The Filtered Excellence: March 12, 2015

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Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Once a week we take a break from comedy to bring you this weeks picks of the best things to watch, the most interesting things to do, great things to try, the best picks toread,our favorite things to listen to and more:


WATCH THIS:

The Wrecking Crew. They were behind some of the biggest hits by Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Sonny & Cher, The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas and many more. They were the house band for Phil Spector’s Wall Of Sound and helped Brian Wilson bring Pet Sounds to life. But with the exception of those in the music business, no one knew who they were. Until now. Director Denny Tedesco put together this wonderful tribute to The Wrecking Crew, a group of studio musicians who defined The West Coast Sound and whose impact is still being felt today. For Tedesco, the story is personal: His late father Tommy Tedesco was the band’s featured guitarist on many of those hits. The list of people he lined up to talk about The Crew is like a ‘Who’s Who’ of the 60s music scene: Brian Wilson, Cher, Roger McGuinn, Nancy Sinatra, Herb Alpert, Mickey Dolenz, Dick Clark and, of course, members of The Wrecking Crew. With great stories, a killer soundtrack, The Wrecking Crew is a warm and loving salute to one of the greatest assembling of musicians in rock history.

It opens in select theaters on Friday and is also available on Itunes.
You can also go to www.wreckingcrewfilm.com for more info.

Champs. Bert Marcus’ insightful new documentary looks at the careers of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins, who overcame the many cycles of poverty to become champions. But this is more than your standard bio of three fighters: It looks at how the sport of kings is a microcosm of the meaning of the American Dream amidst the growing gulf between the rich and the poor. Marcus also doesn’t shy away from the uglier side of the sport, which is loaded with shady business deals, and a trail of broken fighters. This is an unfiltered, yet riveting look at a sport that once gripped a nation and looking to reinvent itself.

Champs will open is select theaters on Friday and will also be available on Video On Demand.
Order Champs on Amazon.com.

Seymour: An Introduction. Seymour Bernstein was on the brink of becoming one of the best concert pianists in the world when he abruptly quit to focus on composing and teaching. Now in his 80s, Bernstein finds himself back in the spotlight once again, this time as the subject of this new documentary by his friend Ethan Hawke. We see Bernstein at home performing, composing and teaching the next generation of students not just how to play, but to how to channel the creativity that’s in all of us. With wonderful stories, a deep well of wisdom and incredible reflections on art and creativity, Hawke has crafted an extraordinary portrait of an artist that is inspirational and powerful.

Seymour: An Introduction opens in select theaters on Friday.
You can go to www.ifcfilms.com for more information.


READ THIS:

The Sellout: A Novel by Paul Beatty. Paul Beatty’s The Sellout is a satirical novel that follows a young man who teams up with the last surviving Little Rascal to reinstate slavery and segregate the local high school. When an African-American psychologist is accidentally shot by the LAPD, his son Bonbon uses the $2 million wrongful death settlement to start a plantation and grow the most relevant crops to his life- weed and watermelons. He teams up with Hominy Jenkins, the last surviving ‘Little Rascal’ and eventually ends up at the Supreme Court. In the words of Sarah Silverman, The Sellout is “amazing- like demented angels wrote it.”

The Sellout: A Novel is available from Amazon.com


LISTEN TO THIS:

We Were The Dreamers by Richie Furay. Despite being hailed as the best work of his career, Buffalo Springfield co-founder and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame member Richie Furay has faced a frustrating uphill climb in his attempts to get his ‘Hand In Hand’ album released. For the past year he’s been told what a terrific collection of songs he has here, only to hear that the 70 year old roots-rocker is too old to be relevant. Richie’s frustration is nearing its end as the first single has now been released on Amazon and the entire album is slated for release on March 31.

Order Hand In Hand from Amazon.com.


DO THIS:

NEW YORK CITY: The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. New York City will be awash in green as the country’s oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day parade marches up 5th Avenue to honor the Patron Saint Of Ireland and The Archdiocese of New York. The parade has drawn considerable controversy in recent years with march organizers refusing to allow LGBT groups to march under their banner and sponsors withdrawing from the event because of the exclusion. There has been a bit of thaw in this stance: Out @ NBC Universal, which LGBT NBC employees will be allowed to take part in the parade for the first time. The St Patrick’s Day Parade is always an all-day celebration and this year promises to be no different. Timothy Cardinal Dolan will be the Parade’s Grand Marshall, which kicks off at 11am at 44th Street.

Go to www.nycstpatricksparade.org for complete information.

