OUTSIDE THE BOX BRINGS NINE DAYS OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL TO BOSTON

I have recently joined the Outside the Box Festival staff, which came onto my radar just a week or so ago. We had a staff/volunteer meeting tonight, where it was explained momentum was lost in April due to the marathon bombing. The producers got the green light to proceed in May, no doubt you will be hearing much more soon. Place the dates (7/13-21) on your calendar.

Volunteers are needed (16-18yo OK w/ parental consent), register online and/or attend the next orientation meeting this Saturday, 10am-noon at the Marriott Copley Place on the 2nd floor in the St. Botolph Room (there will be coffee, tea and cookies). See website for more about volunteering, and if you decide to, tell Debbi you heard about it here.

OUTSIDE THE BOX BRINGS NINE DAYS OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL TO BOSTON

It’s coming… Outside the Box, the largest free entertainment event of the summer will transform Boston Common and City Hall Plaza into a moveable feast for music, theatre and food lovers for nine magnificent days from July 13 – July 21, 2013.

The inaugural festival will bring in more than 200 performers from the world over with headlining acts including Buffalo Tom, Ricky Skaggs, The Lemonheads, Los Lobos, Siobhan Magnus and Doubtful Guest, Taj Mahal Trio and a special reunion of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

“It’s my gift to the City of Boston and arts lovers everywhere,” said philanthropist Ted Cutler, creator of Outside the Box. “I want families to come out and enjoy all the great music and talented performers without having to buy a ticket. Their growing appreciation for the arts is priceless to me.”

Outside the Box will also feature performances from the Boston Ballet, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Rhythm of the Universe, Smithsonian
Jazz (with a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald), Italian performing artists Notte Della Taranta, Australia’s high flying Strange Fruit and emerging local artists including Gentleman Hall, Boston Bhangra and students from Berklee College of Music.

No, we didn’t forget the kids! Outside the Box will also feature daily, non-stop entertainment for children which will include clowns, puppeteers, escape artists, and mask makers.

Not all of the entertainment will be taking place “outside”. Outside the Box is proud to introduce to Boston the world renowned Spiegeltent (tent of mirrors) which has been a featured attraction at many international arts festivals.

With the understanding that “Food is Art”, Outside the Box will shine the spotlight on Boston’s top chefs including Ming Tsai, Todd English, Michael Schlow, Lydia Shire, Jody Adams, Jason Santos and Jeremy Sewall who will be providing cooking demonstrations and sampling on City Hall Plaza, which will also include a Beer & Wine Pavilion.

p.s. See the artist listing at http://outsidetheboxboston.org/lineup/, there is something for everyone.
Artists I will be seeking out:
ALASTAIR MOOCK*
ANGKOR DANCE TROUPE INC.
AUSTRALIA'S STRANGE FRUIT
BARNSTAR!
BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA
BOSTON BALLET
BOSTON LANDMARKS ORCHESTRA
BOSTON LYRIC OPERA
BOSTON OPERA COLLABORATIVE
DALE ANN BRADLEY
EMPEROR NORTONS STATIONARY MARCHING BAND
FOUR STRINGS ACADEMY
GUY MENDILOW ENSEMBLE*
MYSTIC PAPER BEASTS
ODAIKO NEW ENGLAND
PUPPET SHOWPLACE THEATRE
RHYTHM OF THE UNIVERSE
RICKY SKAGGS (inside word is he will be backed by Berklee ringers)
ROSALITA'S PUPPETS
TAJ MAHAL TRIO
WALTER SICKERT & THE ARMY OF BROKEN TOYS AND JAGGERY

