Celebrity Highlights of SCAD

If you haven't heard of SCAD, it's only the biggest school focusing on art careers and allowing your inner artist to grow, flourish, and shoot into that future career!  Whether your passion lies in graphic design, sculpture, voice acting, or painting, the Savannah College of Art & Design has you covered!

I actually have the privilege of knowing two of these distinguished students, who are both extremely talented and passionate about what they do.  I know these two will go far in life in whatever they may choose to do.

Josiah Whitfield is a Motion Media Design major at SCAD with a minor in Animation.  I remember witnessing some of his earliest artwork and being impressed with even those quick sketches he would scratch out.  In watching his art and his animation grow over the years, I've seen Josiah develop his own unique style, with some unmistakable nods to Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.  With "simplicity bursting from the seams", you'll be guaranteed to stare at his art for ages and then come to the simple conclusion that it's a beautiful work of genius and you don't even know why.

Some of Josiah's art will be posted below, but be sure to check out his portfolio by following the link below:
https://studentpages.scad.edu/~jwhitf21/index.html

Nene Papelashvili has her aspirations set in Animation for her major and Jewellery as her minor.  I first saw her art on an acoustic guitar that she owns.  I was dumbstruck and wanted to see more, so she showed me one of my favorites, entitled "Delirium".  Nene says that she prefers her works to remain untitled most of the time, and that she doesn't even strike the canvas with any deep or "hidden" meaning behind what she builds; in short: no rules, just be free.  Some of her art will be posted below.  Check it out!

 

 

"Delirium"

"Love"

untitled recent piece

Celebrity Highlights - Jason Weems

Thanks to the SGA at South Georgia State College - Waycross Campus, we were graced by the presence of comedian Jason Weems.  From the minute he hit the stage, he was already using the crowd as an available resource for his comedy, something that all artists - comedians, musicians, or otherwise - should use to their advantage.  By doing this, Weems really makes the audience feel like they're part of the show - and we were.

When asked where one student in the front row was from, he replied with, "Scuffletown", which was then made a recurring joke in the gig, along with "Choppa Styles", the "barber shop in the hood", as Weems called it, referring to Knockout Barber Shop in Waycross.

When asked what some of the students' majors were, General Studies became the topic of humor.  Christian Hyers is one such General Studies major.  When asked what he can do, Hyers said that he could rap, dance, and sing, among other talents.  Following this, Jason Weems invited Hyers on stage, where Hyers performed a rap/dance skit with no background music.
Charlie Davis was also picked at a bit for what he was wearing.  As Jason Weems put it: his feet wanted to go to the beach, his legs wanted to fall asleep, his shirt wanted to go to a party, and his head wanted to go to a pub.

The confused one.

Some of the stories and jokes told were about his family and how Weems was adapting to his new role as a parent.  When feeding his two-year-old son chicken nuggets, the child would continuously avoid the nuggets until he finally lost it and slapped his daddy in the face.  According to Weems, it was a moment when you're a little annoyed that your son hit you in the face, but proud at the same time because of the man you're teaching him to grow up to be.

Weems ended the skit with a joke that nearly made me cry.  Weems teaches at an elementary school.  One morning while at his desk, Weems began to peel open his breakfast for the day: a banana.  He said that he felt someone staring at him, as if the person was "burning a hole" into him.  We can all relate, right?  One nervous glance revealed that it was a girl.  Then as he took a bite of his banana, he overheard the girl whisper to her friend, "Ah...  So he is a monkey."
At that moment in time, Weems dismissed it as the simple innocent mind of a little kid.  However, hours later it hit him: Hold up...  That girl was confirming a theory that was previously discussed...  They actually believed beforehand I was a monkey?!

Alas, these stories of mine are never as good as the jokes themselves, and Jason Weems, of course, constructs them in a much better fashion than I did here.  It's just one of those things you had to have been there for...

The SGA with Jason Weems after the show.

On that note, everyone needs to go and check out more of his stuff.  You can visit his comedy website by following the link below:
http://jasonweemscomedy.com/ 

Also, be sure to check out his Facebook page, follow him on Twitter, subscribe to him on YouTube, and if you really like him, buy his products!

We're Off to See the Wizard!

