IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Don’t let the snow get you down, come to the Strand and support the Shelby County Players as they present “Divas Go to Hollywood.”   Performance time is 7:00pm tonight and there are tickets available at the door.

Kim Wallace and Cindy Leahy from the Shelby County Players are at the Strand during a dress rehearsal for Divas Go To Hollywood.   They are writing their notes to share with the performers.   Divas opens on Saturday night February 6, 2010.

“Curtains up!  Light the lights!   ….everything’s coming up roses.”

That song is something the Strand needed to do.   Curtains up!, our valance to be precise.  Back when in August 2008 Beck Studios from Cincinnati donated a grand drape along with a matching valance.   The valance needed resized and Sew-Tec in Shelbyville reworked the fabric complete with using fireproof nomex thread.   Then the valance sat, and sat, and sat.   Seems at though the batten (pipe) that is needed to hang the valance wasn’t supported well enough for the weight of the heavy velvet fabric.   This past month during our heavy maintenance, Gordon H. decided to do something about that.   We have NO idea how he did it, but single-handedly he repaired the batten and hung that valance.   In it worth noting that the valance is suspended 22 feet above the stage!   Next time you are in the theatre, take a look.  For us, we didn’t even hardly notice because it looked like it had been there all the time.  Magical things happen at the Strand all the time.   Just for the record, Gordon isn’t talking.  We still have no idea how he accomplished the task.

Light the lights!   Need to do that too.  Our marquee work was full steam ahead until mother nature chimed in.  As soon as the weather gives us a little break we are poised to finish the job.  Cody V. has taken on the task of installing the sockets for the chase lights.  This must be accomplished before the front panels are installed.  The sockets on the north end are finished.  That translates to roughly 75 done, 219 to go.   Once the lights are installed in the marquee, Steve D. and Darin M. will bring the necessary power to run everything.  The sequencer (the gizmo that allows the lights to chase themselves around) will be programmed and viola!

This weekend will be Divas go to Hollywood.  This is a fundraiser on behalf of the Shelby County Players.  Please come support the SCP.  This is one of two fundraisers the Strand is hosting this month.  On February 20th the Strand will host “Band Together for Haiti”.   This event will benefit the American Red Cross efforts for Haitian relief.  The Strand is proud to be able help these two organizations meet their financial and fundraising goals.

Remember, the Super Bowl warm-up show is at the Strand at 2:00pm on Sunday.  It features “Divas go to Hollywood”.  What a great way to get ready for the big game.  Song and dance are always appropriate!

Soon renovation work will return to the Strand.  We have several things on our list, and it is time to get them done.  Top of the heap will be finishing our offices.  We will let everyone know when we will hold a work session.  It is guaranteed to be fun (and dirty).

We promised a little tech-talk, so here it is; consider yourself warned.   We had a group of volunteers from Wabash College help us clean out the offices.  The junk was taken to a warehouse that allows us to store our various pieces and parts.  The mess was sorted, identified, inventoried and palletized by volunteers Mike and Whitney R. (who unfortunately located to Virginia over the holidays).  They knew what they were looking at and sorted things by type.  This means we had a pallet of projectors, another pallet of lamp housings and so on.   To the Strand’s luck, our friend Ming from Chicago gave us a call.  You might remember his group bought our old junk amplifier (and paid us a nice sum).  Ming was thrilled we had our projection equipment sorted.  He took a look and decided that their were two power supplies that he wanted.  He explained that both units were from the 1940’s.  One was a Westinghouse, the other an RCA.   These items were in our “wait till the weather gets better and we will recycle them pile.”   He bought them for $100 each.   Every little bit helps.  We are pleased not only to sell some equipment that we had thought was junk, but also save some classic sound equipment for a collector that appreciates the technology of the time.   He is going to make a return visit.  I hope he has his shopping list ready.   We still have the attic to clean out.  There are treasures up there.  I know some lucky people will have a great time removing the 5 HP motor generator.   It has a very nice “modern” design, most likely from the 1930’s.   It should only weigh about 250 pounds!

Thank you for your support of the Strand and what we are trying to do for our community.   Because of you the Strand is a success.  Go Colts!

