Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 17, 2015

12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Mountain Views News Saturday, October 17, 2015 

Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown

SEAN’S SHAMELESS 

REVIEWS:

SMALL BLACK - ‘BEST BLUES’

By Sean Kayden


Arthur and George By Julian 
Barnes

As boys, George, the son of a 
Midlands vicar, and Arthur(Conan 
Doyle), living in shabby genteel 
Edinburgh, find themselves in a 
vast and complex world at the heart 
of the British Empire. Years later—
one struggling with his identity 
in a world hostile to his ancestry, 
the other creating the world’s most 
famous detective while in love 
with a woman who is not his wife–
their fates become inextricably 
connected.In Arthur & George, 
Julian Barnes explores the grand 
tapestry of late-Victorian Britain 
to create his most intriguing and 
engrossing novel yet.

The Best American Mystery Stories 2015 
by James Patterson (Editor), Otto Penzler 
(Editor)

In his introduction, guest editor James Patterson 
observes, “I often hear people lamenting the 
state of Hollywood . . . If that’s the case, I’ve got 
one thing to say: read these short stories. You 
can thank me later.” Patterson has collected 
a batch of stories that have the sharp tension, 
drama, and visceral emotion of an Oscar-worthy 
Hollywood production. Spanning the extremes 
of human behavior, The Best American Mystery 
Stories 2015 features characters that must make 
desperate choices: an imaginative bank-robbing 
couple, a vengeful high school shooter, a lovesick 
heiress who will do anything for her man, and 
many others in “these imaginative, rich, complex 
tales” worthy of big-screen treatment.The Best 
American Mystery Stories 2015 includesTomiko 
M. Breland, Lee Child, Michael 
Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, Brendan 
DuBois,Janette Turner Hospital, 
Dennis Lehane, Theresa E. Lehr, 
Joyce Carol Oates,and others.

A is for Arsenic: The Poisons 
of Agatha Christie by Kathryn 
Harkup 

People are fascinated by murder. 
The popularity of murder 
mystery books, TV series, and 
even board games shows that 
there is an appetite for death, and 
the more unusual or macabre 
the method, the better. With 
gunshots or stabbings the cause 
of death is obvious, but poisons 
are inherently more mysterious. 
How are some compounds so deadly in such tiny 
amounts?Agatha Christie used poison to kill 
her characters more often than any other crime 
fiction writer. The poison was a central part of the 
novel, and her choice of deadly substances was 
far from random; the chemical and physiological 
characteristics of each poison provide vital 
clues to the discovery of the murderer. Christie 
demonstrated her extensive chemical knowledge 
(much of it gleaned by working in a pharmacy 
during both world wars) in many of her novels, but 
this is rarely appreciated by the reader.Written by 
former research chemist Kathryn Harkup, each 
chapter takes a different novel and investigates 
the poison used by the murderer. Fact- and fun-
packed, A is for Arsenic looks at why certain 
chemicals kill, how they interact with the body, 
and the feasibility of obtaining, administering, 
and detecting these poisons, both when Christie 
was writing and today.


Small Black may be the 
most underrated band 
of in indie rock. After 
crafting two terrific LPs, can the band’s new LP Best 
Blues finally serve as their breakthrough record? 
Let’s back track for a moment. On their debut, 
New Chain, the Brooklyn quartet fell into the 
genre of chillwave. With lo-fi production and hazy 
melodies, the snyth-pop record was spellbinding 
and eclectic. Their follow-up album Limits of 
Desire arrived three years after their debut and 
demonstrated a change of direction. A much more 
personal and mature record, Small Black included 
more acoustic guitars, alongside live drum as 
opposed to exclusively sticking with snyths. On 
Best Blues, lead singer Josh Kolenik seems as if he 
is whispering his words. He isn’t showy or belting 
out the lyrics, but displays a discreet delivery. 
However, within the ten glistening tracks, you can 
sense a deep emotional attachment. Ryan Heyner 
(guitar/keyboards), Juan Pieczanski (bass/guitar), 
and Jeff Curtin (drums) round up Small Black. 
Best Blues delves into the realm of melancholic pop 
with wistful melodies and wondrous hooks. As the 
record continues to play on, you become lost inside 
the land of Small Black and frankly, there aren’t too 
many records this year you would rather wander 
to. 

 As I speak about being lost in Best Blues, one 
of the themes of the record is personal loss. A 
particular loss of the people you were the closest 
to. The opener, “Personal Best,” has a specific line 
that could resonate with a lot of people…”I see 
you running out of time.” Small Black does a lot of 
exploring here. Not only with their exquisite sound, 
but their lyrically as well. There’s this regretful tinge 
in Kolenik’s voice that occupies both a delicate 
and devastating tone as it is layered over a tuneful 
arrangement. “No One Wants It To Happen To 
You” is a peaceful gem that expands the group’s 
sound palette. With a repetitive chorus of the song’s 
title, there’s definitely a sense of vulnerability for 
sure. The songs operate as ones that truly pacify the 
listener. The first single “Boys Life” lyrically touches 
upon deep sentiment yet provide a nightclub 
snyth composition. “The Closer I Look” is breezy, 
soulful, and sepia-toned. The reverb-doused track 
supplies an emotional punch as many of the songs 
on Best Blues so effortlessly do. It’s difficult not 
to describe this record as bittersweet, delicate, or 
easy listening. “Big Ideas, Pt. 2” displays Kolenik’s 
ethereal vocals in the foreground while a pulsating 
bass line supports the background. Once again, 
the assortment of songs are pretty, appealing, and 
mostly subtle. 

 

Artist: Small Black

Album: Best Blues

Label: Jagjaguwar

Release Date: October 16th, 2015

By: Sean Kayden

 “Back At Belle’s” blurs the line of chillwave and 
snythpop. The haziness found on the earlier work 
of Small Black is evident here. It’s another song 
that gives off a sense of longing. “Between Leos” is 
striking with a dreaminess that touches upon the 
likes of The Cure. Best Blues holds together very 
well and if you like one or two songs right off the 
bat, chances are you will enjoy this entire record. 
“XX Century” is richly textured, beautifully 
composed, and alleviating. After absorbing the 
record in, it’s clear that Small Black is carrying a 
lot of emotional weight within their new series of 
songs. The breathtaking experience is worth every 
minute as Small Black looks back at a shattered 
past in the efforts to let it go and pursue new 
beginnings. 

Grade: 8.1 out of 10

Jeff’s History Corner By Jeff Brown

1.The original inhabitants of Pasadena and 
surrounding areas were members of the Native 
American Hahamog-na tribe, a branch of the 
Tongva Nation. They spoke the Tongva language 
(part of the Uto-Aztecan group) that lived in the 
Los Angeles Basin for thousands of years. Tongva 
dwellings lined the Arroyo Seco in present day 
Pasadena and south to where it joins the Los 
Angeles River and along other natural waterways 
in the city. They lived in thatched, dome-shape 
lodges. For food, they lived on a diet of acorn meal, 
seeds and herbs, venison, and other small animals. 
They traded for ocean fish with the coastal Tongva. 
They made cooking vessels from soapstone from 
Catalina Island. The oldest transportation route 
still in existence in Pasadena is the old Tongva foot 
trail, also known as the Gabrielino Trail, that goes 
along the west side of the Rose Bowl and up the 
Arroyo Seco past the JPL into the Mountains. That 
trail has been in use for thousands of years. When 
the Spanish occupied the Los Angeles Basin they 
built the San Gabriel Mission and renamed the 
local Tongva people “Gabrielino Indians,” after 
the name of the mission. Today, several bands of 
Tongva people live in the Los Angeles area.

2. Prior to the annexation of California in 1848, the 
last of the Mexican owners of the Pasadena area was 
Manuel Garfias who retained title to the property 
after statehood in 1850. Garfias sold sections of 
the property to the first Anglo settlers to come 
into the area: Benjamin Eaton,(Eaton Canyon) the 
father of Fred Eaton, and Dr. S. Griffin. Much of 
the property was purchased by Benjamin Wilson 
who established his Lake Vineyard property in 
the vicinity. Wilson, known as Don Benito to the 
local Indians, was also owner of the Rancho Jurupa 
(Riverside) and mayor of Los Angeles. He is the 
grandfather of WWII General George S. Patton, Jr. 
and had Mount Wilson named for him.

3.California was the name given to a mythical 
island populated only by beautiful Black Amazon 
warriors who used gold tools and weapons in 
the popular early 16th-century romance novel 
Las Sergas de Esplandián (The Adventures of 
Esplandián) by Spanish author Garci Rodríguez 
de Montalvo. The novel described the Island of 
California as being east of the Asian mainland, 
“very close to the side of the Terrestrial Paradise; 
and it is peopled by black women, without any 
man among them, for they live in the manner of 
Amazons.” The Island was ruled by Queen Calafia. 
When the Spanish started exploring the Pacific 
coast they applied this name on their maps to what 
is now called the Baja California Peninsula, which 
they originally thought was an island. Once the 
name was on the maps it stuck.

4. Also The word California may come from the 
early Spanish explorers who entered California via 
the hot southern regions and referred to California 
as being “hot as an oven” or a “lime oven” (“cali 
> hot”, “fornus->forno > oven” + ending “ia” for a 
place; or with “cal > lime”). It may be derived from 
caliente fornalia, Spanish for hot furnace, or it may 
come from calida fornax, Latin for hot climate.
Seems appropriate lately!!!

On the Marquee: Notes from the Sierra MadrePlayhouse


DEEPENING THE MYSTERY

“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.” 
Francis Bacon

A good friend, whom I consider a mentor, uses that 
quote at the bottom of his emails. I’ve been thinking 
about it a lot recently. Last week I wrote about the 
constant juggle that I face trying to keep the Playhouse 
moving forward and growing and making it a place that 
deepens the mystery. I was asked by another friend if it 
was worth all the stress that it adds to my life. 

I love theater. I believe that theater can be a force for 
change and growth both for myself and for others. And, 
I am an artist. I live in the world as an artist. What 
does that mean? I think constantly about the big issues 
– love, connection, intolerance, man’s inhumanity, 
friendship, family, patriotism, etc. – as I try to work 
them out for myself and find meaning, and because I 
can’t paint or sing or write, I think about them as theater. 
The immediacy and the communion of theater makes 
it speak to me as an artist. Being in the same room as 
an audience at the moment of creation - because all 
good theater is an act of constant creation. Feeling, 
considering, probing together is a dialogue between me 
and you. I am thinking out loud when I plan a season, 
when I direct a play, when I act. Thinking out loud and 
inviting others into a conversation that I hope will both 
deepen the mystery and offer some answers. 

I have had a few extraordinary experiences as a theater-goer. I remember being a very young man and 
seeing Chekov’s The Three Sisters at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. The yearning 
of Masha, Olga, and Irina for Moscow spoke to me so profoundly that I couldn’t get up after the show. I 
sat in my seat stunned that a hundred year-old play could so explicitly capture how I was feeling at that 
moment – the yearning I had to move on, to find my desires, to fulfill myself. I had one of the most 
thrilling experiences at Antony and Cleopatra at the National Theater in London with Judy Dench and 
Antony Hopkins in Peter Hall’s sublime production. This 500 year-old play spoke to me so directly about 
love and desire that I have never forgotten it.

So I’ll keep on with the struggle. I hope that the Playhouse will be the scene of some heart-stopping 
moments for our patrons. Not every show has to do that – we need a good mix of shows that will make you 
forget yourself as well as find yourself. But I am trying to build a theater that means something. I am trying 
to deepen the mystery for myself and for you. Please let me know what you think at ArtisticDirector@
SierraMadrePlayhouse.org

If you haven’t seen Patsy you have until October 30 to do so. We are planning a big party for the closing 
performance and are inviting our audiences to come join us – there will be food and drink and lots of 
music. Tickets for the closing party are $25. Please call Mary at 626.355.4318 to arrange your purchase.