ange your fe in 2007

JACKSONVILLE

free weekly guide to entertainment and more | february 15-21, 2007 | www.eujacksonville.com

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featureNASCAR Media Day ............................................................................PAGES 16-17Local Music Preview ...........................................................................PAGES 18-24

moviesBreach (movie review) .................................................................................PAGE 6Movies In Theatres This Week .................................................................PAGES 6-9Seen, Heard, Noted & Quoted .......................................................................PAGE 7Hannibal Rising (movie review) ....................................................................PAGE 8The Last Sin Eater (movie review) ................................................................PAGE 9Campus Movie Fest (Jacksonville University) ..............................................PAGE 10Underground Film Series (MOCA) ...............................................................PAGE 10

at homeThe Science Of Sleep (DVD review) ...........................................................PAGE 12Grammy Awards (TV Review) .....................................................................PAGE 13Video Games .............................................................................................PAGE 14

foodSushi .......................................................................................................PAGES 25

musicBig Engine CD Release Party ......................................................................PAGE 26Music Calendar ...................................................................................PAGES 26-30Warehouse Party (MOCA) ..........................................................................PAGE 27Great Guitar Gathering (DASOTA) ...............................................................PAGE 28Little Brazil (interview) ................................................................................PAGE 29Country Ghetto - Mofro (album review).......................................................PAGE 29Coco Montoya (interview) ..........................................................................PAGE 30

arts / theatre / on stageJane Grey Gallery .......................................................................................PAGE 31Shenandoah (Alhambra Dinner Theatre) ......................................................PAGE 32Arts Calendar ......................................................................................PAGES 32-33Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (Limelight Theatre) ..................................................PAGE 33All The Way Home (PBTS) ..........................................................................PAGE 34

columns and stuffThe Jock ....................................................................................................PAGE 34

table of contentscover photo of Paul Paxton by: Dennis Ho


thisweekthursday february 15

friday february 16

saturday february 17

Tom Chiu and Joan La barbara Violinist Tom Chiu and sound artist Joan LaBarbara present a unique evening of contemporary classical music. Chiu has received wide acclaim for his performances as a soloist, chamber artist and experimental improviser. Lazzara stage UNF Fine Arts Center - 7:30 pm Info: 620-2878.

Old Crow Medicine ShowOld Crow Medicine Show is a young five-piece rollicking, punkified old-time acoustic band. They bring it all together to play songs from some of the earliest traditions of American music - tunes from jug bands and traveling shows, back porches and dance halls, southern Appalachian string music and Memphis blues. Tickets: $25. Florida Theatre - 8 pm Info: 355-2787

big Sandy & His fly rite boys Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys have emerged as one of the world’s most respected practitioners of American roots music, western swing, rockabilly, and traditional country—playing it like they invented it. “I think of us as just a rock and roll band, a rock and roll band that’s letting the roots show,” says bandleader Big Sandy. These guys bring on some great old-time rock and roll.Jack Rabbits – 9 pm 398-7496

JJ Grey & Mofro CD release ShowThe latest JJ Grey & Mofro studio album, Country Ghetto, is by far the group’s most well-recorded album to date, with choral arrangements and horns tastefully injected into the mix. JJ’s 11 songs are typical of his honest storytelling about his life in Northern Florida, the madness of war, and other subjects near and dear to JJ’s heart. read review of Country Ghetto on page 29. Tickets: $25 Florida Theatre - 8 PMInfo: 355-2787

Deerhoof, busdriver, Harlem Shakes Deerhoof’s music is noted for its unconventional song structures, lyrics and rhythms. Some call it noise but they have impressed the critics with a deep degree of composition to their experimental music. Also playing, the hip-hop underground group, Busdriver.Jack Rabbits – 8 pm Info: 398-7496

Jacksonville blues festivalThe Jacksonville Blues Festival is a celebration that delivers high-energy entertainment with love, happiness and nostalgia-all in the name of the Blues The performers include Shirley Brown, Marvin Sease, Theodis Ealey, Latimore, Bobby Rush, Mel Waiters, Bobby Blue Bland, and Sir Charles Jones. Veterans Memorial Arena – 8 pmTickets: 353 3309 or www.ticketmaster.com

Douglas anderson School of the arts 21st extravaganza The annual variety showcase of the students’ talents with dance, theater, vocals, instrumental music, film and creative writing will include the talent of 450 students who will sing, dance and produce the show, said Principal Jackie Cornelius. Gallery/Silent Auction - 6:30, Performance - 7:30 pm. Times Union Center, Moran Theater Tickets: 353-3309 or www.ticketmaster.com

florida roots TourLocal roots rock and reggae bands, Dubwise and Sangria will join Badda Skat, Tribal Style and Legacy from St. Petersburg/Tampa for a show at Endo Exo, 1244 Kings Ave. – 8 pm, all ages show.

urban Cowboy - The Musical This is a rousing, high-energy rodeo of a dance show that features songs from top selling country artists. Tickets $45-$26Thrasher-Horne Main Stage, 283 College Dr, Orange Park - 7:30 pm Info: 276-6750

Mad Happy and The LaserstarMad haPPy’s live show is tight, energetic and emotionally charged. The charismatic pair, with manic colored hair, a laptop and a free spirited approach, can start a party anywhere. Club TSI – 8 pm (ALL AGES) Info: 424.3531 or www.clubtsi.com

The 2006-2007 florida forum - Katie Couric Katie Couric shares her stories of sitting down with the famous and infamous headline makers. A tireless advocate for charitable causes and named one of Glamour magazines Women of the Year, Katie is the author of two children’s books, The Brand New Kid and The Blue Ribbon Day. The Florida

Theatre - 7 PM 355-2787

Southern Culture on the Skids SCOTS have played their unique hybrid of Americana, surf, R&B, rockabilly, and swamp pop (the band describes their sound as “toe sucking geek rock - kinda weird, but it feels good when you’re doing it”), all the while driving fans into ecstatic, sweat drenched paroxysms of joy. They have also been known to throw fried chicken and banana pudding into the audience when performing as well as inviting audience members to dance onstage.Jack Rabbits – 8 pm 398-7496

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yOu DOn’T wanT TO MiSS THiS! JJ Grey and Mofro celebrate the release of their new album this friday at the florida Theatre.

DayTOna 500Once again Daytona is the first stop for the stars of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Coverage will begin at 2 p.m. on FOX with the Daytona 500 pre-race show. Country music stars Big & Rich will sing the National Anthem, actor Nicolas Cage will serve as Grand Marshal, singer Kelly Clarkson will provide a Tribute To America and baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. will be the Daytona 500 pace car driver. The drivers begin the 500 laps to the finish line at 3 p.m. If you want to experience the thrill and noise in person you can get a Daytona 500 2-Day Superstretch Pkg for just $190.00. be sure to read about our naSCar Correspondent’s experiences at Media Day on page 16-17. For more info go to www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

Les ballets africains“Sheer physical energy and beauty” says The New York Times. Les Ballets Africains, the national ensemble of the Republic of Guinea, has thrilled audiences worldwide presenting traditional dance, music, acrobatics and storytelling using ancient instruments and exuberant choreography.Ritz Theatre – 7:30 pm Info: 632-5555 or [email protected]

The Peking acrobats The Peking Acrobats perform daring maneuvers atop a precarious pagoda of chairs; they are experts at treacherous wire-walking, trick-cycling, precision tumbling, somersaulting and gymnastics. They set the world record for the Human Chair Stack when they balanced six people precariously atop six chairs 21 feet up in the air without safety lines but more importantly they were in a movie with George Clooney, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt (Ocean’s 11 and the sequel, Ocean’s 12). Florida Theatre Jacksonville- 7:30pm Info: 355-2787

sunday february 18


monday february 19

wednesday february 21

Celtic womanCeltic Woman features the very special talents of four young Irish female vocalists and a very exciting young fiddle player.The five women vocalists and fiddle player are led by David Downes, a prodigious young Irish talent, who has previously worked as musical director of Riverdance. Times Union Center, Moran Theater – 8 pm Info: 632-3373

Presidential Party Join MOSH on Presidents’ Day from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Activities will include participating in a mock vote, creating candidate buttons, and playing a patriotic trivia game.Museum of Science and History, 1025 Museum Cir, $6-$8 Info: 396-MOSH

baysideBayside, alt rock band from Long Island, NY wanted to connect with their fans so they became one of the earliest bands to connect with Myspace and to date they have 161,400 friends (as of 2/9/07), with an average of 400 coming in every day. In 2005, while on tour, a van accident took the life of drummer John Beatz Holohan. Bayside’s new album, The Walking Wounded, is about overcoming the emotional and physical scars in life, keeping your head up and getting through tough situations. Fuel CoffeehouseInfo: 425-3835

Little brazil (ex-Good Life) Their sound is very high-energy rock, with a splash of indie sensibility and emo attitude. Front man, Landon Bridges has a distinct tonal quality that sometimes makes a very straight-forward song sound quirky and indie. read interview on page 29. Jack Rabbits - 8:00pm Info: 398-7496

Taylor HicksHicks was an independent artist for the span of a decade before rising to prominence as the winner of the fifth season of American Idol. His energetic stage performances and influences derived from classic soul, blues, and R&B music have earned him a following of devout fans, who have dubbed themselves the “Soul Patrol”. Tickets: $52, $42 Florida Theatre - 8 PM Info: 355-2787


opening this weekBREACH Based on the true story of Robert Hansen, who, for sixteen years was a spy for Russia. In this story, Eric O’Neill (Ryan Phillippe) is a young agent who gets into a power play with his boss Hansen and is recruited by Kate Burroughs (Laura Linney) to help bring him down. Rated PG13

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA Jesse Arron is a fifth grader who has hopes of becoming the fastest runner in his class. His hopes are dashed when a new girl Leslie Burke outruns everybody, including him. However, Jess and Leslie become friends and discover a magical kingdom in the forest where they reign together as king and queen. Starring AnnaSophia Robb and Josh Hutcherson. Rated PG

DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL In this Tyler Perry comedy a successful female attorney falls in love with a janitor, the single father of three daughters, over the objections of her father. Starring: Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba, Louis Gossett Jr., Tasha Smith, Gary Anthony Sturgis. Rated PG13

FACTORY GIRL The year is 1965, and Edie Sedgwick is rich, ambitious and breathtakingly beautiful. Her life changes forever when she meets Andy Warhol, New York’s most famous artist, and the man who will transform this trust fund baby into the Big Apple’s most dazzling Superstar. At the center of this exciting and decadent new world is The Factory, Warhol’s downtown loft, a place where musicians, artists, actors and all types of misfits gather to create art and movies during the day, and to throw fabulous parties at night. It is here that Edie takes her place at Andy’s side as the Factory’s most alluring and irresistible Superstar. Starring: Guy Pearce, Sienna Miller, Hayden Christensen, Jimmy Fallon, Meredith Ostrom. Rated R.

GHOST RIDER Based on a Marvel comic book character, a motorcycle stunt man named Johnny Blaze who gives up his soul to become a hell-blazing vigilante to fight against the power hungry Blackheart, the son of the devil. Starring Nicolas Cage. Rated PG-13

MUSIC & LYRICS Hugh Grant stars as a washed up rock singer who is given a couple of days to compose a chart-topping hit for an admiring teen sensation. The only problem is, he has never written lyrics, so he teams up with a younger woman (Drew Barrymore) who has a flair for words. Rated PG-13

now playingARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES This French film, written and directed by Lou Besson, features a ten year old boy, Arthur who sets out to save his grandfather’s house from being demolished. In his efforts for his grandfather, he goes looking for the fabled hidden treasure in the land of the Minimoys–a tiny people living in harmony with nature. Rated PG

BECAUSE I SAID SO Diane Keaton stars as Daphne Wilder, and overbearing mother who pampers her three grown up daughters Maggie (Lauren Graham) a psychologist, sexy and rebellious Mae (Piper Perabo), and insecure but adorable Milly (Mandy Moore). Keaton’s Daphne tries to spare Milly her mistakes with men, but Milly is on the wrong path. Rated PG-13

CATCH & RELEASE Jennifer Garner stars as Gray Wheeler, a woman who struggles to accept the death of her husband and the secrets he kept from her as she rebuilds her life. Rated PG-13

CHILDREN OF MEN In this riveting film written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron, Clive Owen stars as a

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B Rated PG-13 110 min This docudrama is based on the true story of the explosive discovery of a mole at the top level of the FBI’s counterintelligence unit in the late 1990s. The scenario chronicles how a young computer analyst Eric O’Neill (Ryan Phillippe) gains the mole, Rober t Hanssen’s (Chris Cooper) confidence, preventing him from going to ground. This enables the investigative unit, headed by Kate Burroughs (Laura Linney) to catch him in the act of making a drop of top-secret files. The case is the most damaging spy scandal in American history. For 22 years, Hanssen en-gaged in espionage, providing the Russians with a treasure trove of classified data. More significantly, he outed many Russian double agents which led to their executions. At first, Kate Burroughs recruited Eric O’Neill to “keep an eye on Hanssen” under the pretense that he was downloading pornography which could embarrass the agency. However, Eric, being an exceptionally bright guy, figured out that there was much more to his job as Hanssen’s clerk than monitoring his porno sites. So, Kate brings him into the unit’s confidence and provides him with Hanssen’s thick file so he can know what they know. It blows Eric’s mind. At the time the unit had enough to arrest Han-

sen, but they wanted to catch him in the act, so it would strengthen their case for the capital offence of espionage. In other words, they were going for life in prison without the possiblity of parole. So, they had picked Eric because of his strong Catholic background and the strong probability of him bonding with Hanssen, which is exactly what happened. Eric gradually gains Hanssen’s confidence and even admires him. On first blush, Hanssen seems like a God-country-family type of character. He’s religious, goes to church every day, and doesn’t drink or curse. But just beneath the surface, Hanssen was leading a double life. He was using his ill-gotten gains to consor t with strip-pers and runaround on his wife. During this later period of his spying career, Hanssen is getting paranoid. He suspects the FBI is onto him, so he’s on the verge of going to ground. At best, with what evidence the unit had already, he would get at tops five years in prison. It became Eric’s job to goad Hanssen into making one last drop. Written and directed by Billy Ray, the script is dialogue heavy and character driven, showcasing Chris Cooper’s penetrating por trayal of Hans-sen. Cooper’s characterization delves deeply into Hanssen’s conflicting psychological motivations and perplexing reasons for betraying his country

and family. Interestingly, par t of Hanssen’s justification for his betrayal, other than the money, was revenge against the agency for what he perceived as their stifling bureaucracy that clogged the gears of progress. He also complained to Eric that the gun culture of the law enforcement side of the FBI got all the credit and money. Of course, understanding why Hanssen would betray his country for so many years and not get caught, is an underlying theme of the scenario. Ray’s script implies that Hanssen got off on once heading the division to find the mole, when he was, in fact, the mole. Ray’s story also alludes to Hanssen’s monumental ego, thinking he was much smar ter than the other agency hacks. As Hanssen sinks deeper into paranoid delu-sions, Eric uses his confusion to prod him into action by saying he was no longer impor tant. Eric knew this would touch a nerve and get him to re-sume his treacherous behavior. Viewers see Hans-sen losing his grip on reality as Eric becomes the voice of his alter ego–the little devil sitting on his shoulder. It’s impor tant to point out that all this intrigue takes a toll on Eric as he begins to feel guilty for betraying his friend. Although he understands the morality of nailing Hanssen, he feels bad about his many lies and deceptions to give the unit the evi-dence they need to proceed with an ironclad case against this major traitor. Ryan Phillippe turned in a tour de force per-formance as Eric O’Neill. His complete understand-ing of his character goes far beyond what was required. Viewers can see he is agonizingly con-flicted about his job as Hanssen’s destroyer. De-spite Eric’s depression about his job, Kate assures him he is doing impor tant work which will get him a top spot in the agency. Ah yes, but he’s seen too much and feels like an unwilling hitman. As usual, Laura Linney is a stand-out as the steely Kate Bur-roughs, who has no life but the agency–not even a cat. Overall, this is a riveting character driven story that intrigue devotees will love. It requires close attention to the volumes of dialogue that lays-out this incredible real life spy story. Hanssen is now locked up in Colorado’s Supermax prison in a self-contained solitary cell where he has no contact with other inmates and is confined to his cell 23 hours a day.

spy vs. spyBreach movie reviewBy Rick gRant [email protected]

seen. heard. noted. and quoted.


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A.M.Cinema - All seats $5 before noonon Fri., Sat., Sun., & holidays - denoted by ( )

AMC Select- Special films for select tastes.

BREACH (PG13) (11:00 @ $5), 1:40, 4:10, 7:10, 9:55BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (PG) (11:20, 11:55 @ $5), 2:00,2:45, 4:30, 5:15, 7:00, 7:45, 9:30, 10:20GHOST RIDER (PG13) (11:25 @ $5), 12:30, 1:30, 2:15, 3:15,4:30, 5:15, 6:30, 7:25, 8:15, 9:15, 10:20, 11:00MUSIC AND LYRICS (PG13) (11:45 @ $5), 1:35, 2:40, 4:20,5:20, 7:00, 7:55, 9:40, 10:30TYLER PERRY’S DADDY’S LITTLE GIRLS (PG13)(11:10, 11:55 @ $5), 1:00, 1:45, 2:30, 3:30, 4:15, 5:00, 6:00, 6:45, 7:30,8:30, 9:15, 10:00HANNIBAL RISING (R) (11:00 @ $5), 1:55, 4:15, 5:00, 7:15,8:00, 10:15, 10:55NORBIT (PG13) (11:15 @ $5), 12:05, 1:15, 2:00, 2:45, 4:00,4:45, 5:30, 6:45, 7:30, 8:15, 9:30, 10:15, 11:00BECAUSE I SAID SO (PG13) (11:35 @ $5), 2:15, 4:55, 7:25,10:00THE MESSENGERS (PG13) (11:40 @ $5), 2:10, 4:35, 7:10, 9:45EPIC MOVIE (PG13) (11:25 @ $5), 1:50, 4:25, 7:20, 9:45SMOKIN’ ACES (R) (11:15 @ $5), 1:50, 4:35, 7:20, 10:05ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES (PG) (11:20 @ $5), 1:40STOMP THE YARD (PG13) (11:10 @ $5), 1:55, 4:50, 7:45, 10:45NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) (11:00 @ $5), 1:45, 4:25, 7:15,9:55THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (PG13) (11:05 @ $5), 2:05,4:45, 7:35, 10:25

————$AMC SELECT%————PAN’S LABYRINTH (R) 2:10, 8:00DREAMGIRLS (PG13) (11:05 @ $5), 4:55, 10:45

REGENCY 24Behind Regency Square Mall

BREACH (PG13) (11:40 @ $5), 2:25, 5:00, 7:35, 10:10BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (PG) (11:30 @ $5), 12:40, 2:00,3:20, 4:30, 5:50, 7:10, 8:15, 9:40, 10:35GHOST RIDER (PG13) (11:00, 11:55 @ $5), 12:50, 1:40, 2:30,3:30, 4:20, 5:15, 6:45, 7:30, 8:20, 9:30, 10:15, 11:00MUSIC AND LYRICS (PG13) (11:20 @ $5), 12:15, 1:15, 2:45,3:45, 5:20, 7:00, 7:45, 9:35, 10:20TYLER PERRY’S DADDY’S LITTLE GIRLS (PG13)(11:05, 11:45 @ $5), 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:15, 2:55, 3:25, 3:55, 4:45, 5:30,6:00, 6:30, 7:15, 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:45, 10:25, 10:55HANNIBAL RISING (R) 1:05, 3:45, 7:10, 8:10, 10:05, 10:50NORBIT (PG13) (11:25 @ $5), 12:45, 1:55, 3:10, 4:25, 5:45,6:50, 8:10, 9:20, 10:40BECAUSE I SAID SO (PG13) (11:35 @ $5), 2:20, 4:55, 7:25,10:00THE MESSENGERS (PG13) 12:35, 3:05, 5:25, 7:40, 9:55EPIC MOVIE (PG13) 9:35 PMSMOKIN’ ACES (R) 1:45, 4:35, 7:50, 10:30ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES (PG) (11:10 @ $5), 1:20, 3:35,5:55STOMP THE YARD (PG13) 6:40, 9:25NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) (11:00 @ $5), 1:25, 3:50, 7:05THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (PG13) 12:55, 3:40

————$AMC SELECT%————FACTORY GIRL (R) (11:05 @ $5), 1:05, 3:15, 5:40, 7:55, 10:05LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (R) 1:10, 4:15, 7:20, 10:30SWEET LAND (PG) (11:15 @ $5), 1:50, 4:30, 7:05, 9:50

-SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT No passes or discount coupons

Advanced Ticketing at amctheatres.com or (904) 264-3888

disillusioned activist, Theodore Faron. The story is set in 2027 in Great Britain–a violent time when, for some inexplicable reason, it has been nineteen years since any women on earth could give birth. Theodore agrees to help transport a woman, who is miraculously pregnant, to a sanctuary on an island at sea. England is in a state of anarchy with various activist groups fighting each other. Through this tumultuous backdrop, he and the woman go through many life-threatening situations to get her to safety. Rated R

DREAMGIRLS This fabulous film adaptation of the Broadway musical is based on Tom Eyen’s book–a thinly veiled biography of the rise of the Supremes as the first black/white crossover singing group in the 1960s. It’s the best adaptation of a Broadway musical to film ever. Ex-American Idol reject, Jennifer Hudson steals he movie as the Dreams original lead singer Effie White who is dumped in favor of Deena (Beyonce’ Knowles) who represents Diana Ross. Jennifer Hudson won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and Eddie Murphy won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. Rated PG-13 (Opens Christmas Day)

EPIC MOVIE In the spirit of “Scary Movie” and “Date Movie, a parody that spoofs recent mega-blockbusters. The comedy centers itself around four orphans who visit a chocolate factory and are transported to the wonderful land of Gnarnia, after stumbling upon an enchanted wardrobe. There they battle pirates, encounter earnest wizards and attempt to defeat Gnarnia’s dastardly White Bitch. Rated PG-13

HANNIBAL RISING So what was Hannibal Lecter like as a kid through his teens? This movie answers that question. The young genius learned many scientific fields such as medicine and chemistry. He also was a talented artist and musician as well as a forensic expert. The story opens in WWII in a medieval castle in Lithuania built by Hannibal’s forebear, Hannibal the Grim. The budding serial killer survives the horrors of the war and escapes the Soviet aftermath to find refuge in France. His horrific memories of the war combined with his psychopathy drive his future murder lust. Rated R

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA Clint Eastwood shot Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima back to back on location on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima. In Letters, Eastwood’s scenario involves the brutal battle for Iwo Jima, told from the Japanese perspective in Japanese with English subtitles. Both Eastwood films are Oscar worthy. This movie won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. Rated R

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM A hapless security guard, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) accidently invokes an ancient curse that causes the animals and insects on display to come to life. Rated PG

NORBIT Eddie Murphy plays multiple roles as Norbit, Rasputia, and Mr. Wong in this nutty comedy. A mild mannered guy (Murphy) is engaged to a large figured woman (Murphy). In his dreams, he meets his ideal woman (Thandie Newton) and schemes to find a way to be with her, not his bulbous fiancée. But she has other ideas. Rated PG-13

NOTES ON A SCANDAL A teacher, Sheba (Cate Blanchett) in a British high school becomes sexually involved with one of her students. Judi Dench plays another teacher who knows about the torrid affair and uses it to force her friendship on Sheba. The illicit tryst causes a major upheaval in Sheba’s life that escalates out of control. It’s one of the best films of last season, on every critics best of list including mine. Rated R

PAN’S LABYRINTH This is the story of a young girl who travels with her pregnant mother to live with her mother’s new husband in a rural area in the North of

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SIS GOES TO BAT FOR STERNHoward K. Stern’s sister told AP that the last time she saw Anna Nicole Smith was asleep in bed, while a nurse iced her down in an attempt to break a 105 degree fever. Howard had allegedly been gone for two hours when the news reached him that Smith was dead, after a nurse found the former model unresponsive and called 911.

