Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Homecoming Concert


Saturday's Homecoming Concert in the Blackroom featured:
The Van Pelts (Above)
Ever Ash
Skylight Windows
A.J. Alvarez
Liz Rourke
Mark Pedal
Michael Trieb

The participants were from this semester's lab bands and singer/songwriter class.

Jack-O-Lantern Ideas


By Caitlin Tadlock

Greatest
1.) Favourite Deceased Pet
Let your neighbours know that you still hold them responsible for running over your cat by setting out carvings of your recently demised precious one.
2.) Michael Jackson through the Years
The original JACK-o-Lantern! Use mini, white, and regular pumpkins to chronicle MJ’s life in fruit form.
3.) Monuments
Show off where you’ve been by displaying the Eiffel Tower, Sears Tower and Leaning Tower of Pisa on your front door step.
4.) Lady Gaga
Make some Alexander Wang shades and put on some Chanel lipstick and the above picture says it all!
5.) Jack Nicholson - The Shining
Stick a light in it and you will surely scare off the little ones with this creepy lantern!

Lamest
1.) Pumpkins with Hangovers
During the fall, my mom loves sending me FWD emails showing pumpkins in different scenarios throwing up their insides. After the third FWD it gets kind of old.
2.) Nightmare Before Christmas carvings
Unless you and your friends are Hot-Topic regulars, this was so twelve years a go.
3.) Hillbilly Pumpkins
We get it your an uneducated smuck from the south. You don’t need to show us with your pumpkins!
4.) Heath Ledger - The Joker
Same goes with the Halloween costume.
5.) Ed Hardy chic-kins’
If I ever see a brightly colored tool-ish pumpkin sitting out on someone’s porch it will most definitely be smashed by morning!

Top Ten Reasons to Live This Week


By - The Papyrus Staff

1.) New Music Sunday on 105.7 the Point
Taking a well deserved break from playing Sick Puppies, Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin, Les Aaron gives listeners a breath of fresh music from all over the world from 7p.m. to 8p.m. every Sunday. From the most diverse and unexpected to the just plain good, Aaron presents the best sixty minutes of music radio in town.

2.) Harold and Maude
I just discovered this 1971 film in one of my Communication classes. It’s about a 17 year old boy falling in love with a 79 year old lady renegade. The two embark on off-the-wall adventures before her 80th birthday. Cat Stevens did the soundtrack to the movie which features the song from the iGoogle super phone commercial “If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out”.

3.) Auto-Tune the News
Interviewers, sportscasters, and vice presidents alike break into song to report important news in auto-tuned form. The Gregory Brothers take our favorites in politics, media and entertainment like Newt, Biden, Katie Couric and of course T-Pain to smash them together into three minute webisodes.

4.) My Robot Friend
Hailing from New York, NY the eccentric Robot Friend spits out the sweetest robot tunes! The most recently released track “Waiting” features Alison Moyet, an English pop-singer formally from the band Yazoo. “23 Minutes in Brussels” and “Robot Love” are two of the best songs from his album Soft-Core available on www.myrobotfriend.com

5.) Jon Brownhill
The 2007 Greenville College alum is in town for two weeks starting yesterday!

6.) Meteor Showers
The last meteor shower took place Tuesday night and it was pretty sweet.

7.) Robert Pattinson School
The original R.Pattz is a language, science and mathematics college in England. To be accepted into this prestigious online school you need to be an enthusiastic, lively and versatile Mathematician to join the strong team, delivering courses across all key stages, including the opportunity of Further Mathematics at Advanced Level.

8.) Josh Brolin
No, not the actor! Former members of Mauled by Bears and The Doctor and The Devils have a new killer project. Check out myspace.com/joshbrolinrules to hear songs such as “Billy Mayzhem” and “Where are You Going? pt. 2”.

9.) David Bazaan at the Highdive
Sunday in Champaign, David Bazaan will be playing at The Highdive venue. The show is only $10 for a sure-to-be good night of jams.

10.) MakeMeBabies.com
MakeMeBabies is using advanced face detection technology to predict what your baby will look like. Upload your photo, your partner’s photo and make a baby in seconds!
You can also make babies with the listed celebrities or send baby invites to your friends.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start! Where the Wild Things Are Review



