Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 25, 2014

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 25, 2014

Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown

SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

BANDS WITH 2014 ALBUMS 

YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR 2015


GRAY MOUNTAIN: A NOVEL by John Grisham 


John Grisham has a new hero and she’s full of surprises.The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer’s career at a 
huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track until the recession hits and she gets downsized, furloughed, 
escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is one of the “lucky” associates. She’s offered an opportunity 
to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, after which there would be a slim chance that she’d get 
her old job back. In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, 
in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Mattie Wyatt, lifelong Brady resident 
and head of the town’s legal aid clinic, is there to teach her how to “help real people with real problems.” For 
the first time in her career, Samantha prepares a lawsuit, sees the inside of an actual courtroom, gets scolded 
by a judge, and receives threats from locals who aren’t so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town. And she 
learns that Brady, like most small towns, harbors some big secrets.Her new job takes Samantha into the 
murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, rules are ignored, regulations 
are flouted, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack from Big Coal. Violence is always 
just around the corner, and within weeks Samantha finds herself engulfed in litigation that turns deadly.


MY SISTER’S GRAVE by Robert Dugoni 

What does a murder do to a family, to an entire small 
town? These questions spark My Sister’s Grave, a deft 
blend of murder mystery and legal thriller that will 
wrench your heart as it takes your breath away.At the core 
is the poignant relationship between Sarah Crosswhite, 
who vanished without a trace 20 years earlier at the age 
of eighteen, and Tracy Crosswhite, her older sister by four 
years, who dedicates her life to finding out the truth about 
what happened to Sarah.The emotional questions in this 
book get under your skin: How would you feel if your 
sister completely disappeared? Would you hold out hope? 
What would you think when her body was discovered and 
your hope was crushed? What would you do if finding her 
remains raised more questions than it answered questions 
that your hometown wasn’t prepared to face? As Robert said, “I think readers will love getting to know 
Tracy and her relationship to her sister, Sarah. I think people will feel the bond that those two characters 
share, as well as the pain Tracy feels when Sarah disappears. I think they’ll love reading about a tough, 
strong-willed, intelligent woman seeking justice. Beyond that, I hope they’ll just love an old-fashioned 
edge-of-your-chair thriller with a heart-pounding ending.

SAILING ALONE AROUND THE WORLD 

by Joshua Slocum

 
“Sailing Alone Around the World” 
is the famous sailing memoir about 
Slocum’s solo global circumnavigation 
aboard the ship Spray. Slocum was the 
first person to sail around the world 
alone. The book was an immediate 
success and highly influential in 
inspiring later travelers.Any person no 
matter where or when will take heart 
from this true story. Joshua Slocum was 
a very complex man. He wrote a book 
as sublime and as soul-satisfying as 
anyone could wish for. This is a book for 
a warm fire and a glass of rum, or a cabin 
on a sailboat. The places he sees and the 
people he meets are extraordinary; and 
vividly painted. But they pale when he 
describes Spray and the sea. You can 
hear the love and longing in his voice 
when he describes them. 

This is the last of a breed, trying to keep 
his heart alive after wrenching losses, at 
the end of his rope, and finding a way to 
continue on and be fulfilled. Excellent 
reading.

By Sean Kayden

BLACK ENGLISH 
(NO) – “El Prado” - 
Black English, formerly 
known as NO, is an indie rock sextet from Echo 
Park, CA. Hailed as an optimistic version of 
indie rock heavyweights, The National, Black 
English’s debut record “El Prado” is a soaring 
rock endeavor that is filled with raw emotion 
and heart. Bradley Hanan Carter belts with 
a stoic type of voice. Carter’s vocals have a 
strong resemblance to the likes of Paul Banks 
from Interpol and a downright eerie similarity 
to Matt Berninger from The National. With 
glistening guitars and 80s drums, Black English 
will elevate you to a higher level. Intricate and 
thought-provoking lyrics, sublime guitars, and 
a layered vibe that can’t be called anything but 
cool, Black English’s first feature LP comes off 
like a band reaching their peak than merely just 
beginning. This is the type of unknown band 
you need to discover while hitting up one of the 
many festivals they will hopefully be taking part 
in come 2015. Arts & Crafts released “El Prado” 
this past February. 

