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Just a small town girl

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Country’s reigning queen has been just a little busy lately.

Miranda Lambert, crowned 2012’s Female Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association, has enough prestigious awards and nominations to stretch all the way to France, where she was nominated for chanteuse of the year in the 2010 French Country Music Awards.

Her hits range from “Gunpowder & Lead” and “White Liar” to “The House That Built Me,” “Heart Like Mine,” “Over You” and “Mama’s Broken Heart.” And she’s the very first artist to have her first four albums debut at the top of Billboard’s Country Music Albums Chart.

Already this year, she’s been co-headlining the Locked & Reloaded Tour with Dierks Bentley and launched a new CD and tour with her side project, Pistol Annies. She and Annies bandmates Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley were supposed to launch Riverside Casino’s Summer Concert Series June 28, but canceled all their June tour dates. Lambert will bring her solo show to the outdoor stage, instead.

“We may have been a little ambitious with time,” she says via email earlier this month. “After we booked the handful of dates, we realized we weren’t going to have enough time where we could all be together to rehearse a new show to be as good as we want it to be.”

Time is a precious commodity for Lambert, whose sizzling career is matched only by that of husband Blake Shelton. However, the Texas native who now calls Tishomingo, Okla., home graciously agreed to answer Hoopla’s questions between performing in the May 29 “Healing the Heartland” concert Shelton organized for Oklahoma tornado victims — and jetting off to Nashville to perform in the CMT Awards on June 5.

The details

 

Miranda Lambert (Photo: Joan Cose)

Q: You strike me as somebody who needs wide open spaces for you and your animals — what is your home like? With the town’s small population (just over 3,000 in the 2010 census), can you just let your hair down, walk around and be just another shopper at the grocery store?

A: Our house is just a house. It’s nothing fancy, just like me. I LOVE being on the farm with all our animals, and just getting to have a normal life when I get the chance. To the locals, Blake and I are just another neighbor down the street who they might see one day at the grocery store or the gas station and that’s the way we like it.

 

Q: From where do you draw inspiration for your songwriting? How has that evolved over the years?

A: I think every songwriter can only draw inspiration from their own personal experience and from the experiences of those around them. I know I’ve been questioned before about some of the harder edged songs I’ve written until you realize my parents used to be private investigators when I was younger, so I heard about all kinds of things that were happening to other people. It doesn’t need to be something that you’ve actually experienced, but it does help to have a perspective of whatever the subject is before you write.

 

Q: How do you stay true to your country roots and sound when it seems like a lot of emphasis is placed on being crossover hit makers among today’s young female country singer/songwriters?

A: Have you heard me talk? I don’t think anyone could confuse me with anything but country even if they tried. And that’s just the way I like it.

 

Q: Who have been your greatest musical mentors?

A: I have a lot of musical heroes I look up to. I love Merle Haggard. I love Dolly. I love Beyonce. You can figure out what those have in common … ha.

 

Q: What will we hear in your upcoming Riverside, Iowa, outdoor concert? What kind of band will you bring along?

A: I’m bringing the same band I’ve had from the start of this whole ride with me to Riverside and we’re gonna do our best to make sure everyone has a good time. We have a blast and I hope that translates every night to the audience.

 

Q: What keeps you on the road, connecting with your fans in live performances?

A: I love being on the road and doing live shows. There’s nothing like playing in front of an audience and having them respond and even sing your own songs back to you. How can you not feel great feeling the positive energies from thousands of people all at once? It’s hard being away from home and family, but that comes with the choice you make to be an entertainer.

 

Q: What do you hope they take away from spending an evening with you and your music?

A: I just want people to have a good time and enjoy a few hours away from whatever might be going on their lives that they could use a little break from. If they relate to something I sing about, even better.

 

Q: How do you and Blake keep the home fires burning when you have such active, separate careers?

A: Who said it involves fire?

 

Q: You’ve both won so many major industry awards — any friendly competition for accolades? What keeps you grounded?

A: No one is happier than I am when Blake wins an award, and that includes when we are competing. And he’s my biggest fan. So on the chance that we’re both nominated for the same thing, we just have fun with it.

 

Q: You’re just 29 and you’ve had such a remarkable career already — where do you see yourself five years from now, personally and professionally? What’s your next big goal?

A: I try not to project too far ahead. What’s happened in my career is so much more awesome than I ever imagined, I’m just trying to enjoy every moment and appreciate it.

 

Q: What different aspects of your soul are fed through your solo and Pistol Annies careers?

A: I’m not sure. Being able to write songs and have people appreciate and relate to them is just the most amazing job.

 

Q: What’s your idea of a great day?

A: A great day is when I can be at home the same day Blake is at home and we get to not be in show business for a bit, but just get to do stuff like fishing and playing with the dogs and the most simple things.

Fanilows: This one’s for you

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Barry Manilow performs at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL on January 20, 2011. (Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel)

 

Hello. My name is Diana, and I’m a Fanilow.

I’ve been this way since “Mandy” hit the airwaves in 1974, smack dab in the middle of my high school years, continued through my disco days and right on through the five or so Barry Manilow concerts I saw in the ’80s and ’90s, including his last Cedar Rapids gig in 1997.

I’m not seeking a cure.

Manilow wrote the songs that made the whole world sing, and I’ll be happy to (quietly) sing them again June 22, when he makes his triumphant return to the U.S. Cellular Center, hot off his Broadway concert run. He says he considers his fans his friends, so he promises to play all the hits we want to hear, like “Weekend in New England,” “It’s a Miracle,” “Could It Be Magic,” “Looks Like We Made It,” “I Made it Through the Rain,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” and on and on through more than 50 pop hits, putting him in an elite league with Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Neil Diamond and Elvis Presley.

After singing all those songs around the dorm piano, my college BFF and will finally be seeing him together, and we couldn’t be giddier.

The details

My Millennial coworkers don’t get it. The Gen-Xers who sit by me can name some tunes. More than 100 of my Boomer friends, however, went crazy on Facebook, “liking” and commenting on my posts before and after my phone interview with him at the end of May.

