Pre-viewing Film :: Samsara


In short, this film collected footage from 25 countries over 5 years and is the latest in a line of nonverbal films – Chronos and Baraka. The nontraditional documentary is meant to be “…showing how our life cycle mirrors the rhythm of the planet”

Mark Magidson, the producer of the film, says that Samara is much more modern in comparison with its predecessor Baraka. “touches on a lot of elements of human experience, conflict, war, birth, death, sexuality…the film is, hopefully, an attempt to let you feel like you’re part of the phenomenon of being alive at this moment”

The Director, Ron Fricke said, “…[Samsara] was conceived as a nonverbal guided meditation on the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Really sculpted, really produced by the power of [guided] flow” (Samsara itself is a word derived from Sanskrit and has different meanings to different eastern religions. In Buddhism, it means suffering, in others, flow)

Baraka hit me real hard. Just like straight jumping into glacial runoff, the same kind of shockingly refreshing feeling. The scenery shot, in combination with the music, had a chance to speak for itself – beauty for beauty’s sake, free from assumption or assertion or distortion. It was an open style in which you connect your own meaning and be as amazed and curious about what you were watching without being told about it, lots like a mental ‘choose your own adventure’ book. While at the same time providing eye candy in bulk to convey something words cannot. Going bonkers for this, cannot wait!!

Where
The Michigan Theater FREEEEE with an arts passport
Times
Sat 10.13 4:45, 7:00, 9:30
Sun 10.14 4:45, 7:00, 9:30
Mon 10.15 4:30, 9:30
Tue 10.16 4:15, 6:45, 9:00
Wed 10.17 9:45
Thur 10.19 7:15, 9:45

Mabe sees you there, review to cooome . Hunter Chee

The Trailer
The Film Webpage
Feisty ass mother f*ing squirrel

REVIEW: Ingrid Michaelson

REVIEW: Ingrid Michaelson
Lovably quirky. Ingrid Michaelson warmed our hearts tonight as she lit up the stage with her shimmering, strong voice. I had some friends who’d seen her previously, and they all said that she is even more amazing than on her recordings. I wasn’t sure how that was possible until tonight. It is her belty, pure voice that comes through live in a way that is inimitable on recording. The best example of the night for me was her performance of the song “Ghost”. On the recording, the lines are of course haunting: “I’m a ghost, haunting these halls, climbing up walls I never knew were there, and I’m lost, broken down the middle of my heart. You make me a ghost.” But when she sat down at the piano this evening and those lyrics just flew out from her – the song conveyed something more desperate and miserable than ever before. It was amazing, and I had chills.

The opening act was Sugar and the Hi-Lows. I hadn’t heard of them before, but my friends and I went halfsies on an album of theirs which we were able to get autographed after the show. They were folksy and adorable, coming from Nashville, Tennessee with spunk and warm accents. Their first song wasn’t that impressive, but once they added some personal stories and displayed more of their repertoire, I was in love. Definitely a great pair to open for Michaelson.

Ingrid Michaelson was so adorable – she would tell cute stories before nearly every number which only made you love her songs even more. It was so fun. I’ll never hear her songs the same way again. Her stories of remembering high school, commuting to work, releasing emotions through music were so relatable everyone laughed and groaned along with her.

Such an outstanding concert – it’s difficult to tell you just how much better she is live than her recording! Guess you’ll just have to experience it for yourself. Surrounded by electronically lit candles and wearing warm fall colors, it was a truly magical evening to watch and listen to Ingrid Michaelson.

Ingrid photo: http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&biw=1311&bih=627&tbm=isch&tbnid=qVJUfAa7440ZGM:&imgrefurl=http://www.last.fm/music/Ingrid%2BMichaelson&docid=EWuj0lBvjD1v6M&imgurl=http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/300×300/45591647.png&w=300&h=300&ei=CbRpUPiuBNKmqwGTrIDQCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=111&vpy=165&dur=27&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=129&ty=95&sig=111695003534451835307&page=1&tbnh=130&tbnw=130&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:139

