ODD 4 at Stardust Video and Coffee.

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The October ODD 4 (Orlando Drink and Draw), was held at Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 Winter Park Rd, Orlando, FL). This is y monthly event where artists, well, drink and Draw. There is no model is just artists working together and networking. I ordered a Big Wave beer and started to sketch. About six other artists came out to sketch. The Audubon Community Market was happening in the parking lot outside, so the place was crowded. The clientele at stardust have a layed back vibe. The guy a the end of the bar had waist long Rasta Dreads. I had quite a few beers and then I left the bar and drove home. The problem was, that I started a tab and left my credit card with the bartender. I only realized this when I got back home. It is an hour drive but, I drove all the way back to Stardust. They were still open and several artists were still there.

Pints for Pulse

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Pints for Pulse was a community event that featured beer, art, and music at Festival Park (2911 E. Robinson St., Orlando, Florida). It happened to line up with Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD), so I made it the month’s drink on and draw in destination. Tickets however were $50 and I don’t think any artists of he than myself showed up. This was a craft beer community event that raised money to help the pulse nightclub victims. There were 80+ breweries, food trucks, food tents, burlesque shows, drag shows, and  more, all to help raise funds for those affected by the pulse night club tragedy.

When I arrived, I quickly walked around the entire event. Beer vendors were serving shot glass sized servings of beer. I didn’t get a wrist band since I didn’t plan to drink, just sketch. I stopped as soon as I saw these redefine artists hard at work on a collaborative piece of art. They were paint in on square wooden panels and each artist seemed to be in charge of their own panel. Some panels interlocked. For instance the swan engulfed for of the panels along with a lizard. At the end of the day, the entire painting was going to be given to the winner of a raffle drawing. These artists sweated the in butts off to complete This group mural, So whoever won, was getting an amazing painting for next to nothing.

Steve Parker pulled off his panel, so he didn’t have to work shoulder to shoulder the whole day.

Peace, Love, Pulse. All proceeds from this event went to OneOrlando.

49 Portraits, One Night.

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Once a month I host an event called Orlando Drink and Draw. After the tragic event at Pulse, I decided to ask artists to come together to produce 49 portraits in one night. I was running late and managed to leave the list of victim’s names back in my studio. When I got to the Falcon Bar (819 E Washington St, Orlando, FL), Melissa Marie quickly helped me set up a method of assigning names to artists so we could get to work. A chalk board was used to write the artist’s name and then the name of the person they were to draw. Everyone had cell phones, so they did a search on Google Images to find the needed photo reference. 

After all the artists were assigned, I was assigned, Cory James Connell age 21. I knew nothing about Cory, but he was an athletic looking young man with a warm smile. His T-shirt said, “Built Not Born.” As I was starting to add color washes, a man stood behind me and said, “That’s Cory. My daughter knew him in high school.” He was a graduate of Edgewater High School and was studying at Valencia College while working at the Publix in College Park. Cory hoped to be a firefighter some day.

At the funeral, Orange County
Fire Rescue firefighter/paramedic Lori Clay told the crowd that Cory  was a regular at the firehouse and was interested in pursuing a
firefighting career when he left college, even after he was warned that
the profession wasn’t the most lucrative. Cory told her,
“I don’t care about money,” Clay told the gathering. “‘I want to do it
because I want to save lives. I want to help people.'” Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs made a proclamation during the service that officially made him a firefighter. After friends and family carried the casket carrying Connell out, three fire engines followed a procession of more than 20 cars. When that was all clear, nine motorcycles pursued the caravan as they transported Connell to the cemetery.

According to the man standing behind me, Cory Connell went to Pulse that evening to dance with his girlfriend Paula Andrea Blanco.  When the gunman went inside he fired off several rounds one of which
struck Paula in the forearm area. Her teammate managed to grab her arm
to apply pressure and pull her down to safety. They patiently and
quietly waited to get out to safety. Little did they know that Paula was
not the only member of the group injured. Paula’s boyfriend Cory
Connell was also gravely wounded. With the help of her teammate Paula
got up and ran outside holding her wrist where she was met by an officer
and the teammate who was outside trying to get to the other members of
the Anarchy group. Her forearm bone was shattered. From that moment onward I felt sorrow and intense gratitude for all the artists who had gathered to do these 49 portraits. I experienced heart break and joy all at once. The bar as full of love and hope as we all rushed to complete the work at hand. These faces all had stories and since Orlando is a small town, those stories were close at hand. 

