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ICON

AUGUST

The intersection of art, entertainment, culture, nightlife and mad genius.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 16 | WAYNE COYNE

Al Loving (1935–2006), Home, 2003, acrylic, paper, Plexiglas. Allentown Art Museum.

Since 1992

The whimsy and fun of Coyne’s sense of conceptualism is manifested in an immersive installation influenced by a Japanese TV program in which giant lizards roam free, and participants get wads of meat tied to their heads, while being strapped to tables. Coyne’s installation allows its visitors to crawl inside a giant head while the Lips’ skronky and epically psychedelic soundtrack plays on. “It was just intended to be a freak-out installation, he said, “like there were in the ’60s. There was music throughout, of course, without vocals, that played inside of the King’s Mouth, which probably led people to believe that, hey, this is the next Lips record. I kept saying ‘no, this is its own thing,’ But, maybe, obviously, everyone else knew better than me, because here this is, a full-blown Flaming Lips album.”

“Empire” from the series Starman Visits, 2009. Ewan Atkinson. Photograph mounted on light box. Delaware Art Museum.

MORE FILM

ART 5|

ESSAY Blue Boy

Delaware Art Museum

14 |

EXHIBITIONS Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago

Sandra Valladares in Too Old to Die Young.

An Essential Presence: The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African-American Art Allentown Art Museum

Downriver in the Multiverse PAFA

15 |

REEL NEWS

FILM

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

FOODIE FILE 18 |

BYOB with a cause

MUSIC 20 |

POP Mid-Summer’s Finest Work

22 | JAZZ/ ROCK/CLASSICAL/ALT Dave Douglas/Uri Caine/Andrew Cyrille Fred Hersch/WDR Big Band/Vince Mendoza

NIGHTLIFE

Anat Cohen Tentet

FILM 10 |

Stereo Total

CINEMATTERS

24 |

Sword of Trust 12 |

FILM ROUNDUP The Art of Self-Defense La Flor Midsommar Too Old to Die Young

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PRODUCTION Richard DeCosta Susan Danforth

Matthew Shipp Trio

EDITORIAL Editor / trina@icondv.com

Luce Official Secrets Cold Case Hammarskjöld Life and Nothing More Tarantino’s Coda

Mark Ronson.

Photo courtesy of Thrive Magazine Page 16

PRESIDENT Trina McKenna trina@icondv.com

Raina Filipiak / Advertising filipiakr@comcast.net

ON THE COVER: Wayne Coyne.

215-862-9558 icondv.com facebook.com/icondv

JAZZ LIBRARY Dakota Staton

ETCETERA 26 |

HARPER’S FINDINGS

26 |

HARPER’S INDEX

30 |

L. A. TIMES CROSSWORD

31 |

AGENDA

Rita Kaplan INTERNS Joey Fonseca

A. D. Amorosi Robert Beck Jack Byer Peter Croatto Geoff Gehman Mark Keresman George Miller R. Kurt Osenlund Bob Perkins Keith Uhlich Subscription: $40 (12 issues) PO Box 120 • New Hope 18938 215-862-9558 ICON is published twelve times per year. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. ICON welcomes letters to the editor, editorial ideas and submissions, but assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material. ICON is not responsible for claims made by advertisers. ©2019 Prime Time Publishing Co., Inc.

ART ESSAY & PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK

BLUE BOY

I UNDERTOOK A DEMANDING project a few months ago: painting a 6-foot square image of a whale. When working that big, I staple an unstretched piece of canvas to the studio wall and use a stool or ladder to get to the high spots. I prefer to paint against a firm surface, and it gives me freedom to crop the composition after I’m done. Creating something that size is exhilarating and physical: reaching, climbing, and walking back and forth to see the image in full. Things that usually take an hour or two when I work my typical studio size take a day: the drawing, the single-color underpainting, the background, the full-color subject, and then balancing all the elements. Every evening before I leave the studio, I analyze my progress and plan the next day’s approach, which helps me maintain enthusiasm and inertia. A painting is always in play; I concentrated on this one for more than a week. I had been wanting to do a whale for years. Photos of them sounding and splashing the surface with their tails are pretty common, and I wasn’t interested in that. I wanted the viewer to feel a giant, living “whaleness,” but I wasn’t sure how to get to that. Earlier this year I saw a carving of a Sperm Whale at an exhibition of folk art. It was mounted on a thin rod, just floating in the air. I walked around it and particularly liked how it looked from in front, as if we were considering each other. I decided that was my painting— just the whale, buoyant in its element, silent and still. But it wouldn’t work unless it was big. I learn as much as I can about the subjects of my studio paintings before deciding how to present them. In this case, I wanted to understand how whales are built, how they move, and how they live. I read articles and books. I collected photos from the web. I had a file containing 60 pictures of sperm whales, taken from all directions, doing various underwater things, and each looking remarkably different. I went through them again and again, occasionally drawing, until I understood what was correct and essential for building a whale from scratch. I also learned how the surface of the water looks from below. It took the best part of a day to set up the studio, get the canvas cut and mounted on the wall, and move my supplies to that part of the room so everything was at hand when I was ready to begin painting. By that point, I had already been engaged for a few days and it was easy to shift from absorbing to creating. I did a charcoal drawing of the whale on the canvas to establish the composition and was pleased with how it floated in the square shape. The foreshortening of the tail as it turned away added dimension. It was an excellent start. The next day I did a monochromatic underpainting of the whale in oil (raw umber). That destroys the initial drawing, so I referred to a photo of it taped beside the canvas.

Once the underpainting was in place, I addressed the background so the setting would be established when I returned to complete the whale. The background is made from three blues and white, with some whale color reflecting above. Everything not “whale” in the image would be water. It had to look like more than blue paint. I needed to figure out how to give it the viscosity and transparency of the ocean without adding symbols. That is one of the things I love about painting: studying my subject and describing what I’ve learned. It’s a building process, a growing from beginning to end, and I am most happy when I see my subject in a different, clearer light after I’m done. The whale was painted with just two colors: Ultramarine, which is a red-shade blue, and Raw Sienna, which is a dirty, dark yellow. By shifting the mix I could warm or cool the gray, make areas advance and recede, and create form. The reflection and movement at the top suggest fluidity. The whale gets bluer toward the back, describing the water’s substance by how the light is affected. It’s like having a large aquarium window in the studio now. Blue Boy and I stare at each other a lot. It will be a while before he can come off the wall and be mounted on a stretcher, but there's no rush. I’m enjoying having him around. n ICON | AUGUST 2019 | ICONDV.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ICONDV

EXHIBITIONS

“My Name Is Europe, Hi Europe,” 2014. David Bade (born 1970). Oil and acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist. © David Bade.

Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago Delaware Art Museum 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 302-571-9590 delart.org Through September 8, 2019 Curated by Tatiana Flores and organized by the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, CA, this exhibit presents 21st-century art by artists with roots in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, St. Martin, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Trinidad, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Barbados, and St. Vincent. The exhibition features contemporary painting, installation art, sculpture, photography, video, and performance by over 50 artists from the islands of the Caribbean.

“In My Floating World, Landscape of Paradise” from the series Theories on Freedom, 2010. Scherezade Garcia (born 1966). Plastic tubes, prints, rubber and illustrationsns. Courtesy of the artist. Scherezade Garcia.

“Lost at Sea,” 2014. Edouard Duval-Carrie (born 1954). Mixed media on aluminum. Courtesy of the artist. © Edouard Duval-Carrie. 6

Greg Brellochs, “Sporangium,” 2018. Graphite on Paper, 48 x 48 in.

Carl Joe Williams (b. 1970), “Waiting,” 2016, mixed media on mattress. © Carl Joe Williams

An Essential Presence: The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African-American Art Allentown Art Museum Scheller and Fowler Galleries 31 North Fifth Street, Allentown, PA 610-432-4333 allentownartmuseum.org Through September 1, 2019 This exhibition presents 65 pieces, including more than 40 works new to the collection, on view for the first time. Spanning the late 19th century to the current decade, the show features work by celebrated artists Henry Ossawa Tanner, Charles White, and Elizabeth Catlett. Simultaneously, it heralds groundbreaking artists like Vanessa German, William Villalongo, and Syd Carpenter. With paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, and photographs, this selection gives a sense of the powerful artwork made by artists of the African diaspora over more than a century. From realism to abstraction, with humor, grace, and pathos, the works in this exhibition sample this important private collection built in the last six years under the direction of curator Berrisford Boothe. The Petrucci Family Foundation responds to the needs of the communities it serves, with the mission of supporting education and creating opportunity for Americans at every stage of life. The Collection is a targeted initiative to bring focus to AfricanAmerican visual creativity and its essential place in American art. This collection, a partnership between Lehigh University professor Berrisford Boothe and real estate developer Jim Petrucci, has received national attention following its exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art in 2017.

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Downriver in the Multiverse PAFA 118-128 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 215-972-7600 pafa.org Through October 19, 2019 In Downriver in the Multiverse, eight PAFA alumni—Donna Backues, Gregory Brellochs, Chenlin Cai, Maureen Drdak, Amy Herzel, Karey Kessler, James Lloyd, and Tad Sare—draw on nature in a variety of ways. They are inspired by global and international events, the uncertainty of technology and more intimate considerations of the human condition, spirituality and sublime. These artists’ ideas are complimented in adjacent museum galleries. In the Morris Gallery, Bill Viola’s Ocean Without a Shore is titled after a quote by Andalusian Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi, who wrote, “The self is an ocean without a shore. Gazing upon it has no beginning or end, in this world and the next.” From the Schuylkill to the Hudson: Landscapes of the Early American Republic highlights the important contribution Philadelphia has made to the history of landscape painting in America.

