Oh. It is on. UPDATED!

I got money on hip hop. Respect.
I suggest you take this hip hop verses reggae seriously. It is sort of our version of the fall out of jazz festival without the giant turkey legs or bad ass new orleans clarinetists in suits in 90 degree weather. Head on downtown for cold ones and hot jams and then head to see tom p at the pearl. Especially if you had too many red bull colas and aren't ready to retire your jersey.

$5 red bull cola and any well until close

BIG UPDATE:
International superstar and NYC indie rocker Mario Sevayega will warm it up tonight at the BG before reggae and hip hop start melting the wheels of steels.

Introducing...the...RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET!

Riverside Arts Market from Michael Walter on Vimeo.

this video is a gift...

Even if you have been before, you haven't been to this one! And if you have not been before, this is your last chance to see the escape artist and the TOWER OF DEATH. Which by the title doesn't sound as funny as it is.

Also the world's fastest juggler and many many more.

For a complete list of entertainers check out this page.

Best Press Release. Ever.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kristen Potter
kristen.potter(at)keymergroup.com
904-483-3824

JACKSONVILLE TEAM HAS “SERIOUS MISGIVINGS” ABOUT CROSS-COUNTRY BANGER RALLY


From New York to New Orleans in a $500 car to benefit Daniel



May 27, 2009 ---- A team from Jacksonville is joining a field of eighty racers in the 2009 Big Apple to Big Easy (BABE) Banger Rally, a five leg odyssey between New York and New Orleans across the Appalachians. The rally has only one rule – competing vehicles must have been bought for under $500.

The local team, called Team Preteen Spirit, is supporting Jacksonville children’s charity Daniel (www.danielkids.org) with its entry. The car, a 1995 Dodge Stratus, was found on Craigslist and has been modified (at almost no expense), principally to improve its looks. The crew comprises Jacksonville residents Simon Keymer and Todd Johnson, and resident of Abu Dhabi, Justin Doherty, who is flying in for the rally specially. The team is being supported by Simon's public relations agency, The Keymer Group.

“This seemed like a good idea at the time,” said Simon Keymer, “but the closer we get to the event the more serious misgivings I have. Last night we were up until midnight whittling wooden bushings for the manual transmission. I don’t even know what a bushing is, but I am almost certain they aren’t usually made of wood. We periodically lose reverse and electrics while sitting at traffic lights, and I think there is a fuel leak. On the upside, we have very nice pleather seats and the radio works, but frankly, I’m scared.”

The team departs Jacksonville on Saturday morning for Sanford to take the auto-train north. The rally departs from Staten Island, NY June 1st and finishes June 5th in New Orleans, LA. Press and other interested parties will have the opportunity to see the car and meet the crew prior to departure at 10 am on Friday, May 29, 2009 in the parking lot at the Lamppost Building, 3955 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville 32210.

For more information contact Kristen Potter at kristen.potter(at)keymergroup.com or at 904-483-3824.

NOTES:

To donate money to the team for Daniel Memorial, visit the First Giving page.

For regular updates and the latest pictures visit the team on Facebook.

To find out more about the rally, visit the BABE Rally homepage.

For minute-by-minute updates along the route visit the Keymer PR Twitter page



#####

If it RAINS...POUR ON THE FUN!

Mark George interview by Globatron, I wouldn't say it is work safe, but I guess you are sort of a maverick anyway reading a blog and all at work.

This JAZZ FEST this weekend may rain. It will mean maybe 500k people downtown instead of 1,000,000. I look at rain as better parking options, crowd control, and way to have more fun and better conversations. I hope you do too. It also makes for better deals. Here are some sales at RAM if it rains:

replenishing the florida aquifer isn't always easy.

with that burden of responsibility taken care of, lighten the load with an amazing 20 %
off modern esential home elements at our rainy day special ! ! offered exclusivley by coop dog and mark george. pick up a sweet time piece, and iconic pop portrayals
this saturday at the riverside arts market ! show up for the sweet deal ! !

