Recess
volume 14 issue 1 july1, 2011
(RE)DESIGN
o S t o N
Super 8 Recess reviews J.J. Abrams’ ambitious but disappointing take on the alien epic genre
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PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CHELSEA PIERONI
whistleblower
film confronts issues of global sex trafficking
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trkfest
local record label’s festival an occasion to celebrate
CENTER
bon iver
the folk-pop auteur’s latest album a classic
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theSANDBOX. Whether you’re an incoming freshman, looking forward to the beginning of “the best four years of your life” and wondering what it will hold—lots of pseudo-profound talks with people you won’t be friends with a year later, probably—or a rising senior like me, devoting day, night, arm and leg to a job search that is drawing ever nearer, summer is typically not a time for reflection. That’s what the end of the year, when sorority girls say their long teary goodbyes to people they barely know (so long as they’re not those former freshman year friends) is for. Which is why it’s even weirder that I’ve found myself revisiting some of my freshman year tendencies lately. Not all of them, of course (re: early friends/pseudo-profundity), just the musical ones. I’ve noticed two trends in particular this summer, the first of which has been a high number of untimely deaths at
summer music festivals. Since I didn’t go to summer music festivals, I have to admit that this doesn’t really matter to me. What’s more important is the slew of follow-up albums that many of my favorite bands from freshman year and just before are now putting out— which has led me to revisit the music of my past. So while many spend their summers looking forward, I’m still stuck looking back and trying to decide if, for me, anything will ever top the Antlers’ Hospice. Or if I still care anywhere near as much as I once did about Justin Vernon’s suddenly everywhere falsetto. Regardless, I’ve been reminded of how music can be not only transportive but also incredibly resilient. Just know that the music you listen to now, unlike a lot of the friends you made freshman year, may eventually come back to find you. —Chris Bassil
[recesseditors] what we’ve missed Ross Green....................................................................................... Hatter breakfast Maggie Love...................................................................................almost everything Brian Contratto................................................................quality time with J. Mascis Chris Bassil....................................................................... ........third floor of Wilson Michaela Dwyer...............................................................................................Potiche Josh Stillman......................................................................................the light of day Chelsea Pieroni...............................................................................Ross’s ineptitude Sanette Tanaka......................................................................contributing to Recess
[EDITOR’S NOTE]
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This was supposed to be a rant. r It was going to be a takedown of o what has become, in recent w weeks, my new favorite target: Grantland.com, G ESPN writer B Simmons’ much-hyped pet Bill p project. Simmons, who made his h name with his hyper-refe erential Sports Guy column, h assembled a sort of all-star had w writing team culled from print magazines, m blogs, The Times bestseller b list, etc. for an essaybased website that promised to b avoid a the rampant commercialism is and self-referencing story p packaging for which ESPN has become notorious. Grantland drew everyone’s ire at first because of how precious it seemed: Some mystical writer’s haven, where the focus was on writing and letting those fragile but brilliant writers, handpicked by the standard of Simmons’ own unimpeachable tastes, finally flourish in a forum that understood their highbrow ethos. It was the same sort of self-important, self-indulgent premise that made the Miami Heat the world’s most hated professional sports franchise. But it was worse, really, because the Grantland staff—pseudointellectuals like Chuck Klosterman, alongside amateur pop culture critics like Molly Lambert—were hardly the all-star team they purported to be. And when the site launched, it fulfilled those initial impressions to an extent that was almost comical. Like Simmons calling Carl’s Jr. and Jack in the Box “the Winklevoss twins of fast food,” just exactly the sort of absurdly meaningless pop-
July 1, 2011
culture reference he’s become known for, and even worse, doing it in a footnote, as though his notoriously rambling style couldn’t be interrupted for that sort of indispensable pithiness. But before this turns into a rant, I want to note some of the parallels to this nascent volume of Recess. Hopefully not in the writing style—The Chronicle, after all, is a newspaper of some repute. But, like Simmons in the days leading up to the site’s launch, I have assumed a measure of control over a publication with little idea of what to expect from it. If all goes as planned, this volume of Recess will stand up to the last volume, which was pretty stellar. We’ll expand our Playground blog and integrate it with the current Recess website, so that you’ll be able to see all our content in one place online. We’ll become a more active presence on Twitter, and we’d really appreciate a follow: @chroniclerecess. In this issue, read up on Durham record label Trekky Records’ annual summer festival in our centerspread. Take a look at our feature on the Nasher’s weekly summer entertainment, especially if you’re wanting for Thursday plans. Check out our takes on the summer’s biggest films and music releases, plus editor-in-chief Sanette Tanaka’s interview with contemporary dance choreographer Tao Ye. If things don’t go as planned, well, maybe I’ll start referencing Teen Wolf every couple hundred words and start referring to myself as the Picasso of the Pitchfork Album Review. In which case I’ll be hastily, and rightfully, banished to Grantland. —Ross Green
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SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Nasher patrons can enjoy Art Scrabble on the first Thursday of each summer month. The series, which features local cuisine and music, was designed to help visitors develop a more relaxed and fun relationship with art.
Nasher Nights promotes local artists, chefs by Caitlin Moyles THE CHRONICLE
Any Dukie longing for a cheap yet civilized way to spend a summer evening need look no further than the Nasher Museum of Art. There, students, faculty and local residents can enjoy free live entertainment and meals prepared by local guest chefs as part of “Summer Days, Nasher Nights,” hosted on Thursday evenings throughout the summer. Nasher Nights feature a new theme for each of its Thursday evening events: the first Thursday of each month features gallery talks and Art Scrabble; subsequent events Culinary Creative, Live and Local and Dinner and a Movie each explore intersections of food and art in distinct ways. At Culinary Creative, guest chefs such as Vin Rouge’s Matt Kelly and David Bernstein of Revolution prepare
art-inspired menus, while local musicians and a café menu featuring locally sourced ingredients converge for Live and Local. On Art Scrabble nights, held the first Thursday of each month, attendees apply their art knowledge to the classic board game after a gallery talk by a museum curator. Mellower gallery-goers may opt for the Dinner and a Movie night, which offers an optional two-course prix fixe menu followed by a movie in the lecture hall. “We take a relaxed approach to our art programming in the summer,” Kathy Wright, special events coordinator at the Nasher who spearheaded the program’s trial run last summer, wrote in an email. All four events are free, except for the price of food, and are rotated to provide a different themed evening each Thursday of the month.
