THE MAKING OF A MUSIC VIDEO PINK FLOYD’S FINAL ALBUM WHAT NOT TO WEAR TO A MUSIC FESTIVAL
WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO TWEET @20_WATTS WHAT YOU’VE BEEN LISTENING TO!
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09
AH HA UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GIANTS SPOILED BASEMENT SEPARATIONS DIARRHEA PLANET LIPSTICK ALESHA WAIT FOR THE MOMENT VULFPECK FALL HARDER SAINT PEPSI S CLUB PARTY S CLUB 7 THE SUM PAPADOSIO TRANSPOSE BAD SUNS
Cover photo by Adam Gendler. Cover photo of Loud and Clear, see page 30.
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
NO SURRENDER BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN LIFT A SAIL YELLOWCARD BRING BACK PLUTO AESOP ROCK SANCTIFIED RICK ROSS, KANYE WEST, & BIG SEAN KALEIDOSCOPE KASBO JUBEL KLINGANDE ROLLERCOASTER BLEACHERS CIGARETTE DAYDREAMS CAGE THE ELEPHANT LEFT HAND FREE ALT-J ROLLING IN THE DEEP ARETHA FRANKLIN LOLLY LOLLY LOLLY GET YOUR ADVERBS HERE
SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK 20 WATTS | 3
MEET THE STAFF WE ASKED: WHO’S YOUR ALTER EGO?
PLEASE ENJOY OUR CRINGEWORTHY #TBT’s (We promise we’re no longer this tiny. But probably still this awkward.)
EDITOR IN CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
HEAD DESIGNER
PUBLISHER
Lyndsey Jimenez @stlyndsey
Indica Young @Indica_Jade
Adam Gendler @adamgendler
Jane Depgen @depgendesign
Phil DeCicca @phil_decicca
Christine Edgeworth @dammitchrissie
“Tina Belcher.”
“Lady Sloth.”
“Morgan Freeman’s Voice.”
“April Ludgate.”
“Jack Bauer.”
“Mr. Feeny.”
FRONT OF BOOK EDITOR
FRONT OF BOOK EDITOR
FEATURES EDITOR
DIGITAL DIRECTOR
WEB EDITOR
PUBLICIST
Roslyn Palmer @roslynelspeth
Mikey Light @itsmikeylight
Shelby Netschke @snetschke
Joey Cosco @jcosco
Jake LiBassi @hightunez_music
Carolyn Saxton @carolyn_oleum
“Lumpy Space Princess.”
“Scott Disick.”
“Linda Belcher.”
“Timehop Abe.”
“Billy Madison.”
“Drake Parker.”
COPY EDITOR
REVIEWS EDITOR
REVIEWS EDITOR
MARKETING DIRECTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Erin Singleton @erin_singleton
Megan Callahan @m17callahan
Andrew Horvath @andhorvath96
Jim Coleman @jymcoleman
Will Skalmoski @willyskal
Drew Raabe @raabemedia
“Grumpy Cat.”
“Reggie Rocket.”
“Ari Gold.”
“Optimus Jim.”
“Reggae Shark.”
“Roger Sterling.”
table of
CONTENTS
08
10
11
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
AN OPEN LETTER
PLAYLIST // CHEMICAL X
12
13
14
THE FIVE
EAR TO THE GROUND
Q&A // THE FELDMANS
16
18
20
TAKE COVER
REVIEW // THE ENDLESS RIVER
EDITORIAL // IN WITH THE OLD
25
26
28
NOT YO MOMMA’S 8-TRACK
DROP THE MIC // QUEEN BEY
BLURRED LINES
30
34
LOUD AND CLEAR
MAN BEHIND THE MUSIC
WINTER IS COMING. No, really, it is. We’re at the weird lull in the year where it’s not quite Siberacuse but definitely not warm enough to wear less than two layers. When we get back from break, our college bubble will be transformed into a snow globe and the idea of braving the blizzards to get to class is even less appealing than that of graduating. This is something I’ve come to understand since moving here. Getting used to this weather, much like the rest of college, is a learning experience. However, unlike a good portion of the SU student body, I didn’t really get to enjoy a curve. This same idea applied to me and 20 Watts this semester. As a graphic designer, the idea of running a magazine scared the living shit out of me. I had to bring together a staff of people I had known both prior to becoming editor and after. I had to appease certain ideas and shoot down others. I couldn’t be everyone’s friend. Though, like with learning to cope with the weather, I found a balance. The trick to finding that balance was simple: our love of music. Which is exactly what this magazine was founded on. Music has taught me not to take shit from anyone and that served me well this semester. I took from Destiny’s Child, from Tupac, from anyone who I saw as strong because that’s exactly what I hoped to be. I used my love of music to lead and help make the product you’re holding in your hands right now. And you can bet your ass I’m proud of it. So, as you flip through the pages and come across our power lady playlist (see page 11), think about the men that put it together. When you’re trying to figure out what not to wear to next year’s Juice Jam, check out our story on cultural appropriation (see page 28). And when you’re thinking about how goddamn cold it is — remember that the bars are just around the corner.
