PixTour for Fotoweek DC

Originally uploaded by HeatherMG

If you find yourself on U Street, or are looking for an off-beat place to check out some art, stop by Velvet Lounge to see my photos and, while you’re there, grab a beer and head upstairs for a show. Photos from my “Closure” series, along with a few from last year’s “Britishink” tattoo set, will be hanging on the walls at Velvet for a little over a week.

Also stop by the Warehouse Gallery to see a larger gathering of photos from local artists, and schedule a few nights out during the week to get dinner at these other locales listed below and view more of the PixTour.

And, don’t forget to make a list of all the Fotoweek exhibits and openings. Don’t miss this!

PixTour brings art to the people who are out and about. Take a walk, have a drink and a meal, and see the art of photography in Dupont, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, 14th Street, Anacostia and More. PixTour is an informal showing of photography on local walls and windows.

PixTour, a project of FotoWeek DC 2008, is showing the work of area photographers at 40 bars, clubs, restaurants, theaters, and shops around DC. The project was organized by Molly Ruppert and the Warehouse, with many photographers suggested by Ten Miles Square.

You can find Ten Miles Square curated shows at the following venues:

Big Bear Cafe — Cesar Lujan
Wonderland — Pat Padua
Red Rocks Pizza — Marie Kwak
Sticky Fingers — Parikha Solanki Mehta
DC9 — Jack Whitsitt and Paivi Solonan
Velvet Lounge — Angela Kleis
Nellie’s — James Calder

Warehouse is also featuring more PixTour at their gallery (with one photo from each photographer who volunteered for the project), along with an exhibit by Byron Peck, famed Washington muralist, with a reception on Friday, November 21, 6 to 10 p.m.

Weekly Wednesday Snack Review

Originally uploaded by akkleis

I walked into 7-11 and immediately made my way to the refrigerator for an ice cold Diet Dr. Pepper. The fact that Dr. Pepper promised a free soda to everyone should Chinese Democracy would ever be released reminded me that it was ok to be a smartass, even if you are a corporation. And, I admire that. Respect, even. And, I do love a challenge.

As much as I might dislike Axel Rose, the sight of him stepping off the bus in NYC with the straw of hay in his mouth as an innocent, just off the farm, tractor-riding, coming to the big city to make it big, dreamy-eyed boy, and then succumbing to the pressures of the "you’re gonna DIIEEEEEE" big evil city, was the soundtrack to my own very first visit to NYC last November. As I stepped off that bus, "Welcome to the Jungle" roared through my head, much to my own amusement.

While I liked Appetite for Destruction, the video for Use Your Illusion I’s "November Rain" solidified that album as my personal GNR favorite. This video is a mini-drama movie second, in my mind, only to INXS’s "Never Tear Us Apart", which, in 1987, ignited my immense desire to visit Prague. (It only took 19 years).

Yes, people, I do remember when MTV really showed videos, in their entirety, and they consisted of more than big-booty girls shaking their asses against a pole. They told stories. Good ones? Not always. Relevant to the music? Not so much. Entertaining? Hell yeah. Before cable television came out to Powhatan, VA in the early ’90’s, we hadd the big satellite dishes, and, in 1987, I had three MTV channels, VH1, and Canada’s Much Music. Before 1987? Well, let’s just say that my VCR skills were unmatched, and my video-editing skills were mastered with late-night sessions of Friday Night Videos.

But, what does this have to do with candy and soda?

Well, I actually liked "Chinese Democracy" and was pleasantly surprised by what I heard. David Fricke, who you may know from VH1’s many flashback music top-whatever specials, said it best in his Rolling Stone review. Spin had a decent review, as well.

I am looking forward to hearing the whole album. I thought it was Good. Not great. Good. My expectations are generally inflated, as I do let anticipation and excitement take over when I am, uh, excited about something. Generally, I get let down. This time I really wasn’t. And, in honor of that, I had paired a Mr. Goodbar with my Diet Dr. Pepper.

And, I anxiously await the video. ….do they even make them anymore??

Fotoweek is Coming

Originally uploaded by akkleis

in one week!

If you haven’t, make sure you check out the Fotoweek Blog for info on some of the exhibits.

I will have photos at Velvet Lounge as part of the Pix Tour.

More info to come….