In this dream job, I’ve interviewed a lot of international stars, which I try to take in stride. Sometimes, however, I just get squirrelly shortly before an interview. With Manilow, I was squirrelly all morning. (My editor reminded me that with Harry Connick Jr., I was squirelly for a whole year, which is a total exaggeration. It was just four months that probably seemed like a year to my colleagues.)

So why does Manilow — who turned 70 on June 17 — have such a hold on my heart? Because he did write the songs that made the whole world sing. Songs that were fresh and new on the ’70s and ’80s pop scene. Songs that stand the test of time and tell a story we still want to hear, because he listened so carefully to all the stories he heard as New York’s hottest accompanist in the ’60s. (He also wrote the jingles we all still sing, like “I am stuck on Band-Aids” … “You deserve a break today” … “Like a good neighbor” … and many others.)

“There were so many years before I made records, that I was a conductor and an arranger and a pianist for singers in New York City. I was the go-to piano player. I’m not that great of a piano player, like with classical music or flourishes, but I’m a great accompanist. I sound like a whole band,” Manilow says by phone from his home in Palm Springs, Calif.

“I played for everybody in New York when I was younger, and I learned from them. I played for singers that would sing in cabarets all over the city. I played for auditions for people who were great singers in Broadway shows, and I learned from them. I learned what I do from those people. I admired the great orchestra arrangers like Nelson Riddle and Don Costa. Those were my heroes, so when I wound up making music, those were the influences in my life,” he says.

“I took all of that and put that into the pop songs that I made for the radio. That was, I guess, a new sound for the pop radio — modulations, big endings, interpreting a lyric, writing a lyric that was more emotional than many of the other songwriters. … I don’t think the audiences knew that, but they knew there was something different about my records than the other guys’ records — and it was because of all those influences when I was younger.”

Growing up in Brooklyn, he learned to read music by playing accordion, the only instrument his family could afford. The turning point came in his teens, when his stepfather rented a piano.

“From that moment on, I was a piano player,” Manilow says.

He joined his school orchestra, where his talent flourished. After graduation, he worked as a mailboy at CBS by day so he could attend Juilliard by night for a couple of years.

Those pivotal beginnings sparked The Manilow Music Project, in which he invites audience members to bring unwanted instruments to his concert venues. They’re collected, refurbished and given to the host city districts to distribute to area schools.

He started the initiative about eight years ago, after one of his southern California friends said his daughter wanted to play sax, but because of budget cuts, the high school didn’t have instruments for the kids. Manilow did a little digging and was dismayed to learn that’s a problem sweeping the nation.

“They’re either cutting music and art classes, which is killing me, or the schools that do have music classes are running out of instruments,” Manilow says. “I thought, I just have to do something.”

The Manilow Music Project began as a fundraising initiative under his longstanding educational support organization, The Manilow Fund for Health & Hope, but this year, Manilow started asking audience members to donate instruments that are just collecting dust at home.

“We’ve been getting over a hundred instruments in every city, so I think maybe we’re making a dent,” says the Emmy, Tony and Grammy winner who is just paying it forward.

“I started off coming from the slums of Brooklyn, New York, and I don’t know what I would have done if didn’t join that orchestra class in my high school. I wouldn’t be talking to you today. That orchestra class showed me where I belonged. That might be happening to some young people right now, but if they don’t have music classes, then they may be in bad shape.”

He says teachers and principals tell him that when kids go to music classes, “their grades go up and they learn how to interact with other people.”

“They become better students in music classes. I know how important that it is — it’s not just playtime. So hopefully, we’re doing some good.”

To contribute, the public can trade a new or gently used musical instrument for free tickets to Manilow’s June 22nd concert. Donations will be accepted through June 21st.

The pop icon is also donating a Yamaha piano to launch a local instrument drive for the Cedar Rapids Public Schools.

“The Cedar Rapids Community School District appreciates the opportunity to be part of Mr. Manilow’s program in support of student arts programming, said Dr. David Benson, Superintendent. The donated instruments will benefit students in need across the District, allowing greater participation in our many fine instrumental music programs.”

The Manilow Music Project (MMP) is part of The Manilow Fund for Health and Hope. It was formed as a grass roots organization to assist local charities and programs. Its primary focus is to provide musical instruments to high schools and middle schools and to provide music scholarships at universities throughout the US, Canada, and the UK. More information on the Manilow Music Project can be found here.

“I’m thrilled to be able to help bring the gift of music to these kids,” states Manilow.

The Manilow Music Project

Living with Floods

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Preservation Hall Jazz  Band and Hancher are indelibly linked, not only because the New Orleans jazz masters were the first touring musicians to help open Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City in 1972, but because the two river city institutions share the same scars — and the same unwavering spirit.

“In New Orleans, we have a way of celebrating life and we have a way of celebrating even at times when you’d think it’s impossible to celebrate, it’s impossible to find anything redeeming about the circumstance. And yet at probably one of the most difficult times of our lives, such as the passing of a loved one, at a funeral we play music,” says Ben Jaffe, 42, of New Orleans, creative director of the venerated Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He’s also a tuba and double-bass player with the band his late father founded 50 years ago.

“Most people can’t understand how you can play joyous music at this very somber, sad time. The truth is, to us it’s a celebration of the person’s life. It’s not a time to mourn. It’s a time to mourn AND celebrate. That’s what makes New Orleans to me, such a vital part of our country,” he says.

“There’s so much to be learned in that — to be able to find something to look forward to, something that helps you get through the day. Something that helps you wake up in the morning, something that allows you to sleep peacefully at night. That’s what New Orleans celebrates. It’s what got us through one of most difficult, challenging, hard times of our lives.” One that etched deep scars on a city and its people still in recovery from Hurricane Katrina’s 2005 devastation.

The band will bring its jubilant sound to a seven-city tour of Iowa this month, as the musical centerpiece of Hancher’s “Living With Floods” initiative. Free outdoor concerts will be staged in Des Moines on June 7, Council Bluffs on June 8, Muscatine on June 11, Brucemore in Cedar Rapids on June 13, Davenport on June 14, the UI Pentacrest in Iowa City on June 15 and Dubuque on June 16.

