(09/07/10 4:00am)
To all the couples out there, I may have found the perfect place for that once-a-semester restaurant splurge. Though the Cambridge restaurant actually has around 14 tables, Ten Tables is as small and exclusive as you would expect from its name. It's not just that you'll feel like you have the place to yourself-the dim lights and quiet location also help to guarantee a romantic and sophisticated night. It doesn't hurt, either, that the food prepared by chef David Punch and crew is some of the best in its $20-to-$30-per-entrée price range.Located at 5 Craigie Circle in Cambridge, it's about a 15-minute walk away from the hustle and bustle of Harvard Square. That means that you and your date will be uninterrupted by other college students as you pass the calm residential area off of Concord Avenue, It's a little out of the way, but my dining partner and I soon found the trek to be more than worth it.As we walked down its narrow stairway to the dining area, a display wall proudly shows Ten Tables as winner of Boston Magazine's "Best of Boston 2009, Romantic, Affordable" award, an accolade we both agreed on as we walked back up the stairs two hours later. Ten Tables shows that fine American dining doesn't have to be a snobbish experience, even when it combines a wealth of Italian and French cuisines of which, admittedly, I was not an expert. The waiter-dressed in black formalwear-was patient and knowledgeable, especially when I asked him to explain the elements of our antipasti appetizer. Served with cumin croccantini, which is essentially the "crackers" to the various "dips," highlights of the dish include watermelon cubes drizzled with Saba dressing and a delectable bluefish pate garnished with pine nuts. The antipasti-priced at $13-held its own as a light, diverse meal, and the table bread complimented it well. I highly recommend it.Ten Tables allows plenty of time for diners to chat between dishes, further emphasizing its romantic appeal. While we waited for our entrées, I noticed that the minimal décor was perfect for the place, since diners come to pay attention to each other, not a dazzling piece of artwork hanging on the walls. However, the tables are placed very closely together, so it's easy to overhear other conversations.I'm absolutely in love with the entrée I had at Ten Tables. The Berkshire pork chop I ordered was softer and juicier than any I've ever had before, and it paired perfectly with the Wards Farm creamed corn served under it. Although the pork was unbrined, its texture was impressive, reminding me of good raw salmon: mostly creamy and slightly chewy. The dark, roasted skin had hints of salt, pepper and charcoal that balanced the unseasoned meat in the middle. The pickled mushrooms and baby arugula are spicy and slightly tangy, which match the pork and corn well. The kernels of corn felt more like potatoes than regular corn in my mouth, missing that stringy, get-stuck-in-your-teeth aspect that I tend to dislike. The melted spicy chipotle butter on the bottom of the vegetables is wonderful and never intrudes on the corn's own buttery taste. The dish comes in a relatively large portion for the $25 price, too.My dining partner was kind enough to offer her Haddock for me to taste. It didn't impress me nearly as much as the pork, but I enjoyed having hazelnut with fish for the first time. It's an interesting contrast of textures, and the fruity pomegranate sauce produced an even more notable contrast of flavor. The fish itself was smooth, with hints of fried and lemony aromas. My of-age friend described the 2009 Chenin Blanc as a wonderful pair to the fish, stressing the white wine's spicy fruit-flavored aromas. At $20, I would only recommend it if you were adamant about having Haddock.Unfortunately, I can't say much about the desserts at Ten Tables. With our bill coming out to $85, including tip, we decided to satisfy our sweet tooth at Sweet Cupcakes, located at 0 Brattle St., instead. With bread, appetizer and entrées Ten Tables should satisfy even the hungriest of college diners.So if you decide to take the plunge, what else should you know about Ten Tables? Make reservations as early as possible, either by calling the Cambridge location at (617) 576-5444 or by using opentable.com. Dress code is casual, but know that most guests are older and better dressed than the average college student. Most important, enjoy a romantic, memorable evening with delicious food and wonderful service.
(08/31/10 4:00am)
With many giant releases out already this year like Starcraft II, Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2 and God of War III, and with even bigger and better games due for the fall, 2010 is quickly becoming the best year for video games ever. Even if you're busy getting to level 50 in Red Dead Redemption or revising that 20-page research paper, there's no reason not to get pumped for the biggest titles coming this fall and during the holiday season. Here are the top five upcoming games you absolutely must play in 2010:1. Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)-Sept. 14No one should be surprised at the number-one choice. Halo is the franchise to beat in terms of addictive split-screen multiplayer options, innovative online modes and engaging single-player storylines. Although Halo's future became unclear after Halo 3 ended the Halo trilogy, the prequel/add-on Halo 3: ODST and the upcoming Halo: Reach show that Bungie is far from done making really, really good sci-fi shooters. Halo: Reach takes place shortly before the original trilogy and puts you in the shoes of an elite United Nations Space Command super-soldier fighting against the Covenant. Expect an immersive cooperative campaign mode, new and improved character customization and original multiplayer modes like "Assassinations" and "Headhunter."2. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (PC)-2010 (date TBA)As of December 2008, World of Warcraft had more than 11.5 million subscribers worldwide. That makes way more people playing Blizzard's popular massive multiplayer online role-playing game, than there are people living in New York City. As a former WoW player myself, I can attest to why World of Warcraft has essentially held a global monopoly on the MMORPG business and why it will continue to be on top for years to come. Packed with countless environments and dungeons and constantly being updated with new content, the game has something to offer to both casual and hardcore players. As WoW's third expansion pack, Cataclysm will raise the level cap from 80 to 85, add two new playable races (the Goblins and the Worgen), redesign existing cities and zones, and have around 3,000 new quests for players to spend time on. Although the expansion is confirmed for a 2010 release, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime comments on WoW.com that "an exact release date has not yet been announced."3. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)-Nov. 21Everyone reading this needs to go on YouTube (now) and check out this game's premier E3 trailer. If the classic, yet revamped soundtrack alone doesn't convince you that this game will rock your nostalgia socks, how about this little tidbit: Donkey Kong Country Returns will be developed by Retro Studios of Metroid Prime fame. I can't think of one developer that did a better job breathing new life to a classic 2D franchise than the Texas-based game studio, so prepare for the best Donkey Kong game yet. 4. Gran Turismo 5 (Playstation 3)-Nov. 2There's a reason why Gran Turismo 3 and 4 were the second and third best-selling PlayStation 2 games of all time. From the huge variety of cars and courses to the stunning visuals, Gran Turismo has proven to be the one racing simulator that delivers everything a car geek could want from a video game. In 2008, PS3 owners got a taste of the highly anticipated sequel with the downloadable "preview" game Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. GT5 will expand on the Prologue version with 16-player online capability, 70 different tracks and a rumored 1,000-plus cars. The graphics engine looks absolutely mind-blowing, so don't be surprised if your roommate ends up mistaking the game for actual racing footage. 5. PlayStation Move (PS3) - Sept. 19 and Microsoft Kinect (Xbox 360) - Nov. 4Sony and Microsoft are no longer ignoring the success of the Nintendo Wii. Both companies will be launching their own unique motion-sensing platforms this fall, shifting the gaming industry's 2010 focus from software to hardware. Sony's PlayStation Move will feature an LED-equipped wand controller and a supplementary navigation controller that seem, at first glance, strikingly similar to Nintendo's Wii remote and Nunchuck combination. However, the additional use of the Playstation Eye-a webcam that senses the motion of the controllers-means that the controller's position can be tracked with higher precision and accuracy than the Wiimote, allowing refined controls for aiming on screen. Microsoft's Kinect heads in a different direction, eliminating the use of a controller completely. The Kinect sensor device includes a camera and microphone that allows 3D motion capture and voice recognition, so prepare to see yourself dancing, fighting and moving on your TV. And there you have it: the top five reasons to keep on playing video games this fall. There are tons of great releases announced for 2010 not on this list, though, so keep your gamer's eye out as the fall approaches. Honorable mentions include Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii, Oct. 17), Fallout: New Vegas (Multiplatform, Oct. 19), GoldenEye 007 (Wii, Nov. 2), and Call of Duty: Black Ops (Multiplatform, Nov. 9).
