Redwood & Rhythm in CHCH!

Redwood returns to her roots! Aka Rebecca Reider is a previous winner of Catalyst's Poetry Idol and was a regular face at the open mic nights. See her perform works from her recently released album Poetree. More info below:

Poetry & music duo Redwood & Rhythm are coming to Lyttelton and Christchurch to culminate their tour of the South Island with a performance at The Loons in Lyttelton on Sat., April 30th and a community workshop/open mic/performance evening at Sand Dance Cafe in New Brighton on Sun., May 1st.
Redwood & Rhythm is the fusion of performance poet Redwood Reider and guitarist/mandolin player Rhythm Raniera.

Sat., April 30th, 8pm
The Loons, Lyttelton.
$10 donation requested,
but all welcome regardless of ability to pay

Optional poetry writing workshop with Redwood:
Sun, May 1st
Sandancer Cafe,
New Brighton Mall (formerly Space of Love; across from Paper Plus).
Bring notebook at 7pm, followed by open mic poetry night at 8pm,
with a shorter performance by Redwood & Rhythm.
$5-10 donation requested / all welcome

Redwood (aka Rebecca Reider) is a spoken word poet known for inspiring audiences with her energetic performances set to live music. Born of the California slam poetry scene, this is poetry for the stage, not the page, ranging from the intimate to the political (and sometimes both at the same time). Rhymes of inner & outer revolution, of the individual's quest to achieve peace in a sometimes maddening world. Redwood has performed at festivals and venues across Aotearoa and has just released her first studio album, Poetree, featuring collaborations with a dozen musicians from NZ and beyond, ranging from meditative compositions set to flute and string trio, to live rapping and electric guitar loops. (Hear the album on http://redwoodthepoet.bandcamp.com/) She also teaches poetic creation workshops.

The nimble-fingered traveling musician Rhythm Raniera creates musical landscapes using string instruments, voice, and a loop pedal, voyaging across the genres from folk to reggae grooves. Together Redwood & Rhythm cocreate lively flows and spontaneous improvisations -- the words riding on Rhythm's melodies -- aiming from the heart to the heart. Audiences have found themselves listening deeply, singing along and dancing in the rain; it's always a varied and dynamic show.

For more info: www.myspace.com/rebeccapoetry

Let us rise! Gap Filler #3

Ready....Steady....GO!
Good morning!

You are warmly invited to come to Gap Filler #3 at 276 Colombo Street, Beckenham from tomorrow (Friday)! I dare say it shall be rather far from warm, so rug up, bring a cushion/chair, an extra blanket and come and watch a film. There will also be live music from 5pm each night. The Eastern, Run Around Sue, Blues Professor, The Cracks in Everything, Darren Tatom, Lupis Luna, Plasticine Heroes, I Gave These Guys 5 Bucks, Sebastian Warren and Dr Sanchez confirmed thus far! Think of the site being a place to socialise, catch up and enjoy offerings from ChCh's creative community.

Films are free, but we would gratefully appreciate it if you drop a little something in our koha box on your way out to help us cover our costs. Here is what's on offer:

Friday, April 1, 8pm: Gordonia, (Tom Reilly, NZ, 2010, 80mins).

"One of the most extraordinary NZ documentaries in recent times, or perhaps ever" -Marcus Lush.
A community of wild West Auckland men fight for their right to live rough in a "designated scenic area" in the Waitakere Ranges. Gordonia featured in the 2010 International Film Festival. http://www.gordonia.info/

Saturday April 2, 8pm: Four Houses from Four Decades (Zoë Roland, NZ, 2008, 28mins).

Features abodes designed by Paul Pascoe, Don Donnithorne, Don Cowey and Warren and Mahoney. This screening will feature a talk by Dr Jessica Halliday, architectural historian and researcher for the film.

