Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 30, 2012

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Mountain Views News Saturday June 30, 2012


The Book Report


SEAN’S SHAMELESS 

REVIEWS: 

By Jeff Brown

Review By Sean Kayden

DECLARATION: THE NINE TUMULTUOUS WEEKS WHEN AMERICA 
BECAME INDEPENDENT, MAY 1-JULY 4, 1776 by William Hogeland 

This is the rambunctious story of how America came to declare independence in Philadelphia 
in 1776. As late as that May, the Continental Congress had no plans to break away from 
England. Troops under General George Washington had been fighting the British for nearly 
a year, yet in Philadelphia a mighty bloc known as "reconciliationists," led by the influential 
Pennsylvanian John Dickinson, strove to keep America part of the British Empire. But a 
cadre of activists, led by the mysterious Samuel Adams of Massachusetts and assisted by 
his nervous cousin John, plotted to bring about American independence. Their audacious 
secret plan proposed overturning the reconciliationist government of Pennsylvania and 
replacing it with pro-independence leaders. Remarkably, the adventure succeeded. The 
Adams coalition set in motion a startling chain of events in the Philadelphia streets, in 
the Continental Congress, and throughout the country that culminated in the Declaration 
of Independence on July 4. In Declaration William Hogeland brings to vibrant life both 
the day-to-day excitement and the profound importance of those nine fast-paced weeks 
essential to the American founding yet little known today. He depicts the strange-bedfellow 
alliance the Adamses formed with scruffy Philadelphia outsiders and elegant Virginia 
planters to demand liberty. He paints intimate portraits of key figures: John Dickinson, a 
patriot who found himself outmaneuvered on the losing side of history; Benjamin Franklin, 
the most famous man in America, engaged in and perplexed by his city’s upheavals; Samuel 
Adams, implacable in changing the direction of Congress; his cousin John, anxious about 
the democratic aspirations of their rabble-rousing Philadelphia allies; and those democratic 
radical organizers themselves, essential to bringing about independence, all but forgotten 
until now. As the patriots’ adventure gathers toward the world-changing climax of the 
Declaration, conflicts and ironies arise, with trenchant relevance 

THE JEFFERSON LIES: EXPOSING THE MYTHS YOU'VE ALWAYS 
BELIEVED ABOUT THOMAS JEFFERSON by David Barton and Glenn 
Beck 

America, in so many ways, has forgotten. Its roots, its purpose, its identity, all have become 
shrouded behind a veil of political correctness bent on twisting the nation's founding, and 
its founders, to fit within a misshapen modern world. The time has come to remember again. 
In The Jefferson Lies, prominent historian David Barton sets out to correct the distorted 
image of a once-beloved founding father, Thomas Jefferson. To do so, Barton tackles seven 
myths head-on, including: Did Thomas Jefferson really have a child by his young slave girl, 
Sally Hemings? Did he write his own Bible, excluding the parts of Christianity with which 
he disagreed? Was he a racist who opposed civil rights and equality for black Americans? 
Did he, in his pursuit of separation of church and state, advocate the secularizing public life? 
Through Jefferson's own words and the eyewitness testimony of contemporaries, Barton 
repaints a portrait of the man from Monticello as a visionary, an innovator, a man who 
revered Jesus, a classical Renaissance man, and a man whose pioneering stand for liberty 
and God-given inalienable rights fostered a better world for this nation and its posterity. For 
America, the time to remember these truths again is now. 

Teepee – “Time Meant 
Nothing” – I discovered 
this new dream-inspired tune the other day. 
It begins with a certain kind of fuzziness 
shrouded by echoes in the distance. 
Frontman Eric S. Laurent has created a song 
that transcends the parallels of reality and 
reverie. “Time Meant Nothing” is alleviating, 
fragile, and pure catharsis. This may not be 
the ideal summer jam, but it’ll mollify your 
body during the long summer nights. This 
single will be officially released on July 19 
via the Revera Corporation. 

Lemonade – “Ice Water” – This sexy, utterly 
addictive, heavily doused in synths track is 
their premiere summer song. “Ice Water” 
comes straight off Lemonade’s recently 
released debut LP, “Diver.” 80s inspired 
vocals, highly effective dance beats, and 
just pure awesome all the way though, 
“Ice Water” will cool you off no matter 
the conditions. If this get-down-and-dirty 
indie cut isn’t playing at the clubs, there’s 
something seriously awry with the current 
state of electronic-pop. 