By Aaron Oda

When I heard over a year ago that Spike Jonze was going to be directing Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book Where the Wild Things Are, I jumped for joy in excitement over the thought. Being the wildly inventive and creative director of such films as Adaptation and Being John Malkovich, I knew if anyone could pull it off, it would be Spike Jonze. Helping out in the writing process is Dave Eggers, author of the tragicomic memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.
For those of you that missed out on the book as a kid, Where the Wild Things Are tells the tale of a misunderstood boy named Max, who, after lashing out at his mother, runs away from home into the woods. The woods then transform into a mysterious forest, leading him to a ravaged boat, which after a highly dangerous sail washes him to an inhospitable island. There he encounters the nine-foot-tall wild things, which seem to come straight out of the wacky universe of Jim Henson (in fact the wild things were made at Henson’s Creature Shop). Max then persuades the monsters to not devour him by saying that he, in fact, is their king. These wild things are not complete savages though, in fact, they are more human than monster, holding fragile emotions and with no parents around, constantly hurting one another emotionally and physically.
The rambunctious bunch are friendly and child-like, yet possess a true sense of complexity and confusion. The wild things have their own issues to deal with such as the affects of loneliness and letdown, as they soon find out that Max is not their king but a regular kid. It’s like they each embody a specific experience Max has had in his past home, the home he soon desires to be back at. This is what makes the film work so well. There is this sense of melancholy to the performances, a sense of baggage and childhood anguish. Max realizes that being in a family is hard and that although he loves the new friends he’s found in the wild things, he longs for real love, the love only his real mother can offer.
The whole atmosphere and mood of the film is just beautiful. Marked by hand-held camerawork and sun-stroked cinematography, the aesthetic look brings a romanticized and lo-fi quality to the picture. The darkness and messiness of the wilderness provide a visceral contrast for the viewer as well. The sublime, child-like soundtrack is wonderfully scored by Karen O, singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, as well as some like-minded friends of hers. The music is dynamic and compelling, marked by strumming acoustic guitars, a children’s choir, and Karen O’s instantly recognizable voice. It also has sounds of sadness and yearning, making for a diverse musical ride.
Ultimately, Where The Wild Things Are is the story of a child’s innocence brushing up with reality’s hardships. It brims with creativity and the untamed spirit of our youth. Some may be turned off to the darkness of the film or the lack of narrative to the story, but it’s a right choice for this fairytale. The film feels like a daydream in a sunny afternoon, weaving and winding about with carefree attitude rather than a straightforward linear movie made for cheap laughs. In the end, it’s about a boy trying to understand himself and the joy and difficulties love brings. From its rousing energetic opening to the beautifully heartbreaking ending, Where The Wild Things Are is quite the journey, and in this reviewer’s opinion, possibly the best film of the year.

Area Concerts

10/23 Mute Math $20 8:00 The Pageant
10/24 Relient-K $22 8:00 The Pageant
10/25 David Bazan $10 8:00 The Highdive
10/27 Taking Back Sunday $22 7:00 Pops
10/27 Mason Jennings $15 9:30 The Highdive
10/29 The Chariot $10 6:00 Pops
10/29 Mason Jennings $17.50 8:00 The Pageant
10/25 Samantha Crain $10 8:00 Off Broadway
10/27 Mae/Deas Veil $13 7:30 Off Broadway
10/27 White Rabbit w/Suckers $13 8:30 Firebird
10/29 Honor Society $15 8:00 Firebird
10/30 Our Lady Peace $20 8:00 The Pageant
10/30 Oceania $7 9:30 Firebird
11/01 The Rocket Summer $15 7:00 Pops
11/02 Matisyahu $25 8:00 The Pageant
11/03 Paramore/Paper Route $29.50 7:30 The Pageant
11/04 AFI $26 8:00 The Pageant
11/05 Neko Case $22 8:00 The Pageant
11/07 New Found Glory $16 7:00 Pops
11/09 Nurses/Little Girls FREE 8:00 The Billiken Club
11/09 Between the Buried&Me $13.50 7:00 Pops
11/10 El ten Eleven FREE 8:00 The Billiken Club
11/10 David Cook $30 8:00 The Pageant
11/11 Why? $10 8:30 Firebird
11/11 OK Go $10 7:00 The Canopy Club
11/10 Joe Purdy $12 8:00 Off Broadway
11/13 Somanydynamos $12 8:00 Off Broadway
11/13 Peter Bjorn & John $15 8:00 The Gargoyle
11/13 Cobra Starship $25 6:30 The Pageant
11/16 Cage the Elephant $10.50 6:00 Pops
11/16 Bobby Long $15 8:30 Off Broadway
11/20 Jandroids w/ Surfer Baby FREE 8:00 The Billiken
11/20 Elvis Perkins in Dearland $10 8:00 The Gargoyle
11/21 All Time Low $19 7:30 The Pageant

All are in St. Louis. Highdive and Canopy Club are in Champaign, Urbana, IL.

Agape Needs You!