Sunday, April 3, 8pm: A programme of Len Lye's films followed by Roger Horrocks' Len Lye documentary Art That Moves

A celebration of the radically endearing work of New Zealand renaissance man Len Lye, famous for his kinetic sculptures and "direct film": films made by scratching, drawing and painting directly onto the celluloid film strip. We'll show a fair few of Lye's short films and a doco about him. Introduced by Len Lye Foundation director Evan Webb. http://www.pointofview.co.nz/Art_that_Moves.htm

More films will screen from Wednesday April 6 to Sunday April 10 from approximately 7pm (end of daylight savings). These will feature Gerard Smyth's film Barefoot Cinema about legendary NZ cinematographer Alun Bollinger; Candyman, a documentary by Costa Botes (NZ/USA) on the man who lost the Jelly Belly jelly bean empire; NZ short films by Taika Waititi (director of Boy and Eagle v Shark) and others; and classic heritage films of Christchurch and Canterbury in the early days accompanied by live music - Daughter of Christchurch (1928) and Cars to Carrington (1935-40). Plus much more.

Check our website for more information as we will update is regularly. gapfiller.org.nz

The site will open each night from 5pm with live music until dusk. Come early to get a good spot and bring a picnic. There is a Fish and Chip/Chinese take-away next door as well as businesses further along on Colombo Street where food can be purchased.

Location
Next door to Smiths Mitre 10
276 Colombo Street
Beckenham

Getting there
We encourage you to walk, ride or bus to the site or at least share a car with friends. Parking will be limited. There is some parking in the King St Mitre 10 car park. Please be thoughtful of local residents when you park in nearby streets.

Events will be canceled in the event of wet weather - check the website and Facebook page for notification. Please dress for chilly weather. You need to bring your own chairs and cushions as no seating will be provided this time. Site capacity is limited and Gap Filler will close the gate if it gets too full.

See you there!

x Gap Filler

PS: A very, very big thank you to land owner Murray Smith of Smith's Mitre 10, Beckenham for the use of the gap.

Catalyst endures

Tihei mauri ora.

To all our friends, family and acquaintances in Christchurch and surrounds, Arohanui ki a koutou.

Our deepest condolences to all those waiting to hear and to those whose waiting is over.

Doc and I are OK and have seen and/or been in touch with many of the friends of Catalyst. There are many others that I hope I will get to see in the coming weeks.

Obviously this curbs our regular activities and I'm sure many of us had already forgotten that Wednesday 2nd March is a scheduled Catalyst night. Needless to say this will not be proceeding, at least in the usual format - perhaps each of us can take a moment tonight to say or read a poem with those we've lost or are losing, in mind. And maybe spare a thought for each other as we endure the days, weeks, months ahead.

I have no word on the state of AL's Bar but Uncle Al is OK at least, I do not know how to reach Ash. My thoughts go out to him. The bar is within the cordon of the CBD so there is no access anyway. Maybe we can all have mini or satelite Catalyst nights in our own homes with friends and family - it's important to stay connected - leave us a comment here on the blog to let us know you're OK too and if you do have a little private reading, tell us what you read or post it in the comments - perhaps we can have a Catalyst via the web. We'd love to hear from you.

For now, we endure. Tomorrow, we prevail.

Kia kaha.

First POETRY FOR PUDDING of 2011

POETRY FOR PUDDING
Date: Friday 18th February 7 - 8.30 pm
Place: Borders Bookshop Rotherham St.Riccarton.
Poets of all ages and stages welcome.

Canterbury Poets Collective 2011 new season and venue to be announced soon

First Catalyst of the year last week and what a way to kick things off! Our big thanks to Randall $tephens for getting us underway in style. Stay tuned for some photos.

In the meantime, here's some news from our brothers and sisters over at the Canterbury Poets Collective...

Happy New Year everybody.

Planning for the 2011 Season is almost complete and we
have a superb line-up of local and national poets booked.
A full and detailed programme will be sent out as soon as
all the details have been finalised.

Our well loved Madras Café Bookshop is not available but
we will shortly announce an excellent alternative venue
where light meals and refreshment will be available.

The season will run for 8 weeks from Wednesday 16th
March to Wednesday 4th of May. Starting time will again
be 6:30 PM and we will aim to finish before 9 o'clock.

Which means that the season overlaps with two Catalyst nights giving people an opportunity to get a full 12-course serving of poetry in both April and May!

