REVIEW: Benoit Pioulard, Windy & Carl & Hitoko, Man the Hunter

Pencil Pete 1 Comment

Shows at the Yellow Barn on Huron can be hit or miss, either packed with great energy or awkward with only a handful of patrons.  Thankfully, this one was a total hit right from the beginning with a large diverse crowd of Ann Arborites dressed in their Saturday-night best arriving even before the first act.

The show began with a short unannounced set by Skate Laws, aka Forest Juziuk of Hott Lava, the experimental film outfit that booked tonight’s show.  Perhaps one of the strangest live performances I’ve seen in recent memory, Forest orated and gyrated to a prerecorded soundtrack of vaguely hardcore music, played off an iPod connected to the house PA.  As unexplainable as his music is, it is thoroughly entertaining and maybe you’ll learn a thing or two from his musings on, I don’t know, the American educational system.  It was kind of hard to follow, but in a really charming way.

Full disclosure: Man the Hunter is a close friend of mine, so I’ll keep this super-duper-objective (what up, Evan!).

I’ve seen Ann Arbor’s own Man the Hunter perform several times in the past, and this show was among his best.  Joined for the first time by Ezra Noble on bass, his nostaliarock sound took on a groovy new dimension that ultimately led to a more danceable set.  The catchy-ness of his songs paid off, with the crowd singing and shouting the lyrics to his songs, sometimes louder than the PA.  You guys remember summer 2010?  Are you nostalgic about it yet?  Come to a Man the Hunter show and you will be.

I must admit, I missed most of Windy & Carl & Hitoko because I needed a pizza really, really bad.  Upon my return from Papa John’s, they were playing a sustained tone that gently undulated, but never appeared to really change.  I’m 95% sure it was the same note they were playing when I left.  Historically, I have had a hard time approaching ambient music, especially live, but I will admit I regret missing the majority of their set.  The other concertgoers seemed to really enjoy it.

Benoit Pioulard will always remind me of riding the University of Michigan buses the winter of my freshman year, when I lived on North Campus.  His gentle and compelling music set the perfect mood to watch the snowy Ann Arbor landscape pass, and allowed me to forget for at least a minute how bogus it is to live up there.  Seated in front of an extensive collection of guitar pedals, Benoit seemed completely at peace in front of the mesmerized crowd, most of whom sat in rows on the Yellow Barn’s unfinished wood floor.  Making slow and deliberate music, he crafted a beautiful soundscape of heavily effected vocal and guitar tones for each song.  His melodies are either haunting or slightly awkward; I have yet to decide which, but I don’t think it really matters.  He’s moving to England shortly, so make sure to catch him next time he’s stateside.

Overall, the show was fantastic, but I found the lineup to be a little strange.  Following the high energy sets of Skate Laws and Man the Hunter, Windy & Carl & Hitoko and Benoit Pioulard seemed a little out of place with their relaxing offerings.  Not to say it didn’t work, but I’m used to leaving a concert after the highest energy act.  Perhaps that is why I was restless on my way home from the Yellow Barn, but hey, at least I didn’t have to catch a bus to North Campus.

REVIEW: “Into the Woods”

Xavier Westphal 2 Comments

One of the greatest perks about being a UofM student is having exquisite art right at our fingertips. The school of Music, Theatre and Dance is home to one of the top rated musical theatre departments in the country. This department rarely disappoints and “Into the Woods” was no exception. The University Production of “Into the Woods,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, delivered nothing less than what one would expect from this incredible department. The sold out show delighted its audience at the Lydia Mendelssohn theatre last Thursday evening.

The musical flawlessly intertwines the storylines from several of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales as it takes the audience to a place they’ve never seen. Namely, the darker more tragic endings that are not so “happy” after all. The main plot focuses on a baker and his wife and their quest to have a child all while interacting with characters from the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella among others. Sitting in the audience, it was difficult not to lose all concepts of time and space as the cast and crew took you on a mystifying journey through these stories.

As for the performers themselves, Andy Jones and Sam Lips stole the show with their hilarious performances as Cinderella and Rapunzel’s Princes. While skipping across the stage, these two performers nailed the roles impeccably. Their rendition of “Agony” was simply side splitting as the song enlightened the audience to their narcissistic personalities. The two characters provided the majority of the comic relief throughout the show, as they were often unaware of anything that was happening around them.

Additionally, you could not help but fall in love with Olivia Hernandez as she took on the role of Cinderella. She created a character that was relatable and loveable, all while having a powerhouse voice. You could not help but root for her character as she lived amongst an evil stepmother and sisters and was married to a lackluster prince who would rather role around in the “thicket” with another woman than be faithful to her. I must say that Olivia’s interpretation of Cinderella was nearly spot on. Her performance was by far my favorite out of this cast.

The overall production of the show was incredibly high as well. With wonderful costuming, set and lighting design, the show matched that of a professional theatre. As mentioned before, University Productions rarely disappoint and this was but another example of the incredible talent here at the University of Michigan. The show has since wrapped, be I would advise you to be on the lookout for upcoming University Productions!

Cheers

PREVIEW: Benoit Pioulard, Windy & Carl & Hitoko, Man the Hunter

Pencil Pete

When: Today, 10/23/10, 9:30pm

Where: Yellow Barn, 416 W. Huron St.

