Panida Theater

Panida Theater
300 N. First Ave, Sandpoint, 263-9191.

Panida a historical ruby in North Idaho's crown.

In the historical preservation department, Coeur d’Alene should harbor some serious envy toward its northern little sister. Where Coeur d’Alene mercilessly razed its majestic old 7^th St. High School building, Sandpoint recently saw their crumbling former Sandpoint High building given some TLC and rechristened as a Business and Events Center. From the renovation of old bridges and farm buildings into shopping centers, or even the long term kitsch of places like Connie’s Lounge and Dub’s Drive In, Sandpoint has always seemed more attached to the idea of perpetuating its past than Coeur d’Alene, who’d rather keep a fast eye toward modernization and future development.

In no example is this circumstance more true than with the story of two North Idaho movie theaters, both roaring and glamorous in their vintage heyday, and both collapsing in ruin by the mid-1980’s. Julie Andrews in “Victor/Victoria” was the last film star to dance across the screen at Coeur d’Alene’s Wilma Theatre before the building was shuttered for good. After years of vacancy and decay, the grand old dame was finally taken to the ground after the heavy snow of winter 1997 caused the roof to collapse.

Sandpoint’s Panida Theater was destined toward a similar fate in 1985 when huge chunks of ceiling came crashing down inside, instantly short-listing it for the wrecking ball. At the time, it was so rundown and rickety that it was being used merely as storage for local drama troupe the Unicorn Theater Co. who held their actual performances in less unsafe venues. Refusing to stand by and watch the wonderfully unique old venue become rubble, community members rallied together, selling hand painted lobby tiles and personalized sidewalk bricks to supporters including the mayor and the governor.

In less than 90 days, the required $40,000 dollars was raised toward the purchase price of $200,000. The now community-owned Panida was primped, polished and given new life solely due to the hard work of volunteers and business owners who donated anything and everything needed to restore it to its former grandeur.

Last autumn, I was fortunate enough to spend a rainy afternoon touring the Panida with longtime Executive Director Mary Bowers. You can really tell Bowers loves her job; although I’m sure she’s led dozenss of tour groups through the theater in her 20 year tenure, she bounced around the place like a playful child, telling stories and letting everyone get a glimpse of her secret playland. She led us out of the drizzle and into the plush lobby of the Spanish Mission style building. Overwhelmed, I ogled at the over-the-top detail of the art-deco style wallpaper and carpet, amazed at the lion’s head and blue-tile fountain alcoves, and breathed in air fusty with the pong of Idaho history.

She took us up the narrow curved stairway to take in the dramatic views from the balcony, which with its overstuffed red velvet loveseats and comfy chairs makes for possibly the single most luxurious place on earth to relax and enjoy a show.

Bowers took us next into the main auditorium and up onto the stage, which creaked and groaned underneath her as she animatedly filled us in on some Panida history. On opening day in 1927, original owner F.C. Weskil dedicated his new theater “to the people of the PAN-handle of IDA-ho” (hence the name), a place for locals to enjoy talkie films and vaudeville shows. Some swear that Mr. Weskil still haunts the aisles of the Panida; various employees have reported experiencing that not-so-alone feeling and hearing disembodied footsteps on the stage stairs and elsewhere. Many residents also joyfully recall longtime owner and former Sandpoint mayor Floyd Gray, who in the 40’s and 50’s drew in audiences by giving away free groceries during his “Farmer Gray” shows, which were broadcast live on the local radio station.

An amusing and bizarre reminder of Panida history remains on the left-hand interior wall, where some kind of repair work way-back-when required the repainting of a section of one of the intricately stylized art panels. When the hired repair team refused to recreate the mural for a reasonable price, the house manager had the inspired idea to let his children climb ladders and repaint it. The result was a comically disastrous parody of the neighboring panels; what once was an ornate and proud deco flamingo was now a quaking, vomiting vulture indiscreetly laying three eggs. To top it off, whoever was responsible for the creation of this foul creature felt the need to sign their initials “H.J.” underneath, as if it were truly a masterpiece.

The Panida Bird of Horror is itself enough reason to check the place out, but the real reason folks come in from the hills, valleys, and cities is the refreshingly diverse variety of films and live entertainers Bowers and crew manage to bring in year after year. Some of the larger names who have stood in the Panida spotlight include Bonnie Raitt, Arlo Guthrie and Wynton Marsalis. Gonzo comedian Gallagher recently performed a sledgehammer-and-watermelon-less show there, which was nice for the upholstery, but probably a bit boring for attendees. Equally, the theater is host to hometown events such as school talent shows and “Lost in the 50’s” concerts.

