Disney piqued our curiosity through social media. We first learned of this adaptation through Facebook trailers that used a split-screen method to show viewers key scenes from the 1991 classic and the 2017 overhaul, and we sentimentally fell intrigued with the intentional similarities. We were interested to see how the animated version we knew would translate to the live-action format. Would the dinner plates perform in Technicolor brilliance? Would the beast be realistic enough to fear … and to love? Would Gaston be as irresistible in human form as he thinks he is in Animation Land? (To our delight, Gaston, played by Luke Evans – Fast and Furious 6, 2013; Girl on the Train, 2016 – can SING, though we still dislike the character as much as we did in 1991.)

After our enjoyable experience with the recent Cinderella remake, we trusted that this film would measure up, or even surpass its predecessor.

We entered the sold-out theatre on opening night. Our expectations were high. Instantly, we were captivated by a flashback that shows the prince (before the spell) entertaining at a ball that makes bibliophiles like Belle think of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death.” It’s dark and ominous, symbolizing the joyless life the prince lives even before he transforms. Soon, the flashback melts away, and we are in the present setting, enchanted and singing along with the familiar lines of the opening song. Fans will know the words. (Oh, and there are a handful of other literary allusions that will make your high school English teacher proud.)

The movie remained consistent for several scenes, and that was satisfactory for us, but Disney must have anticipated that some audiences would appreciate something original with the “remake.” Thus, they incorporated a story unexplored in the animation – the backstory of Belle’s mother. (Rarely do we see a mother figure in a Disney story line. Have you noticed this too?) Viewers will appreciate this explanation and the more developed and sympathetic character that is her father.

As a mother and teacher, I first thought of the one of the strongest themes of this plot: “Don’t judge one by his or her appearance.” Yes! We certainly can’t argue with the importance of that message, and this adaptation delivered on that point, but it provides more. Feminists will be pleased to see Belle is the inventor in this version, not her father. (Wait until you see what she engineers!) Disney offers a new dimension, a modern message for the young women in the audience: There is so much more for you than just what you have planned for yourself. This lesson, along with others about how to behave when others mock you make this movie one to share with young women. Additionally, the key scene when Belle climbs the bluff to “the great wide somewhere” is more than just literal.

Viewers will also appreciate a new understanding to His Royalty’s roar. He’s not just having a bad fur day.

All-in-all, this film is good. We sang, we laughed, we reminisced, and (we admit) we cried more than just a few quiet tears due to its heartbreaking undercurrent of homesickness. We think it will make a good film for your family to share this weekend. Its PG rating is due to the scary moments you may remember from the animation – creepy woods, aggressive wolves, a fight scene at the resolution. Additionally, if you’ve read other reviews, you realize you may have to field some questions about the relationship between LeFou and some of the other characters, but the tendencies may be ambiguous enough to sneak past young viewers. We encourage each of you to take this issue into consideration. Furthermore, the notion that a person needs somebody else to complete him or free him from some sort of captivity is somewhat perturbing, but the movie offered us more enjoyment than disappointment. Thus, we invite you to “be our guest” and spend a little time with Beauty and her beast.

With the house lights down and a backlit stage, the show started off with the intro of Prince’s “When Dove’s Cry” that flowed right into a swell of synthesizers as the band took the stage.   From that moment on, the volume and the excitement in the theater continued to climb.

What may be the biggest understatement of the night is that Grace Potter has a lot of energy…she pretty much defines energy…and seems to have enough to entice a similar reaction from the crowd.   Never standing still, Potter dances on nearly every square inch of the stage, all while singing at the top of her lungs and often playing guitar, keys, or tambourine.

Her musical styles ranged from a bit of funk to blues to country to soulful ballads as she brought us hits like “Hot to the Touch”, “Apologies”, and “Nobody’s Born With a Broken Heart”.   Her six piece band was absolutely outstanding, and she added to the excellence providing us with moments on the keys, the acoustic guitar, and a strong command of her Gibson Flying V.

