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Embracing the fall (9/20/07)Seems like at some point in our lives, we who are from Missouri -- and particularly the Southeast section of the state -- bemoan our uninfluential existence stuck in flyover country. The national media always seem to ignore us. We're the butt of comedians' jokes, primarily comedians from either one of the coasts. And here we are, living our quaint little rural, backwoods lives in the cultural wastelands...
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Jerry's swan song (8/31/07)Cape Girardeau's live music scene thrives on hot blues licks and solid rock beats -- the kind of stuff that's likely to either make it seem like you're hearing everything through a tin horn for a few hours after the show or to make you dance so hard your legs feel like jelly afterward...
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A lump of coal this Christmas (8/24/07)The past three Christmas seasons have been a magical time at the Show Me Center. Each of those years, one of the biggest visual and sound spectaculars in the country visited the venue, bringing a little Christmas entertainment magic to a place where concerts, especially of this sort, are not an everyday occurrence. But this year the Christmas magic will not visit the Show Me Center, as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra apparently has no plans to perform here...
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The wait is over at Club Moxy (8/10/07)This is the date you've been waiting for, isn't it? If you're a fan of the Cape Girardeau nightlife scene, or someone who's not a fan because there's nothing that suits your taste, the answer is probably yes. After months of waiting, ladies and gents, Club Moxy is finally set to open tonight...
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The mayor loves music (8/3/07)I'll be the first to admit my acquaintance with the City of Roses Music Festival, known for the first time this year as the River City Music Festival, has been rather limited and brief. In my time here as the resident "arts and fun" guy, I've only seen two of the festivals first-hand, 2005 and 2006. ...
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A major music showcase (7/20/07)So you think rock musicians can't live in Southeast Missouri and make a name for themselves? Well, you may be right, but not if Malcolm Springer has anything to say about it. Faithful readers of this column may recognize Springer's name -- he's been mentioned briefly in this space on a couple of occasions. ...
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Where music and art meet (7/6/07)Peg MacDougall's Edward Bernard Gallery seems like something of an outsider in the local arts scene -- at least in terms of geography. Peg's gallery isn't clustered at the epicenter of the local art offerings that happen each First Friday. The place isn't on Main Street, Water Street or Spanish Street...
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Jaded about 'Killshot' (5/25/07)By now, I wonder how many people have become jaded to the whole "Killshot" ordeal. My interest and patience seem to have died long ago as I waited, waited and waited for more word of the film and exactly what Cape Girardeau's final role would be...
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The case for Tool (5/4/07)For some of us, the excitement is palpable. A day we've been waiting on for years is finally here -- big rock is set to return to the Show Me Center. At least we hope. Scratch that. I do more than hope; I know (I hope). Earlier this week I was surprised by some rather pleasant news -- prog-metal band Tool has booked June 19 at the Show Me Center. Finally, a real rock concert after years of nothing even resembling rock, except for Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which is only sort of rock...
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Remembering Tommy (4/20/07)I didn't know Thomas Faron Johnson all that well, but if you're reading this, there's a chance you might have. You would probably know him best at Tommy DeWolf. For the purposes of this column, I'll just call him Tommy. If you've been keeping up with the local arts and entertainment news lately, then you're probably aware that Tommy's guitar will no longer wail over the pummeling, old-school hard rock that is Drivin' Rain. ...
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We spoke, MAC listened (4/13/07)Behold, the power of political action! We have spoken, and the powers that be have listened. Unless you're a devoted reader of my blog, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Or maybe you think I'm going on another one of my lunatic rants inspired by those populist political movements of so long ago. Where did all those movements go, anyway?...
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The overlooked artists (4/6/07)The hype about the upcoming River Campus has been so thick you could paddle your canoe for days and still not reach the other side. You'd simply crawl at a snail's pace through the superdense anticipation that has manifested itself into physical reality...
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Local film's big night (3/30/07)When I was asked a few weeks back to be a judge at the third annual Show Me Digital Film Festival, my first thought was, "What do I know about film?" As for the technical aspects of the medium, I'm probably as in the dark as some of the filmmakers would be if asked to judge a guitar-playing contest. Maybe even more so...
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R.I.P. Fountain Street (3/23/07)The grand experiment is over. It was nice while it lasted. Back in December 2005 Southeast Missouri State University art professor Sarah Riley opened an art gallery in a Victorian-style home at 34 N. Fountain St., the Fountain Street Gallery. Her purpose was to provide a constant home for contemporary art in Cape Girardeau, which had not existed to that point...
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Establishment meets street (3/16/07)I opened my newspaper Tuesday to see a beautiful sight -- a huge, swirling yellow nautilus shell, the mark of Craig Thomas, in vibrant colors, painted on a large slab of concrete. What made it even better were the skateboarders in the background. Now here, we truly have a shining example of the local arts establishment embracing young people...
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On local radio, no alternative (3/9/07)A big blow was dealt to the media giants this week. You know, the people responsible for the junk we're constantly spoon-fed on radio and television, the people who want to destroy any semblance of art and culture to be found in America in the name of the almighty dollar?...
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A kinder, gentler art culture (3/2/07)This week I have one thing to say: Viva la Revolucion! Why, you might ask? I'll explain. If you're a regular reader of this column space, someone who takes some kind of joy from my crazy rants, then let me first say "thanks." Then I'll remind you of my baptism by fire...
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Cape's segregated scene (2/23/07)A few days ago I received an e-mail from a contact on the arts and entertainment beat, complaining about our stories related to Black History Month. Actually, the whole newsroom received the message. I won't name names, but this guy's point was basically that we don't need Black History Month. Well, that got me thinking about just why we honor February in such way...
