ispy magazine // august 2012

Ypsilanti Heritage FestivalFrank OceanThe Hounds BelowWalk the Moon

Lightning Love

M A G A Z I N E August 2012 // ispymagazine.co

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EditorialAmanda TrentEditor in Chief

Cover and photos of Lightning Love by Doug Coombe

We would like to congratulate Amanda Trent (formerly Amanda Slater) on her recent marriage and wish her and Mr. Trent a lifetime of happiness. From everyone at iSPY Magazine, congratulations!

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The Buzz06 Coldplay, DJ F, Kaskade, Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller 07 The Appleseed Collective, Neon Trees, Motors and Music,

Jason Mraz

Foodie12 The Dish: Bona Sera13 Adventures in Local Food #20

Scene10 Midnights at the State14 34th Annual Ypsilanti Heritage Festival19 Walk the Moon

Around You16

August Events Calendar

Features20

Frank Ocean

Review

22 Lightning Love

24 The Hounds Below

27

iSPY Magazine Stage at the Ann Arbor Art Fair [Photos]

26

Rate it! - Sounds: Passion Pit, Frank Ocean

Contents

WritersAmanda Trent, Tim Adkins, Stefanie Stauffer, Richard Retyi, Paul Kitti, Marissa Mcnees, Aimee Mandle, Mary Simkins, David Nassar, Jeff Milo, Treasure Groh, Jasmine Zweifler

ArtDesigners

Photographers

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29 Rate it! - The Cut: To Rome with Love, Spiderman30 Rate it! - The Cut: The Dark Knight Rises, Moorise Kingdom

2012

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THE BUZZ //

Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller // DTE / Aug. 5

Kaskade // The Fillmore / Aug. 4

BY PAUL KITTI

DJ Ryan Raddon, known worldwide as Kaskade, is one of few working DJs respected by house music purists and dance fanatics alike. His progressive, minimalist style ranges from soft and emotional to heavy and eardrum-splitting, thumping into bass-heavy dubstep before venturing back to tensive house. He’s been quite prolific: he’s released nine albums, with the most recent three landing in the top ten on the US Dance Chart, and in 2011 he was voted “America’s Best DJ” in a DJ Times poll. You could say he’s been warming up all year for his set at the Fillmore this August, having spent the past few months headlining the Ultra Music Festival, Coachella Valley Music Festival and Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. If you’ve been holding out all summer to get your dance on, this might be the moment you’ve been waiting for.

This pair of joint-toting, hard-partying Pittsburgh rappers had bonded like brothers before their careers took off and they became pioneers within the new generation of laidback weed-rap. When Khalifa was named Rolling Stone’s “Artist to Watch” in 2006, Miller was only fourteen and just starting to get serious about music. But he’s always been within a couple strides of his big brother, and he’s come a long way since headlining at the Blind Pig in 2010.

When they share the stage at DTE, it’ll be their most massive show in Michigan to date – and the party on the lawn is sure to honor the ideals of its hosts. They dubbed this “The Influence Tour” after all, and they couldn’t have stated it more …well, bluntly. Tickets available from ticketmaster.com, including VIP packages. Taylor Gang, assemble.

BY PAUL KITTI

Nicole Myint and Nkosi Frank present the next event in their summer series events with DJ F, Ross Federman of Tally Hall. This 80s & 90s dance party is the finest in the area and is iSPY tested and approved. Ross is known in the New York area for throwing the hottest 90s dance parties, so you don’t want to miss this event. Located at the newly owned and renovated LIVE on First Street in downtown Ann Arbor, DJ F will spin the tunes that will turn your night out into the time of your life. And come back for more on Friday August, 18 when the Ann Arbor legend DJ Chill Will will kick off the ultimate 70s disco night mixed with dance hits from today. Finally, the last event before students resume classes is Friday August, 31 with DJ Chill Will bringing all four events together into one – soul, funk, 80s, 90s, mainstream and disco. Imagine – one night, one dance floor and lots of amazing music. If you’ve got the bucks, bottle service will be available at all events.

DJ F // LIVE / Aug. 3 BY ISPY TEAM

Coldplay // The Palace / Aug. 1 BY MARY SIMKINS Exciting news, everybody! British rock sensations Starfish will be coming to Michigan soon! Oh, you’ve never heard of Starfish? That might be because they changed their name to Coldplay in 1998. While they’re probably still pentagonal sea creatures on the inside (where it counts!), Coldplay has gained worldwide fame and won countless music awards since the release of “Yellow” in 2000. With four MTV Video Music Awards, seven Grammys (20 nominations) and a place on Rolling Stones’ Best Bands of the Decade list, Coldplay has no problem packing a house. Coldplay’s show on August 1 will most likely feature some old crowd pleasers but will focus on tracks from their most recent album, Mylo Xyloto. If you haven’t heard of the album or have no idea what the title means, it’s likely you’ve heard “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” or “Paradise,” the two most popular tracks.For more information about tickets and Coldplay’s musical guests of the evening (Marina and the Diamonds and Emeli Sande) visit coldplay.com.

7 AUGUST 2012 i SPYwww.ispymagazine.co // @ispymagazine

// THE BUZZ

Neon Trees // Majestic Theatre /

Aug. 14 BY PAUL KITTI

This all-Mormon four-piece, with roots in California and Utah, got their break when a member of the Killers asked them to join the band’s tour after attending one of their shows at a small Las Vegas club in 2008. Neon Trees started making their own luck after that point, building their fan base through strong live performances and a single that seemed to catch everyone’s ears at once, 2010’s “Animal” (which

reached No. 1 on the Alternative Rock Chart). They’ve since been perfecting their 80s-inspired synth pop and are traveling the country in support of album number two, entitled “Picture Show.” See why they were added to Mark Hoppus’ “Pick of the Week” list when they come to Detroit later this month.

Motors & Music Experience // Pontiac Silverdome / Aug. 16

BY ISPY STAFF

PHOTO BY PHOTOGRAPHX PRODUCTIONS

I wonder what the 23-year-old Jason Mraz would say if he were approached at one of his small coffee shop shows and told that, in twelve years, he would be headlining at venues that hold over 15,000 people. The optimistic and free-spirited acoustic rocker would say something like “that’ll be the day, brother!” and continue on doing what he was born to do. His single “I’m Yours” was summer 2009 bottled into three minutes, and he’s got a few others

that I expect will become the summer oldies of tomorrow. But he’s also an engaging storyteller, as evidenced in the more daring parts of 2009’s “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.,” and his live performances are unexpectedly high-energy and interactive. Catching up with him at DTE will be an ideal way to close the summer, as his jams facilitate the collision between old memories and new ones.

Though just two years old, the quintet that comprises The Appleseed Collective fold in together like well-kneaded dough. Andrew Brown (guitar/vocals), Sophie Tulip (bass/vocals), Katie Lee (banjo/vocals), Vince Russo (washboard/vocals) and Brandon Worder (violin, mandolin and vocals) create a unique blend of folk, gypsy-style, jangley bluegrass that speaks to the inner old-world storyteller in us all.

After a few years of touring the country, performing at festivals and playing in small town venues (and throwing in some house shows), the band is finally releasing the culmination of all that labor. “Baby to Beast” is a 12-track album that showcases all that

The Appleseed Collective represents. Its foot-tapping melodies paired with the sing-songy, warm vocals creates an undeniably good-time atmosphere. And the best part is that the group is ready to share it with the world. Choosing the Ark (an apt choice, indeed) as the backdrop for their album release, The Appleseed Collective has promised to donate half of all the first-run profits of the record to Selma Café, a local non-profit that helped cultivate their musical beginnings.

