The hills of SLO County are alive …

Fans of “The Sound of Music” have two great opportunities to enjoy the warm, wonderful musical this month.
Tonight, there’s a special screening of the 1965 movie starring Julie Andrews at the Fremont Theatre.
The movie starts at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Fremont, 1025 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo. Arrive early for a trivia contest with prizes.
Tickets are $7 to $9.

Local theatergoers can enjoy the stage version of “The Sound of Music,” playing through Dec. 23 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria.
PCPA’s production features a cast of 43 people, stunning backdrops and all the musical’s popular tunes, including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Climb Every Mountain” and, of course, “The Sound of Music.”
Show times are 2 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday, and 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $16.25 to $27.75 for the show.
For more information, call 922-8313 or visit www.pcpa.org. The theater is located at
800 S. College Drive in Santa Maria.

(NOTE: The above picture shows PCPA's production of "The Sound of Music." Photo by Luis Escobar.)

-- Sarah L.

Absolutely Zany, with an artistic touch

Comedy may be an art form, but you rarely encounter comedians who are actually artists.
Chris Fairbanks, the headliner this weekend at Bob Zany’s Comedy Outlet, is an exception.
A stand-up comic and actor whose credits include “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and Comedy Central, Fairbanks creates oil paintings and graphic designs featured in Snowboarder and Freeze magazine.
He’s currently an action sports correspondent for Fuel TV, a cable network covering sports and music. Check out his work at www.chrisfairbanks.com.

Performing with Fairbanks is prison guard-turned-comic Jim Summers.
According to his MySpace profile, Summers spent fifteen years at a guard at prisons in Soldedad and the Salinas Valley. At the same time, he kicked off his comedy career by performing after work at San Francisco coffee shops and clubs.
Summers retired due to back injuries, and now works as a comic full-time. Hear his schtick at www.myspace.com/jimsummers.

The comedians will perform two shows at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday at Bob Zany’s Comedy Outlet – just days before Fairbanks heads to Las Vegas for the HBO Comedy Festival.
The venue is located upstairs from the Embarcadero Grill, 801 Embarcadero in Morro Bay. Tickets are $15.
Call 772-0716 or visit www.bobzany.com for more information.

-- Sarah L.

Teen review: "Across the Universe"

Flower children of all ages will bloom while watching the new musical film, “Across the Universe.” And for those of you who are looking to take yourselves back to the’60s, this movie will serve as your time machine. There is hardly a band of the times that challenges The Beatles, and their music permeates the film.

My friends and I walked into the theater humming some Beatles songs. By the end, we were singing to them, along with the rest of the audience. Spectators were cheering for the protagonists and booing the antagonists — everyone was totally into it. The beautiful story and powerful camera angles drew me in within the first scene. Throughout the movie, bold and brilliant messages were presented through dance, psychedelic images, captivating special effects, and plain old hippies.

Choreographed by Julie Taymor (who is famous for the Broadway production of “The Lion King”), the film leads the viewer through a world of magic buses and blooming artists, and the actors and actresses sweep you away.

The interpretations of the Beatles’ songs are amazing, and beautifully portrayed. From the bombs of Vietnam to the protests against them, the spontaneous-feeling scenes will make you feel like you’re surrounded with the epic grandeur of the 1960s.

The movie portrays a realistic view of the revolution of the era, presenting even the dark side of it. Yearning for the war in Vietnam to end and the draft to disappear, some revolutionaries even became violent for peace, an irony offered in the movie.

The audience was taken into the characters’ individual lives to see how the war affected them, such as being moved to burn draft cards or “see God” through hallucinogens. Elements like this symbolize the efforts that the people were so passionate about, including the willingness to risk their lives in riots and protests.

Though the film has powerful and depressing elements, it is filled with hilarious and mind-blowing scenes and, overall, will make you really believe, “All You Need Is Love.”

— Anya Rossa-Quade

Anya Rossa-Quade, a junior at Arroyo Grande High School, loves to write and watch films with her friends.

Songs to die for (funeral music)

Ever since I interviewed Chris Hillman, the former bassist for the Byrds, I’ve been thinking about funerals.

