V O L . I I , N O. X V I
C E L E B R A T I N G T H E P R E C I O U S H U M A N TA P E S T R Y
18 APRIL, 2008
Culture X wows audiences despite changes
New Spingold venue presents challenges outweighed by great performances
BY STEPHEN SUKUMARAN Editor
during runthroughs. What should be noted was the foresight of the Culture X coordinators. Those observing Shabbat were placed in the second act with the obvious purpose of performing later in the evening. The second act was also allowed to perform first during Friday evening’s runthrough. Another issue with the new venue involved ticketing. The Spingold Theater Center is exactly that, a theater. Thus, it was not surprising that tickets were required to be picked up prior to the show for admittance.
This year, Culture X was included as part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. Needless to say, Culture X is the largest and one of the best shows held on campus. This year’s show was no different, with more than the usual handful of outstanding acts. Another more noticeable change, however: Spingold as the venue. The latter proved to be very interesting. Performers and choreographers, having been accustomed to Levin Ballroom for several semesters now, were This new performance forced to adapt to a new environment. Not only group combined traditional were they facing a larger Arabic rhythms with jazz stage but also a cramped and confusing (to newcom- instruments. ers) backstage. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One would However, unlike events and assume that the performers were shows in Levin, where performers allowed to practice on this someare allowed in regardless and may what foreign stage. Nevertheless, watch the show wherever they very most performances first graced the well please, tickets were required in stage the night prior to Culture X
order for proper seating. Those performers unable to get tickets to their own show were not allowed in, without exception. But that’s not to say that several performers didn’t sneak in behind the stage curtains or climb up to the lighting area for optimal and hassle-free viewing. These trivialities certainly put a damper on what is usually a laid-back and comfortable experience for a performer. Regardless, Culture X delivered in every other way, showcasing the extraordinary talents of Brandeis students. Aside from the usual dance routines, seemingly ubiquitous with shows like this, Culture X ofPHOTO BY Napoleon Lherisson/The Hoot fered something more. Student Union Treasurer THE X FACTOR: Students use Culture X to showcase their performance talents. Choon Woo Ha ’08 and South mance was without a doubt was The night proved to be, once Asian Students Association Copresident Richa Sahay ’09 belted Mochila. This new performance again, a tremendous success, deout two dynamic duets that were group combined traditional Ara- spite the various obstacles faced by well received from audience. Ada- bic rhythms with jazz instruments. coordinators and performers alike. gio dancers accompanied this act The successful result could easily Showcasing the best Brandeis has during a rendition of “You Raise be interpreted by viewing the silent to offer, Culture X will surely be crowd holding on to every passing around for a long time to come. Me Up.” Another noteworthy perfor- beat followed by the well-deserved applause.
Improv Collective performs annual show
Hit-or-miss show rewards patient listeners with eclectic jams BY MAXWELL PRICE Deputy Editor
Improvisational music remains one of the most exhilarating forms of performing art. Artists who can tame its fickle muse have the power to manifest the flotsam of a group’s collective unconscious, exploding traditional notions of creative conception. When they fail, however, the results sound more like a bad acid trip. When I went to see the Brandeis Improv Collective on Monday night in Slosberg, I came with the skeptical expectation of experiencing the latter, and I can’t say that certain moments didn’t validate my presumption. Nevertheless, several transcendent breakthroughs by the final ensemble reestablished my faith in the sacred art of the jam. The director of the collective, Tom Hall, introduced the ensembles, interjecting little bits of musical and philosophical wisdom between the performances. “The improv class is based on the as-
sumption that…all humans are improvisers through their very nature,” he mused. “Whether you’re cooking or driving a car or playing music, improvising is part of what we do naturally as people.” Three ensembles of different instrumentations and musical styles tested this assumption that improvisation is a natural human impulse, alternating between painfully stilted constructions and whimsically spontaneous creations.
Several transcendent breakthroughs by the final ensemble reestablished my faith in the sacred art of the jam.
