Enter the Haggis Continues to Shift Its Roots

ENTER THE HAGGIS

Whitelake

Firebrand Entertainment

* * *

Indie sensation Enter the Haggis reminds me of another Canadian band, Great Big Sea, in that it has slowly shed its Celticesque rock and reel persona to become more of a pop rock ensemble. Those expecting skirling pipes dueling with fiddles will hear only traces of that on Whitelake, as ETH mines other roots sources. “Pseumoustophy,” for example, sounds like a cross between James Montgomery and Neil Young, and “Of a Murder” (a musing on John Kennedy?) moves between café-like somber moods and dramatic rock reminiscent of the Electric Light Orchestra. “Let Me Go” is classic ETH in its rowdy bar-song feel, but the addition of trumpet, cello, and more lush arrangements throughout signal a direction change.

Of particular interest on Whitelake is the manner in which ETH mashes the various roots it plucks from musical soil. “Headlights I & II” opens with an art rock feel, but roughly midpoint it transitions into a rock-tinged-with-bluegrass arrangement. The next song is “The Basket or the Blade,” whose title sounds more ominous than the actual content. It’s actually a delicate and pretty song in which keyboard notes fall like rain drops and recounts the mutual probing of psyches that takes place at the start of a potential new relationship. Other selections mix soft sounds with harder breakouts. “Getaway Car,” for example, could easily be a pop single. It uses to quieter melodies to build to a soaring refrain that you won’t easily dislodge from your brain. In fact, the only song that doesn’t entirely work is the band’s cover of Canadian legend Stan Rogers’ lake tanker tragedy “White Squall.” It’s a narrative tale custom-made for folk singers, but it’s also one that relies on voice for drama. These days, ETH is all about the arrangement.

The new release won’t be on the street until April, but the band is on tour throughout the eastern US. Catch them and pick up a copy.

Rob Weir

Matt Flinner Trio Release Thoughtful and Skillful

MATT FLINNER TRIO

Winter Harvest

Compass 4569

* * *

Some music makes you move, and some makes you muse. File the Matt Flinner Trio in the latter category. The trio consists of Flinner on mandolin, Eric Thorn on standup bass, and Ross Martin on guitar, the latter not to be confused with the Scottish singer/songwriter of the same name (which is easy to do as they are roughly the same age and each plays percussive-style guitar, though this Ross Martin does more flat-picking). Winter Harvest is the trio’s second release. Like the first, it’s a genre-bender that’s most likely to get labeled “Newgrass,” a term that came into popularity in the late 1960s to describe a hybrid between bluegrass and jazz. It’s also a maddeningly imprecise term. In the case of the Matt Flinner Trio, the music is bluegrass in the sense that it is string music, has chord and melodic structures associated with Americana music, and features breakout instrumentals, mostly from Flinnerand Martin. It is jazz in sensibility, though, with those very Americana melodies serving mostly as a launching pad for provocative departures, improvs, and mood evocations. Flinner notes that the compositions on the new album evolved from long winter roads. There’s no reason to doubt that, though the introspective and meandering nature of many of the tunes is also in keeping with the ethos of contemplative jazz. The moods range from the bouncy “Big Bug Bop” and the dreamy “Bitterroot” to the giddy “Raji’s Romp,” the latter inspired by an NFL player’s first career touchdown. This is one of those efforts I call a chameleon CD—it changes colors depending upon whether you listen to it while driving, as background music, or alone in a dimly lit room on a cold summer night with a Scotch in hand.—Rob Weir

National League East Preview

This should be an interesting division if, for no other reason, it has four intriguing teams that manage to play just well enough to disappoint those who expect them to do more. And then there’s the Mets, from whom one should expect nothing. In order of last year’s finish:

Philadelphia Phillies:

Good: A pitching staff of Blanton, Kendrick Worley, Hamels, Lee, and Halladay isn’t good–it’s phenomenal. Roy Halladay is unquestionably the best pitcher in MLB, Justin Verlander’s 2011 season notwithstanding. Hunter Pence is a wonderful player and Shane Victorino is one of the few players on the squad with fire in his belly.

Bad: What happened to the bats? Ryan Howard’s health is a huge question mark. If he doesn’t come back 100%, the Phillies will need all they can get from their staff. And here’s saying that Domonic Brown will never be the stud he’s projected to be.

