Orlando really needs events like this to challenge, provoke and inspire creative change.

Johnny Cash Tribute at Redlight Redlight

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Redlight Redlight, (745 Bennett Rd) is a hip bar that often has themed shows of local artists’ work. On this night the walls were covered with Johnny Cash portraits. Plineo Pinto had several sweet watercolor caricatures that I liked. I bumped into Leslie Silvia who showed me the nasty blisters she got on her hands from a recent crewing competition. She had some nice silhouettes of Johnny Cash. American Destitution, was on stage playing Johnny Cash songs. I asked Jared Silvia how long they had been playing to try and gauge how long I had to sketch. The place was packed so I sat on the floor right in front of the stage to get my sketch.

After the set was over, I talked to one of the performers and he told me this was the first time the band members had performed together in a very long time. I still hadn’t ordered a beer so I muscled up to the bar and ordered a Cony Island Mermaid. The beer was dark and strong. I settled into a corner table and started a second sketch. A movie screen was set up on the stage and Johnny played for the crowd flickering and a bit distorted. His music and the swift kick from the beer made me blue. I wondered what lively conversations were flaring up around me. My hand moved over the pages involuntarily. With my second sketch finished, I decided to get home. As I left a group of graffiti artists stopped me to say hello. I had sketched these artists at Frames Forever and Art Gallery as they worked on large mural panels. I was fading and a bit depressed from listening to Johnny Cash for several hours so I didn’t socialize long. Terry was away at some conference in Texas so I could have stayed out much later. But my work was done.