Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 9, 2012

8

ARTS & ENTERTAIMENT

 Mountain Views News Saturday June 9, 2012 


SEAN’S SHAMELESS 

REVIEWS: 


The Book Report

By Jeff Brown

Review By Sean Kayden

THE TEMPER TRAP

 Australian indie rockers The Temper Trap return with the release of 
their sophomore eponymous album. The band is coming off their 2009 
critically and commercially successful debut record, “Conditions”. When it was released, 
the stand out track of the summer, “Sweet Disposition” dominated the airwaves and was 
arguably the best pop-rock song out during that time. Now three years later and refusing to 
rest on their laurels, The Temper Trap try to capitalize on the accomplishment of their debut 
with twelve brand new tracks. Unfortunately, the slow-burn record falls short of completely 
wooing me over and feels rather flaccid in comparison to their debut. 

 When a band releases a record under a 
self-title, it generally means the band is 
saying this is their defining and signature 
sound. If that’s the case here, The Temper 
Trap doesn’t live up to their lofty ambitions. 
This argument comes in the form of how 
their first album felt relatively fresh and 
inventive at the time. Lead vocalist Dougy 
Mandagi still has a tremendous angelic 
voice. There’s no denying that. However, the music behind him doesn’t always match up 
so well. Some peculiar choices were made on this album like the completely out of place 
“London’s Burning,” a complete train wreck that is neither original nor a satisfying replica 
of something sounding much better. “Where Do We Go From Here” has a great start, but 
painfully falls into the depths of formulaic. It’s a shame because it could have been something 
truly special rather than glaringly second-rate. The album oscillates from sounding fairly 
decent to a middling mainstream pop-rock experience. Finding something to connect with 
isn’t always easy here, but the first single, “Need Your Love” is an unambiguous standout. The 
blissful pop track becomes the closest song one is going to get in recapturing the magic of 
“Sweet Disposition”. “I’m Gonna Wait” is an appealing, soaring tune that strives on being the 
obligatory feel good love song the album has to offer. 

 Despite some pleasant arrangements, the record feels visionless. Without a distinctive 
goal in reach, it’s difficult to support the band for what they’re unknowingly going for. 
Inconsistent, lacking any gratifying surprises, and catering to the mainstream masses, The 
Temper Trap doesn’t demonstrate the growth fans may have being anticipating. In the end, 
I wouldn’t be all too surprised if the record vanishes quicker than the time it takes to read 
this review. 

Grade: 6 out of 10 

Key Tracks: “Need You Love”, “I’m Gonna Wait”, “This Isn’t Happiness” 

ONE SHOT AT FOREVER: A SMALL TOWN, AN UNLIKELY COACH, 
AND A MAGICAL BASEBALL SEASON by Chris Ballard 


The Inspirational Story of a Coach, a Baseball Team, and the Season They’ll Never Forget. In 1971, 
a small-town high school baseball team from rural Illinois playing with hand me down uniforms 
and peace signs on their hats defied convention and the odds. Led by an English teacher with no 
coaching experience, the Macon Ironmen emerged from a field of 370 teams to become the smallest 
school in Illinois history to make the state final, a distinction that still stands. There, they would play 
a dramatic game against a Chicago powerhouse that would change their lives forever. In a gripping 
narrative, Sports Illustrated writer Chris Ballard tells the story of the team and its coach. Beloved by 
students but not administration, Sweet reluctantly took over a rag tag team, intent on teaching the 
boys as much about life as baseball. Inspired by Sweet’s unconventional methods, the undersized, 
undermanned team embarked on an improbable postseason run that infuriated rival coaches and 
buoyed an entire town. Engaging and poignant, One Shot at Forever is a testament to the power of 
high school sports to shape the lives of those who play them, and it reminds us that there are few 
bonds more sacred than that among a coach, a team, and a town.


FREEDOM’S FORGE: HOW AMERICAN BUSINESS PRODUCED 
VICTORY IN WORLD WAR II by Arthur Herman

 
Remarkable as it may seem today, there once was a time when the president of the United States 
could pick up the phone and ask the president of General Motors to resign his position and take 
the reins of a great national enterprise. And the CEO would oblige, no questions asked, because it 
was his patriotic duty. In Freedom’s Forge, Arthur Herman takes us back to that time, revealing how 
two extraordinary American businessmen, automobile magnate William Knudsen and shipbuilder 
Henry J. Kaiser, helped corral, cajole, and inspire business leaders across the country to mobilize the 
“arsenal of democracy” that propelled the Allies to victory in World War II.President Franklin D. 
Roosevelt enlisted “Big Bill” Knudsen, a Danish immigrant who had risen through the ranks of the 
auto industry to become president of General Motors, to drop his plans for market domination and 
join the U.S. Army. Commissioned a lieutenant general, Knudsen assembled a crack team of industrial 
innovators, persuading them one by one to leave their lucrative private sector positions and join him 
in Washington, D.C. Henry J. Kaiser was a maverick California industrialist famed for his innovative 
business techniques and his can-do management style. He, too, joined the cause. His Liberty ships 
became World War II icons and the Kaiser name became so admired that FDR briefly considered 
making him his vice president in 1944. Together, Knudsen and Kaiser created a wartime production 
behemoth. In four short years they transformed America’s army from a hollow shell into a truly global 
force, laying the foundations for a new industrial America and for the country’s rise as an economic 
as well as military superpower. Featuring behind the scenes portraits of FDR, George Marshall, Henry 
Stimson, Harry Hopkins, Jimmy Doolittle, and Curtis LeMay, as well as scores of largely forgotten 
heroes and heroines of the wartime industrial effort, Freedom’s Forge is the American story writ large. 
It vividly recreates American industry’s finest hour, when the nation’s business elites put aside their 
pursuit of profits and set about saving the world.

