BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//The Sanctuary For Independent Media - ECPv6.17.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Sanctuary For Independent Media REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20070311T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20071104T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20080309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20081102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20090308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20091101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20100314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20101107T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20110313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20111106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20120311T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20121104T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20130310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20131103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20140309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20141102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20150308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20151101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20160313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20161106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20170312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20171105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20180311T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20181104T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20190310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20191103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20200308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20201101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20210314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20211107T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20220313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20221106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20230312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20231105T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080517T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080517T223000 DTSTAMP:20230626T142212Z CREATED:20080517T194300Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230626T142212Z UID:10001007-1211054400-1211063400@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Free Jazz at the Sanctuary Presents Trio Tarana Performance DESCRIPTION:Utilizing Indian rhythms as the foundation for a new creative musical experience\, this group finds that ground where fiery solos\, sonic explorations and exciting group interactions occur with the creation of a modern music that is respectful of tradition\, yet constantly searching to re-invent itself. With Sam Bardfeld\, violin; Ravish Momin\, percussion; Brandon Terzic\, oud. \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of Trio Tarana is co-sponsored by the Arts Department at RPI and made possible by volunteer labor and small financial contributions from hundreds of patrons of The Sanctuary For Independent Media\, along with support from the NY State Music Fund and the NY State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\n\n\n* More Documentation Below.\n\n\n\nAbout Trio Tarana:\n\n\n\nTarana\, formed in 2003\, is led by Indian percussionist/composer Ravish Momin\, who currently resides in New York City. They primarily utilize Indian and East-Asian rhythms (including Japanese\, Afghani\, & Indonesian) as the foundation for a new creative musical experience; they also employ compositions that seamlessly blend written material with spontaneous group interaction. They released a critically acclaimed debut entitled “Climbing the Banyan Tree” in 2004\, on the Portugal-based CleanFeed Record Label. Of their debut CD\, AllAboutJazz.com said: “It is fair to say that Tarana is without precedent in the world of improvised music. A true synthesis of North African\, South and East Asian motifs with classical organization and the immediacy of free improvisation has probably not existed prior to “Climbing the Banyan Tree.” \n\n\n\nThe ensemble was recently awarded a US National Endowment for the Arts grant to perform at the Mediawave Festival in Hungary (2006). They have also performed at New York City’s Rubin Museum of Asian Art on multiple occasions\, the Jazzin’ Tondela (Portugal\, 2005)\, the prestigious Smithsonian Institution’s Freer Gallery (Washington\, DC\, 2005)\, and the New Music Circle (St. Louis\, MO\, 2005)\, the Taipei Arts Festival (Taiwan\, 2004)\, the 9th Annual Asian American Jazz Festival (Chicago\, IL\, 2004) among other performances. They have toured Italy\, Portugal\, Poland\, Slovakia\, Canada\, and the US. They have also been featured in the Village Voice (New York)\, Jazz.pt (Portugal) and in JazzImprov (France)\, among various other domestic and international publications. \n\n\n\nAbout the Musicians:\n\n\n\nSam Bardfeld (violin) currently tours and records as a featured member of Bruce Springsteen’s “Seeger Sessions Band.” He is also a member of the Jazz Passengers and has worked with jazz and avant-garde legends John Zorn\, Anthony Braxton\, Ray Anderson and James Spaulding; pop icons John Cale\, Debbie Harry and Nancy Sinatra and Latin stars Johnny Pacheco and Dave Valentin among others. He has released two CDs of his own critically acclaimed music\, “Taxidermy” (CIMP\, 1999) and “Periodic Trespasses” (FreshSound/NewTalent\, 2006). Sam is also the author of “Latin Violin: How to Play Salsa\, Charanga and Latin Jazz Violin” (Gerard & Sarzin\, 2002)\, considered to be the definitive work in its field. \n\n\n\nBrandon Terzic (oud) is a founding member of avant-world music group “Howling Makams.” He has performed and/or recorded with world-renowned luminaries such as Hernan Romero\, Minu Cinelu (percussionist with Miles Davis)\, David Fiuczinski\, Al Mcdowell\, and Shane Shanihan (from Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble) to name a few. He has recorded with Ursel Schlicht’s Ex Tempore\, Ashley Davis\, and is currently working on two up and coming albums. He has also done television sound tracks for PBS. \n\n\n\nRavish Momin (percussion) has studied drumset with Andrew Cyrille and Bob Moses. He has also studied North Indian percussion with Misha Masud\, and Jim Dispirito (a disciple of Ustad Zakir Hussain). He has worked with a wide-range of musicians\, including vocalist Marie Afonso (ex-Zap Mama)\, percussionist Susie Ibarra\, bassists Wilber Morris and William Parker\, violinists Jason Kao Hwang and Billy Bang\, guitarists Brad Shepik and Ty Braxton\, saxophonists Kalaparush Maurice Mc Intyre (AACM)\, Peter Epstein and Sabir Mateen\, trumpeters Roy Campbell and Raphe Malik\, pianist Ursel Schlicht’s ExTempore Project\, Balafon-master Balla Kouyate\, and experimental hip-hoppers IsWhat?! (featuring MC Napolean). He has received grants from US Artists International (program funded by the National Endowment of the Arts)\, Arts International and Meet the Composer. He has also performed at the Sons D’Hiver Festival (Paris\, France\, Guelph Jazz Festival (Canada)\, Era Jazzu (Poland)\, the Kerava Jazz Festival (Finland)\, the Chicago Jazz Festival\, The Vision Festival (New York)\, Documenta XI (Germany)\, and The Kala Ghoda Festival (India). URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/trio-tarana-performance/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Performance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080915T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080915T210000 DTSTAMP:20220607T151603Z CREATED:20080915T165000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220607T151603Z UID:10001011-1221505200-1221512400@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Chris Carlson and "Nowtopia": Practical Rebellion & A New Politics of Work DESCRIPTION:How do the Open Source software movement\, bicycle subculture\, guerilla gardening\, and the Burning Man Festival fit together? Nowtopia (2008) author and Critical Mass co-founder Chris Carlsson connects these dots as he profiles the social networks that are cooperating outside of economic regulation and laying the foundation for a genuine movement of liberation from market life. The event will feature an installation by the Rhizome Collective. Valet bike parking available. \n\n\n\nCo-sponsored by Troy Bike Rescue and the New York Bicycling Coalition. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/chris-carlson-and-nowtopia-practical-rebellion-a-new-politics-of-work/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion,Performance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080916T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080916T210000 DTSTAMP:20230626T160646Z CREATED:20080916T155900Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230626T160646Z UID:10001013-1221591600-1221598800@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Chiwoniso DESCRIPTION:One of the most existing talents in African music today\, Chiwoniso performs entrancing and uplifting songs with ancient soul and modern spirit. Backed by the mesmerizing interlocking melodies of the mbira and the deep grooves of an all-star lineup featuring some of Zimbabwe and South Africa’s top musicians\, Chiwoniso’s voice resounds with defiant strength and profound tenderness. Her new recording\, Rebel Woman (2008)\, has just been released by Cumbancha. \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of Chiwoniso is made possible by volunteer labor\, small financial contributions from hundreds of patrons of The Sanctuary For Independent Media and support from the New York State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“I am like a mirror\,” declares Zimbabwe’s popular music star Chiwoniso Maraire. “I basically sing about what I see happening in the world. If someone comes up to me in the street to ask for money I’ll sing about that. If people are jumping borders because their economic situation is too difficult\, I’ll sing about that. If the police are beating people up and intimidating them\, I’ll sing about that.” \n\n\n\nIn recent months\, Zimbabwe’s political and economic turmoil has thrust the turbulent African nation into international headlines. Based in the capital city of Harare\, Chiwoniso lives in the eye of the storm\, observing firsthand as her beloved homeland struggles to overcome the enduring legacies of colonialism\, war\, social inequality and political oppression. A devoted advocate of free speech\, human rights and social justice\, Chiwoniso’s music gives voice to the voiceless and speaks to the problems and joys of the world around her. \n\n\n\nOn “Rebel Woman\,” Chiwoniso’s first internationally released album in over ten years\, her soulful and deeply personal songs offer messages of hope\, inspiration and resistance\, and serve notice that this gifted singer and songwriter merits recognition as one of Africa’s greatest young talents. \n\n\n\nWhile Zimbabwe’s ancient musical traditions serve as the foundation of Chiwoniso’s music\, she is the child of a globalized world and her songs reflect her diverse\, multicultural influences. Her late father\, Dumisani Maraire was a respected scholar and musician\, who moved the family to the United States in the 1970s while pursuing a degree in Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington in Seattle. \n\n\n\nChiwoniso was born in Olympia\, Washington in 1976\, and although she spent the first seven years of her life away from Zimbabwe\, the music of her family’s homeland was a constant presence. \n\n\n\n“I was born into a very musical family\, both my parents were musicians\,” Chiwoniso points out. “My father was an amazing mbira player\, my mother was a beautiful singer\, so I was surrounded by this music from the day I was conceived\, really\, because they used to teach classes in the house as well. But at the same time they loved to listen to other people\, so I grew up exposed to James Brown\, Michael Jackson\, Roberta Flack\, Aretha Franklin\, The Rolling Stones\, Bach\, Mozart\, you name it\, it was being played.” In this dynamic home environment Chiwoniso was playing mbira by the age of four. \n\n\n\nHer first studio recording was at the age of nine with her parents\, an album called ‘Tichazomuwona’ (We Shall See You)\, dedicated to her late uncle\, Dr. Nkosana Aurthur Maraire. By the age of 11 Chiwoniso was performing with her father and siblings\, Tawona and Ziyanai\, in their family mbira group “Mhuri yaMaraire’ (The Maraire Family). She was also a musician in her father’s explosive marimba group ‘Minanzi III’ (Musical Sounds 3). \n\n\n\nWhile Chiwoniso’s musical influences range from soul and R&B to reggae and rock\, the entrancing sounds of the mbira serve as a central underpinning for the songs on “Rebel Woman.” Originating in the ancient Shona civilization of southern Africa\, the mbira is a musical instrument made of metal tines attached to a wooden board. The player plucks the tines with their thumbs to create captivating interlocking melodies\, which have accompanied ceremonies and celebrations for countless generations. While variations of the mbira exist across Africa\, it is an essential element of Zimbabwean music tradition and has a deep historical\, cultural and spiritual symbolism. \n\n\n\nIn 1990\, Chiwoniso’s family made their second move back to Zimbabwe\, and she quickly became a popular figure in the local music scene thanks to her role as lead vocalist for A Peace of Ebony\, the country’s first hip-hop band. Along with the group’s founders\, Herbert Schwamborne and Tony Chihota\, and fellow members George Phiri and Tendai Viki\, A Peace of Ebony created a new sound mixing rap