Kristen Nowlain

Hey All!

Come and support Kristen Nowlain as she performs her Junior Recital at Bird Studio this Saturday, December Fourth.

The performance is free and is at 2:30 pm. Be prepared to hear some awesome singing!

Acoustic Night at the Oxy Green Bean

Occidental's fabulous coffee house the Green Bean is showcasing student musicians this Thursday December 2nd! Head on down between 8 and 10 pm to drink something warm and hear something chill :)

emerging subgenre: 'postdubstep'

In 2005 and 2006, a new sound from south london grew out of the fertile mixture of electronic music genres including 2step, funky, garage, acid house, minimal techno, grime, and jungle. it was called dubstep, a term which included a wide range of musical activity, but generally characterized by an emphasis on synthesized sub bass, instrumental beats, noise like sounds, and a rhythmic profile which grew from traditional hiphop beatmaking. Dubstep was london's main dance music export until 2010. Now however, a new crop of artists are taking the tradition into new terrain. The term 'post dubstep' is beginning to surface around the works of composers like Mount Kimbie and James Blake. Also, retroactively, the term suites the music of Burial very well; he can be seen as a founding figure of post dubstep. Listen for manipulations of identifiable instruments, ghostly effected vocals, and a new tonal palate which brings deep emotions to this music. Barely born, postdubstep seems to be a powerful new vein in the constantly evolving conversation of IDM.
here are some highlights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ7AF8IG7Eg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBsJ09RhqZw

Prerequisite Removed for Music 395 in Spring!

Hey Oxy Students!

Looking to knock off some core requirements? Interested in taking a class in the music department? Do you like food? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Advanced Topics in the Critical Study of Music: Music and Food is the class for you!

Here's a quick blurb from Professor Kasunic himself:

Dear Students:

We have removed the music prerequisite for the following seminar, which only

had the prerequisite because it is a 300-level course. The course does not
require students who are able to read music, only students who are
intellectually curious and engaged readers. It fulfills both the FA and EU
CORE requirements.

If this course is up your alley (cup of tea, I should say), please do
consider taking it. My hope is that we'll chart new territory.

David Kasunic

*Music 395, Advanced Topics in the Critical Study of Music: Music and Food*
This interdisciplinary course will examine the relationship between music and food, and thus hearing and taste, in Europe and the United States, beginning with the 16th-century category of musical composition called “table music” and culminating in the present-day gastropub. Along the way we will explore topics such as the 18th-century emergence of aesthetics as a branch of philosophy, the rise of the restaurant and gastronomy, Dandyism and Decadent literature, and “fine dining” in the United States. We will read scholarly literature from the fields of philosophy, history, cognitive science, sociology, literature, and music, and classes will include visits from scholars in these fields. This will be a discussion-based research seminar, peppered with a few short writing assignments and class reports. Students will carve out an area of research early on and develop it over the course of the semester, culminating in a research presentation and final argument-driven research paper. The course will conclude with the fastidious recreation of an historical banquet. This courses fulfills both FA and EU

CORE requirements.

Sufjan Stevens: Age of Adz

Sufjan Stevens is an artist who, over the course of the last decade, has positioned himself at the crossroads of baroque pop, folk, and minimallism. His last effort, Illinois, was a huge and rich record of sentimental songs, meticulously scored for various instrumental ensembles. On the 'Age of Adz' album, Sufjan reaches out to the trending styles of beat music and minimal techno/ electro pop. his songs are still highly produced and often feature live orchestral instruments, but much of his detailed work here happens in the cleanliness of his bouncing synths and R&B piano. He also lets his voice go more than ever here; its impossible to imagine his current trajectory without Joanna Newsom's career. Apparently the two are friends. check the link for the great video to this album's single, 'Too Much'.
http://pitchfork.com/tv/

Harry Potter Soundtrack!

Harry Potter 7 Part 1 came out today, WOOOOOOO!!!!!! I'm a bit of a nut, and along with several of my music library coworkers, I went and saw the movie at the midnight release last night (and then subsequently slept through all my classes this morning. Worth it.) So I thought in honor of this momentous day for our generation, I would blog about the soundtrack.

