Jugglers, Dinosaurs, and the Shiny Maracas

Hey everybody.  John here with another weekend report.  This week was pretty unusual, because my band didn't have any shows to play.  We haven't had a week off since February, so I have to admit that it was nice to just hang out and do normal college kid stuff.  That said though, I'm starting to miss doing things like this every weekend:

Fortunately, we start playing again on the 20th, and we'll have a minimum of three shows before school lets out.

Instead of playing songs about eating people, as I'm accustomed to doing most Friday nights, I attended Juggleville 008: Gravity Protocol, which featured Mayfield 2's own Jacob Lamberth.  It was the first time I've ever attended Juggleville, and I have to admit it was pretty entertaining.  The show featured 007 and his trusty sidekick, whose name I have completely forgotten, as they attempt to stop a madman from doing something nefarious involving gravity.  There's no dialogue, so I can't be very specific about the details.  The combination of juggling and a doomsday device reminded me of a great Far Side cartoon where an audience member heckles a juggler for using nuclear warheads that have clearly been defused.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find this cartoon on the internet, so here's Calvin and Hobbes instead.

Later that night, I decided to return to Bioshock, a game I had started about a month ago but had stopped playing due to large amounts of schoolwork.  Hardcore gamers will probably find me pathetically behind the times, given that the third installment of this series just came out a few days ago, but I tend to only play games once they've been out long enough to be considered nostalgic and, more importantly, dirt cheap.  For those that haven't played it, Bioshock really is one of the best games ever made, and I highly recommend it as long as you can stomach some of the more gruesome elements of the game.  The visuals are amazing, the story is well-developed, and the enemies of the game are incredible.  The game really manages to affect the player on a psychological level, making for an unsettling but very compelling playing experience.  If you're interested, here's a clip that really demonstrates how well-designed the enemies are.  Not only can they be difficult to kill, but they're specifically designed to play off the paranoia of the player, making them some of the best enemies I've ever encountered in a game.

This weekend I ended up watching quite a few movies, beginning on Saturday with Jurassic Park.  For those of you who weren't aware, there has been a recent trend where older films are reformatted for 3D, seemingly in an attempt to make more money without making more movies.  In the case of Jurassic Park, however, I feel that it was actually worthwhile to see the 3D version, even if it meant paying good money to see a film I already own.  Jurassic Park was already a very visually appealing movie, and it looked even better in 3D on an IMAX screen.  I mean, who doesn't want to see this in 3D?

The second film I watched was The Room, a movie I've seen about four times now.  It is widely considered to be one of the worst films ever made, but it fails so completely at everything it attempts that the result is much funnier than the majority of today's comedies.  The music is bad, the stock footage is placed at strange moments, there's an overabundance of spoons for some reason, characters were played by more than one actor, and protagonist/director/producer/writer Tommy Wiseau is the single strangest person to ever be captured on film.  Here's a scene where our hero Johnny goes to buy some flowers, resulting in some of the most awkwardly paced dialogue I've ever heard.

The third movie I saw this weekend was Memento, a film directed by Christopher Nolan.  I won't say much about this movie other than that it's very good and worth your time if you have two hours to kill.

Finally, on Sunday night I ended up going to Kay Bob's, a restaurant on 21st avenue a couple of blocks away from the Commons.  There I met with a few friends to have dinner and participate in the restaurant's weekly Trivia Night.  This was our first time attempting to compete in a trivia night, as an employee creepily pointed out when they promised to take our trivia virginity.  Our team name was the Shiny Maracas, and we actually did pretty well for our first time.  We didn't place, but all of the teams' scores were fairly close, so I feel fairly confident that if we took another stab at it we'd eventually win something.

Anyway, that about covers my weekend.  Here's an amazing video for a song called "Eat Randy."

Weekend Report: Spring Break Edition

Hey everybody.  It's John.  While a lot of you will probably be leaving campus for spring break this weekend, here are some things you can do if you decide to stick around.

There are a couple of interesting films being shown at the Belcourt this Friday.  At 7:30, there will be a screening of the documentary A Place at the Table, which addresses the issue of poverty and hunger in the United States.  After the movie there will be a discussion featuring representatives from Nashville Grown and Community Food Advocates.

