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Gabe Meline on The End of Summer

Posted on September 18th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Free Mind Media, Music, Events.

Wow.  I haven’t posted in this blog for a while, but it feels great to start again!  Here is an article you might find interesting.  Gabe Meline (The Last Record Store, Santiago, The Bohemian) wrote this great article on The Insect Carnival and the Free Mind Benefit just the other week.  Take a look.  This is what it is all about.

It’s the end of the summer
Come to the time when we have to say goodbye

After watching seven different bands at Daredevils & Queens tonight, and after spending three days watching countless bands at the Insect Carnival last weekend, I have to say: summertime’s elusive promise, that delicate combination of freedom and togetherness so impossible to contain, has come and delivered its sweet kiss just in the nick of time. Soon it will be October, and we’ll spend our nights at home, and read Neil Gaiman novels and watch Richard Widmark movies, and talk about them to computer screens. But these last few weekends, at least, have been a last gasp of what living in Santa Rosa is all about.

It’s hard to put into words, these shows at the Insect Carnival and Daredevils & Queens, aside from saying that they’re probably best not put into words. They breathe, but how do you describe a breath? You inhale air, you exhale air. Right? Is it that simple?

The oldest of friends, the newest of strangers, the coldest of beers and the truest of bands. All under a sky just enough unclouded by city lights to allow a few stars to poke through. Shooting stars, even—the kind that you catch in their split-second streak, and when you discover that the person you’re next to saw it too, for a moment you are bonded if not by the music or the laws of attraction than at least by the very fact that you’re both under the same big sky.

The end of the summer means that people play John Prine and Jesus Lizard songs in the middle of a field, next to a mud pit full of naked people. The end of the summer means Jolie Holland ballads and clanging chains and bullhorns and a floor bending under the weight of people jumping up and down in rhythm. The end of the summer means sharing amps and sideways smiles and a hundred hugs. The end of the summer means a downtown alley full of people drinking free beer and fuck it if it’s Coors.

And the end of the summer means that as the wig-wearing auctioneers of Wine Country Weekend raise money by clowning their own dead counterculture of the 1960s, there are walls both concrete and wooded, both inside city limits and out, where a new culture is constantly being reborn. Where fresh blood is funneled into art, and music, and community, and life, and where money does not rule all. I repeat: where money does not rule all.

So thanks to the bands, and the people like Travis and Bryce and Kyle, and the hordes of people in this town who know a good thing when they see it and who seize it while it lasts.

Gabe is a hell of a writer and he knows Sonoma County.  Be sure to check out his frequent posts at his blog, “City Sound Inertia.”  You can get to it by clicking here:  http://www.bohemian.com/citysound/

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Cheap Art, Community Art

Posted on March 19th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Free Mind Media, Music, Events, Cheap Art.

Cheap Art! Hurrah!  Bite the Hand Productions held their first-ever Cheap Art Day at a great little house called Assa ni Assa.  We were there all day on Sunday, the 16th, making art and playing music together.  It was the first of many, friends…

Look for lots more Cheap Art filling our gallery at Free Mind Media (546 Pacific Ave in Santa Rosa), courtesy of this little Sunday gathering.  Come on by and take a look.  Buy some art, if you wish (everything is from 25 cents to 20 dollars).

To the many who came: Thank you for your spirit and your participation.  The Cheap Art Movement in Sonoma County is growing everyday!  Cheers to you, cheers to Assa ni Assa, and cheers to CHEAP ART!

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Come Make Some Cheap Art!

Posted on March 14th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Music, Free Mind Media, Events, Workshops, Philosophy, Cheap Art, The Pharmakon.

Art is an everyday thing and it is for everyone. No matter how much money you manage to make, no matter what time of year it is, we remain artists. That is what Cheap Art is about. Bite the Hand Productions is devoted to pushing forward the Cheap Art Movement in Sonoma County through articles in The Pharmakon, the displaying and selling of Cheap Art at our gallery at Free Mind Media, and through reoccurring Cheap Art Days- the first of which is taking place this Sunday at a little home called Assa Ni Assa.

So, come on down to 1560 Humboldt Street and spend the day with your fellow Cheap Artists! We will be making all sorts of arts and crafts to keep or put up in our gallery (whichever the artist prefers). There will be acoustic music as well as refreshing food. Also, we will be holding a harmonica workshop in the afternoon! Everything is free, so come over and put your energy into the Sonoma County Cheap Art Movement!

