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Your Magazine
Letter from the Editors
W
e are very proud to be introducing a new publication to the Emerson student body this month. About mid July, it came to our attention that student writers are tired of having their work rewritten for them, not being promoted because of the politics of an organization, or simply not being given the opportunity to show people what they can do. We decided it was time to speak louder so that your ideas can be heard. It is our honor to be the editors of a publication created with the intent, not to be the next Cosmopolitan, but to be a specialized collection of articles, photographs, and suggestions compiled by you, for you. As the first page of the first issue, we would like to let it be known that we are open to all ideas of all forms. Your editors,
Olivia Moravec
Kilian Webster
Editor-in-Chief
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
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Your Magazine
Cover Stories
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Renegades of Fashion By Olivia Moravec
RUSSIAN THROUGH BOSTON By Emily Tannenbaum
An exclusive interview with Boston fashion designer, Zoya Derevyannich.
September Date Ideas By Stephanie Miceli
Shake things up with your special someone while you can! The weather’s changing and so are relationships.
Not Just ‘Making do’ After By Brian Chabrow College Exclusive interview with interview with guitarist Mike O’Toole, of Make Do And Mend.
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Staff
Your Magazine
Editor-in-Chief/Founder .................. Olivia Moravec Assistant Editor ................................... Kilian Webster Managing Editor ................................. Krista Firkins Copy Editor .......................................... Jacqueline Frasca Creative Director ................................ Pete Ivanecky Romance Editor Stephanie Miceli Romance Columnist Vincent Scarpa Fashion Editor Fashion Writer
A&E Editor A&E Writer A&E Writer A&E Writer
Emily Tannenbaum Alexandra Fonseca
Elle O’Brien Amelia Viner Taryn Blachunas Kendall Aiguier
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Features Editor Features Writer Features Writer Features Writer
Jamie Reysen Brian Chabrow Ryan Tunick Madeleine Andrews
Photographer Photographer
Hope Kauffman Alex Clarke
Marketing Director Marketing Staff Marketing Staff Marketing Staff Marketing Staff
Callina Patterson Theresa Braun Roxi Fernandez Hannah Wallace Ean Williams
Your Magazine
Romance
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Fashion
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Arts and Entertainment
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Features
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You’re (acting like) an Idiot by Vincent Scarpa September Date Ideas by Stephanie Miceli
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Mixing, Matching, and Maximizing by Aleks Fonseca Item of the Month Thrift Find of the Month by Olivia Moravec and Kilian Webster Russian Through Boston by Emily Tannenbaum Renegades of Fashion by Olivia Moravec
Music, Tv, and Movies by Amelia Viner It’s Britney #@$*%!! by Elle O’brien Artist and Designer Erin Shaw September Playlist by Kendall Aiguier Newport Folk Festival by Kendall Aiguier September Events Calender
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Openings by Madeleine Andrews Not Just ‘Making Do’ After College by Brian Chabrow Next Stop: Copley by Jamie Reysen IN A BLiNK of the Summer by Ryan Tunick Au Courant: Aquainting You With Boston’s New by Madeleine Andrews Things We Love: SoWa by Taryn Balchunas
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Your Magazine
TIPS FOR FRESHMAN YEAR
Leave your high school love. Coming into college already coupled up is like reading the spoiler alerts for the movie you’re about to see: sure, you might still enjoy it, but you won’t be surprised. You should surprise yourself. Often. And you will, in your freshman year. When you are waking up from a night you don’t remember, in a bed that isn’t yours, and you look out the window and can’t recognize anything, not a single familiar landmark in sight, think: well, this is surprising. Be in awe of what you can get yourself into, because the novelty of your recklessness will wear off.
Don’t call a cab to take you home— get yourself home, no matter the distance or the weather. The walk of shame will teach you things you never knew about yourself. Don’t worry, the novelty of your newly found freedom will wear off the night you realize that you’re solely responsible for your actions. Smile to yourself when things start to look familiar again, when you know the names of the buildings you’re passing. You will do this again many times in your college years - but for now, revel in the freedom to make bad decisions. Your neighbors are probably making worse ones. After one too many times awaiting the T at Harvard Avenue/Packard’s Corner with all the other girls sporting the vestiges of last night, you’ll start craving “stability.” In an effort to be experimental, the first will be a student from the South, a film major perhaps. He’ll be polite and funny, and so fucking nice that it’ll make you sick. You’ll cringe every time he says something sweet, because you’re an idiot. When he curls into you one night while his roommate is away for the weekend to tell you that he’s falling for you, you will think: Run. Break his heart, and fast. Three weeks later, you will. You will break his heart and run, and it won’t be until months later, after you’ve been through a revolving door of loser after loser, that you’ll realize your mistake. By then, of course, it will be too late. Good, you deserve it. You were an asshole, and you had it coming. Feel sorry for yourself if it gets you through the night, but don’t expect anyone else to. Don’t expect him to. They won’t and he won’t. Trust me. Somewhere in your first year, there will be a moment when you suddenly realize: where you’re from isn’t home anymore, where you are now is temporary, and where you’re going is indeterminate. Don’t think on this too much, or you’ll start bleeding from your ears. Most importantly, learn as much as you can. Learn about other places, other ways of life. Learn about yourself, about what you want and what you don’t, what you’re capable of handling and what’s beyond you. When you can’t fall asleep, laugh at the ways in which you’re both vastly different and remarkably the same as everyone else. Make that the benediction of your year.
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September Date Ideas
Your Magazine
by Stephanie Miceli
The summer before my freshman year of college,
my mom picked up this book at a garage sale called “A Girl’s Guide to College: Making the Most of the Best Four Years of Your Life.” Did I plan on reading it? Nope. Despite that, “don’t judge a book by its cover” spiel we’ve all received at some point, I assumed this book was the goody-two-shoes, abstinence-only guide to college. And I was correct: the author wrote, “students are typically on tight budgets, so a date might consist of going to the movies, the dining hall, or Walmart.” (I practically gouged my eyes out, it’s fine). Try some of these date ideas instead: they appeal to every budget, and don’t involve pushing through hoards of people wearing camo.