Coming up in April, the Kahurangi Dance Company will be dropping in from New Zealand to perform and “Hamlet” will be staged yet again as part of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.
The Panida’s ongoing Global Cinema series continues tonight with the Cannes award winning “Persepolis”, a wonderfully animated autobiography of a girl coming of age in Iran in the 80’s. Next weekend, April 3-5 is a showing of the acclaimed film “The Great Debaters” starring Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker, followed by the Romanian art-drama “4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days” on April 17 and 19. The Panida is truly a cinematic mecca for those who’d rather poke a Twizzler in their eye than watch whatever the latest drivel is at the mainstream movie megaplex.

Sandpoint is truly lucky to have had community members with enough vision and sense of history to rescue the Panida from demise. I sometimes imagine how fantastic it would have been if Coeur d’Alene had been able to somehow save and renovate the Wilma when it had the chance. The arty image that the Lake City tries to project with its downtown these days would be enormously behooved by an historic sliver screen showing indie flicks and film festival winners. Barring a couple of small fixtures that lived on after the Panida managed to obtain them, nothing remains of Lady Wilma and but enormous memories and an incongruously small patch of grass where she once stood.

Wagner's Hofbrau

Wagner’s Hofbrau
1726 W. Kathleen Ave.
Coeur d’Alene

Fleisch und Kartoffeln für einen König

An unexplainable mix of tension and excitement hung in the air as I waltzed into the new Wagner’s Hofbrau on West Kathleen in Coeur d’Alene. It wasn’t until I was nearly finished with my meal that I would clue in to the fact that I’d happened to pop in during the second hour of their very first day open. A retirement-aged couple arrived for lunch a while after me and asked the hostess for a booth no-one had sat in yet so they could “devirginize it.” That wasn’t the most appealing mind picture perhaps, but it prompted me to ask my waitress exactly when they’d officially opened for business. “Just today,” she smiled, “About an hour and half ago.” Given the high quality of the food and service, I have a feeling the fact that I was literally one of the first folks ever to dine there will give me deep bragging rights sometime in the future.

I’d learned the exciting news that our town was finally getting a genuine German restaurant a while ago after a friend of mine, scanning the Help Wanted section of the newspaper asked “What is a hofbrau anyway? Is it like a hot dog stand with sauerkraut and warm beer or what?” Honestly, I wasn’t exactly sure myself so I did a bit of old fashioned Googling to find out. Apparently, back in the motherland, a hofbrauhaus was traditionally a government owned beer-brewing outfit which was established and patronized by German royals and statesmen. In other words, it was a place for the king and his court to fill their big ugly lidded steins with the best brew available and drink until they plopped. When the idea crossed over to the shores of America in the early 20^th century, the introduction of food became an obvious necessity, and it seems foods were chosen for their ability to land with a thud in the tummy and do some serious soaking up of beer.

Maybe it was partly overcompensation for first-day jitters, but the staff at Wagner’s Hofbrau were pretty much treating their customers like visiting German royalty. I felt like King Ludwig III of Bavaria when I was so enthusiastically greeted at the door by a chatty hostess who was kind enough to walk me through the ordering process. Admittedly, I was slightly disoriented walking into a new place for the first time, and it was helpful to have a brief tutorial on what exactly I needed to do. Here’s the rundown; you grab a big brown tray and sidle up to the “reverse buffet”, wherein the chefs behind the line dish healthy portions of food for you instead of serving yourself. You can choose either a plate meal for ten bucks or go sandwich style for $7.50. The primary meat options are hand painted on a gigantic stylized wooden board that hangs mightily behind the counter like folk art from the old country. Daily specialty items are on offer as well, and the day I visited it was a truly scrumptious looking stuffed green pepper. You slide your brown tray down the line as they plate your choice of meat, sides and salad (and slices of irresistible homemade pies). At the end of the line, you’re given a drink cup and once you cash out, you pick a cozy corner to settle into and dig in.

The concept seems easy enough, but the divine, intense aromas rising forth from the food table and the mouth watering power of the visual aspect combine to make for some very tough decisions. Maybe they ought to come up with a special “indecisiveness plate” with a smidge of everything, because I literally wanted to taste it all. Splayed out behind the glass was a whole juicy turkey, a giant honey ham, a roast beef as big as my head, and trays filled with pastrami, corned beef, knockwurst and homemade sauerkraut. Sides include coarsely mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, and steamed veggies sprinkled with herbs. On the cold side of the line, options include fresh green salad, cucumber salad, mixed fruit, ambrosia, coleslaw, and of course that most German of salads, potato.

