Local Artist: Hindu Pirates

What do you get when you mix 1 part teenage angst with 2 parts rock n' roll, 3 parts talent, and a shot of surf/punk style? Hindu Pirates. Hindu Pirates are a group of 5 Huntington Beach guys (Austin Ferreira - vocals, Casey Snyder - lead guitar, Derek Bostelman -bass, Ben Tinsley - drums, Joey LoBasso - rhythm guitar) fresh out of high school and ready to channel their raging hormones and zest for life into something more than a 5 year stint at Saddleback or OCC. These guys are going to climb that rock and roll stairway to heaven.

I got to see the amazingly talented quintet at the House of Blues Anaheim just last week. Many bands go their whole careers without getting to play such a well-known venue and these guys are checking it off their bucket list before they've even got fully grown facial hair. It's quite an accomplishment, not to mention a testament to the quality of their music. Hindu Pirates shared the bill with some of the finest bands in this fair county: The Union Line (just embarking on their national tour with Local Natives), Rye Douglas Band, Pacific Hurt (comprised of former members of Aushua), and Kiev. The show was amazing - nothing less than what I expected from such a lineup - But what impressed me most was seeing Hindu Pirates live for the first time. I had already been listening to their first full length album, Pelican Daze, the week prior to the show, so I was interested to see how they would fare in a live setting. They did not disappoint.

[Pelican Daze Album Artwork]

As my friends and I leaned against the upper balcony of the HOB, looking down upon the scene below, we could not help but turn to each other every five minutes, if not every minute, to say "I can't believe these guys are just out of high school." Captained by their fearless frontman, Austin Ferreira (clad in matching captains shirt), the Hindu Pirates never betrayed their age (or lack thereof), owning the stage like a bunch of well seasoned veterans. The way Ferreira manhandled and screamed at that mic stand would have made Mel Gibson proud. Hindu Pirates' sound is very reminiscent of The Walkmen, The Subways and The Libertines, or what those guys would have sounded like had they grown up in sunny SoCal rather than soggy old England or NYC. Raspy, sliding, hungry vocals are mixed with danceable garage rock drum beats, Dick Dale-esque distorted surf rock guitar, bouncing bass lines, and simply good lyrics about what else - girls and dancing. They're not trying to be the next Bono - they're just trying to make good music people can dance to. They're 18 with a music vengeance, and you'll want to be a part of their vendetta.


Head over to their myspace to fill your eardrums and stay up to date on upcoming Hindu Pirates shows. They have a show coming up this Sunday at 1:00 in the back lot of the Huntington Beach Surfing Museum. They even make house calls. As their myspace page says, "We want to be the soundtrack for your next big rager!" House of Blues Anaheim one day and Bobby Smith's 18th Birthday the next... it's the roller coaster ride that is adolescence. 


Pelican Daze Key Tracks: "Pretty Little Lady", "Huntington Hop", "Choo Choo", and "Gun in Hand"


- Amy


On my iTunes: Hindu Pirates' "Choo Choo"

Greg MacGillivray is at it again..."Arabia"

Last Thursday we were invited to the friends and family screening of Laguna Beach IMAX mastermind Greg MacGillivray’s newest IMAX 3D film Arabia. Yep, we’re friends. Not “let’s go out and T.P. Billy’s house and then braid each other’s hair” friends. But friends nonetheless. We interviewed Greg a year or so ago, and since then we’ve been kept in the loop of his magnificent life in the IMAX film biz.

Arabia was a film that MacGillivray and his team made after being approached with the idea by a group of Arab businessmen who did extensive work in America. The businessmen realized that Americans had a very limited, if not slightly tainted, view of the Middle East and Saudi Arabia. They wanted to put together a film that delved into the culture, history, music, landscape, religion and life of Saudi Arabia - a.k.a. the parts of Saudi Arabia you’ll never hear about on Fox News.

[Still from the movie: the abandoned city of Madain Selah.]