(08/31/10 4:00am)
Ready to skip sleep? Hillel Theater Group and Tympanium Euphorium are putting on a 24-hour musical from 8 p.m. this Saturday to 8 p.m. Sunday, pitting the school's most ambitious singers, dancers and actors against the tribulations of rehearsing a full musical in 24 hours. If you're interested in having a once-in-a-lifetime theater experience, auditions began this past Monday and run through Thursday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Carl J. Shapiro Theater. The show is an excellent way to start off the Undergraduate Theater Collective's season-one filled with many incredible plays. The hilarity and fun of the 24-hour musical shows off the mass of talent avaliable at Brandeis and a taste of what is to be expected in future shows. The 24-hour musical is a great opportunity for first-years to meet everyone involved in UTC as well as experience the challenges of memorizing lines at the last minute. The show isn't only for first-years though; members from all class years can take part in this experience of musical endurance. Nothing is disclosed about the show until Saturday night, when the directors reveal the mass-speculated title of the musical as well as the entire cast list. Over the course of the following extremely intense 24 hours, rehearsals begin, the set is built, costumes are made, dances are taught and songs are practiced. Everything, all intricately planned in advance by the directors Andrew Litwin '11, Julie Stein '11 and Robert Orzalli '11, comes together for the one-night-only performance. By 8 p.m. Sunday, the auditorium is overflowing with students as the sleep-deprived yet thrilled cast and crew prepare to take the stage. The theater was over capacity with people sitting in the aisles and standing at the back of the theater at last year's production Legally Blonde: The Jewsical, as it was at Spamalot the year before. So what kind of musical should students expect to see and perform this year? Both Legally Blonde and Spamalot were based off of Broadway musical comedies that focused on outlandish parody, extravagant set pieces and humorous musical numbers. The title this year will most likely have a light-hearted story, unserious or in-your-face dialogue and a lot of fun songs. Perhaps a Brandesian take on Avenue Q or Hairspray? Regardless of the choice of musical, it's always great to see a group of performers dedicated enough to forgo sleep and study to rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse. Nicole Litvak '12, who spoke with justArts about the 24-hour musical phenomenon, emphasized the event's popularity at the school. "It's always a big fun show," she said, "and there's always a ton of people in it."Auditions will be held today until Thursday from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater located inside the Shapiro Campus Center.
(08/31/10 4:00am)
Up-and-coming Boston "funk-punk" group Bad Rabbits welcomed this year's first-years with an energetic concert last Saturday in Levin Ballroom, put together by Student Events and the Department of Orientation. The show, which opened with an act by Boston rock band Dear Havanah, was extremely well put together but, unfortunately, poorly attended. While thumping beats filled the room, people didn't, showing that perhaps Brandeisians were looking for more than great, live dance music to enjoy their Saturday night-or that they didn't know where to find it. But those who attended-mostly first-years, orientation leaders and Student Events organizers-seemed to have the time of their lives as they sang along with Dan Htoo-Levine of Dear Havanah's infectious lyrics and danced to Bad Rabbits' Prince and Morris Day-inspired beats. Berklee College of Music grads Dan Htoo-Levine, Colin Healy and Mike Blong of Dear Havanah have played at Brandeis previously and were excited to return to the campus to open the Saturday show. The soulful grooves they performed came from their new album, The Whole Way Home, coming out Sept. 7. The audience quickly caught on to the lyrics as Htoo-Levin led them through songs such as "Bring Me Home" and "Radiant Love," energizing the crowd as people slowly filed into Levin Ballroom. When I spoke to the members of Dear Havanah after the show about their return to Brandeis, they said they "enjoyed the younger, more energetic crowds" at college campuses. They are excited for the upcoming months as they release their album and prepare to book a tour for the spring that will lead them to Austin, Texas. Blong said he was looking forward to their listening party of The Whole Way Home at The Red Room in Café 939, located in Boston; When asked about his experience working as a musician, Blong said that one of his favorite aspects of the lifestyle was traveling. "When we were driving from Ohio to Pennsylvania for a show," the drummer/vocalist said, "there was a spot on the back of the bus called the Hot Zone. While others had to drive, the people who played their cards right got to sit in the Hot Zone, which was decorated with pillows and tapestry." Minutes after Dear Havanah's act, Bad Rabbits, whose name comes from a Gavin Castleton song, entered the stage to the students' screaming excitement. Their funky, popping beats quickly got the audience jumping to the rhythm as lead vocalist Dua Boakye led the group with animated dance moves and Michael Jackson-inspired vocals. In fact, the group paid tribute to their iconic pop influence halfway through the show with a medley of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough," "Rock With You" and "Wanna Be Starting Somethin'" which generated enthusiasm from everyone. Bad Rabbits is much more than just an 80's-style pop/funk band, incorporating elements of rock, hiphop and just general youthfulness to the songs off of the band's new album, Stick Up Kids. Perhaps the group is accustomed to performing for larger crowds, but they nevertheless did the most important thing in a concert-get the crowd really, really excited. Boakye was able to give justArts a few comments after the show, talking about the inspiration behind Stick Up Kids. When asked where the art on the band's MySpace page came from, which depicts a teenage rebellion, he said that it was tied to the album's theme of youthful energy. "It's all about being a 20-something. My goal is to be a kid until I'm 105," Boakye said. He clearly embodied the kind of young vigor that inspired album, joking with me as I asked him if he was a trained dancer. "I'm definitely not a dancer," he replied, "but I hook up with them. I like to make out with dancers." The lead singer was also open enough to tell me this unkown interesting fact about Bad Rabbits: "Someone in the band once defecated out of a moving vehicle." Of course, on-the-road antics aren't the only things that make bands like Bad Rabbits want come to places like Brandeis. Boakye emphasized being motivated by the crowd and feeding off of its energy, and that the night's show "was really fun." Herbie Rosen '12, who booked Bad Rabbits for the event as head of the Orientation Core Committee, said he could tell right away that the group has an upbeat and "jokester" attitude. "This is a very fun group," he said, "and you can tell they spend a lot of time together. Their music is new. I can't find words for it, but all that comes to mind is that it's good, really good.
(05/25/10 4:00am)
Sometimes seeing the narcissistic playboy get superpowers as well as all the girls, money and fame can be very entertaining. It was certainly fun in the first Iron Man movie, in which Tony Stark partied it up in his stripper-pole-equipped private jet and later donned his superpowered suit to save the world from Obadiah Stane. Stark may be a cocky bastard, but he realized that his armor's unparalleled might comes with the obligation to use it responsibly.And so it's annoying to see Stark, played by Robert Downey, Jr., get into all sorts of trouble as both the Stark Industries CEO and Iron Man in Iron Man 2, as if he forgot any lessons he learned in the last film. As a sequel, I had hoped that Iron Man 2 would bring the billionaire industrialist closer to realizing what it means to be a superhero while tackling more difficult challenges than he had previously. What we end up with, though, is a mishmash of underdeveloped subplots which include a disappointing half-romance with assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow); an involvement with the superhero agency S.H.I.E.L.D. that could confuse viewers who aren't fans of comic books and a conflict with the generic though admittedly badass villain Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke). Despite his possession of the world's strongest financial and technological assets, there's a lot going against Tony Stark in Iron Man 2. His heart, for one, is failing due to contamination from the power core plugged into his chest. In an attempt to find an antidote for the rising toxicity in his blood, Stark looks to the company's history and encounters another problem: His father, former owner of Stark Industries, seems to have left him enigmatic clues regarding the Stark legacy. Things aren't going too well within the company, either, as Stark struggles with Potts in managing both the company and their relationship. And it doesn't help that the United States government is out to seize his power suit, attempting to claim it for military purposes. A rival weapons manufacturer, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), is also out to get the Iron Man suit and eventually seeks help from the main villain of the film, reclusive Russian scientist Ivan Vanko. Vanko poses the largest threat to Stark, as the villain has built a formidable suit equipped with lightening-powered whips. Amid these trials and tribulations, Stark still finds time to party and get drunk. After a particularly irritating scene in which he shows off his suit at a party, I began to wonder how, exactly, this behavior will pan out. An intervention from Nick Fury, played by an adequate Samuel L. Jackson, seems to be the answer to Stark's ego, but the subplot involving S.H.I.E.L.D. gets pushed to the side too quickly. The issue is that there are too many conflicts in Iron Man 2, and none of them get adequately fleshed out. Ivan Vanko, particularly, lacks a satisfactory backstory, and we are left to understand him as the prototypical villain with all the expected traits: wants to kill a superhero, is a mad scientist, has an Eastern European accent and a grudge against the world, etc. It's a huge shame, considering the potential of both Vanko's original character and Mickey Rourke's exceptional ruggedness. Another underplayed role is Scarlett Johansson's mysterious Black Widow. The combination of her mystifying sexuality and action-movie vigor makes for an impressive performance, but I'm left questioning her importance in the movie. Sure, as a member of Fury's clandestine organization, Black Widow contributes to foreshadowing the upcoming Avengers film (slated for a 2012 release), but in terms of the central plotline, we are left just as confused as Stark about who she is. And while I'm nitpicking about roles: Don Cheadle was miscast as Iron Man's sidekick, James Rhodes. Director Jon Favreau might not have been directly involved in the replacement of Terrence Howard, who played Rhodes in the first film, but he should have realized that Cheadle is not exactly an action star. Cheadle's performance as Rhodes is so drastically different than Howard's that I considered the colonel in Iron Man 2 as an altogether separate character. A change in actors, whether the filmmaker's choice or not, creates an awkward disassociation from the first movie. Since Iron Man 2 is first and foremost an action film, the most important question may merely be, "How is the action?" Though the battle sequences are less exciting than in Iron Man, they are nonetheless entertaining and help drive the plot forward. The special effects are impressive, but the flying sequences are hardly jaw-dropping compared to fare like Avatar. As far as action movies go, Iron Man 2 is by no means boring, but it lacks the depth of story and character development that I loved in the first film. Go if you are a fan of the comic book series, but the overstuffed plot and underdeveloped characters prevent this movie from being remembered as a satisfactory sequel.
