Photo By: Amp Stwie

Sketchy is the only word that can describe the New Brooklyn Tavern.  The New Brooklyn Tavern, a small bar swallowed by graffiti that is located on State Street in Columbia, consists of a small bar and a ten square foot box that serves as a stage facing a dining room sized floor for the audience.  Two hundred people squeezed into this space and the box was stacked with one set of drums, four sets of half stack amplifiers, four mikes, and three instruments, ready to play.  At 6:45, a group of four guys, dressed like they were from The Sandlot, took the stage.  They were called the Story So Far from Walnut Creek, California.

With yelling vocals, typical hyper fifth chord riffs, and pop- punk drum beats, the Story So Far rocked the New Brooklyn Tavern.  Surprisingly, the crowd recited every word to every song that was played, very rare for an opening band.  They began with their pumped up opener, States and Minds, that starts their first album, Under Soil and Dirt, and went through almost that entire first album within their thirty minute set.  Despite the lack of volume on the vocals, the Story So Far was a fantastic band to begin a great show.

Second in the line up was A Loss for Words from Boston, Massachusetts.  With their matching half stack orange amps, the guitarists started to feedback and begin their opener, Honeymoon Eyes, the opening track off of their new album, New Sanctuary.  They had a more mainstream sound that was most similar to that of Fall Out Boy.  They covered the Jackson Five hit, I Want You Back, with a little punk twist added to match the flow of their set.  It made for a very nice change up in the show and it had the crowd going insane.

Next, came Transit, also from Boston, Massachusetts.  Transit had a calmer sound with their clean guitars and more relaxed vocals while keeping to their punk roots with their galloping punk drum beats and upbeat bass lines. They sounded very similar to the new, more mature sound of Blink 182′s new album, Neighborhoods.  This is partially due to the fact that according to Cody Smoldt, the voice of Tom DeLonge is very similar to that of Transit’s singer.

After a calmer change of pace, the Polar Bear Club, from Rochester and Syracuse, New York, came out to the stage.  Taking a gimmick from Weezer, they rocked the New Brooklyn Tavern in hawaiian shirts and glasses.  They had the place shaking with their heavier riffs and their singer’s gruff voice in songs such as Religion on the Radio and Bottled Wind.  The songs they played live had a punch that the recording studio did not capture, making for an outstanding performance.  Their frontman was one of the most confident and impressive of the night with his gruff yells and crowd interaction, setting the stage for the main event.

Finally, the Wonder Years, a six-piece band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania took the stage and everyone immediately pushed forwards.  Then, the sick riff of Washington Square Park began and the crowd went nuts.  The crowd screamed the lyrics at the top of their lungs, pushed right, left, forward, backward, stage dove, and crowd surfed.  “It was one of the best shows I have witnessed.” according to Nathan Leopard.  They mainly stuck with songs from their two latest albums, Suburbia and Upsides and took a few from the first album, Get Stoked on It! and EP, Won’t Be Pathetic Forever.  The drummer was by far the most talented of the night with his intricate, offtime, drum beats.  The singer sounded exactly as he did on the album and had such great stage presence.  After around fifteen songs in an hour, they went offstage.  The audience cheered loudly, begging for one more, so they came back for two encores, despite the fact that they were about to collapse due to the extreme heat in the bar.

After the show, the audience traveled outside to where the vans were parked and where, unlike any other show I have been to, the merchandise was sold.  There we were given the chance to hang out with the bands and get some autographs.  Nick Barrs said, “There were no frills, fancy lights, or huge slide shows.  With only a few mikes, a drum set, and a couple guitars, those bands were able to put on an incredible show.”

The Hunger Games opens with the words of the Treaty of Treason, describing the institution of the titular games as a reminder of the cost of rebellion. In this world, a nation called Panem has taken over the North American continent, and its tyrannical Capitol rules twelve outlying districts with an iron fist. Every year, the districts are forced to send a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to a televised arena battle to the death. With that premise in mind, we go to District 12.

It is Reaping Day for the 74th annual Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen’s little sister is chosen as tribute, and Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers in her place. Her fellow tribute is a baker’s son named Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Lawrence delivers an award-worthy performance, accurately capturing Katniss’s outward strength (not to mention prowess with a bow) without downplaying her internal struggles.  Lawrence’s Katniss is a determined young woman who, while plagued by self-imposed emotional isolation and personal doubts, refuses to let the Games break her. I also enjoyed Hutcherson’s characterization of Peeta. From the beginning, he plays the moral voice of the movie, asking difficult questions about the Games and its effects. While he is physically strong, he is portrayed as being somewhat helpless in a survival situation; a satisfying reversal of traditional gender roles in the action genre.

