A Hollywood Western couldn’t have crafted the scene better: a dry lake bed, cottonwood trees, a bonfire, and a wooden bandstand and dance floor, lit only by stars and chandeliers crafted from clear Mason jars. While certainly unusual, the outdoor space is an ideal venue for the first pubic concert at Chico Basin Ranch, whose mission is to reintroduce visitors to our state’s rich ranching history.

“We run a cow/cattle operation, which is how we make our living,” says ranch manager Duke Phillips, whose family has a 25-year lease on the 87,000-acre working ranch, owned by the Colorado State Land Board. “But in addition to the cattle, have a very large education program that sees between 1,500 to 2,500 kids out to the ranch annually. One of the problems we’ve encountered is, how do we pay for it?” he asks. “That’s how the (concert) idea was born, as a fundraiser to support education on the ranch.”

Headlining the band stand will be Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans, who play a toe-tapping blend of country and Western and rock and roll, and are on tour for their recent “Losin’ Lately Gambler” album.

“Corb Lund, he’s from a ranching community in Canada and his songs are about living and working on ranches,” says Phillips, who explains that creating a conversation about the importance of the land and the people working on it with urbanites is the concert’s goal.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the June 10, 2010 Gazette.

Have you heard the one about the guy who leaves the corporate world to buy a comedy club?

No joke. It happened to Pat Hawkinson, who took over Loonees Comedy Corner in December, after more than 25 years working in corporate training.

“We wanted to try to turn it into a family business, albeit a strange one,” says Hawkinson, whose son had worked at the club for several years. “It’s a place where everyone who comes here wants to be here. Most people are happy when they come in and happier when they go.”

Hawkinson follows in the footsteps of Larry Lee, who had 25 years working for Pearl Vision before taking charge of Loonees, which he owned for 15 years.
“It’s really a change,” Lee says. “You have a day job and suddenly you start getting home at 2 in the morning, after being used to going to bed after the news was over.”

Before Lee, the club belonged to comedian (and one-time mayoral candidate) Jeff Valdez. In fact, when it opened in 1984 on Union Boulevard, it was called Jeff Valdez Comedy Corner. Five years later, the club moved to its current location at 1305 N. Academy Boulevard and was later rechristened Laff’s Comedy Corner by Lee.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this story, which published in The Gazette on May 11, 2010.

The 20-something crowd that pours into the Rum Bay complex on weekend evenings has made it the hottest night spot in town.

The business model clearly works.

But, of course, there’s a rowdy, messy downside to a business built on alcohol and younger clients. The popular downtown nightclub has scuffled with the city liquor board for various violations, and the number of police calls to the club is among the highest in the city.
But recent remodeling and improvement efforts show Rum Bay marketing toward a more mature, upscale and mellow crowd.

“We have 25 types of wine, 60 types of vodka, 12 scotches,” says general manager Chuck Schafer, who owns Rum Bay and its adjacent series of clubs with partners Kathy and Sam Guadagnoli, hosting a tour of the recently remodeled and reopened The Red Martini. “We’re going after that sophisticated crowd.”

Although situated near Rum Bay and partner clubs Blondie’s Ultra Lounge and Gasoline Alley on North Tejon Street, The Red Martini, at 20 N. Tejon St., is physically unconnected to Schafer and the Guadagnolis’ other clubs.

The more-upscale establishment cultivates a piano bar atmosphere, with plush chairs, low lounge tables and an imposing wood bar. Accessories such as mirrors, paintings and bookshelves add vintage charm, while sleek leather benches, a giant red-and-black lamp and a fire pit sit on the new outdoor patio area.

Schafer calls the style of The Red Martini classy, elegant and laid back and thinks the club’s live pianists will be a big draw.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this story, which published in The Gazette on May 8, 2010.

After three albums underneath Christian music giant Sparrow records, followed by three albums with Columbia Records/Sony BMG, alternative rock band Switchfoot abandoned solid corporate ground to found their own label, lowercase people records. Judging from the burst of creativity that followed, the gutsy move was exactly the catalyst Switchfoot needed to move forward.

“It feels like a new chapter for us. It’s like starting the band over again,” says Tim Foreman, bass guitar and vocals, noting that the band produced four albums worth of material during that period of inspiration. “It really led to a prolific time of exploring what is possible for Switchfoot to do, of exploring our boundaries.”

The first fruits of this inspired new material emerged in November 2009 with the release of “Hello Hurricane,” with others sure to follow. Foreman says the title speaks to the individual and collective storms Switchfoot has weathered over the years, “that we can’t predict when these storms will occur or what they will destroy, but we can decide how we respond to them. We want to be singing into the storm and not running away.”

It’s a positive message that no matter how the group evolves, Switchfoot fans will recognize: The band has a long history with the Christian music scene and doesn’t shy away from speaking of their personal Christian faith.

“For us, it feels very natural to include faith in our music. Our songs aren’t afraid to tackle big issues or say we don’t have it all figured out,” says Foreman, who believes that faith and art are inseparable. “You can go places in a song you can’t go in a conversation. In a song, everything is fair game.”

Even so, the band eschews the label of “Christian rock,” explaining that Christianity is a faith rather than a genre.

“That label is a marketing question of where people rack the CDs. Our music belongs in bigger pond than that,” says Foreman. “As a band we’ve tried to stay outside a specific scene and make music that appeals to everyone, that doesn’t isolate people in boxes.”

Instead of singing only to one group or type of people, instead Switchfoot instead focuses on singing their hearts out, putting all their passion into making each live show unique, a strategy for which “Hello Hurricane” is ideally suited.

“This is an album where we were really focused on how it would translate live, and therefore it’s probably our favorite album to play live,” says Foreman. “Right now we have a renewed excitement for making music. It’s a great time to be a band, and we’re really thankful that we get to do this every night.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the GO! section of The Gazette on Feb. 19, 2010.

Apparently, the people over at Guinness World Records take the playing of imaginary instruments quite seriously, or so found the Air Force Academy Athletics department as they planned their most recent and rather wacky promotion: Rock for the Cure, an attempt to break the world record for largest air guitar ensemble during half time of the Air Force Women’s Basketball game against New Mexico on Feb. 20.

“The record is 1,436 held by a university in Canada,” says athletic marketing assistant and event organizer Matt Swearingen, who says the Falcon Athletic Center’s capacity exceeds 5,000. “We’d love to pack the place, just blow the roof off the building and crush the record, so we can be sure we’ll hold it for a long time. We’ve got to get (the record) back to the United States.”

