Daily Archives: September 26, 2009

Ben and Ione welcome their baby!

Posted on September 26, 2009 | Leave a comment
Ben Lee and new daughter Goldie Priya.

Ben Lee and new daughter Goldie Priya in a photo he posted on his blog along with the birth announcement this morning.

Australian singer Ben Lee announced today that he and his wife, Say Anything actress Ione Skye, welcomed daughter Goldie Priya into their new family on Thursday.

Ben and Ione married in a traditional Hindu ceremony officiated by Sakthi Narayani Amma at the Narayani Peedam in Vellore, India, last December. Life & Style was first with a photo of their colorful wedding.

Here’s the announcement Ben posted to his blog earlier today:

Saturday, September 26, 2009
WELCOME TO THE WORLD

Goldie Priya Lee

born September 24 2009

8am

over the moon

xoxo

Ben

noise addict2834836685-1Ben is likely to be a very busy new daddy, as he’s just reactivated his first band, Noise Addict after a 13-year hiatus. The band has an an all-new lineup, with Dinosaur Jr./Sebadoh/Folk Implosion’s Lou Barlow and singer-multinstrumentalist Lara Meyerratken of El May joining Ben. Noise Addict also has a new album,  it was never about the audience, available for free download from its web site. So with new bandmates and a new album, can a tour be far behind? Nothing’s been announced yet, and the title of the new album could be read as disregard for live performance. But I’d be surprised if Noise Addict didn’t hit the stage at some point soon.

Leave a comment

Posted in Movies, Music, News, Pop and Rock

Finally! Passing Strange the movie gets Bay Area screenings

Posted on September 26, 2009 | Leave a comment

Passing Strange movie banner

It’s about time!

Spike Lee‘s fantastic cinematic version of the rock musical Passing Strange is hitting the big screens of two Landmark movie theaters in the San Francisco Bay Area this Friday. Since the musical was developed in part at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, it’s only fitting that the movie (which is available everywhere on cable TV video-on-demand services) gets a theatrical run there.

The one-week run starts Friday, Oct. 2, at the Embarcadero in San Francisco and the Shattuck in Berkeley. If you’re in the area, please do yourself a favor and check it out. You won’t be disappointed. It’s been getting rave reviews but is dependent on word of mouth to attract an audience. Please do your part!

Here’s Passing Strange creator Stew‘s thoughts:

PS MOVIE – BAY AREA – STARTING FRIDAY OCT. 2ND – ONE WEEK ONLY

THE THEATERS ARE: SHATTUCK (BERKELEY)
&
EMBARCADERO (SF)

both for one week only.

Rebecca Jones, who is in American Idiot currently @ BerkRep,
will be the Queen of Berkeley that week, as she’ll be starring
down the street from herself.

I could give the big speech right now about why you have to tell
all your friends to see it and see it soon since its only there for one
week, but its 3:14am here in Berlin and I need to sleep.

basically, there ain’t no advert money going into this thing and the killer
review
in the Chronicle already happened AND our kick-ass trailer CANNOT be shown
in these 2 theaters cuz they don’t do digital trailers. I guess IFC never
thought
we’d need a non-digital trailer. What-ev.

This is known in the bizz as a COLD OPENING.
Sounds like a date I once had in Helsinki…
anyway…

The only cure for a cold opening is word of mouth
or what people today call email blasts. We’re going
to need all the help we can get. Frankly, IFC should have
opened this thing in the Bay while the press love was flowing.
But don’t get me started.

See it on the big screen while you can, Bay Area peeps.
See it before we digitally edit in a french shower scene.
See it right after American Idiot.

peace,
/s

Leave a comment

Posted in Movies, Music, Pop and Rock, Theater

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Wood and wire: Nadia Sirota and Line C3 play Galapagos

Posted on September 26, 2009 | 1 comment
Nadia Sirota performs OMFG with the composer, Our Lady J, on the piano at Galapagos last night. .

Nadia Sirota performs OMFG with the composer, Our Lady J, on the piano at Galapagos last night. .

New Amsterdam Records has a reputation for taking risks with  lesser-known cutting-edge musicians and giving them a chance to really shine. The label last night launched a new monthly series call Archipelago at Galapagos Art Space in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn. New Amsterdam tested the waters, so to speak, in the spring with a short series dubbed Undiscovered Islands. The new series ‘ name continues the water-land theme (appropriate at a venue where some of the seats appear to float in a pool of water).

There’s plenty of self-interest involved, as virtually all of the Archipelago performers are New Amsterdam artists. But because the label has such an interesting mix of talented performers, there’s little chance of a dud.

The series kicked off last night with a set by one of the label’s most inventive and skilled artists, violist Nadia Sirota, and the percussion quartet Line C3. The six-year-old quartet (Haruka Fujii, John Ostrowski, Eric Poland, and Chris Thompson) doesn’t appear to be on New Amsterdam’s roster — though I wouldn’t be surprised if that were in the works — and I was not familiar with them before last night.

The performers mixed it up, playing together and separately throughout the all-too-short program. Nadia kicked off the evening with the premiere of Future Shock by New Amsterdam co-director William Brittelle, a percolating blend of Nadia’s viola and electronics. Line C3 took the stage to perform a 2004 piece written for the quartet by Nico Muhly, Ta and Clap.

Line C3 performs Speak Softly by David T. Little.

Line C3 performs Speak Softly by David T. Little.

Go to the jump to see Line C3’s video of Ta and Clap and read more about last night’s show. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in Contemporary Classical, Music

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,