Ringling Underground:
A series of one night only events combining live music and experiential artworks in the Courtyard.

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Mothers (Athens, GA)

is: kristine leschper, matthew anderegg, drew kirby, and patrick morales
Mothers began in 2013 as the solo project of Athens, Georgia-based visual artist Kristine Leschper while she studied printmaking at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. The discipline instilled in her a strong work ethic and an intense focus to detail, while simultaneously inspiring her to pursue other creative aspects of her personality. A self-taught songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Leschper’s earliest musical influences span a great swath of early aughts rock and folk, such as Interpol, Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, The Microphones, and Athens legends Neutral Milk Hotel; she later developed a love for experimental music, math rock, and noise artists, including Lighting Bolt, Hella and Tera Melos. As a result, her earliest demos exhibit a sense of striking catharsis under non-traditional song structures, which flirt between strength and vulnerability and are often quite linear in form.

Over the course of 2014, Leschper played solo shows that earned her local acclaim, including from Flagpole which praised her “visceral, deeply personal” songs. But she knew that in order to reach her true musical vision, she would need to expand the line-up, so she recruited musicians from other local bands and the new group quickly recorded their debut full-length album at Chase Park Transduction in Athens (R.E.M, Animal Collective, Olivia Tremor Control) over the winter of 2014. The album was produced by Drew Vandenberg, who has worked on albums by Of Montreal, Deerhunter and Porcelain Raft, and features collaborations with Josh McKay (Deerhunter) on vibraphone and McKendrick Bearden (Grand Vapids), who played bass and provided string arrangements throughout the album. Mothers will release their debut album in 2016.

The Pauses(Orlando, FL)
(who prefer that their possessive noun-ing be spelled Pauseses) overall sound is one anchored in complexion and combination, a world where guitars are BFFs with synthesizers, horns, bells, and ukuleles. Tierney Tough’s bright, fresh voice glides just as easily atop the breathy sparkle and agile math of Rock Band track “Go North” as it does the indie-pop sway and post-hardcore torque of “Beyond Bianca.” From the serious, atmospheric mood of “The Migration” and “Pull the Pin” to the lithe, glitchy charm of “Hands Up”. The Pauses got mad range, often in the same song. Rooted in the dynamics and ethos of ’90s indie rock, their sound is a balancing act between rock and electronics, airiness and heft, suppleness and angularity. And their debut album, “A Cautionary Tale” (produced by J. Robbins of Jawbox and Burning Airlines) shows that you can explore without losing your core.

BABYL (Sarasota, FL )
A high energy alternative band comprised of Ben Jacobs (Chuck) vocalist/piano, David Cornecelli (Duff) on bass, Amonte on drums, and Ryan Thompson on guitar. Each member displaying great on stage chemistry in a unique way. Their passion and enthusiasm shown through their catchy melodies and lyrics will keep you babbling on.

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Art in the Courtyard at Ringling Underground:

GAELIN CRAIGHEAD

Gaelin Craighead is a mixed media fiber artist living in Tallahassee, FL. Craighead received her BFA from Louisiana Tech University and will be graduating with her MFA from Florida State University in April of 2016. Craighead’s artwork explores her personal history, ideas of domesticity and the act of meditation using repetitive sewing techniques.

“I use repetitive sewing techniques in my work that allow me to reflect on personal history and my spirituality. The working process serves as an avenue for spiritual meditation, through which I create visuals that are loosely narrative. In the series of fabric collages, I connect myself to ideas of domesticity as well as my relationship with my grandmother. Having moments in the work that hint at the tradition of quilting help me to situate myself within the history that came before me. While making, I find the rhythm that is found in processes like weaving, that allows me to shift from focusing on the movement of the hand to spiritual meditation. This makes my spiritual experience a concrete object that I can share with others.””

PAIGE RAMSAY

Paige Ramsay is a multi-disciplinary artist living in Ashburn, New Jersey. Ramsay received her BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design in May 2014. Her artwork centers around personal, and sometimes traumatic, memories. Ramsay’s stitchings are a process representative of scarring.

“My artwork is an exploration of gender in relation to female sexuality. My work depicts connections between the human body, personal identity, and nature. I use images of the female body coupled with flowers to seduce the viewer. By doing this, I hope to enhance the viewer’s experience of my art in a way that inspires sensuality and ambiguity. I create my own drawings out of the personal agony I have felt when enduring times of separation of self. This sense of disconnection, and along with it the division of my sexual self, comes together in my work through the representation of my struggle to find a social and physical identity.”

Ringling Underground is always free for college students with a valid college ID. It is an extension of the Art After 5 program held on Thursdays after 5 p.m. After hours discounted admission is $10 for adults; $5 for children 6-17, children 5 and under and Museum Members are free.

Cash bar provided by Modern Events at The Ringling.

Ringling Underground is a rain or shine event.
Share your Underground experiences on social media using the hashtag: #RinglingUnderground