JACKSONVILLE improving jacksonville free monthly guide to entertainment & more | september 2010 | eujacksonville.com 2 SEPTEMBER 2010 | eu jacksonville monthly contents SEPTEMBER 2010 feature arts + culture page 5-7 improving jacksonville page 22-23 art events join EU on page 5 jim draper page 24 theatre events page 6 melissa ross page 25 jacksonville symphony orchestra facebook! page 6 tony nasrallah page 8 jaguar game day plan music page 9 jaguar schedule page 26 interview: david bazan page 9 2010 jaguar season preview page 27 sound check page 28-33 music events life + stuff page 29 music video revival follow us on twitter! page 10 family events page 29 album review: silver - eternal summers page 11 on the river: events page 29 album review: phattyreiser - digdog Look for @EUJacksonville and page 11 heart walk page 31 gram parsons guitar pull @EU_Music where you page 12 have kid, will travel: to the farm can get daily music and page 12 quick start tennis on screen page 13 jungle quest page 34 september movies entertainment updates page 14 wings n wheels page 35 special showings page 36 view from the couch: new shows and eu staff dish premieres, fi nales, and specials page 15-16 family dining page 38 netscapades publisher Will Henley page 17 take away gourmet managing director page 18 dish update + events Shelley Henley page 18 hidden gems: speckled hen creative director page 21 ‘town Rachel Best Henley copy editors Kellie Abrahamson Erin Thursby music editor food editor Kellie Abrahamson Erin Thursby chief photographer Daniel Goncalves contributing photographers Richard Abrahamson Ezra Marcos contributing writers Brenton Crozier Liza Mitchell Jack Diablo Anna Rabhan Rick Grant Alina Kodatt Emily Moody Tom Weppel Dick Kerekes Madeleine Wagner Published by EU Jacksonville Newspaper. 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In this issue we introduce you to Melissa Ross, host of First Coast Connect; Tony Nasrallah of the Murray Hill Theatre; and Jim Draper, artist and community activist. All of these folks, in their own way, contribute to making Jacksonville a great place to live, work and play whether it be by providing a forum for discussion, providing a positive live music venue or producing art. They’re supporting our community and, in turn, we should support them. 4 SEPTEMBER 2010 | eu jacksonville monthly jim draper photo by sterling poole im Draper is a household name for many Jacksonvillians, but there J is so much more behind this modest artist. I wanted this story to focus on not just a painter of bold and colorful Florida landscapes, but an influential citizen in our community. He has not only been a mentor, a teacher, an inspirer, a friend, a pioneer and promoter for this city for 15 years, but, in keeping with his love of nature, he is also a mercenary for our river (he’s a board member for the St. Johns Riverkeeper). This man does, indeed, wear many hats. Before formally meeting Jim, I was familiar with his work and the name behind it. Although both active in the arts and culture of Jacksonville, surprisingly, Jim and I did not cross paths until the beginning of this year, when he was the featured artist at a grand opening event. Regardless, I am lucky to know him now. Jim is a man after my own heart, or maybe I, a woman after his. Some come to Jacksonville, only to pack up and leave a few years later, filled with frustrations of the lack of support from the community. Yet, Jacksonville has an eerie way of practically hypnotizing some special residents’ hearts and entangling those deeper into the city. You always hear people say, “Well Jacksonville COULD be this...” but the same people spouting those words just sit back like a deer in headlights, waiting for someone to take the lead. Jim is one of those leaders. A Little History Originally from Mississippi, the son of a clothier, Jim has been all over the arts scene map since the early 90s. In 1994 he really dove into Jacksonville’s community of artists, as a professor at FCCJ, then Flagler and UNF. After teaching figure drawing classes at the Cummer, that further segued his involvement in the arts community. A few years after appearing on the scene, Jim opened a studio on Edgewood that he shared with George Kinghorn and April Glover. Between the three of them, they would rotate shows every third month. Jacksonville can credit this trio for bringing some of the first “party shows” to the nineties, that, in Jim’s words, “were packed fun, but drank us broke.” Circa ‘97-ish, Pedestrian Gallery was opened with Steve Williams on Park Street and from there they opened Raw Materials (an arts supply store) in 5 Points. Brooklyn Contemporary Arts Center was then opened in the late 90s, but after the building was condemned, Jim moved all his efforts to his Springfield studio where he maintained a gallery for the better part of the 2000s. He has been involved in countless projects with the city, his first being the Jaguar painted in panels that peeks out through the boarded up windows of the Bosswick Building on Bay Street. Other notable works include his Ribbon of Life Project at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital and the etchings of his beloved healing palms that enclose the security entrance at the Jacksonville International Airport, just to name a few. That Whole Art Thing Draper is being proactive in his ideas of what can keep one afloat during the worst economy that most of us have ever seen. He recently sat down with with other notable Jacksonville artists, Crystal With his creative hands he has brought to Jacksonville so much more. He has been a sounding Floyd, Matt Abercrombie and Clay Doran, to discuss printing pieces to make the art more affordable board and muse. He fosters intellect, creativity and passion for the up and coming generation of for buyers. Soon you will be able to purchase limited edition prints from many of Jacksonville’s best Jacksonville artists. Jim stressed that what the music and visual creatives are doing for this city right artists at Jim’s studio. now is huge. Jim and I also talked about the terms “art gallery” and “show.” He thinks we should stop using Most do not know this, but Mr. Draper played a pivotal role as a liaison between the city and those words altogether and instead refer to these spaces simply as stores. Maybe this will help Infinitesimal Records for the concert series held at Snyder Memorial Church. For four consecutive people realize that this is someone’s job, not just a fun party. Enter Jim’s storefront on King Street. He Fridays in July, Jim helped give life to a beautiful building, that now continues to sit vacant downtown. and artist Tony Rodrigues have teamed up to share the space. Now Tony and his wife’s t-shirt line, Jim sees the big picture and I remember talking to him about the Infinitesimal shows a month or so TACT, are able to have a storefront without all of the startup costs associated with opening your own before it happened. He said that he envisioned the city-owned Snyder Memorial as a great concert store. Everyone wins. venue and recording studio space that could be rented to local musicians. So my question is, why can’t the city make this happen? The creative community is a significant feature in the Jacksonville landscape, but is considerably The Short of It lacking in support. Jim’s advice is that each person must be concerned with his or her own survival, Jacksonville has an incredible young energy about it right now, but if nobody is spending money, not in a mean and competitive way, but in a figuring it out kind of way. All the while, also being then all the artists are going to starve to death. As Jim puts it, “It kills me to see people living on concerned with those around you by supporting, engaging and helping each other. dirt.” Although you would think this would be at the forefront of people’s minds, he also goes on to The big buzz a few months back was “pop up” galleries in vacant spaces around the urban explain that “everyone can talk about how wonderful, creative, etc... people are, but every dime spent core. I asked Jim how these amazing spaces for artists (both visual and musical), like one of my must be about maintaining the local community. That is the future of Jacksonville.” personal favorites, Nullspace, can afford to stay open. Jim simply answered that “somebody needs As a business owner myself, Jim is truly an inspiration. Day in and day out, it is not only to write a check.” How wonderful would it be if MOCA could have an alternative space, such as stressful but mentally and emotionally exhausting to run a small business.