Javier Jorge-Reyes, age 40, was a salesman at Gucci which arranged for the body to be transported and for the family to go back to Puerto Rico. Jorge-Reyes had a flair about him and went by the name Harvey George
Kings on Facebook. It’s an English translation of his Spanish name. Friends knew him as “Javi” and on Facebook recalled his smile, sass and energy.

 Juan Carlos Nives Rodriguez, age 27, started working at McDonald’s at the age of 15 to help support his family. He was recently made a manager at a check cashing store. He purchased his first home this spring so that his mother could live there too. A friend called him a big teddy bear who was most happy when everyone depended on him. His funeral was in his hometown of Caguas, Puerto Rico, June 20, 2016.

The last portrait I did was of Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velasquez, age 50. He was the oldest of the

victims. As I did the sketch, I could not shake the idea that he looks just like me. Fearing it was turning into a self portrait, I turned the sketch multiple times to try and view the features more abstractly. Franky worked at Forever 21 as a visual merchandiser, a crucial role for a retail store. He joked that he was older than the store’s demographic. In his younger days In his younger days, he traveled the world as a professional Jibaro folk dancer. Velazquez lived in Orlando at the time of his death. But his original
home was in Puerto Rico, more specifically San Juan. A native Puerto
Rican, according to his Facebook he attended Josefina Barcelo High
School in Guaynabo. From there he returned to San Juan for university,
attending the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, at the Metro
Campus.

As the evening wore on the his of names grew smaller and the art began to pile up on several tables inside the Falcon Bar. Melissa who we handling the artist assignments signaled that we were getting close and she gave me an air high five. Much of the magic that evening came from walking around and seeing the wide variety of artist styles. The evening gave me faith that art do have the power to bring people together and to heal. Orlando is a vibrant city with so much talent and this collaboration among 18 of Orlando’s best artists.

Contributors included:

Andrew Spear

Betsy Brabandt

Bob Hague

David McWhertor

KC Cali

Charles Richardson

Colin Boyer

Jamie Gibson

John Hurst

Lauren Jane

Lisa Ikegami

Mitch Scott

Plinio Pinto

Shelaine Roustio

Thomas Thorspecken

Tony Philippou

Wendi Swanson

Yuki

Now I need to find a place to exhibit these 49 portraits. If you have any suggestions or know a curator who would be interested, please let me know. Three of us are pursuing leads to get this amazing work viewed in public.

Drinks at the Grand Bohemian.

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I went to the Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando (325 S Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida) to meet Greg Dobbs who wanted to share a children’s book he had written. I first met Greg when I sketched Santa Claus from a distance at the Millenia Mall. Security chased me off, since apparently creating a sketch at the mall is verboten.  I wrote a poem poking fun at the situation, and months later Greg wrote me a poem in response inviting me to sketch Santa up close and personal. I showed up on Christmas Eve to witness the last minute crush as parents waited in line in hopes that their children could sit in Santa’s lap before the Mall shut down. Getting the children distracted and delighted was Greg’s job. Not an easy task give the high stake stress filled situation.

Greg’s story was a delightful tale of a young boy and his grandfather who worked for a fire house. It would be a fun story to illustrate, if I could entrench myself with an old established fire house with the old fashion pole and some historic trucks. I have this idea of casting for the book much as actors are cast for a play or a movie. I would storyboard the book just like a movie and then pose the cast for each scene.  Their is no publisher set for the book yet so any work I do would be on spec. The project remains on the back burner.

Greg’s daughter Flynn Dobbs also met me for a drink that day. She is now the youngest curator to ever work at the Grand Bohemian. Both of her parents are artists, so she has grown up in a creative environment. Greg’s wife does monumental figurative sculptures and of four Greg is a photographer and writer. We discussed the possibility of my sketching events at the hotel. It is an exciting possibility. The Grand Bohemian could become my Moulin Rouge.

