Beautiful garbage: Art Museum displays the finest trash

By Desiree Leger

There are precious few people around who could look at anything, from a wineglass to a broken window, and see a beautiful possibility.

Turning the undesirable to a work of art is the theme at the New Bedford Art Museum’s latest exhibit, “Reclaimed and Rejuvenated: Discards Into Art.”

The exhibit features work from 11 different artists, whose hometowns range from New Bedford to California. The works themselves share an obvious common theme: They have all been assembled from junk the artists found. From rubbish to, in some cases, a prized piece in a private collection, this exhibit just may change your mind on how you eyeball that smashed -up soda can.

The pieces represented are vastly diverse, portraying a full spectrum of emotion and idea.

Upon first entering, the eye is drawn to a moderately sized piece: an old tackle box decorated with decoupage and assorted figurines. It’s worn-looking, but cheerful, featuring simple construction and mild, attractive colors.

Other items, such as the mini-scapes by Karl Unnasch, feature an almost perfect tiny world — until you notice the snake carcass, or dried up scorpion blending into the landscape (“Boyce Encounter” and “Dear Jon” respectively).

There are finely crafted pieces of jewelry made of washers, springs, scrap metal, pearl and a pair of human teeth. In the jewelry pieces, the transformation from junk to art is even more remarkable because without a materials list, one may never know they were once random scraps of garbage (except the teeth; it’s hard to miss something like that). The aesthetic quality ranges from soothing, to bright and energetic, to downright unsettling. Marcella Stasa’s intricate and soft piece “Inland Coast” may bring a sense of contented pride to locals.

“Inland Coast” is constructed almost entirely from New Bedford plants and other organics. Contrastingly, a nearby piece called “Music” by Steve Bradford instills haunting and somewhat sad visuals with its dark gold gilt and disembodied dolls’ heads. A fanciful object, simply called “Wine Glasses” moves with what seems like a life of its own, thanks to the water sealed inside.

Other constructions are practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. There is a series of shelves and benches by Stephen Whittlesey that are solid and practical, yet feature the charm and character of the salvaged wood they’re constructed from, as well as their inventive designs.

Similarly Timothy Lazure’s “Recycled Table” is an attractive table made from a wagon wheel and other attachments.

Martha Friend’s art stood out as well, mainly due to its bright, energetic colors and captivating assembly. However, her bright and happy pieces sometimes gave way to darker themes, encroaching on the cheery mood, such as in “Paper Doll” where pictures of innocents are attacked by the rusting and decaying metal at the corners; or in “San Diego Zoo,” which features colorful, plastic animals caught up in metal bars.

Right alongside Friend’s art are Paul Gray’s sculptural caricatures, depicting animals, people and unclassified critters in a humorous, loose style.

This thought-provoking exhibit truly depicts the immense range of emotion and beauty the re-thinking of junk can spark. Each artwork evokes feelings as visceral as any brought on by spoken word and communicate so much for something created with society’s waste. You may even find yourself reconsidering the desirability of that trash on the ground.

In tandem with the Reclaimed and Rejuvenated exhibit, the children’s exhibit downstairs mimics that theme with “Trash 2 Treasure.” The projects featured are all by local children, with the help and inspiration of the ArtMobile.

Here can be seen a large installation of yarn-covered CD’s and a comfortable looking chair made of corrugated cardboard.

Every piece, especially the crayon mosaics, is vibrant, showing the true second life one’s junk can take.

Even the trash bag fish are charming and playful. With a fun-loving, bright feel to all the children’s art, the ability to turn trash to treasure is not lost on the youth.

MATT'S UNKNOWN MUSIC CORNER

Four songwriters that ‘put your ghosts to rest’

By Matt Meylikhov

Ok, so now we’re all pretty used to the way I do this. Quick, quirky intro, then I bust right into the scene and start talking about bands.

This week is going to be a little different though. Not only am I not going to tell you about any bands, I’m going to talk about four different “not bands.”

This week I’ll be looking at singer/songwriters, and since this is a much different style of music than the average band, I’m going to give you four artists to take a look at.

I took the time to think about it long and hard. There are a million good singer/songwriters out there. I could’ve talked about Matt Costa, Josh Ritter, Regina Spektor, Imogen Heap, Ben Lee or even the ever popular Elliott Smith… but in the end, as much as I like them, there are four that always top my list. Four artists that have written at least one song that I’ve heard, stepped back and said, “Wow. Now that I can really relate to.” So let me break it down for you one by one.

