Two days left in the Toydrive Music Fest

First, I have to apologize. A local dj named Dannyboy has put together a commendable music festival of sorts this week in which he throws/threw an event at a different bar each night. Each event’s admission is/was free with a new toy donation or $4  without one. Despite seeing some of these events listed earlier, I didn’t connect the dots and realize that they were all part of the same “festival.” I blame the stress of school for this. Worse though, I didn’t tell you about this until now. Hopefully you got to catch one of the shows earlier in the week or participate in the Rock Band competition at The Blue Fugue last night, but I apologize for not being the one to inform you.

Box Elder at the Ragtag tonight only at 10:15

Back in March, the final cut of Box Elder premiered at Ragtag Cinema to a receptive audience. The film initially drew local buzz for being shot on location in Columbia (aside from one sequence in New Orleans), but the large crowds that came to Ragtag and extended Box Elder’s stay indicate that people came for its quality. If so, it is much deserved as the film is hilarious.

Box Elder centers around four MU students living out their last year of college who party their days away and deal with romantic turmoil. But while the film has a plot, its real strength lies in its funny dialog
and the zany situations its characters get involved in, many of which aren’t wholly related to the story. For instance, there is the scene where Rennie (the name of the character and actor) dresses up as a police officer, pulls over younger college kids and harasses them. Or there’s Rennie and Todd Sklar’s character’s constant adoption of pets; They get a dog and a cat despite the fact that they can’t take care of themselves. And then there’s supporting cast member Jon Turk who does a great job of capturing the essence of an egotistical, sex-driven jerk in his portrayal of Bills.

Simply put, if you haven’t seen this film by now, you need to catch this screening. It’s not scheduled any other time on Ragtag’s calendar right now, and Box Elder’s website is wrong about Ragtag continuing to screen it every first Saturday of the month. I doubt this will be the last time they play the film, but it might be a while. So check it out.

What to do if you’re staying in Columbia for Thanksgiving week

To state the obvious, a lot of us are leaving Columbia next week (or at least part of it) to visit friends and family that don’t live here for Thanksgiving. But for those who aren’t, there’s still a lot to do. Ok, there’s SOME stuff to do. The Blue Note and The Blue Fugue have one show apiece after this weekend and Mojo’s has just a few.

My pick for that week would go to veteran rapper Prince Po, who is headlining Mad Real Monday at Mojo’s on (surprise) Monday. Five bucks lets you see one half of the legendary hip-hop duo Organized Konfusion and his tourmates Edreys and Paulie Rhyme. Despite the fact that it’s being billed as “The Ice Bears Tour” (the hell?), this show is worth it for Po. He and former partner Pharoahe Monch blitzed listeners with dense, hard-hitting rhymes delivered in rapid-fire flows over sometimes energetic, sometimes laid-back but almost always menacing beats. OK also employed clever concepts such as rapping from the point of view of a bullet (“Stray Bullet”). Organized Konfusion released three albums from 1991 to 1997 and though they weren’t on everybody’s radar, most people in hip-hop circles now consider their first two albums to be classics. But Prince Po hasn’t rested on his former group’s accomplishments. He emerged back onto the scene in 2005 with the well-regarded The Slickness and has released two other records since then.

Then again, there are two big shows coming to town tomorrow. The Blue Note will host The Plain White T’s
(remember “Hey There, Delilah”?) while the Mizzou Arena will be taken over by Nine Inch Nails and their amazing light show (read about that and their new bass player in Vox and Move). The latter should be a fantastic way to send off school/those bratty college kids (temporarily, at least).

The impression that I get…

It’s been two weeks since Barrack Obama was elected the next president of the United States but you can’t shake your political fever. After roughly two years of prolonged exposure, you’ve built up a need for continuous political stimulation and try as they might, news organizations just can’t deliver the fervor and rhetoric like they did in October. Sure, Ted Stevens’ recent ouster from the Senate may satisfy you for today, but what democratic drama will you have by the weekend?

Well, how about a documentary about presidential impersonators? The Missouri Theatre is screening “First Impersonator,” a film that compares the experiences of a G.W. copycat those of famous J.F.K. imitator Vaughn Meader (we now only refer to presidents by their initials, by the way). Despite the subject matter, the film appears to be fairly serious. According to The Missouri Theatre’s website…

“First Impersonator is a feature-length documentary about Political Impersonators. Shot over the course of a year and a half, First Impersonator shadows a George W. Bush lookalike throughout the 2004 Presidential race while documenting the life and career of famed JFK mimic Vaughn Meader. Cutting between two stories, First Impersonator finds a poignant resonance in their combination. It is a story of timing and circumstance, of serendipity; of resemblance and identity; of one impersonator’s career decided by a national election and another’s haunted by the memory of a dead President.”

