Cold Spaghetti

We enjoyed the Pfister Sisters at The Big Top late last summer. Since then, we’d not been for their Friday Night Music Camps, family-friendly music events held about twice a month.We returned on Friday (meeting up with many friends!) to enjoy Theresa Andersson. (That’s Theresa, up on stage behind Kate.)
The Big Top is a great warehouse-type space about a block off St. Charles on the CBD edge of Uptown. Big windows light up the place, which is filled with a large variety of artwork (pottery, sculpture, painting, prints, mixed media, wood, textiles) by local artists. They set up a kids’ craft table, open for kids of all ages to get messy. This week, the table held kazoos and an assortment of stickers and glitter glue.
Kate borrowed one a shaker and wandered around the front of the stage, occasionally staring up at Theresa to exchange a few winks, nods, and “hellos.”
There are a couple of areas to sit, but mostly, everyone mills around and stops to sit in an open spot to rest. The whole room is full of movement, causal munching on snacks, singing, and being a part of the fun performance.
There is also chalk in the alley — Will participated in the spontaneous art design.
Kate was more of a handful, since she is obsessed with electrical outlets (a little more easy to spot in this open environment) and stray cracker jacks or other sticky things that have made their way to the floor as the evening went on.
Will takes in some modern art (below).
My flash batteries died early on and I was left with just keeping the camera wide open to get what I could. This is okay with me, sometimes I prefer it and intentionally keep the flash off. I’m fascinated with movement in photography — particularly in such a dynamic environment. Although the actual photograph has “noise” that blur the subject(s), I feel it better communicates the energy of the moment.
Actually, I’m not as fond of the aforementioned effect in the image above. (But I do like it in the third one from the top, with Kate.)
Some shots from the back. Theresa gave Will a shaker (made from a Coca-Cola can) which he played for this final song. In the intimate environment, Theresa brought kids into the performance by recording them making a variety of sounds, “looping” the sounds together to form a background beat, and then playing with the recording. Before, during break, and afterwards, she mingled in the audience.
We are hoping to go the next Music Camp (two Fridays from now) when Charmaine Neville (yea, THAT Charmaine Neville) is performing.