March Favorites

Spencer Ludwig: Dave Koz mentioned Spencer Ludwig on Instagram last September, and I quickly took to iTunes to check him out. At that time, Ludwig had two songs available: "Right Into U", which I immediately connected with, and "Diggy", which I did not. Over the past six months, Ludwig has continued to grow on me, helped along by releases like "Legend" and "Midnight Special", which showcase his Prince-like vocals and spirited trumpet playing. Ludwig has a talent for blending many different genres into each of his songs, but the timeless cool of his underlying jazz influence ties everything together and keeps it all fresh. As a fan of contemporary jazz artists like Koz, Chris Botti, and Rick Braun, it's great to see the great innovative tradition of jazz horns be carried on by a younger artist who both respects musical heritage, but isn't afraid to push himself and his instrument in new directions.

"Genie", Busy P featuring Mayer Hawthorne: "Genie" is French dance music at its finest – and of course the vocal assist from Mayer Hawthorne doesn't hurt one little bit. Hawthorne sounds as smooth as ever, or possibly even smoother than usual, here. This track is reminiscent of Justice and Daft Punk, with a hint of Kandinsky for good measure. It packs plenty of 80s-esque pulses and throbs into the kinetic music (I can easily visualize lasers shooting out along a black forced-perspective grid, a la Tron), while the equally entrancing lyrics offer up a seductive neo-fairytale.

Rise of the Rocket Girls, Nathalia Holt: As soon as I read about Rise of the Rocket Girls, I knew it had to go to the top of my reading list immediately. Like Hidden Figures, this book is about women who worked behind the scenes in the space program, but this time on the west coast at JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which began as a spin-off from Cal Tech).  While JPL wasn't involved with sending people into space, its team's calculations and innovations have had – and continue to have – a lasting impact on rocketry, satellites, space probes, and more – and women computers were right there in the thick of things from the lab's early days. Holt does a wonderful job bringing the fascinating, brilliant women of JPL's first decades to life and telling their stories both inside and outside the workplace. Rocket Girls sheds light on lives that have been in the shadows for far too long.

Logan: Even though I knew this movie was going to be heartbreaking before I even entered the cinema, it still packed a powerful punch in the emotions department. Wolverine has been my favorite superhero ever since the very first X-Men movie hit cinemas way back in 2000. I am willing to admit that favoritism is due in large part to Hugh Jackman's embodiment of the role, but he really is the perfect man to play this gruff character with a dry wit and a deeply buried heart of gold. Jackman's thorough ownership of the character across a confusing and muddled franchise over a 17 year period, and his personal involvement in Wolverine's stand-alone films, has lent Wolverine an integrity that few other characters in superhero movies can claim – and it is because of this that Jackman's version of this character deserves such a well-crafted send-off. Patrick Stewart's Professor X is a fitting and worthy companion for Jackman's Wolverine, as these two characters have shared a unique understanding of each other across the decades. The explicit influence of mid 20th Century Westerns adds a fitting sense of gravity to a story that can clearly end in only one way and imbues the film with the sense of reverence that these characters deserve.

Neon Museum: On my fifth trip to Vegas, it seemed like it was time to venture away from the Strip, at least for a little while. Since I love retro things, sparkly things, graphics, and typography, a visit to the Neon Museum seemed like a worthwhile way to spend part of an afternoon. The guided tour of the curated 'boneyard' was both visually stunning and highly informative. I learned quite a bit about various bygone eras of Vegas history, and got to see some truly beautiful works of art up close and personal. On my next Vegas trip, I hope to return to the museum for a nighttime tour to see yet another facet of the amazing artwork that is on display there.

Rod Stewart at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace: The problem with going to The Concert for Diana and seeing so many amazing artists perform over the span of an afternoon and evening, is that ten years later you tend to forget who you actually saw, except for when memories come to you in random bursts. Thus, when the girl at the merch counter asked me if I had seen Rod Stewart before, I said "No", and then realized that was completely untrue five minutes later. Rod's performance at The Concert for Diana accomplished one very significant thing for me: it made me finally "get" and appreciate "Maggie May". When I can actually recall his performance at that show, it stands out as one of the best of the whole event (which is really saying something considering he was up against Elton John, Bryan Ferry, Take That, and many others). So it seemed a no-brainer that all these years later, it would be fun to see Rod perform a proper, full-length concert. Plus, I am always looking for an excuse to drag my family to Vegas, and Rod Stewart was a fitting lure, as he is beloved by my dad and godmother in particular.

