Blog Moved!

As of Oct. 21st, the Hoover Dam Blog has moved to a self-hosted domain!

hooverdamcollective.com

Update your bookmarks!

The Hoover List

Hey everyone,

We thought it would be good to post a list of everyone who has performed at a Hoover Dam Collective Show! Check it out, see if you know anyone. (My feeling is that you might) It's not a complete list - I know we forgot a bunch, so if you feel left out, please email us!

Without further ado:


Music: 


Ikebe shakedown
Yo Mamma's big fat booty band
Aaron Maine
Melissa Ahern
Bot Jiz
Mokaad
Stimpy lockjaw
Andy Smart
DJ Pockets
Maya Solovey
Yagil
Outsly
Charlie Phillips
Hirshi and Phelgm
Archie Pelago
The Itchy Hearts
Lori Ann Creus
Astro Club Blonde
James Karp trio
Soundhouse
Tom Larsen vs the People
Matt Simons
Chris Ayer
Andrew Mancilla
Joe Fusca
Kate Branagh ( and Dan Testa)
Adam Starkopf
Nat Osborn
Like Diamonds
DJ Luka Tacon
Nathan Xander
Zach Orion
Miss Lady
Nina Moffet Hayley Swinburne
DJ David Kiss
DJ Ben Saphier
DJ Eric Mendenhall
The Boomerangs
Zach Koeber and Xavier Hill
Nj3
Little Drake
Alex Mackinnon
Spencer Murphy
Ryan Mallen
Pete Mchugh
Mike Gordon


Choreographers


Marissa Joseph
Kat Rhodes
Breegan Kearney
Justin Prescott
Theo Boguszewski
Lucy Wilson
Chelsea Retzloff
Allison Jones
Sarah Mettin
Holt Walborn
Genna Baroni
Trio Dance Collective
Roseann Baker
Brittanie Brown
Marie Mcnair
White road dance media Greg Dolbashian
Hadley Smith
Sarah Sadie Newett
Tara Sheena
Annie Rigney
Kaitlyn Hayes
Jenni Berthelot
Kaylin Carlucci
Alexis Convento
Victoria Derenzo
Katie Stehura
Mika Yanagihara
Katie Ostrowski
Brooke Herr Cardillo
Francheska Lopez
Laurel Desmarais
Anne Goldberg
Katrina Cunningham
Lauren Camp
Lauren FergusonPhina Pipia
Nicole Restani
Anne Goldberg
Laurel Delmarais
Lindsey Jones
Erin Kohout

Comedy/ theater/ poetry

Ian Campbell/ Gladwell's inferno
Katrina Cunningham
Willy Appelman
Liam Mceaney
Robert Dean
Luke Schwartz
Ashley Brooke Roberts
The Thunderbirds for Life

Visual Art

Spencer Alexander
Manuel Bova
Laura Chavarro
Hannah Lacava
Charlie Winter
Rachael Pazdan
Justin Kirk
Breegan Kearney

Film

Elliot Lobell
Temi Olutumnbi
James Blake

Poseidon vs. Augustus

My great HDC fellows and countrymen, I address you to detail the evening of Augustus Nineteenth in the year Two-Thousand and Eleven.

My very popular blog segment, in which I post some selected photos from the previous Hoover Dam show, is back again! I know you all love these, so I'll keep it simple.

SOME THINGS THAT HAPPENED AT AUGUSTUS (In pictures)
1. ) Dance, and a lot of it. There were tons of new special guests that featured dance work in Augustus, and I must say that they all did an incredible job! The energy was palpable. A great thank you goes out to all the dancers and choreographers. (A participant list is at the end of the post, if you're interested)

Wa-BAM! Take that, lightbulb!

Fancy partnering abounds!

2.) Music!

