The Fray/Jack’s Mannequin - June 26, 2009 Nikon at Jones Beach Aphitheatre
As far as music goes, Colorado’s The Fray are pretty dull. Sure, they’ve got pleasing piano melodies, solid radio hooks and armfuls of talent, but all things considered the music is pretty nocturnal and sleep-inducing. Or so most people think. In an attempt to distort those notions, the quartet took to the Nikon at Jones Beach Amphitheater stage and did their best to rock out. There was a U2-like confidence on the lilting, “Absolute,” and a frenetic sense of urgency on rockers “Little House” and “We Build, Then We Break,” but aside from that it was one mid-tempo number after another. Big-throated vocalist Isaac Slade even left his trademark piano to prance around the stage, but truth be told, the gesture came across more as preening than pleading.
Other times, he looked like a struggling high school thespian or a cheap Adam Duritz imitation. And then there were the lights. Sure it goes without saying that most coliseum shows these days are accompanied by an eye-assaulting frenzy of strobe lights, electronics and LCDs, but The Fray took it to a whole new level. Then again, Isaac Slade’s robotic performance and his lack of crowd interaction revealed a rather bland and workmanlike execution that gave the impression this show was just one of many. The concert’s best moments were the most unexpected. Guitarist Joe King’s tearjerking ballad “Ungodly Hour,” had a Ryan Adams-like croon to it that revealed he’s an overlooked and underused vocal talent, a point he later backed up with an acoustic version of 2006’s “Heaven Forbid.”
Their stripped-down acoustic version of Kanye West’s “Heartless,” already an iTunes and YouTube sensation wasn’t exactly a surprise insomuch as it was unconventional. Most incredibly the band was able to pull it off as if it was their own. The fact that a band of four married, clean-cut Christian gentleman could pull off a Kanye song with such ease was probably the performance’s most amusing moment. This is largely due in part to the fact that few, if any songs performed during their 80 minute set deviated from the sound on the band’s disc. And while it is certainly honorable to stick to a script, at what point does a band sacrifice procedure for the sake of improvisation or embellishment? Self-admitted fans of Counting Crows, it would have been memorable had the band adopted an impromptu sense of improvisation or something to make the set standout. But maybe that’s just not their thing. And while the music may be somewhat dull and the live performance both formulaic and predictable, at the end of the evening, few in attendance were complaining. Those smiling fans, mostly 12-20-year-old females, are what have propelled this rather by-the-book piano-rock band to multi-year arena-headliners.
Opening the set was Orange County, CA’s Jack’s Mannequin, whose wispy lead singer Andrew McMahon frenetically pounded away at his piano, as if his life depended on it. A leukemia survivor, McMahon took to the stage with a youthful exuberance and a sense of urgency and passion that was hard to fake, and even harder to resist. On slaphappy singalongs like “La La Lie,” and free-spirited single, “The Mix Tape,” McMahon and his band revealed a sense of optimism and catharsis that was show-stopping and memorable. Even though much of the material offered lacked the aforementioned improvisation, there was still something resilient and charismatic about all 10 songs. Which begs the question, was it McMahon and company that deserved to be headlining? Alas, the music business never quite makes any sense at all.
Post-Script: While The Fray are mehh live, in studio they are solid. Check out my review of their album here.
Monthly Nostalgia: Vol. 1: Mr. Henry
It has been nearly eight years since the music world last heard from the Manhattan roots-rock band Mr. Henry. Fronted by vocalist Dave Slomin (pictured above), the quartet put together a sound of clean, crisp rock that was not unlike the Gin Blossoms, Cracker and Counting Crows. The band’s major-label breakthrough Jackhammer was produced by John Hampton, who produced the Gin Blossoms’ multi-platinum New Miserable Experience, and their follow up 40 Watt Fade, was produced by the Counting Crows’ Dave Bryson.
In their brief six-year run, the band never grabbed many headlines, never played the nation’s biggest rooms, but they did churn out some of the most consistent, polished and can’t miss heartland rock on this side of the Mississippi. That the band was based out of Manhattan made their appeal that much more alluring. Unfortunately the group got bogged down by guitarist Steve Conte, who split time between Mr. Henry and myriad side projects. In the end, the side projects won out and Mr. Henry folded like a cheap tuxedo rental.
