For the Sake of Art

The University Museum at Texas Southern University is preparing to showcase some of their greatest assets! Their permanent collection and their students talent! Art patrons, artists, and fashionistas will get the wow treatment when the exciting world of wearable art steps out for the second annual competition and fundraiser For the Sake of Art 2012. This year, artists have been challenged to create improvisational designs inspired by works of art from the University Museum’s permanent collection.  Set against the backdrop of the permanent collection, the evening begins with an informal modeling showcase of the judges’ designs.

The highlight of the evening is the runway presentation of the 10 competition finalists. Four prize winners will be selected and a People’s Choice award will be determined by attendees.

The coordinator of the competition, designer Toni Whitaker is working with an incredible panel of judges:

• ·         Danielle Burns, curator for the African American Library at the Gregory School as well as the Houston Museum of African American Culture
• ·         Cesar Galindo, designer, reality show personality, designer for LAMB(Gwen Stefani's line)
• ·         Tina Knowles, internationally acclaimed visionary designer of two fashion lines, House of Dereon and Miss Tina by Tina Knowles as well as co-founder of Beyond Productions. ( And Beyonce's mother)
• ·         Jeffrey Williams, season two winner of Bravo TV’s Fashion Show with Isaac Mizrahi

This event features the talent of gifted artists and designers from throughout the country while celebrating the rich collection of African American art at the university. Major sponsors for the event include Atwood Oceanics, Hi Fashion Fabrics, I W Marks Jewelers, and Paul Mitchell, The School. Funds from this event will be used for the preservation and documentation of the Collections at the University Museum as well as exhibition programming.  

More information about the competition CLICK HERE 

Tickets are $100.00 per person and can be purchased by CLICKING HERE

Saturday, June 9th. 7 until 10 pm  at University Museum at Texas Southern University.

No More Waite-ing...

If you follow DISH on FB or Twitter you are well aware, by now that John Waite is coming to town.

There are, sadly, still a few tickets available for tonight's show out in the Woodlands at the The Dosey Doe  so click and meet DISH out there. By day The DD is a coffee shop but by night it's becoming a haven for music's greats...and some amazing Blues/Gospel as well like Ruthie Foster who was up for a Grammy last year and her album was number one on the Blues Charts.

The beauty of this place is its intimacy. 150 seats max-ish but you can't just buy a ticket and go enjoy the show. You're forced to participate in a 3 course sit down dinner, now as Southernly as that may be, sometimes I just want a show. Don't misunderstand, the chicken fried steak is spot on and the cream gravy is worth bathing in but it's a bit unnerving, as a Southerner, to turn some of your favorite music artists into a dinner show. But, when in Rome...or the Dosey Doe. I digress...

An event like tonights is what this place is becoming known for, a rock legend, up close and personal.

John Waite's new album "Rough and Tumble" has done beautifully. The single of the same name spent time at number one on the Rock Charts for a bit. Waite is well known in the largest of music circles because of his illustrious 35 year career starting with The Babys and a couple of top 10 hits. The thing about the Babys is not how high they charted at the time but the longevity the music has proven to possess. If you mention the Babys today to just about anyone, they will have a great memory of "Isn't It Time" or "Everytime I Think of You"

Once the Babys wrapped up their time together, Waite went solo for a bit which is the time period the earth was collectively blessed with "Missing You" inspired by The Babys song "Everytime I think of You". It was a song that Waite admits,

"Would have been written in a fire storm, it just had to come out."

This amazing piece of music history was literally written in 10 minutes.

Waite joined up with former Babys members Jonathan Cain and Ricky Phillips along with Neal Schon from Journey and drummer Deen Castronovo to form the Supergroup Bad English in 1989. "When I See You Smile" shot to number one on the charts and sold a few million copies before the band called it quits in '92.

By this time John Waite had more than solidified the position of one of the great balladeers of our generation. That brings us to today and he's still writing and singing gorgeous love songs. "How Did I Get by Without You" is classic Waite. But to assume he’s resting on "Classic Waite" to get by would be misleading.  

"I want to go forward from what I've been doing, I didn't want to just do this thing that's expected at a certain age. You're just repeating yourself. It seems like such an excuse if you're a musician."

Enter Kyle Cook. Cook from Matchbox 20 and Waite met met through a mutual friend who swore they needed to write together. Out of that fateful paring came the album "Rough and Tumble" which garnered Waite two Grammy nominations, one for Best Rock Album and the other for Best Rock Song for the single “Rough and Tumble”.  His sound has evolved a bit into a little blues, a little country and a little rock. This album has a Tina Turner cover, a rocking country type (the title track) and a ballad. There has to be at least one and there is a great one on this album, but it’s got a twist. "If You Ever Get Lonely", recorded and produced by Cook, is actually about a break up and trying to find the balance afterward.

When you ask Waite about the band and sound he has today, he responds almost in awe,

"This is what I've been trying to get to since I was 17, that's exactly what I was going for."

His “new” band which he’s been with for almost 10 years, anchored by bass player Tim Hogan, are having an amazing tour with dates being added almost daily, some Australian dates were just added last night.

 God Speed, JW.... and next time, please play in town.

"If you speak from the heart, people listen from the heart. " - John Waite

Update on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 11:31AM by SisterFreese

**REVIEW**

Tim Hogan, Shaun Hague, John WaiteFrom a fan persepective the show was beyond any and all expectations. Waite was engaging, humorous, full of energy but the voice...that voice. If possible, it could actually be stronger than ever.

The show started with the Grammy Nominated single "Rough and Tumble" which is described by Waite as a country type but masks well as a hard rocker. The first peep into his back catalogue, the Babys "Isn't It Time" brought the room to their feet and one "Superfan" off the balcony. The backing vocals, normally a power female, were held nicely by drummer Rondo and guitarist Shaun Hague (pictured). The fact is, if you closed your eyes you were transported back to the early 80's. It just got better from there.

One of the unexpected highlights of the evening was when Waite announced he was going to perform a song by Bob Dylan... "All Along the Watchtower" rocked so hard that the crowd couldn't stay in their seats (a random thing to say about a rock show but this was at a virtual dinner theatre venue). It drew great comparison to the Jimi Hendrix version and blew the original Dylan straight up. Guitarist Shaun Hague comes out of left field and just about sets fire to the stage. It's worth the price of two tickets to catch that moment. Waite's vocals are so strong it's breathtaking, you actually stop rocking out to take in exactly what's happening.

They brought it down a bit after that with "If You Ever Get Lonely" (featured above) with John joking they were about to perform a single that completely flopped. One can't help but wonder what's going on on the promotion side of this album because it really should be bigger than it is. Something to ponder.

He did bring out "Missing You" and encored with "When I See You Smile", the latter being alone on the stage and asking the audience to sing with him. Which they did with great alacrity and joy.

Ultimately, the evening was over the top, more than you could or ever would expect from most rock shows let alone a variable legend. It was a hidden gem, a treasure that you keep with you but you hope others will find.

          DISH and JWAs you can see...DISH found her treasure =)... yes he's very hot! 

French Toast on Cinco de Mayo, Si! et Merci!

Cinco de Mayo is soooo much more than drinking cheep Mexican beer and stuffing your face with queso.

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla(English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla). The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War. In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoz Seguín. Contrary to widespread popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day—the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico—which is actually celebrated on September 16. (Info from Wikipedia)

One stop you can make along your celebratory day is at Mo's ...A Place for Steaks! They along with Momentum Volvo present the 5th Annual "Run for The Roses" Kentucky Derby Party honoring Holly Harwood Skolkin and benefiting the Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation  at Mo's... A Place for Steaks. The mint julips start flowing at 2:00pm but the horse race post time is 5:24pm...so pace yourself you crazy drunk!
Tickets are $40.00 in advance and $50.00 Day of the Event and it's an even worth experiencing at least once! To use your credit card to purchases tickets, please contact Autumn Ayers at (713) 622-3610.
PLUS, there will be complimentary mint julep's, derby-tini's (pink martini), quesidillas, guacamole with wonton chips, and assorted sushi. You can enjoy betting on the races, the silent auction, and of course make sure you wear your favorite hat because there is the highly anticipated hat contest and DISH will be a judge! 

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!!