 Isaiah Gage enchanted me with his cello, Nat Osborn and Guests made me want to grab a banjo and sing along with their soulful bluegrass crooning, Ms. Lady funked my underwear clear off, The Itchy Hearts made me slap my thigh and bounce all around in jubilant glee, and Bot Jiz sent me into a complex maze of sweet notes, bass lines, and rhythms. DJ David Kiss did a great job wrapping up the night with some fancy DJ skills. (A technical term) 

Zach Koeber of Bot Jiz

Andy Cobb of the Itchy Hearts

3. Collaboration!
This is what the Hoover Dam is all about! The HDC dancers did a Roman / Grecian improvisation with Isaiah Gage to kick off the night, which set the tone for some beautiful collaborations.

Anne Goldberg

4.) Inclimate Weather

"Poseidon, the great water God, has been enraged by your lack of intoxication!" -Ian Cambell, MC

Scary!

5.) Celebrities 

Ok, I don't know if I'm crossing a line here, but I was very excited to see some famous faces at Augustus! If the celebrities mentioned are reading this and are mad that I've posted some photos, then my blog is more popular than I thought! Woo! (And of course I'll take them down)

Penn Bagdley of Gossip Girl in the red Plaid:

On his right in the tan dress, the very lovely Zoe Kravitz:

To Zoe's right, Alia Shawkat, known for her role as Maeby on Arrested Development

Obviously I was freaking out but managed to resist the urge to ask Alia to "Marry Me!" or beg Zoe for a ticket to the premiere of The Hunger Games movie, in which her father plays Cinna (totally perfect casting, not to mention that Cinna is my favorite character besides Katniss /nerd>) I refrained because they were, obviously, just some HDC friends that came to listen to the rocking sounds of Ms. Lady at Augustus. Awesome. 

Stay tuned for more Augustus photos and videos!

Lovingly, 

BK in BK

[As promised, a list of Participants in the Dance section of Augustus follows]

Eric Allen, Megan Bascom, Marlieke Burhouts, Siobhan Burke, Corrine Byrne, Alexis Convento, Victoria Derenzo, Laurel Desmarais, Julia Ehrstrand, Anne Goldberg, Marisa Gruneberg, Nikki Holck, Judith Jacobs, Marissa Joseph, Maya Kite, Madison Krekel, Laura Lamp, Raphael Luca, Miranda Lyon, Emily Maurer, Mike Mguiness, Matthew Montana, Carima Neusser, Sarah Sadie Newett, Lynda Senisi, Hadley Smith, Katherine Stehura, Akiko Tomikawa, Mami Yanagihara,  Mika Yanagihara

All shots must toast to the Hoover Dam

Happy Augustus!

Just a few last minute notes about the show tomorrow.

The show will be hosted by the lovely Katrina Cunningham and the charismatic Ian Campbell. It's sure to be a fun-packed night with this wily pair to guide us though it.

Also, take note that if you arrive early (Between 5 and 6), you'll get a free beer with admission. Make sure to bring some coffee, friends.

Final thing - If you buy an HDC shot glass, you will get a free shot of moonshine, jaeger, or Herradura Tequila to inaugurate it! Requirement: All shots must toast to the Hoover Dam.

We are super excited to see you all there!

Love, BK in BK

Augustus! One week!

Dear Hoover Dammers: 

With the help of your love, support, good vibes, drinking, dancing, collaboration and artistic skill, we are happy to present you with our next big HDC rager: AUGUSTUS. At the spacious and isolated Station 171 in Greenpoint, BK, we will put on another extraordinary night full of artistic collaboration and crazy antics. (Bring your toga)

Starting at 5pm, you can grab a dog and a burger at the grill on the incredible roof deck. You can nosh while you enjoy the beautiful view of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the BQE and listen to the foot-tappin' sounds of Zach Orion on the banjo.

 When you head inside, first you will see an improvisation collaboration between Cellist Isaiah Gage and the Hoover Dam Dancers, who will no doubt be throwing themselves around the floor with dramatic gestures. 

There will also be an incredible collection of dance works by many new contributors to the Hoover Dam Collective. We are extremely excited to see what they have to offer! 

Dance Presenters: 

Laurel Desmarais
Marissa Joseph
Kevin Faye
Victoria Derenzo
Maya Kite

Anne Goldberg (chamber music, followed by dance)
Alexis Convento
Hadley Smith
Sarah Sadie Newett
Mika Yanagihara
Marisa, White Road Dance Project

Nat Osborn and Friends will croon we wild animals of the HDC into tameness during their acoustic set from 7:30-8:30. 

