April 6, 2013 - An evening with Marvin Tate, LeRoy Bach, Dan Bitney and Matt Lux
When I first met Marvin Tate, we were sipping on some fine rum and discussing the lives of figurines trapped in snow globes. I was struck by this man’s great sensitivity and poetry but felt I was only scratching the surface. I wanted to know more about what was going on in that mind of his and decided to pay him a quick visit up in Avondale, where he lives and works.
Little did I know that I would discover a true poet, a singer, a songwriter, and a basement filled with a collection of treasures he’d been working on over the years, art works expressing intense emotion and interpreting reality in such raw form. I was astounded. There, below ground and with little light, Marvin juxtaposes found and precious objects in boxes, wooden drawers and crates. He carefully sets a stage for his poems, where desolate landscapes and empty rooms are charged with memories and unspoken truths about life and the passage of time...
Marvin and I spent the afternoon on his back porch. I listened to his story and began to understand the man, his cry out to the world, his words, his response to life - and to death. I was touched and just knew I wanted to give him the opportunity to share his story with The White Palette.
We both thought it would be cool for him to take us on another level for the second part of the evening. Marvin has been referred to as the George Clinton of Chicago, so when he suggested he’d get some musicians together for a one night improvised performance, I knew it would be memorable. We found just the right spot: an old funeral home, with as you can imagine, a lot of soul…
Please join us Saturday April 6th, 2013. We’ll begin the evening at Marvin’s to take a closer look at his works, then we’ll head over to The Charnel House, where we’ll have dinner with Marvin and his musical guests LeRoy Bach, Dan Bitney and Matt Lux, before they all get down.
photo credit: JJ Jetel