A couple of years ago on New Years, I have no idea what time it is. I finally make it back to my car after hanging out with my friends. It’s dark and cold and I have to drive home. I hook up my MP3 player (this was before I got an iPod) and randomly, the song “Winter” by Joshua Radin comes on. And it is literally the most perfect song for the moment I have ever heard.

“I should know who I am by now, I walk the record stands somehow thinking of winter,” he sings as I’m driving home just thinking, wow. What a great song to start off my year with.

Most people might actually know Joshua Radin, as he was featured on the soundtrack for “The Last Kiss” with the song “Star Mile,” which goes, “Old doubt and a girl by your side/she’s feeding your pride/as you go for a ride/down the star mile.”

The style in which he records and the way he plays guitar is very reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel. His cover of “Girlfriend in a Coma” by the Smiths is one of the few Smiths’ covers I will actually listen to as most covers of the band never do them justice.

But Joshua Radin can pull it off. His music is very relaxed and down to earth. Incredible for folk fans out there. His album, “We Were Here,” is out now and he can be heard at http://myspace.com/joshuaradin.

Let’s change the scene. I’m sitting in my room watching “Scrubs.” Season 2 is starting and there’s an odd looking man with a guitar. He begins singing a song that goes, “I can’t get to sleep/I think about the implications/Of diving in too deep/And possibly the complications/Especially at night/I worry over situations/I know will be alright/Perhaps it’s just imagination.”

Now if those aren’t relatable lyrics, I don’t know what is. We’ve all felt what Colin Hay felt when he wrote this song. Originally, he wrote it for his band Men At Work, but as they parted ways, he has kept “Overkill,” which has become an incredibly popular indie song, being covered by acts like Dashboard Confessional and Lazlo Bane. You might know Colin Hay from “Scrubs.” You might also remember him from the ever popular “Garden State” soundtrack. But if you haven’t checked him out after those things, you’re missing out.

Colin Hay’s style of acoustic singing/songwriting is different than most. He has a good voice to sing out, but uses it only when it’s just right, not over doing it. He also doesn’t rely on interesting guitar parts or picking, just simple toned down chords.

His talent lies in his songwriting. If you’d like to listen, he has a bunch of albums out now, but I’d recommend “Peaks & Valleys.” You can listen to him at http://myspace.com/colinhay.

New scene. My friend calls me up and says he’s playing an acoustic show and wants me to play lead guitar with him. I drive over and he puts on a song I’ve never heard before and asks me to improvise it.

I listen to it and am a little confused by it at first. I had expected some form of acoustic song, but I hear an electric guitar, followed by a band coming in and some very powerful singing.

“There’s a cotton crush! Down in the southern states! But back up here, man, we’ve got so much thread and space to waste, waste, waste!” I wouldn’t be surprised if a good deal of people recognized those lyrics instantly.

Kevin Devine is easily the most relatable singer/songwriter for the college generation. He’s not much older than us and he’s out there doing what he loves, sometimes acoustic, sometimes backed by The God Damned Band.

Most people probably know Kevin Devine due to his relationship with the popular band Brand New, but if you saw Kevin on tour with Brand New and didn’t immediately buy his record or check out his site, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

The man sings primarily about politics, using drugs, and having sex. If that’s not what the majority of you talk about, think of or do, then I’m shocked.

I’ve seen Kevin live multiple times, from on stage, to in a tiny college room, to a backyard, to an ugly basement. Regardless of where he plays, he always performs great. He truly is someone that most people would really get something out of. Unfortunately, the likely hood of hearing him on most popular radio shows or seeing him on TV is a tiny one.

Columbia Records dropped him because he was not selling enough compared to their other artists, but greatness is still there and I’d implore you to check out his new album, “Put Your Ghosts To Rest.” Listen online at http://myspace.com/kevindevine.

Last, but certainly not least, we come to my personal favorite. This artist wrote one of my top CDs of the year, and once again, he did it in an untraditional sense. He is still a singer/songwriter by all rights and standards, but at the same time, he utilizes a full band with him.

You may have heard him on several TV shows and movies, but if you haven’t, allow me to introduce to you Cary Brothers.

