For those of you keeping up with the show commentary… we apologize for not posting sooner. Here’s a little briefing on the last two shows we had.
Echo Park was overwhelmingly successful. It felt close to home, if home is SF, or the ATA. EPFC felt like it has some of our roots.
A lot of people came out to the show, including three of the filmmakers. It meant a lot to us to have them there to see this exhibition in full. We also were pleased to see some SFSU Cinema alumi present, as well as friends and family.
After Echo Park, we took a few days rest. On Monday we drove North to Santa Barbara for an interview on the UCSB campus, 91.9 KCSB. Brenda and I briefed some of Santa Barbara about what this tour is, and we closed with a live performance of Dusty Organ on air.
That night we had our final show that night at Jensen’s Mainstage. Dusty Organ had their last performance on tour with us, and blew me away yet again…
We’re all so used to seeing this lineup on a regular basis, it is hard to imagine not watching the show anymore. For me, there are a few characters in a few of the films that I don’t want to give up.
Now that this tour is up, we feel accomplished and happy with what we were able to do: share the world of the experimental and introduce our audiences to films and methods that set precedents for alternatives in movie-making, and film exhibition…
Cut and Run has run its course, but Brenda and I promise to bring you more of the like. Until then, we thank everyone who had a part in it’s life cycle and supported us – you know who you are.
We arrived in LA last night after a long drive down from Nevada City.
Wednesday night we had our show at The Basement – a very low key and laid back basement in a house. This venue usually does music gigs, but alas, they are doing film as well.
This show was probably the smallest and most intimate.
A few hours before the show, we received a phone call from The Basement warning us that our event was competing with three major events in the area – the county fair, a massive concert in Grass Valley, and the Nevada City Film Festival. We were given the option to cancel the show, as a low turnout or no turnout was expected, but decided it would be best to let the show run its course.
It’s a good thing we didn’t cancel; we had two Sacramento based ladies drive up to see it because they missed the screening on Saturday and a handful of supportive Nevada City residents join us. Thank you to everyone who showed up, and thanks to the Basement for making it happen.
Also, we have another interview in the Santa Barbara Independent. http://independent.com/news/2009/aug/13/jensens-music-hosts-traveling-film-fest/
Tonight is our 7th show at Echo Park Film Center. The show starts at 8pm!
Last night we played our 5th show at Beatnik Studios in Sacramento, CA.
We had a great show! Keeping up with the Second Saturday tradition in downtown Sacramento, Beatnik Studios opened around 6pm for Patrice Sims textile artwork in the gallery. The night began with light snacks, wine, jazz, and Sims’ artwork.
textile work by Patrice Sims
Around 9PM, Dusty Organ began their opening act. Phillip and Elisa seem to be getting better and better… it’s really nice to see their progression together since this is their first tour. After the music, Brenda and I presented the show to an audience filled with friends, acquaintances, and new faces that heard about Cut and Run when they stumbled upon our article in the Sacramento Bee.
Anyway, we feel that our hard work is paying off. The films were well-received, we had great attendance, and we gave Sacramentans something different to do with their Second Saturday! We exposed more people to these films, and they seemed to be grateful.
molly
Thank you to everyone who came to it, it wouldn’t have been so successful without you, and thank you Wes and Lindsay of Beatnik Studios. If you live in the Sacramento area and were unable to attend, come to our show at the Basement in Nevada City on Wednesday! It’s not too far off the beaten path… and it’s in a basement!
The Muni show today marked the halfway point of the tour. Brenda and I boarded an empty inbound train at 5 PM and slowly watched our audience grow as we hopped around from train to train. The show ended at about 8:30 PM after we were yelled by an angry Muni driver for taking too long to break down our equipment. Overall, the show went a lot smoother than expected. We were quite nervous about getting in trouble, getting fined, or just not reaching anybody. However, it seemed that a lot of passengers enjoyed the show – there were lots of smiles and people were intrigued enough to accept the Cut and Run tour programs. Here are a couple pictures from just a few hours ago.
still from Cut and Run's Muni show projection of Mushroom People
Hi. We got back into the city yesterday evening and headed straight to Pirate Cat Radio for an interview with DJ Squid. Dusty Organ, our opening band, ended up doing a last-minute stripped down performance with vocals and PCR’s in-studio piano.
Having noted that, I just want to remind you all of our San Francisco screening later today. Here’s the trailer to give you an idea of what the content is like.
The majority of these films were made by artists in the Bay Area. Some of the pieces, such as Selective Service System and Oh Dem Watermelons, are well known and respected films in the experimental film community. Several, including POP!, Straightboy Lessons, Float, Mirror Mirror, First, etc., are award-winning films or made by award-winning directors. Others, such as A Conversation with Enthusiasts: Mushroom People and Sally’s Dream, have become audience favorites and were made by filmmakers who honed their filmmaking skills while attending Bay Area Universities . In curating this show, Mallary and I tried to keep the mix of experimental films diverse but made sure not to compromise content or style for audience comfort. This may sound like a contradiction to traditional curating but traditional curating is not what this tour is about. It’s simply about keeping experimental films on the map. So, in coming out to see these pieces, you’d become the communal support needed to keep alternative projects like these alive.
The Springfield show was outstanding. The venue felt right and the crowd was fitting and abundant.
