Ooo...Feisty

Indie princess Feist performed at the Academy of Music on Sunday night to a very diverse and somewhat confused crowd. Audience members ranged from eye-liner wearing 80s punk rock hangovers to bald 50-somethings in creased slacks. The crowd was united, however, by a love for quirky Feist.

Feist's opening act was Hayden, an awkward-is-awesome Canadian singer/songwriter. Although the crowd was very polite and encouraging, Hayden didn't seem to understand the number rule of opening acts - keep it short. He played for over an hour, filling the space between his songs with long, though mildly entertaining, antecdotes. As a lone man with an acoustic guitar it was tough for him to adjust to the expansive space of the Academy, and the end of his set began to lag.

Feist, with her full band, looked less lonely on stage. She utilized unusual visuals to make the show unique to her. She first appeared on stage behind a lit silk screen, so that only her silhouette was visible, and also returned behind the screen later in the show. Throughout her performance there were also artists onstage orchestrating a vintage-style projection show, which depicted birds, flowers, and hands engaging in various tasks to accompany Feist's lyrics. Dressed in head to toes white, Feist resembled nothing more than a precocious mod fairy as she flitted about the stage.

Although less so than Hayden, Feist also struggled with the space of the Academy. She specifically requested to perform there because she fell in love with the venue after opening there for Bright Eyes, but it did not seem suited to her style. She performed best on her more upbeat songs, like "My Moon My Man" and the popular "1234," when she made use of the stage and engaged the audience more. Feist did her best to reach her whole audience - even invoking each balcony to sing a different note, creating a venue-wide harmony. With the majority of her mellow numbers, however, she seemed to be drowning in the space. Feist's style is much better suited to an intimate space. Next time she visits Philly I'd much prefer to see her at the Tin Angel, or at least the Perelman Theater.

Jubilee

The only plausible explanation for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's performance last night is that their dancers are not subject to the laws of gravity. I have never more longed for a performance to continue long after the final curtain went down. It is the 50th anniversary of Ailey's company, and the show they put on celebrated it with a bang.

The bill opened with a short film recounting Ailey's life and career and the history of his company, followed by a reinterpretation of Maurice Bejart's Firebird. Although the performance was innovative, with militaristic, Soviet-esque undertones, the cutting edge dancers seemed somehow incongruous dancing to Stravinsky. It wasn't until the explosion of Love Stories hit the stage that their full range became apparent.

These dancers are beyond athletes. There was not an undeveloped muscle in any of their bodies, and the sweat was flying off of them visibly as they performed. But they were having a blast! In Love Stories, danced to Stevie Wonder, they simulated dance in its organic form, in the way dancers free style before class or on the street. Their breakaways became increasingly incredible, with impossible flexibility and the ability to leap from a prone position to six feet in the air instantaneously. All this with Ailey's voice incorporated into the music, as he spoke about dance. Love Stories was followed by Reflections in D, a short, solo piece danced to Duke Ellington. Glenn Allen Sims really shone in this piece, which displayed his musicality beautifully.

The culmination of the evening, however, was Ailey's most famous piece - Revelations. I studied Ailey in a class on the history of American dance, and I remember being floored by the video I saw of Revelations. That was nothing compared to last night. Ailey used the southern African American experience as his inspiration for Revelations, which is danced to gospel music. In "Pilgrim of Sorrow," the duet danced to "Fix Me, Jesus" by Alicia J. Graf and Jamar Roberts was thoroughly moving. In the famous baptismal scene in "Take Me to the Water" Renee Robinson was brimming with energy and vitality.

During the final part, "Move, Members, Move," the audience could barely keep still. The dancers donned their "church clothes," the women in bright orange dresses, wide-brimmed hats, and carrying matching fans, and the men in ties and vests. Everyone was clapping, and the dancers faces revealed how much fun they were having, as well. The audience gave the company a standing ovation, with many calling "encore," and after their bows the dancers launched right back into their moves. If only "Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham" could have coninued long into the night.

If you would like an idea of what Revelations looks like visit this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9uEq9Sjefg. And for that matter, check out Love Stories, which was my favortie, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vu9dQcefHSc. And never pass up an opportunity to see this company live.

TGIF

There are many fabulous events coming up in the next several days, so I want to make sure everybody is in the know:

The Academy of Music is pretty much on fire this weekend. The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company will be performing at the Kimmel Center tonight and tomorrow night at 8 pm, as well as tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm. Among the pieces they'll be performing is a reinterpretation of Maurice Béjart's difficult and passionate ballet Firebird. Ailey contributed to the American dance world in boundless ways, so I am absolutely psyched to see they way the company uses his technique.

