B3nson does B3nson

Always more music! “B3 does B3″ is a project that we’ve been working on since the start of 2012.  The participating artists chose some of their favorite fellow B3nsonite’s tunes and are putting their own spin on them.

the boston celtics do The Neighborhood of Make Believe
& for next week, Blood (there’s so much)

Ryan Stewart and Richard Nolan (see image above) are helping Alex Muro of The Neighborhood of Make Believe appreciate pop music and helping ladies out of their pants (self-proclaimed) with dance-tastic tunes like this cover of “Between Two Nighttimes, Lightning”

A couple questions for Ryan Stewart and Richard Nolan:

WHO is on the recording?:
RS: The recording is me and Richard.

WHERE was the recording done?:
RS: My apartment in Schenectady and Richard’s apartment in Ballston Spa.

HOW did you make the recording?:
RS: i did the programming and after briefly considering finishing the song up myself, i came to my senses. i emailed richard and asked if he wanted to be involved and he did (which was fortuitous, because it also sort of got us back into the idea of making the next boston celtics record, which is well on its way to completion by now). i did vocals with richard at his apartment then he added his vocals and guitar afterwords (his vocals are the cool harmonies that creep in at the end of some of the lines).

What else can you tell us about the upcoming record?
RN: It’s been a long time coming. Most of the songs on the record started off as 5 to 15 second long loops. The process has been very time consuming and eye-opening. We have both learned a lot over this recording and are excited to share our findings with everyone. Unlike previous BC recordings Ryan and I share the responsibility of lead vocals which gives the album diversity in a new way. Our last record (The End of Mont Pleasant) ended up being more of a collection of songs than one focused piece. On the new album we have targeted a specific soundscape to work within, having the music all flow together and letting the vocals steer the ride.

RS: It’s going to be fun. About half of the songs are built around pre-existing samples, with about half of those coming from video games. also: there is a guitar solo. only one, but its there. im pretty sure i can speak for both of us when i say thet we are super proud of it, and cant wait for it to be finished and for people to hear it. im sure we will be filling people in more on that as time goes on.

Materials Used:
RS: samples and synths from Reason 3.  Richard used a Stratocaster and begrudgingly put autotune on my vocals. richard doesnt like to use autotune to make robot voices and i pretty much have to beg him when i want that to happen. in this case i begged. we put autotune ony my vocals and turned it way up and i think we had it set wrong or something because it made the vocals worse, so i am pretty sure that we added a second autotune to my vocals which gave it that weird off-pitch sort of sound.

RN: Ryan is a loud fellow, so we stuffed him in the closest with some star wars sheets and an old blanket. a pretty nice mic called a ‘spark’ on the vocals and the guitar was plugged directly into the board and mixed post recording. My vocals were done with a sm-58 but you can’t really notice the fidelity difference because of how low they are in the mix

Why did you pick this song and artist to cover?:
RS: i picked this song to cover because i always liked it. i played drums on the original recording that was made for the first of many planned Neighborhood of Make Believe EPs which never really got made. there was something about it that always stuck with me. not necessarily lyrical content (i am partly ashamed to admit i usually dont listen to the words in song, just the music) but there is something about the feel of the song that i always liked.

WHAT was the hardest and/or most fun part or re-arranging and recording this song?:
RS: the hardest part about re-arranging this song was the decision on whether to stay true to the song and keep in 3/4 in strange measure grouping of 9 and 8 (i dont know if thats technically correct as i am not listening to the song currently) or whatever the hell it is in in the first place, or to change it. and i decided to change it (suck it, alex).

AND FOR NEXT WEEK!

Antony Wasilewski, also known as Blood, holds the honor of being the only B3nsonite to have a cassette tape only release. The album “Through” (b3011) was recorded on tape and released on tape. Low and behold! a digital version of the song “To Sleep On the Floor” from our super-secret collection (listening in headphones is recommended):

A couple questions for Antony:

Can you give us some background on this song?
This is the first song I wrote (probably on Peter Mollica’s guitar because I didn’t own one at that point) when I was living at b3nson in 2007. The chords in it are stolen mostly from My Bloody Valentine and Microphones songs though the execution is a little different. It is about the forces surrounding someone very important to me at that point in time.

Peter, aka Pinguinos, is now covering the song you wrote on his guitar, what are you expecting?
I have a feeling the Pingüinos version will be a little slower and will possibly translate the music to a few different instruments making for some sweet harmony instead of being exclusively guitar tracks. I’m expecting something pretty, elegant, and overall better than the original, which shouldn’t really be too hard for Pete to pull off.

