Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 22, 2014

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 22, 2014

Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown

SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE ALBUMS 
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED THIS YEAR 


The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion: A 
Novel by Fannie Flagg 

 The one and only Fannie Flagg, beloved author of 
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Can’t 
Wait to Get to Heaven, and I Still Dream About You, 
is at her hilarious and superb best in this new comic 
mystery novel about two women who are forced to 
reimagine who they are.Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point 
Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her 
daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and 
perhaps traveling with her husband, 
Earle. The only thing left to contend with 
is her mother, the formidable Lenore 
Simmons Krackenberry. Lenore may be 
a lot of fun for other people, but is, for 
the most part, an overbearing presence 
for her daughter. Then one day, quite 
by accident, Sookie discovers a secret 
about her mother’s past that knocks 
her for a loop and suddenly calls into 
question everything she ever thought 
she knew about herself, her family, and 
her future.Sookie begins a search for 
answers that takes her to California, the 
Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940s, 
when an irrepressible woman named 
Fritzi takes on the job of running her 
family’s filling station. Soon truck 
drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-
Girl Filling Station. Then, Fritzi sees an opportunity 
for an even more groundbreaking adventure. As 
Sookie learns about the adventures of the girls at the 
All-Girl Filling Station, she finds herself with new 
inspiration for her own life.Fabulous, fun-filled, 
spanning decades and generations, and centered on 
a little-known aspect of America’s twentieth-century 
story, The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is 
another irresistible novel by the remarkable Fannie 
Flagg.

Alex: The Commandant Camille Verhoeven 
Trilogy by Pierre Lemaitre 

 Upon winning the prestigious 2013 Crime Writers 
Association International Dagger Award, the judges 
praised Alex by saying, “An original and absorbing 
ability to leash incredulity in the name of the fictional 
contract between author and reader... A police 
procedural, a thriller against time, a 
race between hunted and hunter, and 
a whydunnit, written from multiple 
points of view that explore several 
apparently parallel stories which 
finally meet.”Alex Prevost--kidnapped, 
savagely beaten, suspended from the 
ceiling of an abandoned warehouse in 
a tiny wooden cage--is running out of 
time. Her abductor appears to want 
only to watch her die. Will hunger, 
thirst, or the rats get her first?Apart 
from a shaky eyewitness report of 
the abduction, Police Commandant 
Camille Verhoeven has nothing to go 
on: no suspect, no leads, and no family 
or friends anxious to find a missing 
loved one. The diminutive and brilliant 
detective knows from bitter experience the urgency 
of finding the missing woman as quickly as possible-
-but first he must understand more about her. As he 
uncovers the details of the young woman’s singular 
history, Camille is forced to acknowledge that the 
person he seeks is no ordinary victim. She is beautiful, 
yes, but also extremely tough and resourceful. Before 
long, saving Alex’s life will be the least of Commandant 
Verhoeven’s considerable challenges.

By Sean Kayden

The War On Drugs – “Lost 
In A Dream” - Deep and 
profound, the Philadelphia 
band’s third album, “Lost in the Dream” will guide 
your mind and soul into a wilderness you’ve been 
desperately seeking. It breathes new life into the 
spectrum of what we know as indie rock. The record 
speaks to generations young and old (although 
the young these days don’t have a clue about good 
music). It’s wild, yet there is a sense of calmness is 
present. There’s pain, darkness, and broken hearts 
scattered throughout the course of the album. 
You’re lost then found then lost again inside the 
magnificent “Lost In The Dream.” The War On 
Drugs is a rock band that bleeds with heart, soul, 
and rockin’ guitars that bring some of you back to a 
much happier time and place. If you want to feel live 
again, here’s the one record of 2014 sorely missing 
from your music collection. 

