LA Adventures

In the right place.

2011-06-17T15:57:00.013-04:00

After finishing another week long drum residency at Camp Long, a detention camp for kids 13 - 17, I'm reminded of what it feels like to be in the right place doing exactly what I'm suppose to be doing.
Struggling through the moments of heads down, rude behavior, inability to focus and general despondency - I become aware that the struggle is one of the greatest lesson for these kids. From the 17 year old girl with fierce eyes that began each session by saying "I can't do it!" to the boys in the throws of hormonal agony and volatile mood swings the outcome of the week has always been the same.
Girls and boys are separated at the camp and cannot even be within eye sight generally of each other. So when I tell them at the beginning of the week that they will be performing for each other - their eyes grow wide, they slap their knees and toss their heads around, laughing, cringing...some say "no way am I gonna do that!" and some are like "REALLY?! they are gonna be in the same room with us?!"
Depending on how my sessions have been spread out - sometimes there are 2 or 3 kids in each class that were there the previous time. They are usually "sentenced" to 60-90 days.
This session as I arrived there were a couple of girls from before and I walked up to a rousing greeting and lots of enthusiasm where as the boys lumbered in acting as if they would rather be anywhere else - except for a couple of them.
The girls quickly got into it and wanted to learn something hard and challenging.
The boys struggled through several days of vacillating between being uninterested, slight enthusiasm and not getting it with some moments of ahah but they still wanted to do a challenging piece and I would not let them give up.

The third day I arrived all the girls were sitting under a shelter outside and they all looked a little dazed. One of the counselors came over and looked shaken herself and explained there had just been a major girl fight that had exploded very quickly. It took several counselors to pull it apart and a couple of the girls were being treated for minor cuts and injuries. Not sure what happened but the young girl that threw the first punch was taken away and did not return that week.
It was a very tough morning for them all. I asked if they wanted to talk about it but they said "no lets do what we are here to do."

At the last minute I was able to convince some West African artist friends that were traveling and performing in the Charlotte area to come to camp on Thursday to perform for the kids.
The camp came up with some funds to pay them and Wed. night they rolled into town and I had 5 African men staying at my house so that we could all drive together to the camp in Aiken.

Fode, Mohamed DeCosta, me, Aboubacar Camara, Mohamed Soumah, Aboubacar Soumah

Mohamed DeCosta, one of my first dance and drum teachers was one of them. Mohamed was with me the first time I traveled to Africa. While we were there I hung out with his family and spent time observing his culture. Love the man. We have worked together many times over the years and I have the utmost respect for him. His response to most everything is "no problem."
One of the other artists Fode Moussa Camara lives in Charleston and we have come across each other's paths several times. Over the years his demeanor has softened from the very macho African aggressive style to thoughtful, respectful and pleasant. His talent as a drummer is inspiring. Mohamed Soumah, dun dun player - I don't think I had ever met. I thought at the end of the day his intentions may have been for me to go with them... Aboubacar Soumah, young (and "hot" as the girls said) I'd met before was charming and an impressive djembe player. Aboubacar Camara, a griot, was quiet but brilliant playing his balafon.
As these incredibly talented men came into my home late that night and settled onto their mallets on my living room and office floor, their low voices speaking in their native Susu I felt a twing of being disconcerted... Is this crazy? Then I reminded myself of my 10 year friendship with Mohamed DeCosta, his integrity and the trust that I've put in him and I thought - no this is wonderful.

The next morning at the camp The Bothers (their made up on the spot name) performed for my girls and guys and also the summer camp kids that are younger and are usually separated from our kids. My girls got to sit in the front row and the guys had to sit all the way in the back with the younger kids in between. There were probably 75-100 kids in the room. ( I cannot show any of the kids faces...)
They played the first piece and were received with explosive applause and then Mohamed DeCosta asked for volunteers to come up and he led about 15 kids in a dance. It was great and even a couple of the guys got up in front and had a blast. I was a little nervous cause I'd just asked one of the camp directors if it was ok if the kids danced and he shook his head un approvingly at the idea of them potentially getting too wild. I understand that concern. But it was too late and Mohamed had already started the process. THEY LOVED IT. Smiles, laughter, applause. Mohamed led the entire group in song and then they spoke about themselves, their culture, gave words of wisdom about self respect and respecting elders. The kids listened intently and asked great questions.
It was a magical moment for sure.
Afterwards I asked the guys class to stay so we could work on their piece. ( and I felt bad cuz they had to be all the way in the back for the performance) The girls begged to stay as well and sat watching as they struggled through it.
Fode was quick to encourage and to tell them not to give up, to work as a team and with a smile inspired them to do it again. They did and it was much better.
The girls then exclaimed they wanted to do theirs and they switched places.
They got it done and we ended the morning with everyone feeling great.
We decided to stay for lunch and ate the food that is afforded by a very tight budget and apparently little knowledge of what a healthy meal is... fried chicken parts, french fries and canned baked beans, chocolate pudding.... Where is Jamie Oliver????? But as Mohamed DeCosta said, "It is better than nothing."
The next day and last class - they were all stilled buzzed about the The Brothers coming and couldn't stop thinking or talking about them. We ended the week by another performance for each other which went without a hitch.
The turnaround by the guys was what impressed me the most. After whining, complaining, and lack luster practices - their performance for the girls was energetic, fun and full of smiles and a good bit of self conscience butterflies. To hear and feel their excitement, the proud looks on their faces to have them say " I Love this." , for the guy who chickened out at first to sing along and then to jump in and sing and make the girls dance, to have the girls tell me when asked what they took away from this week - the girl that said " I can't do this" said " I learned that I CAN do this and other things if I just try."
All of their comments made me realize they were listening and that I was doing exactly what I was suppose to be doing at this moment an in the right place.
Thankful for that.

Spring turns a man's fancy to ....

2011-04-17T15:37:00.019-04:00

There is nothing quite so personal as experiencing one of life's most intense moments - birth, marriage, severe injury or illness, standing ovations, extreme losses, death. When it is not your own or your family's even, the events tend to take on a sorta of voyeuristic feel when you are asked to participate.
Photographing weddings is personal and emotionally amazing to me.
I've done my share and frankly it is not something I seek out but when a long time friend asks - you do it. I have found though that regardless if it is a friend or just a client - weddings tend to kick me in the gut a little to witness. I cannot help but feel the ache and desire of having my own partner in life...oh well....
I've know Ashley Herring for over a decade - she's a force, stunningly beautiful from the inside out and I remember loving her immediately when we first became acquainted.
I haven't even seen her in years but she asked if she could hire me to photograph a celebration of her union with her new love Adam and I was honored to do it....As I told her - I prefer not to get paid for photographing or videotaping weddings of friends - in case it all looks like crap....and I don't do like - traditional wedding albums or editing but I can comfortable document extremely personal happenings and hand it all to you for you to do as you wish...
(Ashley did btw give me permission to post and blog about this....)

Seena doing makeup and lightening the moment.

Ashley and Dad.

Ashley and mom.

Ashley and Adam's event was easy to cover - beautiful setting - beautiful people with a red, white and black theme and LOTs of smiles, great food .

Ashley's dress was designed by one of her students.

Her sister Kim prepared the food - it was delicious and she did not stop moving except for one family photo.

I was trying to figure out how to get several Tupperware dishes to take food home but that didn't happen.... ; )
Brother in law Sammy - made a special tequila drink

tunes......

I adored watching her mom and husband dance and sing to each other.

Lets just say there was No Parking on the Dance Floor.

Family, great friends - personal day.

I'm happy for them. REALLY!

Behind Closed Doors of What's Love 5

2011-02-18T16:51:00.030-05:00

WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?
Well, I guess we never get tired of exploring love and sex.
This year's What's Love 5; Behind Closed Doors had its fits and starts but I'd have to say turned out to be the best yet from my view.
What started out as a whim a few years ago with a couple of artist friends has now turned into an incredible event of exploring and celebrating love and sex on Valentines.

Finding and involving new artists every year is the fun part.
Putting it all together is the challenge.
When you have a team of passionate, creative and freakin crazy people it makes for an interesting experience.
Working with over 20 artists....It is a fine and sacred dance to pull this off.
We wanted to raise the level of art exhibited this year so we hand picked artists from a list that many people contributed to.
Lyon Hill first came to mind as well as Micheala Pillar Brown and Dre and Sammy Lopez
Billy Guest was a definite returning talent along with Molly Harrell and Shannon Purvis

This year I met Dre and Sammy Lopez of Piensa Art Company, researched their work and knew they would be awesome in the show.
We asked Dre to come up with the art for the public relations and although his work pushes the comfort edge for me sometimes - that's what we wanted. His work seems to always display a certain amount of violence that I find disturbing yet intriguing.
His design for the event plays off of a Norman Rockwell type scenario with a twist.

We asked him to remove the blood from the man's lip to pull back a little....which he did.
I never heard a negative comment about the illustration but I'm sure it provoked some viewers in a way What's Love never had previously. Regardless - we thought it was pretty cool.

Over several months we worked with the artists on new ideas, logistics and process.

The installations again this year proved to be real crowd pleasers.

Body Rites created a beautiful installation in which a previous favorite, What's Love artist Shannon Purvis received a lovely new pin up on her thigh from Sketch.

I actually purchased one of Franklin McKenzies drawings - one of my favorites - Deviled Eggs.

Billy Guess came up with the idea of creating silhouettes to cover the windows and several people including Sammy Lopez, Lyon and Nicoli jumped in to create designs and cut them out.

I became really excited when Micheala Pillar Brown began discussing her installation that would include some nudes of not your conventional "sexy' types. A woman in her eighties, a woman that was pretty large and some photos that make statements about gay black men and the church and either white women that go for black men or black men that go after white women....

My favorite "Troopers Marching Towards Johnson" was sort of a personal whack up the side my head. The blond barbie clenched in the teeth of the nude supine black man with toy soldiers battling south was a reality check of perhaps how some black women feel towards white women with black men....

Course that is just my reaction and interpretation of the image. It could be more of a statement of black men somehow succumbing to or maybe even conquering, manipulating... white women, a practice that I suppose has only been accepted in the past few decades? Regardless - I think her work is amazing and appreciate the bold statements she made.
In the past I've experienced first hand black women's disdain of me being with a black guy. It does not however prevent me from making natural and normal connections with men of any color, race or ethnicity. If loving you is wrong - I don't wanna be right kind of thing.

Behind Closed Doors.
Billy Guess returned with his doors and collaborated with Molly Harrell to create an installation that proved to be a popular photo op.

Amanda Ladymon and crew created a VERY LARGE vagina......

Christian Thee painted erotic and provocative male nudes.
Jenna Sach had beautiful black and white photos AND we proclaimed her MVP of the event. She totally jumped in and worked tirelessly to help with set up.

Eye Candy, an animated film by returning artist Betsy Newman welcomed guests into the space while Claude Buckley brought his humor and lovely drawings enriching a wall from toe to ceiling. (no apologies Claude!)

Bohumila created stunning dresses of copper wiring and other materials worn by equally stunning models.

Whitney Lejune brought in a last minute piece that we all adored and wanted to take home with us and Nikolai presented a colorful palette of paintings that finished out the big wall.

Incredible cut outs created by Lyon Hill became the backdrop for the stage.
Mathew John's images filled the back wall with a sexy twosome.
Sammy Lopez collaborated with R. Chambers LeHeup to create a painting duo that made you go - awwwwe when you read the prose and gazed at the images. It brought a real sweet yet melancholy presence to the show.
I met with Dre Lopez about his piece over a drink one night and when he described it as a woman that was abused - I thought - ok - this should be interesting. He is a tremendous and talented illustrator and I was awed by his drawing. His work gave me chills not always in a good way but the message struck a chord while the details in his drawing were elegant and perfect.

Patrick and Sarah showed their film Merry Go Round upstairs and Shane Silman's one act plays Men Seeking Women had standing room only audiences.
Sherade Duvall presented a film and although I shot and edited a piece as well I didn't have time to finish it and it did not show.

Unbound returned this year with a big burlesque number and TribeSk knocked it out of the park with their acrobatic and crowd pleasing moves.

Perfect music was spun by Chris Wenner that had the night ending in a dance party where everyone was smiling.

This years event's proceeds went to The Nickelodeon Theatre's capitol campaign and we were THRILLED to partner with them. They were fun to work with and were very appreciative of the work our team did on their behalf.

I don't know what love has to do with it except that I truly loved working with all these peeps...all the volunteers and especially:
Whitney, Rachel, Molly, Billy and thanks to Tom Chinn at 701 for all his support!

LA in NY and the City

2010-11-20T13:32:00.023-05:00

Main Street - Mamaroneck, NY

Went to visit sister Lori and Pete at their new home in Mamaroneck, NY. They moved up a few months ago for Pete's work at Hitachi Metals. They bought a "butt ugly" home in this little harbor town and we were all kind of scratching our heads at their descriptions of how awful the house was.
The Butt Ugly House.... and look at their nasty expressions.
They are working on making it not so butt ugly and making good progress with some big bumps though - gas leaks and such....but once you are there and see the location and quality of life it becomes very clear why they made this choice. They've fixed up several rooms and made it a very comfortable, cool and cozy home. Course they haven't been through a winter yet!

Pete works in a beautiful building in White Plains and has a mack daddy office!
Lori just got a killer job at Sotheby's Institute of Art with an office right smack in the middle of midtown Manhattan. She works with great people and for a stellar organization.
The original RCA building is herald as one of the most beautiful art deco buildings in the city.

More on the Building

Lori's attitude about life has changed greatly as you can imagine...(notice the smile on her face)
She commutes each morning by taking a short walk to the train station and then a 30 minute very pleasant ride into Grand Central where she walks a few blocks to her office.
The park with the train station just ahead.
Mamaroneck is quintessential Americana with a lively Main Street complete with a fresh Italian pasta store, meat market, cookie bakery, restaurants, barber and other ethnic specialty stores.

It is topped off by the most lovely harbor and park. All within about a 15 minute walk from their butt ugly house.

