pop n o i t c e l f e R ugh o r th
• friday • nov. 5 • 2010
M u s i c
also inside: Musical catered to OU performers • Benefit concert held tonight • Fistful of Mercy falls short of greatness • Gloom tunes from a musician with menacing intent • ‘Panic’ worth the publicity
page two
friday, nov. 5, 2010
pop
pop ‘Panic’ worth the publicity Editor-in-Chief: Aaron Wright Gray Phone: 366-3533 Fax: 366-3516 E-mail all press releases and all other inquiries to: pop@normantranscript.com Weekly deadline: 5 p.m. Monday All faxed or mailed information submitted must be typed. All letters to the editor must include address and phone number.
pop is published each Friday by
The Norman Transcript, P.O. Box 1058, Norman, OK 73070. To advertise in this section, call 366-3554. COVER ART: Singer/songwriter Sam Baker will perform in concert Sunday at the Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave., beginning at 7 p.m. (cover photo by Rodney Bursiel)
It would be fun if Hollywood launched big publicity campaigns for independent movies once in awhile, instead of throwing all their money at blockbusters that have enormous builtin audiences already. After all, do we really need endless promos for sequels to the “Twilight” and “Harry Potter” films? Far better to fire up the PR machine for little-seen wonders like “Panic” (2000), a gem of a movie that was almost lost forever. Somewhere in his mid-’40s, our downcast hero Alex (William H. Macy) appears to have an idyllic life. He has a devoted wife, Martha (Tracey Ullman), a successful mail-order business that he runs out of his nice home suburban home and dresses in beautiful suits. Most importantly, he is blessed with Sammy (David Dorfman), his super-cute, 6-year-old son. If those were the only things in his life, Alex indeed would be fine.They’re not, though. Alex has a problem, one that he’d love to be rid of. In addition to selling cheap trinkets, Alex is also a contract killer. No one knows, of course, except Alex and his aging parents, Michael (a menacing Donald Sutherland) and Diedre (Barbara Bain), who started the “family business” when Alex was a kid himself and groomed him
Mary Anne Hempe Forgotten Video from day one to take it over. Alex always has been the dutiful son, meekly agreeing to learn the killing trade from his domineering dad and then carrying out hits on his orders. Alex always has obeyed Michael when it comes to keeping the family secret, too. He’s never told a soul — until he starts seeing a psychiatrist. The shrink, Dr. Josh Parks (the late John Ritter) seems like a safe haven. They’re bound by doctor/patient confidentiality, so Alex can feel free to vent his frustrations about middle age, boredom in his marriage — and his desire to stop killing people for money, with no one finding out. Although Dr. Parks is a bit unnerved at his new patient’s revelations, he agrees to continue seeing Alex. For Alex, it’s a breath of fresh air. Not only does he feel better unloading to someone, he meets a lovely young woman named Sarah Cassidy (Neve Campbell) in the waiting room one day. Alex finds himself happy for the first time in months — until Michael presents him with a new contract.
Films playing at Warren Theatre New Releases: • Due Date: A father-to-be takes a wild road trip cross country with an eccentric actor in an attempt to make it in time for his child’s birth. Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. R. • For Colored Girls: Tyler Perry directs and produces this movie that relates the struggles of women. R. • Megamind 3D: Supervilian Megamind finds himself without a hero to battle and, consequently, often finds himself bored. To conquer the lack of purpose, he creates a new nemesis, who turns out to be a rotten egg. PG. Now Showing: • Hereafter: This drama centers on three people who
are dealing with their views of the afterlife, shaped by their own personal life experiences. PG-13. • Jackass 2D/3D: These crazy guys are at it again with dangerous stunts, this time in 3D. R. • Life As We Know It: After the death of their best friends, two happily single people find out that they have been deemed guardians for the surviving toddler. PG-13. • Paranormal Activity 2: Trying to capture the culprit in what a family thinks is a series of break-ins, they set up cameras around their home. What they discover is much more horrendous. PG-13. • Red: With his life threatened by an assassin, former agent Frank Moses
assembles his team to help him survive. Stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren. PG-13. • Saw 3D: A group of Jigsaw survivors seek the support of a self-help guru, but his dark secrets put them all in danger. R. • Secretariat: When Penny Chenery agrees to take over her father’s stables, she finds hope in a horse that promises to do great things on the race track. PG. • The Social Network: Jesse Eisenberg stars as Mark Zuckerberg, the young creator of Facebook, in the unveiling of how he created the successful social network. PG13.
