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(04/15/11 4:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Members of a sold- out crowd of 5,000 wore neon green trucker hats and “GLOWME” T-shirts as they prepared to enter IU’s second outdoor light and music festival, GLOWfest, headlined by electronic artist Pretty Lights. This is 1,500 more attendees than last year, which could be attributed to the 50 interns hired to promote the event.IU alumnus Jack Shannon and senior Deuce Thevenow founded GLOWfest.“It’s amazing what happens when we work together and bust our ass,” said Shannon, who tried to organize the event while at IU, but said he was glad he could give the experience to other students as an alumnus.“We are hoping to expand with a GLOWfest tour at six to eight major universities in the fall,” Shannon said. But for now, GLOWfest just has one other scheduled date in April at University of Colorado Boulder featuring headliners Savoy and Crystal Castles.This year’s IU opening lineup included local band The Main Squeeze; IU seniors Brice Fox and Daniel Weber, most known for “This is Indiana” and their most recent “iLL 5” music videos; rapper George Watsky; electronic trio Mansions on the Moon; and Philadelphia hip-hop duo Chiddy Bang. Freshman Krista Corrigan came to GLOWfest to see Fox and Weber perform their novelty YouTube hits.Corrigan said she played “This is Indiana” on repeat while on spring break.“We wanted to show our spirit as Hoosiers who go to IU,” Corrigan said.Fox and Weber’s “This is Indiana” has more than 500,000 hits on YouTube, but aside from their online viewership and occasional Bluebird shows, GLOWfest was their biggest crowd yet.Weber said unfortunately after graduation, their run may come to an end, but they hope Indiana invites them back.“We’d be more than happy to come back and perform,” Weber said. “We made these for the future generations of Hoosiers.”Dressed in a gold leotard and Flavor Flav gold clock, freshman Shelby Gogreve compared GLOWfest to parties in her hometown of Los Angeles.“I would consider this a rave, but on a smaller scale,” she said. “It’s fun. It’s IU. It’s the best college ever.”Gogreve said she came to see Chiddy Bang, which includes rapper Chidera “Chiddy” Anamege and drummer Noah “Xaphoon Jones” Beresin.“He’s new, fresh and something different,” Gogreve said about rapper Chiddy.The duo sampled songs by Belle & Sebastian, Passion Pit and Sufjan Stevens.“I use whatever samples sound good with Chiddy rapping on it,” Beresin said.Sophomore Desiree Irvin was impressed by Chiddy’s interactions with the crowd, his flow and his freestyle, describing it as unexpected and clever, as he rapped from crowd-given topics including Hoosiers and dinosaurs.“I’ve never been to a concert like this before,” Irvin said. “Everyone is going crazy.”Beresin said he was excited to perform at a larger school like IU since smaller schools are less likely to be crazy.Crowd pleaser Chiddy Bang finished its set by performing “Opposite of Adults,” which samples MGMT’s “Kids.”Chiddy perfectly unleashed the lyrics “Now I’m ripping up shows and them fans going wild with us. Tell Mommy I’m sorry, this life is a party.”Pretty Lights ended the show taking the stage as the sky darkened and pink glow sticks were thrown into the neon-shirted and hand-raised crowd.Sophomore Dan Mulloy said he was mesmerized by the light show put on by headliner Pretty Lights.“It’s the first time I’m seeing him in concert,” Mulloy said. “It’s better than I ever expected.”
(12/06/10 3:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Esther Uduehi knew if her name was called, it wouldn’t be first — not even close. With a last name starting with the 21st letter of the alphabet, Uduehi knew she had to wait.After three hours, her wait ended — the Rhodes Scholar selection committee announced her as one of the 32 selected scholars, making her the 16th IU student to receive a Rhodes Scholarship. The award grants graduating seniors two to three years of study at the University of Oxford.Of the 1,500 applicants, 837 received university endorsement and 209 finalists were interviewed.Three finalists were from IU: Uduehi, Laura Goins and Isak Nti Asare.Uduehi, from Evansville, is majoring in biochemistry and mathematics and said she hopes to be the first Rhodes Scholar to find effective ways of curing cancer.For the application process, Uduehi had to receive six to eight letters of recommendation, including one from IU President Michael McRobbie. She said McRobbie e-mailed her congratulations within an hour after receiving the scholarship. During the selection committee’s interview with Uduehi, they told her that McRobbie wrote an informative letter. “‘The president really supports you’ is not something you hear everyday,” Uduehi said. In addition to winning the scholarship, Uduehi has been serving as McRobbie’s presidential student intern. She entered the fall 2010 semester with a 3.93 grade point average. She is also a Herman B Wells Scholar and serves as the vice president of IU’s Board of Aeons, a 12-member board that does research for McRobbie.Uduehi said she has never been politically minded or had any aspirations to run for the IU Student Association. But as the internship progresses, she said she is realizing that she isn’t just interning with administrators. There is a larger goal — as a student voice.“I never thought I’d be capable, but I enjoy the opportunity and privilege,” she said. “Its like, ‘Yeah Esther, you’re not just interning in the office.’ I’ll try to represent the student body as well as I can.”Unlike the Rhodes Scholarship, there was no formal application process for the internship — she was the only candidate. “It’s kind of like he looks for a student who has a unique IU experience and can sit at the same table as administrators and offer insights,” Uduehi said. “At least that’s what I see as my position.”Through the internship, Uduehi serves as a member of the University Steering Committee on New Directions in Teaching and Learning, which was established by McRobbie and is chaired by John Applegate, IU vice president for University Regional Affairs, Planning and Policy. Uduehi is the only student among seven administrators.“We’re focused on looking at IU and all of its campuses to re-evaluate how IU is educating students as well as how IU can improve,” she said. “We need to ask, ‘Does there need to be reorganizing or is it fine as it is?’”Applegate said he thought Uduehi was awarded the Rhodes Scholarship because of her academic record, her leadership record at IU and her engaging reasoning that she and the program would be benefited by her time at Oxford.“She has a remarkable manner with other people,” Applegate said. “She is personally engaging, she is prepared, she listens well and her contributions to a conversation are thoughtful and productive.”While at IU, Uduehi has co-founded the IU Minority Association of Pre-medical Students and the IU Photography Society. She has served as diversity director for IUSA, and she was the first student docent at the IU Art Museum.Esther said her experiences have given her an appreciation of what IU has to offer.“You go through so many days where you don’t get sleep and you say, ‘What am I doing?’” Uduehi said about averaging roughly four to five hours of sleep every night.As to indulging in too many activities or cutting back, Uduehi said she isn’t worried.“I think it’s really easy to make time for the things you want,” she said.Senior Nathaniel Kenninger, who met Uduehi freshman year, said her passion stems from her realization of the enormous potential she has to change the world.“This knowledge of her potential energizes Uduehi and pushes her to work more intensely than any other student I know,” he said. However, Uduehi still finds time for herself. She said she currently watches about 20 regular television programs.Her favorite is “Glee.” She said after watching an episode five or six times, she can see all the different layers within the plot.“I’m a little obsessed. Not a little, a lot,” she said.When reality television conversation erupts, Uduehi admits that she cries during every “Biggest Loser” season and appreciates “Jersey Shore” as an opportunity to “get away from the real world.” But it’s not a world she would trade for her scholarships and committee meetings.“I’d rather have a long-lasting impact and do something that people aren’t going to forget,” Uduehi said.
