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Summer is practically here. I mean, really, it’s getting so hot, you can taste it! School is wrapping up, swim teams are rolling, splash pads are in full swing, and you’ve got your eyes on summer camps and VBS. Phew! It’s going to be a fun one. But with all of that activity, kids will need some down […] The post 12 of the Best Summer Reading Programs for Houston Kids appeared first on Houston Moms Blog. from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HoustonMomsBlog/~3/ihqGqrQj3AY/ While Eleanor Coppola has been on the set of some of the greatest movies ever made, she makes her feature film directorial debut at the age of 80 with Paris Can Wait. “It’s the flip-side of a documentary. I’ve been on film sets all my life,” Coppola says to Free Press Houston during a recent visit in town. She’s credited as director with two other filmmakers on the documentary about her husband Francis’ Apocalypse Now titled Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. “On a documentary you’re an observer. You’re looking for something interesting to happen. There more problems there are the better your documentary is. With fiction film it’s the flip. You’re trying to create something that will have a life,” says Coppola. “Every decision you make is reflected in what you shoot.” For Paris Can Wait, Diane Lane plays a fictionalized version of Eleanor who finds herself on vacation in the South of France with her workaholic producer husband (wonderfully played by Alec Baldwin). Baldwin has to fly to Italy on business so Lane takes one starts out as a one day drive to Paris with family friend Jacques (played eloquently by actor/director Arnaud Viard). Lane herself has been in four films directed by Francis Coppola starting with The Outsiders (1983) and followed by Rumble Fish (also 1983), The Cotton Club (1984) and Jack (1996). There’s a string of visual motifs in Paris Can Wait that suggest previous films by Francis Coppola like the journey itself (Apocalypse Now). When Viard’s Peugeot breaks down Lane substitutes a pair of pantyhose for a fan belt. A pantyhose gag was used in Peggy Sue Got Married, as well as a locket from the same movie. Lane’s character occasionally fidgets with a locket she wears. “That’s interesting, but that was not part of my conscious intent,” replies Coppola. “Diane was so right for the part. It took us six years to find the financing.” Originally Lane turned down the part, but a year later when asked again she accepted. “She was so professional. She’s been acting since she was seven.” A six-hour drive turns into a couple of days when Jacques insists they try a top-rated restaurant or stop at noted tourist attractions, like the Vézelay Abbey or the scenic Roman aqueducts in Vers-Pont-du-Gard. Another stop occurs at the Institut Lumiére museum in Lyons. The relationship between Lane and Viard is platonic but there’s a sense of romance with the food and the various locales. Paris Can Wait breezes by like a day trip down your favorite country road. In the end you’ve learned a little about food and film history and a lot about human nature. Paris Can Wait opens exclusively this weekend at the River Oaks Theatre. from http://www.freepresshouston.com/paris-can-wait-an-interview-with-eleanor-coppola/ Football, etc. Photo: Gia Quillap
In music, no matter what you may want to happen, bands can’t make the same albums over and over again, unless they’re maybe AC/DC. The truth is that any fan of a band should want the group to grow and mature as artists. On their new full length, Houston’s Football, etc. do just that, they grow and shed the bulk of their emocore leanings. In fact, Corner finds the band heading in a more indie rock direction that results in a sound that’s more focused and open to more tastes than that of the emo underground. Possibly the band’s strongest release to date, the ten songs are full of energy and emotion, while taking their sound to a whole new place that delights anyone who gives it a spin.
Opening with the more melodic nature of “Save,” it’s quickly apparent that the band isn’t making the traditional album here. The dual vocals alone that mix with the intense cluster of drums, guitar, and bass create a sound that’s closer to acts like Superchunk than you might be expecting. The band still sounds the same with Lindsay Minton’s vocals, but the structure of the track echoes a band that’s taking things to a beautifully more open direction. They follow this with the more sonically diverse and slower sounds of “Try Out.” The song immediately reminded me of acts like Sharon Van Etten or Waxahatchee, where the slow melodies of the instrumentation and Lindsay’s vocals come together to offer up one of the many stand out tracks of the release. The fuzz of the guitar mixed with a backing vocal track underneath the main vocals and Daniel Hawkins’ snappy drums give the listener a sound that’s hard not to fall in love with. The closest the band comes to their emo past happens on the third track, “Foul.” However, as close as it gets to the trio’s older sound, that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a leaner and more strengthening sound. The song will stick with you for days after just one listen, and sticks to you with its head bopping pace and catchy chorus.
The band takes a more slow stride on “I Believe,” further mixing things up as to what they’re up to on this release. There’s a more complex structure here, only proving that the band is definitely growing more than many within their genre. This is followed by the stark and tender sound of “Space,” where the song sounds so autobiographical that the lyrics are some that really stay with you. The amount of depth on the song, complete with a more complex structure than that of the band’s previous releases really showcases their sound as a unit. The bridge alone echoes sounds of indie rock progressions, and gives the listener another song that’s nothing like what Football, etc. has done in the past. The band returns to a more driving sound on “Eleven,” where the indie rock vibes with emo undertones are so strong that another stand out of the release will haunt you with each and every time you place the song on repeat. The balance between the bass from Mercy Harper, the melody driven guitar from Minton, and Hawkins’ drums really brings the track to a more flush sound that offers up more diversity as the three piece takes their sound to a whole new place.
This continues on the head bopper, “Advantage,” complete with a hook heavy guitar and verse that you can’t forget. If what the band is doing here is what they have planned for their future releases, I say bring it on. The mix of melodies on the song is definitely welcomed and is a journey you’re more than happy to take with the band, which continues on the eighth song “Overtime.” The band seems to indulge a more post punk vibe on “Nutmeg,” with an almost dissonant guitar that works so well, that you want to hear the song over and over. With a sound that’s closer to the early works of bands like Wire and Stiff Little Fingers, it’s still unmistakably Football, etc. but also something fresh and new that’s pretty amazing to hear. The album gets closed off with the slow and meandering sound of “U20.” While the elements of emocore run high on this song, the beauty of the vocals that seem to cut through the heavily melodic guitar that seems to pick up and slow down as soon as it starts to get going. When the chorus hits, it hits hard with a fuzzy guitar and a heavy vocal that gives you a sense of something personal that has to be said.
The end result is a sound from a band that’s growing into spaces that shed their earlier past in favor for something fresh and invigorating. By returning to work with famed producer J. Robbins again, Football, etc. proves that a band can grow while keeping many elements of their core sound intact in the process.
You can stream Corner here, or grab a copy from Community Records here. Or you can grab a copy from the band when they play their album release party at Rudyard’s on June 10. The 21 & up show will also feature the tape release from Houston’s Ruiners who will be on as direct support, as well as a set from Austin’s Yorick, and an opening set from Houston’s Greg Cote & the Real Life Friends with doors at 8 pm and an $8 cover. from http://www.freepresshouston.com/football-etc-grows-their-sound-on-corner/
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from http://houstonfoodblog.com/houstonfood/houston-food-blogs/at-night-market-and-maba-pan-asian-diner-a-fine-fusion-of-traditions/ Memorial Day is a special holiday. We honor those who have fallen in service of our country making it a solemn occasion, but it also marks the unofficial beginning of summer. {Can you believe it’s here already?!} Read a little bit of the history of Memorial Day here for some iinteresting facts. Many people have a long weekend […] The post Things To Do In & Around Houston On Memorial Day Weekend appeared first on Houston Moms Blog. from http://houston.citymomsblog.com/houston-memorial-day-weekend/
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April 2019
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