Call 326-5274 for details.

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The Sonoma County Quilting Project!

Posted on February 15th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Food Not Bombs, Free Mind Media, Music, Local Businesses and Non-Profits, Events.

Attention! Bite the Hand Productions is holding a very special event on February 24th! We will be bringing artists and activists together to create a GIANT COMMUNITY QUILT that will be displayed all over the county! Everyone will have an opportunity to design a square on the quilt, and Bite the Hand Productions will put the whole piece together!.

We will be at Free Mind Media ALL DAY ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24th! Come on by and make the quilt! While you’re around, check out Free Mind’s wonderful community infospace! Bite the Hand’s Cheap Art Gallery is there, and Food Not Bombs will be serving up grub for everyone!

And there’s going to be MUSIC! Featured artists are Tessa, Erstwhile Medicine Show, Timmy Redface, Kyle Martin and A Mother Like Sun, Gitar, Carlos K, Leila-Anne, and MANY more! The whole line-up will be posted on this web site soon, so keep stopping by…

THE DETAILS: It’s at Free Mind Media (546 Pacific Avc in Santa Rosa); or if it is raining, we’ll be at Bite the Hand Studios (935 Spencer St in Santa Rosa). We’re starting at 11 o’clock and we’ll be going on ALL DAY!!

For more information call 707-326-5274 or e-mail thepharmakon@gmail.com

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Pharmakon #9 is Out!

Posted on February 14th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Aren Diego, Free Mind Media, Tim Dixon's Art, Books, The Pharmakon.

Our February issue of The Pharmakon (titled “Warmth”) is out on the streets. We’ll be dropping it off over the next couple days at all of our usual spots:

COLOR issues are for sale at Copperfields in Sebastopol and Petaluma, and at Community Market in Santa Rosa.

FREE BLACK AND WHITE copies are at Community Market, Treehorn Books, Flying Goat Coffee, 1710 Coffee, The JC, Free Mind Media, The Last Record Store, Aquus Cafe, Coffee Catz, Hardcore Espresso, Sonoma State, North Light, and Zone Music.

This issue is full of eye candy and features book recommendations by the staff of Free Mind Media, an invitation to join a DIY soccer league, Chai recipes by our very own Aren Diego, and much more! Buy one if at all possible, or you can always pick a black and white copy up for free! Enjoy!

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What is Free Mind Media?

Posted on January 26th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Free Mind Media, Copwatch, Local Businesses and Non-Profits, Films, Events, Books, Cheap Art.

“Free Mind Media is a non-profit collectively run community center. Our mission is to be a dynamic source of independent and alternative media, to spark debate and discussion, and to provide a place for people to come together and work for greater social justice.” That’s the mission statement, and it describes Free Mind very well.

Free Mind Media is a very special place in Sonoma County, one that every local should visit. Every wall has at least one bookshelf, filled with powerful books to borrow or buy. There are three computers for the public to use and local art is always on display. There is a very radical ‘zine library and a place for fliers and announcements. Bite the Hand’s very own “Cheap Art Gallery” stands in the middle of the room! This is a real place for community building, discussion, and action.

Free Mind Media is managed by a collective of people who meet regularly and put their energy into various projects in the space. They are artists, Cop-watchers, writers, food-not-bombers, movie buffs, avid readers and more. They are all volunteers and will be glad to show you around the place and connect you to some of the action that is going on in Sonoma County.

The collective puts together a regular schedule of activities that take place at Free Mind Media. Here’s what the schedule looks like now:

Mondays- Public Free Mind Media Meeting @ 7:30

1st and 3rd Tuesdays- Santa Rosa Copwatch Meetings @7:00

Wednesdays- Feature Film Night @ 7:30

1st Thursday- Knitting Circle/ Copwatch Reading Group @ 7:00

2nd and Last Thursday- Documentary Movie Nights @7:30

Here are some events that are coming up in the next couple weeks:

Jan 26 (today)- Art Show

Feb 2nd- Gitars (A Performance by I Cut People and Ellipse Elkshow)

Feb 7- “Our Enemies in Blue” Reading Group

Cheers to you, Free Mind Media. Your collective spirit and rich space gives our community hope and the opportunity to take some action. Long may you stand.

Stop by Free Mind soon! They are located at 546 Pacific Ave. in Santa Rosa and are open from 3-6 most weekdays. You can reach them by calling (707) 579-1605.