The first ensemble, comprised of a guitarist, bassist, pianist, and drummer set the tone for the first half of the show, which was dominated by meditative, minor key atmospherics. Despite being
IN THIS EDITION:
introduced they were introduced the elegiac strain of the first group as a “groove-based ensemble,” I to the context of a duet featurnever quite bought into the idea ing piano and stand-up bass. The that their lugubrious reflections fit the descriptor. While the drummer displayed Three ensembles of different a knack for slicing through the instrumentations and musical thick layer of crepuscular haze styles alternated between with tight high-hat rhythms, he couldn’t quite compensate painfully stilted constructions for a lack of overall structure. and whimsically spontaneous The pianist, on the other hand, creations. tended to contribute to the ensemble’s murky ambience, though at his best he called to mind the stark beauty and warmth of Norweigan jazz pianist brooding romantic tone called to Tord Gustavsen. The weakest link mind Beethoven, one motif bearof the quartet proved to be the ing an eerie resemblance to the guitarist, who wielded a repertoire “Moonlight Sonata.” The pianist’s of motifs smaller than his selec- use of pedal point phrases and detion of effects pedals (which says scending chord progressions made as much about his cornucopia of the jams sound like they were reverb settings as it does about his constantly spiraling into oblivion. limited musical palette). His unin- Unfortunately, if the duo seemed spired three-note riffs make Joey to turn around in circles, the cenSantiago sound positively baroque trifugal force often wasn’t strong by comparison. enough to hold them together. The second ensemble adapted After the lukewarm success of
Spoon takes the best and leaves the rest
Coachella, Bonnaroo and many more
Despite O.C. appearance, they have chops p. 9
A preview of summer music festivals p. 11
the first two groups, the final ensemble—featuring piano, bass, drums, guitar, and two saxes— stole the show. Bursting at the seams with creative energy, they were by turns raucous, jazzy, vociferous and just plain weird. Bypassing genre constraints, they found no problem inserting squalls of avante garde between passages of impressionistic jazz. The backbone of the group was a muscular rhythm section in which drums interlocked alternatively with rollicking piano chords, skittering bass lines, and even dexterous sax riffs. The final jam of the night was a high point, especially when the guitarist pounded out a ricocheting chord progression that sounded so unmelodic and clubfooted that it actually passed itself off as a killer hook. The funny part is that the group didn’t even have to reject the acid trip paradigm to achieve success; they did just as well by embrace its mind-bending majesty.
DID YOU KNOW? "The Leaf," thought to be the first photo ever and taken by William Henry Fox Talbot in 1839 is now thought to be one of the oldest photographic images in existence, dating to the 1790s.
April 18, 2008
Diverse City
VOICES
Established 2006 "Celebrating the precious human tapestry" Sydney Reuben Editor Stephen Sukumaran Deputy Editor Max Price Deputy Editor
FOUNDED By Esther Joo, Stephen Sukumaran and Rishun Fukazawa
Couture meets the mass market
RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF Target.com
SPLURGE VS. SAVE: Jovovich-Hawk's Cristina smock dress (left) retails for $540, while the stretch lace dress (right) that they released under the Target's GO International label sold for around $40. BY SRI KUEHNLENZ Editor
Think of it as the fashion world’s way of “slumming it.” More and more high-end fashion designers are putting to their thousand-dollar designs on hold to design for the masses. For instance, this month, British textile designer Celia Birtwell released a line of flowy blouses and dresses exclusively in Express stores, and this is a woman who has designed for The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, no less!
However, high prices and thus limiting their consumer base to a certain social status surely plays a part too in creating a desireable image for their brand.
However, it seems that a small bump in price is unavoidable no matter the retailer. Celia Birtwell’s line at Express, ranging between $79 and $128, is slightly more expensive than the store’s regular fare. While Birtwell’s designs may have spearheaded the London boho trend in the 1960s, she is by no means the first designer to broThe opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in Diverse City do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial staff. We are open to considering sub-
ker a deal with a mass retail chain. Isaac Mizrahi, who became a fashion designer-cum-celebrity with the 1995 documentary Unzipped, led the way in 2003, teaming with Target to design a collection of women’s sportswear and accessories. His collection for Target quickly become a staple of the chain and even overshadowed the simultaneous release of his couture collection at Bergdorf Goodman. Reassured by Mizrahi’s success with Target, a slew of designers followed, including legendary Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Roberto Cavalli (all for H&M), and Vera Wang (for Kohl’s). Even Gap, a brand notorious for its cookie-cutter style, is bringing in fresh blood in the form of 3.1 Philip Lim, among others, to revamp the classic white button down shirt. However these designers were sure to perfect this transition in ways that Mizrahi did not. Sure, one way in which designers keep their work in high demand is by creating attractive, stylish clothes. However, high prices, and thus limiting their consumer base to a certain social status surely plays a part too in creating a desirable image for their brand. What Mizrahi failed to do was ensure that “mass produced” did not turn into “commonplace.” His See DESIGNERS p. 10