The world-record attempt was conceived as a way of boosting attendance at the Feb. 20 game, which the AFA has dedicated to breast cancer awareness, providing information about early detection and cancer support organizations and offering free admission to all comers clothed in pink. The female-friendly theme seems fitting seeing that Feb. 20 is National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and AFA coaches are hosting a free clinic for female athletes in eighth grade and younger before the game.

“There’s so much going on in people’s lives that’s serious, so you need to take some time to be a little goofy and get out there with your friends,” says Swearingen. “We thought anybody could lay down a riff on the air guitar.”

Turns out that everybody can play, but not just anyone can take home the record. Guinness World Records has strict guidelines for hopeful air guitar ensembles, including that each participant must sign a ledger – witnessed by two people – and the group must be led by an air guitar expert, someone with experience in recognized air guitar competitions.

In addition, the group must play their invisible guitars in unison for at least three official air guitar moves. Yes, there are official moves, such as The Who’s windmill and AC/DC’s Angus Young duck walk.

“There’s all kinds of documentation, 15 pages of guidelines we need to follow,” says Swearingen. “It’s kind of a big deal if you’re going to be in the record book next to the woman with 8-foot-long fingernails or the world’s the tallest guy. You have to earn it.”

Anyone interesting in participating can log on to Air Force Athletic’s Facebook page (search “Go Air Force Falcons”) to choose the perfect song to pretend to play to. Wear pink for free admission, or log on to www.goairforcefalcons.com to purchase tickets. As for potential expert leaders, the choice is still up in the air and Air Force athletics would love to hear from any experienced air guitarists in the Pikes Peak Region ready to help bring the record home.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in The Gazette on Feb. 19, 2010.

The kids had earned a moment to sit on the bench. But most seemed more content to dance around it and show it off. This, after all is their masterpiece, the ArtBench, a mosaic bench of concrete and tile that Manitou Elementary School fifth graders spent about six weeks to build.

The kids and artists at Concrete Couch, a non-profit passionate about engaging the community to create public art, unveiled the bench at a party Thursday afternoon.

“We don’t really work with concrete or drills in our normal art class. We just draw and work with clay, so this is really fun,” says Brooke West, 10, who received a T-shirt award for attending every work session. “I just loved doing it.”

At the unveiling, the kids jammed out with the Concrete Couch Jam Band, composed mostly of high school musicians, and then explained to the crowd the process of making the bench: creating the tiles, maneuvering concrete-filled wheelbarrows, mortaring and grouting and smoothing.

“Kids get so excited to do this,” says Steve Wood, director of Concrete Couch. “There is this element of education for everyone when people see what kids can do with only imagination and opportunity.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which ran in the Nov. 7, 2009 Gazette.

Sometimes a lyric isn’t just words. Sometimes a video isn’t just people dancing. In the opinion of filmmaker, writer and activist Byron Hurt, what we consume from media and pop culture are actually messages about who we are, how to behave and our place in society, and he dissects that idea in regard to hip-hop culture in the film “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes,” screening Tuesday at Colorado College.

“This film challenges everyone: consumers, artists, black, white, people who have issues with gays. It’s the kind of film that strikes a chord in many different demographic backgrounds,” says Hurt of his documentary, which aired at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006 and on national television in 2007. “Since that time, I’ve been on the road constantly showing the film and talking about the film. It’s amazing that it still has as much traction as it does.”

Perhaps its continued popularity stems from Hurt’s ability to cut away the veneer of hip-hop to expose the complex and often negative narratives underneath about masculinity, femininity, homosexuality, class and race ― narratives many don’t look deep enough to see.

“The process was to create a film that would be intelligent and entertaining, to borrow some of the aesthetic and look and feel of MTV and BET, but to flip that aesthetic so there’s a critique embedded there, too,” says Byron, who emphasizes that he’s in no way outside hip-hop culture even as he critiques it, calling hip-hop “the soundtrack of my life.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Oct. 26, 2009 Gazette.

In 2008, 4,179 people in 10 countries costumed themselves as the undead and simultaneously performed the choreography from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video as part of the Guinness World Record-winning Thrill the World campaign. This year, Colorado Springs is adding a few more zombies to that total with a Thrill the World event on Saturday hosted by burlesque dance troupe Peaks and Pasties.

“It’s so fun to be able to teach people who are as nervous as I was when I first started dancing,” says Peak and Pasties dancer Kami Sutra, who helped lead a rehearsal attended by about 20 people earlier this week. She says that participants enjoy mimicking the Michael Jackson crotch grab the most out of all the dance moves, which also include the zombie march and menacing claw hands. “Everyone gets a huge kick out of it. No one in the group is judgmental. Everyone is really supportive of each other.”

Released in 1983, the 14-minute “Thriller” production is arguably the most popular music video of all time, a horror film homage in which a zombified Jackson dances with the undead, and “Thriller” has recently surged back to the surface of popular consciousness. Thrill the World began in 2006, for instance, videos of convicts dancing “Thriller” have been viral on the Internet, and Michael Jackson’s death earlier this year caused many media organizations to rebroadcast the video.

“It’s really funny. When you start teaching the dance to people, we find that they already know a couple eight counts without consciously knowing they did. People know those moves,” says Spitfire, who believes Michael Jackson and his dancing are woven into our culture. “I think people are drawn to Michael Jackson by his crazy sense of style, his dance moves and choreography, and just the way he entertained.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in The Gazette on Oct. 22, 2009.

Remembering her childhood, Paula Poundstone reminisces about her family’s regular dinners at the neighbor’s house, or more specifically, she remembers what happened after dinner at the neighbor’s: The adults would retire for coffee and conversation, and the kids were “forced” downstairs.

“But we would just have the best time down there,” says Poundstone. “I want (my performances) to feel like the being in that basement, where all the adults are upstairs somewhere and we’re dodging them.”

While she’s certainly moved on to larger venues than that basement ― Paula Poundstone plays the Pike Peak Center on Thursday, Oct. 8 ― she’s still improvising her fun as she goes along, never taking herself too seriously. Famous for her stand up as well as her role as a panelist on NPR’s weekly news quiz show, “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me,” the comedian is known for her vibrant spontaneity and audience interaction, as if she and her audience together are weaving an evening of laughs.

