Blog — Page 176 of 283

Reggie Watts

Opera House

Sydney, Australia

November 23, 2018

Virtuous musician.

Entertainer par excellence.

Comedian…and, well everything in between.

The does not even remotely come close to a depiction of what makes Reggie Watts the immensely enjoyable artist he is.

You would have encountered him in some form on TV but in a live environment, Reggie Watts is an infectious perpetuum mobile of goodness that effortlessly transitions from situational comedy via improvisations to something that comes close to a proper full-blown band performance, which he accomplishes by only relying on his effect pedals, beatboxing and vocal delivery.

The beauty of Watts’ performance lies in his abilities to signify, impersonate and lampoon without falling prey to the traps that make so many stand-ups acts these days lacklustre.

His shows results in an audience that is willingly embraced by the warmness that is the at the centre of the alchemy Watts channels and his stream-of-consciousness elaborations – it is hard to not have a constant smile on one’s face while this prototype of an entertainer is at work.

Bill Murray’s incarnation on the same stage was funny, silly and overly self-indulgent.

Reggie Watts on the other hand is funny, silly and….affective and unique. An imaginative comedian in a singer’s body and vice versa that has figured out how humour and laughter can be generated with mere sounds.

Improvisations form the foundation of a performance that is contextualised in such an expert manner that the mere mentioning of local places and other references in Watts’ anecdotes evokes heartfelt laughter and demonstrates the smart man who has done his due diligence and homework on the town whose stage he is about to grace with his presence.

An immensely enjoyable evening - go and check the man out for yourself.

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Photo courtesy of Sydney Opera House

Amenra

Factory Theatre

Sydney, Australia

November 16, 2018

Slow and doomy build-ups that cascade and are eventually unleashed not unlike a ton of bricks: Amenra have taken the DNA of what made Neurosis the ground-breaking, envelope pushing mavericks they were at the height of their powers, condensed it to its essence and infused it with their own interpretation of spiritually nourished avantgarde metal and hardcore roots.

While the sonic representation in recorded form are exercises par excellence in cataclysmic ebbs and flows, in a live environment, things take own another dimension as Amenra’s commitment to channelling their alchemy becomes not only apparent but palpable.

Vulnerability.

Chaos.

Pain.

Passion.

Transcendence.

Release.

Catharsis.

A mere collection of the few nouns that come to mind yet in their singularity do not do justice to what the Belgians are about, after having been bulldozed by the crushing outbursts of chief ritualist Colin H Van Eeckhout and his worthy constituents.

Amenra dominate in a realm they have created for themselves and refined over the years. Once you enter, you are at their mercy – an experience that the audience was too eager to be immersed in.

Atavistic and borderline tribal in nature, the performance evoked hypnotic and meditative states, nuances of which are usually rare to be found in the genre Amenra resides in as most bands attempting something similar tend to use a far too broad brush thereby sacrificing sustainable and lasting impact for mere gratifying impact.

Despite being set in scene in an orchestrated manner via lighting and monochrome video projections, it was refreshing to see a lack of fabricated theatrics and feel the raw emotional delivery as it poured out of them.

A band that commands attention whose dedication to their vision you want to experience, feel yourself firsthand and surrender to.

Henry David Thoreau: A Life

Laura Dassow Walls

University of Chicago Press

Henry David Thoreau.

A luminary of American literature canon.

A Life is more than a mere biography – Dr Laura Dassow Walls integrates Thoreau's life with his writings and thereby highlights his naturalistic and scientific interests in historic context. As a result, Thoreau emerges very vividly as a personality with family, friends, business responsibilities, humour, a courage, and an insatiable curiosity.

A splendid life-affirming paen to the sage of Walden Pond fame that makes it obvious that the author Walls is a fan of Thoreau and his oeuvre. The depth of her research makes possible the kind of detail which matters in a biography.

