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Nathan Weinbender

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All Stories

A&E >  Entertainment

Visiting soprano Wagner helps symphony celebrate Strauss

It’s one of the most famous opening moments in movie history. As Stanley Kubrick’s seminal science-fiction film “2001: A Space Odyssey” begins, we watch as the sun slowly rises above the shadowy Earth, starting as a dim glow and intensifying. The scene is scored to (and musically echoed by) the opening fanfare of German composer Richard Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” and it’s such a euphoric coupling of sound and image that Strauss’ piece may as well have been written specifically for the movie. This weekend the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, as conducted by Eckart Preu, will celebrate the work of Strauss as part of their ongoing Classics series. “Also Sprach Zarathustra” is arguably Strauss’ most famous composition, but his body of work boasts nearly 300 operas and orchestral pieces that date from the 1870s to the 1940s, making him one of the most prolific and influential composers of his era.
A&E >  Entertainment

Metal meets Wild West

Although Volbeat formed in the early 2000s in Copenhagen, Denmark, their sound owes as much to the earliest American rock ’n’ roll as it does modern Danish death metal. “I couldn’t really label it or brand it,” said Michael Poulsen, the band’s lead singer and guitarist, in reference to the first songs he wrote for Volbeat. “It was a little bit country, a little bit punk, pop-rock, rockabilly. All those styles blended together.”
News >  Spokane

Review: Bring out your inner swashbuckler with ‘Three Musketeers’

In all of 19th-century French literature, Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novel “The Three Musketeers” might be the most frequently imitated, referenced and translated. Cinematic and theatrical adaptations have been produced since the early 1900s, and more people are familiar with the Musketeers’ “all for one, one for all” motto than have actually read Dumas’ original text. Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d’Artagnan remain indelible literary figures, larger-than-life symbols of adventure, rebellion and liberty. Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of “The Three Musketeers,” which was originally commissioned by Britain’s Bristol Old Vic theater company in 2006, is a solid introduction to anyone unfamiliar with the content of Dumas’ novel, especially for younger viewers. He’s an expert at converting famous literary properties into goofy, easily digestible entertainments: He also turned Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” into a crowd-pleasing musical, and Spokane’s Civic Theatre produced his version of “Treasure Island” last year.
A&E >  Entertainment

Adventurous Civic takes on ‘Musketeers’

Since its first publication in 1844, Alexandre Dumas’ novel “The Three Musketeers” has remained one of literature’s most iconic adventure stories. The title characters – French infantry soldiers Athos, Porthos, Aramis, along with their impressionable young charge d’Artagnan – have been depicted in so many films, TV shows and theater productions over the years that their motto of “all for one, one for all” has entered into the general lexicon. Playwright Ken Ludwig, an expert in revamping old literary properties, has adapted Dumas’ tale into a fast-paced, family-friendly stage play that premieres Friday at Spokane’s Civic Theatre. The show’s director, William Marlowe, hopes a new audience will be exposed to and inspired by the Musketeers, much like he was at a young age.
A&E >  Entertainment

Evolving from ‘Absolutes’

A lot of bands are wary of sounding too much like their inspirations, but the members of the Seattle three-piece Barcelona proudly wear their influences on their sleeves. “I’m a firm believer in there’s nothing new and that ‘emulation’ is not a bad word,” said Brian Fennell, the band’s lead singer and primary songwriter. “When we started out, we very much emulated bands we loved. In some ways, that holds true in every song I write and every song we create together. Our tastes over the last few years have really shifted, individually and also collectively.”
A&E >  Entertainment

Prepare to be scared

When asked to explain how he generated suspense in his films, legendary director Alfred Hitchcock devised a now-famous scenario. Imagine there are two people having breakfast, and we become aware that there’s a bomb underneath the table about to go off. If the bomb is detonated, Hitchcock said, that’s a surprise. But if it doesn’t blow up when it’s supposed to, that’s suspense. Frederick Knott’s 1966 play “Wait Until Dark” is a great example of Hitchcock’s theory at work, a thriller that builds so steadily to its climax the suspense becomes almost unbearable. Hitchcock never got his hands on this material, but it would have fit comfortably in his wheelhouse (Knott previously wrote “Dial M for Murder,” which Hitchcock did turn into a film). Although there’s no ticking bomb in “Wait Until Dark,” we’re still expecting an explosion.
A&E >  Entertainment

Evolving from ‘Absolutes’

