Mount Hood

The West of Us performs first fall concert since 2016

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

The West of Us kicked off their year in Smith Hall with their fall term concert Monday, Nov. 12. This performance also marked their first fall performance as a singular, coed group.

Completely student led, Western’s A Cappella club currently has 16 members. Before the 2017-2018 school year, Western had two A Cappella groups, separated by gender. Violet Trammel, President of the group, commented in a previous interview that the integration of the groups has helped fill out the club’s sound and allowed them to achieve more musically.

“It’s awesome when we collaborate on a song we can comfortably have the super high parts and comfortably have the superlow parts,” commented Cole Aldred, Vice President.

Not all of their songs were integrated, however. In their Fall term concert, The West of Us gave the audience variety. The performance was split fairly evenly between whole-group, male-only and female-only numbers. This added to the overall pace of the concert and as a result, there was never a lull in the show.

The club’s performance also displayed a variety of genre. The numbers were fun and included several numbers that really pleased the crowd. Among the numbers were a “The Greatest Showman” medley, an all-male Disney medley, “Toxic” by Britney Spears, “Bet on It” from High School Musical II and “Light in the Hallway” by famous A Cappella group Pentatonix.

The unification of the group did indeed bolster their sound, but there were moments in the performance when The West of Us still sounded fairly thin. In each song, individual members shone, their talent obvious when the sound was just right.

“I think we will work on improving our overall musicality (dynamics, intensity, and accuracy),” commented President Trammel, “as well as maintaining a lively stage presence throughout every song of the show.”

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Upcoming concerts in Portland, OR

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Living in a rural area sometimes has its perks, like less traffic and friendly faces. However, it has its drawbacks as well. One of those drawbacks is being far away from all the best music venues. Thankfully, we are only an hour away from the home of some of the most popular music venues in western Oregon — Portland. Here are some of the big names coming to Portland before the new year.

 

Nov. 24: Trans Siberian Orchestra

Venue: The Moda Center

Address: 1 N Center Ct St, 97227, Portland, OR

After two years away, the Trans Siberian Orchestra is returning to Portland. Tickets cost between $41.00 and $75.50, depending on where you sit. Tickets for the Orchestra sell notoriously fast, so be sure to grab tickets soon. Tickets can be purchased at trans-siberian.com. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.

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Dec. 3: Mt. Joy

Venue: McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom

Address: 1332 W. Burnside St, 97209, Portland, OR

Mt. Joy is performing as the headliner, preceded by the band The Weather Machine. Mt. Joy currently has one self-titled album. Tickets are $17.50 and the show is all ages. Tickets can be purchased on mtjoyband.com. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

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Dec. 8: Rosanne Cash

Venue: Revolution Hall

Address: 1300 SE Stark St, 97214, Portland, OR

Rosanne is an accomplished, Grammy award-winning artist who is also the eldest daughter of Johnny Cash and his first wife. Tickets are $42.50 and the show is all ages. Tickets can be purchased on rosannecash.com. Doors open at 8 p.m.

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Dec. 12: Death Cab for Cutie

Venue: McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom

Address: 1332 W. Burnside St, 97209, Portland, OR

Pacific Northwest native Death Cab for Cutie is touring their eighth studio album. Tickets are $62.50 and the show is all ages. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Trans Siberian Orchestra, Mt. Joy, Rossane Cash, Death Cab for Cutie

 

Review of Jeff Goldblum’s new jazz album “The Capitol Studio Sessions”

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

That’s right folks, Jeff Goldblum — America’s sweetheart, apple of my eye — released an album Nov. 9 and ushered in a new age, breaking music history into two parts: before Goldblum’s honeyed, soulful piano, and after.

Accompanying the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, Jeff brings us a 14 track album of jazz classics, including “Cantaloupe Island” and “Straighten Up and Fly Right.”

“The Capitol Studio Sessions” is a recreation of the orchestra’s weekly variety show, held at LA’s Rockwell Table and Stage in Capitol studios. All the tracks were performed in front of a live audience, lending a speakeasy, intimate feel to the songs. Full of improv comedy and playful ribbing, Goldblum’s personality glows.