Happy 2010!!

The Strand has been home to a flurry of activity getting the theatre ready for our 2010 Season.  January is the time we schedule to do our heavy maintenance.   This is the 2nd year we have used this time for upkeep of the theatre.   It needed it!  We accomplished several things, and still have many more yet to do.   That’s OK, eventually we will get everything done, but there are only so many hours in a day…

Take a look over your shoulder.   That is 2009 fading into history.  For the Strand, 2009 was one for the history books.  We finished the year with 148 events and an audience total of over 8,000.   This is what we hoped for, and are extremely pleased our community was able to accomplish these impressive statistics.   The Strand is just a piece in the quality of life puzzle in Shelby County.   It is gratifying to know that we hosted the equivalent of 18.4% of the Shelby County population visiting the Strand in 2009!   2010 is shaping up to be even more exciting.

The Strand has worked hard to broaden our audience and the recognition that Shelbyville and Shelby County is a great place to live.  The February 2010 issue of Smithsonian Magazine has an article about living in Indiana.  In the article it quoted Scott Russell Sanders.   That is the same Scott Russell Sanders that read his essays on the Strand stage in June 2009!   This is great fun for everyone connected with the Strand.   We are appreciative that not only has our community recognized what we are trying to accomplish, but so do others around our State and nation.

We have been working on our films.  The Strand has now entered into agreements directly with the movie studios to show their content.  This is a very long and complex process.   Joey G. got us started on the path, providing insight and guidance for the Strand films.   Gary N., Steve F. and Chris N. have been working on a schedule for the next 6 months.   There will be films that will appeal to a wide range of people.  As soon as we have the dates confirmed we will let everyone know.

Coming up the Shelby County Players will start off February with “Divas”.  This is a fundraiser for the SCP.  It is important that we all support the arts in our community.  We hope you will show your support for this wonderful group and attend on either Saturday February 6th or Sunday February 7th.   In honor of the trip to the Super Bowl, the Shelby County Players have scheduled “Divas” for Super Bowl Sunday afternoon.  The performance will finish in plenty of time for everyone (including cast and crew) to get home for the pregame festivities.   It is sure to be a great event.

On February 12th the Strand welcomes “Hoosier Dylan”.  This very talented group will play the music of Bob Dylan.  The poet laureate of Indiana, Norbert Krapf,  will also be on stage to read selected poetry of Dylan.   The performers include Tim Grimm, Jennie Devoe & Jason Wilber.  They will be joined onstage by White Lightning Boys, Joyous Garde and our very own The Complete Unknowns.   This show has played in Indianapolis and received great reviews.   From Shelbyville it will be off to our friends at the Royal Theatre in Danville Indiana.   Adam K. and his band mates in the Complete Unknowns will be traveling to Danville for that performance as well.  We are thrilled to bring this show to our community and also to partner with another theatre with a similar mission to ours.

Next week we’ll have a little tech-talk as well as an update on some other ongoing projects.    The volunteers of the Strand needed this past month to catch up.  The theatre is entering its 94th year, and needs TLC more than ever.   Happily that work is behind us and we can resume what we are here to do!   Thank you for your support.

The Strand has officially finished our 2nd Season.

As we celebrate the Holidays, we are thankful for many things.   Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers that came out in support of our mission in 2009.   The outpouring of support in all aspects of the Strand’s operation is something to which we can be truly proud.    Many people helped in many different ways.  All is vital and necessary to bring us to where we are today, thank you.
We are working on our year-end statistics and will share that with you shortly.

From our Strand Family to yours, have a Happy, Healthy and Safe Holiday.

Rockphoria wows the Strand Theatre

A rock ’n’ roll Christmas extravaganza graced the stage at the Strand Theatre as the musicians and singers of Rockphoria  jammed –out to and for packed houses twice this past weekend.

“This was the rock show to see in Shelbyville this year,” said Joey Gaudin, of Smashed Productions , after Friday’s performance. Strand volunteer Bob Schlick agreed, and if standing ovations are any indication then the crowds on each night concurred.

