Rob Levy's Posts


Rob Levy's Photo I've hosted Juxtaposition on KDHX since 1995. Each Wednesday night at 8:00 pm (CST) I feature new music, forgotten favorites and sound collages of great music past and present. I focus on both new and old independent releases while presenting emerging artists before they get heard elsewhere. I am a freelance film reviewer and writer and also host several DJ residencies throughout the city.

Latest Playlist


Passion Fuels Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ ‘Carmen’

Widely regarded as the most popular opera of all time, Georges Bizet’s Carmen is not easy to perform or produce. The opera is a tour de force of emotions that requires a solid ensemble and a larger then life leading lady to make it connect with an audience.

Carmen is all about durability. Bizet’s 18th century masterpiece remains a potent, passionate and intense opus filled with heavy doses of hopelessness, despair, oppression, desire and vengeance. Carmen is a comic opera in four acts which features dialogue breaks interspersed in the production to move the story along.

Set in Seville, Carmen tells of the tragic downfall of Don Jose, a local soldier who abandons his childhood love after falling prey to the wiles of Carmen, a blisteringly seductive gypsy. To make things worse he abandons his post and goes to prison in order to protect Carmen. When he is freed he returns to Carmen only to find his passion spurned. Bewitched, batterred and bewildered Don Jose becomes enraged after learning that Carmen’s heart yearns for Escamillo, the most famous bullfighter in Spain. After some nasty turn of events he once again finds himself in big trouble.

Don Jose’s downfall is accelerated when he confronts Carmen in Pastia’s Bar late one evening. Their lover’s quarrel has dire consequences which become clearer as events transpire.  Tragically, Carmen receives a prophecy in Act Three which foretells that things are going to end very badly. Nonetheless she does her best to stay out of trouble.  Despite her charms, intelligence and raw toughness, Carmen cannot stop the passion, rage, jealousy and love swirling inside Don Jose. During Acts Three and Four the tension between them escalates, leading to a heartbreaking tragedy.

In addition to having the most familiar score in opera, Carmen remains popular opera because its themes of immortality, lawlessness and the plight of the working class resonates with audiences. This personal connection is just one of the reasons why Opera Theatre St. Louis’ production of Carmen is so thrilling.

Carmen opens OTSL’s 37th season while also serving as a homecoming for St. Louis native Kendall Gladen. Gladen, a stunning mezzo-soprano, has been a star on the rise for the last decade. Her return to St. Louis in the title role is nothing short of amazing. This production completely revolves around Gladen’s incredible voice and commanding presence. Her smoldering portrayal breathes new life into the opera, transforming it into the penultimate celebration of the femme fatale.

Adam Diegel is terrific (in his OTSL debut) as the doomed Don Jose. As a performer he is able to go toe to toe with Gladen. He gives Don Jose two distinct personalities and then plays off of them in an inner struggle filled with turmoil, pain and lust. His Don Jose is vulnerable yet filled with an inner rage that eventually becomes all consuming. In  making Don Jose so jilted, jostled and jaundiced Diegel adeptly balances several layered aspects of the character with precision, allowing him to give Don Jose a fresh depth and range.

Making his first appearance with Opera Theatre St. Louis since 2008 is Aleksey Bogdanov as Escamillo.  Onstage he owns the first half of Act Two. His solos are simply incredible. He vibrantly drenches Escamillo in extreme bravado and joyful boastfulness that provides enough rich detail to round out the character. Bogdanov’s onstage interaction with Gladen is dynamic. Corinne Winters is also terrific as Micaela, Don Jose’s forgotten love.

(photo courtesy of Ken Howard and OTSL)

Director Stephen Barlow has molded Carmen into a highly charged pulp noir extravaganza. This production, based on a revised translation, wows and awes before a single actor takes the stage. It opens with noir style film credits set against a black background on stage. The credits  frame this adaptation perfectly. Every director wants to leave their stamp on Carmen and Barlow’s production is no different. The opera has been lifted from the nineteenth century and transposed to Seville during Francoist Spain. Making the correlation between Bizet’s original work and film noir accentuates Barlow’s boldness and daring in staging this production.

