2-15-2018

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2018

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

YEAR XLVI. VOLUME XCIV. ISSUE V

REVIEW: Girlpool creates home away from home CFA affiliates to present at conference

BY LILLIAN ILSLEY-GREENE DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

BY ALLEGRA PEELOR DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Watching Girlpool perform live feels like hanging out in your best friend’s childhood bedroom, listening to music that is kind of strange but also funny, acting like total weirdos and ranting about everything that’s ever made you mad. From Harmony Tividad’s pink plastic watch to Cleo Tucker’s raspy voice, their performance at the Paradise Rock Club on Friday felt like home.

Two opening bands set the scene for a comfortable night of heavy electric guitar interlaced with intimate whisper-singing.

Forth Wanderers, a group of five who met in high school in New Jersey, seemed very comfortable on the Paradise stage, talking to each

other and their friends in the audience between songs. Lead singer Ava Trilling’s melancholy and hearty voice compliments low-fi guitar riffs and heavy drums perfectly, and the whole vibe felt very welcoming.

After Forth Wanderers was Land of Talk (also known as Elizabeth Powell), who performed all by herself. At the beginning of her set, she told the audience that she usually plays with a full band, which became painfully obvious as soon as she started playing. All she had with her was an electric guitar, and although she is a ridiculously talented singer and guitar player, Land of Talk’s set sounded boring and empty without more instruments or at least a loop pedal.

The audience still seemed

PHOTOS BY CHLOE GRINBERG/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucker of Girlpool perform at Paradise Rock Club on Friday night.

to enjoy the second set, and the whole room (which wasn’t very big) buzzed after her performance in anticipation of the main act. As

soon as Girlpool took the stage and started playing the opening chords to “123,” the audience went wild.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

This April’s American Education Research Association conference will feature a strong presence from Boston University faculty, students and alumni. The conference, to be held in New York City, will host seven BU associates as presenters.

Founded in 1916, AERA works to improve educational learning by promoting research into education practices, methods and measures. Presenters at the annual conference share their findings on an international stage.

The theme of this year’s conference is “The Dreams, Possibilities, and Necessity of Public Education.” Presentations will span topics from “The Lived Experience of High School Musical Theater” to “Musical Homeschooling in Southern Wisconsin.”

AER A t y pically attracts around 15,000 attendees, Ronald Kos, a professor at the BU School of Music, wrote in an email. Kos has been a regular attendee at the AERA conference since 2004.

“It is the conference I look forward to each year because I have the opportunity to learn so much about the work that is being done outside my immediate discipline, which is music education.”

Kos wrote.

Kos is presenting his paper, CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Nuggets reflects on 40 years of spinning records in Kenmore

BY SOPHIA BROWN

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Nuggets, a record store in Kenmore Square, has remained relatively unchanged despite opening 40 years ago. While a small collection of Blu-Ray discs near the front door acknowledges the 21st century, most of the store’s f loor space is still filled with boxes of records covering everything from classical opera to rock.

“People come in and they keep saying it looks like we’re in the time machine going back,” Nuggets owner Stuart Freedman said.

Nug gets began as three men selling records out of cardboard boxes in Harvard Square, Freedman said. Forty years ago, they pooled their money to open a storefront at 486 Commonwealth Ave. and hired Freedman — then a student at Northeastern University — to work for them. It was several years before the orig-

inal proprietors were bought out and he became the sole owner.

Over the years, Nuggets has grown to encompass new music and video delivery technologies, all while still holding onto its records. Freedman said the store has stayed true to its roots through the era of downloading and streaming — something that had led to other used records stores closing.

“Fifteen, 20 years ago, [the other stores] went completely to CD because no one was buying vinyl, and all those stores have pretty much gone out of business,” Freedman said. “It made sense for [customers] to go just to CD 20 years ago, so a lot of people asked why we still carried records.”

Nuggets has also adapted to the internet with a website and an online store, although Freedman said it doesn’t see a lot of use.

“We’re more interested in selling through the store,” he said.

Customers certainly don’t

PHOTO BY SOPHIA BROWN/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The record store Nuggets, which mainly sells in rock and jazz albums, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

seem to mind. On Sunday, around 10 people browsed the carefully organized collection. Some were looking for specific records, oth-

ers for anything and everything.

One man marveled at discovering a laserdisc copy of “Schindler’s List.”

Ed Bradley, 23, of Taunton, said he has been buying records at Nuggets for the past four to five CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

2 NEWS

‘Rhinoceros’ to be first play at Booth Theatre

BY CAMILLE MOJICA

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The School of Theatre at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts will inaugurate the Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre with Eugène Ionesco’s play “Rhinoceros” later this month.

The play will be the theater’s first production.

Director of the production Clay Hopper said in a phone interview that the play’s story is set in a small French province during a time when residents begin turning into rhinoceroses.

By the end of the play, there is one man standing who is unable to change his identity.

“The play is a play by Ionesco, who was an absurdist playwright from the 1950s,” Hopper said. “He wrote [‘Rhinoceros’] in response to the rise of fascism in Europe in the ‘30s.”

Hopper said that as people turn into rhinoceroses, they try to normalize the phenomenon through rationalization, logic, attempting to argue it away and trying to compromise it.

CFA senior Christian Abbes wrote in an email that he was is excited to portray the meaning of Ionesco’s allegory in the play. “‘Rhinoceros’ clearly passes on the message that in our current climate, it is not enough to be silent,” Abbes wrote. “We need to stand strong against what we believe is wrong and make our voices heard, even if it means personal sacrifice, because in the end, the future we dream of is bigger than ourselves.”

CFA Dean Harvey Young said in a phone interview that CFA decided to incorporate the play as part of a season-long series in which the School of Theatre has been involved.

“Our plays resonate inside a discussion about issues of growing authoritarianism and conformity in societies in the mid-20th centur y,” Young said. “We started that investigation with our musical in December when we did ‘Cabaret.’”

CFA senior Mackenzie Cala plays Daisy, a strong-willed

Crime Logs

BY SOPHIA BROWN

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The following reports were taken from the Boston University Police Department crime logs from Feb. 6–9.

Credit card fraud at George Sherman Union A caller reported at 10:08 p.m. on Tuesday that he had not received his credit card back after making a purchase at 775 Commonwealth Ave. He reported that when he later checked his account balance, multiple unauthorized transactions had been made.

Fight reported at Paradise Rock Club

PHOTO BY MALAIKA MOYER/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Actors Derek Martinez and Daniel Abbes rehearse the play “Rhinoceros” on Tuesday night.

female character surrounded by men eager to discredit her. Cala wrote in an email about the process the cast went through to understand the play’s contents.

“This play directly responds to a hard-lined partisan divide,” Cala wrote. “It’s taken us ages in the rehearsal room to pick apart the philosophical debates in the play and really connect the dots between which character is arguing in favor of what and how, why, and when that changes,” she wrote.

Cala wrote that she has not spent a lot of time in Booth Theatre’s performance space yet, but that the new theater was an important addition to BU’s campus.

“The School of Theatre firmly believes that the arts play a vital role in combating systemic injustices and amplifying marginalized and silenced voices,” Cala wrote. “An investment in the theatre is an investment in a fight for social justice.”

CFA senior Shawna James, who plays Jean in the production, wrote in an email that many of the themes in “Rhinoceros” can be related to the state of politics today.

“While our production is not directly referencing this phenomenon, the parallels between what the world was grappling with in the ‘50s and now is staggering,” James wrote. “The importance of this piece is in its resonance and how we are letting history repeat itself right in front of our eyes.”

Young said he is excited not only about the production’s content, but also about the technical aspects of the space the Booth Theatre provides.

“I’ve spent the last 15 years visiting college theaters on campuses across the country and a number of other places on the globe,” Young said. “In my opinion, Booth Theatre is the finest performing arts facility that exists on a college campus in terms of the specific functionality of the stage.”

The new Booth Theatre’s stage and audience can be adapted to fit performances of many kinds. The audience size can be increased and decreased and the sets and technology can be much more dynamic than those of others to fit each production in its own way.

Young said the Booth Theatre’s prime location is another one of its key assets. Previously, the the-

atrical productions would take place at Huntington Theatre Company’s venue. Now, the theater is much closer to students.

“It makes the arts more central and present and hopefully engaged at BU,” Young said.

Hopper said he appreciated the location not only for allowing students to be more engaged with the arts, but also for creating a stronger bond within the School of Theatre community.

“It was difficult to integrate the technical aspects of theater-making and the performance aspects of it [while at Huntington],” Hopper said. “Now that the building is over there next to 855 [Commonwealth Ave.], all of those collaborators are in very close proximity to us.”

The students said the space is unlike anything they’ve ever seen.

James wrote that she recalls stepping into the theater for the first time and having her jaw drop in awe.

“I have seen impressive theaters before, but this space at Boston University and for the School of Theatre is truly awe-inspiring,” James wrote. “The theatre is one that demands excellence and lots of play.”

Record store preserves vinyl culture in Boston NUGGETS, FROM PAGE 1 years despite living 45 minutes south of Boston. For him, the store hasn’t changed at all, but its stability and consistency is not a problem for him.

“Everything’s in alphabetical order, everything’s organized,” Bradley said. “In this case, no change is good change.”

Andrea Zidel, who has worked at Nuggets for the past 12 years, said there had not been a lot of a transformation in the store since she began working there, although she did note an increase in college-aged customers.

Miguel Aburto, a senior at Berklee College of Music, stumbled upon Nuggets through “The Vinyl District” – an app consumers can use to discover new and interesting vinyl stores near them – and said he would definitely return.

CAMPUS

“It’s my first time, but I like it,” Aburto said. “I think it’s very complete, I think it has really good prices, and a lot of variety in everything – not only vinyls, but videos and CDs.” While Nuggets sells a lot of different genres of music, its biggest hits are rock and jazz, Freedman said. He estimated about 40 percent of the f loor space was devoted to rock, while the success of jazz depends more on availability.

“If we get a good jazz collection, we could do really well for a couple weeks with that because it’s a lot of new stuff,” Freedman said.

Zidel said the store has defaulted to promoting classic rock and jazz records because of how well they sell in the store.

“The kids definitely are mostly buying classic rock,” she said,

referring to the college students who have started to show up more and more at the store when vinyl records started to regain popularity around a decade ago.

