Good Old War Charms their Zankel Audience

Posted by Sara Gagnon

On Friday, Sept. 21^st folk trio Good Old War performed at Zankel Music Center. The concert was held in Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall and was put together by Student Entertainment Committee (SEC).

Good Old War's set was largely acoustic-driven, accentuating their signature harmonies and lively personalities. True fans and first time listeners alike were up dancing and clapping by the fourth song, joining in on Goodwin's expressive and totally appropriate dance moves. Overall the group was hilarious, from Goodwin referring to Arnold as "drummer boy" to numerous honest and self-deprecating comments and stories between numbers.

Good Old War played a variety of songs, including new favorites like "Amazing Eyes" and "Calling Me Names" off their latest album, Come Back As Rain, which was released last March. They also played older hits like "Coney Island" from their 2008 debut album Only Way to Be Alone and "My Own Sinking Ship" from their 2010 self-titled second album.

The best sing-along of the night, however, was their unexpected and energetic rendition of "The Banana Boat Song," made popular by singer Harry Belafonte. Drummer Tim Arnold began the song a cappella, and the crowd followed and belted as the three split into harmonies. It was obvious how genuinely excited they were to have the crowd join in.

Another surprise was their five-song encore, which they unabashedly acknowledged before playing their final number. The typically anticipated one-song-that-everyone-knows reprise became a total jam fest, featuring an impressive scat guitar solo by Arnold. Equally crowd-pleasing was Schwartz's electric guitar solo, which he played while holding his acoustic underneath.

Perhaps the most the most adorable highlight was Goodwin's introduction to "We've Come A Long Way." Barring a roomful of swaying audience members during "Amazing Eyes," Goodwin explained he had written the song for his wife, whom he met at age twelve, garnering unified "awws" from the audience. He responded flippantly, "Yeah, a lot of shit has happened since sixth grade," earning an even greater round of laughter.

 All in all, Good Old War's personalities really shined through the entire performance. Their energy was exceptional, and the bond between them was evident, even if they hadn't talked about high school memories and poked fun at each other throughout the show.

Vocally and instrumentally, Good Old War really showcased their musical abilities. Their sound was incredible, and the music hall lent itself well to their beautifully blended harmonies and acoustic instrumentation. Good Old War has great chemistry onstage and a true appreciation for their fans. There's nothing better than seeing people do what they love and also do it extremely well. They're one of those bands that one just has to see live. At least go to Spotify or YouTube and check them out. Regardless of the type of music you're into, if you like to feel good while listening to good music, it'll be worth your time.

Good Old War is currently touring the United States and Canada until February. 

"Images of India: Call to Action" Explores Slum Life from a Child's Perspective

The opening event for "Images of India: Call to Action," will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 at Case Center Gallery. The exhibition displays a collection of student photography by fourth and fifth grade children from the Okhla slum of New Delhi, India.

"Images of India" is the result of senior David Schlenker's recent trip to the country. The International Affairs and History double major received a SEE-Beyond Award to teach slum children there, on behalf of nonprofit organization Project WHY. During his stay, he realized that old methods of teaching English were no longer an option to solve current global problems. Schlenker took students out of the two-room brick school atop a trash dump and put agency in the learning process back in the hands of his students. The students used photography as a lens to examine their lives from a new perspective while learning English in a context that made sense. The result is a set of photographs that reveals a story different than what the average Western audience might read in newspapers or watch on TV.

Upon returning to campus, Schlenker partnered with the Office of the First Year Experience to draw a unique connection between his work and the stories told in the first-year's reading selection, "Behind the Beautiful Forevers," by Katherine Boo. The exhibit exposes a new perspective on the stories in Boo's Pulitzer Prize winning book, based on her work with slum children in Mumbai. The images further act as a call to action for students to use creative, interdisciplinary solutions to make significant, feasible change.

"Images of India: Call to Action" will run at the college from Oct. 4 until October 10.

"Moonrise Kingdom" is Charming and Unconventionally Romantic: A Car Chase and a Kiss: Admittedly Optimistic Reviews of Upcoming Films at the Saratoga Film Forum.

Posted by Eric Stumpf

Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" opens at the Saratoga Film Forum at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, Sept. 27. The film also runs on Friday, Sept. 28 at the same time, and again at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30.

Anderson's newest film is charming and unconventionally (but unconditionally) romantic. While having little foundation in the real world, "Moonrise Kingdom" is still somehow genuine and real - more so than a conventional film that asks you to accept its action as reality. Moonrise Kingdom doesn't talk down to you; it doesn't try to be something that it's not.

The movie begins with a man addressing the audience directly - in a way, saying "this is a movie, let your imagination take over because in this world, anything is possible." It tells the story of two young lovers, Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward), who run away from home to meet each other in the wilderness. The romance between the two will remind you of the first time you fell in love.

The cast is magnificent. Wes Anderson pairs big name stars with several child actors with no film experience, creating truly dramatic and comical situations. Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis), Mr. Bishop (Bill Murray) and Scout Master Ward (Ed Norton) form a comic powerhouse of deadpan, depressive middle-aged men that should not be missed. These characters transform a seemingly trivial crisis into an adventure of epic proportions and dire consequences.

The direction, costumes and set design are as wonderful as they always tend to be in Wes Anderson films. There are no complaints here. Go see this movie: I'll see you there because I'm sure as hell going again.

Relevant Majors: Performing Arts, Psychology, Sociology, English, Studio Art, Environmental Studies and Music.

Look out next week for a review of "Beasts of the Southern Wild," coming to the Film Forum on Oct. 4.

"To Rome With Love" Satisfies as a Carefree Film: A Car Chase and a Kiss: Admittedly Optimistic Reviews of Films at the Saratoga Film Forum

Posted by Eric Stumpf

Woody Allen's "To Rome With Love" opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20 at the Saratoga Film Forum. The film will also run at the same time on Friday, Sept. 21, and again at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23.

