Texarkana Entertainment Blog

Anyone walking into the Perot Theatre this morning may have thought they stepped into the thick forests of western Uganda.

The calls of monkeys, slithers of snakes and sounds other African critters were recreated through the singing of Samite, his mesmerizing kalimba and his percussionist’s rhythmic drumming. Samite got nearly 1,400 kids to wiggle in their seats, stand up and dance, bebop and bob their heads, and sing something approximating “Whoooaaa whoa whoa!!”

“Can I hear some monkey sounds?” Samite asked of the local students. They obliged with gusto.

A former political refugee who grew up in Uganda, fled to Kenya, and came to the United States in the 1980s, Samite helped establish Musicians for World Harmony. A talented photographer who shared his photographs of mountain gorillas, he mentioned his tough past but also discussed the power of the musician to make people happy or sad. And though his drummer is from Senegal and their home country’s primary languages are different, Samite and his drummer connect precisely through what kids experienced today.

“We’re able to communicate through music,” Samite said. Important lessons from someone who said he started learning music at the same age as the kids who were listening to today’s performance. Many of his songs come to him in dreams and it can take him four months to learn them.

Samite encouraged the kids to tell their parents about Saturday night’s show at the Perot Theatre. (Samite plays at 7:30 p.m. as part of TRAHC’s Perot Theare series.)

“Let’s make your parents dance,” he said.

- Aaron Brand

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Academy Award nominations were announced this week. Ten films stack up as Best Picture nominees and I suspect “The Social Network” hype may have peaked too soon for it to be a lock as the winner. The fun Facebook flick rode waves of year-end adulation, but I’m hoping Academy voters see it for what it is: a bit shallow for a true Best Picture. I loved “The Social Network” because it made social connections and whizkid entrepreneurship seem sexy and exciting. It’s one of the best movies of 2010 and totally enjoyable, but, seriously here, stacked up against great movies like “Inception” or “True Grit” it seems a bit paltry. As for a winner, I like “The King’s Speech” or maybe even “True Grit” more and more as upset hopefuls given their nomination tallies. I don’t think “Inception” stands a chance, unfortunately, but would love to be wrong.

While most nominations seemed plausible, there is one glaring omission. The intricate puzzle created by Christopher Nolan in “Inception” failed to land its director a nomination, which is inexcusable. I’d much prefer a Best Direction nomination for Nolan over the  overwrought work in “Black Swan.” I suspect David Fincher’s competency in “The Social Network” may win in the end. Hopefully, partial amends will be made by honoring Nolan for his original screenplay work.

A fantastic inclusion in the Best Documentary Feature category is “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” the sly Banksy examination of graffiti art, hype and artistic obsessions. Immensely entertaining, it’s also a thoughtful film, one of the best I saw last year.

Here are some other (tentative) picks for Oscar winners: Colin Firth for Best Actor, Christian Bale for Best Supporting Actor, Natalie Portman for “Black Swan,” and “Toy Story 3″ for Best Animated Feature Film. I have no idea on Best Supporting Actress, though I’d love to see Hailee Steinfeld win for her wise-beyond-her-years work in “True Grit.”

- Aaron Brand

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Last night’s Celtic Crossroads show at downtown Texarkana’s historic Perot Theatre was thoroughly enjoyable and at times rousing with its mix of both traditional Irish music and tunes with a bit of a twist. Celtic Crossroads just arrived in the U.S. and made Texarkana the first stop on their “World Fusion” tour of North America.

Taking the idea of the crossroads beyond the traditional Irish meeting place, these young musicians also performed compelling numbers with a jazzier, folkier and bluegrassier vibe to them. While much of the traditional material was nearly ethereal in its beauty, the fiddle was furious and the banjo was rolling. Particularly lovely was Amy McAllister’s work on Irish harp and her spellbinding rendition of the U2 song “With or Without You.” Also extra impressive was Diarmaid Hurley’s work with the bodhrán, a traditional Irish drum worked with both hands. Great traditions reimagined by young, smart musicians. Kudos to the Crossroads crew and to TRAHC for bringing them to town.

- Aaron Brand

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Each year the Miss Texarkana Scholarship Organization conducts the Miss Texarkana pageant, and the 2011 pageant this past Saturday evening at the Sullivan Performing Arts Center saw four winners crowned for Miss Texarkana and Miss Teen Texarkana. As it is for many things in Texarkana, there are winners for each side of the state line in both Miss and Miss Teen. And while not every young women gets to wear a crown at the end of the night, all are winners in some respect.

Staff photographer Morgan Walker interviewed one such hopeful who, despite her young age, competed in the Miss Teen contest. Walker’s multimedia video project about 12-year-old Hannah Hines captured her hopes and dreams as she prepared for the big night. You can see the project here at the link: Dressed for the Part.

- Aaron Brand

Staff photo by Morgan Walker. Hannah Hines, 12, of Texarkana, Ark., prepares for the Miss Teen Texarkana Pageant.

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It’s not every day I get to call Uganda for a story. I daresay the Gazette may have never dialed that Uganda country code until last week to reach a source for a story (though of course I can’t quite be sure of this). However, through a pretty nice arrangement, we were able to do just that (relatively cheaply, I might add) to reach the amazing musician Samite Mulondo, who is a Uganda native whose mesmerizing work with voice, kalimba, flute and other instruments recalls the heart of his home country.

Samite makes music that evokes the forests, animals and spirit of the African continent and Uganda, a nation that’s seen more than its fair share of political turmoil (this is where Ida Amin’s reign of terror arose in the 1970s). Samite was a political refugee who fled his native country to Kenya, later arriving here in the United States during the 1980s. Since then he’s made a name for himself for both his humanitarian work through Musicians for World Harmony and his beautiful music. Samite’s compositions compel listeners to get up and dance, moving to the power of their rhythms.

Samite comes to Texarkana to perform at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the historic Perot Theatre. His performance is part of the Perot Theatre series from the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council. Check Friday’s Gazette for our interview with Samite, who had some powerful things to say about sharing music.

- Aaron Brand

The musician Samite sings and plays the kalimba in this promo photo by Sheryl Sinkow.

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