Philly MAC-Down 4 - The Vegan Mac Attack

We’re celebrating the unofficial end of summer with glorious piles of vegan mac & cheese in West Philly!

While it’s later than past years, PHILLY MAC-DOWN returns for Round 4 of fierce yet tasty fun competition! Last year's Grand Champion, LJ Steinig, has gone into vegan mac & cheese competing retirement! So, who will be up next to take on the title of maker of the BEST VEGAN MAC & CHEESE IN THE CITY?!?! Join us at the Rotunda on Sunday, September 1, 2019 at 5pm to see who will win top prize(s)! 

General Admission: $15

Epic Vegan Ticket (Ticket and Book Combo)

Purchase tickets HERE 

Your ticket includes:

$5 donation to Indraloka Animal Sanctuary

Samples of all the competitors' mac & cheese entries

A voting ballot for Philly's Choice

A complimentary raffle ticket to win one of our audience prizes (Must be present to win)

AHHHHMAZING locally made vegan cheese to sample & purchase by Conscious Cultures Creamery

A grand old cheezy time of vegan proportions

Our emcee:

Returning to emcee is Dustin Harder, aka The Vegan Roadie, Dustin is the creator of the renowned YouTube travel web series, "The Vegan Roadie," co'host of "Pulling It Together" podcast and author of cookbooks, Simply Vegan and his latest, Epic Vegan! 

Our judges:

LJ Steinig - Grand Champion of Philly MAC-Down 1 (2016) and 3 (2018) & vegan mac & cheese expert!

Robert Perry - Owner of South Philly's famed bar/restaurant, Tattooed Mom

Raquel Saraswati - Owner of Vegan Rahma, vegan meal prep service, and social justice activist

Prizes:

Grand Champion: $100 V Marks the Shop Gift Card, TBA sponsor gift card, Philly MAC-Down Grand Champion Plaque, Mac & Cheese Messenger Bag, Signed copy of Epic Vegan by Dustin Harder

Philly's Choice: $50 V Marks the Shop Gift Card, TBA sponsor gift card, Liberty Bell Trophy, MAC-Down Tote Bag, Signed copy of Epic Vegan by Dustin Harder

2nd Place: $25 V Marks the Shop Gift Card, 2nd Place Plaque, MAC-Down Tote Bag, Signed Copy of Epic Vegan

3rd Place: $20 V Marks the Shop Gift Card, 3rd Place Plaque, MAC-Down Tote Bag, Signed Copy of Epic Vegan

Most Original: $15 V Marks the Shop Gift Card, Most Original Plaque and Signed Copy of Epic Vegan

Think you make the best mac & cheese & want to compete? Enter here --> https://vmarkstheshop.com/philly-mac-down/entry-form/

SEE YOU SEPTEMBER 1ST!!! 

Notes

Service fees apply

NO refunds or transfers to another event wil be issued

Kids aged 5 years old & younger are admitted for free.

We are NOT seeking vendors for this event!

Due to the nature of the event, we cannot guarantee there will be gluten-free options.

Jessi Roemer & friends present: PRAISE Concert in the Round

Thursday, Sept 5, 7:00 - 8:30 pm

An evening of new Jewish music, spiritual song and community

With guest musicians Joey Weisenberg, Jessie Reagen Mann, Monica Gomery, Koach Frazier, Loren Gildar, Yosef Goldman, Daniella Forstater, and Jennifer Boorum.

Advance tix donation: $10 at tinyurl.com/praisephillyconcert

Door tix donation: $15

Concert Proceeds go to RAICES and 350.org.

Co-Sponsored by Hadar's Rising Song Institute and Kol Tzedek Synagogue

To preview or buy the new PRAISE album, go to: jessiroemer.bandcamp.com/album/praise

More music from Jessi Roemer at www.jessiroemer.com

Owen Valentine Presents: Classique Cool Soul 2

Vocalist -Violinist Owen Valentine and Urban Classique are back bringing you a night of Classic Soul, R&B and Jazz! 

Come hear this timeless band as they Salute the Music of Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Earth, Wind and Fire. Plus original music by Owen Valentine!  