missions from members of the Brandeis community relating to cultural events. Telephone: (781) 736-4755. E-mail: DC.90907@Gmail.com
9
Spoon's rocky road to fame
The O.C. launches Texas band's career BY SYDNEY REUBEN Editor
You know those bands whose mainstream popularity is helped greatly by its music's appearance on a television show or movie? Like The Shins and Garden State or Kimya Dawson and Juno. Well, Spoon is one of those bands and its breakthrough was thanks to The O.C. After relatively rough beginnings, Texan indie rock band Spoon was probably pretty thankful when The O.C. picked up its single "The Way We Get By." In 1995, the band signed with Matador Records, and within the year, released its first full-length LP, Telephono, which was met with mixed reviews. What was noticed though was that the album was the SPOON: A band from Texas got its start on Fox's teen drama The O.C. beginning of Spoon developing its Unfortunately the album did not in response: "The Agony of Lafown fresh sound. live up to Elektra's sales expectafitte" and "Laffitte Don't Fail Me Less than a year later, Spoon retions and the band was dropped Now" which questioned the label's leased its second EP, Soft Effects, within four ethics and empty promises. which was sucmonths of the reIn 2000, the band was signed cessful enough What was noticed though lease. with Merge Records and released that the band was was that the album was The man rethe EP Love Ways. In 2001, the soon signed to sponsible for signband released its third LP, Girls the beginning of Spoon Elektra Records ing Spoon in the Can Tell which was more successdeveloping its own fresh in 1998. first place, Ronn ful than its previous LPs comThis was their sound. Laffitte, was also bined. A year later, the band refirst major label fired. Spoon was leased Kill the Moonlight, which deal and that May, furious and reSpoon released A See SPOON p. 10 corded two songs Series of Sneaks. A D V E RT I S E M E N T
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Diverse City
April 18, 2008
CHORUS
The Constantines return
POETRY
Life
Post-punks reach new level on Kensington Heights BY MIKE RIGA Staff
The Constantines are one hell of a band. Three albums into their career, they have won over a devoted cult following and critical acclaim. 2001’s self-titled debut was a blazing set of post-punk and Fugazi-inspired songs, both revolutionary and sentimental. Beneath the fire-branding tracks, Constantines contained some small-scale gems. The scary crawl of “Hyacinth Blues” or the sleepy ballad, “St. You,” were signs of what was to come. 2003’s Shine a Light was even better, showcasing a band that had refined its sound and could produce some remarkably memorable songs. Tournament of Hearts, the band's 2005 follow-up, found the Constantines lowering some of the fiery fist pumpers and adopting a sound more inspired by Bruce Springsteen. Tournament of Hearts was a brilliant album, and “Soon Enough” was a golden little song that found the Constantines at the height of their game. But carrying the torch of both Fugazi and Springsteen is a tough thing, and Tournament of Hearts contained a couple of songs that fell flat.
And what you'll find on Kensington Heights is a consoldiation of all the great things this band can do. Kensington Heights is the first Constantines release on the Arts & Crafts label. The band has moved from Seattle’s SubPop to a label more close to home and released an album titled after the Toronto neighborhood where they recorded it.
BY ANASTASIA RAVEN Staff
The pillars of the world are crumbling, Falling into the darker ocean as they left the darkness of earth Light, white, blindingly beautiful light The kind that is pure and unkind in its harsh illumination of reality Darkness seeps in uninvited, obscuring the light, Whose bright life brings truth to our eyes. What have we done?! The darkness creeps closer, the light is hidden. We will search but we will not find. Where is the light? Why did it go? It went beyond our reach because we lost faith and lost ourselves to the darkness.
CONSTANTINES: Post-punk quintet melds influences from Fugazi to Springsteen.
And what you’ll find on Kensing- er, lacing his gruff howl with some ton Heights is not another trans- serious literacy (not to mention paformation as seen in the previous thos). Dallas Wehrle continues to three albums, but a consolidation play bass like a madman, adding a of all the great things this band can sort of chugging drama to tracks do. The album has like “Trans intricate, aggressive Kensington Heights is not C a n a d a . ” rockers like “Hard another transformation as Webb and Feelings,” along guitarseen in the previous three ist Steve with moody, Afghan Whigs-style tracks like albums but a consolidation Lambke are of all the great things this both excel“Trans Canada.” However, there band can do. lent musiare two real standcians, and out tracks on this althey lend bum. The lumbering “Million Star atmosphere and punch to nearly Hotel” is a blast of rock and roll every song. power, containing mammoth riffs As usual the Constantines manplayed out both subtly and at full age to sound like an incredibly bombast. It’s compelling stuff. smart bunch of normal guys, which The other track is “Time Can is much of their appeal. Where on Be Overcome.” A slow-burning past albums weak tracks would ballad, the song takes some coun- pop up here and there, nearly every try, some Crazy Horse, and some track on Kensington Heights is exSpringsteen into a combustible and cellent, rewarding the listener with compelling mix. the most consistent, dramatic, and Throughout the album, the band excellent album the Constantines plays in lockstep with each other. have released over their already exBryan Webb is a tremendous sing- cellent career.