“Generally speaking, there is just a magic that emanates from a group of people that come out to laugh for the evening,” says Poundstone. “My favorite part of the night is just talking to the audience. I find really great stuff unfolds. I can almost predict that it will anymore.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the GO! section on Oct. 2, 2009.

For the first time in a long time, there won’t be a sign outside the Lon Chaney Theatre advertising the Star Bar Players’ next performance. But Lon Chaney or no, for the first time in a long time, there will be a show by the Star Bar Players, the recently revived theater troupe that went dark for a year after cash-flow and venue problems. The season opener is “The Weir,” a small-cast, Irish play rife with ghost stories running Oct. 8-24 at Five Star Decor.

“Being able to bring something like this back to the surface, I’m really excited about that,” says “The Weir” director Tammy Smith, who felt the absence of Star Bar keenly. “Everyone involved in it is really excited. We’ve had some difficulties. Finding a rehearsal place was rough, and some of the first rehearsals took place in my living room.”

But Alysabeth Clements Mosley, who sits on the Star Bar board and will play the character Valerie, prefers to reframe their lack of permanent theater space as a gypsy-like adventure. “Star Bar started out in weird venues,” before they landed the Lon Chaney, she says. “They did things in lofts above stores, they were in a church for a while, so I think part of the theatrical experience is the conversion of whatever space you’re in.”

Their space at Five Star Decor, a special events planning and decorating company with a large warehouse, is a black box theater with room enough for the one set of “The Weir,” the bar where the play’s characters spend much of their free time. Rather than dwell on size or shape, most of the players embrace the bright side of the unconventional venue.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published on Oct. 2, 2009 in the GO! section.

Writing is usually a solitary endeavor, requiring just a person and a pen ― or, more likely today, a computer. But in order to nurture literature and help the aspiring become published, Author Fest of the Rockies pries writers away from their desks and gathers them in Manitou for a two-day event with more than 50 published authors, editors, illustrators, poets and publishers from throughout Colorado.

“One part of the mission of Manitou Springs as a city is to nurture the arts, and in those arts, we talk about not just the visual or performing arts, but the literary arts, too,” says Laura Ettinger, chair of the event and vice president of the Friends of the Manitou Springs Library, the organization now hosting Author Fest for its fourth and largest year Oct. 2-3 at The Cliff House.

“For aspiring writers and poets and illustrators, anyone interested in the written and spoken word, it’s great to see there are other people out there doing what they are doing, for one,” she says. “It’s extremely useful in helping them take their work to the next level and providing information they might not have access to, showing them where the resources are to further their work.”

More than 40 workshops cover a variety of topics of interest to aspiring writers including creative nonfiction, attracting publishers, memoirs, freelance writing, manuscript editing and character development. But Author Fest has broadened their scope with interesting courses on promotion through social networking, how to read aloud for the public, reading critically, how to start a book club and more.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in The Gazette on Oct. 2, 2009.

We don’t want to get off on a rant here, but fans of comedian and political pundit Dennis Miller  should seize the opportunity to attend a rare live performance in Colorado Springs, on Saturday at Arnold Hall Theater on the Air Force Academy. Known for his ranting and a laid-back yet cerebral style, Miller looks forward to taking the stage in such a patriotic venue.

“I revere these guys, and to be able to knock off Gitmo and the Air Force Academy in one six-month period will be an honor,” he says, speaking of his performance at Guantanamo Bay in June. “We would not have in this country the right to be half as screwed up as we are without (the troops). I often view some of these fracases that go on and I think, ‘Thank God there is a group of men and women out there to help us when we miss the point as badly as we do.’”

Miller rose to fame in the 1980s on Saturday Night Live, served as commentator for Monday Night Football and won five Emmy Awards for his talk show “Dennis Miller Live.” While he currently broadcasts the nationally syndicated “The Dennis Miller Show” and is a regular guest on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor,” the self-proclaimed conservative libertarian still considers himself a comedian to the bone.

“It’s sort of a sardonic, rat-a-tat delivery with obscure references and a little indignation,” he says of his comic delivery. “But I’m not a haranguer. I don’t want them walking out of there thinking, ‘What was that I was supposed to think?’ I want them to walk out saying, ‘Jesus, my ribs hurt.’”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Gazette’s GO! section on Sept. 18, 2009.

On a runway, you need to move forward. You rarely stand still.

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that “Flaunt: Fashion Under the Bridge,” one of the region’s hottest art-fashion shows, has evolved.

After a hibernation in 2008, on Saturday the space under the Colorado Avenue bridge will present the metamorphosis of this popular fundraiser for FutureSelf.

Now called “Flaunt: Evolution,” the multimedia, collaborative, one-night-only art exhibition benefits FutureSelf, the Gallery of Contemporary Art and TheatreWorks.

“It’s FutureSelf reinvigorating ‘Flaunt’ and also building community with other arts organizations,” says Amber Coté, executive director of FutureSelf, a nonprofit that strives to introduce the power of art to underprivileged youths.

Featuring performance art, video, music and installation pieces in addition to fashion, the new incarnation of “Flaunt” will “push (the audience’s) perceptions a little bit and help them see how much they can like other forms of art, how much they can be intrigued by art.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Sept. 11, 2009 GO! section of The Gazette.

It’s always been big.

But this year’s Colorado Balloon Classic has taken a huge hop in scale with the return of the 16-story-tall Energizer Bunny Hot Hare Balloon. It’s being promoted as the biggest hot air balloon in the world.

It’s hardly the only thing that’s made the Colorado Balloon Classic a highlight of the region’s Labor Day weekend activities for 33 years.

Running Saturday through Monday at Memorial Park, the festival will fill the sky with 83 balloons from all over the country.

“We’re the largest air show in the state of Colorado,” says event organizer Heather Benavidez. “Being held in the Pikes Peak region — with Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, the Air Force Academy — from the sky, it’s an amazing sight. It’s a great place to fly.”

The festivities begin every morning at 6, followed by the mass ascension at 7, weather permitting, and live music at 8.

“The morning flights are incredible, and it’s really fun to have the spectators come out and interact with the pilots and crews,” Benavidez says. “We are one of the few events in the Rocky Mountain region that allow for spectator interaction, where they can actually go up to the baskets and talk to the pilots and crews, and see everything first hand.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Sept. 4, 2009 Gazette GO! section.