(10/22/10 3:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For Laura Thoreson, Jo March was the first literary figure she connected with as a young girl.“This is a dream come true,” Thoreson said about having the opportunity to perform as Jo in the opera “Little Women” opening at 8 p.m. Friday at the Musical Arts Center.Thoreson is currently pursuing her performer diploma.“It’s unlike any other rehearsal experience I’ve had so far,” Thoreson said.Senior James Porter, who plays Jo’s love interest, Laurie, agreed.“Everybody is completely committed to the dramatic and musical interpretation of every measure,” Porter said.Thoreson said the cast is also close-knit because they are portraying a family.“Every time you come off stage, they tell you how awesome you are,” Thoreson said.There is a Friday cast and a Saturday cast, and Porter said no one in the cast cared who was paired up with whom. “Everyone is committed to sharing this story with the audience,” Porter said. Porter and Thoreson agreed that conductor Kevin Noe, artistic director and conductor of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and stage director Michael Ehrman, co-artistic director of the Opera Training Institute of Chicago, both perform their “Little Women” positions brillantly.“The stage director cares about the music, and the conductor cares about the drama, so it’s a special combination,” Thoreson said.The composer and librettist of the “Little Women” opera, Mark Adamo, said Noe was tremendous. “I wrote him and said he has a very lucky cast,” Adamo said. “I feel it will be a very special performance.”Adamo said with a college performance and college audience, there is an advantage because performers aren’t far removed from the characters. “They experience and go through what Jo is going through,” he said. “I don’t think people on Bloomington’s campus can identify with being on a Russian throne.”Adamo first read “Little Women” as a child. His mother was part of a book club, which provided Adamo with all his basic childhood literature. Adamo grouped the sisters in pairs; Jo is the extrovert, while Beth is the introvert, and Meg is domestic, while Amy is flirtatious. Unlike Jo and Beth, Meg and Amy fit the conventionality of a female at the time the novel was written in 1868 by Louisa May Alcott.Second year performer diploma student Julie Wyma said she has been performing since she could talk. Wyma, who plays Amy, said she could not ask for a better opera or better experience than “Little Women.” “The opera itself is masterfully written,” Wyma said. “The music is beautiful, and the people I’ve worked with are so supportive.” Wyma said Amy is girlish at the beginning of the opera but desperately wants to grow up to be like her sisters.There aren’t many differences between Wyma and her character Amy.“We are both very vivacious,” Wyma said. “We know what we want in life, and we’re not afraid to go after it.” At a time when women didn’t have the opportunity to do what they wished, Wyma said Amy is proud to be a woman and a wife, and that doesn’t diminish who she is as a person. “Whether you’ve seen one opera before or you’ve seen tons of operas, you find ways to connect,” Thoreson said.
(10/04/10 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IDS What are you currently listening to?BIG BOI MGMT, Little Dragon, some Bob Marley, some Kate Bush, some Johnny Cash. I listen to a lot. IDS And what about those artists do you like?BIG BOI Just the music in general, you know what I’m saying? The creativity, the different grooves and the unpredictable patterns they use when they’re making songs. That’s what I like. IDS And how do you integrate that into your music?BIG BOI I don’t know if I’d really integrate it into my music, it’s just, you know, if you’re listening to somethin.’ ...Actually it’s something you can feel, and I guess I think I can say that I make feel-good music. So music that makes me feel good is kind of an influence in the fact that it evokes feeling, you know what I mean? That’s what it’s about. IDS And growing up, what artists influenced you?BIG BOI The same ones. A lot of Bob Marley, a lot of Aretha Franklin, Parliament Funkadelic. I listened to INXS, Eric Clapton, Nirvana, Metallica, Genesis, UGK, Geto Boys, 2 Live Crew, Janis Joplin, the Beatles, Zepplin, Teddy Pendergrass, The Spinners, The Four Tops, the list goes on and on. IDS Can you talk a little bit about the new album and the intentions behind it?BIG BOI The new album, “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty,” is a graduation album for me. My best way to describe this is when Luke Skywalker became a Jedi, so it’s just me at my best, you know what I mean? I’m a master at my craft. I know how I want my music to sound, and I know how to make it. And I know how to make the fans dig it, and as long as the fans dig it, I’m gonna keep going go back and bustin’ off some more. IDS Do you already have another album planned? BIG BOI Yeah, the plan is now Andre 3000 gonna release his album, then we’re going to do another Outkast record, and I’m working on another solo album in the meantime, too, called “Daddy Fat Sax Soul Funk Crusader.” I think if you got the ability to do it, you gotta give people what they want, and it’s all about making music that people can feel. So you just gotta keep putting your ideas down. IDS You’ve been hitting a lot of college towns. How come? BIG BOI I’ve been hitting a lot of college towns because they want me. We’ve been going to colleges, rocking shows, then going to the frat house, kickin it. It’s been fun. The whole ride has been fun. Being that we’ve been doing music for so long, we have fans ages from 2 to 82, 92, you know what I mean? So it’s generations of people out there that listen to our music, so you know you just got to give them that music, man. They want it, they starving for it, they feigning for it, and we gonna give it to them. IDS Angelo [Big Boi’s tour manager] was talking a little bit outside about how there is a difference between Outkast fans and fans of your solo album. So how has that been on tour?BIG BOI Its been great. It’s kind of like a mixture. It’s a hodgepodge of who’s who, you know what I mean? It’s just really fans of good music, man, and as long as you up there and gonna put on a good show, they gonna be there, they gonna dig it, they gonna give you the energy and you give it right back to them, and it’s all about moving the crowd. So, I could say we got some of the best fans in the world. It’s all races, religion, ages, coming together to have a good time. IDS What’s your favorite nickname that you have named yourself?BIG BOI I’d have to say “Daddy Fat Sax” might be my favorite. Yeah, that’s my favorite. So the next album is going to be very personal and dear to my heart, near and dear to me.
