Issue 203 // August 24, 2011
Zeigfest Exclusive: Josh Abbott Band
Randy Rogers is headed back to the Brazos Valley
What’s Playing? Top 20 movie reviews
12
4
20
9
Publisher Mick Maynard Business Manager Andrea Maynard
contents
Editor in Chief Chris Shepperd MANAGING EDITOR Chris Zebo
maroonweekly.com // Aug. 24, 2011
4 9 12 20 31 31
Design/Layout Erin McAllister Erin Tanner
livemusic
Josh Abbott Band // Zeigfest exclusive interview. Josh reveals some secrets to MW.
writers
Autumn Dawson Josh Howell Mara Minsberg Brandon Nowalk Ian Sores Joey Trevino
coverstory
Randy Rogers Band // Zeigfest exclusive interview. Randy talks music, touring and Aggieland.
PHOTOGRAPHER Valerie Clark
onthecheap
Design Tips // Learn how to add some style to your abode without going broke.
DISTRIBUTION Kyler Dillon Becca Nelms Erin Tanner
@themovies
INTERNS Britney Holley Moses Kidd Erin McAllister Meredith Morse Erin Tanner
Captain America // Our movie critic gives you the inside scoop on the latest comic to hit the screen.
@themovies
The Help // Is this book turned movie really as good as everyone says it is? Find out.
chuckles By Chris Weachock
Maroon Weekly is an independent, student-operated publication and is not affiliated with Texas A&M University. Maroon Weekly receives no student fees or university funding. Opinions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the editor, publisher or the newspaper staff. Maroon Weekly is not liable for omissions, misprints to typographical errors. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express consent of the publisher. 1st copy is FREE, additional copies are $0.50 each Maroon Weekly 216 W. 26th Street ste 29 Bryan, Texas 77803 ph: 979.696.3971 | fax: 281.312.5160 Š Copyright 2011 Legacy Media Inc.
www.maroonweekly.com August 24, 2011 maroon weekly // 3
livemusic
Zeigfest Exclusive Interview // Josh Abbott Band
I
By Chris Zebo
nterviewing a performer like Josh Abbott is a real treat for a reporter. Not just because he’s easy to talk to--because he’s an open book--but also because he really knows himself. It’s not often, in this business, to interview a music star and get solid, articulate, expressive answers out of them that aren’t selfcongratulatory and desultory. Abbott is a communications specialist, which we found out during this interview is quite literally true. In addition to being one of Texas country’s newest and biggest stars, he was once a student of graduatelevel communications science and political science—a background he credits with shaping his music career. In fact, we found out some interesting things that might surprise a lot of fans and also open up new doors to understanding one of Texas country’s most transparent-yet-enigmatic stars. MW: Some reviewers have called She’s Like Texas your breakout
// Josh Abbott Band when where tickets
Saturday Sept. 10 Wolf Pen Creek 1013 Colgate $20
album, the album that followed Scapegoat in 2008. What would you say are the differences between those two albums? What makes She’s Like Texas a “breakout album,” if you even agree with that? Abbott: I mean, you can just look at the writing on both of those albums. I wrote or co-wrote all the songs on those albums, and I try to write from a very personal point of view. When I wrote the Scapegoat album, I think I was finishing my senior year in college and beginning my first year in grad school. So, when you’re that age and you’re going through relationship problems, trying to figure
4 // maroon weekly August 24, 2011 www.maroonweekly.com
out what the hell you want, it causes you to write more darker songs. Like, you know, “I’m pissed at you” and “I hate you” and “Thanks a lot for breaking my heart.” And of course, you write songs like, “Hey, let’s try dating” and “I miss you.” The whole album has a kind of darker rhetoric about it. So I wanted to match [those feelings] musically. I wanted to have all these really deep metaphors and personifications that flow in and out of the album. Then we went to record She’s Like Texas and immediately it’s gonna be a better record because we chose a better studio, which costs more money. And at the time we recorded Scapegoat, it was a typical band thing: We had X amount of dollars and we had to get the most bang for the buck. And we were based in Lubbock, so we just chose the best studio in Lubbock and went with it. When I was writing She’s Like Texas, I was writing more because I’d been
dating this girl on and off for about two and a half years. So there were several songs on there that were like, “Hey, give me one more chance, I love you”--the whole album really had this positive, upbeat, love and Texas feel. And so I didn’t want to put dark music with that, you know, minor chords and all sorts of heavy stuff. So we made the whole album really upbeat and fun to listen to, and I think that’s why it related to the listeners better. So it’s one of those albums that you can put on at the light and not have to change a song. MW: So you’re basically saying it was inspired by a positive relationship you were having with a girl at the time. Abbott: Yeah. And I ended up marrying her. MW: Wow! Abbott: Yeah. It’s called She’s Like Texas not only because I wrote the
song “She’s Like Texas” about her but I felt like those words encompassed the album. Every song was either about Texas or her. Even the very last song at the very end—which I think is the best song I’ve ever written—is a true story of her grandfather, and how he served in the war against Korea, met his wife, and how he was dying. Even though that was a little different than the rest of the album, it was about her grandad. So I felt like She’s Like Texas was not only a group of songs, but it represented the album. I ended up marrying that girl and we’ve been married for about 9 months now. I see the next album really being a sequel to She’s Like Texas. It’s gonna have a strong Texas geography presence. There’s gonna be a lot of songs that are gonna be spatial, in the sense that they describe place and times and people. And of course, there’s gonna be the love songs that I get to write now. MW: From that album, coming out in the future, is your current single, “My Texas,” going to be on that album? Abbott: Yeah, “My Texas” is the song that they hurried and got out of the recording studio. We’re probably going to release another single in mid October. It’s gonna be a love song; it’ll be the sequel to “Taste.” “Taste” was kind of our debut, breakout song from our very first EP back in the day, even before the Scapegoat album. And that song, “Taste,” just really, like...broke us, and made us a band that people would go pay money to go watch. On this new album, I’ve written the sequel to “Taste” and it’s called “Touch.” I wrote it with Radney
Foster and another guy named Jay Clementi, who co-wrote about three or four songs on my She’s Like Texas album. We’ll combine those two songs [“My Texas” and “Touch”] with about probably 13 others and release a full album in February 2012.
wasn’t the “right one.” I broke up with her and she started blaming me for all of these things. So that’s where I came up with Scapegoat. I said, “I’ll be your scapegoat. That’s what you need. You can blame me for everything. But, really, you can kiss my ass.”
