The Filtered Excellence: May 29, 2014

29th Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony - Show

Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Here are this weeks picks of the best things to watch, the most interesting things to do, great things to try, the best picks to read, our favorite things to listen to and more:


WATCH THIS:

2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Every music fan should plan to watch this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame celebration. It’s their 29th annual induction class and there is so much to see. KISS fans who have waited years for the bands inclusion will not want to miss Tom Morello’s induction speech covering the history and import of the band.  Springsteen himself inducts the E Street Band, with really touching moments and some classic E Street Band tunes performed live. Other stand out performances include a tremendous tribute to Linda Rondstadt by Carrie Underwood, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crowe and Stevie Knicks, and as hard as that is to top, there is so much more, like Hall and Oates,  Cat Stevens and Peter Gabriel just to name a few. This is a night not to be missed.  The pre-recorded program premiers on HBO this Saturday, May 31st at 8 pm Eastern. Watch this year’s class of inductees get their due– Hall and Oates inducted by Questlove, Peter Gabriel by Chris Martin, KISS by Tom Morello, Nirvana by Michael Stipe, Linda Rondstadt by Glenn Frye, Cat Stevens by Art Garfunkle, and the E Street Band inducted by Bruce Springsteen.

Night Moves starring Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard. The latest film from acclaimed indie director Kelly Reichardt (River Of Grass, Old Joy, Meek’s Cutoff, Wendy And Lucy) tells the story of three environmentalists’ – a farmer (Eisenberg), a high society dropout (Fanning) and a hopped up ex-Marine) homegrown plan to blow up a controversial dam. They hope that this designed act of sabotage will jump start a new movement, but instead it unleashes their own fears, doubts and paranoia about the choices they have made in their lives. All of the actors are in fine form, especially Sarsgaard as former Marine Harmon. Reichardt uses the rich natural setting of Oregon to build the tension to almost unbearable levels. This is a good old fashioned thriller and one of the better ones to come out in recent memory. A great change of pace from CGI driven, superhero flicks. Night Moves opens in New York and L.A. tomorrow. For those in the New York area, Director Kelly Reichardt will be doing Q&As on May 30th and 31st after the 7:30 screenings.

Supermensch. Mike Myers directorial debut documents the unbelievable story of the rise, and career of music manager and celebrity confidant Shep Gordon. Shep made his way to L.A. right out of college and became a trusted friend to rock legends like Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. He managed bands like Pink Floyd, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass and Alice Cooper and then later celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. Using archival footage, the film gives an up-close look at the incredible lifestyle of Shep Gordon and his high profile friends in the 70s. “Supermensch” opens in select cities across the country on July 18th.

NBA Conference Championships. This coming week will set the National Basketball Association’s Finals Championship match up. On Friday, the Indiana Pacers will try to stay alive against the defending champion Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Championships. The Heat lead the series 3 games to 2. Game 6 is Friday night, May 30th at 8:30 pm Eastern on ESPN. In the Western Conference finals, the Spurs and the Thunder will face each other in what could be a deciding Game 6 on Saturday, May 31st at 8:30 pm on TNT with San Antonio visiting Oklahoma City. The NBA finals will start Thursday, June 5th.


LISTEN TO THIS:

Comet, Come To Me by Meshell Nedegeocello.  In her 20 plus year career, singer-bassist-songwriter-producer Meshell Nedegeocello continues to shape shift, bending and blurring themes that are found in funk, rock, folk, ambient, R&B, jazz and hip hop. Her 11th studio album, Comet, Come To Me continues the pattern and continues lyrical themes that have also been a constant: Love, the pursuit of it, and its consequences, good and bad. The album opens with a cover of the hip hop classic ‘Friends’ by Whodini. But rather than follow its known structural pattern, Nedegeocello and her excellent core group of collaborators – Chris Bruce on guitar, Jebin Bruni on keyboards and Sylvester Earl Harvin on drums and percussion – turn this party classic into a probing meditation on the fragility of human relationships. The soaring title track and ‘Forget My Name’ is rich in reggae grooves while ‘Shopping For Jazz’ takes us back to Laurel Canyon. Sensually cerebral, Meshell Nedegeocello has made an album that seeps deeper into skin with each listen. Another triumph for one of the more adventurous musicians of the last two decades. Comet, Come To Me will be available on June 3rd through Amazon, Itunes and all major music outlets. You can also stream the album for a limited time by following this link:

She’s So Unusual – A 30th Anniversary Celebration by Cyndi Lauper.  Cyndi Lauper was not supposed to be a success. She had a thick New York accent, wore thrift shop clothes and had a crazy candy coated hairstyle. Her first stab at stardom was fronting the band Blue Angel. The album bombed and legal issues forced her to declare bankruptcy. What she did have was an extraordinarily powerful voice that could sing girl group pop, rock and standards. After banging around the New York club scene, Lauper signed a solo deal with Portrait Records, which was a subsidiary of Epic Records. Released in the fall of 1983, She’s So Unusual became an instant hit, with the lead single ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ dominating the airwaves and in heavy rotation on MTV. Lauper became the first female artist to have four Top 5 hits off a debut album with sales totaling over 22 million worldwide. She also won the Best New Artist Grammy. To commemorate the 30th Anniversary of its release, this new edition contains a remastered version of the original album, three new remixes, live tracks, early demos, B-sides, unseen photos by Annie Leibovitz, a new essay by Jancee Dunn (co-author of Lauper’s best selling memoir) and much more. A great re-introduction to one of the great albums to emerge from the MTV era.

 


DO THIS:

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. Bob Newhart. Television and comedy legend Bob Newhart is performing at Boston’s historic comedy venue, the Wilbur Theatre on Friday, May 30th. The Emmy award winner whose unique deadpan comedy style which labeled him as comedy’s only solo straight man will be performing his classic telephone bits along with new material. Most seats are sold out for this must-see comedy event. Some balcony seats remain. The show starts at 7:30 pm.

NEW YORK CITY: John Cameron Mitchell and Wallace Shawn: A Good Read. This is the second installment of John Cameron Mitchell’s (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) series of bringing in performers from different genres to read classic works of poetry and literature. Along with My Dinner with Andre’s Wallace Shawn, Cameron Mitchell’s special guest will Denis O’Hare from HBO’s True Blood who will be delving into some post-modern Russian Literature. John Cameron Mitchell’s “A Good Read” happens Tuesday, June 3rd at 7pm at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater.

NEW YORK CITY: John Waters: Carsick. Cult film directing favorite John Waters is returning live to the New York Public Library on Wednesday, June 4th. He will be discussing and reading from his latest book, “Carsick”. The book is filled with John Water’s adventures from when he hitchhiked across the United States including the characters he met and the trouble he got into. John Waters will be at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Wednesday from 7 to 9 pm.

NEW YORK CITY:  Erik Den Breejen – There’s a Riot Goin’ On. The latest exhibition by painter Erik Den Breejen looks back at the 70’s and the groundbreaking works by Richard Pryor, Lou Reed, Marvin Gaye, Harry Nilsson among others. Den Breejen recreates some of their most iconic images using their thoughts and lyrics as a creative foundation. It also serves as a reminder that issues that these artists addressed back then – war, the environment, economic disparities, apathy, over reliance on technology – are just as important today as they were then. The results are visually arresting to the eye and stimulating to the mind. There’s A Riot Goin’ On will be at Freight & Volume through June 7th.


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