It's shaping up to be a very busy week for former Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge. On the upside, he just celebrated the debut of a documentary DVD chronicling his transition from the seminal teen punk act Blink-182 to his current band, Angels & Airwaves [ tickets ].Released earlier this week, the film, entitled "Start the Machine," focuses on the process of producing Angels & Airwaves' first project, "We Don't Need to Whisper." Delonge is also on the cusp of heading out for a summerlong jaunt headlining Van's Warped Tour, which commences June 20 in Pomona, CA.On the down side, DeLonge has reaffirmed news that all Blink fans hated to hear--there will be no reunion. And he's made a few headlines in the UK defending his cohorts in My Chemical Romance after a flurry in the press about a 13-year-old British girl, who was a devotee of MCR and other Emo acts, committed suicide in 2007.In a widely circulated statement in the UK press, the singer is quoted as saying that although band members may tend to blame themselves in situations like this high profile suicide, it's wrong to do so when there is no direct fan-to-band connection."You have no idea who these people are," DeLonge said. "And My Chemical Romance, they spend a lot of time singing about coming together. There's ingredients of rebellion and angst, but what band doesn't have that when they're young?"Switching to his recent comment about a rumored Blink reunion, DeLonge states: "I really cannot see any possible way that Blink would get back together, nor do I have any desire for it. It was a really amazing, magical time for me when I was young, but now I'm older, I'm doing things that reflect my life now. It would be a lie to myself to go and sing about first dates and girls at the rock show."Clearly these are separate but similar sentiments from a man who is fully in touch with not only where he has gone, but where he is going. In advance of his Warped Tour duties, DeLonge sat down with LiveDaily to talk about his own demons; the process behind Angels & Airwaves' second offering, "I, Empire"; and his other entrepreneurial activities, including ModLife.LiveDaily: Your newer material seems to come from a really progressive standpoint. Your Angels & Airwaves material has been compared with Queen, Rush and Yes, and I hope you don't take offense to this, but I hear shades of Flock of Seagulls mixed in there as well. Tom DeLonge: No offense at all, I love Flock of Seagulls. You know, I grew up in the alternative rock scene. I was a little punk rocker listening to new wave and classic rock bands like the ones you mentioned. These were all the great bands we grew up with. As we were putting together the new project we were saying, "Wouldn't it be great if we could get the conceptual depth of a Pink Floyd, or the epic landscapes of U2?" It's funny, every time we crank up the guitar, we end up sounding like we borrowed something from "Tom Sawyer" or some other Rush song. We really wanted Angels & Airwaves to showcase 30 or 40 years of the bands we thought were great. We try and derive our influences from all those bands we liked, and then we put a modern take on it.When it came to writing and producing for the new band, were you consciously drawing from deeper or more classic influences, or was the writing and production process purely organic?When we start the recording of a song, a lot of time we will do it with a muse--a movie, a book, an image or a song. And, more often than not, once it gets rolling, it is a very organic thing that takes shape. We've learned that no matter how you go in to record the song, it will never end up as good as if you let it go in the direction it needs to go. Like, if you go in with the idea that it will have this gigantic roaring guitar sound, but then, once you lay down the track you realize that it's not the best thing for the song. So we end up in a very organic place. Once we start laying down the song, we don't reference the muse anymore. We always want to do songs that will create an appeal, where it can be a foundation of a larger message--the way the band wants to bring people together, with a positive outlook on life.Besides being a bit older, and coming to the project with a totally secure concept of what the band was capable of, what was different about the process of creating "I-Empire" than "We Don't Need to Whisper?"The imagery of the first project was the juxtaposition of war and space. The space was reflecting this infinite realm with infinite possibilities. The war was reflective of the war within one's own life--metaphorically speaking. For me, it was the breakup of my last band, losing my closest friends and starting out on this new life. Largely, the first record was an autobiographical experience. Making the new album was a little more grounded and happy. We still had a few of those ethereal moments, like when the music lifted you off the ground and made you soar. But, we know who we are now, and we're excited to be where we are at instead of searching it out anymore.So you're rooted in reality instead of altered reality?That's totally right.The new