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Kayak on the Charles. You’ve probably seen all the essential hub hotspots by foot and
by T, but you’ll appreciate Boston that much more by water. Charles River Canoe and Kayak offers rentals through mid-October at its Allston/Brighton and Kendall Square locations. Take in the views of the Esplanade, Hancock and Prudential Buildings, Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, Museum of Science, M.I.T., B.U., and more. Work your way to Michelle Obama biceps while “testing the waters” to see if your date’s a team player. It takes two to paddle... (http://www.paddleboston.com/main.php)
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Walk and talk. Want to get to know your date? As pretty as large urban parks are, they’re a magnet for tourists and screaming toddlers. For an outdoorsy, wallet-friendly date, try the Somerville Community Path. The hidden gem runs from the Davis Square T station to the Alewife T station. Take a detour onto the Minuteman Bikeway or the Fitchburg Cutoff Path near Alewife to the west, or, heading east, go all the way to Cedar Street in Somerville. And who says you have to walk? Try biking or skating to mix things up. (http://www.pathfriends.org/scp/)
Go for a drink. But not at a bar, or a restaurant, or a club. For you 21+ folks, don’t just
consume: impress your date by becoming a connoisseur at a local winery. Every Saturday, Boston Winery hosts tastings and winery tours for $10 between 1-4 p.m. (http://www.bostonwinery.net/ index.html) If beer is more your style, check out Harpoon Brewery, one of New England’s premier craft brewers. The site offers weekday tastings and weekend tours followed by a tasting of its freshly brewed Harpoon and UFO beers. Owners suggest arriving early in the day and booking a later tour (http://www.harpoonbrewery.com)
Reap the harvest.
In Boston, you ask? Why, of course! Apple and pumpkin picking are made possible by Brookline’s Allendale Farm, dubbed “Boston’s last working farm.” No farm date is complete without a hayride and hot cider, of course. But the fun doesn’t stop there--get in the competitive spirit with your date by having an apple pie bake-off, or see who can decorate the most outlandish pumpkin. (http://www.allandalefarm.com)
Go on a scavenger hunt. In relationships, and in life, you always have to expect the
unexpected. Get your friends to design a scavenger hunt for you and your date. No peeking until your date--and don’t discourage your friends from getting crazy!
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Your Magazine
By Aleks Fonseca Whether working hard for your extra cash, or getting your monthly allowance from your parents the money is still limited for clothes, and well, every sort of fun expense. It is expected that college students will spend $10.5 billion this year on back to school essentials, with only 6.7% spent on apparel and services. The average cost of one textbook in the 2008-2009 school year was $57 dollars, so it is no surprise then that 19% of our budget goes toward tuition and fees. The most fashion-forward items may be out of our back-to-school “wardrobe” budget, but we must learn to balance our spontaneous buys with ways on how to appropriately maximizing our budgets with a few simple tips and tricks of the trade. Boston’s demographic is mostly college students, so our collective style is questionable. At Emerson we, of course, want to be part of the “young & hip” crowd and will do anything to stand out of the thousands of students who roam the city. Being trendy in such a youthful city could be tricky as we strive hard to not blend in with every other “jersey-wearing” college student in Boston. Recently, Boston was named the number one worst dressed city by GQ. Do we really want to be part of this statistic? We talked to fellow Northeastern graduate Sarah McManus, from Sarah McManus Styling here in our very own city of Boston; she has also appeared on NECN’s StyleBoston and Channel 7 News. Her styling career started when she was acting as a fashion assistant for four years, where she continued with freelance styling and writing for various Boston publications. “My passion comes from a true love of what I do. It’s not a job for me but a lifestyle. I am so happy being able to do what I do,” she says. We can count on her genuine passion and her wise-words to help us handle a budget and still branching out fashionably without going broke. So how can a college student maximize their wardrobe on a strict back-to-school budget while still looking stylish, you ask? Start of by looking for sales “both online and in stores, many times there are deals like 50% off the sale price and you can get some really great staples...” When the clothes are on sale it doesn’t mean you should buy them all because they are cheap, “Buy pieces [that] you can mix and match to wear on several occasions without anyone knowing,” she says. “It’s all about putting different outfits together while using the same basics you already have in your closet.” For example, take a dress and dress it down with a jean or crocheted vest, and to dress it up add a skinny belt and a boyfriend blazer that will really turn heads without letting anyone know it’s the same staple. “T-shirts and tanks are great...you can pair them with jeans, skirts, shorts,” she says. Even the tank tops you rarely wear will go far when they are paired up with a great bottom and an accessory. Colors are also important when shopping on a budget, “Basic colors like white and black are such a great investment.” Staples could also include that one great coat that “...is always worth the money, and a pair of shoes that are stylish yet comfortable!”
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Your Magazine Creativity is one of the things Emersonians are great at, so try some DIY to save some money and add a personal touch to your style. Try beadwork, or sewing on crazy or cute buttons to your dresses or button downs and everyone loves self-made friendship bracelets of various color patterns--whether it’s school pride or your favorite Hogwarts house--DIY is a simple way of maximizing your budget and feeling limitless with the amount of crafts you can create. “If you see a trend you like such as cut-outs on a shirt, take some scissors and go for it,” she says. That’s where staples come in as well, Fruit of the Loom shirts and shorts are perfect to experiment with and won’t be a real loss if you end up messing up or regretting your decision to cut it up into pieces. Confidence is always key when wearing any sort of new trend, but staying true to yourself is also important because then you’ll just be like everyone else. “Realizing what trend to buy can be difficult but you have to remain true to your own personal style and not go outside the box if you are not comfortable,” she says. If you find yourself contemplating buying a piece because you think “I can’t pull that off” then it’s best to not buy it unless you are absolutely certain that it won’t sit unused in your closet forever. Sarah suggests trying H&M where the clothes are trendy but you are not “...investing in too much money.” Always be wary when shopping on a strict budget: “Be weary of certain sales that really are not a deal just a promotion to get you into the store. Don’t go crazy with things you do not need. Stick to the staples,” she says. Keeping all these things in mind should let you maximize your wardrobe while saving money and looking effortlessly chic. Your main concern should be learning how to balance and prioritize a set budget throughout the school year, keeping in mind that school books and supplies are a large part of it. This shouldn’t stop you from “saving a certain amount [of money] each month and purchasing one new piece you need to add to your growing wardrobe. By the end of the year, it will be complete!” she says. The only thing stopping you from achieving this new budget perspective is yourself. Challenge yourself to wear one item for a week in different ways, you’ll notice how easy it gets as time goes on and how your creativity will strengthen with your newly found, budget-friendly, confidence. The easiest to start this challenge is with a scarf: day one could be the normal scarf wearing procedure. Day two, the scarf can be transformed into a head wrap by twirling it a couple of times and tying it right above the nape of your neck. Sometimes it can be stubborn so you can adjust it with a colorful rubber band or bobby pins to hold it in place. Day three the scarf can be used as an accessory and can be tied to your purse or bag to give it some flare, while day four and five in the school week the scarf can be used from a belt to a tightly knit bracelet. Eventually, you can use this challenge to branch out with a v-neck or a jacket. It doesn’t have to be limited to clothing either, try wearing your hair differently everyday: a ponytail, straight & sleek, with an accessory or a hat. Taking really pigmented pink blush and applying it on the tips of your hair with hair spray will give you a days-worth of the dip-dye trend! Also, make-up is also limitless when it comes to switching it up everyday, a bold red or coral lip one day and then a 60’s mod look the other with winged eye-liner and lip balm. Take this school year as the year of innovation: finding ways to be trendy while being knowledgable and crafty about how your money will be spent. Hopefully, this will not only carry on this school year but also as a good habit to adopt once we are fulltime working adults in the future.