Though some modern artists have started releasing their music on records, it’s unlikely customers would find recently-released records at Nuggets. While Freedman said he will take fresh records if someone brings them in to trade, he generally tries to stay away from buying them in favor of maintaining the store’s second-hand appeal.

Rya n Hopping, 33 , of Somerville, has been a regular customer at Nuggets for the past decade. He said that even though records can be bought online, brick-and-mortar record stores like Nuggets can build or break record collections.

“You come to record stores

like this to start a record collection and also to finish discographies for certain bands,” Hopping said. “If you have nine out of 10 albums [from] a certain band, it’s more likely you’re going to find that 10th one in a record store [for] a really good price.”

Raymond Zhao, a sophomore at Boston University, said he originally came to Nuggets to begin his record collection after coming across his own record player.

Zhao said the physical presence of vinyls and record stores are vital, especially because of how impermanent music streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music are.

“I am buying this record today, I will remember the day that I bought it and I got interviewed each time I take it out of the shelf,” he said. “The memory, it’s like a story.”

BUPD received a report via radio at 8:51 p.m. on Thursday of people attempting to fight the bouncer at 967 Commonwealth Ave. Boston Police responded to the scene.

Post-concert assault near Agganis Arena A caller reported at 12:11 a.m. on Friday that after a concert a group of people assaulted him and damaged his vehicle at 925 Commonwealth Ave.

Vandalism reported at 76 Ashford St. Boston Police reported at 10:27 p.m. on Friday that two men were attempting to cut the lock off a parking garage at 76 Ashford St. using screwdrivers and bolt cutters.

CITY

Crime Logs

BY ELEANOR HO

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The following crime reports were taken from the Boston Police Department crime logs from Feb. 9-11.

Suspect uses counterfeit $100 bill to buy pizza An officer responded to a larceny report at Inbound Pizza at 1232 Commonwealth Ave. around 4:35 p.m. Friday. Employees of the restaurant reported that the suspect used the fake $100 bill to purchase pizza.

The officer was able to identify the suspect and advise them that they would be summoned to court regarding the matter.

Suspects found with Suboxone A detective intervened in a supposded drug transaction that occurred on South Hampton Street near the Massachusetts Avenue intersection at around 1:19 p.m. Sunday.

The suspect handed the detective the Suboxone strip they had acquired to help with their ongoing heroin addiction. No arrests were made.

Receptionist victim of obscene phone calls The police received a report of multiple obscene phone calls from 10 Bellamy St. at around 9:30 a.m.

Saturday. The suspect was reported after calling and making inappropriate statements about the receptionist’s body. The victim was advised to contact the phone company and police if the calls continued.

NEWS 3

Massachusetts arts, music programs receive over $1 million

Musicians from the Berklee School of Music, one of the grant recipients, perform.

BY GABRIELLE TURI

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Music and arts organizations in Massachusetts received $1,097,500 in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts this year to help fund community projects.

Over $400,000 of this amount was given to music programs across the state.

Over 4,500 communities nationwide were awarded grants for their arts programs. Nonprofits from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia received funding for a range of performance and arts education programs.

Jane Chu, the NEA chairman, said in a press release that it was “energizing” to further the impact of arts programs around the United States.

“At the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe that all people should have access to the joy, opportunities and connections the arts bring,” Chu said.

Chu said the NEA provides opportunities for Americans to use their imaginations and creativity through projects that bring their communities together to create art.

“These NEA-supported projects are good examples of how

PHOTO BY LEXI PLINE/ DFP FILE PHOTO

the arts build stronger and more vibrant communities, improve well-being, prepare our children to succeed and increase the quality of our lives,” Chu said in the release.

The Handel and Haydn Society, a chorus and orchestra group located in Boston, was awarded $45,000 to go toward their performances of George Frideric Handel’s “Hercules” and community and education programming.

David Snead, the president and CEO of the Handel and Haydn Society, said in a press release that the grant will enable the group to further the audience’s understand-

ing of “Hercules” and enhancing the overall concert experience.

“We are incredibly appreciative of the support of the NEA in helping us to bring Classical and Baroque music to life,” Snead said.

Both the Berklee College of Music and Boston University received grants of $25,000 each.

The money sent to Berklee will be used to fiscally help their Beantown Jazz Festival and Boston University will use their money to support the Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Orchestra and Young Artists Wind Ensemble, according to the official grant list.

Hilary Field Respass, the executive director of the Tanglewood Institute, said the kids and the faculty involved in the program are the real reason why they were able to receive this grant.

“We send in work samples, recordings of the kids playing, and they are playing at such a high, excellent level that we receive extremely high marks for artistic excellence for the program and we also receive very, very high marks for the level of the faculty who we engage in the program,” Respass said in an interview.

Michael Bloom, 53, of Back Bay, said he is excited to see how organizations around Boston will use the money from the NEA to further the arts.

“Boston is already such an artistic and musical city,” Bloom said.

“That’s why we got all these grants in the first place. I can’t wait to see this money put to good use in our

city’s art programs.”

To be eligible to receive grants, organizations must submit applications with their program’s budget and promise to match the grant one-to-one with donations.

Experts outside the NEA then assess each project to determine the impact it will have and if the project will help an underserved community. Recommendations are then passed on to the National Council on the Arts who send finalists to the chairman of the NEA. Alex Klein, 28, of Brighton, said he appreciates the NEA’s generosity and commitment to helping communities improve their artistic programs.

“I’m a musician myself and growing up and going to school, we didn’t have a whole lot of music equipment,” Klein said. “It would’ve meant the world to me as a little kid to receive a new instrument or really anything to help me further my passion for music.”

Becca Bennett, 30, of Brighton, said she thinks arts programs are valuable to the education of Boston’s youth and hopes the grants will go toward musical education.

“Learning through music is one of the most creative and helpful methods of learning,” Bennett said.

“The young students in Boston could really benefit from a creative curriculum like that.”

Sarika Ram and Hannah Schoenbaum contributed to the reporting of this article.

7 CFA alumni, faculty to showcase music education research CONFERENCE, FROM PAGE 1 “Pre-service Teachers’ Early Beliefs About Music Education,” this April.

Pre-service teachers are university students enrolled in teacher-preparation programs who will soon become music educators in public and private schools. Kos researches these students’ feelings toward their chosen field, as well as their identities as teachers.

“The better I understand their current beliefs and the ways that those beliefs can be influenced, the better I can guide them as they develop new beliefs.” Kos wrote.

Denisse Santos-Stanbery, a graduate of the Doctor of Musical Arts program at BU, will co-present on “Latina/o Representation in Music Education Scholarship” with dissertation supervisor Adria Hoffman.

This is Santos-Stanbery’s first time attending the conference.

Santos-Stanbery wrote in an email that she and Hoffman investigated how Latinx students have been represented in music education literature over the past 15 years, which has not been researched before.

“We compiled a literature review of articles serving Latino/a students in several major music education journals and found that very little has been done to address Latino/a student populations in music education over that period of time,” Santos-Stanbery wrote.

This type of research has not been done before, Santos-Stanbery wrote.

“Very little research has focused on Latino/a students, particularly in music education,” Santos-

Stanbery wrote. “Serving diverse student populations in classrooms includes implementing culturally relevant methods to facilitate student engagement, as well as promoting social justice and equitable opportunities.”

This will be David Ledgerwood’s first time attending AERA as well. Ledgerwood, who earned his DMA in music education at BU, is chair of the Music Department of Maranatha Baptist University. His AERA presentation aims to bring together his personal experience with homeschooling and his work in musical academia.

“My interest was to examine other families, and then do that for my dissertation,” Ledgerwood said.

“I wanted to give academia a window into what homeschooling looks like, and then I also wanted to give homeschoolers [the same].”

Ledgerwood surveyed the methods of families incorporating music education into their homeschool curricula.

“Some of these homeschooling families are doing things that were educationally sound,” Ledgerwood said. “Some of them did it intuitively, and some of them did it because they were well educated, so I thought that was kind of interesting.”

From his own experience, he has found this combination to be beneficial to students. Three of his children now work in the public education field.

“The second reader of my dissertation … thanked me for providing that window,” Ledgerwood said.

“She had never explored this topic

PHOTO BY JOHN LITTLE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

CFA music department students, faculty, and alumni will have a presence at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Education Research Association in April.

and she did feel that it did provide a pretty reflexive and honest picture of both positives and weaknesses inherent in homeschooling.”

Claire-Solene Becka, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she believes in the importance of musical education.

“I think it helps mental health.”

Becka said. “It offers alternatives to students that may not follow traditional methods of schooling and it’s essential to our culture and therefore it must be taught.”

Aislinn O’Brien, a freshman in the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College and

CAS, said that while she was involved in music education in middle school and high school, she does not know if she has benefited academically from it.

“I don’t know if it helped me learn any better, but I definitely enjoyed it,” O’Brien said. “It totally broke up my day, and I do value it because it’s a different kind of learning. It works your brain in a different way. I think it’s valuable.”

Layth Hert, a sophomore in CAS, said music education has made him more cultured.

“Back when I went to school in Lebanon during elementary and

middle school, we had a mandatory music class,” Hert said. “It honestly didn’t seem important at the time, but now that I think about it, it helped me become more cultured and aware of musical changes throughout history.”

Hert said he thinks music education is important to young people, primarily students.

“I think public schools should have a musical education [program] since it would give children a different way of approaching education — much more different than the typical ‘classroom’ type of education,” Hert said.

4 NEWS

Free music festival with marginalized artists may come to Boston

BY ARMAND MANOUKIAN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Boston Arts and Music Soul Festival, meant to provide equal access to music and the arts, will be coming to Boston in late June — if they can raise enough funds.

Catherine Morris, the founder, curator and executive director of the BAMS Festival, said she coordinated the event because minority communities in Boston do not have their fair share of music or full access to it.

“The mission of BAMS fest is to break down racial and social barriers to arts and music for marginalized communities of color,” Morris said in an interview. “We want to make sure that the arts and music is accessible to everyone.”

The music festival is meant to be free to the public, but that requires financial support from the community. Morris said the organization is hoping to raise $150,000 by April, and even though the event’s Indiegogo fundraising page shows them well off their goal, Morris said she is confident the money will be raised.

Luke Olsen, 32, of Brighton, said he agrees minorities aren’t justly represented in mainstream music.