Mark George booth, 506

Hey now,
We're doing a "free your head" $5 scalp and neck massage 'special'.
peace,
B*

Brenda Star Walker, booth 305

Should we start building an ark and sell from it Saturday? The St. Johns River is right there!!! Hope you guys are staying dry.
FYI: I will be having a RAINY DAY SPECIAL at my booth. With every purchase of a Handbag, you will receive ONE Handcrafted 100% Glycerin Soap. (Value $5.00).
Thanks for the GREAT work all of you do each week!!! It is very much appreciated!!!!!!

Melissa McManus, booth 717

Our Rain Day Special will be $5.00 off on all Flying Birds. This will include the plant hangers.
Get them while they last. The Plant Hanger Flying Birds are normally $25. We will sell them for $20. The Bird on a stick and hanging Bird are normally $20 and we will sell them for $15.
Any questions please call 384-4843.

Copper Head, Don Maxey, booth 008

I can't tell you what it means for these artist, both Jazz and Ram, if you show up despite the weather. So even if it is raining in your hood. Put on the slicker and head downtown. I guarantee you will not forget it nor regret it.

Its just cleaner now!

Jazz Fest Wednesday Update

Today's posts are brought to you by Urban Jacksonville who let me borrow a machine while mine is getting fixed. Thanks!

I am so stoked about this years Jazz Fest. I was going to post a video from the entire line up. But I have had a busy week and have to prepare the market for foul weather this weekend. I am going to be taking breaks and hitting the jazz fest on Friday night and Saturday. On Saturday morning from 11 to 1 I am going to volunteer at the bike valet at City Hall where I have been a lot lately. Please take a couple hours or less or more, out of your day and help the bike valets by volunteering. Holler at Matt at Bike Jax.

And Jazz Fest is rain or shine! Don't wimp out. Dave Bruebeck can do it and so can you. Plus just think of it as crowd control and easier parking. Wear a poncho. Its free. The line up is AMAZING.

Here is my top ten:

10. Jason Marsalis


9. Lao Tizer


8.Stanley Clarke


7. Dr. John (without Etta)


6. Red Holloway


5. Aaron Parks


4. Jimmy Cobb


3. Roberta Flack


2.Marcus Roberts


1. Spam Allstars


And the LEGEND




You can hear this world famous top festival quality jazz as you stroll down the street drinking a glass of wine or beer. You can walk from Hemming to the river and then to the arts market and back. 3 miles of river, jazz, art, and people without even seeing a car. All free. Don't miss out on this.
GET YOUR PONCHO

FREE BURRITO FRIDAY

No, not at the BG. Yes, the answer is I am posting this because we at the BG wish the fellas at High Tide nothing but the best of luck. I am sure the bridge really appreciates their support and we support their free burrito opening to support the garden project at the bridge our buddy Dan who has it looking awesome already. All four burrito partners live in SPR.

As for the text about freezers and microwaves, we are sure that is not about the BG. We can only speak for the last 5 years but we feel comfortable in saying our 1903 building hasn't ever had a microwave in it. Maybe the rave in the 90s but I doubt it. And the only thing we have in a freezer is Jager.

Anyway, support the bridge and carb up for JAZZ FEST!

Escape from the ho hum scene (yawn, stretch) of 5 points and duck into some excellent filmage.

Obviously I am kidding. 5 points is HOT. Beer and a movie, I can't even say anything else.

HUGE NEWS COMING SOON! WATCH THIS SPACE!

Biggest Art Opportunity in YEARS!

CALLING ALL ARTISTS

TO BE A PART OF

In conjunction with the 2009 Jacksonville Jazz Festival, the City of Jacksonville is
proud produce “Art in the Heart of Downtown”—a juried art show and sale that
will feature the work of prize-winning artists and master craftspeople from around
the country. The show is complimented by a distinct wine tasting experience and
the sounds of jazz in a vibrant festival setting. Festival attendees will be able to
stroll through Art in the Heart, located along the Laura Street Corridor in the heart
of downtown Jacksonville.
• Fine arts and crafts outdoor juried show
• Prize money and awards
• Friday set-up with 24-hour security
• Vibrant street festival setting
• Artist hospitality area and complimentary parking

The application is now available online!