Tonight on March 7th at 7 pm I am hosting ODD (Orlando Drink  and Draw) at the Grand Bohemian. Orlando Drink and Draw ventures to a new bar each month to sample
beers and sketch. There is no model fee and no instruction. This is just
a chance to get out, meet fellow artists and draw. I have an infinite accordion sketchbook that artists have contributed to since the first Drink and Draw. Also I like to have artists face off for quick 5 minute portraits. Artists change chairs until every artist has met and sketched every other artist. I’ll dress up a bit for this evening among artists.

ODD 8 at Ten 10 Brewing.

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The tenth Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) was held at Ten 10 Brewing (1010 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL) . I arrived a bit early, because I had done one of the 27 Blue Box Initiative sketches earlier in the day and it made no sense to drive all the way back to the studio. When I entered, David Charles, who used to run Blank Space across from the Orlando Public Library, was working on a new brew that was simmering over a burner. He enjoyed how one of my articles shook up Orlando’s arts community. We had a laugh about how some artists get so upset when other artists hit the mainstream. I prefer to celebrate the accomplishment. David had organized a Ten 10 Brewing Art Market, but after a lackluster turn out of interested artists, he has decided to put the market to rest for a bit while he lives his life. When I asked his advice on a new beer to taste he made me a beer sampler with four shot glass sized sips of beer tucked into a wooden stand. 

The beers I tasted as I worked on my sketch were, Dinkey Line, which is an original light brew dedicated to the exercise trail that runs past the Brewery. Westphalia Alt was a German beer which is what I drank for the rest of the evening. Chronically Mismanaged was a coffee flavored dark beer that I rather liked, and Havakow was a dark beer that didn’t suit my taste. 

Colin Boyer was the first artist to arrive, and he joined me in sketching the bar as artists arrived. What I love about ODD is that different artists stop out each time, so I get to meet artists of all types. I do my usual Urban Sketch and then I get to learn from other artists experiences. ODD is half sketching and half social. Tom Schneider and his girlfriend Erin Marie Page were the next to arrive. I like that ODD has become a creative date night experience. Erin went to school for illustration and she appreciated getting her feet wet by sketching again. Tom works security but loves to draw. 

I was very happy when Brendan O’Connor,  who writes for The Bungalower, stopped out with his brother. I had seen pictures of Brendan dressed as a Merman at the Gasperilla Festival in Tampa. Brendan was joined by Godzilla at Gasperilla an he said it was quite the experience. Having huge inflated muscles guarantees that you will be molested all day. When he begged for some time to go to the bathroom, people got insulted. If that is what fame tastes like, he had enough, thank you very much. He had a wonderful Chinese watercolor set with bright vibrant colors. Unfortunately the O’Connors, could only stay for part of the night. They had another party to hit. 

To mix things up and get everyone sketching fast, I suggested we do 5 minute ruthless portraits. Artists faced each other and sketched. Since everyone was sketching there was no one posing. If you wanted to catch someone’s eyes you would have to wait for their quick glances up. I don’t really sketch portraits much, so it is new territory for me. There was a change of the guards as Brendan and his brother left and Rob showed up with his posse of artists. They jumped right into the 5 minute sketches. Artists shuffled around the table to meet someone new and sketch. I asked everyone to pass their sketchbooks around and sign any sketches of themselves.This is a good way for me to learn everyone’s names, but so me of the artsy signatures are hard to decipher.

