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Did you know? » Fray Day 6 is being worked on by dozens of people in four countries. » Fray Day 4 took place in 2 cities, Fray Day 5 in 10, and Fray Day 6 will take place in 11 cities worldwide. » All combined, we're expecting over a thousand people to participate in Fray Day 6. Previous events: » Fray Cafe 2
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San Francisco Press InformationIn dotcom busted 2002, as the rest of the world is eulogizing the web, a community of storytellers born online is coming together in 11 cities to tell their true stories in real life. No WiFi. No webcast. No computers. "The whole point is to get away from our computers," says organizer Derek Powazek. And at the epicenter of the movement is San Francisco, where the sixth-annual event has moved to the historic Victoria Theatre, added several hundred seats, two live bands, and several accomplished literary figures to its roster. Welcome to the fray. Tell your stories! Press Release Fray Day Returns to San Francisco! For Immediate Release: Critically-Acclaimed online experience Fray.com to stage 6th Annual Celebration at San Francisco's Victoria Theater, Septemer 14th, 2002. San Francisco -- Fray Day, the live and local counterpart to the critically acclaimed online experience known as the {fray} will stage its Sixth Annual celebration on Saturday, September 14th, at San Francisco's historic Victoria Theater. An eclectic evening of personal storytelling performances, interactive art installations, and live music, Fray Day 6 SF will feature a mix of true tales from long-time {fray} contributors, well-known authors, and the audience during the open mic. "Everyone is invited to tell their story," says Derek Powazek, {fray} founder and long-time Bay Area interactive pioneer, "so long as their stories are true and personal, their telling is enthusiastic, and they take less than five minutes." Fray Day 6 SF will begin with live music from local band From Monument to Masses. Describing their music as "complex and hypnotic post-punk," Monument to Masses samples revolutionary speeches in place of traditional vocals, giving their music a distinct sound. As a tribute to the {Fray} community, the band plans to sample audio clips from past Fray Days during their performance. Also taking the stage will be local band Dealership. Proclaimed a "Power-noise-pop" band by critics, Dealership has been referred to as a cross between the power of the Pixies with the boneheaded simplicity of the Ramoes." Their debut album "Secret American Livingroom" has won critical acclaim, and the album, "TV Highway to the Stars" is their most recent release. Last year's event marked the birth of an international movement of Fray Days around the world, all organized independently by members of {fray}'s extended community. "It's inspiring to see how personal stories can bring people together all around the world," says Powazek, whose book, Design for Community was published last year by New Riders. Fray Days have taken place as far away as Kyoto, Japan, and Melbourne, Australia. This year, there are events as far away as Guam and Copehagen. Powazek, whose Powazek Productions supports the Fray Day phenomena world-wide, chose the historic Victoria Theater for this years Bay Area incarnation. Founded in 1908 as a Vaudeville House, the theater was a movie house in the 30s, a burlesque house in the 60s, and an "adult theater" in the 70s. "It is such a perfect venue," says Powazek. "Just imagine the stories in these walls." The Victoria will open its doors for Fray Day 6 San Francisco at 7pm, September 14th. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10-15, sliding-scale. All proceeds go to support the volunteer-based Fray Organization. For more information or interviews, contact: David-Michel Davies, Publicity for FD6SF: Derek M. Powazek, Organizer of Fray Day: Fray Day is an annual event brought to you by the storytelling website {fray} that takes place in cities all around the world on the same weekend. Each event features interactive art, featured performers, and a storytelling open mic. All the events are organized by volunteers from within the extended {fray} community. The San Francisco event is organized by {fray} creator Derek M. Powazek. Derek M. Powazek has led a Jekyll & Hyde life. As a web designer and consultant, he's worked with top companies like Nike, Netscape, and Sony. As a writer and performer, he's run open microphones, become a prolific online storyteller, and created the award-winning fray.com almost six years ago. His two sides came together last year with the publication of "Design for Community," the critically-acclaimed book about creating community websites. Derek's work champions the use of digital tools and personal stories to bring people together, and there's no better example of it than Fray Day. The history of Fray Day is a great example of how the web can take a good idea, amplify it, and spread it around the globe. On fray.com's first birthday, the site's small community of storytellers threw a virtual party. Led by {fray} contributor Alex Massie, dozens of sites posted birthday cards and congratulations for the site across the web. That was 1997. Inspired by the outpouring, {fray} creator Derek Powazek decided to throw a real-life celebration for the site's second birthday. Held in San Francisco in September 1998, seventy-five people gathered together and did in person what they were already doing online: telling true, personal stories. The gap between real and virtual was bridged, and the {fray} organization was born. By the next year, the event was christened Fray Day, and drew over a hundred people. The year after, the unexpected happened. Shmuel Mikel, a {fray} reader in Grand Rapids, Michigan, asked Derek if he could throw a Fray Day in his town, too. Fray Day 4 was the first to happen in two places at once. The event just kept spreading, and by 2001 Fray Day 5 was an international, volunteer-based celebration taking place in 10 separate cities world-wide. All of them featured live music, interactive art exhibits, storytelling performances, and the requisite open mic. This year promises 11 events. Fray Day San Francisco has grown too big for its usual digs and moved to the historic Victoria Theatre in the Mission. This year promises more live music than ever, with two local bands signed on: From Monument to Masses and Dealership. And of course, plenty of true stories. "A multi-senses treat." "I really like fray.com which is a nice, quite out-there online e-zine." "Fray, produced by Derek Powazek and a company of like-minded spirits, supports the web's personal ethic with fresh style." "An oasis of grace." "The Fray is simply one of the best examples of how people use the web as an outlet for their personal expression." "A zine that stands apart from the pretenders." "Best Local Website" |
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