Show Dates: May 22-24, 2009

I will update this post later and will soon sync into jazz fest only news and opportunities. Thank you.

Happy Bike to Work day! One of the most important posts you will ever read.

Copenhagen - City of Cyclists from Colville Andersen on Vimeo.

one day this will be us. almost all of this content is from Streetsblog (you should join)

Part of the problem in the new bike/urban/livable city movement is that most people actually live in parts of the city that are not walkable or bike-able and are not served well with public transportation. So there hasn't been a way for a guy that lives in an apartment in tinseltown to help make the city more transit, bike, and walk friendly. He gets in his car and sits and sits. Then he gets to work and when that is over he repeats. So, that must suck right? Well, if there is anything we can do right in Duval it is complain. I am saying it here. COMPLAIN! Tell your congress that our current way of doing things sucks for you. It is costly as (insert bad word). Our transit and road orgs and businesses won't get involved until congress does anyway so go to the source. TELL THEM MY COMMUTE SUCKS!

Don’t you wish there were a place where you could just vent all your transportation troubles? Well, the wait is over. Let it all out and take action at www.MyCommuteSucks.org

· At www.MyCommuteSucks.org, you can get in touch with Congress, vent your daily frustrations, upload photos and video, read and rate the stories of other troubled commuters, and learn more about how the transportation policy they cook up in Washington affects the lives of so many millions of people, whether they drive, ride, or walk their way to work, school, appointments, and life.

· We think it’s important to give Americans all over the country – in big cities, small towns, and everything in between – a chance to let it all out and tell Congress exactly what they feel. Letting it all out is the first step to changing the system...getting personal with Congress comes next. Rage against your ride, then help us turn the tide!

· Indefinite delays, rocketing gas prices, crazy crowded streets. Face it: commuting just sucks. The same things that irk you every day—the smell of an over-packed subway car during rush-hour, the driver in front of you who clearly skipped that morning coffee, the miles of detours and delays that leave you frazzled and exhausted before the day even begins—are bad for our economy, our health, and our planet.

· It may seem like transportation isn't the most pressing issue facing our country. But many Americans spend 20% or more of their monthly income on transportation - cutting into their ability to afford housing, food, clothing, and other necessities. (You can pull from language on our learn more page)

· Transportation affects everyone, and it can be a hair-pulling heap of frustration. But if we redirect our rage, we can get Congress to make smart transportation investments that finally bring us some relief.

· How about we make sure transportation actually makes sense for a change? Every six years, Congress sets new transportation priorities, targeting billions of dollars that will shape our communities for generations. Now's our chance to make sure they finally get it right.

· You don’t have to visit mycommutesucks.org to vent. Use Twitter on the go. Include #mycommutesucks to tag your rant and follow us @mycommutesucks

Seriously, if we get involved here it could make a difference. Check this out:

U.S. DOT is teaming up with former Bloomberg Administration all-star Shaun Donovan at HUD to focus on transit-oriented affordable housing. LaHood framed this project as going "hand in hand" with the Obama Administration's commitment to high-speed rail. Donovan, LaHood said, is "one of the most innovative people in America; a very creative fellow."

LaHood said almost nothing about the upcoming federal transportation bill except that DOT is taking "a hard look at how we fund transportation" and they want "to give cities like New York more flexibility in how they spend Uncle Sam’s dollars."

Though you don't really get the sense that LaHood lives and breathes transportation policy like, say, New York City's Janette Sadik-Khan, a lot of the right words are coming out of his mouth these days. Yesterday's talk wasn't limited to roads, bridges and zillion dollar mega-projects. The Obama Administration, he said, is committed to a transportation policy that will "enhance mobility, support a cleaner environment and help make our communities more livable." LaHood is clearly making the connection between transportation policy and urban development. He said (and I'm condensing this a little bit): "What we’re trying to do is take some of the resources we have on the transit side and connect them with what Secretary Donovan wants to do. We want to create livable communities. Portland is really the model for it. We want to create housing opportunities so that people can walk out their front doors and go wherever they want to go without getting into an automobile. That’s really the goal."