album reflects significantly more adventure and diversity in the instrumentation, especially in the rhythms. Was "I-Empire" a lot more fun to do, and did Atom, Dave and Matt play greater roles in what we hear as the finished product?It really was a lot more fun. I know a lot of people out there think this is a Tom DeLonge project, and that I call all the shots. But when I put the band together, it was very much knowing that I wanted this to be one of the greatest bands of all time. I don't write all the drum parts, and I don't write all the bass parts, I don't pick all the album artwork. I consider myself an amateur captain of sorts. I can get the boat to the dock, but there's no way I'm pushing it out in the water myself. These guys are great--they work all the time. The cool thing was when I was getting off painkillers, there were, like, three weeks when I couldn't do anything at all. Well, they were still in the studio doing all the drums and arrangements--they didn't miss a beat. So, when it says all the songs are written and performed by the band--you know it's not my thing anymore.Where does ModLife come into play? This dual life you have between the music business and your entrepreneurial pursuits is pretty intriguing.Before I ever started selling records, right when online stuff was taking off, I pretty much decided to start this thing called LoserKids.com, because I never thought we were going to make it in the music business. Well, we started selling records, and since we were one of the first places to start selling skate fashions, it started taking off, too. Then we came up with a concept called ModLife, which is an operating system that allows people to make money off themselves digitally. It's a series of tools that work cohesively together that allows a band or a person to broadcast themselves in movies or videos, to sell their music through broadcasts, webcams or podcasts. It really helped us spearhead Angels & Airwaves as more of a fine-arts project than a band--doing films, documentaries, coffee table books, and other licensed products. It also helps us get real connectivity with our fans--it helps keep the business alive while pushing it forward, changing expectations about the ways people can showcase their art.You and the band really seem to have set out to make a difference in 2008, and I have to believe one way you can literally help save lives is talking about your experiences related to pain-killer addiction. You know, it's one thing to hear about it from your parents, or teachers, but coming from someone like you, I know any words of warning will actually fall on receptive ears.You know, when you have your life together as a teenager, you never see yourself as a drug addict. You never think you're that guy. You're fine--you hang with your friends, you play your sport. But the one thing that was really enlightening to me was learning no matter how strong you are, and how well your life is put together, these painkillers are a chemical that is exactly like super glue. No matter how strong you are, you can't not glue your fingers together. The chemical has nothing to do with how smart you are, or how happy you are, or how many friends you have. No matter what, once you take it, it starts super gluing your system. It's a massively dangerous drug because it will connect to you in a way that makes it ruin everything it touches. And the saddest thing when I was taking the stuff, is it was clouding my inhibition. You start making really horrible decisions, and you start doing things that bring parts of you out you didn't even know existed. You feel so good all the time, and before you know it, you're in so deep you can't function. It scares me to know there are kids out there that are into it--because once you start taking it, you bump up really quickly. Once you're taking that Oxycontin and stuff, you need some serious, serious help getting off. I mean, it's as strong as any drug that exists on earth. So I think you really need to learn to be happy with yourself and the world around you. I remember being scared that I would never feel as good once I stopped taking the stuff. But that's a total lie--a complete and total lie.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Sunday, 15 June 2008
Ivan Fischer/Budapest Festival Orch.
Artist: Ivan Fischer/Budapest Festival Orch.
Genre(s):
Classical
Discography:
Brahms - Hungarian Dances
Year:
Tracks: 21
New York Dolls
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Grammy Award winner Mark S. Doss to star in a William Walton classical rendition at Opera Theatre of St. Louis
ST. LOUIS, MO, June 5 - Mark S. Doss, international opera
star and Grammy Award winner, is set to perform at the Opera Theatre of St.
Louis in the timeless tragedy, Troilus and Cressida, with performances on
June 19, 21, 25, 27 and 29, 2008.
In St. Louis, Doss takes on the role of Diomede, Greek Prince of Argos,
in a classical rendition of the production, which originally debuted in
1954 at Covent Garden, London. Troilus and Cressida is the first of two
operas composed by William Walton and took approximately seven years to
complete.
