K.C. Clifford celebrating the release of her new album at the Blue Door
K.C. Clifford sings during the Oklahoma Arts Council 36th Annual Governor's Arts Awards at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman Archives
Help Oklahoma City singer-songwriter K.C. Clifford celebrate the release of her new album, “The Tag Hollow Sessions,” at 8 p.m. today and Saturday at the Blue Door, 2805 N McKinley.
Clifford penned the free-spirited songs for her new album during a songwriting retreat at a remote cabin, Tag Hollow, near Spavinaw in northeastern Oklahoma, she told The Oklahoman Assistant Entertainment Editor George Lang in a recent interview.
“I was like, ‘If something’s on fire, let David know,’ Clifford told George, referring to her husband and frequent collaborator, David Broyles of the local punk-pop band Dr. Pants. “Otherwise, I’ll be back in a week.”
Click here to read more of George’s great feature.
For more information on the show, go to www.bluedoorokc.com.
-BAM
Best Bets for May 18-20, 2012: “Impending Rupture of the Belly,” Brave Combo, OKC Philharmonic & Armed Forces Day Parade
Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Here are the Best Bets for this weekend, from Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. For more entertainment options, go to www.wimgo.com.
1. Watch the final performances Ghostlight Theatre Club’s production of “An Impending Rupture of the Belly” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the theater, 3110 N Walker. Information: 286-9412 or www.ghostlightokc.com.
2. NORMAN — Hear Grammy-winning polka band Brave Combo play at 7 p.m. Sunday in conjunction with the third annual Luncheon on the Grass arts festival at Lion’s Park, 450 S Flood Ave. The festivities will include hands-on art activities and the unveiling of two public artworks from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Information: 307-9320 or www.thepas.org.
3. Listen to noted pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet play with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic for its season finale concert at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Civic Center, 201 N Walker. Or take your children to see “Hosedown: A Firefighter Fable,” the philharmonic’s season finale Discovery Family Concert, at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center. Information: 842-5387 or www.okcphilharmonic.org.
4. DEL CITY — Watch the annual Armed Forces Day and Shriners Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday in downtown. Tinker Air Force Base will present an AWACs flyover at 10:45 a.m. Information: 671-2831 or www.cityofdelcity.com.
-BAM
Author Seth Grahame-Smith goes to the movies with “Dark Shadows” and “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter”
Writer Seth Grahame-Smith arrives at the premiere of "Dark Shadows" in Los Angeles, Monday, May 7, 2012. (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Writer ventures into the “Shadows” of the silver screen
BAM column: Best-selling author Seth Grahame-Smith is getting into the movie business after penning the scripts for two films opening this summer: the supernatural soap opera remake “Dark Shadows” and a big-screen adaptation of his own popular novel “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter”
LOS ANGELES — Now that he’s resurrected Jane Austen’s adored heroine Elizabeth Bennet as a formidable foe of zombies and reimaged the 16thpresident of the United States as a lethal hunter of vampires, writer Seth Grahame-Smith is undergoing a transformation of his own.
The best-selling novelist of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” and “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter” is getting into the movie business, with not one but two flicks opening this summer.
In his feature film screenwriting debut, Grahame-Smith, 36, teamed with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp for a remake of the of the late 1960s-early ‘70s supernatural soap opera “Dark Shadows.” The movie, which marks the eighth collaboration between its director and star, opened at No. 2 at the domestic box office last weekend, after the superheroic cinematic juggernaut “The Avengers.”
For Burton and Depp, “Dark Shadows” has the hallmarks of a passion project: Both were diehard fans of the cult favorite series growing up. Although Grahame-Smith wasn’t familiar with the long-running daytime show, it harbored a weird coalescence of soap-opera melodrama and horror-flick storylines, plus it just wouldn’t be a Depp-Burton production without their signature quirky humor.
The tonal mash-up made the “Dark Shadows” movie a seemingly ideal fit for the writer who brought “Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!” to Austen’s classic Regency, England, romance, even if Grahame-Smith’s resume at the time included books and TV shows but hadn’t yet gone to the movies.
“When I needed to know about the tone, I relied on them because they were there watching the show as kids and loving the show and they still had that knowledge of it and that love for it,” Grahame-Smith said at a recent press conference that brought together the movie’s cast and crew at the swanky SLS Hotel.
“Tim and Johnny and I just sat around a table and started talking about the things that they loved about the show and talking about moments that would be fun to explore and characters. I remember that first meeting, like Johnny was already like getting up from the table and sort of pantomiming the rigidity of Barnabas. And Tim was already talking about ‘Well, what if your fingers were a joint longer,’ and then Johnny started to mime touching things. So a lot actually was born in those early meetings.”
