DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 5 * * All Arts News On the Web * * July 12, 2001

STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS

      ArtBits always features a calendar of the goings on of Franklin County artists. Check out these events around Franklin County. Each issue includes the entire text of our weekly newspaper column.


      Stop in for the AAC CoffeeHouses at 7 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of every month. These gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, "show-and-tell" and workshops. We come together on the second Wednesday for a booked musical performance and an art exhibit at Simple Pleasures in St Albans. On the fourth Wednesday come to the Kept Writer in St Albans for acoustic Open Mike Night featuring music, readings, and more from the best new artists in Vermont.


ZOUNDS

      Summer Sounds begins its City summer concerts as Cioffi Real Estate, Lang Associates, Coldwell Banker/Poquette & Bruley, and Diane McLaughlin of Century 21 Scott Lane Associates present folk-pop singer/songwriter Diane Zeigler in Taylor Park this Sunday at 7 p.m. with an evening full of her own graceful, introspective melodies. The concerts are always in a Town park, always on Sunday evenings at 7 p.m., and always free.
      Vermont's Diane Zeigler has won six national songwriting contests including the Kerrville Folk Festival, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, and the Sugarbush Folk Festival. She has appeared twice in Summer Sounds.
      Diane is drawn to thoughtful lyrics and intelligent songwriting "not the sugar pop candy lyrics. People deserve to be challenged with what they listen to," she said.
      Her current album These Are the Roots combines the musical backup of T-Bone Wolk, Artie Traum, Dean Sharp, Bruce Stockwell, Josh Colow, and Geoff Sather with Diane's poignant lyrics, percussive and intricate guitar work, and emotionally intimate vocals. Most of the album's 14 songs reflect the difficulties she faced as a mother choosing between music and family with emotion-charged lyrics and beautiful vocal performances.
      Diane Zeigler's last concert performance was in Summer Sounds last year. She had suffered a repetitive motion injury to her right hand just a week after the release of These Are the Roots. She played in a splint here, then underwent surgery and 10 months of rest to heal.
      Just before the concert, stop by for Dessert in the Park at the BPW social starting at 6:30 p.m. The social hour is a chance to visit with friends and eat some delicious desserts; don't forget to add an extra notch to your belt.
      Summer Sounds concerts in St Albans are presented by the City of St Albans and the All Arts Council, and sponsored by in the St Albans area a select group of Attorneys, the Main Street merchants group, Northwestern Medical Center, an outstanding group of Realtors, St Albans new car dealers, and Vermont State Colleges. All Arts is providing production for this concert with sound by Dave Stetson of Tim-Kath Enterprises.
      The rain site is the Congregational Church. The community based All Arts Council brings the performing arts to northwestern Vermont. Check www.AllArtsCouncil.org for more info.


SUMMER OF GRACE

      Michelle Choiniere, Franklin County's own Franco-American singer/songwriter/pianist/recording artist will be joined by Kristina Stykos and Brian Perkins in a wide array of traditional and contemporary pieces. Guitarist Kristina Stykos is from Chelsea, and Brian Perkins on mandolin, bazouki, and banjo is a well known member of Atlantic Crossing.
      The evening begins at 6 with a potluck supper on the lawn of the church followed by the concert at 7 p.m. on Wednesday July 18. Admission is by donation (the suggested donation is $6 adult/$4 children and seniors). Call 802 426-3210 for general info about Village Harmony and 326-4603 for info about the Summer Music series.


STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS

ISLE LA MOTTE--All Franklin County libraries present Vermont author Tim Brookes tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria at St Anne's Shrine. The libraries have chipped in to present talks by well known Vermont authors in this series of events for all the public in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties.
      Brookes is a humorous author, good speaker, and will talk about almost everything under the sun. His current book, I Have a Place to Lose a Cow tells of his hitch hiking adventure across the U.S.
      Refreshments will be served at this free event.


ENOSBURG--The Opera House at Enosburg Falls presents the second annual Mid-summer Gala Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The concert will feature the Enosburg Town Band, the fiddle/bass duo of Shane and Charlotte Brodie from Underhill, the Enosburg Community Chorus, and the Moore Dixieland/Jazz Group.
      Admission is $9 for adults, $7.50 for senior and students, and $5 for children. Save a buck on advance Sale tickets at Spears Pharmacy and the Merchant s Bank. Call 933-6171 for info.


YAHOO

      Highgate bluesman Nobby Reed won the first round of the 17th annual Battle of the Blues Bands at Harper's Ferry last Friday. Harpers has been named Boston's Best Blues Club by Rolling Stone Magazine and the Boston Globe. The Finals, next Wednesday, July 18, offer a cash prize and a chance to go to the Blues Foundation national blues competition in Memphis.
      This section is a place for AAC members and other Franklin County people in the arts to brag. Sell a new work? Land new gig? Win a fabulous prize? E-mail the All Arts Council .


CLICK HERE: ART SITE OF THE WEEK

      This year, we are wandering around the virtual state of Vermont to look at the online homes of arts organizations, galleries and artists, film and theater sites, and musicians.
      Frog Hollow, the nationally known Vermont State Craft Center, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. It is a private, non-profit arts organization with education, sales and exhibitions of fine Vermont craft. Their new online gallery features the work of some of their favorite artisans.


      Something old; something new...this one isn't art, but it is an interesting collection.


FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF

      ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site.


SUPPORT LIVE ARTS IN YOUR TOWN!


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      This article was originally published in the St Albans Messenger and other traditional print media. It is Copyright © 2001 by Richard B. Harper. All rights reserved. Archival material is provided as-is. Links are not necessarily maintained (if a link in this article fails, try Google.com or your favorite search engine).
      Thanks to recent misuse of copyright material on the Internet by individuals and archival firms alike, we emphasize that your rights to this article are limited to viewing it and printing it for personal use only. You must receive explicit permission from the All Arts Council and the author before reprinting or redistributing this article in any medium.