POSTED: Monday, January 31, 2011, 4:00 PM
Filed Under: Critical Mass
On Friday Will Stone previewed Fourthwall Salon's Saturday show at WHYY, and today he reviews it.
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Saturday, I basked in the soulful sounds and schmoozing of
Fourthwall Salon's burgeoning arts scene. Every month, the non-profit brings a mixed bag of local talent for a laid-back, "interactive evening" of cross-genre performances, including visual art, spoken word poetry, hip-hop and dance, to name a few. They also switch up the location, and this year's first installment took up residence in the big, glassy halls of WHYY's 6th St. headquarters.
As a Fourthwall first-timer, I was surprised to find all the seats snagged and wall space scarce when I arrived at 7:50 for the 8 p.m. scheduled opening.
Te V. Smith, musician/spoken word artist (just two possible titles for Smith, it seems), was on stage with the night's jazz/R&B/hip-hop band, The Jimmy Crack Corn Experiment, who supplied the background soundtrack for the entire night's program.
The conscientious lyrics and catchy refrain in Te V. Smith's "Decline of the Diaspora" made for a fitting start to the salon's easy-going atmospherics, which were as much about "bringing the love to the audience" as they were about showcasing the artists on stage; that's not to say that the local talent was a side note. Hosting the night was the appealing poet and MC of The Harvest, Nina "Lyrispect" Ball, who set the tone with informal intros and a stage presence that made the segways from one act to the next entertaining rather than tiresome
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| Liam Dean |
By the end of the night, Fourthwall's three leaders had joined Lyrispect at the mic: Elijah Dornstreich and face-painted Keir Johnston each playing Charlie Rose roles during on stage interviews with artist/muralist Brad Carney and abstract painter Liam Dean, as well as Fourthwall artistic director Alexandria "Brinae Ali" Bradley jumping on stage for an unexpected tap dance performance that would have made Savion Glover proud. More than fun interludes, the less scripted style is clearly Fourthwall's appeal: the show makes a point of shedding the formalities and inviting the audience into what appears to be a close-knit community of local artists. Also, they reaffirm the "beauty" and self-worth of you, the audience member, throughout the show, which gives a touch of therapy to the already stress-free vibe of the salon space.
That said, the performance moved at a fast clip, kicking off with some card tricks and antic by magician Ran'd Shine. Two-time Woman of the World Poetry Slam finalist and Camden native, Ms. Wise lived up to her credits with a haunting poem delivered at full force about skin color and her childhood relationship with her grandmother. Perhaps, the only disappointment was that Wise did not follow up this relatively short act with any other poems. Although the "meet the artist interview" hosted by Johnston and Dornstreich was apparently a new addition to Fourthwall's repertoire, the interview format worked well enough as a way of "performing" with visual artists. In particular, abstract painter Liam Dean proved to be up for the on stage banter and shared some genuinely interesting notes about his prolific, but remarkably short career as an artist.
Check out Dean's monumental, acid doused canvasses here.
The rest of the night followed suit, though the strongest performances were certainly brought by regulars like Lyrispect and Ms. Wise. There was a post-performance mixer with vegan treats and a chance for audience members to chat with the artists.
What started as an idea for his living room, as described by Dornstreich, has sprouted into a successful and classy venue for local Philly talent to play for an audience, which –
at least on Saturday night – represented most demographics in Philly. Watch out for upcoming shows at the University of Arts and maybe The Philadelphia Museum of Art,
