even productions

p.o. box 18175, cleveland heights, ohio 44118 (216) 324-1587

THERESE EDELL IN CONCERT JUNE 9

Those of you who loved Therese Edell when she opened the Willie Tyson concert last April will be delighted to know that Oven Productions is once again bringing Therese Edell to Cleveland. This concert is scheduled for Saturday, June 9 at 8:30 p.m. with the location of the hall to be announced. (Watch for the June issue of WSW).

The experience of a Therese Edell performance is a memorable one. Therese's naturalness on stage, her

honest "down-home" way of speaking to us about herself and her music, and her obvious talents as singer, songwriter, and musician all make for an evening that will stay in our hearts and minds long past the final encore.

Based in Cincinnati, Therese has performed exten-

sively both there and across the country. With appearances at the Fourth and Fifth National Women's Music Festivals in Champaign, Illinois; at the Second and Third Michigan Women's Music Festivals; and at the Second Northwest Women's Music Festival in Portland, Oregon.

Aside from her direct involvement with music as a performer, Therese has also co-founded The Women's Music Project, Cincinnati's first women's concert production company, and, along with Theresa Boykin, is part owner of Sea Friends Records, a feminist recording company also located in Cincinnati, Ohio. From Women's Faces is the first release from that label and Therese's second album to date.

Listen and choose to have a wonderful evening of music and sharing with Therese Edell-a very heart-warming performer.

Tickets for this event are $5.00; over 60, under 12, $1.00. All seats are non-reserved. For work exchange and free child care reservations, call Oven Productions before June 4 at 321-1587 between 10 and 2, Monday through Friday, or write us at P.O. Box 18175, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 44118. The public is warmly invited. Sound by Syren Sound.

Ticket Outlets:

Coventry Books 1824 Coventry Food Communities 11628 Euclid

Rape Crisis Center 3201 Euclid WomenSpace 1258 Euclid

Tish's Shoe Repair & Emporium 15603 Madison

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HOLLY NEAR: 56 Stops and Still Flying

From the moment Holly Near walked on stage at Kulas Hall until the final note which was followed by a standing ovation, love and energy flowed in a continuous stream between artist and audience, creating a rich solidarity and a warm glow.

Holly is one of those rare performers who possesses, in addition to a versatile and expressive voice, an ability to reach out and form a communion with the women to whom and for whom she sings. Those of us in the audience met and came to know more intimately a woman who has shared our trials and our joys. For as she "weaves a message" of herself and her sisters through songs and personal experience, Holly Near and the "women in her life" become one.

Her energy and enthusiasm in the opening song, You've Got Me Flying, set the tone for the rest of the night. Clearly she loves what she's doing, and with the the help of J.T. Thomas' "flying" fingers on the keyboard, their music soared. Holly's explanation of Flying as her first attempt to get away from maleidentified imagery was met with cheers when she said she really didn't know what to write about so she wrote about her sister, figuring, "That's pretty safe," then adding, "but you have to start somewhere, right?"

From there Holly traced her own process of selfdiscovery: sharing feelings of rage and love; searching for a sense of herstory with songs like, Imagine My Surprise, Mountain Song, and Nina. She shared her political and social concerns in It Could Have Been Me, Huy Una Mujer Desaparecida, Fight Back, and Something About the Women. She expressed her conviction in the need for lesbian love songs-"in celebration", rather than "in defense", and inspired more than one deep sigh with You Bet, Road I Took to You, and Sweet Darlin' Woman (which she added to the first set after the house lights came up: “I just changed by mind...we'll do a very mushy song and then do an intermission.")

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Part of the "magic" that draws people into what Holly does on stage is that there is no affectation about her. We see a compassionate, warm, up-front woman who doesn't just tell about the pain and joy but feels it. Her voice has a clear, full, haunting quality at times. With impeccable timing and phrasing, she interweaves sighs and sounds, making love through the music. When she whispered "satisfied” at one point in a song, we knew she was feeling it, and we felt it, too.

