+ + + + + +

O+ ARTISTS: Wheat-paste submissions ready to go!

2010-10-03T01:36:00.000-04:00

Paste-up by a Kingston H.S. student

O+ stays positive.

O+ Goes to Art Class

2010-09-29T13:28:00.000-04:00

O+ Artists and Organizers Kevin Paulsen and Denise Orzo got to Kingston High School to speak with art students in Ms. Sumerano's class, who are making their own paste-ups, to be displayed on building exteriors around Uptown Kingston for the O+ Festival and beyond!

O+ ARTISTS: Bonnie Marie Smith

2010-09-27T13:17:00.002-04:00

Watch this beautiful video documenting the installation of a paste-up on John St., Uptown Kingston (the back of the Clermont Building) by Bonnie Marie Smith:

O+ Festival: Big Heart from O+ Festival on Vimeo.

O+ ARTISTS: NEW PASTE-UP INSTALLATIONS IN UPTOWN KINGSTON!

2010-09-19T21:00:00.000-04:00

wheat-paste installations by O+, dr. thomas cingel, thom grady

wheat-paste installation by john bridges

wheat-paste installation by joe concra

wheat-paste installation by denise orzo

wheat-paste installation by alexandra marvar

wheat-paste installation by VENT

FYI!

2010-09-19T18:25:00.003-04:00

Stay in the loop—constant news updates from O+ Festival on twitter.com/opositivefest and facebook.com/opositivefest

O+ Video! Watch & Learn.

2010-09-19T18:11:00.000-04:00

The First Annual O+ Festival from O+ Festival on Vimeo.

Video by Little Bones Media.
Paste-up Graphic by Dr. Thomas Cingel, D.D.S.
Music by Common Prayer.

O+ FILMS: Watch Vanguard American's "Just Say Yes"

2010-09-18T18:48:00.011-04:00

Congrats to the O+ Short Film Mini-Fest selections; view them here. To celebrate, please enjoy a special online preview screening of Vanguard American's short entitled "Just Say Yes."

Watch "Just Say Yes" below and at the O+ Festival on Saturday Oct. 9th between 2 and 5pm. More info at www.opositivefestival.org/film.html.

Vanguard American on Vimeo.

Metroland Albany Previews O+

2010-09-15T18:19:00.000-04:00

Check out Metroland Albany's Fall Arts/Pop Preview for a rundown of great regional arts and music events for this season, including the O+ Festival!

"A real music festival for the times happens in Kingston Oct. 8-10. The O Positive Festival is not only an art and music fest, but also ·a health-care clinic for participating uninsured artists, as well as a public health resource expo.· Brilliant! And the music is great: Among the notable acts: psych-rockers Hopewell; rising alt-country stars Phosphorescent; and the bass geek·s dream duo of Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie) and Sara Lee (Gang of Four). If that last bit isn·t worth the ticket price·which, by the way, is a suggested donation·then what is?"

New O+ Ticket Vendor in Rhinebeck!

2010-09-14T18:07:00.000-04:00

All on the east side of the Hudson, head over to Cabin Fever Outfitters in Rhinebeck to get your O+ weekend passes before the festival. Thanks Cabin Fever & Steve Patch for getting on board with O+!

New Event Info Added to the O+ Fest Schedule!

2010-09-13T18:20:00.000-04:00

Visit http://www.opositivefestival.org/schedule.html for the newly added / updated times and locations for great upcoming O+ events like the much-anticipated Tracy Bonham and Mike & Ruthy bill, Linda Montano's 7-hour Glandathon performance, Hopewell and a Mercury Rev DJ set at the O+ Saturday night Afterparty, a treat of a rock show by Brooklyn's glamrockers Amazing Baby, and more!!

Music Slut Blog Hosts O+ Ticket Giveaway!

2010-09-11T18:14:00.001-04:00

Click below to enter the contest hosted by TheMusicSlut.com for 2 free weekend passes to the O+ Festival, and see below for a FREE DOWNLOAD by O+ band Phosphorescent!

CONTEST: O+ FESTIVAL IN KINGSTON, NY

Phosphorescent, Tracy Bonham, Hopewell, Amazing Baby, Acorn, Sgt. Dunbar & The Hobo Banned, The Woes, Mercury Rev DJs on the 1s and 2s and more is what you can expect at the O+ Festival October 8-10th in Kingston, NY and we’ve got a pair of tickets to giveaway to one lucky winner! To win, leave a comment on this post (make sure to put your email) and we’ll choose one winner randomly October 1st.

