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Blog Post

Straight Outta Compton, the Movie

by manz

This time of year is full of “top tens” for best books, albums, movies and more. This summer’s bio-drama Straight Outta Compton was one of my favorite films of the year and will be released in a few weeks and the holds are already gathering for it.

The film chronicles the formation and rise of legendary rap group NWA in the mid-80s through their more turbulent years. The film gets emotional as it digs into the violence, drugs, racial tension, eventual fame, and the interpersonal relationships with each other and their manager and the role that these things played in their lives and music.

Unknown actors gave exceptional performances as the NWA members, with Ice Cube’s son O'Shea Jackson, Jr. playing his dad – and in looks and essence he knocked it outta the park. This film had me laughing and crying and cheering in ways I didn’t expect.

To keep things humming, check out Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre, as well as the original Straight Outta Compton album from 1988.

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Blog Post

Underrated Music of 2015

by bengelty

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the never-ending cascade of ‘Best of’ lists being released this time of year? Do you need new tunes to tide you over until Adele’s latest makes it way down the hold list? If you answered yes to either question, then check out these albums in our catalog, which you may have missed in 2015!

Hop Along – Painted Shut
Philadelphia based rock quartet Hop Along released their second album, Painted Shut, among a chorus of squealing guitars and thudding drum beats. The band’s focal point, however, is the unforgettable voice of lead singer Frances Quinlan, who both howls and whispers her way through this powerful album. If you like bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, Brand New, or even Nirvana, be sure to check these guys out.

Leon Bridges – Coming Home
Check out this soul/gospel record from Fort Worth, TX crooner Leon Bridges and be transported back to the 1960s. Stand-out tracks like "Lisa Sawyer" and "Smooth Sailin'" highlight Bridges' bluesy, retro feel. Coming Home is an absolute must listen for fans of Sam Cooke or Otis Redding (or fans of music in general).

Shamir – Ratchet
I defy you to keep your toes from tapping along to the debut album from baby-faced singer Shamir. By overlaying an infectious mix of disco, dance-hall, and R&B with a voice that CMJ called “unclassifiable”, this wunderkind from Vegas has crafted an eminently danceable hit, that is weird in the best possible way.

Natalie Prass – Natalie Prass
While on its face a break-up album, the tracks on this self-titled CD from singer-songwriter Natalie Prass sound more triumphant than self-defeating. The blazing horns and heart-tugging strings courtesy of backing band Spacebomb augment Prass’ lilting, pleading vocals, and give her devastating lyrics a bit of added grandeur. For fans of Dusty Springfield or the more contemporary Sharon Van Etten, this album will hit all the right notes.

Be sure to keep an eye on the AADL's lists for New CDs and Hot CDs, and happy listening!

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Blog Post

Frank Sinatra Turns 100

by amy

Saturday, December 12, marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ol’ Blue Eyes -- The Chairman of the Board -- The Voice: Frank Sinatra. One of the greatest musical artists of his generation, Sinatra was the definitive stylist of mid 20th-century vocal music. He went from the romantic crooner to big band and swing and he’s unequivocally the performance artist of the 20th century. His closest analog is Elvis Presley, but take a look at any of their films and decide for yourself who had the better film career. And as for song, it's generally conceded that Sinatra is the definitive interpreter of the Great American Songbook.

Coming to his vocal stylings through jazz and swing -- he credits such greats as Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald as inspiration -- Sinatra’s early interpretive hallmark was to slow the tempo down enough to bring a vulnerable quality to his ballads that had a powerful effect on his listeners.

In the late 1940s Sinatra suffered image problems, in part from from his torrid relationship with actress Ava Gardner, and was dropped by his agent and label. But in 1953 he roared back to fame with an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his sensitive portrayal of Angelo Maggio in From Here To Eternity, followed by a decade of other successful films.

But best of all is the swinging Sinatra of the 1950s and 1960s; in particular his brilliant collaboration with orchestra leader Nelson Riddle, when he’s in complete control of song choice, tempo, and interpretation. If there's a single Sinatra album that encapsulates his life and career, try his homage to Gardner, In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning. Heartbreak has never sounded so good.

Not convinced? Check out Why Sinatra Matters.