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Baby, you know who you are (2/16/07)Downtown. Saturday. One of the latest places to enter the live music game, River Nick's, is packed to the gills. If you were downtown, you had to notice. What was the big deal? Promise to Burn. If you haven't heard of this band, then you're definitely not plugged in to the local music scene. ...
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Arts can't depend on politics (2/9/07)For most of us, art and culture are probably the last things on our minds when we think about state politics. In a place like Jefferson City -- where political turf battles over gay sex bans, college loan funds and how to spend revenue surpluses are the standard -- it seems that the beauty of artistic expression has no place. It can get ugly in the statehouse, where the political discord would be loud enough to drown out a symphony sometimes...
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Learning from Girls Gone Wild (2/2/07)Have you ever seen a performance of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues"? I have. And I will be the first to admit, few times in my life have I blushed so much. If you haven't seen this (how to describe it?) evocative series of stories, you may have some misconceptions. First off, "Vagina Monologues" isn't about sex, but it is. It isn't about man-hating feminism, but it is about feminism. Most of all, it's about the human condition...
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Support your local musician (1/26/07)Last weekend I went out on the town for a night of live music and drinks -- by far the best way to spend a weekend night in Cape. I'm a musician and music lover, so maybe I'm biased, but for my money a few hours of loud, live rock music and intoxication beats dinner and a movie any time. This is real, vital entertainment. You can see the people on stage right in front of you, hear the sound of their fingers sliding along the fretboard, even smell their sweat if you want...
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When the curtain falls (1/19/07)In my two-plus years in Cape Girardeau covering local theater, I've had few contacts as close as Bart Elfrink. That is, unless you count Bryan Parker, but he works here at the Southeast Missourian, so we'll just leave him out. Those of you who don't know Bart and his wife, Meredith, have missed out -- they're intelligent, funny and, most importantly, friendly. ...
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Percussion prima donnas (1/12/07)One fact I've learned in my decade-plus of being an amateur rock musician: You can't rock without a drummer. Sure, lots of people out there may make the case that you can: New Wavers with their drum machines, folkies with their acoustic guitars and bongos. Simply put, they're wrong...
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A modest return (1/5/07)A little more than a year ago, I encountered a group of Cape Girardeau artists that really gave me hope for the future of the local art scene -- the Modest Living Artists. It was November 2005, and I had recently run into what I thought was the area's only contemporary visual arts group, Integrated Counterbalance. ...
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Get behind local film (12/15/06)Art goes beyond just the visual pieces we see every First Friday in local galleries. And Cape Girardeau has a lot more to offer than just those visual arts. We have poets, writers, musicians and even filmmakers living among us. You may see them at the coffee shops and bookstores, sporting any and all variety of grooming, style, age and disposition. You may even be sitting next to one of them right now...
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Holiday music beyond the orchestras (12/8/06)I didn't go see the Heartland Pops Orchestra's Christmas concert Dec. 1. Nor did I watch the Southeast Missouri Symphony's holiday concert Nov. 28. No offense to those groups -- they're both great at what they do, and I've heard nothing but good things about their concerts. The thing is, orchestras just don't do it for me. They're about as exciting to me as watching a documentary about the construction of municipal water systems. Yawn...
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Whatever happened to 'Killshot'? (12/1/06)How time flies. A year ago at this time, my buddies in the newsroom and I were gearing up to cover what seemingly 99.99 percent of the population of Cape Girardeau thought was the biggest thing to happen here in, well, forever. Of course, I'm speaking of those magical days in January when "Killshot" brought the stars to Southeast Missouri...
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A musical feud (11/24/06)Cape's music scene has seen its share of feuds in the past -- bands warring with club owners and each other is just part of any healthy scene. It's the kind of behavior that shows our local musicians have passion, and what's better than passion? I'd hate to think this, but I may be partially responsible for the scene's latest feud, one that turned just slightly ugly this past weekend at Broussard's...
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A TSO traffic nightmare (11/17/06)I left the newspaper early Wednesday night for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert at the Show Me Center. I knew the concert would be crowded, causing a slight delay getting in. I also knew I didn't want to miss any of what may be the best show the Show Me Center will host all year. Say what you want, but the members of TSO are good at what they do...
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Celebrities are people, too (11/10/06)Eating a meal that contains both corn and mashed potatoes is a harrowing ordeal for me. The utmost care must be taken to ensure those two foods don't mix on my plate. I don't subscribe to the "it all ends up in the same place" theory. It's junk science -- my taste buds are in my mouth...
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A rock 'n' roll void (11/3/06)This month there are two bands I want to see, badly -- Wolfmother and My Morning Jacket. In an ideal world I could jump in my car, drive for 30 minute, jump out, rush to claim my spot at the front of the arena floor and wait for my brains to be rocked out of my head...
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Enter the world of the gamer (10/27/06)Picture this scene: Four guys sit in a basement, some dressed in strange, medieval-looking outfits (one even has armor on). They're swilling coffee and ranting endlessly about dice rolls, numbers, spells, skills, dexterity, armor class, hit points -- the specialized jargon we all know belongs exclusively to the world of that ever-so-unusual class of hobbyist, the gamer...
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A dilemma named City of Roses (10/6/06)I have a dilemma. Well, it's not just my dilemma -- it's a dilemma for the entire Cape music scene. That dilemma is called the City of Roses Music Festival. I came in to the weekend thinking I would see the great shining face of Cape's musical present and future. This was to be the showcase weekend. This was to be music's big hour in Cape -- the 10th annual City of Roses Music Festival...