MP3: Phosphorescent – The Mermaid Parade

Roll Magazine Previews O+

2010-09-10T18:13:00.000-04:00

Pick up a free copy of the Sept. issue of Roll magazine for Hudson Valley Art, Music, Theater and Cinema listings. And check out the Sept. Music Preview for info on O+!

Fr-Su 10/8 through 10/10- O+ FESTIVAL OF MUSIC, ART & WELLNESS, featuring COMMON PRAYER, HOPEWELL, MIKE & RUTHY, NINA VIOLET, POOK, and more, in Uptown Kingston—Featuring twenty bands curated by members of Kingston-based indie gods Mercury Rev, the O+ Festival of Music, Art & Wellness provides a wealth of artistic festivities, that also unites artists directly with a coalition of local health care providers and resources—all participating artists will receive free and discounted health services from local participating medical and health professionals. O+ was started by a handful of Hudson Valley artists and doctors whose goals were to bring vitality to their neighborhood and to offer a community-driven solution to the inaccessibility of public health care. Dr. Thomas Cingel, DDS, a Kingston-based dentist and festival co-organizer, says “O+ is about supporting our artists by providing them a weekend-long health clinic. In some cases, treatment will continue after the festival at little or no cost.” Artists are often called upon to perform their services for free in benefit gig situations, quite often they are the only ones doing so. Here’s an excellent chance to give a little something back to them for a change, while enjoying some top shelf art and entertainment. Along with exhibits, short films, performances, and large-scale outdoor wheat-paste murals, bands galore perform—Common Prayer, Hopewell, Mike & Ruthy, Nina Violet, POOK, and fifteen more—sagely selected by members of Mercury Rev. Participating Uptown Kingston venues include Keegan Ales, Elephant, the Stockade Tavern, Backstage Studio Productions, and the Beahive. O+ Festival of Music, Art & Wellness, Uptown Kingston, www.opositivefestival.org. See website for times and venues.

WHEATPASTE KINGSTON.

2010-09-06T20:38:00.000-04:00

Our glowing O+ in wheatpaste and clay.

O+ ARTST: Filmmaker Peter Hutton

2010-09-02T16:05:00.000-04:00

It's a great honor to include renowned maker of moving pictures Peter Hutton to O+'s roster of 2010 artists. Stay tuned for details on when and where his screening will take place.Watch an excerpt from a 1977 interview with Peter on Screening Room, below, or read more about him on MoMA's web site.

THIS WEEK in THIS WEEK IN KINGSTON...

2010-08-25T11:50:00.002-04:00

Dr. Thomas Cingel D.D.S., one of O+'s biggest health heroes, is interviewed in the "News from the Kingston Corridor" this week. Here's an excerpt from the highlights:

What would you like to change [about Kingston]? I would like to see more of our community's children stay here. There are numerous ways to do this, but all of them require big monetary investments, such as job creation. So, how do you make change using little money? Well, you have to use your community resources. So we are working to infuse artists and community into a music/arts festival this fall.

... followed by a great feature on the O+ fest—click here to read more!

Thanks to the Kingston Corridor web site for helping get the word out about the O+ festival and our favorite dentist.

O+ ARTIST: Paul Dillon, Brooklyn

2010-08-23T23:17:00.001-04:00

Musician and graphic artist Paul Dillon became acquainted with Kingston years ago during his gig as a touring bassist with Mercury Rev. O+ applauds his return in the form of a retro collaged human body clutching a giant pill to its torso, with grocery products in place of its head. Welcome back, Mr. Dillon.

O+ DESIGN by Sergia Rebraca

2010-08-23T20:22:00.001-04:00

LOOK at this STUNNING stethoscope/studio-headphones 'music of medicine' illustration that O+ donor of designs, Sergia Rebraca, has created. Keep an eye out for Mr. Rebraca's graphic stylings on the paper tickets you'll receive if you buy an O+ weekend pass at one of our official ticket vendors, and on some other fun things we'll be whipping up for you soon.

O+ MUSICIAN: Matthew Carefully, Albany

2010-08-23T13:47:00.000-04:00

Photo by Sébastien Barré

Our latest addition to the O+ roster, Matthew Carefully (née Matthew Loiacono), is a musician from the Albany, New York area. Performing original and adapted / rearranged music on mandolin, banjo, acoustic & electric guitars, drums, percussion and much more, he is mildly obsessed with marrying traditional instruments with modern technology and sounds. Known to utilize live on-the-fly looping, octave pedals, thick distortion and heavy reverb, Matthew delivers a unique, constantly evolving musical performance which sometimes includes heartfelt songs and conversely often includes sweeping, soaring moments of blissful improvisation. Not to be missed. Listen here: www.myspace.com/matthewcarefully and in person at the O+ festival in October!

