Valley Futures

Writer’s note: Grace Potter grew up in the Mad River Valley.

First, the bad news.

I missed the New Year’s Eve Higher Ground show, in which the Nocturnals vamped as the Royal Tenenbaums.

See photo.

The good news?

I caught Grace Potter and the Nocturnals’ (GPN) December 29 Higher Ground show, two days before, and what a show it was.

The popular Burlington venue was packed to capacity by the time the band took the stage at 10:15 p.m. With a quick welcome for the crowd – “Are you guys ready to have a good time tonight?” - Grace Potter, resplendent in knee high boots and a black mini skirt, promptly picked up her triangle-shaped cutaway electric guitar, laid down some growling blues chords, and lit into “Watching You,” backed by smoking riffs from fabulous-fingered Scott Tournet, the solid drumming of Matthew Burr, and the low-end speed bass of Bryan Dondero.

The evening took off from there.

All of the band’s best original rockers made the cut: “Mastermind,” “Treat Me Right,” and “Joey,” as well as a new tune I didn’t recognize, something about “Apples Off My Tree.” Sign me up.

My first thought, while listening: this is a band that has clearly been honing their chops with plenty of good hard touring on the road. The extended “road trip,” of course, as any traveling musician will tell you, is not nearly as glamorous as the movies and popular imagination make it out to be, but it is vital for a band seeking to cultivate a larger audience and a tighter musical groove. The Nocturnals sounded tighter and more together than they ever have, despite a few technical difficulties at various moments during the show.

My second thought: after several years of touring, Grace Potter has established herself as a multi-talented instrumentalist and stage performer. Throughout the course of the sixteen song Higher Ground set, she moved fluidly from one instrument to another - electric guitar, the Hammond organ and keyboard, the tambourine (a much harder instrument to play than it looks) the acoustic guitar and back again, comfortably and with a playful sense of the possible. Her voice has matured, as well – she channeled the blues, funk, soul and folk traditions with equal ease, though this listener would love a few more slow ballads mixed into the set – the “jam band” thing, which the band does well, could benefit from occasional more quiet interludes, which would also offer Grace a chance to show off both her voice and her remarkable word smithing chops. (For listeners who want to keep up with GPN’s exploits, check out the web site www.thisissomewhere.com - you can hear and watch some great live stuff, and you can find acoustic live versions of some of the band’s tunes, as well.)

All in all, the show proved spectacular. By the time the Nocturnals slipped into “Ah Mary” (their set’s ninth song and Potter’s most brilliantly lyrical – a critique of U.S. Empire disguised as an “out-of-control” woman story), I was hooked. They followed this up with the wonderfully hooky tunes “Some Kind of Ride” and “Stop The Bus,” but the band’s “come to Jesus” movement – a transcendental tour-de-force – came at the show’s climax, with “Big White Gate” and the “Water” double-shot from their “Nothing But The Water” project – masterful. Throw in a really funky cover of Steve Miller’s “Big Old Jet Airliner” to round things out, and the evening proved magical.

To top it off, as we left the theater, the snow started to come down, blanketing Burlington in some much-needed white stuff for the journey back to Mad River. The warmth of the music stayed with me and my companions, though, and I thought how fortunate we are to live in a place and in a community that nurtures and supports its young people as they spread their wings, in so many different ways.

Here’s to more music in 2009!

Tags: Arts and Media by Rob Williams
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It is always appropriate, in my mind at least, to write one’s last media column of the year about the most interesting media text one has discovered over the past year.

For me, that media text would have to be Secession.

Charlotte, Vermont’s Thomas Naylor is a former international businessman, professor emeritus of Duke University (in economics), and the chair of the Second Vermont Republic, a think tank devoted to advancing the radical but very American idea that the state of Vermont should nonviolently secede from the United States and govern itself as an independent republic once again, as it did from 1777 to 1791.

He’s outlined the case for secession, Vermont-style, in a book with the same title (see above) and, to this reader, it is worth a close read.

Full disclosure.

As the editor and publisher of Vermont Commons: Voices of Independence news journal, I believe (as Naylor does) that the idea of secession merits serious exploration. And, while he and I differ in terms of our tone and tenor, style and strategy, I submit that the idea of secession is an idea whose time has come.

Before you scoff, consider a few facts, to be submitted (as Jefferson suggested) to a candid world.

Secession is as American as apple pie. The United States was born out of secession, as the thirteen English colonies left Great Britain’s imperial orbit and crafted a new republic for themselves (Vermont, of course, beat them to the punch – establishing itself as an independent republic fully seven years before the 1783 Treaty of Paris was signed, creating the new United States.) The 1776 Declaration of Independence’s central theme is, of course, secession – and the very first verb Jefferson and the first Continental Congress use is “dissolve.”

