2 Hour Local Show

Tina Peel is extending her local show to two hours tomorrow night. The special will remember Mark Freeland- music and interviews. One of the nice things is that the Lake has an online stream, so where ever you are, if you have an internet connection, you can hear it. It airs at 10 pm est. 6/25 on Buffalo 107.7 The Lake.

Artvoice

Jamie wrote a fine article- put a nice cover together in memory of Mark Freeland. Here's the link, but pick one up if you can. It's beautiful in color. Careful of the end of the piece- it's a bit weepy......

Thank You, Mark Freeland

I was trying to describe, in my last post, about what it feels like for those of us whose life was touched by Mark now that he has transformed to the next level. I don't say that we can relate to the Freeland family, or to his life partner, Carla- I can't begin to comprehend the pain there. No, I'm speaking about the many friends that we have seen in the last couple of days at the wake and the memorial. So, I tried to relate that feeling in the last post. But Tony Billoni hit that right on the head at yesterday's memorial. We're in a vortex. Time does not exist as we know it right now.
Tony was joined by many others speaking at the memorial yesterday. One of the common, and best things that was focused on were recollections that so many people in "real life" may not have found amusing. Because we all know who Mark was and what he was about, we all took a break from our mourning to laugh. It was great to see a lot of people I haven't seen in many years, although the circumstances weren't what any of us would have liked. I think it will take us all a few days (or weeks, months) to get our sense of time back. I don't know if I even want that....
I was speaking with Tina Peel a few minutes ago. She is planning an extended Local Show next week. It will be a tribute to Mark Freeland, with not only music, but with snippets of several interviews with him that she has had with him over the years- recent, as well as the late '80s.
The show will air on 107.7 The Lake, Monday, June 25, 10-Midnight.
Thank you Mark, and all the friends that I have seen in the vortex....

Post

Mark Freeland, Connecticut and Normal 1998


I guess it's what a lot of people are feeling. This weird, empty feeling we got when we found out that Mark died. I found out that he was sick a few weeks ago- wasn't supposed to know, so didn't get to see him. Then I was thinking about how long it has been. At first I felt guilty, but then I realized that I was feeling bad for ME. That he was the most talented and creative person I may ever know, and I won't have the chance to ever tell him that.
Looking at the memories and stories that have been posted by countless people (WNYMusic and the Buffalo News , even VH1), he touched so many people. I know he's in a good place now, and there are a million stories that we who are still here could tell about knowing him. And I'm so glad to have these memories. It really makes me appreciate the people in my life right now. It's sad, and yet I have another reason to thank him. From reactions of other people that knew him, I think that this has hit a lot of us in a different way than other deaths we've experienced.
When I'm listening to "Girl Power" (as I have about 1,000x since Thursday), my heart races and I'm smiling. That, I think is how the memories will feel.

Allentown's Missing Piece

Well, The Allentown "Art" Festival has come and gone, always marking the beginning of summer for me. With crowds, and personal health issues, getting to the fest has been rough for the last number of years....
Except the evolution of Music is Art. The last 3 years (before this one), have seen myself and husband Kevin Hosey, at MIA from start to finish each day. One of the main focuses of our website, BuffaloRoots, is local music, and there were two days of heaping servings. Because of Robby's worldwide popularity, weeks after the story went up, there were still hundreds of visitors from everywhere in the world coming to the site, and they saw what Buffalo has to offer.
Not signs or sprinklers (which mostly come from elsewhere anyway), but homegrown music, as well as Buffalo artists (I was one for a couple of years), and activities for the kids.
Yes, it was a "stop" for a lot of people attending the Art Fest, but for a lot of us, it was home base for the weekend.
Well, finally, thanks to the grief that the Allentown Village Society has bestowed on Robby for the past few years, he has moved the MIA festival to the Hamburg Fair grounds in August. Not because he wanted to, but because of the crap Mary Myszkiewicz and AVS has put him through. It is so maddening.
I know that a lot of bloggers have touched on this (BuffaloPundit is one) . Today's Buffalo News had the traditional "Wasn't Allentown Great Again This Year?" article. Because they have become so "modern" these days, they have a blog-like feature asking people to write their "memories" of the festival.
I liked what I saw there. Lots of people writing in about the hole that the departed MIA has on their experience, how they think that the AVS has made a huge mistake. Go to it Buffalo! I'm sure the News and the AVS weren't expecting this!
There is still the musical presence of Nietzsche's on the festival. I hear they donated the door proceeds to MIA....
Sorry, no pictures for this post. Wasn't there to take any.

Artists and Models 2007-The Aftermath

Nocturminal was quite the event.
The Central Terminal was an excellent choice for Artists and Models, and the artists involved certainly ran with it. The thing about it was the space. Running into friends, I found that a lot more tan I thought had never been in the building. Now, having been there for several events, noticed a big difference. It seemed as if the sentiment at other events was that this was a once grand building. What a fantastic past! Oh the things that must have happened here "in the day"!
Nocturminal had a very different feel. Yeah, there are some crumbling walls, the marble floor dull. But there was also an energy that had nothing to do with the past- where people, art and music collide. There was so much to see and experience, that you had to live in the now; perhaps look to the future.
I guess this write up is not about specific installations , although the rep from Butlex Pharmaceuticals (David Butler, above) was kind. He was very informative about their new pill "Resurrecta", and gave us a lovely flyswatter. I digress. I was impressed with many of the installations, but I just can't get over the feeling the they inspired. I don't think I'll ever look at that building in quite the same way...

Getting on the Bottle...

I'm trying it. Soho Dog needs to be on a soda bottle, don't you think? Well, he's in their gallery, waiting to be voted on! I know they just finished printing a run of labels, but I don't know when the voting ends for this one (so, go soon!).

Mmmmm...Soda

Have you tried this soda? I first tasted it in the mid 90s. It is really awesome soda (and I don't drink much soda...), but I have to say, I was caught by the packaging. Black and white photography, stark lettering. I was impressed. I was also thinking "My photographs belong on one of these nifty bottles." Of course, I found the soda in some out-of-the-way place- I don't remember where, and never found it again.
Until now. Out of the way, I tell you! My neighborhood car wash/gas station/gourmet eating establishment- Delta Sonic! So I buy the tasty pop, and on the label, I find that I can enter my photos to be rated by staff and website visitors for addition to the attractive bottles. My dream!
So, watch this space for a link to my photo (up for judging, hint,hint) on the Jones Soda website; I'll get a photo on a bottle!
Oh, and I also learned on the website that they carry the beverages at Target. Not so out of the way, I guess. S'pose I don't visit the pop aisle....