He has a great voice. He knows how to play his instruments. And he can actually write a song. “This is a glass parade/A fragile state/And I am not trying to break/And the stars are shining/The moon is right/And I would kill to be with you tonight.” If you want to impress a girl by looking for the right song to put on, here you go. “The Glass Parade” is the song for you.

Or maybe you don’t just want to use a song for another person. Maybe you want to go drive around and listen to a highly energetic song. Cary’s got you covered. “Who You Are” is full of energy and will get you down that highway.

I’d say to just trust me and go pick up his new album, “Who You Are,” as one of the best blind buys you’ll make all year. Listen to him at http://myspace.com/carybrothers and reward your ears.

As always, feel free to send me an e-mail (mmeylikhov@umassd.edu) with any band you feel is not talked about enough and a place for me to listen, and I’ll consider them for this column.

Halo 3 fans unite

By Trevor Medeiros

Halo fans all over the world waited for September 25 to arrive so they could finally finish the ceaseless fight between humanity and the terrifying alien civilization. Halo 3 is the third futuristic combat game in the Halo trilogy, providing the thrilling conclusion to the ongoing war.

On Friday, September 28, UMass Dartmouth’s family of Halo fans united inside the campus center for a party to commemorate the launch of Xbox’s Halo 3, released on September 25.

This free Halo 3 launch party was held by the Gaming Society and sponsored by Microsoft who donated four free Xbox’s to the university. Microsoft is the company that founded the Xbox video game system.

This event came into existence when a representative from Microsoft approached the Gaming Society about organizing a tournament. The company is sponsoring Halo 3 tournaments at major colleges and universities all around the country.

The winners of each school’s tournament will square off against each other at the Imagine Cup, an event being held this year in Paris. The winner will receive $25,000 and a job as an apprentice in Microsoft’s game department, helping to develop future video games for the computer company.

“I went crazy thinking ‘Oh my god, Microsoft wants to work with the Gaming Society,’” said Dan Chaplin, president of the Gaming Society at UMD. “This was the opportunity of a lifetime.”

The free tournament consisted of 56 players, ranging from the hardcore player, to the casual video game fan. The players were divided into seven pools of eight, with the player from each pool getting 50 kills advancing to the finals, which consisted of seven players.

The finals actually came down to two players in a winner-take-all, sudden death showdown. In the end, the winner was Kevin Lee, a junior here at UMD.

“It was awesome,” said Lee, who also noted the final showdown was “ridiculously close at the end.” Experience paid off for Lee, a six year player of Halo.

The top five players won prizes. Lee won a free copy of Halo 3 and will go on to represent the school in the upcoming nationwide tournament.

This was the largest event the Gaming Society’s ever held, as 115 people altogether attended the bash. They all were treated to free pizza and Rockstar energy drinks.

The company started these college tournaments last year, playing games like Halo 2 and Guitar Hero.

“The students found it to be a lot of fun. We also enjoyed it,” said Edwin Guarin, academic evangelist for Microsoft. “So, we decided to try to get that to the next level.”

Overall, the Gaming Society enjoyed putting the event together, even though they only had two weeks to do it. Chaplin credits Kurt Napolitano and Brian Hulse for helping him organize the project.

“We were nervous at first with running a weekend event,” said Dan Riall, vice president of the Gaming Society. “But everybody really came together. I think it’s an amazing turnout. We expected it to be good; we never expected it to be this good.”

Everyone involved enjoyed the night and had a good time.

“I’m really happy with the turnout,” said Wendy Cohen, a freshman at the party. “I enjoy Halo and I think that this new game is looking good.”

UMass Dartmouth student’s art makes it to Boston

By Stephanie Luz

View UMass Dartmouth student Chi-Hang “Andy” Fung’s artwork at the Urban Market in Boston.

One of the premier restaurants in Boston known for its fabulous student artwork and great atmosphere, the Goody Glover restaurant, hosted a showing of local artwork in what is called the “Urban Art Market,” hosted by a group of talented young artists called the Glovebox.

With a façade adorned in beautiful lights and intricate decorations, the Goody Glover was quite a sight to a newcomer’s eye. Surprisingly, the building was quaint and the hallways were very slender. Paintings were thoughtfully placed in different areas of the building.