Previously
Under the covers with Emily Stewart
Under the Covers with Umbwella
Under the Covers with B3nson
 

Who? Two Dudes Fishing
What? The Art in Heart
Where? Ballston Spa, New York
When? A while ago! Hmm… February?
Why?/How? I was working on a pop song for a contest I got involved with and wanted to do something very catchy using the phrase “You put the ____ in ____”. After brainstorming the line for a while and bouncing the idea off a couple of people I decided I liked “you put the art in heart” the best. I came up with a early version of the chorus and the guitar part and abandoned it for a while. I really liked the guitar part a lot, I thought it sounded like the clash and really wanted to use it for something. I ended up submitting a different song to the contest and came back around to this song a month later when my buddy Jayce was in town looking for something to do. We work-shopped the song and both decided we wanted to take it a different direction. We added in the synth track with the aim of making it sound like the cars. It did for a little while but then we shaped it into something even more fun. Writing the lyrics took about 15 minutes, you can probably tell, but I think it needed the free form silliness to really keep the song bouncy and fresh. The hardest part of this recording was not laughing delivering the lines about Pavarotti. Actually, I couldn’t. Jayce did the last line about Pavarotti solo. We even worked in a Diarrhea joke. Anne Frankly I’m okay with that.

If you or anyone you know would like to participate in the Song-A-Week series: send an email to ferguson@b3nson.net

Dan has a long history of being very rational and not flying off the handle.

Here is a picture of him with Evander Holyfield. Go ahead, google image search Maddalone and find a better result. No, really, it’s a challenge, post your findings below. Winner gets a five dollar gift card to Mcdonalds, or some Magic Cards, or whatever. 

B3: What was your first job?

DM:  Janitor and stock boy at a locally owned hometown Pharmacy and Hallmark store.

B3: Do you have any whacky Janitor tales like that dude from Scrubs?

DM:  Sadly no, the pharmacy I worked at was very old and being that it existed in Sidney NY (small town USA) it didn’t have much going on for entertainment; just a lot of elderly people. One time though I went to the upstairs apartment area which was huge and creepy. Basically what happened was there was a semi-complex system of doors you had to take to get to the store area to not end up on the roof or the weird stairwell that lead to a locked glass door at street level. Essentially I ended up down at the sidewalk behind that locked glass door in a stairwell. I motioned to a lady walking by who then went inside and got my boss who let me out. I was always screwing around there because I don’t like not screwing around. Stuff like that happened pretty frequently but I won’t bore you with any more stories from my adolescence. I just want everyone to know that I worked in 3 of the 5 good businesses in my town while in highschool and as of about 2 years ago none of the ones I worked at still exist. My thoughts on this? I took them out either by being such a terrible employee or by being such a good employee the company failed when I left for school. The world may never know.

B3: Cool Story Bro.

DM:  Thanks Bro.

B3: What was the best show you have played so far with Barons in the Attic?

DM: The release show, it was the most fun and there were a lot of people

B3: That’s right! You Barons have just released a record! How does it feel? How many times do you think you have listened to it so far?

DM: It feels great. I’m so happy with it! When we first had it I listened to it nonstop but now i don’t put in on much. I’m listening to new barons stuff we have going on.

B3: New stuff already? Spoilers?

DM: I’ve been listening to lots of the live stuff we’ve recorded at shows for this big video project I’m doing with my friend and fellow skateboarder Eamonn Mcbride. Dudeman has been coming on trips and stuff and filmed the living hell out of the release show and a WCDB performance. Get ready for some seriously stellar shit. Oh and we covered a Dunbar song for Tim Koch’s B3nson does B3nson. I think people will like it.

B3: When do you think the video project will be out?

DM: We have about 4 videos done and back logged, looking to finish up the release show so we can drop a well done clip every 2 weeks for the next few months. I’m super excited, Eamonn’s a killer filmer and rad dude to hangout with. Lots of work was actually done for this project but it doesn’t really feel like it, to me at least, since we get to skate, listen to music, and act foolishly wherever we go. Its lots of fun.

B3: Where is your stance on this whole “Cats vs Dogs” thing?

DM: I pick dogs because they’re better in pretty much every way; except of course in the department of “how easy they are to take care of”. Oh and I’m talking about big dogs, tiny dogs are lamer than cats for sure.

B3: Where is your stance on Red Dogs?

DM: Red dogs are the best. Why? Because that means they’re probably golden retrievers which are the most kick ass dogs ever.

