REVIEW: Elephante

Rachel Pasche Leave a comment

Elephante returned to his hometown of Ann Arbor on Thursday evening, and what a homecoming he had. The club was packed upon arrival, with a line going out the door even though we arrived late. We walked in, listening to the beat of the electro music grow more intense as we ascended to the main dance area. The club was teeming with people, even though it was only the opener. Girls with LED light-up shoes, guys wearing glo-paint, people dancing to an infectious beat. This was only the warm up, and my friends and I stood on the upper level to soak in the mildly overwhelming sight before entering the fray.

When Elephante came on, we immediately rushed into the center. Tim Wu (Elephante) told us it was great to be back in his hometown performing for people who were willing to come out on this Thursday to see him. For a DJ, he seemed pretty down to earth to me, like even he couldn’t believe how far he’d come since growing up in Ann Arbor. He began the set and the crowd went berserk. Lights began flashing, and suddenly half the crowd had massive foam glowsticks. I’m being honest when I say I have no idea where they originated from; suddenly everyone just had them. Including me! Somehow I found an abandoned glowstick on the ground and was able to wave it about over my head with the rest of them, flashing green then blue then purple.

Elephante’s set was incredible. Most people seemed to be way more dedicated to his music than I am, and knew almost all the words. I wasn’t that aware of all the songs, but did know enough to participate. He took many popular songs and remixed them, which made it easy for crowd involvement. Elephante himself danced around the booth, sometimes playing a song and spending a majority of it dancing. At the end, he signed off and wished us a good night. Everyone immediately started chanting the concert classic: “ONE MORE SONG!” To my surprise, Elephante appeared after about 2 minutes of this chant and told us he would play us a new song, to be released sometime in November. He said it was one he was incredibly proud of, and most of it was produced rather than remixed. The song had a different vibe than the rest of the music he had just performed for us, but it was a good different. It was really good, actually. He played the song and came down to dance with the crowd; people closed in around him and I was swept up in the general movement toward Elephante. I saw him crowd surfing, being tossed around in the air like he was on a trampoline. Afterwards, he returned to the mic and kindly asked that his shoe be returned.

 

REVIEW: The Turn of the Screw

Laura Dzubay Leave a comment

I was a little apprehensive going into The Penny Seats Theatre Company’s performance of The Turn of the Screw, this Thursday at the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor. I had just recently finished reading the book version of The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, and I had no idea of what to expect in terms of seeing it done on the stage — especially since I knew the production was only going to involve two actors.

When the lights went out at the beginning of the production and the church filled with the eerie voices of children singing, I already knew it was bound to be a good time. From then on out, in my opinion, the night was a success.

The show featured two actors: Mary Dilworth and Will Myers. Dilworth played the main character, the governess from whose perspective the entire story is told. Myers, very interestingly, played every single other character: the narrator; the handsome bachelor who recruits her to work at his estate; Mrs. Grose, the elderly caretaker of the estate and the governess’s ally; and Miles, the precocious, secretive, and endlessly creepy ten-year-old of whom the governess is charged with taking care. There is a second child, the young Flora, but there is no actor at all for her; her presence is only mimed by the other characters, addressed as thin air.

Considering this, it must be emphasized how impressive both of these actors were. Dilworth played with and cradled the invisible Flora so convincingly that she may as well have actually been there. She played the governess with an enthusiastic, girlish charm that I wasn’t expecting, but found completely believable. Myers, meanwhile, slipped so easily between his roles that it never once managed to come across as confusing, not even when he was given less than a second to transition.

The Turn of the Screw tells the story of the young woman, who is “seduced” into taking the job of the governess at Bly, an isolated estate in the countryside. The strange happenings that follow prompt her to question what happened between the previous governess, Miss Jessel, and the now-deceased gardener, Peter Quint; why Jessel and Quint are dead, and why they now seem to haunt the premises; and what part the innocent-seeming children, Miles and Flora, have to play in all of it. Needless to say, it is a classic ghost story, which means that most of the audience probably came to the church looking to get scared. (At least, I did.) The production did not disappoint–Myers and Dilworth utilized the entire church space, walking between the pews and lurking behind the rows and up in the balconies, so that it came to feel like the play was taking place not just before us, but all around us. The church ended up being the absolute perfect setting for the play, really lending itself to the element of creepiness.

I also really enjoyed seeing the textual changes made between the novel and the play adaptation. There were a lot of elements added–for instance, Miles’s affinity for riddles, and some surprising encounters between Miles and the governess. I won’t spoil everything, but it’s definitely a production worth checking out, especially if you’re looking to get into the spirit of the Halloween season. The Penny Seats Theatre Company will be putting the play on for two more weekends at the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor, at 8:00 p.m.

