Concert For Kathmandu Kids - Around The Room

Just a bit more from last weekend's fundraiser for the Mitrata Nepal Foundation. There was a good crowd at The Old Rock House, a bar and music venue near downtown. Above, the leaders of Joia and Christine Schutz, the president of the foundation. Below, part of the Nepalese contingent at the party and, finally, fun on the dance floor during the final jam with Dawn Weber, her band and Joia.        

Concert For Kathmandu Kids- Joia

The other main act at the Mitrata Nepal Foundation's fundraiser was Joia. I can only describe it as a percussion orchestra. Their performances aren't just jam sessions, although they can be at times. The group has set pieces of incredible rhythmic complexity and drive. It's impossible to sit still in their presence.

Click any of the videos on their home page for a sample. It's good for what ails you.            

Joia

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Joia is the free-form percussion band nonpareil. We saw a bit of them on Sunday They lead the parade at every Earth Day and every Cinco de Mayo - People's Joy Parade. (I was invited to shoot this year's edition but I'll be in New York. Damn.) Click the link to their web site and you can hear some of their amazing stuff.

Got home from work really late last night. I think there's an Arch pic somewhere for tomorrow. More comments when life takes off the thumbscrews. But there are things to look forward to: a conference in Philadelphia next week and then a weekend in my home town.

Drum Major

                             

Rick Kramer, leader of Joia, seen many times before on these pages. They describe themselves as a world rhythm ensemble and turn up at all sorts of public celebrations. Rick certainly has a lot of flair.

It's hard to appreciate what they do without hearing them. Here's an audio clip from their performance at Earth Day. Crank up the volume.

Concert For Kathmandu Kids

Long-time readers know that my wife and I support the Mitrata Nepal Foundation (see bottom of right sidebar), which provides a loving home, education, health care and nutrition in Kathmandu. We've visited there and met the young woman we sponsor. Contributions are very, very well spent.

Last night was the Concert For Kathmandu Kids, an annual event. I was the house photographer. The headliners were the amazing Dawn Weber, above, and The Lou's supercharged percussion ensemble, Joia. I got a ton of good pix but it's really late as I write this. More to come.

The All Species Parade

The event that gets our Earth Day festival rolling is always the All Species parade. It is always lead by Joia, an all-percussion band that's hard to classify. That's Rick Kraemer, the chief guy, in the top picture, blowing his whistle to start the march.

Actually, I didn't see any species in the parade other than H. Sapiens and the microbes that dwell in us. Usually there are at least a couple of dogs. Some of the children had whimsical animal masks. Good enough for me.

      

Earth Day

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Yesterday brought our town's annual Earth Day celebration in Forest Park. Every tree hugger, organic farmer, herbalist, soul traveler, electric car driver, vegan, river cleaner, Thoreau reader, public transport manager, species preserver, meditator, recycler, chiropractor, banjo picker, tai chi dancer, fair trade importer, bicycle rider, yogi, faerie and moon howler within a tank of gas driving distance was there. So were a few people, like me, who just wished we'd stop fouling our own nest.

As usual, the festivities kicked off with the All Species Parade led by the mind-boggling percussion band, Joia.  I'll devote a post to them in the coming days. I tried to count the number of species in the parade and came up with, um, one (unless you count the bazillion bacteria in our digestive tracts). Fun for all.

TOMORROW: faeries.