CARLY KNASZAK
Staff Writer
Happy Marchi Gras — the very special celebration that was hosted at Birdhaus by Fredonia student Brandon Perdomo.
“Well, for the past three years, I’ve turned my living room into a salon-style gallery, where I bring in student visual artists, as well as traveling artists, including musicians, movers [and] filmmakers,” Perdomo said.
The Birdhaus has hosted 14 shows over the last three years and Saturday, March 7, was the very last show.
“I’m graduating next semester, so I sadly need to focus on other things,” Perdomo said.
This year Perdomo featured Fredonia alumna Lacey Miller’s artwork; Miller works at Red Bird Tattoo Studio located on 335 Central Avenue. Musical acts of the night included Kendra Swanson from rural Illinois, Jakobs Ferry Stragglers from Pittsburgh and Folkfaces from Buffalo. Members of the Buffalo burlesque troupe, the Stripteasers, also performed.
Entering the Birdhaus was like walking into another world. People of all ages were sitting in the living room area with costumes on. Costumes ranged from a pirate to a guy with lights in his beard and classic Mardi Gras masks.
The house had a very welcoming atmosphere; the smell of jambalaya rice filled the air. The paintings on the wall were watercolors with a black background. A photo booth was in the corner of the room; people rushed to it and started posing with silly faces.
Swanson was the first to perform. She sat barefoot in the middle of the room with a banjo in her hand. Swanson’s small frame threw everyone off when they heard the powerful voice she projected into the room. She played many folk tunes, and her vocal range went from singing softly to belting out high notes like Janis Joplin.
“Anything I write about is about animals or death,” Swanson said.
She sang songs about peace, nature and death.
“You know the social hormone is released by singing — the same hormone that is released during sex and other great moments,” Swanson said as she urged the crowd to sing along with her to many of her songs.
Swanson and Perdomo met last Thanksgiving break on a train, and she came from Illinois just to arrive to the Birdhaus.
Aside from musicians, Cat McCarthy and Lucy Jay brought their burlesque dancing to the show.
“I have been doing burlesque for around eight years. I love [that] girls from any shape can do it. It gives girls the confidence they need,” McCarthy said.
Jay and McCarthy showed their confidence as they stripped down from their many layers of clothing to nipple tassels and lace underwear. Burlesque is all about style and class, and both of them showed it, from the smiles on their faces to how they eloquently took off their gloves. It definitely got the crowd roaring.
Jakobs Ferry Stragglers and Folkfaces brought a new kind of music that people would not normally hear at a celebration.
It was upbeat music with a banjo and a washboard that got everyone on their feet and dancing on the floor. Microphones were not needed to project the voices of the very talented bands, as their energy lit up the whole room. The bands had people singing along and dancing. It was a sight to be seen: people in many costumes dancing to a type of upbeat folk/bluegrass music.
The music brought everyone together. Strangers were dancing arm-in-arm while the floor shook below their feet. It was a gathering of people who had no shame in being labeled different. Perdomo even encouraged people to “bring the weird” with them to the event.
The night was beautifully weird.