I Statements -by Randall $tephens

First Catalyst Open Mic + Special Guest from Melbourne

First open mic of the year and we've got a special treat for y'all. The night will be opened for us by a touring performance poet from Melbourne, Randall $tephens.


Come along and check it out and join us and Randall for a drink or 3 at Al's Bar.

Catalyst Poetry Open Mic
with special guest Randall $tephens
Wednesday 2nd February, 8pm
Al's Bar, 31 Dundas St
Christchurch

Click on Randall's name above to visit his blog and also check out:

Wordplay
and WordinHand


ABOUT RANDALL $TEPHENS

13.7 billion Years ago an infinitely dense singularity existing without time or space exploded for unknown reasons, creating the universe. Then for a while not much happened.

In 1980 “The Empire Strikes Back” came out, and Randall $tephens was born, in Westport New Zealand. Randall $tephens is the last angry man, he was the first one too. He doesn’t use phrase like ‘l-o-l” and doesn’t tell people all about his new kettle on facebook. He does not believe in fairies (plop!). He doesn’t suffer fools. He doesn’t play nice with the other poets.

After travelling around performing poetry in New York, London and India, he returned to Australia. Randall is currently living in Denial, while visiting other emotional states throughout Australia and New Zealand. He is blogging unhealthy amounts of new poetry at 'Tales Told By An Idiot' (www.randallstephens.blogspot.com) where you can read it. He is however, truly at home on stage. He has a delivery style putting emphasis on having emphasis, combining a strong stage presence with clear, direct and personal writing.
He performs. Well.
He is on his way to see you.

Re-Mind the Gap

I've been meaning to post about this for ages but well, you know Christmas and all that.


From 25th November to 5th December last year, these wonderful peeps pulled together a rag tag bunch of friends, artists, favours and sponsors to make something wonderful happen among the rubble of earthquake-rattled Christchurch.

Gap Filler was the resulting creation and like our own little urban 'field of dreams' - they built it and we came.


For more info on what the-? Gap Filler actually is, make the jump and for a page with more photos of some of the cool stuff that happened see here.

Poets took over the Gap for 3 afternoons on the weekends of this run, under the heading 'Poetry in the Gap' we came, we performed, we drank a lot of wine in the sun. A big thank you to Micah Timona Ferris for herding cats (poets) and making it all come together. A few poets even managed to sell a book or two. Here's some images of it all in action.

Happy New Year btw.

Barry Southam


Helen Back


Teoti Jardine


Ben Brown

And yet more poetry gigs... MER MADE

As if Gap Filler and the huge Xmas Catalyst party wasn't enough to slake your thirst for spoken word in performance, there's another poetry/music gig coming up next week... this time the sisters are doing it for themselves...

`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'

Mer Made

(because the earth is 80% water)

oceans, islands & merfolk

spin words & play music

`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'

Thu 16 Dec from 8pm

Beat St Cafe, cnr Barbadoes & Armagh Sts

The Cracks in Everything lap songs by Nikki BERRY onto the shores of poems by Tusiata AVIA Jania GALLETLY Helen LOWE Danielle O'HALLORAN

which, of course, leads to a whirlpool of

Tamara SMITH & Sum SURAWEERA ---

the Flutation and Percussion from Mundi, ripplin ,over^under_through~ lyrics by Marissa JOHNPILLAI --- the Buoy from Elsewhere

`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'

Just five bucks. Be there or be washed up

http://www.aproblemlikemarissa.net/mermade.htm

Postscript - Survivor: Poetry - helping the real survivors

A big thank you to our wonderful audience at the Grand Final of Survivor: Poetry 2010 for helping us raise $250 for the Canterbury Earthquake recovery effort. We'll be placing this donation with the Kiwibank/Red Cross Relief Fund.

Poetry Survived!

Survivors Ready!

Well the dust has settled over the stage at Al's Bar and the castaways have drifted back towards their respective homes. The world's first Survivor: Poetry was dropped on an only mildly prepared audience on November 3rd. The result was hilarity, drama, Leonard Cohen tributes, earthquake metaphors and believe it or not - poetry.