On our first walk to the house from the train station I was a little worried that we appeared to be in the hood with the ethnicity looking entirely Hispanic and several gatherings of young men wearing hoodys....
but then it quickly felt like just another neighborhood with families and elders, churches and markets with their doors open, people shopping, smiling and living.
On our walk into town we ran into their next door neighbors, a sweet Italian couple.

One of the highlights was going into the city Saturday night to see the Broadway show Fela!,
a musical about Nigerian, Fela Kuti. It won several Tony awards and is a very hot show these days. Blew me away. West African meets pop meets Jazz meets funk! LOVED IT! The drumming and dancing felt authentic and it caught me up for sure.

Just before we left to go to the show Lori and I were looking at the cast info and I saw the name Ismeal Kouyate which is a common West African name and the name of my dance teacher that I took lessons from in Conakry, Guinea as well as a featured artist in my doc
Boloba. He is the one singing in the open of this excerpt.
We called him Bonfise when I was in Africa.
Sure enough his picture was in there and I was very excited to see that he had a pretty major dance role in the show!
The show was awesome and even though we were up in the mezzanine I could spot him right away. Loved the show, the drumming, music and dancing - the visuals of scenes being projected. I was determined to say hello to Bonfise after the show not knowing if he'd remember me.
I asked an usher what was the best way to say hello to a cast member and she told me where the stage door exit was and that I should tell the doorman there and he would tell him. Went to the stage door - nobody was there then a guy came out and I told him I wanted to say hello to Ismeal and he said "What's your name?" and I told him "Fanta Dumbiya", my African name. When you go to Africa - the Africans will usually give you an African name. He said to wait there and he would go see. After a couple of minutes two men walked in the stage door and I thought - what the hell and just followed them in and climbed a few stairs where some cast members with chatting. I asked about Ismeal and they said he was probably on the 6th floor. They did not share my enthusiasm of the moment and looked annoyed that I was there.
I was an intruder.
I was about to climb the stairs and the door manager along with a security guard came through the door and said "mam, you are not suppose to be here you need to come with me!" and the door manager said "I told you to wait outside" they were pissed. I said "I'm really sorry - so sorry - of course - I'm leaving" and he escorted me out and said "now you are gonna have to wait behind the barricade." So I slink out and Lori, Peter, Ted and Deborah are standing there laughing at me and I'm telling em what happened and I'm feeling pretty stupid then somebody said " Is that him?" I turned and saw his smiling face and ran up and gave him a big hug and said "Bonfise! How are you! do you remember me?" He said "Yes! Fanta! Fanta Dumbiya!" and we chatted about old times and friends, exchanged numbers...It was sweet. He's called me a couple of times and wants to come to SC - do some dance classes.
I knew when I met him in 2002ish that he was phenomenal and could really go places with the right opportunities. He left Guinea at the right time I guess. So glad to see he is working and in one of the hottest shows on Broadway!

Hootie Tribute

2010-11-01T16:48:00.002-04:00

Great time at the Hootie tribute in 5 Points.
Oh Look the mayor IS talking to the media!

The artist and the boys in the band.

Darryl Izzard, Benedict's choir director and Les Hall rehearse before presentation.

Harriott and Tommy in the VIP reception.

Travis after a hard day's work.

I had a blast working for Merritt and the 5-Points Merchants for this event. Having an all access pass got me in the right spots for a behind the scenes and a front row look at this very entertaining evening!

Empty Nest

2010-09-03T10:46:00.003-04:00

Denise, Molly and Tom with his empty nest dessert.

Although my baby is off at school now and I certainly miss her there are advantages....

The house is empty but its clean! I have to say it feels fine.

Sister Lori painted Kellane's room (not colors you see here) which will be the new international headquarters of LA Kornegay, Media Productions.

When my child goes away

2010-08-17T17:41:00.004-04:00

I suppose every parent that finds themselves pondering their kids leaving home at some point starts realizing all the things that will change suddenly and perhaps all the things they did wrong.
I've starting going through this long list of things I wish I'd done different or just things I wish I had done or maybe not done.
Should have cooked more meals
Should have eaten said meals at table and not in front of TV
Should have made her fathers be more involved
Should have found a better male role model she could look up to
Should have not let her sleep so late
Should have not let her stay out so late
Should have not given her money when she asked sometimes
Should have gone over budgets and expenses better
Should have traveled with her more
Should have shared my spiritual beliefs better
Should have made her keep playing piano and balafon
Should have taught her more about kindness
Should have made her clean up more after herself
Should have explained how boys and men are mainly interested in one thing without dissing the whole lot of em
Should have explained how girls can be very cruel
Should have made more opportunities for her to know her cousins that live in other places
Should a would a could a...

I'm quite sure I did some things right but they are not coming to me at this moment......

I'm just gonna pretend she is away at camp for a while.

I've heard from several people that I will "LOVE" it when I become an empty nester.
This may be more true for people that are married or in relationships. Right now it just feels like I'll be more alone than ever.
poor me :(
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
OK - I'll think of the positives..
I won't have someone living in the house that talks back and is at times a major smartass
I won't have to hear "Mom, I'm not stupid!!" in one breath and "Mom, why won't you help me?!" in another
I won't have to think about what someone else wants to eat.
I won't have to pick up after someone else
I won't have to clean the toothpaste out of the sink
I won't have to use liquid plumber regularly to clean the cut hair out of the sink
I won't have to stay up wondering what time the said teen will be home
I won't have to hand out $20 to ensure that said teen will get out of house and not be bored
I won't have to loan out my car or have my gas being run out of car
I won't have to get into my car after teen drives it and turn down the music at full volume
I won't have to explain again that it is my car and I pick the music
I won't have to explain that it is my house and my rules

Oh but I will miss
the sweet sleeping baby girl with her blankee
the laughter
the dancing in the kitchen w friends
her friends coming over
the hugs
taking care of a vulnerable sick child
"I'm home mommy"
the genuine inquiries
having dinner out and just talking for real
playing with the dogs
walking to my moms for Sunday lunch
going to hear music
traveling to different places
finding a song we both like
having her friends over for parties
seeing her art
looking at her work
seeing her happy
having her tell me something she did that day
just knowing she is here in the house

The Start of 50 plus

2010-08-08T17:38:00.006-04:00

My bird ready to take flight?

Rocio's going away dinner

NDD & Luke Quaranta!

Milestones

2010-07-23T14:20:00.005-04:00

My mother's notes about me as a child. (obviously)
Pretty entertaining and mom pretty much had me pegged from the get go.

In a few days I'll turn 50. In a few weeks my daughter leaves home for college. In a few months I'll celebrate 10 years of being on my own in business. In a few years.....who the freak knows...

Turning 50 is fine with me. It is the number of years I have been in this life. 50 years of life in South Carolina, except for a brief summer of working in Charlotte at a hippie moving company.
50 summers of going to the beach, 50 years of birthdays, holidays and family. 50 years that included: college, work, 2 marriages, 2 divorces, unsuccessful relationships, a child, deaths young and old, working for myself, performing with several groups from the church choir to a West African drum and dance ensemble, establishing or running programs, events, teaching.... I'm just gushing with self importance here....not.
When I look back though it feels like just yesterday I was an 11 year old walking to school on the first day of integration or the 20 some odd years ago spent in a whirlwind, high powered ad agency.
Been some tough times -(its all relative) being alone and pregnant, raising a child as a single parent, hurtful marriages and break ups, friends that end up not really being friends, making really stupid and wrong choices, working too many hours and burning the candle at both ends....
I am ashamed to even say "tough times" when comparing to so many others I have come in contact with let alone the millions on this earth that have had so much tougher and graver experiences than poor little me. From the war ravaged or poverty stricken families I've met in Africa to folks that have lived abusive lives across the street from me...... I really got it so good.
I have been blessed with a connection to something spiritually larger than life, a strong, loving, supportive family, a healthy child that is responsible, smart and creative, opportunities for work in a field that I love, good health, great home and several wonderful friends that I've built relationships with for more than 25 years. Although building new friendships is essential for me to feel like things are always moving forward, changing and growing - it is my long lasting friendships that sustain me and remind me how love, devotion and honesty are keys to feeling fulfilled in a genuine bond with another human.
As I round this corner of a half century and as my baby girl ventures out herself to another leg of her life - I'm completely thankful for what surrounds me and excited about all of life's possibilities.

Here's to milestones!

Luke Quaranta returns for workshop and performance!

2010-07-05T14:25:00.001-04:00

July 28th Luke Quaranta from Asheville's Toubab Krewe returns to Columbia for drum workshops and performance.
What a great way to spend my 50th birthday!

What's Love Fest 2010

2010-02-17T16:00:00.011-05:00

What's Love Fest 2010 - Another Valentines

Izms of Art , Cedric & Mustafa at What's Love closing on Sunday.

Danielle Howle serenades the crowd while Unbound dances on and in the box.

Tony & Gene in Penthouse Playhouse
Betsy Newman and her installation.
Billy Guess's Best of Show Doors with peepholes.

Another notch in the belt of What's Love event.
Great crowd. Great entertainment.
Course my real reason for putting this on is certainly not for the money (after expenses were paid about $2 an hour each) and not for the exposure (its hard to remember the names of people I've known for years...) but because I've gotten tired if sitting home on Valentines and watching the love stories of other people or hearing about the flowers or special treats or great evenings planned from people that have dates or husbands or boyfriends....
I know - WAAAAA WAAAA ...
But hosting a party of hundreds along with some very talented and entertaining people does tend to take your mind off of it!

This year really pushed my limits of what I'd consider decent, vulgar and sexy and sensual. Never really wanted to take it too far over the top - just sort of suggest it....
I've thought a lot about what exactly is this event trying to do, trying to say. What do I want it to say? What the heck has LOVE got to do with it?
I just want people to be entertained , to make them think about how sex, sensuality and love relate and how it is perceived so differently by so many. Art on the walls, performance, music and installations - what a great way to spend a night.

Alejandro Garcia created a piece that he decided not to show. When he told me about it my gut was - holy shit (no pun intended) - that's gonna piss a lot of people off....my next thought was that it was incredibly clever, genius even and it had to be done....I was with him when he started making it along with Britt. He had taken several bible covers and cut them into 4 inch strips that showed "The Holy Bible", "New Testament" , "God's Word" and so forth. With small grommets in each corner of the strip he tied them together to make a Bible Belt, more specifically a man's chastity belt.
Brilliant and blasphemous all at the same time. An incredible commentary on Christianity's role in suppressing sexuality for homosexuals as well as heterosexuals. God's word locking in the genitalia, repressing the very organ that is the tool for reproducing life, bringing orgasmic pleasure, performing the most natural act of love... of passion. Although passion can some times be mistaken for love - it is the very juice that makes us feel alive, that drives our thirst for connection and creation.
It really scared me. It scared me because of how much it would offend some and even offended me at first a little. But when I thought about it more - I felt like it actually taught me a little about myself. When I mentioned to Alejandro how it would offend some folks - he said "Do you have any idea how many times I've been offended by people trying to force their religious beliefs on me?" Good point.
I've taken for granted this offense - that people should just brush off the assault of hardcore religious fanatics - especially Christians in the south. Myself - I sit with my family on countless occasions while they pray and pontificate their hopes and blessings to God out loud mostly before meals. This has always been ok to me because I totally believe in God - a higher power - a connectivity that is unexplainable, a supreme energy that is love and joy and good....almighty even. I don't however follow the same notions, beliefs and practices of my Presbyterian family and become more uncomfortable as I grow older to sit quietly holding hands as classic statements to "Father" are whispered up. I believe prayer is a private thing. I believe blessings are a wonderful way to be thankful and to wish well to others but as my daughter Kellane exclaimed after a particular long round table of prayers from family "why don't they just say those things to each other?" Yes. Indeed. Now that would be meaningful but I guess perhaps too hard, too personal....
Anyhooo - The Bible Belt did not get shown. In the end it was decided that it was just too much for Columbia, SC. I would argue that the crowd that came to the What's Love Fest would not have been offended or shocked, they come because they want to see things outrageous, sexy but such as it was.....
Alejandro did however show is Argentine Affair painting of Mark Sanford holding his heart and weeping for his lover....

Another thing that freaked me out was Wade Seller's Penthouse Playhouse. Graphic language,
silhouetted simulated sex......OMG. What would people think? Well - it was hilarious, campy and everyone loved it. With professional actors and Wade's wit - it was fun to just be entertained and laugh at things we have all certainly at least thought about...
Vicki Henderson from Penthouse Playhouse - n the green room.
Nick Wilson mans the Half n Half booth.

Ashley and Courtney from Sid & Nancy - one of our sponsors.

Molly Harrell (her photos on wall in background) taking home some bananas.

On the very lovely and sweet side - Melinda Register's photos of a "mature" couple kissing reminds us that love and passion transcend youth. And one of my favorites - Shannon Purvis's drawings that included a bee drenched in honey and a buzzard that had shaped a heart of roadkill intestines as a gift to its mate. Now that is love.

Billy Guess explored the naughty voyeuristic side with his doors. A wall of doors that required you to look through the keyhole where you'd see pent up girls pics with twinkling lights as nipples, some objects that are used in ways I can't mention and a shelf of books on sex tips and such.
There were 12 or so to look through. He really pulled it off well and it was a hit in the show.
His banana post was impressive as well. Dozens of bananas with penis drawings on them.
We took the leftovers to Oliver Gospel mission where they got a laugh out of it.

The music was sexy - Krajewski with his Jim Morrison way, Danielle crooning love songs and Les Paramours so suave and tight. I am so glad I got to dance a few songs at the end.

Aaron & Grant put a smile on my face with their MC routines. At one point I was at the stage looking for them to make an announcement but didn't see them till someone pointed out that they were the two ugly women sitting off to the side...I think they made about 5 costume changes...With very little direction they kept things moving easily.

Loved working with Danny of Black Tie. His professionalism and crew set my mind at ease.
I'd work with them again in a skinny second.
Izms & Mike Dixon look at some of his work on Sunday.

Shannon Purvis on Sunday looking beautiful!