B3: Red Dog is a beer, but I’m glad to hear about your theoretical boner for Golden Retrievers. What is the absolute worse beer you have ever had?

DM: Red Dog Or that shitty Milwaukee special stuff they used to sell at Stewarts. If served piss warm its as vile as the bottom of a 40. Brutal.

B3: The English drink their beer warm.

DM: I don’t think that makes any sense. I want my beverages either hot or cold, but I guess America is more extreme than those redcoat bastards

B3: Did you know that Limp Bizkit signed to Cash Money?

DM: Yes, very excited to see what happens. I’m kinda bummed though because Limp Bizkit is fun to back since those first 3 records played such a stupid and awesome part in my child hood. I’m sure to hate whatever they put out next. But maybe they’ll surprise me with some really catchy musical filth, stranger things have happened.

B3: Were you a fan of Golden Cobra? Wes Borland seems to be all about the Bizkit again. Do you have a favorite and least favorite Limp Bizkit song?

DM:  I thought the video for the single was funny but i’m over it I think. Ummmmmmmmmm N2gether now? fuck I don’t even know. and there’s too many least favorites to name. God I hope this interview isn’t all about Limp Bizkit. haha

B3:  I’m with you on that Golden Cobra video, other than that the album was pretty lame. What’s up with Aaron Smith these days? No, not that one. The one from Staind. I think he has gone country, like Hootie from the blowfishes. What 90s Nu-Metal band would you like to see go country?

DM: Kid Rock, COWBOY BABYYYY. Alright no. I don’t even know. I don’t want to see anyone from the genre do anything, even nu metal

B3: Pshaw, who is your secret nu metal crush on?

DM: Well that’s kind of a loaded question isn’t it? Male or female? is this actually a question of sexual attraction or is it based on just crushing on how badass some one is. Is System of a Down still considered Nu Metal? I’ll just go with The dudes in System, they win my heart.

If you or someone else you know is interested in doing B3NSON’s 3 2 1 email:
rnolan1983 at gmail dot com

B3nson does B3nson

Always more music! “B3 does B3″ is a project that we’ve been working on since the start of 2012.  The participating artists chose some of their favorite fellow B3nsonite’s tunes and are putting their own spin on them.

Emily Stewart does Matthew Carefully
& for next week, The Neighborhood of Make Believe!

Happy Wednesday! “Oh My Luck” by Matthew Carefully is what we’re covering this week. Check out last weeks post for the original version because this is how the one-woman show known as Emily Stewart does it:

A couple questions for Emily Stewart:

WHO is on the recording?: It is just me, Emily Stewart.

WHERE was the recording done?: On  the couch in the living room in my apartment in Westfield, Massachusetts.

HOW did you make the recording?: Well, after doing a B3nson does B3nson with both Richard Nolan and Matthew Loiacono, I wanted to do one of my own.  So upon arriving back in Westfield one weekend I just sat down and got to work.  I would like to thank my brother Ryan because he gave me advise on how to make it better because I was going into this whole thing a bit blind as I never done any recording or editing like this before.  As you can tell there were no instruments used, everything is my voice.

This is the first B3nson a capella recording. Have you had any other experience with singing or arranging for a capella?: Yes, I am in my schools a capella group, we are called the Night Owls, and I am currently arranging the piece “Boyfriend” by Ashlee Simpson for just the girls because it is quite sassy

Materials Used: I used Garage Band on my MacBook, and a pair of headphones.

Why did you pick this song and artist to cover?: I picked this song because it was one of my favorites that I was able to perform with Matthew Carefully and the Undone Ensemble at last summers Resteration Festival.

WHAT was the hardest and/or most fun part or re-arranging and recording this song?: The hardest part about this project was recording and editing it because I had no idea what to do.  But that was also my favorite part because it forced me to sit down and figure some things out.  The part that I had the most fun on though was being able to beatbox.

Have you put your new post-production editing skills to use since making your recording?: Yes, Richard Nolan (Umbwella, Boston Celtics) and I, along with some others are working on some new music.  When I finish or almost finish a song I record it and send it to him and he thinks of ways to make it better.  Then when I go home we work on it together.  I am also in the process of working on some tracks for Kamran Parwana (Nursing Home Discoveries).

AND FOR NEXT WEEK!

B3nson Grand-Wizard Alex Muro is the man behind the Neighborhood of Make Believe and this weeks original tune, “Between Two Nighttimes, Lightning”. This is the opening track of their 2010 B3nson release Prince Tuesday (b3031), available at their bandcamp.

