photo by Shaun Brady

I wondered where he was smuggling the third hand from.

One thing I’ll say for Montreal audiences, they’re definitely enthusiastic. I haven’t seen this many standing ovations since I lived in Seattle, where listeners routinely gave standing Os to whatever artist was on stage, the coat check girl that handed them their furs, and the cab driver that got them home.

Back then, it got aggravating, but here there’s something endearing about it — these are in large part people who’ve planned their vacations around music, so for the next week, anyway, they get a pass, whether the shows deserve it or not.

Not that anything has been undeserving. Took in two ticketed indoor performances last night — the headliner of the evening being Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes, whose performance is something of a Montreal must-see given the fact that his country of origin prevents him from showing up Stateside too often. And the crowd was so appreciative that they not only stood repeatedly but dragged his quartet — quintet with the brief edition of Chucho’s vocalist sister Mayra Caridad Valdes — back for four encores.
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Digital media has so proliferated within our daily lives that it’s become easy — whilst skimming news headlines online and indulging in Twitter updates — to underestimate the role of the changing media landscape in the grand scheme.

barryvacker.net

Then there are people like Barry Vacker. A media theorist, author, filmmaker and professor at Temple University, Vacker dissects how media has influenced our perception of the entire universe, and how it can lead us into a better future, in his Theory Zero book series, available at A House of Our Own, Wooden Shoe Books and GERM. Zero Conditions explores the recurring theme of the number zero in post-millennial society. Crashing Into the Vanishing Points examines the effect of technological innovation with projecting and predicting the future. His most recent book in the series, Starry Skies Moving Away, merges cyberspace with inner and outer space, and draws upon the similarities between the chips in a computer grid network to the with the number of stars in a galaxy and the connections of neurons in the human brain.

City Paper spoke with Vacker on Battlestar Galactica, recurring zeroes and the real center of the universe (hint: It’s not us).

City Paper: Why do you think traditional print media like newspapers are dying out?

Barry Vacker: [Marshall] McLuhan was correct when he said: “The medium is the message.” He meant that the form of media technology has a greater impact on society than the messages carried. Society adapts to the patterns affected by the new technologies, precisely because they represent new and more powerful forms of perception.
For example, the printing press ushered in the modern industrial world, creating the first mass media and the first forms of mass production. Society reorganized along new lines, for better and sometimes for worse. Literacy become the expected norm, an issue that educators grapple with today.
Computers and the Internet will exceed the impact of the printing press, precisely because the Internet unites the printing press, television, movies and all electronic media. We are only at the beginning of the restructuring of society and its institutions. By this, I am not referring to presidents using Web sites and Twitter. That is mostly superficial, especially if the policies indicate little insights into the potential of the internet beyond propaganda, fundraising and social control. Click For More »

Photo | Molly Campbell

Lichens

The pews of St. Mary’s Church were packed tight this past Saturday, but with a nontraditional congregation. Midway through its fifteenth year of presenting ambient and experimental performances, the Gatherings Concert Series really outdid itself with the Lichens / JóhannJóhannsson show. A friend and I sat in the front row but we were promptly told that we could move closer onto the floor surrounding the stage, if we liked. We liked, and upon sitting down were then offered pillows and a blanket. Thus set the tone of the evening. Gentle people listening to gentle music. And loving it.

Besides being the oldest living organisms on the planet, Lichens is Robert Lowe, formerly of progressive/experimental rock band 90 Day Men. Lichens is an exploration of what one (and occasionally one more) musician can achieve with a looping pedal, the occasional instrument and human vocal chords. To begin, Lowe meditatively closed his eyes, raised a microphone to his lips and out poured of realistic bird chirps, which he gradually looping it into an ostinato web of tweets, coos and cackles. It was an entire forest created out of thin air… and then he began to sing. Like a siren, a banshee, a choir of angels, an enchanted Bobby McFerrin, Lichens’ looped, wordless vocals eventually drowned out the birdcalls and enveloped the entire audience in a sea of astonishingly beautiful droning cries and screams. A capella ambient music, how awesome is that? Simultaneously natural and ethereal, witnessing the creation of this music was a bit like witnessing the creation of the universe, like listening to God breathe life into the elements.

