KISSOLOGY: THE ULTIMATE KISS COLLECTION VOL. 1 1974-1977

KISSOLOGY: THE ULTIMATE KISS COLLECTION VOL. 1 1974-1977

by Brian Hughes

I was boppin’ about my Gramercy neighborhood in Gotham City when I happened upon the poster of KISSOLOGY: The Ultimate KISS Collection Vol. 1 1974-1977 fastened to a construction site wall. Seeing those four brilliant faces is akin to seeing your favorite wrestling or GI Joe doll in the store window of an antique toy store. You probably won’t play with them, but you want to embrace them with a hug and relive your youth. Except with KISS, I keep playing with them, and I revel in them with wild abandonment.
So, instead of spending 35 bucks on a new stack of cigars, I ventured into Borders and bought me the 2-disc set. I couldn’t wait to get it home and relive my youth.

KISS had just finished a gig at The Winterland in San Francisco, and they found themselves ashen faced in the office of the head of Casablanca Records – Neil Bogart. As Gene Simmons recounts on the audio commentary, KISS suddenly became un-bookable due to their outlandish outfits, fire-spewing antics, and loud stage show. It seems that many of the acts that they shared a bill with were threatened by their show stealing theatricality. Their booking agent actually asked them if they could be “less good.” Of course KISS would have nothing of it, and to Neil Bogarts’ credit, told Gene and Paul to continue on being themselves, and he would take care of the rest.

And that is precisely what you get on this set: KISS being KISS, in their prime and bombastic glory. I don’t think KISS knows how to be anything but themselves. That’s what makes them unpretentious, even in their pretentiousness. What do I mean by that? When Paul Stanley talks about praising the all mighty rock and roll, or when he talks about “standing up for what you believe in, for that’s what rock and roll is all about,” it can come off as Spinal Tap kitsch – but it is not – for it’s what they truly believe. And this DVD document is a fine example of it.

When asked by Tony Wilson, for the British television show So It Goes, how they wanted their audience to feel at the end of a concert, Paul and Gene both simultaneously say, “exhausted.” And if you place yourself back in time to when KISS was new to the world, you can see how their shows might be deemed exhausting to an unexpected audience; like the audience for their first nationwide television appearance on ABC for Dick Clark’s In Concert, on disc one of this DVD set. I couldn’t help but tap my foot and bang my head as they kicked it up a notch at the tail end of “Firehouse,” catapulting a less than energetic audience to their feet.

The set takes you from a band of unknowns to beating The Beatles attendance record for 5 nights at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. We witness the turning point of KISS from Rock and Roll band to a phenomenon, or as Paul Stanley says in the commentary, “we were going to become exactly what we thought – a phenomenon. Rock bands make music, phenomenon’s impact society.” Their invitation and subsequent support of the Cadillac (Michigan) High football team, on disc one, showed the band that when an entire town and their government dons the face paint, something much larger is taking place. Paul was right – they had become a phenomenon. And KISS would be concretized for good as a business with their appearance on The Paul Lynde Halloween Special from 1976, as their face paint went from gimmick to four of the best selling Halloween masks and outfits to grace the shelves that fall

KISS is a business – no doubt, but they weren’t so at the start of this collection. They were out to conquer the world, rock out, and entertain, and they do all of that and more in the four full concerts on this collection. The best of the bunch being The Winterland and Budokan sets, along with a partial set from their first stab at Madison Square Garden. Watching these concerts you realize that KISS sounds more like Metal than Rock and Roll – live and in person. That even though their shows seldom changed, (Paul’s audience banter NEVER changes), they were always tight and full of energy and excitement. No band makes an entrance, nor closes a show out quite like KISS, and that no matter when you saw them (I saw them at Madison Square Garden in 1998) they always made you feel like they were doing it for the very first time.

They don’t pretend to be Led Zeppelin. They are KISS, and that is more than enough. This is why they are one of the greatest bands that ever lived, this is why they’ve influenced groups and personalities as diverse as Wilco, Weezer, Lenny Kravitz and Nirvana, and this is why you should run out right now and purchase this set today.

The Disc

Picture Quality: 6/10
I gave this set a six, though it is really not fair, for you can only do so much with crap footage. I know there are going to be people bitching about the quality of this footage – but the stuff comes from the KISS library, it was mastered, and they have done the best they could with it. I like the oldness of it. It adds something special. When you watch their television performances, you feel like you are sitting cross-legged in front of the television with your jammies on. I think we should just be grateful that modern technology allows us to preserve these moving images forever – digitally, and be happy with that. If you need it to be crystal clear perfect, buy KISS: Symphony or KISS: Rock The Nation Live.

Sound Quality: 8/10
The 5.1 and Stereo Sound mix is as good as one can make with this archival footage. The sound on the audio commentary is superb. You feel as if Paul and Gene are in the room with you.

Easter Eggs:
No Easter Eggs Found on Disc.

Extra Features: 4/10
The extra features on this set are minimal. But if you are a KISS fan, you feel as if the entire set could be considered “extra features.” The commentary by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons is informative and funny. They are very relaxed, and they tell tales I’m sure even the hardened KISS fan will appreciate. And as far as the “Bonus” disc … it isn’t much. I think they could have easily made a third disc, but chose not to. Instead, they make you believe you are getting something extra, extra special, when in fact, it only teases you and makes you want more. The extra disc (available on Special Edition set) contains seven songs from their Madison Square Garden show of February 18th, 1977. The footage is not shot well and considering how important it was for KISS to play Madison Square Garden - it is lackluster

The Final Word:

This collection certainly belongs in every KISS fan collection, and should be in every Rock and Roll music lovers’ DVD library for the importance and influence of KISS on succeeding generations of successful bands. It is fun, the music still holds up, and it depicts a moment and time when KISS ruled the music world. I hang my hat on it.

reviewed: 2006-12-27

WEST 32ND

Emerging Actor's Director

by Brian Hughes

Michael Kang, director and co-writer of West 32nd (premiering at The Tribeca Film festival this week), is a big fan of New York City crime dramas. He sights Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico as being two of his favorites, both directed by the legendary Sidney Lumet, who has been considered for many years as an “actor’s director.” After having seen Kang’s previous work, The Motel, and now his latest feature, it becomes apparent that Kang is an “actor’s director” as well. With the help of a fine character driven script (co-written by Edmund Lee), Kang is able to concoct a crime drama that relies less on style and pyrotechnics and more on the human need of wanting to be accepted. Kang deftly molds his actors in such a way that they are not stereotypes, but human beings of life and blood.