 

And this is probably our very favorite! CANTARE Houstonconcludes Season Nine with "French Toast: A Tip of the Glass to Chanson." Please join for an effervescent evening of French choral and solo music! Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton joins the singers of CANTARE in a concert of choral part-songs by Debussy, Ravel and Badings, as well as solo art songs by Chausson, Debussy, Duparc and Fauré. Ms. Barton'simpressive resumé is rapidly expanding, and her artistry and style are sure to wow CANTARE's audiences. Ms. Barton will be accompanied by Houston pianist Keith Weber. John Markert is the featured pianist for CANTARE. Purchase Tickets »

The program is at First Congressional Church and begins at 7:30.

So...HAPPY CINCO de MAYOOOOOOO!!!

 

Local Musician Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple

Good things have been going on for Houstonian Kristine Mills. Every time you see her she's running one hundred miles a minute, working harder than most and creating great success because of it all.

Recently she was in New York performing at the Metropolitan Room with Tommy "TJ" James, arranger, conductor and pianist of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, but before she went in a meeting with DISH she was vowing she was going to enter and win the coveted New York City Tudor Park Songwriting Contest...and now she's a semi-finalist. No surprise when you listen to her perform. Her passion in her words, sultry voice and enthusiasm draw you in. It's all a winning combination.

Her albums have been raved about in Jazz Magazine, Review in The Borderland (Musicwatch Column) in the UK, All About Jazz.com, and the Houston Press among a list of very impressive others. The 4th one is on its way, but not in the usual way. "As Yet Untitled"  has been selected as a project funded by a Houston ArtsAlliance (HAA) Individual Arts Grant for an established artist.She will resume recording late summer and hope to release in February 2013.

 

But that's not all for this powerhouse, in a recent collaboration with local documentary film maker, Michel Muylle Kristine  wrote, produced and performed the soundtrack for his film"Collector's Waltz" which was just in the Houston WorldFest Competition. Turns out, the doc "Collectors Waltz"  won a Houston WorldFest Festival REMI award! They are planning to debut the film this fall and will release the soundtrack in conjunction with the premiere as well.

 

Kristine isn't just a singer/songwriter who apparently collaborates with the greatest of the great, she is also a wife, a mother and a humanitarian. She donates her time to numerous organization and even proceeds to one of her songs. On May 22, 2012 Mills will release her live, March 28, 2012 "The Front Row" radio performance of the debut of "Silhouette"exclusively on iTunes. The KUFH/KUHA "The Front Row" has graciously given Mills the right to donate this recording of "Silhouette" to the Rose Ribbon Foundation. All the sales of the download of this live version of the song will go to the Rose Ribbon Foundation. "Silhouette"was written to celebrate Holly Harwood Skolkin's, Cindi Rose's younger sister, courageous 15-year fight with stage 4 breast cancer. Cindi and her husband, Dr. Franklin Rose started the Rose Ribbon Foundation to provide reconstruction to uninsured breast cancer patents.

So head on up to NYC in June where she will perform her original song, "Patch of Green" during the Wed. June 20th New York City Tudor Park Concert as a SEMI-Finalist of the NYC Tudor Park Songwriting Contest. Then catch her again at the legendary Metropolitan Room with pianist Tommy "TJ" James, Dave Dunaway, bass and Jacob Melchior on drums on Wed. June 27 at 9:30 pm!

 

Or go to MKT Jazz Brunch this Sunday. You'll be in heaven either way. 

 

Raise Awareness with Silence

Started by students in 1996, the Day of Silence gives youth an opportunity to make a difference in their schools by raising awareness about anti-LGBT bullying and promoting a culture of respect.

For weeks before the event, students invite their peers to participate and hold planning meetings. Many conclude the day with an emotional "breaking the silence" event where participants share what they learned and experienced.

This year, students in every state, the District of Columbia, and nearly 60 countries are participating in events at their school for the Day of Silence!

Today, the Johnson family from the documentary Bully are in Washington, DC with GLSEN to advocate for safe schools protections including a meeting with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. GLSEN and the Johnsons will be a part of a White House screening of Bully.

Join us in the action! We invite you to follow our blog – blog.glsen.org – as we post student stories and messages from supporters throughout the day.

Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #DayOfSilence and following @glsen!

And if you haven’t already, send a note of encouragement to students participating in Day of Silence. Some of them face opposition from schools, peers, or outside groups and your encouragement means the world to them.

At GLSEN, we’re impressed by the hundreds of thousands of students who are participating in Day of Silence to help make schools safe for all students. Together, we’ll keep working until that’s a reality!