EVENT PREVIEW: Harvesting The FAM presents "Through The Eyes & Voice of Women"

Harvesting The FAM Festival presents
Through Women's Eyes & Voices featuring
Two For The Cascade and This Is Me As A Woman
Milk Coffee Bar, 68 University Ave. West
Friday April 17, Doors at 9pm
Tickets are $5 at the door, All-Ages

Harvesting The FAM is Windsor's largest independent arts, music and film festival, a multi-date, multi-venue love affair with the best of the local independent music scene, local film makers, and local artists. Held each fall over a series of clubs, galleries and halls, Harvesting The FAM has been growing in size and stature each year, with last year's (the third) bringing in out-of-town bands to join the festivities. With the right promotion and support, it would be nice to see the FAM Festival reach the heights of such festivals as SCENE from St. Catharines. SCENE started off as a local showcase of the Niagara's regions best live music and has since gone on to be one of the destination festivals on the summer circuit.

For the month of April, the organizers of Harvesting The FAM has been doing a special showcase at Milk Coffee Bar (68 University Ave. West) entitled Through Women's Eyes & Voices, a 30-day exhibition of local women's photography, with some sporadic live music events featuring some of the area's finest female performers.

This Friday, April 17th features the sultry sounds of Two For The Cascade and This Is Me As A Woman.

Two For The Cascade (Photo: Kevin Buckridan)

Two For The Cascade is an electro-acoustic quartet built around the hauntingly romantic vocal duet of Stefanie Zaccagnini (who also handles the Moog and percussion) and Kevin Buckridan (who also plays guitar and various electronic gadgets - such as his iPhone). Drawing on inspirations such as My Morning Jacket, Cat Power and M. Ward, they originally began as a duo (who played the previous two FAM Festivals) until adding two more members late last year - drummer/vocalist George Manuray (Roy Mahal, ex-itzjunk, ex-Ten Indians) and Theramin player Holly Brush (who also tackles the e-bow, percussion and backing vocals as well). The additional members has added some gorgeous layers to their beautifully atmospheric songwriting and the four have recently finished recording their debut CD. Hopefully it should be ready to go by the end of spring.

This Is Me As A Woman (photo: Cristina Naccarato)

This Is Me As A Woman is the nom-de-tune for local singer/songwriter Kimberly Ann Kukoraitis. Over the past few years, Kimberly Ann has developed a rabid following, playing both the Harvesting The FAM and Smash The Glass festivals in successive years. Reminiscent at times of singers like Martha Wainwright and Ani Di Franco, she's recently entered the realm of the rock band, as the Moog playing vocalist/dancing machine for Vultures!

On the photography side, the exhibit features the works of many local female photographers: Roxi D-Lite, Alishia Fox, Bree Gaudette, Anna Frenette, Tara Watts, Julia Hall, Corrina Keeling, Cristina Naccarato, Juliana Schewe and Melissa-Rae W.