WEDNESDAY | 2.15.2017 | MACEANDCROWN.COM | Vol. 60, Issue 17
LOCAL MUSIC SCENE
DEAR ADAMUS ROCKS SHAKAS LIVE
Visa Session
Lindsey Lanham Assistant A&E Editor
T.J. Thompson Staff Writer
When it comes to the local area music scene, bands are the base of art culture. They play at tiny clubs for $10 a ticket to a crowd of no more than 100 people–and they thrive off of it. “Shakas, put your f---ing hands up!” Raytheon Dunn, lead singer of Dear Adamus, shouted at Shaka's Live on Feb. 4. The 45-minute-long set was solely originals that the band has released over the years. In an interview before the show, the band sat around and talked touring, what they’re currently listening to and music. “Of course!” Dunn said when asked if the band plans on releasing a fulllength album anytime soon. “We were going to put out a fulllength this year, or actually 2016, with some of the songs on ‘Afterlight.’ Then we thought, ‘the smart thing to do would be to take the good songs,
the more organized songs, the ones that we actually like more and put that into a record.’” The “Afterlight” EP, released last February, is just a teaser of what Dear Adamus can achieve with their music. Dear Adamus opened their set Saturday with “Somber Face,” which features both Dunn and additional vocalist Chris Wilkins. It’s easily the most complex song from the EP, telling a story of the harsh reality of a relationship. Dunn formed the band in 2011. In 2012, Wilkins (guitar, vocals and keyboard) and Severin Dí Croce (percussion) joined as permanent members. Just in the past year, two additional members joined the group. Jon Callahan (lead guitar) joined in April after the band played a set at Shaggfest. Chelsea Elliot (bass guitar) joined last October when the group performed with Emarosa. Dear Adamus began with a dream.
Photo by Lindsay Prekker “It’s kind of like an enigma of a person that’s the good and bad in all of us,” Dunn explained when asked what Adamus was. “It kind of came from a dream that I had.” Dear Adamus’ music is heavily influenced by bands such as Circa Survive and From Indian Lakes. The group even saw Circa Survive when they performed at The NorVa on Jan. 26. “I fangirled,” Dunn admitted when he said he met the band. “I feel like
they changed me as a person.” Dunn also mentioned that he’s been listening to a lot of Local Natives and Young the Giant lately. He explained that he likes the dynamic of Local Natives and how he hopes that Dear Adamus can achieve some of that. “And Young the Giant – they just write some really good s---,” Dunn laughed. see ADAMUS, page B3
'For Honor' Ross Reelachart Technology Editor
For Sure
The world of Ubisoft’s upcoming medieval multiplayer hack-and-slashem-up “For Honor” is one where knights, Vikings and samurai wage war forever in a clash swords, shields and axes. The beta for “For Honor” was opened to the public in preparation for its release, and I got a chance to try it out. The flurry of blades and battle cries was quick and tactical, but was also slightly marred by questionable mechanical choices and Ubisoft’s familiar annoying design decisions. Please note: Experience in a game's beta aren't necessarily representative of the final release product. But considering that the beta is occurring immediately before release, it's plausibly safe to assume that most of the game
is final. While the beta was strictly a multiplayer-only affair, an opening cinematic gave a glimpse of the setting of “For Honor,” which would presumably also give context to asof-yet unseen singleplayer campaign. From what could be gathered, some kind of apocalyptic event literally tore the world apart such that the distance native lands of knights, Vikings and samurai were smashed together. Now that these medieval factions are within walking distance of each other, they fight forever because of the machinations of some mysterious warlord named Apollyon. It seems silly to have an actual explanation why these three factions are fighting each other, but it does give some amount of flimsy context for the game.
But no matter what the reason, there’s a certain amount of adolescent fun to be had in having some of history’s most romanticized warriors going head-to-head on the battlefield. Clashing blades and shields is the meat of “For Honor,” and it boasts a surprisingly in-depth battle system that’s equal parts twitch reflexes and quick tactics. In one-on-one duels, both warriors determine the direction of their guards and their attacks while maneuvering around their opponent. A swing from the right will be blocked by a right-facing guard and so forth. This element of prediction and anticipation shows that “For Honor” shares some of its mechanical DNA with traditional fighting games. The direction of an attack needs to be carefully
watched, and the tells for a light or heavy attack need to be memorized. Combined with blocks, grabs, parries and unique attack sets for each warrior, “For Honor” has found a way to demonstrate the realistically methodical nature of deadly combat. However, there is at least one mechanic that’s quite worrisome and dilutes the strength of the rest of the game. Since “For Honor” is often team-based, it’s not uncommon to be ganged-up on by multiple enemy players, and the normal battle system cannot target more than one enemy. To compensate, “For Honor” has a ‘revenge’ meter that builds up and then can activated for a brief health and attack buff. see FOR HONOR, page D1
Based upon the recent presidential executive order titled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States," the Office of Visa and Immigration Service Advising hosted a video-conference with two Richmond-based immigration lawyers on Feb. 7. This executive order has been litigated through the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where a three-judge panel upheld the lower courts’ rulings. The current status as of Saturday is the restraining order issued against the ban from the lower courts is still in effect. This means the ban is unenforceable unless it is litigated further or redrafted. Attendees filled up the viewing gallery in the Strome Entrepreneurial Center while lawyers David Gluckman and Jonathan Moore from McCandish Holton Morris Law Firm in Richmond joined the audience through a video conference feed. Other universities from across Virginia were also able to view and listen to the session. The main issue discussed in the session was about how students and faculty would be affected by the order. The debate centered on the banning of citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. 52 students and one faculty member were affected by the ban, according to an article from the Virginian-Pilot. The discussion began with the definition and scope of an executive order. Gluckman and Moore stated that an executive order gives direction on how to execute laws which have already been passed by Congress. They also stated that these orders are not able to force anyone to commit an unlawful act and must be carried out within the boundaries of the law A better understanding of an executive order was the perfect starting point. The air felt lighter in the room once attendees realized that this is all part of the checks and balances of the different branches of the federal government. Once this definition was established, Gluckman and Moore discussed more detailed aspects of the recent immigration order. . see STROME, page A4