A Deeper Understanding

Creature Rock is the artistic side of the music community. Since arriving in Austin 8 months ago, we have only scratched the surface of Austin's resources. With a vision to cultivate creative collaboration across all media - including dance, videography, fashion design, performance art, and of course, MUSIC, Creature Rock sings to give a voice of self expression to fans and creators alike!

That is why it has been such a huge honor have been a part of the Media Arts and Literacy Festival this past week! We had so much fun performing on all the different stages in Austin and never once repeated a song! And the preparations and community building projects that led up to the event were just as rewarding as the performances themselves.

The MALI Festival was filled with incredible, top-notch filmmakers, poets, and musicians from all over the continent; performers and directors from Seattle, New York, Canada, Arkansas, New Orleans, and California graced the stages for 4 solid days. The opportunity to meet and listen to these amazing women in the arts was a great learning experience for us.

The pool of talent assembled was unbelievable! Which made it even more humbling when Michael and her rotating cast of performers in Creature Rock took home the Community Choice Award!!!! Core Creatures very deserving to share this awesome accolade include Michael's brilliant stick smith- James "Ichabod" Harwood* the fearless dancing comet- Emily Boykin*, at the Austin International Youth Hostel with celestial choreography, Jessica Gaby, and at the Long Center caressing the upright bass, Mr. Scott Yates! Our vision of a Creature Community is really manifesting. And it's really exciting to get billed with other Austin based bands, including Framing Strangers, One Eyed Doll, Patrice Pike and Joanna Barbera. We are definitely looking forward to rocking with these ladies again.

But now the band is going back to the Pink Elephant Studio to lay down the second half of the upcoming album The Creature Sessions. Michael is organizing her evocative imagination. Album art intertwined with her musical rhapsodies and preparations for showcasing its release!!

We're currently looking around for interested collaborators to shoot music videos for the Creature Sessions, so if you know anyone in Austin who's looking for a creative project, let us know!

We have two new Creature stickers for beautifying surfaces everywhere. Both are available here!

Thanks to all of you, generous community! We are making constellations.

Create a Masterpiece with your life! -----

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Michael on the Radio

Creature Rock Week!!!!

TOMORROW, May 25th, tune in to KOOP 91.7FM, at 11am Central Time, to hear Michael Scott Parker do an in-studio interview and performance on "What's a girl to do?", a free-form Women's Music radio show in Austin, hosted by Lisa Schneider. Getting you ready for the hottest week of women in the arts, at the M.A.L.I. Women's Film and Performance Arts Festival! You can listen online to a LIVE STREAM!

Michael and crew hosted an informal get-together at the South Congress St. bat bridge, where roughly 1 million mexican freetail bats dwell. At dusk each day, they emerge from underneath the bridge, and pour out into the Austin sky, doing the community the invaluable job of lowering the mosquito population. They consumed and we created!

Michael performed a enticing acoustic set with upright bassist Scott Yates at sunset while locals contributed to the Creature Community Canvas and enjoyed Michael's home baked brownies. Dottii and her apprentice seamstresses from Sudan and the Congo, shared creature creations and passed out free CDs to an appreciative audience! Come see Creature Rock on Friday,May 29th at the Green Muse for a rocking 10am brunch and make your addition to her canvas. It will be there!

Creative Creature recently has made a connection with bassist Scott Yates, and is so pleased to have have him in her talent bank! And talented, he is! Scott will be gracing the stage with Michael and her time keeper, James, at the Long Center Performance on Saturday, May 30th, for the M.A.L.I Festival!! Don't miss this show!

And don't forget Thursday, May 28th, opening night of the M.A.L.I. Festival, at the Austin International Youth Hostel. Michael has her two wonderful dancers, who have done a phenomenal interpretation of Michael's music into movement. Emily Boykin, our stellar body and woman of vision, dances all three unique shows next week! But the Thursday show is a special treat, with Jessica Gaby, the dancer of synchronous and curious coincidence, accompanying Emily, dancing their co-choreographed elixir to Michael's 9 and a half minute Rhapsody, "Live to Sing". Beautifully Brilliant!

