I’ve always found it ironic that the farther we get into the semester, the more production seems to pick up in the film, music and publishing industry. This week, several diverse media are being released.
I say media because, unfortunately, the biggest film set for release this week is Captain America: Brave New World, part of the fifth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Perhaps it’s a bit unfair to act like Martin Scorsese and exclude it from the realm of art before I even watch it. One thing’s for certain: If this movie isn’t a hit, I don’t see how the MCU can stay afloat. Closer to the genesis of the MCU, its hard to think of a film which catalyzed its current success more than Captain America: The First Avenger. To ensure the success of Spiderman’s introduction into the MCU, Marvel made the wise choice to introduce him in a Captain America film. Now that we are experiencing the greatest fall in popularity for the MCU franchise, it seems only right that Marvel returns to the Captain America series in an attempt to regain some esteem.
My pick to read is Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Anne Tyler’s new novel, Three Days in June. This novel flips a lot of tropes on its head; for example, despite being a romance, our protagonist, Gail Baines, is the divorced mother of the bride-to-be. The day before her daughter’s wedding, Gail loses her job, and her ex-husband, Max, shows up unannounced looking for a place to stay. Despite her misfortune, through learning something about her daughter’s fiancé, her whole history with Max is going to be recontextualized.
My pick to listen to is The Velveteers upcoming album, A Million Knives. I’ll be completely honest: I was unfamiliar with The Velveteers before researching for this article, but I think they’ve gained a new fan. The four singles released for this upcoming LP are some of the most exuberant, diversely textured records I’ve listened to in a long time. Over and surrounding a typical punk-pop melody, “Suck The Cherry” is full of distorted guitar riffs, static synths and drum machine claps. “Bound in Leather” has an ethereal, reverbed ‘80s pop vocal melody paired with funky guitar chords and a masterfully crafted bridge. “On And On” returns to the punk-pop theme but with a fantastic, head-banging beat. After all of this energy, The Velveteers switches up the vibe entirely with “Go Fly Away,” retaining all of its instrumentation but going for a steady, sweet pop hit. I can’t imagine the whirlwind that this LP will turn out to be, given its whole tracklist.
There are plenty of live events this week, but the most interesting by far is the first iteration of Sheridan Libraries’ In the Stacks event series, “Songs From Inside.” This event, which will be held at separate times both at George Peabody Library (Feb. 13, 7:30–9:15 p.m.) and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue (Feb. 14, 12:30–2:15 p.m.), is in collaboration with the American Prison Writing Archive and the Peabody Institute.
The event will feature a commissioned choral work entitled “Neither Persons nor Property” by composer and Peabody alumnus Elijah Daniel Smith, set to texts by Brian D. Fuller, a writer incarcerated in Texas. After this, Luigi Dallapiccola’s “Canti di Prigionia (Songs of Imprisonment, 1938–1941)” will be performed, a politically charged piece protesting the rise of fascism in the mid-20th century, set to texts by multiple imprisoned writers throughout the ages. All pieces will be performed by the icarus Quartet along with the NEXT Ensemble, and they will be conducted by Peabody artist-in-residence Juliano Aniceto. A panel discussion will take place immediately after.
I hope you can see that there is more than enough content to sink your teeth into, whether it be in person or online. And don’t be upset if you don’t have a valentine; after all, who needs a valentine when there’s so much to watch, read and listen to!
To watch...
Surviving Black Hawk Down, directed by Jack MacInnes and starring Matthew Thomas-Robinson — Feb. 10
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, directed by Kang Hei Chul — Feb. 11
Captain America: Brave New World, directed by Julius Onah — Feb. 14
You, Me and Her, directed by Dan Levy Dagerman — Feb. 14
The White Lotus, Season 3, directed by Mike White — Feb. 16
To read...
Three Days in June, by Anne Tyler — Feb. 11
We All Live Here, by Jojo Moyes — Feb. 11
You Are Fatally Invited, by Ande Pliego — Feb. 11
Scythe and Sparrow, by Brynne Weaver — Feb. 11
Black Woods, Blue Sky, by Eowyn Ivey — Feb. 11
To listen...
A Million Knives, by The Velveteers — Feb. 14
Automatic, by The Lumineers — Feb. 14
$OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U, by Drake & PARTYNEXTDOOR — Feb. 14
Saint Motel and the Symphony in the Sky, Saint Motel — Feb. 14
Phonetics On and On, Horsegirl — Feb. 14
Live events...
In the Stacks: Songs From Inside — Feb. 13, 7:30–9:15 p.m. at the George Peabody Library and Feb. 14, 12:30–2:15 p.m. at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center
- This event is free with registration, and both performances will be livestreamed.
Music at Evergreen: Vision Duo at Evergreen Museum and Library — Feb. 16, 2–4 p.m.
- Tickets are $10 for students and $20 for the general public.
Hopkins Concert Orchestra Spring Concert at Bunting-Meyerhoff Interfaith Center — Feb. 16, 3–4 p.m.
- This event is free and registration is required.
Francesco Cavalli: La Calisto by the Peabody Chamber Opera at the Baltimore Theatre Project — Feb. 13, 14 and 15, 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 16, 4:00 p.m.
- Tickets are $25 for general admission and $10 for students
Peabody Symphony Orchestra at Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall — Feb. 14, 7:30–9:00 p.m.
- This event is free.