Echo Lake – “Last Song Of The Year” – Best 
described as Best Coast meets Beach House, 
Echo Lake is music for the nostalgic kind. The 
intoxicating vocals of Linda Jarvis separate 
Echo Lake from the overcrowded pack 
of shoegazer enthusiasts. This daydream 
number, which is off their debut full-length 
record “Wild Peace,” is enchanting, sublime, 
and sweet. There’s beauty to be found 
throughout the track, but it really shifts 
into another element when the guitar solo 
comes in. Tranquil as a forest, “Last Song Of 
The Year” may be the last song you hear as 
your adventurous day settles into a peaceful 
night. If isn’t, then it really should be. 

The Antlers – “Drift Dive” – The Antlers’ 
“Burst Apart” was one of my favorite albums 
of 2011. Over a year later, we are bestowed 
with the beauty that is “Drift Dive,” the first 
single off their forthcoming EP record. The 
Antlers are very meticulous musicians. Their 
music unravels slowly, but effectively. They 
may not always be perfect in their execution, 
but when they are, there’s truly nothing 
quite like it. “Drift Dive” is second-to-none 
and puts The Antlers right back where they 
left things during their previous outing. The 
song naturally percolates inside your body 
and permits you to transcend the limits of 
your own domain. Allow yourself to drift 
away from the outer distractions, even for 
just a little while, with “Drift Dive” being 
your navigational device.

DIIV – “Follow” – DIIV is the solo project 
from Zachary Cole Smith, a member of the 
chillwave outfit, Beach Fossils. On June 26, 
the band dropped their debut record called, 
“Oshin.” The dream-pop sensory experiment 
is unusually original and comforting. The 
song, “Follow,” that’s powered by just vocals, 
bass, guitar, and drums flows in such a 
deeply rhythmic flow. DIIV isn’t the band to 
connect with on a lyrical forefront, but their 
sonorous style will direct you to a superlative 
destination. 

THE SUMMER PLAYLIST YOU 
NEED TO HEAR

THE WATERCOLORS OF JACK ANGUS by Christopher Nyerges

Another resident artist at 
Bean Town

It was Sunday night as I was walking 
up Baldwin Avenue. I picked up a copy 
of the Mountain Views News, and 
headed up to Bean Town. I wanted 
to drink my coffee, read whatever is 
on the mind of my favorite columnist 
Stuart Tolchin, and perhaps chat with 
Sierra Madre’s famous resident artist 
Steve Hardy. Some of you might recall 
a profile I wrote of Mr. Hardy some 
time ago where he shared his love of 
art, and what motivates him.

I entered Bean Town, and I saw a table 
with water colors and a nearly-finished 
drawing. OK, I thought, Steve is here 
somewhere. I looked to the corner, 
and to my surprise, there was Steve but 
his watercolors and sketch pad were 
there too. Does Steve have a clone, I 
wondered?

I went over to say hello, and Steve 
introduced me to 18-year-old Jack 
Angus, the artist whose gear I first 
encountered when I entered Bean 
Town. 

Angus told me that Hardy was his influence 
in working with water colors.

“I met Steve here at Bean Town maybe three 
years ago,” said Angus. “There was no where 
to sit except at the counter, where I could 
watch Steve Hardy work his watercolors. I 
liked the way that Steve did his abstracts, 
and he made it look so natural. It was a lot 
more pleasing than anything I’d previously 
seen.”

Angus then began doing his own style of 
water colors and he found that he really 
enjoys it. 

“I like the way that Steve carves into his 
paint,” explained Angus. “I like that idea 
and I now carve into my painting as I try for 
3D effects.

Angus is a Sierra Madre resident who has been 
doing artwork off and on since childhood. 
He’s done mostly portrait sketches in pencil, 
as well as landscapes. Angus showed me a 
photo of one of his favorite pencil sketches, 
“A Man With a Patch,” though most of his 
early sketches have been lost or given away. 

“I’ve always found it fun to draw,” say Angus, 
“and it has been a habit since childhood. But 
since I met Steve Hardy, I now really like 
doing watercolors.”

I asked Angus to tell me what motivates him 
to draw and to decide the subject matter of 
his art.

“I just do it, and try not to think about it,” 
he responded. “I enjoy the technique of it. 
I don’t know how the work is going to turn 
out, and it really portrays the inner workings 
of my mind on paper.” 

Angus is a self-taught artist, and he explains 
that art classes can be good for the skills 
but not for developing your own individual 
skills and style. “An art class can explain to 
you what to do, but your creativity has to 
come from within.”

Though he draws for personal enjoyment, 
he does say that he would enjoy being able 
to support himself with his art “as long as I 
could continue to do my art my own way.”

Want to talk to Jack Angus, or Steve Hardy? 
They can often be found in the evening at 
Bean Town on Baldwin, “the nexus of Sierra 
Madre,” according to Steve Hardy.