On Sunday, April 24th, 2016, my daughter and I drove to the historic Emma S. Clark Memorial Library in Setauket to listen to Anima Brass, a brass quintet, play. It was a beautiful spring day for an excursion, made all the better for the anticipation of hearing Classical music: few things are more uplifting. I had some reservations, for the free concert was given by students at Stony Brook University. Would these young musicians be as polished as professionals? Or more akin to the sometimes-rough-around-the-edges high school performances I’d smiled through as my children grew?
The performance space was the library’s historic periodical reading room, the original 1892 Tudor-style building. It was a perfect venue to hear Classical music. The vaulted, beamed ceiling, the wooden staircase winding up to a loft, and stained glass windows, including a large one of the angel Gabriel, transported me back in time, setting the stage magnificently. The scattering of comfortable leather armchairs were already taken, so we sat on a pair of plastic chairs. Many in the audience were elderly, as one might expect for a Classical concert; some were family members or friends of the performers. People were dressed casually, just locals enjoying a Sunday afternoon in their community, not at all like the formal atmosphere in Carnegie Hall. The room filled; more chairs were hastily brought in; the crowd spilled into the room beyond.
Anima Brass entered in suits and ties. All five were young men, which didn’t surprise me given my own experiences playing baritone horn in my youth. There were two trumpeters, John-Thomas Burson and Thomas Pang; Austin Sposato on French horn, Michael Lockwood on trombone, and Jeff Smith on bass trombone. The band set up quietly in a nook by the fireplace while a librarian introduced them, and without further ado began to play.
First in the set was Scherzo, a 1963 composition by John Cheetham, an energetic and complex piece that was reminiscent of a Wild West movie soundtrack. Following that came six brief chansons, or songs, by late-1400’s French composer Josquin des Prez, arranged for brass quintet by Raymund Mase. The songs ranged from somber, with long drawn-out notes, to joyful, with lively toots and sweet harmonies. I closed my eyes and it might have been 500 years ago. Next, the band performed Russian composer Victor Ewald’s Quintet #3, written circa 1912, a romantic piece in four movements. The five musicians were like fingers on a hand, working seamlessly together; each instrument a separate thread weaving a tapestry of sound, creating a whole far greater than merely the sum of its parts.
After a brief intermission, during which the performers spoke quietly with audience members of their acquaintance, the concert resumed with Three Pieces, written in the 1800’s by German composer Ludwig Maurer and edited by Rogert Nagel. Many in the audience closed their eyes as they listened, heads nodding in time with the rhythm, smiles on their faces.
Following that romantic selection came something wholly unexpected: the world premiere performance of a piece composed by a Stony Brook graduate student, Joe Sferra, seated beside me in the audience. Sferra was called upon to introduce his work, titled “Anima for Brass quintet”, which he had written specifically for Anima Brass. He described it as a piece with a “disembodied start” that “coalesces” and then “gradually falls apart”, and I knew I was about to hear something very different.
The opening was disjointed, each instrument seeming to pipe up almost randomly, which gave the listener the opportunity to hear the unique tone and character of each one individually: the playful slides and swoops of the trombones; the dulcet tone of the horn; the light toots of the trumpets. The sounds became cohesive and a jazzy melody emerged, only to fracture, with pregnant pauses keeping the audience expectant and off-balance. It was a fascinating glimpse at how Classical instruments can be used in surprising ways to create something completely different from “Classical music”, something that honors the style and form of its roots, but is innovative and free.
The final piece was a return to more traditional fare: German composer Oskar Bohme’s Sextet in E-flat minor, for which the quintet was joined by guest Lucas Balslov on trumpet. The additional trumpet made for a fuller, richer sound. The music built to a crescendo that filled the room, soaring to the vaulted ceiling. A final fanfare closed the concert, and Anima Brass bowed as we applauded.
As the audience drifted somewhat reluctantly into the modern addition to the library and the everyday world, I lingered a moment to thank the talented young musicians for a delightful afternoon. Anima Brass and other Stony Brook groups offer free performances throughout the community every weekend, and I am resolved to attend more. Music is food for the soul and I find myself hungry for more.
--Sarah Wood
May 30, 2016
Migos
I went to see this fantastic trio called Migos based out of Atlanta, Georgia. The concert was held in the nightclub, Irving Plaza, on Irving Street in the city. The style of this music could be defined as two things, trap music or southern drill, depending on who you talk to. It’s more of an aggressive style of rapping that focuses on a dangerous life of selling drugs and toting weapons, all in the name of making it big. I picked this group because I have a deep fascination with the rap scene that emerges from the South and how the culture spreads into vast corners of the country, also because they are indeed my favorite artists in the game right now. To give a little background of the group, they are all family with Quavo (Quavious Marshall) being Takeoff’s (Kirshnik Ball) uncle and Offset (Kiari Cephus) being Quavo’s cousin.
The venue was perfectly my style. The moment I walked into the venue, I thought to myself, “I’m home.” There was a constant light display shining around the entire venue with all different colors. It gave the whole experience a very drug-induced vibe and I’m pretty sure that is more or less what the rappers were going for by choosing this abundant light. The venue was set up so if you battled and squirmed you could reach the front of the stage. I kid you not when I say I was less than five feet away from the trio, and that fact alone made the night worth every single cent I paid. I was in utter and complete euphoria over seeing my favorite artists in the entire world so up close and personal.
