Groovefest 2008: Day One

Cedar City's annual music festival kicked off another year last night at The Grind, Cedar's independent coffee house and frequent host to small touring acts. Tim Cretsinger, owner of Cedar's independent record store and frequent host to local acts, dedicated this year's Groovefest to his father, who was marking his 80th birthday that night (though not in Cedar City).

Two acts were on Thursday night's opening bill. The first was Nowhere Man & A Whiskey Girl, a keyboard/guitar Americana combo out of Willcox, Arizona. Though their repertoire consisted mostly of covers of such artists as Tori Amos, the Be Good Tanyas, and fellow Arizonians World Class Thugs, NM&AWG's distinctive style provided a fresh spin to their well-chosen selections. Singer and keyboardist Amy Ross has a sweet, surprisingly powerful voice and partner Derrick Ross' subtle guitar style complements Amy's keyboard nicely. The couple had a charming stage presence, apparently making up their set list as they went along. The band also seemed surprised by the appreciative audience--at one point, Derrick remarked that he wasn't used to people actually listening to him perform. But the attention was well earned, and the band's playful approach was as endearing as their music. Amy offered her vocal trumpet accompaniment to two numbers, passing it off as a joke, but her impromptu-like vocalizations worked to expand the band's range without becoming cutesy. While performing one of their newer songs (whose title I failed to remember), Amy took the audience by surprise by belting out a powerful chorus.

By the end of their set, the audience had expanded considerably and responded enthusiastically. The band currently has two full-length CDs available; I, for one, would like to hear much more of what these performers do in the future and hope they return to Cedar City very soon.

Nowhere Man and A Whiskey Girl have a MySpace page, a Facebook iLike app, and a page on their record label's site. This is an act well worth checking out.

The second act of the evening was John Boy's Mule, an "old-timey" five-person combo out of Park City, Utah. Consisting of guitar, upright bass, dobro, fiddle, banjo, and mandolin, John Boy's Mule offered a pleasant set of traditional country and early American folk, incorporating covers of the Carter Family, Townes van Zandt, and the Grateful Dead. I was slightly disappointed by the set--I got the sense that the band was capable of a much more rousing performance but were holding themselves back for some reason. This may have been due to the limited range of the Grind's sound system, but I was surprised that the band did not receive a more enthusiastic response from the audience. The later performance time also meant that Cedar City's teenagers became the dominant demographic of the Grind, since there are few other hangouts for them in this reserved town. Teenagers also are not known for their appreciation of fiddle bands, and though they were not especially obnoxious, the band certainly did not have their full attention. To my mind, this is as much the band's fault as that of the teenagers, as I have seen similar combos win over an audience with both a more dynamic set list and a ballsier stage presence. Still, John Boy's Mule certainly has the musical chops to offer a much more gratifying performance and perhaps they will feel more comfortable on the outdoor stage of Groovefest this afternoon.

Groovefest continues throughout the weekend. I'll try to post some more comments about the acts I catch in the next few days. You can read a "very brief history" of Groovefest here. If you're in the Cedar City area this weekend, Groovefest should not be missed. Two days of free music from a diverse range of acts from all across the country. You can't beat that with a stick.

Disturbing Quote of the (Last) Year

"About ten days after 9/11, I went through the Pentagon and I saw Secretary Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz. I went downstairs just to say hello to some of the people on the Joint Staff who used to work for me, and one of the generals called me in. He said, 'Sir, you've got to come in and talk to me a second.' I said, 'Well, you're too busy.' He said, 'No, no.' He says, 'We've made the decision we're going to war with Iraq.' This was on or about the twentieth of September. . .

"So I came back to see him a few weeks later, and by that time we were bombing in Afghanistan. I said, 'Are we still going to war with Iraq?' And he said, 'Oh, it's worse than that.' He reached over on his desk. He picked up a piece of paper. And he said, 'I just got this down from upstairs'--meaning the Secretary of Defense's office--'today.' And he said, 'This is a memo that describes how we're going to take out seven countries in five years.' "

--General Wesley Clark
February 27, 2007

As reprinted in Where to Invade Next, Part 3 of a three-part issue of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (Issue #26). The issue ironically overviews the threat potential of seven countries, including Iran, Pakistan, Syria, and North Korea. Ordering information here.

Recently Viewed

My Blueberry Nights ***
The first English-language feature by noted Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai, this film also features the first starring role by noted Americana singer Norah Jones, so I had pretty high expectations going in. Unfortunately, those expectations were not met, though there is some gorgeous photography of both urban and desert landscapes, and the hint of a few interesting stories. Norah Jones, sad to say, does not seem ready for the big-screen; her acting is bland here, and her most notable contributions are the extreme close-ups Kar-Wai employs of her bee-stung lips, featured in several shots with the tantalizing remnants of ice cream pooled upon them. The real knockout of the film is Natalie Portman, who plays a trashy, untrustworthy Southern woman with a bad history. The minute she appears on the screen--to the strains of Otis Redding, no less--the film comes alive, and one wonders if the story would have been better served by making her the focus. I enjoyed looking at this film, but I didn't get much out of it on an emotional level.

Recount ****
This film debuted last week on HBO, amid Hillary Clinton's cries for representation of the Florida and Michigan delegates. The film examines the 2000 voting debacle in Florida, portraying both the Democratic and Republican camps as they face-off to determine the outcome of the presidential election. The pace of the film is brisk; I was completely engaged and interested throughout the 2-hour running time, not something one always expects to happen with political films. Though the film's sympathies seem to lean toward the Democratic side--especially at the conclusion--the Republicans are portrayed as enthusiastically as their liberal counterparts. An exception to this generally balanced presentation is Laura Dern's brilliant portrayal of notorious Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a woman who, at best, is a blistering ignoramus. The rest of the cast is excellent as well, though Denis Leary's Bostonian accent seems to slip at times. Not just fodder for politicos, this is a film well worth seeking out in its inevitable DVD release. Its overview of the background and consequences and implications of the 2000 Florida vote (or lack thereof) provide some important insight into what will, what must be, remembered as a tragedy for democracy.

Hard Boiled *****
I'm sure most movie fans are familiar with John Woo's legendary Hong Kong action films, and this is perhaps the best of them. There are sequences here, particularly in the jaw-dropping half-hour finale (a hospital gunfight), that had me bursting into laughter of surprise and delight. Made before the use of CGI became standard in these kinds of films, the stunts and pyrotechnics and gunplay of this film look and feel real. I found myself replaying certain sequences in disbelief, seeking to figure out how certain shots or stunts were achieved. One particular sequence involves multiple sets, dozens of squibs, collapsing scenery, and outrageous stunts, and is achieved in a single shot nearly five minutes in length. You have to see this film to believe it, and even then you won't. Outrageous, over-the-top, fantastical violence. Watch it once to get the story and dialogue down (that's all you'll need), then turn off the subtitles and just watch shit blow up for two hours. Unreal.

Welcome Back, America

I just want to take a moment--in the midst of speculating about what Hillary will do next, who Obama's VP choices might be, how the hell we're going to get out of Iraq, and whether or not the Hulk movie will be any good--to mention that an African-American is the Democratic nominee for President of the United States of America. In a country with our troubled racial history and its continuing problems of discrimination (prison populations, poverty rates, education), this is an amazing moment. This is the real promise of America--that anyone with enough drive, ambition, and a little luck, can rise to prominence. Whatever your political leanings, this will be a political season long remembered in American history. Punch it in!