Hot Seat: Phillies’ GM Ruben Amaro made curious choices in the offseason. The team needed hitters and he signed Jonathan Pabelbon instead of resigning Ryan Madson, a zero sum game. I’m not getting that. Rollins and Polanco need to be more Punch and less Judy. The bus stops here for Dontrelle Willis; if he flops, he’s gone from MLB.

Prognosis: The pitching staff is too good for the Phillies to not be in the hunt, but there’s something unsettling about this team. They will win the East, but don’t be surprised to see them exit early in the playoffs.

Atlanta Braves:

Good: Even after trading Derek Lowe, a staff headed by Hanson, Jurijens, and Hudson is pretty good. Freddie Freeman didn’t get much ink when Pujols and Fielder were in the NL, but he may be an All-Star first baseman. Brian McCann is an All-Star catcher.

Bad: Coming off a historic end-of-the-year collapse isn’t a good thing. Lowe’s departure opens slots for young pitchers, but guys like Ascenco, Minor, and Teherán are unproven.

Hot Seat: I suspect manager Fredi Gonzalez doesn’t have a lot of front office cred left and could be fired by mid-June. Chipper Jones keeps coming back and he keeps getting hurt. If he goes down again, he won’t be back. What happened to Dan Uggla, whose .233 average was plug ugly. Jason Heyward was supposed to be a beast, but .227/14/42 looks more like a chipmunk.

Prognosis: This is a promising but fragile team that could soar or swoon. Methinks the latter more likely, but the talent is there.

Washington Nationals:

Good: The minor league system looks solid. Prying Gio Gonzalez from Oakland was grand theft. Not many have heard of young Michael Morse, but check out his numbers from last year: .303/31/95. Edwin Jackson was a good pickup. John Lannan lost 13 games last year, but his ERA was 3.70 and he has a good arm. The Nats also stole Tyler Clippard from the Yankees. Ryan Zimmerman is one of the league’s premier third basemen.

Bad: Losing veteran Livan Hernandez was worse than it appears. He was one of the few mentors on a young staff. The Nats are rushing Bryce Harper to the bigs and may regret it. Who was the last 19-year-old star? Al Kaline? I’m not nuts about Drew Storen as a closer.

Hot Seat: Speaking of rushing players, did someone say Stephen Strasburg? You’ve got to root for this young man, but it’s just as likely that he’s the new Mark Fidrych. Another unfortunate who must prove his health is Chien-Ming Wang. I don’t think the Nats opened the bank so Jayson Werth could put up this line: .232/20/58. And then there are the chronic underachievers: Mark DeRosa and Adam LaRoche. If they don’t improve the Nats should stop signing guys with two capitals in their surnames.

Prognosis: Washington has an outside chance at finishing second, but instinct tells me this team is a few horses short.

New York Mets:

Good: Can’t think of much. David Wright is a fine (and maligned) player and Ike Davis is emerging. Dillon Gee looks to be a serviceable number three, but he may be asked to be a one.

Bad: Aside from the fact that ownership is so broke it parks on side streets, the continuing health struggles of Johan Santana has to be number one. Top players have jumped (or have been pushed from) the sinking Mets ship, including Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, and Carlos Beltrán. Heck, even so-so players (Chris Capuano) have left. If fortune smiles on him, Wright will get shipped out as well.

Hot Seat: Jason Bay could be then poster boy for Target, as he should be for hitting .246/12/57. Will Mike Pelfrey ever be better than mediocre?

Prognosis: If this team doesn’t lose at least 100 games, make Terry Collins Manager of the Year.

Miami Marlins:

Good: Heath Bell could close the gates of hell. Aníbal Sánchez is the one the Red Sox let get away. There is a lot of superb young talent on this team: Gaby Sanchez, Emilio Bonafacio, Giancarlo (Don’t Call me Mike) Stanton. Omar Infante is 30, but he’s good too. There’s hope the Marlins’ new digs will bring new fortune.