The resulting package that MacGillivray Freeman Films put together was a lot more than just a movie, it was an all-inclusive educational package including a supporting book on Arabia, and a 29-page Educator’s Resource & Activity Guide to be used by teacher’s in conjunction with the film. MacGillivray and his posse are bent on shedding some light on “a land precious few outsiders will ever visit, a world cloaked in myth, mystery and misinformation,” as the film website states. “Frequently in the headlines yet rarely captured by cameras, it sparks endless curiosity... [Arabia is] the first major film production to be granted access to more than 20 locations across Saudi Arabia.” Plus, it’s in 3D.

[Still from the movie: Aerial coverage of the Grand Mosque in Makkah during the Hajj when around 3 million Mulsims gather for four days in peace and prayer. Those little dots are all people!]

The Middle East hasn’t gotten this good of PR since Disney’s Aladdin. And as much as Robin Williams’s lamp-locked humor and Alan Menken’s amazing soundtrack (who didn’t love “A Whole New World”?) did for the area, I’m going to have to say that this film is going to do a lot more. Especially in a time as this, when interest in the area is at an all time high, and understanding of the area at an all time low.

[Still from the movie: Coral Reefs in the Red Sea]

Speaking of the music, Steve Wood worked on Arabia’s soundtrack and the music is beautiful. Turns out the Arabic musical scales have triple the notes we do. Which means that all the singers sound like Eastern Mariah Careys – hitting notes and doing runs through more notes than there are on a piano.  You can hear a montage of the music here.

Check out Arabia’s website for more info. The closest theater showing Arabia is about 6+ hours away in San Jose at The Tech Museum of Innovation. But hey, make a day/weekend out of it. To check out more of the adventures and cinema magic of Lagun beach MacGillivray Freeman Films, visit their website here.

Cheers,

Jen

On My iPod: “The Outdoor Type” by The Lemonheads

Newport Beach Film Fest

Keeping in tune with what my lovely co-worker Amy blogged about on Friday, I'm here today to remind you that the Newport Beach Film Festival is continuing to show hand-selected films through this Thursday night. It's not too late to get out to Newport and take part in an excellent film series!

The NBFF staffers were kind enough to set aside some press passes for the Gazette (could it have been our article on the history of the Festival in the April issue that did the charm?), so I went out to the Edwards of Fashion Island on Sunday (one of the main theater venues for the Festival) and attended the Fairy Tale/Fantasy Shorts. In about an hour and a half, I saw six short films (between 15-20 minutes each) that fit under the Fairy Tale/Fantasy genre. Without giving away too much- no spoiler alert here- I'll say that I was enchanted as Snow White went on trial, a ghost appeared to a WWI soldier, a 10 year-old boy escaped into adventures of "Adam Avenger," a goofy Glenn Owen Dodds showed that he was G.O.D., a young boy found out about his dad's true super-identity, and Patrick Warburton kicked some serious fanny in a spoof of action movies.

This is all just to tickle your taste buds and entice you to get out there yourself. You can see some great films and support a whole slew of sponsors (from the city of Newport Beach to the Daily Pilot to the Chamber of Commerce to Absolut Vodka) in the process! The Festival is populated by sponsors, filmmakers, actors, and film aficionados alike, so you'll be rubbing elbows with all kinds! At the screening I attended on Sunday, there was a 30 minute Q&A time with directors/producers from four out of the five shorts. This helped shed a lot of light on the film making process, the challenges of making a film, insight into artistic decisions made, and an idea of the finances required to make a film.

Film screenings are typically $15/person, and there are also a few after-parties you can buy food/drink-inclusive tickets to.

Click here for the schedule grid (once there, scroll to the top of the page to pick a day)
Click here for the Festival program- a list of the 300+ films and their synopses.

Let us know which films you're interested in seeing! We hope to see you there!

-Blythe
on my blip: Fanfarlo's "The Walls are Coming Down"

This Weekend: NBFF

Here at The OC Gazette we take pride in our dedication to finding you, our faithful readers, the most interesting local events going on in our community. Even more than that, we love finding you uber fun (insert shaka here) events that won’t put a harsh on your wallet’s vibe. Therefore, following you will find a list of FREE film screenings going on at the Newport Beach Film Festival this weekend:

[Stagecoach]

For all you cowboys:

See Stagecoach, 1939

Director: John Ford

Starring: Claire Trevor, and OC’s own John Wayne.

