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

The Derrick ran a huge feature on Oil City Indie Songwriters Festival founder Jerome Wincek this morning. In it, Wincek takes a bold anti-Stryper stance:

"I was told that music that said 'the devil should go to hell' was wrong," he said.

Bold, I say. Bold.

---

Headed out to the Canopy View/Remora Deign show at the Latonia in Oil City last night and while the crowd was small, it was diverse -- it was nice to not be the only one there with grey hair. I hadn't seen Canopy View before and had never heard Remora Deign's full amplfied set. It was pretty clear that neither band had planned for a place as acoustically unique as this old theatre - Remora Deign's sound especially was overdriven and out of balance at times with the vocals disappearing.

(And, yes, I wear earplugs to shows and, brief sermon here, so should you - I was using some cheap ones I had left over from the gun range, but I recommend Earlove or Hearos).

That said, it was actually a pretty good show. Canopy View sounded nothing like what I had expected since they were billed as electronica, but came across as anthemic indie rock -- more beholden to 1990s alterna-rock than sounding like say Daft Punk (or even Depeche Mode). They didn't have any merch for sale, which was too bad because my wallet was itching to be emptied and they seemed a little nervous on stage - but they've got good solid skills , put on a decent show, and fall into my would be willing-to-see-again category.

Cory Pfahl - Canopy View vocalist

Remora Deign was headlining. It's clear that they're really comfortable in front of an audience at this point and the drummer, Garth Porter, seemed really focused and tight.

Remora Deign Vocalist Kyle Hoffman

Remora Deign Drummer Garth Porter

The ladies restoring and revitalizing the Latonia are doing a great job and are really motivated to making the theatre a vibrant addition to the Oil City arts community (and there's a whole other essay about that ). They do a drawing during the band's break (I was a little embarrassed when my wife and I both won. In a row. Not so embarrassed that it kept me from taking the prize though...). And it was relaxed atmosphere - I'm not sure that I would court the youth market in that space, but again that's another essay.

Maybe a little too relaxed for a show. What surprised me the most was the apathy of the fans. They paid $10 to see these guys. I had expected some excitement, some dancing, I know that bands like At The Drive In took a strict no mosh policy, but these fans literally had the heads on the tables, their backs to the bands. It was as if they were at a school assembly full of planned forced fun rather than at a show that they not only wanted to go to, but had to pay for the right to go in.

Weird. It must have been really difficult for the bands to keep their energy up with such a blase crowd. And it freaked me out.

---

Film Cameras Officially Dead In Japan

---

Lastly, I'm hoping that you, my intelligent and pretty readers can help me. I need to find copies of Lynn Redgrave's plays Mandrake Root, Nightingale, and Rachel and Juliet. Any ideas?

And as long as I'm asking, I'm also looking for a Sawara Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Mops') and a Golden Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata 'Aurescens') Any good local sources?

Finally, how about blueprint diazo paper?

Email me with your suggestions.

---

Free and Legal Downloads

Ryan Adams Live at The Brewery on February 4, 1994

Sybris - "Oh Man!" (mp3) (Stream Sybris pre-release album Into the Trees)

Lots of art news in the local papers today.

---

The Derrick profiles the upcoming second annual Oil Region Indie Songwriters Festival ( and manages to mis-spell festival founder Jerome Wincek's last name. Class.). You may also want to review behaviors to avoid at concerts.

---

The News Herald covers The Franklin Fine Arts Council naming John McConnell as the 2008 Artist of the year which, to me, is pretty weird since we're not even half done with 2008. Although I think John certainly deserves the award, I also think that awarding the 2008 award in the second quarter of 2008 radically devalues the award and reinforces the appearance of cronyism (Full disclosure - I contribute money to the Franklin Fine Arts Council).

---

The Titusvlle Herald announces:
For the first time in the Titusville High School Art Show's eight years, a special exhibit of an array of art donated by renowned artist Gerson Leiber will be on display in conjunction with the show [scheduled for Thursday 6:30 - 8 pm in the school's gym].

Awkwardly, it also suggests that a student from the "University of Pittsburgh at Titusville's master of library science program" is acting a consultant. Although Pitt has a fine MLIS program, the MLS at Pitt-Titusville is a program that doesn't actually seem to exist.

Boy, I'm on a roll today, huh?

---

The Carnegie Science Center is looking for stories from local descendants of RMS Titanic passengers or crew. Their tales will become part of the "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" that opens May 24. Anyone with a tie to the Titanic or a story to share is encouraged to send an e-mail to Titanic@CarnegieScienceCenter.org.

---

Robert Rauschenberg has died.

---

Gardenaut is a clever new gardening blog that you can customize for your area.

---

Free and Legal Downloads


via Coverlaydown

Suzanne Vega, "Cassidy" (orig. Grateful Dead)
Suzanne Vega, "China Doll" (orig. Grateful Dead)
John Cale & Suzanne Vega, "So Long, Marianne" (orig. Leonard Cohen)

Donna the Buffalo Live at Revolution Hall on May 9, 2008