Now we're all familiar with the hauntingly delicious "Hedwig's Theme" originally composed by John Williams. HP7 director David Yates had wanted to bring John Williams back for the final movie, but apparently their schedules just didn't fit (ummm John Williams I know you are the richest composer in the world and all, but when the greatest franchise in history comes a knockin' you better MAKE time to answer). So they got Andres Desplat instead, still a very well-known and respected soundtrack composer. You might have heard his work before in The Golden Compass, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, The Girl with the Pearl Earring, or The Case of Mr. Benjamin Button.

Larry Karush on Nov. 20

The Occidental College Music Department

presents

Faculty Artist Recital

Larry Karush, piano

featuring
Chris Colangelo, bass
Randy Gloss, percussion
Brad Dutz, percussion
Danilo Lozano, flute

Saturday, November 20, 2010
Bird Studio
7:30n p.m.

This concert is courtesy of teh Recording Industries' Music Performance Fund

Norma R. Navarro

Music Department

323-259-2785

Fax: 323-341-4983

Concert 11/19 ElSuper Music Collective

Cozy - Blud from Nelson A. Melgar on Vimeo.

This coming Friday night, very important concert at the ElSuper Music Collective, titled:The Hot Box. Come at ninePM for the kick it, stay past ten for the jams. Sets from Feed Me, Xei the Ghost, Cozy, Ded Pimpin, and Supa Ape will cascade in immediate succesion. Everyone will have fun exploring different elements of contemporary L.A. music. all are welcome, 906 N. Ave 56 90042 in Highland Park

above is a video by the collective

Profile: Shangaan Electro

Nozinja Music has released a compilation called Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa. Shangaan is a new dance music style emerging from the townships of South Africa. Blazingly fast drum machines, soulful repetetive singing, and emotional chord progressions lend this entire comp an pulsing beauty. At first these songs will sound impossibly fast and giggly, but with repeated listens the effect becomes very romantic, evoking the ambient two step of UK producer Burial. This compilation is a wonderful profile in an exciting new music, stick with it and it will stick with you.

FESTIVAL FUN!!

Are you a festival goer? A massive musical bundle of joy when the lineups get announced for the coming season? Well I know I am, and even though it might be a little early to start getting excited about the 2011 festivals, I felt it could never hurt to start looking into it sooner rather than later. Ranging from festivals close to home, or (if you're feeling particularly adventurous) located all the way across the Atlantic, here are several festivals you do not want to miss out on!

COACHELLA!

Where: Indio, CA, USA

When: 15, 16, 17 April 2011

Headliners 2010: Jay-Z, Gorillaz, Muse, Sly & The Family Stone, David Guetta

Tickets: around $270 for a 3-day pass; sales start on 1/22/11

More info: www.coachella.com

SUMMERFEST

Where: Milwaukee, WI, USA

When: 30 June - 10 July 2011

Headliners 2010: Kool & the Gang, The Wailers, Jeff Beck, B. B. King, Eric Clapton, Santana

Tickets: 15$ / day general admission

More info: www.summerfest.com

SENSATION WHITE

Where: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

When: 2 July 2011

Lineup 2011 (!): Swedish House Maffia, Sunnery James & Ryan Marcano, Mr. White, Chuckie

Tickets: 71,25 Euro

More info: www.sensation.com

GLASTONBURY

Where: Glastonbury, UK

When: 22 June - 26 June 2011

Headliners 2010: Muse, Stevie Wonder, Gorillaz

Tickets: 200 Pounds (SOLD OUT for 2011, but don't miss out on the next one as it is one my personal favorites!)

More info: www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk

BENICASSIM

Where: BeniCassim, Castellon, Spain

When: 14 - 17 July 2011

Headliners 2010: Kasabian, Vampire, Prodigy, Gorillaz

Tickets: 125 Pounds earlybird tickets

More info: www.benicassim.org.uk

Chi Tea and Piano

Hello All!

The Freshman is back and with some new found knowledge about LA! The weather in September is colder than that of November on certain occasions and other times it is like that of a freezing December day. The moral of the story? Check before you step outside.

But still, the fall months are in full swing now and I find it particularly dreary to go and practice piano on cold days which leads me to discussing my next discovery. That the Green Bean makes a fantastic Chi Tea, and that grabbing a coffee before one goes off to the small and confined spaces of the practice rooms makes a world of difference.