(10/04/10 4:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>He threw up his hands.He rounded his index finger and thumb as he began to conduct the orchestral intro to “General Patton” on Friday in the field near 17th Street and Jordan Avenue. He soon busted out the verse “As one half of the Outkast return like ghost of Christmas past.”That one half is Atlanta-bred Big Boi, whose real name is Antwan Patton, hence the title to his song.“Ya’ll got it crunk, I’m really diggin the energy,” Big Boi said to the crowd. “We’re having a good time no matter what.”Although Big Boi was focused on having a good time, he almost didn’t make it on stage. His tour manager Angelo Redding came on stage declaring the artist had yet to be paid, but despite the delay, Big Boi performed his full set.“They didn’t give me my bread, but fuck them, you showed up tonight,” Big Boi said. It has since been confirmed that the balance owed was paid in full. ***Friday started off with a meet and greet that almost didn’t happen. Three minutes after announcing that Big Boi wasn’t going to be able to make it to the meet and greet at Dope Couture, owner Matt Fields, a 2008 IU graduate, was going to pick up the hip-hop artist.“I got on twitter and told kids to come back,” Fields said. “I just didn’t want kids to wait around anymore so I told them to leave, but it was packed by the time I got back to the shop with him.”Fields said Big Boi signed a lot of autographs, records and took photos with fans.“‘ATLiens’ was one of my favorite albums from high school, so meeting him was very cool,” Fields said.After the meet and greet, Big Boi headed to his tour bus stationed in the parking lot of the Marriott before his show. Louis Vuitton suitcases were carried out as his crew packed early for the 10-hour drive back to Atlanta, where he would perform the next day at the BET Awards.***Throughout Big Boi’s tour, Redding said the hip-hop artist’s performances usually consist of 60 percent new music and 40 percent old music, but they gauge it as they go from show to show.Redding said older fans want to hear another Outkast record, but recently he can recognize the new fans.“Watch the crowd when we do a new song and all the hands go up,” Redding said. “Soon Big won’t have to do any of the old Outkast stuff, we can survive without.” Senior Alyce Bryant said she appreciated that Big Boi played Outkast songs, but wished he played more tracks from his solo album.“I was screaming ‘Tangerine,’ but he didn’t play it,” Bryant said. From his new album “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty,” Big Boi performed “Shutterbugg,” “Daddy Fat Sax,” “Follow Us,” and “You Ain’t No DJ.”***As the night ended, Big Boi left Bloomington, but not before stopping at Red Lobster according to his Twitter. He tweeted as a final farewell to his fans “Another Great Show !!! Stank U Indiana University.”He showed up at the BET Awards Saturday wearing a Dope Couture jacket. “Overall I had a blast and it was better than any other concert I’ve seen at IU so far,” Bryant said.
(10/01/10 4:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior Alyce Bryant said she is excited such a big celebrity is coming to IU. That celebrity — Outkast’s Big Boi will perform Friday in Bloomington.“Honestly, I didn’t know he was a solo artist until I heard his album this summer,” Bryant said. “I love every single song on the CD.”Big Boi released his debut solo album “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” in July 2010. “I feel like he’s the biggest artist to come to IU ever,” Bryant said. “I’ve seen the Ying Yang Twins, Ludacris, Young Joc, but I’m more excited to see Big Boi.”She also said she thinks Big Boi is underexposed and should have a larger fan base. “Kids like more pop-rap artists like Lil Wayne, Akon, T.I.,” Bryant said. “Big Boi is better than all of them.”Junior Shaqib Habib, president of the Business Careers in Entertainment Club, said Big Boi was an easier artist to book because he is not as mainstream as other artists. “Big Boi is not that well known unless you like that genre or know him from Outkast,” Habib said.BCEC member and senior Deuce Thevenow helped organize GLOWFest for Little 500 last year, and since June, he has been working hard with BCEC, Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity and JS Marketing to bring another big name artist to Bloomington’s campus.“It was all last minute. BCEC was planning GLOWFest again, and Skulls, Phi Kappa Sigma, wanted to do Fall Fest. They didn’t have a venue, and we didn’t have an artist, so why not pair up?” Thevenow said. The concert was not confirmed until Sept. 13.“Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to be as popular as Glowfest,” Habib said. “We only had two to three weeks to promote the concert, and that didn’t give us that much time.”Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity president Mike Slott said he hopes to have as many people come as possible.“We thought we’d have it on a different weekend than Homecoming or Little Five,” Slott said. “People who come into town for the Michigan game can do something different.”Slott, who saw Big Boi perform at “Rock the Bells” in Long Island, N.Y. in 2009, said he is a huge Outkast fan. “Hopefully we’ll see a lot of IU students come out to see him because he always puts on a good show,” Slott said. Chris Figgy, a member of the duo David Costa, will be an opener. A week ago, Figgy performed at the Chicago Theater with Big Boi.“It’s cool performing with a legend,” Figgy said. “Sharing space with him is an honor. You can’t really describe it too much.” Figgy said Big Boi was on top of his game in Chicago, performing songs off his new album and old school Outkast albums. So don’t worry Outkast fans, Slott said he will be performing both solo and Outkast material. “I want everybody to have a great time so they have a story to tell for the rest of their life,” Figgy said.
(10/01/10 3:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Uni-5: The World’s Enemy,” is hip-hop group Bone Thugs N’ Harmony’s first release in more than a decade with all five members on the record. However, not all five members will be in attendance when the group performs at 9 p.m. Monday at the Bluebird NIghtclub. Tickets can be purchased for $20 plus fees online at www.ticketmaster.com.“Bizzy’s not on tour,” Wish Bone said. “We did what we did for the band’s sake, period.” Wish Bone said he didn’t care to comment on what happened. Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Krayzie Bone and Wish Bone are currently on their “E. 1999 Eternal Tour,” performing hits from their classic album “E. 1999 Eternal,” with a live band. The album was a tribute to late rapper Eazy-E and was named after Eazy’s “Eternal E” album. “They came here last September and it went well so I wanted to bring them back,” Bluebird Nightclub owner Dave Kubiak said. “I think people are excited to hear the live band behind them and the 1999 album.” Wish Bone said the majority of what the group will perform is “E. 1999 Eternal,” but there will be some surprises. The live band will include a guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, a keyboardist and a trumpet player.“They’re relevant to college students and people in their early 20s because Bone Thugs were a part of their pop culture growing up,” Kubiak said.Wish Bone said he agreed that IU students could connect with his group’s music. “If you got a heart and soul and you real about it, you can relate in that way,” he said. “There’s always a message. If you listen loud enough you can get something out of it.”Wish Bone said he personally loves the first single, “See Me Shine,” off the group’s recent album.“It makes sense,” Wish Bone said. “Everyone has someone who’s looking down on them.”Wish Bone said the new album focuses on more mature and grown-up topics in addition to women and cars. “We actually use it to give out knowledge we’ve learned over the years,” Wish Bone said. He said the group’s music has one overriding message — survival. He said this includes four smaller messages: strength, courage, heart and faith.“Personally a lot of artists these days are cartoonists,” Wish Bone said. He said it’s not just about who can do the best “Stanky Leg.”Wish Bone also said young artists trying to make it need to refocus and make rap their only goal. “It’s not just for everybody,” he said. “Just cause ice cream looks good doesn’t mean it tastes good.”Wish Bone said his influences include Patti Labelle, Geto Boys, N.W.A, Marvin Gay and the Rolling Stones, but he doesn’t limit himself to one genre. “I listen to a wide variety. I like country, like Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks,” Wish Bone said.The group will hit a total of 35 cities on its tour through Oct. 30. “We’re blessed with our health and longevity,” Wish Bone said. ”I want to get my first solo record out there. I’ve been working a long time, so I’m really looking to sit back and be a boss.”
(09/29/10 2:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Signed to local record label Secretly Canadian, the experimental rock band Yeasayer will perform in Bloomington for a third time at 9 p.m. Thursday at the Bluebird Nightclub, courtesy of Spirit of ‘68 Promotions. The Brooklyn band has also invited chillwave musician Washed Out to open the show. Yeasayer released their debut album “All Hour Cymbals” in October 2007 and their sophomore album “Odd Blood” earlier this year. The IDS spoke with vocalist Chris Keating about his ties to Bloomington, Cyndi Lauper and not being just a trend.IDS You have ties to Bloomington since you are on the local record label Secretly Canadian.Chris Keating We’ve played in Bloomington two times before, but it was a long time ago. It was actually how we met our label. When we played there, we stayed at Chris’s house. It was a cool experience in town, meeting people. It’s really how our career started. We met Chris who owns the record label. He’s everywhere. He just shows up when I open my closet, and he’s an international man of mystery.IDS For those in Bloomington who may have never heard your music, how would you describe your sound?Keating I’m not very good at describing music in words.IDS Well what about artists who influenced your music?Keating I listened to a lot of dance hall music, stuff from Jamaica and Cyndi Lauper records. I liked “She’s So Unusual” and stuff like that; Chaka Khan, Can and MC5. It’s all over the place. It’s being a part of this generation where you listen to a diverse array of music because you have an iPod and you’re not aligning yourself with one idea of music.IDS I saw an interview where you said your band focuses on “vocal music” and less auto-tuning. We have the Jacobs School of Music here with a lot of talented students, but they aren’t involved in the indie music scene much. Did you have any vocal training?Keating Not really. I grew up singing in different chorus groups and doing musicals and theater but it was not as formal as what kids do at Indiana or Julliard. Some of the other guys did classical music, but I never did that. And, to be honest, we did do some auto-tuning to make weird effects but not like Kanye or Jason Derulo.IDS You released “Odd Blood” earlier this year; can you tell us about the progression from “All Hour Cymbals?”Keating We made it in the basement in one room with one microphone, actually downstairs in Brooklyn directly two stories down from where I’m sitting right now in my apartment. We felt like the ideas we wanted to record we weren’t hearing in music, so it was combining Bollywood type of stuff with electronic and rock elements. It was cool — people liked it and wanted to hear it. We were influenced by more poppier, dancier stuff and went in that direction. IDS And a lot of people say your music is “unique,” but I think that word is thrown around so much in the industry today, so what really does make your sound unique?Keating We all have pretty broad tastes in music. You’re only as original as your influences. It’s a combination of different elements contrasting. I don’t necessarily know that we are unique but we try to be.IDS How? Keating Just to be conscious of what kind of music is out, the music history before us and where we want to fit in. You don’t make art in a bubble or in a vacuum, you have to be aware of musicians and artists before you and what music will sound like in 20 years that you’ll never achieve but it’s interesting. IDS The music from the 1950s to the 1970s was 20 years of constantly evolving music, so how do you compete with that? Keating I really don’t know, it’s not up to me. History isn’t necessarily written by me but by the next generation of youth. If your painting, writing or music can appeal to people from two generations 20 years from now, you did something right. If not, you were just a trend.IDS You performed at Coachella and Lollapalooza this summer; do you prefer performing at festivals or on tour in these smaller venues? Keating Smaller venues. Festivals are fun, but festivals are impersonal. You’re on a really giant stage and there’s a far distance between the stage and crowd with 300 security and 100 photographers. It can be cool, but it’s not as personal and doesn’t seem as real. Playing to new people is always good, but when you’re playing a club they just come to see you. At a festival they come to see another band but come to see you and it can be really fun because your playing to 30,000 people — that rush of energy doesn’t happen at smaller clubs so it’s nice to have both.IDS Should fans expect anything different during your live show?Keating We change up songs for the concert, let songs evolve and forget what they sound like on the album. We make every show different and exciting. Hopefully people won’t be disappointed.IDS There are a lot of students on campus involved in non-profit organizations. Can you tell us about what you are doing with Invisible Children and la Blogetheque? How did this come about?Keating The trip has actually been delayed because of a serious security concern in Uganda. We were supposed to have been there already but now I don’t know when we are going. With this trip we’re aiming to work with Invisible Children to bring awareness, not to make a political statement. People are basically trying to work with kids and musical education to better their lives torn apart by war.IDS Where do you think activism and music intersect?Keating Activism and politics in music is going back to folk songs, and I like music that actually says something. Music gives power to political movements and can oversimplify them, as pop songs tend to do. Politics and activism can be really hard to deal with and it’s kind of good to have music. It can be unglamorous work being an activist so its nice when there can be a marriage between them. People take singers seriously, I’m not sure why, but the relationship people have with political music is very strong instead of someone just talking — it does not have as much momentum.
(09/24/10 2:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From IDS ReportsStudents studying at Starbucks in the Indiana Memorial Union will soon have a new, colorful distraction. B.E. Gutierrez, a young Latina artist, created a series of paintings titled “My Fire” for her exhibition in the IMU Gallery, or IMUG. The gallery opening will be at 6 p.m. Friday in the IMUG. The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 15, the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month.For the event, the Latino Graduate Student Association has teamed up with Union Board, the Multi-Cultural Greek Council, the Office of Diversity Education, the Black Graduate Student Association and the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs.LGSA treasurer Chris Medrano said she wanted to bring Gutierrez because of her youth and talent. Guiterrez is a 2007 graduate of the University of Arkansas, but she is a native of El Salvador. “With the recent attention on immigration, this is a good way to highlight immigrants and how they contribute to our country,” Medrano said.Guiterrez’s art not only addresses being an immigrant in the United States but also the loss of life and natural wonders, including oceans and sunsets. Gutierrez had only been in the United States for three years when she decided to enter college. She said this transition and all of her life experiences have influenced her paintings. “My paintings have really bright colors and a lot of symbols,” Guiterrez said. It’s kind of modern surrealism and a lot about storytelling.”Gutierrez said this is the first exhibit outside of Arkansas she can attend. “I don’t think there has ever been a young Latina artist who’s displayed here,” Medrano said. “She is the first.”
(09/22/10 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A little more than a year after the Little Nashville Opry concert hall burnt to the ground, the town in southern Indiana is dealing with another disappointing loss. Students enrolled in the IU Department of Theatre and Drama will also be affected by this change. IU has ceased production on the summer theater program in the Brown County Playhouse to move it to on-campus facilities in Bloomington.“I looked forward to the Opry every year, but that burnt down, and I can’t believe this is closing too,” Muncie resident Myra Kolacki said. “I’m shocked. The choices are definitely dwindling.”Since Kolacki’s children live in Bloomington, she and her husband, both retired, would plan summer vacations around the Opry, because she loved country music and the Playhouse, where she saw summer performances including “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”Now she has neither.“Whatever they do now, the quality won’t be as great,” she said. “It’s getting sad, and there’s not a lot left down there so I’ll just find other places in Indiana to go.”John Kinzer, director of audience development in the Department of Theatre and Drama acknowledges that the ceasing of operations in Nashville, Ind. has greatly impacted the community.“Where one door is closed, we need to look at the one opening,” Kinzer said. “This could be very good for both Nashville and the IU campus. We want to work with people in both to create a win-win situation.”Nashville Candy Store owner Margaret Allender doesn’t look at this as a win-win situation. “We had extended hours until the curtain went up on Friday and Saturday to accommodate the plays,” Allender said. “We’ll miss those sales. We didn’t notice the Opry house that much, but the Playhouse will have a greater effect.” Allender, a Nashville native, who has lived in the town for all 74 years of her life, has owned Nashville Candy since 1993. She said she remembers attending shows at the Brown County Playhouse as a child.“It’s sad to see them take it to Bloomington, because it was unique to Nashville,” she said. “Now it’s just another event at the University.” The decision to move the program to campus was affected by economic costs to the program, said Jonathan Michaelsen, chairman and producer of the Department of Theatre and Drama.“It was not an easy decision, but with the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Provost and IU Foundation, it was a group effort, and we decided it was not sustainable in terms of funding,” Michaelsen said.It was a tough decision Michaelson said, but as department chair, he said he is alwayslooking for what’s best for his students.“It has been a tradition to people and they have strong feelings, but when they hear the realities of where we were financially, they understand that things have to change.”The summer program, which in the past produced four plays a season, had majority of the casts coming from IU students but also included actors from Chicago and New York. Part of the training was the opportunity to work side by side with professionals. Senior Russell Stout, who is in the core ensemble cast of the theater’s fall production of “Rent,” has acted at the Playhouse for the past two summers including in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” As a supporter for the summer program moving to on-campus facilities, Stout said he is looking forward to more contemporary plays that can challenge liberal audiences opposed to the conservative community of Nashville. “We could never do ‘Rent’ at the Brown County Playhouse because the subject matter is too controversial,” Stout said. “During ‘Spelling Bee’ several people walked out, so if that was an issue who knows what Rent would be.” Stout said the Wells-Metz Theatre and the Ruth N. Halls Theatre, both located in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center will be better theatrical spaces for shows because they have more seating and the technology is far superior than the playhouse.“It’s a great theater tourist town with a great vibe, but I don’t know if it’s the best location to bring in an audience,” Stout said. “A lot of people didn’t see the shows because they didn’t want to go out to Brown County.”Casey Gray, a 2002 graduate, spent the summer stage-managing “The Good Doctor.” He said he wishes other people could experience what he did during that summer because he used it as a springboard into his career.“If you’re doing it on campus, it gives you a feel of academia, but students enjoy getting a taste of professional theater that won’t be there on campus,” Gray said.Stout said being on campus will not stop the University from bringing in New York actors or being professional.“It’s the program in general, not the playhouse that creates the atmosphere,” Stout said.