Artist: The Temper Trap

Album: The Temper Trap

Label: Glassnote Records

Release Date: June 5th, 2012

POPS & HAMLISCH ARBORETUM DEBUT

By Scott Hettrick, Arcadia’s Best

The inaugural season of Marvin Hamlisch and the Pasadena Pops at the L.A. County Arboretum 
kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 16, with guest artists Lucie Arnaz and Robert Klein joining the 
orchestra with their unique blend of comedy and musical theatre.

The artists will perform a concert version of Hamlisch’s Broadway musical They’re Playing Our Song, 
a musical tribute to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, selections from musicals by Irving Berlin, Lerner & 
Lowe, and more.

Hamlisch, now in his second season as Principal Pops Conductor, is widely recognized as one of 
America’s greatest musical talents with Grammy, Emmy, Tony, Oscar, Golden Globe, and Pulitzer 
Prize awards among his many accolades. The prolific composer and arranger is known for bringing 
the music of Scott Joplin back to popularity with his score for “The Sting” starring Paul Newman, 
writing the smash Broadway hit A Chorus Line, creating unforgettable songs such as “The Way We 
Were”, “Nobody Does It Better”, “What I Did For Love”, “One” and many more.

Klein and Arnaz both starred as the lead roles in They’re Playing Our Song when it premiered on 
Broadway in 1979. Arnaz, the daughter of Hollywood icons Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, is in award 
winning actress, singer, and comedienne. She has starred in musicals ranging from the hilarious 
“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” to the evocative “Witches of Eastwick,” appeared on screen in many of her 
mother’s timeless comedies, and co-starred opposite Neil Diamond and Laurence Olivier in “The 
Jazz Singer.” Klein, a veteran of the famed Second City comedy troupe, played a pivotal role in TV 
and comedy history as the first comedian to appear in concert on HBO; since his debut in 1975, he 
has performed nine specials for the channel earning multiple Emmy nominations.

Tickets to They’re Playing Our Song with Marvin Hamlisch and the Pasadena POPS at the Los Angeles 
County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 301 N Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, on Saturday, June 16 are on 
sale now. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets begin at 
$10 for children and $20 for adults. For tickets or more information, contact the Pasadena Symphony 
and POPS Box Office at www.PasadenaSymphony-Pops.org or call 626.793.7172.

• Cost: Children tickets start at $10, adult tickets start at $20

• Parking: Free parking is available at the adjoining Westfield Santa Anita shopping center (complimentary 
shuttles will provide service between Westfield and the Arboretum’s main entrance).

• Dining Options: Catered meals may be pre-ordered in advance from Julienne, Marston’s, or Porta 
Via. Onsite purchase options will include an array of gourmet food trucks and a cash bar. Guests may 
also bring a picnic and beverages.


SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE OFFERS SPECIAL EVENTS

WINE TASTING SATURDAYS

 A special Saturday evening wine tasting at The Bottle Shop’s newly opened Wine Tasting Room 
across the street from the Playhouse at 58 W. Sierra Madre Boulevard. For those theatre patrons who 
show their confirmation of attendance at that evening’s performance, owner Bill Sullivan will provide 
a complimentary tasting of several wines of women winemakers and owners.

 Every Saturday through July 7, wines developed by women will be presented for our patrons’ sampling. 
We will post the featured wineries every week on our Sierra Madre Playhouse Facebook page 
and the production website http://www.womaninmind.com. You may also purchase a glass of wine 
and linger in this newly created wine tasting room that is but one of the several pre-show amenities 
that makes for a leisurely evening of theatre in our lovely town of Sierra Madre. 

 In addition there will be regular talk backs with the cast after our Sunday matinee performances. On 
June 3rd we will acknowledge Queen Elizabeth’s birthday and Diamond Jubilee .

ACCESSIBILITY NIGHT – FRIDAY, JUNE 15

 ASL Interpretation will be provided at this evening’s performance. Sierra Madre Playhouse is only 
one of two theatres in San Gabriel Valley that provide this service to the Deaf community. Supported 
in part with funds received from the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Foundation. More information 
about Sierra Madre Playhouse’s accessibility programs should be directed to our Accessibility Coordinator, 
Maria Zuccarello at 626-429-3414 or mariazu@prodigy.net. 

Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Ample free 
parking behind theatre,