I stood there for a minute, slightly dazed at all the options before me, my growling stomach impatiently telling me to decide. The chefs behind the line were grinning ear to ear and glowing with the pride of a brand new parent; all this wonderful food was their baby and wasn’t it just so adorable? I opted to try the corned beef, a favorite of mine I rarely have the opportunity to indulge in. It tasted flawless, amazingly fresh, and its tender, melty texture leads me to believe it was cured right on site. So addictive, and if I could afford to eat the stuff everyday I would. The mashed potatoes were as good as the ones my mother makes on special holidays and they were slathered with the kind of rich old-style country chicken gravy I thought went extinct sometime during the heath craze of the Reagan years.

The bright orange and yellow colors of the steamed carrots and squash made it seem like Spring had sprung, despite the gloomy rainfall outside, and the creamy potato salad offered a sneak preview of Summer picnic weather. As if all that weren’t enough to send me to back to bed with a food coma, a huge bread roll and butter landed on my tray as well. Whew! The hostess must have read the look of astonishment on my face when I saw the huge portions piled on my plate. “Let me know if you need a to-go box or anything” she offered as I sat down to unwittingly devirginize a table and dig in.

Owners Bill and Roxanne Wagner are no newbies when it comes to serving up stick-to-your ribs German fare, having owned a popular Hofbrau in the business district of Fresno, California for many years. The newly constructed Tudor-style building seems like a blank canvas, with subtle Bavarian-style touches but minimal décor, save for a lone glassy-eyed stuffed deer head and an elaborately carved cuckoo clock.

I can’t imagine any reason that Wagner’s Hofbrau won’t win over the hearts and tummies of the North Idaho meat-and-potatoes crowd, and when they start arriving in droves, they’ll have plenty of space with room for nearly 150 diners and a banquet facility. Additionally, there are stools up at the impressively massive beer and wine bar, where they’ll eventually be serving both draught and bottled imports and domestics and a variety of fine wines. My only disappointment was that they didn’t have a couple of my favorite German dishes on offer, Spatzle (soft think noodles) and Weiner Schnitzel (breaded, fried veal cutlet). A minor complaint and I have a hunch they’ll be featuring these kinds of things as daily specials. After such a fantastic initial experience, I’ll be back as often as possible to check and see.

14 Questions with BentPenny

Live music. Mik-n-Mac's. Two phrases you'd thought you'd never hear mentioned in the same breath again. Barring last year's KITE performance there in benefit of Kim Hagen, it's been nothing but DJ's and Karaoke for the last eight years. Bar owner Ms. Rita has had the jitters about hosting live bands since her last venture into booking shows became unmanageable way back when. But recently a little bird suggested she reconsider the idea and so we have Cd'A punk-a-billy trio BentPenny taking over the M-n-M's stage this Thursday, March 20, along with Portland's Blackout Radio and the Wammies, in from Seattle town. If everyone shows up and behaves themselves, we'll see more local rock/punk/alt music on their schedule every week.

Meanwhile, Get Out presents...
14 Questions with BentPenny

1.When and how did BentPenny form exactly? What’s the whole juicy story?
Steph: I started BentPenny with Lisa in Anchorage, Alaska with Lisa in 1998. Lisa moved back to Idaho in 99, I was in a band Stephinfection (now Stuntcock) for about four years until I broke up with the band. Then I started another BentPenny, without Lisa, for about a year until I broke up with the band. Then in 2004 I moved to Idaho and started BentPenny with Lisa again. Three drummers, a violin and a flute latter here we are.

2. Favorite TV show from the 80’s and why?
Steph: Punky Brewster. I even used to dress like her! I even have freckles & a crooked eye...
Lisa: Isn't "That 70's Show" from the 80's?
Ghoul: Son Of Svengoolie. A horror/sci-fi/b-movie host from my hometown of Chicago.

3. Albums that most influenced your musical outlook?
Steph: Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits.
Lisa: Decendants, NOFX, Vandals, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly. I'm pretty eclectic.
Ghoul: Anything by The Ramones. I was "self-taught" by playing along to classic Ramones albums. By studying Marky Ramone's "8th beat technique" and perfecting it at any speed, I developed a LOT of endurance... which comes in useful when playing long sets!

4.Other local artists you admire and would recommend?
Steph: Cameron Bameron ROCKS!!
Lisa: I'd rather stick a fork in my eye than see a Scatterbox show.
Ghoul: The local scene in the Northwest is pathetic... I wouldn't even refer to it as a scene at all.

