Friday, May 1, 2009
Professor holds on to comedic aspirations
By Bonnie Heyman
contributing writer
brhso7o<« psu.edu
Sept. 19, 2008
Joe Falocco is not only a pro
fessor at Penn State Behrend;
he is also an aspiring stand-up
comedian. Dr. Falocco will be
performing this Saturday night
at Jr’s Last Laugh, a comedy
club on State Street. Falocco
will be opening for comedians
such as Andy Woodhull and
Joby Saad.
The admissions fee will be
slightly under 13 dollars and
people under the age of 21 are
welcome. The comedy club
not only offers entertainment
but one can also purchase food
and drinks. There will be a
show at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30
p.m.
An interview with Dr.
Falocco reveals an edgy man
with a humorous background
Dr. Bishop brings Young People's
By Mike O. Wehrer
news editor
mrwso94i<i psu.edu
Sept. 26, 2008
“A chorus reaches deep into
community life, crosses all
sorts of social and economic
lines, and makes a contribution
not only to a city's aesthetics,
but also its humanity,” says
Robert Shaw. If that is true,
than imagine how big a contri
bution Penn State’s own Dr.
Jason Bishop is making by
bringing three counties to
gether into one chorus.
“In Erie we have a city or
chestra, and a city marching
band, but no public outlet for
talented vocalists,” says Bishop.
“Right now, the only place they
have to preform is in churches
or with their schools.”
In only his second year at
All-American Rejects rock out
By Evan Koser
arts editor
emk5110(" psu.edu
April 24, 2009
continued from page 1
Center.
As the performance opened
with the aptly titled “Starts
With One,” where the genius of
frontman Chad Petree’s vocals
really came through, the un
prepared crowd was rocked.
Treasure, who joined the
band as a replacement for for
mer singer Chara Faye
Charnow in the summer of
2008, first noted the atmos
phere of the unfamiliar college.
“It’s such a different vibe from
being outdoors. We came from
Detroit, where we played out
side.”
Since their arrival that day,
said Treasure, everything was
“just go, go, go!”
By the time STG had
reached their latest single,
“Ghost Town,” the crowd was
completely revved up as Treas
ure took the spotlight, jumping
around the stage in her tight
blue spandex and white tee.
“Hey Penn State, I wore these
colors for you,” exclaimed
Treasure, entangled with the
microphone cord.
In the advent of a new studio
album, Seasons of Poison, STG
has been awash in a more
mainstream fanbase. After
having performed their first
album, We Are Pilots, for more
than four years, Treasure says
that “Season of Poison is really
a product of singing and per
forming We Are Pilots for so
long. By a certain point, the
music was overplayed. On
stage, there wasn’t a lot of
breaking it down.”
Treasure couldn’t put it bet
ter. With their former album,
songs were based heavily
around prerecorded tracks,
live-performance liberties were
scarce.
By the end of the set list, the
crowd was roaring for the pop
beats and dance-funk that the
Shiny Toy Guns had to offer.
The crowd ate up their per-
Arts & Entertainment
and upbringing. "I started
doing comedy in my 205," he
said. “It was the 1980 s: every
one was doing it." He started
out as follower and grew up to
be a leader as a teacher and a
comedian with his own mate
rial. His first performance
“bombed," he said, but he
didn’t stop trying to make peo
ple laugh. He used to try to use
political humor in his acts, but
now gets his material from
“apolitical observations.”
Dr. Falocco’s icon in comedy
is either the late George Carlin
or, more recently, Lewis Black.
In Dr. Falocco’s “integrated
arts" comedy class, students
watch DVDs about different
concepts and views of comedy.
Lewis Black and George Car
lin are both featured, along
with many other comedians
that he shows. How many Zen
monks does it take to change a
Chorus to Erie
Penn State, he intends to fix
this problem in a big way.
The Young People’s Chorus is
a tri-county effort founded by
Bishop to bring together people
from grade school through high
school and help them to make
their voices heard.
“We wanted to make sure
everyone, regardless of income,
could participate."
According to the the website
of The Young People’s Chorus
of New York, they share the
same mission statement as YPC
of Erie, “To provide children of
diverse abilities and back
grounds a comprehensive
knowledge of music as a way to
further their personal and artis
tic growth and foster cross-cul
tural understanding”
Founded in 1988 by Fran
sisco Nunez, The YPC of New
York serves all five boroughs in
formance and welcomed this
somewhat unheard of band
with open arms.
Once the Rejects took to the
stage, the crowd’s insatiable
urges had let loose. All re
straint prior to this last act had
totally been forgotten. As the
headlining band began to close
the night, the Junker Center
rumbled with the cries of
screaming fans. By the third
song on their set list, “Dirty Lit
tle Secret,” Ritter was coaxing
the fans to bombard the
makeshift barricade. Through
heavy guitar riffs and Ritter’s
falsetto vocals, females
swooned while males sang
along to their favorite and most
memorable lyrics.