]]> http://www.katejonuska.com/archives/982/feed 0 http://www.katejonuska.com/archives/956 http://www.katejonuska.com/archives/956#comments Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:48:54 +0000 Kate http://www.katejonuska.com/?p=956
By Kate Jonuska

Several times a year, including Veterans Day and Memorial Day, we gather together to honor the soldiers of the past. But the Red, White and Brave Welcome Home Parade is different, instead celebrating the dedication and sacrifice of our current armed forces, those just returning home from battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, those who are keeping us safe right here, right now.

“There are not very many of us not separated by a few degrees to a family with a soldier doing a tour ― or for many of them, multiple tours ― overseas,” says parade organizer John O’Donnell. He also worked on the first-ever parade in 2004, which was highly successful. “Five years ago, we were so much closer to Sept. 11 and the initial combat, and we had watched the body count go from zero to 44 when they came back. This time, the situation is much different and soldiers have given so much more since then.”

Not intended to be a yearly event, the second staging of the Welcome Home Parade was spurred by the return of the Fourth Infantry Division to Fort Carson, though organizers are expecting more than 4,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines representing all five local military installations. Major General David G. Perkins, commander of Fort Carson will act as Grand Marshall and Lt. General Michael C. Gould, superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy, will be a special guest.

Twelve military and civilian bands, eight floats, groups of antique military vehicles and up to 60,000 spectators will also be attendance at the event.

“I think the main attraction is the soldiers, getting that close to that many soldiers,” says O’Donnell. “Last time there was barely a dry eye in the house. Even the troops were in tears.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the August 28, 2009 edition of the Woodmen and Cheyenne editions.

Blond never goes out of style. And neither does Blondie, one of the great pop bands of the late ’70s new wave scene, fronted by platinum-locked icon Deborah Harry. While known at the time for modeling the hippest clothes and the coolest hairstyles, Blondie’s catchy hooks, punk aesthetic and timeless lyrics continue to enthrall audiences, and their summer tour — stopping at the Pikes Peak Center Aug. 25 — has been one of the hottest tickets of the season.

“The shows have been fun. (The fans) are always really excited to see us. It’s kind of like when you do a show, you’re paying a visit to your fans,” says drummer Clem Burke, who explains that Blondie still enjoys touring together and performing live. “It’s like a summer vacation. You’re just like a traveling circus.”

Originally formed in 1974, the New York-based group achieved popular success first in the United Kingdom and then in the United States, and were launched into stardom with the 1978 album “Parallel Lines,” which contained hits like “Heart of Glass,” “One Way or Another” and “Hanging on the Telephone.” The album eventually sold more than 20 million copies, and was followed up with other chart-topping songs like “Dreaming,” “Call Me” and “The Tide is High.”

“When we started in the ’70s, we were the antithesis of what was going on in popular music at the time. That music has carried over quite a bit,” says Burke. “The hit music is our legacy, and it still feels very contemporary … The style of music we’ve assimilated has become a Blondie sound, a New York urban sound.”

Clem explains that the live Blondie experience will be a vibrant show, consisting of their biggest hits, deeper cuts from the Blondie catalog, new music, and the same fun, striking personality that endeared Blondie to millions of fans. Deborah Harry who, if anything, is more fabulous and spirited than when she first came on the scene, never fails to connect with fans and knock socks off.

After more than 30 years, Blondie still feels fresh to its members, who continue to be inspired by and committed to one another. The band is working on a new album set to release next year, a follow up to the successful 30th Anniversary Edition of “Parallel Lines” released in 2008.

“We feel we’re lucky we can come out and still play for our fans,” says Burke. “Whether you’re playing for 200 people or 20,000 people, it’s all about continuing to be a musician and being creative … If you’re not performing live as a band, you’re not really a band.”

CLICK HERE to view this article, which published in the GO! section Aug 21, 2009.

By Kate Jonuska

Artists as subjects, artists as creators, the process of creation intrinsic to the art produced. Such is the interlacing journey undertaken by Brett Andrus and Lindsay Hand in their exhibit “The 30-Day Portrait Experience,” opening tonight at the ModBo gallery, where both artists will reveal 10 portraits of Colorado Springs artists completed in the last 30 days.

“Making it under a certain 30-day timeframe, it becomes kind of a game show. We’ve both really enjoyed it,” says Andrus of the experience, which was conceived as a way to focus the eyes of the Colorado Springs artistic community on itself, to forge community bonds. “It will be nice though when the show is hung to be able to stop painting for a second.”

The exhibit features local artists from various genres and of various personalities, including opera star Judith Shay Burns, multimedia artist Tom Mcelroy, writer Frances Gomeztagle, visual artist Shannon Dunn, artist/musician Don Goede, artist and restauranteur Drew Livigni, and artist/musician Lauren Ciborowski. Jjust to add another layer of artistic communication, Andrus and Hand have painted separate portraits of each subject — plus one of each other and one of themselves.

“You can get two paintings with different takes on the same person, in two different spots in the room and two different painting styles,” Andrus says, admitting that the process has been a slightly competitive match of dueling brushes. But the spirit is more one of cooperation between the two painters, an exercise in the spirit of artistic communication the show represents.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Aug. 14, 2009 GO! section of The Gazette.

Marketplace Web site Etsy.com widens customer pool, simplifies running a business
By Kate Jonuska

In the current economic climate, starting your own business can be a risky and expensive affair, especially when dealing in so-called luxuries goods such as art, jewelry, clothing or accessories. But creative souls all over the world, including dozens in the Pikes Peak region, have found a way to make a full-time living or supplement their salaries through the online marketplace Etsy.com.

“I wanted to be part of a marketplace where I could get a lot more eyes on my work,” says local jewelry designer Jennifer Hunt, who owns Jennifer Hunt Designs and runs the store jacksoncreede on Etsy. While she’s offered her work in local stores and sold to wholesalers for many years, when she joined Etsy, “I went from, through my Web site I had up, getting five views a day and maybe one sale a week to, with Etsy, getting hundreds of views a day and one to five sales a day.”

Hunt is one of more than 250,000 sellers on the 2005-founded Web site, which boasts more than 2.5 million users/registered customers and clocked $87.5 million in sales in 2008. Through May, their 2009 gross sales total $58 million, putting them on track for significant growth in a challenging year.

