Mr. Opporknockity returns to action at The Curve Inn on Friday evening. The lovely month of May, often praised in song and poetry with good reason, brings us all the promise of a fruitful season of lovely live music to come in the summer months ahead. The Alamo in Chatham (popularly known as the “Chalamo”) […]
Florida
Posted inOpinion
Police militarization: your towns, your tax dollars
It can be tough policing the mean streets in these days of desperation, when drug cartels and other hardened criminals are out there … somewhere. But the good people of Orange County, Florida, are lucky because they’ve got the astonishing team of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Orange County Sheriffs Office […]
Posted inMusic
Springfield wherever you go
Amy Benton performs at Fire and Ale in Sherman on Friday. A week ago, I was in sunny central Florida (it actually was 55 and raining most of the time) playing a few shows with friends. I’m glad to be back and I’d like to thank Ken Carlyle, Patrick Hagerman, Josh Reilly and Brian Reilly […]
Posted inOpinion
Congress reinterprets Jesus
Thank God for Congress, right? When things get out of balance in America, we can always count on our legislative stalwarts to recalibrate the scales of justice. Take greed, for example. Wall Street barons, whose raw greed and casino scams wrecked our real economy five years ago, are back to shoving great gobs of bonus […]
Posted inMusic
ZZ Tripp
Springfield’s ZZ Tripp with Brad Alan (as Billy Gibbons on guitar), Dan Kress (as Dusty Hill on bass) and Tom Summerlin (as Frank Beard on drums) gives ZZ Top a tremendous tribute treatment. With songs “structured like their studio work, but with some of ZZ Top’s signature live elements added in,” the trio spans “over […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Thief steals nothing but viewer’s time
Identity Thief is the sort of film that attempts a great deal and succeeds at nothing. At once a slapstick comedy, a chase film and an exercise in tear jerking, director Seth Gordon fails to achieve a consistent tone throughout as madcap hijinks, mortal peril and a pathetic attempt at pathos are all thrown at […]
Posted inOpinion
Bothering to vote, and bothering voters
Two heroes emerged at the polls this year, and neither was named Barack or Mitt. Their names are Galicia and Ken – ordinary Americans with extraordinary depths of civic spirit. While nearly 40 percent of eligible voters didn’t bother to cast their ballots this year, these two demonstrated that our democratic right to vote is […]
Posted inOpinion
Helping Republicans find real voter fraud
Republican officials are having a major problem with their widely ballyhooed claim that they must create new barriers to voting in order to ensure the “integrity” of the ballot. The problem is this: Their high-decibel effort is completely devoid of integrity. The real electoral fraud is the GOP’s frantic claim that hordes of ineligible Democrats […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Old mother in a barrel: vinegar
Every fall I remember what it was like to come as a child to this place that’s been my home for almost 30 years: the venerable Spaulding Orchard farmhouse. It’s the first home my husband and I bought, and probably our last. It wasn’t our first choice, but after being entwined in this place for […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Madcap musical
Springfield Theatre Center presents a musical about Pippi, the stripper on the run, who is the new tenant at the exclusive Florida trailer park, Armadillo Acres. But she’s no ordinary tenant, and there are only laughs after Pippi comes between Dr. Phil-loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her tollbooth collector husband. Music and lyrics by David Nehls. […]