By MacKenzie Osborne

This article is coming to you from the Agapefest 2009 Assistant Director of Media PR. On behalf on the entire Agapefest Cabinet, we want you to apply to be on staff with us this year! To give you a glimpse of why you should apply, I have interviewed junior Rachel Dothager, Director of Finances.
Rachel Dothager has been on staff since her freshman year and is now on Cabinet as Director of Finances. Here is what she had to say about Agapefest:
M.O.- What made you apply to be on staff your freshman year?
R.D.- I came to Agapefest all four years of high school, and always had a blast. I wanted to know more about the festival, help organize it and hang out with famous people!
M.O. - Why do you think people should apply for staff?
R.D.- I think people should apply because all staff members get All Access passes, which is a cool free perk! Also, it is an awesome experience to work with professionals and other classmates. It is the only student-run festival in the nation, so that means we rely entirely on our peers and friends to be on staff. This is a great experience that would look excellent on your resume, regardless of your major. (I’m Elementary Education!)
M.O.- What are you most excited for this year at Agapefest?
R.D.- I am most excited about working with the Cabinet and being in the decision-making process to choose bands. Also, I am excited for continuing my relations with vendors and artist merchandise people from last year.
There you have it, from one of Agapefest’s very own! Please don’t forget to apply for staff positions at www.agapefest.com/apply, the password is apply. The applications are available now! I hope to see you on staff this year!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Wonderful Wedding in the Upper Union


-Sarah Cleveland
With a wedding cake and punch on hand, GC students and fans of NBC’s hit series “The Office” crowded into the Upper Student Union to join in celebration of the series’ most loved couple’s wedding. Jim and Pam finally were finally going to tie the knot.

The hour long special episode featured many laughs and surprises, for which the show is infamous. While at his stay at the hotel in which the wedding takes place, Kevin, an office worker, has his shoes destroyed by the manager of the hotel. And, (this is a spoiler if you haven’t already seen the episode) Jim and Pam don’t even get married at the hotel.

After the first few minutes of the episode, Pam and Jim ask for everyone’s cooperation at their wedding and especially address their requests to regional manager of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company Michael Scott, who never fails to overdo everything. Everyone must also keep Pam’s pregnancy a secret as not everyone at the wedding knows the news, especially Pam’s very conservative grandmother.
When everyone is finally gathered at the hotel near Niagara Falls for dinner the eve of the wedding, it is Jim, not Michael, who spills the news during a toast that Pam is pregnant. Michael does his best and ultimately worst to try to fix the already awkward and pained situation. The damage, however, is already done, and Pam’s grandmother decides not to attend the wedding.

After a night of crazy mishaps and dancing, not to mention Andy’s (another office worker) trip to the emergency room after doing the splits the wrong way, the morning of the wedding finally comes. Jim and Pam decide to get married secretly on a boat in the middle of Niagara Falls and then join everyone in the chapel for their actual wedding.

The end of the wedding features workers of the office dancing enthusiastically down the aisle to Chris Brown’s song “Forever.”
For “Office” fans everywhere, the episode certainly retained its crazy nature and kept its many laughs original. GC student Abbey Villwock commented afterward, “It’s exactly what their wedding needed to be.”

Kelcie Mattson, another GC student, said with a smile, “It made me cry! Just perfect.”

You can catch more of the sixth season and watch Jim and Pam adjusting to married life by tuning into NBC Thursday nights at 8 p.m.

Winged Sparks of Fire - Kelly Latimore


- By Matt Stuttler

Kelly Latimore’s most recent release Winged Sparks of Fire is the perfect soundtrack for this fall season, although it was released this past summer. Self-described as “forest folk” on Kelly’s cllct artist page, the album is simple and soulful, made with stripped down acoustic instruments such as acoustic guitar and banjo, but filling all the same.

The second track of the album, “Multum in Parvo (Harlan and Anna Hubbard)” is perhaps one of the most interesting tracks Latimore has produced inspired by the tale of the Hubbard couple. “Multum in Parvo” is latin for “Much in Little,” and according to Latimore, the Hubbard “learned to live well the phrase". Latimore continues, “After getting married around 1945 they built a shanty boat on the Ohio River in Ohio and then spent eight years drifting down to New Orleans. Their lives were compounded by the gifts of needed things that were at hand.”

Another rousing track on the six song EP is a cover of the classic gospel song “Down by the Riverside”, complimented by some nice guitar slides and wonderful vocal harmonization. For a song so often covered, it is given a new feel on this release, one with vigor and passion behind the lyrics that makes it believable to the listener (especially the line “I’m gonna study war, no more”). Latimore has definitely come a long way from his first release, this being his fifth. He has reached a point to where his voice blends wonderfully with his finger picking work, akin to artists Iron and Wine and Brian Lee & his Orchestra on levels of maturity.

Definitely check this album out for some good room jams, road trip listenings, or for anytime to reflect on that good ole’ feeling of returning to your roots (regardless of where you’re from) and a warm feeling of content sung in the words of one of Greenville’s most recent alumni singer-songwriters. He is sorely missed as a performer and as a generally all around good person here on this campus. To download the album for free from Kelly Latimore (including his past releases), check out http://cllct.com/art/kellylatimore.