Photo | Molly Campbell

Jóhann Jóhannsson

Jóhann Jóhannsson is one of Iceland’s foremost musicians. He is currently two albums into a proposed trilogy exploring the game of tug-of-war that is humanity’s all-consuming desire to expand, progress, take over and otherwise conquer the universe, versus nature’s all-powerful restoring force. As if to mimic this juxtaposition, his ensemble employs both natural (string quartet, for this tour featuring members of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble) and electronic (Johann and another musician on synthesizers, drum machines, and all manner of electronic noisemakers) instruments. Together they create a super-lush timbre, as overwhelming as it is beautiful, where sweeping strings dance in and around ambient textures, gradually evolving, crescendoing, drawing back and introducing a countermelody. Magnús Helgason’s projections of photographs and impressionistic shapes and swirls, and the seventy candles that someone had strewn about the stage between sets shed just the right amount of light on the performers, giving them a magical glow to match their majestic music. The sea of sound filled the volume of the church to the point that it was almost overwhelming. “Its always great when you can play in a place that sounds as good as this,� remarked Johann after the performance; and indeed it was. Nearly every number ended with a solid 10 seconds of silence as the audience sat with bated breath, not wanting to interrupt the serenity of the moment.

Getting my bearings in a labyrinth most challenging.

Dark clouds loomed over the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal last night, but for the most part, except for a bit of spitting around 8:30 p.m., the rain held off.

I arrived this afternoon, day two of the festival, 24 hours too late to catch Stevie Wonder’s three-hour performance kicking off the 30th-anniversary festival, which will continue through July 12. A couple hundred thousand had crowded the Place des Arts to see Stevie run through his hits, reportedly a few too many newer tunes, and the now-requisite tribute to Michael Jackson. (When I got back to the room last night, a local news station ran a piece on the fest featuring Jamie Cullum’s show, in which he performed “Thrillerâ€� from crib notes. Look, man, I know you’re the “shockingly hipâ€� nouveau-jazz crooner and all, but if you weren’t a big enough fan to have learned the words by now, skip the friggin’ homage.) Click For More »

Hidden City

Take a look at that ocean-like, blue tarp spread out across the floor of the Metropolitan Opera House. Beneath that — where the orchestra used to play — people go to service each Sunday, in a very clean, proper room that looks wholly unordinary. Crazy, right?

Little facts like this were obviously half of the fun of Hidden City’s final performance, Revival, put on by Group Motion Dance Company in the opera house that lyricist Oscar Hammerstein’s granddaddy built. (Another one: We had to wear hard hats while climbing the dusty, decrepit stairs leading to the show.)

In fact, as impressive as it is, that photograph up top does little justice to how haunting the place is, or how beautiful it is because it’s falling apart, not in spite of it. I’m not trying to be gothic — it’s just that all the discoloration, cracked paint and hanging beams make for some gorgeous imagery. Check out more images here for a better look.

As for the actual performance? Tasked with making a set out of stairs (the dancers couldn’t perform on the original stage), Group Motion created a show that worked about as often as it clearly didn’t. It started off slow, featuring lots of unimpressive moves up and down the stairs, and seemed to limit the dancers’ true talents at times. But there were some truly great moments, too: In an ode to the fact that the opera house once hosted sporting events, the dancers moved basketballs around their bodies in elegant, mesmerizing ways. And the mere fact that the dancers could keep count during a 40-minute show that was accompanied mostly by ambient music is, well, impressive.

knopf, 336 pp.

In Skeleton Justice, the dynamic Baden couple teamed up for a sequel to their novel Remains Silent. Characters Jack Rosen and Philomena “Mannyâ€� Manfreda are back, ready to tackle the screwed up ways of justice in New York City.  Jack, a brilliant medical examiner, and  his defense attorney flame Manny, have a tendency to seek the truth, and in turn, attract trouble.  This time, Jack is eagerly working on the case of the “Vampire,â€� a mysterious villain who breaks into people’s homes, renders them unconscious, and takes a vial of their blood.  Meanwhile, Manny finds herself defending the “Preppy Terrorist,â€� America’s newest enemy: a teenage boy with Islamic sympathies.  As the Vampire begins to get more violent, torturing and killing his victims instead of merely knocking them out, Manny’s client goes missing.  Soon, Jack and Manny come to realize that their cases are somehow entwined, and it’s no accident that they’re the ones heading up the investigation.

As a fan of the TV show Bones, I was more than eager to pick up a book about a sexy couple using their intellect and scientific and legal expertise to bring justice — skeleton justice — to murder victims.  While Jack Rosen is no Seeley Booth (mmmm David Boreanaz), Skeleton Justice is still a captivating read.  The little more than 300 pages go by quickly, and the action never stops.  It may help to have read its predecessor, Remains Silent, but this book is a story all on its own.  Throughout their novel, the Badens effectively demonstrate their detailed knowledge of forensic science and law without killing the reader with technical terms.  Jack and Manny’s romance is a cute, subtle addition to the story, and is by no means a raunchy tale of two lovers.  All the Badens’ characters have colorful personalities that weave together for a pleasant story.  Skeleton Justice is definitely not an intellectual read, and won’t have you intensely analyzing data.  Nonetheless, its mystery is intriguing, and the plot is entertaining.  It only requires as much brain power as you’re willing to give while sipping your mai thai at the beach. Pack this book on your next trip down the shore.

