manna?

Surf’s Up by Tricia Woolfenden (G.R. Press)

Posted by Ed and Lois

My brothers surf band Los Cobras. We working on a date in March to bring them into The Park.

GRAND RAPIDS—Call it a cure for melancholy.

The first time I heard Los Cobras was at a cabin fever/anti-Valentine’s Day party in a lofty photo studio on the city’s northwest side.

The weather was cold and crappy. And the romantic holiday was depressing—for a single person—but the vibe inside was nothing if not sunny. As the Grand Rapids trio rollicked through one “feel good” hit after another, it was easy to forget how gloomy a Michigan winter can be.

The instrumental surf band is somewhat rare in West Michigan—devoid of a palm-tree, Tiki-hut, big-sun appeal. The vintage hip genre is a throwback to the ‘60s, but a respectable following exists in California and such unlikely spots as New York City.

Sounds like: Imagine stepping onto the set of Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 cult classic “Pulp Fiction,” being served a fruity drink with a little umbrella and feeling as laid-back and hip as humanly possible.

Albums: The band is recording its first full-length album of originals at Michigan Mark Studios and is in the final stages of mixing and completing the CD. The band also sells an eight-song, home-recorded disc, “In The Pink Room,” for $5 at shows.

Surfing the Web: Los Cobras hopes to become part of the growing surf community on the Internet. Many bands and fans use such sites as http://www.surfbands.com to advertise gigs and share surf music.

“All the surf music is sold on the Internet now, not in record stores,” Miller said.
Sounds like: Imagine stepping onto the set of Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 cult classic “Pulp Fiction,” being served a fruity drink with a little umbrella and feeling as laid-back and hip as humanly possible.

Band lineup: Ron Boot (bass); Michael Miller (guitar); Greg Krupp (drums; also the drummer for Grand Rapids band The Icicles).

Full Post:http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grpress/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-1/110563116612980.xml

Manna “Book” Club

Posted by Ed and Lois

Meeting tonight at Barnes and Nobles @ 7:00 PM ( Thursday Jan 13)

Come one, come all. No specials skills needed. Tonights topic: building cakes. We need to discuss last night’s “Lost”. (Lois and I missed it)

Ed

Connecting the Dots on the Aphrodite Thing

Posted by Greg

Several Manna Men expressed interest in meeting Friday afternoon in a casual atmosphere to take me up on my offer to connect the dots for them on the whole Aphrodite thing I mentioned on Sunday morning.

4:00?  The Curragh?

Religion, Politics Focus of Hope Veritas Forum by Rick Vangrouw (Holland Sentinel)

Posted by Ed and Lois

Event begins Thursday with keynote address by author-activist Jim Wallis

Wallis—author, activist, executive director of Sojourners magazine and a frequent commentator on ethics and Christianity—will present the first keynote address of the 2005 edition of the Hope College Veritas Forum, scheduled Thursday through Saturday.

“I think the faith and values issue has become very significant in the American political discussion,” Wallis said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “It’s always been important, but it’s been below the radar screen. But now we are engaged in a deeper, richer, fuller conversation.”

Hope’s Veritas Forum was developed as a discussion about truth, “those big questions that wake you up in the middle of the night,” said Marc Baer, who began the Hope Veritas Forum in 1997. “Does life have meaning? Does my life have meaning? What is that meaning? And, as a Christian, what is my calling?”

The biennial Hope Veritas Forum is geared toward students, but all events are free and open to the public.

Saturday, Jan. 15

* Keynote by the Rev. Ben Patterson, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”: 10 a.m., Maas Center auditorium

Full Post:http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/011205/loc_011205012.shtml

Local Woman Teams With Pal To form Film Company By Beth Walton (Holland Sentinel)

Posted by Ed and Lois

Chris Jackman and Laura Stanberry plan to take on Hollywood.

Jackman, a Holland resident, and Stanberry, who is from Muskegon, have formed a company called Hemline Creative Group that will produce films, among other things.

“Dreams have fuzzy boundaries,” Stanberry said. “You only go as far as you want to go and the only things stopping Chris and I is Chris and I, and we’re not stopping anytime soon.”

The West Michigan duo, both alumnae of Compass Arts Academy of Grand Rapids, decided to form their company after spending a weekend writing together in Traverse City.

The two do most of their work out of what they call liquid offices—area coffee shops and restaurants. They are looking for permanent working space.

They focus on everyday things turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, always looking for the small moments in life that surprise everyone.

“We take everyday things that happen and turn those things into what we like to call, ah-ha! moments,” Stanberry said.

They say they get their inspiration from just about anywhere. They have been inspired by everything from their families to the unknown realm of Internet dating.

Jackmen has been as a Christian song writer, an abortion recovery activist and has working in business management.

She is currently writing a psychological thriller titled “Whisper.” When the book is finished Stanberry and Jackmen hope to turn it into a film.

Stanberry has a degree in psychology and has worked in the hotel management and retail industries.