Guided by Barlow’s steady hand, each Act in Carmen has it’s own distinct texture. Act One sets up the drama by focusing in on the tough life in Seville where vagrants, criminals and factory workers all scramble to make ends meet. Out of this daily grind comes Carmen, a fiery siren who turns heads and manipulates hearts to get what she wants. She is a woman that every man has eyes for but none can seem to possess. Acts Two and Three propel Don Jose’s fall from grace, culminating in an all out showdown in Act Four.  As each act unfolds it becomes more apparent that Barlow is building something dense and compelling.

Set and Costume Designer Paul Edwards augments this setting by adding 1940s era billboards and a fantastic nightclub set that perfectly sets the tone for the piece.  His costumes seamlessly blend gangster chic with fascist military uniforms and traditional gypsy garb. These costumes provide the perfect mix of color for emphasizing the characters and drama onstage.

Stage lighting from Christopher Akerlind bolsters the atmosphere by adding fresh dimensions to each set piece. He carefully mimics the noir lighting from films of that era for the stage, giving Carmen some additional seasoning.

Bizet’s music has always been Carmen’s calling card. Debuting conductor Carlos Itzcaray whips the St. Louis Symphony into a frenzy transforming one of operas more recognizable scores into a powerfully emotional experience as passionate as any of the action playing out on the stage above. His hands create orchestrations that convey equal amounts of exuberance and despair, leaving the audience utterly overwhelmed by the end of the evening.

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ production of Carmen is the perfect showstopper for opening their new season. This provocative  new interpretation never relents in dazzling the audience visually or emotionally. Carmen fires on all cylinders because the charismatic and talented cast (led by hometown hero Kendall Gladen) deflects the sensations of desire, revenge and betrayal onto the audience, creating an utterly mesmerizing (and emotionally draining) opera that must be experienced to be understood.

Here are the performance dates and times for Carmen.

 Friday, May 25 
8:00 pm, Thursday, May 31 
8:00 pm, Friday, June 8 
8:00 pm, Sunday, June 10 7:00pm,Wednesday, June 13 
1:00 pm, Saturday, June 16 
8:00 pm, Tuesday, June 19 
8:00 pm, Saturday, June 23 
1:00 pm.

All performance s are held at the Browning Mainstage at the  Loretto-Hilton Center.

For more information visit http://www.opera-stl.org

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by | May 24, 2012 | Culture, Local, Music | Comment 

‘Put on your boogie shoes’ An interview with Tim DeLaughter of the Polyphonic Spree

facebook.com/polyphonicspree

There is nothing conventional about the Polyphonic Spree. Sonically they throw down with as many as 22 members simultaneously jamming, dancing and prancing about while creating layered grooves that are part gospel choir, part indie rock show and part cultish love-fest.

What appears initially to be completely chaotic is actually a well-organized machine that brings together a diverse blend of musical elements, including a choir and dense instrumentation. Since their inception, the Spree has carved a niche for themselves by bringing their musical carousel of mayhem and insanity to smaller and intimate venues.

Tim DeLaughter, who formed the band in 2000 from the ashes of his previous band Tripping Daisy embraces the chaos. Besides being a working and touring musician, DeLaughter runs his own and record store, Good Records, in Dallas.

Although they are in the midst of a spring tour, the Polyphonic Spree is not promoting a new album in the traditional sense. Instead they are again eschewing convention by releasing new songs as a series of singles first before going the traditional route of releasing a proper full album. This current tour, their first in four years, incorporates this new material into their set list.

In addition to making three albums they also have judicially placed their songs in various televisions shows and movies to maximize exposure. They have just released a new single called “What Would You Do?” and a new album is promised down the road.

I caught up with DeLaughter by email, and he shared his thoughts on the band, its live shows, a possible new record and creative process.

Rob Levy: How did the band come about?

Tim DeLaughter: I called some friends and family over. I had been writing on the piano because I was bored with guitar. We were storing the piano for a friend. I wanted a symphonic approach, and after a few improv sessions in my living room we played a 30 minute set.

How has this tour been going?