The Cartel screened at this year’s Philadelphia Independent Film Festival.

Clearly, doing worse means getting more money. Or so it seems for public schools in America.

Director Bob Bowden’s documentary, The Cartel, takes a deep look at the education system in America, and specifically New Jersey. The film examines why American public schools, despite the highest spending out of the world’s largest industrialized countries, ranks lowest in educational effectiveness in the same group. Over the next 98 minutes, Bowden explores the messed up world of education in America. There’s the illiterate man who taught for years before anyone stopped him from being a teacher. Or the high school senior who said he only learned to multiply though 4 x 4. Oh, and he didn’t really learn the alphabet until high school.

While these cases are pretty extreme, Bowden also shows how just the average student falls shockingly below students in other countries. It appears that our standards are low enough that we don’t need to be able to identify Iraq on a map. If the low test scores aren’t scary enough, the disappearing money should be. Bowden rips apart the massive waste, and literal disappearance, of money in schools. From $30 million being spent on a football field at a failing school to The Hangover-like scenario of teachers taking field trip money for their own use, the school system appears to be falling apart. Even without blatant corruption, other financial flaws exist. Some janitors make six figure salaries. The administration costs for school districts absorb huge amounts of money that is meant for students. And the luxury car count in a school district parking lot? Appalling.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Bowden does an excellent job touching on many issues going on in school districts, from bottom to top. He has the statistics and is able to support his film through what is clearly years of work and research. The film isn’t just a Bowden tell-all. He speaks with parents, students, administrators and others associated with the schools. He comes to startling conclusions about the teacher’s unions power over the system, as well as the government bureaucracy that prevents charter schools and other education benefits from happening. Despite his many attacks on the system, Bowden is also careful to remind viewers that not everyone in the system is a problem. Many teachers and administrators are passionate about their work, and make sacrifices for the betterment of their students.

If you don’t leave the movie feeling even slightly angered or a bit appalled that you were once under the thumb of the “cartelâ€� and are now dumber than your European counterpart because of it, then you need a reality check. Even as someone who went through private and parochial schools from preschool through college, I was still enraged at what I saw. This movie says it all, and is a must see for any American.

Click here for a list of upcoming screenings.

Re-capping True Blood each and every week.

After arguing with Bill (Stephen Moyer) about new vamp Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), Sookie (Anna Paquin) storms off into the dark woods. Left alone, she is charged at by a beast with the head of a Minotaur, and it scratches her little blond-haired body to pieces. Bill hears Sookie’s screams with his heightened vampy-sense and flies to her aide. His vampire blood, which normally is a cure-all for humans when ingested (in a limited quantity, of course), is rejected by Sookie’s body, and foam starts pouring out of the poor girl’s mouth, rabies-style.

Desperate, Bill brings Sookie to vamp hang Fangtasia, and with the help of frienemy vampire Eric (Alexander Skaarsgard), enlists a local human doc who knows what’s up with our fair heroine. Turns out, whatever attacked Sookie not only scratched her to bits but also left behind its poison. With a bit of patience and a lot of pain, on Sookie’s part, the good doc removes the poison and Sookie gets seconds on Bill’s wrist, only this time her body is more than eager to accept his blood.

When Sookie awakes, fully healed, she’s the only one in the bar — all the vampires have gone underground for the day. Suddenly, the perky human servant Ginger (Tara Buck) appears. When Sookie does some mind-reading, she uncovers that Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) is chained in the bar’s basement and she manages to grab a gun under the cash register. Weapon in hand, Sookie finds her friend, still fangless (unfortunately for all those viewers hoping to see Lafayette’s sass taken in a monsterly direction). She convinces Eric to let him go, under the condition that Sookie search for some missing vampires in Texas.

While Bill and Sookie are away saving lives, Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) sneaks out of the house and over to Merlotte’s for some entertainment. Her preternatural glow attracts more than a few human eyes as she saunters in, but it’s good ol’ Hoyt (Jim Parrack) that really strikes her fancy. Jessica tests his true motives when she asks him to buy her a bottle of B+ TruBlood instead of a beer, revealing that she’s isn’t among the living. Hoyt’s reply: “Awesome.â€�

Over in Maryann’s house of hedonism, Sookie’s friend Tara (Rutina Wesley) and Tara’s housemate and recent lover, Eggs (Mechad Brooks) share sultry looks as a party at the residence turns from puritanical to orgasmic. Maryann delights in her guests’ wantonness, with bare breasts and grinding bodies abound. But it doesn’t get truly sinister until the guests’ eyes go all black, and you’re reminded that Maryann is up to no good.

