A phenomenon accompanies bluegrass. In the rural American melodies, there exists the relative topics of sorrow, hopefulness, despair and love that appeal to enthusiasts of other genres. The music of O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Cold Mountain have a country twang, sure, but they’re also edgy, gritty and daring,…
Thursday, June 3 When we first heard of Classical Acting Company’s choice for their season finale, we got the creeps, chills and what Mom would call the heebie-jeebies. Then we learned that Georges Feydeau’s A Flea In Her Ear is not actually about an aurally tormenting insect. The play is…
Back when I was a fresh clubgoer, not yet legal, it was all about Jawbreaker, Sunny Day Real Estate, All, Jimmy Eat World and a slew of other bands suited to the Vans Warped Tour. Back then, what would be called emo was, as my friend once said, shaving your…
The old adage about strangers with candy holds true for metal-faced freaks with movie passes. Taking treats from either will end in disaster. And who said horror films can’t offer life lessons? While we can’t even begin to describe the résumé of Italian horror great Dario Argento, we’ll just say…
Thursday, May 20 After reading the page-turner that is Midwives by Chris Bohjalian, we were so intrigued by the holistic practice that we even watched the original Lifetime movie based on the novel. Yeah, Sissy Spacek is great and all, but it just didn’t give us the vibe of what…
When an advice book has an index like this one, you know you’re dealing with a wild one. For instance, let’s take the S section topics: saints and sinners, sand in your crack, secrets and lies, septic tanks, sexual awakening and Shanghai beef baloney. Or perhaps the M section: menfolk;…
Thursday, May 6 Spanish television, especially the telenovela, has always held a certain magic for us, from the zany, over-the-top, stick-on-moustaches of late-night love follies to the dazzlingly tragic Te Amare En Silencio, starring the multitalented former Miss Brazil USA Ana Carolina. American soaps just aren’t for us. We desire…
A passion for bound literature is about more than a good story. The tale is a big part of finding a treasure, but different elements make the hunt all the more enjoyable. There’s that scent that is distinctly “book.” Not dust, nor an unpleasant odor. It’s a soft mustiness that…
Thursday, April 22 The term “stampede” will have a slightly different meaning on Thursday as the Unique Performance Shelby Continuation Facility, 13950 Senlac Drive in Farmers Branch, welcomes The Great American Pony Drive II, when a caravan of Mustangs traveling across the nation in celebration of the 40th anniversary of…
Perusing all the possibilities at an expo devoted to stringed instruments, we miss our childhood ukulele. Man, we could rip it out on those four nylon strings. While we pretended to be Bernadette Peters, with our sister playing the Jerk, we’d sit on the tailgate of Dad’s pickup and perform…
It was one of those years. Three beloved major-label acts dominating nearly every major category, with little but their hometown in common. One a sweet, unassuming Christian family making music beyond their years. One a crew of aging but still-scorching rockers giddily throwing up the devil horns. One a chorus…
Thursday, April 8 Star-crossed lovers. Feuding families. It’s obvious: Romeo and Juliet. But what if it weren’t presented in the tired format we always see, with a longhaired waif, attractive punk and over-the-top rivalries (and settings) that aren’t ever really founded or explained. The Plano Repertory Theatre said “nay” to…
Bathroom humor is common at most food-eating contests or cookoffs. Contest foods run the gamut from wings to sausage to pie, and all have a certain level of disgusting magnetism that makes people line up either to watch or join in on stuffing their gullets. But what of the event…
Thursday, March 25 We had no idea that opiates, smuggling and white slavery are the three pillars of comedy. Playwright Charles Busch and the Pocket Sandwich Theatre apparently have the inside track, though, since the theater’s production of Busch’s Shanghai Moon involves all three. Oh, right, it’s a spoof. Now…
Blonde Redhead, the low-key juggernaut of no-wave, has put out three works (beginning with 1997’s Fake Can Be Just As Good) that were wonderfully whole and edgy. Once introduced to their anxious melodies and shrill vocals, your return was pretty much guaranteed. But there is reason to fear Misery Is…
So we have this pet peeve involving T-shirts. We don’t mind a good vintage one or even an ironic one once in a while. What we loathe, however, is one in particular. In bold letters, it shouts, “One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Floor!” It has a certain fratty and…
Thursday, March 11 Flashback to when social outings were contingent upon drink specials, and local music was a religion with mass almost every night. Back then, a quiet, unassuming band called Course of Empire played lighthearted romps with acoustic instruments and one snare. Well, not exactly. Try two drummers and…
What the hell was he gonna do after Broke Down? Seriously. Slaid Cleaves has been touring for three years on the strength of his first album–a singer/songwriter effort beloved by critics and fans. And just what was so special about Broke Down? Dark, sad and sometimes uncomfortable stories matched with…
Waiting tables and parenting: two of the least appreciated jobs. So Debra Ginsberg deserves twice the sympathy. And gets twice the fodder for her new career, writing. For more than 20 years, she dealt with shoddy tips, adulterous chefs, malicious hostesses and even Yellowstone (yes, the park). She worked those…
Thursday, February 26 A cinematic formula perfected by John Sayles in 1980 (in the form of The Secaucus 7): A group of old friends/time-sharers/students retreats to a house/hideaway/mansion, and mayhem/sexual catastrophe/murder inevitably ensues. Sayles kicked off the trend, which now has feelers extended into horror (Evil Dead–yeah, it’s a stretch,…
Last weekend we popped out to the 24-hour convenience store on a midnight necessity run. The door was locked; desperation shook our soul. And we weren’t alone. Behind us approached a tuxedoed and boutonniered fellow, obviously dismayed by the locked-door situation and unmistakably a groomsman just released from his duties…
Thursday, February 12 As we tick off entries in our checkbook register, we cross-check them with the lovely invention that is the online statement. In trying to create a frugal budget, we researched our spending and found that an excessive amount was devoted to dining out. Makes sense if you…