MW: How far are you into the writing process of the new album?
And a lot of that album, if you go and listen to songs like “Distant” and “I Guess It’s Time” and “Here I Stand,”-the music behind those songs is kinda weak.
Abbott: We’ve already recorded about 9 or 10 tunes. So, we’re only lacking a couple more songs. MW: You said you were in grad school at about the time you wrote the songs for Scapegoat. What were you studying in school? Abbott: It’s very related to the Scapegoat idea. I studied communications and political science. When I got to grad school, I chose communications, and I wrote several political papers. I was very interested in rhetoric and different types of rhetorical theories, and dialogue, and things like that. So when I wrote Scapegoat, I wrote that after reading a chapter in a book by Kenneth Burke. He was just a genius for his time. I was reading one of his books— which, by the way, I wouldn’t encourage anyone to try. About as complex as a read as I’ve ever tried. He had an entire chapter devoted toward the idea of scapegoats. He talks about the Jews in WWII, which was probably really relevant at the time he wrote his book. And he also talks about different scapegoats in history, the idea behind it, some theories on what it means. At the time, I was going through this relationship with this girl. She just
The studio we chose was not that great of a studio. But the writing I think is very solid. It’s really metaphorical, some analogies in there, and lots of personification. So I think Scapegoat was really kind of a communications kind of a record. MW: I’ve read reviews where critics have written about the “literariness” of that album. And that has kind of set you apart from a lot of other Texas country acts because it sounds like it came out of a Wordsworth seminar in grad school. Abbott: Yeah, for sure. And you know, then we go and follow that album up with a typical Texas country album and it’s really confusing for our fans. I’ve always thought about re-recording that album, now that we have a little more capital. I just feel like there were so many people that dogged on the record because it didn’t sound good, because it wasn’t mixed right, or because they didn’t like the snare. I agree. Looking back on it, we barely had a band for a year and a half when we made that album. I mean, no one hits a home run on the first one. But I always thought that the writing was there, so I’ve always thought about re-recording that album.
MW: I have to admit, Josh, When I began this interview, I didn’t expect to find out you studied rhetoric and philosophy at the graduate level. (laughing) But it all kind of makes sense now. Abbott: It’s a little different. You know, most musicians don’t have graduate school training, or have written parts of a thesis, and all sorts of papers. I don’t think it makes me any more intelligent than anyone else, it just makes me more educated. And you know, I use the communications skills I learned in undergraduate and graduate school all the time. There are so many different nonverbal gestures and types of communication that I can use when I’m visiting with fans. Trying to find something to connect with them on, trying to retain eye contact for the perfect amount of time—to where it’s not too shallow but not too creepy. You give them that extra pat on the back, ‘cause communication theory tells us that if you touch someone on the shoulder that immediacy levels will go up and they’ll fee more comfortable with you if it’s done the right way. I feel like that really communicates the fact that we value our fans. MW: I think your fans in College Station really appreciate you, too. Abbott: I’ll tell you, A&M has treated me about as well as anybody. I truly love playing down in College Station. I think that the Aggies down there are true Texas country fans and it’s always a real treat to get to play for them.
www.maroonweekly.com August 24, 2011 maroon weekly // 5
livemusic Triple Digit Soiree Hits Downtown Bryan
J
By Chris Zebo
// Red Beard Promotions
ust in time for the fall when 9 pm, Aug 26 semester, Red Beard where Revolution Café Promotions (Austin) has lined and Bar up an event at Revolution Cafe and Bar in Downtown tickets $4 21+ // $5 under 21 Bryan to welcome back students. Three bands--The Live Lights (Houston), The Young Maths (McAllen), Cardinal Cool and the Nuns of Justice (Austin)--and a special guest DJ--Dungeons and DJs (Austin)--will showcase a full night of new sounds followed by dancing under the stars. In addition to the music lineup, numerous other vendors are participating, including Northgate Vintage (showing their new summer line), free cookies from Potbelly’s to the first 100 people through door, and a fun photo booth brought to you by Shannon Lynn Grant (Austin,TX).
REGGAE POO L PARTY Check out
Saturday, September 10th, 3 - 5 p m “Luther” to 47464 for information* *standard text messaging rates apply
6 // maroon weekly August 24, 2011 www.maroonweekly.com
866.973.5389 thedistrictonluther.com
Fr e
for more details!
Mu e B s i c B Q, by ga Th m e es Je & re p m riz ia e hs s
Facebook.com/ DistrictOnLuther
ontheshelf Critic’s Pick // Top 10 books of 2011 (so far) By Autumn Dawson
Every once in a while there’s a story that just takes over your life until you’ve finished the book. When such a wonderful thing happens, you snatch any second you have to read a chapter, a page, a sentence. THIS is that book. 1 Love You More: A Novel by Lisa Gardner Garner’s latest novel stands out in the crowded field of thrillers. It will leave you guessing—and then guessing again when you realize nothing is as it should be—till the last page.
6 In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson If you want to know why an intelligent people like the Germans chose to back a leader like Hitler and follow him into World War II, the answers are found within in the decades prior to the atrocities of the 1940s.
2 Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning In this rich, emotionally charged tale, Moning has managed what most had thought impossible: leaving an enthralled fan base happy and content with the final installment of the Fever Series. A rare feat in any seriesconcluding novel. Bravo Moning!
