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| January 27, 2006 Barnstable Patriot |  |
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Neil Diamond and Steve Kimock are two names that aren't
usually used in the same sentence, never mind compared to
each other. Their music falls on opposite ends of the musical
spectrum. Diamond sings rock ballads. Kimock plays impro-
visational guitar.
For argument's sake, though, they both gained popularity
in the Seventies. They both head their own bands. They both
have passionate fans. And they both released records in late
November of last year. Coincidence? Well...it'd be fun to make
some mystical connection between the two, something like
two musiciansborn under the same moon and recording under
the same dire quest for musical revelation in the 11th month
of '05. Ahh...forget it. That would be going too far. We'll have
to settle with coincidence.
It's tough to say whether Diamond fans listen to Kimock or
conversely if Kimock fans listen to Diamond. Neither probably
care for the other'smusic. In a perfectly musical world, which
is not totally out of the question given the sweet sounds these
gentlemen create, all music lovers would listen to both. Ya,
ya, that's the ticket...give both a listen.
• • •
Neil Diamond made a name for himself as an iconoclastic
rock balladeer and prolific songwriter.His tastes for the spec-
tacular helped his popularity too - a sparkly,big-collared shirt,
a Vegas cabaret style microphone, and a visceral, emphatic
delivery have become synonymous with his name.
His fans throughout the world are notoriously fanatical
(remember 200l's comedy film Saving Silverman featuring
Jack Black as the lead singer in a Diamond tribute band?). It's
been said that the Japanese love Neil Diamond. Even beyond
the super-Diamond-fanatics, it's the rare person who hasn't
belted out "Sweet Caroline,"crackinga smile,while drivingand
listening to the radio. As long as there are radios, Diamond's
legacy will not wilt and echoes of "good times never felt so
good" won't cease to reverberate.
Diamond'slatest release, 12 Songs , withColumbia Records is
his 17th
albumin a career that has spanned nearly four decades.
This time out Diamond gives us a lot of acoustic guitar in the
forefront , an always audible background accompaniment of
strings or piano, and more of those quintessential Diamond
stories in song.
12 Songs is a simple and compelling album in the way that
only a true master of the craft can create. Legendary producer
Rick Rubin (Tom Petty, Mick Jagger, Johnny Cash) works on
the album with Diamond and his presence can't be denied.
Rubin has proven his knack for bringing out the best in his
performers , especially those who have already made a name
for themselves. And on the 12 Songs here, Diamond sparkles,
as any diamond should.
• • •
Steve Kimock's latest album, Eudemonic , released by Fi-
delity Records, is the Steve Kimock Band's second release
and first studio recording (the first album, Live in Colorado,
was a live recording released in 2002).
During his career, Kimock has been a member of more
than 25 bands, his longest tenure being a 16-year stint as
the lead guitar player for the jazz-rock fusion band Zero.
Former Grateful Dead lead man Jerry Garcia famously spoke
of Kimock as "the best guitarist nobody has ever heard of.'
Subsequently, much of Kimock's fan base is from the Dead-
head/ Zero crowd. However, the Grateful Dead-averse should
not be scared off by the association. The Steve Kimock Band
bears a nominal resemblance to the loose jam style of the
Dead. SKB is a modern jazz band, solely instrumental, with
a focus on clarity. Jazz-rock is an accurate description of the
band's sound, but the Eastern and African influences need
to be recognized.
Kimock'scomposing skills remove him from the rock guitar-
ist category. Like jazz musicians who utilize certain musical
tunings for an unpredictable length of time, Kimock's music
is clean and calculated yet improvisatory. He's a perfection-
ist of sorts, a master of dynamics, easily transitioning from
lightning fast arpeggios to slow, mood-driven measures. The
tone of his guitar never (that's right: never) gets too loud or
too soft.
This careful precision seemsto be infectious and a necessary
attribute of all the band members. Kimock'saccomplices on
Eudemonic , drummer Rodney Holmes, keyboardist Robert
Walter, and bassist Walter Johnson, apply the same philoso-
phy: pure harmonious sound without dissonance. The only
tension in the album
comes as a result of
the tempo changes
and the syncopated
rhythms of the drum/
bass section.
The album'stitle is
asrare asthe abilities
of SKB. Eudemonic
or "producing happi-
ness and well-being"
is a lofty goal that
Kimock and friends
prove attainable.
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e ParnKtablc patriot JANUARY 27, 2006
John Waters dives into The Saltan Sea
Provincetown filmmaker has a yen for documentaries
By Alan W. Petrucelli
arts@barnstablepatnot.com
WilliamBurroughscalled him "The
Pope of Trash,"but legendary coun-
terculture filmmaker John Waters
- the pencil-thin mustached man
who's hatched such fetid favorites
asDesperate Living, Female Trouble
and Pink Flamingoes - prefers a dif-
ferent label.