SHE’S A PARTY GIRL NOT A HOTEL DESIGNER!Nicky Hilton is being sued for breach of contract by devel-opment group over her alleged failure to make good on an agreement to promote a hotel project known as Nicky O’s Chicago. The group’s also alleging that Hilton contracted out interior design work she was supposed to perform herself and misrepresented the amount of experience she and her associates had in hotel design. She can design a great martini though!

CATTY BULLOCkAsk her a touchy question and you get a snappy answer, “How many times do people say, ‘So, when are you going to have kids?’ Can I slap you now?” Sandra Bullock said in Style Magazine.

WHAT NO AFRICAN BABY?Queen Latifah says she wants to adopt a child—but that she won’t be going somewhere like Malawi or Ethiopia to do it. “I want to adopt an American baby though, you know what I mean, no offense,” she said Monday. “Just because there are so many kids here that need our help.”

COSBY’S MUTT BEST IN CLASS AT WESTMINSTERBill Cosby’s six-year-old Dandie Dinmont terrier, Harry, won his category at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden Monday night, making him one of the favorites in the Best of Show category, to be announced Tuesday. Cosby did not attend the show, sending his daughter to cheer on the dog in his place. That’s dog-gone good.

WEIGHTY ISSUEKate Winslet threatened to sue British magazine Grazia over claims that she has been seeing a diet specialist in Los Angeles in an attempt to shed some weight. The actor told reporters on the red carpet at the BAFTAs that the claims were “completely untrue,” and that she planned to take the necessary steps to clear up the mat-ter. Yeah, then she excused herself to go throw up.

PAY UP O.J.The family of Ron Goldman subpoenaed several Hol-lywood groups, including the Screen Actors Guild and the Producers Guild of America, for information on pay-ments O.J. Simpson may have received for past televi-sion and film appearances in an attempt to claim some of the estimated $40 million Simpson owes according to the wrongful death judgment against him.

WHO’S YOUR DADDY? TAkE A NUMBER! Prince Frederic von Anhalt, Zsa Zsa Gabor’s ex-husband is planning to file a paternity suit against Anna Nicole

Smith’s estate, he said Monday. The prince (he bought the title) is just the latest addition to the list of men declaring themselves to be the baby’s father, a group that also includes Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead. Five-month-old Dannielynn potentially stands to inherit millions from the estate of her mother’s late husband, J. Howard Marshall II.

GET TICkETS EARLYThe Police followed up their Grammy reunion by announcing their highly-anticipated world tour, kicking off May 28 in Vancouver and moving on to such destinations as the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennessee on June 16 and Boston’s Fenway Park on July 28.

RATING BONANzAThe 49th Annual Grammy Awards attracted an average of over 20 million viewers, the largest audience for the thank-fest since 2004 and an increase of more than 3 million viewers over last year’s ill-fated broadcast, which aired opposite American Idol. Was it The Police reunion. You bet! But it went downhill after that.

B- Rated R 117 min. When director Peter Webber and novelist Thomas Harris conceived this project, they set out to answer the question: What happened to Hannibal Lector in his youth to turn him into a serial killer with a taste for human flesh? For the most part, the movie answers this question in Webber’s dark and foreboding tone. During WWII, young Hannibal Lec-tor and his sister Mischa were attacked by a rogue band of Russian soldiers who killed their parents, murdered Mischa, and served her for dinner. Although Harris’ screenplay seems contrived, the scenario delivers a probing examination of Han-nibal’s past and his emergence as a human-flesh-eating serial killer. Webber’s frightening mosaic and the use of actors from England, France, and Serbia create a European film-noir mood that contributes to the nightmarish story, dragging the viewer down into the deep well of Hannibal’s twisted mental state. Traumatized by this horrific event, Hannibal was rescued while near death in a snow-covered field by regular Russian soldiers. The premise of Webber’s scenario insinuates that the boy Hannibal died in that field and a revenge-obsessed demon awoke in his place. Thus the legacy of the serial-kill-ing cannibal, Hannibal Lector, began. Hannibal is portrayed as a young adult with steely emotional detachment by Gaspard Ulliel, who captured Hannibal’s cold emotionless persona with verve. During his post WWII period, Hannibal moved to France, educated himself in medical science, chemistry, and the martial arts. He even became a medical resident in a hospital where he studied pathology. During his self-education, Hannibal began his extensive detective work to find Mischa’s killers. But the scenario postulates that Hannibal was driven by more than revenge. He was psychotically fasci-nated by human anatomy and craved bloodletting.

Hannibal Rising movie reviewBy Rick gRant [email protected]


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Spain in 1944. It was a time after Franco’s victory. The girl lives in an imaginary world of her own creation and faces the real world with trepidation. Eventually, the girl must come to terms with her life through a fable of her own. Rated R

PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS Will Smith stars in this true story of a precocious child and his father, who through circumstances beyond his control, drfits into a downward spiral and ends up homeless but working in a Dean Witter internship. Later he becomes a top Wall Street broker. Smith’s real life son Jaden Smith plays his son in this engrossing docudrama. Rated PG-13

SMOkIN’ ACES A Las Vegas snitch named Buddy Israel (Jeremy Piven) bravely decides to turn States evidence against the mob by testifying. The mob and other criminals take out contracts on Buddy’s life to prevent his testimony. Then the twists and turns happen and Buddy is hotter than a showgirl’s thong on a Friday night. Rated R

STOMP THE YARD A troubled 19 year old step dancer loses his younger brother in Los Angeles. His grief turns him to minor crime. But in court, he is able to bypass jail by enrolling in Truth University,an all-black college in Atlanta where his dance talents are sought after by two campus fraternities to win the national step show competition. Rated PG-13

SWEET LAND When Lars Torvik’s grandmother Inge dies in 2004, he is faced with a decision--sell the family farm on which she lived since 1920, or cling to the legacy of the land. Seeking advice, he turns to the memory of Inge and the stories that she had passed on to him. Starring Alan Cumming, Ned Beatty, Lois Smith, Tim Guinee, Elizabeth Reaser. Rated PG

THE LAST kING OF SCOTLAND A Scottish doctor travels to Uganda to do humanitarian work. In a chance meeting with Idi Amin, the new strong man of Uganda, he develops a friendship with the dictator, who invites the doctor to be his personal physician. The money is great and he lives large, but as Amin goes mad with power, the doctor is trapped and desperately tries to escape the country. Forest Whitaker received a Golden Globe for his performance as Idi Amin. Rated R

THE LAST SIN EATER In 1850’s Appalachia, 10-year-old Cadi Forbes is wracked with guilt over the death of her sister. She feels responsible for the loss and sets out to find the only man, known as The Sin Eater, who can take away her guilt. But while seeking redemption, Cadi learns a devastating secret that has the potential to tear apart her family and community. Starring: Henry Thomas, Liana Liberato, Peter Wingfield, Elizabeth Lackey. Rated PG-13

THE MESSENGERS The Solomon family move from Chicago for the wide-open-spaces of a North Dakota farm. As the family enjoys the tranquil life of the farm, Jess 16, finds out there is something strange in the field of sunflowers when she and her brother Ben 3, begin seeing ominous apparitions. Rated PG-13

THE PAINTED VEIL Naomi Watts and Edward Norton co-star as an English couple, Walter, (Norton) a middle class doctor, and Kitty (Watts) an upper-class woman, who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she has an affair with another man. When Walter finds out about her affair, he accepts a job in a remote village in China, ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. The trip turns into a journey of discovery for both Walter and Kitty. The scenario was adapted from the Somerset Maugham novel. Rated PG-13

THE QUEEN A revealing, witty portrait of the British royal family in crisis immediately following the death

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He was smart, cunning, and ruthless in his pursuit of his victims. During his trip back to his old house in the Balkans, Hannibal finds his family’s old photographs, including one of Lady Murasaki Shikibu (Gong Li), who had lost her family as well. He returns to France and finds her. She gives him safe haven while he pursues Mischa’s killers. The two form a strange platonic relationship based on their mutual need for revenge for those war criminals that caused their wartime trauma. Enter Inspector Pope (Dominic West from The Wire) who is onto Hannibal. He says to Lady Shi-kibu, “If he kills in France, I’ll arrest him. Keep your snake under control.” Clearly, Inspector Pope sym-pathizes with Hannibal because he lost his family in the war. In fact, he’s after the same war criminals as Hannibal. But he has a strong sense of duty to reign-in Hannibal’s overkill. Before long, Inspector Pope finds severed heads of known war criminals and knows it’s the work of Hannibal, but he also knows that Hannibal will not stop at executing the killers of Mischa. So he diligently works the case by bringing Hannibal in for interrogation. But since he has no evidence against him, he lets him go and has him watched. Of course, Hannibal is too smart and ditches Inspector Pope’s surveillance team. It seems that Inspector Pope is no match for Hannibal’s demonic brilliance and he stays two steps ahead of Pope. At this point in the story, Web-ber resorts to cheesy horror themes a la the Saw and Hostel franchises. Webber and Harris did their best to honor the Silence of the Lambs, but with no marquee stars and Harris’ less than stellar story, the project had too much to overcome. Although the film is flawed, it’s entertaining in a macabre slasher context, but it suffers from the impossible task of

creating a prequel when so much has gone before. Obviously, revenge doesn’t satisfy Hannibal’s psychotic cravings. He delights in torturing his victims and eating their faces off while they are still alive. One by one, Hannibal tracks down Mischa’s murderers and makes them pay for their atrocities. Even Lady Shikibu is grossed out by Hannibal’s methods, but she supports him and even kills for him. After a particularly bloody scene, Lady Shikibu tells Hannibal he must stop killing and forgive his enemies. “Never,” Hannibal states unequivocally. And so Hannibal Lector is unleashed on the world. Just think; if Jeffery Dahmer had not existed, Han-nibal Lector may have been an implausible character. Yes, real life is much stranger than fiction.

birth of a mad man

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D- Rated PG13 102 min.

The plot of The Last Sin Eater centers on the 10-year-old Cadi Forbes, played by Liana Liberato, who feels responsible for the death of her sister. The movie effectively establishes the warm relationship Cadi has with her grandmother, only to kill poor Granny off. The most intriguing aspect of the film was Welsh the cultural traditions we get to see in beginning of the movie. When Cadi’s grandmother dies, we get a taste of their superstition as they stop clocks and cover mirrors. At the funeral, Cadi encounters the Sin Eater, a man whose sole purpose is to eat away the sins of the dead. Cadi, touched by the man’s suffering, does the unthinkable and looks at the Sin Eater, something that is forbidden because the man is supposed to be tainted by the sins of others. I’ve always found the concept of a sin-eater to be fascinating. The idea that a man could absorb all of your sins, damning himself in the process, appeals to the idea that someone must pay for our sins. The sin-eaters will eventually suffer eternal damnation. The Sin Eater in Cadi’s community suffers in this life almost as much as he will supposedly suffer in the next. Almost no one has voluntarily looked him in the eye for 20 years. For fear of tainting others with his absorbed sins, he has neither touched another human

being nor has he been touched. Cadi knows his suf-fering is real and seeks to assuage her guilt and pain over her sister’s death by getting the Sin-Eater to take away her sins before her death. Liana Liberato as Cadi certainly inhabits her role well, and I look forward to seeing her work in the future. Cadi is introduced to Christianity by a wandering preacher who seeks to convert the people. This man of God, played by Henry Thomas (who looks nothing like he did as Eliot in E.T.) has his best moment when he sits Cadi down and begins quoting long winded passages from the Bible. Seeing her completely blank look, he asks her “You don’t understand any of this, do you?” It was one of the best moments in the movie because it was funny without trying to be. Eventually, he explains the message of Jesus Christ in terms she

can understand, saying that He was the “first sin-eater.” This movie wasn’t crammed with special effects, and probably didn’t need what it had. What it had was pretty awful, and placed in pivotal moments. I wished they had simply implied that Cadi was standing on a log, high over a ravine, showing it from her point of view, rather than distracting me with something that looked like it was produced on You Tube. Another thing I found incredibly distracting was the patently manipulative score, laid over nearly every moment. I don’t think that the acting was horrible; it was in fact pretty good, despite the script. It was the over-the-top score that ruined quiet moments that I felt could have garnered an emotional response, if not for the music. Instead the music made me feel as though I was being dragged to an emotional conclu-sion that I may have arrived at anyway. With the score in place, I never got to find out. The movie will no doubt find ardent defenders in the faith-based community, because it’s obviously aimed at the already faithful or those who are ready to accept Jesus into their hearts, maybe even right after the movie. I don’t object to religious content in a movie (I really enjoyed The Nativity Story last year) but I do object to a movie that’s pushy about its mes-sage. Coming to my own emotional conclusions is much more satisfying than being forced to them like a groom at a shot gun wedding. I found it a tad ludicrous that the children in the film had never heard of Jesus, nor never seen a Bible. Though the Welsh were (and are) thoroughly supersti-tious, they are a people who have always hedged their spiritual bets—employing both pagan superstition and a prayer to the Christian God in matters of the soul and spirit. One thing that also bothered me was that the Brogan Kai, who seemed to need redemption the most out of all the settlers, was mostly reduced to a bad guy caricature. Cadi’s sins are small by comparison. Those who got redeemed weren’t all that bad to begin with. I really wanted to like this movie, but so much is so wrong. The host of sins in the script, score and production values could probably only be forgiven by Jesus himself---or his very faithful followers.

multiple sinsThe Last Sin Eater can’t be forgivenBy ERin thuRsby [email protected]

of Princess Diana. The setting for this fictional account of real events is no less than the private chambers of the Royal Family and the British government in the wake of the sudden death of Princess Diana in August of 1997. The result is an intimate, yet thematically epic, battle between private and public, responsibility and emotion, custom and action - as a grieving nation waits to see what its leaders will do. This movie won a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay and Helen Mirren won a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell, Sylvia Syms, Helen McCrory. Rated PG-13

special showingsJacksonville Film Festival’s REEL People Film CAFFEINE (2006) A fanciful battle of the sexes ensues when the relationships of the staff and patrons of a quirky London café are unexpectedly turned upside down by sudden revelations of terribly embarrassing secrets having to do with their sexual misadventures. Starring: Marsha Thomason, Mena Suvari, Callum Blue, Mark Pellegrino, Mark Pelligrino.Monday, February 19, San Marco Theatre - 7:30 PM, $10.00, Tickets avialable at the door.

MOCA Jacksonville Film SeriesTO SLEEP WITH ANGER Directed by Charles Burnett, 1990, PG. Danny Glover plays the mysterious Harry Mention, a charming trickster who invades the lives of a middle-class black family. The presence of Mention, who claims to have (and may very well have) a connection to dark powers, breeds dissent among the family patriarch (Paul Butle). Based on stories told in the griot tradition of superstition, writer-director Charles Burnett gives us a funny modern folktale. Wednesday, February 21at 7 pm in the Underground Cinema. Tickets are $6 for members and $8 for non-members. If you are not already a MOCA member, take advantage of our Film Series membership special – join the Museum the night of the movie and then watch the show for free! Info: 366-6911

THE GOONIES (1985) A band of young boys find a treasure map and embark on a magical adventure. Produced by Steven Spielberg, starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, and Kerri Lee Green. Rated PG. San Marco Theatre, Feb 23, 24 at midnight, Info: 396-4845

2007 OSCAR STUDIO PARTY On Sunday, February 25th local film lovers will be celebrating the Oscars at a viewing party to benefit the Jacksonville Film Festival. You can cast your predictions for Oscar winners with an interactive ballot to win great prizes, view the arrivals and ceremony on multiple screens.Delicious delectables by World Grill and an open bar of Bacardi USA, Inc sponsored drinks will complement the live broadcast of the 79th Annual Academy Awards® ceremony. For more info call 633-9399 or go to jacksonvillefilmfestival.com.

SUBMISSIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR 2007 JACkSONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL The 2007 Jacksonville Film Festival, held in downtown Jacksonville May 17-20, 2007, will feature a broad spectrum of independent features, documentaries, international, experimental and short films, as well as panels and workshops. Event organizers are especially interested in new voices and unique perspectives that will enlighten and entertain JFF audiences. Selected films will be eligible for Audience Awards for Best Documentary, Best Narrative Feature and Best Short. The official “Call for Entries” has been announced and interested filmmakers should submit their films via Without a Box. Go to www.withoutabox.com or directly to the JFF website. For details and more information, please visit www.jacksonvillefilmfestival.com.

HURRICANE ON THE BAYOU The World Golf Hall of


Wednesday, February 21stTO SLEEP WITH ANGERDirected by Charles Burnett, USA, 102 minutes, Color, in English; 1990, PGDanny Glover plays the mysterious Harry Mention, a charming trickster who invades the lives of a middle-class black family. The presence of Mention, who claims to have (and may very well have) a connection to dark powers, breeds dissent among the family patriarch (Paul Butler) and his offspring, who are less leery of the mystical wisdom Harry represents. Based on stories told in the griot tradition of superstition that he heard in his youth, writer-director Charles Burnett gives us a funny modern folktale that intersects dream-time and linear time and provides many memorable performances.

Wednesday, February 28thGET ON THE BUSDirected by Spike Lee, USA, 120 minutes, Color, in English; 1996, RGet on the Bus follows several black men on a cross-country bus trip from South-Central Los Angeles to the historic Million Man March in Washington DC. On the bus are an eclectic ensemble cast of characters including a laid-off aircraft worker, a former gangbanger, a Hollywood actor, a cop who is of mixed racial background, and a white bus driver. All spend the journey discussing issues surrounding the March, manhood, religion, politics, and race. It’s stirring, heartfelt entertainment from the first frame to the last.

Wednesday, March 7thBROTHERSDirected by Susanne Bier, Denmark, 117 minutes, Color, in Danish with English subtitles; 2004, RMichael (Ulrich Thomsen) has everything under control: a successful military career, a beautiful wife (Connie Nielsen) and two daughters. His younger brother Jannik (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) is a drifter, living on the edge of the law. When Michael is sent to Afghanistan on a UN mission, the balance between the two brothers changes forever. Michael is missing in action – presumed dead – and Sarah is comforted by Jannik, who, against all odds, shows himself capable of taking responsibility for both himself and the family. It soon becomes clear that their feelings have developed beyond mutual sympathy. When Michael comes home, traumatized by being held prisoner in Afghanistan, nothing is the same. Winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Audience award for drama.

Wednesday, March 14thTHE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMELDirected by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni,Mongolia/Germany, 90 minutes, Color, in Mongolian with English subtitles; 2003, PGCombining drama and documentary, The Story Of The Weeping Camel is a lovingly observed and fascinating journal of day-to-day survival in the Mongolian Gobi desert. For a family of herders who happily eke out their living in this remote dustbowl, crisis comes in the shape of an all-white newborn camel rejected by its mother after an agonizing birth. The family undertakes the rearing of the calf by hand, but the longer he’s denied his mother’s milk, the more likely it is the little camel will die.

Wednesday, March 21stMANNY AND LODirected by Lisa krueger, USA, 88 minutes, Color, in English; 1996, RIn her breakout film role, Scarlett Johansson plays Manny, a foster child who runs away from her adopted parents with her older sister Laurel. The two are constantly on the go, eating and sleeping whenever and wherever they can. But when Laurel becomes pregnant, they find they can’t make it through this crisis on their own. With nowhere else to turn, they decide to kidnap Elaine, a clerk in a local baby supply store. The girls soon realize, however, that Elaine might be just as needy as they are themselves. For this performance, 12-year old Scarlett was nominated for ‘Best Female Lead’ at the 1997 Independent Spirit Awards.

Wednesday, March 28thORLANDODirected by Sally Potter, Great Britain, 93 minutes, Color, in English; 1992, PG-13Orlando is a bold unsentimental re-working of Virginia Woolf’s classic novel in which an innocent aristocrat journeys through 400 years of English history – first as a man, then as a woman. Orlando is a story of the quest for love, and it is also an ironic dance through English history. Addressing contemporary concerns about gender and identity, the film is remarkably true to the spirit of Virginia Woolf, but it also skillfully adapts the original story to give it a striking, cinematic form. The screenplay is a standard text taught in film schools as a radical and successful adaptation of a classic work.