Ok. So, lets make the plan now. Extend the skyway to the Sports and Entertainment complex and put 10,000 mixed income units on the Shipyards site. It is as freaking shovel ready as it gets people. I will help make this happen if you will help make this happen.

But back to the here and now. In the above quote it says "without even getting into an automobile". Awesome. You may have heard me gush about Jazz Fest this year.

You will be able to stroll from Hemming south to the mighty mighty St. Johns cut right along the river to the Riverside Arts Market and back to jazz fest enjoying UNREAL line ups of fresh jazz, from latin to standards, to new jazz. The river will be your guide to more than 150 artists, food artists, more jazz, children's activities, and farmer's produce. You can walk this 3 mile roundtrip without EVEN SEEING A CAR! That is freaking European. In fact almost any European would be envious of this Memorial Day Weekend. We are all counting on you to come downtown. Make it gridlock. Park far away and take the skyway or RIDE YOUR BIKE!

PARK YOUR BIKE FOR FREE AT ONE OF 3 BIKE VALETS!

All of the sudden with BikeJax's leadership, we are becoming one of the most bike aware city's in the south. Show your support just by showing up OR take one step more and VOLUNTEER!

Pour a glass of wine. Relax, watch the weekend roll through downtown.

Found out the RAM is part of a Downtown Jacksonville Weekend Getaway. Too cool.

RAM will have sweet grass dairy goat cheese, plenty of other farm fresh essentials, great tunes, excellent food, coffees, snacks, paintings, sculptures, beverages, jewelry, jugglers, kids art tent, and all kinds of new stuff. Never the same market twice. Some artists feature rainy day sales if it looks sketchy but remember it is all weather market that is 90% covered. Make it happen this weekend. It will be worth it. Big new announcements coming soon too!

BONUS- If you are able to volunteer this Saturday afternoon from 1-4 or breakdown 4-5:30 holler at me theurbancore at gmail dot com and I will forward immediately to our Volunteer Coordinator Shannon. We need you now more than ever. And a free gift is in it for you in addition to the shear joy of helping your community market. It does feel good. We are going to have a big mid-season volunteer party too. Come on.

It ain't over.

All of the votes (via you tube) are available at Riverhugger.

This is just the beginning of a multi-billion dollar “Alternative Water Supply” (AWS) program that could result in the removal of over 300 million gallons of water a day (MGD) from the St. Johns River and the Ocklawaha River, a major tributary of the St. Johns. Seminole County eventually plans to remove and process over 50 MGD from the St. Johns at the Yankee Lake facility.

MUST. STOP. THIS SUCKS.

I feel better already.

Riverside Arts Market from Michael Walter on Vimeo.

I have been getting sort of bummed about disappointing people lately. Now I can just watch this video and relax. Thank you Michael Walter.

Midnight is for Movies in 5 Points

The 5 Points Theatre is proud to present Evil Dead 2 as its latest Midnight Movie. Tonight. At Midnight. For $5.

Scroll Down for Mother's Day Awesomeness. Please pass on both/either opportunities to all your friends.

The Mother of All Arts Markets

You might think I am kidding but I am not. In fact I bet we also have the longest waiting list of any arts market. Cheeze and rice. Come tomorrow and you will not be disappointed. We have added lots of new booth space (still haven't caught up with demand) and have more art and content than EVER BEFORE. BY A MILE.

So make it down and check out these deals (just a sample of the great deals) for MOM! BUY LOCAL!:

Jazz artist Walden- booth 801
Red Hattitude Lapel Pins and Jewelry
50 % off on all hand crafted Bracelets, rings and Necklaces

Denise Clodfelter- booth 108
Flowers (cool art pieces)that Mom can have forever, instead of for just a little while, several different styles and colors will be available.