Ambitious attorney John Kim (John Cho) has decided to take on a case, free of charge, of a teenager accused of assassinating a club manager. John works closely with the boy’s sister Lila (Grace Park) in trying to get her brother acquitted. Tensions begin to escalate when John interviews Lila’s childhood friend Mike (Jun Sung Kim), who also happens to be a gangster. Mike, suspicious at first, soon develops a friendly relationship with John, all the while luring him down into the seedy world of Little Korea. As John tries to get Mike to talk, Mike looks to take advantage of John for his own benefit, which results in a power struggle of tragic proportions.

What makes this film work is the dynamic between the two main characters: one being clean cut, baby faced and completely out of his element; the other, a ruthless killer with rugged edges trying to make it to the top of the crime syndicate. Both parts of John and Mike are played wonderfully by Cho and Kim. Kim, as the gangster, plays a confident and sizzling loose cannon who becomes vulnerable when confronted by his superiors. Cho plays up the doe faced and vulnerable attorney but confidently projects himself when faced with the challenges set before him. As the viewer, you tend to empathize with John because you get the sense he is truly trying to do the right thing in saving the boy, and that his inexperience gives him a courageous ignorance indifferent to the dangerous forces around him. Not to mention that screenwriters Kang and Lee go to great lengths in focusing on John’s inability to learn or understand the Korean language, which makes him more American than Korean. This gives John an underlining identity crisis amongst the heavy Korean community that inhabits West 32nd street. Grace Park is adequate as Lila, but doesn’t add a whole lot to the character that would make her stand out.

New York City is shot emphasizing the usual bright lights and wet streets and the film begins with the obligatory lengthy steady cam shot, but the real gems in this film lie with the exploration of character and the performances of the actors, which were the hallmark of Kang’s other film The Motel. Getting a look inside this small small stretch of midtown, with its “room salons,” neon rooms and pretty chaperons was also quite cool.

Michael Kang is a storyteller that continues to be worth our time and money.

reviewed: 2007-04-30

IMDB: West 32nd

FACTORY GIRL

A Factory Call Girl

by Brian Hughes

Factory Girl, with creative licensing, tells the short and tumultuous story of society girl turned Andy Warhol “superstar” Edie Sedgwick. The film itself seems to have had a tumultuous life with re-edits and re-shoots occurring as recently as last month. Allegations also arose when Bob Dylan came out of reclusion to criticize the film for the role they said he had in Edie’s demise. Dylan claimed defamation of character and threatened a law suit against The Weinstein Company.

So what is all the fuss about?

The film begins with Edie (Sienna Miller) running manically through New York City traffic: Running perhaps from a life never entirely hers. George Hickenlooper, the director, wastes no time in getting down to business: Edie leaves Radcliffe and moves to New York City to get away from her stuffy existence. She soon finds herself at The Museum of Modern Art where she is introduced to a smitten Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce.) Warhol has instantly found his next muse. So he invites her to his (in)famous Factory and soon has her in front of his camera while parading her around Paris and New York as his “superstar.” Following this whim and believing it, Sedgwick does as Andy says - and is caught up in the swirl and nightmare of crazy parties, overspending and heroin abuse. Soon Edie has to face a harsh reality when Andy has no use for her anymore, and her father cuts off the trust fund.

Sienna Miller gives a harrowing performance. Instead of casting Edie off as just another casualty of the era, you feel the real pain Edie endured via Miller’s portrayal. Edie, in escaping a father who abused her, ends up running to another father figure in Warhol, who in turn disappoints her much like her dad, and the realization is bone chilling to the viewer. Miller does all she can in her transformation with such a typical biopic script. More beautiful than Edie herself, she is fearless in going to the physical and emotional depths needed to fully flesh out the roller coaster role. Her interaction with Guy Pearce as Andy is childlike and hopeful, which makes their disintegration that much more effective.

Guy Pearce gives, for my money, the best and most subtle performance of Andy Warhol yet. His eyes convey a conniver who is out to satisfy his creative needs rather then the needs of those around him. This Andy is also unique because of the unabashed handling of his coldness and insensitivity in combination with his monster-like attention to his blotchy facial complexion. Though, occasionally, his dry sense of humor is apparent when he is staging a scene for his film Horse and asks his cameraman to make sure they get the mic stand in the shot.

A regrettable choice was the miscasting of Hayden Christensen as “the musician” – as the end credits call him, though it is quite apparent it is Bob Dylan to most viewers. Christensen is too clean for the then ramshackled Dylan. Also, it seems as it he is “acting” throughout the entire film. The scriptwriter chose to make The Musician the ethical artistic compass against the cold, commercialistic Factory. This is much too black and white.

Hickenlooper captured the era terrifically with his pseudo grainy black and white/color, sixteen and super eight millimeter footage and swift editing, mirroring Edie’s turbulent superstar years. At times the performances of Miller and Pearce are so convincing it seems like an actual documentary. The director has a hell of a time with tension in some scenes: Like the standoff that occurs when The Musician refuses to be directed by Andy Warhol for one of his famous “screen tests.” Or the scene that depicts Andy shooting his film Beauty No. 2 and allowing Edie’s friend, Chuck Wain (Jimmy Falon), to direct an actor to rape Edie while punishing her with a verbal assault.

