Mountain Views News          Saturday, September 6, 2014

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 6, 2014

JeffÕs Book Picks By Jeff Brown


SEANÕS SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

MERCHANDISE 

SOUS CHEF: 24 HOURS 
ON THE LINE by Michael 
Gibney 

The back must slave to feed 
the belly. . . . In this unique 
book, chef Michael Gibney uses 
twenty-four hours to animate 
the intricate camaraderie and 
culinary choreography in an 
upscale New York restaurant 
kitchen. Here readers will find 
all the details, in rapid-fire 
succession, of what it takes to 
deliver an exceptional plate of 
food. the journey to excellence by 
way of exhaustion. Sous Chef is 
an immersive, adrenaline-fueled 
run that offers a fly-on-the-wall 
perspective on the food service 
industry, allowing readers to 
briefly inhabit the hidden world 
behind the kitchen doors, in real 
time. This exhilarating account 
provides regular diners and 
food enthusiasts alike a detailed 
insiderÕs perspective, while 
offering fledgling professional 
cooks an honest picture of what 
the future holds, ultimately 
giving voice to the hard work 
and dedication around which 
chefs have built their careers.
In a kitchen where the highest 
standards are upheld and one 
misstep can result in disaster, 
Sous Chef conjures a greater 
appreciation for the thought, care, 
and focus that go into creating 
memorable and delicious fare. 
With grit, wit, and remarkable 
prose, Michael Gibney renders 
a beautiful and raw account of 
this demanding and sometimes 
overlooked profession, offering a 
nuanced perspective on the craft 
and art of food and service.

HEALING BACK PAIN: THE 
MIND-BODY CONNECTION 
MASS MARKET by John E. 
Sarno 

Dr. John E. Sarno is a medical 
pioneer whose program 
has helped thousands of 
people overcome their back 
conditions, without drugs or 
dangerous surgery. Now, using 
his grounbreaking research 
into TMS (Tension Mytostis 
Syndrome), Dr. Sarno goes one 
step further: after identifyig 
stress and other psychological 
factors in back pain, he 
demonstrates how many of his 
patients have gone on to heal 
themselves without exercise or 
other physical therapy. Find 
out: Why self-motivated and 
successful people are prone to 
TMS. How anxiety and repressed 
anger trigger muscle spasms.
How people Òtrain themselvesÕ 
to experience back pain.How 
you may get relief from back 
pain within two to six weeks 
or quicker by recognizing 
TMS and its causes. With case 
histories and the results of in-
depth mind-body research, Dr. 
Sarno describes how patients 
recognize the emotional roots 
of their TMS and sever the 
connections between mental and 
physical pain... and how, just by 
reading this book, you may start 
recovering from back pain today. 
An absolute breakthrough in 
back pain understanding.

THE SEVEN SECRETS OF SLIM 
PEOPLE by Vikki Hansen 
and Shawn Goodman

A classic in the field of weight loss 
books. How do naturally thin 
people stay so slim? Face it. Diets 
donÕt work. All they do is create 
a chronic cycle of weight loss 
and gain thatÕs nearly impossible 
to escape. But you donÕt have 
to be fat and unhappy forever. 
Now, at last, hereÕs a long term, 
lifetime solution you can count 
on, an inspirational, step-by-step 
plan that will help you achieve 
total health and your ideal body 
weight.Sound too good to be 
true? ItÕs not! By following these 
seven secrets, you will take 
control of your eating habits 
and change your life forever. 
With this groundbreaking, time-
tested program youÕll get a new 
taste of freedom--the freedom 
to look and feel great without 
giving up the foods you love.
YouÕve got nothing to lose, except 
the weight.

By Sean Kayden

 Merchandise is a 
post-punk outfit from 
Tampa Bay. TheyÕve 
been recording music for 
several years now, but 
ÒAfter The EndÓ marks their debut for a major 
ÒindieÓ record label, 4AD. The days of sprawling 
rock songs are a past diversion. ÒAfter The EndÓ 
marks a complete tonal shift. The band is focus on 
more of a sparkling, crisp pop sound. Carson CoxÕs 
baritone vocals mix very well with The Smiths-
esque arrangements. Merchandise is not a big name 
band, however, these new songs are primed and 
ready for filled arenas. The new album is of a pop-
oriented guise, but this shouldnÕt scare long time 
fans. In fact, IÕd recommend embracing the change. 
Their ability to progress entirely into something 
brand new is definitely commendable. ItÕs rather a 
very refreshing sound even if the band has some 
minor struggles along the way.

 ÒAfter The EndÓ evokes the popularity of 80s 
band like The Cure and Echo & The Bunnymen. 
Previous efforts from the band demonstrated 
a harsh, unhinged sound. Some of those tracks 
spanned the course of ten minutes, while the songs 
on ÒAfter The EndÓ rarely hit five minutes (only the 
title track does that) in duration. CoxÕs crooning 
vocals are reminiscent of Morrissey, but the band 
is not a carbon copy. Closing track, ÒExile and EgoÓ 
is beautiful and soothing. The haunting tune is 
the bandÕs best song here. The record seems to be 
carefully executed, precisely crafted. After one or 
two faster paced songs, youÕll hear a few lowbeat 
tunes. ÒLife Outside The Mirror,Ó slows things 
down while following track ÒTelephone,Ó speeds it 
back up. It might be a cheesy in lyrics, but itÕs fun 
and has a lounge-y sort of vibe to it. The title track 
is rather unimpressive. ItÕs a bit of a slog at nearly 
seven minutes in length. ÒLittle KillerÓ is exemplary 
80s pop music. You can definitely dance to this one 
even with CoxÕs heavy crooning. The placement 
of songs is impressive because the rhythm of the 
record feels like itÕs constantly changing. 

