Empty Space Orchestra — Empty Space Orchestra
Empty Space Orchestra’s self-titled full-length doesn’t unseat Stetson, but it certainly makes a run for it. The trick with ESO is that they know how to balance their songwriting. If total mood pieces and obliterating guitar work are on opposite sides, ESO is running down the line between the two, grabbing stuff from both sides.…
Brine Webb, The Nghiems to release CDs at same show
The Norman acts bring folk-inspired indie tunes to the table. Webb’s disc (brinewebb.bandcamp.com) showcases his weary voice; intricate, acoustic-based songwriting; and powerful control of mood over 14 tracks. The emotional center of the album is the excellent trio of the delicate “Rrose Hips,” the slow-building “The Red Queen (and All Her Men)” and the triumphant-through-sadness…
Nine Nation Animation
Now that CGI is no longer a novelty, but something our eyes take for granted, the opportunity for true cinematic artistry falls to the kind that rarely unspools onto the big screen: the animated short. As the feature-length anthology “Nine Nation Animation” demonstrates, there’s no global shortage of experimentation in the field. Equipped with a…
Better red than dead
For a moment, it looked like The Bled had breathed its last. The Arizona-based outfit had put out three albums establishing it as one of the most exciting bands in the post-hard-core genre. But The Bled never enjoyed the success of similar acts like Atreyu or As I Lay Dying. After releasing a pair of…
Bang on!
A rundown of a Boom Bang show reads like a rap sheet: destruction of property, public nudity, fireworks and lots of drunk and disorderly conduct. Although the Oklahoma City act itself isn’t engaging in the extreme stage antics quite as much, the legion of fans it’s built up is more than picking up the slack…
Speculation on the Durant/ Westbrook situation in OKC
It ran five largely unwatched seasons while critics chastised the television-watching public for wasting their time with “Desperate Housewives” instead. Based on a popular Internet meme relating to the Oklahoma City Thunder, however, you would think it was the most popular program ever on television. Thanks to ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons, the dynamic Thunder duo…
Back to the nest
Quite possibly, that utterance can be interpreted in cave drawings. Or maybe it’s instinctual? But who listens to their instincts? I, Sarah Hill, am a recent college graduate. And I live with my parents. Hello, everyone. I’m happy to be here at the NCGSG (New College Graduate Support Group). I heard about you guys from…
‘Carnal’ knowledge
Last year, more than 1,500 people attended the event, which celebrates the erotic arts in the Oklahoma City area. It continues to grow annually, said organizer Nicole Moan. “It all got started because I just wanted to have a show featuring different types of performance art,” she said. “People are going to see everything from…
Let’s talk about sex
The event is free and open to parents, teenagers and anyone looking to become more educated on the topic of American youth and their attitudes toward sex in today’s society, said Kathy Harms, executive director of Teen emPower!, the organization hosting the screening. “Teenagers, parents and educators need to be more open about these topics,”…
‘Top’ of the charts
The Norman North High School Chorale was selected to be among the show’s slate of young performers from across the country. According to Susan Clark, development director for KCSC-FM 90.1, the group is “extremely excited” and will perform Eric Whitacre’s “Water Night,” under the direction of Tony Gonzalez. “A radio show like ‘From the Top’…
Mediterranean on Main
What works: Classic gyros and unexpected authentic Iranian cuisine. What needs work: The dining room could stand being redecorated. The Tip: Ole Town is fair value for very good food in a simple setting. Ole Town is accurately named. At Main and Porter, it’s on one of Norman’s oldest and busiest street corners. The building…
By the ‘Saints’
David Ives’ “Lives of the Saints,” now at Ghostlight Theatre Club, is comprised of seven one-act comedies of varying efficacy. An accomplished stylist, Ives works the language like Silly Putty, and he’s not above double entendres and groan-inducing puns. In “Babel’s in Arms,” about building the Tower of Babel, you get dialogue such as “Did…
Drive, they said
Long before wind tunnels and fuel-efficiency standards whittled away the artistry of the auto industry, pioneers produced models that were more pieces of art than practical family sedans. To celebrate the ingenuity of the automobile’s infancy, the Oklahoma History Center has unveiled “Oklahoma Driven,” an exhibit running through March 2012 that features a rotating gallery…
Still groovin’
Between age 25 and 50, there’s a lot of life to be lived. That is, unless you’re Groovefest, which is 25 and 50 at the same time. The free festival is also 26 and 40-something this year, too. The brainteaser goes something like this: Started by the University of Oklahoma’s Amnesty International chapter in 1986,…
‘Mars’ attacks!
Matthew Alvin Brown is no stranger to the rock musical. In fact, he’s this town’s greatest champion of it. A former guitarist/vocalist for the rock band The Fellowship Students, the local stage actor not only has the pedigree, but the passion. “I love rock musicals,” Brown said. “It goes back to when I was a…
Theater on wheels
Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre has partnered with the University of Central Oklahoma’s Broadway Tonight Series and the college’s Department of Opera and Music Theatre for “The Great American Trailer Park Musical.” It’s the Oklahoma premiere of a one-of-kind music experience celebrating a true icon of American life, the trailer park, and the strange and wonderful…
One love
Karli McMurray didn’t intend to start a nonprofit when she traveled to Ghana in the summer of 2009. A graduating law student at Oklahoma City University, she participated in a summer law program through New York’s Fordham University School of Law that took her to Accra, Ghana’s capital. That’s where she met Simon Adjei, and…
Rawr art
The exhibition “Art and the Animal” is currently on display at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua in Norman. On display until Sept. 5, it showcases works that were selected from a juried art show organized by the Society of Animal Artists. Linda Coldwell, public relations and marketing officer for the…
In the garden
Yeah, so I’m not much of a green thumb. Which pains me greatly, because I want nothing more in life than to become a female version of Dicken and cultivate my own secret garden where baby animals (preferably squirrels) flock to my side. I do my part by waving to any squirrels I happen across,…
Bite size
The moment you decided to become a chef? “For 20 years, I worked for the Internal Revenue Service and did construction work, too. (Wife) Lori and I were watching a commercial for Platt and two days later, I started.” Fav website: “Epicurious.” Culinary star you’d like to meet: “Gordon Ramsey.” Best feature? “My calves. As…
‘Hurts’ so good
Now, living in Harlem, N.Y., the Oklahoma native has taken some major steps toward realizing those dreams: writing, producing and starring in her first short film, “Hurts Like Love.” She first moved to New York in 2007 after graduating from college to pursue her acting career — a transition she said would have been a…
Altar-ed images
On May 2, 1611, the King James Version of the Bible was first published. In commemoration of the 400th anniversary, an exhibit chonicling the book’s history makes its official world premiere, starting Monday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch. “Passages” is a 14,000-square-foot, interactive exhibit culled from portions of The Green Collection,…
You said ‘red’?
Smart, knowledgeable people say the color red could make people hungry. How about mouthwatering barbecue, chili or pizza? Eat inside at any of the following restaurants or carry out. Good stuff? You bet they are. Red Horse Grill2205 W. Main, Norman 360-3287 Passionate people call the a place that puts out some of the best…
Nichols’ tower
Not only is Devon Energy’s tower transforming the Oklahoma City skyline, but Project 180 — undertaken at the behest of Nichols as a condition of the tower’s location — is transforming the streets of much of downtown as well. But Nichols’ influence is not limited to Devon tower and the Project 180 area; he also…
Her aim is true
The sight of Allison Russell and JT Nero playing together is an unlikely vision, but it’s proven to be a comfortable and productive pairing. The two have worked together on countless occasions via their full-time gigs in Canadian roots band Po’ Girl and Chicago soul group JT and the Clouds, respectively, but with Nero’s latest…
Organic Oklahoma
Fresh food, all-natural meats and produce grown by Oklahoma farmers are about to get a wider audience, thanks to three big venues coming to the metro. Edmond will be home to a “one-of-a-kind” market at the southwest corner of Kelly Avenue and Covell Road: Uptown Grocery, a 50,000-square-foot organic grocery store. Uptown Grocery is a…
Crysis 2 / Dragon Age II / Yakuza 4
Crysis 2EA Games (PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox 360) The “Crysis” franchise is renowned for its visuals, and that certainly rings true with “Crysis 2,” which covers an invasion of New York by squid-like aliens. The vistas of the smoldering city are quite a sight. Although the game looks good on all platforms, the PC version…
Explanation point
Of the nearly two-dozen organizations and political action committees that participated in the election, campaign records show that only five filed registration papers with the city, although most may have been obligated to file. Both sitting and newly elected council members have forcefully criticized some of the tactics used in the recent election, in which…
Vino-sophy
Schoener was in Oklahoma City and Tulsa last month introducing his Scholium Project wines to restaurateurs and retailers at wine dinners and classroom training sessions. The name comes from the critical margin notes scholars write in books: scholia. Those wines, both hailed and reviled with amazing vigor, are now available locally. It is worth quoting…
Château cash flow
The owners of the winery known for the Beat Texas line of wine came to peace with the Lone Star State enough to announce last fall they’d be uprooting from Okemah to resettle in Texas. There are still plenty of ambitious winemakers willing to weather Oklahoma’s brutal ice storms and tangled blue laws. And they…
CFN Quote of the Week
It is our hope that we can utilize this moment to bridge the divides between us, and bring about unity and civility, both here and abroad.” —State Sen. Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, commenting on Facebook about the death of Osama bin Laden. Rice’s brother was killed in the 9/11 attacks.
Red, yellow and blue
The superintendent should have held her press conference in the cafeteria of the school I spent 30 hours of observation in this semester; the cafeteria where rotten ceiling tiles fall on the children while they eat. As I walked around our classroom one afternoon, I noticed several of the students were coloring the stars and…
Small wonders
At the Winter Olympics in 2002, the difference between a downhill skiing gold medal and no medal stood at 0.65 seconds. According to business coach and consultant Jim Bain, once workers realize that small differences can make all the difference, they can reach the top of their profession. It’s all about remembering that “professionalism” is…
Sucker punch!
Convicted murderer Emanuel D. “E Man” Mitchell, 33, apparently understood only steps one through two. On May 2, an Oklahoma City jury found Mitchell and Anthony D. “Black” Morrison, 44, guilty of first-degree murder. In 2009, the pair allegedly solicited two teenagers as accomplices in a Reliable Discount Pharmacy robbery. The botched robbery ended with…
State park showdown
The man, Sandlin Matthews Smith, 46, of St. Johns County, Fla., allegedly was involved in setting off a pipe bomb at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida in May 2010, and had been tracked to northwest Oklahoma by the FBI. No one was hurt in the blast. According to The Associated Press, Smith had pulled…
Pay it forward
At Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, where he taught zoology and biology until retiring in 1996, he’d ask students to pull down a shade where there was no window. It’s all about helping students relax, he said. Today, Kirkland, 76, teaches animal biology as an adjunct for Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City. The classroom is…
PR BS
—“National Cheese Carver Celebrates Royal Wedding in Style – With Cheese!” —“FDA Steps Up Border Enforcement Against Foods Containing Illegal or Undeclared Colors”—“Vive La France: the Kitchen of Karen Gros” —“iPad Study Released by Oklahoma State University” —“InternProfits.com Introduces QuickStart Kits to Maximize Intern Training Results” —“News: Is Your Boss Good?” —“Jam Cruise Celebrates 10th…
Killer distractions
“Distracted driving is a deadly epidemic on America’s roadways, and our youngest drivers are often the most at risk,” said David Strickland, NHTSA administrator. “When you’re driving, your attention should always be on the road — not on a phone. ” According to the organization: —Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of American teens,…
Future investments
Bailey is not a professional money manager or an economist. He is a personal finance teacher at Weatherford High School. His students were not necessarily rich. They were typical teenagers. “They took a pretty solid hit,” Bailey said. “The stock market dropped and kind of opened their eyes a bit.” Bailey participates in a program…
‘Ghost’ hunter
The freshman lawmaker also introduced legislation to allow for drug testing for state aid recipients, increased scrutiny of Transportation Security Administration employees and stiffer penalties for dog attacks on police. The patriotic Bennett, known for waving his flag tie, reportedly said he dropped to his knee and gave praise when he learned of the killing…
‘Close out
“There are people out there who are still in trouble, but there are ways they can avoid a foreclosure, if they’re willing to do the work,” said Deborah McNaughton, author of “The Essential Credit Repair Handbook.” Her alternatives include considering: —a short sale: “That should be your first choice,” she said. —a short refinance: “If…
American Muslims condemn terrorism
Hoehn’s remarks are all too familiar attempts to spread hate and lies about Muslims and their faith. Hoehn, an attorney and executive director of the Washington D.C.-based Alliance for Vigilance, relies on fear tactics and hearsay rather than facts about Islam to spread an agenda rooted in bigotry. Hoehn, like others in the ever-growing anti-Muslim…
Robert Johnson — The Centennial Collection
So when Robert Johnson’s “The Centennial Collection” was released, I jumped at the chance to reform my opinion on the genre via the greatest bluesman of them all. It features all of Johnson’s recorded output, just like the 1990 release, “The Complete Recordings,” but features different text in the included booklet. Forty-two tracks later, I…
Red White & Blue
She’s just the girl you bring home for an hour or so, and tag-team with two of your friends. Hey, it’s her idea. Early scenes of “Red White & Blue” depict this lost young woman’s sad existence in Austin, Texas, literally having a one-night stand (if even that long) with anyone who’ll ask. Her principles…
The Rite
At least it’s the only exorcist film I’ve seen where a priest stops his devil-be-gone ritual to answer an iPhone. That’s new. “Well, what’d you expect?” asks wizened Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins) to his young protégé. “Spinning heads? Pea soup?” Well, yes … and no. With “The Rite” being a studio picture — and from…
The Last Gun / 4 Dollars of Revenge
Spaghetti Western fans are bound to be disappointed by this double feature, no matter how appealing the packaging for the Mill Creek Entertainment Blu-ray is, which is a lot. The two films just don’t have the balls of Sergio Leone and the like. In fact, for being of the same era as The Man with…
Daydream Nation
Now it shares the moniker with a Canadian film that wishes it were as hip and influential. Mind you, the drama isn’t bad — just a well-shot narrative mess. Kat Dennings (the Norah of the cooler-than-thou “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”) fronts and narrates the proceedings as Caroline Wexler, a high school student who’s moved with…
The Boom Bang — World War Fun
But if you must try, their new release, “World War Fun,” is a pretty good approximation of their sound, provided you turn it up to 1,000 and break some stuff while you listen. The basic Boom Bang template: maxed-out, surf-rock guitars; howled vocals with outlandish reverb; tom and snare pound; and relatively normal bass lines.…
It’s the Capitol, not church, Sally
Jack L. Werner, insurance guy, says he would like to see “a reasoned debate about how to live up to our ideals and promises, a debate that doesn’t degenerate into an unproductive, holier-than-thou yelling match.” Too late, and he needs to check on some of the things coming out of the mouths of his fellow…
Regional Food Bank holding drive Saturday
The goal is to collect 900,000 pounds of food. To take part, fill the plastic donation bag arriving in your mail this week with food, and place it in or near the mailbox by 7 a.m. Saturday. Regional Food Bank is looking for volunteers to help with Saturday’s drive. Call Jamie Treadaway at 600-3154.
Buried Alive
That’s 1990’s “Buried Alive” for you. Shoddy it may be, it’s not without immense cheesy pleasures. As it opens, a young woman escapes from the Ravenscroft Institute for troubled girls, only to get nabbed by some dude in an old-man mask (imagine being kidnapped by the Six Flags mascot) and dropped down a trap door…
Poor Pretty Eddie
The 1975 thriller begins with an ironic — or is it? — shot of the American flag, leading into singer Leslie Uggams playing singer Liz Wetherly, belting out “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a stadium. Four minutes later, you get a chicken decapitated with an ax — a big, fat sign that this isn’t going to…
Deep Red
Really, it was like I didn’t see it at all, because watching an Argento work in anything but a crisp-as-chips format is like eating pizza with no cheese or tomato sauce. Now, thanks to Blue Underground, “Deep Red” not only makes its Blu-ray debut, but is presented in both an uncensored English version and Argento’s…
Dahmer vs. Gacy
The low-budget, kitchen-sink comedy imagines that scientists are hard at work at Project X-13, which extracts and combines the DNA from America’s most notorious serial killers in order to create a “super killer” for military use, but the revived test subjects of the title escape. Says the lab doc played by character actor Art LaFleur…
OU unveils football schedule for 2011
Of the 12-game slate, half will be played at home in Norman, starting with the Sept. 3 opener again Tulsa. The much-anticipated OU/Texas rivalry takes place Oct. 8 in Dallas. The schedule arrives later than usual this year, due to changes within the Big 12 and discussions with partners for televised coverage, said Joe Castiglione,…
Worst. Prom. Ever.
And whereas Disney’s version is free of sex, drugs and bad language, and thus geared toward people too young to go to actual prom, MTV’s revels in the raunch on a PG-13 level, thus geared toward people of the perfect prom age, but hopefully still too young to be doing any of the other things,…
The Feathered Serpent: Complete Series
Something about their video-shot look felt alien; I even found that damned Thames logo animation unnerving. This may explain my lifelong allergy to Benny Hill. But there’s no explaining “The Feathered Serpent,” a 1976 series that was over and done with in a dozen half hours. Whether you saw it then or are experiencing it…
Write-hand view
A select group of local tech-savvy artists, music reviewers, comic enthusiasts and fantasy storytellers, however, isn’t asking such questions. It’s organizing. The Consortium is a local collective: part writing workshop, culture review and publisher; all network. One of its creators, Josh Unruh, currently is looking for more visual artists to team with its authors. He’s…
The Unthanks — Last
No better synopsis exists, as this sparse folk disc deals almost exclusively in exquisite misery. It’s a downtrodden affair, but it’s oh-so-gorgeous while being gray. Rachel and Becky Unthank (their real name!) are the driving force behind the band, as their pristine, incredibly British vocals dominate the proceedings. Their lovely accents are a boon for…
Hold On!
Like a certain mop-topped UK band who took America by storm a couple years earlier, the pointless but harmless vehicle finds Herman’s Hermits making a trip to America for a tour, and finding themselves mobbed everywhere they go. The “story,” as it were, is that their fans have lobbied hard to get a NASA rocket…
The Caller
“Uh, no, I’d rather you not, but tha—” “Too bad! You’ve already pressed ‘PLAY’!” Ah, well, At least it’s not a complete loss. In this kooky, ooky, little-seen thriller from the director of the infamous Arnold Schwarzenegger turkey “Hercules in New York,” a beautiful woman is all alone at night in an isolated cabin. What…
Falco
Therefore, you’re forgiven if you’d think “Falco,” about the Austrian singer best-known for the ’80s smash “Rock Me Amadeus,” was a put-on. It’s not. And it’s also not half-bad. After a lonely, miserable childhood in which his mom calls his cheating dad “Dr. Manwhore,” Hans Hölzel (Manuel Rubey) grows up to be a musician in the…
Barney’s Version
Playing 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday as part of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s “New Jewish Cinema” program, it’s a Canadian film based on Mordecai Richler’s 1997 novel, detailing the entire adulthood of Barney Panofsky (Giamatti, “Win Win”), who, despite being wildly successful as a soap-opera producer, fails spectacularly in his personal life. It…
Other Lives — Tamer Animals
The intricate details and arrangements aren’t forced on the listener here; it’s very possible to listen casually and only hear some stately, beautiful, mid-tempo indie tunes. The songs are much more than that, but those who don’t enjoy seeking out the layers of composition may just hear a big wash of sound. Then again, if…
Colourmusic — My _____ Is Pink
That’s actually the first impression the disc makes, as opposed to the second: Every song is constantly moving. Push-ups work in neat rhythm to the groove-heavy, warped bass of “Feels Good to Wear.” You can get pumped up to the triumphant songwriting of “You for Leaving.” “Tog” is a swagger-heavy jogging song, while the insistent…