WHEW. I'm glad to get through it another year. It really does exhaust me both physically and mentally. I woke up many nights thinking what in the world am I doing this for, what will my mother and client's think - why I am spending so much energy on something that is purely just for entertainment, for artists to get out there and do something a little different for this stronghold of the bible belt...The biggest reason I think this year was the fun of working with artists and friends that push my limits, that challenge me to think about my values, ideals and philosophies and that I can just laugh out loud over the zaniness of it all. Oh and cause I don't wanna sit home on Valentines.....

What's Love Got to do with It?

Cleaning Out Drawers

2010-01-01T15:19:00.013-05:00

End of the year cleaning and reorganizing is here for my office...

My daughter has been helping. While loading some footage for me she cleaned out my desk drawer - the one with about 20 years of things I felt important enough to put aside to have when I needed but haven't looked at since - but they are important....
I pulled a small notebook from the now organized stacks of business cards, a 35 millimeter slide of me dressed like little orphan Annie from 82', a small knife, small screwdriver and lots of misc papers -
I wrote in the notebook in 2003 when I traveled to Cote d' Ivoire, West Africa.

Some of this is very stream of conscience. I've clarified and commented on some things in parentheses but
here is what I wrote:

"8-3-03

I spent my 43rd birthday on a plane to Cote D'Ivoire, West Africa. Invited on this trip by Scott Graber a lawyer and journalist who like myself has an interest in Africa for quite different reasons. My initial interest is music, his is political in the sense that the complications of the continent intrigue him and several others on this trip. I was asked to document the volatile situation and to hopefully bring back some positive images of this area recently struck by civil war.
I arrived in Cote d'Ivoire with Scott, Steve Cheney, a retired military guy (Brigadier General, USMC (Ret)), Marilyn Sophocle (Professor at Howard University and dir of Ideas Inc.), Rodrick (her partner) and Herve from Ideas, Inc, a PR firm out of Washington hired by the Ivoirian government. Our first gathering was over dinner the evening we arrived.
(Intro to doc I produced)

-Airport - twisted through a very modern airport by several government reps-our luggage did not go through customs. We were led to two Pequots with drivers Babo and August. (they took us everywhere and became our friends)

Hotel Ivoire - high rise building on the water (lagoon) that had seen its heyday in the 70's perhaps.
(at dinner) We had had a discussion about the political state of many African countries including The Congo.

Lumumba - the son of murdered Congo president in the hallway-
(Patrice Émery Lumumba (2 July 1925–17 January 1961) was a Congolese independence leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis.[1] He was subsequently imprisoned and murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States.)

Breakfast with Lumumba and interview.
Ministry of Finance at his office
Interview at the US Embassy.
Eating in the downstairs Italian Res. (although the hotel looked like it once housed several restaurants - the basement Italian restaurant was the only one open - we'd spend most every night there having dinner - discussing the day and what was to come. The food was pretty good and there was a always a buffet which in Africa is a little scary sometimes - I do recall they had good strong coffee every morning)
Grand Bassan - Alpha Blondy's restaurant on the beach (hotel and restaurant that had these amazing 10 foot wood carvings of Africans - dozens of them in what appeared to be a party, dance hall open space. It appeared that we were the only customers they had that day.)
- play djembi at the shop (we stopped in a market shop that sold drums and I shocked the store keeper and our party with playing a djembe - who knew the white girl could play!)

riding the horse

The wedding and the reception (stopped in at a city hall to announce we were there to film and came upon a wedding party. They invited us to film and to follow them to their reception which we obliged, champagne and cake)

Sidiki at The Cultural Center ginger beer and hibiscus juice ( Sidiki, the very animated, commanding director of a very impressive cultural center hosted us for what seemed like hours...we also attended a concert there that started about 3 hours after it was suppose to)
Flag beer
Kuyo - oil guy cowboy - treated us to lunch at the seaside restaurant

Ayame - The cousins house ( Dominique is Marilyn's cousin, an international lawyer that was building a castle on the side of a hill. When we first saw it I thought it was a large hotel - it is a place you need to see to believe. Massive rooms with wall to wall art, frescos, wrap around balconies that have a view for miles, a basement thats a church....It was still under construction but almost complete. We had lunch at the home he'd lived in his adult life that was small, modest but comfortable.)
lunch at Dominiques - Perrin Champagne, cigars (of course I had one) - the guys in the village ( we walked into the village to find a large group of men playing some kind of bocci ball and sat with a group that wanted to tell us about the "real Cote d'Ivoire")

The handicapp organization
The reception with the (blind) singers
The women's group ( I openly wept while at this meeting as they described the hardships and agony of war -how they were trying to cope -their courage was amazing - There was another gathering we attended that was in a meeting hall filled with several hundred people - I could never tell whether these things were arranged for our benefit or if we were just invited guests to things already in place. These folks were testifying to us about the horrors of war and seemed to look to us to tell their stories and to get them help. It was brutal and wrenching, people breaking down in sobs and then gathering themselves to finish their story)
Religious ceremony a the Pres - house (this was a Christian service that lasted for hooourrrssss although there was a point where we were singing and dancing around the room. Pres Gbagbo was not there and I have no idea who the 50 or so people were in the service)
2nd brief meeting with the Pres (at his house/headquarters, they served us cocktails and he met with us for about 10 minutes)
3rd and last meeting at his office w/many soldiers
As we pull up to the Presidents downtown office - complex we are preceded by several trucks with soldiers jumping out with their rifles. This was not a pleasant sight necessarily. We had been told several times that the dates between Aug 1 and 8th were dangerous times for the President - no real explanation of that but the feeling was that the days around Independence day - Aug 7 were to be avoided. (There had been an attempted coup about 6 months before we were there. A lot of the conversations were in French so sometimes it was challenging to know what was going on - I had to rely on Herve or Marilyn to translate)
We were told that he had cancelled all of his appointments during that time. Interestingly enough when we pulled into the complex they didn't even search our cars and didn't search our bags until we were in his office and then did not search thoroughly. I in fact had my camera running most of the time on the sly...

The courage of the people it seems is the story. Their perseverance and determination not to fight.
(the folks we talked to were trying desperately to find a peaceful solution to the conflicts wreaking havoc on their country)
To try and carry on.

The hotel filled with UN vehicles and representatives. I met a gentleman from Nigeria on the peacekeeping force. (interesting my next trip to Africa would be Nigeria)

The elevators (sometimes they worked)

Herve (Herve has become a good friend of mine and I'm thankful he was on that trip)"

anyways - that's what I wrote - glad I did cause I had forgotten about some of it.

Whew - interesting to reflect and think back on that adventure. It took some convincing to get me to go - I didn't know any of these people before I met up with them in West Africa and I had no idea of what was in store. Researching the area before I went gave me cause to be concerned but I wouldn't trade the experience.
That was the first of three trips I made with Ideas Inc. and if I didn't have the footage to prove it - I may think it was one of those crazy dreams I have sometimes...

Humm in uh humm in uh

2009-12-30T23:20:00.001-05:00

so 2010
just around the bend
wow - interesting year
this last one
not quite clear

recession
depression
but alas
working for me
been pleasent
quite present
but for others
quite bleek

Sometimes I feel quite pathetic, lonely, out of shape, hungry, thirsty, passionate, tired, jittery, bright, dancey, hopeful, present, dizzy, passionate, lonely, inspired, hot, small, hungry, fat, dancey, enlightened, confused, in shape, stiff, perfect, achy, depressed, elated, hopeful, cynical, cynical, cynical, trusting, hopeful, stirred, passionate, fat, passionate, lonely, lonely, hot, hopeful, inspired, present, pathetic, lonely, out of shape, hungry, thirsty, passionate, tired, jittery, bright, dancey...
What about you?

Work and Play this Holiday

2009-12-22T14:43:00.003-05:00

We were a band of carolers for a night

and serenaded Melrose Heights!

Meems & Big Dad

Wade hired me to work on a DHEC commericial complete with EMS, and a cast of many.

Of course putting a bullhorn in my hands is a risky thing!

Things I've been up to...

2009-11-23T12:21:00.003-05:00

Porch sitting...

Taping with Rudy Mancke for Little Mountain and for Furman University.

Kellane and art teacher from USC art class....

World War ll hero Moffatt Burris during interview. Moffatt is a humble man with incredible stories! Am honored to get to know him.

Rocumentarian

2009-11-19T16:39:00.004-05:00

Jennifer Whitley is at it again with the new video for The Rocumentarian!
The video is set to a new Hot Lava Monster song and is themed around the Twilight series.
Check out the facebook page and become a fan.
Click title to go to video.

Wade Sellers and I shot it and Wade edited.

Some of the cast of the video -

It is ALWAYS a HOOT working with Jenn and we love it!

Nijmegen

2009-09-27T15:24:00.028-04:00

My trip to Nijmegen in the Netherlands was interesting, challenging and sometimes overwhelmingly melancholy.
Jeff Wilkinson with The State along with Heidi Meltretter and I made up the team. We traveled to document SC WW II hero Moffatt Burriss and his pilgrimage back to a place that in 1944 was hell but today is lovely, idyllic and charming.

The highlight was Moffatt at 90 parachuting out of a plane to the delight of his family and a crowd commemorating Operation Market-Garden.
We spent 3 days following Moffatt and his entourage as part of a project for ETV Endowment.
We happened upon a reenactment group of Dutch, portraying American soldiers who were gracious enough to role play and be videotaped. They also gave us a ride to the commemoration ceremonies. Their knowledge and respect for the history of the area and events was amazing.

One of my tasks was to edit a short video for The State and get it uploaded the first full day we were there. Our contact Anton had put us in touch with a guy he'd met at a party, Henri at Hemusic media productions who had the same edit set up as me and had agreed to help get it done.
After we taped all day, Henri picked me up at the hotel and we traveled to an area he called "Seven Hills" in the Groesbeek area outside of Nijmegen.
Around 2am the edit was done and uploaded. Henri was fantastic, gracious and tenacious in his assistance. He and his girlfriend Monique fixed dinner and entertained me with some of his work - he does original music scores along with other media production.

We spent the next couple of days following Moffatt and his entourage around the area as he recounted his experiences of battle and survival.
Moffatt's grandsons climbed the bridge where the Americans had imprisoned German soldiers in the hallows of the support arches.

My last task was to board a boat with press from all over to get Moffatt crossing the Waal river to commemorate the daring assault of many years ago. Read Jeff's article for more details.

Moffatt was on the last boat and had his back to camera the whole time...but I got great video of these other guys....

Upon our return a tour boat pulled up next to us and handed us a stack of delicious pancakes that we happily accepted.

As I walked the streets and traveled the area I was overwhelmed with a sense of what my father who had also done battle in Holland must have gone through . Although I have yet to find specific details of where - I couldn't help but feel it must have been close by. He was just a kid - just a year or so older than my teenage daughter. How frightening, hellish and intense it must have been for all of those young men and women that risked and sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the area. The stories are too gruesome and almost unbelievable to even go into for me. How in the world they managed to have the courage to commit to their tasks is unimaginable for us privileged Americans. But they did. I exclaimed my astonishment to one of our guides that these events were something I rarely thought of and he said "they did it so you wouldn't have to think about it." There were so many moments over there that I did think about it and it was like a kick in the gut, an awareness I'd never felt...about my father and the thousands of others on both sides that lived and died in circumstances inconceivable.

Note: All pics were taken with my iphone - most of my images are on videotape and will be edited for an ETV segment on SC WW II heros.

Random Writing

2009-09-02T23:24:00.009-04:00

Some random things ...
I have a new roommate, Rocio, originally from Madrid who has been working in Colombia, South America for the UN the past 6 years. She is in Columbia, SC studying English for a year. We weren't really looking for a house guest but things just fell into place and I LOVE HER. The first day she said in broken English "I ...like...to organize. Is this ok?" Oh YES. She then proceeded to clean out my upstairs closets, organize them, clean the upstairs bathroom - even under the sink and had all of her things neatly stacked, shelved and arranged. I exclaimed to Kellane - "Have you seen what Rocio did with the closets upstairs!?" She said "Have you seen what she did to the pantry?!" A couple of days later she did the refrigerator. (Next is my clothes closet which she says "is a disaster") It is clear that Rocio was meant to be with us even if for a few months. We adore her and in just the past few weeks she has become part of our family, a welcome companion and a lovely friend. I am thrilled to have another hermana in the house.
We are teaching each other things and enjoying the camaraderie of single women pushing 50 but loving life.
Last night she taught me a few Salsa and Tango steps in the kitchen with the music from her ipod. We traded skirts cause I was admiring her "hippie" tie dyed skirt and she said "Its yours!" We were sweating and laughing by the end of the lesson as Kellane and Van watched her twirl me, get my hips moving correctly and finally attempt a not so graceful dip. She says I am a "very modern woman".
Her presence made me think about all the people that have passed through this house.
I spoke to one of those friends, Abou Sylla last night while I sat on the porch and tried to work through a balafon melody that I've heard a thousand times but never played. Abou is a master balafonist from Guinea, West Africa who has been in the states for years and has played and taught us while here. He gave me a lesson over the phone which was pretty cool - he was very patient.
He has stayed at this house on many occasions sometimes with other West Africans, playing their ancient melodies and rhythms, comfortably melting into the spirit of my space and sharing their musical gifts. I'm sure it is quite curious for my neighbors to see and hear Africans coming in and out of my house but I have always felt completely comfortable with my friends of many years from the mother Continent. Some of my favorite times have been relishing the sweetness of the wooden keys of the balafon or the magical lightness of the plucked strings of a kora or the irresistible percussive drive of drums.
"I want to come play with the "Next Corner Drummers!" Abou said. We are actually called the "Next Door Drummers" so we laughed really hard about that for a long time.
"Is hhhaarrd wurk" he says but I think it would be cool to have him here for a while so we can explore the music more in depth and be challenged to take it up a notch....
One of our drummers Bob moved to Illinois but is taking lessons and playing with another W. African musician that stayed at my house one night. Bolocada. He is also a world renowned drummer and was featured in the imax movie that "Stomp" produced called "Pulse". On one of my trips to Guinea I spent some time at Bolocada's compound, where I met his children and his wife. He had made costumes for the guys in our now defunct group "Djoliba Don".
They costumes had pink fringe on them which our director Faisal was not aware of cause he is color blind. (we changed the fringe when we got them here) West Africans can wear pink and still look bad ass but the white boys in Cola. - not so much.
Bolocada gave me a traditional belt that day as a gift. Bright orange with cowlrey shells and white fringe. I cherish it.

