Showing posts with label Front Cafe and Gallery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Front Cafe and Gallery. Show all posts
Friday, November 16, 2012
Canberra Poetry Slam Farewell to 2012
Not going to Corinbank until Saturday?
well we want you! Come along to the last front Slam for 2012!
The theme is "Undecided between Blues or Valhalla."
The night opens with the open mic at 7:30 followed by the slam at 8
Join the slam and compete for cash prizes!
The features will be Steve Smart & Kim Jeffs from MELBOURNE!
The Slam will include the music of beauty and passion from
THE NIGHT CAFE, a latin/gypsy/jazz ensemble who will improvise intro/outro music for slammers and melt your nerves with their sultry sound.
Bios:
Over the past fifteen years Steve has performed his work and that of others thousands of times in hundreds of venues across the world. He's more famous than most people you know, but much less famous than Ryan Moloney who plays Toady in Neighbours.
Career highlights include 'Mouth Off' at the Sydney Opera House; the one man show 'Wild Optimist: rises and falls of a performance poet' (Brisbane Festival Under The Radar); performing at Bar Open's 10th Birthday celebration (Fitzroy); winning the audience award for 24 Hour Fix (short theatre competition); and co-featuring at the Berkeley Slam in California. Upcoming events include feature performances at the 2012 WA Poetry Festival and the Queensland Poetry Festival.
Kim Jeffs’ writing began as a response to the Black Saturday fires – as therapy. She set out to create a small book of memories for her children. Instead, she found poetry. Or perhaps, says Jennifer Compton, poetry sent a wildfire to chase Kim to its arms.
Epicormic growth is the new shoots thrust out by trees burnt by inferno. It is the tree’s desperate attempt to remain alive – for without leaves for photosynthesis the tree will assuredly die. After catastrophe, we must grow. To remain static is to invite death. Kim’s poetry mirrors her recovery – intense, painful, bleakly humorous, but not without moments of joy.
I first met Steve Smart at This Is Not Art in 2009, I met Kim on my tour to Melbourne in June and became acquainted with The Night Cafe through Schmooze, and can say each are an extraordinary act in their own right and we have all three of them at the one place, throw in your regular host the Flying V, who'll no doubt be ready to improvise with The Night Cafe (is ready to improvise the same as planned spontaneity?) and its going to be a complete corker of a show!
7:30 at the Front Gallery and Cafe in Lyneham, 30th of November.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Canberra Poetry Slam August Slam or Scrambled
Friday the 31st sees Canberra's longest running poetry slam, The Canberra Poetry Slam host Slam or scrambled, the August edition.
Featuring Canberra's CJ Bowerbird, a no-holds barred open mike, the slam itself and a return to cash prizes, the night promises to be chockfull of entertainment
Hosted by Myself and the Flying V, the night will kick off with the open mike, a defining tradition of the Canberra Poetry Slam, and then the slam proper will start at 8.
Slam rules are simple, 3 minutes of your own composition, no musical accompaniment or props.
Join the Facebook Event here.
the night kicks off at 7:30, Front Cafe and Gallery, Lyneham
Featuring Canberra's CJ Bowerbird, a no-holds barred open mike, the slam itself and a return to cash prizes, the night promises to be chockfull of entertainment
Hosted by Myself and the Flying V, the night will kick off with the open mike, a defining tradition of the Canberra Poetry Slam, and then the slam proper will start at 8.
Slam rules are simple, 3 minutes of your own composition, no musical accompaniment or props.
Join the Facebook Event here.
the night kicks off at 7:30, Front Cafe and Gallery, Lyneham
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
2 slams, 2 days.
Friday night saw the Canberra Poetry Slam host Jazz Slam! A poetry and swing fusion conceptualised by regular host The Flying V (or The Swinging V... but i think that might be an adult site...) The night featured the jazz stylings of Canberran three piece the Kooky Fandango, and feature poet Andrew Galan. Both acts proved very capable of pulling a crowd, with poetry and music enthusiasts taking all available space in the venue (The Front Gallery and Cafe).
I was co-hosting and facilitating, the competitors providing a tightly packed range of scores. Two of Canberra Poetry Slam's most lauded poets took out first and second prize, being CJ Bowerbird and last years National Poetry Slam representative, Miranda Lello. Third place honours were won by Canberra Poetry Slam newcomer Nikesh. Prizes were donated by the good people at Burley Journal, Block Journal and Express Media.