8 | 20 WATTS
BY THE MEN OF 20 WATTS ion of list,” a collect of a “Sex Play y et ci so r ou , and during concept in leading up to ts There exists a en om m e in th had e listened to d, or at least songs that ar life you create ur yo in t in po . It probably it, at one entioned lists em coitus. Admit or af e es th of ance to create one . There’s no ch the bright idea Arctic Monkeys d an . XX e Th y nce in an way y songs by included shitt sexual experie ur yo ed nc ha sex ese songs en ally the worst that any of th are having liter u yo ss le Un . at y music all) zero chance (if there is an to Like actually, ng ni te lis u’re e. music that yo the experienc on earth, the r detract from no e nc ha en er should neith hile listening xual activity w se in ng gi ga en rrible, displeasure of l accounts, te I once had the .” It was, by al ar St ll “A t hi enty seconds. th’s 1999 inutes and tw m to Smash Mou e re th g lin ve grue at lasted for a g in my ears ha terrible sex th was screamin e ik al ok lo i er be ne, may it at a Guy Fi ckfest? Yes. Fi fu Did the fact th ed ag en te sty, Watts the sweaty, lu e staff of 20 any effect on and the entir e, pl am ex e perience (or an extrem t wish this ex n’ did, but this is es do it at e th ings explicitly stat e do these th would like to ) on anyone. W th ou M h as related to Sm anything of or have to. so you won’t ine?” while to hear “R U M ed ne t n’ do u Yo ppy e that playlist. her. Just be ha So don’t mak e parts of anot th ith w er th parts toge smashing your place. sex in the first you’re having
“Girl power” is an attitude, a rally call, a lifestyle. Though we will never know what it’s like to fully take part in “girl power,” we can share in one small part of it: the music. Together, we have organized a Power Lady Playlist that showcases sugar, spice, and everything that sounds like a feisty feminist anthem.
IRREPLACEABLE BEYONCE Queen B’s 2006 smash tells everyone something of great importance: treat your girl right. News flash for you, bro: if you’re not a good dude, she’s going to replace YOU.
SHE BELONGS TO ME BOB DYLAN This title is a purposeful contradiction. In this classic from 1965, we see Dylan crushing on the girl of his dreams. He croons, “she’s got everything she needs, she’s an artist, she don’t look back.” Clearly, this girl is just fine on her own.
NO SCRUBS TLC This #tbt touches on an important topic: standards. Chilli, Left Eye, and T-Boz
10 | 20 WATTS
describe the type of man who won’t get love from them due to his scrubbiness. The lesson? Hold yourself to a high standard in every aspect of life.
MISERY BUSINESS PARAMORE Paramore’s roaring riffs immediately establish the tone for this punk rock throwback. Hayley Williams’ soaring vocals bring an edgier sound to the world of “girl power.” A perfect balance of angst and female dominance.
MAN! I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN SHANIA TWAIN We all know that Ms. Twain can make a catchy, country-pop hit, but this song is particularly badass thanks to its empowering message: have fun and don’t be afraid to embrace your femininity. 20 WATTS | 11
THE
FIVE BY
MEN’S TRACK
SSI JAKE LIBA
N KEITH UARINBSAT RISE AG
MAC MILLER ONE
KAYTRANADA
Who: Haitian-born producer residing in Montreal, known for his revolutionary approach to music production inspired by J. Dilla. Sounds Like: Beats and rhythms seamlessly bridging the gap between hip-hop and dance music. First Listen: “At All” See Also: Disclosure, Sango
TWO
GOLDLINK
Who: Fresh to the scene DMV rapper who prefers keeping his image and his music separate. Sounds Like: “Future bounce” mixed with some hood shit. If you don’t know it, get hip. First Listen: “Wassup” [Prod. Sango] See Also: Kendrick Lamar, Waldo, Lakim
THREE
KLINGANDE
Who: A French duo putting forth saxohouse records inspired by contemporary Swedish house music. 12 | 20 WATTS
Sounds Like: Saxophone-playing angels sprinkling glitter onto fields of bunnies wrapped in rainbow scarves. First Listen: “Jubel (Original Mix)” See Also: Bakermat, MÖWE
FOUR
RAURY
Who: An 18-year old singer/rapper/ songwriter from Atlanta whose career is only just beginning, but begs promise from credible sources. Sounds Like: A nice blend between folk and rap with a warm, youthful presence. First Listen: “Cigarette Song” See Also: Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean
FIVE
WOMEN’S ROWING
N
TY DOLLA SIG
SAM SMITH
DRAKE
D E SREMMUR
RA
EAR
DIPLO RIX R
MARTIN GA
TO THE
D N U O R G
AT’S IN ND OUT WH TEAMS TO FI TS .. R T. O U O SP D SU N E FOU LKED TO 5 E’S WHAT W 20 WATTS TA PHONES. HER THEIR HEAD
KYGO
Who: Young Norwegian producer Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll whose helping to make tropical house the next big thing. Sounds Like: Bouncy, melodic house stationed around 100 bpm for all your lovemaking activities. First Listen: “Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing (Kygo Remix)” See Also: Thomas Jack, Ferdinand Weber
CLUB L SOFTBAL
SAILING
RIS CALVIN HAR AME KA WAKA FLOC
FL
NCIS DILLON FRA
CLUB BOXING DON DAVIS
OR
TRENT REZN
MEEK MILL
VORITE DID YOUR FA E LIST? TH E K A ARTIST M _W 20 ATTS TWEET US @ E WHAT YOU’V TO TELL US . TO ING BEEN LISTEN
You two could be called a Music Industry Power Couple. Has your relationship provided you with any unique support in your careers? LF I think if either one of us were
married to someone who was not in our business, the spouse would hate us. The hours are crazy, this [smartphone usage] is going on at all times of the day and night. We’re traveling. We’re out at shows. We have to go in early, and stay late. It’s a big part of your life. We get that, so we are always there to help each other with our crazy schedules.