When introducing J.T. Thomas, Holly spoke of the art of accompaniment, and J.T. proved herself a true artist there and as a soloist. Her two featured numbers were Redwood Rag and Rheba the Amoeba, which she wrote for her biology teacher—and which got her “an 'A' and a special conference''. Her music was lively and inventive, and her back-up provided a fanciful complement to Holly's vocals.

Holly Near gives to women "their own" music. Each can identify with the transformation in the Lady at the Piano and with Riverboat's message of perseverance. The audience joined in freely, encouraged by Holly who, delighted by their response, often stopped to teach new harmonies or divide into different parts. Repeatedly she and J.T. applauded their audience and challenged them to "sing with spirit". "I love to hear women's voices. It warms my heart....It's like being refueled!"

It was evident from their cheers and clapping and singing along that each woman there felt the revitalization was mutual. One had to marvel at a woman who, on the last stop of a fifty-six concert tour, remained vital and refreshed; who spent her "break" at intermission talking to women in the audience, listening and taking announcements of rallies and other information to pass on during the next set, and lingered afterward to talk and listen some more. Holly Near is no longer just a name for Cleveland wonen. She has become a friend.

-Deb Adler

In DINNER PARTY's Honor

In honor of the opening of Judy Chicago's "Dinner Party" in San Francisco on March 14th, Oven Productions sponsored a women's art show/sale and potluck dinner March 24th at the Unitarian Church on Lancashire Road in Cleveland Heights.

Despite the cold and rain, people from as far as Michigan came by to view the artists and their art. Represented works included varied photography exhibits, paintings, stained glass by the Free Clinic, sculpture, ceramics, woodcarvings, macrame, silver smithing, soft sculpture, handmade toys, clothes, and large wall weavings. This event was different from the usual art show by the continuing presence of women musicians and dancers that performed throughout the afternoon. It was not uncommon to have groups of people seated on the floor listening to the music or moving around the room following the dancers as they performed.

Beginning Friday night, there was a sense of excitement for the artists already beginning to set up, and throughout Saturday a feeling of mutual support and goodwill prevailed. Many artists were successful in selling their work, which is always a sign of a good show.

Saturday evening was the setting for an abundant potluck dinner that included a variety of delicious dishes. Following the dinner, there was a slide show presentation showing the women and their work on the Dinner Party project. We were fortunate to have had Sue Tishkoff, Jean Van Atta, and Dorothy Goodwill with us as they had all visited and/or worked on the project itself, and they were gracious enough to answer many questions about the work. For many of us the slides finally made real what we had been hearing about for many months. The evening ended with a gathering of us all in a triangle, the shape of the Dinner Party, and each in turn reading. the name of one of the 39 women commemorated in the Dinner Party.

I could not help but feel, as we were disassembling the show, that the spirits of Hatshepsut, Elizabeth Stanton, and all the others were somewhere close to us and urging us onward!

Oven Productions wishes to thank the following artists, musicians, dancers, and friends for their support and cooperation:

Vicki Stern

Janet Century Martha Posner Deb Adler

Mary Ellen May Solo Cindy McKay Lori Cecelick Darlene Miller Tony Laws Cleo Ferguson

· Maxine Giddings

Beth Hoffer Judy Holman

Gail Rule Carol Turoff

M.B. Camp

Jean Heffter

Lisa Rainsong Peggy Anton

Vicki Parks

Paula Potocki and friend

Jean Van Atta

Sue Tishkoff

Dorothy Goodwill Melinda McGeorge Tish

and THANK YOU OVEN...

Dance With Wallflower

tish

Oven Productions is still in the process of trying to bring Wallflower Order, a women's dance collective from Eugene, Oregon, to the Cleveland area. Although it is not possible for Wallflower Order to do an actual performance, we are trying to arrange for Wallflower Order to do one or two dance workshops at Case Western and/or Cleveland Modern Dance Association. If you think you may be interested in participating in one of these workshops, call Oven Productions at 321-1587 for more information.

Who is Wallflower Order?...A group 5 women, cach highly skilled in ballet and modern and jazz dance, who also make use of theatre, poetry, original music, and the martial art Ch'aun Fa Kung fu Through this blend of art forms Wallflower Order speaks to issues of both personal and political impor-

tance.

May, 1979/What She Wants/Page 11