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May. 23rd, 2005 11:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alonewiththemoonStill feeling slightly delirious from the weekend. Friday night with its Muppety goodness seems like it was a very long time ago. The Muppets Wizard of Oz was not their finest movie, but it had many wonderful moments and was a bit truer to the book than the Judy Garland version. It was exceedingly traumatic when the Winged Monkeys ripped Scarecrow Kermit and Tin Thing Gonzo apart, though. I had to cover my eyes.
Saturday I got in a little dance practice, enough to firm up the choreography in my head and body but not enough to leave me exhausted. Then the Preakness, which I posted about yesterday, then M and I went to the Olive Branch, a Lebanese-owned place on Broadway in Arlington that advertises itself as "mediterranean--greek--middle eastern" food. It wasn't the fanciest cooking ever, but it was satisfying. The baklava was some of the best I've ever had. Also, the music, all Arabic pop, was very good and the proprietors very friendly. I'd definitely go back again.
Sunday I was up way too early to get myself out to Brookline for the final dress rehearsal of the show with Mavi Dance, which was later that afternoon. Our dress rehearsal performance was dismal. I have rarely felt so unprepared for a show. Due to my class schedule, I had to miss two of the rehearsals. If I hadn't gotten so sick I could have overcome that disadvantage, but being as sick as I was meant that I couldn't prepare for the show. So I really didn't feel that good going into it at all. The actual show went better for me than I had feared, with the exception of another troupemate and I smacking into each other during a formation change. I remembered the whole choreography and I did smile. i think there's a DVD being produced, so I guess I'll have a chance to see how it went.
Later on Sunday we went to the Jarboe/Unto Ashes/Amber Asylum/another band whose name i forget and didn't see anyway show at Great Scott's. I'd never been to that club before, but it's a pretty nice small venue, with an impressive quality sound system for such a small place. We arrived during Amber Asylum's set--very pretty, about what I expected. Then Jarboe came on in an understated way, moving right from checking instruments to beginning the first song, singing at first with her back to the audience. Through the song she gradually turned to face us and then moved off the stage to sing directly to people. She has a strong physical presence, all wiry muscles and high cheekbones and that curtain of long black hair. She reminded me, and I say this in the most complimentary/non-sacriligeous way possible, of an Iroquois False Face. I loved her voice, especially on the starker compositions. Most of the more musically complex material I thought detracted from her voice, but that might just have been the mood I was in. I felt very much alone in a crowd last night, so the more minimalist stuff suited me better. I did really like one point where Jarboe and two other singers stood in a triangle and wove their voices together from dissonnance through harmony into harmonics and then deliberately broke the harmonic in order to begin again and build it back up again and again. That's a level of musical sophistication you don't hear a lot in the rock world. Finally Unto Ashes came on, with Curse on percussion--having seen them before without him, I can say with authority that he really added something to the live show. It sounded great. I think their vocals have also become much stronger since the last time I saw them. Sadly, by then I was too tired to stand any more and spent their set in the back of the room propped up on a stool. I debated picking up CDs by all of these artists, but I couldn't face dealing with my wallet and the merchandise tables. Kind of sad. I concluded that what the show really needed were some big comfy armchairs that you could drag over by the stage.
And now, another week begins. I have no more performances until June 19, though I will have rehearsals and I have a pseudo-performance to give in Amira Jamal's performance workshop series in early June. There's a possible gig in July, but that will be a fun one with less pressure than the troupe shows have been. There will be a few workshops, but I don't have to prepare for those. My crazy spring is drawing to an end, and I survived it. *releases breath*
Saturday I got in a little dance practice, enough to firm up the choreography in my head and body but not enough to leave me exhausted. Then the Preakness, which I posted about yesterday, then M and I went to the Olive Branch, a Lebanese-owned place on Broadway in Arlington that advertises itself as "mediterranean--greek--middle eastern" food. It wasn't the fanciest cooking ever, but it was satisfying. The baklava was some of the best I've ever had. Also, the music, all Arabic pop, was very good and the proprietors very friendly. I'd definitely go back again.
