Hip Hop Record Listening Party!!!

We had a fantastic hip hop record listening party in the music library tonight. Professor Ford's Death of Hip Hop Class and Professor Myers' class came down to kick back to Kanye, Biggie, Lauren Hill, Ghostface Killah, etc, etc. Check out these pictures!

Senior Recital

Music Department Senior Recital

Alyson Melzer, violin, from the studio of Lawrence Sonderling,
with Galina Barskaya, piano

Saturday, April 9, 2011
7:30 p.m. Bird Studio

Reception following recital
*

Snoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo00p

Snoop came to Oxy this weekend. It didn't really seem like a logical choice-- given that Oxy is an extremely politically correct student body and about 50% hipsters-- but it was still pretty cool. No one seemed to know who was opening even after he came and went, but supposedly it was someone mildly famous/good. Held in the Greek Bowl, it was actually surprisingly half-full ish. You had a few choices for a view, either try to penetrate the moshpit surrounding the stage (like I did), stand in the central grass area, or up on the stairs. Unless you were unlucky enough to be at the very back of the moshpit, most people could see Snoop. I thought he did a good job, despite his graying hair, he still hits every line and just has a really great stage presence. It probably doesn't hurt to have a solid backup team of DJs and rappers, plus three foxy dancers with their stink faces on. All in all, a good show.

photo credit: Elke Teichmann

This is cool

Borrowed from the LA Weekly:

Addictive Music Website Alert: The Ambient Genius of "You Are Listening to L.A."

By Gustavo Turner, Thu., Mar. 31 2011 @ 10:00AM

​One of the most annoying things about the current state of the Internet is its lack of elegance. When Mark Zuckerberg wiped the floor with the cluttery, vile thing MySpace had become, his mantra was "make a product that is useful and doesn't suck" (Facebook has struggled, with different degrees of success to retain that mantra through all the changes and the growth).

That's why we get particularly happy when someone comes up with a simple concept that works. It's not that common.

Some enterprising soul San Francisco's Eric Eberhardt has created a genius ambient music project online that consists of only three variables: a photo of a city, a randomized selection of very good, chill ambient music, and the feed from the police radio scanner for that city. They call it "You Are Listening To..."

"You Are Listening to New York" is typically gritty, "You Are Listening to Montreal" is fascinatingly French, but our favorite (of course) is "You Are Listening to Los Angeles":

Click here. Play it as background music. We dare you to turn it off.

The Seven

The Theater Department Presents
THE SEVEN written and directed by Will Power

THE SEVEN is a hip-hop adaptation of Aeschylus' SEVEN AGAINST THEBES,
which follows the struggles of Eteocles and Polynices, the two sons of
the cursed King Oedipus, as they fight for the throne of Thebes. This
is a story of war, family, and a cursed society unsure of how to free
itself. Writer and composer Will Power has taken this classical tale
of pre-destination versus choice and updated it with an urban idiom to
explore modern themes including poverty, race and the abuse of power.
The entire script is in rhyming verse, interwoven with such musical
styles as calypso, do-wop, R & B, funk, and blues. The amazing Kathyrn
Bostic (Musical Direction), grace shinhae jun (Choreography), and a
cast of 18 join Will Power to create this complex and ambitious piece
that will make an old story come alive for a new generation.

April 15-17 & 21-23 at 7:30pm and May 14 at 8:00pm in Keck Theater.
Join us for a post-show discussion with Will on Friday, April 15.

Tickets are $15 for students, senior citizens, and Oxy faculty & staff
Group rates are available. Call extension 2922 or email
theater@oxy.edu for tickets and information.
You can reserve your tickets in the quad during lunch starting April 11.

Visit http://departments.oxy.edu/theater/The_Seven.htm for more
information.

Celebrate Bach's Birthday with the LA Chamber Orchestra!

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra presents "Bach's Birthday".
8pm this Saturday at the Alex Theater in Glendale.