Throughout the night she encouraged the normally reserved Eastman Theater crowd to get out of their seats and onto their feet and ‘get their freak on’… and though it took some coercing, eventually the front of the theater was completely filled with fans dancing and singing their hearts out.

A particularly stellar moment was guitarist Benny Yurco’s sweet guitar work that worked it’s way into a vocal and guitar only version of “Low Road”.   The combination of her raspy vocals on top of the sweet tone of Yurco’s Gibson was the thing that goose bumps are made of.   It was musical perfection and clearly showed us that these are musicians at the top of their game.   That serene moment quickly morphed into a head banging, high energy, all out distortion laden performance of “Nothing But the Water”, with nothing more that Potter on her Flying V and vocals, backed by Matt Burr on the drums.

The evening continued to bring us high energy hit after high energy hit…interrupted only by a brief trip off stage teasing the end of the concert but quickly returning to put on an outstanding encore.  The crowd was on their feet most of the night, enjoying an outstanding concert by an extremely talented singer and a stage full of world class musicians.

The Rochester Jazz fest is one of the best music festivals, anywhere…and Grace Potter was the perfect opening headliner to this nine day musical event.

JL Fulks is a musical throwback, a tribute to American Blues. He and his bandmates, Ken Burgner and Ian Jones, made it to the semi-finals of this year’s International Blues Challenge. His scorching licks and mournful lyrics leave you aching in your own memories of hope and loss.

You can’t help but get lost in I Believe In Love as he croons, “I believe in love, Love is gonna set me free.” His playful teasing in Honey, Ain’t That Love will have many a husband nodding along in commiseration.

It’s clear JL has a knack for turning everyday life into the art that is The Blues. Maybe an even greater talent is his ability to make six strings tell their own story as clearly as any lyrics. Phrygian Dance is a modal epic you won’t want to miss. There is no doubt JL’s study with Berklee School of Music has certainly paid off for his listeners.

If you are lucky enough to be in the Lake Park, Fl area you won’t want to miss JL’s CD Release Party tonight at The Kelsey Theater. If you can’t make it out to hear him live you can catch a live stream of the concert on www.worldstreamlive.com. No matter what, you definitely want to pick up the EP, On Down The Road from your favorite music service. It’s available today on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.

To learn more about this up and coming blues artist, visit his web page at www.jlfulks.com, or subscribe to his YouTube Channel. We here at Relatively Random wish JL the best of luck with his new EP and congratulate him on staying true his passion and following his dreams!

More info on Ringo Starr’s Summer Tour can be found here.

We had heard that city officials expected nearly 8,000 people for the block party, so I knew to get into my Relatively Random t-shirt and grab our red collapsible lawn chairs and hit the highway for Grayson early to be there in time for the gates opening at 6:00. We arrived in plenty of time, encountered very little traffic, and found a terrific free parking spot close to the parking lot where the event was to be held. We had the place nearly to ourselves and sat up our chairs behind where the small crowd was forming. (Luckily, the other patrons left ample room between themselves and us, as we would soon need the space as a dance floor.)

As the first blistering hot sun of the summer moved across the sky and dropped behind the local church steeple, shade fell upon the large parking lot, setting the mood for Friday night fun. Two different local acts performed songs they had written and covers of popular hits, priming the growing crowd for the main event.

At about 8:30, Old Dominion took the stage, opening with their current chart-topper “Snapback.” Over the nearly two hours that they performed, fans enjoyed all of the tracks from the band’s current album MEAT AND CANDY, along with some other well-known compositions the band members had written for other popular country music artists. Now, this is where we became seriously impressed. We love Old Dominion. We own their CDs and we know every word to every song, but like the title of the album suggests, most of the songs are “candy” – feel good, bubblegum tracks. Only a couple of songs give us any “meat” to provide substance, so we worried the concert might leave us a little empty, but when they shared some of the pieces they’d published previous to their pop-country success, they gained a new level of our respect.