The movie cuts to the train ride to the Capitol, where Katniss and Peeta begin to receive mentoring from past victor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson). Haymitch is a shameless alcoholic, but Harrleson infuses the role with underlying hatred for all the Capitol stands for and twinges of self-loathing that stem from his status as a victor. The dynamic between Haymitch and Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), District 12′s Capitol appointed representative, is also excellent, providing most of the somewhat sparse comic relief in the film.

Upon arriving in the Capitol, Katniss meets Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), her stylist. Despite his somewhat limited screen time, Cinna is one of the strongest characters in the film. Kravitz perfectly captures Cinna’s quiet confidence and subtle rejection of Capitol norms. Also, he manages to rock gold guyliner and still maintain an aura of masculinity, so props for that. Donald Sutherland is quite effective as outwardly benevolent but coldly calculating President Snow, the absolute dictator of Panem. The Capitol also introduces an interesting new character to the storyline, Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley). Although the characters introduced in the Capitol were excellent, I disliked the overall presentation of the city. The Capitol itself looked like a cartoon and its citizens seemed overly superficial and ridiculous. While that is accurate to the book, I thought the movie focused on the absurdities and failed to remind the audience that the fervent crowds were cheering for the slaughter of children. Katniss and Peeta spend several days in the Capitol, training and attending ceremonies. Then, the Games begin (and my plot exposition ends).

As you can probably tell, I thought the acting and casting  were excellent. The characters were well-developed and dynamic, and I was more than satisfied (as someone who has read the novel multiple times). I wasn’t quite as fond of the cinematography, however. The camerawork frequently resorted to jerky flailing, random blurring, and off-centered closeups. While these techniques were very effective in parts to convey Katniss’s mental state (they also helped cut down on graphic violence to keep the film in PG-13 territory), I found them overused and even dizzying at times. That being said, I thought the overall atmosphere of the film was very moving. Among the camera angles, time manipulations, and powerful score (or equally effective silence in parts), I found myself lost in Katniss’s world. The resulting film is an emotional roller-coaster, with the audience feeling the grief, anger, and most of all, confused numbness brought on by the horrific absurdity of the circumstances. This emotional depth separates The Hunger Games from many films in the action genre: without it, this would simply be a movie about children killing each other with no apparent consequences.

The Hunger Games is undoubtedly one of the most satisfying films I have seen recently. It delivers a strong adaptation of the popular novel that should please diehard fans and newcomers alike. Perhaps my favorite thing about this movie, though, is that the production staff did not simply rely on name recognition for commercial success. They created a thought-provoking, carefully layered film that is more than capable of standing on its own. This is, quite simply, an adaptation done right. Think it sounds interesting? Go see it. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

At the end of season four, the first half of the decade is over.  John F. Kennedy is dead, The Beatles have sold out Shea Stadium, and the Civil Rights Movement is in full swing.  This serves as the starting point for season 5 which premiered on March 25, 2012, a full 18 months after the season 4 finale.  Even after this long gap, season 5 premiered to a series record 3.5 million viewers.

*Minor spoilers ahead*

The season 5 premiere “A Little Kiss” answers many lingering questions that have gone unanswered since the end of Season 4.  Sterling Cooper Draper Price has survived the loss of its biggest client, Lucky Strike Cigarettes, in season 4.  The business is still struggling, however, so expect the survival of the firm to be a major plot point of the coming season.  Don Draper is also newly married after his proposal to his secretary, Megan, in last season’s finale “Tomorrowland.”  The episode is framed with scenes that highlight racism and civil rights.  The opening scene shows a group of protesting African-Americans outside of a competing advertising agency, Young & Rubicam.  Several employs of the firm drop water bombs out the window and onto the protestors below.  In an effort to rub salt in the wounds of the competing agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Price runs an ad claiming that they are “an equal opportunity employer” despite having no positions available.   One morning Don and Megan come into the office to discover a large group of African-Americans.  They are responding to the help-wanted ad, unaware of the ad’s true intentions.  Since the group cannot just be ignored, the firm collects the résumés from the women and sends the men away, saying that they are only looking for secretaries.  The episode ends here, leaving the fate of the applicants up in the air.

*End Spoilers*

The show is no stranger to controversial issues.  In the past the show has covered topics like homosexuality, drug use, sexism and adultery.  Typically, such subject matter would be a detriment to the show’s reception and ratings but Mad Men’s mature outlook on controversial issues is one of its greatest strengths.  Want to see what the fuss is all about?  Not caught up?  No problem.  AMC is showing reruns of the series every Sunday morning from 6:00am to 9:00am starting on April 8th.  Set your DVRs and get caught up.  The first four seasons are also available via Netflix and several other subscription TV services.  New episodes of Mad Men air on Sundays at 10:00 PM on AMC.