Wall details Thoreau's intense interest in science, and some of his discoveries, notably about forest succession. For me A Life also unveiled that Thoreau wrote far more than what the mainstream is aware of, especially in his journals.  His "Walking" and "Slavery in Massachusetts" are outstanding examples. I had not known about the posthumous discovery and editing of his final book, Wild Fruits, which Walls mentions repeatedly, though I had to go to her notes to find that it was actually published.

In a world with many lengthy and plodding biographies that do not really advance the story of the subject in a meaningful way, this one is an exceedingly well written book that gives a thorough and well-paced accounting of Thoreau, his surroundings, circle of friends, family and influences. A first-rate piece of work and I would highly recommend it to anyone with even passing interest in its subject as Walls bringing together the facts of his life and times, the places he has been, his friends and acquaintances as well as his influences on those around him helps to see a fuller version of the complexity and development of this writer, prophet, sage.

An expertly written recount of Thoreau's manifold activities that carefully manages to not overwhelm the reader.

No matter if you are a Thoreau novice or even an expert, this is the biography you want to read. It is not only informative but pleasant to read as one encounters the author's numerous perceptive insights.

Starward Distillery out of Melbourne:

If you remotely follow this series, our previous coverage of Starward, its excellent outlet and its liquid emissions would and should have left more than a mere blip on your whiskey radar.

Now, never a distillery to rest on their laurels, Starward Distillery have very recently taken a bold step forward with the ambitious Two-Fold release. A symphony that is bathed in double grain whisky, i.e. a melange of Wheat and Malted Barley, that is entirely matured in their signature Australian red wine barrels.

The result is a drop whose complexity encompasses the richness that only the marriage of two grain world could culminate in. Now, the X-factor is Melbourne’s overly reactive, “seasons in the size of days”-climate that is never not a contributing factor when it comes to expressions out of Victoria.

Taste-wise and from the feel I got from the first sip I taste, Two-Fold makes what is commonly referred to as an excellent breakfast whiskey – a foundation of vanilla extends to tropical fruits, apples and culminates in an oaky finished. The range of flavours of the accessible Two-Fold unfolds makes it a remarkably versatile drop, no matter if it is the basis of a cocktail or taken neat and the fact that it was sold out within days is testament that it is one that should be popular with both connoisseurs as well as the occasional whiskey drinker.

Not unlike all other expressions from Starward Distillery, exclusive use was made of Australian Apera wine barrels for maturation and emphasis was put on the whiskey’s interaction with the wood, which resonates through Two-Fold’s lighter character and its wheaty DNA.

An affordable alternative that would find its place easily amongst the likes of classics like Glenmorangie and Glenfiddich.

Given that there are plans for Starward Distillery to expand across the pond and excite the imagination of North American whiskey aficionados, not unlike the savoury complexity of the smooth Two-Fold is something to keep your eyes peeled for.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Photo by T

Haruki Murakami – Killing Commendatore

Penguin Classic

Murakami has been a constant source of joy for me over the last decade. His Kafka-esque, surreal, multi-dimensional story telling scattered with allusions and references is like a tonic for your brain as he invites you into a world beyond the mundane confines we must deal with every day.

Following Murakami’s labour of love, i.e. translate F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby into Japanese, Killing Commendatore is more than a mere subtle homage to one of his favourite writers – it is a long declaration of love and adulation for Scott Fitzgerald’s oeuvre.

The novel casts its web wide when it comes to intertwined narrative threads and never grows tired when it comes to explore ideas revolving around everything from art, to the dystopian brave new world we find ourselves in to classics like Don Giovanni and Alice in Wonderland.

Following the lead of an unnamed narrator, we explore his claustrophobic tumbling down a myriad of rabbit holes pervaded by Murakami’s trademarked metaphysical plateaus that never grow tired to stage the next unexpected turn.

While for the faithful Murakami aficionado nothing ground-breaking new is proffered, his distinctive way of storytelling along with explorations of his pet peeves and riddled themes he feels passionate about is omnipresent throughout this literary emission.

If you like Haruki Murakami’s previous novels, you will not be disappointed as Killing Commandatore is an extension of what he has become loved and known for with the merging of logic and riddles that allow for the magic to become apparent in the realistic depiction of the mundane.