It all started last week, when I was assigned my piece and was instructed to learn a large amount of the work. A completely fair request to make of someone who is considering becoming a music major. That is until I saw the amount he had etched out in my score with pencil. And as I am not the best sight reader, I envisioned that his subsequent use of that pencil would probably be used to impale me for not being able to accomplish his task without a LOT of practice.

Hence it was a Thursday and I was in the middle of a practice session when the notes began making funny movements and faces at me. It didn't take me long to take a well needed break. Stepping outside for some fresh air, I noticed the trees were beginning to lose their leaves and that it was actually kind of chilly outside. Autumn I thought. Autumn meant halloween and halloween meant pumpkins. Pumpkins reminded me to dessert and my favorite dessert during the fall in a pumpkin spice chi tea latte. As you can see, one association led to the next and suddenly I was craving a Chi Tea which is a favorite fall beverage of mine.

Struck with inspiration, I darted over to the green bean to buy some chi tea. May I say, it is as fabulous as I remember and I was refocused for my practice session.

So before you head to the practice rooms consider swinging by the green bean and picking up your favorite frothy beverage to make your practice a little more enjoyable. Or go ahead and try my recommendation: A large chi tea latte with soy milk and a dash of cinnamon!

Have a Fabulous November!

Best,

A Freshman Music Major

Computer Generated Pop Star

This is an LA Times article about a Japanese holographic popstar, Hatsune Miku. Personally, I think this is pretty horrifying. Not only is it bringing into reality the impossible ideal Japanese female (giant round head, tiny mouth, microscopic waist and ridiculously long legs....and honestly, who has BLUE floor-length pigtails?), but it's bringing manufactured music to a whole new level. We've grown accustomed to the auto-tuned voices of Lil-Wayne and Ke$ha, but at least they are real people with real ideas about how they want to express their "art." This is a company with few artistic aspirations, capitalizing on the demands of popular Japanese culture. I'd say this is going to be the start of something awful, where terrifying holographic cartoons take over the world and replace all the real musicians. However, if you watch the video below it will be painfully clear that no computer-generated sound can possibly be an adequate substitute for a real voice. The music is bad, and it's only redeeming quality is the band (real) which occasionally gets to rock out. Still, I can't help but think about that huge audience and the fact that Hatsune Miku has topped Japanese charts. If an entire country thinks she's great, there's no telling how many other people around the world will begin adopting this idea.

See LA Phil at Disney Hall!

Want to get off campus to hear LA's Philharmonic Orchestra at Disney Hall?

Great! Oxy is making it happen!

Only $10! Includes transportation to and from, admission, and time to see Disney Hall

This Sunday (November 14th) 12:30pm-5pm

RSVP to TJ Kelly at tkelly@oxy.edu and arrange to hand in your nonrefundable $10 to secure your spot! Limited tickets available!

Meet at the main fountain at 12:30pm to head out!

See you there!

Brought to you by: The President's Office, Residence Education and Housing Services, Bell-Young & Wylie Halls.

Music On A Friday Afternoon

The Occidental Music Department
presents
Music On a Friday Afternoon

Friday, November 12, 2010
Bird Studio
4:30pm

Featuring:

Vocalists:
Kainoa King, Santiago Alcantra, Katie Goldberg,
Rebecca Scott, Alexander Kaplan Reyes & Kristine Nowlain

Instrumentalists
Megan Lang, violin, Alyson Melzer, violin,
Amy Ishioka, cello, Mary Flagstad, cello,
Andrew Chang, piano, Joseph Wei, piano

FREE

Announcement: Concert at Booth 11/13

Attention all music listeners: this coming Saturday evening, at 8pm, there will be a concert in the courtyard of the Booth music building. The Los Angles chillwave/ gloFi / new Disco outfit called Kisses will be headlining. Expect rhythmic, tropical pop songs which typify the recent interest in 80's synth sounds and catchy pop writing. Very L.A. right now. The show will be opened by the Highland Park act Cozy, aka Doug Rosenberg, aka me. whassup. for Kisses listening, I refer you to their myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/blowkissess

for Cozy material, and a backlog of music from his house @ElSuperMusic, check their soundcloud here: http://soundcloud.com/melvinrichardson2011

Oxy Students in the NY Times!

