Entertainment – Page 102 – The Western Howl

By DECLAN HERTEL
 Staff Writer

Everyone has a piece of art that speaks to them like no other, and for many people, that work is their favorite music album. There are few more potent ways to learn about who someone is at heart than to listen to their favorite album. Just by knowing that a piece of music speaks to them on some deeper level allows you to connect to them through the music.

This week marks 17 years since the release of my favorite album, Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,” released Feb. 10, 1998. It is everything I love about music, and one of only two albums to ever make me tear up (the other being Cage the Elephant’s “Melophobia”). It is heartbreaking, scary, beautiful, and strange.

And I believe it to be perfect.

The album can best be summed up as “absolutely fearless.” Jeff Mangum, the reclusive genius behind the band, clearly just did not give a damn if anyone liked the record, electing to be completely honest and let the work speak for itself.

All the songs carry an urgency of spirit, a sense that he had to get these words and melodies out of his body right now lest he collapse in on himself. His voice cracks and wails, his lyrics are nigh impenetrable on the first listen, and the songs are musically simple with no frills and a lot of lowfi energy. The drums blast, the bass is fuzzed within an inch of its life, and the guitar tracks clip all over the place.

One gets the sense that when songs like the raucous “Holland, 1945,” the band purposefully pushed their equipment right up to the breaking point.

The songs themselves are simple and unpretentious, using simple chords and melodies with unbridled passion and energy. All the musicians on the record are self-taught, including some who learned instruments specifically for recording this record, and this dedication is apparent all through the album.

Upon deeper listening, one finds the method to all the madness: the record is a concept album about plant-like people, a two-headed fetus in a jar, Mangum’s own life, and Anne Frank.

It expresses the rage, hope, loneliness, despair, sexuality, sensitivity, fear,
and love of these strange characters as their worlds change and go up in flames around them.

The whole album lays out an atmosphere of darkness, but within that darkness there is hope for these doomed misfits that they might find love and comfort in their unique existence.

There is apprehension about the future, but because of this uncertainty, we must now “lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see,” as Mangum sings on the title track.

“Aeroplane” speaks to me like no other record ever made. It would be impossible for me to articulate exactly why that is, so I’ll settle for this: please seek this record out. Even 17 years after its release, I could not possibly give “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” a high enough recommendation.

The Western Howl

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Game night: table-top games with huge replay value

By NATHANIEL DUNAWAY
 Entertainment Editor

My friends and I have taken up to playing games.

Right now, you might be imagining kickball or “Grand Theft Auto”; however — while those are both awesome — the games we’ve been playing aren’t at home outside or on the TV, but instead on the tabletop (or the carpet).

Game night has become a weekly tradition at my house, and in case you’re considering making it a tradition at yours, here’s a quick rundown of some of the best board and card games my roommates, friends, and I keep returning to every weekend. All of these games are best played with 2-6 players.

“Once Upon a Time”

My only disclaimer for this card game is this: it’s not for everyone. Or maybe a better way to put it is that not everyone is for this game. The entire focus of “Once Upon a Time” is on storytelling.

Players have a hand of cards with fairy tale elements such as “Princess,” “Dragon” and “Dungeon.” These are called Story Cards. The game begins as one player, the Storyteller, who begins telling a story, utilizing their cards to
further the plot, guiding it to their specific Ending Card.

The other players can use Interrupt Cards to become the new Storyteller. The first player to play all their Story Cards and reach their ending wins. It may sound complicated, but you get the hang of it quickly. The more creative and inventive the players are, the better. The stories created during this game can be hilarious and exciting, and you’ll find yourself wanting to write some of them down.

“Clue Mysteries” *

If I have any complaints about the game “Clue,” it’s that games don’t last nearly
long enough. If you agree with that sentiment, and also worry that “Clue” isn’t complicated or convoluted enough, then “Clue Mysteries” is the board game for you.

Taking the mystery-solving theme of “Clue” and expanding it from a single crime in a single house to 50 individual crimes in a whole town full
of suspects, “Clue Mysteries” has a terrific amount of replay value. The gathering of clues involves getting statements from characters (many of them new, although the usual suspects are still present), cracking codes, and traveling all across town to catch a criminal.

While the classic murder weapons are unfortunately absent, the game makes up for it with cool detective tools such as a magnifying glass, mirror, and key.

“Fluxx” *

Another card game and one of the wildest, most wonderfully unpredictable games
I’ve ever played. In “Fluxx,” the rules are determined by the cards in your hand, and they’re always changing.