O+ ARTIST: Performance by Linda Montano, co-hosted by the IONE Dream Festival

2010-08-19T13:21:00.012-04:00

Photo by Minette Lehmann

7-HOUR GLANDATHON will be performed by renowned artist LINDA MARY MONTANO and friends on Sunday at the O+ Fest. The performance will be presented in collaboration with IONE'S 15th Annual DREAM FESTIVAL, a program of Deep Listening Institute, Ltd.

From 1984-1998, Montano performed 14 YEARS OF LIVING ART which was based on the 7 chakras. She wore one color clothes : all red, orange , yellow, green, blue, purple, white...each color for a year for 14 years as well as performing disciplines which led to new understandings of energy. Since then, Montano has been focusing on a more universal and less devisive way of seeing things and has used the 7 glands as a conceptual frame for her art. We all have glands but some might argue that we dont all have chakras.

For this art/medicine festival, Montano will gather 8 performers to accompany her.....they will interpret and publicly research the ovaries/testes, the pancreas/ adrenals / thymus / thyroid / pineal / pituitary.... with medical information and creative intrepretations of those glands.

A Master of Ceremonies, Lisa Barnard, will sing a song for each gland before introducing the performer. Montano will move continuously for 7 hours, blindfolded as a comment on her current movement disorder, dystonia. The premise is that art is about life and life is art and that art heals and that it is just possible that many will be healed during the performance.

Learn more at www.lindamontano.com.
Learn more about the IONE Dream Festival, Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, 2010, here www.deeplistening.org/dreamfestival.

Calling all Uninsured!

2010-08-18T22:26:00.003-04:00

Hi freelancers.

Lacking health care?

Need a dental exam or a doctor's check-up?

We have the medical manpower. We need volunteers. If you are a publicist, sound engineer, or you're just really organized and you have some free time, you can help O+. And we can connect you with the health resources you need. Get in touch with us at o.positive.festival@gmail.com.

O+ ARTIST: Arielle Falk, Brooklyn

2010-08-18T20:50:00.004-04:00

Just named Best in Show in the Village Voice, Arielle Falk is a Brooklyn-based artist working in video, performance, and sculpture. She has exhibited her work both internationally and nationally in galleries and festivals in London, Zurich, Seoul, Greece, Canada, New Zealand, New York City, and soon, Kingston, NY.

O+ looks forward to screening the piece ALEGRIAS (film still at left).

A Statement from the Artist

"I put ski masks on my head, one on top of another, until I am unable to breathe, at which point I pause for a minute and then proceed to take them off one by one.

ALEGRIAS describes a simultaneous desire to be both seen and unseen and questions the ways society encourages us to discover and classify ourselves according to “identity.” In this nervous, ritualistic act, I challenge my own endurance as well as the viewer’s and address the suffocating never-ending presence of the self."

See you at the Kirkland.

2010-08-13T14:08:00.000-04:00

Thanks to RUPCO, the historic Kirkland Hotel at the corner of Clinton and Main streets in Uptown Kingston will be the doctors' headquarters for giving on-site care to O+ participating musicians and artists over the festival weekend.

The Kirkland's basement Rathskellar bar is the hopeful site of an O+ Benefit Gala on Friday, the glamorous details of which are yet to be announced...

On Wall Street, the Woolworth's building (thanks to the Spada family for its use) will be the site of our public health convivium, open not just to the artists but all O+ festival attendees. Stay tuned for a list of participating organizations!

More information about the Kirkland's history and about RUPCO's restoration of the building is here.

O+ ARTIST: Henning Lederer, filmmaker, Germany

2010-08-12T01:50:00.006-04:00

Der Mensch als Industriepalast [Man as Industrial Palace] from Henning Lederer on Vimeo.

The intertwining of science, art and technology: An animated and interactive installation based on the poster of the same title by Fritz Kahn from 1927. For more information about the project go to: industriepalast.com

Concept & Animation: Henning M. Lederer
Sound-Design: David Indge

Volunteers needed!