7 Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schulz Very rarely do you get the chance to go inside a company to see how it deals with internal and external change, but that’s precisely what Howard Schulz gives us. He talks about leading a company with heart, rather than just by spreadsheets and data; about finding a delicate balance that allows you to excel in a burst of creativity tempered with wisdom.
3 Spellweaver: A Novel of the Nine Kingdoms By Lynn Kurland The fifth installment in Kurland’s Nine Kingdoms is a satisfying breath of fresh air for anyone needing an escape from formulaic novels. A beautiful story of love, and the lengths we go to fight for it.
8 The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough McCullough has a knack for taking us to peoples and places that have escaped the popular limelight, and bringing his subject matter to life. To read this book is to walk the street of Paris 150 years ago.
4 The Source of All Things: A Memoir by Tracy Ross This is the true story of survival, and forgiveness of the ultimate betrayal.
9 Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay This masterpiece is a true eye-opening experience. It will take you through the atrocities endured by the French Jews, through the eyes of a most unusual source.
5 Townie: A Memoir by Andre Dubus III Dubus is a master of words. Anyone with a past, especially a tumultuous one, will find a piece of their own story in this book.
10 Where She Went by Gayle Forman To anyone who thought there couldn’t be more to come from the painful read of If I Stay, this latest installment proved them utterly wrong. Told through the eyes of Adam, we experience a tale that runs the emotional gauntlet without fault.
Music Chart 1 // Kevin Fowler Hell Yeah, I Like Beer 2 // Casey Donahew Band Breaks My Heart 3 // Stoney LaRue Velvet 4 // Turnpike Troubadours Long Hot Summer Days 5 // Eli Young Band Crazy Girl 6 // Jason Cassidy Honky Tonk Heaven 7 // Josh Abbott Band ft Pat Green My Texas 8 // Granger Smith Sleeping On the Interstate 9 // JB and the Moonshine Band Whiskey Days 10 // Brandon Rhyder In the Country 11 // Mark McKinney The River Song 12 // Cody Canada & the Departed Ballad of Rosalie 13 // Adam Hood Flame and Gasoline 14 // Deryl Dodd Baby, Where’s My Bottle 15 // Brandon Jenkins Too Big to Fail 16 // Kyle Bennett Here in This Town 17 // Clint Martin I Love Being Me 18 // Robert Earl Keen I Gotta Go 19 // Reckless Kelly Good Luck and True Love 20 // Brian Keane 90 Miles An Hour 21 // Max Stalling 6 x 9 Speakers 22 // Phil Hamilton You Can Have Me 23 // Jon Wolfe That Girl in Texas 24 // Johnny Cooper Hot Mess 25 // William Clark Green Tonight
livemusic
I
Zeigfest Exclusive Interview // Randy Rogers Band By Chris Zebo
// Randy Rogers Band when where tickets
Saturday Sept. 10 Wolf Pen Creek 1013 Colgate $20
n the past ten years, Randy Rogers Band has become a pillar of the Texas country scene. Regarded as one of the top country acts in Texas, Rogers and his band have worked hard to spread the “Texas sound” and to legitimize the genre around the nation. In the past decade, while Nashville was getting pretty, Texas was getting gritty--going back to the red dirt roots and regionalism of Texas country history. Although Rogers built a sturdy bridge between Nashville and Texas, the band’s music still retains the legacy of down-to-earth musicianship that has characterized Texas country for generations. www.maroonweekly.com August 24, 2011 maroon weekly // 9
livemusic
We talked with Randy about his upcoming tours with Reckless Kelly and Miranda Lambert, about his experiences on Leno and Conan in the past year, about a new album to be released this spring, and how Randy finds time to write new music while he’s touring 80 percent of the year. MW: The last time we talked, you were celebrating the band’s 10-year anniversary.
We’re going out on the road with Miranda Lambert, opening for her all fall. And, hopefully, they’ll work me a single by then. MW: So you’re going on a little tour with her? Rogers: It’s like 17 or 18 shows.
Rogers: Yeah, that’s right!
MW: I saw that you had some tour dates in California. Is that with her or part of something else? What’s taking you out there?
MW: What has been in the works since then? Have you been working on any new singles, albums, or any collaborations?
Rogers: That’s with Reckless Kelly and Micky and the Motorcars. It’s called the Livers of Steel Tour (laughing).
Rogers: Yeah, we’re working right now. We’ve turned in three new singles to our label, so we’ll find out if we get one. We’ve recorded them. It’s still kinda up in the air.
MW: How did the annual Hold My Beer Tour [a short acoustic, duo tour with friend and country star Wade Bowen] go this summer? Rogers: Yeah, it’s done. It’s the
10 // maroon weekly August 24, 2011 www.maroonweekly.com
most successful year we’ve ever had. Thanks to everybody who came out. We had a blast. We played new songs and old songs and brand new songs and it was a good ole time--Wade Bowen is a good ole boy.
a release date in late spring.
MW: I was talking to Wade last week and he had a lot of positive things to say about it, too. Are you planning on doing it again next summer?
Rogers: Well I think we got better at it. Of course, the more you do it the more comfortable you get. With Conan, I felt like we were all relaxed. They have like a green room, and inside the green room they have a bunch of guitars and amplifiers. You have your own little intern that will go out into the city and get you whatever you want. They [Conan’s staff] encourage you to play music all day.
Rogers: Yeah. We’ll do it every year. It’s turning into a good thing. We have a blast, play golf, play music. MW: Do you have a new album in the works? And if so, when will it be released? Rogers: Yes. We’ll probably take some time off in December and January to record and to make the new record. And then, you know--depending on the record label, anything can happen. We’ll turn it in and hopefully we’ll get
MW: You did Leno and Conan this year. What’s the experience like for you guys, going to the big cities and doing the big broadcasts like that?