Complete aspects of the game can be changed with a single card, such as how many cards can be drawn, how many or what cards can be played, and what it takes to win. Games can last five minutes or they can last an hour.

There are dozens of versions, ranging from “Cartoon Network Fluxx” to “Cthulhu
Fluxx” and “Monty Python Fluxx.” Every play-through is different, making “Fluxx” endlessly enjoyable.

Board and card games are fun; that’s kind of the whole point. And while some are
more fun than others (I’m not a huge fan of “Settlers of Catan,” but it’s a popular one you should also check out), try to be open to whatever games come your way. You’ll find the ones that stick.

Tabletop games may not be as popular as sports or video games, but they can be just as much — if not more — fun.

*Shout out to Sarah Cotter for recommending these games.

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International Championship of Collegiate A Capella

Western’s all female group competes in their first ICCA quarterfinal.

15 Miles West reference to their University of Oregon competitors On the Rocks during their performance. The group placed third in the ICCA quarterfinals. PHOTOS BY NEIL GRAVATT | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

By STEPHANIE BLAIR
 Staff Writer

An array of pink, purple and blue streams of light are splashed across the stage and overhead the house lights bathe the audience in a soft yellow as they wait for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Quarterfinals to begin.

It is Jan. 31, 2015 at the Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin, Ore., and this is the first and last competition of the season for Western’s two a cappella
groups: the powerhouse, all-male group, 15 Miles West and the freshfaced, all-female group, Suspended.

Across the room, friends, family and a cappella fanatics alike, have come from all over the state to watch as tonight’s performers compete for the top two spots, which will continue on the semi-finals in March. This means that for eight of the ten groups here their competitive season ends tonight.

The lights go down and Courtney Jensen, Brigham Young University alumna and vocal percussionist of the Backbeats (the Sing Off season two competitors), climbs the stage and begins the night, announcing herself as the MC for the evening. The first group to perform is Suspended.

They take the stage in Western’s school colors, wearing a mixture of black, red and white — each in their personal style — and form a triangle, with junior Meghann Thilberg standing at the front. The women start us off with the ‘90s classic “Zombie” by the Cranberries, which bleeds into their rendition of “Where is the Love?” by the Black Eyed Peas, in which first year Jennifer Lindley dominates the piece with her fluid ability to rap.

The piece comes to an end and the audience is treated to two arrangements:
Florence and the Machine’s “Shake It Out” and Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries”– the hit single off of their new album “American Beauty/American Psycho.”

This final number was the biggest crowd-pleaser of the set, with lead vocals
sung by first year Lauren Hebing, whose older brother, senior Max Hebing, would sing the first number of 15 Miles West’s set.

In contrast to Suspended’s organized and ordered walk to the stage, 15 Miles West runs and yells, climbing the stage to the sounds of Western fans shouting out their names in anticipation of the performance to come.

The entirety of the set was composed of mashups, arranged by senior Jake
Yoakum, including songs by Beyoncé, George Michael, and an original section
calling out the all-male groups from University of Oregon (On the Rocks) and Oregon State University (Outspoken), which riled up the crowd even further.

“15 Miles West, to me, had the most fun on stage,” said 15 Miles West choreographer Michael Johnston. “The audience was having fun watching them
perform.”

Of the whole night, 15 was definitely the biggest crowd pleaser, receiving the most laughs and engaged applause during their performance.

The choreography in particular, courtesy of Johnston, stirred the audience up instantly. The surprise of men twerking, swaying their hips, and doing hair flips to Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” was overwhelming for the audience.

“15 Miles West blew the house down,” Jensen said. “I’ve never seen boys move like that — in a good way.”

However, despite incredible performances from both Western groups, neither will be advancing to the semi-finals at Paloma College in March. 15 Miles West placed third, behind University of Oregon’s two a cappella groups, Mind the Gap and On the Rocks, who took first and second, respectively.

“You obviously always want to finish first, but sometimes things don’t go your way,” said senior Grant Harris. “We learned a lot from the experience.”

“We just wanted to show people how much fun we have singing and performing,” member David Takano said. “And if you were there, you could tell that the crowd really enjoyed our set.”

Suspended, on the other hand, did not place but were pleased to compete in their first ICCAs.

“It was more for the experience and to meet people from other groups,” said first year Brianna Williford. Sydney Culpepper said, “The experience of competing and meeting other a cappella groups was great, and we’re already looking forward to next year.” The season is over, but these vocalists are not finished yet.