2010-08-12T01:46:00.001-04:00

Just had an immensely productive gathering at Maxwell's Patio. Pulling all the zillion loose ends of O+ into a very effective bundle, strand by strand. Stay tuned for updates, and if you know anyone who'd like to get involved and volunteer during the festival weekend —there are big perks! — send them our way: o.positive.festival@gmail.com. We're looking for folks to man the registration/ticket sales tables, facilitate band check-in, tidy up the Woolworth's Building, provide guidance to lost or confused fest guests, schmooze with our musicians and artists (in an official hospitality-related capacity), stage manage venues, direct parking, et. al. You name it, we need it. Get in touch and get on board!

xoxO+

O+ ARTIST: John Bridges, Upstate NY

2010-08-11T20:02:00.001-04:00

"Proxovive"
4' x 6' Mixed Media on Canvas
2008

www.johnbridges.net

O+ BAND: Common Prayer profiled in ROLL

2010-08-09T14:29:00.007-04:00

Upstate culture mag Roll published a smashing profile of one of O+'s bands, Common Prayer. Re: their freshly released debut:

"[T]he album has a charmingly unhinged feel, a rural psychedelic folk vibe running throughout, with the odd sample, electronic rhythm or backwards loop adding texture to the whole. It’s a party, one of love and celebration, and if that sounds a little corny it’s unintended. Even a cynic with a cold, barely beating heart in his chest would be hard pressed to not get a rush of warmth from the shuffling rhythm, subtle harmonies and glorious organ in “Of Saints.” And even when things get a little weird (“Moneyspider”) or comparatively noisy (“Hopewell”), it’s absolutely comfortable and worth every bit of attention one is willing to give it. Never mind the local connection; There is a Mountain is one of the universal albums of the year, period."

Read the full profile here.

We're not the first ones to think of giving away health care

2010-08-05T01:53:00.009-04:00

A relevant bit from Huffington Post — "According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Washington, D.C. has more than 57,200 residents who are uninsured -- about 10.4 percent of its population. The purpose of the clinic is to connect some of these uninsured people with community resources and safety net providers so they can receive ongoing care."

Free Medical Clinic for Uninsured People Draws Thousands

Meet Us.

2010-07-14T13:26:00.001-04:00

The schemers and dreamers behind O+ will gather again tonight at the bar at Maxwells at 6pm, and Dominick's at 6:30 - 6:45 for another festival planning meeting. Topics to cover: financials (the Confounding Annals of the Non-Profit Application Saga by Peter Del Rio), venue logistics, press/promotion, and a recent exciting band confirmation!

See you there!
O+

Great meeting last night!

2010-07-09T00:01:00.000-04:00

BIG THANKS! to all who attended, to our hosts Community Gourmet/Maxwell's & Dominick's, to Dr. Rissman of Maverick Family Health and Dr. Art Chandler for leading a stimulating discussion about how this festival will thrive at providing access to health resources to benefit everyone involved.

Anyone interested in participating or learning more about O+, we look forward to seeing you at the next meeting, next Wednesday in Uptown Kingston, location TBA.

Stay Positive,
Us

Relevant News Clip from the Freeman

2010-07-08T01:34:00.006-04:00

Click to read: "Uninsured can save in Ulster County" from the Daily Freeman... The comments are particularly interesting...

Publicists: Will Work for Health Care?

2010-06-25T23:38:00.001-04:00

Calling all freelance publicists in and around the Kingston area; if you'd like to come on board to help us get the word out about the O+ festival in exchange for a "health care" package of free and discounted medical/dental/wellness services from participating health professionals, get in touch! Write to Alex at o.positive.festival@gmail.com.

Looking forward to hearing from you!
xoxO+

The Yallum's Building

2010-06-25T19:40:00.005-04:00

Today Diana Spada took us on a walk-through of the historic Yallum's building, which will be used for the festival check-in center, main art exhibition hall and opening reception, and most thrillingly, the health fair. Participating health professionals and practices, if you'd like to check out the space for planning purposes, we'll be scheduling another walk-through in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on this blog for details.

Welcome to 317 Wall St.

(Walk toward the light.)

Yallum's was most recently used by Pearson Education as offices and studios for recording educational videos.

Down steps to the lower level are a series of cubicles and private rooms that will be perfect for our doctor's check-ups.

And upstairs on the second and third levels are lots of space for art exhibitions, sculpture/installations, trays of champagne flutes and roving accordion players.

LOVELY OLD BUILDINGS, NEW FRONTIERS

2010-06-24T00:09:00.005-04:00

Great new developments in O+ land today... We'd like to thank the Spada family for donating the use of the historic Yallum's building on Wall St. in Uptown. Yet TBD, but we're toying with the idea of making this the official HQ of the festival's health fair. Centrally located, spacious, and gosh-darn attractive. Our doctors should love it. Stay tuned for a sneak peak inside.