Nasher Nights has developed into a more successful program since last year, Wright said, and in the process tapped into an expanding audience base. “We’ve consciously designed programs to appeal to a really diverse audience,” she said. The performers have ranged from acoustic guitarist Sarah Howell to the traditional British Isle folk music of the Pratie Heads. “It’s an opportunity to play with my friends in public,” said Darren Mueller, a graduate student in the music department whose jazz trio played June 30. “The Nasher has a beautiful stage, and it’s always nice to play in a place that supports the music and the arts in general.” According to Wright, the guest chefs have also played an important role in helping the Nasher connect to new audiences. Dilip Barman, president of the
Triangle Vegetarian Society, drew 95 people to the Culinary Creative event June 16. “Now his whole network of folks has been to the Nasher,” she said. Overall, Wright hopes that Nasher Nights will help people build a more relaxed relationship with art that extends beyond viewing the exhibits featured during the academic year. “Whether visitors are watching an artthemed film or simply enjoying great food and music while surrounded by great art and architecture, our goal with Nasher Nights is to encourage meaningful and ongoing connections with art,” she said. “Summer Days, Nasher Nights” are open to the public and run every Thursday through Aug. 25 at the Nasher Museum of Art. Dinner reservations are recommended.
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YACHT
SHANGRI-LA DFA
YACHT is an old moniker—one Jona Bechtolt has recorded under since 2002— but the project didn’t take off until 2009, when Bechtolt added vocalist Claire Evans and released See Mystery Lights. That album marked an important shift, away from Bechtolt’s old beat-centric laptop productions toward a more energetic and poppy sound. And while the duo had clearly caught on to something, especially with fuller tracks like “The Afterlife” and “Summer Song,” they hadn’t quite yet defined their nascent dancepunk style. So Shangri-La scans as something of a breakout for a band clearly primed for one. From the first burbling, filtered guitars of
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“Utopia,” Shangri-La has an impressive swagger about it. Evans’ grand, androgynous vocal works against a warm, rapid-fire bassline; the whole thing comes off a bit like focused, early-career Of Montreal. There’s plenty more to like. “One Step” and “Paradise Engineering” feature the album’s two knockout lyrics, delivered in Evans’ half-sung, half-spoken yelp. The second track, “Dystopia (The Earth Is on Fire),” rides a thick, “Dance Yrself Clean”-style synth and a bubblegum hook whose lyrics (“The earth is on fire/We don’t have no daughter/Let the motherf***er burn) belie its catchiness. Indeed, Bechtolt is a compulsive studio whiz in much the same vein as James Murphy, and Evans possesses a similar deadpan wit. The proliferation of cowbell and krautrockleaning synths, too, reinforce the LCD comparisons. SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
SEE YACHT ON PAGE 15
circuital MY MORNING JACKET ATO
You might think, after hearing Circuital’s first track, “Victory Dance,” that My Morning Jacket have returned to the moody psychedelia of their 2005 album Z. But the opener’s eerie, simmering crescendo is a red herring— the rest of Circuital is bright, luscious and exuberant. With Z, and later on 2008’s Evil Urges, Jim James and company broke away from their folk-rock roots and ventured into more eclectic territory, from freewheeling dirges to reggae-infused jam rock to Prince-style R&B. Their latest effort tones down the stylistic ambition a bit, but the result is far from underwhelming. On the contrary, Circuital rests at a happy medium between Z and At Dawn, a vibrant collection of country and folk imbued with ethereal splendor. James best sums up the album’s atmosphere with the song “Wonderful (The Way I Feel).” A simple acoustic ballad, the song captures the essence of the record with its charming, traditional folk sound and blissful lyrics. Indeed, a sense of ecstasy permeates every moment; tracks like “First Light” and “Circuital” burst with the sheer pleasure derived from making music. As with most My Morning Jacket releases, there is a certain element of nostalgia present on Circuital. “Slow Slow Tune,” “Movin’ Away” and “Outta My System” hearken back to the rock-and-roll innocence of the ’50s and ’60s, while “Holdin’ On to Black Metal” is a quirky tribute to the early ’90s genre. Their affection for the past produces tunes that are at once tender and rapturous. The common thread among the songs on Circuital is the joy of performance. The group’s delight is present in every soaring harmony, every shimmering guitar. This is the sound of a band thoroughly enjoying itself. —Josh Stillman
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Rees discusses Whistleblower, sex trafficking by Chris Bassil THE CHRONICLE
After a gala reception at Hanes Art Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last month, the local chapter of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom held an advance screening of The Whistleblower, a based-on-a-true-story film due out in August about a U.N. sex trafficking scandal in post-war Bosnia. At the reception before the film, guests and members of WILPF alike mingled with one another as well as with guest of honor Madeleine Rees, who is depicted in the film by Vanessa Redgrave. The former head of the Women’s Rights and Gender Unit for the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Rees worked closely during her time in Bosnia with Kathryn Bolkovac, an American police officer hired by DynCorp as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission there. Bolkovac, the woman who first brought the sex trafficking scandal to light and who serves as the film’s main character, is played by Rachel Weisz. The film, which Rees warned ahead of time would sully the high mood of the crowd following the reception, primarily follows Bolkovac, a Nebraskan investigator and recent divorcee, as she attempts a transition from local law enforcement to the perennially overcast world of U.N. peacekeeping in Bosnia in the 1990s. Based on the book written by Bolkovac herself, The Whistleblower eventually dives with her into a labyrinthine investigation of a dendritic and deep-seeded sex trafficking ring, the ranks of
which reach well into the peacekeeping coalition itself. As she struggles to save lives—two in particular but many in general—Bolkovac comes to the creeping and related realizations that she is as much fighting criminal lowlife as she is peers and superiors, and that everyone around her either already knows about the sex trafficking or doesn’t want to. Which is more or less where Rees comes in, both in the film as well as in real life. Though her influence on the events depicted in the film was vast, the screentime she is given seems limited. Rees, for her part, is unlikely to complain: Her concern lies far less with fanfare and self-promotion than it does with the promotion of awareness. The Whistleblower, despite its commercial status and summer release date, is a film that is primarily concerned with telling the stories of Bolkovac, Rees and sex trafficking in general to as many people as possible. In fact, it was this initiative, Rees said, that influenced the decision of the filmmakers, with whom she worked closely over the course of five years (even to the extent of providing them with a place to stay for weeks at a time), to shoot the film as a theatrical narrative rather than the type of documentary that would have been more typical of the subject matter. The widespread release and wellknown names attached to the film will hopefully help to draw large numbers of summer viewers, which will more than offset the negative effect of the lack in background information, as well as the frenetic pace it takes to try to cram its wide-ranging subject material into a short