 She Sir – “Go Guitars“- The Austin, Texas 
quartet She Sir started playing together nearly a 
decade ago. After a series of hiatuses and a couple of 
EP’s along the way, the band has lastly released their 
full-length debut record, “Go Guitars” this past 
February. What a truly unique and disparate band 
She Sir is. I’ve always had a penchant for dreamy 
pop music. It’s absolutely calming and sometimes 
transcendent. Bright melodies, tight arrangements, 
subtle rhythms make up most of “Go Guitars.” 
She Sir’s debut dream pop album hits all the right 
melancholic chords. Go Guitars” is a thirty-two 
minute dream from beginning to end. Each track 
effortlessly transitions into the next. The richly 
textured melodic sound alongside Russell’s Karloff 
soft and compelling vocals is indeed a marvelous 
conjunction. Tuneful, meditative, and graceful are 
just few of the things to describe the record. If you 
want to get lost for a few hours, take “Go 

Guitars” for a few spins. You never know what you’ll 
discover on each go around and that’s the true 
beauty of this album for each individual. 

 The Gaslight Anthem – “Get Hurt” - “Get 
Hurt” was the deeply personal new record from 
The Gaslight Anthem this past year. Lead singer 
Brian Fallon’s new direction comes after the 
divorce from his wife of ten years. Instead of 
wearing Springsteen on their sleeves like with their 
previous efforts, the band has splashes of U2, Tom 
Petty, and Pearl Jam sounds scattered throughout 
the record. “Stay Vicious” kicks off the compilation. 
It starts off like a hard rock track, reminiscent of 
grunge rock. The chorus softens up, which makes 
the song much better (and more in tune with the 
rest of the record). “1000 Years” has Kings Of Leon 
type of guitar riffs. It’s a solid tune that reflects 
upon Fallon’s own darkness. “Get Hurt” begins 
very soft and it feels like Fallon is talking right 
to his ex. He is ceaseless with sharing his own 
personal pain, but that’s the point of the record. 
Coping with something unimaginable until it 
actually happens. Somehow, The Gaslight Anthem 
can take ominous lyrics and give them light with 
their terrific arrangements and song structure. 
“Underneath The Ground” is another ambitious 
tune. With this track, the band is shedding old 
feathers and spreading their newfound wings. 
“Break Your Heart” is a lovely ballad that has a 
Tom Petty style to it. It’s a painful and fervent song 
that seems like a letter from Fallon to his ex-wife. 
After a first listen, it may just break your own heart. 
In the end, “Get Hurt” is a captivating, compelling 
record. Vehemently intimate, consistently ardent, 
and genuinely heartfelt, this ranks among the 
finest American rock albums of the year. 


ARCADIA PERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATION 
PRESENTS ITS SECOND SEASON AT THE 

ARCADIA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER


– Three Dog Night on Saturday, January 10 at 8 
pm; The Four Tops on Saturday, February 21 at 
8 pm; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on Friday, March 
27 at 8 pm; The Muppet Movie Sing-a-Long on 
Saturday, May 16 at 2 pm and Dick Fox Doo Wop 
Extravaganza on Saturday, June 6 at 7 pm. This 
four concert season, and the additional attraction 
The Muppet Movie Sing-A-Long, is presented by 
the Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation and is 
a means of raising funds to support arts in the 
schools and maintain this new, state-of-the-art 
facility.

 Tickets are available online by visiting www.
Arcadiapaf.org. The theatre is at 188 Campus 
Drive at North Santa Anita Avenue, Arcadia 
CA 91007. For information please call 626-821-
1781. Subscriptions and single tickets go on sale 
November 19, 2014. VIP Meet and Greets for each 
concert are also available for purchase.

 The Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation has 
currently set a fundraising goal $10 million that 
will result in an endowment to provide regular 
funding for the Performing Arts Center and the 
district arts programs. The Arcadia Performing 
Arts Center provides a first-class venue for the San 
Gabriel Valley where the public can enjoy major 
concert and performing arts attractions, and 
where student talent can be fostered and supported 
with a venue for their work.

 Mickey Segal, Arcadia Performing Arts 
Foundation Chairman, said, “During our 
inaugural season we found that there was a great 
and supportive public for the concerts they brought 
to Arcadia – three of them completely selling out, 
so we know that there is an audience here that are 
eager to return for more wonderful entertainment. 
And the building has been a great resource for 
students and the community, who have enjoyed a 
top class venue for all kinds of activities.”

 The 2015 Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation 
season sponsors are Alan and Sandy Whitman, 
Mickey and Lee Segal and Momentous Insurance. 

On the Marquee: Notes from the Sierra Madre Playhouse