On a lighter note, later at night there will be a midnight screening of the movie The Big Lebowski.  If you haven't seen it, it's definitely worth checking out.  The film features a fairly strange, offbeat style of comedy, but it can be pretty entertaining at times, and Jeff Bridges does a great job playing "the Dude," the film's main protagonist.

This is a pretty low-key weekend for music, but there are still plenty of options if you're looking for something to do.  Venues like Exit/In and Mercy Lounge have bands play almost every night, and admission is usually very reasonable.  On Saturday, the End has a $5 show featuring Kill City, a pretty solid punk/rock band from the area.  Also, if you're a fan of country music, the Grand Ole Opry will have a decent show that night with Blake Shelton as the headliner.

In my opinion, probably the most exciting show happening this weekend will be Buddy Guy this Friday at the War Memorial Auditorium.  For those of you who aren't familiar with him, Buddy Guy was one of the pioneers of the Chicago blues and an early recording artist for Chess Records, which also recorded famous blues artists like Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker.  In case you haven't heard his music before, here's one of my favorite songs of his.

While not a weekend event, anybody staying on campus the entire week might be interested in seeing the musical American Idiot , which will be playing at the Andrew Jackson Hall.  It features an interesting take on a number of Green Day songs, not only from American Idiot, but also the albums Nimrod and 21st Century Breakdown.  It also has a few original songs written by the band specifically for this production.

Hopefully this post will provide a few options for anyone staying on campus this weekend.  Hope everyone has a great spring break.  Try not to get eaten by piranhas or sand sharks.

Spiderman, Santa, and Sound City

Hey everybody.  John here.  Looks like it's once again my turn to write about the events of this past weekend.

My weekend really started on a high note because I went to the Belcourt Theater to see Sound City.  For those of you who haven't heard of it, this is a documentary directed by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.  It tells of a legendary analog studio called Sound City, where many of the greatest albums in music history were recorded.  Here's a trailer to give you a sense of what it's like:

Being a musician, I naturally thought this was one of the coolest documentaries ever made.  That said, however, I imagine that even non-musicians and people who are unfamiliar with rock history would still enjoy it.  The stories that are told in this film are pretty incredible, and it raises some interesting points about the pros and cons of an increasingly digital recording industry.

Later that day our Mayfield gathered for something called "life maps."  Apparently this is a pretty common ice breaker for those who have participated in Alternative Spring Break, but for those who are unfamiliar with the concept, essentially this is a chance for you to share your life story with people and offer a chance for everyone to get to know you better.  The last time we did this, Nell gave her story, and this time it was my turn.  It was an interesting experience, and I'm looking forward to learning the deepest, darkest secrets of the rest of the Mayfield.  Also, if you're at all curious to learn more about me, yesterday I put up my "...and I'm a Vandy Student" video:

That night I stayed up till about 3 a.m. playing Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions.  So far, I'm still a bit conflicted about the game.  I think I've been spoiled by Spiderman 2, because now I'm disappointed anytime I play a Spiderman game that isn't free-roaming.  I mean, if they could just make this game without Tobey McGuire's voice, it would be the perfect Spiderman game.

That said, one really cool thing about Shattered Dimensions is the inclusion of Spiderman Noir, an alternate version of Spiderman set in the 1930s which focuses much more on stealth and detective work.  There's something immensely satisfying about crawling around in the shadows and slowly picking off everyone in the room.

Although yesterday was primarily devoted to making my "Vandy Student" video, I did get a chance to watch a movie called "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians."  This title might sound familiar to you; it's considered to be one of the classic "so bad it's good" films.  Although I enjoyed it, it certainly did not hold up to some of the other terrible movies I've seen, particularly "The Room," which is one of my favorite movies simply because it's so impressively horrible.

That said, the film still had its moments.  Probably the greatest scene is when Santa first meets the Martian children, which begins around 55:15.  There is no dialogue, just one of the longest, most uncomfortable and uncalled for laughs I have ever heard.  Enjoy.

Finals, Foo Fighters, and Link's Awakening

Hey everybody.  John here.  Looks like it's my turn to write a blog post again.