It's been a blessed and wonderful month of connection and creation! Hope to see you all, out at the shows of our joyful labors. May you execute your labors this day from the just place of your holy spirit.

Create a Masterpiece with your life! -----

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Creative Creature Community

Vision is a powerful tool. A great musician once told Michael, "If you can visualize your fingers playing the song, it is more effective than practicing hours and hours a day." The more we can imagine and visualize, the greater our accomplishments can be. As a visionary, Michael "sees" how she wants to be involved and ways she can connect and grow. The bigger the community you have, the more vision you can create!

As you know, we have been sharing in a greater mission by cultivating a mind state of sustainability, with our sisters in the arts, for the M.A.L.I. Festival. The festival catalyzed opportunities to connect with the Austin community. We've pulled together resources with the artists at GAGA, repurposed materials in a creative way, making our show attire from donations, got the kids involved with the process of being in a creative community, making band merchandise and learning music with Michael.

The GAGA GALA was a special event. Michael contributed her time and creativity to appreciative participants, who brought her vision into reality.. the construction of her performance materials with the talents of her fans.

This Thursday, May 21, South Congress St. Bridge, 7PM - We are having one final public appearance before the MALI Festival. We'll be hanging out together underneath the South Congress Bridge, with the Austin Bat Colony. Yes, real bats! They were kind enough to pose for our band poster. We'll be jamming, selling festival tickets, and painting together on the Creature Community Canvas! Come out and paint at sunset with the band. They might give you some cake.

And tomorrow, tune in to KOOP 91.7FM, at 11am to hear another local artist, Joanna Barbera and the director of the M.A.L.I Festival, P.O.W., do an in-studio interview on "What's a girl to do?"

And tune in again on May 25th, 11am for Michael's on-air appearance!! P.O.W. and Michael share their mission and their vision and set the stage for the Women's Film and performance Arts Festival, just 10 days away!!

Infinite thanks go out to our many collaborators/contributors who are essential to Creature Rock-

The short list includes James Harwood, Mikey McKevitt, Emily Boykin, Jessica Gaby, Lisa Stevens, and Albert and the Enchanted Forest. You can read about these and other singular creatures on the collaborators page recently updated at creaturerock.com.

Creature Vocabulary: Explicate your lexicon!

explicate- to expand or clarify.
lexicon- collection or inventory of words or a vocabulary. Like Michael's lexicon of her star language, Euthinethany.

Create a Masterpiece with your life! -----

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Window into Process

Hello Everyone!

Come out and create! Get your MALI Festival tickets and remember...everything we need is already within us and is always available to us.

We just want to say how amazing it has been to meet all of you new creatures and how grateful we are to be sharing and building a talent bank in this creative community of Austin! We had such a great turnout at the GAGA Anniversary Show Gathering and we're looking forward to seeing you all again this Saturday, at the GAGA GALA and future performances at the M.A.L.I. FESTIVAL!!

The GAGA Gala is May 9th at the US Art Authority - $5 at the door, from 1PM - 12am. $10 after 6PM, it becomes a more adult-oriented get-together. Michael has been making prototypes of original patches, dresses, and accessories, and other Creature Rock items that you can come make with us at the Gala. She will be there from 3-7pm, making costumes, teaching anyone who wants to learn how to sew/design at the swap tables! She's walking the runway in designer clothes made by local artisans who use repurposed and organic materials. Come make a creative outfit and walk the runway with Michael! Grab a CD and check out the world of GAGA, and stay for Baruzuland's shadow puppet theatre!

We've learned a lot from working with the artists at The Greater Austin Garbage Arts!

