Dirty Water News // Boston's Hottest Entertainment News!

BOOK REVIEW: Shel Silverstein – Everything On It (Harper)

From The Giving Tree to Playboy, children old and young grew up loving, learning from and laughing with award0winning writer/poet/artist Shel Silverstein. And though Silverstein is no longer with us, his words, visions and ideas linger on. In this new collection, fans old and new can see what was left on the drawing board when we lost “Uncle Shelby” in 1999. And what a collection it is! With over 145 poems and pictures, this hefty tome reveals a number of new hits and a handful of awkward attempts that still reveal Silverstein’s humanness and desire to connect. From a reptilian expalantion of the nature of poetry (“Lizard”) to a closing illustration of the endless circle of life (“Circle Road”) and a touching and sadly appropriate farewell/torch-passer (“When I Am Gone”), Everything On It has pretty much everything in it that a Silverstein lover loves and makes for a great tribute and a great book of contemporary American verse.

Hot Crescent

Summer in New Orleans is a humidly good time!

Sure it’s best known for the early Spring celebrations of Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest and the fall festivities that surround both the once-and-future world champion Saints and the rockin’ Voo Doo Festival, but New Orleans in the summer can be a great time! Sure, it’s hot and humid, but with a Hurricane in your hand and live Jazz all around, the Crescent City is still a very cool place to be. The clubs are still open, the food is still amazing and the “to-go” cups are always full. So why not save yourself a few bucks and make the “off” season your time to come on down, Y’all?

Though the streets may not be teeming with frat kids in the summer, this can be a good thing, especially as the beads and booze are still in strong supply on Bourbon Street and throughout the city. If it’s live music you want, Preservation Hall (www.preservationhall.com) is a can’t miss any night of the week, with great tunes and good times that literally flow out the open windows. Other hip hangs are Snug arbor (www.snugjazz.com), The Davenport Lounge at the Ritz (http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/NewOrleans/Dining/DavenportLounge) , and the latest addition, Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta Hotel (www.sonesta.com/RoyalNewOrleans). For the more soul-oriented, you cannot go wrong at The Howlin; Wolf (www.thehowlinwolf.com) or the legendary Tipitina’s (www.tipitinas.com), which also hosts a music foundation that supports artists all over the South.

When it comes to food, the choices become more difficult, mainly because there are so few places that will disappoint, In fact, there may be none! From family-owned establishments like Arnaud’s (www.arnaudsrestaurant.com), Antoine’s (www.antoines.com), and Brennan’s (www.brennans.com) - a visit to which is worth it simply to see your bananas foster being prepared), there are other gastronomic empires about, including those of the Cajun cooking pioneer Paul Prudhomme (www.chefpaul.com) and popularizer Emeril Lagasse (www.emerils.com). If you are out in the French Quarter and looking for a snack, wander through America’s oldest farmers market – the French Market (www.frenchmarket.org) - for fresh local produce and home made delights that range from fried green tomatoes to folk art, then drop by Café Du Monde (www.cafedumonde.com) for a beignet and their famous coffee. Just be sure to grab a few extra napkins, especially if you are wearing anything black.

If you want to see the city (and life) from a different perspective, hop aboard the Natchez (www.natchez.com), one of the last steam-driven paddleboats in existence and the runner-up in the famed race with the Robert E. Lee. As you roll on the River, listen to the daily calliope concerts and live Jazz on board as you learn the history of the world’s biggest seaport and third biggest river at a gentle pace that may make you rethink your fast-paced life.

If you need a more drastic break from all the great food and music or are just looking to spend some time with the family (or not), there are few better in-town getaways than the Audubon Zoo (www.auduboninstitute.org). Named for New Orleans’ favorite ornithological son – naturalist and painter John James Audubon - this expansive animal kingdom set on 58 acres just off the city’s famed park of the same name is an easy cable car and free shuttle ride from downtown. In addition to close-up looks at some of the region’s most famous party animals (including the rare albino alligators at the swamp exhibit), the Zoo also offers an international array of animals, each of which is housed in expansive and ecologically- and animal-friendly habitats that are arranged by region. From the Asian elephants to the zebras of Africa, the Zoo has it all. For the kids, the Zoo offers petting areas and inspirational verses throughout the grounds. If the weather is especially hot, the Zoo (which is also affiliated with a River-side aquarium and downtown insectarium) is an even better getaway, thanks to the recently opened Cool Zoo waterpark.