New York may witness "first hand" the extraordinary resurgence of Doss'
bass-baritone when he arrives at the Metropolitan Opera in the heart of New
York City this September through mid-October. Doss will cover his
critically acclaimed role of Jochanaan (John the Baptist) in Salome. A
recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinal review applauded his performance in this
role, saying, "Mark S. Doss' potent and steadfast bass-baritone sound and
imposing physical presence made him a worthy foil for (Erika) Sunnegardh.
The opera found its pace and substance in their early duet, in which he
held firm against her seductions and epithets." Last season, Mr. Doss
performed this same role at Milan's legendary Teatro alla Scala (La Scala),
where he has been welcomed for six different roles since 2004.
In December, Doss returns once again to Milan to star as Baron Jaroslav
Prus in the three-act opera The Makropulos Case. This will be Doss' seventh
principal role at La Scala.
This past March, Doss made his Pittsburgh Opera debut as Amonasro in
Verdi's Aida. Mr. Doss is featured in the same role on a recently released
Aida DVD, recorded live at the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Reviewers
applauded his work, recognizing "another fine performance...from the
powerful American bass(-baritone), Mark (S.) Doss (Amonasro)," who was able
to "subtly break free of the 'stand and deliver' directions and create a
huge amount of emotion in his face and voice," (Reviewer Ltd., UK).
In other news, Doss has earned high praise for his portrayal of
Mephistopheles in productions around the world. He is featured in the
recently released CD of Mefistofele recorded live with Oper Frankfurt on
the hr-musik.de label. The magazine Opernwelt applauds his performance and
in a 2007 edition said, "Mark S. Doss can exist beside great predecessors
such as Nazzareno de Angeles or Samuel Ramey with luster."
ABOUT MARK S. DOSS:
Mark S. Doss is a celebrated bass-baritone whose accomplishments
include a Grammy Award (1993) for his work on the recording of Semele
(Handel). The Cleveland-born star began his musical studies to aid in his
ambitions to become a Catholic priest, but was seduced by the opera world
and has since emerged as one of the world's leading singers.
CONTACT: AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS: Christine Payne or Amy Aravantinos,
Publicity office for Mark S. Doss, (416) 489-0092, cpayne29@cogeco.ca or
aaravantinos@primorisgroup.com; Mark S. Doss, (847) 826-4530,
MSDoss57@aol.com
See Also
star and Grammy Award winner, is set to perform at the Opera Theatre of St.
Louis in the timeless tragedy, Troilus and Cressida, with performances on
June 19, 21, 25, 27 and 29, 2008.
In St. Louis, Doss takes on the role of Diomede, Greek Prince of Argos,
in a classical rendition of the production, which originally debuted in
1954 at Covent Garden, London. Troilus and Cressida is the first of two
operas composed by William Walton and took approximately seven years to
complete.
New York may witness "first hand" the extraordinary resurgence of Doss'
bass-baritone when he arrives at the Metropolitan Opera in the heart of New
York City this September through mid-October. Doss will cover his
critically acclaimed role of Jochanaan (John the Baptist) in Salome. A
recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinal review applauded his performance in this
role, saying, "Mark S. Doss' potent and steadfast bass-baritone sound and
imposing physical presence made him a worthy foil for (Erika) Sunnegardh.
The opera found its pace and substance in their early duet, in which he
held firm against her seductions and epithets." Last season, Mr. Doss
performed this same role at Milan's legendary Teatro alla Scala (La Scala),
where he has been welcomed for six different roles since 2004.
In December, Doss returns once again to Milan to star as Baron Jaroslav
Prus in the three-act opera The Makropulos Case. This will be Doss' seventh
principal role at La Scala.
This past March, Doss made his Pittsburgh Opera debut as Amonasro in
Verdi's Aida. Mr. Doss is featured in the same role on a recently released
Aida DVD, recorded live at the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Reviewers
applauded his work, recognizing "another fine performance...from the
powerful American bass(-baritone), Mark (S.) Doss (Amonasro)," who was able
to "subtly break free of the 'stand and deliver' directions and create a
huge amount of emotion in his face and voice," (Reviewer Ltd., UK).