“My business model had to change or it was going to die,” says graphic designer Brinda Hammel of Etsy shop Brinda Kay Design, who once worked solely in paper goods. Now she’s
shifted her business focus toward accessories and her marketing focus online, though she maintains a presence in one local brick-and-mortar store.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Gazette Business section on July 23, 2009.

Cripple Creek Honors America’s Armed Forces offers tribute, fun to service members and their families
By Kate Jonuska

To the city of Cripple Creek, a few scattered holidays didn’t seem like nearly enough time to truly celebrate the men and women who keep this country safe, at least, not how the festive and patriotic city would prefer to celebrate their service. That’s why for one weekend a summer, the city gives itself over to the Cripple Creek Honors America’s Armed Forces event, this year running the weekend of Aug. 7-9.

“Cripple Creek and its residents have a huge history of military service going back to the Civil War,” says Cripple Creek Mayor Dan Bader. “The event is our yearly shot at paying tribute to these people who are doing such an amazing job for us.”

The weekend of celebration begins on Friday with a banquet, a guest speaker and live entertainment with all proceeds supporting Home Front Cares, which provides support for local military families impacted by deployment. Then the sunny summer morning kicks off on Saturday with a free breakfast provided by the volunteer fire department, an opening ceremony and the much anticipated parade, with floats and bands representing all branches and generations of the armed services.

“Everyone enjoys a good military band,” says city administrator and retired colonel Bill McPherson, one of the driving forces behind the event. Of course, everyone loves a good battle re-enactment, too, and the event offers a World War II-themed dramatized skirmish of American versus German troops, replete with weaponry and vehicles for each force, both Saturday and Sunday. He jokes, “Of course, we all know in advance who is going to win, but we enjoy it anyway.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the July/August 2009 edition of Colorado Springs Style.

Endangered animal finds support through local couple’s Cheetah Foundation

From an office in Sedalia, Colorado, Bobby and Renee Hartslief buy and restore historic buildings, raise their two children, and attempt to save an entire species of animal quickly disappearing from the wild: the cheetah.

As surprising as it may be for the Pikes Peak region to have so direct a link to the world’s fastest mammal, whose range stretches from Africa through the Indian subcontinent, it was just as unexpected of a career choice for the couple.

“My wife Renee was born in Norman, Okla. We met in South Africa, married and moved to a bankrupt dairy farm,” explains Bobby Hartslief. Renee was running a multi-racial Montessori preschool on the property when Bobby attended an animal auction in a nearby town and found himself thinking, “It would be so cool to have these kids see the indigenous animals. So I bought our first animal, a giraffe, who was actually named First.”

Dozens of other species of animals came second, and the bankrupt dairy farm was soon a 4,000-acre game preserve called the Savannah Africa with 25 species of animals — including the cheetah, which seemed fitting considering it’s the animal mascot of the Free State province of South Africa, where the preserve is located.

“It was a natural thing that we got into cheetah,” says Hartslief, who started breeding the animals for captivity in 2001, sending them as far as Toronto, Miami and Tokyo. But he quickly learned that such methods were not truly aiding the animal, whose beauty and personality had stolen their hearts.

“You start with very pure intentions,” he explains. “But then when you actually see this animal you brought into the world sitting in a cage, you start thinking, ‘Hang on. Are we really, seriously helping this animal?’”

And thus the Cheetah Foundation, dedicated to maintaining and increasing the population of cheetah in the wild, was born.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the June 14, 2009 Gazette newspaper.

While sheet music is all well and good, confining notes and melodies to the staff lines of prewritten music seems like a cage to Kim Stone. Instead, the five-time Grammy-nominated bassist only feels true creative joy when jamming freeform — with no prewritten songs, no wrong notes, no rules and no limitations.

“The only thing you can do wrong at a jam is to play a song, some kind of form. Everything else is perfect,” says Stone, who along with his band, A New Brain for Arnie, organizes the Acid Jazz Night on Sundays at the Ancient Mariner in Manitou Springs. “When you don’t have the form of the song overshadowing you, you find more freedom in your own playing and might discover things you wouldn’t play otherwise.”

From one perspective, Acid Jazz Nights are no-pressure affairs: Anyone with an instrument or a talent and the inclination can sign up to jam, and the concert is open to the public. But on the other hand, the event is all about pressure as every note and riff must be improvised on the spot, on the stage.

“The core band starts out with a set, then people who have signed up after a short break get invited up,” says Tommy Gallagher, one of the band’s three guitarists. “It starts with someone playing a groove and then everyone fills in.”

Often Stone or another band member will do some minor conducting, pointing out musicians for solos or duos, or gesturing to turn the volume up or down. But the jam is all about listening to your fellow musicians and following where the inspiration flows.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the June 12,2009 GO! section.

Scooters flood the streets during local club’s tenth anniversary rally
By Kate Jonuska

Birds of a feather flock together, and this weekend, that flock is composed of Vespas, Lambrettas, Genuines and other motor scooters, new and old, rusted and cherry, darting down side streets and collecting outside local bars during the Tenth Annual Moving on Up Scooter Rally, hosted by the Peak Scooter Club.

“It’s like a car show in some ways. Just cooler,” says Peak Scooter Club president Jarrod Stuhlsatz, who owns a dozen scooters — the newest a 1979 model — and works as a scooter mechanic and multiple-hat-wearer at Sportique Scooters on Tejon Street.
“I’m not saying we’re cool,” he jokes. “Obviously, they’re funny little bikes. It takes a certain type of people to like them … You’ll see the tattooed rockabilly guys. You’ll see the Star Wars nerdy types. I guess it’s just people who like something different.”

Perhaps one of the most unusual and admired rides among participants this year is a fire-engine red 1955 Heinkel Tourist, made by the renown German aircraft manufacturing company and owned by Mike McWilliams. Along with wife Gretchen Whitworth, he has a collection of 12 scooters of various makes and calls himself “a curator for antique vehicles.”

“They point. They laugh. They wonder how fast do they go, how much money are they saving,” says McWilliams of riding around town in packs, watching people’s heads turn. “It’s not your everyday two-wheel object.”

“I find the people really fascinating,” admits Lambretta enthusiast Jim Donoughe, who loves riding as well as learning to maintain and improve his bikes. “There is definitely a vintage feel to what we do, even how some people dress. And certainly there’s all the tattoos.”

