Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 16, 2015

11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 16, 2015 

SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEW

THREE MINI-REVIEWS OF RECENT ALBUMS

Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown


By Sean Kayden

AN EMPIRE ON THE EDGE: HOW 
BRITAIN CAME TO FIGHT AMERICA 

by Nick Bunker

Written from a strikingly fresh 
perspective, this new account of the 
Boston Tea Party and the origins 
of the American Revolution shows 
how a lethal blend of politics, 
personalities, and economics led 
to a war that few people welcomed 
but nobody could prevent. In this 
powerful but fair-minded narrative, 
British author Nick Bunker tells 
the story of the last three years of 
mutual embitterment that preceded 
the outbreak of America’s war for 
independence in 1775. It was a 
tragedy of errors, in which both 
sides shared responsibility for a 
conflict that cost the lives of at least 
twenty thousand Britons and a still 
larger number of Americans. 

The British and the colonists failed to see how swiftly 
they were drifting toward violence until the process 
had gone beyond the point of no return.At the heart 
of the book lies the Boston Tea Party, an event that 
arose from fundamental flaws in the way the British 
managed their affairs. By the early 1770s, Great 
Britain had become a nation addicted to financial 
speculation, led by a political elite beset by internal 
rivalry and increasingly baffled by a changing 
world. When the East India Company came close 
to collapse, it patched together a rescue plan whose 
disastrous side effect was the destruction of the 
tea.With lawyers in London calling the Tea Party 
treason, and with hawks in Parliament crying out 
for revenge, the British opted for punitive reprisals 
without foreseeing the resistance they would 
arouse. For their part, Americans underestimated 
Britain’s determination not to give way. By the late 
summer of 1774, when the rebels in New England 
began to arm themselves, the descent into war had 
become irreversible. This book was a 2015 Pulitzer 
Prize finalist.

ENCOUNTERS AT THE HEART OF THE 
WORLD: A HISTORY OF THE MANDAN 
PEOPLE by Elizabeth A. Fenn

This is a Pulitzer Prize winning 
book that radically changes our 
understanding of North America 
before and after the arrival of 
Europeans. Encounters at the Heart 
of the World concerns the Mandan 
Indians, iconic Plains people whose 
teeming, busy towns on the upper 
Missouri River were for centuries 
at the center of the North American 
universe. We know of them mostly 
because Lewis and Clark spent the 
winter of 1804–1805 with them, 
but why don’t we know more? Who 
were they really? 

In this extraordinary book, Elizabeth 
A. Fenn retrieves their history by 
piecing together important new 
discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, geology, 
climatology, epidemiology, and nutritional science. 
Her boldly original interpretation of these diverse 
research findings offers us a new perspective on 
early American history, a new interpretation of the 
American past.By 1500, more than twelve thousand 
Mandans were established on the northern Plains, 
and their commercial prowess, agricultural skills, 
and reputation for hospitality became famous. 
Recent archaeological discoveries show how these 
Native American people thrived, and then how 
they collapsed. The damage wrought by imported 
diseases like smallpox and the havoc caused by the 
arrival of horses and steamboats were tragic for the 
Mandans, yet, as Fenn makes clear, their sense of 
themselves as a people with distinctive traditions 
endured. A riveting account of Mandan history, 
landscapes, and people, Fenn’s narrative is enriched 
and enlivened not only by science and research but 
by her own encounters at the heart of the world.

Fool’s Gold – ‘Flying 
Lessons’ - LA quintet 
Fool’s Gold are back with 
a commanding mixture 
of eclectic afro-pop tunes 
for their anticipated third 
record, Flying Lessons. It’s been four years cine Leave 
No Trace debuted to an abundance of admirable 
reviews. With this new record, Fool’s Gold has clearly 
extended upon their former material to develop a 
more intimate record that demonstrates a sense of 
authentic maturity. It will certainly satisfy anxious 
fans that have been expecting fresh music from 
Fool’s Gold. Flying Lessons is a compendium of 
songs sprawling the echoes of world music, tropical 
noises, and 80s dance beats. While the LA unit is 
traveling along a familiar road for themselves, they 
have shown tremendous growth both musically and 
lyrically. This renewed progress will unquestionably 
enthuse devoted fans, but it should come as no 
surprise with the many perceivable talents the band 
has always presented. The nine gathering tracks of 
Flying Lessons sets up an exotic, summery locale for 
those eyeing a much-needed escape from their own 
daily grind. Coming in at forty-two minutes long, 
Flying Lessons deposits new life into the band. Not 
that Fool’s Gold ever needed to be reinvented, but 
this latest labor of love is remarkably sharp, blissfully 
effective, and indisputably the feel-good record of the 
year. ‘Flying Lessons’ is out on May 19th. 