Time: 7:00PM | Doors open at 6:15PM

Tickets on sale NOW! https://classiquecoolsoul2.eventbrite.com

Early Bird: $20 | Tickets available through August 10th!

General Admission: $25 

Students: $15 

Seniors: 62+: $20

This show sells out so get your tickets while they last!

Vision Driven Artists has teamed up with The Rotunda to bring resources and capacity-building workshops to self-producing artists/musicians, arts organization staff, and event curators in all disciplines.

Workshops: 6-8pm at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St, Philadelphia); all workshops in the series are FREE and OPEN to the public. Refreshments provided. No sign-up necessary.

Nonprofit, LLC, or Fiscal Sponsorship (November 12, 2018)

- Learn about the different organizational structures you can use to support your work

- Discuss the pros and cons of various structures

- Take a quiz to determine the best structure for your purposes

2019 Project Planning (December 10, 2018) 

- Identify your goals for 2019 and break them into achievable tasks

- Plot your tasks on a timeline or calendar for 2019

- Create a plan to keep yourself accountable

Fundraising Beyond Grants (January 14, 2019) 

- Learn about six different categories of fundraising (including, but not primarily, grants)

- Brainstorm more than a hundred methods for resourcing your work

- Create a simple budget that will help guide your fundraising choices

Taxes for Artists (January 28, 2019)

- Learn about which expenses you can deduct on your taxes

- Find out how and when to send out 1099s

- Get your individual questions answered

Special Guest: Christianne Kapps

Introduction to Arts Grants (February 11, 2019) 

- Demystify the language and process behind grant writing

- Learn how to find and submit grants 

- Read actual grant proposals to learn common mistakes and important proposal components 

Intermediate Grant Writing & Funder Panel (March 11, 2019) 

- Learn about local arts funding opportunities

- Receive personalized feedback on your grant proposals (bring 1 page for funders to review)

- Practice reading and scoring actual grant applications

Personal Finances for Artists (April 8, 2019) 

- Learn why and how to use budgets

- Look at sample budgets and learn how to interpret the story behind the numbers 

- Create a simplified budget tailored to your goals for 2019

Outreach & Audience Building (May 13, 2019) 

- Learn new techniques for building an audience

- Troubleshoot issues with audience development that you may have had in the past

- Identify marketing techniques to keep people showing up to your future events

Social Media Marketing (June 10, 2019) 

- Talk about the advantages of using various social media channels

- Gain new tips and tricks for using different types of social media

- Learn how to use public relations and press releases to promote your work

Crowdfunding (September 9, 2019) 

- Learn how to tell if crowdfunding is right for your project

- Discover the pros and cons of different crowdfunding platforms

- Hear from a panel of artists who have run successful crowdfunding campaigns

Creating an Artist Statement (September 23, 2019) 

- Read through actual artist statements

- Verbally share your personal mission or vision for your art with a partner

- Practice writing or editing your own statement

Setting & Measuring Goals (October 21, 2019) 

- Identify what you want to achieve in your projects

- Incorporate critical feedback and self-reflection into your arts practice

- Brainstorm and receive tools for measuring success

Workshops: 6-8pm at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St, Philadelphia); all workshops in the series are FREE and OPEN to the public. Refreshments provided. No sign-up necessary.

http://www.visiondrivenartists.org/

Secret Cinema: Archive Discoveries, Unseen Curiosities

New chapter of ARCHIVE DISCOVERIES: UNSEEN CURIOSITIES FROM THE SECRET CINEMA COLLECTION at Rotunda

On Thursday, September 12, The Secret Cinema will return to the Rotunda with another chapter of our ongoing series, ARCHIVE DISCOVERIES: UNSEEN CURIOSITIES FROM THE SECRET CINEMA COLLECTION. Once again we'll feature a mélange of fascinating short films from the past. As we go through our collection, reel by reel, we continually find films that don't necessarily lend themselves to fitting into a themed group, yet are too interesting, or fun, or funny to not share. None have been shown in previous Secret Cinema programs. Indeed, few of these films are likely to have been seen ANYWHERE in recent years.