The details

Born out of conversations between Hancher and the University of Iowa College of Engineering in February 2011, “Living With Floods” is a UI interdisciplinary effort designed to spark flood education for middle- and high school teachers and students; community forums on flood recovery and mitigation programs; STEM science, technology, engineering and math festivals for young people; and artistic connections with the seven concert cities impacted by the Floods of 2008 in Eastern Iowa and on the state’s western border in 2011.

Partnering with Hancher and the College of Engineering are  the UI College of Education and its Interdisciplinary Flood Institute, the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, the Iowa Flood Center, the State Hygienic Laboratory and iExploreSTEM, all housed or initiated at the UI.

“One part of the strategic plan is improving the lives of Iowans. This definitely is right in line” with Hancher’s mission “on so many levels,” Chuck Swanson, Hancher’s executive director, says. “There’s so much in terms of the educational part. From a cultural standpoint, I love the idea of mixing the sciences with the arts. That’s a really important part of this project. In this particular case, it works so well. It just seemed so natural. It just fit together extremely well. We didn’t have to explain it to anybody — everybody got it right on.

“We are the University of Iowa, we’re not the University of Iowa City. I love traveling 300 miles from here and talking about the University of Iowa. What’s great about it, is you come to these communities and there are so many alums and there are so many people care deeply about the University of Iowa. When you can connect and then bring wonderful things to their community, it’s quite magical. It’s very important for us to get out there and be connecting throughout the state, and what love more than anything is when can do it together as a team. And also, it builds camaraderie with the different areas of the university,” Swanson says.

The floods are “a big thing to commemorate,” he says. “Some of us are still living with floods. I know there’s a lot of people in Cedar Rapids that are. Then take a look at Hancher — we’re still living with floods every day,” with the new Hancher facility not expected back before fall 2016.

Bringing Preservation Hall Jazz Band onboard also was most appropriate.

“Their music is so joyous (with) such a sense of celebration, that I really feel like this a perfect way for us to commemorate that five-year anniversary — and in Council Bluffs, the two-year anniversary,” Swanson says, as well as to close out Hancher’s 40th anniversary season.

“It’s so fitting for outdoors, and it’s so fitting for community spirit, and it’s just so fitting to be able to celebrate the collaboration that’s happened with a part of this project — how many people have come together to make a difference in the lives of people in each one of these communities.

“We chose the right artists,” Swanson says. “They’re so geared up. They are really excited because of what this is all about.”

Music has been a lifeline for Jaffe and his hometown. It’s what got them through the hurricane floods that wiped out people’s lives, homes, livelihoods and history.

“It’s still difficult and personal and very close  to our hearts,” Jaffe says. “It’s something you’ll never heal from completely, but something that becomes part of your identity, that’s where we’re at with it.”

The floods closed Preservation Hall — home to half a century of the region’s greatest jazz sounds — for a year. It took a full five years to restore this historic building to its pre-Katrina days, Jaffe says.

“In the physical rebuilding of a city, there’s two things that take place simultaneously. One is a physical rebuilding and the other is the rebuilding of the community and the part of yourself that gets lost in the storm — the memories, the personal effects — they get lost in the storm,” Jaffe says.

“In the case of New Orleans, we not only physically lost a lot of our history, but we also lost individuals and families and that part of our community, as well. They estimated that about 80 percent of our city had to be rebuilt, as a result of the hurricane,” he says.

“That’s just something that it’s hard to even wrap your mind around — the extent of that damage. You can’t even prepare yourself for it. You think of the devastation of one house burning down, and how that impacts a neighborhood, and then you think about an entire neighborhood disappearing. It’s something that takes years and years of dedication and hard and diligent commitment. There are still parts of our city that we’re still in process of rebuilding. What I am happy to say is that the hard work does pay off. It not only makes physically, parts of the city stronger and better, but it also, in our case, made our community stronger,” he says.

And yet a certain fear still bubbles up with extreme rains and flood warnings.

“You never get over that,” Jaffe says. “Katrina was in 2005 and you still have moments where you’re pushed to brink of exhaustion.  Families are still torn apart as a result of that. It’s something that you never completely heal from. It just becomes like a scar, something that becomes part of your identity as a person.”

Even in their darkest hours, however, New Orleans musicians have shown the world how to find the spirit to move on.

“When thinking about this (Iowa) residency — what we can offer musically and what it was that got us through these times — music was something we looked forward to. It was all we had,” he says. “That’s something that we’ve never forgotten. When we started talking about being a part of this (Hancher) celebration of this anniversary — of this rechristening, this rebirth — where it feels like you have these moments where you start over — that’s what our music does.”

The Iowa tour also gets back to New Orleans jazz roots.

“We’ll be playing outdoors, we’re going to be playing at fairs, we’re going to be playing by the river, we’re going to be playing at all these different places,” Jaffe says. “I thought to myself, that’s exactly what we do in New Orleans. We don’t even need electricity — we just show up and start playing. That’s what’s so beautiful about it.

“The flood actually put us back in touch with something that has existed in New Orleans, but often has been forgotten — that our music, literally, is generated by us, by human beings,” he says. “We’ve become so reliant on electricity just to get us through the day, what happens when it’s gone? It was gone in New Orleans for so long. It was gone for almost six months, and how do you survive on something that really nourishes your soul? That’s what music has done.”

Related event: Arts & Minds: A Celebration of Partnership, 3:30 p.m. June 14, UI East Pentacrest, downtown Iowa City; free public event honoring campus, state and federal partners whose dedicated efforts are bringing world-class arts facilities to Iowa. Featuring Preservation Hall Jazz Band, remarks by university and government leaders, and performances and exhibits from students in UI arts programs. Bring seating.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Photo: Clint Maedgen)

REVIEW: Cirque du Soleil brings magic of mind and body to ‘Quidam’

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Quidam performer Ardee Dionisio, known as The Target in the show captures a balloon in a cage above the stage at the end of the first act on Thursday evening, June 6, 2013 at the recently renovated U.S. Cellular Center. Thursday was opening night for the Cirque du Soleil show, it runs through Sunday, June 9. (Photo: Kelsey Kremer/Hoopla)

CEDAR RAPIDS – Cirque du Soleil’s “Quidam” is tres French, tres exotic — and equal parts fun and creepy.