Contrary to what we learned in school, the first region of the U.S. republic to seriously consider secession was not the South (mention the word “secession” to most Americans, and, assuming they can spell the word correctly, their first impulse is to conjure images of plantations, slaves, and mint juleps). But it was 18th century New Englanders (Vermonters included, as Vermont joined the United States in 1791) who seriously considered secession on no fewer than six occasions between the 1787 signing of the U.S. Constitution and the so-called “Civil War” of 1861-1865 (really a “War to Prevent Southern Secession,” but Lincoln’s radical re-invention of the U.S. Constitution won the day, with the help of Union bayonets and the lives of hundreds of thousands).

Why is secession worth another look in this new century?

In his short and accessible book, Naylor suggests that the United States is no longer a republic but an Empire that is essentially ungovernable and unsustainable. In what he calls an “endgame for America” scenario, he sees the 1990 collapse of the Soviet Union as an omen for the United States, and points to the scourge of “bigness” as the chief problem facing Americans today – big government, big business, and big militarism – and explains that the problem with the United States is ultimately one of size and scale, beyond the range of one person, party, platform or program to fix (“hope and change” rhetoric notwithstanding.)

But the strongest part of the book, in my mind, is Naylor’s celebration of Vermont’s unique virtues as one of the tiniest and most decentralized states in the U.S. Our Vermont communities, Naylor suggests, offer an ailing United States a new way forward, a new metaphor: of small schools, small businesses, small towns, and small communities. It is this decentralized and small scale model that provides the blueprints. What if Burlington became the music capital of the northeast, with its network of concert halls, studios and recording talent? Could Vermont cheesemakers set high artisanal standards for the continent (they already do, in my book)? What of our syrup, farm and forest industries? What if, Naylor suggests, Vermont becomes the Switzerland of North America?

At a time when the United States seems to be teetering on the edge of the abyss, Vermont independence is an attractive notion. The book’s biggest weakness, however, is its refusal to specifically grapple with the kinds of economic changes that will move Vermont from here to there. 21st century Peak Oil realities, for example, demand that we in Vermont re-invent the ways we power our homes and businesses, feed our communities, and transport ourselves from place to place. Naylor shies away from confronting specific “nuts and bolts” questions like these – which is too bad, because his business and scholarly experience would no doubt prove invaluable.

But Naylor’s Secession, a celebration of Vermont’s past, present and potential vis-à-vis a crumbling United States, is the single best book-length starting place for considering a conversation about what Vermont could be in the 21st century and beyond.

An independent republic? An “Untied States?” A new metaphor for a new millennium?

Time will tell.

Tags: Arts and Media by Rob Williams
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If you haven’t immersed yourself in the “Madagascar” experience, you may be missing one of the most entertaining animated treats of the past decade.

And the good news here is that the new sequel is on par with the 2005 original.

Be forewarned – if you are planning to bring “the littles” to this film, know that the movie moves incredibly quickly, contains hilarious adult-aimed highbrow humor that will go over the heads of most children, and has some moments of action and violence that may be inappropriate for younger audiences. The good news – very few fart jokes or other gratuitous potty humor, and the music and dance track will get you up out of your seat. Plus, the animation is wonderful to behold on the big screen.

Like the original, “Madagascar 2” revolves around the adventures of four animal friends who grew up performing for big crowds as captives in a New York City zoo. This time, they leave their lemur-infested island home of Madagascar via airplane, and end up crashing down in – yep, you guessed it – Africa. From there, they find themselves involved in a whole crazy series of events that actually button up themselves quite neatly by the end of the movie.

Alex (affably voiced by Ben Stiller) is a lion who loves to shake his groove thing for the enjoyment of the audience. Here, he ends up being reunited with his father and mother, but must prove himself to the rest of the pride or suffer banishment.

Jada Pinkett Smith’s hilarious hippo hip-shaking hipster Gloria discovers a whole group (gaggle? flock? posse?) of African hippos, including a muscle-bound monster male named Moto Moto (voiced by Will.I.Am) who takes a liking to her. Their courtship is borderline inappropriate for the littles, who will find themselves lost in the joke, but quite comical for the older crowd.

As it turns out, Gloria’s close friend Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer as a convincing New York City neurotic) has feelings for her, and how the two of them work out this wrinkle in their relationship over the course of the film I leave for you to discover.

Chris Rock’s Marty the Zebra has the least interesting time of it, running with a herd of his own and providing occasional comic foil relief to Alex’s “roaring” dilemma.