The founders of Ditch Projects are good people.
It was the perfect spot – a woodshop building in the country nested above the creek near the tracks. It’s premises are very rustic, open, and natural. The two giant sliding doors open up to a beautiful scene of the country and reveal a formation of Oregon’s tall lush woodland.
The crowd was our largest and most loving of the tour (so far). They were a friendly, accepting, patient, and an overall, savvy audience that grasped the meaning of the tour. Touring in general can be a bit isolating. Continually presenting one’s work to an unfamiliar group of people can cultivate unsettling emotions but last night proved to be the exception. These kids knew what was up with Cut and Run. They even gave us a place to crash for the night. Check them out if you’d like: http://www.ditchprojects.com/
Our show at the NorthWest Film Forum was quite the contrast from our last screening. The venue was large and a bit lavish. There was a last minute change made by the staff at the NWFF to where we were upgraded to the larger theater. That was awesome ’cause it provided more performance room for the opening band. Matt and the other staff at NWFF were super friendly and relayed their gusto to be hosting an alternative type of screening there.
There were a lot of new faces in the audience that night. As soon as we set up a ticket booth outside of our theater, people approached us and seemed to be interested but they wanted to know just how experimental and “out there” the films were. Some were unsure if they would like the show. There were a couple points during the show in which people began to walk out. They each complained about how they thought the films were offensive. One lady even went as far as to call the show a screening of snuff films. She wouldn’t shut her mouth about it. If I had a video camera on me, I would have just videotaped her outburst and used that as our promo trailer.
Overall, the evening was a success. We were able to screen at a nationally renowned film venue and do what Cut and Run was created to do– offend people.
Dusty Organ played a great set and said they were really comfortable in this venue. It seems like the band is getting more comfortable and confident the further we get with the tour.
The tour is a process that we are really starting to understand. We feel accomplished having completed two shows so far. We’ve got six left.
Today we leave Seattle and head to the Springfield/Eugene area of Oregon where we will rest and prepare for the show tomorrow at Ditch Projects.
Lots of excitement in the air for our Saturday show in Portland at the Waypost. On Friday we found our show listed in the Portland Mercury – which was awesome.
We spent the afternoon at Portland’s Saturday Market in the west side of the city. It was great to experience something different from film/tour stuff, great to cross paths with the people of Portland, and awesome to chow down on a pupusa.
Finally, the time for the first show of the tour had come. And now, after much hard work, our first show of the tour is over. We played our lineup at The Waypost here in Portland, where we still are until we head up to Seattle tomorrow.
The show was a lot of work, and it started out pretty rocky. There was some miscommunication that gave us a late start and a lot of stressing out before the show. This first stop was also the premier for Dusty Organ. The band and the films played in what was a homey and intimate room with a corresponding crowd. It was nice to see some familiar faces in the audience and also great to see some new ones. Both the films and the band received a positive response and overall, we stepped away from this show feeling really good about what we are doing.
We hit the road last night. Here’s a pic of Phillip and Elisa (Dusty Organ) as we cross the Bay Bridge. Really excited to be here regardless of the lack of sleep. Today is about resting, promoting, sweating, sleeping in awkward positions on peoples ottomans, and rehearsing.
Driving all night made us hungry. We had some coffee and breakfast at “Original Breakfast”… supposed to have the best breakfast on I 5?
And finally we arrived at our destination in Portland and quickly passed out.
Tonight we will mainly prepare for tomorrows show at The Waypost. We just need to make sure our projector is nice and clean for Oh Dem Watermelons. A band rehearsal, a run through of the films, some more publicity on the streets of Portland and we will be ready to go. Show is at 7pm. It’s located in the north district of Portland at 3120 N Williams Avenue and will be FREE!
We’re happy to say that CUT and RUN was featured in Sacramento’s Submerge magazine under section “Submerge Your Senses” on page 8. Our show is what you should SEE!
Before we picked up the issue of Submerge, we had an interview with SacBee writer Anna Ritner at the Shady Lady in Sacramento. We were so happy, this was our first interview – and Anna asked all the right questions. Needless to say, we were quite giddy.
Then we headed back to the Bay. We got our projector, finally! Picked up our fragile, awkward lopsided package at the UPS store. Took it back to Brenda’s, cleaned it up, admired it, and tested it with the 16mm print First Flight (most appropriate, we think) which was included in our purchase. We’re really excited to own this baby, and it was a treat that we got a free print.
Then, we did our Muni show rehearsal. We headed into the Sunset to catch the N Judah and pick up friends Jasper, Lucky, and Adam for help. Lucky is also one of the filmmakers in our show and Adam is the creator of the music I used in my film in the show. So it was awesome that they got to be a part of it. The rehearsal went very smoothly, it was a lot less intense than we expected, all we had to do was plug in and project. Can’t wait for the real show! August 7 at 5pm, we start at Ocean Beach on the N Judah inbound.
we can use the white board for a screen
or the ceiling of the train
any light colored surface will do
We’ve put together some footage so it’s more clear what to expect on the day of the actual show.
Lastly, we met with the band and had a rehearsal.
Check out their myspace page. http://www.myspace.com/dustyorgan
That’s all for now – we leave tomorrow night for Portland. Keep checkin in on us!
We’ve put together some footage so it’s more clear what to expect on the day of the actual show. 