Random Work
I've been blessed with good work this year and a plethora of interesting projects. USC and DSS, Heathwood Hall, Eau Claire, Furman University, Little Mountain, Woodrow Wilson Restoration, political figures and SC World War II heros, music videos and the happenings at 701 Whaley.
Gracious! Just writing those out makes my brain hurt a little and leads me to wonder if there will always be such variety and rich diversity in the work I have.
Soon I'll be leaving for Nijmegen in the Netherlands to videotape WWll hero Moffet Burris parachuting out of a plane! The movie A Brige too Far was based on some of his experiences in WWll. Not a bad gig! I'll be on the ground with Jeff Wilkerson from The State and fellow filmmaker Heidi Sneath will be in the plane.
That project is funded by the ETV Endowment.

Random Parenting
Kellane is a high school senior this year. It is sometimes amusing,enthralling and painful for sure being a single parent of a beautiful girl who thankfully has done really well in school and has for the most part stayed out of big trouble or at least has been smart enough to avoid being caught at more than the usual teenage fare.
Don't get me wrong - the challenges are there and I find myself wondering and sometimes regretting certain choices I've made in raising a child. But the satisfaction of seeing her saunter into adulthood is lovely at times.
It is a little strange having her graduate from the same high school I went to and witness her life experiences in the same physical environment that I had. Her home life is quite a contrast from what I had though. Mine very traditional, two parent, Christian upbringing with siblings, hers pretty liberal (with rules of course but I get tired of being the only one to say "no" all the time) single working mom bringing home the bacon and frying it up or more accurately paying the bills eating out....all kinds of artists, musicians, good friends and internationals coming and going...My parents did have a very open door policy though in terms of having people from other cultures invited to our family home but Kellane has been exposed to far more than I was at her age for sure.

All of these things help to shape and shake our experiences and
when I think about it these things are really not so random....

Drumming at Whaley

2009-08-01T12:12:00.010-04:00

We had the best time drumming with Luke!
Great crowd, great participation.

(BTW - that's Tom Mosley playing with NDD???)

I had a little post birthday surprise from my mom with the help of Next Door Drummers.

Luke was a great teacher. He got everyone playing a pretty complicated break. It was challenging but he made it fun and entertaining as well.

The students ranged from Margaret, a blind 18 year old who was totally into it, to a couple of kids as well as Luke's dad, men & women from 20s to 60s.

It was great having the guys from Charlotte & Fort Mill.

Not only is Luke a phenomenal percussionist and outstanding instructor, he's also got a wonderful spirit and authenticity about him. Can't you tell?

MAN! That was so much fun!

Luke Quaranta!

2009-07-29T16:32:00.006-04:00

I'm so excited!
Luke Quaranta from Toubab Krewe is coming to town (July 30) to do a workshop and perform with Next Door Drummers!
Read about it in Free Times.

I met Luke many years ago when he played with a group called Common Ground.
I was playing with Djoliba Don, West African Music and Dance and we did similar musical performances with drummers and dancers.
I reconnected with him a couple of years ago when I found he was playing with Toubab Krewe out of Asheville.
I fell in love with their music and was fortunate to be asked to videotape a couple of their performances.
They have traveled to some of the same places as I have in West Africa - Guinea, Ivory Coast and studied with some of the same teachers.
This is a treat for this community!

LA Birthday

2009-07-29T16:04:00.008-04:00

Celebrated my 49th birthday with some friends at 701 Office.
I share the office with Melissa Ligon, Crecendo Advertising.
It was a fun time for a last minute gathering!
I made them sing happy birthday to me.
(shot with my new iphone)

Testing the new iphone

2009-07-26T16:01:00.004-04:00

Yeah! I got a new iphone for my birthday!
My other had a cracked face and still worked but was a bummer to look at...
The new G3 S has video capability which makes me extremely happy!

Wanna see how the iphone video looks...
This is just a clip from the drum circle on Fri. at the river.
Not bad sound either!

Whats going on

2009-06-21T20:07:00.014-04:00

I don't know what people mean when they say that there is nothing to do in Cola. Town.
Just a few things I've hit in the last couple of months...

Caught Unbound's performance Les Femmes at CMFA.
It was one of the best modern dance shows I've seen in Cola. It was hot, sexy, fun, and only a dance or two too long.
Very cool with Dell crooning in between numbers and Steven playing sax and singing Summertime. I loved it.

Urban Tour downtown was another fun night out. The most people I've seen on Main St since uh....forever.
The Nick had an event at it's new site and burned it's mortgage.

We ended up on the rooftop of the Sheraton Hotel.

Speaking of The Nickelodeon, their recent fundraiser, "Larry's Family Reunion" was hilarious! It was also my first time in the historic jewel that is being transformed.
Love the space.

It is already a treat to be in.
Who knew Larry was a hula hoop champion?

Mr. Sketchy was another adventure that I enjoyed...knew nothing about this facebook invitation but said "what the heck" and showed up anyways. My friend Ashley Rivers was the host of the funky drawing party. Ashley Bennett was the model and we sketched her for different timed sessions and then voted on the best sketches.

I actually won the first round and my prize was a shot of Goldschlagger with Ashley. First time sketching in about 40 years I think.

The Crane Wife and Junk Palace puppet show was a wonderful night out of entertainment.
Hopefully those guys at the Marionette Theatre will be doing more adult shows like that.

Took a tool around the block in Ted's new Sentreon(sp?). Ted is Alejandro & Britt's neighbor. We were the envy of the uptown historic district for about 8 minutes.

Dick Moons has started a drum circle at the Riverfront amphitheater, every Friday at 7pm.

Lots of things going on.

Positive Repercussions at Camp Long

2009-06-13T11:10:00.013-04:00

Just completed a drum residency at Camp Long which is just outside of Aiken, SC.
I was hired to first instruct teachers how to teach West African drumming and then to conduct a week long residency with the kids that were there at the time.
Camp Long, run by Clemson is "The Youth Development Center, through the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice,(that) helps low-risk, nonviolent offenders succeed through behavior modification, innovative learning programs, personal development and career planning." It is actually a place where kids that have gotten in trouble are "sentenced" for usually 90 days. It is one of those tall pine and sandy hot spots in SC with cabins, a lake and mess hall.
When I asked about how many kids I would have, the coordinator said there were about 30 boys aged 12 - 17. I asked about girls and she said "oh you want to teach the girls too?" I guess there is a perception that girls don't drum. uh Wrong!
I had two classes of boys and one with about 15 girls.

At Camp Long the girls and boys are separated at all times. They are not even suppose to be in eyesight of each other. As you can imagine this creates an unnatural obsession beyond normal teenage hormonal intrigue, so from day one it was with interest I observed their over zealous curiosity of what the opposite sex was up to.

The first day one of the teachers said "Do you know what you are getting yourself into?" Having taught "at risk" kids many times what I knew was that these kids were gonna love it and respond positively if I did it right. Positive Repercussions is what my drum teacher Faisal named this program years ago. Observing him as a teacher, I learned skills to teach drumming to all ages and how to incorporate life lessons like listening, teamwork, and embracing cultural diversity.

Carol, one of the VERY enthusiastic teachers! AND she can drum!

Although everyday, at any moment I could feel the potential for some sort of outburst or confrontation between certain kids, things moved forward and they stayed focused. The outbursts never manifested. The kids became immersed in the activity of drumming and creating something that they had never experienced. They listened, they were engaged, they even gave positive remarks to each other.
The absolute coolest thing was to see the light come on in their eyes. Sure there were the few that would disengage, put their head in the hands and refuse to participate. BUT usually the next day they were back in it.
There was one girl that had a blank stare the first couple of days and sat off to the side. At the end of day two I asked her why she didn't want to participate, she said she had migraines every day. I told her my daughter also suffered from headaches and that sometimes if she drank lots of water that would help. She finally looked me in the eyes and just seemed to be confused as to why I was giving her attention but completely grateful.
The next day, she participated and was quite vocal about what we were doing.
By the third day, all classes were fully engaged, getting the rhythms and some of the most cynical, listless, seemingly angry kids were SMILING. They looked so completely different when they smiled. I commented to them how fabulous their smiles were and how they should use them more often. (wish I could show some pics of smiles but can't show their faces...)
I told all classes that we would perform for the camp on our last day.
The big question was "would the girls (boys) be there?!"
It took some finessing to work that out...but finally the camp director agreed for them to all be in the mess hall at the same time.
I was a little concerned about how that could turn out and whether they could be supportive of each other and so on so I told them how important it was to me for this to be a positive experience for everyone.
Once we all got into the mess hall and set up - the first group went, nailed it and were met with great applause and accolades as did the second group and the girls went last.
They all did an awesome job, stayed focused and the smiles, laughter and congrats were abundant. WHEW.

One of the more outspoken and very talented, dedicated girls presented me with a decorated paper that read:
"Mrs. LeAnn Thank You. We have enjoyed the djembes & dune dunes. The way we work together is a miracle and a blessing. And we got these things, learned these thing because YOU. Girl Dorm." That was the icing on the cake for me.
These children have for whatever reason found themselves in a life that was probably molded by unfortunate, unrelenting circumstances. I sat at lunch with one 14 year old girl who was meek and sweet and so innocent looking. I didn't know what she had done to get sentenced to this camp. It didn't matter. I had prayed everyday that I'd be given wisdom, the right words and understanding to teach these kids something. Anything positive. I'm thankful for the opportunity.

Congo Action - Pool

2009-05-12T16:24:00.013-04:00

I met Herve several years ago in Cote I'voire (Ivory Coast), West Africa. We were part of a public relations team there at the request of the finance minister under President Gbagbo.
Herve and I became fast friends and as guests of the President we were treated like VIPs with drivers, many appointments with important people and freedom to travel where we liked. My task was to shoot a documentary. That is another story....
A native of Congo Brazzaville or The Republic of Congo, Herve is smart, handsome, charismatic and passionate about the fate of his country.
He left Congo in 1987 for France and in 1989 came to the US to attend school. With a BS and MS in mathematics Herve is presently a teacher's assistant at Howard University and working towards his PhD. What weighs heavy on his heart though and at top of mind is concern for his people. The war that started in 1997 in Congo Brazzaville has all but destroyed his country.
Herve's real ambition is to return to his war torn country and help to lead his people out of despair. Congo Brazzaville is called the "neglected humanitarian crisis" and is in dire need of humanitarian aid. I met with Herve and his group Action Congo-Pool in DC recently to talk with them about their mission and how I can help. I agreed to produce a video for ACP as a PR and fund raising tool. They are presently working on an English version of their web site.
The first hurdle is - why would anyone here care??...we are so bombarded by African crisis that it seems hopeless at times and insurmountable. Doesn't matter. We are all able to make a difference in many corners of the world as well as our immediate communities. We know this is true.

Herve, Victor & The Professor

Travel Log of DC Trip
After Herve picked me up from the airport we picked up the Professor (his mentor from Senegal) and met at Victor's house. Victor is one of Action Congo -Pool's leaders and is extremely pleasant and hospitable. Victor and Herve made brunch for us, Victor's wife had the day off for mother's day...

Ham, onions, tomatoes were chopped for an omelet while Victor split avocados and prepared a tuna, balsamic vinegar, garlic and oil dressing. Coffee was served in soup bowls with a steaming pot of milk to pour, delicious juice from a box and warm French bread with butter.
We left promptly after brunch for a pre meeting with key ACP members, including the previous ambassador to Congo Brazzaville under Clinton's tenure, Andoine Ganga and host to the meeting.
I was treated graciously as a guest and felt welcome and comfortable immediately.
White girl in Congo town.....they quickly gave me a name "Lumamba" meaning a vine or plant that is resilient and flexible but very strong, unbreakable.
Mr. Ganga, Victor, Herve and myself met downstairs while other members arrived. I gave my advice, we made some decisions and talked about some options then went back up to present to the committee.
I was introduced to the room of 9 Congolese and felt incredibly humble, hot(Africans tend to not use AC), white and fascinated with the circumstances at which I found myself.
I opened by saying how honored I was to be in the company of these folks and questioned my resolute connection to Africa.
The response from the chairwoman of ACP, Monique, a formidable and quite beautiful woman was that of wisdom, gratitude and guarded trust.
She recognized my authenticity and their own undeniable connection to my country as well. It reminded me of a meeting in Cote I'voire with a humanitarian group that was trying to help rural women. At that meeting I was tired, it was the end of the trip and I was very touched by what they were trying to do and felt totally inadequate at what I might be able to help them with. Teary eyed and on the verge of totally losing it and this chairwoman told me to "be strong". I needed to be strong for them she said. At the ACP meeting I was resolute not to get emotional.
After we presented our ideas, there was much discussion and questions and then they proceeded on with other business. I could understand some of it. After about two hours of heated and animated debate in French and the occasional "NEXT!" the meeting ended. We finished up in the cool basement that also served as a bar, Hallelujah!
then made our way back to the dinner table where a feast of traditional Congolese food was served. Salty Cod fish, spinach and mushrooms, rice of course, some kind of turkey and then something else that was chewy - not sure...and cavasa...(sp?)then bananas.
Wine was poured, jokes and stories were told (in French or Lari) punch lines delivered with great force and MUCH laughter. Songs took over the night , one after the other with smiles of recognition and delight. More laughter. I had no real idea of what was being said or sung but laughed my ass off anyways and so enjoyed the company of these Congolese.

For a few moments perhaps they were able to dissuade the images of orphaned, sick and dying children with no food, shelter, no basic survival essentials and destroyed villages......the images that surely haunt their minds, the reason they started ACP. ACP is a glimmer of hope that exists for this neglected crisis.
More to come about this organization...

