Random 10 for April 28, 2008
1. The Ruby Suns, “Tane Mahuta.” Kiwis go wholly Maori on this sunny track from “Sea Lion.” Recalls the more exotic excursions from Split Enz, circa Time and Tide.
2. Primus, “Shake Hands with Beef.”
3. The Polyphonic Spree, “Days Like This Keep Me Warm.”
4. Photocall, “Silver Clouds.”
5. These New Puritans, “Elvis.” Dark disco splitting the difference three ways between PiL, Bloc Party and McLusky. Oh, and pleasant dreams after viewing this freaktastic clip.
6. Deerhunter, “Heatherwood.”
7. Boogie Down Productions, “My Philosophy.”
8. Battles, “Bad Trails.”
9. Dntel, “Dumb Luck.”
10. The Knux, “Cappucino.” Much like Blackalicious, The Knux are flying the flag for the long-dormant Native Tongues movement. Being a trusting, hardly ever cynical soul, I’d probably believe it if you told me this was a 1989 artifact. The simulation is perfect, all the way down to the funky-fresh stylee going on in the clip.
Video of the Day: The Long Blondes, “Guilt.”
Dog show! The first single from The Long Blondes’ new disc on Rough Trade, Couples, is minor-key, pale disco-funk in the mold of the British band’s most immediate stylistic antecedent, Pulp. And it all seems to be going down at a sinister doppelganger of the Westminster Kennel Club event.
Staticbox: Your Weekend Box Office Report for April 25-27, 2008
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in “Baby Mama.”
Tina Fey’s surrogate mom-com “Baby Mama” dominated this weekend’s theatrical take, pulling down $18.2 million in what is continuing to be a fallow season at the cineplexes. “Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay” came in second with $14.5 million, performing well against “Baby Mama,” considering its R rating and ganja-centric comedy immediately diminishes its viability against more centrist fare.
Here are the weekend estimates, courtesy of Box Office Mojo:
1. “Baby Mama,” $18.2 million.
2. “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” $14.5 million.
3. “The Forbidden Kingdom,” $11.2 million.
4. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” $11 million.
5. “Nim’s Island,” $4.5 million.
6. “Prom Night,” $4.4 million.
7. “21,” $4 million.
8. “88 Minutes,” $3.6 million.
9. “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who,” $2.4 million.
10. “Deception,” $2.2 million.
Norman Music Festival Goes on a British Kittens Spree
Chainsaw Kittens perform at Saturday’s Norman Music Festival.
When officials announced the first Norman Music Festival, the event already seemed like a success. It promised to bring first-rate alternative bands such as The Polyphonic Spree, British Sea Power and the reunited Chainsaw Kittens to central Oklahoma, all free of charge
and echoing through Norman’s Main Street.
But Saturday’s reality was something far better. As about 6,000 people cheered The Polyphonic Spree’s 22-member pomp-orchestral performance of Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die,” it was clear that Norman had parlayed its historic reputation as a breeding ground for rock talent
into a great new event. The Norman Music Festival was not simply a grouping of strong bands – it was reflective of Norman’s personality and storied alt-rock culture.
Area bands playing the West Main Stage such as The Neighborhood, Evangelicals, Umbrellas and Colourmusic offered fine indicators that Oklahoma’s alternative music future is in capable hands. These were groups possessing the melodic gifts and confidence that could eventually
establish them as headliners for future festivals.
Then the headliners all delivered distinct and memorable performances. British Sea Power balanced its dramatic thrust on the immigrant song “Waving Flags” (from 2008′s “Do You Like Rock Music?”) with goofy humor – guitarist Martin Noble spent the last half of the set scaling the riggings, venturing into the audience and brandishing the tree branches that adorned the stage.
When the Chainsaw Kittens arrived, it felt like old home week: singer Tyson Meade brought his trademark tenor to bear on classics such as “Pop Heiress Dies,” and the balance of the core band – guitarist Trent Bell, drummer Eric Harmon and bassist Matt Johnson – played as if no time had passed since their ’90s heyday. Audience members, a mixed group of original Kittens fans and younger ones seeing them for the first time, sang along with Meade on songs such as “Heart Catch Thump.”
