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Album is great first release for Avenues
The Avenues' "When the Sun Was Happy," is, in certain ways, a walk down retro lane. But the four-piece band has its own avenue of style.
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'Sight Unseen' worthy of a look
When hearing ghost stories, people have a tendency to get the bejesus scared out of them or laugh their heads off.
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UAB sponsors free sneak preview of film
The University Activities Board is sponsoring a free sneak preview of "Mean Girls" at 8 p.m.
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Dance lessons given Friday to live music
Dancing, bowling and billiards will merge in the Union for a night of free Friday-night entertainment.
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2-day show features work of local potters
More than 30 local potters will display their work this weekend. Greater Lansing Potters' Guild Spring Show and Sale exhibits a diverse range of ceramic works, including porcelain, raku, and wheel-thrown and hand-built pieces in stoneware.
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Damnwells' latest album features honest, bitter, biting lyric stylings
There is something familiar and strangely comforting about The Damnwells' music. The quartet resurrected the widespread pop rock of the late '90s, but brought it back with edge. From the hilariously sarcastic lyrics in the opening track to the simple and sweet acoustic promises sung on "I Will Keep the Bad Things From You," lead singer/songwriter frontman Alex Dezen demonstrates a wide range of styles represented throughout the album. Dezen draws upon personal experiences to deliver his honest, emotional and sometimes bitter lyrics over smooth beats in "Star/Fool", a catchy riff reminiscent of Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance ." Dezen's biting lyrics are evident in the track "Sleepsinging": "It's up to you now/this place is filling up with smoke/you won't let me breathe in or out/so I resolve to cut my own throat/I have been such a fool for you/I put my faith in things you could never do/now I'm chasing myself to catch up with you." The band shines early on in the album with driving songs like "What You Get," "Kiss Catastrophe" and the down tone of "I'll Be Around" and "Newborn History." Shifting from the cry of an angry lover to a captivating serenade, Dezen croons in "The Lost Complaint," "I just want to focus on you/Marie Claire's got nothing on you." Where most CDs start to lose speed, The Damnwells pick up with infectious guitar rhythms in an exceedingly addictive song, "Electric Harmony." The CD closes with the hauntingly beautiful ballad "Texas," and if you can stick around for three minutes of silence, the raw hidden track, "Lucy," kicks in with a darker tone that sets it aside from the rest of the album. The Damnwells are masters of the beat with simple, honest and sometimes humorous lyrics played over familiar and insistently driving tunes.
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Cops, robbers flick heated up by all-star cast
For starters, it boasts one of the greatest ensemble casts of modern cinema, including Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, John Voight, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Henry Rollins and Danny Trejo, all of whom turn in powerhouse performances.
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Youthful spark fuels 'Oliver!'
There are two aspects about "Oliver!" that stand out brighter than the yellow tulips outside - the production's unbelievable younger actors and the enormous, magical set.
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E.L. library brings anime presentation, movies
Aspiring art teacher Lisa Schoen is not only a fan of the Japanese art form anime, but she also incorporates it into her art work. "I was in high school when I really first started watching it," said the 2003 graduate and former secretary of Animosity - MSU's Anime/Manga Club . "I'd always really loved art, but I had no intentions in following it as a career or anything." Now, she says her passion for anime actually could help her career. "I like anime and I feel it kind of gives me an edge in teaching because so many kids are interested in it now," Schoen said.
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Fate brings music, memories back for duo
Close to 20 years have passed since composer and pianist Ricky Ian Gordon and Melanie Helton, MSU assistant professor of voice and soprano singer, performed in public together.
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Talib Kweli reflects on music scene, new album
Talib Kweli slowly paces the stage, waiting for an 'OK' from the soundman. Suddenly, a beat kicks in and it's as if the Union Ballroom already is packed to capacity for the upcoming show.
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'Orphans' film festival begins at Temple tonight
Anyone seeking a more artistic film experience should look no further than The Temple Club, 500 E. Grand River Ave.
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The hairdo bunch
It's a hairy situation. To cut or to grow. To spike or to slick. To highlight or to lowlight.
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College students could learn something from easily entertained kids
While hanging out with some friends in their apartment Sunday night, we heard a sudden rumble in the hallway followed by a gaggle of high-pitched squeals of delight.
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'Punisher' better than '80s version, but still terrible
Why can't anybody do "The Punisher" any justice? You would think that the hero's story is something Hollywood could do easily - a bloody, bullet-riddled revenge epic full of car chases, hand-to-hand combat and one-liners.
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Band retains roots while traveling
Only in New York City would a cop pull a band over for blocking traffic by walking up to the vehicle and tapping on the window. And only in Colorado would cowboys swing dance with their cowgirls at the bar.
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'Oliver!' twists its way into Wharton Center
One of theater's legendary musical classics will be gracing East Lansing for the first time. Lionel Bart's "Oliver," based on Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist," started at Wharton Center for an eight-show run Tuesday. The story follows the adventures of an orphaned boy, Oliver Twist, who escapes from the stronghold of an evil London workhouse and is warmly accepted by a gang of pickpocketers to accompany them to do their dirty work. Although stealing isn't the most optimal, or most honest, line of work in the world, when Oliver finds himself in a trap with the big, bad villain Bill Sikes, he realizes his fellow thieves are the best friends on the entire planet. Shane Tanner, who plays the scoundrel Sikes, said his character is the darkest villain one could ever portray. "He's very immoral and self-preserving," Tanner said in a recent telephone interview.
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Aparo's disc a nice surprise
Angie Aparo doesn't look like he plays the kind of music he does. Although you shouldn't judge an album by its appearance, Aparo, an Atlanta-based singer/songwriter, still looks more like a nu-metal guitarist than a thoughtful rocker.
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Go 'Into the Woods,' twice
The Department of Theatre deserves a Tony Award. The latest installment to the 2003-04 season, "Into the Woods," is entertaining and visually stunning. The musical follows the path of a handful of favorite fairy-tale characters - Cinderella, the Baker, the Witch, Rapunzel and a few princes - as they mingle together in the woods in search of "happily ever after." The Baker and his wife, played by Patrick Hickey and Kathleen McDonald, respectively, are desperately trying to produce a child after the Witch, played by Amy Handelman, placed a curse on their home.
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Dali's birthday to be celebrated with cake
Kresge Art Museum will host a public celebration of the 100th anniversary of the artist Salvador Dali's birth with a lecture, music and cake.