MOVE 11.30.12 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 13
THE KEY TO YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
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O MEDI LD CROW THEY CINE SH OUT O MADE A OW F "WA N ANT GON W HEM HEEL"
E V O B E A TH TS S E T 1. Our cover boy is:
A. MU freshman Ankur Singh B. leaving school next spring C. filming his first documentary D. taking on the education system E. all of the above
feedback JACKSON FARLEY
on Alicia Keys' Girl On Fire
Burning calories with yoga. Sort of literally. hannah shanken | reporter
WHAT IS SUMITS HOT YOGA?
Alicia Keys is back It’s been three years since R&B artist Alicia Keys has released any new music, but the wait is finally over. Since her last album, The Element of Freedom, released in 2009, Keys has gotten married, had a child and even directed a short documentary project. And on her latest album, Girl On Fire, all of those special events that have happened in her life are shown through the heart and soul she pours into it. Girl On Fire is full of inspiration, vulnerability and optimism. It’s clear this album is the product of some deep soul-searching, and in an [interview with MTV, Keys explained the album’s roots. “Being a new mom, a new wife (and) being a woman who’s really trying to find herself, take control of my life, my business, my world, I think that there comes a certain point in life where you realize that you know you can really choose the life that you want, and so it’s really about that journey and kind of finding that bravery ... You don’t need anybody to validate you. You are powerful and incredible, and that’s the journey that I’ve been on and the journey I think we’re all on.” Keys’ lyrics have always been full of passion and hope, but even more so on Girl On Fire. “Brand New Me” tells of Keys’ new attitude towards life, identity and making changes for the better. This piano ballad is the perfect showcase of Keys’ soulful, breathtaking voice. “Girl On Fire,” the album’s very first single, is by far the catchiest song and will definitely see the most radio time. Nicki Minaj raps two verses on this track, and her performance is nothing to complain about. Minaj’s verses somehow complement the song well, and as a whole, it works. The album is also a beautiful sampling of Keys’ R&B side, and it’s nice to see a little less pop and a little more soul. “Tears Always Win” is a jazzy ballad with the perfect amount of sass to make you snap your fingers and feel really empowered. “Not Even the King,” another powerful ballad co-written with British singer Emeli Sandé, is all about that priceless thing we call love and is another soulful hit that shouldn’t be skipped over. Despite the album’s highs, it does hit some lows. “When It’s All Over,” “Listen to Your Heart,” “New Day,” and “Limitedless” are all just OK tracks. They lack in the wow factor and unfortunately, are mediocre fillers between the album’s strong tracks. It’s no doubt that Keys’ voice is unique, smooth and powerful, but after a while, all of the so-so R&B ballads start to sound the same. Keys did branch out quite a bit as far as writing and producing goes on Girl On Fire. Keys co-wrote songs with names like Bruno Mars, Emeli Sandé, Frank Ocean, John Legend, Gary Clark Jr. Swizz Beatz, Dr. Dre and Jamie xx are just a few of the names that helped produce Girl On Fire as well, making the record interesting and showing Keys’ adaptation to different styles. Girl On Fire is inspirational, uplifting and full of soul. There are some tracks that are definitely on fire, but unfortunately, some tracks have been dampened down to a smolder. Girl On Fire might not be a home run, but it definitely hits home. After creating a family and reflecting on everything that was happening around her, Alicia Keys took her passion and poured it right into her new album, creating a raw masterpiece that shows Keys’ journey.
/cover photo/Tim nwachukwu design/Savannah kannberg, brendan wray intern/alex bond EDITOR/DELIA CAI
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move.themaneater.com Fitness: Abbie Wenthe on the post-break slump Video games: Brendan Wray on a Thanksgiving without games Books: Jennifer Bennett on "Prozac Nation" And so much freaking more!
2 MOV E • 11.30.12
THE YOGA TEST DRIVE
I practiced both Bikram and Sumits yoga styles back home in Chandler, Ariz. and thoroughly enjoyed both experiences. Pitted against each other, I love Sumits more because the music really amps you up for the four flow series, and the teacher walks through the aisles of yogis and genuinely cares about the students gaining all the benefits. The class is split into a slow, traditional warm-up. Then we did a standing series, followed by balances, quick ab exercises, then an upbeat 4 part flow series, and finally lower back exercises with cool down stretching.