“Right now we are working with Digital Production Services and Dr. Dirk Freymuth on campus to produce Western’s first official music video,” Harris said. “It will be all a cappella and made to promote [15 Miles West] as well as the school.”

Harris also hinted at spring auditions being held for the men’s group in the next few months, as 15 will continue to perform at events around campus for the remainder of the year.

Auditions for both groups will be held again in the fall. For more information,
each group can be contacted through email at 15mileswest@gmail.com and suspended.acapella@gmail.com.

For more information regarding the ICCAs, visit varsityvocals.com

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Student-directed Play “None of the Above”

By NATHANIEL DUNAWAY
 Entertainment Editor

Directed by Bachelor of Arts theatre major Dani Potter, “None of the Above,” a play by Jenny Lyn Bader, opened this weekend and will run for a total of four performances.

Starring Bachelor of Fine Arts actors Rosie Peterson and Nicholas Kintz, “None of
the Above” is a comedy about Jamie (played by Peterson), a rich New York City private school student, and her SAT tutor Clark (played by Kintz).

Throughout the play, the two are at odds over their respective priorities, and importance of the SATs.

Jamie is a part-time drug dealer with distant parents, and Clark is a geeky graduate student who counts all the words in the sentences Jamie says.

In order to be chosen to direct this year’s studio play, Potter was required to take both directing classes on campus, as well as direct a 10-minute play and a one-act play for last year’s one-act festival.

“Then it was a waiting game,” Potter said. “The powers-that-be met and talked
about all of the work I had done and how they felt my productions went. Then [I was told] at the end of spring term 2014 that I was chosen to direct the studio show.”

Peterson and Kintz were cast back in December, with rehearsals beginning at the start of winter term. Potter said that she’s had this show picked out since last July, and was notified of its approval the following month.

“Directing ‘None of the Above’ has been an experience I will never take for granted,” Potter said. “It has taught me so much about myself, about people, and about how important art is for the educational process.”

“None of the Above” will continue its run Friday, Feb. 6 and Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee performance on Feb. 7 as well.

Performances are in the Studio Black Box theatre of Rice Auditorium. Tickets are $12 general admission, $10 seniors, $7 students and Western students can get in free with student ID.

Tickets can be purchased at the Rice Auditorium box office by calling 503-838-8462. Box office hours are Monday-Friday 12:30-4:30 p.m.; it will also be open an hour before each performance.

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“Breaking Bad” spin-off “Better Call Saul” to premiere this weekend

By NATHANIEL DUNAWAY
 Entertainment Editor

Television spinoffs get a bad rap. And when you look at shows like “Joey,” “AfterMASH” and “Saved by the Bell: The College Years,” it’s not exactly hard to see why. Sometimes companion shows just don’t work.

This concern was the first to pop into many a viewer’s mind when it was announced last year that “Breaking Bad,” one of the most critically-acclaimed and audience-adored television dramas of all time, would be getting a spinoff.

But for every “Buddies” (spun off from “Home Improvement”), there is a “Frasier” (spun off from “Cheers”) and for every “Joanie Loves Chachi” (spun off from “Happy
Days”) there is an “Angel” (spun off from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”).

For my money, “Better Call Saul,” the “Breaking Bad” spinoff focusing on the early years of sleazy criminal lawyer Saul Goodman (played by Bob Odenkirk) will certainly fall into the same realm those latter examples reside in.

We first met Saul in season two of “Breaking Bad,” when he became the full-time attorney of chemistryteacher-turned-drug-lord Walter White.

Throughout the series, Saul used his wits, charm, and legal know-how to keep Walt and his partner Jesse out of jail (or worse, the morgue or a ditch in the desert).

“Better Call Saul,” produced and co-written by “Breaking Bad” showrunner Vince Gilligan, takes place five years before Walter White’srise to power, when Saul was still known as James McGill, a struggling, unknown defense attorney.

In addition to Odenkirk reprising his role as Saul, actor Jonathan Banks will return to play fan-favorite hitman and fixer Mike Ehermantraut in the prequel series.

So will “Better Call Saul” find itself among the ranks of the great spinoffs like “The Legend of Korra” (spun off from “Avatar: the Last Airbender”) and “The Simpsons” (spun off from “The Tracey Ullman Show”)? With much of the same talent that made “Breaking Bad” great returning, I’d say it’s a safe bet.

“Better Call Saul” premieres Sunday, Feb. 8 on AMC, right after the mid-season premiere of “The Walking Dead.

