52nd City: September 2007

Illinois

Yesterday morning, I enjoyed Illinois.

Given a tip by a friend that a last-second trip to the Spivey Building was coming together, I drove over to the deserted ESL landmark. That meant jumping on the PSB, exiting at 4th Street in East Saint and then driving about two more blocks onto the Spivey's sunken parking lot. Simple. Direct. Easy.

Yesterday evening, I didn't enjoy Illinois.

Intending to get directions to Liederkranz Park in Millstadt, IL, via Mapquest, I was told that such directions existed. Uh-oh. I tried the superior ("true dat, double true") Google Maps and it did offer some thoughts, but my trip to see Fragile Porcelain Mice's outdoor set was snuffed where so many dreams die: Route 3 in Sauget. There, I couldn't located Tudor Avenue and no combination of map consultations, questions at QT's and educated (if bad) guesses righted me. I saw cornfields and subdivisions and Our Lady of the Snows, but never sniffed Millstadt.

I found myself on every type of road: city street, rural route and highway, none of them given over to especially good signage. I was stopped by a train. And I eventually wound up passing the Spivey again, at about 11:30, a half-hour after FPM's set was scheduled to start; amazingly, in the civic planning disaster that is downtown ESL, hundreds of partiers were clogging the streets, on the way to clubs. People out having fun, great.

On October 12, the relatively-reclusive Mice will play a show in Columbia, IL, at a club called Topshooters. I give myself a 50/50 shot of making it.

Got a Cultural Kid?

If so, take them to the Art Museum tomorrow, for this performance/workshop with Eric Hall:'

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Between 1 and 4 PM this Sunday afternoon I will be presenting a child-based sound-art piece at The St. Louis Art Museum called "untitled (or not)". I have designed a sound-sculpture which involves the participants in the creation of music through interaction with Tibetan Buddhist ritual instruments, objects, and sounds (strings of temple bells, dorjes, hand-bells, a prayer wheel, prayer flags, and recordings of rag-dung trumpets and polyphonic chant), all of which are being processed by automated real-time samplers and effects, creating an open-ended collaborative composition between myself and the audience. Hopefully this will be exciting and engaging to the kids, and if they absorb some of the sounds and symbols into their subconscious and it leads to them being open to the ideas behind Buddhism later in life, then I will be gratified. While I'm certainly not a practicing Buddhist, I would never dispute the impact learning about Buddhism early in my life had on my emotional development and world view. If nothing else, it will sound very cool. And its all free and full of kids and their grown-ups being creative and immersed in art, so whats not to like?

Quirky Reading @ Mad Art, Friday

Having only just poked out my head from my new home under a rock, I got notice of an interesting reading at Mad Art tomorrow evening. Given some play in this week's mega-RFT, the event's a melange of reading and performance. Gotta be quick on the computer tonight, so I'll just pass along the blip from the Mad Art site, content that I'll fill in the blanks at the gallery tomorrow:

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Left Bank Books presents an evening of literature, comedy, and live music at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 28, 2007, at Mad Art Gallery. Jonathan Messinger, author of Hiding Out will perform original comic writing along with writer Jason Toon and photographer Nathan Keay.

Jonathan Messinger celebrates the release of his new short-story collection, Hiding Out, by bringing his long-running reading and comedy series, The Dollar Store, to St. Louis. The show invites participants create stories and other performance pieces from junk Messinger finds in dollar stores, what he likes to call "evocative crap." The show has run for three years in Chicago, selling out for the past two. For this special engagement, St. Louis native Nathan Keay will present a slideshow for various uses of a shoe horn, and local Woot.com creator and writer Jason Toon will explore the virtues of a trick golf ball.

Live music will be performed by Chicago's Stephanie Morris and John Huston. Also featuring live music from St. Louis' own Jason Toon's The Help.

This is an all ages event, free and open to the public. Cash bar available.

This event is also the kickoff of the "New and Improved" Left bank books reading group! Now dedicated to bringing you the finest in fresh, intelligent, culturally relevant, enjoyable, mentally invigorating, and unapologetic new literature, and giving you the chance to meet the authors! To be a part of Left Bank's kickoff event, buy the first selection, Hiding Out by Jonathan Messinger, by September 21 at Left Bank Books. All reading group picks are 20% OFF. Meet at 7:00 p.m. at Mad Art Gallery before the show for a reading group discussion (free snacks provided). Meet the author and receive your very own Dollar Store modern relic!