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Your Magazine
Sunglasses in September Photos by Alex Clarke Even if the sun doesn’t shine through September, when are Emerson students NOT wearing shades? After a long summer of sunglass abuse on the beach or in the car, it might be time to pick up a pair of new sunnyz. The summer season is ending, but the end of summer sailes are on! Right:Junior Heather Hoglund stays shady with her Chubavera sunglasses. Below: Sophomore Ben Nadeau wears his 21Men glasses proudly on Boyleston St.
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Your Magazine
What we found:
Photos by Hope Kauffman By Olivia Moravec & Kilian Webster Modeled by Alexa Krakowiak
Black crew neck, sleevless maxi dress with side slit at Buffalo Exchange for $11 and a Vintage, brown leather envelop messenger bag from GoodWill for $20
Why we chose them: One word: simplicity. For fall, solid colored pieces of clothing often work best as transitional pieces. This black maxi dress alone is obviously a summer item. By putting a shirt under or over it, the dress becomes a completely different item. We “transitioned” it by putting a crisp, white button-up blouse and some textured tights underneath. This dress’s slit up the side is barely noticeable with the tights underneath, so by using a small trick, the visible slit makes the dress more appealing. To raise the hem in a really simple way, tie a section closest to the dress’s slit with a hair elastic and then tuck it under... anyone can do it! To use a maxi dress as fall apparel there is one element that needs to be defined: the waist line (this can be done with a belt, crop top or sweater). Because this dress is especially plain, heeled booties minimized the frump to maximize the flair. Our vintage back to school bag is one of a kind (we think- who knows how many survived from grandma’s closet?), therefore it is extremely unlikely that someone will pass you on Boylston wearing the same one. It is just large enough to hold a computer, but is still small enough to take to dinner. Don’t be afraid to go black and brown. Just make sure to have two accents of each. The brown bag is lined with black, but we also used a brown skinny belt to extenuate the waist, and a brown leather jacket for the especially chilly fall days. The black stockings, shoes, and dress make this outfit the perfect combination of both colors.
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Your Magazine
Local designer Zoya Derevyannich, of Zoya Designs, is a passionate and beautiful designer truly living out the American dream. She grew up in a small part of Central Siberia, Russia. Although Novosibirsk wasn’t the biggest city, Zoya claims that fashion was a big part of the town’s identity. “Fashion sense was strongly present, almost to the ridiculous level,” she explains. “There was a lot of pressure for a young girl to have the latest style shoes, the latest style shirt, dress, etc.” Luckily for her and her little sister, their mother had a real talent for sewing and made all of their clothing while keeping them up to date on all the latest trends. That passion seemed to run in the family and at age 11, Zoya stole her mother’s sewing machine to make clothing for her dolls. “She never took the machine back. So here I am now, with about 6 different sewing machines of my own taking over my house, and a great love and passion for the craft that my mom quietly allowed me to develop.” Zoya and her family moved to the states in 1997 in pursuit of a new life, but finding it proved to bee more challenging than they had thought. Even so, Zoya knew that everything she was going through and all the work she was doing wouldn’t go to waste. She and her mother worked for a home decor company in North Carolina where their sewing skills were extremely useful. “Even back then I thought of having my own little boutique or studio where everyone can come in, feel welcome, and enjoy the crafts I would make, be it home arrangements, dresses or whatever other sewing projects,” says Zoya.
by Emily Tannenbaum
However, when she moved to South Carolina to go to college, she developed new interests and ideas for the future. Even though she was working full time as a tailor for a men’s clothing store, sewing became more of a hobby. It wasn’t until she moved to Boston in 2009 that she realized it could be more. She began developing Zoya Designs in September of 2010. Nature and little things she sees around her are big inspirations for Zoya’s designs and her dresses incorporate bold prints while still having a light, flowy air to them. Most importantly though, Zoya wants her clothing to provoke positive feelings for the wearer. “For example, a long flowy skirt instantly transforms a woman into the sort of a romantic state of mind, and it shines through in the way she moves and feels,” she gushes. “Or an open back makes a woman feel sexy and flirty… or so I’ve noticed.” Exploring these kinds of observations fascinates Zoya. She hopes her next project will allow her to study more men’s clothing in that same way. What makes her so special is the unwavering passion and dedication she has for her craft. She wants you to look and feel good in her clothing. “I do what I love doing, and I consider myself very lucky.”
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Fashion
Renegades of
Photographer//Olivia Moravec Model//Theresa Braun Stylist//Hannah Rosenbaun All clothing from Lit Boutique on Newbury Street.
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September 2011
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Your Magazine
What You’re
ListeningByto... Amelia Viner What are you listening to when you’ve just gotten home from a party? When you’re walking to class? Screaming at the top of your lungs in the shower? We decided to wander through Emerson’s stomping grounds and ambush students wearing headphones to find out what songs, artists, and albums you’re listening to. Tim O’Brien, senior Film Production major, can’t stop listening to the new Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi album, “Rome”. Tim’s eyes widen. “Have you heard ‘Two Against One’ featuring Jack White? Someone has to put this album in a movie--it’s so cinematic!” I’d have to agree with Tim’s enthusiasm for this one. I can’t get away from Danger Mouse’s mysterious melodic vibes--the artists are pretty much dripping with sexiness. Senior BFA Acting major, Iman Artwell-Freeman, has been vibing on another level. She’s been listening to a lot of Erykah Badu, Joss Stone, Adele, and Alicia Keys. These women can best be grouped together as soulful bombshells. “I love them because they all are soo talented and have very soulful, goddess-like voices,” Iman says. To shift into another gear, senior Marketing major Ben Hicks digs Deerhunter’s fresh and relaxing songs on their 2010 “Halcyon Digest. His view on their sound is carefully thought through: “I like Deerhunter because I love artists that bend genres. They bring an ambient influence to punk rock and form a very unique sound in the process. They also do a great job of capturing moods...like they can make you melancholy one moment then build into a sound that makes you want to take over the world the next. They’re a noise band!” Check out “Revival” and “Basement Scene”on Deerhunter’s unique album. Ariana Basseri, senior Marketing major, just discovered an artist named Buck 65 from rural Canada. He’s a turn-table artist and rapper with a raspy but flowing voice, and he collaborates with indie artists in both Canada and the U.S., like Leslie Feist and Sufjan Stevens. Ariana says that the song “Paper Aeroplanes” makes her cry for its sentimental lyrics and transcendental melody. So next time you would like musical accompaniment to your breakfast ritual, no matter the juxtaposition of the monotony to the epic sounds, listen to Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi’s “Rome”. Is your body telling you to bust out those pipes in the nice acoustics of the shower? Vibe on Erykah Badu’s soulful, crooning voice. Want the tunes you’re listening to to match your mood? Deerhunter or Buck 65 are your best bet for some brooding music appreciation. Any way you spin it, us Emerson students, simply put, have impeccable taste in music.