Braids – ‘Deep In The Iris’ - There is serenity beneath 
the moody Deep In The Iris, the third studio record 
from the Montreal troupe, Braids. The electronic art-
rock act brings an accessible melodious attraction to 
the latest album. It is the follow-up to 2013’s Flourish 
// Perish. Singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston and 
her partners Taylor Smith and Austin Tufts have 
generated a lavish experience with cavernous pop 
sensibilities and confessional lyrics to boot. The 
change in ethos for Braids is a welcoming one to say 
the least. Their overall form is shaping into something 
quite different on Deep In The Iris in contrast to 
the stoical soundscape the group trekked on with 
Flourish // Perish. The former record featured six out 
of ten tracks that were roughly six or more minutes 
long. Not one song on this attempt reaches that 
length of time for the nine songs that are featured 
here. Nevertheless, the deeply textured and variety of 
synth sounds deliver a truly powerful experience that 
pulls the listener in ever so closely. The enthralling 
Deep In The Iris is a more lucid and eloquent record 
from the triad as they begin to take the first steps 
toward a potentially new path. Deep In The Iris story 
compelled songs and sleeker pop sounds are putting 
Braids on an altered course, one that supplies more 
widespread appeal. ‘Deep In The Iris’ debuted on 
April 28th.

Elvis Depressedly – ‘New Alhambra’ - Asheville, 
North Carolina lo-fi group, Elvis Depressedly is 
made up of Mat Cothran of Coma Cinema and 
multi-instrumentalist & wife, Delaney Mills. Their 
debut LP, ‘New Alhambra,’ is an odd, but painfully 
beautiful bedroom-pop record. A collection of 
tranquil tracks that are lush and synth-heavy, 
but deeply personal in lyrical form. Cothran has 
developed an expansive gathering of downcast gems. 
While this marks the first full-length record for Elvis 
Depressedly, they have released numerous EPs over 
the years. However, this is the most accomplished 
piece of work the married couple has crafted 
together. While the endeavor is only twenty minutes 
in duration over the span of nine tracks, there’s 
something special to be uncovered. It’s a dark, but 
simple exertion. ‘New Alhambra’ feels downtrodden 
as Cothran scribes moody lyrics. Nevertheless, 
the record is real and raw coming together as a 
distressing experience in the best possible way. 
If you’re seeking something tender, but deeply 
emotional, look no further than Elvis Depressedly. 
It will put you into another world, outside your own. 
And hey, at any rate, their band name rocks. ‘New 
Alhambra’ came out on May 8th. 


On the Marquee: 

Notes from the Sierra MadrePlayhouse

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett

THE ODD COUPLE – PHASE II


WHAT YOU CAN LEARN 
FROM THE ESTATE 
PLANNING MISTAKES 

OF OTHERS

There is much to be learned from the mistakes 
of others and the celebrity world abounds with 
cautionary tales when it comes to estate planning. 
Even with all the financial resources available to 
them, celebrities can neglect the basics when it 
comes to protecting assets. 

 We come across sad tales all the time of “regular” 
people failing to take the proper steps to create an 
estate plan that assures their assets pass properly 
and that their heirs are spared from having to 
untangle costly legal messes. 

 Here are five important lessons you can learn 
from the mistakes of others:

 1. Don’t die without a will. Celebrities are the 
same as most people when it comes to thinking 
they will live forever – but they differ greatly 
in that they usually have a lot more money to 
leave behind. Actor Heath Ledger died without 
updating his will to include his daughter; all his 
assets went to his parents and siblings. 

 2. Equal isn’t always the same. Thinking she 
was treating her two children equally in her 
bequest, one woman left her home to her son 
and her investment portfolio to her daughter. 
Unfortunately, when she died, there was a sizeable 
tax liability on the home, and the only assets 
available were from the portfolio, leaving the 
daughter shortchanged. 

 3. Name the right executor. Naming a friend 
as executor is fine, but not always the best option. 
One woman named her best friend as her executor, 
but they happened to be the same age. When the 
woman died at age 86, her friend followed a few 
weeks later and no one was left to serve as executor 
since she hadn’t named a backup. 

 4. Provide for your children from a prior 
marriage. A man with children from a first 
marriage left all his assets to his second wife; when 
she died, she left all of those assets to her children, 
leaving nothing for his children. Instead, he 
should have provided for them directly or placed 
his assets in a trust so they could pass to his 
children after her death.

 5. Promises don’t count. Before he died, 
Marlon Brando allegedly promised his house to 
his caregiver but did not record that promise in 
his will. She did not get the house. If you want to 
leave something to someone, you need to put it in 
writing in your will or a trust.

You can protect, provide for, and make things as 
easy on your family as possible. Learn from the 
mistakes of others. Don’t repeat them. 

To your family’s health, wealth, and happiness,

A local attorney, father, and CASA volunteer (Court 
Appointed Special Advocate for Children), Marc 
Garlett is on a mission to help parents protect what 
they love most. His office is located at 49 S. Baldwin 
Ave., Ste. G, Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Schedule an 
appointment to sit down and talk about ensuring a 
legacy of love and financial security for your family 
by calling 626.355.4000 or visit www.GarlettLaw.
com for more information.