runtime—which Rees readily admits as a problem. That is where The Whistleblower suffers: In its rush to include all of the details and particulars of the story it is trying to tell, it somewhat paradoxically risks passing them by. The details surrounding Bolkovac’s personal life—her divorce, the strained relations it produces with her daughter and the boyfriend with whom she shacks up within the first half hour of the film—are likely included as an attempt to humanize Bolkovac, but end up, in their hasty want of depth, doing the opposite. In conjunction with an extensive cast of nearly identical male characters, as well as a setting most likely unfamiliar to most American viewers, the marginal character development makes it difficult to identify with the issues Bolkovac faces personally within the film. The issues she and Rees shared institutionally, however, are something else entirely, as evidenced by the reaction of the WILPF crowd following the screening. A question-and-answer session with Rees and Donna Bickford, the director of the UNC Women’s Center, gave viewers the opportunity to vent their frustrations, and to discuss courses of action for dealing with sex trafficking in the future. The scope of the discussion was limited to neither global nor domestic sex trafficking, but rather concerned the ways in which the two often overlap. It may be fitting, then, that the British-born Rees and her experiences in Bosnia made their way all the way to Chapel Hill for the night: If the issue itself is one that crosses strange and varied borders of countries, states and nations, then it should come as no surprise that its awareness initiatives might do the same.
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Madeleine Rees, who spoke about sex trafficking at a screening of The Whistleblower at UNC’s Hanes Art Center, is portrayed in the film by Vanessa Redgrave; Rachel Weisz plays investigator Kathryn Bolkovac.
LOVE DANCE? PERFORMANCE & SOCIAL CHANGE DAN 154/THEATER STUDIES 154
Focus on Nature at Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Fridays 11:40 - 2:40 pm, Hull Studio
Interested in the arts, service learning, and environmental justice? Through movement-based theater exercises, readings, discussion, interactive performance and reflection, this Service Learning course uses Brazilian theater director Augusto Boal’s arsenal of theater techniques to support community partner organizations engaging in environmental justice work through performance, community organizing, and direct action.
Featuring... r 55 acres of specialized gardens, with miles of paths, trails and shaded benches r The Doris Duke Center and other elegant indoor and outdoor event spaces for rentals r Movies in the Gardens at Twilight (Aug.+Sept.) r Adult and children’s discovery programs r The Terrace Shop and Terrace Cafe r Volunteer opportunities r Memorial Garden r Fall Plant Sale Oct. 1 420 Anderson St., Duke West Campus, (919) 684-3698 gardens.duke.edu GBDFCPPL DPN EVLFHBSEFOT r UXJUUFS DPN %VLF(BSEFOT
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super 8
DIR. J.J. ABRAMS PARAMOUNT
Set in 1979, J.J. Abram’s Super 8 is filled with things that some audiences will never have heard of—Walter Cronkite, The Cars and the movie’s titular device, the Super 8 camera—but others will remember these relics of bygone days with great fondness and nostalgia. Along with all its ingredients of a summer blockbuster—heart-stopping action, endearing romance, an alien spaceship—Super 8 also takes time to reflect on a period in history when things were supposedly simpler.
At least that’s the impression that Abrams, who was coming of age at the time the movie is set, wants to give. His heroes are a pack of 12- and 13-year-olds (picture the goonies) who have embarked on a grand adventure together: the filming of a zombie movie to be entered in the town’s film festival. This cast of characters—the overbearing director, the crazy pyrotechnic, the self-conscious lead, the beautiful blonde and the courageous make-up artist—represents the film’s greatest triumph. They are a motley, if not nerdy, crew that is easy to like. Their lives are far from carefree. The movie opens on a somber note, with the death of the mother of make-up artist and eventual hero Joe Lamb. A silver locket given to Joe’s mother by his father on the day of his birth is a recurring symbol of her absence and the toll her death has taken on Joe. Joe’s best friend is a film buff and aspiring director. He has convinced a group of kids down at the school to join him in shooting a zombie movie, which he, as a regular Orson Welles, will write, produce and direct (he stops short of actually appearing in the film). For the film to be convincing, it has to be shot at night with no one around, so the gang elects to meet at the old rail station at midnight to film the scenes. One night, a train is derailed by a white pick-up truck and Joe and his friends are lucky to escape the wreckage alive. From there the movie trends toward the sort of high-drama summer blockbuster material you’ve glimpsed in previews: the army shows up, the town is evacuated, and a mysterious monster is reported to be lurking about. The film has its fair share of action and surprises, and there are a few touching moments scattered here and there. But it fails to live up to its grand aspirations. Abrams no doubt wished to rekindle the magic of some of his producer Steven Spielberg’s greatest cinematic creations, like Close Encounters of the Third Kind or E.T. But he falls short: Super 8 fails to inspire awe or amazement, lacking the magical sequences or transcendent finales of Spielberg’s alien epics. Super 8 might be better than most of the movies you will see during this otherwise lackluster summer, but it will still leave something to be desired. —Paul Horak
AUDITIONS DUKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Saturday, August 27 Information Meetings 2, 3, or 4 pm (you choose) Viola, Cello, Bass
Monday, August 29 6 - 9 pm
Wednesday, August 31 Horn, Trumpet 6 - 11 pm Trombone, Tuba
041 Biddle
Have you ever dreamed of living in Paris in the 1920s and fraternizing with expats and artists like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein? Gil Pender does in Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s new film about an amiable Hollywood scriptwriter (Owen Wilson) who tours the City of Lights with his soon-to-be in-laws and snarky, self-centered fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams). Unfortunately for Gil, Inez’s dictatorial trip-planning mandates overpriced restaurants over sidestreet cafés and hired cars over, heaven forbid, strolling in the rain. Despite Gil’s efforts to salvage the trip and get some inspiration for his novel, J, the pedantic ramblings of her know-it-all friend manage to spoil whatever Parisian charm there is left. That is, until Gil gets lost one night and, at the stroke of midnight, is picked up by an antique car full of party-goers. Much to Gil’s disbelief (and the viewer’s amusement), the car is a time-traveling portal to the time and place Gil has always dreamed of visiting—1920s Paris. There, he meets a SEE MIDNIGHT IN PARIS ON PAGE 15
Gothic Bookshop at Duke University
Get acquainted with the Gothic Bookshop, devoted to the fine art of browsing. We offer a wide range of titles covering all areas of interest, including titles directly related to the University as well as a comprehensive selection of titles by Duke faculty. 20% off Hardcovers • 10% off Paperbacks Excludes already discounted books and some special orders.
