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(06/13/12 11:14pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The search to find the best comic in Bloomington is on.Wednesday night’s show at The Comedy Attic kicked off the fourth annual Bloomington Comedy Festival, an 11-week stand-up contest designed to recognize comedy achievement.“It’s been as important to the confidence of aspiring comedians in the area as anything we’ve ever done,” said Jared Thompson, owner of The Comedy Attic. Amateur comedians square off each week until the finals on August 22. After every show, an audience vote determines which comedians continue.“The audience gets it right, and that’s why we do 100 percent audience voting,” Thompson said. “It also forces comedians to write new material a little bit faster than they normally would, which is always a good thing.”Last year, eight of nine shows sold out. “Competitions bring out the best crowds,” comedian Tom Brady said. “These crowds are going to give you everything. They’re giving you full attention and they want you to be good.”Local Bloomington comedian David Britton will compete in the festival as a solo artist for the first time. Britton previously performed as part of the Vaudeville comedy duo “Rembrandt and McGillicutty.”“I’m just happy to get up there and perform,” Britton said. “And the further I make it, the more performances I get.” Local Bloomington comedians fill 32 slots of the 40-comic roster. The other eight jokers hail from out-of-town comedy scenes like Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Cincinnati, Louisville, Ky., and Columbus, Ohio.Participants save their best material for the festival with the intention to win. However, sharing the stage with people they know very well can lead to conflicts of interest.“I’d love to advance, but all the comedians are kind of friends,” Britton said. “The competitive aspect is good because it brings people out, but we are not interested in beating each other.”Brady, winner of the 2009 and 2011 festivals, is close friends with 2010 winner Joshua Murphy.“I was very proud of him,” Brady said. “Josh is probably the funniest person I know. It was him and Ben Moore (in the finals), and I would have been happy either way. They’re two close friends of mine.”Entertaining a packed room of strangers is an especially daunting task to the festival’s young comedians.“I felt sick to my stomach,” Brady remembered of his 2009 victory. “I dreaded every night going in, but I ended up having the most fun I had ever had on stage every show.” Brady has since opened for professional comedians Hannibal Buress, Kyle Kinane, Tommy Johnagin, Charlene Yi and Henry Philips.“If I could do comedy and be able to afford beer and afford my rent, then I’m happy,” Brady said. “Right now, all I care about is to become a better, quality comic.” But only one comedian will have the last laugh.Tickets for the Bloomington Comedy Festival are available at The Comedy Attic’s website, www.comedyattic.com. A $25 summer pass includes admission to each remaining show of the festival, but $5 tickets are available for individual nights.
(06/04/12 12:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Two days before its long-awaited CD release show, Bloomington band The Main Squeeze gathered in a band member’s apartment for a humble dinner of chocolate milk and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.On the mantle sat a yellow novelty check for 250,000 Hong Kong dollars, the prize for winning first place in the Venetian Macao’s International Jazz and Blues Fest Battle of the Bands in China. From May 25 to 27, The Main Squeeze competed with 11 bands and returned to the United States with a newfound following.“That’s $5 American,” drummer Reuben Gingrich said jokingly about the prize.“Thirty-two thousand-ish,” keyboardist Ben“Smiley” Silverstein clarified, staring gleefully at the colorful banknote.“The people just went nuts,” guitarist Max Newman said. “It had been like 50 to 100 people watching the stage all day. For our set, we just began amassing people, and people and more people. By the end of our set, there must have been...”“Twenty percent of the Chinese population,” Silverstein said with a chuckle.“Something special happened, and we ended up playing one of the best 30-minute sets we’ve ever played,” Newman recalled. “It was a really positive response. A really beautiful thing.”“They love the funk,” Gingrich added.After wowing fans on the other side of the world, The Main Squeeze returned June 2 to the Bluebird Nightclub to show off the self-titled album it spent months completing. “We’ve been talking about putting this album out forever,” Silverstein reflected. “I’ve listened to shows we played six months ago, saying, ‘Don’t worry, the album’s coming out soon!’ Now, finally, six months later, it’s finally here.”At Saturday’s show, Bloomington resident Stephen Englert said he downloaded the CD the morning it was released and has already listened to it twice.Englert estimates that he has seen The Main Squeeze perform about 15 to 20 times.