10 minute read
A&E
Tuesday, noveMber 8, 2022 aRTs & eNTeRTaINmeNT
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“Staux” on the aux: Marquette student DJs in free time
Self-taught disc jockey entertains campus at parties
By Angelina Gallulo
angelina.gallulo@marquette.edu
Bright lights, a mix of differentpaced songs, a crowded room and a talented DJ, one who can control the energy of the audience, are just a few factors that contribute to nightlife in Milwaukee.
Stavros Sardella, junior in the College of Communication aims to leave his guests feeling entertained and connected through the his passion of performing.
Sardella started DJing just this past February for fun.
“I always used to aux when driving with friends. My two best friends told me that I would make a good DJ and had the right personality to motivate a crowd. That night, I looked into it and bought all of the equipment,” Sardella said.
Sardella is fully self–taught, only watching YouTube videos to help clear confusion about questions.
“I bought the deck fi rst and then the software that went with it. From there, I made sure that I learned more and practiced to the best of my ability,” Sardella said.
While on stage, Sardella goes by “Staux,” which stands for Stavros on aux.
Now, Sardella is performing at a multitude of bars in downtown Milwaukee, with Sardella’s favorite event being his performance at Lucky Clover.
“It is so fun to have local bars reach out to me. I didn’t ever have the intention of playing those kinds of gigs, but I have grown to love going downtown and making new connections and relationships. Other than that, I love playing at house parties on campus,” Sardella said.
Sardella enjoys performing the most for supportive friends and classmates. When performing at these larger events, Sardella makes sure to read the crowd at all times.
“You have to keep people dancing and notice how they react to certain mixes you create. It also depends on the atmosphere of the venue. The crowd tends to notice DJs who get into it and create a name for themselves. My energy determines how
Photo courtesy of Stavros Sardella
Sardella hypes up crowds with his music at events around campus and throughout downtown Milwaukee, including at the bar Lucky Clover.
people remember the night,” Sardella said.
Close friend and supporter of Sardella, Joseph McGrane, junior in the College of Communication, is proud to see his friend discover and perfect a new passion.
“I have been alongside Stavros in his DJing journey at Marquette. I performed alongside him at one point. I always noticed how engaged he got the crowd to become,” McGrane said.
McGrane bonds with Sardella over sending each other different SoundCloud remixes, mashup ideas, or videos of their favorite DJs playing an interesting set.
“Seeing Stavros grow has been something that makes me so happy. We used to have our controllers in the basement, and spend time trying to piece together different effects and transitions, as well as note what songs work well together. Now he is playing at some of Milwaukee’s best bars,” McGrane said.
Sardella notices that throwbacks and oldies get the crowd the most excited, with ABBA being the most popular band for crowd engagement at the moment.
Sardella gets his inspiration from both DJs and the environments of different music festivals he attends.
“I look up to Fred Again, Eric Prydz, Fisher, Micheal Bibi and RUFUS DU SOL,” Sardella said.
Sardella encourages anyone who is interested in music to start DJing.
“You have to go for it. Be willing to get creative. I always have an ear open for new songs,” Sardella said.
Coming up Nov. 11, Sardella will be performing at Alpha Phi’s formal, a Sig Chi date party at Red Rock, and an Alphi Chi Omega date party at Oak and Barrel.
“I am most excited to perform at a few different tailgates when Madison and Marquette have their basketball game,” Sardella said.
Sardella is currently open for booking. He can be reached at stavros.sardella@marquette.edu.
Phoebe the Phoodie: Dave’s Hot Chicken impresses
Fast-food joint lives up to hype as spicy sensation
By Phoebe Goebel
phoebe.goebel@marquette.edu
Dave’s Hot Chicken started as a tiny food stand in California on the quest to fi nd the perfect hot chicken recipe. Now a popular chain of restaurants, they have expanded their promise of the fl awless chicken tender to Milwaukee, located at 544 East Ogden Ave.
There are four options for meals, all variations of chicken paired with french fries. With such a limited menu, I was skeptical about ordering from the restaurant. What varies on the menu is the level of spice on the chicken. With seven options of spice levels, you can cater your chicken to your tastebuds.
This is a feature I would like to see at more restaurants, especially when it comes to seasonings. People differ in their fl avor profi les as well as spice tolerance, so a restaurant stands out when customers can customize their meals.
I decided to take the route of ordering online and picking it up in the store. The wait time for my meal was only seven minutes, which made the whole process very convenient. The restaurant itself was clean, which is always a factor in creating a positive dining experience.
Now for the important part: the chicken. Because the menu was so limited, I had a feeling that the chicken was going to amaze me. I’m glad to say that I was very impressed by the meal.
I ordered a single chicken tender to get the essence of the chicken. It came on a piece of bread with a couple of pickles on top of it. I chose the mild spice option, and it was the perfect punch for me.