Thanks Ms. Spada for joining the effort, and thanks to the The Great Earthquake of 2010 for scaring everyone outside to mingle and trade ideas.

PUBLIC ART OPP

2010-06-23T23:58:00.007-04:00

Community Gourmet / Maxwell's, at North Front & Wall St., has been generous enough to offer its patio up to O + as a music venue, and now as a public art venue as well; artists – we're keeping an eye out for artist applications focusing on this particular barrier, which hugs the patio of Maxwell's, overlooking a scenic parking lot and commercial plaza. Proposals for a thoughtful / attractive / possibly permanent installation to fit the fence are very welcome.
Dimensions to come.
Contact us at o.positive.festival@gmail.com.

xoxO+

GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM HERZOG'S

2010-06-23T23:46:00.008-04:00

Great news, artists. Herzog's of Kingston has donated the use of this beautiful brick building for O + 's artists to co-opt and beautify. Artists applying with proposals in the vein of public art / murals, keep in mind: six individual brilliant brick canvases, 7' x 8', on a gorgeous building at North Front & Fair streets.

Herzog's has also agreed to donate plywood and other supplies to support the O + mural endeavor.

Hats off, Herzog's. That is neighborhood heroism.

FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE INDIE ROCK DENTIST

2010-06-23T15:55:00.002-04:00

THANKS, EARTHQUAKE.

2010-06-23T15:36:00.001-04:00

You have shaken things up and brought people together.

WE KIND OF LOVE THIS...

2010-06-23T00:01:00.001-04:00

Personalities by Blood Type...

THE ART COMMITTEE...

2010-06-22T15:56:00.001-04:00

... is wandering around Kingston scouting worthy mural locations. Fantasizing about capturing as canvas vast expanses of blank brick. If you're an uptown property owner or another large-scale art dreamer, contact us HERE re: places with good public art potential.

WHO'S ON BOARD... SO FAR

2010-06-20T11:26:00.008-04:00

Venues Liason – Jessica Farkas

Medical Liason – Petra Klein,Tom Cingal
Medical Committee – Tom Cingel D.D.S., Jesse Lynne, Dr. Art Chandler, Jamie Leigh Reilly (alternative medicine liason)

Music Committee – Alexandra Marvar, Anthony Molina, Janet Mercel, Jaf Farkas

Art Committee – Kevin Paulsen, Bonnie Marie Smith, Joe Concra

Publications/Merchandise Committee – David Perry, Brian Mahoney

Treasury/Budget/Sponsorship – Joe Concra, Steve Leiber, Peter del Rio

With assistance & support from Lisa Hantes & Keegan Ales, Stockade Tavern, Karen & Bop to Tottom, Chris Gonyea & the Living Room, Ed & Wright Gallery Records, Jonathan Donahue, Grasshopper, Nina Violet & band, Little Bones Media and others. Gratitude already!

Contact the whole team via o.positive.festival@gmail.com.

FIRST MEETING

2010-06-16T16:09:00.005-04:00

It's all happening. The O + Planning Committee in its nascent stages convenes tonight at O+ sponsor Keegan Ales to lay down the basic anatomy of our festival-to-be. If you'd like to join us, RSVP here. To stay abreast of developments, check back frequently on this very web site. To make a suggestion, a donation, or a contribution otherwise, please email us!

Love,
O+

Mission: Statement.

2010-06-09T00:03:00.024-04:00

Help us hammer this out! Comment on this blog post with your suggestions for the mission statement; a complete statement born of your own independent ideas, a mish-mash of the below sentence fragments we devised last night, the beginning, the middle, the end... We're excited to finalize this and then spread the word!

KEYWORDS
exchange / access / partnership / solution / creative / innovative / example / benefit / community

CONCEPTS

O+ is a three-day art and music festival in Kingston, NY.
unifying a community with a robust cultural experience
providing a creative and innovative solution to inaccessible health care
to bring music, art, culture, and information into Kingston through a grassroots effort of community members
opening the door to existing health resources
connecting people directly with the health care they need.
In exchange for enhancing Kingston’s cultural collateral with quality art and music, artists and musicians will receive access to knowledge, diagnosis, resources, and free and discounted medical/dental/wellness services from participating local health care providers.
In the now, Kingston enjoys a beautiful weekend of culture, and its creative constituency with limited access to health care is cared for. In the long run, our community puts forth an innovative example
how art, music and medicine can come together in a serviceable union.
Connecting artists directly with resources
Artists teaming up with health care providers to create a health community
Breaking down the barriers between the medical providers and the clientele