Music

WAKE THE DEAD
Wake The Dead (GratefulDead/Arista)

Playing music not your own is difficult since there's a measurement tool by which your efforts can be judged. That didn't daunt the six core members of Wake the Dead in their efforts to interweave a Celtic sound with the songs of the Grateful Dead. Showcasing the talents of mandolin player/vocialist Danny Carnahan (guitars and fiddle), Celtic harpist Maureen Brennan, guitarist/mandolinist Paul Kotapish (also pedal steel and bouzouki) and Kevin Carr on violin and uilleann pipes, fiddle and whistles, an Irish jig such as "Banks of Lough Gowna" flows right into "Friend of the Devil" which shifts wonderfully into "The Reunion." Also employing the bass playing of Cindy Browne and vocalist Sylvia Herold, smooth changes are interwoven throughout, from the clean version of "Bird Song" and "Touch of Grey" into a reel such as "Jack the Lad" or a Cape Breton reel like "Trip to Windsor." Additionally daunting is the choosing from the vast array of Dead tunes, WTD has selected a mere nine songs. They cover them so well on this collaboration on hopes for live gigs or further CDs to be enjoyed by Deadheads and Celtic music fans alike. -Kevin Smith

THE GO-BETWEENS
The Friends of Rachel Worth (Jetset)

For Australians Grant McLennan and Robert Forster, the two singer/songwriters that once fronted one of the most lyrical and potent indie bands from the '80s, the temptation to work together again was too intoxicating. And while it's been nearly 12 years since they last recorded under the moniker The Go-Betweens, and while each found critical acclaim with a handful of solo discs during the '90s, they decided the time was ripe to toss around some new musical ideas. Having found limited success in the States and a bit more in the United Kingdom, they really reached their creative zenith as quartet in the mid-lOs with their fourth disc Liberty Belie and the Black Diamond Express. And it's the band's sound from this period that their new effort most resembles. From the opening track "Magic in Here" (remember the brilliant "Dusty In Here" from 1983 release Before Hollywood) with it's sparse acoustic guitar-driven arrangement to the gentle, bouncy' electric guitar sway of "Surfing Magazines" it's as if they never disbanded. Recorded in Portland, Oregon with assistance from Sleater-KiMey's drummer Janet Weiss and Sam Coomes on keyboards nothing is as striking as their pop opus "Streets of Your Town" from their Capitol Records release 16 Lovers Lane. Yet nothing is as sugarcoated as most of the standard radio-friendly folk-rock glossed-and-gleamed pop that gets peddled on the airwaves. This is the indie sound for adults who still dare to buy indie records. --Mark J. Petracca

Mary Black
Speaking with the Angel (Curb)

Growing up in working class Dublin, Black began as a Black Family member and then broke into the scene in '83 with her self titled solo - which escalated to number four on the Irish Charts. In the mid 80's she left for the US to sing with trad-folkers De Dannan. Mary Chapin Carpenter has described Black as one of the most passionate and gifted performers. Black has performed with Emmylou Harris on Bringing it All Back Home and on Joan Baez' Ring Them Bells CD. With influences that include singers such as Billie Holiday and Bonnie Raitt, Black is one of the few Irish women soloists to become internationally known. Her latest Speaking with an Angel, proves that Black continues to merit accolades. "Don't Say Okay" is a lively blend of bluegrass harmonica and fiddle flavors. New Orleans Jazz and Irish Harp and Tin Whistle flow well in the whimsical "Message of Love." Her slower rendition of Sting's "Field of Gold" is fitting track on this CD - a display of Black at her finest. --Kathleen Troy

VARIOUS ARTISTS
'Til We Outnumber 'Em (Righteous Babe)

Made from an event produced at Cleveland's Severance Hall by both The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and The Woody Guthrie Archives, this CD celebrates the life of this famous singer/songwriter. Although it includes names familiar to all--Indigo Girls, his son Arlo Guthrie, Billy Bragg, Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFrancoit is a true tribute in the sense that none of these artists overshadow the brilliance that was Woody. His songs are punctuated by testimonials and interpretations of a sampling of Woody's writings. Speakers were recorded at an academic conference on Guthrie held at Case Western Reserve University the same weekend as the concert. "Hard Travelin' Hootenanny" is an ensemble performance that captures the enthusiasm of artists eager to show appreciation for the man who paved the way for them. Woody's troubadour spirit is reflected both in Bragg's "Against the Law" (a tale of a man's frustration with the rules and regulations that keep him from being free) and Springsteen's "Riding In My Car"--it illustrates Woody's fun side. Ramblin' Jack Elliot performs two of Guthrie's most poignant social protests--"1913 Massacre" and "Pretty Boy Floyd". He tells of his discovery through Woody's work that popular music could be more than love songs and novelty numbers. DiFranco gives a powerfully stark interpretation of "Do Re Mi", the Rodgers and Hammerstein song which became Woody's ode to the dustbowl refugees who tried to make new lives in California. As illustrated by Craig Wemer's comments on "it Ain't About Bein' Perfect"--this album is not a rose-colored tribute but rather an unflinching appliccation of the personal prejudices and weaknesses Guthrie worked to overcome as he championed through song the working class's battles. Kudos to Righteous Babe's untiring persistence in the label's quest for use of the masters and artists' performances that created this album. It was well worth the effort. - Julie Grower