Swift announced its release on Twitter and posted the link to iTunes. In a later interview, Swift revealed that she wanted to be a part of the soundtrack because, “the people in charge of putting this movie together are obsessed with making the music match the tone of the movie and the emotions expressed in the book. They are in love with the characters and have thought about every detail that has gone into this movie.”

The video, directed by Philip Andelman, re-enforces the ethereal and almost creepy tone of the song. As the video opens, Swift is walking through the woods. The trees are bare. Her hair is tousled, she has no make up, and she is barefoot. She is wearing a long white white dress with a ghostly air about her.

Scenes go back and forth between Swift and The Civil Wars. They are shown sitting in a room that it lit only by the fire in the fireplace. Swift is seen singing on a tomb before she approaches an abandoned house. Once inside, Swift picks up a mockingjay pin, the main symbol from The Hunger Games.

There are no clear storyline and the allusions to The Hunger Games are few. This allows viewers to create stories of their own. The song and the video create a very ghost-like and almost dreary feeling.

Another thing HG fans do with the song is try to figure the scene it will play in. If you’ve read the book, the relationships and feelings between the characters are so complicated and layered. The song has lyrics that could apply to several characters. I am really hoping the song plays during a scene with Peeta and Katniss.

It is a beautiful song to go along with scarier themes. While it sounds almost like a lullaby, the lyrics contradict this with lines like, “The war outside our door is raging on.” The song does indeed have an ominous sound to it, it is also eerie, delicate, and airy. It’s unlike anything Swift has sung before and it is honestly one of the most beautiful.

Ben Flajnik is 28 and works as a Winemaker from Somona, California. He was a candidate on last season’s The Bachelorette and got his heartbroken in the final two by Ashley Herbert. He returned to this season’s show on fire and truly confident that he would find love by one of the girls.

Throughout this season Courtney Robertson has given each woman competing for Ben a run for their money. Week after week people have watched Courtney rip into the other girls and cause them emotional pain but yet Ben still chose her over Lindzi Cox.

Elle Anderson, a sophomore, watches the Bachelor and thinks that “I think Courtney is actually a great girl. The point of this show is to cause drama and make girls look bad anyways.”

Courtney is 28 and a model in California. Her original hometown is in Scottsdale, Arizona. Ben had concerns about whether or not Courtney got along with the other girls but it must not have crossed his mind too seriously. Things got very serious with Ben in Courtney in Puerto Rico…you can go watch that online for yourselves.

Favorites on the Bachelor this season was small town girl Kacie Boguskie from Clarksville, Tennessee. She stole Ben’s heart and he stole her’s but she made it to the top four and had a dramatic exit.  Kelsey Dyer, a senior thought that “Kacie B was a much better fit for Ben, she deserved him way more than Courtney.”

Another fan favorite was Nikki Kaapke from Hurst, Texas. Her bubbly personality and great looks got to the top three of the show. She is a dental hygenist and was completely ready to settle down and spend her life with Ben. Although she was cut loose, she was a classy lady and did not let the audience know how hurt she really was.

Although ratings dropped this season because Ben wasn’t very popular, they skyrocketed when the drama with Courtney started to heat up and she kept advancing.  Every season there is a target and this season Courtney got to be that girl. Hopefully they can overcome America’s hate and have a good relationship and move on to marriage.

Photo credit goes to thebachelor2012.com and google images.

5. Vampire Weekend-Untitled (TBA)

It was revealed in November of 2011 that Vampire Weekend was back in the studio recording their follow-up to 2010’s Contra.  As a huge Vampire Weekend fan this pick is more wishful thinking than anything.  Both 2007’s Vampire Weekend and 2010’s Contra are some of my favorite albums of the last few years and I hope to see the new record sometime before the year is over though it may be pushed into early 2013.

 4. Sleigh Bells-Reign of Terror (Feb 21)

Unlike the other albums on this list, Reign of Terror is right around the corner.  In 2010, this Brooklyn noise-pop duo released their critically acclaimed debut Treats.  Much of 2011 was spent writing material for the new album which is due out on Mom+Pop in just a few weeks.   Also, it’s worth noting that I would definitely appreciate a copy of this album as a late Valentine’s Day present.  New tracks can be heard here and here.