Cloudy with a chance of a Review


By: Tyler Duddy
When you were a kid, you dreamed. You dreamt of a world full of giant pancakes, mashed potato snow and hamburgers falling from the sky. I know I had these visions and if you say you didn’t dream like this, then now is your chance to. Welcome to a world full of ice cream storms, spaghetti tornados and pea soup fogs. Welcome to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
The movie is another case of a film idea taken from a book. I have had the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for as long as I can remember and I actually happened to bring it with me to college. Beautiful hand-drawn images that spice up the story and really bring it to life, adjectives that will make anyone’s mouth water, and an ending that really hits home makes this book a classic that will forever find a spot on my bookshelf. So naturally I was a bit worried when I saw the trailer for the upcoming film. It looked a little lackluster and was made by Sony, a company not particularly noted for its animation superiority. I watched that trailer every few days studying the only three minutes of characterization, jokes, and plot line that I could get my hands on trying not to read too far into it and prematurely judge it without a proper screening. I toiled in my bed nightly hoping the directors wouldn’t stray too far from what I knew and loved. I failed senior year of high school because of the meatball drawings that littered my final exams, and I actually lost a girlfriend because I decided to test out my theory of a pea soup fog on her while she was sleeping.
While I was obviously not that excited for the movie release, I bought my ticket and stepped into the theatre on opening day to find that my guest and I were the only ones in a theatre meant to seat hundreds. While my logic wanted to take this as a cue to exit, my gut said otherwise. It proclaimed, “Tyler, this is something you have been waiting for, something you have been excited about since you jumped out of your seat in the theatre from when you saw the first trailer. This is something that deserves a chance”. I sat down and prepared for the worst.
I was immediately blown away by the beautiful animation and earth shaking sound effects. (I can’t comment on the 3D effects because I only saw it in 2D the three times I watched it). I was instantly pulled in by the captivating protagonist Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) and his sidekick Steve (Neil Patrick Harris). From the first thirty seconds into the movie until the end credits I was laughing. Now let this be said, I am not one to laugh at movies, I hate comedies and actually came home from my fourth grade class crying because I was the only one in the room that wasn’t laughing at the Peanuts. I can’t even count how many times I laughed out loud during the ninety minutes of flying food. The humor is pretty original and various, meaning it does not rely on slapstick, auditory or animation tricks too heavily to produce laughs. I would most closely relate it to the popular (or at least it used to be popular) web comic Homestarrunner.com because of its outrageous voices and off the wall jokes, or you could say it resembles Gilmore Girls because in most of the scenes everyone talks so fast that it takes a few seconds for your brain to digest it before you laugh and figure out what just happened. I would say most of the funny parts I noticed came from either the randomness of the voices or the ridiculous one-liners.
I think the voices work so well in this movie because the actors are just doing what they do best. Mr. T (voicing Earl) for example is the in-your face tough guy we have all come to love, Andy Samberg (voicing Baby Brent) is the naive outrageous character we’re used to and Al Roker is the (you guessed it!) weatherman. I love this because the directors did a fantastic job of showcasing the abilities of the voice actors without exploiting them and making them the stars of the shows, or the draw of the audience. No one came to this movie just to see Andy Samberg wear a diaper and knock over a wagon full of sardines. The directors are not relying on one main actor or actress (Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland anyone?) to sell this movie. It is a joint effort and really works out that way because it is the interactions between the characters and their environments that make the movie so great.
The storyline strays from the book quite a ways, but the writers did this so well that even I even didn’t mind. You can tell that the crew really read this book and applied it to today, the movie is set now, and a lot of the book would not have made sense for today’s kids, and it seems that they figured this out early and wrote the script incorporating the main ideas and high points from the book, while still playing around with it enough to call it their own. I absolutely loved the conversion and would maybe even say I liked the film a bit more.
The music seemed to revolve around one leitmotif, which was okay because they toyed with it and added effects so it fit the situation and reflected the mood of the scene. They also added a few songs to liven up the particular moments, particularly the ice cream fight. But overall I would say the star of the star of the auditory world in this film would have to be the voice acting which shines bright throughout.
Overall this was definitely my favorite animated film of all time. With brilliant jokes and quick wit, this movie will truly make you laugh whether you make it to the final few showings at The Globe or pick it up on Blu-ray when it is released. This is a film of epic proportions so let’s pick it up and give it the recognition the crew worked so hard to deserve.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Accept it the New Moon Soundtrack is an A+!


Here is the Twilight's New Moon complete soundtrack. It is full of good music no matter what you think of the movie and franchise itself. Take a listen! Editors, Grizzly Bear, Sea Wolf, Bon Iver, St. Vincent and Thom Yorke! It's gold!