But only two songs later,
after the crowd’s excitement
level had dwindled, Ritter once
again revved the throng of
Tyson Ritter and lead guitarist Nick Wheeler during the song “Gives You Hell.”
With its catchy chorus, the entire crowd screamed along.
light bulb? Give up? Anytime
you want to hear that joke or
the answer, talk to Dr. Falocco.
“That’s my favorite joke to
tell,” he says. “The answer is
two: one to change it and one
to not change it. Get it?”
Dr. Falocco explained what
attendees should expect from
the show Saturday night. “I
don’t want to exaggerate my
contribution at Jr.’s Saturday
night,” he says. “I’m only
doing five minutes, then I’ll be
introducing the other acts:
Joby Saad and Andy Woodhull.
They are both established co
medians with national reputa
tions, but I have not seen their
work.”
This promises to be a good
time, and the audience will get
a whole lot of laughs from
three different comedians.
When asked if he has ever had
a really bad experience on
the same way Bishop hopes to
serve the three northwestern
counties of Pennsylvania: Erie,
Warren and Crawford.
This has not been an easy
project so far, with the primary
difficulties being transportation
and simply getting the word
out.
Bishop said that it will be dif
ficult for some students to at
tend rehearsals when they have
to drive from as far away as
Warren. “Some parents would
find it very hard to drive two
hours to a weekly, minimum,
rehearsal,” he said.
The other major problem has
been communicating with such
a large group of potential
singers. Bishops solution has
been mailing every music
teacher and choir director he
could find in the tri-county
area.
adoring fans: “PSU, where you
bitches at?!” With this final
push, and along with the rec
ognizable “Swing, Swing,”
concertgoers had disregarded
all regulations. Many were
hopping the racks in hopes to
escape being crushed, while
others were busy crowd surf
ing. Grabbing an additional
microphone - amplifying his
voice - Ritter brought the con
cert to an end on a sudden
note.
Yet after encouragement
from the audience, the Rejects
came back for an encore fea
turing their single, “Gives You
Hell,” and “The Wind Blows.”
After an almost ten hour
drive cramped up on a tour
bus, the All-American Rejects
had put on a startling perform
ance. “We sleep on the bus,”
said guitarist Nick Wheeler.
stage he replied, “Oh, yes.”
“I was almost killed during
the performance of a Theme
Park Stunt Show,” he contin
ued. “That inspired me to go to
graduate school.” When
asked who his favorite come
dian to listen to or watch,
Falocco chose Bill Maher, be
cause he does “the kind of typ
ical, political humor I wish I
could pull off.”
In Dr. Falocco’s class, the
students watch and learn dif
ferent types of jokes and come
dians. He shows video clips
and DVDs of comedians doing
stand-up routines and then cri
tiques, or laughs hysterically,
at the performances. Now it is
his turn once again to be
watched on stage. Come on
Saturday, watch him perform,
and laugh. Whether you are
laughing with him or at him,
only you will know.
Any major project is going to
have to be funded somehow,
and Bishop says that the YPC
has a “solid fundraising foun
dation” that is likely to expand
as more people become aware
of the program.
Bishop, at present, is hoping
for about 100 children to join
the chorus from across North
western Pennsylvania.
Bishop recieved his doctorate
from Oklahoma University and
his Masters from Boston Uni
versity, both in the field of
music.
Bishop, in addition to being
founder and director of The
Young People's Chorus of Erie,
the Director of Choral Activities
here at Behrend, as well as
being interim conductor of the
Erie Philharmonic Chorus.
in Junker
With equipment trucks rolling
up behind the tour bus, many
would assume a band like
Aerosmith or Kiss had show
up.
But the Rejects, a once small
time band known only to a se
lect crowd, was breaking
boundaries - especially after
the release of “Gives You Hell.”
“There was definitely a fun
aspect about being a smaller
band,” said rhythm guitarist
Mike Kennerty. “Not that it
isn’t now, but obviously it’s
much different.” Their latest
single, which has been out
since September of 2008, is
starting to receive mixed re
views. “Sure some people hate
it,” said Wheeler, “but it’s
what’s keeping us popular
right? Some people are always
going to hate something that’s
been overplayed.”
Identifying himself only as
“Toad,” the Rejects’ key
boardist explained his pros and
cons about touring with the
band.
“When I started playing with
Nelly Flirtado, up in Canada, I
was one of the few keyboard
players. Contrary to what you
may think, there’s really only a
handful of touring keyboard
players. [The music-industry]
is like a brotherhood. It really
is. We look out for each other.