But the true spectacle of the evening belonged to The Polyphonic Spree, the massive group led by former Tripping Daisy leader Tim De Laughter. With all its membership in black paramilitary uniforms, De Laughter led the Spree through several songs from its three albums, including “Hanging Around the Day,” and inspired covers such as “Live and Let Die,” Nirvana’s “Lithium” and “Don’t Change” by INXS.
As the festival closed out after 11 p.m., De Laughter and his onstage multitudes presided over a rapt audience, and set a high standard for future Norman Music Festivals. Here’s hoping there are many of them.
Hennessy/Smithson Voted Off “A.I.” for “Blasphemy”?
The New York Times has a perplexing article today indicating that Carly Smithson might have been singled out for performing “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Apparently it angered many Christians who never particularly liked the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical or, in particular, the song, which is sung by Judas Iscariot, or more to the point, an actor playing Judas Iscariot.
Really?
Watch It! for April 25-27, 2008
Edward Norton in “Fight Club.”
At 7 p.m. on HBO, we have “Fight Club,” and you know the first rule. Then, at 10 p.m. “Real Time with Bill Maher” features Arianna Huffington, Phil Donahue, Garry Shandling and Rolling Stone political scribe Matt Taibbi. Meanwhile, on Showtime 2 at 7 p.m. there’s “Casino Royale,” which will help psych you up for the next Bond installment.
Saturday
Natalie Dormer and Jonathan Rhys Meyers in “The Tudors.”
It’s all reruns on the networks except for “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” at 7 p.m. on ABC, and you muggles should have already gotten that one out of the way by now. So, there’s always some nifty bodice ripping on Showtime’s “The Tudors” at 7:05 p.m., and for your track-star zombie fix, HBO has its premiere of “28 Weeks Later” at 7 p.m.
Sunday
“Carrier”
All the buzz is massive for “Carrier” (8 p.m. PBS), a mini-series documentary on life aboard the USS Nimitz. I’ll be watching, mainly because I served on a carrier for two years in a previous life, and it will be interesting to reacquaint myself with the difficulties of living on a floating city — and my wife needs to know what it was like so she’ll understand when I wake up at night, screaming.
Live in Oklahoma for April 25-27
Trent Bell
In a surprise move that will double the pleasure for Chainsaw Kittens fans, the reunited group will play a special warm-up gig the night before Saturday’s Norman Music Festival.
Guitarist Trent Bell said the Kittens will play at 10 tonight at the Conservatory, 8911 N Western with special guests The Neighborhood. It will be a Kittens feast that will span the group’s career.
“We’ve been practicing,” Bell said. “We’re going to be playing over 20 songs — a ton of songs and really test them out before we play Saturday.”
Bell said that he, bassist Matt Johnson and drummer Eric Harmon rehearsed for two months before singer Tyson Meade returned from teaching in Shanghai, China, and their resurgent sound has surprised everyone.
“Actually, it’s been a lot of fun. It’s weird — I think we’re playing better than we ever have,” Bell said. “And once he got here, it all just came together.”
In addition to fan favorites from 1992′s Flipped Out in Singapore and 1994′s Pop Heiress, the Chainsaw Kittens will dig out nearly all the songs from its debut disc tonight.
“We’re just going to kind of go for it — we’re going to play, like, eight or nine songs from Violent Religion,” Bell said. “We’ve never done that before.”
Admission is $10. For more information, call 607-4805.