At the forefront of bringing European-style circus to global audiences, the Montreal-based company staged a triumphant opening Thursday night (6/6) at the U.S. Cellular Center, drawing cheers, whistles and a standing ovation from the nearly sold-out crowd.

With the massive front- and backstage configurations, arena officials said capacity is a little over 3,000, and the opening night audience numbered just under 3,000. Performances continue at various times through 1 p.m. Sunday.

This is my third Cirque experience, and it’s very different from the previous outings. This one seems to have more of a “story” and fewer heart-stopping moments, but still plenty of “gasp” attacks and captivating feats of jaw-dropping artistry and skill.

What you need to know:

  • What: Cirque du Soleil presents “Quidam”
  • When: Through June 9, 2013; 7:30 p.m. Friday, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday
  • Where: U.S. Cellular Center, 370 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids
  • Tickets: $35 to $98

 

“Quidam” is the tale of a young girl bored with reality in her sterile, expressionless home. She journeys to an imaginary realm, shepherded by a tall, headless man carrying an umbrella and a blue bowler hat. Zoe’s other companions are  the clownish, wordless ringmaster named John and a completely fanciful, otherworldy imp named The Target, with spirals painted on his costume and nose.

It’s like they’ve landed on another planet, inhabited with gray zombie acrobats; strangely unnerving characters clad head to toe in white industrial jumpsuits, with only their eyes showing; graceful gazelles twisting through space; sculpted physiques displaying unnatural strength; contortionists with no bones; and Boum Boum, a huge, skeletal man with deathly hollow eyes, who creates thunder and lightning with the bash of his boxing gloves.

“It’s scary, it’s scary,” a friend’s 3-year-old daughter told me afterward. But she was grinning from ear to ear, so I doubt that she had any bad dreams afterward. Another friend’s 5-year-old daughter liked it a lot, but she started to zone out during a lengthy adult-themed movie-making pantomime in the second half. This bit required audience participation from some very good sports, but was a little more ribald than I would expect in a family show. My mom-friends assured me the physical gestures that had the adults guffawing went right over their kids’ heads.

Street performers — on a boulevard all their own — peppered the first half with a carnival atmosphere mesmerizing Zoe and the audience. We’re reeled into a world of dazzling costumes and supreme artistry, from the somersaults in the giant rolling German Wheel to Chinese yo-yos and the intricate blur of rope jumping on the revolving stage floor, right up to the aerial contortions on silk panels and hoops hanging from the curved grid rafters.

The second half features physical strength and control that defy gravity and elicit gasps and applause at every turn. Slow and measured movements from hand-stands to neck-stands ripple through the female artist balancing on hand blocks atop canes and the male/female duo creating statues by morphing slow and measured movements into utterly impossible poses.

More aerial artists overhead and flying through the air from human pyramids on the ground bring the human circus full circle.

Every moment is a kaleidoscope of color, with the most wildly imaginative costumes, wigs, headpieces and lighting. Beyond a few primal voicings and choral washes of sound, no words are uttered. And none are needed, as a seven musicians propel the action through many moods and styles, from classical to avant garde.

Everywhere you look, your gaze falls on something fascinating — a twirling dancer in a Marie Antoinette wig or highly stylized clowns moving on the periphery — taking you on a most magical journey.

REVIEW: Lady A “Owned the Night”

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Lady Antebellum performs at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids on June 1, 2013. (Kaitlyn Bernauer/Gazette-KCRG9)

CEDAR RAPIDS — I thought Lady Antebellum was the wrong choice for reopening our renovated U.S. Cellular Center arena Saturday night (6/1/13).

I thought wrong. Lady A was the perfect band to welcome back the state’s second-largest concert venue, revitalized by an $85 million facelift that includes a convention center complex that ups our urban chic ante in a most glorious way.

Nothing looks familiar as you enter the new complex. Having the expanded concession area at the top of the main stairway and escalator makes for a bit of a bottleneck, but not a mad crush of humanity. Note for next time: as you go around the periphery to find your seating section, plenty more concession and beverage stands await.

Once you get inside the seating area, it feels like home again — just so much better. New padded seats in blue and gray are so much more comfy. But seriously people, do you really have to climb on them, over them and put your feet up on them already? Have you no manners, no respect? Can’t we have anything nice? I guess it’s all par for the course from the people who kept me hopping up and down all night, as they slid past me for beer after beer and the ensuing bathroom breaks. They should have just brought a keg and a bunch of straws.

But back to the music. I questioned the wisdom of bringing in a band that has made six trips to the region since 2008 — including a 2011 concert at the Great Jones County Fair in Monticello and a 2012 stop at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. But after seeing the show and the 6,500 fans’ reactions last night, the country crossover darlings could probably fill all the seats again next week, too.

Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood and their band not only make great hits with no misses, they’re just really, really nice to their audience. Genuine, humble performers deserve to find their trajectory, catapult to stardom and stay there.

Scott, who is due to have a baby girl in mid-July, rocked some killer heels and serious bling. She looked gorgeous and strutted right alongside the boys, who were sweetly protective and affectionate with “our girl.” She seemed to be relishing one of their final concerts before they all take a baby break.

They launched their 90-minute hit parade with their latest chart-topper, “Downtown,” from the new “Golden” album. This upbeat, kicky crowd pleaser featured a very slick video mix of city scenes and live shots, with bands of yellow, fuchsia and teal bending in a diagonal sweep across the big screen behind the band. This mix of high tech and high talent exceeded my already high expectations from a band with seven Grammys and a gazillion other industry awards.

Next up was the slower, more emotionally intense “Goodbye Town,” the second cut off the new album, followed by a beautiful acoustic take on “Dancin’ Away With My Heart.”

Charles Kelley charms the crowd as Lady Antebellum reopens the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids on June 1, 2013. (Kaitlyn Bernauer/Gazette-KCRG9)

Tall, hunky Charles Kelley danced away with every female fan’s heart. He is the ultimate frontman, oozing sex appeal, charm, gorgeous vocals and just enough aw-shucks humility to keep that hot mix grounded. Dave Haywood brings his A-game harmonies, guitar, piano and mandolin to the trio’s endless talent pool.