5. First there was the violin, then there was the flute. Where did they go? Any more unusual instruments planned or have you decided to keep it as a trio?
Steph: The violin player is living on the planet Zicron.
Lisa: We are going to be starting a acoustic side project this spring, and are going to bring the flute back in on that. I'm learning the upright bass, that is kind of unusual.
Ghoul: Violin and flute were never meant to be combined with any form of punk/rock. Those instruments should be only used in a symphony.
6. Describe your worst gig ever and one that stands out in your mind as really great? Rowdiest gig? Cops ever show up?
Steph: Once in Anchorage, with Stephinfection, our lead guitar player and his amp fell off the stage and broke a huge window. We just kept playing and the kids really freaked out. The paper latter said we started a riot, but that really wasn't true.
Lisa: Those pesky porters aways seem to break up our house parties. We played a show with the Enigma on Friday the 13th once, that was cool.
Ghoul: I come from the type of Midwest punk background that holds a lot of memories... in 1998, when I was the lead vocalist of Chicago's horror/punk band Human Monster, I remember smashing a glass pitcher of water over a guys forehead for pulling on my mic cord...

7. Favorite local eating establishment?
Steph: King Pizza (CDA).
Lisa: Toro Viejo (downtown CDA) Thanks for the kiwi margaritas Jonathan!
Ghoul: Rancho Viejo (Post Falls) Great service.

8.I like the fun theme clothes, especially the naughty Santa girl outfits. Where do you shop?
Steph: We like to dress up, wigs, costumes. We did "famous dead women".
Lisa: Superheroes would be fun! The naughty Santa girl was already in my closet!
Ghoul: Since I've been with BentPenny, I've actually looked fairly normal to the general public... usually I'm much bloodier!

9. Current favorite Bent Penny song and why?
Steph:
Lisa: "Sally" because I hate sissy-la-la's
Ghoul: "I'm A C#nt" cuz it's got a great big fat sing-along chorus.

10. Describe Bent Penny’s music in three words.
Steph: I got one word for you, PunKuntry.
Lisa: Bad ass broads!
Ghoul: bitch/punk/rock

11. What’s the story of how The Ghoul became your drummer and how did that affect the band’s sound?
Steph: The Ghoul rocks harder then our other drummers, he realy tightened us girls up. He would have to actualy crawl into a grave before we would give him up!
Lisa: The day we moved rehearsal into my garage I got a new neighbor. Lucky he plays music and doesn't mind the noise. He sent the Ghoul to us.

12. What are some thoughts on the local music scene? Do we even really have one?
Ghoul: See my answer on question # 4... the girls feel the same.

13. Any plans right now for a debut Bent Penny CD release? Details?
Steph: We are currently working on a four song split EP on vinyl with Stuntcock, and a Johnny Cash song for a tribute album. As soon as we finish that up we are going to start on a 12 song album...Yea!
Ghoul: After just finishing up the tracking for our new singles, I can't wait to do more studio work with these bitches. They both have ADD, but are fun to work with!

14. Someone offers to buy you a drink. What do you order?
Steph: Jameson Rocks.
Lisa: Bud Light (in a tall can please)
Ghoul: A Zombie!

St. Patrick's Day Parade & Bar Hop

St. Patrick’s Day Means Parades and Parties in Downtown CDA

I’ve always found it to be rather vexatious when folks don’t really go for the green on St. Patrick’s Day. They pad their way blearily through the closet that morning and pull out clothing in unsightly shades of sea foam, olive or chartreuse, and probably think “eh, close enough”. Or they dress head-to-toe in every color of the rainbow other than green, and then don some kind of miniscule accessory in Ireland’s trademark color, like a fuzzy shamrock pin purchased last year during a Hallmark clearance sale, or even worse they say “My underwear is green today”. This tidbit of information not only paints uncomfortable mind pictures, it will likely be seen as “too much” for all but one’s most intimate companions or perhaps emergency care technicians. They’ll wear just enough of a hint of pseudo-green to avoid the sharp pinching fingers of traditionalists.

Certainly, those who really take St. Paddy’s Day to heart know that only bold, bright true green will do the trick, and it should be worn loudly and proudly. However, when getting the kids dressed, be careful not to go overboard with the idea. In Ireland, the color was long considered to be unlucky; the favorite color of the Fairy Shoemakers who liked nothing better than to snatch away children wearing too much green. It’s better to be safe than sorry, but realistically, unless you reside near certain metropolitan boutique districts, Fairy Shoemakers are a very minor concern in modern times. If you decide to bring the family out to downtown Coeur d’Alene today at 4 o’clock for the annual St.Patrick’s Day Parade, it might be prudent to bring an Irish Fairy Swatter just in case.