“I’ve been anticipating (the new album) for a long time,” he said. Silverstein, Newman and Gingrich released their trademark funk with vocalist Corey Frye and bassist Willie Robinson to thrill the eager Bluebird crowd with cuts from the new album.The second song during their set, “Mama Told Me” opened with distorted guitar, igniting the dance floor and setting the tone for a serious evening of complex funk demonstration. “People always get really, really into it,” Bluebird bartender Austin Mason said. “Before I had heard them, I had not heard anyone do a blend of funk, hip-hop and real good soul.”The Main Squeeze took full advantage of its new album, playing an upbeat and wholesome new set list. “Dr. Funk” features a heavy keyboard line and sensual lyrics. “I’m the doctor/’Cause I got whatchu need,” Frye beckoned to the audience.Frye welcomed singer Annamarie Hosei on stage midway through the band’s set to perform duet “Make a Move,” a back-and-forth song layered with sensuality and flirtatious lyrical clues.The band then presented its take of genre staple “We Want the Funk” by George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic to roaring response. The band also featured “Love Rollercoaster,” as made famous by American funk and R&B band The Ohio Players. “I’m in love with the keyboardist,” senior Jane Goebel said after seeing the band for the first time. “He’s ripping pretty nice, getting into things. He just seems like a cool guy, charisma coming from him.”With little time to waste, the band concentrated on playing its hour-long set, then bowed from the stage to meet fans and sell the new album.“They get the biggest draw of any other local band,” Mason said. “They can usually fill the place for no reason.”After such a momentous week for The Main Squeeze, the five friends cannot afford to give into the temptation of a break.This Saturday, they will take the stage at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn.“We can’t wait to share with everyone and then party,” Silverstein grinned. “And celebrate that. And celebrate China. And celebrate the future.”
(05/10/12 1:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Coheed and Cambria played a sold-out show Tuesday at the Bluebird Nightclub. “Obviously, it’s a big marquee act, and to do that the first week of summer was unusual,” Bluebird owner Dave Kubiak said. At the start of the band’s set, frontman Claudio Sanchez emerged from a colorstorm of spotlighted party foggers and excited the crowd. “I thought the response was fantastic,” Kubiak said. “I was talking to the band right after the show and they said they loved the energy level of the audience. There were no issues with security at all. It was surprising.”Coheed played to the Bluebird crowd with selections from its five concept studio albums, closing with fan favorites “A Favor House Atlantic” and “Welcome Home.” “At first I did not like them, but that was back when I did not know what good music was,” said Sean O’Connor, who drove from Fort Wayne to see the show.“It’s pretty awesome,” O’Connor said. “My friend burned me some CDs of everything but their most recent album and that was that.”“Coheed” and “Cambria” are characters from the “Armory Wars” fantasy comic book series written by frontman Sanchez and narrated through the band’s five concept albums. In 2011, the band announced the completed writing of a sixth concept album, a second prequel within the “Armory Wars” realm. This marriage of the band’s progressive rock sound to its creative, otherworld storytelling is what defines the band’s diverse fan base.Though Coheed stuck to its formula of illustrating the original story song during the set, the band also covered Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.” Performed at half speed with slow-burn distortion, the popular, well-known song gained a new level of intensity from Sanchez’s vocals and Josh Eppard’s heavy drumming.Coheed’s popularity has waned since its peak in the mid-2000s, as recentcircumstances have left the band fighting from behind to reclaim relevance. A variety of lineup changes and incidents have shaken the band’s mojo.Last summer, longtime bassist Michael Todd left the band after charges of armed robbery. Zach Cooper, the bassist who replaced Todd, was appointed to the position two weeks ago after leaving his former band “AM to AM.” Current drummer Eppard replaced Chris Pennie, who left the band due to creative differences, at the same position in November. But fans are still loyal to the band. “I don’t care about lineup changes that much so long as Claudio and Travis are there,” O’Connor said with a smile. Between this constantly shifting lineup and a complicated “second prequel,” Coheed’s future is uncertain. Tuesday’s sold-out performance reaffirmed that even in smaller venues the band has a devout following. Fans filled the Bluebird, peering around its brick columns to catch a glimpse of the band and sing along to Coheed’s woesome outro in its famed “Welcome Home” finale.
