WHAT MAY 2012 BRING ???

Written by Josh Weiker

WHAT MAY 2012 BRING ???

- world peace?
- the ‘official’ Apocalypse?

- caffeinated whiskey in a can (or box)?

- an extra day in February?
- love and happiness ? … we can only hope Al, …

  … one thing’s for sure, there will still be an abundance of great live music in Columbus.

           

            It is getting to be that time of year when it is quite often to take a moment to reflect upon the events of the past year, and/or look forward to the next year; planning, hoping and anticipating what the New Year may bring.

           

  
        

 A lot can happen in a year – people moving into or out of the city, bands and artists forming and rising, or inversely breaking up or disbanding. Regardless of the ups and downs, what’s most important is keeping a level perspective … and having fun (at least that’s my opinion). Not to be preachy or imposing, but on behalf of someone who has a friend that is a doctor: you should make it a point to get out and enjoy yourself more often – be goofy, get weird with it, just let go – I think you might find it to be a very productive and effective way to deal with the stresses of life.

            As for myself, personally, it has been a terrific year: I had the opportunity to see a plethora of live music (both local and national acts); I had my first Cloudhaus experience (very quickly followed by my second, third and fourth); ridiculous amounts of fun at Comfest, Jazz and Ribfest, Music Week Columbus, and Independent’s Day; found my newest love, Heatwave; met all kinds of amazingly talented and creative people (that I am now lucky enough to call my friends); and got involved with this great movement of illuminating local music (called BusTown Music, don’t know if you’ve heard of it yet, but it’s pretty amazing…)

            As for BusTown, the past 10 months have been a wild ride. We have grown into our own, four major audio programs [‘the Evan Oberla Show’, ‘BusTown Jazz & Improv’, ‘BusTown Radio’,  and ‘Raad Rock Radio’], a multi-dimensional written division [‘Reviews’ and ‘Arts & Community’], and our latest, videos platform (with thanks to our friends at GingerAttack! Video Productions).

Rest assured, people of Columbus, that we at BusTown are working hard, plotting and scheming ways to help strengthen, promote, and provide for the local music scene throughout this next year.  2012 looks to be a big, busy and productive year for BusTown Music.

Sooo, what’s on tap? Well, while many of the details are on the hush-hush, I can tell you to keep an eye out for more BusTown Events (possibly coming to a neighborhood near you), as well as the continuing expansion of our BusTown library of local musicians, artists, venues and organizations via our original BusTown Shows and Articles.

            Until then, you can pass the time by checking out the rest of our site and getting learned on the Columbus music scene …

           

- Get refreshed on these amazing bands and artists:

            The Andy Shaw Band, Descendre, The L.E.S. Crew, G. Finesse & the N.S., Stretch Lefty, Mojoflo, Beauty of my Land, Birdshack, Bum Wealthy, The Floorwalkers, Lionel the Jailbird, Way Yes, Teen Fiction, Seth Daily, Fo/Mo/Deep, Hotel War, The Alpine Ghost, and Dirty Girls

- Find out about these great groups and organizations:
Cloudhaus, Preservation Project, The Hot 17, Boomhouse Records, and Musicians Against Violence

- Mark your calendar for these great events:
ComFest, Music Week Columbus, Independent’s Day, Trauma, and Pecha Kucha

- Get acquainted with some local hot spots:
The Newport Music Hall, Brother’s Drake Meadery, Ruby Tuesdays, Kobo, Rumba Café, and Dick’s Den

 Want More ???