Scott stepped into the solo spotlight next, standing at the front of the T-shaped stage and talking about our floods, Nashville’s flood three years ago, and the resilient spirit that keeps us coming back. She and her bandmates dotted the entire evening with this kind of personal connection through words and music, turning song after song into a giant singalong.

Some highlights:

* Gorgeous tight harmonies on “It Ain’t Pretty”

* The almost honky-tonk feel of “Perfect Day”

* The huge crossover hit, “Just a Kiss” (and later, a tender belly kiss from Scott’s husband, drummer Chris Tyrrell)

* An unplugged version of “Golden,” the new album’s title track, with lush harmonies that segued seamlessly into Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide” (most appropriate since the band just did a “dream” project with her)

* “American Honey,” with a sweet, nostalgic montage of the band’s childhood family photos

* An old-timey, a cappella  opening to “I Run to You”

* The raucous “last song,” “Lookin’ for a Good Time,” which of course, wasn’t really their last song. The deafening din of 6,500 unison screams brought them back with Haywood’s beautiful solo piano intro on “Need You Now”

* And the final final song, “We Owned the Night.” They did indeed.

The only slightly downside was the perennially problematic vocals v. instrumentals mix. While it’s really not unusual for instruments to drown out vocals in almost any arena setting, you really had to know the band’s music to grasp the lyrics. This sentiment was echoed by one of my colleagues, who attended the concert for local history’s sake.

But hey, it was a grand reopening, ushered in with a welcome from Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett, followed by a fascinating video look at the facility site’s footprint through the years, so we really did get a feel for the concert’s place in history.

The one truly unfortunate aspect of the evening was opening act The Last Ride. This Minneapolis band features lead vocals by Cedar Rapids native Tony Winkler. I swear he didn’t find a single correct pitch, making me anxiously await The Last Ride’s last song for a full 30 minutes. That was painful.

NEXT UP

Cirque du Soleil’s “Quidam” from June 6 to 9

Barry Manilow in concert at 7:30 p.m. June 22

WWE Live at 7:30 p.m. June 29

Details and tickets: uscellularcenter.com/events.html

 

 

REVIEW: ‘Rock of Ages’ struts through the ’80s any way you want it

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The second national tour of Broadway's "Rock of Ages" brought the explosive energy of the 1980s to the Paramount Theatre stage in Cedar Rapids on May 23, 2013. (Scott Suchman photo)

CEDAR RAPIDS — “Rock of Ages” was so much more fun than I remembered.

The national tour of the musical that stormed Broadway in 2009 hit the Paramount stage with its best shot Thursday night (5/23/13). It took a wildly cheering sold-out crowd on a 2-1/2 hour wild ride back in time, when every day was Halloween in the flashy, trashy 1980s.

I saw the show in Des Moines in April 2011, and while my archived review indicates that I liked it, I didn’t love it as much as I loved last night’s production.

I thought perhaps the difference was having an Eastern Iowa native and University of Northern Iowa alum in a lead role, with Monticello grad Jacob Smith, 30, strutting through nightclub owner/stoner Dennis Dupree. However, the 2011 tour had Dubuque native/UNI grad Travis Walker in the flamboyant featured role of Franz.

So what made this production so much better? Maybe the Paramount’s more intimate, ornate 1,700-seat venue framed it better than the larger, more modern 2,735-seat Civic Center in Des Moines. I don’t know. I felt much closer to the action last night, but shows always feel special in Des Moines, too.

I think it comes down to energy. If the 2011 production possessed the same kind of electricity as last night’s ensemble, I would have remembered it more fondly and would have been more eager to see it again.

I can probably count on one hand the number of shows I really want to see again. Imagine my surprise when I was totally blown away by last night’s show. I didn’t see that coming.

Eastern Iowa native Jacob Smith, a graduate of Monticello High School and the University of Northern Iowa, strutted his way through the leading role of nightclub owner Dennis Dupree in "Rock of Ages" at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids on May 23, 2013. (Scott Suchman photo)

I loved everything about it. The music, the band, the strong principal actors, the high-kicking ensemble, the clothing, the hair, the wigs and makeup, but above all, the story.

Unlike other musicals built around the popular sounds of a band or an era, nothing feels contrived about “Rock of Ages.” This is one show that — refreshingly — feels like the story came first and the songs were chosen to fit, enhance and elevate the action, instead of vice versa.

I also think I liked the naivete of last night’s lead actor, Dominique Scott, better than “American Idol” star Constantine Maroulis in the role of Drew, the Detroit native working as a barback in Dupree’s seedy Sunset Strip club, The Bourbon Room. Maroulis is by far a better singer and exudes exotic sensuality, but Scott seems more like the shy boy-next-door dreaming of being a rock star, while slinging trash bags filled with vomit and writing dippy lyrics.

Shannon Mullen was infinitely adorable and sad as Sherrie, the Kansas innocent who steps off the bus in Hollywood hoping to land in a movie, but instead, lands in a downward spiral from Bourbon Room waitress to fading rock-star’s one-night-stand to pole-bumping lap dancer (Sherrie never quite got the hang of the pole, but her slutty twisted sisters did, indeed.)

It’s the classic story of boy meets girl, boy declares friendship instead of love, dreams are dashed then walk hand-in-hand in a new direction, set to a glam rock/metal soundtrack from Styx, Poison, Bon Jovi, Pat Benetar, Journey and more. Sherrie and Drew’s dating drama plays out against the demolition drama of zealots who want to tear down the city built on rock and roll and make the Sunset Strip respectable, in the way Times Square blossomed from seedy degradation to a tourist mecca wrapped in neon lights.

“Rock of Ages” is a costume designer’s dream, a sort of modern-day Renaissance faire of stock characters — the punk with a mohawk, the KISS wannabe, the wenches clad more scantily than Madonna, the acid-washed jeans, the sparkly T-shirts and the glittering lame.

The choreography is as incendiary and explosive as the music. Amazingly, for a big burly guy, Smith dances really well, leaping with a grace that belies his macho stature. Offstage, he’s not quite so big and burly, but the way he embodies his larger-than-life persona fills the stage. With a wild wig of nearly waist-length curls, leather fringed vest and bell bottoms, he struts like a young Ted Nugent.