Wanna make a movie? What if some-one would give you a digital video camera and Apple laptop with iMovie and Final Cut Pro on it? Still wouldn’t? The world’s largest student film festival is returning to Florida for its third year to get students to create short films. No, the films don’t have to be Apple commercials, but they may end up running on TBS since Turner Classic Movies is a title sponsor. “We’re partnered with Apple because they have such user-friendly equipment. We really encourage students that have never made a movie before to try it.” Megan Solomon is the Public Rela-tions Coordinator of the festival. When EU first received the press release about the event, we thought there must be a catch. As it turns out the only catch is that a JU student has to be the primary filmmaker, although the organization encourages as much community involvement as possible. “The students have a week to make their own movies. We supply all of the equipment to make the movie, and have tech assistants on hand for the whole week. 1300 songs, which have been submitted by artists from across the country, are available for use in the films.” There are no restrictions on genre or topic, only time. The final product will be five minutes long. This festival is an international event, with host universities in California, Massachusetts (including MIT), Florida, Georgia, and even Scot-land. Students sign up, receive their equipment and some basic training, and are then left to their own devices. On the final day the short films are presented at the Jacksonville Finale. Finalists will be able to compete regionally with the other par-ticipating colleges. If your film goes all the way to the East Coast finals, you could win $10,000 and a chance to compete in the national finals. The Florida events offer more than $50,000 in prize money as well as iPods, camcorders, and DVD players, not to mention nationwide exposure for your short film. “Turner Broadcasting picks the Very Funny Film Award finalist and, at the Florida Grand

Finale, the winning team premieres their short on Turner Broadcasting System.” The event starts when the festival rolls into Jacksonville on February 27th and the Finale takes place on March 5. Whether you win or not, you have to return the equipment to the Festival to use in the next city, but you will be left with a film of your own creation. Another facet of the festival is the TCM Classic Film Award. Students can take their favorite classic movie and rework a scene or insert a whole new scene. You are free to re-imagine a classic film any way you want. Started at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, the festival has existed for six years, but has only been to Florida for the last three. Get-ting Turner and Apple on board certainly helped. Turner hopes to utilize the festival to tap into some cutting edge comedic minds to support their new comedy lineup on TBS, which includes original programs such as My Boys and 10 Items or Less, to complement their syndicated comedy lineup. If you are a JU student, you can turn one of those “that would be a great scene in a movie” moments into an actual movie. If you’re not a JU student, and you don’t think you will be by the end of this month, make a friend over there and feed them you’re craziest idea. You’re still al-lowed to help with the movie; you just have to let them do the technical stuff. “We try to leave it as open as possible so that students can work their imaginations into it.”

making ju students into filmmakersthe campus movie festBy jon boswoRth [email protected]

get indieMOCA Jacksonville’s film seriesBy jon boswoRth [email protected] If Hollywood’s new line of blockbusters just doesn’t tickle you film fancy, and the off-Hollywood indie films are a little too stark for you (or maybe you just like a denoument) than MOCA Jacksonville has just the thing you are looking for in their Film Series. The education department and a committee of members select films that they hope will meet your expectations. Working with New Yorker Films, MOCA has gotten rights to show some great films. Many of them are classics and most of them are acceptable for mature children, but best of all: they are displayed on a big screen. So never mind your Netflix and drive right past the line at Blockbuster to catch a film on a big screen in a really accommodating theatre that is almost like a private screening room, except the screen is 32 feet by 14 feet. MOCA’s Film Series presents a new film every Wednesday at 7pm. So catch dinner and a movie downtown for a night out that provides a little something different. They have themed films to match the month. Right now they are doing their Red, White, Blue, and Black series celebrating African-American directors, and in March they are featuring independent female directors with their Film Fatales series.


Adv. Tix on Sale AMAZING GRACE (PG) �Adv. Tix on Sale WILD HOGS (PG-13) �BREACH (PG-13) DIG (135) 445 750 1025GHOST RIDER (PG-13) DIG � (1200 100 130 240) 345 415

515 655 730 800 935 1020 1035 1210BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (PG) � DIG (1200 1230 230) 330

500 700 740 940 1015 1215TYLER PERRY'S DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS (PG-13) DIG (1215

105 250) 400 520 715 745 945 1010 1205 1230MUSIC AND LYRICS (PG-13) DIG (1220 125 255) 430 525 720

805 955 1040 1225NORBIT (PG-13) DIG (1235 145) 325 440 650 725 930 1000

1200 1230HANNIBAL RISING (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (115) 450 735 1025BECAUSE I SAID SO (PG-13) DIG (1215 235) 530 815 1030THE MESSENGERS (PG-13) DIG (120) 455 715 950 1215SMOKIN ACES (R) - ID REQ'D DIG 410 1015EPIC MOVIE (PG-13) DIG 335 950 1200THE QUEEN (PG-13) DIG (120) 705STOMP THE YARD (PG-13) DIG 335 1005PAN'S LABYRINTH (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (110) 405 645 925 1155DREAMGIRLS (PG-13) DIG (1210) 645NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) DIG (140) 435 710 1000 1235PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (PG-13) DIG (1245) 700

Adv. Tix on Sale AMAZING GRACE (PG) �Adv. Tix on Sale WILD HOGS (PG-13) �BREACH (PG-13) (1200) 355 710 1005FACTORY GIRL (R) - ID REQ'D (105) 425 735 945GHOST RIDER (PG-13) DIG � (1210 1240) 405 435 720 750

945 1030BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (PG) DIG � (1215 1245 235) 430 500

655 720 940 955TYLER PERRY'S DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS (PG-13) DIG (1155

1225) 410 440 700 725 950 1025MUSIC AND LYRICS (PG-13) DIG (1235 245) 505 800 1035NORBIT (PG-13) DIG (1245 115) 450 520 730 755 1000 1040HANNIBAL RISING (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1230) 420 715 1010OC & DA: BECAUSE I SAID SO (PG-13) DIG 400BECAUSE I SAID SO (PG-13) DIG (1250) 705 930THE MESSENGERS (PG-13) DIG (1220 230) 515 810 1035PAN'S LABYRINTH (R) - ID REQ'D DIG 455 740 1020NOTES ON A SCANDAL (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (100) 405 700 925DREAMGIRLS (PG-13) DIG (120)NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) DIG (1205) 510 745 1015THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1155)

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Today there are so many films that lack origi-nality and depth. Either they are remakes of movies that were quite fine the way they were or predict-able by-the-numbers pieces that require little-to-no thought. Sometimes I really enjoy that escapism, but after a while it gets old. The Science of Sleep is a film that is certain to get you thinking. This unique cinematic experience is now available on DVD. Stéphane Miroux (Gael Garcia Bernal) is an ec-centric man living two lives. By day, he’s a stranger in a strange land. After spending most of his life with his recently deceased father in Mexico, Stéphane makes his way back to his childhood home in France at the behest of his mother (Miou-Miou). Instead of landing a creative job with a calendar publisher, as his mom had promised, Stéphane finds himself do-ing a far more mundane job with the company. His personal life, too, is less than rewarding. By chance Stéphane meets his neighbor Stéphanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her friend Zoé (Emma de Caunes). While Zoé is more his type physically, he soon be-comes interested in Stéphanie, who is also a creative spirit. Stéphane’s relationship with Stéphanie soon becomes strained when the other part of his life comes to the surface. Ever since he was a child,

the young man has had trouble distinguishing his dreams from reality and the problem has only got-ten worse since moving to France. Stéphane quickly alienates nearly everyone around him as his dream life and waking life become more and more blurred, causing him to act in increasingly bewildering ways. With his waking-self wanting desperately to connect with his lovely neighbor, Stéphane retreats to his dreams for a fix. The Science of Sleep is the brainchild of Os-car-winner Michel Gondry, whose quirky think-piece Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind put the former music video director’s name on the proverbial map. While his latest film is just as unique as its predeces-sor and has received mostly favorable reviews from critics, The Science of Sleep barley made a rumble at the box office, earning a little over $4 million com-pared to Eternal Sunshine’s $34 million. The film is now available on DVD and here’s hoping it finds its audience there. The Science of Sleep DVD has some nice supplements. An audio commentary track with Gon-dry and the cast offers some interesting behind-the-scenes insights as does the 30 minute-plus making-of featurette. This solid documentary reveals through backstage footage and interviews how many of the

stop-motion sequences were dreamed up (in some cases literally) and how they were executed. Next is a shorter featurette simply titled “Lauie”. Here we get to meet Lauri Faggioni, the young woman who created the majority of the film’s household-item-fashioned creatures. Finally, two odd little featurettes about a cat-rescue organization found their way onto the disc featuring kitty-lover Linda Serbu, who must have some really terrific connections to be able to get these added. These extras, while providing important information about feline overpopulation, seemed extremely out of place and makes one won-der why far less random things like deleted scenes or even some of Gondry’s music videos were omit-ted. The Science of Sleep is a captivating, innova-tive film that wakes up the imagination and lingers in your subconscious long after the credits roll. The way Gondry depicts his main character’s dream world is enchanting, strange and heartbreakingly beautiful. Whimsical stop-motion scenes, complete with cotton clouds and cellophane water, add a magical, otherworldly quality that simply has not been captured on film. The story itself goes every-where and nowhere all at once, very much like a dream. Nothing tangibly changes in the lives of these characters, but we get to know them on a deeply profound, personal level by the time it’s all said and done. Gael Garcia Bernal, who is an ever rising star thanks to his considerable talents and smoldering good looks, knocks his performance out of the park. Through all of the character’s quirks and annoyanc-es, Garcia Bernal manages to make Stéphane human instead of a caricature, which is exactly what the character would have been in the hands of a less-skilled actor. Charlotte Gainsbourg, who is lesser known in the US, makes quite an impression as well. The Science of Sleep is one of the most enter-taining, awe-inspiring films of 2006 and it’s a shame more people have not seen it. If you’re interested in seeing something completely different from the norm, this film is certainly for you. While the story it-self lacks the emotional depth of Gondry’s prior film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, this movie takes the viewer deep into a bizarre yet somehow familiar world that must be seen to be believed.

a captivating, innovative filmThe Science Of Sleep - dvd reviewby kellie abraHamSoN [email protected]

new on dvdThe DeparTeD (151 min.)Two men (Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon) from opposite sides of the law are undercover within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia. When both sides realize they’re being watched by the enemy, violence and bloodshed rule the day as the moles are dispatched to find out their enemy’s identities. Rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some strong sexual content and drug material.

half NelsoN (106 min.)A crack-addicted history teacher (Ryan Gosling) forms an unlikely friendship with Drey (Shareeka Epps), a 13-year-old student of his who discov-ers his drug habit. As he attempts to steer her in the right direction, despite his badly broken moral compass, Drey finds herself sliding into the drug dealing life that swallowed her brother. Rated R for drug content throughout, language and some sexuality.

INfamous (110 min.)In the second film in as many years to explore the drama behind the research and writing of great “nonfiction novel” In Cold Blood, Toby Jones plays Truman Capote, a flamboyant writer who develops a close relationship with convicted mur-derers Dick Hickock (Lee Pace) and Perry Smith (Daniel Craig). Rated R for language, violence and some sexuality.

The QuIeT (96 min.)Nina Deer (Elisha Cuthbert) is a popular high school girl whose life is upset when her parents (Edie Falco and Martin Donovan) take in their or-phaned godchild Dot (Camilla Belle), a deaf mute. Dot soon discovers that her new family has some extremely dark secrets. Rated R for strong and disturbing sexual content, a scene of violence, language, drug content and brief nudity.

QuINceaNera (90 min.)As Magdalena’s (Emily Rios) 15th bir thday ap-proaches, her simple, blissful life is complicated by the discovery that she’s pregnant. Kicked out of her house, she finds a new family with her great-granduncle (Chalo González) and gay cousin (Jesse Garcia). Rated R for language, some sexual content and drug use.

marIe aNToINeTTe (123 min.)At just 15-years-old, Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst), a naïve, young Archduchess from Austria, marries the equally naïve Dauphin of France (Ja-son Schwartzman). The film chronicles their he-donistic lifestyles as they go from carefree teens to ill-fated royals. Rated PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity and innuendo.

school for scouNDrels (100 min.)Roger (Jon Heder) is an unlucky meter reader who enrolls in a confidence-building class so he can win the girl of his dreams. The class turns out to be something quite different when it becomes clear to the young man that his profes-sor (Billy Bob Thorton) has his sights set on the same girl. Rated PG-13 for language, crude and sexual content, and some violence.

click itread it all on line at

EUjacksonville.com


The Police opened the Grammy awards show with a rousing rendition of Roxanne,revving up the live and TV audience for what turned out to be anticlimactic. After the Police’s adrenaline injection, the program waned as yet another boring awards show. When Mary J. Blige walked up to accept her first award, she blab-bered on endlessly thanking a long list of people. Even when the music started, which hints it’s time to wrap it up, it didn’t discourage her from continuing to thank everyone in the universe. And the producers wonder why the ratings are plummeting for the Grammy awards show. Hello, it’s boring. As I’ve stated before, nix the thank-yous, period. Just have the artist receive their award and walk off the stage. In fact, this applies to all awards shows. Yes, Blige’s thank-you gibberish is the reason I hate awards shows. With that huge tacky cross tattooed on her shoulder, Blige went on to win best R&B performance, album, and song. Hey, we know she is grateful. The Dixie Chicks won for best album, song, and the coveted record of the year for Taking the Long Way. Of course, the Chicks sparked a firestorm of controversy when lead singer Natalie Maines criticized President Bush on the eve of the Iraq war.The comment was too close to 9/11. But now the tide of public opinion has shifted against the Iraq war, which has trapped American troops in a bloody civil war, causing needless casu-alties. More significantly, the Chicks have moved away from the flag waving country scene and moved into pop. So, with multiple Grammys and a quadruple platinum selling CD, the Chicks are kicking butt and leading the anti-war movement, evidenced by Joan Baez introducing them. Modern rock was well represented with the Red Hot Chili Peppers winning four Grammys for best rock song, best rock performance, best vocal performance, and best rock album for its double disc Stadium Arcadium. The Peppers continue to create hard edged rock that crosses over many different sub-genres of modern rock. Former American Idol princess, Carrie Underwood won a Grammy for best new artist of the year. She said “I owe everything to Simon Fuller” the creator of Idol.But Underwood has made it on her own by eclips-ing her Idol fame out in the viciously competitive world of the real music biz. Carrie’s colleague from the Idol winning circle, Kelly Clarkson, won two Grammys in 2006,further legiti-mizing the power of Idol as the number one rated showon television. The show has become a major stepping stone to gaining instant name recognition either by winning or placing in the top four. For aspiring artists, there is no faster way to the top than appearing week after week on Idol with millions of TV viewers watching them perform. Justin Timerlake gave the show an injection of youthful charisma with his solo performance and his duet with the winner of the TV audience vote, Robyn Troup of Houston Texas. Generally, the musical performances saved the show from my remote control button. After Blige’s thank-you debacle, I nearly switched the chan-nel. However, I enjoyed the trio with John Meyer who, right afterwards, won a Grammy for best pop vocal album of the year for Continuum. Meyer played an inspired blues-styled solo during his live performance. Gnarls Barkley’s performance of their hit song Crazy was another highlight of the show. And, Bob Dylan, who was shut out of the main awards show, won a Grammy for best contemporary folk album and another Grammy for best solo rock performance. It was a proud moment for the Grammys when Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder won an award for best pop collaboration for the vocals on For Once in My Life. In the outside-the-main-event category, Ike Turner won best traditional blues album for Risin’ with the Blues. And no, Susan Tedeschi did not win for best con-temporary blues album. It was her fourth nomination, which is a great honor in itself. Chamillionaire won best rapperformance by a duo or group.He seemed overwhelmed by the honor when interviewed on CNN.The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ live performance was worth staying with the show to witness. Still, producers of award shows need to listen to the TV audience’s criticisms. The ratings decline is speaking volumes to them. Generally, there are way too many awards shows which use basically the same format. Overall, the musical performances made the 2007 Grammy show worth viewing, but the thank-yous almost lost me. I had my hand on the remote trigger.

redhotchilichicksGrammy Awards Show 2007by Rick gRant [email protected]


Wii PlayFor Nintendo Wii

Wii Play is the perfect companion game for people who are already in love with Wii Sports. Featuring a variety of minigames including ping-pong, fishing, shooting, and tanks, Wii Play is great fun for two players. With the same general play style as Wii sports with a bit of Wario Ware thrown in; you are in for a good time so long as you have a friend to play along with you. Most of the games are relatively simple with the exception of Billiards, which is a really great adaptation of 9-Ball billiards, though a little more involved than some of the other titles. There are a few standout games, including Find Mii, which encourages you to find your Mii (character) among a crowd of other characters doing various things such as walking or swimming. Additionally, Wii Play comes with a Wii remote packed right in with it, so if you plan on buying a remote anyway, you can snag Wii Play for an extra 9.99. Not a bad deal, at all.

Kirby: Squeak Squad For Nintendo DS

Kirby is back, and this time he brought his old-school gameplay with him. Last time around, Kirby was controlled via the touch screen by drawing lines for him to follow. This time, however, Kirby has returned to the standard method of moving via the directional pad, and performing different moves such as jumping by using the face buttons (a, b, x, and y). While some might think this was a step backward, as the last Kirby game was so great, never fear. Squeak Squad more than holds it’s own as a sequel in the franchise. In this adventure, Kirby is off to find out who is responsible for taking his beloved strawberry shortcake dessert. In his quest to get it back, his adventure unfolds, through various platformed levels and a humorous story. This one is great for all ages.

Ratchet and Clank: Size MattersFor Sony PSP

So here we are, with another micro-sized port of a Playstation 2 franchise. Normally, this is the type of game I would dismiss and not give much time of day, but something snagged me with this one--mainly, the fact that Insomniac, the people behind the PS3’s most impressive title, Resistance: Fall of Man, developed it or

at least published it, anyway. Ratchet and Clank certainly follows a much different type of path than Resistance does, but that doesn’t mean the gameplay isn’t great fun. Basically, the gameplay involves you following Ratchet on a series of shoot-em-up adventures, and following along the interesting yet predictable story of a game of this type. The action is good; the story is good, so if you are one of the few people that happen to own a PSP, you should check this one out.

video gamesby Norm stovall [email protected]


Finally! And it is about time to, cause I’ve been really fired up for some racing since Media Day, but I’ll get to that in a minute. First let me tell y’all about last Thursday outside of the front stretch of Daytona Interna-tional Speedway in this gigantic tent. This was the second time for me and my ole friend, fellow NASCAR fan, and cameraman: John. We were able to talk with, take pictures of, and interview NASCAR’s top, middle, and low name drivers for over eight hours. By the way, there was plenty to eat also, what with a buffet pastry bar for breakfast and then a monster sandwich making bar with cookies and brownies for lunch. NASCAR knows what all these media guys and gals like to eat as far as I’m concerned. This time was quite different from last year when the drivers came to the print section, the section for writers and photographers. Last year NASCAR brought drivers in by groups of 5 or 6 and let them stay for a while. That gave the press more accessibility to them. While they are herded up around one guy, another one wouldn’t be so ganged up on and you could talk to them. It seemed to work a lot better that way and I got to interview more drivers. This year the drivers came in at a rate of 2 or 3 and with all the press there you couldn’t get close to the ones you wanted to interview, so we had to make do with listening to others ask questions. We did get some fairly good pictures, as you can see this week in the paper, but I didn’t get to ask many questions. Man, I was full of things I wanted to know and I did hear a few answers I needed. Like the part about Junior and majority ownership and how Juan Montoya felt about racing big cars. You know, I stood there listening to the speaker, cause I couldn’t get my recorder up close, and I could have sworn I heard him say, “Say hello to my little friend!” Now I might be wrong about that, but he sure does have an accent so all y’all better learn to “hablo español” if’n your going to have your scanner on his channel. I asked Kenny Schrader a question and made a request. I asked him how he “truly” felt about the Car of Tomorrow and he told me, “Well, it’s bigger and got more room in it, and it’s wider and taller, and when you see 43 of them on the track you won’t be able to tell the difference.” Seems like that is the general consensus with a few drivers. I also made a request of him that he could he possibly start driving for Slim-Fast because I’m gaining weight eating all those Little Debbie’s. I told John about that and he said that Kenny looked like he’s been getting paid in the darn things (his driver’s suit looked a little tight). Remember, though, he’s a bear and has just come from a winter’s nap. All that will be gone soon. I had made big plans with a friend of my wife’s to get all the autographs out front. WRONG! Unlike last year, when a bunch of fans stood outside the same monster tent and got tons of autographs as the guys went by, this year NASCAR put an end to it. Well, mostly. There where a few lucky fans that did get some, but very few. The reasons being NASCAR didn’t bring the drivers in the same way, and also they kept running the autograph seekers off. While I was outside taking a break I saw this sweet little old lady go up to Tony Stew-art, while he was walking through, and ask him to sign a diecast car. He told her he just couldn’t because of

some reason I didn’t quite hear. She then asked if she could rub his beard and he smiled and obliged her and I thought she was going to faint. She walked by me and said, “He’s so nice and it was so soft.” So that part of the plan was a bust and that left “Plan B” and I knew if I failed at that I could never go to Australia and my mate over there would never talk to me again. Y’all all know Pete (Skippy) and Deb in Australia by now and how he’s the biggest Ward Burton fan in the world. I was going to try to get Ward on my cell phone and call Skippy. Well the plan was to snag him over in the electronic media area while he was hanging out in that section waiting for their turn behind the curtains, so I figured I could pull it off that way. Alright, I’m hanging out where I’m not really supposed to be and, low and behold, there’s Ward just standing around talking to another driver. So I ask this man and lady, who seemed to look important, if I could go over and talk to Mr. Burton. The guy looks at my media pass and says, “Well, you’re media aren’t ya?” I headed straight for Ward and started my previously well-planned opening spiel. “Mr. Burton, a couple of years ago I got you to autograph a diecast car at your Net Zero hauler here at the 500, and told you it was for your biggest fan in Australia and you thought was real neat, and now I’m here to ask you if I got that same fan on my cell phone would you say hello to him?” Now you and I know that these guys are real busy with all the things they got to do, and we also know that some of them don’t want to be bothered with such stupid requests. Let me tell all of you right here and now that Ward Burton is not the too-busy or I’m-too-good-to-even-bother-answer-ing-that-question type of guy. Ward looked at me and you know what he said? He said, “Go For It!” Bubbas & Bubba-ettes, I hit the ole speed-dial button and handed him the phone. When Pete answered it he said, “Hey Skippy, what’s going on, this is Ward Bur-ton.” I know that Pete will talk your ear off if he’s given a chance and that Ward is a busy driver but he talked to him for maybe ten minutes while he stood there signing helmets and stuff that were going to charity auctions. I slipped around the other side of him and took a picture of him with my cell phone to his ear and sent it off to Australia that very evening. Skippy has already got it blown up, laminated, framed and hang-ing on his wall with all of his Ward Burton paraphernalia and he still hasn’t come down from Cloud 9.