701 Whaley Documentary to air on ETV

2009-01-12T10:18:00.005-05:00

This Thursday, Jan 15th,701 Whaley, my documentary will air on ETV's Southern Lens series at 10pm.

About 3 years ago I got a tour of 701 Whaley from Richard Burts. He was thinking of buying the condemned building.
The moment I walked in I knew the building had a story to tell and that I would be one of the ones to tell it.
The energy of the space was filled with voices, conversations, music and spirits of the past - they seemed to pull me in (as they have done so many others) and beg for someone to save the building and the history that goes with it.
Richland County Conservation Commission not only had the vision to provide grant money to help save the structure but also funded the documentary process so that the stories of the building will be forever preserved.
Jeff Wilkerson at The State Paper wrote an article on the doc airing.
Now that the building is being occupied again and the documentary process is over, I am thrilled to still be a part of the building and to share the joy of a space that has served so many.

Valentine's Show 09'

2009-01-12T10:10:00.005-05:00

The Valentine's Show returns this year!
What's Love Got to do With It? Chapter 3 is coming together as the biggest show so far with 12 artists participating along with performance art as well.
Saturday, February 14th
6-11
701 Whaley

Check out Facebook by clicking the above title to find out details.
This year will be presented at 701 Whaley.

For the show I'll be screening some short videos, one of which will center around what could happen in an elevator in about :20.

3 Wisemen @ 5-Points Pub

2008-12-28T11:30:00.008-05:00

Thank you 5 Points Pub for energizing the local music scene.
AND THANK YOU for the non-smoking venue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Patrick Davis,Brian Conner of Villanova and
Josh Roberts presented a wonderful roundtable of songs last night.

Their lyrics all speak of experiences that hit hard on the soul but they also reflect a sense of humor and finally peace.
Our famous local rocker Les Hall sat in with his amazing prowness on the guitar.

The audience enjoyed a sing along of one of my favorite Elton John songs "Rocketman".

Christmas at Red Bank

2008-12-08T10:33:00.008-05:00

It was a wonderful weekend of music.
Many of SC's most talented musicians serenaded a standing room only crowd at the annual Christmas at Red Bank.
Granted - I am usually a scrooge about Christmas until a week or so before the 25th...but hearing Nicole Hagenmeyer and Leslie Branham's duet of Oh Holy Night it was all I could do to not weep...absolutely beautiful.
Brian Conner of Villanova was fantastic and personable. His voice is so unique and I love every note of it.
Mac Leaphart sang Never Snows at Christmas with Mark Bryan on madolin.

Wonderful.
Danielle Howle did a bluesy Away in a Manger that took my breath away.
Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion were a treat as well.

The whole group lead Silent Night as a finale.
And it was FREE!
What a great blessing.
I'm giving music for Christmas!

Stellar night with The Stellas & HLM

2008-12-07T13:08:00.009-05:00

Went to see Hot Lava Monster at Art Bar and was also treated to
The Stellas.

Jen, Me & Kim

Really enjoyed their kitchy rockin music. Vocals were highlight along with the leads occasional corybantic movements.
Very entertaining.
Hot Lava once again filled the room with big energy and kick ass music.

Someone must be studying Spanish - check out the set list!

Weekend at Riverfront Park

2008-11-10T14:29:00.008-05:00

The leaves and water were beautiful at Riverfront Park about a week ago.
Fri. & Sat. Karen, Ken, Dallas & I road bikes and it was lovely.
I had never been down to the spillway at Broad River Road - so it was a real treat at the end of the trail.

Sunday, me , Danielle & Hartley paddled from the spillway to the Gervais St bridge.
Twas a little chilly but we managed to stay somewhat warm and dry.
Thanks Hartley for the trip!

Obama Makes History

2008-11-05T11:30:00.007-05:00

Celebrated the election of our New President at Karen's house.

Drums, 701 and on the run

2008-10-27T17:46:00.007-04:00

Faisal and Abou came to town and we had a busy schedule of classes, performances and practicing.

St Lawrence Place

ALSO this month we had the big OPEN HOUSE for 701 Whaley.
I think we had around 1000 people come through.
It was a great success.

Me & Robin Waites at open house.

The Historic Register plaque was unvield.

Next Door Drummers at Utopia

2008-09-14T12:22:00.004-04:00

Bob intent on getting those tones!

NDD opened for J'Ouvert Steel Band at Utopia bar and grill.
Although we were missing a member - Clint - we held our own and had a great time.

Place of Peace

2008-09-14T12:05:00.006-04:00

One of my new projects is creating a documentary on Furman University's sustainable programs.
Heidi and I went up to tape the blessing of the Place of Peace - a temple dismantled in Japan and put back together on the grounds of Furman.

UTAH

2008-08-05T22:50:00.011-04:00

Spent some time in Utah this summer.
Wow! I had no idea how diverse and beautiful the area around Salt Lake City is.

The aspen forest was magical with a soft lush blanket of ferns.

Canyons galore, craggy jagged mountains that jut into the always blue sky. Dry hot. So much better than our humid drenching hot here in SC.

Kris Kornegay on the trail to Timpanago Caves

The land of LDS they say. Mormon country.

They have state alcohol stores where you have to buy your beer, wine and liquor....can't buy in the grocery store. Makes me feel a little sassy but... there are many great pubs tucked in various places.
Silver Fork Lodge in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Most of these places are ski resorts but it is sublime in the summer.

No Name Saloon in Park City. We had an excellent buffalo burger there.
Well, it was our birthday weekend so we lived it up...
We both did excellent in the gift dept.!

Water falls, vistas that reach forever, wild flowers and streams. It was lovely.

Is that a mountain goat? Oh it is just Kris.

Hung out with Kris Kornegay and had a marvelous time!

National Night Out

2008-08-05T22:39:00.010-04:00

New police chief Tandy Carter (2nd from left in this pic) , his officers and Belinda Gergle join The Next Door Drummers at Melrose Park.
My neighborhood and sangban Tammy's too. It really is a great area to live in.
Love playing in the hood.

Lots of participation. It was fun!

Our drum group now goes by Next Door Drummers but there are mixed feelings about it. So we've been thinking about new names....
How bout:

Drumming with Cops
Drumming with Cops and Council

Ku Ku

Drum Skulls

or Ku Ku and The Drum Skulls

I think Drum Skulls is pretty good although I think Next Door Drummers really fits us well right now.

BMW Performance Track

2008-06-25T17:33:00.001-04:00

I had the good fortune to videotape some kids from Camp Success on a field trip to the BMW Plant and Performance Track.
What a BLAST!
We did some "drifting".

Aunt Sara Lee & Kornegay Memories

2008-06-17T12:40:00.035-04:00

My Aunt Sara Lee died recently and I traveled to Seattle for her memorial. Sara Lee was my dad's big sister. He has 4 sisters, Sara Lee, Elizabeth, Doris and Iris and brother Lloyd. The Kornegay clan grew up in Bennettsville, SC but Sara Lee spent most of her adult life in Seattle along with her children, grandchildren and great grand children.
Loved her!
She was one of the most vivacious women I've known. Always making sure to get the family together and making sure we all had a good time.

This video is a compilation of some old film my dad and others shot that I just had transfered to DVD.
It begins with a clip of my mom & dad's wedding.
Sarah Lee is in the pink hat in some of the beach pictures.

We would all go to Myrtle beach when I was very young and I am hoping to keep that tradition alive of going to a SC beach and being with my family so far away.

Cousin Lauren Jo was so gracious to host me and Aunt Iris at her beautiful place.

Aunt Iris and cousin Kris

Cousin Kasey, her husband Randy and beautiful Savannah.

Cousin Jeffrey & wife Amanda

I took the ferry to Whidby Island where cousin Scott is building a beautiful house.

Kristopher's mom Dawn & cute son Bo.

Cousin Jason

Aunt Sandy, Kris, LA & Kristopher @ Kristopher's graduation party.

Beautiful Aunt Iris

Uncle Lloyd & Kris

A River Runs Thru Cola Town

2008-05-30T10:11:00.009-04:00

Went to the river last weekend with buds Debbie & Joe.
They had rented kayaks for the weekend and I borrowed a family kayak - that we soon learned was a little small and took on water when going thru small rapids.
It was absolutely beautiful and there were lots of folks out enjoying this fantastic jewel in the heart of our city.

Spider lilies were in full bloom.

It is hard to believe that this idyllic scene is right smack in the middle of our city.

Harmony School Drum Concert

2008-05-27T15:48:00.009-04:00

This is my third year doing a drum residency at Harmony School

These kids are so much fun to teach and are getting really good!
Thanks to Bob, Dick and Clint for the assistance!

You can check out a few of the numbers we played at the concert.
Harmony Concert

Henna

2008-05-27T14:57:00.004-04:00

Friend Tyler Holmes decorated my hand and ankle for Memorial day.
The guy has talent!

henna |ˈhenə|
noun
1 the powdered leaves of a tropical shrub, used as a dye to color the hair and decorate the body.

As long as I can remember he's been creating works of art.

Yes Yes Fest

2008-05-27T14:20:00.007-04:00

Sat in with Papa String Band at the Yes Yes Fest.
Danielle Howle pulled this gathering together at the Art Bar.
A little djembe with Bluegrass....

Had a great time playing with these guys - they are very chill and you can tell they love what they are doing.
Thanks Jackson for the invite!

Emma & Tyler @ Olympia Festival

2008-05-21T11:24:00.002-04:00

Emma & Tyler have been playing balafon for years now and appeared with The Next Door Drummers at the Olympia Festival.
I'll post more drumming soon.

A Walk in the Garden

2008-05-12T15:37:00.019-04:00

Tommy Chin and Billy Sue had a garden party on mother's day.
Sister Lori and I took our mom to the garden.

It was lovely.

Roller Derby!

2008-04-21T20:29:00.008-04:00

Who Knew?!
Girls roller derby in Cola Town!
YEAH!

Next Door Drummers were asked to play at intermission at the Quad Squad bout.
We were pumped! Can you say "Jello Shots?"

Really interesting crowd and lots of fun.

Patrick Baxly of Hot Lava Monster sang the National Anthem.
Nailed it! Hope they will ask us back.

Parenting & Piercing

2008-04-08T09:08:00.018-04:00

My lovely daughter wanted her nose pierced.
You have to be 18 to get pierced in this city unless a parent with the same last name (IDs required) signs and accompanies the minor.

I was adamantly opposed when she started petitioning me several months ago.

Recently she and her friend did some research on piercing. They went to 3 different piercing parlors in town, got their pricing and materials, inspected for cleanliness and friendliness of staff.
Immaculate in 5-Points, although more expensive was the top pick by far.

One Friday night there was an all out appeal. She gave a great sob story about being good and the lack of rewards for that. It was a good pity party - but I said I'd sleep on it. Not sure what it is in my oh so liberal mind that objected so severely at first besides a permanent hole in the nose, infection, some social concerns and of course the ole "who's gonna give you a job with that thing on your nose?"

Next day I knew immediately that I was gonna let her do it.
Oh the power of parenting.

Being a single parent, sometimes I feel like I'm having to play the bad guy all the time. So I thought - today I'm gonna be the good guy. (She was not expecting it)
A small decoration on the body is not really a big deal. Some cultures start piercing from the get go....

The rules:
She had to pay for it - $55.
If there was any infection it would come out.
She had to get something subtle.
She had to purchase any special cleaning stuff.

She was pretty stoked.
Anyways, the experience was quite pleasant. The girls that ran the shop were extremely knowledgeable, professional, cute and cool freaky of course.
The handbook we had to read before she could do it gave me a little pause and after several exclamations like: "You're gonna soak your nose and blow bubbles in saline water twice a day for 4 months!!??"
Teen: "I know! I know!, YEESSSSS! I've thought about it".

She got a hole poked in her nostril that has a bent post and a tiny silver star on one end.
Course next week it will be more purple hair and a scull and cross bone on the forehead or something.
I will draw the line!
Ok. Ok. it is quite pretty.
I can't even see it without my glasses!
You have to ZOOM in to see in this pic see!

Sometimes you Do get rewarded for being good.

IOP

2008-04-01T09:36:00.029-04:00

Went to Isle of Palms to celebrate Danielle's birthday.
She's 40 and Amazing!
We were also celebrating Josh Roberts b-day.

This is Danielle & Josh with The Whisper Jets.

Saw Cravon Melon at the Windjammer Fri. night. They were fantastic! Had never seen them before or really paid attention to their music until now. Danielle, Doug and Mac opened for them.

Mark Bryan also showed up and played a few songs.
Good times.

Seems like my blog is full of Danielle & Doug & Mac these days. I am just so impressed with their songwriting and singing talent.
We are fortunate to have them in SC and should support them as we can.
I guess being around them and hearing their music also feeds my secret fantasy of being a rock star!
(just kidding...i don't wanna be a rock star...it is a HARD life!)
I'll settle for listening and watching cause it is such a pleasure.

Olympia Festival

2008-03-28T12:27:00.005-04:00

I'm excited about the upcoming Olympia Festival, April 19th.
I was happy to be involved with getting some of the talent for the day.
We are gonna feature some of the "Super Songwriters" of SC including: Danielle Howle, Doug Jones and Mac Leaphart.
They will be doing their own songs as well as playing as a band together.
Corner House and The Redbird Fiddlers along with Lucas War Hero will also perform.
A group of muscians I just met and have been rehearsing with will bring a little jazz to the stage.
They didn't have a name so after hearing a story about the mafia like cats in Tel Aviv Israel (2 of the guys are from Israel) we went with that for now....
Next Drummers will bring an element of West African percussion to the mix. We are a group of drummers that have been playing for several years mainly for our own pleasure but have a few pieces under our belts that kick butt!
Musically it will be a good time and a little something for everyone.

March Madness

2008-03-17T09:26:00.018-04:00

March brings many things.
My daughters 16th birthday. She had 2 parties. 2 cakes. Ah to be 16.....I would not want to be there again.

