January 2014 – Page 3

ART REVIEW: Structures and Space – MCA’S LATEST EXHIBIT SHOWS THE FUTURE OF DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE

January 10, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

'Masters of Architecture (detail),'Design, Bitches 'Heavy,'Design, Bitches 'Radiant Body Globs,' Ball-Nogues Studio Installation view of "Almost Anything Goes: Architecture and Inclusivity" at Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara 'Eye Candy Table (detail),'Atelier Manferdini Museum of Contemporay Art Santa Barbara photos — ‘Masters of Architecture (detail),’Design, Bitches

‘Heavy,’Design, Bitches

‘Radiant Body Globs,’ Ball-Nogues Studio

Installation view of “Almost Anything Goes: Architecture and Inclusivity” at Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara

‘Eye Candy Table (detail),’Atelier Manferdini
Museum of Contemporay Art Santa Barbara photos

In the 21st Century, things have gotten wiggly. Where once a discipline hopper like Warhol was an anomaly, it’s now rare to find an artist working in one medium. The new exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara asks whether a similar breakdown is happening in the architecture and design world, and if affording firms and designers museum space changes the way we see them, or how they see their audience. “Almost Anything Goes” explains the title of the exhibit that opened last week and runs through April 13.

The focus is on Los Angeles artists trained in architecture, the majority with a link to the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC) in downtown L.A. Along with MCA’s Miki Garcia, the exhibit has been curated with Brigitte Kouo, a SCI-ARC graduate.

Teen Star auditions begin in Santa Maria

January 10, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

Skyler Elizabeth Addamo, 16, is interviewed by a panel of judges during Teen Star auditions Thursday at Pioneer Valley High School in Santa Maria.

Twenty aspiring teen singers arrived ready to belt it out in the first round of auditions for this year’s Teen Star competition Thursday at Santa Maria’s Pioneer Valley High School.

The popular event drew singers from seventh to 12th grades. The contestants sang a cappella in front of a panel of judges, including singer-songwriter Patti Castillo, KTYD’s Lin Aubuchon, and Don Katich, director of news operations at the News-Press.

Drink of the Week: Alcazar’s The Bitter Pill

January 9, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

Alvarado Rojas is a busy guy. First there was Chilangos. Though that State Street Mexican joint closed years ago, Mr. Rojas went off and started Milk & Honey, Alcazar on the Mesa and one of our favorite new bars of 2013, the Bourbon Room. On top of that, he’s helped set up Spare Parts Bistro, the pop-up gourmet restaurant.

Ready to explore: The SBIFF announces its 2014 slate and unveils its poster

January 8, 2014August 31, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

Barbara Boros unveils the poster for the 29th annual Santa Barbara international Film Festival on Tuesday. "Exploration" is the theme — Barbara Boros unveils the poster for the 29th annual Santa Barbara
international Film Festival on Tuesday. “Exploration” is the theme

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Tuesday announced “Exploration” as the main theme for this year’s 11-day celebration of stars and films.

For stargazers, the 29th annual event runs Jan. 30 through Feb. 9 and promises many of Hollywood’s biggest actors.

Cate Blanchett will arrive Feb. 1 for her tribute evening. After that the Virtuosos (Feb. 4) features up-and-coming actors Daniel Brühl, Adele Exarchopoulos, Oscar Isaac, Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson, Jared Leto, and June Squibb.

Stars get ready: Teen Star prepares to audition Santa Barbara County hopefuls for annual show

January 8, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

Allie Nixon, left, 2013 Teen Star Santa Barbara, and Rachel LaCommare, the 2012 winner, pose together during the Fourth Annual Media Launch event on Tuesday night at Santa Barbara Sound Design Studios.

Five years in, Santa Barbara County’s Teen Star talent competition keeps rising. Joe Lambert’s nonprofit has gone from a small show at Santa Barbara High School to a major event at the Granada Theatre, and the winners have gone on to recording contracts and industry interest.

