11 minute read
Artist Spotlight
Piya Samant
“Beauty is fleeting and my desire to capture the beauty of life (be it human, flora or fauna) is irresistible,” writes Piya Samant. “As an introvert, I connect more with people’s body language and less with their words. Through paintings I attempt to immortalize the beauty of my subjects in their entirety; not just their face/body but also their character. Floral still lifes are a delight to paint because I am able to project emotions onto unsuspecting flowers through the play of light and strategically placed brushstrokes.” Samant is a self-taught visual artist and art curator. Born and raised in India, she now resides and paints out of her home studio in Massachusetts. She received her master’s degrees in technology, and after working in the tech world for over a decade, decided to pursue her career as a full-time practicing artist in 2014. Samant works primarily in oil but enjoys working with graphite, ink and gouache. She paints commissioned portraits of people, pets and homes. Her current body of work features three ongoing series: HOPE, a floral still-life series, LIFE, a figurative series and landscapes. Her work is available to view and purchase online, and in local museums, galleries and cafes. She is represented by PXP Contemporary and ArtsPlus galleries. To view more of Samant’s work, follow her @art.by.piyali on Instagram or visit artbypiyali.com.
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This Artist Spotlight is presented by Worcester Magazine in partnership with ArtsWorcester. Since 1979, ArtsWorcester has exhibited and advanced the work of this region’s contemporary artists. Its exhibitions and educational events are open and free to all. Learn more at www.artsworcester.org.
“Hope S07,” oil on paper, 12.5” x 14.2,” by Piya Samant
PIYA SAMANT/ ARTS WORCESTER
SONG TO GET YOU THROUGH THE WEEK
Jay Gudda delivers brooding ‘Snake’
Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK
“Snake,” the recent single from New England hiphop artist Jay Gudda, is a moody, brooding piece of work with a dark edge that draws a bit of blood. The song presents a vision of the world wherein no one is trustworthy, not even the song’s narrator. It’s not an encouraging view of humanity, but there’s something darkly familiar in the song’s distorted mirror, and Gudda’s tightly controlled rap style sizzles with constrained emotion. “Snake,” raps Gudda, “You slithered on me/played tricks, like a wizard on me/Done cold, like a blizzard on me.” The betrayal, according to the persona, came because, “You think I slithered on you/Changed colors, like a lizard on you.” The persona gets his revenge by getting involved with his betrayer’s girlfriend: “Wait, was it hate? Was it fate?/‘Cause your Miss understood it was not a mistake.” Honestly, no one looks good in this song, but really, that’s not the point. What’s more important is the cycle of payback, and how it just tends to make everything worse with each go-round. Everyone hurts each other in the song, until all that’s left is anger: “I got out the basement, but we came out the pavement/Traded on your brother, not someone you could hang with/ You got double faces, you don’t get the basics/Sinners sing Grace, but I ain’t that gracious.” If there’s one lyrical quibble to be made about the song, it’s the multiple uses of the misogynistic expletive that rhymes with witch to represent both the persona’s and the betrayer’s romantic partners. It turns the women in the song into props, when a step forward would have created another layer of complexity. It’s not a unique problem — referring to women as “my (expletive)” seems to have come back into the hip-hop vernacular lately — but it’s tiresome. That aside, though, this dark little song conveys a complicated storm of emotions with skill and fearlessness, and if it’s not the most comfortable of songs, that’s just a sign it’s working the way it should.
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"Snake" is a recent music video from New England hip-hop artist Jay Gudda. SUBMITTED
5 THINGS TO DO
St Luke Passion, Eric Clapton tribute and more ....
Richard Duckett Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK
Through the ‘Secret Doorway’
Boston area mind-reader, comedian, hypnotist and sleight-of-hand artist Peter Gross is coming to the BrickBox Theater at the JMAC through “The Secret Doorway” April 14. Actually, that’s the name of his show as he reveals thoughts, predicts what you’ll do next and acts as a human lie detector. The show takes the audience on a highly interactive, intellectual rollercoaster ride of “impossible outcomes.” Gross has performed at the White House, The Kennedy Center, Canada’s National Theater, and on national television.