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Your Magazine
Must See’s
By Amelia Viner
Fall Movie Releases When a liberal arts college student sets out to watch a new movie in theatres, the process is usually pretty simple. Are there a decent amount of sexually-driven scenes? Gun fights and explosions? Nuances of suspense with an undertone of comedy? The thought process for an Emerson student, however, is a bit more complicated. Let’s face it-we can never make a sound decision about a movie (both before and after it’s seen) until we’ve weighed the pros and cons from the “Rotten Tomatoes” ratings, and who the director/producer/writer is. If the movie has been produced by a renowned filmmaker, he usually can’t be too renowned, because that would make him or her less mysterious and alluring and more of a sell out. For this upcoming fall, there’s a healthy mix between Hollywood blockbusters and tasteful films slightly under the radar. Everyone loves a love story. Like Crazy, starring Anton Yelchin (Alpha Dog, Charlie Bartlett), Felicity Jones (Brideshead Revisited), and Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone), explores two students about to graduate from college whose infatuation with one another is a force that seems to be beyond their control. It was the winner of the Grand Jury Dramatic Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and seems to include many original, subjective perspectives on love. Like Crazy’s unlimited U.S. release date is October 28, 2011. For those plot-driven, action-filled movie lovers, Drive, starring Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson), Carey Mulligan (An Education), and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), centers around a Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman. He then discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong. Although there was no trailer for this highly anticipated film with excellent actors until a few days ago, clips can be seen on youtube and themoviebox.net. Drive is set to be released September 16, 2011. A new horror, sci-fi thriller shot in a mockumentary style called Apollo 18 centers around a fictional premise of an actual Apollo 18 mission that was launched in December 1974. The mission supposedly never returned, and as a result signified the real reason why the United States never returned to the moon. The film is Spanish director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego’s (El ray de la montana & Thumbs Up) first English language project, and it is set to be released on September 2, 2011. With Emerson’s repertoire of appreciating quality movies, the fall brings promise to these thrillers and romances. And if you get tired of the serious temperaments of the talented actors, there’s always the lighthearted romantic comedies to fall back on to cleanse our visual palette.
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l tel On evisi on S the CW, hows a new series entitled Ringer stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, a woman who decides to flee to New York City to live with her twin sister and her husband after she witnesses a murder. After Siobhan, Brigid’s twin sister, suddenly disappears, Brigid takes on her twin’s identity to protect herself from the murderers and police. When someone tries to kill her in her sister’s penthouse apartment, Brigid discovers that she is no more safe as Siobhan than she is as Brigid, the identity she is trying to escape from. Bound to be keep you at the edge of your seat and kill you with sexiness at the same time, Ringer premieres Tuesday, September 13 at 9pm on the CW. Watch the highly anticipated Free Agents (originally a U.K. romantic black comedy series which began in February of 2009) on NBC, and you will most likely find comfort in how relatable these characters will be. How does this show’s original creator, Chris Niel, differentiate the show from the usual workplace comedies? He adds a sexual, dark twist while glorifying (or further debasing depending on your personal experience) the ever-familiar walk o’ shame. The new series will most likely resemble something along the lines of The Office, with less dry humor considering the two main starts are Kathryn Hahn (Stepbrothers, Anchorman) and Hank Azaria (Love and Other Drugs, The Smurfs). Usually of slapstick, Judd Apatow-esque nature, these actors resemble this vein of comedy, contrasting the subtle humor of the original British version. Free Agents is set to premiere on NBC on September14, 2011 at 8:30pm. Breaking Bad is a series on AMC that has been around since 2008, and this July marked the beginning of their fourth season. Winner of six Emmy Awards including three consecutive wins for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, the show focuses on Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series. He turns to a life of crime, producing and selling methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) in order to secure his family’s financial future before he dies. Breaking Bad airs Sundays at 10pm on AMC.
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It’s
y e n t i r B#*$@%!!
By Elle O’Brien Photos by Sarah Sixt
On the surface, there’s not much to Britney Spears – at least, not as an artist. Her blonde extensions and rhinestone-spangled jumpsuits have the nearly-fossilized saccharine hallmark of the 90s pop phenomenon: a scene wholly constructed by corporate monoliths like Disney and Nickelodeon, packaged and sealed by papparazzi, sweethearted by the syrup–eyed tweens of the dot-com advent. The lyrics in her songs seem to follow the same type of factory- made narrative continuum that keeps dimestore Harlequins in print: girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl reunites with boy. Except in Britney’s case, the meeting place is The archetypal Dance Floor– always The Dance Floor, capitalized – where the dancer (Britney Spears) locks eyes with the dancee (Anonymous Sexy Person), uses body language to invite him over, and then she, in some rhythmic bridge, remarks on how everyone else seems to fade away, removed from the singular incantation of their two bodies. (If you don’t believe me, listen closely to the following songs: “Toxic,” “Slave 4 U,” “Gimme More,” “Radar,” “Circus,” “Boys,” “Outrageous,” “Boom Boom,” “Hold it Against Me,” “If U Seek Amy,” “’Til the World Ends,” “Me Against the Music,” “What U See is What U Get,” “Get Naked (I Got a Plan),” “Kill the Lights,” “Womanizer,” “Mm Papi,” “Lace and Leather,” “Big Fat Bass,” “(Drop Dead) Beautiful.” Shall I continue?) Even Britney’s first album, “Baby One More Time,” while not following the Dance Floor theme, has a canned attitude of its own: “From the Bottom of My Broken Heart,” “Email My Heart,” “Deep in My Heart,” “I Will Still Love You,” “I Will BeThere” – hell, the whole album – reeks of the manic adolescent adoration that drove a certain Montague and a certain Capulet to kill themselves in a Veronese mausoleum. Regardless of the seeming lack of artistic originality, no one can say that Spears isn’t fun – and furthermore, no one can argue with the fact that her fame paved the way for female pop artists after the Madonna generation grew up. While I may not necessarily be a regular listener these days, it would have been an act of sacrilege not to see her live (and thus reclaim the dignity I lost in 2000 when she, then an idol of mine, performed in my hometown and I missed it). However, when Britney Spears took her Femme Fatale tour to Boston this August, I have to admit – while excited to realize one of my childhood fantasies – my worries were concentrated into one nagging nucleus of speculation. Was she going to play only new stuff, editing out the cornerstones of Britneymania like “Baby One More Time” and “Stronger?” Had she grown beyond it all? And why did I care so much? The concert opened with the beginning of a short film, one that backboned the entire performance: interspersed between songs, or projected during particularly difficult costume or set changes, it told the story of a criminal mastermind and his army of virile, bloodlusting men, all in panting pursuit of an elusive, globetrotting-spy incarnation of Britney Spears. In a room spattered with photos of Britney in all her presentations – roles she played in music videos, for instance, plus a stack of fake passports and KGB licenses, the man lapped at (ultra-phallic) lollipops and taunted her via microphone: You’ve been a bad girl, we know you’re an undercover spy, my men will get you, etcetera. As the concert continued, and Britney was being flung above the crowd in a winged chariot, or pulling men onstage to handcuff them to a mini-convertible, or