A couple questions for Neighborhood’s Alex Muro:

Can you give us some background on this song?
The song was inspired by a poem of the same name (although in spanish) by Vincente Alexandre, which I read in the book Longing for the Light: Selected Poems of Vincent Aleixandre, translated by Lewis Hyde, that I bought at the dove and hudson book store. It was a habit of my for a long time to go and buy a book of poems by someone I had heard of and a book of poems by someone I hadn’t because the books there are so cheap and the store is brilliantly curated so that its difficult to buy something truly bad. This is an amazing book and I highly recommend it to other people who like to read books of poems. Its kind of surreal and dense and all written in free verse in a way that made it seem to lose very little in translation. Its poetry where the emphasis is not how things are said but instead what is said and it manages to be rather powerful in that way. The title line had a resonance in the idea that one moment can instantly divide two periods of time. So the whole song is about how to deal with this metaphorical bolt of lightening which divides your life into eras. This coincided with the time when the hobo banned was trying to decide what its goals were and why, which allowed Jen and Eric to concentrate on what has become The Parlor.

You have already heard the Boston Celtics cover of your song, what do you think about their version?
Driving back from Schenectady last night, there was nothing good on the usual radio stations so I tuned in to FLY 92.3 as it was playing that song by the band FUN whose hook occasionally gets stuck in my head and left the dial there for a while thinking to myself, “Its been ages since you’ve listened to popular radio you should see what its like these days.” I am still grasping , although half heartedly, at an appreciation of radio pop. There are so many constraints placed upon the genre (must have thumping 4/4 kick,very fake snare sound as the loudest things in the song, whooshing noises to indicate that the important part of the song is coming up and the chorus must be very short repeated at least 5 times ) and I resent as a listener that someone thinks that such cheap tricks would actually trick me into liking something. Instead it becomes a distraction, preventing me from listening to the what fills the small amount of room left for creativity. The Boston Celtics on the other hand have a knack for this kind of thing and clearly find a  thumping 4/4 bass beat to be a boon rather than a distraction. There is a lot to be said for context and how things are presented to us and the Boston Celtics are helping me to learn how to appreciate pop music. At least a little bit.

Previously:
Umbwella does the Hoborchestra
B3nson does B3nson 

The premise of the story is interesting.  The Fang parents are performance artists who believe that “traditional art” is dead.  They make art by causing scenes and documenting the reactions.  Really, they’re improv actors with a penchant for wreaking havoc at shopping malls and other public spaces.  They’re willing to do whatever is necessary for a piece.  They submit to arrests, set themselves on fire, and, more often than not, place their children Annie and Buster, also known as Child A and Child B, into precarious situations.

Before having children Caleb and Camille’s art were virtually unknown artists struggling to gain attention.  Afterwards they became well known and respected in the modern art community.  They even became somewhat wealthy on various grants and awards.  This all defied their mentor’s belief that “kids kill art,” a mantra repeated several times throughout the novel.  Of course using children as props in bizarre art projects is not good for the kids, and they each grow up to be emotionally and socially stunted.  Annie becomes a moderately famous actress who is victim to a series of unfortunate events that are ushered into being by her own poor decisions.  Buster becomes a mostly unsuccessful novelist who turns to freelance journalism to make ends meet.  After a face-altering accident on an assignment involving potato guns, Buster moves back to Tennessee to live with his parents.  Annie soon follows.

That the children are tortured at the hands of the inept artist parents is predictable, but this a major source of both humor and sadness in the novel.  Caleb and Camille sing Black Flag’s “Six Pack” to the kids as a lullaby.  They only listen to music that’s loud and abrasive or offbeat and atonal.  In addition to the strange parental habits, many of the family’s art pieces are hilarious.  My personal favorite involved Annie and Buster posing as a brother-sister band that doesn’t know how to play their instruments, but they busk with such songs as “Kill All Parents.”  Camille and Caleb then heckle them, which violently divides the crowd into hecklers and sympathizers.  Annie tends to handle the situations very well, though with growing disinterest as she gets older.  Buster, on the other hand, has a tendency to misread the situation or mess up lines.  In spite of the parents’ willingness to take risks with their children, there are moments when their love is obvious; however, it’s never quite enough to make up for their selfishness and absorption in their own work.

The chapters bounce from the present family crisis to past art “installations.”  The main story arch follows the destruction and reconstruction of Buster and Annie’s lives.  The past chapters focus on specific pieces their parents performed, each exposing important details that explain why the characters turned out as they did.  Wilson uses this device brilliantly not only as a vehicle to move the plot forward, but to develop his characters in an interesting fashion.