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WOU A Capella Groups Prep for NW Quarter Finals

Photos by Neil Gravatt

Western’s very own a cappella groups, 15 Miles West (below) and Suspended (above) at their dress rehearsal on Jan. 28, will be competing in the Northwest Quarter Finals of the Inter-Collegiate Competition of A Capella (ICCAs) on Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin. This will be Suspended’s first time competing at the ICCAs, while 15 Miles West has taken top-two since 2013 and, in fact, tied with the University of Oregon’s all male a cappella group On the Rocks last year. The a cappella faculty adviser, Dr. Dirk Freymuth, said performing in a larger performance space (rather than Smith Hall) will only enhance their performances.

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Science, storytelling and sock-puppets

By Nathaniel Dunaway
 Entertainment Editor

“Portal. noun: a door, gate or entrance. A way in. Any entrance or access to a place.”

This is the definition provided by Portal Theatre’s website, and it helps to paint an accurate portrait
of the mission statement this small, Portland-based theatre company strives to uphold.

Portal Theatre wants to take you somewhere.

Created by Western associate professor of theatre Michael Phillips, Portal Theatre is a devised theatre company, meaning that their scripts are not the work of a playwright, but instead are created through the collaboration and experimentation of its members.

Last summer, the company took their very first show “No Belles” to Scotland to perform at the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

“It’s daunting to take your first show to the biggest festival in the world,” said Phillips, “where
you’re competing with 3,200 other shows for audience and press.

But, we were in a great venue … [and] we managed to get five press reviews. To put that in perspective, many shows go the entire festival without a single review.”

All of the reviews for “No Belles” were positive, earning raves from “The Scotsman,” “The Cult Den,” “Broadway Baby,”

“Arts Award Voice” and “The Public Review.”

One reviewer said, “I know it’s early in the month but this is my show of the Fringe this year and
anything else will have to be truly great to beat it.”

The focus of “No Belles” is women in science, and how they’ve gone undervalued and virtually unrecognized by the Nobel Prize committee for decades.

The statistics are dismal: of the 566 winners of the Nobel Prize for Science, only 15 of them have been women. Some of these women — as well as some who didn’t win, but whose contributions
to science were nonetheless paramount — are portrayed in the show.

Using song, storytelling, poetry, reenactments, and one delightful scene featuring sock-puppets, “No Belles” captures the audience’s attention from the word go.

The cast of “No Belles” is made up of Western theatre graduate Kimberly Wilson, as well as actors Jade Hobbs and Melissa Schenter. Western alum Jenessa Raabe serves as production manager.

After their success overseas, Portal will be performing “No Belles” at three separate fringe festivals in Canada this summer.

“We’ll make three stops,” Phillips said. “Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton. There are advantages to trading off between Edinburgh and Canada, in that Canada doesn’t cost the company near as much, and has the potential to actually make us a bit of money, which would then go to support the next trip to Edinburgh.

“So, the tentative plan is do that: switching off between Edinburgh and Canada every other year. And, of course, that means making new work,” Phillips said. “We figure that each show will have a life cycle of about two years, and during that time we’ll be putting a new show together. We’ll be starting on our next show soon.”

Phillips has some experience with devised theatre. In 2013, he directed the Western theatre department production “Half a Block from Home,” a play which dealt with themes of social injustice and discrimination, and was written by a company of Western students.

Another devised play, once again led by Phillips, is currently in development, slated for spring 2015. Just as the body of students collaborating on the Western shows has changed, the members of Portal Theatre will evolve as well.

“Not everyone involved in the company will work on each show, but the idea is to gather a small group of people who we can draw from for various projects.” Phillips said. “And, ideally, I would begin to use a few current [Western] students from time to time. I’ve already brought on a student intern, who will be helping with the nuts and bolts of the company in the coming year. It would be good to include a student actor in the near future also.”

Phillips added that there isn’t an idea yet for what Portal Theatre’s next project will be, but he’s enthusiastic for the company to begin work on their sophomore show.

“What matters most is that we really care about what we’re working on, and that it makes a personal connection with the audience. It’s an adventure, and we don’t know exactly where it will lead, but
finding out should be a lot of fun.”

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

“In the Aeroplane Over the Sea:” 17 Years Later

Game night: table-top games with huge replay value

International Championship of Collegiate A Capella

Student-directed Play “None of the Above”

“Breaking Bad” spin-off “Better Call Saul” to premiere this weekend

WOU A Capella Groups Prep for NW Quarter Finals

Science, storytelling and sock-puppets

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