L ORI
A T U P L
E B LA
N IT
O
FF We’ve always worked in slightly
FRE D
FRED & LORI FELDMAN SAT DOWN WITH OUR PUBLICIST, CAROLYN SAXTON, AND GAVE US SOME INSIGHT INTO WHAT THEY DO BEST. BY CAROLYN SAXTON PHOTOS BY HALEY KNAPP
Fred and Lori Feldman are two music industry giants who have more than their careers in common. They’re both Syracuse University graduates, they started WERW radio together in their time there, and now they’re married. Fred owns and operates Triple Crown Records, and Lori is Warner Brothers Records EVP of brand partnerships and creative licensing. 14 | 20 WATTS
different circles so we could shed light on different areas that maybe could meet. I think it always gave me an interesting perspective on what she does. You’ve [Lori] brought up examples of what we’ve done in marketing when your marketing heads were like, “what are we doing, how do we do it?” So, I think that’s always kind of interesting. Both Triple Crown and Warner Brothers boast an eclectic mix of artists and sounds. What effects does this have on your jobs? LF It gives an opportunity to really
speak to all sorts of brands and media partners out there because everybody is looking for something different.
FF I look for bands that work hard,
and that there is some crossover audience-wise that we can start with. We take bands that are either just starting out or have a small following, and selling those first 10,000 or 20,000 records is the hardest thing to do, and that’s what we do. [To Lori] When partnering brands and artists, is your focus primarily on the band’s pre-existing image, or the image a specific brand partnership could give the artist? LF There’s a word that gets thrown
around a lot that’s annoying already, but it does hold a lot of truth, and that’s “authenticity.” Really, that’s what you strive for. You know immediately when you’re bringing a band and a brand together if there is an authentic meeting of the minds, or if there’s not and you’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. [To Fred] Do you have any red flags or positive signs that you look for when checking out bands? FF It really comes back to the music;
if there’s something there that moves me in some way. As I get older, I still try to look from a fan perspective. Are their songs going to connect on some level with someone, whether it’s a kid in his bedroom or someone at a show is going to be wowed. 20 WATTS | 15
TYLER WARD straight pop covers
NIYKEE HEATON
acoustic hip-hop
R E V O C TAKE Uncovering some of YouTube’s best, minus all of the searching. BY JOEY COSCO More than 47 million YouTubers have watched a video of a young Justin Bieber under the YouTube name kidrauhl, belt along karaoke-style to Chris Brown’s hit “With You.” The video’s description is sort of like a weird time capsule from 2008: “Now signed by Island Def Jam records and Usher. First single “One Time” scheduled to be released to iTunes July 7th! Thanks for all the fan support! Wouldn’t be here without youtube fans!!” The rest is recent history. Six years later, YouTube still has its stars, but this crowd isn’t necessarily leaving the site to seek surplus fame. But, that might be because they already have it online. 16 | 20 WATTS
MIKE TOMPKINS solo a capella
Biggest video: “Teenage Dream”/ “Just The Way You Are” mashup
25M VIEWS With Glee, The Sing Off, and other mainstream exposure, a capella acts picked up a lot of notoriety over the past five years. Solo singer Mike Tompkins puts his own spin on the genre by singing every part of every song himself, with few exceptions. One memorable time when he shared the mic featured an appearance from the pop duo (and former YouTube stars) Karmin, appropriately covering the song “A Capella.”
Biggest video: “Payphone” cover
Biggest video: “Love Sosa” Cover
23M VIEWS
2M VIEWS
Tyler Ward might be the king of edgeless pop covers. He represents thousands of YouTubers with varying degrees of talent, singing popular songs with no real reverence for the original purpose of the song. Caveat: Tyler Ward is awesome. His voice is incredible, his video production is top notch, and his teeth are fantastically straight. Even though he takes the references to drinking out of “Like a G6,” that doesn’t mean he’s not cool. He’s Grated perfection.
Pretty much the opposite of Tyler Ward, Niykee Heaton is an often scantily-clad teenage girl with killer vocal and guitar chops and a mouth as dirty as Chief Keef’s. Her acoustic covers of hiphop’s “finest” (think less Jay-Z, more K Dot) do sometimes sound similar to one another, but are still creative and entertaining to watch. She owns up to her shtick too: before her “Poetic Justice” cover she asks her audience to enjoy her “acoustic white girl version.”