“This is the best Rockphoria show yet,” Schlick said, about this the third production of the concert series this year at the Strand by Smashed Productions. The twin weekend shows featured “one hit-wonders” from the past four decades performed by local musicians and singers ranging from 18 to 60 years of age playing to an all- ages audience; from infants to the elderly.

Indeed, the crowd during Saturday’s performance had to be getting tired after repeatedly rising up and sitting down so many times for standing ovations to honor the finely-tuned musicians and rhapsodic, spell-binding singers gracing the stage.

“This is an amazing group of musicians up here and it’s a privilege for us singers to perform with them,” said Glenn Yarwood, before one song.  Each of the nine singers vocally soared and shined individually, as well as in melodious harmonies throughout the shows.

From the opening lyrics by Scott Shrader, who nailed a challenging and intricately scaled song to the closing crescendo of the entire cast jamming and singing in unison, this was, indeed, a concert extravaganza for the ages. The twin shows were exciting, often exhilarating, evenings of music by an accomplished ensemble of seven instrumental maestros, several singing divas and a few richly-toned dudes crooning, screaming and wailing songs that tend to stick in your head.

Each of five divas on stage displayed a wide range of vocal skills, from the big, often sassy, yet sweet voice of Bryanna Justice through the sultry lullaby-like voice of Amanda O’Connor to the smooth, rich, velvet tones of Aimee Yarwood.  It was, however, the final two songs of the first set that hushed, stunned and flabbergasted the crowds. First, Tre Dillman’s version of “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” captivated audience members with her voice which floats, lilts and soars across songs  like a blues-filled butterfly. It was, however, Willandra Macklin’s rendition of “I Will Survive,” which stole the show. Her rich, silky-soul- filled voice defies description. It is just the pure singing of voice that becomes an instrument in itself, a voice that gladdens brain, body and booty.

As for the dudes, we’ve already noted the younger Shrader vocal skills and it should be noted that the lead guitar work of his older brother Gary also defies description; his is a finely- honed talent that needs to be heard to be appreciated: words alone can’t do justice to his passionate play. The same inspired instrumental skills, talents and passionate play were evident in every band member. Each individually and in unison rocked supreme across the catchy song lists of Rockphoria.  This extremely rich, instrumentally sound and fluid group is made up of rhythm  guitarist Laura Harmon,  bassists Jim “Biscuit” Wisker, keyboardist Dave Rasche,  drummer Jim Whitacre,  percussionist Don Williams and the aforementioned Shrader on lead guitar. This band even morphed bigger on stage and fatter in sound as Gaudin grabbed his guitar to join the musical celebration during a raucous Chuck Berry inspired finale.

As for the crooning dudes, Bobby Toon belted out two funky, blues inspired tunes that wowed the crowd, Larry Brandt sang with a throaty, intentionally jaded voice and Glenn Yarwood’s voice echoed each song he sang, be it raining g down softly or jumping like jazz across the stage. Even the MC, Andy Erickson, got in to the act as the entire ensemble gathered on stage during the final rousing set of songs performed crescendo-like that capped each night’s show.

In short, Rockphoria lived up to the hype and delivered on its promise to gather a hand-picked all- star cast of talent on one stage.  This concert series, conceived by Gaudin, should only continue to grow in strength, skill and style during its future incarnations. As a matter of fact, anyone who enjoys quality music and singing should see any and all these performers each and every time they perform in any musical guise. There be talent in town and it enjoys, revels in and is passionate about playing for and to you.

Submitted by:  Terrance Aldridge

This independent review does not express the opinion of the Strand Theatre.

From Joey G. – Smashed Productions:

Everybody should be really proud(and tired) after the 2 great shows this weekend.  I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of you for taking this to another level yet again.  I think we really did take this to new heights.

I also think we are breaking down some barriers that our local music scene has had for a long time.  We have proven that a large group of musicians can really work together with out bloodshed and that we can make rock n roll fun for all ages.  I mean think about it.  When Gary stepped upon “Still got The Blues”, he brought 3 or 4 generations of people to their feet. That was truly amazing, I for one had goosebumps.