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Reignited:
When the temperature outside becomes frightful, some go-to cures include pumpkin spice lattes and camping out under your covers. But what about challenging your body and soul for 80 minutes in a room hotter than 100 degrees? This is the premise of newly opened Sumits Yoga Columbia, a hot yoga studio nestled next to Buffalo Wild Wings on Nifong Boulevard. This type of yoga was founded by Sumit Banerjee, who studied under renowned yoga master Bikram, a fitness rockstar with a heavily regimented practice that lasted 90 minutes sans music. Sumit broke off from the dogma and wanted to create an approachable and more welcoming version of the workout, so he founded a yoga style that was essentially made for everybody and every body, according to the Sumits Yoga website. He created a vinyasa, or flowing, atmosphere, encouraged teachers to be more free-spirited and added tunes to the class. The most characteristic feature of Sumits yoga is the heat, though. “The first 3-5 classes, you’re just surviving,” says Sumits Yoga Columbia co-owner Brittany. “All you’re thinking is ‘why is it so hot in here?’ but then over time you start to realize all the emotional benefits.” Sumits Yoga Columbia is operated by Brittany and Allen, who asked not to be identified by their last name. The couple are both Mizzou graduates who moved back to CoMo four months ago. Brittany started doing Sumits yoga when they lived in Springfield, Mo., and she says she enjoyed the shake up from standard gym trips and StairMaster climbs. “I felt like I was repairing my joints, like my knees, and working muscles I didn’t even know I had,” Brittany says. “We opened the studio up because a) I didn’t want to give up hot yoga here in Columbia, and b) it seemed like a great opportunity to introduce it to the town and give people the choice to gain these benefits too.” She says the response from Columbia has been very positive. “On the first full day we were opened, we kept the 5:30 a.m. time, and I was floored by the attendance,” she says, adding that students were buying packages and inviting friends and family. “There must’ve been 20 or more people that day.”
DAY 1:
I drank a ton of water beforehand, all day long. I was so excited to start. It’s been about four months since I last stepped in the 98-degree room, ready to bend and twist for 80 minutes. Since I’m from Arizona, I didn’t think the heat would be a concern for me – it sounded like a typical June day. I love a fitness challenge, but coming back was tough, especially to the heat. All the sweat dripping is distracting (and slippery) as I was trying to hold a graceful bow pose. The women are fluent in Lululemon, so I learned to definitely not sport cotton baggy tees in the future. The teacher took it slowly; assuming most of the class was made of beginners. I got stuck up in the front, but could thankfully feel the heavenly breezes as the instructor opened the door every once in a while. After my first class, I felt so accomplished, like a yogi superstar. DAY 4:
After the classes, I’ve been super thirsty and shivery/congested later at night. I think I need to drink way more water. Class itself was great though, even though I ended up in the back corner, and I feared that I wouldn’t feel any of the whooshes from the door. I went to TigerX pump class earlier that day, so my chaturangas — slo-mo pushups — were challenging. My balancing was a little out of whack, but I really felt the stretching of my limbs. The warmth of class makes for a strenuous workout, but it felt like a nice change from the frigid November air. I’m loving the classes. DAY 10:
The class felt so serene. I went to a Saturday morning class today, so I hadn’t drank a lot of water, which made me nervous coming in. I was pretty drenched by the end of the class, too, which I think had to do with how many students were squeezed into the room, but it wasn’t distracting. I felt in the zone in the middle during the third flow, but I sort of lost it during downward dog position. However, the ending rest pose really
MELISSA FOGARTY | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
To save you some sweat, MOVE sent in reporter Hannah Shanken to try out Sumits Yoga’s 14-day student deal. Too hot to handle or kind of soothing? Here’s her verdict. calmed me and I felt like I was honestly doing a great service to not only my body, but my mind. It gives you a lot of clarity. I drank almost a gallon of water the rest of the day and my appetite was pretty suppressed, even hours later. DAY 14:
I’m really bummed the challenge is over, especially because I can really feel a change in my flexibility, and it feels so good to reach my toes. I now know some great moves in my back pocket for when I need a good stretch — maybe I’ll try them out in the Rec Grotto’s sauna. It feels like such an accomplishment, and I feel stronger, especially in my upper body — all those flows really add up! The heat really worked me hard and loosened my muscles, especially during these months where four layers of sweaters doesn’t seem like overdoing it. I learned through this two-week challenge (which you can do yourself with the new student price of $20) that the Sumits practice is so much more than a run in, run out workout sesh. It forces you to put away your phone, pause on the retweeting and status updates, and give yourself the gift of patience and a cleansing — 80 minutes of “me” time. The great thing about Sumits is that the routine stays the same, so your body is the only factor that changes. There’s no need to be intimidated by surprises. I learned that the more classes I attended, the more I could focus solely on my body and not on the instructor or anyone else around me. And now, any time the cold stops me from feeling my ears or toes, or if I want to be enlightened, Sumits Yoga Columbia will definitely be my quick fix.