Afterwards, we all settled in to work on our own projects. Stephanie Kell had a wonderful sketchbook full of exotic demons and creatures. She renders these drawing slowly over time adding infinite detail and an incredible valve range. She had a case of art pens that is truly enviable. The sketchbook had grey paper and she worked the lights and darks from this grey base. Some artists came from a cartoon background while others came from a traditional life drawing background. Colin’s drawings sparked to life during the 5 minute sessions. He accentuated the deep shadows on peoples faces leaving detail to the imagination. Rob talked about his recent divorce and how his art remains a constant as he starts all over again. He filled a page with light blue pencil studies of wooden totems and people. At Universal Studios he helped create a large totem pole that was coated in cement and painted to look like carved wood. The studio wants to bring him in full time but he prefers the freedom of freelance. We talked about finding time to discover a personal style and the inner conflicts that tend to hold artists back. As he said, “We are our own worst enemy.” It is refreshing to share a beer with someone who knows that art isn’t easy.

Mark your Calendar. The next ODD will be March 7th from 6pm to 9pm at The Grand Bohemian Hotel  (325 S Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida).

ODD7 was held at Maxine’s on Shine.

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On January 7th we held the first Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) event of the new year at Maxine’s on Shine (337 N Shine Ave, Orlando, Florida). Several tables were pushed together in front of the stage and amazingly eight artists filled every single seat. Two couples had heard about the event thanks to the Orlando Weekly. Actually all the artists were new to the experience except Audrey Zinder who runs the Sunday open figure drawing sessions at Crealde. I keep saying I wan to go each week for figure drawing but I’ve made a commitment to keep Sundays “Sketch free” so that I ha a day of rest. the only thing I do on Sundays is put together the week end Top 6 Picks.

I took the waitresses advice on a red wine and ordered muscles as an appetizer and then a full seafood stew. The food was amazing, and, since I was sketching the stage the dinner lingered for hours. I tend to get lost in the sketch for a while and then surface to play host for a bit. I have an ongoing project which is an eternal accordion sketchbook. It is often 2 good way to get new artists a chance to sketch something silly and small. I was quite happy that two writers joined the ODD group on this sketch outing. Janet Benge in a high heel respected author and she has just started doing watercolors. Her charming sketches might someday work their way into a children book. Logan Anderson is y poet who I see quite often at  events in town. He reminds me of an Urban Sketcher because he always has a leather satchel over his shoulder in which he carries his writing supplies. Where I catch a scene using lines and washes, he digs deep into the scene with his words.

Since there were three couples, I suggested that artists face each other and do five minute ruthless portraits of each other. The energy at the table multiplied as they worked, and then there was plenty of laughter when the five minute were up. This is a great was for artists to break the ice. Conversations blossomed. I learned where to find some real talented tattoo artists. I’ve sketched tattoo artists at work before and I am fascinated by the long labor of love. One artist had tried to be a tattoo artist, but the constant buzz of the electric needle caused his hand to go numb. It is sort of like wanting to be a sea captain but finding out you get sea sick.

Nick Landess performed for well over two hours on piano and guitar. I often feel like I’m the only person in a room who truly focuses on the talent that plays live background music in a bar, restaurant or at an event. I’m convinced that I become invisible when I’m sketching. I admire a performer who can work despite all the conversations going on in a room. Once my sketch ass done, I shouted to be heard at the vibrant conversation be the artists at the table. I had more red wines than I should have. A song on the radio on the drive home caused me to pause and remember a  Disney Feature Animation friend, Christine Lawrence Finney, who had died unexpectedly at the age of 47. The evenings frivolity turned to sadness. “Something touched me deep inside, the day the music died.”

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ODD6 at Falcon Bar and Gallery.

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Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) ventures to a new bar each month to sample beers and sketch. There is no model fee and no instruction. This is just a chance to get out, meet fellow artists and draw. I’m hoping to sketch in Central Florida’s best dive bars, so suggestions are always welcome. Mondays are usually slow event wise in Orlando so ODD usually happens on the First Monday of each Month. In December I changed the date to a Tuesday since Kirt and Maxine Earhard had a wedding ceremony on Monday. In their honor, January’s ODD will be at Maxine’s on Shine.

Melissa Marie was gracious about letting artists descend on The Falcon Bar and Gallery (819 E Tosh-0, Washington St, Orlando, FL) on December 8th. I never know how many artists will show up, I might sketch alone, or there could be up to a dozen artists who stop out. On route to the Falcon bar, I learned that Melissa
Marie’s sister, Anthea, had just died at the tender age of 32 from a pulmonary embolism.The message appeared in my Facebook news feed and then flickered off to show a more recent post. My heart goes out to Melissa and her family.