Our "charming and hilarious" friend Luke Schwartz (Does anyone remember the interview?) will be joined by Liam Mceneany and a few others for a comedy set from 9:15-10. LOL. 

Katrina Cunningham, HDC Poetress-at-Large will also make a guest appearance. (And apparently her alter-ego Marilyn Monroe will as well.)

At 10pm, AUGUSTUS will crank into full gear and the fun will really begin. We are glad to present HDC regular Gabriel Garzon Montano's ass-shaking band "Ms. Lady" from 10-11. After that will be hipster-country-western band (hipster used in a non-diminuative sense), The Itchy Hearts from 11-12. On the stroke of midnight, the Dam house will be brought down by Bot Jiz. 

And after that, well, you know, hopefully one or two of us will be a little drunk and will want to rock the dance floor during DJ David Kiss' set. 

The last few details: Summer is awesome, but its almost over, so say goodbye with a bang. 

5 dolla at the door. 

5 dollar shotglasses for sale. (Free shot if you buy one) 

Last but not least, this is helpful, too. 

View Larger Map


Much love, 
BK in BK

It's Dam Hot!

Welcome back to the blog, dear HDC fans!

The Hoover Dam Collective has been having a wonderful summer so far, and I wanted to share it all with you, so I made a video with some clips I had laying around from the HDC's residency series, our big Hoover Damage show, and the improvisation the HDC dancers did in Greeley Square.

Enjoy!



Your blog mistress,
Bk

July Residency Show - Success!

Poetry and Dance: A lovely marriage. 

A big thanks to everyone who came out to our Residency show at the Launchpad last night! 

Will you be my Aztec virgin sacrifice?

What was different about last nights show? 

The core members of the Hoover Dam Collective, usually tied up in presenting and performing their own work, received a valuable opportunity to enjoy the art and collaboration of others who have submitted their skills and creative projects to the collective. This is the spirit of the Dam, and it's something we have wanted to achieve all along. So, on behalf of all of the HDC, I want to thank each and every person who showed us their extraordinary talents last night.

"They don't teach bucket at any school in the US"

What was the same about last nights show? 

The July Residency show had all the right ingredients for the great HDC show cocktail: A laid back audience who was willing to watch and enjoy each performer, a nice little outdoor chill spot, a fantastic lineup of artists, free booze, and a late night dance party complete with awesome DJ!

Put a spell on us. 

Make sure to follow us on Twitter: @HDcollective, and check out our Facebook page! 

Go crazy, dance like there isn't a camera right above you taking thousands of photos.

Also, remember that our next big show is August 19th at Station 171. The plan is that its going to be a rager, so make sure you get yourself there! We will have HDC shotglasses and T-Shirts for sale, so bring some cash! 

She's ok, she's just in the moment, creating a beautiful image for me to capture. 

Again, thanks to everyone who contributed, thanks for reading the blog, and remember, Art is the word.

Euphorically,
BK in bklyn.

Residency - July Chapter

Don't forget that we have another excellent Residency show coming up this Saturday Night at the Launchpad in Brooklyn!

The address is 721 Franklin Avenue, which is really easy to get to! All you have to do is take the 2, 3, 4, or 5 train to Franklin Avenue and walk North along Franklin (the Launchpad is between Sterling and Park). If you take the C train, walk South along Franklin.

Come for some free wine, snacks and excellent art!

More info is HERE.

Also, don't forget to follow us on Twitter! @HDCollective

Gatsby in the Square

Yesterday, the Hoover Dam Collective dancers performed in Greeley Square (at 33rd and Broadway) accompanied by pianist Alex Clough. The piano, resplendent, pink, and adorned with a gigantic floppy bow, is part of the "Play Me, I'm Yours" campaign funded by non-profit organization Sing for Hope.  Organized by Santino Lo, the HDC performed in partnership with MADart, alongside a piece choreographed by Lauren Camp.

