MASTER OF THE LOW END
"It should be mandatory for every politician to learn an instrument. Then we'd just have a worldwide jam session."
— VICTOR WOOTEN, Jan. 14 in Spokane
Five-time Grammy winner Wooten, considered one of the greatest bass guitarists on the planet, played to a packed Bing Crosby Theater alongside Dennis Chambers (drums) and Bob Franceschini (sax), focusing on music from the trio's new album, Trypnotyx. Sometimes the group would pause in the middle of a song to let Vic loose, playing medleys of "Brick House," "Smooth Criminal," "Amazing Grace" and a song off one of his solo albums, "My Life." (MITCH RYALS)
ON THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST
Some noteworthy new music arrives online and in stores Jan. 19. To wit:
FIRST AID KIT, Ruins. These Swedish sisters create mesmerizing folk-rock.
GLEN HANSARD, Between Two Shores. You know you loved Once.
FALL OUT BOY, MANIA. Managing to find a way to stay relevant long after their sell-by date.
tUnE-yArDs, i can feel you creep into my private life. Now a duo, the band tackles serious topics via seriously catchy songcraft.
THE SPITOONS OF WEST OF LOATHING
There's plenty to praise about the role-playing computer game West of Loathing, with its stick-art charm, creative puzzles and zany plot that pits demon cows against bloodthirsty clowns. But I want to specifically give the quality of the game's spittoon-writing a shout-out. In this Wild West adventure, you can find powerful loot plenty of places, including in spittoons. But first you get to wade through paragraphs of delightful details about exactly how uniquely disgusting each spittoon is as you fish your hand around the slimy, stinky, foul, crusty spit-slush in search of treasure. Every detail is revoltingly brilliant. Think of it like the dirty Aristocrats joke for the fourth grade set. (DANIEL WALTERS)
SHOT OF SOUND
You probably don't need a reason to visit Dry Fly Distilling's tasting room (1003 E. Trent) beyond the delicious cocktails, but now you have one. Starting Jan. 19, there will be some live tunes every Friday from 5-7:30 pm — perfect timing for folks getting off work and looking to relax. Chad Moore gets it started this week; save some of the Triticale whiskey for us. (DAN NAILEN)
STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE
President Richard Nixon's connection to the Watergate burglary, and his attempts to cover it up, led to his resignation. But there is much more to the story, which is the topic of Slate's new podcast: Slow Burn. The miniseries gives listeners a sense of what it was like to live through the scandal, while asking the question: If we were living in another Watergate, would we know it? The first episode focuses on the wife of Nixon's first attorney general, Martha Mitchell, who had a habit of talking to reporters. After the break-in in '72, Mitchell was held in a California hotel room against her will and tranquilized so she wouldn't squeal to the press about what she knew. "If it hadn't been for Martha, there'd have been no Watergate," Nixon told David Frost in 1977. (MITCH RYALS)
