PLAY
this weekend // Amanda Shaw because those CSI marathons are getting old.
The beginning of a new school year doesn't mean the end of outdoor fun, so before that first biology exam has you locked in Watson Library, check out Amanda Shaw, the 19-year-old New Orleans-based fiddler who will liven up the Lied Center with her brand of Cajun pop.
Shaw, who recently released her debut album, Pretty Runs Out, will open the 2009-2010 season by performing a mix of country and pop-style jazz-blues rock with her band The Cute Guys at a free outdoor concert and arts fair. She became interested in the violin after hearing an orchestra perform on television at age 3 and became the youngest soloist to perform with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra at age 7.
Captivating audiences with her Cajun originals and fiddle-induced covers
of popular songs by artists such as The Ramones and Cyndi Lauper. Shaw is one of a group of musicians giving new spirit to the New Orleans music scene with her contemporary twists says Karen Christilles, associate director of the Lied Center. Shaw starred in the 2006 IMAX film Hurricane on the Bayou, which showcases the musical talents and environmental efforts of four artists following Hurricane Katrina, and it is Shaw's environmental consciousness, as well as her vivacious music, that Christilles says interested the Lied Center.
Shaw is sure to bring the same vibrant spirit to her performance at the Lied Center. Meet Shaw at a pre-performance party at 5:30 p.m. and hear her foot-stomping beats at 7 p.m. Friday, at the Lied Center. Admission is free. The event will move inside if it rains.
// SARAH BLUVAS
out & about // random people. random answers.
what is the coolest thing you did this summer?
Hally Crangle Lincoln, Kan., junior
"I helped a 60-year-old man build a limestone shed for a few weeks. There were no other buildings around. It was just us in the middle of nowhere with miles upon miles of Kansas around."
Stephen Gouge Sydney, Australia, senior
"I went to Bondi Beach in Australia. I hung out on the beach, had a beer after and hung out with my mates."
Kylie Deneen (right)
Wichita sophomore
Staci Allen (left)
Shawnee sophomore
"We went skydiving at Osage City. It was cool because you were hooked up to someone and they did all the work while you get to just enjoy it."
Burton Gepford Shawnee senior
"I spent a week on Table Rock Lake. I took my Jetski down and spent pretty much the entire week on the lake itself."
Kelsey Howarter
Wichita sophomore
"I jumped off the cliffs of Grand Lake, the 50-foot ones."
August 20, 2009
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