Sugar and the Hi-Lows photo: http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&biw=1311&bih=627&tbm=isch&tbnid=Q8-PpbIod70I_M:&imgrefurl=https://twitter.com/sugar_thehilows&docid=Dp5WtMIsmZ0CmM&imgurl=https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/1652400839/Sugar_Cover_jpeg&w=338&h=339&ei=NbRpUKCXN8mzyAHe_4GoBQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=176&sig=111695003534451835307&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=139&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:70&tx=74&ty=103

PREVIEW: Theo Katzman opens for Vienna Teng at The Ark

THEO KATZMAN opens for VIENNA TENG at THE ARK

Saturday September 29, 2012

Doors at 7:30, music at 8:00 pm

U of M School of Music alum and popular Ann Arbor singer-song writer Theo Katzman returns from his new home in New York City to open a show for Vienna Teng this Saturday at The Ark. The last time he performed in Ann Arbor was in August for the Sonic Lunch summer series which featured monthly musical performances in Liberty Square. On saturday he will be performing with Ann Arbor locals and School of Music student Joe Dart on bass and Julian Allen on drums.

About this weekend’s show, Theo Katzman said, “I love Ann Arbor and I love The Ark. It’s one of the only places where you can count on people to really listen. Ann Arbor has become a second home to me — I feel like its where I’m from.” And about starting off the show, “I’m honored to be opening for Vienna Teng. She’s an inspiring person.”

I say with confidence that Theo Katzman is one of my favorite musicians I’ve heard in the past….years. The last time I memorized an entire album was probably ‘NOW 4’ which I purchased circa 2000 and listened to devotedly. I’ve been playing Theo’s latest cd in my car on repeat all summer long and have all the songs memorized. Embarrassing? I’m not sure.

Here are some videos of songs from his album  Romance Without FinanceBrooklyn and and acoustic version of Every Few Days.Video work is done by the very creative  School of Art and Design alum Christine Hucal. I like dancing to the music she mixes in her videos in my free time. Some of my favorites include Crazy Secret Things and $itting at the Gan$ter Table. Check ’em out!

Julian Allen, Theo Katzman, and Joe Dart at Top of The Park 2011

PREVIEW: Ingrid Michaelson concert

World-renown singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson will be in Ann Arbor performing at the Power Center this weekend. Recently having released her latest album “Human Again,” she has several hit singles as well as multiple albums, including “Be Ok” and “Girls and Boys.” Her songs have also appeared in many movies and TV shows. Enormously popular for her indie-pop style and original lyrics, she has reaped the rewards as a successful poet and singer.

Her concert will take place September 30th at 7:30pm, doors open at 7pm. I have a few friends who go to see her last spring when she came to Pontiac, and they said she was absolutely stunning. Tickets still available online so get yours soon!!

PREVIEW: Ben Rolston CD Release

Ben Rolston CD Release Concert

Little is more exciting for a musician than the long awaited launch of his very first CD. This Friday, April 20th, U of M Music School grad Ben Rolston will be celebrating this very event. “Fables” is a debut creation by the bass player/song writer. All the compositions are original works, written and recorded over the past year.And if you’ve never been to the Kerrytown Concert House, where the show will take place, that alone is worth the ticket. One of the coziest venues in town, the Kerrytown Concert House is the perfect spot to sit back and hear some Friday night  jazz. The walls feature rotating works of art by various artists from the area. Currently on display are Cathy Barry’s esoteric, abstract oil paintings, a sight to behold.

A great deal of work has been leading up to this special evening performance. “The songs are from a  variety of periods,” said Ben. “Some were written specifically for the CD (For Continuing Curiosity and Wonder, Branches and Bark for example) and some were written earlier and adapted or reworked to be played on the album. The Cd has been a goal of mine since last spring.” And a year later, the work is complete.

The show will feature a slew of well known faces in the U of M music world. Student musicians include Ingrid Racine on trumpet, Marcus Elliot on saxophone, Alex Levine on guitar, Ian Finkelstein on piano, and Julian Allen on drums. Profs who will be joining are Andrew Bishop of the Jazz Department and Steve Rush of The School of Music. Not only is the performance an act of student collaboration but the album design as well. Recent School of Art and Design grad Katharine Drake’s large scale clay sculptures are elements of the album art (see the image below to get a visual). Many aspects of this creation can be attributed to energetic collaboration between campus artists on the rise.