Big Read, Small Press, Great Guns!

As members of the small press ourselves, we'd be remiss in not noting these upcoming events, which came through my box via the Star Clipper newsletter. Not only does Star Clipper carry books and mags you won't find elsewhere (I'd also be remiss in not thanking them for carrying our little mag) they're constantly organizing events that help expand audiences for little magazines and comics. Not to make it sound medicinal or something you "should" do; au contraire, things like their annual Munny Show are exciting and just plain fun.

STAR CLIPPER AT BIG READ IN CLAYTON
Comics Discussion Panel and Booth

The Big Read, presented by Centene Corporation, is Saturday, October 6, 2007, 9 AM to 5 PM! The Big Read festival features publishers,book-sellers, national authors, readings, book signings, panel discussions, workshops, demonstrations and an interactive children's area with readings, costumed characters and projects that engage the young reader. It is free and open to the public.

Star Clipper will be a Big Exhibitor at the Big Read in Clayton's Central Business District. Additionally, owner A.J. Trujillo will join local comics creators Dan Zettwoch (Ironclad), and Ted May (Ted May's Injury) on a panel discussion about comics moderated by Cliff Froehlich, current director of Cinema St. Louis and former executive editor of the Riverfront Times and arts-and-entertainment editor of
the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The panel and demonstration will run from 4:15-5 p.m. Saturday, October 6, at the McCarthy Building Companies Big Bee Stage.

JOHN PORCELLINO AND ST. LOUIS INDIES
Small Press Heavyweights October 17

John Porcellino, Kevin Huizenga, Ted May and Dan Zettwoch are coming to Star Clipper Wednesday, October 17! These four trailblazers of independent comics will be available from 5 to 8 PM to sign their work and original art in this extraordinary gathering of young talent. Small-press icon John Porcellino (King-Cat Comics and Stories) will be giving a formal presentation in the Star Clipper Gallery at 6 PM.

John Porcellino was born in Chicago, in 1968. He began writing and drawing at an early age, compiling his work into small, handmade booklets. His first photocopied "zine" was produced in 1982 at age 14, and he began his current series, King-Cat Comics and Stories, in 1989. Since then, King-Cat has been his predominant means of expression. Porcellino's most recent book collection King-Cat Classix ("A comprehensive introduction to the work of a great living artist as well as a tribute to the foundational efforts of an icon." - Library Journal) is a splendid overview of his zine's first fifty issues.

Looking Ahead: Photography at Beverly, 10/12

More on this in a few weeks, but a quick note to lock in a piece of your October 12 calendar for this event, in the Cherokee arts corridor. Had a chance to see some of the work as it was being assembled and this show's mix is a must-see for fans of architectural and urban photography.

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"Solitary City3" showcases local artists Brett Beckemeyer, Nate Sampson, and
Alan Palmer with photographs that explore patterns, textures, and forms within the urban-industrial expanse. Each series is arranged according to form and theme with the intent of creating a dialogue between individual works. Opening reception will be held Friday October 12th from 7-10 p.m. at the Beverly Gallery (3155 Cherokee St., adjacent to Fort Gondo).

Next Week: Observable @ Bottleworks

I ordinarily defer to our poetry expert, Stefene, to comment on local events of a poetic nature, but in the interests of getting some information out on the next Observable Reading, I'll go ahead and post up the particulars. Compliments of series curator Aaron Belz:

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Thursday, October 4, 8:00 PM - FREE
at the Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, MO

Daniel Borzutsky is the author of Arbitrary Tales (Triple Press, 2005) and The Ecstasy of Capitulation (BlazeVOX, 2007). Of the latter, Gabriel Gudding writes: "Borzutzky is exactly the kind of weirdo genius who can restructure a cultural imaginary. Comic, essayistic, spare, moral, pointed, polyglossic and low, this book teaches us that we do not live refractory lives..."

Peter Davis' book of poems is Hitler's Mustache (Barnwood, 2006). He edited Poet's Bookshelf: Contemporary Poets on Books that Shaped Their Art. His poems have appeared in journals like Unpleasant Event Schedule, Kulture Vulture, Court Green, Mipoesias, McSweeney's, and La Petite Zine. He lives with his wife, son, and daughter in Muncie, Indiana and teaches at Ball State University.

