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TheIntell.com An annual exhibit in New Hope advances the TUESDAY aesthetic standing of wood. NOVEMBER 18, 2014 D “The Coffee Table,” by Alan Ginsberg By GWEN SHRIFT Staff WRITER he New Hope Arts Center’s “Works in Wood,” once mostly a fine-furniture show, takes a welcome trip to the frontiers of pure art this Tyear. Many pieces cross the line, including works by Janice Smith, John Marley, Birdie Miller and Ken Burton. Yet past tradition is not forgotten, with many finely crafted boxes, bowls, shelves, tables, cabinets, frames, plaques, trays, chairs and other useful and decorative furnishings. Burton and Miller offer museum-worthy cabinets, one freestanding and the other wall-mounted. “Harlequin Cabinet” reflects Burton’s exploration of art deco visual forms in quartersawn sycamore and wenge, some of it dyed. The style informs the structure, an inverted comma in dark “Harlequin Cabinet,” wood at the lower-third quartersawn sycamore, of the cabinet serving as a wenge, ash and dye, drawer pull. by Ken Burton Miller’s freestanding “4-Drawer Cabinet w/ Cantilevered Stand” turns “Juliet,” birch plywood, book-matched rosewood, sapele pomele veneer, red oak and maple to the cherry, by Janice Smith service of architecture in miniature, reflecting a complex and focused use of space between the two levels of the piece. “Life,” driftwood, Smith exhibits a side table and chair likely not brass ring, acrylic, meant for sitting. The larger piece, “Juliet,” employs by Bernie Houston highly figured sapele pomele veneer along its sides and “4-Drawer Cabinet undulating backrest; its companion, “Romeo,” weds w/ Cantilevered Stand,” book-matched exotic woods such as African cherry with solid-surface rosewood, red oak, material used in kitchen counters. maple, by Birdie Miller See WOOD, Page D3 Area vet calls ‘Fortunate Son’ flap a lot of hot air Not that “Fortunate Son” is 45 years old, but thanks to of the week” on Friday. (The fact the Boss gener- people who think they know better than everyone ated far more venom than either Grohl or Brown you asked else, the Creedence Clearwater Revival gem was wouldn’t have anything to do with his well-docu- back in the news last week. mented political views, would it? I wonder if any Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and the Zac of his detractors know or care that he once played Brown Band shared the stage for a searing version an entire concert to benefit Vietnam veterans. But of the Vietnam-era classic during HBO’s Concert I digress.) for Valor benefiting veterans on the National Mall Never mind that John Fogerty, the guy who in Washington last Tuesday. For me, anyway, it wrote “Fortunate Son,” is a Vietnam vet himself, was the highlight of the three-hour, star-studded and that he performed the song (without contro- show. versy) during PBS’ “A Salute to the Troops” on Others apparently weren’t as enamored. Con- the White House lawn a week before the Concert Andy servative magazine The Weekly Standard immedi- for Valor. ately posted a rant on its blog, calling the song an Or that the lyrics criticize not the men and Vineberg “anti-military anthem” and an “anti-war screed” women who fight our wars but the rich people 215-949-4135 and accusing Springsteen, Grohl and Brown of who orchestrate them, all the while sending the Email: avineberg being “tone-deaf ” for choosing to perform it at a poor into battle and keeping their own sons and @calkins.com Veterans Day event. daughters safe at home. The criticism continued on social media The negative buzz over Springsteen (and, throughout the week, mostly targeting Spring- oh, yeah, Grohl and Brown) choosing to play steen, who later in the show performed a stark, “Fortunate Son” grew loud enough last week solo acoustic version of his oft-misunderstood that Fogerty chose to address it, releasing a state- 1984 hit “Born in the U.S.A.” That choice of ment that said, in part, “As an American and a song, whose lyrics lament the shoddy treatment songwriter, I am proud that the song still has of Vietnam vets after their return home from the resonance. I do believe that its meaning gets mis- war, also inexplicably received a fair share of heat interpreted and even usurped by various factions online, primarily for being “unpatriotic.” ASSOCIATED PRESS wishing to make their own case. Bruce Springsteen (left), Dave Grohl and Zac Brown Al Morganti of SportsRadio 94WIP even perform “Fortunate Son” at the Concert for Valor. named Springsteen the Morning Show’s “weasel See VINEBERG, Page D3 LIFE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2014 THE INTELLIGENCER BUCKS COUNTY COURIER TIMES D3 Between boundary and limitation It’s the space Ben Sollee likes to explore in