Sustainable living through identifying what we can do to extend the lifespan of nonrecyclable items and building community that supports experimentation and creative solutions: Michael actually collected her trash for a week, like Dottii recommended, to see what her consumer patterns were like. Understanding the "reduce waste" mindset not only cut the amount of things she threw out by 3/4ths, but also extended her creatively in her home activities by finding ways to repurpose, (Who knew that was possible!) and has generally cultivated a sense of personal responsibility and mindfulness.

And thanks to GAGA for sharing their knowledge and resources and introducing us to all sorts of creative helping hands, who taught us everything from screen printing, to specialized stitchery, learning how to acquire donations, and helping Creature Rock figure out ways to make things work! We are privileged to be a part of these awesome events! Nothing is wasted on us! Come get your tickets to Michael's upcoming performances, tomorrow at the GALA, while we work together on our finale costumes for the M.A.L.I. Festival and share our learnings with you.

The Creature says, "All the fabrics I am sewing, to beautify Austinites unknowing, of our music we're bestowing with creative stitchery a flowing!"

Creature Rock's MALI performance is shaping up into something truly worth attending! We have two dancers, 3 killer set lists at 3 awesome venues, and an impressive roster of other performers in the lineup...

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW and support two good causes simultaneously...women in the arts, and at-risk teen girls. All ticket proceeds are going to support at-risk teens.

By the way, these news updates are now also posted on our website, in blog form! Drop us a note, share comments on our musings!We want to hear from all of planet Earth!

Create a Masterpiece with your life! -----

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Sustainability in the Creative Community

Michael Creature is Joan of Art (oh wait, that’s her guitar’s name!) She is coalescing with dynamic organizations that share the common goals of education, cooperation, sustainability, and creativity!

Showcasing this year for the Media Arts Literacy Institute’s (M.A.L.I.) Women’s Film & Performance Arts Festival, Michael is being sponsored by the Greater Austin Garbage Arts (GAGA), and hosting a trio of community collaborations for creatures of all ages!


Friday, April 24th – 6:00PM - 10PM

Free celebration with the artists that make it happen! Join Creature Rock and the GAGA gals in celebrating their 1st Anniversary! From 6-10pm.

Wine & Talk, Trash & Cheese.

Michael Scott Parker rocks @7pm.

Fire Dancing & Shadow Theatre @ 8:30

Dottii- the fairy godmother of recycling, shows off the Grand Opening of the new workshop room! Learn about creative classes on how to sustain your planet and your inner creature!

We'll have MALI tickets on hand!

(GAGA Gallery located @ 2214 S. 1st St.)


Saturday, May 9th- The GAGA GALA!!! 1:00PM - 2AM.

All Day and Night- Re-Use, Re-Purpose, Create and Partake to your heart’s delight! A grand sampling of what GAGA is all about! There will be kids hula-hooping, dance party, puppet shows, fashion shows, workshops tables, (for kids to adults as the sun goes down), local artisans’ works (all created from 50-100% reclaimed materials) fashion designers, with organically manufactured goods, fire dancing and drinks (available after 6pm.) Create your creature costumes and walk the runway, come make your Creature Rock t-shirt at the Clothing Swap. Bring your own old clothes or use ours! And don’t forget Dottii! She will be the MC of Sustainability!

U.S. Art Authority - 2908 Fruth St. (right beside Spider House)


Saturday, May 23rd - 6-10PM

Michael Creature’s Birthday Donation Celebration Bring a cake to pile on the Creature Cake Tower! Paint together, on the Creature Community Canvas! Creators Not Consumers, Party Sustainably! Michael would love for Austinites to come donate old clothes & fabric remnants, your every day junk, art supplies, bottle caps, and anything you want to get rid of. When you have stuff to get rid of, you feel your natural abundance! Please come and share in our last day of making costumes to wear to the M.AL.I. Festival. Buy a ticket to come see Michael perform at Long Center, in costumes made by you! All ticket sales go to the Media Arts and Literacy Institute to fund at-risk teen girls camp!

(GAGA Gallery located @ 2214 S.1st St.)


