REVIEW: Jamy Ian Swiss – Sleight of Hand: How Bodies Fool Minds

Cynthia

“Magicians are actors pretending to be magicians.” Jamy Swiss wowed the crowd and backed up his statement in a lecture through the Penny Stamps Distinguished Visitor Series. While I knew that the Art and Design students are required to attend these lectures, I didn’t realize that Michigan Theater would be packed. When I walked in, almost all the seats were full and I wished I had arrived earlier so I would be able to sit in the front and get a good view of the cards used in the illusions.

In addition to being good actors, magicians must be good storytellers. The card tricks would have been boring if Jamy Swiss had not told a funny story to go along with it. And oftentimes, the stories were used to guide our thinking—in the wrong direction! When breaking down one of the tricks, Jamy Swiss emphasized that he said, “Queen of clubs” three times to keep us thinking about that particular card. Good storytelling is the one of many methods used to deceive the audience.

Body language also affected perception of the illusion. The best example was the standard “disappearing coin trick,” the one where you think the coin is switched to the left hand, when it really just stayed in the right hand. In order to fool others, magicians (or sometimes grandpas!) use body language to send the message that the coin is in the left hand. By shifting his weight to the left and looking at his left hand, the magician sends an unspoken message to the audience that the coin is in the left hand.

Perhaps the best way for a magician to deceive the audience is…to lie! In one card trick, he pulled out a red 8 and black 6 and asked a volunteer to put them back into the deck. He then proceeded shuffle the deck, pull out a red 8 and black 6, and proclaim, “And here they are!” The catch: he pulled out the other red 8 and black 6. Essentially, he lied to us. With enough confidence, he was able to convince us that he told the truth. There was no “magic” in these tricks. He was just a good liar and a good actor!

I truly enjoyed the lecture; it was entertaining and interesting. Afterwards, I found myself walking back in silence though my friend was right next to me. I was trying to figure out how Jamy Swiss managed to fool us every single time even though he told us all the secrets!

REVIEW: Philipine Culture Night!

Moderator

I went to the Filipino Student Association’s  (FASA) Philipine Culture Night (PCN) at the Math Atrium of East Hall this past Saturday, November 7, 2009. I had a few friends performing and had been told that dinner would be served so I happily paid my $10 ticket and went to the show. My 16 year old brother was in town so I thought it would be a good way to spread multiculturalism and umich’s love for diversity through PCN.

PCN included many performances: a modern and traditional dance by the FASA dance troupe, singing by Alpha Garcia, a singer/songwriter from New Jersey, as well as a piano music.

The show had a nice mixture of performances and activities. There was homemade Filipino food served which was delicious. The only bad part about dinner was waiting. There were over 200 people and dinner was dismissed by table. Mine was last. There was live piano music playing during dinner. After dinner it was back to the show.

FASA created a short documentary about love, family, and Filipino pride to segue into talking about Ondoy the typhoon that devastated many. FASA’s proceeds went to the victims in the Filipines.

Overall, I thought this show was excellent. Not only was it entertaining, filling and educational, but it was also for a good cause.

Preview: Ghostface Killah- aka Ghostdini, Wizard of Poetry In Emerald City aka Tony Starks aka Ironman aka Pretty Toney- aka the Greatest Wu-Tang Solo Artist, Visits The Blind Pig

Bennett 1 Comment

Yes, Hes Doing What You Think Hes Doing, Sort Of.
Yes, He's Doing What You Think He's Doing, Sort Of.

Ghostface Killah, founder and foundation of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap crew from Staten Island, brings his solo act to the Blind Pig tomorrow evening, November 9, in support of his new album, ‘Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City’.

The Wu-Tang Clan gained world fame in 1993 with the release of “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)”.  A raw, innovative work of genius, ’36 Chambers’ continues to rank as one of the greatest rap albums of all time (with hits such as ‘C.R.E.A.M’,’Method Man‘, and ‘Protect Ya Neck’).  Since, the Wu members have continuously released Wu-Tang albums and collaborations as well as their own solo work.  Ghostface Killah, I declare after an extensive and ongoing internal debate along with a very public and popular debate, has had the greatest Wu-Tang solo career. Topping the list of solo albums is his year 2000 masterpiece, “Supreme Clientele” (featuring the hot tracks ‘One‘ and ‘Apollo Kids’, among others).

Ghostface has recently toured with Ann Arbor-born Mayer Hawthorne (Ghost professes his love for Mayer in this New York Times interview) and now brings his solo-act to the Blind Pig tomorrow night.  In support of the new R&B and soul savvy album, Ghostface will bring the motherfuckin’ ruckus as he has done throughout his career.

Blu & Exile, Fashawn, and Skyzoo open the show. Blind Pig @ 208 S.First St. Doors at 9:30.  Cover: $23 (Surcharge free tickets available at 8 Ball Saloon, Underground Sounds, and Vault of Midnight.  Or you can let the internet scam you for all you’re worth).