Allen's newest film follows several people through Rome as their lives intermingle. Characters include a distinguished architect (Alec Baldwin); a man (Jesse Eisenberg) in love with the wrong woman (Ellen Page); and a simple man who involuntarily gains celebrity status (Roberto Benigni). These may be classic archetypes of Allen's, but it's hard not to love the cast of all-star celebrities and satiating characters. Baldwin pushes the film to a higher level of success in particular, with his wry delivery and comedic timing.

"To Rome With Love" is a visually stunning and picturesque cinematic tour through The Sacred City. The film's refined execution is comparable to that of Federico Fellini's ("La Dolce Vita"; "8?"). Allen truly uses the location of Rome to his benefit; the romantic allure of the city couples with a playful soundtrack to bridge satire and romantic comedy. If you haven't been to Rome, you'll want to go - and if you have been you'll want to return.

While Allen's latest film may not strike a deep emotional chord, it does satisfy as a sweet, carefree film that arouses laughs and pleasure along the way. Kerry Lengel of The Arizona Republic" calls it "a miniature masterpiece amidst more modest amusements." Put simply, "To Rome With Love" didn't just remind me I needed to return to The Eternal City - it brought me there and back without the price of airfare.

Relevant Majors:
History/Art History, International Studies/Government, Romance Languages, Performing Arts, Psychology

Look out next week for a review of "Moonrise Kingdom," coming to the Film Forum on Sept. 27.

Case Gallery Show depicts Latino Immigrant experience

 "?Estamos Aqu??!" ("We Are Here!"), a collection of photographs by local Latino immigrants, will run until Sept. 27 at Case Center Gallery. An opening reception will also take place at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 17.

The show presents black and white photographs taken by immigrants who enrolled in English as a Second Language classes offered by the Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council. The classes are part of the EOC's Latino Advocacy Program.

The photographers share their experiences living and working in local communities, either as year-round residents or seasonally as workers at the Saratoga Race Course backstretch.

In preparation for their photo shoots, the ESL students participated in photography workshops led by local photographer Skip Dickstein. The workshops, funded in part by Saratoga Arts, offered a series of lessons on both the technical and editorial aspects of photography. Participants learned everything from composition and the rule of thirds to the importance of subject and content. "In addition to good composition, the photograph has to say something," Dickstein told the group.

The show's images were selected by a jury made up of Michelle Paquette, associate director of academic programs and residencies at the college; photographer Robert ParkeHarrison, associate professor of studio art at the college; and Tanya Tobias-Tomis, associate director at Saratoga Arts.

"?Estamos Aqu??!" is funded in part by the Saratoga Program for Arts Funding (SPAF), a component of the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts.

Tang Museum offers chance to re-engage with the Constitution

"We the People", a new exhibition at the Tang Teaching Museum, will host a series of events that invite the public to explore the U.S. Constitution. The show, which opened on Sept. 8, will run through April 7.

Organized by faculty in a range of academic areas, the events will highlight the Constitution as lived experience, focusing on themes including citizenship, community, voting and elections. Formats for the events include lectures, films, workshops and local government meetings.

"We the People" is co-organized by Ian Berry, Malloy Curator at the Tang Museum, and Rachel Seligman, associate curator, in consultation with Beau Breslin, interim dean of the faculty.

"Our relationship with the Constitution is direct," said Breslin. "The unfortunate thing is that we tend to look at the Constitution through a prism of political institutions. But we don't have to go through the Supreme Court or what Congress or the President says the Constitution is. So let's engage with it in a creative way, directly, one-on-one."

Breslin expressed enthusiasm about helping U.S. citizens reconnect with their constitution, a document that he says "animates and regulates our lives in very meaningful ways on a daily basis." He notes that while the vast majority of Americans think the Constitution is important, few are able to name a single thing it says, a commentary on what he points out is "the longest enduring constitution in history."

Special events this fall for "We the People":

? Monday, Sept. 24, Constitution Day Lecture: Completing the Constitution: The 14th Amendment, by Michael Zuckert, the Nancy R. Dreux Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. Zuckert is a leading scholar of American political philosophy, constitutional law and theory, and political thought. Sponsored by Skidmore's Department of Government.

? Thursday, Oct. 4, 2-7 p.m.: We the People Voter Registration Drive, co-sponsored by the Saratoga County League of Women Voters

? Tuesday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m.: The Science and Law of Biotechnology Policy, lecture by Dr. William Henri Lesser, the Susan Eckert Lynch Professor of Science and Business, Cornell University

? Saturday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m.: Saratoga Springs City Charter Open Forum. Experts and audience will discuss the issues around reforming the Saratoga Springs City Charter in advance of a November vote on the question.

? Tuesday Nov. 6, 5:30 -11 p.m. : What to Expect When You're Expecting the Election and Election Returns Extravaganza. A discussion with Government Professor Ronald Seyb on the battle for the swing states, followed by live coverage of the election returns, with refreshments, contests, balloons, and more.

? Tuesday, Nov. 27, 7 p.m: The Return on the Returns: Two Different Views. A discussion with Erica Seifert (Skidmore Class of '02), a senior associate at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner who conducts research on American politics and elections, voter participation, and economic issues; and Benjamin Clarke (Skidmore '01), former chief political writer for GOP strategist Frank Luntz and former speechwriter for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN).

For more information and a full listing of events go to Skidmore.edu/tang.

Review: Evolfo Doofeht : Long-anticipated Boston band brings funk to Falstaff's

Posted by Lyndsay Stone

Last Thursday night's Lively Lucy's Falstaff's event kicked off Earth Day weekend with exuberant energy and enthusiasm when student bands Mugsy Boges and Beardo opened for the long-anticipated visiting act, Evolfo Doofeht.