“The music industry will take music from smaller minority groups that don’t really have a pedestal and make money off of it,” Olsen said.

Cla ra Sa nd rin, 22 , of Downtown Boston, also said

Boston should take steps to increase the presence of minority musicians.

“We can always do better when it comes to minorities being heard,” Sandrin said. “Areas where the music made by minorities can be heard more, like Roxbury and Dorchester, [don’t have] enough venues.”

Karl-Lydie Jean Baptiste, media coordinator for BAMS Fest, wrote in an email that as a person of color, she hopes BAMS brings to light the creative works of her fellow minority artists.

“There are people of color all over the world — not just in Boston — who are creating great works, but they have no spotlight,” Jean Baptiste wrote. “It’s not until someone with a platform and wide reach mentions them that the world may start to take notice. BAMS Fest, Inc. is trying to be that spotlight here in Boston.”

BAMS Fest was recently the recipient of a Boston Cultural Council grant, and Morris said she is pleased with their BAMS merchandise sales.

Morris said her family is the largest inspiration for BAMS Fest. For her love of music, she thanks her mother.

“She kept my ear to the ground about different types of music,” Morris said. “And so I am appreciative of the funk music era, the soul music, era of Gospel rap, hip hop, [rhythm and blues and] a capella. All those styles of music

PHOTO COURTESY MAYA RAFIE

Jha D performs at “Souls of Women: A Panel Discussion on Womanism, Arts, Music and Social Change,” on October 14, 2017.

have given me inspiration for [BAMS].”

For her desire to help people from marginalized communities, she thanks her father.

“He treated everyone [with] the same with respect and understood who they were,” she said. “The way that he used paints to articulate thought and energy and mood has always resonated with me.”

Morris said that in developing BAMS Fest, she was thoughtful to include different generations, like that of her mother and father.

“We want to understand all those dimensions that create a

good festival and allow for the greatest possibility of collaboration, of bringing together different generations and looking at genres of music and styles of art,” Morris said.

With awareness to the largest minority communities in Boston, BAMS Fest will be held at an epicenter of vibrant culture. The festival will be at Franklin Park, a green space that connects several of Boston’s urban neighborhoods.

“The history of [Franklin Park] has touched so many different lives, whose stories we don’t get to hear all the time,” Morris

said. “So hopefully this festival will bring all those generations together and people can start to share their stories and memories of Franklin Park.”

Alexander Robertson, 25, of Downtown Boston, said he thinks events like BAMS fest will contribute greatly to the overall music scene in Boston.

“Musical festivals bring a communal place for people to come together and have something to talk about, perform in, work on,” Robertson said. “It’s a pretty unique group of people [that music festivals] tend to bring in.”

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The cheers drowned out the beginning of the song, but by the time the drums started one minute in, it really felt like a rock concert.

One of the most impressive aspects of the show, in which the band mostly played songs from last year’s album “Powerplant,” was how duo switched so seamlessly from their trademark whisper-talking to what felt like a heavy metal concert, the two singers nearly screaming into the microphones and jumping around the stage.

A defining aspect of Girlpool’s folk-punk-rock sound is their ability to transition from a solo whisper to a robust electric chorus within the same song, and this skill transferred beautifully into their live performance. Especially on songs like “Fast Dust,” which is calm and muted on the recorded version, the drums really emphasized the build up to and payoff of a satisfyingly loud chorus. There is something special about seeing the musicians you have only listened to on cheap earbuds actually dancing along and moving their bodies to the thumping bass in real life.

Before “Powerplant,” Girlpool didn’t have a drummer: Cleo Tucker (guitar) and Harmony Tividad (bass) were the only ones on stage, just two best friends who liked playing music together. Although drummer Miles Wintner definitely adds depth to the band’s sound, and they would not have been able to play songs from the new album without a drummer, it was still off-putting to go to a Girlpool concert and see a male drummer on

stage next to the original duo, who have been making music together since high school.

After a quick 45-minute set, the band took a short break and then came back out for the encore. This time, however, just Tucker and Tividad, in their comfortable cargo pants and thrifted shirts, came on stage. The two friends radiated joy not only in their performance of “Chinatown,” one of the most popular songs from their second album, but also in their banter. Tucker talked about how she had lost her voice, and the audience cheered her on anyway when her voice cracked in the middle of a solo.

Tividad was too busy jamming out on the bass that she forgot to start singing her verse at one point, and the two of them seemed to be having the time of their lives on stage.

Even though the addition of drums definitely added depth and originality to “Powerplant,” what

makes Girlpool a one-of-a-kind group is their obvious friendship and the powerful, raw quality in Tucker and Tividad’s voices that really shines when the only backing instruments are guitar and bass.

The duo’s first two albums, “Girlpool” (2014) and “Before the World Was Big” (2015), emphasize the quality of the vocals, which seem almost ethereal and definitely not serious. When the drums come in on “Powerplant,” the music becomes much more real and the band loses a bit of the innocence they had before.

The heavy percussion does make for a fantastic live show, however, which is probably more exciting and energizing than if there were only two people on stage. That’s why the encore felt so sweet: because after 45 minutes of amazing energy, seeing two best friends sing one of their favorite songs together was healing and wholesome.

PHOTO BY CHLOE GRINBERG/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Girlpool performs at Paradise Rock Club on Friday evening.

BUSINESS

FEATURES 5

Terriers InBiz: Elise Roche’s DIY music booking company

BY HANNAH SHEARER DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Elise Roche got into DIY music through her freshman year roommate and went to shows at the Lillypad in Cambridge at least once a week. Now a senior, Roche is managing Artificial Contact, a booking company geared toward DIY musicians, who work independently from record labels and have total control over their sound.

Roche began booking unofficially in September 2015, when she started helping friends out with organizing and booking bands. This eventually birthed the booking company Artificial Contact in August 2016, which is run by Roche and several friends.

“We kind of wanted Artificial Contact to be little more serious than just kind of our casual booking with no name,” she said. “We wanted to differentiate the shows that we were putting together from the shows that we were hosting.”

Today, Artificial Contact is still run by its original team: Roche, fellow Boston University students Kailen Santos and Tiffany Topor and Northeastern student Luke Osenberg.

Roche has booked and interacted with dozens of groups, but a few stick out in her mind.

“I don’t want to say I’m proud cause that sounds a little bit self-centered, but one of my favorite bands that we’ve worked with that we’ve kind of become friends with is Crumb,” she said. “We actually booked their first show [outside of Tufts], and they blew up so fast after that.”

Roche said that even if there are some bands that stick out, she appreciates and admires most of the bands they’ve worked with.

“We’ve had the privilege of meeting so many cool artists and working with a lot of really cool bands, which I’m really grateful for,” she said.

Recent ly, Roche sa id, Artificial Contact booked a show featuring Negative Gemini and George Clanton, artists the company has been hoping to work with for quite some time.

“We’ve had that as sort of a goal that we wanted to book them for a long time and we didn’t really have a good time to do it until now,” she said, “And we got the Great Scott, so I’m excited.”

After she graduates, Roche says she has plans to continue booking, even if it’s not her primary career.

“It’s obviously not very lucrative, but I don’t think that’s what I’m really in it for,” she said, “that said, I know there’s people in the community where DIY booking is obviously

not their day job.”

Illegally Blind, a Boston area booking company, focuses on local music and not recognition, Roche said.

“He just kind of books DIY shows because he loves it, he’s not looking for recognition,” she said.

“I think that’s kind of how we want to do things — we purposefully don’t have our faces all over our Facebook page — we don’t want this to be about us.”

Roche’s love for the DIY scene and smaller bands had been a major component of her experience at BU, including WTBU and “The Beat,” WTBU’s music zine, of which she is former editor-in-chief.

“I’m always trying to spread the love of DIY music,” she laughed. “I want more people to care forever.”

Roche started working on “The Beat” during her freshman year and said it’s a great spot for people who want to get into DIY music but don’t really have a starting point. As a freshman, Roche said, she got lucky having a roommate who already knew where to go, and they spent their nights picking which shows they wanted to see.

“Knowing people is helpful, especially if you’re a freshman,” she said.

“So, now I’m a big ‘ole senior and maybe trying to help other people

ARTS

PHOTO COURTESY ELISE ROCHE

Elise Roche manages indie booking company Artificial Contact.

find the DIY scene.”

Roche said she wishes colleges like BU would “put more stock into live shows.”

“I know there’s school regulations that surround that kind of thing, but I don’t think it would be impossible,” she said. “I don’t know if there’s a disconnect in communication or a lack of demand for it, but it can be frustrating that we have a spot

like that and that its underutilized.”

Overall, Roche just wants an established place for DIY music in Boston.

“I think this is common sentiment among people involved,” she said. “If there were more DIY spaces that were sort of above ground, things would be easier and safer and we would have a better relationship with the community.”

BU student Kat Iris uses travels as inspiration for songwriting

Kat Iris, a BU student, writes and sings original American folk songs.

BY CARINA IMBORNONE DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Entering the bathroom in Kat Iris’s Allston apartment, visitors are met with the sight of a footed bathtub, preserved from another era. “Everyone notices the bathtub,” Kat says, with a smile.

The singer, known offstage as Katelyn Dowd, has brown waves of hair that frame her rounded, strong face, which often features a confident, measured smile. Her music recalls classic Americana folk, though the genre is a far cry from her earliest musical impulse.

“I tried to write punk music for

a while. When I was like 15, 16, my cousins and I, we were like, ‘we’re going to have a punk band, we’re going to do that,’ and that lasted for about two months,” said Dowd, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences..

A singer-songwriter, Kat Iris grew up performing music whenever she could. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Rockland County, she grew her musical talents during high school, singing in the choir, performing in the school musical and playing in the jazz band.

Unlike many of her Rockland County neighbors, Dowd said

PHOTO COURTESY KATELYN DOWD

she knew that she did not intend to spend her whole life in a small town. The travel bug has propelled her across the United States, where she has performed, explored and made new connections. She met her boyfriend, musician Tommy Duckworth, in an Asheville, North Carolina pub.

“It was a small pub and there was a an eclectic group of musicians and Kat performed some of what I’ve come to find are her favorite songs,” said Duckworth, 21, who lives with Dowd in Allston. “Deep cuts by the likes of Ryan Adams and Tom Waits. I thought she was very

interesting and compelling. I saw very much potential in her musical endeavors.”