In other news, Doss has earned high praise for his portrayal of
Mephistopheles in productions around the world. He is featured in the
recently released CD of Mefistofele recorded live with Oper Frankfurt on
the hr-musik.de label. The magazine Opernwelt applauds his performance and
in a 2007 edition said, "Mark S. Doss can exist beside great predecessors
such as Nazzareno de Angeles or Samuel Ramey with luster."
ABOUT MARK S. DOSS:
Mark S. Doss is a celebrated bass-baritone whose accomplishments
include a Grammy Award (1993) for his work on the recording of Semele
(Handel). The Cleveland-born star began his musical studies to aid in his
ambitions to become a Catholic priest, but was seduced by the opera world
and has since emerged as one of the world's leading singers.
CONTACT: AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS: Christine Payne or Amy Aravantinos,
Publicity office for Mark S. Doss, (416) 489-0092, cpayne29@cogeco.ca or
aaravantinos@primorisgroup.com; Mark S. Doss, (847) 826-4530,
MSDoss57@aol.com
See Also
Kiss - The Things They Say 8557
"It's PAUL's fault - he didn't have to marry her... A wife will never ever say how much she will want after a divorce. If she did, no man would marry her." Never-married KISS star GENE SIMMONS has no sympathy for SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY, who was forced to pay ex-wife HEATHER MILLS a hefty settlement in their divorce battle.
See Also
Babyshambles - Babyshambles Deny Guitarist Split
BABYSHAMBLES have dismissed a story which claimed guitarist Mick Whitnall is about to leave the band.
The band are about to begin work on the follow-up to their third album Shotter's Nation, so a media report that the guitarist was about to walk came as a surprise to the band themselves.
A report in the Sun claimed guitarist Mick Whitnall was about to quit BABYSHAMBLES in order to join Amy Winehouse's touring band, after it emerged he has been writing for the singer in his spare time.
NME reports that Babyshambles' drummer Adam Ficek rubbished such reports, however, by branding the story "a load of b******s", adding that "it made me laugh though".
In related news, Pete Doherty has revealed that he is worried about BABYSHAMBLES' financial situation.
He told MTV.co.uk: "We've got a few concerns at the moment over issues with management, where the money has been going and distribution of wealth."
11/06/2008 14:11:43
See Also
Mariza
Artist: Mariza
Genre(s):
Folk
Pop
Latin
Discography:
Transparente A Pirata (20050427)
Year: 2005
Tracks: 8
Transparente
Year: 2005
Tracks: 14
Fado em Mim
Year: 2002
Tracks: 13
From the Digg files: fun with plane dissection
This seeming geometric paradox is making the rounds on Digg right now. If you're skeptical about how 64 can equal 65, you need only read the explanation (and use the interactive Applet) here. Wow, I have neither read nor used the word Applet in several years. Takes me back to a simpler but less efficient time.
Click the drawing at left to watch.
See Also
The Coral To Headline Lounge On The Farm Festival
The Coral are the latest band to be confirmed at
The Scouse folk heroes will headline the event’s third day, on Sunday 13th July, with a special acoustic greatest hits set.
They join other recent additions such as DJ Format, We Smoke Fags and Semifinalists.
Other confirmed acts at the
For more information on this summer's festivals, check out our new look Festival Guide.
See Also
Walt Disney Concert Hall needs to stand tall
» Discuss Article
Chapter 11 in Neal Gabler's 2006 biography of Walt Disney is titled "Slouching Toward Utopia." It begins a couple of years after Disneyland opened in July 1955. So what did Walt do next? "Aglow over Disneyland," Gabler writes, "he was intent on expanding and improving it." Disney called the "city on the hill" his "baby," "a living and breathing thing" that would never be finished. He wanted a 150-foot Matterhorn, a monorail and submarines. He got out his checkbook. All this, Walt said, "gave him endless pleasure." Last Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Philharmonic completed its fifth season in the concert hall on the hill that Walt's money, if not Walt himself, built and that, in its own way, is slouching toward utopia. During intermission, audience members strolled in dappled sunlight in the garden. Inside, they cheered Esa-Pekka Salonen’s new Piano Concerto with unbridled enthusiasm.