For making it all the way through this article, here is what our own BusTown Staff Members are looking forward to in 2012 (bands, artists, venues, and local organizations):

Joey Gurwin:
- Shankbones
- Descendre
- LE for the Uncool
- Mount Carmel
- The Allwood Sisters
- Psandwich

Meghan Kelly:
-the Shaw Brothers
-Maza Blaska
-Collaborations
- The Hot 17 (organization)
-Brother’s Drake Meadery (venue)
-Ace of Cups (venue)

DP Krukrubo

- Danyel Morgan
- The Preservation Project
- GingerAttack! Video Productions
- Oranjudio recording studio
- Brothers Drake Meadery (venue)
- Cloudhaus

Aaron Oakley:
- Raw Dough
- The Receiver

  Evan Oberla:
- Jared Mahone
- Hoodoo Soul Band

(i mean come on, if you haven’t been to church with hoodoo you haven’t been blessed)

- Lionel the Jailbird
- Dan White Sextet and associates
- Tony Monaco Trio

Aaron Quinn:
- Bastards
- Big Shot
- Wing and Tusk
- Birdshack
- Psandwich

Raad Shubaily:
- The Energy Clinic
- The Alpine Ghost
- Teen Fiction
- Strangers in Daylight
- Ghost Shirt

Josh Weiker:
- The Dirty Girls
- Nick Tolford & Co.
- Maza Blaska
- The Energy Clinic
- Teen Fiction

- HEATWAVE !!! (retro-vinyl danceparty)

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT THROUGH THIS YEAR, WE COULDN’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU !

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Musicians against violence: The Reggae community honors the life of Leigh

Written by Meghan Kelly

Death is never easy to take. What is easier - knowing its coming, or the sudden shock of it all? Neither if you ask the loved ones left behind.

Woodlands tavern hosted the first of what will be an annual memorial event for Leigh L. Belyn; a fresh faced, happy 18 year old whose life was cut short by tragedy. Leigh, a 2011 New Albany High School graduate on her way to The Ohio State University to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse was murdered at her home August 2011 by her boyfriend Juvon Williams, who was later killed by gunfire by police. Leigh and Juvon had a fight the night before the murder after she declined a marriage proposal and ended their relationship.  Williams was being deployed to Afghanistan and wanted to take Leigh with him as his wife. Instead Leigh decided she would take a different path and he ended her life over it. 

After Williams came back from basic training and adjusting to the military lifestyle he was a different person- a similar reaction most people have when a loved one returns after such a dramatic lifestyle change. He began driving up to see Leigh every chance he got and the two would spend most of her senior year together, isolated. “What seemed like routine young love appeared more controlling…” said Celeste, Leigh’s mother, after the killing. It were these little patterns of control that Celeste was able to piece together after the tragedy; so that in the future, she hopes to educate parents and their children about early warning signs of control and manipulation that can lead to an abusive relationship.

Reggae music brings people of all walks of life together. So when tragedy struck one of their family members the community rallied around the family and decided to do something about it. It wasn’t just about musicians against violence, but more about people for peace and the promotion of nonviolence.  Terri Bob, Leigh’s father is one of the founders of the strong Reggae community in Columbus. As a drummer for the oldest Reggae group in Ohio, The Ark Band, Terri told me that while it was such a beautiful night, filled with such sense of support and family it is merely a temporary band aid for the pain that he feels over his daughter’s death. 

In a nation where the norm has become murder and homicide as its top stories of the night, when and how can we make it all stop? The U.S leads the industrialized world in murder and violent crime on a regular basis not by a wave but a tsunami. We buy our children, and sometimes at a very young age, video games based solely on reality stimulated killing and war. We continually allow our government to go to war in the name of democracy and peace around the world, when we have a devastating war going on daily in our homes, neighborhoods and glorified across all aspects of our media driven culture. 

The S.A.V.E (Strategies against violence everywhere) has helped Leigh’s family set up the memorial fund. A 16 year old, Columbus based non-profit S.A.V.E has been actively advocating the ever growing and peaceful nonviolent movement which has recently gained popularity in the Columbus community due to the increase in gang presence and gun related incidents. Our future generation is suffering for the over acceptance and encouragement of fire arms we hold so dearly as a national right of freedom.

Little boys are brought, taught and encouraged to play with guns and swords while we dress our daughters up in pink, buy them kitchen sets and baby dolls. Then we wonder why a boy, trained to kill at a fragile developmental stage of growth, could possess the capacity to kill after he spent years manipulating a young girl whose “real dream” of cooking and babies could come true if only she’d marry him. Two young lives full of promise simply cut short. 