The Appleseed Collective is joined by Magdalen Fossum, who will be opening the evening. The show is August 9, and doors are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at theark.org.

BY TREASURE GROH

The Appleseed Collective //The Ark / Aug. 9

Jason Mraz // DTE / Aug. 29 BY PAUL KITTI

Motors and Music is, well, a day of just that – custom and classic cars accompanied by live tunes that promises something for everyone. Music acts range from Ice T (with Coco), to Trick Trick, Shiny Toy Guns, the Stone Temple Pilots, Chiodos, Hush, Howling Diablos, The Dirty Americans, Robert James and Blane Fowler Experience. If those acts aren’t at the top of your must-see list, head over to the “Detroit Rises Showcase,” which is described as a “three dimensional musical visual

physical platform” and will feature the likes of local names such as IAMDYNAMITE, The High Strung, Dutch Pink, Bear Lake, Kaleido, Brae and Names Unlisted accompanied by all day long performances from the Detroit Circus. To top it all off, there will be special DJ sets performed by Dominic Raiola of the Detroit Lions, Letz Massacre and Mayer Hawthorne. The show starts at 11 a.m. Tickets are $35 general admission and $70 VIP.

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SCENE //

BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER

Ryan Racine & Gas For LessSteppin’ In It

The State Theatre in Ann Arbor is a bona fide landmark and, along with the Michigan Theatre, is kind of the only game in town for independent and “art house” flicks. But the fact that they show movies with subtitles or that haven’t been directed by Michael Bay isn’t the only reason to love them. They also have a killer lineup of midnight movies that runs from the end of July through the end of October. If you’re a night owl, these movies give you the chance to see films that have been out of theatres for perhaps your entire lifetime and share the experience with other weirdoes like you. But what goes into choosing which movies get the privilege of a special midnight showing at the State? I posed that exact question to the flame haired general manager of the establishment, Christine Tremblay. “Especially for this round, we tried to pick a diverse selection of popular cult-y movies older or newer – a lot of which we’ve never shown before.” This most certainly seems to be the case. The offerings span genres from sci-fi celebration of Willis “The Fifth Element” (August 11) to the Jon Waters classic and Johnny Depp swoonfest “Crybaby” just a few weeks later (August 25). She makes the point that the movies that do the best at a midnight screening are those that have either a fun factor or a nostalgia factor, and most of this lineup has both on lock. Tremblay explains, “It’s exciting to see ‘The Labyrinth’

or ‘The Breakfast Club’ (September 15) because you either loved it as a kid or have never seen it on the big screen or both.” This year the films also include a couple of celluloid love letters to the awkward teen in all of us: “Ghost World” (September 29) and “Rushmore” (September 8). But all is not well at the State. If you think that the process is as simple as picking your most beloved movies and then kicking back with a tub of popcorn, you would be mistaken. “Sadly, there are a lot of classics we can’t show anymore because distributors will no longer distribute 35mm prints. “ Tremblay informs iSPY. Among the movies that are no longer on the roster for this reason are favorites like “The Goonies,” “Fight Club” and “Empire Records.” But the show must go on! Ms. Tremblay gives us something to look forward to when it’s pointed out that she’s “excited to show scary movies for the month of October, which hasn’t been done in a couple years.” It’s set to be a blood-curdling end to the season with “Friday the 13th” (October 13) and “The Blair Witch Project” (October 20). The season closes with a double dose of THE midnight movie “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (October 26 and 27).

Midnights at the State

BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER


FOODIE // THE DISH

Bona SeraBY STEFANIE T. STAUFFER

Bad Women Cooking

“Bad Women Cooking” proclaims the banner in the window of the Bona Sera Café. Bona Sera, opened in early July on the corner of Michigan Ave and Washington Street in Downtown Ypsilanti, is the newest addition to the flurry of restaurants to open recently in Ypsi. Other recent additions include the Wurst bar on Cross Street and the two new establishments on Michigan Avenue: Red Rock Downtown BBQ and the new Wolverine Grill. Ever since Beezy’s placed Downtown Ypsilanti on the food map almost four years ago now, it has clearly become a draw for restaurant owners and food lovers of all types. Bona Sera cafe owners, who go by the monikers Bad Fairy and Wonder Woman, actually got their start doing underground supper clubs for charity in 2009 in the Ann Arbor area and have held dinners for organizations such as Growing Hope, Ozone House, SOS Community Services and many more. Reportedly, they have made around $20,000 for charity through these secret dinners but now have set their sights on joining the burgeoning local restaurant scene in Ypsilanti with dreams of eventually opening up a food truck.

They first tested the Ypsi food waters this winter when they sold their signature food a few times at the Mix Marketplace. Then in April 2012, they were awarded a $1,000 A2Awesome grant to get their cafe off the ground. They launched a kickstarter campaign soon after and raised $2,000 more than the $10,000 that they needed to open their cafe in the former J. Neill’s Mongolian Grille space in Downtown Ypsilanti. And just like that, they are now open for lunch and dinner. As for the food, Bona Sera offers omnivore-friendly sandwiches, salads, soups and pastas with a foodie twist. For instance, the sandwiches that they offer are all Vietnamese-inspired Banh Mi served on a steamed Chinese bun, but some of the flavors tend towards the more American BBQ chicken and coleslaw, some towards the more Italian porchetta with fennel apple slaw and others towards the more SE Asian flavors of spicy Tom Yum shrimp or Tofu. They have quite a range of salads as well, from Greek, to Steak, Pistachio and Goat cheese, Shaved Fennel and Apple and Sesame Peanut Noodle Salad featuring our favorite Al Dente pasta!

Their signature item, however, which apparently has had a following since the supper clubs, is the Tom Yum Shrimp and Grits. To me, it does live up to its press – I was pleasantly surprised by its combination of spicy shrimp and pancetta over Southern-style Grits. They also have special salads, pastas, flatbreads and other items available as daily specials, and, on the day I visited, they had Panzanella (Italian bread salad) and Caprese salad with burrata. They also have been gradually building partnerships in the local food community – whether it be through using the Harvest Kitchen space for food prep early on, partnering with local Ann Arbor coffee roasters Roos Roast on their signature blend of Bad Ass Woman Brew or even starting to do a bit of local food sourcing. When I spoke briefly with Wonder Woman, she mentioned that eventually she hopes that their tomatoes will be grown at the Growing Hope Center urban farm. Bad ass, indeed! Bona Sera Cafe is open Tuesday – Saturday from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. at 200 W. Michigan Ave in Ypsilanti. Check out their website (eatypsi.com) for more info.


ARTICLE AND PHOTO BY STEFANIE T. STAUFFER

So, go on, ask your producers whatever questions you want to know about the food you are purchasing. Believe me, it’s a lot better than trying to pronounce the ingredients on some of the labels you can find in chain grocery stores. Plus, producers want to hear from you. You can ‘’vote with your fork,” so to speak, by asking for organic eggs, jams made with local fruit, Michigan-grown produce, etc. You can help encourage restaurants and locally-owned food businesses to source more ingredients locally by simply asking for them. Maybe you will even play a role in encouraging more growers to make value-added products from their produce or sell to restaurants and producers that will convert those harvests into delicious meals or tasty jars of pickles, jams and salsa. After all, once we get more local food into distribution channels, it’ll be more widely available and cheaper for us to eat. Therefore, we need to ask questions of our producers that remind them that the best way to make healthier food available to more people and challenge the industrial system is to source ingredients locally whenever possible, where the money spent will actually get re-invested in the local community. In this sense, locally-grown food does a lot more than just taste better. See you at market!

