I don't think I've ever thought of a concert as a work of art, but "Darwin's Meditation for the People of Lincoln" was exactly that.
The piece featured Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), who can really shred a violin. If you didn't think rocking out on a violin was possible, listen to DBR, man. I don't want to call it just a show because it was an entire composition with several elements coming together to celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln, who were born just hours apart. It included narratives that juxtaposed Darwin and Lincoln's lives together, and the music varied from passionate salsa to soulful funk to emotional classical music. It all came together perfectly, and UConn was really lucky to have gotten this show on the day of Darwin and Lincoln's actual birthday.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
2/7 - Eve 6
I wish I brought a camera to have a photo for this post, but the show was right after a men's basketball game, so I was kind of on-the-go and forgot to bring one.
Anyway, Eve 6 brought back memories of being in seventh grade and mad at the world singing along to "Inside Out." It brought back memories of loving "Here's to the Night" because it's how we feel when we're "embarrassingly sentimental" as lead singer Max Collins described it. It was good. I haven't really listened to them in a while, so I was really surprised to see how many songs I actually knew and could sing along to. I have a feeling everyone else in the audience was feeling the same thing because it seemed that everyone could sing along to their radio singles and TRL hits. It took the band at least a song or two to get going, I think, because after a while, they really got into the songs, singing and playing a little harder. That just wasn't the case with the first two songs. The band did everything right, though. If they needed time to warm up and get into the show, they were right to play a few songs before the singles that everyone wants to rock out to. Actually, come to think of it, maybe it was the singles that everyone sang along to that pumped the band up. Either way, the show got better through the set. Also, I love when bands rotate new songs with old popular ones because it really keeps the crowd going, and Eve 6 did that.
Lights Resolve opened for them with a long set, and they just didn't do it for me. I mostly wanted it to end. One of the drums was mic'd too closely, and despite the singer describing one song as a dance tune that you'd "shake your ass" to, it still sounded pretty "I'm trying to be rock, and really, I can only head bang to this even though it's not really that hardcore and what you'd think to head bang to," which was pretty much what all their songs were. Also, there was a lot of "Oh Oh Oh"-ing to the songs, and lyrics that were trying too hard to be emotional and spiritual like "the angel cries oh oh oh oh [etc]."
Anyway, Eve 6 brought back memories of being in seventh grade and mad at the world singing along to "Inside Out." It brought back memories of loving "Here's to the Night" because it's how we feel when we're "embarrassingly sentimental" as lead singer Max Collins described it. It was good. I haven't really listened to them in a while, so I was really surprised to see how many songs I actually knew and could sing along to. I have a feeling everyone else in the audience was feeling the same thing because it seemed that everyone could sing along to their radio singles and TRL hits. It took the band at least a song or two to get going, I think, because after a while, they really got into the songs, singing and playing a little harder. That just wasn't the case with the first two songs. The band did everything right, though. If they needed time to warm up and get into the show, they were right to play a few songs before the singles that everyone wants to rock out to. Actually, come to think of it, maybe it was the singles that everyone sang along to that pumped the band up. Either way, the show got better through the set. Also, I love when bands rotate new songs with old popular ones because it really keeps the crowd going, and Eve 6 did that.
Lights Resolve opened for them with a long set, and they just didn't do it for me. I mostly wanted it to end. One of the drums was mic'd too closely, and despite the singer describing one song as a dance tune that you'd "shake your ass" to, it still sounded pretty "I'm trying to be rock, and really, I can only head bang to this even though it's not really that hardcore and what you'd think to head bang to," which was pretty much what all their songs were. Also, there was a lot of "Oh Oh Oh"-ing to the songs, and lyrics that were trying too hard to be emotional and spiritual like "the angel cries oh oh oh oh [etc]."
2/5 - Marissa Nadler
I'd never heard of Marissa Nadler before, but WHUS was putting on a free show, and I had originally planned on going to see Nick Swardson who canceled his performance that night, so it was something to do.
And Nadler was pretty good. Her music was very light indie folk, and she has a gentle, steady and haunting way of singing. Her songs were beautiful in ways that would touch someone who's really having a tough time. It was funny though, because in between songs, she would giggle with the band members and joke in a girly way about how she was hurt by the people leaving. Also, she would described some of her songs as "rock" or "crazy synth pop" even though as soon as she started singing, it sounded just like her other songs with repeated broken chords, lyrics reaching out to someone whose dad died last month or about a man who tries to give his wife some food, none of which sounded very "rock" or "crazy."
WHUS described Nadler as "up and coming," and from her between-song stories of people normally talking during her sets and her long struggling career, I hope so.
And Nadler was pretty good. Her music was very light indie folk, and she has a gentle, steady and haunting way of singing. Her songs were beautiful in ways that would touch someone who's really having a tough time. It was funny though, because in between songs, she would giggle with the band members and joke in a girly way about how she was hurt by the people leaving. Also, she would described some of her songs as "rock" or "crazy synth pop" even though as soon as she started singing, it sounded just like her other songs with repeated broken chords, lyrics reaching out to someone whose dad died last month or about a man who tries to give his wife some food, none of which sounded very "rock" or "crazy."
WHUS described Nadler as "up and coming," and from her between-song stories of people normally talking during her sets and her long struggling career, I hope so.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Superbowl Sunday
What a game. But what's more important to me - sorry Cardinals or Steelers fans - was that there was an hour-long episode of The Office afterward.
It was the funniest episode I've ever seen. Dwight's crazy safety drills. Stanley's heart attack (You have to live! Barack Obama is president!). Meetings at corporate. Michael's roast. And Jim's love for Pam. It was everything I'd been waiting for in these past weeks with the sporadic lack of new episodes. I'm so glad The Office brought out the big guns for the big post-game TV show.
It was the funniest episode I've ever seen. Dwight's crazy safety drills. Stanley's heart attack (You have to live! Barack Obama is president!). Meetings at corporate. Michael's roast. And Jim's love for Pam. It was everything I'd been waiting for in these past weeks with the sporadic lack of new episodes. I'm so glad The Office brought out the big guns for the big post-game TV show.
1/30 Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood
This was my second time seeing these "Whose Line?" guys at Jorgensen, and it was still pretty funny. Even with the same basic show, the material was different because it was improv. (I can't say the same for Lewis Black, who was funny, but seeing him the second time was just too predictable.) Mochrie and Sherwood still did the "guess the crime" that the audience made up gig, and it's totally worth the 25 minutes it takes to play this game because Sherwood got Mochrie to say, word for word, that he was wearing lederhosen, duct tape and handcuffs and that he retrieved a gerbil and painted black spots on cows. I don't even remember the wacky town name he was able to get from Sherwood's clues. So that part was fun. But when they walked on mousetraps, it was kind of the same as last time, and that part, plus some others, was funnier the first time seeing it.
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