While the program as a whole has no dedicated theme, there will be a special look at the fascinating "Technocracy" movement of the twentieth century, it being the subject of TWO longer (and very rare) shorts that we'll show.

There will be one complete show at 8:00 pm. Admission is free.

As always -- still -- Secret Cinema programs are shown using 16mm (not video, not digital) FILM projected on a giant screen.

A few highlights from this new edition of ARCHIVE DISCOVERIES… include:

BROOKLYN GOES TO HONG KONG (1958) - Those who have viewed another favorite Secret Cinema film, BROOKLYN GOES TO PHILADELPHIA, will have an idea of the tone of this series, in which a Brooklyn-accented wise guy makes fun of various travel destinations. Meanwhile, we get a nice look at the then-independent city of Hong Kong, and its neon-lit nightlife…and a cameo appearance of Burgess Meredith?

MYSTERY OF THE RIVER BOAT, CHAPTER 4 (1944) - A typical episode of a 1940s cliffhanger serial, this one involving stolen maps, murder, dynamite and hidden oil deposits in a Louisiana swamp.

THE STORY OF ENGLISH INNS (1932) - This vintage topical short from Paramount takes an entertaining look at traditional lodging around the British countryside, ranging from modern (as of 1932) to inns hundreds of years old.

OPERATION COLUMBIA (1947) - Technocracy was a word on everyone's lips in the 1930s. It described a philosophy that the world should be controlled by technical experts rather than elected bureaucrats. That's the short version, and its espousers spun off a lot of complicated theories about world economies, productivity versus consumption, and "an energy theory of value," which many found confusing. Nonetheless, their ideas gained considerable traction during the great depression -- especially after Howard Scott founded a publicity-savvy organization called Technocracy Incorporated. Their officials wore grey uniforms with "monad" logos on the lapels, and members reportedly saluted Scott in public. While membership declined after New Deal policies restored some faith in more traditional methods of governance, interest in the movement continued, as documented in this remarkable film. It offers no explanation of the group's beliefs, but instead chronicles a huge motorcade from Los Angeles to Vancouver, a show of strength that also promoted a series of lectures Scott delivered in cities along the way. The convoy included hundreds of members' automobiles -- each one dutifully repainted in official Technocracy grey with large, red Technocracy Inc. logo decals applied to the sides. Surprisingly, Technocracy Inc. exists to the present day, though in greatly diminished form.

TECHNO-CRAZY (1933) - While technocracy got a lot of press coverage in its early-1930s heyday, it also suffered a fair amount of lampooning in the media, as seen in this delightful two-reel comedy starring slapstick veterans Monty Collins and Billy Bevan. As was typical in criticism of technocracy, much of the humor centered on followers not being able to effectively explain what technocracy was. 1933 was the year of peak parody for the movement; at least one other comedy short about the movement was released then, YOUR TECHNOCRACY AND MINE, starring famous humorist Robert Benchley. Animator Ub Iwerks made the 1933 cartoon TECHNO-CRACKED, but limited any satire to its title.

Plus much, much more!

SECRET CINEMA WEBSITE: http://www.thesecretcinema.com  

Admission is FREE

Eurydice: A Rock Opera

Discordian rock band Radio Eris tells the lost tale of Eurydice in this psychedelic rock opera, a mythological journey through the underworld and dimensions beyond time with the goddess Eris as a guide.

“Daring players … making gorgeously melodic rock with irresistibly odd storylines … [an] always epic song-story” (A.D. Amorosi, City Paper).

Friday September 13 at 8pm and Thursday September 19 at 7:30pm

110 minutes

Tickets are $8. Advance tickets can be purchased here

50th Anniversary of the Original Woodstock 1969!

Rock on Pointe Dance Company

Saturday September 14 at 4pm

Saturday September 14 at 7:30pm

Sunday September 15 at 3pm

This year is the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock! Rock on Pointe, the dance company that dances to rock music on pointe shoes, revisits that unforgettable concert, performing to the music that was recorded live that weekend, including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, and more.