“I love improvising and that feeling of communication and interplay, it’s one of the cornerstones of my acting technique. I see my music in the same way,” Goldblum commented in a press release about the album.

Playing alongside Jeff are other famous names: Irish singer Imelda May, former “American Idol” contender Haley Reinhart, and awarded trumpetest Till Brönner to name a few.

Some may think that Jeff Goldblum would not measure up to these talented musicians. I am offended that some hypothetical person would ever say such a thing. Goldblum not only holds his own among his fellow orchestra members, he thrives. If no one knew it was in fact Goldblum on piano, one would think they were simply listening to a talented Jazz band.

Goldblum’s jazz piano rarely commands the focus of any song, except maybe in “I Wish I Knew (How it Would Feel to be Free)” and “Caravan.” But that is true of most jazz standards, in which the saxophones and horns take center stage. Piano adds another complex layer to any jazz performance, filling out a group’s sound. This album is no different — Goldblum adds his own skillful flair to each song, but doesn’t try to hog the spotlight like any less professional and less experienced musician would.

 

Overall rating: I strongly recommend this album to anyone and everyone.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of decca.com

Ty Brack reflects on time as editor of The Northwest Passage

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

In the student media building, there is an office that contains every edition of the Northwest passage since 1966. The Northwest Passage is Western’s literary magazine, run by students. Art is submitted by students and faculty, and can include poetry, prose, short fiction, drawings, paintings, photographs and most recently, music.

Since 1966, students have been submitting their work to the Northwest Passage, some anonymously. Their art is made immortal through the pages of the journal, and for several students, that’s as far as their art went. But some continued, whether that be professionally or recreationally.

One of those students is Ty Brack. An English major and communications minor, Brack served as the assistant editor of the Northwest Passage from 2005 to 2006 and editor from 2006 to 2007. Along with his editing duties, Brack also submitted art to the journal, in the form of poetry.

“My favorite part was getting to admire the creativity and talent of my peers on campus,” said Brack, “It opened doors to relationships and ideas.”

From 2009 through 2012, Ty began transferring his poetry into lyrics. Working with local producers and other artists, Ty launched his rap persona Flyvek. Ty performed various local shows at a variety of venues and for charity shows that raised money for nonprofits, including The Global Project.

Brack released his first album, titled “Flyvek is Just One of the _____ and Counting,” in 2012. “This album is still available on iTunes, #shamelessselfplug,” the rapper mentioned. After releasing the album, the rap artist returned to Western for graduate school to receive his Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT).

“That started a five-year span of rather busy professional development in teaching, which along with being newly married at the time, made it difficult for me to find the balance of time to continue recording and performing,” remarked Brack.

Ty is currently teaching 10th grade English and poetry at North Marion High School in Aurora, Oregon. He also serves as the Activities and ASB director, as well as the assistant varsity baseball coach.

He hasn’t forsaken his art however: “Now though, I’ve found that balance and have begun recording again, with a new album and new shows planned for the beginning of 2019,” commented Ty.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Theater department produces “5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche”

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Opening on Nov. 8, “5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche” is Western’s fall production, and it has all the lesbians anyone could hope for.

Set in 1956, in a community center basement-turned-bunker, this sapphic comedy follows a group of “widows” who call themselves “The Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein.” The occasion: an annual quiche breakfast/bake-off.

Whisking the audience along, the five main characters — Vern, Wren, Lulie, Ginny and Dale — carry on with what seems to be a regular society meeting, although they have a cult-ish obsession with eggs. Each character seems to be driven by manic anxiety, along with the manners and passive aggressiveness of a classic ‘50s housewife.

Suddenly, these quiche-eating ladies are given quite a shock, as a bomb siren blares and the iconic flash of light overtakes the room. Soon, the women are left to decide what comes next for the sisters — all of whom will be trapped in the bunker for the next four years. Oh yeah, and they forgot all the quiche outside.

There is a large amount of audience participation and interaction, which keeps the energy high throughout the production. Everyone in the audience is referred to as “sisters,” and are brought into the story as it develops.
The director of this production is theater professor Kent Neely.