Death Cab for Cutie - Meet Me on the Equinox

Band of Skulls - Friends

Thom Yorke - Hearing Damage

Lykke Li - Possibility

The Killers - A White Demon Love Song

Anya Marina - Satellite Heart

Muse - I Belong to You

Bon Iver & St. Vincent - Rosyln

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Done All Wrong

Hurricane Bells - Monsters

Sea Wolf - The Violet Hour

OK Go - Shooting The Moon

Grizzly Bear - Slow Life

Editors - No Sound But the Wind

Alexandre Desplat - The Meadow

fun. fun. fun and Eagle Scout!



-Kelly Baker & Ben Rieder
Photo by Lindsey Byrnes
Our very own Eagle Scout, along with Miniature Tigers, opened up for the band Fun. last Wednesday night at the Firebird in St. Louis Missouri. Tickets to the show were completely sold out. Ben Helman from Eagle Scout commented, “It was awesome. We’ve never played at a sold out show before. Good times all the time.” Eagle Scout was well received by the Firebird’s enthusiastic crowd, even though they didn’t play Decatur. Eagle Scout was followed by Phoenix based band, Miniature Tigers. Their upbeat tunes and cover of Abba’s Mamma Mia was thoroughly entertaining. This lead up to the main event, the magical musical mystery known as Fun. Fun. consists of the Format’s lead singer Nate Ruess, along with Jake Antonoff, and Andrew Dost. Fun. was also joined by former Greenville College student Jon Goldstein for their current tour. Goldstein is also the drummer for The Pragmatic, another band that formed here at Greenville. Not only was the concert awesome, it was also full of surprises. Much to the crowd’s excitement, Ruess played songs from the Format, bringing back nostalgic moments to his fans. After a long night of music, a hot crowded room, and plenty of dancing, it seemed the show was over. Chanting fans, however, brought Ruesso and band back on stage for an encore. During this acoustic set, a ‘tipsy’ fan proceeded to get on stage and ‘dance’ next to Ruesso. He respectfully declined. On a sweeter note, Fun.’s bassist turned twenty-nine that evening. His father brought a birthday cake and presented it to his son on stage. These surprises really added to the show. Fun’s dynamite performance displayed incredible stage presence. “I thought it was amazing how similar they sounded live compared to their CD,” said Greenville College sophomore, Josh Cranston. Overall, the concert was superb. A tip for all of you avid concert goers, always end the late night with a frisco melt and side-by-side banana chocolate shake from Steak and Shake. Ya dig?

The Death of Hyphen - - - -


- Caitlin Tadlock

It is time to say goodbye to your favorite hyphenated words. Say cheerio to ice-cream, bumble-bee (not the Transformer), pot-belly (not the beloved sub shop) and 15,997 other hyphenated words. With technology changing the way we communicate and the invention of lazy machines that take the communicate out of communication like Twitter, texting and devices that limit thoughts to 140 characters, people just want to get their point across quickly and without the hassle of looking down at a keyboard. Sorry hyphen, but we just don’t care about you anymore.

In the new edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary it is estimated that 16,000 words have lost their hyphen because people are not bothering to include it. Go to the library and flip through the new dictionary and make note of the changes. Editor of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Angus Stevenson spoke about the hyphens losing their place in English. He commented, “People are not confident about using hyphens anymore, they’re not really sure what they are for…Printed writing is very much design-led these days in adverts and Web sites, and people feel that hyphens mess up the look of a nice bit of typography. The hyphen is seen as messy looking and old-fashioned.” In that statement Stevenson used two hyphens.

Not all hyphens have been eliminated, Stevenson also noted the importance of some hyphens, “There are places where a hyphen is necessary, because you can certainly start to get real ambiguity. Twenty-odd people came to the party, he said. Or was it twenty odd people?" I will make the announcement now that there is no reason for the hyphen to be taken off of a computer keyboard just yet. The public will still have to worry about remembering what a hyphen is when including it into a website URL, but we could just www.tinyurl. com that problem.

Sufjan is Still Legit.


-Kara Wenthe
Photo by Kim Larson
Saturday, September 26, 2009, I drove two hours along I-70 and I-57 to Champaign-Urbana. Upon arrival, I briefly explored Green Street, specifically Walgreen’s for an embarrassing one dollar and twenty-nine cent pack of gum, Mango Smoothie. Tastes like cream-savers.

I stopped in Walgreen’s due to the tourist-like shame of not knowing my surroundings, and rather than ask for directions, I just needed to take a breather from the crowds of University students on a Saturday afternoon. I also needed a stand-still moment to read the map on my gps device in order to find an art supply store: “art coop”, which I haven’t yet determined whether it’s pronounced art co-op as the recent death of the hyphen leaves the sound change to be implied; or, if the goose on the t-shirts and neon sign are significant to the pronunciation of the name.