*notloB alumni

Songs of Imagined Migrations ~ The Guy Mendilow Band's Ladino Project

"In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive." ~ Jack Hardy

notloB Folk Concerts
 presents

Songs of Imagined Migrations ~ 

The Guy Mendilow Band's Ladino Project

Date and Time	Friday, November 5 · 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location	Unity Church of God, 6 William St. Somerville, MA
More Info	notloB Folk Concerts presents this special homecoming concert at the end of the band's fall 2010 tour. This is the Boston debut of this program. The Guy Mendilow Band performs centuries-old music from Jewish communities from places such as Smyrna, Salonica, Jerusalem and Sarajevo, sung in the Judeo-Spanish Ladino. Stories of sailors seduced by sirens at sea, murder, intrigue, fantastic dreams and the treachery of kings and qu...eens abound in these colourful canticas. Led by Israeli performer Guy Mendilow, the group makes this ancient music relevant to modern audiences by recasting it through the multicultural lens drawn from the places Mendilow and his musicians have called home, from Israel and Brazil to the United States. The result is a dynamic blend of Sephardi tempered with Brazilian street beats and blues in vibrant musical storytelling awash with warm vocal harmonies, intricate textures and spellbinding rhythms. “This isn’t for quirky ears, it’s for jaded ears that need to be shaken awake with something substantially different that keeps the interest on the beam throughout. Delightfully different, even when it seems like it might be familiar. ” —Midwest Record $18 at the door; $15 if reservation is made at least 24 hours in advance to notlobreservations at gmail dot com  A LIMITED NUMBER OF SEATS WILL BE RESERVED FOR STUDENT RUSH, suggested donation $5. Guy Mendilow Band ~ http://www.guymendilow.com/ notloB Folk Concerts Website ~ http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/pages/notloB-Folk-Concerts/118395891509908 Mail list ~ http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic If you would like to become involved with this not-for-profit music series as a volunteer, please send an email to the reservation address above.

Songs of Imagined Migrations ~ The Guy Mendilow Band's Ladino Project

notloB Folk Concerts

 presents

Songs of Imagined Migrations ~ 

The Guy Mendilow Band's Ladino Project

Date and Time	Friday, November 5 · 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location	Unity Church of God 6 William St. Somerville, MA
Presented By	Guy Mendilow Band, Shari Mendler, Patrick Coman, Jeff Boudreau
More Info	notloB Folk Concerts presents this special homecoming concert at the end of the band's fall 2010 tour. This is the Boston debut of this program. The Guy Mendilow Band performs centuries-old music from Jewish communities from places such as Smyrna, Salonica, Jerusalem and Sarajevo, sung in the Judeo-Spanish Ladino. Stories of sailors seduced by sirens at sea, murder, intrigue, fantastic dreams and the treachery of kings and qu...eens abound in these colourful canticas. Led by Israeli performer Guy Mendilow, the group makes this ancient music relevant to modern audiences by recasting it through the multicultural lens drawn from the places Mendilow and his musicians have called home, from Israel and Brazil to the United States. The result is a dynamic blend of Sephardi tempered with Brazilian street beats and blues in vibrant musical storytelling awash with warm vocal harmonies, intricate textures and spellbinding rhythms. “This isn’t for quirky ears, it’s for jaded ears that need to be shaken awake with something substantially different that keeps the interest on the beam throughout. Delightfully different, even when it seems like it might be familiar. ” —Midwest Record $18 at the door; $15 if reservation is made at least 24 hours in advance to notlobreservations at gmail dot com Guy Mendilow Band ~ http://www.guymendilow.com/ notloB Folk Concerts Website ~ http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/pages/notloB-Folk-Concerts/118395891509908 Mail list ~ http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic If you would like to become involved with this not-for-profit music series as a volunteer, please send an email to the reservation address above.

Seeds of Peace ~ Partnering for Peace, Person to Person

Partnering for Peace, Person to Person — Mendilow’s Border-Busting Mission Sets Stage for May 27^th Concert at Johnny D’s

Johnny D’s presents the Guy Mendilow Band’s inventive blend of Israeli, Sephardi, Bahian street beats and blues in a concert promoting the work of Seeds of Peace, an organization revolutionizing the Mid-East peace process by bringing together Arab and Israeli youth. The evening features a concert and info session, including video, about the groundbreaking peace effort. Doors open at 8:30pm at 17 Holland St., Davis Square, Somerville MA. Tickets are $12. Advance reservations are recommended, and can be made at www.Johnnyds.com. Learn more at www.guymendilow.com.