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Your Magazine rotating on any form of moving set pieces, the film led us to believe that at every moment, this evil man was getting closer – and he was going to “kill” her. It was all very exciting, I guess: in the way that a Fun Quarters is to a birthday party of twenty sixth-graders: lots of flashing lights, constant stimulation, the knowledge that it would all come to an end, but not before somebody puked. It was a great, mindless way to spend two hours: as we all knew, of course, that Britney would slake our fears and desires with a well-balanced set list of throwbacks and new additions, and then finally return to the film (dressed in a Geisha outfit) to sneak up on the lollipop-aficionado-cum-villian and slit his throat. Wonderful. However, there did seem to be somewhat of a missing lustre to it all. Yes, it was enjoyable – of course it was. Britney pulled her fans onstage, involved them in her act, let them dance with her (from a safe distance). But, as I expected, no longer was she the sweat-beaded sex goddess that pulsed her iconic midriff against a crowd of muscled, anticipatory men in the “Slave 4 U” video. Then, Spears seemed never to stop moving: her choreography was complicated and illustrious, with unabashedly simpering combinations that stroked the barrier between innocence and bitten-apple seductivity. However, her energy was low that night. Much of her choreography was a series of harem-like arm movements; sometimes, she’d perform high-action, bum ing-bass songs while sitting – sitting – letting her team of acrobats and head-spinning B-Boys dance around her. She was not The Dance Floor Princess anymore, really; more like an exiled monarch coming to remind her former courtesans who was who before disappearing into At the end of her concert, she stepped onto the catwalk and offered a wave, a smile, an airy kiss. She declared, “Goodnight, Boston! I love you,” with her hands on her bedazzled hips. She beamed individually at each tiered section of the Garden, then disappeared beneath the stage as the televisions went black and the last vestiges of pyrotechnic smoke scrolled into question marks above our heads. The whole thing felt oddly ephemerid: there she was, there she wasn’t: the glycemic trademark of a true pop song. It wasn’t the best performance, but it was a performance she knew how to do, at least, with twelve years’ experience. And how could I hold that against her?
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Artist and Designer Erin Shaw
Your Magazine
Shows off some of her recent work to Your Mag.
Graduate of Massachusetts College of Art and design, Erin Shaw finds herself connecting to Native America culture by the means of headresses.
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Your Magazine
By Olivia Moravec
Shaw studied fibers in college which explains some of the knitting shown in her work, but the other materials she uses come from mother nature herself. These ferocious headpieces may look like taxodermic jackpots, but this art was created without animal harm. Shaw collects branches, vegetable died wool, and many other natural materials to create her feaux headdresses. To see more of Erin Shaw’s work visit her website at www.byerinshaw.com. Photos courtesy of Erin Shaw.
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Your Magazine
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Your Magazine
Nineteen
TEGAN AND SARA
Modern Man
THE ARCADE FIRE
Moth’s Wings
PASSION PIT
That Time
REGINA SPEKTOR
Talking Bird
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
Four Winds
BRIGHT EYES
SOWA I Didn’t See It Coming
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
Our Swords
BAND OF HORSES
Brand New Colony
POSTAL SERVICE
Fake Palindromes
ANDREW BIRD
Paris
KATE NASH
Norway
BEACH HOUSE
The Story I Heard
BLIND PILOT
THE AVETT BROTHERS
The Modern Leper (Live)
Head Full of Doubt/ Road Full of Promise
FRIGHTENED RABBIT
Here Comes The...
BUTCH WALKER
Flume
BON IVER
Young Blood
NAKED AND FAMOUS
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Your Magazine
It’s September now which means shopping for school supplies, pulling sweaters out of the attic, calming down and settling back into a routine. But it isn’t that far gone so think back to the best summer weekend. How did you spend it? Were you at the beach? Picnicking in the park? Or maybe you vacationed in an exotic location. Me? I didn’t do any of those things. But I did go with WERS to the 52nd Annual Newport Folk Festival, in Newport Rhode Island. And the two days that I spent there, sitting in the grass and getting a farmer’s tan while soaking in not just the sun but the amazing live music were by far the best two days of my entire summer. The Newport Folk Festival was started by George Wein in 1959 compliment the Newport Jazz Festival. For two days every year Fort Adams park in Newport is overrun with folk musicians and their fans. Three stages—The Main Stage, The Quad Stage, and The Harbor Stage—are set up throughout the park, with the Main Stage overlooking the harbor. Fans gather at each of the stages to hear their favorite folk, indie, and alt. country bands play from eleven o’clock in the morning until seven o’clock at night. Some set up blankets and lawn chairs and stay in the same spot all day long, allowing the music to come to them. Others walk from stage to stage creating their own personal line-up for the day. Everyone is completely content and relaxed. I mean, how could they not be? The most serious issue to contemplate for the entire weekend was that Elvis Costello, Middle Brother, and The Head and The Heart were all playing at the same time. One of my lifelong—well maybe not lifelong, but seven years long—dreams came true in the middle of the first day of the festival. I had seen some awesome acts perform already like The Wailin’ Jennys, The Felice Brothers, and Gogol Bordello, but 4:15 PM was when the magic happened. I had been working at the WERS tent all day. This was awesome for a few reasons:
Reason Number One: We were next to the main stage so as long as we were at the tent we got to see all of the big names playing the festival. Reason Number Two: It was extremeley sunny all weekend but we stayed safe from the UV rays because, well, we had a tent. Reason Number Three: Listeners were introducing themselves to us and we were able to share our love and appreciation of the music in a way that we aren’t able to share it sitting in a studio talking into a microphone.