Video below is from the new album.  It is Ghostface at his grossest.  Enjoy.  (Potentially Not Safe For Work.  But I guess it depends where you work…) (Update: Video removed due to venturing “too far into porn and misogyny area”. Track is called Stapleton Sex, if you so have a desire to find it yourself. I don’t think it goes too far to say that “porn and misogyny” is a large part of the current state of rap music. Although, as a culture, we claim to reject porn and misogyny, hip hop is the largest art form in the world today. I think this is a topic for a post of another day, but it is one worth thinking about. Who is responsible for misogyny in hip hop? Why does it still exist? Where does hip hop go from here? Where does our culture go from here?)

Here’s a different video from the new Ghostdini album-a track called Baby. This one shows a pretty different side of Ghostface.

(Very unrelated but check out the new J.Dilla/Michael Jackson mix from J.Rocc. Pretty unreal)

Bennett. bstei@umich.edu ‘No Shirt, No Radio’ Wednesday Nights, Midnight-1:30am WCBN

Review: The Difficult [Ring] Tone of ‘Cell Phone’

Bennett 1 Comment

Jean and Gordon Kiss In The Laundromat. Or Some Weird Metaphor Like That.
Jean and Gordon "Kiss" In The Laundromat. Or Some Weird Metaphor Like That. (Basement Arts Facebook photo)

Play reviews are difficult. It’s sort of like reviewing some shlops singing karaoke at the local tavern. Although the town drunk may have picked your favorite song (perhaps Ricky Martin’s ‘Livin’ La Vida Loca’ or Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’), he’s still five drinks deep (cheap rum, most probably) and lacks both rhythm and pitch.

The Basement Arts production of Sarah Ruhl’s ‘Dead Man’s Cell Phone’ was rather opposite of the karaoke dilemma.  Although the acting was, for the most part, stellar, it had a difficult time carrying a play that failed at developing a connection between the audience and its characters.  ‘Cell Phone’ is about a woman, Jean, who, annoyed at the incessant ringing of a cell phone at the next table at a diner, picks up a stranger’s cell phone.  Complicating the situation, she soon finds out that the man, Gordon, has not picked up his cell phone because he is dead.  Jean, in acting as his secretary and, soon afterward, his legacy-maker, speaks to his colleagues, his family, and friends.  In a string of lies, Jean personalizes Gordon in her own mind and conceives of a dieing Gordon to explain to his loved ones.

Unfortunately, although closely involving herself in Gordon’s affairs – attempting to assuage some pain, Jean never becomes more than a liar.  The playwright, Ruhl, attempts to personalize her in, among other ploys, declaring a love for stationary that she shares with Gordon’s brother, Dwight (a role similar to Buster of Arrested Development fame).  However, even Jean’s budding relationship with Dwight is built upon lies and stories.  To Ruhl, Jean is supposed to be a, slightly misguided, heroine.  Instead, she creates an internal mess of a mess.

This takes away nothing from the exceptional acting in the Basement Arts production of the play on Friday night (also performed at 7pm Friday and 7pm, 11pm Saturday) (Full disclosure- a close friend, Neal Kelley, played the role of Gordon.  Even fuller disclosure- although not necessary today, I am zero percent afraid of talking shit about my friends.  They probably deserve it.)  The actors’ performances on Friday night were truly great.   Grounded in an exceptional performance by Margot McGrath as the overly-emotional Mrs. Gottlieb (Gordon’s mother), the actors displayed a deep intimacy and knowledge of each other and each others’ roles in the play.

The ‘sold-out’ crowd (some mortals even sitting in the aisles for a two hour play!) at Studio One in the Walgreen Center ate it up, laughing hysterically at any sign of a joke.  Unfortunately, just as these are the same kids who speak to hear the beautiful sounds of their own voice, there were many members of Friday night’s audience who really wished they were on stage-they really wanted to be the center of attention-so, rather unnaturally, they chose to yell their laughs.  (My slightly intoxicated friends- whom I met there- enjoyed laughing at the flamboyant crowd more than the show itself.)

If nothing else, I’m now a fan of the Basement Arts.  Quality acting with a price tag of $free.fifty is unlikely to be beat in these parts.  Although not my choice of plays, I will, again, choose to make the trek Up North to the Walgreen Center for a Basement Arts production.

Oh yeah, and I would probably choose Al Green’s ‘Love and Happiness’ for my karaoke performance.

