CHRISTMAS ON MARS is finally coming to Orlando. The long-awaited (and we do mean long), micro-budget, sci-fi, self-described "fantastical film freakout" was actually conceived by Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne back in 2001, and we've been looking forward to it and in hot pursuit ever since. In fact, my very first show in Orlando after moving down from NYC in September, '87, was the Lips in a club off of South O.B.T. somewhere (nice neighborhood), and the Florida Film Festival was honored to have the East Coast Premieres and 2nd US showings of both Bradley Beesley's previous projects starring the band, THE FLAMING LIPS HAVE LANDED (2000) and FEARLESS FREAKS (2005).
This Saturday, October 18, at 1:00 and 11:59 PM, Enzian is proud to present, in glorious 35mm, the Florida Premiere of the film that the Village Voice compared to both David Lynch's ERASERHEAD and John Carpenter's DARK STAR. So don't wait for the DVD release in November you wusses--this is your one and only chance (actually two) to catch this trippy, bizarre, utterly ridiculous and highly inventive sci-fi fable from one of the coolest bands on the planet on the big screen. Hell, even SNL's Fred Armisen and the Hebrew Hammer himself, Adam Goldberg, make cameos. And remember to hang on to your ticket stub and redeem it for $2 off at Park Ave CDs when the DVD actually does see the light of day (one fan called it "the Chinese Democracy of DVDs.")
--Matthew
Friday night at The Social in downtown Orlando I had one of the most fun experiences at a club that I've had in a long time. The Silver Beats are a Beatles cover band from Tokyo, complete with original guitars and outfits, and they put on a fantastic show that exceeded all expectations. Concentrating on mostly earlier material including those great Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins covers from the first LPs and live shows, they took a brief foray into later stuff such as "Come Together," "Don't Let Me Down," a keyboard-less (!) "Let It Be," and "Back in the USSR." But the majority of their 95 minute set was "Rubber Soul" and back, hit after hit, energetically performed often note for note. And you know how many great Beatle songs can be played in an hour and a half?
Apparently the band have 160 tunes in their Fab Four repertoire, hold a steady gig at The Cavern Club (I kid you not) in Tokyo, and just finished a tour as openers for The Killers. When the members were introduced by both their Beatle names and real names, "Paul" introduced "John" as "the # 1 John Lennon in Japan!" When you see and hear this guy, you don't doubt it. Check them out at www.silverbeats.com or the "A Hard Day's Night" promotional video on You Tube. Watch out for cheap imitations though--apparently there's a Silver Beats in Spain as well that can't hold a candle to these talented performers from the Far East. The merch table had cool retro shirts and buttons too, but it's the unbelievable pop genius of song after song and effervescent performances that put a big smile on everyone's faces--hipsters and rednecks, hippies, punks, and middle-agers alike.
I know New York has an acclaimed Beatles cover band of famous session musicians called The Fab Faux, but The Silver Beats have made a believer out of me. You need to see these guys...
--Matthew
This weekend sadly marked the passing of yet another legend of jazz who chose to live overseas more than four decades ago. Chicago native Johnny Griffin, a small man and one of the great tenor saxophonists of all time (which earned him the moniker, "The Little Giant") passed away in France hours before a gig on Friday night. He was 80 years old. At the age of 17 he was already establishing himself in Lionel Hampton's Big Band, which he eventually left to lead his own quartet. During the 1950s he also earned world-wide fame as a member of both Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and the Thelonious Monk Quartet. And up to his final day, Griffin continued to tour all over Europe where his artistry was fully appreciated.
Perhaps not as famous or well-known in the States as saxophone giants and jazz innovators such as Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, or even Lester Young and Dexter Gordon, Griffin was one of the great be-bop players without question--a "Little Giant" who could really swing and picked his sidemen (including the sublime pianist Wynton Kelly) with impeccable care and taste. If you haven't heard any good jazz lately, I highly recommend you seek out any of the following: "Introducing Johnny Griffin" (Blue Note 46536, 1956, w/ Griffin, Kelly, Curly Russell, and Max Roach); the legendary "A Blowing Session" (Blue Note 81559, 1957, w/ Griffin, Coltrane and Hank Mobley all jamming together plus Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey); and "The Little Giant" by the Johnny Griffin Sextet (Riverside Japanese import, maybe domestic by now, 1959, w/ Blue Mitchell, Julian Priester, Kelly, Sam Jones, and Albert Heath).
--Matthew
