Viva La Vida: Coldplay Get Dark

Coldplay have been talking in recent months about releasing a harder more musically advanced album in the wake of their mega-hit X&Y, but until now it seemed like a lot of hot air.

Their new single "Violet Hill" is now available for free download on their website (http://www.coldplay.com/) and since it was posted has been downloaded over 600,000 times. The song is quite the departure for the band that has recently been trying to shake off the taunts that they are just a commercial pop band.

Chris Martin does his best Thom Yorke imitation singing over a simple drum beat. Jagged distorted guitars puncture his piano line occasionally and the song maintains a dark psychadelic side despite, being a simple pop song at heart.

"It was a long and dark december/From the rooftops I remember/there was snow/ white snow." Okay, so the lyrics are still pretty lame, but you've got to give the boys points for trying. Instead of catering to major rock radio, they got edgier as it is unlikely the song will find a home on the adult contemparary radio stations that made the band a household name.

However, if this is an indication of things to come, it is certaintly a bearer of good news. Their new album "Viva La Vida or Death and His Friends" comes out later this year.

Rating: 3.5/5

For full video with scrolling lyrics click below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v48Curum9no

RIP Albert Hoffman

Potential Epitaph?

Here Lies Albert Hoffman
1906-2008
It Was Quite the Trip

The Swiss chemist who discovered/invented LSD died today at the ripe old age of 102. Albert Hoffman, who died of a heart-attack in his native Switzerland, accidentally stumbled on the drug and in 1943 was its first known user. Hoffman, absorbed a tiny bit of the chemical through his finger and would go on to report in his findings that it made everything distorted like that of a "fun-house mirror."

Hoffman, did not know that this drug would one day be used and abused, entwining itself into the mythology of the hippie generation. Rather he wished that the drug would have some "psychiatric uses" however, this proved not to be the case upon further study.

Hoffman, may have created what he considered a useless drug but it would go on to alter history. Would the Beatles have made Sgt. Peppers and become the world's greatest band without its influence? Would anyone have initially wanted to fill into the rooms of San Fransisco bars to hear the rambling music of the Grateful Dead? And surely the 60's classic novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is derived almost specifically from the drug.

So while, Hoffman may have not discovered what he originally intended, he is far from a failure. Almost everything that stems from the 60's and today's current culture wars stems in part from the drugs influence. Hoffman, like Frankenstein of the classic novel, may have lost control of his creation, and many people may claim that is indeed a heartless monster. But it is hard to picture the world, especially an arts section, without its immense influence on popular culture.

Deathcab on Daytrotter? Oh my!

Daytrotter.com is moving up in the world these days. Death Cab for Cutie sat down and recorded some tracks, some old and some old. This is a big step for the indie music site. It is also a humbling of the and that struck gold on their last album, "Plans."

The Session has some new tracks from the upcoming album. They sound great. And the old tracks have an amazing feel to them live in the studio with minimal recording or production. It is a great listen. Something for old fans of The Photo Album and their newer stuff.

have fun!

Five Experimental Acts Light Up RPI

RPI in Troy, NY hosted a slew of bands last Friday night, a free, mini-festival named "Between a Rock and a Tiny Bell." The event was hosted by RPI's new Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, which will open on the RPI campus in October. The event, which did not draw that large of a crowd even though it was of no charge, took place in a sort of gymnasium called The Armory. This was also clearly the most heavily postered show I've ever attended at a college, and even so attendance was not that great.


The first band to perform was the tight-pantsed HEALTH, from Los Angeles. They are a young, noisy, feedback-happy quartet who really went wild. There was much prancing around the stage, chanting into microphones and violently coaxing harsh sounds from guitars. The percussion was fantastic, the drummer pounding out ritualistic rhythms, at times accompanied by another band member beating on a single floor tom. Some electronic elements were woven in, in the form of fractured squeals and a single electronic drum pad used to grind out a steady house back-beat. This was quite the introduction the the show, with start/stop techniques jolting into the audiences' ears.

Next up was free jazz duo Han Bennink and Peter Brotzmann. Brotzmann's metal clarinet and saxophone noodled their way in between Bennink's unreal drumming pace, though took the backseat to the percussive aspects of the duo. Han Bennink made every single sound a drum set could possibly make, and the set wasn't even his - it was a stock set used by all the bands that night. He performed some tricks as well as playing as fast as humanly possible, including hoisting his foot up and pressing the heel into the snare, creating a higher pitched sound when rapped against. Later, he came out in front of his set and drummed on the floor, a strange sight with an amazing outcome (pictured above). He eventually laid down and continued drumming on the floor, to the delight and amazement of the crowd.

It was tough to follow up the free jazz duo, the most impressive act of the night, however Blarvuster took the stage next and tried their best. The six-piece included drums, bass, guitar, viola, flute/piccolo, and bagpipes/saxophone. They performed one extremely long piece, creating a jazzy, progressive collage of the sounds, making them work together and play off each other. The bagpipe player acted as conductor, pointing out when shifts should be made and switching up from bagpipes to saxophone from time to time throughout the composition. Though the piece was interesting, it lasted way too long. The drummer was once again most likely the most affecting portion of the sextet, he being current Xiu Xiu percussionist Ches Smith.

Next up was ZS, an experimental trio of guitar, drums, and saxophone. This act also performed a single, extended piece, however they were far less melodic than Blarvuster. ZS created some of the most searing, jagged, discordant sounds on the guitar possible, backed by simple, primitive war-drum percussion and the low skronk of a saxophone. The piece was not necessarily pleasing, but it was impressive in that the guitarist could sustain such extreme sounds for so long.

Finally the last band, Black Moth Super Rainbow, took the stage after a slow motion projection of Tyra Banks making disgusting, demonic faces shone on a projection screen. Where their music is not necessarily experimental itself, the visual aspect of their live show sure was interesting, dipping into B-movie horror movie clips, cut up children's television shows, and highly edited 80s pornography, not necessarily sexy though definitely provocative. The band itself didn't have much to offer on stage, standing/sitting behind their instruments and being functional, creating the sounds of their records and doing not much else. The focus was clearly the videos flashing on the projection screen, hypnotic colors swirling and flashing and oddly creepy, fractured video clips meandering to the beat of the synthesizer-heavy, vocoder vocal songs.