Now that local food has gone mainstream, it seems that there is some consumer confusion that has resulted in the widespread conflation of food that is locally made by a locally-owned business with food that is both locally-grown and locally-made by a local business. Don’t get me wrong-- there are some amazing local food businesses out there that have to source out of state in the cold months in order to keep up with demand for their product. To me, what makes those local food businesses amazing is the effort they put in to source their ingredients from Michigan when they are in season, like the Brinery and Perkins’ Pickles, two of my favorite Southeast Michigan food businesses. They have struck a great balance between being grounded in the local food system while consistently producing high demand products year-round. But there are other businesses out there riding the wave of the popularity of local food to market a product that may just be locally-owned or locally-made with ingredients straight out of the industrial food system. So, for August, the real core of the farmer’s market season, I wanted to help empower you to ask the questions and find out about where the food was grown or raised that is on offer to you. Once you know the answers to those questions, the difference in pricing schemes between the

chain grocery store and the farmer’s market will also become apparent. Although a couple years back a study in Vermont concluded that organic fruits and vegetables sold at the farmer’s market are cheaper than similar produce at the grocery store, people still don’t understand that in many instances the farmer’s market has items that are both cheaper and better quality than what you can find in the store. We’ve talked about this price tag-driven purchasing here before, and, in this case, you can really see how embedded this practice, rooted in the artificially low cost of industrially-produced food, has become in our consumer psyche. So, go on, look behind the price tag the next time you are at the farmer’s market. Ask who grew that delicious sweet corn and where. Ask if those peaches are no spray or grown with organic practices – even ask for some delicious squash recipes to try. The answers may surprise you. And if not, at the very least you had a positive interaction with a local food producer. For instance, recently we have been eating (and selling) a lot of purslane, a wild edible that also happens to be a bonafide superfood, and people have been genuinely excited to find out about this ubiquitous plant that they had maybe seen as a weed in their gardens and never before eaten. At the farmer’s market, this is what community looks like.

// FOODIE

Adventures in Local Food #20Locally Grown


SCENE //

Celebrating the diverse cultural history of our great city, the 34th Annual Ypsilanti Heritage Festival hits the shores of Riverside Park August 17 – 19. This year’s festival includes all the great traditions we’ve come to expect, along with an added emphasis on live music and adult (no, not in the exotic sense) entertainment. The biggest (and my personal favorite) addition to the festival this year is the Riverside Beer Garden that will house not only tasty local brews from Arbor Brewing and Wolverine State Brewing but also a 16-band lineup that includes headliners The Ben Miller Band, The Third Coast Kings and local blues guitar legend Laith Al Saadi. Placing the main stage under the big top means that performances will run all the way until midnight on Friday and Saturday night. This year also marks the return of charity casino gambling including poker and $5 buy-in blackjack tables all manned by professional dealers. Poker players can take part in cash games and can even reserve tables with friends to set up their own private games. If cards aren’t really your thing, Silver Ball Inc. will be providing some righteous pinball tables, too (insert obligatory Tommy reference here). In addition to all the Beer Garden fun, there will also be plenty on hand to entertain kids of all ages. The Gazebo stage will showcase local singers, songwriters and school ensembles from all over the Ypsi/Ann Arbor area. The Children’s Village will include live performances geared towards the younger folks with magician, Jeff Boyer, and

face painting, balloon animals and general silliness from Colors the Clown. And, if the kids still aren’t tuckered out by Sunday, bring your best sounding Tupperware and be sure to check out DRUMMUNITY with Lori Fithian, who will be leading thunderous drum circles all afternoon long.If the heat is getting a bit too heavy and you’re looking to dive into some local Ypsi history, don’t forget about Chautauqua at the Riverside held both Saturday and Sunday at the air conditioned Riverside Arts Center featuring educational lectures, interactive presentations, documentaries and historical retrospectives. Another long-held tradition of the YHF, the annual Running the Rails race presented by the Ypsilanti Area Jaycees, will also be returning this year and includes a 10k run, 5k run/walk and ½ mile kids fun run. And last, but certainly not least, you won’t want to miss the always awesome Ypsilanti Heritage Festival Parade, which kicks off at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the corner of Ballard and Michigan Avenue, winding its way through downtown Ypsi and ending up near Riverside Park. While the YHF is free to attend, it runs on the hard work and generosity of sponsors and volunteers. So, if you can, give a little something back by volunteering some time or donating a few bucks to the cause. For more information including complete lineups and schedules for the main stage, Gazebo Stage and Children’s Village, visit YpsilantiHeritageFestival.com.

BY DAVID NASSAR

The 34th Annual Ypsilanti Heritage Festival

Brews, Blues and Blackjack under the

BigTopPHOTO BY YPSILANTI CVB - THE DUCKY RACE

Friday, August 3, 20128:00pm until 2:00am

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36 E. Cross St. Ypsilanti, MI 48197 - www.woodruffsbar.com

8.7

8.11

8.18

8.25

8.26

8.31

Presented by

MONDAY

Dirt Cheap Mondays

TUESDAY

Dave Boutette Acoustic Open Mic

THURSDAY

Hairy Karaoke

8.1 Thirty Three & 1/3, The Fuzz, Amateur Anthropologist$5 // 9pm

$5 // 11pm

$5 // 4pm

$5 // 9pm

$5 // 9pm

$10 // 9pm

$5 // 9pm

Child Bite, Dope Body, Disinformants

Planned Pethood Benefit Party

Ben Miller Band

Elbow Deep

Timmy Williams (The Whitest Kids U’Know)

The Grownup Noise, Golden Bloom

Lightning Love “Blonde Album” Release Party

Wally Dogger, Jamaican Queens

NO COVER - WEEKLY FEATURESwww.


Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti • Kiss My Gender, 7:30 p.m., Necto,

Ann Arbor 8/4: • Trespass America Festival, 5 p.m.,

Meadow Brook Music Festival, Rochester Hills

• Terror with Bane, 6 p.m., Magic Stick, Detroit

• Bud Light Battle of the Bands, 7 p.m., Saint Andrew’s, Detroit

• Kaskade, 7 p.m., The Fillmore, Detroit

• Taproot, Emerald Theatre, Mt. Clemens

• Sugarland, 7:30 p.m., DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston

• Riverfolk Festival Finale Concert, 7:30 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor

• Rock N Road Kill Festival with 60 Second Crush, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

• Fred Lion, 9 p.m., Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti

8/5: • Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller, 5:30

p.m., DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston

• Attack Attack!, 2:30 p.m., Crofoot Complex, Pontiac

• Matisyahu and the Dirty Heads, 6:30 p.m., The Fillmore, Detroit

• Ralphie May, 7:30 p.m., Meadow Brook Music Festival, Rochester Hills

• Meiko, 7:30 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor8/6: • YES, 7:30 p.m., DTE Energy Music

Theatre, Clarkston • Joyce Manor, 8 p.m., Magic Stick

Lounge, Detroit • Harpeth Rising, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor 8/7: • Train, 7 p.m., Meadow Brook Music

Festival, Rochester Hills • The Persuasions, 8 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor

CALENDAR // AROUND YOU

HAVE AN EVENT?SUBMIT IT ONLINE. FOR FREE!