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Your Magazine
But words can’t express the excitement that I felt upon finally being able to leave the tent to go to The Quad Stage where I would finally, after five years of waiting, be able to see Tegan and Sara. I held my breath when my favorite set of identical twins took the stage. They played acoustic, which is how most of the festival is. (Fun fact! Bob Dylan was booed off stage for plugging in back in 1965.) And despite the fact that I had waited so long to see them, I was apprehensive about hearing them acoustic, but I soon realized I had nothing to be worried about. The pair kicked off their set with “Call It Off” and I was happy to hear them segue from that simple but emotionally charged song into the more catchy and bouncy “Back In Your Head”. Between songs they talked about what it was like for them when they were just starting out. They didn’t have a band at first, it was just the two of them, and they would travel on trains and greyhounds from one tour date to another. They said that their friends and family thought that music was just a phase for them and that eventually they would settle down and get “real jobs”. They then said how grateful they were to have so many family members and friends in the audience that day. They then played “Where Does The Good Go” and “Walking With A Ghost” off of their album So Jealous from 2004. Hearing those songs, “Walking With A Ghost” in particular sent me time-traveling back to eighth grade. No longer was I twenty-year-old Kendall, rocking a WERS t-shirt and henna tattoo, grooving in a field with hundreds of strangers. No. I was thirteen-year-old Kendall wearing and black eyeliner and a wired bra for the first time, popping the actual hard-copy disc of So Jealous into my desktop computer. (I was trying to convince myself that I was not so jealous—pun!—that my seventh grade boyfriend did not want to date me anymore in eighth grade because he wanted to “play the field before high school”.) After the So Jealous songs they moved onto their 2008 album The Con. I thought I was going to melt right into the dead grass under my feet when they started playing “Nineteen”. The opening lines, “I felt you in my legs/ Before I even met you/ And when I laid beside you/ For the first time/ I told you/ I feel you in my heart/ And I don’t even know you” sent me into a trance. I wasn’t even close to being in the front of the crowd but they managed to make their performance so intimate that I felt like that was a message sent only to me. I came out of my trance when they were finished and was thrown back into the reality of the blazing heat and the overall dirtiness of myself and the people around me, but I didn’t care about any of those things as I walked back to the WERS tent. All I could have possibly cared about in that moment was that the thirteen-year-old me would have been so jealous of the twenty-year-old me. The lyrics to “Nineteen” echoed in my head for the rest of the day. I don’t think it will be possible to ever forget the power that these two women had, standing up there on that stage in the middle of a field filled with hundreds of anonymous people, and connecting not only with their fans--but connecting their fans with each other. photos by Lindsey Byrnes for teganandsara.com
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By Madeleine Andrews SEPT. 16-22: BOSTON FILM FESTIVAL [Stuart Street Playhouse:
200 Stuart St. 617-426-4499, www.bostonfilmfestival.org] Get back into film-school mode at the 27th annual Boston Film Festival. See feature films, documentaries and shorts, and sit in on “From Script to Screen,” a panel discussion to be led by Keith Dorrington, the Oscar-nominated writer and executive producer of “The Fighter.” Tickets are on sale now; grab a pair for you and your favorite film major, and catch indie flicks months before they hit theatres.
SEPT. 18: THE LINDE FAMILY WING FOR CONTEMPORARY ART AT THE MFA [MFA: 465 Huntington Ave.
617-267-9300, www.mfa.org] The MFA is about to get edgy, devoting a new wing of seven galleries to all things contemporary art. To celebrate this new addition, there will be a 24-hour celebration on Sept. 17, but admission costs up to $200 and is 21+. Wait ‘til the 18th—the MFA’s free open house. This celebration will include everything from a yoga class to musical performances to lectures at the new galleries. Looking to contemplate the nature of time and its relation to cinema? Check out the premiere of Christian Marclay’s single-channel, looped video “The Clock,” with shots of time-telling devices at every minute of a 24-hour time period. Can’t make it on the 18th? Take advantage of one of the best perks of being a student: free MFA admission whenever you want.
SEPT 19-NOV. 26: SHAHZIA SIKANDER: THE EXPLODING COMPANY MAN AND OTHER ABSTRACTIONS [Mass Art’s Sandra & David Bakalar
Gallery: 621 Huntington Ave. 617-879-7333] Pakistani artist and 2006 MacArthur Fellow Shahzia Sikander is best known for her layered paintings, but this exhibit also focuses heavily on animation. “The Exploding Company Man & Other Abstractions” explores societies in flux and the differences that translate into distance between cultures. On Oct. 3, Sikander will speak at MassArt about her work, and a reception featuring live music will follow. It promises to be a fun way to expand your mind – for free and on someone else’s campus.
Top Right: Endlessly Repeating Twentieth Century Modernism, 2007, Josiah McElheny. Top Left:Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Confrontation, 2011, Shahzia Sikander. Courtesy of MassArt.
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Your Magazine Punk-meets-hardcore-meets-melodic with Make Do and Mend, a New England-based band that’s been featured on MTV U and just wrapped up a European tour with Hot Water Music. Guitarist Mike O’Toole graduated from Emerson last May and immediately embarked on a summer-long tour with the band. He took the time to talk to Your Magazine in July about life after college and By Brian Chabrow on the road. Chabrow: How does it feel to be done with school? What have you been up to since you graduated? O’Toole: Pretty much a couple of days after I graduated, we kind of hit the road. We went down to Crazyfest in Louisville, Ky., and did a little five-day tour on the way to that. And that was an awesome festival. It was all these old punk bands like Hot Water Music, and then they had the new crop of up-andcoming bands like La Dispute and Touche Amore and Title Fight. Chabrow: You guys were recently on the Manscout Jamboree tour with Fireworks and the Wonder Years, too. How was that tour? O’Toole: Funny story about that. That was the last tour that I had to miss because of school. I skipped some school to go down to SXSW and some other stuff, but for the most part, I tried not to miss school for the band. So I would get a fillin to go out on tour for me. Funny enough, I had to train him via Skype doing video lessons and playing songs. So that worked out, but it definitely was a bummer. So, on the topic of graduating school, it feels good to be done and not have to miss any more shows and to get to feel more like I’m contributing. Chabrow: I read that a lot of the members of Make Do and Mend work full time jobs. Is it hard finding time for everyone to work, practice, and write? O’Toole: It has been, but pretty much our cut-off point for becoming a full-time band was me graduating. While I was in school, the band was trying not to tour that much, but if certain things came up like [the Manscout Jamboree tour] or the trip to the UK the band made in March, they really just couldn’t pass some of these opportunities up. I understood and felt OK with them leaving without me. But at this point, we’re all full time with the band … [Vocalist/guitarist James Carroll] was doing outside sales for this executive or something – I don’t know even know what to call it – but he was trying to do that from the van for a little while. We’d all have to shut the music off and be quiet because he was on this telemarketing call basically. But he’s not doing that anymore. Chabrow: What are you expecting from the shows overseas? O’Toole: I don’t know actually. It should be cool. I just found out that the first day of the Hot Water Music tour is sold out already. So we’re starting the tour off with a sold-out show, which is going to be awesome. And then we’re playing some festivals with a bunch of friends. The rest of the band said that the reception over there is awesome and people treat you really well. They feed you, they give you beer, as opposed to touring in the states, where there are so many bands and you’re just another one of them. Here, it’s hard to get promoters to treat you well, and you’re kind of on your own.