The chicken was coated in a light breading that was delicious. It brought both spice and sweetness to the playing fi eld, a balance that proved unique from other restaurants. Because the chicken was on the drier side, it wasn’t greasy and didn’t leave me feeling sick like other tenders usually do. The only thing there could be more improvement in is the moistness of the chicken, which would have taken the tender to a new level than other fast-food options.
The restaurant also offers sliders as a meal, which are fi lled with chicken, cheese, pickles and kale slaw. If you’re looking for a more indulgent and fi lling meal, this is the way to go. These layers all come together in perfect harmony, offering a bite fi lled with varying rich fl avors. For the sliders, I chose the hot spice option, which packed a little more punch than my single tender, but I enjoyed both.
All the meals come with a side
Photo by Phoebe Goebel phoebe.goebel@marquette.edu Phoebe ordered the hot spice chicken sliders with a side of fries. of fries as well as their Dave Sauce, which is their housemade mayonnaise-based sauce. The fries are just how I like them: Crinkly, crispy on the ends, and coated with a light seasoning that mocks the fl avors of the chicken. When I dipped the fries and my chicken in the Dave’s sauce, the fl avors of both were truly heightened and brought a hint of creaminess that made up for the dry chicken.
The last item on the menu to test was their milkshakes. I consider myself an expert in sweet treats, so in order to gauge whether or not they were Phoebe the Phoodie approved, I went with the plain vanilla milkshake. It wasn’t life-changing, nor was it offensive. I don’t think I would order a milkshake the next time I order from the restaurant, but it was a pleasant way to end a very indulgent meal.
Overall, Dave’s Hot Chicken lived up to the hype of the press it has been getting. It benefi ts from having a limited menu and allows the chicken to really speak for itself. On days that I am craving chicken tenders, I know that Dave’s Hot Chicken will surpass my expectations of fast-food chicken.
Dungeons & Dragons adventure to Haggerty Museum
Fantasy role-playing inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s storytelling
By Will Eikenbary
will.eikenbary@marquette.edu
A massive dragon fl ies high above the countryside, its shadow cast over a group of seven adventurers. In one fell swoop, it bows its head and plummets toward the ground in a fi t of rage. All hope is lost.
In a last-ditch effort, one of the adventurers holds up her sword … and, as the dragon swoops down, slices it in half.
Seven players, reacting to the sight of one of them rolling a 20, burst out of their seats. Their party lives to see another day.
Scenes like this are common in Dungeons & Dragons, a tabletop fantasy role-playing game largely inspired by the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of “The Lord of the Rings.” Stemming from Tolkien’s love of fantasy worlds and storytelling, the Haggerty Museum of Art hosted a D&D event last Saturday for players and spectators alike.
“All of our public programs that happen in the museum are aligned with our exhibitions that we have on view, so almost always we’re starting with exhibitions, themes from the exhibitions and thinking [who] we can invite them in or go out to where they are and do this kind of cross-pollination of ideas,” Christine Fleming, Manager of Community Engagement for the Haggerty, said.
The event featured a handful of Marquette alum doing everything from heading campaigns to speaking on what D&D meant to them. James Lowder, a Marquette alum and freelance writer who was a designer for D&D when it was owned by Tactical Studies Rules, said he loved D&D because of its storytelling component. Lowder said the thing that keeps D&D from being a strictly “narrative exercise” and instead a game are the actions taken by the game master and the game’s inherent set of rules.
“Because of the mechanics involved with the game and the random elements of the dice, you don’t have entire control over where that story goes. You’re making that story up on the fl y,” Lowder said.
Lowder said he is thankful for the breadth that his education had, as it became very useful in game design, even before that was a fi eld offered in any universities.
“My studies at Marquette were really ideal for going ahead and working on a game like Dungeons and Dragons because of all of the general liberal arts classes that I took,” Lowder said. “The research skills that I developed and the ability to take on new topics and explore them in depth and come up with creative ideas from that research have all been incredibly important in what I do.”
Fleming said she was happy with the event’s turnout, despite have an ear open for new songs,”
Coming up Nov. 11, Sardella will be performing at Alpha Phi’s formal, a Sig Chi date party at Red Rock, and an Alphi Chi Omega date party at Oak and Barrel.
“I am most excited to perform at a few different tailgates when Madison and Marquette have their basketball game,”
Sardella is currently open for booking. He can be reached at stavros.sardella@marquette.edu. the fact that the audience was different than she expected.
“I think when we envisioned it, we thought it would be a lot of younger folks that are coming and there are some under 18,” Fleming said. “The majority are just sort of college student age or just out of college that maybe are looking to reconnect or play with a group if they’ve lost their group. There’s [grandparents] and grandkids as well.”
Despite never playing D&D or hosting an event like this before, Fleming said she was glad the event was as popular as it was.
“I’m glad that so many people are registering as spectators,” Fleming said. “I have never played or seen the game played in-person, but my brother has played [it] my whole life. I’m hoping that people are open to seeing it and that it sort of opens their minds and break any preconceptions that they have about the game.”