Throughout the entire night, the venue and the environment around me reinforced the idea that the people who listen to this type of Southern rap are quite the rowdy crowd. There was a fight midway through the show and the rappers sang “Aint’ Here For That” acapella until the brawlers were removed from the venue. It was hilarious to see the rappers clowning on the two fools for fighting in what was supposed to be a good time. The performers interacted with the audience almost constantly, asking the audience to sing the lyrics. The group also created a dance move called the “dab” in which one tucks their head in the elbow of their arm while pointing both their hands in the opposite direction, so that was the dance move that was seen the most.
This rap group does not actually use any instruments themselves, but relies purely on their lyrical craft. The music and lyrics itself are especially meaningful in the sense that every song details the struggle they have gone through to reach this point of fame in their career and how humble they are to be in the position that they created for themselves. Whether it’s talking about being locked up in the cell or selling pounds of drugs, they speak the truth of the past present and future, while setting trends and creating a new style. Their rapping style can range from melodic and slow to fast and loud when they have something emotionally-charged to get off their chests.
In total, the whole experience met my expectations and went above and beyond how enjoyable I thought the night would be. I could have never imagined the level of tom-foolery that would be permitted within a legal establishment, or the level of emotion that could ring from lyrics about things that rappers have been talking about for decades: money, drugs, and guns. This concert solidified these rappers as my favorite and has only encouraged me to start buying the entire album to support them being able to tour and do dope stuff for their dedicated fan base. The rappers did so much to ensure a great performance and I can say wholeheartedly that I would go back and see them as many times as possible, for it was one of the most entertaining events I have been to in quite a long time.
--Gabriel Mark
The venue was perfectly my style. The moment I walked into the venue, I thought to myself, “I’m home.” There was a constant light display shining around the entire venue with all different colors. It gave the whole experience a very drug-induced vibe and I’m pretty sure that is more or less what the rappers were going for by choosing this abundant light. The venue was set up so if you battled and squirmed you could reach the front of the stage. I kid you not when I say I was less than five feet away from the trio, and that fact alone made the night worth every single cent I paid. I was in utter and complete euphoria over seeing my favorite artists in the entire world so up close and personal.
Throughout the entire night, the venue and the environment around me reinforced the idea that the people who listen to this type of Southern rap are quite the rowdy crowd. There was a fight midway through the show and the rappers sang “Aint’ Here For That” acapella until the brawlers were removed from the venue. It was hilarious to see the rappers clowning on the two fools for fighting in what was supposed to be a good time. The performers interacted with the audience almost constantly, asking the audience to sing the lyrics. The group also created a dance move called the “dab” in which one tucks their head in the elbow of their arm while pointing both their hands in the opposite direction, so that was the dance move that was seen the most.
This rap group does not actually use any instruments themselves, but relies purely on their lyrical craft. The music and lyrics itself are especially meaningful in the sense that every song details the struggle they have gone through to reach this point of fame in their career and how humble they are to be in the position that they created for themselves. Whether it’s talking about being locked up in the cell or selling pounds of drugs, they speak the truth of the past present and future, while setting trends and creating a new style. Their rapping style can range from melodic and slow to fast and loud when they have something emotionally-charged to get off their chests.
In total, the whole experience met my expectations and went above and beyond how enjoyable I thought the night would be. I could have never imagined the level of tom-foolery that would be permitted within a legal establishment, or the level of emotion that could ring from lyrics about things that rappers have been talking about for decades: money, drugs, and guns. This concert solidified these rappers as my favorite and has only encouraged me to start buying the entire album to support them being able to tour and do dope stuff for their dedicated fan base. The rappers did so much to ensure a great performance and I can say wholeheartedly that I would go back and see them as many times as possible, for it was one of the most entertaining events I have been to in quite a long time.
--Gabriel Mark
January 31, 2016
Grateful Dead
The time is 3:45 p.m. We have to catch a 4:00 p.m train to Penn Station and we’re still in my friend’s driveway. Now, if we miss this train, we miss the show, so we drove like wild people to the station. We made the train by the skin of our teeth. We’ve been waiting to see the Grateful Dead ever since middle school. I remember in seventh grade when my friends and I would always hang out in my garage and work on our bikes, we were always fascinated with the electric guitar. When we were shown the Grateful Dead from my older brother, we loved it at first listening. We knew if we ever had the chance, we would go to a Grateful Dead concert. Though their was a change in this concert, John Mayer was the lead singer for the show.
Before this concert, I’ve never been to Madison Square Garden, but I always wanted to. This was a perfect opportunity to knock out two birds with one stone. When I say that this venue was huge, I mean huge! The concerts I go to are only the size of two story houses, so you can imagine the excitement that was running through me: I loved this venue. The vibe that was created within the venue was euphoric. The smell of drugs and beer lingered throughout the venue. When we got to our seats within Madison Square Garden, we noticed that we didn't have the best seats and we were afraid that the music would be faint. Nope! The drums and bass throughout the concert had my seat vibrating. We knew going into the concert that there was going to be a lot of older folks there, but we didn't mind because we were all enjoying the great vibes. When we got to our seats, we also introduced ourselves to our seat neighbors that were sitting in front and behind us. Even though they were in their late 30's and early 40's, we all shared an awesome, unforgettable time.