Of these compositions are the heartbreaking “Wake Up Lovin’ You” (released by Craig Morgan 2013), Tyler Farr’s popular “A Guy Walks Into a Bar” (2014), and much to our surprise, a favorite at our house, Blake Shelton’s “Sangria” (2015). Learning that the Old Dominion guys penned these tunes impressed us tremendously, and scored them some additional street cred in our book.

Overall, we were very pleased with the event. We danced all night and laughed along with the band as they conversed with the crowd from their platform. Old Dominion gave a top-notch, feel-good, party-in-the-parking lot performance, leaving it all on stage, just as they would have for a larger venue. Indeed, they turned this little one-horse into Vegas.

We recommend that you catch them on their summer tour. You can see them at their upcoming stops to upstate New York (Canandaigua and Hunter), in good ole Nashville, way up in Wisconsin, or out on the beach in Virginia (the state from which most of the band hails). For a complete list of concert dates, visit their website.

A couple months ago, I heard that John Mellencamp was bringing his Plain Spoken tour to Rochester, NY’s historic Eastman Theater. I’ve listened to his newer music, and he’s one of those artists that has continued to evolve musically through his years as a performer. I was pretty confident that this concert would not be a travesty…though I was curious how his older hits would sound.

The Eastman Theater is one of the best indoor concert venues I’ve ever been to. Filled with history, this nearly 100-year-old concert hall offers great acoustics, outstanding architectural detail, and there is not a bad seat in the house. Mellencamp’s stage set was pretty simple … with a backdrop from his Plain Spoken CD cover, there wasn’t much more on stage than the drum kits, keyboards, some guitar stands, and mic stands. It was a no-frills, down-to-business setup.

The ‘much more mature’ than I expected crowd waited patiently for the show to begin. Carlene Carter, the daughter of June Carter Cash, was the opening act. Full of energy and stories from her youth, she entertained with just her strong vocals with nothing more than her acoustic guitar or piano to accompany her. About an hour into the night, the lights dimmed for John Mellencamp and his band to take the stage. Six musicians took the stage, all dressed in suits, except for violinist Mirium Sturm, who came out in a long formal dress. John Mellencamp slowly made his way to center stage, also wearing a suit, stopping along the way to acknowledge the cheering crowd.

He started the night with “Lawless Times” from his Plain Spoken album, and it was clear this was going to be a great night of music. From there we were treated to a great mix of new and old music, mixed with stories and the occasional soft shoe. He introduced “Longest Days” with a funny story about his 100 year old grandmother, who affectionately referred to him as Buddy, that tried to pray him into heaven with her…to which he quickly told her he had a lot more sinning to do. Of course, he covered his classics… “Pink Houses”, “Paper In Fire”, “Crumblin’ Down” and more with the same energy and strong vocals that we remember from the first time we heard these songs hit the radio. Before he launched into “Jack and Diane,” he told us that he only plays it to make the crowd happy…and shared a story of the night he wrote it. I’m not sure if it was fact or fiction, but it entertained. In the middle of the show, Carlene Carter came back out and sang a couple songs with Mellencamp from an album that they have recorded together, and though the material was not familiar, they sounded great together.

His band was simply outstanding. Guitarist Mike Wanchic has been in the band for 45 years, and many of the others for over a decade, and we could tell. The music was tight and they seemed to have a lot of fun while they were playing.

I’ve been to a lot of shows over the years, and this one was high on the list of my favorites. With a down-to-earth style, gravelly and soulful vocals, and a fun mix of stories, it was a perfect night of music. As a musician whose career has spanned over forty years, Mellencamp finished the evening reminiscing and talking about the old times…a fitting intro to “Cherry Bomb,” which was a great way to end a great evening watching a great performer do what he does best.

Taylor Swift opened, breathy and beautiful, sharing “Wildest Dreams,” a song from her new album, reminding us (in case we didn’t purchase her record) that she is growing up and expanding her musical horizons.  While we enjoyed her performance, it was not perfect – audio problems seemed to trouble her and may to be blame for some of Swift’s pitch problems.  Still, we are fans.  She put on a good presentation, both in her opening number, and in the audience, where she enjoyed the show the way we would have it we had been there – giddy, giggly, and with adorably awkward dance moves.  

