I Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
Chronic Town plays ‘Zaireeka’
The hookah lounge
played the Flaming Lips’
iconic 1997 album in its
entirety Thursday.
By Josh Bollinger
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Sounds from a far-out psyche
delic land filled Chronic Town
Thursday night.
The Flaming Lips album
"Zaireeka" was played in its
entirety at Chronic Town, 224 W
College Ave. The album was
released in 1997 and is widely con
sidered one of the band's most
experimental albums.
The album is a 4-disc set with
different versions of the same
eight songs on each CD.
The goal of the album is that
when all 4 CDs are played simul
taneously from separate audio
systems the songs are supposed
to sync together to create one
album.
Jeff Van Fossan, co-owner of
Chronic Town, said this is one of
the reasons why The Flaming
Lips are one of the most impor
tant bands of the past two
decades.
"They brought a sense of
experimentation into main
stream rock n' roll that hadn't
been there in a long time." he
Broomball tournament to be held
By Courtney Warner
FOR THE COLLEGIAN
Sports enthusiasts and '9os
fans can attend a free Penn State
Department of Recreation. Park
and Tourism Management-spon
sored broomball bash tonight at
the Greenberg Ice Pavillion.
Broomball is a sport that com
bines hockey with soccer and is
played on ice. The object of the
game is io shoot a ball into the
opposite goal by hitting it with
mock brooms.
The game features two teams
of five people.
Since teams play in street
shoes, as long as a person knows
how to walk, he or she can play
broomball. RPTM 359
(Programming in Recreation
Services! instructor Kathleen
Raupach said.
In the event-planning class, stu
dents are divided into 10 groups
that work with a nonprofit organi
zation to create an event.
Thi' broomball tournament
occurs every November and April
and teams up with the Greenberg
Ice Pavilion as its nonprofit part
ner
The Greenberg Ice Pavillion
will be broken into three sections
so three games can go on at once.
Kelly Rootes Murdy 'Collegian
The cast of “My Favorite Year" pose in a scene during dress rehearsal
at the Schwab Auditorium Wednesday night.
Artwork of Native American students on display in Health Center
By Allegra O’Neill
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Award-winning Native
American student art is stopping
at Penn State on a nationwide
tour, in which it will also be dis
played in the U.S. Department of
Education, the Smithsonian
National Museum of the American
Indian, the Chicago Children's
Museum and the Oklahoma
History Center.
The Native American Student
Artist Competition's winning sub
missions will be displayed in the
Student Health Center today
through Dec. 12.
The competition is designed to
showcase artwork created by
Native American and Alaskan
Native students.
Students in pre-kindergarten
through grade 12 may submit art,
while grades 6-12 may also submit
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Last night’s event was exciting
for VanFossan and fans because
he said people don’t really get a
chance to listen to the album in its
intended form very often.
He said Internet mixes don’t do
the album justice because the lis
tener can’t get the stereo sur
round sound effect the album is
supposed to have, adding that the
listener gets a much more
"immersive” sound from listening
to the album the on four separate
stereo systems because of the
layers of sound the album pro
duces.
Van Fossan said the album
gives the listener a different expe
rience every time they hear it
because of the lag time between
different sound systems.
But he said the whole point is to
get a new experience every time
you listen to it and that it’s not
meant to be synced perfectly.
Derek Shaffer (freshman-edu
cation) said that's why he likes
the album.
"You never know what you're
going to get each time," Schaffer
said.
He said he's tried to sync up the
album before and it's hard to get
it just right.
Van Fossan described the
sound of the album as encom
passing the more "far-out" ele
ments of the Beach Boys, mixed
with the experimental rock of the
“The bash is a different and safer activity to
engage in than chinking.”
Organizers' goal is to register
between 10 to 16 teams.
Raupach said teams get to play
multiple games until they're elim
inated. so they have a chance to
play rather than be immediately
eliminated after losing.
Each year, the bash has had a
different theme last year 's was
the Olympics.
The group chose a '9os theme
this year because it's different
from past competitions and most
of the students participating in
the event grew up during the '9os,
Katie Giampa (senior-recreation,
park and tourism), who helped
organize the event as a project for
the class, said.
The event will include '9os
music, trivia, costumes and team
names
Trivia winners will receive
prizes like gift certificates and
free recreational passes, she said.