Thankfully, Slomin emerged from a four-year period of darkness and released the incredibly solid solo disc Strike, before disappearing once again into darkness. Though a host of links at his CDBaby page, reveal that he is somewhat active in music, there is no word if he’s still touring as of the last three years. Without an official Web page, the verdict is still out. Until such details are ironed out, there will always be a large part of me that wishes for the day I can hear songs like: “Apollo Racer,” “Happily Neverafter,” and “B-Side Stars” in a live setting. Until then, thank my lucky stars I have the disc in my collection. 40 Watt Fade is available at Amazon.com and it ranks pretty high in my list of albums released in 2001. If not Top 10, definitely Top 20.
The next installment of Monthly Nostalgia will remember Maryland’s Rockwell Church.
Under Our Skin is the Best Documentary of the Year
One of the best documentaries of this year is Andy Abraham Wilson’s Under Our Skin. No questions asked, no if ands or buts. This film is a flat-out powerhouse. Gorgeously filmed, incredibly well-researched and highly pointed, the 100-minute piece chronicles the life of four Lyme disease victims and focuses the lens on their pain and suffering. Dana Walsh, is an event organizer for the rock band U2, who by all appearances looks completely healthy and normal. Inside though her neurological impulses are fizzling and her body is incessantly tired. Mandy and Sean Hughes are young, attractive newlyweds who do their best to maintain a normal, everyday existence despite the fact that Mandy’s battle with Lyme is crippling and life-threatening. Jordan Fisher Smith is a former Park Ranger in the forests of California, who took his battle with Lyme and put it to pen. His book “Nature Noir,” is the compass that guides much of Under Our Skin. The documentary also introduces Elise Brady Moe, a mother who has undergone several miscarriages and Dr. Alan Macdonald, a staff pathologist who works from home at a makeshift laboratory in Smithtown, Long Island to research Lyme disease.
So why exactly a documentary on Lyme disease? The better question is why hasn’t there been a documentary like this already? Since the disease’s inception in the Connecticut town of Lyme in 1975, the medical establishment has looked at Lyme with a curious and awkward glance. Aside from the late 1980s, when the CDC labeled the outbreaks in the Northeast as an “epidemic,” there has never been enough attention focused on the disease. Despite the fact that at present, more than 200,000 cases are chronicled each year, only a quarter of which are properly diagnosed, makes the Lyme problem more prevalent than HIV/AIDS in America. Then there’s the political/social/economical aspect, which stems from various doctors and insurance companies failure to acknowledge the gravitas of the disease and its crippling affects. More often that not Lyme sufferers are misdiagnosed, scoffed at and the subject of a litany of tests. As the film documents, each of the four sufferers spent at least $100,000 in medical bills and visited at least 15-20 doctors, before being helped by a Lyme doctor. Moreover, Under Our Skin also details the court hearings and disbarrments of two controversial Lyme Disease doctors. Charlotte, North Carolina’s Dr. Joe Jemsek, Waterbury, CT’s Dr. Charles Ray Jones.
Already hailed by XM Radio as “the most important documentary to come out this year,” Fox News is also saying, “Not since Michael Moore has a documentary caused such a stir across America.” Under Our Skin opened in New York City at the IFC Center on June 19 and in Los Angeles at the Music Hall on June 26. The film was an official selection at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival and winner of numerous “Best Documentary” awards. That “Under Our Skin” is so powerful is no real surprise. Filmmaker Abrahams Wilson studied journalism and anthropology at Northwestern and received a MA from USC in visual anthropology and film. He’s an Emmy-nominated producer and director, and has had films shown on HBO and the Sundance Channel.
An Evening With Ewalt and Walker
A colleague once said that there’s an unwritten adage in Manhattan: For every cockroach, there’s a starving artist trying to make his way through the masses. Said title applies to Michael Ian Walker and Kyle Ewalt, a tandem who collectively have remained under the surface without much fanfare or acclaim.