Alright, it may not be hard-hitting political coverage, but you’ll get to see how elections and assassinations affect people firsthand.

FOR ACADEMIC ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY: Frank Warren at Jesse Tomorrow

I accidentally posted this as a page instead of a post. And then I accidentally didn’t publish it. For the purpose of showing my teacher that I posted that required number of blogs, I’m repasting it here. Frank Warren has already visited Columbia, so disregard this unless you are specifically looking for my witty and insightful writing (and who could blame you!).

Show review: Penny Marvel, Future Clouds and Radar, Ptarmigan and The Wise Brothers

Ugh. I swear I’ll stop making posts into pages. Here’s where it should be:

I followed up Monday’s Open Mic with another free show on Tuesday this week that featured local groups Wise Brothers, Ptarmigan and Penny Marvel with Austin combo Future Clouds and Radar thrown into the mix. I got to Mojo’s in the middle of the Wise Brother’s second-to-last song, a driving 50′s type traditional rocker. The group then said goodbye with an excellent cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Give me one reason to stay here” in which the quartet proved themselves tight and soulful. The guitar solos were especially impressive in how they showcased the player’s skill without being flashy to the point of distraction. I wish I had caught more of the group.

Up next was Ptarmigan. The three-piece trades in hazy indie rock and songs that don’t follow typical structures. From the bassist Peter’s strong solos to Evan’s ability to play independent parts at the same time, it was obvious that the group is talented (drummer Ted is also LEAGUES better than he was in high school percussion with me). However, the group seems more focused on creating musical moods than songs. That’s not to say that Ptarmigan is wholly devoid of good hooks, but I they could stand to write more of them and emphasize the ones they do have to a greater degree. Still, their friends in the audience loved them and they did play their material well. And it never hurts to throw a killer burst of noise in the song.

The crowd had mostly cleared out before Future Clouds and Radar took the stage. This turned out to be a real shame because the quartet was chock full of catchy twang-tinged rock that was executed beautifully. NPR and allmusic have compared FC&R to Guided by Voices and The Flaming Lips, which aren’t quite on the mark but are probably close enough for comparison’s sake. The group sometimes stretched out their songs or performances too long (some tunes faded into each other) but otherwise put on a compelling display of great riffs and frontman Robert Harrison’s pretty voice. The keyboards added a nice layer too. Overall, it was sad to see that most people missed this group, which by the way included ex-Spoon bassist Joshua Zarbo.

Finally, Penny Marvel closed the night. One of the bajillion projects of Wil Reeves, Penny Marvel specializes in
folky, sometimes country pop, though they still make room for more typical rock. Live, the group incorporates all sorts of instruments into the mix. This includes an accordion, a violin and sometimes a bangjo. The set started out brilliantly with wistful “Safe from Ourselves” and it intoxicating accordion hook (a change from the recorded version). Next, Penny Marvel delivered a pair of rock tunes with quirky rhythms and riffs that played off of each other to create a wonderful tension. The group then slowed down for some lovely, ornate countryish tunes.

Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. The group began playing more slow songs that simply relied on too many major chords. These songs meandered but never really got anywhere worth going. I kept holding out for a return to the greatness of the set’s start but I eventually gave up. Thankfully, the first half of Penny Marvel’s performance made their show worthwhile and hints at the project’s full potential.

Once again, it was another night of free music worth going to. Let’s hope this keeps up.

Open Mic Night at The Blue Fugue

Hey, it’s been a while, huh? Sorry I haven’t been posting too much, but we were only required to write one blog post last week and other academic priorities kept me from doing more than that. As I hadn’t posted in a while, I figured I would post about an event I used to go to often that I haven’t attended in a while (that or I needed a semi-good transition): The Blue Fugue’s Monday Open Mic Night. I’ve been looking for some new acts to listen to, so I thought I’d see if anyone in town had what I’m after, whatever that may be. I got to the weekly event around 10, where I cut my teeth playing both with and without my former band on my way to becoming a music blogger.

Break from the norm: A Mid-Mo Peaceworks meeting

I’m going to break from the usual non-stop party that defines Columbian Entertainment to talk about my experience sitting in on a meeting of Mid-Mo Peaceworks, who, for those not in the know, is a local “peace, justice and sustainability” group. Why? Simple: Our class requires us to attend a meeting of a local club or organization and this was one of the few that was accessible to car-less people like me. Plus, I’ve always been interested in this group and how it works. Peaceworks operate in the back of their not for profit Peacenook store, a self-described “an information and social change activism referral center.”

