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Final exams leave brains feeling fried
It's that time of year again. Time to dismiss being a nonsensical layabout, put away the whiskey and turn my attention to the books.
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Habitat hosts folk fund-raiser
Since folk music often tells the tough stories of common people, a folk concert to raise money for building homes could be fitting.Grammy award-winning Riders in the Sky are playing a benefit concert Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
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Tracking the tunnels
While most people can navigate campus as the crow flies, Bill McCreary knows his way around as the mole digs. McCreary worked maintenance on the miles of steam tunnels under MSU for 15 years and knows how to make his way from Hubbard Hall to the Red Cedar River - underground. "They're pretty good-sized tunnels, most of them you can get through all right," the 76-year-old Lansing resident said.
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Sleep deprivation more prevalent during finals week
Ask the Advocates is a column appearing every Wednesday at www.statenews.com that discusses different health issues affecting MSU students.
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New releases
It's about that time (it seems to happen about every two years - Madonna reinvents herself and releases a CD to promote it). "American Life," which makes the count over 10 studio albums, follows the 2000 release of "Music." Newer chart-topper 50 Cent is already catching on the trend of the quick release with his second major release of 2003, "50 Cent: The New Breed." The CD and DVD package looks to compete with his other releases' record-breaking numbers of 872,000 units moved in five days.The Flaming Lips release of "Fight Test" is the group's second-ever EP release since beginning its career in 1985.
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'Holes' a surprisingly good family flick
Sitting alone in a theater full of giddy children and entire families, I didn't know what to expect from "Holes." You could feel the excitement in its air and as the film progressed, I finally understood what was going on and was immediately thrown in the feelings it generated. "Holes" just might be the best of the recent crop of Hollywood flicks.
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Friend of former Wazoo owner to reopen store
The bright, neon-green "Coming Soon" sign in the window didn't seem to register with patrons who were trying to get out of the rain and into Wazoo Records, 619 E.
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Byrds 'Essential' lacking depth
For a time in the '60s the Byrds were considered the American counterpart to The Beatles. As founders in the folk-rock movement, alongside the likes of Bob Dylan, it's easy to see why. "The Essential Byrds" sheds light on the band's illustrious career.
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April album wrap-up: "House of 1000 Corpses"
If you're not sure you want to see "House of 1000 Corpses" because of the gore factor and graphic content, the soundtrack could be your deciding factor.
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April album wrap-up: Lizzie West
A bit further from the pop rock, girl-empowerment theme, Lizzie West triggers only the memory of 10,000 Maniacs' Natalie Merchant - almost exactly.
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April album wrap-up: The Apparitions
The Apparitions are on a mission to make mental conditions a daily tradition. Seventies crack-head rock would be the best way to describe "Oxygen Think Tank." It is crack-head in that fun way, before the terrible life-debilitating addiction kicks in. The lyrics in the opener "Hospitality," are "day breaks/the sun wakes/valium and cornflakes/freeways/speed saves/stoplights and heatwaves." It's a word collage that paints an average morning for the portion of sunny America that still claims to be half-conscious. Working with mostly traditional rock elements, The Apparitions is an enigma in that it comes off sounding anything but traditional.
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Van Halen's impact, image just as vital as its pure rock sound
Van Halen's 1978 debut album was possibly the most influential release of its time. Guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen's self-taught, unparalleled style of tapping and ultra fast solos made "Van Halen" a classic with an instant impact on the future of hard rock music. The album single-handedly provoked an entire generation of zitty, preteen boys to pick up guitars and teach themselves the 101 of rock 'n' roll by playing along with "Runnin' with the Devil." In all fairness, the album also motivated the age of hard rock excess; which of course included loose women, rowdy lifestyles and lots of drugs.
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April album wrap-up: Robin Thicke
Smooth succulent crooner Robin Thicke's album "A Beautiful World" is an extravagant epiphany of R&B, soul, blues, folk, pop, funk, barber shop, electronic and country that comes off flawlessly. Imagine Freddie Mercury soaring from deep soul to fresh Stevie Wonder bebop and funk all in the space of one song.
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April album wrap-up: Lucy Woodward
Think Michelle Branch, think Avril Lavigne, think Sheryl Crow, think girl-empowerment pop rock.
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'Wall' a perfect mix of rock, film
"Pink Floyd The Wall" is a perfect culmination of rock 'n' roll and film. An interpretive glance into Floyd's legendary double disc, the film combines the music of the album with a harrowing story of childhood, fame and ultimately, insanity. "The Wall" is the story of Pink, a young, ambitious student who rises to rock stardom only to be weighted down by the effects of childhood trauma, which eventually lead to insanity.
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'Shameless' show to help LCC, community
Lansing - A mannequin stood in the window of Otherwise Gallery wearing a wedding dress plastered with names of businesses and holding a basket offering a "dollar a dance." This is "Shameless Self-Promotion," a faculty-spotlighted art show put on by Lansing Community College's art, design and multimedia departments at the gallery, 1207 Turner St.
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Longing for sun, sounds, sights of summer as spring semester draws to end
Every time I sit in class I gaze out the window. There is a longing in my heart, a primordial urge which can't be silenced.
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Resurrecting rock
There's something about the thrill of commanding a screaming crowd, the glitter of the spotlights and allure of a secret backstage life. It's a lavish lifestyle and a job often taken for granted by those who own it.
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Graduate students to show off musical works
MSU graduate composers will have their 15 minutes of fame tonight when the School of Music premieres its compositions.The free event in the Music Building Auditorium will allow graduates to show off the pieces they have been working on this semester."Aside from the purely emotional rewards, hearing one's music played is an important part of the educational process," event organizer and music composition graduate student Murray Gross said.What students can expect to hear is the unexpected.