High-end threads for less Proenza Schouler DESIGNERS (from p. 9) and Alice Temperdesigns are available in almost ley. every one of the 1,500 Target However, it stores in the United States. seems that all good So without high prices, how things, limited-edidid these designers manage to tion collections inmaintain an air of exclusivity cluded, must come around their designs? It seems to an end. Mizrahi that limited editions and geogrecently announced raphy are the two greatest tools that he will be takat a designer’s disposal. ing over as creative When Stella McCartney director of the Liz launched her collection for Claiborne brand, H&M in 2005, the collection effectively ending was available in only 400 of the his contract with over 1,500 H&M stores world- HIGH-END MEETS LOW COST: Italian designer Roberto Target. Cavalli is happy to show off his connection with H&M. wide. Viktor & Rolf took this to Watching Mizraan even greater extent limiting hi as he tries to disthe release of their line to 250 and give the brand an air of rarity associate himself H&M stores. Both designers’ col- and inimitability. The label brings from the common consumer brand lections were in stores for only one in international designers to create will no doubt answer the question season. a collection, which will be available of whether there is life for designEven Target’s GO International in Target stores for approximately ers after the mass market. label uses the “limited-time only” two to three months. Past designstrategy to induce customers to buy ers have included Jovovich-Hawk,
Spoon brings out the best
SPOON (from p. 9)
contained The O.C. famed "The Way We Get By." By the time their next album, Gimme Fiction, was released in 2005, the band was becoming more famous; the album debuted at number 44 on the Billboard 200. Britt Daniel, the band's singer/ guitarist collaborated with Brian Reitzell to compose and arrange the soundtrack for the 2006 film, Stranger than Fiction. A year later, the band released its most recent album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200. Many people give bands grief for "going mainstream." I disagree. I think that Spoon was a great band before The O.C. and continued to be a great band after they became better known. I personally was very happy when I started hearing Spoon's music on the radio, because it's a great feeling when your band begins to be appreciated by a wider
audience. Even though I was not an O.C. fan in any capacity, I was still glad to know that they were smart enough to feature Spoon music. I am also a big fan of the band's most recent release, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. "The Underdog," "Don't You Evah," "Rhythm and Soul," and the iTunes bonus track "Deep Clean" are all winners in my book. The whole album is a good listen, but those four especially get me going. Some of Spoon's stuff can sound repetitive, but I like that they have such a distinctive sound. I would suggest giving Spoon a listen. If you like more mainstream music, then check out "The Way We Get By" or "I Turn My Camera On." If you're into other great tracks then definitely check out "Rhythm and Soul." It's a great band and I think that they can offer a little something for everyone.
A D V E RT I S E M E N T
Showtimes for Embassy Cinema 16 Pine Street, Waltham, MA Telephone: (781) 891-0911
Fri.
Sat. /Sun. Mon.-Thurs.
Smart People (R, 104 min.)
(1:30) (4:10) 7:20 9:30
(1:30) 4:10 7:20 9:30
(2:30) (5:10) 8:00
21 (PG-13, 133 min.) In Bruges (R, 111 min.)
(1:00) 3:40 6:50 9:30
(1:00) 3:40 6:50 9:30
(2:00) 4:40 7:30
(1:20) (4:00) 7:10 9:25
(1:20) 4:00 7:10 9:25
(2:50) (5:30) 8:20
My Blueberry Nights (PG-13, 100 min.)
(1:40) (4:20) 7:30 9:35
(1:40) 4:20 7:30 9:35
(2:40) (5:20) 8:10
The Visitor (PG-13, 113 min.)
1:10 3:50 7:00 9:25
(1:10) 3:50 7:00 9:25
(2:10) 4:50 7:40
The Band's Visit (PG-13, 99 min.)