If such an item could actually be purchased, All Things Irish on Sherman Avenue would likely be a great place to begin searching for it. If you want tacky paper-and-foil shamrocks, you’d better stick to the dollar store. All Things Irish owner Ilene Moss carries high quality merchandise straight from the land of Eire, including wool capes, Catholic trinkets, Celtic rugs, jewelry, fine art and ceramics. She will also rent you a kilt, but what you wear underneath is fully your decision. The shop serves as a kind of spiritual home base for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade which begins up the street at 11^th Street and ends a mile down Sherman Avenue near the Museum of North Idaho.

This year marks the third run of the parade, and although it’s a fairly new tradition in town, it’s already become a local favorite, giving folks a chance to experience the thrill of dusting off the folding lawn chairs and enjoying early springtime in the shadow of a high-rise condo. A real highlight each year is the twirling drumsticks and bagpipes of Sandpoint’s St. Joseph’s School Band, which are either heart-stirring or stomach churning, depending on your tolerance level for the droning wind instruments. Regardless, the green, blue, and black tartan-clad marching band always leaves the crowd misty-eyed, causing even those natives of Swaziland or Guam in attendance to long for the mothering shores of Ireland and cheer wildly. Other notable entries from previous years have included various local radio personalities, colorful charity floats, scads of pug dogs and leprechauns chasing police cars, and best of all, giant dancing bottles of Guinness beer.

Ah, Guinness. For many, it’s the embodiment of what makes St. Patrick’s Day worth celebrating. Its distinctive flavor comes from the roasted barley which remains unfermented, resulting in a rich flavor I like to describe as “chocolatey”. The Iron Horse is a fantastic place to order your first cold, heady Guinness of the evening and if you get there in time, you can even watch the parade go by from the comfort of the lounge. Crowds tend to get wild early at the Horse, and the staff has plans to make the place as festive as possible on parade day, with traditional Irish music setting the ambience, and heaps of Corned Beef and Cabbage to help soak up the dark beer. Since it’s a Saturday, they’ll be serving their usual two-for-one drinks. Stick around into the evening and dance to the party sounds of cover band Ultraglide. If you still haven’t had your fill of Irish shenanigans tonight, you can relive the whole affair this Monday the 17^th, when they do the whole thing over again with a DJ in lieu of live music.

Naturally, O’Shay’s Irish Pub on the east end of town on Lake Coeur d’Alene Drive is really getting into things, with a celebration that kicks off today with a big hearty “O’Breakfast” and the season opening of the beer garden and amphitheater. Fresh from dazzling parade goers, the St. Joseph’s Band will perform, followed by local favorites the Burlap Highrise, who I’d guess will be throwing in some old-country Irish elements in with their rustic Americana-tinged rock music. The O’Shays menu is like St.Paddy’s Day every day, so it’s no stretch at all to expect the Guinness Stew, Corned Beef & Cabbage, and Fish & Chips to be nearly as good as a trip to a Dublin eatery. The music, food, and good times continue at O’Shays through Monday.

It doesn’t really matter to the naughty Leprechaun if he has to work bright and early the next morning, he’s going to put on his best green floppy hat and celebrate St Paddy’s the way it was meant to be celebrated: bar-hopping. Along with the aforementioned Iron Horse and O’Shay’s, the Fort Ground Grill will be treating revelers all day long Monday to plenty of stout Irish ale, corned beef, and an evening bagpipe performance. “The Fort Ground has always been a St Patrick’s Day tradition in Coeur d’Alene,” says owner Steve Widmyer, “Stop by for a green beer!”

Also on the party list is Capone’s Pub on 4^th street in midtown, where according to featured entertainers the Million $ Hillbilly Band, it’ll be “foot stompin’, Irish drinkin’, and more fun than the British parliament deems legal.” Music starts at 7 p.m. The Shore Lounge in the lobby level of the Resort is also throwing a St.Patrick’s Night bash, with drink specials, a DJ spinning Irish tunes (U2 dance mixes perhaps?), and plenty of tourist commingling.

After bar hopping, the tispy Leprechaun is most likely to end up settling in for the night at Mik-n-Mac’s Lounge on 4th where DJ Jason will be completely ignoring Ireland and will instead get everyone dancing to current and retro hip-hop and club hits. The fair maidens behind the bar have promised to keep the crowd juiced up on martinis, green beers and insane drink specials like the Irish Trash Can, a wicked concoction of Rum, Gin, Vodka, Triple Sec, Peach Schnapps, and Blue Curaco, with a full can of Red Bull floating atop. Whoa. More than one of those bad boys and the naughty Leprechaun will wake up the next morning looking as green as his best floppy hat.