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Blog Post

Listen to this book!

by Lucy S

Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl

Length 7 hrs and 4 mins

Author: Carrie Brownstein

Narrator:Carrie Brownstein

Carrie Brownstein, musician (Sleater-Kinney), actress (Portlandia, Transparent) and author, does an excellent job of narrating her new book, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl. What could be read as flat on the page, in Brownstein’s singular voice becomes anecdotic and reflective. Though her telling, we get a sense of Brownstein’s self-deprecating humor and sharp wit. I found myself laughing at stories of her early performances for family and friends. Her nuanced narrative voice well conveys the angst and misdirection she felt in her early 20s starting out on the music scene in Olympia, Washington and the Pacific Northwest. She provides an unflinchingly honest look at herself both as a child and an adult. Brownstein speaks with candor about her mother’s eating disorder and hospitalization for such and her father’s coming out as a gay man. In later chapters she doesn’t shy away from the not-so-glamorous facets of life on the road as part of her band, Sleater-Kinney. She speaks of the intensity of her relationship with bandmate Corin Tucker, the pain of their break-up, of being publicly outed in a magazine article, and of the difficulty of navigating a break-up while remaining in a band with her ex. Her accomplished writing is filled with anecdotes that run the full gamut of her emotional landscape, yet she stays away from sentimentality.

Her focus on music and her role in it are the meat of most of this book. This means that we get a dissection of many of Sleater-Kinney’s songs and albums, from their creation to performance. For Sleater-Kinney fans, this book is a must. A review in The Guardian says of Brownstein’s book that “...it delivers its goods in what I can only describe as a compellingly depressive register, which sounds like an insult but isn’t. By keeping her affect flat, Brownstein is able to avoid melodrama, a good thing because there are elements of her life story she could have frothed up into soap...Brownstein’s way of telling those stories is from a rather intellectualized, even aestheticized, distance.” I agree, as listening to a recording of this book, as read by Brownstein, furnished me with an entirely different experience than reading it on the page. I highly recommend checking out the audio version of this book.

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Performers

Musical Instrument Petting Zoo!

Wednesday July 27, 2016: 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Downtown Library: Secret Lab, Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room
Preschool - Grade 5

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Preschool Storytimes

Twinkletoes!

Sunday February 7, 2016: 1:00pm to 1:30pm
Downtown Library: Youth Story Corner
Ages 2-5

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Blog Post

The Carnival At Bray

by manz

A 2015 Printz Honor Award winner, the teen novel The Carnival At Bray is Jessie Ann Foley’s first novel, and it’s beautifully written.

It’s 1993 and grunge, flannel, Doc Martens, and the music of Nirvana swirl through the air like sweat during a mosh pit at a Smashing Pumpkin's show. 16 year old Maggie Lynch moves from Chicago to Ireland with her family, thanks to her serial dating mother’s new relationship. Maggie initially survives on care packages of Twizzlers and Spin magazines from her young rocker uncle whom she cares for the most. Her time is spent missing her uncle, dealing with a new school, hanging out at the carnival, trying to make friends, and finding a boy for a first kiss. But eventually there are larger things to deal with.

It’s a book of love and loss. Of first love, learning to be who you are, figuring out how you fit into your dysfunctional family, and ultimately learning that life was meant to be lived.

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Blog Post

Love and Mercy

by manz

The film Love and Mercy is a bit of a music biopic that sheds light on the story of Beach Boys’. singer and songwriter Brian Wilson. He is wonderfully portrayed by Paul Dano and John Cusack at two very different stages of Wilson’s life and the split storyline darts in and out, detailing Wilson’s workflow, anxiety, and musical genius. In the end it shows Wilson in the 1980s as a very broken man under the overbearing care of his therapist Eugene Landy, and then the inevitable release of this care which leads to where he is today. It’s a well done story and it was great to hear all the Beach Boys. music throughout the film. Those boys sure can harmonize.

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Public Event

Around the World in 30 Instruments with Four Shillings Short - NEW LOCATION

Monday November 9, 2015: 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Downtown Library: 1st Floor Lobby
Grade 6 - Adult

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Public Event

Electronic Music Production with Mike Huckaby

Wednesday September 30, 2015: 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Downtown Library: Training Center
Adults And Teens In Grade 6 And Up.