by Erin Franklin | Nov 12, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Lipscomb’s jazz ensemble performed its first jazz improvisation workshop concert, featuring guest artist Tyler Summers, on Thursday night in Shamblin Theater. Charlie Peacock, the director of contemporary music, opened the show with a few words about the improvisational style of the concert, as well as introducing the guest performer, jazz artist Summers. “This allows the students to see that most of the world’s music is made extemporaneously,” Peacock said. “Although here in our school of music we value notation and written music tremendously, we also know that there is a place and a time for people to do both. Tonight you will hear them as they have memorized these charts, but also improvising individually and in a group setting as well.” The concert featured 16 students, plus Granny White Green Grass, which featured Jeff Taylor and Matt Combs, and Summers with Miguel Alvarado, Doug Moffet, Evan Cobb and Chris West. Summers played a variety of instruments and pieces during the concert, including his own Justin Bieber remix. Summers said his musical style can apply to music outside of jazz. “I think it’s a combination of jazz but still accessible and singer-songwriter oriented — intelligent singer-songwriter,” he said. Summers commented that he is starting to learn his way around Lipscomb after he recently played at the Dove Awards and also at the concert Thursday night. Summers said his biggest piece of advice to students is to “always show up on time to gigs,” but he noted that it’s also important to explore other musical styles and make them their own. “My one piece of advice is always try to spend some time every day listening to what’s...
by Charissa Ricker | Nov 12, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Friday night in Shamblin Theater, the Department of Visual Arts hosted “Artist Talk” which featured guest speaker, Disney animation artist Andreas Deja. Deja has animated characters for several well known Disney movies including Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast”, Jafar from “Aladdin”, Scar from “Lion King” and several others. Deja has also had the chance to work alongside some of the most famous animators at the Disney company. These core animators and directors are known as the “Nine Old Men,” nicknamed by Walt Disney himself. In honor of the legacy and animations these men have created, Deja recently published a book detailing the animation styles and techniques of the animators. Deja’s book, “The Nine Old Men: Lessons, Techniques, and Inspiration from Disney’s Great Animators,” gives a detailed analysis of animations by Les Clark, Wolfgang Reitherman, Eric Larson, Milt Kahl, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, John Lounsbery, Marc Davis and Ward Kimball. Deja decided to write the book in order to focus on the animations and not simply the artists’ backgrounds. “It just fell into my lap. There already is a book, but it leaves you wishing for more visuals,” said Deja. “There is a lot of great text, but we want to see more art.” These artists have animated characters many know and love such as Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio, Bambi and many more iconic Disney characters. The artists were not given one character to animate, but all created different aspects of every character. “It’s not one person’s work; at Disney you work in a team,” said Deja. Deja spent the evening showing sketches and animations from...
by Erin Franklin | Nov 12, 2016 | News Slider, Newscast
In Lumination TV this week, Anna Rogers and Myckelle Williams anchor, bringing the latest in Lipscomb and Nashville news. Reporter Brooke Dorris tells us why there’s a piano in the library, as she covers the vocal jazz ensemble’s concert in Beaman Library. Lumination’s Myckelle Williams reports on the “Who Picked This Book” book club’s meeting, which featured a novel written by Lipscomb’s own Dana Carpenter. The 2016 election is officially over as of early Wednesday morning when it was announced that Donald Trump will be the country’s next president. Whitney Smith has the story. Patrick Carpenter tells us about the new Lipscomb hockey club, and Todd Lamberth updates us on the women’s cross country team’s most recent accomplishment — winning its sixth conference championship. Lumination’s Lindsey Nance gives us the weather, Brooke Dorris has the scoop in entertainment and Patrick Carpenter brings us the latest in the world of sports....