COBUS POTGIETER drum covers
Biggest video: “Afterlife” cover
7M VIEWS Representing the instrumentalists of the worldwide web, this South African percussionist has posted more than 150 drum covers, from “Mmmbop” to Michael Jackson. Cobus has collaborated with YouTubers like Tyler Ward and rock stars like punk percussion-phenom Atom Willard. Oh yeah, and he’s really, really good. This is one of those guys who gets the whole “drumming” thing so naturally he has to do stick tricks during his songs to keep himself occupied.
POSTMODERN JUKEBOX time period covers
Biggest video: “We Can’t Stop Vintage” 1950s Doo Wop version
10M VIEWS Like Mike Tompkins, the Postmodern Jukebox crew does Top 40 with a twist. More fun than the postmodernists in your ETS class, the group sings 2014 hits in styles from all different time periods. If you ever wanted to hear Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” as a “vintage bluegrass hoedown” or Lorde’s “Royals” sung by a “Sad Clown With The Golden Voice,” this might be your go-to channel. 20 WATTS | 17
ALBUM REVIEW
THE ENDLESS RIVER PINK FLOYD
1983
BY MIKEY LIGHT Let me preface this review with a brief disclaimer: I am a big Pink Floyd fan. Growing up, my father and older brother were always listening to them, and I have distinct memories of my brother blasting “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” from his tinny computer speakers on what seemed like a nightly basis. I remember watching “Live at Pompeii,” and rewinding over and over again to see Nick Mason drop a drumstick, and miraculously pick up another without missing a beat. Pink Floyd runs in my blood, which might explain how excited I am about the new album. It was really hard to find anything patently wrong with Pink Floyd’s latest release The Endless River. The 18 | 20 WATTS
1987
65-minute epic is largely composed from material that was originally recorded for the band’s 1994 release The Division Bell, and heavily features the keyboard stylings of deceased founding member Richard Wright, who lost his battle with cancer in 2008. The Endless River is great in that it sounds new and modern without straying too far from the Pink Floyd that we know and love. You’re still going to hear the psychedelic shredding of David Gilmour, but his eerie vocals don’t make an appearance until the last track. Nick Mason’s powerful, deliberate drums are still ever-present throughout the entire album, but don’t be surprised when a sample from Stephen Hawking’s voice synthesizer shows up.
1994
The Endless River is a fantastic album, and you’ll have a wonderful time listening to it, but I found myself to be a little bit overwhelmed. It sounds like the last album of a band that’s been around forever, because that’s what it is. It is, in essence, the grand finale of the fireworks show that has been Pink Floyd’s discography. If you haven’t listened to Pink Floyd before, this should under no circumstance be your first exposure. Gilmore and Mason laid it all out on the table in The Endless River, and in order to really appreciate it you might want to give their earlier stuff a listen first. This is not to say that The Endless River doesn’t stack up to The Wall, or Dark Side of the Moon, it’s just that they complement each other in different ways. Think of The Endless
2014
River as a sort of companion piece to the rest of Pink Floyd’s discography; it was released twenty years after their most recent album, and it’s important to remember that while listening to it. The Endless River, like most of Pink Floyd’s albums, works best when listened to all at once. Due to the instrumental nature of the most of the album, many of the tracks don’t work that well when taken out of context. I loved The Endless River, and it definitely holds itself to the same standard that Pink Floyd has set throughout their fifteen-album discography. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go listen to the album again and call my dad.
20 WATTS | 19
50s In homage to Doris Day, girls today commemorate the classiest of bitches by rocking full, highwaisted skirts, a fierce red lip, and eyeliner so sharp it could kill a man. Never forget that a timeless string of pearls completes any look with a vintage flair. MODEL KELSEY KETZNER
60s Beach Boys, anyone? To throw it back to the wonder years, rock short sleeved button ups, cuffed jeans, a classy suit jacket, and a fancy pair of dress shoes to really ground it way, way back. MODEL JESSE KATZENSTEIN
Musicians have long set the bar for fashion. Styles tend to go viral when your favorite pop artists rock them. Even today, fashion trends popularized by the then-popular linger on.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ADAM GENDLER + TIFFANY GOMEZ
MODEL ROSETTE ZARZAR 20 WATTS | 21
70s Channel your inner Joan Baez by dressing it down with an ambiguously gendered button down, a high-waisted pant, and a belt skinny enough to walk the runway for Valentino. Casual and chic. MODEL NORAH PALMER
80s Norwegian “Take on Me” crooners a-ha classed it up in sexy square-shouldered blazers and white sneakers, so why can’t you? Do it. Bring it back. Because fuck everything that happened before this, we like squared shoulders. MODEL WILL TAGGERT
2000s Let’s be real, Britney is still relevant as fuck. But Ms. Spears’ unique 2000 style is now usually reserved for shitty nights you try to forget. But the sparkles won’t leave you in the morning, they’re stuck in your hair for life. MODEL KARLA VERA
90s Grunge on grunge on grunge. Nirvana was, and is, the quintessential authority on everything flannel, oversized, apathetic and distressed (in both jeans and teen angst). MODEL BONILLA 22 | 20ANA WATTS
2010s Ethereal, pale blog queen Lana del Rey reigns supreme, if you live in the country where her long, gently curled hair wraps around your life force and converts you into a Tumblr text post. Her style brings back the high-waisted everything and hella cat eyes, but adds in talon-like nails. Just for kicks, I guess man. Who knows. MODEL SARINEH GARAPETIAN
MINUTES WITH:
NOT YO MOMMA’S 8-TRACK. BY LYNDSEY JIMENEZ
As much as we all love Spotify, not all of us are into paying for it to enjoy it to it’s full extent. So here are some things for you cheap folks to enjoy in the meantime.