Like, if a band splits up, or a
tour ends, we rely on each
other for work. Techies work
for everyone,” said Toad. It’s
like a union of musicians, he
explained, "That’s why you’re
always seeing band members
joining and starting bands with
other members. It’s work, too,
ya know? We have bills to pay
too. We just make sure we
keep an eye out for one an
other. Touring with the All-
American Rejects is awesome.”
As the concert ended, some
exited the building in anticipa
tion for their long drives home,
some lingered to buy memora
bilia and others waited pa
tiently to get a word,
autographs, or pictures with
their favored band members.
A Year In Review
8-29-08: "Dail named as Penn State Behrend's
new director" by Evan Koser
- With the passing of last semester, we said goodbye to professor
and director, Dr. David Jortner. Students - especially you actors
- meet your new director and professor, Ms. Chiystyna Dail.
9-5-08: "All the world's a stage; improv group
turns 60" by Evan Koser
- Yesterday was the day for club rush; if you missed your chance
to get a good look at the myriad activities on campus outside of
the curriculum, you probably aren’t aware of the Matchbox
Players.
9-26-08: "Professor Dail and actors excited for
The Dispute " by Amber Williams
- “They’re a really strong mix of experienced Behrend actors
and new faces,” director Chrystyna Dail said of her ten-student
cast for her first directed play at Behrend, The Dispute.
10-3-08: "Rootßerry act brings laughter to
Bruno's" by Catherine Frisina
- Bringing some unique and interesting humor to Behrend,
Jonathan Root and Bill Berry kept the audience in the Bruno’s
Cafe in stitches all evening.
10-17-08: "Eerie Horror Fest hosts film mak
ers, fans, and actors"
by Matthew Schwabenbauer
- Downtown Erie had no lack of zombies, vampires and former
B-movie actors this weekend, as the Warner Theater hosted the
fifth annual Eerie Horror Fest.
10-24-08: "Behrendstock closes 'Flashback
Friday' with a bang" by Jeff Kramer
- Cover bands Hot Rocks and Hard Day’s Night played a foray
of Rolling Stones and Beatles’ songs to an interested crowd just
outside of Bruno’s.
11-7-08: "Students preview YPC at Northwest
Songfest" by Rachel Reeves
- After months of recruiting, planning, auditioning, add
fundraising, Dr. Jason Bishop finally saw his efforts begin to
take some shape. Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, hosted
the Northwest Songfest in the McGravey Commons throughout
the day of Saturday, Nov 1.
11-14-08: "The Dispute displays Behrend's act-;
ing prowess" by Jennifer Juncosa
- The Behrend Studio Theater’s fall performance, The Dispute,
premiered Thursday, Nov. 13.
2-6-09: "Comedian Josh Sneed brings big
laughs to small crowd at Bruno's"
by Neil J. Peters
- On Friday, Jan 30, Bruno’s was graced with the presence of
the great Josh Sneed, the amateur comedian who spends his
time hanging out with Tina Fey.
2-20-09: "Jessi Campbell entertains Bruno's
crowd, laughter abounds"
by Heather McGovern
- Many students attended the Lion Entertainment Board spon
sored comedy event in Bruno’s Cafe on Friday, Feb 6.
2-27-09: "Thirsty Thursday: drinking in litera
ture" by Kay Smith
- On Thursday nights, Smith Chapel is host to a variety of dif
ferent authors -throughout the semester. The newly created
Sweet Sorrow Reading Series, however, features Behrend Cre
ative Writing seniors reading from their theses.
3-27-09: "Ceann brings Irish rock to Bruno's"
by Heather McGovern
- Ceann performed for the Penn State Behrend crowd in
Bruno’s cafe Saturday night; The Irish-American band focused
on their origins, at one point singing “Pittsburgh Makes Me
Drunk,” as well as, songs about Vikings, Pirates, Canadians,
Scottish, and various other subjects involving beer and the color
green.
4-3-09: "International film, Black Book , brings
controversy to Behrend"
by Heather McGovern
* Black Book, the first of three films celebrating Behrend’s In
ternational Women’s Film Series 200$. Many students attended
the film, unaware of its graphic nature.
4-10-09: "International film festival debuts
The Flower of Evil"
by Connor Sattely
- An unfamiliar sound drifted through the halls of the Reed
Union Building Monday. Rather than rock, jazz, or the bustle of
students between classes, the air was full of French singer
Marie-Louise Damien's mysterious voice.
4-17-09: "Behrend's spring musical opens and
brings the message of love, sex, and Nazism"
by Jennifer Juncosa
- Penn State Behrend’s spring performance of Cabaret opened
April 16 in the Studio Theater. The intimate cast of 17, under
the direction of Chrystyna Dail, brings a provocative and polit
ical musical to Behrend.
The Behrend Beacon I 5