105 minutes

Tickets are $28 and can be purchased here

Rock on Pointe will dance to the original recordings from the Original 1969 Woodstock. This show is a tribute to those that organized and performed at that historic concert. Woodstock created a moment in time that will not be forgotten. We will revisit this historic moment and reawaken—if only for the time of the show— the peace and spirit that existed on a farm in New York State for those three days. Rock on Pointe claims the protection of the Copyright Act of 1976 for this historic and (for those that weren’t with us in the 1960s) educational show.

Learn more:

rockonpointe.com

Tickets are $28 and can be purchased here

50th Anniversary of the Original Woodstock 1969!

Rock on Pointe Dance Company

Saturday September 14 at 4pm

Saturday September 14 at 7:30pm

Sunday September 15 at 3pm

This year is the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock! Rock on Pointe, the dance company that dances to rock music on pointe shoes, revisits that unforgettable concert, performing to the music that was recorded live that weekend, including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, and more.

105 minutes

Tickets are $28 and can be purchased here

Rock on Pointe will dance to the original recordings from the Original 1969 Woodstock. This show is a tribute to those that organized and performed at that historic concert. Woodstock created a moment in time that will not be forgotten. We will revisit this historic moment and reawaken—if only for the time of the show— the peace and spirit that existed on a farm in New York State for those three days. Rock on Pointe claims the protection of the Copyright Act of 1976 for this historic and (for those that weren’t with us in the 1960s) educational show.

Learn more:

rockonpointe.com

Tickets are $28 and can be purchased here

50th Anniversary of the Original Woodstock 1969!

Rock on Pointe Dance Company

Saturday September 14 at 4pm

Saturday September 14 at 7:30pm

Sunday September 15 at 3pm

This year is the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock! Rock on Pointe, the dance company that dances to rock music on pointe shoes, revisits that unforgettable concert, performing to the music that was recorded live that weekend, including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, and more.

105 minutes

Tickets are $28 and can be purchased here

Rock on Pointe will dance to the original recordings from the Original 1969 Woodstock. This show is a tribute to those that organized and performed at that historic concert. Woodstock created a moment in time that will not be forgotten. We will revisit this historic moment and reawaken—if only for the time of the show— the peace and spirit that existed on a farm in New York State for those three days. Rock on Pointe claims the protection of the Copyright Act of 1976 for this historic and (for those that weren’t with us in the 1960s) educational show.

Learn more:

rockonpointe.com

Tickets are $28 and can be purchased here

Words from Home: Poetry Series

Al-Bustan features three Arab poets with new works published this Fall. Co-presented with Slought, MEC, NELC, and Moonstone Arts Center, the series explores the relationship between home and immigration and the role language plays in the immigrant experience. Join us in celebrating their new publications! Each event is from 6 to 7:30 PM, followed by a light fare reception.  

Ahmad Almallah, Bitter English

Tuesday, September 17

The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, Letters from the Interior

Thursday, October 3

Slought Gallery, 4017 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Nathalie Handal, Life in a Country Album

Wednesday, October 30

Slought Gallery, 4017 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104

MYOB: Mind Your Own Body: Irreconcilable Differences & Other Stories

Two dates! 

Wednesday September 18 at 7pm 

Friday September 20 at 7pm

Denise McCormack  hits the mark running to spin out true, traditional, and  mildly adapted literary tales and shines a light on the little things that move us to action...

This one-woman show spins out true stories alongside mildly adapted literary tales, including The Story of an Hour and A Pair of Silk Stockings by pre-feminist author Kate Chopin, and traditional folktales bearing the winsome Cinderella motif but straying far from the standard path to bring added depth to the human condition and social issues.

Philamandre and The Black Bowl expose complex issues in a carnivalesque style of exposition and plot. While Philamandre delves into family dynamics, The Black Bowl relays a cautionary tale of the perils of objectification as an inherent flaw in our human nature.

The personal stories are true and brief and the product of deep reflection on circumstances, people, and life choices that were often based on trust, rather than due diligence.