St. Louis poet Richard Newman is the author Borrowed Towns (Word Press, 2005). His poems have appeared in Best American Poetry 2006, Crab Orchard Review, The Sun, Tar River Poetry, and 32 Poems. A poem of his which recently appeared in New Letters won this year's New Letters Readers Choice Award. For thirteen years he has served as Editor of River Styx and Director of the River Styx at Duff's Reading Series.

For more information, visit http://observable. org.

Fairmount

Timing's so interesting.

On Friday night, I went to Fairmount Park, to take in the whole "track experience" and to lose a couple dollars. Some years, I'll skip the season entirely. Others, I'll find myself in Collinsville once, or twice. This was my second trip of the season - and the first time I bet two winners in two races. (Which was plenty; we split with our winnings and good luck right after Our Motel paced the field in the fifth.)

The Post-Dispatch today has an interesting piece on the Park scaling back its operations in 2008 and how that will impact the workers, many of them seasonally employed:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/8E45C5AA198425B786257360001023CA?OpenDocument

BAG on Sunday

In a very theoretical sense, I've been a fan of the Black Artists Group for the past few years, having read Benjamin Looker's great book on the subject, having picked up a few pieces of vintage vinyl and having been attuned to some recent group readings, usually thanks to the promptings of Brett Underwood. Problem on the last count is that while I've been aware of them, I've not attended a reading/performance of the resurrected group, a sad trend I hope to change this Sunday night, when BAG's hosting a tribute to John Coltrane in the rehabbed addition to the Scott Joplin House, the Rosebud Cafe.

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BAG Celebrates John Coltrane

K. Curtis Lyle, Shirley LeFlore, Michael Castro, Mike Nelson, Gary Sykes and Zimbabwe Nkenya will celebrate John Coltrane's birthday on Sunday, September 23rd from 7 – 9 PM at Scott Joplin House State Historic Site and you are invited!

By any measure, John Coltrane (1926 – 1967) was one of the most important
and influential musicians in the history of jazz. As Dom Cerulli wrote in his liner notes on Africa/Brass (Impulse! A-6) "Coltrane plays tenor saxophone quite unlike anyone in all of jazz…" Cerulli goes on to characterize Coltrane's work as "restless, probing, extracting, absorbing and moving on…"

Apt words to describe the vibrant creative work of the artists gathering to celebrate Coltrane's life. Lyle, LeFlore, Castro, Nelson, Sykes and Nkenya
represent some of the most dynamic creative artists currently active in the
St. Louis literary and music communities. With the backdrop of new work created for this event by visual artist Seitu, their work will probe, extract, absorb and move on, honoring Coltrane's life and work.

John William Coltrane was born in North Carolina and schooled in Philadelphia . He worked with various jazz and rhythm & Blues bands before establishing himself with St. Louis trumpeter Miles Davis's quintet in 1955. It was during this tenure with Davis that his distinctive tone and adventurous approach to harmony blossomed. A stint with pianist and composer Thelonious Monk two years later further honed his playing and improvisational skills. After briefly rejoining Davis 's group he went out on his own in 1960. The John Coltrane Quartet quickly became one of the most talked-about bands in jazz. Coltrane's legacy – his music – is one of the most profound and valuable treasures in the history of jazz.

K. Curtis Lyle is a visionary poet and performance artist whose emotionally
and intellectually charged work has explored subjects as diverse at "Nut
Check" (taking its departure from an obscene anecdote by Richard Pryor) to
his seeking, probing, singingly poetic explorations of history, culture and meaning. Mike Nelson, who has performed with the St. Louis Symphony
Orchestra, China National Orchestra, Aska Kanedo and tours throughout
the country as a performer and lecturer is an outstanding trumpet player,
along with his renowned work on conch shells and sacred Bata drums. Shirley LeFlore, poet and performing artist extraordinaire, a member of the original
BAG, forged the groundwork and has served as the inspiration for countless
poets weaving their words with and into true creative jazz. Michael Castro
has traveled widely and is known both locally and internationally for his long tenure as a St. Louis-based performance artist and published poet. Gary Sykes was named St. Louis ' best drummer by the Riverfront Times and has played with a who's who of jazz musicians including Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill, James Moody, Eddie Harris, Pharoah Sanders, Lester Bowie and John Hicks. Zimbabwe Nkenya, curator of this tribute as well as performer, has returned to the St. Louis area after more than 20 years as a successful performing and recording artist in New York and the Southwest. On upright bass and mbira he has worked with many internationally renowned musicians and his work reflects the broad scope of deep roots and influences in jazz and African music.

