by Christine pallon

buzz editor

This weekend’s Featured Show is a little unconventional – and that’s exactly what it wants to be.

As the first installment in the Independent Media Center’s IMCubator project, Sunday’s IMCubator #1 event will be an “open mic, meet and greet and brainstorm session” organized by IMC founding member and local musician Paul Kotheimer. In other words, IMCubator #1 is whatever the community shapes it into being.

As for being “unconventional,” IMCubator is designed to support those who may make art that’s off the beaten path. The project’s first poster gives a list of possibilities for future IMCubator events, including but not limited to “skill sharing,” “poetry reading,” “local theatre,” “postgender alien-cowbilly fashion show” and “ninja dance night.”

To celebrate the first IMCubator event, Mother Nature will also be making a special, one-song appearance this Sunday during the open mic.

Buzz spoke with Kotheimer a couple of weeks ago about IMCubator prior to the project’s first workshop, which took place on March 19 and focused on setting up sound and running a P.A system in a venue.

“The end goal is that there’s a vibrant community a heck of a lot younger than me making stuff happen there very often,” Kotheimer said of his hopes for IMCubator’s future.

IMCubator #1 is the start to that future, posing as an opportunity for local artists, musicians, poets and more to network, perform and support the rest of the local artistic community.

According to Kotheimer, showgoers are encouraged to arrive promptly at 7 p.m. to catch the one-song cameo performance from hip-hop duo Mother Nature. Following their performance will be a meet-and-greet, and the open mic itself will start around 8 or 8:30 p.m. Those interested in performing on Sunday can sign up for a ten minute performance slot on the night of the event.

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