Altogether, this cache of great tales shines a light on the little things that have far reaching implications and triggered McCormack's call to action. These stories illustrate shared experience in a subversive culture that we are often blind to, and they can guide us to understanding and change.

Category: Adult, Solo; Performing Arts, Literary, Theater, Storytelling

Bio:

Denise McCormack tells stories with and for a purpose and strives to make a difference by raising awareness and fostering encouragement, especially regarding women's issues. Whether they're personal, folk, fairy, or literary,  she offers vantages  of the multi-faceted historical and familial contexts that surround and shape them-- and strikes a nerve.

McCormack has been telling professionally for more than a decade, presents programs throughout the tri-state area, and is deeply committed to sharing the benefits of storytelling in a broad spectrum of applications—from education and community to business, health, and well-being. 

Among her many roles in storytelling, McCormack is the NJ state liaison for the National Storytelling Network, co-chair of the NJ Storytelling Festival, president of the Patchwork Storytelling Guild in Philadelphia, and an active member of various other local and national organizations wherein storytelling plays an integral role.

McCormack's mantra: There is a story for every time and purpose under heaven.  To find out more, go to  www.denisemccormack.live  

Admission is FREE. Reservations are recommended but not required. https://denisemccormack.ticketleap.com/myob/

Eurydice: A Rock Opera

Discordian rock band Radio Eris tells the lost tale of Eurydice in this psychedelic rock opera, a mythological journey through the underworld and dimensions beyond time with the goddess Eris as a guide.

“Daring players … making gorgeously melodic rock with irresistibly odd storylines … [an] always epic song-story” (A.D. Amorosi, City Paper).

Friday September 13 at 8pm and Thursday September 19 at 7:30pm

110 minutes

Tickets are $8. Advance tickets can be purchased here

MYOB: Mind Your Own Body: Irreconcilable Differences & Other Stories

Two dates! 

Wednesday September 18 at 7pm 

Friday September 20 at 7pm

Denise McCormack  hits the mark running to spin out true, traditional, and  mildly adapted literary tales and shines a light on the little things that move us to action...

This one-woman show spins out true stories alongside mildly adapted literary tales, including The Story of an Hour and A Pair of Silk Stockings by pre-feminist author Kate Chopin, and traditional folktales bearing the winsome Cinderella motif but straying far from the standard path to bring added depth to the human condition and social issues.

Philamandre and The Black Bowl expose complex issues in a carnivalesque style of exposition and plot. While Philamandre delves into family dynamics, The Black Bowl relays a cautionary tale of the perils of objectification as an inherent flaw in our human nature.

The personal stories are true and brief and the product of deep reflection on circumstances, people, and life choices that were often based on trust, rather than due diligence.

Altogether, this cache of great tales shines a light on the little things that have far reaching implications and triggered McCormack's call to action. These stories illustrate shared experience in a subversive culture that we are often blind to, and they can guide us to understanding and change.

Category: Adult, Solo; Performing Arts, Literary, Theater, Storytelling

Bio:

Denise McCormack tells stories with and for a purpose and strives to make a difference by raising awareness and fostering encouragement, especially regarding women's issues. Whether they're personal, folk, fairy, or literary,  she offers vantages  of the multi-faceted historical and familial contexts that surround and shape them-- and strikes a nerve.

McCormack has been telling professionally for more than a decade, presents programs throughout the tri-state area, and is deeply committed to sharing the benefits of storytelling in a broad spectrum of applications—from education and community to business, health, and well-being. 

Among her many roles in storytelling, McCormack is the NJ state liaison for the National Storytelling Network, co-chair of the NJ Storytelling Festival, president of the Patchwork Storytelling Guild in Philadelphia, and an active member of various other local and national organizations wherein storytelling plays an integral role.

McCormack's mantra: There is a story for every time and purpose under heaven.  To find out more, go to  www.denisemccormack.live  

Admission is FREE. Reservations are recommended but not required. https://denisemccormack.ticketleap.com/myob/

We welcome you to the 13th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival!  BWAF is a two-day weekend festival that features Black women in independent music, art, poetry, dance, stage & theatre performances, film, workshops, art exhibitions, business, and more!  

