The Month Ahead with ArtsFest

Wednesday 1st April 2009

·    Sohan Kailey Bhangra Dance Classes

Learn traditional and freestyle Bhangra dance movements. A great way to keep fit and stay in shape! Open class.

Venue:       

The Dance Workshop, 132 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8EE

Time:

7.30pm – 8.30pm

Tickets:

£6.50 per person per class. Pay at class

Further Information:

www.ozonepr.com

07957 338 643

THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE EVERY WEDNESDAY FROM 21^ST JAN UNTIL EASTER.

 

Saturday 4 April 2009

·    Birmingham Bach Choir Easter Celebrations

Celebrating 90 years of the Birmingham Bach Choir, 50th birthday of James MacMillan and 350yrs since birth of Henry Purcell

Venue:       

The Oratory

Time:

7.30pm

Tickets:

£15 and £12 concessions Birmingham Central Library 0121 303 2323 or on www.birminghamboxoffice.com or from Birmingham Ticketshop and Tourism Centre 0121 202 5000

Further Information:

www.birmingham.bachchoir.com

0121 258 2814

 

Sunday 5 April 2009

·    NU Century Arts Live Box

Z-U: Z-U, an ambitious three-piece outfit made up of bassist Neil Charles, clarinettist Shabaka Hutchings, and drummer Tom Skinner, pushes the boundaries of improvised music with a homogenous world sound, reflecting the eclectic range of its members’ influences.  By taking the raw elements of jazz and allowing generous use of electronics, loops and effects, a symphony of sound is created in which fragments of melody are spontaneously imagined.

Venue:       

The Drum Arts Centre

Time:

7.45pm – 11.00pm

Tickets:

£5.00/3.00 concessions Drum Box Office 0121 333 2400

Further Information:

www.nucenturyarts.co.uk

 

 

Thursday 9th April 2009

·    Particle article Childrens workshop: easter creatures

Workshops for children to create creatures from recycled and reclaimed materials

Venue:       

Bilston Craft Gallery

Time:

10-12 and 2-4

Tickets:

£1 Bilston craft gallery

Further Information:

www.wolverhamptonart.org.uk/bilston/visit

01902 552507 craft gallery; 07787812979 particle article

 

Sunday 12 April 2009

·    NU Century Arts Live Box

Soweto Kinch’s The Flyover Show: the sequel:  In May 2008, Soweto Kinch presented a day-long street festival that brought inspiring world-class jazz, hip hop, poetry, dance and theatre to the space beneath Hockley Flyover in Birmingham; appearing alongside the MOBO award-winning saxophonist and MC were international names as well as rising star home-grown talent.  Tonight’s showcase is the first public outing for the exciting new work that these young local artists have specially created for May 2009’s The Flyover Show.

Venue:       

The Drum Arts Centre

Time:

7.45pm – 11.00pm

Tickets:

£5.00/3.00 concessions Drum Box Office 0121 333 2400

Further Information:

www.nucenturyarts.co.uk

 

Tuesday 14^th April 2009

·    FebruaryMarch Acoustic Brew UK

Top acoustic music at The Island Bar, four acts including FebruaryMarch.

Venue:       

The Island Bar, Birmingham

Time:

8pm – 11pm

Tickets:

FREE On the door

Further Information:

www.myspace.com/acousticbrewuk

0798 100 4502

 

Sunday 19 April 2009

·    NU Century Arts Live Box

Battle in the Box:  Battle in the Box is one of the country’s only acoustic hip hop freestyle sessions.  It’s open mic, so step up and shine!

Venue:       

The Drum Arts Centre

Time:

7.45pm – 11.00pm

Tickets:

£5.00/3.00 concessions Drum Box Office 0121 333 2400

Further Information:

www.nucenturyarts.co.uk

 

Sunday 26th April 2009

·    NU Century Arts Live Box

The Michael Janisch/Pete Zimmer Quintet featuring Will Vinson:  London-born, New York-based saxophonist Will Vinson, dubbed ‘the thinking man’s alto saxophonist’ by The Guardian, joins the quintet of US duo bassist Michael Janisch and drummer Pete Zimmer.  Will is a member of Rufus Wainwright’s band and has also worked with Sean Lennon and Beth Orton; his own newly released album, Promises, was hailed as ‘impressive’ by The New York Times.