Random Bits: Two Asian Mysteries

The faithful were in panic mode last week. Each time I drove by, it appeared that long-time 4th Street greasery Chinese Gardens had gone the way of Chico the monkey: dead. Windows were dark, neon signs were silent, dark clouds hovered. I popped into Mik-n-Mac's to spread the word and see if anyone had the scoop. Jaws around the place dropped to the floor and eyes began to well with salty tears. I've found their food to be extremely challenging in the last few years, but apparently it's still beloved by many,and the bar crowd at least were devastated with the notion of it possibly being gone."I dunno, it probably was the health department" speculated John the bouncer, and I couldn't really disagree. The bartender called down there to see if she could get the true blue story from the mouth of owner E-chen Chane himself, but the phone just rang and rang ominously like a bad David Lynch outtake. Despite plenty of red beers, we were haunted by the mystery for the rest of the night.

The next afternoon, I was headed up 4th again and this time I noticed a scrawly sign on the door "Closed for Remodeling." Ahhhh-ha. It's about time, too. The place was run down and approaching museum status - badly in need of some rejuvenation. I'm hoping the food gets a rethink as well - I just wasn't too impressed with it the last few visits, in fact I was straight-up grossed out. However, I'll be checking out their grand reopening curiously, chopsticks in hand.

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The Japan House on Appleway has been open for maybe around a year now, and I've yet to run into anyone who has actually dined there. They appear to be open strange hours and if they are open, the place is totally empty. I was shocked one evening when I drove by a few nights ago and saw two people sitting up at the sushi bar. I couldn't tell if they were actually diners if they were merely reflections from Arby's, a trick of the light. How does this place remain open? Is the food any good? Is Coeur d'Alene just not ready for the Japanese-French fusion they touted when opening.? What the heck?

I've wanted to review the place, but I'm a little spooked out by it and don't really want to give heavy coverage to someplace that's going to go under in a week, which seems like the fate of Japan House. Yet...somehow it remains in business. Two words: mafia front. I hope I don't get the works from Big Mario for suggesting it, but it's the only logical explanation. Seriously, if you've ever tried the place out, please fill me in.

Local Music Roundup: Shook Twins, Josh Hedlund, Robby French

While North Idaho is certainly no Austin or Seattle when it comes to churning out the latest hip independent music acts, we do have our fair share of original young talent. Consistently, venues in Coeur d’Alene and beyond play host to some truly cool musicians whose work expands horizons and opens minds up to the notion that there’s more to life than 80’s Rock cover bands and mid-life crisis Blues acts. Here are three current local artists you’ll definitely want to pay attention to.

The Shook Twins
In their online bio, Sandpoint’s Katelyn and Laurie Shook mention that if they weren’t enchanting Northwest audiences with their modern folk jams, they’d like to pursue the idea of hosting a show on the Travel Channel. It’s a brilliant notion; our girls trotting across the globe, guitars and djembes in their hands. They could chat a bit about the locale, and then pop into some little café to spread good times and goodwill with the gorgeous beauty of their tunes.

While Sri Lanka is still perhaps a ways off for The Shook Twins, they’ve been hitting the road for a short regional tour in support of their incredible third album You Can Have the Rest. They’ve recently unleashed their magic to audiences in such exotic locations as Park City, Utah and Bellingham, Washington and will be returning home for a gig at the Pend Oreille Winery on March 22. With the addition of new bass player Kyle Volkman and cellist Lane Exworthy, the group is now officially a foursome, joining such greats as Thompson Twins and Cocteau Twins as “twin” bands with more than two members. Certainly, they share nothing in common with the former, but they certainly do deal in some of the same trance-inducing grandeur of the latter.

The hypnotic “Wild Fire” opens You Can Have the Rest impressively with an ominous, exotic cello sound and brings in a Native American flute riff that practically pulls you into the desert at dusk for a harmonic convergence. Like the rest of the album, the instrumentation and production is impeccable, and the sisters’ voices blend and braid with amazing clarity and depth, their guitars percolate brightly, and the intensity builds to incendiary proportions with layers of percussion gradually added to the mix. “Dance Around In Circles” is a favorite of mine, another showcase for Katelyn and Laurie’s crystalline voices and impressionistic wordplay.
Their sound is often described as modern folk, but there’s more to it than that. A keen experimental streak runs through the band’s lush pop-rock arrangements, and unusual instruments like banjos and ocarinas often come out to play. The album cover image of a musical bathtub is spot on, since their songs completely immerse the listener in bubbly feelings of warmth and relaxation.

There are some truly “pop” moments here, such as the intriguing “It’s Lost” in which Laurie’s trademark vocal beat boxing is so subtle and smooth it sounds like a vintage synth loop. However, much of the material seems darker in tone, ominous in a way that calls for repeated listenings in order to solve the delightful mystery of The Shook Twins’ world. You Can Have the Rest will surely rank as one of the finest Inland Northwestns albums of all time.