The three-time Oscar-nominated actor sinks his fangs into “Dark Shadows’” most famous role: the elegant and undead Barnabas Collins, heir to an 18th-century fishing empire in the coastal Maine hamlet of Collinsport, which is named for his wealthy immigrant family. The lothario is caught in a love triangle between his sweet beloved Josette (Bella Heathcote) and sexy servant girl Angelique (Eva Green) that gets creepy when Barnabas spurns Angelique, who turns out to be a spiteful witch. She counters by transforming him into a vampire, killing Josette and inciting the townsfolk to bury Barnabas alive.
Two centuries later, construction workers accidentally free Barnabas, who is shocked to reemerge amid the eccentricities of 1972 America. He is reunited with his distant descendants — proper matriarch Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer), her lay-about brother Roger (Jonny Lee Miller), her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn (Chloe Grace Moretz), Roger’s ghost-seeing son David (Gully McGrath), the new nanny who looks shockingly like Josette and alcoholic live-in psychologist Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter) — but learns his family has fallen on hard times. Barnabas vows to return the Collins clan to its former glory.
“They’re cousins. They’re cousins that came over to take advantage of what Barnabas and his family had built,” Grahame-Smith said of the 1970s generation of Collinses.
“It’s European inbreeding come to America,” Burton added.
Although Barnabas — originally played by Canadian actor Jonathan Frid, who died last month — remains the most beloved “Dark Shadows” character, Grahame-Smith was surprised to discover that the character didn’t debut on the show until its second year.
“We started watching at Episode 1, Tim and Johnny and I sat down and just started and … it’s 300 episodes in,” Grahame-Smith said. “And you can’t sit down and watch 1,250 some-odd episodes of a show.”
“Not without wanting to kill yourself anyway,” Burton quipped.
“I was lucky enough that there were materials that were given to me, you know, DVDs, compilations that actual ‘Dark Shadows’ experts had put together like ‘These are the seminal moments.’ I was given books of characters and plotlines and just studied them,” the writer added.
His next movie project involved much less homework and many more blood suckers: Grahame-Smith penned the screenplay to the film adaptation of his “Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter,” opening in theaters June 22. Burton produced the historical horror tale with “Wanted” helmer Timur Bekmambetov directing. The movie stars Benjamin Walker as the stovepipe hat-wearing leader of the executive branch, who discovers that vicious vamps are plotting to take over the United States and sets out to stop it.
Naturally — or perhaps we should say unnaturally — the writer also plans to adapt “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” and his twisted new nativity story “Unholy Night” for the big screen.
-BAM
DVD review: “Dark Shadows: The Greatest Episodes Collection — The Best of Barnabas”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
“Dark Shadows: The Greatest Episodes Collection — The Best of Barnabas”
With “Dark Shadows: The Greatest Episodes Collection — The Best of Barnabas,” the most memorable character from the sprawling supernatural soap opera gets a DVD compilation dedicated just to him.
From 1966-71, the cult favorite “Dark Shadows” aired on weekday afternoons on ABC, drawing 20 million viewers at the peak of its popularity. The forerunner of modern TV favorites like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Supernatural,” “Dark Shadows” also appealed to young audiences, who would rush home from school to see the innovative show, which merged the suspense, romance and melodrama of standard soaps with werewolves, witches, parallel universes and other paranormal elements.
Introduced a year into the show’s five-year run, the 200-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins soon became the most beloved member of the expansive, secret-keeping Collins clan. Canadian actor Jonathan Frid, who died last month at the age of 87, played the undead patriarch as both menacing and sympathetic.
“Dark Shadows” has been revived and continued many times on television, in books and in films. Actor Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton, both longtime fans who grew up with the show, collaborated on the most recent revival, a big-screen remake that opened in theaters last week.
As any “Dark Shadows” devotee will tell you, the original soap didn’t have the quirky humor Depp and Burton brought to their version — see, Mom, I was listening — but with its campy, over-the-top acting and cheesy shoestring production values, the series is both unintentionally funny and oddly compelling.
“The Best of Barnabas” includes nine 22-minute episodes that revolve around the blood-sucking protagonist. In a 1968 installment, Barnabas gets pulled into a dream curse cast by the crafty witch Angelique (Lara Parker), who transformed him into a vampire in the first place. Two 1969 episodes are taken from an elaborate time-travel storyline in which Barnabas ventures back to 1897 and his scoundrel cousin Quentin (David Selby) greets him with suspicion and voodoo. Psychologist Dr. Julia Hoffman (Grayson Hall) experiments with a cure for Barnabas’ vampirism that ages him to his true 200-years in a 1967 episode, and in what’s billed as one of the show’s most unusual story arcs — and that’s saying something — Barnabas is ensnared by the enigmatic beings the Leviathans.
But the highlight of the collection is a chill-inducing 1967 episode, filmed in atmospheric black and white, in which Barnabas meets local waitress Maggie Evans (Kathryn Leigh Scott), who bears a striking resemblance to his lost love Josette.