Donna Backues, Green Canyon, Acrylic, ink, gouache, graphite, color pencil on Scratch Board, 18 x 24 in., 2018

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AUGUST NIGHTLIFE CURATED BY A.D. AMOROSI

5 – SARAH MCLAUGHLAN & THE PHILLY POPS

7 – INCUBUS

11 – BRAD PAISLEY

Pet rescue is essential. Pet rescue commercials are annoying and dismal. Without the glut of hearing McLaughlan’s dulcet tones on an hourly basis, we

The toast of Calabasas, California grunge metal pop (or pop grunge metal) is running around celebrating the 1999 release of the sweet and seminal Make

Beyond being one of country music’s most handsome vocalists and occasionally controversial lyricists, Paisley is a guitar hero supreme. Steelstacks, steelstacks.org 11 – KHALID

Emo-soul has no better purveyor than this young Army family brat turned Soundcloud sensation and Grammy winner. Wells Fargo Center, wellsfargocenterphilly.com 14 – DISTILLERS

Sometimes known as Mrs. Queen of the Stone Age, Brody Dalle has a head-crushing, metal crunching Yourself album. Plus, they’re starting their mega world tour in Bethlehem. Steelstacks, steelstacks.org can actually start to appreciate her again—and with an orchestra behind her to boot. The Met Philadelphia, themetphilly.com 5 – TUXEDO

9 – AUGUST BURNS RED

Lancaster’s rough and tumble metalcore band, led by vocalist Jake Luhrs has been in action since 2003. Along with celebrating the 10th anniversary of its breakthrough album, Constellations, this year are

Vocalist Mayer Hawthorne has long been a blueeyed soul sonic force all on his own, so joining up with jiving producer Jake One for the suave electro R&B duo, Tuxedo, and its eponymously titled new

sound all her own. Union Transfer, utphilly.com 14 – RINGO STARR & HIS ALL STARR BAND

album is an even greater reason to shout out Hallelujah. The Fillmore Philadelphia, thefillmorePhilly.com 9 – GODSMACK

Nine Inch Nails Lite. And in brighter colors. That’s what I think of when the pop industrial ensemble’s

name comes up. That’s a compliment. Steelstacks, steelstacks.org 8

moving forward to new music that promises to be a tad mellower. The Fillmore Philadelphia, thefillmorePhilly.com

Ringo Starr is fond of saying that only four men know what it was like to be a Beatle, and only two of them are still alive. For this, the tenth iteration of his All Starr Band, Ringo smiles, drums, and watches his musicians play their hits—guys from Journey and Santana are along for the ride, presently—before lurching into his old familiar favorites, Beatles and beyond. Do this. The Met Philadelphia, themetphilly.com 16 – BIRD AND THE BEE

11 – BRYAN FERRY

The recently anointed Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (alas, with his art-rock avatars Roxy Music) braves the summer all buttoned up in a tux, crooning solo

hits while his audience swoons at the sounds of Avalon. The Met Philadelphia, themetphilly.com

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Inara George is a pop-soul singer of great renown. Greg Kurstin is an in-demand producer and co-songwriter who has made hits for Adele, Foo Fighters

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CINEMATTERS PETE CROATTO

Sword of Trust

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LYNN SHELTON’S YOUR SISTER’S Sister and Humpday took outlandish scenarios and grounded them in the foibles of well-defined, flawed characters. These wonderful films from the improvisational-minded director never felt slathered in method. In her latest comedy, Sword of Trust, Shelton is more focused on story than the characters in it, an imbalance that is as odd as it is unsatisfying. Mel (comedian and podcaster Marc Maron) runs a pawn shop in a ramshackle part of Birmingham, AL, that’s mostly wood and heated dust. The lone regulars are his sweet, slack-jawed assistant, Nathaniel (Jon Bass), who consumes alternative fact-driven videos when he should be working, and a fellow proprietor (Al Elliott) who stops in for some easy chit-chat. It’s a lazy, productive way of life that gets rattled in a damn hurry. First, Mel’s tortured, longtime ex, Deirdre (Shelton), drifts into his life, asking for money, a

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FILM ROUNDUP

La Flor

KEITH UHLICH

The Art of Self-Defense (Dir. Riley Stearns). Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots. It begins like a twee indie, with introvert nine-to-fiver Casey (Jesse Eisenberg) shambling through a life most ordinary in Louisville, Kentucky. Even the dog food he purchases is generically branded “dog food.” Then he’s beaten up by a roving gang of motorcyclists, a catalyst to check out the local karate dojo run by uber-macho Sensei (Alessandro Nivola, brilliant), who wants to help Casey unleash the virile beast within. There’s more to Sensei’s plan than he’s revealing, of course, and it may involve the dojo’s only female, Anna (Imogen Poots), to whom Casey takes a fancy. Writer-director Riley Stearns has concocted a very of-the-moment satire of incel culture—Fight Club as helmed by Wes Anderson. The filmmaker’s own strange voice is evident, too (this is his second feature). He has an especially sure hand with the deadpan stylings of his performers. The finale, how12

ever, leans a tad too much toward hope and redemption, blunting some of the edge. [R] HHH1/2 La Flor (Dir. Mariano Llinás). Starring: Elisa Carricajo, Valeria Correa , Pilar Gamboa, Laura Paredes. It’s likely many viewers will be put off by the running time of Argentinean writer-director Mariano Llinás’s near-fourteen-hour feature, which is designed to be screened across several days. Yet the overarching sense of playfulness—evident from frame one in which Llinás himself (no joke) telepathically explains the film’s conceit—should break down any resistance. La Flor is composed of six stories, four with beginnings and no ends, one “complete,” and one with a middle and end and no beginning. Almost all of the tales star the same four actresses (Elisa Carricajo, Valeria Correa, Pilar Gamboa and Laura Paredes) in different roles, and are a mix of genres from mummy movie to musical to spy thriller to pseudo-documen-

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tary to a remake of a famously incomplete French film classic by Jean Renoir. Llinás describes La Flor as a love letter to his very game and appealing performers, and it certainly is that. It’s also a mischievous treatise on the ways we yoke the world, through storytelling, into idealized forms that can’t help but collapse when butting up against life’s complexities. [N/R] HHHHH Midsommar (Dir. Ari Aster). Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren. The latest from writer-director Ari Aster (Hereditary) is beautifully made, gynophobic garbage. Dani (Florence Pugh) is the tragedy-prone girlfriend of a grad student (Jack Reynor) about to head overseas with his best buds to attend a ceremonial Scandinavian celebration. Dani tags along, much to the group’s barely-disguised cha-

8 ICON | AUGUST 2019 | ICONDV.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ICONDV

REEL NEWS

Official Secrets

DVDS REVIEWED BY GEORGE OXFORD MILLER

Luce (Dir. Julius Onah. Starring Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tim Roth.) Luce (Harrison) is an an anomaly. He makes straight-A’s in highschool, is debate team captain, and a star athlete. But more importantly, at least to one of his teachers, he was a child soldier in war-torn Eritrea. Then Amy (Watts) and Peter (Roth) adopted him, brought him to middle-class America, and afforded him all the privileges of a prosperous white family. The teacher, Mrs. Wilson (Spencer at her best), demands high achievement from her students and bears down especially hard on black students. She searches the black students’ lockers looking for zero-tolerance contraband to bust them on. When she finds fireworks in Luce’s locker, she’s convinced he has illicit intentions and sets out to bring his privileged life and promising future to ruin. The piercing needle of this psychological thriller intertwines class inequities, racial identity, white privilege and white guilt, ambiguous allegations, and covert intentions. All four 14

characters come with both obvious and concealed baggage, so the viewer never knows who is conniving, vindictive, and manipulating, or who is trustworthy, sincere, and sympathetic. Actors at the top of their class make this a riveting story with powerful and timely social implications. [R] HHHHH Official Secrets (Dir: Gavin Hood.Starring Keira Knightley, Matt Smith, Matthew Goode, Ralph Fiennes.) In 2003, Washington convinced British Prime Minister Tony Blaire to support the invasion of Iraq, but other members of the UN Security Counsel resisted. So the NSA concocted a covert plan to pressure the hold-out countries by blackmailing their diplomats. Katherine Gun (Knightley), a translator at the British Government Communications Headquarters, received the top-secret memo authorizing spying on the diplomats of Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Bulgaria and Guinea. Already incensed by the brazen fabrications used by the U.S. and U.K. to justify the war, Gun reacted with righteous fury. But how can a mere min-

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ion call out and hold accountable two powerful world governments? Should she just continue shouting at the TV, or attempt something more daring and dangerous? Despite the probability of imprisonment, she passed the memo along to Observer journalist Martin Bright (Smith). Thus far the plot follows the well-established formula of daring whistleblower, conflicted journalists and publisher with Knightley carrying the torch. The story rollicks onward when the British government charges her with treason and threatens to deport her immigrant husband. A fiery attorney, Ben Emmerson (Fiennes), devises a plan to base her defense on the premise that the Iraqi war itself was illegal. Superb acting more than the unsurprising plotline carry this espionage/court room drama that exposes an all too familiar tale of governments getting away with global-scale malfeasance. [R] HHH

d t e n d e h s , r g

FILM A.D. AMOROSI

Tarantino’s Coda A Love Song, A Masterpiece...or Pulp? IT’S TELLING THAT BEFORE Quentin Tarantino dropped Once Upon a Time in Hollywood into cineplexes that he—in tandem with Sony Pictures Television— released Quentin Tarantino Presents the Swinging Sixties. This was a series of ten personally curated films, each of which served as a specific influence in the creation of his 1969-set-in-Los Angeles film. It was as if he was telling younger audiences and non-cinephiles, “Look, other than the Manson references, you’ll have no idea what I’m talking about when you see my new movie.” The ten films in order are Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969, directed by Paul Mazursky); Cactus Flower (1969, directed by Gene Saks); Easy Rider (1969, directed by Dennis Hopper); Model Shop (1969, directed by Jacques Demy); Battle of the Coral Sea (1959, directed by Paul Wendkos); Getting Straight (1970, directed by Richard Rush); The Wrecking Crew (1968, directed by Phil Karlson); Hammerhead (1968, directed by David Miller); Gunman’s Walk (1958, directed by Phil Karlson) and Arizona Raiders (1965, directed by William Witney).

Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Pacino.

Together, these films represent the division of the Hollywood that was passing before filmmakers’ and audiences’ very eyes: overly-dramatic films with hammy machismo, breezy violence, merry misogyny, and a heavy emphasis on Westerns and cop dramas; and the then bourgeoning new hippie Hollywood films with their looser values, feminist empowerment (as much as was allowed), ephemeral messages and freedom to roam new cinematic techniques. Though only four years apart, the gulf between Witney’s hard-boiled Western and Dennis Hopper’s softfocus-everything was one hundred football fields apart from each other. Into that gully is where writer-director Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood exists. It’s the uneasy passing of the torch between Hollywood dealmakers and breakers, and the cultures—counter and otherwise—that existed within that

29 ICON | AUGUST 2019 | ICONDV.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ICONDV

INTERVIEW A.D. AMOROSI

WAYNE COYNE THE OTHER LION KING

EVERY TIME SOMEONE SPEAKS to Wayne Coyne about Flaming Lips, adventure and downright weirdness is right around the corner. Sometimes that adventure has involved new albums ensconced in jellied skulls, or recorded with Miley Cyrus or filled with warped versions of Beatles and Pink Floyd covers. Sometimes that has meant collaborating with craft breweries such as Delaware’s Dogfish for something light, refreshing and kinda-sorta pinkish in hue and crammed into the label of one of its singles—“Pouring Beer In Your Ear (The Beer Song)” and “The Story Of Yum Yum and Dragon”—filled with Dragons & YumYums brew. “The guy we dealt with at Dogfish, Sam (Calagione, the brewery’s CEO and founder), is the identity behind all Dogfish stuff, and he felt we would be a good match in that we’d both want to do something outrageous,” said Coyne before Record Store Day in April. “We’ve done many special Record Store Day projects such as the gummy worm skulls, and those filled with human blood. Sam was aware of those so that if we were going to do a record about beer, we should fill the vinyl with beer. Of course, it was possible. And fun. Sam gave me a list of the 25 most colorful elements. How could you not consider dragonfruit and yumberry elements and come up with something whimsical?”

The WHIMSY and FUN of Coyne’s latest release, King’s Mouth: Music & Songs (a Record Store Day-only project turned into a full-on wide-scale release in late July) stems principally from his Flaming Lips latest, traveling sense of CONCEPTUALISM. It’s an IMMERSIVE exhibition-installation influenced by a Japanese television program in which giant LIZARDS roam free, and participants get wads of meat tied to their heads, all while being strapped to tables. With that, Coyne’s CREAKY, DIY, Christmas light-lined installation allows its visitors to CRAWL inside a giant head while the Lips’ skronky and EPICALLY PSYCHEDELIC soundtrack plays on. “There wasn’t music for this in my head at the start,” said Coyne of something that—in photos and videos—looks like Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” mixed with “The Wizard of Oz” come to cardboard life. “It was just intended to be a freak-out installation like there were in the ’60s. There was music throughout, of course, without vocals, that played inside of the King’s Mouth, which probably led people to believe that, hey, this is the next Lips record. I kept saying ‘no, this is its own thing,’ But, maybe, obviously, 16

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everyone else knew better than me, because here this is, a full-blown Flaming Lips album.” Coyne believed that it was his installation’s visceral, emotional reactions—”people who went inside leaned into it and came out, somehow changed”—and the surprise it brought him and his Flaming Lips partner Stephen Drozd which led to its score’s recording and expansion. In this expansion (and with a genuinely creepy, but somehow heartfelt narration from Mick Jones of The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite) The Flaming Lips came up with a majestic concept album. It touches on some of the same themes as its spacey 2002 album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, but with more heroics and interpersonal stories about life and death, rulers, lovers, and sacrifices. “I liked the idea of thinking about how we will be remembered. Maybe legacy is too big of a word, but considering the best of who we were or could be.” Here, a benevolent king sacrifices his throne to protect his hometown against an encroaching avalanche. His sacrifice is honored by its citizenry—who removed his head, dipped it in precious metals, and placed it forever on display. It is that monument to him that is King’s Mouth. “I don’t know if I would call it like a mantra, or something hypnotic, but the music in its original form is meditative,” said Coyne. “It was cathartic for some. People would relive the saddest moments of their lives or the happiest moments of their lives and look at them with new, fresh eyes. It would have been wrong for us not to do something. “ From there, Coyne and Drozd came up with a fullblown, wild adventurous musicale to go with his viewers’ reactions, a fairytale of sorts, that also had an unexpected Kubrick-ian edge. “A Clockwork Orange kept coming up as an influence,” he said. “That film, the hats, the Milk Bar, kept coming to mind when we were writing and playing.” You get the feeling that along with Kubrick, everything from Dr. Seuss to Orson Welles’ sense of what he called kingly acting, also came in to play on King’s Mouth. This reminded me of something that Coyne told me on the occasion of his 45th birthday. It is there where I began to muse about how he began about magic realism, doomed lovers, flighty benevolent kings and rampant self-possessed optimism and emotion in the first place. “There’s something cinematic about what we call psychedelic rock. So to tell a story in front of that is just a more compelling narrative. Besides, we’re always just singing about ourselves. That’s so much better than the junk you’d make up or imagine. There’s a level of psychological weirdness that makes me feel like we’re communicating with people. Even Syd Barrett—people didn’t fucking know what he was talking about, but it seemed to make sense. Ultimately, you don’t really worry about the pettiness of art and ideas. It’s what my life is. But it’s not all it’s about. Our art is our joy, and if we fuck up, I think our audience loves us still.” n

o t

s e e Performing in London, 2017. Photo: Simone Joyner / Redferns

“The King’s Mouth” installation. Photo courtesy of PNCA.

n t

Coyne with a bottle of Delaware’s Dogfish craft brewery’s Dragons & Yum Yums.

Onstage with Miley Cyrus, 2017. Photo: Kevork Djansezian. ICON | AUGUST 2019 | ICONDV.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ICONDV

FOODIE FILE A.D. AMOROSI

BYOB with a cause

CHRISTINA KALLAS-SARITSOGLOU AND BOBBY Saritsoglou, the married couple behind 17th and Snyder’s new BYOB-with-a-cause, are changing the face of how we view responsible restaurant ownership, to say nothing of changing our outlook on Mediterranean casual cuisine and the nature of the independently run BYOB. Bobby has always been a chef focused on Mediterranean/Greek/Turkish fare, especially at the white linen Opa where he held sway until 2017. But Stina is all his, and it’s more relaxed in its setting with the hipster millennial marrieds in the Newbold area where he lives and works with his wife—and Stina namesake—Christina.

Bobby Saritsoglou and Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou.

“The concept certainly came before the name,” said Bobby of his rustic menu. Made with high-end techniques, it features items such as traditional borek (a doughy pastry filled with smoked cheese and honey), Turkish dumplings, chicken shawarma, falafel, kabobs and his famous octopus, fired up in a Morello Forni wood-fired oven imported from Italy. “Bobby’s octopus is the first thing I go for whenever I go to work at Stina,” says Christina, who does dou18

ble duty at the couple’s restaurant, Philly AIDS Thrift on S. 5th Street, and its offshoot at 12th & Pine’s Giovanni’s Room. “The concept is casual, fun, and affordable, for this neighborhood. And the name is my heart,” noted Bobby. The look and feel of the place is, according to Bobby, what she is. “The warmth, the hominess, the crazy stuff on the wall—as well as long-standing activism—that’s Christina. She’s loving and giving. That’s her.” Kallas-Saritsoglou is better known as the cofounder of nonprofit Philly AIDS Thrift and its dedication to HIV-related causes, aid, and education. Though she runs the counter at Stina when she can, and decorated the eccentric 28-seat, 900 square foot space with vintage art and silly tchotchkes, her spirit is with Philly AIDS Thrift. “In 2005, a few friends and I put the store together. Growing up as teenagers, we saw AIDS devastate the community,” said Christina. So they created what is now its Fifth Street location and its recently opened second spot in the famed Giovanni’s Room on Pine Street. “We watched too many friends die, and other friends continuing to live and struggle with the disease. We put it together so that we could make a difference for the HIV community.” For their efforts, Stina is the recipient of lines of people spilling onto Snyder, and regularly returning customers already used to the welcoming atmosphere, the wonky décor, and the love-filled food. Diners are accustomed to seeing the room-sized, crazy-hot, wood-fired oven in action—at 800 degrees it’s literally a blast. You’d think would singe Bobby’s signature mustache, but it does not. Along with receiving positive critical nods and a solid returning new customer base, Stina is about giving back to the community. “The social service aspect is important to restaurants in Philly as they always budget a percentage of their take to give money away,” said Bobby. “We built that into our business model—to raise money every single day for the charity or organization of the month,” he said with regard to the one percent of Stina’s daily sales and 20% of the last Tuesday of the month. Open less than a month, Stina has gathered a nice chunk of change ($1,000) for a lucky recipient. They’ll also continue to allow each of the organizations involved to promote and drop off pamphlets. “We’re a kitchen full of soul,” he said. Christina notes that the missions of Stina and Philly AIDS Thrift are similar but different. “With the restaurant, we’re putting our two loves together,

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food and activism,” she said. “He’s always wanted his own restaurant, and I’ve always cared about trying to make a difference in the world, even if it’s tiny. He shares that love, too. And I do love his cooking, especially his octopus. The thrift store focuses on HIV exclusively, while Stina allows us to showcase what other activists in the community are doing.”