Alex doesn’t want to kill people anymore, though — especially not this new target, who happens to be someone he knows. “Hey, it’s business,” Michael tells him with a creepy smile. Alex isn’t buying it. It might finally be time to find a spine and stand up to the old man once and for all — if that’s still possible. Artisan Entertainment bought “Panic” after a successful showing at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, only to turn around and resell it to HBO after deciding that “Panic” wasn’t worth the cost of a publicity campaign. We couldn’t disagree more. “Panic” wouldn’t have been a blockbuster, true, but it would have found an audience, thanks to a terrific script and wonderful direction from Henry Bromell, and superb performances from everyone in the cast. William H. Macy is outstanding as the conflicted Alex, Neve Campbell is unexpectedly good and the scenestealing David Dorfman is darling when he’s having the father-son chats with Alex in bed. (Although, we must complain about the scenes where he’s allowed to ride in the front seat of the car.That’s no place for little kids.) You can find “Panic” (rated R for a little language) at Hastings. Check it out!
Films playing at Robinson Crossing • Case 39: A social worker tries to save a girl from abusive parents, but soon finds herself in over her head. R. • Despicable Me: An evil world dominator plans to steal the moon. His scheme is thwarted when he takes in three orphaned girls. PG. • Devil: It’s an ordinary day for several people before they all grab an elevator in a business building, only to find themselves trapped with the Devil. PG-13. • Inception: Dom Cobb is a thief of dreams. His job has cost him many precious things. With one task, he could get it all back. PG-13. • Takers: Very successful bank robbers run into problems on their last heist. PG-13. • The Switch: When an unmarried woman turns to artificial insemination, her best guy friends neglects to tell her he replaced the sperm sample with his own. PG-13. • Toy Story 3: After their owner goes to college, Woody and the gang are sent to a day-care center, where they make some enemies. G.
Films playing at Hollywood Spotlight New Releases: • Due Date: A father-to-be takes a wild road trip cross country with an eccentric actor in an attempt to make it in time for his child’s birth. Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. R. • For Colored Girls: Tyler Perry directs and produces this movie that relates the struggles of women. R. • Megamind 3D: Supervilian Megamind finds himself without a hero to battle and, consequently, finds himself bored. To conquer the lack of purpose, he creates a new nemesis, who turns out to be a rotten egg. PG. Now Showing: • Hereafter: This drama centers on three people who
are dealing with their views of the afterlife, shaped by their own personal life experiences. PG-13. • Jackass 2D/3D: These crazy guys are at it again with dangerous stunts, this time in 3D. R. • Life As We Know It: After the death of their best friends, two happily single people find out that they have been deemed guardians for the surviving toddler. PG-13. • Paranormal Activity 2: Trying to capture the culprit in what a family thinks is a series of break-ins, they set up cameras around their home. What they discover is much more horrendeous. PG-13. • Red: With his life threatened by an assassin, former agent Frank Moses
assembles his team to help him survive. Stars Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren. PG-13. • Saw 3D: A group of Jigsaw survivors seek the support of a self-help guru, but his dark secrets put them all in danger. R. • Secretariat: When housewife Penny Chenery agrees to take over her father’s stables, she finds hope in a horse that promises to do great things on the race track. PG. • The Social Network: Jesse Eisenberg stars as Mark Zuckerberg, the young creator of Facebook, in the unveiling of how he created the successful social network. PG13.