Amongst the fiendish challenges and heart-breaking Tribal Councils the poets managed to create some genuinely clever, funny and moving moments as one by one, they were eliminated or voted off by the tribe of castaways. There were team challenges and spontaneous haiku tie-breakers along with cameos from our wonderful judges and Ciaran's ham performance as the cruel MC himself.

Alas it came down to two as the cadre of previously eliminated castaways returned to pick the overall winner and inaugural Survivor: Poetry. In a satisfyingly dramatic and apt final act, the jury of eleven peers voted 6-5 for the eventual winner Sean Joyce. The runner-up was Micah Timona Ferris and the two faced the agonisingly slow reveal of the voting result (thanks, Ciaran) standing hand in hand.

Outstanding audience members had their reward and it was an exhausted but elated group of poets that left (or stayed at the bar) later that night, blessed by the spirit of Leonard Cohen I'm sure...

POETRY FOR PUDDING
Date: Friday 15th October, 7 - 8.30 pm

Borders Bookshop Rotherham St.Riccarton.
Poets of all ages and stages welcome.

SURVIVOR POETRY 3rd NOV 7.30pm

Next Catalyst Open Mic & TRUE STORIES Tour finale

True Stories tour finale
Sunday 3rd October 8pm koha entry
El Santo Porteno - Lyttelton
(cnr Norwich Quay and Oxford St - on the waterfront - see a review of the bar here)
featuring poetry, stories, music, laughter and possibly tears from:
Ben Brown
Andy Coyle
Helen Back
Kate Anastasiou (music) + Hannah Harding & Simon Gregory (music)

AND THEN LATER THAT WEEK...

Catalyst Poetry Open Mic
Wednesday 6th October 8pm
Al's Bar 31 Dundas St ChCh.
Koha welcome.

The Lyttelton true stories road trip.

Four well known entertainers from Lyttelton are hitting the road in a blue
bus this September to perform songs, poems and stories around the country.

• Sat 18th sept Kaikoura The Strawberry Tree
• Sun 19th sept wellington The Garden Club Terrace Bar, dixon St

• Thurs 23rd sept Oamaru - The Penguin Club with reggae band Hikoikoi
• Fri 24th sept Dunedin - Tangente Cafe Supper club
• sat 25th sept Oamaru - The Grainstore with local poets
• Sun 3rd 0ct Lyttelton El Santos at the old British Hotel

most shows $5 and 9pm start



Ben Brown is a multi published Lyttelton poet well known for his gripping
and gruelling spoken word performances. A poet of the old school he has
the capacity to grip the audience member by the throat and drag them
through a fascinating world full of vivid characters, black humour and
great damn lines.

Helenback is the original housewife from hell. She performs poetry so
unflinchingly real you will fall in love with her before the first pause,
just don’t invite her home to do the housework, or you might find a pitch
fork where it hurts.

Andy Coyle is a poet and storyteller with an eye for detail, and an ear
for regret. His deep patient delivery will inspire your imagination and
stir the muddy river bed of your subconscious.

Kate Anastasiou is a striking singer/songwriter who performs a compelling
blend of well written songs, improvisation, loops and story-telling, all
of this peppered with an instinctive feel for jazz and a love of being in
the presence of poetry and song.

Next Catalyst Open Mic

Kia ora koutou,

We'll be back to business as usual, getting down n' dirty with the poets at the next Catalyst Open Mic:

Wednesday 6th October, 8pm
Al's Bar, 31 Dundas St, Christchurch
Bring yer own Poetry! We'll provide the ambience...

Hopefully we'll have an announcement about rescheduling Survivor Poetry by then. Stay tuned!

Iggy Defies the Earthquake!

Iggy McGovern, Irish poet and academic, will give an impromptu poetry reading tomorrow,

Wednesday 15th at 6 pm, at Al's Bar, 31 Dundas Street.

Iggy is a regular visitor and is here at the invitation of the The Press Christchurch Writers’ Festival.

Biographical notes:
Iggy McGovern, Irish poet and academic - he is Associate Professor of Physics at Trinity College. Well known for his witty, playful, but emotionally engaged poems. The recipient of both the McCrae and Hennessy Literary Awards, his first collection The King of Suburbia (2005), is already reprinted. Read the review in The Listener here.