Here are several other BYOBs to look out for in the area this summer El Paisano Taqueria Living, as I do, in Philadelphia’s Ninth Street Market area, I have the best of Italian, Pan-Asian and Mexican fare at my fingertips. So, to say that Bethlehem has a great Mexican dining spot is pretty cool. Virginia and Miguel Sosa’s homemade hot sauce is zesty. And they offer lengua (cow tongue) and tripa (stomach). That’ll bring me to any room in any city. 22 E Union Blvd, Bethlehem, PA. (610) 694-9326 Dolce Zola This Brandywine Valley Italian cookery shows off the passions of Chef Antonella Belfiore, known for freshly made pasta done up from scratch, and Northern Italian fare such as Riviera (sautéed mussels and clams in garlic and white wine), Ravioli all’ aragosta (with lobster and whipped ricotta in a blush crab sauce), and Lasagna della nonna (béchamel, pecorino romano). Plus, no corkage fee. 134 E Gay St, West Chester, PA. 484-887-0760. dolcezola.com Jasmine First, off a Chinese-Japanese-Thai restaurant anywhere is a treat, especially if you are as apt to keep sake at your ready (like me) as you are a bottle of wine. Secondly, with the restaurant split in half for a hibachi room, you can always sit near the chef and enjoy the action. 1855 Sullivan Trail, Easton, PA. 610438-8811. jasminesushiandthai.com Tre Scalini Not to be confused with East Passyunk Avenue’s Tre Scalini, this Bethlehem Italian bistro puts its own spin on octopus (here, barbecued) as its specialty, as well as a white linen dining room experience, and BYOB convenience. 221 E Broad St, Bethlehem, PA. 610-419-1619. trescalini.net n

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POP A.D. AMOROSI

Mid-Summer’s Finest Work Mark Ronson Late Night Feelings RCA Mark Ronson has a thing for ubiquity. After 2014’s co-creation of the modern party classic “Uptown Funk” with Bruno Mars, the DJ turned writer-producer snagged an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Grammy

for his work with Lady Gaga on the epic ballad “Shallow” from 2018’s A Star Is Born. What Ronson’s done for an encore with his brand Late Night Feelings might not wind up as wildly omnipresent as his past successes, but its surprisingly subtle set of melodies are pervasive in their own fashion. First, he turns collaborator-singer Miley Cyrus into her godmother, Dolly Parton (on the growly “Jolene” sound-a-like, “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart.” Then, Ronson and co-writer Kevin Parker (of Tame Impala fame) bring vocalist Camila Cabello the downtempo Sound of Philadelphia’s ’80s (kudos to Nick Martinelli) with “Find U Again.” Any fan of Ronson’s hits knows that the has an ear for taking other producer’s signature sounds and making them his own (not always a good or legal thing, considering “Uptown Funk’s charges of plagiarism). Don’t let that stop you in his tracks; Ronson’s teaming with King Princess on the shimmering, metronomic ballad, “Pieces of Us,” is as lustrous and supple, as his pairing with Lykke Li (the album’s title track) is haunting, and Alicia Keys’ (“Truth”) is poignantly soulful. Ronson’s late-night feelings may not be as contagious as those in his past, but they are stirring. Stewart Copeland and The Police The Police: Everyone Stares Eagle Vision 20

Available on DVD and Blu-Ray, this first-person account from Stewart Copeland – Police drummer, brother of the band’s manager – of touring with Sting and Andy Summers isn’t just a love letter to the trio’s fans. It’s a visual diary of the band’s early punk history, moving from grotty clubs in the UK to furthering its agenda and aesthetics as bourgeoning success occurred. Filmed first on a Super 8 film starting in 1978, Everyone Stares is raw in several ways, and not just in its sense of cinema verite and on-the-spot capture,

but the curt emotions that come from three guys (who you’re not always certain like each other that much) in close, sweaty proximity playing rough, challenging music that seems to be inventing itself, and unfurling, as the film goes on. Scored with rare live performances and studio “derangements” of classic Police songs, the best part of Everyone Stares is hearing Copeland’s dry-humored wit rolling as the action unfolds, live, before him. Jonas Brothers Happiness Begins Republic Rather than commence their comeback on the familiar terra firma of summer camps, Disney theme parks and tween fandom of the youth, the now-adult Jonas Brothers – Kevin, Joe, and Nick – are making adventurously grown-and-sexy music without losing its kiddish charm. The band’s fifth studio album—their first since 2009’s “Lines, Vines and Trying Times,” and the solo careers of Nick and Joe—find the brothers tackling more risqué, emotional turf and luxurious musicality than they did in their past. There’s a reason that the irresistible vocal harmonies, sumptuous melody and stop-starting rhythm of “Sucker” gave the Jonas’ the

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first number one single of its career; it’s like everything and nothing you’re hearing on the radio-DLearbuds at this time. The same can be said of the vocal unity that fuels the down-tempo “Cool,” and its fizzy guitars and the ardent pop of “Every Single Time.” Plus, anyone looking for Nick and Joe to upthe-ante on who's got the creamier falsetto can listen in to the quiet storming “I Believe” and Joe’s steamy “Hesitate,” each written for that Jonas’ new-ish brides. If you never though that words such as ‘steamy’ and ‘sensuous’ could ever be used to describe the Jonas, you probably never knew what it meant for the brothers to be truly happy. Various Artists Revenge of the Dreamers III Dreamville/Interscope At a time when hip hop stature is designated according to the guest features you have on any given song or album, J. Cole has been a king, alone, on his throne; quite literally, as he’s used no outside rappers on his last several records. Rather than allow himself to be stuck in cold (he is in North Carolina, how cold could that be?), alone and lonely, Revenge of the Dreamers III remedies that as Cole gets together with fam and friends from the Dreamville label he shares with college pal-manager Ibrahim “IB” Hamad. Beyond that, however, this freshly-made compilation of silken soulful melodies, rough, complex rhythms and more wild flows than a rushing river tributary in winter portrays what occurs when you put a group of artists into a home for ten days and tell them to invent something new and free. That’s how all great art movements occurred. Cole and his Dreamville crew— (the wonky hopping EARTHGANG, the emotive R&B mistress Ari Lennox, etc.—show Southern hospitality by inviting T.I., TY Dolla Sign and more to the week-long-plus party, with hip-swerving soul songs such as “Got Me” and “Ladies, Ladies, Ladies” as the funky end result. Mostly though, it’s the Dreamville bunch vibe-ing as one that best presents its North Carolina charm and group-think – the genuinely dramatic “Swivel” with EARTHGANG, Ari Lennox, Bas & Baby Rose’s crepuscular “Self Love,” and the weirdly anthemic “Rembrandt...Run It Back”—with JID and J. Cole banging heads. With Cole’s solo “Middle Child” as part of the Revenge package, the rapper finally at peace, and at one with a family groove. n

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JAZZ, ROCK, CLASSICAL, ALT MARK KERESMAN

Dave Douglas/Uri Caine/Andrew Cyrille HHHHH Devotion Greenleaf Dave Douglas is a master trumpeter that, before establishing himself as a leader, made his mark with no less than Horace Silver and John Zorn; he’s recorded tribute albums to Wayne Shorter and Joni Mitchell, and helmed sessions of hard bop, free jazz, electronica, and more. Pianist Uri Caine is a son of Philadelphia, Douglas’ frequent musical companion, and as eclectic as he. Andrew Cyrille is of a previous generation (or two) than Douglas and Caine, doing heavyweight work with Cecil Taylor, Oliver Lake and Coleman Hawkins. With the presence of Cyrille, one might expect Devotion to be avant-garde…and one would be wrong.

“Miljosang” has a bubbling groove evoking the mid-’60s work of Herbie Hancock and Peanuts TV specials soundtrack wiz Vince Guaraldi—Caine’s dancing keys are a delight and Douglas’ laconic horn has a touch of the yearning of Miles Davis. “False Allegiances” finds Douglas getting in touch with his inner Louis Armstrong (sly, bluesy, raspy) while Cyrille makes like the Angel of Death (stopping by for coffee) with his mysterious, steady knock-at-door beats. “Rose and Thorn” recalls the hot jazz styles of the 1920s (and even earlier, maybe), Caine laying down some rollicking pre-swing piano styles including stride and ragtime, Cyrille causing an elemental ruckus like early jazz drumming icon Baby Dodds or a very young Gene Krupa. “We Pray” digs into a gospel bag, Douglas’ horn gorgeous as an early morning sunrise. On the title track, I could’ve sworn I heard Carole King playing piano. Fab musicianship, imagination, flair, and tunes that sound both adventurous and as comforting as your fave pair of shoes—acoustic jazz for the ages, and that’s no jive. (10 tracks, 51 min.) Matthew Shipp Trio HHH1/2 Signature ESP-Disk Jazz pianist Matthew Shipp is, admittedly, not exactly under-recorded—his presence can be gleaned on over 80 albums, as a leader, collaborator, and accompanist. He’s cracked the 88s for and with William Parker, David S. Ware, Roscoe Mitchell, and Evan Parker. His musical development absorbed inspiration from cutting-edge jazz, David Bowie, hip hop, and electronica—Shipp can shatter the keys (and expectations) like unto Cecil Taylor and he can make with melancholy lyricism, then swing, sway, and crackle. Signature finds him in a trio context, with regular cohorts Michael Bisio, bass, and Newman Taylor Baker, drums, and it’s a consistently enjoyable set of knotty yet gregarious jazz. “Stage Ten” has a cool noir-ish groove that would sound at home on a 1950s session by Gerry Mulligan or Paul Desmond over which Shipp picks and prods the keys like a cubist Dave Brubeck, 22