Soon after, Sam Hunt and Carrie Underwood titillated viewers with their mash-up featuring Hunt’s most popular song (“Take Your Time”) and their new duet (“Heartbeat”) providing us both ear ecstasy and eye candy.  We enjoy hearing these two on the radio, and watching them on our television screens was no problem, either.    Before we could totally melt down, The Weekend had us dancing on our davenports with the first part of his performance (“Can’t Feel My Face”), and then brought us a moving antithesis with his pared-down “In the Night.” …but we didn’t get goosebumps until Andra Day and Ellie Goulding blended their talents in a classy merger of “Rise Up” and “Love Me Like You Do.”  If you missed it, it’s worth a Google. At home, we did lots of singing along and lots of dancing, but we didn’t get rowdy until Kentucky native Chris Stapleton snagged the award for Best Country Album of the Year.  If you haven’t met this new voice, you probably already know his words; Stapleton has written some of the biggest hits of the last several years.  You’ll recognize his work.  Look him up and you’ll see!

Well into the show, an extra-special event transpired.  The Lionel Richie tribute was something close to spiritual.  Watching him enjoy John Legend, Demi Lovato, Luke Bryan, Meghan Trainor, and others was a treat.  It must be uncomfortable watching others perform your signature pieces, but Richie seemed to thoroughly enjoy the show, and it was great to see him sing along from his seat and celebrate the vocal achievements these artists accomplished.  We especially liked Demi Lovato’s rendition of “Hello.”  Whoo! … and we were happy when Richie left his spot in the audience to come and sing and dance “All Night Long” with the group.

To pay tribute to Earth Wind & Fire’s Maurice White, Pentatonix and Stevie Wonder took the stage.   Pentatonix is a group that is the current musical master of all things acapella, and Stevie Wonder, well he’s pretty much the musical master of everything else.  Together they put on a stunning performance of “That’s the Way of the World”.

As if these first two tributes were not enough, The Eagles took the stage, joined by Jackson Browne, to pay honor to Glenn Frey with a spectacular rendition of “Take It Easy”.   In typical Eagles fashion, the harmonies were spot on, and Jackson Browne, who co-wrote the song with Frey, carried the vocal lead with perfection.  But despite the musical completeness of the performance, there was a void felt by Frey’s absence.

Best new artist nominees, James Bay and Tory Kelly put on a powerful performance.   Singing a mashup of their songs “Hollow” and “Let It Go”, it was very clear to all listeners why they were nominees for best new artist.   It’s good to see that there’s new music that touches us in the same way as the songs and artists that have been the soundtrack of our lives for so many years.

We enjoyed Adele’s performance of “All I Ask”.   We watched Lady Gaga’s tribute to David Bowie with a bit of freakish curiosity.  The medley of Bowie songs was performed well, Lady Gaga always delivers strong vocals, the band was spot on…seamlessly transitioning from song to song.  Lady Gaga’s array of Bowie-esque costumes and her crazy choreography kept our attention in an “I’m not sure I’m enjoying this” kind of way, but overall it was probably a fitting tribute to a musician that didn’t really fit into any mold himself.

One of our favorite performances was the B.B. King tribute by Chris Stapleton, Bonnie Raitt, and Gary Clark Jr., three artists that always bring their soulful guitar driven style to the stage.   Covering “The Thrill Is Gone”, it was great to see artists that have obviously been inspired King, paying their musical respects with the same passion that King brought to the stage for so many years.

And just when we thought the ‘good music’ was done for the night, Alabama Shakes took the stage bringing their funky, bluesy, soulful rock that inspires rambunctious toe tapping in the most conservative of viewers.

The energy level remained high as Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Johnny Depp and their group, The Hollywood Vampires, paid tribute to Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister.   With a plethora of distortion laden six strings, guys wearing copious amounts of eye makeup, and sufficient fog covering the stage…this was a performance right from the “How to do Rock and Roll” cookbook.