To-do before the end of the semes‘Tis that awkward part of the season when it’s not quite time to call it quits for the semester. It’s ridiculously cold, everything smells like cinnamon and the doom of finals is upon us. Thanks to that last minor detail, giving up is not an option. Luckily, there are some perks that come with the end of fall semester, and the list below will show you all of the ways to take advantage of them.
make the most of your meal plan
shop shop shop
sip starbucks
The beauty of attending a campus that is within walking distance to the heart of downtown Columbia is access to the adorable little shops located there. You will be able to find so many “can only be found here”
love the leaves This is the last time that you will get to admire the gorgeous fall leaves. Maybe it’s nature’s way of apologizing for the near-hypothermic experiences we’ll go through on the way to class in January. Apology accepted.
Many of you are noticing that you have too many meals left on your meal plan and not enough hunger. Use those meals to stock up on snacks that don’t expire from Emporium for your meal plan. Feeling charitable? Use your swipes to get food for donations.
Every winter, Starbucks comes out with holiday beverages that are sure to warm you up and put you in a good mood. Grab a pumpkin spice, gingerbread or caramel brulée latte to start your day. Cause really, those red cups are just too cute.
find a perfectly quiet secret study spot With finals coming up, finding the perfect place to study is crucial. Whether it be one of those creepy little cage rooms in Ellis or a cozy booth in Vida, find your spot and use it.
be obnoxious with your holiday spirit write it down Why? Because you can get away with it. Duh. Wear that tacky Christmas sweater with the 3D reindeer and shiny lights. Blast those carols and sing them at the top of your lungs in the car and in the shower. If anyone tells you to stop, you have every right to accuse them of lacking holiday spirit. Nobody likes a Grinch.
Writing down what you’re thankful for may sound cliché and childish. Yes, you did it every year in grade school, and yes, you intentionally left out your little brother every single time. But let’s face it, with all the stress that comes with the end of the semester, a little reminder won’t hurt. Cause we know you miss that booger now, anyways. morgan young | reporter
Freshman says pencils down to standardized tests »
Ankur Singh's film, "Listen," will share students' stories as they struggle to perform on standardized tests.