Having traveled during rush hour from their Boston home, The Berklee School of Music, one may have expected signs of sleepiness from Doofeht, if only a few yawns. Quite the contrary, musicians and manager alike bustled with excitement and zing. They had long awaited this gig at Skidmore.

"The scene at liberal arts colleges up here is really lax, as opposed to the regulated scene in Boston," said Matt Gibbs, the band's founder and lead vocalist/guitarist. "Falstaff's is a sweet venue and we know that people are open-minded at Skidmore."

Rewind two-and-a-half years, and we get a glimpse of the birth of Evolfo Doofeht. Gibbs and his brother, Frankie, a current sophomore at Skidmore, were two of the first members during the band's early stages in San Francisco, the brothers' hometown. Their high school was putting on a contemporary production of Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night and needed a house band to play funky covers of Velvet Underground songs.

The elder Gibbs recalled, "the director wanted us to be called 'The Food of Love,' from the line in the play, 'If music be the food of love, play on.' Naturally we called ourselves 'Evolfo Doofeht,' which is 'The Food of Love' spelled backwards." That was only the first instance of the band's contrarian and inventive style. It didn't stop there. When Matt graduated from high school that summer, he took the band's name, vibe, and ideals with him to Boston. He re-staffed but he did not rewind-Evolfo Doofeht's reputation and repertoire continued to expand.

In addition to vocals, guitar, bass, drums, alto and tenor saxophones, and trombone, Doofeht typically includes a trumpet player and another percussionist. Though two members were missing, there was no void of sound to be found. Every square inch of Falstaff's main room was bursting at the seams with "gypsy funk," or as Gibbs depicted: "Sassy-gypsy-funk, like demons and earth and nymphs-anything from Final Fantasy X."

The 50 or so Skidmore students who attended Falstaff's last Thursday experienced the fantasy for themselves. The crowd was especially buoyant when Doofeht played an original song called "Walk with a Demon." The song's perpetuating rhythm and upbeat groove starkly contrasts the demonic tones played by the bass, guitar, and brass section. It was nymphs and demons all at once. "It reminded me of some giant clown on stilts - very circuslike," said Eliza Hollister, a particularly animated and grooving crowd-member.

Mugsy Boges' drummer, Paul Gladstone '14, had a bird's eye view of the performance. Grooving atop a circular platform across from Doofeht's brass section and next to Peter Oundjian '14 (disguised in a head-to-foot banana suit), Gladstone observed the crowd. "When Evolfo came on, the funk just burst out. As soon as they started playing, the whole place was raging," he recalled.

Doofeht opened by playing an original song with an irresistible hook. "When they started that first tune, and Gibbs was singing 'if you wanna get down with Evolfo Doofeht,' everybody immediately caught on and the whole crowd was singing the chorus. Everyone was going nuts," said Gladstone.

Getting the crowd to groove is just what Doofeht aims to do with their innovative and provocative sound. "Getting people dancing makes me feel like what we're doing is worth it," said drummer Julian Moore. "I get this fat adrenaline rush walking off stage knowing that we got people to dance."

If the enlivened Skidmore crowd has any say, Evolfo Doofeht will soon return to our campus, along with their funky, maniacal, phantasmagoric circus of sound.

Preview: the Tang presents an evening of performance poetry

Tonight at 7:30 p.m., the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery will present an "Evening of Spoken Word" featuring Jared Paul and Caroline Rothstein, two performance poets known for their social activism.

The event will also include performances by student musicians and poets as well as a question-and-answer session with Paul and Rothstein. As part of the event, the Tang Museum's exhibitions will be open for viewing until 9 p.m.

Audiences should be prepared for strong language and mature content.

Paul, a finalist in the Individual World Poetry Slam in 2006 and 2007, is an organizer, independent journalist and social worker from Providence, R.I.

He has helped organize forums, electoral campaigns, street theater actions, anti-war protests, labor rallies, and lobbying efforts. He covered the 2004 Democratic and Republican National Conventions for WRIU radio (the University of Rhode Island radio station) and wrote about both conventions in 2008 for the Rhode Island publication "The Agenda."

"I've seen Jared Paul perform numerous times, and I'm always blown away by his passion and his sense of urgency," said Adina Fried '12. "He has the ability to involve and captivate an audience-no matter its size or demographic makeup-with his unique message and powerful voice."

A New York City-based writer, journalist and performer, Caroline Rothstein was a member of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe slam team, which placed second at Poetry Slam Incorporated's National Poetry Slam 2010.

A longtime activist in eating disorder recovery, Rothstein hosts the video-blog "Body Empowerment," sharing her own recovery story as a means of promoting positive body image. Her one-woman play "Faith," about her struggle with an eating disorder, is part of the Culture Project's 2012 Women Center Stage festival in New York City.

A 2006 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she coached the University of Pennsylvania slam team to championships in 2007 and 2009. She is director of the university's Excelano Project, a spoken word poetry organization.

"This event is part of the Tang's Thursday night series, with events that relate to the museum's current exhibitions. We invited these poets because we think their presentations will illuminate something new about the works on display by Nancy Grossman and Donald Moffett," said event co-organizer Victoria Manganiello '12.

Review: Classical Guitar Virtuoso David Russell

Posted by Dale Obbie

"Until I heard David Russell, I never realized how beautiful a guitar could sound, how technically flawless a guitarist could be," said Professor Joel Brown during his introductory speech. His point was well taken: the audience of Russell's performance on March 30 shared a valuable privilege in seeing the guitar virtuoso.

Intent on impressing the importance of the occasion upon the audience, Brown held up a manila folder and began explaining the significance of its contents. "This is Jimmy Page's autograph," said Brown, receiving a murmur from the audience.

"This is a signed letter written by George Harrison...it's only a photocopy, though," he smiled. "And this is David Russell's autograph, which I got at a guitarist conference in 1988."