Featuring Bach's most beloved masterpieces:
1) Bach Keyboard Concerto No. 6 in F major, BWV 1057
2) Bach Cantata 170, "Vergnugte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust" ("Contented
rest, beloved soul's desire"), BWV 170
3) Bach "Erbarme dich, mein Gott" ("Have mercy, my God") from St
Matthew Passion, BWV 244
4) Bach Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068

Follow this link for more information and program notes
http://www.laco.org/performances/149/

Rebecca Black's Friday is Just Awful

Rebecca Black recently achieved internet stardom with the single "Friday" and not because it's especially catchy or good. Rather, this may be the worst song I've ever heard, and most people on the internet seem to agree. Read this yahoo news post that captures my thoughts exactly:

Hey kids! Guess what? Apparently awful is the new great. In an age when the music business is suffering dearly--when even vocal dynamos like Christina Aguilera can't sell albums or concert tickets anymore, and thousands of unsigned, undiscovered artists have to sell records out of their car trunks--a mind-meltingly horrific song called "Friday," by a previously unknown, marginally talented teen-pop singer named Rebecca Black, managed to rack up more than 2.2 million views on YouTube (yes, that's right, TWO-MILLION, TWO-HUNDRED-THOUSAND) just over this past weekend.

It must be seen, and heard, to be believed:

The video got its first big promotion, perhaps not coincidentally, last Friday, when Comedy Central's Tosh.0 blog posted it under the headline "Songwriting Isn't For Everyone." And that was all it took. By the weekend's end, "Friday" had been Tumblr'd, Facebooked, blogged, and tweeted by countless baffled viewers--and dozens of covers and parodies had popped up on YouTube as well, including an amusingly Dylanesque one.

The virality of "Friday," a wannabe weekend-party anthem for the new generation, had nothing to with the song being any good, Rebecca being particularly attractive or gifted, or even with the fact that it was, well, the weekend. It's simply because it was so unbelievably BAD. ("A whole new level of bad," according to none other than Time magazine.) And it's because the song and video raised so many fascinating questions...such as:

Who the heck is this girl? How did she get a record deal? Why is she sitting at a bus stop, if her friends are picking her up in their car? Why is she so indecisive about whether to sit in the front or back seat? If the girl standing to her right is her friend, then is that girl on her left her frenemy? Did the general public REALLY need to be informed that Thursday comes before Friday, or that Sunday comes after Saturday? And, most importantly: Is this a real thing? Or is this an SNL Digital Short for which the Lonely Island are responsible?

Honestly, we're not sure if these questions will ever be properly answered. But we do know that "Friday" is the churned-out product of a Los Angeles-based company called the Ark Music Factory, which sends out casting calls looking for singers between the ages of 13 and 17 to record its songs and, if all goes well, become overnight YouTube stars (a la Justin Bieber). Rebecca Black's "Friday" is Ark's first major hit--and after this, we sincerely hope it's the company's last.

The Strokes' Newest Album

I've been cultivating an obsession with Julian Casablancas for a while now, and I'm incredibly stoked for the newest Strokes album coming out March 22. Check out the two singles they've released so far, I think they have all of the old-pre Julian's solo career catchyness while still encompassing some new ideas. This album is supposed to be more of a collaboration between the bandmembers since most of the previous music was written by Julian alone.





P.S. Check out this picture of Julian Casablancas as a rocker daddy.

FREE TICKETS WOOOOO!

The Music Department has 10 tickets to donate to you for the Colburn
Orchestra on Saturday, March 5, at 8 p.m. The concert includes music by Stravinsky, Brahms, and Berlioz, and the performers are college-age conservatory students from the acclaimed Colburn School downtown. The Ambassador Auditorium is just down the road in Pasadena:

http://theambassadorauditorium.org/ for information and directions.

Just come by the Music Department and ask for Colburn Orchestra tickets.

BONNAROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The Bonnaroo lineup was recently announced and it looks even more sicknasty than Coachella and Sasquatch COMBINED!!! Seriously, this is probably every band I've wanted to see in the last 2 years and more. Looks like I'm going to Tennesse.

Watch this silly video of Conan (who did a set at Bonnaroo last year) announcing the lineup, plus some really amazing/headachey graphics that fully convey the magnitude of this event.

Plus go here for the full lineup: http://www.bonnaroo.com/artists.aspx

The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra presents French Connection.

Featuring *Ravel, Saint-Saens, and Beethoven.*

At 8pm on Feb 26 at the Alex Theater in Glendale.
It is a beautiful theater that is only 2 blocks away from the Americana.

Follow this link for more information and program notes
http://www.laco.org/performances/148/
As students we get great discounts from LACO http://www.laco.org/college/
Email sittig@oxy.edu or the Box Office (tickets@laco.org) with
questions.

Sasquatch Lineup!!

Did you miss out on getting Coachella tickets? (I know I did, one week and sold out was CRAZZZYYYY!) Have no fear, Sasquatch is here! and the lineup is looking pretty fearsome. CH-ch-checkitout.