Merchandise finds themselves at crossroads. 
The self-proclaimed pop record proves the band 
is reborn. Their new direction might have been 
necessary to rise above anonymity. IÕm not entirely 
sure Merchandise is equipped to fully take over the 
masses. Strangely enough, theyÕve tried to take a 
sound from another era and make it sound uniquely 
their own. Honestly, the band pulls it off rather 
successfully. ÒAfter The EndÓ is a different, darker 
take on pop. The risks are bold, but Merchandise 
somehow, almost out of nowhere, accomplished 
many of their lofty goals. ItÕs a striking effort, one 
that shouldnÕt have to hide in the shadows of their 
influences or of todayÕs lack of risk takers. ÒAfter 
The EndÓ is not actually the end, but simply only 
the beginning for these daring, brazen rockers. 

Grade: 7.6 out of 10

Key Tracks: ÒTrue Monument,Ó ÒLife Outside The 
Mirror,Ó ÒTelephone,Ó ÒExile and EgoÓ


On the Marquee: Notes from the Sierra MadrePlayhouse

MUSIC IS MEANING


By Christian Lebano, Artistic Director

 Theater is the most collaborative of arts. As 
a director, one of my greatest pleasures is the 
discussions I have with the other artists working 
on a project with me. Usually IÕve been thinking 
about the project for a while by the time I begin 
talking with the lighting, sound, costume and 
set designers. Each of these conversations can 
expand my ideas about the project profoundly.

 On 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog which is in 
rehearsal now for a September 26 opening, I 
made the decision to bring on a composer to help 
me with the scene transitions written into the 
play. Jonathan Beard and I first worked together 
on Driving Miss Daisy for which he wrote not 
only beautiful music but music that kept the 
action moving forward between all of those short 
scenes. There are eight transitions in 4000 Miles 
and it is important that we continue the forward 
momentum while the characters are off stage 
preparing for the next scene.

 When I asked him about the play, he said: 
Ò4000 Miles is such a poignant, intimate story, 
that first and foremost the score needs to not get 
in the way! Moving beyond that, my goal with 
this music is to quietly support the emotional 
depth of the relationships we are seeing unfold 
on stage. If I do my job correctly, the score can 
serve as a gentle warm blanket surrounding the 
drama.Ó

 Talking with Jonathan about the play is a bit 
like speaking with a therapist Ð we talked of 
mood, of feelings; we used words like spikey, 
jagged, smooth; he wanted to know about colors 
and emotions and what response we wanted to 
provoke. These talks have been so valuable to me 
and have clarified my understanding of the play 
and have influenced my work with the actors

I asked Jonathan to sum up his work composing 
for the theater and this is what he told me: 
ÒComposing for the theater is a unique experience 
with its own set of challenges, and draws on both 
sides of my compositional background. The 
score is recorded to accompany a dramatic arc as 
it would in a film, but is then being experienced 
by the audience in a live setting, similar to a 
concert. While there may not be a live musical 
ensemble in the theater each night, there are of 
course indeed still live performances happening 
on stage! So I need to remain sensitive to the 
live-artistic experience of the audience during 
the creative process.Ó

 With work hailed as ÒexcellentÓ (Miami 
Examiner) and Ògeared especially well for 
the orchestrally curiousÓ (LA Times Daily 
Pilot), Jonathan has received commissions by 
an esteemed group of ensembles and artists, 
including the St. Lawrence String Quartet, 
the Pacific Symphony of Orange County, the 
Colorado Symphony, and the Los Angeles Master 
Chorale chamber singers, among others.

 IÕm thrilled to announce here that Jonathan 
has agreed to be our Resident Composer and that 
along with his commitment to write the music for 
two shows this season he will also be performing 
in a concert of his own music called ÒNew Music 
for Old InstrumentsÓ on May 24, 2015 as part of 
our Sunday Music Series.

 Please let me hear from you about programming 
at the Playhouse. I can be reached at christian.
lebano@sierramadreplayhouse.org

 

 Come home to the Playhouse Ð where great 
entertainment journeys begin. For tickets call 
626.355.4318 or go to www.sierramadreplayhouse.
org 


ÒTHANKS FOR THE MEMORIES,Ó BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND ON SEPTEMBER 7

 This nostalgic show features music, dance and comedy from the World War II era and later armed conflicts 
(Korea, Vietnam, Iraq) in a tribute to Bob Hope and the USO shows. A Theatres of Vision production.

 ÒThanks for the Memories.Ó A program of music, dance and comedy. At Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra 
Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Ample free parking behind theatre. Sunday, September 7, 2014 at 2:30 
and 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $30. Seniors (65+) $25. Veterans $15. Children 12 and under, $10. Reservations: (626) 355-
4318. Online ticketing: www.sierramadreplayhouse.org

 ÒWhat a delight!Ó---Life in L.A.

 ÒDelightfulÉ.May well perform forever.Ó---Theatre Spoken Here