Racing! Now just when you think I’m done for this week, it’s get back to what I get paid for. That’s right, Paid with a capital P! Just so y’all don’t have to worry anymore, and so I can pay my bills and buy me more diecast cars, the contract with EU has been signed with my dear friend Will and the terms I regret I can’t dis-close, but I will say, “It ain’t chicken feed!” Another part of the deal was that the first column of the new sea-son was that I get a two page spread with articles and photos and that. I can write as much as I want about whatever I want. I guess you could say I have finally gotten that journalistic freedom I have been seeking, but it’s only for this one week and then it’s back to the smaller columns, so sit back and read the ride. WOW! Is Robert Yates Racing Back Or What!! What can I say about an old driver and an old rookie that ain’t a rookie? He took that Carl Edwards route into Nextel Cup (formerly Winston Cup) racing. All those head-lines a while back about Ricky Rudd coming out of retirement to drive for RCR, I’m sitting here thinking: “Did Rudd retire? Hmm, I thought he stepped back for a bit.” Nowhere did Ricky say he was quitting racing, he

even made it clear he wasn’t like Martin or Elliott by say-ing “I retire” and then get back to racing again. He was just taking a break. Can you blame him for wanting to be with his family? After all, the “Iron Man” titles ain’t given out to part time drivers. Looks like the man has certainly got his stuff together, and so has RCR with the cars they have given Rudd and Gilliland. And what is the deal with this David Gilliland almost running down Tony for a Shootout win but playing it smart and getting it done with second place? Now he and Rudd have qualified for the front row of the 2007 Daytona 500. Robert Yates has come back from the depth of the darkness that had fallen over him and his team last season. Losing drivers and sponsors and thinking that he was the problem with the teams, he said he felt he should leave racing, and he almost did. Now the words “the light” and “at the end” along with “the tunnel” are more than just words for this man and his powerful race team. It wouldn’t be fair to say that RCR has made a complete turnaround right now, and it can’t even be thought about for some time to come. At this point in the season, I think the best words to use are: “it’s a start” and “one race at a time.” But whatever they have done, don’t change a thing! WOW again! Junior tells what he wants, and there are sure some mixed feelings in the ole www.com world, as you might have thought. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has finally

rev your engines!EU goes to Daytona 500 Media Day

naScaR newS & noteS

by RichaRd teague

ward burton on the phone with Pete.

Kevin Mooney of eSPn films Ricky Rudd and david gilliland.

Kenny wallace


expressed himself. He wants control of DEI. Jeff Gordon said that Junior could have his pick of teams, and Ms. T would be making a big one if she let him leave. How can she possibly give in to him after she has been the boss for so long? I have been saying all along that this was either a show or the real McCoy, and now it looks like it’s from the frying pan to the fire for Jr. and Teresa. Talk about a guy with a lot on his mind while trying to win races this year; that’s Junior. And how about an owner that has to contend with the chance of having to give up the business to an employee? The rest of this year will have no bigger storyline than what is going on over at DEI and who is really going to give in first. With this all going on I wonder just what Dale Earnhardt wanted to do for his family? Wasn’t there some kind of document saying who got what or who does this? I can’t remember if I ever heard that there was a will, or something written down on paper, explaining what he wanted. There’s no way that Sr. didn’t have some kind of expectation of how things would be run in the event of his passing. The man was too smart for that. One of the Diecast Warriors that I am a member of said, “Jerk Jr’s baby ass out of the 8 and put Kerry in,” among other things, saying that Jr. shouldn’t get what he wants. Heck, before she does that she should hire Kelly and put her in the #8. Mama E could do better than Kerry, I mean I’ve always thought she hired Kerry just to show she’s not the bad person here, and maybe she isn’t after all? Does Dale Jr. deserve what he’s asked for? Why does he feel the need to control DEI and drive the Budweiser car? There ain’t been a whole bunch of owner/drivers that have won championships. Nope, not very many at all, and if Jr. plans on winning one, he needs to concentrate on one thing: the racecar. Now I get emails when I make comments about popular drivers, but I don’t think that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has the talent to do both. Well the Chevrolets did real good Saturday night and the Dodges didn’t do too bad either, but what was a Toyota doing in the top ten finishers for the Bud Shootout? Dale Jarrett got the luck of the draw and starting on the pole, only to fall to the end of the line. But he come back for an 18th spot finish. Is it possible that after driving Fords for so long Jarrett hasn’t got used to that Camry yet? And will he before the next race? I’ve been driving a pickup truck for so long that if you put me in a car to drive, I’m lost. So perhaps D.J.’s got a similar problem with a Toyota. Will he ever get up towards the front this season? I think he will, but not before he has more of the same type nights and a few days like Saturday. He better hurry up because he’s only got a two year deal with MWR & Toyota, but at least he will have plenty of chances to improve. Now on Brian Vickers it’s a different story, since he’s never driven anything that long. In fact, you could say he’s still learning NASCAR, especially after wrecking Johnson & Junior last year. He probably slid right into that Toyota and said, “hmm kind of like my old Monte Carlo,” but we know different don’t we? He did fin-ish in the top ten, so let’s see what he can do with a 43 car field and a poor starting position before we think that Toyota is going to make a mark on the Cup Series. I still think that he should have stayed with the #25, car because he had more potential with the equipment over there than he has in the #83. Just like with the other Toyota teams this year, we have to wait and see. Remember I said I didn’t pick a Toyota for my team in the NASCAR pool at work but I did pick Rudd & Gilliland? He he. Man there’s just so much to write about right now with the start of the new season and the different things that are happening, like Mikey’s car being taken away from him. How about little Kasey and ole Matty getting on the bad side of NASCAR right at the start? And who knows what else other teams will try before this week is over? I’d have to be a brain surgeon or an IRS accountant to be able to keep up with all this stuff, but I’m trying, boss, I’m trying. You know that NASCAR has got their big eye on every crew chief, driver and lug nut that gets near a car, so these guys better mind their Ps & Qs. If not, they just may wind up like Chad Knaus did last year and watch the races on TV. Dang, with all this after such a fun time with my column over the past few months, it’s got like a job. But I do like it so. That’s all from me this week and I sure hope one of my guys wins the 500 and if he don’t I hope that one of your guys does. I hope I haven’t written too much so that Will couldn’t put a few pictures in this week’s paper and if any of y’all that read this on the web and can’t see them perhaps if you sent him a self address good sized envelope he might send ya a copy. Don’t forget to put an Andy Jackson in it to cover the postage and help him out with paying my new salary. Hehe. Like usual, if you feel it, you can do it at [email protected] and this week I’ll refrain from my usual ending and just say this: 3 4ever!!

Kasey Kahne


Jacksonville is always teeming with musicians, and in the ebb and flow of the city’s cultural growth, there are spurts of times when there are just a multitude of outstanding bands, but no venues to support them. Then there are times when there are tons of venues, but not enough stable original bands to fill the stage. The one constant is the lack of support most of the bands get. When a Jacksonville bands draws fifty people to a show, that is considered a good night. In most towns, there isn’t nearly the same amount of tal-ent, and people turn out like crazy. Why is this? I can’t make bars beat the price of drinking at home, but maybe if some local paper started really trying to cover the local music scene, you people would feel informed enough to go out of your homes for more than just PlanetFest and Warped Tour. What paper would do such a thing? EU is who. A year ago Middleburg’s own Red Jumpsuit Apparatus performed for barely more than 20 people at Jack Rabbits. Now their album has gone gold, they are all over MTV, and they sold out one of the largest venues in town. I remember playing shows with Yellowcard and booking them in one of the Conmoto Trench Festivals, and now they are superstars with their own line of shir ts at Hot Topic. So Jacksonville can make the hit-makers. It isn’t all about Lynryd Skynyrd and Limp Bizkit, really great bands can spring up from here. Brass Castle moved up to Atlanta because they felt Jacksonville was holding them back, and as soon as they arrived they were greeted with a record deal from the same label, more or less, that signed the Allman Broth-ers back in the day. Hopefully the wait is almost over for those holding onto the home turf, but even these musicians understand that their success could be easier if they were in a more central place with a thriving scene. In this issue EU highlighted some of the groups that are on their way to great things. We are leaving out

have you heard?

2007 local music preview

the new southern rock

By jon Bosworth

PHOTO BY DENNIS HO


have you heard?

the new southern rock

Whole Wheat Bread, Summer Obsession, and some of the bands that may still call Jacksonville home for the sake of including bands that can use the attention. We focus very specifically on the bands that have made their name known. The bands featured in these pages are far from a complete list of Jacksonville’s music scene, but it is a great primer for some of the most talented bands we’ve come across in the past couple of years.

The Cadets are the whole point of Jacksonville music to me. They didn’t used to be. When I first moved from Orange Park to Riverside and started running with the Jacksonville music scene, I thought I knew it all because I knew Gizzard, Dampading, and Fin Fang Foom. But what I didn’t know about yet was The Cadets. That’s mostly because they were still in high school. Being in high school didn’t stop them from donning their coverall flight suits and taking a stage littered with strange tubings and space materials. They were our own little Man or Astro Man. They played at Einsteins, Milk Bar, Moto Lounge, and all of the regular places, I just never saw them. When I was a manager at Tinseltown, shortly thereafter, there was this crew of nerdy math rockers that worked for me. They were all in a rock band called The Cadets. I finally caught a live performance and mar-veled at the way they deftly collided the worlds of Modest Mouse indie with Man or Astroman kitsch and a little surf guitar. They officially became my favorite new band. Flash forward a few years when I have come to know The Cadets well because my new band at the time, Clarity, played with The Cadets all the time. We booked a show with them in Gainesville. It was amidst that show, while Chuck (guitarist/singer), walked into the crowd during this intense guitar solo, and as a finale, Cash (drummer), was standing on his drum kit and fell backwards through the front window of the venue, smashing it and nearly killing himself, that I realized it. The Cadets are the best band I’ve ever person-ally known. Flash forward to 2002. The Cadets are working on a new album and they are booked to play my club, Rock & Roll Pizza. They are the big act on one of our biggest nights. After their set, the band went out front and had some strange and heated conversation, then Cash came back in and told me The Cadets just broke up. And broke up they remained…until now. With Chad living in New York, Isaac in Georgia, Chuck in Gainesville, and Cash here, it seems unfath-omable that it could happen, but I heard rumors that The Cadets were trying to finish that same album three years later. I happened to be booking a benefit show at The Pearl for a mutual friend, and I invited them to play. They agreed. After that they started writing new songs and now they are gearing up for the release of that CD they started in 2002. It’s called On the Death of Science as a Major World Religion. And each of them is a genius in their own right. Chuck is finishing up his engineering degree at the University of Florida, although he could probably be a rocket scientist. Chad Matheny, the bass player, works for a non-profit organization in New York that is fighting global warming, and he also plays disjointed folk/math/indie rock as Emperor X. Isaac, the other guitarist, is finishing his degree in Georgia and drummer Cash Carter recently owned Moon Colony Razorblade with Max Wood and plays with Thee Harmonious Fist and New Berlin. These kids have always worked double-duty. I was Cash’s ride from our photo shoot on Sunday, so I took him by the Shangrala house, fed him a cheap can of beer, and picked his brain about the state of the Cadetian Empire. EU:Whenwillthenewalbumcomeout?CC: April 29th on Discos Mariscos. You can pre-order it on discosmariscos.com right now and it should be available at iTunes in a week or so. EU:Whatsortoftouringisplanned?CC: We’re planning on touring. We will definitely do a three city CD release tour here, Gainesville, and in Tal-lahassee. We are hoping to do something overseas, but nothing is finalized yet. EU:HowhasDiscosMariscoshelpedyoureleasethenewalbum?CC: They’re getting some good attention right now. They have connections with Pitchfork Media and a lot of other places. In reality, we’re all paying for the album. Max [Wood] is chipping in as a fifth member, but he pretty much is a 5th member anyhow. They will help get us the reviews and recognition for it. They know Lou

the cadets return to a universe in needinterview with Cadet 001

Barlow and shit. Our friend Brian got it to a label overseas. Jerry Love from Teenage Fan Club got a copy of the album and apparently he loved it. They’re one of my favorite bands of all time, so I freaked out when I heard that. Plus they have national distribution and a website that gets hit a lot. EU:HowhardhasitbeenhavingTheCadetsspreadoutaroundthecountry?CC: It’s very difficult. If we weren’t this spread out the album would be out and we would be working on new material. Chuck isn’t far, so it’s not as hard for he and I, and if I had a car I’d drive down there and we’d be writing. It’s kind of nice not having the urgency, but if we all lived in the same city and were practicing every day or even every week… It has stunted our growth, but hopefully this album will do something about that. I think we all see this album as a breaking point. If we see this album to be a failure, we might do music a dif-ferent way. We’ve been a band for 12 years, so if the album gets a good push and doesn’t go anywhere, then that’s our shot. We’re all extremely proud of this album. There a couple of songs we recorded that we were surprised we had done. It’s quite a few steps above anything we’ve done. If we continue in the way we’re going, it’s something I’ll be proud of the rest of my life. I already am, but the next album will be amazing. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but that’s how I feel about it.

There is no other band like Shangrala. With songs that are rich with singable hooks, without becoming hokey chorus-driven ditties, layered with complex levels of melodies to create an enormous, almost sym-phonic sound, Shangrala transports you from the smoky club where you’re watching them to some ethereal plane that is exciting. They rock hard when they decide to break out the catharsis of the song, but during the rest you can choose whether you want to let the gentle notes and Jude’s airy voice whisper you into a dream-like trance, or pay closer attention and realize that the song you are listening to has keyboards, layers and layers of guitar, a cacophony of vocals, and…is that a violin? But the complexity isn’t distracting. Sometimes it isn’t even obvious. They so seamlessly fold them together that it ultimately creates one melody. If you are into hardcore punk rock, Shangrala might not be a perfect fit for you, but if you enjoy really well thought out music that you can sink your teeth into, Shangrala is Jacksonville’s little secret. Well, not little. At last count there were five members, but rumor has it that they just added a sixth. It isn’t uncommon to see Jared Bowser, formerly of Bernard, appear on stage with Shangrala, and he was recently added to the lineup to provide extra instrumentation ranging from guitar to drums. Jude Kahle is the singer and he also plays rhythm guitar. Brian Jerin plays guitar and provides backup vocals. Walt Hill plays keyboards, drums, and an assortment of digital devices. Will Hill plays bass (and re-freshes his Myspace page between songs), and Mike Von Balson on drums. I met up with Jude and Brian at Jenkins and asked them some questions over pork sandwiches. EU:Whenwillthefulllengthbeout?BJ: Summer 2007. We’re still working out the quirks of the recording since we did it ourselves. JK: We’re trying to make it sound the best we can, considering that we are recording it ourself for free. EU:Whatshowsdoyouhavelinedup?BJ: We have 2 local shows. One at the Murray Hill Theatre with Cool Hand Luke on February 23, then at Nosh Supper Club on the 23 of March with Crash the Satellites. EU:WhatmakesaShangralashowstandoutfromotherliveshows?JK: I like to watch Mike and Walt play. Each of us are doing something neat and different. BJ: Walt plays the Rhodes and drums simultaneously. We have all of these people on stage and that makes for a good live performance. Someone that comes to see us could answer that better. But for a band that practices once a month, we just strive for excellence, to play as well as we can, and I think we do a good job. EU:Howlongdoesasongtaketowrite?JK: A couple of months. We only practice a couple of times a month. It takes a couple months to get every-thing down until we’re ready to play it out. Making sure all the parts work together.BJ: We’ve been together for more than 2 years and we have a little more than 10 songs, so we write five songs a year.

getting down with the shang ganginterview with Shangrala

PHOTO BY DENNIS HO

PHOTO BY DENNIS HO

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EU:Willyouguysreleasealivealbum?JK: If we could get it recorded right.BJ: According the Rock and Roll Handbook, the fifth album should be double live. Once you’re established with four albums full of Grammy-award winning hits… EU:Howareyougettingyourmusicouttotheworld?BJ: We’re working with Atlas Distribution to put out this first record. Mike, who runs it, has connections in Eu-rope and Japan. We’re waiting to see how it goes when the record is done. We’ve been talking to a publicist that has been working with us and we have a family of storks that Jude and I befriended that said they will carry our CDs across the world and drop them off in all of the villages. Our music is also featured in a couple of independent films that have yet to get picked up. EU:Whatisyourfavoritestagetoplayintown?BJ: I like Murray Hill and Jack Rabbits equally. Murray Hill has a great sound system and a big stage. Jack Rabbits also has one of the best sound systems in town. JK: It’s sometimes hard to get people to Jack Rabbits because of the smoky atmosphere, that’s the only complaint I get about Jack Rabbits. EU:Howisthenewrecordcomingalong?JK: We’re trying to find the happy medium between recording a record yourself for free and trying to make it sound the best it can. It will never be perfect, since we’re recording it in our living room, but we want to make it sound as good as we can. That’s how we will continue to record with the band. Where we are not under pressure. EU:AreyouevergoingtoplaywiththeJacksonvilleSymphonyOrchestra?BJ: As long as Fabio can keep up.JK: Tell Fabio to give us a call. Instead of Mike playing to click, he can play to the conductor.

Christina Wagner is a very attractive woman. When you first meet her, it’s her wit, style, and radiant smile that draw you in, but once you’ve heard her sing, you’re hers forever. Christina and I used to work together at Rock & Roll Pizza and she was great at concocting strange and bizarre drinks after hours for the rest of the staff and myself, but I never learned to fully appreciate her songwriting ability until she performed at the Conmoto Trench Festival last year. The Burrito Gallery stage was floundering between “experimental” bands that were less music-oriented and more absurdist in nature. People were leaving as fast as they arrived and it seemed as though the weirdos at the beginning were going to scare off any potential patrons to the BG stage for most of the day.

Then Christina Wagner swept in, followed by an enormous family. That gave me a sense of relief, but then when she played, everything with the festival was suddenly alright. Her voice is strong and smooth, not like the passive aggressive acoustic performers that usually crawl up on that lonely stool with an acoustic guitar and a mic. Whereas many female singer/songwriters rely on a voice that breaks intentionally, like Edie Brickell, or do the whole hippie-chick thing, Christina if easy-going and funny as she adjusts her microphone, and then instantly her music wraps around you and her sultry voice is earnest and deeply intoned. From the faint hint of her Spanish heritage in the way she strums her guitar to the rock edge to her insightful choruses, Christina is easily one of the best solo performers in the region, which is why she plays frequently in Orlando and Tampa, as well as Jacksonville. I called her up to ask her a few questions about being Christina Wagner. EU:Howdoyoukeepyourselfsoprettyandsassy?CW: Oh, wow. Are you serious? Is that a real question? EU:Thefirstquestionoftheinterview,yes.CW: I guess I sleep a lot. I don’t consider myself pretty or sassy, I’m bitchy and I wear a lot of makeup. Who writes these questions? EU:IdoCW: (Laughing) You’re an idiot. EU:Iknow.Checkthislackoftransition:Howoldwereyouwhenyoustartedplayingguitar?CW: Nice segue. I first picked up the guitar when I was probably 12 years old. When you’re Spanish, you hang guitars and instruments on the wall as decorations. It looked pretty and it was on the wall next to the maracas, so I picked it up and played it. EU:Howoldwereyouwhenyouwroteyourfirstsong?CW: My first song was on the piano, and I was 8 or 9 years old. No words, just piano. I was probably 14 when I wrote a song with words, and I remember it being awful, but who doesn’t have an awful first song? EU:Whendidyoufirstperformonstage?CW: It was on a dare by Chris Estes. I think it was two songs with him and Jude back during their Quiet Ninjas shenanigans; about 4 or 5 years ago. EU:Here’smywellthoughtoutquestion,areyouready?

she’s the bitch of the ballinterview with Christina Wagner

PHOTO BY DENNIS HO

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CW: I can’t wait. Is it asking me my cup size? EU:Althoughyourmusichassomeofthepassionandzingofrock,itcomesfromsomedistinctlydifferentorigin,whatmusicalinfluenceshaveallowedyoutodevelopsuchadistinctanduniquesound?CW: Well, I like Tom Waits and Johnny Cash a lot. I listen to Billy Holiday and a lot of classical music. That and really bad 80s metal bands. EU:HowhasworkingatJackRabbitsandseeingallofthoseshowsimpactedthemusicyouwrite?CW: Its good and bad. Good because you develop a lot of friendships that continue on. There are a lot of bands that I developed relationships with years ago and it’s like having family over when they come through town. It’s also frustrating because of the lack of support that Jacksonville gives for some of these bands. There are these amazing bands that come through and play for like 20 people. No matter what you do, you can’t get more people than that because Jacksonville just doesn’t support live shows anymore. EU:Yousay“anymore,”doyouthinkthere’sbeenadecline?CW: Definitely. I remember going to the Milk Bar and there were 40 or 50 kids at every show. EU:Whencanweexpectthenewalbum?CW: I’d say fall of this year. EU:Ifyouhadaband,whattypeofmusicwouldyouplay?CW: Hmmm. I don’t know, but it would have to have some song with a unicorn in it. Maybe wizard rock? Wizard rock, definitely. It would be very majestic. EU:Whenisyournextshow?CW: I am playing in town with Gunwitch and Pilar at House of Jam in Mandarin on February 24th.

get crashedinterview with Crash the Satellites It wouldn’t be fair for me to spend a lot of time telling you about this band because I used to be in it. In fact, I was one of the founding members. It was my leaving that started the rotation of musicians that have since rotated in and out of the lineup. Essentially Crash the Satellites is Paul Paxton on guitar and vocals and Julia Gregory on drums. This core songwriting duo was the force behind Clarity, a formidable indie garage rock band (I was also in that band), and they are now the core of Crash the Satellites. With Paul and Julia is Brian Blades, a skilled guitarist and underrated songwriter, who joined ranks with Paul and Julia to form Crash the Satellites back in 2001. The newest member is Dan Shelton. Dan recently replaced bass player Heath Valdez, and his background is mostly with area jazz bands. Accomplished as he may be, I am still a little dis-

gruntled about Heath getting the boot, because Heath was true to my bass lines and wrote some stellar ones himself. But my opinion is not relevant here. After Terry Case, a member of the band New Berlin, recorded their debut album Learning to Land, they invited him to play guitar as a third guitarist. I thought they were daft, but the product was amazing. So when Terry quit, they tried to recoup that enormous sound by enlisting Tracy Shedd’s bass player, Richard Dudley, on third guitar. That didn’t pan out and the band is back to being a four piece. Paul and I were supposed to do an interview over some beers, but he wasn’t feeling well, so I sent him these questions via email. EU:WhenwillwehearthenextCtSalbum?PP: Possibly as soon as this summer. We have to complete a few more songs in order to fill a full length al-bum, but the songs are coming along pretty quickly, and we’re happy with our recording options so far. EU:Whatareyourtouringplansfor07?PP: There have been recent talks about touring, possibly before our next release, and certainly afterwards. For now we are trying to build our following in regional cities, also performing with more national acts, which will help us get into better venues on future tours. EU:Areyouwritingnewmaterial?PP: Yes, more than ever actually. The writing seems to come rapidly at times and then whither away other times. My notebook is a complete jumbled up mess right now, with half finished songs. I’m scared to open it because it’s hard to pick one and stick to it. If I flip through the pages, the other songs will pull me in. I’m cursed with having to write three or four songs at once, or none at all. EU:Isyourmusictakinganewdirectionnowthatyouarebacktojusttwoguitars,oristhecompo-sitionessentiallythesame?PP: It’s mostly the same. We’re not able to layer as many melodies at one time, but we are more easily able to focus and tweak the main melodies. I don’t think the composition process is ever going to change really. Whether it’s two or three or eight guitar layers, there’s always going to be that one part that could use a little bit more.