page three
pop
friday, nov. 5, 2010
Musical catered to OU performers By Aaron Wright Gray pop editor
Composer and lyricist Neil Bartram and writer Brian Hill are crafting an original work for students at the University of Oklahoma, a musical titled “The Adventures of Pinocchio.” “We’re not doing anything like the Disney version,” Hill said, adding that the musical is a balance between the fluffy Disney story and the dark tale of the original Pinocchio story. The effort of their three weeks of work will be on display 8:15 p.m. today and Saturday at the Weitzenhoffer Theatre, 563 Elm Ave. The production is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. “Writers are always looking for places to develop
Hill
Bartram
new work,” Hill said, noting that it’s a writer’s dream to be in a place for an extended period of time to tweak their work. To top it off, Hill said the students are talented. “They’re all fantastic,” Bartram said. Bartram said it has been neat to cater the performance to the group of students. Some of the actors’ mannerisms were integrated into the show. One student is known for using the phrase “sweet” a lot, and
Bartram took note. “It made it into the lyrics,” Bartram said. “We like to have folks from the industry who are both talented and personable to work with our students,” said Paul Christman, musical theater professor. Both Hill and Bartram are both originally from Canada. Both have a rich history in music and stage and actually met as actors in a show. They decided to try their luck in the New York stage scene and have been working together more than 15 years. A production they both worked on, “The Story of My Life,” a musical about two lifelong best friends, was nominated for the Drama Desk Awards for writing. The two also spend much of their time traveling and
working with productions and students across the nation. “This past year, we’ve spent much more time out of New York than in New York,” Bartram said. Christman said tonight and Saturday’s performance will give viewers insight into how musicals are developed. What will be shown is the first step in a process that will see much more refining as the musical continues to be developed. Usually, Hill said, this part is done in private. In fact, Hill said, if the audience came both nights, they would probably see a different musical, since it will be tweaked between performances. Aaron Wright Gray 366-3533 pop@normantranscript.com
Fistful of Mercy falls short By Andrew W. Griffin The Norman Transcript
CD review Keltner, the trio recorded
Fistful of Mercy – what can be best described as “As I Call You Down” a loose, folk-jam album of nine songs. (Hot) 2010 The title track is lyrically Not unlike Crosby, Stills & Nash, when that first rock “supergroup” first got together in the late 1960s and recorded some timeless songs, the trio called Fistful of Mercy — featuring late Beatle George Harrison’s son Dhani Harrison, Ben Harper and Joseph Arthur — just released “As I Call You Down.” And while it’s easy to compare Fistful of Mercy to CSN, there is something decidedly more subdued about Harrison, Harper and Arthur’s sound. With help from longtime session drummer Jim
vague but has some musical muscle. Harper’s vocal is particularly strong here. And the mid-tempo folkrock track “Fistful of Mercy” is decent enough to give the band a name to be proud of. Harrison, who has really developed as a singer and musician — having helped in the release of his father’s posthumous release “Brainwashed,” shines on the backporch folk-blues of “Father’s Son.” With “In Vain Or True,” harmonies, lightlystrummed acoustic guitars, strings and brushes-ondrums add to a nice introduction to this interest-
ing new group that brings to mind The Thorns, the collaborative group that featured Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins back in the early 2000s. “I Don’t Want to Waste Your Time” ambles along pleasantly enough, but you find yourself looking for something deeper. “Things
Go ’Round” is a bit of a standout here, although it sadly doesn’t offer that much. Don’t get me wrong. This collaboration is fascinating, and it is great to see the son of a Beatle follow in his father’s footsteps. However, with this level of talent, “As I Call You Down” seems to fall short of being a great album. Grade — B-
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page four
pop
friday, nov. 5, 2010
Baker’s reflective lyrics featured in Sunday concert shoulder, maimed his arms and hands, bruised his brain and severed the femoral artery in his left leg. An inward journey to recovery led Baker into reflection and deeper into art. He began writing as a form of therapy. He also took up photography. Art allowed him to let his spirit wander when his body could not tolerate physical endeavors. For a while, Baker believed that his music was just a mere delight for him. He knew his singing voice lacked range, from being
By Claire Lee Special to pop
Sam Baker — singer, songwriter, artist, architect, carpenter — feels life vividly and intensely, and he throws himself open to receive as much of it as he can bear. Baker will be in concert Sunday at Norman’s Historic Santa Fe Depot, 200 S. Jones Ave. The concert is part of the Performing Arts Studio Winter Wind Concert Series, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20, and advanced purchase is recommended through PAS or ticketstorm.com. Baker’s debut “Mercy” — self released in 2004 — is the first album of a record trilogy of delicate, devastating story songs backed by steel guitar, octave violin and cello that ripple with trauma and transcendence. “Sam Baker is, without a doubt, one of my favorite songwriters writing today,” said Nathan Brown, poet, singer/songwriter and University of Oklahoma professor. “His powerful lyrics punch through the noise of the contemporary music scene with the skill of a master-storyteller. And these painfully beautiful stories clearly come from someone who has ‘been there,’ barely survived, and come back to tell us about it,” he said.