EMPIRES – “Orphan” - Chicago indie rockers, 
Empires released their LP, “Orphan” last month. 
A mixture of sounds that include the likes of 
The Killers, The Bravery, and The National, 
Empires have a wide-ranging resonance. Their 
particularly superb third record showcases what 
seems to be a rebirth of the band. It’s more elegant 
in tone as well as primed and ready for arena-
size audiences. Sean Van Vleet has so many 
different sides to his vocals. Dark and brooding 
to light, his range on vocals is utterly impressive. 
With dance-ready beats found on, “Orphan,” 
and “Please Don’t Tell My Love,” to anthem 
style jams like “Journey Kid,” there’s plenty that 
this album is offering. Remember when The 
Killers were actually good? Well, Empires’ song 
“Journey Kid” echoes to that elapsed time. The 
chorus is straight up Killers, but improved. Give 
Empires a fair shake. Several of their songs rank 
up with some of the best of the year. “Oprhan” 
was released in September via Island Records. 

FRANCISCO THE MAN – “Loose Ends” - 
Francisco The Man bursts onto the indie rock 
scene with, “Loose Ends.” It’s an exceptional, 
exultant record that stimulates the listener’s 
mind. Throughout this evolution, one’s thoughts 
are cogitating questions of their own self-
examined life. Scotty Cantino, Brock Woolsey, 
Nestor Romero, and Abdeel Ortega have been 
crafting music for numerous years with various 
singles and EPs, “Loose Ends” is their debut LP. 
The new material is deeply contemplative, which 
makes it a great discovery among the rubble of 
popular mainstream offerings. California vibes, 
occasional synths, and lavish guitars smoothly 
mixed with shoegaze has “Loose Ends” being 
certainly memorable. The first single “Progress,” 
breathes new life into what the epitome of a 
summer rock song used to be. The term progress 
usually suggests steady yet continuous. However, 
“Progress” is fast, vivacious, and hurried. If you’re 
looking for a current wake-up call in life, turn 
up the volume on “Progress.” It may function as 
the opening number to the soundtrack of your 
new beginning “Loose Ends” is set for release on 
October 28th via Small Plates Records. 


On the Marquee: Notes from the Sierra Madre Playhouse


THE NEW NEWS, By Artistic Director, Christian Lebano

Today I got the most wonderful email from a new 
patron. She had never attended our theater before 
but read what she said:

 “I came to see your production [4000 Miles] 
and experience your theater several Sundays ago, I 
wanted you to know what an incredible experience 
I had and how absolutely stunning I thought the 
entire production was. I was absolutely and totally 
absorbed in every moment. I think I get what you 
are trying to do there; create a very professional 
theater company doing world class work in a 
space that maybe was once a community theater? 
Anyway that is the vibe I got. I just wanted you 
to know that if this production is any indication, 
you are absolutely on the right track. I know that it 
must take such courage, resilience and fortitude to 
have your vision and to see it through. So I thought 
it might be nice to get an e mail from someone 
who gets it and is so impressed and awed by it.”

 This really made my day. She so clearly saw what 
we are trying to do at SMP. I’ll say again, if you 
haven’t been to the Playhouse in a while, please 
come see what we are up to. We are now in rehearsal 
for A Little House Christmas based on the Little 
House series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and 
adapted for the stage by James DeVita. I was at the 
first read-through of the cast and I can promise 
you and your entire family will be charmed by this 
play. Since we’ve dedicated our stage to plays that 
celebrate the American experience by American 
playwrights, I was thrilled to find a Christmas 
show that so clearly fit our new mission. Emily 
Chase, who is directing the play, has put together 
a wonderful cast and has added music from the Pa 
Ingalls Songbook. We may have a new Christmas 
tradition on our hands.

 We have had our first production meetings for 
both Einstein is a Dummy (which will play school 
and Saturday matinees) and for A Walk in the 
Woods which will play evenings in repertory with 
Einstein. This is an ambitious undertaking for us, 
but one I think we are up for. We’ll be casting both 
plays soon.

 And soon I’ll have to seriously start thinking 
about next year’s plays – and we haven’t even 
finished this season yet! Always so much to do.

 4000 Miles plays until Saturday, November 8 
and A Little House Christmas opens the day after 
Thanksgiving, November 28. I hope we’ll see you 
in the audience for both.

ONE NIGHT ONLY! “MURDER ON THE AIR” ON 
OCTOBER 26 AT SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE

“Murder on the Air.” A Live Radio Show -- with DEATH on the Program. Radio personalities are being 
murdered at the Flighttime Radio Station, including their most unpopular singer. A station page boy and 
his friend investigate the deaths in hopes of finding the killer and a chance to perform – ON THE AIR! 
Chris Sands and Ken Salzman direct this Vaudeville Variety Show Musical Murder Mystery. Presented 
by SanZman Productions in association with Sierra Madre Playhouse.

 At Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Ample free parking 
behind theatre. Sunday, October 26, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. All seats $20. Reservations: (626) 355-4318. Online 
ticketing: www.sierramadreplayhouse.org