BY AMANDA TRENT

ENTERTAINMENT

August // 2012

• Fear Factory, 7 p.m., Emerald Theatre, Mt. Clemens

• Candye Kane, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor

• Charlene Kaye, 9 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

• Planned Pethood Benefit Party, 4 p.m., Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti

8/12: • JJ Grey, 7:30 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor • Frequency Flashback Party, Necto,

Ann Arbor • Heat Rave, Red Room at the Necto,

Ann Arbor 8/14: • My Morning Jacket, 7 p.m., Meadow

Brook Music Festival, Rochester Hills • Neon Trees with Walk the Moon, 7

p.m., Majestic Theatre, Detroit • System of a Down, 7:30 p.m., DTE

Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston • MilkDrive, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor • MC Chris, 8 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann

Arbor 8/15: • Cannibal Corpse with Between

the Buried and Me, 2 p.m., Saint Andrew’s Hall, Detroit

• 311 with Slightly Stoopid, 6:30 p.m., DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston

• Gerald Albright, 7:30 p.m., Chene Park, Detroit

• Dirty Projectors, 8 p.m., The Crofoot, Pontiac

• Katie Geddes, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor

• Lighthenight, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

8/16: • Eyes Set to Kill, 6 p.m., Magic Stick

Lounge, Detroit • Find Vienna, 7 p.m., Shelter, Detroit • Bonnie Raitt, 8 p.m., Sound Board at

MotorCity Casino Hotel, Detroit • The Claire Lynch Band, 8 p.m., The

Ark, Ann Arbor

• Easy Vibe with Wolfie Complex, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

• Child Bite, 11 p.m., Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti

8/8: • Angie Stone, 7:30 p.m., Chene Park,

Detroit • Barrington Levy, 8 p.m., Magic Stick,

Detroit • Magical Mistakes, 9:30 p.m., Blind

Pig, Ann Arbor • She Keeps Bees, 9 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti 8/9: • Strung Out, 7 p.m., Magic Stick,

Detroit • Joe Cocker, 7:30 p.m., DTE Energy

Music Theatre, Clarkston • k.d. lang and the siss boom band,

8 p.m., Sound Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel

• The Appleseed Collective, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor

• Groove Reign, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

• Tribal Impulse Party, Red Room at Necto, Ann Arbor

8/10: • The Fray with Kelly Clarkston and

Carolina Liar, 7 p.m., DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston

• Ying Yang Twins, 7 p.m., Emerald Theatre, Mt. Clemens

• Twista, 9 p.m., Blondies, Detroit • The RFD Boys and friends, 8 p.m.,

The Ark, Ann Arbor • AK, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor • S. N. A. F. U., 9 p.m., Woodruff’s,

Ypsilanti • Pride Flashback Party, Necto, Ann

Arbor8/11: • Kottonmouth Kings, 7 p.m., Harpo’s,

Detroit • Barenaked Ladies, 7 p.m., DTE

Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston • The Spill Canvas, 6 p.m., Shelter,

Detroit

8/1: • Frank Ocean, 7 p.m., Saint

Andrew’s Hall, Detroit • Coldplay, 7 p.m., The Palace,

Auburn Hills • Dragon Wagon, 10:30 p.m., Circus,

Ann Arbor • Chicago, The Doobie Brothers, 7:30

p.m., DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston

• Twin Shadow, 8 p.m., Pike Room, Pontiac

• Kishi Bashi featuring Tall Tall Trees, 9 p.m., PJ’s Lager House, Detroit

• Mindy Smith, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor

• Givers, 9 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor • Thirty Three and 1/3, 9 p.m.,

Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti 8/2: • Summerland 2012, 7 p.m., Sound

Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel, Detroit

• Bear Hands Plus Fort Lean, 8 p.m., Magic Stick Lounge

• Gaelic Storm, 8 p.m., Magic Bag, Ferndale

• Tune Yards, The Crofoot, Pontiac • Maia Sharp, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor • Maria Rose and the Swift Kicks,

9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor8/3: • Childish Gambino, 6:30 p.m., The

Fillmore, Detroit • New Edition, 8 p.m., Chene Park,

Detroit • The Makem and Spain Brothers, 8

p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor • Ann Arbor Soul Club, 9:30 p.m.,

Blind Pig, Ann Arbor • Secret Twins with the Hounds

Below and FAWN, 9 p.m.,

ispymagazine.co

// FEATURE


AROUND YOU // CALENDAR

8/17: • Silverstein, 6:30 p.m., Shelter,

Detroit • Hal Sparks, 7 p.m., Magic Bag,

Ferndale • Dukes of September, 8 p.m., DTE

Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston • Robin Thicke, 8 p.m., Chene Park,

Detroit • Hal Sparks, 10 p.m., Magic Bag,

Ferndale • Steward Francke, 8 p.m., The Ark,

Ann Arbor • Muruga Booker, 9 p.m.,

Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti 8/18: • Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw,

4:30 p.m., Ford Field, Detroit • Cinderella, 5 p.m., DTE Energy

Music Theatre, Clarkston • Static-X, 5 p.m., Harpo’s, Detroit • Meek Mill, 7 p.m., Saint Andrew’s

Hall, Detroit • The Meatmen, 8 p.m., Magic

Stick, Detroit • American Mars and the Thornbills,

8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor • Ben Miller Band, 9 p.m.,

Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti8/19: • A Hero Falls, 5 p.m., Pike Room,

Pontiac • Lucero, 8 p.m., Small’s,

Hamtramck • Wayward Roots, 7:30 p.m., The

Ark, Ann Arbor8/20: • Scythian, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann

Arbor • Factory presents Pure Pwnage,

Necto, Ann Arbor8/21: • For the Foxes, 6:30 p.m., The

Vernors Room, Pontiac • Linkin Park with Incubus, 6:30

p.m., The Palace, Auburn Hills • Yarn, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor • The Moth (theme: About Time),

Circus, Ann Arbor8/22: • Fireworks, 6:30 p.m., Magic Stick,

Detroit • David Sanborn, 7:30 p.m., Chene Park, Detroit • Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor8/23: • BoDeans, 8 p.m., Magic Bag, Ferndale • The Orpheum Bell, 8 p.m., Magic Stick Lounge, Detroit • Anders Osborne, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor 8/24: • Evanescence with Chevelle, 5 p.m., DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston • Gipsy Kings, 7:30 p.m., Fox Theatre, Detroit • Il Volo, 7:30 p.m., Meadow Brook Music Festival, Rochester Hills • Mustard’s Retreat, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor • The Dirty Guv’nahs, 9 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor 8/25: • Days of the New, 7 p.m., Emerald Theatre, Mt. Clemens • Sandy Danto, 7 p.m., Magic Bag, Ferndale • tobyMac, 7 p.m., DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston • Nadastrom, 9 p.m., Magic Stick, Detroit • Sandy Danto, 10 p.m., Magic Bag, Ferndale • Mark O’Connor, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor • The Bang!, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor8/26: • Blue Highway, 7:30 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor • Timmy Williams of The Whitest Kids U’Know, 9 p.m., Woodruff’s, Ypsialnti • Laugh-a-Palooza, 7 p.m., Meadow Brook Music Festival, Rochester Hills8/27: • Goitse, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor

8/29: • Jason Mraz, 7:30 p.m., DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston • Studebaker John and the Hawks, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor • Another Grand Design, 9 p.m., Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti 8/30: • Rock N Blues Fest, 7:30 p.m., DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston • The Henhouse Prowlers, 9:30 p.m., Blind Pig, Ann Arbor • University Welcome Week White Party, Necto, Ann Arbor8/31: • The Offspring, 7 p.m., The Fillmore, Detroit • Ice Cube, 8 p.m., Chene Park, Detroit • Bill Kirchen, 8 p.m., The Ark, Ann Arbor • Lightning Love album release, 9 p.m., Woodruff’s, Ypsilanti • Pride presents White Party Weekend, Necto, Ann Arbor

7/31 – 8/4: • Riverfolk Festival, Manchester and Ann Arbor8/4: • Dixboro Fair and Artisans on the Green, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.8/17 – 19: • Ypsilanti Heritage Festival8/28 – 9/3: • Saline Community Fair, Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds

COmmunity

ispymagazine.co

AUGUST 18, 2012Parking lot of the pontiac silverdome

Main Stage

Second Stage

Detroit Rises Showcase

stone temple pilotsice-T with coco

chiodostrick trick

hushshiny toy guns

jonathan tyler and the northern lights

mayer Hawthorne (dj set)

dominic raiola (DJ set)

letz massacrehowling diablos

the dirty americansrobert james

blaine fowler experience

iamdynamite

the high strung

dutch pinkbear lake

kaleidobrae

names unlisted


// SCENE

BY MARY SIMKINS

Walk the MoonBY MARY SIMKINS

Cincinnati-based indie rockers Walk the Moon have recently released their first studio album and, since signing with a big label, the success they’ve seen as an independent band has been on the rise. The popularity of Walk the Moon’s “Anna Sun” single and video caught the attention of many in the industry, prompting Alt. Nation to include the group on their list of Need to Know Bands of 2012. While Ohio natives Nicholas Petricca, Kevin Ray, Sean Waugaman and Eli Maiman had earned a loyal fan base with their independently released album, “i want, i want!,” RCA Record Labels has allowed them to reach a wider audience, including appearances on David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Carson Daly. In keeping with popular rock bands of our generation, Walk the Moon seems to enjoy celebrating nostalgia while getting in touch with one’s inner child. And fans love them for it. The guys have been known to paint their faces before live performances – an amiable war paint reminiscent of Peter Pan. A typical Walk the Moon music video features bold colors, carefree dance choreography and extras who look like kids you used to ride bikes with growing up. Perhaps their ever-growing popularity is the result of their exuberance and contagious love of jumping wildly to catchy music. I reviewed their self-titled “Walk the Moon” after its release this past June and was impressed by the level of energy pulsing throughout each track. It’s this same infectious joie de vivre that has made Walk the Moon such a popular booking for music festivals from Bonnaroo to Lollapalooza and Louisville’s Forecastle Festival. If you haven’t given Walk the Moon a listen yet, I suggest you do so before seeing them live at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre on August 14, where they’ll be playing as guests of Neon Trees along with Twenty One Pilots. To learn more about Walk the Moon and to sample some songs, check out walkthemoonband.com


Free ofStaticUpon the release of his brilliant “Channel Orange,” Frank Ocean is hauling honesty into the spotlight.

PHOTO BY TERRY RICHARDSON

BY PAUL KITTI

FEATURE //


// FEATURE

Back in 2011, weeks after the release of his debut mixtape “Nostalgia, Ultra,” a fan asked Frank Ocean to explain his situation to his five-years-ago self. His response, a meaty paragraph posted to his Tumblr, told the story of an artist continually on-the-verge, a persistent twenty-something experiencing crummy-paying jobs, near-crippling heartache, discouraging reception in the music biz and all the confusion and uncertainty that targets the mind of every young dreamer. “Don’t worry, you won’t fail and have to move back to New Orleans,” he reassures his younger self. About six years ago he loaded his Nissan Maxima and drove to Los Angeles with $1,200 in savings, hoping to shop his demos around. “You are gonna get your heart broken though… Contrary to how it feels, it won’t kill you. In fact it’s gonna help you write an album.” That album is “Channel Orange,” the summer 2012 king of highly-buzzed releases. He ends his letter saying, “I don’t wanna spoil too much for you, but... You’re on a plane right now to the East Coast to work with Kanye West & Jay-Z. It’s all working out kid. You made it.” That was about a year ago. Now he isn’t working in the shadows of music legends, he’s becoming one. “Channel Orange” shot to number one on iTunes following its July 10 release and is being

praised by critics for its honesty, skilled songwriting and tight cohesion of diverse influences. The album – 17 tracks that paint a telling portrait of soul-searching and emotional upheaval in not-what-it-seems California – is his Def Jam debut, and arrives in the wake of his controversial statements regarding his sex life. A week before the album’s release, Ocean again took to his Tumblr in response to a critic who, upon attending a pre-release listening session, questioned the use of the word “him” in a few romantically-tinged lines. In what reads like a candid and deeply personal letter, Ocean recalls the first time he fell in love. It was four summers ago, when he found his affection intensifying towards another man who, also 19, wouldn’t admit he shared similar feelings for another three years. “I kept up a peculiar friendship with him because I couldn’t imagine keeping up my life without him,” he writes. “I struggled to master myself and my emotions.” That struggle, however painful, translated into refreshingly raw songwriting. “Bad Religion,” a song from the new album that he performed weeks ago on Jimmy Fallon, finds Ocean at his most poetic and direct: “This unrequited love/ To me it’s nothing but/ A one-man cult/ and cyanide in my Styrofoam cup/ I can never make him love me.”

Ocean, who represents the more mature, “voice of reason” side of the L.A.-based hip-hop collective Odd Future, is, as a singer, closely tied to the generally homophobic rap industry. More and more we’re seeing famous individuals come out (Ricky Martin and Anderson Cooper come to mind), but hip-hop is notoriously hostile towards homosexuals. Some may have been surprised, then, when statements of support came pouring in from the likes of 50 Cent, Beyonce and hubby Jay-Z, Russell Simmons and Odd Future pal, Tyler, the Creator. Ocean’s honesty and, as many have called it, bravery, should be accepted alongside his art and could serve as an example to others struggling to balance public perception with personal reality. It shouldn’t, however, overshadow the art that it informs. Judy Rosen from Rolling Stone put it perfectly when she said: “The question isn’t who Frank Ocean loves. It’s how he loves: ardently, recklessly, yet knowingly, with a young man’s headlong passion and a mordant wisdom beyond his years.” I’d like to see Ocean, years from now, write another letter to his younger self. That time around, it should be a familiar story to us all.

PHOTO BY TERRY RICHARDSON


Confessions of a music nerd and food addict.

Lighting Love

BY JEFF MILO

FEATURE //

Anxious. Awkward. Catchy. Magical. Blondes on the “Blonde Album.”

