ME CHRE Joanna [lol'.olll to speak at Behierld Bending the "expectations and cliches of mainstream mystery and paranormal writing," creative fiction writer Joanna Howard gives readers a refreshing taste of two otherwise seemingly popular genres. On Thursday, April 29, Howard will speak at the Smith Chapel in the last reading of the Creative Writer's Speakers Series of this school year. Having a Ph.D. in creative writing and an MFA, Howard teaches fiction writing at Brown University. Her pieces In the Colorless Round, with contributed artwork from Rikki Ducornet, and the recent On the Wmd ing Stair (published in 2009), have ap peared in several literary outlets including The Chicago Review, Tar paulin Sky, Quarterly West, Conjuc tions, and American Letters & Commentary. Howard's stories have also been an thologized in Writing Online, PP/FF: An Anthology, and New Standards: The First Decade of Fiction at Four teen Hills. "Howard's sensuous prose is to be savored for its own sake," Publishers Weekly said of On the Winding Stair. MUSIC One day, I happened upon what I be lieve is a gem of a band: Now, Now Every Children. It was like magic. All of a sudden I was listening to some of the best music that I've come across in awhile, and I was flummoxed that I hadn't known about them before. My MP3 player is filled with the sounds of Tegan and Sara and Imogen Heap and the like, same with my Pan dora, as.well at„a sariaty of classical cot !ipustes;` 'Dustin O'Halloran, Prokofiev, Jeroeavan Veen and Yann Tiersen. I can always count on Tegan and Sara and Imogen Heap for variety to help me get me through the ridicu lousness that I frequently encounter at this campus. When you first hear Tegan and Sara, you kind of get MINE 55 As summer comes closer and closer, some of us begin to dread the thought of work throughout it. Personally, I'll be making food for endless Sandcastle customers while under a hot sun and over a hot grill. I know you're all saying, "That sounds awesome!" It's actually not that bad, and I'm looking forward to it. But what I'm looking forward to more is tackling my ever-growing stack of books to read. Last summer I read ten books, everything from Go Ask Alice (Anony mous) and The Road (Cormac Mc- Carthy) to In Cold Blood (Truman Capote) and To Kill a Mocking Bird (Harper Lee). Since then, I've received enough suggestions for forty sum mers. The challenge will be deciding which ones transform from a sugges tion to a physical book. Here are some of my choices: Last Exit to Brooklyn (Hubert Selby 111 SIC i to •CI 14 Tickets have already gone on sale this year for Bonnaroo, the annual Tennessee music festival. I'll give an outline of some of the bands playing. First of all: Conan O'Brien isn't dead and jobless on the street. He's headlin ing for standup comedy at this year's festival. A website run by Lamar Bill boards, aplaceforcoco.com, has set up a handful of billboards around the country displaying Conan's latest tweets, all of which is paid for by the parent company. Weezer is headlining, and I guess they have a lot of fans. Weezer was im portant to me when I was 16 years old until their most recent three albums got released. But I guess it's cool that they have a whole different generation "Howard upends some traditional lit erary conventions in these 14 tales of startling description and beauty." SHANNON EHRIN culture editor Verse added that "Joanna Howard's short stories flit about like phan toms... Her careful and practiced dis missal of the concrete allows the reader release from conventional con cerns of plot and conflict, and ulti mately celebrates the unknowable." The free reading will begin at 6 p.m. with a reception open to all at 5:30 p.m. now, now all you chi caught off guard with their crystalline and awkward voices, and that's not far off from what Now, Now Every Chil dren does. They surprised my senses in the best way when I first heard them, because I didn't think that they would have anything new or different to offer. SHANNON EHRIN culture editor Aside from the band's unusual name, which just adds to their appeal, this group is incredibly talented. I've only had the privilege of listening to them live from videos posted on You Tube, but from what I have heard on these videos and.read from people who have seen them live, this isn't your run-of-the-mill "indre" band. It's nice to know that musicians still have that raw musical talent. I don't know about you, but I was starting to miss musicians who could entertain live and have the same results as they do A novel Jr.): This novel was published in 1964 and gained nearly immediate fame after publication for its gritty, unre lenting description of lower-class Brooklyn, which was all in all not too distant from the actual city of Brook lyn in the 50s. There are several char acters that the novel follows: Georgette (a transvestite hooker ad dicted to amphetamine), Tralala (a young prostitute and thief that lives by her own rules), and Harry (a machinist in a factory who becomes a union offi cial and strikes). I began this book over winter break and wasn't able to finish it upon arrival back at school. I can't wait to get back into its brutal story. NATHAN CARTER staff writer White Noise (Don Delillo): This breakout work for Delillo tells the story of a college professor named Jack Gladney who specializes in Hitler studies. In the area of his college, an "airborne toxic event" clouds the sky and anxiety about death and toxins build throughout. As an early