MAGGIE CREENWALD, DIRECTOR
SongCatcher (Trimark)

As in her film The Ballad of Little Jo, Grcenwald introduces the audience to a fascinating little-known historical figure whose larger-than-life story will be remembered. The "songcatcher" here is Dr. Lily Penleric (Janet McTeer, Tumbleweeds) a musicologist who comes to the Appalachians in 1907 to visit her sister Elna (Jane Adams) who has opened a school for mountain children with her companion, Harriet Tolliver (E. Katherine Kerr). Upon arrival she discovers their teenage charge Deladis (Emmy Rossum) singing 200 year old English and Scotttish folk songs that had not been heard in this county. There begins her research on the local folk music and in turn, her discovery of the mountain people. Her study leads her to Viney Butler (Pat Carroll) who is the elder stateswoman/herbalist/midwife- leader of the community and her- son, Tom Blesdoe (Aiden Quinn) who had "gone down the mountain" and returned, not caring for life among the "outlanders." The story embedies many captivating episodes and the attention to detail is amazing. It is hard to believe that this is not a documentary as these people seem so real, complete with their scars, grime and rotten teeth. There are some good performances by McTeer, Quinn (these two have some chemistry!) and Carroll along with bit parts by musicians Iris Dement and Taj Mahal. While the dialog may sound a bit stilted at times it is in keeping with this period tale. And then there is the music. This winner of the 2000 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury prize for- Ensemble Cast is set for release in NY/LA during December and then wide release before Christmas. ---Victoria Newman

JOHN SHEAR, DIRECTOR
Urbania (Unipix)

In Urbania cinematographer Shane Kelly's edgy photography successfully conveys one very long, disturbing night in the life of brokenhearted everyman, Charlie. A native of Olmagh, County Tyrone and a veteran of rock videos, Kelly uses grainy textures and jumpy handheld photography to plant us firmly inside the reeling mind of Charlie (Dan Futterman), who is in shock after losing his lover. In actor director Jon Shear's directing debut, Charlie encounters and mulls over various darkly humorous urban legends as he obsessively follows a brooding stranger around New York City. Visiting his ailing friend Brett (Scotsman Alan Cumming) and listening to his lonely tale of woe, the myth about the poodle in the microwave oven vividly comes to life in the apartment next door. Veteran German actress Barbara Sukowa cameos as an unhappy, wealthy matron in a neighborhood watering hole where someone mentions the one about the baby left absentmindedly on the car rooftop. Halfway through the film, the tainted, clever- tales give way to the dark, violent obsessions that cloud Charlie's mind. In one of many subplots, an encounter with a narcissistic young actor inadvertently triggers an explosive rage that Charlie seems to harbor towards gay men. Shear leads us down several blind alleys until eventually Charlie comes face to face with the mysterious object of his stalking and the film takes on yet another new twist. Shear's pacing might ask a lot of his audience but the film's polished dialogue and ambiguous subplots will be quite refreshing to those looking for more than connect-the-dots moviemaking. --Terry Roethlein

ROGER MICHELL, DIRECTOR
Titanic Town (Shooting Gallery)

In West Belfast, circa 1972, the McPhelimy family has just moved to a Catholic housing estate in the Andersontown district. The film opens on the family standing on the front walk watching their father Aidan (Ciaran Hinds, Persuasion) unlocking the front door. There is a close-up on 16 year-old Annie (Nuala O'Neill), holding her doll collection as her voice-over begins. The audience thinks that this will be a coming-of-age story; and it is. However it's not completely Annie's, rather more that of her mother, Bernie (Julie Walters, Educating Rita). As the family tries to acclimate themselves to life in this neat and tidy estate with its pleasant shrubbery and neatly mowed lawns they are unable to avoid the growing strife around them. Michell (Persuasion, Notting Hill) is particularly effective at showing how impossible it was for people to lead anything of what one would consider to be a "normal life." Scenes first perceived as "bucolic" turn tragic in the blink of an eye. Brother Brendan (Barry Loughran) one afternoon is put in the care of family friend Mary McCoy (Veronica Duffy) who is assassinated as they are walking from the grocer's. He turns to see her body slumped against a post as he continues to eat his ice cream bar. Bernie finds herself unable to sit by and watch. She is encouraged to attend a women's meeting at the estate house where she finds herself pulled into action and manipulated by the media. As the audience sees Annie discovering love with her first boyfriend, a medical student with a double identity played by Ciaran McMenamin; Bernie's growing participation in the peace movement parallels the scenes. The Film makes some powerful stalements about the British, the IRA and the meaning of celebrity. Based on Mary Costello's autobiographical novel with outstanding performances by Walters and Hinds. Titanic Town (we are told the infamous ship was built in the area), is not only a celebration of one woman's crusade for peace, it also celebrates the compassion of a family and a community dealing with constant exposure to violence and injustice. -- Victoria Newman