Also, unless you've been living under a rock for the past several weeks, you must know that Feist will be performing at the Academy on Sunday night at 8 pm. Yes, that would be that buzzing sound that you've heard recently but, as anyone who has listened to her album The Reminder will know, with Feist the hype is definitely well-founded. Her soprano is an intriguing combination of haunting, mellow, and angelic that only she could pull off with such flourish. I can't wait to see her live, and you can be certain that a review will follow. Tickets for both performances can be purchased at http://www.kimmelcenter.org/.

Also, for the community-arts-oriented, this Sunday from 2-6 pm is the Fairmount Arts Crawl. Artists, poets, and musicians take to the streets in the Fairmount area to engage the public. A list of events can be found on the event website: http://www.fairmountartscrawl.org/.

Spiked Punch

The infamous Spike Lee is going to be in town this weekend, and the opportunity to hear this film legend speak should not be missed. Lee will MC the evening at the Kimmel Center, which will give a retrospective of his film career to the accompaniment of Terence Blanchard's Quintet and a 20-piece orchestra. The event is Saturday night in Verizon Hall at 8 pm, and tickets can be purchased at http://www.kimmelcenter.org/.

Now it's that time of year again (that's right, thesis time), and Culture Vulture has been a bit lax in her reports the past two weeks. But to recap on the Philadelphia Film Festival, Mrs. Radcliffe's Revolution was hilarious. It followed a communist British family that defected to East Germany in the 1960s and didn't get quite what they expected. Richie Ashburn: A Life was also very satisfying, but in a completely different way. I can't tell you how many people I told I was going to see the Richie Ashburn documentary who responded with, "Who's Richie Ashburn?" What is this city coming to! Ashburn was one of the Whiz Kids that took the Phillies to the World Series in 1950, and this centerfielder stayed in his adopted city announcing at the stadium with Harry until he passed away. His biggest achievment: everyone in Philadelphia loved him his whole career. I can't think of any other Philadelphia player who can claim the same. The film was thorough, and both moving and funny. It's definitely worth checking out if you have any interest in the Phillies.

Finally, Culture Vulture had the immense opportunity (thank you, thank you, thank you, David!) to attend The Colbert Report live on Steven Colbert's first stint in Philadelphia. It was definitely worth all the waiting in line with - dare I say it - Penn students. Steven (we are on a first name basis now) had a question and answer session before the show where members of the audience were allowed to ask anything. One guy through away his questions on "Do you prefer French or Ranch dressing?" Obviously a Penn student.

If you'll notice, Steven is giving the thumbs up sarcastically while he wears the Penn sweatership. In the next photo in the series he is lighting the sweatshirt on fire.

Steven had Benjamin Franklin on his show, who ate Doritos as a shout-out to Steven's sponsor. Incidentally, the man who plays Ben believes he really is the founding father. You still can't help but love him, though. Mayor Nutter also made an appearance, and actually held his own against Colbert when discussing gun control. And Chris Matthews came on and would not confirm or deny his intention to run for Specter's seat in Congress. My favorite moment, however, was when Colbert sang The Star-Spangled Banner in harmony with John Legend. They even switched parts halfway through. Oh, Steven, why can't you stay in Philadelphia forever?

Really Got Me

When Ray Davies sang "Where Have all the Good Times Gone" on Saturday night at the Tower, I wanted to repond, "They're right here, Ray." As the front man and - let's face it - genius behind The Kinks, Davies made greater contributions to the music world than he's given credit for.

Sadly, although The Kinks are one of the few great classic rock bands with all members still living, they have sadly been unable to reconcile their differences to reunite the band. Davies's brother is a fellow bandmate and even they won't play together (Ray's brother still refers to him as "asshole"). Barring a reunion, however, Davies solo is the next best thing.

Ray Davies was the most down-to-earth rock legend I've seen. He was incredibly gracious. He thanked his band endlessly (the guitarist of which was fabulous), and had an entirely manageable ego-level. Davies stopped to talk to members of the audience and even took requests. He's also in amazing shape for a 63-year-old. Unlike other aging rockers whose fondness for heroine has ravaged their bodies (*cough* Mick), Davies is fit as a fiddle. He danced, jumped, and kicked his way through the performance, and all with nary a wheeze.

The audience was loving Davies. At times, he would simply stop singing in the middle of a song and the entire theater would carry it. Davies did three encores! Even after the lights came on the audience wouldn't leave. My personal favorite was "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting." Let's hoping Davies won't before he returns to the Philadelphia area again.

In other news, Culture Vulture is hitting up another Film Festival selection this afternoon at the Ritz East. Expect a review of Mrs. Radcliff's Revolution, a film about an idealistic British family who defects to East Germany, shortly.

