July 2007
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Brooklyn meets Blacksburg In a town where no actual dedicated music venues exist, bands have been at the mercy of bar owners, restaurant owners, basements and anyone with access to an empty space when it comes to sharing their music with show-goers and music enthusiasts. “We need all the venues we can get”, says Bastards of Fate bassist Jason Wells, referring to the scarcity of venues in the area. ‘Ratatouille’ Diseased What makes food such a worthy art form is how it stimulates the senses. Writing, painting and music do it in a vicarious sense. We imagine what it is like to have the sensations that pass through the artist’s body run through ours. But food smacks our senses for real. It dazzles sight, allures smell, enchants taste in one stimulating moment. It reaches the body directly and attacks its nerves feverishly. Yes, food certainly deserves an elevated position on the art totem pole. And just as certainly, “Ratatouille,” does not. |
More Darkness in 'Order of the Phoenix' It’s wrong to rate the "Harry Potter" stories progressively higher because they’re darker. "Harry Potter" has been dark from the beginning. It begins in The Sorcerer's Stone with a young Harry relentlessly abused by his good-for-nothing relatives, after all. But "Harry Potter" has always possessed a moody, mysterious element that makes it such an engaging fantasy series. Grade: B ‘Transformers’ Sliced Too Thick “Transformers” is action-packed. To a point. “Transformers” is mindless. To a point. “Transformers” is fun. To a point. And then, somewhere over the 144 minutes, it dawns on me. Or rather, it yawns on me. “Transformers” is too freaking long. Grade: C+Riding Country with the Purple Sage Hardly can they be called “new.” The New Riders of the Purple Sage have been, in one form or another, around since 1969, when Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead fame played pedal-steel guitar with them. With one original member remaining, the band keeps trucking along. If the concert at the Sun Music Hall on June 24 was any sign, it’s not without good cause.
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