Mountain Views News     Logo: MVNews     Saturday, September 26, 2015

MVNews this week:  Page 12

12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Mountain Views News Saturday, September 26, 2015 

Jeff’s History Corner By Jeff Brown

SEAN’S SHAMELESS 

REVIEWS:

THE CELESTIAL DEBUT LP FROM 
ASTRONAUTS, ETC. 

By Sean Kayden


1. Gold was discovered in Big Santa Anita Canyon, 
first attracting individual prospectors and later a 
hydraulic mining outfit, which stripped hillsides 
in search of the yellow element. Logging also 
accelerated, and by the 1880s concerns about 
vanishing forests and the quality of mountain 
streams and springs amid the denuded hillsides 
prompted Southern California to reconsider its 
management of the mountains’ national resources. 
In an 1886 state Board of Forestry report, Abbot 
Kinney, California’s first state forester, pleaded for 
forest conservation. Naturalists like John Muir 
and interested parties like San Gabriel Valley 
farmers and orange growers echoed Kinney’s 
call, and in 1892 President Benjamin Harrison 
created the San Gabriel Timberland Reserve 
-- only the second such reserve in the nation 
(after Yellowstone) and the first in California.


2. Shortly before the Rose Bowl game in 1958, Ohio 
State Coach Woody Hayes started looking for a place 
to sequester his team from the wicked temptations 
of Los Angeles. The Mater Dolorosa monastery in 
Sierra Madre offered secluded serenity, along with 
a small company of black-robed friars to make 
sure the team didn’t get into any mischief. The 
Buckeyes won the game. Other team coaches have 
followed suit. Bobby Bell, a Minnesota linebacker, 
remembered the team bus pulling into the 
monastery one late night, with only the headlights 
and police escort lights shining against the religious 
statues. He remarked to his coach: “You don’t 
have to worry about bed-check tonight, Coach.


3. In 1921, a disastrous bakery fire at 
Windsor Lane and Montecito Court, 
prompted the official organization of the 
Sierra Madre Volunteer Fire Department.


4. A year after the city’s incorporation, Roman 
Catholic families contacted a priest from Chicago, 
Fr. M. W. Barth, who had moved west for his 
health, to ask if he could celebrate Mass for them. 
The construction of the first very small church of 
St. Rita’s parish, founded by Father Barth in 1908, 
was completed in 1910. In 1922, St. Rita’s Catholic 
Church parochial school opened. During the first 
100 years of St. Rita Parish, it has on record: 4,075 
Baptisms, 3,590 Confirmations, 1,334 Marriages 
and 1,469 funerals.

Debut record Mind 
Out Wandering from 
Astronauts, etc. captures a heavenly soundscape in the 
course of ten commendable tracks. The man behind 
this moniker is Anthony Ferraro. The culmination 
of Astronauts, etc. didn’t just happen by accident or 
overnight. While studying music at the University of 
California, Berkeley, Ferraro’s arthritis began to affect 
his hands. Unable to perform etudes or concertos at 
the level that was deemed necessary, he dropped out 
of school and began to seek new avenues. It wasn’t 
too long afterward when he started recording music 
in his bedroom under the name Astronauts, etc. He 
broke out in 2012 with singles, “Mystery Colors” and 
“Coldboy,” and now the road has led him to his first 
full-length record. Ferraro was able to record his debut 
with jazz musicians at San Francisco’s prominent Tiny 
Telephone. The album gracefully embodies 70s soft 
rock as well as echoes with modern day indie rock. 
Mind Out Wandering features crisp and laidback 
beats, but the dominant presence of Ferraro’s work 
on the piano as well his powerful falsetto are on full 
display.