From left: Drummer Matt Carroll, vocalist/guitarist James Carroll, guitarist Mike O’Toole and bassist Mike Poulin. Courtesy of Make Do and Mend.
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Your Magazine Chabrow: Is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to doing while you have some time in these foreign lands? O’Toole: Well, when we’re in Australia we have a bunch of days off. I’d like to see the sights and try surfing or something. I want to pet a koala, for sure. In Europe, we’re going to some very cool cities like Budapest, Paris for the first time—definitely a bunch of cool things to be seen. Just playing some awesome shows and hanging with friends. Chabrow: [MDAM’s debut LP] End Measured Mile got amazing reviews, and a lot of press outlets called it the best debut full-length of the year. What kind of effect has all of this positive feedback had? Does it feel like all this hard work you’ve put in is finally coming back to you? O’Toole: It does and it doesn’t. It’s awesome to have that going on. Obviously if people like the record, it’s great. We try not to get ahead of ourselves too much though. At certain times, we have this four- or five-star album, but it’s not everything. You still have to put in the work, you still have to tour hard, work hard on getting your name out there. As awesome as it is to be on all those cool websites and magazines or what have you, that’s not the end of the line. You still have to put in your time, which we’re doing. Chabrow: You’re doing a double LP release of the fulllength and the two EPs with [record label] Holy Roar in the UK. What else are you working on? O’Toole: We actually have probably seven new songs recorded. One song is for a compilation that’s coming out later this year. [Record label] Run for Cover is doing this compilation of I think 12 bands. It’s a bunch of awesome bands and all original material and original songs that are only going to be on that compilation. So we have that coming up; we recorded that one in May, and I’m really psyched on how it came out. Then we have an EP we haven’t really announced yet that we’re putting out. We’re trying to get that out in September. Chabrow: While you were at Emerson and also focusing on stuff with the band, did you ever use resources or friends from Emerson to do promotional stuff or videos?
O’Toole: Although that wasn’t shot by anybody from Emerson, we were able to contact somebody to do the make up from Emerson, and the school definitely still had its hand in it. Chabrow: Could you tell me about your experience with [MDAM’s label] Paper + Plastick? How did you get involved with them? O’Toole: It must have been the end of 2009 or October of 2009, we did a tour with a band called Shook Ones. They’re an awesome band. I’m actually out in California right now, and I’ve been hanging with their drummer Jimmy a lot. He lives around here. Anyway, we just kind of hit it off really quickly. They were on Paper + Plastick at the time, and their record had come out on the label that previous summer. So they kind of just put in a good word to Vinnie [Fiorelli], who runs the label, and we just kind of kept in touch with Vinnie. And when it came time to do the new record, he was way into the idea of having us, and it was super easy. Chabrow: Speaking of other bands, anything good you’ve been listening to lately that people should pick up and check out? O’Toole: The new Touche Amore record is awesome. A lot of friends like La Dispute are putting out new records, and they’re all great. Chabrow: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me, Mike. Any final thoughts or words of wisdom to leave the Emerson faithful with? O’Toole: A lot of time-sensitive opportunities will come up, and it will seem like it’s a good idea to quit [school], and I can’t begin to tell you how many times I thought about dropping out. I missed the UK tour and plenty of really great chances, but at the end of the day, if you work hard enough, those opportunities are going to stay around. I’m so glad I graduated. Maybe I won’t use my degree for anything, but it’s still good to have, and I had an awesome time in college.
O’Toole: Definitely. We used the studios all the time. I would try to as much as I could. But sometimes it’s good to have somebody else working on it, so I would have engineer friends come and record demos for us, and stuff like that ... We tried to do a video – must have been my sophomore or junior year—with one of the organizations on campus, and it just kind of didn’t really work out. We weren’t really too happy with it. But it was still a fun process. We really enjoyed working with everybody. Chabrow: It’s a shame that video didn’t work out, but the next one you shot was definitely a big success. “Oak Square” was huge.
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Watch the “Oak Square” video at yourmagemerson.wordpress.com
Your Magazine
Next Stop: Copley By Jamie Reysen
This semester, don’t let yourself fall into the Boylston-Tremont Street rut, no matter how much the MBTA map makes your head spin. You have the green line right outside your dorm room window—let us help you make the most of it! We’ll start off simple with Copley Station. Take any outbound green line train two stops, and you’ll be at the center of the city, surrounded by dining, shopping and entertainment. Here are just a few fun spots around the Copley stop.
Boston Public Library
Even if you’ve converted to Kindleism, don’t rule the library out just yet. Journalists: See original Civil War prints taken by the “Father of Photojournalism,” Mathew B. Brady. Film buffs: Catch a Monday movie, like “Cold Mountain,” starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renée Zellweger (Sept. 19, 6 p.m.). Writers: You won’t want to miss Pulitzer Prize-winner Daniel Yergin on Sept. 27; he’ll read from his latest book, The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World. General hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9
Hotel Chocolat
Satisfy your sweet tooth at this British chocolatier’s US flagship store; these luxury chocolates are a far cry from anything you’ll get in the candy aisle of your local CVS. If you have some extra cash, schedule a tasting experience – at $50 per person, you’ll get an hour of chocolate history and assorted samples, and you’ll leave with a goody bag. Hours: 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 12-6 p.m. Sun. 141A Newbury St., 617-391-0513, www.hotelchocolat.com
a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Exhibit hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Free, Boston Public Library, Central Branch: 700 Boylston St., 617-5365400, www.bpl.org
Top: Map courtesy of MBTA. Upper right: By Stephen Sherman, courtesy of Hotel Chocolat. Lower right: Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Interior view of Fort Sumner, Mathew B. Brady, 1865. Courtesty of Library of Congress.
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Your Magazine
Lolita Boston (21+)
Lolita lives up to its name; it’s sexy, yet youthful, and there’s a chance you might get into a little mischief. While it’s a great nighttime locale, let me let you in on a little secret: Saturday brunch. “Friday night, round two,” as they call it, offers a diverse menu that’s both sweet (red velvet pancakes) and spicy (red-chili home fries). A meal at Lolita comes with plenty of perks: Shaven ice infused with grapefruit tequila to start, cotton candy topped with poprocks for dessert, and temporary tattoos for the road. Recommended drinks: Hibiscus champagne or the Mojito. Hours: 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Sun. 271 Dartmouth St., 617-369-5609, www.lolitaboston.com
Skywalk Observatory
For those of us who wouldn’t be caught dead on a Duck Tour, get a birds-eye view of the Hub at The Prudential Center Skywalk Observatory – the only observatory in New England. Admission includes an audio tour, entry into the Dreams of Freedom Immigration Museum, access to the multimedia movie theater and 360-degree, panoramic views of the city. Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. $11 with student ID, 800 Boylston St., 617-859-0648, www. topofthehub.net
Top: Courtesy of Lolita Boston. Middle: Courtesy of Top of the Hub and Skywalk Observatory. Left: Courtesy of MET Back Bay.