Dowd said her music is concerned with the question of finding oneself. Often, her songs explore themes of identity and exploration.

She finds lyrical inspiration in the stories of others and uses songs “to figure out who I am, where I belong, and what I’m supposed to do with it all.”

Her creativity, Dowd said, is heavily wrapped up in empathy with her audience. “Having that kind of connection with people is something I find very rewarding,” she said.

Duckworth said Dowd’s “emotional awareness” is what makes her music special.

“She can see the best as well as the worst in everyone,” he said.

“Her characters are a mixture of the many faces she’s seen come and go throughout her lifetime. Kat’s writing is deeply reflective and equally enigmatic.”

Dowd’s friend Tyler Rigdon, 22, helped record a demo of her song “Late December Glow” in Dowd’s Allston bedroom.

“I think the fact that she is only 20, yet has this New York City background mixed with her experiences here in Boston, makes for some interesting lyrics, stylistic nuances and aesthetic,” Rigdon said.

Dowd’s music features her resonant, soulful voice modulating against a smooth, grassroots Americana guitar. Her voice alternates between high and low pitches,

creating a sound much deeper than her usual bubbly speech.

Her songwriting notebook, which contains every lyric she has penned in the last two years, is a standard black composition book, water-stained, with verses in pen, long scripted lyrics, cross-outs and some songs she’s co-written with Duckworth, who originally encouraged her to write her own songs.

“We were hanging out, playing songs … and he goes, ‘you should write some songs,’ and I say, ‘you know, I don’t know if I can do that …’ and he says, ‘you should just give it a go, give it a go,’” she said.

Being a college student and musician requires a lot of composure, Dowd said, but she is thankful that songwriting is a flexible activity, one that she can do in her room or on the bus. As an international relations major, she said she sees the same empathy required of making music in international conflict resolution.

Eventually, Dowd said she wants to put together a full album and even get signed one day.

Despite how far-flung her travels and music have taken her, Dowd still remembers where she came from. She works for her dad’s company and took her stage name from a grand relative who went by the first name Iris. Like the music she plays, her roots are apparent.

“People always knock country music, but I feel like what they’re knocking is not the three chords and the truth stuff — they’re knocking the tractors and trailer parks country music,” she said.

6

FEATURES

ARTS

A day in the life of the GSU piano: making music, smiles

BY TAYLOR KOCHER AND ALLEGRA PEELOR DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

If you’ve walked from Mugar Library to the George Sherman Union food court on a weekday around 3 p.m., you’ve probably seen him — or at least heard him. Seokje Koh, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, practices on the public piano in the GSU link every weekday for 30 minutes to an hour.

Koh, who can usually be heard playing his own new-age classical songs, does not have a keyboard and said he likes the background noise of playing in the GSU. “Sometimes people will say, ‘thanks for playing’ or ‘good job,’” Koh said.

“When I’m playing in the GSU … I can concentrate more on my songs than when I play them alone.”

BU students don’t have a monopoly on the GSU piano, however.

Anybody can go up and play, at any time of day. At around 4 p.m. on a Monday, Mohammed Nassem, who graduated from the College of Fine Arts in 2016 and now attends graduate school at the Rhode Island School of Design, played Chopin’s “Nocturne in E Flat Major.”

“This is really nice because I was so nervous about playing in public,” he said. “Knowing that people are listening but just walking around and not really paying attention really helped me.”

Nassem said he would play the piano for a bit almost every time he

Soekje Koh, CAS ‘19 plays the piano in the GSU.

was near the GSU when he attended BU. Sometimes, he would play Arabic songs and people who recognized them would compliment him or start conversation.

“I really appreciate it being here because if I’m in between classes and I don’t want to go back home to play, it’s always nice to stop by here,” Nassem said. “I wish there were more of them … sometimes it makes someone’s day.”

While some GSU piano players stick to classical or original compositions, others play audience-pleasers

like “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. It’s one of Matthew Hyungsok Hall’s favorites. He has been playing piano since he was five years old, but said he has more freedom to play whatever he wants now that he is in college.

“I didn’t have to play classical stuff anymore, I could just play whatever I wanted,” said Hall, a CAS junior. “I just play whatever bad pop music I enjoy.”

Hall said coming to the GSU to play the piano is therapeutic; it is a way for him to relax a few times a week in between classes.

“I think BU can be a tad bit stuffy,”

reason: He wants people to make connections with each other through music. He first saw the “Play Me, I’m Yours” pianos in New York City, and sought out ones in Boston.

More than 1,500 street pianos like the one in the GSU have been installed around the world, according to the Street Pianos website. It was started in 2008 by British artist Luke Jerram and came to Boston first in 2013. All 60 of Boston’s pianos were decorated by local artists and community groups.

A-listers like Michael Bloomberg and Alicia Keys have praised the art project as a way to spread music to those who wouldn’t be exposed to it otherwise. On the project’s website, Keys is quoted as saying, “‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ created a beautiful and worthy moment for our city, by bringing the Street Pianos to our city’s parks and public spaces.”

PHOTO BY CHLOE GRINBERG/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF “It brings people together who normally wouldn’t be talking together,” he said. “People here take themselves Davis said. “It’s a nice chance for peoa little bit too seriously.” ple to show up, talk, explore — even Hall also uses the GSU piano kids who come for … open houses because it is one of the only ones he and stuff, parents bring their kids. has access to on campus.

It’s nice for them to walk by and hear “I don’t understand why, but if you video game music, Frozen, Disney.” play music but you’re not a music stuDavis doesn’t have a piano at home, dent at BU, you can’t use the practice so coming to the GSU provides him rooms at the College of Fine Arts,” an opportunity to play the piano while he said. “So honestly, this piano and people walk by. a couple ones around school are the “I don’t own a piano at home, so only ones people that aren’t in music the only way I could conceivably can use.” practice is if I stumbled up on them, Kamil Davis, 22, of Allston, sought and it was just really nice to have this out the GSU piano for a different here,” he said.

INTERVIEW: Bent Knee violinist talks new album’s activism focus

BY ROSHNI KOTWANI DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Bent Knee, a Boston-based band formed in 2009, tackles some big issues in their latest album, “Land Animal.” Violinist Chris Baum says on the surface, the music is about humans’ animalistic instincts that are overshadowed by technology — underneath this superficial communication, people have to deal with racism, political conflicts and social tension.

“The songs in this album tell very human stories including the struggle of the human condition,” Baum said in an interview with The Daily Free Press.

“These Hands,” the fifth song on “Land Animal,” highlights the façade people put on to hide their true emotions, Baum said.

“If people are able to take some comfort in our music or create dialog with it, those are great things for us,” drummer Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth Boston based band Bent Knee will perform at the Elks Lodge benefiting the Boston Area Rape Crisis center on Friday. says on the band’s website.

Baum said that in today’s political the tension for future generations. casually experimenting with each climate especially, it is important for “There’s inherent racism in this member’s specialties. Although all people to have a platform to come country, this city, and amongst our the members come from different together, and music is universal. hyper-liberal college friends,” he said. musical backgrounds, Baum said “It’s one of the few moments in “There’s implicit bias that exists in “alt-rock” is the best label for their our lives where we’re allowed to fully our society. You can’t dig that far sound, because assigning a genre wrap ourselves around emotions and into your subconscious to remove it can limit them. feel the same thing,” he said. completely … We need to focus on According to the band’s website, Inspired by news articles and daily how to use our knowledge or bias when they were starting out, lead singer conversations, Baum said Bent Knee’s to prevent these constructs from and keyboardist Courtney Swain and lyrics are dedicated to not necessarily becoming even more poisonous.” violinist Baum shared a background stating solutions to current concerns, This six-member band started in classical music; producer and live but bringing such concerns out from out as a group of “nerdy” Berklee sound designer Vince Welch held onto the shadows in hopes of ameliorating College of Music students that enjoyed an industrial style; drummer Wallace-

PHOTO COURTESY CHRIS ANDERSON

Ailsworth embraced ’70 and ‘80’s rock; and bassist Jessica Kion adhered to the world of jazz.

Hints of each member’s styles are apparent in their 2011 self-titled album and 2014’s “Shiny Eyed Babies.” “Land Animal” is their third album and just came out last year. Baum said the band members’ lifestyles have kicked into high speed over the past four years — they usually practice between two times a week and every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. before tours.

The band will be playing at

Cambridge’s Massasoit Elks Lodge on Friday with Bearstronaut and Roz and the Rice Cakes. Bent Knee met Bearstronaut, another Boston-based band, in Los Angeles; their sound centers around electric pop, disco and 1970s throwbacks.

In a feature in Paste Magazine, Bearstronaut was described as summoning “images of wild, bonfire-lit Miami beach parties, of sweating blissfully while packed onto the dance floor of some underground Barcelona club at 5 a.m.”

All proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. Baum said the groups wanted to support victims after hearing so many sexual harassment and rape stories from inside the music industry, especially.

“We’ve all heard personal stories [concerning rape] at this point,” Baum said. “This is the best way we know to make a difference and cause some sort of change. This event will help take this issue to a local level and help many to get over the hump of victimization.”

The band is also collaborating with a percussion ensemble on March 24 at a Berklee residence hall as part of the Celebrity Series of Boston. The performance will feature the U.S. premiere of one of the band’s new songs that Baum said goes nicely with the nine percussionists from Berklee.

“All of my favorite art has changed the way I look at the world,” Baum said. “I’d like this to be an opportunity for people to hear something new.”

FEATURES 7

COMMUNITY

Joan Tower celebrates five decades of composition, 80th birthday

A concert is held at New England Conservatory on Friday celebrating trailblazing composer Joan Tower.

BY MARISSA WU

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The silent hall is awoken by the clear notes of a flute. Delicate violin strings rise to join it, the suspense builds as the notes race along, and the music rises and falls in tone and rhythm. All the while, the audience sits alert, taking in the sound.

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project a nd Ne w En g l a nd

Conservatory’s Jordan Hall held a concert to honor Joan Tower on Friday.

Tower has composed music for over five decades, and the concert celebrated her contributions to classical music and her upcoming 80th birthday later this year.

Two of Tower’s songs selected for the concert were “Chamber Dance” and “Concerto for Flute.” “Chamber Dance” combined a lightness and playfulness mixed with an intensity.