Brown's reverent introduction was appropriate. Russell is an internationally renowned classical guitarist who spends his time touring the world's most prestigious concert halls in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Madrid, Toronto and Rome. He has recorded 16 albums, and, in addition to numerous other awards, he received a Grammy in 2005 for his album "Aire Latino." In 2009, Russell was inducted as an honorary member of "Amigos de la Guitarra," the oldest guitar society in Spain.

The program from Russell's Skidmore performance included compositions by Jos?? Broc??, S.L. Weiss, Jorg?? Morel, Fran??ois Couperin and Sergio Assad. Opening with the exquisite "Fantas??a in C" by Broc??, Russell immediately made his superb musicianship evident with cascading melodic runs from the lowest to the highest registers of the guitar. And far from being merely a flashy display of virtuosity, Russell's dexterity found its match only in the sincerely wrought emotion of the performance.

Though Russell may possess superhuman talent, his performance lacked the stiffness and stuffy formality that sometimes stifle classical music performances. His animated playing kept the crowd silent and attentive, while his warm personality showed itself in his descriptions of each piece: "the last movement is 'Juegeteando,' which means 'Playing Around.'" This title aptly described the music, which had a playful, sliding melody and a lighthearted mood that seemed to match Russell's own.

"Sandy's Portrait," a contemporary classical piece by Sergio Assad, was perhaps the most beautiful song that Russell played. His sweet, expressive tone and the subtle inflections of his vibrato carried as much emotion as the fastest and most note-heavy passages. Russell played the song's melody on the guitar's harmonics, ending the bittersweet piece afloat in its dreamscape.

To close the concert, Russell played a selection of traditional Celtic music - something you might not expect to hear at a classical performance. The music was arranged by Russell's friend Jerry Garcia, "but not the famous one," he was careful to point out with a grin.

Russell began with "Slip Jig," a fun and boisterous dance song with a driving rhythm that seemed well suited for an Irish pub. He ended the song by thumping his guitar percussively and then playing "My Gentle Heart," which was a mellower counterpart to the jig. Lastly, he played "The Fox of Oranmore," another vigorous dance song carried along by rhythmic strumming and blindingly fast 32nd note runs.

Called back for an encore by the whistling audience's standing ovation, Russell returned to play "An Alm for the Love of God," by August??n Barrios. The stylistic shift from the rowdy Celtic music did not make Russell falter in the slightest - his rendition of the Barrios piece was transcendent. When he was finished, the moments of silence that followed his last few notes hung heavy in the air before exploding into applause. Russell bowed several times, grinned widely and left the stage.

Review: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad stirs it up at the Putnam Den

Posted by Dale Obbie

Whether you are a fan of heavy-hitting reggae, homegrown acoustic folk music, or better yet, a fan of music in general, March 22 was a great night to spend at the Putnam Den. Playing for a den full of their dedicated fans, Rochester, NY's psychedelic-roots-reggae band Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (GPGDS) kept the energy flowing for a full three hours of music.

Celebrating the Jan. release of their acoustic-Americana album, "Country," as well as the upcoming April 10th release of their latest reggae album, "In These Times," GPGDS played two sets - one acoustic and one electric - of entirely new music.

After paying homage to "the great Robert Nesta Marley," they kicked things off with countrified versions of "This Train" and "Dew Drops" from Marley's classic "Acoustic Medley." Singing "this train is bound for glory," all five members of the band blended their voices in harmony while multi-instrumentalist Aaron Lipp added a bluesy aesthetic with his steel guitar and harmonica.

Lipp continued juggling instruments during "Country" - the title track of their new album - closing the tune with a lap steel guitar solo. "That's one we wrote on the roads of this great nation," explained bassist and vocalist James Searl. "Country" owes its name to more than the folksy sound of its Americana music - both the title and the music evoke images of the American countryside rolling past the band's van, where they wrote the album. "Playing our acoustic guitars in the van is really what made the feel of the porch-rockin' sound happen," says Searl.

The acoustic set reached its highpoint when the band played a spot-on cover of the Grateful Dead's "New Speedway Boogie," which got all of the tie-dyed fans in the audience dancing up front. In true Grateful Dead fashion, they slowed the tempo down, ending with a spacey breakdown before launching into an upbeat bluegrass version of the fan favorite "Burkina Faso."

According to Searl, GPGDS approaches folk music and roots reggae from the same direction at shows: "There is a lot of commonality between these different styles we play, mostly because it's us playing it...Similar energy and similar song forms. When it goes to space, it goes to space." The acoustic set definitely did not lack any space voyages: every song ended with a highflying jam, and at the end of "New Speedway Boogie," guitarist Dylan Savage sent ripples through the ambiance by channeling his acoustic guitar through a wah-wah pedal.

When the reggae set began, Searl's pulsating bassline brought the crowd in from their smoke break and up to the front of the stage. Lipp had set down his guitar and began spreading a thick layer of organ jabs on top of the bass, while guitarists Dylan Savage and Dan Keller exchanged percussive plucking.

Several songs into the second set they really dropped the bomb, departing from the otherwise lyrically driven set to play some heavy downbeat dub. Searl had on his bass face, locking into drummer Chris O'Brian's groove to lay the foundation of the jam. Lipp's warbling organ jabs syncopated with Searl's knee-bending bass notes and O'Brian's echoing percussion to create a web of tightly knit rhythms.

As Searl explains, this tapestry of sounds is not unique to the live experience, but essential to "In These Times" as a whole: "It is definitely a great album to sit and LISTEN to and let it take you around. The imagery from the songs, the fatness of the analog instruments we use, the amount of dub that comes in and out, all amounts to a pretty reflective listen. I find myself reflecting, probably because I feel like we bled into this record, but I think others will agree."

