Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 14, 2015

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 14, 2015 


SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

MILO GREENE – ‘CONTROL’ 

Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown

By Sean Kayden

His Excellency: George 
Washington by Joseph J. Ellis 

To this landmark biography of our 
first president, Joseph J. Ellis brings 
the exacting scholarship, shrewd 
analysis, and lyric prose that have 
made him one of the premier 
historians of the Revolutionary era. 
Training his lens on a figure who 
sometimes seems as remote as his 
effigy on Mount Rushmore, Ellis 
assesses George Washington as a 
military and political leader and a 
man whose “statue-like solidity” 
concealed volcanic energies and 
emotions.Here is the impetuous 
young officer whose miraculous 
survival in combat half-convinced 
him that he could not be killed. 
Here is the free-spending 
landowner whose debts to English 
merchants instilled him with a 
prickly resentment of imperial 
power. We see the general who lost 
more battles than he won and the 
reluctant president who tried to 
float above the partisan feuding 
of his cabinet. His Excellency is a 
magnificent work, indispensable 
to an understanding not only of 
its subject but also of the nation he 
brought into being.

Lincoln, by David Herbert 
Donald

A masterful work by a Pulitzer 
Prize winning author , Lincoln is a stunning 
portrait of Abraham Lincoln’s life and presidency.
Donald brilliantly depicts Lincoln’s gradual ascent 
from humble beginnings in rural 
Kentucky to the ever-expanding 
political circles in Illinois, and 
finally to the presidency of a country 
divided by civil war. Donald goes 
beyond biography, illuminating 
the gradual development of 
Lincoln’s character, chronicling his 
tremendous capacity for evolution 
and growth, thus illustrating 
what made it possible for a man so 
inexperienced and so unprepared 
for the presidency to become a great 
moral leader. In the most troubled of 
times, here was a man who led the 
country out of slavery and preserved 
a shattered Union—in short, one of 
the greatest presidents this country 
has ever seen.

The American Presidency by 
Alan Brinkley 2004

An incisive, and accessible 
reference on the American 
presidency, with essays by the 
nation’s leading historians. An 
indispensable re-source for the 
curious reader and the serious 
historian alike, The American 
Presidency showcases some of 
the most provocative interpretive 
history being written today. This 
rich narrative history sheds light on 
the hubris, struggles, and brilliance 
of our nation’s leaders.Coupling 
vivid writing with unparalleled 
scholarship, these insightful essays from well-
known historians cover every presidency from the 
first through the forty-third.


Milo Greene is an LA-based 
indie pop quintet with not 
a single member having 
the name Milo Greene. 
The five-piece band which 
includes Robbie Arnett, 
Graham Fink, Andrew Heringer, Curtis Marrero, 
and Marlana Sheetz have changed course with their 
anticipated sophomore, Control. A darkly snyth-
pop resonance encompasses the newest effort. Their 
luminous self-titled debut was influenced by 70s soft 
rock and contemporary indie pop. It exhibited a deep 
catharsis as well as pastoral and rustic style which led 
to an incredibly laidback listen from beginning to end. 
The unique aspect of Milo Greene is how four of the 
five members share vocal duties. The most distinctive 
vocals come from lone female member, Marlana 
Sheetz. However, the rest of the members still provide 
intoxicating and affecting vocals. With the assistance 
of Joey Waronker (drummer of Beck, Atoms For Peace, 
R.E.M.) and Jesse Shatkin (Sia, Foster The People, Ellie 
Goulding), Control is a complete tonal shift from Milo 
Greene’s previous outing. This time around, the band 
pushes the envelope with a more buoyant, propulsive 
sound. Additionally, there is this sense of urgency 
surrounding the record. The opaque tones alongside the 
strong lyrical conviction give new life to Milo Greene. In 
fact, this latest enterprise demonstrates an entirely new 
image for a band obviously desiring to move forward 
rather than standing still. 

 The single, “White Lies” introduces the album in 
winning fashion. Right from the getgo, the fan of Milo 
Greene will hear and most of all feel the difference. 
While the transformation at first is surprising, the 
accessibility of settling right into it becomes effortless 
by the end of the track. Sheetz is on this track and her 
vocals are smooth and soulful in quality. The song 
moves at a faster pace than what you might have come 
to expect from Milo Greene. Succeeding track, “On The 
Fence,” pushes the band’s soundscape even further. The 
infectious drumbeat paired up with overlapping vocals 
by several members is an engaging combo. A downright 
dance worthy track, “On The Fence” is the catchiest song 
of Control. “Save Yourself” brings the same rhythmic 
power as “White Lies.” Like much of the record, it 
exhibits new musical channels not heard before from 
Milo Greene. “Heartless” is a beautiful exposition 
of dreamy vocals, cinematic-pop undertones, and 
incredible harmonies. “Lie To Me” is another gem among 
an exceptionally assembled album from beginning 
to end. The spectacular and meticulously produced 
arrangements are quite celestially in composition. 
Arnett’s raspy voice paired with Sheetz glossy vocals 
sounds ravishing as a unit. One of the catchiest tunes 
on the album, “Lie To Me” is exceedingly well crafted. 
“When It’s Done” presents a heart-pounding drumbeat 
and vocals that are substantially formidable. It’s as if 
Milo Greene is announcing that they’re back with a new 
way of doing things and if you want to come along on 
this fast moving train then hop aboard. Where they’re 
heading remains to be unseen but isn’t that half the fun? 