Really great. This is phase three. Tours have progressed naturally, getting better and better each show.

How do the songs on your records transfer over to a live show?

There is definitely a certain excitement and tone when playing live that can be difficult to capture in the studio. We build in many segues and space within our live set when possible. [They are] two different animals.

You are doing a Halloween show in the UK with all the songs from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” How did that come about?

We have been wanting to change it up a bit and do different things. Our agent in the UK came up with the idea. So we said yes.

What is the music scene like in Dallas right now?

There is always plenty going on. Something new, something different, eclectic.

It has been four years since the last tour. How has the band changed in that time?

We actually toured Australia a couple of years ago and have played several one off shows so it’s been a gradual evolution which is different than just being off for four years. If anything I believe we are more precise and have reached a place of full satisfaction delivery with our music live and with more purpose. Recording wise we are really exploring.

Read more

Posted by | May 8, 2012 | Interviews | Comment 

‘Give the audience a new experience’ An interview with Maria Lindén of I Break Horses

facebook.com/ibreakhorses / Sebastien Dehesdin

When you dig beneath the shimmering textures and ethereal vocals of Sweden’s I Break Horses you will discover that the duo of Maria Lindén and Fredrik Balck make soundscapes of depth and substance.

Listening to their 2011 debut “Hearts,” you can hear the influence of the Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Sigur Rós percolating underneath a blizzard of swirling melodies and opulent vocals.

This Stockholm duo is often mislabeled as a shoegazer band, and although the influences are omnipresent in their music (to a certain extent) they are so much more. I Break Horses literally transform the cold chill of Scandinavia into bursts of sugary, luminous sounds.

“Hearts” (out now on Bella Union Records) is an album filled with both broken and beating hearts that are as fragile and delicate as a single snowflake. Each track features layers of tumbling textured sounds encased within a shell of velvety softness from Maria Lindén’s immaculate voice.

She sings as if it is no real bother and has a feel for what literally and figuratively makes the human heart beat. Balck then takes over mixing in harmonies and deposits of perfectly-timed waves of tremolo treats and pulsating palpitations. There are guitars and synthesizers present but they never intrude or overstep their bounds. Instead they serve as the bulwark for skimming the clouds and making the listener feel as if they have taken flight.

It’s not hard to imagine these guys trudging through an expansive open wilderness to get to their recording studio as witnessed by the album’s crestfallen opener “Winter Beats.” It is pretty obvious that isolation, loss and solitude are pervasive elements of their sound.

In fact the closest they get to rocking out is the uptempo and dreamy “Wired.” “I Kill You Baby” begins with a Poe-like pitter-pat of a human heart before free-falling into an elegiac opus reminiscent of the early days of the Cocteau Twins (ironically, their label is run by Simon Raymonde of that very band). The grimy hands of trip hop have their fingers all over “Load Your Eyes,” a blissed-out track with drum machine plodding along behind it that are reminiscent of Portishead, Chapterhouse or the Cranes.

I Break Horses are currently on the road, serving as the opener for M83 on their current tour. Live, the union of Lindén and Balck creates indescribable layers arctic headiness that has made American audiences take notice — no mean feat for a band in the opening slot on their first major tour.

Vocalist Maria Lindén took some time out from the tour for an interview with me via email.

Rob Levy: How is the tour with M83 going?

Maria Lindén: It’s going great. M83 are amazing and lovely people. The venues and crowds have been overwhelmingly beautiful.

How did the tour come about?

Simon Raymonde from our label Bella Union did some magic and made it happen!

There’s a lot of great music coming out of Scandinavia right now. Why do you think bands from that area are getting so much attention now?

I haven´t really thought about it that much. But I guess/hope it has to do with that Scandinavians know how to make great music!

Why did it take so long to make “Hearts”?

It was a combination of things. Most of the album was recorded in my bedroom, I tried to re-create my bedroom recordings in a proper studio during the recording process but I felt like these recordings lacked the energy and the vibrancy that was there initially so I ended up scrapping what was recorded there and started all over again at home where I felt more comfortable basically. Also, working full time at my day job during that time also made the whole process longer.