Some art pieces had prices underneath for auction. The auction took all the different pieces of local art displayed throughout the week and put them up for sale on Sunday, September 30.

The most exciting part of the event was finding our very own Chi-Hang “Andy” Fung’s artwork on display on the second floor of the art exhibit. Andy is currently a senior at UMass Dartmouth with a dual major in Electronic Imaging and Photography. Andy can be seen around campus taking pictures during all major events.

There were three different pieces of Andy’s artwork put up for display. Andy calls the largest of the pieces “Boston Commons” since the painting is derived from the architecture of the Boston Commons. This painting, which has taken Andy over a year to create, was a major focal point of the many art displays.

Being the first time his work has been displayed at a Boston art show, Andy said, “I felt honored to have my work displayed there.” The two smaller pieces also caught the eyes of many considering their unique appearance in comparison to the other pieces, which were portraits of people.

It’s important to take pride in supporting the local art and even more so, the fellow artists from our campus. If you are interested in attending a showing or you would like more information about the Glovebox, anyone can join the Facebook group “Glovebox” created by Liz Comperchio and Jodie Mcmenamin.

THE BEER BARON

Otter Creek not too sweet

By Gary Albert

Oktoberfest! What is now considered the premier “beer drinking” festival, was once a simple celebration of a Prince’s marriage. By now the festival is in full swing.

Like last week, the beer of choice is once again in Oktoberfest style. And once again, instead of choosing a traditional Bavarian Oktoberfest brew or one with Paul Revere on the bottle, I’ll be reaching out into the Vermont wilderness for this, Otter Creek Oktoberfest Autumn Ale.

Otter Creek Brewing has been in the beer business since 1991 in Middlebury, Vermont and is a family owned brewery that specializes in organic beer (brewed under the Wolaver’s brand). I’ve tried a few of the Otter Creek ales in the past and I was very pleased with the taste, so I was happy to pick up this Oktoberfest.

Let me start by first saying that this beer isn’t the typical Oktoberfest, as it is ale, not a lager. This means that it is not brewed in the same way that your average Oktoberfest is, and is instead brewed at a different temperature with a different kind of yeast.

If one was to compare beer to wine, ale would be similar to red wine and lager would be similar to white wine. Trying to mimic a lager style with ale is possible, but it can be a very difficult task.

Otter Creek Oktoberfest pours a reflective golden amber color, with a medium head that dissipates nicely. It smells of molasses at first, with a hint of toffee and nuts. Taking the first sip gives a very balanced taste; it has a nutty malt flavor with an earthy hop flavor. Because the hops are mainly in the aftertaste, they overpower the malty flavors just a little too much for the style, resulting in a bitter feeling on the tongue for a not-so-bitter beer.

The tones in the taste remind me a little of Rogue Dead Guy Ale (which I reviewed last year in issue 27), but it really doesn’t meet the standard that Dead Guy sets for lager-like ales.

It is not quite as sweet tasting as most Oktoberfest beers are, and the sweet flavor is more of a buttery taste than a caramel or molasses. This doesn’t mean that it isn’t a solid brew, though.

It has a crisp, clean mouthfeel (not typical for ales) and it is slightly dry with medium carbonation. It is a very good autumn brew, but simply not a proper Oktoberfest, nor as premium as one would expect. Because of this, unfortunately, I’m only going to recommend this beer to those who wish to try as many beers as possible, or those who would prefer something from Vermont to something from New York.

At 4.8% alcohol, this beer is right at the average, and is once again on the low-medium end of the cost spectrum. While it is does have a deal of complexity to it, the flavors just don’t match the way they should.

Appearance: 4.25/5

Smell: 3.75/5

Mouthfeel: 3.25/5

Drinkability: 3.75/5

Taste: 3.5/5

Overall: 3.5/5 Recommended, but with discretion.

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 e-mail at UMDBeerBaron@gmail.com.

INDEPENDENT GAMER

Interactive story ‘Façade’ is the real deal

By Brett McCabe

Are you a big fan of awkwardness? Do you love watching your friends get too drunk at parties and hit on girls? Or how about that time you asked your coworker when the baby was due and she retorted that she wasn’t pregnant. If those situations excite you, then you are invited to a party…

“Façade” is a game played in first person, but rather than shooting things, you are armed with your words. Your old friends, Grace and Trip, invite you over to their apartment to have some drinks and catch up. Their marriage has been on the rocks, but they avoid the subject until things start to get heated.