Grateful Dead rarely interacted with the audience, which was a little disappointing. Nevertheless, this didn’t take away from a once in a lifetime experience. When the band came out, I noticed that John Mayer was dressed different than all the other band members. All the orginal band members wore a T-shirt and jeans, while John Mayer wore an orange button-down shirt with a golden rolex, jeans, and moccasins. Honestly, I think John Mayer looked more comfortable on the stage than anyone else. Throughout the concert, all the band members stood besides the drummer, and my friends and I stood with them the whole concert. Many of the songs they played throughout the night were a lot of their classics and some of them sounded like they were written just the other day. I absolutely loved this show! I’ve wanted to see this band since 7th grade and the fact that I actually saw them in person was an indescribable experience. One thing I do wish the band would improve was the lights. The lights can affect everything within a concert. Iit would've been really cool to see a psychedelic light show while I was there.
The instruments that were used throughout the show consisted of drums, bass, piano, organ, and two electric guitars. While I was there, I was wondering why they had rugs on the stage. That seemed to be a strategy to get rid of all the wires that were placed all over the ground. I was very surprised that they didn't use bluetooth connections on their guitars and bass. They all used wire connections, which gave an authentic feeling to it. Another factor that impressed me was how beautiful the vocals were. I thought that John Mayer was going to ruin the sound of this amazing band, but infact he enhanced it. When the band was doing their sweet guitar solos with Mayer’s voice coming in and out of the solos, it made me feel like I was in the music.
Going into the show, I had high expectations for the rest of the band, but had doubts that John Mayer could pull it off. I thought no one could match the original band's vocals, but I was wrong; I loved the vocals. I fell in love with a lot of bands while I was in middle school, but never had the ambition to go. After this concert, I’m going to at a lot more band-oriented concerts. It was unbelievable and a life changing experience. The next band I'd love to see is AC/DC; that's been on the list for years.
--Bryan Olsson
Before this concert, I’ve never been to Madison Square Garden, but I always wanted to. This was a perfect opportunity to knock out two birds with one stone. When I say that this venue was huge, I mean huge! The concerts I go to are only the size of two story houses, so you can imagine the excitement that was running through me: I loved this venue. The vibe that was created within the venue was euphoric. The smell of drugs and beer lingered throughout the venue. When we got to our seats within Madison Square Garden, we noticed that we didn't have the best seats and we were afraid that the music would be faint. Nope! The drums and bass throughout the concert had my seat vibrating. We knew going into the concert that there was going to be a lot of older folks there, but we didn't mind because we were all enjoying the great vibes. When we got to our seats, we also introduced ourselves to our seat neighbors that were sitting in front and behind us. Even though they were in their late 30's and early 40's, we all shared an awesome, unforgettable time.
Grateful Dead rarely interacted with the audience, which was a little disappointing. Nevertheless, this didn’t take away from a once in a lifetime experience. When the band came out, I noticed that John Mayer was dressed different than all the other band members. All the orginal band members wore a T-shirt and jeans, while John Mayer wore an orange button-down shirt with a golden rolex, jeans, and moccasins. Honestly, I think John Mayer looked more comfortable on the stage than anyone else. Throughout the concert, all the band members stood besides the drummer, and my friends and I stood with them the whole concert. Many of the songs they played throughout the night were a lot of their classics and some of them sounded like they were written just the other day. I absolutely loved this show! I’ve wanted to see this band since 7th grade and the fact that I actually saw them in person was an indescribable experience. One thing I do wish the band would improve was the lights. The lights can affect everything within a concert. Iit would've been really cool to see a psychedelic light show while I was there.
The instruments that were used throughout the show consisted of drums, bass, piano, organ, and two electric guitars. While I was there, I was wondering why they had rugs on the stage. That seemed to be a strategy to get rid of all the wires that were placed all over the ground. I was very surprised that they didn't use bluetooth connections on their guitars and bass. They all used wire connections, which gave an authentic feeling to it. Another factor that impressed me was how beautiful the vocals were. I thought that John Mayer was going to ruin the sound of this amazing band, but infact he enhanced it. When the band was doing their sweet guitar solos with Mayer’s voice coming in and out of the solos, it made me feel like I was in the music.
Going into the show, I had high expectations for the rest of the band, but had doubts that John Mayer could pull it off. I thought no one could match the original band's vocals, but I was wrong; I loved the vocals. I fell in love with a lot of bands while I was in middle school, but never had the ambition to go. After this concert, I’m going to at a lot more band-oriented concerts. It was unbelievable and a life changing experience. The next band I'd love to see is AC/DC; that's been on the list for years.
--Bryan Olsson
Madonna
On September 17th, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, I was lucky enough to see the best performer of all times, the Legend and the Queen of Pop Music, Madonna. I have to admit I am not a true, diehard fan of Madonna. I don’t know all her lyrics by heart, and I don’t listen to her music on a daily basis. But anyway, I was very excited to find out that tickets were still available because to see Madonna live was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
As I mentioned earlier, the performance took place at Madison Square Garden, the historic venue, one of the most famous arenas in the world that fits twenty thousand people. It wasn’t a surprise that the tickets were sold out in a heartbeat. I have never attended a concert on such a huge level. That’s why at first I was shocked to see that many people in one place. The audience was extremely diverse: different age groups, different nationalities, approximately equal amount of men and women. There were many happy couples, some gays, mostly in shape and attractive, and groups of young girls everywhere. Everybody was extremely excited, anxious and having a great time dancing, screaming and singing loudly along with Madonna. Looking around, I could tell that not too many people spent time picking a special outfit for the night. Most of them were dressed very casually, jeans and tee shirts. Even though there were thousands of complete strangers around me, the atmosphere of the place itself, the audience, the positive vibes made me feel as if I was part of something epic that was about to happen. And I wasn’t wrong. What an experience that concert was! Everybody knows that Madonna is one of the best performers in the world, but until you see her live you really have no idea how good she is.