PREVIEW: Elephante

Rachel Pasche Leave a comment
Elephante (Tim Wu)

Born in the great city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, EDM DJ/producer Elephante returns to his hometown for a BigRoom and Progressive concert. The concert is at Necto and part of his “Animals Wanted Tour”. More than likely the infectious dance music is going to attract many people and ensure a killer concert; it’s sure to be a zoo on Thursday.

Tim Wu, otherwise known as Elephante, is a Los Angeles-based DJ/producer. His productions range from big-room progressive house anthems to remixes of popular artists including Lorde and Clean Bandit. Wu first learned classical piano before teaching himself guitar, and initially attempted to break into the music industry as an acoustic singer/songwriter before transitioning to electric dance music.

Elephante was a personal favorite for warm-up CDs back in the glory days of high school sports. His songs were full of fun pop vocal tracks, with beats that you couldn’t help but dance to when you heard them. With concert tickets going at a cheap rate, at an incredibly fun and walkable venue, it’s no wonder this concert is selling out quickly.

Preview: Maddman: The Steve Madden Story

Abby Z Leave a comment

For any fans of fashion, business, documentaries or any combination of the three, this coming Wednesday go to the premier of  “Maddman: The Steve Madden Story” at the Michigan Theater and attend a live Q&A with Steve Madden himself.  The Madden Company, whose products can be seen adorning the feet and bodies of many students walking around campus has had a tumultuous and interesting history, and this documentary will track their history along with Steve Madden’s own rags-to-riches story.

The event will take place at the Michigan Theater, October 11th.  The doors will open at 7:15 and the screening itself will begin at 8:00.  I anticipate a fair amount of interest in this event so if you want good seats make sure to get there early! The event will be free to the public with limited free concessions. 

REVIEW: Baby Driver

kjwuzhere Leave a comment

Baby Driver is not your average car or bank heist movie. In fact, it would be a stretch to consider it either of those things because although the plot revolves around robbing banks and driving away, the movie is so much more than that. It deals with a broad range of topics, from deafness to culture as a means of survival–if it weren’t labelled an “action” film, it would be up for a whole host of Oscars and have a good case for winning them.

Unlike most films dedicated to fast cars and grizzled criminals, is not dark, gloomy, nor a blur of speed. The movie is still nonstop, well choreographed, and has spurts of violence–but, like most Edgar Wright films, scenes are well-lit, vibrant, and show all their punches. Likewise, there is plenty of violence in the film but it isn’t brushed over. We see our main character, Baby, constantly confront his own role in the violence and destruction perpetuated by his coworkers–violence that is often directed at innocent bystanders, people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Baby Driver shows us not only how people are implicit in the violence around them, but also how that violence changes them (for better or worse) and creates a self-perpetuating cycle.

Of course, the movie isn’t always gloom and doom–more often than not, this film is hilarious. And the best part about this film is the soundtrack and how that music is incorporated into the plot of the movie. Lots of films using funky older songs to make their movies seem better, but music is not only background here. The music is essential to the film, as Baby uses music to drive. He needs a soundtrack to get away. Usually, you find a song to suit a scene, but here the scenes (even characters’ names) were written with specific songs in mind. So if you like action, humor, and a good soundtracks, Baby Driver will probably be the best movie you see all year.

REVIEW: ENSPIRED

kebishop Leave a comment

While EnspiRED is a fashion organization, they described the showcase last night as their annual multimedia event.  The purpose was to highlight the work of all artists around campus, making last night “more than just fashion.”

There were two paintings and a photo print making up the display part of the event, while the majority of the night consisted of live performances.  There were no labels on the visual art but I got a photo of the canvases near the door.

Chase Garrett, a poet, was the first live performer.  It was a political narrative preaching optimism even though the state of America is less than favorable at the moment.  It seemed to resonate with the audience, who was very responsive throughout the evening.

Next was a singer/guitarist, Jake Lemond.  While he reminded me a little of The Lumineers’ main singer, he was unique with his stage presence and skill with the guitar.  He played three songs, most of them alternating between a Travis pick-style verse and a strummed chorus.  There was a lot of strum pattern and vocal variation which made each song different.  He even used harmonics at the end of his last song!

Dennis London, another poet, came next.  His first piece was a rap in the middle of a song played over the speakers.  His second was, in my opinion, a love poem.  He called himself a “photographer by day” and talked about his newly-published book.  The book is about how happiness is earned.  The motivational speech he gave at the end of his performance seemed to be a snippet of that message.

After that, the dance group Ambiance performed.  They were an all-female group.  Their performance was an interesting mix of modern dance, showcasing fluidity of movement and form.  They also incorporated some ballet movements into the piece (which I only recognized because of a history of dance class I’m taking this semester) as interludes between dance exchanges.  I was sitting near the back, however, so it was difficult to see what they were doing sometimes as there was a lot of groundwork.

Unfortunately, my phone died during intermission and I was unable to take notes for the second part of the night.  It was, overall, a very cool experience.