Donald Fagen, right, and Walter Becker, left, of Steely Danperform My Old School at Mizner Park on Saturday night.(Photo by Thom Smith)By Thom SmithForty years later and we still scratch our heads. We're gullible; we're impressionable; we're hungry for the new; and although we have more money, we still run into trouble when we try to buy a thrill.Which makes it all the easier … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: June 11-14
A 1930 Ford Model A "Woody" is a focal point of the SURFari exhibit.(Photo by Katie Deits)Surf’s up, dude, at the Lighthouse Center for the Arts, where you’ll find memorabilia, art, photographs and vintage boards from the South Florida surf culture dating back to Palm Beach in 1940, when the surfer's car of choice was the Ford "Woody."SURFari: The Old and New of Surfing in … [Read more...]
Music review: No Doubt hot as ever in Cruzan show
Gwen Stefani leads No Doubt at the Cruzan on Wednesday night.(Photo by Thom Smith) By Thom SmithWEST PALM BEACH -- Five years away from the road.No new records. Nurturing marriages. Raising kids. Managing businesses. Making movies.With all those obstacles, a band would have to launch a new tour with some doubt, wouldn’t it? A shadow of a doubt, maybe?The answer is No, as in No … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: June 5-7
Whatever, by Karla Walter.Art: The Educational Gallery Group, better known as Eg², is usually dedicated to showcasing the work of students in visual and performing arts, but for the month of June, it is featuring the work of seven local art educators who create art with clay.Revolve: ceramic interpretations, which opens with a reception Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., was … [Read more...]
Arts feature: Entertainers warm to concerts held in people’s homes
Singer-songwriter Rod MacDonald.(Illustration by Pat Crowley)By Bill MeredithLike most non-essentials, live music is suffering through an economic-imposed crisis. But as nightclubs close, a quieter live music scene is surging under the radar.House concerts are by no means new, but they're offering performers --particularly acoustic singer/songwriters -- more additions and … [Read more...]
Music feature: Janis Ian, society’s child at 58
Janis Ian is at ease with her past and her present. By Hap ErsteinFor so many Baby Boomers who grew up feeling like outsiders -- and isn’t that most of us? -- one voice of the generation was a 14-year-old folk troubadour named Janis Ian, who sang of forbidden interracial romance in Society’s Child, and then again a decade later with a ballad of teenage angst, At 17.Now 58, Ian … [Read more...]
Music review: Coldplay sluggish at first, then gets some edge
Chris Martin, left, and Jonny Buckland of Coldplay in concert Friday night at the Cruzan Amphitheatre.(Photo by Tom Craig)By Thom SmithWEST PALM BEACH -- "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about," Oscar Wilde wrote back in 1891.Fast forward to 2009, and another product of the British Isles is in the midst of a … [Read more...]
Music review: Don Henley, steady as he goes
Don Henley in concert Thursday night at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. (Photo by Tom Craig/Seminole Hard Rock)By Thom SmithHOLLYWOOD -- Plaid flannel shirt over and black T and jeans. Short reddish brown hair with touches of gray. No flash. No wild gyrations. No bizarre makeup. No scandal. No gossip. The biggest news he’s made lately is complaining that a U.S. Senate … [Read more...]
Music feature: Cook, Taylor, perfect weather made 28th SunFest special
American Idol David Cook on stage Saturday at SunFest.(Photo by Thom Smith)By Thom SmithWEST PALM BEACH -- Cool breeze, Clear sky. Jubilant crowd. And David Cook headlining.Saturday night at SunFest couldn’t have been better, even if Cook’s heart wasn’t entirely into his show. Nevertheless, the performance showed that the 2008 winner of American Idol has the goods to become … [Read more...]
Music feature: Nicole Yarling, tireless musical multitasker
Local musical standout Nicole Yarling.By Bill MeredithIn a technology-driven era where practically everyone at least appears to be busy, some people still have resumes that reduce everyone else to slacker status.Like Dr. Billy Taylor, the 87-year-old pianist who played with Charlie Parker and Ben Webster in the 1940s and has been a preeminent jazz educator, TV and radio figure, … [Read more...]