Also, be sure to take a look at Free Mind Media’s website here: www.freemindmedia.org

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Aren’s Pottery!

Posted on January 11th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: Aren Diego, Free Mind Media, Needs/Haves, Cheap Art.

Ladies and Gentlemen, for your cheap artistic pleasure…

AREN’S POTTERY!!

Yes, our friend Aren has donated a lovely hand made ceramic piece to our Cheap Art Gallery at Free Mind Media (540 Pacific Ave in Santa Rosa).  It only costs $10!  Come on down to our gallery and pick it up today.  Money raised goes to Free Mind Media and the artist.

This is part of the growing Cheap Art Movement that is beginning in Sonoma County.  We want more affordable art that can be available to everyone!

For more information on Bite the Hand’s Cheap Art Gallery, click on “Gallery” on the “pages” sidebar to the left.

For more information on Free Mind Media, click on their webpage on our “blogroll” sidebar to the left.

1 comment.

Yes!! A Cheap Art Gallery!!

Posted on November 26th, 2007 by The Captain.
Categories: Free Mind Media, Local Businesses and Non-Profits, Cheap Art.

Bite the Hand Productions has erected the first Cheap Art Gallery of Sonoma County at Free Mind Media (546 Pacific Ave, Santa Rosa). This is a place where anyone can buy the art that makes life artful and sell their own art to the public. We want you to put up your art in our gallery! We want you to buy art here and help raise cash for local artists and Free Mind Media! Here is what the gallery looks like:

Sell your Cheap Art! Here’s how you do it:

1. Make the art.

2. Fill out a “Cheap Art Submission Form.”

3. Place the art and the form on the bottom shelf.

4. Our Cheap Art Curators will put your art out as soon as they can.

Buy some Cheap Art! Here’s how you do it:

1. Choose the art you want.

2. Sign the card in front of the art piece.

3. Put the card and the money in the “Cheap Art Money Can.”

4. Take that art home! Give it to a friend! Smash it with a hammer! It’s yours!

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Six Month Success!

Posted on November 19th, 2007 by The Captain.
Categories: The Boogie Room and Gardens, Free Mind Media, Food Not Bombs, The Crux, Music, Workshops, Events, Local Businesses and Non-Profits, The Pharmakon.

We had great time during our Six Month Spectacular this past Saturday! We played the music, danced the jig, ate the food, read The Pharmakon, drank the cider, and ate the grub!  Click on an of the images above to zoom in on them (they are pictures of Button Making, The Semi-Evolved Simians in our basement, and Food Not Bombs grub).

Something that was really amazing about this event was the fact that so many local organizations and collectives showed up together.  Here is a list of who represented themselves:

Bite the Hand Productions ran the whole shindig.  We booked the bands, sold The Pharmakon, organized the button making workshop, and the whole thing happened at Bite the Hand Studios.

Food Not Bombs made food for every guest.  No one went hungry and the grub went great with Bite the Hand’s Crux Theatre Bread (baked fresh that day).

Free Mind Media set up in the studio’s “Free Mind Free Nook” and sat happily, slinging information at the guests and discussing issues.

The Boogie Room and Gardens sold cider by candlelight.  They were fundraising for the ol’ B R and G.  Kyle Martin rocked our socks off!

The Pirate Punx and The Lost Boys showed up in astonishing numbers. These guys and girls can teach us a lot about community.

Lots of local groups (We know Brown Bangs and Lost Lamp Recording were in there in spirit!). It got us thinking… let’s co-ordinate our projects more and come together when we put on events! If we work together, we all will excel in our projects because the community will grow stronger and supportive. We can have more successful events like this Six Month Spectacular!

Of course, thanks to everyone who dug deep into their pockets and dished out some cash to Bite the Hand Productions!  We can now afford to print a jumbo-sized issue of The Pharmakon this December! We done good, folks.

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Free Mind and The Crux!

Posted on October 12th, 2007 by The Captain.
Categories: Free Mind Media, The Crux, Music, Local Businesses and Non-Profits, Events.

On October 20th, Free Mind Media is holding their second annual fundraiser! Come to the New College in Santa Rosa and celebrate this amazing organization. Bite the Hand Productions will be there as well as The Crux, who will be making music and making us dance. Be there! Show us yer guts! More information is on the Free Mind web page, so check them out on our blogroll to the left.

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