Knowing How to Wrap it Up

I saw "Ratatouille" last night. As usual, Pixar managed to produce a most enjoyable film and one that works for both children and adults. A few of their recent movies have veered toward the "too long" side, especially "The Incredibles" and "Cars," but the thing I give Pixar credit for is always knowing how to wrap up a story in an entertaining but also meaningful way. "Ratatouille" has a fantastic finish, ones that concludes the tale of a rat who dreams of being a cook, but additionally makes a poignant statement on the nature of art and the artist. Here it is, quoted by the character Anton Ego, the notorious food critic of the story.

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more. "

Pretty deep stuff for a kid's movie, but that has always been the genius of Pixar: They know how to cater to more than one patron.

"Felice" Means "Happy"

I went to the Bright Eyes concert this past weekend. I’ll write about that at another time, but now I’d like to talk about the most pleasant surprise of the night: the opening set by The Felice Brothers.

A lot of times you go to a show to see a certain performer and have to suffer through some other acts beforehand. I didn’t even go to the Bright Eyes show on time because I’d never heard of the other artists on the bill. But as I strolled into the venue about forty minutes late, I was pleasantly surprised by one of the more enjoyable bands I have seen and heard in a long time.

The Felice Brothers are made up of three actual brothers from upstate New York and another member, a big accordion player named Christmas. Despite playing on a large stage with a lot of room, the brothers occupied an intimate space the size of a closet. They danced and stomped around. They banged on their instruments, dropping drumsticks and bumping into one another along the way. They whooped and hollered through a bunch of songs that sounded like good-ole whiskey-soaked sing-a-longs from some Irish bar. And actually, one of the tunes was called “There’s Whiskey In My Whiskey.” Three of the four guys sung lead at one point or another, and they all chimed in throughout their set.

The thing that struck me about the Felice Brothers was how much fun they were having. They smiled through every song and just genuinely seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. They were real musicians too. It seemed like they were playing for the playing, not for the money or the crowd or for anything else. The music just banged out of them, echoing through their limbs with every note and beat of the drum. I don’t know that I’d say they were great musicians or guys who were adroitly skilled at their instruments, but they were obviously swept away by their songs and their enthusiasm was infectious. I loved them. LOVED them!

In the end, this post will never do justice to the wonderful performance from the other night. I just can’t stop stomping my feet, can’t stop swaying with music that hasn’t stopped playing and can’t stop yelling out lines in answer to some happy call-out from some other place. So if you get the chance, check out The Felice Brothers. You won’t be disappointed, because like they said the other night, “Felice” means “happy.”

Things I like... Things You Should Like

I saw The Thermals play here on Saturday night. What a show! I was honestly tired as hell and not entirely wanting to go. I try to live by the motto "You'll never remember a good night's sleep as much as great experience," so I rolled out of the suburbs for the late show at The Black Cat club in DC. It was one of the funnest shows I've seen in a while.

A friend got me into The Thermals last year. Their album "The Body, The Blood, The Machine" is fantastic. It's fast. It's fun. It's so energetic. It's the kind of music that you makes want to blast it out of your car stereo and race down the highway. I knew that if their live show had half the vibe of the cd, I'd be in for a good night.

The funny thing about the concert was that the whole thing flew by in about 45 minutes. The Thermals play songs that are all about 2-3 minutes long. They relentlessly flew from one song into the next and seemed to play their entire three album catalogue without taking a breath, and without breaking an hour. Some might say, "Hey... I paid for a bit more than this," but the show was awesome. I was either jumping up and down or smiling the entire time. The band seemed to have fun too, which in my concert-going experience always seems to enhance the show.

So if you get a chance, check out The Thermals at a concert venue near you!

Album favorites from "The Body, The Blood, The Machine" are...
#4 "A Pillar of Salt"
#5 "Returning to the Fold"
#7 "St. Rosa and the Swallows"
#1 "Here's Your Future"