And then, of course, there are all the wonderful supporting characters in this film. Yes, the four commando penguins are back – Kowalski, Skipper, Private and the top dog – and of course, if they are not busy hijacking jeepfuls of savannah tourists for parts to rebuild their downed aircraft, they are busy making wisecracks or sorting through the finer points of labor contracts with their simian work force.

And yes, the lemurs return, too (and they are ring tailed lemurs, not sifakas lemurs, my six-year-old neighbor Carl Kellogg, a Valley expert on this pro-simian creature, would have you know). Sacha Baron Cohen of “Borat” fame voices King Julien with his usual trans-gendered goofiness, ably supported by Maurice, his trusty sidekick (Cedric the Entertainer.)

And the surprise character? An older retired female tourist named Nana (voiced by Elisa Gabrielli), who sports a handbag, spectacles, and an aggressive attitude (she is, we learn, a Yonkers native and learned martial arts as a Brownee) to match. Apparently, she and Alex the lion have had run-ins before, but watching her beat the stuffing out of Alex in one early scene is a bit over-the-top. As she and her other Big Apple tourist neighbors “go native,” younger viewers may be a bit dismayed, though older audience members will appreciate (perhaps) the references to “Lord of the Flies” and other dystopian novels we were force-fed in junior high school.

Is Madagascar 2 fun? You bet – but you might have to do some explaining to the kids afterwards.

Tags: Arts and Media by Rob Williams
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There are moments in a moviegoer’s experience when one feels a simultaneous sense of deep satisfaction and bewildered puzzlement.

For me, this was the case with the new James Bond film “Quantum of Solace,” which made $70 billion opening week-end, shattering all Bond film openings to date and officially ushering in the holiday movie season.

Did I like this film? Well, no…and yes. “Quantum of Solace” offered the best and the worst of Bond, all in one two hour package.

Here are the film’s five worst (Boo!) and five best (Yay!) aspects.

1. Boo – The Title: Presumably, the title of any film ought to inform a film’s plot, direction, theme, or characters in some concrete or tangible way. Not in this case. “Quantum,” we learn in one early throwaway scene, refers to a mysterious cabal of baddies who have somehow infiltrated British intelligence. As it turns out, they’ve been so successful that viewers never ever hear from them again. They’re that good.

2. Boo – The Lack of Lust: There isn’t any to speak of here. What’s a James Bond film without a little flirtation? We get a bare shoulder in one scene and a brief kiss in a car in another. That’s it?

3. Boo – Zero Gadgetry: C’mon now. Has Q exhausted all of his inventive options in the M.I. laboratory? How ‘bout a pneumatic zip line, or a solar-powered wallet that shoots darts? Anything!

4. Boo – Stereotypical Bad Guy: I have an idea! Let’s find an actor who can play a lascivious, mustachioed, dark-skinned South American dictator-in-training, and give him a central role in the film! Gosh, that’s never been done before. Not.

5. Boo – no femme fatale: How can you have a Bond film without a femme fatale? Or maybe those Bond gals are so twentieth century? Jeezum Crow.

That said, there is much to like about “Quantum.” Here are just five elements.

1. Yay – “Art Mirrors Life” plot: OK, there is the barest whisper of a narrative arc here, but what we get revolves around Peak Oil, the world’s supply of fresh water, and an insidious corporate wheeler dealer who topples and re-installs Third World governments at will, with the tacit backing and blessing of U.S. intelligence. Gawsh, that never happens in real life, does it? Naw.

2. Yay – Chase scenes: Director Mark Forster knows how to film them, from the opening sequence involving an Aston Martin (phew) along Italy’s stunning coastline, to a truly remarkable rooftop sequence that is choreographed as if the actors were two ballet dancers brawling. Stunning.

3. Yay – Creative/Metaphorical Offing: Strawberry Fields, a minor M.I. character, is dispatched by the bad guys in a way that is truly poetic, given current global Peak Oil dilemmas. I’ll stop here, so as not to ruin the moment.

4. Yay – Sexy Women: Dame Judy Dench is able to project an aura that is once alluring and maternal in her relationship with James. She doesn’t have much to work with here script-wise, but she makes the most of it. And relative newcomer Olga Kurylenko turns out to be a pleasant surprise – smart, sexy, tenacious and a good match for Mr. Bond as Camille the Bolivian mercenary. Bravo.