Premise: n the town of Tonto in the 1880's, a motley group of strangers boards an eastbound stagecoach to the New Mexico Territory. The simple stagecoach trip is complicated by the fact that Geronimo is on the warpath in the area. The passengers on the coach include a drunken doctor, two women, a bank manager who has taken off with his client's money, and the famous Ringo Kid, among others. They come across the Ringo Kid, whose horse had become lame and left him on foot, and he's taken into custody. When they reach Dry Fork, they are informed that the expected cavalry detachment has moved on to Apache Wells. The passengers have to decide whether to press on or turn back.

When: Sunday, April 25^th, 11AM, Edwards Islands 4

For all you anarchists, misfits, hooligans, rebels without cause, young’ns, and anyone else:

See any of the shorts in the Youth Film Showcase presented by OC-based action sports company Volcom. It’s a collection of shorts all done by teenagers 18 and younger.

When: Sunday April 25^th, 4:30PM, Edwards Islands 6

See the list of films and their premises here.

For all you mini-Spielbergs, Coppolas, and Elfmans: 

Check out the FREE Seminar Series: Vision and Craft: The Art of Filmmaking. The Series includes 3 Different Seminars to get you prepped and ready for becoming the next Spielberg.

10:30am-12:30am: Screenwriting: Beyond The Blank Page

12:30-2:30pm: Directing: Life at the Helm

2:30-4:30pm: Film Music Composition: Music In Motion

*Authors Note: Get there early, because it’s first come first serve, and things might end up looking like the LA riots with people fighting for a seat.

See you at the fest movie goers!

- Amy

On my iPod: U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (The Rattle and Hum version. What the hey, just check it out below.)

Currently loving: Vintage Bakeshop

Here are some things that I'm loving right now (in a purely platonic but highly enraptured way):

1. Alfred Hitchcock films, namely Notorious, my favorite of his flicks which I watched last night. The film is gripping, romantic, tragic, twisted. It pulls at about every emotion the psyche has to offer. Ingrid Bergman shines in the film as a woman torn between victim and heroine. She practically outshines the handsome Cary Grant who plays alongside her in the film. Fun fact about the film and Hitchcock's hobby of pushing social boundaries: The legendary kiss between Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in Notorious, an on-again off-again necking that lasts for the duration of practically a whole scene, was designed to skirt the Hayes Code that restricted kisses to no more than three seconds each in film productions. Below is the old trailer for the movie.

2. Meat Pies. My doctor's office is located in Los Alamitos right next to a gem of a dining destination called The Pasty Kitchen. Don't judge the concept of meat pies before tasting; Or at least call to the stand a British witness before passing judgment. These pies are delicious flaky croissant-like rolls filled with either chicken or beef, and potatoes and veggies. It's as authentically English as The Queen of England. My favorite description of the Kitchen's meat pies is by an OC Weekly reviewer: "a dish riddled with mystery meat and wrapped in a tasty enigma." The Pasty Kicthen: 3641 Katella Ave, Los Alamitos, CA 90720. (562) 431-9747

3. Vintage Bakeshop! Tawnya Zebrowski of Rancho Santa Margarita is a baking enthusiast and devotee to the mastery of the perfect cupcake. "Vintage Bakeshop is my little company that evolved from a long line of baking enthusiasts," says Tawnya. "Some of my fondest childhood memories are in the kitchen watching intently while my grandmother turned flour and sugar into a masterpiece." Talk about legit. All natural baking really is a lost art in an age of Little Debbie Cakes (I'm the first sucker for the delicious Sugar, Corn Syrup and Enriched Bleached Flour that make up this heavenly morsel, but my body is saying, "please no more!").

Vintage Bakeshop specializes in gourmet cupcake mix favors. Tawnya's mixes are individually handmade with the finest ingredients available. You can choose from delicious flavors like Red Velvet (made with Nielsen-Massey Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla and just a hint of cocoa), champagne, chocolate mint, ginger spice and the classic vanilla and chocolate.

The best part, you can get the mixes presented as custom gift favors for any occasion. Gift Favors include Gift Boxes, Baking Mix and a custom designed label! They're such a cute and delicious idea for birthday favors, wedding or show favors, or corporate gifts.

