Lifestyle

• Kaleidoscope secures Mason Day gig

  Lifestyle April 19, 2010 at 1:31 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Pearson Jones, Asst. Style Editor There can only be one. Five bands came to compete in George Mason University’s musical gauntlet, but only one would go onto the final stage. Last Thursday, House of Echo, Rites of Ash, I Am the Kaleidoscope, Find the Focus and The Automatics shared two dueling stages in Dewberry Hall. The rules were plain and simple. The last band standing would be promised a gig of musical prominence at this year’s Mason Day fesitivites. Plugged in and tuned up, the feuding bands met on Mason’s campus to determine who would open up for Cobra Starship during their Mason Day concert. In the end, I Am the Kaleidoscope was hailed the victor by three judges. Dewberry Hall was far from being a packed house but the bands still performed like they had sold out Madison Square Garden. All the bands proved they had the necessary energy to keep up with a crowd as large as Mason Day’s. I Am the Kaleidoscope’s presence, though, was the only one that wasn’t at risk of being eclipsed by an already well-known band like Cobra Starship. I Am the Kaleidoscope was set to play in the third slot for […]

   

• Battle of the Bands Take Two

  Lifestyle April 18, 2010 at 10:03 pm Comments are Disabled

  There can only be one. Five bands came to compete in George Mason University’s musical gauntlet, but only one was chosen. Last Thursday, House of Echo, Rites of Ash, I Am the Kaleidoscope, Find the Focus and The Automatics shared two dueling stages in the Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall. The rules were plain and simple. The last band standing would be promised a gig to musical prominence. Plugged in and tuned up, the feuding bands met on Mason’s campus to determine who would be opening up for Cobra Starship on Mason Day. In the end, I Am the Kaleidoscope was hailed the victor by three judges. The venue was lacking in an attending audience but the bands still performed like they had sold out The Garden. All the bands proved they had the necessary energy to keep up with a crowd as large as Mason Day’s. I Am the Kaleidoscope’s presence though was the only one that wasn’t at risk of being eclipsed by an already well-known band like Cobra Starship. Find the Focus, the acoustic based duo of Mason sophomores Spencer Wolf and Mark Cruz, opened up the event while late attendees were still trickling in. The subtle, chord […]

   

• An Automatic Classic

  Lifestyle April 12, 2010 at 12:40 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Patrick Wall, Style Editor When history looks back on ’90s alternative rock, the word “fleeting” will likely define much of the genre’s music. The decade produced some incredible work, but not without its price. Many bands released an exceptional breakthrough album, then failed to recreate that initial magic and spent the rest of their career in stagnation. Albums like The Wallflowers’ Bringing Down the Horse and Hootie & the Blowfish’s Cracked Rear View still stand as the epitome of the decade — bands whose careers were so promising but whose continuing existence has moved from exciting to parody. Despite all the mediocre bands and disappointing records that made up the burgeoning scene at the time, it took a truly talented band to show how it was done. That band was R.E.M., and that album was 1992’s Automatic for the People. In a career spanning nearly 25 years, the Atlanta, Ga. trio has charted more than a dozen songs and recorded 14 albums. Yet Automatic remains its triumph — high praise for a band many credit for creating the alternative rock genre. Why? From start to finish, Automatic is brimming with the kind of emotional honesty and quality songwriting that […]

   

• Kicking out the Tuesday Jams: Small turnout ends up ‘adventurous’

  Lifestyle April 12, 2010 at 12:39 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Pras Gustanto, Staff Writer It was not exactly the ideal type of day for an outdoor jam session. The afternoon was sunlit and windy, temperatures reached up to the 90s and the wind blew so strongly that hats and class papers were flying all over the place. Not the best conditions for a concert. Nor was it the most intimate. The venue is located outside of the campus Starbucks, next to a dormitory staircase exit. Occasionally, the sound of students shutting the door would interrupt the flow of the music. But for Addison Brown, concert chair for Tuesday Jams, the new venue is actually an improvement compared to the last venue inside Jazzman’s Cafe. “Our turnout’s bigger here than in Jazzman’s,” Brown said. “Back there, there was very little recognition of us in that corner of the Johnson Center.” Freshman communication major Will Clayton was the day’s performer. He played his guitar to an audience of scattered college students who were listening while tanning under the sun. Among his repertoire were cover songs from Bon Iver, The Shins and Coldplay. He also improvised through requests, occasionally joking about how he didn’t know all the chords. The set was less […]

   

• In Bed with Billy: Revisiting celibacy: Lessons they've learned

  Lifestyle April 12, 2010 at 12:37 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Billy Curtis, Sex Columnist Sex is one of the most important things you will ever learn about: how to have it, ways to protect yourself from it and, essentially, how to enjoy it. Last week, I became a teacher, and I don’t think I have ever been so proud of what I write in this column every week. When teaching someone, it’s not every day that you actually learn something as well. But after receiving an e-mail from a friend describing the conditions I will soon dispense to you, I realized that I had not only learned from my mistakes, but I was helping those around me as well. My year of celibacy was probably the most profound thing I have done for myself. (This column can be found billycurtis.wordpress.com and is entitled “My Year of Celibacy Ends .”) It had meant so much to me. But what I would later understand and appreciate more is what my friends would learn from my celibacy. Sarah was an extremely smart woman. I knew this because we shared a common love for both science and English, and had many conversations in the past ranging from Shakespeare to String Theory. I didn’t […]

   