Visit the Gothic, a place defined by books.
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Special Orders Welcome. We offer academic departments and student organizations assistance in book support for special events.
The Duke Symphony Orchestra is open to all members of the Duke community. Our season features salutes to outstanding composers of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, including Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Mahler, Liszt, Debussy and others. Harry Davidson: 919-660-3324 hdavid@duke.edu
DIR. WOODY ALLEN GRAVIER PRODUCTIONS
084 Biddle 104 Biddle
Thursday, September 1 5 - 11 pm
midnight in paris
101 Biddle
Tuesday, August 30 Flute, Oboe 6 - 11 pm Clarinet, Bassoon
Violin
July 1, 2011
Gothic Bookshop Duke’s Independent Book Shop
684-3986 • Upper Level Bryan Center e-mail: gothic@duke.edu Photo: Shelley Rusincovitch
Mon-Wed 8:30am-7:00pm Thur-Fri 8:30am-8:00pm Sat 9:00am-6:00pm Student Flex and Major Credit Cards
www.gothicbookshop.com
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p! u n Sig eater
Department of Theater Studies
n! ading Th ch e p o e Re Still ST 101S.2 – oice and Spe
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Annual Open House
All undergraduates are invited to our open house, Monday, August 29, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Sheafer Theater, Bryan Center, West Campus. Meet the Theater Studies Faculty and the Duke Players Council and reconnect with friends. Information about courses, auditions, backstage opportunities, and other news will be available. FREE FOOD!
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Duke undergraduates can earn credit for participation in some Theater Studies’ productions and workshops as the lab component of academic coursework!
Duke University Department of Theater Studies On Stage 2011-2012 Season
Duke Players Orientation Show Learn more about Duke Players when we present a rollicking night of theater… The Real Inspector Hound By Tom Stoppard Hysteria ensues in this wild, farcical murder mystery! So whodunit? Come find out in Brody Theater! Brody Theater, Branson Building, East Campus August 26 at midnight & 27 at 11:30 pm September 2 & 3 at 8 pm* * free pre-show pizza on the Brody porch at 7 pm! Visit Duke Players at the Student Activities Fair…Duke Players is the student organization in the Department of Theater Studies. Its members support the Department’s productions by running auditions, working on production crews, promoting participation in theater by all Duke students, and representing the interests of students involved in Theater Studies. All undergraduates are eligible for membership.
Auditions for A Doll’s House and Ragtime Course credit for both productions (THEATRST 185) for work onstage or backstage! All Duke undergrads are invited to audition for the Theater Studies fall and spring mainstage plays, A Dolls’ House and Ragtime (the musical) on August 30-31 from 6-10 pm with callbacks on September 1, 6-10 pm and September 2, from 1-5 pm. Auditions will be held in the Bryan Center – Sheafer Theater for A Doll’s House and Reynolds Theater for Ragtime. Audition sign-up instructions will be at theaterstudies.duke.edu starting August 25.
Duke Players Orientation Show Duke Players Lab Theater Brody Theater, East Campus The Real Inspector Hound March 15-17 by Tom Stoppard Directed by Cameron McCallie (T’12) Brody Theater, East Campus August 26 at midnight & 27 at 11:30 pm September 2, 3 at 8 pm
The Mary Play from the N-Town Cycle
Brody Theater, East Campus October 27-29
A reading, translated from Middle English and directed by Mandy Lowell (T’12) (Sr. Distinction Project) East Duke 209, East Campus March 23-25
A Doll’s House
Ragtime
Duke Players Lab Theater
By Henrik Ibsen Directed by Ellen Hemphill, Theater Studies faculty Sheafer Theater, Bryan Center, West Campus November 10-20
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
Book by Terrence McNally Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens Music by Stephen Flaherty Directed by Jeff Storer, Theater Studies faculty Produced by Nathaniel Hill (T’12) (Sr. Distinction Project) Reynolds Theater, Bryan Center, West Campus April 5-15
Directed by Kim Solow (T’12) Featuring Kirsten Johanssen, Jennifer Blocker, Ted Caywood, Kyler Griffin (all T’12) (Sr. Distinction Project) Brody Theater, East Campus February 2-4
Check http://theaterstudies. duke.edu for times and/or changes and for exciting Theater Studies co-productions happening off campus!
Creditors By August Strindberg
If you are interested in working backstage on any of our productions listed, contact Kay Webb, Costume Shop Supervisor at kay.webb@duke.edu, or Doug Martelon, Theater Operations Manager, at douglas.martelon@duke.edu.