NEW YORK CITY: If You Ask Me…It’s About The Soul. Legendary street photographer Ricky Powell curated this group exhibition featuring iconic contemporaries (Ron Gallella, Joe Conzo) alongside future NYC greats (Tono, Mike Swoop, Miranda Maxwell, Lexi Bella, Pat Hoblin, Klash Won, Peter Pabon). Whether you are a collector or interested what’s happening in the arts, this is where you need to go to check out what’s what. It’s also gives great slices of everyday life in New York City as coordinated by one of city’s greatest advocates. If You Ask Me…It’s About The Soul will be at Sacred Gallery through April 26th.

You can also go to www.sacredgallerynyc.com for more info.

NEW YORK CITY: Danny Clinch – Walls Of Sound. For photographer Danny Clinch, music isn’t something he captures for a living, it’s a way of life. In addition to be one of the most sought after and respected photographers, Clinch is also a musician, playing harmonica with his band, The Tangiers Blues Band. It’s his love of music and those who create it, that has been the source behind some of the greatest photographs. For his latest exhibit, Walls Of Sound features classic photographs of Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Tupac Shakur, etc, alongside recently re-discovered pics that Clinch found looking through his archives. Included in this rediscovery: new pics featuring The Beastie Boys, Green Day, The Ramones and more. An all-star exhibition from an all-star photographer. Walls Of Sound will be at Milk Studios through April 6th.

You can go to www.themilkgallery.com for more information.

LOS ANGELES The Dirty Knobs at The Viper Room. The Dirty Knobs describes themselves as a ‘down and dirty’ rock n roll band that has been tearing up the L.A. club scene for the last few years Everything else is a mystery: They have no back story and only go by the names Gator, Ape, Crawdaddy, and Swampfox. Despite the mystery, they did manage to get the attention of Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, who sits in with the group when he’s not recording or performing with Tom Petty. The Dirty Knobs will be bringing the low down at the Viper Room on Saturday.

Go to www.viperroom.com for tickets and more info.

LOS ANGELES: Anvil at The Whisky A Go-Go Anvil never sold as many albums as the scores of bands that they influenced (Anthrax, Metallica, and Slayer, among others), but their perseverance and dedication finally paid off with the release of the 2008 documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil. They’ve been successfully recording and performing to sold out crowds ever since and they’ll be bringing their ‘Hope In Hell’ tour to the legendary Whisky A Go Go. Expect to hear material from the new album, Hope In Hell, alongside songs from the metal classics Hard n’ Heavy and Metal On Metal. Check them out if you like it loud.

Go to www.whiskyagogo.com or www.anvilmetal.com for more information.

LOS ANGELES: Escape from the Walled City. East L.A. has been overrun by man-eating giants and you have only one hour to stop the invasion and save humankind in the latest installment of Real Escape Game, a live-action Japanese puzzle game. Anime fans (Attack On Titan) will recognize the concept. Cosplay and team play are encouraged. Weingart Stadium at East LA College Saturday, March 21st

Get your tickets here.

CHICAGO: Laurie Anderson and The Kronos Quartet. Laurie Anderson teams up with The Kronos Quartet to perform Landfall, a song cycle composed and inspired by Hurricane Sandy. The piece premiered last fall in New York to almost universal acclaim and they’ll be bringing this moving and sweeping work to The Harris Theater For Music And Dance in Chicago. A wonderful opportunity to see a master performance artist perform alongside on the world’s best string sections.

Go to www.harristheaterchicago.org for tickets and more information.

CHICAGO: Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade and River Dyeing. Saturday March 14th, the Chicago St. Patrick’s day parade kicks off at Balbo and Columbus, at noon and will be broadcast on ABC 7, but you really want to get up earlier grab some weird green muffin and head down to watch the dyeing of the river which starts at 9:15 am. Columbus Drive bridge or upper and lower Wacker Drive between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive are the best spots for river watching.

CHICAGO: Gregg Allman at The House Of Blues. Whether it was as the frontman for the Allman Brothers Band or as a solo artist, one thing is certain: Gregg Allman has been one of the most distinctive and influential vocalists for the past 45 years. He’ll be bringing his ‘Gregg Allman & Friends’ tour to The House Of Blues in Chicago. Chi-town is the epicenter of the blues and Allman’s musical foundation, so expect to hear a ton of it at one of the blues’ most revered concert veues. Expect some soulful reworkings of ABB classics also.

Go to www.houseofblues.com/chicago for tickets and more info.

 

 


Want more excellence? Read last week’s The Filtered Excellence and visit The Interrobang Recommmends

 

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Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas
Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.