(04/06/07 4:00am)
Freshman second baseman Evan Crawford stands near the IU dugout at Sembower Field. \nThe public address announcer goes around the horn, introducing the Hoosiers in the starting lineup. Crawford hears his name, works his way through a gauntlet of high fives from teammates, then jogs around third into shallow left field.\nHe nears the middle of the infield, cartwheels and back flips, landing smoothly and softly behind second base. \nThe pregame flip dates back to IU coach Tracy Smith’s days at Miami of Ohio when one of his players, outfielder Ryne Robinson, did the same move. It was at a fall practice that Crawford told Smith he could perform the flip, too.\n“(Evan) had talked about it at fall practice,” Smith said. “One time on the turf at practice, \nhe whipped out a bunch of them. They were pretty cool. I liked it. The fans like it.”\nThe IU fans have embraced Crawford – as much for what he does on the field as his pregame acrobatics.\nThe freshman has been a mainstay in Smith’s lineup this season, starting all 22 of IU’s games while leading the team with a .388 batting average, tying the team lead in RBIs and hits, and coming in second overall with 10 stolen bases.\nAs a senior at Reynoldsburg High School in Ohio, Crawford hit a blistering .462 with 21 stolen bases while playing shortstop.\nBut coming to IU as a freshman, the 6-foot-1-inch second baseman admits he struggled in fall practice.\n“I got here and wasn’t ready to play shortstop,” \nCrawford said. “I didn’t show I was ready in the fall.”\nCrawford did not earn the chance to be named the Hoosiers’ starting shortstop, Smith said.\n“He wasn’t consistent enough, and that’s the thing we talk about Evan all the time,” Smith said. “Shortstops have to be consistent. The nature of the position of shortstop is that it’s a defensive position first, and then you worry about your offense.”\nBut because Smith saw Crawford as such an “accomplished hitter,” the freshman was moved over to second base. He is still adjusting to the new position. He is tied for the team lead with nine errors, but his double-play partner at shortstop, Keith Haas, has seen the transformation as Crawford becomes accustomed to playing second.\n“Defensively, he’s definitely improved,” Haas said. “He’s always hit the ball. That’s not a problem. But defensively, he’s getting his hands out and keeping his hands out. The little things, we’ve seen a lot of improvement out of him.”\nCrawford’s defensive ability has come in spurts so far, but one obvious example has come in turning double plays. The Hoosiers have turned 21 double plays this season – tied for first in the Big Ten – thanks to the range of both Crawford and Haas.\nWith the position change, Crawford is still getting used to the increased workload with the coaches pushing him to improve as a player.\n“It’s how much the coaches ask out of you,” Crawford said. “I’ve never been pushed this hard in my entire life.”\nSmith said he and his staff push Crawford as a player because they see potential in the second basemen they recruited to be the future of the IU middle infield.\n“I often say to him: ‘You don’t know how great you could be,’” Smith said. “And it’s true. He has a chance to be very, very special. He’s already good, but I’m always challenging him to be great.”\nNow 22 games into the season, Crawford has solidified his spot in the two-hole, giving the Hoosiers a contact hitter to get things started while also giving them a threat to steal bases.\nIn the future, Smith sees Crawford as a lead-off hitter for the Hoosiers in the years to come because of his physical makeup.\n“The way he runs, the way he handles the bat, gets on base, his speed alone makes him a lead-off candidate,” Smith said.\nWith the Hoosiers less than halfway through their 2007 campaign, there is still more baseball left to be played. And for now, Crawford is working on improving one game at a time, something his teammates have noticed.\n“He just goes out there and plays,” Haas said. “That’s all you can ask from someone no matter what age. Just go out and play the game. You’ve been doing it your whole life.”