example of postmodernism, the novel is essen of kids that listen to them. (Given, the said generation happens to be made of 14 year old Twilight girls.) Damian Marley and Nas released a pretty great single in 2009, and they have an album that will come out this year. Marley originally started think ing about doing a song with a rapper in 2008, so he went to Nas (whom I've always preferred over Jay-Z in regards to their dispute and the music to come out of it). Originally the song wasn't going to be so hip-hop oriented, but they ended up finding a great sound and decided to make an album. JEFF KRAMER copy editor 4400 Thievery Corporation is something between acid jazz and classic trip-hop from the '9os. You've probably heard their song "Lebanese Blonde." Regina Spektor has a big following. She's real quirky and kitsch and shit. 87 degrees? Let me grab my scarf! (I'm being bitter, I've listened to all of her he f B T 0 Every year or so, there are at least a couple underground hip-hop artists that start garnering a lot of buzz from their mixtapes. Blogs try and talk about them as much as possible so they can take the credit when the artist blows up. They often don't live up to their hype, however, and fade away into obscurity. Recently, though, there have been quite a few great (or at least potential filled) underground artists break ing into the mainstream: Kid Cudi, Drake, Wale, etc Well you can now add 8.0.8 to that list. He was pretty slept on for two years until finally he started to get some buzz from early singles, then he announced a full-length, The album Adventures of Bobby Ray, was in the works. His song "Nothin' on You," featuring Bruno Mars, has become a smash hit and is getting continuous radio-play. And his new single, "Airplanes" with Hayley Williams of Paramore, is likely to get the same. If those two singles aren't a sign that he is a very versa tile musical artist, the actual album is. No one song sounds after playing in the studio. Now, Now Every Children's music is so refreshing, especially in an age when Justin Bieber is taking over, and actresses (Lindsay Lohan or Leighton Meester, the girl who played Cindy Lou Hoo in How the Grinch Stole Christmas) keep making attempts at "singing." This group gives listeners a whole new array of musical splendor without any signs of tween pop or that "boom, boom, pow." Lead singer Cacie Dalager's voice is by no means perfect, but that's what makes it perfect. It is raspy and at times quivering and monotonic. It's not pristine and fake. You believe that her voice hasn't been altered to some idealized state of falsity. I would also say it is hypnotic and odd in that it would only appeal to a certain group of people who can handle a certain tially about the overarching theme of the American media and the "toxins" it spills into our lives. Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpen ters... (J.D. Salinger): Being an avid Salinger fan, and upon the author's re cent death, I thought it was appropri ate to read the only book by him that I haven't read. Catcher in the Rye, an earlier work of his, has stood as an American classic since its 'sos publi cation and tells the tale of controver sial protagonist Holden Caulfield. With it easily being the best coming of-age tale that I know of, I ran to Salinger's other work and consumed Nine Stories and Franny and Zooey last summer. Both of those books being damn near as equally amazing as Catcher in the Rye, I'll now read Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpen ters, a look at the Glass family through Army-returnee and brother, Buddy Glass. Through weddings, deaths, and military conflict, there's no way Salinger will let me down with his last work before he quit publishing. 144.€.4. albums more than once, and I think she's way talented). Les Claypool, the legendary bassist and singer for Primus, plays some thing called a bassjo. That's exactly what you think it is: a banjo-bass gui tar. She & Him, simply put, is the shit right now. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are playing as many concerts and festivals as they can this summer to promote their sophomore album, Volume 2. Deadmaus is straight-up electronic music from a legit-ass dude. I've seen him post as just another screen name on Internet forums. I found difficulties when trying to describe this next group, Clutch. The Bonnaroo website's description of Clutch is perfect: "They're a little punk? Well, yes, but there again... they've a hint of metal? True. How- Adv obb DAN KINEM senior reporter http //youngblackhippie wordpress com The Adventures of Bobby Ray, 8.0.8.'s latest album, will be released April 27. level of strange. Her singing and the haunting mimic of her voice, in con junction with the lyrics, come off just right. Dalager's voice is a little reminis cent of Linda Perhacs's, especially in Perhacs's "Chimacum Rain," when she sings, "he belongs here (can't have him) he belongs here (can't know him) he belongs here." Brad Hale's instru mental accompaniment compliments Dalager's offbeat vocal power, and while being similar to the music of the Yeah 'eah Yeahs And The Hard Les sons, . it sometartate., overshadows Dalager's voice, whiNcan make the song too strong and overwhelming. Even if Hale's playing can be a little overboard, he and Dalager make an extraordinary pair of performers. Their first album, Cars, only came out last July, but hopefully they will con summer 100 Years of Solitude (Gabriel Gar cia Marquez): Apparently