Preview: Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán

krithika

I can’t remember any another event for which I have been as excited as for this one-  Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán’s performance at the Hill tomorrow! I have really waited for this show for a long time now (well, since I came to know that they were coming!).

Anyway, I am learning Spanish presently and so am getting exposed to a whole lot of new stuff- culture, music, dance and of course the language! So as part of the class, we learnt a little about the music in Hispanic countries and we learnt about ranchera and of course, mariachis of Mexico. I spent some time listening to mariachi music  on youtube and guess who  is considered to be among the best and the finest of the mariachi bands – the granddad of all mariachis, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán.

This group is really old (it was started in 1897) and has been passed down five generations! For once, ‘old is gold ‘ is an expression perfectly suitable for this kind of music.  This is the kind of music that will make you want to dance with no inhibitions. The band sings the traditional Mexican folk  (like boleros, rancheras, sones) and have incorporated a lot of modern music as well without sacrificing the charm of the original music. It will be a fun evening and I really hope that you get to be part of this fun!

So people, I will see you tomorrow (Friday, Nov 5) at the Hill Auditorium @ 8 pm, verdad? Tickets at Michigan League Ticket Office.

Hasta pronto!

REVIEW: The Soft Pack, Kurt Vile & The Violators

Pencil Pete

I don’t usually go to shows by myself, but I didn’t really have a choice for this one.  Between a show at Arbor Vitae, a Man The Hunter/Swimsuit show in Detroit, and of course, Bob Dylan at Hill Auditorium, most of my friends had other ideas about how to spend their nights.  And unfortunately so did most of Ann Arbor’s concert-going population.  And it was a Thursday, after all.

Not to say this show was poorly attended, but the crowd was definitely slow to form.  I got to the Blind Pig at 10pm and the opening band had just begun setting up, and there were about twenty people there, which includes staff, roadies, and members of three bands.  Thank god for free popcorn.

Purling Hiss, the opening band, were a power trio with a pretty heavy sound, and they certainly rocked hard but there simply weren’t enough people there to really get excited about it.  For a punk band, I found it surprising how present the guitar was in their music – some solos sounded straight out of 80s hair metal!  What was most impressive, though, was how tight they sounded as a band.  They did a great job of filling the room, which can be difficult for power trios.

There’s something distinctive about the appearance Kurt Vile and his backing band, the violators.  It goes beyond the long, curly head of hair on each member of the band.  I think it might be their noses.  They all have pretty large noses.

Anyway, with three guitars and a drummer, Kurt Vile’s live band wasn’t exactly what I expected.  Their sound was related to his studio sound, but, well, much louder.  Most of the selections were songs from his 2009 album, Childish Prodigy, which happens to be my least favorite album of his.  Drone-y and thick, repetitive and emotional, the set sort of exhausted the listener, but in a good way.  I was happy to have seen and heard this arrangement of his songs, but honestly, I think I would have preferred a show with just him and a guitar.  At one point when an effect pedal ran out of batteries and the band was busy figuring out the issue, he played an older song of his solo and it was a welcome change of pace.  Nonetheless, the cryptic emotions in his songs were preserved, and it gave me chills to see him singing with one eye peering out at the crowd from behind his hair, wincing during the most climactic parts of the songs.

If The Soft Pack sound just a little sloppy on their record, their live show is quite the opposite.  One of the best balanced and rhythmically solid bands I’ve seen live, the raw energy of their pop-rock was astoundingly present at Thursday night’s show.  Between a drummer who played standing up, and a guitarist who made funny concentrated faces as he played, you could tell they were having as much fun as the audience.  Each song was an absolute joy, and a crowd-pleaser in its own way.  Playing songs off their full length, a new tune or two, old songs from when they were called the Muslims, and even a cover, The Soft Pack demanded the crowd’s attention then held it for over an hour.  I actually had to leave early so I could get up for a math exam the following morning (which went really poorly, by the way, thanks for asking).  But by the time I left, the energy in the place was amazing, despite the relatively small crowd which had now grown to fill about 1/3rd of the venue.