The premise of the book is interesting enough.  The book’s major flaw is its characters.  They’re developed wonderfully, but I found it difficult to become invested in any of them.  I can’t feel sympathy for completely self-destructive characters (Annie and Buster), and Camille and Caleb are much too self-absorbed to build any sympathy.  Thus the handful of moments that should inspire some type of sadness or sympathy or affection fail to do so.  And while the book is funny, some of the dialog that would’ve seemed brilliantly witty when delivered by Bill Murray or Angelica Huston falls a little flat on the page.  I did have a good time picturing Buster as Buster from Arrested Development.  And following the big screen theme, I would’ve liked to see some of the Fang’s “artwork” with Hollywood special effects.  Again, imagine Bill Murray and Angelica Huston walking straight-faced through a crowd while their backs are on fire.  Brilliant.

The Family Fang was a lot of fun to read.  It is not, as Ann Patchett mentioned recently in the New York Times, worthy of consideration for the Pulitzer Prize that wasn’t.  But it is funny, and it’s a quick read.  So why not read it? You finished The Hunger Games trilogy, and you just realized that Dark Shadows was a TV show, not a book (though you good get into the series based on the soap opera if that’s your thing). What else have you got going on?

***This week we have a special installment – regular Song-A-Week contributor Mount Mole has provided us with an original tune and a remix/mash-up of that same tune featuring Big Digits; some pals of his that will be coming through 51 3rd st, Troy, on May 12th with The Black Ships. Check them out: http://bigdigits.tumblr.com/ and go see them: Facebook Event Page***

Who? Mount Mole/Big Digits
What? Thursday/Knives Out (Mount Mole Thursday Mix)
Where? BSpa
When? Thursday April 19th -> Tuesday April 24th
Why? Since my turn was creeping up on the calendar, i decided that i wanted to challenge myself. This was started as straight up Mount Mole track with abstract lyrics about waking up too early and fight or flight responses. Then it occurred to me that my friends from Boston (Big Digits) were set to play 51 3rd on May 12th, so I decided that the track would do double duty. I set about turning it into a remix of one of their tracks.
How? Samples, Midi instruments and a bunch of editing. Didn’t drag out the guitar for this one…The Mount Mole track is at 94bpm. I brought that up to 113 for the Big Digits track which is still quite a bit slower than the 135 that their vocals were tracked at. I also made a bunch of structural changes to the remix track to make it work better. One thing I will say is that my remixes don’t always make a lot of sense. I like it freeform and weird and that tendency means that my remixes aren’t really built for dancing.

…and a video!

B3nson does B3nson

Always more music! “B3 does B3″ is a project that we’ve been working on since the start of 2012.  The participating artists chose some of their favorite fellow B3nsonite’s tunes and are putting their own spin on them, and now it’s finally here…time to Celebrate!

Umbwella does the Hoborchestra
& for next week, Matthew Carefully!

Here it is! The first cover in the B3nson does B3nson series! Last week we posted the original version of “A Tale to Tell the Kids”by the Hoborchestra, here’s that same tune done by Umbwella.

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Track No Longer Available
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A couple questions for Umbwella’s Richard Nolan:

WHO is on the recording?: I did this recording with Jesse Horton and Emily Stewart in two different sessions. I think we are calling the project Umbwella.

WHERE was the recording done?: The recordings were done in my apartment in Ballston Spa during January.

Who? Gypsy Carnival Sideshow
What? “Build a Deck 4″
Where? B3 Headquarters, *** S. Pine Ave [ed.note: address has been censored]
When? Whenever you are.
Why? This is part of a series of tunes that will eventually be construed into something resembling an album. Details to follow, but enjoy this one!
How? Thug life.

Always more music! “B3 does B3″ is a project that we’ve been working on since the start of 2012.  The participating artists chose some of their favorite fellow B3nsonite’s tunes and are putting their own spin on them, and now it’s finally here…time to Celebrate!

Introduction

Starting today, and every subsequent Wednesday from now until the future, there will be the original recording of a B3nson artist’s tune posted here, available for streaming or download. The following Wednesday you’ll hear that song performed by someone else on the B3nson roster as well as the next original song in the series.

