The Sound of Cinema (Part II): Sirens of the Silver Screen

In an earlier post I introduced a series based on exposing and exploring the incestuous relationships between movies and music. As noted, musicians have often made cameo appearances in movies, musical or otherwise. One of my personal favorites is (of course) Jack White's rendition of a kung-fu savvy "King of Rock 'n' Roll" in the 2007 comedy, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. A relentlessly hysterical spoof of pretty much any music bio-pic one could think of.

Watch WALK HARD clip “The King” en Yahoo! Video

But I digress...

The topic at hand speaks to the musician whose presence on the silver screen rivals that of their presence on the concert stage. There are few musicians who have claimed, or at the very least shared the lead role in a film. For this discussion, I am requiring that the acting be on par or better than, said performers musical ability, and that the film be worth the view altogether. Although I would also like to categorize these persons as musicians who later turned to acting, the most obvious and accessible blurs this distinction. Cher is a consummate performer and can't be denied success in either medium. For an homage, here is a montage of her Oscar winning role as Loretta Castorini, in the 1987 film Moonstruck:



The musical beginnings of Cher's career included, providing back-up vocals for The Righteous Brother's "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" and several chart topping hits as one half of the "Sonny and Cher" duo. It was however, the coupling of her distinctive voice, provocative stage presence with a few acting lessons that earned her a Golden Globe for her shenanigans on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, in 1971. Along with two other Golden Globes later in her career, Cher's list of awards and nominations for her acting is as spectacular as the outfits she wears to receive them. It was no surprise to see Cher presenting at this years Golden Globes "shamelessly promoting" yet another movie role in the upcoming film Burlesque.

Although the acting career of Norah Jones is not quite as epic as the fore mentioned single syllabled diva, she's got time and talent tantamount to other rookies in the film industry. As the daughter of legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar and concert producer Sue Jones, and one who received training as a jazz vocalist and pianist, Jones' musical career was obviously first to take flight. Her first album Come Away With Me, earned her a Grammy for album of the year in 2003. Jones' acting debut in My Blueberry Nights may not have been award worthy, but performing alongside movie mainstays Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman, not to mention the savory cinematography, Jones is not entirely overwhelmed. As the movie progresses, so does her comfort level as an actress.



A woman with a radiant presence, Norah Jones leaves me hungry for an acting performance that does more than just wet my appetite. Given time and opportunity, however, her film career may be able to compliment her musical main course.

After exploring how a few female musicians have been able to modify their craft to reveal cinematic charm, it is time to acknowledge the male musicians who have also produced profound performances in film. Stay tuned for, "The Sound of Cinema (Part III): Crooners With More Than Just a Cameo..."




-Emma Jeanmarie

The Sound of Cinema (Part II): Sirens of the Silver Screen

What We Have or What We Do With What We Have?

To segue from my last post, "Who needs to buy a guitar?"




After several months of being pommeled by the advertising industry telling me what I "need" this past holiday season, I seriously contemplated becoming more of a Luddite than I already am, until I came across this little set-up that transported me back to the techno-fantasy world that often prevails.

These are speakers that fit into any standard light sockets.  Not only will they play music remotely from your PC, stereo or iPod, they are equipped with 5 and 6-inch light fixtures that you can even dim for a little ambiance to match the musical mood.  Do I need these?...uh, ya...about as much as I need this significantly less tangible, but ever the more magical music making machine...




This is a far cry from trying to take apart my old "Speak & Spell" or is it?




All too often people, whether serious about making music or just want to have some fun with sound, are deterred by the price tags on equipment or the idea that they lack the talent to play. One of my favorite musical memories came from just that- play. A friend and I were wasting away the early morning hours eating pancakes at some suburbia hole-in-the wall, when he whipped out a pocket knife and started carving holes into and beveling the end of a straw: "Straw flute!" he declares. A few notes and we were decisively extricated from our seats. So, away we went to the nearest 24/7 convenient store, purchased a box of 100 drinking straws and proceeded until daylight with every permutation of hole configuration, length and bevel angle we could conjure. Were we making music? That's debatable. Playing? Definitely! If you've never watched a toddler get down with a set of pans and plastic bowls, do yourself a favor...or just do it yourself. You can bet there's some great, greasy grooves amidst all that clatter. Is musical success dependent on the recipe, whether or not you care that anyone likes the flavor, or with what kind of pots you're cooking...or playing, as it were?

Some of the most sublime sound has come from manipulating or simply reinventing for what a thing is "supposed" to be used. A recent "iPhone Symphony" post is a perfect illustration of how something that has become part of our everyday experience can transport us into an entirely different atmosphere of sound if we allow ourselves the creative license to transpose the thing. I have also had the joy of witnessing some of Minneapolis' finest talent brandish everything from screwdrivers to toilet-bowl scrubbers and successfully pass them off as instrumental accoutrement. I caught one of my favorite local jazz drummers, Jay Epstein (Firebell, The Dan Musselman Quartet) at a gig this summer; cooler than cool, without missing a beat, he pulled out a pair of plastic handled, nylon bristled toilet-bowl scrubbers. I was astounded! The sound was a little heavier than traditional "brushes" and perfect for the piece. Similarly simple in presence and just as innovative in thought, was guitarist Jeremy Ylvisaker's (Alpha Consumer, Andrew Bird) performance at the Modern Guitar Fest, held a few weeks ago. He began by precisely finessing a screwdriver behind his strings, then after looping and building upon this beautifully humble beginning and filtering through layers of distortion, he arrived at the simple static of an out of tune radio held up to an amp.

Ylvisaker's radio became a quite echo of his masterful guitar work and a reminder that what we have may not be as important as what we do with what we have. Actually, the performance, with it's use of simple artifacts juxtaposing a modern instrument, seemed to bring full circle the ideological conflict between manual and technological manipulation, which may not be a conflict at all, but a question of how do we find harmony within that space. As for me, I don't yet have an iPhone and I'm still waiting for my "Reactable" to come in the mail, but until then I'll just keep delighting in repeatedly pressing the "on" and "say-it" buttons on my "Speak & Spell".

-Emma Jeanmarie

What We Have or What We Do With What We Have?

Jack White: Artist of the Decade?

Unless you've been hiding in a hermit hole during the last few weeks, you've been inundated by "best of" lists touting opinions that may or may not be agreeable.  Generally, I find myself in disagreement with the idea of such lists since opinion, particularly in the arts, is often relative.  I tend to disregard the categorical aspect of these lists, but from them make my own list of work I have never seen/heard of before and try to remedy that disparity.  This year however, I would like to give a nod to Jack White, who is well deserving of an “Artist of the Decade” title.

The beginning of the decade was marked with several White Stripes releases, including their breakthrough album White Blood Cells and the acclaimed Elephant album... and yes, Meg, (although painful to watch) is entitled to her props as well. White has often said that her drumming style is unique in its simplicity. Meg does seem to know just when not to play and anything more would crowd the lyrics and complexity of White's guitar work.

After contributing 5 songs to the Cold Mountain soundtrack, White produced and performed on Loretta Lynn's “rebirth” album Van Lear Rose. Then, in between The White Stripes' Get Behind Me Satan and Icky Thump albums, Jack formed The Raconteurs, releasing Broken Boy Soldiers in 2006 and Consolers of the Lonely in 2008.

In 2009, as a result of Jack losing his voice during a Raconteurs tour and apparently not having enough to do already, The Dead Weather was formed.  As The Kills were warming up for their turn on stage, White's voice began to fade, so Alison Mosshart stepped in.  Shorty after the show and a recording that was supposed to be just 7”, White, Mosshart, Raconteurs bassist Jack Lawrence and Queen's of the Stone Age guitarist Dean Fertita, recorded their debut album Horehound.  From this album also came one of my favorite videos of the year for the song “Treat Me Like Your Mother” (below).  According to Jack, “The song is algebraic” and the short film by director Johnathan Glazer (Sexy Beast) equals a brilliant balance between the searing and the subtle.




Last year also saw the premier of the film Under Great White Northern Lights.  The story of  The White Stripes gallivanting across the great white north opened to stellar reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and is slated to release as an epic box set this March.  It will supposedly include:  A DVD of the film itself, a DVD of White Stripes 10th anniversary show -"The White Stripes Under Nova Scotian Lights", a 16-track White Stripes live album recorded during the Canadian tour on both vinyl and CD, a live 7" (featuring "Icky Thump" and "The Wheels on the Bus"), a 208-page book with photos, AND a silk screen print...I think I just wet myself...

Finally, as if  his solid, prolific and profoundly outstanding career needed the volume cranked any further, Jack White starred in the documentary It Might Get Loud, along side the Edge and Jimmy Page, for which he released the track “Fly Farm Blues” under his own name.

Jack says he doesn't trust anyone that doesn't like Led Zeppelin...I don't trust anyone that doesn't like (or at the very least can't appreciate) Jack White.  White is not only prolific, but revolutionary in inventing and reinventing how sound is processed as music. He distorts the concepts of that which is tangible, raw and real, while simultaneously maintaining a quality untouchable brilliance.

-Emma Jeanmarie

Jack White: Artist of the Decade?