How Much: $8, all ages

Have you ever woken up at 1:30 in the afternoon on a Saturday and the first thing that comes into your mind is “I really should support my local music scene”?  If so, tonight will be your lucky night.  All three acts in tonight’s show hail from the murder mitt – Benoit and Man the Hunter are even from Ann Arbor!  Yes, THE Ann Arbor!  If you didn’t wake up at 1:30, I respect that, but come on down to the Yellow Barn anyway.  Unless it’s past your 8pm bedtime or something.

Here’s what’s up: with a number of releases on Moodgadget and Ghostly International, Benoit Pioulard has been making beautiful music that chills harder than chillwave, since before people even called it that.  Word on the street is this will be his last show in the United States before he moves overseas.  So catch him while you still can.  I have no idea who Windy & Carl & Hitoko are, and someone stole the little box that hooks my computer up to my speakers so I can’t listen to their Myspace page right now, but you totally should.  Several kind and patient people have explained to me that they are an influential name in the noise/drone scene, so I’m sure it will be great, right?  Why wouldn’t it be?  Plus, you get Man the Hunter, one of the freshest faces in Ann Arbor’s prom rock scene.  Rumor has it he has some new songs and a new friend.

SEEYATHURR, glwyh! (good luck with your headache)

pp

Preview: Open to New Things?

Danny Fob

Come to Open Mic night tonight at the Michigan League Underground. This weekly event brings together many aspiring artists and amateurs that have the hopes of getting their names out there and winning the $40 prize at the end of the semester. I’m not exactly sure what to expect, but I’m excited to go out and support my fellow students and enjoy different genres and artistic styles

Presented by Michigan Unions Arts and Programs
Presented by Michigan Unions Arts and Programs

You should join me!

When? 8:30pm
Where? Michigan League Basement- The League Underground
How much? FREE (bonus!)
Why? Because it is fantastic!

Also, if you are a mucsician, singer-songwriter, or spoken-word artist, feel encouraged to sign up between 7:30 and 8:30 to perform in the show.

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

Preview: Sankai Juku

krithika

Dance means different things to different people. To some, it is ballet or  classical dance forms full of graceful movements.  To some, it is an expression of their reaction to music- hip-hop, jazz dance, tap dance,etc.  To others like me who are not so graceful or particularly born to dance, it is a fun way to  exercise. And to some, like Sankai Juku’s founder Ushio Amagatsu, it is butoh.

Ushio Amagatsu
Ushio Amagatsu

According to Amagatsu, the dance form of butoh represents “a dialogue with gravity”.  Be it ballet, hip-hop, Irish dance or any other dance, gravity defying movements are a huge focus of modern-day dance. But butoh is about “sympathisizing with gravity” (to quote Amagatsu) and thus it comprises of entirely different set of movements.

What I feel Sankai Jukus butoh symbolises- the call of gravity
What I feel Sankai Juku's butoh symbolises- embracing the call of gravity

Sankai Juku will be performing the work “Hibiki: resonance from Far Away”, at the Power Center this weekend. Be prepared for stunning imagery and some inventive and impressive choreography.

Show times:

Saturday, October 23 | 8 pm
Sunday, October 24 | 2 pm
Power Center

Tickets @ the Michigan League Ticket Office; more info on the UMS webpage

REVIEW: Deerhunter, Real Estate, Casino vs. Japan

Pencil Pete

The Magic Stick in Detroit is the kind of venue in which one could live a fulfilling life without ever leaving.  Downstairs: bowling, pizza, theater.  Upstairs: cozy music venue, bar, billiards, deck with (another) bar.

Despite the amenities, I hadn’t been to a show that more than half-filled the Magic Stick.  This show finally did it.  The night began with Casino vs. Japan, a minimal electronic act celebrating a recent reissue on semi-local Moodgadget Records.   I was surprised to see Casino vs. Japan on the bill, not only because the music is very different from the other two acts, but because minimal electronic music usually doesn’t lend itself well to live performances.  And as I arrived towards the end of the set, my suspicions were confirmed: pale dude behind a laptop wearing a beanie.

The gathering crowd showed appreciation, and towards the end of the set I realized that this type of music could fill an important role on a split bill like this one.  Rather than the typical classic rock and stale pop piped in through the PA as the crowd assembles, live minimal music allows for milling about and holding conversations in the same way, but at least there’s something creative going on in front of you.

During Real Estate’s set, the crowd thickened considerably, growing to include: a group of kids who couldn’t have been more than 12 years old, many, many teenagers in plaid shirts, and a girl with gold shoulders who brought with her a group of overdressed college students who pushed everyone aside to get to the front and take a bunch of iphone photos of themselves.  And do you guys remember the Bash Brothers from The Mighty Ducks?  They were there.   I guess that’s what a Pitchfork Best New Music review earns you.

Real Estate played an impressive set, embellished with a couple new tracks from the guitarist’s solo project, Ducktails.  If you could describe Real Estate’s set as relaxing, which it was, Deerhunter’s was anything but.  The distinctive affected and noisy sound of Deerhunter was augmented by an unexpected energy that slowly built throughout the set.  Perhaps it was the stage presence of the front man, Bradford Cox, who despite his weak and skinny appearance due to Marfan syndrome, was able to interpret his emotional involvement in every song in a physical way throughout the 90+ minute set.  Or perhaps it was the carefully constructed set list that consistently grew in intensity and encompassed material from their three most recent albums and EPs.  Or maybe it was just the mosh pit that formed several times, stressing the floorboards of the Magic Stick in an alarming manner.  Either way, I was past the point of exhaustion by the time the last song ended.

Final thought:  Avoid the Bash Brothers when moshing.  Seriously, those guys weigh at least 300 pounds a piece.  No match for skinny hipsters.