Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Zippers of Zoomerville Returns to Phoenix Theatre

Ready for more speed, greed and the dirty deed? The Phoenix Theatre will bring back an updated (and shortened) musical spoof of Indy's annual fast-track fever for a special one-month run, April 28-May 28th.  Described as a "Gilbert and Sullivanesque celebration of flat-out folly and full-throttle love," The Zippers of Zoomerville,  was written by Indy ad man Jack O’Hara with musical score and direction from Hit City Recording's Tim Brickley.  

Thursdays (Duke Energy CheapSeats)	$15.00	7:00 pm
Fridays and Saturdays	$25.00	8:00 pm
Sundays	$25.00	2:00 pm
Individuals Under Age 21	$15.00
(Subject to change; please confirm curtain times when making reservations)	General admission seating	Doors open half hour before curtain

Blue Eyes Driving in the Rain

Indy Social had the pleasure of attending a performance by the peripatetic road warrior Willie Nelson last weekend. The bio-diesel and herb-loving country singer (fresh from a pot bust in Texas) took to the stage with a giant flag from the Lone Star State - and treated a sold-out audience at the Murat Theatre to a mellow mix of his classic hits.

An enthusiastic crowd applauded his sparse pickings and ragged vocal stylings, and roared as he delivered his famous and now particularly poignant lyrics: “Almost busted in Laredo / But for reasons that I'd rather not disclose / But if you're stayin' in a motel there and leave / Just don't leave nothin' in your clothes.”

According to media reports, the blue-eyed country bard might be able to sing his way out of any jail time for this latest marijuana possession. The local prosecutor, apparently a fan, said he was willing to let Nelson off with a $100 fine --  if the cannabis-loving cowboy singer would performed "Blue Eyes Smiling in the Rain" for the Texas courtroom, this according to celebrity gossip blog TMZ.

Related articles

• Willie Nelson told to sing to save himself from jail (guardian.co.uk)
• Willie Nelson Could Sing for His Freedom in Texas Pot Case (foxnews.com)

The Gospel According to James Debuts at IRT

Indy Social is looking forward to seeing the debut of The Gospel According To James at the IRT tonight. The play depicts a tale of rape, murder and racial injustice in the heartland -- "the shame of Marion Indiana" in the words of Indianapolis Star columnist Cathy Kightlinger, who grew up in the town where the notorious lynchings of three black men accused of raping a white woman and killing a white man took place.

‎Kightlinger reminds us of this quote from 2000 from one of the convicted black teens (later pardoned): "The only way to stop the Ku Klux Klan in Marion, and elsewhere, is to grant it all the permits it desires --and then do not afford them any police protection in its un-American activities. Then our whole country will be able to see how many permits it will ask for in the future, after we witness what freedom-loving people will do for their protection." ~ James Cameron, Chronicle-Tribune, May 7, 2000

We'll be bringing the digital camera, and look forward to sharing our thoughts about this powerful performance with you.

Click here for ticket information.

Chemical Envy in Broad Ripple

 

Who needs Banksy? While West Coast art aficionados are busy scouring the streets of Los Angeles looking for the latest installations from the famous British graffiti artist --  whose Academy Award-nominated documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop has inspired renewed interest in all things street art -- Indianapolis vandals -- er I mean artists -- have been actively spray-painting, pasting and tagging their own creations throughout the back alleys and beer-stained walls of Broad Ripple.

John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett "Thing Called Love"

The Murat Theatre played host to Indy songsmith John Hiatt February 12th. Joined by Texan troubadour Lyle Lovett, the pre-Valentines Day acoustic show -- in the spirit of the VH-1 Storytellers -- found the two singer songwriters taking turns telling tales and playing their original compositions. The down-to-earth duo did jam together, exchanging harmonies and guitar licks, on a couple of tunes -- most notably Hiatt's biggest hit (made famous by Bonnie Raitt) "Thing Called Love."

The two are clearly friends, having played together for the past few years. Here, for your enjoyment, is a 2009 appearance on the David Letterman Show:

Dean & Britta: Rock to Warhol

Last night at the IMA's Toby Theatre, indie-art band Dean & Britta entertained a packed house with a very mellow soundtrack accompaniment to Andy Warhol’s "Screen Tests."

A dark room full of darker sounds: in the dimly lit venue the band delivered its own blend of Velvet Underground-meets-Edie Brickel downer rock ballads, while onto a suspended white screen a series of short, but equally bleak, 8-mm style black and white "mug shot" images flickered above. Warhol's famous Screen Tests -- no dialogue, just beautiful people making love to the lens -- were captured in the early 1960s at his Factory, and feature posing by a who's who of yesteryear's hip, and wanna-be scensters—from Nico to Edie Sedwick, Dennis Hopper to Lou Reed.

Our favorite performance: Lou Reed enjoying a bottle of Coca-Cola (captured here with iPhone). Things do go better with Coke. However, my thirsty gang stuck with Jack on the rocks, vodka rocks splash of cranberry (they were out of limes), and white wine and bottled water -- happy that we could bring our adult beverages into The Toby.