Mount Hood

BloodyVox Floods Rice Auditorium

Alexandra Martin | Entertainment Editor
Photo by Nick Brooks | Freelance Photographer

Nearly every seat in Rice Auditorium was filled this past Friday for the second show in the Smith Fine Arts Series 41st season, — BodyVox: BloodyVox, an imaginative and talented dance ensemble portraying the portentous lore that stems from people’s darkest fears and surrounds the month of October.

BodyVox is a dance company from Portland, Oregon, known for its dramatic imagery built through dance with a bit of a slapstick, theatrical twist. After being founded in 1997, BodyVox has attained an impressive number of accolades for performances in nine award winning films, three operas and 30 original shows, among many other achievements.

For the opening of the show at Rice, a singular gentleman emerged from the drawn velvety curtains in what appeared to be the get-up of a detective from a ‘40’s movie: trench coat, fedora, brief case — you get the idea. After some bizarre tight-lipped gesticulation toward the audience, he whipped a microphone and a cell out of his pocket and, using an application similar to Mouth Mover, began to present the night’s entertainment. He coaxed out a couple laughs from the audience by switching to an iPad as opposed to his phone and after a couple minutes, disappeared behind the curtain.

Each following entertainment piece alternated between the 11 performers present at Rice Auditorium while employing an array of props for each dance to drive home the theme “BloodyVox.” In the dance, “Dormez Vous,” which means “you sleep” in French, a bed was utilized to give the illusion of people sleeping and creatures of the night spilling out from underneath the bed. Piece by piece, the performances were aided by costumes and miscellaneous objects on the stage in addition to the choreography and music, maintaining the same nebulous feel throughout the show.

While there was not exactly blood in “BloodyVox,” when paired with a fog machine, flashing lights, ominous music and put near pitch black lighting over the audience, the evening’s entertainment casted a hematic shadow in the best way possible.

BodyVox wrapped up the first portion of the Smith Fine Art Series fall season. The entertainment will resume Jan. 12 with Celtic Journey: Sounds and Soundtracks, featuring Western’s own Dirk Freymuth.

Póngase en contacto con el autor en journalentertainment@wou.edu

 

Catch and Release: Album Reviews

Discovering newly released music before the masses are aware of it used to be a pastime for some. Knowing all the lyrics, mastering the air guitar and making sure that everyone around knows who found it first were all very important parts of being the coolest. Here a few albums that have been released recently. They aren’t for everyone, but at least it’s something other than listening to the same songs you jammed out to in high school.

“Half Light” by Rostam, a former group member of Vampire Weekend, is an album that’s almost perfect for studying or sleeping. Having listened to Vampire Weekend in high school, I find that there are all the elements of Rostam’s previous group, but there’s a finesse to “Half Light” that sets it apart. Perhaps it was taking a page out of Bon Iver’s book for the cinematography of his music video or the minimalism that, ironically, makes you want to go buy the album. It’s his solo debut and, while it reflects his previous group, it is anything but typical.

Open Mike Eagle recently released “Brick Body Day Kids Still Dream.” After listening to the first few songs, I felt like I had listened to the same song on repeat. Each tone story made me feel the same feelings, see the same images. In an attempt to interpret this album, I noticed that it mainly focuses on the past, but also dreams of the future - an all too common theme. Some of the songs are so erratic that it actually made me physically frustrated. But maybe there is a level of musicality that I have yet to unearth in myself.

After listening to music for hours on end, trying to write this article, I stumbled across the album “I Tell a Fly” by Benjamin Clementine. Just as I was hoping and praying for something different, or an eye-opening album to listen to, I got this. Though it wasn’t exactly what I was searching for, it’s just fine. If you can imagine Death Grips and Timber Timbre having a little music-baby on a rebellious streak, it would be Benjamin Clementine. Similar to past albums, each song carries a similar weight with it and, after having seen Clementine on an NPR Tiny Desk Concert, I was more than a little disappointed. “I Tell a Fly” is jazzy, avant garde, electronic and modern. Frankly, it’s all over the place.