deaf in his left ear from the bomb blast. Also, playing the guitar was a new task. His left hand was so badly shattered that he had to teach himself how to fret with his right hand. However, in 2002, Baker played his first open-mic night and began to accept that the authenticity of the song was more important than the range of his voice. Eighteen years after the devastating train bombing, Sam Baker released his first album. “Mercy” is an album about fate and about the
$7.00 Bargain Matinees - All Shows Before 6PM $7.50 Student Admission With Valid I.D. • $3 Surcharge applies to all 3-D Tickets
Photo by Rodney Bursiel
Singer/songwriter Sam Baker will perform in concert Sunday at the Santa Fe Depot. Personal tragedy resonates in Baker’s songs. The singer lived through a neardeath experience while traveling through Peru in 1986. While boarded on a fourcar train to Machu Picchu, Baker began chatting with a family of German tourists when the passenger car exploded as it sat in the station. A terrorist had placed a bomb in a red backpack that
was sitting right above Baker’s head in a storage compartment. The bomb blew off the top of his
Takers PG13 12:55 4:00 7:00 9:25 Inception PG13 1:00 4:05 8:00 Despicable Me PG 12:20 2:35 4:50 7:05 9:20
Case 39 R 12:50 4:10 6:55 9:30 Toy Story 3 in 2-D G 12:15 2:35 4:55 7:15 9:35 The Switch PG13 12:25 2:45 7:10 Devil PG13 5:05 9:40
JACKASS 3D (R) 1:15 4:20 7:20 10:15 MEGAMIND 3D • (PG) 12:40 1:10 1:40 3:15 3:45 4:15 6:40 7:10 HEREAFTER (PG13) 7:40 9:10 9:40 10:10 12:35 3:30 6:35 9:30 DUE DATE • (R) 12:50 1:20 3:35 4:05 7:00 7:30 9:25 9:55 SECRETARIAT (PG) 12:45 3:40 6:45 9:45 FOR COLORED GIRLS (R) LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (PG13) 12:30 3:25 6:30 9:35 12:55 3:50 6:50 9:50 SAW 3D (R) 1:25 4:10 7:15 9:50 THE SOCIAL NETWORK (PG13) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (R) 1:00 7:05 1:30 4:00 4:30 7:25 9:40 10:05 HARRY POTTER 7 TICKETS ON SALE NOW RED (PG13) 1:05 3:55 6:55 10:00
sensation of being “blown away.” The characters in Baker’s songs are, in turn, blown away by loss, love, fate and a looming war. After his first success, Baker released two more albums similar in tone and instrumentation.
ROBOTMAN & MONTY® by Jim Meddick
page five
pop
friday, nov. 5, 2010
Gloom tunes intentional Benefit By Doug Hill CD review concert disturbing images and a visual match to the sonic tonight Holy Sons landscape Amos rolls out in pop reviewer
Survivalist Tales! Partisan Records
Emil Amos has admitted for the record that he has a skewed worldview. But doesn’t everyone? Possibly, but Amos’ is probably more twisted than the average bear. Before even cracking the “Survivalist Tales!” CD package, you get a taste of it in the cover art. A raging grizzly bear roars over a Davy Crockett-type flat on his back, armed only with a dagger and a tomahawk. On the back cover, a human corpse lies in the road of a snowy ghost town as a wolf howls at its feet, calling the pack to dinner. They’re
this solo project’s 11-track album. The music is often discordant, wandering through atonal corridors of dream-like sound. It’s the soundtrack of vaguely menacing nightmares that many musicians are fond of. Amos is also the percussionist for Om and Grails, but for Holy Sons he plays all instruments and sings vocals. Uncomfortable, awkward and just wrong all come to mind as descriptions for “Survivalist Tales!,” but it’s obvious that this is Amos’ intent. Music this morose doesn’t happen by accident. They’re tilted tunes for those who can survive the gloom.
pop staff reports
Four rock bands will appear at The Brewhouse, 110 W. Main, tonight for a concert benefiting the Regional Food Bank. Participating bands include Chain Gang: The Pretenders Tribute, Hoppy Niles and One Arm Bandit, Built for Speed and Loose Change. The show begins at 7 p.m. The cost is $5. “Although we have a minimum of $5 to get in, we don’t want to put a limit on anybody’s generosity,” event cocoordinator Dennis Grisby said in a release.