Directed by Ali Yalgin (T’12) (Sr. Distinction Project) Sheafer Theater, Bryan Center, West Campus February 23-25
Off Stage
Duke University Department of Theater Studies 0AGE s "OX s $URHAM .# )NFO http://theaterstudies.duke.edu
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Trekky Records’ TRKfest a local affair by Brian Contratto THE CHRONICLE
In “History Lesson Part II,” the Minutemen nailed down the punk ethos with their classic line: “Our band could be your life.” Now a decade since its formation, the founders of Trekky Records, Will Hackney and Martin Anderson, have pretty much realized this aspiration. The inception of TRKfest and Trekky’s origins sounds too good to be true, like an idealized fiction about what independent music ought to be. But the label’s flagship event, now in its fourth incarnation, is more a labor of love than extreme ambition—a tweaking of the maxim, keep your friends close, keep your friends involved in quality musical projects even closer. Hackney and Anderson started their label in middle school as a means of releasing their own bands’ music. Since the beginning, Trekky has centered on the music of local friends’ circles; the quality of their output now is serendipitous, benefitting from an above average talent pool of burgeoning young musicians who have fortunately stayed local. Some of the artists playing TRKfest, members of bands like Butterflies and Embarrassing Fruits, have played together since childhood and are now signed with and employed by the label. “Most of us have been really rooted in Chapel Hill, where a lot of our families live and stuff,” Anderson said. “It’s an evolving thing—a little bit of the old guard, but also people we meet along the way that resonate with us musically and personally. We’re open to new people to welcome to the family.” Longtime friends and Durham music staples Midtown Dickens formalized their relationship with Trekky, officially signing on just a month ago, although Hackney’s been
playing mandolin with the group much longer than that. “With local labels, people help each other out a whole lot before—or even if—they decide to become part of the roster,” said Kym Register of Midtown Dickens. Register and her band are preceding their TRKfest appearance with a West Coast tour where they will support the Mountain Goats, a well-known folk band signed to independent music giants Merge Records. The Mountain Goats leader, Durham resident John Darnielle, “is really bent on taking local bands that he likes with him [on tour],” Register said. In the same vein, TRKfest will feature bands outside Trekky’s official artist roster. Those familiar with Triangle music will recognize names like Bowerbirds, Hammer No More the Fingers and Mount Moriah. But for a music circle this close, official label sponsorship seems like a mere technicality; among TRKfest musical alumni are people Hackney’s gotten rides to school from and who Anderson has had as camp counselors. “They’re all about friendship and the community thing—more important than anything else,” Register said. “They do so much to help out, it makes it easy to want to volunteer and give something back.” The community values and friendships extend beyond the artists involved to the venue and vendors. TRKfest’s original venue, Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, will continue to host the event on its outdoor premises. In many ways this is the quintessential space for a summer festival. Trekky’s other flagship event, Christmas at the Cradle, is held at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, but Anderson and Hackney knew they wanted to host TRKfest in an unconventional space. “It’s such a cool place to go—you drive down this long windy road and all of a sudden it opens up and you’re in
rosebuds LOUD PLANES FLY LOW MERGE
therosebuds
When it comes to breaking up, the world of indie rock usually responds like the rest of us. Recall Marie de Salle in High Fidelity telling the lonely Rob Gordon, played by John Cusack, about dividing a sizable record collection with her ex after a break up. No tears—it’s the business of leaving old lovers, and soon Gordon and de Salle are having a post-coital cigarette. Apparently, no one told Kelly Crisp and Ivan Howard of Chapel Hill’s The Rosebuds about this script. The couple formed the band shortly after marrying; they are now divorced, and Loud Planes Fly Low is the first music they have released since the split. Understandably, one finds the band at the intersection of melancholy and cautious energy. Loud Planes is doubtless
the darkest work yet by a group known for its brand of joyous indie pop, but the work is no less compelling for it. Howard and Crisp alternate vocal duties on the record, symbolic of a musical cohesion that extends beyond the fracas of love in the real world. On “Limitless Arms,” Howard croons “And I feel illusion now/For the last time” as a gorgeous violin melody unwinds in the background. Crisp gets all Natalie Merchant on “Come Visit Me,” a rhythmic beauty with a rich palette of instrumentation chugging alongside her restrained voice. On “Without a Focus,” Howard sums up his new reality: “I don’t know how I am supposed to feel.” The record is no masterstroke, but The Rosebuds haven’t lost their touch either. New experiences await: The band will open for Bon Iver until August. The end-of-romance storyline will provide fodder for fans, sure—but the beautiful music will make arriving early to the show a necessity. —Jake Stanley
this weird little industrial hippie town. It’s a great spot at night—a perfect, unique location,” Anderson said. The connection to Piedmont, situated well outside the normal Triangle stomping grounds, was itself fortuitous. Starting in 2007, they began hosting shows and movie nights during the summer, and Trekky affiliates first got wind of the place after attending performances by Phosphorescent and Castanets in early 2007. Piedmont Biofuels employee Chris Jude has been active in outreach to local musicians and witnessed TRKfest since its beginning. He described the space as the perfect, non-corporate venue. “We have a strange mix of industry and nature here, so when we host a show, it’s like industrial plant, organic farm and tons of people dancing and listening to great music, it’s wild and very unique,” Jude wrote in an email. “We believe in a different way of being at Piedmont, so TRKfest is a great example of that.” Concerted efforts to keep TRKfest sustainable and local also include serving food and drink only in compostable or reusable containers. Participating vendors like Only Burger and Angela’s Kitchen will offer organic and local foods; Carolina Brewery’s food and beer will even be served by employees who also work for Trekky— “a lot of us have worked there forever in the food house,” Anderson said. Handmade art and goods from local artists will round out the mix of good conscience partnerships. Last year, around 850 people attended TRKfest, a free event that asks for donations to help support their internal label operations as well as Piedmont Biofuels. The consistency of these values and business model is almost uncanny, but it is not the result of any intentional buzzword branding. It is simpler than that—harnessing the wealth of local talent present in their friendships, and community comes easy to guys as young and well-liked as Hackney and Anderson. “Community and [TRKfest] goes beyond just a music scene,” Anderson said. “It’s pulling our world into one place for one summer day.”