Met Back Bay
Met Back Bay’s menu is an inspired blend of new American cooking and contemporary European cuisine, but its big draw is the burger bar. Choose a burger (Met prime blend, Kobe, salmon or turkey), and then choose a “set-up,” typecast by city. Go international with the Paris set-up—brie, fried egg, caramelized onion and truffled mayo—or stay local with the Boston burger, topped with cheddar cheese, bacon and eggs. When to go: On a hot day, grab a table on the terrace– Met Back Bay will dole out free push- up pops during heat waves through the end of September. Their quirky flavors include whipped cappuccino and kiwi yogurt with coconut milk. For the 21+ crowd: Thursdays through Saturdays, the exclusive Townhouse is open to the public for “Decades,” a celebration of years’ past. The themed weekends launched this summer, with 1920s-inspired menus and featured films reminiscent of the day, like “The Great Gatsby.” September’s theme: TBD. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun. 279 Dartmouth St., 617-267-0451, www.metbackbay.com
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Your Magazine
By Ryan Tunick
Through a haze of jungle-like heat, I made my way uptown to Grand Central Station, where I met with the boys of IN THE BLiNK Productions. Last year, Alex Foley and Dane Eckerle, of Emerson, and Sam Syrop, of NYU, merged their talents, drive, and Backstreet Boy good looks to form the New York-based production company. So far, ITB has stayed true to its tagline – “small shop, big vision.” What the production company lacks in size, it makes up for in dedication. This summer, they’ve been busy shooting videos that are unique, but within clients’ guidelines. I wasn’t surprised when they showed up to our interview with a Cannon 7D, ready to shoot B-roll for folk singer, Israel Nash Gripka’s video. Gripka commissioned ITB to film one of his live shows and to turn 50 hours of additional footage into a 25-minute documentary. At first glance, another one of their projects might come off as a faux-pas – DMX’s protégé Drag-on put the fate of his music video into the hands of a group of suburban, upper-middle class, liberal arts students. The hardcore hip-hop sensation – who has collaborated with the likes of Swizz Beats, Styles P, and Eve – hired ITB to produce “It’s Our Turn,” released in July. The video went viral on worldstarhiphop.com, with almost 15,000 views in less than a month. Drag-On must have been pleased with its outcome—ITB is slated to produce his next two music videos, and one of them is for a Styles P collaboration track. Foley, Eckerle, and Syrop are eager to create finished products unique to mesh the old with the new, a trait that’s reflected in their videos through a sic directors’ techniques and contemporary perspective. The trio says their aim is rative the main focus of any gig, whether it’s a music video, a documentary, or
our generation. They combination of clasalways to make nara promotional project.
This fall, the boys of ITB will split up physically, but don’t think that means they’re putting the production company on hold. Syrop will hold down the New York fort while at NYU, and Eckerle is headed west with the L.A. program, where he’ll promote ITB’s services. Foley will return to Emerson, and I’m sure his keen eye for production coupled with his musical talents will lead to a greater ITB presence in Boston. Given what they’ve accomplished this summer, it’s easy to imagine this small shop going national in a big way, and in the blink of an eye.
Check out their work at www.intheblinkproductions.com
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Your Magazine It may seem like the Emerson area hits a standstill during the summer, but it’s just the opposite. While you were off sunbathing, new spots have opened around town. Dine and dance your way through the fall semester at these new locales.
SWEET 11 School St. 617-227-2253, www.
FOUR BURGERS 134 Boylston St. 617-426 4041,
FORUM 755 Boylston St. 857-991-1831, www.forum-
Cupcake guru Courtney Forrester opened her first cupcake eatery in Back Bay three years ago, and she has since opened another three around town—Newbury Street, Harvard Square, and, most recently, a downtown location. Their fall menu debuts Sept. 22, promising seasonal additions, like pumpkin pie, to their ever-changing roster. Priced at $3.25 each, this chic shop is sure to hit your sweet spot, on the cheap, and without straying too far from Park Street.
Founded on the question, “Which one are you?” FOUR Burgers has a small yet specific menu. Choose from four burgers – beef, black bean, wild salmon, and turkey – and two types of beef hot dogs. This casual setting is great for groups of friends, and it’s conveniently located between the LB and P-Row for days when neither the DH nor the Max feels quite like ‘you’.
It’s Friday night and you’ve got that justpaid feeling, so do yourself a favor and head up Boylston Street to this new bar and restaurant. High rollers: Try the Pappardelle —pork sugo, wild mushrooms and oregano ($23)—or another simple, yet modern dish off of chef Jared Chianciola’s menu. Overworked and underpaid? Sit in the lounge, and order off the bar menu—it hosts a quirky variety of eats, from chicken waffles to fish tacos, priced between $10 and $15. Forum offers alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails in a setting so swanky, you’ll momentarily feel like you’ve already hit it big.
sweetcupcakes.com
www.fourburgers.com
BIJOU NIGHTCLUB AND LOUNGE 51 Stuart St. 617-357-4565, www. bijouboston.com
When Washington Street’s Boston Bijou Theater opened in 1882, it was the first playhouse in the country to be lit using exciting new technology – what we now know as electricity. Fun fact: It was installed and supervised by Thomas Edison himself. Two-story nightclub Bijou, which opened in late June, brings a new meaning to the word “electric,” through featured electro-house DJ groups like the Vinyl Disciples. Dress to impress, and don’t be afraid to dominate the dance floor. Note: You must have a valid 21 ID.
Left: Bijou Nightclub and Lounge is ready for another electric night. Photo
courtesy of Bijou.
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boston.com
Your Magazine
SoWa hunas
By Taryn Balc
Photo by Ho
pe Kauffma
n
SoWa Open Market Offers New and Engaging Experience for Boston Looking for a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Boston? As students, we all know that Sunday afternoons are usually reserved for recovering from the trials of the past weekend and finishing up homework before we start a new week of classes. Instead of dreading each Sunday, this day should be dedicated to an innovative and unique experience that can be provided by SoWa Open Market in Boston’s South End. This outdoor market started in May and will continue to operate until October 30, running every Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. There are new vendors every week that offer an enriching and exciting experience to the Boston community. SoWa Open Market is split up into three separate markets: hand-made crafts for those that appreciate local talent, a Farmers Market for those that enjoy locally-grown food, fresh ingredients, and a vintage market for those that want a blast from the past. The vintage market actually extends until December 18 for shoppers set on finding classic gems to add to their already styling wardrobe. Not all that into fashion? Come for the food. Multiple food trucks are parked in SoWa Open Market every Sunday as well, offering rich and diverse cuisines concocted right inside the automobiles.
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Your Magazine September 2011