34 | GREENVILLE JOURNAL | 12.25.2015 | CULTURE
SOUND CHECK
Must-See Movies
And the 2015 Checkies go to…
WITH VINCENT HARRIS
Vince’s picks for the Upstate’s best musical offerings this year 2015 was one of the best years for music that I’ve seen in the Upstate in quite some time. Starting in January when people began talking about whether Greenville was a music town or not, through an incredible year of shows at places like Gottrocks, IPA, Smiley’s, the Radio Room and the Peace Center, into Fall For Greenville and through Horizon Records’ 40th anniversary, it’s been an incredible 12 months. So I figured that it’s time for Second Annual Checkie Awards, my picks for the best musical happenings, albums and artists of 2015. Here we go: Best Album, Local: “Wasted Wine Vs. The Hypnosis Center,” Wasted Wine Not only is this the best album by an Upstate band in 2015, it’s really unlike anything I’ve ever heard. Back in November when I wrote about the band, I described their sound thusly: “Imagine that someone built a creepy old-school funhouse, and then placed it in the bowels of a 19th-century ship crewed by travelling gypsy musicians in the middle of a massive storm.” I’ve always said that the best albums create their own little world that you’re immersed in for a while; Wasted Wine created an unsettling, compelling, infectiously melodic feverdream that I didn’t want to wake up from. Best Album, Regional: “Halfway to Hopkins,” Atlas Road Crew If there was a better straightahead rock & roll album released this year, I haven’t heard it. This Charleston quintet has proudly planted the oldschool Southern-rock flag better than anything since the Crowes’ “Southern Harmony & Musical Companion.” Best Show, Small Venue: Jon Mueller, Cabin Floor Records, 5/1/15 As many good shows as I saw this year, none
of them actually transported me out of my body and into some sort of intense, ecstatic spiritual plane like Mueller’s one-man show at Cabin Floor did. Using only percussion and layered vocals, Mueller’s performance was one of the most intense, hypnotic, life-changing musical experiences I’ve ever had. Best Show, Large Venue: Bill Frisell Trio, Peace Center, 11/22/15 There’s a certain amount of joy in watching a master practicing his craft. Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell is a master, and his craft is less about dazzling solos and more about creating a beautifully melodic tone and gently exploring the hidden corners of a melody, pushing at its edges while still serving the song. His trio show with bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Kenny Wollesen was simply breathtaking. Best Band: The Marcus King Band The rest of the country might not be ready for these guys, but they’re coming. Not only is Marcus a stellar guitarist, bandleader and songwriter, but he’s assembled a group of top-flight musicians behind him: keyboardist Matt Jennings, drummer Jack Ryan, bassist Stephen Campbell and horn player Justin Johnson. This is the hottest ensemble around. Best Surprise: The 2015 Fall For Greenville music lineup As usual, people found plenty to complain about, but I thought the city’s Special Event Coordinator Josh McGee created one of the most balanced schedules I’ve seen. It was a great mix of local, regional, national, new and old. Best Venue: Independent Public Ale House, 110 Poinsett Hwy., Greenville All Wes Gilliam’s done since he took over Independent Public Ale House in October is create one of the most diverse, enjoyable concert schedules in town and started a great buzz about a venue that deserved it. Not too shabby.
By Eric Rogers
Blinded by the ‘new’
How technology affects story structure: Part 2 Last week I mentioned that some films exist today that could not have been made if not for a recent advancement in technology. The 2000 film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” used a technique of altering the color on a computer that was not possible prior to then. In 2005’s “Sin City,” computer technology was used to make the live action look like images from a graphic novel – a technique the film’s director Robert Rodriguez stated he could not have accomplished without the new technology. “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” could not have been made in 1991 had it not been for a recent advancement in computer animation enabling the T-1000 character to morph into whatever it touched. This was a technique that had first been used in 1989’s “The Abyss,” to create an alien sea creature, but was pushed to greater limits for the “Terminator” sequel. I would say though that by far the films most reliant on developing technologies were the “Star Wars” films. When George Lucas made the first one (Episode Four), he had very little money but pulled together a group of friends who were model builders and comic book artists. They expanded on some old techniques and came up with neverbefore-used methods of their own. Imagine how different the Star Wars series would have looked had they been filmed using the same technology of the Buck Rogers serials that inspired Lucas. But as the technology developed, an odd thing happened. The story eventually became a slave to the technology. Lucas became so intent on pushing the technology that when he made the prequels, he shot practically everything in front of a green screen. It’s difficult for actors to get into character when they aren’t in a natural surrounding. As a result, the acting is stilted and mechanical. There are some really good actors giving really lousy performances in the three prequels. Another example of where the technology got in the way is in “Back to the Future II and III.” The first one had a great storyline, but the second and third, which were made by the same director, aren’t very good. They introduced a new technique called motion capture, which allowed Michael J. Fox to play two characters and to interact with himself, so, for instance, he could hand himself a plate. Robert Zemeckis, the director, seemed to have been far more concerned about breaking new ground in special effects than he was about maintaining a good storyline. And now we have YouTube, which has changed story structure in a different manner, both good and bad, that I’ll discuss next week.
Eric Rogers has been teaching filmmaking at The Greenville Fine Arts Center since 1994.