Standing Room Only

The other day, Cindy Gaspardo (our ever awesome manager of performing arts), was chatting with Amybeth Maurer, director of ECC Student Life (and also ever awesome), about some of our upcoming acts and we found out something pretty cool. It turns out that 7 years ago ECC Student Life  booked our upcoming act Miller (then called the Clayton Miller Band) to play in ECC’s Hub. Since that was back in 2004, that means that L.D. Miller, the harmonica playing prodigy in the band who is now 17, was just 10. That also means that the band was here two years before L.D. and his brother Cole came into the public eye when they placed second on the 2006 season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent. Pretty cool, right? Well, that’s not all, because Amybeth had pictures:

Miller performs in the ECC Arts Center Club on February 25-26, 2011. For more information, call 847-622-0300 or click here. 

Hello friends of the Arts Center! It’s that time of year again where we begin looking for artists for next season. 2011-2012 season booking is underway and we’d like your feedback. The below survey is a list of artist possibilities. Vote for the artists that you are 99% sure that you would purchase tickets to see at the ECC Arts Center. Your opinion is important to us so a) please be honest and b) please vote!   

Thanks for your help!

Guest blogger Stu Ainsworth and Beth Lawniczak performing in American Grands in 2009

This month we welcome guest blogger Stu Ainsworth to Standing Room Only. Stu has been part of American Grands, the piano event that has become an area triadition, since the beginning and even has a copy of its very first poster. In his words American Grands started as “a single concert presented on February 4, 1995….now sixteen years later some things have changed; others remain relatively constant.” 

“American Grands celebrates its 16th consecutive year on January 29, 2011. Over the years a number of things have remained constant: Jon Mortensen, percussion, has been involved for all 16 concerts. Colin Holman and Larry Dieffenbach have been at 15 of the 16 concerts. Larry has served as Artistic Director for the past eight years. While the number of supporting piano teachers has more than tripled, many have guided participating students for all 16 years: Deborah Ayotte, Hope Grote, Marie Mancini, Gail Wright, and David Kellen to name a few.

For its first seven years the “Monster Piano Concerts” were presented in Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles. In 2001, American Grands moved to its current venue: the Blizzard Theatre at Elgin Community College. Beginning with only one concert, the number of concerts was increased to three, as the number of participating musicians has increased to over 500 in 2011.

The founding chairman was Ms. Kathy Basil. Proceeds from all performances held in St. Charles were donated to support the St. Charles Art and Music Festival. Today, all proceeds support programs presented in the Elgin Community College Arts Center.

Little has changed in the music performed, other than addition of several selections suited for the capabilities of the youngest participating pianists. Each concert concludes with Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” during which all players process proudly into the auditorium…to the thunderous applause of families and friends.”

American Grands XVI will take place January 29, 2011 at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at tickets.elgin.edu  or by calling 847-622-0300.

Hi, Elgin Community College.  My name is Kurt Chiang, I am a Neo-Futurist of Chicago, Illinois.  For the uninitiated, the Neos are a group of theatrical writer/performer/directors that have been producing work for over 20 years, mostly in the context of Chicago’s longest-running show, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind: 30 Plays in 60 Minutes. We are coming to the ECC Arts Center on Saturday, December 11, at 7:30pm.  We’ll see you there.  To give you a taste of what we do, the fine folks at the Arts Center asked us to write a play for this blog.  I took up the task.  I hope you enjoy it, as much as anyone can enjoy a play on a blog.  See you Saturday. . .