(04/20/10 4:00am)
To celebrate the end of Restaurant Week 2010, a couple of friends and I went to Rialto, a sophisticated Italian restaurant located in the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. The restaurant shares its space at the stylish hotel with other attractions such as the famous jazz club Regattabar; the restaurant Henrietta's Table, famous for its organic and local offerings; and Noir, a chic 1940s-themed bar. Entering the Charles Hotel, we immediately sensed an air of elegance that set it apart from the more college-oriented restaurants around Cambridge.There are several things that separate Rialto from other high-end Italian restaurants. First, while it's definitely ritzy, the environment is much louder and friendlier than you'd expect, and both the bar and the restaurant sections are marked by a good amount of chatter and laughter. Second, the bread is to be eaten on the tablecloth instead of a separate bread plate (a French custom) and is served with olive oil (which was garnished with rosemary) and sea salt. Third, there is an external section of the kitchen placed among the tables, where the chefs can be seen preparing the cold dishes. I watched one chef use a cutter to produce thin slices of prosciutto while preparing Parmesan cheese and pickled beets for one of the appetizers, finishing the plate off with some candied walnuts and placing it on the counter for the servers to carry away. Besides giving diners a chance to see the chefs at work, the kitchen island also allows servers to pick up non-entrée dishes without walking into the kitchen, saving them valuable time.During Restaurant Week this year, dinners at all participating restaurants cost $33.10 without tax or gratuity (the total at Rialto came to be around $42 per person) and consisted of three courses. The first course had lighter items such a soup or salad, while the second boasted a selection of five mouth-watering entrées, after which there was a choice of three types of dessert. What I ended up ordering was heirloom bean soup for the first course, arctic char for the second and tangelo citrus sorbet for dessert.The creamy and richly flavored heirloom bean soup impressed me right away, although I would have preferred the dish to be warmer. The spring onions topped the soup excellently, while the carrots provided a good contrast in texture. My dining partners enjoyed a variety of other light dishes, such as risotto with asparagus and the prosciutto appetizer plate I mentioned seeing the chef prepare. In between the first and second courses, our waiter refilled our bread and water frequently. Seeing that I was taking notes, he kindly offered to give me a copy of the menu, which was an unexpected but considerate gesture. By the time the entrées arrived, our group of six had already had our bread refilled twice, a testament to the restaurant's delicious bread and prompt service.The arctic char, which is similar to salmon, was stunning. My friend described it as the best fish he had ever had, and I could hardly argue that the tender meat and salty, oily skin of the char wasn't amazing. The dish was served with pea sauce, pea tendrils, mushrooms and pine nuts, which complemented the fish perfectly in taste and texture. Another friend described his herb-stuffed pork loin with asparagus and polenta as scrumptious.The desserts, which followed quickly after we finished our second course, varied in richness. Those who ordered the chocolate espresso torta said the cake was extremely rich even without the cream, while my tangelo citrus sorbet was cold, light and refreshing. It tasted like real fruit and went great with the chocolate wafer and sauce.As an overall experience, Rialto is unbeatable. Our waiter was patient, prompt and very friendly. Before he took our orders, he asked if we had any questions, without being rude in noticing that it was clearly our first time at the place. He explained to us what risotto (slow cooked rice dish with broth and cheese) and semifreddo (ice cream or gelato) were and gave us a clear idea on how the dishes were prepared and how they would taste. When one of my dining partners had water spilled onto her arctic char, he immediately noticed the situation and offered a re-plate. Her dish was replaced in less than five minutes. The décor in Rialto gives the restaurant a calm and sophisticated ambience. White curtains and beige circular sofa seats around the tables give the place a classy yet unpretentious feel, while the window walls provide a beautiful view of Harvard Square. The restaurant was seated to a full house on Friday night, accommodating well over 100 sociable and well-dressed customers. Although Rialto is not the typical choice for a college student, the food and experience is worth the one-time splurge. Make sure to call the restaurant in advance for a reservation, and be prepared for spend upwards of $50 for a many-course dinner.
(04/20/10 4:00am)
There's a certain difficulty that arises when describing the experience of seeing great live jazz. Call it the "vibe," the overall time-feel or some type of spiritual connection that the players make with each other when improvising. However you put it, there is an emotional, transcendental element of live jazz that can hardly be expressed in words. A few words do come to mind, however, when I think of the Dave Holland Quintet's performance last Friday at the Regattabar in Cambridge-words like startling, raw, innovative and dense. The moment the quintet came on stage, I instantly sensed the "vibe." I felt this before they played any notes, when they had just picked up their instruments. Even when they were just warming up, the musicians handled their instruments like they were extra arms. It's not every day I see people play horns who have spent the majority their lives acquainting themselves with them. Dave Holland, especially, manipulated his bass with a type of energy and wisdom that I had never seen before. Holland was the bassist for Miles Davis in the trumpeter's Bitches Brew era and has continued to rise in prominence in modern jazz fusion. He has played with an assortment of other big names in jazz, including Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, Pat Metheny, Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock over the course of his five-decade career. The Dave Holland Quintet, which consists of Holland, trombonist Robin Eubanks, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, drummer Nate Smith and tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, played a total of four sets last weekend, with 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. performances on Friday and Saturday.I caught the late set on Friday, and the venue was packed. The environment was sophisticated and friendly, and I could tell that everyone present had a deep respect for each member of the quintet. Rather than rows of seats, the Regattabar seats listeners at tables of four, so people may engage in casual conversation with each other or order food and drinks. My friend and I sat near the front right next to Nelson's vibraphones.We soon realized that we had some of the best seats as we could carefully observe Nelson's playing. While accompanying other soloists, he'd use three or four mallets, but he would switch to two for his virtuosic solos. During one of his improvisations, he played so furiously that I felt like the mallets were flying out toward me. Every hit of the vibraphone was precise, yet unexpected enough in timing to keep the rhythm exciting. The entire quintet was, in fact, characterized by this sense of rhythm that was simultaneously rock-solid and syncopated, which kept me on the edge of my seat. This is due in part to Holland's love for odd meters and polyrhythmic figures. I lost track of the downbeat often if I did not count carefully, but Smith's spectacular drumming and Holland's ingenious bass lines kept my foot tapping. Eubanks gave an especially stellar solo in "Secret Garden" that demonstrated the group's mastery of irregular rhythms, emphasizing select offbeats and creating an alternate groove within his solo.The other horn player, Chris Potter, is an entirely different story. My friend referred to him as "John Coltrane on crack," but his style is completely his own. I could see Coltrane's "sheets of sound" quality in many of Potter's ridiculously fast improvisations, but he uses a variety of other techniques that create excitement. The quintet ended the set with "Vicissitudes," one of Potter's compositions in which the saxophonist demonstrated a type of modern ferocity that was never found in jazz during Coltrane's time. He is, in my opinion, one of the best current jazz saxophonists in the world, a view shared by many others. It wasn't a specific solo or segment of the concert, however, that left me feeling dazed after seeing the Dave Holland Quintet. I do recall a few moments that stood out, such as when Dave Holland broke into a sizzling groove during one of his solos, but it was the combination of astounding rhythm and improvisation from each player that, to put it plainly, blew my mind.Those who don't usually listen to groups like the Dave Holland Quintet are missing out on a thrilling and constantly evolving form of music. The modern jazz scene in Boston and Cambridge is huge. The Regattabar, which is located in the Charles Hotel at 1 Bennett St in Cambridge, features at least four shows a week, and tickets are generally only around $20. Next week begins the annual Jazz Week, when Boston will host tons of jazz artists from around the area from April 23 through May 2. Performance schedules and more information can be found at www.jazzboston.org.
