HiHU
COHEED AND
GOLD AT END
NATHAN CARTER
StOl> s:ntC’
Coheed and Cambria is a
band that’s grown on me
steadily since hearing their
third album, From Fear
Through the Eyes of Madness,
which featured arguably their
most famous song, “Welcome
Home.”
Easily more famous through
the beginnings of the video
game franchise Rock Band
(which used “Welcome Home”
in their advertising campaign),
Coheed and Cambria has been
around for some time now, re
leasing five amazing albums in
less than ten years. Most re
cently, the band released album
called Year of the Black Rain
bow on April 13.
While it doesn’t really evolve
much from their last album
(other than a mildly heavier
sound that’s been a trend for
the band between albums),
Year of the Black Rainbow is
still a great disc.
The band - led by singer
Claudio Sanchez and guitarist
Travis Stever - works with spe
FBIIDWIIf
C/reat&e 'Writer j <striej:
On Thursday, April 22, author Brenda Miller
will read from some of her pieces at the Smith
Chapel.
Her work includes Writing of the Animals, Sea
son of the Body and Tell It Slant: Writing and
Shaping Creative Nonfiction.
Her most recent book, Blessing of the Animals,
is a collection of essays that the Eastern Wash
ington University Press said draws the reader
“into a conversation on topics ranging from new
dogs to old stained glass, from a walk in Port
HUE
Why doesn't Erie
good movies?
That may be an overstatement, but it’s
mostly true. Looking at the films playing
in Erie makes me want to pick up and
run to the nearest big city.
I hate to say it, but while I love Erie for
its location, its charming amusement
park, and its hardcore scene, it’s a dis
grace for all him fans.
As of writing this the current mind
numbing trash playing at the only two
theaters in Erie are disheartening. Not
only do we have yet another nonsensical
film from Tyler Perry, but we have for
gettable films like Date Movie, Diary of
a Wimpy Kid, and 2-D versions of latest
Hollywood trash Clash of the Titans and
Alice in Wonderland.
itr* «lm*elated events like The Eerie
Hbrror Pest and the new Spirit Quest
Film Pest they are few and far between.
I know there is an interest. Just a few
years ago I went to a marvelous night of
slim* films with a live music
cific material for their lyrics,
which all flow in a narrative
storyline that’s predestined by
Sanchez’ own work. He created
a science fiction graphic novel >
called The Armory Wars, and
all of the albums produced by
Coheed and Cambria are ac
cording to its storyline. Year of
the Black Rainbow is no excep
tion and stands as a prequel to
the series.
Sanchez says that the Colum
bia Records team working with
him “has helped us evolve our
sound to be more powerful and
dynamic than ever, and we
think it’s definitely our best
work to date.”
While this newest album re
ceived mediocre reviews, and
some fans would argue that this
isn’t their best work, I lean to
wards Sanchez’s statement that
it actually is their best work to
date. However, I only make that
statement to say that their edit
ing and lyrics have gained
power in this new release since
their last.
Myself, I’m a bigger fan of
their Second Stage Turbine
Blade album, but that’s a mat
ter of personal preference and
land's Japanese Garden to a sojourn in
Jerusalem, from model airplanes to Magic 8
Balls... Miller leads us on a pilgrimage through
her life as a woman driven by spiritual yearning.”
An associate professor of English at Western
Washington University and editor-in-chief of the
Bellingham Review, Miller has been featured in
The Georgia Review, The Missouri Review, The
Sun and Creative Nonfiction, just to name a few.
SHANNON EHRIN
Miller has also received numerous Pushcart
Prizes for her essays in creative nonfiction.
A reception will be held beforehand at 5:30
p.m. in the downstairs area of the Chapel, and
the reading will begin at 6 p.m.
DAN KINEM
senior reporter
accompaniment at The Warner Theatre,
and it was fairly packed on a weeknight.
It’s just not being offered consistently,
and when it is, there is no promotion.
If you build it, they will come.
Wb have no possibility to offer under
ground films doing world tours that are
reliable. We don’t even get the majority
of films that are nominated for Academy
Awards. It slips right under the Erie
radar, and most people miss out on great
artistic events.
There is no Woody Allen, no Von Trier
(Antichrist was one of the most talked
about films of last year and Erie has to
wait for a DVD release), no indie come
dies, no documentaries, etc. A lot of peo
ple don’t even know we aren’t getting
movies. They just think that what plays
at Ttpsletown is all there is. Well, I’m
lisrata> inform you that couldn’t be far
ther from the truth.
What you are seeing are films ex
pected to make the most money and that
are the most accessible films. Any films
that fry to do something different would
CAMBRIA DISCOVERS
OF BLACK RAINBOW
COHEEDo.,
V^AMBRIA
never play here. That’s why Erie must
invest in an art house theater.
The positives that could come from
a local art house theater are endless.
Not only would it give the local
cinephiles a place to go for their latest
Von Trier or Herzog film, it would
awaken a currently sleeping art scene
in Erie. It would offer an artistic and
valuable replacement to the newest 3-
D blockbuster.