PHOTO BY DOUG COOMBE


// FEATURE

Alright, get ready. Leah Diehl had to pump herself up when the phone rang. She was anxious. Her band, Ypsi’s own Lightning Love, have their second full length release, “Blonde Album,” coming out and she’s battening her hatches against my regretted perfunctory punch card of questions like: So, how does this album compare to your last album (2008’s “November Birthday”)? But some of the songs you’ll hear at their release show were written almost three years ago and the album itself was completed, done, finito (in their own home studios) nine months ago. “Trying. To. Think.” Leah stalls over the phone. “How does it feel…?” I’ll tell you how it feels: warm and whimsical yet weighty. Sweet and exuberant, yet restless. Fun music with fretful lyrics. To-the-point-pop music. And, particularly, the sound propulsive and capricious but humble and self-deprecating songs on “Blonde” bring a feeling of pensive escapism as though it were soundtracking my own Wes Anderson-esque slow-motion ride, pedaling barefoot on a rusty Schwin beach cruiser toward the incoming tide at sunset with an overcast sky behind me. It’s a head-in-the-clouds sound of shambled-boogies and indelible hooks from a down-to-earth voice (Diehl’s) over a buzzy, bouncing piano, drums tastefully steppin’ (but then punctually slammin’), guitars flaring fire when needed but usually just supplementing subtle jangle-riffs. Maybe anxious is the best word. “I’m one of those people who worries when there’s nothing to worry about,” Diehl says. “That anxiety I feel about a lot of stuff really just works well [for songs] – just being a crazy worrier, these dizzy feelings of ‘what am I doing?’ But I’d also talk to anybody about it in person then and turn it into a joke.” “Maybe that’s what the music is – very poppy. It sounds happy, but the lyrics are high strung.” Diehl’s been writing and playing music for most of her life and for the past six years consecutively collaborating with her younger brother Aaron (on drums) and adopted-brother Ben Collins (on guitar). This almost, essentially, started out, initially, as “Aaron’s band,” recalls Ben, “back to, I think, before it was even going to be called Lightning Love,” (as Aaron is a songwriter in his own right, but that’s another story). Lightning Love’s current course locked in when Leah fatefully pumped herself up to perform live at the Elbow Room (with Aaron backing her) timid tries of demos she’d been recording. This is around 2006 during the waning

days of her tenure in Ann Arbor indie-pop collective Minor Planets. These three “blondes” are local staples. Two Wolverines and one Eagle. Aaron’s got his own recording project and has worked with other Arbor/Ypsi-ites (Gun Lake and Ferdy Mayne). And Ben’s honing his audio engineering craft working the night-shift at Big Sky Recording with Geoff Michael (I caught him en-route to the studio to record songs for another local band he joined last year, Starling Electric. But, again, that’s another story). And Leah, well, she moved to Hamtramck last year. “I miss Ypsi a lot,” she says, readier to recite on the subject of her true-home’s music scene than she might be on the whole “what does this album sound-like” stuff. “Ypsi’s pretty unpretentious,” she says. “You can do anything and everyone is really supportive out there.” (She counts AA-label Quite Scientific, fosterer of the “Blonde Album” under said-supportive-category.) “Everyone though, people working in very different genres just hang out and talk about music. Greg McIntosh (Great Lakes Myth Society folkist), Jim Cherewick (Congress punkist) and I (Lightning Love popist), just the three of us, were down by the river the other day…cuz, ya know, this is a town where you can just go ‘down-by-the-river’… and we’re talking music. We were speaking the same language.” Attending Patrick Elkins’ unconventional/experimentalist-encouraging Totally Awesome Fest recently helped her feel like she was getting back on her feet, she said, like she knew what she was doing again. “The more successful that we get – even though we’re not crazy-successful – but the more I feel sometimes out-of-touch with the way I started, which was doing demos in my bedroom.” Do the songs help her get back on her feet? “I wish I could say (“Blonde”) exorcised some demons, but I feel like the newest songs are even worse with that crap.” She laughs/groans. Ben says, “You’re always most excited about the stuff that’s not done yet. She somehow keeps getting catchier and more melodic and more interesting with every song she writes.” Even if it’s about, like, “near-crushing depression.” But the boys have their roles now in what’s become much more than the initial augmented harvestings of an overly pensive, unlucky-in-love young lady atop a delicate piano – with Ben as an adhoc producer and Aaron as an adhoc arranger. Ben exudes Aaron’s vitality with the same marvel he holds for Leah’s writing: “He has a very good mind for the big picture” of songs.

More importantly: “I can be the one who makes sure everything’s going to go okay,” says Leah, while “(Aaron) can stay there to crack me up and make sure I don’t go crazy.” And Ben? “Oh, Ben’s also on that side.” Ben’s excited for their September tour (paired with Detroit’s electric-soul-shifters Jamaican Queens, formerly Prussia), since it’s L.L.’s first headlining trip. More so, though, he’s excited to finish their latest songs, as he’s newly enamored with the warmth/purity of analog tape recording, recently capturing Leah’s voice on some demos. “It’s the sound I’ve been trying to find for years,” said Ben. Leah, meanwhile, is “trying to find” her own voice, keeping things fresh by blending classical music with sides of rap, but, then, also consciously examining the intricacies of musical evocation. “Why does it sound good to me? It’s not magic. It sounds magical because they found this beautiful melody and they’re saying heartfelt or sometimes slightly awkward things over it, but then that strikes you more. But I feel like I’ve wandered away from your questions…” Like, what does this album sound like? Deep sigh. “I’m trying to think…Uh. Yeah…” Lightning Love’s “Blonde Album” Release Party with Wally Dogger and Jamaican Queens will take place at 9 p. m. on August 31 at Woodruff’s Bar. Cover is $5.

You’re always most excited about the stuff that’s not done yet. She somehow keeps getting catchier and more melodic and more interesting with every song she writes. Even if it’s about, like, “near-crushing depression.”

“


Jason Stollsteimer is in a good mood. “Great, actually!” His excitement comes through over the phone the way an old friend’s does when you call them out of the blue. Today, he finished the artwork for his band’s debut album and sealed the envelope, sent it to the people who put all that album stuff together and felt release from a process that has really been years in the making. And, just after that, he received word that his band has been confirmed for a European tour, which could take off as early as October. Yeah, things are starting to come together for the Hounds Below. The Detroit-based four-piece has

been taking things slowly and carefully, which is evidenced in the group’s formation: the band – or really, the idea of the band – dates back to 2008, started by Stollsteimer as a side project while he was heading the Von Bondies. Initially, it was a more melodic and lyrically-driven alternative to the loud, punk-ish Von Bondies, who by that time had been established for eight years and heard worldwide (you’ll recognize the song “C’mon C’mon” if you kept up with the alternative scene mid-00’s or if you’re a fan of “Rescue Me”). Finally, he had an outlet for his new batch of break-up songs, inspired, unfortunately, by a very

real and overwhelming separation. And he also had a medium through which he could try new things, musically. But new creative possibilities have a strong pull on creative people, and the Hounds Below started to become a more exciting venture than the Von Bondies. While they were certainly experiencing success – with an album breaking the U.S. Billboard 200, a single reaching No. 25 on the Billboard Top 100 and an appearance on the Late Show – the Von Bondies were wearing thin. “I think we just got burned out,” says Stollsteimer. “We toured for ten years.” But, to be clear, the Hounds Below aren’t here to completely bury the

FEATURE //

PHOTO BY CHRIS OWYOUNGBY PAUL KITTI

The HoundsBelowJason Stollsteimer has been there and back with the Von Bondies. Now he’s returning to the road with a new pack.