Bad: The Fish are the sexy pick to go to the postseason and that’s often the kiss of death. If Josh Johnson heals, they’ve got a better shot; without him, prospects dim. John Buck doesn’t inspire as catcher. I like Mark Buerhle, but he’s not a $14 million pitcher. I’m baffled by the Ozzie Guillen mystique; to me he’s a walking demotivator and one of the biggest frauds to ever manage the game.

Hot Seat: Hanley Ramirez is an enigma with the potential to make Guillen swear in three languages. He should be among the game’s immortals, but will he ever grow up? Speaking of which, two words: Carlos Zambrano. Jose Reyes is a fine player, but Miami seldom spends $11 million on one player, so he’d better have a great season. Ricky Nolasco had an ERA of almost 5 last year and Chris Volstad was putrid. They can’t win without these guys.

Prognosis: I’m not buying the Fish Cheer. There are too many unanswered questions. If the Braves choke on the bone again there’s a glimmer of hope, but all the gears must click for the Marlins to make the postseason.

Predictions:

1. Phillies

2. Braves

3. Marlins

4. Nationals

5. Mets

National League Central Preview

The Reds will win or Dusty Baker will be unemployed.

This is another wide open division. Three teams could win it, two will battle for fourth, and one has less of a prayer than the American Atheists Society. In order of last year’s finish--

Milwaukee Brewers:

Good: Losing Prince Fielder will hurt, but with Braun, Hart, and Weeks the Brew Crew can still mash the ball. Aramis Ramirez was a good pick up and will solidify a scary middle lineup. Gallardo, Greinke, and Wolf are a good 1-3—beyond them, though, the pitching thins out.

Bad: Losing the guy who has led the team in homers and RBIs can’t help. George Kottaras as the everyday catcher? I don’t think so. Losing Yuniesky Betancourt may be worse than losing Fielder.

On the Hot Seat: Asking Mat Gamels—he of the .115 average after he was called up—to take Fielder’s position is asking a lot. Shaun Marcum needs to be consistent, which he’s never been. Can Axford save 40+ again? Number one on the list, though, is Ryan Braun. Most people think he beat a banned substance suspension on a technicality. If he slumps, he’s going to get an earful everywhere he goes.

Prognosis: The Brewers will be decent, but I don’t see them repeating as NL Central champs.

St. Louis Cardinals:

Good: It’s always nice to start the season by collecting your World Series ring. Most teams would happily trade their 1-5 staff for Garcia, Wainwright, Lohse, Westbrook, and the magnificent Chris Carpenter. They’d also love to have players with the heart of David Freese and Yadir Molina.

Bad: Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball and he’s now an Angel. That’s as bad as it can get. Wainwright may not be fully recovered from arm trouble.

On the Hot Seat: Matt Holliday and newly acquired Carlos Beltrán have to replace King Albert’s production, and Lance Berkman has to take his position. Can Berkman duplicate his back-from-the-dead 2011? Is Allen Craig more than a pinch hitter? Does Furcal have anything left?

Prognosis: Repeating is hard and it’s not in the Cards.

Cincinnati Reds:

Good: Votto, Phillips, Bruce, and Rolen (when healthy) can flat out murder the ball. Adding Ryan Ludwick makes them even more dangerous. Trading for Mat Latos and signing Ryan Madson were superb moves.

Bad: The pitching staff is maddeningly inconsistent, especially Bronson Arroyo.

On the Hot Seat: The Reds were the best team on paper in 2011 and finished third in a weak division. Dusty Baker is on a short leash and could easily get an early axe if the Reds falter. The entire pitching staff except Matos will be trade bait if it underperforms. Chapman has a fabulous arm, but they’ve said the same thing about lots of guys who never figured it out. Homer Bailey? He’ll either be a number three this year or he’ll be out of baseball.

Prognosis: It’s now or never for the Reds. I think this may be their year.

Pittsburgh Pirates:

Good: Neil Walker, Clint Barnes, Nate McLouth, Jeff Karstens… if by “good” you mean “decent.” I expect pitcher Daniel McCutchen, lifted from the Yankees, to add his name to the list. Not allowing Garrett Jones to go to the Yankees was also good.

Bad: The Pirates are, simply, mediocre at best. Barajas as the starting catcher? Ugh!