5. Yay – Daniel Craig: A buffed-up Craig plays Bond straight up. In the wake of his the assassination of his love interest Vespa (see 2006’s “Casino Royale”), Craig’s Bond is a remorseless killing machine, a combination of Timex Watch (he takes a licking and keeps on ticking) and tiger shark. Craig is mesmerizing on screen, always in motion, quick with the one-liners, and all business. In a post 9/11 world of uncertainty, Craig’s Bond fits the bill.

All of this is to say that, if you are a Bond fan and willing to forgive some narrative indiscretions here, “Quantum of Solace” is a more-than-adequate thrill ride to inaugurate the 2008 holiday season.

Look for it at Mad River Valley’s Big Picture movie theater soon.

Tags: Arts and Media by Rob Williams
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It’s one of those week-ends when the acoustic stars align here in central Vermont. The phrase “in the round” refers to those performances when two or more artists share the stage for a night of song, literally playing off one another through tune smithing, joke-telling and witty repartee.

Red House Comes to Randolph

If you appreciate “in the round” performances, then don’t miss three of acoustic music’s top performers - Eliza Gilkyson, John Gorka, and Cliff Eberhardt – at the Chandler Music Hall (71-73 Main St in Randolph) on Friday, November 14th at 7:30 pm. All three are long-time artists for the world renowned acoustic/roots label Red House Records and this unique opportunity to see three good friends perform some of the best acoustic music in the world is one not to be missed

Beautiful World is Eliza Gilkyson’s “masterpiece” (All Music Guide) that is a powerful commentary on corruption, war, politics, a devastated environment and a crumbling economy. The record was one of the top albums on folk and Americana radio this summer and has garnered praise from all around the world. Produced by long-time musical partner Mark Hallman, Gilkyson seamlessly crosses between catchy pop/folk to rock, and a little jazz. The masterfully penned “Great Correction” and “Party’s Over” seem to resonate with an eerie relevance, providing a soundtrack to the chaos we are seeing in today’s economic climate. Despite Beautiful World’s dramatic themes, Gilyson’s presents each song with a sense of hope for the future and a reason to fight for what makes the world beautiful.

Eberhardt’s critically acclaimed 2007 release, The High Above and the Down Below, is his first effort in 5 years and showcases some of his strongest work to date. Drawing from his pop and jazz influences, Cliff created a gritty, soulful album that earned a spot on USA Today’s Top 5 list for 2007.

Rounding out the trio is one my favorite performers - John Gorka - who has been on Red House for almost his entire career and has become one of the most respected songwriters in the music industry. His 2006, Writing in the Margins was a favorite among fans and critics with its upbeat folk, country and soul vibe. The always-understated but very funny Gorka has been busy writing new songs, so don’t be surprised to hear some fresh material as well as the old classics like the hilarious “I’m From New Jersey” and the beautifully haunting “Houses In The Fields.”

For tickets and more information, call 802-728-9878, or visit www.chandler-arts.org.

Valley Players Saturday Night: Up and Comers Extraordinaire!

If you are feeling in the mood to hear some new talent, then don’t miss Bruce Jones’ double-shot –Meg Hutchinson and Mark Erelli - on Saturday night at Waitsfield’s Valley Players Theater, beginning at 8:00.

Meg Hutchinson (also now on the Red House label) has one of the most arresting voices I’ve heard in some time – think Anais Mitchell crossed with Natalie Merchant – and can write songs to match – beautiful, soulful, and heart-stopping. I’ve never seen her live – but if she is half as good in person as she is on CD, listeners are in for a real treat.

And Mark Erelli channels Ellis Paul-like intensity and high quality song-writing with a captivating stage presence. His new CD “Delivered” is one of the most moody and atmospheric compilations I’ve heard in some time – I’ve been spinning it for a few weeks now, and the songs reach out of the CD player to grab you by the emotions.

I commend Bruce Jones for taking a chance on bringing in new performers – let’s give them an enthusiastic Valley welcome and turn out for their show!

Order $15 advance tickets by phone – 496-8910 – or buy them at the door for $17.

What a pleasure for us all – to live in a community with so much good music traveling through. Hope to see you at the shows!

Tags: Arts and Media by Rob Williams
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Pearls, Politics and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead
By Madeleine Kunin/Book Review by Rob Williams
Chelsea Green; 2008; 233 pages

“Remember the ladies.”
– Abigail Adams

“Well-behaved women rarely make history.”
- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Vermonter Madeleine Kunin has led an extraordinary life.

Born in Zurich to a Jewish family, she moved to the United States as a girl, studied journalism in school, and developed an interest in literature, women’s rights, and politics. She chose to enter Vermont politics in the 1970s, and in 1984, ran and won the office of Vermont governor, serving for 3 terms before declining to run for another term in 1990. Shortly after leaving the governor’s office, Kunin found herself appointed Deputy Secretary of Education by the Clinton administration, a post she held from 1993-1997, when she became ambassador to her native Switzerland. All this, and she found time to raise four children, to boot.