This Sunday, November 7, 2010, the New York Times published an article where two current Oxy students, Ben Klute and Josh Erdman were featured! Congratulations Ben and Josh! The NY Times piece was written by Alex Hagwood and was titled, For Gays, New Songs of Survival. The article discussed how chart-topping pop stars have began to sing about the struggles that many young homosexuals face in their daily lives. Unfortunately, the author suggested that it was these same pop stars who began their careers singing songs which many in the gay community objected to. Thus, one music critic explained that maybe these new songs are a way for "[the] artists [to] [tell] us [that] their growing up-an emblematic of an entire generation growing with them." Ben and Josh are featured in the article because they have become quite well known throughout YouTube as the KoverBoyz, who post acoustic versions of Top 40 cover songs. After some of their videos got over 100,000 hits, Ben and Josh "began to add a small stamp to the videos that [read], Legalize Gay." Ben is quoted as saying, "We weren't sure if we were going to express our orientation with these videos, but we wanted people like us to know we're out there." Josh also expressed that, "What these artists are doing means the world to the gay community." This is indeed an accomplishment for both sophomores because it helps spread their message to a far greater audience than they might have ever imagined.

If you would like to read the complete article, please check out the following link, For Gays, New Songs of Survival.

Kisses + Cozy

This Saturday, November 13th, local duo KISSES will be playing at 8pm in the Booth Music Quad (Between Thorne and Newcomb). The show is totally free, and will be opened by none other than our very own Music Library Staffer Mr. Doug Rosenberg!

For more information/to hear a sample of both acts head to the facebook event page!

-Your ever faithful Oxy Music Library Blog Staff

"The Difference between a viola and a violin is that a violin burns longer"

Music Courses for Spring 2011

With registration upon us, I thought I'd share some interesting classes the music department is offering next semester. These are not all the classes available (there are all the additional applied music lessons and other classes for serious musicians), but rather a small snippet of what I picked out. Check out the catalog for more details, and course counts to see who's teaching them/times/etc.

104. MUSIC OF AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
This course surveys the musical styles and genres of the African continent and the Middle Eastern world. Within an ethno-historical framework established at the beginning of the course, emphasis is placed on 1) the region's important musical genres, their social function and musical characteristics, and 2) the instruments used in performing these musical genres. While knowledge of music theory and performance skills are not necessary, it is essential that students be prepared for intensive music listening in and out of class.
CORE REQUIREMENT MET: AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST • FINE ARTS

Free Caltech-Occidental Symphony Orchestra Concert!

The Caltech-Occidental Symphony Orchestra, directed by Allen Gross, will be performing next Saturday and Sunday, November 13th and 14th. The Saturday performance begins at 7:30 pm in Thorne Hall at Occidental College, and the the Sunday performance will be at 3:30 pm in the Ramo Auditorium at Caltech. The orchestra will be performing:

Overture to "The Merry Wives of Windsor" by Otto Nicolai

Symphony No. 4 by Felix Mendelssohn

and

Violin Concerto No. 1 by Dmitry Shostakovich

featuring violinist Lawrence Sonderling

Lawrence Sonderling is an instructor and alumni of Occidental College and has been a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 1977. He is a fantastic violinist and is performing a truly exciting piece. The concert is free so bring your friends and family and come support your Oxy peers while enjoying some great music!

"Remember Remember the Fifth of November..."

Tomorrow is November Fifth. Guy Fawkes Day. For those of you who only know this holiday as an epic V for Vendetta reference, here's a little bit about this British day of celebration and remembrance (lovingly copied and pasted from wikipedia):

Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Fawkes was born and educated in York. His father died when Fawkes was eight years old, after which his mother married arecusant Catholic. Fawkes later converted to Catholicism and left for the continent, where he fought in the Eighty Years' War on the side of Catholic Spain against Protestant Dutch reformators. He travelled to Spain to seek support for a Catholic rebellion in England but was unsuccessful. He later met Thomas Wintour, with whom he returned to England.

Wintour introduced Fawkes to Robert Catesby, who planned to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne. The plotters secured the lease to an undercroft beneath the House of Lords, and Fawkes was placed in charge of the gunpowder they stockpiled there. Prompted by the receipt of an anonymous letter, the authorities searched Westminster Palace during the early hours of 5 November, and found Fawkes guarding the explosives. Over the next few days, he was questioned and tortured, and eventually he broke. Immediately before his execution on 31 January, Fawkes jumped from the scaffold where he was to be hanged and broke his neck, thus avoiding the agony of the drawing and quartering that followed.