It wasn’t just a concert; it was a theatrical spectacle in which music is combined with dance, costumes, and acrobatic tricks performed by dancers. Madonna brought us to the different worlds changing the stage set up at least four times. She was quite aggressive and provocative in the first section of her show that was filled with religious and Asian motifs. Madonna was dressed up in a red and black samurai kimono while her dancers were wearing geisha costumes at one point and white ruffled panties and bras as part of a sexy nuns outfit later. But Madonna can’t stay the same for long. She showed us that she could be romantic and flirtatious wearing the Flamenco- style dress during the Spanish/Mexican inspired part of the show. The party -like atmosphere was created in the third segment of her performances when she appeared wearing a flapper dress covered with thousands of crystals and long fringed gloves. During the whole show, Madonna didn’t stop dancing. And I have to say she was as good as her professional dancers, who were probably half of her age. She was quite open and personal with the audience trying to interact with people by asking questions and suggesting them to sing along. She even brought a random guy on stage and made him a part of the show.
Even though the choreography, shocking costumes, videos and theatrical elements seemed to be very important during Madonna’s performance, her voice played a very important part as well. The quality of her voice was changing from song to song. It varied from a thin, high-pitched voice to a more deep, velvety and warm version of it. I was truly amazed by her singing live and dancing at the same time. The Rebel Heart Tour represents two completely different sides of the singer: Rebellious and Romantic. She admits this herself saying: “I might be cynical about love, but I’m very romantic.” She says that true love is her favorite subject. All kinds of different instruments were chosen to support her vocals: electric, bass and acoustic guitars, drums, keyboard, synthesizer, ukulele, tambourine and many others. Madonna even played an acoustic guitar (“Who’s That Girl”), an electric guitar (“Burning up”) and ukulele (“True Blue”) herself.
Overall, the concert exceeded my expectations and defiantly became a memorable experience. Madonna is really the best entertainer, who catches your attention from the very first second and doesn’t let you go until the very end. She completely owns the stage and the audience, while enjoying the whole process and having fun herself.
--Daria Greenlee
As I mentioned earlier, the performance took place at Madison Square Garden, the historic venue, one of the most famous arenas in the world that fits twenty thousand people. It wasn’t a surprise that the tickets were sold out in a heartbeat. I have never attended a concert on such a huge level. That’s why at first I was shocked to see that many people in one place. The audience was extremely diverse: different age groups, different nationalities, approximately equal amount of men and women. There were many happy couples, some gays, mostly in shape and attractive, and groups of young girls everywhere. Everybody was extremely excited, anxious and having a great time dancing, screaming and singing loudly along with Madonna. Looking around, I could tell that not too many people spent time picking a special outfit for the night. Most of them were dressed very casually, jeans and tee shirts. Even though there were thousands of complete strangers around me, the atmosphere of the place itself, the audience, the positive vibes made me feel as if I was part of something epic that was about to happen. And I wasn’t wrong. What an experience that concert was! Everybody knows that Madonna is one of the best performers in the world, but until you see her live you really have no idea how good she is.
It wasn’t just a concert; it was a theatrical spectacle in which music is combined with dance, costumes, and acrobatic tricks performed by dancers. Madonna brought us to the different worlds changing the stage set up at least four times. She was quite aggressive and provocative in the first section of her show that was filled with religious and Asian motifs. Madonna was dressed up in a red and black samurai kimono while her dancers were wearing geisha costumes at one point and white ruffled panties and bras as part of a sexy nuns outfit later. But Madonna can’t stay the same for long. She showed us that she could be romantic and flirtatious wearing the Flamenco- style dress during the Spanish/Mexican inspired part of the show. The party -like atmosphere was created in the third segment of her performances when she appeared wearing a flapper dress covered with thousands of crystals and long fringed gloves. During the whole show, Madonna didn’t stop dancing. And I have to say she was as good as her professional dancers, who were probably half of her age. She was quite open and personal with the audience trying to interact with people by asking questions and suggesting them to sing along. She even brought a random guy on stage and made him a part of the show.
Even though the choreography, shocking costumes, videos and theatrical elements seemed to be very important during Madonna’s performance, her voice played a very important part as well. The quality of her voice was changing from song to song. It varied from a thin, high-pitched voice to a more deep, velvety and warm version of it. I was truly amazed by her singing live and dancing at the same time. The Rebel Heart Tour represents two completely different sides of the singer: Rebellious and Romantic. She admits this herself saying: “I might be cynical about love, but I’m very romantic.” She says that true love is her favorite subject. All kinds of different instruments were chosen to support her vocals: electric, bass and acoustic guitars, drums, keyboard, synthesizer, ukulele, tambourine and many others. Madonna even played an acoustic guitar (“Who’s That Girl”), an electric guitar (“Burning up”) and ukulele (“True Blue”) herself.
Overall, the concert exceeded my expectations and defiantly became a memorable experience. Madonna is really the best entertainer, who catches your attention from the very first second and doesn’t let you go until the very end. She completely owns the stage and the audience, while enjoying the whole process and having fun herself.
--Daria Greenlee
May 08, 2015
SCCC International Music
On April 20, 2015 at the Suffolk County Community College Eastern campus, an event was being held in the cafeteria. I had no idea there was any event happening that day. The tables that normally crowd the wooden space were removed and a stage was added, allowing the space to be converted to a performance area and still allowing the flow of students and performers to move freely. My friends Courtney, Simon, Maggie, and I had no clue what was to come. A small sign stated something about an International Festival and a professor walked around the stage announcing to the whole cafe about the small festival and who was coming up first.