This free event opens the fall BAG series of events in the Rosebud Café,
Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, 2658 Delmar Blvd in St. Louis. For
more information call 340-5790 or email BAG at:
bag-blackartistgroup@yahoo.com.

Food Network in Town

Signs are up around town and the conversationalists are musing. The Foot (er, make that Food) Network's in town for tapings at, at least, the Iron Barley and the South City Diner. Does anyone know the locations of other shoots? How about which show is being taped here? Will I be able to spot Rachael Ray?

Thread below, if in the know.

Manhattan Short Film Festival in STL

Not sure if this has occurred in STL before ... I don't remember it (which is not to say it didn't just skip under my radar.) But for those who are addicted to YouTube quickies, who love films, who have a short attention span, who appreciate global cinema, you'll be happy to hear about this event below. And even if we have hosted it before, it's pretty exciting:

The Manhattan Short Film Festival (MSFF), in conjunction with Cinema St. Louis (CSL), presents its 10th annual short film festival on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 9 p.m. Filmgoers in St. Louis will unite with audiences in 98 other cities across three continents to view and judge the next generation of filmmakers. The MSFF will be shown at the Dana Brown Rehearsal Hall, located on the fourth floor at the Centene Center for Arts and Education, 3547 Olive Street, as part of Grand Center’s “Dancing in the Street and Off the Wall” Street Festival, which commemorates the beginning of the district’s fall season.

The MSFF will take place in 98 cinemas/screening venues in Europe and North America, making it one of the largest short film festivals in the world. The festival will show 12 short films that were selected from more than 450 films submitted from more than 30 countries. After the screenings, the filmgoers will then get to vote for their favorite film. The winner of the event will be announced at Union Square Park in New York City on Sunday, Sept. 30, at 9:15 p.m. and online at 10 p.m.

In one week, more than 50,000 people from as far north as St. Petersburg, Russia, to as far south as Buenos Aires, Argentina, will view and vote on these 12 films. “While the goal of any festival is to discover and promote future talent, the ultimate aim of this festival is to bring communities together via 12 stories from around the world,” says Nicholas Mason, Manhattan Short founder and director.

The MSFF launched its first short film festival 10 years ago by showing 12 short films projected on the side of a truck in a downtown Manhattan street. Since then, the MSFF has grown to include a much wider audience scanning 32 states and 15 countries in three continents. The MSFF has become known as a testing ground for new raw talent, and past finalists have gone on to win Oscars and become successful in the Hollywood feature film industry.

Tickets for the event are $6 ($5 for members of CSL) and can be purchased in advance by calling 314-289-4153 or the day of the show from 7-9 p.m. at the Centene Center for Arts and Education. Details about the event can be found at www.msfilmfest.com or www.cinemastlouis.org.

Dates to Save: IAM & Kick Ass Awards

Just a couple quick dates to announce, with some-to-many details on the way at future points:

The Independent Art Market will take place on from Friday, December 7 - Sunday, December 9. The venue's still TBD. You can track the event at the website: www.independentartmarket.org.

Also, the Kick Ass Awards are set with a night and a venue: Monday, November 26 at Duff's. Nominees and other specifics (like start time and entertainers) will be rolled out in the next week/two.

Photos: Chicago, Gary

Though they're not St. Louis-based, I think a lot of folks who dig the whole 52nd City aesthetic will enjoy the photos of flickr user Metroblossom, who really crafts some remarkable photos of the urban landscape of Chicago and Gary, IN, among other places and things. The "Isolated Buildings Series," in particular, will resonate with some folks. Check it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/metroblossom/

Rockaway Sunken?

Getting some interesting calls and text messages, basically indicating that the Rockaway Armada may've suffered some extensive damage near the eastside's riverfront this afternoon, with at least one boat capsized according to a phoned-in, eyewitness report from one of our 52nd City subscribers. Another texted with notes of being at the "wreckage."

Went down late in the afternoon and saw a Coast Guard cruiser leaving the area, but couldn't find the Rockaway. I probably zigged instead of zagged, par for my weekend's drowsy course. Alas.

If anyone has word, we'll keep this the last and the official thread on the subject here. I've actually called into a source at the P-D to see if they'd find and post some multimedia coverage of this on STLtoday.com. If anyone has links from other outlets, post them below.

Ayie. Really wanted to see this self-created armada.

