Culture

Culture

Political writer's tactics insulting

Angela Williams | April 5

Martin Janowski wants to get young people involved and interested in government with the help of his new book of essays, "New Wine, Fresh Skins!" Janowski, who served as New Mexico Republican Sen. Pete Domenici's press secretary, certainly gears his book toward younger people - perhaps too well. The majority of his writing manages to talk down to an audience presumably ignorant of government proceedings, as if explaining to a five-year-old where babies come from.

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Culture

`Gypsy' dances around bad acting

Sarah Hunt | April 5

Musical Theater Southwest's production of "Gypsy" is reminiscent of fast food. It tastes great while you're eating, but when the meal is finished, you're not as satisfied as you hoped you'd be.

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Culture

Sepultura still has its edge

Ron Gonzales | April 4

Back when Metallica ruled the metal underground, a festering sore of a band was lurking in the shadows to take the groundwork laid by the now-mainstream group and twist, jump on and grind it into submission. Sepultura’s music was angrier, faster and more bludgeoning than most bands at the time, and it wouldn’t be long before the group took the mainstream by its throat. By the end of the ’80s, the Brazilian metal gods had come to the forefront of the music scene and made a name for themselves for calling to mind the anguish in the world. And they had a front-row seat to it becuase they grew up in the slums of Belo Horizonte, where poverty and crime was an everyday occurrence.

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Culture

Band picks up where leaped off

Rachel Heisler | April 4

It’s such a relief to hear Todd Lewis’s voice again and know that the Toadies didn’t forget to record a new album. It took Lewis, bassist Lisa Umbarger, drummer Mark Reznicek and guitarist Clark Vogeler, who replaced original guitarist Darrel Herbert, seven years to make a comeback from the exceptional 1994 album Rubberneck, which for hardcore fans is just too long to wait. Luckily for us, the delay was almost worth it, and the new album Hell Below/Stars Above picks up where the previous left off.

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Culture

Erratic, predictable plot declaws `Tomcats'

Daniel Sonnenberg | April 3

"Tomcats" samples the humor of "American Pie" but is nothing to meow about.

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Culture

Flecktones find that they are all that jazz

Ron Gonzales | April 3

That the genre-defying group BÇla Fleck and the Flecktones won its third Grammy recently in the Best Contemporary Jazz Album category for the summer 2000 CD release Outbound should come as no surprise.

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Culture

Blue Dragon's open mic hits the lottery

Blake Driver | April 3

Open mic night at the Blue Dragon CafÇ survived a recent make-over and is still one of the city's best venues for amateur music.

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Culture

Bell’s ‘Cheebah-Ha’ stories are indeed lost

Angela Williams | March 29

Usually myths evolve from cultures, but sometimes individuals attempt to create them. Such is the case with Canadian poet and author Chris Bell’s “Tales of the Lost Cheebah-Ha,” a book of fictional myth Bell created by drawing from the plentiful banquet of worldly cultural myths.

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Culture

Humanity and truth ‘Blow’

Emily Sperry | March 29

What makes a movie successful is a filmmaker’s talent and ability to portray humanity, life and truth. If these elements exist, everything else usually falls into place.

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Culture

Professor defends bold works of female artists

Blake Driver | March 29

A recent controversy over an art piece on display in Santa Fe raises new questions concerning the artistic expression of certain Hispanic-American ideals.

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Culture

‘Good Grief’ answers the big question

Simon Trujillo | March 29

UNM student and playwright Susan Erickson’s production of “Good Grief” is an unconventional meditation on relationships and death, which conveys a mystical atmosphere with live music and dance.

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Culture

Arts in Brief

March 29

Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Continues at the Southwest Film Center:

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Culture

Andrews’ subtle music sad, poetic

Justin Bailey | March 29

Some songwriters try to immediately bowl you over, and others use more subtle methods to slowly creep under your skin. Nels Andrews fits into the latter category.

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Culture

Have drummer, Lighthouse will travel

Yvette Montoya | March 27

For a group of guys who began their musical careers playing in an elementary school gym in Malibu, Calif., Lifehouse has certainly seen some progress for its efforts.

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Culture

Allen takes one-man `House' to new levels

Justin Bailey | March 27

The Riverside Ensemble has done it again with "House," a one-man show performed by Riverside Theatre actor Shenoah Allen, who is passionate, subtle, hilarious and profound in the role of Victor.

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Culture

Outkast stirs up the funk

Danny Sonnenberg | March 26

Soaring since the release of the new, now 15 million-plus copies sold album Stankonia, Outkast took Wednesday night's Convention Center crowd to the place which all funky things come from.

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Culture

Tiffany changes music, style, image

Rachel Heisler | March 22

The Tiffany that performed in front of Popejoy Hall yesterday was not the Tiffany some people may have been expecting.

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Culture

On the Scene

Rachel Heisler | March 22

Scenester has recently attained new levels of rock 'n' roll wisdom, creativity and expertise on its new CD, Spoon-fed Corporate Rock.

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Culture

Godsmack upstaged by its opening acts

Kori Kim | March 22

Heavy metal band Godsmack played to a sold-out show at the Convention Center Tuesday on its "Wake the Fuck Up" tour.

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Culture

Sean Etigson returns with new sound, bandmates

Anika Amon | March 22

A native to Albuquerque splashes into the local scene with a new groove and some added band mates.