His partner in duets, the ever-present narrator Lonny (played with gusto and gas by Justin Colombo) looks and acts like Jack Black — lewd, crude and hilarious.

The Paramount’s multigenerational crowd embraced every aspect of this rock ‘n’ roll extravaganza, clapping, dancing and screaming louder than the music. The entire evening was nothin’ but a good time, from beginning to end.

 

Related story: Broadway musical will “rock” Cedar Rapids

Broadway musical will “rock” Cedar Rapids

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Jacob Smith by any other name would be — Dennis.

The last time we saw the Monticello native onstage, he was a Dennis. Next week, we’ll see him be a Dennis again.

But neither of these Dennises are menaces. Smith was knightly Sir Dennis Galahad when the national tour of “Monty Python’s Spamalot” played at his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa, in January 2012. This time, he’s Dennis Dupree nightly in the national tour of “Rock of Ages,” coming to the Paramount Theatre on May 23.

“This Dennis is very, very different from the other Dennis,” Smith, 30, now based in New York, says by phone from a recent tour stop in Shreveport, La. “Dennis Dupree is basically a relic from late ’60s and early ’70s. He’s seen it all, he’s done it all, he’s been around the block a few times. He’s the owner of the bar where ‘Rock of Ages’ takes place, and really, really likes to indulge in the extracurricular activities, if you know what I mean.”

Enlighten us.

“He’s a big pot smoker; I show that a little bit in the show,” Smith says. “But for the most part, though, he’s a really cool guy. He’s very down to earth, he’s very chill — he’s not somebody you necessarily want to cross or upset, but for the most part, he’s really easy-going — a real stereotypical ’70s hippie kind of guy, like ‘Hey man, how ya doin’, what’s goin’ on.”

What’s going on is a rock ‘n’ roll trip through the music of Smith’s childhood — the overindulgent ’80s where big hair and sparkly clothes ruled both sexes, and musicians proved their mettle from glam to metal.

Built on  hits from Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Pat Benatar, Poison and their ilk, the 2009 Tony-nominated musical takes audiences back to 1987 on the Sunset Strip, where a naive girl with stars in her eyes steps off the bus and quickly finds out she’s not in Kansas anymore. Instead of landing a big role in Hollywood, she lands a job waiting tables at Dupree’s seedy club and hooks up with the busboy, a wannabe rocker. Their dreams and their loves harden their hearts until they just can’t fight their feelings in the heat of the moment.

“It’s a good time, it’s not deep theater,” Smith says. “You’re not going to see ‘Hamlet,’ you’re not going to see ‘Camelot.’  You’re going to see some of the most awesome rock songs from the ’80s with a great script, a lot of humor. It’s a great show for especially guys who aren’t necessarily into musical theater or haven’t really seen a lot of theater, because of the humor. The girls are gorgeous and the songs are just awesome.”

The details

But he warns that parents should think twice before bringing kids younger than 12 or 13 to this event filled with ‘80s excesses.

“There’s drug use in the show, there’s some very scantily clad ladies, there’s some foul language and a lot of sexual references that are really not appropriate for young kids. Everybody else going to have a blast,” he says.

He’s been a little worried about having his family see the show — including parents Joel and Sally Smith of Troy Mills. His mom saw it in Chicago and survived, so now he’s looking forward to seeing other familiar faces in the Cedar Rapids crowd, including his dad, and having them see “a really, really fun show.”

“It’s going to be a  bit of an eye opener for them, because I’ve never really done a role like this,” he says.

“When my mom came to see it for first time, I had to warn her, ‘Mom, I say some bad words on”stage and I smoke pot onstage. I don’t really smoke pot, but it looks like I smoke pot. And the girls are strippers. I’m really sorry, but this is my job.’ She was totally cool with it. She was fine, but I wasn’t prepared for that — to have my mother see me do something like that.”

 

Related:

 

♪ “Rock of Ages” Trivia:

 

♫ On July 1, 2009, after a matinee performance of “Rock of Ages,” the Broadway cast set a new Guinness World Record for what?

— It broke the Guinness World Record for the Largest Air Guitar Ensemble. A total of 810 participants, including audience members and fans make this record happen. It shattered the previous record of 440 people playing air guitar simultaneously.

 

♫ During the 2009 Tony Awards, what rock star was injured while performing with the Broadway cast of “Rock of Ages?”

— Bret Michaels of the band Poison was knocked down by a set piece that broke his nose.

 

 ♫ What Broadway star originated the lead role of Sherrie in the original Los Angeles production of “Rock of Ages?” Hint: She also played the lead in the Broadway production of “Legally Blonde.”

— Answer: Laura Bell Bundy.

 

♫ Chris D’Arienzo, the author of the book for “Rock of Ages” is also an actor. He appeared in a couple episodes of this popular 1990s sit-com. Name the TV show. Hint: The show is named after the first name of this gay comic and actress.

— Answer: “Ellen”

 

♫ “Rock of Ages”was made into a New Line Cinema film directed by Adam Shankman. What other film musical based on a hit Broadway show did he direct?

— Answer: “Hairspray” starring John Travolta.

 

♫ “Rock of Ages” was first produced in Los Angeles at what type of venue?

— Answer: At a Los Angeles night club called the Vanguard Hollywood in 2006.

 

♫ Name two songs in “Rock of Ages” that were first introduced by Pat Benatar.

— Answer: ”Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” and “Shadows of the Night”

Rope jumper skips merrily through ‘Quidam’

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CEDAR RAPIDS — The aerialists will spin and float among the rafters. Other artists will have their feet on the ground — sort of.

Adrienn Banhegyi (pronounced “bahn/edgy”) stands on the cutting edge of rope jumping. She gave area media reps and VIPS a sneak peek today (5/21/13) at the fancy footwork that raises her athletic artistry light-years above the playground and into the realm of Cirque du Soleil’s elite performers.

She and her super troupe will bring Cirque’s “Quidam” extravaganza from June 6 to 9 at the renovated U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids.

