It wasn’t just the energetic crowd- that was expected at the Blind Pig. It wasn’t the intimacy between said crowd and the performer- that’s easily attainable at any live DJ show. And it wasn’t even the dynamic transition between the opening act and the main artist- that was only recognizable long after the show had finished. No, what really set The Hood Internet’s concert last Saturday night apart from any other live mashup performance I’ve experienced was my steadfast faith, born early in the evening, that Steve Reidell knew precisely what he was doing.

Formed in Chicago, The Hood Internet is a combination of DJs Aaron Brink and Steve Reidell, although last Saturday proved that one member is enough to produce an amazing live show. The duo specializes in combining Hip-Hop and Rap acapellas with indie and alternative instrumentals. This untraditional type of mashup drew a different sort of crowd than those who usually flock to these shows. Always hesitant of paying money to hear music that is free online, most people stray away from them. One of their only appeals is the constant stream of popular music which is supplemented by a much more dance-provoking beat. The Hood Internet, faithful to their own style, barely fits that criteria, further excluding more concert-goers. Regardless, the Blind Pig was still well attended, and the audience was extremely entertained.

Although only half of his team was present, Steve Reidell manifested no signs of concern or unease while in the spotlight. He approached his two laptops and mixer (no turntables) with confidence, and exhibited such an authoritative composure that I, and I’m sure the rest of the crowd, had no skepticism as to his abilities. Towards the end of his piece he paused the music to ask the crowd, almost rhetorically, if he should continue or end his consistent and addicting stream of mashups. We answered, and the stream began to flow once more.

My expectations for the Hood Internet’s live setlist could not have been more wrong. I anticipated that they would enhance their show with their most popular singles, to cater to the general population’s desires. However, the majority of their setlist was comprised of the less played, harder to identify tracks that hide in the middle of their monstrous mixtapes (of which there are five and generally last over an hour) and serve as transitions. This worked in an interesting fashion for the show; because of the similar nature of most songs (indie or techno beat with ’80s or ’90s Hip-Hop verses), the mashups infused with present day tunes were very distinctive. For instance, I couldn’t tell you the songs prior to or after “Back that Sleepyhead Up,” but I specifically remember screaming along with Passion Pit’s classic. This should not be interpreted as a flaw in the performance, however. Despite being uncommon, the transitions remained undeniably enjoyable. Highlights of the setlist include when Reidell combined Sir Mix-A-Lot’s anthem “Baby Got Back” and Cee-Lo Green’s horridly addicting single “Fuck You,” as well as two renditions of one of their newest creations: Big Sean’s “Marvin and Chardonnay” and techno genius Wolfgang Gartner’s “The Way It Was.” Ann Arbor appreciated your shout out to the D, Reidell.

Overall, the show was invigorating because it quite literally did not stop. While Reidell took minor breathing pauses, the music and dancing continued. He maintained such an impressive flow of tracks that it was impossible to deny that he knew exactly how to present the perfect dance party. For those wary to pay for a ticket to a mashup show, know that you aren’t paying to hear the music; you are paying for the experience, and in my opinion, as of last weekend, the Hood Internet is the best in the game.

You first know by the taste of the air. The people standing in the queue at the local ice-cream shop lift their shirts away from their skin, fan at themselves with a free hand, glance up at the sky. They comment on the quality of the atmosphere— stuffy, they say. Stagnant. But when you take in a deep lungful you can feel the tangibility of the moisture-laden air, full, rich, alive. Then comes the wind. A sudden breeze sends people scrambling to recapture their paper napkins, fluttering away like so many errant birds. Hands dart out to pin flyaway items against the tops of picnic tables. An empty plastic cup escapes to skitter across the pavement. Behind the parking lot, the stand of lindens begin to flash the pale undersides of their leaves in unison. A storm brews.

The shop is a favorite of the local citizenry. Everyone refers to the proprietor with fondness, and her husband was probably half the town’s grade-school teacher. Everyone knows her, knows them. The side of the shop’s whitewashed cinder-block wall bears brightly-delineated images of other local landmarks. A number of your peers have secured summer jobs there. They are friends with one another. They are friends, of course with Mr. Oddslot and Mrs. B. They seem to embody the spirit of small-town America, where everyone knows everyone else and there is a distinction between natives of the town, and outsiders.

The queue has shortened up, and you and your friend finally reach the counter. You sneak glance while she handles the transaction. The girl at the counter, as you had rather hoped against, is someone you know. Closer than acquaintances, but certainly not friends.

“Oh hey,” she says in greeting, but offers nothing else. Then: “What can I get for you?”

Another gust of wind, and you beat a hasty retreat to the blue minivan out in the lot, shielding your high-piled cones from the first drops of rain. There is some distance between you, but also enough to talk about. She had insisted on catching up, so you do that, sitting in the minivan you’ve borrowed from your parents. A slow plunk-plunk starts overhead, hollow and metallic.