The difference between most of us, whining and crying about the horrors of standardized testing, and MU freshman Ankur Singh is that he’s actually trying to do something about it. This upcoming spring, Singh will take the semester off to begin filming a documentary about the drawbacks of standardized testing. The native of Bloomington-Normal, Ill., who’s experimented with making videos but has never made a feature-length film, says the secret to his documentary is doing something unheard of within the educational system: he’s going to go to the students for their opinions. The documentary, tentatively titled “Listen,” will feature interviews from students from across the country who have experienced the trials and tribulations of standardized testing. The film’s tagline is, “Nothing about us, without us, is for us.” “There’s no student voice in education today,” Singh says. “Politicians make laws about education, but they don’t address the students.” He hopes his film will change that. “There’s been a bunch of documentaries and books about how screwed up education is,” he says. “I want the students to be the main idea and show examples of what students are going through.” He says perhaps if other students see the film, they might feel empowered to take a stand to improve their education, especially because the basis for the documentary comes from Singh’s own experiences in high school. When Singh started taking Advanced Placement classes his senior year, he grew weary of the constant test prep and practice essays his teachers forced on him. He says wasn’t learning anything and received poor grades. So during an AP French practice exam, instead of writing an essay, Singh wrote an angry letter to the College Board about how it was interfering with his education. After getting called into the office, Singh spoke with teachers and learned that they were frustrated with the system, too, and that the issue with standardized testing is a political one. Singh has garnered a lot of attention for “Listen” after his blog was
featured on the Washington Post website. Since that high-profile shout out, he says he has received countless emails from parents and students who want to share their education system horror stories. For the film, in addition to conducting interviews, Singh will shadow students as they go about their school day. Between January and May he plans to travel to Texas, Florida, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and more to film his subjects. One of the stories to appear in the film is about a Colorado special education teacher, Darciann Samples, and her son. Samples, a National Board-certified teacher, says she has seen the toll that standardized tests can take on students. “For decades I’ve seen my kids progress as far as they can, and then they get a test that is two or three levels over their head, and it’s so depressing,” she says. Her son, Isaac, 11, was in the fifth grade when he grew very anxious about a major test that many of his teachers stressed in class. With his mother’s support, he decided to opt out of taking the test, to which many teachers and administrators responded poorly. Samples says the principal forced Isaac to take the test despite his parents’ wishes. “For the essay portion, he simply wrote, ‘Recycling is good. You should do it,’ with incorrect punctuation and randomly uppercased letters,” Samples says. “The principal didn’t make him take the rest of the test after that.” Samples says she is an active member of the educational reform movement and believes that a better model for rating schools is needed. Singh says he intends to return to MU next fall after he finishes the documentary, which will premiere at the end of 2013. “I think most students don’t think there is anything they can do to change (the education system),” he says. “I think that’s really the biggest roadblock. If we can get past that, maybe we can get students to speak out.” alex stewart | senior staff writer
Q&A with morgan jahnig of
Old Crow Medicine Show When: Wednesday Doors: 6:30 p.m., Show: 7:30 P.m. Where: Missouri theatre TICKETS: $28-$35 The song “Wagon Wheel” has found its way onto playlists all over the world, but what could be better than experiencing the chart-topper in person next week? MOVE chatted with bassist Morgan Jahnig of the Old Crow Medicine Show as the band prepares to come to Columbia.
MOVE: Reworking a Bob Dylan song, you turned “Wagon Wheel” into a huge success. Where did the inspiration come from? Morgan Jahnig: You know, I think (band member) Ketch (Secor), he just heard this little snippet, and it spoke to him and inspired him to want to finish the song, in a way that when you’re a teenager, you’re inspired by little things. M: How do you feel about “Wagon Wheel” receiving the RIAA’s Gold certification for selling over 500,000 copies? MJ: I think it came as a little bit of a shock to all of us. We always knew that people liked it, but it was a song that never really got any radio play. It was always just played by people at bonfires and little bars, so when we found out we had no idea that sort of thing would happen. M: That song has become a huge part of your musical career, but what moment in your musical journey are you most proud of ? MJ: Looking in the past, that tour that we did with Mumford and Sons, and Edward Sharpe — the Railroad Revival Tour — that was one of those life-changing moments, one of those things that happened, and you can’t believe it’s happening while it’s happening. And then you look back and realize that you were changed by it. M: Do you have plans to do something similar like that in the future? MJ: Every chance we get, we want to do that, play with