But at this moment, without looking for blame we move on.  At this moment and united as a community, we must educate future generations about the negative effects media can have on them and strive for more productive, positive and proactive ways in dealing with their problems.
Death is hard and life is short. But while we are here on earth, let us spend our time loving each other and working together to create a community that we will be proud to leave the future generations. 

Peace
Meghan Kelly
Staff Writer, BusTown Music

BusTown Music Arts & Community is produced by DP Krukrubo

Music by: Mark Hunter (Lead singer of The Ark Band)

The 'Musicians Against Violence' Benefit concert was masterfully produced by Brian Cunningham & Eric Jones, Thank you.

Special Thanks also to...

LPI Entertainment for organizing the 'Musicians Against Violence' Benefit Concert

Strategies Against Violence Everywhere (S.A.V.E)

Kurt Monnier and Listening Lamp Productions

Thanks to Woodlands Tavern for hosting such an amazing show

Big thanks to the Columbus community for supporting 'Musicians Against Violence'

Photo courtesy of Angie Leonard

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Pecha Kucha: A Deliciously Entertaining meeting of the Minds!

Written by Meghan Kelly

Photos courtesy of Martim Thomaz

In 2003 Pecha Kucha began in Tokyo, Japan as a networking event for designers. Less than ten years later 455 cities around the world currently hold at least quarterly, if not monthly, Pecha Kucha events - all mirroring that first night in Tokyo. While the name might be tricky to say, the platform is simple: a presenter or performer who has something cool to share explains what they are involved with in 20 seconds, and they present twenty slides for their presentation, 20/20. Now on to the name, go ahead try and say Pecha Kucha. If you aren’t familiar with the Japanese language you might not get it. Try this, say “What’s up wit cha,” and rhyme it with Pecha Kucha.  Pecha Kucha (PK) which translates in English to chit chat, is pronounced, pa-cha ka-cha. There you have it and that’s what’s up. 

Photos courtesy of Martim Thomaz

Ponder on the enormity of it for a minute. Imagine if you and your friends decided to plan an event for local people that you find to be noteworthy…cool and in less than 10 years millions of people all over the world took your one little idea and, like wildfire, it spread. The facebook page for PK Columbus has almost 5,000 fans! Multiply that by 455 cities and one guesstimates an average of about 2.3 million fans. It’s pretty amazing what the power of networking and social media can pull off. Columbus PK has one of the strongest followings, this is a testament to the fact that we have grown beyond our boring cowtown stereotype.

Columbus PK has emerged as a local favorite for those looking for an alternative evening out. As opposed going to hear music, to a festival, or say networking event at a bar, with PK you get it all in one. 

Photo courtesy of Columbus Alive

For those of us who bore easily with the mundane, PK events offer variety as the venue and lineup change with each event. Past venues included the Columbus Museum of Art, The Wexner Center, Junctionview and the Eartha Limited Warehouse. Past performers included just about every good band or cool person the 614 has to offer including Way Yes, The Wet Darlings, Trisha Dehnbostel, Nick Dekker, and Erin Moore and on and on.

Photos courtesy of Martim Thomaz

The fall PK was held in November at 400 West Rich Street an old sanitation factory which now houses, allows, and encourages artist to create, perform and have fun.
The inside was transformed into an open meet/mingle space with a stage flanked by makeshift box chairs. Dimly lit, the factory provided a unique, industrialized space that gave way to the creative energy which flowed throughout the building. Tucked away, ‘Abx Art Collective’ set up an incredibly impressive, large, one night composition show; the art was very complimentary and balancing for the space it was provided.  

Photos courtesy of Martim Thomaz

‘Columbus is Funny’ provided the intermission entertainment while the lovely Ginger Lees kicked the event off with their country, folk style and representing Starfish Designs. Dan Mushalko from WOSU was the MC; he carried the night along smoothly with his expressive, endearing personality. All the best foodie trucks were on site, as well as a seasonal bonfire. Reps from the Greater Columbus Arts Council, Ecohouse, a museum historian, librarians, activist, storytellers and a partridge in a pear tree were all on hand to provide a very entertaining night for the crowd.