The night was a definite success, and hopefully the EMPAC of RPI will offer shows of this calibur once it actually opens in the fall. Experimental music surely has its place in the industry at this point, for who wants to hear the same sounds over and over again? We are creatures of habit, but why not try to break that generalization and hear something different and unexpected from time to time?

Party Like It's 1998

Over ten years ago, Third Eye Blind burst out of the FM radio, into the backseat of my dad's 1997 Mazda 626, and became the voice of rock and roll rebellion for me and a generation elementary school kids.

And on Saturday night, the band played a show that all but sold out three-weeks ago, at Amherst College for their spring concert. A gymnasium full of these former backseat drivers, now all drivers themselves poured into the venue to hear the hits that somehow still find themselves on our ipods over a decade later.

Third Eye Blind is our generation's Motley Crue, and i mean this in no disrespect for either band. Motley Crue are still touring, representing the bombast of the eighties in epic form, and likewise Third Eye Blind embody the Nineties in a similar way. Their sentimental, teen girl hits were just macho enough to win the favor of the boys and thus were able to win over fans from just about every musical camp.

Who else can pack a gymnasium full of every type of person imaginable, jocks, bros, former cheerleaders, current cheerleaders, my RA, with even pretentious college journalists like me eager to get in?

Starting off with "Losing a Whole Year" off their debut LP, to a chorus of shouting college girls Third Eye Blind showcased a mastery over their pop songs only losing tempo when they tried to deviate and experiment with lesser material.

The band slugged through their major hits "Jumper," "Never Let You Go," even touching all those forgotten gems like "Motorcylce Drive By," "God of Wine" and the spectacularly underrated "Graduate" which spawned crowd-surfing and thunderous applause.

Amid the set, the lead singer announced that soon the band will be releasing its long awaited fourth album. Even previewing new single "Non Dairy Creamer" a faux punk rave up about politics, sexual favors that wishes it was half as smart as it was trying to be.

Their new material lacked the luster of their older material and will most likely not spawn another radio hit for a band that has long been passed over despite the lasting success of their peers, Matchbox 20 and The Goo Goo Dolls.

Third Eye Blind may be musicians but after years being on the road their finest art is now their showmanship. True to their art the gym was equipped with not only one but two stages (front/middle). The switch they pulled on the crowd caused downright rioting near the front and ecstatic applause for the late-arrivers who had stumbled on a front-row seat. With the temperature in the gym reaching over 100 degrees, and bodies flying over head, the concert had a frat party vibe albeit to much cooler house band.

For now though, the boys aren't doing so bad for themselves. While they may never again reach the same level of success, because they are such an essential band for those of us who grew up in the time, they will never be forgotten. And what's left after that? Well they could take a page from the Crue and simply tour sold out stadiums for another two decades. Right now they're living the American dream of playing rock tunes every night to stadiums full of college women and really what more could a rock band ask for?