The main idea of the game is to actually converse with the two characters. Type anything you want to say and the advanced Artificial Intelligence will recognize your words and respond in pre-recorded dialogue.

Created by a game programmer and a professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, Procedural Arts’ goal is to create an “interactive drama commercial product.” After five years of development, “Façade” is an interactive one-act story, all in real-time 3D.

Browse through a long list of names for your specifically chosen character and walk up to the door of his or her apartment to begin the stage play.

As much as you try to seduce either Trip or Grace, it never seems to work. Say whatever you want; you can’t turn this game into a porno. At first, the characters will laugh uncomfortably at your “jokes,” but eventually they get so uncomfortable that Trip just kicks you out.

Whether it’s your fault or not, it is going to get uncomfortable and eventually you may be asked to leave. Trip and Grace’s marriage is falling apart and there’s no avoiding it, like running to the bathroom after consuming Res food.

They argue back and forth looking for your approval to take sides. The whole point of playing it more than once is to see the different reactions to whatever role you decide to take part in.

Do you want to take Grace’s side, agreeing that she never wanted to go on that trip to Italy? Or do you take Trip’s side, pointing out how dumb the phallic art Grace collects is?

The last time I played, I tried to take Grace’s side most of the time, often comforting, hugging and even kissing her.

“Look, quit the flirting already, I’m not going to put up with that at this point!” Trip got annoyed. The clash they got into turned very emotional. Grace walked over to a painting on the wall:

“I painted this.”

“Bull****.” Trip replied.

“I am an artist, Trip, **** you.”

Grace confessed that she paints while Trip is away on business, to which Trip admitted “I can’t be married to an artist.” He realized the marriage is not going to work with an artist so he walked to the door, looked back, and left Grace as the scene ended.

Of course, this game hasn’t snuck by without praise: Grand Jury Prize Winner of the 2006 Slamdance Indepent Games Festival, “Most Innovative Game” Award at the 2005 Independent Games Conference, “Most Innovative Game of 2005” at Game Tunnel, and finalist in the 2004 Independent Game Festival.  

While “Façade” is freeware, donations are welcome for the hard work that went into making it.

Download “Façade” for free at:

http://www.interactivestory.net/

Compatible with both Windows + Mac

Foo Fighters’ latest album breaks from tradition

By Trevor Medeiros

“Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” the Foo Fighters’ latest album is an interesting but solid mix of hard rock and easy, acoustic listening, something that lead singer Dave Grohl and his quartet aren’t known for.

The album is the band’s sixth studio album. It was produced by Gil Norton and released on Tuesday, September 25.

The first song on the album is actually the first single as well. “The Pretender” is its name and textbook Foo Fighters is its game. The song is what fans would expect from the band’s mainstream sound: a soft, simple intro and bridge, lots of pounding drums from Taylor Hawkins, a hard chorus, and of course, lots of yelling from Mr. Grohl himself.

The second track, “Let it Die,” comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion. The beginning is a light, easy acoustic riff with Grohl whispering the lyrics. The tempo and sound pick up towards the middle. Finally the song ends with a powerful effect, with Grohl yelling “Why’d you have to go and let it die!?” The song has sort of a Bryan Adams sound. Fans of both will hear the similarities in the song.

“Erase/replace” has a tinge of grunge in it, and “Stranger Things Have Happened” is a powerful acoustic song. This track sounds like it could be on “Skin and Bones,” which is a Foo Fighters’ album consisting of acoustic versions of the band’s greatest hits. The album’s second single, “Long Road to Ruin” has both an easy and even flow throughout the whole song.

“Summer’s End” is a song that is just downright country. It’s still a good song, but it just seems out of place to hear this group taking a page out of Nashville’s playbook. Maybe Grohl is following in the footsteps of fellow rocker Jon Bon Jovi, in the sense that he’s a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.

Other songs are “The Ballad of Beaconsfield Miners,” which is two and a half minutes of noodling on acoustic six strings, and the album’s closing song, “and Home,” which is entirely played on a classical piano.

Whether or not these experiments from the band are just temporary splinters from tradition, nobody really knows. But there is still enough solid, textbook hard rock in this album to keep even the most die hard Foo Fighters fan satisfied.