What: Peter Gross presents “The Secret Doorway: Magic + Mind Reading” When: 7:30 p.m. April 14 Where: The BrickBox Theater at the JMAC, 20B Franklin St., Worcester How much: $23.50 to $43.50. www.jmacworcester.org
Mind-reader, comedian, hypnotist and sleight-of-hand artist Peter Gross. Soprano Addy Sterrett, who sang the premiere performance of St Luke Passion last year, will be the featured vocalist in the performance at Trinity
Lutheran Church. SUBMITTED PHOTOS
A work of ‘Passion’
The Music at Trinity series at Trinity Lutheran Church resumes April 10 with a performance of William David Cooper’s St. Luke Passion. Cooper’s setting of the story of the betrayal, suffering, crucifixion and death of Jesus is a 60-minute work in English for singers, strings, harp, percussion and organ. The work was commissioned and premiered last year at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan under the direction of Cantor Balint Karosi. Soprano Addy Sterrett, who sang the premiere performance last year, will be the featured vocalist in the performance at Trinity Lutheran Church, singing the role of Jesus. Other singers include Travis Benoit (tenor), Nicholas Tocci (baritone), Christine Petkus (soprano), and Devon Russo (bass-baritone). Mark Mummert, Cantor at Trinity Lutheran Church, will conduct the chamber ensemble which includes violinists Krista Buckland Reisner and Yulia Potvin, violists Lu Yu and Peter Sulski, cellists Joshua Rohde and Johann Soults, double bassist Andrew Arceci, and percussionist Pieter Struyk. The composer, William David Cooper, will serve as organist. Face masks are encouraged but not required. The performance will also be video livestreamed. All in attendance, whether in-person or online, are urged to make a donation of $25. What: St. Luke Passion — William David Cooper When: 4 p.m. April 10 Where: Trinity Lutheran Church, 73 Lancaster St., Worcester, and livestreamed at www.vimeo.com/trinityworcester How much: $25 donation. More information at www.trinityworc.org/music-at-trinity
Both traditional and new
Classical guitarist Michael Poll and flutist Emi Ferguson present “The Court, the Palace, the Ocean, the Trees” at the Stone Church Cultural Center in Gilbertville April 10. Poll and Ferguson’s original arrangements of music from The Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach, two Scarlotti Sonatas, Piazzola’s “History of the Tango,” and music by contemporary composers Toro Takemitsu, Elizabeth Ogonek and Gabriella Ortiz promises to please lovers of traditional and imaginative new music alike. What: “The Court, the Palace, the Ocean, the Trees” — Michael Poll and Emil Ferguson When: 2 p.m. April 10 Where: The Stone Church Cultural Center, 283 Main Street (Route 32) ,Gilbertville How much: $25. www.tickettailor.com/events/friendsofthestonechurch/644691/. A subscription to the seven-concert series of Concerts at the Stone Church 2022, including a silent film by Peter Krasinski and two free Concerts on the Lawn, is available for $100.
