ARTS Pick: Zen Mother

High attitude: According to the bio of Zen Mother’s Monika Khot and Adam Wolcott Smith, the trading of “avant-garde secrets” led to the duo’s formation (sometimes a trio with the addition of drummer Sheridan Riley). That seems fitting for a group that lends itself “to sonic focus and harnessing control of the mind.” Zen Mother’s […]

ARTS Pick: The Royale

Ring true: Boxer Jack Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight champion, and at the height of the Jim Crow era he was “the most famous and the most notorious African American on Earth,” according to documentarian Ken Burns. Directed by multi-faceted artist and C-VILLE contributor Leslie Scott-Jones, The Royale, written by Marco Ramirez, […]

ARTS Pick: Nick Waterhouse

California roll: Before his foray into making music, SoCal native Nick Waterhouse listened and studied, learning from obscure masters of songwriting before launching his own unique style steeped in vintage R&B, jazz, mid-century rock ‘n’ roll, and a hint of bugaloo. His eponymous fourth album is a culmination of the purposeful songwriting and attentive production […]

Go all in: The Intruder doesn’t hide its bad side

It takes a lot of skill and dedication to make trash this good. The Intruder is a movie for people who wish Lifetime movies would dial it up a notch, then rip off the dial completely. It’s a roller coaster where anticipating every twist and turn amplifies the thrill when it arrives. You can’t even […]

ARTS Pick: God of Carnage

Parental misguidance: When a pair of 11-year-old boys get into a fight at the park, one leaves with two less teeth. God of Carnage begins after the violent incident, when all four parents of the boys gather for a discussion of the matter over drinks. What begins as civil discourse devolves into a rum-soaked screaming […]