(Update: just home on Sunday night, 'round 11:20. The ships, according to Jim Utz, are between the close McKinley Bridge and north city's rail bridge, on the Venice, IL, side of things. Went by tonight, but it's not exactly a lit and welcoming spot, so hopefully tomorrow will yield results. Did run across Moore's Lounge, the most-intimidating bar in St. Louis. Another post for another evening.)

Cement Land Movie Shoot on Monday

This is ridiculously late word, thanks to my being asleep for half the weekend and being half-asleep for the rest of it. But there's a feature film shooting in town, with tomorrow bringing on a casting call for extras, at Bob Cassilly's Cement Land in North City.

Here's some info:

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WHERE: Cement Land (9403 Riverview Dr, St. Louis, MO)

WHEN: Monday, September 17

TIME: Starting at 9:30am, almost everyone will be done by 4pm (if they can’t stay past then, it’s fine)

PAY: $20

CLOTHES: Clothing light in color would be best but really anything is fine. People should definitely wear closed shoes and expect to get pretty dusty. The costumes will cover their clothes, though, so it won’t be too bad.

We have a van that could pick people up at 9:30am or people could just walk up to the site- we would just need to set up a pickup spot. Please let me know if you think anyone would be interested. Thank you!

Vanessa Burke
917.848.8288

Records on Video

Bill Streeter went to the Record Show so that I didn't have to. And I thank him for that.

http://lofistl.com/2007/09/15/episode-193-record-show/

Miss Rockaway: Any Spottings?

A reader sent a note to us this morning, noting that the Miss Rockaway Armada was set to arrive in St. Louis shortly. A week, or so, back, the Post-Dispatch ran a piece on the anarchist ship, which is charting a crazy path down the Mississippi River, with stops of varying lengths in towns all along the way. If anyone has more info on the Rockaway's arrival, please let us know.

Here's a link to the ship's site.

Mickey Carroll Online

In a sort of worlds-colliding meoment, I was contacted today by Chicago Public Radio, through my flickr account. They'd produced and run a story of famed munchkin Mickey Carroll and wondered about using the photo. Well, sure. But within seconds of granting use, I noticed that the pic was up. Quick! Also, I a few seconds later, I noticed that the piece was produced by the one-and-only Tom Weber, of KWMU, a frequent 52nd City contributor.

In reality, I only snapped the shot, because I've become hopelessly addicted to The Fan Show on CW11 and Mickey basically called me over to take his photo. That little action has boomeranged around and now I claim a photo credit for CPR. So, Mickey, thanks for thinking of me, I guess.

Here's a link to the piece on St. Louis most discussed munchkin:

http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Default.aspx

Pestalozzi Place: RIP

I was definitely part of the problem here, not the solution. Despite this restaurant being an eight-minute walk from my home, I never spent a dime at this lovingly-restored storefront restaurant. Alas.

So, a quick note, forwarded by a friend on P. Place:

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Regretfully we are closing Pestalozzi Place. We appreciate all the support you have provided us in the past 2 years. We have been delighted to have been able to serve you and have made many new friends. Both of us hope to see you in the future.

Sincerely,
David Lawrence & Stephen Graef

Goodbye, Greg

As an unapologetic PWC (Person Without Cable) and one who doesn't have a set job on several weekdays, I have seen my share of The Greg Behrendt Show. As a onetime writer for "Sex and the City" (which I've never seen) and author of the book "He's Just Not that Into You" (which I've never read), it was natural that I'd be drawn to Greg's daytime TV work. But the fact that it aired at 11 a.m. really sealed the deal, because I'm marginally burned out on "Judge Greg Mathis" and there're only so many episodes of Bob Barker on "The Price is Right" that I can handle.

Alas. Today, I turned on Channel 11 for my early lunch shift in front of the tube and "Jerry Springer" was on, pushed back an hour from its former home in the 10 a.m. timeslot, now taken up by his security guy's own talk program, the "Steve Wilkos Show." A visit to Greg's show's website, meanwhile, sent me to Sony's site, not to Greg's online community.

I never really locked in on the show, never could tell if I actually liked it, or not. But I certainly watched the dozen, or so, episodes that were recorded and rebroadcast, ad nauseum, for the past year.

My personal, 11 a.m. timeslot is up for grabs. Maybe I'll start reading.

