| Massive 'Mount Rockmore' Sand Sculpture Highlights Groundbreaking of Hard Rock Park, the World's First Rock 'n' Roll
Construction officially began today on Hard Rock Park, the single largest tourism investment in South Carolina's history and the first new major theme park to be built in the U.S. in nearly a decade. The $400 million park is scheduled to open in the spring of 2008. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060713/CLTH048) To celebrate the occasion, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, park management and other gathered dignitaries scooped out ivory-toned Myrtle Beach sand at the site with customized multi-colored electric "guitar shovels" specially designed for the occasion to unveil a massive, 250-ton sand sculpture interpretation of Mount Rushmore at the site. In true Hard Rock fashion, instead of U.S. presidents, 'Mount Rockmore' as it was dubbed, featured the countenances of rock legends Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix.
Mews launches PopFest with success
Another puzzle piece in downtown Des Moines cultural Renaissance fell into place Thursday with the first of three nights of the inaugural Midwest PopFest at Vaudeville Mews.
Not to heap undue significance on a club show that drew 100 or fewer bodies on a rainy night, but it was an auspicious launch and ambitious lineup nonetheless. The three-day fest is intended as an annual rally for both local and national indie-pop acts bands whose only common denominator, really, is a deep love of eclecticism.
The launch wasnt free of snags. The first bands keyboardist arrived late, so Matt Ryan jumped on stage with the rest of Like Knives in time for the third song of gleeful geek-pop. Rain shut down the outdoor stage in the courtyard, so Java Joes Coffeehouse next door accommodated a makeshift second stage for acts such as Sedalia (solo singer-guitarist Ross Nervig).
A declaration of independence from San Angelo’s blues-rock trio
Heaven, the brothers have put together an album thats just so bursting with musicianship that the lyrical cliches are excused. Blues rock, after all, is not the forum for budding Baudelaires.
As with gospel songs, the material on Sacred generally starts calm, introspective, then works itself into a fiery jam of emotion. Henry Garzas guitar-playing borders on spectacular, as he steps out of the shadows of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Carlos Santana to rock to his own tone at the end of Living My Life. Besides being a flat-out ripper, the eldest Garza displays a great sense of melody in his solos. His resurrection of the electric blues guitar hero is quite stunning.
The knock on Sacred is that it sounds too much like it was made on purpose. Hitting stores a year later than originally projected, it comes off like a record toiled on and fussed over, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
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