(09/15/10 4:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, known as Skulls on campus, has teamed up with JS Marketing to bring OutKast’s Big Boi to perform live at IU for Fall Fest.The show will began at 6 p.m. with doors opening at 5 p.m. Oct. 1 at 1200 N. Jordan Ave., the same lot at 17th Street and Jordan Avenue near the Bell Tower Field where GLOWfest took place last year.“He dropped a new album and it’s getting good reviews,” said alumnus Chris Cannon, IU Skulls Housing Corporation president who booked the rapper. “Everyone knows OutKast, so to bring someone of his stature just shows it’s going to be an amazing show.” Cannon said Big Boi plans to take the stage between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Opening performers include David Costa, Riddles, Brittany Street, Them Dudes, G Fresh, Nappyville and DJ Topspeed. Cannon said he is still trying to book Chicago rapper Twista to perform, and although it’s “definitely in the works,” it has not been confirmed.Ticket prices are $25 presale, $40 VIP and $30 the day of the show. Tickets can be purchased online at iuoutkast.eventbrite.com and at Dope Couture at 224 N. College Ave. Big Boi is also scheduled to make an appearance at an after-party at Jake’s Nightclub.Cannon said he and his fraternity hope to make “Fall Fest” an annual event.“Union Board brings in a lot of acts and outside of them are the bars, but if you aren’t 21 you can’t go, so we want to bring something everyone can enjoy,” Cannon said. Cannon said hip-hop acts want to hit college campuses because of their energy and more intimate settings where people can get closer to the stage. Big Boi surprised New York University students Sept. 8 at their annual back-to-school concert and will stop at several other universities on his fall tour to promote the July release of his solo debut album “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty.”“I think Big Boi and company wanted to give back to students who are spending money out of what little they have and who might not be able to afford tickets at a big stadium,” Cannon said.
(09/03/10 4:17pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A cyclist was hospitalized after being hit by a vehicle Friday at Sixth Street and Indiana Avenue.The cyclist was traveling southbound against traffic on the roadway or sidewalk, and the driver of the vehicle was sitting at Sixth Street wanting to turn north, said Bloomington Police Department Sgt. John Kovach. The driver of the vehicle looking for incoming traffic on her right, Kovach said.He said the bicyclist was headed to the Blomington Hospital, but his injuries are unknown.The bicyclist is at fault for traveling against traffic, Kovach said.“For a bicyclist, the most dangerous is riding against traffic in the street and the second most dangerous is riding against traffic on the sidwalk,” said Mitch Rice, member of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Saftey Commission of Bloomington, who showed up at the scene after the accident. Kovach said he's not sure whether the cyclist was riding on the street or sidewalk, but since he was riding against traffic, he was in danger either way.“The motorist isn’t looking at you and doesn’t expect you,” Rice said.
(09/01/10 3:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Seniors Robert Demaree and David Cavise said they wanted to develop a concept for a coupon where there was value for the restaurant, customers and themselves.That is how Grub Club came to be. “T.I.S. gives you coupons every year but they sit in a drawer and you don’t use them,” Demaree said. Cavise argued that it wasn’t about the form of the T.I.S. coupons, but because their coupon values were not good enough. And the “free appetizer with any entree” coupons don’t work either, Cavise said.“It doesn’t necessarily get you in the door, so we asked ourselves how do we get people in the door?”Their answer to this question was the Grub Club card. Costing $20, Demaree and Cavise said the customer is actually receiving food valued at around $75 with tax. For $20 the cardholder is able to get a special deal at 10 different Bloomington restaurants. The cardholder can only use the card at each restaurant once. So once they order, the restaurant will scratch off their circle on the card.There are a total of 1,500 cards available, which Cavise said was a reasonable number to request of food for each restaurant to give away. Demaree and Cavise were the ones who selected local restaurants for the cards.“We went to 12 restaurants, and 10 committed at the first meeting,” Cavise said.Each cardholder has a member number, so when they buy the card, they receive a brochure and wallet-sized card with information on the restaurants. Cavise and Demaree said they also ask that anyone purchasing the card fill out a survey answering whether they have eaten at any of the participating restaurants before.“The real value we get from selling the cards is the information we collect from the restaurants,” Cavise said. He and Demaree will receive feedback from students after they have used their entire card via emails. They will use that information to see how effective the cards are in getting people who have never eaten at the restaurants to return or not. “The underlying concept is that a customer who regularly eats at Dats or Soup On is getting free food from eight other restaurants when otherwise they would have stepped into a different restaurant,” Demaree said.Cavise and Demaree hired other students as representatives to help them advertise and sell the cards by working with social media. Grub Club already has a Facebook and twitter account, @BtownGrubClub, that representatives will update telling people where they can purchase the cards.“It’s to get kids who are already in love with Uncle D’s, but who haven’t heard of Fortune Cookies,” Demaree said. “We’re tapping into every network.”Demaree and Cavise said they have been friends since the fourth grade and started a business together in high school selling campus textbooks cheaper. “We are fans of do it yourself,” Cavise said. “We like the control and that you can make your own decisions.” Demaree said he and Cavise are constantly bouncing ideas back and forth about business opportunities. “This is ours and we can claim it,” Demaree said. “All the late night talks are coming to life.”
(08/27/10 3:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As Culturefest faded into the night, some students decided to keep exploring at the CultureFest after party at the IU Art Museum. Events Manager for the museum, Josie Larimer, said the party went well with more than 400 guests within the first hour.“It’s a fun and relaxing way to introduce students to the IU Art Museum and experience different cultures through our three permanent galleries,” Larimer said. These three galleries include Art of the Western World — Early Medieval to the Present; Arts of Asia and the Ancient Western World and Arts of Africa, the South Pacific and the Americas.“We want students to feel comfortable at the art museum and learn about this gem in the middle of campus that they don’t come to often,” Larmier said.Guests were greeted with pineapple and raspberry ‘mocktails,’ BLU Boy Chocolate Cafe & Cakery chocolates and coffee samples from around the world courtesy of Angles Cafe, located inside the art museum gift shop. Sophomore Neil Klodzen, a transfer student from IU-Purdue University Fort Wayne, said he came to the event for the free food and coffee.“Coffee to me promotes conversation,” he said. “It’s hot, so while it sits there you can talk to people.” Conversation was flowing between freshmen roommates Ashley Nyongani and Ashley Jenkins. “It’s a good opportunity to bond with my roommate and see our different interests,” Nyongani said. Jenkins, who is majoring in studio art and living in the Visual Arts Community, said she can already tell that art is a big deal at IU, and she is glad she made the decision to attend school in Bloomington.“You can meet other people here who are passionate about art,” Jenkins said. Issa Lampe, IU Art Museum senior academic officer, said the art museum offers freshmen a lot of opportunity.“The arts situation in Bloomington is really thriving because of the IU themester of sustainability with the great art exhibits, tours and events about sustainability,” Lampe said.
(08/25/10 11:01pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The stage is set for Bluebird’s summertime Battle of the Bands Finals. The event will take place at 9 p.m. Thursday at Bluebird Nightclub on N. Walnut Street. Tickets are $3 at the door. Competing bands include Medusa, The Broderick, Morsifer and Throwing Stars. First prize winners receive $2,000 cash, T-shirts and buttons printed by In Case of Emergency Press, a tour poster designed by Mile44, a photo shoot and website designed by Blueline Media Productions, and a Laundromatinee session on My Old Kentucky Blog. Second and third prize winners receive recording and mastering time at Farm Fresh Studios and Russian Recording.
(04/28/10 3:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s performance last September at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater was their last before losing some band members. They will perform with a new roster at 8 p.m. today with their new sound.Spirit of 68’ Promotions founder Dan Coleman said he booked Margot as a good way to close out the semester. “They have a way of appealing to the kids in Bloomington, Indiana and around the country,” he said. Coleman said Margot has the ability to touch many fan bases including the indie rock kids to the people who only listen to Dot Dot Dot at the Bluebird.“There is something about Margot I can’t really describe that touches people in a way,” he said. “If you look on YouTube, it’s not just Indiana, it’s not just Bloomington, but around the country people are going crazy for Margot.”IDS: Can you talk a little bit about the new album “Buzzard?”Edwards: We finished not too long ago. It’s more guitar-based, and hopefully it comes out later this summer, hopefully late August. That’s the goal. IDS: How does it compare to previous albums like “Animal?” Edwards: The biggest difference is there are no strings and no horns, just a lot of guitar on the record. “Animal” was kind of a stoned-sleepy album, and this is more up-tempo. IDS: What music have you been listening to recently that may have influenced your sound on the album?Edwards: I’ve been listening to some stuff that I listened to before Margot started; Big Star, pop bands and guitar-based music. IDS: Do you prefer the new solo Margot with you, Tyler and Brian over the previous band dynamic you had before you broke up?Edwards: I greatly prefer solo over Margot. There is less to worry about, less interference, less of your idea getting across. It’s nice to have control over something from beginning to end. IDS: For “Animal,” you relocated from Indiana to Chicago. Why is that?Edwards: There is good stuff about Indiana I miss here, it’s affordable, but I really enjoy Chicago, and I enjoy the people I know and I make music with. IDS: Will you be performing old and new songs?Edwards: That’s what we have been doing, and it has gone really well. Margot always had different members now and then; it didn’t just happen at once. But we found new good people. There is no second drummer or no violin, but besides that it’s relatively similar.
(04/27/10 10:52pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sophomore Andrew Morstein scared away dorm residents as he sang in an elevator, junior Julian Morris performed Kelis’ “Milkshake” from his “studio” in a women’s rest room stall and freshman Chris Marcheschi mocked Eminem’s “Stan” video.Straight No Chaser’s on Monday performance at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater opened up with a 10 minute video that showed off the band’s much-loved humor.For two seniors Andrew Brewer and Will Lockhart, Monday was the last time they would be on stage performing with their a cappella group members. During introductions, Lockhart said he was majoring in “Little Five” and minoring in “Welcome Week.”Freshman Chase McVean said he loves listening to a cappella barber shop groups and Straight No Chaser.“It’s pure talent with natural voices and no electronics,” McVean said.McVean said although a cppella groups are not rare, they are not popular.Freshman Jacob Koressel, who is a member of Singing Hoosiers, agreed.“A cappella groups are overlooked.” Koressel said. “Singing without instruments is something a lot of people don’t think about.”Koressel said since Straight No Chaser’s popularity rose, he has noticed other universities have formed a cappella groups also.“Straight No Chaser is so talented and they already have the reputation and a lot of character by making jokes and showing funny videos,” McVean said.McVean said he enjoyed SNC’s remixes to popular songs including mashing rapper Flo Rida’s “Right Round” with pop artist Jay Sean’s “Down.”“It’s like a puzzle trying to see how it fits together,” McVean said.Bloomington resident Nolie Kisters said she loved Straight No Chaser’s performance of “Hallelujah.”“It’s a song everyone knows from ‘Shrek’, but it has been around for a long time before that,” senior and tenor Andrew Brewer said to the audience. The song was written in 1984 by singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, but has been covered by multiple musicians since then.