Fragile: Two Shows Announced

Fragile Porcelain Mice don't play a lot of show these days. Sometimes an entire calendar will yield one, maybe two, gigs. So it's a pleasure to see that their are two shows upcoming for FPM, each of them with some interesting quirks. Pulled from the FPM site, these two notes:

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FPM has confirmed that they will perform as part of MILLSTOCK II on Saturday, September 29, 2007 at Liederkranz Park located in Millstadt, IL. This event is outdoors and free to the public.

FPM has confirmed that they will be returning to the Playhouse at Westport Plaza in St. Louis on Thanksgiving night 2007. Please note - this is a fixed seat venue. FPM fans can obtain house seats by submitting their email addresses via the below link before Saturday, September 15. An email will be sent to you the week of September 17 providing instructions for purchasing house seats.

Art Outside: This Weekend

The reality is: I meant to post something about Art Outside coming up the weekend. The other reality is: I kept forgetting to do so. A quick reminder note from our boys at Firecracker Press has got me at the keys.

Here's hoping that the rains stay away (enough) for some fun to be had on the streets and parking lots of Maplewood.

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Please join us Friday night and all day Saturday for the 4th annual Art Outside Art Fair at the Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood. We'll be debuting new drink coasters, giant 40" posters, stationary, as well as new rock posters and greeting cards. It's always a good time!

Say hello when you stop by.

Go to www.schlafly.com/artoutside.shtml for more info and for direction.

A Gem of a Show: Friday @ APop

Picked this up compliments of the Cavern on Myspace. Wish I didn't have a prior engagement on Friday, as this sounds like a keeper. Remember to buy a zine or record album at Apop, they have them for sale:

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This Friday, September 7th, the group PINK REASON will be playing a show at APOP Records, 2831 Cherokee St., on the corner of Oregon.

If you've ever wondered what Joy Division would have sounded like during the shoegaze era, this is your chance.

Also playing are Little Claw, and St. Louis' own Raglani. Don't miss this event!

The show starts at 9pm, and a donation of $5 to support the touring bands is appreciated.

http://www.myspace.com/secondculture
http://www.myspace.com/littleclaw
http://www.myspace.com/raglani
http://www.myspace.com/apop records

New Club, Old Name

Just a note from my favrorite band that I somehow never see/hear, The Ded Bugs. Appears from their monthly e-mail that they'll be playing a new room, 2 Cents Plain, in about a week's time. As old-timers would recall, this Olive sandwich shop was a fixture for Downtown's lunch crowd for many a year, after relocating to D'town from Gaslight Square. That's some serious history.

Now, this, a new page for that book:

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GRAND OPENING!

Friday, September 14
@ 2 Cents Plain
(1114 Olive Street - St. Louis MO, 314-436-1070)
Ded Bugs
w/Sex Robots
10pm
21+

Wolverines are Feeling It

A few days back, I posted a somewhat tongue-in-cheek note, prefacing an e-mail from State Rep Jeannette Mott-Oxford. She was noting that the Roosevelt Roughriders were playing host to the Vashon Wolverines in high school football last Saturday. I briefly noted that PHL games may lack the sizzle of cinematic football matches, but since the game was close, I was going.

Well, I went to the first half and watched an evenly-played game, with Vashon scoring the one touchdown of the half, late in the second quarter. Several hundred people were on-hand, with most on the home side; that said, the Vashon section was lively and their cheerleaders were certainly vocal. It was a fascinating afternoon of people-watching. I enjoyed myself, spent a total of $4 and definitely planned on going back.

This morning, I was alerted to a note in our comments section, on that August 30 post, left by one of the Vashon Wolverines. Since these notes are often lost in the cyber-seas, I wanted to call it out here and invite #50 Bryan Sutherland to write in more often. When we built this blog, we didn't anticipate it becoming a hotbed of PHL football talk, but... we are totally open to that!

Take it away #50:

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We wolverines held it down and we triumphed over the #1 team in the PHL. They had us ranked #4 in the PHL which has to be wrong, we and Career Academy were the only two teams to even get out of Districts in the PHL, but yet they have us at the bottom of the best. Your predictions and assumptions are incorrect and should be changed now that we've defeated those pesky Roughriders . They played well but they couldn't overcome the best of the best. We now have to play the Gateway Jaguars and shouldn't have any trouble with them. We will be hosted by them Thursday September 6, 2007 at 6:30 pm this will be a very good game but we still will have a victory.

Sincerely,
#50 Bryan Sutherland

Bernie Hayes Understands

Every so often, I get an e-mail from Bernie Hayes, the longtime local broadcaster, columnist and Webster U. college prof. They're titled something that's going to make me open them each and every time: "Bernie Hayes Understands." How can you not read a piece labeled that way?