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POP’S
SOCIAL CALENDAR
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
FRIDAY 5
SATURDAY 6
Music for Meals benefit, Loose Change, The Chain Gang, Built for Speed, Hoppy Niles and the One Arm Bandit, classic rock, 7 p.m., $5 cover, The Brewhouse Contemporary Dance Oklahoma, 8 p.m., Rupel J. Jones Theatre Christian Pearson, solo piano, 6:30 p.m., Ali Harter, 9 p.m., Othello’s “The Adventures of Pinocchio,” musical, 8:15 p.m., Weitzenhoffer Theatre, free Nathan Laube, organ, 8 p.m., Gothic Hall, OU, $8
Contemporary Dance Oklahoma, 8 p.m., Rupel J. Jones Theatre Cori and Chelsey Emmett with Hotel Love, country rock, 9 p.m., $5 cover, The Brewhouse Johnsmith concert, Cobblestone Creek concerts, 7 p.m., 1400 Sawgrass Dr., $15, gpilant@gmail. com for reservations Downtown Arts Market, Old Town Plaza, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., free music and arts/crafts to shop
SUNDAY 7
MONDAY 8
Contemporary Dance Oklahoma, 3 p.m., Rupel J. Jones Theatre Nov. 7- Anthony Nagid Jazz Quartet, jazz, 7 p.m., Othello’s
9
Ben Kweller, Julia Nunes, 8 p.m., $17, Opolis
Sam Baker, 7 p.m., Santa Fe Depot, $20
Belly dancing, Moe’s Hookah bar, 117 N. Crawford
13
Son Del Barrio, 10 p.m., $5 cover, The Brewhouse
The Stumblers, blues/rock, 10 p.m., $5, The Brewhouse
Hosty Duo, The Deli, 10:30 p.m.
Mama Sweet, 10:30 p.m., The Deli
Second Friday Circuit of Art, 6-10 p.m., various venues in Norman Bungalouski, PaintThings, DJ Jesse Cole, The Hidden Castle, 9 p.m.
Future Islands, Lonnie Walker, Kite Flying Robot, 9 p.m., $8, Opolis Red Dirt Drum Circle with Jahruba, 4:30 p.m., Sonder Music, Dance and Art, 225 E. Gray St.
Open Mic Night with Billy Hartless Band, 7-11 p.m., Hilltop Hideaway, 1105 N. Main in Noble Emilio Amera exhibit, Jacobson House, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 1-5 p.m. Saturday, 609 Chautauqua Ave.
THURSDAY 11 Red River Junction with the Will Callers, country/rock, 9 p.m., $5, The Brewhouse Nicole Robertson, singer/ songwriter, 7 p.m., Taylor Hart-Bowlan hosts open mic, 9 p.m., Othello’s Karaoke, 7 p.m., Hilltop Hideaway, 1105 N. Main in Noble
Bruce Goff: A Creative Mind, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $5, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, free today
Movie premier Time Machine with Cody Ingram, 9 p.m., $3, The Opolis
12
Kite Flying Robot, Deer People, Little Teeth, 9 p.m., $7, Opolis
Trivia night, 9 p.m., The Abner, 121 E. Main St.
“The Adventures of Pinocchio,” musical, 8:15 p.m., Weitzenhoffer Theatre, free
WEDNESDAY 10
SongWriter Association Norman, Songwriter Open Mic, 7-9 p.m., Michelangelos, 207 E. Main St.
Norman stand-up comedy night, 7 p.m., Sooner Theatre, $7, benefits Food and Shelter for Friends
Brian Pounds, singer/songwriter, 8 p.m., Othello’s
TUESDAY
14
15 Mike Hosty solo, The Deli, 10:30 p.m.
Marc Cogman, singer/songwriter, 7 p.m., Othello’s
16 Dave McDaniel, 10:30 p.m., The Deli Trivia night, 9 p.m., The Abner, 121 E. Main St.
17 Open Mic Night with Billy Hartless Band, 7-11 p.m., Hilltop Hideaway, 1105 N. Main in Noble Guestroom Records presents, 10:30 p.m., The Deli
18 Karaoke, 7 p.m., Hilltop Hideaway, 1105 N. Main in Noble Off Boyd Jazz, Brandon White and the Essential, jazz/american, 9 p.m., $5, The Brewhouse Lauren Deger hosts Open Mic night, 9 p.m., Othello’s