SanLuisObispo.com: Entertainment/Ticket

Avila Blues Fest: Little Richard has rocked the world

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:27 PDT

Like a lot of acts from the 1950s, Little Richard didn’t quite make the transition into the ’60s.

But while Little Richard couldn’t keep up with the genre he helped create, his influence would carry on with the biggest names in music. Acts such as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown were all strongly influenced by Little Richard.

Born Richard Penniman 75 years ago, he still performs, having outlasted many of those he influenced. You can see him live when he headlines the Avila Beach Blues Festival later this month.

The rest of the fest

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:22 PDT

While Canned Heat has the distinction of playing two of the greatest festivals in the history of rock and roll, they never quite reached the icon status as some of their peers.

Yet, more than 40 years after the band’s formation, they still tour and record, keeping their own brand of blues alive.

Both Canned Heat and Elvin Bishop will open for Little Richard at the Avila Beach Blues Festival this weekend. While Little Richard melds blues with rock, soul and funk, Canned Heat and Bishop feature more traditional blues.

Chanticleer: Traveling the Mission road

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:27 PDT

As musical pairings go, the combination of Craig Russell and Chanticleer is a classic “dream team.”

One is a Cal Poly professor, a dedicated musical scholar. The other is a renowned vocal ensemble with more than 30 albums and two Grammy Awards to its credit.

Together, they’ve brought new life to Mexican baroque, the stately yet simple music once heard in missions throughout California.

Royal Crown Revue: Still swingin’ after all these years

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:27 PDT

About 15 years ago, the men of Royal Crown Revue were the undisputed kings of swing.

They rocked the red-hot swing scene at Los Angeles’ legendary Derby club and starred in “The Mask.” They headlined the Vans Warped Tour twice, played jazz festivals and toured the nation with The B-52s, The Pretenders — even KISS.

“It was time for a throwback… something just plain enjoyable,” recalled Eddie Nichols, lead singer and bandleader of Royal Crown Revue.

Animal Farm On Stage: Power to the pigs

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:27 PDT

The cast of Cal Poly’s “Animal Farm” will be transformed into horses, pigs, sheep, cows and other farm animals as George Orwell’s classic political novel comes to life on stage.

The actors were already familiar with the story, said director Josh Machamer of the Theatre and Dance Department, because the book is assigned reading in many high school classes. In it, the animals take the farm from their oppressive owner and set up their own society. It begins with utopian dreams of democracy and ends with the pigs metamorphosing into tyrannical leaders, not unlike the farmer they had overthrown.

“It’s a metaphorical history lesson, originally about the Russian Revolution, but also about the English class system,” the director said. But it continues to resonate today, 60 years after it was first published.

Second City: Deadly serious about comedy

Thu, 15 May 2008 06:27 PDT

Just like Los Angeles’ nightclubs and New York City’s off-Broadway theaters, Chicago’s Second City is a training ground for talent.

Over nearly 50 years, the legendary comedy company has produced some of the nation’s funniest entertainers, from Alan Arkin to Tiny Fey. It has theaters in Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Toronto, a handful of touring companies and a catalog of smart, hilarious sketches.

Some of The Second City’s brightest new stars come to the Central Coast on Saturday.

Nightmarish matriarchs

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:48 PDT

As Raymond Shaw muses in 1962’s “The Manchurian Candidate,” “It’s a terrible thing to hate your mother.”

Terrible, yes. But in this case it’s completely justified. When Mrs. Iselin isn’t playing cards or arranging flowers, she works as a double agent for the Communists as part of a plot to overthrow the U. S. government.

She manipulates her dimwitted senator husband and turns her own brainwashed son, Raymond, into an assassin. Spooky. Angela Lansbury earned an Oscar nomination for her chilling turn as the master spy.

But we all love these movie moms

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:47 PDT

We’d be remiss if we left out any mention of the good movie mothers that have graced the silver screen over the years. Here is a sampling:

Mildred Pierce in “Mildred Pierce”

Joan Crawford plays a single mother struggling to keep her family afloat during the Great Depression. She finds a good-paying job that she feels is below her station, but she continues to work to support her daughter even as the girl demands more and becomes less grateful.

Music: With Mom on the mind

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:51 PDT

When I set out to make compilation CD for my mom

last year, the first song that came to mind was Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion.”

What better song to include on a Mother’s Day CD? Right there in the title you’ve got “mother,” “child” and “reunion,” and you just knew there had to be some great story behind it about Simon and his mom.

Stage: Politics is a joke

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:37 PDT

This has been one wild campaign season. For proof, just ask the cast of the Capitol Steps.

It was only last summer that the Virginia-based comedy team’s members were licking their chops at the comedic prospect of Hillary and Bill Clinton moving back into the White House, as it seemed Sen. Hillary Clinton had all but locked up the Democratic nomination.