Photo By Rachel Pazdan

The piece was a structured improvisation loosely set around the music, which was improvised around the theme of the "Maple Leaf Rag." We drew a good crowd, and people were whipping out their cellphones, cameras and video cameras to record the live performance. Overall it was a fantastic chance to share what we do with the public. 

Photo by Rachel Pazdan

Dancers were: Theo Boguszewski, Katrina Cunningham, Lindsey Jones, Breegan Kearney, Francheska Lopez, Kat Rhodes, and Lucy Wilson. Special thanks goes to Rachel Pazdan for taking photos of the event, and Nicole Restani for videotaping the performance. I hope to have the video up on the blog soon. 

Also, stay tuned for a post about the July Residency show this coming Saturday night! 

Love, 

BK

Hoover Damage Aftermath

Hi Everyone!

Wow! What an amazing show Hoover Damage turned out to be. If you missed it:

Good Jams, Late Night Hot Dogs, Great Booze, Surprise Flashmob, Hilarious Comedy, Beautiful Word Spinning, Dance Circle

Yes friends, it sure turned out to be a fantastic evening.

Just want to throw out some very special thank-yous to those who made the Hoover Damage show such a great success!

First I want to thank everyone who came out and filled the station with their energy, fist pumps, and dancing bootys.

Second, the performers deserve infinite rounds of applause. Without them, we couldn't have had such a great show. Thanks to the musicians, stand up comedians, improv comedy actors, dancers, and poetry weavers.

Third, I want to give some shout outs to some individual members of the Dam, from myself.

Theo Boguszewski - mother of the damage, holy diety of HDC organization, gave her all to this show and deserves props for putting this whole thing together.

Travis Tacon - Gets thanks for helping everything run smoothly. When we needed anything, Travis was right there to help us out. He also really knows how to get down on the dance floor.

Justin Kirk- Thanks for manning the door, and being our scary man bouncer! Five Dollars!

Mike Gordon and Ryan Mallen - Thanks for running the grill! If it weren't for your manly grill skills, we wouldn't have gotten our hot dog fix!

Kat Rhodes, Lindsey Jones, Nicole Restani, Hayley Swinburne all get a BIG thanks for working the bar. These ladies are not professional bartenders but they managed to keep the bar running smoothly all night.

Ryan Mallen (again) for making multiple PBR / Beer runs throughout the night!

Stay tuned for more photos posted on facebook! 

HOOVER DAMAGE

Friends and Lovers of the Great Hoover Dam Collective,

We present to you our biggest show yet:

Hoover Damage!

Summer is here, a new crop of young people have graduated from College and are ready to begin their intrepid journey into the real world. The HDC is there to cushion the fall from student to adult, providing it's loving fans with quality collaborative art. We hope to inspire and connect creative artists to spawn a cloud-like network of collaborative individuals. (4 words over 8 letters and the word "cloud" used in that last sentence :  brownie points for the blog mistress!) 

Before I post more details, the Facebook Page is HERE. Be sure to rsvp!  (the correct answer if you're confused is "attending." Be sure not to accidently click on one of the other two options)

The Hoover Dam Collective had it's first real show at Station 171 in Greenpoint, and we are happy to return! It's a real life Brooklyn warehouse space, complete with all the strange and eclectic warehouse fixin's. The venue is fun because there is an incredible roof deck, where the outdoor barbeque and some live performances will take place.  Just in case you're skimming the article: 

Roof Deck (see above)

Moving on, there is also a spacious interior with a bar, stage and dance area. The warehouse also has those DJ party-party dance lights that make you feel oh so giddy when you're feeling the music. 

Here's How You Get There:

Public Transportation:

Take the L train to Graham Ave. (Brooklyn!) Walking directions are as follows: Walk East on Metropolitan Avenue towards Humboldt. You want to get to Woodpoint Road, so you can do that by taking the awkward diagonal Maspeth Ave, which is definitely faster. If you miss it, just turn right on Conselyea Street. Turn left on Woodpoint, and walk walk walk northeast, until you hit Kingsland Ave, then turn left again. As you approach the not-so-sexy underbelly of the BQE, you should find the magic street Lombardy and turn right!  Walk on Lombardy until you hit 171 Lombardy, and you've found it. If you feel like "uh, this is weird, there's like, nothing around here but warehouses and stuff," you're totally in the right place! You should see our doorman hanging around by the door. 