Neo-Hyper-Linked: or, If You Peruse the Entirety of This Interactive Play, Then You Have Spent Much Too Much Time on the Internet, and You Should Put Some Clothes On and Come Support Real, Actual, LIVE THEATER Saturday, December 11 at 7:30pm, at the Elgin Community College Arts Center
written by Kurt Chiang, 2010

Kurt:  Hello, audience member.
You: (answer.)
Kurt:  How are you?
You: (answer.)
Kurt:  Feeling okay?
You:  (answer.)
Kurt:  Great.  Listen– I can’t assume that you are actually answering aloud right now.  Maybe it would work better on the Google Chat, or the Instant Messenger (can I write those things without getting sued?)
You:  (answer.)
Kurt:  Stop it.  I know you’re not speaking.  Just like when you write “LOL.”  I know you are not laughing, much less are you laughing “out loud.”
You:  You’re cranky.
Kurt:  Stop that!
You:  You sound like an old man.  What are you, 80 years old?
Kurt:  Stop!
You:  Is every Neo-Futurist this old and cranky and Internet-hating, like you?  Because if you are–
Kurt:  –I am only 29–
You:  –if you are, I’m staying at home to watch re-runs of “Chuck” on Hulu.–
Kurt:  — Okay, “A,” that show is weird, “B,” I’m going to make the rest of this a monologue so that we can both get on with our lives.  Look, what I want to say is that I can’t make you get off the computer to come see us.  I myself have a day job where I spend more than half of my life at a computer.  And then I go home and check my fantasy sports team for hours. I understand.  It’s the 21st century.  The world is at our fingertips.

What I can do, however, is invite you to empower yourself, and visit us here, and here.  Not here, nor here.  But here, and here.  You can learn about us, spy on us, become friends with us, do whatever it is you want to do with us (within legal limits).  And, hopefully, by the end, you want to see us.  It is your choice, as it should be.  We just hope you choose correctly.

(pause.) You:  Can I say something?
Kurt:  Yes.
You:  That was very sweet.
Kurt:  Thanks.
You:  I’ll consider coming to the show.
Kurt:  Thanks.
You:  Is there a reason your play is so sentimental for being an advertising stunt?
Kurt:  Yes there is.  You see, today is my birthday.
You:  Well, Happy Birthday, Kurt.
Kurt:  Quit being so narcissistic.
You:  You caught me.

CURTAIN.

(p.s.– still don’t understand what we do?  We’re hosting workshops Thursday, Dec 9.  Look here for information.)

We’re excited to have Civic Ballet of Chicago’s Nutcracker return to the Blizzard Theatre this December. This particular production has a really interesting and enduring local history. Premiering in 1965, in the Arie Crown Theatre in McCormick Place, this production played for 31 years and has since been revived by the Civic Ballet of Chicago in other Chicago-area venues. This staging of the classic holiday ballet was choreographed by acclaimed Chicago dancer and choreographer Ruth Page.

Born in Indianapolis in 1899, Ruth Page relocated to Chicago to study dance and went on to become a legendary force of the Chicago dance world. She enjoyed an extensive performance career, dancing throughout the world with a variety of companies. She even performed at the coronation ceremonies of Emperor Hirohito in Tokyo, Japan. A dancer of diverse interests and talents, Page performed with classical ballet companies, avante-garde companies and German expressionist modern dancers.

Page became an acclaimed choreographer and teacher later in her career. For over 60 years, Page worked extensively at founding and developing Chicago-based dance companies. Today her legacy includes the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, located on N. Dearborn St. in Chicago, which houses a school of dance and a performing arts center.

Ruth Page’s legecy continues with Civic Ballet of Chicago’s loving restaging of her original Nutcracker choreography. Founded by two members of the Ruth Page Company, Larry Long and Dolores Lipinski Long, the Civic Ballet of Chicago traces its history directly back to the Chicago dance icon and is in-residence at the Ruth Page Center of the Arts.

With its grand sets, costumes and full-length realization of Clara’s journey to a magical holiday land, Page’s Nutcracker is literally the production generations of Chicagoans grew up watching and now a whole new generation can share in the experience.

The Civic Ballet of Chicago’s staging of Ruth Page’s Nutcracker will be playing at Elgin Community College on Saturday, December 11 and Sunday, December 12. For more information click here.

