Saturday, November 27, 2010

Eyes on December



Happy belated Turkey Day, folks. I hope things went well for all of you and that you and yours are safe and happy. I just finished shooting out the press release for MANIFEST II (I’m late on it, but I’m only one man). Now that that’s out the way, I look forward to working on my set for my performance at the Mainx24 Festival, which takes place on Dec. 4th. I’ve posted it on here before, but to keep things fresh, I’ll be performing at Create Here (1800 Rossville Ave.) at 2:15. Here’s a list of the remainder of the roster for Create Here’s festivities:

Mainx24
Dec. 4
Create Here
Director: Jessica Jollie
Sound: Paul Daniel

12:00-1:00 Gerle Haggard

1:00 - 1:15 Hayley Graham and Caroling Company

1:15 - 2:15 Blues Hammer

2:15-2:30 Poet Christian Collier

2:30-3:30 Free Range Mystics

3:30-3:45 DJ Cletus

3:45-4:45 Moon Slew

4:45-5:00 NIA with Hollee Brock

5:00-6:00 Rick Bowers & the Majors

6:00-6:15 Zanzibar Belly Dance Troop

6:15-7:15 Racing Death

Hopefully, we’ll catch a good number of you fine folks out there. As usual, wherever you can find me, you can find Ghosts & Echoes, my chapbook, as well.

MANIFEST II is right around the corner. It takes place on the 10th of December, and I’m really looking forward to seeing and hearing Amber Fults, Dana Rogers, and Holly McCormack. It is also my hope that you’ve downloaded the digital sampler I posted, and you’ve liked what you’ve heard enough to want to come on down to the Camp House for the showcase.

Later on that SAME NIGHT, I’ll be teaming up with Butch Ross for his Christmas show. I believe we’ll be doing a rendition of “Christmas in Hollis” by a little group called Run DMC. We’ll see what happens.

On December 18th, Mark “Porkchop” Holder and I will be putting a show on at the Moccasin Bend Brewing Company (4015 Tennessee Ave). It’s called Strange Bedfellows, and will feature musicians paired up with poets (and a storyteller). It’s a unique thing, and should be a gang of fun. I’m really looking forward to it. You can expect to see Mr. Marcus Ellsworth (who just released a chapbook), Jim Pfitzer, Megan Hollenbeck, etc. Mark it on your calendars, and hopefully, you can make it out.






Lastly, I’ve just caught wind of some interesting opportunities taking place in Knoxville and in Atlanta, so if everything goes according to plan, Your Friendly Neighborhood Christian will be beating up the road and hitting some different parts of the Southeast. Of course, I’ll keep everyone posted on anything that develops.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

One of the things that I’ve been most thankful for this year has been the New Voices Poetry Reading. It takes place the third Saturday of each month and Ray Zimmerman is the creator/host/organizer of it. Ray has opened the door for a number of the poets who come out to The Speakeasy, and it’s an honor to be able to hear a different crop of poets.

At November’s New Voices, I had the opportunity to perform, and I chose to do two poems that deal with race. The first one is called Acceptance, and the second, which is dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr., is called Weight. The Undoctored Originals, who serve as the house band for the event, accompanied me on the latter piece, and I’m pleased with how it came out. It was spontaneous, but that tends to be the plane that I operate on.



You can peep the videos below, and don’t be afraid to let me know what you think. Fair warning, the video quality isn't fantastic.



Thursday, November 18, 2010

More More More



Hey Everybody,

I’ve been keeping VERY busy for the past few weeks. I did four radio interviews last week for MANIFEST 1, which was a tremendous amount of fun, and a success by all accounts. I want to thank everyone who came out to show their support and the artists I had the honor of sharing the stage with. I also want to let everyone know that MANIFEST II will be Dec. 10 and will feature Amber Fults, Dana Rogers, and Holly McCormack. If you’re not familiar with some or any of these artists, you can peep the videos I’ve posted in my last post, or download the MANIFEST II sampler. It features 6 tracks, 2 from each artist, and serves as a good introduction to what you can expect next month.

Switching gears, I’m preparing for my 15-minute slot at Create Here (1800 Rossville Ave.) during the Mainx24 event. Come check me out if you’re out and about. Even if you choose to abstain from catching me live, you should step out and immerse yourselves in the various activities that are taking place on that day. It’s jumping off on Dec.4th, so peep the schedule and see what’s most feasible for your schedule. Support these artists who are doing their thing and adding some much-needed culture to the Scenic City.

Well folks, that’s all I’ve got for now. It’s back to the grind, for me.

Deuces

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

MANIFEST II: Sisters-in-Arms



Join us for MANIFEST II on Dec. 10th. We are proud to be hosting three of Chattanooga’s best female singer-songwriters. Treat yourself to the talents of Holly McCormack, Amber Fults, and Dana Rogers. This month, donations will be accepted for the Partnership’s Family Violence Center.

You can download a FREE DIGITAL SAMPLER of the three ladies here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=46NA5VHW





Sunday, November 7, 2010

Interview w/ Richard Winham on 88.1 WUTC



Hey Folks,

I just wanted to briefly pop in to let you know that you can catch the gentleman who'll be performing in MANIFEST I live on 88.1 this Wednesday afternoon. We'll be going on the air around 3:30. Tune in!

Blessings

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Interview w/ 95.3 WPLZ on TUESDAY!


Mark your calendars! You can catch me on 95.3 WPLZ at 7:15 in the morning on Tuesday. I got a call yesterday, and I graciously accepted. Honestly, I'm not sure of everything to expect, but I'm sure we'll dialogue about Speakeasy, MANIFEST, and perhaps some general info about Your Friendly Neighborhood Christian. Tune in to find out!

For more info on 95.3, you can peep it here:
http://brewermediagroup.com/pulsenews-wplz-95-3/

Thursday, November 4, 2010

November Madness!



Hey, everyone. I’ve had some more opportunities and surprises pop up, so I figured I’d go ahead and post the info.

I mentioned a little while back that I was working on a collage for breast cancer research. Every year, the Tata Gala (http://www.tatagala.org/) has a contest, so I decided to enter. I finished my piece, submitted it, and didn’t hear anything… for weeks. Much to my surprise, after I got home on Monday, I received an e-mail from the Tata Gala peeps saying that my piece got accepted into the online gallery. As a result, Your Friendly Neighborhood Christian’s collage will be viewed (via some 50-inch LCD screens) during the gallery show in New York.

Also, a good friend of mine and some of his friends put together a publication that made its debut in Chattanooga on Halloween. It’s called DEBACLE. I’m very pleased to announce that you can peep some of my poems in it. If you’re out and about in Chattanooga, you can scoop up copies at the AVA information area (between Blue Skies and the AVA art gallery) on Frazier Ave.

Switching gears, MANIFEST is a little over a week away. I’m very excited, and my goal for this weekend is to really work on crafting a particular set. I wanted to go ahead and let everyone know that, as a special treat, there will be a FREE DIGITAL SAMPLER of the performers who will be performing in MANIFEST 2, which will take place on Dec. 10th at the Camp House. I’ll post a download link on here, and you can also find it on the MANIFEST Facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=152855274750352

On December 4th, there is an event that takes place in Chattanooga called Mainx24. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s a 24-hr. festival that takes place along Main St. in Chattanooga. I’ll be doing a set of poetry at Create Here (1800 Rossville Ave.) at 2:15. I'll be hosting a few friends of mine ( Hara Paper, Sourne Korvid, and Amber Fults) later at the Camp House from 4:15 pm - 6:45 pm. It’s all free, so come on out if you’re looking for something to do.

Well folks, that’s all I got for now.