August 14 – In 2016, Rebecca Aronson wanted to get out of the house on the weekends and meet other people who shared her passion for acting.
Aronson decided that if she couldn’t find a group, she would start one herself, and that’s how Bad Mouth was born.
“I’m a poet and I wanted to create a forum for writers doing interesting things. And we love music, so we wanted to invite some musical performances,” Aronson said.
Bad Mouth is a group of artists who meet quarterly to present various works of art. “Bad Mouth: Words, Music, Feelings” takes place on Saturday, August 17th at 8 p.m. at the q-Staff Theater, 400 Broadway Blvd. SE.
From live readings of short stories, essays and poems to musicians showcasing their latest songs, Bad Mouth is all about live performances of their own work.
“I don’t want to oversaturate the group,” Aronson said. “I want people to look forward to it. That might change in the future and we might try to do shows more frequently, but for now, this works best and makes it a special event for everyone.”
While the group focuses on highlighting local talent, Bad Mouth has also featured performances from people from other parts of the country in recent years.
This year, the group will feature performances by Colorado poets Radha Marcum and Seattle poet Johnny Horton, as well as local writers Greg Martin and Becca Yenser. Local musician and playwright Ermine will accompany the artists with musical performances between performances.
Each artist has about 15 minutes to present their work. Between performances, guests are treated to a selection of food and drinks, included in their donation.
Although there will be people from outside the area performing, that doesn’t mean they won’t talk about the Land of Enchantment.
Take Marcum, who will read stories from her book “Pine Soot, Tendon Bones.” The book contains several anecdotes about New Mexico and its history.
“Most of my writing relates to the ecosystem, history and landscape of New Mexico,” Marcum said. “Even though I no longer live in New Mexico, some of my poems are set there. I share so much history with the people of the Albuquerque area and my poems reflect those themes.”
When Bad Mouth approached her about performing, Marcum was excited to work with the group.
“Bad Mouth always has a dynamic mix of voices and I appreciate that they bring so many voices together,” she said. “They speak to the whole community and enjoy being part of the larger conversation.”
Marcum believes that the group “Bad Mouth” is exactly what the writing and music community needs.
“Places like Bad Mouth are really a unique opportunity for us to come together as a writing community and a larger artist community to raise awareness and be together as a community,” she said. “We’re always looking for ways to connect with more people and hear what’s going on with them. I think Bad Mouth does that.”
The group has found its place in the q-Staff Theater and feels right at home.
“We started working with q-Staff Theater a few years ago and I feel like that’s our home,” Aronson said. “They’re super helpful and set up microphones and amps for us since I don’t know how to do all that. It’s been a great fit for us.”
For many of today’s and past artists, “Bad Mouth” offers the opportunity to experiment with different performance styles.