(1:50) (4:30) 7:35 9:35
(1:50) 4:30 7:35 9:35
(2:50) (5:30) 8:20
April 18, 2008
END-NOTE
Diverse City
11
See Kanye glow Music's everywhere
Kanye begins Glow in the Dark Tour A preview of this summer's music festivals
BY JUSTIN PIERRE-LOUIS Staff
On April 16, 2008 Kanye West began his Glow in the Dark Tour 2008. It featured performances from N.E.R.D., Rihanna, and Lupe Fiasco among others and included stops in California, Seattle, New York and, of course, Kanye’s hometown of Chicago. As we all know, Kanye likes everything he does to be over-the-top. The Glow
Attendees of Glow in the Dark should be ready to be dazzled, shocked and a bit blinded by the immense light show that is bound to accompany West's already attention-grabbing performance style.
in the Dark concert involves everything from anime-styled music videos to creatures from none other than the Jim Henson Company. All the tracks off of Graduation have been re-orchestrated by Kanye himself.
The set was created in collaboration with Daft Punk (infamous for their pyramid and also the coproducers of the hit single “Stronger”), among others, and will feature holographic images shot by acclaimed music video producer Hype Williams. To reiterate: this show is going to be huge! The concert will apparently follow the science fiction type of storyline alluded to in the video for "Stronger" (one of Kanye’s outfits for the concert has him looking like Luke Skywalker, but much more fly, of course).The stage isn’t actually a stage, but looks more like a planetary landscape. Attendees of Glow in the Dark should be ready to be dazzled, shocked, and a bit blinded by the immense light show that is bound to accompany West’s already attention-grabbing performance style. For sneak previews and snapshots of the Glow in the Dark Tour set and music you can check Kanye’s blog at kanyeuniversecity.com/blog. For a list of dates and locations of the tour go to the MTV website and click on the News section.
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Come and write for Diverse City!! E-mail DC.90907@gmail.com
THE FIRST OF THE SUMMER: The crowd at last year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. 2007's Festival drew nearly 100,000 attendees.
Dinosaur Jr., Animal Collective, few names included in those lineand Vampire Weekend will also be ups. performing. Finally, for those who are stayFor music fans, perhaps the first For those out on the east coast ing in Boston or are living in New glimpses of the upcoming summer this summer, there are two festivals York, it might be worth the trip festival season can be seen in In- cerainly worth checking out, these out to Jersey City to All Points dio, CA, where the Coachella Val- being the Virgin Mobile Festival in West this August. The three day ley Music and Arts Festival will oc- Baltimore and the All Points West festival will have Radiohead as its cur a week from today. Festival in Jersey City. Stone Temple headliner for two of the days, and Here, fans will Pilots will make Jack Johnson on the third. Each brave 100-degree Each day's lineup is quite their return day’s lineup is quite diverse with temperatures and with lead singer acts ranging from dance (CSS, The see a slew of bands diverse with acts ranging Scott Weiland Go! Team) to rock bands with mathat are all over the from dance to rock bands following his jor cult followings (Animal Collecmap. Jack Johnson, with major cult followings departure from tive, New Pornographers, Kings of Prince, Portishead, to talented singer-song- supergroup Vel- Leon, Grizzly Bear, Metric, Mates Roger Waters, The writers. vet Revolver, of State) to talented singer-songBreeders, The and consistent writers (Andrew Bird, Sia, Nicole Verve, Kraftwerk rock acts the Atkins). and Death Cab for Foo Fighters The diversity of these festivals is Cutie are only a and Nine Inch something to be commended, and few of the diverse names schedule Nails will also bring the noise. I have only mentioned a few of the to play the venue. Coachella is only There are also different varia- bigger names on each bill. It seems the first in a slew of exciting sum- tions of Virgin’s Festival in Calgary that this year’s festivals will truly mer lineups for 2008. This year’s and Toronto, with Britrock legends offer something for everyone. lineups will include the return of Oasis and the Flaming Lips as a several big names, and also a laundry list of up and comers. For those who want to make a road trip south during mid- June, Bonnaroo is the name of the game. This year’s three-day megafestival in Tennessee will be a bit rock heavy with Pearl Jam and Metallica as the two big name headliners, while other heralded acts like M.I.A., Vampire Weekend, and Battles will perform. Old vets also will not go unrepresented, as Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Phil Lesh of Phish, B.B. King, and Willie Nelson will be in attendance. And for those who think of the Midwest as flyover country, reconsider after looking at some of the bands coming to Chicago this summer for Lollapalooza and the Pitchfork Music Festival. Lollapalooza headliners include altrock heroes Radiohead, rap-rock political activists Rage Against the Machine, industrial legends Nine Inch Nails, and other hot names like Kanye West, Bloc Party, and Gnarls Barkley. Pitchfork’s yearly festival will include Public Enemy, who will be performing their epic It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: A flyer from Bonnaroo 2007 shows the large selection of talent, these outdoor music fests draw. Back in full. Other indie favorites BY ANDY MEYERS Editor