his own music, his many collaborations and his touring. By NAILA FRANCIS Louisville, the orchestral narrative while touring. STAFF WRITER has never appealed to him. “For me, I felt in this day and Ben Sollee has plenty of “The cello is really like the age, with social media and all the new material in the works. He Swiss army knife of the orchestra. things going on in the world, if promises. You can do so much with it. From I was going to have a career in Yes, it’s been two years since a composing standpoint and a music and create a platform, it was the release of “Half-Made Man,” songwriter’s, that’s what keeps me important to put on that platform his last studio album. But the sing- in love with it,” says Sollee. things that I care about,” says ing cellist — as he likes to refer He was in the third grade when Sollee. to himself — hasn’t exactly been a teacher in his public school Such conviction also informs idle since then. He’s issued two carted a collection of instruments his embracing of music as a social other full-lengths: a 2013 album around to all the kids. art form. So does his penchant for of covers, “The Hollow Sessions,” “When she played the cello touring by bicycle, which he first and the original score to the docu- for our little class, I was hooked. began doing in 2009, carrying his mentary “Maidentrip,” about It was all the unusual sounds that cello with him. Percussionist Ellis Dutch teen Laura Dekker’s solo she made, I think by accident, pedals alongside him with his own sail around the world, which he the scratches and the scrapes and gear. In the last few years, Sollee released earlier this year. the gastrointestinal sounds. At estimates they’ve cycled at least The Kentucky native has also the time, I just thought that was kept busy with multiple projects, attractive,” says Sollee, who began 5,000 miles to gigs. from appearances with the Louis- playing the following year. “I was “The farthest we’ve gone was ville Orchestra and at a Carnegie the only cellist in a group of eight about 80 miles, but we usually go a Hall tribute to Paul Simon to scor- string players and we met twice burrito’s worth of distance, like 40 ing and performing music for the a week in the utility closet of our or 50 miles,” he says. “We really, Charlotte Ballet’s production of school gymnasium. It was a really really like to explore the boundar- “Dangerous Liaisons” to contrib- small but excited group of kids. ies of just having the gear on the uting the song “Letting Go” to the “I think I was always attracted bikes and accepting that limitation soundtrack for the film “Killing to the things you could do with the of being able to tour only so far Season,” starring Robert De Niro instrument rather than what you and so fast.” and John Travolta — at should do.” He decided on that mode to director Mark Steven As a songwriter, his tales of counter the isolation of traveling Johnson’s request. relationships and personal growth by planes, trains and automobiles “Generally, I’m have been shaped by the likes of as his career gained momentum. attracted to collaborative the aforementioned Simon, Ani “Everything was moving so fast projects,” says Sollee, who is at the DiFranco and Pete Seeger. that I would lose track of where moment working on a documen- “Actually writing songs and performing songs on the cello is “Michael Jackson was also a I was. I felt that essentially that tary about animal rights and hus- still a terribly difficult thing to describe to people,” says Ben huge hero of mine growing up. I wasn’t why I got into the game,” bandry. “Doing a film score is the Sollee. “It’s still exceptionally unusual in the music industry.” spent a lot of time jamming and says Sollee. “The bicycle tours most collaborative situation you playing to his music so I think slowed me down and helped me could get yourself into. You have But even with so many projects Sollee. “I’m also a father and a there’s a sensibility there,” says move and create at a pace that was the film, the moving image, and to juggle, the Lexington resident husband, and I take those jobs as Sollee. “From the classical world, a little more humanistic. It allows you have the pace and scale of the has been writing new songs. He’ll seriously as being a musician.” I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from me to experience and remember narrative. And then you have the experiment with some of those, Since the release of his 2008 the Turtle Island String Quartet the places I’m going to, and I vision of the director and then you as well as share music from his debut “Learning to Bend” — fol- and now from (string quartet) hope it allows the audience to get have your own musical intuition.

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