Oh the Spanish Moss and Roll the Tanks at Silverlake Lounge

I'm thinking of doing a write-up over on intraffik.com so I'll just post a couple photos from the night.

Oh the Spanish Moss



Roll the Tanks

Castledoor and Princeton @ Spaceland

This is actually one of those nights where I would normally do a write-up on intraffik.com, but I've already given mention to Castledoor in one of my columns and I'm not sure I really should repeat myself. (I have repeated myself in the past, but I do try to limit my repeats.)

I got to Spaceland at around 9:40 p.m. I walked in without much of a wait. When I got inside; however, the place was crowded. Two of my friends were on their way and I sent out text messages to them. They didn't arrive in time and were stuck waiting in line. They eventually decided to leave instead of waiting it out.

Why the crowd? I believe it was partially driven by the fact that Castledoor is breaking up. This was their last set. Did I know this? No. I can't say I'm one of their biggest fans, because this was only the second time I'd seen them.

Here's a conversation I over-heard: "I'm the biggest fan." "No, I'm the biggest fan." "He's the tallest fan."

Lead singer Nate said at the start of their set, "Just to let you know we have nothing special to give away tonight." They're known for handing out special gifts like the first time I saw them they handed out CDs they'd made of a Bob Dylan cover song they'd just recorded.

Comments from Nate: "If there is ac maybe we can get the ac going." "The fate of our band is hanging in the balance." From the audience, "Don't break up." "We've never been a cool band. I mean, we think we're cool, but we're somewhere between Radiohead and Jonas Brothers. We're in that strange space all by ourselves."

A bitter sweet set for Castledoor, I'm sure. I think they must have walked off the stage with a smile; however, because they received one of the loudest and longest cheers I've ever heard from the Spaceland crowd.

They also were holding a $1 sale on their CDs and t-shirts. A mob was around their table.








Princeton was the residency band. Intraffik just posted a column on their recent album release.

The band has a set of twins so there were a handful of twin jokes.

Comment: "We're starting with a song that starts out slow put it picks up."

Noticed: For one song, the drummer took over bass duties.





For the last song, Princeton called for people to join them up on stage and dance away. People were more than willing to dance with them.



Fun night at Spaceland even though I was once again stuck there by myself (previous one being the Hockey night where a friend failed to show).

Day of the Outlaw and Spider Problem @ American Legion Hall in Highland Park

After an early evening going away party for a friend I met eight years ago, I headed off to the American Legion Hall to catch a couple bands.

There were a handful of friends that I ran into there.

First band I saw was Day of the Outlaw.





The last band was Spider Problem. This was the first time I saw them since they got a new guitarist. Watching the band, I realized that except for Shayne, all the band members are new when compared to when I first saw them way back when. I obviously knew this before hand, but it strikes you harder when you see them on stage.

As for my friends, one friend admitted she'd never seen Spider Problem. She was quizzed about this fact. "Spider Problem played at Redwood." "Spider Problem played at Juanita's that one night." "No, I wasn't there."

I didn't see the first two bands, but I can't help but think that Spider Problem was the main draw of the night. Not to knock Day of the Outlaw, but for their set folks stayed rather far from the stage. For Spider Problem, folks crowded the stage area.

As the band was about to start playing, one of their friends said: No punching today. Can we agree on that?

Shayne replied: Yes, no fighting today. If you were at L'Keg and were fighting, please go home.

The L'Keg show must have been interesting.

Their first song had a Mazzy Star feel to it and then from there they were their wild self. Before their last song, Shayne whispered to all her band mates. I don't think anyone in the audience knew this, but that was going to be their last song. I'm not sure of the exact title name, but the words 'I'm losing out' were sung. As she was singing this, Shayne and the guitarist were trying to push each other off to the side. Shayne lost.

I couldn't help but wonder if Shayne was feeling ill towards the end of her set. She grabbed her stomach at one point. I don't know if she was part of her motions or if she had suddenly come down with something.

No bloody knee caps this time around.

Garbaj Kaetz, Seasons, Schoenberg Knife Fight Ensemble

I had wanted to check out Ives the Band over at Silverlake Lounge, but learned they canceled.

Well, since I was out and about I figured I may as well head somewhere else to check out some music. Echo Curio is always a nice place to head towards so there I went.

First band I saw was called Garbaj Katetz. I probably only heard a couple of their songs.



Next up was Seasons, but only part of the band. This was the most intriguing band of the night for me. Okay, so I only saw "2/5" of the band, but the music was lovely. I'll have to try and catch them another time.

Comment: The keyboardist to the guitarist, "I need to see your hands."

Noticed: One of their friends took out a tambourine. The tambourine had the hands of Jesus on it.