The first set of performers was a jazz group. They were dressed in somewhat of a business casual clothing style, to move freely but also look professional. There were three people within the group to play a small drum set, a flute and a big cello. The flute player would solo a song or two until he would stop for a break, but also to interact with us. He asked us mainly jazz-related questions. Who was the first jazz player around for example. He would wait and play the flute or have either the cello or drummer play a little tune until the question was answered. After the answer, they would play another song. Not thinking much of how loud the music would be, I was surprised by the combination of the cello, flute and the drum set. The cello provided a bass that shook the ground and up the chair legs where my friends and I were perched to enjoy our food and the music. Combining that bass sound with the flute made the best combination for jazz.
Once the jazz performers were done with their time on the stage, the flutist introduced us to a group of dancers from the Irish Dance Company. The girls that danced were about 12 to 15 by their looks. There was a women that had the mic, who described where the songs came from. I am personally a fan of folk music, especially Irish folk, which is what the girls were dancing to. The woman had the girls take a quick break because the folk dancing can take a lot out of them, and she described their dresses, which were traditional Irish folk dresses. It was very informative and fun to watch these girls be happy and look amazing and confident in their dancing ability.
The music of the International Festival is something I am not used to hearing and seeing. Since jazz is something I don't usually listen to, I am really happy that I got to hear a genre of music that's been fading away slowly. I'm more into the new era of techno music, but the combination of the jazz and the Irish folk is something that brought out joy from my soul. The jazz vibrated through my body as silly as it sounds, and the beat that jazz produces is a beat I will now welcome over and over again into my ear buds. Irish folk music is something that has always been played within my home and I welcome it with wide open arms.
In general, the International Festival was an amazing event that the College planned, not to just fill in space, but to entertain and inform the audience on music that a lot of us from this era would most likely not know or would not have listened to unless our parents were into to that kind of music. I was happy to hear the bass of the cello and see the dancing from the folk dancers. They still play in my mind and that is an experience I am grateful for. This concert is something that I will gladly go to again and again: keep on dancing and making that sweet music!
-Kassandra Welz
The first set of performers was a jazz group. They were dressed in somewhat of a business casual clothing style, to move freely but also look professional. There were three people within the group to play a small drum set, a flute and a big cello. The flute player would solo a song or two until he would stop for a break, but also to interact with us. He asked us mainly jazz-related questions. Who was the first jazz player around for example. He would wait and play the flute or have either the cello or drummer play a little tune until the question was answered. After the answer, they would play another song. Not thinking much of how loud the music would be, I was surprised by the combination of the cello, flute and the drum set. The cello provided a bass that shook the ground and up the chair legs where my friends and I were perched to enjoy our food and the music. Combining that bass sound with the flute made the best combination for jazz.
Once the jazz performers were done with their time on the stage, the flutist introduced us to a group of dancers from the Irish Dance Company. The girls that danced were about 12 to 15 by their looks. There was a women that had the mic, who described where the songs came from. I am personally a fan of folk music, especially Irish folk, which is what the girls were dancing to. The woman had the girls take a quick break because the folk dancing can take a lot out of them, and she described their dresses, which were traditional Irish folk dresses. It was very informative and fun to watch these girls be happy and look amazing and confident in their dancing ability.
The music of the International Festival is something I am not used to hearing and seeing. Since jazz is something I don't usually listen to, I am really happy that I got to hear a genre of music that's been fading away slowly. I'm more into the new era of techno music, but the combination of the jazz and the Irish folk is something that brought out joy from my soul. The jazz vibrated through my body as silly as it sounds, and the beat that jazz produces is a beat I will now welcome over and over again into my ear buds. Irish folk music is something that has always been played within my home and I welcome it with wide open arms.
In general, the International Festival was an amazing event that the College planned, not to just fill in space, but to entertain and inform the audience on music that a lot of us from this era would most likely not know or would not have listened to unless our parents were into to that kind of music. I was happy to hear the bass of the cello and see the dancing from the folk dancers. They still play in my mind and that is an experience I am grateful for. This concert is something that I will gladly go to again and again: keep on dancing and making that sweet music!
-Kassandra Welz
May 07, 2015
Z o m b o y
Saturdays in the Hamptons, during the winter, are pretty boring. You can either go to a friend’s house, the movies, or if you’re old enough, to the bars. Me and my friends usually take the train into the city on the weekends and go to clubs. The club we went to on this particular weekend was Webster Hall. We picked this weekend to go to Webster because Zomboy, an uprising EDM DJ from England, was playing there and he was supposed to be insane!
Webster is one of my favorite venues to go to in Manhattan. The atmosphere of it, the drama, the long line outside, which I get to cut because I bought advance tickets, and the “costumes” people wear. Webster is also my favorite venue because it has three floors. The main floor usually has a local DJ and he plays rap, hip-hop, and towards the end, some R&B. The basement, or what me and my friends call it, the “BASSment,” because the bass is so loud that they give you ear plugs as you walk down. And last but not least, there’s the top floor, which is where the famous DJs come and play.
The venue definitely affects the music because the music varies depending on what floor you are on. On the Bassment floor, everyone is rocking back and forth to the Dubstep music. Dubstep is usually loud and uses a lot of bass and drops. And depending on the DJ, a few moshpits occur there. On the Main floor, the vibes are more relaxing, more calm, due to the music being played. You would go there if you are talking to a girl and just want to dance with them and have fun. The Top floor is a mix of both of these. If you are an experienced rager, you are in the front of the stage. If it’s your first time, you are usually more towards the middle where it’s less crowded and people won’t bump into you.