Bennett. bstei@umich.edu. ‘No Shirt, No Radio’ Wednesday nights, Midnight-1:30am, WCBN

REVIEW:Gal Costa and Romero Lubambo

krithika

Sat, Nov 7,2009

Today was one of those rare days in fall when it feels like a perfect summer day with a cool breeze and a benevolent sun. It also turned out to be one of the most beautiful evenings  with the Gal Costa and Romero Lubambo performance at the Hill auditorium.   I just LOVE  the Hill auditorium. Its awesome acoustics and ambience add that special something to every performance. Close your eyes and you will feel as if the performers are putting an exclusive performance only for you. The Hill just seems to have so much of positive vibes to it and there’s magic in that place.  I just can’t get enough of it.

Ok, now back to the evening’s performance.

Mr.Lubambo started  by playing a medley that involved  a blend of  jazz  improvisation and  Brazilian music, showing a glimpse of his commendable repertoire.  It was superb. He has such command over his  instrument and is a master guitarist.

Then, the much awaited Gal Costa, in a lovely flowing red and lavender dress entered to thunderous applause. She started with a lovely slow song.  I was amazed. Her age (she was born in 1945) doesn’t show either in her voice or appearance. I, at once, knew why she was one of Brazil’s most famous pop divas.

Her voice is smooth, deep and at the same time, so melodious.  In these days, with the auto tuning and with singers who lip-sync all the time, it is such a treat to hear a singer who hits her high notes with perfect clarity and so effortlessly, especially in a  live performance.  I don’t think she ever missed a note in the entire show that lasted one hour and forty minutes.  Some singers are born with the magic in their vocal chords and Gal  Costa is one of them.

Ms .Costa and Mr. Lubambo shared such a  nice camaraderie that comes only when two artists truly respect each other for their mastery in their respective fields.  Her deep full-bodied voice blended very well with the twangs of his guitar perfectly.  They complemented each other so well and it was evident that they enjoyed it as much as the rest of us.

Mr. Lubambo cracked us up with his humorous introduction of the songs and comments. During the performance, Ms. Costa sang close to Mr. Lubambo’s ear playfully. He was thrilled with it and he said  that it was so good to be listening to her so close, something he could get only in a live performance where the musician feels “the love energy” of the audience and responds to it and there is such a  synergy of good vibes. Like true performers they also engaged the audience. For one of her other songs, the audience doubled as her backup singers and it sounded so good as if they had rehearsed before.

As for the songs, I wished I knew Portuguese so that I could relate to the lyrics in spite of the fact that I could totally  connect with the music. I guess this only proves how music truly appeals to the soul.  I noted some of the songs though (by noting words by their sound) and looked the songs up after the show (ah, Google, where will I be without thee?). I loved her  “Triste” ,”Aquarela do Brasil” and “As time goes by” .

As the show ended, we wanted more of course and there were two encores. My only regret was that with UMS’s policy, I couldn’t get a picture/video of the performers on stage at the Hill. 🙁

Luckily, I can still listen to their music on the net. Hope you guys do that too.

Krithika Srinivasan

Review: They’re Poets that Know It

Danny Fob 3 Comments

Yes! Yes! Yes! Whoever said that poetry is boring had never attended a U-Club Poetry Slam! These students are amazing writers and performers. They had such imagery, detail, and emotion in poems written during hours of pain and happiness.
I arrived incredibly early with some family and friends and played hangman until the show started. We waited anxiously for the first poets to start reading in open mc.

They started the music that signaled the beginning of the show. The host got up on stage and explained the process of open mc and slamming for people who had never come before. It’s all rather simple. When a poet is performing, if you want to show appreciation for a certain statement or description, you snap quietly instead of applauding. After they finish you clap loudly and cheer enthusiastically. The open mc poets get up and perform poems they’ve written without being judged. After a few great performances by these skilled artist, the slam began!

The slam is an exhilarating experience. These poets take the stage and pour their hearts out to five volunteer judges from the audience. Each judge has a white board and gives a rating between 1 and 10, 10 being the best. The judges as this event were a lot meaner than normal slams. I had never seen a score below a 7, but at this slam they were giving scores below a 3. It was very strange and very rude. These poets are pouring their hearts and souls to this audience and these judges, and the low scores tell the poets that they suck. It is so rude and these judges should never be allowed to score again. In fact, they were scolded for it at the end of the show. When the scores are announced the audience can boo or cheer for the score. Our job was to make the judges feel bad about themselves for giving bad scores.

It is quite an experience hearing the poetry performed as opposed to reading it quietly. It is so much easier and so much more vivid to hear the passion in person.

The club advertises well, so you should see their signs everywhere. The next slam is November 19.

Adam Falkner
Adam Falkner
Jon Sands
Jon Sands

These slams are also famous for having great poets from around the country visiting to perform. This slam’s guest was Adam Falkner and Jon Sands. Both were amazing writers and performers with deep emotions and passion. Both were incredible and brought amazing works to the table. And both have Facebook pages with more info and videos of their performances. Feel free and encouraged to friend them. Also, don’t forget to come to the next U-Club Poetry Slam!