Another crazy Saint Patty's in 5 Points

Melissa & Mark Ligon

HOT LAVA MONSTER & FANS

Danielle Howle, Doug Jones, Mac Leaphart

The Movers and Shakers of 5 POINTS

And the beginning of art shows, fund raisers and spring flings.
Tim & Alon

Hot Lava Patrick, Whitley & myself at the Habitat fundraiser

Electronic Billboards

2008-02-27T10:02:00.011-05:00

My brother Van has been doing battle over the issue of billboards for several years now. I think it started when a gigantic billboard was being erected in our neighborhood that was clearly over sized and not within zoning laws.
He probably never thought he would become the expert he is in understanding the issue, what influences decision makers and the intricacies of dealing with an industry that has deep pockets. Right now the issue is electronic billboards.
CLICK THE TITLE TO SEE A SHORT VIDEO
Although I worked in advertising for 20 years and still occasionally do work in broadcast advertising I fully support him in his efforts. He has been a tireless watchdog for our community but it takes a lot of folks to make change and hold our decision makers accountable.
I believe billboards for the most part are obnoxious invasions on our landscape and that Columbia is not the kind of community that should be cluttered with MORE & BIGGER electronic signage.

Below is a message I'm passing on from Van about the upcoming council meeting which is where the lines are drawn.

"We need people, bodies, at the Richland County Council on Tues. March 4 to let council members know we don't want digital billboards in Richland County. The start time is usually 6pm, but people can check the agenda at

http://www.richlandonline.com/departments/countycouncil/Sessions.asp

They frequently push controversial things down on the agenda and might not start debating it until later in the evening.
If they can't come they need to call the following representatives who have consistently voted with the industry and against all citizen's groups and boards who have come before them."

Damon Jeter's Web Page
Phone: (803) 254-0358
Office: (803) 376-4303

Joseph McEachern's Web Page - Chair
Phone: (803) 735-1808

Norman Jackson's Web Page
Phone: (803) 223-4974

Joyce Dickerson's Web Page
Phone: (803) 750-0154
Cell: (803) 518-8033

Paul Livingston's Web Page
Phone: (803) 765-1192

Bernice G. Scott's Web Page
Phone: (803) 647-7524

This is an email I have sent to all council members:

Dear Council,

I'm writing to voice my opinion against electronic billboards.

I come from a 20 year background in advertising so I understand the value of advertising but the public really has no choice when it comes to being saturated with outdoor advertising. I also understand there are at least two sides to every argument or issue but clearly this is about more money for the billboard industry and not what is best for our community.

Who really thinks it is in the best interest of our community to have more billboards that are flashy, distracting, suck more energy and absolutely clutter the landscape that we live in? As our community leaders I would expect you to be working towards solutions of cutting energy costs and beautification of our environment not allowing and voting for more distraction, clutter. We are bombarded constantly with images, ads and messages. The line needs to be drawn somewhere. Our community is counting on you to do this.

I love Columbia and the progress we've made but billboards do nothing to bring quality to this town. Is there really any one of you that feels they enhance our quality of life except for those that erect them?

It is disheartening to see the support electronic billboards get especially when our Planning Commission has recommended postponing any action for now.

Richland County does not need more billboards, electronic or otherwise.
Stand up for the folks that care about the beauty of our landscape, the safety of our roadways and the notion that more, bigger, flashier is NOT always better.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Lee Ann Kornegay

From Sat. editorial:

Digital billboards don’t have to be distraction in Richland County
By WARREN BOLTON - Associate Editor

THE CLEAR, colorful, bright electronic billboards popping up around the Midlands represent the latest technology, but they bring with them some old — and new — concerns about outdoor advertising.

They’re concerns Richland County Council, which just a few years ago decided it wanted to meet higher standards than other communities and banned any new billboards, must weigh as it considers embracing the large electronic signs.

Billboard companies, led by Lamar Advertising, make a decent case for the newfangled signs. They say the billboards are better looking and easier to keep up than the traditional ones, haven’t been proven to be a dangerous distraction and give businesses more opportunity to advertise — in real time — to help them grow. Also, the boards allow more public service announcements, particularly Amber and fugitive alerts and other emergency announcements.

But let’s be real. This is about money, and lots of it. The large digital signs feature changeable messages that can rotate every five to 10 seconds. Whereas traditional billboards contain one message, and might generate thousands of dollars per year, an electronic board in a prime location can generate tens of thousands per month. Some of the high-tech signs can cost more than $250,000, but more than pay for themselves in short order.

So it’s no surprise that billboard companies are salivating over the idea of erecting as many as possible. Lamar Advertising already has several in the city of Columbia and Lexington County.

What I don’t understand is why Richland County is considering allowing the signs. There are three proposals before the council. Two of the plans call for a certain number or square footage of older billboards to be taken down in exchange for each electronic billboard erected. One would require the Zoning Board of Appeals to approve each sign.

In a move that is sure to confuse the public, the council has given initial approval to all three proposals and will hold a public hearing next month to allow citizens to speak on them.

Billboard companies are asking communities across the country — from California to Michigan to Tennessee to North Carolina to Georgia — to allow the new signs. Many communities, ours included, aren’t ready to deal with these new outdoor advertising gadgets. According to the billboard industry, about 700 of an estimated 450,000 billboards in the country are digital. It’s still unclear what their potential impact could be on a community.

While some communities have allowed them, others, including some in South Carolina, have rejected them — at least until they have a longer track record.

It appears that Richland County is determined to deal with this issue despite the fact that its Planning Commission, as well as its planning director and assistant administrator, have recommended the county postpone any action until 2009, when more is expected to be known.

Richland County must take its time, because once the signs are approved, they’re here to stay.

The council should be cautious about entertaining any aspect of the always-controversial billboard issue. It was responding to public sentiment when it made the tough, but correct, decision to ban any new billboards in the county. That vote was a statement that this community doesn’t welcome the clutter and blight.

Richland must be more deliberative than other communities that have not made such a value statement. Officials mustn’t take action that would compromise the effectiveness of its law.

Richland County, like other local governments, also must be careful how it regulates billboards because of a recent change in state law. Cities and counties that require companies to remove billboards now must pay owners what they would lose by not being able to rent out their space, possibly for as long as 20 years.

Here are some concerns being expressed across the country that Richland might want to consider:

• Electronic billboards’ lights shine in residential areas and distract drivers. Advertisers want them to be seen night and day, which means the lights have to be very bright and, yes, distracting.

• Questions have been raised about whether the billboards increase the cost of redevelopment or lower adjacent property values. If the county or a developer ever wishes to remove a billboard for development, what will be the cost to compensate the company?

• Some say communities should consider the increased energy use. Electronic signs use far more electricity than traditional ones.

• How do you enforce whether a sign changes ever five seconds or every seven seconds, since it’s easy to not conform at the push of a button?

Billboard companies argue the new signs are no more — and perhaps less — distracting than things that occur inside cars, such as talking on a cell phone.

Still, billboards are distractions by design, and the newer ones are meant to be even more distracting. Advertisers are drawn to the large, captivating messages.

So are drivers. That’s what makes them potentially hazardous. Motorists have rear-ended others under less-distracting circumstances.

Before Richland County Council gets distracted by a debate over three proposals that would allow electronic billboards, it should remember it has another option it could focus on.

It could do nothing.

Reach Mr. Bolton at (803) 771-8631 or wbolton@thestate.com.

Addys 08

2008-02-25T09:28:00.012-05:00

It has probably been 10 years since the last time I attended the annual Addy Awards. The Addy Awards recognize local advertisers for their work in print, web and media. I got my share while working at Chernoff/Silver for 17 years and it was always fun to get credit for working hard and great creative.

Melissa Ligon invited me along this year and the theme was Rock & Roll in the 80s. She and her posse picked me up in a white limo complete with champaign.

Her boyfriend Allen (his name was Rancid for the night) I'd have to say put in the best effort for costume.

Melissa won several awards and got recognized for her work on the event itself.
The Township looked great and was the perfect venue for the crowd.

Mad Monkey racked up it's share of awards and won Best of Show for broadcast.

Congrats to all!

2 Funerals and a Memory

2008-02-18T11:41:00.011-05:00

Four years ago my dad died at the age of 84. It was a freak accident. He died of cardiac arrest due to electrocution. He was trying to put out a fire in a neighbor's yard. The neighbor was not home and the fire burned within feet of the house. It was after the severe ice storm that had hit a couple of days before and the power was still out. My mom after seeing my dad charge through the bushes in our backyard with a hose and then hearing an electrical zap had to run (she's 73) to The Other Store around the corner to call for help. A young black man who was a first time customer in the store rushed with my mom back to where my dad lay and gave him mouth to mouth. Not sure if my dad was alive as a stranger put his lips to his to whisper life. Can't remember his name. The others put out the fire and EMS showed up. I had 7 missed calls when I got out of a performance that just happened to be down the street from the scene. My mother's dear voice trembling with the words, "Your dad is on the way to the hospital,... Providence" was the first message, them my brother's, then my mother again then my sister in law.....
He was not alive when I got to the hospital.
Then began the motions and rituals and tasks of burying the dead and honoring a life.
The young black guy, good samaritan showed up at the house later that day and sat with us in a bit of a daze to try and comprehend what had happened. Wish I could remember his name.
My dad was a dear, humble and most loving man. He lived a full life and we look back at the manner in which he moved on as a blessing. It was quick but shocking (ba doom boon) and seemingly with little suffering. Although I certainly can't say that he didn't suffer, I don't know but I'm sure it doesn't matter much to him now.

On the 4th anniversary of my Dad's death, my daughter's boyfriend's mother died. She had been diagnosed several months earlier with brain and spinal cancer.
Heart wrenching to say the least.
That family loves that woman and she loved them intensely.
We attended her funeral in the small town of Granitville, SC
A couple hundred of the community and family members were at the viewing as well as the funeral service the next day. The funeral was held at a small pentacostal church. Open casket and lots of unabashed weeping. It was clear that their faith was the rock on which they stand. She was greatly loved by many and her family will no doubt struggle with their loss for a long time. They had several incredibly intense and really heavy months with her before she moved on.

A couple of weeks later a friend's grandfather died. They are from Pakistan and Muslim in their faith. I didn't attend the service. It was segregated as are most of their gatherings so I just went to the house after the official services. I was the first one there and the cars began to pull up and out poured women in their traditional dress with head wraps and men that mostly ignored me except for a few really sweet, smart, charming men that I had the pleasure of briefly speaking with and my friend's dad & brother. There were a bunch of Muslims in that house! I was the only "white" girl. Course, that's the way I prefer it. Everyone was lovely and gracious and I found the few hours I was there to be delightful and interesting despite the purpose of the gathering. I think most of the tear ducks were dried out for the moment although you could feel that that may change with the right word or embrace quickly. Looking in on the grandmother who was surrounded by a flock of mothers and daughters and sisters and aunts you Know those women have done some weeping for this man. My friend is not a practicing Muslim and is certainly the rabble rouser in the group often challenging some of the traditions of his family's culture and religion.
I overheard him telling one of his younger cousins to stop calling someone "white kid" that it was not appropriate and he didn't want to hear him say that again. My friend is passionate about the rights of all humans. Thank God.

Some of the contrast and similarities of the two events:

Penecostal

Open casket and viewing - dressed in gown with photos of family - lovely, revered, at peace
Short church service the next day, open casket, lots of verbal "amens" hand raising and supportive comments during service, open weeping, music and singing from pastor, travel to gravesite where family sits under tent and a few words are said - casket was lowered after family had left.
Return to church for big meal prepared by church folks - fried chicken, ham, barbque, cream corn, rice, potatoe salad, dressing, green beans, rolls, slaw, banana pudding, chocolate cake, brownies and cookies and of course sweet tea- everyone eats together - young people segregate themselves.
Spirits are up but as people disperse the mood turns down a bit.
Everyone was very gracious and hospitable, commenting on her life and all the good she did. She and her family are well loved.

Muslim

Although I didn't attend the services this is what my friend said it was like.
Men wash the body and wrap in cloth with hole cut for face ( he had a natural smile on his face when he passed- no casket, buried in ground - my friend stood in the grave and lowered the body into the ground.
Back to the house family and friends pour in and they seem to keep coming for a couple of hours. The women prepare the food. Naan, (flat bread) rice that is deliciously spiced, some kind of beef or maybe lamb stew and a chickpea and potatoe dish, hot tea and carnation milk. The men eat first and then the women.
No one seems to mind this much except for my friend and maybe one other family member that is a Christian.
Segregation of men and women usually happens naturally in other cultures too if you think about it.
At 4:00 in the afternoon a space is cleared in the living room and the men lay out mats for prayers. One gentleman starts to sing and then they are on their knees bowing and praying. The numbers of praying folks grow in a few minutes so that the living room floor is filled with bowing Muslims. Don't know what they are saying but I think it is honoring "Daddy" Faiz - People LOVE HIM!!!
This man was loved dearly and the conversations about his life continue throughout my visit.

3 Passings. Lots more to come.

When I pass - know that it is not the end but a beginning of something new and challenging I'm sure.

That I am sure of.

John Edwards and K politics

2008-01-27T22:04:00.000-05:00

Got to shake John Edward's hand Fri before SC primary.
He is so freakin likable and handsome and perspicacious. He talks on a level that most anybody can relate to.
OK. So I voted and it was a very interesting sensation standing there at the booth (only voter there at the Devine St Fire station @ 2ish.) and I was undecided up until the moment I pushed the screen. Kellane and her friend Emily were beside me. Kellane had reminded me earlier after I was gushing over Edwards that this was the first chance I had to vote for a non-white male for president. Yep. Check.
I am just so thrilled to have 3 people that I like to vote for.
After a lot of thought I voted based upon the most important thing to me right now that the USA needs to change.
For me it is the war in Iraq and our general propensity for nation building and dependence on oil. Hillary supported the war - Barak did not. Even if she supported it under false pretenses, it was and still is a tragic and costly decision for those surviving there and for the US to have waged it. Peace is fundamental in all corners of the world. In the case of Iraq and so many other nations we have failed as catalyst for peace lately.
I believe poverty is our biggest national threat.
I voted for Obama and was proud to select the name of a black man for president of the United States. What an opportunity to have an incredible role model for all the men of color in our country that have yet to live up to their potential because of THE MAN trying to keep them down. It is time for the pendelum to swing But it ain't gonna be easy. I predict it may be more difficult than we expect. Now we must MAKE SURE that real change happens.