The audience at Webster vary from die-hard fans with T-shirts of the DJ and knowing every lyric, to someone who’s just there for the first time. The ages go from 18 to 30 year olds, and it’s funny because you have to be 19 and up to get in. A lot of people wear bracelets and masks and crazy outfits. I remember I saw someone wearing a morph suit, and it was so hot I didn’t know how he was alive. For Webster, you could wear anything and it would be appropriate. I’ve seen girls go in there in bikinis, which is crazy. I was with my two friends, Parker and Daniela, and then Daniela’s friend, Sarah. The girls were wearing leggings and colorful shirts, while Parker and I were wearing button down shirts and jeans. Usually, we would wear shorts and shirts that stand out, but since it was Daniela’s birthday, we had to dress nicely.
On the Top floor is where we spent most of our time, mainly because the girls were too scared to go to the Bassment due to the moshpits. It was an hour or so after we got there that Zomboy came out. He mumbled a couple of words into a mic and the crowd went bananas, jumping up and down, and pushing people left to right as in they were pushing each other to see if you were awake or not. Everyone was just having a blast. About 30 minutes into Zomboy, the fire dancers came out. They come out every Saturday night during the main DJs performance and twirl sticks of fire and do crazy tricks, and in a way, go along perfectly with the rhythm of the music, as if it was choreographed but you know it’s not. They do this for about ten minutes, and there’s always firemen or someone with a fire extinguisher there just in case.
I remember the girls said they wanted to go to the bathroom, and so Parker and I made our way to the front. There was a dance circle going on and we joined. I’m a bad dancer, but no one there judges you. They actually encourage you to dance and they’re all friendly. After I fell while trying to do a spin, I knew I was done with the dance circle. We made it to the front of the stage and Zomboy was literally three feet in front of me. He was vibing with the crowd, moving his hand back and forth, and when he dropped his new single, he jumped into the sea of people! My jaw dropped when he flew over me and I was impressed that the people caught him, but it didn’t last that long because security started pushing people to get to him after he fell.
Zomboy used many percussion instruments in his set. They were pre-recorded, but you could make out the sound of the drums when his music got into a steady beat, almost as if the drums were keeping count, or used to change the meter. His music has a build to it, where the pitch of the music is low and then elevates to high and suddenly it drops and the dynamics go crazy. At one point during his set, he played the song “In The End” by Linkin Park, but he edited it in a way that made sense to how he was playing the rest of his set. It wasn’t slow, it was fast-paced and it was a totally different feel from the original song. Most of his songs were fast-paced, if not all of them, because if he were to play a slow song, I feel he would get booed out of the stage, and would probably never play there again. I feel like there was a lot of improvisation going on while he played because it looked like he was getting a workout behind the DJ booth, constantly moving his hands to switch on and off different songs and sounds. The most impressive thing that happened that night was when he picked up the mic and said this was his new single, and when the beat dropped, he jumped into the crowd and crowd surfed for a good 2 minutes!
It was around 3 a.m., and Zomboy was done with his set, and I was exhausted! I was kind of upset when the girls wanted to leave, but it was Daniela’s birthday so we left. Besides that, I had an extremely awesome time, Zomboy exceeded my expectations and I had a blast from the moment I stepped foot into Webster to when I got out. I can’t wait to go back and see what crazy experience I come back with from Webster Hall.
-Jaime Rincon
Webster is one of my favorite venues to go to in Manhattan. The atmosphere of it, the drama, the long line outside, which I get to cut because I bought advance tickets, and the “costumes” people wear. Webster is also my favorite venue because it has three floors. The main floor usually has a local DJ and he plays rap, hip-hop, and towards the end, some R&B. The basement, or what me and my friends call it, the “BASSment,” because the bass is so loud that they give you ear plugs as you walk down. And last but not least, there’s the top floor, which is where the famous DJs come and play.
The venue definitely affects the music because the music varies depending on what floor you are on. On the Bassment floor, everyone is rocking back and forth to the Dubstep music. Dubstep is usually loud and uses a lot of bass and drops. And depending on the DJ, a few moshpits occur there. On the Main floor, the vibes are more relaxing, more calm, due to the music being played. You would go there if you are talking to a girl and just want to dance with them and have fun. The Top floor is a mix of both of these. If you are an experienced rager, you are in the front of the stage. If it’s your first time, you are usually more towards the middle where it’s less crowded and people won’t bump into you.
The audience at Webster vary from die-hard fans with T-shirts of the DJ and knowing every lyric, to someone who’s just there for the first time. The ages go from 18 to 30 year olds, and it’s funny because you have to be 19 and up to get in. A lot of people wear bracelets and masks and crazy outfits. I remember I saw someone wearing a morph suit, and it was so hot I didn’t know how he was alive. For Webster, you could wear anything and it would be appropriate. I’ve seen girls go in there in bikinis, which is crazy. I was with my two friends, Parker and Daniela, and then Daniela’s friend, Sarah. The girls were wearing leggings and colorful shirts, while Parker and I were wearing button down shirts and jeans. Usually, we would wear shorts and shirts that stand out, but since it was Daniela’s birthday, we had to dress nicely.
