Sounds & Sights: 3 July 2014

‘Twas the evening before the Fourth of July, when all through downtown Chelsea
Lots of creatures were stirring, because it was time for Sounds & Sights.

(What? Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme.)

Comedy at the library is done for 2014, so Coconut Radio was gettin’ all musical on the library lawn.

Johnny Cash tribute band Cash is King was by the courthouse, probably because Folsom Prison isn’t a stage location for Sounds & Sights. (I don’t know if any of the boys in the band are named Sue.)

The crowd was having fun.

Well, most of the crowd was having fun. One little guy decided to take a nap.

Middle Street featured Of One.

The chalk art area once again was a popular destination for kids.

Even the Blue Wheelchair Man got involved! Some kind artist decided to give him hair and shoes.

Escaping Pavement was at Sylvan.

What’s the most Chelsea sponsor a local event can get?

Let’s hear it for corn muffins!

Shari Kane & David Steele were at the Glazier Building.

This little guy’s dance moves were subtle but effective:

The Anthony Lai Band was at the clocktower gazebo.

This photo is from yesterday evening:

This photo is from Sounds & Sights last August:

Sigh.

Human Cannonball was in the alley.

Smokehouse 52 was busy serving Piggy Parfaits to hungry people.

What’s a Piggy Parfait? It’s baked beans, pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and coleslaw, and it’s all in a cup so it’s easy to carry and eat while you’re walking. If it sounds delicious, that’s because IT IS. I know more than a few locals who look forward all week to a Thursday evening Piggy Parfait. If you haven’t yet had one, come to Chelsea next Thursday evening and try one!

Meanwhile, Cash is King was still entertaining the crowd. Several kids had acquired balloon creations and were busy staging what appeared to be sword fights with their balloons…even when their balloon creations weren’t swords. (Never underestimate the power of a child’s imagination.)

I wasn’t kidding when I said the crowd was having fun.

These guys even brought back some vintage dance moves!

Remember the sleepy little guy from earlier in the post? He woke up, and he approved of Cash is King, too.

Don’t miss out on the fun next week! Come check out Sounds & Sights in downtown Chelsea next Thursday — and every Thursday through mid-August — from 6:30-8:30pm.

Sounds & Sights: 26 June 2014

The calendar said Thursday, so a bunch of people showed up in downtown Chelsea and had fun.

NO REALLY people had fun. She was laughing at the library comedy show!…when my camera wasn’t pointed at her.

See?! Kevin Kramis had fun.

There was some juggling involved in this comedy show, and he asked for a volunteer.

Continue reading →

Sounds & Sights: 19 June 2014

The Chelsea area has gotten plenty of rain this week, but Thursday evening was another beautiful dry evening for Sounds & Sights.

There was more comedy at the library, but Kevin Kramis wasn’t able to be here this week. This gentleman did a fine job filling in for Kevin.

The ever-popular Chelsea House Orchestra drew a crowd to Middle Street.

As was evident in the first CHO photo, the younger spectators were having a great time.

Continue reading →

Sounds & Sights: 12 June 2014

Another week, another Sounds & Sights!

Once again, say hi to Kevin Kramis.

Kevin at the library means comedy at the library.

Kate Brindle:

Dan DeCapua:

Travis Root:

Bob Skon Trio:

Cold Tone Harvest:

The Veasey Trio:

New Blues Street Project:

Annie & Rod Capps:

(That’s Jason Dennie. I would have gotten photos of Annie and Rod, but I got there during their last song. Next time, Capps!)

Chelsea’s Sounds & Sights continues through the summer. Join me there next Thursday from 6:30-8:30!

Sounds & Sights: 5 June 2014

Chelsea’s Sounds & Sights had beautiful weather and a good crowd for the start of its 2014 season.

The Chelsea Library hosted the first of its four weeks of comedy on its lawn. As always, Kevin Kramis hosted the evening of laughs.

The comedy show attracted a wide range of spectators, including some with a bit more hair than average.

Elsewhere in downtown, Creole du Nord was having a good time on Middle Street.

The band wasn’t the only one having fun. Creole du Nord’s music got people to dance!

There was even a little bit of break dancing. Well, I think that’s what this was.

Also on Middle Street, there was a chalkboard inviting input. These kids were completing the statement “My favorite artist is…”

Corndaddy was playing on South Street.