On the Hot Seat: Even though the Yankees are paying most of A.J. Burnett’s salary, he needs to show he’s more than a jerk. Bedard and Morton need to prove they’re not broken beyond repair. The entire outfield—Jose Tabata, Andrew McCutcheon, McLouth—has worn the “hot prospect” label beyond its sell-by date.

Prognosis: It’s been 19 years since the Pirates had a winning record. Call it an even 20.

Chicago Cubs:

Good: Addition by subtraction—dumping head case Carlos Zambrano. With Garza, Dempster, and Samarzija the pitching won’t stink. When healthy, Kerry Wood will prevent Carlos Marmol from having the close games and that’s a very good thing.

Bad: Everything else not named Geovany Soto will stink. Opposing pitchers will beg to face this lineup on short rest. Losing Aramis Ramirez makes it even worse.

On the Hot Seat: Alfonse Soriano has his mail forwarded to the hot seat. I’d be shocked if he’s not traded for salary relief and Cracker Jacks before the All-Star break. Sonnastine and Maholm need to prove they can pitch at a level higher than AAA. Reed Johnson must be more than a spare part and Anthony Rizzo needs to mature fast.

Prognosis: Good enough to stay out of the basement, but Theo Epstein needs an act of God to make this team competitive.

Houston Astros:

Good: Not much. Quintero looks like he’ll be a good catcher. The ‘Stros unloaded Hunter Pence and Michael Bourne; they were about all that qualified as good on this team.

Bad: Let’s not mince words—the Astros are horrible. Wandy Rodriquez is their ace, a guy no contending team would extend to acquire last year because he’s a number 3 starter at best. Red Sox castoff Kyle Weiland will probably make the staff. Jed Lowrie will be the shortstop. Jack Cust is on the roster. Oh dear!

On the Hot Seat: The Astros tried dearly to offload Carlos Lee and failed. He will (unfairly) be the target of fan frustration. J.A. Happ wanted to be a starter and was 6-12. Ouch! But the guy who will really be in the maelstrom is General Manager Jeff Luhnow. This team will be horrible in the NL Central. Just imagine how bad they’ll be when they shift to the AL West in 2013.

Prognosis: The Astros lost 106 games last year. Consider each game less than that to be a blessing.

Predictions:

1. Reds

2. Cardinals

3. Brewers

4. Pirates

5. Cubs

6. Astros

National League West Preview

Pick anyone except the Padres.

Raise your hand if you picked the D-backs to win the West last year. Now uncross your fingers hidden and tell the truth! It’s baseball’s weakest division, and the Diamondbacks just might win it again this year. Or they might finish fourth. The truth is that anyone, except the Padres, could win it.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Good: They got fabulous years out of Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson. Justin Upton emerged as an everyday star (.289, 31 HR, 88 RBI). Miguel Montero appears to be an on-the-verge stud.

The Bad: It’s hard to imagine Kennedy duplicating his 21 wins from last year, the bullpen looks uncertain, and the D-backs will struggle to put up runs. The only upgrade to the offense is Mike Jacobs, and he’s more serviceable than savior.

On the Hot Seat: Aaron Hill, solid or washed up? Stephen Drew (.252 isn’t exactly superstar territory.) The bullpen.

Prognosis: In theory lightening can strike the same place twice. But odds are low.

San Francisco Giants

Good: Affeldt, Baumgarner, Vogelsong, Cain, and the magnificent Tim Lincecum…. Is there a better 1-5 staff in MLB? Pablo Sandoval is a beast.

Bad: This team needs to pitch because it simply doesn’t hit. Aubrey Huff led regulars last year with a pathetic .242 BA. The Giants lost Carlos Beltrán to free agency and didn’t try all that hard to retain him. If Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez don’t bounce back from injuries, the Giants will lose a lot of 2-1 games.

Hot Seat: Brian Wilson, super closer or one-year (2010) flash-in-the-pan? General Manager Brian Sabean has done a terrible job of assembling the lineup. He gave away Cody Ross, who is a fourth outfielder on most teams, but was an offensive threat in this anemic lineup. And there’s no other way of saying it: the Giants had excess pitching, but trading Jonathan Sánchez for Melky Cabrera is a terrible trade.

Prognosis: The same as it’s been for the past five years: If the Giants make it to the postseason they’ll be dangerous. If.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Good: Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are a fine 1-2. Ted Lilly remains decent. And how about Matt Kemp (.324 39 HR 136 RBIs)?