CREATORS NOT CONSUMERS!


MALI tickets are available at all these events. Get your VIP pass online at www.blowinupaspot.com.

Drop off clothes and junk donations in the “Creature Creations Collection” red box, outside GAGA! All donations welcome any time of day. Thanks ladies! Working together is what it’s all about!

“I’m not sure if they’re ready for women like us... I’m gonna be the woman to change everyone’s mind ....”-Michael Scott Parker (lyrics of the creature)
Create a Masterpiece with your life! -----

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The Temple of Creativity

The Universe is the Great Artist of Natural Abundance. A Self Sustaining consciousness that, in its smallest physical particle, cannot be destroyed. It uses what it already has to constantly create what has never before existed. As artists, our mission is to promote sustainability through creativity. We are creators, not consumers! And artists love other artists! Creature Rock is experiencing a natural state of abundance, giving us so much to share! What blessings, another great album review, inclusion in an art magazine, a creature community building collaboration, events and shows galore!

As promised, we have information about the 9th annual MALI Women's Film and Performance Art Festival show dates - And the shows are selling out fast! Come see the best female rockers all sharing the same stages... Patrice Pike, One Eyed Doll, DJ P.O.W. to name a few... spoken word artists, 87 Dance Production, and a fantastic line up of independent films! Michael Creature is booked for 3 consecutive days at 3 different venues, doing 3 unique performances:

Thursday, May 28, 7-10PM at the Austin International Youth Hostel (map)

Friday, May 29, 10AM-2PM at the Green Muse (map)

Saturday, May 30, 7PM-11PM at the illustrious Long Center (map)

Tickets can be purchased here! Remember this event is a benefit! The Media Arts and Literacy Institute is raising money for the at-risk teen girls camp. Great news! The Greater Austin Garbage Arts (GAGA) is sponsoring Creature Rock, in hosting events to promote our common goals in this year's festival theme, sustainability!

Michael is learning so much from joining forces with GAGA! They are a co-op comprised of a group of artists and visionaries concerned with the effects and impact of waste materials on our environment. Teaching our community how to repurpose, live/work creatively and resourcefully. The GAGA Gallery represents about thirty artists, whose works use at least 50%-100% reclaimed materials!

MALI Festival tickets will also be available on hand at GAGA sponsored Creature Collaborations to come! Some of the events you can look forward to:

• Creature Community Costume Creations- come make your inner creature costumes to wear to our show! Reuse your old fabric, and help Michael Creature build her stage prop finale!
• Double Birthday Celebration Donations- May is Michael Creature's birthday! And on April 24th GAGA is having their 1st anniversary!
• Creature Tower Cake Bake
• Educate, Create, Cooperate, and Make! So much fun to come!

And right now there is a red "Creature Creations Collection" box, out front GAGA, located at 2214 South 1st St., across the street from End of an Ear Music, where you can drop off your art supply donations. When you have stuff to get rid of, you feel how naturally abundant you are... Please help out. We are looking for fantasy fabrics, clothes, old sewing supplies, arts/crafts, paint, adhesives, sequins, glitter, feathers, and any other unusual items! The color scheme is black/pink and gold/silver. But drop it all off! Straws, bottle caps, tin foil, plastic containers...and Dottii, the fairy-godmother of recycling will show the kids how to party sustainably.

Sustain your heart through sustaining your art. Expression opens the deeper self. Michael has been profiled in Temple, a concept magazine of Denver-based fine artist Matthew Paul Corley. In a series of interviews he showcases artists he feels are truly living the creative lifestyle. You can buy it online or download it for free, Get a hard copy, it's easier to share. To read Michael's interview click here.

Last but not least, check out the lovely new review for Naked at www.womensrising.com! "This is female rock at a high. Sultry, deep, fast and furious, Michael (yes she’s a girl) Scott Parker, really steams it up on her 2007 release, Naked."
Read the whole review here.

Create a Masterpiece with your life! -----

Come out and support!

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