The Daily Collegian sits down with Hanson

On a hot Friday afternoon, Hanson led over 50 barefooted fans through the streets and neighborhoods of Northampton. The brothers, whose hit single “MmmBop” left them as ’90s pop icons, were proving to the people of Western Massachusetts that walking barefoot hurts and children in Africa do it on a daily basis. They were walking with TOMS Shoes, a company that gives a child in Africa a pair of shoes for every pair sold. The walk was Hanson’s 60th since they began touring last fall.
Before the band played to a nearly sold-out crowd in the Calvin Theater, Taylor and Zac Hanson were kind enough to sit down and answer a few questions about the walks, bullet scares and midget ninja pastry chefs.
Daily Collegian: Do you have any stand out memories from the tour so far?
Taylor Hanson: There have been a couple really intense things that have happened. We had a scare when we were in Royal Oak, outside of Detroit, where we thought we had somebody with a gun. There was a bullet that was discovered in the front row.
Zac Hanson: We had to find them and shoot them. [Laughing]
TH: That was pretty intense. Unfortunately, it’s really sad to say; but on the last tour, the Walk Tour, in the fall and many other times we’ve had people call us with death threats and like when we were in Chicago last year we had somebody say “If you do the walk today you won’t…”
ZH: “You won’t survive.”
TH: Yea, “you won’t leave this town alive.”
DC: You got phone calls or e-mails?
ZH: A little bit of everything.
TH: So we had to take that seriously in Detroit. But, that’s not very positive. But when we found a .40 bullet in the front row, and somebody felt it drop on their foot, they immediately started searching to see if somebody had a gun. We had to rally and call extra police and also make it safe. We were worried about everybody, not just whether we’re going to get shot. So, that was a little bit of scare, and everybody was cooperative, and we had cops there. It turned out that an off-duty cop’s girlfriend was carrying bullets in her purse, and they had fallen out of her purse.
ZH: Did she explain?
TH: Don’t ask. [Laughing] But then, like an idiot, some guy rushed the stage before we found out who had dropped the bullet, and he tried to get onstage.
DC: While you were performing?
TH: Right after we had walked offstage.
ZH: In between sets.
TH: These guys [the cops] were ready to stomp somebody, and so he got his butt tazed. He was thrown around, and he was taken to jail. Five cops just right on his ass.
ZH: Tackled, dragged outside, three knees in his back. [Cops yelling] “Stop resisting!” But that’s what you get for rushing the stage after they announce that there is a security concern at the venue tonight, and there’s two cops standing at the top of each side of the stage. There’s double the security there was 12 minutes ago, and “I’m going to rush the stage because I’m drunk.”
TH: Just really, really stupid. But actually, what I was going to say was that with all of that going on, it was a really great show.
ZH: Yeah, you got to leave your legacy if you’re going out. “We’re going out tonight guys, this is it. Best show of my life!”
TH: It turned out to be a great show; and also I’ve been really blown away by all the walks we’ve been doing and how many people have come out to support us. We’ve had some of the best walks we’ve had on the whole tour since last year. It’s been really interesting. Some walks have been small, some walks have been huge, but it’s great. You get to see each tour stop very differently based on doing the walks and doing the shows, and it adds a whole new dimension to your memory of each place. You get a sense of the crowd in each city.
DC: What’s the most surprising item on your tour rider?
ZH: Um, ninja midget pastry chef. That’s the most shocking one.
DC: What is that?
ZH: A ninja, midget, pastry chef.
TH: We’ve been trying to get one on the rider.
ZH: No, that’s on the rider.
TH: It’s just really rare to get those delivered to every town. For instance, there are a lot of small people but not necessarily ones who are also ninjas and pastry chefs as well.
ZH: That is actually on our rider, and it has yet to be fulfilled.
TH: You need somebody who has both the power to kill and has a sensitive side and can also provide a service for the tour. But of course, you’d never see him, because he’s very small and all of a sudden you just see a pastry coming.
ZH: You don’t want to eat any of the pastries because he might have poisoned one or two of them, just for fun. That’s what ninjas do.
DC: You’re biggest guilty pleasure song?
ZH: Don’t have them. The songs I like, I like.
DC: Really, none?
ZH: I like a song and will tell you it, or I don’t like it. I’m not a pansy.
DC: There’s part B to this question.
TH: In other words, if we like a song we’re proud to say we like the song. For instance, I’m not a Celine Dion fan particularly, but she has an incredible voice and has sung a lot of great songs.
ZH: Although, I wouldn’t say she has the best voice out of anyone in the world though, like she has claimed.
DC: Did she say that?
ZH: She said it in some interview at some point, “I am the greatest singer in the world.”
TH: I think that’s probably true for all of us; although Ike probably has guilty pleasures.
ZH: But he’s not here right now.
TH: What’s part B?
DC: Part B is, can you crank that Soulja Boy?
TH: Can we what?
ZH: Negative.
DC: Have you ever heard that song, “Crank That” by Soulja Boy?
ZH: I know exactly what you’re talking about and no, that is not one of my guilty pleasures. Now, I might have missed something about it, because every time I hear it, it’s like, “Oh, it’s that song, click.” So, I’ve never put any effort into trying to crank that. Someday maybe. We’ll cover it. We’ll make it different.
DC: You guys have been doing a lot with the walk, trying to help, is there anything besides the walk that fans can do?
TH: That’s a really good question. One of the things we’re trying to do is one, find a way for you guys to link to each other to help make events more successful and so people can organize better if they do want to set up a walk event. One of the things we encourage people to do is to look at – if you’re not comfortable with direct connection with an organization based in Africa then you can start by looking at local organizations and say 'why don’t we start by raising funds for this particular AIDS research here in town or a clinic.' The other thing is that we’re about to set up a very simple page with a few other ideas, a few other things people can do. There’s a group called Blood Water Mission, which raises money to drill clean water wells. They have a couple really simple ways to donate, all the way down to a simple dollar donation. That was one of the things we were going to recommend people could do. There are also a couple of other simple examples like that.
ZH: When you look at AIDS, there are so many things that sort of coincide with it, like shoes. For instance, a mother, she has a baby, but she can’t feed her baby breast milk because breast milk contains the virus so she’s using formula which needs clean water.
TH: You have to hit from both sides. To be honest, we’re so overwhelmed by all that we’ve been trying to do, we haven’t gotten to where we wish we were but there are a couple of things that we’re going to be launching and integrating the walk into, which would really be helpful for that. One of them is going to start with a really simple page that will give a few more ideas of simple things we can do, starting with donating just a dollar and then moving to ‘now that you’ve donated a dollar, this is an awesome organization and if you’re one of those people who wants more, wants to help them raise more money or do more stuff and all the way up to trying to give fans and other people wanting to be involved more tools to set up their own events if they want to try and organize and we’re trying to support that with banners and use our own street team to try and make events bigger, connecting with other bands. I think it goes back, to like we said, if you’re stuck and you really want to do more, it’s ok to start local. It’s ok to start looking at these issues in our town because it is also going to teach you something about what you’re learning yourself about the cause and the issues with AIDS, with pediatric AIDS, kids that are born with the disease. It will help you become more involved with something like the hospitals in Africa. Also, HIVSA, the organization we’ve raised money for with “Great Divide," you can never go wrong if you just want to say, ‘ok, I’m going to come up with a sell tin cans idea and raise money for a check for HIVSA.' They are just rock solid. They are a fantastic group and they are leading the charge in making a difference and finding a cure if there is ever going to be one, to create a vaccine and preventing children from getting this disease.

By Teresa Reilly & Skye McIntyre, Collegian Staff

Feist Illuminates Smith College

This past Friday, I had the extreme pleasure of being one of the members of a sold-out crowd at Smith College. Gracing us with her presence was Feist and special guest Ingrid Michaelson.

Ingrid Michaelson, who came out specifically for this show, brought along an acoustic guitar player and a bass player to accompany her sassy persona to keep the crowd alive amidst her mellow set list. Her voice soared above the rafters as she sang about lost love, newfound romance, and maintaining a healthy relationship a la Rogaine.

She was absolutely hysterical. Joe Stahl and I managed to score a picture with her too!

Feist. The woman can do no wrong as far as I am concerned. She opened her set behind a white tarp-like screen, using a looping pedal to create blissful harmonies and haunting melodies.

It was a sit-down-stand-up deal, as people went crazy during more upbeat tunes including the popularized Apple commerical anthem "1234" and the beloved "Sealion," and swayed side-to-side in their seats for "The Water" and "Let it Die."

She even had a shadow mistress. What is this you ask? It is a rather increidble art form, actually. Picture a giant overhead with various images gradually being projected onto the wall, creating a masterpiece by a song's culmination. No explanation can do it justice.

You will have to check it out for yourself when Feist returns with an extra dose of crazy antics and a near-perfect performance this summer at Boston's Bank of America Pavillion.

Oh it's the Cops. Nope Just the Tokyo Police Club

Another night, another concert. This time it was Tokyo Police Club at the Pearl Street.
They played one hell of set with crazy lights going on. Coming out to sirens and a background of blue flashing lights they kicked off their set with a bang. They must have played their entire discography during the night.

I didn't go see the openers because they were not of any interest to me. The two openers brought a lot of young-ins to the crowd and I felt out of place with a beard.

Brain Wood will write a full review for the paper next week. Read it. It'll be great.

Phil Collins Quits Music; Truth or Cruel Joke

After all the years and insults, Phil Collins has finally dropped out of music completely or so nme.com is reporting today. Or so he says, time will tell if he will guest star on club anthems and then immediately drop a new album a la Jay-Z.

