If I hear “community building” one more time…

Oh…

Well it sounds smooth and buttery when Don Morrison says it.

Don spoke as a featured guest for the the Reynolds School of Journalism’s #Jour4Jobs forum via Google Hangout.

One of the benefits he spoke about at the Collective?

“Confidence.”

With community and shared work comes confidence in an idea. Ideas can lead to great things, like Cloudsnap, or Don’s haircut, or even The Reno Collective.

Keep spawning ideas, and don’t be afraid to share those ideas with a friend. The process might take you somewhere.

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 ...]]>

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 have to admit, I’m still stuck on “post-folk punk”…

All Collective Desk Concerts

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 ...]]>

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 night every Wednesday from 6PM til 12AM. Wednesdays are already pretty busy around here so we thought “why not finish the day with a bang?”. Nightowl nights also coincide with Hacknights every month which allows us to keep the doors open even later for the hacking.

So, Nightowls start every Wednesday at 6PM and go until 12AM. This event is included with your Reno Collective membership. Not a member? (You should fix that!) If you come in after 6PM the drop-in rate will be $5. We’ll keep the doors open for a couple of hours then you’ll need to use the doorbell to get in.

See you Wednesday night?

Event Details >>

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 ...]]>

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 to wait for oils to dry” and prefers bright colors, especially purples, in part as a response to his slight colorblindness. The pieces that are showing at the Collective were created over a three-four year period, but Richard has been using these same techniques for most of his 30 years as an artist.

We’re so thrilled to have Richard’s work inspiring our offices, and may never let him take them back. We’re thankful to Jill Berryman of the Nevada Alliance for Arts Education (a Reno Collective member) for introducing the idea and Richard to us. Yes, the pieces are for sale but hands off the purple one I have my eye on. Be sure to wander around the halls and check out all of Richard’s work, or visit him at his website at www.RichardWellsArt.com.

Many thanks to Richard for sharing his fabulous talent with us.

Photos courtesy of Calvert Photography (thanks, David).

The guys peg themselves as a cross between the longstanding alternative (some say “college”) rock group, REM and heavy metal (some say “stoner”) rock band, Kyuss.

The trio of Tobin Jones, Nick Ramirez and Roger Rowland formed in late 2010. They’ve thrashed, smashed, screamed and sang under the smoke and strobes of several local venues throughout Reno and Sparks, and now they’re stripping down to play our intimate office space under some fluorescent lights.

Come down, and have a beer. The guys from Present might have a few themselves.

All Collective Desk Concerts

Well, this is Reno Collective, so let's continue to do things differently.

Let's host a show. Let's host several shows - shows by local bands in a stripped-down style at our more-than-modest venue. In the spirit of NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts, let's showcase local talents and open them up to the public. We'll have a show every other week. And hey, if these little shindigs catch on, maybe we'll go weekly.