 Control ends with the barebones acoustic track, 
“Royal Blues.” It quietly echoes the likes of Milo Greene’s 
debut record. This all translates into something haunting 
and stirring. With murmurs of “oh, oh, ohs,” the band 
brings the listener in closer in than ever before. The 
contemplative tune expands into richer musical terrain 
in the last minute allowing the solitary listener to rest 
their weary mind. Control does just about everything 
right and sends you off thinking about all that is 
bordering you. It’s the proper album to handle the 
circling circumstances of one’s own passageway from 
getting to one place to the next, wherever that may be. 

Grade: 8 out of 10

Key Tracks: “Save Yourself,” “Heartless,” “When It’s 
Done,” “Lie To Me”

 
On the Marquee: Notes from the Sierra MadrePlayhouse

A LOVELY LINEAGE

After critically acclaimed sold out performances 
in both Los Angeles and Palm Springs, award 
winning stage star Kristin Towers-Rowles brings 
her award nominated musical cabaret show to the 
Sierra Madre Playhouse for one night only.

 A Lovely Lineage captures the historic 
Hollywood and Broadway lineage of Kristin 
Towers-Rowles starting with her grandmother, 
the legendary Kathryn Grayson. Ms. Grayson 
was anMGM darling and Hollywood pioneer 
having starred in some of the most beloved movie 
musicals of the 1950s including Kiss Me Kate 
and Showboat. The lineage does not stop there. 
Her grandfather was the talented and dashing 
Broadway leading man Johnnie Johnston. Her 
mother, Patricia Towers, was a headliner in Vegas, 
and her father is the recognizable character actor, 
Robert Towers. Kristin celebrates her family’s 
legacy by performing music from such notable 
Broadway standards as Kiss Me Kate, Follies, 
Wicked and She Loves Me to name a few. Joining 
Kristin on stage is the incomparable multiple 
award nominated Craig McEldowney who 
received rave reviews as Father in Ragtime with 
3D Theatricals and is currently featured in the 
Ovation recommended musical, Serrano now 
playing at the Matrix Theatre.

 Ovation Award winner Cate Caplin (Putting 
it Together, Company) directs A Lovely Lineage 
alongside multiple award winner Ross Kalling as 
Musical Director. A Lovely Lineage is presented 
in part by Sierra Madre Playhouse for one night 
only; Sunday February 15th, 2015 at 7 PM. 
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.
sierramadreplayhouse.org or by calling (626) 
355-4318.


45TH ANNUAL FRIENDS OF THE SIERRA MADRE 
LIBRARY WINE AND CUISINE TASTING 

Tickets are on sale now for the 45th Annual Friends of 
the Sierra Madre Library Wine and Cuisine Tasting. The 
event will be held on Friday evening, February 20, 2015, 
at the Alverno Villa, 675 West Highland Avenue, Sierra 
Madre, CA. The Alverno Villa Del Sol D’Oro, built on 
13 acres in the foothills of Sierra Madre was designed 
by notable Pasadena architect Wallace Neff. Well-
known in the Los Angeles area, Neff was the designer of 
Pickfair, we well as an architect to many of Hollywood’s 
earliest stars. The Villa is a two-thirds scale replica of 
the Villa Collazzi near Florence rumored to have been 
designed by Michelangelo. Plan to attend this elegant 
affair in an historic setting where you will experience 
a tasting of fines wines from across the state as well as 
hors d’oeuvres and desserts from local restaurants and 
gourmet retailers. 

 Tickets to the Premier Event are $80 and allow 
you early admission at 6:00PM. Johnny Stange, the 
sommelier from Treasury Wine Estates, will give a 
special wine tasting for those at the Premier Event, a 
chocolatier will provide chocolates to be paired with 
the red wines, and a local restaurant will offer hors 
d’oeuvres to be paired with the white wines. 

 Tickets to the Main Event are $60 and provide 
admission at 7:00 PM. Throughout the evening you 
will enjoy live music and Magic Castle magicians as 
you stroll about the lovely grounds of the Alverno 
Villa sampling the wonderful wines and appetizers. 
A silent auction will again be offering lovely artwork, 
services, tickets to special events, restaurant 
vouchers, and many other tempting items. Tickets 
are currently on sale at the Sierra Madre Library, the 
Bottle Shop, Savor the Flavor, and Arnold’s Frontier 
Hardware.

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com