Giampa said the bash follows a
Lady leers game, so hopefully
some of the crowd will stay after
for the event.
If you go
What: Native American Student
Artist Competition exhibit
When: Today through Dec. 12
Where: Student Health Center
Details: The exhibit, sponsored
by Penn State’s American
Indian Leadership Program, will
showcase of winning artwork
from this year’s Native
American Student Artist compe
tition.
a personal narrative.
Students submitted pieces in
January to be considered for the
competition, according to the offi
cial website. Winning submis
sions included 21 art pieces and
nine writing pieces, according to
U.S. Department of Education’s
Mothers of Invention and featur
ing Phil Spector’s “wall of sound.”
Schaffer said he likes the band
because of their original, space
rock sound, adding that he’s been
a fan of the group ever since he
saw it in concert.
“It was honestly life-changing,”
he said. “They’re just real far out
there.”
He said the band has amazing
stage presence and there’s
always something other than the
music that the audience can turn
their attention to like a light show,
confetti and balloons.
“You weren’t just watching a
band play. They would also get
you in on it,” Schaffer said.
He said Chronic Town was a
good place to host an event of that
kind because of the “chill” atmos
phere. Heather Light, 20, of State
College, agreed with Schaffer,
describing Chronic Town’s
atmosphere as “alternative.”
“It’s definitely a really cool
place to hang out as opposed to
frat parties,” Light said.
She said her original intention
of going to Chronic Town last
night wasn’t to listen to
“Zaireeka,” but it was definitely a
deciding factor in her attendance.
She said she enjoys listening to
the band because of the imagery
she gets from listening to the
music.
To e-mail reporter: tjbs267@psu.edu
John Chaddon
junior-information sciences and technology
“We would like to draw a crowd
of under-21, because it's a fun
opportunity for those who don't
want to waste time in their dorms,
but don’t want to party either,”
Giampa said.
John Chaddon (junior-informa
tion sciences and technology)
participated in the broomball
bash last spring.
Chaddon said he heard about
the event from his friend who was
in the major, so he and four
friends formed a team.
“The bash is a different and
safer activity to engage in than
drinking, and you still have the
opportunity to hang with your
friends,” Chaddon said.
If you go
What: ’9o’s Broomball Bash
When: 11:45 p.m. today
Where: Greenberg Ice Pavilion
Details: Admission to the tour
nament is free.
Thespians stage ‘sos-era musical
By Hannah Rishel
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
1954 is Benjy Stone's favorite
year. Not his best or most success
ful year, but his favorite.
The Penn State Thespians per
formed “My Favorite Year”
Thursday night in Schwab
Auditorium. Other performances
will be held tonight at 7:30 and
Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m..
Tickets are $5 with Penn State stu
dent ID, $6 with other student ID
and $lO for general admission.
The musical, co-directed by
Evan Smith and Andrew Baglini,
centers on the King Kaiser
Comedy Cavalcade, a tamer ver
sion of “Saturday Night Live” set
in the 19505.
Benjy Stone has just started as
a freshman writer his dream
job.
There he meets K.C. Downing,
the assistant to the producer, with
whom he develops an awkward
relationship.
One week Alan Swann, the
movie star Benjy idolizes, is set to
“[The exhibit] is aimed at increasing
awareness of both the leadership program and
the education of American Indian and Alaska
native students.”
website. This year’s theme,
“Bringing Honor Through
Education,” marks the sixth annu
al artist competition created by
the Office of Indian Education in
the U.S. Department of Education,
according to the official website.
Tije theme was meant to incor
ponfte the importance of public
education embracing the heritage
and culture of Native American
students, according to a press
release from the U.S. Department
of Education.
Sarah Finnegan/Collegian
John Medeski of Medeski Martin and Wood plays the piano, key
board and organ at State Theatre on Thursday night.
Renowned jazz trio
kicks off winter tour
By Karina Yiicel
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Medeski Martin and Wood
kicked off their winter tour on
Thursday night at the State
Theatre, 130 W College Ave.
Medeski Martin and Wood, a
jazz trio, has been together since
1991. forming in Brooklyn. N Y
and taking its music worldwide.
The theatre was filled with fans
of all ages from high school stu
dents to senior citizens w'ho were
excited to hear the trio's eccen
tric sound.