K Politics (refers to the Kornegays & Kanefts)
Celebrated my mom's (Meems) 74th birthday. The family was together and of course we jetted to the discussion of politics.
The votes of the family members present:
4 Obama
1 Ron Paul
1 Edwards
2 McCain
1 Huckabee

Very spirited conversation and good arguments all the way around.

Doug, Danielle, Rolley & Bees

2008-01-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard Doug Jones's new music - from Cravin Melon....
Go get it.
"Doug Jones Everybody, Doug Jones" is Doug's solo cd.
Very cool, fun thoughtful and addictive. The man can sang! HIs voice is like butter with some surprises of honey and a shot of tequilla.
Heard him at the Awendaw Oyster Roast along with Danielle Howle, Mark Bryan, Mac LeapHart, Hank Futch, Peter Holsapple and Gary Greene. The Wisperjets also played.

Pooring down rain and muddy as hell but a Great time!
I got there right at the tail end which was perfect - jam time.
They did one of my favorite recent tunes - Gin and Juice by The Gourds
It was rightous.

Danielle spent time the next day laying down a few tracks to pitch to Secret Life of Bees. Mark Bryan produced at his lovely - pretty magical place. Her music I must say is PERFECT for that film. Haunting vocals, so much texture, flavor, character, layers.

What a priviledge to sit and listen to Danielle sing and also witness Mark as a producer.

It's a sweet spot at Stone Point.
This is Rolley by the way.

Hillary in the House

2008-01-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

Got to meet Hillary Clinton.
I am so impressed with her and am amazed at what she has accomplish so far.
She talked about issues from our legal and justice system, the war in Iraq, environmental concerns for the earth but also how our environment effects things like the rising number of autistic children. She talked about health care and the need for us all to become more responsible for our health, education and welfare.
Will we have our first woman president this election? It is incredible just to think about. Our nation has been ruled by men for so long with women only in recent history winning a place in the decision and policy making process. Of course women have been the heart and soul of what makes this a great nation and I believe we can be the ones that could turn this nation around.
I think Hillary would make a great president.

Columbia Alternacirque

2008-01-09T16:35:00.000-05:00

This is a entertaining group. Talented crew and fun to watch.
Caught their show at Vista Lights & Urban Tour.

New Years Eve In Asheville

2008-01-08T17:24:00.000-05:00

I kind of feel like a groupie now of Toubab Krewe.

Went to Asheville to see them play at the Orange Peel and had volunteered again to videotape.
Steven Heller, their producer asked me if I would also shoot the first nights performance which I agreed.
Both shows were fantastic and I had the best seat in the house.
Met lots of really good folks and had a blast both nights.

First night I was able to get Debbie, Joe, Tyler and Jessie in and NYE show, Lori, Pete, Sydney and Brook came out.
NYE they didn't start till 11:30ish and went for about 2.5 hours straight!
Hand held for that long is intense, but I tell you I wouldn't have had it any other way.

If you look close you can see me in the bottom left corner of the stage.
Being up close, on stage and grooving on TbK music was one of the best NYEves I've had in a long time!
Unfortunately I had to hand all footage over to Steven. Hope they get something decent from it.

Obama & Clinton (Bill)

2007-12-24T15:04:00.000-05:00

I was trying to get Fired UP and Ready to GO to see Obama & Oprah at the stadium. Wanted to see Obama in person and see if he could fire me up. Plus I didn't want Oprah giving out cars or her "favorite things" and miss it. But I really didn't want to get in that parking mess and huge crowd. Then I remembered my ETV credentials, grabbed my camera (to get those special press privileges) and parked right next to the stadium in the ETV lot. YES! The two gianormous guys guarding the press gate waved me off with my ETV badge and said I needed an "official" press badge that I could get on the other side of the stadium. That didn't work quite as I planned, the crowd continued to swell and I was getting a little lost in the shuffle. Then I saw Craig Melvin and decided to shadow him to see if I could gain a little more access. I was "Craig Cam" for a while. He was looking for folks that were there for Obama and not just Oprah. Most everyone I heard him speak to said they were there for Obama and that Oprah was an added bonus. Craig headed back to the press area and I slipped in behind him through the gate, crossed the field to the press area. Phone was ringing as I crossed the field.

Got stopped a couple of times by "official" people and after showing my ETV badge several times they told me we had an area up on the press stand. "Thanks so much." I love special treatment. Message from sister Lori - "I can see you right now! Walking with Craig Melvin across the field! What are you doing!?" Lori and Pete are BIG Obama fans and were in the stands.

Arrested Development performed and the crowd was into it.
There was a ton of national & local press and I just blended in and took in the event. I finally decided to see how easy it would be to get an official press pass and walked across the field in search of the press entrance. After not finding my name on the list the guy just had me sign a sheet and gave me my pass. The press stand was really crowded so I stationed myself on the stairs of the stand and watched the crowd grow. Michelle Obama came out first, then Oprah who introduced Barak. I like what Michelle said that we needed someone that would make us feel differently about each other. Barak's speech was inspiring and entertaining. I find it amazing that people like Obama(s) and Cinton(s) can talk for 20 - 45minutes with no notes and not much stuttering and come off intelligent.
Oprah did not give out any cars, darn it.

I thought of my friend Cecil Williams and the time as a young black photographer he met up with JFK as he announced his candidacy for president. After being turned away at the door JFK himself told Cecil to come sit in the front row. Can you imagine!?. Cecil has lovely photos of JFK from that day. The moment Obama walked up the steps to his own soundtrack (U2) and paused, seemingly to take in the event himself, (of course it may have been very rehearsed but he totally pulled it off I think) I was thrilled to be witnessing it and capturing it on tape. I was happy I'd gotten my butt out the door. My heart felt full to witness the evolution and hopefully revolution this country is experiencing at least for the moment.

RILEY & CLINTON
My old Chernoff buddies asked me to work the Gov. Riley dinner that featured Bill Clinton as the speaker.
I have always loved Gov. Riley and his public service work. He was sweet that night when he took a moment to speak to me. Heidi Mehltretter was there to photo it. Heidi and I were partnering that night. I love working with Heidi and always enjoy her company.
We had access to the VIP room where Bill appeared for photos.

After a long wait Bill came through the door 2 feet from me and I was able to shoot a little bit of video before his guy politely told me I couldn't shoot any video.

I did pop off a couple of stills and then taped his speech. That man is incredibly inspiring, smart and charismatic. BC can hold a crowd.

My dear friends Marvin & Anastasia Chernoff had their moment with Bill.

Bill Bill Bill Bill

Toubab Krewe

2007-10-28T20:26:00.000-04:00

Finally got to see Toubab Krewe live at
The Pourhouse in Charleston
LOVED IT!

Influenced by one of my favorite music genres - West African percussion - these guys rocked and were tight!
I had met a couple of them a few years ago when they played with the group Common Ground out of Asheville and was happy to finally catch up with them. They graciously allowed me to videotape their performance. Tough to do with one camera and a dark stage but also tough to shoot and not just enjoy...

SC Repsonds to Genocide

2007-10-28T18:36:00.000-04:00

A few months ago I joined a group called the
Darfur Action Group of SC.
The group's mission is to bring awareness to the genocide happening in Sudan, Africa and to push our leaders into action to help stop the violence and insanity of the situation there. Darfur is not the only region in the world that is presently suffering from this type of violence - but we cannot sit back and let this happen without taking SOME kind of action. Whether it be Darfur, Rawanda, Albania, Iraq or your own community, suffering, violence, rape and murder is never acceptable.

Oct. 6th 2007 we held a rally.
Although working on this project has brought me nightmares and anguish for the suffering it has also introduced me to new friends that I love and respect.

For the rally I asked my friends Mohamed DeCosta and Abou Sylla to perform.

They drove up from Florida to participate and stayed at my home. Tasana Camera also came.
Sitting on my porch while they played kora and balafon was sublime.
I also asked Danielle Howle and Brian Conner to participate which they did gladly.

Djole children's group out of Charleston performed and totally gained my respect as an ensemble. The dedication and professionalism from these kids was top notch!

Click on the title above to check out our web site for more info or to volunteer as well.
Video's to promote rally and rally montage below. More videos can be found on youtube.

Photos by Janae Davis, Austin Watson, Hartley Barber and myself.
Video was shot by Josh Rose and Chris Tilley.
Although the rally is over there is much work to be done.
I wonder, worry and debate if something like a rally has any meaning or brings any change to the situation but at the VERY LEAST it has opened eyes and hearts to this particular brutal situation.
Lots of people I talked to before the rally didn't even know where Darfur is and certainly didn't know what was going on over there...sooooo at the VERY LEAST we have educated and made more people aware.

Martinique

2007-10-26T10:04:00.000-04:00

My hotel view in Martinique.

I was hired in late August to travel to Martinique to videotape and edit a short public relations video about economic development opportunities for the island.
Tough job but somebodys gotta do it right?

I left for Atlanta Sat. morning to catch a direct flight to Martinique.
Hurricane Dean had just blown through and I was prepared that the trip might be cancelled or delayed.
I arrived at my gate in Atlanta just in time to see a group assembled in front of the desk and an announcement being made that the flight was cancelled and would be rescheduled for Next Sat. - a week from then.
The small crowd in unison went "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" We were told the airport was closed.

I was traveling with my two clients one of which is from Martinique along with 44 other families, students, lawyers, children...everyone except one couple from California spoke French and a few spoke English as well so I was constantly having to pay very close attention, pull out the little French that I know and have things translated.

The group of strangers traveling to Martinique banded together as "The 47" and refused to accept the options of either being sent back to their original destination or fly out next Sat.. Delta was ill prepared for the determination of these folks to get home. There were a couple of Delta reps that tried to placate the group but all in all I was surprised at the lack of leadership and compassion Delta showed. We all stayed at the same ratty hotel in Atlanta Sat. night. I had dinner at "Ruby Tuesdays" with my new friend "Jill Bon" or "Mr Good". Delta called at 4am to inform us of a plane that would take us to Martinique in the morning. We boarded the plane and after the door was closed Delta came on and in English said that anyone traveling to Martinique would need to deboard - that this plane was not going to Martinique. Nobody got off....

We flew to St. Maartin and after deboarding the group leaders began trying to get us to Martinique. After a couple of hours of phone calls, negotiating with airport officials, trying to get Delta to discuss (they hid in their office) "The 47" were asked to collect luggage and leave the airport. We refused. I was basically along for the ride but could see that things might escalate with 47 tired, angry and a few aggressive travelers. Security was called, the chief of police of St. Maarten showed up, and then a canine unit was brought in to herd us out. There was much arguing, debating and demanding on both sides. Several of us had our cameras and were taking photos and video. They told us to put our cameras away or they would confiscate.
I backed out of the volatile crowd and watched as the dog was brought over - there were some shrieks, a struggle, some man handling and one of our passengers was taken away - kids were crying, more arguing and the crowd reluctantly shuffled to claim luggage with no place to go....We had called the media and they were outside to greet us and take our stories. Someone in the group had called the French Embassy and the Guadeloupe authorites who apparantly paid for shuttles to take us to a hotel and put us up. They did for two nights - The hotel was actually a really nice resort.
They fed us for two days and after a couple of false starts (one- we waited at airport until 1:30am and then had to return back to hotel) they chartered a plane that held exactly 47 people and got us to Martinique.
Whew! - Quite an adventure but I made some great new friends and I can think of many worse things than being stranded at a resort in St. Maarten!

One of the more outspoken 47, Fabrice Blackodon from Martiniue became our on-camera spokesperson and my quick friend.
After our first night at my client's mother's home and THE BEST MEAL at her table we spent the rest of the week mostly in Fort de France interviewing incredibly interesting people including: Amie´Cesaire,

the Mayor of Fort de France, Serge Lechimy &

Artist, Hector Charpentier
Our time was cut short because of our delay and the hurricane made getting beauty shots a little challenging so we ended up using a good bit of existing footage. I edited a 20 minute presentation that will be shown to politicians and potential investors.
This is a short video of the airport adventure and some of the footage from the video in Martinique.

Hawaii

2007-08-27T17:14:00.000-04:00

Sister Lori and Husband Pete have returned from their stay in Japan. I met them in Oahu, Hawaii to welcome them back and to take a short vacation myself.
Although air travel has become such a hassle these days we did have a few lovely days at Lanakia beach.

The Lanakia rowing teams trained every afternoon and did sprints which were great fun to watch.
We also got a chance to go out and paddle with a local who had a canoe, did a couple of short hikes and mostly chilled.

In the JAM ROOM

2007-07-17T16:53:00.000-04:00

Danielle Howle recently asked me to play percussion on a movie soundtrack she is producing for "The Four Children of Tander Welsh" a film by Ashlon Langley.

In a couple of short sessions at The Jam Room with Jay engineering we layed down I think 6 tracks of jembe and dun dun rhythms.

I had a great time playing and look forward to hearing the final product.

Danielle is also working with me on a couple of other projects. I'm hoping to use some of her music in my 701 Whaley doc and she will be producing a song about washing hands for my DHEC/ETV client.
LOVE THAT GIRL! SHE ROCKS!

The Beach, The Beach, The Beautiful Beach

2007-07-01T17:17:00.002-04:00

Ahhhh, the beach....

Melissa & I have been going to Folly for many years and she was there for most of the week.

I love the beach. Especially Folly Beach. "The Edge of America"

Rented a house for a week in June and several folks came to visit.
Deb came down along with the teenage guys.

Love that view!

Mel, Kellane, Emily & I went on a kayak tour in the marsh and saw lots of wildlife.

Karen and Tom made it for a night and we visited our now favorite place 11 Center Street for dinner.
(We ate there 3 nights while there) The first night we walked in and they were playing Steely Dan and Kellane said "This is your kind of place mom!".

Yes, Indeed.

INDIE GRITS FILM FESTIVAL

2007-05-28T10:48:00.000-04:00

This week filmmakers from around the southeast will converge on Columbia for the first Indie Grits Film Festival.

