Staff Picks: Deep cuts with Violent Femmes and a head-spinning twist on Fantasia
Folk-punk classics live and classical music brought to psychedelic life.
Matt Schimkowitz, a fan of Violent Femmes since college, attended their current "45 Years Of Violent Femmes" tour, which includes a four-night residency at the Bellwether in Los Angeles. The tour features their first two albums in their entirety, a performance that Schimkowitz found thrilling. Hallowed Ground, the band's haunting second LP, was a standout, with its religious terror-laced lyrics and live energy.
The band's musicianship was exceptional, with Gordon Gano cycling through instruments and Brian Ritchie delivering impressive bass solos. The concert concluded with fan-favorites "I Held Her In My Arms" and "American Music."
Erik Adams, an animation enthusiast, attended the restored screening of Bruno Bozzetto's Allegro Non Troppo, which he described as a parody of Disney's Fantasia. However, he found the film to be far more earnest and technically accomplished. Bozzetto's visualizations of classical compositions, often in reaction to the toil and pressures of animation, rival the psychedelic masterpiece that is Fantasia. Adams recommends catching a screening of Allegro Non Troppo for fans of cartoons and classical music alike.
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