Von Bondies. “The Von Bondies didn’t break up – they’re still a band,” clarifies Stollsteimer, whose excitement about the new band only allows for a “what happens, happens” attitude towards the old one. But back to that formation process: it took a while to round up the right hounds. Stollsteimer played with about ten other musicians as a part of the Hounds Below before achieving harmony with the current lineup. Some entered into the project as potential full-time members, others just to fill in during shows. It turned out to be pretty tough starting something totally new while past success was lingering so closely behind. “Half the people that were in the band, they just expected that we were gonna get signed for a million dollars the day they joined,” laughs Stollsteimer. “The other half, they just didn’t know how to tour.” “They were all great musicians and great people, but it’s like trying to force a family to happen,” he explains. Whereas the Von Bondies were a group of inexperienced high school friends swept into success and basically forced to hone their skills on-the-go, the Hounds Below has been more strategically assembled. And now, as confirmed through a year writing an album, touring with acts such as The Cribs and embracing a sort of relaxed

chemistry, the process is complete. The Hounds Below are: drummer Griffin Bastian, bassist Mathew Hofman, guitarist Skye Thrasher and Stollsteimer, who sings and plays guitar. “These people I’ve played with for the past year in the Hounds Below, I met them because they wanted to join the band,” says Stollsteimer. “They joined because they liked the music.” He pauses, then adds: “They’re all unique characters. We have a good time.” Their debut album, entitled “You Light Me Up in the Dark,” is set for a September release, during which time the band will likely be in the midst of a national tour. It’s been a slightly unorthodox approach for a rock band, touring off and on for years before releasing an actual album, but it doesn’t seem to have put any brakes on the band’s momentum. “I just love touring,” says Stollsteimer. “I’m totally addicted to touring and playing music. It’s a good addiction.” You’ll recognize them by their sound: more progressive and certainly less loud than the Von Bondies, with a slowly-accumulating energy released in emotional spurts rather than spread across high-adrenaline two-minute tracks. These songs are more methodically crafted and deceivingly minimal, providing a perfect platform

for Stollsteimer’s voice. He sings with depth and gravitas, often recalling Arcade Fire’s Win Butler or, at his peak, The Cure’s Robert Smith. The material on the new album is somewhat of a mystery, so I’m citing singles such as “All These Things” and “Cumberland’s Crumblin” (which is coupled with a delightfully disturbing video involving a man in a bear costume). The first time Stollsteimer introduced a new band to the world, he played in front of a handful of friends and family members and found himself touring the world six months later. Twelve years have passed, and he’s a got a new beginning with the whole world again before him. “All new stories are being written… it’ll be a different outcome,” he ponders. “It’s terrifying, and, even more so, exciting.” The Hounds Below will be performing at Woodruff’s in Ypsilanti on August 3 with Secret Twins, FAWN and Team Ethic. Cover is $5, and doors open at 9 p.m. You can keep up with their journey on thehoundsbelow.com.

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Why are you involved with A2Y Converge?Because I think that the work the A2Y Converge is doing is important. I believe that cultivating the business environment for young professionals in the area while creating opportunities for growth are important to the community. I am excited to be part of a group of highly motivated professionals trying to create opportunity for others in the area.

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The HoundsBelow

// FEATURE


REVIEW // ISPY MAGAZINE STAGE

JULY

// CORNER OF LIBERTY & ASHLEY

MUX MOOL

LAWLESS CARVER

DRUNKEN BARN DANCE

JETTY RAE BRAE

DRAGON WAGON

MATT JONES AND MISTY LYN

SKELETON BIRDS

SMALL HOUSES


SKELETON BIRDS

SOUNDS // REVIEW

rate it+++ “So why see the world when you got the beach,” Frank Ocean sings in “Sweet Life,” but he isn’t so much questioning as he is advising. The world can throw stones at you, especially when you’re a rising personality and you reveal that your first love was another man. Things are much simpler when you take a small space and make it your personal universe, and Ocean does that as well as anybody. Pools and palm trees, after-sundown love affairs and cool Beverly Hills breezes inhabit this major-label debut from Odd Future’s most sentimental member. But you get more than wistful tales from high evenings when you tune into “Channel Orange” – Ocean is a keen observer and a smart storyteller,

unsparingly divulging decadent and occasionally soul-purging secrets through whatever musical impulses lead him, R&B tags be damned. He explores different avenues of pop, taking detours down the streets Stevie Wonder tread and adding bits of funk and hip-hop to a pervading SoCal buzz. In his pre-Odd Future days, he was a ghostwriter for the likes of John Legend, Brandy and Justin Bieber – but still, at only 24, it’s strange that this album feels a long time coming. He’s spent enough time in the dark, and you can take that a few ways, but now his channel is being broadcast on all airwaves.

ARTIST: Frank OceanALBUM: Channel Orange4/5 TOWERS BY PAUL KITTI

Michael Angelakos nearly lost his life making “Gossamer,” a project that was almost aborted in light of the Passion Pit mastermind’s struggle with bipolar disorder and the ensuing drinking, frustration and erratic behavior – including a suicide attempt. All that darkness is spelled out in this brilliant sophomore release, but it’s hard to read without getting distracted. During the first spin you’ll likely become lost in a carnival of bouncy, anthemic synth, high-pitched, sliced-up vocal samples and joyful sonic headrushes. It’s even brighter than their 2009 debut “Manners,” which was pretty blinding itself.

But it isn’t all rapid-fire pop spectacle – the sun-soaked soul ballad “Constant Conversations” enlists the Swedish a cappella trio Erato, and violins are lifted alongside fluid keys and buzzing snaps on closer “Where We Belong,” where Angelakos sings “and then I’m lifted up out of the crimson tub/ The bath begins to drain/ And from the floor he prays away all my pain.” It’s all pretty heavy stuff, carried skyward by an army of celebratory sounds you can dance to.

ARTIST: Passion PitALBUM: Gossamer4/5 TOWERS BY PAUL KITTI

SMALL HOUSES


What could possibly be more powerful than a young boy’s Christmas wish? If you’re Seth MacFarlane, the edgy and often crude creator of Family Guy, the answer is simple –nothing. When an outcast eight-year-old John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) gets a new teddy bear for Christmas, he finally thinks he’s found the best friend he’s been longing for. Clutching his new pal he’s affectionately named Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), he wishes for the only thing that could possibly make his gift even better. He wishes that Ted was real. Spoiler alert! Young John Bennett wakes up the next morning to find that miracle of all miracles, his wish has come true. Fast forward about twenty-five years and we find that just as John has outgrown his childlike naivety, so too has Ted matured into a bong-toking, womanizing party animal. And, while the bachelor-pad lifestyle that John and Ted have built for themselves suits them just fine, it begins to strain John’s relationship with the other love of his

life, his infinitely patient girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis). Can John grow up and save his relationship without losing his best friend? While I don’t know if Ted quite delivers to the degree that some critics have suggested – there have been an awful lot of superlatives thrown around in the first couple weeks of the film’s release – it is most definitely everything you would expect it to be considering the source. MacFarlane’s shocking and raunchy sense of humor is on full display, along with an unmistakable hint of Christmas Story-like heart. Few movies are probably as clear-cut as this one. It’s pretty simple, really. If Family Guy, pothead humor and simulated plush-toy bestiality make you laugh, Ted will not disappoint. If not, well, you can always go see “Katy Perry: Part of Me” instead.