The Black Women’s Arts Festival is free to the public, all persons and ages. 

This year, the 13th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival will be on Saturday and Sunday, September 21- 22nd, 2019.  

Saturday’s Schedule runs: 1 pm - 9 pm

Sunday’s Schedule runs 1 pm - 6 pm. 

The Black Women’s Arts Festival in Philly is founded by Executive Director Cassendre Xavier.  In December 2017, Amor La Luna came on board as the Producer and will continue as the Director in the year 2020.  Afia Nkoso Bretuo is the Assistant Producer for the Black Women's Arts Festival for 2019!

Check back soon for the performance schedule! 

We welcome you to the 13th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival!  BWAF is a two-day weekend festival that features Black women in independent music, art, poetry, dance, stage & theatre performances, film, workshops, art exhibitions, business, and more!  

The Black Women’s Arts Festival is free to the public, all persons and ages. 

This year, the 13th Annual Black Women’s Arts Festival will be on Saturday and Sunday, September 21- 22nd, 2019.  

Saturday’s Schedule runs: 1 pm - 9 pm

Sunday’s Schedule runs 1 pm - 6 pm. 

The Black Women’s Arts Festival in Philly is founded by Executive Director Cassendre Xavier.  In December 2017, Amor La Luna came on board as the Producer and will continue as the Director in the year 2020.  Afia Nkoso Bretuo is the Assistant Producer for the Black Women's Arts Festival for 2019!

Check back soon for the performance schedule! 

Vision Driven Artists has teamed up with The Rotunda to bring resources and capacity-building workshops to self-producing artists/musicians, arts organization staff, and event curators in all disciplines.

Workshops: 6-8pm at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St, Philadelphia); all workshops in the series are FREE and OPEN to the public. Refreshments provided. No sign-up necessary.

Nonprofit, LLC, or Fiscal Sponsorship (November 12, 2018)

- Learn about the different organizational structures you can use to support your work

- Discuss the pros and cons of various structures

- Take a quiz to determine the best structure for your purposes

2019 Project Planning (December 10, 2018) 

- Identify your goals for 2019 and break them into achievable tasks

- Plot your tasks on a timeline or calendar for 2019

- Create a plan to keep yourself accountable

Fundraising Beyond Grants (January 14, 2019) 

- Learn about six different categories of fundraising (including, but not primarily, grants)

- Brainstorm more than a hundred methods for resourcing your work

- Create a simple budget that will help guide your fundraising choices

Taxes for Artists (January 28, 2019)

- Learn about which expenses you can deduct on your taxes

- Find out how and when to send out 1099s

- Get your individual questions answered

Special Guest: Christianne Kapps

Introduction to Arts Grants (February 11, 2019) 

- Demystify the language and process behind grant writing

- Learn how to find and submit grants 

- Read actual grant proposals to learn common mistakes and important proposal components 

Intermediate Grant Writing & Funder Panel (March 11, 2019) 

- Learn about local arts funding opportunities

- Receive personalized feedback on your grant proposals (bring 1 page for funders to review)

- Practice reading and scoring actual grant applications

Personal Finances for Artists (April 8, 2019) 

- Learn why and how to use budgets

- Look at sample budgets and learn how to interpret the story behind the numbers 

- Create a simplified budget tailored to your goals for 2019

Outreach & Audience Building (May 13, 2019) 

- Learn new techniques for building an audience

- Troubleshoot issues with audience development that you may have had in the past

- Identify marketing techniques to keep people showing up to your future events

Social Media Marketing (June 10, 2019) 

- Talk about the advantages of using various social media channels

- Gain new tips and tricks for using different types of social media

- Learn how to use public relations and press releases to promote your work

Crowdfunding (September 9, 2019) 

- Learn how to tell if crowdfunding is right for your project

- Discover the pros and cons of different crowdfunding platforms

- Hear from a panel of artists who have run successful crowdfunding campaigns

Creating an Artist Statement (September 23, 2019) 

- Read through actual artist statements

- Verbally share your personal mission or vision for your art with a partner

- Practice writing or editing your own statement

Setting & Measuring Goals (October 21, 2019) 

- Identify what you want to achieve in your projects

- Incorporate critical feedback and self-reflection into your arts practice

- Brainstorm and receive tools for measuring success

Workshops: 6-8pm at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St, Philadelphia); all workshops in the series are FREE and OPEN to the public. Refreshments provided. No sign-up necessary.

http://www.visiondrivenartists.org/

The Event Horizon concert series is a Philadelphia, PA based concert series featuring Ambient, Electronic, Experimental and Space Music. 

