Jaap Blonk + playback, a poetry reading

Posted on May 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

I’m participating in this here upcoming AB series event —

Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 7:30pm
National Arts Centre – Fourth Stage hosted by Alan Neal
Tickets available at the National Arts Centre Box Office.
For more information see: http://abseries.org/node/212

Jaap Blonk
Renowned sound poet and musical vocalist, Jaap Blonk returns to Ottawa for an exclusive A B Seriesengagement. Blonk is a unique figure known internationally for his powerful stage presence. He has performed all over Europe, as well as in the USA, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa and Latin America.On May 25, Blonk presents a live version of Antonin Artaud‘s To Have Done With the Judgement of God (translated by Clayton Eshleman). This work was commissioned by BBC Radio and premiered in London, England in November 2010. It includes sound poetry by Artaud with Blonk’s variations and electronic sound.
 
As an opening act, the A B Series presents playback, a poetry reading. In this piece, Christine McNair, Sean Moreland, Glenn Nuotio, Carmel Purkis, Sandra Ridley and Grant Wilkins read, reconfigure and respond to artist Michèle Provost’s exhibition, playlist. You can listen to the March 4, 2011 interview with the Playback artists which aired on CKCU radio.

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Posted in instructions

did you know how much?

Posted on May 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

I See a Darkness – Bonnie Prince Billy

 

well you’re my friend
(it’s what you told me)
and can you see
(what’s inside of me)
many times
we’ve been out drinking
and many times
we’ve shared our thoughts
but did you ever, ever notice
the kind of thoughts I got
well you know I have a love
a love for everyone I know
and you know I have a drive
to live I won’t let go
but can you see its opposition
comes a-rising up sometimes
that it’s dreadful and position
comes blacking in my mind
and that I see a darkness
and that I see a darkness
and that I see a darkness
and that I see a darkness
and did you know how much I love you
is a hope that somehow you you
can save me from this darkness
well I hope that someday, buddy
we have peace in our lives
together or apart
alone or with our wives
that we can stop our whoring
and pull the smiles inside
and light it up forever
and never go to sleep
my best unbeaten brother
this isn’t all I see

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Posted in elegies

Messagio Galore take VIII mukluk

Posted on May 16, 2011 | Leave a comment


photo by rob mclennan

event report by rob mclennan: http://robmclennan.blogspot.com/2011/05/messagio-galore-take-viii-event-report.html

Amanda Earl’s comments on WritersFestival highlights: http://amandaearl.blogspot.com/2011/05/wore-down-trust-fest-highlights.html

John W. MacDonald’s photo of jwcurry: http://weblog.johnwmacdonald.com/2011/05/jwcurry-messagio-galore-viii.html

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Posted in diversions

practice when there’s no practice: Messagio Galore take VIII

Posted on April 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

 

Ages since I’ve been able to update the blog, worn out by all the Many Whatsits. Currently knee deep in practices for Messagio Galore take VIII. It’s part of the Ottawa International Writers Festival on Sunday May 2nd (2pm, Mayfair Theatre).

You can a description for the previous Messagio Galore here, which includes links about previous incarnations. There’s also a round-up of reviews and blogposts here.

For fun, thought I’d list off some of the stuff that I’ve been watching or listening to over the past year or so when I’m not practicing at john’s house. We started practices for Messagio Take VII, in April 2010, perhaps? Even when we’re not practicing: we’re practicing.

Lots of Mary Margaret O’Hara. I like how she tosses her voice around and chirps and I have tried to flourish some of that.

“Don’t Be Afraid” Mary Margaret O’Hara

Bulgarian singing. John turned me on to this. I’ve bought a few albums and he played me a tape accompanying the Musicworks magazine (#44) featuring bpNichol/Schwitters and Bulgarian singing. He introduced me this form of singing as a way of trying to get me to sing certain pieces with a more open throat. Particularly the flourish that I had to do in “Mescal Rite”. My first exposure was when he played me Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares. The ninth song on the album, “Sableyalo Mi Agontze”, isn’t online but it’s my favourite. Tears my guts out and I nearly always cry when I hear it. I subsequently wandered through the youtubeisms and through other online videos and into other regional varieties of the same.

“Malka Moma” Mystere de Voix Bulgares
“Lale li si Zumbiul li si” Galina Durmushliiska
“Not Sure, Шопска Китка ” Singers not attributed in English
“Title not Listed” Mystere de Voix Bulgares
“Zaidi Zaidi jasno slance” Iva Davidova

Random assortment of things. Inuit singing when I was playing with running overtones and undertones and minimidtones, mainly within the privacy of my own home, to the concern of my furniture. The original Robert Ashley piece that was the basis for what we’ve tried with “She Was a Visitor” in the previous take. Four Horsemen.

Inuit Throat Singers, Ottawa 2008
Inuit Throat Singing, Aryaut and Aniksak
“She Was a Visitor” Robert Ashley
From “Poetry in Motion” Four Horsemen

There’s also a boatload of sound and video files at UBUWeb that I meander through. And there’s Penn Sound. And Google hunting.

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Posted in diversions, instructions

Kroetsch Award shortlist

Posted on March 1, 2011 | 1 comment

Uber-pleased to be a finalist along with my co-Ottawans: Amanda Earl, Pearl Pirie, and Sandra Ridley for the Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry.

Pearl did a neat list with links of all the finalists.