(04/13/10 4:00am)
Correction appendedLast weekend marked the first annual student-run film festival IndieLouies, which ran over the course of two days. Organized by the Brandeis Film Collective, the festival came into being as a response to administrative changes to this spring's SunDeis. According to the festival's Web site, the main goal of IndieLouies "is to have fun and to bring the student film community closer together."For the first day, seven of the longer offerings (each were 20 to 30 minutes in length) were screened at Schwartz Auditorium. One standout was Aiden Own, by Ben Harel '12. Arun Narayanan '10 plays Aiden, a struggling single young man who meets a former love interest. The film was named Best Film and also received a Best Cinematography award at the awards ceremony on Sunday.AnnaBelle Lee, credited to Ilan Amouyal '11, Kelly J. Frydman '11, Angcon Podder '10 and Stephen Robinson '11, is a disjointed portrait of a man following an ex-girlfriend through a dream world, shot in large part in black and white and reverse motion. The film earned a Best Editing award.The team submitted another film, Severance, one of the few offerings in the horror genre. In the film, a man known as the "Craigslist killer" has the tables turned against him when the sister of one of his victims takes revenge in his own house. Then there was the zombie-thriller inspired The End, filmed by a group of students called Old Smoky's Rebellion. It was created for the 48-Hour Film Contest, where students are given a line, a prop and a character to incorporate into a film in the span of two days.One of the highlights of IndieLouies was a performance by comedy duo BriTANick, which consists of Brian McElhaney and Nick Kocher. You may know them from their viral video spoof "Academy Award Winning Movie Trailer," which has received about 3 million views combined. They began their show at a tightly packed Cholmondeley's with an assortment of hilarious live sketches, one of which featured Kocher making a lap around the coffeehouse while half-improvising a variety of ridiculous characters. Besides live performances, there were also screenings of their comedy shorts, one of which was McElhaney's senior thesis for NYU, "Eagles Are Turning People Into Horses." To close, each gave an impressive stand-up comedy routine and even involved some Brandeis students in a slow-motion epic choreographed fight.Following BriTANick, the second day of screenings began with ParaDeis Lost and The Maltese Dodo, both from Anthony Scibelli '09. The latter was named Best Comedy. Following this was Best Screenplay winner Park Pros, from Misha Sundukovskiy, a student at NYU, which told the story of an ambitious parking attendant trying to romance his high-powered businesswoman customer while trying to get along with his foul-mouthed, unhinged and ridiculously duty-bound boss. The comedies continued with Sherman Shopping and Still Alive, the winning 48-Hour Film Contest entry, comically chronicling the only mobile person on campus after a virus leaves everyone frozen. This was followed by Michael J. Gomes's dramatic off-campus submission Eulogy, concerning a man who must deliver his father's eulogy after years of avoiding him. For their work on the film, Gomes and actor Stephen Radochia won Best Director and Best Actor, respectively.There was also a profusion of art films at the Saturday screenings. The Secret is Free From Prudishness was a sexual look at self-mutilation. Actress Kacie Leblong received Best Actress for her performance in the movie. Director Kelly Brannon (also not a Brandeis student) screened two deeply personal films: Fusion, a monologue inter-cut with interviews with truckers with whom Brannon hitchhiked, and Stories of My Friend: Ron, a narrative look at a friend's arrest and eventual suicide. Among the fascinating movies present were the two "true life" films presented on the second day of the festival. The first, Everybody Has Their Miracle, was a more traditional documentary. Shot in Buenos Aires, it looks at the use of religion as business in the forms of Santeria shops, street vendors and even a Holy Land theme park, with the mix of faith and commerce cumulating in the Día de San Cayetano festival. It was named Best Documentary of the festival. The second movie, The Fens, was much less traditional. Entirely filmed from inside a guitar, it records director Erica Russo as she meets people and plays her guitar in the park. Though short, it made for an entertaining concept, with charming results as Russo meets and sings with random passersby. The Fens picked up Best Sound and Best "Artsy" Film.Following the screening was an awards ceremony hosted by Scibelli and the festival's organizers. On top of the previously mentioned honorees, Best Animation was given to An Exercise in Subtlety, which due to technical problems was not able to be screened at the festival.Correction: The original version of this article misspelled the name of an IndieLouie participant. The participant's name is Michael Gomes, not Michael Gomez.
(03/02/10 5:00am)
I admit that the main reason I was saw Cop Out was because it starred Tracy Morgan. I began paying attention to the actor in the TV series 30 Rock, in which he pretty much plays himself as Tracy Jordan, the self-centered and immature star of a sketch-comedy series. Tracy Morgan's humor in the show is frequently shocking, sometimes endearing, but always really, really funny. His role in Kevin Smith's buddy-cop action-comedy as Paul Hodges is essentially the same. He frequently bursts out with crude one-liners about anything from taking big dumps to simian oral sex. But it's apparent from Cop Out that Morgan's brand of humor doesn't quite fit into a full-length feature film, and it doesn't help that the movie itself is quite horrible. Actually, Morgan comes nowhere near close to saving what will probably be one of the worst movies of 2010.Cop Out (originally titled A Couple of Dicks) is the first film directed by Kevin Smith that wasn't also written by him, a fact that helps explain the movie's uninspired plot. Morgan, as Hodges, is partnered with the coy Jimmy Monroe (Bruce Willis) to make an NYPD duo who lose their badges due to a failed attempt to track down some Mexican crime lords. Without their badges, they're forced to take on the criminals themselves after Monroe loses a valuable baseball card, a childhood possession he plans to sell to help finance his daughter's wedding. The card ends up in the hands of Poh Boy, the leader of the same Mexican gang Hodges and Monroe were investigating. The two cops resort to making a deal with Poh Boy, who promises Monroe the baseball card in exchange for finding the gang leader's stolen Mercedes. This leads to the discovery of a foxy ex-drug queen (Ana de la Reguera), who was kidnapped by Poh Boy and hidden inside the trunk of the Mercedes. Hodges and Monroe, with the help of a Parkour-loving thief (Seann William Scott), end up figuring out all of Poh Boy's plans, killing all of the drug lords, saving the hot girl and earning back their well-deserved police badges. And the ending should hardly be a spoiler here, considering Cop Out's atrociously formulaic story. I expected no Scorcese, but the movie's crime elements serve no purpose toward suspense or humor. For silly fare like Cop Out, the hilarity usually hinges upon the performances by the actors, which Morgan does deliver a few times. He has a lively and entertaining presence in the movie, especially during a couple of his ridiculous one-liners that come out of nowhere. There are random funny moments here and there, but the time in between gets exhaustingly boring. The subplot involving Hodges' wife (Rashida Jones), for example, serves no purpose to the plot and lacks any capacity to generate laughs. The problem is that Tracy Morgan's humor comes from his character's childlike simplicity, which does not lend well to the development of his character. His relationship with his wife is hardly believable, and his suspicions concerning his wife's loyalty don't mix well with the Tracy Morgan persona. Meanwhile, Bruce Willis and Seann William Scott do their usual thing as John McClane and Stifler, respectively, but they bring nothing to the movie. It's painful to watch their characters suffer from the inane dialogue and trite situations. Have you ever squirmed in your seat from watching a movie that was just really, really stupid?Anyone looking for Kevin Smith's brand of humor found in Clerks or Mallrats should stay away from Cop Out, as hints of his input in the movie are hardly present. Seeing this might just make you hate the director, actually. And those like me who were initially drawn to Tracy Morgan's starring role in the movie should take my advice and just keep on watching 30 Rock.
(02/09/10 5:00am)
For Director Lora Slutsky '12, a cappella isn't just about singing. Ba'note, Brandeis' newly established all-female Jewish a cappella ensemble, is about community as much as it is about music. "My friends and I would celebrate the Sabbath every week by singing prayers together," Slutsky said. She explained that the weekly ritual encouraged the starting of the a cappella group. In fact, despite the 11-member ensemble's mix of different musical backgrounds, all the members are brought together by a similar religious background and a respect for Jewish practices.The group began informally in the spring of 2009, when Slutsky founded the group with the help of Aliza Sebert '12 and Michelle Kaplow '12, who now act as Ba'note's musical directors. They continued to sing in the fall of 2009, but the ensemble wasn't recognized officially as a club until this spring. Within the past few weeks, however, Ba'note has quickly worked toward becoming one of Brandeis' well-established a cappella ensembles. The group recently held auditions and gained an additional singer, Dafna Broekman '13. They also became a Hillel member group, joining Manginah and Jewish Fella Acappella as a cappella groups supported by Brandeis' largest student-run Jewish organization. Ba'note performed for Hillel's Shabbat dinner on Jan. 29, bringing live music to students in Upper Sherman. "We've always wanted to be in an a cappella group, so we decided to start our own," said Sebert. "I've sung all my life, and I was in involved in a cappella in high school too, so music is definitely one of my passions." For Sebert, singing in Hebrew is a natural choice, as her main experience with choral music has been in Hebrew. Ba'note sings a combination of Hebrew and English songs, many of them carrying messages of community and family. One of their songs, "Chaverim," means "friends" in Hebrew and speaks of the meaning of friendship. The ensemble is unique in that its songs are all arranged for either four-part harmony or harmony with three singers on the melody. What this means is that no singer will ever be singing a solo or performing a part alone, which adheres to a Jewish rule of modesty stating that no girl should ever sing alone in public. "We want to accommodate religious girls and their practices," said Sebert, explaining that Ba'note's musical direction respects the rule by never having a soloist stand in front of the rest of the singers. The result of this arrangement is a rich, choral sound for the group and another way to promote the group's emphasis on togetherness. Ba'note's rehearsal process shows the members' commitment to each other as well. Before every rehearsal, one member is assigned to bring a fun activity to the group that will help them bond. "One time we did something where each person wrote their name on a piece of paper and passed it around," said Sebert. "Everyone would then write something nice about the person on the paper until we all had a compliment for every member." These activities serve to give members a time to relax from the stressful week while helping them build group cohesion. "We spend a lot of time together, so it's good to make sure we can work well together," said Slutsky. "And we're always excited about performing together as well."Be sure to check out Ba'note's Youtube channel page at youtube.com/brandeisbanote as well as their performance March 13 at the Fourth Annual Jewish A Cappella Fest, hosted by Jewish Fella Acappella at 8 p.m. in the Sherman Function Hall.
