Culture

Culture

Album Review: A Tribe Called Quest returns with final record

Audrin Baghaie | November 20

After 18 years, a war and a recession, at long last hip-hop pioneers A Tribe Called Quest have given us one last, powerful farewell. In a political climate that couldn’t have been more suited for goodbyes, this album hits all the checkmarks music connoisseurs didn’t know they wanted from one last ATCQ record. “We Got it From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service” is a charged, righteous and smooth double-album featuring the whole Quest Tribe, in addition to a few friends they made along the way. Elton John, Anderson .Paak, Andre 3000 and Jack White join Q-tip, Phife Dwag, Jarobi and Shaheed to forge one of the best hip-hop albums this year.

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Culture

Review: Stand-up comic impresses in visit to UNM

Nikole Mckibben | November 18

Nate Bargatze’s performance Tuesday night was the refresher UNM students and families were seeking after the recent election.

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Culture

Five and Why: A writing instructor's favorite books

Skylar Griego | November 16

English teachers are known for their love of all things book-related, particularly those who teach one kind of literature or another. While writing teachers are less associated with the bookworm label than literature teachers are, anyone who is passionate about writing will say reading is the key to becoming a better writer. Erin Lebacqz, a composition instructor in the English department, said reading is important for her as a writer because she likes to see examples of people capturing reality through words.

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Culture

Students show off their skills during Lobos Got Talent

Skylar Griego | November 13

In an evening full of singing and guitar playing, with occasional dancing and a rapping thrown in, the ninth annual Lobos Got Talent event gave UNM students the opportunity to showcase various styles of musical and spoken word performances on Friday. Gigi Bella, a previous winner in the last two Lobos Got Talent shows, took the $500 first prize with a powerful slam poem about the everyday commentary women must endure with their bodies and choices.

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Culture

Concert Review: Despite technical issues, Hopsin delivers strong performance

Fin Martinez | November 13

On Friday, Albuquerque’s Sunshine Theater welcome rapper Hopsin to perform for a crowd of dedicated fans and other Hip Hop fanatics. The line to get in went around the block and had people from all walks of life coming to see the show. Along with Hopsin, there were two other acts that would take the stage that night — the young rapper Token and Joyner Lucas. The theater became packed even before Token took the stage; most in the audience came for Hopsin, but got a pleasant surprise with Token’s performance.

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Culture

Album Review: 'Eternally Even' a psychedelic trip into tranquility

Audrin Baghaie | November 11

“Sun’s out, not a thought about rain. No trace of tears or pain, I hope you’re having a wonderful life,” croons Jim James on the eponymous track of his second solo album, “Eternally Even.” The song, much like the whole record, is a breezy, psychedelic serenade embellished with bright keys, savory bass lines and impetuous lyrics that wrap listeners up in the grooviest cyclone of 2016. James’ is most widely known as the frontman of the rock group My Morning Jacket. An alternative take on alternative music, My Morning Jacket grew upon a passionate fan base that revered the band’s versatile take on genre, and their ability to fluently change styles at the drop of a hat.

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News

Column: A personal account of the anti-Trump protest

Fin Martinez | November 11

I arrived on Central Ave. and First Street around 7 p.m., to a moderate crowd gathered on the street corner. They were protesting the election results and renouncing the new president elect as their leader. Not 24 hours before, our nation received a shock comparable to the Kent State massacre — The Donald was elected our new president. I remember where I was that night. I was having a drink at the campus bar watching the votes come in from each of our nation’s states, and at this point I was nervous that Clinton wouldn’t emerge victorious from this vicious campaign that pitted the American people against each other.

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Culture

Movie Review: 'The Land' more than just a skateboard flick

Audrin Baghaie | November 9

“The Land” opens up with a simple, overstated question directed to four teenagers: “What are you going to do with your life?” The school principal asks each of them individually, cut between footage of the students committing a crime later that evening. It’s a question that resonates vividly throughout the film’s 90-minute runtime, interwoven between footage of the students committing crimes later in the narrative. We follow a coalition of naive, high school skateboarders by the names of Cisco, Junior, Patty and Boobie, on the streets of Cleveland. The group’s friendship is tested through a very saturated plot that is predictable and cheesy at times.

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Culture

Review: Group satisfied with unique production of 'Much Ado About Nothing'

Fin Martinez | November 6

The first production of Popejoy’s performance season was the classic Shakespearian rom-com “Much Ado About Nothing.” The play was put on by Aquila Theater, a production company renown for their productions of Shakespeare’s works. Aquila’s production is a modern take on the classic and takes creative liberties with the setting, characters and time period, placing each in a modern setting. While the original play takes place entirely in the character Leonato’s home, this setting of this production is in an English pub with Leonato being the owner and resident of the establishment.

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Culture

Q & A: Local artist, skater shares his inspirations

Jonathan Baca | November 6

Jeremy Salazar is a local artist, skateboarder, fashion designer, photographer and filmmaker. His first solo art exhibit, “Love Life,” is showing now through Nov. 18 at Duel Brewery in downtown Albuquerque. The Daily Lobo sat down with Salazar on the opening night of the exhibit to discuss his unique fusion of street art, skater culture and DIY self expression.

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Culture

Unique version of Shakespeare classic to play at Popejoy

Fin Martinez | November 4

On Sunday Popejoy Theater will host a performance of William Shakespeare’s acclaimed play “Much Ado About Nothing.” The play, a fresh take on Shakespeare’s work, is being put on by Aquila Theater who has put on classic productions for the past 25 years. “This production is celebrating our 25th year,” said Desiree Sanchez, director, adapter and production designer for the show. “The company has been around for for that long touring America, and this year we’re touring ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ with Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Nile.’”

