Northcoast Zeitgeist

The Kent Stage: A great place to have a lousy time.

There's truly so much to love about Kent. Friendly people. Charming festivals. A growing downtown. I could go on and on, trust me, but suffice it to say that Kent is a great place to call home. One gem is the Kent Stage, an old-style, non-profit-run downtown theater that has been around since 1927 and operating exclusively as a venue for folk/alt-country music since 2002. The Kent Stage is intimate despite its size and offers truly spectacular sound ...

... if you can stomach one of the more disrespectful audiences you'll ever encounter at a performance. Counting last night's Gillian Welch show, I've been to the Kent Stage at least five times. The other shows, just for context, were Kathleen Edwards, Rosanne Cash, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Vienna Teng. I'm sure I'm missing a show or two, but just understand that what I'm saying is coming from someone who has been there multiple times and who loves having such a venue so close to home.

So when I say "disrespectful," I'm talking about problems that I've observed consistently across multiple shows. The audiences have been, in a word, insufferable. Talking over songs. Shouting between songs. Not just loud requests - who hasn't heard these before - but mindless banter. Two examples from the Gillian Welch show: After the first song (one of Welch's oldest), someone yelled, "That's the first time I've heard that song, but it made me cry." Okay. Later, when Welch - wearing a summery dress - joked about packing for the tour when it was still warmer out, someone else shouted, "It's been pretty mild here for the last few days." Hmm.

This happened over and over, and has happened at every show I've seen there. Amidst countless shouts of "I love you, Gillian" or "I love you, David [Rawlings, who joined Welch]," there were repeated instances of out-loud commentary. The song requests got so frequent that Welch stopped to relay a story about how she did a requests-only show once and how it "sucked." That kept people quiet for a song or two. I've long grown accustomed to people openly breaking any and all "no flash photography" rules there to not only snap pictures, but also record lengthy videos. I've sat near "the talker" every time out. Or the off-key, lyric-confused singer. Or the cell-phone checker. Or the constant-getter-upper.

Do the last couple of paragraphs make me sound curmudgeonly? Sure they do. But here's the thing: Every one of these persistent issues - every one of them - has been perpetrated by people who "should know better." I'd guess that the average age of a Kent Stage concertgoer is somewhere in the mid-40s. Is that a scientific guess? No. But does at least 75 percent of every crowd when I go look like they're my parents' age (61)? You bet. Kent's a small community, one that has a long history of devotion to folk, alt-country, and related genres of music, so you tend to see the same people at every show. And the same problems.

I would argue that the difference in behavior is generational. Perhaps people my age and younger really didn't come of age in a time where shows were such a participatory thing. But respect is something that's supposed to transcend age. And it's clear that a portion of the Kent Stage's audience is beyond disrespectful in their entitled and boorish behavior. The performers at each of these shows have noticed. Is this the reputation the Kent Stage wants? That of a great place to play if you don't mind sharing the spotlight with an audience thinking they paid $30 for everyone to hear their rudeness? I doubt it, and I'm sure the friendly, devoted Western Reserve Folk Arts Association folks doubt it, too.

Not all hassles are created equal, and I know that none of this amounts to a real problem when placed side-by-side with the problems that so many face around the country and world. But something needs to be said. If only so other people who go to shows at the Kent Stage to hear good music (and just good music) know that they're not alone. The biggest deciding factor for me when it comes to buying tickets there is always the audience. Will I be ready for what I know will happen? Is it worth the price? That's a shame, because the Kent Stage has so much potential. It's only a few minor renovations and more diverse booking away from being a Beachland Ballroom-level venue. Like so much else in Kent, there's a real family feel to the Kent Stage. But it's time a lot of people there start acting like they're in public.

Get 'em while they're hot!

We saw a few folks walking around wearing these babies at the market this weekend. Get yours for a mere $15 and shop at the area's best farmers' market in one fell swoop!

Designing the new look for the Haymaker Farmers' Market.