I got an “exclusive” first listen to the entire CD last week. All ten tracks. Some are short, instrumental pieces while others are as long as ten minutes. Most have a jazzy flavor, but some, like (mineral) have a more experimental sound to them (thats my favorite track). One thing I really enjoy about this album is that in every song, the bass has a very commanding presence. They always say you don’t know the bass is there unless it isn’t, but in this case, the deep string sounds take center stage in a refreshing way. Another prop about the album is that it flows comfortable between foreground and background sound. I listened to the whole thing while doing my homework and was able to balance the harmonies with my concentration. But also, I paused at moments to listen only to the rhythms and let it be my entire focus. A great listening experience, this release is bound to be everything the recordings are and more.

To get a listen yourself, check out Ben’s Bandcamp. The site is in development so only one song is currently available (more to come). Click to listen to the track Leafy. The CD will be available at local record stores, itunes, bandcamp, amazon, cdbady, and more, but only after the release. The concert is the first place the CD will be available.

Below is a picture of Ben on bass, Marcus Elliot and Julian Allen playing a gig at Bakers in Detroit.

Ben Rolston in the studio recording “Fables”

Some info about the concert:

Friday, April 20th 2012

8 pm

Kerrytown Concert House

415 N. 4th Street, across from the Farmer’s Market

REVIEW: Atlas Sound feat. Fthrsn

Atlas Sound and Fthrsn

On Tuesday, April 10th, The Center for Campus Involvement presented Atlas Sound in The League Ballroom. The name is an alias for Bradford Cox, who you may recognize as a music maker in  the local band Deerhunter. The ambient punkrock performance drew a decently sized crowd, especially for a Tuesday  night. Synthesizers and electric mixing brought a whole new meaning to guy-and-his guitar. In Deerhunter, Cox plays guitar, but does not always take center stage—the reason he has branched out to command his own act. Apparently, the singer songwriter works in stream of consciousness. Not sure if that means improv on the spot, but apparently he doesn’t write his lyrics beforehand. Pretty bold! Each song he played was incredibly lengthy, loud, and and mesmerizing- almost hard to tell one track from another. At one point, I laid down on the carpet in the back and closed my eyes to listen. Despite the volume, it could have lulled me to sleep. A rage nap, if you will.

I wonder if the majority of the crowd was there for the headliner or the opener, Fthrsn. (I was definitely there for the latter). As an award for winning this semester’s East Quad Music Coop’s Battle of the Bands, Fthrsn got the opening gig for this performance. Performing Arts Technology student, Macklin Underdown’s homemade musical alias, Fthrsn, is on the rise. Under the genre of Ann Arbor Bedroom Glitch Pop, Fthrsn is a spacey, technologically altered mixture of voice and computerized sounds affect. I’m going to go ahead and boldly say that of all of the current college groups making waves, this one is my favorite. I listen to his Soundcloud regularly while doing my homework and felt embarrassingly like a groupie when I knew all the words to the songs he played. But not too embarrassed to happily sing along. Normally the one man band acts alone, but for this particular performance, he called on the help of fellow music school students Evan Layborne on the drums, Peter Felsman on the keyboard, and on guitar, Jeremy Malvin of Ann Arbor’s pride Chrome Sparks. The set was paired with visuals of psychedelic nature, flowers, birds, and, of all things, hoolah dancers- an instructional video for the audience? Who knows, but I danced along.

Maybe it was because the concert was school sponsored or maybe because it was held on school grounds, but something about the evening felt incredibly prom like. The dark and open space of the ballroom was crowded in the middle with floaters milling about on the outskirts of the room, hesitant to join in at first though certainly wanting to. Also, I was there with a date and for all I know, I might as well have been wearing a corsage and slow dancing. But the evening was certainly enjoyable and, if nothing else, it was exciting to see Fthrsn play live when it usually only plays loudly in my headphones in the library.

Check out Fthrsn on Soundcloud and on Bandcamp. And get a listen to Bradford Cox as Atlas Sound and Deerhunter. And lastly, Ann Arbor’s DJ Peter Wiley as SUBVADER played beats at the very beginning of the show while the crowd filed in. All local, all awesome. All great music for summertime (Happy last day of classes!)

Below, pictures of Fthrsn and Atlas Sound respectively