Read more

Posted by | May 1, 2012 | Interviews, Music | Comment 

Love Lies Bleeding in Opera Theatre St. Louis’ Don Giovanni

opera-stl.org

Don Giovanni, one of the most performed operas in the world, is a two-act opera by Mozart that skillfully blends comedy, melodrama and the supernatural. Despite being widely performed, Opera Theatre St. Louis has nonetheless boldly added it to its repertoire for the current season.

Widely considered a masterpiece the opera Mozart’s tale revolves around a charismatic nobleman named Don Giovanni who spends most of his time satisfying his rapacious appetite for women. Conquest follows conquest, until finally he becomes devoid of moral character, becoming a vain and vacuous husk.

The plot revolves around Don Giovanni’s tragic decline and fall. His insatiable appetite for deviance has broken hearts and made enemies determined to have their revenge. As the opera progresses he moves closer and closer to a horrific end.

He finally gets his comeuppance after three attempted liaisons go terribly wrong. First there is Elvira, a scorned woman who despite everything that he has done to her still believes in him. Second is Anna, the daughter of the Commendatore, whom Don Giovanni murders while attempting her seduction. A distraught Donna Anna must delay her marriage to her intended, Don Ottavio, who as a result is displeased with the scoundrel. Finally there is Zerlina, whom Don Giovanni unsuccessfully tries to steal from her fiancé, Masetto.

His actions are not without consequence as an alliance between Donna Elvira, Donna Anna, and Zerlina is forged. Stuck in the middle of all of this is Don Giovanni’s faithful servant, Leporello who puts up with way too much from his master.

The alliance runs into a rough patch because some girls just like bad men. This is the case for Elvira whose lust for revenge wanes when she gives pause to believe that reconciliation with Don Giovanni is possible. Her attempt meets with catastrophic results.

The tension builds throughout the second act as the lothario is hunted down and sought out by his enemies. Eventually Don Giovanni’s actions result in his supernatural destruction which forever changes the lives of those who have been avenged.

Read more

Posted by | June 25, 2011 | Culture, Music | Comment 

Pelléas and Mélisande dazzles the stage and mind at Opera Theatre St. Louis

Pelléas and Mélisande

Courtesy of Opera Theatre St. Louis

Pelléas and Mélisande is a confounding opera. While it presents a simple story of love, passion and jealousy, it also remains a conundrum, because it doesn’t really answer any of the questions raised by its characters.

But the joy of Opera Theatre St. Louis‘ production of Pelléas and Mélisande lies in both the presentation and the personal interpretation of the work by the audience.

Debussy’s opera is part of the French Symbolist movement that began in 1885. This movement was pervasive in Europe and emphasized the use of symbols and images for meanings while focusing on the esoteric and minimal in presentation. It also rejected traditional ideas of realism in the narrative and score, allowing the audience to develop its own interpretations and fill in its own gaps of perception for the work. Debussy’s musical works, including this opera, have been likened to “musical impressionism,” although the composer himself intensely disliked this notion.

This tricky opera opens in a forest where Prince Golaud comes across a beautiful, mysterious and terrified young woman named Mélisande. Golaud notices that she has lost a crown in a spring. Although smitten, her pleas to ignore it puzzle Golaud. Nonetheless he marries her and brings her back to a once regal castle owned by his grandfather, King Arkel of Allemonde. This is where the audience encounters the first of many unanswered questions about the back-story of these characters, which sets the tone of the production.

Mélisande soon discovers that the palace is place of melancholy and overwhelming apprehension. It is ancient, gloomy and dark. To make things worse, the royal family is seriously dysfunctional and distant. The King, who has taken ill, inexplicably carries a large box around with him.

Although Mélisande and Golaud are both lost souls, it is his brother Pelléas who develops an intensely mysterious relationship with Mélisande. Mélisande’s peculiar relationship with Pelléas infuriates the covetous Golaud who is driven to obsession to discover the nature of their relationship. Unhinged with jealousy Golaud takes measures into his own hands to discover any shred of knowledge about the relationship between Pelléas and Mélisande.