Tawnya has sent us a gift basket of handmade rice crispy treats before. They were so delicious I had to have three 5"x5" sweet and savory mallow squares. In one hour. I'm warning you from experience, proceed toward these desserts with caution.

Tawnya shares recipes with The Gazette readers each month. This month, unfortunately a typo mixed up her delicious recipe into something that would be very buttery. So below you'll find the CORRECT recipe for Super Easy Low Fat Fruit Cobbler.

Super Easy Low Fat Fruit Cobbler
The holidays may be over, but you can still have dessert!

Ingredients:
½ Cup Flour
½ Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Skim Milk
1 Tablespoon Butter or Butter Substitute (cut into small pieces)
2 Cups Fruit (fresh, frozen or canned)

Preheat oven to 350°. Pour fruit into a 9 inch pie plate. Combine remaining ingredients (except butter) in a small bowl and pour over fruit. Dot with butter or butter substitute (optional). Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Visit Tawnya online at www.VintageBakeshop.com or check out her blog www.StylishGiving.com.

-Jen

On my iPod: "Love" from Disney's Robin Hood (did you hear this song playing in the background at one point in Fantastic Mr. Fox? What a delightful throwback).

Sherlock Holmes: Movie Review

I always wondered who goes to opening movies on Christmas day.  Don't people have families?  Or holiday functions to go to?  I never understood how standing in line with tons of strangers to sit in a dark room for 2 hours classified as family bonding. Well, I'm here to eat my words.

Since I heard that Guy Richie was directing a movie with Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Mark Strong and Rachel McAdams about one of the greatest fictional characters of all time, I have been dying to see Sherlock Holmes. It opened on  Christmas Day and for the first time in my 23 years on this earth I not only wanted to go to the theatres on Christmas day for opening day of a film, but I convinced the rest of the family that it was a great chance for family bonding. I didn't believe that one bit, but upon leaving the theater we were all laughing and talking and reciting our favorite lines. Low and behold, we were bonding. I must say, however, that I believe that that was mostly owing to the fact that Sherlock Holmes was such a fine film.

It mixed all the great characteristics of the usual Guy Ritchie films like Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels with the epic adventure style of director greats like Spielberg. Imagine Indiana Jones meets Snatch. Sounds amazing doesn't it? Guy Richie's signature was all over the movie, just in a much more polished and large scale manner. You still had the amazing slow motion fighting scenes, at least one Irish folk drinking song, and of course the movie was set in the underworld of London Town with some of the greatest, quirkiest villains I've seen in a Richie film yet (I still think I love Vinnie Jones as Big Chris in Lock Stock best though).

It was really interesting how Robert Downey Jr. played Holmes. Having read the books, I've always seen Sherlock Holmes as a polished, suave, genius with impeccable style, and Watson as the smart but not so intuitive, rotund sidekick. That's how the movies generally portray them too. You can always count on Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. to shake things up. Downey Jr. plays Holmes as a hard drinking and unkept detective who's so brilliant he's a social cripple, almost on the verge of insanity. And it's amazing! The relationship between Holmes and Watson, played by Jude Law, is just classic. Watson is the intelligent doctor and somewhat unwilling right hand man to Holmes on all of his crazy endeavors. Where the literary duo has been typically portrayed as a sophisticated pair of intellectuals, Downey Jr. and Law play the team off as a bickering pair of best friends, both brilliant and both polar opposites, who fight like brothers and know just how to push each others' buttons. With a duo of such wits and character, hillarity and adventure obviously ensues.

If you haven't seen it yet, you have to! Not one person in my ecclectic family didn't like it. Even our English family friend (who was very wary of an American playing Holmes) laughed all the way through and ended up singing the praises of the film and Robert Downey Jr. It really is a movie for the whole family. If you don't want to take my word for it, check out the trailer below and you'll be a believer. How can you go wrong with Guy Ritchie and such an all star cast? It's elementary my dear Watson.

- Amy
On my iTunes right now: Dashboard Confessional's "Swiss Army Romance." (Takin' it back.)