And I can tell you that doing what we are doing doesn’t happen just everyday.  Everybody on that stage captivated the audience and we gained the attention and respect of 350 people this weekend.  From talented seasoned musicians to our newbie Bryanna we have the most eclectic group I’ve seen on any stage.  I hope everyone understand that for me you guys are the tops and part of my rock n roll family.  We did a lot of good for the Strand and for the community, but just as important we gave back to the people and showed them what a rock show should really be.  Everyone in this group has a big heart and I appreciate each and every one of you for helping make my little idea a big thing.

Rock all-stars to jam out The Strand
Four-score and few years ago the age of rock dawned as bands, singers and wanna-be’s from all-over and everywhere dreamed big and little dreams of fame and stardom, yet dreams and stars crash. The passions that fuel each usually burn hot, bright, quick and briefly before they implode, supernovae-like, in a singular flash.
Rock dreams, are indeed, littered with the smoking, stony shells of just such one-hit wonders who came crashing back down to earth after flashing in a distant sky.
On twin nights this weekend, a tribe of local musical all-stars will escort patrons of The Strand Theatre on a four–decade long tour of such one-hit wonders. It may be magical? But it won’t be a mystery! These are songs your ear will know, even if you don’t think your mind does. So pack your musical bags and spend a few raucous hours reveling in the melodious, but often, surreal side–roads of rock ‘n’ roll nostalgia.
After weeks of intense, often late -night learning curves thrashed out in a garage (naturally), the 15 members of Rockphoria are more than ready to guide crowds on a long strange, twisting trip into collective musical history. This pop-laced foray was organized by Smashed Productions and each evening’s journey begins at 8 and it will cost $10 to venture/adventure into a rather harmonious Twilight Zone-like extravaganza of songs of imaginative souls. Shirt and shoes required and fashionistas should arrive with passion.
If the hard day’s work involved in a month’s worth of nights spent in practice is any indication this should be one helluva musical jamboree, a heavy, but fluid concert, seasoned with diverse talents playing with and within the catchy riffs, rhymes and rhythms of tunes not soon to be forgotten. Memories promise to swirl like the sounds of this 15 member eclectic ensemble of driven, multi-talented musicians and singers.
In this the third incarnation of Rockphoria, a selective, sonorous song selection seamlessly meshes into a groove in the capable hands, throats and creative visions of each professional performer involved, be they singer or instrumental virtuoso. Significantly, each star who flashes onto Rockphoria’s stage at the Strand this weekend is a local phenom with multiple musical skills, talents and styles.
“They are going to turn one-hit wonders into today’s top-ten hits,” said Dean McNamara, a local rock icon, sound aficionado, music mogul-cum fanatic concert attendee.
In this all-star set the band members are also singers and the singers often usually strum, play, pound and sooth savage instrumental beasts. On this weekend, however, these local aficionados of sultry sounds will straight-jacket themselves within the sheer joy of music and their muses will be the flash-in-the-pan top of pop songs.
Instrumentally, the glittering, all-too-catchy sounds will be divided in sixths between lead guitarist Gary Shrader, rhythm guitarist Laura Harmon, keyboardist Dave Rasche, drummer Jim Whitacre, bassist Jim Wisker and percussionist Don Williams. Raucous leads, extended solos, rapacious rhythms and driving beats are to be expected; dancing and mayhem may ensue. A chance of instrumental improvisation is also possible.
Vocally, nine singers can, should and will weave onto and into harmonies, syncopations and serenades on the Strand’s grand stage. The fluid, rotating, ever flowing waves of crooning troubadours weaving into the musical mélange includes Amanda O’Connor, Aimee Yarwood, Bobby Toon , Bryanna Justice ,Glen Yarwood , Larry Brandt, Scott Shrader, Tre Dillman and Willandra Macklin. Passion, purity, pristine pipes and perfect pitch are possible and likely; screams and shrill to throaty cries and wails may be expected.
Surely, this will be a four-square multi-course meal filled with pop, rocks and rolls and to journey,, however briefly, with 15 musical mavens for ten bucks is a worthy adventure especially to see local rising stars playing the songs of once, bright, but now fallen, stars of yore. History, legends and the stuff of dreams are made of just such stardust.

Submitted by:  Terrance Aldridge

This independent preview does not express the opinion of the Strand Theatre.