Tag: Music

Preview pt. 2: Battle of the Bands, let the battle begin

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BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Friday Nov 16th (THIS FRIDAY)
7:30 pm
Pendleton Room in the Michigan Union
$3 at the door

Come join New Beat Happening this Friday night for a wonderful celebration of local music. There are 6 bands from around Michigan, Ann Arbor and the University playing for the chance to win a chance to open for a nationally touring band in the spring, or have their own headlining show booked by New Beat Happening and the University of Michigan!!!!

Come out, dance to some excellent music, vote for your favorite sounds and support your local music scene!!!

REVIEW: Women’s Glee Club Fall Concert

Hannah Weiner

In my philosophy class recently, I learned about the difference between what is “beautiful” and what is “sublime.”

Imagine the compactness of a flower bed: how intricate each flower is, how symmetrical and harmonious nature can be, and how it’s hard not to smile when we see something as simply wonderful as a flower bed. This is beauty.

The sublime, on the other hand, is something grandiose that provokes emotions of grandeur and magnificence. To see something sublime is to feel slightly terrified of its power. What’s best about these definitions is that feelings of the splendid sublime are pervaded with beauty.

Saturday night at Hill Auditorium, I felt the sublime pervaded with beauty. As the members of the Women’s Glee Club walked onstage singing “Tshotsoloza,” a South African song about a train, the beauty of vocal contrasts dwelled in my ears. The acoustics in that place are near perfect, I’m sure you’ve heard, but there’s nothing better than having a musical group use that to their benefit. The layering of the vocals never ceases to astound me, especially with a unisex singing group. I’ve never understood vocal workings myself – soprano, tenor, bass, etc., so I say with great modesty that the Women’s Glee Club fused voices mellifluously.

Beyond the singing, the first half of the concert was spent reminiscing on their trip to South Africa. Pictures and videos brought life to the stories the members told, but nothing told their story better than the songs. “Voici le printemps, mon cousin,” a Belgian song sung in French that was introduced to them by the Belgian glee club, posed a stark contrast to the other tribal-sounding songs from South Africa. Even “Ngana,” an Australian song, blended more with the South African songs.

The song “Homeland” stuck out to me as both sublime and beautiful. The solos were beautiful, undoubtedly, showcasing individual voices that meld into the group. However, during crescendos, the feeling was sublime – my heart and ears swelled with the group’s voices. The piano was not cumbersome and accompanied the club perfectly. Naturally, the placement of such a climactic and emotional song fit incredibly in their song-list.

The Women’s Glee Club entirely outdid themselves on Saturday night. With the anecdotal first half of South Africa, and a second half highlighted with instruments and soloists, the club put on an utterly sublime and beautiful show.

Preview: Matthew Dear – Concert for the Masses, or the Minimum.

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The Blind Pig has done it again! We are so lucky to have this incredible concert venue in the heart of Ann Arbor.

Matthew Dear:
Wednesday November 7th 9pm 18+
$12 in advance $14 at the door

Matthew Dear might not be for everyone. Their earlier sound can be more “obscure” and ethereal than his most recent album “Beams.” Some of their music is danceable and some of it begs for a smokey room, a strong drink and a fuzzy brain. Depending on your mood.

I was first introduced to this artist earlier this fall by a friend on the West Coast. The composition and creativity of sound is what drew him to this group. They are from Michigan (a graduate of u-mich in fact) which I was also unaware of when first introduced to their music.

Although not everyone is going to like Matthew Dear’s particular creative style, check out some of their stuff and stretch the boundaries of your music experience!

http://www.matthewdear.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Dear

REVIEW: The Perks of Being a Wallflower: My 13 yearold self jumping up and down

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, was published in 1999. I read it for the first time in 2002 while in 7th grade and proceeded to read it at least 14 more times after. This book is well known in many preteen and teenage circles and is likely to pass from one friend to another with few words on the lips other than: “You have to read this book.”

Chbosky wrote a wonderful coming of age story, set somewhere outside Pittsburgh during the early 1990s. It is filled with mixed tapes, novels, clothing styles, life struggles, relationships and one young boy’s struggle with past painful experiences.