3. Jack White-Blunderbuss (April 23)

To call Jack White a busy man would be an understatement.  From juggling between his multiple bands (The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather) to running his own record label (Third Man Records) to producing for a variety of artists (Insane Clown Posse, Conan O’Brien), it’s hard to believe the man has any time for himself.  After The White Stripes split in early 2011, White was able to work on writing and recording for his debut solo album Blunderbuss.  The lead single “Love Interruption” can be heard here.

2. Sigur Rós-Untitled (TBA)

This Icelandic post-rock band may have not released a studio album since 2008 but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been hard at work.  In 2011 the band released a live CD/Documentary Inni and lead singer, Jónsi, released a solo album and scored the 2011 film We Bought a Zoo.  In 2012—possibly as early as this spring— Sigur Rós will release a new studio album which they describe as even more minimal and ambient than their previous efforts.

1. Kendrick Lamar-Good Kid in a Mad City (TBA)

This shouldn’t come as much of surprise to anyone.  I’ve never really been secretive about my absolute adoration of Kendrick Lamar.  In fact, last year’s Section.80 placed second on my Top Ten Albums of 2011 (sorry Jerryd Curry).  This young West Coast rapper has caught the eye of industry giants, Drake and Dr. Dre, and has a rapidly growing fan base.  Good Kid in a Mad City is Kendrick’s first physical release and is due out sometime in the next few months.

To the surprise of pretty much no one, Adele received the most awards, winning all six she was nominated for (including the coveted Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year awards).  This tied Beyoncé for most awards won by a female artist in one night.  The other Album of the Year nominees included Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Foo Fighters and Lady Gaga.   Kanye West and Foo Fighters trailed with four and five respectively.  Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was Bon Iver winning the award for Best New Artist (other nominees included J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Skrillex and The Band Perry).  His victory was made even more confusing due to the fact that Bon Iver first released an album in 2007.  Justin Vernon himself has expressed his distaste for the Grammy Awards and even refused to perform at the awards when he was told he wouldn’t be allowed to perform his own music.  But enough about the awards.  We all know that the real reason people watch the Grammy Awards is for the performances.

Adele was likely the most anticipated performer, giving her first live performance since her throat surgery.  Other notable performances include an Etta James tribute from Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt, an performance by Bruce Springsteen, and a Whitney Houston tribute from Jennifer Hudson.  The craziest performances, however, came near the end of the broadcast.  Chris Brown was joined by David Guetta and Lil Wayne, and the Foo Fighters played a song with Deadmau5.  As strange as some of that sounds, nothing holds a candle to Nicki Minaj, who performed a song off of her upcoming album.  There was also an exorcism.  I can’t really explain it, but you can watch it here (at least until someone removes it from YouTube).  Be careful though, demons may start to fly from your computer screen.  The Grammys closed with a performance of Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End by Paul McCartney with help from Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl.  Since this is my article, I’m going to take this opportunity to say that this performance was by far the highlight of the ceremony for me.

For more Grammy news, videos and a full list of award winners, visit http://www.grammy.com/.

Free from everything. Free from anything that haunts you because once you become nothing, nothing can stop you from doing anything.  You’re a piece of crap with no obligation because every expectation your old life saw is now in the trash. Time to create chaos- an anarchist’s state.  Make people realize that this world is focused on the material things.  Destroy something beautiful.

That’s what the narrator’s second personality, Tyler Durden, believes and his original continuously falls into a deeper sleep until his job, or any other priority, has no affect on him. After meeting Marla, the beast awoke.   He no longer falsely attends secretive support groups for an emotional outlet but he cures the numbness by breaking face with other nameless white-collar workers.  Resuming to go to work with an oblivious attitude and a puck size hole in his face, Fight Club has changed his outlook on life from the focus on his boring, trivial profession to the nightlife of mischievousness and intrigue.

Junior Ramsey Whitley says, “The theme is that society should not be the main focus of life. We are all the same. Same as the scum of the earth and the higher ups as well.  No one should be higher or more lofty than anyone. When becoming nothing, maybe we would stop being so selfish so we can get some perspective on life and all start out with an equal chance.”

Senior Cody Ford called it an, “interesting way of taking the idea of a multiple personality disorder and making it as though we may not know who we truly are until we have gone of the deep end.”

On the flip side, debaters believe the imaginary fight club to be idiotic.  For instance, junior Cody Hayes labels it, “terrorism.” He says that, “I know that people are trapped in their own little boring world, but blowing up business buildings that regulate the city is not the answer.  They take it to the farthest extreme.”  While Cody appreciates the intention, he bashes the extremity it reaches, which is understandable.

I recommend everyone on this entire earth to take part in this fictional world of released control.  Some call it life changing.  For those 139 minutes of mind-blowing excitement and perhaps a couple of hours reading while always anticipating the next chapter, some sort of catharsis was in store.  Although the set was released more than a decade ago, it’s never too late to take the ride with this mysterious narrator and his wild side, Tyler.