Though Walker’s play Blackout was seen off-Broadway and critically lauded, he’s still not a household name. Ewalt on the other hand has written music for the dance/electronica group Kyven and also pens songs for numerous record labels, still without a national following. But all of that might change after viewing a performance of “An Evening with Ewalt and Walker: Just a Couple of Dudes Who Like to Write Songs,” which took to the Playwrights Horizon’s mainstage last night and showed many glimpses of ensuing stardom.
Using mostly songs from their forthcoming project The Making of Madeline Moore, a Gossip Girl-like tale of New York City socialites and their travails and foibles, the tandem displayed an inherent knack for writing hook-based melodies that seem perfectly suited for Broadway and a loyal following. Even on songs that weren’t attached to a script, such as the four songs written as a response to the novel A Separate Peace, there was a charisma and energy to their songs that seemed tailor-made for amphitheaters and stadiums.
Of course the night would not have been triumphant had it not been for the stellar cast. Lending their talents were: Matt Doyle (Spring Awakening/Bye Bye Birdie), Jackie Burns (Hair), Melissa Lone (A Chorus Line/Mary Poppins), Adam Kantor (Rent), Kevin Greene (Grease: You’re the One That I Want/For Lovers Only), John Scacchetti (Gypsy), Molly Pope (Our Hit Parade), MAC Award winner Jonathan Whitton, Christopher Totten, Nicole Hurst, Guy Olivieri, and other stars of Broadway and cabaret.
Aided by the deft piano playing of David Lerman, each of the 14 songs performed had enough gusto and gravitas to transcend the ever-difficult inner Broadway circle. Fueled by wit, charm and innate songwriting chops, Ewalt and Walker seem destined for national acclaim. Let the waiting game begin.
Unmistaken Child is an Unmistakable Cinematic Treat
Reincarnation is a complex, misunderstood and politically polarizing canon of Buddhism. To date its place in contemporary cinema has been scarce and vague. Save for Martin Scorsese’s 1997 documentary Kundun there hasn’t been much that has shed light on this oft-maligned, oft-misunderstood tradition. In 2001, Israeli director Nati Boratz was backpacking with his wife in Tibet when he stopped by the Kopan Monastery in northern Nepal. While there he struck up a conversation with Tenzin Zopa, a monk mourning the loss of his mentor, Geshe Lama Konchog, who had dedicated more than 20 years to solitude and prayer. This initial encounter led to what would become the five year journey that is Unmistaken Child.
The film begins in 2002 when Tenzin is ordered by the High Llamas to seek out the reincarnated child of his mentor. Traveling by helicopter, mule and foot he questions various villagers and farmers in the hopes of finding a child no older than one-and-a-half and no younger than one, an edict that was told to him in prophesy by the High Llamas. Frame by frame, the viewer gets a glimpse of the steadfast determination, discipline and diligence that makes up Tenzin Zopa. Incredibly likable, charismatic and even a little humorous, Zopa is a compelling protagonist whose multi-year quest is gripping and inspirational. Backed by stunning landscapes, a stirring soundtrack and a quick pace, Unmistaken Child is a rare delight. A film that pulls no punches, makes no false claims and relies solely on the story and the characters to do the work. Having had its New York premiere earlier this month at New York’s famed Film Forum, Unmistaken Child has already garnered 8 film awards and has both a larger audience and more awards in its sights.
I Heart Colin Cowherd
A simple Google search of Colin Cowherd will reveal that the oft-criticized ESPN Radio talk show host is far from well-liked by the blogosphere. Allow this blog to be one of the few to praise him.