BY JANE DEPGEN When you’re out at the bars, nothing kills the mood faster than a DJ that can’t read the damn room. We don’t care if you just blew your rent money on a sick setup. If what you play makes us stop whatever intoxicated shenanigans we’re up to, so we can tweet about your sub-par song choice, then kindly GTFO. That’s why we love how Harry’s newest DJ, Emma Cunnington, kills it with nothing more than her Macbook Pro, some kick-ass #tbt Spotify playlists, and a knack for playing music that we can’t help but belt out with strangers in the bathroom line. 20 Watts sat down with Emma for a quick Q&A to get the scoop on her taste in music.
EC
What song are people surprised
I saw “My Band” by D12 live. Who
you know all the words to?
wouldn’t want that?
“R.I.P.” by Jeezy, everyone has that
Worst concert?
side of them, c’mon.
EC
What is your #1 most played song
in their words, “Trumpets O’Clock”
would your theme song be? EC
is appropriate for all hours of the
EC
EC
My car rides consist only of “Love
What five songs always make the
(don’t wanna talk about it, I was
cut on your pregame playlist?
young and confused.)
EC
EC
1. “Buy U A Drank” – T Pain 2. “Up All Night” – Drake
Jay-Z and Eminem at Yankee
3. “Hollaback Girl” – Gwen Stefani
Stadium. It turned into “let’s bring
4. “My Humps” – Black Eyed Peas
25 special guest artists and make
5. “Round of Applause” – Waka
a legendary concert.” Let’s just say 24 | 20 WATTS
3
on Top” and “Halo” by Beyonce.
Pussycat Dolls and Danity Kane...
Best concert?
“D.O.A.” by Jay-Z. What’s your favorite driving song?
day (save me). What was your first concert?
2
8TRACKS
If your life was a TV show, what
“Trumpets” by Jason Derulo. Thanks to my roommates who believe that,
NOON PACIFIC
definitely had potential though.
on Spotify right now? EC
Kid Cudi at Block Party in 2011 —
1
Flocka Flame
4
Noon Pacific releases a new playlist every Monday at noon (pacific time), just as the name says. Take to noon pacific when you want some chill remixes but really don’t feel like sifting through the synthetic bullshit that clouds most songs nowadays.
8tracks is the commercial-free (actually free) music sharing site on the web. Here you can either create your own playlist from your own library or you can listen to what other contributors have put together. Search by artist, genre, or song and start listening to endless hours of jams.
GROOVESHARK Trying to find that one song? Grooveshark. Wanna listen to the whole album? Grooveshark. Have a general feeling but want someone else to pick songs for you? Grooveshark has playlists, made by listeners. Like Spotify, you can pick your listening order as you desire. Unlike Pandora or 8tracks, Grooveshark lets you repeat tracks, and even skip around within the song itself.
RAGECHILL Ragechill, like the name states, gives you the option to either “rage” or “chill” or go somewhere in between the two. This one’s a bit of a wildcard because you really don’t know what you’re going to get. It’s on a random video shuffle for both sides of the spectrum, which will give you some hidden gems you’ve never heard of and some sweet visuals to go along with it. 20 WATTS | 25
DROP THE MIC: QUEEN B’S VMA PERFORMANCE BY ERIN SINGLETON & SHELBY NETSCHKE
ERIN SINGLETON While watching the VMAs this August, I was impressed at Beyoncé’s choice to perform every single song from her recent album. She executed a high-energy, nearly twenty-minute performance. As the performance progressed, I felt my jaw drop. B was slowly thrusting a reclined chair on stage, twirling around poles with her legs wide open, and creating very sensual images with each thrust and moan she delivered. “There’s no way I would want my kids to watch this if I were a parent,” I thought to myself. Her moves went from dramatic to inappropriate. Ironically, a few minutes later, the word “FEMINIST” appeared on the screen behind her, with the words of Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TEDx Talk booming before the crowd: “We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are. We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, ‘You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you will threaten the man.’” She then continues with the definition of feminism: “The person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.”