Sunday I was up way too early to get myself out to Brookline for the final dress rehearsal of the show with Mavi Dance, which was later that afternoon. Our dress rehearsal performance was dismal. I have rarely felt so unprepared for a show. Due to my class schedule, I had to miss two of the rehearsals. If I hadn't gotten so sick I could have overcome that disadvantage, but being as sick as I was meant that I couldn't prepare for the show. So I really didn't feel that good going into it at all. The actual show went better for me than I had feared, with the exception of another troupemate and I smacking into each other during a formation change. I remembered the whole choreography and I did smile. i think there's a DVD being produced, so I guess I'll have a chance to see how it went.
Later on Sunday we went to the Jarboe/Unto Ashes/Amber Asylum/another band whose name i forget and didn't see anyway show at Great Scott's. I'd never been to that club before, but it's a pretty nice small venue, with an impressive quality sound system for such a small place. We arrived during Amber Asylum's set--very pretty, about what I expected. Then Jarboe came on in an understated way, moving right from checking instruments to beginning the first song, singing at first with her back to the audience. Through the song she gradually turned to face us and then moved off the stage to sing directly to people. She has a strong physical presence, all wiry muscles and high cheekbones and that curtain of long black hair. She reminded me, and I say this in the most complimentary/non-sacriligeous way possible, of an Iroquois False Face. I loved her voice, especially on the starker compositions. Most of the more musically complex material I thought detracted from her voice, but that might just have been the mood I was in. I felt very much alone in a crowd last night, so the more minimalist stuff suited me better. I did really like one point where Jarboe and two other singers stood in a triangle and wove their voices together from dissonnance through harmony into harmonics and then deliberately broke the harmonic in order to begin again and build it back up again and again. That's a level of musical sophistication you don't hear a lot in the rock world. Finally Unto Ashes came on, with Curse on percussion--having seen them before without him, I can say with authority that he really added something to the live show. It sounded great. I think their vocals have also become much stronger since the last time I saw them. Sadly, by then I was too tired to stand any more and spent their set in the back of the room propped up on a stool. I debated picking up CDs by all of these artists, but I couldn't face dealing with my wallet and the merchandise tables. Kind of sad. I concluded that what the show really needed were some big comfy armchairs that you could drag over by the stage.
And now, another week begins. I have no more performances until June 19, though I will have rehearsals and I have a pseudo-performance to give in Amira Jamal's performance workshop series in early June. There's a possible gig in July, but that will be a fun one with less pressure than the troupe shows have been. There will be a few workshops, but I don't have to prepare for those. My crazy spring is drawing to an end, and I survived it. *releases breath*
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Muppets
Date: 2005-05-23 04:36 pm (UTC)I definitely prefer the others. I was curious to see what Disney would do to them (being the first Disney-owned production). I loved the Rats w/ gas masks, evil bunnies, and all of Pepe's parts. Overall, I wasn't nuts about it (we deleted it from the Tivo after watching).
Re: Muppets
Date: 2005-05-23 04:40 pm (UTC)Pepe: "What do these do?"
Gonzo: "Nothing. Those are my nipples."
Pepe: *expression of horror*
I suspect they were trying to push Disney's buttons :)
Re: Muppets
Date: 2005-05-23 05:40 pm (UTC)I think 2nd to the rats w/ masks and evil bunnies that was my third favorite part :)
I'm glad Pepe was finally able to shine with this one . . . it seems like in each production he has a larger role, okay :)
no subject
Date: 2005-05-23 06:24 pm (UTC)He got home around 3 AM with Sarah who spent the night here, and said the show ran really late. I immediately thought of how you've been sick, and already had a busy day. It was really sweet of you to stick it out and be so supportive! I know it was appreciated.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-23 06:33 pm (UTC)Traffic was truly abysmal in the city yesterday, especially in that area--two baseball games and BU's commencement, a bunch of Storrow Drive exits closed, etc. Sorry to hear about the NY show, too--I know how it goes, being a rock star's companion ;-)
We didn't get a chance to say bye and congrats to Curse after the show (we left about 1:10 or so), so please let him know how much we both really enjoyed the show! Karim would have been proud :)
no subject
Date: 2005-05-23 06:42 pm (UTC)I looked like a drugged out panda after I found out I'd be missing the show. That's what the combination of lots of eye-makeup and tears will do to a gal.
You're right, it has been a while ~ I was looking forward to hanging out with you last night! You wouldn't have gotten rid of me, and I would have been nearly passed out in back too (as it ws I ended up falling asleep by 1:30, so I'm sure this would have been the case) ;)