While he is far from perfect, more often than not, he is pointed, well-spoken and on-the-money about what he says. Though he certainly takes polarizing stances and often times does things that push the envelope; more often than not he’s humorous, factual and an absolute delight to listen to. Earlier today, he criticized an interview that Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young did with the ESPN show E:60, and ripped him apart for lacking basic speech skills and command of language. Said comment brought on a ton of angry listeners and once again fueled the fire for why people his radio show so much. Cowherd posited that it’s perfectly reasonable for the Tennessee Titans to lack faith in Young as an NFL quarterback when his command of the English language is so poor. He then cited the examples of Jeff George and Ryan Leaf, as other immature, unintelligent quarterbacks who couldn’t cut it in the NFL. All I have to say is thank God there is someone like Cowherd out there, saying it like it is. While it may be petty to rip someone apart for the way they speak, research and studies show phonetics is an easily correctable endeavor and it’s something I’m glad Cowherd took the time to mention. When are athletes going to realize as public figures they are role models. Why should Young get a free pass just because he’s an athlete?
If you’ve never listened to Cowherd, take a minute to tune into his radio feed. I promise he’ll say something worth remembering.
Go see Seraphine This June!
Yolande Moreau is a Belgian comedienne who has assumed a litany of television and film roles in her near three-decade career. So what she’s doing in the new French film Seraphine is anyone’s guess. That being said, her turn as Seraphine Louis/Seraphine de Senlis is mesmerizing and awe-inspiring and ads credence to the film’s seven Cesar victories. Seraphine details the life and struggles of the unassuming French servant, who fought madness and ridicule, en route to a career as a painter. Her chance encounter with Wilhelm Uhde, and her subsequent internment and death at an asylum are all documented here, and according to art historian Jenifer P. Borum , the film is nearly 100 % accurate. The film opens in New York the first week of June and then makes it into other art-house theaters nationwide a few weeks later. It’s success at the Cesars allows it to join the company of other heralded foreign films, including but not limited to: Cyrando de Bergerac, The Dreamlife of Angels, The Pianist, The Barbarian Invasions, The Beat That My Heart Skipped and Lady Chatterly.
What kind of impression Seraphine makes in the States is still to be determined, but so far it’s as good as any movie I’ve seen in 2009. Wonderfully shot, superbly written and backed by a stirring soundtrack, it’s an inspiring and bittersweet story about the power of art and determination; and the ability to rise above despite various limitations and hindrances.
Shoreline Sonata is Amazing
Tonight on WLIW, the station premieres Shoreline Sonata a mixed-media celebration of Long Island’s coastline, from the Gold Coast North Shore to the Great South Bay to Montauk, the North Fork and even the Kings Park coastline, Shoreline Sonata presents exquisite and breathtaking vistas of Long Island’s most unique features. Laced with a stirring soundtrack comprised of Louis Armstrong’s “Summer Song,” to Brandenburg’s “O Mio Caro,” the documentary features works by Long Island poets like Huntington icon Walt Whitman, as well as lyrics by Long Island–based songwriters Billy Joel and Jimmy Webb. Broken down into three movements, the score is mostly classical and the scenery never short of stunning. Being that I’m a native Long Islander who still works and lives here, I’m obviously partial, but anyone who has a maritime complex or a love for the coast will find something endearing, special and magical about this. For more details about the show, visit the Web site.
Wonderful Town is a Wonderful, Albeit Dark Film
Its amazing that a disaster like the Thailand tsunami of 2004 has sparked such few cinematic efforts. Aside from the HBO film, few other names come to mind. Though one could probably scour around and find something, chances are it won’t be nearly as impressive as Aditya Assarat’s debut full-length feature Wonderful Town, an engaging and provocative drama that screened in New York this past winter. The film is centered around Ton, a Bangkok architect who has been called to the sleepy coastal town of Takua Pa to revitalize a seaside resort, and in doing so meets the locals, who are still attempting to recover from the disaster.
Also while in town, he meets Na, the manager at her parent’s hotel, who shows an interest in Ton from the very beginning. As the days pass, the town locals continues to be disaffected and anesthetized, apparently still struggling to accept their new life post-tsunami. As one might expect, Ton and Na eventually commence a relationship, but not without the ire of her brother Wit and his group of misfit friends, who see the urban architect as a threat to both Na and the town. What they don’t realize is that Ton is far more human than they anticipate. A former musician who has an estranged relationship with his father, Ton wants to be seen as a regular. Not comfortable in the fancier hotels down by the shore, he opts instead for the cozy, family-run hotel and settles into a comfortable routine, away from the noise of Bangkok. At the same time, Na and her brother Wit are at odds, with Na convinced that Wit is “just drowning.” Wit thinks the same of her and it’s this mindset and his wreckless actions that alter the landscape of the town in ways Mother Nature never could.