Some viewers may have problems with inaccuracies and what the filmmakers chose to leave out, like the fact that Edie allegedly had a 2 year relationship with Bobby Neuwirth, Bob Dylan’s associate, rather than Dylan himself. But that wouldn’t make for an interesting story. Who cares about Bobby Neuwirth, right? The use of Edie’s narration to her therapist saturates the movie to a fault, telling us the obvious, “Andy took ordinary objects and made them iconic,” instead of concentrating on developing the characters more fully. Plus - interview snippets captured over the end titles, with people like her brother and George Plimpton, perhaps give us some clues as to where else Hickenlooper could have taken this film.

In the end, I would have preferred this film be longer, but I enjoyed living through this fascinating era for ninety minutes. I also ask anyone reading this review to see this film sole for the performances of Sienna Miller and Guy Pearce alone. I highly doubt either one of them will be remembered come award season next year.

reviewed: 2007-02-02

Related links:
IMDB: Factory Girl (2007)

EVER SINCE THE WORLD ENDED

A Hard Rain Fell

by Brian Hughes

A plague decimated the globe 12 years ago. Two filmmakers, “Cal” and “Josh”, traverse the city of San Francisco and interview some of the 186 survivors. It’s a barren wasteland of empty skyscrapers, abandoned cars and skeleton strewn homes. A time where gum disease could kill you as fast as a bullet shot from a nomadic drifter, and the only means of transportation are by foot or bicycle. We are back to a world where the unknown lies just beyond the horizon. Where laws have to be re-thought and executed in a land reminiscent of the Wild West. The film is the story of the survivors and how they continually cope with new challenges in a dangerous world.

The movie is Sci-Fi without the CGI effects and overblown budget. For this the directors (Calum Grant and Joshua Atesh Litle) should be applauded. You don’t always need to view things in a movie to actually see them, especially if you have great actors. One survivor (Greg Lucey) wonderfully depicts life on a trading floor when the world started to fall apart. He talks of the tote board and its plummeting numbers and the crest fallen faces of his co-workers. His retelling was entirely believable, with the handheld shaky camera work and real exchanges between the survivors giving complete authenticity to the film within the film.

The filmmakers, for the most part, stay out of the way and let the inhabitants tell their story and expound on their own unique purpose in this new society. One woman named Mama Eva (Angie Thieriot) runs a commune for young women and artists. She is the matriarch, the guru, who watches over her children. A woman staying there is trying to have a child and is looking for the right man to help her in this endeavor. The race will go on. Hope is palpable. There is still a craving to be with others and unite. That no plague, or nuclear war, will ever eradicate that sense of community. Yet in watching these scenes, I could not help but feel something was a-miss. Everyone at the commune looked way too complacent. Mama Eva is decked out in jewelry and her table is chockfull of food. Everyone looks clean, healthy and well shaven. I couldn’t quite buy it.

At another point in the film it is mentioned that the city planners did a fine job with the generators and the water systems and that the inhabitants were able to survive so well because of it. Once again it is hard to believe that the man-made and man-run systems that include heat, electricity and sewage would be operating so well twelve years on into the catastrophe.

What was thoroughly enjoyable were the actors. Not once did I see anyone acting. And I have always believed that good acting is the result of good direction, so I tip my hat to Grant and Litle for achieving that reality. The way desolated San Francisco was shot was also believable. And the film deals with some very important ethical questions. For instance, there is a revolutionary madman named Mark (Mark Routhier) on the lam. He returns after being ousted from the San Francisco survivors. He wants back in, he wants to contribute positively, but the community is remiss to do so. They struggle with the age old question of capital punishment and rehabilitation. Could there be law and order in such a world? Or do we all turn into a band of vigilantes? Other interesting questions that arise: Can we live a full life without the material objects we once held so dear? This point is made astutely clear by the dichotomy of the youth, who are not old enough to remember wanting the good things in life, with the citizens of the old world – still clinging to life before the plague. The youth appreciate the simple things: nature’s beauty, silence and true independence. They are the future for this society. They will raise it up once again, and they seem ready for the challenge.

My problems with the film deal with choices and time. I wasn’t much interested in seeing scenes of children learning how to play piano, a professor teaching to a small band of students about Leonardo da Vinci and an American Indian building a canoe to somehow further his race into the new world. I’m sure the filmmakers were trying to say that life is going on, as will music and art. But to this reviewer, it was boring. How people survive is much more interesting, like the modern day Robin Hood (David Driver) who steals goods for the survivors: Or Mark – the loner wanted by the people for setting homes on fire – both outstanding performances.

Something was missing: there just wasn’t enough tension. Everyone in the film seemed complacent and that is solely because we are twelve years into this thing. There were two moments of panic in the film, and they were great, but it left me wanting more. Everyone is set in their ways and void of real terror. Thusly, I was void of real terror. Ever Since The World Ended is supposed to scare you with the reality of plague, but it didn’t. I guess I would have preferred a film closer to the early years of the plague, rather than the safe distance the creators chose.

reviewed: 2007-01-21

Related links:
IMDB: Ever Since The World Ended (2006)

HAND OF GOD

Sins of the Father

by Brian Hughes

Let me just start off by saying that I applaud Joe Cultrera for having the balls to make this film. I only wish The Academy would have the same pair and nominate this picture in the Best Documentary category. With expert craftsmanship Cultrera and his two associates, Producer and Co-Editor Laura Corwin and Cameraman Hugh Walsh, not only lay bare the pain that has clouded over the life of his brother, Paul Cultrera, but also expose the hypocrisy and “corporate company” mentality of the Catholic Church. This is a film not made by some young, idealist, ultra liberal documentarian, but by a wise adult male who was raised in the Catholic environment, knows it in and out, and has the grace to realize that it is humanity that ruins religion, not the religion itself. That it is the ultimate in vanity for any man to think he is speaking for God. But, like any secret society, like any fraternity, like any big corporation, secrets must be kept within the family. And it is better to keep things quiet than to expose them. Well, thanks to Cultrera and company, the secrets of the Arch Diocese of Massachusetts are no longer a secret.