On the Top floor is where we spent most of our time, mainly because the girls were too scared to go to the Bassment due to the moshpits. It was an hour or so after we got there that Zomboy came out. He mumbled a couple of words into a mic and the crowd went bananas, jumping up and down, and pushing people left to right as in they were pushing each other to see if you were awake or not. Everyone was just having a blast. About 30 minutes into Zomboy, the fire dancers came out. They come out every Saturday night during the main DJs performance and twirl sticks of fire and do crazy tricks, and in a way, go along perfectly with the rhythm of the music, as if it was choreographed but you know it’s not. They do this for about ten minutes, and there’s always firemen or someone with a fire extinguisher there just in case.
I remember the girls said they wanted to go to the bathroom, and so Parker and I made our way to the front. There was a dance circle going on and we joined. I’m a bad dancer, but no one there judges you. They actually encourage you to dance and they’re all friendly. After I fell while trying to do a spin, I knew I was done with the dance circle. We made it to the front of the stage and Zomboy was literally three feet in front of me. He was vibing with the crowd, moving his hand back and forth, and when he dropped his new single, he jumped into the sea of people! My jaw dropped when he flew over me and I was impressed that the people caught him, but it didn’t last that long because security started pushing people to get to him after he fell.
Zomboy used many percussion instruments in his set. They were pre-recorded, but you could make out the sound of the drums when his music got into a steady beat, almost as if the drums were keeping count, or used to change the meter. His music has a build to it, where the pitch of the music is low and then elevates to high and suddenly it drops and the dynamics go crazy. At one point during his set, he played the song “In The End” by Linkin Park, but he edited it in a way that made sense to how he was playing the rest of his set. It wasn’t slow, it was fast-paced and it was a totally different feel from the original song. Most of his songs were fast-paced, if not all of them, because if he were to play a slow song, I feel he would get booed out of the stage, and would probably never play there again. I feel like there was a lot of improvisation going on while he played because it looked like he was getting a workout behind the DJ booth, constantly moving his hands to switch on and off different songs and sounds. The most impressive thing that happened that night was when he picked up the mic and said this was his new single, and when the beat dropped, he jumped into the crowd and crowd surfed for a good 2 minutes!
It was around 3 a.m., and Zomboy was done with his set, and I was exhausted! I was kind of upset when the girls wanted to leave, but it was Daniela’s birthday so we left. Besides that, I had an extremely awesome time, Zomboy exceeded my expectations and I had a blast from the moment I stepped foot into Webster to when I got out. I can’t wait to go back and see what crazy experience I come back with from Webster Hall.
-Jaime Rincon
May 05, 2015
BAYSIDE
On April 2nd, a few friends and I traveled to Manhattan to see one of my favorite bands, Bayside, in concert. If I had to classify their style of music, I would say that they are punk fused with pop rock, very similar to bands like Taking Back Sunday or Brand New. I have been a fan of them for quite some time, but this was my first opportunity to see them live and I was very excited about it. Not only for the music, but going to a concert like this is as much about the experience in the crowd as it is going to hear the performer.
The Best Buy Theater is located in Manhattan in close proximity to Times Square and to Broadway, but on this night it would not be attracting the typical theater crowd. Upon entering, you are led down a long escalator that opens up into a lobby. Here, you can buy concessions, alcohol and band “swag.” After following the hallway, you reach a set of small stairs that will lead you into the actual theater and into an environment you might not expect to see. To your left, there are rows of seats that you would find in a traditional concert venue filled with people sitting, drinking, and engaging in some other more explicit “activities” as you could tell from the smell of the air. To the right, you see a large open area in front of the stage also filled with people, who were clearly anxious for the show to begin.
The audience is predominantly white and young, mostly men, but definitely a fair share of women. Most everyone is dressed the same; band T-Shirts rule the majority, but a lot of flannel shirts and unnecessarily tight jeans are present as well. Regardless of wardrobe choice, it is important to know that whatever you are wearing you better not be too attached to it because there is a very good chance it will never be the same afterward. These people are not here on happenstance, they are here to see Bayside and are ready for them. There is a lot of moshing and a lot of crowd surfing, but actually fighting is not tolerated, and the inappropriate groping of women, who are trying to crowd surf is also not OK. It would appear from the outside as though it is somewhat controlled chaos, but in fact there are things that are definitely not tolerated. This may sound crazy, but there is a level of responsibility that all these fans take for one another’s well being. At one point, a fight broke out and strangers in the crowd quickly separated the two individuals. If someone fell in the pit, random people around them held off the crowd and helped them back to their feet. They received a pat on the back and a smile followed by a good hard shove to the chest as the excitement began again. Truly, it is a unique environment in which violence and aggression create an element of comradery amongst complete strangers, who want to have a good time, but don’t want to see anyone get seriously hurt.
The performance itself was amazing. The set wasn’t bogged down with only new music that hadn’t really been heard before. This band knew what their fans wanted to hear and they didn’t disappoint. They were very animated on stage and did a lot of jumping around and interacting with the audience, calling for sing alongs and even at one point towards the end, during a strictly acoustic song, the lights went dark and the lead singer appeared in the middle of the crowd with a microphone and guitar and sang from the center of the room while everyone sang with him word for word. There wasn’t a lot of improvisation and for the most part they played the songs as they sounded on their albums, but no one was complaining.