Fantastic Mr. Fox & The Gazette

Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing Wes Anderson's new stop-motion animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox, adapted from Roald Dahl's classic children's novel. To my great surprise, in the movie, Mr. Fox works for The Gazette! Call it a shameless plug for the magazine; I have something in common with this suave and sneaky animal. "There's something kind of fantastic about that, isn't there?"

I cannot recommend this film enough. It is an adventure from start to end, complete with bandit hats, hunting beagle security, whistling, clicking and "the meanest, ugliest, nastiest farmers in the valley". In brief, the plot plays like this: Mr. Fox devises a master plan to save his family from attack by three evil farmers, Boggis, Bunce and Beans.

As if Wes Anderson's stellar cast (George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe), wonderful soundtrack, beautiful sets, warm colors, incredible attention to detail and witty script weren't enough to prove that he is a creative genius, he brilliantly replaces all profanity with the word "cuss". (Examples: What the cuss? Cluster cuss. Graffitied cuss.) Oh so silly and smart. Whether 5, 15 or 85, this movie will entertain everyone. Take your little brother, a friend or even your next door neighbor. I took my dad. He ate popcorn, I ate nachos. We giggled the entire time. Fantastic Mr. Fox really is fantastic. Watch the preview below!



- Sara
Listening to "Street Fighting Man" by The Rolling Stones

7 Reasons not to fear Friday the 13th

"Very Superstitious." Aren't we all, Stevie? Especially on that very rare occaison when Friday falls on the 13th. Maybe it's Jason the hockey masked serial killer, maybe it's the fact that over 80% of skyrises don't have a 13th floor, maybe it's the fact that reputable institutions like hospitals and hotels don't have rooms numbered 13. How can we be expected not to turn irrational over these things when even the powers that be seem to fear the number?! Well I am here to give you 7 simple reasons not to fear this day of Friday the 13th so that you can go out, drive your car and enjoy your Friday night accordingly!

1. The Lakers are best in the west again. Even without big man Pau Gasol, who will likely be out till Christmas (but we won't talk about that since this blog is meant to be about the brighter side of this dreary day), Kobe and the Lake Show breezed past Nash and the Phoenix Suns, winning 121 to 102 last night. Sure Phoenix was just coming off of a tough schedule, but even fresh as daisies, the outcome would have been no different. If we can do this without one of our best players, and one of the best power forwards in the league, think of how unstoppable we will be after Christmas! I can already see the locker room champagne shower and Phil wearing his custom "XI" cap.

2. Pirate Radio comes out this weekend. This movie looks awesome. It's based on the true story of a group of DJs who set up shop just off the shores of England on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic and illegally blasted rock n' roll (which was banned at the time) over the airwaves. Our sales manager Candice lived in London during this time and remembers listening to Radio Caroline while she was stationed there with her husband who was in the service. "It was funny, because it would go off the air for a few days every now and then because the feds would get onto where they were at," Candice reminisced. With such a premise and an ensemble of amazingly hilarious actors that includes Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Nick Frost and Bill Nighy, I can't imagine this movie will not be good.

3. You are still reading this blog. That means your alive and kicking! It may be a cursed day but you've survived thus far.

4. It's casual Friday! I always think of that episode of The Office about how Michael Scott started Casual Friday just so that he could wear his favorite pair of Levis. There's nothing better and more comforting than a comfortable pair of denims. Even if you cross the path of a black cat, drop a mirror, fall and break your leg, or fall prey to whatever other superstitious calamity today supposedly brings, at least you will do it in the comfort and style of your favorite pair of jeans instead of that itchy polyester blend suit.

5. It finally feels like fall! We all love the benefit of almost year round summer weather here in Orange County, but isn't sweater weather fun every now and again? The best part about autumn in SoCal? It's still warm. Autumn in NY is 30 to 40 degrees with a wind chill factor of 20 degrees. We are living the dream people. Check out Jen's guide to enjoying this fall/winter weather - trust me, you want to!

6. It's Still 2009! With the opening of 2012 on one of the most cursed of days, people are freaked. But hey, look on the bright side - if you believe in the Mayan calendar, we've got two more years! I personally don't, but this movie looks terrifying none the less. So the bright side for me is that at least this movie's got John Cusack. Remember The Sure Thing? Or the loveable Lloyd Dobbler of Say Anything? Who could forget the "In Your Eyes" scene? Where John Cusack is involved, there is nothing to be afraid of.

