I called Sharyl and she was doing production, lining up risers, ordering food, scheduling interview, all these things. She should be headlining this show! - Bun E. Carlos, Cheap Trick
Beyond Baroque
Beyond Baroque is one of the United States' leading independent Literary | Arts Centers and public spaces dedicated to expanding the public's knowledge of poetry, literature and art through cultural events and community interaction. 2018 marked the 50th anniversary, celebrating with the Beyond Gala: Bohemian Bacchanal, premier of the George Drury Smith, founder, documentary, proclamation by the City of Los Angeles declaring November 16 Beyond Baroque Day.
Founded in 1968 as an experimental literary magazine, Beyond Baroque is based out of the original City Hall building in Venice, California. The Center offers a diverse variety of literary and arts programming including readings and workshops. The building also houses a bookstore with the largest collection of new poetry books for sale and an archive that houses over 40,000 books, including small press and limited-edition publications, chronicling the history of poetry movements in Los Angeles and beyond. Through the years, Beyond Baroque has played muse to the Venice Beats, the burgeoning Punk movement and visiting scholars. Many of the city's leading literary talents, including Dennis Cooper, Wanda Coleman, Tom Waits, Exene Cervenka and Amy Gerstler, are alumni of the Wednesday night poetry workshop. Many of the world’s most well-known independent artists, including Patti Smith, Viggo Mortenson, Michael McClure and ana Gioia, and Viggo Mortensen have performed on its stage.
On Inauguration Day January 20. 2021 the world met Amanda Gorman, at age 22, the youngest inaugural poet, National Poet Laureate; and the first Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, a program developed with the help of Beyond Baroque's executive director emeritus Richard Modiano, and is its fiscal sponsor. Amanda started writing poetry at Beyond Baroque: "I think back to scribbling in my journal in some small, sweltering room at Beyond Baroque, where a young poet found the love her life."
EVENTS & CONFERENCES
PROJECTS & OCCASIONS
CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS
DARRYL JONES
Darryl's international recording and touring career took flight at age 21, with jazz icon Miles Davis. Gigs with Sting, Herbie Hancock, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, Eric Clapton, and others soon followed, and since ‘93 he’s been the bassist for the Rolling Stones.
Born on the south side of Chicago into a musical family. His father taught him drums and xylophone at 7 years old. But when Jones saw his neighbor, Angus Thomas, playing bass in the school talent show, the nine year old foresaw his destiny. He immediately began studying with Angus, and within a year played his first gig, along with his brother on guitar, at the next school talent show. After completing the intensive music program at Chicago Vocational High School he attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
Jones was guided with the firm and loving hand of his parents, and his reputation for passionately serving the function of the music got people talking. They played gigs around Chicago for the likes of Ghallib Ghallab, Otis Clay, Ken Chaney, and Phil Upchurch.
When his schedule permits, he performs with other artists, co-leads a couple of bands, serves the legacy of The Chief with the Miles Electric Band; and in 2017 he debuted The Darryl Jones Project, and founded the Jones Musical Instrument Company to craft custom basses and guitars.
VINCE BELL
"Vince is a poet"- Townes Van Zandt
"Ojo is shamanism” – T Bone Burnett
Vince Bell's career spans 40 years, born in the thriving Houston Montronse scene in the 70s. His songs have been performed and recorded by such diverse talents as Little Feat, Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith, and both a ballet and musical have been set to his work. A serious car accident led him to a 10-year recovery and brain injury, and the work continued. He made five critically acclaimed records and a live performance DVD, he is the author of an autobiography, One Man’s Music: The Life and Times of Texas Songwriter Vince Bell and one-man performance piece, One Man’s Music: A Monologue with Song.
His recent work Ojo is an improv, Bell’s poetry, yrics and hand written notes realized by a stellar collection of avant garde, jazz, and Americana musicians, produced by Bob Neuwirth, who also produced Bell’s first record, “Phoenix.” Together with producers Dave Soldier (Soldier String Quartet, owner of Ojo’s Mulatta Records) and Patrick Derivaz (engineer) brought 40 years of Vince’s words and the vision of Ojo to life.
Bell is currently writing Americana tunes for a new record with his first touring dates in 15 years in the US and Europe.