And now, with the publication of Pearls, Politics, and Power, Kunin reflects on all of these experiences in a thoughtful book-length meditation about “how women can win and lead” in the public sphere.

The book is really two books in one. For much of the monograph, Kunin uses her own experiences in public life as a springboard to explore the struggles women face as political leaders, as well as considering women who have “made it” in the political world, from Hatshepsut, the first female pharaoh of Egypt, to Hillary Clinton, whose failed 2008 presidential bid offers lessons for anyone interested in a serious consideration of the relationship between women and politics. She then concludes with a final chapter entitled “Where Do We Go From Here?”, which functions as a sort of “step by step” guide for supporting women as they consider involving themselves in formal politics.

Throughout the book, Kunin shares the stories of a wide variety of women who recount their own path to political office, and this is one of the best reasons for reading her account. Even in the 21st century, in the male-dominated world of formal politics, women must work that much harder to demonstrate their credibility and qualifications for the job. “The issue of competence is one that men seem to get an advantage on. For a man, either because he comes from an executive background, or just because he appears to be competent, there’s an assumption that men now how to run things and that women are compassionate and understand your feelings, but may not have executive ability,” CBS news political editor Dotty Lynch recounts to Kunin, who agrees with Lynch’s conclusions, based on her own gubernatorial run in the early 1980s. “We found that once you got a woman governor, it was a lot easier for the next one.” Indeed, and Kunin’s book provides a valuable service as inspirational text for any woman considering public life.

As a male observer, I found Kunin’s last chapter most helpful. How do we prepare more young women for public life? She offers several suggestions. First, teach community service and support programs to do the same (interestingly, the Teach for America program, which Kunin references as a good model, was started by Wendy Kopp, a college classmate, growing out of her educational work done as part of completing her undergraduate thesis). Second, reinvigorate feminism as an exercise in collectively imagining what is possible, politically speaking, for women, and make public office a civic virtue. Third, educate girls to exercise power, encourage community participation, and ask women to run for office. Fourth, think structurally, and fight for campaign finance reform and other institutional changes that open up more opportunities for women to lead. One final suggestion, and it a good one – establish a mentoring bank to create possibilities for female leaders to encourage up-and-comers – a wonderful idea.

“Education, the culture, and laws have to change,” Kunin concludes, “to open the doors wider to the halls of power and to reprioritize the decisions that are made within those halls to achieve the government that more accurately reflects the will of the people.” Easier said than done, of course, but Kunin’s own example provides a compelling case for what is possible when women are more able to participate in public life, and her book offers us some blueprints for a way forward.

Tags: Arts and Media by Rob Williams
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Waitsfield resident and filmmaker/author Eugene Jarecki will be signing copies of his new book on Friday night at the Big Picture, and Saturday at Sugarbush Ski Resort.

Booking the Empire: “Why We Fight” Filmmaker Makes His Case In Print

What happens when an award-winning documentary film producer turns to a print monograph to make his case?

If you are Eugene Jarecki, the answer (to borrow a baseball metaphor) is: you hit a solid triple, with an eye towards home plate.

Jarecki’s new book – The American Way of War: Guided Missiles, Misguided Men and a Republic in Peril (Simon and Schuster, 2008; 324 pages) – is a provocative and personal exploration of the same crucial themes he explored in his Sundance Film Festival 2005 Grand Jury Prize-winning documentary “Why We Fight.” Ignore Jarecki’s “confession” to being “first and foremost a filmmaker” on page 1, rather than a “policy scholar, a soldier” or an “insider to the workings of America’s military establishment.”

Pay his humility no mind. Jarecki possesses a keen eye for detail, an ability to listen closely to his subject’s personal and professional motivations (and the often-felt tension between the two), and a knack for speaking synechdocally – that is, using individuals and moments to illustrate larger systemic and historical truths, and the reader is the better for it.

The book begins, as his film does, with President Dwight David Eisenhower’s 1961 “Farewell Address,” in which the prescient Ike warns Americans to guard against the dangers of the “military-industrial complex,” that potent and profit-seeking combination of special interests that might spell the death of the U.S. republic. Jarecki then takes us on a historical and global tour of the United States, from its early 20th century emergence as a global imperial force to the present moment, with some remarkable stops along the way, from interviews with air force pilots and West Point cadets to conversations with those in the highest levels of government, including Richard Perle and Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who proclaims the United States to be “the greatest force for good in the world today.”