(02/02/10 5:00am)
It was only one week ago when Alexandra Dougherty '11 and Narre Heon '11 decided to found Brandeis University's first club dedicated to cheese. Their reason?"Because we really like eating cheese, and everyone loves cheese," said Heon.When the duo began the process of getting the club chartered by the Student Union, they were surprised at how easy it was to rally outside support. In fact, it took only one round of obtaining signatures in the Usdan Student Center to reach the required 135 signatures and 15 permanent members required for University recognition."We just went around asking people if they liked cheese, and the response was extremely positive," said Dougherty. "We actually didn't realize how easy [starting a club] was at Brandeis. But then again, we haven't gone to the F-Board yet," said Heon. The co-presidents, or the Big Cheeses, as Dougherty and Heon call themselves, plan on making a club that's not just about eating cheese. They spoke of exploring the science and history of cheese as well as possibly supporting dairy farmers. At their meetings, they plan on not just serving cheese but also offering various complementary dishes such as crackers and fruit.The first official meeting of the Brandeis University Cheese Club will be today at 8 p.m. in the South Campus Commons. The goal of the meeting will be to see how many students are interested and to give the leaders an idea of what to expect. Learning what people want from the club will provide a good starting point for the newly formed club. "We're looking for suggestions, because we want to cater to people's tastes," the duo said. They mentioned wanting to promote vegan and kosher cheese. For the past week, Dougherty and Heon have been busy getting the word out on campus. "The last week has been a lot of brainstorming and planning," said Heon. "We also had to hang up fliers and rip off tape in the cold." Even within the short period of time, the response for the Brandeis University Cheese Club has been very enthusiastic. The Facebook group for the club, for example, already has 350 members, and over 100 students have replied as attending the first meeting on Tuesday. Heon recalls overhearing students talking about looking forward to the Cheese Club while she was flyering for their first event. "I heard them say they were excited for the Cheese Club, and I told them that I was too!" Heon said. So how did the two founders develop their passion for cheese? Dougherty explains that they have always enjoyed getting cheese at Trader Joe's and Hannaford and having wine-and-cheese gatherings with their friends. "I really like plain goat cheese with honey and pine nuts," said Dougherty. "However, my favorite type of cheese would have to be Manchego.""I usually like to eat the cheese plain first, to really taste it, then have it with other things," said Heon. "My favorites include smoked Gouda, or in fact any type of Gouda, and French cheeses like baked Brie."Dougherty is double-majoring in Environmental Studies and International and Global Studies, and Heon is double-majoring in Philosophy and Health: Science, Society, and Policy."Starting the club doesn't feel like work," Dougherty said. "We just want people to be happy, because cheese is supposed to make you happy.""We have a lot on our plates," Heon said. "But we always have room for cheese.
(01/26/10 5:00am)
The International Contemporary Ensemble will be coming to Brandeis on Saturday, Jan. 30, for a three-day residency. The group, since its formation in 2001, has emerged as one of the top contemporary classical ensembles in New York and Chicago, with the New York Times praising it as "one of the most adventurous and accomplished groups in new music." The 30-member collective features flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, acoustic and electric guitar, as well as electronic accompaniments, and frequently plays compositions by new or young composers. On Jan. 30, ICE will perform at the Slosberg Recital Hall at 8 p.m., displaying their critically acclaimed repertoire of Philippe Hurel, Franco Donatoni, Mario Davidovsky, Philippe Manoury and Edgar Guzman. On Jan. 31 at 7 p.m., ICE will give a concert featuring premieres by Brandeis' own graduate Composition students, after spending that afternoon working with the students on their compositions. In addition to the concerts, ICE will be reading new pieces of music on Monday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. and giving a talk on art entrepreneurship at noon, both in the Slosberg Recital Hall. The group's stay at Brandeis is sponsored by the Brandeis Arts Council, and all performances will be free and open to the public. So what should students expect from a "new-music" ensemble? ICE's MySpace page categorizes it as classical/experimental, but the two genres hardly describe the group's dynamic selection of modernist, minimalist and contemporary composers.Since the group frequently programs emerging composers, ICE's sound and style changes with each new arrangement or composition. James Borchers (GRAD), who is responsible for organizing ICE's residency at Brandeis, has often found its concerts to be "very exciting, unconventional, and always at a high level." Borchers first met with ICE when he was a graduate student at Queens College and the group had just recently formed. Years later, Borchers saw that it had "become a prominent fixture of the contemporary new music scene in New York" and contacted them about coming to Brandeis in summer 2008. "I was primarily interested in bringing them to Brandeis to work with the graduate composers because they have a tremendous amount of experience, expertise, and affinity for the work of young emerging composers," Borchers said in an e-mail to justArts. "The majority of their repertoire comes from music written only in the last few decades, by composers that are actually still alive." Borchers, along with the staff and faculty of the Music department, expressed great enthusiasm for ICE's residency at the school. "The concerts will likely challenge your expectations," Borchers said, "and should offer a compelling insight into the realm of contemporary music.
(11/24/09 5:00am)
Most students at Brandeis who hear of the Improv Collective have little or no idea what it is. Some mistake the group for a comedy improv troupe or a jazz combo, two examples of groups who may do "improvisation." What the Improv Collective actually is may surprise students, as the idea behind the group is extremely simple. Tom Hall, the director of the group, teaches musicians how to improvise. But what is improvisation? As a member of the group, this has been a question I've been trying to tackle for a long time. Fortunately, I was able to sit down with Tom Hall last week and talk about how he developed his method of teaching improvisation, what improvisation means, and what exactly it is that he does with the Improv Collective.JustArts: So, first off, what is improvisation? Tom Hall: Well, I think that improvisation is something that, as humans, we all naturally do. It's the process of combining the knowledge and skills we possess with the possibilities and materials available in the moment, and spontaneously creating something. From the moment we're born until the moment we die, from the most creative artistic endeavor to the most mundane action, it is an inextricable part of human life. JA: How did you come to this realization? TH: Well, the idea actually came from playing an instrument. When I started off in seventh-grade jazz ensemble, I realized that what I liked best was just that, being up there and playing stuff. That's why I became a musician, and I went to college in the New England Conservatory. We had a band there called Ensemble Garuda, and what we would do is get together basically every day and improvise in every way that we could think of. And that really got me started thinking about improvisation in a broader context.JA: So as a musician who improvised, how did you connect that with the idea of improvisation being something completely universal? TH: Well, after I graduated college, I started playing a lot of different styles of music, whether it was funk or disco or straight-ahead jazz. What I realized was that no matter what kind of music I was playing, I always felt like an improviser. I had the ability to work with what was happening in the moment and to improvise in a way that worked and made sense. The process was the same, no matter what kind of music I was playing. Then I started wondering, well, if improvisation is the same with all music, is it the same with everything we create?JA: You mean, other forms of artistic creativity? TH: You see, I actually went through a period of time where I took some improvisational theater classes just to see if the process was the same, if I could apply what I knew about the process of improvisation to this other medium. I found out that, aside from certain things that are inherent to the medium, such as in music you have pitches and harmony, there's all this stuff about improvisation that's all the same: Basic concepts like beginning and ending, things like phrasing, creating a story, a narrative arc and the idea of relationship. And I spoke to dancers a lot, and to musicians, too. And the more I did this the more I realized that the process of improvisation in all artistic mediums was the same. JA: Are there any specific examples of theater and music using the same process to improvise?TH: Well, there's a improv comedy term called "finding the game." What's the basic relationship between the characters, what's the game that they're playing? Then once you find the game you can follow the flow of the improvisation and know where the joke is going to be. In musical terms, maybe you're playing in this key or you're accompanying him, and that's the game. JA: So what finally led you to doing the Improv Collective at Brandeis?TH: [Prof.] Bob Nieske (MUS), the jazz ensemble director here, asked me to be a sax teacher at Brandeis. I came in and started doing work with sax players, and we ended up doing a lot of improvisation. That got me thinking about how to get somebody to feel comfortable improvising music if they haven't done it before. So that's how, in 1997, I got started developing the Improv Collective, the system I have for teaching people how to improvise. JA: A lot of times musicians come to the Improv Collective, and I've heard them play in the orchestra and they're phenomenal performers. But I talk to them and they say, "Oh, I don't know how to improvise." How do you make them realize that they can improvise?TH: It's actually remarkably easy. I ask them to improvise just one sound that tells me who they are right now. If you can get somebody to play that one note and to really truly have it come out as an expression of themselves in that moment, then the ice is broken. Then it's just a matter of learning technique, like how to improvise a melody.JA: Would you say there is a process of learning and becoming a better improviser?TH: Everyone has an incredible amount of knowledge of how to improvise. Every culture has music and speech, and everyone lives in a world where making sense of the sounds around you is so important. So the key to becoming a free improviser is how to put the two things together. We have all this knowledge improvising, we have all this knowledge about how to make sense of sound, and to be a great improviser you have to learn do the two at once. JA: I heard you were coming out with a handbook that puts together all of these ideas of improvisation.TH: Yes, it's a workbook called Free Improvisation: A Practical Guide. I've been writing this book for over 10 years now. The book covers the theory and practicing behind improvisation, and it has 124 exercises focusing on developing skills to help you improvise. JA: Will you be publishing the book yourself?TH: Yes, I'll be selling it on my Web site, www.freeimprovisation.com, as well as Amazon. JA: What kind of people are you targeting?TH: I truly think everybody can use it. I think an intimate understanding of improvisation can help everything. I gave it to my old English teacher, and he said, "I wish I had this when I was a teacher. All of these ideas I would have used in teaching writing." It's all the same thing. JA: I also heard that you are performing free improv in the Boston area with other professional musicians.TH: I'm currently doing a series called The Sessions, currently at The Outpost in Inman Square. I invite musicians that I think I would enjoy playing with and we improvise. I don't distinguish between who's in the free jazz realm and who's not. Part of my thing is breaking those boundaries, getting an avant-garde jazz musician together with a blues player. The CD of Sessions III, which is a studio session I did recently with bassist Marty Ballou and trombonist Jeff Galindo, is currently available on my Web site. JA: It seems like you'll be busy with not only the Improv Collective but also the book and the performances. Any other future plans or projects you're working on?TH: Eventually I want to do more sessions and workshops, open for anyone to come and work on different improv elements. I also want put on a theatrical show involving dance and improv music and costumes, but that's far in the future. My next Session will be on Dec. 13 with Jerry Leake on percussion and Sonny Barbato on accordion.JA: Final question, what's the wackiest thing that's happened during your time with the Improv Collective?TH: Well, there's always wacky things happening. Everything from purely beautiful music to some guy playing a two minute solo with his flip-flop, which happened in performance. It was during the final concert, and he just took off his shoes and started hitting things with them. It was intense.