and Zimbabwean ethnic-influenced melodies. This was when Chiwoniso and Keith Farquharson first met. In 1997\, she released her first solo album\, Ancient Voices\, which was warmly received and even earned her the prestigious Radio France International “Best New Artist” award. While she was developing her solo career\, Chiwoniso also toured and recorded with the powerful Zimbabwean group Andy Brown and The Storm. \n\n\n\nIn 1996 and 1999 Chiwoniso gave birth to her daughters Chengeto and Chiedza. Her decision to focus on raising her children saw her choose to step out of the active international scene for some years. Instead she did recordings for world-awareness groups including CARE\, UNDP\, The Nobel Peace and worked with other artists who were striking out in new directions musically. The groups included Women’s Voice\, brought together by Malika Makouff-Rasmussen\, and The Collaboration\, a band that drew together some of the leading Zimbabwean artists\, including Adam Chisvo\, Busi Ncube\, Charlie Summerfield\, William Hillman\, Roger Mbambo and Peter Mashasha. \n\n\n\nWith her feet back on the ground and revitalized creative energy\, Chiwoniso has spent the last three years working with producer Keith Farquharson on “Rebel Woman.” Recorded in Zimbabwe\, South Africa\, England and Vermont (where Cumbancha and its partner company Charles Eller Studios are based)\, the album features some of Southern Africa’s most respected musicians and an intriguing collection of guests. Louis Mhlanga\, who has also recorded with Nigeria’s King Sunny Ade\, South African icon Hugh Masekela and others provides the albums tasty guitar licks. Zimbabwean Drummer Sam Mataure\, a veteran of Oliver Mtukudzi’s band\, lays down his trademark rock solid rhythms\, while saxophonist/flautist Steve Dyer guides a crack horn section. Meanwhile\, members of Cumbancha’s extended family\, such as Idan Raichel Project percussionist Rony Irwyn\, Belizean producer/guitarist Ivan Duran and keyboardist Charles Eller lent their services for cameo appearances. \n\n\n\nThe result is an appealing collection of songs that range from the soothing\, unadorned mbira and voices of “Pamuromo” to the rousing\, celebratory dance beats of “Gomo.” The album opens with the raw electric guitar riffs of “Vanorapa”\, a song about the healing power of the elders whose lyrical theme is matched by its deep groove. Chiwoniso believes firmly in the power of traditional Shona spirituality and the ability of the elders to heal people even after they have died and entered the realm of the spirits. “Sometimes a person can die because there may be issues in their life when they were alive that weren’t taken care of and that’s when you have spirits roaming that need to be healed\,” she points out. Chiwoniso wrote the song based on one her late father used to perform with Mananzi III\, adding to its emotional depth. \n\n\n\nOn “Matsotsi” (The Land of Thieves)\, Chiwoniso sings of the economic struggles of the workingman. Many people leave their families to find work\, and they are only able to return home to visit their loved ones every month or so. In today’s tough economic times\, it’s harder for people to even earn enough money to make the trip back home. “How do I go home if I don’t have money?” Chiwoniso implores. The mood shifts on “Gomo”\, an upbeat tribute to the mountain regions where Chiwoniso’s family originated. “We play with hosho (a type of shaker)\, we play with drums\, we play with mbira. We are the children of the mountains\,” she shouts out\, encouraging you to enter the trance-like state of a traditional Zimbabwean ceremony. \n\n\n\nBecause of her American upbringing\, Chiwoniso is equally comfortable writing and singing in English\, which she demonstrates to full effect on the South African flavored “Listen to the Breeze”. The lyrics\, which tell of a wise elder who imparts words of wisdom\, came to her in a dream during a recording session in England. On “Only One World\,” Chiwoniso expresses her devotion to her children and how important it is for parents to make decisions that take future generations into account. “The children have got to be protected. If wemake selfish decisions as adults\, those are our decisions\, but the children are affected by everything we do.” Chiwoniso has long been an advocate for children’s rights\, and has been involved with an organization called MUSTLE Africa that helps teach literacy to the homeless\, orphans and other underprivileged children. \n\n\n\nThe album’s title track\, “Rebel Woman\,” takes inspiration from a poem about the role of women in Zimbabwe’s war for independence. “The song is about the physical conditions of fighting\, and the price people pay\,” she explains\, but it is also a tribute to strong women who suffer because they do not follow the restrictions society tries to place on them. “The truth is that when you’re a strong woman you might lose our husband\, your home\, because the way the systems are structured you’re not allowed to be strong as a women\, unless you follow the rules. This is a song about changing those rules.” \n\n\n\nThe song serves as a moving epilogue to a masterful album and confirms that Chiwoniso will continue to speak out on issues important to her\, regardless of the consequences. Recognizing that artists play a special role in society\, she believes they must not be afraid to speak out against injustice. “We have a responsibility. We are not bankers\, we are not doctors\, we are not nurses. We have another part that we play in society that must be done. So\, regardless of whatever world system is going to come in and say: ‘Cut what you are saying\,’ going to send riot cops in to your shows\, going to come and arrest you and say ‘We are going to try and put you in jail…’–it doesn’t matter. We have a responsibility.” \n\n\n\nCumbancha is a new record label founded by Jacob Edgar\, an Ethnomusicologist and music producer who for the past eight years has been the head of music research and product development at famed independent record label Putumayo World Music. It has been Edgar’s job to travel the world in search of exceptional artists and songs for Putumayo’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful compilations of music from all over the globe. Over the years\, Edgar kept coming across artists he felt deserved wider recognition and assistance in bringing their music to the world stage\, and he decided to form Cumbancha to address that need. \n\n\n\n“I believe exposure to music from different parts of the world can help open a doorway to other cultures\,” insists Edgar. “Listening to music is an excellent way to make a connection with people who are very different from yourself\, and it can create a common ground that overcomes some of the barriers that separate people of different walks of life.” \n\n\n\n“My experience at Putumayo has taught me that world music is much more popular than is generally recognized. People from all generations and backgrounds are looking for music with roots in cultural traditions\, even if that music isn’t as visible as it should be in the mainstream media.” \n\n\n\nEdgar is a global explorer with an insatiable curiosity for the diverse ways in which people express themselves through music. His research trips in search of music for Putumayo’s compilations have taken him to Cuba\, Brazil\, Turkey\, India and dozens of other countries\, not to mention hundreds of the world’s greatest international music festivals\, showcases and performance venues in search of exceptional musical talents. \n\n\n\nEdgar has helped produce compilation CDs that have sold a total of over ten million units worldwide. Always scouring the planet for new sounds\, he possibly listens to more world music CDs than anyone else in the USA and\, possibly\, the world. “My basic role at Putumayo has been to travel the world and dig up as much music as I could\, then review it to uncover those truly great artists and songs that rise above\, and that would appeal to both fans of world music and neophytes who are just interested in hearing something they like. I often tell people\, ‘I suffer so you don’t have to!’ What I mean is I have to listen to a lot of pretty banal stuff to find those musical diamonds\, but as a result I’ve gotten to know some pretty special artists and musical movements.” \n\n\n\nThe main motivation for Cumbancha sprung from Edgar’s desire to work more closely with some of the most extraordinary artists he has gotten to know over the years. “We used to say at Putumayo that doing compilations was like dating\, and signing artists was like getting married\,” says Edgar. “After years of flirting with some of my favorite artists\, it’s nice to finally make some commitments and settle down!” \n\n\n\nShortly after notifying Putumayo last fall of his intentions to leave the label strike out on his own\, Edgar’s former employer offered to become an investor in his new project and service his releases through Putumayo’s network of worldwide distribution. The relationship allows Edgar to continue to assist Putumayo in the development of their popular compilations\, while giving Cumbancha releases a powerful presence in over 60 countries around the world. Edgar also continues to assist Putumayo in the development of their popular compilations. \n\n\n\n“Many of the artists who will appear on Cumbancha have been on a Putumayo compilation over the years\,” notes Edgar\, “so in some ways this new label offers an opportunity for people who have become intrigued by artists on Putumayo’s collections to explore their work further.” At the same time\, Cumbancha will present many artists whose work falls outside of the aesthetic boundaries of a Putumayo compilation\, but whose work is particularly compelling or innovative. \n\n\n\nCumbancha’s first release in the United States\, Canada and Latin America was the album ¡Ay Caramba! by the UK-based band Ska Cubano\, whose appealing fusion of Jamaican ska with Cuban mambo\, salsa and son has earned them wide praise and accolades across Europe. Yet\, even though the group has played at some of Europe’s most prestigious festivals and concert halls\, won numerous “Best of” awards from dozens of magazines\, and even caused a stodgy audience of tuxedo-clad diplomats to bounce in their seats at last year’s Nobel Peace Prize Award ceremony\, Ska Cubano remained largely unknown among the broader public outside of Europe. Since their album was released in the United States they embarked on a hugely successful US and Canada tour\, playing in hi-profile venues such as Central Park SummerStage\, Montreal International Jazz Festival\, San Francisco’s Stern Grove and Grand Performances in Los Angeles among others. Praised by both the media and the public\, Ska Cubano’s album hit number 5 on the Billboard World Music Charts and number 1 on the College Music Journal’s World Music radio chart\, marking an auspicious beginning for the new Cumbancha label. \n\n\n\nThe first worldwide release by Cumbancha is the Israeli cross-cultural collaborative\, The Idan Raichel Project\, whose appealing fusion of Ethiopian folk music with Middle Eastern flavors have made them one of the most unexpected success stories in Israeli music today. While recent headlines are dominated by news of conflict and war in the Middle East\, this Israeli musical collaborative has achieved success by looking beyond intercultural differences and celebrating the value of diversity. With its blend of traditional Ethiopian folk music\, Arabic poetry\, Yemenite chants\, Biblical psalms and Caribbean rhythms\, The Idan Raichel Project has already taken Israel by storm with multiple number one hits and triple platinum sales. \n\n\n\nWhile the ensemble regularly fills large concert halls at home\, the upcoming international release of the recordings of The Idan Raichel Project on the Cumbancha record label promises to introduce the work of this inspirational collective to a wide global audience. “The Idan Raichel Project are already superstars in Israel and Israeli and Ethiopian communities worldwide\,” says Edgar\, “They have performed in some of the most prestigious venues in Europe\, the United States and Latin America\, yet almost exclusively to Israeli audiences. Cumbancha’s goal is to expose them to a wider public who will also enjoy this unique artist.” The Idan Raichel Project will be embarking on an ambitious worldwide touring schedule in an effort to introduce their music to a new public. \n\n\n\nThe headquarters for Cumbancha is an 1830’s farmhouse in the small town of Charlotte\, Vermont. Also home to one of New England’s most prestigious recording studios\, Charles Eller Studios (www.charlesellerstudios.com)\, the complex in Vermont will allow for a unique artist retreat where musicians from around the world can come together to record in a picturesque and tranquil setting free from outside distractions. While many of the records released on Cumbancha will be recorded on location in the countries where the music is from\, others will be recorded in this special setting. Most of the post-production work will be completed in Vermont\, in the shadows of the verdant Green Mountains. “I spend so much time traveling around the world\,” says Edgar\, “it’s nice to work in a place where I can focus and be surrounded by the region’s tremendous natural beauty.” \n\n\n\n“One of the things I enjoy most about the work I do at Putumayo\,” says Edgar\, “was knowing that thousands of people are exposed to music from cultures they might not otherwise get to learn about\, and in a small but not inconsequential way that helps pave the way towards greater appreciation and respect for diversity.” Cumbancha gives Edgar a chance to take that experience one step further. \n\n\n\n“Cumbancha” is a Cuban word of West African derivation that refers to an impromptu party or musical jam session. Many classic Latin songs refer to the “cumbanchero\,” a person who knows how to party and have a good time. For those who are familiar with the word\, “cumbancha” implies an opportunity to get together with family and friends to dance\, sing and celebrate life. “I like the creole nature of the word\,” says Edgar\, “that it is a blend of African and Spanish. Much of the greatest music in the world reflects this interaction between cultures and the ways in which people can gain inspiration for new expressions from people of different backgrounds.” \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of Chiwoniso is made possible by volunteer labor\, small financial contributions from hundreds of patrons of The Sanctuary For Independent Media and support from the New York State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\nThe Sanctuary for Independent Media is a community media arts center located in an historic former church in Troy\, NY. The venue is an intimate and acoustically excellent space which seats about 150. The Sanctuary hosts screening\, production and performance facilities\, training in media production and a meeting space for artists\, activists and independent media makers of all kinds. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/chiwoniso/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:African Music,Performance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20080920T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20080920T220000 DTSTAMP:20230626T161108Z CREATED:20080920T161000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230626T161108Z UID:10001014-1221940800-1221948000@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Free Jazz from the Sanctuary presents Empty Cage Quartet and Weasel Walter Trio DESCRIPTION:One of the most powerful and original jazz groups to emerge from the West Coast\, Empty Cage explores imaginative new ways to integrate a diverse mix of musical influences ranging from shuffle swing to free jazz blowouts\, minimalist percussion loops to complex modernist gestures\, robotic grooves\, odd-meter marches\, heavy rock\, and nearly everything in between. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of the Empty Cage Quartet and the Weasel Walter Trio is co-sponsored by the Arts Department at RPI and Albany Sonic Arts Collective\, made possible by volunteer labor\, small financial contributions from hundreds of patrons of The Sanctuary For Independent Media and support from the New York State Music Fund. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Empty Cage Quartet has consistently been praised as one of the most powerful and original new jazz groups to emerge from the American West Coast. For nearly six years the group has explored imaginative new ways to integrate a diverse mix of musical influences ranging from shuffle swing to free jazz blowouts\, minimalist percussion loops to complex modernist gestures\, robotic grooves\, odd-meter marches\, heavy rock\, and nearly everything in between. Performances of this music involve an elaborate system of on-stage cues to navigate the flow of improvisation in\, around\, and out of modular compositional structures designed to cycle\, overlap\, combine and recombine. The result is a continually evolving\, multidimensional approach to jazz and new music performance\, improvisational acuity\, and compositional craft that Amazing Sounds Magazine has likened to an “urban folk music of the future.” \n\n\n\nThe Empty Cage Quartet has toured extensively in the Western United States and in Canada and Europe\, and they have received support from the American Composers Forum\, the International Society for Improvised Music (ISIM)\, and Chamber Music America’s French-American Jazz Exchange. To date they have released six CD recordings that have been featured on jazz radio stations around the world and reviewed favorably in publications including Signal to Noise\, The Wire\, All About Jazz\, Cadence Magazine\, Jazz Hot\, Paris Transatlantic Magazine\, LA Weekly\, Tucson Weekly\, and Stride Magazine. Stratostrophic\, their most recent album\, is out now on the Clean Feed label\, and in September they will make their New York City debut with a concert at the Living Theatre co-sponsored by Clean Feed Festival III and the Sixth Annual Festival of New Trumpet Music. \n\n\n\nInstrumentationJason Mears – alto saxophone\, clarinet\, flutesKris Tiner – trumpet\, flugelhornIvan Johnson – double bassPaul Kikuchi – drums\, percussion\, electronics \n\n\n\nA drummer whose current material straddles the many lines between punk\, free jazz\, no wave\, improv\, and much more\, Weasel Walter will be playing with Mary Halvorson on guitar and Peter Evans on trumpet. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWeasel Walter (born Christopher Todd Walter in Rockford\, Illinois) is a composer and instrumentalist who founded the band The Flying Luttenbachers in Chicago in 1991 with late jazz cult figure Hal Russell. Over the years\, the band has included noted Chicago musicians such as Ken Vandermark\, Jeb Bishop\, Fred Lonberg-Holm\, Dylan Posa\, while creating an uncompromising and mercurial body of abstract music drawing equally from no wave\, death metal\, free jazz\, gamelan\, noise music\, hardcore punk and modern classical. Walter relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2003\, where he formed the latest of many Luttenbachers lineups\, remaining on percussion with the addition of bassist Mike Green (Burmese)\, and virtuoso guitarist Ed Rodriguez (ex-Colossamite\, Gorge Trio). Singular guitar phenomenon Mick Barr (Octis\, Orthrelm) joined the group in 2005. The Flying Luttenbachers ceased to operate in late 2007. In addition to leading various free jazz ensembles under his own name\, currently he is a member of XBXRX and Burmese. \n\n\n\nBefore relocating to the West Coast\, Walter was a major contributor to the Chicago no-wave/noise/improvised music underground during the ’90s and early 2000s. During this period\, he performed as a founding member of bands such as The Flying Luttenbachers\, Miss High Heel (with Jim O’Rourke and Azita of The Scissor Girls)\, Lake of Dracula (with Marlon Magas and Heather M. of the Scissor Girls)\, To Live and Shave in L.A. 2\, and Hatewave (replacing founder Nandor Nevai) among others. Walter has collaborated with artists like Marlon Magas and Jim O’Rourke\, Tom Smith in To Live and Shave in L.A.\, Henry Kaiser\, Damon Smith\, Vinny Golia\, Joe Morris\, Frank Gratkowski\, William Winant and Ken Vandermark as well as many influential underground rock bands including Bobby Conn\, U.S. Maple\, Cock E.S.P.\, Curse of the Birthmark\, the Scissor Girls\, Erase Errata\, The Chicago Sound\, Harry Pussy\, Quintron\, Sharon Cheslow\, and Cheer-Accident\, in addition to producing albums by the Coachwhips\, Burmese\, Total Shutdown\, Arab on Radar and Glenn Branca. \n\n\n\nMary Halvorson is a guitarist\, composer and improviser living in Brooklyn. She grew up in Boston and studied jazz at Wesleyan University and the New School. Since 2000 she has been performing regularly in New York with various groups and has toured Europe and the U.S. with the Anthony Braxton Quintet (Live at the Royal Festival Hall\, Leo Records) and Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant (Sister Phantom Owl Fish\, Ipecac Recordings). She has also performed alongside Joe Morris\, Nels Cline\, John Tchicai\, Elliott Sharp\, Andrea Parkins\, Marc Ribot\, Tony Malaby\, Oscar Noriega and Jason Moran. Current projects which Mary composes for and performs with include a chamber-music duo with violist Jessica Pavone (On and Off\, Skirl Records\, 2007); The Mary Halvorson Trio with John Hebert and Ches Smith; and the avant-rock band People (Misbegotten Man\, I & Ear Records\, 2007). She also performs regularly in ensembles led by Taylor Ho Bynum\, Ted Reichman\, Tatsuya Nakatani\, Jason Cady\, Matthew Welch\, Brian Chase and Curtis Hasselbring. \n\n\n\nPeter Evans is an American trumpet player based in New York\, who specializes in improvisation and avant-garde music. Evans has been a member of the New York City musical community since 2003\, when he moved to the city after graduating from The Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Peter currently works in a wide variety of areas\, including solo performance\, chamber orchestras\, performance art\, free improvised settings\, electro-acoustic music and composition. In addition\, he performs regularly as part of the Festival of New Trumpet Music\, which is held annually in New York City. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/empty-cage-quartet-and-weasel-walter-trio/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Jazz Music,Performance,Rock Music END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081010T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081010T210000 DTSTAMP:20230626T165311Z CREATED:20081010T141500Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230626T165311Z UID:10001021-1223665200-1223672400@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:"Disaster and Resistance: Comics and Landscapes for the 21st Century" DESCRIPTION:A live multimedia presentation of the work in Seth Tobacman’s new book Disaster and Resistance: Comics and Landscapes for the 21st Century (2008)\, just published by AK Press. The presentation/performance features Seth\, drummer Eric Blitz and guitarist Steve Wishnia. In his bold comic style\, the longtime artist\, activist\, and educator skewers the individuals and institutions wreaking havoc across the globe today\, musing not on the chaos of instability and fear but on the struggle against it. \n\n\n\nCo-sponsored by Women Against War. \n\n\n\nPress Release:\n\n\n\nAccording to former New York Times art director Jerelle Kraus\, “I repeatedly tried to get more of Tobocman’s work onto our pages\, but it was deemed too radical. Tobocman won’t compromise his principles for money or fashion.” \n\n\n\nIn his new book\, he outlines pressing social and political struggles at the dawn of the twenty-first century\, from post 9-11 New York City to Israel and Palestine\, to Iraq and New Orleans. Fans of his classic works\, “You Don’t Have to Fuck People Over to Survive” and “War in the Neighborhood\,” will see that his punch has not softened\, and his work continues to skewer the individuals and institutions wreaking havoc across the globe today. In his bold comic style\, Seth chronicles events as they happen\, musing not on the chaos of instability and fear but on the struggle against it. Seth will sign books after the show\, which is about an hour long. \n\n\n\nHere’s what others have to say: \n\n\n\n“For years now Seth Tobocman has been taking on the powers that be for all of us. He’s not slowing down either.” -Harvey Pekar\, groundbreaking graphic novelist and author of the American Splendor series \n\n\n\n“A graphic revelation\, an artistic and political document of enormous value in our troubled world.” -Paul Buhle\, esteemed historian of American radicalism \n\n\n\n“Once again Seth Tobocman stares straight into the eye of the storm and casts light on the darkness. His complete command of visual storytelling is perfectly matched by his unwavering ability to dissect and explain the most complex and urgent topics of the day. He brings us a behind-the-scenes view from the frontlines\, with heart and clarity\, and turns static headlines into flesh and blood realities. When people look back on our history\, Seth Tobocman’s inspiring comics will provide more insight into this era than a thousand newscasts.” -Peter Kuper\, author of “Speechless” \n\n\n\nSeth Tobocman is one of the founding editors of World War 3 Illustrated\, author/illustrator of three collections\, an educator\,and has shown his work in streets and galleries across the globe—including Exit Art\, The Museum of Modern Art\, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/disaster-and-resistance-comics-and-landscapes-for-the-21st-century/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion,Performance,Rock Music END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081025T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081025T220000 DTSTAMP:20220722T160847Z CREATED:20081025T193800Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220722T160847Z UID:10001024-1224964800-1224972000@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Morley DESCRIPTION:Singer-songwriter Morley is a breath of fresh air in the current climate of political and social crisis. Her voice as a singer and as a lyricist is rich with honesty\, vulnerability\, introspection and compassion\, simultaneously gentle and urgent- a force that compels even the most cynical or apathetic to listen and be moved. Her newest recording\, Seen (2008)\, has just been released by Wrasse. \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of Morley is made possible with the support from the New York State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\n\n\n* More documentation below\n\n\n\nMore About Morely:\n\n\n\nIn the current social and political climate\, singer-songwriter Morley is a breath of fresh air. Her voice as a singer and as a lyricist is rich with honesty\, vulnerability\, introspection and compassion\, simultaneously gentle and urgent – a force that compels even the most cynical or apathetic to listen and be moved. Her newest album\, “Seen\,” is as reflective as it is generous. If music can be a mirror\, then this release is “a patient look into myself and a not-so-patient look into my country at this time\,” Morley explains. “To be looked at is one thing\, but to be seen is an experience.” \n\n\n\nSeen means “understood” in Jamaican patois. Its many meanings are explored and contextualized in different ways throughout the album. In “Bird Over The Ocean” Morley writes\, “All that is seen cannot be shown\,” while in “No Evidence” she discusses that which is “Sight