Downreno At Al's Dime Bar

Local band Downreno at Al's Dime Bar. The four piece band went through their repertoire of American folk pop in front of a very appreciative (and very tightly packed) audience last Thursday.  These guys are real musicians!
(Rick on the upright bass at the back there also plays in the John Palmer Band, another great local outfit).

Michael Hann - Rejections

Stockton based musician Michael Hann made an appearance at the recently opened Fuse Gallery and Art Space yesterday afternoon.  It's a bit difficult for me to describe the audio-visual performance as it's a genre that I am not really familiar with.  I would describe the improvised work as an electronically generated soundscape of industrial noise, haunting, disturbing and captivating.
Michael had an unusual upbringing, spending his early school years in the Middle East before returning to the UK to finish his school education, and then going on to university in the nearby city of Leeds (where he apparently made the occasional foray into Bradford, so he's not a complete stranger to the town).
The Fuse Gallery is currently running The Portrait Salon Photography Show, a 'salon des refuses', work turned down from major art shows.  Apparently, due to the very high standard for exhibitions an awful lot of really good work is refused and not seen by the public, this exhibition redresses the balance a little.  It's a diverse collection of portraits though, great differences in style and technique, but there are some real gems in there.