So whats the big deal? Well there isn't really one. Asides from the fact that for sheer comic glee, the gods of this cosmos decided to make hating on Phil Collins funny. However, as fun as it is to hate on Collins, the former lead singer of prog-rockers Genesis and the writer of the Tarzan theme song, he is still responsible for "Coming in the Air Tonight" and you really can't not like that song.

Time will tell if next week South Park will pick up this as they have always been on of the leaders of the charge against Collins. He appeared in the episode where Timmy & The Lords of the Underwold made their first appearance. The episode also featured the kids all getting perscribed Ritalin and thus duped into thinking that Phil Collins is cool. I for one hope they do Collins some epic justice as he has long been one of their favorite whipping boys.

For a link to the story click here:
http://www.nme.com/news/genesis/36215

In the Air Tonight Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz7gajAb2ww

Iron Horse welcomes American Music Club

Northampton - Grab a beer and step into the world of American Music Club.  The Bay Area boys came to the Iron Horse this Wednesday to perform a live show with opening act The Figments.  AMC has been on its U.S. tour since the beginning of the month and won't stop until mid May.

The show started around seven 'o clock with The Figments.  This jam band quartet did a commendable job for opening.   The 90s grunge  dudes were a good compliment to the headliners of the evening.  The Figments didn't play the stereotypical role of stage-stealing, greedy openers.  The band knew who the crowd came to see.  The Figments politely strummed guitars and banged on drums until its time was up. 

What seemed to be a motionless crowd in the small setting, fans fixated all attention on AMC as it preceded on the humble stage.  With minimal equipment, the band was as casual as the Iron Horse. The venue is an older part of Northampton that has kept its dusty and antique appeal in tact with little lighting and worn down wooden furnish.

With the first few words of welcoming from the lead singer, there was something strangely familiar about him. Mark Eitzel is his name.  The band didn't spend too much time preparing before it went into it's setlist, which was mostly new material from the new album, "The Golden Age." 

Eitzel spoke for the band throughout the majority of the show, telling the open-eared crowd about the meanings of its songs.  One song in particular that was discussed was "Decibels and Little Pills" which is about a girl he saw in a club who was too wild for her own good.  She ended up getting thrown out because she was dancing topless. 

Throughout the show, the gang performed naturally, taking breaks in between songs to do some short storytelling.  The jam band enriched the insouciant setting with smiling faces and warm attitudes. 

Eitzel used his soulful baritone voice with great control.  AMC has had long-time experience with playing in venues similar to Iron Horse where it has learned to discern limitations and affordances .  Since the early 80s, AMC has had its time to perfect live shows.  With a crowd filled with 30 and 40 somethings, the audience members seemed to be more into the older material.  Cheers and rants were crisply heard from across the hall when older jams were played. 

Just because AMC is bar band doesn't mean that it has to succumb to belligerence.  AMC kept things low key at the Iron Horse.  Was it for the three kids sitting in the bar?  Nah.  It is just the AMC way.  AMC makes slowcore hip through thoughtful songwriting and expressive arrangements.  Even though the band's stop in Northampton was to promote the new album, AMC put on a show like it was a reunion. 

 

Cannes Film Festival list has been Announced

The Guardian's film blog has posted the list of film playing at this years Cannes Film Festival. The list includes the 4 hour (2 movies running together) Che movie by Steven Soderbergh (starring Benicio Del Toro). The two films are set to be released in 2008 . This is an epic project from a director who has been holding off on some serious films for a while (making the "Ocean" films the last few years and some small budget, unheard of films). (Soderbergh won the Best Director Oscar for "Traffic," which is an unappreciated film)

Other notable filmmakers are Clint Eastwood and Charlie Kaufman (I am pumped for his film starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman).

Out of Competition will be the new Indiana Jones film, "Kung Fu Panda" (not so exciting), and Woody Allen's new project "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" Woody starring Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, and Javier Bardem.

The president of the committee will be Sean Penn, so political stuff will probably win a lot of awards.

Contestants belt out Webber tunes on Idol

This week on Idol was Andrew Lloyd Webber week, so the Idols chose songs from his extensive repertoire, though the judges predicted they would have trouble with the difficulty level of many of them. Webber coached the contestants on their arrangements, and he was so excited after seeing their finished performances that he could barely speak at the end of the show.

Syesha Mercado started off the night with “One Rock ‘n’ Roll Too Many.” She had fun with it, but her vocals weren’t great. Randy and Simon both said she seemed much more comfortable in Broadway-type performances.

Jason Castro sang “Memory,” and Randy called the vocals a train wreck, with a trademark “it’s just not your thing, dude.” Jason’s breathy, almost-whiny quality is getting boring, but those puppy-dog eyes seem to have won him plenty of fans.

Brooke White sang “You Must Love Me” and lost track of the lyrics a couple words in, then started over. Strangely enough, it was Paula who came down on her for it, not Simon. He actually said he would have done the same thing if he had forgotten the lyrics, and told her she did a very brave thing by starting over to make sure she got it right. Her voice did tense up as soon as she realized the slip-up, though, and the rest of the song seemed more forced.

David Archuleta restored his image as the boy wonder with “Think of Me.” Before his performance, a few schoolgirls actually came up on stage to hug him. Even though he’s getting more and more repetitive every week, he’s got the adoration of pretty much every 13-year-old girl in the country right now, so he should be fine for a while to come.

David Cooke and Carly Smithson gave their typical brilliant performances with “The Music of the Night” and “Jesus Christ Superstar,” respectively.

Predictions: As sweet as Brooke is and as hard as she tries, she’s been hovering in the bottom three for a few weeks now and a nervous performance today could end it for her. Jason Castro was the other low performer tonight, but he hasn’t been in danger recently, so he’ll probably be safe for another week.

Slacklining: A Tutorial

Walking around campus these days, you may have come across a particularly odd sight that features ordinary college students trying to balance themselves on a thin rope that resembles an elastic band, resting between two trees.

No, these people are not crazy. This odd sort of balancing act is in fact a new sport that has begun to catch on in the area known as Slacklining. These "slackers" as they like to be called spend time "slacking" in an effort to improve their rock climbing skills, which is not unusual as this is from where the sport was originally derived.