Upcoming Events:

September 27th - ST∆ER, Mikronesia, The Equinox Project

ST∆ER is the solo project of Philadelphia-based electronic musician Ian R. Staer. From the debut of the project in 2014, ST∆ER has enjoyed strong support from fans and critics alike: multiple live-to-air FM radio performances (including Star's End on WXPN FM and Music With Space on WPRB FM) and well-received concerts including an appearance at The Gatherings have rapidly cultivated a following for this independent artist, whose releases have regularly found their way to the top of the Bandcamp charts -- sharing top-5 positions with (and even occasionally surpassing) luminaries like Carbon Based Lifeforms and Tycho.

Inspired equally by the classic “Berlin School” material of early Tangerine Dream and by contemporaries such as Chuck Van Zyl, Erik Wøllo, and Jason Sloan, ST∆ER performances take the audience on a meditative, hypnotic journey. Percolating, shimmering sequences intertwine within swirling clouds of chorused strings, themselves bound within the gravity of deep, powerful drones. Gentle piano lines drift throughout, imbuing the synthesized atmospheres with an organic familiarity.

ST∆ER releases are available in physical and digital format at http://staer.bandcamp.com

Visit http://www.facebook.com/staer.us for live clips, photos, news updates

Mikronesia - Composer and teaching artist Michael Reiley McDermott has created music for video, dance, theater, concerts, gallery installations, smartphones, multi-speaker arrays, kinetic sculptures, wishing wells, and sleeping/dreaming across the spectrum of listening consciousness. His practice explores the relationship between present moment awareness, deep time and humanity’s personal connection through listening.  Much of his work integrates a daily practice of meditation, Deep Listening and textured sound worlds through a process he calls “sonic photography”. This process involves site-specific recordings of physical spaces re-imagined using photographic development and collage techniques. His aim is to reframe the everyday world as both a grand statement that stretches out in both directions of time and as an ephemeral instant of precious connection. In 2016 he completed a certification program in Deep Listening studying with Deep Listening pioneer Pauline Oliveros. 

He was recently Artist in Residence at <fidget>, Composer in Residence for Temple University’s BEEP Ensemble and Composer in Residence at Village of the Arts and Humanities.  Over the past four years, he has been traveling at artists residencies around the world in Brazil, Iceland, Germany, Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, and India working on a sound design project of extinct animal sounds called Echozoo and teaching with his Deep Listening and Somatic based workshop called Listening Bodies. Michael is currently a teacher at the Center for Deep Listening at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and studying to become a certified therapeutic musician with the Music for Healling and Transition Program. Mikronesia will be joined by visualize Nora Gibson for this performance.

The Equinox Project is: David Berends - Piano, Organ, various keyboards. Karl Fury- Guitars, mutant stringed instruments, Linnstrument, synths. Juan Garces- Moog, Behringer, Korg and Roland synths, keyboards,  sequencers and a laptop. Their various backgrounds range from Classical, Jazz, Folk, Rock, Blues and World to Electronica. Their music is a synergistic melding of acoustic, electronic and digital instruments into an evolving improvisational audio journey.

Admission is FREE

 And then… 

November 2nd - Guitar Pilots, Steve Horelick, Simon Lomax

Guitar Pilots (Art Cohen & Harrison McKay) was formed to perform electronic space music on guitars. Their music consists of long structured improvisational pieces which transport the listener to the depths of space while focusing on each precious unfolding moment. Art Cohen's sequencer-like echoed guitar figures provide rhythmic propulsion while Harrison McKay's synthetic pads and loops build a foundation for both guitarists to soar in melodic flights. Singing glissando blends seemlessly with plucks and twangs and blasts of interstellar beam. Following the trail blazed by Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, Prog, and the Berlin School, Guitar Pilots carve out their own unique sonic territory that is both organic as the ground underneath and as far-reaching as a distant pulsar. 