MW: What was Leno like? More streamline? Rogers: Oh, not at all. Leno actually comes by and visits with you before-he was the only one that did that. It’s a little more old school.
livemusic MW: Do you get a lot of exposure from those broadcasts? Do you notice a lot of new interest in your music after you play TV, in iTunes sales, etc.? Rogers: Yeah. Absolutely. We purchased some Facebook ads, during the Leno and Conan shows, and it’s pretty incredible to watch how much traffic you get on the web. Of course you have a spike in sales, but not much. It’s more or less an awareness to your band. MW: Anything in particular you’re looking forward to in the fall? Rogers: Continuing to write songs and to make a record. That’s always fun and exciting. And I’m excited about being on the road with Miranda, for sure. MW: You guys spend soo much time on the road, and I wonder when you find the time to write. Rogers: Ummm...I write on the road some of the time. But I usually schedule time to write, either in Austin or Nashville. It’s hard for me to write on the road, so usually I just look at my calendar, block
three days every three or four weeks, and write three or four songs that week.
Rogers: Yeah. It’s a great tool. You can record it on there, too.
MW: Wow. You’re like a writing machine!
MW: Randy, thanks so much for talking with us, and we’re looking forward to seeing you at this year’s Ziegenfest!
Rogers: It is a little bit much, when you think about how much work it is to go straight from the road and back to writing and then back to the road. It’s sometimes is...pretty tough.
Rogers: Thanks, man. Looking forward to it!
MW: You ever find your inspiration coming from the road? Your life on the road? Rogers: The writing experience--I guess, the influence comes from everywhere. People say things to you that you have never heard before, or you see something happening to somebody, in their relationships--it kinda comes from everywhere. I just write it down in my iPhone. MW: Do you really? Rogers: Oh yeah. In the notes. MW: Do you write songs on your iPhone sometimes? Lyrics?
www.maroonweekly.com August 24, 2011 maroon weekly // 11
onthecheap
Putting style in your living space, keep cash in your pocket
W
By Mara Minsberg
ith a new semester beginning, fall is one of the most popular times for relocating to a new dorm room, house, or apartment. Deciding how to decorate your living space can seem overwhelming, especially when dealing with a limited budget and lack of home décor expertise. Decorating on a budget can be a fun and easy endeavor, though, with the right resources and materials. Rely on the following tips to turn your living space from boring to stylish without breaking the bank: Try out do-it-yourself projects // Browse websites like Pinterest, Martha Stewart online, and Real Simple online for easy DIY ideas complete with easy to follow step-bystep instructions. A simple Google search for “DIY wall art” yields hundreds of fun decorative ideas perfect for beginners. A quick trip to your local craft store combined with products you have around your home or apartment can be enough to create displayable and attractive works of art at a very low cost. For an easy project, frame postcards, calendar pages, or attractive greeting cards as a cheap alternative to wall art. If you’re allowed, paint walls // While not every landlord will allow
it (check first!) if you’re able to, a fresh paint color on the walls can cheaply and quickly change the look and feel of any room. Painting is a relatively easy means of drastically altering a room’s ambiance; use a soft color for a relaxing atmosphere or a bold color to liven up your surroundings. If painting an entire room seems too daunting a task, consider painting an accent wall. Choose one wall (in a bedroom, the wall with your headboard is a good choice) to paint a few shades darker than the rest of the room, An accent wall can draw the eye and provide visual interest without investing a lot of time and money in a decorating project. Check out thrift stores and resale shops for home accents and accessories // Purchasing many small decorative items like candles and decorative glassware can add up quickly, so pay a visit to a local Goodwill or other thrift shop for used home accessories. Large vases that can cost upwards of ten dollars at a decor store are usually marked between one and three dollars at thrift store. Look for things like vases, hurricane candle holders, candlesticks, and decorative centerpiece bowls to add some flair and sophistication to
12 // maroon weekly August 24, 2011 www.maroonweekly.com
your living space. Scour Craig’s List for furniture // Furniture can be one of the most expensive investments in any home or apartment. When people move, however, their eagerness to get rid of bulky furniture often outweighs their desire to make a profit on selling it. Check your local Craig’s List listings for items like gently used couches, tables, chairs, and other staples. New listings appear daily, so check frequently for a wide variety of options. Seek out inexpensive storage and organization options // Clutter can break up the flow of any room, so cheap storage options and organizational elements are a great for keeping things in their proper place. Simple features like bookcases, under the bed boxes, plastic hooks, or hanging additional closet rods or shelves can drastically improve your organization and create more usable living space. Display photos and personal items cheaply and easily // There are many inexpensive and fuss-free options when it comes to decorating with photos or personal mementos. Easy display methods like laundry line and mini clothespins, French memo boards, corkboard, or
an assortment of dollar store frames can be both visually appealing and cost-effective. To add an additional style element, hang a narrow cork strip or laundry line around the upper perimeter of a room and use decorative ribbon to hang items at various heights. Invest in a mirror // Mirrors make the room look larger and reflect light, making them a perfect solution for too-small or windowless rooms. Basic full length mirrors or decorative styles can easily add to a room’s general ambiance and give a dark room some much-needed light. Use coupons and check clearance sections // Craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s offer weekly coupons, usually good for 40-50% off of individual items. While only one coupon can be used at a time, bringing one on each trip can cut your total costs significantly. These stores also offer clearance sections that are usually full of scratch n’ dent selections with minor imperfections. Many of these items are salvageable or easily fixable and can offer major savings when incorporated into your overall décor vision.