If you haven't seen the Waycross Area Community Theatre's (WACT) production of The Wizard of Oz at the historic Ritz Theatre in downtown Waycross, put it on your to-do list!  In the words of cast member Chris Brown (he plays an Ozian):

I haven't seen this many sellouts on a stage at one time since the Backstreet Boys reunion.

Well, there ya go.  In our performances of the show, each night thus far has been a tremendous success, all sell-outs!  The cast is amazing, the orchestra's adding wonderful music, and the show is completely original, combining different aspects from the original novel with the movie to create our own, unique production of The Wizard of Oz.  You can still catch the show this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and a Sunday matinee at 2:30pm.  To make reservations, call (912) 283-2161.

While you may recognize the familiar "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", sung by our daydreaming heroine, Dorothy Gale (played by Sarah Crutcher) or the familiar march of "We're Off to See the Wizard", you may have not even heard of such creatures as the "Jitterbug" (which is considered a curse word in the orchestra pit by the way ;) ).  Yes, amongst the lions and tigers and bears, the Jitterbugs dominate the stage, even having their own theme song.
Some other differences from the movie include a couple of nods to the original childrens' novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum: the Sorceress Mark (which in the production is placed on the ruby red slippers made famous by the 1939 film), as well as another novel character making his appearance on the stage, the Wicked Witch's (played by Nadine Borrelli) servant, the skeleton Tibia (played by myself), who is responsible for spiriting the famous trio away once they go searching for Dorothy in the Witch's castle.
Finally, I want to tell of something originally in the script that I wish we could've worked in somehow:

Dorothy:  Have you still got the balloon?
Wizard: Balloon?  My dear, no one travels in balloons these days!  I've got something much better than that... something I've worked on for years, just in case I ever needed to go quickly, shall we say...
Dorothy: What is it?
Wizard: An atomic rocket ship! 

That would've been my favorite part of the whole play, but it worked out much better to use the hot air balloon transport; plus, I can't help thinking that it will appeal to those fans who also went to see the recent movie Oz: The Great and Powerful.

Now for some shout-outs (I can't name them all, and don't expect me to either)!  First, the cast:
Sarah Crutcher plays a wonderful Dorothy Gale.  With a voice reminiscent of Judy Garland and her own jubilant attitude in portraying the character, she really gets into Dorothy's shoes, so to speak.  Blake Kildow portrays a very impressive Scarecrow, flopping around the stage in a flexible manner.  Along his quest to find a brain, he demonstrates the presence of knowledge he never knew he had.  Michael Hawkins, with his realistic metallic makeup, really looks to be made of tin.  Adding spunk to compensate for the character's lack of heart, Hawkins never fails to make you laugh.  Speaking of laughter, just wait until Stephen McQuaig makes his grand entrance as the Cowardly Lion.  With a purr here and a snarl there, you never know what to expect from the big guy.  What I can guarantee you is an amazing spine-tingling performance.  Nadine Borrelli plays the Wicked Witch of the West.  With a nasty temper and high hopes to get her hands on Dorothy, we also see the humorous side of the Wicked Witch, the one that can only be played right when Borrelli dons the big hat.  If there's a Wicked Witch, then there's always a Good Sorceress of the North, played by Mellissa Kresal.  With a high-pitched laughter and an ever-present smile on her face, Kresal represents everything the Good Witch stands for and reflects the never-fading good spirits for what the Land of Oz is so famously defined.  I don't believe that we could've ever cast a better Oz than Mark Williams, who has an earth-shattering voice of terror... until he's discovered behind the curtain.  His voice quickly changes from terrible to soothing as he walks our characters through to their final destinations.  Marisa Williams demonstrates her singing prowess as Gloria when she and Dorothy share a beautiful duet in the song "Evening Star."  Debbie Ratliff has a great set of pipes when it comes to playing Dorothy's Auntie Em.  One shout from her is enough to send anyone running home.  The lovely Kim Beck makes her appearance on stage as one of Oz's primary caretakers, Ozmas.  Anita Finn portrays an innocent Oz Lady turned angry as she beats the Cowardly Lion this way and that, accusing him of attacking her.  Chris Brown and Amanda Brown sing, dance, and sweep merrily (and in rhythm) as happy-go-lucky Ozians.  The double-casted roles, including Rem Farr (Munchkin/Ozian Soldier), Joseph Rollins (Flying Monkey/Foremost General), Tye Etheridge (Uncle Henry/Lord Growlie), Michael Lee (Farmhand Joe/Ozian Servant), Jacob Peavy (Flying Monkey/Ozian General), Carson Bennett (Munchkin/Witch), and Niki Simmons (Ozian Soldier/Witch) make great use of each of their characters, playing them all with aplomb.  Finally, we simply cannot have The Wizard of Oz without Dorothy's little dog too, and we have our own little Toto: Paisley McQuaig, an adorable little pup in the family of Stephen and April McQuaig.  While it's only natural to be a bit skittish on stage, Paisley has a tremendous case of stage fright, but does well to cover it up.  She's a great little actress amongst all these unfamiliar faces.

