Thursday, March 6, 2014, 7:00 pm
MacKenzie Art Gallery
Admission: $5
Impromptu poetry, spoken word and musical performances
combined to create a casual yet seamless event at the recent Vertigo Series
Open Stage. Forget about the negative stereotypes you may have about open mic
nights: Vertigo does it right.
House musicians Brian Templeton (double bass) and Herb Exner
(guitar) kicked off the evening with an instrumental performance, then played
back-up for writers wanting their words set to music. The evening’s program was
created by audience members who wrote their names on a sign-up sheet and waited
anxiously for host Tara Dawn Solheim to call them to the stage.
Performances spanned a number of genres. Carla Harris set
the tone for the open stage with a poem that turned into a song and ended with
a scat solo, all set to the groove of Templeton’s bass. Rachel MacDonald sang
an a cappella prayer song that she had
written while lying in bed recovering from an injury. Bruce Rice read a series
of poems responding to the MacKenzie Art Gallery’s recent 7: Professional Native Indian Artists Inc.
exhibition. Spoken word artist Shayna Stock and pianist Jeff Moser presented a collaborative
piece that wove poetry and music into a breathtaking work of art. A number of
others also shared their work, and none disappointed.
The feature performer was Lillian Allen, an internationally acclaimed, Juno-award-winning
writer and reggae musician. She is credited as one of the originators of dub
poetry, described on her website as “a highly politicized form of
poetry preferring a black aesthetic and specific cultural codification.” Allen
combines Jamaican vernacular, vocal sounds, looping and music to elicit an
emotional response from audiences and draw them into the situations she
explores.
At Vertigo, she presented pieces with topics ranging from
tongue-in-cheek advice on how to be a writer, to the hardship and reward of
labour and childbirth, to the anxiety that we feel in modern society. She then called
the house musicians on stage for a jazz number and answered a variety of audience
questions. Her performance was captivating, entertaining and refreshing, and
her presence enhanced rather than overshadowed the local writers taking the
stage before and after her.
Casual yet inspiring: Vertigo does it right.
The Vertigo Series provides regular opportunities for
writers and musicians of all genres and levels of accomplishment to share their
work with an audience. The series is supported and sponsored by community
granting organizations including the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the Canada
Council for the Arts and the League of Canadian Poets. For more information,
visit www.vertigoseries.com, the
Vertigo Series Group on Facebook, or @VertigoSeries on Twitter.