Look at that, you've already burned off your first beer in calories just by walking there! Fitness is important. 

Times, Prices, Etc. 

Welcome to Hoover Damage! The event is in a festival format, so we're kicking things off at 5pm with an outdoor BBQ. I'll let you in on a little secret...If you come between 5 and 6, you get a free beer with entry! Trust us with your entire evening, we will definitely make it worth your while. The event will cost 5 dollars at the door, and burgers, veggie burgers and hotdogs will be available for purchase at a cheap price.  There will also be a bar with cheap beer, cocktails, wine and sangria. Refreshing! Additionally, there will be a 50-50 raffle! Bring those singles. Tickets will be available for 2 dollars, or you can buy 3 for five dollars. 

The line-up is available below: 

Comedy (6-7):
Willy Appelman and the Thunderbirds-4-Life
Luke Schwartz
Ashley Brooke Roberts

Poetry (8-815)
Katrina Cunningham

Dance (8:15-9):
Kat Rhodes
Chelsea Retzloff
Roseann Baker
Nicole Restani
Lucy Wilson
Theo Boguszewski
Allison Jones
Katrina Cunningham
Justin Prescott

Music:
Melissa Ahern (7-730)
Matt Simons and Chris Ayer (730-8)
Everything is Everything (9-930)(Gabriel Garzon Montano and friends)
Nj3(945-1030) (Alex Mackinnon and friends)
Astro Club Blonde (1030-1115)
Archie Pelago (1115-12)
Like Diamonds (12-1245)

DJ Hirshi and Phlegm- late night dance party!!

We hope to see you there! 

Purchase Students, Rejoice!

O Great Land of Airplanes, Hazardous Bricks and Art-Sherpas! There are some HDC happenings in your area this week! First and foremost, the HDC collective will be presenting something at the MadART360 show in the dining hall. Who doesn't want to go to the DH after hours? I'd be just like pancake madness but instead of pancakes, there are artistic festivities. It's a no-brainer.

For those of you who are interested in getting involved in damming activities, go ask a beaver. Sorry, bad joke. For those of you who want to participate in the HDC after you graduate from College and join the Real World and get an Apartment, and start paying Rent, there's an interest meeting on Wednesday night! The HDC is an excellent artistic outlet for collaboration. You may find that you miss being surrounded by extremely talented artists all the time after you leave Purchase. The Hoover Dam Collective brings artists of different disciplines together so you can forge new creative bonds and get your much needed dose of interdisciplinarianism. (Does not include bondage)

So if you want to continue your artistic exploits in the Future when you have to pay for Internet and when you Have to Clean the Hair out of Your Shower Drain, come to the meeting!

HDC Interest Meeting
Wednesday, 10:30pm, G 3-3 in the Old!

Be there!
Snarkily,
Bk in bk

April Show and Self Promotion!

Hope you're well, Hoover Dudes and Dames!


The April Residency show is coming up, and there's much to look forward to! We are presenting some excellent, extremely talented singer-songwriter acts, as well as new dance works by Erin Kohout and myself.


To give you a taste, I'm self-promoting my new piece, an excerpt of which will be presented at the April show. The following is a compilation of rehearsal footage, featuring Kat Rhodes, Hayley Jones, Francheska Lopez, Mistral Hay, and Lucy Wilson.







Artist statement:

"The new work in progress I have been developing is in its rough stages of conceptualization, but I can say a few things about the themes that have been surfacing. It's an exploration of 5 sister-like figures occupying the stage as if it were a house. They are often antagonizing each other, but their relationships to each other are inevitable. I also often look at them as five personifications of one woman. I have been playing with the juxtaposition of deliberate and precise movement set to very specific counts and messy aggressive actions. The choreographic process is playful, with use of improvisation. Wit and humor is an important aspect of my choreography, so I often play with suggestions my dancers make that begin as jokes. I think the fun banter between my dancers and myself allows me to be creative and relax, and also brings something fresh to the process."

