Today For all shows at the Temple Club, 500 E. Grand River Ave. in Lansing, admission is $10 a day without an event pass. Bands: All bands at Temple Club • The Trembling, 8 p.m.
The second annual MSU School of Music’s “Cello Plus” chamber music series kicked off Wednesday night at the Music Auditorium, and will continue with performances Friday, Sunday and Monday at the same location. Suren Bagratuni, associate professor of cello and performer, started the series in 1996 at the University of Illinois School of Music and introduced it here when he joined the faculty in 2000. Bagratuni said it is difficult to catch some of the performers live without paying a huge amount of money. “These are top quality musicians,” he said.
Seven or eight months ago, the movie “Big Trouble” was really no big deal. An ensemble comedy with a bomb as its centerpiece, it was just a harmless movie adapted from a novel by middle-of-the-road humorist and newspaper columnist Dave Barry. Of course, with what happened in September, suddenly putting a bomb on a plane and making a joke was about as funny as farting at a funeral ceremony.
by MARK HICKS For The State News RES is not a typical artist. A genre-crossing talent, RES (pronounced Reese) has produced a bold, daring, but pleasing first effort with “How I Do,” a record that has been overlooked by critics since its release last year. This album proves she deserves some mainstream recognition. She refuses to conform to one genre, blending hip-hop, soul, R&B, folk, organic pop, rock, drum ’n’ bass and electronica to create an adventurous, unique and refreshing sound miles above any typical R&B record - if it can be categorized as that. The disc opens with the lounge-y, drum ’n’ bass-styled “Golden Boys,” a social commentary of sorts in which RES admonishes the illusions created by “a prince in all of the magazines.” The orchestra-like instrumentals fuse with her fierce vocals to create an atmospheric, innovative cut that will leave listeners entranced. The best song is “They-Say Vision,” a pure pop/rock masterpiece awash with moody, sonorous guitars and infectious, thought-provoking hooks.
Portable isn’t exactly the next best thing for rock ’n’ roll - but that doesn’t stop it from putting together a great record. This is no-nonsense rock with a strong backbone.
The cliché “never judge a book by its cover” fits this record to a tee. At first glance, the misperception is that this is another trend artist trudging through the well-established footprints of “neo-soul-soothing-goodness.” Nope. Actually, Aja mingles with the “I want to be Alanis Morissette” crowd - and poorly at that.
“Equus,” performed last weekend at Riverwalk Theatre, brings intensity to the stage.
As someone who is soon graduating from college, I look back fondly on my time here. On losing my virginity (no, it wasn’t last week), on getting drunk a lot in the dorms, or that time my friends and I horribly beat a hobo and hid his body in a Dumpster. Well, maybe not the last one.
Man, where to begin? I have so much bile to spew forth regarding the new Ashley Judd vehicle, “High Crimes,” that it may all come out as one long sentence, full of hate and rage for all the time I wasted watching this stinker. It’s a Lifetime movie with a bigger budget.
Ann Arbor - Amidst the watchful eyes of police officers, visitors to the 31st annual Hash Bash still managed to hit the hookah. The line to smoke the flavored tobacco from the pipe was just one of the attractions of the pro-marijuana event, which was kicked off with a rally on the Diag of the University of Michigan’s campus. Cheers of “Marijuana, marijuana, hey, hey, hey, get high,” were sung over and over again as signs proclaiming “Hemp: It’s food, not drugs” and “Legalize freedom” were held up by protesters on the Diag. “I think it went real well and I think it was a good crowd,” said Hash Bash organizer Adam Brook.
“India!”A single male voice rang out through the silent audience.“Will you marry me?”India.Arie stopped tuning her guitar and smiled.
“Sesame Street Live” visits Breslin Center today and Saturday with its production of “Let’s Be Friends!” Marketing manager Tara Peplowski said everyone can enjoy the humorous “Sesame Street Live.” “‘Sesame Street Live’ is a family program that comes to the Breslin every year,” Peplowski said.
The Common Grounds Coffeehouse, in the basement of Akers Hall, is again the best bet for this weekend, presenting Ann Arbor’s Athletic Mic League tonight. Described as a rap group with smooth flow, the seven-member team mixes rap, jazz and funk together into an irresistible sound that will please any hip-hop guru. Selfsez, Wandering Image and Third Degree will open the show. Hiphopinfinity.com called one of Athletic Mic League’s first albums, “The Thrill is Gone,” released in 2000, “one of the Midwest’s best albums of the year, and one of the best-produced LPs in all of underground hip-hop.” Songs can be sampled at its Web site, www.athleticmicleague.com. Tickets are $5 for MSU students with ID and $6 for everyone else.
We are truly in a nerd paradise, folks. No other time has ever held so many opportunities for people to ignore hygiene and indulge in our favorites: Superheroes, science fiction and most of all, “Lord of the Rings.” This weekend, why not indulge that “Rings” fascination one more time?
Royal Oak - With a foosball table and entertainment center adorned with beer bottles complementing a pair of skis in the corner, Adam Miller’s apartment has that laid-back college, bachelor pad feel. But Miller, a 1998 MSU graduate, is no longer a college student - he’s an engineer in Royal Oak grappling with his transition into the working world. Sitting in the living room after a long day of work, he seemed wistful for his college days but noted his beer posters, often standard college decor, had been replaced by a few paintings and other kinds of artwork. When Miller, 27, was a student, he studied engineering arts.
Friday • P.T. O’Malley’s will donate a portion of the cover charge on Friday to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life event at MSU, the 24-hour team event to fight cancer is being held April 20-21 at Jenison Field House.
It seems music biz stars these days just can’t keep their pants on. Or their video cameras off. The latest scandal revolves around R&B extraordinaire R.
The music industry is full of artists that make the grade. But only a choice few stand out with their songwriting quality.
Commitment frightens so many, and a production performed by the Lansing Civic Players, called “Company” by Stephen Sondheim, raises the issue of settling down. Director Tom Klunzinger said it’s a musical comedy that was first presented in 1970. “It’s musical comedy about married couples and relationships in New York,” Klunzinger said.
Ernestine McMullen remembers when her daughter, Joyce Simpson, called her in 2000 to tell her some great news - that Simpson’s daughter, India.Arie, found an agent to help her distribute her music after a performance at the Lillith Fair in Nashville, Tenn. That agent was Reen Malli, a talent scout for Universal Music Group.