PHOTO BY DENNIS HO

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EU:Areyougettinganycollegeradioplayfrom Learning to Land?PP: We are getting some, but that’s another thing that we plan to focus on more before the next tour. We are mostly getting regional college radio play, and features on various podcast shows like Insomnia Radio. EU:Wheredidyourecordthatalbum?PP: In your garage! With a lot of help from Terry Case. EU:Whereareyourecordingthenextalbum?PP: We are trying a few different options. We recently recorded some tracks at The Fort Studios with Pete Thorton, and may return to do some more. There’s also a producer in Gainesville that we’d like to record some songs with. We’re trying to capture a very specific rawness for our next record. EU:Whowouldyouciteasamajorinfluenceonyourmusic?PP: I like how bands like Sebadoh or Swervedriver can make clever beautiful songs that make you want to listen all day, but then come out of nowhere with a brick and just pound you in the face relentlessly. It’s truly awesome. That’s what made me want to play in a band. EU:Whoisyourfavoritelocalband?PP: I really can’t choose just one. Fin Fang Foom (if that counts), The Cadets, Tuffy, New Berlin, Julius Air-wave… EU:Anycrazystageshowideasintheworks?PP: Haha, I’m not planning on lighting more people on fire, if that’s what you’re asking.

There are few bands more authentically Jacksonville than DANG! I don’t mean that they play 80s hair rock covers at beach bars, although I am certain they would get a kick out of doing that every now and then, but more that they are carrying on a sort of forgotten tradition of rock music for muscle cars. Their brand of Southern rock is light-hearted, but weighed down by enormous balls. They’ll bring to mind Southern Culture on the Skids, Supergrass, and maybe even a little Jon Spencer with just a hint of that thing that makes it seem approachable to everyone from your mechanic to that elitist indie rocker snob with the weird haircut. DANG! is not scared to play PlanetFest or the fair, and yet they are closely tied to the underground scene, so you are just as likely to catch them at Ouroboros or Yesterdays. With equal measures of coolie new music comparisons and plenty of super 70s rock band compari-sons, DANG! Just might be the perfect band for any situation. Book them at your bar alongside one of those 80s cover bands, or let them headline your indie rock showcase, they’ll always be a perfect fit. I sent them a few questions via email to see what they are planning in the near future. EU:WhencanweexpectaDANG!release?D!: Summertime EU:Whatareyourtouringhopesforthecomingyear?D!: The Southeast for the next few months...East coast by fall... EU:Isyourmusictakinganynewdirectionorareyournewersongsstillaccomplishingyourorigi-nalgoals?D!: It’s the same dance but with a few new steps. EU:Whatvenueshavebeenespeciallyaccommodatingtoyoursuccess?D!: Jack Rabbits, Fuel, Eclipse... EU:Whatdoyoudodifferentlywhenselectingshowsthathashelpedyougeneratesomuchbuzzsoquickly? D!: We like playing venues that give us free alcohol.... then a quick buzz is easy to generate. EU:Whoisyourfavoritelocalmusiciantoplaywith?D!: There is a ton of great music in Jacksonville right now... we love to play with Hand of the Host and we’re really looking forward to doing something with Sensei... EU:Whowouldyourdreamtourbewith?D!: Nashville Pussy! EU:Whenandwhereisyournextshow?D!: March 30-31 Emergenza Fest Battle at Fuel... if you buy your tickets ahead of time from us you can save $$$. myspace us... EU:HowistheEmergenzaFestivalcomingalong?D!: Good. We made it through the first round. We’ll see where it leads us.

that dang bandInterview with DANG!

PHOTO BY DENNIS HO

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Nobody has been personally responsible for a greater quantity of Jacksonville’s best live shows than Anne and Tim Hall. As the owners of Jack Rabbits, currently celebrating its eighth anniversary, they have put on more live shows in Jacksonville than most bands perform their entire careers. Do the math. No less than four bands per night, seven nights a week (excepting Christmas Eve) for eight years. And that’s only at Jack Rabbits. The Halls also book almost every show at Freebird Live, as well as many of the shows at Martini’s Music Hall, The Florida Theatre, and Plush. “I’m always open to new places. Matching an artist to the right venue is part of what I bring to the table.” All of this isn’t even to mention the fact that they produce the second stage at 107.3 Planet Radio’s Planet-Fest each year. When the Halls arrived here from “(Sweet Home) San Diego” they saw a “desperate need” for a live club devoted to original music. But they didn’t just bitch about it with musicians at backyard barbecues and two-bit dives like the rest of us (I’m talking mostly about me there) but rather invested their entire lives in bring-ing Jacksonville what it needed to step up as a major city. Because of this position, he has seen more bands go from unknown locals to gigantic international super-stars, and has some wise words for musicians trying to break out of the local circuit and make it to the next level. Speaking of bands that went from obscurity to superstardom, I caught up with Tim Hall, which is an impressive task by itself, while he was opening the doors of Plush to a sold out crowd for the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus show. He didn’t even have a second to breath, so I emailed some questions to him and this is what he said. EU:Inthelasteightyears,whatchangeshaveyounoticedinthelocalmusicscene?TH: More has changed than stayed the same. Just sheer numbers: there are more venues, more local bands, and there is more original music. There are so many places to play. Just off the top of my head – Starlite, Mel-low Mushroom, and European Street for acoustic artists; Thee Imperial and Fuel for hardcore/punk etc; TSI, NOSH, and Yesterdays for indie/eclectic alternative; French Quarter and Freebird Live for hard rock/alt rock. And, of course, Jack Rabbits where I go out of my way to host as many different styles of music as I can. With that many venues, there’s no excuse for not getting out there and honing your craft. Stage presence, musicianship, and songwriting; for many musicians nothing can take the place of that interactive process of sharing their mu-sic with a live audience. EU:WhatistheawardsceremonyyouputtogetherinSanDiegoeveryyear?TH: The San Diego Music Awards – I didn’t put it together. A long time business associate/friend, Kevin Hellman, started it and made it happen. It started when I was still living in San Diego. I thought it was great for the scene and went out of my way to support and help. I always handled the actual awards “show” (the awards alternate with performances by the nominees) – almost a stage manager role. Even though I’ve been in Jax for ten years now – he still flies me out to San Diego the week before the event to run the show. (One year I just couldn’t take time off from Jax, he did it without me. Apparently things didn’t go so well, because he goes out of his way to make it harder and harder for me to say no every year!) Of course, I enjoy the trip – catching up with old friends, etc. EU:DoyouthinkJacksonvillecouldsupportasimilarevent?TH: Yes, Anne and I both would like to see it happen here in Jacksonville. We think there is enough homegrown talent [to support] an event to bring more recognition and awareness of the local music scene – one done right – in the spirit of recognition and support, not bad/good competitiveness. Yes Jacksonville could wrap its arms around that I think. EU:Whatarethebiggestobstaclestothelivemusicscenerightnow?TH: The physical size of our market. URBAN SPRAWL SUCKS. You can live in Jax and still have to drive for a half-hour to see a show in Jax. But then urban sprawl sucks in so many ways. (Is there any way that Urban Sprawl is good?) Issues specifically with the live music scene is the lack of some (hell, ANY) broadcast (radio/TV) coverage of Jax bands. I am VERY frustrated that not ONE commercial radio station has a specialty show devoted to local Northeastern Florida musicians. Jacksonville is too big of a market not to have this!! I would be happy to put some of my own time and money to making something like this happen. When a local artist signs a record deal or sells 500,000 records, WHERE IS THE COVERAGE??? Shinedown, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Yellow-card have received more national recognition than local! EU:You’veseenmanybandsgofromobscuritytosuperstarsinyourcareer.DoesJacksonvillehaveanadequateenoughofaclubcircuittolaunchafairamountofartistsintoprofessionalsuccess?TH: Yes. What the “scene” suffers from is not a lack of talent or opportunity. It’s a lack of mutual support and cooperation. (Right now the scene feels “cliquish” – too many tiny little pockets of support for a select few bands. It should open up soon.) Nothing pisses me off more than hearing local bands complain that no one is there supporting their show when I know that not one person in their band is out there supporting other local bands. (The ones that really, really piss me off are the ones that can’t be bothered to watch the band playing right before and/or after them!) It’s the one constant I’ve always found. When a local music scene is strong, local bands are supporting other local bands. When that happens there’s this spectacular creative process. Nothing can take its place EU:Whoaresomeofthemostimpressivelocalbandsthatyouhavewatchedastheychangedandreformedandrenamedandwhatnot?TH: Julius Airwave has gone through peaks and valleys in the past six years – and the music they are doing now is their best yet! Reggie’s most recent band, The Black Kids, is promising. The last vocalist of OBC has a new project called FEDUP that really kicks serious rock-butt. Rebecca Zapen is definitely Jacksonville’s best kept secret. Umm, Eileen sounds great as well. I know I’m leaving out a few. But the short version is that

hail to the hallsJack Rabbits Celebrates 8 Years of Live Rock

EU:Whatisyourfavoritestageintown?D!: Jack Rabbits. EU:Isthereanythingelseyouwishpeopleknewaboutyou?D!: Kirk writes movies. Check out plaidwall.com EU:Whatisthebestwaytogetaholdofyouforbooking?D!: www.myspace.com/dangtunes or through our management at [email protected] EU:Givemeabriefdescriptionofyourmusic.D!: Growling over a 1-4-5 in the key of E, but it’s like Jesus said “come and see..”

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When the Murray Hill Theatre first opened as the alcohol-free live music venue, my bandmate and best friend Heath wanted us to pretend to be a Christian band and play there, then shock all of the “Youth Group-ies,” as we called the Christian rocker teens, with our drunken rock and roll antics. While I talked him out of it, because I had been a Christian rocker teen that wished there was a club like the Murray Hill when I was that age, I did get him to attend a Smell of Wonder show with me there once. I held my breath when Tony Nasral-lah opened the show up with a group prayer, fearing Heath would have some sort of outburst in that quiet moment. The Murray Hill Theatre of today has come a long way, especially since Tom Rossmanith joined the team about 4 and a half years ago. Back when they first opened, you couldn’t force a an average non-Chris-tian kid into that place, but now it isn’t even thought about twice when a band says they are performing there. They don’t open shows with a group prayer from the stage anymore, but they still focus on creating a positive and spiritually nourishing environment, instead of the negativity of most venues, which double as smoke-filled bars and don’t really care about caring for their patrons. The Hill of today also has one of the best stages in town for a live band. With a stage as large as the Freebird, an outstanding sound system, and one of the only professional lighting rigs on a stage that hosts local acts, The Hill has come a long way. In addition to hosting great shows, they also have worship nights and nights for swing dancing. All of this is not even to mention their café, recording studio, and music store. I called Tom up to ask him a little about how The Hill has grown over the last few years. EU:Whatchangeshaveyouseentheclubgothroughsinceyou’vebeenthere?TR: Well, it has gone through a lot of aesthetic changes to make it look and feel more like a live music club, including replacing carpet and wall hangings. We’ve upgraded our PA and lighting. We’ve intensified our street team and grass roots marketing, which has helped out a lot. I’d like to think we’ve become a legitimate player on the national and local live music scene.

EU:WheredidyoulivebeforeJacksonville?TR: Fort Wayne, Indiana. I have promoted live music since 1990. There was a live music club called The Wreck in Indiana that I helped start. EU:Whatwasthescenelikethereandhowdoesitcomparetohere?TR: There wasn’t much of a live music scene, we did a lot of national shows. The local music scene here is definitely one of the best in Florida if not one of the top in the country. To come from Jacksonville as a band means something. It’s awesome. EU:Whatchangeshaveyouseeninthelocalmusicscenesinceyou’vebeenhere?TR: I think, because there’s a lot of bands and competition, it has had to produce more quality music. The quality of the music in every genre is always getting better. Just because of the sheer number of bands pop-ping up, to get noticed you have to be better than the other bands. EU:WhatmakesMurrayHillTheatredifferentfromothervenuesintown?TR: Obviously we’re bigger than most, maybe not Freebird, but our capacity is 700. We have professional sound and lighting and two stage rigs. We’re a Christian/positive music venue, so that separates us. In some eyes it de-legitimizes us and in some it legitimizes us. We are alcohol-free, so people come for the music. We don’t have the bar to fall back on, so we have to produce shows that bring people. We have a lot of generos-ity from sponsor businesses and corporations, but most of our operating expenses have to come from the door. EU:Areyouopentoanybandsperformingthereoraretheresomerestrictions?TR: There are some restrictions. We’re looking for Christian/Positive bands. EU:WhatisthesinglegreatestmisconceptionyoucomeacrossabouttheTheHill?TR: I think that our image is that we’re just an alcohol-free environment and not a legitimate music venue, but if you ask the bands or the people that come here, even one time, they will say that we put on great shows. People think we’re not legitimate because we’re not a bar and have restrictions on the types of bands, but we treat the bands and the patrons extremely well. We put on great shows. We have the facilities and the equip-ment to make great shows happen. EU:WhatisTheHill’srelationshiplikewithotherclubsintheneighborhoodandotherbookersintown?TR: I know Tim Hall and we speak from time to time and try not to book similar type of stuff on top of each other. We keep track of what the other clubs are doing. We try to stay away from booking the same genre on a same night. EU:HowdoesabandgettoplayTheHill?TR: They can go to murrayhilltheatre.com and we have booking information there.

Jacksonville’s local music is on the upswing and is evolving into something special EU:Whatbandsshouldpeopleespeciallylookforatyourremaininganniversaryshows?TH: If you like country, swing, or rockabilly you HAVE to check out Big Sandy & the Fly Rite Boys with Shawn Lightfoot Brigade on Thursday, Feb 15 or Southern Culture on the Skids with Tornado Bait on Saturday, Feb 17. Indie rockers shouldn’t miss out on DEERHOOF Friday, Feb 16th. Fans of Hip Hop/rap would enjoy Busdriver (opening for Deerhoof) another great indie type show is The Black Kids, Little Brazil and Eileen on Mon Feb 19. If you’re into metal, well too bad, you missed the show last night with Psychostick and Indorphine EU:Anythingelseyouwantpeopletoknow?TH: All things considered, I consider myself very lucky – I absolutely love what I do. I’ve been doing it since 1985 and still get a rush when a show, big or small, is a success.

showcasing rock that rises to the topInterview with the Murray Hill Theatre

jack raBBits – The patriarch of Jacksonville’s local music sceneFor booking email [email protected]

Murray hill theatre – Positive/Christian BandsFor booking go to murrayhilltheatre.com

café eleven – St. Augustine’s official live music hot spotFor booking call (904) 460-9311

landshark café – The Beaches has a new punk in townGo to www.myspace.com/landsharkcafe for booking.

freeBird live – Home of the Lynryd Skynyrd LegendFor booking send a press kit to [email protected]

starlite café – The smallest stage in Five PointsCall them at 356-4444 in the evening for informa-tion on booking.

thee iMperial – Downtown’s live and local roomFor booking information go to theeimperial.com.

the french QuarterFor booking visit them at www.myspace.com/frenchquarterjax.

fuelFor information on booking, go to fuelin5pts.com

the pit at Brewsters puBFor booking go to brewsterspit.com/thepit.htm

yesterdaysWe could not quite find out how to book this venue, but try sending a message to www.myspace.com/4699486 and see how that works out for you.

the house of jaMFor booking visit thehouseofjam.com.

TSI– Downtown’s hipster indie spot.For booking information go to clubtsi.com.

venues for live original rock

special thanks to dennis ho for taking our rock star pictures. Go to indierockphoto.com to hire this stellar photographer for professional hi-res press shots taken with real film.

Visit eujacksonville.com for a listing of local bands and the complete interviews with the musicians featured in this music preview.


sushiby Erin thursby [email protected] It seems like Jacksonville sushi houses have sprung up like mushrooms in a fairy ring, with some Jacksonville standbys like Koja’s Sushi opening up second and third locations, to feed those sushi hungry masses. Speaking of Koja’s, I’ve sampled their sushi at both their Landing location and their newer locale on Baymeadows. I’ve gone back several times, trying to discern what has earned them Jacksonville awards for best sushi. I’ve found the sushi there to be stunningly mediocre. Those looking for a Japanese meal experi-ence ought to know that there is a strong Korean influence as far as other dishes are concerned. The Spicy Pork box, which is described as “sliced pork in sweet & spicy sauce” is more like a Korean curry than what you’d expect at a Japanese restaurant. Locals know to ask for the excellent kim chee, a traditional Korean dish of fermented veggies. The dish is truly for the adventurous diner. Koja’s is known for that dish (which isn’t on the menu) and for their lunch and dinner boxes. At the Landing as well as at the Baymeadows loca-tion, they’re a top pick for the local professionals.

For Sushi Newbies Many people who haven’t tried sushi assume that it’s all raw fish, but many sushi rolls don’t include any raw fish. Many sushi restaurants now indicate which rolls are raw and which items are cooked. A wonderful “beginner roll” is the Califor-nia Roll, which includes fish roe, avocado, cooked imitation crabmeat, cucumber and rice. If you’re a bit skittish about the fish roe, just ask to have your roll made without it. Sushi newbies also need to take their time getting used to wasabi, the green sinus-clearing condiment served with sushi. Try a very small amount at first. You can use your hands to eat su-shi but I suggest you use your chopsticks to apply the wasabi. The pickled ginger slices are meant to clear the palate between pieces of sushi but peo-ple often pile it on their sushi. When eating sushi topped with fish you should dip the sushi fish side down into the soy sauce to avoid saturating the rice. Letting the rice soak in the soy sauce causes the rice to fall apart and lose its consistency.

A Brief Sushi History Sushi, as we recognize it, has been a popular Japanese snack food or fresh fast food since the 1800s. Sushi wasn’t always served up fresh. As early as 700 AD sushi used to be fermented with rice before be-ing served. With the advent of rice vinegar fermentation times were shortened until eventually it began to be served on rice. Even then, it was generally heavily marinated or salted for preservation. This highly salted version of sushi assuredly didn’t need the addition of soy sauce. Refrigeration made these techniques unnec-essary so that today’s sushi is generally free of marinades.

Out in Fruit Cove, in Bertram Walk is one of my favorite neighborhood sushi bars, Blue Fin. Since it opened last year in March, I’ve watched the place go through various permutations. When I first tried it, the wait staff was very young and inexperienced, and the mood music made me think of being trapped in a department store elevator. What kept me coming back were the tasty sushi and other dishes they serve. The wait staff improved immensely and the music changed to

more traditional Japanese instead of tepid jazz. Blue Fin’s décor doesn’t stick to the usual sushi house formula, mostly abandoning Japanese touches in favor of a more contemporary, trendy look. The walls are a cool blue-grey, decorated with light fixtures of multicolored angled glass and brightly colored flat tin sculptures of fish. Most nights, you’ll find owner George Le toiling away behind the sushi bar, deftly shaping the rolls and sculpting the rice. He didn’t always dream of sushi. He went to engineering school in Gainesville and learned sushi techniques while he was in college. He earned his degree, but soon found himself in the sushi business. He opened a restaurant called Sushi Matsuri in Gainesville about 1991, when there was only one other sushi bar there. He knows sushi well, but also has a background in pasta and French cuisine. Because of this, and his Vietnamese heritage, garlic is one of his favorite ingredients. That, along with the standard soy sauce, serves as the basis for many of his savory sauces.

fruit cove sushi find

five points sushi craze The demand for sushi in Five Points is so high that yet another sushi bar opened up, called Tokyo Bay, just one block from the beloved Sake House. If you haven’t been back to Sake House in quite awhile, you may or may not notice that they’ve expanded considerably since opening, with one entrance on Park Street, and one on Lomax. The owners of Sake House experienced such a demand, even with the renovations and more space, that they were the ones to open up Tokyo Bay. Five Points restaurant-goers are more apt to think of Sake House, and now Tokyo Bay, as a dinner destination than Sushi Café, which has a loyal following. I highly recommend any roll with eel at the Café, although everything else I’ve tried there has been top-quality. All three of these outstanding Riverside sushi restaurants have their own style and atmosphere. Sushi Café has a very open feel, with blonde wood as the center of the décor. They’ve got a fantastic view of historic brick buildings and the leafy greens of Memorial Park through picture windows At the Sake House, the atmosphere is more dinner oriented, with darker, more lacquered woods. Tokyo Bay is just a tad more formal than Sake House, and has some very private booths toward the back of the restaurant, perfect for a romantic meal, when you want a more intimate atmosphere. Both Sake House and Tokyo Bay have some terrific murals on the wall of Japanese landscapes. At Sake House, you’ll be able to spot them right away, but the more formal Tokyo Bay has it on a back wall.

