Bonnaroo experience lives up to soaring expectations

by | Jun 22, 2010 | News Slider

High expectations were a big part of the baggage I toted to my first Bonnaroo. My plans were that the four-day festival would change the way I experience music. Of course, I didn’t fully express that before the festival, simply because I wanted to cushion the fall if  Bonnaroo failed to live up the hype. Now, a week or so after Dave Matthews Band closed it out, I look back and can say Bonnaroo not only lived up to the hype, it was one of the best experiences of my life. From the moment I first walked beneath the Bonnaroo arch and into Centeroo (where all of the stages are located) until DMB’s final notes, I was enchanted. The What Stage was larger than life, providing the best concert experience I’ve ever had. The three tents (This, That and The Other) housed so many great acts in a single day that I found myself having so many choices, I quickly realized I was going to have to miss several must-see shows just so I could be at another must-see. What a great problem to have. The weekend started off  Thursday evening with Miike Snow at This Tent. Snow is an incredible up-and-coming artist and was the first act I knew I had to see. As I stood there listening to Snow kill his song, “Animal,” I looked around and tried to soak up the epic size of the festival around me. There were things going on everywhere. That was the moment when I knew  four days wouldn’t be enough to absorb everything. From Miike Snow, my friends and I went over to That Tent where we spent the rest...

Music Review: Barenaked Ladies “All In Good Time”

by | Apr 23, 2010 | News Slider

In 2009, when singer, guitarist and co-founder of the Barenaked Ladies Steven Page left the band to pursue a solo career, many fans thought the band would never be the same.  However, the band that Paul McCartney listed among his favorite bands on the current music scene in 2008 has proved their fans wrong. All the best attributes of the Barenaked Ladies are back in this album. Their strong harmonies, astounding songwriting ability, and hit potential all play a factor in their 2010 release “All In Good Time”, their first album since Page’s departure. Page’s departure only had a limited impact, since he and the other band members rotated lead vocals, and the band’s decision to continue without him seems to be a good one. The new album has a great mix of the Barenaked Ladies’ sense of humor, and their sense of in-depth songwriting. “You Run Away,” the album’s first song, was the single released prior to release of the album. There is a slow feel to this song, and it seems to have the greatest hit potential of any of the album’s songs. But the rest of the album is not to be underestimated. “Summertime” and “Four Seconds” are among the new songs that give a funky feel to them,  and while not new to their musical style, they are not what people typically think of when they think “Barenaked Ladies.” If you’re looking for songs that sound just like the Barenaked Ladies you knew from the 90’s, I would suggest “Ordinary” and “I Have Learned”.  Upon first listen, they don’t sound like a different band at...

Movie Review: Secret of Kells

by | Apr 20, 2010 | News Slider

“The Secret of Kells” is an Irish movie that was nominated for best animated picture in the Academy Awards, is an entrancing animated film that showed at the Belcourt Theater in Nashville. The fanciful storybook animation is reminiscent of Samurai Jack and Kim Possible, though the animators don’t hide from the two-dimensional look for the majority of the film. I’ll be looking forward to seeing how good it looks on Blu-ray. The plot revolves around a young Irish lad, Brendan, living in Kells, a community surrounded by walls. The walls are to protect the people from the Norse invaders whilst they complete a book that will “bring light to the darkness.” The plot is fairly simple and easy to follow overall, but a lot is going on in most of the scenes of the film and it can be hard to take it all in at first. It was, however, enough to grab and hold the attention of me, a college student. Though the “Abbot,” “brothers” and Celtic crosses would hint at Catholicism, the filmmakers seemed to avoid any kind of religious agenda. If you do your research, you will see that the Book of Kells is actually a heavily illustrated and ornamental book containing the four Christian gospels in Latin. I wouldn’t recommend the movie to people with small children, as I imagine a few scenes (such as when the Vikings attack, or when Brendan encounters the cave of Crom Cruach) might be too frightening for them. The soundtrack to the film was also incredible. Mostly featuring classic instrumental Irish folk music, it’ll definitely be one to pick...