For more information on the Civic Ballet of Chicago, visit http://civicballetofchicago.wordpress.com/

For more information on Ruth Page and her legacy, visit http://www.ruthpage.org/

Our website is updated and the new brochure will hit a mailbox near you this week. It’s official: the 2010-2011 season has begun! Yay!

This is the exciting part of the season where we anticipate the artists and events of the year. One early act that stands out is the Celtic band Gaelic Storm. Their sense of fun is unbelievably infectious. Need proof? Watch this video. They had me at the stop-motion Lego people. Another group I’m excited for is NATURALLY 7. I’ve been forwarding their Paris Subway video to pretty much everyone I know for the last month. My personal computer may be responsible for at least 20 of that videos 4 million YouTube hits.

To get a greater sense of this year’s artists, I asked Steve Duchrow, the ECC Arts Center’s Director of Performing Arts, what he thought people should know about the upcoming season. Below he shares his personal experiences and thoughts on some of our upcoming artists.

The arts are about transforming the human spirit, your spirit. We believe artists should engage your passion and present content that is exceptional, relevant and meaningful. We want you telling others about these artists not just tomorrow but for the rest of your life.

Victor Wooten

Artists that will leave you with a sense of wonder no matter where they perform on the planet:

Victor Wooten, Leo Kottke, Howard Levy, Naturally 7, American Place Theatre

A Victor Wooten concert completely alters everything you’ve ever known about the bass. How many people in music history can redefine an instrument when they play it? Not many. He seems to do the unimaginable.  As, music lovers, we all are looking for the next new sound. Well, let me tell you, Victor Wooten’s sound is the next new sound right now, and 200 years from now, he’ll still be regarded as the next new sound. 

I think you should see Leo Kottke before you die.  If you are a musician and/or appreciate the guitar, Leo is in this category. Chet Atkins, Segovia and Les Paul, may they rest in peace, were in that category. Joe Bonamassa, Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck, Kelly Joe Phelps, Sonny Landreth, Tommy Emanuel and a small list of others fall into that category. You don’t get too many chances to witness this style and innovation. It took us four years to get a date with Leo, not because he didn’t want to play here, we just couldn’t get the schedules to line up. I’m thrilled that he’s part of our season.

New artists you absolutely must hear:

Dala, Miller, Hot Club of Detroit, Zili Misik

Dala at the Newport Folk Festival

I wept when I heard Dala’s song “Horses.” How is it that  two people so young could write such a complete and perfect song like this? Unbelievable. They harmonize with that same quality of Emmy Lou Harris and Gillian Welch. David Tamulevich of The Roots Agency manages them and he said  “I’ve been a musician for 30 years and they are such mature performers. I marvel at how they developed their overall skills this so quickly.  Their stage presence and delivery to audiences is just remarkable.” I was so moved by the video for “Horses” and David’s description, I booked them before I heard them sing one note live.

I saw a live performance by Miller in St. Paul last October. I have seen thousands of performances but I rarely remember feeling this much groove from a band. Wow! It felt like that groove was shooting  600 amps of juice through all of us. It was as close to … blues ecstasy as I will ever get. Cole, the drummer wasn’t even using a drum kit. He was perched on top of this wooden beat box pounding like he was trying to evict the devil from inside it. Clayton was just locked in on guitar and LD played harmonica like a runaway freight on speed tossing sparks off the back. They are replicating the same performance here in our club this spring. It’s going to be Big Red Hot Blues in a small space.

Hello, Beatles’ fans. The results are in! Below are the top 30 Beatles’ songs chosen by YOU  in our last two polls. Vote for your hands-down favorite Beatles’ song and help us determine American English’s no. 1 requested song!

We won’t be announcing what song makes it to the top before the show so if you want to know what No. 1 is, visit  http://tickets.elgin.edu and get your tickets to this awesome Beatles’ experience.

Thanks for voting! The set list you’re creating is going to be awesome!