August 29, 2005 6:10 a.m. CDT

To mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we present a performance by Aaron Neville of Randy Newman's "Louisiana 1927" from the September 2, 2005 "Concert for Hurricane Relief."

Katrina reached New Orleans on August 29, 2005 at 6:10 a.m.

The Sopranos

[from the Humanities and Social Sciences Web site H-Net, with thanks to '2050' in Berkeley for the tip:]

"Title: The Sopranos: A Wake
Location: New York
Deadline: 2007-10-01
Description: David Lavery, convener, Paul Levinson and Douglas L. Howard co-conveners, solicit your proposals for an academic conference on The Sopranos to be held at Fordham University's Lincoln Center Campus in New York, May 23-25, 2008 (Memorial Day Weekend).
Contact: sopranos.wake_at_gmail.com.
URL: davidlavery.net/Sopranos_Wake/"

more

[image first return from a google image search for "The Sopranos"]

Students Bring Your Instruments!

Sunday, August 26
12:30-3:30

Tipitina's Uptown
501 Napoleon Ave
New Orleans, LA
"Tipitina's Foundation presents
Music Workshop Series

Featuring Feufollet*

Workshop - FREE!
All Ages

Students bring your instruments! Open to the public. No smoking/drinking.

"Resurrecting a program that was popular in the early '90s, the Tipitina's Foundation proudly announces the Sunday Music Workshop Series, the brainchild of Stanton Moore and Johnny and Deborah Vidacovich. These free workshops take place every Sunday from 12:30-3:30 at Tipitina's Uptown, where students have the opportunity to play with and learn from the best musicians in the city. As many of the city's various music programs have been put on hold since the storm, these workshops are serving a vital need in the rebuilding process: passing on the musical traditions to a younger generation. Featured artists so far have included Stanton Moore, Johnny Vidacovich, Kirk Joseph, and Theresa Anderson. The on-stage workshops are only for students, who are encouraged to bring their insruments, but all members of the public are welcome to attend."

* Common interests in French language, music, and Louisiana heritage brought together the young members of La Bande "Feufollet". The group performs original and traditional songs in the French language including twin fiddle pieces from the 1800's and early 1900's in addition to traditional accordion pieces. Audiences enjoy the performances of "Feufollet" for their fine musicianship along with the energy and spirit that the band portrays."

Calendar

[photograph of Feufollet from Tipitina's Web site.]

Celebrity Sightings, Widgets in DC – and Iowa!

[With thanks to ace 'Data Stream' scout MFC in Saugus, below is a 'celebritology widget' from the Washington Post. For Mac users familiar with the 'F12' function of their keyboards, widgets are a daily convenience, and another important sign of the evolving state of the Internet to a post browser window environment.]

Click here to sample less trivial 'WaPo' widgets.

[And for what the Iowa Arts Council refers to as a "daily Iowa arts fix," may I invite you to visit "The Daily Palette and consider downloading its widget.

In the spirit of full disclosure: note that the editor of The Data Stream also directs The Daily Palette at The University of Iowa.]

Aurora Picture Show
Houston Center for Photography

SPIN 3 Txt Me L8r
Friday August 24, 2007, 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM

This summer's SPIN party, entitled Txt Me L8r, will be like no other! Have a cell phone with a camera and want to participate? Bring it to the party on August 24 at HCP!

Co-curated by Aurora Picture Show and HCP, Txt Me L8r explores the potential for distributed creativity through the use of cell phone technology. Artists and the general public are invited to sign-up to receive text messages with specific photography assignments sent throughout the course of the exhibition. Participants will use their camera phones to complete the assignment and upload their results to a photosharing site which will be video projected as slideshows in HCP's galleries. Combining crowdsourcing with networked communication, Txt Me L8r invites artists and the general public alike to adapt new technologies for spontaneous, geographically-dispersed collaboration. Exhibition continues through August 26.

more

[image: screen grab from Aurora Web site.]

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
De Young Museum
Golden Gate Park
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, California

Hiroshi Sugimoto
July 7, 2007 — September 23, 2007

"The extraordinary 30-year career of Hiroshi Sugimoto (b. 1948) is celebrated in this retrospective of more than 100 luminous photographs, made from 1976 to the present. This presentation, in an installation designed by Sugimoto, constitutes the first major survey of Sugimoto’s oeuvre.

One of Japan’s most important contemporary artists, Sugimoto is known for his ongoing multiple series of hauntingly beautiful black-and-white photographs exploring the themes of time, memory, dreams, and natural histories. Working with a large-format camera, he produces glowing images, ranging from the richly detailed to the starkly minimal, which are often suffused with expanses of light and space."

more

[Image from FAMSF Web site. Caption: Hiroshi Sugimoto, "Union City Drive-In, Union City," 1993. Gelatin silver print. Edition 21/25. Private collection. Courtesy of the artist]

The King at 30

[On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Rock 'n Roll icon Elvis Presley, Elvis Week comes to a thundering climax with the finale of:]
The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest
August 17 7:00 PM. (Doors open at 6 p.m.)
The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts
Memphis Cook Convention Center
Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

"The finale of the first-ever official Elvis tribute artist contest. Ten finalists from qualifying rounds earlier in the week compete for the title of Elvis Tribute Artist of the Year. Attendees at the show will see the best Elvis Tribute Artists from around the world perform on stage in a first-class contest. Elvis Tribute Artists will receive their chance to showcase their talents and why they should be named Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist of 2007."

Meet the contestants

[photo from contest Web Site of August 9, 2007 Majorstuen, Fredrikstad, Norway Last Man Standing Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest winner Kjell Bjornestad, Lyngdal, Norway. More: "Kjell was born in 1968 in Vanse, Norway, and started his ETA* career when he was 19 years old and in the army. Kjell spent a lot of years working and perfecting his performance, working in small clubs and venues in Norway and across Europe. He hopes his love of Elvis shines through in ever performance he does."

*ETA = Elvis Tribute Artist]