Lady Gaga: Born This Way
View catalog record here!
at the Case Memorial Library, Orange, CT
"Four times a week, Mark Hall ministers to youth at a suburban Atlanta
megachurch, working from an office where the walls are lined with
vintage Marvel comic books and that also houses a stone-like desk
decorated with symbols from 'The Avengers.' In Hall's eyes, he's a 'dork.' But when he steps away from his youth
pastor endeavors and comic memorabilia collection, the 42-year-old stars
as the lead singer and songwriter of Casting Crowns, a seven-member,
Grammy-winning contemporary Christian rock band, one of the most popular
in the genre. In mid-October, the group released their latest album, 'Come
to the Well.' It debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Top 200 charts,
trailing only behind Adele, who has dominated the charts with her
best-selling album '21.' The band's album also topped the Christian
album chart for three weeks in a row" (Jonathan Landrum Jr., "Casting Crowns Continue to Top Christian Charts," Huffington Post, 11/30/11).
"Contemporary big band music had a resurgence this year. Ninety-three year old Gerald Wilson had an exquisite offering with his brilliant Legacy" (Ralph A. Miriello, "My Picks for the Best of Jazz 2011," Huffington Post, 12/19/11).
"The iconic foursome, who legends like Kurt Cobain and David Bowie credit as inspirations, recently stopped by Napa's Uptown Theater
to play their breakout record, 1989's Doolittle, from start to finish.
It was their second-to-last stop on the second leg of their 'Doolittle
World Tour,' which began two years ago to commemorate the album's
twentieth anniversary. ... Frontman Frank Black's signature high-pitched yowl
sounds just like it did in the 80s -- maybe even clearer. The group
seamlessly made its way through all the big hits, from the upbeat, poppy 'Here Comes Your Man' and the silly, jazzy 'La La Love You' (the only
song ever penned by drummer David Lovering) to the biblical shout-ballad 'Hey' and 'Monkey Gone To Heaven,' an early nod to environmentalism" (Carly Schwartz, "Rock Is Most Definitely Not Dead (As Evidenced by the Pixies)," Huffington Post, 12/2/11).
"[Monk's wife] Nellie called those lean days [1951-54] the 'un-years,' mired in a kind of
internal exile, when, banned from playing clubs, Monk retreated into his
own head, drifting along to his own tempo. 'There was no money,' Nellie
said. 'No place to go. A complete blank.' Monk described it as like 'laying dead.' Then Monk got a call from Charles Delauney inviting him to France to
play at the Third Paris Jazz Festival. ... Monk was ready for Paris, but the Parisians, who had embraced so many
black jazz musicians, didn’t know what to make of Monk. ... After Monk returned to New York, his career began to pick up. He
signed a deal with Riverside Records and quickly recorded two of his
best albums: the startling Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington and Brilliant Corners with Sonny Rollins blowing a fire-breathing sax. Both records sold relatively well and earned Monk some of his best reviews" (Jeffrey St. Clair, "Out Walked Monk," Counterpunch, 12/2-4/11).