The art store doesn’t really matter, I’m just stalling before I begin bragging about the reason I drove to Champaign. Aside from bargain buys at UO and a visit to a long-time friend, I experienced the wonder that is Sufjan Stevens LIVE. And rather than gloat about all the great songs he played, like Chicago or Casmire Pulaski Day, or express my excitement after hearing samples of all the new stuff he’s been writing; because of course, I’m no music major, I cannot come to anyone and critique a song based on sound or music theory.

I am pround to say, however, that I am incredibly inspired by his collaborative trend, as it is a quality I value highly in any art form. It connotes community.

The Castanets, fellow members of the record label Asthmatic Kitty, opened for and played with Sufjan. Most of the forward half of the crowd enjoyed their performance, despite two gentlemen beside us in the crowd rudely and way too audibly discussing football and frat-boy topics.

Tickets went on sale for the nationwide small venue tour one Saturday in August at 9am and despite technical difficulties with websites, almost all tickets were SOLD OUT by 9:37am. Only the Portland location had available tickets in the hours following. Guess they’re just not hipster enough. To further complicate the sales, tickets were will call only and only two per cardholder in order to keep prices reasonable and crowds minimal. The whole ticket purchase experience was excrutiatingly nerve-wracking, mind you.

And the experience is not yet over. I’m one of those trendy kids who asked her parents for a record player some Christmases ago, and I’m still listening to The BQE. Merchandise at the show consisted of shirts, vinyls and CDs of Sufjan’s whole discography, including the not yet released album: The BQE. The BQE, a project commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music; performed by Sufjan, a backing orchestra, including 36 performers in the form of a small band, a wind and brass ensemble, string players, horn players, and hula hoopers, all accompanied by an original film by Sufjan in 8 mm and 16 mm film; and recorded live in early November 2007, will finally be available in under two weeks, official release date October 20, 2009. It is both a symphonic and cinematic exploration of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The CD includes a DVD of Sufjan’s film as an accompaniment to the music. The vinyl includes a comic book explaining the hula hoops.

So yeah, Sufjan Stevens is still pretty legit.

50 Hour Film Festival Has a Winner!


-Caitlin Tadlock
(Jeremy Ross, Ben Rieder, Aaron Oda and Kelly Baker are winners for their sweet video 'community.')
Photo by Audi Acree
Wednesday night on the quad Greenville College played all the participant videos from 50 Hour Film Fest that occured this past weekend. One group was announced the winner and received new iPod Nanos and two groups of runners up received iTunes gift cards.

1st place went to Kelly Baker, Ben Rieder, Jeremy Ross and Aaron Oda for their short film called "community." that displayed GC's students' thoughts and opinions on the school's objectives and community on campus.

The runners up were Ryan Haggerty, Andy Coad, Todd Ganton and Josh Bales for "Mapquest". Their film incorporated all three requirements about GC: Romance on campus, MAP grants and GC objectives.

Devin Moroney, Emilie Moroney, Chris Sprague and Jeremiah Clark chose all three requirements of GC romance, MAP grants and objectives.

Visit GC Tech to watch all of the participants videos

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Baring it all for the Sake of Rock and Roll


(Coyne and Brownhill at Van Sant's.)
By Jon Brownhill

Would you ride a bike naked in a public park? I had to ask this question myself when The Flaming Lips decided to shoot a music video at Mt. Tabor park in Portland, Oregon, where I currently reside. The video to be shot was for the song "Watching the Planets" off of their new album Embryonic. The Flaming Lips are one of my favorite bands and their new album is fantastic. The band wanted local extras in the music video but the extras were to be naked and bicycling. I had never done anything like that before. So began my dilemma...

The following were my back-and-forth thoughts the week prior to the September 23rd video shoot:

I love the Flaming Lips and everything they have done. I wanted to be a part of a music video but I didn't want to be naked in public or seen naked on video. However, I was not working that week, and could easily attend. The negative side of this situation would be that my mother could stumble upon this video and be horrified and people all over the world could potentially see me totally exposed. A lot of people were bound to attend and do the same thing. I was self-conscious about my body but thought it could be a liberating experience for me personally. In the end, I decided it would be worth it to bare it all in a safe place with a crowd of people who most likely had similar apprehensions. I had to do it.

