Dancing With Maria

We made it to Johnstown safe and sound even though the tough winter weather wanted otherwise! Last night we performed at VOMA (Venue Of Merging Arts), an art space housed in a former church (complete with abandoned religious objects which, without the ceremony and lighting, just looked like a bunch of stuff that was in the way) where we were hosted by the collective My Idea of Fun. I love seeing groups of creative people in small towns making a place for everyone to come together, in this case even turning a religious house into a different kind of gathering place with a different type of congregation, one of expression and community instead of the exclusionary way a lot of for profit orgs with steeples tend to sway...

A line up of musicians were on the bill as well featuring a great project called Rubber Necking that played a video of short film clips, images originally compiled as visual postcards by two friends living across the country from one another, while two white clad guitarists played over some pulsating pre-recorded tracks! Too make the experience even better, the dudes from that project, Ian & Jacob, were not only the nicest guys on the planet but their bodies are also home to the best damn tattoos I have ever seen! Apparently, if I ever get a tattoo, I am heading to Pittsburgh to meet this guy (even despite my religious hesitations)!

Our shorts set seemed to go over well and the crowd seemed pretty eager for something new! Being in Johnstown, where the audience was so varied and excited, made me have a feeling that the more accessible things become on the internet the more people are going to crave a live version of the accessible things and also develop a more open mind to a variety of what is out there...who knows, maybe the internet will backfire and start making more and more people crave a human experience rather than a lonely screen...? I truly hope so! Anyway...Akron shorts show is coming up tonight! Hello Akron!