The bright side of September’s Shadow

By Shara Sarnelli

Independent musician David. W. Jacobsen has been writing, playing and performing music ever since he was in eighth grade. With Jacobsen’s strong devotion, he graduated from Berklee College of Music and has been making melodic music ever since as “it just seemed natural,” he says.

Music involves many different components that all work together, but writing the music is the part that Jacobsen enjoys most. The performances appeal to Jacobsen as well, but he states that he would be happy to “just write” and possibly have other musicians play his material.

With Jacobsen’s years of experience he has come to appreciate and enjoy a wide array of music; however, the ‘70s and ‘80s hold the key to some of his favorite styles. Above all, Jacobsen takes high interest in music created by people he has actually met or seen perform. He says, “There is a tone of talented unknown musicians who I’ve met playing gigs, and many of them have music I enjoy more than what’s on the radio.”

But where did such a passionate musician get his inspiration? Simply enough, different bands have inspired Jacobsen at different points in his life. His solo work is often stimulated by acoustic and folk-style artists such as Phil Ochs, Richard Shindell and Dar Williams. And ‘70s progressive rock, along with other forms of metal and classic rock, has also had a significant impact on Jacbosen’s musical background. Visit http://davidwj.com for a better glance at David Jacobsen’s solo work.

Yes, aside from being a solo artist, Jacobsen has been working with a band called September’s Shadow. September’s Shadow recently released a synth pop album, “Hobson’s Journey,” combining electronic sounds with the sweet sounds of the acoustic guitar. The album is both retro and experimental, making it stand apart from the other albums in that CD collection tower.

September’s Shadow’s debut album, “Hobson’s Journey,” was inspired by the sounds of 1980s alternative/synth/goth music. Bands such as The Cure, The Ocean Blue and Depeche Mode also made large impacts on this project. But Jacobsen is the building block to this creative album, complete with eighteen tracks.

Other than Jacobsen’s voice, additional vocals were provided by KT Wills and Stefanie Seskin, causing the music to express a range of moods. Listeners can be brought to a familiar, comfortable place of peace when listening to the album.

The first track of the album might come off as a bit strange, as it is a style of music not often publicized, yet it is intriguing. The feeling of uniqueness and newness causes listeners to want to keep on listening. Taking in the mix of electric and acoustic sounds creates a sense of ease and tranquility.

Soothing female vocals are heard in tracks like “Reprises,” which give the album variety and dept, something not always seen in contemporary music. “Familiar” is another track that is strong and will satisfy listeners.

Being an independent musician made the process of this project quite different for Jacobsen. The idea of being a part of a band “sounds great, but is demanding,” Jacobsen begins. “Bands are like relationships and require a lot of work.” This album, however, was a studio endeavor, which did not require as much commitment as most projects would.

“Hobson’s Journey” is available for purchase at CD Baby. MP3 files are available for purchase at iTunes. Songs can also be heard through MySpace.

THE BEER BARON

This ‘Voodoo’ is powerless

By Gary Albert

This week, much like two weeks ago, I have taken another Munich style Dunkel beer off the shelf. Unfortunately, I chose it not knowing what type of lager it was, but found out shortly after pouring it. It was the name and location of the beer and brewery that caught my attention.

Coming from Dixie Brewing Company in New Orleans, Louisiana, Blackened Voodoo Lager is one of Dixie’s featured brews. The 100-year-old brewery was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the owners have recently returned to brewing with help from Minhas Craft Brewery in Wisconsin.

Blackened Voodoo Lager pours very red, medium-dark amber with a medium head. The smell is strong and pleasant with earthy hops and toasted malts, while a second sniff reveals a caramel smell to the malts, an added bonus that is also very nice.

Sadly, the taste, unlike the smell, is lacking. This lager seems to draw drinkers in with the smell, and then disappoint with the flavor.It has a very weak taste, a mostly dry toasted malt flavor, a little of a spicy hop flavor, but there is something about it that just is not right. It has good carbonation and a decent body, but the overall feel is watery and lacking given the intensity of the smell and color.

Being so weak feeling, it is very easy to drink, but there’s also something about the flavor that bothers me, and I really can’t put my finger on what that strangeness is. All I know is the wateriness of the beer brings out that strange flavor.

Regardless of how weak it may feel, Blackened Voodoo Lager is a typical 5.0% alcohol brew. Compared to the last “Munich Style” brew, Harpoon Munich Dark, I would recommend the Harpoon over this in almost every situation.

The most disappointing aspect of my choice this week was not the lack of flavor so much as the lack of flavor after expectations given the overall excellence of the smell. I think that my feeling on the taste even suffered given the great smell and appearance.

Appearance: 4.5/5

Smell: 4.75/5

Taste: 2.5/5

Mouthfeel: 3/5

Overall: 3/5

The smell and appearance are dead on, but the more important aspects of the brew are seriously lacking. The expectations from these two aspects bring out the negatives in the taste and overall feeling. Sadly, I wouldn’t recommend this unless choices are running low.

If you have a recommendation for a beer for me to review (anything goes), want to comment on or criticize my review, or just have questions regarding beer, send me an email at UMDBeerBaron@gmail.com

Powerful performances define ‘Vagina Monologues’

Amy DesRosiers exposes an “Outrageous Fact” about vibrators.