How McCain measures this goodness is, of course, a matter for readers to ponder, given the economic and political realities of our current moment, and Jarecki’s book, while wisely steering clear of an attempt to exhaustively chronicle America’s empire-building abroad, explores the historical tension between America’s desire to remain a neutral, even isolationist player on the world stage, and its desire to build an Empire. Eisenhower, for whom Jarecki has deep admiration (as have I, even more so after reading Jarecki’s book) remains the central figure here, walking a remarkable line between competing pulls on his loyalty as a military man, a policymaker, and a compassionate human being in a tough position of leadership.

Not surprisingly, as Eisenhower himself warned, the war-making and profit-taking interests have dominated this debate during the past sixty years, and Jarecki takes pains to explain the nuances that undergird the building of the most powerful (and expensive) Empire in world history. His final chapter – “Shock and Awe at Home” – is a referendum on the past eight years of King George’s administration. For anyone who is unfamiliar with or has forgotten how the USA PATRIOT Act, or John Yoo’s new and novel legal theory of “the unitary executive,” or the John Warner and Military Commissions Acts, or the FISA nonsense, or dozens of other presidential abuses of power have reshaped the federal government’s very essence over the past eight years, a close reading of this chapter alone is worth the price of the book. And I am not comforted by the conclusion most observers make here – that, once Mr. Bush exits office stage right, somehow everything will “return to normal.” Sunset clauses somehow provide little comfort here.

Speaking critically, as a U.S. historian and secessionist/ decentralist, my arguments with Jarecki’s book are not insignificant. I find troubling his refusal to touch the mountain of evidence – the scholarly and well-researched work of David Ray Griffin or Michael Ruppert, for example - that suggests that the 9/11 attacks served as a “false flag” operation engineered by elements within the U.S. government to advance a “new Pearl Harbor.” This is an odd omission, since this phrase is one he uses repeatedly in the book, quoting the Project For A New American Century’s statement calling for a new “defensive” posture - one that essential advocates a policy of “full spectrum dominance” in which the U.S. militarizes the entire globe and outer space. (Orwell would be nodding knowingly right now.)

Jarecki’s otherwise spot on “iron triangle” analysis - in which he masterfully considers the intricate interconnections among the U.S. military, profit (and war) seeking global corporations, and both the legislative and executive branches - largely leaves out the vital role of U.S. media and “news” outlets as propaganda arms for war-making (General Electric manufactures weapons systems for the Pentagon AND owns NBC, which hypes war 24/7. This is not a coincidence).

And, perhaps most importantly, Jarecki chooses to downplay the tremendous amount of money U.S.-based multinational corporations (and the politicians who front for and work with them – Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, and the current occupant of the White House, He Who Must Not Be Named) have made supporting what former Bush I insider-turned whistleblower Catherine Austin Fitts calls “the tapeworm economy.”

The country of Iraq is a perfect example here. Let’s connect the dots: the U.S. military-industrial-media-energy-complex makes money bombing and destroying Iraq (Ka-ching!), “rebuilding” Iraq, often badly and/or corruptedly (Ka-ching!, Part 2), while privatizing all of its assets (Ka-ching! Part 3). Oil, black gold, is the bloody tip of the spear point here, as 1 million Iraqis have died since the U.S. 2003 invasion, 2 million more have been displaced, and the U.S. taxpayers have been left footing what Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stieglitz has estimated to be a $3 trillion dollar war (“on terror, that “will not end in our lifetimes,” according to Mr. Cheney.)

If I sound outraged, I am – and, while I deeply appreciate Jarecki’s willingness to listen to all sides, I found myself wishing he’d take off the gloves, at times. But I am also willing to own my own sense of outrage, and laud Jarecki for his vital contribution to this important and unfolding conversation about the future of the United States under the regime that is the “military-industrial complex.” In turning to typography, filmmaker Jarecki has produced what many will see as a minor tour de force, an important book at a pivotal moment in the history of the United States republic-turned-empire.

Tags: Arts and Media, Uncategorized by Rob Williams
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Finding the Doorbell: Better Sex for the People!

By day, New Hampshire’s Cindy Pierce is a mild-mannered former ski coach-turned-innkeeper and mother of three. By night, she is emerging as New England’s premier sex-counselor/comedienne, thanks to the success of her one-woman stand-up play “Finding the Doorbell.” Pierce has brought her act to Burlington, Vermont on two occasions over the past few years, to big crowds and rave reviews. Now, she has distilled her sex-focused humor and wisdom into a brand new book published by Nomad Press called Finding the Doorbell: Sexual Satisfaction for the Long Haul.