unseen\, sound unheard\,” calling attention to the atrocities happening right in front of us to people whose voices are stifled or silenced behind a veil of false patriotism. “Temporary Lighthouses” (inspired by the Daniel Lanois album “Shine”) pays tribute to Morley’s musical heroes and heroines\, and you can hear echoes of Sade and Billie Holiday in her singing. Sure\, there are unabashed love songs\, like “Somebody New” and “Call On Me\,” but Morley’s political convictions unfold slowly\, surely\, with subtlety. By “No Evidence” we’re hearing about rape in the US military\, and “Crimes in the Garden” was inspired by the anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan. “Say What I Know” is an indictment of George W. Bush’s America\, and if there’s a “title track\,” it’s “Hearts Horn\,” which ties many themes together\, touching on the approaching environmental Armageddon. And of course\, there’s “Women of Hope\,” an homage to the many named and unnamed extraordinary women in war-torn countries who rise above and help others transcend circumstances to find hope. “A lot of the music that I’m drawn to is about growth and transformation\,” Morley says. “I believe in people’s capacity to change.” \n\n\n\nA former dance and yoga teacher in New York City’s public school system\, shelters and community centers\, Morley was born in Jamaica Queens\, New York. She spent her formative years absorbing the sights\, scents and sounds of this multi-ethnic community – an experience that clearly informs her worldview and the diversity of influences in her music. Morley’s artistic journey began not with music\, but with dance and poetry. She attended the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington\, DC and won a full scholarship to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre. After a knee injury derailed her career as a dancer\, Morley briefly worked as a fashion model in England\, but she soon returned to NYC and took up choreography and formed her own company\, Undercurrents Dance Theater. With her new company up and running\, she had the opportunity to work with jazz legend and civil rights activist Max Roach\, an experience that brought her face to face with the power of music as a vehicle for change. Although she was profoundly inspired\, music wasn’t yet the vehicle for Morley to express her ideas. It was in the late ’90s\, when Morley was spending time with great musicians like Amp Fiddler\, Toshi Reagon\, Hod David (Maxwell) and Joan Wasser (Joan as Policewoman)\, that her musical voice began to emerge. “They’re heroes to me\, music just pours from them\,” she says. “Hod David gave me a track to write to just for fun\, and said ‘don’t write a protest song\, write a love song’ because everything I was writing was very political.” These experiments and explorations expanded her artistic expressions from dance and poetry into music\, and ultimately became the foundation for her first album\, Sun Machine (1998)\, produced by David with Chris Dowd (Fishbone)\, and featuring Jeff Buckley on guitar for one track and contributions from Nigerian percussionist Babatunde Olatunji. Unfortunately\, the label folded at the time of release and Morley continued teaching and doing choreography before music called her back in 2001\, when she resumed her writing and picked up the guitar for the first time. \n\n\n\nBy the next year\, she had started performing in earnest and establishing her presence as a musician. Her urban-folk sophomore album\, “Days Like These” (2006)\, was the culmination of the years that ensued\, performing and writing mainly in New York City. Self-released and self-produced with co-producer Ken Rich and licensed to Universal France\, Days Like These brought Morley together with her current production team of Jay Newland and Jean-Philippe Allard\, and was a hit in France. Joining them on Seen are a stellar cast of great musicians\, including pedal steel maestro Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan\, Levon Helm\, Liz Wright)\, whose tasty licks lend a widescreen Americana feel. \n\n\n\nOn Seen\, Morley writes songs of love as opposed to love songs. And like the heroines in “Women of Hope\,” Morley is a woman with hope. But wishful thinking isn’t where she’s at: “It’s not hoping and wishing for the best\, it’s finding the confidence to do what you can\,” she explains. In this tender tribute\, she quotes Burmese human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi: “If you’re feeling helpless\, help someone.” It evokes the power to heal ourselves and each other at the same time\, and generates global change through our individual journey. As Morley says\, “If we allow ourselves to have hope\, while everything around screams\, ‘you’re only one\, you’re helpless\,’ then we give energy to real change instead of fear and complacency.” \n\n\n\nMorley’s music is the energizing elixir to create that change. “Music changes the feeling of a room\, I see and feel it happen all the time. When I collaborate with musicians from other countries\, we merge. We don’t have to speak the same language\, share the same religion\, or even philosophies\, but we can make music together! That for me is evidence that we can live together in harmony. But a lot of us are cut off from our sensuality – the music within – and find it too difficult to find our reflection in another\, so it makes it easier to be intimidated by\, dismiss\, or even cause harm. Music is a great teacher for me in that respect. It’s real and sensual.” URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/morley/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Performance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081108T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081108T203000 DTSTAMP:20230705T153508Z CREATED:20081108T160400Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T153508Z UID:10000854-1226167200-1226176200@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:A Night Out with "The Narcotic Farm" DESCRIPTION:The U.S. Narcotic Farm just outside Lexington\, KY\, was a legendary meeting place for America’s drug addicts. This performance interweaves verbal\, visual\, and musical memories of a place that was a crossroads for drug addicts from 1935-1975. Authors Nancy Campbell and JP Olsen will read and screen portions of their works on this historic place\, mixed with jazz from musicians incarcerated at Narcotic Farm. \n\n\n\nThe list of Lexington Narcotic Farm musician alums reads like a who’s who of jazz: Chet Baker\, Tadd Dameron\, Joe Guy (Billie Holliday’s husband—she wasn’t at the farm but rather at Alderson\, the women’s prison in WV)\, Elvin Jones\, Stan Levey\, Jackie McLean\, Red Rodney (Charlie Parker’s sideman)\, Sonny Stitt\, Sonny Rollins. And there’s an interesting connection to MC5 (Wayne Kramer is the narrator of the film and part of the seminal pre-punk band\,); he spent time at Lexington in the 1970s). \n\n\n\nYou might find this month’s Jazz Times interesting; it has a photo feature on The Narcotic Farm. They also excerpted the chapter\, “The Greatest Band You Never Heard.” \n\n\n\nThere was a story about the project on NPR called “Americas First Drug-Treatment Prison Revisited” this weekend. \n\n\n\nPress Release\n\n\n\nThe author and the filmmaker of a new book and a video documentary airing on PBS called “The Narcotic Farm: The Rise and Fall of America’s First Prison for Drug Addicts” are presenting a multi-media performance/premiere with live jazz music at The Sanctuary for Independent Media on Saturday\, November 8\, 2008 at 7 PM. Admission is by donation ($10 suggested\, $5 student/low income). The Sanctuary for Independent Media is located at 3361 6th Avenue in north Troy (at 101st Street). Call (518) 272-2390\, email info@MediaSanctuary.org\, or visit www.MediaSanctuary.org for directions and more information. \n\n\n\nThe U.S. Narcotic Farm just outside Lexington\, KY\, was a legendary meeting place for America’s drug addicts. This performance interweaves verbal\, visual\, and musical memories of a place that was a crossroads for drug addicts from 1935-1975. Author Nancy Campbell and filmmaker JP Olsen will read and screen portions of their works on this historic place\, mixed with jazz from musicians incarcerated at Narcotic Farm–performed by a live band! \n\n\n\nA federal prison in Kentucky was a temporary home for thousands\, including Sonny Rollins\, Peter Lorre and William S. Burroughs as well as a lab for addiction treatments such as LSD. \n\n\n\nFrom 1935 to 1975\, just about everyone busted for drugs in the U.S. was sent to the United States Narcotic Farm outside Lexington\, Ky. Equal parts federal prison\, treatment center\, research laboratory and farm\, this controversial institution was designed not only to rehabilitate addicts\, but to discover a cure for drug addiction. \n\n\n\nNow a new documentary\, “The Narcotic Farm\,” reveals the lost world of this institution\, based on rare film footage\, numerous documents\, dozens of interviews of former staff\, inmates and volunteer patients\, and more than 2\,000 photographs unearthed from archives across the country. The film will appear on public television stations across the country throughout November. A book accompanying the documentary includes rare and previously unpublished pictures of “Narco\,” as the institution was called locally. \n\n\n\nAccording to the book\, the institution became a premier center for research into drug addiction and treatment\, advancing everything from the use of methadone to treat heroin withdrawal to drugs that blocked the action of opiates. Along the way\, Narco was frequented by legendary jazz musicians such as Chet Baker and Sonny Rollins\, as well as actor Peter Lorre and beat generation writer William S. Burroughs\, who recounted his experience in his first novel\, “Junkie.” \n\n\n\nThe documentary also chronicles how the Farm was shut down when Congress discovered that researchers there were using patients as human guinea pigs in CIA-funded experiments into LSD. Drug research on federal prisoners is now illegal. \n\n\n\nStill\, the filmmakers note accomplishments at the institution remain milestones in addiction science and treatment. Its most important contribution might be how it transformed the way society views addicts—”as people suffering from a chronic\, relapsing disorder that affects public health\,” says book co-author Nancy Campbell. \n\n\n\nNancy D. Campbell is an associate professor in the Department of Science and technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who studies the history of drug addiction research. She lives in Troy NY. \n\n\n\nJP Olsen is a filmmaker whose work has appeared on The Discovery Channel and many other stations. He lives in New York City. \n\n\n\nThe Sanctuary for Independent Media is a community media arts and production center located in an historic former church in Troy\, NY. The venue is an intimate and acoustically excellent space which seats about 150. The Sanctuary hosts screening\, production and performance facilities\, training in media production and a meeting space for artists\, activists and independent media makers of all kinds. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/a-night-out-with-the-narcotic-farm/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Jazz Music,Panel Discussion,Performance,Screening END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081114T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081114T200000 DTSTAMP:20230705T154534Z CREATED:20081114T161600Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T154534Z UID:10000856-1226685600-1226692800@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:"Phantom of the Opera" with Alloy Orchestra DESCRIPTION:An unusual combination of found percussion and state-of-the-art electronics gives the Alloy Orchestra the ability to create any sound imaginable as they perform live accompaniment to classic silent films. Working with an outrageous assemblage of peculiar objects\, they thrash and grind soulful music from unlikely sources. They’ll be performing the soundtrack to Rupert Jillian’s 1925 classic Phantom of the Opera\, one of the scariest and most influential horror films of all time- featuring Lon Chaney as the mysterious Phantom. \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of the Alloy Orchestra and “Phantom of the Opera” is made possible by the support from New York State Council on the Arts and the Central New York Programmers Group. \n\n\n\nPress Release\n\n\n\nThe Alloy Orchestra is a three-man musical ensemble\, writing and performing live accompaniment to classic silent films. Working with an outrageous assemblage of peculiar objects\, they thrash and grind soulful music from unlikely sources. The members are TERRY DONAHUE (junk\, accordion\, musical saw\, vocals)\, KEN WINOKUR (director\, junk percussion and clarinet) and ROGER MILLER (keyboards). \n\n\n\nAccording to Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert\, Alloy Orchestra is “the best in the world at accompanying silent films.” \n\n\n\n“Phantom of the Opera” is a 1925 silent film directed by Rupert Julian adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel of the same title. The film featured Lon Chaney in the title role as the masked and facially deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House\, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to force the management to make the woman he loves a star. It is most famous for Lon Chaney’s intentionally horrific\, self-applied make-up\, which was kept a studio secret until the film’s premiere. \n\n\n\nThe film also features Mary Philbin\, Norman Kerry\, Arthur Edmund Carewe\, Gibson Gowland\, John St. Polis and Snitz Edwards. \n\n\n\nNow in its 18th year\, the Alloy Orchestra began its aural onslaught with an original score for “Metropolis” in 1991. In the intervening years\, the group has written scores for 28 feature length film presentations\, typically premiering their new scores at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. \n\n\n\nPerforming at prestigious film festivals and cultural centers in the U.S. and abroad The Louvre\, Lincoln Center\, The Academy of Motion Pictures\, the National Gallery of Art and others)\, Alloy has helped revive some of the great masterpieces of the silent era. \n\n\n\nAn unusual combination of found percussion and state-of-the-art electronics gives the Orchestra the ability to create any sound imaginable. Utilizing their famous “rack of junk” and electronic synthesizers\, the group generates beautiful music in a spectacular variety of styles. They can conjure up a French symphony or a simple German bar band of the 20’s. The group can make the audience think it is being attacked by tigers\, contacted by radio signals from Mars or swept up in the Russian Revolution. \n\n\n\nAlloy collaborates with some of the world’s best archives and collectors (such as the George Eastman House\, the British Film Institute\, Paramount pictures\, Film Preservation Associates and the Douris Corporation) to present audiences with the very best available prints of some of history’s greatest film. \n\n\n\nThe gorgeous new print of “Phantom of the Opera\,” recently restored by Alloy’s sister company\, Box 5\, reproduces the extremely intricate color scheme of the original release with elaborate tinting\, the experimental 2 strip Technicolor sequence at the masked ball\, and luscious hand tinting. Combined with Alloy’s new score\, this astounding film is as creepy today as it was 75 years ago. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/phantom-of-the-opera-with-alloy-orchestra/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Performance,Screening END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081115T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081115T210000 DTSTAMP:20220415T184804Z CREATED:20081114T150700Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220415T184804Z UID:10001025-1226768400-1226782800@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:2nd Annual Buy Local Bash! DESCRIPTION:Buy Local Movement Important to Turning Economy Positive: Noted Entrepreneur and Author Laury Hammel Headlines and Talented Local Musicians Ben Karis-Nix and Ashley Pond to Perform at 2nd Annual Buy Local Bash! Shop ‘til you drop at your local\, independently owned businesses\, then join Capital District Local First to celebrate being local from 6-9pm. Local musicians\, local food and local independent businesses come together to show off all the fabulous things the Capital District has to offer. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Event:\n\n\n\nThe public is invited to sample local foods\, enjoy local music and shop for the holidays at the Buy Local Bash from 5 to 9 PM on Saturday\, November 15th. The event will take place at the Sanctuary for Independent Media\, 3361 6th Avenue\, Troy. Special guest speaker will be Laury Hammel\, noted entrepreneur and author\, who will discuss the linkage between building a strong local economy and the area’s ability to do business in a down economy. Hammel’s talk will take place at 6 PM. \n\n\n\nParticipating local\, independent businesses include the Honest Weight Food Co-op\, Brown’s Brewing Company\, The Bookhouse of Stuyvesant Plaza\, Roots and Wisdom\, Defazio’s Imports\, Le Marche Vert\, Tosca\, The Spinning Seed\, The Flower Girl\, Alabu Soaps\, The Placid Baker\, Java Jazz Cafe\, and more than a dozen other businesses from around the Capital District. In addition to samples of local products\, attendees are eligible to win gift certificates\, gift baskets\, movie tickets\, locally brewed beer\, and other door prizes. \n\n\n\nAccording to Karisa Centanni\, Honest Weight’s Education Coordinator\, “Laury Hammel’s talk will focus on the many advantages that accrue to communities when business is conducted between neighbors. When money stays in a local economy\, it is a strong bulwark against the ravages of a global economy gone badly. Given the current recession\, Hammel’s talk will provide important insights about how each of us by our personal buying decisions can help assure that our little corner of the world stays as healthy as possible.” \n\n\n\nAbout Laury Hammel\n\n\n\nThe evening’s highlight will be a talk by Laury Hammel\, author of “Growing Local Value – How to Build Business Partnerships that Strengthen Your Community.” Hammel founded and grew The Longfellow Clubs\, currently the 54th largest health club business in the US\, with $16 million in revenues. He is a recognized industry leader in innovative business practices\, social responsibility and community service. Among his other accomplishments\, Hammel is a founder of New England Businesses for Social Responsibility (NEBSR); Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)\, a national organization; the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston (SBN); and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). Hammel has also been very active in the areas of energy conservation and environmentalism\, with a particular interest in the sustainability of businesses. \n\n\n\nParticipating Local Musicians\n\n\n\nLocal musicians at the Buy Local Bash will include Ashley Pond\, Ben Karis-Nix and Amanda Rogers. Pond\, who released her debut album\, Dala\, in 2007\, is a gifted singer/songwriter/guitarist who has taken the capital region of New York by storm. Metroland Magazine named Ashley Pond “Best New Solo Artist” in their Best of 2007 issue and followed up with a cover story. In addition\, The Times Union\, interviewed Pond and gave her a spot in their top 10 local records of 2007. Ben Karis-Nix recently released his new solo EP\, We Are Giants Now. Ben’s recordings\, performances\, and songwriting have earned him features on the CW show “One Tree Hill\,” MTV’s “Road Rules” and “Real World\, “NPR’s “Weekend Edition\,” and MySpace Compilation Vol. 1. Similarly talented\, Amanda Rogers has opened for some of the most acclaimed rock\, emo\, and jam bands in the industry. She recently released an EP containing new songs and covers of songs by Radiohead and At The Drive-In\, played numerous shows in the States and two more tours in Europe. In 2008\, she headlined another European tour with friends “The Sketchy Indians” backing her up in support of her highly anticipated album Heartwood. \n\n\n\nAbout Capital District Local First:\n\n\n\nCapital District Local First is a nonprofit organization located in New York State’s Capital District. We work to promote the locally owned\, independent business community of the area. We believe that the locally owned\, independent business community plays a vital role in enhancing the diversity\, social fairness\, community spirit\, financial vitality\, and environmental health of the region. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/2nd-annual-buy-local-bash/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Community Event,Performance,Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081116T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081116T210000 DTSTAMP:20230705T155128Z CREATED:20221011T195316Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T155128Z UID:10001635-1226858400-1226869200@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Eliza Gilkyson and Robert Jensen DESCRIPTION:Eliza Gilkyson has built a reputation as one of the most original and influential folk artists of our time over the course of 13 albums (most recently\, Beautiful World on Red House Records). Robert Jensen\, whose book All My Bones Shake: Radical Politics in the Prophetic Voice is forthcoming on Soft Skull Press\, is a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin who has written extensively about foreign policy and U.S. power\, as well as race and gender. After a successful series of community events in Austin to raise these crucial issues\, the two are performing and speaking in a few cities this year. \n\n\n\nCo-sponsored by Women Against War and supported by the New York State Council on the Arts. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPress Release\n\n\n\nEliza Gilkyson is a third-generation musician whose sociopolitical album “Land of Milk and Honey” was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004. Daughter of successful songwriter Terry Gilkyson\, Eliza recently appeared on National Public Radio\, Austin City Limits\, and Air America Radio\, and has recorded with folk greats such as Patty Griffin\, Mary Chapin Carpenter\, and Iris DeMent. Eliza was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame\, placing her next to Willie Nelson\, Townes Van Zandt\, Nanci Griffith\, and many others. Recently\, she was awarded three Austin Music Awards and four Folk Alliance Music Awards. \n\n\n\nGilkyson’s new CD “Beautiful World” has received rave reviews (“lush and passionate…edgy lyrics with piercing imagery\,” according to the NY Times). The first studio album since her award-winning 2005 release “Paradise Hotel\,” it is a radio-friendly collection of songs\, celebrating the beauty that shines amidst these dark days of war and corruption. \n\n\n\nOver the course of 13 albums\, Eliza Gilkyson has built a reputation as one of the most original and influential folk artists of our time. Robert Jensen is an activist and professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin who has written extensively about foreign policy and U.S. power\, as well as race and gender. In their most recent work\, both are confronting difficult questions about justice and sustainability. After a successful series of community events in Austin to raise these crucial issues\, the two are performing and speaking in a few cities this year–including Troy\, NY! \n\n\n\nThe seeds for “Beautiful World” sprang from a monthly gathering that Eliza and Robert hosted in 2007 with Presbyterian minister Jim Rigby called “Last Sunday.” Held at various venues around Austin\, these community forums covered a broad range of topics\, including politics\, art\, spirituality and the environment. \n\n\n\n“We wanted to provide a place to discuss\, grieve and mull over our future without having a need for an immediate solution other than the comfort of each other’s presence\,” Eliza says. “The first song I wrote for it was ‘Great Correction\,’ which I wrote as a way to console myself as I grieve the devastation of the human and natural world.” \n\n\n\nThis anthemic song spurred a whole cycle of tunes about perseverance and hope for a more beautiful world. \n\n\n\nRobert Jensen’s forthcoming book is “All My Bones Shake: Radical Politics in the Prophetic Voice.” He is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and director of the Senior Fellows Honors Program of the College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. Jensen joined the UT faculty in 1992 after completing his Ph.D. in media ethics and law in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. Prior to his academic career\, he worked as a professional journalist for a decade. \n\n\n\nAt UT\, Jensen teaches courses in media law\, ethics\, and politics. In his research\, Jensen draws on a variety of critical approaches to media and power. Much of his work has focused on pornography and the radical feminist critique of sexuality and men’s violence\, and he also has addressed questions of race through a critique of white privilege and institutionalized racism. In addition to teaching and research\, Jensen writes for popular media\, both alternative and mainstream. His opinion and analytic pieces on such subjects as foreign policy\, politics\, and race have appeared in papers around the country. \n\n\n\nJensen’s latest book\, “All My Bones Shake: Radical Politics in the Prophetic Voice\,” will be published in 2009 by Soft Skull Press. \n\n\n\nHe also is the author of “Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity” (South End Press\, 2007); “The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race\, Racism and White Privilege” (City Lights\, 2005); “Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity” (City Lights\, 2004); and “Writing Dissent: Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins to the Mainstream” (Peter Lang\, 2001); co-author with Gail Dines and Ann Russo of “Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality” (Routledge\, 1998); and co-editor with David S. Allen of “Freeing the First Amendment: Critical Perspectives on Freedom of Expression” (New York University Press\, 1995). URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/eliza-gilkyson-and-robert-jensen/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Folk Music,Performance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081122T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081122T210000 DTSTAMP:20230705T160010Z CREATED:20081122T154400Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T160010Z UID:10001028-1227380400-1227387600@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Free Jazz from the Sanctuary presents The Ras Ensemble DESCRIPTION:Ras Moshe has been playing in various groups throughout New York City for almost 20 years\, with William Hooker\, Sabir Mateen\, Steve Swell\, Marc Edwards and others. His style has been compared to post-1965 John Coltrane and Frank Wright\, among others. Born and raised in New York\, and with a family history rich in the jazz tradition\, Ras has uniquely positioned himself to bring the lineage of free jazz into the present day. \n\n\n\nLocal presentation of Ras Moshe is co-sponsored by the Arts Department at RPI and supported by the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York State Music Fund. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPress Release\n\n\n\nSaxophonist Ras Moshe is on the forefront of musicians keeping avant garde jazz urgent and vital. Moshe comes blessed with a jazz pedigree: his grandfather played with Lucky Millinder\, Earl Bostic\, Ella Fitzgerald\, and many others\, and his father worked with Carlos Garnett\, Stanley Cowell\, and other musicians in the new music scene in Brooklyn. As a result Moshe is well versed in jazz’s past\, but he uses his knowledge to envision the future. And he’s bringing as many musicians with him as he can: Moshe is founder of Music Now!\, a roving festival that regularly produces some of New York City’s most exciting concerts. \n\n\n\nRas Moshe has been playing in various groups throughout New York City for almost twenty years. He is a veteran of the groups of such leaders as William Hooker\, Sabir Mateen\, Steve Swell and Marc Edwards. His style has been compared to post-1965 John Coltrane and Frank Wright\, among others. Born and raised in New York\, and with a family history rich in the jazz tradition\, Moshe has uniquely positioned himself to bring the lineage of free jazz into the present day. \n\n\n\nRas has been writing and reciting poetry since childhood. He believes in the positive effect the new music will have on social and personal change. His new release is “Transcendence” on KMB Jazz. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/ras-moshe/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Jazz Music,Performance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081213T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081213T220000 DTSTAMP:20230705T161952Z CREATED:20081213T163600Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T161952Z UID:10000865-1229198400-1229205600@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Ted Daniel’s International Brass & Membrane Corps DESCRIPTION:The International Brass & Membrane Corps features Newman Taylor-Baker on drums\, Charles Burham on violin\, Joe Daly on tuba\, and Ted Daniel on assorted brass. Ted began his professional career playing local gigs with his childhood friend\, the legendary guitarist Sonny Sharrock. Since then he has played and recorded with Archie Shepp\, Dewey Redman\, Andrew Cyrille\, Sam Rivers\, Billy Bang\, Henry Threadgill\, and many other jazz greats.  His latest recording\, “Golden Atoms\,” has just been released on Soul Note. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/ted-daniels-international-brass-membrane-corps/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Jazz Music,Performance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20081219T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20081219T200000 DTSTAMP:20230705T163619Z CREATED:20081219T164500Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230705T163619Z UID:10000869-1229709600-1229716800@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:"Crime Against Humanity" with Poet and Activist Michael Anthony Reyes Benavides DESCRIPTION:A play by poet and activist Michael Anthony Reyes Benavides and former Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Luis Rosa\, directed by Michael Anthony Reyes Benavides. Imagine 27 years of your life living in a space 6 feet by 9 feet. Imagine being confined in isolation with no human contact. Imagine the shakedowns\, the strip searches\, and the complete disregard for your humanity. Crime Against Humanity is a play based on the real-life experiences of fourteen Puerto Rican political prisoners who spent more than two decades in prisons for seditious conspiracy—two of whom are still incarcerated. Crime Against Humanity brings us into the U.S. prison system in a way no other play has\, focusing on the politically motivated use of isolation\, selective punishment\, sensory deprivation\, and disproportionate sentences. Crime Against Humanity is produced by the National Boricua Human Rights Network and Batey Urbano. These two organizations hope to use this performance piece to raise consciousness and gain support for the campaign to free the remaining Puerto Rican political prisoners. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nImagine 27 years of your life living in a space 6 feet by 9 feet. Imagine being confined in isolation with no human contact. Imagine the shakedowns\, the strip searches and the complete disregard for your humanity. Crime Against Humanity is a play based on the real life experiences of fourteen Puerto Rican political prisoners who spent more than two decades in prisons for seditious conspiracy—two of whom are still incarcerated. Crime Against Humanity brings us into the U.S. prison system in a way no other play has\, focusing on the politically motivated use of isolation\, selective punishment\, sensory deprivation and disproportionate sentences. \n\n\n\nWritten by poet and activist Michael Anthony Reyes Benavides and former Puerto Rican political prisoner Luis Rosa\, the play confronts the physical and mental torture these prisoners endured for more than 27 years. We gaze into their cell and experience the loss of parents\, the transition of children into adulthood and feel the physical brutality and torture of a government out to make an example of them. We see them as they refuse to be victimized and objectified\, confronting their hardships and adversities while maintaining their dignity\, and upholding their humanity. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nReyes Benavides spent hours interviewing the former Puerto Rican political prisoners\, and through extensive written correspondence\, the two remaining political prisoners Oscar López Rivera and Carlos Alberto Torres. Through the play\, we hear from their own mouths\, their own words\, exactly what it means to be a political prisoner in the United States. \n\n\n\nCrime Against Humanity is produced by the National Boricua Human Rights Network and Batey Urbano. These two organizations hope to use this performance piece to raise consciousness and gain support for the campaign to free the remaining Puerto Rican political prisoners. \n\n\n\n“By using theater as a tool of resistance\, we hope to reach out to those sectors that are often ignored by traditional activist outreach. We want our families\, our brothers and sisters and our community to come out and see what these prisoners endured\, many of them for almost 20 years\, two of them for more than 27″ (author and director Reyes Benavides). \n\n\n\nCrime Against Humanity will make stops in numerous other U.S. cities\, including New York\, Philadelphia\, Cleveland\, Hartford\, Washington D.C.\, Boston\, San Francisco\, and Los Angeles. The production has plans to tour throughout Puerto Rico in the future as well. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/crime-against-humanity-with-poet-and-activist-michael-anthony-reyes-benavides/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Performance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180602T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180602T180000 DTSTAMP:20230306T194022Z CREATED:20210418T224648Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230306T194022Z UID:10001194-1527951600-1527962400@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:6th Annual Freedom Festival DESCRIPTION:Join us outdoors in closing out our Spring 2018 season with the sixth annual Freedom Festival! The festival will take place at Freedom Square\, on 101st Street where 5th and 6th Avenues meet. \n\n\n\nRain location: The Sanctuary for Independent Media. \n\n\n\nThings to expect: \n\n\n\n\nMusical performances from local singer songwriter bell’s roar\n\n\n\nSet by Brooklyn-based rapper/producer donfons\n\n\n\nChillSmith\n\n\n\nHyper-locally sourced food from our Collard City Growers’ garden down the block and Denison Farms\, with food from Unity House kitchens\n\n\n\nBike giveaway courtesy of our 6th Ave neighbors\, Troy Bike Rescue\n\n\n\nArts n’ crafting table\n\n\n\nMuch\, much more!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBig thank you to our generous co-sponsors: Unity House\, Troy Bike Rescue\, Denison Farms\, Collard City Growers\, Troy Zero Waste\, Albany County League of Women Voters\, NY Census Initiative\, Flower Scout\, Team HERO\, Flower Scout\, Troy Poem Project and Friends of the Library. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPhotos from 2017’s Freedom Fest URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/6th-annual-freedom-festival/ LOCATION:Freedom Square\, 35 5th Ave\, Troy\, NY\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Community Event,Performance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Freedom_Festival_17_WS_18891417_10155512191888746_7406797867867257829_o-1024x683-1.jpg GEO:42.754030225802;-73.681172076926 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Freedom Square 35 5th Ave Troy NY 12180 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=35 5th Ave:geo:-73.681172076926,42.754030225802 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190608T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190608T180000 DTSTAMP:20220518T144837Z CREATED:20190608T200300Z LAST-MODIFIED:20220518T144837Z UID:10001152-1560006000-1560016800@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Freedom Festival with SA-ROC and Fay Victor's Mutations for Justice DESCRIPTION:SPIRIT OF THE SUFFRAGETTES LAUNCH!\n\n\n\nThe seventh annual end of the season festivities of free food\, art and music\, featuring a special performance by Fay Victor and Mutations for Justice to launch our Spirit of the Suffragettes concert series! \n\n\n\nFreedom Festival is free. Free music\, free food\, free art activities. At Freedom Square – 101st Street where 5th and 6th Avenues meet – in North Troy. Rain location is The Sanctuary for Independent Media\, nearby at 3361 6th Avenue. \n\n\n\nThe Spirit of the Suffragettes Summer Festival presents… \n\n\n\nSA-ROC & FAY VICTOR’s MUTATIONS FOR JUSTICE\n\n\n\nPerforming in Freedom Square on June 8th during the Freedom Festival\, join us for the opening concert of the Spirit of the Suffragettes Summer Festival and Community Resource Fair! \n\n\n\nSa-Roc will be performing from 3:15PM to 4:30PM\, and Fay Victor ‘s Mutations for Justice will be performing from 4:45PM to 6PM. \n\n\n\nACTIVITIES INCLUDE\n\n\n\nMusic with Sa-Roc and Fay Victor’s Mutations for JusticeLaunch of Spirit of the Suffragettes concert series and Women’s Resource FairFree hyper-locally sourced food from our Collard City Growers’ garden down the block and Denison Farms\, with food from Unity House kitchens Bike giveaway courtesy of our 6th Avenue neighbors\, Troy Bike RescueArts n’ crafting tableCollard City Growers workshop: Getting Grounded: Transplanting Party with Collard City GrowersCommunity resource tablesand much much more!\n\n\n\nCheck out the video below to see our featured acts perform: \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABOUT SA-ROC\n\n\n\nSa-Roc is otherworldly-figuratively and literally. Since appearing on to the hip-hop scene in 2008\, she has upended conventional narratives within the genre\, her fiery lyrics peppered with themes of spiritual evolution\, social injustice\, and messages of empowerment. \n\n\n\nAn ardent student of the culture\, she has crafted\, alongside legendary Atlantan producer Sol Messiah\, a fresh sound dubbed God Hop. Melding the raw energy and classical precision of the golden era of hip-hop with a lyrical ingenuity and consciousness that sets her light years ahead of her musical peers\, Sa-Roc has quickly grabbed the attention of many of hiphop’s established luminaries. \n\n\n\nSOCIAL \n\n\n\n​website |Facebook | Twitter | Instagram \n\n\n\nABOUT FAY VICTOR\n\n\n\nOver a 20 year span\, Victor has released 9 albums as a leader to critical acclaim as well as seminal sideperson projects with leaders such as Anthony Braxton\, Roswell Rudd\, Nicole Mitchell\, William Parker and Marc Ribot. Victor’s most recent release as a leader is ​Wet Robots (ESP Disk\, July 2018) with her latest group\, SoundNoiseFUNK\, featuring Joe Morris (guitar)\, Sam Newsome (sop. saxophone) & Reggie Nicholson (drums).  \n\n\n\nVictor was the 2017 Herb Albert/Yaddo Fellow in Music Composition where she composed ​Faith\, The Gift ​- a piece in tribute to the life of her mother\, Faith E.S.Victor. In addition to ​Wet Robots\,​ Victor also appears on Nicole Mitchell’s M​aroon Cloud(FPERecords\, August2018) recording and Marc Ribot’s ​Songs of Resistance 1942-2018 (ANTI-records\, September 2018) featuring Victor as well as guest vocalists Tom Waits\, Steve Earle and ​Meshell Ndegeocello among others. ​Victor is a music educator and vocal specialist of the highest order\, giving clinics and workshops at home in New York City and around the world. \n\n\n\nSOCIAL \n\n\n\n​website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram \n\n\n\nABOUT MUTATIONS FOR JUSTICE\n\n\n\nMutations for Justice is a rolling diary of the Trump administration using small compositional mantras or ‘memes’. The minimalist framework is built on repetition and developed through improvisation. Chanting protest music as a mutable entity to change how we see. \n\n\n\nConception\, words & music written by Fay Victor. The culmination of Mutations For Justice will be a recording project of 45 pieces in 2020. \n\n\n\nSome of the subjects covered in Mutations for Justice pieces are on immigration\, gun violence\, Stormy Daniels\, poverty\, race\, the economy and creative license. \n\n\n\nMembers: Fay Victor voice and composer\, Jaimie Branch trumpet\, Mazz Swift violin\, Sean Conly double bass\, Michael Vatcher drums \n\n\n\nABOUT SPIRIT OF THE SUFFRAGETTESThe Spirit of the Suffragettes is an 8-week summer concert series and Women’s Resource Fair celebrating the history of these radical historical activists through an updated and more racially/economically inclusive lens. We’re presenting female and gender non-conforming musicians (predominantly women of color) alongside a resource fair highlighting the organizations and opportunities that support women and families in our extremely low-wealth neighborhood. Learn more about the series and the supporters URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/freedom-festival-with-sa-roc-and-fay-victors-mutations-for-justice-spirit-of-the-suffragettes-launch/ LOCATION:Freedom Square\, 35 5th Ave\, Troy\, NY\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Community Event,Performance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2019SoS-FayVictorSa-Roc.jpg GEO:42.754030225802;-73.681172076926 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Freedom Square 35 5th Ave Troy NY 12180 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=35 5th Ave:geo:-73.681172076926,42.754030225802 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201211T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201211T210000 DTSTAMP:20210419T031310Z CREATED:20210419T031309Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210419T031310Z UID:10001205-1607713200-1607720400@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Water Justice: Echoes from Lock One DESCRIPTION:Register for either/both days of this event here! \n\n\n\nWater Justice Lab in North Troy\, NY hosts “confluence” virtual gatherings with youth environmental justice advocates throughout communities in the Hudson River Watershed. \n\n\n\nThe opening evening features a land acknowledgement of the Stockbridge Munsee Community by Heather Bruegl\, before the premiere of the water justice documentary “Echoes from Lock One\,” a participatory youth production.  \n\n\n\nThe screening is followed by followed by an open dialogue\, “What is Water and Environmental Justice?\,” facilitated by environmental justice mentors  Heather Bruegl and youth educator Meghan Marohn\, with participating youth groups\, Water Justice Lab (Troy\, NY)\, Kingston YMCA Farm Project (Kingston\, NY) and Groundwork Hudson Valley (Yonkers\, NY).  The evening will end with a collective performance of “Stay Woke” with Jayohcee\, and a special visit from hip hop artist Xiuhtezcatl!  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEchoes From Lock One – Trailer from Catherine Rafferty on Vimeo. \n\n\n\nAbout Echoes from Lock One \n\n\n\nNorth Troy teens spent five weeks with Media Sanctuary creating a multimedia documentary on water justice and the legacy of the Erie Canal in one of NY’s most economically challenged and environmentally devastated neighborhoods. \n\n\n\nEnvironmental Justice Mentor \n\n\n\nHeather Bruegl is the Director of Cultural Affairs for the Stockbridge Munsee Community. The mission of the Cultural Affairs Department is to protect\, preserve and tell the history of the Stockbridge Munsee Band of the Mohican Indians. We do this through the archives at the Arvid E. Miller Memorial Library and Museum\, protection of our ancestral lands through Historic Preservation\, and revitalization of our Language. She is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin\, is a graduate of Madonna University in Michigan and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in U.S. History. Inspired by a trip to Wounded Knee\, South Dakota\, a passion for Native American History was born. She has spoken for numerous groups including the University of Michigan\, College of the Menominee Nation\, Shawano County Historical Society\, the Kenosha Civil War Museum\, Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohicans\, and the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin. She has spoken at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for Indigenous Peoples Day 2017. Heather also opened up and spoke at the Women’s March Anniversary in Lansing\, Michigan in January 2018. She also spoke at the first ever Indigenous Peoples March in Washington\, DC in January of 2019. Summer 2019\, she spoke at the Crazy Horse Memorial and Museum in Custer\, South Dakota for their Talking Circle Series. She has also become the ‘’accidental activist’’ and speaks to different groups about intergenerational racism and trauma and helps to bring awareness to our environment\, the fight for clean water and other issues in the Native community. A curiosity of her own heritage lead her to Wisconsin\, where she has researched the history of the Native American tribes in the area. In addition to that she also currently travels and speaks on Native American history\, including policy and activism.\n\n\n\nHip Hop Artists \n\n\n\nXiuhtezcatl!  Martinez\, Earth Guardians Youth Director Xiuhtezcatl Martinez\, (his first name pronounced ‘Shoe-Tez-Caht’) recently turned 18. He’s an indigenous climate activist\, hip-hop artist\, and powerful voice on the front lines of a global youth-led environmental movement.\n\n\n\nRecently named TIMES Next 100\, Xiuhtezcatl has felt called to change the narrative on what it means to be an activist since an early age. Still a teenager\, X has spoken multiple times a the UN\, addressing the General Assembly and spoken on panels with the likes of Bernie Sanders\, Van Jones\, Shailene Woodley\, Bill Mckibbens and Pharrell Williams. \n\n\n\nXiuhtezcatl has a unique talent for connecting people through popular culture and sharing the message of his indigenous roots to better serve the planet and reimagine the future for his generation. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJayohcee\, also known as Corey Jocko is an hip hop artist\, activist\, and a First Nations Mohawk Warrior. Jayohcee is featured in Echoes from Lock One teaching youth how to write and perform a song through hip hop “for their multimedia documentary and performing his Standing Rock song\, “Stay Woke.\n\n\n\nPARTICIPATING YOUTH GROUPS \n\n\n\nWater Justice Lab\n\n\n\nThe Water Justice Lab fellows are taking a leadership role organizing and leading the Water Justice Confluence. This youth science mentorship program is a project of Media Sanctuary’s NATURE (North Troy Art Technology and Urban Research in Ecology) Lab Environmental Education Center and Riverkeeper. The project will establish a water quality sampling lab\, educate diverse communities about water literacy and water civics (water issues and how to make a difference)\, develop the advocacy capacity of the North Troy area\, and strengthen a network of environmental justice advocates focused on water issues in the Hudson River Watershed. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Kingston YMCA Farm Project\n\n\n\nThe Kingston YMCA Farm Project’s mission is to educate\, nourish and connect the Kingston community with our urban farm. Our vision is to use the farm as a way to engage young people in the magical and empowering process that is food production. Children and youth are involved in all aspects of food production and farm care: seeding\, transplanting\, watering\, weeding\, harvesting\, and ultimately preparing and eating. We have farm stands on Tuesdays and Wednesdays\, where we make our produce as accessible as possible to our community. Participants learn how to turn the vegetables they grow into healthy snacks and dishes. \n\n\n\nWe are committed to racial and economic justice and we are working to create a more equitable food system for all. As we do this\, we find different ways for our youth to make change in our community. We have recently started having a Book Club this summer. Since then\, we have read Stamped the Remix by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi; as well as How to be an Anti-racist by Ibram X. Kendi. The crew has also done things such as sent letters to elected officials\, installed a Say Their Names memorial\, painted two utility boxes with antiracist messages\, initiated a county-wide Sojourner Truth Day\, and more. \n\n\n\nThe Kingston YMCA Summer Youth Crew wrote and created a video called Truth Talk.  Truth Talk focuses on what they learned about our history and how to be an anti-racist agent of change. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGroundwork Hudson Valley creates sustainable environmental change in urban neighborhoods through community-based partnerships that promote equity\, youth leadership\, and economic opportunity. \n\n\n\nThe Green Team program hires local teenagers enrolled in the Yonkers Public School system for environmental jobs – for many\, their first real job. The program focuses on leadership\, group dynamics\, and a variety of conservation and construction skills. This hard work is tempered with amazing adventures\, like hiking\, camping\, and swimming. \n\n\n\n\nhttps://youtu.be/fxNvLj9u5Qw\n\n\n\n\nMORE ABOUT WATER JUSTICE LAB \n\n\n\nOrganized and hosted by Water Justice Lab\, a new project of Media Sanctuary’s NATURE (North Troy Art Technology and Urban Research in Ecology) Lab Environmental Education Center and Riverkeeper. The project will establish a water quality sampling lab\, educate diverse communities about water literacy and water civics (water issues and how to make a difference)\, develop the advocacy capacity of the North Troy area\, and strengthen a network of environmental justice advocates focused on water issues in the Hudson River Watershed. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/water-justice-echoes-from-lock-one/ CATEGORIES:Performance,Screening LOCATION:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/water-justice-echoes-from-lock-one/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220303T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220303T210000 DTSTAMP:20230213T185803Z CREATED:20220111T225042Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230213T185803Z UID:10001327-1646334000-1646341200@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Digital Ofrenda / Altar with Minerva Hernández / Bioscénica and IONE DESCRIPTION:Celebrate the new moon of March and the coming of the light\, as you join us in this virtual healing event featuring an artist talk\, live digital ritual and meditation. \n\n\n\n\nRegister\n\n\n\n\nWe welcome Minerva Hernández Trejo with Bioscénica\, along with artist/healer IONE\, in the third in The Sanctuary for Independent Media’s latest virtual series of artist residencies\, “Art and Ecology: In the Spirit of the Suffragettes.” This event is designed as a healing ritual for People’s Health Sanctuary\, part of a year-long inauguration of our new NATURE Lab Urban Environmental Arts & Education Center. \n\n\n\nThis virtual event will begin with an artist presentation by Minerva Hernández Trejo\, followed by a live ritual performance by Minerva and colleagues broadcast from Mexico City to our live zoom audience\, and completed by a healing meditation by IONE. \n\n\n\nWe chose this artistic ceremony to celebrate new moon of Pisces\, a time of beginnings. We mark the spring\, and a new year\, setting intentions for where we want to put our energies.  We focus on the five elements: water\, color/ fire\, wind/air\, earth/body\, spirit. Our overriding intention is healing — our planet\, our bodies — in this event and future events. \n\n\n\n\n\nMoon in the night sky just after the New Moon during the waxing crescent towards becoming full again.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArt & Ecology: In the Spirit of the Suffragettes\n\n\n\nMinerva Hernández Trejo is the third in The Sanctuary for Independent Media’s latest virtual series of artist residencies\, “Art and Ecology: In the Spirit of the Suffragettes.” \n\n\n\nInaugurating our new NATURE Lab Urban Environmental Arts & Education Center\, this event is designed as a healing ritual for People’s Health Sanctuary’s new home on the second floor. This NATURE LAB residency program is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts\, for women artists offer creative calls to action for ecological justice and survival of Planet Earth.  \n\n\n\nThe century-old suffragette message gives voice to inequities\, and our struggle for the environmental health of our local\, national and global communities. \n\n\n\nParticipating Artists\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMinerva H. Trejo \n\n\n\nMinerva H. Trejo is a transdisciplinary artist. Her work revolves around collective memory\, the relationship between body\, technology\, science\, poetry and vitality. She studied Photography and Cinematography in Brussels\, Belgium. She is an honorary member of the National System of Creators since 2010 and is part of the Art and Science research and creation group of the UNAM. She currently directs the transdisciplinary Bioscénica company\, dedicated to creating\, developing and producing proposals that combine arts\, sciences and technology. http://bioscenica.mx \n\n\n\nListen to Minerva’s interview for Hudson Mohawk Magazine: \n\n\n\nMediaSanctuary · Digital Ofrenda / Altar Event with Minerva Hernández\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGéraldine Eguiluz \n\n\n\nGéraldine Eguiluz is a multi-instrumentalist (voice\, guitar\, trumpet\, percussions) improviser\, composer\, musicologist\, as well as poet and painter. Born in Mexico in 1969\, citizen of the world and multi-lingual\, she grew up in Bogota\, Lisbon and Paris. She discovered herself as a musician from adolescence and deepened her practice until today. She signs her latest album Mexihcah Bones (2021) on the label Corne de Brume.  