East Side Storytellin’ 23: Where Nashville’s art Bulb turned on paint & poetry for @artobernash’s sake!

Once again, sitting at my desk at the bookstore, East Side Story, days after the show you are about to read about and listen to, I am still amazed at all of the fun we are having for East Side Storytellin’ two times a month!  If you haven’t been to a live show yet, shame on you.  Lucky for all of us, there is another chance to see the show- posted details way down below.

But first, let me have fun recapping the evening that made up East Side Storytellin’ 23.  I was extra excited about this particular show because it was highlighted as one of the major kickoff events to @ArttoberNash (aka Art + October + Nashville = a month long extravaganza of events to celebrate all of the wonderful art going on around our beloved city this day and age.  I wasn’t the one that highlighted this show so … it was Metro Arts in their Arts Alert email, in fact.  That said, this show was yet another first for fun’s sake.

To start the show, I had my first duo of authors in one night and collaboration.  These two guys burst onto the local literary scene not too long ago, but have been working creatively around the area for years.  I first heard about them because of our mutual friend who works in film and music who turned me onto their Kickstarter link for the featured book during the process and hopes that it would become a book.  It was hands down the best Kickstarter I have seen to date, and I wasn’t alone in thinking so.  They were successful in reaching their goal to make their books, and they haven’t stopped since.  You can see the original Kickstarter here-

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/359960129/subjects-with-objects-volume-i

The featured book is titled “Subjects with Objects,” and the featured guests who made the book are DKM and Jonathan Richter.

Although both of these guys, DKM being the poet and Richter being the painter of the group, are well accustomed to creating art in front of large groups of people, seldom has either took to a stage to talk about their work.  They said after the fact that they probably should have prepared more for the occasion, but I loved everything they said.  Being such a unique art concept, it was awesome to see the dynamic the two had already built up together naturally while playing off of each other’s words and thoughts behind the project.  Comedic potential aside, there were a few moments that I absolutely adored witnessing that one person would say something about their intentions during the project and the other was hearing these revelations for the first time and fully appreciating them as well.  It was simple, touching, and powerful … much like the overall book project featured in general.  You can hear more that the two had to say about art and the project specifically in the link below.  I don’t want to spoil your attentive appetite as you go through this post.

After the authors took a seat with a round of applause, it gave me a chance to reveal to the crowd (not really radio worthy) that Richter was going to do a live painting of the musical performance and evening from the back.  Richter went to work and I was honored to introduce their friends that make up the band Bulb.  Comprised of Jake Larson, Randy Lancaster, Brian Reed, and Todd Greene for the evening, and missing out on two others busy for the night in Anthony Doling and Sarah Masen, Bulb took to the stage and made the most of the small space for four to rock.

On top of being a Nashville-based rock band that has been writing and playing together since 2001, with nearly 24 self-produced and recorded albums, and recently releasing their latest album called “The Power to Charm,” I found it interesting and the cool connection between the two that Bulb’s lead man, Todd Greene, was a graduate of SCAD and a working visual artist as well as a music man.  I know that most people come to Nashville and aren’t very surprised to find most baristas and servers as full-time musicians, but I love the fact that more often than not I’m discovering so many other part-time workers and musicians being full-time painters and visual artists these days.  It definitely fits the @ArtoberNash theme for the evening and all of the great things are city is doing not on the national radar.

Back to the show, Bulb took to the stage and rocked through a handful of creative songs that blended everyone’s talents for another amazing night to be had by all present.  There were beautiful stories in between, mixed with humor, talented vocals and musicianship, and just a great group of people to be around.  I was happy to be surrounded by such positive minds yet again.

After the music stopped, we talked for a bit all together to close the night off right with conversational dessert.  I’ll once again not spoil your meal and let you take a listen to the link right here below this sentence of the entire show edited down to an hour for your delight to enjoy and share around the internets as you wish.

HERE is the show in its edited form.  ENJOY!

https://soundcloud.com/eastsidestorytn/sets/east-side-storytellin-23-10-1 

Now, with that show in the bag, get ready for our next show to be had.  I’m over the moon excited to announce that the next show is going to be our 1st Annual Halloween-ish themed show so you can all dress up in your best costumes if you really want to be a part of this special occasion.

The NEXT East Side Storytellin’ event will be …

Date- Tuesday, October 15th, 2013

Time- 7 pm sharp (Central)

Location- Mad Donna’s (1313 Woodland Street)- http://maddonnas.com

Need information or details about Mad donna’s, call 615-226-1617.  Otherwise it is first come, first available seats.

Who will be featured- music by Old Hazelwood (http://www.misterhazelwood.com/old-hazelwood/) and the author being the best spooky storyteller/writer in Nashville in that of Betsy Phillips (author of “A City of Ghosts” – http://betsyphillips.net).

Before I let you go for now, I’d like to give a quick set of THANK YOU’s to a few people who helped make East Side Storytellin’ 23 happen.

–Emily Frances Harper Beard (www.efharper.com), I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without your heart, help, and support … I can’t say that or that I loves you enough.

–Tom Eizonas, for recording these shows and helping make everyone, especially me, sound great to everyone who comes to the shows and listens to the links afterwards.  You always put a lot of heart and soul into the shows too.

–DKM & Jonathan Richter (www.rabbitroom.com/2013/070rr-interview-subjects-with-objects-co-author-dkm/), for sharing your thoughts on art and creativity, your mad-poet skills, your mad painting skills, and for showing people to think outside of the typical creative canvas to make your ideas a reality.  I am truly inspired by your collaboration and individual works.

– Bulb (http://bulbband.com), for taking time out of your busy lives to give our show your music and love for entertaining others.  You played like a band of brothers and I enjoyed every second of it.  I look forward to the next collaboration with Bulb & East Side Story sooner than later if willing.

To the people of Mad donna’s, thank you for giving us the perfect setting for the growth of this show.  I foresee great things and events happening in the near future due to this new relationship.

That is all for this round.  Hope to see y’all soon!