Not everyone was happy about everything. One conspiracy-minded patron assured me that the drinking fountains on the second level weren't working because of a plot by the Patina Group, which runs the concessions in the hall. But even he agreed that a glorious concert in a glorious hall on a glorious day was worth the bother of $3 bottled water.Simply astonishingIn the five years that the Philharmonic has been playing in Walt Disney Concert Hall, it has become a better and bolder orchestra. The building itself, according to the Convention and Visitors Bureau, has replaced the Hollywood sign as the symbol of Los Angeles. No festivals occurred last month in Disney, just business as usual. But business as usual meant one astonishing concert by the Philharmonic, or under its auspices, after another. Salonen's programs moved from large late-Romantic works by Brahms, Wagner and Mahler through the 20th century of Hindemith, Stravinsky, Debussy, Dutilleux and Bartók to today, with his own concerto. (A new cello concerto by the British composer Oliver Knussen would have been included but was not finished.) The performances had the rich glow of golden-age music-making. The Philharmonic commissioned a new work from Canadian composer Derek Charke for the Kronos Quartet and the startlingly sensual Inuit singer Tanya Tagaq. The orchestra updated its Baroque series with Couperin heard through the ears of the stellar young British composer Thomas Adès, and it also commissioned a major new work for the Green Umbrella series from Adès and a video artist, Tal Rosner.The final recital in the organ series was turned over to the father of all Minimalists, Terry Riley, who bathed the organ, which he named Hurricane Mama, in psychedelic lights and communed with the cosmos, reaching a climax that may still have some molecules wiggling in the far corners of the hall. But the mystical way had been paved a few days earlier by pianist Peter Serkin, who, as a late replacement for the ailing Pierre-Laurent Aimard, began the process of bending space and time with two intense pieces by Messiaen, every note played as if it were a funnel to God.In Frank Gehry's architectural embrace of the future and in his reverence for traditional, illuminating acoustics, Disney made all this not only possible but also popular. Throughout May, the hall was full. Some people were turned away. The Philharmonic's daring did trouble several organ subscribers, who were quick with their e-mails; maybe Riley better belonged among the new music events. On the other hand, I heard from anti-Minimalist audience members who unwittingly found their socks knocked off. And there were at least a few spectators who subscribed to the organ series simply to get good seats for Riley and then discovered the pleasures of Bach and Messiaen. This is the real secret of the Disney and the Philharmonic magic. In some ways, the building may be the most modest, least innovative of all major modern concert venues. Its main job, once you're seduced inside, is to create a direct link between sound and its reception. The orchestra can hear itself. The audience has an immediate tactile connection with music that can be found only in the finest 19th century halls. The modernity of the setting, though, reminds us of the here and now, which makes new music feel right.And it is the depth of the Philharmonic's sense of tradition that has made it the most relevant orchestra in America, and probably anywhere. At Sunday's concert, Salonen bid farewell to three retiring veteran players -- bassoonist David Breidenthal, violist Arthur Royal and horn player Robert Watt -- noting that collectively they represented 124 years of service. Salonen said he had also calculated that he had played close to a thousand concerts with them. Their contribution, he declared, is now part of the Philharmonic DNA.From this foundation, the Philharmonic continues to build. A new viola player, Carrie Dennis, who will join the orchestra at the end of the summer, was on hand Sunday to play a big solo in the first movement of Salonen's concerto, a duet between her and pianist Yefim Bronfman, and she was riveting. Surely I don't need to tell you about Gustavo Dudamel, who will succeed Salonen next year after the conductor finishes his final, and 17th, season as music director.Cheap overseersThe Philharmonic worthily expands, changes, evolves, its work never finished. But while the Music Center is aglow over Disney Hall, it shows no pleasure writing checks. Anything the center can do on the cheap, it does. Disney is not well cared for. Wood on the curved walls of the BP Hall, where the packed pre-concert talks are given, is warping. Walking around the exterior Sunday, I noticed pigeons nesting in the crevices. The steel looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in places for a long time. The garden, originally -- dare I say it? -- a symphony of color, with exciting, exotic blooms each season, is now bland.To