Jews and Catholics, UNCSA's Cirkus Project, and Jazzen on Triad Art's Weekend

Today on the show we once again revel in artistic eclecticism, this time from in-your-face, post-punk, alternative, turn-table shattering rock, to smooth jazz, with just a dash of Cirque du Soleil thrown in for good measure. The Winston-Salem band Jews & Catholics are back with a vengeance, and with a limited run of groovy 12” vinyl LPs. And speaking of groove, Jazzen joins us Live in Studio A. They'll be groovin' their way back in time with the smooth sounds of Hall & Oats, the Doobie Brothers and more. And what do you get when you combine the creative genius behind Cirque du Soleil with the bottomless well of student and alumni talent at the UNC School of the Arts? The Cirkus Theatre Project, and original stories that will move you.

Jews and Catholics

Jews and Catholics are back, and badder than ever! Coming up at the Garage in Winston-Salem on Saturday night, August 24th at 9:30pm it's the band's record release party! 

Their new album Civilized comes with 9 turntable shattering tracks on translucent green vinyl with bone and ox blood splatter accents. It's a limited run of 250 good ole 12” vinyl LPs. Jews & Catholics are guitarist, singer/songwriter (and—in full disclosure—WFDD technical Producer) Eddie Garcia, and upright bass player and background vocalist Alanna Meltzer-Holderfield. For years they were joined by electronic drum sounds pre-programmed by Eddie, but their newest member drummer Tyler Reeder has added a whole new dimension to Jews & Catholics and their new album Civilized. 

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UNCSA's Cirkus Project

For years the UNC School of the Arts Department of Design and Production has enjoyed a relationship with Cirque Du Soleil. Cirque visits the campus regularly and it currently employs dozens of highly skilled UNCSA alumni. Today, through sponsorship by the Kenan Institute, UNCSA and Cirque, that relationship is extending to virtually the entire school through a fascinating new collaboration project. This weekend The Cirkus Theatre Project will present performances of original student works on the UNCSA campus. Over a period of many months, creative teams made up of recent grads and advanced students have developed four original stories utilizing movement, sound, and staging. Cirque Du Soleil will consider each story for future use in a Cirque production, and so they've established specific parameters for the works to be performed. None will exceed 6-minutes and none will utilize words. Creative Collaborators and recent UNCSA graduates Megan Gerth from the School of Dance and Stephen Shore from the School of Drama spoke with David Ford. They were joined by Scene Design faculty and  Cirkus Theatre Director John Coyne. 

This weekend The Cirkus Theatre Project will present performances of four original student works in the DeMille Theatre on the UNCSA campus: Friday night, August 23rd at 7:00pm, and Saturday afternoon at 2:00pm. Tickets are first-come, first-serve. 

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Jazzen

Jazzen is guitarist/bassist Scott Marvill and keyboardist Eric Mowery. Their musical influences range from jazz masters like Pat Metheny and Larry Carlton to legendary art rock bands like Yes. You can hear Jazzen's unique blend of Contemporary Smooth Jazz live on Friday night, August 23rd at the Downtown Jazz Summer Series opening for Jeff Bradshaw. That's at Corpening Plaza downtown starting at 6:00pm. If you like what you hear, pack up your blankets after the show and join Jazzen for an evening of fun at Vin 205 beginning at 8:00pm. They've got September dates at Jomo's Rhythm and Blues in Winston, Ragapple Lassie Vineyards Boonville, and Churchills in Greensboro just to name a few.