Slacklining is defined as a balance sport which utilizes nylon webbing stretched tight between two points, often trees. Slacklining is distinct from tightrope walking, or other forms of rope walking in that the line is not held rigid; it is instead loose like large rubber band, giving walkers the ability to bounce, walk or for the more adventurous enough slack to do tricks.

The sport is rumoured to have originated in its current form in California in the early 1980's. From there the sport has blossomed and as far as one can tell when looking at the hills and trees of Central and Orchard Hill, the sport is gaining a sizable cult following.

Now you know, and will no longer be troubled with such questions as "why are those people wasting their time walking between trees?" or other such confusing questions when gazing in the direction of these dedicated "slackers."

Shark In a Pink Suit Jacket

I would like to share with you, pictures from a particularly interesting day on campus. The Sketch 22 group was promoting their "Promedy" show, meanwhile Tibet and China were duking it out. The day was April 8th, I believe, right outside of the Student Union.



The Promedy squad before they began their dance party.
This made my week, and most likely everyone else who witnessed the shark, in a pink suit jacket, dancing to Rick Astley.
Real drama.
Nobody wanted any of her baby mama drama.

I felt sorry for all of the campus tours while this was going down. I bet we lost a lot of prospective students that day.



And lastly, Tommy Devine captured some of the chaos that day.

New Deathcab

If you aren't excited for the new Deathcab album then I don't think you are human. "Plans" was only mediocre compared to "Transatlantacism" and "The Photo Album," and that was one good album. I have been listening to the single off the album on loop on my iPod and CD player. It is simple, gorgeous, and long. First listen it feels ot long but with each listener there after it gets better and a little more haunting.

Check out the Video. It is 8 Minutes and 30 seconds. Not a short video, but well worth it.

Kevin Devine Rocked

Another concert. Another night. What a great time. Kevin Devine played for what seemed like forever, and it was fantastic. His stage banter was top-notch.

He played after Baker and a band form Brooklyn (they are Kevin's friends and play in the Goddamn Band). Baker kicked some major behind. They will be great in a few weeks at Umass for free and I am excited.

Back to Kevin Devine. He really is someone everyone on this planet should check out live, especially acoustic. He works hard on stage. It is always a humbling experience to hear a musician (no matter how big or small) thank his crowd of 40 people (long weekends are never good for concerts in NoHo). He thanked the crowd many times before finally exiting of stage.

So if you didn't get to see him tonight he is playing in Cambridge tomorrow (Ithink) and back home in Brooklyn for a Album release party (a re-release of sorts).

Here is a video of Kevin




I am exhausted and need some sleep so sorry for the brief review.

GRAND BUFFET IS A ONCE AND A LIFETIME SHOW

Just got back from Northhampton's Iron Horse. Saw Grand Buffet there tonight and was blown way. I mean I was expecting one hell of a time, and I got it plus some. I mean this was something unheard of. The two rappers had an unprecedented amount of energy. I would have had a heart if i danced around and had as much fun as they did.

If only i knew the other guy who opened for them. He recited poetry and rapped with a fervor. He was also very politically charged, had an awesome beard, and mocked right wing conservatives to the bone.

Here's a grand video. Enjoy.


Grand Buffet - Cool as Hell

Placido Domingo at the WANG!

The ceiling came down, literally and figuratively, at the Wang Theater on Monday during the Placido Domingo concert.

Upon arrival I realized I was in the middle of what seemed to be a velvet convention for the women, and a mobster’s paradise among the men. Men wearing pinstripes and carrying their ladies in the arms as the dresses, black velvet, swayed in the breeze. Where I was located in the theater was among many Mob members and one stood out. He had a huge bottom lip, like it had been hooked by a fishing line before, and his face looked like that of a rhino. But he had two lovely ladies with him.

The Mobsters loved their opera star. I could hear the “Bravos” coming from the big Italian man a few rows away. The woman sitting next to me clapping with a soft pitter-pattering of clapping, it showed how classy she was.

The cheers came after Domingo sang with what seemed to be a hot air balloon’s worth of air came from his lungs. the cheers came for his movement’s across the stage were as smooth as all the velvet in the crowd. His smile glistened like the diamond of the woman sitting next to me ( that thing was huge). And he even took a beautiful lady home with him from the orchestra that was baking his performance. The cello player looked shocked but fell under Domingo’s love-spell. He is a ladies’ man.

The crowd of mobster’s ate up Domingo’s performance like the spaghetti and meatballs from dinner in North End earlier that night. The reveled outside after the performance as if they were reliving the canolas from Mike’s Pastries they ate earlier that night. The Mob is apparently a huge fan of Mr. Domingo and they came out in swarms to see him sing.

I on the other hand am left wondering if that was really ceiling that fell near me. Or if it was hit attempt against someone in my section. I hope it was the first one.

Weezer Drops New Single 'Pork and Beans'

After all it's no joke. Weezers new self-titled album, already being reffered to as the red album is coming out June 17th. The first single has already leaked online after Weezer posted it on their official site and is named "Pork and Beans."

Good news for the die hard Weezer fans "Pork and Beans" is Weezer back on the horse. The song is likeable almost immeadiately after the first listen and is the heaviest thing that Weezer has put out in a while. Sounds like green album all distorted up, but it doesn't sound much like anything on Make Believe which is sure to please the Weezer faithful. The song appartenly is a middle finger to the record company which was harrassing lead singer Rivers Cuomo at the time for more "radio friendly" material.

The song starts out bass heavy with a (mmm mmm) backing track before breaking into the heavily distorted chorus that you can't help but want to memorize. But as Rivers says in the chorus of the song "I'm a do the things that I wanna do/ I ain't got a thing to prove to you," if only there weren't so much riding on this album, but even if there is for Weezer fans waiting for their triumphant return, Rivers at least doesn't seem to mind.

Single: "Pork And Beans"
Review: 4/5

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH27b0s5m5w

Kristy Lee Cook leaves American Idol

Kristy Lee Cook was voted off American Idol tonight during an hour-long results show featuring a performance by Mariah Carey.

