April Claggett Gets Big
March 6, 2020
art april, April Claggett, art, artist, New Hampshire, NH, Peterborough Leave a comment
Eighth Blackbird at the National Gallery of Art
February 23, 2020
art, music, Photography, plants Andy Akiho, art, art museum, baba, composers, concert, contemporary music, David Lang, dc, eighth blackbird, emily, emily shepardson, Fjóla Evans, gem, Holly Harrison, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Julius Eastman, Lisa Kaplan, national gallery, national gallery of art, Nina Shekhar, original music, Viet Cuong, washington dc Leave a comment
National Gallery of Art
What a place to see one of my all time favorite contemporary music groups. Eighth Blackbird played the National Gallery 2.16.20, and the show was free. As always, the group featured brand new music from living composers, including: Nina Shekhar, Fjóla Evans, Andy Akiho, Holly Harrison, David Lang, Viet Cuong, Jonathan Bailey Holland, and Julius Eastman. This show included some ringers in for violin, flute, and clarinet.
Lisa Kaplan, fearless leader and director of eighth blackbird
My favorite set was the second, and my favorite piece was Viet Cuoug’s Electric Aroma (2017),
The most precious thing in the museum was Cora, of course.
Cora does contemporary
The setting (no pictures or recording during the show)
After the concert, there were a few minutes for art.
Then it was out and on the metro for cocktails and dinner at Baba.
Sundown on the mall
Smithsonian sculpture
Wholly Emily
Baba’s bar
How to top Proton Tuesday?! Radioactive Valentine’s Day!
February 15, 2020
art, mixology, nature, ocean, who knows alexandria, american visionary art musem, aquarion, avam, baltimore, bell ringing, boots, catoctin creek, gigantic champagne, greta, homeslyce pizza, jellyfish, last word, majestic, maryland proton treatment center, old town, parking angel, proton tuesday, radioactive valentines, spool, spoolia, the national aquarium Leave a comment
As usual, it started with zapping
But it was a special day! The last day of treatment! Which means bell ringing time. Pizza was devoured. Bells were rung.
Feels good to be done.
A happy spool
There was little time left for Baltimore’s museum collection. We headed directly to the American Visionary Art Museum.
AVAM
Das boots (slightly radioactive)
After purchasing some items, many of which were plastic, we headed to the aquarium, driving like lost tourists.
The parking angel (really does something indescribably to the Audi)
The National Aquarium was mobbed on a Valentines Day night.
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And then it was back down to Old Town for a very late dinner indeed at the Majestic. Super fun at the bar (happy Catoctin Creek day!), and a delicious dinner.
A VERY VERY LARGE BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE. VERY LARGE.
The bar at the Majestic
Scallops. If you can’t watch them in an aquarium, by all means eat them.
Last word
I will dearly miss Proton Tuesdays (and Radioactive Valentines), but I hope they never happen again.
Proton Tuesday at Columbia Room
February 12, 2020
mixology, who knows cate, cate blanchett, cocktails, columbia room, corduroy, gem, happy birthday, hirschhorn, manifesto, ot chocolate, photography, proton tuesday, spoolia, video Leave a comment
For the penultimate Proton Tuesday, we celebrated at the Columbia Room (which is turning 10 not too long from now). Craft cocktails are curative. There was also Manifesto before zapping.
Hirshhorn
The best museum hot chocolate evah
Manifesto
Entranced and entrancing
ZAP
Corduroy (on a whim)
The Columbia Room
Happy Birthday Columbia Room
Course one from the days of yore
Yay!
Popcorn with truffle
Chartreuse (green and definitely good for you)
scallop
The fog
You have no idea how good this duck BBQ is. OMG.
Happy Birthday!
Proton Tuesday Alive
Other Proton Tuesdays included: the Portrait Museum and Fiola Mare as well as the Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy, car buying, and Jojo Rabbit. Love you Spool.
john doe krisin hersh grant-lee phillips pittsburgh
February 11, 2020
music, Photography alisa, club cafe, concert, exiles, gem, grant-lee phillips, greg, john doe, krisin hersh, music, original music, photography, pittsburgh, rm, the exiles, video Leave a comment
There were three of them. The setting was intimate at Club Cafe. Negronis were available. Seating was not.
Ye olde van carpool crew
Krisin opened up with an interesting guitar song that involved intentionally bending chords on an acoustic. After that song, all bets were off WRT tuning. Who needs tuning for an intimate acoustic set? EVERYONE. EVERYONE MUST TUNE.
(please tune)
Grant-lee joined in and tuning became mandatory. This also allowed for some breathing. Grant-lee is charismatic and fun to watch but about as deep as a puddle.
Duo to go
Picture picture for Em
John Doe was fantastic. Thank the stars for a poet singer like him.
John Doe
Hells yes on a great Pittsburgh Sunday night. So good to see Alisa and Greg!!
Andy Warhol Looks a Scream, Hang him on my Wall
February 10, 2020
art andy warhol, art, gem, modern art, musem, photography, pittsburgh, rm, skulls, the andy warhol museum, titty art, warhol 1 Comment
The Warhol Museum. Yes. Go. Spend several hours.
Titty art. No really.
Self reference.
Born under the same sign on the same day.
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Sydney MCA
February 3, 2020
art, Photography, travel art, australia, photography, sydney, sydney mca, sydney museum of contemporary art, video 1 Comment
Another visit to the stellar Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art. Cornelia Parker was on special exhibition.
Something Fishy in Sydney
February 2, 2020
animals, nature, ocean, Photography, travel maritime museum, photography, sea life sydney aquarium, squarium, sydney, video 1 Comment
The aquarium was a first. So was the maritime museum. Visit both.
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Moon Hooch at the Bright Box
January 29, 2020
music band, bright box, live music, moon hooch, saxophone, Virginia, winchester Leave a comment
The kids they danced and shook their bones. There is no way to see Moon Hooch without dancing. And sweating. Through your clothes. YES.
The best part about seeing Moon Hooch perform at the Bright Box is the sheer intimacy of being 2 feet from the performance. Invigorating. Life affirming. Danceable. Fun.
We’re sad that James Muschler has moved on, but Moon Hooch still rocks the house.
Grace Potter at the Anthem: Rock and Roll, Baby
January 27, 2020
music, Photography, who knows anthem, concert, dc, grace potter, live music, original music, show, the anthem, video, washington dc Leave a comment
Great show. Lots of dancing and joy.
Though this was the second encore, the solo version of Release was the most powerful song of the set. Yes please. Need some of this.
Rock and roll ending.