As most people are probably aware, right now Vanderbilt is in the middle of exam week.  Because of this, the majority of my time has been spent studying for upcoming exams and working on a take-home for an anthropology class.  For the most part, this has been pretty mind-numbing, but the take-home was interesting because I got to do a paper on moshing from a post-modernist perspective.

Anthropology at its finest

To keep me from going insane while studying, I've found myself listening to a lot of new music.  If you want some thrashy punk/metal to listen to while you stare vacantly at notes you don't even remember writing, check out this band I just discovered called Voivod.

I also have a friend who just recently discovered how insanely good the Foo Fighters are, which inspired me to watch their amazing documentary "Back and Forth" for a second time.  Whether you're already a fan of this band or have never heard their music before, I highly recommend this documentary.  The film offers a great mix of humor, passion, and some really incredible live footage of Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a ton of other great bands.

Also, here's an awesome live version of their song "White Limo."

When I wasn't listening to music, I managed to distract myself by playing an emulated version of the Gameboy color game "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX."  Originally released on the black and white Gameboy system, this title was later redone in full color for the Gameboy color, adding a few new features like an extra dungeon and new side quests.  This was the third Zelda game, and it introduced a lot of the classic elements of the 2D games like the ability to equip different items for both the A and B buttons and the ability to jump using the Roc's feather.  This game is really strange compared to the other Zelda titles.  It deals a lot with dream imagery, and because of that there are a lot of bizarre elements to the game.

In the other titles, you fight through dungeons to save the princess.
In Link's Awakening, you fight through dungeons to get THIS.

The game also features some surprising cameos from characters outside of the Zelda universe.  Does this look familiar?

Or this?

How about this?

The only time I managed to get away from my computer this weekend was when I went to Clarksville to play a show at the Coup with the bands Guntherdoug and Linear Downfall.  We had a reporter come down that night to take some photos of us for an upcoming article in Clarksville's newspaper the Leaf Chronicle.  This was the 49th Resistance House Band show, which is kind of exciting because our 50th will be at the Coup's insanely big End of the World show.

If you want to know what zombie rock sounds like, there's free music here.

Anyway, that pretty much covers my weekend.  Since we are rapidly approaching winter break, this is going to be our last post of the calendar year.  We'll be resuming our posts whenever everyone gets back on campus.  Hope everyone does well on their finals and has a great break!

Band Practice!

Hey everyone.  John here with a kind of unexciting weekend to tell you about.

This weekend I went back to Clarksville, TN to be with family for my dad's 60th birthday.  We had a fairly low-key celebration, which featured a nice dinner, opening of cards and presents, and birthday cake.  Since I'm allergic to eggs, I usually don't get to eat cake when other people have birthdays, so my dad's birthday marks one of the three times a year that I have access to egg-free cake, which is awesome.

I also got to see my girlfriend, Paige, who was in town for fall break.  Unfortunately, she had a ton of family members that hadn't seen her for a long time, so we didn't really get to hang out very much.  With the exception of driving her to and from Nashville, we only got to hang out about five hours and didn't really do anything exciting.

Mission Accomplished

By far my favorite part of the weekend was getting to have band practice for my zombie rock group the Resistance House Band.  For some reason, I find it really hard to meet other musicians at Vanderbilt, with the exception of every guy with an acoustic guitar that plays the Fray, Lifehouse, Dave Matthews Band, Oasis, Goo Goo Dolls, and a heartfelt, tear-jerking rendition of "Hey There Delilah."

I blame this video.

Since I haven't really found any musicians that I mesh with on campus, it's nice to be able to go back home and get to play with an actual band after weeks of playing by myself in my room.  Plus, our bassist had a new fuzz pedal for me to try out that day, and it sounds awesome.  It gives us more of a garage rock sound than we usually have.  We've got shows booked every weekend from now through mid-November, including one gig with a fill-in drummer, so we've got a lot of work to do in the next few weeks.

Old photo, but it gives you a sense of what our practice space is like.

Anyway, that about covers my weekend.  Hope you enjoyed it, and check back on Wednesday to get info on the coming weekend.

What's Going On This Weekend?

