The Arrow

The Arrow

ARROW 08: “People With Bodies Always Dies”. October 7, 2021

CONTEXT, Selected by Fil Corbitt and People With Bodies
Reno-based experimental, folk, indie, punk band People With Bodies has signed off on many shows with the phrase “We are People with Bodies, and so are you”, a sort of colloquial poetry about something we truly all have in common. At their final show ever (at The Holland Project where they played their first show ever), they signed off the same way, yet curated the arrow with a reminder about something all of us mortals also know – “People with Bodies Always Dies!”.


ARROW 07: “Rock Over Reno!”. June 4, 2021

CONTEXT, Selected by Dom Lacala (Love Castle and Nico’s Mystery)
The phrase Rock Over Reno, Rock Over Paris! is a reference to the late and great rock-n-roll legend and radio personality Wesley Willis, who used the phrase “Rock Over London! Rock Over Chicago!” when on air and at the end of many of his tunes. An homage Willis, but also a chant for the show where this message was present – with another band returning to live music for the first time in two years. The reference to Fontvieille Park is a nod to the writers’ favorite place, longing to travel after a long pandemic.



ARROW 06: “WWWWWWNWWOW”. June 2, 2021

CONTEXT, selected by Hasler R. Gomez and Kristin Hough
In conjunction with their curated exhibition of the same name, Gomez and Hough chose Where We Were When We Were Not Who We Once Were for their arrow message based on a phenomenon called “Semantic Satiation”. This phenomenon is when the repetition of a word or a phrase temporarily loses meaning for a listener, who then perceives the speech as repeated meaningless sounds. The works on view in the exhibition echo this idea through acts of repetition, augmentation, and abstraction, reveal the alienness of quotidian life. They investigate a world where walls become malleable, language is ever-shifting, and everyday objects melt into new forms. More about the exhibition here.


ARROW 05: “Here We Go Again”. May 7-8, 2021

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CONTEXT, selected by Noah Linker (Charity Kiss, Slate)
Here We Go Again. Classic and understood refrain – a rallying cry, a pep talk, a resignation, a determination, a familiar place but with a wiser/better/different approach or perspective, or a show of excitement and focus. Additional layer: second weekend of Holland’s Lounge Show Series (with Charity Kiss and Tommy & the Tongues) – a return to LIVE MUSIC after 13 months, and the second iteration of low-capacity, sold-out, parred down performances to meet the current need while filling the space with people, music, bands once again.

ADJACENT
RIP DMX: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
RIP TAWNY: Tawny Kitaen, Star of 1980s Music Videos, Dies at 59, NY Times, 5.9.2021


ARROW 04: “Spring Again”. April 17-18, 2021

CONTEXT, Selected by Brigdon Markward
For Spring Zing, one of the first events back at Holland after being closed for public events/gatherings due to COVID-19. Enter spring, a new beginning – life returning to the space after a quiet and unprecedented year.

Velvet-Voiced Crooner Lou Rawls Dies at 72, NPR – 1.06.06

“Successfully modeling himself partly on his friend Sam Cooke, as well as on Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, Mr. Rawls was a suave entertainer who appealed nearly equally to black and white audiences. He became best known for the unmistakable, mentholated baritone end of his vocal range, especially as heard on his biggest hit, “You’ll Never Find (Another Love Like Mine).”

After his greatest successes, in the 1960’s and 70’s, Mr. Rawls became something of an elder statesman, raising millions for black colleges; providing a recognizable face in movies and on television, and a familiar voice for cartoons and commercials; and continuing to tour as a singer.” — NY TIMES (photo on right: Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls, long time friends and touring partners, a relationship that started in Chicago when they sang in a group called the Teenage Kings of Harmony.)

ADJACENT

Same song title, different song – – Spring Time, by the legendary Biz Markee.


ARROW 03: “You Don’t Know What You Got Till It’s Gone” | December 2020

Venue marquees across the nation for National Independent Venue Association’s efforts to pass legislation to #saveourstages

ARROW 02: “Baby It’s Cold Outside” | December 6-7, 2020

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on view at High Desert Art+Craft


ARROW 01: “Listen to Them! Children of the Night. What Music They Make” | Halloween 2019


“The Arrow” project is supported in part by Nevada Humanities.