Limp Bizkit Brings Rapcore Back for Swan Song
R
By Chris Zebo
apcore had its glory days in the early 2000s. Thinking back to that “era,” it's shocking to consider that it hasn't even been a decade since bands like Limp Bizkit were trendsetters and captains of the music industry. Nowadays, it isn't rare for a whole generation of musical taste to stale and be replaced with a new sound in a matter of 5 years or less. Think about bands like Guns 'n' Roses, like Pearl Jam, and even The Strokes and how their sounds defined the moment. Think about how those moments have passed. Rapcore and nu metal, the innovative sound once made famous by Rage Against the Machine, the Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill, fell victim to the same disposable tendencies of the music biz and the easily jaded tongues of consumer taste. It also didn't help the genre when Fred Durst's dynasty of public controversy went from throwing punches at other mainstream stars, like Eminem, to uppercutting his own fanbase. He was always known to be an unapologetic jerk, and that was part of his draw. But the line in the sand was crossed for many when Durst berated fans at shows. It's one thing to call out Eminem; it's another to call out your people. Following the release of 2005's The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1), Durst and Bizkit took a break. Durst went into another limelight, directing films, while guitarist Wes Borland continued his musical odyssey and formed Black Light Burns. At the time of the “break,” Limp Bizkit wasn't exactly missed. For some, it was apparent that their time had passed; and for some others--die hard fans--it was not so much the loss of the band but the confusion of the musical era changing that left many homeless musically.
In 2009, amidst rumors that Limp Bizkit would reunite and reignite, Durst and Borland released a joint statement to the press stating that they were unhappy with the current state of the music industry. In a last ditch effort, the two frontmen decided that bringing the band back to life would not only be good for them but that it would be good for everyone: “We decided we were more disgusted and bored with the state of heavy popular music than we were with each other. Regardless of where our separate paths have taken us, we recognize there is a powerful and unique energy with this particular group of people we have not found a n y w h e r e else. This is why Limp Bizkit is back.” Last month, the band released their sixth studio album, Gold Cobra. The 13-track recording was a resurrection that wasn't anticipated nor was it even thought to have a chance on the charts. But within the first two weeks of the release, the album secured the #1 Hard Rock Album on Billboard's charts and #16 on the Billboard 200. Not bad for a band that had taken a 6-year break and had returned to the music industry completely revolutionized. Of course, critics were mostly divided down the middle; they either loved Gold Cobra or hated it. Those that loved it were enthused for atypical reasons. They liked, almost nostalgically, the idea of a return of the genre against what they call today's cheap and easy pop. Those that hated it all had easy reasons: Durst is a jerk and his music (lyrics) was compelling evidence, the genre was out of touch and didn't need a revival, etc., etc.
Without looking at the new release through those lenses and just listening to it, you'll hear a solid album from Limp Bizkit that resembles the energy of their first release 14 years ago. The album opens with its first real song (track 1 is a prelude), “Bring It Back,” and wastes no time re-establishing the sound that they helped make famous in the late '90s. As the title of the song suggests, it's a song about bringing Limp Bizkit back--and Durst doesn't beg you take him back, he tells you he's back, whether you like it or not. “Shark Attack” opens with a synthesized allusion to the Jaws theme and then kicks in with a hardcore drop beat and Durst swinging his verbal fists at anyone that stands in his way. It's a great song to turn up while you're beating someone's face in or pretending your punching bag is your nemesis. The title song, Gold Cobra, has a similar “punch” to it and it's heavy Bizkit the way fans like it. “90.2.20” is a darker, edgier song with industrial roots reaching back to Ministry, and Durst even sounds like Al Jourgensen in this one. “Loser,” a song about a lost love affair, brings guitarist Wes Borland back into the spotlight and truly shows that, musically, Borland was also a frontman in Bizkit's better songwriting days. DJ Lethal's samples and synthesizers add depth and gritty intensity to the song's backdrop, as he does in almost every track on this new release. The only thing stopping this album from staying on top of the charts (it fell quickly and miserably after two weeks) is...a time machine. Maybe the time has passed for the genre, but for fans of Limp Bizkit that want one last go at it, Gold Cobra brings it back.
www.maroonweekly.com August 24, 2011 maroon weekly // 15
We’ll have a free Preview show every first Friday until The Festival
.
RocktheREpublic.com
getconnected
Gig ‘Em Week Welcomes Class of 2015 to Aggieland
T
he week before the start of the fall semester at Texas A&M University – the first week back on campus for many students – is traditionally call Gig ‘Em Week. It begins with Residence Hall Move-In Assistance Day on Sunday (Aug. 21) and continues through the following Sunday (Aug. 28) with Freshman Convocation. Fall semester classes start on Aug. 29. The week is filled with fun events geared toward welcoming students, introducing them to the many student organizations and activities and offering many fun opportunities to get to know their classmates before things get down to more serious business with the start of the new academic year.
Being unfamiliar with campus, students can also get information by downloading free mobile apps for their cell phones that will give them access to campus maps, directories and on campus dining information, as well as a calendar of events and sports information. Free downloads and updates are available through the Texas A&M web site at http://www.tamu.edu/mobile/apps/. During Move In and Gig ‘Em Week, University Dining has announced the hours of operation of various dining facilities. The list of facilities is available online at http://dining.tamu.edu/facilities/movein11.stm.