The Director starts us off with his childhood in Salem, Massachusetts. The neighborhood is rife with loving Italian and Irish families, old world traditions, and a strict loyalty to the local parish. The house where Joe, Paul, and Maria Cultrera are raised is dotted with Catholic effigies and statues, with pictures of priests and saints hanging on the wall, giving barely enough wall space to their own father’s paintings. He also speaks of “hiding spots” he and his siblings had: Perhaps hiding from an abundance of Aunts, Uncles and Nieces around the house, or maybe from the rigors and formality of school, or perhaps from something much more ugly and dark.

Paul Cultrera is the filmmaker’s older brother. One of the ways Paul dealt with an absent father who was working all the time to support his family, was to hang out with Father Joseph Birmingham of The St. James School. Paul was an altar boy, and enjoyed the time he spent with his fellow classmates and the ultra hip Father Birmingham. Birmingham would take the boys on a trip to New York City to see The World’s Fair, he’d take them to the classic Fellini film Juliet of the Spirits, and he’d also take them riding in his black Ford Galaxy. Natural habits for young kids going through puberty - like lying to your mother, having impure thoughts, or masturbating - are always treated as the “devil’s work” and must be confessed to a priest. Father Birmingham didn’t approve that Paul was touching himself, so he took it upon himself to be Paul’s private counselor. From that first session on, Paul was sexually abused. And what looked normal and even welcoming to his family, was a time of shame and guilt for Paul that would change his character, ruin his own relationship with women, and ultimately lay distrust in his attitude toward Catholicism forever.

The first part of the documentary is about guilt, shame, expectations, and the cold-water reality of false and hypocritical prophets. The second part of the film is about Paul becoming comfortable in coming out with his horrible tale. He tells his first wife of his trauma long after they had separated. And in doing so, not only alleviated a lot of his pain, but raised awareness and helped hundreds of others abused by Father Birmingham to feel somewhat good about themselves again.

There are several things I respect about this film: The first being that, just as you think Paul’s story is over, a climax starts to rev up in motion, building to a twist that leads to a much larger problem; One that turns this story from a personal film to a much more important universal exposé of secrets that have been hidden for far too long. I also appreciate Joe’s wanting to interview Bishop John McCormack (a fellow seminarian and friend of Birmingham’s.) Joe rightly believed that to not get the Bishop’s side of the story would do a disservice to the film and might call into question some of his reasons for making it in the first place. But the Bishop shoots down Joe’s attempt regardless.

His charming, and at times funny parents, give a much needed comic break. They learned of Paul’s abuse in the early 90’s, were saddened about what happened and yet were open enough to look past the way they were raised and see the priests for what they were – just men. There is a funny moment toward the end of the film when Paul helps his aunt remove a picture of Cardinal Law from her hallowed wall, whose checkered past is overlooked by Pope John Paul II and is given an important post in Rome. Even though Joe feels the Catholic Church ruined his brother and his family, it doesn’t deter him from shooting video of his parent’s favorite parish (not the church where abuse took place) as it serves Mass for the last time. The parish is condemned to close due to cutbacks from the growing scandal of the Arch Diocese ( an Arch Diocese that seemed only too happy to sell the valued property for a sizable check ) - thus abusing not only Paul (As Paul points out), but his parents as well, who had relied on the parish for their faith.

I highly recommend this moving portrait of a man who wanted to tell the story that ruined his brother, but in the process, helped others on the path of renewal and recovery.

reviewed: 2007-01-16

Related links:
IMDB: Hand of God (2006)

MATTHEW BARNEY: NO RETRAINT

What To Do With 45,000 Pounds Of Petroleum Jelly?

by Brian Hughes

I will admit, I didn’t know Matthew Barney from the big purple dinosaur variety. This is what primarily drove me to see this film. And I am glad I did, if for nothing else I was able to witness a unique artist at work. An artist art critic Michael Kimmelmann of The New York Times called the most important artist of his generation. But was that enough to garnish this documentary with a good review? Not really.

The film documents Barney’s shooting of Drawing Restraint 9 – a series of works based on the idea that Barney must physically “restrain” himself, or create physical obstacles in the way of his creations. For instance, the documentary depicts video clips of Drawing Restraint 1 in which Barney is harnassed to a bungee cord apparatus while trying to paint on a wall, only to keep getting pulled back from whence he came. It also closes with Drawing Restraint 10 in which Barney jumps up and down on a trampoline type of device while trying to draw on a ceiling. This concept seems to make perfect sense if you are a former Yale football quarterback turned model turned imaginative artist – as Barney is. It seems quite an original idea to me to mix football or sports with sculpture or film, as Barney did in Cremaster 1, where he shot Busby Berkeley type images in Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho. But I also can’t help but to wonder why any true artist would have to create more obstacles and restraints than he already has? Isn’t most art a blood letting in and of itself? Anyone who has tried to write a screenplay, or dedicated five years of their lives to creating a novel or piece of artwork will tell you that one need not create obstacles in a world that is rife with them. Maybe a Yale graduate, ex-football player, and model from the Northwest needs to create obstacles for himself.

Barney likes to work with petroleum jelly: 45 thousand pounds of it to be exact. And he has decided to take over the Nisshin Maru whaling vessel off the coast of Nagasaki to the confusion of the ships’ workers, who seem to have no problem dealing with an eccentric American artist in lieu of a six figure check. Why is he filling a mold with petroleum jelly in the shape of a whale on this vessel? To somehow link us to a prehistoric past. Why is he dressed in a garish fur coat? To somehow transform himself from land mammal to whale. These molds symbolize to Barney whales and the restraints put upon them. As Barney points out, “It all comes together as a system that can’t overcome its condition. These pieces are important in admitting that.” If you’re wondering what that meant, don’t worry, I’m still trying to figure it out. But maybe it would have been clearer if Drawing Restrain 9 were screened in conjunction with this documentary.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the weirdness. I don’t get down on not being able to understand it all, for I truly believe an artist has his or her meaning for a piece of work, and that I am not suppose to understand everything. It’s just that the film seems to be more about lauding Barney then discussing the ideas of his work.