people that we like playing with and have it be a sort of musical family journey down the highway, on each others busses, on a steamboat or wherever. We want to reconnect with people that we have spent time with in the past, we want to meet new people and carry this whole idea forward, the idea of a musical community. M: How do you go about deciding which bands you want to work with? MJ: We put a lot of stock in the people that we know — the people that we’ve already formed a kinship with. The wonderful thing about music is that there is no shortage of people who want to play. When you’re 3 inches from the other person’s face, just having a great time on stage, in that moment you find out, okay, this works, or it PHOTO COURTESY OF CRACKERFARM didn’t. It’s not being afraid to put it all out on the line on the stage and learn about it. That’s the magic of live music, really. It’s unpredictable in what it is capable of. M: I’ve heard numerous genre labels for your band, such as folk or country. Who do you think your music appeals to? MJ: It’s people who can recognize the roots of the music that they like or maybe the evolution of the music that they like. It’s accessible to young and old, rich and poor, foreign and domestic, there is a little bit for everybody and it’s fun. We’re not trying to change anybody’s minds. We’re not trying to be anybody. We’re just playing music, and that’s something I think everybody responds to. M: Your show at The Blue Note was completely sold out last year. How do you feel about coming to Columbia for a second time? MJ: Well, we always love playing in Missouri. I think that was one of the things that set us apart from other bands. We weren’t just playing in bluegrass festivals. We weren’t just playing in folk festivals. We went into the clubs, and we went in to the theaters, and brought this music where it hadn’t been in a while, so places like the Missouri Theatre really tap in to how we got where we are. samantha hubbard | reporter
reel reviews JOSH SIPP
on the historic new movie
‘Lincoln’ stands tall First of all, I feel the need to quickly defend my choice to discuss “Lincoln” over some of the other movies currently in theaters. While “Skyfall” was a very tempting choice, it’s been out for more than 20 days now, and that doesn’t exactly fall under the category of “recent release.” Remove the movies that are either unappealing to the general college audience (“Wreck-it Ralph”), remakes of movies that weren’t very good movies originally in the ‘80s (“Red Dawn”) or “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” (and there was absolutely no way I was putting myself through that, sorry teenage female audience), and I was left with a choice between “Life of Pi” and “Lincoln.” Unfortunately for “Life of Pi,” I listened to my inner American and decided on “Lincoln.” Now I’m not saying you’re not a good American citizen if you don’t go see “Lincoln,” but you should probably at least pretend to feel a tiny bit guilty if you haven’t seen it yet. Not only is it a great depiction of one of our most famous presidents, it’s also an overall very powerful movie, and you might accidentally learn something, which is the best kind of learning. “Lincoln” covers the life of Abraham Lincoln between The Emancipation Proclamation and his assassination at Ford’s Theatre. It’s centered on his battle in the House of Representatives to pass the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery. The Civil War is still raging in the South, where the Confederates are mostly beaten but refusing to unconditionally surrender. Lincoln is also battling a war at home against the general insanity of Mary Todd Lincoln after the loss of one of their sons. Meanwhile, his oldest son, Robert, desires to take up arms for fear of looking a coward. The strength of the film is the powerful performance delivered by Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln. Day-Lewis’ performance bundles everything you’ve ever imagined Lincoln to be and gives it life onscreen. His mannerisms are exact: he speaks how we would imagine Lincoln did, and even includes Lincoln’s aptitude for telling anecdotal stories during tense moments. As of this moment, DayLewis knocks off Denzel Washington and places himself atop my leader board for best leading actor come Oscar time. Day-Lewis is complimented by a great performance from Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln, as well as an inspiring performance from Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens, the leader of the radical sect of the Republican Party. Relatively unknown Lee Pace turned in a great performance as Fernando Wood, a staunch Democrat from New York. There are very few negative points to the movie, but it does seem to drag slightly in parts, which is almost to be expected with a 150-minute runtime. The Robert Lincoln (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) storyline seemed mostly unnecessary, and while it may have been important to the life of Lincoln, it didn’t seem to add anything to the story being told in the film, as most of the action is centered on the actions being taken to pass the 13th Amendment. There are also a few interesting choices in setting during the movie, both centered on being in a theater. In a movie about the life of Abraham Lincoln, there’s