The organizers have a gift for mixing up locations and presenters - and the event sparks the basic human interest we all have in our world and each other.  In our over technological world, PK has given people another outlet beyond their televisions, computer screens, cell phones or pad devices to connect with people in person. It has taken back reality TV and turned newsworthy information in to an actual event. 

Photos courtesy of Martim Thomaz

PK is personifying people to further engage in their community, by presenting a platform which encourages emotional ties. This direct connection will hopefully encourage and inspire people to get more involved in a better future for all of us, one in which were not laughed at by other nations on a continual basis.

The next PK will be this winter, date and location to be decided so keep an eye out. If you’re anything like me, then most networking events make you want to puke; but the PK events pull it off in a very subtle and appealing way. Eating bangin’ food from a truck, drinking free beer (or a soda, but you have to buy that) while listening to entertaining music and hanging out with nice people are a bonus to the night.  And there’s that whole ‘learning something new’ which may eventually lead to growth, that may be worth your while aspect. All in all, Pecha Kucha is well worth it for a Thursday night out in the C.O.

Grazie

Please check out more information @ http://www.pecha-kucha.org
Special Thanks to Martim Thomaz for the photos

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“Trauma (for your momma) … not really”

Written by Raad Shubaily and Josh Weiker

 Photos contributed by The Hot 17 Magazine

Trauma. 

That simple, single word has an entirely outrageous implication of imagery and sensorial exploration for the people of Columbus. 

    Technically speaking, ‘trauma,’ is:

1. a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident
2.  an experience that produces psychological injury or pain

           

In Columbus, ‘Trauma’ is one of those words that means much more than its defined terms (however, they both might still apply). Simply labeled as ‘a Halloween fetish party,’ this yearly extravaganza has got to be one of the biggest [non-festival] parties in the city.

            Now, if you haven’t been, I know you might be thinking – ‘Hold up, what do you mean fetish party?’ – Well first, let me just start by saying, don’t let that little part scare you off. Instead, start with the ‘Halloween’ part – it’s a giant Halloween party! Aside from that random guy, dawning a hoodie featuring his favorite professional football team (and matching backwards cap to boot), standing creepily alone in the balcony; just about every one of the party-goers is in costume – each way better than mine. 

Secondly, … ya, okay, it’s a fetish party. It’s not all chains and whips, however they are present – it’s not celebrating disturbing fetishes (like people who really like feet), but the more presentational and even artistic expressions, such as Burlesque, body modification, and even one of the most wide-spread fetishes of all – dancing.  As a final note, if you are one to be a bit squeamish at times, or prude about partial nudity, than perhaps Trauma isn’t for you. Nudity is an abundant resource at Trauma – from pre-painted-on costumes, to bodies being painted, to performers striping down to pasties and panties – the nakedness at Trauma makes the nakedness at Comfest seem almost non-existent.

Photos by The Hot 17

About half-way through the night, you should pretty much get de-sensitized to the various displays of nudity, so that should be no big deal. The height of Trauma’s “yikes” factor probably hits right around the time people start swinging from human-sized fish hooks from the ceiling (sorry, I could have worded it more kindly, I just couldn’t help myself). More properly known as, flesh hook suspension, these performances evoke a spectrum of reactions from awe to “Aaahh!”

 

Photos by The Hot 17

2011 happens to mark Trauma’s 10-Year Anniversary, and the festivities will once again be held at the Bluestone (because what better place to have a Halloween fetish party, than in an old church). While the venue once known as BoMA has changed its name to Bluestone, it is nice to know that the ruckus yearly events have remained. This year, Trauma will be held on TWO nights (October 27^th & November 4^th), with the same line-up being featured each night. The venue itself is a ridiculous space – three floors, a handful of stages, and a patio that’s bigger than most bars in the city. There are bars in just about every corner, spread out like little alcohol oasis’s – but they are kind of pricy, apparently convenience comes at a price.