* update: hurrah for Pearl who takes the ribbon! I’m much looking forward to her book: http://snarebooks.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/the-2011-robert-kroetsch-award-goes-to-pearl-pirie/

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Posted in Uncategorized

post-messagio mukluk

Posted on February 7, 2011 | Leave a comment

performance of She Was a Visitor, photo by rob mclennan

Messagio Galore (take VII) was much fun. I found the experience draining but exhilarating. I was ridiculously proud of us as a group, an entity, a coven, a cabal. I particularly loved the version of “She Was A Visitor“. Loved passing back high notes and hearing the soundscape wobble and working with an even larger group of friends. Quite pleased that I did not pass out or cough during “Artikulation”. Video recording indicates that I was sufficiently loud. Even VERY LOUD at points.

You can check out John W. MacDonald’s grouped photo of the event here. Also, rob mclennan and Pearl Pirie recorded their impressions of the event here and here. Much thanks to all three and to all who attended.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Messagio Galore is next week! Other things!

Posted on January 14, 2011 | Leave a comment

This week is a special kind of madness as Messagio Galore take VII draws near. I strongly recommend you show up if you’re in the Ottawa environs. Invite your friends! Drag strangers in to the reading while gesturing and/or offering them candy!

I’m still plugging away at the cartwheel chapbook anthology thing. I’m aiming to have it done like dinner for March. Reining in the dream machine.

I had a goodish time at my Voices of Venus reading on Tuesday. Metro Ottawa  had a Metro Minute listing for the show. I panicked and sent them a fairly awkward looking photo of me at a Peking duck restaurant in Beijing. Someone kindly picked up some print copies of the Metro in question for me and my Mum.

It was a good audience and the organisers were sweet. They made a quite nice looking poster using Charles Earl’s photograph of me.  I took one of the posters from the cafe wall after the reading.  Amanda Earl said some nice things about the reading on her literary blog.  I was able to spend time with some of my favourite people. Good all around really.  Nervy with lucky.

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Posted in instructions

Messagio Galore take VII: January 23, 2011

Posted on December 30, 2010 | 4 comments

an evening of sound poetry (& similar)
focussing on extended works & miniatures

featuring the voices of
jwcurry, Lesley Marshall, Christine McNair, Alastair Larwill, Grant Wilkins

reading work by:
Antonin Artaud
jwcurry
Alastair Larwill
bpNichol
Tomahawk
Robert Ashley
don sylvester houédard
Sam Loyd
Michèle Provost
Richard Truhlar
bob cobbing
Ernst Jandl
Franz Mon
Rob Read
Frank Zappa

Doors open at 7:00 pm, reading at 7:30 pm. $15 at the door (facebook invite)

Interview on December 23, 2010 with jwcurry about the upcoming performance (CKCU Literary Landscapes with Christine McNair): literary-landscapes-jw-curry

previous Messagio Galore readings:
Amanda Earl’s review of Messagio Galore take VI (2009)
Charles Earl’s photos from Messagio Galore take VI (2009) here and here
Pearl Pirie on Messagio Galore take VI (2009)
rob mclennan on Messagio Galore take VI (2009)
Messagio Galore photo gallery on AB series site
John W. MacDonald’s photo of Messagio Galore take V (2008)
Pearl Pirie’s post on Messagio Galore take V (2008)
Dee Shanger’s website for Messagio Galore  take IV (2007)
John W. MacDonald’s blog post on Messagio Galore (2005)
rob mclennan’s blog post on Messagio Galore (2005)

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Posted in Uncategorized

rise (By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept)

Posted on December 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

 

“Under the redwood tree my grave was laid, and I beguiled my true love to lie down. The stream of our kiss put a waterway around the world, where love like a refugee sailed in the last ship. My hair made a shroud, and kept the coyotes at bay while we wrote our cyphers with anatomy. The winds boomed triumph, our spines seemed overburdened, and our bones groaned like old trees, but a smile like a cobweb was fastened across the mouth of the cave of fate.

Fear will be a terrible fox at my vitals under my tunic of behaviour.

Oh, canary, sing out in the thunderstorm, prove your yellow pride. Give me a reason for courage or a way to be brave. But nothing tangible comes to rescue my besieged sanity, and I cannot decipher the code of the eucalyptus thumping on my roof.

I am unnerved by the opponents of God, and God is out of earshot. I must spin good ghosts out of my hope to oppose the hordes at my window. If those who look in see me condescend to barricade the door, they will know too much and crowd in to overcome me.

The parchment philosopher has no traffic with the night, and no conception of the price of love. With smoky circles of thought he tries to combat the fog, and with anagrams to defeat anatomy. I posture in vain with his weapons, even though I am balmed with his nicotine herbs.

Moon, moon, rise in the sky to be a reminder of comfort and the hour when I was brave.”

— Elizabeth Smart (By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept)

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Posted in instructions

it can happen to anyone

Posted on December 6, 2010 | 1 comment

male or female or straight or same-sex or or or or or or or or.

SIGNS THAT YOU’RE IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
Your Inner Thoughts and Feelings
Your Partner’s Belittling Behavior
Do you:
  • feel afraid of your partner much of the time?
  • avoid certain topics out of fear of angering your partner?
  • feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
  • believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
  • wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?
  • feel emotionally numb or helpless? 
Does your partner:
  • humiliate or yell at you?
  • criticize you and put you down?
  • treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
  • ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
  • blame you for his own abusive behavior?
  • see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?
Your Partner’s Violent Behavior or Threats
Your Partner’s Controlling Behavior
Does your partner:
  • have a bad and unpredictable temper?
  • hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you? 
  • threaten to take your children away or harm them?
  • threaten to commit suicide if you leave?
  • force you to have sex?
  • destroy your belongings?
Does your partner:
  • act excessively jealous and possessive?
  • control where you go or what you do?
  • keep you from seeing your friends or family?
  • limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
  • constantly check up on you?
http://helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs_causes_effects.htm

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Posted in instructions