It almost feels silly to review an Eighties cover band, because it's one of the most widespread and commonplace genres of live music. How different could one band be from the next? But there's something special about Tainted Love. That magic is found somewhere between the crowd's rapt attention and Tainted Love's reckless onstage energy. At their show on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Harlow's in Sacramento, the band managed to transcend the ordinary genre of Eighties dance music, and put an extra zing into their show. It's not that I mind Eighties music - really, it's my favorite to dance to - but I never thought you could add much to the rhythmic, riff-heavy, synthesized music of Men Without Hats and Bon Jovi. In the music world, live concerts fall on a spectrum between two extremes. On one end, the music is perfectly recreated, as if played directly from the album. On the other end, the concert is a memorable show, full of live action and energy that an album just can't convey. But that Saturday, Tainted Love took the action in a new direction, moving with the audience and amplifying their energy. On one song after another, the entire...
"There's nothing like a band concert on a Friday night," exuded Dr. Eric Hammer at least twice during Friday's performance. Hammer, conductor of the University of the Pacific's Symphonic Wind Ensemble, was halfway correct. There's nothing like a good band concert, a distinction that Friday's concert clearly established. Hammer's Symphonic Wind Ensemble, in their typical fashion, delivered an engaging performance that captured the audience with its power. In the style that has come to be expected of Hammer, the band played with passion, excitement and intensity, even during the slow or quiet portions of its pieces. In contrast, the guest ensemble, U.C. Davis Symphonic Band, played a technically correct and largely unexciting set. The Davis Symphonic Band, under Peter Nowlen's direction, opened the concert with Shostakovich's Festive Overture. Even in transcription, Shostakovich's rich score possesses a transformative power, yet the Davis band played it entirely without energy. As the piece progressed, Nowlen drew occasional moments of conviction from the brass section, but none from the upper woodwinds. Tuning difficulties pervaded this entire performance, and the rendition seemed overly academic, without room for emotional expression. If the audience drew any enjoyment from this "festive" piece, it would have been from the...
The purpose of a symphony is, naturally, to delight the aural senses. The Marin Symphony in particular boasts a very talented chorus of 100 people, a unified and engaging orchestra, and various guest soloists which combine to create a delightful play of sound. On Jan. 31, the Symphony presented the works of Mozart and Brahms in an evening titled "The Bridge Between Here and Beyond." A pre-concert presentation featured author Roger Housden in conversation with conductor Alasdair Neale. They touched upon many subjects but the most memorable was Housden's recitation of a favorite poem of his which describes the relationships between love and the ethereal, correlating nicely with the title of the Symphony's feature presentation. After this brief pre-concert talk, audience members found their assigned seats and the concert began. The first half of the show was dedicated to Mozart's Requiem, K. 626, which adequately demonstrated the beautiful voices of the entire chorus and orchestra as well as those of four soloists, Helene Zindarsian (soprano), Anna Jablonski (mezzo soprano), Corey Head (tenor), and Jeffrey Fields (baritone). Zindarsian's performance was my favorite not only because of her gorgeous voice and delicate handling of notes, but even more so because of the...
Basketball and Jews? Truly not a connection that comes naturally to mind. But as the Golden State Warriors celebrated Jewish Heritage Night on Wednesday, Jewish fans had an extra reason to turn out - Omri Caspi, the first Israeli in the NBA, was playing for the visiting team. "Are you rooting for the Warriors or the Kings?" I asked a fan, sitting in the section for Camp Tawonga, a residential Jewish summer camp near Yosemite. She grinned, then replied "I'm rooting for the Israeli!" Indeed, Caspi started the game as the Sacramento Kings' highest scorer, then flatlined for the rest of their 130-98 loss to the Warriors. But that didn't stop Jewish fans from holding their breath every time he approached the basket. "I go to all the Giants' Jewish Heritage Nights," fan Lisa Halperin said, "so of course I had to go to the Warriors'. I'm excited about seeing the Israeli, whose name I don't know, play for the Sacramento Kings." Halperin watched the game from the Camp Tawonga section with her daughter Molly, a longtime Tawonga camper and staff member. Indeed, the entire Jewish community was out in force on Wednesday, taking over several sections of a spottily-filled...
Infected Mushroom's energy has the unique ability to transport any show to new heights. This was especially evident the night of Feb. 5, when the Mushroom followed three opening acts of various skill. Dyloot was the best of the three (more on that later), but even the best machine-based techno can't come anywhere close to the live band electronic show of Infected Mushroom. Jordan Hopstone, our sports editor, pinpointed the appeal of lead singer Duvdev: By raising a single hand, and moving it not three inches side-to-side, Duvdev can command massive motion from the entire crowd. The rest of the band is like that too. Keyboardist Erez Eisen, the other founding member, is the most subdued member of the group, but he plays his instantly-recognizable hooks with a quiet energy that drives the crowd to screaming. Guitarist Tom Cunningham attacks both his solos and his backing with the zeal of, well, a rock guitarist at a huge show. Duvdev delights in jumping around the stage, highlighting the members of the band as they perform their solos. But this show was more than just the combination of an energetic band and an enraptured audience. Rather, this show was about the synthesis...
So here we have it. Attending the symphony, I have decided, is the haven of all people-watching. Get there a little early, snuggle into your seat with someone you love, and prepare for a slightly better-dressed event of people-watching that can be compared only to the New York subway on New Years at midnight. Strange people, nice people, scared people, happy people. They got 'em all. Once you have taken your seat, and are armed with your information pamphlet, you can begin to get into the act. The act, of course, is to play the game of who is the best dressed, the richest, the youngest, the biggest age gap between a couple (this one's fun), who is the strangest-dressed, who is the strangest-dressed but pulls it off. It's all up for enjoyment. But let this be a warning: For those of you readers who did not know this about symphonies, be prepared to partake in this game whether you want to or not. People watching is a sport for all, by all. You cannot decide to not take part, for everyone else there is playing along. You are being watched whether you like it or not. Isn't it glorious? ...