“One can’t, however, just go up,”

to find a guy, so she would drop me at the bandstand and I … would play the maracas [and] castanets.”

“Concerto for Flute” raced along, and the flute created a purity and simplicity. The audience seemed to hardly move.

“If I can engage the listener, then I think I’ve accomplished something,” Tower said. “It’s hard to keep a listener involved all the time.”

After the piece concluded, an audience member said, “oh my God!” audible above the applause.

Ed Harsh, president and CEO of New Music USA, came from New York City to attend the concert and support Tower, who he first met 1981.

“She is a classically first-rate composer,” Harsh said. “Everything she writes has a musical command. There’s a clarity in the way she puts instruments together.”

One of Tower’s trademarks, he PHOTO BY LEXI PLINE/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF added, is the energy she brings into her compositions. Kati Agócs, a member Tower wrote about the piece, for BMOP. of the New England Conservatory’s “There should be a counteracting action composition faculty, also noted the which is either going down or staying the energetic elements of Tower’s work. same to provide a tension in the piece.”

“She has a vital, direct, energetic The piece included maracas, which style that is completely her own,” Agócs Tower said were inspired by time spent wrote in an email. “The orchestral works in Bolivia. that put her on the map in the early “I was involved with the Inca festi- 1980s –– “Sequoia,” “Silver Ladders” vals in Bolivia because my nurse was –– sound as fresh today as when she an Inca Indian,” Tower recalled. “She was writing them as a young composer.” would take me to these festivals, and Women’s entrance into the field of she was young and beautiful and wanted classical music has been slow and long-

fought, Tower said, but knowledge of the past made carving out her career less burdensome.

“It was a very important thing for me to know that history because it woke me up big time to where I am along that historical line, so that I don’t have to feel so downtrodden,” Tower said.

Gil Rose, founder and artistic director at BMOP, also spoke about the lack of women in the industry. Rose said that Tower, in a way, pioneered the path.

“Joan came through the ranks at a time when, unlike now when there’s many prominent and succeeding women composers, Joan was really by herself,” Rose said. “As far as American mainstream concert music, Joan sort of led the way.”

In addition to composing, Tower has been on the faculty of Bard College since 1972.

“Joan Tower has led the way for many of us by her example as a masterful composer and by playing an influential role in the field, including advocating for other composers who may not have been heard otherwise,” Agócs wrote.

Indeed, Tower said her work has allowed her to foster a very large musical family. She called it a “beautiful experience” to be able to walk with students through their musical training and provide them with lessons that will stay with them throughout their careers.

“My extended family,” Tower said, and laughed.

SCIENCE

‘Sounding the Cloud’ provides audible experience of the Internet

BY ALEX DEL TUFO DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Barraged with push notifications, our daily lives are often defined by a connection to the Internet. The immense quantity of information stored within can only be visualized one way: the cloud.

And if the Internet is what the cloud looks like, then what does it sound like?

Composers and musicians Neil Leonard, Stephen Vitiello and Robin Rimbaud “Scanner” will attempt to answer this question at their upcoming live performance, titled “Sounding the Cloud,” at the Institute of Contemporary Art on Feb. 23.

“Sounding the Cloud” is a part of the greater “Art in the Age of the Internet” project. The ICA invited the composers to be a part of a citywide project, along with many other Greater Boston area partners.

The project has spread throughout the city, but according to Leonard, composer of “Sounding the Cloud” and Berklee College of Music professor, “the ICA is the catalyst” of the project.

“The [“Art in the Age of the Internet”] partners met over the last 12 months to understand more about the ICA’s vision,” Leonard said. “We explored ways that our programming might be compatible, or resonate with, the ICA’s programming.”

When beginning their brainstorming process for the show, they looked back in time.

“My first idea [for “Sounding the Cloud”] was to think of early [musical] works that we did and to revisit works from when the Internet was very new,” Leonard said.

The goal, Vitiello wrote, was to chronicle the Internet’s progression.

“For us, those samples can include sounds that relate to the history of the Internet,” Vitiello wrote. “Such as the clicks and beeps of old modems and the old start-up sounds from when you’d have to dial in to get online.”

The performance will include an assortment of instruments and musical techniques to portray these sounds, like saxophones, modular synthesizers and electronically processed software.

“Sounding the Cloud” seeks not only to provide an audible experience of the cloud but also to mirror its advancement.

“Early on, one was lucky if they could upload and playback a very short, compressed sound file,” Vitiello wrote.

“As each year, or week, goes by, the space and speed of the Internet increase.”

Orran Krieger, founding director of the Cloud Computing Initiative at BU, explained the progression from physical storage to virtual storage.

“Now that we have the Internet, we can put computers in massive data centers … [And] instead of a physical computer, virtual computers can hold the information,” Krieger said.

Leonard, Vitiello and Scanner intend to use this expansion during their performance. “[We’ve discussed starting with]

Neil Leonard, Scanner and Stephen Vitiello of Sounding the Cloud.

short, compressed, condensed ideas while his compositions don’t always and over the [extent of the concert] include technology conceptually, as expanding the length of sounds, density “Sounding the Cloud” will, “technology of layers and [going] from something is always part of the process.” quite small to something far bigger,” Scanner, too, has experience comVitiello wrote. bining utilizing music in the age of With this technique, the audience the Internet, having previously been will be able to hear the history of the involved in creating a web browser cloud. The members of “Sounding devoid of visuals, experienced solely the Cloud” are not new to combining through sound, Leonard said. Even his music and technology. nickname, Vitiello wrote, was derived “I don’t think there’s any composing from his work with digital sound effects. that I’ve done that doesn’t involve “[Scanner] used radio and police technology,” Vitiello wrote, adding that, scanners to pull in sounds from cell

PHOTO COURTESY EMILY MOGAVERO

phones and other voices, integrating them into his performances and recordings,” Vitiello wrote.

For the last few years, Leonard, Vitiello and Scanner have combined their shared skills and backgrounds to create “Sounding the Cloud.”

“Through collaboration, we try to tune into the sounds and musical languages of each other as collaborators and create some sort of coherent dialog … but also create by feeling in the moment of performance,” Vitiello wrote.

8

OPINION

EDITORIAL

Political music should steer away from rage, focus on solutions Immediately following the election of Trump as president, an overwhelming feeling of anger and outrage washed over many Americans. We, as a country, did not know how to come to terms with the fact that a bigoted president would become the leader of the free nation in a few short months.

Along with anger, others felt sadness and helplessness. It was as if our whole election system — supposedly based on the ideals of liberty and representation — had turned its back on us. Many took the streets to express their polarizing feelings about the 2016 election. At a time when many of us are feeling emotionally burnt out from constantly being disappointed with news from the White House, it’s important that activists also practice self-care. This can be accomplished through music.

There’s no doubt that the history of music has been inherently political. In fact, rock and roll was an anti-establishment response to politics during the 1970s that criticized society. But political frustration and rage can easily be found in our songs today. Particularly during times of turmoil and unrest in our nation, we turn to music to fuel our emotions and connect with others — a phenomenon stretching back to the late ‘60s and ‘70s when musicians used their work to voice their feelings against the conservative backlash that the United States was seeing. Often times, this music has become a sign of protest and a peaceful way of standing in solidarity with those who feel like nothing can be done. Artists

from all genres have used music to reflect side and listen to music that could make us upon and express their thoughts on the cur- all feel stronger as a nation. rent presidential administration.

Stepping away from blaming and finThis music often channels the rage of the ger-pointing is an especially useful technique public, transforming from songs of political for achieving progress and even unity. For commentary and reflection into ballads of example, Joe Kennedy’s response to Trump’s hate and agony. Thus, it’s refreshing to hear State of the Union address was successful in songs that take on a more emotional stance walking the fine line between addressing on the hatred, becoming an ode for people Trump directly and reaching Americans to come together to rather than divide them. who felt hurt due to the passage of legislation

A

t a time when many of us are feeling emotionally burnt out from constantly being disappointed with news from the White House, it’s important that activists also practice self-care.

Rock band Superchunk recently released several songs from their new album “What a Time to Be Alive,” which strikes more of an emotional chord with listeners. The album, which will be released Friday, seeks to unite those who have been brought down

by Trump’s presidency. With many of the president’s policies targeting people and frustrating others, it’s important at these times to come together, put our anger to the

CROSSWORD

pushed by administration. While Kennedy’s speech did propose policies that could combat flaws with the president’s agenda, even the sentiment of support and solidarity has a greater impact on people. It makes it easier for people to take action after receiving at least a semblance of healing. Perhaps appealing to people emotionally could be a better strategy for dealing with the consequences of the current administration.

However, looking toward finding solutions is also an undervalued strategy. If we want to see change, then we need to actually take steps to get there. For instance, if this album’s proceeds went to an organization which fights the injustices brought on by this administration — say, the ACLU — then that would be a proactive way to effect change. An album would be a more effective form of protest if it came with a call to action from its artists, asking supporters to call their representatives and get involved in their communities. Or even a stronger message could be embedded into the songs themselves, not just expressing anger, but also expressing how change can be made.

This could add greater power and saliency during a time where everyone is striving to be a part of resisting Trump’s policies.

Regardless of how music is the politics of today, it’s something that can unify people during our worst times. The internet, a platform where people can share comments which sometimes escalate violence, becomes a dangerous place to express frustration. Music, a medium which is more thoughtful and deliberate, is probably a better coping mechanism. It’s a timeless tradition and one that bring generations together. At the very least, these genres of music can serve as a testimony to the times. Albums and songs within them can become a historic record of what our generation is upset about. But they’re even more purposeful when they have a message that uplifts and unifies.

