Friday, December 20, 2024

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Features

FEATURES

Build your own computer

Building a personal computer is neither a dork's pastime nor too complicated. "I've been doing it for about six years now," computer engineering junior Royce Cole said.

FEATURES

'Biker Boyz' not worth your money

Collaborations are an interesting topic in music. Sometimes they can be a dimensional can opener which takes music to places never thought possible - other times it sounds just like the new soundtrack for the crotch-rocket blockbuster "Biker Boyz." With tracks by big names such as Ja Rule, Metallica and Redman, one might expect a more solid effort on some commercial pop level. Instead, a combination of R&B, metal, electronic, hip-hop and rap creates an album which often sounds misguided and noisy. Metallica rears its other face with an interesting collaboration with Ja Rule and Swizz Beatz.

FEATURES

Corgan shines with Zwan

Someone must have given Billy Corgan a lobotomy. All the doom, gloom, creative mongering and overproduction of his previous musical releases is gone. His saving grace has arrived in the form of "Mary Star of the Sea," the first release from his new band, Zwan. "All I wanted/was you here next to me/a little sunshine sympathy," Corgan belts on "El Sol." Sporting some honest-to-goodness, faith-loving sentiment on the record, "Mary Star," Corgan might credit his changeover to God. Writing about God in a positive nature is a subject Corgan began to tinker with on the Smashing Pumpkins' last record, the Internet-released "Machina 2." Corgan even lists himself as evangelist Billy Burke on the album's credits.

FEATURES

Mid-Winter festival, Russian film highlight weekend entertainment

Community members have the opportunity this weekend to experience a wide range of entertainment possibilities at East Lansing's Hannah Community Center. The center, located at 819 Abbott Road, is featuring "The Mid-Winter Singing Festival" as well as a mid-Michigan premier of Russian director Alexander Sokurov's masterpiece film "Russian Ark." The singing festival begins tonight at 8.

FEATURES

Death of the rock star gives birth to dark ages

The Beatles are on the cover of "Rolling Stone" again this month. I'm happy to see some of rock's greatest heroes still honored decades after the band's breakup. It was the same feeling I got when I saw Keith Richards on the cover (although the image of him shirtless and with saggy skin still haunts my nightmares). Or Hendrix.

FEATURES

Local band to celebrate release of new album tonight at Rick's

Getting the ball rolling on a new record is a daunting and dubious task for a local band. Recording studios are expensive, and finding the right professionals to help put the music to disc is never simple. But East Lansing's The Flow took matters into its own hands and built a home studio to record its new album "Aurelius," which will be available at the band's CD release party tonight at Rick's American Café, 224 Abbott Road.

FEATURES

Uprising

The show has been just waiting to break loose from both the local and national hip-hop underground. After two years of phone calls, contacts and conversations, Dominic Cochran of Urban Renewal Sound System is now just hours away from hearing, smelling and seeing his dream line-up play on the main stage of The Temple Club, 500 E.

FEATURES

Artist keeps it real

Mason - Love hurts, and local musician Aylius' acoustic guitar is the perfect illustration. Just more than a year old, the guitar is scratched and worn, almost to the point of creating a hole above the pickguard.

FEATURES

'Drunken orangutan' could write better scripts

Ladies, I'm going to be a rich man, so snag me quick. I'll be raking in the loot, kicking it on the deck of my $500,000 pool, drinking Cristal and pitching film ideas to Jerry Bruckheimer from my leer jet. What's more, I'm not going to work for my fortune.