TRKfest
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green lantern
July 1, 2011
DIR. MARTIN CAMPBELL WARNER BROTHERS
The satisfying summer movie-going experience may be ruined this year with Warner Brothers’ release of Green Lantern. The movie, based on the D.C. comic of the same name, stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan-—a bad boy, womanizing pilot whose father’s death in a plane crash both haunts him and provokes a serious identity crisis. However, Jordan’s comparatively trivial problems must soon take the backseat when a dying Green Lantern named Abin Sur chooses him to be the next protector of the earth. The origin of the Green Lanterns is largely left unexplained. The barebones backstory is just enough to catch a layman up to speed, and seems to open the door for future prequels (re: X-Men: First Class): there is one Green Lantern for every sector of the universe, and their power comes from the harnessed energy of willpower. At issue in the film is a monster who feeds on fear and is intent on annihilating whole planets, of which the task of saving falls to the Green Lanterns. The undercooked plot is also extremely slow to develop. The film’s first hour establishes Jordan as a lover more so than a fighter; we get a bland love interest in Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) and a spurned rival in Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), plus some stock relationship conflicts over Jordan’s immaturity and hardheadedness (fighter pilot stereotypes abound). Add a dysfunctional family, a shiny piece of empowering jewelry and a Green Lantern leader that initially abhors Jordan but comes to respect him, and one starts to wonder if the script hasn’t been recycled from previous movies. The time passes so quickly that director Martin Campbell is forced to squeeze the mostly foreseeable superhero finale into a small, though epic, window. The ending leaves much to be desired, and the movie’s heavy reliance on CGI effects blurs the line between comic SEE GREEN LANTERN ON PAGE 15
lady gaga BORN THIS WAY STREAMLINE
Lady Gaga’s recent notoriety revolves more around her garish outfits than the merits of her music; this we take for granted. But on her monumentally successful debut and follow-up EP, The Fame and The Fame Monster, pop culture’s freak queen proved that her music itself was worth the attention. The records produced a whopping seven hit singles, all of which demonstrated a keen ear for infectious, irreverent pop. Unfortunately, her new release, Born This Way, fails to live up to its precursors. Born This Way’s greatest flaw is a glaring lack of rhythmic variety. Each song melts into the next in a torrent of pounding drums and throbbing synths; it leaves the listener feeling abused and exhausted, the victim of an unrelenting, monotonous sonic assault. After more than an hour, the 4/4 bass hits, high-gloss production and rousing choruses have dissolved into little more than white noise. The Fame and The Fame
Monster mercifully punctuated their dance floor obsessions with show tunes, changes in tempo and syncopation; Born This Way attempts solely to cash in on the Euro-dance stylings that have enveloped Top 40 radio, and all but abandons anything to the contrary. Gaga has also streamlined her rhetoric—she has embraced her status as an LGBT icon and committed herself to championing self-love above all else. This would be fine in moderate doses, but its overuse becomes just as suffocating as the homogeneous production. She invokes the notion of individuality so often that when she sings, “Don’t be insecure/If your heart is pure” on “Bad Kids,” it sounds more like pandering than the admirable message it should be. While not a total flop—“Heavy Metal Lover” and “Electric Chapel” are endearing, hypnotic fusions of rock and techno—Born This Way lacks its predecessor’s sincerity and ingenuity. Her efforts this time around are less innovative, blindly following pop trends rather than defining them. So perhaps it’s best, for now, that Gaga directs attention toward her wardrobe instead of this sub-par release. —Josh Stillman
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AmericanDanceFestival2011 in Durham — Upcoming Performances June 30 - July 2: Pilobolus Durham Performing Arts Center 8 p.m. Known for its imaginative and athletic exploration of creative collaboration, Pilobolus celebrates its 40th anniversary with three world premieres and classic work. June 3 - July 6: Eiko & Koma Sarah P. Duke Gardens 9:15 p.m. Eiko and Koma met in 1971, and 40 years later are known internationally for their exquisitely meditative dances that resonate with strength and intensity. July 7 - July 9: Emanuel Gat Dance Durham Performing Arts Center 8 p.m. Set to an original score created by Gat himself, his “choreographic playground� investigates the human and mechanical forces that create what is seen onstage. July 10 - July 13: Doug Varone and Dancers Reynolds Industries Theater 8 p.m. Choreographer Doug Varone’s kinetically thrilling dance consists of 22 vignettes inspired by his collection of phrases, photos, quotes and overheard conversation. July 14 - July 16: Shen Wei Dance Arts Durham Performing Arts Center 8 p.m. Acclaimed for his synthesis of eastern and western art forms, Shen Wei infuses his riveting and timeless movement with use of new artistic mediums. July 17 - July 20: Past/Forward Reynolds Industries Theater 8 p.m. Past/Forward will feature works by Martha Clarke, Twyla Tharp and Bulareyaung Pagarlava, performed by ADF dancers. July 21 - July 23: Paul Taylor Dance Company Durham Performing Arts Center 8 p.m. Having premiered 17 works at the ADF, Paul Taylor will return again with a world premiere titled The Uncommitted and will present two other works. TED KNUDSEN/THE CHRONICLE
For ticketing information, visit www.americandancefestival.org.
Alice + Olivia
Joie
Citizens of Humanity
Saint Grace
Diane Von Furstenberg
Seven
Dolce Vita
Shoshanna
Ella Moss
Splendid
House of Harlow
Susana Monaco
J Brand
Theory
Bill T. Jones / Arnie Zane Dance Company performed June 16 to 18 at the Durham Performing Arts Center in downtown Durham.
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bon iver
BON IVER, BON IVER JAGJAGUWAR
Bon Iver, Bon Iver is a superficially beautiful album. It’s immediate, not so much in the way that good pop music is immediate—which has to do with pleasant confluence of rhythm and melody— as in the way that good paintings are immediate. The piano plink of “Wash.” and the guitar phrases that opens “Holocene” and the contrast of martial drums and Justin Vernon’s falsetto on “Perth”— individual textures, phrases, even lyrics here are arrestingly gorgeous. This sort of superficiality is a hallmark of much of what Vernon’s been doing recently—see “Woods” or side project Volcano Choir’s Unmap for evidence. But this
July 1, 2011
fascination with individual elements inevitably undermines an album’s ability to project a singular aesthetic; too many little pieces draw attention away from the larger concept. And in spite of Vernon’s focus on those little pieces, his claim to fame continues to be his much beloved 2007 debut For Emma, Forever Ago, an album that very much espoused a singular aesthetic. Bon Iver, Bon Iver does not. All this isn’t to say that the surface sheen somehow robs Vernon’s newest record of soul or emotional heft; it doesn’t. Indeed, Vernon’s voice itself is an incredibly evocative instrument. “Hinnom, TX” uses both his lower vocal registers and that ubiquitous falsetto; it’s a jarring contrast that nonetheless feels organic. The album’s two most concise, pop-leaning tracks, “Towers” and “CalSEE BON IVER ON PAGE 15
NASHER MUSEUM OF ART AT DUKE UNIVERSITY
death cab for cutie CODES AND KEYS INTERSCOPE
Fall Exhibitions Becoming: Photographs from the Wedge Collection August 11, 2011 - January 8, 2012
The Deconstructive Impulse: Women Artists Reconfigure the Signs of Power, 1973-1991 September 15 - December 31, 2011 www.nasher.duke.edu 919-684-5135
LEFT: Dawoud Bey, A Boy in front of the Lowes 125th Street Movie Theater, 1976. Carbon pigment print, 9.5x6.5 inches. Dr. Kenneth Montague/The Wedge Collection. © Dawoud Bey.
