The Bongos Return with The Shroud of Touring

The Bongos were at the forefront of the alternative music scene in the New York area in the 1980s. Their music featured an eclectic mix of musical styles, and the Hoboken based group eventually gained national attention during the heyday of MTV, with the song “Numbers With Wings.” The band’s lineup featured Richard Barone on lead guitar and vocals, Rob Norris on bass and vocals, Frank Giannini on drums and backing vocals. Guitarist James Mastro joined the group after the release of their first full-length record, Drums Along The Hudson, which was issued in 1982. The album included the group’s alluring, dance-infused cover of “Mambo Sun,” by T. Rex: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6x1gUYBFO8.

The band’s unique musical style, blending elements of rock, pop, dance rhythms and new wave, as well as their high energy concerts, garnered them a reputation as one of the best bands on the New York area scene in the 1980s. The Bongos released Numbers With Wings in 1983, and the title song, as well as the dance floor hit “Barbarella” expanded their fan base, as more fans discovered them and grooved to their exhilarating music. The Bongos toured extensively throughout the 1980s, adding percussionist Steve Scales to their lineup. They continued to release new music, including 1985’s Brazilian rhythm-inspired Beat Hotel. The group disbanded in 1987, but the band has reunited several times during the 2000s, both live and on record, and The Bongos remain a much-revered favorite among music aficionados: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdPNmHJNQpc.

The great news for fans of The Bongos is that JEM Records is about to release The Shroud of Touring: Live in 1985, a never before released live album originally recorded during the band’s heyday. This phenomenal record effectively captures the band’s unstoppable energy, and the intensity of their incendiary live performances. The Shroud of Touring is being issued to commemorate the 40th anniversary of an incredible concert which occurred at the Tradewinds club in Seabright, NJ on Memorial Day weekend in 1985. The band was at the top of their game that night, and the track list includes favorites such as “In The Congo” and “Tiger Nights,” plus terrific tunes such as “Telephoto Lens,” and “Apache Dancing.”

The Shroud of Touring: Live in 1985 was produced by The Bongos and Steve Addabbo, and the disc has been lovingly remastered by Steve Rosenthal. This is an amazing record, showcasing the band at the peak of their musical powers. If you're a fan of the band (like myself) or were lucky enough to see the The Bongos back in the 1980s, this album will bring back some fond musical memories. If you’ve never seen or heard the band before, once you hear this fabulous record, you will definitely want to check out more of their fantastic, genre-defying music. To celebrate the album’s release, The Bongos original lineup of Richard Barone, Rob Norris, Frank Giannini and James Mastro will be performing several live shows in the New York/New Jersey area, including one at The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, NJ on May 31st. The Shroud of Touring: Live in 1985 will be released May 23rd on CD by JEM Records, and is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Black Mirror Examines A "Eulogy"

Most people can recall a romantic relationship from their younger years that, for whatever reason, didn't work out. But can you remember what actually happened to cause that relationship to end? What if you could actually step back into a memory from that time in your life? That's the intriguing premise of "Eulogy," the penultimate episode of the current season of the Netflix anthology Black Mirror. As with many of the stories in Charlie Brooker's series, the story raises questions about how advanced technology really interacts with us and ultimately affects our lives.

In "Eulogy," Paul Giamatti portrays Phillip Connarty, who's contacted by a company called Eulogy. They represents the family of Carol, a former flame of Phillip's. Her family wants him to provide a memory of her for a memorial service. Eulogy offers a unique technology that allows a person to enter a photograph, and in essence, view the moment that a photo was taken in three dimensions, in order to jog a person's memory. At first, Paul is reluctant to do this, as his relationship with Carol ended badly. When he finally agrees to view his memories, the AI "guide" from Eulogy helps him enter several photos, and he begins to recall memories of his time with Carol.

What becomes apparent is that Phillip's memories of his relationship with Carol are colored by his own frailties, and his own perceptions of their romance. Phillip and Carol's time together may not have ended for the reasons he remembers. The truth about how things ended might be a bit more complicated than it seemed at first glance. As he digs deeper into his memories, Phillip experiences a roller coaster of emotions, and he's forced to come to terms with his real role in the end of their relationship. Giammati is excellent as Phillip, and his heart-wrenching performance carries the episode. 

 

The script by Charlie Brooker and Ella Road is terrific, and the direction by Chris Barrett and Luke Taylor is superb. The raw emotional power of this episode really hits home. While Black Mirror often deals with the inherent dangers of technology, and how it can affectsour lives, this episode deals with the emotional toll that life can take on us. "Eulogy" is one of the best entries of the current season of the series. Like "San Junipero" from Season 3 of the show, this is a very human story, touching on deep level of emotion. Black Mirror is currently available on Netflix.