Donoughe sometimes leads rides during the rally — there are usually at least three throughout the weekend — and also serves as one of the group leaders for the Pokenger Runt, a cross between a scavenger hunt and poker run where clues lead teams to caches of cards. This year’s Runt circled town, with participants searching hiking trails in Sonderman Park, climbing the Old Scotchman rock formation in Garden of the Gods, drinking from the Ute Chief Spring in Manitou and seeking the out-of-the-way St. Jude’s shrine near the Broadmoor.

The best hand at the end of the afternoon walked away with $64, the take from participants’ fees, and respect, more valuable than money among some in the crowd.

With the increasing popularity of scooters, the rally has become very popular. This year’s attendance — the free-wheeling group doesn’t keep strict count of registrants — hovers about at about 78 bikes and some have trailered in scooters from Denver and Ft. Collins, even as far as New Mexico and Utah.

While Moving on Up is open to all comers, most Peak Scooter Club members will admit there is a difference, though perhaps not a tension, between vintage owners and riders of new models. Older bikes seem to carry more hipster street cred and connote genuine riding expertise, even if some seem like they’re held together with witty bumpers stickers and magnets.

But most veterans realize that everyone starts somewhere and are happy to spread their passion for scooters to new riders — but with a few warnings. No. 1, once you let scooters in your life, they tend to multiple in your garage, almost by themselves. And No. 2, according to Gretchen Whitworth, is to prepare for the accessories.

“I have a tendency to buy bags that match my scooter or socks that match my scooter,” she says, showing off her ice-mint green socks, which match her ice-mint green Genuine Stella.

CLICK HERE to view a JPG of this article, which published in the June 7, 2009 Gazette.

Free app streams station’s three HD radio signals
By Kate Jonuska

Priding itself on being an early adopter of new technologies, local NPR affiliate Radio Colorado College KRCC already hosts successful online pledge drives, streams over the Web and offers three HD radio stations. Now Colorado Springs-based software developer Tom Harrington has made those digital stations mobile with a new iPhone application he donated to the station.

“The KRCC iPhone app plays all three of KRCC’s broadcasts, includes their full program schedule, and since it runs on a phone, it has a ‘call KRCC’ button,” explains Harrington, who works under the umbrella of Atomic Bird, LLC. “I’ve been a member of KRCC for 17 years, and these days I mainly do iPhone development, so it was a fun project for me.”

Staying on the cutting edge “is very important, especially in terms of the future for media in general, how it’s moving more online,” says Delaney Utterback, general manager of KRCC. “That kind of impression —  that we’re not just geographically located anymore — is kind of an important idea that I’d like to express to listeners.”

Sure enough, since its launch on April 24, the app has been downloaded by users in 34 countries. KRCC main radio signal can be picked up via a free application published by NPR, but you can check out KRCC’s HD radio app by visiting www.itunes.com/app/KRCC.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the June 1, 2009 Personal Technology section.

By Kate Jonuska

While the Dancing With The Stars hit television show may have wrapped for the season, our local celebrities are only now dusting off their dancing shoes in the quest for a mirror ball trophy. This Sunday, news anchors will come out from behind their desks, disc jockeys will go off air and two athletes — including an Olympian Pentathlete and a Denver Nuggets cheerleader — will abandon their chosen sports during the Dancing With Colorado’s Stars Showcase and Competition at the City Auditorium.

“It is one thing to see them on television or hear them on the radio,” says event organizer James Stowell of USA Dance-Pikes Peak, who hosts the fundraiser in honor of Springs Rescue Mission and the soldiers and families of Fort Carson. “Now you will get to see them bring out their glamorous, romantic sides or their fun, flirty and sassy sides.  It will be an afternoon of spectacular entertainment.”

“I think it’s going to be fascinating and hilarious at the same time,” says Heather Skold of KRDO News Channel 13. Her partner, Spencer Harger of N’Vision studios, reminds her to relax her nerves as they step jauntily around the floor, practicing their routine of East Coast swing and samba. When he grabs her hands for a spin followed by a slide through his legs, however, her smile beams with pure enjoyment.

“I have a renewed appreciation for what they do on the show. You don’t know all what goes into that until you walk in their shoes,” she says, lifting her foot to illustrate the unique, somewhat challenging shape of the high-heel dance pump. In addition to the shoes, the wardrobe, slinkier and more glamorous than her usual newscast ensembles, has taken some getting used to — but it’s all the better to showcase the anchor’s impressive high kicks.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the May 28, 2009 Gazette.

The mere proximity of citizens — that they drive the same streets, vote at the same polling place and see their local taxes pooled in the same coffer — doesn’t create a community. So thought a group of forward-thinking Colorado Springs citizens back in 1976 when the city’s population hit 200,000, up from only 70,000 in 1960.

This group, which became known as Citizen’s Goals, formed a unique plan to unite and mobilize the growing community: Turn a wide cross section of population’s eyes toward the future of our city by, well, making them leave the city to attend the Keystone Summit, which ran Nov. 18-21, 1976.

“We wanted to get you up (to Keystone) for three or four days so you wouldn’t be interrupted by the normal problems of living at your home and in your environment,” says Rocky Crawford, a retired Air Force brigadier general who helped organize the conference.

“We involved all the top people but it was also very broad-based, including all the minorities that we could and people from every part of the community,” continues Barbara Yalich, another founding member of Citizen’s Goals. “The Colorado Springs community was very splintered and no conversations were going on. Everybody was very down,” she continues, mentioning the oil crisis of the late ’70s as an example of the difficult times.

With an assembly of 103 citizens ranging in age from 16 to 76, the conference aimed to create goals for Colorado Springs, a wide-ranging list of problems to be fixed and projects to begin. After four days, they came away with 134 goals in 12 areas of concern, including transportation, human services, cultural and recreational activities, the environment and more.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the May 11, 2009 Gazette newspaper.

It all started with a CD, “Sounds of the Pikes Peak Region, Vol. 1,” original music from 13 local musicians assembled by COPPeR, the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

Just one little CD, from which spun the live concerts of the Showcase at Studio Bee series, airplay on local radio stations and, at least for local singer/songwriter Lindsay Weidmann and her On Occasion Band, a spot as opening act for Grammy-winner Boz Scaggs in the main auditorium of the Pikes Peak Center on May 10.

“We’re super excited to have that opportunity, and it came directly from that concert series,” says Weidmann of the Showcase at Studio Bee program, a joint effort of COPPeR, The Gazette, Independent Records, KILO, KRCC and the Pikes Peak Center.