Bloody Brothers

The Philadelphia Film Festival's In the Arms of My Enemy (French title Voleurs de Chevaux) was not quite the Gypsy revival I anticipated, but nonetheless a very affecting film. Although the Ritz East suffered from some technical difficulties with the film, which ended up being projected in mostly sepia color and with the actors speaking in what I hope were uncharacteristically warped high voices, the beauty of the filming shown through.

The setting is an unidentified part of eastern Europe. The first part, entitled "Us," follows two brothers, Jakub and Vladi, apparently orphans, who enlist with the Cossacks in an effort to avoid hunger. From the moment they join, they are treated with cruelty and contempt, both by their superiors and peers. Jakub, the elder and stronger of the two, shows a fierce determination which earns him grudging respect, but does not make his life easier. He protects Vladi, who is sensitive and does not want to stay with the Cossacks. Vladi is mercilessly hazed by the other recruits, and dragged from his bed during the night when Jakub isn't present to protect him. When Jakub discovers another recruit, Gregori, raping his brother, he kills him, snapping his neck on the spot. (Neck-snapping is to become a theme in this film.) Jakub is thrown into "the hole" without food, water, or protection from the cold winds for days, but beyond that he is not punished for the killing. Both Jakub and Vladi eventually emerge from training as Cossacks, with horses, gear, and rank that they have truly earned after the brutal experience.

The second part of the film, "Them," introduces a pair of gypsy brothers, Roman and Elias, who are horse thieves. While Jakub and Vladi bath in a river, Elias and Roman sneak up and steal their horses. The Cossacks, who have a reputation for being superior horsemen, instructed their recruits to highly value their horses, treating them better than they do themselves, so this loss is a serious blow to Jakub's and Vladi's livelihood. Jakub challenges the gypsies to return and fight like men, and Roman attacks him. When Vladi rushes to defend his brother, Roman drags him from his galloping horse and then snaps his neck (neck-snapping number 2). Jakub is left injured and clutching his dead brother's body.

As Roman and Elias make off with the horses they ride through a Cossack defended area and encounter gunshots. A shot hits one of their horses, and Elias, the younger brother, who seems to have an uncanny ability with animals, becomes irrationally enraged. He cries over the horse and yells curse after curse at the shooter, calling him a horse killer and promising to slaughter him. Roman, who seems more father than brother to Elias, drags him off, and they go to a nearby town to sell the remaining horse. They have a night of drinking in the tavern, and Elias has a liason with his girl, whom Roman later visits, warning her to stay away from him. The gypsies never stay too long in one place, always returning to their hideout, an underground dugout in the woods.

Meanwhile, Jakub quits the Cossacks, vowing to avenge his brother's death. With quiet resolve, he tracks Roman and Elias to the town where they sold the horse. Jakub encounters Elias in the tavern, not recogizing him, and becomes friendly with him. When Elias is leaving, someone trips him, making fun of his crippled leg, an injury he received in his childhood. Roman enters the scene and snaps the neck of the man who tripped his brother (neck-snapping number 3), and Jakub recognizes him immediately. This is the runing point in the film, when "The Chase," the third part, truly begins.

The rest of the film is a series of attempt by Jakub and Roman to kill each other, while Elias stands by and patiently attends to their wounds. There is more ax and saber handling in this section then I can normally handle. It almost borders on the absurd as day after day Jakub and Roman hack at each, despite their own growing numbers of wounds. No matter how badly they are hurt, as they lay writhing in pain on the ground, they still find the strength for one last stab of the knife at their opponent. I won't give away who lives in the end, so you'll have to see for yourself.

Director Micha Wald tries to throw in some hope at the very end, but the overwhelming tone of the film is dark. The theme of brotherhood is overshadowed by the omnipresent cruelty and violence. The strength of the film is that, despite the "Us" and "Them" titles, Wald does nor take sides. One can easily identify with the gypsies, the cossacks, or both. If you're in the mood for a bloody, but beautifully filmed movie about survival and revenge, In the Arms of My Enemy will be showing at the Ritz East on Wendesday, April 9th, at 2:30 (www.phillyfests.com).

Brightness in the Future

Some upcoming events worth mentioning:

Phil Kline will be performing Zippo Songs at the Kimmel Center on Saturday night. You'll remember him as the organizer of the boombox parade in Philly this past summer. Zippo Songs has a particularly interesting origin, because Kline used the words GIs scratched into their Zippo lighters during Vietnam to create the song cycle. Kline is considered one of the most innovative composers alive, and I'm sure this performance will live up to his reputation.

Also, Culture Vulture is going to be sampling some of the goods at the Philadelphia Film Festival in the next few weeks, with the first viewing taking place tomorrow. In the Arms of My Enemy is a French language period drama, but don't let that fool you. This film has the two elements that automatically make any movie a masterpiece: gypsies and cossacks. And if you attend the 4:30 showing at the Ritz East you just might spot Culture Vulture in the audience.