The music highlighted the melody of the songs, and the ensemble was pretty typical: a lead guitar, a bassist, a drummer, and a lead singer, who also played second guitar. They expressed themselves through movement, but the singer definitely does it through his words. The songs are mostly sung and not screamed, and you can understand what he is singing throughout. The lyrics cover a variety of topics from love lost to anger towards an ex, concern for friends and even the death of loved one. I will offer you a few examples from some of their work and let the imagery speak for itself. One selection is from their song “Masterpiece” and it is about a friend, who will not stop living a party lifestyle and will not grow up, due to some emotional pain they feel: “If I could take your pain and frame it, and hang it on my wall. Then maybe you would never have to hurt at all. And I’m painting pictures of red and blue, a portrait bruised, just like you.” Another selection is from their song “Pigsty” and it is clearly about a former lover, who the singer is not very fond of: “Your name is filth, cuz that’s all you spew from your mouth, I think your moral compass is broken only pointed south. And I wear my scars, like rings on a tree there they are, showing my age and proving where I’ve been so far.” In my opinion, their most impressive trait is in fact their songwriting and the powerful emotion you can feel from hearing the words they use. That is what attracted me to them in the first place and has made me a fan for years.
Overall, this concert was one of the best I have been to. I have had the pleasure of seeing a lot of different artists with drastically different styles, but this show will stick out in my memory as one of the best. One definitely has to be prepared for the environment that they are walking into, but if they can embrace it, then it will only make the experience that much better. I would and hopefully will be seeing them again in the future. Although maybe I won’t get quite so involved next time, since I was sore for about a week after. I left that show sweaty, exhausted, and a little bloody, but with an amazing memory shared with friends that will last a lifetime and be talked about by us for many years to come.
-Ian O'Keeffe
The Best Buy Theater is located in Manhattan in close proximity to Times Square and to Broadway, but on this night it would not be attracting the typical theater crowd. Upon entering, you are led down a long escalator that opens up into a lobby. Here, you can buy concessions, alcohol and band “swag.” After following the hallway, you reach a set of small stairs that will lead you into the actual theater and into an environment you might not expect to see. To your left, there are rows of seats that you would find in a traditional concert venue filled with people sitting, drinking, and engaging in some other more explicit “activities” as you could tell from the smell of the air. To the right, you see a large open area in front of the stage also filled with people, who were clearly anxious for the show to begin.
The audience is predominantly white and young, mostly men, but definitely a fair share of women. Most everyone is dressed the same; band T-Shirts rule the majority, but a lot of flannel shirts and unnecessarily tight jeans are present as well. Regardless of wardrobe choice, it is important to know that whatever you are wearing you better not be too attached to it because there is a very good chance it will never be the same afterward. These people are not here on happenstance, they are here to see Bayside and are ready for them. There is a lot of moshing and a lot of crowd surfing, but actually fighting is not tolerated, and the inappropriate groping of women, who are trying to crowd surf is also not OK. It would appear from the outside as though it is somewhat controlled chaos, but in fact there are things that are definitely not tolerated. This may sound crazy, but there is a level of responsibility that all these fans take for one another’s well being. At one point, a fight broke out and strangers in the crowd quickly separated the two individuals. If someone fell in the pit, random people around them held off the crowd and helped them back to their feet. They received a pat on the back and a smile followed by a good hard shove to the chest as the excitement began again. Truly, it is a unique environment in which violence and aggression create an element of comradery amongst complete strangers, who want to have a good time, but don’t want to see anyone get seriously hurt.
The performance itself was amazing. The set wasn’t bogged down with only new music that hadn’t really been heard before. This band knew what their fans wanted to hear and they didn’t disappoint. They were very animated on stage and did a lot of jumping around and interacting with the audience, calling for sing alongs and even at one point towards the end, during a strictly acoustic song, the lights went dark and the lead singer appeared in the middle of the crowd with a microphone and guitar and sang from the center of the room while everyone sang with him word for word. There wasn’t a lot of improvisation and for the most part they played the songs as they sounded on their albums, but no one was complaining.
The music highlighted the melody of the songs, and the ensemble was pretty typical: a lead guitar, a bassist, a drummer, and a lead singer, who also played second guitar. They expressed themselves through movement, but the singer definitely does it through his words. The songs are mostly sung and not screamed, and you can understand what he is singing throughout. The lyrics cover a variety of topics from love lost to anger towards an ex, concern for friends and even the death of loved one. I will offer you a few examples from some of their work and let the imagery speak for itself. One selection is from their song “Masterpiece” and it is about a friend, who will not stop living a party lifestyle and will not grow up, due to some emotional pain they feel: “If I could take your pain and frame it, and hang it on my wall. Then maybe you would never have to hurt at all. And I’m painting pictures of red and blue, a portrait bruised, just like you.” Another selection is from their song “Pigsty” and it is clearly about a former lover, who the singer is not very fond of: “Your name is filth, cuz that’s all you spew from your mouth, I think your moral compass is broken only pointed south. And I wear my scars, like rings on a tree there they are, showing my age and proving where I’ve been so far.” In my opinion, their most impressive trait is in fact their songwriting and the powerful emotion you can feel from hearing the words they use. That is what attracted me to them in the first place and has made me a fan for years.
Overall, this concert was one of the best I have been to. I have had the pleasure of seeing a lot of different artists with drastically different styles, but this show will stick out in my memory as one of the best. One definitely has to be prepared for the environment that they are walking into, but if they can embrace it, then it will only make the experience that much better. I would and hopefully will be seeing them again in the future. Although maybe I won’t get quite so involved next time, since I was sore for about a week after. I left that show sweaty, exhausted, and a little bloody, but with an amazing memory shared with friends that will last a lifetime and be talked about by us for many years to come.
-Ian O'Keeffe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)