The new songs from "In These Times" were both sonically and emotionally varied. It wasn't just "feel-good" reggae, but a mixture of both the cheerful with the darker and more pensive sides of their songwriting. For Searl, "In These Times" is "a walk around the past six years of living life in the developed world." It is a vivid illustration of both its beauty and its injustice. "Pockets," which they played at the show, laments the economic division that has led to the Occupy Wall Street Movement and exemplifies their reggae at its most righteous.

GPGDS did not end the night on a low note. At around 1:30 a.m., right when it seemed as though the show was about to end, they launched into "All Night Music," another sunshiny tune off of "In These Times." The song's melody was simple but infectious: "Play all night music, jam until the sun comes up."

And jam they did, going on to play some of their mainstays. During "Seasons Change" Searl sang "I feel you comin' when the rhythm gets slow," while the band decelerated and fiddled with the array of effects pedals strewn across the stage - or, as he would put it, "went to space."

Then, reentering orbit, they played "OK," an energetic Afrobeat song ?? la Fela Kuti. As a pleasant surprise, Keller (truly channeling the Kuti) picked up a saxophone and played a wailing solo before the band segued seamlessly into "Change You," the final song of the night and the catchiest from "In These Times."

All in all, the show was fantastic, and although the crowd thinned out as it got late, GPGDS gave it their all, delivering a consistently enthusiastic and impressive performance.

For more information about Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, visit their site at giantpandadub.com

Review: American String Quartet at Zankel: The premier quartet delivers a program of anguish and beauty

Posted by Brendan James

For a single concert program to successfully combine the lofty work of Haydn, the tortured scribblings of Bart??k, and the sublime strokes of Ravel, serious talent is required of the performers.

On Saturday evening the American String Quartet, an internationally renowned group hailing originally from Juilliard, handled the task with tender care. The result was a varied and thrilling performance that captured the brilliance of each distinct piece.

Shooting occasional glances at one another, the members of the quartet demonstrated their mastery of the music as well as their confidence in interpretation.

Beginning with Haydn's Quartet in G Major, Op. 77, No. 1, the players were sharp in execution without giving away any of the composition's playful folksiness, derived from traditional Hungarian and Croatian dances. Cellist Wolfram Koessel provided a rounded bounce underneath first violinist Peter Winograd, who glided through Haydn's intricate but smooth melodies.

In no small part due to Haydn's flowing style, the performers seemed as though their fingers were only grazing the strings of their instruments, producing effortless and perfectly congruent harmony.

Once the first piece was over, however, sweet harmony was no longer the rule. Bart??k's Quartet No. 6 was written under the looming shadow of Nazi Germany's march on Europe; during the threatening trudge of the second movement one could hear the performers evoking the swing of the 1930s in the grace notes before each stomp.

In their early years the American Quartet studied with one of the original performers of this work, Eugene Lehner of the Kolisch Quartet. It is little wonder then, that Winograd and second violin Laurie Carney came together at the perfect level of Bart??k's intentionally less than perfect pitch.

Again, the powerful resonance of Koessel on cello fully captured each pop and pluck of Bart??k's anxiety-ridden masterpiece. But it was Daniel Avshalomov on viola who provided the highlight of this section as he slapped and strummed his way through the third movement's broken cabaret dance.

By the finale of the piece the performers were more than instrumentalists: the power of the music had their bodies twisting just as much as Bart??k's writhing harmonies.

The program drew to a close with Ravel's impeccable Quartet in F Major. The group lifted the audience from the underground bunkers of the previous piece and gently set off on a rolling tide of Ravel's scalar melodies. The iconic second movement in particular, Azzes vif: Tr??s rythm??, resonated throughout Zankel as a distillation of the warm, high-spirited spring evening.

It was difficult not to burst out into applause following the group's wonderful delivery of the second movement's romp; the audience had to wait for the last notes of Ravel's finale, after which the Quartet earned three standing ovations.

Few performances this year have captured the essence of the season the way that the American String Quartet conjured up the lively and mischievous elements of spring in the final moments of that breezy night in Zankel.

AIDS Benefit: Come See Jon and Emma Get Naked

Posted by Joanne Schwartzberg

"This isn't material one would expect to see in a chapel," director Kevin Berry '15 said of his show "Come See Jon and Emma Get Naked," staged for the AIDS Benefit Club.

The play is an evening of one-act plays by playwright Chris Durang. Berry was drawn to this work because of its eccentricity. "He is not afraid to go balls to the wall," Berry said of Durang's work.

The one-act plays cover a wide variety of issues, including self-esteem, job loss and HIV/AIDS. With this play, Berry hopes to explore the idea of judgment and what causes us to judge other people.

The show stars Emma Bridges '14 and Jon Lemay '15. They both agree that the show has been fun for them to be a part of. Both actors play eight different roles over the course of the show and they have enjoyed finding the intricacies and quirks of each character.

Berry asks the audience to come with an open mind, expect to laugh and to consider the question of why we make fun of people.

Reservations are not required. However, seating is limited. Performances are at 8 p.m. on March 23 and 24 in Wilson Chapel. Tickets are free, and donations to the Saratoga HIV/AIDS Coalition are encouraged.

Despite the right ingredients, 'Coriolanus' falls short

Posted by Eli Cohen

Throwing Shakespeare's plays into the modern world is nothing new. A young Leonardo DiCaprio helmed the lead in "Romeo and Juliet," and Sir Ian McKellen in a 1930s, fascistic rendering of "Richard III." Yet, it has been several decades since such an adaptation emerged as a bonafide blockbuster film.

Ralph Fiennes attempts just that in "Coriolanus," his reimagining of the Bard's final tragedy, which is set in "a place that calls itself Rome" (actually filmed in Belgrade, Serbia). The veritable chameleon that he is, Fiennes pulls off a stellar performance as an elite soldier who makes the unwise decision to get into politics - even though he hates and is hated by the people he hopes to represent - on the advice of his mother (a fantastic Vanessa Redgrave) and his longtime friend (Brian Cox, "The Bourne Identity").

