Movie night Saturday night...

ASTHMATIC KITTY screens Castanets DVD, Grampal Jukabox performs

"The recorded version of the song is not necessarily the definitive version of the song." - Ray Raposa of Castanets

Movie and music night at Big Car
When: 8 p.m. May 17
Cost: $5 suggested donation.

Featuring live music by Grampal Jukabox of Indianapolis.

On May 17, Asthmatic Kitty Records will screen Tendrils, a visual exploration by director Mia Ferm of the people that surround and compose Castanets, featuring covers of Castanets songs by Phosphorescent, Dirty Projectors, Osso, and Vanishing Voice. DVD releases in stores on May 20.

Tendrils began as a simple search for a music video from Castanets most recent record, In the Vines. But it didn't take long for Castanets frontman Ray Raposa and label project manager Michael Kaufmann to abandon the notion of designing a YouTube friendly vignette. If Raposa's above statement is true, why then create a video that seemed to suggest otherwise, one that would become the visually determinate version? Instead, Raposa and Kaufmann decided to create a document that subverted the authority of the original by soliciting new takes and approaches on songs from Vines. They also wanted to create a document that would serve as a snapshot of a particular moment in time surrounding Raposa and Castanets, one that seems to employ both a high return-rate and turnover in the band's composition.

The result is a meditative reflection on the mesmerizing motion of water, the beauty of natural light, and the spontaneity of friends. Responding to the thickness of the songs on In The Vines, here the songs are stripped bare and presented by new voices that further reveal the lyrical beauty of Raposa's songwriting. The document is also a portrait of the community of friends and acquaintances that reside in close proximity to Raposa and the music of Castanets. This community inhabits a Brooklyn that is portrayed here in all its strange, gritty, rural paradox. It is equal parts home movie (ala Jonas Mekas), Downtown 81, Pull My Daisy, and audio-visual collage.

In the gallery now

"Under Pressure" -- Herron School of Art Senior Print Show and Sale.

May 2-May 24. Hours 5-7 Fridays and 1-4 on Saturdays, and by appointment. Featuring work by senior printmakers as a gallery show and a large variety of loose prints for sale. Artists include: Nicola Evans, Cassie Stukofski, Ken Nurenberg, Alexander Peace, Keith Rigby, Andrea Fogt, Melissa Hamer, Donald Adams, Sarah Strong, David Finegan and Audrey Patten.

Also in Sidecar this month through May 24: Siby Hill. An artist from outside of Dayton, Ohio, Hill is now working at her studio in Old Town Carmel. The work varies from six-foot canvases to earthenware clay sculptures. The title: "Sweeping Alleys of Rite and Flux," is an expression of rustic movement and targeted toward those interested in natural finishes and raw clay. Her background is firmly rooted in the family of artists that she came from and her Scandinavian heritage.

Visit her website, www.northskyestudio.com for more images and information.

MiCo returns to the Murphy

The Midwest Museum of Contemporary Art (MiCo) is pleased to present its latest exhibition, The Life of Brian, a selection of works by four diverse and talented artists currently based in Indianapolis. Curated by Scott Grow and Jeremy Efroymson, this exhibition proposes to question whether with the ever growing globalization of art in the world today, if regionalism still exists in Indiana. The Life of Brian juxtaposes the works of local artists Brian McCutcheon, Brian Myers, Brian Presnell and Brian Priest, in search of common ground which may help to define what contemporary regionalism in Indiana may be. The exhibition consists of photography, sculpture, painting, video and an audio installation.

These artists will take over MiCo's temporary showroom in the Murphy Arts Center at 1043 Virginia Ave, Suite 4, in Fountain Square from May 2-24. Open to the public: Fridays 5pm-7pm and Saturdays 1pm-4pm or by appointment.

The Life of Brian is made possible by the Efroymson Fund, a CICF fund, with media support provided by Big Car Gallery.

Coming up in June

Acoustic music mixer

Special music event and celebration: June 5, 8 p.m. $5 donation, downstairs in Suite 4 -- fundraiser preview show for The Second Story writing center. Featuring Real Live Tigers, Beat Debris and Adam Kuhn.

First Friday opening on June 6:

"Get Permanent Result"
*an exhibition of new work from jinjonjim art
opening reception:
June 6, 6-11 p.m.

jinjonjim art is a Bloomington-based art collective. It is made up of three artists: Crab Jackson, Jeremy Kennedy, and Shane Edge.

The title "jinjonjim" is a group identifier for collaborative art between any or all of the three members, as well as solo works. It is also used as a brand name for "products" designed by the group, the name of a mock design agency, and is generally referenced by any of the three members, for any project, whenever they see fit.

Jackson, Kennedy, and Edge began working together while attending high school. They formed bands, made experimental audio recordings, did absurd and destructive performances and videos, etc. Upon moving to Bloomington in 1998, the trio soon added visual art to their list of outlets. One by one, they began making and exhibiting work as individual artists. After years of sharing ideas and watching each other develop their techniques, the jinjonjim collective came about naturally. Their brand of abstract humor is also a key element, and has always been a common ground between the three. All living in the same neighborhood made these collaborations even easier.

Much of the jinjonjim work manifests itself on the 2-D visual level. A natural choice, seeing as how the body of all three artists' solo careers is painting and drawing. These collaborative canvases draw directly from each artists individual styles, and create scenes where they coexist.

Jijonjim also works off the canvas: designing absurd products, modifying pre-existing objects, and turning inside jokes into something much bigger.

For this latest exhibition "Get Permanent Result", jinjonjim art has created a collection of all new work for Big Car Gallery. Collaborative paintings on medium-large sized canvases, solo pieces in a variety of mediums from all three of the artists, reworked items from the jinjonjim archives, as well as some humorous and surprising oddities will be on display. Musical performances for the evening, will be programmed by jinjonjim art, and will feature: Normanoak, Caethua and Vollmar.

Check out jinjonjim art online: at www.jinjonjim.com.

Help out a Big Car

Do you love Big Car? Have you enjoyed our art or music shows or even participated in something there? Well, here's your chance to offer support. Big Car is in the midst of its first membership drive. Your $40 membership will help keep our non-profit space going strong. Joining Big Car is a neat deal because it provides both the warm, fuzzy feeling of helping out and great discounts at several of your favorite (or soon to be favorite) spots around the city. And you'll enjoy other benefits like special members only events, a profile on our website and opportunities to show your artwork in our spaces. Read more below (click to enlarge):

We're happy to accept memberships in person or via mail at 1043 Virginia Ave. Suite 215, Indianapolis, IN 46203.

Email membership questions here: audrey@bigcar.org.

Daily feature

Enjoy our daily (Mon-Thurs) comic by Jayson with a Y of Indianapolis who does all of his drawings in the fabulous Microsoft Paint program. Visit his myspace here and tell him what you think and view an archive of his work.

Random video action