1. CS13
CS13 was an "alternative" art gallery in Cincinnati that did a lot of things. Egalitarian music space (they hosted so many bands, local and non, that I'd never heard of), literary hub ("The Things That My Friends Say" monthly reader series as well as other literary events), a community kitchen (their amazing "Courses" series they did over the summer, where they renovated the space into a working kitchen and invited local chefs and food related folk to come talk and cook), and, of course, an art gallery. Their final exhibition, "Utopia, OH: A Love Letter" was a beautiful and museological exhibition about a real place in Ohio, but further about the idea of a utopian space in general (some photos: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150346716987201.343348.73151372200&type=1) In a way this final exhibition was a kind of summation of what CS13 was; a space malleable to be about and for anything you wanted. When they quietly closed their doors for good a few months ago it was a sharp contrast to the aggrandizing farewells from the press towards another local art gallery that closed forever in Cincinnati this year, but perhaps this is the more appropriate exit for a place like CS13. Quiet legacies tend to permeate better than those shouted from the rooftops anyway.
2. Leif Fairfield - Sun Drips EP
Cincinnati performance artist/musician/wearer of pasta helmets Leif Fairfield recorded an 11 song EP covering the songs of another local band, The Sleeping Sea (who I've admittedly only heard once). There's a lot to hear on this thing, with songs ranging in sound from Bowie vocals over Nintendo to music to weepers such as "Wicked Witches" that does a bit of Black Heart Procession/Sunset Rubdown/Fever Ray thing. You can download it free from Leif's blog: http://www.cosmonautfarm.blogspot.com/
3. Jennifer Jolley - "Press Play"
Jennifer Jolley is a Cincinnati composer whose work I first became aware of during her collaboration with Andre Alves for his "Mute Motives" exhibition (I wrote all about it here: http://aeqai.com/main/2011/07/it%E2%80%99s-oh-so-quiet-%E2%80%93-andre-alves%E2%80%99-mute-motives-at-semantics/). From my introduction to her work in that exhibition she's become one of my favorite brains behind things to hear and see around here. "Press Play" (a reworking of Bach on children's instruments) is the kind of 20th C. composer influenced smarts coupled with some whimsy that I feel encompasses most of what she does, and its one of my favorite things I've heard in general this year.
MP3/Streaming:
http://soundcloud.com/jenniferjolley/press-play
website:
http://www.jenniferjolley.com/composer/news.html
4. Steve Kemple - "The World is Everything that it Isn't"
This was my favorite exhibition I've ever seen, locally and beyond. If you want to read more about my thoughts on it go here: http://aeqai.com/main/2011/05/steve-kemple/ (I promise I'm not picking these things so you can read my Aeqai articles).
You should also look at everything he does here: stevekemple.com
5. PIPRIRL (Post Internet Poetry Reading in Real Life)
This is the only thing I'll put on this list that I had any real involvement with (and besides, my role in this was really only gatherer of equipment and provider of an art space). The idea came from the artist Caitlin Robinson who eschewed the tried and true conventional poetry reading for a conceptual one, looking at the muddy Marisa Olson coined "post-internet" term (a kind of updated Marshall McLuhan physical/digital optimism) and creating an event that felt kind of like a 21st Century Cabaret Voltaire. Readers came in from all over via various internet teleports (skype etc.) and lots of things were slow to load and at times incredibly grating to sit through...yet, despite its technical difficulties the whole damn thing had such a bit of 60s nostalgia blanketed in something so contemporary you couldn't help but enjoy it all.
Here's a bit of it on ustream. Second Life reading is by Caitlin and the "irl" (but not in this case) reader is Mark Mendoza.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/piprirl
Caitlin's site:
caitlinrobinson.com
6. Vaclav Havel RIP
Next time you hear some dingy neo-McCarthyite on talk radio or tv go on about communists hiding in your toaster waiting to pop up with an evil message on your toast, think of this one (of countless) lines from communist and former Czech president (and one of my favorite authors) Vaclav Havel, who died the weekend before Christmas: "We must not be ashamed that we are capable of love, friendship, solidarity, sympathy and tolerance, but just the opposite: we must set those fundamental dimensions of our humanity free from their "private" exile and accept them as the only genuine starting point of meaningful community." - from "Politics and Conscience" ed. Flagg Taylor
Recommend:
The Garden Party and Other Plays
To the Castle and Back
7. The Tree of Life/Beginners/The Future
There weren't really a lot of great movies this year...maybe I'm getting pickier or maybe movies are just getting worse (The Smurfs). Combine em all into a hybrid super indie and you'll get the crux of what they are all about: how hard love is when forces oppress it (social, cultural, and just good old boredom). Also, the Tree of Life has dinosaurs.
8. Eleanor Friedberger - "Last Summer"
When I stumbled across this I really didn't think it would be anything I'd like as much as I do. I've always kind of liked the Fiery Furnaces but would never call myself a "fan" per se. Somehow this became my favorite album I've heard this year (St. Vincent "Strange Mercy," Oneohtrix Point Never "Replica," get #2 and 3) and maybe its the same problem with the movies...either I'm missing a lot of things or music has been kinda hit or miss in 2011. SEE FOR YOURSELF:
http://www.crocko.com/1916650419/Eleanor_Friedberger_-_Last_Summer_(2011)_[MP3]_ES_3649070.rar
9. Video Daughters - ZooS
Video Daughters are a band from NYC and this is just a great, noisy, big Albini tears, release of an album.
http://videodaughters.bandcamp.com/
10. "Louie"
Just fucking brilliant. Louie CK winds up making probably one of the best TV shows I've ever seen by subverting formula and not being afraid to go for emotional broke.
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