Kyle Hardy of State College
said he has been a fan of the band
since 1997, when he was in high
school.
Hardy said he is a big fan and
tries to see the band as much as
possible.
“My sister had their tapes and
got me into them," Hardy said.
Bethany Seib of State College
said she was introduced to the
band from a friend who lent her
Medeski Martin and Wood's CDs.
She added that once she start
ed listening to the band, she fell
in love with its style.
“I like their eclectic style and
diverse instrument ability." Seib
said.
Seib's friend chimed in. saving
Billy Martin is his favorite part of
the band and is an unbeliev able
percussionist.
Martin plays more than drums
and during his well-received solo,
he played many other instru
ments, hitting them in unexpect
ed ways.
Martin made sounds that the
be the guest star. Trouble starts
when Swann arrives to set the
first day drunk
King Kaiser is ready to cut
Swann from the show, but Benjy
protests. King Kaiser agrees to
keep him on the show, but only if
Benjy keeps him sober for the
week.
Melissa Zabell had never heard
of the musical before attending,
but said that she enjoyed it
because she likes discovering new
musicals.
“I like the music.” Zabell (sen
ior-public relations) said. T'm a
music nerd so I love it when they
break out into harmonies."
She added that her favorite
character is Alan Swann because
she liked the journey his character
goes on throughout the musical,
even though the story is told
through Benjy's perspective.
Samantha Ramp also said
Swann was her favorite character
because of his “suave” nature.
Ramp (freshman-journalism)
said she attended the show
because one of her friends was
Susan Faircloth
associate professor of education
“The American Indian
Leadership Program at Penn
State is sponsoring this exhibit in
celebration of its 40th anniver
sary,” associate education profes
sor Susan Eaircloth said.
The exhibit is part of the Art on
the Move Program sponsored by
the HUB-Robeson Art Galleries,
Eaircloth said.
“It is aimed at increasing the
awareness of both the leadership
program and the education of
American Indian and Alaska
The Daily Collegian
audience had never expected to
come from the things he was
using.
John Medeski and Chris Wood
kept the feeling alive, both being
able to play more than two instru
ments in ways many audience
members never would have
expected.
Medeski not only played key
board. but also organ and piano
at once.
He also used all the different
sound effects on his keyboard to
add an extra element to the
music.
Wood switched between tradi
tional and electric bass and also
played some guitar during the
set.
Each member received a solo
and got to showcase their individ
ual creative talent. Medeski and
Martin chose to combine some of
the instruments they play and
make a musical collaboration by
themselves.
This earned the crowd's admi
ration and cheers.
Attendees gave their love to
Wood too even though he stuck
with one instrument throughout
his solos.
After and often during the per
formances, audience members
would outburst with hoots and
hollers to show the band their
appreciation.
The crowd members made the
performance that much better,
with their appreciation and love
for the band shown through their
lively cheers.
To e-mail reporter: kzysols@psu.edu
part of the ensemble. Her friend
didn't tell her much about the
show before she went into it so she
was really surprised by how much
she enjoyed it.
An unusual aspect of the show
was the set, which featured a man
ual turntable that changed from
the writers' room to the stage of
the show' to Swann's hotel room.
Ramp said that this was a “real
ly convenient" way to switch the
setting.
Lacey Floyd also went into the
musical not knowing what to
expect.
'I had heard of it, but I didn’t
know anything about it," Floyd
(freshman-animal science) said.
"I'm pretty impressed. I didn’t
know what to expect.”
She added that her favorite
scene of the musical was when
Benjy took Swann to his family’s
home in Brooklyn because it was
"charismatic.”
"The entire show is charismatic
actually." she said.
To e-mail reporter: hmrso27@psu.edu
Native students across the
nation," Faircloth said.
HUB-Robeson Galleries Art
Director Ann Shields said she
picked the Health Center as the
venue for the artwork because of
the adequate space provided as
well as the large number of stu
dent traffic through the health
center on a daily basis.
“I think it would give the stu
dent artists pride in knowing that
there work is being seen on a col
lege campus,” Shields said.
Jessica Rommelt said display
ing the art in the health center is a
good idea and a nice way to show
case the art.
“I know the health center is
recently remodeled, and I know it
has aesthetic attention put on it as
far as the interior design,”
Rommelt (senior-art) said.
To e-mail reporter: aposols@psu.edu