Kristy has hovered in the bottom three recently, and was joined there tonight by Brooke White and Syesha Mercado. Ryan brought each contestant out onto the stage and separated the first six into two groups, one by one. David C., Kristy and Brooke were grouped together with Syesha, Jason Castro and Carly Smithson on the other side. At the last minute, Ryan made a pun about having "too many cooks in the kitchen" and switched David C. and Syesha, leaving Brooke, Kristy and Syesha on one side. Then, Ryan used David Archuleta as the tiebreaker.

This week's theme was Mariah Carey songs, and she helped to mentor the contestants to prepare them for their performances.

Hands-down, the best performance of the week went to David C., who sang his own arrangement of "Always Be My Baby." Randy bestowed his first standing ovation of the season on David after the performance, and the judges' praises left him teary-eyed.

Divorce, YouTube Style

Finally, for all those looking for proof that Youtube has become a viable cultural phenomenon, we now have divorce via the web.

B-list actress Tricia Walsh Smith, hosts a little video where she openly unveils the couple's dirty laundry. She reveals that the couple "never had sex" and is upset about the fact that now he wants to divorce her without reason. To add insult to injury he also wants to kick her out of the couple's apartment.

The video features her calling into her husbands office, during a conference call to ask him about some of the more illicit items she has discovered in the house.

Clearly this video is reason enough and has now given him the proper cause to divorce her and not pay her a cent for the embarrassment it will cause. Its the equivalent of watching someone burn all the money they might have ever received but nonetheless is amusing mostly do to her funny British pronunciation of the word "condoms" and you can see her unraveling mentally at the end. Good stuff.

This just shows you what people will do and what people want to watch in the youtube age. It seems voyeurism and entertainment are now permanently linked and this is just another huge step in the amount of personal information people are willing to post on the web.

Rating: 2.5/5

Video Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx_WKxqQF2o&feature=related

The Dodos Cut Short at Bard

Thursday night marked my first ever trip to Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY for a show at their Smog venue. The only band I knew who was playing was The Dodos from San Francisco, but it turned out a couple others went on before them, making for a full, interesting, yet eventually disappointing night.

First off, the venue was ridiculous, literally a garage towards the end of a dirt road whose inside was covered in graffiti. The walls, the ceiling, the doors, the wall-sized garage doors, the bathroom... literally everything was covered in a layer of spray paint or sharpie marker.

The first band, presumably comprised of Bard students, was called The Amazements. They were a three-piece noise abomination performing almost entirely in the dark, cranking out blisteringly loud guitar tones after taunting the audience to come forward and get closer. The bassist chugged along with some heavy chords while the drummer slapped at his rickety set, breaking drumsticks and knocking cymbal stands over. The highlight was clearly when they decided to knock over all their drums in the middle of the set, the bassist stood up on the toppled bass drum, and proceeded to fall off backwards, knocking a light fixture off the wall.

The next band was the Tall Firs, another three-piece from NYC. I learned that their two guitarists attended Hampshire college, so that was a nice little conversation piece. They played a pleasant brand of quirky rock with much more structure than the all-over-the-place Amazements, seemingly due to much more experience. Their heavily bearded drummer was amazing, rolling out rhythms and providing all the low-end, for there was no bass.

Finally it was The Dodos turn, though once they actually started their set (after dealing with the technical issues of performing in such a remote venue such as microphones failing) it was nearly midnight. The extremely dusty garage was then full of beer-drinking, cigarette-smoking hipsters, and I was pressed inches from the stage. The band is composed of their seated singer/guitarist, using hollow-bodies and straight acoustics, an accompanying vibraphonist, and their bass-drum-less drummer.

They played their first song, "Jodi," positively wowing the crowd, and went into "Paint The Rust," my personal favorite, both from their new record "Visiter." Towards the end of the second song, a beefy security guard entered the garage. By this time it was only about 12:20AM, though the guard alerted the singer/guitarist that this was their last song. They proceeded to do a 15 minute number, looping various vocal effects, guitar phrases, drum beats, and even a bit of a trombone blow.

The intensity was kept up for their 35 or so minutes they played, though was cut short by the lame security guard. The band's last interaction with the audience was to plead for someone to give them a floor to sleep on, for they were apparently desperate. It's always special to see such an energetic band play such a small venue (for free), even if they only played not even half a set. All in all, it was worth the trip for the oddness of the venue and the three interesting bands even if it could have gone longer.

Ian Nelson, Collegian Staff

Kooks Come back Strong with 'Konk'

The Kooks rode to the top of the alternative rock airwaves with their uber-catchy hit "Naive" last year, and their sophomore release "Konk" proves that these guitar-pop loving brits are anything but.

The album starts off strong with "See the Sun" a likely canidate for first single, and while there isn't a song as catchy as "Naive" the album rocks along with an admirable pop sensibility. The songs blend into each other with catchy rythms often suppimented by the solid guitar work of the band's guitarist.

Songs like "Mr. Maker" and "Do You Wanna" would be easy to dismiss as typical cut and paste pop rock songs if they weren't so well played and immediately likable and that likability proves to be the Kooks biggest asset.

Their sound is essentially nothing new. Equal parts new bands The Libertines, The Strokes and older Brit bands, The Kinks, the Kooks prove to have the formula for their sound down.

The highlights of the album come with the back to back songs "Stormy Weather" & "Sway" which represent the half way point of the album and are my personal favorites. However, any of the songs on this album could be your favorite, as they are all of equal quality.

Solid album. Look forward to hearing more about this band in the years that come as they are young and will have plenty of time to grow.

Rating: 3.5/5

Tracks:

Stormy Weather

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyAB8QUs8Rk

See the Sun (Live Acoustic)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JcVjGZKIlQ&feature=related

HOT OFF THE PRESS

2008 Spring Concert Lineup:

UPC's Battle of the Bands is over with hip-hop act Static & Messiah beating heavy metallers Exit Reason for the slot to open up this years spring concert.
The band will open for:

FAT JOE
TREY SONGZ
PARAMORE
JIMMY EAT WORLD

Idols sing for inspiration

Tonight's theme of inspirational songs on American Idol made for a wide variety of choices from the remaining eight contestants.

Carly Smithson sang Queen's "The Show Must Go On," but it didn't work for the judges as well as it had in past weeks. David Cooke ran into similar criticism after his rendition of Our Lady Peace's "Innocent."

Kristy Lee Cook made a great song choice and gave a chill-inducing performance of Martina McBride's "Anyway." She let a lot of her passion come through, and the judges agreed that it was one of her best.

David Archuleta sang "Angels" by Robbie Williams, accompanying himself on the piano. It wasn't his best, but he has a large enough fan base that he can't do too much wrong at this point.

Brooke White closed the evening with "You've Got a Friend."

Tomorrow FOX will be airing "Idol Gives Back," beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Explosions In The Sky: Doom Inducers, Encore Refusers

Explosions In The Sky, a killer four-piece instrumental band from Texas, hit up Lupo's in Providence, RI last Saturday and nearly brought the house down.

I ended up arriving late and missed the opener, Lichens, but managed to find a friend there who squeezed me through the sold out crowd to about eight or ten rows back from the stage, nearly in the center.

The Texans were not at all ashamed to be sporting a large version of their state flag draped over one of their amps, even in the mostly liberal Northeast. The band consists of primarily three guitars and drums, with one of the guitars occasionally subbed for a bass.

Their set included many slow, building pieces from their newest record "All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone," including the epic "The Birth and Death of Day," which I was highly anticipating. They create some really beautiful tones that rise above the doom-laden structures of the songs, allowing for slow, beautiful rises and brutal, cascading climaxes.

One problem with the Lupo's venue, though beautiful, is the security guys monitoring flash use on cameras. Due to this, I was unable to get any real clear photos of the band, but I think the picture above does the best to capture their intensity. The morphing lights were another aspect that added to the show, constantly bathing the drummer in a different color (usually white or red) than the rest of the band placed in front of him.

The final song found the band in a drawn out climax towards its end, essentially punching their guitars in throttling unison to create the loudest sounds they made all night. The band left the stage and the crowd roared for what seemed like literally ten minutes straight, demanding an encore. The house lights came on, as did the house music (nearly inaudible due to the cheers, stomps, and applause), and some security members motioned that it was the end, though the audience didn't give up.

Finally the crowd caught a glimpse of the apparent lead man returning to the stage, and erupted in yet another fit of hysteria, though to their dismay he revealed that an encore would be half-hearted compared to the energy they put into their hour or hour and twenty minute set, so he thanked the Lupo's crowd again and left the stage for good. This was probably the loudest non-festival, non-stadium crowd I've ever experienced, which is to speak wonders of the quality of their performance.

Ian Nelson, Collegian Staff

The Rise of the Celeb-Baby

It was novel when they did it with Sean Preston. It was sort of imperative that they do it with the beauteous Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. And okay, I was even willing to let Suri slide because she’d been AWOL for months, and too many people were starting to buy into the ‘L. Ron Hubbard’s frozen sperm alien love child’ rumor.

But I think it’s time we put the kibosh on this celeb baby fever thing, pronto.

I mean c’mon. Really. The day Nicole Ritchie gets paid a cool mil just for squeezing out a wee one is the day you know mania’s gone too far.

It’s not just the fact that pseudo-celebs are starting to cash in on the hype. Frankly, it’s just starting to feel a little too stalkerish for my liking. It also feels borderline exploitive, from all parties involved.

These kids didn’t ask for this.

If I were SP Federline, or lil Suri Cruise, I’d have some choice words waiting for my folks about the way this whole biz went down, once I grew some teeth in.

And it’d go a little something like this:

“Gee, Mom. Thanks for, you know, selling me out to the ruthless, bloodsucking vultures you claim to detest so much. I know you married up for the fame, but is it really too much to ask that you start me off in life with a fighting chance? It’s bad enough I gotta drink barley & corn syrup baby formula. That shit sucks.”

“And what’s the deal, Dad? I thought you put a premium on privacy, or is that just where your sexual orientation is concerned? You really blew the big one, man. While you’re at it, stop pushing me up so godamned high on the swing set, turkey.”

If Suri and co. grow up to become Paris Hilton knock-offs, or worse, to have their own reality shows on VH1, these celeb-parents will have no one to blame but themselves. In the meantime, they have some gall calling out photogs who prey on their kids when they’re the ones pimping them out in the first place.

For shame!

(By Shayna Murphy)

Let Kids Eat Candy

I was recently reading an article on MSN.com that dealt with an issue near and dear to my heart, candy. Apparently a Philadelphia school banned candy and soft drinks from their cafeteria and are praising the results of the two-year program.

Over the two years "the number of kids who got fat during the two-year experiment was half the number of kids who got fat in schools that didn’t make those efforts."

The report also alleges that the school "found when you give children healthy choices, they pick them,” said a school nurse at Francis Hopkinson School, one of the test schools."

Now I don't know about you but giving a child the choice between chewing on a celery stick and not eating, isn't really a choice. This "test" raises an astounding number of ethical questions. Don't kids have the right to be fat? or at least well fed? Does a child not have the right to purchase a candy bar from a vending machine?

It seems that the powers that be have decided that the best way to churn out society approved non-fat kids is to brainwash them into eating healthy food. I'm not sure, but in my opinion this is far from constitutional or ethical and disturbs me on many levels.

I'm all for healthy eating, and exercise. I had to learn the hard way as a kid that eating fatty foods makes you fat. But shouldn't everyone be able to live and learn that way? It seems to me that trading in the right to free choice for a healthy lifestyle is not going to be something that is "healthy" for our rights and liberty.

STORY LINK:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23982567

The Northamptonist

Local blogger, The Northamptonist, officially announced on March 30 that he will soon be moving to New York City where he hopes to pursue new journalistic ventures. As a result The Northamptonist blog will be updated less frequently and then not at all. This brings me great sadness. Like a big old pit of despair sadness.

If you never got the chance to check out his blog before, do it. A great feature of his blog is that he covered local street art. My personal favorite was The Brick Of Gold as pictured above which, last time I checked, is still on the Pleasant Street side of Sweetie's candy shop.

Other great things he covered include; "Do you have a quarter?" Al street art, and Bennie "Bucket Man" Johnson. You know, the guy who drums on a bucket in front of Delano's.

Paolo Mastrangelo, the local 31 year-old, who runs the blog has done other great things like his Northamptonist TV channel on blip.com which has all of his past videos there to browse through. Perhaps the most disturbing yet completely brave video that he made was a photo slide show documenting a heroin user in Northampton going to the pharmacy for needles and then shooting up.