The details

We’ve been dazzled by Cirque’s shows before: “Alegria” in March 2010 and “Saltimbanco” in April 2008.

“Saltimbanco” — my first Cirque experience — left me breathless: “If you enter this world … be prepared to buy a pop and hold your breath,” I wrote in my 2008 review. “You’ll need the pop to soothe your throat from all the cheering and gasping, and you won’t be able to breathe through all of Act 2. … This is the best circus you’ll ever see. And perhaps the most spectacular show of any kind you’ll ever see.”

I also called it “the hottest ticket that’s ever been in town.” I was right. That show remains the highest grossing ticket-sales event in the Cell Center’s history.

I was equally dazzled by “Alegria” in 2010: “All of the feats are amazing, from the sheer power of the hand balancing and the fluid finesse of the contortionists to the dizzying whirl of the performer spinning around the stage in a giant silver wheel. But it’s the death-defying acts that stir you to the very core,” I wrote in my review. “… Behind all this action are magnificent musicians and singers, joining forces with all the other elements to create a circus to the maximus.”

I have high expectations for “Quidam,” as well. The producers say it “pays tribute to individuality; to the uniqueness of each human being. It relates the story of a young girl who feels ignored by her parents. To escape her reality, she slides into an imaginary world where she meets characters who help her discover her true personality.”

Those characters include aerialists, acrobats, trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, world-class street performers and niche skill artists like Banhegyi, 29, who has been skipping rope at a high level since age 9.

Her father, a physical education teacher and professional soccer player in her native Hungary, saw a film featuring double-dutch jumping and thought it would be a good way to build balance and muscle control for his students with special needs. He encouraged both of his daughters to get involved, as well.

“First, it was just a family activity to work on our coordination and conditioning a little bit, then we found out that there is a federation not only in Hungary, but also internationally, for jump rope, and then we started to attend competitions,” she says.

When federation officials found out Cirque was looking for professional jump rope artists, they emailed Banhegyi, encouraging her to hop onboard. So about 8 years ago, she sent in an audition video to Cirque’s headquarters in Montreal. She and her sister were invited to a formal audition in France, to demonstrate their flexibility, strength and skipping routine.

About 3 1/2 years ago, Banhegyi was offered a performance contract and joined a Cirque show in New York, then moved to the “Quidam” cast in April 2011. She is one of two solo jumpers, who also join forces with other artists to create the group rope jumping segments of the show.

“We have the pleasure to work with the acrobats and incorporate them into our jump rope act,” she says. “You can see all sorts of variations, combined with acrobatics, speed manipulation, long rope, double-dutch, single rope, so it’s a whole different level. It’s just playground — what you can actually see in the real life, but at a very professional level.”

And in a colorful velvety costume and stylized makeup that takes her 45 minutes to apply.

She and the “Quidam” troupe tour year-round, taking two-week breaks every 10 to 12 weeks. She’s now based in Prague, and is looking forward to checking out Czech Village during her Cedar Rapids stay.

Being part of a traveling troupe is “an interesting life,” she says. “There are challenges, but most of the time, it is fun.”

She enjoys her fellow artists and is hoping to stay with Cirque as long as her body allows. She also enjoys sharing her artistry with the children she meets along the way.

“It’s a nice inspiration for them to see how much more you can get out of it,” she says. “Probably they go home and grab a jump rope and try a couple of the tricks that they saw.”

Related: Cirque Du Soliel coming to Cedar Rapids

REVIEW: ‘SPANK!’ makes sold-out Paramount audience cry with laughter

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Danielle Trzcinski is all wide-eyed innocence as virginal Tasha Woode in "SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody," which had female fans swooning Friday night (5/10/13) at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids. (Timn Greenway photo)

CEDAR RAPIDS — A full house of (mostly) female fans yelped and screamed throughout “SPANK!” last night (5/10/13) at the Paramount Theatre.

They weren’t in pain — although some of the singing and writing was purposely painful. Instead, this “Fifty Shades of Grey” theatrical parody makes its audience writhe in laughter.

I see no Tony Awards in its future. It’s more like a two-hour “Saturday Night Live” sketch with plenty of bumping, grinding and naughty bits, punctuated by pop songs with “new” trashy lyrics. “Tainted Love” is the perfect theme song for this show — a bit of fan-fic based on the wildly popular fan-fic trilogy that swept pop culture off its feet last spring and summer.

The play follows the path of E.L. James’ books, quickly dubbed “mommy porn,” in which brainiac college virgin Anastasia Steele’s educational path deviates when she trips and falls into the arms of Christian Grey, a debonair, dominating megamogul billionaire with an appetite for S&M whips and chains.

As with many parodies, the stage version isn’t endorsed by James or her publishing company, so the names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent. The play’s onstage writer is E.B. Janet and the characters she creates are Tasha Woode and Hugh Hanson. Same basic plot, same grey silk necktie binding the lovers in knot after naughty knot.

Anne Marie Scheffler is hilarious as author Janet, a bored housewife determined to make the most of her weekend free of her husband and kids, kicking back and cranking out a sex fantasy trilogy. What could be so hard about that? Apparently, singing and dancing. Janet isn’t good at either, but I suspect the highly trained actress with an extensive comedy resume was trying to be bad, in which case, she was good, if not great. Especially hilarious were the moments following the steamy scenes, in which she batted her eyes with wide-eye innocence and simply said, “You’re welcome.”

Gabe Bowling sets plenty of hearts afire in "SPANK!" (Mills Entertainment photo)

Gabe Bowling was a hunka hunka burning love, dressed and undressed, gyrating through Hanson’s 50 shades of shadowy grey, blurring the lines of bad-boy goodness, kindling Woode’s fire. Danielle Trzcinski is his match as Tasha, adding spunky spark to their burning fires of passion.

The dialogue is as awful as in the books, which is no easy feat. It’s hard to write badly, unless you’re a bad writer to begin with — then it’s easy. This is hard.

Anyway, back to the story. Boy opens door, girl falls into his arms, he shows up at the hardware store where she works, buys some rope and duct tape, asks her out, ties her up, binding her heart and her hands as time goes on. They navigate his jet-set lifestyle in helicopters, hovercrafts, jetpacks and hang gliders, landing time and again in his Red Room of Pain.