This week’s crossword puzzle is brought to you by Quinne Leyden COURTESY OF MIRROREYES.COM / CROSSWORD ANSWERS AVAILABLE ON http://dfpress.co/2o7igK5

ACROSS 1. Goulash 5. Look at with fixed eyes 10. Constellation bear 14. Apiary 15. Cassettes 16. Principal 17. Jungle 19. Elevator (British) 20. Website address 21. Got up 22. Desires 23. A medieval steel helmet 25. A watery discharge 27. One or more 28. Pass 31. Dirty 34. Dwarf 35. Barbie’s beau 36. Arm or leg 37. Foundation

DOWN 38. Noxious plant 39. Shade tree 40. A thorny stem 41. Deservedly receives 42. Silver-tongued 44. A Buddhist temple 45. Governs 46. Dry sharp-tasting ales 50. Dye with wax 52. Yes 54. Japanese apricot 55. Dash 56. Despotic 58. After-bath powder 59. Interlace 60. Start over 61. Anagram of “Sees” 62. Law and _____ 63. Lock openers

1. Bush 2. Crown 3. Iniquities 4. A common cyst 5. A level in a building 6. Fortuneteller’s card 7. Mimics 8. Man-made lake 9. Eastern Standard Time 10. Dieresis 11. American Indian medicine man 12. Sieve 13. Picnic insects 18. Backside 22. Used to be 24. Poetic foot 26. Skirt lines 28. Beginning 29. Avid 30. Terminates

31. Delight 32. Small brook 33. Supernatural beings 34. A person who denies 37. Broth (Scottish) 38. Light bulb unit 40. Volume 41. Consumed 43. Acid-tasting pear-shaped fruit 44. Hotdog 46. Courageous 47. Master of ceremonies 48. Prepared 49. Grain storage buildings 50. Mend (archaic) 51. “Oh my!”

53. Alumnus 56. Pair 57. Bother

Ellie French, Editor-in-Chief

Rachel Duncan, Managing Editor

46th year | Volume 93 | Issue 5

Andres Picon, Campus Editor

Noor Adatia, Editorial Page Editor

Caitlin Fisher, Blog Editor

The Free Press (ISSN 1094-7337) is published Thursdays during the academic year except during vacation and exam periods by Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc., a nonprofit corporation operated by Boston University students. No content can be reproduced without the permission of Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. Copyright © 2018 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Breanne Kovatch, City Editor

Vivian Myron, Photo Editor

Kaya Williams, Multimedia Editor

Jenni Todd, Features Editor

Shaun Robinson, Layout Editor

Shakti Rovner, Office Manager

t h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t u d e n t n e w s pa p e r a t b o s t o n u n i v e r s i t y

Nicole Havens, Sports Editor

OPINION 9

LADIES I AM RIGHT:

COLUMNS

The power of music and love

BY MEREDITH WILSHERE

O

COLUMNIST

ur relationship with music changes in the way that our relationships with others change.

Not that long ago, we used to walk around with Walkmans, physically rewinding the tape to listen. Now, we walk with our ears in our headphones and phones sitting in our pockets playing the soundtrack to our daily lives. Instead of burning CDs, we make playlists to share our musical tastes, and instead of switching out CDs in our cars, we just plug in our phones. Our relationship with music grows and evolves as we do.

Now we’re surrounded by the immediacy of songs, with tens of thousands of them available at our fingertips. So it goes with dating apps.

Within minutes, we can be connecting with our future soulmates or hookups. Ultimately, the choice is ours. The autonomy and digitization of music carries over to our relationships.

Shaped and defined by music, our relationships mold to which songs we can relate them to, and which playlists we play to feel certain feelings.

We are given so many choices and so many possibilities to choose from that sometimes the choice can be overwhelming.

And yet, we still makes mixtapes for our loved ones, sometimes taking shape as Spotify playlists. We share music like to share our love for one another. We want to let someone into our musical worlds. We want them to experience the same feelings that we felt, listening to the songs that remind us of them. Almost every day it seems, my boyfriend and I send each other songs that remind us of each other. This becomes another form of letting someone into our little worlds, sharing our feelings through sharing the songs that makes us feel.

These feelings aren’t limited to feelings of love and lust, however. Music and love have been as intertwined as music and heartbreak.

John Cusack holding a boombox above his

BURKE’S BULLY PULPIT:

Politics in music is a trend

head blasting Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” is as prevalent as Beyonce’s direction for her ex-man’s stuff — to the left, to the left. We turn to breakup playlists like we turn to our best friends. We drown ourselves in the soundwaves of other people’s hurt, finding solace in the fact that we’re not alone in feeling that way we feel. Music and emotions are always intrinsically linked. Fear strikes those who hear the first dun-nun in “Jaws” and John Williams’ “Imperial March,” which signifies the arrival of Darth Vader. It can make us feel emotions long dormant or remind us of a time with someone we care about. Many people I know have sad playlists, designed to make the listener cry

BY PATRICK BURKE after a few songs are played on shuffle. Playlists COLUMNIST can have a common theme of emotion that the listener is subjected to when making their way usic is my favorite way to escape through the varying songs. my daily thoughts. It can In my last column, I wrote about the be used as a method to drift importance of choice, and how sometimes away in an almost magical way, illumination allows us to better determine allowing me to forget about whatever is bothwhat we enjoy and what we don’t. This same ering me. Sometimes I use music to bring me principle applies to music. I never thought back to a specific time and place — almost like that I would enjoy country music until I sat using a time machine. down and listened to it. I thought I knew that But music isn’t always a means for escape. It I didn’t like the Nordic heavy metal that my can be used to bring light to issues that artists oldest brother listens to until I heard him think are important. Song lyrics are often ridblasting it from his room. We get the chance dled with double entendres and hidden meanto grow our musical library through constantly ings that you might miss if you weren’t paying expanding what we like and exploring differ- close attention. When I was younger and didn’t ent genres and artists. We find what we like, appreciate music as much, I felt like I always and then we constantly want more of that. missed the meanings of songs. Sometimes, the Growing up, music played a very impor- song is so catchy and good that its message can tant role in my life. My dad took my brothers easily be missed. to classic rock concerts, who shared a common A prime example of this is Bruce love for Rush, Def Leppard and the likes. I Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” Many peoburned CDs for both myself and my friends, ple know this song and think that it is a great as another way of sharing music and letting example of being proud to be from the United others into my world. When my best friend States. Ronald Reagan even briefly used the and I drove down the winding streets of Long song in his 1984 campaign for presidency. In Island, her car driving into the late hours, we reality, the song is very anti-American and is always either started or ended with Frank a protest against the war in Vietnam. I love Sinatra’s collection of classics, “Nothing Springsteen, and I didn’t figure this out until But the Best.” With baritone voices and a I was older and listened carefully to the lyrics. hyper-enthusiasm for singing about the good There’s no denying the fact that rock and old days, we tackled his songs like we tackled roll has always been political, with songs such that night’s issues — talking about our torn as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate heartbreaks and familial expectations. When Son” and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s “Ohio” I think about my teenage years, I think about becoming staples in the hearts and minds of playing Green Day, Paramore and other bands Americans who grew up during that that time. to demonstrate rebellion against my parents.

Now, we are entering an age where hip-hop As we grow and we learn, we start inad- has become one of the most popular genres of vertently becoming what we’re learning from. music in America.

Little pieces of me have been left in the playOf course, this anti-government attitude lists that I’ve made, either appearing in forms did not start with the Trump presidency. of ones that I’ve made for myself or for oth- Rap groups like Public Enemy and N.W.A. ers. Each song has a personal connection — a have been taking shots at those in power place where I first heard the song, much like since the late 1980s and early 1990s. Antithe people that come and go in my life. government hip-hop songs are more easily

M

identifiable because of the raw and real way these issues are addressed.

Rapper YG took shots at Donald Trump in a similar manner in his song featuring artist Nipsey Hussle called “FDT (F--- Donald Trump).” The rapper even went as far as to name his 2016 tour the same thing, showing a pure distaste for the then presidential candidate. YG wasn’t afraid to be vulgar while speaking his mind on behalf of those who can’t stand Trump — some of his lyrics show prose alluding to the situation on Trump’s campaign trail where black students were removed from his rally for peacefully protesting.

While being vulgar and upfront may not be the best way to have a meaningful conversation, it is definitely an excellent way to sell records. Other rappers have attacked the struggles that they faced in a more poetic way, hiding real and raw lyrics behind a well-constructed piece of music.

Compton native rapper Kendrick Lamar is one of the most popular artists in America right now, and I think that he is a perfect example of someone who can get his message across in a very poetic way. His 2015 song “Alright” became an anthem at protests around the country for the way that the rapper spoke about how even though people around him grew up struggling, they were “gon’ be alright.” One of his songs from the album DAMN. featured a clip from a FOX News host talking about his lyrics in a demeaning way, to which Kendrick responds with an incredible, full-length story of his day-to-day fears and struggles.

The point here is this: Music will always be political, and the outrage that has been protruding onto news shows and panels is to be expected in our current society. Artists are always going to speak out against what they believe is wrong. It’s a phenomenon that’s been going on for as long as humans have been alive. Now, rappers are attacking the Trump presidency much like they did the Bush presidency, and I don’t see that coming to an end any time soon.

It’s really cool to see rappers speaking their minds without anyone being able to control what they are saying. I don’t come from a struggling background, and rap allows people like me to look into the eyes of someone who has seen the bottom of our society and is struggling to work their way up. This is true for rock and roll as well. Since music plays an important part in so many people’s lives, I think it’s a waste of time to be angry at a musician for their views on the world and politics. If you don’t like the song, just skip it. But if you want to learn about an issue from another person’s point of view, pay attention. You might learn a thing or two.

CARTOON BY TAREQ ALKUDHARI/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

INTERROBANG

Valentine’s Day has come to an end. We here at the ol’ Free Press want to know — what would BU students’ breakup song be?

Danielsen: “All By Myself”

Questrom: “Love the Way You Lie”

Rhett: “Nothing Compares to 2U”

Panera: “Since U Been Gone”

BU ID: “Like I’m Gonna Lose You”

STH: “Praying”

BU Shuttle: “Need You Now”

SED: “Irreplaceable”

FreeP: “I Heard It Through he Grapevine”

10 SPORTS

Women’s lacrosse to open season against No. 4 Boston College

BY NICHOLAS MIATA DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Boston University women’s lacrosse team will open up its season Saturday afternoon against rival No. 4 Boston College at Nickerson Field.

The Terriers have had consistently successful seasons recently, going over 50 percent in Patriot League play the last four years.

Last year, the team finished 10-8 overall and posted a solid 6-3 conference record. Most of these wins came at home, as the Terriers posted an impressive 6-2 record at Nickerson.

BU was fourth in the conference in goals per game with 12.39, and second in assists per game with 6.83.

Entering th is season, the Terriers have been selected to finish fourth in the league, while the United States Naval Academy, last year’s conference champion, is predicted to finish first.