And one of his most recent ventures is the Community Audio Recording Project. He essentially created a phone number that anyone can call and leave a message to. You can leave your name and location and talk about anything that you want to share with the community and the links will appear on the map at your location with the message.

I love this blog and he's done some great community focused blogging. I am sad to see it go.

On a personal note, I've gotten coffee with Paolo recently and he's incredibly supportive of other journalists and blogs and I'm sure if you ever had a question for him he'd only be more than happy to help. I wish him all the best in his new endeavors.

Posted by Andrea Murray

So Long Charlton Heston

It’s a sad, sad day in H-town. Screen legend Charlton Heston passed away last night, at the age of 84. The actor, who in 2002 revealed an ongoing struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, leaves behind his wife of sixty-four years, Lydia.

Best known for roles in “Planet of The Apes”, “The 10 Commandments”, and “Ben-Hur”, Heston also became well known in the public sphere for his political activism. In 1963, the actor campaigned alongside Martin Luther King Jr. to bring an end to racial segregation in the South. Later, in the 1970s and 1980s, he advocated increased gun control and anti-abortion legislation.

In later years, Heston served as the elected president of the National Rifle Association. His sojourn as NRA president, which lasted from 1998 until his resignation in 2003, was marked by increased controversy. Opposed to the Clinton administration’s push to limit the accessibility of firearms, the actor declared that the administration could pry his Second Amendment rights from his “cold, dead hands”.

He then proceeded to call George Clooney “classless”.

Oh Charlton. We all loved you even though you were a conservative rabble rouser. We’ll always remember you as one of Hollywood’s greats.

For more info, visit: http://news.aol.com/entertainment/movies/movie-news-story/ar/_a/charlton-heston-dies-at-84/200804060117099900

By Shayna Murphy

Lollapolooza 2008 Lineup Supposedly Leaked

While the official version of the lineup won't appear on the website until April 7th, England's equivalent of Rollingstone, NME has reported that the lineup has been leaked.

As previously reported most of the bands that were speculated to be on the bill are in fact actually going to be playing the festival, with a few suprises thrown in:

HEADLINERS INCLUDE

Radiohead
Nine Inch Nails

Rage Against the Machine

The Raconteurs

Kanye West

Wilco

Rage Against the Machine will be playing there at one of their only scheduled U.S. dates this summer. As originally reported, Radiohead and NIN are on the bill as well with festival favorites this year Kanye West and the Raconteurs.

Leak Story:

http://www.nme.com/news/lollapalooza/35691

Official Website:

http://www.lollapalooza.com/default.asp?fd=1

By: Peter Rizzo
Collegian Staff

Daily Collegian on perezhilton.com!

The Daily Collegian website is now linked on infamous gossip website perezhilton.com

Why you ask? Check out the story for yourself here:
http://perezhilton.com/2008-04-03-the-public-masturbation-crisis#respond

As first reported by the Daily Collegian on April 2, http://media.www.dailycollegian.com/media/storage/paper874/news/2008/04/03/News/Umass.Student.Arrested.For.Lewd.Behavior-3296320.shtml UMass junior and football player Spencer Sinclair Ridenhour is accused of "open and gross lewdness" following an incident near Smith college that occured last week in which a female jogger reported to police that she saw a man masturbating in his vehicle. He is also accused in a similar occurence happening earlier the same day.

According to a representative of the UMass athletic department, Ridenhour has been suspended from the team.

Velvet Revolver Split

Hot off the press, supergroup Velvet Revolver has decided to call it quits after months of bickerng and only two albums.

Its a pity the goups last album "Libertad" showed some suprising growth & some evidence that they could've grown into a more unique band. I saw them last summer at the Tweeter Center w/ Alice in Chains, and even though the later band outplayed them they still brought the show.

Heres the link to the breaking news story

http://www.nme.com/news/velvet-revolver/35592

Also Stone Temple Pilots, Weilands old band are hitting the road this summer, stopping in Massachusetts to play WBCN's River Rave at the Tweeter Center on June 1st.

http://www.livenation.com/venue/getVenue/venueId/479/

click here to buy tickets

By: Peter Rizzo
Collegian Staff

Dolly Parton week takes over Idol

This week's American Idol theme was Dolly Parton songs, and Dolly herself appeared as a guest star to coach the contestants individually on their songs.

David Cook sang "Little Sparrow" and pulled it off beautifully, as usual. He's really shone the past few weeks and has demonstrated an enormous amount of creative talent.

Carly Smithson, another stand-out, sang "Here You Come Again." Dolly said the song was made for a voice like Carly's, and she was right -- it was a great fit.

When David Archuleta sang "Smoky Mountain Memories" in rehearsal with Dolly, she was so moved that she said, "It's all I can do to keep from crying, and I'm trying to hold these fake eyelashes in place!" He did do an amazing job with it, and his fan base is large enough that he can probably continue to coast for awhile.

Syesha Mercado took on "I Will Always Love You," which sounded really good, but Simon wasn't a huge fan of it. It was definitely a way to catch people's attention with a powerful song and to show that she has the voice for it.

Predictions: Ramiele Malubay will probably go tonight. Simon said her performance of "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" looked like something you'd see on a cruise ship, and he was right on the money. Dolly thought it was a good choice for her because it was upbeat, but it came off a bit too kareoke. In a night where everyone performed extraordinarily well, it is really damaging to be even slightly mediocre.

Tune in tonight to see who gets the boot.

Review: Raconteurs 'Consolers of the Lonely'

The Raconteurs announced the release of their second album "Consolers of the Lonely" and within a week it was in stores and online.

I've listened to the album once, but intend to listen to it again before formally giving it a review.

Initial Prognosis: Tighter than Broken Boy Soldier, better overall, no singles as good as 'Level' or 'Steady as She Goes'

Jacks still channeling the same influences as on Icky Thump and this album finds itself sounding similar without sounding just like a rehash.

Download: Salute Your Solution (single), Consolers of the Lonely, Top Yourself (Album High), You Don't Understand Me, The Switch and the Spur

Raconteurs "Salute Your Solution" Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lL1CW140FQ

by:Peter Rizzo Collegian Staff