Art Cohen has been a fixture in the Philadelphia music scene for over 30 years as both a performer and an audio engineer. Fluent in guitar, bass, keyboards and harmonica, he has performed at concert venues and radio studios throughout the Delaware Valley and brought his music to Toronto, New York and other cities in the Northeast. He has released CD's with Guitar Pilots, The Ministry of Inside Things, Delicate Monster, CubiZm, Lessick & Lincoln & Cohen, Waves of Violet, Men from When, and as a solo artist. His music ranges from electronic space to ambient to folk-rock to psychedelic rock to traditional folk to experimental to spoken word and beyond - sometimes within the same performance. Art has cultivated a unique guitar style drawing on influences including Garcia, Gilmour, Hendrix, Gottsching, Fripp, and Pinhas.

Harrison McKay is perhaps best known as the guitar half of The Tangent Project, the Philadelphia area synth & guitar duo who

over the past decade have graced the stages of all the region's important electronic spacemusic venues. He coaxes an extended pallet of sounds from his guitar through the use of synths, effects processors and loopers. In addition to his work with The Tangent Project and as a solo electronic musician, McKay has performed extensively with local pop and progressive rock bands.

Steve Horelick: Steve Horelick's immersive, surround performances have entranced audiences from San Francisco to Berlin. His music with its glistening harmonies, evolving textures and echoing rhythms is influenced by waves, eddies, spirals, harmonigraphics and Fibonacci ratios. It swirls around and through the audience involving them in a 3D sonic journey. Steve’s main instruments are the ones designed by the great instrument maker Donald Buchla who designed Steve’s first “Buchla” in 1976. He sends his variety of Buchla instruments and ZenDrum into his proprietary Logic Pro X surround/quad 3D panning environments and processing algorithms, creating rich audio soundscapes filled with intricately shifting timbres and cascading rhythms. 

Simon Lomax is a producer of electronic ambient space music who, through his unique and involving music expresses a personal global intuition. His work possesses an unparalleled sense of sonic depth and universal scale whilst exhibiting a remarkably lucid grasp of texture." Star's End Review

It's little wonder with reviews like this that UK based Simon is best known for his unique style of deep and contemplative ambient and atmospheric music. Writing under his own name and formerly under the moniker Maitreya. In addition to a series of successful album releases you may well have heard Simon's work on Television or Radio having received airplay the World over; from nationally sated radio in the US, to BBC Radio 1, Sky Movies, BBC 1's 'The One Show', and the award winning ITV crime drama 'Wire in the Blood' to mention but a few. Simon is currently working on a number of exciting new projects including a limited edition album which is planned for release later this year. As well as this he has also provided music for the multi-award winning US feature film 'Ink & Steel' by Lone Shark Studios, which won Best Film when it was premièred at the Soho Film Festival in New York, and for the hit US TV show Rectify. Simon's music has been championed by DJ Mary Anne Hobbs, receiving airplay on both her BBC 6 Music and 6 Music Recommends shows." 

Website address: www.simonlomax.com

Admission is FREE

Fall into the Music: Featuring Shekhinah B. & Sistahs Attune

The Women's Coalition for Empowerment, Inc. presents Fall into the Music concert curated by creative cultural producer Shekhinah B.

5pm-8pm

The Women's Coalition for Empowerment, Inc. presents Fall into the Music, an Autumn inspired event of feel-good soulful sounds including live performances by Shekhinah B. and Sistahs Attune at The Rotunda.  You will experience Soul, Funk, Jazz, and R&B, this is a concert you don't want to miss and yes, you are invited.  Proceeds from ticket sales go to charity, enjoy live entertainment and give to a great cause. Live Music - Vendors - Food - Giveaways

Tickets on Eventbrite HERE