Schoenberg Knife Fight Ensemble was the last band I saw. Just from the name, one would think experimental pounding rock music. I suppose this is what I got. I will say I got into the music. Great set. My one thing, I'm not sure I buy into the lead singer's persona, a 12-year old girl mixed with a bit of a dolt, act. I did find their band attire interesting. A hard rocker. A preppy 80s guy.

Comment one: From one of the band members waiting for the bathroom to open up, talking to his band mates, "You're called Schoenberg Knife Fight? Are you guys being ironic."

Noticed: For many of the songs, the guys in the band played with their eyes closed. After one song, all the cymbals went flying in various directions. During the last song, the keyboardist was pounding away like Schoenberg.

Check this band out. Yes, there is a negative comment above, but that's just an observation on the stage presence. The music rocks.

A Movie Review: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. I need to admit straight off that I didn't fully understand this movie. I think I understand the basic plots. Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) makes a deal with Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), aka The Devil. The deal is for eternal life as well as the ability to provide individuals with a universe of unlimited imagination. Centuries later, Doctor Parnassus runs into a beautiful young lady. Parnassus and Mr. Nick make a deal: Parnassus will gain his youth back, but if he has a daughter she will be Mr. Nick's at the age of 16. Parnassus' wife gets pregnant at an advanced age and has a daughter. The movie starts with Valentina (Lily Cole) three days away from turning sixteen. Tony (Heath Ledger) also shows up in the movie, rescued by Parnassus' troupe.

SPOILERS, IN A WAY.

I get the idea that Mr. Nick actually likes Parnassus and has no desire to take away his daughter. He instead just wants to cause Parnassus to worry. A little torment is his game.

I'm not sure, but I think in the end Tony is the good guy that helps make sure that Valentina does not become the possession of Mr. Nick.

There are some wonderful visuals here, but then so does 'Lovely Bones'.

What I don't get is: Was this a movie of great brilliance or great disappointment. It is so artfully done I doubt myself and wonder if my confusion regarding this movie is driven by my lack of a liberal arts background. Who knows.

A Movie Review: Crazy Heart

Crazy Heart. A nice understated movie that deals with an over-the-hill country music star, Bad Blake, (Jeff Bridges) and his muse/lover, a young lady named Jean Craddock, (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

ONE MIGHT CONSIDER THESE SPOILERS

The movie opens up with Bad Blake singing at a bowling alley. A let down for someone who used to be much bigger. You figure out rather quickly that he's a chain smoker and an alcholic. In another town, he is asked if he's willing to do an interview with a young reporter, Jean. They hit it off pretty well. And soon fall into a quick romance.

At the same time, his career takes a turn for the better. A musican he mentored, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), is starting to turn big -- playing in front of crowds of 12,000 (I believe this is what I heard.) Though Bad Blake feels that Tommy Sweet sold him out, Tommy still has high regards for Bad Blake. Tommy asks Bad Blake to open for him in one of his shows and then asks him to write music for him.

Though his career is picking up again, he still has issues with drinking and smoking. This eventually ends his relationship with Jean, but it also inspires him to turn around his personal life.

This movie kept my attention throughout. Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal are worthy for their Oscar nominations. Obviously, this movie doesn't make Tommy Sweet out to be the bad guy and there is reconciliation between Tommy and Bad Blake. I liked how the movie dealt with their relationship. It didn't go into all the gritty details, but it gave you enough to understand how Bad Blake felt about it all, but also see how Tommy was trying to reach out and help his mentor.

A Movie Review: Lovely Bones

"Lovely Bones". I enjoyed this movie until it came to the ending. This movie kept my attention. I was drawn to the struggles of the father (Mark Wahlberg). Stanley Tucci (George Harvey) was great as a sexual predator/serial murderer. I couldn’t even tell it was him for awhile. I wish that the Abigail Salmon (Rachel Weisz) character was drawn a bit better since I’m a Rachel Weisz fan. Michael Imperioli played a sympathetic detective who had little to go on, but was more than willing to sympathize with the family.

SPOILERS

I thought this movie was well acted, but my problem was with the ending. I thought it was a big letdown. George Harvey dumps Susie’s body in the sink hole (she’s stuffed inside a security safe.) There are witnesses to this. At the time, the witnesses don’t realize he’s the murderer, but they eventually found out (not in the movie). One of the last scenes is of the sink hole being covered up. Shouldn’t one of the last scenes be of individuals trying to recover the security safe? And as for George Harvey’s death . . . I’m sure it was meant to symbolize something, but I found it a bit unrealistic.

I guess because of my disappointment with the ending, I have to give this movie only a mild recommendation. I was all into this movie. I didn’t even notice the time passing and then the ending just didn’t sit well with me.