(10/20/09 4:00am)
In 2007, an Israeli-born software programmer named Oren Peli decided to shoot a film in his own house using only three actors and a budget of just $11,000. He had no prior film experience and started making his movie with the help of his girlfriend and an old friend. The inspiration to make the film came from the strange noises he heard during the nights in his new suburban house. Peli set up cameras around the house to observe what went on while he slept, and the idea turned into the premise for Paranormal Activity, a Blair Witch Project-style fright fest featuring a young couple haunted by a demon. Now, the "found footage" supernatural thriller is gathering rave reviews and record-breaking box office numbers. Two weeks ago, during the movie's limited release, it grossed $7.1 million in 160 theaters for the Columbus Day weekend, jumping into the top five with the smallest number of theaters ever. This performance trumped Platoon's 22-year-old record of a fourth-place finish playing in 174 theaters. Paranormal Activity even beat out Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (3D), which, by comparison, screened in 1,752 theaters. Ticket sales are not likely to slow down for a while, either. This weekend, Paramount Pictures expanded Paranormal Activity nationwide into 800 theaters, and the movie's $20.2 million gross was the third-largest for the weekend. The studio is expected to broaden the movie to 2,000 screens on Oct. 23.So how did an independent horror film shot by a first-time director and starring two no-name actors manage to garner so much success in the mainstream movie industry? The answer is a remarkable story involving one of the most ingenious marketing schemes in recent history. After Peli finished his movie, he began screening Paranormal Activity at film festivals such as Screamfest and Slamdances, but the movie was never picked up by a major distributor. In 2008, however, Dreamworks picked up a DVD of the movie. The studio execs were so impressed with the film that they handed it to Steven Spielberg, who took it back to his Pacific Palisades estate to view. According to an article by the LA Times, Spielberg's bedroom doors locked by themselves after he watched the DVD, forcing him to call a locksmith to get out. Spooked, Spielberg brought in the DVD the next day in a garbage bag, telling the studio that he loved the film despite the haunting incident. Dreamworks intended to release the film that year, but an acquisition-related conflict between Dreamworks and Paramount delayed Paranormal Activity's release until this fall. On Sept. 25, Paramount held midnight screenings in 13 different college towns. Then the buzz began. Twitter, Facebook and word-of-mouth carried the same message across the country: Paranormal Activity is really, really scary. The presence of the film on social networking sites was, in fact, part of Paramount's marketing strategy of drumming up hype for a wider release. A team of Paramount reps began using sites like Twitter and Facebook to encourage people to "demand" the film on Eventful.com. If enough users in a town clicked "Demand it!" for Paranormal Activity, Paramount would bring the film to the area. According to the ad campaign, it is "The First-ever Major Film Release Decided by You." Paramount promised to roll out a wide release once the movie reached 1 million demands. That goal was reached in only four days. The movie's Facebook page has over 70,000 fans, and its presence on Twitter is huge, as shown by twitter.com/tweetyourscream or searching for the phrase "Paranormal Activity." Even Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times tweeted: "low budget, no fancy f/x, but it's surprising how scary 'Paranormal Activity' is." The Internet buzz on Paranormal Activity has reached viral status, much like its pseudo-predecessor, The Blair Witch Project. Also a horror mockumentary, Blair Witch became an online phenomenon with the help of its Web site, www.blairwitch.com, which chronicles real-life, supposedly supernatural disappearances and attacks. These films show how grassroots marketing works well with videotape-style horrors. But does the success of Paranormal Activity signify a trend moving toward digital means of advertising and distribution? Prof. Caren Irr (ENG), who teaches a ENG 50B: "American Independent Film," argues that the startling success of Oren Peli's movie may be difficult to replicate for other independent filmmakers."Now that production costs are much lower, especially for larger digital films, independent filmmakers face special hurdles when it comes to distribution and exhibition of their films," she explained in an interview with the Justice. "Indie films will likely be distributed via cable and on-demand viewing," she continued.To bypass the expensive advertising process, low-budget indies will instead go directly to digital distribution sources like the Independent Film Channel rather than compete with big studios. Independent films focus on a niche audience, and it is very rare that one becomes a pop culture sensation like Paranormal Activity has. However, the movie shows that the "Twitter effect" can offer independent filmmakers a chance at a sleeper hit."The success the movie has attained already is beyond my wildest dreams," Oren Peli said in an article on the New York Daily News. You can see what the fuss is all about as Paramount widens its release on Paranormal Activity. The Landmark Embassy in Waltham will be playing it starting Oct. 23.
(10/06/09 4:00am)
The Lydian String Quartet kicked off its fall 2009 concert season last Saturday with the latest installment of its program "Around the World in a String Quartet." As part of a five-year ongoing series that began in 2007, Saturday's episode of "Around the World" featured compositions by Beethoven, Shostakovich and Schoenberg, representing Germany, Russia and Austria, respectively.Performing were Lydian String Quartet members Profs. Daniel Stepner (MUS) and Judith Eissenberg (MUS), violin; Prof. Mary Ruth Ray (MUS), viola; and Prof. Joshua Gordon (MUS), cello, along with guest vocalist Dominique Labelle, soprano.The Lydians, who have been Brandeis' premiere resident string quartet since 1980, are not only renowned performers but are well-established educators in music, as well. Eissenberg is a founding member of the quartet and teaches at Brandeis as a professor of practice. Ray, also an original member of the Lydian String Quartet, is the chair of the Music department. Gordon has played cello as a soloist and chamber musician all over the world, and Stepner, besides being on the faculty at Brandeis, is also a member of the Boston Museum Trio and concertmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society.The Lydians opened the concert with the four movements of Beethoven's Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127. The more traditional harmonies in the piece resonated brightly, showing off the impressive acoustics of Slosberg Recital Hall.The quartet then gave the program its "Around the World" slant with Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich's Unfinished Quartet. The piece, which ends after 225 bars, was unfinished for unknown reasons. One speculation is that Shostakovich disliked the "na've" style of the quartet, which he described as "a children's piece, about toys and going out to play." According to the extended program notes provided by Stepner, the composer criticized the overly simple conventions of popular music and "their puerile melodies, trite rhythms and generally vulgar tone."The final performance was Arnold Schoenberg's Quartet No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 10, which featured vocalist Dominique Labelle in its third and fourth movements. Labelle had previously collaborated with the Lydians, recording John Harbison's String Quartet No. 3 and The Rewaking, which was chosen by The New York Times and Boston Globe as "one of the best recordings of 2001." With the quartet's dark, atonal harmonies and the piercing clarity of Labelle's soprano, the Schoenberg was my favorite composition of the night."Around the World in a String Quartet" is proving to be another successful series by the Lydian String Quartet. Labelle and the quartet were treated to a standing ovation by the audience of over 150 people. What keeps this 29-year-old chamber tradition exciting every year?"We try to program a balance of new and old, standard and off-beat," explained Stepner in an interview. "We have programmed composers from Azerbaijan, Iran, Cuba and many other less-than-likely places." For their second concert of "Around the World," the Lydians will feature Costa Rica with compositions by Alejandro Cardona. The concert will be on Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall, with a lecture at 7 p.m.