Over the years we’ve learned that you never really know what the Grammy’s are going to deliver.   We’re happy to say that the 58th Grammy Awards delivered touching tributes, perfect harmonies, high energy, and lyrics to stir the soul.

First, we considered the traditional dinner and a movie date format. Luckily, Lionsgate has released a new Nicholas Sparks’ movie just in time for the blessed day! Like the holiday, however, The Choice is a complicated option for your romantic celebration, but here is why we like it:

1. Flirting Lessons: If you and your sweetheart are just starting your romantic journey, the adorable bantering between the film’s lead characters will give you a clever example. The first half of the show is filled with witty jabs and cute phrases that show viewers how to be playful and polite, how to make friends and how to make up. If you’re further down the road in your relationship, however, this story is a good one for you, as well. While you may have mastered the art of flirting years ago, this reel will give you the refresher you might not even know you need. Wink, wink. Truthfully, this film is great for the non-committed viewer, too, as both of the primary actors (Benjamin Walker, Teresa Palmer) are so attractive and compelling, you’ll feel like they are flirting with you. (I certainly got my money’s worth.) Thus, this film is an option for couples and unattached audiences to enjoy.

2. It’s a terrible book-to-screen adaptation. This means that if your date has already read the 2007 novel upon which this movie is based, she’ll actually get a big surprise. The movie is very different from the book. (We enjoyed the movie more, actually, which pains us to say. Aren’t we always supposed to claim that the book is better than its silver screen account?) Gabby (Warm Bodies, Point Break 2015) is more believably brought to life on screen, and more likable. The storyline is essentially the same – boy meets girl, boy is smitten, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back, boy loses girl again (this time in a more dramatic way) – but it contains enough plot variance and difference in character development to make the two stand alone. Therefore, the price of admission will be a good investment; the movie will provide you with something you weren’t expecting (if you were expecting a true-to-text representation).

3. North Carolina. Like every other Sparks’ film we’ve seen, The Choice is set on the banks of North Carolina, and this one celebrates the waterways that flow between the mainland and the open sea. It is full of beautiful landscape shots, images of coastal activities such as fishing, boating, and picnics, and tours of unique waterfront properties. In this film, it is warm and sunny (except for some scenes where bad weather symbolizes crisis to promote the movie’s climax) and for that reason, we recommend spending a frigid February evening or wintery weekend afternoon in the theatre. Take a little vacation to the coast with this piece of cinema.
     

4. It’s grown-up. The Choice carries with it mature and complex themes. It’s not just a love story, it makes some philosophical and morale claims, as well. Viewers will notice a voice-over narrative about choices and life’s direction. They’ll also find religious undertones and implications about the importance of tradition and the value of family, and it will be impossible to ignore the blatant message: “Love harder.” So, if you’re not in the mood for a chick flick, step up to the ticket window anyway. This movie offers more than just the cliché tropes of a romantic drama.

Overall, we enjoyed the film. While it does not receive rave reviews from other entertainment reporters, we found The Choice to be more than what we expected and rate it a good choice for Valentine’s viewing. (Note: We do not recommend this as a choice for a first date. There will be crying, and if you’re uncomfortable with showing emotion as your friendship forms, skip this one. Besides, is there any good way to warn your date that she might need to wear waterproof mascara when she goes out with you? That might sound like a bad omen. And is it really fair to ask her to cry off all of her concealer, like we did? I mean, she barely knows you! She probably isn’t ready to bare her whole heart and her naked face, too.)

The Bearded Writer’s Choice – Death Wish Coffee

After commercials for Marvel superheroes littered my screen for several hours, I was excited to see a new movie that had a less cartoonish feel. Ok, well maybe Vikings sailing gleefully to their afterlife in Valhalla is still a touch on the caricature side. Still, I was enthralled. And then I was even more excited. Caffeinated you might say. The Deathwish Coffee commercial was easily my favorite.  I may buy some, if for no other reason than the hope it may help my ginger beard reach epic lengths. Oh wait…Grandma always told me strong coffee would put hair on my chest…..beard dreams crushed.