Each episode comes with an optional introduction from Parker that helps to provide context. For fans longing for the full “Dark Shadows” experience, a new 131-DVD box set that includes all 1,225 episodes, 100 hours of bonus material and a 96-page booklet is now available, but the retail price is nearly $600.
— BAM
CD review: Parker Millsap and Michael Rose “Palisade”
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Folk
Parker Millsap and Michael Rose “Palisade” (Self released)
If you give Parker Millsap and Michael Rose’s debut album a listen — and I highly recommend you give it more than one — you might just get the wrong idea.
After all, they sure don’t sound like a couple of baby-faced recent Purcell High School graduates.
With “Palisade,” the red dirt duo proves the old adage that age is nothing but a number. The Oklahomans do it all on this acoustic album: Millsap wrote the 11 songs, plays guitar and harmonica and sings every track in a deep, gravelly and preternaturally knowing voice that you won’t soon forget. On bass, Rose not only gives each song a sturdy structure, but also demonstrates an uncanny knack for knowing just when to nudge his rhythms toward the forefront. The musical partners have been playing together for about four years — you know, since they were high schoolers — and they’ve developed a solid chemistry.
The album opens with the bluesy title track that emphasizes the duo’s remarkable musical maturity, particularly Millsap’s gritty vocals reminiscent of Tom Waits, then takes a more folksy tone with the pretty ballad “Seed.” The duo shows off their impressive skills with the lively yet old-fashioned instrumental “Tuesday Night Rag,” which has a timeless sound that could fool you into believing it’s been passed down from one picker to another since the early 20th century.
In the grand red dirt tradition, the pair especially excels at vivid story songs like the mournful lover’s plea “Central Pacific,” the matter-of-fact musing on mortality “I Hope I Die” and the sad but cleverly worded tale of a trio of hard-luck cases “Jackson’s in a Hole.”
— BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on March 18, 2012: Hear J.D. McPherson at VZD’s
Today’s featured event:
Hear Broken Arrow-born singer-guitarist J.D. McPherson play a home state show at 10 tonight at VZD’s, 4200 N Western.
McPherson, 35, has been getting international attention for his album “Signs and Signifiers,” originally released in 2010 on the small independent label Hi-Style. The album recently was re-released by Rounder Records, the respected roots-music label that is home to Alison Krauss, Dr. John, Robert Plant and dozens of other artists with strong ties to folk, blues, world music and traditional R&B.
“We made the record with no dream of it doing much more than us being able to fly to Spain a couple of times a year to play a roots weekender,” McPherson told The Oklahoman Assistant Entertainment Editor George Lang in a phone interview this week. “We knew that it would probably do OK with the subculture of folks that are into that kind of stuff.”
“It’s ridiculously good in the U.K. right now,” McPherson added. “We’ve had pretty steady gigs since the record came out in Europe, but mostly in central Europe — Germany, Belgium, the Benelux area, and Spain, certainly. But the England thing that’s happening right now is pretty nuts. We’re on regular rotation on BBC Radio now. We did six different radio shows for the BBC in addition to all the gigs.”
McPherson also will play closer to his hometown when he headlines the final day of Tulsa Mayfest at 9:30 p.m. Saturday on the Williams Green Stage, between Main and Boston on S Third Street in downtown Tulsa.
For more information on this weekend’s shows, go to www.facebook.com/VZDsOK or www.tulsamayfest.org.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
RIP Donna Summer
In this May 21, 2008 file photo, Donna Summer performs during the finale of "American Idol" at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Summer, the Queen of Disco who ruled the dance floors with anthems like “Last Dance,” “Love to Love You Baby” and “Bad Girl,” has died. (AP file)
Donna Summer, who was known as the Queen of Disco but during her singing career won Grammy Awards in the dance, rock, R&B and inspirational categories, died this morning. She was 63.
Summer died of cancer Thursday morning in Naples, Fla., according to the Associated Press. Her family released a statement saying they “are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy.”
In the 1970s, Summer broke out in the music business and became the face and voice of the disco era with her hits “I Feel Love,” ”Love to Love You Baby” and “Last Dance.”
She was the only artist to have three consecutive double-LPs hit No. 1, “Live and More,” ”Bad Girls” and “On the Radio.” She was also the first female artist with four No. 1 singles in a 13-month period, according to the Rock Hall of Fame, where she was a nominee this year but was passed over.
Before the end of the decade, with disco taking its last gasping breath, Summer changed to a harder rock sound, starting with her smash “Hot Stuff.” Her rocker “She Works Hard for the Money” became an anthem for women’s rights.
Later in life, the five-time Grammy winner became a born-again Christian.
