NEWSCHANNEL 34 WEEKEND WATCH TRANSCRIPT

Welcome back to NewsChannel34; I’m Joshua B from Star 105-7.

Looking like a pretty busy weekend in the Southern Tier—plenty to do, but I’m recommending these 3 events for the weekend watch.

Event number one is for the mature set; the CD Release Party for Binghamton singer/songwriter Lukus Wells at Tranquil Bar & Bistro, this Sunday at 4.  Lukus has been performing all over the Southern Tier for quite a while, but it’s only recently he released an original album.  The album is called Diagonal, and you can pick it up at the party.  The really cool thing about the party, though, is that 100% of the money collected at the door is going to charity; the Southern Tier AIDS Project, in fact.  It’s just 10 bucks to get in, and you get a whole lot for that price.

First, during the cocktail hour at four, you’ll get to hear Brendan Ratchford play violin as you sip on drinks from the cash bar.  Lukus’s mini-concert begins at 5, but he won’t be playing alone.  Alternate arrangements of the songs you hear on the CD will be performed by both Lukus and the bluegrass band Driftwood—if you’ve never seen Driftwood perform before, they’re phenomenal.  It’s a real treat, and Lukus and the band make a very interesting combo.  Lukus will be joined by backup singer Janelle Daddona… and he’ll also play a number of songs solo.  The BULK of the music will be his original work—but they’ll play a few covers as well.

Now Lukus’s music is more of the folksy coffee-house variety, so they’re picking up the pace a bit at the after party (which is supposed to begin around 7).   DJ Space One revives his chill night at Tranquil for one night only—with the help of 4 other Southern Tier DJs: Alex Ryan, Mikey Parkay, Gia, and Trainwreckk Manifesto.  Here’s another little insider hint; the cover ends at 7 PM, although they will still be accepting donations for STAP if you’re feeling generous.

What about an event for the family?  Well I feel like you’re never too young to get started on a little art appreciation; so I’d like to highlight the Owego Art Walk.  Now the Binghamton art walk goes down on the first Friday of every month—which is easy to remember—and figure out.  The Owego Art Walk happens the THIRD Friday of the month; so I usually have to check my calendar.  It goes on from 5 to 9 tonight… now Owego’s got 13 galleries… and a whole bunch of restaurants, shops, etc, that they say showcases over 50 different artists per Art Walk.

Fuddy Duddy’s Fudge will be showing the work of Karen Kucharksi, Goat Boy’s got work from Jan Paterson and Donovan Crist.  And Van Horn Jewelers is showing sculpture from Michael Husted.  That’s a super-brief overview, and you can go to tiogaartscouncil.org for more info.

OK, how about something for the young professionals; well I’d have to say the place to be is Spool MFG, tomorrow night, for Raise the Roof!  First, a word about Spool MFG; I haven’t had a chance to highlight this art space on the show, but it’s a really interesting place.  There are a few art galleries outside of downtown Binghamton that you could pass right by and never know you’re there—until you get a Facebook note or personal invite from a friend; Spool MFG is one of those places; it’s located at 138 Baldwin Street—kinda near the Dominos, if you know hwere that is.  It’s kind of a giant warehouse art space; big, tall rooms, lots of storage, constantly under construction.  If you’re lucky enough to be ushered into one of the back rooms, you’ll see large volumes of really fantastic art that’s being held there—tons of potential.  But it’s not just for visual art; there are movies shown in the upstairs performance space—music, dances, pretty much everything you could image.

Tomorrow’s event will feature music from DJ John Brunelli.  He’ll be playing everything from deep house to old soul to disco to afro-beat—and everything in between.  A word about going to a party like this: don’t expect to know the music, but be prepared to dance anyway.  Come with an open mind and have fun.  You’re going to meet a ton of interesting people—in fact, it’s a pretty good NETWORKING event for young professionals too.  There’s a lot of really interesting people in the art scene, and you’re sure to see some people there that you might not find at your neighborhood bar.  The event runs from 7 to 11, and they’ve got one request: Bring Good Energy.

That’s your weekend watch.  I’ll see you at Spool MFG tomorrow at the CD release party at Tranquil on Sunday—or next Friday on NewsChannel 34!  Got a suggestion for me, just drop me a message: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

NEWSCHANNEL 34 WEEKEND WATCH TRANSCRIPT