My film "Boloba" will screen WED. MAY, 30th around 4ish at the Nickelodeon Theatre. Come on out and support your local film community!

CHECK OUT a clip of "Boloba" under LA Kornegay videos in the right hand column.

Heading into Summer

2007-05-27T10:15:00.000-04:00

Spring has been busy especially in the art world. How fortunate we are to have so many opportunities to experience artistic and creative endeavors in our community.

The Columbia Festival of the Arts presented a plethora of events.
Janet Orselli's installation "Musical Soles" at the historic Robert Mills house was a rich pleasure for the eyes.

John Sherrer and myself bear our soles

Another highlight of the festival for me was the open studios.
Suzy Scarborough and Marcelo Novo were just a couple of the many artists that opened their studios.

My 701 Whaley documentary is moving along and interest is high.

The Columbia Design League & The Columbia Museum of Art hosted a showing of my rough cut 701 Whaley.
The auditorium was filled with folks interested in the Olympia Mill village and the 701 Whaley building.
Check out this article in The State and the rough cut excerpt they streamed.

This month's SKIRT Magazine also has a blurb on me and the 701 project. Photo by Molly Harrell at 701.
(Although Harriett Green tells me I haven't really made it unless I'm in the 24/7 feature. oh well...)

SPOLETO
Dashed down to Spoleto to catch the Rene Marie concert. Her voice is spectacular! We got to meet her at a reception along with her drummer Quentin Baxter.

Hanging out with the SC Arts Commission folks gets you into the hot ticket parties!

Harriett Green and I caught the Feed and Seed Band.

Things I Loathe and Things I Love

2007-04-10T21:25:00.000-04:00

Not necessarily in order...

Loathe:
Violence
violent movies and video games
horror/terror/gore movies and their marketing at Blockbuster that 3 year olds can view
no spell check on blogspot
the Confederate flag flying in front of our statehouse
teens when they are smart asses
WAR
dishonesty
procrastination
jealousy
suffering
forgetting peoples names
my computer not working properly
depression
loneliness
really loud noises
lyrics on popular music that degrade women or are violent or bigoted
torture
Bush's politics
lack of gun control & smoking bans
the mix of religion and politics
gangs
lack of discipline at home and schools

Love:
my family
The Dove commercials where they use more average and older looking women.
Celtic music
great drum solos that aren't too long
a lovely harmonic blend of voices
sun
a pristine beach
the sound of waves
my daughters laugh
a beautiful smile
the look of middle eastern people
my mother's pimento cheese
the memory of my dad
a great hamburger
luscious wine
dancing
Sunday family dinners
sitting on the front porch
Will & Grace
Sex in the City
intimacy
great conversation
great coffee
steak and baked potato
unagi
Joe's Salmon
Anything Karen cooks
Emile's pork chops
physical activity
some yoga poses
singing
editing music and pictures
watching the teens make up dances
chocolate
traveling
other cultures
playing vollyball

Music.....Makes the People.....Come together...

2007-04-08T19:23:00.000-04:00

I recently had the opportunity to hang out and videotape So Percussion out of NY. They were in town doing a residency with USC's Percussion Dept.Several students had the privilege of performing with So Percussion as part of the USC Southern Exposure series.
I'll be editing a short piece on that experience soon.
if ART Gallery hosted a reception after their performance.

Our AC Flora Drum Club performed for International Day.
Here is a VERY short clip....

My love of West African music and dance began sometime around 1997 when I was introduced to Faisal Salahuddin and saw him perform with USC's West African Drum Ensemble. He then became my teacher and I traveled to Guinea, West Africa first in 1999 and then again in 2001 to document and experience this fantastic culture and the draw it has for us Westerners.
The clip below is an excerpt from my longer doc "Boloba". In this clip you'll briefly see several world renowned West African artists: Alkhaly Camara, Bolokada Conde, Ishmael Bonfise Kouyate amoung others. Being with them in their homes, at their rehearsals, lessons and gigs was such an honor and privilege and I will never forget it. See other videos of Bolokada. I'll be posting more clips from that doc in the next month.

The short clip below is of our now defunct group Djoliba Don performing at Columbia College several years ago.

Although out of sync - this clip is Jo Diva women's drum group performing at the Women's Expo.

Saint Patricks Rockin Eve

2007-03-18T11:39:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since my last St Patty's Day. 25 years ago when I was 21 (YIKES) a tradition was started in 5-Points - the party of the year which I attended for many years. Then the big drunk fest got too insane for me.

Alas, this year The Teens wanted to go because several bands were playing that they wanted to see.
These unfortunatley for parentals are mostly headbangingish bands.

One of my favorite local bands...
Hot Lava Monster played first and the crowd was manageable at that point.

The Kudzu queens and their bodyguards were there.

The balcony was the best place to be.

The crowd got larger and larger and soon it was way too many people for my comfort.
Keeping up with the teens proved to be impossible.
We did stay till the bitter end though after spending a good bit of time just trying to find each other...

Art in Motion

2007-03-11T13:04:00.000-04:00

Angela & Louis have brougth back the trapeze to Columbia.
Their organization, Art in Motion is right on in its name when you experience or witness this challenging activity.
They are set up again in front of Stronghold Athletic Club on Huger St. and will be there through May.
Come out and get your blood pumping or just watch the artistry in motion. Free Juggling on Sundays.

Amsa Hot Yoga

2007-03-05T21:17:00.000-05:00

Uhh...,this is what i call Hot yoga.
This was originally done for the 2006 Valentine's Show with Pamela & Tamela (for real) of Amsa Studio.
We just decided to revisit with some new music.

Hootie & The Blowfish Party with the Animals

2007-03-03T13:32:00.000-05:00

The Animal Mission, the non-profit support group for The Columbia Animal Shelter held its 8th annual Party Animals concert and silent auction on March 2.
The event, sponsored by South Carolina Bank and Trust was held at the Clarion Town House Hotel on Gervais Street in Columbia. BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina was a sponsor.

Carrabba's Italian Grill served up some tasty food and the open bar was compliments of Orangeburg Distributing and Ben Arnold Company.

Harriet Green, Julie Ruff and Elaine Gillespie helped to pull off one of Columbia's best events.

I was thrilled to see one of my best high school buddies Julie Bell from Hilton Head at the party.

Whitley cleverly tries to put a Hot Lava Monster cd in Darius Rucker's arm pit.

Saying hey to Craig Melvin.

History in the Making

2007-03-01T12:17:00.000-05:00

Above is an old post card of the Woodrow Wilson house in Columbia,SC.
I've always loved hearing SC history and admit I don't know as much as I should about my home state. So, I'm thrilled to be working on projects like the Pacific Mills/Olympia projects and now the Woodrow Wilson House Restoration site. I am surrounded not only by the physical testaments of the past but the stories and vibration of those before us.
Just 25 years ago things were so very different in areas like The Vista and downtown. I remember videotaping Mayor Kirk Finley back in the 80's up by what is now Governor's Hill and looking down into a sand pit of weeds and trash which is now Finley Park. Finley in his southern belting voice talked of a vision for the city that has in many ways either been met or is in progress.
There's a lot going on in this historic town!

SUNDANCE!

2007-02-03T10:30:00.000-05:00

There were 3 reasons I went to Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
1. Cause Whitly entered our comedy short IT FACTOR and we decided we'd go whether it made it or not.
2. To have some adventure in a new place.
3. To see some films and experience the vibe of a very famous festival.

IT FACTOR didn't make it in but we did give out some DVDs.
Stuart and Anastasia were of course talent in the film.

Our condo was great and a block away from a shuttle (with great music) that takes you to town for free.

One of the best things about the condo was that it was nestled among a grove of chalky white aspens with a blanket of sparkling snow that climbed a small hill.

At Bacchus Wine Bar, we had our first full meal of tapas, fondue, grilled shrimp, humas and roasted red peppers with olives, lamb chops and chocolate and strawberry fondue. Everything was delicious.

Fri. Stuart, Faz and myself went skiing. Faz of course had all the latest gear for snowboarding.

I had ski pants from 7 years ago.... Beautiful day, warm , conditions weren't great but just as good as most eastern skiing I've done. I was a little worried cause I hadn't skied in about 7 yrs. Yes, I fell a few times. I loved it thought and wonder why it has been so long. At one point the guys had gone down a more difficult route and I decided to just enjoy an easy run. I was the only person on it. There were no crowds on the slopes.
It was lovely.
Fri night we had dinner at Purple Sage with the coat woman who obviously needed a good......something....
Nice little place. I'd give it a 6.5 or 7 for food and atmosphere and a -3 for the coat check lady.
Faisal's friend Greg and his girlfriend Sam joined us.

Sat. Anastasia & Whit had gotten tickets to see a 9am movie, we headed downtown to see what was up.

Sat. afternoon the daredevils in the group went to Olympic Park to race down an icy tunnel at 78 miles an hour for less than a minute.

AMAZING! INSANE! Greg had scared us the night before about riding the Comet. Talking about how narley, nauseating and scary it was. And he's been to IRAQ!
Well, it is the OLYMPIC bobsled track.
http://www.olyparks.com/uop/winter_bobsled_rides.asp
Come to find out it is also maned by Olympic athletes and coaches.
So, you sit on your butt with your legs straight out in front while holding onto handles that are about where your ankles are.
Your helmet is 2 inches away from the person in front of you which in my case was Alex the driver.
They push you off and for the first :10 seconds or so you think oh this is not too bad - this is FUN.

You hit the first curve, the 2nd and then by the third you go in at 60mph and come out around 80mph....... upside down and your chin is slammed to your chest cause you are experiencing about 4.5 to 5 Gs... There are 15 turns. You are able to pull your head back up out ot the turns and scream your best cuss word while thinking how many turns was that? A minute can be a long time when you are struggling to keep your eyes open, your head from banging the guy in front of you and the side of the comet, thinking was that turn 8 or 9????. The sound was awesome. Steel ripping down ice at amazing speed and the barely audible screams of the 2 behind me. When we stopped we were all cranked up, breathing hard, loving life.

That was an EXTREME ride for sure.
YES, I'd do it again.

The film festival vibe is very fun.
It was a great time. And no, I didn't see a single film!
Sort of knew that going in.

Everybody is somebody and everyone is beautiful.
I was kind of glad I didn't have one of those big orange and yellow sundance tags around my neck notifying everyone that you are part of the great Sundance.

Interviews on every corner. Parties all over town.

We did meet some interesting people.
Wouldn't trade it.
Maybe next year I'll see a movie or even have one shown.....

ETV, Pan Flu & U

2007-01-13T19:40:00.001-05:00

I'm on a year long contract with ETV coordinating the public awareness campaign with DHEC on pandemic influenza. Two words you don't wanna hear together. An influenza pandemic is a global outbreak of a flu strain that may or may not yet exist. The bird flu or Avian flu is a virus that if evolved from being a bird to bird virus and became passed easily from human to human could became a pandemic or world wide illness. Prevention and preparation will be key to weathering this health crisis when and if it comes. There have been 3 pandemics in the last century occuring about every 30 years and we are about due again.

We interviewed experts across SC that include health care, community, educational and emergency management leaders on the subject of pan flu. A 30 minute information video "Pan Flu. Prepare. Prevent. Plan Now." will air Feb 19th at 9pm on ETV that features the experts and 2 hosts.

I'll keep you posted about this issue and about what the general public can expect. (I'll let you know if we think it's coming!)

The Columbia Festival of the Arts

2007-01-09T21:07:00.000-05:00

The Chernoff's hosted a gathering of supporters and participants of The Columbia Fesitval of the Arts.
Click on the title to see whats coming up in spring.
My role is to help with media production to promote the event.

One thing is certain about our dear town of Columbia. We have ARTS!
Theatre, dance, music and visual arts abound in this town!
A big thanks goes to Marvin Chernoff because for over 20 years his commitment and passion for making sure there is excitement and support for the arts in Columbia has never waned.
It became clear in my very early years working with him at Chernoff/Silver how essential the arts and community service are to the well being of any community. Pro Bono work took up a lot of our time - cause we loved it. It fed us.
We loved incorporating the arts into other client projects as well. Music, dance, comedy and visual arts were frequently found in the work we produced. One of my first assignments with Chernoff was as production assistant for a musical we produced for SCANA at an employee retreat. Yep. SCANA Corporation.

The Columbia Festival of the Arts is sort of a trip down memory lane for those of us who grew up with Chernoff/Silver in the 80s. Things were just gettin hoppin then and we were right in the thick of it.
As I looked around the recent gathering of supporters and participants at the Chernoff's I was happy to see so many familiar faces and sooo many new ones as well!
Things are getting cranked up again!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T12:04:00.000-05:00

The new year was celebrated at Karen's house.

She prepared delicious cornish hens with stuffing and wild rice.

Donna made an incredible red velvet cake!

HOT LAVA MONSTER

2006-12-30T14:29:00.000-05:00

Whit and I went to see Hot Lava Monster in Charlotte. They opened for the band Shinedown at Amos' Southend.
It was a Packed House and they rocked it!

Count Your Blessings!

2006-12-25T14:25:00.000-05:00

My friend Karen said this would be the year of Lee Ann. I don't know what that really means but it has been a great year for me with good projects, new friends, a teenager who makes good grades and hasn't gotten into - knock on wood - big trouble...healthy family, things are great. I am incredibly blessed. So blessed that there is even guilt in the feeling. I suppose many of us feel that way sometimes. With all the insane turmoil in the world and even around the corner I am so thankful that for this moment things are good in my world. Not perfect by any stretch and certainly not easy, sometimes quite lonely and sometimes overwhelming. But it is great being busy, having a wonderful roof over my head, a community of people that are genuine, loving, smart and adventurous. In those terms it has certainly been the year of Lee Ann. Course Time says we are all IT this year!
This year I'm challenging myself to find new ways to contribute to my community whether it is a video or a drumming class or something else that seeks me out.... Any ideas?
I look forward to continuing my work at ETV, SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL, working on 701 Whaley, the Valentine's Show and maybe another comedy???
Hope to travel this year too...Where will we go?!