Since October, these free monthly concerts in Studio Bee, the black-box theater within the Pikes Peak Center, have offered Weidmann and other local musicians incredible exposure, a rare opportunity to share their talent with both a live audience and thousands of listeners via radio promotion.

“To actually be working and have a show where there are professionals at your disposal was an exciting experience,” says Weidmann, who was struck by the sound quality of the prestigious venue. “Having the opportunity to perform at the next professional level is really encouraging to continue to create quality music and offer it.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the May 9, 2009 Gazette newspaper.

The Colorado Springs School fundraiser brings polo ponies back to their historic stomping grounds
By Kate Jonuska

In the shadow of Cheyenne Mountain, dappled light filters through the leaves of mature trees and lawns sweep away to charming homes from the turn of the century. In this elegant and established neighborhood in southwest Colorado Springs, history seems to lurk just below the surface of everyday life.

It’s not difficult to imagine a time when the Broadmoor Cup was one of the most prestigious polo trophies in the nation, a time when President Teddy Roosevelt dropped by the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club for a pick-up game of polo — which he did in 1903.

While the antique charm lasts year round, those sepia-toned ideas of what our city used to be burst from the page once a year at the Colorado Springs School, when riders gallop onto the field with colorful jerseys and mallets swinging as part of the Family Polo Classic on May 31.

“In Colorado Springs, polo was played on nearby fields and was closely tied with the military,” says Kevin Reel, head of school at CSS, who explains that the sport was a natural extension of cavalry training in the military.

he polo-themed fundraiser began in 2007 in part “to invigorate pride in our rich local history,” but Reel assures that this afternoon of sport could never be considered stuffy or old: “It gets your heart pounding to feel the thundering hooves and watch these skilled human and equine athletes.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the May/June 2009 eidtion of Colorado Springs Style magazine.

Ballet Society students placed well both city and statewide
By Kate Jonuska

While most people look back on their teenage years as the awkward and clumsy interval between childhood and adulthood, local teens at The Ballet Society of Colorado Springs can instead be proud of the elegance of their teen years: The school swept three of five available awards at the recent Colorado Springs Dance Theatre’s Esther Geoffrey Dance Scholarship Competition and eight of 37 awards at the Denver Ballet Guild’s Young Dancer’s Competition.

“It was amazing that so many people won or placed in competitions,” says Charlotte Coltrin, who placed in the Top 10 in Denver and admits, “I’m not exactly sure why I placed. I think it’s just all the great training that I’ve had. I was actually really shocked, but really happy.”

Joshua Allenback credits “practice, really good motivators” pointing to his friends and fellow dancers “pushing me, and really good teachers showing me how to express ballet and how to present yourself on stage.”

Rather than learning ballet only through class work, these dancers regularly brave competitions of this nature, which challenge their skills and reveal the world of ballet past their studio’s walls.

“I always come back from competitions motivated,” says Hillary MacPhee, who among other dancers, fought injuries to compete. “We put in so many hours a week and when you place in competitions, it’s really gratifying.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the March 27, 2009 Woodmen Edition.

‘Lend Me a Tenor’ milks operatic drama for belly laughs
By Kate Jonuska

Onstage, opera oozes drama and elegance, ornate costumes and incomparable voices singing in foreign languages. A portion of the audience peers through opera glasses; a portion of the audience tries not to fall asleep.

“Lend Me a Tenor,” running at the Fine Art Center’s SaGaJi Theatre March 20-April 5, is not one of those stories. The play — not an opera or even a traditional musical — ventures behind the red curtains and into the chaotic, confusing and hilarious backstage drama of opening night for the Cleveland Grand Opera Company in 1934.
“It’s a classic American farce,” says Alan Osburn, theatre company producing artistic director, who describes the show as light-hearted and accessible. “It’s not high art. People don’t speak in thees and thous, what people conceive as the ‘theatre.’”

“I call it high comedy, which I associate with big belly laughs,” agrees Thaddeus Valdez, who plays Tito Merelli (aka Il Stupendo), the tenor in question. If operatic sopranos are often considered divas — their high notes met with equally high-strung temperaments — the tenor is the male counterpoint, what Valdez calls a “devo.”

Take one devo, add the traditional soprano diva, Diana, played by Nan Rubley of the Opera Theatre of the Rockies and the Colorado Opera Festival; Brian McClure, also known as the lead singer of the local band Head Full of Zombies, as aspiring tenor Max; and FAC favorite Brantley Scott Haines as the bumbling bellhop. Shake with an accidental drugging, mistaken identities, half-dressed women and lots of slamming doors.

I think there are seven throughout the whole play. Tough to fall asleep through all those slamming doors,” jokes Osburn, who insists that the only non-hilarious aspect of putting together the production was casting. “That’s one of the greatest challenges of the piece: finding actors who can sing opera,” he continues. “We were fortunate to find really talented people who can do comedy and sing, which is really unusual.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in The Gazette’s March 20, 2009 GO! section.

Going Irish in Colorado Springs
By Kate Jonuska

Bagpipes and brogues will once again drift through the streets of downtown Colorado Springs on Saturday during the 25th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is expected to draw 30-35,000 green-clad spectators.

“This parade is Colorado Springs,” says parade committee chairman John O’Donnell, who is genuinely Irish but doesn’t mind any and everyone sharing the title once a year. He’s enlisted more than 100 parade entries from schools, churches, professional organizations, athletic groups and more, representing “a real cross section of who we are as a city.”

The day kicks off with the 5k on St. Patrick’s Day race, the first of the Colorado Springs Grand Prix Racing Series of 2009, at 10 a.m., and the parade marches from St. Vrain Street to Vermijo Avenue along Tejon Street beginning at noon.

“If you want a good piece of sidewalk, get there by 11 or 11:30,” advises O’Donnell. Chairs and blankets are welcome, and like any other day in Colorado, be sure to bring both sunscreen and mittens. “We go on no matter the weather.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the March 13, 2009 GO! section.

‘Magical’ donation of costumes honors the legacy of a local designer
By Kate Jonuska

When it came to costumes, Doherty High School theater department’s policy was often “beg, borrow and rent,” according to theater director Jen Shafer. But after a generous donation this week, Shafer’s costume alcove now overflows with Hollywood-quality attire fit for a king — or a queen.