            As expected, the entertainment is right on par to mark such an occasion: over 30 performers (featured acts/individuals/groups); more than a dozen DJs; and a line-up of bands that will rock your socks off …

Photos by The Hot 17

Walking into Trauma can be overwhelming.  Disregarding the suspension and performance artists, there are upwards of 10 musical performances spread over 4 separate stages.  Trauma’s home, the Bluestone, is so large that it’s not only difficult to figure out what room you’re in, but also what room you’re about to step into.  Though it’s impossible to catch every musical performance of the night, there were certainly a few highlights.

         

I’m not entirely sure if I’ve ever seen so many DJs in the same venue at the same time.  The first one I noticed was Raintrain, who can often be found at the monthly Dig! dance party that takes place at Circus Columbus bar. Rocking his trademark Adidas sweat suit, his set includes clips of the James Bond theme song remixed with dance beats, 3-D lights, fog and a bubble machine. The guy knows how to entertain.

          Another outstanding set was DJ Self Help and Jared “Path” Young.  Path’s showmanship is on a level that’s not easy to come by.  Backed by Self Help’s spinning and scratching, their performance was one of the best all night.  As an emcee, Path’s fluid rhymes flow effortlessly and mix perfectly with Self Help’s beats.  

          Though a D.J. could be found in at least one of the Bluestone’s large listening rooms at any given time, there were some rock bands in the house too.  Ranging from the indie synth rock of Town Monster to Cleveland’s Megachurch and local dark-rockers the Phantods, Trauma didn’t skimp on finding the right performers.

         

 I was only able to catch the last few songs of Megachurch’s set and was delightfully surprised.  Judging by their recordings online, I expected many more televangelist samples.  However, this is not what I ended up hearing in their last few moments.  They straddle the fringe of metal and hard rock, but they’re quite melodically complete.  They’re a tight band, with a solid sound that could be considered aggressive, but are not overly aggressive.

          Dually entertaining was the Phantods’ set for the evening.  I’m not typically a fan of minor or darker rock music, but the energy they put out was excellent.  Donning costumes from the original Star Trek from the 1960’s, they had a good presence on stage.   One of the most interesting things to observe about different bands is how the members work together while performing.  Phantods have what could only be described as a natural chemistry about them, blending their instruments into one cohesive unit.

If you go to Trauma, don’t expect to see every band or D.J. that is there.  It’s simply not realistic.   Many of the attendees don’t exactly go for a specific band in the first place, $25 to see a band you can catch playing around town for $5 isn’t exactly the best deal. To simplify, a good idea is to look at the wide array of entertainment on the schedule and pick maybe three or so musical performances to watch.  There’s plenty of good people watching to do, and the other entertainment is definitely worth checking out as well.   

 

 All in all, it’s a wicked fun party.                                     

 

Special Thanks to: Jacob Wooten, Meghan Ralston & All of the AMAZING performers that made Trauma 2011 so spectacular, the wonderful folks at Evolved Body Art and Kobo Live, and the staff at the Bluestone.

For more information about ‘Trauma,’ check out their website:

http://www.traumacolumbus.com/
Purchase Ticket Now @ http://www.traumacolumbus.com/tickets/

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The Preservation Project: “Taking Notes” at Wild Goose Creative.

Written by Meghan Kelly

Courtesy of The Preservation Project Website

The Preservation Project, a nonprofit benefiting youth engagement in civic duty through community activism is a collaboration where “art + education + community service = positive change”

Listen Now

Founders Angie Leonard and Michelle Lowry came up with the name, “through a conversation on our mantra … protecting our habitat and preserving our humanity,” Leonard told me.  By actively encouraging engagement through arts and music, the duo put on the successful “Taking Notes” event Sunday October 16th at the Wild Goose Creative.

(L-R) Meghan Kelly, Michelle Lowry & Angie Leonard

Collaboration and community were themes that pleasantly percolated from the event and infected those lucky enough to be present - so much so, that the dance party lasted through the cleanup (which event goers happily stayed to help out with, and were then rewarded with boxes of cupcakes and candy).