Anyway, the meeting was very informative, organized and thorough – and two hours long. Everyone in the group was friendly and involved with the proceedings, which after the introduction, announcements, and agenda review consisted of five sections. First, the group outlined the upcoming events needing planning and volunteers. This includes a November 5 rush-hour (4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.) protest of the war at Broadway and Providence. The next day, the group will hold a post-election discussion about citizen activism at 6:30 p.m. in the Peace Nook. These events are just the tip of the iceberg for Peaceworks, which is planning events as far in advance as March.

Peaceworks also has a couple of subgroups/projects some of Peaceworks’ members work on, such as Missourains for Safe Energy, The Peace Front and the Center for Sustainable Living project. I’m not going to go into the details of these subgroup’s discussions because they merit more of an explanation than a blog post designed to give a quick overview of a meeting can give. The group also discussed sharing responsibilities to lighten the workload for its director Mark Haim. Finally, the group discussed lobbying, recruiting Peaceworks members, a donation drive and ways to promote the Peacenook store.

As I mentioned earlier, all the Peaceworks members were very enthusiastic in their discussions. They all seemed intelligent and brought up valid concerns about each issue they raised. For example, some members were concerned about the money needed to hold a fund-raising event at the Blue Note. As you would expect from a group that prides itself on being peaceful, all discourse was civil. Also, the meeting was very organized: Each member received a typed agenda for the meeting with written update for the Peace and Justice Front, the Center for Sustainable Living, Missourians for Safe Energy and Peace Nook.

I must say though, I am not likely to attend another Peaceworks meeting. For one, I have some political beliefs that differ from theirs. The group is a 501c3 something or other, which means they are non-electoral and do not endorse parties or politicians, they support typically liberal causes. I personally am in a state of political flux and need to be much more informed (from both sides) and decisive than I am, but have grown up a conservative and am usually resistant to the causes they support. That’s not to say I disagree with everything they espouse, but I generally do not feel the way they do. This could change soon, but I shall shamefully admit that right now I don’t care enough about many of the issues they support. I could especially tell this over the course of a two hour meeting that felt longer. However, I definitely admire Peaceworks for tackling these issues. Somebody has to do it, and they do a good job.

If you are interested in Peaceworks, feel free to attend one of their open meetings on 6:30 at the Peace Nook every fourth Monday of every month. Here’s the contact information:

804 C E. Broadway
Columbia, MO 65201
(573) 875-0539

Also, be sure to check out my Online Journalism classmate Elizabeth Schlee, uh, the Biffmeister’s take on this meeting here.

Free pumpkin carving for MU students tomorrow

This is a little more tame than a raucous punk show or a zombie walk, but I couldn’t let the opportunity for free pumpkin carving pass by without telling fellow cheapskates about it. Tomorrow, October 29, you will have five full hours to carve pumpkins provided by MU’s triangle coalition in room N208 of the Memorial Student Union. Those hours are 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 p.m

Living on the seventh floor of an apartment building, I’m not going to decorate for Halloween or anticipate any trick or treaters, but I know many of you enjoy this time of season and will relish not having to pay for a pumpkin to stab. Plus, this sort of activity is best done with people (especially if you accidentally carve more than your pumpkin) and makes for a great icebreaker if you’re trying to make friends. Besides, if you’re throwing a Halloween bash, you’d better have a pumpkin.

After homecoming…

So everybody in Columbia knows what the big event today is, but win or lose, the city’s got some good options for post-game entertainment. The first is the annual Weezer tribute that happens this time of year at Mojo’s. I’m not sure how Halloweezer got started, but I believe this is their third year of tackling tunes from its namesake’s glory days. Last year, the group played only songs from The Blue Album, Pinkerton and b-sides from that era. The group sounded pretty good (who can lose with that material?), but the fans knew the lyrics much better than the frontman did. But the fans themselves are almost as much of a draw as the band itself. People wearing costumes get in for $3 instead of the usual $5 cover and the crowd always has some standout get-ups. Plus, they’re always great to sing along with. What really interests me though is the Pavement tribute opening the bill. Called Gold Soundz, the band is actually St. Louis group Target Market in their own Halloween disguise. As much as I dig old Weezer, I’ve haven’t seen anyone take on Pavement songs live. Maybe ex-Pavement leader Stephen Malkmus will play some of his old group’s songs when he comes to The Blue Note in November though.

Another great musical option tonight is St. Louis soul-pop trio The Feed, who are playing at the Blue Fugue. The group draws comparissons to The Ben Folds Five for its keyboards, bass and drums setup and virtuosity (all three members are terrific musicians), but they owe a bit more to soul/funk than Folds. Bassist Ben Reece also plays a mean sax that adds some spice to bandleader Dave Grelle’s catchy songs. The Riverfront Times bestowed upon them the title of “Best Rock Band” in their annual Best of St. Louis feature this year. Go find out why.