(04/23/10 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Shots, shots, shots,” was what the sold-out crowd of roughly 3,500 fans, rocking neon T-shirts and glow sticks, chanted during LMFAO’s GLOWfest performance.Jack Shannon, 2009 alumnus and former member of Phi Kappa Psi, has been trying to put on GLOWfest for the past two years, and it finally happened.“It exceeded all of our wildest expectations,” Shannon said. “Posner killed it. LMFAO killed it. Everyone had a great time. We’re going to do it again.”If students missed out on this year’s GLOWfest, Shannon plans on bringing back the event for homecoming in the fall and making it a Little 500 tradition.The night included performances by Hip Hop Connxion, local band Jip Jop, Kelley James, Mike Posner and headliner LMFAO.Posner graduated from Duke University in December 2009, but he said nothing compares to IU’s Little 500 week.“It’s a really special event, and I’m glad to be a part of it,” Posner said. He performed his hits “Cooler Than Me,” “Evil Woman” and “I Don’t Trust Myself.” Posner said Bloomington is a second home for him.“The support from the school has allowed me to live out my dreams,” Posner said. “I hope students can take ownership in helping my success.”Posner said he was grateful but not content because this is only the tip of the ice.“When I come back, the crowd will be four times this size,” Posner said. Performing his last song, “Cooler Than Me,” Posner put on a No. 2 IU jersey as the crowd chanted, “Hoo-siers.”Junior Ian Cole said LMFAO was revolutionary as the first techno rappers to hit the scene.“They are a college favorite and you can tell by the crowd. They love it,” Cole said.LMFAO performed its hits “La, La, La,” “Shots” and “Yes” with glittered microphones in hand. Stage lighting moved perfectly in sync with 360 degree LED and moving lights that lit up Phi Psi’s backyard. Hearts for Haiti raised money by selling glowstick glasses and wristbands to add to the $85,000 it’s already collected to build schools in Haiti.
(04/23/10 3:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Folk duo The Indigo Girls will return to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater at 8 p.m. Saturday to another sold-out crowd.“The last time they played in 2004, it was a wonderful sold-out show that left a lasting impression on attendees,” Theater Marketing Director Maarten Bout said.Bout said a few more available tickets opened up Thursday, but he expects them to go quickly.“The show will pack Kirkwood for a few hours on Saturday,” Bout said. The IDS had the opportunity to talk with half of The Indigo Girls duo, Emily Saliers. IDS: You were a part of the college rock scene in Georgia when you first started. How do you feel about college music now?SALIERS: It is interesting to think new music is coming from younger people. I only listen to college radio stations. I heard The Dead Weather the other day, and I thought I discovered a young band, but I just wouldn’t have heard them on mainstream, so I follow college radio to find new music.IDS: If you look at the contemporary folk album category winners opposed to the pop category winners for the Grammys, the contemporary winners tend to have repeating artists, while the pop artists are so easily traded in for new artists. Why is this?SALIERS: I think it may have to do with the age demographic of the singer-songwriter world. Older-demographic fans tend to be loyal. It’s like having a favorite author: You wait for that book to come out. If you listen to pop for a while, it all sounds the same. Taylor Swift is not going to be 18 forever. Indigo Girls’ fans are the kinds of people who want to hear songs and relate to lyrics to take as the soundtracks to their lives.IDS: Bloomington has a large GLBT community, and you are very vocal activists for GLBT rights. How do you link art and activism together?SALIERS: When you go to college, the world opens up and you start asking questions. We love to play college towns because we are so inspired by the youth, energy and activism. We work with an Amnesty International group that sets up at our concerts, so fans can find information and spread the word. People won’t be active if they don’t know how.IDS: You were featured in Pink’s 2006 song, “Dear Mr. President,” regarding Bush’s thoughts on war, poverty, GLBT rights and abortion. What would the difference be if you were directing this song to current President Barack Obama?SALIERS: When the president came into office, I cried. I was so disappointed over politics for the past eight years, and I don’t buy the polls or trust the media. I would write a song about how he’s so bright, the complexity of the issues, the hopefulness he has in his heart on these issues. (With regard to the Bush song) It wouldn’t be “How do you sleep at night” with the current administration, but it would be “I sleep at night knowing your eyes are on the prize of health care.” A lot of people in the gay community are angry with him, but if he gets the time, he would focus more on these issues.
(04/12/10 3:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before freshman Brie’Jea Coatley came to IU, she was only interested in one style of dance — hip-hop. After joining the African American Dance Company, however, she learned modern dance, jazz, ballet and African dance and learned to love them all. This past weekend, Coatley, along with other members of AADC and two Ghanaian guest performers, took the stage to perform these different styles of dance at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater for the company’s 13th annual workshop performance.“I love dance,” Coatley said. “I don’t know what I would do without it.” Coatley has always known how to dance, but by learning both African dance and traditions from Ghanaian dancer Evelyn Yaa Bekyore, Coatley said she now understands the meaning of dance. “It’s not just about the dance steps, but the culture,” Coatley said. “You are portraying a picture and having the audience see that.”The students involved in the AADC selected “Environmental Justice” as the theme this semester for their five collaborative pieces.“These are critical issues reflecting today’s society,” senior dancer Stancie Cartwright said.The performances included fist pumping, belly dancing and red, white and blue sheer flags waving across the air. The “Fighting for a ‘Greener’ World” collaboration focused on the environmental destruction as a result of economic growth, political advantage and scientific progress. Songs from the performance included Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror,” Billie Holiday’s “War” and the O’Jays’ “Money.”Another first of the night came for graduate student Joliana Yee who had never been to an AADC performance. She came to see Ghanaian musician Bernard Woma, who had performed in one of her classes.“He is an awesome player and the vibrations really resonated with me,” Yee said.In the second half of the show that featured more traditional African dance, Woma played the xylophones and drums as the company performed dances choreographed by Bekyore.“I feel blessed because I couldn’t travel halfway around the world to see this,” Yee said. “For them to bring their sacred art to us from Ghana is an honor.”