“Family” is what the Preservation Project feels like, and once you get to know the people involved, you are readily drawn into the familial circle - their passion is contagious. Passion is like inspiration in that respect, it can arrive in an unexpected fashion, like a toothache, and once it takes hold the pain doesn’t let up until something is done about it. (Unless of course Vicidin is involved but that’s another story and it’s not really age appropriate). 

 Last spring, The Preservation Project took their activism, along with teens from The Ohio Dominican Charles School (where Ms. Lowry teaches), down south to New Orleans and got their hands dirty leading by example through helping others.  In connection with their musical vision, a CD entitled “Operation Nola” was created with help from the wonderful Columbus Music Co-op.

Courtesy of The Preservation Project website

In a time when arts and music are the first to be cut in society, it is a positive sign for our community  to meet such activists who share a clear cut vision for their organization and mission.  That vision, taken from their mission statement is,
“… to create an artistic, sustainable and philanthropic program engaging youth in leadership and community service; while integrating academic growth.”





 

Josh Smith @ Taking Notes Event

Inspiring youth through community service by collaborating with others didn’t just stop with the arts and music, at “Taking Notes,” these two built a strong, supportive collation that showed up and gave back. UGive, an organization which offers youth opportunities to volunteer, was on hand to sign up 5013C nonprofits and volunteer alike as well as introduce the crowd to their website. Oxfam Action Corps, a grassroots action group looking to raise awareness and solutions to world poverty issues; and The Dick and Jane Project which helps youth write songs were on hand to provide sustenance and educate on their causes.





The Preservation Project is investing in the future generations by teaching our current generations the importance of their fundamental belief; that we are better off creating a world built upon the betterment of ALL, rather than the continual focus on the individual - which has been the “American” way in the past.

Ms. Leonard and Ms. Lowry, along with a very supportive crew and their youth based movement, are looking towards a very promising future. Organizations like these reinforce the community solidarity and loyalty that allow Columbus to be this truly wonderful place we love - Where small locally owned businesses, people, artists, and musicians can come, develop their skills, and thrive for years; all because of the passion for this community’s preservation.

So help preserve their passion by showing their cause some love, go ahead and like them on facebook.  You’ll sleep better knowing music and arts will still be around when you’re too old to strum your guitar and your arthritic hands can’t pick up a drum stick anymore. Show the kids some love now, before it’s too late.

Grazie’

 

For more information on The Preservation Project, please visit http://thepreservationproject.yolasite.com/

Follow The Preservation Project on Facebook & twitter

This BusTown Arts & Community Podcast was written & hosted by Meghan Kelly 

BusTown Music Chief Editor is Josh Weiker

BusTown Music General Manager & Producer of the BusTown Arts & Community Podcast is DP Krukrubo

Special Thanks to the wonderful people in Columbus Community!

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Cloudhaus

Written by Josh Weiker

 You may not realize it, but the local arts group, CloudHaus, has declared war on your city. They are implementing an immense blitzkrieg of creativity which is enhancing various activities and neighborhoods throughout the greater Columbus area.

            ‘So what’s the big deal,’ you ask – Well, have you seen the mural outside of Kobo? How about the fancy yellow and black mosaic mural on the side of Hooligans? (when you’re going down Summit St. from Hudson); Did you go to Independent’s Day 2011? 

Well, these are just a few of the numerous things that CloudHaus has been involved in producing, … and that’s just the beginning.


 LISTEN NOW

 

Photos by Meghan Ralston

CLOUDHAUS  is a collection of local artists, dedicated to collaborating their ideas, time, and talent towards community betterment, through the vector of art and creative expression. They have three main focuses:

“Making Art Approachable and Fun for Everyone”

            One of CloudHaus’s specialties is creating painted murals in conjunction with live concerts. The best part (aside from the proceeds going to charity) is that they actually invite the bar patrons to partake in the painting process. 

Haven’t you ever said to yourself, ‘I should start painting,’ well the folks at CloudHaus agree, and encourage you to join them in their creative merry-mural-making – there are no mistakes, only happy little accidents. While the risks are huge – seeing that any (drunk) patron could come along and try to go Jackson Pollock all over the mural, that’s just the kind of chance the CloudHaus folks will take; all in the name of promoting creativity.

