Friday, May 23, 2008

So, it's the last Friday in the month which means a regional artist Top 10 list. It's no surprise that with the Oil Region Indie Songwriter's Fest upon us, this month's featured artist is Festival founder, musician, and Oil City resident, Jerome Wincek.

I've been a fan of Wincek since he was part of Big Jack Earl. Such a fan, in fact that I'm p assing up a chance to see one of the seminal bands of my youth, X, in order to catch the Festival shows this weekend.


Jerome Wincek's Top 10 list:

1-Rails to Trails - It's nice to be in a residential area, but still within walking distance of the wild and scenic Allegheny River Valley.

2-The Oil City Trolley - Oil City again has a trolley. Naysayers should have to take the normie bus.


3-Joann Wheeler She has been like a cold refreshing energy drink for the local arts community.

4-venangago-go - As the only local independent happenings post, venangago-go is an incredibly valuable asset to our culture and community.

5-Oil Region Indie - This festival is a cooperative effort of our local college, arts council, revitalization committee, visual artists, and songwriters. It is really amazing to see a community work together like this in an effort to appreciate and promote its indigenous artistic talent.

6-Summerhouse Coffee - Locally roasted fair trade organic coffee. Need i say more?

7-Brother Bean - Gwen and Bruce have been hosting shows for as long as I've known them. that has been a while, as I used to buy my Christian rock and metal albums from them. It is great to have a venue like them in this area.

8-The Latonia Theatre - A project as big as it is worthwhile.

9-The Howling Dog Cafe - A direct result of Joann Wheeler's coolness. Fresh perspective from Alaska is precisely what we need.

10-The Shamrock Tavern - #10 on the list, but #1 in my heart.

Jerome Wincek plays with his band, The Old Hats. They'll be performing at the Oil Region Indie Songwriters Festival Saturday May 24, at 5 pm in Justus Park.

Download (via Mediafire) Jerome Wincek and the Old Hats - "The Giver" from Love is a Martyr

Download (via Mediafire) Jerome Wincek and the Old Hats - "The Coyote" from Love is a Martyr

Check out my review of their live show

Shame, shame Erie Times News and writer Lisa Thompson (who, if I'm not mistaken used to work for the News Herald/Derrick here in town). In yesterday's front page, they covered the continuing success of the Erie Skatepark. The real story here, as I mentioned earlier, is that this project which has been put off and put off for years with a cry of NIMBY! has perservered and organized to the point that they were awarded highly competitive $25K Tony Hawk Grant. That fact, though, wasn't mentioned until after the jump, buried deeply on the third page. What did Thompson and the Times News sees the story's hook as?

The skateboarders leaned over the skate park designer's shoulder, their eyes locked on the laptop screen in front of him. Mussed hair dangled from underneath knit hats and rakishly positioned ball caps. Smudgy tattoos decorated knuckles.


Lazy stereotypes. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

In the ETN's defense though, they did run an editorial urging Erie's Port Authority not to ban unaccompanied minors from public concert. Still though, who reads editorials? They're like blogs.


The Butler Art Center has issued a call for Artists for Futuristic Exhibit. Futuristic Art is a new exhibit and is open to all artists at any point in their career. This is a themed show and must represent ‘Futuristic Art’.

To enter the exhibit, please email or call 724-283-6922 for more information.



The July 18-20 Firefly Music Festival line up has been announced. Regional favorites Gypsy Dave and the Stumpjumpers play on 3:30 on July 19th.

The 2008 Band Camp for Adult Musicians will be held at Allegheny College June 8-14 and June 22-28. On Thursday at 7 p.m. each week the small ensembles — which include woodwind quintets, brass quintets, a Dixieland band and a stage band — hold a recital. Each week will end with a free gala concert on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Shafer Auditorium. All of the camp performances are held in the Campus Center and are free and open to the public. The Band Camp for Adult Musicians is sponsored by the Allegheny College Office of Conference and Event Services. For more information, call (814) 332-3101.


The Carnegie Museum of Natural History is putting a quartz crystal skull on display starting tomorrow to coincide with the new Indiana Jones movie. The crystal skull will be on display in the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems into June.


Two current and one former singer in the Pittsburgh Opera Center completed a sweep of the top prizes in the Jensen Foundation Voice Competition last week in New York City.



I couldn't give a crap less about big money pro sports, but this article about Wholey's Fish Market in Pittsburgh's Strip District hiring security to keep octopi out of the hand of Red Wings fans is pretty funny.



KillerWolf Films is holding meetings/open auditions for their new feature film Warriors of the Apocalypse on Friday May 23 and Friday May 30 at the Erie Playhouse Rehearsal space at 12th and Brandes Streets in Erie from 6-9 pm both days. Shooting commences Saturday July 19 and wraps Sunday July 27, with filming being in the Northwestern PA area and possibly a few dates on the NJ/PA/NY border.


Free and Legal Downloads:

Godspeed You Black Emperor! Live at Scottish Rite Temple of Freemasonry March 5, 2003

Ryan Adams Live at SXSW Festival on March 16, 2001

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey, thanks for noticing the Pittsburgh Opera Center winners! Anybody who thinks opera is all glamor should see how hard these singers work. And what great people they are--not snobby at all. Woo-hoo!