His paranoia reaches a fever pitch when he employs his son Yniold, to spy on the couple.

Read more

Posted by | June 10, 2011 | Culture, Music | Comment 

The Daughter of the Regiment marches on at Opera Theatre St. Louis

Opera Theatre of St. Louis - Daughter of the Regiment

opera-stl.org

To call Opera Theatre St. Louis’ production of The Daughter of the Regiment an over-the-top spectacle would be overstating the obvious. Nonetheless it is a completely enjoyable production that never relents. Heartstrings are carefully manipulated as the two cultures clash, reminding the audience that “love always matters.”

After the lengthy tension of Don Giovanni, Daughter of the Regiment is a needed respite. This comedic opera, composed by Gaetano Donizetti, while living in Paris, is a relentless assault of sugar and spice. The opera’s dizzying momentum may be a reflection of the composer’s time in the City of Lights.

The story centers on France’s 21st Regiment, a close-knit and feared band of soldiers who find an abandoned infant on the battlefield and decide to raise her as their own daughter. They name her Marie and she is adored. The 21st becomes her family and she grows up with them as they march in victory across Europe. After a relatively easy childhood things get bumpy after she informs her foster father, the crusty but warm Sergeant Sulpice, that she is in love with Tonio, a Swiss peasant who saved her life.

This greatly upsets Sulpice and the 21st Regiment who are adamant that she marries one of their own. The problem is resolved when they meet Tonio who agrees to enlist in the Regiment to be with his beloved Marie.

Like all good opera, things take a turn for the worst; in this case, near the end of Act One. Marie is heartbroken to learn that she is the niece of the Marquise of Berkenfeld. Sulpice and the Regiment are devastated when she is spirited off to the Marquise’s chateau where her hand in marriage is promised to the son of the Duchess of Crackentorp.

In Act Two things begin to look up. As Marie, Tonio and Sulpice wrestle with their dire situation a long held secret is revealed which neatly ends the tension and allows the couple to live happily ever after.

Read more

Posted by | June 2, 2011 | Culture, Music | Comment 

Remix deluxe: An interview with Penguin Prison

myspace.com/penguinprison

Chris Glover is a Manhattan-born musician and remixer who has risen to prominence via his Myspace page and sterling reviews from various indie blogs. Two of his songs, “Golden Train” and “Animal Animal” became indie radio darlings almost overnight and Glover’s remix work for artists like Goldfrapp and Marina & the Diamonds vaulted him into the big leagues of remixers for hire.

He has recorded an EP and toured under the moniker of Penguin Prison. His initial success has made him a person of interest in the changing electronic music community.

Influences like Prince, Q-Tip and the Jackson 5 give his recordings a sprinkling of soulful funk that moves him away from the traditional blip-blip and loops of the electronic music genre. His music combines R&B vocals with new wave synths and snappy percussion.

Being offered a high-profile opening slot for Girl Talk has helped him bring his music to the masses.

I spoke to Penguin Prison after his opening set for Girl Talk at the Pageant on Tuesday.

Rob Levy: From listening to your records and seeing the live show it is obvious that you are a mult-instrumentalist. How many instruments can you play?

Chris Glover: I think I can play just about any instrument. If I can just pick it up and look at it for a second then I can just play it. Guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, percussion, saxophone, those are the ones I actually have played. I first learned guitar then I taught myself bass, piano and drums.

How has digital software helped you as a musician and as someone who uses it to create music?

I like organic instruments but they are also limiting. So when you add in electronic stuff like synthesizers you get these sounds that cannot be made on another instrument like a guitar or bass or whatever. It adds a lot of sounds.

How do you incorporate your music into a live show?

When I make an album I don’t think about the live show at all when I am making it. I just do whatever I want to do. When it becomes time to do live shows I figure out how I am going to do it. So it just becomes trying to figure out how to make 4 people, 4 human beings make the sounds. I probably need more then 4 human beings to really do it.

The Internet has worked well for you as an artist with getting your music out there and heard. When you started to record and remix music did you set out to use it as the tool it is now?