a certain expectation people have when you suddenly place him in the balcony of a theater. A very minor instance of this occurs about halfway through the film, when there was no way the assassination would take place. Nothing happens, so it ends up being an unnecessarily tense moment that did nothing for the overall story other than set up Abraham and Mary Todd’s enjoyment of theater. The second and actually significant theater scene, however, was incredibly irksome. This may or may not be a spoiler, so if you’re actually afraid of one, stop reading. We all know John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln in Ford’s Theater shortly after the amendment passes, so while you’re waiting for the gunshot, the theater manager runs onstage and announces that the president has been shot, while the camera pans to Tad Lincoln (his youngest son) crying in the audience. Director Steven Spielberg, in an interview with Collider. com, claimed that his choice to not show the assassination came from “not wanting to exploit the assassination.” Sure, Steven, you just threw in two theater scenes to not exploit the assassination? Right. Despite my minor annoyance with Spielberg (I’m still mad about “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”), “Lincoln” deserves at least 4.5 stars out of 5. As I’ve said, it’s an incredibly powerful movie about one of the most important men in American history, and seeing Day-Lewis’ outstanding performance as Lincoln is well worth the time. 11.30.12 • MOV E
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style files CLAIRE BOSTON
on what we can learn from Justin Bieber's overalls
First impressions are everything It’s been less than a week since Justin Bieber donned overalls and a backward hat to meet Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, but his unfortunate outfit choice, apparently as scandalous as Nixon’s big flub, already has its own moniker: Overalls-gate. I could aimlessly bash JBiebs’ crappy taste, but it’s all already been said. Instead, I think there’s a larger lesson in Overallsgate that is important to keep in mind: if you’re required to dress for an occasion, be extremely careful with your wardrobe choices. It’s easy to underestimate how much clothing can matter. But when it comes to first impressions, presentation is everything. How you dress is a huge part of how people see you. In an ideal world, people wouldn’t make snap judgments based on appearance. But as long as they do, it’s important to make sure your clothing sends the right message. When in doubt, it’s always better to be overdressed. The consequences are minimal -— I doubt you regretted the last time you found yourself to be the best-dressed person in the room. Even if you really do feel too formal, it’s far easier to dress down something fancy than it is to dress up something casual. If you’re unsure about how to dress for an event, adding just a few items to your bag will allow you to easily dress yourself down. Those tiny foldable flats take up barely any bag space and could come in handy if you discover sparkly heels were the wrong call for the evening. A sweater is another nice staple to keep in your car, but not just to keep you warm. Throw it on over your silky cocktail dress to instantly take the formality down a notch or two. Underdressing is a far bigger faux pas than overdressing, so it’s unfortunate that it’s much trickier to make your jeans pass as business attire. Keeping extra jewelry on hand can be a good way to add a bit of class to an otherwise informal outfit, but it’s probably a good idea to keep it classic and conservative in style. As much fun as the costume jewelry section of Forever 21 can be, that bedazzled owl necklace probably isn’t the key to elevating your outfit. Since it’s unlikely you’re keeping spare formalwear in your car, concentrate on the details of your outfit if you find yourself underdressed. Biebs could have easily taken off his hat and bothered to strap his overalls before his photo op. It wouldn’t have fixed his situation, but it might have given the blogosphere a little less to ridicule. Small improvements to your outfit -- whether you brush some wrinkles out of your shirt or use some Tide to Go on a stain -- can go a long way in improving your overall look. No matter what you try, sometimes it’s clear you’re still not dressed correctly. The real secret to making up for when you’re underdressed lies in how you carry yourself in social situations. You’ll have to use your attitude to say what your clothing cannot, so introducing yourself professionally becomes even more important. If you’re wearing a T-shirt to a job interview, make sure you can compensate with a firm handshake and articulate answers to every question. From here, we can see where Bieber went wrong. In one of his pictures with Harper, he’s slouching, making a thumbs-up sign and looking far too nonchalant given the occasion. If Biebs couldn’t impress Harper with his outfit, it would have been nice if his demeanor made up for it -— with some better posture and a more serious face, he could have at least created the illusion he cared about the meeting. When you’re not sure about appropriate attire, it’s never a bad idea to get advice from others. Run outfits by your friends, and don’t be afraid to contact the host of a party if you have a question about the dress code. But when in doubt, dress up. And no matter the circumstances, there’s really no occasion in which a backward baseball cap is a good call.