save a few million, the Music Center scrimped on the cafe, which is dark, overcrowded and the least inviting space in the building. But the biggest oversight was lighting the exterior of this ravishing structure at night.Gehry specifically chose a steel able to sustain images projected on it. He did not include a marquee. He felt the most exciting way to announce what is happening in the hall would be to project video of the concert on the outside walls, turning the building into a living billboard.Given that Salonen and Dudamel are the two most photogenic of today's great conductors, this could be an amazing way to make Disney the center of street life, especially once the Grand Avenue development across the street -- with its hotel, apartments, shops and restaurants -- is built.Right now, Disney is harshly lighted in a way that Gehry hates, and so do I. During daylight saving time, I find myself tempted to hike up the hill from The Times to concerts simply to enjoy the sight of the hall reflecting the sunset. In the winter, I prefer to drive because the lighting is so annoying.The Music Center has gotten an enormous payback from Disney and now is coasting on the hall's fame. With the fifth anniversary coming up in September, this is the time for the center to listen to Uncle Walt and stop slouching toward utopia. Stand up straight, treat the baby right, sign the bloody checks. Disney's capacity to provide endless pleasure is well proven. But a living, breathing city needs a living, breathing symbol.mark.swed@latimes.com
Chapter 11 in Neal Gabler's 2006 biography of Walt Disney is titled "Slouching Toward Utopia." It begins a couple of years after Disneyland opened in July 1955. So what did Walt do next? "Aglow over Disneyland," Gabler writes, "he was intent on expanding and improving it." Disney called the "city on the hill" his "baby," "a living and breathing thing" that would never be finished. He wanted a 150-foot Matterhorn, a monorail and submarines. He got out his checkbook. All this, Walt said, "gave him endless pleasure." Last Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Philharmonic completed its fifth season in the concert hall on the hill that Walt's money, if not Walt himself, built and that, in its own way, is slouching toward utopia. During intermission, audience members strolled in dappled sunlight in the garden. Inside, they cheered Esa-Pekka Salonen’s new Piano Concerto with unbridled enthusiasm.
Not everyone was happy about everything. One conspiracy-minded patron assured me that the drinking fountains on the second level weren't working because of a plot by the Patina Group, which runs the concessions in the hall. But even he agreed that a glorious concert in a glorious hall on a glorious day was worth the bother of $3 bottled water.Simply astonishingIn the five years that the Philharmonic has been playing in Walt Disney Concert Hall, it has become a better and bolder orchestra. The building itself, according to the Convention and Visitors Bureau, has replaced the Hollywood sign as the symbol of Los Angeles. No festivals occurred last month in Disney, just business as usual. But business as usual meant one astonishing concert by the Philharmonic, or under its auspices, after another. Salonen's programs moved from large late-Romantic works by Brahms, Wagner and Mahler through the 20th century of Hindemith, Stravinsky, Debussy, Dutilleux and Bartók to today, with his own concerto. (A new cello concerto by the British composer Oliver Knussen would have been included but was not finished.) The performances had the rich glow of golden-age music-making. The Philharmonic commissioned a new work from Canadian composer Derek Charke for the Kronos Quartet and the startlingly sensual Inuit singer Tanya Tagaq. The orchestra updated its Baroque series with Couperin heard through the ears of the stellar young British composer Thomas Adès, and it also commissioned a major new work for the Green Umbrella series from Adès and a video artist, Tal Rosner.The final recital in the organ series was turned over to the father of all Minimalists, Terry Riley, who bathed the organ, which he named Hurricane Mama, in psychedelic lights and communed with the cosmos, reaching a climax that may still have some molecules wiggling in the far corners of the hall. But the mystical way had been paved a few days earlier by pianist Peter Serkin, who, as a late replacement for the ailing Pierre-Laurent Aimard, began the process of bending space and time with two intense pieces by Messiaen, every note played as if it were a funnel to God.In Frank Gehry's architectural embrace of the future and in his reverence for traditional, illuminating acoustics, Disney made all this not only possible but also popular. Throughout May, the hall was full. Some people were turned away. The Philharmonic's daring did trouble several organ subscribers, who were quick with their e-mails; maybe Riley better belonged among the new music