Fawkes became synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot, which has been commemorated in England since 5 November 1605. His effigy is burned on a bonfire, often accompanied by a firework
display.

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

The second Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra concert of the year is on November
6th!

Can't wait until Saturday? Then get pumped with this video!


At 8pm on Nov 6 in the Ambassador Auditorium (Pasadena) LACO presents
Discover Beethoven.
Follow this link for more information and program notes
http://www.laco.org/performances/146/


Email (sittig@oxy.edu) or the Box Office (tickets@laco.org) for more
information.

Junko Ueno Garrett

The Occidental College Music Department
Presents a
Faculty Artist Recital
Bicentennial Celebration

Junko Ueno Garrett
With Friends from the LA Phalharmonic
Robert Vijay Gupta and Johnny Lee, Violin
John Hayhurst, Viola
David Garrett, Cello

Playing
Schumann's Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 42,
and Chopin's Ballade #4 in in F minor, op. 52

Monday, November 8th, 2010
Bird Studio
12:30pm
CSP 99
Free

Wonderful Free Music Program: Audacity

I thought I'd take tonight's blog post to profile my personal favorite music application: Audacity. You can download the program for free, and legally; Audacity is open source software that's meant to be used by anyone. Compared with other, expensive software like Ableton, ProTools, or Logic, Audacity might seem very basic. Its simplicity, however, is its greatest asset. With only a little bit of fooling around with the program's interface, users can begin crafting high quality music without any instrumental or theoretical music knowledge. it doesn't take long to learn to read the waveforms, just click File>import>import audio and choose a song you like. then begin playing with the suite of effects available and you'll realize the power that Audacity bestows upon its user.

Fall 2010 Global Hip Hop Series Going On Now!

Taste of Oxy Is Looking For Performers!

On behalf of the students in the Cultural Community Center (ICC) I would like to cordially invite you to participate as a performer at this years Taste of Oxy!

Taste of Oxy is an annual event sponsored by the ICC to celebrate, and bring awareness to the variety of different cultures that make up the Oxy community through food, music, and live entertainment. Taste of Oxy will be held on Sunday, November 14th from 2pm to 5pm at the Academic Quad.

Professors, Faculty, and Staff do not have to audition, but if you are interested in performing your own poetry/spoken word, music, or anything else that expresses appreciation for your cultural background, please email Fatima A. Avellan at avellan@oxy.edu. Please let her know what you want to perform, how long it will take, and the things you will need for the day of (mics and a stage will be provided).

Thank you in advance for your support!!


Click here to watch Doug Locke's legendary performance from Taste of Oxy 2008. Why is it legendary do you ask? Skip to the last minute and find out...

KOXY RADIO PRESENTS: HIP-HOP SATURDAY NITE feat. Alpha MC and Xei the Ghost

This Saturday (Nov. 6) KOXY Radio is teaming up with local hip hop artists Alpha MC and Xei the Ghost (Aaron Hines) to bring you a night of bass slapping and beat matching.

Roll up and rock out this Saturday for a mellow nite of bumpin' and grindin' -- think along the lines of Madlib, John Coltrane, Hieroglyphics, and Stevie Wonder.

The party starts at 8 in the Cooler.

Dia de lo Muertos!

November 2nd marks the Mexican Dia del los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, traditional holiday in which family members honor their deceased ancestors and celebrate life. So once you're done voting (make sure you vote! it's your constitutional right!), head on over to one of the many many festivals happening all over Los Angeles.

I'm particularly attracted to this one happening at the 24th Street Theater, which looks like it;s going to be a blast. They'll have live music performed by La Santa Cecilia (an orchestra which plays regularly at Oxy), Fandango Sin Fronteras, and Maximo el Tenor. There will also be a great deal of live dance and delicious food. You'll be able to make your own altar to put in their graveyard so you can honor your loved ones as well.

Where: 117 W. 24th St(on the corner of 24th and Hover near USC)
When: Tues, Nov. 2, 6-10pm
$$$: FREE!!!
www.24thstreet.org
theatre@24thstreet.org
213.745.6516

And if you'd like some other options, check out this website for other Dia de los Muertos events! http://laeastside.com/2010/10/dia-de-los-muertos-2010/