Take one. Pass it on.
There was a time
when cultures listened to their poets. Today we mostly listen to that glowing electric box waiting to be impressed by a good marketing campaign,
while corporations fornicate with
politicians outside our windows and
our poets hustle street corners for any upturned ear's simple acceptance
of their dying craft.
In a talent-filled city with no major record label and no nationally-renown artists who
remain local; where the top free weekly shows apt attention to renown money-earning out-of-town acts, yet side-glances struggling local artists under shaded what-have-you-done-for-us-lately lenses, Jack Wilson would rather attempt to emerge with his words on
the lips of this city's people, instead of in its marginal press coverage.
Nikki Allen would rather hold a feast on
aorta and truth than spoon-feed you whatever regular
you've ordered from the menu. It is our intent that you will not see this in the City Paper. Our flyers do
not have any approving symbols of Pittsburgh's cultural elite, nor have we
submitted our work to strangers for their general
approval and/or financial blessing -
though we are not necessarily bitter!
We are
simply asking sincerely that those of
you whom have experienced and believe
in what we regularly present in this
city by way of our art, please spread the word that
interpreted pieces of our insides will soon be displayed through craft. [Text
below; flyers attached].
On
Friday, October 8th, 2004 from 8pm-9pm at the Shadow Lounge in East
Liberty, DJ Brewer (aka Jack Wilson) and Nikki Allen will debut
LOF, a series of collages
and photography comprised through the eyes of two of Pittsburgh's emerging
spoken word poets. Pop imagery: the unavoidable void. Nikki Allen regurgitates
the pop gloss into a kaleidoscopic visual commentary collage, adding her unique
vision and creative discipline. DJ Brewer knows
he's cheating by using a digital
camera to capture angles of the everyday, simply
to fulfill the growing joy of his
favorite hobby. He wishes he was a true
photographer, apologizes, and hopes that
you will simply view the final product as his creative offering. LOF runs until the end of October. The opening reception will offer hors d'oeuvres and refreshments, while featuring music
which inspired the visual work. www.alarmclockcollective.org/lof
The sky
is falling and Jack Wilson doesn't know whether to fight,
forge, forage, or go fish. So he's teamed up with fellow bohéme (producer and
stunning visual artist) Noel Hefele, to lay it down for the
masses with only a few loaves of breadth and some faith in their message.
Born bastard to a culture due to skin of a
different color, Jack Wilson keeps the flame of hip-hop hot inside a bundle of countless layered influences and has set off on a
scattered spoken pilgrimage, dwelling not on lofty thoughts of prodigal return. His name is taken from the
European alias of the native holy man Wovoka (whose words inspired the infamous
'Ghost Dance' which preceded and influenced the slaughter at Wounded Knee) and
not the Pirates' shortstop. Jack, who has
performed as part of First Fridays on Penn Ave., at "wordsswordswords" at the
Lava Lounge on the South Side, and has most recently opened for Ursula Rucker at
the Shadow Lounge, will be releasing his first handful of studio tracks as an
E.P. entitled "Bridge City Bigtop", after one of the disc's
tracks, from 9pm-10pm at the Lounge, following the gallery
reception. Also featuring production by Omega One of NYC and SelfEv of NJ, with
additional poetic verses by Nikki Allen
and Noel Hefele. Mp3 sound samples from
the E.P., as well as internet purchasing
options, will be available on Oct.
2nd at: www.alarmclockcollective.org/jackwilson
These events will comprise the first half of the
weekly Hip-Hop Café Series. Admission is
$5 from 8-10pm and $8 thereafter. (18+ byob $2
cork fee). An open-mic with host Hutch and live band
The Rain will follow from 10pm-2am.
The Shadow Lounge is located at 5972 Baum Blvd. in East Liberty
(412-363-8277) and is the hottest place to see a show up close and cozy
this side of the Mississippi. Thank you to our good friend
Justin Strong at the Shadow Lounge for allowing this to be
possible. As of now, the alarmclockcollective is simply a term loosely
associated with the product and production of the two artists listed above, for
the sake of making it sound official.