the author's masterpiece and most talked about work, this book centers around the town of Macondo and the history of the Buendia family. Steeped in magical realism, Solitude's themes are mainly love, death, and war, as there are nu merous members of the Buendia fam ily who engage in relationships of love and blood amidst the civil wars. The idea of a novel covering 100 years in itself is amazing, and I'm excited to read it. The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien): Technically a collection of short stories that center around the Vietnam War, this book supplies the el ements of memoir, novel, and history. Most of the stories revolve around a character named Tim, who defies the assumptions of his conrads and battles with the war in reality and in his mind. Truly a collection more about personal growth than the war itself, The Things They Carried sounds like a quick and unforgettable read. zee 4.ottlg ever, don't they also have a touch of the stoner about them? Sure. And while we're at it, let's not forget the southern rock influence. Come on, you know what that means. Clutch are genuine individuals, icons for musical excellence who confound the modern desire for putting everything into neat boxes. They're a classic rock band with an ultra modern sweep." Clutch is all around ridiculous: dis tinct, blues-influenced guitar patterns coupled with abrasive bass guitar and gruff, "backwoods" vocals. Neil Fallon sounds like a preacher who shouts in tricate metaphors at you from his hor rible pulpit. Needless to say, Clutch is definitely not for everyone. In addition to music, Bonnaroo fea tures standup comedy acts (like Conan). According to his page on the Bonnaroo site, actor/comedian JB Smoove from the HBO series Curb BEHREND BEACON April 23, 2010 www.thebehrendbeacon.com n t R e y alike. From one track to the next he could be rapping with T.I. with a very Atlanta-vibe, to singing, to playing guitar, to playing piano, to sounding like Andre 3000, to whatever. He has made an album that will get plenty of comparison to Kid Cudi's masterpiece Man on the Moon and with much warrant. The songs feel very connected. It's one of those albums you can pick a track or two off to play, but it's also one of those al bums that you will want to listen to all the way through each time you go to play it. Each track feels com plimentary, to the next. He also has a two part track with "Airplanes" and "Airplanes Part II." where it closes with the much talked about Eminem collaboration. And boy is it a closer. He also brings in Lupe Fiasco, the above men tioned TI., Hayley Williams, and Bruno Mars, and also my boy, Rivers Cuomo. for sure. I look forward to anything this man does and hope he tours in the summer. He definitely would put on an amazing show. Everyone needs to get this album as soon as they read this. He is changing the game, and if you try and ignore that you are truly missing out. ldren tinue to produce more. Now, Now Every Children is a hid den rarity amongst so many other bands (each with that same style of acoustic or hardcore music that has become so popular). I suggest exercis ing your ears by listening to "Not One, But Two" and "In My Chest" (the acoustic version). Don't listen to the lyrics at first. They are simple and mostly repetitive and carried out any way. Like in "In My Chest," Dalager re peatedly says "In my chest, in my chest, in my chest, in my, in my chest, in Any chest, in my." Pay attention to hoW Da!tiger's voice rises and falls With the tinf§lc, as If you're follo*ing each rise and fall of her lungs. If you're like me, listening to Now, Now Every Children will be like some cos mic event you want to experience over and over again. Hell House (Richard Matheson): From one of the few masters of horror writing, Hell House is widely regarded as containing the scariest haunted house depicted in American literature. Since I've always been a horror fan and am on the bridge about writing horror stories of my own, I figure I should take a look at the best. It cen ters around the Belasco house, where unimaginable atrocities have been committed. In the wake of two failed expedi tions into the house, four strangers ap proach the mansion, each with different personal reasons for their cu riosity, ready to mount a new expedi tion. Matheson, the author of Stir of Echoes and Omega Man, is sure to never disappoint. As I'm sure there will be many more books that I'll be tackling, I picked the few that I'm especially excited for. If you're an avid reader like me, then I hope you enjoy these suggestions. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros truly have just one good song. Lastly, The Bakerton Group is fuck ing awesome and also at the bottom of the website's list. Essentially, they're an instrumental, intoxicated sort of groove-blues group with heavy funk and jazz influence. Each song is a (usually) medium-rare, deliberate jam that lays the groundwork for a mental image, eventually demolishing it bit by bit, and then rebuilding everything. If you can find it, I definitely recommend the album El Rojo. Get used to hearing the name "8.0.8 or Bobby Ray or I don't know" for awhile. He is here to stay Your Enthusiasm has achieved "cult like status." Except that his website's forums have four threads, they've only had 23 posters online at one time since their conception, and I'm not allowed to post funny messages on any of the three boards. RI_BIIM RRIE:,
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