KC Masterpeas: Ssion

Monday, July 11, 2011

Video: Mudjackin' on Masterpeas Theatre

Jamie and Julia are pleased to bring you the very first episode of our informative new video series, MASTERPEAS THEATRE! Joining us for the debut celebration are the filmmaking power-couple Megan Mantia and Christopher Good! They tell us all about their upcoming comedy feature, MUDJACKIN' and how to avoid litigation in the Ozarks!

Masterpeas Theatre: Support Couple's Mudjackin' from The KC Masterpeas.

You can support Chris, Megan and crew in making the summer of our lives (as movie goers) by pledging to MUDJACKIN' on KICKSTARTER. Even a small amount makes a big difference. And you can get your name in the credits. Wait, what is this NPR? Since when did Masterpeas have a pledge drive?!

Donate to Mudjackin' on Kickstarter.

But really, few are better documentary subjects than Christopher Good and Megan Mantia as their creative work bridges so many of Kansas City's sprawling collaborations. Their combined footprints read like an introduction to the Kansas City scene.

About our Video:

THEME MUSIC for PROBE by GOODBYE THE BAND.

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CHRISTOPHER GOOD AND MEGAN MANTIA
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HOLY MOLY
HOLY MOLY (2011) starring Jimmy Darrah and fashion designer Peggy Noland is Christopher Good's second short film. Produced by Megan Mantia. Very Good!

Holy Moly from Christopher Good.

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RETURN OF THE GUMSHOE KIDS
Return of the Gumshoe Kids is Christopher Good's first short film. It premiered last summer. It's about an aging junior detective, probably way past the age where it's appropriate to be a junior detective. But he kind of can't let go.

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The SSION
A Kansas City band run by Cody Critcheloe, who has just relocated to Brooklyn. The SSION is an amazing collaboration also. It involves many Kansas City people. It's been going on for nearly 15 years now. They recently did a big show at PS1 in New York. (See our post "Cody Critcheloe and KC's Ssion at MoMA PS1.") Megan Mantia helps coordinate things. She helped coordinate their movie BOY. Their new album "BENT" is available for free download.

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WHOOP DEE DOO
Christopher Good and Megan Mantia partially met through Whoop Dee Doo. This is a group that is also a sprawling collaboration in Kansas City. It is a legitimate non-profit that Mantia and Good have both worked for. Chris has filmed. Megan does documentary photography, helps organize things and is the treasurer on their board. (Previous Masterpeas post about Whoop Dee Doo!)

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SECRET CITIES
Secret Cities is a three to four piece psych-pop band, kind of from Kansas City. Christopher Good did a music video for their song "Always Friends."

Secret Cities, "Always Friends" by Christopher Good.

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RAH BOOTY
Rah Booty is a radical cheer-leading squad based in Kansas City, MO. It was started by sculpture students at the Kansas City Art Institute including Leone Anne Reeves and Megan Mantia.

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LEONE ANNE REEVES
Leone Anne Reeves is an incredible individual who lives in Kansas City doing amazing performance. She's got an MFA in performance from the Art Institute of Chicago and she went to the Kansas City Art Institute. She's a master of disguise. She's in the new movie MUDJACKIN'. She's so funny and awesome.

David Bowie: Dance Magic Dance on Whoop Dee Doo from leone anne reeves.

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JIMMY DARRAH
Jimmy Darrah is a very talented actor and director from Kansas City. He stared in HOLY MOLY, the short film from Christopher Good and Megan Mantia. He's also going to star in MUDJACKIN'. Good first discovered Darrah through Darrah's short film CURSE OF THE WEREMAN.

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ALEX MOSS

Alex Moss is a beloved Kansas City drummer. He drums for a couple bands, one called Der Todesking and the other called U.S. Americans. One hardcore, the other - kickass American rock. He's also acting in MUDJACKIN'.

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MIKE TULEY
The musician Mike Tuley is a longstanding landmark of all-ages music in Kansas City. He is Christopher Good's good friend and a collaborator. He is the initiator of the AD ASTRA ARKESTRA (live video Christopher Good), formerly Ad Astra Per Aspera. THE SHORT BUS KIDS to THE GRISLY HAND: We are the people. We have the power. This is our mission.

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SHANNON MICHALSKI
She may be known to most as her persona THE WOMAN in THE SSION, a very intimidating individual. But Shannon Michalski is a very powerful young lady who acts in lots of plays and was in the troupe of Late Night Theatre in Kansas City. She is the other female star of MUDJACKIN'.

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Please do Donate to Mudjackin' on Kickstarter.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Cody Critcheloe and KC's Ssion at MoMA PS1

The Ssion "Bent" MoMA PS1 PopRally performances are utterly fantastic. Cody Critcheloe and his band of pan-discipline collaborators make a new space of image, sound, movement and style that is so energetically pristine it rips to the high-end of DIY. Critcheloe fulfills his pop-stardom and the punks win.

The Ssion is mounted as a traditional pop star project. Imagine this was put together by Malcum McLaren, Paisley Park and the good folks at Motown. Critcheloe assumes the role of media icon. He projects himself into the same domain, onto the same platform, as his idols. They are mostly Women in Rock. Inside the shimmering sphere he finds communion with these stars, continues their narratives and inserts his own. We are all dancing, Ssion-face on. It sounds like this.

Listen To The Grrrls by SSION

It is a wonderful success that these brick-dust glitter kids from Missouri and Kentucky have found national support for their personal myths. Pop culture icons in heart and soul, maybe that's all it ever takes!

I really enjoyed seeing all of the collaborators who traveled to New York from Kansas City to make the production. Some friendly faces I spotted were Christopher Good (documentation!), Megan Mantia (dancing / documentation!), J. Ashley Miller (music & rapping! / birthday!), Garrett Fuselier (video / digital staging / birthday!), Drew Bolton (video / digital staging / working the crowd!), Jaimie Warren (dancing!), Shannon Michalski (power!), Zach Van Benthusen (staging!) and Matt Huff (dressing everyone for Peggy Noland!). I'm so proud and impressed by everyone. I'm sure there are tons and tons more Gumbys rolled into this ball whom I didn't catch or who weren't there in body.

Plus, it was really great how the show brought some KC ex-patriots out of the woodwork. And it gave us a chance to meet all sorts of new people who are open and ready for this fun we love so dearly.