SAKE HOUSE

TOKyO BAy rAiNBOw rOll

BlUE FiN OwNEr GEOrGE lE

live music shows calendar

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15Open Mic w/Colleen Murphy Trade Winds Lounge, St. Augustine (829-8646)

Silver Lake Drive Cortesses, St. Augustine (825-6775)

Gutterboy Cecil’s, Jax (744-5132)

Motherload Roadhouse, Orange Park (264-0611)

Von Barlow Jazz Ensemble Layla’s, Jax

Truckstop Souvenir European Street, Jax (399-1740)

Roe vs. Pritzl Murray Hill, Jax (388-7807)

Funktion Po Boys, Atlantic Beach (246-4121)

Nathan Holley Bukkets, Jax Beach (246-7701)

Chuck Nash My Place, Jax (737-5299)

Goliath Flores 95 Cordova, St. Augustine (827-1888)

Jamie Mclaughlin & the Manti Bourbon Street, Jax (641-8777)

Out of Hand Mercury Moon, Orange Park (215-8999)

Mariachi Guadalajara Jimadores, Jax (739-5828)

De Lions of Jah Twisted Sisters, Jax Beach (241-6453)

Porcelain Black French Quarter, Jax (732-9550)

Boogie Freaks Square One, Jax (306-9004)

David Milam Shannon’s Irish Pub, Green Cove Springs

Nimble Jim & the Ointment Brewsters, Jax (223-9850)

Steve Plays Too Loud London Bridge, Jax (359-0001)

Wes Cobb Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (246-4293)

Cornerstone The Mill Top, St. Augustine (829-2329)

Oversized Load Ragtime Tavern, Atlantic Beach (241-7877)

Black Fire Chicago Pizza, St. Augustine

Ron Rodriguez Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955)

Little Green Men West Inn Cantina, Jax (389-1131)

Sidewalk 65 Latitudes Café, Atlantic Beach (247-6606)

Steve Plays Too Loud London Bridge, Jax (359-0001)

Freeze Frame Fionn Maccool’s, Jax Beach (242-9499)

Target X Lynch’s Irish Pub, Jax Beach (249-5181)

Neil Freestone A1A Aleworks, St. Augustine (829-2977)

Big Sandy & his Fly Rite Boys Jack Rabbits, Jax (398-7496)

Mr. Natural Whitey’s Fish Camp, Orange Park (269-4198)

The Nighthawks Frisky Mermaid, Fernandina Beach (261-3300)

Rest Assured Murray Hill Theatre, Jax (388-7807)

Those Guys The Oasis, St. Augustine (471-3424)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16JJ Grey & Mofro Florida Theatre, Jax

Dana Salmela Cross Creek Restaurant, Jax

The Lee Boys Freebird Live, Jax Beach (246-2473)

Sweet Daddy Cool Breeze The Frisky Mermaid, Fernandina Beach (261-3300)

Nate Holley Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955)

Left Out The Norm, Jax (384-9928)

Chuck Nash Band Culhane’s Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (249-9595)

Function Latitudes Café, Jax Beach (247-6606)

Purple of Cassius, Mad Happy TSI, Jax (635-3024)

february 15-21, 2007 | entertaining u newspaper26

TheFrenchQuarterwasrockingandrumblinglikeasupercharged427V8lastFridaynightforBigEngine’sCDreleasesoireeandthecelebrationoftheirrecorddealwithAnaphoraMusic.Finally,TonyMikus’efficientlyrunrockband’s16yearsofhardworkhaspaidoff.Thebandhasnowgraduatedtonationalartiststatus.TheirnewCDRock’n’roll Machinehasskyrocketedinsalesandisreceivingnationalradioairplay. ForTonyMikus,whograduatedfromcollegewithadegreeinaccountingandtookachanceonamusiccareer,thisgigwashuge.Tony’scareerinmusicbeganintheearly1980swithabandcalledArea.Herecordedhisfirstvinylrecordalbuminmystudio.Afterthat,Tonystruggledtofindtherightmusiciansuntilfinallyin1990helaunchedBigEn-gine,whichhasgonethroughtheusualpersonnelchanges.However,Tony’spresentlineuphasbeentogetherformorethan14yearswithTonyMikusonleadvocalsandguitar,BannerThomas(fromMollyHatchet)onbass,HansOellerichonleadguitarandvocals,andBennyPuckettondrums. Thebandhasrelentlesslytouredthecoun-tryplayingavarietyofvenuesfrombikerbarsinDaytonatooutdoorfestivalsintheNortheast.ButIcreditTony’sbusiness-likeapproachtorunninghisband,hissavvysongwritingskill,andhisdedicationtomakingBigEngineanationalactasitsclaimtofame.AllthoseyearsofstrugglecametogetherlastFridaynightattheFQ.TheplacewaspackedwithEngine’sloyalfans,andthebandperformedoneofitsbestshowstodate. Ofcourse,I’vebeencoveringBigEnginefortheirentirecareer(since1990).Overtheyears,I’vewitnessedthebanddevelopfromacoverbandtoacuttingedgeoriginalmodernrockband.Today,BigEngineisano-frillsgroovemachinewithanewCDof12hitsongs.Oneofthesongsfromthealbum,Party like a Rock Star willbefeaturedinthesoontobereleasedhorrorfilm,Bad Blood. Yes,bigthingsarehappeningforEngineandIcouldn’tbehappierforTonyandthelads,whohavepaidheavyduestomakethisgiantleapintothebigtime. Rock’n’roll Machine is12greatsongswithno

fillermaterial.Eachsongcanreceiveheavyrotationairplay,gleaningrequestsfromthelisteners.Allofthetrackscanbeplayedliveandsoundthesameonstageasontherecording.Inotherwords,therewasnostudiofabricationorextramusicianstoenhancethesongs.Whatyouhearonthealbumiswhatyougetlive,whichservesasacrossoverpromotionofbothBigEngine’sliveshowsandtheirlatestalbum. Engine’snewCDfeaturesharddrivingrockwithcatchyhooksandpoignantlyrics. Party like a Rock StarisaburnerthatinspiresEngine’sfanstogetrowdy.Itssimplemessageputsthepartybackinrock,whichiswhereitbegan.I Hate Love distillsunrequitedloveintoarocksonggroove,thelyricsexpressthemanydisappointmentsofmaintainingaromanticrelationshipasagypsymusician.“You’rethereasonIhatelove....IwantmyCDsback!”Al-rightythen! Indeed,Sister Mary isaclassicrockantheminallitsglory.It’stheEngine’sshowcasesongwithoneofthegreatestguitarbreaksinrockhistory.“SisterMary’sgotsomestrangemedicinelately–keepsherupallnight–makeshersleepallday,”saystherefrain.Ifthissongdoesn’tgetyouradrenaline

pumpingthenyou’redead. Bassist,BannerThomascontributedasongaptlytitledBury the Hatchet, whichservesasafo-rumforhislingeringacrimonywiththeMollyHatchetband.“Burythehatchetinmyhead,butyoubettermakesureI’mdead,”goestherefrain.ToBanner’scredit,it’soneofthehardestrockoriginalsonthealbum. Just Another Night tellsthestoryoftheloneli-nessofthetravelingmusicianasthemilesrollbyandthetruckstopsseemallthesame.“Justanothernightdownthehighwayjustanotherchancetosingmysong,”goestherefrain.It’sreminiscentofBobSeger’sfamoussongaboutatouringmusician.“Athousandmilesofhighwayrununderneaththesewheels,”Tonysings. Ride It like You Stole It isakick-buttrockerwithHan’sheavyMarshallsounddominatingthehook.Yes,Enginehascomealongwaydowntheroad.Unquestionably,thisisEngine’sbestrecordyet.It’simpeccablyrecordedwithmuchimprovedvocalharmoniesandsolidmusicianship.It’smodernrockstrippeddowntoitsbasicpowersoundthatdrivesthisEnginetorock’sstratosphere.

big engineCD release party at French Quarterby Rick gRant [email protected]


Deerhoof, Busdriver Jack Rabbits, Jax (398-7496)

Jax Blues Festival The Arena, Jax

The Druids Box Seats, Jax (908-7328)

Tony Smotherman House of Jam, Mandarin (262-3377)

Yancy Clegg Seven Bridges, Jax (997-1999)

Colton McKenna High Tide Café, St. Augustine

Brad Payne All-Stars Sports Bar, St. Augustine (827-9842)

Johnny Flood Aromas, Jax (928-0515)

Jager Dave On the Rocks, Jax (685-5268)

Roger That West Inn Cantina, Jax (389-1131)

EmpTy Jax Billiards, Jax Beach

Motherload 121 Country Club, Macclenny

Little Green Men Brewsters, Jax (223-9850)

Badda Skat, Tribal Style, Legacy, Endo Exo, Jax (396-7733)

Dubwise, Sangria

Sidewalk 65 Tom & Betty’s, Jax (387-3311)

Vagabond’s Dream Duo Copeland’s, Jax

Evans, Bruce, Monarch Po Boys, Atlantic Beach (246-4121)

Matt Collins Pauly’s Pizza, Jax (727-9101)

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, FEB. 16-17Spanky Whitey’s Fish Camp, Orange Park (269-4198)

Sugar Bear Mercury Moon, Orange Park (215-8999)

Lisa & the Mad Hatters Trade Winds Lounge, St. Augustine (829-9336)

Gutterboy Cap’n Odies, Jax Beach (241-8848)

El Toro Loco Square One, Jax (306-9004)

The Bilge Rats Taberna del Gallo, St. Augustine

Big Al & the Kaholics Cheers, Mandarin (262-4337)

Steve Beck Duo The Oasis, St. Augustine (471-3424)

Longineu Parsons Ensemble Simons Wine Bar, Jax (396-8088)

Riff Raff Monkey’s Uncle, Jax Beach (246-1070)

De Lions of Jah Lynch’s Irish Pub, Jax Beach (249-5181)

Mid Life Crisis Cortesses, St. Augustine (825-6775)

Sky Train New Neighborhood Tavern, Jax (721-5087)

Boogie Freaks Ragtime Tavern, Atlantic Beach (241-7877)

Wild Card Roadhouse, Orange Park (264-0611)

Double Down 747 Lounge, Jax (741-4331)

Colin Hay w/JSO Performing Arts Center, Jax

Falling Bones A1A Aleworks, St. Augustine (829-2977)

Cloud 9 Fionn MacCool’s, Jax Beach (242-9499)

Glass Camels Chicago Pizza, St. Augustine

Mike Hart Trio Mill Top Tavern, St. Augustine (829-2329)

Sax of Soul Bourbon Street, Jax (641-8777)

Pili Pili Caribbee Key, Neptune Beach (270-8940)

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17Soul Release-Ephiphany Boomtown, Jax (632-0099)

Downflow, AWOL Fu Bar, Jax

Kenhe The Tree Steakhouse, Atlantic Beach (241-5600)

Aerial Tribe Ragusa Pub, Jax

Debra Rider Island Girl Cigar Bar, Jax (854-6060)

Strings of Fire Jimadores, Jax (739-5828)

Aerial Tribe Box Seats, Orange Park

What: MOCa’s Canvas of Sound II Warehouse PartyWhen: February 17 @ 9:00PM - 1:00aMWhere: enter the warehouse through the street entrance of the MOCa

Lastyear,onthenightClubParisopened,theMOCAopeneditsdoorsforadancepartyoftheirown,thehighlysuccessfulCanvasofSound.Ac-cordingtoTroySpurlin,DirectorofSpecialEventsandMarketingattheMOCA,theideaoftheartmuseumthrowingadancepartycamefromthefactthatthey“hadthiscoolemptywarehouse.”Thespacewasperfectforakindofundergrounddanceparty.Moreimportantly,itbroughtnewpeopleintoexperiencetheart.Likelastyear,CanvasofSoundIIwillalsopromotethemuseum’scollectionitselfbykeepingthegalleriesopenduringthefirsttwohoursoftheevent(till11PM). ThreeDJ’sandaVJwillbefeaturedatthedanceparty.TheMOCAwillbeworkingwithDJ

CatharsisandVJElectrolush.Lastyeartheyhadacrowdof500andtheyexpectevenmorepeoplethisyear.EUhadachancetointerviewBrettChila,theVJofElectrolush,whowillbemixingitupwithmulti-media.eU: how is the VJ experience different than the DJ experience? VJElectrolush:Well,IhaveneverreallyDJ’d,buttherearedifferencesandsimilarities.ADJmixesmusic(usuallyfromtracktotrack)inordertocre-ateaparticularfloworvibeofsoundthroughoutthenight.WhatIdoissimilar,butIconstantlymixvideotomatchwhateverthemusicisbeingplayed.Insteadofmixingtracktotrack,Iconstantlymixandarrangevideo,graphics,text,andotherelementsofvisualmediatocomplimentthemusicthroughouttheentiretrackandset.Itrytomatchthebeat,pace,style,andtempoofthemusicastocreateamorecohesivemultimediaexperience.Iuseanythingfrom

crazygraphicalstuff,toreallifenature,city,andworldscenes.WhateverIfeelisgoingtoblendwell.

eU: Where do you play? VJElectrolush:Mostlysmallclubs,butIgettheoccasionalconcertandfestival(mostlyinMiamifortheWinterMusicConference)IhaveperformedattheUltraMusicFest&GlobalGatheringFestivalinMiamiduringWMC(about40Kpeopleinatten-dance).IhavemixedvisualsforMANYofthebiggestDJ/Producersintheworld,includingPaulVanDyke,PaulOakenfold,DeepDish,SteveLawler,Icey,Sa-toshiTomiie(Japan)andMANYmore!

eU: What’s your style like?VJElectrolush:Hardtoexplain.Iwouldsayveryfo-cused!ICONSTANTLYpayattentiontothemusicastoblendwiththemusicasbestpossible.Iamtheretocomplimenttheshow,notstealit!Itsreallyallaboutthemusic.Butinallfairness,videoisgainingHUGEground.VideoorVJfestivalsarebecomingmorepopularinEurope.VJ’soverthereareactuallystartingtogainthesuperstarstatuslikesomeDJ’shave.Europeisalittleaheadofthegameasper-tainingtogeneralculturalacceptancethantheU.S.whenitcomestotheelectronicmusicindustry.

eU: What equipment do you use to VJ? VJElectrolush:SomecommonstufflikeminiDVDplayerswithpreviewscreens.IalsousemylaptopwithspecialVJsoftwarewhichallowsmetoplayclipsfrommyharddriveinstantlyandmanipulatetheminrealtimewithnopre-processing.Iplayanditspitsitout.Icanevenrunavideocamerathroughmylaptopandmanipulatethatfeedinrealtime.Iranallthatthroughavideomixerandouttovideopro-jectorsandscreens.

eU: Can you tell us what last year’s event was like? VJElectrolush:Absolutelygreat,plentyofart,exhib-its,greatmusic,greatpeople.Reallygreatvibeandatmosphere!eU: how will things be different or the same this year? VJElectrolush:Conceptisbasicallythesame(greatmusic,art,andpeople),butI’msuretherewillbeafewminorchangesliketheartitself,thedécor,etc…Wejustwanttotakeagreateveningfromlastyearandimproveonit,butnotchangeit.

mixing art and a throbbing club beatMOCA’s Canvas of Sound II - The Warehouse Partyby ERin thuRsby [email protected]


Matlock Murray Hill Theatre, Jax (388-7807)

Chuck Nash Latitudes Café, Atlantic Beach (247-6606)

McKenna Jerry’s Sports Grill, Jax (220-6766)

Rick Marino Max’s, Jax Beach

Rick Arcusa Band The Landing, Jax

Southern Culture on the Skids Jack Rabbits, Jax (398-7496)

Elvir Glazic Bourbon Street, Jax (641-8777)

Helioseye, The Mountain Yellers Inertia, Jax (355-6210)

Ron Rodriguez, Kenny White, Funktion, Po Boys, Atlantic Beach (246-4121)

Tom Reese, Str8 Up, Bound

Live Till the Day Orange Park Skate Park, Orange Park

C5 Brewsters, Jax (223-9850)

The Joint Committee Ocean 60, Jax Beach (247-0060)

Canvas of Sound-PC Synergy MOCA, Jax

Locust Grove, Shawn Lightfoot House of Jam, Mandarin (262-3377)

David Milam Bourbon Bayou, St. Augustine

High Octane The Frisky Mermaid, Fernandina Beach (261-3300)

Kings of Hell Spare Time Grill, Jax Beach

Rashon, The Snacks Shanty Town, Jax

Tayst Panama Hattie’s, St. Augustine (471-2192)

Irving Clements Quartet Starbucks/Town Center, Jax

Payton Page Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955)

Mike Shakelford The Homestead, Jax Beach (249-9660)

Stu Weaver Harry’s, Jax Beach (247-8855)

Still Green Culhane’s Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (249-9595)

Nathan Holley Bukkets, Jax Beach (246-7701)

Riptide w/Brian Turner Conch House, St. Augustine (829-8646)

Dave Massey My Place, Jax (737-5299)

Open Mic w/Larry Broussard St. Johns Pizza Grill, Jax (287-9900)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18Those Guys Sunset Grill, St. Augustine (471-5555)

Dan Shepherd Harpoon Louie’s, Jax (389-5631)

‘3’ Sun Dog Steak & Seafood, Neptune Beach (241-8221)

Ron Perry Ragtime Tavern, Atlantic Beach (241-7877)

David Milam Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955)

Jimmy Parrish Carib Key, Jax Beach (270-8940)

Matanzas Trade Winds Lounge, St. Augustine (829-8646)

Sarah Borges Jack Rabbits, Jax (398-7496)

El Toro Loco Mark’s Downtown, Jax (355-5099)

Boxrockers Conch House, St. Augustine (829-8646)

Evans, Bruce, Monarch Whitey’s Fish Camp, Orange Park (269-4198)

John Winters Mill Top Tavern, St. Augustine (829-2329)

3rd Bass The Casbah, Jax (981-9966)

Tarik Hassan Sahara Café, Jax

Lisa & the Mad Hatters Reni’s Rooster, Jax (880-1111)

Spade McQuade Fionn MacCool’s, Jax Beach (242-9499)

Bobby Flynn Culhane’s Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (249-9595)


What: Great Guitar GatheringWhere: Douglas anderson School of the artsWhen: Friday, February 23, 2007 at 7:30 pm

Myfriendandguitaravatar,DonCasper,ispresentinghisfabulousGreatGuitarGatheringatDouglasAndersonSchoolofTheArts(DASOTA)againthisyear.Thishiphappeninghasalwaysbeenoneofmyfavoriteevents.Theguitarlove-festdrawsasell-outcrowd.Infact,theDAKOTAauditoriumhasbecometoosmall.DonisplanningtomovetheshowtotheFloridaTheaterinthefuture. Don,whoisdirectorofDASOTA’sguitarde-partment,debutedthisguitarfestivalin1994.Overtheyears,Donhasbroughtinfamousguitariconsfromvariousgenres.MostoftheartistswhohaveperformedattheGGGareelitemusician’smusicians

andarewell-knownamongseriousguitarstudentsfortheirplayingwizardryand/orcomposingtalent.TheseartistsserveasinspirationforDon’sguitarstudents.Seeingthemperforminpersongreatlyenhancesthestudent/mentorrelationship. AmongthefamousguitaristswhohaveperformedattheGGGincludeawho’s-whooftop-tiermusiciansincludingRolandDyens,MichaelChapdelaine,LaurenceJuber,DoyleDykes,GeneBertoncini,MurialAnderson(sheputaspellonme),AlexDeGrassi,StephenRobinson,andmanyothers.Ofcourseonlyafewoftheseplayersarehouseholdnames,butaspiringguitarstudentsknowthemwell. ForthisGGGshow,DonhasscoredanothercoupbybookingGrammywinningguitarist/com-poserAndrewYorkaswellasinternationalaward-winningclassicalartist,DusanBogdanovic.

“I’mveryexcitedaboutbook-ingthesetwogiantsofguitarforthisyear’sGGG.MystudentsflippedoutwhenItoldthemthatDusanBogdanovicwasper-forming.Theystudyhiscompo-sitionsandheisregardedasthetopclassicalguitarcomposer/performerintheworld.HeistoguitarasYoYoMaistocello.” “IwasluckytogetAndrewYork,abigtimeGrammyaward-winningcomposer/performer,whoiswellknowntomystu-dents.YorkwasamemberoftheGrammywinningLosAngelesGuitarQuartet(LAGQ).HisdiscographyincludesCalifornia Breeze, whichisanewCDforSony-Japan.HealsohasthreesoloCDsoutand10CDswithLAGQ.YorklefttheLAGQtopursuehissolocareerandtodevotemoretimetocompos-ing.“ “YugoslavianbornBogda-novic’sstyleincorporatesclas-sical,jazz,andethnicmusic.Hehastouredextensivelythrough-outEurope,Asia,andtheUnitedStates,havingpublishedmorethan50compositionsand20CDs.InareviewintheNew York

Times, hewascalled‘ahighlyaccomplishedper-formerwithaflairfordramaticmusic.’”Donsaidinatelephoneinterview. OpeningtheshowisDon’sguitarorchestra,whichiscomprisedofstudentsrangingfromthe9ththroughthe12thgrades.TheGGGwascreatedasafundraiserforDAKOTA’sguitardepartment,buthasgrownintoamajorcommunityevent,drawingguitarenthusiastsfromallovertheregion. Generaladmissionis$15.00perticketandmaybepurchasedinadvanceoratthedoor.Ifoneplansonpurchasingticketsatthedoor,comeearly.Theeventalwayssellsoutquickly.Showstartsat7:30pminsidetheDAKOTAtheaterat2445SanDiegoRoadwhichisoffSpringGlenRoad.CallDA-SOTA346-5620forfurtherinformation.

the great guitar gatheringfeaturing two guitar giantsby Rick gRant [email protected]


MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19Boxrockers Cortesses, St. Augustine (825-6775)

Charlie Walker Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955)

Sam Pacetti The Mill Top, St. Augustine (829-2329)

Chris Caman The Oasis, St. Augustine (471-3424)

Sugar Bear Harmonious Monks, Mandarin (880-3040)

Band of Destiny Square One, Jax (306-9004)

Little Brazil Jack Rabbits, Jax (398-7496)

Out of Hand My Place, Jax (737-5299)

Nolan Neal Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (246-4293)

Goliath The Casbah, Jax

Stu Weaver Harry’s, St. Augustine (824-7765)

Bayside, Med & Dia Fuel, Jax

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20Vinnie & Billy Sun Dog Steak & Seafood, Neptune Beach (241-8221)

Matanzas Trade Winds Lounge, St. Augustine (829-8646)

Christina Wagner & Friends Mark’s Downtown, Jax (355-5099)

Out of Hand Palace Saloon, Fernandina Beach

Against Me Café Eleven, St. Augustine (460-9311)

W. Harvey Williams Atlantic Theatres, Atlantic Beach (249-PLAY)

Ace Winn Duo Copeland’s, Jax

BayStreet Ragtime Tavern, Jax Beach (241-7877)

Will Pearsall The Mill Top, St. Augustine (829-2329)

Ron Perry Fionn MacCool’s, Jax Beach (242-9499)

Bill Rice Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955)

Steve Beck Duo The Oasis, St. Augustine (471-3424)

Jimmy Solari My Place, Jax (737-5299)

Seth Ramsdill Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (246-4293)


TUESDAY-WED., FEB. 20-21Gene Nordan Mackenzie’s, Ponte Vedra (543-9143)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21The Cover Band Spare Time Grille, Jax Beach (246-8099)

Mystic Dino Ocean Club, Jax Beach (242-8884)

Taylor Hicks Florida Theatre, Jax

Cloud 9 Latitudes Café, Atlantic Beach (247-6606)

Dave Massey My Place, Jax (737-5299)

ET Swing The Oasis, St. Augustine (471-3424)

Wes Cobb Band Square One, Jax (306-9004)

Crystal Stafford, Aerial Tribe Starlite Café, Jax (356-4444)

Conrad Oberg London Bridge, Jax (359-0001)

Stu Weaver The Mill Top, St. Augustine (829-2329)

Eric Dawkins Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955)

Shawn Lightfoot The Casbah, Jax (981-9966)

The Mike Miller Band St. Nick’s Lounge, Jax (396-3396)

El Toro Loco Aromas, Ponte Vedra (280-2525)

Dark Star Orchestra Freebird Live, Jax Beach (246-2473)

Chuck Nash Sun Dog Steak & Seafood, Neptune Beach (241-8221)

Pili Pili Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (246-4293)

Dave Massey My Place Bar & Grill, Jax (737-5299)

JJGrey&Mofro’sdebutalbumonAlligatorRecords,Country Ghetto, passedmycarstereotest.Thatis,IpoppedtheCDintomycarsystemandplayeditcontinuouslyforaweekasIdrovearoundinthecourseofmyjob.IfIlikeaCD,itsoundsgreatonthefirstlisten,thenitsoundsevenbetterwithmultipleplays.Country Ghetto grabbedmerightawayandheldmyinterest.AsIlistenedtotherecording,Inoticedthehigh-qualityproductionvaluesofJJ’slong-timeproducer,DanProthero.It’samajorstepupinqualityandcreativity.