Or a cowboy, a nurse, a policeman, a debutante…

“There is so much: hats, shoes, vests, coats, fur coats, some beautiful gowns. There is everything from wet suits to cheerleader costumes,” says Shafer. “Most productions that you would do in the theater, these would cater to wonderfully.”

The collection was amassed by Meredith Murray, a 1993 Doherty grad who went on to a career in wardrobe and costume design, and who passed away in May 2008. Her lengthy resume included work with TV shows “7th Heaven” and “The Closer” as well as dozens of feature films, the most recent of which was “He’s Just Not That Into You,” currently in theaters.

“I went to see (the film), and you look for her name in the credits — Meredith J. Murray,” says her father, Steve Murray, who arranged the donation. “This is physical evidence that she touched lives, making a difference, making Doherty and District 11 proud.”

The family has strong ties to School District 11: Meredith’s parents were both teachers for 35 years and their two children both attended D11 for 12 years. “Together, we have over 100 years invested in District 11,” says Steve. “We knew it’s so hard to buy and get these kind of things you need when you work in District 11, so I decided I wanted to give these wonderful things to her alma mater.”

The aspiring actors on the receiving end of that generosity are thrilled and somewhat enchanted by the gift.

“It was very magical,” says Shafer. “The kids were all over trying them on and it felt like playing dress up. They were in wigs and shoes and dresses, and just beside themselves.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Feb. 20, 2009 Gazette.

Prestigious award causes local hand bell group to explain the harmony of cooperation
By Kate Jonuska

The Pikes Peak Ringers, who recently won a National Public Radio competition to record with world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma, aren’t too comfortable with their new status as hand-bell rock stars.

“It’s like a piano: If you took two notes out of the middle, you couldn’t play,” says Kate Myers, an on-and-off ringer since the group’s inception in 1991 who emphasizes that the instrument is a team effort.

Charter member Bonnie Linder agrees, explaining, “The big thing is just to listen to everyone else and really try to be part of the ensemble. It’s like singing in a choir.”

Yes, the group provided one of the winning versions of the classic “Dona Nobis Pacem,” which had to be overlaid against Ma’s cello version of the song, and thereby became stars of the hand bell and classical music communities. But despite the swirl of media attention, every single member of the Pikes Peak Ringers will insist that it couldn’t have been done without every single member.

Luckily, there’s enough pride and joy to spread around.

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Feb. 13, 2009 Woodmen and Cheyenne editions.

Too big, too small or too far: Frustrated by the lack of live-entertainment venues in Colorado Springs, entrepreneurs John and Cindy Hooton set out to fill the city’s entertainment gap with a theater that was “just right.”

“The furthest seat from the center of the stage is 70 feet,” says John, swinging his arm to take in the fruit of their labors, the Stargazers Theater. “It’s that nice intimate experience that entertainers like to have with the audience.”

A geodesic dome resembling a perfect half sphere, the Stargazers building was originally the UA Cinema 150 Cinerama Theatre and afterwards went through various incarnations as night clubs and churches. But the Hootons have brought the building back to its roots and up to code, and it can now accommodate up to 600 people for concerts on three seating levels beneath the grand dome decked with lights.

“It’s just such a unique building,” says Cindy. “The response we’re getting from the public has been amazing. Everyone seems thrilled to get to come here again, where they used to see movies or maybe had their first date.”

Someone who is certainly thrilled to return is the star of the theater’s grand-opening concert, Louisiana bluesman Tab Benoit. “It’s been a while since I’ve played in the dome and I’m looking forward to getting back to it,” Benoit says of his Feb. 5 performance. “That place always sounded good, big enough so that the sound spreads out nicely.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 29, 2009 Out There section of The Gazette.

By Kate Jonuska

Time and inspiration are said to be concepts that flow, leading us to visualize an unbroken stream of water drawn downhill. But artist debi Story Maddox isn’t one to casually drift downstream, instead reveling in leapfrogging from pond to pond, dipping a toe into as many different styles and ideas as possible.

“A lot of people like to feel like they have a certain style and identity. To me, that puts me in a box,” Maddox explains. A self-professed series artist — who creates groups of pieces revolving around a theme, color or emotion — the only constant in her work is change.

“I have no idea when I start a series how many are going to be in it. Somehow magically at the end, I know,” Maddox says. Once complete, she then releases those months or years of work into the world without hesitation or regret. “I enjoy not going back to the same series again. I feel like I’ve done that and want to continue finding new ways to express myself.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the The Gazette’s Jan. 24, 2009 Life section.

By Kate Jonuska

There is such a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen. They spoil the soup, you know. But in the Brown household, there are never too many virtuosos on the piano, and rather than stepping on one another’s toes, the final musical product is only improved by their collaboration.

“One of our concerts will have five pianos on stage and all five of us will usually begin by playing together at all five pianos,” explains Desirae Brown, who along with siblings Ryan, Melody, Gregory and Deondra form classical music’s first family of piano virtuosos, The 5 Browns.

With less than seven years variance in their ages, these 20-something pianists were the first five-sibling group to simultaneously attend Juilliard, have released three albums and tour the world to entertain audiences with their unique musical stylings.

“There’s nothing specially written for five pianos, or at least there wasn’t before we began,” says Gregory. Instead, the group creatively rearranges their favorite orchestral music to form thrilling interpretations of pieces by well-known composers, such as Debussy and Rimsky-Korsakov. “Obviously with five pianos, it sounds completely different than the original piece with the full orchestra. Different elements will come out.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in The Gazette’s Jan. 22, 2009 Out There section.

Whether you were a jock or a brainiac, the prom queen or a drama geek, you’re certain to see yourself reflected in the archetypal characters of Disney’s High School Musical: The Ice Tour. The adolescent drama and romance transport you back to the locker-lined hallways of youth — if your school’s halls were floored in ice and everyone went around singing all the time, that is.

Really, it’s not so unbelievable. With typical Disney flare, the ice-skating version of the Emmy Award-winning, Billboard Chart-topping phenomenon of High School Musical succeeds in translating the teen tale into a high-energy, entertaining live performance.

“It’s kind of like ‘Grease’ for a younger a generation,” says principal performer Lauren Baird, a skater who grew up and trained in Denver and is currently on her second tour with the production. “The basketball player falls in love with the brainiac, and they both have a passion for singing. It’s the kind of show where there is a character everyone can relate to.”

CLICK HERE to read the full text of this article, which published in the Jan. 16, 2009 GO! section.