"I am,"he said succinctly, "a docu-
mentary whore."
And it's his love of the genre that
brought the part-time P'town resi-
dent to the shores of the Salton Sea.
(Sort of) . He recently visited Palm
Springs, California, for a screening of
the critically-acclaimed 2004 docu-
mentary Plagues &Pleasures on the
Salton Sea , a look at the celebrity-
studded haven that has emerged as
one of the country'sworst ecological
disasters. The "sea"in southeastern
California, actuallythe state'slargest
lake, has been loved to near-death
by recreation seekers.
Waters agreed to narrate the film
because, he said, "when I saw it, I
was fascinated. It reminded me of
what's going on in Provincetown
and in Baltimore. It was as if I was
watching real estate porn - it was so
tragic in a very weird way."
The film also has appearances
by Sonny Bono, who attempted to
"save" the Salton Sea. Mention the
diminutive dynamo who went from
pop music to politics and you can
(almost) see the smile ripening on
Waters' face.
"I always liked Sonny," said Wa-
ters. "People thought he was a joke ,
but they forget he had an incredible
knowledge of rhythm and blues
music. When we were making
Hairspray. Ruth Brown told
me that Sonny was the only
white man who was produc-
ingwhat was then called 'race
records.'"
Waters says that he argues
with other friends who are
"surprised" that the openly gay mov-
iemaker could be friends with a politi-
cian who was against gay marriage. "I
didn't know I had to fight a straight
man over this," Waters cooed.
CONTINUED ON PAGE C:2
Author welcomes audience
aboard a coastal packet
Clark recreates era of coastwise travel
By Jim Coogan
arts@barnstablepatriot.com
A number of people spent
an entertaining hour at the
Osterville United Methodist
Church Saturday afternoon lis-
tening to YarmouthPort author
Arthur Clark discuss his new
book , Until He Died (Infinity
Publishing, 2005, $17.95.) The
occasion was the inaugural
church library tea.
Clark, who grew up in Yar-
mouth Port , has written a story
about life in the late nineteenth
century,when a man'sfortunes,
his standing in the community
-indeed hisveryfife - depended
on how skillful he was as a ship
handler. The novel features
a crusty packet ship captain ,
and the relationship between
the old skipper and his young
city-bred nephew.
With a few quintessential
small-town characters added in
for spice, the tale does a good
job of taking the reader back to
a Cape Cod that was entering a
long post-Civil War decline. The
great age of American maritime
dominance was ending and
jobs were moving away to the
growing urban centers of the
country.
Clark's main character, Cap-
tain Alex Matthews, was still
running a packet ship from
YarmouthPort'sCentral Wharf,
long after the railroad had
ended most of the local coast-
ing business. The key to his
success was that his vessel, the
Yarmouth, was a centerboard
schooner. With not much of a
draft, she could slip into shal-
low harbors around Cape Cod
Bay and service small shippers
who found the railroad too ex-
pensive.
Into this setting comes young
Andy Sears, who needs a bit of
"coaxing" to realize that Cape
Cod is a far better place than the
city. In much the same way aJoe
Lincoln novel works, Until He
Died carries the reader through
a series of events, some humor-
ous, and some quite dramatic,
CONTINUED ON PAGE C:2
Cahoon Museum
invites you to read
between the lines
Illustrating the art of reading to
promote literacy
By Brad Lynch
arts@barnstablepatriot.com
POWER OF BOOKS - Historywould have changed dramatically
had Eve chosen book over apple in the earliest days. This
is Edie's Vonnegut' s "Eve and the Tree of Knowledge," her
contribution to "The World of Words" art show at the Cahoon
Museum of American Art.
BOOK AND BEACH - Summer is a category all its own in the
book business. Packyourbeachbag,Thermosandsun-screen.
Artist Alice Mongeau added her palette and easel, making
the scene complete for "A Page Turner."
The Cahoon Museum'sfirst exhibition of 2006 focuses
on pairing and sculpture related to reading.
The show makes its point that reading is fun, an
experience to share. It can be fanciful or real, a lively
part and parcel of almost everything that people do.
Fifty-one artists, most from Cape Cod, responded
to the museum's invitation to provide a new piece
of their work for "The World of Words," which opens
on Wednesday and continues through March 19 at
the Cahoon Museum of American Art on Route 28
in Cotuit.
The exhibition not only illustrates the art and act
of reading, but also helps support tutoring for people
who can read a little bit or not at all. All the paint-
ings are for sale, and 25 percent of proceeds are being
contributed by the artists to benefit the Cape Cod
Literacy Council, a non-profit group that provides
individual and small-group tutoring. Some prices are
under $1,000; others are higher.
CONTINUED ON PAGE C:2
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