Hey everyone.  This is John.  Today I have the pleasure of kicking off one of our weekly posts, a summary of events going on at Vanderbilt and in Nashville.

1.  Brazil Week -  Those of you who aren't Spanish or Latin American Studies majors may not be aware that Vanderbilt is currently celebrating "Brazil Week."  If you get out of classes early, at 9:30 a.m. this Friday there will be a presentation on education in Brazil at the Wyatt Center, 050-3.  Then at 12:30 p.m. there will be a demonstration of traditional Brazilian martial arts dance on the Commons Center Lawn.

2.  Live Music -  Given that this is Music City, I thought I'd list some of the live music events going on this weekend.

This Friday at 3rd and Lindsley, Jonell Mosser will be performing.  You can get tickets here.  I highly recommend checking out this site every now and then or signing up for their mailing list.  They get the word out about concerts a lot sooner than most other sites I've seen, and their service fees are a lot more reasonable than Ticketmaster.  Anyway, here's what Jonell Mosser sounds like:

Also, this Friday at Exit/In (my favorite local venue) the band Turbo Fruits are holding a record release show with Ranch Ghost, King Carl, and Fox Fun.  If you're into garage rock, this is going to be a cool concert.  I've seen Ranch Ghost before, and they put on a good show.  You can get more info here.

You can also check out Grammy award winner Don Schlitz this Friday at the famous Bluebird Cafe.  Schlitz is an extremely talented songwriter whose songs have been recorded by artists like Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, and Alison Krauss.  Keep in mind that in addition to the $10 cover charge, patrons of the Bluebird Cafe are also expected to purchase at least $7 of food/beverages.

This Saturday at 12th and Porter, bluegrass band the Travelin McCourys are playing.  You can buy tickets here. Here's what the band sounds like:

If electronic dance music is more your thing, Archnemesis is playing at Exit/In on Saturday.

If budget and transportation are an issue, you might want to swing by Centennial Park this Saturday for Musicians Corner, which features a variety of local artists.  Acoustic performances start at 2:30 p.m., with the main acts beginning at 3:00.

Finally, if you own a car and really want to get out of Nashville this weekend, Clarksville is holding their annual Riverfest on Friday and Saturday.  In addition to two days of free live music, there's also good food, vendors, and various contests throughout the day to keep you busy.  I mainly mention this because my band's playing in it, but the rest of the event's really cool too.  You can get more info at their official website.

3.  This Friday and Saturday, Bridgestone Arena is hosting PBR, which is the unfortunate acronym for the Professional Bull Riders competition.  Tickets range from $10.50 to $102.50 (for all you hardcore bull riding fans out there).

This would be a pretty good slogan for Pabst Blue Ribbon too.

4.  There will be a screening of the movie Carmen (1915) this Sunday at the Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall in Blair.  This event is free to the public and will last from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  If you're interested in seeing a movie this weekend, the Belcourt theater is also a great place to go.  This weekend, Belcourt will be hosting several outdoor film screenings as part of their Flicx program.  From 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, they'll be showing It's Always Fair Weather.  Later, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., they'll be showing Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein.  On Sunday from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. they're showing Beasts of the Southern Wild.  A word of caution (not related to this weekend's movies): as an independent movie theater, sometimes the Belcourt shows movies that are more disturbing, violent, sexual, etc. than what you'll see in your average cinema.  If that's something you're uncomfortable with, you might want to check out IMDB's content advisory before spending money on a ticket.

5.  This Saturday you can go to Centennial Park to see a performance of Much Ado About Nothing.  The play starts at 6:30 and is free to the public.

6.  This Friday, from 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., LGBTQI life is hosting a barbecue.  They have vegan and vegetarian options available, and they'll also be providing Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  If you're interested in joining the organization or want to know what other resources are available for LGBTQI students, this is a good event to go to.

7.  Finally, this Sunday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., the Juggling and Physical Arts Club is hosting an open house at the Commons Multipurpose Room.  One of our project members, Jacob, is part of this club, so you should drop by to say hello!

Well, I think that about wraps it up for this week.  If you know of anything that should be on here, please let us know and we'll update it.  Have a good weekend!