Not that it was a morbid interview. It’s just that “Turn! Turn! Turn!” — one of the Byrds’s most famous songs — tends to be a popular burial primer. And it got me thinking about other songs that would be appropriate for a final send-off.

To be a good funeral song — and we’re talking about contemporary songs here — a tune basically has to be about death, the passing of time, spirituality or something that makes you reflect. The best might even have a lugubrious feel to it.

Or you can be like Dave Barry and vow to have “Louie Louie” be your swan song.

That said, here are my top ten Songs to Be Buried By:

10.) Turn! Turn! Turn!, The Byrds. Pete Seeger’s song quoted the Bible: “There’s a time to be born, a time to die.” Doesn’t get more clear than that.

9.) Remember, Harry Nilsson. There wouldn’t be a dry eye in the house with this one (also recommended: Randy Newman's cover). Other good Nilsson funeral songs: “Don’t Forget Me” and “Turn on the Radio,” which implores, “Now that I am gone, I hope the wind that’s blowing helps me carry on.” Sniff, sniff — anyone have a hanky?

8.) Tears in Heaven, Eric Clapton. Written after Clapton’s 4-year-old son tragically fell from a high-rise apartment window, the lyrics are general enough to apply to others who have passed on.

7.) Knocking on Heaven’s Door, Warren Zevon. I know — it’s a Dylan song. But it was most dramatically sung by Zevon when he knew he was dying.

6.) I Wish You Peace, Eagles. A good going-away gesture, Bernie Leadon’s song, co-written by girlfriend (and daughter of Ronald Reagan) Patti Davis, caused strife with some of the other band members, who said it didn’t sound like an Eagles tune.

5.) There Will Be a Light, Ben Harper. A great gospel song performed with the Blind Boys of Alabama, it starts, “I wish we could live forever ...” Amen to that.

4.) Yesterday, Ray Charles. Pretty much anything sung by Ray Charles is beautiful, but I especially like his cover of the Beatles classic, which makes you yearn for a bygone era.

3.) My Sweet Lord, George Harrison. Combining Hindu prayers, with “Hallelujah” and Hare Krishna chants, Harrison made this a spiritual song for many. And if you’re going to get spiritual, this would probably be the time to do it.

2.) My Way, Frank Sinatra. According to The (London) Guardian, this is the most popular contemporary song played at British funerals. Told from the view of an old man facing “the final curtain,” it expresses a satisfaction with a life lived well. Ironically, Elvis’ version became a hit shortly after The King died.

1.) Dust in the Wind, Kansas. It’s said that writer Kerry Livgren, despite all of Kansas’ success, was still humbled by what would happen in the end, which explains the line, “All your money won’t another minute buy.”

— Pat P.

I'm "Movin' Out"

Throughout last night's performance of "Movin' Out," the ushers at San Luis Obispo's Performing Arts Center had one request: Read the program.

Granted, some of the action in the Tony Award-winning Broadway extravaganza can be puzzling. But the basic premise -- love, loss and social change against the backdrop of the Vietnam War -- couldn't be clearer.

I caught the first, sold-out performance of "Movin' Out" last night. A second show starts tonight at 8 p.m. at the PAC.

My conclusion? "Movin' Out" is more than a musical.

It's best described as a dance-ical, a high-energy burst of modern dance movements choreographed by Twyla Tharp and narrated by pop icon Billy Joel's piano rock hits.

Perched above the stage with a capable six-pece band, the Piano Man (Matthew Friedman last night, Kyle Martin tonight) comes aross as a omnsicient uncle -- winking at his charges' foibles and expressing sadness and anger when it all goes wrong.

Below, dancers with tight abs and impressive stamina add their own flavor to every song. Styles range from elegant classical ballet to saucy salsa and airborne kicks and jumps.

The audience grows so used to the interplay between song and dance that the few lines of spoken dialogue are almost jarring.

As for the music, a few selections in "Movin' Out" seem like a strange fit. (I fail to see the link between "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and enlisting for the U.S. Army.)

Most, however, mold nicely to the story.