Those films have their place in Erie,
don’t get me wrong. I am not suggest
ing getting rid of Tinsletown. I am only
suggesting offering a substitute that
requires thought. It could b 6 used as
an educational tool for teachers to
take students. It could open people of
all ages’ eyes to art that they may have
never been aware existed.
If anyone out there is reading,
please do something to ipake this hap
pen. There is an audience here for
these films, and having them would be
a huge improvement to the commu
nity.
A band's
April
NATHAN CARTER
The John Butler Trio, a band
: that defies genres (as they are
( fifluallv reggae as they are aj-
V &SBMive and as equally pop as
i troW'** are rock), has been
: around since their emergence
i in the late ‘9os. With Bryon
: Luiters and Nicky Bomba,
i John Butler completes a very
: talented three-person band
: that’s steadily gaining popular
| ity, mostly through Internet
; fame.
The band creates a sort of
breezy, alternative rock sound
much in the style of State
Radio and Barenaked Ladies,
except the speed of Butler's de
livery showcases more of an
original sound than his con
temporaries.
One of my friends intro
duced me to them last year, via
the Sunrise Over Sea album. I
immediately loved the beat and
pace of their material.
From quick guitar patterns
in "Bound to Ramble" and
“Company Sin” to slower, more
ballad-like songs such as "See
ing Angels” and “What You
Want,” Sunrise Over Sea was
one of my frequented summer
albums between my freshman
and sophomore years here.
get
the songs that I most easily as
sociate with.
Regardless, Year of the Black
Rainbow has a lot to otter
long-time fans and newcomers
alike. The first interesting
thing about the album is that
it’s being released as an op
tional deluxe edition.
With the deluxe copy of the
new album. Sanchez collabo
rated with best-selling author
Peter David to create a 352-
page novel of the same name.
Along with this promising
piece of fan merchandise that
1 haven't yet got ahold of, the
album offers several amazing
tracks. “Here We Are Jugger
naut,” the single from Year of
the Black Rainbow, was re
leased on March 9. Accompa
nied with the technical
pop-metal sound that the band
has become so famous for, I
can’t help but notice the
prominence of drums in the
song. While the band's
drums have always been great,
I think their new drummer,
Chris Pennie, brings a more
rounded rhythm than before.
"This Shattered Symphony.'
shows their harder metal
Uprising
When I found out through
Facebook that the band was re
leasing a new album, I was im
mediately excited.
This is yet another album
that will easily be a part of my
summer, because it's just one
of those albums that you put in
the car and cruise to.
The new album is called
April Uprising, conveniently re
leased on the April 6, and with
it comes an expansion of sound
for the band.
Since their older albums,
they've gotten better at guitar
(even though it would be hard
for them to do better) and
they’ve gotten "poppier."
That’s the only problem I
had with the album. It speaks
greatly to a younger audience,
though I think their genre and
older material speaks much
more to adults. The two songs
that show this, and the only
two songs on the whole album
that I even mildly disliked,
were "C’mon Now” and
"Johnny’s Gone." The rest of
the album, on the contrary', is a
huge success.
"Revolution," the first song is
what I would call one of the
singles. Taking a political
standpoint, as so many alt-reg
gae musicians do, the song
preaches a revolution to take
Behrend Beacon
April 16,2010
www.thebehrendbeacon.com
roots, contains an undeniable
speed-progressive quality.
"World of Lines." a fast-paced
pattern track reminiscent of
“The Running Free," also
stands out on the album, which
largely feels like an album full
of singles.
Some clitics have clung to
that observation, stating Veur of
the Black Rainbow seems "flat
and void of passion." but I dis
agree. If a band can put out an
album full of tracks that all lis
ten like singles, it shows a
sense of roundedness and com
fort.
Besides, the acoustic begin
nings in [’earl of the Stars dis
prove their assumption, as it’s
the first semi-harmonius track
by Sanchez and Stever with a
great electric solo toward the
middle. Fasilv a science-fiction
themed ballad, the song is my
favorite of the album, as it ex
poses Sanchez wide vocal
range and Stever’s editing
prowess.
If you're a fan of Coheed and
Cambria, check out Year of the
Black Rainbow.
Album art from deviantAßT iimbol6l6
back what America's citizens
lost in the war: lives.
"One Way Road.” the second
of my prescribed singles, is vo
cally fast and sounds like it
would be amazing live. Amidst
a semi-pop sound is this-QvefY
coming tale of someone who
doesn't want to be nobody and
subsequently how conformity
is a "one wav road.”
The last single, "Close to
You," showcases a moderately
technical sound with guitar
reminiscent of'7os style. Obvi
ously a love song', as are many
of John Butler Trio’s songs,
"Close to You" has a really in
teresting African drum and
guitar solo toward the middle,
showing off the band's appar
ent practice and diversity.
Three other songs that stood
out are "Steal It” (for its chilled
out bass-driven ballad quality).
"I'd Do Anything" (another po
litical song about our soldiers;
particularly the ones in love),
and "Fool For You" (also for its
chilled out, trance-like begin
ning that develops into a fast
paced ballad, and in my
opinion, encompasses the style
of the entire album).
So, if you're looking for a
new sound, check out John
Butler Trio's new album. April
Uprising.
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