The call was to show up anytime at the park from 10am through 10pm on September 23rd. I showed up at about 3pm. As I made my way up the mountain, I heard that the park rangers had shut down the full nudity, but were still allowing partial nudity. I was relieved. I arrived at the top as Wayne Coyne, the lead singer, was inside his signature clear plastic ball. A co-ed crowd of (likely unemployed) young hipsters were surrounding the ball chanting lyrics to the song as it was playing on the loudspeakers. Right after the scene finished, Wayne declared to the crowd of about 100 that they were done with all the extras for the day, but would continue shooting the next day. He was determined to see his vision for the music video through. He said that we would meet again at 10am the next morning at Mt. Tabor, and a bus would bring all of us and our bikes out to Sauvie Island north of Portland. His friend Gus Van Sant, director of Milk and Good Will Hunting, decided to let us use his secluded residence to finish shooting the video.

The next morning, my friend Dave and I got on a bus bound for Gus Van Sant's. It was an overcast and chilly morning, and I was even more nervous than the previous day. We arrived around 11:30 but the scenes were not ready to be filmed until about 1pm. So this group of about one hundred people just hung out on the film director's front lawn for an hour, playing frisbee, psyching ourselves up for the days events, and watching the large freight boats traveling by on the Columbia River headed south towards the ports. The clouds cleared away in this window of time, and the sunshine began to warm the air, as we were all called to the first scene.

The filming began in the forest on another part of Van Sant's expansive private property. The taping began as Wayne once again stood in his giant clear bubble, which sat to the right of another bubble covered in fake fur (you will have to see to understand). The first brave volunteers began stripping their clothes. My friend and I stood awkwardly on the side for the entire first scene because neither of us could quite humble ourselves enough to strip down. Plus, Mr. Van Sant showed up to watch and we were even more star struck than before. Milk, dude, Milk.

After the scene finished next was the naked bicycling. This was it, the entire reason for showing up. Dave and I shrugged at each other, stripped our clothes and rode off down the path on our bikes with the crowd to the production site. I was in shock for a brief moment. I was naked in front of and with a ton of other people. But, everyone was relaxed, calm, and joking with each other. It was not awkward at all. Everyone was having a good time as Wayne directed us over a megaphone to "Bike slower!" on the gravel road as he drove a mini-van in reverse, following us, with a camera pointed out the tailgate. I had faced my fears, and I won.

There were several more scenes throughout the fading day and into the night. The sun was setting and the autumn air was chilling. Luckily, we only had two more scenes; both intended to be shot at night. We went again to the forest. As the crew set up the lights for the night shots, I began to feel awkward. It was cold, and I was tired. This had become a long day of work. We had almost been there for twelve hours already! I was unsure if I would continue doing these scenes. My self-consciousness had erupted once more, but I pressed on. My doubts were subdued when Wayne stripped all his clothes off with us for the last two scenes. It felt like a family as our idol brought himself down to our humble level. The video was then complete.

I finally arrived home that night at about midnight, on my 23rd birthday, with a sense of accomplishment. I felt I overcame a lot of shame and self-consciousness that day and was liberated of body image issues. I felt more confident and excited to be a part of a music video. This experience taught me that we should not feel ashamed of our bodies. It taught me that our differences as humans are only skin deep, but our common ground is far deeper. I have not seen the video yet, and I do not know if I will be seen in it; but frankly, I no longer worry about that. I will of course continue to wear clothes daily, but I won't ever forget this liberating experience.

Helping Local Farmers: Farm Aid 2009


By Brittney Isringhausen

With the sun shining, blue skies, and beautiful leaves changing into their vivid fall colors, one might wonder if it was karma how great the day turned out to be for Farm Aid 2009. Put on by the Farm Aid organization and headed up by its president, Willie Nelson, this benefit concert was once again a huge success. I doubt a single attendee left unaware of our nation’s need for family farms and our part in keeping them alive. Farm Aid pushes people to take personal responsibility for the food choices we make.

The first Farm Aid happened in Champagne, IL in 1985, when Bob Dylan suggested we do something for our own farmers right here in America. Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp agreed that local family farmers were in dire need of assistance and organized a concert with performers Billy Joel, B. B. King, Roy Orbison and many more. “I’ve always believed that the most important people on the planet are the ones who plant the seeds and care for the soil where they are grown,” claims Willie Nelson. Family farms are the pillars of our communities. They grow high quality food and are vital to the economic welfare of their hometowns and the nation. More and more Americans are joining this fight against inhumane treatment of our land and animals. It is up to us to be responsible with what we purchase and where we purchase it. “Read the Label” and “Eat Your Zip Code” were amongst the many motivational signs that decorated the amphitheater. We are quite blessed to live in a town where buying locally and responsibly is not a difficult task. Just down the street from the town square is Wayne’s Market where fresh, healthy grown produce is their specialty.

Farmers, artists, concerned citizens, and consumers have come together to raise awareness about the advantages of good food from family farms through Farm Aid. But feeling good about benefiting a good cause was certainly not the only high people received from this concert. Performers Gretchen Wilson, Ernie Isley & the Jam Band, Will Dailey and Jamey Johnson, along with headliners, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, and Wilco preformed their oh-so-sweet tunes that kept the crowd buzzing for hours.