7. It's Movember. November is the month of the mustache. I love a good mustache. There's nothing more manly or rugged. They are glorious. Except when on women. Although I think Jen and I wear one fairly well (I'm the twin on the left). My favorite 'staches: Tom Sellick, George Parros, Daniel Day Lewis as Bill The Butcher (my favorite), Burt Reynolds, and the list goes on.

- Amy

On my iTunes: Buddy Holly and The Crickets' "That'll Be The Day"

Why Does Everyone Want To Be Michael Cerra: A Movie Review on 500 Days of Summer

I love movies. I especially love movies where characters burst out into a song and dance number mid-scene. I can't help it, I was raised on musicals. I blame my mother for it. Whoever said, "you are  a product of your environment" was right, and I'm exhibit A. So when Joseph Gordon-Levitt as angsty Tom Hansen, clad in a sweater vest and puma sneaks, breaks out into dance to the tune of You Make My Dreams by Hall & Oats, I knew I was going to love 500 Days of Summer. I had no doubts about loving it when I saw the trailer; I had no doubts about it when me and my friends decided to see it this past weekend; I had no doubts about it when I bought the ticket; But once we got to preview number three in the theater and it was another "indie flick" trying to be the next Wes Anderson, I began to worry. There's only ONE Wes Anderson. No one will ever match The Royal Tenenbaums or Rushmore. That's his style. Get your own. I actually blame it all on Juno. I think I was the only person who didn't like that movie. I understand why everybody liked it and it wasn't that bad, but now the theaters are clogged with actors trying to be Michael Cera and Ellen Page, with films that are trying way too hard to do self-loathing, under-achieving, awkward, normalcy. So I was worried I was going to have to sit through one of the said wanna-be films.

The movie begins. A black screen with writing in the bottom left corner:   "Author's Note: The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman. [Followed by an expletive I don't think I'm allowed to write in this blog. Use your imagination]"  Cut to music and narrator. Everyone in the audience was laughing that knowing laugh - that 'I've-been-there-too' laugh.  Then a narrator begins to speak. It sounds just like Alec Baldwin narrating Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums. Sigh. 

The movie follows Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an underachieving 20-something who has a degree in Architecture but is stuck writing one liners at a greeting card company in NYC. Then there's Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel), the cute new secretary with baby blue eyes and throw back 60's hair. It's love at first sight - well for Tom. Eventually a relationship ensues after bonding during a work party at a karaoke bar, despite the fact that Summer says she doesn't want anything serious. The movie cleverly jumps from the end of the relationship to the beginning, filling in the middle pieces as it goes along, with the narrator jumping in now and then to keep the story grounded and clear as it chronicles the couples fateful end. The storyline isn't deep by any means. It's more or less like a group of snapshots- each giving you little insights to certain moments in their relationship, each revealing a little more about the characters and how it all went wrong. It was fun knowing how it started and how it would end. It was like we were in on a joke that even the characters weren't in on yet. It made each scene like a little clue. So even if at times it did push the line of "tyring-too-hard-to-be-indie" [Note the crazy pants Zooey's character wears when she's introduced and the typical "You love the Smiths too?!" line] it was well balanced with moments that we could all relate to.

Overall, I loved the movie. Maybe because I saw a little of my old self in Zooey Deschanel's character, maybe because I always wanted a boyfriend who went to IKEA with me [if you see the movie you'll understand my reference], or maybe just because I love musical interludes. Whatever it was, I enjoyed it. And I like the message they left us viewers with as well: 1. There is such thing as love. (Kind of a 'duh'.) 2. Loving someone that's real, peculiarities and idiosyncrasies included, is so much better than chasing after Mr. or Mrs. Perfect. Or in this case I guess it was more of, loving someone that's real is better than getting abused by Mr. or Mrs. Perfect who ends up actually being a [enter previously unnamed explative in here].

-Amy

On my iPod: The Smiths' Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me  (Yeah, yeah.... I know.)