events. On the other hand, I heard from anti-Minimalist audience members who unwittingly found their socks knocked off. And there were at least a few spectators who subscribed to the organ series simply to get good seats for Riley and then discovered the pleasures of Bach and Messiaen. This is the real secret of the Disney and the Philharmonic magic. In some ways, the building may be the most modest, least innovative of all major modern concert venues. Its main job, once you're seduced inside, is to create a direct link between sound and its reception. The orchestra can hear itself. The audience has an immediate tactile connection with music that can be found only in the finest 19th century halls. The modernity of the setting, though, reminds us of the here and now, which makes new music feel right.And it is the depth of the Philharmonic's sense of tradition that has made it the most relevant orchestra in America, and probably anywhere. At Sunday's concert, Salonen bid farewell to three retiring veteran players -- bassoonist David Breidenthal, violist Arthur Royal and horn player Robert Watt -- noting that collectively they represented 124 years of service. Salonen said he had also calculated that he had played close to a thousand concerts with them. Their contribution, he declared, is now part of the Philharmonic DNA.From this foundation, the Philharmonic continues to build. A new viola player, Carrie Dennis, who will join the orchestra at the end of the summer, was on hand Sunday to play a big solo in the first movement of Salonen's concerto, a duet between her and pianist Yefim Bronfman, and she was riveting. Surely I don't need to tell you about Gustavo Dudamel, who will succeed Salonen next year after the conductor finishes his final, and 17th, season as music director.Cheap overseersThe Philharmonic worthily expands, changes, evolves, its work never finished. But while the Music Center is aglow over Disney Hall, it shows no pleasure writing checks. Anything the center can do on the cheap, it does. Disney is not well cared for. Wood on the curved walls of the BP Hall, where the packed pre-concert talks are given, is warping. Walking around the exterior Sunday, I noticed pigeons nesting in the crevices. The steel looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in places for a long time. The garden, originally -- dare I say it? -- a symphony of color, with exciting, exotic blooms each season, is now bland.To save a few million, the Music Center scrimped on the cafe, which is dark, overcrowded and the least inviting space in the building. But the biggest oversight was lighting the exterior of this ravishing structure at night.Gehry specifically chose a steel able to sustain images projected on it. He did not include a marquee. He felt the most exciting way to announce what is happening in the hall would be to project video of the concert on the outside walls, turning the building into a living billboard.Given that Salonen and Dudamel are the two most photogenic of today's great conductors, this could be an amazing way to make Disney the center of street life, especially once the Grand Avenue development across the street -- with its hotel, apartments, shops and restaurants -- is built.Right now, Disney is harshly lighted in a way that Gehry hates, and so do I. During daylight saving time, I find myself tempted to hike up the hill from The Times to concerts simply to enjoy the sight of the hall reflecting the sunset. In the winter, I prefer to drive because the lighting is so annoying.The Music Center has gotten an enormous payback from Disney and now is coasting on the hall's fame. With the fifth anniversary coming up in September, this is the time for the center to listen to Uncle Walt and stop slouching toward utopia. Stand up straight, treat the baby right, sign the bloody checks. Disney's capacity to provide endless pleasure is well proven. But a living, breathing city needs a living, breathing symbol.mark.swed@latimes.com
Ulrich Schnauss and Longview
Artist: Ulrich Schnauss and Longview
Genre(s):
Ambient
Discography:
What Happened When Longview And Ulrich Schnauss Converged
Year: 2003
Tracks: 4
Jack Black - Black My Baby Is Called Thomas - Not Jack
Actor JACK BLACK tricked the media into believing he had named his new baby son JACK.
After the star confirmed at the Cannes Film Festival in France (May08) that his wife Tanya had given birth to their second child "weeks ago", Black revealed the tot was named after him.
But the Kung-Fu Panda star forgot to reveal his real name is Thomas Jack Black - and the newborn baby is also called Thomas.
He explains the confusion, "I said I named the baby after me. I didn't say that my actual name is Thomas."
Black recently explained how the baby - a brother to Samuel, who is two this month (Jun08) - was born without anyone realising: "Nobody cares about my babies. It's all about Angelina's babies."
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