By Artistic Director, Christian Lebano

 The Odd Couple opened last week and has gotten 
terrific reviews and our audiences are really enjoying 
it. Frances Baum Nicholson in the San Gabriel Valley 
Tribune said, “Well done from start to finish, it 
highlights just how funny Simon’s play is, and how little 
it has aged --- especially if (as this one is) it is set in its 
original time frame of the mid-1960’s.” Don Grigware of 
BroadwayWorld.com said, “Don’t miss this Odd Couple. 
The entire cast and crew are delightful and make this a 
magical night of theater.”

 The actors are having a wonderful time and they have 
been so great to work with. Watching them on opening 
night I was struck that they were now entering the second 
phase of putting on a show. The first phase, of course, 
is the rehearsal period. That’s when everything is new: 
you are meeting people that you will be spending the 
next several months with, you are struggling to build a 
character – to master the individual idiosyncrasies and 
motivations that make your take on the role different 
from anyone else’s, to learn your lines, to trust yourself 
and your fellow cast-mates. There are all the doubts 
about whether what you are doing is funny or good, and 
whether you have any business being on stage at all!

 Then you open and, if you are lucky, you learn 
that all the work, the worry, the stress have paid off! 
Audiences are laughing, appreciating the work you 
have done - there is nothing like the sound of laughter 
to buoy spirits. But now the real work begins. It is 
easy to become complacent and take a performance for 
granted. Keeping a role fresh isn’t easy. You have to dig 
deep and find the truth of what you are doing – creating 
each moment anew. It is easy to fall into the trap of 
“recreating” something that you did before rather than 
finding the impulse that lead you to that moment or 
that bit of stage business in the first place.

A show always grows over time. Actors learn to trust 
themselves, the material, and the audiences. That’s 
really when it all comes together. I’m eager to see how 
The Odd Couple grows over the next seven weeks. 

. . . . .

We have put out the audition notice for Always…Patsy 
Cline. We are getting lots of submissions and will be 
auditioning at the end of the month. This is going to 
be a terrific, feel-good show. How great to spend an 
evening listening to the wonderful songs that Patsy Cline 
sang and enjoying the spirited and infectious joy of her 
number one fan, Louise Seger. Always…Patsy Cline 
opens July 31 and I can’t wait.

 Remember we give 20% discounts for groups of 
10 or more who purchase their tickets ahead of their 
attendance date. Please call Mary Baville at 626.355.4318 
to arrange your purchase. 

 As always we do it for you – our SMP family – 
whose support and loyalty mean so much to us and for 
whom we hope we bring pleasure and joy and moving 
experiences in the theater. Please let me know how you 
think we are doing. Reach me at ArtisticDirector@
SierraMadrePlayhouse.org


FOOD & DRINK

It’s been written by this lover of wines that the 
pinot noir grape is one of the most difficult grapes 
to grow. An ideal climate and soil are necessary 
friends to this grape. While California has 
become a haven for chardonnay and cabernets, 
friends, don’t give up on pinots just yet. I recently 
had lunch at Celestino’s with Andy Niner.

A month or two ago I wrote about the Fog Catcher 
Winery of Paso Robles. Hailing from the same 
farm system (as close as I could come to a 
baseball metaphor) is the Niner Pinot Noir 
2012. Many great pinots come from Paso 
Robles, but the grapes here are from Edna 
Valley. It seems the winemaker, wanted to 
throw a curve and try a cooler climate, and 
the results worked. At the top end of prices 
for pinots, the Niner delivers both in taste 
food companionship. I must admit that I 
opened the bottle with high expectations 
because of my fondness for Fog Catcher. 
My food mate this evening was pasta tossed 
with buttered prawns - my compliments 
to both the chef and the winemaker. My 
first sip reminded me of ripe cherries, the 
tannins were soft, and the color was dark 
like a cabernet. The finish was mild to earthy, 
fruity with a last scent of graham crackers. While 
the wine is ready to drink upon opening, if you 
can wait twenty minutes, I suggest letting this 
pinot breathe for a bit. This wine will be a prize 
in your cellar as well. Originally founded by 
Richard Niner who spent his first years in West 
Virginia as a farmer, is now run by son Andy 
who has continued his dads love for wine and the 
central coast.


Each week I will give you my Dills Score. Starting 
with a base of 50 points, I have added 8 points 
for color, 9 points for aroma or “nose”, 8 points 
for taste, 8 points for finish, and 9 points for my 
overall impression, which includes my value 
rating.

Total Score 90

Listen to Dining with Dills this Sunday at 6 PM 
KLAA AM 830 and watch the TV version Saturday 
and Sundays at 7 PM on Charter Channel 188 

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com


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