What I did appreciate in the documentary, other than the Japanese crews’ reaction, was that Barney refuses to look at material objects at face value. He wants to transform them into something else. I also liked that, though his mind is wildly imaginative, he seems like a very likeable and normal looking guy: A guy who takes the work seriously, but has a good laugh once and a while about it. I was also transfixed and inspired by his determination. He is dedicated, and his wife, the singer/ songwriter Bjork, seems to be the perfect companion for such an artist and this journey to Japan. She is also a character in Drawing Restrain 9 and shares a scene with him in which they cut into each other’s legs with knives in a tank of water.

Go see this film if you want to know more about Matthew Barney and modern art. Though, I would probably advise you seeing the film Drawing Restraint 9 before catching this flick. Alison Chernick, the director, was pretty much invisible, choosing to shoot the documentary in a conventional fashion, with art critics praising Barney at every turn. I Would have liked to have seen a less conventional documentary mirroring the unconventional Barney who seems to be the Yoko Ono to Bjork’s John Lennon.

reviewed: 2007-01-05

Related links:
IMDB: Matthew Barney: No Restraint (2006)

BERGMAN ISLAND

Alone With His Demons

by Brian Hughes

I often find myself bored at work. I like it that way. It gives me ample time to look on IMDB, see what my heroes are up to. I looked up legendary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman and was thrilled to find out that Documentarian Marie Nyrerod had shot an interview with Bergman at his reclusive home on Faro Island in The Baltic Sea. IMDB had its title as: Ingmar Bergman - 3 Dokumentärer Om Film, Teater, Fårö Och Livet Av Marie Nyreröd, with a running time of 174 minutes. What the hell is this? How can I get my hands on a copy? I thought for sure, that just as with the documentary Nick Drake: A Skin Too Few, it would only be seen by European filmgoers and television watchers, and that the best I’d be able to do was snag a bootleg copy of it. But, fortunately, that is not the case; turns out Nyrerod’s film has landed on our shores with the title Bergman Island, cut down to a paltry 85 minutes. To my great happiness it was, and still is as of this writing, playing at the blessed Film Forum on West Houston. I ran down immediately to catch a viewing.

The film aptly begins with the sea – the sea that guards Bergman’s reclusive existence and also sparked his imagination. The very same sea the four main characters of Through A Glass Darkly walk out of in the first shot of the Academy Award winning film. This film being the first of numerous films he’d shoot on the Island that would be his home for the rest of his life: Faro. The first time we see Bergman, he is walking. After a good breakfast, he takes a stroll to a favorite spot of his and writes for four hours. He explains that because of his laziness and lack of discipline, it is essential for him to keep a daily routine. Bergman is a man after my own heart. We already know that Bergman goes to extraordinary lengths to exorcise his demons, to question whether there is a god or not, and to get to the inner core of his innermost fears, through theatre and film. But seldom do we see an artist be as frank with an interviewer as Bergman is with Nyrerod. Telling us in detail his six most fearsome demons, explaining to us the problems of having an affair with Liv Ullmann while still seeing Bibi Anderson during the making of his masterpiece Persona, the consequences of being a miserable, non-existent father to nine children. Bergman holds nothing back, and when you consider how old he is (85 at the time of shooting) it is daunting that his mind is as clear and present as it is. He speaks with the conviction of a twenty year old.

Bergman expounds on the wonderfulness of silence. How he enjoys being alone. But I don’t believe him. There are very few people who could stand being alone for as long as Bergman does. Besides, if you believe what he says, not only are his demons ever present, much like those of his scary Hour of the Wolf, but his fifth wife, Ingrid, deceased eight years, is on the island still, waiting to take him.

Darkness, clocks, the sea, bad conscience, demons, truth, death, and life are all discussed with much candor in this highly recommended film. You will also get a look at Bergman’s private film collection, which includes footage he shot during the making of The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries. We also get inside his house, see the interesting reason he created his unusual fireplace, and see footage of him directing on both the stage and in film.

If they gave me the option, I would have liked to have heard Ingmar talk about his films in greater depth and detail. And I would have liked to have seen a longer version, of course. I don’t think the film would have suffered at all if it came in at 120 minutes rather than the 85 we are given. But if you are anything like me, who would pay to see Ingmar Bergman read the newspaper, then you had better try to catch Bergman Island. Or if you are not as crazy as I am, and are an avid film enthusiast unaware of Ingmar Bergman’s films, then this will be a wonderful intro to an extraordinary life in film and on the stage. Either way, it will probably be the last time this great filmmaker will ever be seen in front of a camera again.

reviewed: 2006-12-18

Related links:
IMDB: Bergman Island (2006)

REMINISCING IN TEMPO

All Alone In the Theatre Suite

by Brian Hughes

One great thing about seeing a Jazz documentary is that you know it must have been created out of love, for if CD sales are any indication, Reminiscing in Tempo will not make a lot of money at the box office. And that is a shame, for it should. It should be seen by as many youngsters as we could round up. They should know that Rock, Rap, Hip Hop, and R&B all came out of the Blues and Jazz. And that the original bad asses were men like Fats Waller, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and the elegant Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington. As his rhinestone bespectacled sister points out in the documentary, directed wonderfully by Gary Keys, the one weakness Duke had was the ladies. So you see, Duke was quite the player in his day. And a player in more ways than one.
As I purchased my ticket at The Quad Cinema theatre, I asked the ticket man if they were seating for the 2:45 show. He asked his cohort if number three was ready for seating and she shot back, “Sure it is, there was only one person at the 1:00 show to begin with.” And I would soon find out that I too would be the only person seeing the 2:45 show. I felt fortunate I went. The foot stomping I did during renditions of Take the A-Train and The Mexican Suite were well worth the price of admission.