Most other teams in the conference have already opened up their 2018 schedules. While this could potentially be a disadvantage for the Terriers, BU head coach Liz Robertshaw noted that her team is becoming well-prepared for Saturday’s opener.

“We’re just really trying to get comfortable playing as an attacking unit as well as our defense,” Robertshaw said. “We graduated almost our entire starting defense, so [we] want to make sure that we feel confident and comfortable with the new people. We’re really working to try and get the newcomers comfortable in our attacking scheme.”

A remaining defensive starter from last season is senior defender Maria Guerra. She and senior attack

Aver y Donahoe were recently announced as the co-captains for the 2018 season.

Last year, Donahoe scored 33 goals and had nine assists.

Guerra played a crucial role for the BU defense, collecting 18 ground balls and leading the team with 20 caused turnovers alongside former defender Talley Perkins.

“They’ve done a great job of setting the standard,” Robertshaw said of the new co-captains. “How do we practice? How do we compete? What’s our expectation level of how we carry ourselves on and off the field? It’s been really good for those freshmen to get on board quicker.”

Last season, the Terriers lost to Loyola University Maryland in the Patriot League semifinals by the score of 19-14. This semifinal loss marked the third straight year that BU’s season came to an end one game short of the champion- Senior attack Avery Donahoe will lead this season’s team as co-captain alongside senior defender Maria Guerra this season. ship matchup.

The Terriers have shown con- it’s the most important.” is junior attack Sam Apuzzo. She sistency in recent years, enough Saturday’s matchup will be not already has eight goals to start to make it to the conference tour- be easy for the Terriers. the season, and is coming off of a nament, but have been unable to BC (2-0) is ranked fourth in the six-goal performance in the Eagles’ get over the hump and make it to nation, and has already gotten off dominant 20-2 win against Holy the finals since its loss to Loyola to a 2-0 start after wins over the Cross (0-2, 0-1 Patriot League) back in 2014.

University of Notre Dame and the Tuesday afternoon.

Robertshaw is confident that College of the Holy Cross.

Senior attack Kaileen Hart also improvements made during the The Eagles have dominated poses an offensive threat. Her five offseason will allow her team to in recent matchups against the points against then-No.15 Notre gain momentum and make it to Terriers. The last time BU won Dame (0-1) won her Atlantic Coast the championship game once again. against BC was in 2009.

Conference Offensive Player of “I think if our team can do a bet“We have to play fast, we need the Week honors. ter job on focusing on every single to combat them,” Robertshaw said.

BU will also hope to combat game and do our best to compete “We need to get some of the kinks BC with some talented players in that game and not look ahead … out quickly against a top-10 team like of their own. Sophomore attack We’ll be in a much better place to Boston College. We need to compete Kailey Conry was recently named compete,” Robertshaw said. “We hard on every single draw control.” to the All-Patriot League team and need to feel our best going into One of those scorers that the will likely be an integral part of every single game and treat it like Terriers will have to be aware of the Terriers’ game plan.

PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DFP FILE PHOTO

Last season, she won two Patriot League Rookie of the Week awards, and finished tied for second in the nation with three assists per game.

She led the team with 68 points, setting a BU record with 54 assists while contributing 14 goals.

Despite the challenging opponent the Terriers will face on Saturday, Robertshaw is confident that her team can come out on top if it sticks to its game plan.

“On offense, we need to create great scoring looks and we’re starting to see some of those this week,” Robertshaw said. “And defensively, we need to limit their scorers and do a good job of hunkering down and playing some great team defense.”

Women’s basketball falls 61-54 to American, Patriot League's best

BY JOSH ROTHSTEIN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Boston University women’s basketball team fell to American University 61-54 Wednesday night at Case Gym. After trailing by 17 points at the end of the first quarter, the Terriers (10-14, 5-9 Patriot League) responded well, especially defensively, against the undefeated Eagles (21-4, 14-0 Patriot League).

BU head coach Katy Steding said she was proud of how much better the team got defensively, but knows they need to start better and limit turnovers.

“At the beginning of the first quarter and the beginning of the third quarter, we were a mess defensively because we kept giving them the ball and having to play in transition,” Steding said.

“We didn’t feel like ourselves so I put them in something they were more comfortable with and we executed defensively a lot better.”

Steding called an early timeout and was not impressed with her team’s start, which saw the Terriers trail 7-2 just 93 seconds into the contest.

BU struggled defensively early in the first quarter, giving up 17 points in the first six minutes of the game.

American junior forward Cecily Carl had nine of those points.

Carl would add seven more to up her total to 16 in the first quarter.

The Terriers turned the ball over to the Eagles eight times and trailed

26-9 after 10 minutes.

BU finished the game with 24 turnovers, something Steding knows needs to stop, but she was also impressed with how the team overcame that.

“For us to turn it over 24 times and then also be within seven of a really strong team and the league-leading team, even in our place, I thought we did a really good job tonight,” Steding said.

Sophomore forward Nia Irving collided with American sophomore forward TaeKenya Cleveland early in the second quarter, but was able to return a few minutes later.

The Terriers held the Eagles scoreless over the first four minutes of the second quarter. However, BU was only able to score four points in that span and still trailed by 13.

Irving came back with a vengeance, scoring six quick points and bringing her team-leading point total up to eight for the first half.

It was a much stronger second quarter for the Terriers, as they outscored American 14-6 and trailed 32-23 at halftime.

Early in the third quarter, American senior guard Emily Kinneston converted a layup to put the Eagles up by 11. The layup gave Kinneston 1,000 points in her collegiate career.

BU cut the lead to as few as seven with an Irving bucket, but an ensuing 11-0 run from the Eagles gave American a 43-25 lead.

BU sophomore guard Vanessa

Freshman guard Katie Nelson had seven points, six rebounds and four steals against American Wednesday night.

Edgehill connected on a three late in the quarter to cut the deficit to nine.

After scoring 26 points in the first quarter, the Eagles only scored a 21 combined points in the second and third periods, but still led 47-38 after three.

Four straight points to begin the final quarter got the Terriers within five, but a four-point play from Carl gave American the nine-point lead back once again.

Irving had a strong game, and was extremely successful getting to the

free throw line and converting on her chances. She went 9-for-11 from the charity stripe on the night.

Junior guard Lauren Spearman was given a solid 12 minutes, appearing in only her sixth game of the season.

While her solid play may not appear on the stat sheet, only grabbing her first two points of the season and an assist, she was stellar on the defensive end of the court, as Steding noted.

“That was some of the best I’ve seen out of Lauren [Spearman] in all of

PHOTO BY CHLOE GRINBERG/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

her three years,” Steding said. “It was wonderful to see her fight for a loose ball and rip it out of the girl’s hands and get the call. That was a really nice effort from her.”

BU got within as few as five in the quarter, but couldn’t get the game to a one possession deficit as they trailed 58-52 with a minute to play.

Irving finished with 21 points and four rebounds, but it was not enough as American went home with a win, remains undefeated in the league.

SPORTS 11

20 questions for men’s hockey freshman forward Brady Tkachuk

PHOTO BY MADDIE MALHOTRA/ DFP FILE PHOTO

Brady Tkachuk has created a name for himself in his first season at BU.

BY MATTHEW MARTIN DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

In the early ‘90s, Keith Tkachuk lit up score sheets for the Boston University men’s hockey team. He followed his time with the Terriers (15-12-3, 10-7-3 Hockey East) by embarking on a 19-year NHL career, which accumulated in an election to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

Nearly three decades later, there is a new Tkachuk on Comm. Ave., his son: freshman forward Brady Tkachuk.

The Daily Free Press met up with the promising freshman and asked him about his favorite pregame music, who the funniest player is in the locker room is and his favorite NHL players.

DAILY FREE PRESS: Why did you decide to come to BU? BRADY TKACHUK: Obviously when the opportunity came up [I took it], and my dad went here and my family is around here. [There are] great facilities [and a] great coaching staff so it was an easy choice and I’m glad I’m here.

DFP: What is your favorite part of BU so far?

BT: The guys on the team really made it [an] easy transition coming in. The older guys have been awesome to us younger guys. I think our team’s really clicked and I’ve made a bunch of really good friends in that locker room.

DFP: What advice did your father give you about playing here?

BT: Just cherish it, have fun and use every opportunity you can have. Go

on the ice extra, get stronger and work your hardest every day.

DFP: How do you avoid getting wrapped up in the NHL draft rumors?

BT: I just focus on every day [and] trying to get better every day. It’s still a ways away, and it’s out of everybody’s control. So [I] just try to focus on getting better every day.

DFP: There are 12 players on this team who have been drafted to professional teams, how has playing on a team with all that talent improved your game?

BT: I think we’re one of the best teams in the country. Every day we’re all competing and all trying to be the best out there and we’re all making each other better. So I think … a big part of our team is our competitive nature so that’s definitely really helped.

DFP: You’ve played at Red Hot Hockey, the World Jun ior Championships and now the Beanpot, how have you managed to handle the pressure of these big games?

BT: Just focus on playing your best, and playing your best for the team.

They’re all big stages, big games so just try to do your part and and play your best for the team.

DFP: How would you describe your playing style?

BT: Power forward and [someone who] plays best around the net, just making plays, give and go with his teammates and [a] strong skater and not afraid of anyone out there.

DFP: How have you found the transition to NCAA hockey?

BT: It was tough at first. [There are] some older, bigger guys, it was tough to adjust. But then playing with some really good players, it’s definitely helped. Over time you get more con-

fidence so I think right now it’s been pretty good.

DFP: What has been your favorite hockey moment?

BT: I’d say the outdoor World Junior game. It was just [an] awesome atmosphere with the 44,000 people and the snow and it was a lot of fun.

DFP: How have your father’s and your brother’s NHL careers impacted you?

BT: It’s definitely motivation to see them do that. It’s definitely something I want to do and especially [Calgary Flames forward] Matthew who’s two years older than me. We have a really close relationship so to see him go through it and it’s so exciting to see him and see him doing well. It’s definitely something I want to do and they’re really big influences on me.

DFP: What have you learned growing up around the game that you take with you off the ice?

BT: Just how to treat people. To see my dad when he was playing and see how he treated all the trainers, the coaching staff [and] fellow teammates. Just see that and learn that and apply that here and try to treat everybody good.

DFP: What is your pregame ritual or superstition?

BT: I’m usually the last one dressed.