 

It's hard to put into words how much a part of the fabric of our town the Haymaker Farmers' Market is - though we've tried. Casey, in a post about our weekly visits to the market, called it "The ritual that nourishes us." In referring to the market as the "soul of a city," I noted that the market represents what's truly best about people and Kent itself. Further, I've been fortunate enough to design the day-of-market signage for a former vendor and, in a fit of late-night energy, even tried my hand at a quick redesign of the market's identity.

All of this is just a longer way of saying how much we love the market - and how much it means to us. Imagine our excitement, then, when new market manager Kelly Ferry approached us earlier this summer with the proposition of completing a proper redesign of the Haymaker identity! What you see above is the result of that process, but before I go into more detail about the identity we're so proud of, let's look at what it replaced and Ferry's goals for the redesign. The old logo:

 

 

Initially, when Kelly approached us, she was interested in strengthening the previous logo and turning it into a true branding element she could use on things like the web, t-shirts, re-usable bags, signage, collateral and, potentially, permanent pole banners near the market's location. The old logo was hard to incorporate into new pieces, so she was also interested in adding some sort of frame to the identity to bring everything together.

We, meanwhile, were interested in cleaning up several things we noticed about the logo, including the mixed case of the title, the thin white outlines around the crops and the notion that you didn't get a sense of heritage from it. The market is one of the oldest in the state - next year will be its 20th anniversary - and we felt it merited a refreshing that spoke to the twin senses of tradition and optimism surrounding both the market and the city it calls home. It was also imperative to me to deliver a final product that could look good in multiple colorways and when reproduced at any size, large or small. In the end, we arrived at six logos total, representing three distinct descriptors and two unique colorways. The first pair:

 

 

Almost immediately, we knew we wanted to go in a completely new direction with regard to the agricultural product depicted. Both the beans and tomato were appropriate, but to us the apple - green in one colorway and red in the other - spoke to the kind of American optimism we wanted the new logo to express. When approaching us, Ferry expressed interest in having an enclosure around the final product as well as incorporating the depiction of a field within. The twist, from our end, came in deciding to make the apple the focal point (like the sun in the Great Seal of the State of Ohio) with the "field" emanating from the apple like the rays of the sun. The second pair:

 

 

Once we knew we wanted the apple/field and sun/rays to be the focal point within the enclosure, the decision of how to treat the market name itself came easy. We placed it within a below-center banner that appears to wrap around the enclosure, coming from behind on the left and disappearing again on the right. The darker color of the banner in both colorways places emphasis on the name but never takes away from the importance of the apple. In the above options - interchangeable with the first pair - we replaced the "Kent, Ohio" with "Since 1992." The descriptors ended up fitting just right within the space created by removing some of the rays and that is bounded by both the enclosure and banner. The third and final pair:

 

 

The above options, of course, promise to be a focal point of next year's market collateral. Twenty years is an impressive milestone for a market that is only gaining steam, so it's something to be quite proud of. It should be noted that we also thought it very important to not have too much descriptive detail within a relative confined space. This is why there are three distinct options as opposed to trying to jam the city, founding date and anniversary into one mark.

A logo can't be all things to all people, or else you risk losing the simplicity that makes the best marks so memorable. What's more, most people won't spend nearly as long looking at the logo as the designer or client, so you have to be sure to avoid bombarding the viewer with too much information. And finally, what if the logo ends up on a poster with a bunch of others and therefore gets reproduced at a very small size? The more descriptors, the harder that miniature logo will be to read.

As for the chosen typeface for the final product, we used House Industries' Neutraface, which I've been in love with since its release. Neutraface perfectly encapsulates the tradition, optimism and progressivism we hoped to express in the logo. And since there are so many varieties of apples - just as there are so many wonderful offerings at the market - we presented each logo option in two separate colorways. Why don't we refer to them as the Granny Smith or Braeburn options?

When I've discussed logo projects in the past on this site, I've been careful to include options that either didn't make the final cut or were stops along the way. I'd like to do so again here. The first logo you see below is, again, the one I designed as a late-night what-if. It offers both a green color scheme and sense of mid-20th Century optimism that, in some ways, made it through to the final product. Below that are two looks at a logo that fully emphasizes the field over any crop at all - and creates an "H" icon out of individual plots in an overhead patchwork of fields. A decent logo, but lacking the energy of the eventual winner.