Venue:       

The Drum Arts Centre

Time:

7.45pm – 11.00pm

Tickets:

£5.00/3.00 concessions Drum Box Office 0121 333 2400

Further Information:

www.nucenturyarts.co.uk

 

Saturday 18 April 2009 – Sunday 28 June 2009

·    Particle article exhibition

Exhibition of winged creatures made from found and recycled material. Some creatures will have escaped and be living wild in Georgian surroundings.

Venue:       

Pickford’s House Museum, Derby

Time:

See website for opening times –

Tickets:

free

Further Information:

www.derby.gov.uk/LeisureCulture/MuseumsGalleries/Exhib

01332 255363

 

Chance for one band to win a free photo shoot with music photographer Steve Gerrard

Steve Gerrard’s music photography began life as a hobby, mixing two of his passions – photography and music – but he quickly began to be recognised by magazine editors, bands and artists and now works regularly for magazines such as Rock Sound, Terrorizer and Metal Hammer. His work has also been published in Rolling Stone, Kerrang!, NME and music magazines around the world.

He is also the founder of the Birmingham Live website which was launched to help upcoming music photographers and writers gain exposure.

Over the years Steve has been an accredited photographer for bands such as Radiohead, Metallica, Kiss, Muse, Nine Inch Nails, Iron Maiden, The Sex Pistols, Bon Jovi and Kings Of Leon. He’s also shot artists as diverse as Liza Minelli, Slayer and Girls Aloud and has taken official photography at Birmingham’s No. 1 arts festival ArtsFest. 

Now one band can win a free photo shoot with Steve simply by answering the question below and emailing brumlive@googlemail.com with the name of your band, location and a contact phone number. Check out Steve’s website for more of his work (and the answer to the question): http://stevegerrardphotography.com/

QUESTION – WHAT WAS STEVE’S FAVOURITE ALBUM OF 2008?

Closing date for applications

Just to confirm that the closing date for applications is 17th April 09 and not the 3rd April as printed in the Birmingham Mail and the Forward newspapers.  Sorry for any confusion.

ArtsFest 2009 Online Applications Open Today at 2pm

The application process for ArtsFest 2009 will open today, 9th march,  at 2pm. 

From 2pm today, until 5pm on 17th April, you will be able to visit the ArtsFest website (artsfest.org.uk) and complete your application online.

ArtsFest 2009 Theme Announced

The theme for ArtsFest 2009 is Anniversaries and Celebrations and the festival will recognise major anniversaries taking place this year such as:

 

·     The bicentenary of the death of Matthew Boulton.

·     The bicentenary of birth of William Penny Brookes.

·     The bicentenary of birth of Charles Darwin.

·     The 50^th anniversary of the Mini

·     The 50^th anniversary of Motown.

·     The 50^th anniversary of Barbie.

 

If you are aware of other anniversaries and celebrations taking place however, which we have not included in the list above, please let us know!

AFS – Mothers’ Day

Adham Fisher, musically known as AFS, who performed at ArtsFest 2008 and also volunteered, is stepping up promotion for his single Mothers’ Day  in the run up to the occasion itself on March 22.

Mothers’ Day  (released on Atomicduster Records) is based around samples of an unknown father which were discovered on a tape in Canada. He was putting together a computer for his children, recording everything he did to tape as a reference manual. Halfway through, he said to them: “I’ve been working on this computer for you, it’s the day after Mother’s Day and you didn’t send your mother a card”. He then carried on with his instructions, but a few days later a present arrived for his wife from the children, and he went back on the tape to apologise for his telling off earlier, and his inability to go back and erase it. These two speeches form the songs Mothers’ Day Part I and Mothers’ Day Part II respectively. The original recording’s date is estimated at being from the early 1990s. Nothing is known about the man in question.

In 2008, after months beneath the radar, it was picked up and played on BBC Radio 1 by Huw Stephens and Rob da Bank, on 6 Music by Tom Robinson, and even signed by none other than John Prescott at Birmingham’s High Street Waterstone’s store. Based on this attention, the AFS team is hoping that 2009 will bring the record even more exposure. Do not be surprised if you see Adham promoting it in and around Birmingham in increasingly wacky ways in the coming weeks.

It is widely available as a download, and limited edition vinyl, for which one has to look rather more carefully…

www.myspace.com/afselectronica

 

 

www.mothersday.32bitwonder.org

 

www.atomicduster.com