A lot of bands are wary of sounding too much like their inspirations, but the members of the Seattle three-piece Barcelona proudly wear their influences on their sleeves. “I’m a firm believer in there’s nothing new and that ‘emulation’ is not a bad word,” said Brian Fennell, the band’s lead singer and primary songwriter. “When we started out, we very much emulated bands we loved. In some ways, that holds true in every song I write and every song we create together. Our tastes over the last few years have really shifted, individually and also collectively.”
News >  Features

Singer-songwriter Cockburn finds inspiration across musical spectrum

Bruce Cockburn has been writing and recording music for more than 40 years, and yet he’s never been comfortable doing the same thing twice. Listening through his 34 studio albums, it’s immediately apparent that Cockburn is a difficult artist to peg down and that his musical influences are all over the map. “What got me excited about music in the first place was the early rock and roll,” Cockburn said from his home in San Francisco. “There was ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ and ‘Hound Dog’ and all the Buddy Holly stuff, and that just got me all fired up.”
A&E >  Entertainment

Theater appeals to inner redneck

A raucous celebration of pink flamingos, plastic lawn furniture, trashy daytime television, processed food and cheap beer, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” is the kind of show that announces its intentions in its lengthy, goofy title. Premiering Friday at Coeur d’Alene’s Lake City Playhouse (it last played regionally in 2008 at the Bing Crosby Theater), it’s a campy comedy that revels in stereotypes, bad taste and double-wide melodrama. “There’s a little bit of everybody that can relate to something in this show,” said the show’s director, Andy Renfrew. “I’m sure just about every person that watches the show can walk away saying, ‘That is so true,’ even though you don’t want to admit it.”
A&E >  Entertainment

Tower of Power has own soul signature

Even though it’s in its 46th year, the soul-funk band Tower of Power is working harder now than ever. They’re road warriors, touring as frequently as their lineup revolves, and the group remains one of the defining acts of its genre. “Some bands tour, and then they take a year or two off,” said Emilio Castillo, one of the band’s founding members and current tenor sax player. “But we’re a working band, and in order for us to support all the people that work for this band, we have to work all the time.”
A&E >  Entertainment

Theater appeals to inner redneck

A raucous celebration of pink flamingos, plastic lawn furniture, trashy daytime television, processed food and cheap beer, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” is the kind of show that announces its intentions in its lengthy, goofy title. Premiering Friday at Coeur d’Alene’s Lake City Playhouse (it last played regionally in 2008 at the Bing Crosby Theater), it’s a campy comedy that revels in stereotypes, bad taste and double-wide melodrama. “There’s a little bit of everybody that can relate to something in this show,” said the show’s director, Andy Renfrew. “I’m sure just about every person that watches the show can walk away saying, ‘That is so true,’ even though you don’t want to admit it.”
A&E >  Entertainment

Chicago brings enduring sound to Northern Quest

In the history of American rock music, two bands have remained titans of the genre when it comes to sales figures and longevity: the Beach Boys and Chicago. Both bands have toured and recorded in various incarnations throughout the years, but Chicago remains the most consistent and prolific in terms of output, having released more than 30 studio albums, live recordings, anthologies and box sets since the late ’60s.
A&E >  Entertainment

Fumbling characters drive comedic ‘Farce’

When one door closes in Paul Slade Smith’s “Unnecessary Farce,” another opens, and it’s usually in service of a comedic misunderstanding, a mistaken identity or a romantic liaison. It’s a wacky, breathless, high-concept comedy of errors, premiering Friday at Ignite! Community Theatre, and the show’s director, Scott Finlayson, said its humor is even broader than you might expect.
A&E >  Entertainment

Learn to Burn stages rock ’n’ roll recital at the Knit

You’ve no doubt been dragged to a snoozy music recital before, where amateur musicians run through tedious exercises to an audience of relatives who are there out of obligation. But the owner and instructors at Learn to Burn School of Music are looking to change perceptions of those dreaded musical rites of passage. This weekend, they’ll transform a typical student concert into an all-night show at the Knitting Factory, where musicians of all ages and skill levels will take the stage to show off their chops with a program of rock ’n’ roll favorites both old and new.
A&E >  Entertainment

Symphony electrifies with spring sounds

As of this week, spring has officially sprung, and the Spokane Symphony is celebrating with its third Symphony With a Splash concert program. Conductor Eckart Preu deliberately put together a short program that would be a little bit out there, and a couple of the quirkier compositions are less than 10 years old.
News >  Spokane

Music, vocals make Civic’s ’60s romp ‘Suds’ worth it

There’s an old story about the first time Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson heard the Phil Spector-produced classic “Be My Baby.” He was reportedly driving around when the song came over his radio, and he had to pull the car over because he was so in awe of it. Lyrically and thematically, “Be My Baby” is one of the simplest songs imaginable, but with the way it’s been recorded and performed it becomes almost anthemic. That song, and Wilson’s obsession with it, neatly encapsulates ’60s pop as a whole: It was an era when emotions ran high, melodies were sugar-coated, every love was everlasting and every heartbreak irreversible, and it might have been the last time that mainstream radio was as consistently accessible as it was transcendent.
A&E >  Entertainment

‘Cement Suitcase’ captures local flavor

Rick Castañeda is calling his feature film debut an “anti-romantic comedy.” “Cement Suitcase,” which will have a single Spokane screening on March 20 at AMC River Park Square 20, is the story of a charismatic wine salesman, still reeling from his mother’s death and an imminent real estate foreclosure, coming to terms with his crumbling relationship.
A&E >  Entertainment

Cursive Wires find their groove

When you ask Cursive Wires about their musical influences, they’ll tell you everything from the shambling country rock of the Flying Burrito Brothers to the honky-tonk of the Rolling Stones’ late ’60s output to the sparse Los Angeles punk of X. Maybe that gives you an idea of where they’re coming from.
A&E >  Entertainment

Japanese violinist Shoji makes Spokane stop

Before taking off on an extensive international tour, renowned Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji has scheduled just two concert stops in the U.S. One was in Washington D.C. The other will be in Spokane. Shoji, one of Japan’s premier young classical musicians, will join the Spokane Symphony and conductor Morihiko Nakahara this weekend, where she will be performing Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2.
A&E >  Entertainment

Musical ‘Suds’ spins 1960s as rock comedy

Combine supernatural romance with the breezy period musicals “Hairspray” and “Grease,” soundtrack it to the tunes of Phil Spector, Burt Bacharach and Motown, and put it through spin cycle for a couple of hours, and you’d come out with something resembling “Suds.” The irreverent musical comedy, which premieres Friday at Spokane Civic Theatre, gleefully sends up the straight-faced theatricality of many ’60s radio hits.
News >  Features

Brian Regan a comedian’s comedian

Throughout his stand-up career, Brian Regan has established an unshakeable reputation as a “clean comedian.” It’s mentioned in just about any feature written about him, as if that’s the genre he works in: clean. That kind of classification carries some unfair baggage: Not only does it incorrectly suggest that comedy is inherently unclean and that Regan is deliberately subverting it, but it also implies that his material lacks edge or that he’s playing it safe.
A&E >  Entertainment

Musical ‘Suds’ spins 1960s as rock comedy

Combine supernatural romance with the breezy period musicals “Hairspray” and “Grease,” soundtrack it to the tunes of Phil Spector, Burt Bacharach and Motown, and put it through spin cycle for a couple of hours, and you’d come out with something resembling “Suds.” The irreverent musical comedy, which premieres Friday at Spokane Civic Theatre, gleefully sends up the straight-faced theatricality of many ’60s radio hits.
A&E >  Entertainment

Shoji makes Spokane stop

Before taking off on an extensive international tour, renowned Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji has scheduled just two concert stops in the U.S. One was in Washington D.C. The other will be in Spokane. Shoji, one of Japan’s premier young classical musicians, will join the Spokane Symphony and conductor Morihiko Nakahara this weekend, where she will be performing Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2.
A&E >  Entertainment

SJO evening of jazz promises plenty of ‘swing and groove’

Since its inception in 1975, the Spokane Jazz Orchestra has become one of the most reliable sources for lively jazz in the Inland Northwest. This weekend they’ll offer up a versatile mixture of tunes from the past and present, featuring pianist and composer Brent Edstrom, an SJO veteran and a professor of music at Whitworth University. Edstrom will be performing with the aptly named Brent Edstrom Trio, which is rounded out by bassist Eugene Jablonsky and drummer Rick Westrick, and they’ll be joined by the full orchestra for pieces both old and new.
A&E >  Entertainment

Sea Wolf comes to The Bartlett

It seems fitting that Sea Wolf’s debut album, 2007’s “Leaves in the River,” opens with the sounds of rainfall on water because the band specializes in music that perfectly soundtracks a rainy day. It’s even better if you have a window to stare out of wistfully. Channeling the pastoral folk sounds of Iron and Wine and the evocative lyrics of Belle and Sebastian, Sea Wolf is the pet project of California singer-songwriter Alex Brown Church, who also plays just about every instrument on his records.