Ethereal-folk music, poster art, experimental photography and live reading collide this Saturday for a unique multimedia event. Joe Meno will be supported by live music from The Astronomer, and accompanied by visual art from Jay Ryan and Todd Baxter, as he reads from his recently released novel “The Great Perhaps” at the Old Town School of Folk Music. New songs, posters and photographs were created especially for this event, all based off Meno’s work. “My work for this event is three simple images which will be projected to accompany Joe’s reading, and The Astronomer’s live music,” Ryan says. “I expect that Joe’s presence and reading style will dominate the evening, and that The Astronomer will create the right soundtrack to his story.” The slightly surreal plot of “The Great Perhaps” centers on a tumultuous family composed of characters permeated with mystique and frenzy. Here’s hoping that this event will mirror Meno’s story in every way. “My drawings and Todd Baxter’s photos will simply add a bit of color to an already full presentation,” Ryan says. Stephanie Kuehnert and Billy Lombardo also read. (Josh Kraus)
Joe Meno, Stephanie Kuehnert and Billy Lombardo read from their work August 1 at Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln, (773)728-6000, at 8pm. $15.
Ole Kentucky Wonder: A Review of "Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Music Legend" by Taylor Hagood Stringbean appeared on the first "Hee Haw" episode in 1969 and was seen on the country music variety program through spring of 1974. He mostly appeared as the forlorn scarecrow dryly cracking wise on the jokes and puns told by the cast members popping up from a cornfield planted on a soundstage. And occasionally he picked some banjo.