This week’s original tune is “A Tale to Tell the Kids” by the Hoborchestra, off the 2009 B3nson release, I Only Eat You to Make Me Stronger (b3024). The whole album is available for stream or download over at  the Hoborchestra’s bandcamp, so here ya go:

Check back next Tuesday for a cover version of this tune by a new B3nson mash-up group going by the name Umbwella, and also for the next original tune in the series, a song by Matthew Carefully. It was performed by Matthew and the Undone Ensemble last August at the 2nd anuual Restoration Festival.

Rest Fest 2012 is coming!
September 7, 8, & 9

A couple questions for the Hoborchestra’s Tim Koch:

B3: Can you give us some background on this song?

This song started as a rip off of “Slip Sliding Away” by Paul Simon. I saw him on an episode of Charlie Rose and he was talking about how he thought  that the art of the album is dead. As a huge Simon and Garfunkel fan the whole interview was kind of tough to watch. Then he played “Slip Sliding Away” at the end of the show. It was the first time I had really listened to the song and it was heartbreaking. So I learned it and took the first two chords from it and started this song. 

B3: Umbwella is covering this tune, what are you expecting?

As the organizer of this project I will defer this question as I am currently one of only two people who have already heard the cover of their own song. All I will say is that Richard Nolan is the man behind Umbwella and it is everything I hoped it would be. In the future this may be a more interesting question because: 1) I will not be asking it to myself, and 2) the original authors will not have heard the cover version of their song before answering.

The fine print: Each cover song will only be available for streaming (no downloads), for the week that it is featured. Original versions may be continuously available for streaming or download, based on the artist’s discretion and current internet availability of the song (click here for details on most featured artists). And maybe in the future, if there are no internal pokey battles fought over copyright issues, we can put together a hard copy release of B3nson does B3nson!

Hayat is the son of Naveed, a neurologist, and Muneer, his nagging wife.  It becomes obvious early on that all of the cajoling from Muneer is deserved as one of Naveed’s mistresses sets fire to his Mercedes, creating a scene for the entire neighborhood to enjoy. This incident acts as the catalyst for the rest of the plot.  After this, Naveed relents to Muneer’s begging to accept her friend Mina and Mina’s son Imran into their home.  Mina’s husband in Pakistan abandoned her at the behest of his overbearing and abusive mother.  Coming to America represents a fresh start for Mina and Imran.

Mina’s arrival has several profound effects on Hayat.  Her stunning physical appearance opens a torrent of confused feelings within the pre-pubescent boy.  She also introduces him to the Quran and the more nuanced details of Islam that his parents never taught him.  Naturally, the guilt and high morals that accompany most religious beliefs conflicts with the new stirrings that arise in his aunt’s presence.  (See what I did there?) Of course the sexual awakening mixed with guilt is standard fare for teenagers all over the world.  Hayat’s truly destructive impulses are borne out of the jealousy he feels towards Mina’s eventual love interest in an outsider.

Through his portrayal of a varied and dynamic cast of characters Akhtar shows many sides of Islam (or really any religion.  There are a few barbs, though, particularly related to women’s role in Islam, that don’t apply directly to other faiths.)  Hayat’s innocent take on the relgion opens a new world for him.  He becomes contemplative and begins to appreciate the simple beauty that surrounds him.  This fresh perspective leads to some of the book’s most impressive imagery.  (Author’s note: I had an example chosen, but I can’t find where I wrote it down.  It was really good.)

While this beauty exists, there are also many examples of ugliness and injustice.  Mina’s subordinate status in her marriage made her miserable.  She could only marry with the acceptance of her abusive father, who was more concerned with the dowry than with her happiness.  The tight-knit group of Pakistani Muslims in Milwaukee are portrayed as small minded anti-semites, a concept that prompts Naveed to keep his distance, and which confuses young Hayat.  Even Hayat’s parents have a strange relationship with the faith.  Naveed despises many of the practices, as he believes they ruined his childhood.  His mother believes that Muslim men are essentially pigs.  Yet even they occasionally fall back on tradition and recognize the importance and symbolism in certain religious ceremonies.

Though Akhtar does show both sides of the religion, this is not a balanced work.  It’s no coincidence that the book begins and ends with Hayat as a young man who is no longer practicing Islam.  The first scene even describes his first taste of pork.  Still, Akhtar does make a strong case for Mina’s belief that it is the intention behind one’s faith that is important.

Though the religious conflicts play an integral role in the book, there is more to it than that.  The religion actually adds new depth to a familiar formula.  Akhtar has created a drama centered around a dysfunctional family, a theme that’s served as the foundation for countless plots and twists throughout centuries.  But his fresh perspective makes Akhtar’s effort worth reading.

-Roadhouse