The famous adventurers!

The two Witches!

And the whole cast!

And you know we can't have a musical without an orchestra.  I find it a privilege to be part of both worlds, acting as Tibia on-stage as well as playing percussion in the orchestra.  Kathy Cox steps in as the director as always, and is ever faithful to any and all of WACT's productions.  More returning veterans are Jenny Varnadore (French Horn), also a member of the Waycross Brass; Larry Gattis (trombone), another member of the Waycross Brass; Cyndi Etheridge (keyboards), who is also co-directing the show; and Taylor Hereford (keyboards), also an astounding actor and singer.  New to the pit but not to the stage are Mary Beth Kennedy (clarinet), who will be directing WACT's next production, Driving Miss Daisy; and Seth Altman (clarinet), who has acted in numerous productions before, both at WACT and at Ware County High School.  Other talents include Renee Giedl (flute); Brittany Loftin (trumpet); David Rogers (bass guitar); and (also helping me out on percussion) Matt Knox (trombone).
Speaking of the orchestra, I must give Mr. Willie Character credit for composing an original piece specifically for our theatre, which is played over the speakers before our production every night.  It is a joy to listen to, and every time I always find myself thinking, "This piece just sounds like it was made for theatre."

Finally, we have to thank the people with the vision and those who contributed to that vision: Directors Stanley Sinkfield and Cyndi Etheridge; stage manager Mamie Jackson; Choreographer Kim Moore; helping with mics and sound are Brian Varnadore and Jonathan Daniell; lights manager Brandon McKinnon and Rebecca McKinnon; helping with hair and makeup are Nosheen Choudhri, Tracy Saussy, Anna Wade, and Kayti Jeffords; helping with costumes are Melissa Kresal, Anita Finn, Adeline Wiederman, and Caroline Sanford; chipping in on set construction was David Moore; and, taking care of just about everything else, including poster design and publicity, is Roger Johnson.

I intend for these posts to be short, but I feel like if I give credit to one person I have to give credit to everyone else.  I hope you all come out and share with us a joyous and unforgettable experience! 

Celebrity Highlights - Steve Head of Kopf Percussion

Hey drummers - if you don't recognize this logo, it's high time you learn.  Kopf Percussion builds percussion instruments by hand to insure that you have two key components for your performance: sound and style.  By producing a unique sound and combining it with an environmentally friendly design, Kopf truly sets itself apart from other brands, making it a must-have for anyone who prides him or herself in being a percussionist.     

Kopf Percussion has its business set up in Waycross, GA, at 4064 Pineview Road.  Steve Head is the proud owner of the company, which has attracted much attention from some well-known artist such as Jimmy Lopez, who specializes in world percussion instruments; Rikki Rockett, most famous for being in glam metal band Poison; and JFly, famous jazz percussionist based out of Waycross, who holds his own Jazz Festivals in town every year.

Here's a short video showing one of Kopf's models, the S-Series Slaptop Cajón:

Not limiting themselves to the average cajón, Kopf also makes different variations, such as the Cuban Tumba Cajón and the Cuban Segundo Cajón, each with a different sound.  Kopf also makes stompboxes and various cajón accessories.  If you're interested in learning more, check out their website by following this link:
http://www.kopfpercussion.com/

And be sure to like their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kopf-Percussion/123226751031403

Music Man - The Old Meets the New

 

My friend showed me this neat mash-up today: two of my songs meet in a mash-up, where the old meets the new: The Beatles' "Come Together" is mashed up with Lorde's catchy "Royals".  Check it out!