Recommended if you like Ani Difranco, Coldplay, Iron & Wine, Feist, Fleetwood Mac, Dido.

Shook Twins: Website
Shook Twins: MySpace
Shook Twins: Buy the Album at CD Baby

Josh Hedlund
Josh Hedlund's voice is fraught with a twisted sort of delicacy, intriguingly ageless and genderless, and filled with a very rare and delightful form of soul indeed. So many musicians trawl the local coffee and wine circuit armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a head full of post-modern angst, but few do it with the startling glory of this young Sandpoint troubadour. In his typically poetic and mildly cryptic fashion he describes his music as “Sounds like the combination of everything that’s happening and has ever happened in the entire everything and everywhere and everyone.”

The four tracks he's posted on his MySpace are just a tease in lieu of a full release, but they do show off well Hedlund's fantastic songwriting and brightly portentous voice."Polar" is a mellow and melodically sweet self-examination of Hedlund's fried emotional state. Lyrically, it describes a surreal, bitter impression of lovesick hunger, with the ponderous refrain "I'll just wish in one hand". "I'll Fall Apart" charms with its surprisingly polished, layered vocal sound which pops up to surprise attack you after the rough studio chatter (“OK ready?…dude!") at the beginning of the track. The show of humanity is an unusual touch amidst so many otherworldly moments.
Live, Hedlund's voice has an endearing dramatic quality that these recordings fail to fully capture, and his demeanor on stage is as warm as toast. His appearances seem to be a bit rare of late, but keep your eyes on the Get Out Music & Arts Calendar below for upcoming shows.

Recommended if you like Devendra Banhart, Elliot Smith, Jeff Buckley, Hunky Dory-era David Bowie.

Josh Hedlund: MySpace
Josh Hedlund: 7 Podcast

Robby French
Robby French probably doesn't remember meeting me. He had just been rudely awakened by me, a couple of my friends, and his mother, who we had met earlier that night while out on the town. We were having a blast at the bar and she decided to drag us home with her to try some of her rare imported wine and continue the good times. It was well beyond the bewitching hour and our mirth and merriment brought a very sleepy teenaged Robby out of his basement room to blearily gaze at us for a moment. "Hey everyone, it’s Robby" slurred mom before he snuck back off to bed, slightly bewildered. In the morning, he probably thought we were just a bad dream.

Since I first encountered a groggy Robby that night, he's been a quite a busy boy. According to his online biography, he grew up ion a very musical house and started his career with the notion he would become a professional drummer. He had a change in plans after catching the acting bug in high school and graduated from The Idyllwild Arts Academy in California with a Theatre Arts major, then completed his Bachelor’s Degree at the New School University in New York. An acting gig with a regional touring group in Los Angeles led to his entry in the World Championships of the Performing Arts. French says “I swept the male vocal category, which was awesome, winning the most gold medals for a vocalist, and also Grand Champion vocalist of the World for my age category.”

Naturally, such a victory led Robby to focus much of his energy on learning guitar and writing songs, which from what I’ve heard seems like a mission accomplished. Robby currently resides here in town and won accolades for performances with the CDA Summer Theatre last year. He also plays a weekly gig at O'Shays Irish Pub on Cd'A Lake Drive. Go have a frosty, delicious Guinness one of these Wednesday evenings and enjoy the lad's emotive folk/pop tunes. If you like what you hear, ask him how to get a copy of his debut CD "Rain Fell Down".

Recommended if you like: Rufus Wainwright, Queen, Jason Mraz, Broadway Musicals.

Robby French: MySpace

Dragon House

Dragon House
512 W. Appleway,
Coeur d'Alene.
(208) 664-5495.

The waitress was a cartoonish black, white and purple blur, bouncing at breakneck speed from table to table, from the cash register to the kitchen, from the silverware bin to the hot tea and soup station. I’m not sure if her co-workers had called in sick with a fake case of the croup and went snowboarding, or if fate had been cruel enough to schedule her as the solitary server in charge of the mad lunch rush at the Dragon House that Saturday.

Last month, the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Rat was ushered in on the heels of the new moon. In the west, rats rank pretty low on the totem pole of respect, but in Asian cultures, they’re admired for their charm, perseverance and hardworking nature. I’d bet 20 Yuan that this waitress was born proudly under the sign of the rat, for she never paused for even a half-a- moment to slack, her determined brow betraying her tousled salt-and-pepper hair and general air of near-exhaustion.

