February Favorites

Tumbledown: This is a sweet, romantic film that touches upon the resonance of both loss and music. Rebecca Hall and Jason Sudeikis provide strong lead performances, presenting the audience with two characters to become invested in despite their often clashing agendas and viewpoints. From what I had read about Tumbledown, I hoped it would be rather like Lucky Them, and the two films do share a similar spirit in their examination of the contrast between how fans and family deal with the loss of a beloved musician. While the ending of this film is quite predictable, it's also highly satisfying. Basically, Tumbledown is a classic rom-com with a nice little indie touch.

"Somewhere on a Beach", Dierks Bentley: Like "Drunk on a Plane" before it, "Somewhere on a Beach" is a fun party anthem built around the theme of rejection -- or rather not letting rejection get you down. The rhythm-driven beach vibes and fun chorus of Bentley's latest is the perfect combo for powering through winter's home stretch.

Noises Off: I had to go see this play because it got great reviews and because it features so many of my favorite Broadway actors -- namely Jeremy Shamos, Campbell Scott, Rob McClure, and Andrea Martin -- as well as Daniel Davis, who played Niles on The Nanny (!!!). Noises Off is utterly delightful: all the performances are spectacular and the production as a whole is beyond hilarious. I laughed so hard throughout the play, but the third act was so funny it brought me to tears. The whole thing is British humor at its best, almost in the vein of Are You Being Served?, but even more smartly absurd.

"Rock On", Tucker Beathard: I was quite impressed by Tucker Beathard when I caught his set at last year's Farmborough Fest, and his first single delivers on the high expectations I had for him. The lyrics of this song, rife with double meanings, are pleasingly clever. Like The Cadillac Three, Beathard's songs tend more toward Southern Rock than "Country music" per se, but that aesthetic suits both Beathard and "Rock On."

"Graffiti", The Cadillac Three: TC3 songs have a wonderful narrative sense that capture the pleasures found in small or everyday moments, and their latest single, "Graffiti" continues that trend. In fact, it's one of the band's best and most polished songs. It fits the TC3 ethos so well that I can't imagine it would sound right coming from any other act.

Hall & Oates at Madison Square Garden: This is my fourth time seeing Hall & Oates live, and, while I prefer seeing them in smaller venues, I'll take any chance I can get to hear Daryl sing those hits. This show had a fantastic set list that covered all the hits, and even included some deeper cuts, like "Las Vegas Turnaround", "She's Gone", and "Do What You Want, Be What You Are". The openers were Mayer Hawthorne (see below) and Sharon Jones, who have both been on Live From Daryl's House (if you haven't ever seen Mayer's episode, check out his ability to sound just like young Daryl Hall). For the final encore, Mayer and Sharon joined the band for a powerful rendition of the Delfonic's "Didn't I Blow Your Mind". It was a high quality evening of music all around.

"Love Like That", Mayer Hawthorne: Thank goodness Mayer is back to producing his own material! I first heard "Love Like That" during Mayer's opening set for Hall & Oates MSG show (Mayer sounded awesome at the Garden, by the way, and I look forward to the day when he is the headliner there), and it blew me away. I listened to the song on repeat once I got home, and proceeded to have it stuck in my head for a week. If "Love Like That" is any indication, Mayer's new album is going to be a new personal best for him.

The BOATHOUSE: We stumbled upon this delightful Disney Springs eatery only because there was a 30 minute wait at Fulton's Crab House. It turned out to be a moment of serendipity, because The Boathouse is fantastic on every level: great food, great drinks, great service. We visited The Boathouse a total of four times during our four day trip, and two of those visits were on the same day. The menu is quite varied, with selections to fit any appetite, and everything we had to eat was delicious and was always cooked perfectly. My personal favorites are the filet mignon sliders and smoked fish dip (a special on one of the days we were there). The fish tacos, jumbo crab cake, and salmon BLT also receive high marks. Oh, and their dinner rolls are to die for. Disney Springs is a lot of fun all around (An Indiana Jones bar! Cirque du Soleil! Balloon rides! Shopping!), but The Boathouse takes it to another level -- it almost feels like home.

Under the Sea – The Journey of the Little Mermaid: Under the Sea was my favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom during our trip this month (Seven Dawrfs Mine Train is a close runner-up), and the only ride we went on twice. This is no surprise considering that The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney movies, and Ariel is my favorite Disney Princess. The ride is visually stunning (making good use of neon paint and black lights), and features all the hit songs from the film. Also, it's worth it to go the standby route (rather than using FastPass+) because there are delightful diversions (featuring a very cute blue crab and Scuttle) along the way. If we had been at the park longer, I would have happily taken a third spin in one of the rides' giant pink clam shells.

Chris Young at PlayStation Theatre: Chris Young is exactly the live performer I hoped he'd be. He sounds just as good, if not better, live as he does on his albums, and he has a great personality to boot. He offered tons of great asides and background info between -- and even during! -- songs. Some of his jokes and asides are kind of corny, but sweetly so. His gratefulness for his fans and the joy he takes in performing really come through; he went off his set list quite a few times to respond to fan requests yelled from the audience. His was the type of genuine performance that I had hoped to see from Brett Eldredge last fall. In fact, there were several times during the show that Young reminded me a bit of Garth Brooks, which is saying a lot!

The Last Man on the Moon: It's truly remarkable that the human race has not only been able to launch people into space, but also land men on the Moon. The scale of such an achievement is staggering, yet it can sometimes feel as if it's taken for granted. The Last Man on the Moon is a documentary about Gene Cernan, who went on one Gemini and two Apollo missions, and was in fact the last man to stand the Moon. While many parts of his story echo those of the Mercury astronauts (as covered in Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff), Cernan's tale is certainly worth telling. As the great achievements of the space program slip further into history, anything that can foster a sense of wonder and provide inspiration, be it for space travel or any other seemingly "impossible" dream, is a valuable addition to the collective consciousness.