The gates at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in St. Louis opened at 12:30 with the first band, The Blackwood Quartet, performing at 1:00. The first half of the show consisted of good ole` jam bands and country music. Gretchen Wilson, the Pocahontas local, played a great set including “Here for the Party” and “California Girl” after first “dedicating” the song to Paris Hilton. At 5:00 Willie Nelson came out to thank the crowd and welcome the viewers at home that were watching the show live on Direct TV and welcomed Wilco to the stage. Opening with “Bull Black Nova,” they put on a great but short set. Jeff Tweedy joked about their hometown, Belleville, IL, and gave his fair share of encouragement toward being responsible in food purchasing. Jason Mraz, the big pop act of the concert, performed “The Remedy” and his popular “I’m Yours”. He encouraged attendees not to worry about what others think of you when it comes to activism stating, “Raise your voice and participate in something.”

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds performed their perfectly fitting acoustic versions of “Funny the Way It Is” and “Stay or Leave” along with many others. Matthews and Reynolds were then joined by Willie Nelson on guitar and vocals for “Gravedigger.” It was truly amazing. Matthews made comments to Nelson, saying “The quicker we get behind the kind of things Nelson believes in the better we all will be.” Up next was John Mellencamp, one of the four founders of Farm Aid, who opened with “Pink Houses” followed by “Paper in Fire” and “ Check It Out.”

Neil Young, another founder, performed “Sail Away,” “Long May You Run,” “Field of Opportunity,” and “Hold Back the Tears,” which definitely graced the crowd. Wearing a ‘Stop Factory Farming’ T-shirt (which he later ripped off to reveal a green ‘Go Family Farming’ T-shirt), Mellencamp stated, “We’re here to make a difference and you can make it without us, but you’ve got the biggest vote with your dollar bill.” He encouraged attendees to text FARMER to 90999 to donate $5. If you were not at the show this is something you didn’t miss out on, you can still text and do your part.

Welcoming Willie Nelson to the stage with him, they performed “Homegrown” expressing the value in planting a bulb and letting it grow. Willie Nelson, being the closing set, was accompanied by his son Lukas Nelson who performed “Always on My Mind” and “On the Road Again.” Billy Joe Shaver, who missed his slot earlier in the day, came out to join Nelson for “You Asked Me To.” It was rumored that the big finale would bring together all the headliners, which did not happen, but that is not to say the finale was lacking.

The ending, a gospel-themed performance, brought back the Blackwood Quartet and Phosphorescent for an epic performance of “I’ll Fly Away” and “Amazing Grace.” With a packed stage and more inspirational words from Willie himself, the music of this show was amazing. Nelson took time to speak to all of us young lost souls out there saying that if you don’t really know what to do next, why not do one of the most commendable jobs and be a farmer.

Dave Matthews has a quote on the Farm Aid website (where you can find tons of information about where to buy locally and what companies support responsible production) stating, “We’re at a moment when a lot of people are asking, ‘What is America? What represents America?’ Certainly, I think that the family farm is a main ingredient of what made America.” We are still able to make the choice between food that is grown and raised by local farmers or food that is genetically engineered on factory farms. If we do not all get together on this and start making the right decisions soon, those choices are going to disappear. Check out the website (www.farmaid.org), watch the concert online, and listen to the advice given by the founders and supporters of Farm Aid. In supporting organizations like Farm Aid, or just by simply “reading the label” we can all be a part of saving healthy, fresh, family farm food that we cannot do with out. So go on then and “eat your zip code.”

Get involved with Agapefest

By Kristina Crawford

Would you like to get involved in an experience that can only be had at Greenville College? Then sign-up for a staff position for Agapefest 2010! Agapefest is the only fully student-operated music festival, and who wouldn’t want to take part in such an event? Applications will be available for students on October 19, 2009, and can be found at www.agapefest.com/apply.

The Staff positions that are available for students are within the following departments: Ticketing, Security, Main stage/Second stage, Hospitality, Media/PR, Staff Services, Vendors, Ministry, and Grounds.

If you are looking for direction for your future career, being a part of Agapefest may be a good opportunity to get a feel for a potential avenue by working in an area of interest. I was interested in finding out more about Public Relations; I thought perhaps working on staff in the PR/Media Department would give me the opportunity to see what Public Relations was all about, and if it would even be a career that I really wanted to pursue. I quickly fell in love with all Public Relations entails, and I knew I wanted to pursue it further. So if you are interested in Marketing, Event Planning, Concert Promotions, Music Business, Digital Media, Media Promotions, or Public Relations (or if you just want to be a part of something greater than their self) apply at www.agapefest.com/apply starting October 19th. It will for sure be an experience you will never forget.