The commercial is still funny.   Take a look. 

The Car Enthusiast’s Choice – Audi R8

So, I’ll admit it, I’m a car guy.  There are very few things that bring a smile to my face faster than the smell of a new car interior, the sound of a finely tuned exhaust, the feeling of being glued to my seat as a car launches from a dead stop to triple digits in a fraction of a minute.

Audi was able to bring that same smile to my face with their Super Bowl 50 television spot, and here are 209 reasons to love the new Audi R8 Commercial…

Reason 1… It takes us back to the awe and pride of the early adventures into outer space…

Reason 2… It reminds us that sometimes, all we need is a link to the past to wake us in the present…

Reason 3… It plants the seed that a car, not just any car, but a German built Supercar, with ten fire breathing cylinders packed directly behind the front seats, that comes to life with a push of a button, will fill us with the same exhilaration and excitement that only an astronaut experiences when a rocket takes off from the launch pad, destined for space…

Reason 4… …If the first three are not reason enough, it’s all placed to the soundtrack of David Bowie’s “Starman”…a fitting tribute to the music legend that left our planet far too soon.

Reasons 205-209… The Audi R8 will reach a top speed of 205 MPH….and Audi is not afraid to highlight that in a television commercial…

If you missed it, check it out here…

A Staff Favorite – Honda Ridgeline

How can ‘ewe’ not love a pasture full of barnyard animals singing Queen’s “Somebody to Love”.   That kind of thing may make some a bit sheepish, but you can’t pull the wool over our eyes, that was a great commercial.  Yeah, the new Honda Ridgeline looks like it has some nice features, but we think the sheep were the stars of this television spot.

Have a look for yourself…

The first strums are country – familiar rhythms and steel guitar. Listeners get a good taste of traditional country, and as we swirl it around, striving to label the essence of the classic genre, Henley brings in current country star Miranda Lambert to add her feminine flavor to the love-gone-wrong song. They share the story of a good woman compared to a bramble rose, and fans might first think that this country album is cliché. Perhaps, but then a third voice comes to the mic. It’ll take listeners a few minutes to place the vocal, and once they do, they’ll appreciate this twist on a classic recipe.

The next track might waltz right past country music fans. It’s comfortable and predictable, a blend of melody and metaphor presented as a duet with a classic country music god in such a subtle fashion, it shines with the flicker of a campfire, not the spotlight of amped-up modern country stages. (We love the star-studded list on performers Henley has chosen for this album’s duets. We invite you to listen for yourselves.)

Those come on the third track, flying on the first few riffs of electric guitar, and give a nod to the fans of more contemporary country music styles. Other tracks will remind Henley fans of what they heard from him in the late 1980’s. “Take a Picture of This,” for example, might remind them of songs like “Heart of the Matter” (End of the Innocence), providing a balance for the die-hard Henley fans who might not accept Henley as a country musician.

… and for listeners who are looking for parallels between Henley-then and Henley-now, other tracks like “Praying for Rain” and “Too Much Pride” will help them make thematic connections to his previous comments against environmental abuse and political corruption. We hear him worry and subtly warn us about how we treat our planet and who we are going to allow to lead our nation.

For us, Cass County is a treat. We are glad to hear Henley’s better-than-ever voice fresh on the airwaves, but as many country music albums do, Cass County leaves us feeling melancholy and nostalgic, longing for better times when things were simpler, and for some of us, Henley’s music was in those moments too. Relatively Random finds this album to be a little bit country, but not a committed abandonment of what is quintessentially Don Henley. Deep down, we are thankful for that. Though we don’t call this album “country,” we agree that it is “American.” Listeners will appreciate some beautiful and clever songwriting; deep, important themes of today and yesteryear; and well-loved guest performers on many of the album’s tracks.