26 | 20 WATTS
Others justify that this sexual dancing proves her point of being an empowered woman who can do what she wants. She is standing up for women because she is dancing how she wants to dance without caring about public scrutiny. If we look at the roots of feminism, however, it’s the movement for equality of women in a political, cultural, economic, and social context. Women have been subjects of objectification long before mass media like television and magazines came about. Patriarchy is an aspect of society that, while there have been improvements to achieve gender equality, still exists and is active in our everyday lives. Patriarchy is a system. A system is a set of connected, related parts that create a whole through complex and organized relationships. This means that men and women are involved in the relationships that create the system of patriarchy. While people may be quick to point fingers at men and claim them as responsible for patriarchy, women too play a role in its functions. Is Beyoncé feeding into the system or is she trying to stop it? As feminist as Beyoncé claims herself to be, she maybe isn’t spreading the message in the best manner. By
performing these hyper-sexualized dances on stage, Beyoncé is implying a message of selling her body for success. If she wants to educate the public on feminism and girl-power, shouldn’t she be proving that it is possible for a woman to be incredibly successful, talented, and even sexy without having overly-sensual images for the whole world to see? As her song “Partition” argues, yes women should be able to enjoy sex without having a negative label stamped to them. However, there’s a line between advocating this and performing in such a way for the public.
SHELBY NETSCHKE People aren’t criticizing Beyoncé for being sexy, they’re criticizing her for being “too sexy.” I understand why some folks are a little nervous about her VMA performance. In attacking her, their intent is to protect what it means to be a feminist; by separating hardworking women from women deemed “overly sexual.” In trying to stand up against objectifying women, naysayers are in turn policing exactly how sexual a woman is allowed to be. That flat-out contradicts the idea of feminism. It doesn’t matter what gender you identify as, if you are policing the sexuality and gender expression of another person, you are perpetuating the rigid gender roles of the patriarchy. Beyoncé is the only person who is allowed to decide how sexual Beyoncé is going to be. Her VMA performance was incredibly calculated. She escalated from cute to sexy to this girl is on fire, when the lights went out and she shifted into Chimanda
Ngozi’s speech about feminism. In that moment, Beyoncé reminded the world that she was aware of what she was doing, how sexual her dancing was, and she was not ashamed. Objectification isn’t an argument, because nobody was reducing her to an otherwise useless sexual object. She had autonomy over her actions and was selling an entire performance with sexual elements, not a leaked picture paparazzi used without permission to embarrass her. Beyoncé’s pairing of dirty dancing, a feminist statement, and a song dedicated to her daughter was provocative, because many people aren’t used to those elements fitting together in one person, let alone a live performance. Well, Beyoncé is a multi-faceted human being. She is not a sexual object or a celibate housewife. She has room in her life to be both sexy and a mom. She has the power to mesh her fulltime jobs as a mother and a performer, to create something she is proud of, without erasing her sexuality. I don’t think Beyoncé’s performance was crude or tasteless. It was audience appropriate. The VMAs air in the evening and adults comprise the audience. If viewers are uncomfortable with their small children watching, maybe they should put them to bed at 8:00 PM, when small children go to sleep. In my case, I watched it on my laptop and cried happy, proud tears. Beyoncé has nothing to apologize for. She will not fit in a stuffy gender box. That is power, all hail. That is feminism.
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statement, it was devaluing religious and cultural heritage. There is a clear difference between appreciating aspects of a given culture as opposed to appropriating them. Going out to a Japanese restaurant, enjoying the excellent sushi you ordered there, and subsequently claiming sushi as your favorite food is not a problem. You are simply appreciating something that is a part of another culture, and that’s fine and encouraged.
D E R R U L B LINES
’S HOTTEST THIS SUMMER M. TREND: RACIS
BY CAROLYN SAXTON ILLUSTRATION BY JANE DEPGEN Until a rather recent point in my own life, I had never heard the term “cultural appropriation.” Cultural appropriation runs rampant in our everyday lives, from team mascots to innocent Halloween costumes sported by young children. For our generation, the most blatant examples of cultural appropriation can be observed at the average music festival. Coachella, Firefly, Governor’s Ball, Mad Decent Block Party, Electric Daisy Carnival – you name a festival, 28 | 20 WATTS
and there’s a pretty good chance you can spot someone perpetuating cultural appropriation. In Susan Scafidi’s book, “Who Owns Culture?: Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law” she defines cultural appropriation as “taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission.” So, for a more specific example, wearing that Bindi at Coachella (I’m looking at you, Vanessa Hudgens) didn’t add hipster cred to your bohemian fashion
Let’s take a look at war bonnets. The most commonly known and worn type of war bonnet is called a trailer, which is adorned with large feathers that trail down to the ground. They hold special cultural meaning and taking such things out of their intended context, thus stripping them of their importance, is cultural appropriation. It’s not trendy, it’s not hipster, and it’s not cool. Even more, wearing Native American war bonnets enables further stereotyping of Native American culture because not all tribes wear them. In fact, only a small number of tribes do wear them in the Great Plains region. The Native American comedy group, The 1491’s, posted a sketch on YouTube starring member Ryan Red Corn donning a headdress, loin cloth, and the word “hipster” written across his chest as a satire on the misappropriation of Native American Culture. The video features Ryan Red Corn dancing in public places with the song “I Am An Indian Too” playing, which is more blatant
satire, featuring lyrics that poke fun at non-Native peoples who wear Native items. While this example is almost lighthearted, the video and song are meant to show viewers that cultural appropriation is not okay. Cultural appropriation can be a tricky topic because it seems that a lot of people believe that if the intention is not to offend, then the actions can’t be offensive. Saying or doing something that is offensive to another person or culture cannot be excused by simply saying “no offense.” In most cases of people misappropriating aspects of cultures, they’re not deliberately saying, “hey, I think today I’m going to mock [insert culture here] by wearing [insert item of cultural significance here] to [insert music festival here].” That’s not how it happens, but that doesn’t make it any less offensive.