Students also will have an opportunity to attend workshops on topics such as “Money Management for College Students,” “Credit Cards & Credit Scores,” “Make the Grades You Want,” “Using jobsforaggies.tamu.edu,” “Alcohol 101” and more. Beyond the workshops and seminars, other events are scheduled such as a pizza taste-off, live music, movies, cookouts, free golf games, family fun at the Student Recreation Center, library tours and gatherings planned by student organizations and various campus services and ministries. A list of events can be found at http://studentlife.tamu.edu/nsp/GEW Rounding out Gig ‘Em Week will be Freshman Convocation, when Texas A&M will officially welcome its Class of 2015 at a formal ceremony scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Sunday (Aug. 28) in Reed Arena. Members of the Class of 2015 and their families are invited to attend a Freshman Convocation luncheon at Sbisa Dining Center. Service will be available from 10:45 a.m. until 1:45 p.m. University representatives will be on hand for informal conversation with new students and their families. Tickets for the luncheon are required. Complimentary shuttle service will also be available between Reed and Sbisa prior to the ceremony. For complete details, go to http://freshmanconvocation.tamu.edu Parents and students can RSVP for Freshman Convocation on the Texas A&M Facebook page at http://tx.ag/fc2015.
www.maroonweekly.com August 24, 2011 maroon weekly // 19
@themovies
Captain America // The First Avenger
W
By Brandon Nowalk hat makes Captain America: The First Avenger the blockbuster of summer—over Harry Potter, Transformers, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes all—is its acrobatics. Where even brothersin-costumed-arms Thor and X-Men drown in all that swampy topical drama and heavy personal melodrama, Captain America is light on its feet, always aware of what it is: a comic book for kids. Director Joe Johnston smartly sidesteps the trap of its geopolitical premise and the lure of mythic parallels and even coopts the push-pull of the irony/sincerity spectrum to craft a pulp adventure serial. At last, an underemployed audience screams toward the hills, a blockbuster that just wants to be fun. Because it’s been years since we’ve had a popcorn flick that wasn’t bloated by critical pretension, you may have forgotten, but the best pulp achieves its own resonance. Captain America had me choking up in the first ten minutes without one speech or tear. Johnston employs the shortcuts of comic conventions to get there without all the histrionics, and as soon as scrawny Steve Rodgers (Chris Evans) is saying goodbye to best friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), leaving for the European theater of WWII, we feel the weight of their friendship, a testament to the power of restraint in both the screenplay and performances. The romance, too, is surprisingly affecting, and Captain America has two endings—one to end the film, and the second for Samuel L. Jackson to tease The Avengers—both of which are tonally gutsy—and moving—if perhaps inappropriate to such a gung ho film. What Captain America isn’t, as its detractors suggest, is an ooh ra, support our troops, propaganda vehicle. This is a film so devoid of politics that the bad guy isn’t even a Nazi but an ex-Nazi who’s gone rogue (and is also a superpowered demon type played deliciously by Hugo Weaving by way of Christoph Waltz). The most disquieting element of the film is this weird ethical argument underlying the steroid serum that turns skinny Steve into a lotiony beefcake pinup. As Steve’s doctor/father figure Stanley Tucci explains it, “Good becomes great, bad becomes worse.” Which wouldn’t even make sense to the twelve year-old audience, as if the body is divisible into discrete components of good and evil, but it’s as quickly shoved back into the subtext never to be brought up again. The rest of the film—Captain America saving the allies, Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull mad with evil—plays accidental defense for this stupidity, but you could also chalk it up to the fantasy mysticism that charges the pulp, because everything else is a rip-roaring, allusion machine: a Kiss Me Deadly-style macguffin, an Alpine train heist, a mountainside palace straight out of Bond, a motorcycle chase that may as well be through Endor, a Frankenstein castle prologue, the list goes on. It’s saddled by clumsy franchise moments, absurd ethics, and blunt direction, but that hardly detracts from the surprising resonance of a film content to be fun. 20 // maroon weekly August 24, 2011 www.maroonweekly.com
livemusic
Christfest coming to Brazos Valley Christfest will be having a concert and festival on September 3, 2011 at the Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheatre in College Station, Texas. Gates will open to the public at 2:00 pm. Christian recording artist Kutless will be headlining the event with guests Robbie Seay Band and Andy Melvin and the Unlikely Sons. The winner of a Battle of the Bands contest, held August 13th at Veterans Park in College Station, will open the festival. Visit Christfest.org for information to register to compete in the Battle of the Bands. The festival will include a Kids Camp, The Cool Zone, shopping and food vendors. General admission tickets are available for $12 in advance and $15 at the gate. Children 11 and under are free. Limited reserved seating tickets are $25. Tickets can be purchased online at Christfest.org or at local establishments listed on the website. Christfest is dedicated to educating and promoting Christ through the arts. We use all forms of art, including but not limited to music, plays and public speakers to accomplish this goal. All proceeds made by Christfest are donated to Christian based charities, so they may do God’s work in local and international communities. Christfest is a non-denominational, faith-based organization striving to bring people together, while incorporating various arts and entertainment. Christfest will be partnering with CTOMA, Central Texas Orphan Mission Alliance, and all proceeds earned will benefit the charity.
www.maroonweekly.com August 24, 2011 maroon weekly // 21
gamestop
22 // maroon weekly August 24, 2011 www.maroonweekly.com
getconnected
Meet & Greet // Afghan student association
L
By Josh Howell
ast semester I had the pleasure of interviewing Waheed Abdul Wakil, the founder of the newly established Afghan Students Association (ASA). Though only a year old, the ASA has ambition. Its goal: to spread knowledge about the people of Afghanistan and Afghan-Americans to the Aggie family. At the end of the last school year, the club was still burgeoning with only a few members; this year they hope to grow. The reason it exists is simultaneously one of its greatest obstacles: there are few Afghans on the Texas A&M campus. Such a dearth of diversity makes A&M a prime place for this organization, but recruiting can sometimes be difficult. Nevertheless, by openness in their leadership – as of last semester, only two of the six officers were Afghans – they have had some success. It was a modest beginning by any stretch of the imagination. Early on Mr. Wakil ran into difficulties finding officers for “organizing and marketing” the ASA. Luckily he had several classmates (Chemical Engineers) who were fellow Afghans and who agreed to help him along. Though that was overcome, Mr. Wakil will run into other difficulties in his mission, and he knows it. Most Americans only know the country and culture as it relates to our current wars. Such information is rarely, if ever, sufficient to form a well-rounded opinion of a complex people. “I want to help create an atmosphere that shows students that Afghans are not aliens, that we are seeking peace, liberty, freedom, and knowledge just like the Founding Fathers of America. The vast majority of Afghans are not warlords or fanatics. Rather, they are farmers, merchants, teachers and students who have endured…” Mr. Wakil isn’t being hyperbolic with his “Founding Fathers” remark. As America draws down troop levels in the country and begins to hand over control to the elected officials of Afghanistan, it will become those officials’ responsibility to give Afghanistan new life. Whether or not the country succeeds (still very much in 24 // maroon weekly August 24, 2011 www.maroonweekly.com
doubt), fostering positive views of Afghans and Afghanistan in America is incredibly important. Even if the U.S. government lesson support for the region, there are still uses for average American citizens. “Our original three officers made a field trip to Austin to watch a lecture by Julia Bolz, Founder of ‘Journey with an Afghan School’ and the Anyi Foundation.” Bolz’s resume is impressive. She strongly believes in education and uses her organizations to promote that ideal in Afghanistan. They, in combination with donations from U.S. communities, have resulted in 41 schools either built or restored, serving over 25,000 pupils in the process. “I want to help share our culture and include Afghans as part of the rich diversity on campus that makes Texas A&M such an embracing and loving community in which all people have the opportunity to learn about other peoples’ cultures in an environment of mutual dialogue and respect.” Part of sharing that culture will involve disabusing some of common misconceptions regarding Afghanistan. Here are a few of interest: First – and this is the most common – Afghanistan isn’t where most think (i.e. in the Middle East); it’s actually in Central Asia. That’s not the most important, though, that would be this (second) Afghans are not a monolithic people. The Afghan culture is comprised of many diverse cultures including Pashtun, Uzbek, Tajik and Hazra. Third - Afghanistan is not a desert. Of the seven climates defined by climatologists, six are found in Afghanistan. The majority of the country is in fact mountains and valleys. In some regions one can grow fruits and nuts. This group has a future at A&M; increasing diversity at A&M depends on it. Their road is difficult, but Mr. Wakil is sanguine. “What better way to nurture a culture of diversity and mutual dialogue than creating a group to represent Afghans?”
@themovies
The Help starring Emma Stone
I
By Brandon Nowalk
am so glad racism is over for America because otherwise The Help would look like a Mickey Mouse band-aid stretched across the oozing gash of a compound fracture. Oh, wait. The point of this grotesque take on white mean girls, the noble magical Negros that raise them, and the old white bourgeoisie they grow into in good, ole Mississippi where segregation is a hushed historical blip and not a cancer that still persists today is to love your enemies or something. Good thing, because otherwise I might have some strong, unprintable language for the well-meaning buffoons who brought The Help to theaters in order to make us laugh and cry and feel good about how far we’ve come as we chat in the bathroom afterward with strangers of various races and then smile on our way out thinking about how proud we are of ourselves.’ The problems run far deeper than historical shallowness, but that’s a pretty good place to start. The paternalism of The Help is not exactly that the good, heroic black folk need a white savior to lead them to liberation (though that’s here, too) but that the good, heroic black folk are just so damn good. You can taste the tears Tate Taylor dripped onto the screenplay as he unburdened his decades of white guilt. Black people have put up with so much! As minstrel shows go, at least The Help doesn’t have any blackface, though there’s enough fried chicken to feed Precious for a month, as long as she can sneak it out from
28 // maroon weekly August 24, 2011 www.maroonweekly.com
under Aunt Jemima. The white folk are just as broad, all Steel Magnolias and The Blind Side, and the one non-stereotype, Emma Stone, too often lets her modernity slip. So when it comes time for us to feel bad about how unfair everything was, well, these aren’t even real people, they’re just stock characters from Pancake boxes and Song of the South. Taylor makes as good a director as he does a writer, but his dazzlingly generic style injects a healthy suspense into this 2 hour and 17 minute back-pat: when’s it going to get good? The Help is mercifully free from the burden of having a point, another collection of injustices styled into Hollywood entertainment masquerading as a progressive call to social action. It’s not. It’s a distraction that places segregation and the violent racism of Civil Rights era Jackson as historical anomalies, and it has nothing to offer beyond loving your enemy, and it isn’t even a dramatic exploration of that beautiful Biblical ideal. Segregation is alive and well in Mobile, Alabama, where Margaret Brown shot her documentary The Order of Myths in 2008 about the racially segregated Mardi Gras parades. In the film, available on Netflix Watch Instantly, one black girl says to another, “You know, the whites, they probably gonna be better than us.” That’s the truth of institutional prejudice, the misshapen mole on the American experiment. The Help is just a big, fat zit.
ontheshelf
Book Review // A Game of Thrones
T
By Autumn Dawson
his is one of those rare novels that is everything a book can be, and in this case, everything an epic fantasy tale should be. A Game of Thrones is the first installment of A Song of Ice and Fire series, that belongs in the elite category of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow and Thorn Trilogy.
A Game of Thrones is set in a world very akin to our own medieval history, specifically the English War of the Roses, and introduces us to one of the greatest character lists around. The tale is told from eight perspectives— each chapter dedicated to that character’s point of view—which allows the author to continually leave minor cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter.