I get dressed with five minutes left so I’m usually the last one out of the locker room.

DFP: What is one area of your game that you would like to improve?

BT: I could always improve my skating, my strength [and] my skills. If I keep working on that I’ll be happy.

DFP: Which older player on the team has had the biggest impact on your season so far and why?

BT: There’s a bunch of them that

have really helped me personally, but one guy, [junior forward and assistant captain Jordan] Greenway, I’ve been playing with him for the past couple of months now. [To] see how he treats everybody and how he looks into the game and how motivated he is, I’ve definitely learned a couple of things from him.

DFP: What has gone into your recent hot streak?

BT: Just playing with confidence, just have the puck on my stick. I’d just say confidence there.

DFP: Besides hockey, what other talents do you have?

BT: I can play the guitar a little bit, but that’s pretty much it.

DFP: What type of music gets you pumped prior to games?

BT: I’m not really a big pump up guy, I’m pretty motivated so I just pretty much listen to either country or some Lumineers, like that type of band and stuff.

DFP: Who is the funniest guy in the locker room?

BT: I’d say [sophomore goaltender Jake Oettinger]. He’s a pretty funny guy.

DFP: Besides your brother, who is your favorite NHL player?

BT: I like watching [Philadelphia Flyers forward] Wayne Simmonds and [Dallas Stars forward] Jamie Benn. Just seeing how they play and how good they are down low.

I’d really like to model my game after those guys.

DFP: Do you have any current goals moving forward for the rest of the year?

BT: Just win out Hockey East, win Hockey East playoffs and win the national championship because I think our team is definitely capable of doing that.

In the Paint: Trou“Ball” in paradise — Lonzo must say ‘no’ to dad

BY ANDREW MASON DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

I am a huge Lonzo Ball fan.

Plain and simple.

It’s only natural, growing up just outside the Los Angeles area, that my blood is a mix between Los Angeles Lakers’ purple and gold, and University of California, Los Angeles Bruins’ blue and yellow.

No matter how ridiculous the circumstances, I have defended Lonzo time after time again — which can be a little difficult when going to college in Boston.

In turn, I also like and stick up for — yes, you knew it was coming — LaVar Ball.

W hether it wa s sh ippi ng Lonzo’s little brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo off to Lithuania to play professionally overseas, or claiming that Lakers’ head coach Luke Walton had “lost the locker room,” I have stuck by LaVar’s decisions. Not always agreed, but at least stood up for.

But ‘Papa Ball’ has finally pushed me over the edge with his latest antic.

On Monday, LaVar dropped a bomb on Lithuanian basketball reporter Donatas Urbonas that left me frustrated beyond belief.

According to Urbonas’ report, LaVar claimed that Lonzo will not return to Los Angeles when his contract is up, unless the team signs LaMelo and LiAngelo as well.

“I [will] let every NBA team know, the cards in this situation. Fans of that Lonzo is not going to resign Facebook’s “Ball in the Family” — with the Lakers but will go to any a online reality show already in its team that will take all three of my second season — have learned one boys,” LaVar told Urbonas. very important thing about “Big In LaVar’s crazy year and a half Baller”: LaVar always gets his way. in the national spotlight, Lonzo Here, Lakers’ President of has taken a back seat. He has let Basketball Operations Ear vin his father do all the walking and “Magic” Johnson and General talking, while he focused on one Manager Rob Pelinka have no hope thing: basketball. Nothing but at controlling the mayhem on their respect for that. own. They are truly at the mercy of However, with this most recent LaVar, hands tied behind their backs.

LaVar declaration, it is officially time All their hard work at developing for the 20-year-old point guard to a young core from the ground up take the wheel. could go to waste in an instant if This is the first time LaVar LaMelo and LiAngelo don’t get their has acted out of pure greed and contracts. Unless Lonzo decides selfishness. to step in.

Sure, he says some wild things — LaVar selfishly wants t wo throwback to his claim that Lonzo “gimme” spots for LaMelo and is “better than Steph Curry” — but LiAngelo. He’s putting his sons’ usually he’s just trying to hype up careers higher in importance than his family or his Big Baller Brand. the possibility of adding banners Now, LaVar is putting Lonzo and and rings to purple and gold history. the entire Lakers organization at C’mon man, that’s not cool. risk of losing big.

Don’t get me wrong — LiAngelo Lonzo’s current contract with could straight ball in high school. the purple and gold expires after the He averaged 33.8 points per game 2020-21 season, when he becomes during his senior year at Chino Hills a restricted free agent. This means High School, and even dropped 37 the Lakers will have the option to points and 10 rebounds in a game match any offer given to Lonzo by in Lithuania earlier this season. But another franchise. If the Lakers on the Lakers, I don’t know. equal another team’s contract, Lonzo He could probably get some must stay in Los Angeles. “oohs” and “ahs” in Case Gym during Sounds perfect for the Lakers, Terrier Madness, but Staples Center right? Wrong. is a whole other story.

Unfortunately, LaVar holds all And LaMelo is insanely fun to

PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

It may be time for Lonzo Ball to speak out against father LaVar's decisions.

watch. He has flash and style that ballers around the globe respect.

But he is still far too unproven to be given a spot in the best league in the world just because of who his brother is.

LaVar’s grand vision of getting all three Ball boys together on the Lakers has gone smoothly so far.

The first phase has been “spoken into existence.” Pretty big accomplishment, hats off to him.

However, it’s time for Lonzo

to stand up to his and father and explain that he has the right as an adult to make these monumental decisions for himself.

He’s only 20 now, and will be 24 when he crosses this shaky bridge.

Who knows how much he will have matured by then.

Honestly, I’m sure of one thing: Lonzo will once again be put in an awkward situation about something his father said, much sooner than that.

“We need to feel our best going into every single game and treat it like it’s the most important.”

- BU women’s lacrosse coach Liz Robertshaw on her team’s upcoming 2018 season p.10

Sports Thursday, February 15, 2018

“They’re all big stages, big games so just try to do your part and and play your best for the team.”

- Freshman forward Brady Tkachuk on playing in big competitions p.11

BU Pep Band brings noise, school spirit at athletic events

BY LIAM O’BRIEN

DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

It’s the second overtime of the opening round of the 66th annual Beanpot tournament and nearly every ounce of buzz in the TD Garden has leaked away as midnight quickly approaches.

The crowd has been reduced to a murmur, with the majority of the fans in the lower bowl having departed and the Harvard University student section absent. However, one section of the Garden balcony is flushed with excitement, even as Monday night transforms into Tuesday.

As the Boston University men’s hockey team sought to avenge its previous year’s loss to the Crimson, the BU Pep Band was with them every step of the way, just as they are at nearly any sporting event on campus.

If you have ever been to a BU sports game, there is no question you’re familiar with the sounds of the BU Pep Band.

Regardless of whether the Terriers are being trounced or dominating the opponent, the band is an unmistakable force of team spirit, busting out the classic ballad “Hey Baby” after victories and enthusing the crowd with contemporary classics such as “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore.

“The band has turned into a perfectly-timed and well-tuned machine,” band member Joey Buzzell wrote in an

email. “We fight for our team until the last minute no matter what the score and it is our job to keep up hype no matter what is happening in the game.

If there is a situation where the game seems like there will be no redemption, it is our mission to keep spirits alive and really pray for the world’s best comeback if necessary.”

Over the past decade, the BU Pep Band has carved themselves a reputation for doing just that.

With an extensive repertoire of PHOTO BY JACKIE ZHOU/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF over 100 songs and numerous chants, The BU Pep Band can be found in the stands at almost all home games. the band is an irreplaceable force at BU sporting events. per year, 100 of which are athletic.

The band has weaved its way into “The band brings spirit and energy,” It’s not uncommon for there to be a being a staple in the landscape of BU BU Director of Athletic Bands Aaron men’s hockey, women’s hockey and athletics, especially with the men’s Goldberg said. “I’ve never seen a col- basketball game bundled into a short and women’s hockey teams. legiate pep band as dedicated.” span of 48 hours.

At men’s games at Agganis Arena, With approximately 130 members, You can expect to see the band the band is positioned at the top of the band is split into two different at each of these contests as they are a Section 119, with the rest of the BU groups, red and white. To decide which full-time staple at every single home student section standing below them, group attends each sporting event, the game for both hockey and basketball. hanging directly over the goal. schedule is divided into “Red Games” “I’m astounded they can handle “They’re awesome,” men’s hockey and “White Games.” this commitment,” Goldberg said. freshman forward Brady Tkachuk Given the heavily-populated BU “They have more performances than said. “They get me going at the start athletics schedule, the time commit- any other collegiate bands, and they of every game and during every game, ment for band members can be a hefty, are pretty academic minded students.” and the student section also.” especially on weeks such as when the However, the band’s strong memAt women’s games, the band is Beanpot is happening. bership allows for students to balance positioned in the far corner of the ice “There are weeks where we only a dedication to the band with being a adjacent to the press box. Aided with have on game and there are other weeks full-time student. If a members of the the bandbox-like nature of the Walter where the band is requested at three or “Red Team” are unable to make a “Red Brown Arena, the band has the opporfour different venues,” Buzzell wrote. Game,” a member from the “White tunity to create a lively atmosphere for The group plays a total of 120 events Team” can fill in for them and vice versa. the players on the ice.

“They’re unbelievably supportive,” BU women’s hockey coach Brian Durocher said. “The atmosphere they create in the building, it makes you feel like there’s 2,000 people in the building when there might only be 300. The band, they bring the energy, they bring the fun.”

Their presence and dedication at games does not go unnoticed.

“Those people work extremely hard and they have a lot on their plate,” Durocher sad. “We’re just super happy that they’re willing — 30, 40 or 50 strong — to [go to] a cold hockey rink for most of our games.”

While TD Garden might not be as frigid as Walter Brown Arena, the band made its meddle tested as the semifinal of the Beanpot progressed into double overtime as the Terriers continued to battle with Harvard.

The band passed the test with flying colors. They decided to stray from their perch atop one of the balcony sections and join the Terriers’ fan section, named the BU Dog Pound.

Immediately, the band burst into the BU fight song and the BU crowd went wild in support of their team.

“It was honestly one of the most touching times I have had as a band member, to feel that loved,” Buzzell wrote. “Everyone was charged and ready for a fight. It was the most pure definition of the reason we play.”

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