The Boston released her last album, “Crayons,” in 2008. It was her first full studio album in 17 years. She also performed on “American Idol” that year with its top female contestants, according to the AP.
Luminaries from President Barack Obama and Aretha Franklin to Dolly Parton and Barbra Streisand mourned Summer’s death. Here is what Parton had to say in a statement from her publicist:
“I can’t believe we’ve lost another wonderful singer. Donna, like Whitney (Houston, who died in February), had one of the greatest voices ever. I loved her records. She was the disco queen, and will remain so. I knew her and found her to be one of the most likable and fun people ever. She will be missed and remembered.”
Summer is survived by her husband, Bruce Sudano, and three daughters, Brooklyn, Mimi and Amanda, according to the AP. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and fans.
-BAM
Van Halen tour dates, including Oklahoma City concert, postponed
Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, left, and guitarist Eddie Van Halen perform at a 2011 show. (AP file)
Van Halen’s Sept. 15 show at Chesapeake Energy Arena has been “temporarily postponed. Future dates to be announced,” according to an email from a venue representative.
Tickets were due to go on sale Friday, but that sale date also has been postponed. Refunds, for those who might have participated in pre-sales, are available at the point of purchase.
The Van Halen show was supposed to be part of the arena’s 10th anniversary celebration. Venue officials announced the date with much fanfare Monday, when ACM@UCO President Scott Booker also unveiled the signature EVH guitar Eddie Van Halen donated to the University of Central Oklahoma’s Academy of Contemporary Music for auction.
Oklahoma City isn’t the only market dealing with a delayed Van Halen show. The band today abruptly postponed all tour dates after their June 26 show in New Orleans with no explanation, according to RollingStone.com.
Citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the tour, RollingStone.com reports that Van Halen’s members “hate each other.” Adds the source, “The band is arguing like mad. They are fighting.”
Of course, Van Halen is legendary for its tumultuous history and multiple personnel changes. After touring for many years with Sammy Hagar and briefly with Gary Cherone, guitarist Eddie Van Halen reunited with original singer David Lee Roth in 2007.
Like the band’s 2007-08 trek, the 2012 tour has featured three-fourths of the original lineup: Roth, Eddie Van Halen, his drummer brother Alex Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang Van Halen, now 21, on bass. Original bassist Michael Anthony was dropped from the band in 2006.
That same lineup performed May 2 at the BOK Center in Tulsa as well as in Oklahoma City in January 2008, back when the Chesapeake Energy Arena was known as the Ford Center.
The band has been touring in support of “A Different Kind of Truth,” Van Halen’s first new studio album to feature Roth on vocals in nearly three decades.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on May 17, 2012: Hear Joe Walsh at Hard Rock Tulsa
Today’s featured event:
TULSA – Hear Joe Walsh play his decades-spanning rock hits at 8 tonight at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. Doors will open at 7 p.m.
Walsh’s career took off in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s as a member of the James Gang, where he showed off his creative guitar riffs in hits like “Funk #49,” “Walk Away” and “Midnight Man.”
Following his 1974 solo debut, Walsh joined the Eagles a year later and became a critical component of the band’s massive hit album, “Hotel California.” On the release, Walsh contributed as a co-writer on “Life in the Fast Lane” and co-wrote and sang lead vocals on “Pretty Maids All in a Row.” His other major credited contribution before the band’s 1980 breakup was “In The City,” which was originally a solo effort featured on “The Warriors” soundtrack before the band rerecorded it on “The Long Run.”
The Wichita, Kan., native has left his mark on rock music with his signature “attack” sound on the guitar and his humorous outlook on life, including a 1980 mock presidential campaign. As a solo artist, he has recorded the hit singles “Rocky Mountain Way,” “Life’s Been Good,” “A Life of Illusion” and “The Confessor.”
Fourteen years after separating, the Eagles reunited in 1994 and released the live performance “Hell Freezes Over,” and launched one of the most successful tours in music history. In 1998, the Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
On Feb. 9, Walsh was featured as a guitarist on Paul McCartney’s “iTunes Live from Capitol Studios” and three days later joined McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl on stage to close out the Grammys, performing “The End” from the Abbey Road medley.
Walsh is slated in June to release his 10th solo studio album, “Analog Man.”
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa is located off of Interstate 44 at exit 240. Ticket prices and information on upcoming shows are available online in The Joint section of www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com. The Joint box office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. All guests must be 21 years of age or older.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: “Beard Like Harden”
A group of clever folks from Woodward wanted to pay tribute to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Sixth Man of the Year and facial-hair blessed James “Fear The Beard” Harden. So, they performed and created the video for “Beard Like Harden,” a spoof of Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera’s hit “Moves Like Jagger.”
The Thunder take on the L.A. Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals at 8:30 tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The game will be broadcast on TNT.
Fear The Beard and Thunder up!
-BAM