Blurring boundaries and connecting sounds, syncopations, rhythms and roots is central to the mission inspiring the Guy Mendilow Band. Israeli peace songs and Sephardi canticas meet Bahian street beats and blues. Drawing from a life lived in Israel, South Africa and Brazil, where musical collaboration cuts through ancient conflict, Israeli born musician Guy Mendilow is sowing the seeds of peace with music.

“Mendilow is no dilettante…he learned the music of these countries by living and working there – so when he sings…he knows what he’s talking about” — Boston Phoenix

It’s no surprise, then, that the Guy Mendilow Band includes world class musicians from Israel, Argentina, Japan and the United States. Or to find the group now partnering with the international peacemaking organization Seeds of Peace, whose work with Palestinian and Israeli youth and adult educators helps forge the personal relationships so critical to communication and reconciliation. The band’s partnership with Seeds of Peace will be launched with the May 27^th Johnny D’s concert. The event promotes the organization’s cutting-edge approach to conflict resolution and includes a brief documentary film about the project as well as information about how audience members can get involved.

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Founded in 1993, Seeds of Peace is dedicated to empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence. The organization currently focuses its efforts primarily on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, bringing together Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian youth and adult educators.

The Seeds of Peace internationally recognized program model, lauded by the U.S. State Department, begins at the International Camp in Maine and continues through programming in regions around the world through innovative initiatives in the form of conferences, regional workshops, educational and professional opportunities, and an adult educator program. This comprehensive system allows participants to develop empathy, respect, and confidence as well as leadership, communication and negotiation skills — all critical components that will facilitate peaceful coexistence for the next generation.

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On a personal level, Guy Mendilow’s musical mission is to explore the connection between places he’s called home. Out in the world, he has oriented his band around the premise that music, and music making, can play a unique role in the effort to transform “the other” into a fellow human being to whom one can at least listen, if not necessarily agree.

“It was the height of Apartheid and my family, though secular and Israeli, was invited to participate in one of the only integrated church services in Johannesburg,” Mendilow recalls about the sparks of this passion. “We were sitting in my elementary school gym after-hours, a large gathering. The service was almost entirely singing: blacks and whites together, in beautiful harmonies. It lit something strong in me.” Throughout his childhood, Mendilow and his family played continental hop-scotch, with community singing in the living room as an important way of connecting with others.

“The glory of what [Mendilow] does is finding a common ground among different cultures.
And that’s what makes this music so exciting.”— Jewish Advocate

The Guy Mendilow Band challenges your concept of borders as you listen to Sala’am, an Israeli anthem used during the peace marches, that subtly introduces Brazilian elements in its arrangement and whose warm harmonies nod to Crosby, Stills & Nash. Or take the tastefully modern setting of the ancient Sephardi song Durme Durme, sung in that melting pot language of Spanish, Arabic, Greek, and Hebrew, created from the wanderings of the ancient Jews from Spain to the Mediterranean and Middle East. Mendilow pushes the sonic envelope by taking ancient instruments in new directions, though the band does this whimsically, with an almost adamant refusal to take itself too seriously. For instance, in Whistler’s Brother, Mendilow’s award-winning overtone singing playfully duels with a flute. Or Blues for Dino, a tongue-in-cheek slide berimbau (musical bow and arrow) blues number — a tip of the hat to Brazilian berimbau hero Dino Nascimento. The band’s fusion stems from a life-long cultural mix infusing most aspects of Mendilow’s life.

To Guy Mendilow the music cannot be separated from the message, whether you are part of the audience at Bethlehem Musikfest, New York’s Tribeca Performing Arts Center, in a master workshop with government education ministers from Palestine, Israel, Jordan or Lebanon, or swapping songs between Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the 26 diverse young people in the American Boychoir — Mendilow’s first touring experience. The Guy Mendilow Band continues to blur musical boundaries and offers its modest contributions to today’s larger peace puzzle: by creating person to person connections, one song at a time.

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience this world-class musical group and become part of a peace project that is making historic waves in the Middle East at this unique event at Johnny D’s on May 27^th.