SURVIVORS READY!

The castaways have thrown their lot in to Poetry Island and been whittled down to 15. What an amazing night at AL's Bar last Wednesday. 23 people auditioned for the limited places and the right to call themselves Survivors! We followed the audition by an open mic in which many returned for some de ja vu action in what totalled around 30 performances for the night.

Our sincerest thanks to everyone who participated and made it such a fun and full-on night. Thanks to our judges for the evening - Marissa (Games Master) Johnpillai, Ben 'Poetry Idol' Brown and providing continuity with the final, Doc Drumheller. Thanks to Al and Ash at the bar and most of all thanks to our awesome audience for the night - no show without punch!

We're counting down to Friday 10th September 7.30pm where the surviving poets will be put to the ultimate test. Who will be found wanting? Who will SURVIVE?

Find out:

SURVIVOR: POETRY
FRIDAY 10th SEPTEMBER, 7.30PM
BOATERS @ CHRISTCHURCH TOWN HALL
$16 ($14 Press subscribers)

Countdown to Survivor Poetry!

Catalyst is proud to bring you the next evolutionary phase in live poetry:

SURVIVOR: POETRY

As part of The Press Christchurch Writers Festival 2010, Catalyst is unveiling their latest creation - the unholy spawn of reality TV, live performance and seat of the pants poetry to the death. Be part of history! Become the legend! When the page meets the stage can you survive the white heat of Survivor Poetry?

To audition for a place in the historical first 'season' of Survivor Poetry come to:

Catalyst @ AL's Bar - 31 Dundas St
WEDNESDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER, 8PM
Auditions will involve performing ONE of your original poems
OPEN MIC TO FOLLOW

Musicians! Be Part of Catalyst number 9 (number 9... number 9)

Dear New Zealand Musician (and if you arent one, perhaps you know one or two and can forward this on to them. Heck, musicians send this to your friends too!)

Once again producer Jody Lloyd has undertaken the foreboding task to compile music for and produce a spoken word cd with Christchurch poetry outfit Catalyst.

This is the 3rd full length poetry-based CD produced by Catalyst . The first time we asked a few musicians for completed pieces of music. The second one was a collection of lyrical songs with spoken poetry added to them later. And for this one Jody has devised a more interesting plan, we want willing NZ musicians to send (by email) musical parts so i can use them like samples to compile new pieces of music. It'll be like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle with no prior picture.

If you have any unfinished recordings, why not send us parts of them?
If you are a drummer or percussionist, send some beats or rhythms.
guitarists - send some long chords, strum out a rhythm or play a solo.
bass player - make a bass line... but keep it simple.
piano player, violinist, trumpet, flute, recorder, clarinet, triangle, dulcimer, marimba, traditional Maori instruments... anything!
send us something you have played - even if it's just one note!

Even if you aren't a musician but you want to record sounds from your backyard or neighbourhood - birds, cicada's, bees, trains, creek, animals, feel free to record something and send it.

ATTENTION POETS: please don't send any recordings of your poetry, submissions are being invited by the editors directly.

here are a few guidelines for musicians:

1. We would prefer good recordings if possible, but if you have something great that is badly recorded, I may still be able to use it.
2. keep in mind I am making backing tracks for poetry - so keep it mellow. i.e. no death metal guitar solos.
3. format: wav, aiff or 320 mp3 files please. a 20 second wav file can be easily emailed.
4. submissions can be of any length, but preferably they should be 1 minute or less.
5. clearly name your file - with your name, and/or the name of the band you would like to be credited.
6. email files to music@trillion.co.nz

Contract.
By submitting musical sounds for the Catalyst 9 CD (which is an accompaniment to a book), you understand that your sounds may be manipulated or time stretched to suit the producers direction and ear. You also understand that your sound(s) may not be used if deemed inappropriate. You will be credited for your contribution, but there will be no financial payment. And due to the awkward and complex nature of the project, no track titles will be submitted to APRA for royalties. So you understand that your involvement in this project is because it's gonna be awesome, and this has never been done before (in the world).

submissions close on Sept 1st 2010, so hurry!
please forward this to anyone you know who might like to be involved.