Beautifully shot by Umpornpol Yugala and intricately structured by Assarat’s script, Wonderful Town has an acute eye for detail and a firm understanding of the human condition. Anchored by star making performances from Supphasit Kansen and Anchalee Saisoontorn, as Ton and Na respectively, Wonderful Town is understated and quiet, and manages to say and do a lot with very little, opting in favor of subtlety and grace. There are a lot of serene landscape shots and very little dialogue, a clear nod to Assarat’s penchant for still frames and physical acting. The soundtrack by Zai Kuning and Koichi Shimizu also plays a big hand in letting the landscape and the sentiment work its way into this piece. A big hit at many minor film festivals, the film has a potency and a charm that has led many critics to call director Assarat, a blooming Antonioni. Though such lofted praise may be a bit premature, this is certainly a film that marks the auspicious arrival of new talent in Asian filmmaking.
David Berkeley’s Strange Light: Early Contender for Album of the Year
I’ve listened to nearly 80 albums released so far this year and not one touches the grandeur or magic of David Berkeley’s Strange Light. Now, I realize it’s only May and there are plenty of months ahead, but if you’re asking me to put together a list of the Top 10 Albums of 2009 so far, David Berkeley’s Strange Light would have to be at the top of the list.
For the better part of six years, the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter has been making quality albums to positive acclaim and yet still seems to be on the outside looking in. That most likely will change though with the May 26 release of Strange Light. Produced by Brian Deck (Counting Crows, Josh Ritter, Modest Mouse) the album is a strong and confident blend of soulful bluesy folk and gritty Americana.
Album opener “Hurricane” is dark and stormy with a swirling chorus and thunderous guitars, that makes an impact from the very first verse, a trait Berkeley seems to have an uncanny knack for. What follows is “Willis Avenue Bridge,” a gorgeous midtempo offering that sounds like a Tracey Chapman b-side and features a pleasant piano line and a poignant and vibrant story that’s quite honestly as good as any song released in the last two years. Album closer “Angelina” is a quiet, introspective valentine to a girl battered and defeated by the world, that’s as honest and striking as anything he’s ever released. There’s an understated and simple grace in the song structure, and yet with just his voice and guitar he manages to say and do so much. That’s the kind of magnetism and power that’s felt on Strange Light. A perfect example of this is the peaking “O Lord Come Down,” a plaintive and piercing prayer to the heavens that has a pleasant calm and solace while being winningly melodic and pretty. Somehow the song seems almost predestined to serve as a tonic to the soul and a way to remedy bad days and difficult situations. Another standout is the banjo-fueled “The Only Broken Man,” a mid-tempo offering with a gorgeous chorus that finds Berkeley’s voice at its absolute best.
Lofty praise is nothing new to the Harvard-educated Berkeley. He’s already been hailed by New York Times critic Jon Pareles as one to watch and has garnered raves for carrying a Tim Buckley and Nick Drake-like sentiment by Rolling Stone magazine. His 2004 album After the Wrecking Ships was definitely one of the best albums released that year, and a Strange Light seems to carry that momentum forward with astonishing results.
At the core, Berkeley’s a solid songwriter that writes lyrics that aren’t trite or cliched. He’s also a naturally gifted musician, who writes compelling songs that are resonant, reliable and incredibly colorful. Of all these talents, his voice is clearly his gift, and there’s a softness in its timbre that seems destined for making music. In the end, it’s hard to go wrong with honest, intimate and introspective songs, and when they are gentle, vibrant and deeply resonant, then all the better. Perhaps Old 97s frontman Rhett Miller said it best, “His songs are simultaneously delicate and sturdy. If they leave you unmoved, you are made out of stone.”