Bad: Ownership remains in limbo. Subtracting Kuroda and adding Harang to the staff is a net loss. When your middle infield is Adam Kennedy and Mark Ellis there’s lots of hope for kids down on the farm.

Hot Seat: Owner Frank McCourt has his name engraved on the chair. He may have to share it with two guys in the put-up-or-shut-up parts of their career: James Loney and André Ethier, players making stud money and putting up role player numbers. The closer is Javy Guerra. Who?

Prognosis: The Dodgers are a mess, but a mess in the West might just be the best.

Colorado Rockies

Good: Troy Tulowitski–perhaps the best shortstop in the game. Carlos González continues to dazzle. Adding Casey Blake should add some punch.

Bad: Anyone not named above. The pitching staff’s ace last year after Jimenez was traded was Jhoulys Chacin, with 11 wins. Enough said.

Hot Seat: Todd Helton looks to be done. Jorge De La Rosa is coming off injuries and has a $10 million contract. If he doesn’t win immediately, I’d keep a bag packed.

Prognosis: The Rockies have a habit of being a Jekyll and Hyde team. Last year they were Jekyll and Jekyll. Others will have to stumble for them to rise.

San Diego Padres

Good: Not much. Carlos Quentin might rebound out of Chicago. He might also stink. The Padres seek to be the next coming of the 2003 Miami Marlins as they fill their roster with low-wage no-names. It’s hard to see this team jelling this year.

Bad: When the faces of the franchise are Jason Bartlett and ageing Orlando Hudson, the line between optimism and blind faith is obliterated. I know that Cameron Maybin had a good year last year, but I still say he’s the latest can’t-miss prospect who will. Ryan Ludwick led the team with 64 RBIs last year and he wasn’t brought back.

Hot Seat: Edinson Vólquez needs to bounce back or he’ll always be the player the Pads got when they “gave away” Mat Latos. General Manager Josh Brynes might be skating on thin ice as well.

Prognosis: A 100-loss season is not out of the question.

Predictions:

Call it a weird hunch, but I think the Dodgers are the best of a mediocre harvest. But I have no more confidence in the order of my top four picks than if I had drawn them from a hat.

1. Dodgers

2. Giants

3. Diamondbacks

4. Rockies

5. Padres

A Separation a Masterful Work in Any Language

Things are seldom as they seem!

A SEPARATION (2011)

Directed by Asghar Farhadi

PG-13, 123 mins. In Farsi with English subtitles.

* * * *

The winner of the 2011 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Picture is the only film from Iran ever to do so, A Separation. I’ve not seen all of the foreign language entries, but I can report that the winner is certainly worthy of being honored. It is a complex and taut human drama about how easily things can spiral out of control.

The first thing that strikes you about this film is wonderment about how it got past Iran’s strict censors. There’s nothing racy or salacious in the film, but it is not a flattering portrait of modern-day Iran. It opens with an informal hearing in which Simin (Leila Hatami) has been given preliminary denial to her divorce petition from Nader (Peyman Moadi). She admits that he is a good man, but he refuses to leave the country with her. It’s never explained why Simin wants to leave, but you see it her eyes every time she tightens her head scarf: Simin doesn’t want to live under the rule of the mullahs, nor does she wish her 11-year-old daughter Termeh (Sarina Farhadi) to do so. Nader ostensibly refuses to leave for just one reason: he is the caregiver to his father, who has Alzheimer’s.

The judge refuses the divorce, but he cannot force Simin to stay with Nader; she moves in with her equally feminist-minded birth family and leaves Nader to fend for himself. Termeh stays with her father with whom she bonds, but also as a bargaining chip to keep her mother from emigrating. Domestic unhappiness leads to tragedy when Nader hires a caregiver, the devout chador-wearing Razieh (Sarina Bayat), to care for his father when he’s at work. Nader is so desperate that he hires her before consulting with her husband, Hodjat (Shahab Hosseini), as is customary of patriarchal Iran under the mullahs. Nor does he pay the slightest attention to her concerns about low pay, her long commute, or being asked to perform duties that could conflict with her religious principles. She is also five months pregnant, which Nader may or may not realize. This fragile situation unravels when Razieh needs to leave the apartment, ties the old man into his bed for safety, and Nader returns home early. He blows his stack and pushes Razieh out of the apartment.

