A Little Shindig at Wapato

There's a picture perfect unused jail in North Portland that will make a fine backdrop for the music video shoot today. It's not the first place I dream of spending my time on a rainy Monday morning. In this case, we'll be in the company of the fine friends from the colorful Wanderlust Circus. The cats from Perception Northwest have really been rocking the production. Our location shoot last week at the Bossanova Ballroom with the entire band cast was super sweet. The finished piece ought to be a real zinger for the MarchFourth Marching Band. Stay tuned...

Jeffrey Bale Gardens and Diggable Monkey

Diggable Monkey is super pleased to be working with Jeffrey Bale of Jeffrey Bale Gardens. Jeffrey is a renowned garden designer and landscape architect with a special interest and skill in custom stone mosaics. Jeffrey is developing a series of videos to be released later in the Fall. From Jeffrey's website: These gardens are built using organic principals, ensuring a cleaner environment. I have become known for my work with pebble mosaic, an art form of unlimited expression and practical application. I am moving away from the use of wood, as it becomes increasingly scarce, and into the fantastic potential of steel. Ancient or Modern, I am not limited to any particular style other than the goal of creating something of great beauty that fits harmoniously into it’s surroundings. For more on Jeffrey, visit his website: http://www.jeffreygardens.com/index.html OO OO!

Diggable Monkey Films MarchFourth in China

MarchFourth Marching Band from Portland, Oregon, USA, is embarking on a US State Department Cultural Exchange Tour in China, sponsored jointly by Sias International University, Sias Foundation, the United States Embassy in Beijing and the Government of Henan China Cultural Affairs. MarchFourth’s 18 performers (and 3 crew, including cameraman/documentarian Kevin Balmer of Diggable Monkey) will tour the Henan Province of China, putting on shows at universities, arts centers and public squares from May 21-June 3, 2013. Since the Cold War era, trips like this to developing and/or communist countries have long been part of American cultural diplomacy efforts to showcase the American arts and, by extension, our way of life. Some of the first musicians to tour the world on the US State Department dime were jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Though these programs declined somewhat in the second half of the 20th century, they were revived or ­reinvigorated after 9/11 in an attempt to downplay anti-US sentiments around the world.