Odd, that this friend who frequents this ice-cream shop more than you, who rarely comes, seems more out of place here than you are. Odd, to think you have lived in this town my entire life. Somehow, you are not alike, they and you, you and all these people out there, those people withdrawing under striped awnings and under the eaves and into their cars. Odd, that.

It rains.

I know it’s not my normal blogging day, but I feel compelled to write.  I had the privilege to see previews of two amazing shows this week: Cabaret presented by MUSKET and Trumpets and Raspberries, a University Production.  What struck me the most about both of these productions was how stylistically innovative and complete they were.

Remember, I was watching tech rehearsals, so at this stage in the game, the look of the show wasn’t even 100% complete, but I was amazed by what I saw.  Both shows possessed distinct styles, from movement to costumes to scenery to lights.  I don’t want to say that it’s rare to have such a fully immersive theatrical experience, but in a way it is.  I think that these shows specifically struck me because they were set in wildly imaginative and different worlds: Cabaret in 1930s Berlin and Trumpets in 1960s Italy.

The directors of each of these shows had very clear concepts, and that was evident in the final product.  These are not safe directors.  Malcolm Tulip, a professor, and Roman Micevic, a senior directing major, each have very individualized styles.  I could watch Trumpets and say, “Oh, this is a very Malcolm show.”  When I tell that to people in the department, they nod their heads and understand, but what makes Malcolm such an effective director is that “Malcolm style” is something you recognize when you see.  It is not predictable or by the numbers; it is almost the unpredictability that makes it Malcolm.

Hats off to the designers of these shows.  I would name them all, but since I don’t possess programs, I would be to worried to leave someone out.  They not only perfected their vision in the show, but made that vision mesh with the other members of the team.   I can’t imagine what Cabaret would look like if the Emcee’s make-up and the harsh white spotlight weren’t working together.  Trumpets would be a completely different experience if the props and costumes weren’t both willing to take a step into the absurd together.

Both of these shows took steps outside of realism, a tricky thing to do in American theatre, and the final products are stunning.  Theatre is about taking risks, going for broke, thinking outside the box.  These two shows, which could not be more different– one comes out of the commedia delle’arte tradition, while the other stems from expressionist cabaret– have inspired me to be fearless.  What is most incredible is that by moving beyond the bounds of contemporary realism, their themes resonated with today’s culture for me more than many shows I have seen that are based in everyday life.  I left the theatre amazed by the visual but also touched by the emotional and tugged by the cerebral.  I know that this is a crazy time in the semester, but I hope that if you have time this weekend, you will let yourself get lost in these fantastical enchanting worlds for  just a few hours.

For the most part, it seems as though the vast majority of novels and non-fiction books we read growing up in the United States were from either American or European authors.  However, the Middle East has a rich literary tradition to rival the West’s with famous poets like Hafez, Rumi, and Khalil Gibran and novelists like Elias Khoury, Tahar Ben Jelloun, and Kahled Hosseini, famous for writing The Kite Runner.  The Middle East is often stereotyped as having heavy restrictions on intellectual pursuits and freedom of speech, which in some cases is true, there are many writers who are internationally renowned.  There is even a high school in Brooklyn named after Khalil Gibran and English translations of Rumi have sold over half a million copies worldwide, him being one of the highest selling poets in the U.S.

“When I am with you, we stay up all night.
When you’re not here, I can’t go to sleep.

Praise God for those two insomnias!
And the difference between them.”

-Rumi

Middle Eastern nations have embraced many Western authors as well.  Though a good deal of the books have to be pirated, some of the best selling writers in Iran are John Grisham, Danielle Steel, and Harry Potter is a favorite of young people, just as it is here, same with “Pinocchio” for young children.  There has also been a longstanding divide between Israeli books and those from other Middle Eastern nations which, in recent years, has seen some progress.  In 2009, Israel overturned a law from World War II which banned books from or translated in “hostile countries” like Syria and Lebanon.  This means that Israeli citizens will now be able to access a much larger selection of Arabic writings, which will hopefully add to some form of open dialogue in the region.

Americans often have a very one dimensional way of viewing daily life in the Middle East, and usually focus on aspects related to violence, insurrection, Islam, terrorism, and sexism.  The region is viewed as a place of constant turmoil, where daily life is shattered by suicide bombings and oppressive military presence.  These generalizations overshadow the culture that continues to grow out of a historically literary, but diverse, place.  There have been many writers who encourage the de-stigmatization of the Middle East, like Reza Aslan, Edward Said, and Tariq Ali.  Literature is important in spreading this awareness because it allows for a personal aspect of Middle Eastern life to be shared globally in an enjoyable manner.