I walked in solo and was a little surprised to see the place as busy as it was; the last couple of times I’d been in the it was nearly deserted. The crowd was a promising thing since I’d never really rated the place tremendously high on my personal favorite Chinese places list. Maybe it had somehow improved; maybe we finally had a workably decent Chinese joint in town. I peered into the open kitchen and the chef winked and smiled slyly back. Like the waitress, he seemed to be the only one holding the kitchen side of things together, but his demeanor was calm and seasoned with experience as he expertly sizzled and swooshed someone’s meal around in a huge ancient wok.

“Be with you in a minute, dear” chirped the waitress as she breezed past. Looking around, I noticed that with the exception of a couple of younger nurse types, the median age of the twenty-or-so diners hovered somewhere well beyond 75. Some were enjoying loud conversations with themselves while others seemed like they were about to land face first in their Chow Mein. I’m trying to respectfully tread lightly here, but basically these folks were about as old as the Great Wall and under enough medication to run a pharmaceutical opium den.
The waitress approached the counter from out of nowhere and paused for just a slight moment, hovering like a hummingbird: “Just one?” She managed to work up a brief smile despite her state of breathlessness.

I was actually relieved when she sat me in a peaceful, otherwise unoccupied section separated by a tall wall away from the chaos. Parked right across the lot from my window was a large courtesy bus for a local nursing home, which finally explained the current clientele. “Hot tea?” she proposed and for the first time she stopped moving long enough for me to notice that her eyelids were coated with very bright sparkly purple makeup the same shade as her Dragon House work shirt. Wow. Suddenly mystified and a little confused, I had trouble wrapping my tongue around the words “Yes, please.” She was gone again in a puff of lavender smoke.

All the usual suspects are featured on the Dragon House menu including the ubiquitous Grilled Cheese Sandwich, which are wonderfully made by Chinese chefs, or so I hear. I’ve never been able to pass up a good choose-your-own-lunch combo and here it’s the Weekend Lunch Special, which is a choice of four of thirteen possible entrée and side options. On the menu, each item was represented boldly by the letters A-M so I wanted to choose four items that would spell a word and maybe inject some lame humor into the waitress’s busy shift when she came to take my order. I decided easily on M (Hot & Spicy Chicken), I (Egg Foo Young), and L (Beef Broccoli). It’s a good thing I don’t like F (Sweet & Sour Pork), since the forty-something waitress likely wouldn’t have found much humor in that recently popular rude acronym. K (Egg Roll) was also a little weird, so I decided to go with D (Almond Chicken). “I’ll have M-I-L-D. Mild.” I announced oh-so cleverly when she lit back to my table to take my order. It went straight over her head; “Well, the Hot & Spicy Chicken only comes in one mildness, it’s really not too bad…” she offered. “That’s fine…” I sighed defeatedly as she sped off in a vapor trail.

I was just enjoying my second cup of fragrant tea when the soup arrived, landing with a flash on my table, not a drop spilled. I often wonder why these places include pre-wrapped packets of Saltines. It seems so unauthentic, and since I never even open mine, I wonder do they end up being recycled for the next person? Is that morally right? I don’t know, but the soup was hot and tasty. Normally, the unnecessary presence of frozen mixed veggies in egg flower soup is enough to make my eyes roll with disdain, but I was just hungry enough to inhale it, evil lima beans included.

The waitress buzzed by with my main dish so fast I didn’t even have time to ask for chopsticks. No matter, I was famished enough to go with a fuss-free fork. I have to say my meal actually tasted better than it looked. It arrived seeming a little visually washed-up; slightly dull with faded shades of green and brown rather than colorfully appetizing. The Beef Broccoli and Hot Spicy Chicken were served in separate soup bowls, which made for an awkward presentation. However, once I dug in I was surprised how really great everything tasted.

The brown almond gravy was thick and the flavor was savory atop the tender fried chicken hunks and it made the Egg Foo Young explode with personality, lending a necessary salty kick to the oniony scrambled eggs. The Beef Broccoli was nicely rich and garlicky and devoid of the mysterious fishy flavor that can sometimes take hold of the broccoli and ruin the dish. The Hot and Spicy Chicken didn’t hold much fire, but it was pleasantly tangy and certainly extremely edible, complete with my favorite baby corncobs and crunchy bamboo shoots.

I wouldn’t assert that Dragon House is anywhere on par with the best Chinese places I’ve tried, and surely I still think this town needs really top-notch one. However, my experience there was favorably adequate, pleasantly not-bad, completely super okay. At the very least, I have to give mad respect to the bare-bones staff that runs place without missing a beat no matter how many senior care facilities decide to show up. I’ve never seen a waitress literally running quite like that, and I hope at the end of the day she earns enough tips to afford endless purple sparkly eye makeup.