As the story begins to unfold, the theme moves strongly into the area of political intrigue and the forthcoming war that will happen as a result. The fantasy element, while always there plays only a minor role in the majority of the rest of this book, or the four in the series that follow it. The four books you will be rushing out to get the moment you finish the last page in this one. (Word to the wise, don’t begin this book the week of an exam you want to pass.) The first novel in this series centers around the Stark family, the lords of the northernmost part of the kingdom, and the last Targaryens. The Starks, close friends of King Robert, are quickly drawn into the turmoil at court without realizing it. The Stark children are fascinating, but not nearly so as the last of the Targaryens, Daenerys. Daenerys “Dany” Targaryen, the last living child of the true king, was forced to flee to a separate continent as a young girl. It is on that continent, with her warlord king of a husband, that she plots an invasion from across the seas to reclaim the iron throne. And in the process she grows from a silent, abused girl to a woman and then a queen. She is without question one my favorite characters ever written. Mindless destruction is often the cause for character splits and confrontations, and by the end of the book, characters you assumed you would be attached too for some time are left headless, gutless or simply gone. A Game of Thrones is without a doubt one of the most involved and simultaneously enjoyable books I have ever read. Martin has the gift of knows exactly where to draw the line between lots of information and tedious boredom. The author’s ability to create a world both entertaining and disastrously realistic is nothing short of mind numbingly brilliant. If you like Tolkien, or if you like the idea of an epic fantasy series, then you must pick up this novel as soon as possible. Also, if you want an excellent visual of this epic tale, check out the first season of Game of Thrones HBO recently finished airing.
www.maroonweekly.com August 24, 2011 maroon weekly // 29
H Fu alf ll - $ -$ 5 65 0
THE INAUGURAL
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION
MARATHON + HALF MARATHON
12.11.11
USATF Certified Race Flat Fast Scenic Live Music After Race Party Register on our site or at the Rec Center during the first week of classes.
BCSMARATHON.COM
what’splaying? By Brandon Nowalk The Help
1
the 15Glee Movie
Po black nannies and the white debutante harpies they raised get up to Hilarious Antics and Learn Lessons in this skin-deep feel-good catharsis. Aunt Jemima has more nuance, and more truth about race in America.
2
top20 films
Reenactments of scenes that are reenactments of music videos with actors staying in-character even backstage, this is the epitome of antipostmodernist argument: the end of art. But who cares? Just give us good musical numbers!
16
Rise of the Planet of the 1/2 Apes
Mostly it’s Domestication of the Apes, but when the Rise finally happens, it’s killer. Rupert Wyatt’s propulsive, truncated reboot is terrific action cinema straight out of Tottenham.
THE HELP Anton Yelchin and family in this fun, funny ‘80s horror remake. Still not as gory as Conan the Barbarian. That might be a good thing.
7
Family films don’t need to be good. They just need to seduce your kids. Mission accomplished for Robert Rodriguez’s tired franchise. With 3-D ticket prices padding his bank account, get ready for Number Five.
4
Conan the Barbarian
1/2
Whenever awesome Jason Momoa isn’t fighting, he’s looking for an excuse to start in this mostly fun Magic: the Gathering flick. Too bad the action’s literally unwatchable. Makes Neil Marshall’s Centurion look like Citizen Kane.
5The Smurfs
Another ‘80s TV show getting the big screen treatment, another 3-D cash grab, another unfunny insult to children’s entertainment. At least Gargamel is having fun. You’ll wanna smurf, and not in a good way.
6Fright Night
Colin Farrell’s a murderous vampire who moves next door to
misnomer. Part 5 was inevitable, but a new death-defying wrinkle adds some fun to the proceedings. Fans should not be disappointed.
830
Minutes or Less
Sorta funny, sorta offensive action vehicle based on the true story of a guy forced to wear a bomb-vest and rob a bank. History spoiler: he exploded. But it was fun while it lasted, right?
9One Day
We check in on Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway’s roving accents and hilarious hairstyles on a single day of every year. Scherfig’s last picture was An Education in shallow bourgeois art. Oscar, here we come.
10
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
They got the second part right. Plays like a Modern Family commercial segment: club alcohol, body spray, life insurance. Emma Stone saves herself; Ryan Gosling’s abs won’t shut up. Thank God for Lisa Cholodenko.
Horrible Bosses
1/2
A fun cast has its moments in this way-too-easy gray comedy, especially the villains. Kevin Spacey was born to abuse power, and Jennifer Aniston remains an underrated comedian. Sometimes you just want a trifle.
emma stone
Final Destination 5 Spy Kids: All the Time in the The Final Destination (episode 1/2 World in 4D number four) was an obvious
3
3-D Concert
11
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 1/2
Like Rowling’s source material, the final entries of the fantasy saga coast on inertia. Aside from casting and coherent action, the magic is gone as Harry limps past the finish line. We’ll always have Azkaban.
12Cowboys & Aliens
1/2
High-concept misfire about aliens and their quarry in the Old West makes a powerful soporific. We get it: Daniel Craig is ripped, Harrison Ford is gruff, Olivia Wilde is pretty, etc. Can’t stop yawning.
13
Captain America: The 1/2 First Avenger
Adventure pulp gets the Marvel treatment, but without all the boring melodrama. In the best tradition of men on a mission, honest, earnest fraternity charges the film. The franchise set-up hardly dulls the stomach-whumping ending.
14
The Change-Up
Everyone’s quick to find pleasures in this body-swap comedy, but come on. Just because this pile of vomit landed on tile and sparkles doesn’t change the consistency. Speaking of bad choices, is Jason Bateman broke?
17
1/2 Sarah’s Key A ten year-old girl flees a Holocaust round-up to her home in Paris as a modern-day Kristin Scott Thomas investigates that dark history of her house. The latest Holocaust weepie. Based on a bestseller, naturally.
18
Midnight
in Paris
Woody’s magical tour of impressionist Paris is witty and beautiful but slight as his caricatures, and then love wilts, and the bittersweet wash reveals surprising depths that power his most inspiring ending in years.
Dark of 19 Transformers: the Moon 1/2
The new movie about robots. And there are Transformers, too. Michael Bay’s is not a cinema of humans, hence the casting of Shia LaBoring and an underwear model. Who needs acting when you have effects?
20
Friends with Benefits 1/2
No Strings Attached’s hotter, younger sister, but that may not be saying much. At the very least, Mila Kunis is delightful, and Justin Timberlake knows his way around charm. And it’s not Crazy, Stupid, Love!
www.maroonweekly.com August 24, 2011 maroon weekly // 31
the lofts
AT W O L F P E N C R E E K