They were also spoofing Republican front-runner Rudy Giuliani with a song called “He’s Relying on 9/11,” a parody of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” and knocking the dead-as-a-doornail candidacy of John McCain with another parody called “His Campaign is Plainly Down the Drain.”

Family: A camp for every child

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:41 PDT

Summer camps are not just a vehicle for getting your kids out of the house.

Granted, that might be an added benefit—after all, bored kids can make the summer really drag on. But camps also help kids form new friendships, learn new skills and—remember the whole point of summer vacation— have fun.

Camps in San Luis Obispo County typically emphasize music, sports, arts and outdoor recreation. They usually take place during the days, though there are a few overnight camps as well.

Stage Calendar for week of May 8

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:37 PDT

LAST CHANCE

“Godspell.” Through Sunday. For specific days and times visit www.pcpa.org. Presented by PCPA Theaterfest. Marian Theatre, Allan Hancock College, 800 S. College Drive, Santa Maria. $10.25 to $27.50. 922-8313.

NOW PLAYING

Calendar for the week of May 8 to May 14

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:40 PDT

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Spring Art Show. 5:30 to 8 p. m. Featuring work from the art and digital photography classes. Mission College Prep, 682 Palm St., San Luis Obispo. 543-2131.

Eyes up, bottoms down

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:20 PDT

Correction 5/02/08 A story Thursday on Page F3 of Ticket about movie theater seats incorrectly stated that there are no cup holders at the Palm Theatre in San Luis Obispo. Seats with cup holders were installed in two of the theater’s screening rooms during a recent renovation and are planned for a third.

How often has something like this happened to you?

You walk into a local movie theater, settle in with your popcorn and soda, and 20 minutes into watching Bruce Willis blowin’ up the bad guys you find yourself stuck in a creaky, cranky, uncomfortable chair.

A summer of action and adventure

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:43 PDT

With “Iron Man” kicking off the increasingly misnamed summer movie season on Friday, we’ve prepared a sampling of some of the films that seem most likely to beckon butts into theater seats as the season gets under way. Hollywood is fickle, so release dates are subject to change.

May 9

“Speed Racer” — The classic Japanese animated series comes to life in this adaptation directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski, their first movie since 2003’s “The Matrix Revolutions.” Starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman and Susan Sarandon.

Music: Resurrected glory

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:39 PDT

As word spreads that Blind Melon is touring and recording again, many fans are asking the same question:

Without Shannon Hoon?

Of course without Hoon. After all, the hard-living lead singer died of an accidental overdose nearly 13 years ago, forcing the band to decide whether to forge ahead with a new singer or simply hang it up.

Stage: Family in name only

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:18 PDT

Cambria’s Pewter Plough Playhouse is back in action, and the first play after some required playhouse retrofitting is Lee Blessing’s “Independence,” a dramatic exploration of a complex, eccentric and dysfunctional family of women.

It’s intense, but has enough dark humor to keep it from being just a soap opera. The excellent cast includes one veteran Plough actress and introduces three talents new to the playhouse stage.

The play is set in Independence, Iowa, where a reunion of sorts is taking place. After four years, Kess, the oldest sister, has been called back from her academic profession in Minneapolis by sister Jo, apparently in crisis mode after her mother knocked her down and injured her.

Stage: Going deep for the bard

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:17 PDT

There’s only one way to describe the Great American Melodrama’s latest offering: Football and fishing meet “Much Ado About Nothing.”

“Muskie Love,” which runs through June 8, transports William Shakespeare’s classic comedy from Renaissance-era Sicily to modern-day Green Bay, Wis. Like “Much Ado,” the musical play revolves around two sets of lovers: young, romantically-minded Sarah and Claude, and the older, wiser Ben and Bea.

“They’re this older pair who are feisty and go after each other a lot,” said Jay Campbell, who plays Ben. “But underneath it all, they love each other. They just don’t want to admit it.”

Stage Calendar for week of May 1

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:18 PDT

LASTCHANCE

“To Kill a Mocking Bird.” 8 p. m. Friday; 2 and 8 p. m. Saturday; 7 p. m. Sunday. Presented by The Studio Players. The Studio Players Theatre, 116 W. Branch St., Arroyo Grande. $10 to $15. 473-0377.

“The Altos — Blood is Thicker Than Wine.” 5 p. m. Sunday. Dinner theater as interactive mystery spoof. Presented by Murder in Mind Productions. Reservations required. Spyglass Inn Restaurant, 2703 Spyglass Drive, Shell Beach. $49. 489-3875 or www.murderinmind.com.

Calendar for week of May 1

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:18 PDT

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Roll Out the Barrels. Presented by the San Luis Obispo Vintners Association. 541-5868 or www.slowine.com.