ArtBeat: SideShow
July 20 2002, 8pm-1am
VFW Hall, Davis Square
371 Summer St. Somerville, MA
Cost: $8 or $5 with a dogtag
(what you get when you make a $3 donation).

To round out the Somerville Arts Council's annual ArtBeat festival this year, there will be a nighttime carnivalesque extravaganza in Davis Square's "Dilboy" VFW Hall on July 20th. Combining a sideshow motif with the festival's "Food for Thought" theme, the night will feature burlesque performances, baton twirling, indie rock mixed with staged food-fights, a dance party with a DJ and miscellaneous fun including carnival-inspired music, games, food and art installations.

The Burlesque Revival Association

The BURLESQUE REVIVAL ASSOCIATION (lovingly known as BRA) is a production company and a performance group dedicated to the art and practice of classic Burlesque Variety. They sing, dance, do comedy, drag, sketchesand of course, strip-tease. Burlesque shows are fast-paced, multifaceted variety shows, providing something for everyone. BRA was formed in September 2000 and is run by Trista Beard and Sarah Lafferty, with a rotating cast of talented performers.

photo: Trista Beard, performer and co-founder of the Burlesque Revival Association

Laurel the Baton Twirler

BATON TWIRLER LAUREL KIRTZ is a local artist and a member of non-profit art space the Berwick Research Institute. As an artist, Laurel has dabbled in all types of craft and performance and has performed interpretive baton-twirling since 1999. Each show offers a unique message; her audience at the Side Show should be prepared to "Return to the Goddess," "Partake of the Goddess's Fruit" and "Submit to the Goddess's Glory."

HandstandCommand: FoodFight

Finally, Somerville's most belligerent musical collective HANDSTAND COMMAND will present "Food Fight," a whimsical amalgam of rock 'n' roll and staged battles. Several of the Handstand Command bandsincluding indie-poppers The Operators, pop-punkers The Anchormen, garage-rockers Asian Babe Alert and the theatrical dance band Scrapplewill play whirlwind sets of songs about food or fighting. Interspersed with the music will be food fights: dueling vegetables, boxing berries, jello arm-wrestling, and as a finale, the Artichoke vs. Beet sumo wrestling championship (for the ArtBeat title).

photo: two members of the Operators (one of several acts that make up the Handstand Command music collective)

Dance Party with DJ C

DJ C (a.k.a. JAKE TRUSSELL) is a founding member of Boston's Toneburst experimental event production collective and performs at parties, clubs, and events worldwide. In 1995 he started the genre-bending electronic music act Electro Organic Sound System (EOSS); he is also one half of the tuntablist group DuoTone with DJ Flack. Trussell has done remixes for Tiger Saw and local electronica luminary Hrvatski; has appeared on compilations with artists like Thurston Moore, Jim O'Rourke and Kid 606; and has performed at events with the likes of Lee Scratch Perry, the Mad Professor and DJ Spooky. Known for his sly mix of jungle, dub and grainy electronics, DJ C will add a large dose of danceable tracks for the ArtBeat Sideshow dance party (from midnight to 1am). Between DJ C's infectious sonic assault and the lure of the disco ball, we defy any Sideshow attendee to resist the dance floor