(04/28/09 4:00am)
Electronic music duo The Crystal Method is coming out with a new album, and it's about time. Five years after the release of their Grammy-nominated Legion of Boom, Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland are back for a nationwide tour to promote their fourth studio album, Divided by Night. JustArts was lucky enough to nab an interview with Kirkland last week, who gave insight into the band's recording process, an upcoming tour and being an electronic musician. JustArts: Tell me about your new album, Divided by Night. What was it like recording with artists like Peter Hook and Matisyahu?Scott Kirkland: Divided by Night was definitely the most collaboration we've had for an album. But it was great having different perspectives and angles for each song, because every artist brought a little something new. We enjoyed going over to New York to record with Matisyahu, who was working on his own album at that time. JA: Your last album, Legion of Boom, was nominated for a Grammy. Is there pressure for another nomination for this new album?SK: I wouldn't say there's pressure to duplicate success, although I'd obviously like to see it again. Legion of Boom's success in terms of reception and sales was amazing, and if it happens with the new album, that's great, but for the most part, all we do is just try to make music that we're into. JA: Tell me about this tour you're kicking off in the House of Blues in Boston. How do you feel getting back on tour after five years?SK: I'm really looking forward to getting the crew together and doing the big tour. It's going to be a lot of fun. Actually, we were just in Boston not long ago doing a DJ set. We love Boston. It's a great town, and it'll be very exciting to be back. I'm really hoping the Red Sox will be playing there so I can catch a game. JA: Hopefully, lots of college students will be there. Would you say they are your target audience?SK: From the beginning, we did have a younger group of fans, but I wouldn't say it's all college students. There's always lots of different variety. It's been a good cross section of listeners, which I think is great.JA: Do you have anything do say to the young aspiring college musicians out there? How do you go from playing around in Garageband to being on tour and producing an album?SK: With regard to technology, enough is definitely out there for people without a large budget to give themselves an opportunity to be expressive. Reason is a great program out there to buy. There are really a lot of programs out there to get now, Ableton Live being another good one. There's no shortage of reasonably-priced complete sets that allow someone to record the audio, guitar, bass, vocals and have a good collection of sounds. JA: Is that how you guys got started, with lower budget software?SK: It was many years ago, and we were using DigitalPerformer, but we're talking about around 14 years ago. Nowadays, I'm sure everyone has some sort of keyboard or drum machine that you start out and expand with. We didn't have that equipment when we started.JA: Do you think it's become easier for electronic musicians to get started since then?SK: I think it's overall easier for everyone, like guitar players and such having much more access to options, especially for a couple of DJs who are tired of just playing other people's music and want to use their influences to create something cool. It's easier to reach the gear and purchase and find it, but it's still not easy to be creative. The quality of musicality isn't guaranteed.JA: Being part of a duo, is the process of making music more flexible? SK: I have two kids, so they pretty much rule my schedule. Early on, not having [a] family, and not having a schedule, we'd probably work until later in the evening. The work was more conducive to the creative process. Now it's been pretty rigid, and I'll wake up at 8 or 9 in the morning.JA: Is there a balance needed between playing for college-aged fans and being a family man?SK: We don't make music for any age group. It's always great to see people grow up with your music, to see any longevity. We've played clubs DJing and stuff for the last four years. DJing definitely brings an influx of a younger crowd, though. Electro music brought considerable new fans over the past few years.JA: Now, is there any chance of you guys wanting to perform at colleges like Brandeis University?SK: We've actually done lots of shows at colleges and universities DJing and playing live, so yeah.JA: What do you plan to do after the tour? SK: Go back into the studio, do some things that we want to make remixes of, do a couple more tours and start working on the new album again. Divided by Night is due out in stores May 12. The Crystal Method will be performing at the House of Blues in Boston on May 6 at 7 p.m.
(04/28/09 4:00am)
Art of epic proportions is happening. How else can one describe the enormity of a full orchestra, a 100-plus person choral ensemble and two pianos reliving what The New York Times calls "one of music's most resilient creatures?" The Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra, in collaboration with the Brandeis University Chorus, the Wellesley College Chorus and guest children's chorus Youth Pro Musica, filled the Levin Ballroom with Carl Orff's Carmina Burana Saturday, April 25. The concert was a part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts and featured soloists Andrea Matthews, soprano, Mark Kagan (MUS), tenor, and David Ripley, bass-baritone. Carmina Burana was written by German composer Carl Orff, who based the cantata's lyrics on a collection of 13th-century Bavarian poems of the same name. Although originally regarded as degenerate by the Nazi Party, the piece was eventually embraced in Germany and proceeded to gain worldwide fame after World War II. Now, "O Fortuna," which begins and ends the piece, is ubiquitous in everyday life. The chilling hymn is the theme for Old Spice and Gatorade commercials, countless movie trailers and New England Patriots games. "It was an honor being a part of one of the most recognizable pieces in music," noted Josh Goldman '11, a percussionist in the orchestra. In between "O Fortuna" are three movements depicting dancing, drinking and sex. Many of its lyrics are quite lurid, such as the line "Come, come, my beloved/ I am awaiting you with desire." It's surprising that medieval monks wrote this and not college students. Throngs of listeners came to hear Orff's masterpiece brought to life last Saturday, completely filling up Levin Ballroom 15 minutes before the performance.Before the concert, esteemed composer and professor Marty Boykan (MUS) was presented with the Distinguished Arts Faculty Award. Boykan, who has taught at Brandeis since 1957, was awarded for his work in the Ph.D. program for music composition and his overall contribution to Brandeis. The concert quickly followed, and from the first majestic chord of "O Fortuna," I knew this was the most impressive musical performance at Brandeis this year. "What's wonderful is that you get a certain energy with college students you don't see in professionals," commented Kagan, who had performed Carmina Burana multiple times before with groups such as the Boston Ballet. "This is a tremendously difficult piece. Orff puts every voice at their edge, but the students really wanted to do it. Even faced with funding problems since last spring when we first began planning, everyone still pulled together." Despite recent budget cuts, Carmina Burana's production continued with the help of Music Dept. Concert Coordinator Shawna Kelley and Office of the Arts' Director Scott Edmiston and Program Administrator Ingrid Schorr. "Organizing everything took a lot of collaboration with the two choral directors: Lisa Graham at Wellesley and our own Sarah Mead (MUS)," said Neal Hampton (MUS), conductor of the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra. "Since the choruses rehearsed separately, we had to agree in advance on musical issues such as tempo and what kind of Latin-German or Italianate-we were going to use."That's why Carmina Burana was such an impressive project. The ensembles consisted of nearly 200 members in total, bringing together musicians of diverse background and age.For example, the solo bassoonist was Isabelle Plaster, who had just retired two years ago from teaching at Wellesley College and now enjoys playing with some of her former students. "I'm amazed it all came together in such a short time, and I love keeping in touch with my students," she said.Youth Pro Musica, a children's choir directed by Peter Krasinski, brought singers as young as eight years old to perform with the college groups. "I think it's great for kids to be a part of this big, beautiful machine," said Krasinski, who got in touch with Neal Hampton through a mutual conductor friend. "And I loved seeing so many people get together for one purpose," he said, praising the ensemble's diversity.There was even collaboration between the Music and Classical Studies departments, as noted by chair Prof. Ann O. Koloski-Ostrow (CLAS). As an assignment in Latin 125, students translated many of the Latin poems of Carmina Burana. Classical Studies UDR Lee Marmor '10, whose translations appear in the program, was excited to attend the concert. The performance of Carmina Burana was not only an astounding musical endeavor but one that showcased an immense amount of teamwork. At the end of the piece, the performers were treated to cheers and an extended standing ovation by the audience.It was definitely one of the finest elements of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. "The chorus, orchestra and soloists all sound great," said Hampton. "It's been an honor to lead them.
