By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
It’s a combination of tradition and party trick every year at the Artist Grind when singer-songwriter Tom Begich takes the stage at the Original Artist Grind.
Begich has been performing at the Sitka Singer-Songwriter Grind or the Artist Grind the past 20 years. He makes a list of words offered by the audience at some point during the first half of the show. Then offstage he creates the “10 Word Song” – using all ten of the words submitted – and returns to perform it onstage before the end of the program.
It’s always a popular act, with audience members shouting out such words as “herring” or “milkshake” as a challenge, but Begich, a touring performer, always combines the mixed bag of words to actually make sense in a song.
The Original Artist Grind is 7 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at the Performing Arts Center. This grind is a multimedia show with the focus on the word “original,” with artists sharing music they’ve written themselves, and others combining talents to create pieces that join music with literature and drawings, storytelling, visual art with a silks performance, and a video with rock music.
Alice Machesney and Ernie Eggleston perform at a Monthly Grind in February 2006. (Sentinel File Photo)
Begich will perform with his wife, Sarah Sledge, and also will play other tunes he’s written.
Begich, currently a member of the Alaska State Senate, also will perform a song composed by Bryce Edgmon, a fellow legislator from Anchorage and speaker of the State House of Representatives.
The grind is scheduled in the middle of a busy legislative season but Begich said he is determined to continue making the trip to Sitka for the annual Artist Grind.
“I like the community and I like the people, and I’ve always loved Sitka,” he told the Sentinel.
Songwriters and performers in the show have been invited to showcase visual artwork at an exhibit in the lobby of the Performing Arts Center, or to incorporate visual art as part of their performance.
“It was originally just the Songwriters Grind,” said Vern Culp, a local singer-songwriter who will be among performers next weekend. “It was expanded into being more of an original art grind to draw in more people ... artists and the audience.”
Culp will be performing three original songs with keyboardist and vocalist Simon Hook, and bass player Ernie Eggleston. Culp is also a visual artist.
“This is a way to give a forum for people who do original art to go out and rub elbows, share their work and have a good time,” Culp said. “There’s not many venues in town like that.”
Poet and mystery writer John Straley collaborated with artist Norm Campbell and the band Belly Meat. He’ll be reading from his collection of haiku “100 Poems of Winter,” while Belly Meat performs and Campbell’s artwork is projected on a screen.
It’ll be a first for Straley, the author of 10 novels and five books of poetry. The idea was suggested by Jeanne Stolberg, one of the producers of the Artist Grind.
“Jeanne wanted it and I can never say no to Jeanne,” Straley said. Also, he added, “We’re celebrating because ‘Winter’ is just going out of print and will be unavailable soon.”
Ted Howard said he, Gary Gouker and Ernie Eggleston will play “wintery music” behind Straley. He described it as “spacey blues” with “a lot of harmonica.”
“We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for us,” Howard said. “John has a real nice cadence and slow delivery. We just want to provide background under that. ... John trusts us. Gary, Ernie and I have played together an awful long time and we’re pretty much in tune with each other.”
Howard also will contribute his own songs to the Grind, “Heart of the Island,” which he dedicates to “the strong women of Sitka,” and “Whatever Happened to Me?” One is a solo, and he will be joined on the other by Gus Cannizzaro on percussion and Peter Apathy on bass.
Howard said in writing his songs he tries to create “a three-minute short story.”
“Something that has a beginning and end, and a story arc,” he said. Howard has selected photos to be projected behind him for the songs.
The Sitka Cirque act will also combine visual and performing arts, with a preview of the studio’s upcoming “Tides” show, and visual art by Pat Kehoe.
Studio director Franni Donohoe said all three pieces are extracts from the original story “Tides,” with choreography that she, Charles Hart and Katy Pendell created. Audience members will also see different silks performance styles in the preview.
Solo and duet performers at the Grind will be Esther Burdick, Madelynn Schreckengost, Gemma Diehl and Nova Galanin.
The backdrop for their performance at the Grind, as it will be at the “Tides” show April 13 and 14, will feature a projected light show that incorporates watercolor paintings by Pat Kehoe, filmed and edited together by Hart.
Also lined up for the Grind are the Sitka High drum line, storyteller Bob Sam, singer-songwriter Mark Sixbey, Sitka Community Theater (music from “9 to 5”) and the Holland Tunnel Orchestra rock band (Gus Cannizzaro, Zac Wass, Peter Apathy and Bob Jacobs), which will combine original music by the band, and video by J Bradley. The audience will be greeted in the lobby by music by Dorothy Orbison, Sarah Jordan Laura Kronsperger and Camilla Pfeiffer.
Tickets for the Grind are $5 for general admission and $1 for kids 12 and under, and are available at Old Harbor Books and the door. Those bringing a dessert for intermission will receive a refund on their ticket.