Stayed tuned for more details about the show!

BK in BK

The March Newsletter

Hello Artists, Fans, and Friends!!! 

The Hoover Dam Collective Presents: The March Newsletter.  

Hope you all are enjoying March Madness, or St Patty’s Day, or doing your taxes, or whatever else gets you excited about March. This is an especially exciting month for us because it marks the one year anniversary of our very first show, and thus the beginning of all the artistic madness that has taken place in our lives in the last year. I thought that, for those of you who are interested, I would provide you with a little bit of Hoover Dam Collective history. 

 Last spring, a group of artists in various conservatories at SUNY Purchase founded the Hoover Dam Collective. The HDC came about as a result of a show that we put on last March in the Dance Theater Lab at Purchase entitled "For the Sake of Art." I had the idea for an interdisciplinary show last fall, when I saw a posting for applications for the "Affiliates Grant," which offered money to anyone who wanted to put together something that would benefit Purchase College. I applied for the Affiliates Grant, and was awarded 600 dollars to put together a collaborative, interdisciplinary show.

 From there, I got in touch with all of the artists I knew at Purchase. We had our first meeting right before winter break-there were about 30 people packed into our little apartment on Purchase campus (our apartment was nicknamed the "Hoover Dam," and we would meet there every week, thus the name "Hoover Dam Collective"). We talked about possible directions for the show, and decided that, ultimately, the show was about the overlapping of our various art forms, and thus the theme should be "For the Sake of Art." Over winter break, we all went home to our various cities and conducted filmed interviews with artists who inspired us, asking them questions along the lines of "what is art?", and "how has art impacted your life?". Once we had the interviews compiled, we based the show around the many unique and interesting attempts to answer that question.

The show was a huge success-we had over 50 people involved, from dancers, to musicians, to visual artists, design-tech majors, and film majors. It was really great to see so many artists come together to achieve a common goal. After that first show, everyone involved was incredibly inspired by how many people were so dedicated to collaboration and to producing quality work-we all knew that this was something we had to continue.

About a month later, we had the opportunity to do the same show in a completely different setting-an isolated warehouse space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, which was usually used as a venue for music concerts and for huge parties. For this show, we did excerpts from the original "For the Sake of Art" show, but also asked Purchase musicians to perform sets, and even booked an outside musician to end the night. The Station 171 show had a completely different vibe than the original-it was a lot more laid back and informal. However, the quality of the art still remained-everyone there was having a great time, but they were still totally interested in and respectful of the work that was being presented. 

After the Station 171 show, a lot of us realized that the Hoover Dam Collective was bringing something really special and unique to the art scene in Brooklyn and New York City- we were presenting high quality interdisciplinary art in fun, laid back setting, and making our work more accessible to artists of other disciplines, and to audience members. Many members of the Collective were graduating,  and were unsure of what the next year would bring. We knew that the Hoover Dam Collective was a project that we really wanted to continue, and so we made it happen.

Since last spring, the collective has really taken off- we have done shows in Rockland County, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, and the Lower East Side. We aim to do one show per month, though some are bigger than others. Our shows really bring together a strong community of artists, many of whom are Purchase alum, but many of whom are completely unrelated, but have taken interest and gotten involved. Currently, there are about 8 core members of the collective-we meet regularly, plan upcoming shows, and discuss future goals. We have a very extensive network of people who have different levels of involvement with us. 

All of that being said, I am happy to say that our last show at the Launchpad on March 5th was a huge success-we presented a variety of music and dance to a packed and enthusiastic audience. Performances included a comedy improv set by Willy and the Thunderbirds-4-Life, dance pieces by Kat Rhodes and myself, and music sets by Andrew Mancilla, Joe Fusca, and the Boomerangs. Many thanks to Eric Mendenhall for providing the beats to back up a rockin late-night dance party.