The slam scene in Canberra continues to unearth new and young talent, this month Gabriela Falzon stepped up with her poems of brazen teenage sexuality.
Overall the standout performer on the night was Varisht, his performance enhanced as he read his poetry with a previously unseen vigor over the top of the Kooky Fandango's funky shapes.
All in all it was a great night.
Saturday Night
I arrived at the Yours and Owls Poetry Slam unsure of what to expect. Here was another funky gallery/bar that also served hot meals.
The slam was of exceptional quality despite it's infancy and was followed by an open mic session (and heavy drinking). The drinking was so heavy that while one related audience member had his wine glass filled, his chair fell through the floor.
My set lasted around 25 minutes. It received laughs, applause and gasps of shock horror, at mostly appropriate times.
The night was recorded by attending poet/scriptwriter Harrison Engstrom and a podcast is hosted on his blog which can be found here.
The pod cast features poems from Laura E Goodin and Lorin Reid, as well as a part recorded song from Mark Matic, Wollongong singer/songwriter.
I was co-hosting and facilitating, the competitors providing a tightly packed range of scores. Two of Canberra Poetry Slam's most lauded poets took out first and second prize, being CJ Bowerbird and last years National Poetry Slam representative, Miranda Lello. Third place honours were won by Canberra Poetry Slam newcomer Nikesh. Prizes were donated by the good people at Burley Journal, Block Journal and Express Media.
The slam scene in Canberra continues to unearth new and young talent, this month Gabriela Falzon stepped up with her poems of brazen teenage sexuality.
Overall the standout performer on the night was Varisht, his performance enhanced as he read his poetry with a previously unseen vigor over the top of the Kooky Fandango's funky shapes.
All in all it was a great night.
Saturday Night
I arrived at the Yours and Owls Poetry Slam unsure of what to expect. Here was another funky gallery/bar that also served hot meals.
The slam was of exceptional quality despite it's infancy and was followed by an open mic session (and heavy drinking). The drinking was so heavy that while one related audience member had his wine glass filled, his chair fell through the floor.
My set lasted around 25 minutes. It received laughs, applause and gasps of shock horror, at mostly appropriate times.
The night was recorded by attending poet/scriptwriter Harrison Engstrom and a podcast is hosted on his blog which can be found here.
The pod cast features poems from Laura E Goodin and Lorin Reid, as well as a part recorded song from Mark Matic, Wollongong singer/songwriter.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Canberra Poetry Slam - Jazz Slam!
This month, Canberra's longest running poetry slam will blend swing music and poetry on the 27th of July. The venue is the Front Cafe and Gallery in Lyneham.
The Slam begins with an open mic, so if you feel competition cramps your style or your poetry doesn't suit the guidelines, still come along and share.
The Jazz Slam will feature a 3 piece swing band who will entertain the audience and provide introduction music for the competitors.
The Feature Poet of the night is Canberran poetry superstar, Andrew Galan, who has had numerous poems published in varied journals, books and anthologies, but is better known as the founder of Canberra's rival slam Bad!Slam!No!Biscuit!. his blog can be found here.
The slam rules:
poem must be your own
no props, musical accompaniment
Less than 3 minutes long
The Poetry Slam is brought to you by two hosts, Varisht Gosain (otherwise known as the Flying V) and myself and of course the good people of the Front Cafe and Gallery.
The Slam begins with an open mic, so if you feel competition cramps your style or your poetry doesn't suit the guidelines, still come along and share.
The Jazz Slam will feature a 3 piece swing band who will entertain the audience and provide introduction music for the competitors.
The Feature Poet of the night is Canberran poetry superstar, Andrew Galan, who has had numerous poems published in varied journals, books and anthologies, but is better known as the founder of Canberra's rival slam Bad!Slam!No!Biscuit!. his blog can be found here.
The slam rules:
poem must be your own
no props, musical accompaniment
Less than 3 minutes long
The Poetry Slam is brought to you by two hosts, Varisht Gosain (otherwise known as the Flying V) and myself and of course the good people of the Front Cafe and Gallery.
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