Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

The Staying Power Of Maurice Williams

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Maurice Williams has been dazzling R&B fans and beach music lovers for five decades now. And it’s time to say thanks – at the 50th Anniversary Celebration to honor Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs on November 22 at the Charleston Music Hall, at 37 John Street in Charleston, South Carolina.

Maurice WilliamsThere will be performances by Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs, Billy Scott & the Party Prophets, beach music & boogie icon,Clifford Curry; and gospel group Unisohn.

Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs have been performing since 1957. The group’s most successful single was undoubtedly “Stay,” reportedly penned by Maurice when he was a teenager (who was unhappy with his girlfriend’s curfew!) Released several years later (1960), it then became an instant hit. At 1:40, it must be the shortest song to ever top the charts! In later years, the Four Seasons, Hollies and Jackson Brown would all have hits with the song. (I remember being at a Jackson Brown concert, where “the Boss” himself, Bruce Springsteen, joined the band for a rockin’ rendition of “Stay.”) The song was also featured in the 1987 film, Dirty Dancing starring Patrick Swayze.

Other favorites by Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs include “Little Darlin’” (1957), “Shoop Shoop” (1958) and “May I” (1966).

The Maurice Williams 50th anniversary tribute and concert are being presented by the nonprofit Beach Music & Shag Preservation Society of South Carolina. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. General tickets are $50. VIP tickets, which include a CD, photo of Maurice, meet and greet after the show, autographs and special seating are $75. For seating charts, log onto www.charlestonmusichall.com. For tickets, visit www.etix.com. The Best Western Downtown, always a supporter of beach music, is providing rooms at a special rate for this event.

Maurice is ready to rock ‘n’ roll for this one, so don’t miss this unique opportunity to see one of the R&B greats up close and personal.

By Dariel Bendin

Soy Andina(I am Andean) Film – Jacksonville, FL

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This film will be played at The New Jacksonville Landing Cinematheque, admission is $8.00 per person. Two New Yorkers – a modern dancer raised in Queens and a folkloric dancer from the Andes, journey to Peru to reconnect with roots and dance. “Soy Andina” is an exuberant cross-cultural road trip, bursting with traditional music and dance rarely seen outside the country. The core story is universal: a yearning for roots and identity in a globalized world.

For more information please visit our website at www.filmfestival.jacksonville.com

Artists on the Porch – Amelia Island, FL

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Take a leisurely walk through The Spa & Shops at Amelia Island Plantation to catch a glimpse of local artwork. Fourteen artists will be displaying their creations for you on the porches of our quaint shopping village. Live entertainment and a wine tasting will also be available from 12 – 2 p.m. Complimentary. All events subject to change. Please contact the Spa & Shops at Amelia Island Plantation at (904) 432-2202 or visit the website for more information.

XXY film – Jacksonville, FL

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This film will be played at The New Jacksonville Landing Cinematheque, admission is $8.00 per person. For just about everybody, adolescence means having to confront a number of choices and life decisions, but rarely any as monumental as the one facing 15 year-old Alex (Inés Efron,) who was born an intersex child. As Alex begins to explore her sexuality, her mother invites friends including their 16-year old son Álvaro (Martín Piroyanski.) from Buenos Aires to come for a visit at their home on the gorgeous Uruguayan shore. Alex is immediately attracted to the young man, which adds yet another level of complexity to her personal search for identity, and forces both families to face their worst fears.

Please note: Due to the strong theme of the film, anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

For more information please visit our website at www.filmfestival.jacksonville.com

Deficit Film – Jacksonville, FL

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This film will be played at The New Jacksonville Landing Cinematheque, admission is $8.00 per person. Premiering at the Cannes International Film Festival, Deficit is the directorial debut of the International acting sensation Gael Garcia Bernal, (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Motorcycle Diaries, and The Crimes of Father Amaro) who is also the lead actor in the film. Cristobal (Gael Garcia Bernal) is a twenty-something elitist, a hip-hop fan, who studies economics and the son of a corrupt high ranking Mexican politician. Through his character the film explores a certain strata of Mexican society and its relationship with other social classes. At a party Cristobal meets Dolores, a beautiful Argentine girl, that is not only attractive but with whom he has something in common: they both come from rich families that are a product of a corrupt political system which has damaged each of their countries. Under the surface of the party hides a story that touches upon the loss of innocence – the acceptance that a political status quo is gradually coming to an end in Mexico.

For more information please visit our website at www.filmfestival.jacksonville.com