It ain’t Shakespeare, but the Bard was bawdy in his own right, it’s just that he really could write, right?

“SPANK!” is trashy, flashy fun — two hours of escapism embraced by a mostly young audience ready to cut loose in best bachelorette party fashion. Even my inner goddess was ready for a cigarette at intermission, and I don’t smoke. This show does.

Miss it last night or desiring more tonight? It’s playing three times this weekend in Dubuque. Laters, baby.

FAST TAKE

What: “SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody”

When: 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday (5/11) and 2 p.m. Sunday (5/12)

Where: Mississippi Moon Bar, Diamond Jo Casino, 301 Bell St., Dubuque:

Tickets: $29.75 to $39.75, (563) 690-4758 or Diamondjo.com

Show website: Spankshow.com

 

Holding on: Dream is still alive for Wilson Phillips

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Wilson Phillips (© 2013 Sony Music Entertainment)

 

Armed with great genes and tight harmonies, Wilson Phillips soared to superstardom off the trio’s 1990 debut album and stayed there for three years. Then they were gone — off to explore new professional opportunities in solo recording and television, as well as marriage and motherhood.

They’ve found their second wind, thanks to a cameo appearance in the 2011 hit film “Bridesmaids” and a tribute to their famous families on their 2012 “Dedicated” disc.

The California girls — sisters Carnie and Wendy Wilson, daughters of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson, and Chynna Phillips, daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas — are heading to the Riverside Casino on Saturday night (5/11), riding the waves of their signature sound.

The details

Reuniting in 2003 after a 10-year hiatus — then periodically as projects came their way — wasn’t hard at all.

“It was like riding a bike, just picking up where we left off,” Wendy Wilson, 43, says by phone from her home in Studio City, Calif.

“These kinds of things are very innate. The way we sing together, we complete each other. It’s something that never goes away. It’s always gonna be there.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a hundred years or one year — we’re always going to have that same sound,” she says.

“It was great. The first thing we did, was sing at a Carl Wilson benefit — the first time after 10 years of not singing a note together, and it was like  everything was just perfect, dead-on. It was really exciting for us. From there on, we knew that we felt very lucky to have each other and to do what we do — we never wanted to part. We always want to do this as long as we can.”

“Bridesmaids,” where the trio sings at the over-the-top wedding reception, gave that goal a big push.

“We got a huge response from the movie,” Wilson says. “People came out of the woodwork and contacted us. The phone rang off the hook for new shows and offers ever since that movie. It kind of put us back on the map. It was a blessing for us – it restarted the engine. It’s a great, great movie.”

The trio also has a great, great new album.

Recording “Dedicated” was sweet and bittersweet, but mostly sweet, Wilson says. It features such family classics as “California Dreamin’, “Don’t Worry Baby,” “Monday, Monday” and “Good Vibrations.”

“It was a lot of fun to do it,” she says. “It was like a challenge to recreate these songs, but with our own spins. Also, there were times that it was inevitable to feel emotional — just singing some of these songs and knowing that Cass Elliot is not here anymore, or that my uncle Carl or uncle Dennis aren’t here.  It almost felt like they were watching us record. It was a bizarre feeling, but we felt honored to do it.  It was really fun, yet it was really kind of like a spiritual experience.”

The women typically switch around vocal parts, but Wilson generally sings the high part. She sang lead vocals on “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and the title track, “Dedicated to the One I Love.” Her favorite track in the new collection is the sublime “God Only Know.”

“It’s my favorite Beach Boys song of all times,” she says. “Just the way it came out in our version, we added some really cool background parts that were never there. It was Rob Bonfiglio who produced it. He taught us the background parts, and it really did stand out. It’s so much fun singing it on stage. It’s great, it’s a beautiful rendition. It’s hard to compete with the Beach Boys, because they had something so incredibly special, but we love our version.”

Wilson Phillips has covered quite a few iconic hits over the years, from “Daniel” in a 1991 Elton John/Bernie Taupin tribute album to their own 2004 “California” album, and now, “Dedicated.”

“We really wanted not to depart too far from the original” in crafting these covers, Wilson says. “Why mess with something so great? But yet, we didn’t want to be a carbon copy.  We wanted to sound like Wilson Phillips.

“There is a big similarity in the Beach Boys and The Mamas & the Papas and Wilson Phillips, in that we’re all harmonic groups. We have the same tones as our parents anyway, so it kinda works. We might be reminiscent of them, because you’re going to hear voices that are similar”

“Good Vibrations” was the most challenging to cover. With all the “layers upon layers of vocals,” it took three weeks to record. Sister Carnie Wilson had the hardest part, hitting the baritone line supporting the lilting melody. Departing from their usual mode, they had to employ some computerized technology to tweak the lowest notes — the ones that “just weren’t intended for a female voice.”

Wilson was thrilled with the album’s process and the final product.

“I love a challenge, and my sister and I love to sing close harmonies,” she says. “We had to see how The Mamas & The Papas and the Beach Boys made this music. We had to dissect it in order to do it. It was fun — it was really great. I’m really glad we made that record.”

Riverside audiences will hear cuts off that album, as all as Wilson Phillips’ biggest hits and their favorite covers — “a little bit of each record that we made.”

“We have a really great show,” she says. “People feel very comfortable. We’re going to make them feel like they’re in our living room.”

The comforts of home are important to Wilson, a busy mom of four boys ages 9 to 5, the youngest of whom are twins. When she does get time to herself, she enjoys yoga, walking and swimming in her backyard pool. “Exercise is kind of my zen,” she says.

Doing a couple of Wilson Phillips gigs each month gives the trio the right balance of home life and professional release.

“It’s a great way to decompress from being a mother and wife and just do something that’s  artistic,” she says. “That’s important to us, because we are creative people. To be able to be together and sing these songs we created when we were really young — it’s such a gift, what we do.

“The fact that we can go out and make a living this way is not very common. I just feel like it’s a super blessing — it’s a huge blessing. Sometimes our kids come to the show. … To see their faces out there is just priceless, knowing that one day they might be in a band. It could all happen again.”