JULIE CHRISTENSEN
Julie Christensen’s story is woven into decades of the fabric of underground and roots rock ’n’ roll. Julie tells her stories, conveying the beauty of suffering with a subtlety that has become her signature, no matter what the genre they are sung in. "One of the truer singers you’ll ever hear — straight up, no mannerisms, perfect taste; recognize how she could sing with both Leonard Cohen and Chris D." LA WEEKLY
Julie is a founding member of the Divine Horsemen with Chris Dejardins, has toured extensively with Leonard Cohen. She has performed with artists including Iggy Pop, Public Image Limited, Van Dyke Parks, John Doe, Exene Cervenka, and k.d. lang. A Sad Clown is Julie's 7th release, her second with Nashville band Stone Cupid featuring Jeff Turmes (Mavis Staples) Julie appears on the Flesh Eaters new album, their first in 25 years, and has toured the US with the band.
Says Todd Rundgren, who produced Julie's first album in 1994, "It was her ability to sing with conviction in a variety of approaches that made her extraordinary to me."
Julie was inducted into the Iowa Music Association Hall of Fame, Class of 2018, an award and honor she shares with inductee, legend Wanda Jackson.
NICHOLAS TREMULIS
Nicholas Tremulis is a classic Chicago product, born to a jazz piano-playing father and a blues-singing mother, and raised in Greektown and Northbrook, dubbed “the music mayor of Chicago” by radio veteran Norm Winer (retired WXRT program director). His household full of visiting musicians inspired Tremulis to pick up a guitar as a teenager. After an apprenticeship playing clubs, he formed the 13-piece Nicholas Tremulis Band to play Tremulis’ energetic combination of rock, R&B, free jazz and soul, quickly becoming a top band in Chicago, signed by Chris Blackwell to Island Records, along with U2 and Melissa Etheridge. After two records on Island, Tremulis created a smaller band, and kept right on his creative jag with more EP and LP releases spanning over 30 years. Tremulis became an in-demand artist worldwide, touring in Europe on his own,backing and recording with Keith Richards, Rick Danko, Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, Ivan Neville; formed side projects like Candy Golde with Wilco’s John Stirratt, Rick Rizzo (Eleventh Dream Day), and Cheap Trick’s Bun E. Carlos and The Faunteroys with troubadour legend Alejandro Escovedo, punk architect Ivan Julian and Linda Pitmon (The Minus 3, Baseball Project) and Chi-Town Social Club with Darryl Jones (Rolling Stones, Miles, Davis, Sting), Vince Wilburn Jr (nephew of Miles Davis) and Shawn Christopher (Sonia Dada, Chaka Khan).Hs He also serves as musical director for Jones' solo work. Nick created The Waltz, a five-year charity concert series benefiting homeless teens, guest artists that spanned a music jukebox inspired by The Last Waltz, the farewell concert of The Band; The Band's Rick Danko christened the debut, Mavis Staples the final event, with a range of guest artists that included Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Steve Earle, Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) blues legend Hubert Sumlin, glam architects Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople) and David Johansen (The New York Dolls), legend Ronnie Spector, roots/punk favorite Jon Langford, jazz vocalist Kurt Elling and more. Tremulis co-hosted XRT’s “Eclectic Company” with Jon Langford; hosts a series at the Ed Paschke Center; and he also is an accomplished producer and composer, teaming regularly with long-time friend and film documentary producer Dan Andries (WTTW), wracking up multiple Emmy awards over the years. Nick still plays with the original core members of the Nicholas Tremulis Band, now expanded to The Prodigal 9, with a new record mixed recently by producer Rob Fraboni (The Last Waltz, Keith Richards, Bob Dylan).
ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO
A career spanning 40 years, from punk to americana, rock, one of our most beloved troubadors. His current latest album"The Crossing" (Yep Roc Records) is a critical smash, garnering raves from Rolling Stone, New Yorker, NPR and more and is now also recorded in Spanish. He was the recipient of the 2018 Townes Van Zandt Songwriter of the Year award presented at the Austin Music Awards. He has produced and staged numerous concept shows and events including his deeply personal story, "By The Hand of The Father," ACL Live at the Moody Theater, the SXSW 2014 Lou Reed Tribute and was renowned for his SXSW Sunday closing show at the Continental Club where he and many others got their start. Alejandro is a Heptitis C survivior and became a spokessperson in 2016 for Prevent Cancer Foundation's Think About the Link.
"Escovedo's art is in the literate storytelling that is implicitly wedded to a sonic tapestry that stuns." NPR MUSIC