What ensues is a series of court cases that are as labyrinthine and continuous as Bleak House. Those who think the US courts are screwy will feel better after checking out the twists and turns of Iranian justice. I will reveal no more than to say that simultaneous hearings take place for a murder charge, contempt of court, elder abuse, and Semin’s marital status. This is far more than a he said/she said case; it also involves social class, sexist presumptions that male rights supersede those of women, Koranic versus civil law, blood money customs, child custody, and a cultural ethos that encourages public brawls between hot-tempered males such as Nader and Hodyat. No one’s motives are quite what they seem. Is Nader being setup, or is he a liar? Is his father really the reason he won’t leave Iran with Semin? Is Razieh a victim, or a false accuser? Is Hodyat a wronged husband, or an extortionist? Termeh loves her parents, but does she trust either of them?

It takes considerable skill to make comprehensible a movie with this many loose threads. Luckily director Farhadi and his talented cast are up to the task. This film is subtitled, but it’s as gripping as anything you’ll see in English. Call it tragedy becomes Farsi, laugh at my bad pun (please!) swallow your reservations, and revel in a gripping story and superb filmmaking.

Breitbart Passing No Tragedy

Since when is cruelty a political principle?

I’ve had several people ask me why I haven’t written about the death of conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart. “What do you think,” they ask? Actually, Nicholas Kamm of Rolling Stone already said what I think: that Breitbart was a “douche” whose passing no one should mourn. I wouldn’t have used that word, but the sentiment is in the right (and Breitbart would have had it in no other direction) quadrant. I mourn his death with exactly the same level of sadness I felt when Lee Atwater (1991), Richard Nixon (1994), and Jerry Falwell (2007) died: none. I will preemptively say that I will collectively shed zero tears when the following shuffle off this mortal coil: Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, and Bill O’Reilly. (That’s just the short list.)

I don’t loathe these individuals because of their politics, but because they have none. Each, like Breitbart, uses ideology and faux principles as an excuse to be mean-spirited, vicious, and selfish. Since when did creepiness become a synonym for credo? Prevarication for politics? These self-appointed guardians of “truth” worship no god but themselves, care about no one’s economic health but their own, hold few civic ideals, and love the United States only insofar as it pads their bank accounts and assuages their oversized egos. I get the fact that none of these folks invented sensationalism; they are not responsible for a culture in which cathartic anger is easier than contemplative reasoning, nostrums masquerade as policy, and cheap thrills have supplanted compassion. They didn’t invent it, but the Nuremberg defense can’t save them from the damage they’ve done.

If it were only a matter of bad behavior, one could dismiss the Breitbarts of the world for what they were/are: boorish, despicable, and sleazy. Alas, there is too often an actively malevolent side to them. Take the moment that made Breitbart famous: his “exposé” of ACORN. That, as in his video of USDA employee Shirley Sherrod’s alleged anti-white speech, turned out to be a lie. Breitbart faked the data; his video revelations were the equivalent of doctored photographs. Most of what passed for evidence was actually either invented, or was a publicity-seeking selective reading of out-of-context factoids. It was, in short, the sort of hack job that would get a graduate student unceremoniously booted from a university. Alas, there were no professors double-checking Breitbart’s blog and the story, though false, was so juicy that salivating ideologues rushed to the table to slice ACORN to ribbons. As a result, one of the nation’s finest community-empowerment organizations was driven to extinction. Breitbart and his followers did their jobs so well that much of the public believes the lie, not ACORN's 30-year-record of providing needed social services. The sad reality is that thousands of low-income citizens have been deprived of ACORN advocacy for everything from housing advice to voter registration.

Some of Breitbart’s supporters in Congress­–a group no one should confuse with a distinguished college faculty–bemoaned his death, had words of comfort for his family, and called him a “crusader” against fraud. Poppycock! He was the biggest fraud of all. Few shed tears for Nazis condemned at Nuremberg, and I have none for latter-day enemies of justice. Breitbart’s passing won’t improve the world–there are plenty of demagogues (on both the right and the left) remaining–but at least it may slow the damage.