 

 

We couldn't be happier with these new logos - or how well the design process went in working with Kelly. She's just the leader the market needs as it transitions into its next phase and we hope that its new look helps keep the positive momentum going. The Haymaker Farmers' Market is so important to not only Casey and I, but also to the city we love. To be able to have a hand in branding such a prominent fixture in your community is a tremendous opportunity, and one that we approached with gusto. I hope you enjoy the result as much as we do.

 

An egg salad story.

With apologies to Rick Sebak documentary titles, here's an egg salad story: Last night, Casey prepared - and then photographed (and later wrote about) - perhaps the best egg salad sandwich I've ever had. Sourced primarily from our garden, Casey's mother's garden and our farmers' market, the final product was delightful.

Locally sourced, locally enjoyed.

Sure, we had some great meals on our recent California jaunt, but nothing compares to Casey's cooking (and food photography), especially when she's got our garden and the Haymaker Farmers' Market at her disposal. Here's the main course: Garlic Alfredo pasta, featuring Ohio City Pasta pappardelle with herbs from our garden.

And here's an herbed tomato and goat cheese salad, featuring Haymaker Market-bought tomatoes, Birdsong Farm shelling peas and Ornery Goat Dairy garlic dill goat cheese. Add some herbs from our garden, a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper and you've got a tasty meal perfectly suited for a beautiful night on the patio.

Watch out, it's funk inflation!

If you have a heart beating in your chest and don't mind having your funk bone broken into a thousand little, funky pieces, you owe it to yourself to make it to the upcoming show by our good friends in Costley Ct. Here's a little poster I put together for the big night:

Shout-outs, too, to these Arsenal vectors and Photo-Lettering, both of which I love together. And, of course, to the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown, the Funky President.

Spring in Kent.

Fresh ink for the one I love.

As I did when I got my pro-Ohio tattoos, I went to my go-to artist and friend - Steve May of Defiance Tattoos in Kent - for my latest. This time, I'm paying tribute to my wife and best friend. Amazing job, Steve:

Because life is good.

Today, I made a small donation to It Gets Better (you know, of the amazing YouTube videos starring all of our gay and straight heroes). In return, they are sending a copy of their new book to the school library of my choice. The following is a letter that I sent to the principal of a local high school:

Dear Principal,

My name is Casey Myers. I am a doctoral student studying Curriculum and Instruction at Kent State University and I am a proud citizen of Kent, Ohio. I am also a person who cares deeply about the wellbeing of young people and I am passionate about the role that school plays in a young person’s life. I am writing to you today with a message of great concern to many families and students in our community.

As an educator, I’m sure you are aware of the statistics, such as those compiled by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN, 2009), that state that nine out of ten gay and lesbian teens report being bullied at school. In addition, although nearly half of teachers and principals acknowledge that bullying is a problem, they underestimate the frequency with which bullying that is focused on gender and sexuality occurs in secondary schools (GLSEN & NASSP, 2008). Tragically, these statistics are representative of horrifying realities for so many families who have lost their children to suicide because they were taunted – even tortured – by their classmates simply for being themselves. Just last month, Nicholas Kelo Jr., age 13, of nearby Rittman, Ohio used a gun to commit suicide in his home. His family reports that he had been harassed repeatedly at school with accusations of being gay. The stories of other teens like Nicholas can be found in communities and schools across Ohio and across this nation. Gay and lesbian teens are four times more likely to commit suicide than their straight peers.

It is not only the statistics, but also the stories of teens like Nicholas Kelo, which tell us that the need to reach out to gay and lesbian teens has never been greater. It Gets Better (www.itgetsbetter.org) is a nonprofit organization that works to make adolescence better for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth. It Gets Better partners with The Trevor Project and GLSEN in efforts to make schools safe places through education and outreach, including a 24/7 crisis hotline. A primary focus of this partnership is to end suicide among gay adolescents and teens through social media. Both gay and straight people have contributed to the It Gets Better project through video essays on YouTube.com to let teens know that, even if they are bullied, even if they feel alone, that life is worth living because it does get better. Since beginning their video essay project six months ago after a rash of teen suicides, the YouTube page has been viewed over 10 million times.