Jaye Richardson- booth 408
Mother's Day Baskets of soaps and candles

Catmandu Jewelry Designs- booth 509.
We are giving 25% Off on all Necklace and Earring sets including Turquoise Necklace & Earring Sets.

Linda Ortagus- booth 813
Wonderful Garden Aprons… with exquisite and fun embroidery!! And… as always I’ll have embroidered items for the home and the popular “GO GREEN” replacement mops and dusters for the swiffer type handles. These mops and dusters can be used over and over – with just a wash in a regular wash cycle. At only $4 each (including tax) they save lots of $$$ over the years by not buying those “throw away” replacements. A perfect gift for mom, the environment and your economy!

Note: I didn't recommend cleaning products for your mom, but they sound COOL!

Linda Foreman- booth 403
Cool carved porcelain jars for Mom.

Flippin Good Cookies- booth 702
We are going to package one dozen our fresh baked cookies with a decorative box and ribbon for Mother's Day. $15.00 for one dozen.

Desiree Kantrim- booth 301
pottery for Mothers Day ! I have some beautiful bowls, great ceramic fish for wall decorations, candlesticks and much more. I'm planning to do a 10 % discount on all pottery as well as 20% on all prints. I also have beautiful paintings, priced at less than half of gallery prices.

Birds On a Wire- booth 404
jewelry, mosaics and pottery – lovely items any Mother would love!



And SO MUCH MORE! COME CHECK THIS MARKET OUT. Even if you think you have experienced the Riverside Arts Market, you haven't seen tomorrow's!

The Debut of the Jenkins Gallery

at the Burrito Gallery. Debuting with a collection of Jacksonville art in an auction to support good friend and jazz musician Brian Hicks.

Featuring:
Grind

Mark Estlund
12 x 16.5


Panda I

Shannon Estlund
12 x 12


Crippled Beneath the Dead
Leaves of Reason
(Just a Handful)

Donald Dusinberre
(Mixed Media on Vinyl Upholstery Fabric)
41 x 41


Chief

Morrison Pierce
16 x 23


Frumpy

Mark George


Lost of Soul and Shoe

Eric Gillyard


the Egg
Bird
Dinosaur
Bear
Pete Henry

Clock

Cooper


Internet Skull Double Dive
Deal with the Devil
Dog world

Ian Chase

Higglesworth Cubist Jazz Movement #02

Jon Bosworth
(Printed Courtesy Giglio, Framed Courtesy of Fogle)

The Resurrection of Booga B
Stop Brian Cancer Facebook Art Auction

Please look for the Facebook group "The Resurection of Booga B" to bid on the pieces you see displayed here, or come to the May 17 benefit event at The Eclipse on Herschel and St. Johns in Avondale (8pm - 1 am). This Facebook group also has details about Brian Hicks' struggle with cancer and fundraising events such as this one.

Brian Hicks & Friends
A musician in his late thirties who has long been an advocate for great art and music in Jacksonville seems to have come down with a pretty serious case of The Cancer. With no insurance, Brian is working hard at recovering from a failed surgical attempt to remove the tumor and preparing to begin Chemotherapy to combat the mass. He has been unable to work for several months and will likely be in a full time fight for the foreseeable future.

Many of his friends in the local art and music community have come together to help out a good friend throughout his epic struggle. Stop Brian Cancer events and donation jars are the evidence of this effort. If you would like to help Brian, financial assistance is always appreciated. There is a donation jar here at Burrito Gallery, just ask at the counter.

Donation jars are also located at The Fox Restaurant in Avondale, Bead Here Now in Five Points, Shanty Town Pub in Springfield, Giglio Signs in San Marco, Bold City Brewery Taproom in Riverside, and at any Stop Brian Cancer Event. Jacksonville needs more Brian Hicks and less cancer, so thank you for your help.

Whoa JaxReader is really good right now.

image from the O L B show via Outer Box

I stopped by the office. To get my djing done and roster printed. Cruise over to JaxReader.com and it is really really good. You never really know what you are going to get.Thanks.

See you tomorrow at the beignets.