Mike Vial was playing the east alley.

Sounds & Sights runs from 6:30 to 8:30 in downtown Chelsea every Thursday evening through the summer. Come join the fun!

Peter Furler at Knox: 21 June 2013

Peter Furler — who you might remember as a part of this band — came to Knox Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor for a concert.

The evening started with a Q&A session with Furler for those who bought VIP tickets.

It was a good Q&A session. Also, Peter Furler is Australian, which means he has an Australian accent, which means he always sounds more interesting than all of us Americans. (He was giving substantial and worthwhile answers to questions. I’m just sayin’…accents, man. Accents. They’re powerful.)

After the rest of the crowd found seats, Marshall McLuhan took the stage. (Well, he didn’t TAKE it. He just stood on it. He left it where it was when he was done.)

Just so you know, this isn’t Marshall McLuhan the Canadian philosopher. This is Marshall McLuhan the pastor in Michigan. While it might have been interesting to see McLuhan the philosopher open for Peter Furler at Knox, I think we got the right one. (In part because the philosopher is no longer alive, but mostly because of, you know, music and stuff.)

In this next photo, McLuhan’s drummer bears a faint resemblance to Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman:

Here’s Yzerman:

If you’re a Red Wings fan you probably got extraordinarily nostalgic when you saw the above picture. I’ll give you a minute to relive your favorite memories of The Captain.

Okay, back to the show.

When McLuhan finished his set, Furler took the stage. (Well, he didn’t…oh, never mind.)

I wasn’t the only one taking pictures.

PHOTOGRAPHER ASIDE: There were quite a few people taking photos with their smartphones, and a few made the mistake of forgetting to turn off their smartphone’s flash. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw the occasional smartphone flash lighting up the people directly in front of it and…nothing else. These are the kinds of things that amuse me as a photographer.

Furler had a drummer, but I don’t think his drummer resembled any Red Wings legends.

Later in the show, McLuhan and his band joined Furler on stage.

Many thanks to Furler, McLuhan, and all who worked hard to put this show together. It was a great evening.

Cafe music: 26 April 2013

On Friday I got to enjoy a show at the Cafe at The Commons in Brighton.

First up was The Understorey.

I had to get another photo with the third member of the band:

Then Jennifer Jones took over.

And…that’s all. You might have been expecting more photos, but my lens decided to rebel by refusing to focus on anything, so I spent the evening rediscovering the art of manual focus. By the way, autofocus is probably the greatest invention in the history of the world. Just FYI.

Photo of the Sounds and Sights Now: 7 June 2012

Last Thursday marked the return of Chelsea’s popular Sounds and Sights on Thursday Nights events.

I started my evening at the library, where there was comedy happening on the front lawn.

Take a close look at the comedian’s shirt. Since he’s cracking wise on the library lawn, he’s wearing a Geek the Library shirt. If you’ve been paying attention to this blog, you know about the Geek the Library campaign. If you haven’t been paying attention…well, it’s about time you showed up. Anyway, you can get a little info about the local Geek campaign here and see some of the photos here. What’s that? You want your own geek photo? Contact the library to sign up!

The rest of the downtown locations featured a variety of music.

There also were balloons for the kids.

Okay, back to the music.

Photo of the Wayward Roots Now: 28 April 2012 (with video!)

On Friday I went to Trinity House Theatre to see Wayward Roots.

If you’ve never been to Trinity House, you’re missing out: it’s an outstanding little venue hidden in the midst of the hotels and restaurants along I-275 in Livonia. If you didn’t know it was there you might never notice it, but trust me, it’s well worth a visit.

The opener was Adam Plomaritas, a songwriter from Ypsilanti.

Trinity House sets a great mood with stained glass and candles.

Plomaritas brought a bassist with him, and a member of the Wayward Roots joined them on stage for a song or two.

See what I mean about a great mood? It’s such a fantastic little room.

When Plomaritas was done, Wayward Roots took the stage.

There was a candle on my table. This happened:

This is Jason Dennie on the mandolin:

Todd Lang is on the guitar:

Todd’s shirt was a topic of on-stage banter all evening.

Alan Barnosky plays the bass:

Tip: if you want me to like your band, include an upright bass. The world doesn’t have enough upright bass.

And finally, Tony Pace plays the dobro. If you know what that is, I salute you. I’d probably seen one before, but I didn’t know it by name until Friday night.