 “If I Run” strikingly introduces Mind Out 
Wandering. It opens with a soft piano as it leads into a 
soulful 70s sound. There’s a very earthy quality going 
on here too. After listening to the first song, the title of 
the album makes perfect sense. The melodies and vibes 
have a strange way of pacifying one’s mind. In doing 
so, your mind runs wild with thoughts and imagery. 
“No Justice” is a dreamy track balancing between the 
likes of melancholy and optimism. The way Ferraro’s 
songs are constructed seem as if there is an exact 
science to them. Every echo, beat, and pulse is on cue 
perfectly. The smooth work conquers the soul with 
sentimental lyrics and beautifully arranged melodies. 
“I Know” follows suit with wondrous guitars, effective 
vocals, and a poignant cadence throughout. You can 
feel the passion and laborious efforts that went into 
crafting each track on Mind Out Wandering. “Eye To 
Eye” speeds up the tempo when compared to the tracks 
before it. The R&B tinged tune is dance-ready from 
the beginning. With sultry vocals and marvelously 
crafted beats, it’s a standout track amongst an already 
praiseworthy collection. “Eye To Eye” marks the 
halfway point of the record, but after just 5 tracks, 
you’re already on full escape mode. 

 “Shake It Loose” is a superbly produced melodic-
pop song. As cliché as it is to say, this song (let alone 
the band itself) is a real breath of fresh air. Both 
invigorating and endearing, this upbeat endeavor 
puts you in a tremendous mood. “Control” is driven 
steady by the piano and Ferraro’s tender vocals. The 
meditative effort picks up half way through, but still 
packs an emotional punch. As the song rises louder 
and louder toward the last fifteen seconds or so, it 
cuts off abruptly at the very end. “See You” starts off 
with hypotonic guitar vibes. It flows so smoothly as 
you follow along with Ferraro’s lyrics that capture the 
spirit of falling in love and keeping your mind steady 
in the process. The finale for Mind Out Wandering 
is “Upward Swing.” The warm beats and jazzy 
arrangements shine over the duration of the track. The 
record is cohesively stitched together as every track 
feels united, but at the same token, each song can stand 
firmly on its own. Farraro and his band have developed 
something refreshingly exceptional here for Mind Out 
Wandering. It’s a special record that may give a nod to 
another era, however, finds its own originality in the 
progression. The album sounds gorgeous from start to 
finish as it soars with imagination, beauty, and depth. 
Astronauts, etc. have carved their own path midst the 
already worn out roads led by others in this modern 
age of music. 

 

 Grade: 8.3 out of 10

Key Tracks: “No Justice,” “Eye to Eye,” “I Know,” “If I 
Run”

Artist: Astronauts, etc.

Album: Mind Out Wandering

Label: Hit City USA

Release Date: September 18th, 2015

Jeff’s Book Corner By Jeff Brown

Man Called Intrepid: The Incredible WWII 
Narrative Of The Hero Whose Spy Network 
And Secret Diplomacy Changed The 
Course Of History by William Stevenson 
A classic about real-life WWII 
espionage, as conducted by its 
modern master.A Man Called 
Intrepid is the classic true story 
of Sir William Stephenson 
(codenamed Intrepid) and the 
spy network he founded that 
would ultimately stall the Nazi 
war machine and help win World 
War II. Ian Fleming, bestselling 
author of the James Bond novels, 
once remarked, “James Bond is a 
highly romanticized version of a 
true spy. The real thing is William 
Stephenson.”Illustrated with 
thirty-two pages of black-and-
white photographs, this book 
describes the infamous “Camp 
X” spy training center in Ontario, 
Canada; the breaking of the 
Ultra Code used by Enigma; and 
countless tales of assassinations, 
clandestine activities, guerrilla 
armies, resistance support, 
and suicide missions. This 
modern classic, which reads like 
fiction, was a national bestseller 
when first published in 1976.
Spymistress: The True Story 
of the Greatest Female 
Secret Agent of World War 
II by William Stevenson 
She was beautiful. She was 
ruthless. She had a steel trap 
for a mind and a will of iron. 
Born Vera Maria Rosenberg 
in Bucharest, she became Vera 
Atkins, legendary spy and holder 
of the Legion of Honor. Recruited 
by William Stevenson—the 
spymaster who would later come 
to be known as “Intrepid”—
when she was only twenty-three, Vera spent much 
of the 1930s running countless perilous espionage 
missions. When war was declared in 1939, her fierce 
intelligence, blunt manner, personal courage, and 
knowledge of several languages quickly propelled 
her to the leadership echelon of the highly secretive 
Special Operations Executive (SOE), a covert 
intelligence agency formed by, and reporting to, 
Winston Churchill. She recruited 
and trained several hundred 
agents, including dozens of 
women, whose objectives were 
to penetrate deep behind enemy 
lines.The stirring exploits and 
the exemplary courage of the 
SOE agents and the French 
Resistance fighters—who in the 
words of General Dwight D. 
Eisenhower together “shortened 
the war by many months”—are 
justly celebrated. But the central 
role of Vera Atkins has until 
now been cloaked in silence. 
William Stevenson was the only 
person she trusted to record her 
life; he kept his promise that 
he would not publish her story 
until after her death. Here is 
the extraordinary account of 
the woman whose intelligence, 
beauty, and unflagging 
dedication proved key in 
turning the tide of World War II.