Things go poorly for the stone-eyed killer when he refuses to play nice with the populace, and he gets exiled from the place that calls itself Rome. Trying to make the most of a bad situation, he joins up with the one man who could possibly best him in a fight - Gerard Butler. From there, madness ensues.

The problem with this film isn't exactly the Shakespearean language (though it sounds clumsy and awkward on Butler's tongue) nor is it the fighting, which is done very well. The problem is that the film simply cannot decide on its purpose- is it a tragedy or a shoot-em-up action movie? Fiennes spends most of the film literally covered in blood while desperately shouting Shakespearean lines that take far longer than standard battle scene dialogue.

That is not to say that he isn't good at playing Shakespeare's tragic warrior. In fact, he's great, having cut his teeth playing the same role on stage a decade ago. It's just that, throughout the movie, something just didn't feel right. The ending is abrupt, Fiennes spends far too little time with the Volscian army and, above all, one is not moved to care about any of the characters.

All of the actors do more than fine jobs portraying their characters, but in the end, acting is what it looks like. It does not seem like you are watching Caius Martius Coriolanus team up with fellow supersoldier Tullus Aufidius to take on the might of a place that calls itself Rome. Instead, it feels like you're watching Ralph Fiennes team up with Butler to talk to some people and maybe do one more generic battle scene.

Perhaps this effect is lessened if the viewer is as familiar with the original work as "Macbeth" or "Hamlet," but I think that there is a reason this play itself is less-well known: it simply does not depict as moving or interesting a story. And, in the end, that is the ultimate shortcoming of the film. It is well-filmed, well-written and well-acted, but it simply is not that compelling.

Sleigh Bells' 'Reign of Terror' lives up to expectations from first album : Duo's sophomore album shows maturity

Posted by Will Eldredge

Sleigh Bells' newest album, "Reign of Terror," is a record with big shoes to fill.

The two piece's debut LP, "Treats," was an enthralling mix of singer Alexis Krauss's bratty vocals and guitarist and producer Derek Miller's arena-rock riffs and monstrous beats. "Treats," however, owed as much of its success to its novelty as it did to the album's musical accomplishment. With "Reign of Terror," Sleigh Bells demonstrates its ability to refine and improve upon its signature brand of noise.

The album starts out with "True Shred Guitar," whose introductory applause and stage banter flash back to '80s hair bands and sold out stadiums before Krauss's shouts and Miller's brash guitar section kick in. The album then moves into "Born to Lose," a phenomenal combination of spacey vocals and pounding double-bass drums. The track gives an early taste of how the band has evolved, as "Treats'" hip-hop heavy production gives way to a more varied beat selection.

Sleigh Bells also doesn't rely as much on sheer volume as it did on its debut. While "Treats" sounded like it was going to blow out your speakers at half-volume and was full of clipping, "Terror" is more atmospheric and does not have to be blasted to achieve its full effect. Krauss' jagged cries on songs like "Infinity Guitars" and "Riot Rhythm" have given way to her airy and melodic singing voice, and Miller's guitar work is more technical, focusing more on interwoven progressions than on power chords and bass drops.

That being said, "Terror" still sounds awesome at high volume and the duo is still as effective as ever at writing loud, hook-filled noise pop. The sing-song chorus of "Crush" and the high hats of "End of the Line" show that the band hasn't forgotten its roots. The meandering, poppier riffs of "Leader of the Pack" and "Comeback Kid" lack some of the thump of "Treats," but more than make up for it with their variety. The songs also succeed in bringing the album to its peak, which crescendos with the thump and energetic call-and-response of "Demons."

After "Demons" fades out, "Terror" shows its maturity, and the album's last four songs convey a somber introspection that was not present in the band's earlier work. "Road to Hell" has airy, yet frustrated vocals that flow nicely into the soft sorrow of "You Lost Me's" chorus; "Never Say Die" brings together the goth and art-punk of the two previous tracks with a more subdued version of the double bass and hair-metal riffage present earlier on the record. The album concludes with "D.O.A.," a glacial buildup that ends with Krauss declaring "remember who you are," and drops off into a beautiful echoing nothingness.

"Reign of Terror" shows that Sleigh Bells are more than a one-album wonder. From the screeching guitar of "Born to Lose" to the spacey and plodding finale of "D.O.A.," the Brooklyn duo builds off of the successes of "Treats" while adding some of the pace, subtlety and maturity that their debut lacks.

This album is absolutely worth the listen.

Review: 'Chronicle' succeeds despite mediocre and generic plotline: Dane DeHaan and hand-held camera shooting format combine to make film enjoyable

Posted by Eli Cohen

All high school students think they're invincible. But what happens when three of them actually are? This is the question that "Chronicle" seeks to answer.

Shot in the same format as "The Blair Witch Project," in which everything is shown through a hand-held camera operated by one of the protagonists, "Chronicle" follows three high school students who gain superpowers after being exposed to… something. What exactly that something is we never find out, only that it is blue, pulsates, and causes one hell of a hangover.

From there, the plot follows a pretty straightforward descent into evil that audiences have come to expect from this kind of good verses evil movie. The socially outcast character who is abused by his father gets darker and darker, and soon the others must choose between family and the good of the world. In fact, upon seeing the trailer for this film, audiences can predict pretty much exactly what happens.

The crazy part is, despite being utterly predictable and having a generic plot, this movie is really good. It is powerful, grim, and action-packed. What's more, the special effects kept me enraptured throughout.

Even the filming style, which only a few movies in the history of cinema ("The Blair Witch Project" and "Cloverfield" are the only ones that come to mind) have used, is done cleverly. It is done in a way that always shows exactly enough, but leaves the audience wanting more.

One of the most alluring aspects of the film is the acting. All three stars are 25-year old up-and-comers, with the best known of the main actors being Michael B. Jordan, who played the heartbreaking character Wallace in season one of the HBO series "The Wire."

