In painting, what’s old is what’s new
When “Secrets of the Old Masters” opens Thursday at Trends and Traditions Gallery, some of the paintings will look familiar to local art patrons. Fifteen of the paintings were recently on exhibit at the Jepson Center during the final weeks of the “Dutch Utopia: American Artists in Holland” show. But even if you’ve never seen…
Shutter Island
SHUTTER ISLAND *** Just how obvious is the big “twist” that concludes Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel? So obvious that some folks who haven’t read the book are figuring it out simply by watching the trailer. But just how accomplished is the picture anyway? Enough that viewers will happily be led…
Exhibits & openings
Accidental Abstractions III – Collection of abstract paintings from Calvin Thomas. Reception 2/21, 6-10pm. Belford’s, City Market Africanology Realities in American Worlds – Large-scaled, multi-media paintings and installations by Amiri Geuka Farris. SSU Social Sciences Building Gallery Aldwyth: Work v./Work n. – Collage and assemblage 1991-2009 by this reclusive Hilton Head artist, now in her…
Does the Air Quality Index actually mean anything?
My brother refuses to go running on days the air quality index tells him not to because he doesn’t want to die sooner. My idea: how do we go about proving him insane? -littleWaki We’re always hearing about how much damage smoking does to our bodies. My question is, how much damage does smoking do…
Moral: Keep your mouth shut
Lead Story In all likelihood, convicted murderer Paul Powell would have been sentenced to life in prison for his 1999 crime, but he could not resist gratuitously ridiculing the prosecutor. Powell’s original sentence of death was overturned because of a technicality in Virginia law: The “aggravated” circumstance in a murder that warrants the death penalty…
The only way to get money out of politics
The recent Supreme Court ruling striking down the ban on corporate and union spending at election time is both blessing and curse. On the one hand, removing a legal barrier to free speech is always a good thing in itself. Government shouldn’t dictate who can speak or from where people may get information. More contentiousness…
Truckin’ with Jason Isbell
After five years as a member of Drive–By Truckers, Jason Isbell jumped from the cab in 2007. The Athens–based band had become one of the best–kept secrets in southern rock ‘n’ roll, with its smoking, amps–on–11 voyages through choogly Americana and other derivatives of good old–fashioned amplified shitkicking. For Isbell, though, writing great songs –…
Noteworthy: Mutemath, White Rhino, The Blue Hit
MUTEMATH The New Orleans quintet has appeared on Letterman, Leno, Ferguson, Kimmel and even Conan. They had a song on the platinum-selling Twilight soundtrack, and won a Grammy in the Best Short Form Music Video category. That was for the song “Typical,” and it was one of those extremely rare occasions where the prize was…
The con is on
Central to the plot of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is the relationship between its central characters, a pair of con men on the French Riviera. Lawrence Jackson and Freddie Benson are two sides of the same slick coin – they’re Quixote and Panza, Bialystock and Bloom, Abbott and Costello. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels began life as a…
Red-hot and Russian
Using a beloved Russian folk tale as his inspiration, Igor Stravinsky composed The Firebird in 1910. Although he would leave his homeland for good shortly after its premiere, thus avoiding the Soviet Revolution, two devastating world wars and the perils of Stalinism, Stravinsky remains the 20th century figure most identified with Russian classical music. The…
Raise a voice
When Sweet Honey in the Rock sang at the White House, a a year ago this week, First Lady Michelle Obama introduced the Grammy–winning vocal ensemble as “a national treasure” and “one of my favorite groups in the whole wide world.” The group, performing Sunday at First African Baptist Church as part of the city’s…
Oops, wrong house
A woman on East 36th Street called police in reference to someone “shooting up her house” around 2:45 in the morning. Upon arrival, officers found several 9mm casings in the road in front of the home. There was no damage to the house next door. At the caller’s residence, there were holes in the wood…
Discover Siduri Pinot
Readers ask, “What wine should I buy?” Barring some special requirement — a menu or an occasion — the plain, honest–to–gosh truth is pretty simple: “Buy the wine you like.” I’m fortunate to have a very accepting palate. Price does not deter me –– on either end of the spectrum. I’ve had $9 wines that…
Random bites: Aqua Star
Aqua Star at The Westin Savannah Harbor While I preferred to stay all warm and cozy in a car ride to this “other side of the river” destination, a couple of my lunch mates bundled up and used the free water taxi from River Street. Regardless of your transportation, Aqua Star is too often overlooked…
Don’t mess with Texas
DJ Stout knows a thing or two about design. After spending more than a dozen years as art director for Texas Monthly, including overseeing a handful of national award winning spreads, he landed as a partner with renowned design firm Pentagram and hasn’t looked back since. Stout stops in Savannah next Thursday for a presentation…
Don’t Tase us, bro
Despite their instant pop culture notoriety from that YouTube video of the young man begging a University of Florida cop, ‘Don’t Tase me, bro,’ Tasers are really not such a laughing matter. In some cases a Taser can kill you as quickly and easily as a police officer’s Glock pistol. Tasers are designed to give…
Russian winter
While most people conversant with the arts have heard of the great Hermitage, Kirov and Bolshoi ballet companies of Russia, there’s another major Russian company that in some estimations is the best of all. The Perm Ballet — often called the Tchaikovsky Ballet because their base is the Tchaikovsky Theatre in Perm, Russia — performs…
What’s Next: Lewis Black
Professional ranter and raver Lewis Black brings his In God We Rust tour to the Johnny Mercer Theatre April 8. Black’s acerbic standup comedy has made him an integral part of The Daily Show, where he engages Jon Stewart in (generally one–sided) back–and–forths about current political, social and personal issues. Just about everything bugs him.…
Barking up the right tree
Some big changes are underway along Sallie Mood Drive. Both the Humane Society and the Metro Police Department’s Animal Control unit are taking action to help improve animal welfare as well as upgrading their services and facilities. Although the two organizations are neighbors, and the area’s only two animal shelters, they actually have nothing to…
The luck of the draw
The Savannah College of Art and Design hosts two unique comics–related events this month. The first, “Storyteller’s Weekend,” happens this weekend and features renowned comic artists Howard Chaykin and Klaus Janson. The second event, a Mini–Comics Expo, happens Feb. 26, and I actually got a sneak peek into that one. Chaykin and Janson will lead…
Instant nostalgia
This Friday, at an event called Desoto Strut, a group of local artists led by Rachel Raab and Matt Hebermehl will try to recapture the energy that at one time defined First Fridays in the Starland District, once a major part of Savannah’s art scene. “We’re trying to bring back what used to be here,”…