“I wanted to do something fun and something that had strong roles for women,” Neely said, “a friend in South Carolina had seen it at a theatre festival and told me about it. Once I read it, I thought it would be great to do.”

The cast and crew have been working hard on “5 Lesbians” since the first Monday of the term.

“It was fun because they are all such talented actors. I believe they developed a very strong ensemble and I had fun giving them suggestions that they could then take and run with,” commented Professor Neely.

The show runs for about 75 minutes. Future shows can be caught Nov. 14, 15, 16, and 17. Western students get in free with their student ID.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Border wall encourages student participation

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

“You don’t have to be artistic to have a voice,” said senior Bachelor’s of Fine Arts student Eric Frey. Frey has a recent art installation that is a part of his thesis on discrimination and bias. His art piece is symbolic of any border wall: the Korean DMZ, the Berlin wall, the proposed U.S/Mexico wall.

“Right now we’ve got that ballot measure (Measure 105) talking about taking away sanctuary cities. And (building the wall) has been a hot-button issue since the 2016 election. So I thought this would be a good opportunity for free speech here on campus,” commented Frey. “For me, I’m not making a statement either way, pro-wall or anti-wall.”

Frey acknowledges that there is a large variety of students on campus, including those with conservative ideologies and those included under the DREAM act. This art piece was meant to start a dialogue about border security and border walls.

This piece is constructed with a 2×4 frame and cement and burlap banners. The top is adorned with faux barbed wire, handmade out of hemp twine. Students and community members are encouraged to interact with the installation with paint, stencils, or even a baseball bat. The only thing Frey asks is not used is biological waste, human or animal. This installation piece is completely funded by the artist, so it is important that participants take care not to damage the frame itself.

Eric Frey retired from the Army in 2016, and came to Western considering a business major: “I got pulled into the art program, and ever since then it’s just been that I’ve found my creative side.” The soon-to-be graduate has been to Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt and Israel.

Being a combat veteran, Frey believes that he has an unique perspective to bring to the art community.

“I’ve seen some of the worst in humanity, and the best in humanity. So those experiences definitely shape my art,” said Frey.

The wall will be up until Dec. 1, and Frey intends to show the pieces in local galleries for the rest of the school year once it’s taken down.

“As long as it’s on display it’s a living, breathing conversation,” Frey remarked.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

The Majestic Theatre opens “Catch Me If You Can”

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

On Nov. 2, the Majestic Theatre in downtown Corvallis opened their production of the musical “Catch Me If You Can.” This story, based on true events, follows the escapades of Frank William Abagnale Jr. Born in 1948 in New York; Frank Jr. ran away from home at the fresh age of 16 after his parents’ divorce.

Abagnale soon became the one of the most successful and famous con men in history. Frank Jr. posed as a pilot, a lawyer, and a doctor. In his criminal career, he cashed around $2.5 million in bad checks. Throughout the play, Frank is chased by tenacious FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Eventually, Frank Jr. is captured and spent years imprisoned in multiple different countries. When he was released, Abagnale started work as an FBI consultant and started his own fraud consultancy company. The Broadway musical was first performed in 2011.

The cast of this Majestic production was extremely energetic and talented. The choreography is intricate and clearly the work of a talented and dedicated choreographer. Despite some technical difficulties, the play was a big hit with the audience and continued without any major snafus.

The cast of this musical includes multiple Western Oregon University alumni: Lawrence Dannen, Laura Killip, and A.J. Saddler.

Saddler graduated in the Spring of 2018 from Western’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program, and this will be his second time performing as a graduate.

“The theatre program at WOU and the people who I came in contact with while studying (whether it be professors or students) has taught me how to be a professional theatre artist,” commented Saddler. “I have to give a shout out to the department and all those who run it for providing me with the opportunity to be able to move forward in my life as the artist I want to be.”

Future shows will be held Nov. 8-10, 15-17 at 7:30 p.m., with matinee performances Nov. 11 and 18 at 2:30 p.m. Students can purchase tickets at the discounted price of $16.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

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