The film is centered on a party that Duke’s sister, Ruth Ellington Boatwright, throws every year to celebrate the legend’s birthday. Many of his fellow band members, as well as critics and admirers show up to play music and reminisce about their friend. Al Hibber talks about growing up poor and blind in the south, and how he wanted desperately to sing for Duke. His father told him he hadn’t a chance. Sure enough, he landed a spot as Duke’s vocalist in the mid 1940’s.

What amazes me when I watch this film is Duke’s great speaking voice, his impeccable dress, his wit, and his tireless touring schedule and work ethic. Duke always found a place to write. One of his reed men, and oldest friend, Harry Carney, use to chauffer the Duke around from gig to gig, and Duke would be writing a suite right next to him in the passenger seat.

But the moments I waited for were the times they spoke of his relationship with Billy Strayhorn, who wrote the great song Lush Life, as well as Take the A-Train and many others. Billy was selfless. He didn’t care who took the fame for his song, as long as it was done right. He and Duke thought so much alike that they often couldn’t tell which part of a song was Billy’s or which one was Duke’s.

Dr. Billy Taylor also offers up some great examples on the piano of Duke’s wonderful, yet simple use of notes to create lasting and beautiful melodies. In a similar scene, Taylor talks of how, at Billy Strayhorn’s funeral, a slow and moving version of Take The A-Train was performed, and he then goes on to play that version quite touchingly. It was very interesting to hear that song played at such a slow tempo.

The editors Jessica Schoen and Judi Stroh did a marvelous job inter-cutting different versions of songs: from versions played at the party to versions caught on film played by Duke and his band. They also did a nice job with the touring footage shot in Mexico during the 1968 Olympics, inter-cut with the band playing at a concert hall in Mexico during the same trip. By the way, as Gary Keys mentions in the film, this is the only place you will see or hear Duke’s Mexican Suite in its entirety, written solely for Duke and the band’s trip to the 1968 Olympics.

Two interesting anecdotes worth mentioning here are when Duke was asked why he didn’t speak up more about racial intolerance and Black Power, and the beauty of black people and culture, he retorted with: “I wrote Black Beauty in 1928.” I also think it is very telling that he decided in his last years to devote his music to his personal God as a way of thanks for all that was given to him.

As far as the look of the film, don’t expect much. The party sequences are shot on low end video, and all the footage, which is extremely rare by the way, is grainy and dark, but WHO CARES! – the sound is great, and that’s what matters when it comes to Duke and his band. All of Duke’s regular band mates are represented here: Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Cootie Williams, Paul Gonsalves, and others. You’ll learn much about Duke and his artistry, as well as the times he lived in. And I think it is fitting that many people won’t go see this film: mainly because Jazz requires some work out of us, and in our fast paced society, we are not willing to put the time in for a 20 minute Jazz suite. I know I’m quick to put a Pop or Rock song on rather than Black and Tan Fantasy, but we should put the effort in. Jazz is music we as Americans created. It is ours. It is the story of African American people and their struggles, and chronicles our rich and warped history with foot stomping joy, and mournful swaying horns.

reviewed: 2006-12-19

Related links:
IMDB: Reminiscing in Tempo (2006)

MAKING APRIL (Music Bio for Universal Republic Records)

MAKING APRIL

“It came out really well for what we didn’t know. It just worked out,” says Sean Scanlon, lead singer and pianist for the exciting, melodic rock band Making April. To say that Making April's music “worked out” is a modest understatement on Sean’s part, considering the once unsigned band sold one hundred thousand downloads from their debut EP “Runaway World.”
100, 000 downloads in this music climate - how? When you have the musicianship and focused determination that Sean, Greg Federspiel (Bass) and Steven McCaffrey (Lead Guitar) have, it comes as no surprise at all.

Making April began their rise in the hamlet of Verplanck, New York. Steve and Sean met first, as kids, and had a shared interest in learning how to play music by ear. Sean and Greg eventually hooked up in middle school and formed a punk band while Steve formed a Ska band of his own. Both bands ruled their territory with a rocking ferociousness until life stepped in and pointed everyone in the direction of college - three different colleges, actually. With Sean and Greg going out for business degrees, and Steve trying to make it as a college baseball pitcher, the horizon did not look too bright for the band to even form at all.

That is until Steve transferred to SUNY Albany, where he coincidentally attended the same accounting class as Sean. Soon it became obvious to both that they should start jamming together again. With mutual interests in NOFX, Green Day and Blink 182, Sean and Steve worked together on a few acoustic songs and headed in to a random studio in Albany to record “Driveway.” Even though they weren't 100 percent pleased with it, the guys put the song online to see if any one would care. Care they did, as the song garnered some local buzz, driving them back into the studio to create a three-song demo that included “Chase You Down”, “All of Yours” and a re-recorded “Driveway." After the initial demo sessions, Greg officially joined the band in the summer of 2005. The perfect balance was achieved, and it looked as if both talent and fate were pointing them in the right direction.

Anxious to start building their online fan base, Sean, Steve and Greg were determined to name their project by April of 2005. When March came to an end and the band was still nameless, they looked to their situation for a simple answer. “We’re trying to make a name by April” … and in turn, “Making April” was born.

Buoyed by fan reaction, the threesome went back into the Studio again where they would record their fourth demo song, “These Are the Nights." The band seriously began promoting their demo, playing shows and writing new material. They had enough music to head back into the studio for a fourth time and record eight songs in ten days.