So overall I think the only issue with the show was the lack of attendance.  But that’s what you get when you have a show on a Thursday when Bob Dylan is in town.

PREVIEW: A Disappearing Number

Sarah

The theme for this post is do something different.

I’ve spent the majority of this week in pendulum of feeling like I should be doing Halloween activities and justifying why I haven’t been that excited about them.  As a result, I’ve decided to take a step back from the habitual production of Halloween, and go see a production instead, and no, it is not the on stage production of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Merging music, movement, narrative, and multimedia, A Disappearing Number is sure to impress
Merging music, movement, narrative, and multimedia, A Disappearing Number is sure to impress

Instead it is a play along the likes of Aronofsky’s Pi, exploring the nature of infinity and connections among narratives. Produced by Complicite Theater Company, the play is experimental in nature, as you can tell by their website.

UMS and The Michigan Theater will be rebroadcasting Complicite’s A Disappearing Number this Sunday October 31 at 2:00 pm.  Originally premiering in 2007, the highly regarded play will be broadcasted from the National Theater in London in high-definition. While I have never seen a play broadcasted, usually turned away by the thought of theater being ‘broadcasted,’ I find that maybe this will actually add to the play rather than take away from it.  

A Disappearing Number is an exploration of mathematics as well as creativity.  It follows relationships across space, time, and cultures; focusing on the unique collaboration between two very different mathematicians in the 1910’s, a Cambridge professor and a young genius from India.  While the story is interwoven with the present day experiences of an Indian-American women. The play feautures a tableaux of mathematics across the screen which allows for some beautiful intersections of theater, music, film, and numbers.

“A Disappearing Number” Teaser from Sven Ortel on Vimeo.

Student tickets are available from the UMS website and at the ticket office for $12.00. If you want to take a break from Halloween and see something inspiring, this may be just the ticket.

Recap:

Who: Complicite Theater Company’s A Disappearing Number
What: Broadcast from National Theater London
When: Sunday, October 31 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Where: Michigan Theater
Why: Break, Boredom, Inspire, Cultivate…
How: $12 worth of halloween candy made payable to UMS

Until then art spooksters,

Sarah

Review: Bob Dylan – A True American Icon

Danny Fob

In a time when it becomes hard to look at your own culture and find pride because all you see is fast food and bad TV, an American legend can still restore your hope. Bob Dylan, icon of the counterculture movement of the 1960’s, performed tonight at Hill Auditorium. Though I come from a different generation (and I assume the same is true for you), I can still respect the effect he had on our nation’s youth. I could actually see it tonight in the packed, sold out auditorium, with the majority of the guests being from the Flower Power generation. Even after all of these years, they still come out to see a man who’s touring hasn’t ended since the 80’s. That is an impression.

“Who is Bob Dylan?” is a question I’ve heard a few times recently, which is really just sad (though of course I didn’t know any songs that he sang until recently soooooo…). And the really sad thing is that even if the people asking this question had gone tonight, they would still not understand. You see, because Bob’s voice has been going bad for a while now; after years of smoking and drinking it happens. Going to this concert without any background of his influence, one might wonder why the tickets cost so much. But really, it’s Bob Dylan. There is no price on one of the major musical influences in American history.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Many of the songs I recognized and learned that Bob is the person that sings them, such as Highway 65. The crowd was great; so much screaming and love going out there that the atmosphere was perfect for Dylan’s appearance on stage. He sang a full concert and switched between keyboard, guitar, and harmonica. He’s still so talented with each of the instruments, and the band was awesome. Great stage presence and excellent, excellent playing.

This experience is definitely something that I will never regret. I feel like by seeing him, I have actually been part of history. It’s a difficult feeling to explain and not sound crazy. It’s just that we learn about this artist in history classes, see his image reproduced, and hear his name thrown around casually. And I got to see him. He is still around, and still performing, and I got the chance to see him. So basically, it was amazing.

I don’t even know what else to say…I mean it’s BOB DYLAN! I think that pretty much sums up anything I could possibly say.