FILM: TedDIRECTOR: Seth MacFarlane4/5 TOWERS BY DAVID NASSAR

“Your Sister’s Sister” opens with a living room of people mourning-by-way-of-remembrance the life of a man named Tom. It soon becomes painfully aware that the brooding man in the back is Tom’s brother, Jack (Duplass), and Jack feels like everyone is full of bologna. Tom’s ex-girlfriend/Jack’s best friend Iris (Blunt) informs Jack that he’s a slacker and needs to go on a retreat to her dad’s cabin to collect himself. He agrees, bicycles up the rocky terrain and is greeted by an even rockier situation, as Iris’ sister Hannah (DeWitt) is nearly naked inside the house. They scuffle, befriend and get drunk, eventually stumbling into bed together, despite Hannah being a lesbian. But, surprise! Iris shows up the next day and the two must decide whether or not to break the news of their late-night romp to her. The actor’s portrayals of the characters are so raw that it’s, at times, very uncomfortable to watch. The seemingly off-the-cuff banter could be seen as sloppy anywhere else, but Blunt, DeWitt and Duplass

work together like a well oiled machine – well, a machine with a few squeaks in it. But that’s the gem in a film like this. Oftentimes scripts can be overwritten; the tender moments are too tender, the fights are too maniacal. In true-to-life circumstances, our moments are awkward. We don’t always welcome our sibling’s hugs with open arms, and our voices crack when we’re attempting to make a valid point in the heat of the moment. We’re imperfect. And while a lot of films striving to capture these perfect imperfections fail, “Your Sister’s Sister” hits the nail on the head. That said, the film falters toward the end when the plot gets neatly tied into a bow and handed to the audience like a present. But we’re not fools. We just saw everything fall apart, how is the film to convince us that all is fixed in a few short days? It’s an unfortunate misstep in “Your Sister’s Sister” and ultimately keeps it from shining like the true star it is.

FILM: Your Sister’s SisterDIRECTOR: Lynn Shelton3/5 TOWERS BY TREASURE GROH

REVIEW // THE CUT

rate it+++


THE CUT // REVIEW

It’s inevitable that an iconic director’s most recent release is judged against his previous work. An unfortunate truth for the resolute Woody Allen, considering last year’s transcendent “Midnight in Paris” makes “To Rome with Love” seem even more the lazy follow up that it is.

Allen’s most recent effort is a series of episodes that never intersect but share the same city – the enduring Italian capital of the title. It suffers no shortage of star power: Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page and the director himself all populate their own vignettes. But what it lacks is brain power. Most of the scenarios are unimaginative romantic comedies – all the more painful when you recall what a nuanced and revelatory take on love we know Allen to be capable of.

The characters are shallow and charmless almost to the person. They hop in and out of bed constantly with

people that the audience knows and cares about just as much as they do (which is to say not at all). But, as you would expect from a seasoned filmmaker like Allen, it’s not all bad. Cruz’s performance as a hooker masquerading as a housewife is breezy and sexy, and her comedic instincts are spot on. Famed tenor Fabio Armiliato’s voice in his role as the object of a retired concert producer’s (Allen) machinations is another bright spot.

The clumsy culture clash jokes abound, and even the incandescent Roberto Begnini’s turn as a man who suddenly becomes famous for nothing in a good-on-paper storyline just falls flat. After watching this film, I just wanted to pull Woody Allen aside and tell him that it is ok to not pump out a film every year come hell or high water and if you want to vacation in Rome it’s ok – you’ve earned it …just don’t try to sell it as a movie.

FILM: To Rome with LoveDIRECTOR: Woody Allen2/5 TOWERS BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER

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Did the world really need another Spiderman? No. But could we have gotten a worse one than Marc Webb’s (ha ha) “The Amazing Spiderman”? Yes. We all know the story beat for beat: nerdy kid gets bitten by a radioactive spider and then develops superhuman powers and responsibilities – it’s all there. What doesn’t seem to be there is the effort to distinguish this film from the merely five year old Sam Raimi trilogy, which resulted in this most recent Spiderman film being released to one big resounding shrug.

Now that we have that out of the way, these are not exactly the criterion the film should be judged on. The cast of “The Amazing Spiderman” is altogether more cheeky and fun than the previous films, which, in the end, is the only reason to watch it when the story is old hat. Andrew Garfield is a total hit with a killer grin and easy demeanor that Toby Maguire lacked.

America’s sweetheart Emma Stone is ultimately underutilized in her role as Gwen Stacey. Stone wins people over with her unselfconscious weirdness, which was sadly not in evidence here. I must also admit to being a Mary Jane kind of gal, and Spiderman’s dalliance with a different dame kind of threw me.

The villain in this film was very much in the mold of previous Spiderman foes: brilliant scientist overreaches and ends up an evil freak. Nothing new to report on that front. Something that is worth remarking on, however, is that this is the first Spiderman to use 3D technology. The advance lends itself well to the franchise and really gives you that leap in your stomach when Spidey swoops around The Big Apple. It only makes me wish that the other films hadn’t already spun this web.

FILM: The Amazing SpidermanDIRECTOR: Marc Webb3/5 TOWERS BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER


FILM: The Dark Knight RisesDIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan5/5 TOWERS BY PAUL KITTI

This third and final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s staggering Batman tale sits on a sizzling bed of intensity that you can feel for its nearly three-hour entirety. The Joker was mesmerizing through Ledger’s unsurpassable performance, but Bane is pure fear and ferocity. English actor Tom Hardy (a powerhouse in “Bronson”), speaking in a deep, dooming roar through a medicine-supplying grille, uses eye movement and sheer physical presence to keep you on edge. He’s got Gotham in a deathgrip that a weak Bruce Wayne – tending to physical and emotional wounds in an eight-year reclusion – has no chance of contesting until he’s been broken and rebuilt. A lot happens in the meantime – Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway, absolutely confirming she was the right choice for Catwoman) prowls about Gotham with mysterious motives while a young

cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and an aging Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) hustle to find their – and Batman’s – role in saving the city. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman reprise their roles as Alfred and Lucius Fox, respectively, but with even more emotional gravity than we’ve seen previously. As you’d expect, the plot reaches into the depths of the first two movies while stringing together its own chain of surprises, and it never gives you more than a minute at a time to catch your breath throughout. The action is thundering and loaded with tension with plenty of brainy, high-tech stunts balanced out by some gripping hand-to-hand combat scenes. The heart of these characters seems to get pushed to the final twenty minutes in a dense and dizzying script with a lot of agendas, but it’s all wrapped up with just the right amount of punch, closure and controversy. Thank you, Mr. Nolan.

REVIEW // THE CUT

Wes Anderson is a director who inspires both fiercely loyal fans and equally staunch detractors. Anderson’s latest quirkgasm, “Moonrise Kingdom,” takes us back in time to 1965 and drops us on the fictional New England island of New Penzance on the eve of the biggest storm it’s ever seen. It’s a place where everyone knows each other and the salubrious patina of the 50’s has not yet lifted. But it is soon revealed that not all residents of this offshore idyll are happy. The characters are textbook Anderson, each one deeply flawed and hilariously earnest. The casting of “Moonrise Kingdom” is Anderson’s usual cavalcade of familiar faces with Bill Murray as the melancholy patriarch. Murray’s chemistry with his on-screen wife, Frances McDormand, is a real delight of the film as they trade jibes as married lawyers. Their daughter, Suzy, (perfectly sullen newcomer Kara Hayward) through the quaint medium

of letter writing, falls in love with orphaned scout Sam. Edward Norton also turns in a heartfelt performance as Scoutmaster Ward, a mother hen who springs to action when Sam and Suzy run away together. Their well-planned escape into the heart of the island plays out in a series of memorable vignettes in which they nurture their offbeat connection. Anderson’s aesthetic is unmistakable – every shot is exact and manicured. His attention to detail is engrossing and truly one of the great pleasures of “Moonrise Kingdom.” All of the houses look like dollhouses, and all of the wide shots look like they are from a mid- 60’s travelogue. The film captures the particular pain of childhood – of having feelings that seem so big while being continually assured of their insignificance. But in Anderson’s film, unlike real life, Sam and Suzy’s relationship plays out on a stage that is as large as they imagine it to be.

FILM: Moonrise KingdomDIRECTOR: Wes Anderson4/5 TOWERS BY JASMINE ZWEIFLER

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