End It.

Today, I woke up and found a Facebook notification that told me I was invited to this event called "End It Movement."  This was its description:

Today is the day! Draw a red X on your hand to show that you want to see the end of slavery! Did you know that there are 27 million people in the world today who are still salves to others? Men, women, and children everywhere are being forced into unpaid labor and sex trafficking all over the globe, even in the heart of our nation. Make the difference. Draw the red X on your hand to show that you want to end slavery. When someone asks about it, tell them about the 27 million and invite then to join the cause! Take a picture of your X and send it to your favorite social media site tagged with #enditmovement. Drawing attention to it doesn't fix the problem, bit the problem can't be fixed without first bringing it to light.

Stuff like this is a really creative way to get the word out there for a great cause.  And it's small things, simple things, like drawing a red "X" on your hand.  Doing things like this will surely arouse peoples' curiosity.  People today would glance at my hand and ask what the symbol meant.  It's kind of like when somebody gets a tattoo, it draws peoples' attention and they ask for the meaning behind it.  Let's all fight for this cause, to end slavery in all forms, whether it be of race, sex, or otherwise.

#enditmovement

 

Random Ramblings

We're all different.  It's just that simple.  Yet we as human beings find some little thing to quarrel about like difference in race or difference in color when in fact, our differences should be used as tools to help us find that really, we're not so different.

My current major is in Psychology, but I've recently been thinking about becoming a teacher someday, probably teaching elementary or middle school.  Something every good teacher has made me aware of is that a teacher has the power to make or break a child.  A first impression is everything, and what you say as a teacher really counts in the long run.  Using your words and your position, you have the power to push a child farther in life or to shatter his or her dreams.  I want to do the former.  I want to teach children that they can be anything they want to be and they do not, under any circumstance, have to fall under the status-quo.  I don't care if they want to be a doctor, a lawyer, an actor, or a film director.  If you believe with all your heart that you have the power to do something, go for it.  Do not be lazy.  Fight for your dream with everything you have.  Education is the key.  It can open doors.  While college may not be "for everybody", I encourage anyone to go the extra mile and earn their degree no matter how long it takes them.

In my Topics in Diversity class today, we discussed America's flawed historical perspective on the Indians, mainly focusing on cinema.  For example, "Cowboys and Indians" is a huge chunk of American culture.  Back in the 1950s, Western films and television shows dominated the media; however, they were also severely historically inaccurate.  Cinema cast the Indians as the enemy and the cowboys as the heroes of the western frontier when, really, it was the other way around.  In order to appeal to American audiences, the film companies ignored and completely overlooked the sufferings of the Native Americans, making it seem like they "politely stepped aside" so we could take their land.  Although America is getting better at showing more historically accurate truths, we still need to abandon our old rituals of prejudice that still exist to this day.

On top of what we studied in Diversity, I also saw something interesting in my Intro. to Human Development class tonight: an experiment done by an ordinary third-grade teacher around the time of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death.  She wasn't a psychologist nor was she a psychiatrist.  She wasn't even teaching a psychology class; no, she was an ordinary third-grade teacher who went down in history because she did an experiment in her all-white class, showing them the realistic results of discrimination.
Dividing the class into two groups, the "blue eyes" and the "brown eyes", she proceeded to tell the class that individuals with blue eyes are superior to individuals with brown eyes.  After a bit of discussion on the matter, she released the children for recess.  During those fifteen minutes, the "blue eyes" had a different mindset: "We are superior to the 'brown eyes.'"  Name-calling and mild tussling ensued during recess just because of the superior mindset that defines prejudice and discrimination.  I'll post the video below.
(Note: the "n" word is used once in this video as a means for the children to understand discrimination.  If this offends, you may leave this post.)

On another note, I want to make it clear that I am in no form or fashion a supporter of racism, prejudice, or discrimination.  This is a point I want to stress on students if I do, in fact, become a teacher in the future.  Because of society (and in some cases, their parents' beliefs and ideals), children break off from each other at a certain stage of their childhood and begin to form groups.  Usually, mocking aimed at the different groups begin to ensue after this.  Although this is a natural part of growing up and being a child, I want to discourage this behavior and activity as much as possible.  The sooner the next generation can learn that we can live in harmony despite our differences, the better off we'll all be.