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slyly laying down pianistic fragments to tease ‘n’ tickle the inner ear. “Speech of Form” finds Shipp journeying through the Twilight Zone to chase Bill Evans’ ghost but encounters the specter of Bela Bartok—not harmonious but not really dissonant either, leading the listener down dark paths in search of (and finding) shafts of light. “This Matrix” finds Shipp swirling, spiky, and volcanic, evoking McCoy Tyner’s glory days with the John Coltrane Quartet. This is not your usual themesolos-theme swing-a-thon, nor is it a tres-avant barrage/lease-breaker—it’s somewhere in between, a pleasant shock to the system, cerebrally stimulating without being dry. (10 tracks, 62 min.) espdisk.com Anat Cohen Tentet HHHH1/2 Triple Helix Anzic Israeli-born NYC-based clarinetist Anat Cohen (also known to play saxophone) has a rather eclectic resume—as a leader she’s helmed several sessions in a Brazilian vein and others in a post bop mode. She’s got a full-bodied, warm ‘n’ woody tone on clarinet but also very modern—not avant-garde, mind you, but she’s not stuck in classic-clarinet Benny Goodman/Artie Shaw past. (For some reason, the clarinet was somewhat left behind in jazz’s bebop, free, and fusion zones. While

there have been boss players of ‘net post-1955—John Carter, Perry Robinson, Buddy DeFranco, Eddie Daniels, Don Byron—but rather few specialists.) Triple Helix is an ambitious large-group session and it pulls together threads old and new—the sultry tango-flavored “Milonga Del Angel” is a virtual study is passionate elegance, Cohen dancing gracefully above the vividly rich ensemble playing, both pastoral and urbane. The title piece, subtitled “Concerto for Clarinet and Ensemble,” is mostly successful fusion of assorted jazz styles, including Gil Evans/Duke Ellington-style orchestrations and bits of fusion, plus undertones of early 20th century classical (think Aaron Copeland and Maurice Ravel) and overtones of klezmer melodies and Middle Eastern rhythms. It’s a bit awkward at times, but it’s loaded with wit and Cohen is magnificent—soulful, thoughtful, concise. “Footsteps and Smiles” oozes enough New Orleansstyle motifs and swaggering joie de vivre to make Dr. John (may he RIP) proud. A Stan Kenton Orchestra obscurity from 1952, “Lonesome Train” has a luscious bluesy feel that evokes the result of Frank Zappa rearranging one of Charles Mingus’ humorous pieces (think “Oh Lord Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb on Me”)—smarty-pants blues you could use, yet with heart to spare. (Historical footnote: David Bowie was a fan of Kenton. Who knew?) Fans of captivating clarinet and brainy, large ensemble music that ignores category are advise to glom onto this immediately. (9 tracks, 51 min.) anzicrecords.com Stereo Total HH1/2 Ah! Que! Cinema! Tapete There is a world parallel to ours in which Austin Powers rubs shoulders with James Coburn and James Mason, where Edie Sedgewick has tea with Mary Quant, and some too-cool-to-live waiter/waitress in a turtleneck sweater and beret informs you that your order has become tiresome. This world has a limited budget for its soundtrack—in their younger days they listened to Human League and Scritti Politti and know how to make a little go a long way. (Why get a drummer when a synthetic drum sound is so much, uh, less trouble?) Stereo Total is Francoise Cactus and Brezel Göring, whose droll co-ed vocals convey more tender ennui than a whole coffeehouse full of philosophy majors. Their music springs from a misspent youth of cheesy synth-pop acts and the sleek French pop of Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy, the movies of the French New Wave, and hit movies of the early and middle 1960s. This may sound absurd, and to a degree it most definitely is. If The B-52s grew up in Paris or Brussels they might’ve sounded like Stereo Total. Groovy-ish. (14 tracks, 40 min.) tapeterecords.com / stereototal.de

Fred Hersch/WDR Big Band/Vince Mendoza

HHHH1/2

Begin Again Palmetto It’s safe to say (for this writer, anyway) that pianist Fred Hersch is an heir (if not the heir) to the mantle of the late Bill Evans. Like Evans, Hersch channels jazz, classical music, etc. through his artistic prism and the results are always unfailingly lyrical and virtually poetic. Here, Hersch and Grammy-winning

Fred Hersch. Photo by Andre Canter.

arranger/conductor Vince Mendoza (Diana Krall, Joni Mitchell, Sting) pick some Hersch compositions and recast them in a big band context with Germany’s amazingly versatile WDR Big Band. Stylistically, Begin Again is somewhat closer to the mod-ish, coolly sophisticated roar of the orchestras of Gil Evans and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis than the old-school élan of Ellington, Goodman, and Basie (though some of that is present in small amounts). The kickoff is the title tune, a ballad with a touch of Ellingtonian wistfulness and features very Bach-infused soloing from Hersch. (Not so incidentally, like Evans Hersch plays what’s needed, no excess whatsoever.) “The Orb” is a mid-tempo swinger with some nifty, punchy simultaneous soloing for some of the horns; “Rain Waltz” is an oh-so-pretty ballad with a lovely Freddie Hubbard-like solo from Ruud Breuls and a sumptuously blue-edged alto sax solo from Karolina Strassmayer, along with swelling, boisterous swells evoking the ’50s Basie band. With its N’awlins language, “The Big Easy” shows the usually sober Hersch has a whimsical side, too. Beautifully, crisply recorded, this set is not the “introspective” side of Hersch (as you’d hear in his solo and trio outings) but a brave recasting of his compositions, taking them to new and very different heights. (9 tracks, 56 min.) palmettorecords.com n ICON | AUGUST 2019 | ICONDV.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ICONDV

JAZZ LIBRARY BOB PERKINS

Dakota Staton

HE YEAR WAS 1957, AND I was in a mess hall in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, pulling KP duty—washing pots, pans, eating utensils, and cleaning up eating areas after meals in the military’s dining rooms. I had just been drafted and would be sserving a two-year hitch in the army. Something I heard on the radio in the mess hall that day took the drudgery out of my chores and soothed the wrinkles in my dish pan hands. It was a song I’d not heard before. I had long been a big fan of great standards and jazz and had an ear for good music.

I also had a longing to work in radio someday. Sometime later, I discovered the voice I heard belonged to a singer named Dakota Staton. And years later still, I did get that job in radio and began to play the music of Dakota Staton, and a host of other jazz and standard pop performers. Well, this piece is about that lady with the enchanting voice I’d heard so many years ago in the army mess hall. Dakota Staton was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA in 1932. Among other things, the Steel City is known for turning out top-notch jazz artists like Erroll Garner, Art Blakey, Stanley Turrentine, Billy Eckstine, and Billy Strayhorn, to name a few. Staton attended a music school and sang in a local band before taking to the nightclub circuit in other large cities. It was while performing in a Harlem nightclub called the Baby Grand that she caught the ear of Capitol Records producer Dave Cavanaugh. She was signed to a contract and quickly released several singles, which led up to DownBeat magazine bestowing on her the “Promising Newcomer” award in 1955. Staton was in fast company at Capitol because of the storied recording artists the label already had under contract, like Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, June Christy, Frank Sinatra, and George Shearing. But she managed to hold her own at Capitol and released several albums of note over the next few years, a top-seller being The Late, Late Show. The album was a sensational crossover hit, and at its zenith, was pegged at Number 4 on the Billboard pop charts. Staton had a unique voice, much like Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, Aretha Franklin, and a few other great ones. She was capable of lending her voice to more than one genre of music—she could be jazz one minute, blues the next, R&B later, and you could bet that gospel would not be far behind. Dakota Staton was no one-album-wonder, even though she was not able to duplicate the success of her signature album. 0ver her more than 40-year career, she recorded close to two dozen albums and shared recording studios and stages with many of the world’s top jazz artists.

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I finally got to meet and serve as emcee for Staton, the lady singer who made my day in an army mess hall some 30 years earlier—when I, not feeling well, was elbow-deep in dishwater. When I recounted the occasion to Dakota, it resulted in a range of emotions—a look of surprise, an OMG, a girlish giggle, and a hug. The name of the song I heard Staton singing while I was in the army was “My Funny Valentine,” and it's included in The Late, Late Show. If you’re not familiar with her work, that CD would be a good get acquainted vehicle. Dakota Staton passed away at age 76 in New York City on April 10, 2007. n

Bob Perkins is a writer and host of an all-jazz radio program that airs on WRTI-FM 90.1. Listen to Bob Mon–Thurs from 6–9p.m. & Sunday 9–1.

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harper’s FINDINGS Among a million species now threatened with extinction, marine species are disappearing at twice the rate of terrestrial species, and British hedgehogs are in decline, possibly owing to a loss of hedges. An international team of scientists proposed that China could switch to carbonnegative electricity production through the use of coal; the United Kingdom, where 70 percent of asthma inhalers produce high levels of CO2 emissions, could achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 at a cost of 1 to 2 percent of its GDP; and India could make significant progress toward its airquality targets if households stopped burning dung. The Brazilian state of Acre was experimenting with the distribution of carbon-offset assets through labor rights rather than land rights. Carbon remediation will require the restoration of natural forests rather than the expansion of tree plantations. Defaunation from hunting significantly reduces the carbonstorage capacity of forests, while deforestation and poor land management are depleting the carbon-storage capacity of soil. A new NASA satellite, made with leftover parts from an old NASA satellite, will map Earth’s carbon sinks. Bacteria may produce additional CO2 as a result of ocean warming, which may itself contribute to blindness among octopuses, and a warming atmosphere may cause widespread damage to both insect and mammal sperm. The Yukon is the warmest it has been in fourteen millennia. The melt rate of old permafrost can be measured by radiocarbon dating the waters of Arctic rivers, and permafrost thaw was found to be not only releasing CO2 and methane but also damaging infrastructure and altering landscapes. Astronomers reported a Marsquake and a Great Dark Spot moving westward across Neptune. The first Scot in space returned to the Highlands.