"Movin' Out" uses "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "Goodnight Saigon" to chilling effect to reflect the horror and confusion of Vietnam. And handful of love songs -- "She's Got A Way," "Shameless" -- make the onstage romance seem even sweeter.

It's a tribute to Joel's skill as a storyteller that the unusual pairing of wordless dance and motionless songs works so well.

For more information about "Movin' Out," call 756-2787 or visit www.pacslo.org.

-- Sarah L.

Do the truffle shuffle tonight!

So, you couldn't score tickets to tonight's sold-out performance of "Movin' Out"?

Lucky for you, we've got a solution: "The Goonies."

For those who don't remember the 1985 movie (shame on you!), "The Goonies" celebrates childhood adventures and hunts for hidden treasure with a sweet, goofy sense of humor that appeals to both kids and nostalgic adults.

It's a gem of a movie, full of gentle humor, touching moments and downright pathetic villains.

What's more, the film singlehandedly launched the careers of several actors, including Sean Astin ("Rudy," the "Lord of the Rings" triology), Josh Brolin ("American Gangster"), Martha Plimpton and Corey Feldman -- who, together with Corey Haim, basically ruled the 1980s.

Too bad the same can't be said for Jonathan Ke Quan, a.k.a Short Round in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom."

"The Goonies" plays tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Fremont Theatre, 1025 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo. Arrive early for trivia and prizes.

Tickets are $7 to $9.

***

The Fremont offers a screening of "The Sound of Music" on Tuesday, Nov. 13, also starting at 7:30 p.m.

Chris Hillman of the Byrds, continued

Every now and then we interview someone whose career is so packed that’s it’s difficult to summarize all the key points in one newspaper feature.

Fortunately, we have this blog, so I can tell you more about Chris Hillman, former member of the Byrds, who will perform in Nipomo on Saturday.

Here are a few highlights from our interview that didn’t make it into Thursday’s Ticket story:

* The Byrds song “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star” wasn’t about The Monkees.

Not totally, anyway.

“They were good guys — and pretty good players,” said Chris Hillman, who co-wrote the song.

Hillman said the song was less about the band and more about the idea of creating one for TV.

“It was about the fact that Hollywood had made a weekly sitcom based on ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ which was a wonderful movie. (The sitcom) was very contrived. Maybe we shouldn’t have. It was never meant as any malicious thing.”

Ironically, Stephen Stills, whom Hillman would later perform with in Manassas, had auditioned for The Monkees but was rejected.

* Of the many artists who have covered Byrds songs through the years, Hillman likes Tom Petty’s covers the most.

“I think Tom nailed ‘So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star’ and ‘Feel a Whole Lot Better When You’re Gone,’” he said. “He did those just like we did, but just every so much better – just a little lighter.”

* On former band mates Stills and David Crosby, whom he performed with in Manassas and the Byrds, respectively: “I don’t think I could have handled both of them in one band, though, I’ll tell you right now. It would have been too much for a normal human to deal with,” he said with a laugh. “But they’re brilliant.”

* On former band mate Gram Parsons (Byrds,Flying Burrito Brothers), who was fired from the Burrito Brothers because of drug use. (Parsons later fatally overdosed): “He’d show up late or he’d show up too inebriated, stoned or whatever, to perform. So we fired him. And that’s when he went to live with Keith Richards at Keith’s house in England. But they eventually had to tell him to leave. ... Sometimes you see people and you almost expect, ‘When is this going to happen?’ It’s like with poor Gene Clark, one of the great songwriters and singers with The Byrds, who had a great career. But there are times when you go, ‘This man isn’t going to survive.’ ”

* After seeing Emmy Lou Harris perform at a small club, he introduced her to Parsons, giving Harris her big break.

* On the war in Iraq: “I’m sorry these kids are over there,” he said. “I hate kids getting killed in war and all that. I’m going, ‘Gosh, I don’t know -- we shouldn’t have gone over there. But we’re dealing with some really crazy people that don’t want us to exist as a country and don’t want Western Europe to exist. Not all followers of Islam, of course, are in that fanatical end.”

— Pat P.