Géraldine Eguiluz’s work is in constant transformation\, cultivating new connections between individuals\, communities and institutions\, while making her unique contribution to the world. http://geraldineeguiluz.com \n\n\n\nListen to Géraldine’s interview for Hudson Mohawk Magazine: \n\n\n\nMediaSanctuary · Digital Ofrenda / Altar Event with Geraldine Eguiluz\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMyriam Beutelspacher Alcántar  \n\n\n\nTransdisciplinary artist\, teacher and researcher. Master in Technology and Aesthetics of Electronic Arts. Co-founder of Bioscénica\, Digital Body and Transdisciplinarity. She researches digital performance from an arche-machine logic to configure thermodynamics relationships. Curator of the International Meetings of Performing Arts\, Science and Technology\, “Efusion: code and production of meaning”; “Liveness: prosthetics\, gesture and metaphor” and LabCET Epigenetics. has been part of several academic research groups in Latin America. Recently served as Director of Academic Development at the National Arts Center. http://m-y-r-i.net \n\n\n\nListen to Myriam’s interview for Hudson Mohawk Magazine: \n\n\n\nMediaSanctuary · Digital Ofrenda / Altar Event with Myriam Beutelspacher\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEurídice NaVi \n\n\n\nA communicologist\, alchemist and amateur anthropologist\, she produces video dance\, craft beer and healing potions from herbalism. \n\n\n\nShe works in the dissemination of traditional Mexican music and sound experimentation and directs a home project for the conservation and protection of the Axolotl\, a species declared in danger of extinction. \n\n\n\nShe remains active as a transdisciplinary artist\, performer\, choreographer and dance teacher. Collaborator of Bioscénica\, digital body and transdiscipline since 2018. www.bioscenica.mx \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIONE \n\n\n\nIONE is an author/playwright/director and improvising text/sound artist. Her numerous publications include the memoir\, Pride of Family; Four Generations of American Women of Color\, a NY Times Notable Book\, Spell Breaking 1 & 2Anthologies of Women’s Mysteries. and Listening in Dreams!  She is playwright and director of Njinga the Queen King\, the Dance Opera Io and Her and the Trouble with Him\, The Lunar Opera; Deep Listening For_Tunes\, collaborations with composer Pauline Oliveros (1932-2016) IONE and Oliveros’ The Nubian Word for Flowers\, A Phantom Opera. premiered in November 2017 -Pocket Edition at NYPL for the Performing Arts-Lincoln Center.2020 IONE is former Artistic Director of Deep Listening Institute\, Ltd. and Founding Director of the Ministry of Maåt\, a not- for- profit organization emphasizing women’s spiritual and educational wellbeing. A specialist in dreams and the creative process\, IONE facilitates retreats world-wide. www.Ionedreams.us \n\n\n\nListen to IONE’s interview for Hudson Mohawk Magazine: \n\n\n\nMediaSanctuary · Digital Ofrenda / Altar Event with IONE\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Listen to Hudson Mohawk Magazine interviews about this event:\n \n \n \n \n Read More\n \n Digital Ofrenda / Altar Event with Minerva Hernández\n \n \n \n \n \n Read More\n \n Digital Ofrenda / Altar Event with IONE\n \n \n \n \n \n Read More\n \n Digital Ofrenda / Altar Event with Geraldine Eguiluz\n \n \n \n \n \n Read More\n \n Digital Ofrenda / Altar Event with Myriam Beutelspacher\n \n \n \n \n \n Read More\n \n Digital Ofrenda / Altar Event with Eurídice NaVi\n \n \n \n \n \n Read More\n \n Altars and the Transformative Power of Creating Art with Nancy Weber\n \n \n \n \n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis event is supported by the National Endowment of the Arts\, as well as a collaboration between the iEAR Presents series with support from RPI’s ARTS department and School of Humanities\, Arts and Social Science\, and from the New York State Council for the Arts/ NYSCA\, with The Sanctuary for Independent Media and People’s Health Sanctuary. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/digital-altar-with-minerva-hernandez/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Performance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ritual33.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220401T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220401T210000 DTSTAMP:20230213T184924Z CREATED:20220216T211217Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230213T184924Z UID:10001530-1648839600-1648846800@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita | SUBA Trio DESCRIPTION:Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita | SUBA Trio featuring percussionist Gustavo Ovalles are coming to the Sanctuary for the CD release of SUBA Trio\, presented in cooperation with The Egg Performing Arts Center. \n\n\n\n\nThrough the music we bring a message of peace\, hope and unity. When everything around us falling apart\, the one thing we have inside ourselves is a divine connection with our inner voice. \nOmar Sosa\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Atlantic Ocean separates Cuba and Senegal\, the respective birthplaces of piano virtuoso Omar Sosa and kora maestro Seckou Keita\, a distance diminished by their shared ancestral connection to Africa. When the pair met in 2012\, Seckou loved Omar for his musical spirituality\, whilst Omar saw in Seckou a rare ability to collaborate but not lose his identity. Their debut album Transparent Water (2017) was hailed as ‘beautiful\, rhapsodic… spiritual’ (Songlines) and ‘mesmerising\, evocative and sophisticated’ (World Music Central). \n\n\n\nSosa has released over 30 albums during an incredible career that has included nominations for seven GRAMMY or Latin GRAMMY awards; Keita is a multi-award winner\, most recently as the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year (2019). Recorded during lockdown and released in October 2021\, Sosa and Keita’s second album SUBA is a hymn to hope\, to a new dawn of compassion and real change in a post-pandemic world\, a visceral reiteration of humanity’s perennial prayer for peace and unity. Joining Omar and Seckou in the studio and for live performances is the inimitable Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHear our interview with Omar Sosa \n\n\n\n\n\nSix-time GRAMMY-nominated Cuban composer and pianist Omar Sosa is one of the most versatile jazz artists on the scene today. He fuses a wide range of jazz\, world music\, and electronic elements with his native Afro-Cuban roots to create a fresh and original urban sound – all with a Latin jazz heart. Mr. Sosa’s latest recording\, Calma\, reached the Billboard charts in February 2011\, and his previous CD\, Ceremony\, receive an ECHO Jazz Award in Germany in June 2011 His recent CD\, Afreecanos\, explores the African roots of traditional musics throughout the Diaspora\, using modern jazz harmonies and the latest audio technology. The Afreecanos ensemble fuses the folkloric with the contemporary\, the ancestral with the urban. Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune recently commented that “Cuban pianists often tower over their peers. But within this elite class of pianists\, few have been more stylistically adventurous than Omar Sosa. Though deeply schooled in jazz improvisation techniques\, Sosa always has pushed beyond jazz orthodoxy. https://omarsosa.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSeckou Keita has arguably become the most influential and inspiring Kora player of his generation\, an exceptional and charismatic musician and a modern global citizen\, with seven centuries of tradition and heritage expressed through his music. Described as a ‘griot (praise singer)\, composer\, djembe master\, virtuoso and pioneer’\, Seckou Keita is a rare type of musician\, seated in tradition whilst constantly pushing the boundaries of his art.   A true master of the kora – a 22 stringed West African harp – Seckou\, from the Casamance art of the ancient kingdom of Gabou in Southern Senegal\, was a childhood prodigy\, born of a line of griots and kings. Cissokho\, his mother’s family name\, gave life to his talent; Keita\, his father’s\, gave him royal blood.   Seckou has graced the international stage since 1996\, earning worldwide acclaim for his kora playing; appearing with a host of respected artists of artists including Salif Keita\, Paul Weller\, Bassekou Kouyate\, Damon Albarn… https://www.seckoukeita.com \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nConcert photos at The Sanctuary for Independent Media on April 1\, 2022\, by Sina Basila Hickey. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlso see Rudy Lu’s photos for Nippertown URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/omar-sosa-seckou-keita/ LOCATION:The Sanctuary\, 3361 6th Ave\, Troy\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:African Music,Jazz Music ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/TW-Trio-6-photo-by-Alicia-Carrera.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20220921T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20220921T210000 DTSTAMP:20230213T174122Z CREATED:20220627T223026Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230213T174122Z UID:10001611-1663786800-1663794000@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:Les Filles de Illighadad- TOUR CANCELED DESCRIPTION:Drawing from two distinct styles of regional sound\, ancient village choral chants and desert guitar\, Les Filles de Illighadad are sisters from the village of Illighadad\, performing Tende\, traditional music from Niger. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n“MESMERIZING SOUNDS FROM THE SAHARA” – The New York Times \n\n\n\n“HEADY\, TRANCE-INDUCING SONGS THAT BURROW INTO YOUR BRAIN AND SPREAD THROUGH YOUR BODY” – Rolling Stone \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n***Please note that for everyone’s safety\, we are following Covid protocols that include requirements that all attendees show proof of vaccination or a recent test for entry\, and wear a mask. We will notify ticket holders if the protocols change. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLes Filles de Illighadad (“daughters of Illighadad”) was founded in Illighadad\, Niger in 2016 by solo guitarist Fatou Seidi Ghali and renowned vocalist Alamnou Akrouni. In 2017\, they were joined by Amaria Hamadalher\, a fixture on the Agadez guitar scene\, and Abdoulaye Madassane\, rhythm guitarist and a son of Illighadad. Les Filles de Illighadad’s music draws from two distinct styles of regional sound\, ancient village choral chants and desert guitar. The result is a groundbreaking new direction for Tuareg folk music and a sound that resonates far outside of their village. In the past years\, the band has toured nonstop\, bringing their highly specific sound to distant corners of the globe. \n\n\n\nLes Filles de Illighadad’s third full-length\, At Pioneer Works\, was recorded over two sold-out shows in Brooklyn\, NY in Fall 2019 at the tail-end of two years of nonstop touring in support of the band’s 2017 album Eghass Malan. Writing about the shows for The New Yorker\, music critic Amanda Petrusich writes: “The crowd in Brooklyn was entranced\, nearly reverent. Les Filles’ music is mesmeric\, almost prayer-like\, which can leave an audience agog… whatever rhythm does to a human body—it was happening.” URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/les-filles-de-illighadad/ CATEGORIES:African Music,Performance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-23-at-16.52.28.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20221008T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20221008T150000 DTSTAMP:20241001T150200Z CREATED:20221008T223500Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241001T150200Z UID:10001612-1665237600-1665241200@www.mediasanctuary.org SUMMARY:“DIRT: The Secret Life of Soil” with Arm-of-the-Sea Theater DESCRIPTION:Join us for a theatrical production about the dirt under our feet by Arm-of-the-Sea Theater\, an arts ensemble that fuses visual storytelling with live music in contemporary works of mask and puppet theater.  \n\n\n\nThis production will take place outdoors in Freedom Square\, a two-minute walk from the Sanctuary. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhere does food “come from” and from what is it made? Here’s a lively primer for urban bumpkins and upcountry gardeners alike. Fusing cutting-edge science and age-old puppetry\, DIRT takes audiences on an extravagant journey of discovery into the Great Underneath—revealing the epic alchemy of plants\, the fungi’s dance of mutual delight\, and the microbes’ herculean labors. Fifty minutes in length\, performed by a five- member company\, and featuring live music and a myriad of puppet figures ranging from 12 inches to 12 feet tall\, the show reminds earthly residents of all ages how profoundly essential the ground beneath their feet is. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArm-of-the-Sea Theater’s mission is to inspire wonder\, offer insight\, spark joy and enrich the public imagination. They accomplish their mission through the symbolic visual language of mask and puppet theater. This handmade\, low-tech form of communication is decentralized and locally adapted. It can bridge language barriers and engage people of many ages and walks of life.  \n\n\n\nArm-of-the-Sea was founded in 1982 by Marlena Marallo and Patrick Wadden as an experimental hybrid performance group combining art\, ecology and social action. They continue to experiment with this ephemeral art form as a symbolic visual language that can illuminate the links between human communities and the life-support processes of this blue ocean planet.   \n\n\n\n\n\nPhotos by Robert Cooper from the performance at Freedom Square on October 8\, 2022\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSponsored by NATURE Lab and People’s Health Sanctuary. URL:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/event/dirt-the-secret-life-of-soil/ LOCATION:Freedom Square\, 35 5th Ave\, Troy\, NY\, 12180\, United States CATEGORIES:Performance ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.mediasanctuary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ArmoftheSea-DIRT-Mama-Water-photo-by-Michael-Nelson.jpeg GEO:42.754030225802;-73.681172076926 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Freedom Square 35 5th Ave Troy NY 12180 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=35 5th Ave:geo:-73.681172076926,42.754030225802 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR