Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 31, 2015

12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Mountain Views News Saturday, October 31, 2015 

Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown


SEAN’S SHAMELESS 

REVIEWS:

THE SONGS WORTH 

CHECKING OUT THIS WEEK

By Sean Kayden

Help for the Haunted: A Novel by John Searles
This is an unforgettable story of a most unusual 
family, their deep secrets, their harrowing tragedy, 
and ultimately, a daughter’s 
discovery of a dark and 
unexpected mystery.Sylvie 
Mason’s parents have an 
unusual occupation,helping 
“haunted souls” find peace. 
After receiving a strange phone 
call one winter’s night, they 
leave the house and are later 
murdered in an old church in 
a horrifying act of violence.A 
year later, Sylvie is living in 
the care of her older sister, 
who may be to blame for what 
happened to their parents. 
Now, the inquisitive teenager 
pursues the mystery, moving 
closer to the knowledge of 
what occurred that night,and 
to the truth about her family’s 
past and the secrets that 
have haunted them for years. 
The House of Small 
Shadows by Adam Nevill
Catherine’s last job ended 
badly. Corporate bullying at a top TV network 
saw her fired and forced to leave London, but she 
was determined to get her life back. A new job and 
a few therapists later, things look much brighter. 
Especially when a challenging new project presents 
itself , to catalogue the late M. H. Mason’s wildly 
eccentric cache of antique dolls and puppets. Rarest 
of all, she’ll get to examine his elaborate displays of 
posed, costumed and preserved animals, depicting 
bloody scenes from the Great War. Catherine can’t 
believe her luck when Mason’s elderly niece invites 
her to stay at Red House itself, where she maintains 
the collection until his niece exposes her to the dark 
message behind her uncle’s “Art.” Catherine tries 
to concentrate on the job, but Mason’s damaged 
visions begin to raise dark shadows from her own 
past. Shadows she’d hoped 
therapy had finally erased. 
Soon the barriers between 
reality, sanity and memory 
start to merge and some 
truths seem too terrible to be 
real.From the opening line’s 
echo of Manderley (“As if by 
a dream Catherine came to 
the Red House”), readers will 
find themselves in the sickly 
sweet, rotted-silk grip of a 
decaying gothic nightmare. 
A haunted-house tale like 
no other, this is one of those 
rare horror novels that’s 
upsetting enough to make the 
reader want to take the damn 
thing out back and bury it. 
A Love Like 
Blood: A Novel by 
Marcus Sedgwick 
In 1944, just days after the 
liberation of Paris, Charles 
Jackson sees something 
horrific: a man in a dark tunnel, apparently 
drinking the blood of a murdered woman. Terrified, 
he does nothing, telling himself afterward that 
worse tragedies happen during war.Seven years 
later he returns to the city and sees the same man 
dining in the company of a fascinating, beautiful 
young woman. When they leave the restaurant, 
Charles decides to follow . A Love Like Blood is a 
dark, compelling thriller about how a man’s life can 
change in a moment and about where the desire 
for truth and revenge can lead.This is a novel that 
tastes of blood and dust, just as a good old-fashioned 
horror novel should.Happy Halloween!!!


Long Beard – “Porch” - Long Beard is Leslie Bear, 
a singer-songwriter from New Brunswick, New 
Jersey. Her band just debuted their painstakingly 
beautiful record, “Sleepwalker.” The first single is 
“Porch,” a gorgeously glimmering piece of work. 
Bear’s warm vocals slip into the listener’s soul as 
she sings melancholy lyrics. The track meanders 
with peaceful guitars and Bear’s wispy vocals 
are simply delightful. The delicate framework of 
the song is refreshing and emotionally stirring. 
Sleepwalker offers a lot of emotive tunes, but 
“Porch” is single handedly a standout not only for 
Long Beard, but for 2015 entirely. 

Panama Wedding – “Infinite High” - Panama 
Wedding’s sophomore EP, “Into Focus,” drops 
November 6 via Glassnote Records. Last year, 
Panama Wedding had one huge Internet buzz track 
called “All of the People.” It was infectious as hell 
with sugary choruses and a big sound. Meanwhile, 
our first glimpse into the 2015 EP comes in the form 
of “Infinite High.” The shimmering pop-rock song 
has huge hooks and catchy lyrics. It’s another fun 
jam from a band with a penchant for summertime 
tunes. While the song provides a ’80s-tinged sonic, 
luminous melodies, and edge-of-darkness lyrics, 
“Infinite High” suffices those looking for pop 
sensibilities with meaningful words. It’s looking like 
this EP could in fact put Panama Wedding further 
into the mainstream world. 

St. Lucia – “Dancing on Glass “ - St. Lucia’s been 
mostly been silent since releasing their debut 
album, “When the Night,” two years ago. However, 
the Brooklyn-based, South African synth-pop 
outfit is surging back with an enraptured new 
track, “Dancing on Glass.” The song boasts 
a compelling hook and a blissful, yet weary 
vocals, and live-in-the-moment lyrics. The indie 
powerhouse electronic cut leans on a ’80s-inspired 
sound with catchy synth-pop beats that make 
you want to — go figure — dance. No word on a 
sophomore LP for 2016, but if this is any preview of 
what’s to come, St. Lucia may be having a superior 
2016 just waiting for them. 

Foxing – “The Magdalene” – This single from 
St. Louis outfit is breathtakingly beautiful. 
An immense and resplendent tune, relatively 
unknown indie act Foxing may just have 
something special for us in the form of their 
sophomore LP, “Dealer” out on October 30th 
via Triple Crown Records. The lush textures, 
distressing vocals, and layered guitars join forces 
equating into one spectacular cut. Lead singer 
Connor Murphy’s vocals unfold melodically 
wavering between soft undertones then 
exploding into harsher sounds. Nonetheless, this 
epic four-minute keeps building and building 
and the beauty that evolves is striking. Foxing is 
a band to watch heading into 2016. 

On the Marquee: Notes from the Sierra Madre Playhouse

Jeff’s History Corner By Jeff Brown

A GOOD NEIGHBOR

LOCAL HAUNTINGS


By Artistic Director, Christian Lebano

Next week we will be sharing our theater with 
the students at Alverno High School for their Fall 
production. They had lost the theater that they 
usually use and were scrambling for another. 
We rarely have an opening in our schedule to be 
able to rent the theater for a full week. With the 
extensions of Always…Patsy Cline, however, we 
found ourselves with an additional week beyond 
our usual 3 week build period between shows. 
When I got the call from drama teacher Cynthia 
Cales asking if there was a possibility of renting the 
theater – I was so happy to be able to say yes.

Happy because we at the Playhouse want the 
community to feel like they have a stake in our 
theater. We want to be as integrated into the 
lives of the city as possible. In an earlier essay I 
wrote about wanting the Playhouse to feel like 
the “community living room” – bringing in the 
students of Alverno and their families and friends 
to see the show may introduce the Playhouse to 
some who have never seen any of our shows. I 
hope they’ll be so comfortable in our lovely little 
Playhouse that they will come back for one of our 
shows.

* * *

Rehearsals are going very well for A Christmas 
Memory. We are putting together a really lovely 
show for the holidays. Many of you may be 
familiar with Truman Capote’s charming memory 
piece about his friendship with his cousin Sook 
and their holiday adventures making fruit cakes. 
The show is wittily written by Duane Poole and 
the songs by Larry Grossman (Minnie’s Boys) 
and Carol Hall (Best Little Whorehouse in Texas) 
are truly infectious. I was at rehearsal with my 
10 year old son, Gideon, and the next day on our 
way to school he was singing “Alabama Fruitcake” 
one of the numbers from the show. Now that is a 
good sign! The cast is wonderful and I can’t wait 
to share this beautiful show with you. Tickets are 
selling briskly already – all of those new patrons 
who were introduced to us at Always…Patsy Cline 
are buying their tickets early! A reminder that this 
show would make a wonderful group outing and 
that we give a 20% discount for group sales of 10 or 
more. Please call Mary at 626.355.4318 to arrange 
your purchase. 

 1.The Green Street Hotel in Pasadena is 
apartments now, but it used to be a hotel with a live-
in ghost. It is unclear whether she now still lives 
in the apartments, but reports say she roams the 
top floor of the hotel wearing her white nightgown. 
2.At the Zane Grey Mansion in Alta Dena 
cold spots have been detected near the fireplaces 
as well as in the library, kitchen and pantry. The 
kitchen clock has been known to stop when 
certain people walk into the room, and footsteps 
have been heard walking across the butler’s 
pantry floor toward the formal dining room. 
4.The Enchanted Forest in Altadena at the end of 
Lake st. is reported to be haunted due to its notorious 
history. From murderous scenes to burning down 
of buildings, this hike trail has it all. Also known 
as the “Cobb Estate” in which it belongs now to the 
Los Angeles National Forest. Rumors have been 
told of seeing strange figures, paranormal noises, 
and unseen visitors.There have also been claims 
of people getting the feeling of being followed 
throughout the forest. The spirit of Crystal 
Calhoon of Cobb Mountain, called the Wicked 
Witch of the West by locals, is said to haunt the area 
with her small dog. She has been seen vacuuming 
feverishly, and witnesses often note that after an 
encounter with her, they are missing something 
shiny that they had on their person.People have 
claimed hearing screams coming from the Forest,
but are unable to find anything. . 
5.The building at 175 E. Holly St., Pasadena 
which is a restaurant now was built in the 1920’s, 
this gothic church-like building began life as a 
mortuary and funeral home, and was the home of 
“Turner & Stevens Co.” whose motto was “serving 
over 36,000 families since 1895.” Today, one can get 
service of another kind (namely table service) in 
this same “den of death.” Ironically,the restaurants 
that have been there use a room that used to be 
the carriage house where the hearse was kept. 
This may explain why customers over the years 
have heard the sounds of a horse’s spirit residing 
in this space. Also, the ghost of a past worker in
overalls and a yellow shirt has been spotted 
in the back of the restaurant adjacent to the 
restrooms. Some claim this playful phantom 
prankster is also responsible for locking the 
door to the ladies’ room, and trapping its female 
occupants.But, the apparitional activity in this
restaurant is just the tip of this building’s “cold 
spot” ice-berg. The whole brick and stone structure 
(which houses other businesses) is known to be 
very haunted with disembodied whispers and 
phantom footsteps heard all over the building. 
The ghost of a scantily-dressed prostitute has been 
seen, as well as a vanishing red-headed little girl. 
Perhaps the strangest phenomenon associated 
with this building is the “rotting corpse odor” 
that some say materializes in the basement near 
the vaults where the deceased were stored decades 
ago.Though never proven, there is a legend that an 
illegal “speak-easy” operated out of the building, 
using the funeral home as its cover. Furthermore, it 
is said that an urn containing the ashes of a former 
Pasadena mayor, who crossed the local gangsters, 
and then went missing, was found in the walls 
during a remodel. If there is any truth to these 
rumors, who knows how many victims met similar 
fates? And likewise, who knows how many ill-fated 
ghosts there really are in this historic landmark? 
6.On another note,the violin spider,a deadly 
South American arachnid, plagued Sierra Madre 
in 1969. After more than 50 violin spiders were 
discovered in five public buildings at Sierra 
Madre Memorial Park worried residents brought 
in hundreds of harmless spiders in jelly jars,
ice cream containers and plastic coffee cups to 
be identified.Teams of vector control workers 
from state and county health departments spread 
out searching and spraying. Eventually, they 
reported finding about 170 violin spiders in town 
.The five buidlings in Memorial park were torn
down.Don’t know if any have been 
seen since.Have you seen one? 
7.Please report any ghost sightings or strange 
apparitions to the proper authorities!

SIERRA MADRE HALLOWEEN 
FESTIVITIES TO INCLUDE 

TIME MACHINE RIDES AND SHOWS

In conjunction with the City’s Halloween 
festivities which occur on Friday the 30th the 
Zombie Players Association will have a TIME 
MACHINE at the Sierra Madre Playhouse from 
2 pm until 5 pm for kids to view; with rides 
available on Saturday (Halloween). The Time 
Machine is part of the theme of the old time radio 
presentation on Saturday afternoon and evening. 
The show is a takeoff of an early 40’s radio show 
featuring Abbott and Costello. In keeping with 
Halloween, the show is: “Abbott & Consuelo meet 
the Zombies”. The TIME MACHINE will also 
be available for the trick or treat kids to ride on 
Saturday.

THE TIME MACHINE – It is a full size replica of 
the time machine featured in the 1960 movie, The 
Time Machine. The movie is based on the famous 
H.G. Wells book of the same name, starring 
Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux. It differs from 
the original in having fun lights and sounds. 
Kids riding the machine get to feel in control by 
operating switches and buttons. It is a great photo 
opportunity. 

The TIME MACHINE will be viewable from 2 
pm to 5pm on Friday the 30th as part of the city 
festivities. It will also be ready to ride on Saturday 
the 31st (Halloween) from noon to 10 pm. This 
timing coincides with the Playhouse presentations.

THE PLAYHOUSE HALLOWEEN 
PRESENTATIONS –

A Vanity Production from the Zombie Players 
Association, “Abbott and Consuelo Meet the 
Zombies” will be presented at 1 and 2 pm, as well 
as having 20 minute shows every half hour from 
6:30 to 9:30 pm. The show is free of charge and no 
tickets are required. It is great family fun. Adding 
to the “Time” theme will be a Time Tunnel for the 
audience as they enter the playhouse. Kids and 
those wishing to return to their younger years can 
ride the Time Machine before or after the shows. 

KFI AM 640 LIVE BROADCASTS – As part of 
the Saturday TIME MACHINE rides and the 
“Abbott and Consuelo Meet the Zombies” show 
will be two live broadcasts featuring KFI Radio 
Personalities. From 2pm to 5pm the Fork Report 
Show, with Neil Saavedra, will broadcast live 
from a booth outside the Playhouse. Neil will be 
interviewing various Sierra Madre Restaurant 
owners and chefs; as well as interfacing with 
time machine riders. From 6pm to 8pm, Mo 
Kelly from the Mo Kelly Show will also do a live 
broadcast. His program will feature a unique 
look at the Halloween celebration and how it 
has affected television shows, movies and in 
particular its relationship with the world of 
Zombies. His broadcast hours will allow chats 
with folks going to the Playhouse shows and 
Time Machine adventurers. 

ABOUT THE ZOMBIE PLAYERS 
ASSOCIATION – this somewhat deranged group 
of individuals creates an annual event at the Sierra 
Madre Playhouse during Halloween. The whole 
purpose is to provide free fun entertainment, 
primarily for kids.