What came from these recordings is a band that creates tight, expertly crafted songs rife with melodic vocals, timeless songwriting, rock infused piano and catchy choruses. In other words, what emerged was the sound of Making April: A band not afraid to tug at your heart with lush synth-strings, while maintaining an honest, barebones truthfulness and simplicity with their lyrics. The memorable choruses and unflinching look into the sorrows and joys of being in a relationship demand that you that you not only hear what they are saying, but sing along.
After creating a Paypal account and selling some music via the internet, the music coordinator of MTV’s hit show Laguna Beach dialed up, requesting “These Are the Nights” for their program. Stoked, to say the least, the band was about to turn a corner in their career and move closer to their goal of reaching a wider audience. Wanting to take full advantage of their good fortune, the band secured their spot on iTunes through a UK distributor and the single went on to sell one-hundred thousand downloads, eventually pushing them into My Space’s “top ten unsigned bands." It was at this moment the band had the realization that it was truly possible to make a living in music.

Soon after, word got out to Universal Republic Records, who quickly took note of the band’s strong following and enthusiastic live shows. “The day we signed was both unique and exciting,” says Greg, “We knew it was a feeling that most bands don’t get to experience; it feels great to have a team like Universal Republic working behind you.”

With audiences nationwide singing along with their lyrics from venue to venue, Making April is only too happy to build that fan base from the ground up. Whether through communicating with them directly at gigs, on MySpace, or with their Blogger account, which details the triumphs and craziness of their current road experience, Making April are committed for the long haul: “We’re feeling good, we feel like we’re in motion - we’re building from the ground up and trying to connect with every fan.”

OWL CITY (Music Bio for Universal Republic Records)

OWL CITY

In the state of Minnesota lies a small town called Owatonna with roughly twenty-two thousand inhabitants; within that city is a quiet road with a modest house. In that house there’s an unkempt basement with no windows. Within those confines you’ll find Adam Young of Owl City hard at work, creating his electronic and melodically infectious brand of music with a simple and singular beauty. Inside this “cave,” as Adam likes to describe it, he has begun to quickly win over a large audience thirsty for something genuine, something sublime.

Being an only child in a small town, and having no musicians in his immediate family, Adam is hard pressed to say how it all started. Explaining that he always had a “push” to be creative, Adam picked up his first guitar in junior high school. Growing up in a “sheltered bubble” and being one of the more shy kids around the neighborhood, Adam seemed compelled to lend his time and creative ideas to music. “I’ve always been the shy guy, I don’t see that changing, but I definitely feel a lot more comfortable than I anticipated. I can hide behind the music.”

While his music continues to win followers all over the world, Adam does indeed hide behind his music, not going by his real name (See: Badly Drawn Boy and Dashboard Confessional); but going by the moniker Owl City. Adam was searching more for a mood when coming up with a title for his sound, rather than something easily identifiable. He goes on to explain that most of the artists that catch his eye have something unique about their name, something that lingers.

So one has to ask: how did this Owl City phenomenon begin? How does a young artist writing songs underneath his garage, acoustic foam and books everywhere, reach an audience of millions? “I’m still trying to figure it out,” Adam laughs. “Back in June of 2007 it kind of started on a whim. My parents were away for the weekend, and wanting to be loud and make some noise and whatever, I began writing versions of what became my first, self released cd - Of June. I put it up on MySpace the following month and didn’t tell anyone.”

Word of mouth began to spread for Adam’s music, with demands coming from various parts of the country for an album. Maybe I’m Dreaming, released in March of 2008, was Owl City’s full length debut. The album has garnered great critical praise and is a clear representation of Owl City’s progression as an artist. Adam has become a phenomenon on MySpace with over 6 million profile views and over 25 million plays, which is outstanding in such a short span of time. It’s clear that, from his basement, Owl City is making a colossal impact on the music scene.

What might be swirling through his head after such a quick and sudden start at stardom? “The biggest thing I was concerned-slash-worried about was the live performance – never having played a show as ‘Owl City.’ There was a lot of apprehension.” Adam’s concern, about being a one-man wizard on the keyboard, “hunched over a computer,” was put to the test recently with his first gig. Most, if not all, of his fears were quickly put to rest as Adam played to a sold out show in Minneapolis. “It was surreal,” Adam says, “to have people buying your t-shirts, singing the words – louder than I was; it felt so good.”

As listeners on MySpace climb into the millions, Owl City is focused on writing more songs, getting more comfortable on stage, and satisfying a fan base that is growing and eagerly anticipating new material. With a new album scheduled for a fall release, Adam’s future is as exciting, expansive and as mellifluous as his music. “I’ve loved every minute of it so far, and I’m looking forward to what’s going to happen next.” So are we.

India.Arie in concert

from ToneAudio Magazine, issue # 21

The Kiss and Fly Club

New York, New York

February 10, 2009

By Brian Hughes

India.Arie was classy, outspoken and soulful as ever, performing at the Kiss and Fly
club, in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan. This small club, in-the-round setting gave the audience an intimate perspective on Ms. Arie’s newest work, as she
played tracks from her fourth studio album, Testimony: Vol. 2 – Love and Politics, from Universal Republic Records.

Warning that she was about to go into a rant, Arie broke out her anti-Bush White House rocker, “Better Way.” Labeling it “anti-Bush” limits the scope of the song, which tackles issues like “children on TV … glorifying their bodies,” Hurricane Katrina, and drug abuse.

Reggae star Gramps Morgan joined Arie on “Therapy,” her second single from the new album, and then thanked two of the most important women in her life—her mother, Joyce Simpson (a jazz vocalist, songwriter and actress), and Sade. She explained that Sade introduced her to the African continent, transforming her life. She then dedicated “Pearls,” a song about female suffering in Africa, to Sade. Next up was a song co-written by her mother, “Long Goodbye,” which showcased Arie’s vocal strength, as she soared over a powerful melody.

Arie closed the show with “Brown Skin,” and the audience responded with smiles all around. India.Arie is a bright, passionate singer; a comforting throwback to the heyday of R&B.