The bar was empty when I arrived around 6pm except for the bar tender. I ordered a cider and started sketching. An open mic night was scheduled to begin at 8pm so I hoped some of the stools would fill up by then. Brian OHalloran who has attended past ODD events stopped in. I told him the news about Melissa Marie’s sister and then he did a black somber sketch of the Falcon Bar o his iPad. The only color in his sketch was the red candles which to him represented sacred funeral candles. My sketch, has a similar dark feeling. All the art on the walls was by local artists. The theme seemed to be pop culture, super heroes and manga. Perhaps there was no theme.

The bar tender was watching a show called Tosh-O on TV. There was an insanely long clip of a woman tweaking, so I sketched the gyrating butt on the screen. Another sine, sh shouted “gross! and I glanced at the tube to see a weight lifter vomiting as he lifted the dumb bells over his shoulders. I wished I hadn’t looked up It seems a sad commentary on what Americans need to see to be entertained.

Brian and I chatted for a while after our sketches were done. I had missed a sketch opportunity he had given me a tip about. It was a candle light service at an angel statue for women who had lost children in childbirth or at a young age. He and his wife Maggie attended and he said it was one of the most emotional experiences he has ever had.

I had brought in a stack of paper for an ODD sketching concept I wanted to try out. I call it a $ketch Off. Artists face each other on bar stools and are given 5 minutes to sketch each other. Neither artist is posing, so it is a bit hectic and the results can be unexpected especially after a few drinks. Since there were just two artists, it was a chance to try it out. I switched to pence and paper since me tablet battery was low. Brian was game, and he worked on his iPad, although he said he was a bit intimidated at first. He is an architect, so people aren’t his specialty. While doing the sketch, he laughed off his concerns, and the result is far more interesting than a realistic depiction. Asking people to pose for five minute is actually outside my comfort zone as well. I tend to usually keep my distance and watch a seen unfold from afar. At some galas and costumed events I should start asking people to pose so I can capture some quick close up sketches.

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ODD 5 at The Brass Tap

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The fifth Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) was held at The Brass Tap (Mills
Park 1632 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida). Mills Park is a new
development featuring apartments and a strip mall near the theaters on
Princeton. There used to be a tiny store on the corner of Mills and
Virginia called “Cash Lust Translator“. That store sold of cash
registers and the owner held on to the store for the longest time which
held up the development project. I regret never going into Cash Lust
Transactor to sketch.

Having never been to Mills Park, I got a bit lost looking for The Brass Tap.
In all about six artists stopped out to drink and draw. I was pleased that
two new artists came out. Audrey Zindler and John Nadeau are regulars at the Crealdé
sketch classes. John sat at the end of the bar and as I sketched l debated if he was an artist or not. He does wonderful loose oil paintings in the figure drawing classes. Audrey showed me his work on her phone. She is now running the Sunday Morning
sketch sessions and I’m encouraged to start sketching from models again.
The Sunday morning sketch sessions are from 10am to 12:30 pm at Crealdé
School of Art, 600 St Andrews Blvd, Winter Park, FL. The cost. $10. I
need to loosen up my digital sketches and this seems like a great way to
do that.

Carlos Basabe was working on a sketch of a steampunk penguin with a jet pack which I believe is for a beer label. He recently shared a beer label design for Chiberian Warmer and it is hilarious. Vote for it if to like it. I had the notion of having artists do quick 5 minute sketches of each other, but by the time everyone had arrived, I was contently working on my sketch and I couldn’t stop, so I let everyone drink and draw in piece. My beer for the night was Funky Buddha and I had a pretzel to munch between sips. When my sketch was done I joined in on a conversation about the Walking Dead. I like having the opportunity to see what other artists are up to and being able to wind down after the sketch is done. Usually when I sketch each night, I pack up the art kit and head home once the sketch is complete. 

Mark your calendar. ODD 6 will be held December 7th starting a 6 pm at The Falcon Bar and Gallery. If you know an artist who likes to drink, draw or both, let them know.