Today, I got one. And within minutes of getting it, reading it, and wondering if Bernie would let us reproduce it here, I got a note back saying to go right ahead. So, here's "Bernie Hayes Understands," no. 357.

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The Dedicated Widows - Lest we forget!

We are all familiar with the phrase 'behind every great man is a great woman.' Some men often owe their success to women. Over the past few years, St. Louis has lost a number of male celebrities and personalities and I thought it would be interesting to revisit the loved ones they left behind. The purpose of this column is to shed light on the role of the widows of some public figure who recently passed. These women are too often ignored.

We should remember the love and support their mates provided to them in assisting and developing their careers. It is important, and it should be deeply appreciated. Most spent many years helping their husbands, giving him love, support and basic care. Their urging was the inspiration for many songs, arrangements and other works of art. Here are just a few of the soul mates who are continuing to carry on their loved ones work.

Oliver Sain passed 28th October 2003, yet his wife Ruby is continuing to promote the Oliver Sain Band and Revue, and is planning the Oliver Sain Soul Reunion for October. She is also making plans to maintain Sain's Archway Recording Studio and convert it to a museum.

Guitarist Eddie Fisher, one of the most proficient musicians in the world of R&B, jazz and jazz fusion passed away on Monday, July 9, 2007. His widow, Christina continues to teach music and drama at their workshop and theater in Centreville, Illinois and she is collecting her late husband's musical instruments, original compositions and other items to donate to the Arkansas Jazz Museum in Little Rock. She said "I am still recuperating from his death day by day."

Luther Ingram, R&B singer and songwriter joined our ancestors on March 20, 1997. His wife and soul mate Jacqui said she is still grieving but is working to preserve her husband's music and author’s rights. She remains in O'Fallon, Illinois but is very much involved in administering Ingram's catalog.

Johnnie Johnson left us on April 13, 2005. His wife Frances is working with KSDK –TV anchor Art Holliday on a documentary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member. Mrs. Johnson is also making public appearances and doing charity work in memory of her husband.

Veteran broadcaster Leo Chears, known to his fans and audiences as 'The Man in the Red Vest,' passed away Jan. 2, 2006 in Barnes-Jewish Hospital of congestive heart failure. His widow Betty is preserving the Chears' music archives and is continuing to teach young people the history and value of jazz and swing music.

Roderick Gerald (Dr. Jockenstein) King expired at the St. Anthony's Medical Center in Saint Louis during the early morning hours of Monday, May 1, 2007. His wife Idella is hoping to help develop a scholarship for young aspiring radio announcers. She said 'Jock left a void in the business that will be hard to fill, and I hope to be an instrument in filling that empty space.'

We also lost Bennie Smith and Henry Townsend, and Barbara Carr lost her husband Charles.

Theses women were a most important and essential part of their husbands lives and we should extend the hand of fellowship and guidance to the widows of these departed public figures that brought us so many hours and years of enjoyment. We should let them know that they are remembered, not forgotten. They all were united by common experiences and shared commitments.

Happy Birthday (September 16) to Attorney Harold Whitfield, Hammett Bluiett and to me. I can be reached by fax at (314) 837-3369 or by e-mail at: berhay@swbell.net.

IAM: Call for Artists

Another day, another call for artists.

And, it should be noted, another of our favorite events of the year. The Independent Art Market is offering slots for the fall 2007 and we've got some of the details below, though you'd like to click on any of the hotlinks to go directly to the IAM website for the final submission info:

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You've seen our work. You've been to the shows. Now is the chance to show your work with us. The Independent Art Market is looking for like-minded artists who would like to join us for our upcoming show this December in an exciting new location.

The Independent Art Market was established to create a retail environment for artists creating high quality work to be sold to the public at large. Due to the retail nature of The Independent Art Market, customers are generally able to take home their newly purchased items at the point of sale. In order to make art accessible, artwork is usually priced between ten dollars and three hundred dollars.

The Independent Art Market is having its next show in December, and we are inviting area artists to join us. The show will take place over three days on December 7th, 8th and 9th at an exciting new venue (details TBA) from 6-12 on Friday, 12-10 on Saturday and from 12-6 on Sunday. All chosen artists are encouraged to be present for the entire show to meet potential customers and help sell their own work, but are not required to be present.