An Australian study of 400 years of coral records found that El Niños have been getting stronger, a study of 3,000 years of shell deposits at the bottom of Lake Nakaumi revealed a history of monsoon failures, and archaeologists identified the species of shellfish foraged by ancient children on St. Thomas. A physically stressed juvenile macaque who died 4,500 years ago was unearthed in an Iranian grave of a type usually used for human infants; earrings adorn guinea pigs sacrificed during the construction of Incan buildings; and gold, turquoise, and a baby llama found in Lake Titicaca were interpreted to be ritual emblems expressing the Tiwanaku Empire’s desire to consolidate influence in the late tenth century. Quebecois data provides evidence of a broader trend in human evolution toward lower fertility in the two centuries preceding the Industrial Revolution. Changes in human and animal urine at Asıklı Höyük track the transition from hunting to herding eleven millennia ago. Declassified U-2 spy imagery revealed the Middle East’s ancient irrigation canals and hunting traps, as well as the villages of Marsh Arabs destroyed by the proliferation of hydroelectric dams. Crusader DNA has mostly vanished from Lebanon. Oxford researchers attempted to determine how long it will take for the dead to outnumber the living on Facebook. Despair was rising among the youngest cohort of Generation X, and baby boomers were being blinded by shingles. Building materials are being manufactured from Londoners’ feces.

Cocaine is ubiquitous, and ketamine widespread, among Suffolk river shrimp. High levels of bomb carbon from nuclear testing were found in the tissues of amphipods living in the hadal zone. The discovery of new fossils, of comma shrimp species and of the long-extinct Callichimaera perplexa, forced evolutionary biologists to redefine the crab. The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries intercepted a trained beluga whale suspected of working for the Russian military. After the whale retrieved an iPhone that fell from a woman’s pocket into the sea, officials proposed sending it to a sanctuary in Iceland. 26

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INDEX Factor by which users of marijuana edibles are more likely to require emergency care than marijuana smokers : 33 Percentage of U.S. adults who admit to shopping while drunk : 26 Average amount those adults spend annually on purchases made while drunk : $736 Estimated value of drunk shopping to the U.S. economy each year : $39,400,000,000 Number of U.S. retail stores that closed last year : 5,854 That closed through the first four months of this year : 6,105 Average number of hours an American spent sitting each day in 2007 : 5.5 In 2016 : 6.4 Portion of high school athletes who receive college athletic scholarships : 1/50 Of high school athletes’ parents who think their child will receive one : 1/2 Percentage of Americans who report experiencing stress during “a lot of ” the previous day : 55 Of the global population : 35 Number of economic downturns that have occurred worldwide since 1988 : 469 Number that were predicted by IMF economists more than four months before they began : 4 Portion of Generation Z members who believe they should be promoted during their first year on the job : 3/4 Estimated percentage accuracy with which I.B.M. claims its A.I. can predict of its employees will quit within six months : 95 Number of U.S. counties in which a full-time worker making minimum wage can afford a one-bedroom apartment : 22 In which that worker can afford a two-bedroom apartment : 0 % by which a same-sex couple is more likely to be denied a home loan than other couples : 73 Factor by which the share of U.S. men under 30 who have not had sex in the past year has increased since 2008 : 3 Percentage of dreams that involve sex : 8 Factor by which men are more likely than women to have sexual dreams involving multiple partners : 2 By which women are more likely than men to have sexual dreams about a public figure : 2 % by which someone is more likely to make a false confession if they are sleep deprived : 177 % by which a person detained for a crime is more likely to be convicted if he or she cannot make bail : 14 Bail for which a woman in Texas was being held this year on a felony theft charge : $12,000 Amount that she was accused of stealing : $2 Amount the IRS awarded to people who reported tax cheats last year : $312,207,590 Factor by which this amount exceeded the previous record, set in 2012 : 2.5 Value of a fine levied against gossipers in a neighborhood of the Philippine town of Binalonan : $5.77 Est. % of NYC police officers who have received tickets for speeding or running red lights : 59 Of New York City drivers in general : 36 Minimum number of ride-sharing apps specifically designed to chauffeur children : 7 Minimum number of screen-time and parental-control apps that Apple has removed or restricted in the past year : 18 Number of users who are learning High Valyrian, a language from Game of Thrones, on the Duolingo app or website : 961,000 Who are learning Hebrew : 843,000 Percentage of Republican or Republican-leaning whites who are bothered by hearing a non-English language in public : 47 Of Democratic or Democratic-leaning whites : 18 Number of times the brand name FUCT was said aloud during Supreme Court arguments about its trademark status : 0 “Harper’s Index” is a registered trademark.

SOURCES: 1 Andrew Monte, University of Colorado School of Medicine (Denver); 2−4 Finder.com (NYC); 5,6 Coresight Research (NYC); 7,8 Chao Cao, Washington U. in St. Louis; 9 N.C.A.A. (Indianapolis); 10 TD Ameritrade (Jersey City, N.J.); 11,12 Gallup (Atlanta); 13,14 Fathom Consulting (London); 15 InsideOut Development (South Jordan, Utah); 16 I.B.M. (Armonk, NY); 17,18 National Low Income Housing Coalition (Washington); 19 Hua Sun, Iowa State University (Ames); 20 Washington Post; 21−23 The Zadra Lab (Montreal); 24 Shari Berkowitz, California State University, Dominguez Hills; 25 Jacob Goldin, Stanford Law School (Calif.); 26,27 Travis County District Clerk’s Office (Austin, Tex.); 28,29 Internal Revenue Service; 30 Philippine Consulate General (NYC); 31,32 Streetsblog NYC (Brooklyn); 33 Harper’s research; 34 New York Times (San Francisco); 35,36 Duolingo (Pittsburgh); 37,38 Pew Research Center (Washington); 39 Heritage Reporting Corporation (Washington).

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10 | CINEMATTERS

plea Mel has heard too many times and dismisses. Then he’s visited by a couple that throws his sealed-off world—we never see him outside the shop—into tumult. Shelton uses exterior shots of Birmingham as a reminder that the old ways still exist, including Rebel nostalgia. Cynthia (Jillian Bell) has inherited a Civil War sword from her grandfather boasting a provenance not found in history books: the sword proves the South won the Civil War. Nothing in her grandfather’s letter or in the documentation makes sense, but Cynthia and her partner Mary (Michaela Watkins) decide to sell the sword with the preposterous backstory to Mel. He doesn’t buy it, but Nathan knows there’s a market. After showing an online video featuring a request for the item that walked out the door, Mel sees an opportunity: “Let’s take these fuckers for everything they’ve got.” An unusual business arrangement begins. Cynthia and Mary get invited into the sale, whose representative on the other side is an alternately humble and menacing redneck named Hog Jaws (played with relish by veteran character actor Toby Huss). The deal goes all over the place, including the back of a padded van where the quartet of sellers travels to a secret destination. When the pace slows, Sword of Trust excels. Maron deserves the credit. In one scene, he talks about his path to owning a pawn shop, delivering the monologue so directly and with the slightest hint of regret that you’re riveted. After a lifetime of putting up walls to protect himself, he’s letting himself be vulnerable. It’s an honest, lovely scene in a movie that needs more of them and less of Nathaniel’s proselytizing. Maron’s poignant performance imbues Sword of Trust with a sweet, bedraggled authenticity, one that doesn’t stick around long enough. The movie’s MO is people outfoxing each other—a more benign version of David Mamet’s character noir—a maneuver that exposes Shelton’s tentativeness in steering an actionpacked (for her) plot. The scheming doesn’t feel like chess moves but improvisational bailouts, “yes and” taken to the point of exhaustion. By the third act, it seems that Shelton doesn’t know where to move the story, so she relies on comedic misunderstandings or mumblecore deus ex machina. It’s an awkward stretch for a director who thrives in exploring people seeking clarity in uncomfortable situations. The four unlikely protagonists swapping their origin stories in the back of that wobbly van provides a bittersweet truce in Shelton’s battle to shoehorn irreverent goofiness into a somber character sketch. Plenty of scenes had me smiling: Mel’s begrudging tolerance of slow-witted, sweet Nathaniel; Mary’s ferocious negotiating with Mel; any scene featuring Huss, who is a national treasure; Mel rebuffing Deirdre, who begs for redemption from a man (almost) out of compassion. Whenever Maron appears, Sword of Trust reaches a quiet depth that feels right and fills us with longing: Shelton chose the wrong adventure. In focusing on a frenetic bungled con comedy, the characters aren’t the only ones who get outsmarted. [R] n 28

12 | FILM ROUNDUP

grin. Once in the land of the almost-never-settingsun, the weirdness begins, first in the form of hallucinogens that brings Dani’s fears and painful past to the fore, and later in increasingly bizarre and violent rituals that perversely prove cathartic. Aster said he

14 | REEL NEWS

wrote the film in the aftermath of a bad breakup, and Midsommar seems, in part, an attempt by a man to give a woman he once wronged the benefit of the doubt. How it plays in execution, however, is as a sociopath’s revenge fantasy, with the overseas window dressing standing in metaphorically for Dani’s own castrating desires. (The repellent lesson: “Bitches be crazy, boys!”) It doesn’t help that Aster’s influences are so imitatively evident—The Wicker Man, Bergman psychodramas (two characters are even named Ingmar and Pelle)—and his touch so resoundingly humorless. Somewhere inside this mess is a Ken Russell movie begging to burst out. [R] H1/2

Cold Case Hammarskjöld (Dir. Mads Brügger. Starring Mads Brügger, Göran Björkdahl.) In 1961, the United Nations Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld died in a mysterious plane crash in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Africa. Did the plane crash due to pilot error, equipment failure, or something more nefarious? Assassination theories began circulating immediately, but the investigation dead-ended and, conveniently, nobody ever was charged. Hammarskjöld, a Swedish economist, persistently advocated for the independence of colonial nations controlled by Western countries, whose primary interest was mining the vast resources of rich minerals. Hammarskjöld wanted to free the countries and give them control over their mineral wealth, so he had enemies in extremely high places. During his six years of investigation, Brügge rinterviewed African witnesses who white authorities in 1961 would never consider, a NSA officer with first-hand evidence, and he recovered damning documents from the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In the end, he convincingly proves that foreign governments conspired to assassinate Hammarskjöld. But that assertion is not the final bell. The ringer is even more astounding. An overlooked report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission describes a white supremacy mercenary organization intent on weaponizing AIDS to create Black genocide in South Africa. Their evil intentions were terrifyingly clear. Whether they were successful is plausible, though probably not provable, but still a soul-shaking example of the evil possible by the human species. [NR]

