If the phrase “acoustic political post-folk punk” piques your interest then you should probably cancel your early Friday evening plans and come see Spike McGuire at Collective Desk #5. If political post-folk punk isn’t enough then maybe “raw vocal grit” or “impassioned lyrics” will draw you in. Maybe you’re excited to see a local boy perform for you. Tell you what, we’ll just see you here on on Friday, April 13th at 5 p.m., okay?

We haven’t quite figured out how a singer/songwriter that usually performs with the barebones accompaniment of an acoustic guitar will fulfill the Collective Desk mandate of a stripped-down set, but we’re excited to see the results. Someone that has shared the stage with tremendous musicians including: Chuck Ragan, Franz Nicolay, Kevin Seconds, Eddie Spaghetti, Kepi Gouhlie, and Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers is sure to please!

I …

You “wake up” after the sun has set. Your best work happens when the rest of Reno is in bed. The glow of your laptop screen fuels late night hack sessions. Your brain just functions better in the dark.

Did any of that sound familiar? Yeah, you’re a Nightowl.

Until now you’ve had to labor away in your kitchen or den into the wee hours of the morning but starting Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 (that’s tomorrow!) you can stay up late with us! You see, Flash Mallach, our resident denizen of the night, wants you to know you’re not alone. He is convinced that there is a small cadre of you that shun the ball o’flame in the sky and still crave the same collaborative environment the day-walkers enjoy.

With that in mind, he has arranged to host a Reno Collective Nightowl …

It’s pretty colorful in the Collective building, but now, even more. Reno artist Richard Wells has lent 22 of his rich abstract pieces to our humble offices to liven up the blank walls. (see photos) Installed February 17 by the artist himself, Richard’s works are bright acrylic paints combined with tons and tons of texture. Look closely and you recognize buttons, nails, jewels, pieces of paper, cloth, leather and other surprises. Richard has a long history in theater costume design, an inspiration that has seeped into this work.

Richard loves to travel and always brings back bits and scraps from each adventure. He incorporates these into a composition, as his impression of the time or place, obvious by the names of the works such as “Night Market/Bankok” and “Prague Castle.” He uses acrylic paint because, he admits, “I have no patience …

Yes, that’s right. The photo below features Duke Nukem on French horn. Only the most badass and heroic of dudes can wail on such a hardcore, contorted piece of brass.

Whether blowing up aliens or rescuing princesses is more in your wheelhouse, you’ll likely have a good time at CDC4 – featuring Reno’s first and finest Video Game Orchestra. As always, we’ll raise the proverbial curtains at 5 p.m. – doors at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 23.

This crew of gamer musicians formed in August 2011 and grew into a large performance-based classical ensemble, specializing in self-arranged video game music. If it’s been a while since you’ve lodged a song from Super Mario Bros. into your skull, you should come down, have a beer, and take in the jams.

You won’t be hearing any Freebird (yay), but you just might get a …