There are several really exciting things coming up for us in the next few months. First of all, our upcoming residency show at the Launchpad on April 2nd promises to be incredibly special-it’s a singer songwriter marathon, featuring performances by Kate Branagh, Dan Testa, Morgan Holland, Matt Simons, and Chris Ayer. SoundHouse will also be there to bring down the house at the end of the night. Definitely not a show to miss. Of course, as usual, the show is free, BYOB plus free wine and snacks!

Additionally, we are very excited to join Santino Lo, in collaboration with all of the arts conservatories at SUNY Purchase, and take part in “MADArt, Life After Dreams,” perhaps the biggest interdisciplinary project Purchase has ever seen. The Hoover Dam Collective will participate by presenting a piece choreographed and performed by HDC dancers.

ALSO-mark your calendars!!! In celebration of our one year anniversary, we will be putting on a huge show at Station 171 on Saturday, May 28th. The show will go on from the afternoon until late in the night, and will feature a huge lineup of amazing comedians, dancers, and musicians, drinks, a dance party, and a rooftop barbeque (hard to imagine with the ice storm going on right now, but it will be sunny and beautiful in 2 months!!). It’s not for another 2 months, but we are already getting very, very excited about it.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me through this incredibly long-winded letter. As always, we would love to hear from you, and would love for you to get involved in any way you can, so get in touch!!! Go art. 

Love, Theo and the HDC

Residency Feature: Katrina Cunningham

Katrina Cunningham has been an incredible friend and contributor to the Hoover Dam Collective. Like a pied piper she enchants the audience, and mesmerized, we helplessly follow her on her lyrical journey through a poem.  In her sweet, sing-song voice she delivers her art, and the poem falls in soft coils to our ears. We are lucky to have her as a contributing performance artist. I've posted a video here of a poem she performed at one of our HDC Residency shows at the Launchpad in Brooklyn.
(I apologize for the dark video)

Residency Shows

Thanks for visiting the HDC Blog! Dear lovers and friends, I had to forgo breakfast this morning to upload these photos; HDC for life. Soon to follow will be a few selected videos from the second residency show.


Saturday was a fantastic night, with tons of new faces and some old familiar ones. Finally, the weather got on board and it was warm enough for us to utilize the back yard of the Launchpad without freezing our little butts off. At the end of the night there was a rocking dance party to the DJ's set. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood; it was all together a wonderful experience.


Check out this slideshow, exclusively featured on the blog! (Images will be uploaded to Facebook within a few days)

Powered by GoodWidgets.com

Love,
your very own bk in bk / breegank

Blogmistress Fail!

Not updating the blog: Win

Sorry HDC fans! I have been running away from the internet, but apologies aside, I'm posting a last minute entry about the Residency show tomorrow night. It's going to be a good one! We are booking less acts so that the audience members will have more time to relax and chat it up, while hopefully meeting new people and ideally, getting inspired. Doesn't that sound fantastic?
(We also bought more wine than we normally do. Always a plus)  


Here's a lowdown (with links) on the lineup for the show, which is singer / songwriter focused:


 Andrew Mancilla, singer / songwriter 


Joe Fusca, singer / songwriter, accompanied by HDC dancers. (Surprise, we always seem to make an appearance in someone's set! Collaboration is the spirit of the Dam!) 


The Boomerangs, Rockin' Band. 


DJ Elliptic will also be playing at the end of the night. 


On top of all this fabulous music, there will be a dance set and some improvisational comedic happenings by our friends: (butternut squash!) Thunderbirds-4-Life. 


Come check out these up and coming artists fueled by the love of exploring art in Brooklyn! 


We love new faces! 


Now, to add a little zest to the post, I present to you a link to some incredible photos taken by Charlie Winter (CW Visions - note: the HDC token slang term for awesome: "vision" is right in the name. Vision.) 


Incredible Residency Photos! 
Signing off, 
Bk in BK

Residency Take 2!

Hello HDC friends, fans and lovers! This post serves as a reminder to all that we have our second Residency show at the Launchpad in Brooklyn. We are all extremely excited to present this excellent evening of art and debauchery in one of our favorite and most intimate venues.


In Launchpad style, the entire performance is FREE! What better thing is there to not spend money on?


