From Stephen D Harper
Photos are posted here from the Birmingham Flickr community. Click on the image for more details.
Archive for August, 2007
The Moseley Folk Festival is next weekend and tickets are still available but if you can’t afford them or just fancy being involved in the workings of what’s emerging as an important event on Birmingham’s music calendar, you can work as a steward in return for free entry for that day. You need to do a 4.5 hour shift which could involve being on the gate, assisting security or litter picking and then the rest of the time is your own.
Here’s a video:
It was found on the MySpace of Cloud Cuckoo Land who describe it as a “psychedelic robot musical” which ran at the Edinburgh Fringe for two weeks last year.
It was filmed and edited by Scott Johnson aka filmficciones70 and the music was by Matt Eaton of Pram and Micronormous.
There appear to be some interestingly odd people involved in this outfit. One to keep an eye on methinks…
I’ve been trying to avoid it like a trip to the dentist but it’s become apparent that I need to have a functioning MySpace presence rather than just dropping in there to snarf pics and music. So here it is.
Birmingham-based artists, musicians, etc and the people who work with them, feel free to befriend me and dump all manner of stuff in my comments. Flyers, plugs, artwork, whatever. It’ll all be considered fodder for this blog.
Please excuse my lack of enthusiasm for MySpace and don’t confuse it for a lack of enthusiasm for those using MySpace. It’s not. MySpace is truly a wonder of our age and has enabled many a revolutionary paradigm shift. Unfortunately it’s also an ugly, badly coded and terminally shonky piece of crap. C’est la vie.
Video: Electric Sheep
EP, featuring Electric Sheep, available at iTunes
Next gig: Barfly, 6th September.
Song: Handkerchief Dances
[audio:http://createdinbirmingham.com/audio/handkerchief_dances.mp3]
Members:
Daz Dolczech – Vocals / Guitar / Electronics
Guantanamo Ray – Guitar
Annie Jones – Violectra
Dark Mavis – Tuba / Electronics
Mike Hurley – Drums / Percusion / Objects
via a Marc Reck blog post where he writes about jamming with them.
From Matt Murtagh
Photos are posted here from the Birmingham Flickr community. Click on the image for more details.
Coffee House Challenge is an initiative run by the RSA (“working to remove the barriers to social progress” being their slogan) and Starbucks, the coffee retailer. The radical notion is that a bunch of people meet in coffee shop “to talk about community issues they care about and to take action for local change” which, as you’ll know, has never happened in this country before.
Okay, sarcasm to one side, there’s one happening in Birmingham on August 29th at the 114/115 New St Starbucks at 7.30pm. The title is Resource full. Creatively challenged or what?. Details (which I confess I’m struggling to make complete sense of) at that link. All are welcome and it’s free.
The video from the Creative City Awards at the ICC is up. Watch it here. Via Digital Central who have links to all the winners.
- Brumcast #64 is out. Subscribe here or listen with this widget:
[audio:http://ipodnetworks.com/podcast/363/1876_hifi.mp3] - B:INS reports that Linda Green’s novel, Did A Bad Thing, is set in a Birmingham newspaper office based on her experiences there. Here’s an interview and the paperback is out in October from Headline.
- The sixth issue of Gareth Courage’s PDF design zine Viewer is available to download.
- Gojo Music, being one Gary O’Dea from The Peoples Republic of Tipton and friends. To explore later. Lots of downloads and video on the MySpace.
- Taschen have a new book out, Logo Design, which features logos from at least two Birmingham design houses – Clusta and TAK.
The August Bank Holiday Sunday sees an all day festival of acoustic music taking place at the Island Bar next to the Alexandra Theatre. Doors open from 2pm, first of 15 acts on from 3pm and it’s all free. Details here.
Animation Forum has the first of a substantial two part interview with Natalie Hinchley and Chris Randall of Second Home Studios, a traditional animation house based in Digbeth whose first short, The Animal Book, went to Cannes this year.
If you had to sell the Animal Book to someone in a minute, what would you say?
CR: In the way it was made, as far as I can remember, I don’t think there has been either a studio or a film of this scale or ambition that has been produced here before. That may sound like I’m blowing our own trumpet a bit, but I can’t honestly remember a studio that’s had the experience or the willingness, or I suppose ‘passion’ is a better word because we love doing it, to actually do large scale stop motion animation. So that’s why The Animal Book came about, and the reason for The Animal Book was that we wanted to do something that wasn’t just animation for the sake of it, there was a story behind it, a tale to tell, and I suppose the pitch for the story is it’s about going to where you belong, finding a better life.
NH: Yeah, simple pitch: it’s about two sisters who maintain the giant machine that they live in, until one day a mysterious book appears. And from that point, they have really crazy adventures, things happen and they end up discovering some place that they really belong in.
Their impressive showreel can be found on their site and the trailer and stills the Animal Book are here.
Marking 60 years of Indian independence The Drum has an exhibition of work by photographer Sunil Janah “focusing on the struggle for independence from the British, a movement which Janah was a part of. Looking at political activity against the backdrop of the people of India, the economy and the history of the continent the exhibition features a unique collection of photographs taken over the course of 35 years from 1943 onwards.”
Should be really good. Here’s a short article about Janah and a selection of photographs.
The show runs from September 3rd to 28th and there’s a drinks reception and official launch on Wednesday 12th at 6.30pm. RSVP to Toni Swaby at The Drum, tel: 0121 333 2425 email: t.swaby@the-drum.org.uk.
- A reminder that Plot continue to do their Plotcasts, releasing audio of events at Light House so everyone can benefit from them. Of particular note is May’s Screen Forum where BAFTA types gave advice on pitching at Cannes.
[audio:http://www.plotonline.co.uk/podcast/final_mp3_80.mp3] - 30 days ’til Artsfest…
- Stumbled across the Birmingham Gigs group on MySpace and while I doubt I’ll ever hang out there (I prefer to use websites that actually function for my networking) it does serve as a neat directory to the venues and promoters in the city. Loads of promoters there, many I’d never heard of. Looks like they keep a regular gig listing updated too.
- For those following such things, The Post reports on the “unveiling of a strategy to oversee the 20-year £10 billion City Centre Masterplan”. Here’s the PDF of said Masterplan. Thanks Stef.
- Casual staff are needed to work the deciBel Showcase next month in the following areas: Front of House, Administration, Box Office, Venue Liaison and Production. There’s an hourly rate paid and, as is often the case with these things, working it is “a fantastic opportunity for anyone hoping to get into the arts, students and/or freelance arts professionals.” Email CVs to Sindy Campbell at sindy@fierceearth.com or call 0121 244 8083.
- Midas release their new single Red Shoes this month. There’s a secrit launch party somewhere in Birmingham tonight and a more open launch at HMV on the 20th. They’re also keeping a good looking blog on their MySpace with lots of video. via Birminghamusic.