Another great getaway is a swamp tour, especially those offered by Cajun Encounters (www.cajunencounters.com). After being picked up at your hotel, guests are whisked across Lake Pontchartrain to nearby swamps where local (and we mean “LOCAL”) guides introduce you to the flora, fauna, and folk legends of the land that saved the city (and that, if protected and properly studied, could save the world).

So if you like great food, good music, friendly folks and the potential for some real adventure and don’t mind changing your shirt a few times a day, New Orleans is a great place to visit pretty much anytime of year. The city is back and y’all should come back too!

Steely Dan – The Shuffle Diplomacy Tour @ The Citi Wang Center, Boston - October 1, 2011

While many bands are pulling the old “chestnuts” out of the vault and parading them aroun din their entireties for the sake of a few bucks, few bands are able to brin gout as many classics in one sitting as Steely Dan. As part of the Shuffle Diplomacy tour (which has included end-to-end relayings of every chart-toppibg album plus a few extra crowd pleasers as pre-planned encores), the still dynamic duo of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen took a three-night siesta in Boston where they ended their official tour with a mostly authentic but still interesting re-rendering of their fifth album, The Royal Scam.  To say that this is a cynical album is to say a lot in the realm of Steely Dan music. And whike some of the lyrics were lost in an at times muddy mix, Fagen’s well-intentioned sneer was evident throughout.

After an Ellingtonian overture by the band that featured a rotating quartet of brass, Messrs. Fagenand Becker strode on the stage, accompanied by the cougar-iffic talents of their backup singers, The Embassy Brats. As soon as they arrived, a number of fans began to enthusiastically suggest song titles, even though the set was to follow the album track for track. At the first sign of “Kid Charlemagne,” the crowd roared to its feet, but age quickly overcame beauty and, other than random members of a few cauciasian dance troupes, they spent most of the evening seated. Even so, the fan energy was palpable and many rows rocks with the synchronized tapping of feet. As Becker gently grooved (often siting himself), Fagen dipped under his electric keyboard and chomped at the air between lines. For the most part, it was Fagen whoi was front and jhust off center, but when Becker stepped forward for solos in songs ike “Don’t Take Me Alive,” he made his presence known. Perhaps most surprising were Becker’s extended speaking parts, during which he touted everything from drugs to “sweet love making” and invited fans to com eon tour with them if they could play guitar. By the time the band ended the album with an dextended version of its title track, the crowd was roaring. So, after a quick break, the boys (and Brats) came back to offer “some other crap”, including such hits as a tight and silky take on “Aja”, an angular “Two Against Nature”, a hard-kicking “Hey, 19”, an unnecessary Brat-ian rendition of “Dirty Work” and a crankin’ “Bodhisattva”.  Having shuffled through most of their catalog, the reluctant Hall of Famers closed up shop with a grooving “Peg” that sent botjh old and young grooving into the night.

The Natural Vision Improvement Kit

From Meir Schneider, Ph.D., LMT

(Sounds True)

 

If you are reading this now, you have been blessed with the gift of sight (and literacy).

If you want to be able to read this again in a few years, keep reading…

 

As the founder of the School of Self-Healing in San Francisco, Dr. Meir Scheider has helped thousands find better paths in life. With this new boxed set for better sight, Dr. Schneider can help you see the pat ahead of you (and to either side).

 

Through a combination of audio and visual aids that include 2 CDs, a set fo handy technique practice cards and a comprehensive booklet that offer daily exercises and effective general practices, the once legally blind Dr. Schneider can help you strengthen or even regain your sight, just as he has. Most of the exercises are things that you can do almost anywhere and that can also help you relax not only your eyes but also your entire body as you tune in to the gift of sight and all its powers. The kit even includes a piar of eye charts that can be used to assess your progress so you can see how much more you can see as you progress..