Indeed,I’vebeenafanofJJGrey&MofrosinceIcoveredtheirliveshowsonatleastfivedif-ferentoccasionsoverthelasttenyears,includingtheSpringingtheBluesFestivals.IwasimmediatelydrawntoMofro’soriginalswampyfunksoundandJJ’sdownhomelyricsandcatchysongwriting.Tome,MofrocomesacrosswiththehookysoundofCCRandthedeepbluesofMuddyWatersdrivenbySlyandTheFamilyStone’sfunkyrhythms. ThelatestJJGrey&Mofrostudioalbumisbyfarthegroup’smostwell-recordedalbumtodate,withchoralarrangementsandhornstastefullyin-jectedintothemix.JJ’s11songsaretypicalofhishoneststorytellingabouthislifeinNorthernFlorida,themadnessofwar,andothersubjectsnearanddeartoJJ’sheart. ThealbumopenswithWar, whichreferstothewarinsideaperson’sconsciousnessaswemakedecisions,“Jugglingmoralitywithpersonallossorgain,”asJJsaidregardingthisalbum.ThesongopenswithasolidfunkygroovewiththeB-3organprominentinthemix.ThesongisreminiscentofSly’sphrasing:“There’sawargoingon,”astheB-3comesinstrong.TheB-3ismixedacrossthespec-trumwithdevastatingeffect. Circles beginswithasimpleFenderRhodes’pianochordalstructure–deepdowndir ty.It’sabouttheviciouscirclesofromanticentanglement.Some-onehastobreakthecyclebymovingonwithone’slife.ThesongTurpentineaddressestheinjustice

oftheslave-liketurpentinecampsinFlorida.Thealbum’sstunningtitlecut,Country Ghetto featuresleadguitarandprominentharmonicainthemixasJJsingsabout“lifeinacountryghetto,”whichgetstotheheartofJJ’sbackwaterroots.ItreferstothepeopleJJknewgrowingup,livingunderthepovertyline.Althoughtheydidn’thavemuchmoney,theyhadsoul.Onthiscut,theuseofthebackupchorusismosteffective. Tragic opensstrongandexpressesthepainoflosingafriendwhowasaddictedtoprescrip-tiondrugs.AgaintheB-3reignssupremeinthemixwiththeguitarmixedontherightsideofthespectrum.It’sapowerfulexpressionofJJ’semo-tionalpainanditgrooveswithauthority. A WomanisoneofthesongsJJwroteforCassandraWilson. JJchangedsomewordstofithisversion.Basically,themessageofthesongisthatthereisnothingstronger,scarier,ormoreattractivethanastrongwoman. ThisCDisunequivocallyJJGrey&Mofro’sbreakoutalbum.ListeningtothisCDislikeawalkneartheriveronacoolautumndaywithaslightbreezeinyourfaceandgoodvibesinyourheartandsoul.NowthatJJGrey&MofroareonAlliga-tor,logontowww.mofro.netorwww.alligator.com.JJ Grey & MOFrO will be performing an album release show at the Florida theatre on Friday, Feb. 16. at 8 PM. tickets are $25. Call 355-2787 for more info. -byrickgrant

artist: Mofrotitle:CountryGhettorelease Date:02.20.2007Label:AlligatorRecords

mofroalbum review

What: Little BrazilWhen: February 19th @ 8PMWhere: Jack rabbits

WhenIwassettointerviewLandonBridges,bandfrontmanandfounderoftheOmahabasedLittleBrazil,thefirstquestionIwantedtoaskhimwasabouttheband’sname.WithanamelikeLittleBrazil,mostpeoplehavetobelievetheyplayflamencostylemusicorthattheynameditafteraManhattanneighborhoodblock.IresearchedtheneighborhoodandthecommunityconnectedwithitassoonasIlistenedtotheLittleBrazil’snewalbum,Tighten the Noose.AccordingtoMaxineL.Margolis’book,Little Brazil,BraziliansinNewYorkCity(popu-

lationapprox.90,000)havethepossibilityofbeingaforcetobereckonedwith,exceptthattheNewYorkBraziliansseemtobesufferingfroma“lackofcom-munityspiritandorganization.”LittleBrazil’ssingleblockistheonlyconcentrationofBraziliansinNewYork,andeventheretheysharetheblockwithJapa-nese,Argentine,KoreanandItalianeateries.Sohereyouhavethishugegroupofpeoplewithsomethingincommon,butnorealsenseofcommunity,justasenseofapathy.ListeningtothebandLittleBrazil,Ithoughtthatthenamewasabrilliant,ifobscure,choiceforarockbandwithdefinitegen-x/yemoovertones. ItturnsoutthatLandonneverreallyputthat

muchthoughtintoit,declaringthat“thenameisprettymuchamystery.Itdoesn’treallyholdanytypeofsignificance.It’sjustsomething…Isawalongtimeago,wroteitdownonapieceofpaper,putitinmywalletforeasyreference…ThenwhenIhadaproject,Inamedit…[LittleBrazil].” Beforenamingtheband,LandonhadneverevenbeentotheLittleBrazilneighborhoodinNewYorkandactuallysaysheneverreallythoughtaboutitasaneighborhooduntilpeoplestartingaskingaboutthename.Hewascuriousthough;sincethenhehasvisitedit,drivingbyjusttocheckitout. Theirsoundisveryhigh-energyrock,withasplashofindiesensibilityandemoattitude.LandonBridgeshasadistincttonalqualitythatsometimesmakesaverystraight-forwardsongsoundquirkyandindie. Theband’sbeenupandrunningsince2002,thoughtheydidn’treleaseanEPuntil2004becausebandmembershadbeenmoreinvolvedinothersideprojectsandotherbands.Tighten the Noose istheirlatestandthirdrelease.Whenaskedabouttheband’sprogresssinceitsstartLandonrepliesthattheyare“excelling…Weseemtobegettingmoreresponse.We’regoingtobemakingmusic,regard-less,butI’mdefinitelysatisfiedwithwherewe’reatrightnow.” Theirnameandmusicisn’ttheonlythingthat’sbeencapturingtheattentionofthepublic.Theeye-catchinganddisturbing-but-cuteartworkonthealbumcertainlyhassomethingtodowithboostingtheirpopularity,asithasattractednewlisteners. ThebandwastryingtofigureoutwhatartshouldgoonthecoveroftheCD,whenLandonwentouttoafriend’sartshow.Itwasonlywhenhewasdescribingtheartworktohisgirlfriendthatherealizeditwouldbeperfectmatchfortheband.“Shepaintsthesedollshangingfromnooses,andIwaslike‘Wait!TightentheNoose!’”Thus,boththetitleandthecoverartwereconceived.“Theideaisjustsomethingthat’sneverbeendoneonaCDcoverbeforeandthat’skindawhatwe’reallabout,justtryingtostickoutandbeunique.Andwefeltlikeit’sgoodsymbolismforthelyricsofthealbum.” Checktheirtunesoutatmyspace.com/littlebra-zilandyoumayfindyourselfdiggingtheminabigway.YoucanlistentoLittleBrazilrockoutliveMon-daynightatJackrabbits.

the band, not the blockLittle brazilby ERin thuRsby [email protected]


upcoming showsCoco Montoya, Willie Green Feb.22,CafeEleven,469-9311

Sugar Minott Feb.23,FreebirdLive.246-2473

Boney James Feb.24, FloridaTheatre,355-2787

Kris Kristofferson and rosanne CashFeb.25,Florida

Theatre,355-2787

Catie Curtis Feb.25,CafeEleven,469-9311

Gym Class heroes Feb.27,FreebirdLive,246-2473

Dr. Dog Feb.27, CafeEleven,469-9311

Michael FranksMarch1,FloridaTheatre,355-2787

Kathleen MadiganMarch6,FloridaTheatre,355-2787

Jake Shimabukuro March7, FloridaTheatre,355-2787

Larry the Cable Guy March8,JacksonvilleVeterans

MemorialArena,630-3900

Moe March8,FreebirdLive,246-2473

taste of Chaos March8,MoroccoShrineAuditorium,353-3309

the new Orleans Jazz OrchestraMarch9,FloridaTheatre,

355-2787

John Gorka, Sam Pacett March9, CafeEleven,469-9311

Medeski Martin & Wood March9,FreebirdLive,246-BIRD

Band Of horses March10,CafeEleven,469-9311

toots and the Maytals March10,FreebirdLive,246-BIRD

the Beach BoysMarch10,FloridaTheatre,355-2787

the thermals, the Big Sleep March11,CafeEleven,469-9311

Moneen March11,JackRabbits,398-7496

explosions in the Sky March12,TheAlcazar,469-9311

Pepper March12,FreebirdLive,246-BIRD

ZZ top March13,FloridaTheatre,355-2787

Lucinda Williams March16,FloridaTheatre,355-2787

the temptations and the Four topsMarch18,Florida

Theatre,355-2787

tom rush March21,CafeEleven,469-9311

Cold War Kids March.22,CafeEleven,469-9311

anoushka Shankar March23,FloridaTheatre,355-2787

Vince Gill March27,FloridaTheatre,355-2787

the Duhks March28,FreebirdLive,246-2473

Leo KottkeMarch29,FloridaTheatre,355-2787

tom JonesApril9,FloridaTheatre,355-2787

Plain White t’s April10,FreebirdLive,246-2473

Clap Your hands Say Yeah April20,FreebirdLive,246-2473

ellis Paul April20, CaféEleven,469-9311

George thorogood May1,FloridaTheatre,355-2787

Patty Larkin May6,CafeEleven,469-9311

relient KMay12,FreebirdLive,246-2473

JUST ANNOUNCEDKennY CheSneYWithspecialguestsSUGARLAND&PATGREEN

April21attheJacksonvilleVeteransMemorialArena

Ticketsonsale:Saturday,March3at10AM

WhO: Cocoa MontoyaWhen: thursday, February 22ndWhere: Cafe eleven, St. augustine

Aftera30yearcareeroftouringtheglobeasoneofthemostrespectedbluesartistsinthebiz,CocoMontoyaisforgingaheadwithavengeance,havingreleasedhisnewCDonAlligatorRecords,Dirty Deal. It’sbeenfiveyearssinceCocoreleasedanalbumandheisespeciallyproudofthiscollectionoforiginalsongs. Cocoisdoublethreat.He’sblessedwithapowerfulvoiceandbullchopsonguitar,yethestilltravelslight,withoutroadies.He’sagrizzledroaddogwhounloadsandloadshisequipmentandchangeshisownstrings.Yes,Cocolivesandbreathestheblueswithhisfiercelyoriginalstylewhichhoversonthebrinkofcrossingoverintorock.Moreimportantly,Cococreatedhisuniquesoundbasedonhisemotionalattachmenttohismusic,whichkeepshimmotivatedandinspiredtokeepon

touring. RootstouchedCocowhenhemetthebluesiconAlbertCollinswhoofferedCocoagigashisdrummer.AlbertbecameCoco’smentorandtaughthimthesecretsofhis“icyhot”styleofbluesguitar.Fiveyearslater,JohnMayallcaughtCocoatagigandhiredhimasasidemanwithhislegendaryBluesbreakers.In1993,Cocosteppedoutfrontasasoloartist.OvertheyearshehasreleasedfoursoloalbumsoneitherBlindPigorAlligator.Now,backintheAlligatorstable,Cocoisouttouringtosupporthishotnewalbum,Dirty Deal. SinceIhavebeendrivingaroundwithCoco’snewCDinmycarstereo,andhavecoveredCoco’sliveshowatleasttwiceattheSpringingtheBluesFestival,Iwasanxioustotalkwithhimtofindoutwhathe’sbeenuptosincemylastencounterwithhim.SoIcalledhimathishomeinLosAngeleswhereheliveswithhisgirlfriend.Hewasjustpack-

ingtoleavefortheEastCoasttostarthistour. Afterchattingawhileandhittingitoff,IaskedCocoasensitivequestionabouthisstatusinthemusicbizandwhetherornotheevermadeanycon-cessionstomakehismusicmorecommercial.Yeah,itwasaloadedquestionandIimmediatelyregrettedaskingit.ButIthinkheunderstoodwherewascom-ingfrom. “I’vealwaysplayedthemusicthatmovedme–mainlythebluesbutmyguitarstylecrossesoverintoblues-rock.However,I’veneverevenconsideredthecommercialvalueofmymusic.Fortunatelyforme,peoplelikemymusicandbuymyalbums.Firstandforemost,Ipleasemyselfandthenworkhardtoprojectmycreativeenergytomyaudience.Toen-duretherigorsoftouring,Ihavetobeinspired,andIdrawmyinspirationfrommybluesrootswithAlbertCollinsandJohnMayall.Myprocessincreatingmymusicistakingmylifeexperiencesanddistillingthemintomysongs,”Cocosaid. Ithinkmyquestioncameoutwrong,butheknewthatImeantthatsometimeswithcertainproducers,bytweakingtheartist’ssoundabit,itmaymaketherecordmorecommercial.Butintheend,it’suptotheficklewhimsofmusicbuyers.Bluesloversareadedicatedbunchandit’sastablemarket.Cocoiswellknownamongbluesaficiona-dos.ThenIaskedhimwhyithadbeenfiveyearsin-betweenalbumsandtoelaborateonhisrecordingsessions. “I’mprimarilyaperformerandIfinditdifficulttofindthetimetowritesongs,especiallywhileontheroad.So,ittakesmelongertoproduceanewalbumofsongs.Idohavetwocollaborators,DaveSteinandGaryNicholsonwhobounceideasbackandforth,helpingmewritemysongs.FortheDirty Deal sessions,IcollaboratedwiththeguysfromLittleFeat,specifically,PaulBarrere,KennyGradney,RichieHanwood,FredHackett,andBillPayne.IalsoplayedonmyfriendTommyCastro’salbumPain-killer.” “Forthistour,Ihaveanewkeyboardist,DoverWeinberg.DoverhasplayedwithAlbertCollins,Rob-ertCray,LloydJones,andCurtisSalado.Hebringsalotofnewideasandcoolorchestrationtoourbandandwe’regladtohavehim,”Cocosaid. Dirty Deal wasproducedbyPaulBarerreandengineeredbyRogerCole.ThemembersofLittleFeatinvitedCocototheirannualFeatFestivalinJa-maicatwoyearsinarow.ThisexposurewonCocomanynewfansofLittleFeat.Cocoislivingthebluesasoneofthetopartistsofthegenre.Fellowbluesdevoteesdon’tmissthisone.Getthereearlyifyouwantaseat.

forging ahead with a vengeanceinterview with Coco Montoyaby Rick gRant [email protected]

thursday nights

pulp fiction theatrepulp fiction theatre

Gritty, thrilling and performed live at Downtown's coolest Dinner Theatre.

Straight from the 30s

doors open at 6, show at 8:30

5 bucks (CHEAP!) for the show | full dining | call formore info.

boomtown theatre140 west monroe street | 632-0099 | http://pulpfictiontheatre.tk/


It’s so rare for me to enjoy all the work in a single art gallery. I’m usually a grumpy spectator with the pessimistic belief that the crappiest artists are the most adept at littering gallery walls with their sub-par work. But for anyone interested in exploring high quality, dynamic contemporary art, The Jane Gray Gallery is cur-rently hosting an exhibition entitled Bright Young Things. Running through March 30th, 2007, the exhibition features Clay Doran, Mark George, Ian Chase, and Andrea DeFlorio, and I hereby commend those artists for their forward thoughts and actions. Let me also give praise to the Jane Gray Gallery for providing such a nice place to visit. Two things are certain at an art opening. You’ll always be able to talk to the artists, and there’s never enough cheap wine. Art openings are often packed with people more interested in the free wine than the art, which makes it difficult to find the featured artists. Although I missed out on the wine, I was able to talk at length to Andrea DeFlorio, one of the bright young artists whose work graced the walls of the Jane Gray Gal-lery. With so many pseudo-intellectuals and schmoozing sycophants, it was truly a relief to talk with such a down-to-earth artist. Placid and engaging, she made me feel at ease and even more interested in her work. Sometimes, knowing the artist or the process by which the artist creates their work is immensely help-

ful. For instance, Jackson Pollock’s paintings might look like a bunch of splatters and silly string on a canvas, but once you learn a bit about the way Pollock painted and the art world at that time, his work makes a whole different kind of sense. Frankly, that kind of knowledge is probably the exact reason why you’re reading this article right now. The more you know, the more ideas your brain can spark with each painting. In terms of appearance, Andrea DeFlorio’s paintings are far more discernable than those of Pollock, yet their semi-representational quality begs many questions: EU: Doyouhaveaspecificaudienceinmindforyourpaintings? DeFlorio: You know, I don’t. I never know who is going to be interested in the paintings. EU:Whodoyouthinkappreciatesyourpaintingsthemost,anddoyoubelievethey’redifferentthanthepeoplewhomightpurchasethem? DeFlorio: People who appreciate my paintings and who buy my work come from all different socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, and educations. It is totally unpredictable...I never know. EU: Isthereasubtleideaormeaningattachedtoyourpaintings,oraretheyperhapsbestviewedasexpressionsofcolorandcomposition?DeFlorio: I think the paintings can be enjoyed on a couple of different levels. As you suggested, they can be seen as expressions of color and composition, but they can also be seen as something more. I like to think of chandeliers and other things that we buy - especially ones that we surround ourselves with at home - as having meaning beyond just their function. Domestic objects are an opportunity to express yourself, your fantasies, and your desires. Taste has its own psychology and it can reveal many things about a person. So, I guess I see the paintings as a vehicle through which to explore the domestic object as bearer of meaning. EU: Whyareallyourpaintingsuntitled?Doyouhaveaspecificreason?DeFlorio: Titles are very important to me. I have always thought of titles as a way to give the viewer a starting place from which to begin to think about the paintings, as well as a little insight as to what I am thinking about when I create the work. In previous bodies of work my paintings were all titled, and the titles were very spe-cific, but with these pieces, I wanted to leave it open. So I specifically left them untitled. This time I wanted to leave it up to the audience to decide what to think and bring more of themselves to the work. EU: Howimportanttothefinishedproductistheprocessofcreation?DeFlorio: The process and the finished piece are inextricably linked. I couldn’t have one without the other. EU: Eachpaintingseemstocontainonlyahandfulofverydistinctcolorchoices,veryoftenpastels.Doyoudeliberatelyrestrictyourcolorvariationsforeachpainting?Whatmakesyouchoosecertaincolorcombinations? DeFlorio: Wow. This is a big question. I could go on and on about my relationship to color. Yes, I do delib-erately restrict the colors of the paintings. I don’t necessarily have a color concept in mind when I begin the process, but I do start by working out the colors beforehand on a small study. Ultimately, I choose the colors based purely on visual pleasure. Personally, I’ve always thought of color as a luxury, as an element of fantasy. I see these bold, bright colors as adding a fantasy life to the chandeliers. EU: Isthereanidealenvironmentforviewingyourwork? DeFlorio: I have done some site-specific installations in the past where the environment is extremely impor-tant, but these paintings work well in a variety of environments: gallery, home, or office. Although I believe it is only when you have the opportunity to live/work with a painting and see it every day that it truly becomes alive. EU: Telltheviewersofyourartworksomethingtheyneedtoknowtobestappreciateit. DeFlorio: Hmmm. I think you can just look at the work and enjoy it, or the viewer could think about how the work relates to the title of the series, Objects of Desire.