Too Old to Die Young (Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn). Starring: Miles Teller, Augusto Aguilera, Nell Tiger Free. Shamelessly puerile Danish writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn (The Neon Demon) indulges every impulse in his ten-part, Amazon-financed… movie? TV series? Streaming something-or-other? Whatever it is, it’s certainly a compelling dive into the darkness of this given moment in time. Alternating between the tales of a corrupt cop (Miles Teller, treated appropriately like a prop) and an on-the-rise Hispanic drug lord (Augusto Aguilera, oozing charisma), Too Old to Die Young wallows in neon-drenched violence and toxically masculine perversity, though with an eventual turn toward the feminine ideal, and all of it leavened by an abundance of dark, deadpan humor. (The downtempo line readings alone are a fount for endless hilarity.) Cinematographers Darius Khondji and Diego Garcia do stunning work throughout, as does composer Cliff Martinez, reuniting with Refn for some more deliciously maximalist underscoring. There are also terrific supporting turns from Jena Malone, Babs Olusanmokun, and John Hawkes, along with some uproarious character work by James Urbaniak as one of a pair of pornography-producing brothers. The film/series/streamer also fits nicely into the Euro-artist-commenting-on-the-sick-soul-ofAmerica genre of Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point, which Refn alludes to quite explicitly near story’s end, is the exemplar. [N/R] HHHH1/2 n

Life and Nothing More (Dir. Antonio Méndez Esparza. Starring Regina Williams, Andrew Bleechington, Robert Williams.) This empathetic, slice-of-life family drama follows the aching, day-to-day struggles of a single, black mother raising a 14-year-old son and three-year-old daughter. Regina (Williams) works long hours as a minimum-wage waitress in a diner, then stumbles home to cook and clean and care for her children. No wonder she yells at Andrew (Bleechington), and no wonder he is withdrawn and surly. With tough love, and angry love, Regina tries to keep him from following in the steps of his imprisoned father, and Andrew tries to figure out how to transition from a black teen into an adult in a society that fears and marginalizes black men. Through the nuances of moment-by-moment events and interactions, of conversations that raise a glimmer of a smile or a teardrop, we follow along as though we are part of the family. We experience the accumulating effects of the happiness and the heartbreak, the laughing and the brooding, the anger and the love, until we understand each person’s feelings and their resulting actions, instead of judging from a stranger’s viewpoint. Director Esparza coaxes incredibly authentic performances from the cast of untrained actors, and uses a script often worked out by the actors scene by scene. He shows us that life itself really is much more than a series of daily events. [NR] HHHH n

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8 | NIGHTLIFE

and Paul McCartney. Together, they do weird jazz cover versions of unlikely material, like 2019’s album of Van Halen doovers. See this. World Café Live, worldcafelivephilly.com

23 – BECK

Alterna-pop’s original Loser has moved through wonky funk, Brazilian balladry, Sonic Youth-y rock

16 – COMMON

Beloved as much for his poetic, socially-conscious rap and his Microsoft commercials, actor and Oscar-

winner Common is looking to connect to his childhood past on his newest album. The Fillmore Philadelphia. Thefillmorephilly.com

and now, something crankily soulful with an upcoming album. BB&T Pavilion, bbtpavilion.org 24 – GARY HOEY

17 – BACKSTREET BOYS

Along with Boyz II Men and N’SYNC at the tail end of the 90s, the Backstreet Boys are responsible for bringing back the sound of the vocal harmony outfit, albeit in a much sleeker and zooted-out fashion. Wells Fargo Center, wellsfargocenterphilly.com

Like Joe Bonnamassa, guitarist/singer Gary Hoey has made traditional, old blues new again for today's audiences, with his new album, Neon Highway Blues, to show for his most recent efforts. Steelstacks, steelstacks.org 24 – WHY?

17 – MARK KNOPFLER

I include this here because the one-time Dire Straits guitarist and singer is adored, but, frankly I never really got his mellow slow hand schtick. Just saying. The Met Philadelphia, themetphilly.com

Yoni Wolf ’s low-fi hip hop is comparable to that of Beck, who plays the area on the previous night. Only while Beck smoothed out his weird funk, Wolf just got wilder. Union Transfer, utphilly.com 28 – DAUGHTRY

18 – JONAS BROTHERS

Together again—just like you knew they would be when they splintered in the first place—everyone’s

favorite post-Disney disco act find “Happiness” in neo-soul pop and R&B rock. Wells Fargo Center, wellsfargocenterphilly.com

The bald, booming metal singer never won the American Idol brass ring he was after when we first

got to know him—but he’s steadily made himself into an accessible, yet somewhat alternative hero of big rock. Steelstacks, steelstacks.org

22 – LENNY KRAVITZ

In the last several years, it’s been his daughter Zoe (Big Little Lies) who has been representing the family name. So, in comes dad like a lion to tackle all the shades of his John Lennon-meets Sly Stone sound. The Met Philadelphia, themetphilly.com

28 – SHAWN MENDES/ALESIA CARA

Mendes is riding atop pop’s highest wave with this summer’s hottest hit, “Senorita.” If you’re going to see him, now is his moment. Wells Fargo, wellsfargocenterphilly.com n

15 | TARANTINO’S CODA

divide. It all came to a head, savagely, when members of the Manson family would slaughter Sharon Tate and four friends in the hills of LA on August 9, 1969. Despite previous rumors and billings, Tarantino’s film is not the tale of Manson and his brood, notwithstanding appearances by Charlie (Damon Herriman), his killer groupies (Dakota Fanning as Squeaky Fromme), his crusty landlord, George Spahn (Bruce Dern in a role intended for Burt Reynolds), and Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch). Sharon Tate, the centerpiece of the slaying played to elegant perfection by Margot Robbie, is more a symbol than a biographically defined character. Robbie portrays the quiet nuances of Tarantino’s script. Tate straddled the old and new Hollywood in the tradition of the ditzy blond who transitioned into a smart swan, ending finally with her murder, a lamb at the altar of violent, cultural change. That murderous moment displayed a loss of innocence full tilt. However, from the looks of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—its shifting color palettes and textures, to the manner in which its characters are forced to deal with each other by film’s end—that lost innocence had been a long time coming. With that innocence on hot, heartfelt display, Tarantino has crafted not only a love letter to the Hollywood that forever fueled his dreams, but rather a fairy tale homage to American cinema and the auteur sensibility to which he is so richly a part. Old-school television star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) are stuck in the middle of that often twisted fairy tale, making their way around an industry they can hardly recognize anymore with its hippies and television’s Hullabaloo like two goofy cowpokes, with one only slightly smarter than the other, and one a little more impressionable than the next. “What’s the matter, pardner?” Pitt’s drawling Booth says to DiCaprio’s snarky Dalton. “It’s official old buddy, I’m a has-been,” says Rick. While DiCaprio masterfully plays into the anxiety of the changing times and its professional mores in a giddy, scene-eating fashion that rivals his larcenous role in Catch Me if You Can, it is Pitt who truly reveals himself as an actor here. Leaning into the subtleties that are the strengths and stupidity of his character, Pitt prospers in his wildest acting gig yet. Both Rick and Cliff may fear Hollywood’s move from big masculinity to androgynous types (something that certainly benefitted the real life Pitt), yet Cliff has so little to lose that his choices—even after the mystery of a dead wife—make him into human mercury. Here, in a three-day, three-act stretch, Sharon, Rick, and Cliff represent all classes and all levels—and splashily colorful tones and textures—of the ‘60s Hollywood dream and ultimate nightmare, with more than a few familiar faces (Al Pacino and Kurt Russell, two hangovers from that era’s transition) to help them carry the weight of Tarantino’s fastest paced, and cleverest script (especially a gorgeously surprising denouement) since Pulp Fiction. If, as rumored, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is Tarantino’s swan song, it’s a smartly noble one. n

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The Los Angeles Times SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

POETRY SLAM By John Lampkin

ACROSS 1 7 10 14 19 20 22 23 25 26 27 28 30 31 33 35 37 40 42 45 49 51 52 53 56 57 59 60 61 62 63 66 68 75 76 77 78 79 82 84 86 87 89 91 93 94 98 99 30

Wacky Subterranean queen Reaction to a trip Throw out Eight-time Best Actor Oscar nominee Cloud content Queen topper Shakespeare’s ghostwriters? Let in Neither surfeit nor dearth, informally Lie about one’s age? Heavenly harp Decreases Go after Aspiring singer’s aid Flexible joint What a ritardando gradually gets Very likely will, after “is” Be beholden (to) “Another day, another $%&! Grecian urn”? Short notes Pete’s wife on “Mad Men” Fits Places for drinks on tracks Pacino and Roker Florida horse country city Streaker’s covering __ account Faced Cloudy Assist in the gym Landscaper’s truckload “Religious Poetry Writing for Dummies” reminder? All of Sartre’s “No Exit”? Cut with light “... bug in __” Giant Manning Omit Env. fattener Smarts measured by the ounce? Muscle that sounds like a kiss “Me too” One way to run Play division Excited, with “up” Love song written while playing hooky? Cooked sushi fish “My goose is cooked!”