IT’S NOT
TRENDY, IT’S NOT
HIPSTER, + IT’S NOT
COOL. Next time you find yourself thinking of your outfit for your next music festival, save everyone the grief by ditching the culturally significant stuff. Hit up your local thrift shop and you’ll absolutely be festival ready. 20 WATTS | 29
With the fall of MTV’s Unplugged and TRL, the medium that is the music video struggled to sustain life and relevancy throughout the late thousands. In an era where an album can drop overnight and be a superhit and listeners stumble across new songs through Spotify, the music video all but died out. But thanks to a crew of Syracuse students, local artists who still believe in the video can still get their fix. Artist: check. Song: check. Camera: check. Enter Loud and Clear, Syracuse University’s student-run music video production collective. How do student artists and bands shoot videos that resemble four figure productions with no budget? Loud and Clear’s dedicated and diverse staff of twenty to twentyfive students makes it happen.
THE MAKING OF A MUSIC VIDEO BY MEGAN CALLAHAN PHOTOS BY ADAM GENDLER 30 | 20 WATTS
With four upperclassmen Television, Radio, & Film students leading the organization as executive producers, Loud and Clear cuts music videos, unplugged roof-top sessions, and concerts to connect artists’ work with the outside world. Lee Wilson, TRF and Bandier senior and executive producer of Loud and Clear says, “We can
provide a bridge between audience and artist. We work for hire for artists. Everything we produce belongs to the them, we do everything for free so we can make the artist look good while also making ourselves look good.” It started in 2011 with studio recording sessions. Black backdrops, Newhouse audio studios, and filming artists in a raw state were the beginnings of Loud and Clear. They produced unplugged and uncut studio sessions, the nitty-gritty of music video production. Each session became a time slot on Orange Television Network solely devoted to student artists. Live acoustic sessions were easy and attainable, but after a few years of the same black velvet setting, the producers of Loud and Clear wanted more. Grant Margolin, former executive producer, came to the realization that artists, and labels, expected more than just unplugged recordings. “If you are sending a demo to a record label, in today’s day in age, there is no room for a sketch,” Margolin says. “Loud and Clear is empowering artists to submit their ideas and concepts and we can execute them for free.” 20 WATTS | 31
If Loud and Clear could make acoustic set videos, why couldn’t they make music videos? Their first video “Touch” by Synchronice + JaCQ started an expansion of production skills as well as a pathway to where Loud and Clear stands today. Each video is either a culmination of ideas by the producers and artist or an idea pitched entirely by the artist. The artist’s ideas and creativity are integral to developing a video that will enhance his or her style and genre and entice an audience. Becky Drootin, TRF junior and producer says, “There is freedom to take an idea you have and make it real; to be inspired by others in the most 32 | 20 WATTS
collaborative way. You get to make an idea out of somebody else’s and that doesn’t happen a lot.” Recently Loud and Clear expanded to cover live concerts. Their first concert shoot, Big Gigantic at The F-Shed, has helped to pave the way for the first of two short TV shows on Orange Television Network. This season of Loud and Clear includes 20-minute shows featuring music videos, studio sessions, concert videos, animations, and short bumps says Wilson. These short TV shows will then be released as individual clips where viewers can watch short tid-bits and the artist can redistribute the content as they please.
Because Loud and Clear produces free work, artists can use the videos as marketing tools. Margolin says, “The value is in that the artist gets to work with twenty to thirty creative thinkers who are super passionate and deliver a service to artists. The artist walks away with a lot more than a professional video.” For those who produce those videos, the reward is slightly different. “Loud and Clear has been this perfect bridge between passions for music and filmmaking,” Lee Wilson says. “A lot of the kids involved usually feel the same way.” Loud and Clear, although producing professional work, is upheld by the unlikeliest of candidates: freshmen. The majority of this fall’s semester staff members are underclassmen who have helped expand Loud and Clear exponentially. Wilson says aside from the roles of the
four executive producers, the staff members roles vary greatly from project to project, with everyone gaining experience in multiple areas. Margolin says, “Having someone with a fresh vision, somebody who hasn’t been around ‘Cuse for three years can help to reinvent the wheel.” The organization is looking to rebrand itself this semester in hopes to reach a larger demographic, specifically outside Syracuse and into a wider radius of central New York. And while OTN will never match up with MTV, as the next generation of music video producers learns and grows, the collective’s production quality could someday catch up with that of the pros. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, Loud and Clear could be the adrenaline shot needed to revive the Syracuse music video scene.