As thanks to the media and to announce this year’s competition, Teen Star threw a music-filled press conference Tuesday night at Santa Barbara Sound Design on Haley Street, the studio owned by Dom Camardella that has recorded Depeche Mode, Ottmar Liebert and Olivia-Newton John, among others.

A most generous man: Fellow stars honor Forest Whitaker at SBIFF’s fundraising gala

January 6, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

Although it had been postponed several weeks, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival held its annual fundraiser Sunday night at the Bacara Resort & Spa, presenting the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film to actor, director and producer Forest Whitaker. The sit-down dinner and black-tie affair was planned for Dec. 15, but scheduling conflicts pushed the event to the first week of 2014, less than a month away from the Festival itself, which begins Jan. 30.

This event, in its eighth year, is a more subdued affair than the similar celebrity awards evenings that draw thousands to the Festival. In place of a sit-down interview in front of theater audiences, the evening gives the podium over to fellow actors and directors to speak about the honoree, with some words from the star himself. And the Bacara, with tables named after select Whitaker films – from “Good Morning, Vietnam” to “Ghost Dog,” was the place to do it, far away from downtown.

One Big Family – VAUD AND THE VILLIANS BRING AN OLD-FASHIONED, GOOD-TIME PARTY TO SOHO

January 3, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

It’s kind of hard to say what it is,” says one of Vaud and the Villains’ musicians who goes by the name One String, when asked to describe the group in a video interview a few years old. “It’s vaudeville. It’s just this side of theater; it’s Americana.”

The 19-piece group comes to SOhO this Sunday for their first proper, late-night, Santa Barbara gig after having spent the last five years building notoriety in their native Los Angeles. The creation of married couple Andy Carneau and Dawn Lewis, Vaud and the Villains is a dream of a band that might have existed in the 1920s or 1930s, a mix of races and styles, of Dustbowl and traveling medicine show, all acoustic, but loud and raucous as hell, playing the American version of Joe Strummer’s “Three Chords and the Truth.” But a Vaud and the Villains performance is also a show, with a narrator (Mr. Carneau) and characters with fictional backstories, as well as dance routines. (Mr. Carneau is fond of quoting Oscar Wilde to explain the fictional group: “Every saint has a past while every sinner has a future.”)

Drink of the Week: Sly’s Old Man

January 2, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

Photo by Nik Blaskovich

We feel bad when we miss Sly’s annual celebration of Repeal Day. (It happens that we’re celebrating it our own way. ‘Nuff said.) So we rectified that before the end of the year by swinging by the venerable Carpinteria joint and pleading with Mandy Huffaker Chinn for a copy of their coveted secret cocktail list. This is the list that only true Repealers get to see, and we’re fortunate to be on it. Some of the drinks come from the history books, some are nicked from fellow mixologists around the country, and some are created behind the bar here. We like to keep it local, so that’s what we tried.

First up was a spin on the classic agua fresca, the Horchata. Instead, the H(orgeat)a uses Sobieski cinnamon vodka, Sly’s homemade orgeat syrup (they make a lot of it for mai tais), half ‘n half, and nutmeg on top. It matches the creamy and sweet goodness of the original, but the almond orgeat really stands out. The “Thursday” was named after two regulars who were looking for a “gluten free” cocktail, which restricts them to rum, really. But Ms. Chinn includes Aperol, Tuaca, and pineapple juice. The Aperol is there to stop things from becoming too sweet, and the juice creates a nice frothy head. But our favorite was the Old Man, which is perfect for “shouting at the kids on your lawn,” according to the list. It is a very mature and subtle mix of rye, applejack and green chartreuse, and the cocktail – from Mandy and her brother-in-law Jack – is supposed to elicits memories of Old Spice and wood. We didn’t feel too crotchety, but we loved it and think it’s the best way to start the New Year.

OLD MAN
1 1/2 oz. Old Overholt Rye
3/4 oz. Laird’s Applejack
3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse
Shake over ice and strain into coupe glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

SLY’S
686 Linden Ave., Carpinteria 684-6666
slysonline.com