Since I ordered the tickets last August, we had excellent (eighth row) seats, which allowed us to truly appreciate Rod's many metallic, color-coordinated outfits. Rod is 72 (!!!), but sounds as good as ever. Plus, he is an extremely dynamic performer. Rod has so many hits and the show is only 90 minutes long, but the set list was extremely well curated. I felt like I got to hear most of my favorite songs, and I even enjoyed hearing the ones that didn't mean as much to me because it was clear they were important to Rod. He poured his heart and soul into each and every song. Still, I would have liked the show to be a little bit longer; as it was, the whole thing went by in a bit of a blur. On the other hand, I have the perfect excuse to plan another Vegas trip around seeing Rod. I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing him perform, plus his band was totally awesome – especially the percussionist/harpist, the two female fiddle players, the saxophonist, and the fabulous back-up singers.

Tuxedo II, Tuxedo: As is abundantly clear by now, I will take Mayer Hawthorne in whatever context I can get him, be it via one of his own albums, guest vocals on tracks by some of the best DJs and producers around, or one of Mayer's side projects. Outside of his self-produced solo albums, Tuxedo just happens to be one of my preferred Mayer Hawthorne delivery vehicles. The lead single off of Tuxedo II is, fittingly, "2nd Time Around", which is instantly catchy due to its killer groove. Considering that Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One are the masterminds behind Tuxedo, it is no surprise that the whole album is incredibly strong, packed with smooth 70s-inspired dance tunes and plenty of great horn arrangements. However, in addition to the lead single, there are five tracks that have me hitting repeat or moving the needle back: "Take a Picture", "Rotational", "Shine" (which puts the spotlight on Gavin Turek's fantastic vocals), "Back In Town", and "Livin' 4 Your Lovin'".

Spill: You may not think a play about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill would make for two and a half hours of gripping, thought-provoking theatre, but in fact that is what Spill offers. With a small cast playing a full complement of characters from rig workers and their families to BP executives and local fisherman, Spill captures the human side of an environmental disaster whose lasting effects are almost too staggering to comprehend, while also explaining the technical aspects of the deep water rig and the conditions that led to the rig explosion and the resulting spill. While the set is minimal, well executed video, sound, and lighting design help bring scenes to life, especially those set on the Deepwater Horizon, not least of which is the chaotic moment the explosion occurs. I very much enjoyed being able to "meet" all of the people depicted in this play, as well as learning many new things as I went along with them on their journeys.

The Mercury 13, Martha Ackmann: Continuing with my women-and-the-space-program theme this month, I stumbled upon The Mercury 13 during a trip to The Strand. Of the three books I've read around this subject, this is by far the most overtly feminist, in the best way possible. The Mercury 13 were a group of women who volunteered to undergo the same testing as the men of the Mercury Program, partly spurred on by scientific interest of Randy Lovelace (who oversaw the men's medical exams, and was eager to build up a similar data set on women) and partly due to their own love of flying and their desire to be a part of the burgeoning space program. However, these women faced overwhelming sexism from men at NASA, men in the government (including Lyndon Johnson), and even from one of the most accomplished female pilots of their own generation, who like the men associated with the space program felt that women had nothing to offer and would simply get in the way of the male astronauts. On top of which plenty of scientists and doctors believed that women weren't fit to fly right before, during, or after their menstrual cycle as they were supposedly more clumsy and more likely to crash their planes, among other outrageous beliefs – and this was in the 1960s! Despite the fact that there were several people (i.e. men) in the medical and scientific communities who did see value in testing the stamina and fitness of healthy women (even if they wouldn't be sent into space right away), these 13 passionate women pilots fought for their cause valiantly, and sadly to no avail. The Mercury 13 tells a gripping story of perseverance in the face of adversity and even has a perfectly infuriating villain in the person of Jacqueline Cochran. While this story shows a darker and shameful side to the space program, it is still one that deserves to be told.