“The Psychedelic Swamp” isn’t just a concept album. It’s an alternate history, a pointed satire about America, a multi-media excursion into another realm of reality and a search for happiness set against a backdrop of indecision, insecurity and innovation. Most importantly, “The Psychedelic Swamp” is a damned fine rock record and the finest album yet […]
Jared Rasic
Film critic and author of food, arts and culture stories for the Source Weekly since 2010.
Posted inNews
Worst. Villains. Ever.
The new Suicide Squad trailer has arrived. For those of you wanting a little twisted humor with your superheroes, this should satisfy those cravings soundly. Starring Jared Leto as The Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot, Suicide Squad tells the story of a team of supervillains put together by the […]
Posted inCulture
Six Men Down
“13 Hours” is intense and exhausting
When a military film like “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” comes out, based on how far left or right a military film leans, the box office receipts can usually be predicted. Left gets the film Oscar nominations, critical acclaim and a healthy return, while right means the film makes a ton at the […]
Posted inCulture
Bread and Circuses
“The Big Short” entertains and enrages
“The Big Short” is a gripping movie from start to finish, populated with fascinating characters. Christian Bale plays Michael Burry, a hedge fund manager who figures out the U.S. housing market is unstable. He realizes he can make a massive profit if he creates a credit default swap market (basically betting that the housing market […]
Posted inMusic
Deep in the Woods
Get your pre-folk on in Sisters
The Sisters Folk Festival is always a sold-out musical extravaganza, but one aspect of the festival that sometimes gets overlooked is its Winter Concert Series. In January we have The Wood Brothers, in February it’s Bumper Jacksons and the series concludes in March with Darlingside. The Wood Brothers was a supergroup from inception, with Chris […]
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We Can Hear You
Bowie’s “Blackstar” is a complex art rock masterpiece
David Bowie (Jan. 8, 1947 – Jan. 10, 2016) is gone, long live David Bowie. His final album, “Blackstar,” is the magnificent swan song of a dazzling career and a final gift to his fans released just days before he took his final bow. Looking at “Blackstar” outside of the scope of Bowie’s death is […]
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Source Suggests 1/20-1/27
Clarien Stone & Jason Plankey Here we have sultry female vocals accompanied by an electric guitar in a space filled with some of the finest whiskey known to man. If there were a way to get your feet rubbed at the same time while Morgan Freeman tells you everything is going to be all right, […]
Posted inCulture
Espionage and Pratfalls
Not the average comedic spy-thriller
“The 39 Steps” is an interesting beast because it subverts expectations at every corner. Even those who have seen the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock or read the 1915 book by John Buchan will enjoy it quite a bit, but the stage adaptation also keeps its tongue planted firmly in cheek for the entire running […]
Posted inNews
2016 is starting off rough.
2016 needs to pace itself. With the passing of David Bowie a few days ago, the world was already reeling, but this morning has brought the death of the exceptionally gifted actor Alan Rickman. He is probably most famous for playing Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies, but older folk will always remember him […]
Posted inCulture
The Coldest Dish
The Revenant is Cinematic Brutality
There have already been thousands of words written about how difficult The Revenant was to make, whether from the point of view of the actors or the filmmakers. Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly almost drowned, froze and starved during filming and Tom Hardy apparently choked director Alejandro G. Iñárritu over the harsh set conditions. Multiple crew members […]