Jason’s (Ryan Kwanten) still hanging out at the Fellowship of the Sun conference, but he struggles to justify the other members’ hatred for vampires with his own more positive experiences with the undead. Pastor Newlin’s wife Sarah (Anna Camp) seems to take an ever-increasing liking to Jason, in a more than spiritual way.

“Scratches,� ends again with an homage to the mysterious beast from the beginning, as Sam (Sam Trammell) is surprised to find his bumbling employee Daphne (Ashley Jones) join him in the lake for a nighttime skinny-dip. But she’s got scratch scars on her back that look just like Sookie’s. Leaving viewers with another mystery to add to the others, marking how much more there is in store for Bon Temps.

True Blood airs every Sunday on HBO at 9 p.m.

Monday: This guy Mike in TOTALLY MICHAEL plays ultra catchy synth pop and has a ton of fun doing it. His goofy demeanor is apparent in lyrics, like “I am not a high class retail outlet.�
With Prizzy Prizzy Please, 8 p.m., $5-$10, Danger Danger Gallery, 5013 Baltimore Ave.,

Tuesday: Your favorite rap metal band is making the rounds once again! 311’s hits like “Come Originalâ€� and “Amberâ€� will grace the festival pier’s stage tomorrow night. Get ready to sack up and Bro Down! 7 p.m., $49.50, Festival Pier, Columbus Ave. & Spring Garden St., 215-336-2000.

Wednesday: Algernon Cadwallader have the New Jersey emo sound pinned down despite their Phila habitat. Listening to this band will definitely help jog your memory of high school.
With Conversations with Enemies, 9 p.m., free, Millcreek Tavern, 4200 Chester Ave., 215-222-1255.

Thursday: One of the first and most important indie rock bands of all time, Sonic Youth plays straddled noisy rock with a slacker tone. PLUS, my friend’s mom is in their new video!! How awesome is that? The best part is that she had never heard of the band until she was asked to be in it. Check her out above. With The Entrance Band, 8:30 p.m., $25-$27, Electric Factory, 421 N. 7th St., 215-627-1332.

Friday: Mexico City-born, NYC-based Magos Herrera brings out the big guns for her U.S. debut. Check out her Afro-Latino-stylings so you can say your heard her before they started blaring her over the Whole Foods loudspeakers. 5:45 & 7:15 p.m., Free with museum admission of $16, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. & Ben Franklin Pkwy., 215-763-8100.

Saturday: After the fireworks, make your way to Fishtown to see Jay Reatard. He plays punky retro garage rock with fast riffs and a snotty attitude. With TV Smith of the Adverts, 10 p.m., Johnny Brendas, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., $12.

Sunday: ’60s folk singer Richie Havens performs a set of soulful pop songs. An excellent way to end the fourth of July weekend. At Upper Merion Township Building Park, 175 W. Valley Forge Road King of Prussia, PA 19046, 7pm. $10.

Where’s my Singles soundtrack?

I’m going to read something this summer.

I’m only 70-something pages into my season-long Infinite Jest mission. Thoughts so far? Oh boy, it’s gonna be a long summer. One sentence was longer than a page. Another contained five footnotes. One footnote spanned eight and a half pages, and read like a tiny type imdb. That said, I’m enjoying the way David Foster Wallace mixed casual humor with an impressive vocabulary and way too many details. Early on, I decided to write down words whose meaning I was not clear on, and words I had never seen before. Every so often I’ll compile them here, with definitions provided by m-w.com — except for the last one; I had to go to medterms.com for that. Next time I’ll write down the parts of speech when I come across the word, for context.

wen (noun) an abnormal growth or a cyst protruding from a surface especially of the skin

lapidary (adj) having the elegance and precision associated with inscriptions on monumental stone

espadrille (noun) a sandal usually having a fabric upper and a flexible sole

martinet (noun) a strict disciplinarian

intercostal (adjective) situated or extending between the ribs

sdakotabirds.com

I’m a grackle!

grackle (noun) any of a genus (Quiscalus of the family Icteridae) of large American blackbirds having iridescent black plumage

apocopes (noun) the loss of one or more sounds or letters at the end of a word

festschrift (noun) a volume of writings by different authors presented as a tribute or memorial especially to a scholar

hypertrophy (noun) excessive development of an organ or part

titration (noun) a method or process of determining the concentration of a dissolved substance in terms of the smallest amount of reagent of known concentration required to bring about a given effect in reaction with a known volume of the test solution

deliquesce (verb) to dissolve or melt away

ideation (noun) the capacity for or the act of forming or entertaining ideas

hypocapnia (noun) Less than the normal level of carbon dioxide in the blood.