Saturday
British Sea Power
The Norman Music Festival is clearly the top music event in Oklahoma this weekend, complete with the above-mentioned Kittens, British Sea Power and the Polyphonic Spree. Here’s the entire massive schedule:
West stage (Main and Jones)
12 p.m. Dorian Small
12:45 p.m. Umbrellas
2 p.m. Neighborhood
3 p.m. Colourmusic
4 p.m. Evangelicals
5:15 p.m. The Octopus Project
6:30 p.m. British Sea Power
8 p.m. Chainsaw Kittens
10 p.m. The Polyphonic Spree
East stage (Main and Porter)
12 p.m. Ghosts of Monkshood
1 p.m. Tall Cotton String Band
2 p.m. Ryan Lindsay
3 p.m. Cheyenne
4 p.m. Taddy Porter
5 p.m. Starkweather Boys
6:30 p.m. The John Arnold Band
9 p.m. Grupo Fantasma
The Sooner Theatre Stage
11 a.m. Students from McMichael School of Music
12 p.m. The Wickers
1 p.m. Refuje
2 p.m. Terry “Buffalo” Ware and The Shambles
3 p.m. Debris
4 p.m. Gravity Propulsion System
5 p.m. Klipspringer
6 p.m. Citizen 5
7 p.m. Born a Number
Sunday
Blind Melon, redux
Groovefest keeps the good vibes going from the NMF, raising funds for Amnesty International at Andrews Park with Galapagos, the Gunship and Mama Sweet among others. Meanwhile, Joey Belladonna of Anthrax plays The Conservatory, 8911 N Western, and up in T-Town, the reconstituted (within reason, mind you) Blind Melon plays The Other Side, 6904 S Lewis, which will always be Skate World to me.
Guillermo Del Toro To Direct “The Hobbit.”
Guillermo Del Toro, erm, on the left.
We all rejoiced when New Line and Peter Jackson settled their differences and agreed to go forward with “The Hobbit,” but the unanswered question was, if Jackson was only going to executive produce the films, who would be helming? Guillermo Del Toro’s name was bandied, but nothing conclusive until this morning.
The director of “Pan’s Labyrinth” and the “Hellboy” films has officially signed on to direct the two “Hobbit” films, which ensures that a) Brett Ratner is once again held at bay from his standard role as pinch-hit franchise hack, and b) these films will likely retain much of the character of Jackson’s Middle Earth treatment. No word on casting, though it would be nice if Ians Holm and McKellen returned, though Holm will require much youthing up to play Bilbo Baggins.
I first read “The Hobbit” in 5th grade, the first of three trips to the “Lord of the Rings” preamble, but at that time, my visual touchstone was the Rankin/Bass cartoon version, which basically ignored the fact that Gollum was a hobbit who had been transformed by evil. In that animated version, he looked like a cross between a shaved mongoose and an iguana, and was roughly three times the size of Bilbo. Del Toro’s version will be a nice corrective.
Here’s Bilbo, voiced by Orson Bean, riddling Gollum (German monologist Brother Theodore Gottlieb).
Random 10 for April 25, 2008
1. Tokyo Police Club, “Tessellate.” The Toronto band evolves considerably on the new Elephant Shell — “Nature of the Experiment” was a great start, a memorable high-tension blast, but “Tessellate” shows that the band is far from one note, rocks with economy, and gets bonus points for SAT vocabulary.
2. Lovage, “Strangers on a Train.”
3. XTC, “Seagulls Screaming ‘Kiss Her, Kiss Her.’”
4. Nouvelle Vague, “The Killing Moon.”
5. We Are Scientists, “After Hours.” Geek fight! We Are Scientists’ new disc, Brain/Thrust/Mastery, lacks drummer Michael Tapper, but the melodies and intelligence remain intact.
6. N.E.R.D., “Tape You.”
7. Cold War Kids, “Hospital Beds.”
8. Brazilian Girls, “Le Territoire.”
9. Radiohead, “Jigsaw Falling Into Place.”
10. My Bloody Valentine, “Only Shallow.” Finally, after nearly two decades, My Bloody Valentine has been reactivated, and will be playing festival dates this year as well as releasing a disc of material Kevin Shields has been squirreling away in the 17 years between Loveless and this long-in-the-works resurgence.
Video of the Day: Alicia Keys, “Teenage Love Affair”
A change of pace, if you will. Keys is always best when she sings R&B in the classic style — “You Don’t Know My Name” is the best previous instance. “Teenage Love Affair” is pure early ’70s soul, the kind that raises goosebumps and makes you long for the old-school soul adolescence you didn’t have.
For the video, she turns in an homage to Spike Lee’s “School Daze,” complete with a brief appearance by Giancarlo Esposito.