I guess I knew a little bit about it. It was not some master plan. It was just one step at time. I made a remix for Marina and the Diamonds and it went on the Internet and it went crazy. Then people started asking me to do remixes, and people keep asking me.

How do you approach doing a remix?

Most of the times they just ask you to make it and you just make it. Maybe once in awhile they say a little about making a few changes or they don’t use it at all. But most of the time they just like it. I just try to make it good from the beginning. I don’t hand it into them until I think it is something they are going to like.

The label you are on, Neon Gold, is really hot right now. How has that helped you as an artist and remixer?

A bunch of the blog posts about me, some of them don’t mention Neon Gold but a lot of them do because Neon Gold puts stuff out. It’s a good thing to be involved with them of them.

You have an EP out now. Are you putting out a full-length album in 2011?

There is going to be a full-length album that will come out in spring of 2011. I just want to tour all over the place this whole year and just go crazy.

Girl Talk used your vocals on ‘Happen.” How did you guys hook up?

That was along time ago. Basically I met him when I was in college. He came to my college and played a show. He was totally different back then. He was using popular music but he wasn’t using it exactly like this. I met him and I was rapping back then and he asked me for some rapping vocals so I gave him some vocals and he used them on his album. We’ve known each other for a long time and he just asked me to open for him for this tour.

Is the new record basically done or are you still working on it? What is next for you?

The record is done. Now it is just waiting for it to come out basically. I am working on other stuff while that is happening and touring. Doing remixes still.

What would you like to do as an artist that you have not done yet?

Probably just go places I’ve never been and work with artists that I look up to. Work with like Prince or something. I don’t know if he’d want to do that because he’s so crazy now.

Posted by | January 20, 2011 | Music | Comment 

Juxtaposition’s Best Movies of 2010

From as young as I can recall I have loved going to the pictures. Thus it is no surprise that in the course of a year I end up seeing a lot of movies.

In this age of Netflix and movie channels I still love seeing films in theaters with an audience who is experiencing the same sensory adventure that I am. Call me old fashioned but I think that is the way the medium works best.

As I think about movies in 2010 it reminds me of why I like them to begin with and why I sit in the dark and wait for them to begin. I expect to be wowed or entertained.

As a lover of cinema, I can appreciate a well-crafted work of art as much as a kicksplat orgy of action. However I do expect a movie to not insult my intelligence — which in today’s film culture can be asking for the impossible.

This is because Hollywood has abandoned telling stories. It has become a slave to aiming for the lowest common denominator. It also has gone green, recycling every TV show, comic book and franchise it can find. This is tragic.

I think I saw over 300 films in the theater in 2010. Many times I caved in and saw things that my friends wanted to see. Other times I saw retro re-releases or indie films. But I would like to think I am pretty diverse in my taste and interests.

I also, whenever possible, support the local indie theater or art house movie palace. These theaters are in a fight for survival and need support.

Grumbling and grousing aside, here are my favorite films of 2010, in alphabetical order.

Inception

Although I hate rating things in order I will say that Inception was probably my favorite film of the year. I loved its texture and really was amazed by its depth. Like the plot the film had so many layers that made it an interesting film. It really sticks in head after you see it. It ran a bit long but overall the fact that it kept you on your toes was pretty great. Inception also was a film that tried to be something more that it appeared on the surface. It is almost several films on so many levels. It took the basics of a caper film and added a Freudian psychology element to the story and then threw in some action.

I think the acting was superb. Christopher Nolan continues to develop more and more with each film. I also really enjoyed the score; it added to the overall resonance of the film.

Toy Story 3

It did everything it needed to work and expanded its universe to add new characters. It also didn’t miss any of the charm of the first 2 films. I do hope however that these guys are smart enough to call it a day on the franchise.

The King’s Speech

Colin Firth is an amazingly solid actor who is good in every film he is in. The King’s Speech should get him an Oscar for his portrayal of King George VI, a king who stammered and then hammered to lead his nation during WW2. Geoffrey Rush is a shoe-in for a nomination as well. Here he is back in top form, providing both levity and heavy drama to the story.

Read more

Posted by | January 4, 2011 | Video/Film | 1 Comment 

Next Page →