Finally, “Wonderful, Wonderful” by the one and only, The Killers. Perhaps my review of this album is a bit biased, being that I think The Killers are pretty amazing. Imbibing a bit and singing loudly and off-key to “Mr. Brightside” still sounds like a good time to me. This album — however high my hopes were — was not so much of a letdown, as it was a surprise. After disappearing off the scene, The Killers haven’t really lost their touch. “Wonderful, Wonderful” retains the same light and delicate instrumentals that were on previous albums, but with darker emotions. Sure, it is no “Hot Fuss,” but it’s better than a kick in the pants.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en journalentertainment@wou.edu

Salem Cinema introduces alternative film experience

Alexandra Martin | Entertainment Editor

Going to the movies, a popular pastime since the Nickelodeon debuted in the early 20th century, is not only about the movies themselves but the whole experience. For most, attending a movie as a child was the first glimpse we received into the adult world. However, with the rise of Netflix, Hulu, on-demand and the increasing popularity of Redbox, along with the untimely demise of Blockbuster, watching a movie seems to have lost some of the magic that it once had.

Instead of going on a first date to the local theater and drowning the butterflies in your stomach with too-buttery popcorn and Coca-Cola products, people would rather save the $20 and “Netflix and chill.” But one theater is sticking it to the man and retaining the roots that remind us of our first experience watching a movie on the big screen.

Those familiar, dimly-lit, slanted walkways, dancing soda and candy previews and the intimate seating arrangements still remain intact at Salem Cinema, a three-screen theater located on Broadway Street.

It’s more than just a place to make a person nostalgic for youth and to see an overpriced cinema remake of a movie that came out thirty years ago.

As part of the Manhattan Short Film Festival, Salem Cinema screens movies from Sydney, Moscow, Kathmandu and Vienna providing a most unique experience for any Friday night out.

Furthermore, the Salem Cinema is beyond being merely a business out to make a profit. The cinema also participates in a program called “Reel Change,” which allows non-profit organizations to borrow the reels that the theater screens to raise money for causes in the Salem area. Some such causes are: The Straub Environmental Learning Center, Salem Audubon Society and Marion-Polk food share.

The Salem Cinema, also known as High Street Cinema, opened in 1982 and is the only locally owned and operated theater in the greater Salem area. It strays from the straight and narrow, bringing cinema’s alternative side to life: showing independent, art and foreign films such as Wind River, Viceroy’s House and Deconstructing The Beatles: SGT. Pepper, to name a few of the far-fetched titles now playing. It is an ideal place to get a taste of the past while enjoying the leisure of attending a silver screen feature film.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en journalentertainment@wou.edu

True stories of ordinary people

Alexandra Martin | Entertainment Editor

There didn’t appear to be an ounce of tension in the room of Dallas’s Pressed Wine and Coffee Bar on Sept. 30. Maybe it was the soft, warm bread and hummus platters or maybe, just maybe, it was the libations of wine delivered by the staff in the hall that kept the crowd preoccupied while waiting for the night’s entertainment to begin.

Portland Story Theater paid a visit to Dallas for the third annual Dallas Storyteller Festival. The festival is a week-long event full of assorted stories for all ages, workshops and, my favorite, charming recollections of youth.

One such story, told by Beth Rogers entitled “Angels” was a tale recalling her childhood and the trials she experienced being legally blind and attending a public school. After many years, Rogers was fortunate enough to have a teacher who took her under their wing. Now, as an adult, she is able to give back to society as a teacher and provide the same guidance and understanding for her students.

Another narrative, titled “Irish,” dictated by Lynn Duddy, was a chronicle beginning with Saint Patrick and the uncertainty regarding whether or not he was indeed of Irish descent. Duddy delves into the history of Saint Patrick and his everlasting influence on Ireland, despite his genealogy. She effortlessly links times of old with modernity regaling the tale of her upbringing: being put up for adoption and growing up in an Irish family. This was a story of acceptance and belonging to a family or society, like Saint Patrick, despite where life may have started.

Portland Story Theater was founded by Lynn Duddy and Lawrence Howard to be a place where creative minds gather to share their true recollections of growth, opposition, acceptance and the encounters people have throughout a lifetime.

If you missed out on this opportunity, Portland Story Theater holds shows on the first Friday of every month at 3333 NE 15th Avenue in Portland.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en journalentertainment@wou.edu

The Ladybugs: A big apple jazz ensemble

Alexandra Martin | Entertainment Editor

The 41st season of The Smith Fine Arts Series kicked off the year with The Ladybugs. Hailing from the Big Apple, The Ladybugs’ one of a kind sound immersed the whole of Rice Auditorium this past Friday with their upbeat, contemporary interpretations on early 20th century favorites.

Each member of this incredibly talented foursome is an accomplished musician in their own right, whether it be as working musicians for popular television shows, performing at jazz clubs in New York City, being members of community ensembles or laboring solo artists, The Ladybugs passion was apparent throughout the entirety of the performance.