The “doorbell” in question refers to the least-uttered and perhaps most important part of the female body – the clitoris. (And, since that word makes many people uncomfortable - clitoris that is, not doorbell - I’ll simply reference the big O of orgasm instead). But this is a big part of Cindy’s message in the book. Americans - especially middle-aged Americans with husbands and wives and kids and mortgages and a few extra pounds and a few more wrinkles – are often uncomfortable talking about sex; both publicly, in the company of others, and privately, in the intimate spaces of the marriage chamber.

For those uncomfortable talking about the most basic and primal of human acts (sex, remember?), this book is good medicine. As co-author Edie Thys Morgan explains at book’s beginning, Cindy’s underlying mission has always been about “better sex for the people.” “Not wilder or kinkier sex,” Morgan explains (not that there’s anything wrong with this, mind you), “but the kind of mutually fulfilling sex that brings couples the sense of connection we all crave.”

Indeed. It is all about connection. And if you are one of those of us pseudo-middle-aged married types, you no doubt have discovered that finding “connection” in the midst of our busy lives is quite a challenge. The good news here is that Pierce and Morgan serve up a whole bedroom’s full of wisdom, by turns insightful and hilarious, for understanding the challenges and improving the nature of our sex lives.

Section I of the book explores “obstacles to a healthy sex life,” considering everything from the differences between the male and female “tribes” when it comes to sex and talking about sex, through body image, contraception, and the big O itself (orgasm – shhh.) Not surprisingly, as our authors point out, men and women contextualize sex differently in the midst of middle age, and, especially for men, boning up on these differences might alter one’s sexual relationship with your partner significantly and for the better.

The book’s second section tells you most everything you need to know about the Big O, from the bio-mechanics of the act itself, to self-stimulation (healthier and more prevalent than most are willing to admit) to some good advice for both men and women for getting the most pleasure out of your experience. Some of her terms are a bit technical, and, to be honest, more diagrams in a second edition of the book might come in handy – but by and large, our authors provide us with good wisdom here.

The most useful section of the book can be found in the final section – “sex for the long haul” – in which our authors discuss “the little things that can get you laid” (take notes, everyone!), the healthiness of distraction and fantasy, the quest for the “weekly standard,” and the most useful section from a gendered viewpoint – “drive differential.” They even take us on a little tour of a porn shop for a discussion of sex toys, if that’s your thing.

And throughout the book, one can enjoy Cindy’s trademark zinger-like wit and honest storytelling – she has a wonderful knack for combining self-deprecating humor with an eye for the descriptive and the personal – and we are all the better for it. The book’s other nifty feature is the dozens of snippets of interviews conducted with middle-aged men and women sprinkled throughout each chapter. “Sex is like yoga. It changes your whole frame of mind every time you do it,” explained one woman. “It’s good for your body, mind, and soul. If we all did yoga a few times a week, life would be better. Why don’t we make sex a priority?”

Amen.

Better sex for the people!

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Hear Chris Smither on Saturday, September 13 as part of the 2008-2009 Valley Players’ Acoustic Showcase Series.

Most folks who’ve ever listened to the blues casually assume that this time-worn and much-appropriated musical genre is more or less focused on all things depressing – cheatin’, lyin’, stealin’, boozin’, lustin’, heartbreak, and life’s many other sorrows and woes.

While this is certainly true, there is an often-overlooked playful aspect to blues music, as well, and few blues musicians capture the clever side of blues better than Massachussetts blues veteran Chris Smither.

Affable and understated, Smither is one of those rare birds in the blues/folk world – a solo acoustic performer (think John Fahey, Dave Van Ronk, or Leo Kotke) who has carved out a successful long-term musical niche for himself without sacrificing his commitment to the genre he most loves. Audiences and critics alike laud Smither for his standout talent. The Associated Press calls him “an American original, and one of the absolutely best singer-songwriters in the world.” Wired magazine, meanwhile, refers to Smither as a “megawatt solo performer,” while Rolling Stone baldly states that “Chris Smither delivers one of the most riveting live shows you’re ever likely to see.”

I’ve listened to Smither’s music on and off for years – and, in spinning his newest (and twelfth) 2006 CD “Leave the Light On,” I can only conclude that his newest project is the best testament yet to Smither’s tremendous virtuosity as a performing songwriter.

Begin with Smither’s instrumental skills, which are top notch. Anyone who has ever futzed around with blues chords knows how easy they are to play, but how hard they are to play really well. Smither’s effortless playing is as smooth as it comes – he can lay down both a bass line and a blues riff without thinking too hard. The album’s first cut – “Open Up” – slides the listener right into the space, and then segues into the title track, which showcases Smither’s slapping bass-driven thumb pick style. Tremendous.