by Myckelle Williams | Nov 11, 2016 | News Slider
The Who Picked This Book? club featured Lipscomb English professor Dana Carpenter’s Bohemian Gospel on Tuesday in Beaman Library. Bohemian Gospel is a historical fiction thriller set in thirteenth-century Bohemia. The novel is Carpenter’s debut first and has appeared in The Arkansas Review, Jersey Devil Press and Maypop. The novel also won Killer Nashville’s 2014 Claymore Award. The novel tells the harrowing tale of a bold, fierce and unusual young orphan girl named Mouse, who is on a quest to uncover her past and find her destiny. Carpenter said that a lot of readers will be able to relate to Mouse’s challenges along the journey, as well as her courage during the process of self-discovery. “All of us can relate to that struggle, and isn’t that what we are here to do?” Carpenter said. Carpenter said she is a person of faith, and although her book is not a Christian novel, it is considered to be “deeply spiritual.” “Mouse’s experiences will cause the reader to examine the nature of Good vs. Evil,” Carpenter noted. “The book asks tough spiritual questions without an agenda. It encourages readers to start asking themselves the complicated questions and finding their own answers.” Her advice to other new writers is not to be too self-critical. “First drafts are supposed to be bad,” Carpenter said. “As a writer, you won’t always know what’s next. You may struggle and wrestle with the outcome and the direction of the story — but just don’t quit.” Bohemian Gospel is available at Beaman Library, Green Hills Branch Library, on Amazon and Kindle and in New Releases in Barnes and Nobles. The...
by KJ Lauck | Nov 11, 2016 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports
Lipscomb basketball is officially here as the men’s team kicked off its 16th season Friday afternoon at noon in Allen Arena. The Lady Bisons will open their season with a game against Loyola (MD) tonight at 5 p.m. The following preview is a rundown of last season as well as predictions for both the men’s and women’s upcoming season. Last Season for men’s basketball Last year, Lipscomb finished 12-21 (7-7) and advanced to the A-Sun semi-finals as the number six seed. Lipscomb was beaten by Stetson 96-75. As a team, Lipscomb out-shot its opponents from the three-point line, making 331 to its opponents’ 305 made threes. The Bisons were led by leading scorer and senior point guard, J. C. Hampton (15.9 PPG) and leading rebounder freshman forward Eli Pepper (7.8 RPG), who was also third in the A-Sun in rebounding. Sophomore guard Nathan Moran led the team in assists with (4.6 APG). Outlook Subtractions: The Bisons lost J. C. Hampton and fellow senior forward Talbot Denny as both players transferred. Lipscomb will look to replace Hampton’s scoring. Denny redshirted last year due to injury. Additions: Four freshmen: guards Kenny Cooper, John Matt Merit and Michael Buckland and forward Kenny Bunton. One transfer: guard Matt Rose from Samford University. Coach Casey Alexander’s thoughts: “I don’t walk into this season, this year – at all thinking we’ve got holes.” “I think that we have depth. I think we have balance, and so that’s really the first time since we’ve been here that I knew that was the case.” “This is really the first time since we’ve been here that we’ve got...
by Charissa Ricker | Nov 10, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
The holiday season is full of fun, food and for most American families, drama. “Almost Christmas” tells the story of the Meyers family as they gather for Christmas in Alabama for the first time since the death of their matriarch. The two-hour film stars Danny Glover (“Lethal Weapon”), Gabrielle Union (“10 Things I Hate About You”), Jesse T. Usher (“Independence Day”) and several other top-billed cast members who make the movie a highly-anticipated film. The first few scenes show the montage backstory of Walter (Glover) and Grace as they grow old together raising their four kids and three grandchildren. As time goes on, the opening tastefully shows the sudden death of Grace 10 months before Christmas. Despite the family’s great loss, Walter tires to honor his wife’s legacy by visiting the town’s homeless shelter, where Grace spent most of her time, and he helps serve the single mothers and their children. He attempts also to recreate his wife’s famous recipes, especially her signature sweet potato pie, as the family starts arriving for the holidays. First to arrive is Grace’s sister, Aunt May (Mo’Nique) with her colorful personality. Soon after, Walter’s son Christian (Romany Malco), his wife Sonya (Nicole Ari Parker) and their son and daughter arrive. Though eager to spend time with family, Christian is pulled away throughout the movie due to his progressing Congress campaign that may jeopardize the town shelter that his mother loved. Walter’s two daughters, Cheryl (Kimberly Elise) and Rachel (Union), arrive next, bringing their long-lived sisterly feud making the following scenes amusingly awkward. Rachel, a strong-willed, single mother, and her quick-witted daughter show up ready for family time amidst...