The film, which came out October 12, 2012 was adapted and directed by Chbosky. His writing translated very well to the screen and his original vision seemed to remain in this visual representation. Due to this format, Chbosky seemed to be able to take some of the book’s more delicately hinted concepts to a different level. He did a very nice job of portraying high school life in the 90’s with all the common themes of premature senses of adulthood and self-awareness.

The story is narrated in the form of letters by Charlie (played by Logan Lerman). A young boy starting his first day of high school. From the beginning he mentions a time when “things were bad.” His struggles and pains gradually become clear to us over the course of the film (I really don’t want to say too much about this because it was so well introduced in the film I feel I would be taking something away from you!) He becomes friends with a group of seniors, specifically Patrick and Sam (played by Ezra Miller and Emma Watson) who introduce him to music, style, a social life and the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Many typical teenage complications occur, loves gained and lost, bad girlfriend habits, abusive and cheating boyfriends and some other not so common life experiences, mostly in Charlie’s past . . . the “bad times.”

It had been at least 7 years since the last time I read this book but it’s content still sticks to me. I spent the last 15 minuted of this movie with tears running down my cheeks. As did all the other teenage girls sitting in the theater with me! 🙂

Not only is this story beautifully constructed, it is also excellently adapted for the screen. The characters are likable and as difficult as some of the life truths may be they are all important to recognize and acknowledge.

For those of you who have read this book, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised. For those who have not, please go experience this film!

Another great thing about this movie, the soundtrack was excellently constructed. Much of the book is dedicated to talking about music. They did a very nice job of involving this theme in the film.

The Film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1659337/

The Book: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perks_of_Being_a_Wallflower

The Music: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/perks-being-wallflower-original/id558273105

PREVIEW/ Announcement: EQMC presents MUSICAL SENSATIONS 10/19/12

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Work Gallery: 306 S. State St. Ann Arbor
Friday October 19th
8pm Free (donations appreciated)

A group of experimental musicians are going to showcase their music for an enthusiastic crowed tomorrow night!
Their music varies in style and content although they all mix and sample other artists, loop sounds and play around with different themes to create interesting new musical pieces.
Much of their music is listening rather than dancing music, although it’s definitely good social hang out/ get to know each other and move around to a beat kind of music at times too.

If you want to broaden your auditory surroundings I suggest you join us tomorrow night!

Blithe Field (Ohio)
http://blithefield.bandcamp.com/

Samn Johnson (Ann Arbor – Michigan Student)
http://samnjohnson.bandcamp.com/

Jonah Baseball (Ann Arbor – Michigan Student)

Preview: Cat Power: Not to be confused with Thunder Cats…

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The Ark is a wonderful venue in Ann Arbor. They are skilled at bringing lovely musicians to the area and have recently been kicking off some new album tours, the most recent of which was Ingrid Michelson.
Cat Power has been performing on and off since the mid-90’s and has recently come out with a new album: “Sun.”
I was introduced to her music in 2007 in a mix CD from a crush. Her sound is somewhat reminiscent of MOBY. She has a beautiful voice and clearly has a finely tuned ear for music.

“Sun” is a blend of electronica, ethereal vocals, and computerized ticks. “Critics have noted the constant evolution of Cat Power’s sound, with a “mix of punk, folk and blues” on her earliest albums, and elements of soul and other genres more prevalent in her later material. [3] [4] [5] Her 2012 album Sun incorporated electronica, in a self-proclaimed move from the “really slow guitar songs” she initially wrote for the album. [6]” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Power) “Really slow guitar songs” are what Cat Power has filled previous albums with. Her early music has a little Patty Smith flavor through out it’s execution. It is refreshing to experience an artist with such a past in the industry reinventing her sound for this album, the first original she has released in Six years. These style changes are not always well received within the music critic and listening community.

This show takes place on Saturday October 27th at the Royal Oaks Theater http://theark.org/3343.html

Learn more about this talented lady: http://www.catpowermusic.com/

Cat Power: Ruin: \”Sun Announcement\” – Video