And all this smooth playing is so tasty, in part, because it opens up the ear to Smither’s gifted lyrical abilities. Simply stated, Smither is fun to listen to because he is so good at turning a phrase.

If I were young again I’d pay attention /
To that little known dimension/
The taste of endless time/
It’s like water, it runs right through our fingers
But the flavor of it lingers
Like a rich red wine…

Notice how Smither takes the songwriter’s tendency to simply rhyme one verse’s end with another (standard beginner’s stuff –not bad) and “complexifies” it by adding the “time/wine” pairing. And he does this sort of verbal acrobatics constantly, to the point where anyone who thinks about songwriting begins to wonder if there’s something in the whiskey he’s drinking that gives him special word smithing powers. I could write pages on Smither’s penchant for phrase-turning – suffice to say the man combines the best themes of the blues vernacular in a unique style all his own.

And Smither’s voice – how to describe it? By turns wry, witty, and wistfully hopeful –good vocal qualities to have for a blues performer in the midst of interesting times.

So if you’’ve never heard Smither perform – take a chance and come on down to the Valley Player’s Theater on Saturday, September 13 for the 8:00 show. Be prepared, though, to be quietly, cleverly, effortlessly wowed by one of America’s greatest living acoustic bluesmen. Hope to see you there.

Rob Williams is a musician, historian and writer living in Vermont’s Mad River Valley.

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Read and view this book at Amazon.com.

 

Like many other professional disciplines, architects and building designers have their own sometimes-indecipherable jargon. I still remember my student architect colleagues during college casually throwing around terms that went right over my head. How wonderful, then, that our Valley’s own Bob Ferris, executive director of Yestermorrow Design and Build School, has just published a new book entitled Natural Building: Creating Communities Through Cooperation, printed by Schiffer Publishing and available locally, as well as through online book stores.

Here’s the back story. During summer 2007, eight Yestermorrow students and ten instructors gathered in Warren to build a single structure over the course of eleven weeks. They settled on designing a garden shed called the Folly, comprised of hand-hewn timbers, earth, straw and other natural materials – you can witness the structure just a few feet from the covered bridge in the center of Warren village.

Ferris and his colleagues decided to provide a written account of the process, as well. “Our book is one part how-to primer on natural building, one part commentary on group dynamics, and one part soul-enriching eye candy,” explains co-editor Ferris. “Natural building is an oeuvre that needs to be examined thoughtfully in these challenging times. While maybe not the whole answer, its message of using local materials and living more simply is certainly part of the answer.”

Their book boasts a number of wonderful features. The photographs – rich, colorful, and, in many instances, sized as a full page - convey a vivid sense of the process of making the Folly. The book, in this sense, functions almost as a coffee table text, though the images are very much about technique, as well – close ups of chisel and mallet cuts, for example, balance out wide-angle establishing shots of the group at work. And the collection of images covers the whole process from start to finish, from “laying a good foundation – the boots of a building,” through the niftily titled “mental and philosophical punchlist.” Even the photo captions are intriguing, from simple one word tags like “stone,” to detailed descriptions of the construction process. Mini-bibliographies entitled “On The Bookshelf” list texts for further exploration, so interested builders can do more research into various aspects of the work. Rounding out the book are mini-biographies of each student, and a reflective afterward by Ferris, in which he summarizes the problems and rewards of the process, and the inherent challenges that come with building as a team. As Page Houser eloquently states: “You start a-stompin’ cob, you soon realize it’s the cob a-stomping you.”

Ultimately, the text is an inspirational tribute to natural building techniques, which Yestermorrow explains as “a philosophy and practice emphasizes socially,culturally, and environmentally responsible building. This is typically realized in the use of basic, elemental materials (e.g., earth, wood, stone and straw) that require little or no processing and are found on-site or locally sourced. The methods of natural building are often labor intensive but not capital intensive. Because natural building espouses an approach that preferentially uses materials that are processed less and travel fewer miles, they tend to contribute less greenhouse gases than their conventionally-built counterparts. In addition, naturally-built structures tend to be smaller, better sited to take advantage of the interplay between solar radiation and thermal mass, and occupied by folks who have the inclination to examine and minimize their carbon footprints.”

Veterans of natural building who might dismiss this book as little more than a primer would do well to remember that every structure has a story, and, as the age of cookie-cutter corporate industrial housing wanes, all of us will find much to learn in this engaging, visually attractive and hopeful book. May the community-building continue.

Tags: Arts and Media by Rob Williams
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