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In its roughly ten years of experience, the Kashmere High School Stage Band traveled and competed across the nation and the globe. Under the tutelage of director Conrad O. "Prof" Johnson, the band won 42 of the 46 local, regional and national competitions in which it participated.

Last year, Mark Landsman filmed the story of 30 former KSB members who reunited to perform in Prof's honor in 2008. The end result is Thunder Soul. The documentary is more than just the inspirational story of one teacher's influence on his students, it's also a commentary on the importance of art in the schools.The Kashmere Stage Band's success in the 1970s was mirrored in Kashmere High's other extracurricular activities and academics. This wasn't a coincidence.

Tomorrow night, Unity of Houston will host "An Evening of Jazz, Rhythm & Soul Honoring Conrad 'Prof' Johnson." Art Attack also got in touch with Craig Baldwin, the KSB alum who put the reunion together, to ask him a few questions.

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Banjos optional.

​There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We're going to watch them all, one at a time.

I have to admit, I was initially confused about the premise of Swamp People. From my cursory knowledge of the show going in, I assumed the assembled bayou denizens only killed alligators (those figuring so prominentlty in the promotional materials).

This was inaccurate. For, as it turns out, these guys will kill just about anything.

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Artwork by Magda Boltz-Wilson

​Magda Boltz-Wilson's current collection, "Berlin, Potsdamer Platz" at Redbud Gallery, is an abstract succession of block prints, some monotone, others with striking swipes of colors. The work reflects the sea of change that the country went through.

Potsdamer Platz is one of the most noted intersections in Germany. It has been at the center of decades of history for the country, from its total destruction after the Second World War, to its literal divide when the Berlin Wall was erected, to its becoming a pile of rubble after the demolition of the Wall. In 1991, the area was reborn as the largest building site in Europe. It is this Potsdamer Platz that Boltz-Wilson has captured in her artwork.

Some of Boltz-Wilson's prints are obvious images of the construction. Skewed skyscrapers jut out of the canvas. If you look closely enough, you can almost feel the city coming alive in these prints, along with the hope of a new era. Large mechanical cranes assist in the buildings on her canvas and dust covers the perimeter.

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You know it's just a matter of time before someone tries a remake.

​Since Chuck Palahniuk's 1996 novel Fight Club was made into one of the most controversial and most talked about films of the late '90s, starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, every work since has been bandied about as a possible film in one way or another.

Producers wait with bated breath for the galleys to see if they could replicate the backdoor success of Fight Club, which has grown to become a sort of 21st century Clockwork Orange for some. Feature film rights to Palahniuk properties became hot commodities.

The last Palahniuk to make it onto the big screen was 2001's Choke, which was made with Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston in 2008.

According to IMDb Pro, there are four Palahniuk books in development in Hollywood, including Invisible Monsters, Snuff, Rant and Survivor. Plenty of movies, though, languish in development hell, right, Jim Carrey?

Snuff was rumored to star Daryl Hannah as Cassie Wright, a retiring porn actress, but Hannah denied climbing on board due to the novel's ties to sex trafficking.

Palahniuk, who turned 50 years old Tuesday, has never been one to balk at his books being made into films. Some novelists fight adaptations at every turn, or blackball the final product. He had a small cameo in Choke, and he applauded Fight Club director David Fincher for even attempting to make some of his more base imagery in that novel come to life.

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Photo courtesy of GreenBrideGuide.com

GreenBrideGuide's eco-tour features an equally eco-friendly booth, made completely of recycled and reusable materials.

Going green has been an emerging trend in the last decade, but who knew that the latest craze would be eco-chic weddings? The GreenBrideGuide is a new resource for all those out there looking to plan a wedding in an eco-friendly way.

Environmental lawyer Kate Harrison, author of The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan An Earth-Friendly Wedding On Any Budget, has created the company GreenBrideGuide.com, which is committed to spreading environmental awareness by offering green tips, facts and ideas to help future brides and grooms plan their big day.

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​If it was in question before, Ola Gjeilo is now officially a rising star, thanks to the release of the album Northern Lights: Choral Works by Ola Gjeilo.

Over the past few years, the 33-year-old, Norwegian-born Gjeilo (pronounced Yay-lo) has been a constant presence in classical music, ranging from performances in more than 30 countries to numerous commissioned and published works.

Locally, Houston audiences were hipped to the Juilliard-schooled composer last May during Cantare Houston's one-night-only presentation of Introducing Ola Gjeilo at Houston Baptist University's Dunham Theater. (His Texas premiere of "Across the Vast, Eternal Sky" will be sung by Cantare on March 6 and 10 during the group's Remembrance concerts.)

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jonathunder

​One of the many benefits of worshipping the Devil is not having to participate in Lent. From Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday, the faithful practice fasting and self-denial as an act of penance. Some do this to honor the Passion of Christ, some to bring them closer to God, and others just do it as a yearly period of introspection. Though it's traditionally a Catholic ritual, observation of Lent is on the rise among many denominations, including Baptists and the Amish, and even among the nonreligious.

There are strict guidelines to proper fasting, but most people tend to approach Lent fairly loosely. You pick something you like such as chocolate, booze, sex or the first three things without the intervening commas, and you abstain from it through the period. It can be healthy to learn to live without luxuries or vices, and in general it's not too rough a deal.

Then there are some religious practices that make Lent look even easier, such as...

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​What She Does: Carmina Bell has been the promoter, host and one of the primary DJs at Numbers during their goth-centric Underworld events for 13 years. Her reign as the majordomo at the center of all things spooky in Houston began after returning from living in various other cities around the country, and realizing that Houston could definitely support a gothic/industrial night.

Since then she's brought a legion of great bands to Numbers, including the Mission, Combichrist, and the Genitorturers (Best bumper sticker ever, "My Honor Student Was Sodomized at the Genitorturers Show."), and many local acts like Asmodeus X, Provision, and Psychonaut75 built followings with her help.

She's also the mind behind the annual Miss Spooky Beauty Pageant, which is always the highlight of the Houston gothic social calendar.

Why She Likes It: "I am just glad to have the opportunity to work at Numbers and help keep the type of music we cater to at Underworld alive in our city, and feel that it is due greatly to the support of the club and all the friends and patrons that have kept coming and supporting all our efforts through the years. I enjoy DJing because music has always been a major part of my life; this is my creative outlet to bring music to others."

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Photo courtesy Houston Ballet

Ever wanted to write about the arts? Now's your chance to soar!

​Think you know your way around the arts scene? Can you write about it in a smart, concise and above all entertaining way? The Houston Press Night + Day section and Art Attack are both looking for freelance arts writers.

Applicants should have an interest in and know something about the arts scene in Houston. Clear, accurate and clever writing is highly valued as is the ability to meet deadlines. Photography skills are a plus.

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Photo courtesy HGO

Farnoosh Moshiri

​Imagine -- an English-language opera set in Houston that begins with the reunification of an Iranian family at Bush Intercontinental Airport. That's the starting point for The Bricklayer, which will premiere in Houston on March 15.

Evan Wildstein, producer of Houston Grand Opera's HGOco's Song of Houston: East + West initiative, was charged with pulling together all the pieces of this effort: story, music, writers and performers. It is based on a short story by Iranian-American author Farnoosh Moshiri, whose own life served as a basis for much of the plot line, Wildstein said.

The characters Mr. and Mrs. Parvin join their daughter and her daughter in Houston after the 1979 Iranian revolution, in which the Shah was overthrown and their son was executed. The music for the piece is a blend of western and Persian.

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