Fumbling Friday

Friday night was packed with events.

I started out the night at the Dunlop Art Gallery where New Dance Horizons was putting on Dollhouse. This was a dance/performance art piece where the character was having the worst of all days with things breaking, falling, getting injured, and caught in the rain. There was a lot of slap stick and a bit of tap dancing. The score was produced by various mechanical means - breaking plastic cups, mouse traps, whirling motors on tiki torches, a giant sheet of metal, and wobbly bowls of water on induction burners. It was fascinating and funny, but at times hard to sit through. Especially at the start when the character was clearly in pain and before it got completely outrageous, I really wanted to help him. That's probably a sign that it was well done and that I still have empathy. It also left me thinking about the bystander effect and wondering how many of my audience mates were thinking the same thing.

Next, I went to the Artful Dodger where Danny Olliver, Middle Coast, and Bears in Hazenmore were playing. It was a packed house and I got to catch up with a lot of friends while listening to some outstanding music. In keeping with the slapstick start of the night, Danny managed to knock over his kick drum mid-song, a bench at the Dodger collapsed when someone sat on it, a couple of women sitting at the bar dropped a round ball thing that rolled over to me, and then there was the woman who tried to hit on me.

I'm an awkward conversationalist at the best of times, but I'm worse when I'm in a crowded room. I'll be lucky to catch one out of three words you say and as a result I'll probably be looking at you kind of confused while my brain tries to put together what you just said. In this case, the conversation went something like the following:

"Hi. I mumble mumble mumble."

"Hi."

"Mumble mumble only guy my age mumble mumble standing there."

"Really?"

"So why mumble here?"

"I came to listen to the music."

"Which mumble mumble favorites?"

"Bears in Hazenmore are awesome!"

"Okay. Mumble mumble just thought mumble."

"Okay."

And that was it. She went back to her spot at the bar and I went back to listening to Bears in Hazenmore. Not my best effort, but I have to admit that I wasn't really that interested in her. After Bears finished playing, I had a delightful conversation with the women who had dropped the ball thing. I was curious what it was because when I picked it up it had an almost chalky feel to it and the two women were giggling and acting embarrassed when I gave it to them. It turns out that it was a bird that made out of clay by one of them and was a sort of talisman of artistic ineptness. She claimed that she was not artistic but I argued that she just hadn't found her medium yet. I think there's an artist in all of us though.

So, that was the Dodger. Finally, I went to O'Hanlon's to see Xana (Alexandra Barabe). Opening for her were Nono Ryan and DGS Samurai. Rap/Hip hop isn't generally my thing but I try to stay open minded (and this wouldn't stop me from going to see Hamilton if someone wants to give me tickets) and I kind of know Xana, so I thought I should go. There were some technical difficulties (in keeping with the theme of the evening) that delayed things, but then lovely electro-pop and less clothing than is healthy in the middle of a Saskatchewan winter.

And then it was 1:30 am and I went home.

Since I'm writing this late, a quick Saturday recap: I went to the pop-up winter market at Local and Fresh and somehow there were still a couple of Ashley's croissant loaves available. I also had an amazing burger from Reid's meats. Then I walked around the lake on a balmy afternoon, went to Flip for their Regina Restaurant Week dinner, and finished off the evening at the Creative City Centre where Ellen Froese and Del Suelo were playing. If you ever get a chance you should see both of them. Ellen is also in the band In With The Old who are also worth a listen.