14 Years Ago: The Origins of Eclectic Avenue

Dizzyfish - at the Oakdale Theatre in June 2024

I started Eclectic Avenue back in April of 2011. This blog began as an outlet to indulge my passion for writing about music, movies and books. I've always enjoyed writing, starting back in high school, on through my college years and moving forward to my years working in the publishing world. During that time, I wrote a couple of articles for local newspapers, and also did a stint as a writer/editor for the excellent KISS fanzine FIRE, which was published by my dear friend Gilda. Thanks to the support and encouragement of Gilda and a couple of other close friends, I decided to launch Eclectic Avenue. 

Eclectic Avenue received positive responses from readers, and as time went on, I got to know several other bloggers, and participated in several blogathons, special events in which a group of bloggers all write about a shared topic. Then in 2017, I decided to submit a story about Elton John to CultureSonar, a well-respected arts and entertainment website founded by music industry veteran Al Cattabiani. Since then, I've become a regular contributor to the site, and have written over 150 articles for them, including interviews with Dave Mason and William Shatner. It's been a great privilege to write for CultureSonar, and I'm thrilled to be part of the site's uber-talented group of writers.

I've had some incredible experiences over the years, interacting with talented artists like Marc Platt, Grey DeLisle, Rin Lennon of Monogroove, Kurt Reil of The Grip Weeds and Eric Herbst of Dizzyfish, among others. Thanks to Al Cattabiani, Cindy Grogan and Drew Pissara from CultureSonar for their support and encouragement, and also to Marty Scott and Maureen Pietoso at JEM Records for digging my work, and asking me to write about their fabulous artists on a regular basis. It has been an amazing experience working with all of you. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to all my readers for their appreciation of, and enthusiasm for, my writing. There's more to come, both here at Eclectic Avenue, and at Culture Sonar!

Recursion: A Mind-Bending Thriller

If you're a fan of truly original and intriguing stories, you should definitely be reading the work of Blake Crouch. He's the author of a number of best-selling novels, including the Wayward Pines trilogy, Dark Matter, and Upgrade. They're all exciting and suspenseful tales, deftly combining elements of the science-fiction, action film and thriller genres. Wayward Pines was turned into a television series on the FOX network, and Dark Matter was recently adapted for Apple TV. One of his best novels is Recursion, a mind-bending story about an invention that might just change the way we deal with our memories, as well as redefine our concept of time and reality.

Recursion starts off following two parallel story threads. One branch of the alternating chapters follows NYPD detective Barry Sutton, as he investigates the suicide of a woman who claims she is experiencing memories of a life that she never lived, including a different job, husband and home. It's part of an epidemic called False Memory Syndrome, which is affecting people all over the country. The second branch of the story concerns Helena Smith, a scientist researching new ways to treat the onset of Alzheimer's disease, including a groundbreaking process which implants a memory back into someone's brain.

The stories of Barry and Helena eventually intersect, as they both fall prey to the machinations of Marcus Slade, a billionaire philanthropist who has plans of his own for Helena's research, which involve time travel, and ultimately changing history, through a person's death and resurrection, combining the use of a deprivation chair with Helena's research. But the implications and results of Slade's use of her ideas combined with his own technology could lead to nuclear armageddon. It's up to Barry and Helena, who are in a race against time itself,  to stop Slade, and save the world as we know it.

Recursion is a kinetic thriller that features a clever and original science-fiction concept, and a fast-paced story. One of the novel's strengths is the well-developed characters, who have real emotional depth. These are people we can empathize with, as the traumas they're dealing with are things we can all relate to; for example, Barry is dealing with the loss of a child, and Helena's mother is suffering from Alzheimer's, which initially drives her research. There's also a real philosophical element to the story; should we use discoveries like Helena's, just because we can, no matter what the cost?  Recursion, like all of Blake Crouch's work, is entertaining, thought-provoking and intelligently written. Highly recommended.

Revisiting Penn and Hackman's "Night Moves"

Film fans continue to mourn the recent passing of the supremely talented Gene Hackman. He's one of my favorite actors, and he provided us all with a number of fine performances. Hackman could transition with ease from serious dramatic roles in movies like The French Connection and The Conversation to big-budget fare like The Poseidon Adventure and Superman. What each of his films have in common is that he was excellent in all of them, giving top-notch performances each and every time. Back in 2016, I covered one of my favorite Hackman films, the neo-noir thriller Night Moves, here at Eclectic Avenue. In honor of Hackman and his superb body of work, here's a slightly updated version of that post.

In Night Moves, Hackman is Harry Moseby, a former football player who's working as a private investigator in Los Angeles. His wife Ellen has been encouraging him to join a large investigative agency so he can make more money, but he likes doing things his own way. Harry and Ellen’s relationship has hit a crossroads, and he soon discovers she's having an affair. At a friend’s suggestion, Harry takes on a new case: locating the missing child of former film star Arlene Iverson. Her teenage daughter, Delly, has run off and has been spotted in New Mexico, on the set of a film being made there. It seems Delly (Melanie Griffith, in an early role) is something of a wild child. She's been flirting (and more) with several men on the crew of the movie. When Harry arrives, she's already gone.