Deanna Mustachio finds her clitoris in “The Vagina Workshop.”

By Allison Reitz

The weather may have postponed the final production of “The Vagina Monologues,” but nothing could stop the benefit show from going on. Students filed into the Main Auditorium on Saturday, February 23, for Eve Ensler’s acclaimed and controversial play.

Thanks to a co-sponsorship between the Women’s Resource Center and the SAIL office, Saturday’s performance was free to students with a UMass Pass. Despite the free admission, the V-Day fundraiser collected donations from students in exchange for penis- and vagina-shaped candies, among other items.

During her traveling performances of “The Vagina Monologues,” playwright Eve Ensler heard numerous accounts of how violence affected women from various social, economic and political spheres. The damage endured by these women was not only physical, but also emotional, mental and sexual — and something needed to be done. As a result, Ensler began the V-Day movement in 1998 with the goal of ending violence against women around the world.

The monologues featured in the show introduce a wide array of characters from a six-year-old to a sex worker. Regardless of the vast subject matter covered, the individual monologues form a cohesive whole that is at once charmingly raunchy, unexpectedly hilarious and shockingly solemn.

The UMass Dartmouth production, co-directed by Laura McHugh and Megan Gauthier, was no different.

Each cast member performed her monologue with the perfect fusion of respect and irreverence. Cue cards were used as needed, but most performers didn’t need the prompting (or skillfully hid the fact that they did). And the inclusion of monologues written by the UMD cast reinforced Ensler’s vision that every woman has a worthwhile story to tell.

While the audience was animated and vocal throughout the evening, a few monologues really stirred the audience into a frenzy. Anne Shaughnessy perfected her sarcastically pert delivery of “My Angry Vagina,” which caused more than a few amused gasps in the audience. Kendra Pereira and Amanda Cabral’s exchange in “A Six-Year-Old Girl Was Asked” was well-timed and adorable.

Meanwhile, Amy DesRosiers roused the audience with her reading of an “Outrageous Vagina Fact.” In this brief monologue, DesRosiers listed the states in which it is illegal to sell vibrators but legal to sell guns. “There has yet to be a mass-murder committed with a vibrator,” she quipped as the auditorium filled with thunderous applause.

Still, it would be safe to say that Aubrey Ramsdell stole the show with her — ahem — vigorous performance of “The Woman Who Loved To Make Vaginas Happy.” She perfectly embodied the lawyer-turned-dominatrix persona, varying between no-nonsense and no-holds-barred in her reading. One can only wonder how she prepared for the role....

Despite the evident humor in many of the monologues, others were simply heartbreaking, moving audience members to tears.

“My Vagina Was My Village,” performed by Sephora Borges and Katie Scanlon, covered the topic of women in war zones. The duel reading gave a before-and-after look at a Bosnian woman repeatedly raped by enemy soldiers. The juxtaposition of bubbly confidence with venomous self-loathing was alarming.

Despite the sobering topics explored in some of the monologues, most delivered a message of hope and optimism. Courtney Bradley’s inspired performance of “The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could” is one example. With a darling Southern accent and wide eyes, Bradley followed the transformation of an abused girl into a hopeful young woman. Her character’s newfound self-worth truly personified the mission of V-Day.

In conjunction with the tenth anniversary of V-Day, the 2008 campaign focuses on the women of New Orleans, culminating with an April 12 celebration at New Orleans Arena. As part of this theme, Ensler added the monologue “Welcome to the Wetlands” to the end of this year’s production. Performed by UMD cast member and co-director Megan Gauthier, the monologue explores the similarities between the hurricane-ravished New Orleans and the broken but strong women who populate that city.

Individually and as a whole, the UMD production of “The Vagina Monologues” was unstoppable. Even the icy weather couldn’t prevent the cast as they shared their voices and spread awareness about the power and the plight of women.

For more information on “The Vagina Monologues” and the V-Day movement, visit www.vday.org.

Katie Scanlon’s vagina is “Closed Due to Flooding.”

Kendra Pereira interviews “Six-Year-Old Girl” Amanda Cabral about the scent of her vagina.

“Multiple Explorations” at CVPA campus gallery

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. — The College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) at UMass Dartmouth continues its 2007-2008 exhibition season with the “Multiple Explorations,” an exhibition of Master of Art Education Visual Capstone projects. The exhibition features the mixed media prints of Achim Krasenbrink and the ceramic work of Karen Minati-Snyder.

Krasenbrink’s mixed media prints combine watercolor and digital collage. His abstract work explores the symmetry and balance of the natural world. Minati-Snyder’s slip cast porcelain serving sets are inspired by the complexity of nature and observations of complex biological systems.

“Multiple Explorations” will be on view March 10-27, 2008, in the CVPA Campus Gallery. There will be an artists’ reception featuring light refreshments on Wednesday, March 12, from 4 to 6 p.m., and Saturday, March 15, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Regular gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment. The exhibition and reception are free of charge and open to the public.

The CVPA Campus Gallery is located on the main campus of UMass Dartmouth at 285 Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth. The gallery can be found on the first floor of the Visual and Performing Arts building. Patrons are advised to use parking lot 7A. For more information on this exhibition, please contact Jarrad Nunes at (508) 999-8010.