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EOTO improvs its » way into Columbia heather finn | reporter
Electronic group brings ‘The Lotus Experience’ to The Blue Note
When: Saturday Show: 9:30 p.m., Doors: 8:30 p.m. Where: The Blue Note Tickets: $15 advance, $18 Day of Show In a day and age where electronic dance music is on the rise, it’s hard for just any old house or dub-step group to differentiate itself. However, electro duo EOTO is doing just that. Composed of members Jason Hann and Michael Travis, EOTO runs entirely on live improvisation. Sound impossible? We thought so, too. MOVE chatted with Hann to find out the secrets behind EOTO’s live spontaneity. MOVE: EOTO makes its name by giving performances that are 100 percent live improvisation. How do you do it? Jason Hann: We have all kinds of gadgets on stage that help us out. Ultimately, we play everything live, just the two of us. Travis plays guitar and bass and synthesizers, and I play drums and percussion and sing. We use the computer as another instrument. It’s a lot of work that we’re doing up there, but we’ve played about 800 shows since we started in 2006. That’s a lot of messing up and trying to get better at it. M: What happens if you just can’t think of anything on the spot? JH: We don’t have that problem anymore — there’s not even a worst comes to worst. We’ve been in pretty much every situation. We just keep going. At this point, we never run into a situation where we can’t figure out anything else to do. M: You and Travis have to be pretty in sync. How do you stay that way throughout your sets? JH: When we first started, we would have a lot of hand signals to say what the other person was going to do, or what we were getting ready to do. As we added more and more gear, we were both really busy on what we’re doing, and we just got good at listening to the other person and not needing hand signals. M: How does it feel to have recently put up your 500th live recording? JH: That was pretty awesome. Our archivists go through all of those files and they break them down to what they think are songs. It comes out to about, I’d say, 20 or 25 songs a night. After that many shows, you have this giant catalog of music. We’re really excited to have those archived. It shows off the history of our progression. M: You’ve been playing percussion since you were 12. What eventually attracted you to electronic music versus, say, rock or pop? JH: I still love all those other styles of music. Back in the early ‘90s, they would hire me to play percussion for DJs at raves in the San Diego area out on Indian reservations. At that time, I wasn’t necessarily into dance music, but I always listened to it and always sort of stayed up on it
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN HOCKENSMITH
just for playing music’s sake. As the 2000s rolled around, I started leaning more towards it and, you know, being all about it. So it was a pretty long evolution before I was like, “Let’s start a band that just does EDM.” M: EOTO plays nearly 200 shows a year. How’s life on the road? JH: It can be really long and wearing, but the thing that we have to do every night is play like it’s our best show ever. I think something gets into both of our minds where we just really go for it every night. This is the first tour that we’re doing where we’re playing mostly weekends. We fly out to a region, play a couple of days, and then we fly home. That’s been really nice, having some sort of home life during touring season. M: So what exactly is The Lotus Experience? JH: The Lotus Experience is a sculpture that we project images onto. Travis and I are set up inside of this sculpture, which looks like a lotus flower. Our projectionist fires off all of these images onto the flower that make it look like we could be sitting in a flower, or we could be sitting in some shape-shifting spacecraft. It’s really a super-piece for the eyes. So many people come up and say, “I saw a video of it on YouTube, and I know it’s cool, but seeing it live is a whole other level.” M: One final question — what does the name “EOTO” really mean? JH: EOTO stands for End of Time Observatory. That was a name that Travis came up with. Eventually, it just became that End of Time Observatory had this sort of theory that went with it, (but) that always became the focus of interviews. It was cool, but then we’d never get around to talking about the music. We started calling it EOTO just because it stands for that, and then pronouncing it as “ee-oh-toe.” Eventually some fans from Japan said that EOTO means “good sound” in Japanese, so we started running with that.
