by Sam Beresky Daily Lobo With the typical rock lineup of two guitars, bass and drums, rock music really can't be something different or new anymore. The Von Bondies major label debut, Pawn Shoppe Heart, is no exception. And with the recent explosion of guitar-based rock that sounds as if it is coming straight from the carport, the sound isn't even new or original for our generation.
Kevin Smith fans start your weeping. Writer/director Kevin Smith has just dipped his loyal fan base headfirst into the bog of eternal clichÇs and sentimental mush. His latest endeavor, "Jersey Girl," has not only proven a letdown for Smith fans far and wide, but its writing rises only slightly above Hallmark card status.
by Sam Beresky Daily Lobo With the typical rock lineup of two guitars, bass and drums, rock music really can't be something different or new anymore. The Von Bondies major label debut, Pawn Shoppe Heart, is no exception. And with the recent explosion of guitar-based rock that sounds as if it is coming straight from the carport, the sound isn't even new or original for our generation.
There is nothing wrong with taking a minimalist approach to making music, especially in this day of polished, slickly produced "American Idol" karaoke superstars. The minimalist approach has worked for countless bands over the years, just ask any Weezer fan.
In his latest documentary, "The Same River Twice," director/writer/producer Robb Moss captures the leap from recklessness to responsibility, from innocence to maturity and most lamentably, from youth to middle age. Moss' subjects are a group of friends who spent the summer of 1978 rafting down the Colorado River.
Some bands have head-banging, air guitar music, some have mosh pit, burning T-shirt music, and others have trippy psychedelics. And they all spawned from one source: jazz. The Motet, an acid, African, Cuban, Brazilian percussion jazz band from Boulder, Colo.
by Michael Sanchez Daily Lobo Today marks the start of UNM's South West Film Center's gay and lesbian weekend, and it hopes that "Gasoline" will ignite the celebration. "Gasoline" is an Italian film that presents the story of two young lesbian lovers who are thrown into a world of conflict.
Director/comic book writer Kevin Smith and his alter ego, Silent Bob, have made waves through the movie industry for 10 years. Now, Smith is shifting gears in the movie-making biz, veering away from the Jay and Silent Bob saga into films like his latest "Jersey Girl" and his upcoming version of comic book classic, The Green Hornet.
Conductors Stefano Vignati and Jorge Perez-Gomez say the only way to teach music is to teach its meaning. "It's not an abstraction where you come and look at notes and you play," Perez-Gomez said. "Our real job as teachers is to help students make a relation between the meaning of the piece and their own life experience.
by Luke Nihlen Daily Lobo Who knew that being a geek would put me in contact with royalty? Someone who claims he is the ex-prince of Nigeria has e-mailed me at least once a month for years now. He has a little deal going that he wants to involve some of my money in.
by Luke Nihlen Daily Lobo Kenny can stay awake longer, but Spenny makes a more convincing woman. "Kenny Vs. Spenny," a new show premiering on GSN Thursday, pits two lifelong best friends, Kenny Hotz and Spencer "Spenny" Rice, against one another in head-to-head competitions in events of their choosing.
by Krista Pino Daily Lobo A 16-year-old surfer girl with a split personality who may in fact be a serial killer sets the scene for the very physical comedy and a perfect date play, "Psycho Beach Party." And it just gets stranger from there. "There's plenty of love to go around in this play," said Craig Anderson, the play's director.
A band of Low Flying Owls swooped down one day and took me on a trip to the past. With moody, psychedelic instrumentals and even moodier vocals, Elixir Vitae, the Low Flying Owls' second full-length release, has conjured images and soundscapes that could only develop after years of '70s music-induced bliss.
One of the world's most famous architects, Louis Kahn, mysteriously died penniless and alone in a restroom in Penn Station at the age of 73. The documentary of his life is much like an artistic obituary, but the filmmaker does not leave out the secrets and mistakes of his father's life.
Anyone who has ever lived in suburbia knows the mold: two-car garage, two-story house that looks exactly like the one next door, seven-foot fence, anonymous families and silent faces. UNM graduate student Chad Person knows this pattern all too well and has chosen his latest show "A Model Community" to portray his own experience in a gated community.
The beauty of any art form is that it is open to interpretation. A serial killer, for example, might see something drastically different from a 93-year-old man. OptiCon, an art exhibit about renewing optical consciousness, builds on that perspective and attempts to force the viewer into actually seeing the piece.
When "Romeo and Juliet" and modern playwrights collided, "West Side Story" was born. This weekend a whole new breed of the much loved musical will be born at UNM's Popejoy Hall. "It's got to be interesting for people who have never seen 'West Side Story' and are familiar with 'Romeo and Juliet' to see how Shakespeare's language was transposed into American vernacular," said David Chavez, director and choreographer of the Popejoy production.
For those who've ever wanted to travel around the world, now is their chance - and it will be cheaper than ever imagined. At this year's fifth-annual World Language Expo, participants will be granted the opportunity to experience more than 20 different languages and their respective cultures.
UNM freshman Gabi Rojas is running away with the circus. In February, her hard work and dedication to dance won her a spot in the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil troupe. She made her professional circus debut with Circus America in Puerto Rico at age 5.
Grade A+ Ladies and gentlemen, make way, make way for Pixar on crack and Simpsons on smack - Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation has come to town and anyone looking for a healthy dose of disturbing humor can get their fill and more Friday at Madstone.
Solutions by The State News
