Culture, Etc.Lyle Lovett, Ani DiFranco, and more.
Culture, Etc.Lyle Lovett, Ani DiFranco, and more.
Culture, Etc.Lyle Lovett, Ani DiFranco, and more.
I'm glad I wrote this because I've read other reviews of the show, and the critical consensus about co-frontman Blake Sennett is in my opinion both harsh and wrong. I'm glad I got to stick up for him in the press.
Rilo Kiley @ Terminal 5"In magazine articles and TV spots, co-frontman Blake Sennett may find it hard to outshine the fabulously stylish Jenny Lewis, but on stage he comes into his full rock-star potential, taking his guitar solos from on top of his amp. (And, as if the pair of them couldn't get any more sparkly, the band released giant balloons full of glittery confetti into the crowds for 'Silver Lining.')"
Rilo Kiley @ Terminal 5"In magazine articles and TV spots, co-frontman Blake Sennett may find it hard to outshine the fabulously stylish Jenny Lewis, but on stage he comes into his full rock-star potential, taking his guitar solos from on top of his amp. (And, as if the pair of them couldn't get any more sparkly, the band released giant balloons full of glittery confetti into the crowds for 'Silver Lining.')"
Our first summer issue: summer vacations, summer books, and more.Summer ReadingA round-up of the buzz books for summer, including new works by David Guterson and Alan Furst.Take a Few Days OffOur huge feature on weekend getaways includes my contribution about The Villa at Saugerties in the Catskills: "Say goodbye to the chintz, the brocade, and the stuffy Victorian furniture. Just because you want to get away for the weekend doesn’t mean you want to leave your sense of style behind with the babysitter." (About three-quarters of the way down the page.)Grilling the ExpertsGrill tips from the pros: "McGrath says that natural wood chips are the best source of fuel, but if you’re using charcoal, 'you want it to be white-hot, not red-hot. That’s the best way to grill something.'" (Second item down)The Director's CutAn article about Bruce David Klein, director of Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise: "Klein, Meat Loaf says, 'is a pesky little thing and he manages to wiggle and squeeze himself into places that I didn’t necessarily like all of the time.'" (The link to this story is being repaired.)Culture, Etc.A new art exhibition about space exploration, Chuck Mangione, and more.
As promised.Los Campesinos! @ the Bowery Ballroom"But when they dipped into previous EPs for the catchy 'We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives,' Campesinos looked into the audience and crooned, 'I'll sing what you like if you shout it straight back at me.' At the time, it seemed less like a lyric and more like a prognostication."
Picture by Grace DeVille.
It's been a while since I've done one of these, but I have a new gig review up at Beyond Race.Bishop Allen @ The Music Hall of Williamsburg"On the record, the songs are light and poppy, generally a breeze to listen through. The live show allowed for a few more rock and roll indulgences—muscular guitar parts here and there where pianos worked on the album—and, coupled with Rice's Beatles-style head-bopping and twitchy dancing, the band came across as having more amped-up energy than you'd guess from the sweetness of its sound."Check back again soon for a capsule about Los Campesinos!
May means the start of the summer season--and that means big summer movies. Hence, one of my favorite assignments of the year:Summer Film PreviewA round-up of the must-see films of the summer: "Apparently, even after you find the Holy Grail, there’s still more whip-cracking adventuring to do. An older, crankier Indy takes young Mutt Williams (Transformers’ Shia LeBeouf) along for the ride this time."Also in this issue:Our Parents' DivorcesA lifestyle piece about what happens to people after their parents get divorced: "'When their parents divorce, many children go through an emotional roller coaster,' says Peter Salem, executive director of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. 'There is a fundamental change in the child’s world. There could be a change of residence, or the family income isn’t what it once was because it has to support two homes. The bedrock of their lives—the family unit—is being dismantled. The question turns into whether or not there will be emotional damage to the children and, if so, what the extent of it will be.'”From CNN to ASUA follow-up article with CNN's Aaron Brown: "In June 2005, we profiled Aaron Brown, then an anchor for CNN’s NewsNight and <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Scarsdale</st1:place></st1:city> resident. Today, almost all of what we wrote has changed. He’s no longer with the cable net, having been replaced after four years by a certain silver-haired anchor whose name rhymes with Schmanderson Schmooper." (It's the sixth item down.)UPDATE: This article was picked up for an item in Page Six. Read it here.Ask the ExpertA tiny item about generic vs. name-brand pills: "According to the FDA, a store-brand or generic drug must be the same as the original in terms of dosage, strength, performance, use, quality, and safety. However, the look of the brand-name drug is trademarked, so the store-brand version uses the inactive ingredients to change the size, shape, color, or taste, and those ingredients may give you a different reaction." (It's the fourth item down.)Culture, Etc.Joan Osborne, Jacques Goudstikker, art galas, and more.
The redesign of our magazine went live in April, and it couldn't look better. I placed these articles in the fresh-looking issue:Oh What a Web We Need
A short list of our staff's we'd-die-without websites: "Who says that traditional media is afraid of the Web? Here at the magazine, we couldn’t live without the Internet (for work—honest)." (It's the fifth item down.)Culture, Etc.
The B-52s, Ira Glass, Josh Ritter, and more.In addition to writing the articles above, I assigned these meaty pieces:X Saves Westchester
Our Subprime Crisis
Culture Shock...And one last item of business:Aqua Teen Hunger Force Vol. 5In the midst of preparing the April issue, one PopMatters review wormed its way onto the site, too: "If you’ve watched Aqua Teen Hunger Force or the show’s first feature film, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, you know that everything about the show defies logic. Especially the film which, for a full-length film based on an 11-minute, late-night cartoon about talking food, managed to be released in 877 theaters its opening weekend. And that’s after a viral marketing campaign for the movie caused Boston officials to call the bomb squad."Much more in May!
Two of my PopMatters reviews went up on the same day. I love it when that happens.quarterlifeNote: the lack of a capital "q" is the show's stupid stylistic decision, not mine. My review isn't much nicer: "This is the not-quite-true story of six friends picked to live in a house and have their lives taped, as one pensive video-blogger finds out what happens when people stop being polite and start being 'real'...A show where friends sleep around on each other, only to have truths revealed about their lives through a blog? It’s basically Gossip Girl, only without the awareness that it’s a total fantasy."Right at Your DoorThe movie was mixed, but it did make me jump up and buy a disaster-preparedness kit online: "Gorak manages to wring the maximum amount of fright out of this situation not by how large the disaster looms, but how small he makes it."Also, PopMatters has now done this neat thing where you can search reviews by author, so you can see everything else I've written for them, too.
Yes, suburbia still exists after dark.Night Owls: The BartenderA profile of people who work after dark: "At night, you can find bartender Tiffany Grimes under the flat-screen TVs and exotic animal heads at Hartsdale’s Mighty Joe Young’s, mixing up for thirsty patrons its signature 'Kenya, Willya, Wontcha?' But, as with other skilled bartenders, you can also picture her as Lucy from Peanuts, standing beneath a homemade cardboard sign that says 'The Doctor Is In.'" (It's the fifth item down.)
Arts & EntertainmentA zombie Girl with a Pearl Earring and lots more.Okay, so this issue is a little light on bylines for me, but a lot of pieces I assigned to freelancers are in this one, including:The Thrill of the HuntIs There a Critic in the House?Evening Alternatives (halfway down)From Cooper to Condo (second-to-last item)
Great Places, New FacesA round-up of new players in the local culture scene, including local maestro Itzhak Perlman. (It's the ninth item.)
Arts & Entertainment Flamenco dancing, Eaglefest, and more.