Real life ramblin’ man »
J.P. Harris and the Tough Choices just might change your mind about country
It’s 1 p.m. in late November, and J.P. Harris is braving the Texas sun outside a bar. With a drink waiting for him inside, he talks fast through his cellphone. The last year has been a bit of a whirlwind. The release of his debut country album, _I’ll Keep Calling_, garnered attention around the country, keeping him on the road for most of the year. Even Nashville, the typically conservative, pop-country music factory, is noticing the rising star. “As much absolute garbage that comes out of that town, they’ve opened their arms pretty wide to me,” Harris says. Harris and his band, the Tough Choices, aren’t redefining country music so much as they are playing a kind of honky tonk music that hasn’t been heard in nearly 50 years. With influences such as Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and Ray Price, Harris plucks a purer brand of country music. A pedal steel guitar weaves its way up, down and through his songs of heartbreak, drinking and rambling. Harris croons with so much emotion in his voice it’s hard not to feel the way he does. His past is almost a clichéd country musician checklist in itself. He hit the road at 14, lived in a cabin in the woods for a decade and then moved down to Nashville for his country music career. But Harris says
his love of country wasn’t always present. When he first picked up a guitar, he wanted to be in a punkrock band. “When I left home when I was 14, I was traveling around on the hoof, and I started to realize I couldn’t carry around an electric guitar and an amp,” Harris says. “So I started learning more traditional music because it was the only way I could play on the road.” It would be easy to label Harris as a revivalist. On the contrary, he is crafting a genre all his own while introducing a new generation to classic country tunes. That punk influence can even be heard in his rambunctious song “Gear Jammin’ Daddy.” “The most common comment I get from most people is, ‘Really, I’m not a country fan, but your album is great,’” Harris says. While the praise floods in, Harris says he’s focused on playing shows and writing more songs, not changing the entire musical landscape. And although the road can be grueling, Harris is set on furthering his career. “I’ve burned out a lot of dudes,” Harris says of previous tour mates. “It’s a pretty rough way to make a living. Everyone thinks it’s cocaine and lap dances all the time, but it’s really not like that.” pierce courchaine | senior staff writer
When: Dec. 7 Show: 9:30 p.m. Where: Mojo's
Locals Only music festival hits Roxy’s Friday
lauren rutherford | staff writer The last time you got a text that read, “Hey, we’re throwing a party, and by the way, there will be singing and playing instruments at it,” it was probably from your wanna-be musician friends who interpret the word “instrument” rather loosely. But those words are actually how Justin Mayfield, co-owner of Kitchen Table Promotion, describes the Locals Only music festival. On Friday night, this city’s musical forces will join together to perform and party with locals for an all-around helluva night put together by Kitchen Table Promotion. “(We) correlated an idea to throw a music festival of sorts on Nov. 30 for no reason other than we think that music in Columbia is particularly good,” Mayfield says. “We want to give the people of Columbia the opportunity to support the bands.” The 18+ party gets started at 8 p.m. and goes until close at Roxy’s, located above The Penguin Dueling Piano Bar (The stairs are to the left. Don’t get lost like I did). There will be tons of merchandise for sale, raffle drawings and food, as essential to any good party. Entrance is $1. You heard right — that means you’ll hear eight bands for a buck
4 MOV E • 11.30.12
(approximately $0.125 cents per band!). If that’s not a bargain, I don’t know what is. “It’s very music-oriented people throwing a very music-oriented event for very music-oriented people in a very music-oriented town,” Mayfield says. Each band will get a 20-minute set to play anything from original songs to their favorite covers. Unlike concerts and other music festivals, Locals Only won’t have lengthy sound checks, Mayfield says. The idea is that attendees will get a feel for the sound of each band without sitting through an hour-long set. “It’s eclectic intentionally, and we’ve crafted it to where there’s a nice little flow to the evening,” he says. “So it’s not going to be jumping around all over the place.” Locals Only will feature, well, only locals. Eight bands from midMissouri will showcase their very best work for your listening pleasure. The line-up includes everything from instrumental groups to classic hiphop beats. Don’t Mind Dying will play what they’ve dubbed “high-octane blues.”
The Flood Brothers, self-described as a “two-man thump machine,” as well as MoonRunner and their indie folk rock tunes will grace the stage at Roxy’s. The Last Kings will perform their hard rock meets blues sound, and RVS will mix it up and drop the beat with some throwback hip-hop. Be There in 5, a new band out of MU, and Trio Desterrados will also be present. Coward, a well-established Columbia band, will close the night with an instrumental set. “The idea in general is to raise awareness about music in Columbia and show people the talent here,” says John Marino, who co-owns Kitchen Table Promotion with Mayfield. Marino and Mayfield say they see this as a chance to remind everyone that Columbia has a music community that warrants attention. Local musicians say talent in the area has potential to produce some big stars in the future. “The community of musicians is getting stronger and stronger,” Mayfield says. “It’s something that deserves encouragement and respect to some degree, but also just recognition.” Check out MOVE online to read up more about RVS and Coward!