Bored of that playlist you automatically reach for when you want music? Overwhelmed by the constantly changing industry? Confused by the visually over-stimulating portion of the internet that is supposed to be showing you new music? Or maybe you just aren’t very social and have never heard of Pandora? Whatever the case is, if you are looking for ways to find music that won’t cost you any money and are easy to work with, here are your answers. Happy searching.

Welcome to the Hype Machine, my absolute favorite and most used website. Hypem is unique because it serves as a funnel for the rest of the music blogosphere (or at least the important parts). When certain noteworthy blogs update new songs, they automatically feed into Hypem’s website. The songs get placed into the “Latest” tab, for members to peruse and judge. If you particularly enjoy a certain song, you can click the heart button and add it to your favorites. The songs that get the most clicks as favorites get transferred into the “popular” tab, which is where I suggest looking, and where there will be the best collection of new songs. www.hypem.com

Downsides: Extremely remix heavy (sometimes they are great but it gets extremely frustrating). Duplicate heavy (if two or more blogs update the same song they will all show up on Hypem).

Recently, you may have heard people talking about this new program called Spotify. Beginning in Sweden and now operating in about ten countries across the world, Spotify is an amazing service. Listeners can search through thousands of full, studio quality albums and stream them all for free. Legally. Tons of major record labels have agreed to let Spotify stream their music. Spotify is great for listening to new albums in their entirety without having to buy the whole thing. www.spotify.com

Downsides: Starting a couple months ago, unless you pay for a premium account you only have 10 hours of streaming per month. Don’t let this stop you, but just a heads up.

If you’re in the game of playlist making, you’re about to switch up your style (unless you’ve heard of this already, and now I just look foolish). Grooveshark has a massive library of music, and is a great place to build playlists. Create an account, assemble that playlist in the comfort of your own computer, then later log into that account on any other computer and start blasting those tunes. I also use it to create playlists I want to share with other people, which I do by sending them the username and password. They can then add songs to the playlists or create their own on the same account. It’s kind of like tapas food, great for sharing.  www.grooveshark.com

Downsides: A lot of poor quality songs, make sure you sample before adding to your playlist.

Sunset is one of my favorite music blogs. They have a great selection of hip-hop, indie, mashups and dubstep. Their team of about 5 or so writers does a fantastic job working together to ensure a constant source of new, good music. www.sunsetintherearview.com

Downsides? Good question, I can’t really think of any. I’m just really into this blog

Here’s a list of other blogs if you aren’t satisfied with all of this. Just google these names:

Pigeons and Planes – Pretty Much Amazing – Good Music All Day – Some Kind of Awesome

I first discovered Doulas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” four years ago when a friend and I watched the Garth Jennings’ film from 2005. A couple weeks later, I walked into the Askwith Media Library looking for a Harry Potter audiobook and, thanks to a very funny and helpful librarian, walked out with the original “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” radio series on CD instead.

The history of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is a little strange. It began as a comedy radio series on BBC radio and was later adapted into a series of five books. Both were written by Douglas Adams. The stories in the first three novels are similar to those in the radio series, but the fourth and fifth books deviate from the original source material.

If you’ve never read, listened to, or watched anything related to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” the basic storyline revolves around the Earth being destroyed to make way for an intergalactic highway. Arthur Dent, an Englishman who befriended the alien Ford Prefect, is saved by Ford before the Earth is destroyed.  Ford (who lives on Earth and appears human) and Arthur hitch a ride on one of the demolition fleet ships and, using Ford’s trusty Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, proceed to travel throughout the galaxy on a series of adventures that include (depending on the version of the story), whales and flowerpots falling through space, yarn people, an infinite improbability drive, singing dolphins, a depressed robot, genius mice, a horrible spacey tea substitute, and a plethora of aliens and ridiculous high jinks.

The story is amazing fun, filled to the brim with perfect ridiculousness, and if you’ve never read it, I highly suggest you do.  That said, you could just go on your own hitchhiking trip through the galaxy in a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy game on BBC radio 4’s website.  This game puts the player in the same role as Arthur Dent in the radio and novel series.  You have to navigate your way through the galaxy with your friend Ford, never forgetting your trusty towel and Hitchhiker’s Guide.  The game, which uses text based controls, puts you right in the story and has a choose-your-own adventure feel.

The game was originally created for early computer gaming, and Douglas Adams worked with programmers and designers to create much of the dialogue seen in the game. If you choose to check this out, I give you fair warning that it is extremely addictive, but also that it may be difficult to navigate if you don’t know a little bit about the story.

For those of you who’ve never given “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” a chance, you should check it out; it’s sure to make you laugh.  For those of you who know and love this wonderful story, 42 will always be the answer.

Don’t Panic!