A Movie Review: Edge of Darkness

Edge of Darkness: This is a tense thriller staring Mel Gibson. It revolves around a father (Mel Gibson) who investigates his daughter’s murder. He is a police officer who witnesses his daughter’s murder. Initially, he suspects he is the target, but preliminary investigations soon reveal that his daughter was the target. I’d recommend seeing this movie, but I do have one complaint: due to the East Coast accents, I had a hard time understanding what the characters were saying. I might recommend to those of us living on the West Coast to wait for the DVD/Blu-Ray, making sure to select the subtitle option.

A Movie Review: Young @ Heart

Young @ Heart: An interesting documentary about folks 70 plus who sing rock songs on stage. They appear to be a solid audience draw, filling up auditoriums that fit a couple thousand. A handful of the individuals in the documentary are close to death. If one is close to death, this seems like a great way to leave this world. There are in fact a couple deaths in the movie. There are also a couple examples of individuals who are gravely ill who stay with the group no matter the health consequences.

One small thing: if you listen to the music, you know who is going to die.

A Movie Review: Daybreakers

"Daybreakers." I enjoyed this movie; gory, bloody, vampires are evil type of movie.

SPOILERS!!!

The main plot points is an attempt to find a blood substitute that vampires can use. The main reason is that there isn't a large enough human slave population to support the majority vampire population. See, vampires can't just kill humans for their blood. They must keep them alive and bleed them. There are so many vampires that humans are near extinction and therefore you have a supply problem. If vampires don't get their necessary blood intake, they transform into ugly, unrecognizable creatures. This results in the need for a human blood substitute. This is where Edward (Ethan Hawke)comes into play. He's a vampire hematologist trying to find a cure, not just a blood substitute.

One night, Edward runs into some humans. He helps them avoid the police. They in turn come to him for support in their effort -- which is to find a cure for turning vampires back into humans. In this group of humans is a former vampire that turned back into a human, Elvis (Willem Dafoe). This transformation was by accident when Elvis was driving during the daytime, got into an accident, and got tossed from his car in full daylight. Luckily, he landed into some water. The light; however, somehow got his heart beating again. Edward re-enacts this in an experiment. It works, but it is a painful process.

Obviously, there has to be a less painful way to transform vampires back into humans. Here's where I liked the movie. Instead of finding a cure within two hours by going through an amazingly quick paced scientific process, the solution is instead found via accident. I think often times this is how progress is made, via chance. The cure found is that the blood of a vampire-turned-human individual transforms a vampire. This finding both leads to a potential cure, but also to a 28 Days Later in reverse scenario. With the vampire population nearing starvation, the vampire army pounces on the handful of vampire turned human individuals. Blood and gore for about ten minutes.

The one thing I enjoyed about this movie is the fact that the plot doesn't have massive holes in it -- my opinion, of course. Some movies (like last summer's Transformers) have plot holes that you can drive a truck through. Admittedly, there are some holes such as when Edward walks into Bromsley Marks Corp as a human and isn't fed upon by the vampires though a few minutes later in the movie military men feed hungrily on Charles Bromley (Sam Neill), CEO of Bromsley Marks Corp, who is unknowingly given the cure. The explanation could be that Edward is met by more discipline employees of the company while others are met by less disciplined, more aggressive military personnel.

A Movie Review: Extract

"Extract" is a movie I recently saw on DVD. It follows the story of a small business owner, Joel (Jason Bateman). His business manufactures food extract. He wants to sell his business to General Mills, which has shown interest. One of the reasons that he wants out is because he has to deal with his factory employees, who aren’t the brightest people on the block. He also wants more personal time. He and his wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig) seldom have sex – once every three months he tells his friend, Dean (Ben Affleck). A beautiful temp worker, Cindy (Mila Kunis), shows up. From earlier scenes, we know she’s a con-artist. An accident happened in the factory and she is there to gather some intelligence and see if she can make any money off of the settlement. Cindy is stunning (obviously, since the actress is Mila Kunis) and Joel feels the need to have an affair. Well, he feels he can only have an affair with Cindy, if his wife cheats on him. Dean suggests hiring a gigolo. Joel is an honorable man and can’t do this, but his friend gets him to take some drugs and in an induced state he agrees to hire the gigolo. Oops. He finds out that his wife goes for the affair. And well, he actually gets seduced towards the end of the movie by Cindy.

It all ends happily. One assumes Cindy ends her con-artist ways. Joel decides not to see to General Mills. Joel and Suzie reconcile.

I saw this movie after seeing “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.” For some reason, I found this part of the movie topical: Joel goes for the cute bad girl while Suzie goes for the dumb fun guy.

I don’t think this is a movie classic, but I did enjoy it. I think the whole frustration regarding managing/running a small factory was told in a classic fashion.