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Culture

Movie Review: 'Wiener-Dog' a memorable piece of absurdity

Audrin Baghaie | November 3

It’s easy to disregard “Wiener-Dog” literally just by reading the silly title, but after watching this film, you’ll realize that’s the point. A dog is involved, yes, but behind its fuzzy presence is a funny, cynical and almost existentialist take not on how people choose to live, but rather life making that decision for them. The dog in this film is the lens into four different narratives and the audience gets to learn about each one in detail. Satisfyingly, the detail is in the images. With swift, short and sweet dialogue, we learn more from the set design than we do from the character interactions.

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Culture

Column: Indie games break down barrier between creator and fan

Nichole Harwood | November 3

Indie video games are what Bandcamp releases are to major music labels — a disruptor that allows for a more accessible market for smaller developers to release their games. Big developers like Nintendo or Activision have long dominated the game development industry, but indie games are now on the rise after gamers have grown disenchanted by major studio releases not living up to hype, or relying too heavily on in-game purchases and expensive downloadable content. It’s titles like the horror-survival game “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which are developed independently, that are giving rise to the indie game movement.

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Music

Review: 'Autograf' puts on a passionate and upbeat show

Fin Martinez | November 2

It’s not often you find yourself at an anniversary show of a music group on Halloween. That turned out to be the case at the El Rey Theater, when the electronic music trio Autograf performed on Oct. 31st to an enthusiastic crowd. Drinks were overpriced, but that’s just the nature of a concert venue. But the show made up for the outrageous drink prices with the passion and stage presence of the group. A relatively new group that started in 2013, Autograf hails from the windy city of Chicago, a town famous for good music and a long history of legendary musicians. Autograf may be next on the list, as their performance at the El Rey was one worthy of Electric Daisy Carnival.

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Culture

Q and A: Mikul of Autograf

Fin Martinez | October 30

The Chicago-based trio Autograf has mesmerized crowds with their unique electronic music, playing a style called “future house.” The group will be performing on Halloween at Albuquerque’s historic El Rey Theater. Before the band’s show on Monday at the El Rey Theater, the Daily Lobo got a chance to sit down with Mikul, a member of Autograf, to discuss the group’s music, history and creative influences.

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Culture

Best movies to watch on Halloween

Emma Citizen | October 30

These classic Halloween movies range from cute and nostalgic to mature and consistently frightening for people of all ages. Enjoy one of these fun or scary movies to set up your Halloween mood.

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Culture

ABQ skater defies skating's bias against women

Luisa Pennington | October 30

Born into an industry dominated by men, 19-year-old Mariah Duran represents New Mexico as one of the few female professional skateboarders. This year alone, she defeated gender norms by taking silver in the 2016 X-Games and signing to go professional. Having grown up in Albuquerque, Duran started skating at the age of 10 after her brother suggested she try the sport. Since then, she has been sponsored by BZ skate shop, eS shoes, and Meow Skateboards.

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Culture

Another year of Humans vs. Zombies

Emma Citizen | October 26

Showing its face once more for the Halloween season is the national tradition of Humans vs. Zombies, a weeklong game of “zombie tag.” Humans vs. Zombies has been an annual event at UNM since 2011, and has captured the hearts of the student body. The rules are simple enough. When registered as a human, you wear a bandana around your arm. If a zombie attacks a human, then the human becomes a zombie and has to move their bandana. Zombies wear bandanas around their heads or necks if they are stunned. Humans can stun zombies using nerf darts or sock balls. Zombies who are hit will be stunned for about 10 minutes. The game runs continuously for a full week leading up to Halloween. “You could be at La Posada at three in the morning and people could be playing,” said Alex Luna, a moderator for the game.

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Culture

2016's most offensive Halloween costumes

Matthew Reisen | October 26

Here it is — Halloween. When the first crisp of winter rides on the breeze alongside smells of campfire smoke. Whether it’s through petty vandalism, candy accumulation or the destruction of brain cells, everyone celebrates differently. But there is one constant: Everybody wants to dress up and, in doing so, make a statement of some kind, whether it’s scary, funny or controversial. Sometimes, costumes go too far, and this is one of those lists. To be clear, these are costume statements you don’t want to make, unless you want a black eye or a Snickers bar full of razor blades. Here is a list of 2016’s top five most offensive costumes for those of you looking to be “that guy” — and by “that guy,” I mean the one who doesn’t get invited to any more Halloween parties. Matthew Reisen is the news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @MReisen88. 

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Culture

Film Review: 'Only the Brave' deserves a spot among great war films

Fin Martinez | October 26

When we think of war films we tend to think of “Saving Private Ryan”, “Apocalypse Now,” and “Fury” as examples of great contributions to the genre. “Only the Brave,” a 2006 film by Lane Nishikawa, takes the genre in a different direction. Nishikawa’s film follows the soldiers of the 100th battalion in the French combat theater of World War II comprised of Japanese-Americans who enlisted from the Japanese internment camps instituted after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Nishikawa — who wrote, directed and acted in the film — had a clear focus, and from this he created what amounts to a hidden gem in the war film genre. With many films in the genre, the focus is on the mission the soldiers must face, giving the film a distinct path. “Only the Brave” only introduces the soldiers’ mission in the second act of the film. By stepping away from the first act introduction of the mission, Nishikawa has created a different form of war film.