Free Sanata Cecilia Orchestra Concert Feb 13

Santa Cecilia Orchestra
Sonia Marie De León de Vega, conductor

February 13th, Sunday, 4 p.m. at Thorne Hall. All Occidental students, faculty and staff may attend *free* with Oxy ID to receive
*one free ticket *

..

In this concert, audience members will enjoy the individual talents of SCO musicians in repertoire ranging from the virtuosity of Vivaldi to the genius of Bach and the passion of tango master Astor Piazzolla.

Music director and conductor Sonia Marie De León de Vega will lead the orchestra performing Concerto for 2 Violins Op. 3 No.2 by Antonio Vivaldi, J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and Concerto for Violin and Oboe, Suite Argentina by Alberto Williams and Astor Piazzolla’s Libertango. Featured soloists include Salpy Kerkorian, Melissa Phelps, Yi-Huan Zhao, Anna Kostyushek and Alexander Kalman. SCO also welcomes back the celebrated
radiance of its special guest artist, pianist Natasha Marin.

There will be one performance only of this program, which will take place at Occidental College’s Thorne Hall, on Sunday February 13, 2010 at 4:00 p.m

..

More information can be found at www.scorchestra.org.

The White Stripes are Over

As you may have heard, the White Stripes are official done. Not that it's really much of a surprise, they haven't made a record in quite some time, and Jack White has been busy with the Raconteurs and his most recent project, The Dead Weather (consisting of that crazy chick from The Knife and 2 guys from Queens of the Stone Age, they are totally and completely BADASS. Seriously, check out this music video where they do nothing but shoot at each other...but in a really awesome kind of way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7QSkI6My1g).

Here's the official announcement to pull on your heartstrings:

"The White Stripes would like to announce that today, February 2nd, 2011, their band has officially ended and will make no further new recordings or perform live.

The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue, nor any health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health.

It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve What is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way.

Meg and Jack want to thank every one of their fans and admirers for the incredible support they have given throughout the 13 plus years of the White Stripes' intense and incredible career.

Third Man Records will continue to put out unreleased live and studio recordings from The White Stripes in their Vault Subscription record club, as well as through regular channels.

Both Meg and Jack hope this decision isn't met with sorrow by their fans but that it is seen as a positive move done out of respect for the art and music that the band has created. It is also done with the utmost respect to those fans who've shared in those creations, with their feelings considered greatly.

With that in mind the band have this to say:

"The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful."

Sincerely,
Meg and Jack White
The White Stripes"

Music of the People, by the People, for the People

*The Occidental College Music Department*

* *

*presents*

* *

* *

*Music of the People, by the People, for the People***

*Karen Benjamin '83, soprano*

*Alan Chapman (former Oxy professor), bass and vocals*

*Cedric Berry, bass*

*Victoria Kirsch, piano
*

*
*

* *

A concert of 19th-century American folk songs,

spirituals and Hutchinson Family songs

conceived and produced by Karen Benjamin

*Friday, January 28, 2011*

*Bird Studio*

*12:30 – 1:25 p.m.*

*CSP 99*

*Free*

Headphones!

I recently acquired a pair of headphones with subwoofers in them and I was a little unhappy with the sound quality, so I started looking up reviews of better headphones. I stumbled across this website head-fi.org which is really interesting, it has about everything you could ever want to know about headphones and sound systems. I especially enjoyed this post by a headphone aficionado about his 20 favorite pairs of headphones (I know, WHO has that many headphones?!). It really makes you think about the different aspects of sound and how music can change based on how it's delivered. Enjoy.

Oxy Jazz Tuesday Dec. 7!

Faculty Music Recital at 12:30!

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West's newest album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" is kind of mind-blowingly awesome. Released on Nov. 22 (the anniversary of the Kennedy assassination), the album shot straight to number one and sold 496,000 upon its debut. I was lucky enough to receive a pair of subwoofer "skullcrusher" headphones for my birthday and the first thing I did was sit down to listen to the culmination of Kanye's career. And I have to say, it is incredible. I don't normally listen to entire rap albums in a single sitting just for funsies, but I found that I really could not tear my focus away. Track favorites: "Lost in the World" which samples Bon Iver's "Woods" (a song I fall asleep to...it's not quite as soothing in this light); opening track "Dark Fantasy" which begins with Nicki Minaj reciting Roald Dahl's reworking of Cinderella in a weird faux-British accent; and "All of the Lights" which features 11 different artists but the only distinguishable voice is Rihanna's, who sings the hook. Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine can say it a lot better than I can.

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.