Dane DeHaan, who plays Andrew, the central character, expresses just the right mixture of pathetic, tragic, and threatening in his portrayal as his character rises through the cutthroat world of high school popularity only to be shot down once he is at the top.

Of course, Hollywood is not lacking superhero movies these days. There are at least 12 such films slated to come out in 2012, with the most famous being "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight Rises." In the face of these titans of the industry, how can a movie like "Chronicle" compete? The answer is DeHaan.

The film is not coy about what will happen to its protagonist. Between the trailer and the opening scene, Andrew is yelled at, and later beaten, by his drunk father. There was no doubt in my mind what was going to happen to the poor kid. Yet DeHaan portrays the character with such a vulnerability at first that one cannot help but empathize with him, even though you know this is only being built up so audiences will understand what makes him snap.

Hollywood is criticized a lot these days for recycling old storylines, and rightly so. There are a lot of bad movies that simply cannot come up with a plot of their own – "No Strings Attached" and "Friends With Benefits" are good examples. However, and I never thought I would say this, the generic plotline works for this film. It allows the audience to relax, enjoy the ride, and watch some kids fly.

Dog Sees God: Confessions of A Teenage Blockhead' premiers in Janet Kinghorn Bernhard Theater

Posted by Skidmore Publicity

The Skidmore Theater Department's Black Box production "Dog Sees God: Confessions of A Teenage Blockhead," written by Bert V. Royal, will premier in the Janet Kinghorn Bernhard Theater Friday, March 2.

In this politically charged and provocative tragicomedy, Royal re-imagines the iconic Peanuts character as teenagers and transports them to high school. The play explores social issues many adolescents grapple with, such as bullying, drug use, eating disorders, harassment, homophobia, and desperate quests to discover identity and meaning.

The director of the production, Margaret Smith '12, describes the work as "a play which addresses under-represented social issues in a frank, entertaining, and unexpected way. By using the beloved Peanuts characters as a satirical device, playwright Royal makes ethereal issues tangible for a modern audience."

Performances are March 2 to 7. All shows are in the Janet Kinghorn Bernhard Theater at 8 pm, except Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 pm. Tickets are $12 general admission and $8 for students and senior citizens. Seating is very limited, so reservations are a must. Call the Skidmore Theater Box Office at 518-580-5439 for tickets.

Red Room acts as alternative outlet for student artists: Local student-run arts center hosts collaborative art projects and gallery shows

Posted by Max Siegelbaum In an unassuming apartment building on Washington Street, six Skidmore students sit among cardboard boxes, egg crates, discarded construction materials and a vast array of other salvaged items. The students are diligently cutting, painting and gluing. Slowly, the material is repurposed as the room becomes more organized and less like a strangely clean trash heap. The students work through the night, and the next day, a tiny city stands.

"Crooked City," the miniature city produced by the night of work, is the second community-sourced show of Red Room, an art gallery and project center located in the apartment of four Skidmore seniors, Grace Hale, Victoria Manganiello, Aliza Cohen and Sarah Rosenblatt.

For "Crooked City," the curators scavenged the streets and dumpsters of Saratoga Springs for materials to use in the project. They then used these materials to create a surreal vision of a metropolis – complete with a religious center, shanty town, miniature swimming pool, a motel and of course, a pornography theater.

Fed up with the limited opportunities for artistic expression at the College, the four housemates decided to repurpose an unused room in their apartment into their very own art gallery. What differentiates Red Room from the established galleries of the College (other than its color) is that it is completely student run and funded.

The gallery is a community-sourced project, rather than a space curated by a select group of individuals. "We want everyone to be involved, [so] all students are invited to contribute" Cohen added. In this sense, Red Room is more a local arts center than a gallery.

One of the goals of Red Room is to provide a space for the students' friends to show their art works. "We wanted from the beginning for it to be a space for our community," said Manganiello.

Red Room is a dynamic venue for collaborative art projects. Shows like "Crooked City" demonstrate that Red Room is a venue for a more collective style of art.

As an organization, Red Room connects with potential collaborators through email chains, social networking, and word-of-mouth in order to amass likeminded students to participate in their projects. "We want members to be involved," Hale said.

All of the students expressed frustration with the constrictions of the conventional gallery space on campus. Compared to the Schick Art Gallery and Case Art Gallery, there is a greater degree of freedom at Red Room. It is an open venue for artists who choose to explore taboo and potentially offensive imagery in their work. Hale described the gallery as "open to explicitness. The works do not have to undergo censorship for fear of [college] tours."

Red Room is also free of the pressures of the College's faculty. "We want to avoid the politics of the art department," Cohen said.

The four housemates emphasize that there is a curatorial process behind the shows, and they "don't want it to just be put your art on our walls." Rosenblatt admits that although the curators have their own subjective biases, they are open to different ideas.

"Crooked City" was the second community-sourced show in the gallery. Red Room's first show, "Responses to Red," invited campus artists to interpret the color red in an array of media. From found sculpture to oil painting and woodblock prints, artists studied the color red, the emotions it evokes and the ways it is perceived.

The opening reception for the next Red Room event, a solo show by Ashton LeCraw '12, is on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 pm. Red Room is at 72 Washington Street, Apartment 8. The show, called "Animal Behavior, Human Obsession," will explore themes drawn from human and interactions with animals. According to LeCraw, it "comments on the hierarchy of humans and animals that need to be broken down."

More information on the Red Room is available at redroomgallery.wordpress.com.

Weekly Zankel preview: Thursday Feb. 23 - March 1: Upcoming concerts and performances in Zankel

Posted by Sandy Zhang

Thursday, Feb. 23 – Isle of Klezbos performing in Ladd Concert Hall of Zankel Music Center at 7 p.m.