The Crossing by 
Michael Connelly
Harry Bosch teams up with 
Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller 
in the new thriller from #1 New 
York Times bestselling author 
Michael Connelly. Detective 
Harry Bosch has retired from 
the LAPD, but his half-brother, 
defense attorney Mickey Haller, 
needs his help. The murder 
rap against his client seems 
ironclad, but Mickey is sure it’s 
a setup. Though it goes against 
all his instincts, Bosch takes the 
case. With the secret help of his 
former LAPD partner Lucia Soto, he turns the 
investigation inside the police department. But 
as Bosch gets closer to discovering the truth, he 
makes himself a target.


On the Marquee: Notes from the Sierra MadrePlayhouse

HONORS AND EXTENSIONS

By Artistic Director, Christian Lebano

Thursday was another good day 
for the Playhouse. We received 
our first two Ovation Award 
nominations ever! John Prosky 
and Cori Cable Kidder were both 
honored with nominations for 
their leading roles in A Walk in the 
Woods and Always…Patsy Cline 
respectively. I couldn’t be happier 
for both of them – and for the 
Playhouse.

These nominations announce to 
all that we are serious in our goal 
of becoming a leading theatrical 
venue in the San Gabriel Valley and 
that we are committed to bringing 
audiences the best performances 
in the best productions we can. 
Even though we have grown so 
much in the last few years, we 
still struggle against a perception 
that we are a community theater. 
I still hear from some actors, 
“Sierra Madre – why would I want 
to work way out there – who will 
even notice?” Now I’ll be able to 
point to these two nominations – 
for two different shows -- and tell 
prospective talent that our work 
DOES get noticed. And that we 
have great and loyal audiences as 
is evidenced by the tremendous 
response to Always…Patsy Cline.

The recognition that these awards 
bring goes so much further than 
the personal honor to John and 
Cori, but state unequivocally that 
we take seriously what we do. 
The Ovations honored several 
designers who have either worked 
with us the last few years or will be 
working with us later this season with nominations for work they did at other theaters. I am thrilled 
for them and for us because I know they will be bringing their best efforts to realizing the shows that 
they will be working on for us. 

I will admit to being disappointed that Always…Patsy Cline wasn’t nominated for Best Musical, I 
thought we really had a shot after we received our Ovation Recommendation, but then I didn’t see 
the other shows that were nominated – all traditional book musicals. Awards aren’t the endgame 
however, I am happy to exchange a nomination for the incredible response we’ve gotten to this show 
– AND am very proud to announce that we will be extending Patsy one final time to October 30. 
We are planning a big party after the last performance to which we will invite our patrons to join us. 
More about this as plans firm up.

If you haven’t seen Patsy you now have until October 30 to do so. If you think a show may be sold-
out it is still worth calling Mary Baville in our box office and getting on the waiting list for the show 
you want – we sometimes get cancellations and Mary will call you and let you know. Remember we 
give 20% discounts for groups of 10 or more who purchase their tickets ahead of their attendance 
date. Please call Mary at 626.355.4318 to arrange your purchase.