Clapton tribute
Journeyman is the only national touring tribute to British guitar great Eric Clapton. The group was founded by Shaun Hague, who has built a great guitar résumé in his own right including being named “The Best Young Blues Guitarist” by The House of Blues. Journeyman also features Robert Monroe (keys/ vocals), Darius Peterson (drums) and Laura Lopardo (backing vocals). Together, they provide a performance of all aspects of Clapton’s career with hits such as “Layla,” “Tears In Heaven,” “I Shot The Sheriff,” “Change The World” and many others. What: Journeyman: A Tribute to Eric Clapton When: 7:30 p.m. April 14 (doors open for dinner and seating at 5:30 p.m.) Where: Bull Run Restaurant, 215 Great Road, Shirley How much: $35. www.bullrunrestaurant.com Journeyman is set to perform at Bull Run
Restaurant. PROMOTIONAL PHOTO
Protest and Satire
“Sometimes humor is the most effective way to point out absurdities, or to confront abuse of power,” said poster collector Stephen Lewis. His exhibition “Bushwhackers and Other Misleaders” this month at the Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Library in Dudley consists of posters challenging the policies and actions of those who are now or once were in power worldwide. Among those getting the satirical treatment are George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, F.W. De Klerk (former president of South Africa), father and daughter LePens of the Nationalist Party of France, and Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister. Lewis is a retired union leader who has been collecting posters for the past 20 years and exhibiting in many venues around Massachusetts. What: “Bushwhackers and Other Misleaders” — An international poster exhibit from the collection of Stephen Lewis When/Where: Through April 27. Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Library, 40 Schofield Ave. Dudley. Open Monday & Thursday 10 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information, call (508) 949-8021 One of the political posters on display at the Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Library in Dudley. SUBMITTED
Mindfulness
Continued from Page 14
Body Scan: I start by laying down on my back or sitting in a chair with my feet flat on the ground. Beginning at my toes, I squeeze every muscle in my body from bottom to top until I am as frozen as a stone sculpture. With each breath, I imagine the oxygen flowing into my body and relaxing the tension, again moving from bottom to top until all of my muscles are released.
I still desperately want a fudge popsicle, but the mindfulness exercises definitely helped me to ease my troubles and regain my focus. If you have other mindful moments to recommend, find me on Instagram at @sarah_connell. I expect I’ll be avoiding the internet for a few days, but I look forward to your tips upon my return.
True self
Continued from Page 14
survival is a dynamic principle people should consider this next time they try to force ill will against somebody for profit or otherwise. The true self will fight back! Love, however is not a business. A business must capitalize to succeed. Love does not take advantage nor should it. A person who has achieved true self has high morals, ethical values and a capacity to love. Love is feeling good. The true self desires pleasure over pain in any form. Feeling good directly improves the chances of survival and finding suitable relationships for peaceful coexistence. Togetherness is one of the reasons why good time friends and lovers come around. Your true self is the reason they stay.
Jason Ranieri is a graduate of Worcester State University. He is the author of the poetry collection, “The Good Old World,” and a work of political satire, “Polka Dots and Politics.”
Kane
Continued from Page 17
I describe it to him, because I’m not a very musically technical guy, he also played some guitar on some of the tracks, as well. Helen has such an amazing voice, and if I hadn’t been on such a time crunch, I would’ve put her on the record more, but she does backing vocals on ‘Tear This World Apart’ and ‘Lost My Mind,’ and she was just unbelievable. I just really lucked out that I have such talented friends.”
From the musicians to the spirit of the city that organically exudes through the songs, every part of the record is graced with the touch of Worcester in one way or another, and that was by no means an accident on Kane’s part.
“Just as I feel this is a hopeful record, I feel like Worcester is a hopeful city. I’ve always felt that, and having lived closer to Boston for a few years in the past, I never felt like I fit in there,” says Kane. “I’m glad I’m back out in this direction again, and if I can say one thing about Worcester, not only is it a hopeful city, but it’s also super underrated when it comes to the arts and music, and it sort of gets brushed off due to Boston being such a powerhouse of a city.”
There are a lot of aspects at play with this record that make it so special for Kane and the gang, from watching it take its truest form and the support they’ve received from fans, to the fact that it’s the first full-length vinyl record any of them have made. They’re humbly blown away by what they’ve made together, and at the end of the day, Kane is just hoping that he and his crew can help listeners tear their own worlds apart in their own ways, while keeping the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll alive and well in the process.
“Honestly, I just want people to know that rock ‘n’ roll music is still out there. I know some of them like to say rock music is dead, but it’s still out there, and it’s not just what you hear on the radio. So, I hope that when people listen to this, it points them in the direction of other local bands or smaller indie bands. I would really like that to happen.”