Dr. Dog in concert

from ToneAudio Magazine, issues # 18

August 27 2008

The Bowery Ballroom
New York, N.Y.

Article and Photos by Brian Hughes

I couldn’t resist catching a glimpse, on YouTube, of a Dr. Dog performance from last year’s tour before going to their show, but – at least on my MacBook Pro screen — this band that I love was loose and unsure. However, a year later at the Bowery Ballroom on New York City’s lower east side, the band was extremely tight, focused and motivated to entertain the crowd. And the acoustics at The Bowery were fantastic to boot.

This Philadelphia-bred band of Scott McMicken (lead vocals, guitar), Toby Leaman (lead vocals, bass), Zach Miller (keyboards), Frank McElroy (guitar) and Juston Stens (drums), has that rare ability to draw on great music from the past, wrapping it into the present and future. This band knows songwriting; their music is full of complex, yet pleasurable song structures, beatific harmonies, and global themes of regret, love and life.

Their performance mirrored that of their most recent television appearances, full of energy and bounce, with the band members hopping up and down across the stage in a fit of rock and roll euphoria. Rarely did the group converse with the audience - allowing their expert musicianship to do the talking.

The set list drew heavily from the stellar songs on We All Belong and their latest release, Fate. Standouts were the high voltage performance of “The Girl” (recently remixed by Beck), the chant infused chorus of “The Old Days,” and the rapturous two-song fusion that closes Fate, “My Friend.”

Dr. Dog’s fan base is growing, thanks to their three recent albums and polished live performances. It’s exciting to see this band mature so quickly, and to gain the critical acclaim it deserves.

DURAN DURAN in concert

from ToneAudio Magazine, issue # 19

MGM Grand Foxwoods Casino

Mashantucket, Connecticut
December 12, 2008

Article by Brian Hughes Photos by Ruth David

From reports of the South American and Southern U.S. leg of their worldwide Red Carpet Massacre Tour, with cancellations of some dates, because of a flu bug that
bit the band, one would have expected Duran Duran to stumble into the MGM Grand Casino at Foxwoods in Connecticut. That is, if they showed up at all.

But they did, and the ravenous, sellout crowd was not disappointed. The legendary band from Birmingham, UK, with 70 million records sold to date, showed up ready to play, blazing through material both old and new, and eager to continue this extraordinary chapter in the life of the band.

The band took the stage to the ominous strains of Wendy Carlos’ title theme to A
Clockwork Orange. Standing still and powerful, with screams (females mostly) cascading over the band, Duran Duran kicked the concert off with perhaps their strongest show opener to date, “The Valley,” from their latest Epic studio release Red Carpet Massacre. Driven by the electronic, disco/rock rhythm of Roger Taylor’s drums and John Taylor’s flawless funky bass, the song set the tone for the rest of the evening, charging at you as if you were a red cape in Pamplona. Duran Duran wasted no time getting right into the classics – “Planet Earth” was followed by “Hungry Like The Wolf,” as Le Bon asked “Is anybody hungry?” Simon, as alluring as ever, teased, danced and toyed with the audience, gaining energy and strength as the show carried on.

Other highlights included the smooth and breezy “Save A Prayer,” “Falling Down” (their extremely underrated single) and the highest charting James Bond theme to date, “A View to a Kill.” Both “Prayer” and “Kill” showcased the synth wizardry of Nick Rhodes, who like Robert Johnson, must have made a deal with the devil, for he seems to defy age. Simon’s highlight, for this reviewer, was his always poignant delivery of “Ordinary World” – a song for which he still hits the high notes effortlessly. The energy level soared with the crowd friendly “White Lines,” from their album of cover songs, Thank You. You’d be hard pressed to find a band of the modern era who could close a performance with as many hits as this band did, with songs such as “Sunrise,” “Wild Boys,” “Girls On Film” and the indomitable “Rio.”

FLOBOTS in concert

from ToneAudio Magazine, issue #19

Webster hall
New York, New York

November 3, 2008
Article by Brian Hughes Photo by Billy Tompkins

Music fans who are Democrats would have been hard pressed to find a better band to hang out with on the eve of election night than the rap-rock juggernaut Flobots, who were at Webster Hall. Having played the Democratic National Convention to acclaim in August with Rage Against The Machine, both the band and the audience were feeling the sweeping change of the guard and were playing with even more moxie than they had a few months earlier when I caught them at The Bowery Ballroom. I had thought that the Bowery couldn’t contain the power of this band. I felt the same way in Webster Hall, even though it is considerably larger.

Lead singer Brer Rabbit says at the opening of their album Fight With
Tools, “There’s a war going on for your mind.” Flobots are out to prove that there is a conspiracy behind our dubious foreign policies, and that we can change the world together. Combining their conviction on and off the stage, the power of their lyrics, and the sometimes foreboding and chilling viola playing by Mackenzie Roberts, Flobots creates a feeling of intense immediacy, that both the show – and the time – is now.

Highlights of the evening were the funky “Jetpack,” which showcases Brer Rabbit’s robotic and soulfully athletic dancing skills, as well as the song “Iraq” which cleverly uses a rhyme scheme of I, R, Q, and A with the backronym “It’s Really A Quagmire” as the main chorus for the song. This type of clever songwriting is a Flobots trademark, for this is a band rap-rocking about important issues like racism, war, ignorance and love, and not about thug-life, whores, jewelry and narcissism.

The set went almost two hours and finished with the two singles from the album “Rise” and “Handlebars,” which manages to surmise man’s ingenuity and utter horror through history in a little over three minutes. It’s a genius song that builds into a nightmarish totalitarian holocaust. The last song of the evening was a cover of Europe’s “The Final Countdown” and the irony was not lost on the crowd, with Bush’s days now numbered.

That’s the kind of band Flobots are; funny, serious and in on the joke.