In my previous article about concept albums, I talked about how The Dear Hunter is a very concept-driven band. Their name is based from their Act albums, which tell the story of a “dear hunter” and his life from birth to death. So far The Dear Hunter has released three of their Act albums: Act I-The Lake South, The River North; Act II-The Meaning of, and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading; and Act III-Like and Death. They put their Act’s on pause for the master project of what lead singer Casey Crescenzo titled “the colors project” and later labeled as The Color Spectrum.

The Color Spectrum is a series of nine EP’s consisting of four songs that each depict a different color of the visible color spectrum, from black to white to everything in between. A sample CD was released with a song from each EP (and an extra song from the White and Green AP), but the complete collection was put out (in both vinyl and through digital purchase on iTunes) with a total of 36 songs and over two and a half hours of music.

A handful of people helped with the production of The Color Spectrum. While Casey Crescenzo produced the Black, Yellow, Blue, and Indigo EPs in his home, the White, Violet, Green, Orange, and Red EPs were all co-produced with someone else in separate locations. Manchester Orchestra’s main singer Andy Hull co-produced the Red EP at Favorite Gentlemen, which is a record label and artist community started by the members of Manchester Orchestra. The White and Violet EPs were co-produced with Mike Watts at Vu Du Studios in New York. Mike Watts previously helped mix Act III and when Act III was finished, Casey asked Mike if he would help to co-produce two of the Color EPs. Mike Poorman, formerly of the band Hot Rod Circuit, helped to co-produce the Orange and Green albums in Strangeways Studios, located in Rhode Island.

As for the song content, all of Manchester Orchestra helped with the Red EP. A former band mate,  Brendan Brown, of Casey Crescenzo’s previous band The Receiving End of Sirens played the bass for all of the Orange EP. The mandolin part heard in the Green EP was played by Falling Up’s lead singer and guitarist Jessy Ribordy. The Yellow and Blue EPs feature the band The Naive Thieves. The album as a whole took almost a complete year to finish.

Each color EP has a different sound. The album starts off with the heavy guitars and drums with the Black EP. The lyrics feel dark and the music makes your heart pound. The Red EP is just as fast paced and heavy with a slightly more upbeat feel. To me, I can’t tell when Red stops and Orange begins. They blend together almost seamlessly to me. But you can definitely tell when the transition to Yellow happens because the music makes a drastic change to a happy and cheerful guitar and drum combo and songs filled with lyrics that exude an afternoon on a picnic soaking up the sun. Green mellows out a with softer guitar and happy, though not overly done like with Yellow, lyrics filled with hope and optimistic stanzas. Blue is filled with slow, waltz-like guitar and deep lyrics. It’s much more mellowed down that Green, and it’s almost so much that it’ll put you in a slight funk. Indigo takes the album in a new direction, like with Yellow, and embraces a thick bass and synthesizer sound. Violet is the EP that has the most Dear Hunter sound. It’s a full band and it’s loud and in your face with lyrics that tell a mini-story about a man and a woman that reminds me of the Act albums. The Color Spectrum closes with the White EP, which is filled with calming and feel-good sounds. The lyrics are similar to the Green EP, hopeful and optimistic, but they take a slightly religious direction and moral-driven stance that ends the album with a feeling of “Lost but Not All Gone.”

After the publication of The Color Spectrum, it was announced that The Dear Hunter would go on tour with Anthony Green, since he also would be coming out with his solo album titled Beautiful Things. They started the Beautiful Things Tourin early January. The set was to include Good Old War playing background for Anthony Green and, though individuals weren’t listed, only part of The Dear Hunter.  I had the privilege of attending one of the concerts that was held in Atlanta at The Loft on January 25th. I’ve only seen Anthony Green once, and that was a year ago and he was touring with his band Circa Survive and they played with Foxy Shazam (one of my personal favorites) and Anberlin. The Beautiful Things concert was both a treat because I’d get to see what Anthony was like on solo tours, and I’d get to see The Dear Hunter. I’ve been fangirling over seeing TDH in concert for almost two years now. They don’t tour down south much, since they’re from Rhode Island and they mostly stick to the northern states. After the Beautiful Things Tour is over, Casey Crescenzo has stated that The Dear Hunter won’t be doing any touring for a while, which hopefully means the Acts albums will no to be continued.

Casey Crescenzo and yours truly after the concert.

Here’s a playlist that contains the entire Color Spectrum album, in order by color and how they are presented on the digital download.