An all women's klezmer sextet, Isle of Klezbos plays inventive forms of traditional Jewish and Yiddish folk music. The group also plays original music inspired by a wide array of musical styles – from funk, to Latin jazz to classical. Free and open to the public.

Friday, Feb. 24 – In Stiller Nacht, 5 pm in Ladd Concert Hall of Zankel Music Center.

Vocal students of Katie Gardiner, Anne Zwick Turner and Gene Marie Callahan combine to perform a vocal and choral concert.

Saturday, Feb. 25 – Senior Recital

Seniors Alena Chubert, flute, and Alexandra Guest, cello, join to perform a shared senior recital.

No events are scheduled from Sunday, Feb. 26 to Thursday, March 1.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is worth catching on DVD: Rooney Mara engrosses audiences as Lisbeth Salander

Posted by Eli Cohen

Based on the Swedish Millennium trilogy "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson, the movie of the same name lives up to the gripping mystery and startling twists that characterize the books.

The plot revolves around two central characters: Lisbeth Salander, an unstable, violent, bisexual hacker with a day job as a security consultant, and Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist who has been sued for libel.

The unlikely pair meet through a series of strange events, and join forces to solve a crime more than 40 years old — the murder of a wealthy Swedish businessman's niece.

From there, the story becomes a rather by-the-books closed-room mystery: the protagonists' employer lives on an island entirely inhabited by his detestable, mutually destructive family, and he is certain that one of them is responsible. To get to the truth, however, Blomkvist and Salander must first uncover a lot more dirt.

Daniel Craig, fresh off "The Adventures of Tintin," plays the stoic and dutiful journalist. Though he does a perfectly respectable job playing a unemotive character, Craig always seems a little too calm in the face of disaster to really sell danger to the audience. After all, what is one crazy family — granted, one that boasts Nazis, corrupt business tycoons and otherwise unsavory dinner guests — to James Bond?

On the other side of the spectrum is Salander, played by Rooney Mara (viewers may remember her as the girl who broke up with Mark Zuckerberg at the beginning of David Fincher's "The Social Network"). Mara truly leaves nothing behind in her portrayal of the angry outcast — at times hauntingly vulnerable, she has the ability to switch gears and become a terrifying sociopath (if not a psychopath) in front of our eyes.

For big blockbuster films, Mara is a very new kind of hero. While she emerged in certain moments as a stereotypically beautiful Hollywood actress, Fincher ("Se7en," "The Social Network," "Fight Club") plays down her looks as much as possible by making her pale, giving her a sloppy haircut and covering her with tattoos and piercings.

It works, too. This protagonist is definitely not to be messed with, but she also offers audiences a character to root for, one who actually looks like someone you might see on the street, as opposed to the chiseled and aloof Craig. 

In the end, this film fails to create much of a buzz because it does not take many chances — it's not quite as gritty as the book upon which it is based, and is also somewhat predictable. But one thing is for certain: Mara, who beat out highly-regarded actresses like Scarlett Johansson and Carey Mulligan for the part, has captured the imaginations of viewers everywhere with her heartbreakingly brutal depiction of the girl with the dragon tattoo.

Although the film is no longer playing in theaters, it will be released in DVD on March 22, 2012. 

Review: A night of a cappella in the Tang showcases the College's vocal talents: All six a cappella groups performed in the Tang last Thursday night

Posted by Olivia Powers A cappella has become nearly synonymous with college, and although Skidmore flatters itself to be unique from other colleges, its soft spot for this music form confirms that underneath the flannel shirts beat stereotypically collegiate hearts. The six a cappella groups on campus, which vary from for-charity to all-inclusive, and from all-female to all-male, each specializes in the iconic "a cappella bounce." However, it is unusual to see them all bouncing together on the same evening.

Last Thursday night, all six groups joined together for an intimate evening of music in the atrium of the Tang Teaching Museum.

"It's rare that all of the a cappella groups are able to perform at the same event, much less get to listen to each other," Drastic Measures Co-Musical Director Emily Streim '14 said.

At Thursday's showcase each group performed three songs. The Drastic Measures kicked off the performance with an animated set, ending in an upbeat rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia," replete with a creative cornucopia of self-made percussion. This was a theme throughout the evening; each group performed at least one song in which its members' voices were supplemented with a beat-boxing, heel-stomping, finger-snapping array of sounds.

The Drastics were followed by the Sonneteers, the Bandersnatchers, the Accents, the Dynamics and, finally, the Treblemakers. Though many groups repeated old material and the Bandersnatchers recycled a few too many jokes, the performance demonstrated the array of talent that exists within the College's a cappella community.

"All the groups have really different styles of music so it's really cool to see that all in one place," said Sara Belasco '14, secretary of the Treblemakers. "Banders is a very clean-cut, boy band type of group, and Sonnets and Accents are very folksy and alternative. We sing more popular music, I think because we have a larger number of people and that's what a lot of people are interested in."

The audience was comprised almost exclusively of students. They crowded the small venue, overflowing the chairs set up in front of the make shift stage to line the staircase and pour onto the balcony.

"I want to take a picture because this never happens in the Tang," said a member of the Bandersnatchers while on stage.

Indeed, it was a rare treat to see such a large group of students crammed into the Tang's atrium, filling the normally serene gallery with excitement. Though the Tang's acoustics cannot compete with those of Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall in Zankel, its intimacy allowed the singers to interact with the audience members, who shouted their appreciation for the old favorites that were performed.

Surprisingly, the Treblemakers, the only all-inclusive group, were able to keep pace with the more polished groups. Where the group's vocals lacked precision the members made up for in enthusiasm. The infectious energy of their mash-ups of popular songs ended the concert on a lively and carefree note. However, perhaps wrongly anticipating an inferior performance, many audience members had snuck out by the final set, missing out on a rousing ending to a spirited jumpstart to the new semester. Oh well, their loss.