Harry tracks Delly to the Florida Keys, where she's staying with her stepfather Tom. Delly doesn’t want to go back, as she believes Arlene is only interested in her trust fund, which she will inherit if anything happens to Delly. Harry tries to convince the young woman to return, and in the meantime forms a bond with Paula, a woman who works for Tom. While on a boat ride with Harry and Paula, Delly goes swimming and finds the wreckage of a small plane, with the pilot’s body still inside. Paula marks the spot with a buoy and the trio goes back to shore. Delly eventually returns to Los Angeles with Harry, and reunites with her mother. A short time later, Harry learns Delly has been killed, and he feels guilty about returning her to Arlene. He's drawn back into Tom and Paula's orbit when he looks into her death. Lies are uncovered, and secrets are revealed. In classic film noir style, things do not end well for anyone.

In Night Moves, characters like Harry and Paula are stuck in places they don’t want to be, but feel powerless to change their lives for the better. Harry is the opposite of the typical film noir hero. He isn’t the tough guy punching his way through things to solve a mystery. He hasn’t discovered the truth about the case, and he hasn't figured out his own truth. Hackman is fantastic in the role, subtly conveying Harry’s anguish and frustration, which is bubbling just under the surface. There’s a fine supporting cast, including Susan Clark, Harris Yulin, John Crawford, Edward Binns, James Woods, and Jennifer Warren, who is terrific as Paula. Strong direction from Arthur Penn, a well-honed screenplay by Alan Sharp, and a moody color palette from cinematographer Bruce Surtees all contribute to the film's success.

 

Night Moves is the second of three collaborations between director Penn and star Hackman, the other two being 1967’s Bonnie & Clyde and 1985’s Target. Night Moves is not a typical thriller, but it's a truly rewarding viewing experience. It couldn’t have been produced in a more appropriate decade than the 1970s. This is one of Hackman's finest performances, and is an absolute must see for fans of his work. The film has just been released in a new Blu-ray edition by The Criterion Collection, featuring a fine selection of extras. Here’s a link to the film’s (somewhat misleading) trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdlLWziBggM.a .

This "Storied Life" is Worth Exploring

"Sometimes books don't find us until the right time." 

- Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.

A.J. Fikry owns a bookstore on Alice Island, located off the coast of Cape Cod. His wife passed away recently, his business isn't doing well , and he's become something of a recluse and a curmudgeon, who doesn't have many friends. But his world is about to change in ways that he can't imagine. A young child named Maya is left in the bookstore, with a note asking A.J. to take care of her. He also crosses paths with Amy, a publisher's sales rep, who's trying to pitch him on titles to stock in his store. Both of these events will have a profound impact on A.J.'s life.

That's the premise of Gabrielle Zevin's marvelous novel The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. In addition to A.J., Amy and Maya, Zevin also creates a well-drawn supporting cast, including A.J.s sister-in-law Ismay Evans, and local cop Nick Lambaise, who becomes A.J.'s friend and confidant. This is a moving tale that will make you smile and tug at your heartstrings in equal measure. The positive effect that Maya and Amy have on A.J.'s life, and those in his circle, is at the heart of this terrific tale, which some readers might notice takes a bit of inspiration from George Eliot's classic novel, Silas Marner.

If you love books, and emotionally centered stories of life and love filled with joy, along with a touch of sadness, you'll enjoy The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Another essential part of the novel's appeal is A.J. and Amy's passion for books, several of which are quoted and referenced throughout the narrative. The novel was adapted into a movie in 2022, featuring Lucy Hale, Kunal Nayyar and Christina Hendricks. It's a fairly faithful adaptation of the story. The film version is currently streaming on Netflix. Here's a look at the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dDTHI67SLk.

Grey DeLisle's Latest Is Coming Soon!

Grey DeLisle is an exceptionally talented singer, songwriter, voice actor and stand-up comedian. She's brought us some terrific albums in the last few years, including Driftless Girl, She's An Angel and Borrowed. Her latest project, The Grey Album, is set to be released on April 4. This promises to be yet another superb record from this phenomenal artist. DeLisle's signature sound is firmly entrenched in country, Americana and roots music, but she can also rock out like nobody's business, as shown on the album's first single "Forty-Somethin' Runaway," which features Cherie Currie, and the bluesy "I Can't Be Kind" which aptly illustrates that DeLisle is one tough mama who could give Bonnie Raitt a run for her money.

The album will feature twenty tracks, including "Take Me Dancing Again," "House on Fire," and "Who To Love." DeLisle's remarkable, deeply expressive voice, which is as adept at bringing out the emotion of beautiful ballads like "She's An Angel" as it is at delivering the sassy twang necessary for countrified barn burners like "I'll Go Back To Denver (And You Can Go To Hell)" is sure to deliver another set of top-notch performances on The Grey Album. So while we're waiting for Grey's latest extraordinary record to be released, be sure to check out her previous work at https://www.greydelislegriffin.com/.