Stand-up Comedy, Live Music, Dance and Spoken Word Poetry will be featured at this show!
More details on the FB page: Here


Also, make sure you check out Damn!'s two artist spotlight focus posts: 
Luke Schwartz
Yagil
On Saturday night, get yourself there. 

Spotlight on Yagil

Hello friends and raving fans!

I hope this crap-tastic weather is finding you all warm and dandy inside your apartments, homes, and gigantic fluffy jackets.

On Sunday, your dear blog mistress visited Compete Music Studios in her very own hood to interview Yagil, an eclectic and musically colorful 6 piece band. It was a pleasure to sit in on the band's rehearsal as they ran through their songs for the upcoming Hoover Dam Collective Residency show. After the rehearsal we sat down and had a friendly little chat:

Don't forget to visit Yagil's Page on facebook and casually tap that "like" button.

Also, you can listen to their "Anticipating Summer EP" here.

Residency show details are here for now: Event Page

Spotlight on Luke Schwartz

Before you watch this video:

Please note that there is mature content (i.e. swearing). Those who are sensitive, you have been warned!

To those who are pursuing sincere journalistic careers, I'm sorry for this "atrocities" of an interview. I'm not even calling it an interview because I had a seriously difficult time keeping my yapper shut. I couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably a couple of times. So, without further ado, here's the introduction to the conversation:

Snow falls gently outside the window as Luke Schwartz and I sit down to do this interview on a lazy Brooklyn day. Anyone that has ever met Luke knows that there isn't any one person like him. He's dry, literal and forthright not only in the context of his standup, but also in his daily speech. He picks up on everything you say and hits you back with a witty retort. It's fun, to say the least, to talk with him, as you can see in this collection of clips from our "interview." He's going to be performing at our February 5th show, along with 2 other comedians. This is the first time the HDC has ever presented standup comedy, and I think its an excellent addition to our repertoire.

The video is about 6 minutes of clips strung together, and the track used is "Vache" by Venetian Snares. (A personal favorite of Luke's)

Updates, Ramblings, Etc.

Time for another exciting chapter in the life of the Hoover Dam Collective! A group of us just got together this Tuesday for a meeting regarding what to do now that we've got a little bit of a following and a group of contributors. Stick with us, we've got some really exciting things coming up in spring, including:

• Launchpad Residency shows bursting at the seams with incredible acts.
• Possible show at the Dining Hall at Purchase College and Culture Shock
• More shows in Manhattan at the Sapphire Lounge
• Another show at Station 171 when the sun gets a-shinin', and the birds start singing.

If you want to get involved in any of these, please email us: HooverDamCollective@Gmail.com

In other news, the blog keeps changing as I make it more sophisticated. Please check out the "Events" tab, which features individual events in which friends or members of the HDC are performing / presenting work. The new "Links Out" tab is a list of websites pertaining to the HDC in some way. The "Photos" section has also been revamped, please check it out!

Our next show is another Residency at the Launchpad on Feb 5th, and I will definitely make sure to give you faithful readers the lowdown when it gets a little closer to the show.

Here are a couple photos from the last Residency show at the Launchpad, taken by the wonderful Charlie Winter:

Zach Koeber plays Sax in silohuette.

Hayley Swinburne is cute and plays the ukelele.

HDC Dancers improvise to Archie Pelago

Kickoff! Video!

If you were walking by 721 Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn last night, you might have peered through the lighted windows of The Launchpad to glimpse some serious artistic fusion. Maybe you saw 5 inspired dancers living inside the music of Archie Pelago, improvising to their visceral, ambient sounds. Maybe you saw the improv-comedy set of the Thunderbirds-4-Life, with the crowd in front of them heartily chuckling. You might have seen a cute redhead with a ukelele, or some weird girl in a hot pink tank top going off, or a great dance party.

Yes, HDC friends, it was a fantastic night, and the high hasn't worn off yet! We are ever so excited to have the Launchpad as our residence on the first Saturday of every month, and we want each show to bring you something new, a smile, and maybe a warm buzzing feeling. (I know I'm not the only one!)

In some enthralling news, this Blog master happens to be unemployed at the moment and had free time today to make this reel using footage from the show: