By Joe Viglione
February 10, 2020
Flick Fanatics is a site operated by movie critic Panwa Sutthinon with 9.74k subscribers on YouTube. He called director Bong Joon Ho’s 2019 film, Parasite, a masterpiece before it won the Oscar for Best Picture last night. Seek out his review on YouTube under Flick Fanatics.
Was I bored by the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020. Yes and no. Elton John was lots of fun performing his Oscar-winning song from Rocketman. Elton still has it and the song harkens back to the pop of the superstar’s heyday. Perhaps the most bizarre thing about the entire display was Joaquin Phoenix bringing home the Oscar for Best Actor. Has it really been eleven years since Heath Ledger won the best supporting actor Oscar in 2009 – posthumously – for playing the Joker in “The Dark Knight?” So two actors have won this incredible award for playing the same character. Here’s the deal – Ledger’s performance was so one-of-a-kind, majestic, devilish and complete that there is no comparison. In the opinion of this critic, Phoenix didn’t even come close.
NEW MUSIC
Australia’s Audioscam is negotiating with the great Rob Fraboni (produced the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton’s “Hello Old Friend,” mastered the entire Bob Marley collection!) – “Even When You Lose” written by G. Beasley and Brian Pitcher) is an epic five minutes and eleven seconds, longer than what the band from down under usually puts on their albums and extended plays! The riff is an instant classic and the song concludes with a multiverse of sound. Looking forward to the full disc!
Robert Jan-Davis sent us his “An Ocean Breeze” on Spotify – simple, airy pop, kind of like a modern day Norma Tanega (“Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog,”) light and inviting. It’s on Jaeger Records out of Brookline Mass and came in off of famous Cholesterol Jones’ mailing list. Jones performs at the Cantab Upstairs at Geoff Bartley’s folk nights – watch the club’s website for dates.
Terry Kitchen is back with a new album – Next Time We Meet which features Track 9 “Empty Mansion.” The member of vintage Boston band Loose Ties is proficient and comes up with clever rhythms and atmospheric sounds denser than the aforementioned Robert-Jan Davis. Would easily fit onto an album by the Crystal Mansion with their tremendous classic hit, “The Thought of Loving You.” The song is well constructed and will accompany your day with repeated spins …very nice.
http://www.terrykitchen.com/discography.php
If you have an adventurous heart, go to 738 Mass. Ave for Club Bohemia’s Valetine’s Friday Night featuring Bazmati Vice and Memphous. If your significant other is not into the Goth of it (well, I’m not sure they are Goth, sure sounds like it…) you could lose your Valentine, but still have a good time. Saturday the 15th you can kiss and make up with River Divides, Soaked in Strange, Soup, and the marvelous duo The N Connection who are truly extraordinary.
BOSTON GETS A GRIP – The area’s tribute to Aerosmith
Back in 1988 Fast Track Records produced a 31 track double-lp entitled Boston Does The Beatles with the exquisite music of John, Paul, George and Ringo being translated by Didi Stewart (“You’re Gonna Lose That Guy”), Berlin Airlift with Rick Berlin (“Eleanor Rigby”), the late Barry Cowsill of The Cowsills – actually from Rhode Island but why quibble – (“Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me & My Monkee”) … you get the picture. Then came Boston Gets Stoned with the late Jimmy Miller, Rolling Stones producer, remastering all but two of the tracks (one by yours truly, “Brown Sugar”, and a Stones’ cover by Mono Mann and The Lyres).
Now comes Boston Gets A Grip…21 years after the release of the Beatles cover album, 14 years after 1995’s Boston Gets Stoned, and here’s what you can expect: The Bristols performing “Seasons Of Wither”, Kip Martin and The Merles singing the song allegedly written about Elissa Perry, Joe Perry’s first wife, “Sweet Emotion”, Recorded at Room 9 from Outer Space in Southie and engineered by Ducky Carlisle, King Memphis doing a very strange rockabilly “Mama Kin” – it actually works in a twisted way. There are nineteen songs on this CD, which makes its debut at the event. There promises to be lots of familiar faces from the Channel / Bunrattys days including Dinky Dawson, engineer on the new Spanky & Our Gang CD who should be there with those discs and Channel T shirts and more.
BostonGetsAGrip.com has details of the event which features Alizon Lissance from Girls Night Out – live and in performance – along with Kenne Highland appearing in Jody Sandwich’s set, Medford’s own Jada Tringale singing “Back In The Saddle”, The Bristols, who are reuniting for this show after 9 years! and Black Number Nine with Charlie Ledger from “Unattached” and the “Fighting Cocks”.