ODD3 had about 15 artists drinking, drawing and collaborating.

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The third Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD3) fell on Labor Day. Artists were to meet at Redlight Redlight (2810 Corrine Dr, Orlando, FL). I was afraid there might be holiday hours so I searched the web and found out the bar would be open from 5:30pm to 9:30pm. Since artists would start arriving around 6pm, I could relax. I went to see the movie Mission Impossible Rouge Nation, so I ended up arriving about an hour late. When I arrived,I bumped into Gay Geiger who was getting napkins from the food truck parked in front of Redlight Redlight. The building used to be a refrigeration sales store and the signage is still out front. The bar signage uses the same colors so it all blends in.

Gay was in the back room of the bar with her daughter. I glanced through her daughter’s sketch journal latter that night and there was a stunning collage of characters from the Japanese animated film “My Neighbor Totoro.”  I ran my fingers over the image to feel the amazing depth created. After that image I explored every page as if searching for Braille messages. This is what I love about this monthly event, I always get to discover and meet amazing artists.

In the front room Carlos Basabe was at a long table in the corner along with about 6 other artists. There was one seat available but when I sat in it, I found myself blinded by a projector which was projecting an image on the wall behind me. The blinding light wouldn’t do so I set up at a table near by. Colin Boyer and a friend sat at my table. I’m learning names slowly and sent around a sign in sheet that I forgot about, so it was left behind. Once I started my sketch I was lost in thought. I started my sketch by drawing Brian OHalloran at the end of the bar lightly in pencil. A young couple sat at the table in front of Brian blocking my view. They became my center of interest. Brian did a digital sketch of the beer he was drinking. Later in the evening he took a picture of the bar maid and he took a shot of me at work. Brian is now doing a series of sketches of people.

I made a small accordion sketchbook and invited any interested artists to fill a page or two. When the sketch is unfurled you can see the stream of consciousness as each sketch builds off of the sketch preceding it. I’ll bring the sketch to the next ODD event since it is a work in progress. Two young women were visiting Orlando from Walla Walla, Washington state and they heard about the event and joined us for the evening. They had bright markers and they added a splash of color to the nights sketch. Artists came an went in waves. All told I would say about 16 artists came out to mingle, drink and draw. I got to meet artists I’d never met before so to me the evening was a success.

The Falcon and Gallery is a haven for local artists.

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The Falcon Bar and Gallery (819 E Washington St, Orlando, FL) always has local art to see. The shows usually have a theme. There was recently a Bill Murry themed show and I sketched a local actress and dancer for a show titled Porn. I went to the first social media Round table hosted by Mark Baratelli at IZEA and Melissa Marie, the Falcons owner was there. As a local business owner, she realized early on that social media is the way to promote business. Her bartenders are encouraged to use Snap Chat to share happenings at the bar with friends. I didn’t even realize snap chat existed. Social Media keeps changing so fast, I need to keep up.

Mondays at the Falcon is for the men. Tuesdays are for locals, there is trivia, Uberbahn, open mics and DJs on most days of the week. On Sunday nights at 9pm there are the “Fear the Walking Dead” watch parties. You have to love a bar that caters to zombie loving patrons like myself.  If there is a zombie apocolipse, I’ll be ready with a sharp sword and a sketchbook. Once a month, Mystery Sketch Theater, now hosted by Plinio Pinto, is a great way to loosen up and sketch cos-play models for $5. If you are a voyeur like me, the Falcon will satiate that guilty pleasure and your thirst. Now that I’m hosting Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) on the first Monday of each month, I need to find out if the Falcon will host the growing band of vagabond artists one month.

Mark your calendar! The next event at the Falcon is DJ Lavidicus on Sunday September 11th starting at 9pm. Come out to hear the very best in Industrial, Goth, EBM, Synthpop and Darkwave. Everyone knows where they were on September 11th of 2009. If you drink enough this night, you might not remember as clearly. Never a cover, always a good time! (21+) If you check my AADW calendar, you will always find Falcon events in the mix.