As always,
This is Danny Fob: Artist and Art Reviewer

REVIEW: Venice Baroque Orchestra

hannahrye 2 Comments

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the kind of person who can listen to recordings of classical music and muster up any kind of emotion whatsoever. If I try to use it to improve my concentration while I’m working on something, it only serves to distract me further. That being said, I absolutely love listening to orchestras play live. There is strength and passion in a live performance that never properly transfers into the CD or digital format.

The Venice Baroque Orchestra, who played at Hill Auditorium this past Wednesday night, was no letdown. They played both Vivaldi’s masterpiece The Four Seasons and Philip Glass’ interpretation of The Four Seasons, titled The American Four Seasons. I discovered at the end of the show that Philip Glass was actually in attendance to watch his work performed – he seemed overjoyed and perhaps a little overwhelmed by the group’s talent. The orchestra was a much smaller group than I’m used to seeing, consisting only of eighteen members. The lead violin, Robert McDuffie, also doubled as the conductor. There was no shortage of sound, however – the auditorium was full of their music. Most of the musicians stood for the entire performance (about an hour and a half, total). Although it looked exhausting, I liked the effect this had on the show – the lack of chairs gave the performers more freedom of movement on the stage. Their expressiveness, coupled with the movement of the music, built up the illusion that the performers were in constant, graceful dialogue with each other. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

The collection of instruments was interesting, too. There was a lute being played during the Vivaldi piece – I don’t think I’d ever seen one played outside of a Shakespeare production! That plus the harpsichord added a lot of dimension to the work. In Glass’ piece, they removed the harpsichord and lute, and added a keyboard. My initial reaction when I saw that being set up was trepidation, because I tend to associate keyboards with the ubiquitous synthesized pop music on our radios today. I was afraid the modern instrument would somehow cheapen the sound of the orchestra. As soon as they started playing, however, I was proven wrong. As it turned out, the only part of the concert I didn’t like were the songs in between movements of The American Four Seasons; the second one especially was too repetitive and grating. The movements themselves, though, were well done. It was sometimes hard to hear the relationship between Glass’ work and The Four Seasons, but the last two movements really brought that connection to the forefront. Glass’ music was unmistakably modern, but no less beautiful than Vivaldi’s.

Preview: Halloween Concert at the Hill

krithika

It’s halloween. While you are  scratching your heads for finding affordable yet funky costumes ( hopefully and definitely not a ‘Snooki’ or  ‘Lady Gaga’ one- Puhlease!) and choosing which party you want to attend, do not miss this Halloween tradition in Ann Arbor- the Halloween Concert by the University’s Orchestras!

The concert will feature the University Symphony Orchestra and the University Philharmonia Orchestra and will be conducted by grad students in conducting. This  concert is an absolute annual favorite-  a true “of the students, by the students, for all” event! For once, no stuffy suits and mournful all-black attire on stage as the orchestra will be dressed in costumes (so don’t forget yours and of course, please no ‘snooki’ or ‘lady gaga’)!

Photo from 2008 Halloween Concert, courtesy, Ann Arbor News
Photo from 2008 Halloween Concert, courtesy, Ann Arbor News

The graduate students arrange the entire concert- right from selecting the music to selecting the costumes. And they do dress very creatively. Most of the times, the string section dress alike. I am sure it does get spooky for the conductor to be leading an orchestra full of zombies, devilish ghouls and ghosts! But that is the fun part!

The program offers a whole lot of spooky music like  Debussy’s “Fetes from Nocturnes” and Holst’s “Jupiter from The Planets” as well as pieces written for Halloween like Chadwick’s “Hobgoblin” and March of the Little Goblins. For those who are classical music aficionados, the music is definitely worth it and is truly “concert” quality. For those who think orchestral music is not for them, you are mistaken and this is your chance to get to know the ‘cool’ side of classical music.

So see you at your spookiest best then at  Hill Auditorium on Sunday October 31 2010 @ 3 pm.

Tickets ($8) at the League Ticket Office.

Stay Scary!