Culture - The Daily Lobo

Culture

Instrumental album beats out most MCs

John Bear | January 25

by John Bear Daily Lobo Hip-hop could attain a higher degree of greatness, if it weren't for MCs. Not that there is a multitude of talented lyricists ready to grab the microphone and spit beautiful poetry. But how many times have you heard a great beat ruined by hip-hop clichÇs like just how dope I am or the terrifying magnitude of my crack business or my unmatched sex prowess? It gets a little tiring to hear beautiful music marred by egotistical and, more often than not, highly chauvinistic rantings that come in rhyming couplets.

Culture

Column: Upcoming films a waste of paycheck

Abel Horwitz | January 25

by Abel Horwitz Daily Lobo Welcome to the suck. Of course, in 2005's pointless war flick "Jarhead" they weren't talking about the movies dumped into our laps at the beginning of every year, but this time it feels appropriate. The first three months of the year are generally known as the time where the major movie studios shave off the tripe that has been accumulating in their vaults with the hopes that the films will make enough money to repay the investments the studios put into them.

Culture

Documentary delves into sacred waters

Maria StaianoDaniels | January 25

by Maria Staiano-Daniels Daily Lobo New Mexicans understand more than most the importance of water, but it is nothing compared to the reverence Indians show the Ganges. "Ganges: River to Heaven," which runs Feb. 10 through Feb. 16 at the Guild explores one aspect of the powerful connection between the people of India and their sacred river.

Culture

Film reveals best body part: the heart

Joe Buffaloe | January 24

by Joe Buffaloe Daily Lobo Early in "Transamerica," the main character Bree - formerly Stanley - drags her finger over an opera record, transforming the soprano voice into a lethargic baritone. It's an obvious metaphor for transexuality, and the mechanical, purely physical way our society designates someone as either male or female.

Culture

Variety ensures CD's pop success

Marcie Ortega | January 24

by Marcie Ortega Daily Lobo They are known as a Foo Fighters, Radiohead and U2 hybrid. Violet Nine, a band formed in Boston and recognized for its powerful live performances, has developed a fan base throughout the Northeast and will release its debut album, Any Wonder, this spring.

Culture

Exterminating comic biases

John Bear | January 19

by John Bear Daily Lobo I have never been into comic books. And it's not my fault. My mother's father was an Episcopal priest and my father's father was a southern Baptist minister. Comic book reading was forbidden, perhaps because of the religious leanings of my two grandfathers.

Culture

Indie rap meets the mainstream

Daniel V. Garcia | January 19

by Daniel V. Garcia Daily Lobo Success for those who transition from a mainstream job to a career in music is precarious. However, there are some individuals whose inability to adjust to a typical job is indicative of their potential to flourish in an atypical one.

Culture

Live freaky, die freaky

John Bear | January 19

by John Bear Daily Lobo If you find the steamy puppet love scene in "Team America: World Police" a little conservative for your taste, you are, first of all, a sick, sick individual. Secondly, you are in luck. Filmmaker John Roecker is bringing his depraved stop-motion circus, "Live Freaky! Die Freaky!" to the Guild Cinema.

Culture

Language in all its forms

Joe Buffaloe | January 19

by Joe Buffaloe Daily Lobo Idris Goodwin compares his upcoming one-man show, "I Have an Agenda," to something Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack might have done. "Like when they'd have a relaxed evening of songs and anecdotes," he said. Of course, his performance will be more cutting-edge than tired renditions of "Come Fly with Me.

Culture

Flavorful cheese spices up stage

Daniel V. Garcia | January 19

by Daniel V. Garcia Daily Lobo Degrees in music performance are among those most challenging to obtain. Countless hours are spent in practice for minimal credit hours, and lucrative jobs are not often within reach upon completion of the program. Saxophone player John-Michael Vasquez has, therefore, chosen to work in Liquid Cheese, a regularly touring band from El Paso.

Culture

Rapper dabbles in punk and hip-hop

John Bear | January 19

by John Bear Daily Lobo P.O.S., also known as Stefon Alexander, is feeling stressed. He is about to go on his first tour as the headliner. His second solo album, Audition, is soon to drop. He is helping his friends with their respective projects. He has a lot going on.

Culture

Group only good for causing hearing loss

Debra Au | January 17

by Debra Au Daily Lobo My ears, how they bleed. After listening to a half hour of screaming vocals amid pounding guitar chords, I'm pretty sure I have irreversible hearing loss, fewer brain cells, and as for the 33.5 minutes of my life it took to listen to Spitfire's Self-Help, yeah, I'm never getting that back.

Culture

Tale of troubled teen fails to come of age

Maria StaianoDaniels | January 17

by Maria Staiano-Daniels Daily Lobo I hate it when people use the phrase "coming-of-age tale." Often they use it to describe stories of self-absorbed, adolescent whining. With this in mind, Andy Bilger's novel, For the Angels are Dead, is a wonderful example of the genre.

Culture

Suspense novel less than thrilling

Joe Buffaloe | January 17

by Joe Buffaloe Daily Lobo Suspense novels, more than any genre, have been overdone. Why are they still so popular, then? Because the suspense formula is a proven winner. Put one or two compelling characters in a life-or-death situation involving criminals, mobsters, etc.

Culture

Promising artist plays soul music

Abel Horwitz | January 17

by Abel Horwitz Daily Lobo The world of soul music is in peril these days. Blame MTV for the pretty boy singers who dominate the pop charts, singing about nothing more than how good they look and how every girl wants them. Gone are the days of the young Al Green and Marvin Gaye, where the songs are about the sincerity of love as well as the sting of heartbreak.

Culture

Filthy joke made into film

Abel Horwitz | January 17

by Abel Horwitz Daily Lobo These days, Paul Provenza's a busy man. For the last few years, Provenza and his friend Penn Jillette - the vocal half of Penn and Teller - had been filming a documentary about the fabled "filthiest joke in the world." The film, titled "The Aristocrats," was released last summer to rave reviews and delighted audiences with its vulgarity and its originality.

Culture

Column: Memoir not completely true, still truly moving

Joe Buffaloe | January 17

by Joe Buffaloe Daily Lobo James Frey's memoir A Million Little Pieces sold 3.5 million copies since its publication, mostly after Oprah selected it for her book club on Oct. 26, 2005. It has been on the top of the New York Times nonfiction paperback best-seller list the past 15 weeks, selling more copies in the United States this year than any book besides the latest installment in the Harry Potter series.

Culture

Six minutes save band from failure

Debra Au | January 17

by Debra Au Daily Lobo I admit it - I'm not into hardcore metal. I mostly listen to the likes of whoever is in the Top 40 and Broadway musicals. Green Day and "Avenue Q" are probably as hardcore as I get. The sheer fact that I hate metal bands more than likely means that fans of Sworn Enemy and similar groups will love the band's new album, The Beginning of the End.

Culture

Hardworking songwriter to play at KiMo

Daniel V. Garcia | January 9

by Daniel V. Garcia Daily Lobo At art galleries, it isn't uncommon to hear couples hinge the purchase of a painting on whether it will match the drapes in their summer home. These discussions highlight the subtle distinction between art and decoration.

Culture

Theater festival to honor city's 300th

Abel Horwitz | January 9

by Abel Horwitz Daily Lobo For the last six years in the month of January, Albuquerque has been graced with experimental theater that breaks all boundaries and delights audiences with original performances.