Arts & Culture

When the Temptations pull into Columbus on Thursday, Otis Williams will be continuing to keep a promise he made to former bandmate Melvin Franklin some 50 years ago. When the two were teenagers, Williams and Franklin vowed they’d remain a part of the Temptations as long as they could perform. Even after Franklin died in 1995, Williams has remained with the group through a series of changes. “We made a pact when we were teenagers we were going to do what we loved and we weren’t going to let anyone stop us,” says Williams, the last remaining Temptation for the Motown super group. “We’re a small microcosm of the people who get to do what they love to do (for a living). A lot of people on this earth can’t say that. You take that as a special thing and you treat it as such.” The current alignment of the group, Williams, Ron Tyson, Terry Weeks, Joe Herndon, and Bruce Williamson, will perform 8 p.m. Thursday at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts (100 W. Dublin-Granville Rd. in New Albany). In all Williams has seen 20 other members come and go through the Temptations.

The band's picture on the flyer turned me off: I smelled Stone Temple Pilots. The dead-on angle of the lead singer whispered 'Scott Wyland' which in my world is a term for “asshole.” Besides the face, the vest too bespoke of one of the worst lead singers in American fool's gold history. Oddly, both the fellows to the right of him also struck more than a sliver of a STP/Scott-Arseland chord. Wow--three STP clones in one band. Memo to me: avoid. Then a couple of dudes of whom I have musical respect expressed enthusiasm for the flyer-ed band's upcoming Friday night gig at Woodlands Backyard. On occasion I listen to people. So I went. Verdict: unfuckingbelievable! The Jim Jones Revue, from England, last weekend, was the single best rock'n'roll show I've seen in recent or even distant memory. I was naturally high for three days. To paraphrase the socialist douche bag/rock critic Jon Landau who taught Bruce Springsteen how to read by tearing his Marvel comics out of his hands and shoving “Das Kapital” down his blowhard north Jersey throat: I have seen the past, the present and the future of rock'n'roll--and it is monsoon-like sweaty, Betty. And redemptive.

Issa Israel broke down for me the vision of Dirty Triff: “It was a term I coined while making music with B-Banga. I wanted to use a word to describe the lifestyle that I felt that the young artists of the city were going through while trying to get their art out there.” Issa continued, “I didn’t want to use cliché words like club kids or other words that are used to describe that lifestyle. I used Dirty 'cause when you think of dirty, you think of raw. I chose trifling because it's the same thing but even nastier. Something that society looks at as the bottom. It's the lifestyle of any medium whether it's models, promoters or graffiti artists. That whole lifestyle of just wanting to put your artwork out.” Saturday’s Dirty Triff installment dubbed “Cometh Thy Children of the Night” will include some friends Issa has made since moving to New York City. Dirty Triff is bringing in WestGay party promoter B. Ames. Issa describes B. Ames as “a phenomenal, voguey drag-artist.” B. Ames has made mixes for RuPaul’s Drag Race and has also done remixes for Alyssa Edwards from the aforementioned reality show.

Everything I know about jazz I've learned from watching Treme on HBO. That fact not withstanding, I spent the evening of Wednesday December 18th, 2013 at the Brothers Drake Meadery and Bar absorbing the Ben Johnson Quartet. This experience seemed to me to be everything modern jazz should be, despite the fact I know nothing about modern jazz. Regardless of how you define it, Mr. Johnson and company played jazz for the modern age. Aaron Quinn on guitar, Dan Shaw on keys, and Ryan Jewell on drums accompanied the aforementioned Johnson on bass in a set consisting of jazz tributes (it does not feel proper to call them covers) of well known nineties songs. It's as accessible as it is impressive, a perfect fit for jazz Wednesdays at the Brothers Drake. Although, while sipping some damn good apple pie mead, I did find myself wishing I was in some dive bar filled with cigarette smoke where the beer is served warm and in cans. But, barring that momentary lapse of reason, the classiness of the venue held it's sway from front to back and beginning to end. The first set of the inaugural performance involved noticeable nerves, yet still sounded smooth.

Guess what Joe Peppercorn's 12-hour Beatles tribute at the Bluestone the last Saturday of 2013 took me back to? My Beatles-loving childhood? Well, of course. But that wasn't the biggest--or best--surprise of the night. The music? Again, sure--but the music is always and will always be with us. Timeless, by God, and eternal—hopefully. OK, here's the really amazing thing I felt very deeply that wonderful, extraordinary Saturday night in that amazing old stone church, especially during certain songs from Joe's rendition of “The White Album.” I can't remember exactly which song it was that I first noticed but all of a sudden, looking up at the folks on the balcony, looking behind me (I was close up to the front of the stage), doing a 360 and seeing everyone in the place clued in to the song, the vibe, the band--well, that communal feeling I used to get at Comfests of old when there was just one big-ass stage and we'd all get swept up in the celebration of great music happening right in front of us. That, you know, Woodstock feeling. Corny but...the feeling of gigantic oneness. Of mass warmth.

Located in the Short North, in a renovated historical building across from Goodale Park, the Pizzuti Collection houses world renowned artwork from the collection of Rob and Ann Pizzuti. The artwork varies from underrepresented contemporary artists from around the globe to some of the biggest names in the art canon. These artists are not afraid to speak about the politics of the world around them and Pizzuti gallery is not afraid to share their voices with Columbus. One of the walls of the gallery state “Politics and other host issues are not avoided; rather difficult, challenging and tough are adjectives that describe many of the important works in the collection.” The Cuban Experience exhibition on the main floor displays a spectacular assortment of the various Cuban voices and political points of view. Teresita Fernandez’s piece “Stacked Smoke” is a wall of frosted plexiglass blocks stacked six feet by six feet. Images of clouds or billowing smoke are printed in browns and light blue. At first the piece gives a sense of both beauty and dreamy view of a digital blocked sky. It is clean and stacked in a minimalist style. That mood changes upon closer viewing.

I never thought I'd be writing about online gaming, especially first person shooters. Today, I'm compelled to stop chilling with the rest of the grognards and play Paul Revere to the online gaming community's colonial Boston. The manual does not specify how many lanterns this one gets. According to documents provided by Edward Snowden to the Guardian and other news outlets, the national security state has a long running series of programs designed to spy on gamers. Fearing that terrorists and other bad guys would be secretly communicating through virtual environments such as World of Warcraft and Second Life. The projects, dating to at least 2007, sought to ferret out terrorists laundering money and planning attacks through virtual meet-ups utilizing online simulation environments, including those provided by X-Box Live.

Hal & Al’s has been a staple and generous supporter of the vegan community since it opened in 2009. The ENTIRE dining menu is VEGAN. They also happen to be one of the coolest venues in town for local music and for those who like beer, have one of the largest selections of beer I’ve seen in this town. They are a big supporter of local food like Luna burger, local brewers and even supply a local source of root beer- which has been a wonderful thing because it is the only place I know in town to offer a creamy vegan root beer float for special events or a vegan spinach and artichoke dip. They have continually supported the 300 Vegans for Independence after party with creative ideas in food partnerships in support of a mass turnout. If you are inclined toward fried foods this is the place to get some interesting fried options- such as deep fried sour kraut balls, Oreos, pretzels, pickles, mushrooms or a sampler if you can’t decide. They even do a comprehensive traditional veganized brunch menu on Sat and Sun from 12 to 4 that also include house-made vegan donuts! Party on at Hal & Al's!

Christina C. (aka DJ ORORO) spins Funky/Disco/Soulful/Deep House. DJ Ororo is one of four people who, along with all their house heads, form ReStart, which they do at a lovely little spot called Brothers Drake. It's located at 26th E. 5th St. They are there the second and fourth Monday of every month. Brothers Drake has the best mead in the city, has awesome people to hang with, it's free and most of all....they have great DJ's and great House Music. And her DJ name? She collects X-men comics and Storm is her favorite character – her name in them is Ororo. 1) Put together your fantasy band - it can contain any musicians dead or alive: My fantasy band includes Marvin Gaye on vocals, Prince on vocals and every instrument known to man and Sade on vocals with Sweetback as the house band. 2) Tell us about the most exciting musical concert/event you ever attended: Best Show I've been to? Seeing Ghost Face, The Roots and George Clinton was one of the best shows I have been to.