UPDATE (02.23.06)--DJs at the Park, R Kelley Writers Workshop, Booking Notes

THURSDAY CRUNCH DEADLINE TIME. Imagine daily papers checkin' out fastbreaking news before 6pm deadline, TV newsrooms drowning in an aquarium of nicotine smoke amidst endless brainstorm chatter--everybody's stressed out, everybody's focused, everybody's workin'. It's just another day in the office, tomorrow they'll do that again. I know the feeling.

It's fast, it's relentless, it's very demanding--but I loved the feeling.This time, there is no 6pm deadline to beat on a 7/24 basis. But still--my madman work motto goes, "If you dont have anything to do, dont do it here." This week is my crunch time for The Indie's March issue.With that, here's a few VERY significant Updates.

[ ] A bit of a shake-up with the "Bonfires for Peace at Pritchard Park, Year 3's" kickoff event this April. The FINAL date of the first concert-event is APRIL 15. And it will solely be a Goa Trance DJ afternoon-to-evening of nonstop spinning/dancing, featuring Chris Johnson AKA Kri, and his Touch Samadhi deejay buddies. From about 2 or 3pm till 10pm, expect no bands or singer-songwriters, just DJs. In 2004, Kri and Blue Spectral Monkey performed for "Bonfires for Peace" in two well-attended occasions. We also did two or three (Core Pad/Carolina Lane, Tribes/Haywood St) joint fundraise events with Chris J and friends in 2003 and 2005. (Part of the donations proceeds go to Heidi Sidelinker's impending wrist surgery. Heidi played for "Bonfires for Peace" in 2004.)

[ ] The May "Bonfires" happen on May 6. The lineup--Brooklyn NY-based singer-songwriters Adrienne Nightingale and Malcolm Rollick, NJ-based eleven-piece funk/R&B band Blue Number Nine (www.bluenumbernine.com), and local blues luminary The Laura Blackley Band as main event. Ms Nightingale and Ms Rollick will also do coffeeshop/gallery gigs for The Bonfires/Rain Mngmnt on May 3 and 4; Blue Number Nine gets to play party gig at a local dance club on the evening of May 6 or 7, they'll be doing an early morning spot in a musicfest in Charleston SC on May 6. [Other BforP commitments--Raleigh NC-based Sally Spring (June), Frisco singer-songwriter Deborah Crooks (Aug). Other reserved BforP dates--June 10, July 1, Aug 5, Sept 2. NOTE: Those who signified participation in succeeding events, pls let me know exact date/s that you plan to join].

[ ] There will be a slight (or is minor?) change in regards the performance details of the visiting N a Sonje from Haiti. They realized they couldnt do an open-air/outdoor show so we are currently rush-looking for an alternative indoor venue. And they can only perform on April 14. They are currently in Denver. They will be traveling (land) from Richmond VA to Asheville on April 13. Glenis Redmond and Shannon Warwick offered to accommodate the visitors... (More on this later.)

[ ] REJOINDER/s. The Traveling Bonfires or Rain Management (or myself and Marta The Nicer) are not managing any local act at this juncture. My apologies for the premature announcements. Meantime, we have already sent out the remaining (local acts) presskits to several cafes and clubs in Asheville. We are currently awaiting word in regards that last batch of booking submissions... (I do accept CDs for Indie review though, and future bookings or simply to include in our roster of bands/acts.)

Meanwhile, focal point of booking efforts is the spring to summer/fall "Bonfires for Peace at Pritchard Park" and occasional Courtyard special shows. Our current mode of booking goes, hence--(1) opening act or share-gig/bill with a visiting act acquired/networked by The Bonfires/Rain Management (right now, we have ample list of local acts to choose from, mostly those who have already performed with The Bonfires or featured in The Indie's "rock street asheville" section), (2) local acts who seek to hit the road, but we can only arrange/orchestrate gigs/bookings only if acts provide us with CD/demos, presskit, website or webpage (sonicbids, myspace etc), and most importantly, DEFINITE DATES when they plan to hit the road or play in certain region/cities/towns (eg last week of June, 3rd weekend of May, and so on and so forth).

Aside from the (visiting) acts above, we are currently hooking up road gigs to 17 other singer-songwriters/bands--mostly from out of state--in consonance with the Vagrant Wind road tour project from March to October.No, I am NOT hitting the road (as we relentlessly did in 2004/2005) -- I am simply hooking gigs up via emails and phones, while Marta and Rain Mngmnt/The Bonfires links and connects up north (and elsewhere) seal them up. Although I may go to New York in June or July on personal and business purpose/s and to supervise a Long Island NY collaborative Bonfires concert (with Maria Lapachet), and an Asian-American band showcase in downtown Manhattan (for Philippine landslide/typhoon victims).

[ ] Robert Kelley's Tuesday writers workshop has begun their first Courtyard session last Tuesday, the 21st. Most of his regulars -- Walter Dinteman, Alphonse Fazio, Rena Wright, Jim Cox, Karen Nilsen -- contribute to Wander.[ ] Jim Cox (Wander contributor) suggested a writing competition fundraise for "Loved by the Buffalo Publications;" Siobhan Clarke (Dublin, Ireland) and Anne Chenault (Lyons, France) are currently organizing a poetry reading benefit for Philippine landslide victims...

That's it! SALUT!
--Pasckie