As part of their NorthWest Tour, they banded together to create a night to remember at Western for the community, university alumni, faculty and students, alike. Featuring musical stylings many performance-goers know and love from the musical “Guys and Dolls,” and other famed artists such as Louis Armstrong. The group played a vast collection of songs old and new, imbued with latin flavor and country flair that aimed to please.

With the jazzy, ethereal vocals of Martina DaSilva and Vanessa Perea, Dylan Shamat’s thumping bass, Joe McDonough’s buoyant trombone solos and the warm bluesy guitar stylings fashioned by Alex Goodman, this group demonstrated that it is just as tasty piecemeal as it is a cohesive, delightful treat for audiences aged six to sixty and anywhere outside or in between.

Western Oregon University was the last stop on The Ladybugs Northwest Tour, which spanned from Canada to Oregon. Their self-titled album, “The Ladybugs” can be purchased through iTunes or from their Facebook page.

The Smith Fine Arts Series shows will reconvene Oct. 6 with BodyVox: BloodyVox at Rice Auditorium, a dance spectacular complete with talented dancers, eerily beautiful choreography and an artful depiction of the creatures and mystery that surround the month of October.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en journalentertainment@wou.edu

Review: “If It Was A Smile”

Stephanie Blair | Redactora jefe

For fans of folk and indie rock, a must-hear album is coming your way — Joseph Demaree and the Great Smoking Mirror: a guitar- and cello-playing duo from Portland, Oregon, will release the band’s 10-track, debut album, “If It Were A Smile,” on Jan. 16, 2018.

The group is composed of frontman Joseph Demaree, who contributes vocals and guitar to the tracks, and Miranda Shapiro, who is featured on vocals and cello. The band describes their sound as “mellow and dreamy with an indie rock edge,” with influences spanning from Duke Ellington to Hank Williams, to The Velvet Underground, to Leonard Cohen named.

The album begins with dialogue that’s been faded and distorted with an effect that’s reminiscent of early 20th century radio broadcasts — this is a part of the story-driven element of the album, which reappears at the beginnings or ends of various tracks. After the initial bit of conversation comes the first song, which opens with the album title as its first line.

The album would pair with a melancholic montage in a Wes Anderson-esque indie film, or a rainy day of doing the dishes for non-cinematic persons. The tone of the album left this listener with an ache in her heart and the story, a longing for a resolution that would come in the final track: 10 minutes that left me only half-satisfied.

Those with a love for dynamic changes within an album will be disappointed. While the sound is pleasant, each track is extremely similar. Without the interwoven bits of theatrical dialogue between tracks, it could very easily be mistaken for one 46-minute long song. Every track on the album is a waltz, with most featuring the same drumline and extremely similar picking patterns on guitar.

The sound and story isn’t for everyone, but, if you would enjoy hearing a Johnny Cash/David Bowie/Ayreon collaboration album - this is it.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en journaleditor@wou.edu

La música está en el aire

Alexandra Martin | Entertainment Editor

Music is a great way to fill any amount of silence with melodic noise. “Spotify has a wide selection…it’s the only way I stream music,” said Ethan Gilbert a junior computer science major. Whether a person is walking to class, driving down the road or finds themselves anywhere in between, streaming music has replaced the classic mp3s and there are about a million ways to get your music fix.

Mary Goodale, a senior communications major, still relies on purchased music but also uses popular streaming services, “I use Pandora or the Google Music app on my phone. I use Pandora when I want a wide range of music I don’t have on my phone and I use Google music when I want to listen to music I’ve purchased throughout the years.”

Surprisingly, many students around campus use more than one streaming service, depending on their mood such as Maria Krueger, a sophomore psychology major, “I like Spotify because the playlists you pick are more specific than when you listen on Pandora. But, I listen to Pandora when I don’t know exactly what I want to listen to and am feeling random.”

Spotify caters to a person’s musical interests with unique playlists and Pandora’s random selection method is great for scratching that musical itch that a person isn’t quite sure how to reach otherwise.

While there is an innumerable amount of other free options including AccuRadio, SlackerRadio and TuneIn, most music streaming services have one thing that most people can agree is possibly the worst kind of interruption when in the middle of a deserted highway or during a high-intensity workout: commercials. However, for a monthly fee these heinous interruptions can be avoided on most streaming sites. Go figure.

One such service, Spotify Premium, is partnering with Hulu to provide unlimited listening and commercial free access to hundreds of shows and movies for students at the discounted price of $4.99 for 12 months.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en journalentertainment@wou.edu

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