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BY ERIN SINGLETON PHOTOS BY ADAM GENDLER
That Hardwell show you went to last semester? Upstate Shows hosted it. Umphrey’s McGee? Upstate Shows. Skrillex, RL Grime, All Time Low, and even Aaron Carter? Upstate Shows was the force behind them all. Chances are if you’ve been to a show around the Syracuse area it was promoted by Upstate Shows (though Creative Concerts is the new company title despite still using Upstate Shows as the website name). What University Union does providing entertainment for Syracuse University students, Upstate Shows does beyond our campus bubble and throughout the Central New York region.
THE WORKINGS BEHIND YOUR FAVORITE SYRACUSE SHOWS. 34 | 20 WATTS
An awesome aspect of attending Syracuse University is its proximity to downtown Syracuse. The Westcott Theater is no more than a twominute drive down Clarendon. The F-Shed and Lost Horizon are both close too. The tickets are always within college kids’ budgets. Anyone involved in the Syracuse music scene should know much of this is thanks to Dan Mastronardi, owner of Upstate Shows and a handful of Syracuse venues in the area.
Mastronardi got his start with the live music business in 2003 when he was in college at SUNY Oswego and booked his first show. Passion grew into a career and now Mastronardi proves himself quite the busy dude. His position of being the front-andcenter man to make sure everything runs smoothly can be a heavy, but rewarding, responsibility. “Being a promoter and venue owner comes with extreme highs and lows, I have to be on my A-game at all times and be prepared for anything,” he said. Looking at the Upstate Shows website, one can get a sense of his target market by judging the heavy emphasis of jam bands and EDM. Many of the bands are musicians that make their rounds here at Syracuse every year (and sometimes even more frequently than that) to appeal to the local crowd that anticipate their appearance. When asked what type of strategies and processes go into booking shows, Mastronardi said, “A lot depends on what the agents are offering us at the time. We send out some inquiries on artists that we would like to see, but the majority of 20 WATTS | 35
our shows are from agents emailing us with specific artists and dates they are looking for.” The outcome? A very busy schedule. Checking out the Upstate Shows website, there
I HAVE TO BE ON MY
A-GAME AT ALL TIMES.
is a show nearly every night, and oftentimes multiple shows a night hosted at different venues. While the Westcott and F-Shed might be most recognizable, the list doesn’t end there; Upstate Shows has concert involvements with Bull & Bear Pub on E. Water Street, the NYS Fairgrounds,
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OnCenter Convention Center, Palace Theatre in Albany, SUNY Jefferson, and much more. Furthering the Westcott’s brand and developing new, fresh ideas is a priority for Mastronardi. He hopes the Westcott can eventually serve as a venue for events beyond music. “We just did a huge remodel at Westcott Theater, so I will continue to keep improving the fans experience in anyway that we can,” Mastronardi said. Checking out the venue, one can note the fancy new script sign in the front, as well as the new wine barrel tables and chairs inside to accommodate people who want to sit down, not to mention enhance the aesthetics and image Mastronardi is trying to go for. Because the venues are so close to campus, and because SU resonates as such a musical campus (the #1
party school needs good music, right?) Upstate Shows is tied in with our student body here. Sophomore Michael Mendelson is one of the many Syracuse students who have worked for/have been involved with the operations of Upstate Shows. Serving as a social media intern, Mendelson is in charge of advertising for the venues that they book via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even physical flyers. Mendelson promotes the shows to enhance ticket sales. The wonderful pay day is not cash, but free tickets. “A friend of mine did [the social media position] when she was a freshman and told me about what she did and that she got paid in free tickets, so I was very interested,” Mendelson says. After a few email conversations with talent buyer/ marketing head Eric Binion, and an in-person interview, Mendelson was given the choice of positions from a list including videographer, marketing assistant, and even talent buyer. “The first time I got out there putting up flyers I thought to myself, ‘Okay, this is easy, I may have punctured my finger on a few staples but the flyers look great and this street looks pretty dope,’” he said. “That night I went to Tedeschi Trucks Band at The Oncenter and handed out some postcards in exchange for seeing one of the best guitar players
in the world. I thought to myself, ‘This job is fucking awesome.’ Eric is a great boss. He’s very understanding when it comes to school work.” Having Syracuse students intern for Upstate Shows not only helps the students with resume-building and networking experience, but it benefits the promoters too by having that direct connection to campus, both for promotion and general input. Central New York might be drastically different under the shadow of its towering NYC neighbor, but certainly should not be underestimated. Upstate Shows has proven itself as a stable, thriving company serving the CNY area and one can only expect it to have more in store for the future.
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ALL HAIL THE QUEEN A LETTER FROM LAST YEAR’S EIC
WE HEART
CONTRIBUTORS DESIGNERS JACKIE REILLY KAITLIN GRENIER PHOTOGRAPHERS HALEY KNAPP TIFFANY GOMEZ MODELS JEREMY DENNEN JESSE KATZENSTEIN BASIL ADAMS DAN JACOB KELSEY KETZNER KARLA VEGA ROSETTE ZARZAR NORAH PALMER WILL TAGGERT SARINEH GARAPETIAN ANA BONILLA WRITER KATIE CANETE
FALL 2014 YOUR STUDENT FEE