Music

For a lot of people, one Maneri is too many if that one is Jim, the infamous keyboard mad man maniac and Facebook human incendiary who hates Donald Trump more than life itself.

 But I've always been partial to Jim because when the entirety of Comfest wanted to string me up and lynch me like a Christmas turkey, ol' Jim Dandy would stop in and give me two Crazy Jim thumbs up. Much appreciated, Maniac Music Man.

 Plus once on a day when my back was out thanks to two wanderin' vertebrae, the boy interrupted his jog to help me drive home, set me up on my couch, get my electric fan and then went into my kitchen to fetch me an iced water and even found a nice cup I never knew I had. He mos def eased my suffering. People, I was hurting.

 I never forget a kindness.

 So when I heard three Maneris were playing together at Filament, a Franklinton performance space, I had to go. Rare event, that: Jim with bassist brother Phil and his young son Vincent on percussion and exotic drums.

 Yet I remind you: this little review isn't a returned favor, it is truth.

In early September of this year, the Washington Post created what was called an alternative storytelling issue in which it solicited news stories through non-traditional media. The issue included poems, a board game, a three-act play and a Trump-themed Mad-Libs story. It also included an astonishing piece of music from singer-songwriter Ben Folds, a song entitled “Mr. Peepers.”

The “Mr. Peepers” title refers to President Trump’s purported nickname for bespectacled Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein, of course, is currently supervising the investigation into Russian election interference headed by Robert Mueller. Rosenstein has been under fire by Trump and some of his allies in Congress who seek to short circuit or at least discredit the investigation by demonstrating that it was started by the political left and/or the “deep state.” As of my deadline Mr. Rosenstein still has a job, but word on the street is that he may be out soon.

I woke up today with what Devo would call an uncontrollable urge.

And the urge was urging...what?

To watch Downton Abbey?

No, grandma.

To learn the chords and lyrics to Carmen Ohio?

God, no. (There are lyrics?)

To send all my money to the Clinton Foundation so one person in Haiti might get at least a hamburger next week?

To paraphrase Adolf Hitler in Inglourious Basterds, "Nein, nein, nein, nein, nein" (I've counted the neins).

As I laid propped up on my three mismatching pillows, I eagerly dialed up on You Tube my guiltiest of pleasures: Deep Purple – the greatest British hard rock band of the '70s (Led Zeppelin being the worst) – and their 1972 or thereabouts live version of one of the greatest headbangers ever made. And I mean one of the two or three best ever, bubby.

No, not Smoke On The Water. Highway Star!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SFPd9yE8ZdRtkQUQiOz8VmV3UWG2uoQ3gw1-MIBHNpc/edit?usp=sharing

Columbus’ own anarcho-comedy duo Street Fight Radio will perform alongside Chapo Trap House as part of the Chapo Trap House tour for their book The Chapo Guide to Revolution on October 10. They both represent a revolution in comedy.

Street Fight Radio started as a community radio show on the local WCRS LP (92.7 & 98.3) in 2011 and now has fans around the world. It was a project by two local comedians, Brett Payne and Bryan Quinby, who were disenchanted with the state of comedy in Central Ohio and wanted to do their own thing. The two started performing skits and providing a working-class anarchist critique of politics. In 2016, the show transitioned from a hobby project to a full-blown gig as the duo found success with the crowd funding platform Patreon. I asked Bryan what about their recent success.

In last month’s least surprising news, media sources are reporting that the 2019 Rock on the Range Music Festival will not be moving to Three Creeks Metro Park from its existing home at Mapfre Stadium. The annual festival, which features an assortment of post-grunge, nu metal and a smattering of classic rock (collectively “butt rock”) had reportedly been considering a new site in light of the possible relocation of the Crew to Austin, Texas. According to a statement, the Metro Park decided not to host due to concerns over infrastructure and the fact that “butt rock fans are a bunch of dumb animals who will piss all over themselves and try to eat the trees like beavers.”

On Saturday September 9th, join Will Strickler and his six-piece band Waves de Ache as they present a concert dedicated to the music of Latin Jazz legend saxophonist/composer Paquito D’Rivera at Copious Notes in downtown Columbus.  Listeners can expect a heavy dose of Cuban Salsa music, mixed with American Jazz and seasoned with elements of hip-hop, rock and funk music.

After several years playing bass guitar as a sideman for numerous artists (including Grammy-award pop singer Daya, finalist on “The Voice” Chris Jamison and Columbus’s favorite neo-funk band, Mojoflo), Strickler stepped away from a life on the road to pursue his longtime dream of writing and playing Cuban-inspired jazz music, in collaboration with his fellow Capital University alumni Max Marsillo and childhood friend Ben Maloney.

Since its inception as part of Strickler’s artist in-residency at the one and only Dick’s Den, Waves de Ache has played numerous venues around Columbus, including The Refectory, Columbus Jazz & Ribs Festival, Brother’s Drake Meadery and more.

In the first Star Trek movie, 1979’s unimaginatively-titled Star Trek: The Motion Picture, there is a scene where the USS Enterprise gets sucked into a wormhole. This spatial anomaly wreaks havoc on time (or something) so everyone on the bridge is suddenly rendered blurry and left speaking in deep, distorted voices.

Kirk is lunging to-and fro in his captain’s chair. A bald lady is there, giving ominous countdowns to impact with some rapidly-approaching celestial body. I’m pretty sure the dad from “Seventh Heaven” is in there somewhere, maybe firing photon torpedoes as he drones on in his slow, time-warped voice.

It’s a truly awful movie, remembered only for its ambition (and failure) to live up to the spectacle of Kubric’s 2001 or the fun of Star Wars, and does not bear rewatching for clarification on any of this. The point being, the scene in question is slow, sucks, and seems to take forever to get anywhere.

It’s a hot day in July and I’m driving into Cleveland, Ohio. I’ll be staying at some nameless and faceless motel in the big-box suburbs, out there with the Home Depots and Olive Gardens. It reminds me of an old song by The Beautiful South – “[t]his could be Rotterdam or anywhere, Liverpool or Rome.”

Cleveland used to have a reputation for being ubiquitous. Tennessee Williams once said that “America has only three cities, New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. “Everywhere else,” he explained, “is Cleveland.” In 2018, though, it seems like it would be lucky to keep even this non-distinction. Now it’s just a nearly abandoned crater, surrounded by suburbs full of white people who love their racist baseball team.

And oh yes, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. They have that too. I can see dingy signs demanding that I take exit 195A and pay $23.00 for the chance to see some of Keith Richards’ clothing. Or perhaps a moving tribute to the “giants of the blues” or whatnot. Lifetime achievement awards to the bands of the baby boomers. And, more recently, Bon Jovi.

I'm a little bored with American movies lately so I've decided to go the foreign films route. Barely knowing my Bertolucci from Benigni and my Kurosawa from my Kawasaki, I've decided to just start with the letter A.

Thus from the Grandview Public library I've taken on About Elly, The Admiral, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and The Attack.

Here goes, my fellow amateur auteurs...

About Elly (2009) comes dramatically from modern and traditional Iran: a weekend at the beach for three couples, their children and guests turns from lightheartedness into catastrophe in an instant when the title character disappears and the mystery of why gets pretty darn sticky – I was riveted. the title character disappears. Director Asghar Farhadi pits the well-meaning, gorgeous matchmaker Goldshifteh Farahani against timeless Persian/religious gender rules in literally the best movie of surprise twists I've seen in years. This turns into an adult drama the likes of which make you realize we're a silly fantasy-addicted culture. Very highly recommended.

Discover music from some of Central Ohio’s best indie artists through Listen Columbus, a free local music streaming service available 24/7 to anyone with an Internet connection. The Upper Arlington Public Library offers this service at www.listencolumbus.org.

The Upper Arlington Public Library launched Listen Columbus in 2016 as a way to highlight the local music scene, give exposure to Columbus-area musicians, and provide music fans with a free entertainment option. The Listen Columbus collection currently features over 35 albums from musicians recording, living and touring in Central Ohio.

Listencolumbus.org also includes a local music news blog. The Listen Columbus Facebook page shares news and events from local musicians of all kinds.

The Upper Arlington Public Library is currently seeking additional musicians to add to Listen Columbus. Bands and individuals can visit www.listencolumbus.org about to learn how to apply.