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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.
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