“Making Our Community A Better Place”

Aside from being amazing artists, the group is also tremendously giving. Funds raised from previous CloudHaus events have gone towards funding the Ohio Educational Council, Local Matters, and Pets Without Parents, just to name a few. Their last event – “The Greater Columbus Scavenger Hunt” – collected 100 lbs. of food, which was donated to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank (did I mention that they collected said 100 lbs of food in only 8 hours!).   

"We usually split our revenue 50/50 between ourselves and whichever charity we're supporting at the event."- Cloudhaus

“Having Fun”

  It’s hard to argue when someone, or better yet, a group of people is focused on ‘having fun,’ so I’m not going to. Instead, I’ll refer back to their latest creative conglomerate, “The Greater Columbus Scavenger Hunt” (presented by CloudHaus, don’t be fooled by imitators) – This was not your ordinary run-of-the-mill scavenger hunt [go to this place, find a clue that leads to the next place, etc]. 

  

Instead it was more like an ‘All-Over Columbus IronMan Challenge of Wits and Will,’ which was super fun. The goal of the event was primarily to collect items for charity, but also to discover the wacky world within our own backyard of Columbus. 

Team Anonymous Swag (L-R Anita Kwan & Angie Leonard)

It was truly brilliant: each item, task, or trivia question had a set point value, and your team has to complete/collect as many tasks/items as possible in 8 hours; the team with the most points wins. If you ever hear of another CloudHaus Scavenger Hunt – DO IT ! Get a solid team, of ambitious, adventure-seeking party goers, and have a ridiculous amount of fun trying to conquer their challenges.

Team Anonymous Swag on the prowl

Not to give too much away, but just so you can understand how creatively awesome, and unlike any other scavenger hunt this event is, here are a few examples from the last Hunt (not all items on the list are as hard/outlandish as these, but these were a few of my favorites):

           

Items to collect:

• Two different Religious Pamplets (extra points if they have illustrations)
• Life sized cut-out of James Franco
• A cassette of Will Smith’s Big Willie Style
• At least 4 Pogs
• A velvet painting of some sort of predatory animal, such as a lion, or a wolf          

            Trivia:

• What was the name of the now-demolished amusement park in Clintonville, which was at one time the largest amusement park in the world?
• Who had the longest term as Governor of Ohio? Here’s a hint: He might have the most boring statue in Columbus.

Tasks: (required photo or video proof)

Photo by Angie Leonard

• Find all three statues of Christopher Columbus in Downtown Columbus (One member must point toward India in each picture)
• Buy a homeless person a hot meal
• Shave only the top of your head simulating the likeness of George Costanza’s Bald spot.
• Someone on the team must get ‘Side Steps’ as a feature of their hair-doo. Ice, Ice, baby.
• Get a picture with Eric Clapton
• Write a nice note and leave it on a stranger’s window



Photo by Angie Leonard

• Carve a pumpkin. I don’t know why we’re giving you points for this. You should be doing this anyway. It’s almost Halloween.

             

Whether its holding down a gallery, hosting public demos, creating murals, funding local charities, or finding ingenious ways to blend live music with live art [See: Dance Floor mural paintings @ Independent’s Day 2011], CloudHaus is emerging as a creative locomotive that just keeps gaining speed. I implore you to get out and support these folks, their wonderful arts and events, and their charities. Who knows, maybe your neighborhood is next … ?

For more information on Cloudhaus, please check out cloudhaus.org/

Catch Cloudhaus on facebook & twitter

BusTown Arts & Community Special Report was hosted by DiePreye (DP) Krukrubo

Special Thanks to Jared Cloudhaus, Daniel Randle and all the amazing members of Cloudhaus for letting BusTown Music run amok on such an amazing event! 

Shouts out to...

Anita Kwan, Co host & founder of www.thisiscolumbus.com

Angie Lenard, Co-founder of The Preservation Project

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