• Ten flicks worth a second look: These remakes rival the original films

  Lifestyle April 12, 2010 at 12:35 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Ross Bonaime, Staff Writer Hollywood is always ready to look to its past for inspiration for its future. In fact, this month alone, we will see remakes of Clash of the Titans, Death at a Funeral and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Since it is growing frequently popular to remake older films, here are the top 10 modern film remakes. 10. Hamlet (2000) While not as great as Laurence Olivier’s Shakespeare adaptation, this modern retelling of one of The Bard’s greatest stories is almost as inventive as Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet revamp. 9. Dawn of the Dead (2004) Zack Snyder’s first film is a surprisingly good modern take on George Romero’s classic horror film. With it, Snyder creates one of the only decent horror reboots recently made. 8. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) After several film adaptations of the play, Tim Burton took his own turn and made a very effective take on this morbid story. Using his usual go-to guy Johnny Depp, Burton creates a gothic, yet touching story. 7. The Mummy (1999) One of the great Universal monsters came back to life with this guilty-pleasure remake. The Mummy brought Rachel Weisz to […]

   

• Sigismondi resurrects The Runaways: First-time director conquers passion project

  Lifestyle April 12, 2010 at 12:33 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Kayla Beardsley, Broadside Correspondent Floria Sigismondi is most known for her direction of music videos such as Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People.” But after April 9, Sigismondi will be known for something much bigger: her first feature film. Sigismondi has been an artist from a very young age. “I would look at a paintbrush and just have to touch it, or use it,” she said. As a child, Sigismondi painted and drew, but as she grew up, her passion turned to photography. Sigismondi wanted to tell the story of the ’70s rock band The Runaways because she was inspired by their story. “I loved the story of two completely different girls coming together and doing something that girls weren’t supposed to do at that time,” she says. “Cherie Currie and Joan Jett were so different . . . yet they created something awesome.” The real Joan Jett and Cherie Currie played a large role in the filmmaking process by helping Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning develop their characters; Sigismondi even had the chance to sit down with Currie’s family. Although many may be a little taken aback by seeing Dakota Fanning as a rock and roll star, Sigismondi saw […]

   

• GMU Players nerd out: Mason’s theater group shines in The Nerd

  Lifestyle April 12, 2010 at 12:32 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Dylan Hares, Staff Writer We all have people in our lives that we just can’t stand. Luckily, few of us can say that those people literally ruin our lives and bring us to the brink of madness. But such is the case for the character of Willum Cubert when a long-lost friend comes over to stay in the George Mason University Players’ rendition of Larry Shue’s 1981 play, The Nerd. The stage lights up with the rather bland architect Willum surprised by his more lively friends, Tansy and Axel. A long exchange ensues, and the audience learns that Willum’s primary love interest, Tansy, is moving away, leaving Willum and his fast-talking friend Axel depressed. Student Michael Burgos, who plays Willum, plays the slow-talking awkward role to near perfection, exuding that too-nice guy feel — he can’t speak up, say no or express what he actually wants. Willum’s birthday party takes a turn for the worse when a character from his past, Rick Steadman, comes over with all the subtlety of a bull on cocaine. English major Joshua McCreary is absolutely stunning in this role as the boisterous Rick. From the moment he comes on stage in a ridiculous purple […]

   

• Come on, feel the noise: Five bands, one night, one chance for the ultimate gig

  Lifestyle April 9, 2010 at 3:32 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Pearson Jones, Asst. Style Editor The coveted spot to play a gig at Mason Day is up for grabs once again. So apply some eye liner, wash your heavy metal t-shirt of choice that’s at the bottom of your closet and get your devil’s horn wrist control down because battle of the bands is coming to George Mason University. The free event, which will be held in Dewberry Hall on Thursday from 8-10 p.m., will give five bands the chance to prove that all those late nights in the garage practicing weren’t just an excuse to rebel against their parents and get chicks. At the end of the night, one band will be crowned the champion, while the rest will be left in rock purgatory. The rock n’ roll show down will be fueled by the music of five bands with rivaling individual styles. Two of the bands duking it out, House of Echo and Rites of Ash, are bands on two different extremes of the genre spectrum, who will be attending the event. House of Echo’s soulful rock hybrid sound runs parallel to that of Dave Matthews Band and The Police. Equipped with a brass section and Mason’s […]

   

• The Runaways primed to scare off the competition: Young starlets bring rock 'n' roll to life

  Lifestyle April 5, 2010 at 1:03 pm Comments are Disabled

  By Kayla Beardsley The Runaways will shock and sometimes disgust, but it will keep you entertained the entire time. The film tells the story of the famed ’70s rock band formed by Joan Jett (played by Twilight’s Kristen Stewart) and follows them through the good times, the hard times and all the rock and roll along the way. Stewart has come a long way from her role in the famous tween vampire saga. She is convincing, empowering and all around awe-striking in her performance as the sexually confused rock star. In the story, The Runaways’ lead singer Cherie Currie (played by Dakota Fanning) realizes her dream of being in a rock band. But after a full makeover of her wardrobe and then her entire life, she slowly realizes the rock and roll lifestyle may not be what is really important to her. While watching the sweet and innocent Fanning (known for films like Charlotte’s Web and Uptown Girls) in a corset, with her legs spread, singing about “grabbing boys until they’re sore” will make audiences feel incredibly creepy, her performance will rock you. However, one performance in this movie soars above the rest — Michael Shannon’s portrayal of the band […]