Duke Opera Workshop Info Meeting If you’ve enjoyed singing in choir, performing in musicals, or studying voice and are interested in performing opera or musical theater, please join us for an audition! We present arias, opera excerpts, show tunes, and/or fully staged operas. Our last production, “Saints & Sinners,” featured scenes from Don Giovanni, Faust and other operas.
Photos: Jianghai Ho
Wednesday, August 31 4:30-6:30 pm, 102 Biddle
Interested in voice lessons? We offer Beginner and Advanced Beginner classes as well as private lessons.
Auditions Tuesday, Aug. 30 10:30am- 12pm 019 Biddle Music Bldg.
1:30 - 3:30 pm
Wednesday, Aug. 31 1 - 3:30 pm 075 Biddle Music Bldg. Sign up for a time at 075 Biddle Music Bldg. Be prepared to sing scales & a piece of your choice. (Bring music for the provided accompanist.)
More info? Please email opera@duke.edu or visit www.music.duke.edu/performances
Establishing a consistently pleasing aesthetic treatment of your band’s sound is never easy, especially for LP number seven. Death Cab for Cutie has resolved to “mature” their sound—forlorn frontman and lyricist Ben Gibbard married Zooey Deschanel since their last album, after all— by expanding their use of electronic textures. This new direction is elucidated in the brighter thematic content of the lyrics, most clearly seen in “Stay Young, Go Dancing” and “Doors Unlocked and Open.” The romantic, emotionally wrought wordplay found in their songs (“We Looked Like Giants” and “We Laugh Indoors” come to mind) of previous albums is almost entirely eschewed. But in this process of maturation, Death Cab seems to have lost much of the intimacy and depth found in Plans and Transatlanticism that earned them a loyal legion of followers. “Some Boys” stands out as an example of the type of insipid sound that they need to avoid. Trite lines like “Some boys don’t listen at all/They don’t ask for permission/They lack inhibitions” feel more like examples of creative writing gone wrong (“show, don’t tell”) than poignant statements on love and its travails. This isn’t to say that Codes and Keys is devoid of any memorable or enjoyable songs, however. “Monday Morning” and “St. Peter’s Cathedral” are respites from Death Cab’s recent mediocrity. “Monday Morning,” in particular, showcases the producer Chris Walla’s aptitude for melding drums, pleasing keyboard strokes and fluttering guitar and bass riffs around Gibbard’s endearing tenor. It’s a step in the right direction: a song that retains the lyrical poignancy and rich instrumentals of their previous albums, and gives one hope that the band hasn’t completely stagnated creatively. This latter point is tricky: how reasonable is it to expect Death Cab for Cutie to advance past their early work without alienating some of their previous fan base? Honest engagement with the music demands open-mindedness, but when the evolution is this uninspired, something has to give before even their most devoted followers lose interest. —Derek Saffe
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July 1, 2011
TaoYe seeks‘a new direction’in modern dance by Sanette Tanaka THE CHRONICLE
Since its founding in 2008 by Tao Ye, TAO Dance quickly earned a reputation as China’s most promising up-andcoming modern dance troupe. The troupe made its U.S. debut at the American Dance Festival June 20-22 with its newest work, “2� (2011). Recess Recess’’ Sanette Tanaka sat down with Tao to discover what drives his creative, bold choreography. Translated by Alison Friedman, director and founder of Ping Pong Productions. The Chronicle: You previously danced with the Shanghai Army Song and Dance Ensemble, then Jin Xing Dance Theater in Shanghai and the Beijing Modern Dance Company. Why did you decide to found your own company in 2008? Tao Ye: From the very beginning—with the first company—I was trying to find my own path. But each time I was not satisfied, so I switched to a new company to try a new direction. After I felt I tried all my options, the only option left was to start my own company. Being a member of a company allows you to study and learn. But after you have studied and learned, you need to find your own way. In a country as large as China, we need more and more people to blaze their own unique paths, especially because modern dance belongs to the individual. TC: Have you ever felt pressure from the Chinese government to conform in a certain way?
TY: China is really interesting. It is a very big country, and you can easily find your freedom. There are a lot of ways to do things because [the government] does not have set ways of controlling things. But because of this freedom, it is easy to become lost and directionless. Because of the lack of any systematic structures for artists, you can have a lot of freedom but you also have no support structures, like foundations to support individual artists. And now the government is so focused on economic development, they put commercialism and art in one basket. Everything has become very commercialized. TC: Despite the lack of support, TAO became an incredibly prominent dance troupe in a short time. To what do you attribute this success? TY: First and foremost, we were not starting from zero. When we came together, we all had years of experience and background from having worked with different companies. Everyone was coming together and combining forces. It might seem sudden, but it is actually a very natural progression. The issue we are facing now is how to maintain that burst [of success] and keep it going. TC: In many ways, modern dance seems like an oxymoron when set in the context of traditional China. How do you reconcile China’s modern and traditional cultures through your choreography? TY: My understanding of modern dance is that modern is not about an era—it is about this moment right now. Dance is about the body in motion. Modern dance is using the body to think and experience in the moment. Because of this understanding, modern dance does not belong to a religion, race, culture—it belongs to that moment and the body that is experiencing it, the audiences watching it. This physical understating transcends the East and West, or traditional and modern. It is all open
source material to draw from. TC: Where do you draw inspiration for your choreography? TY: Inspiration comes all the time, but it comes quickly and goes quickly. What interests me now is more the choreographic process. When creating a work, you cannot rely on inspiration; you have to rely on craft and visual aesthetics to make an inspiration into a piece. Dance is not just about inspiration, it is about your life outlook and attitude. TC: You are premiering your U.S. debut at the ADF this summer with the premiere of your newest work, “2.� Can you tell me a bit more about the process of creating it and what the audience should expect? TY: ADF inviting us here was like a giant gift that we are so appreciative of, but at the same time, we do not want to get overly excited. This is a start, but we need to be focused on our long-term sustainability. This piece [“2�] is not about educating or telling an audience something— the performance is a point of communication with the audience. I hope the audience uses that time in the theater to let their imagination open up and explore utter freedom in the piece. I hope during the performance we [the dancers and the audience] can communicate in another sphere together.
Choreographer Tao Ye founded TAO Dance in 2008. The troupe performed in the United States for the first time at the American Dance Festival June 20.
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July 1, 2011
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BON IVER from page 12
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS from page 6
GREEN LANTERN from page 10
gary,” both induce their own uplift-tinged melancholy. In spite of Vernon’s claims that this is a happier, more colorful album than For Emma, it’s never upbeat or celebratory; instead, Bon Iver embodies a type of detached poignancy that feels intimate and distant at the same time. In contrast with its predecessor, though, Bon Iver is something of a blank slate. For Emma arrived wearing its oft-rehashed narrative on its sleeve and lent itself to a particular interpretation: This, we knew, was an album about love lost, a story of pain and catharsis. Even if Vernon’s lyrics weren’t telling that story themselves, we knew (or thought we knew) how to read those lyrics, how “I’ll be holding all the tickets/And you’ll be owning all the fines” related to his sense of emptiness. Vernon is still a willfully difficult lyricist, but there’s less to grab on to on Bon Iver, less context for his almost indecipherable diction. When he sings “Melic in the naked/Knew a lake/And drew the lofts for page,” on “Michicant,” there’s not much to be taken, literally or figuratively, beyond pleasant consonance. As a songwriter, this is Vernon’s most frustrating and unusual flaw: His lyrics, however pretty they sound, are merely accomodating these songs, never elucidating or enhancing them. It’s an odd tack, especially for Vernon, someone with no interest in irony and no lack of self-confidence. Just listen to closer “Beth/Rest”—this dude is completely at peace with himself, musically. Why he writes lyrics so obtuse that they require the backstory of For Emma to take on an identifiable meaning, then, remains a mystery. Vernon may never escape the shadow of that seminal masterpiece, a victim of his own unfortunately compelling origin tale: of a beaten-down man alone in a cabin channeling some honest-to-God bad times into melancholic triumph, and the consequent triumphal trappings (re: smoking Hawaiian herb with Rick Ross, etc.). But Bon Iver, Bon Iver is worth celebrating for its own sake, for its multitude of undeniably powerful moments that exist without context or concrete meaning. —Ross Green
slough of celebrated figures, including the Fitzgeralds, Hemingway, Cole Porter, Picasso, Salvador Dali and most importantly, Gertrude Stein. At various encounters at Gertrude’s open-all-hours salon, she encourages Gil to express his longing to live in a more “golden” era in his novel and after reading his semi-autobiographical manuscript, helps him to see that Inez (back in the 21st century) has been cheating on him with the pedantic friend all along. She also introduces Gil to the dazzling Adriana (Marion Cotillard). Clearly, Midnight in Paris is a treasure trove of celebrated figures, but it isn’t just for art history junkies. The plot reads like a bedtime story for adults, particularly in its moments of comically understated time travel and at its endearingly predictable moral climax, where Gil confronts his illusion that life would be better in a different time period. And, for Woody Allen fans, his classic screenplay is a perfect blend of dry humor and exaggeration. Allen paints a broad-brush caricature of wealthy, Southern California and Republican families, and all in good fun—anyone who has ever toured Paris the “wrong” way will certainly get a kick out of his jibes. A refreshing mix of wit and sentimentality, substance and froth, Midnight in Paris is a real crowdpleaser. Not to mention an indulgence for those of us who would jump ship to gallivant in a foreign city in a heartbeat. —Caitlin Moyles
book adaptation and futuristic fanfare without creating anything visually stimulating. Even more bizarre, despite the proliferation of computer graphics, the film’s aliens bear an odd resemblance to those from films of past decades. This isn’t the first time clichés wrapped in CGI have been passed off as summer blockbusters, and it won’t be the last. But don’t expect much more than that from Green Lantern. —Ariel Smallwood
YACHT from page 4 Shangri-La concludes with its title track’s refrain, “If I can’t go to heaven, let me go to L.A./Shangri-la la la.” It’s a fittingly devil-may-care sentiment for a group that has found, after no small wait, a signature sound and the confidence to back it up. On the heels of LCD’s retirement and this undeniable disc, the whole one-doorcloses maxim may have a shred of truth to it. —Ross Green
Look for it on 9th Street and in Chick-Fil-A on campus! Menu Sampling Old School Veggie Burrito Regular Chicken Burrito Cheese Quesadilla Chicken Quesadilla Veggie Nachos Chips & Salsa
Answer: $2.86 $5.65 $1.41 $3.59 $4.12 $2.06
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July 1, 2011
GORAN BREGOVIC & HIS WEDDING & FUNERAL ORCHESTRA SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16 8PM PAGE AUDITORIUM
CHRIS THILE MANDOLIN
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13 8PM CAROLINA THEATRE OF DURHAM (309 WEST MORGAANN ST.)
ANDRÉ WATTS
PIANO FRANZ LISZT
SATURDAY, DECE CEMBER 3 8PM PAGE AUDITORIUM
SHAKESPEARE’S CYMBELIN INE
FIASCO THEATER
THURSDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAY JANUARY 26, 27 & 28 8PM REYNOLDS INDUSTRIES THEATER
SEUN KUTI & EGYPT 80 THURSDAY, APRIL 5 8PM PAGE AUDITORIUM
CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS + LUMINE ES SCENT ORCHESTRII
FFRRIDAY, DECEMBER 2 8PM PAGE AUDITORIUM
TWO-NIGHT STAND
BRS RANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET
FRIDAY & SATURDAY JANUARY 13 & 14 88PM PM REYNOLDS INDUSTRIES THEATER
FLAMENCO VIVO
CARLOTA SANTANA
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11 8PM PAGE AUDITORIUM
ANOUSHKA SHANKAR
FLAMENCO JOURNEY SATURDAY, APRIL 14 8PM PAGE AUDITORIUM
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