Today, I made a donation to It Gets Better, and because of my donation I was able to send a copy of the It Gets Better book to the school library of my choice. Because I care about children and I care about this community, I chose to send a copy to Roosevelt High School. This book is essentially a printed form of the popular video essays, making the hopeful messages of It Gets Better available to those who may not be able to access them online. I am hopeful that when this book is shipped to your school in a few weeks that it will find a permanent home in the RHS library. Every student deserves to know that his or her life is worth living and that they are not alone.

Sincerely,

Casey Y. Myers

Kent, Ohio

This is important for me because of all of the reasons I stated above. And because I can't imagine what my life would be like if I couldn't share it with so many of my beautiful, creative and caring friends who also happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer. Think about the high school or middle school you attended. Could they use a copy of this book? The answer is YES. Go here and donate. And feel free to use my letter as a template to communicate your own message to your school's principal, dean, counselor or librarian. 

A Year in Pictures.

So this just happened, and it was awesome.

It was a great night at NCZ headquarters. Since Casey and I are always out of town with family for Thanksgiving, we wanted to do something with our area friends - who are just as much our family as anyone on any tree. So tonight, we had six of our closest friends over for a pre-holiday feast. Thanks to Casey, the menu was just as delicious as it looks, and the company was just as delightful as you'd imagine. I smell the start of a new tradition. It smells a lot like that awesome creamy roasted carrot soup.

In case I forget what state or town I love, I wrote them down.

Thanks to the amazing Steve May at Kent's finest Defiance Tattoos, I'm all inked up and full of Ohio (and Kent) pride:

Representing for the 44240.

There's a really awesome rebound-fest going down on Dribbble right now prompted by this awesome shot by Geof Crowl. Not content to sit on the pride-of-place sidelines, here's my contribution - and tip of the hat to Kent (special thanks to Casey for taking the awesome picture):

A familiar face in an awesome commercial for Kent State.

Even though I did not attend Kent State University, it's hard not to pull for the university that calls our amazing town home. Plus, Casey's hard at work there on her doctorate after having earned her M.A. in 2006. When I worked at Ohio University, it was in the school's communications and marketing office, so I'm partial to a good ad campaign (to say nothing of my agency day job now). And this new Kent State ad - for so many reasons - is a grand slam home run.

Ready to dig in.

When I last wrote about our awesome town, it was in celebration of the massive TIGER grant that would go to fund the Kent Central Gateway multi-modal project. I also mentioned the other likely downtown developments that were no doubt spurred by the stimulus dollars. One of the biggest facets of those developments - the block bordered by Water, Erie, and DePeyster streets and the Haymaker Parkway - is, as of this fall - poised to begin! With a development of this size (hundreds of new jobs, millions of dollars, and countless agreements), it's stunning and inspiring to see the pace at which all involved have moved to make this a reality. Here's an overhead of the area in question (make sure to zoom in):

The development in question - depicted in yellow and to be known as the Kent Gateway Center - is the work of Cleveland-based Fairmount Properties, and promises to bring many jobs and many tenants (including major relocations with the Davey Resource Group and Ametek Lamb Electric Co.) to downtown. Demolition begins within a couple of months with groundbreaking thereafter and a final completion date in 2012. Below is a view of the development from Water Street facing east. The building on the right will actually open a little earlier to accommodate Davey.

Below is the same development, this time seen from Erie Street looking south. Two important parts of this schematic are the grayed-out area behind the left-most building and the open area in the middle. Seen in gray is another awesome component of the redevelopment block - a new downtown hotel. Columbus-based Pizzuti Companies is behind the 110-room hotel and the adjacent 15,000-square-foot conference center, which will located across DePeyster Street from the hotel. In the open space, meanwhile, will be the second phase of Ron Burbick's great Acorn Alley retail/office/pedestrian project.

Between these efforts, the Fairchild Avenue Bridge project moving at breakneck speed, and other university-based developments intended to connect campus to downtown, it's a rather exciting time to call Kent home. We love it here, and are so proud that so many people clearly care about their community - and are willing to take the steps to see it flourish.