(04/21/09 4:00am)
Brandeis graduate students performed last Saturday, conveying the subject of their studies to Slosberg Recital Hall. The concert consisted of eight musicology grad students bringing music from classical and contemporary composers to life. The performers, who study the nature, structure, and historical development of music, range from Masters students to Ph.D. candidates in musicology. The event was marked by its older listeners, whose quiet chatter died down as they were thanked for coming to the recital. When the first performer, Alexander Lane, entered the stage and took his seat at the notable Recital Hall organ, the audience greeted him with formal yet delighted applause.Lane's piece, Chorale Prelude: Drop, Drop Slow Tears by Vincent Persichetti, began with him pressing the pedals of the organ with his feet and producing low, majestic tones that resonated throughout the Hall. Once Lane started using his fingers, the organ bellowed out an array of dissonant chords and leaps until a consonant, major chord would slip in, if only for a second. The composition of the piece was riveting, yet the most impressive part of Lane's performance was probably seeing his hands move swiftly between keys and knobs while the organ breathed out strange combinations of notes.Another piece of note was Trio for flute, cello, and piano, H. 300 by Bohuslav Martinu with Sarah Caissie on flute, Laura Schechter on cello and Erin Jerome on piano. The blend of the three distinct voices in the piece's three movements was cohesive if not, similar to most of the selections in the concert, dissonant. As the first movement, Poco allegretto, entered a fiery staccato section, all three musicians played unison runs involving augmented leaps and chromatic steps. The piece ended with a long, but rewarding Andante movement that exchanged the melody quickly among the three musicians. Vocal-piano duets were also highlighted, beginning with Gil Harel, tenor, and Alexander Lane on piano performing Ruckert Lieder by Gustav Nahler, a German lied with a somber melody. Amanda Gadrow, mezzo-soprano, and pianist Erin Jerome followed with Cabaret Songs by William Bolcom. As Gadrow leaned back on the piano and smiled while she sang, it was apparent that the piece was meant to be fun and lighthearted.The final showcase by the musicology graduate students was Brahms' Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 40, featuring Georgia Luikens on violin, Alicia Kaszeta on French horn and Erin Jerome on piano. Although the piece was a worthy finale to the concert, it was apparent that the performers were first and foremost scholars of music and only play instruments as a way to enhance their studies in musicology. Kaszeta, for example, had only recently begun playing the horn after a 10 year hiatus. Regardless, all three performers demonstrated superior skill as they played complicated, range-stretching runs with relative ease.The concert, aptly named "Musicologists Making Music," was produced with the help of the Brandeis Music Department and the coordination of Shawna Kelley and Sarah Mead.
(03/24/09 4:00am)
Last Saturday, an enigmatic combination of cultural and artistic diversity graced Slosberg Recital Hall. Barcelona-based Arabic/African folk-electronic fusion group Nettle entranced more than 100 listeners with music unlike anything heard before. It was the group's first official performance in the United States. Nettle: Music for a Nu World featured DJ/rupture, interviewed last week in JustArts, along with Moroccan violinist Abdelhak Rahal, singer and guembri player Khalid Bennaji, cellist Brent Arnold, percussionist Grey Filastine and visual artist Daniel Perlin. The concert, part of the MusicUnitesUS World Music series, was the final event of Nettle's three-day residency that included lectures and workshops prior to Saturday's performance. The type of music Nettle plays is not easily described. As far as words go, they blend acoustic traditional Arab and African folk songs with electronic hip-hip/trance style drum loops. Rahal and Arnold play a lyrical, somber melody while Bennaji accompanies with traditional Moroccan guembri and Filastine fills in the space with sparse, thoughtful beats. DJ/rupture suddenly enters with a drastic and unnatural sound effect that perhaps causes listeners to wince. Eventually, the audience realizes the distortion and hard bass beats are no longer just an opposing force to the violin solo, but they are in some wild way, a complement. And even if there is no moment of "Oh, this makes sense," Nettle keeps the listener wondering. Why is this dissonance so compelling? What is the effect of expressing two completely different sounds as one song? Nettle began the concert with "El Lebrijano," a melancholy Arabian duet between Rahal and Arnold. Perlin, who projected images on a screen behind the musicians, complemented the tune with animated doves flying in sunlight. DJ/rupture made his entrance with an electric loop, which the instrumentalists embraced by entering into improvisation. Arnold's cello lines were distinct and matched the energy of the beats. The concert continued with a variety of traditional Arab songs juxtaposed with Rupture's robotic sound effects and Perlin's trippy visuals. In one song, "Baladi Mehboub," Perlin presented a vague black and white picture. The screen consisted of a variety of blots and shapes that formed fleetingly larger pictures before disappearing. Meanwhile, a house/trance style beat merged the acoustic melodies and gave the visuals a subtle context. In "Dead Western," images of several countries flashed on screen and quickly morphed into other countries. The combination of aural and visual dissonance showed that Nettle not only crossed boundaries of culture and identity but also of sensation. Everything that the audience heard or saw was a single experience.Another piece with a distinct message was "Mahomi," a '70s Moroccan song sung by Bennaji and Rahal. "The song's message," explains Rupture, "is that although buildings will fall and wealth will fade, the one irreplaceable thing that we must cherish is children." Nettle played an extra song, "Mama Mia Que Suerte," after the audience's applause signaled to Nettle that they wanted more. Another mix of the natural and unnatural-sounding, the song evoked both tribal and robotic imagery. After the group left, the audience didn't simply leave the auditorium. Some stayed and discussed what they had experienced. One group argued over what the music represented, if anything. The performance, rather than relaxing listeners, provoked them to speak to the people next to them, trying to figure everything out. In the end, there is no single definition that can be applied to the music that Nettle plays. As Arnold said at Friday's improvisation workshop, Nettle's goal was to "make something happen." The New York resident explains that improvisation arises not from specific melodies but from ideas. "When I improvise, I like to think, 'OK, it's my turn now, time to cause some trouble.' It could be anything, any goal, like making someone cry by just playing one note for the entire solo." Yet there is a moment, he describes, that the musician transcends objectives. "When the process becomes natural, you base your music more on emotions and shapes and images rather than notes." Arnold demonstrated this at the concert during the song "Tabla," where he screeched wildly with his mic'ed cello, utilizing the distortion to wail his emotions through the amplifiers. This type of communication of emotions and ideas through music is central to Nettle. The musicians speak with each other in broken Spanish, a second or third language for most members. They usually only speak a few words, indicating which song to play. Yet once the music begins, a newfound synergy arises. Each member of Nettle connects seamlessly with the others through their most fluent common language of musical expression. What audiences saw last Saturday was merely a glimpse of a type of art that simultaneously provoked and connected with the audience.
(03/10/09 4:00am)
In Hebrew, "b'yachad" means "together." Sometimes, a combination of diverse elements can evoke new meaning and emotion not achievable by taking separate parts individually. Last Saturday in Levin Ballroom, this phenomenon occurred at the Israeli folk dance troupe's 12th annual dance showcase, Standing O! Performances by B'yachad, Adagio Dance Ensemble, Hooked on Tap and Jewish Fella A Cappella blended visual and aural expression to inspire sensations that went beyond the eyes and ears, giving the audience an enjoyable and magical experience.B'yachad introduced the show with "Kol Hakoach," a well-rehearsed piece at a moderate tempo that did not dazzle the audience but rather put them into the subtle and relaxed feel of Israeli folk dance. Although I could not understand the lyrics of the song (the title of which translates to All the Strength), I could see in the dancers' smiles and rolling motions that there is some underlying, inspiring message behind the music.Adagio Dance Ensemble quickly followed with "Fast As You Can," a piece that came much closer to stunning the audience with its combination of effective lighting and expert technique in the dancers. The Ensemble, which mostly consists of advanced upperclassmen, presented a fiery energy in their lyrical and jazz styles not found in traditional Israeli dance. B'yachad returned to the stage for the next two dances, "Yashkef" and "Keren Or." The latter had an impressively dark and mysterious vibe accentuated by expertly timed lighting. For example, in a middle segment the lights suddenly turned an extremely dark purple that almost hurt viewers' eyes. The dancers became silhouetted figures that merged in and out of the darkness. Then they picked up candles in each hand, giving the relieved eye something to focus on in the midst of the painful purple backdrop. Now, for something completely different, Hooked on Tap followed, heating up the stage with their syncopated beats in the quirky "Swingset." Instead of entrancing the viewer with colors, the tap dancers used energetic beats to drive the piece. The most striking part of Jenna Gondelman '09 and Catherine Wagner's '09 choreography was the incorporation of the entire body in the dance rather than concentrating just on the feet.The first half of the show was closed by two more B'yachad pieces, "Hidlakta Kochav" and "Adama V'Shamayim" ("Earth and Sky"). Both dances had optimistic and flowing elements, especially "Adama V'Shamayim," which featured a quick, tribal beat.After a somewhat unnecessary intermission and some technical difficulties, the show managed to regain its momentum with the graceful and solemn "Shuvi El Beiti." The next piece, "Tikvah" ("Hope"), distinguished itself from the rest of the Israeli dances with its hip-hop style. Shane Morris '12 later explained to me that the rap addressed the problems and misery of people and how to overcome them with hope and love.Jewish Fella A Cappella made an appearance, singing "Shalom Rav" and "Dayenu." The a cappella group, which claimed to sing "anything that's Jewish in some form or way," gave the audience a comedic romp with their humorous facial expressions and silly choreography."K'Mo Shokolad," like "Adama V'Shamayim," featured festive and tribal choreography. It was short and likeable, giving the audience one last glimpse of Israeli dance before the grand conclusion."Debka Medabeket" was a worthy grand finale and by far the best dance in the show. Incorportating the entire dance troupe, the piece combined smooth motions with high jumps, showing that Israeli folk dance can contain both spiritual, traditional elements and showy, crowd-pleasing moves.When you look at the B'yachad dancers' black leotards and silk dresses, you may think their traditional garb is modest or impassionate. But upon seeing the dresses flow in the air and the dancers bend and leap with emotion, you realize that their dancing is anything but impassionate. The appropriately named B'yachad brought music, movement, color and mood together and into a divine package that clearly left audiences of Standing O! with a lasting impression.