102 103 105 107 111 113 115 118 119 121 124 125 126 127 128 129 130

Baroque Like some rovers Buzz Really feared Panthers’ school Dessert options Enter, as data How many Oscars 19-Across won Be of help Chaucer’s workflow? Many a quartet’s bottom line Relaxed Produce visibly, as a sweat Young ones Great times Bond, for one Burns subjects

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 24 29 32 34 36 38 39 41 43 44 45 46 47

Legendary mountain climber Even things Toroid treat Addlepated Pub patron’s pint Bowser’s bagful One way to run Destination of the 1925 diphtheria serum run Bashful Baseball’s “Little Giant” Audibly 7-Across, to an aardvark Get sore Sorority vowel YouTube upload Poet known for her footwork? Wah-wah source? Pix from needles Subsidiary wager Enthusiastic kids’ plea Music genre prefix Bit of subterfuge Bucolic outbursts Tank Lamb literature Castro of Cuba Smooch and stuff Frayed Canadian gas Item sold in sheets Van Gogh milieu “How many roads __ man walk down ... ”: Dylan

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48 50 54 55 57 58 59 62 64 65 67 69 70 71 72 73

Swamp gas Intestinal bacterium Career military members Matchless Elocuted Vegas attraction Oinker’s digs Yukon or Denali “NewsHour” airer “Little House” family name Schlep Interruption Plumber’s piece Forest __ Drive away Colleague of Ruth and Sonia 74 Chopped into cubes 79 Asian libation 80 __ pants 81 Tennyson lecture? 83 “Bye!” 85 Prefix with dermal 88 One-eyed Norse deity 89 No. 2 90 The Beatles’ “words of wisdom” 91 Asian appetizer 92 Soaps and vacuums 95 Oboe kin 96 Stop seeing someone 97 Unintentional rat poison victim 100 Trailhead handout

101 104 106 108 109 110 111 112 114 116 117 120 122 123

Minor matter Handy “__ Hope”: ’70s-’80s soap Nerds Follow Oceanic abysses Concord 2017 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Phil __ Suffix with buck Job in a kitchen Whitewater challenge Alhambra article Ed.’s stack U.S. govt. broadcaster

Answer to July’s puzzle, CAN YOU DIGIT?

AGENDA CALL TO ARTISTS Riverside Festival of the Arts celebrating the 23rd year as one of Easton’s longest running festivals! Held on the banks of the Delaware River, in Scott Park and Riverside Park, Easton, PA on Sept. 21 & 22. Show and sell your work as a vendor, display your work in the gallery or do both. Artists and crafters are eligible to win prizes. Info: eastonriversidefest.org.

House Gallery, 459 Main St., Bethlehem, PA. 610-419-6262. Bethlehemhousegallery.com

ART EXHIBITS

8/5-29 New Members Art Exhibition. The Philadelphia Sketch Club, 235 South Camac Street, Philadelphia PA 215545-9298 sketchclub.org

THRU 8/8 Mark May: Assembly Required. Artist’s reception, 7/18, 6-8pm. The Baum School of Art, 510 W. Linden St., Allentown, PA. 610-433-0032. Baumschool.org THRU 9/1 An Essential Presence, The Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African-American Art. Allentown Art Museum, 31 N. 5th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-4333. Allentownartmuseum.org THRU 9/1 Deco After Dark: Evening Wear, 19201945. Allentown Art Museum, 31 N. 5th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-4333. AllentownArtMuseum.org THRU 9/8 The Color of the Moon, Lunar Painting in American Art. The James A. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown, PA. 215-340-9800. Michenerartmuseum.org THRU 9/8 Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago. Contemporary painting, installation art, sculpture, photography, video, and performance by over 50 artists from the islands of the Caribbean. Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 302-571-9590 delart.org THRU 9/22 Fresh Perspective: Modernism in Photography, 1920-1950. Allentown Art Museum, 31 N. 5th St., Allentown. 610-432-4333. AllentownArtMuseum.org THRU 10/5 Summer Show, Five- Year Anniversary Celebration 7/25, 6-9pm. Closing reception 10/5, 6-9pm. Bethlehem

THRU 12/31 Howard Pyle Murals, Nine mural panels painted by Howard Pyle (1853 – 1911) for the drawing room of his home. Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 302-571-9590 delart.org

9/7-22 Members Show 2019. Opening reception 9/6, 6-9PM. Artists of Yardley, 949 Mirror Lake Rd, Yardley, PA artistsofyardley.org 9/7-2/2/2020 Mitch Lyons: The Hand Translated. Lyons worked as a traditional potter until 1980, the pivotal point in his career when he refined his method of printing directly from clay. Like most traditional potters, Lyons is motivated by a love for the material and describes himself as a “clay person making prints.” Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 302-571-9590 delart.org 9/28-10/27 Jean Childs Buzgo. Silverman Gallery, Bucks County Impressionist Art. In Buckingham Green, Rte. 202, just north of PA 413, 4920 York Rd., Holicong, PA. 215-794-4300. Silvermangallery.com 10/8-4/12/2020 Angela Fraleigh: Sound the Deep Waters. Fraleigh’s opulent paintings are populated by female figures freed from the social constructs of their time. No longer the despised witches of popular fairy tales or shunned agitators, these women are empowered to occupy their own utopian landscape. Fusing meticulous realism with gestural abstraction, Fraleigh constructs an immersive space in which reality merges with dreams and hallucinations. Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 302571-9590 delart.org LECTURES / TALKS

8/25 Women’s Work, with sculptor and performance artist Maren Hassinger. 2 P.M., Allentown Art Museum, 31 N. 5th St., Allentown, PA. 610-432-4333. Allentownartmuseum.org DANCE

8/9-11 Attic Projects: Luke Murphy & HUMA: Chelsea Ainsworth & Jessy Smith. With a visceral, physical language at its heart, Attic Projects produces bold, new, contemporary works finding the universal within the deeply personal. Highmark Blue Shield Community Stage on the Air Products Town Square, ArtsQuest Center, 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem, PA 610297-7100 musikfest.org 8/15 An evening of Indian music, dance, and culture. Allentown Art Museum, 31 N. 5th St., Allentown, PA. 610-4324333. Allentownartmuseum.org 8/16 The Light Fantastical by Makeda Thomas. Exhilarating modern dance performance that explores culture and identity through the lens of the fantastical. Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 302-571-9590 delart.org

9/25 Beautiful, The Carole King Musical. State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton, PA. 610-252-3132 Statetheatre.org MUSIC

8/10 Jazz Legend Richie Cole and his Alto Madness Orchestra. 8 pm. 1867 Sanctuary Arts and Culture Center, 101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 609.392.6409. 1867sanctuary.org 8/11 Riverview Consort: Makefield's Delight. French music for voice and lute. 8 pm. 1867 Sanctuary Arts and Culture Center, 101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 609.392.6409. 1867sanctuary.org 8/16 Allen Krantz. Carnegie Hall preview concert. Classical guitar. 8 pm. 1867 Sanctuary Arts and Culture Center, 101 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 609.392.6409. 1867sanctuary.org

GALA

8/18 Chamber music by Vivaldi, J. S. Bach, Tartini, Albinoni and Telemann. Solos for violin, trumpet, recorder and oboe, with strings and harpsichord. Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, Wesley Church, 2540 Center St., Bethlehem. 610-434-7811. PASinfonia.org

10/19 The Philadelphia Sketch Club’s 159th Anniversary Gala honoring John Ennis, Jane Golden and James Toogood. Sketch Club, 235 South Camac Street, Philadelphia PA 215-545-9298 sketchclub.org.

9/7 NY Jazz Rep Orchestra: Big Band Tribute. New York City’s most in demand Broadway and studio musicians perform big band classics. Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem. 610-758-2787 zoellnerartscenter.org

THEATER

9/15 Wilmington Classical Guitar Society Member Showcase. Experience the beauty of classical guitar at a showcase featuring the Guitar Society’s professional and amateur members. Free. Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 302571-9590 delart.org

9/5-9/22 2019 Fringe Festival, 3 weeks, 1,000+ performances. A city- wide celebration of innovation and creativity in contemporary performance. FringeArts, 140 N Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, PA. FringeArts.com 9/14 MOMIX: Viva Momix, athletic performers cross the boundaries of dance, gymnastics, and acrobatics. Zoellner Arts Center, Baker Hall, Lehigh University, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem, PA. 610-758-2787. Zoellnerartscenter.org

MUSIKFEST CAFÉ 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem 610-332-1300 Artsquest.org AUGUST 1 Earth, Wind & Fire 2 The Chainsmokers

3 Steve Miller Band with Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives 4 Lady Antebellum 5 Weezer 6 Train & Goo Goo Dolls 7 Incubus 8 The Revivalists 9 Godsmack 10 Phillip Phillips 11 Brad Paisley 23 Vertical Horizon 24 Gary Hoey 28 Daughtry – Yuengling Golden Pilsner Concert Series SEPTEMBER 6 Ozomatli 8 Marianas Trench 12 Reckless Kelly DINNER THEATER THRU 8/31 Murder Mystery Dinner Theater: Crime of Thrones, Fridays & Saturdays. Peddler’s Village, routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA. 215-794-4000. Peddlersvillage.com Every Thurs.-Sat., Dinner and a Show at SteelStacks, Bethlehem, PA. 5:0010:00. Table service and valet parking. steelstacks.org EVENTS

8/10 & 8/11 Peach Festival and Sidewalk Sale. Peddler’s Village, routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA. 215-794-4000. Peddlersvillage.com 8/15 Village Food Trucks. Peddler’s Village, routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA. 215794-4000. Peddlersvillage.com 9/8 Autumn Wedding Show. Peddler’s Village, routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA. 215-794-4000. Peddlersvillage.com 9/9-10/27 Scarecrows in the Village. Peddler’s Village, routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, PA. 215-794-4000. Peddlersvillage.com CAMP

THRU 8/16 Summer Art Camp. Ages 5-16 . Artists of Yardley, 949 Mirror Lake Rd, Yardley, PA artistsofyardley.org n

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