Visit the Jane Gray Gallery to see Andrea DeFlorio’s exquisite artwork on display until March 30th. Located just off Riverside Avenue at 643 Edison Avenue, it’s just north of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Building. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Hours during the evening and weekends are avail-able by appointment only.

brightyoungthingsinterview with Andrea DeFlorioby donald dusinberre [email protected]


culture & arts

The l975 Tony Award Winning musical Shenan-doah opened last weekend at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre for a seven week run through April l. This is the story of a Virginia widower- farmer who has raised six sons and a daughter, who tries to remain neutral during the Civil War. But the war takes its toll as his daughter marries a Confederate soldier and his sons become involved in the fighting. It may sound very serious and somber, but there is also a lot of humor mixed in. The five older Anderson brothers, David Jon

Davis, Matthew Jay Campbell, Ken Sandberg, Nick Barnes and Chris Robertson sing and dance “Next to Lovin’ I like Fighting”, in the a robust and lively song. It also has the cleverest lyrics. Alhambra Dinner Theatre’s Tod Booth, whose acting career goes back even further his distin-guished directing achievements, plays the father, Charlie Anderson. He has done this role three times, and did it in l997 here at the Alhambra. Booth makes this character likable and believable and when he lectured his sons on the uselessness of war in the

beginning of the show, I almost wanted to applaud. This character sings about 60 percent of songs, and some of the songs stretch Booth’s vocal range, but he is such a showman and has a remarkable ability to sell a song no matter what the style or difficulty. He has, as always, a very commanding presence on stage. There are only two women in the play and you could not find two more talented ladies than Amanda Carlisle (She was Belle in Beauty and the Beast) and Kathy Scott (remember her as Ado Annie in Okla-homa?). They sing a wonderful duet “We Make a Beautiful Pair.” Mr. Booth also directed this show, assisted as co-director by his wife Lisa Valdini. Booth does all the casting and has an uncanny ability to find and develop juvenile talent, and has proven this in show after show. In Shenandoah Booth has cast two ter-rific young boys that you will want to take your chil-dren and grandchildren to see perform. William Leonard is a fifth grade student, and plays the youngest Anderson boy, Robert. Panashe Jeti is a student at The Foundation Academy and plays Gabriel, the slave. These two future stars team up to sing “Why Am I Me“ and bring the house down. Bo Strange, a newcomer from St. Augustine plays a corporal, and has a solo number “The Only Home I Know” that is the most moving and haunting song in the show. Shenandoah has a very strong supporting cast with excellent voices. Many of the men, do quick costume changes and doubling as marauders and prisoners. The cast also includes Henry Brewster, Bob Cook, Jeremie Cook, Jared Miller, Jessie Sprad-ley, Tony Triano and Ken Uibel. The songs by Gary Geld and Peter Udel range from peppy to romantic to sad. The title song “Shenandoah” is the best known and is given a stir-ring rendition by the entire cast at the start and end of the show. I said there was humor in the show and the scene that has become a classic is between Charlie Anderson and a suitor to his daughter’s hand, played by Jared Miller. Anderson tries to explain women to this lovesick young man, with hilarious results. Kurt McCall’s costumes designs, with authentic looking clothing from the Civil War period, were right on the mark. I especially liked the very official look-ing uniforms for the Blue and the Gray. David Dionne’s set design has a lot of scenery for a small stage. To the left, is a lovely farmhouse. To the far right a bright red barn and a well. Between the two we see the lovely rolling hills of the famous Shenandoah Valley. Shenandoah is a very enjoyable and entertain-ing musical, and if you are someone that looks for substance in theatre, you can find parallels in the story portrayed on the stage with the world events that appear daily on TV news reports and in news-papers. Shenandoah is certainly unique in musical theatre since it is a powerful show that entertains and yet makes you think. When you go to see this show, you will notice something different about the Alhambra. There is an impressive new ceramic tile floor in the lobby and hall areas. A lot of the usual favorites are on the buffet, but to go along with the southern theme, be sure to sample the barbeque spare ribs, (yum, yum, they were good). The spinach soufflé and the okra and tomatoes were also quite good. Performances are daily except Monday, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The theatre is at 12000 Beach Blvd, with plenty of free and well-lit parking. Call 64l 1212 for information and reserva-tions. Visit the website at www.alhambradinnerthe-atre.com. I highly recommend this show, don’t miss it.

shenandoahAlhambra Dinner Theatre reviewby dick kerekes [email protected]

15 Especially For Seniors Talks & Teas Cummer Museum, Jax

15 MOCA Studio Classes-Introduction To Drawing MOCA, Jax

15 Amateur Night Ritz Theatre, Jax

15 Good & Bad Guys in the Landscape Highlands Branch Library, Jax

15 Musical Lecture Series-Politics of Hip Hop Culture FCCJ Downtown Campus Campus, Jax

15-16 Jax Consortium of African American Artists Exhibit FCCJ North Campus, Jax

15-24 Classes For Children-Drawing & Painting MOCA, Jax

15-24 “Twilight Time” Acrosstown Repertory Theatre, Gainesville

15-28 Exhibit: Joanelle Mulrain Starbuck’s/San Marco, Jax

15-MAR. 11 Celebrating Black Hisotry Exhibit MOSH, Jax

15-MAR. 15 The Art of Collage Workshop Cummer Museum, Jax

15-Mar. 15 Abstraction of the Real Exhibit Raymond Yeager JU Alexander Brest, Jax

15-MAR. 18 Temples and Tombs: Treasures of Egyptian Art Cummer Museum, Jax

15-MAR. 18 “Crime & Punishment” Shakespeare Festival UCF, Orlando

15-MAR. 24 “Really Rose’ Shakespeare Festival UCF, Orlando

15-MAR. 30 Youth Actors Classes Theatre Jacksonville, Jax

15-MAR. 30 “Bright Young Things” Art Show Jane Gray Gallery, Jax

15-APR. 1 “Shenendoah” The Alhambra Dinner Theatre, Jax

15-APR. 8 Other Worlds: The Landscape in Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Art, Jax

15-APR. 8 Second Skins: Sculptural Soundsuits & Tondos by Nick Cave MOCA, Jax

15-APR. 17 The Walter O.Evans Collection of African American Art Cummer Museum, Jax

15-APR. 28 “With An Even Hand” Brown v Board at Fifty Ritz Theatre, Jax

16 Urban Cowboy Thrasher Horne Center, Orange Park

16 Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Wine Tasting Aetna Building, Jax

16 Author/Humorist Jonathan Richard Cring Faith United Methodist, Jax

16 Beach Walk-Step Up Florida Fort Clinch State Park, Fernandina Beach

16-17 JSO “Music From Down Under with Colin Hay” Performing Arts Center, Jax

17 Black History Celebration MOSH, Jax

17 Almost to Freedom (For Kids) Kingsley Plantation, Jax

17 Step Off 2007 FCCJ North Campus, Jax

17 Step Off 2007 FCCJ North Campus, Jax

17 Reading: Freedom Road Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra Beach

17 Spanish Flamenco Dance Classes Flamenco de la Costa, Jax

17 MOCA Studio Classes-Introduction To Silkscreen Printing MOCA, Jax

17 Celtic Woman FCCJ Artist Series Performing Arts Center, Jax

17 Canvas of Sound II MOCA, Jax

17-19 President’s Weekend World Golf Village, St. Augustine

17-MAR. 17 “Murder on the Happy Trail” Murder Mystery Players Dave & Buster’s, Jax

18 The Peking Acrobats Florida Theatre, Jax

18 JSO “Peter & the Wolf” Performing Arts Center, Jax

19 Presidential Party MOSH, Jax

19 Lecture Series “Building a Context” Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra

19 Out of School Art (Ages 6-8) Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra Beach

19 A Day in Ancient Egypt: One Day School Holiday Camp Cummer Museum, Jax

20 4th Annual Mardi Gras For “Learn To Read” Channel Marker 71 Inn & Restaurant, St. Augustine

20 TheatreWorks “I Have a Dream” Florida Theatre, Jax

20 3rd Annual Actors Showcase Limelight Theatre, St. Augustine

20 2nd Annual National Pancake Celebration Benefit Participating IHOPS, Jax

3rd Annual Masquerade Ball Benefit USO Atlantic Theatres, Atlantic Beach

21 African American Cinema- “To Sleep With Anger” MOCA, Jax


St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre opened Ten-nessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize winning play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It will be on the stage at the Joukowsky Family Foundation Center for the Performing Arts at 11 Old Mission Ave in downtown St. Augustine until March 4. This play is over 50 years old, yet it remains as popular as it ever was. The first four per-formances last year at Limelight were all sold out or close to it. What is the secret? Good writing is im-portant, and equally important is subject matter. You obviously can go wrong with sex, greed, violence, alcoholism and homosexuality!! This powerful play is mostly about greed and deception in a patriarchal Southern family. Big Daddy is dying. Members of his family greedily attempt to capture his inheritance tearing the family apart. The first act is mainly about Big Daddy’s al-coholic ex-jock son Brick, his sultry wife Maggie and their desires. Allyn Dennis is excellent as Brick, handsome and athletic looking, one can see why Maggie wants to share his life and his bed. Through two acts, Brick consumes an enormous amount of alcohol (judging from the empty bottles Maggie carries off.) I would have liked to see Mr. Dennis more affected by his indulgence, with perhaps some slurred words or a bit of unsteadiness. The first act belongs to Maggie and her mono-logues as she talks to Brick. Emily Gerbino as Mag-gie rates an “A” in acting and in the all-important

“slip” category. What do I mean? Maggie walks around for an hour in a sexy white slip, and I guarantee gentlemen, if you remember nothing else about this play you will always be able to conjure up the vision of Maggie. (I have 20 years of Maggie’s filed away for instant recall.) In act two, Big Daddy comes on the scene in the person of Robert Gill. Boy does he come on strong, as a bombastic bully but you have to remem-ber he was a poor boy and worked to scratch out his fortune by himself. He had no lottery winnings or rich relatives. Big Daddy may be dying of cancer, but I feared for Gill’s health and heart since he puts so much energy into the role. Big Daddy is so quotable: “Truth is pain and sweat and paying bills and making love to a woman that you don’t love any more.” I just loved Marilyn Baker as Big Mamma, the much maligned, mousy and materialistic wife. Kirstin Pidcock is also wonderful as Mae, Daddy’s daughter in law, who wants to gain the inheritance and uses her two bratty kids as a ploy. Daniel Owen Dungan is Big Daddy’s other son, Gooper, totally unloved by the family; he seeks to use his knowledge as an attorney to gain the riches. Three cameo roles are very well cast. Trina Marleese Parham truly fills the bill as Lacey, a maid in a rich man’s household. Tommy Bledsoe has his

moments as Reverend Tooker, who takes off when the going gets tough. Bob Fernee looks vary much like a small town doctor as he enters to give the bad news about Big Daddy’s health. I am not sure which set of children I saw since there were four in the cast that alternate the two roles each performance. Filling the roles are, Joseph Corry, Kjastie Corry, Dulcinea Hellings and Madeline Pidcock. Britt Corry, an instructor in Theatre Arts at Flagler College, is back directing his second show at Limelight. He did the outstanding hit Of Mice and Men last season. He has chosen an award-winning cast and each one looks perfect for their role. The actors project well except for the very last scene in the play, when an intimate scene takes place and the two actors just speak too softly to be heard. If we can’t hear it, we can’t appreciate it. Stacey Capo has done her homework as cos-tumer, and has everyone wearing just the right ap-parel for 1950s Mississippi. Set Designer Scott Ashley’s plantation bedroom with a veranda across the front of the stage and on the right, is intoxicating. I mean you just want to look at it and look at it. I wanted to jump up on stage into that big brass bed. The lighting for set is impressive as well. Of Mice and Men had turn away crowds, and I predict that this play will be the same, so reserve early. Tennessee Williams likes to repeat expressions in this play and you will hear “cat on a hot tin roof” and “spastic colon” several times. You will also add a word to your vocabulary, “mendacity.” And that is no lie. Will someone e-mail me the answer to a ques-tion.Since Tennessee Williams is dead and can’t give me the answer. Big Daddy has 10,000,000 dollars, and 28,000 acres of the finest land. Why then does he not have air conditioning in this mansion in 1955? Call 825-1164 for reservations but do so quickly, since this show is a hit.

cat on a hot tin roofLimelight Theatre reviewby dick kerekes [email protected]

22 MOCA Studio Classes-Introduction To Drawing MOCA, Jax

22 The Negro Speaks of Rivers Cummer Museum of Art, Jax

22 Culinary Workshop-Sicilian Cooking Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra Beach

23 Don Martin-Charcoal Drawings Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra Beach

23 Author John Amen Barnes & Noble/San Jose, Jax

23 DASOTA Great Guitar Gathering DASOTA, Jax

23 Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Florida Theatre, Jax

23 Gospel Galore w/FCCJ Gospel Chorale FCCJ Downtown Campus, Jax

23-25 “Miss Evers’ Boys” Stage Aurora Ezekiel Bryant Auditorium, Jax

23-APR. 14 Workshop-Don Martin “Ground of Being” Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra Beach

24 Sanctuary Open House & Tour Catty Shack Wildlife Sanctuary, Jax

24 Archaeology of the Slave Quarters Kingsley Plantation, Jax

24 Classical Savion Lazzara Hall, Jax

24 Dance Alive National Ballet Gala Phillips Center for Performing Arts, Gainesville

24 Audition: “Majigeen” 10AM Fuel, Jax

24 The Barber of Seville Performing Arts Center, Jax

24 Book Signing: Allen Bohl Barnes & Noble/San Jose, Jax

24 NE Florida Scottish Games & Festival World Golf Village, St. Augustine

24 Spanish Flamenco Dance Classes Flamenco de la Costa, Jax

24 Beginning Figurative Sculpting Workshop Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra Beach

24 Chili Cookoff/Latin Party Frisky Mermaid, Fernandina Beach

25 Ritz Chamber Players Friday Musicale, Jax

25 College Goal Sunday FCCJ Campuses, Jax

26 PAWS To Read with Molly Barnes & Noble/San Jose, Jax

26 Lecture Series “Building a Context” Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra

27 FCCJ Artist Series-Bowfire Performing Arts Center, Jax

27 Kayo Ishimaru & Dickie Fleisher-Duo Harpists Library, Ponte Vedra Beach

27 Audition Techniques Workshop Limelight Theatre, St. Augustine

27-MAR. 1 “One Voice” Starring Bethany Owen Atlantic Theatres, Atlantic Beach

28 African American Cinema- “Get on the Bus” MOCA, Jax

MARCH

2-4 The Great Jacksonville Book Sale Jax Fairgrounds, Jax

2-17 “Pack of Lies” Theatre Jacksonville, Jax

3 Jane Austen Society Book Discussion European Street, Jax

3 Author Signing: Janet Lee Simpson Inn on Charlotte, St. Augustine

3 Dr. Seuss’s Birthday Read-A-Thon Library, Jax Beach

3 Meet Maisy Barnes & Noble/San Jose, Jax

4 Audition: “Enchanted April” 6pm Theatre Jacksonville, Jax

4 UNF Opera Ensemble Main Library, Jax

7 Flux-A Verb. As Subject Exhibit By Margaret Schnebly Hodge Karpeles Museum, Jax

10 Dog Lovers Day Adventure Landing, Jax Beach/Jax

10 Sanctuary Tour & Nighttime Feeding Catty Shack Wildlife Sanctuary, Jax

10-11 Stage Aurora-Disney’s High School Musical FCCJ North Campus, Jax

11 Piano Sundays-Donna Wissinger Thrasher Horne Center, Orange Park

12-26 Art & Music Appreciation Series Acrylic or Oil Painting Workshop Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra Beach

15 Amateur Night Ritz Theatre, Jax

17 Tale Tellers of St. Augustine “Civil War Stories, Part 1” The Lighthouse, St. Augustine

18 Gary Smart/Piano Main Library, Jax

19-23 “Spring Into Science” Camps MOSH, Jax

21 Glass Filigree Suncatchers & Glyphs Workshop Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra Beach

23 The Acting Company’s Jane Eyre FCCJ Wilson Center, Jax

24 Sanctuary Open House/Tour Catty Shack Wildlife Sanctuary, Jax

24-25 The Human Figure Open Studio Workshop Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra Beach

THE JOCKBY: TOM WEPPEL


Players by the Sea opened Tad Mosel’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, All The Way Home, last week-end for run that goes through February 24th. It was adapted from James Agee’s Pulitzer winning novel, Death in the Family. The play is set in Knoxville in l915 and tells the tragedy that befalls the loving family of May and Jay Follet. An auto accident claims the life of the former hard drinker and hell raising Jay. It is up to the griev-ing May to tell 8 year old son Rufus that his father is dead, as well as dealing with other members of this family. Most of the action takes place in the Follet home, that very much reflects the early 1900 hun-dreds. The set designed by Anne Roberts and Direc-tor George Ballis, has two levels, the downstairs living room and kitchen and two bedrooms stairs. The portion between the stage and the audience, works as the great outdoors, and briefly as a grave-yard. A real antique icebox and old phone give a truly realistic look at the times. Ryan Maloney provided some evocative lighting and sound effects. Costumers Holly Gutshall and Lee Hamby searched long and hard to find dresses and suits to complete the visual picture. I especially like the knickers on the boys. Cee Cee Hayes has taken giant steps in acting since I first saw her in King Lear several years ago at UNF. Her performance as Mary is heart wrenching and compelling. Paul Rowe, a former president of Players, and long time actor, is very effective at portraying the tenderness as well as the turmoil in Jay’s life. Rowe’s biography in the program failed to mention what I consider his finest role. He was outstanding as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. As Rufus, the Follet’s son, fourth-grader Coo-per Gleb is a standout. He projects well, and has an amazing grasp of the material he is talking about which is the death of his father. Mary and Jay’s respective families are cer-tainly colorful dysfunctional types. Jay’s brother Ralph (Jason Collins) is a brother in law from hell as an alcoholic mortician with no social skills at all. Mary’s father Joel (Roger Lowe) has given Jay a position at his law office. Catherine, Mary’s mother played by Gayle Featheringill is almost deaf and uses an earhorn. She provides some of the humor in this play. Mary’s Aunt Hannah, features Amy Allen Farmer, who is usually in musicals. As Hannah she

dresses to the 9s and don’t worry, you will get to hear her sing, as Director Ballis has her sing “Amaz-ing Grace” at the funeral. As the grandparents, John and Jessie Follet, Charlie White and Annette Page are quite good and contribute some much-needed humor at times. Great-Great Grand maw (Mary Isabel Hamilton) and Aunt Sadie (Heather Goodling) made a brief ap-pearance at a short family reunion. Mary’s brother (Troy Lukkarila) has his big dramatic moment when he has the thankless job of reporting the death to the family gathering. Rounding out the cast are the children played by Chris Fox, Jacob Goodling, Charlie Hafer, Lucie Roberts and Sam Trotter. I have commented extensively about Director George Ballis’ resume in previous reviews. If Jack-sonville ever starts a Theatre Hall of Fame, Ballis should be the first inductee. If you have seen the plays Ballis has directed in recent years (All of My Sons, The Philadelphia Story, A Delicate Balance) you may have noticed that a number of the same actors keep coming back to work for George. They could go to New York and spend a lot of money on acting classes but why would they when they have the consummate teacher and director in Mr. Ballis. My guess is that George Ballis’ motto is “little things mean a lot.”(Like the right gesture, voice inflection, stage movement etc,etc.) No with Ballis, little things mean EVERY-THING. Don’t miss this play, it is a superb production. Warning tissues are not provided, bring you own. Call Players at 249 2022 for reservations or visit their fine website at www.playersbythesea.org.

all the way homePBTS theatre reviewBy dick kerekes [email protected]

Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...

NASCAR This weekend we’ll see the running of the Daytona 500, which continues to grow by leaps and bounds in oh, so many ways. Every year NASCAR makes changes to their sport and this event, trying as best they can to tweak the rules to make it as fair as possible for all those involved. This season we will see the emergence of Toyota into the mix of manufacturers. Many tradition-al racing fans are uncomfortable with this situation, feeling that a Japanese auto maker is not worthy of racing in the Great American Race.My personal feeling is that is total sh*t. While Toyota has a Japanese name, there’s no question it has a very, very strong American influ-ence in many, many ways, from employing hundreds of thousands of American people, to the millions of Americans who drive and count on Toyota vehicles. Its not like there are a bunch of Japanese all of the sudden invading the sport. Toyota should be wel-comed in many ways. NASCAR has been tight in their inspections as well, and so we will not see certain Crew Chiefs for certain drivers, including Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kah-ne, Elliott Sadler, and Scott Riggs. Some people think this doesn’t mean a lot, but its certainly does have an influence on what will happen for those teams on the track. Meanwhile, we will see Tony Stewart, Jeff Gor-don, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and other top drivers scramble around the track on Sunday, going after each other in close-knit fashion, thanks to the restrictor plates required. We will most likely see a major, multi-vehicle accident close to the end of the race, and a few drivers will cry foul about get-ting a raw deal from the whole mess. Should be a great race, as always.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL With a few weeks left in the regular season of college basketball, we see the Duke Blue Devils have certainly shaken the apple cart we are so used to seeing pushed around. Consecutive losses to Vir-ginia, Florida State, North Carolina, and Maryland are

not what Blue Devil fans are used to by any means. Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski has not said much in defense of his team and their play. Its fair to say their squad does not carry the talent and experience of past Duke teams. This is certainly having an effect on the ACC and the Top 25 ranking, without ques-tion. It will be interesting to see where the Dookies end up for tournament/postseason play. We are seeing a number of other strong, top-ranked teams fall in this past week. UCLA, UNC, Pitt, and Texas A&M all lost in the last week or so, which is certainly out of the ordinary. It makes you wonder how things will shake out as we get closer to confer-ence tournament play, and then seedings.

NBA This weekend we will see the All-Star Game played in Las Vegas. There is a lot of intrigue and cu-riosity associated with having the festivities in Vegas, for various reasons. For all intents, I think things will work out in a positive fashion for the NBA. There has been talk of possibly having a franchise in Las Vegas, which I think could work, although the League has stated that if that were to happen, they would want gambling on NBA games to cease. I can understand their logic in making that statement, and I would have to agree with it. Chanc-es are, though, that its not gonna happen anytime soon. While the game is always fairly entertaining, I think the dunk competition and the three-point shoot-ing competition are getting just as much, if not more interest by fans. With Pat Riley and Shaquille O’Neal back on a regular basis now, I’ll be interested in seeing how the Miami Heat will perform as we get closer to playoff time. Its almost as if these two individuals planned this out so they wouldn’t have to mess with the first half of the season.

NFL Marty Schottenheimer certainly is a great head coach, as evidenced from his record in past seasons in turning franchises around. But he has had prob-lems with Management, primarily General Managers, and that’s not a good thing. It should be very, very interesting to see who will be offered the job of run-ning the Chargers, a team that is very talented and very close to possibly getting to the Super Bowl next season.

Tom Weppel talks trash on Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. on WIOJ-AM 1010, and on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.

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