40 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/11/10 4:00am)
Grade: C
In a day and age where pop punk bands fail to distinguish themselves, it is hard for a band to maintain a sound that its fans can call their own. Halifax is still searching for its unique hook.
The California pop-punkers have been on a four-year hiatus since their last album The Inevitability of a Strange World. Last April, the band released two songs that hinted towards a possible return for the scenesters.
Fast-forward a little more than a year and the band has returned to the spotlight with a six song EP, Align. With its fans anxiously waiting weeks for the release, the band, ultimately, fails to deliver on their latest effort.
Halifax struggles to create a sound that has not been heard before. Even after seven years experience, Align is just another generic pop-punk album. In a genre that is so competitive, it is essential that a band find a niche to call its own.
Any traditional fan of the band, or just the pop-punk sound in general, won't hate the EP. The one bright spot of Align is probably "Breathe". Of all the songs on the album, this track showed the most originality. Although it sets a high bar for creativity and uniqueness, the rest of the album fails to follow suit.
What set the band apart when Inevitability of a Strange World came out was that it was still working in a time where the scene was being formed. It could easily stand out.
But four years and thousands of pop punk bands later, Halifax is destined just to fade into the sea of mediocre pop punk bands. It is sad to see a band that has been around for so long fail to raise to the occasion with their latest release.
Align just goes to show that just because a band hangs around a scene for a while it does not mean that it can still make music. With the EP being only 20 minutes long, it is quick and easy to listen to it, but don't expect to be blown away by these "veterans."
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
(04/01/10 4:00am)
Long Island has produced some of the most well known alternative rock bands of the last decade. Brand New's Your Favorite Weapon in 2001 and Taking Back Sunday's Tell All Your Friends in 2002 were arguably the catalysts that kick started the pop rock genre.
As the bands have grown and progressed, they have shifted away from what originally defined them. But the sound that Brand New and TBS coined at the turn of the millennium is long from dead. New bands have risen in attempt to revive the sound that influenced them all years ago.
Long Island-born band Envy on the Coast is just one of those groups. The band released their second album, LOWCOUNTRY, on March 30th, nearly two and a half years after their debut album, Lucy Gray.
Ryan Hunter, EOTC's lead singer, admits he is greatly influenced by Adam Lazzara of TBS, but actually sounds more like a mix between Craig Owens of Chiodos, and Head Automatica's Daryl Palumbo. Traces of similarity aside, EOTC still brings a fresh sound to rock and adds a sprinkle of political undertones to its latest album.
A shining example of EOTC's profound political lyricism can be seen in the album's fourth track, "Puritan Dirt Song." It is not surprising that the song had more of a country tone to it, but what is shocking is that the band pulled it off fairly well.
Another welcomed surprise the album has for fans is "Like I Do," which is a bit slower than the rest of the album. It's not easy for a band that relies on quick riffs and upbeat tempos to bring it down to a ballad speed, but they really held their own.
The single off the album, "Great American T-shirt Racket," sounds most like the song that longstanding fans would expect to hear from Envy. Hunter's vocals shine over great guitar and drum tracks, and the song is a great nucleus for the rest of the CD.
Fans of the band will really enjoy the album, and despite the pre-conceived notions, some may hold towards the L.I. scene, those who haven't heard the band but love the genre should give LOWCOUNTRY a whirl.
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
(03/23/10 4:00am)
When the word dancing is said, different images might come to people's minds. To some, dancing might be grinding in Pure, or poppin' and lockin'. To others who take dancing more seriously, it is an art, an expression of individuality that involves both mental and physical strength, great memory and stamina.
Over the years it seems as if the former school of thought has become increasingly more popular than the latter, and it appears to be more of a generational thing than anything else. That is why Stella Pelanaro is so adamant about recruiting people to the United States of America Ballroom Dance.
"We are the Western New York Chapter of the United States of America amateur ballroom dance," Pelanaro said. "We have a variety of age groups in our dance club, but we would like many more [younger people]."
At one point or another, most people have happened across an episode of Dancing with the Stars. For those few who might be unfamiliar, the show pairs up celebrities with professional dancers, and pits each pairing up against one another to see who has the best moves.
Most of the dances performed, like the tango and meringue, have origins in ballroom dancing. Pelanaro is hoping that shows like Dancing with the Stars and others will draw more of a crowd into learning about ballroom dance. Pelanaro says the shows help, but they are not enough.
"We are planning on doing some outreach programs, going to various places and demonstrating," Pelanaro said. "We also danced at the Erie County Fair this past summer and the summer before that."
USABD is a nationwide organization spanning the entire United States. Other chapters around the country dance in competitions, but the Western New York chapter has not developed their skills enough, or gotten enough members in order to compete.
"We don't have anyone here who is doing any competition dancing," Pelanaro said. "Many of the places throughout America are engaged in competition dancing, because they have enough dancers with skills enough to go into competition."
The group is still fairly new in Western New York, so it might take time to get a better-developed group of members. Pelanaro believes that, in time, enough people will want to join the group to be able to compete in the future.
But there is more to ballroom dance, or any type of dancing for that matter, than the competitions. Intense focus and drive is required to be a good dancer. And like any physical activity, in order to excel at it, one needs to work persistently to get better.
"Dancing is a wonderful exercise, and it is a wonderful way to enjoy yourself and to meet people," Pelanaro said. "It is very creative, and it exercises your mind also because you really have to think and remember the steps to become good at it."
The USABD is always looking for new members to take part in their dancing fun. If interested in joining, the organization meets the first Friday of the month at the First Presbyterian Church in West Seneca.
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
(02/12/10 5:00am)
Grade: D
Surprisingly, Bradley Cooper (All About Steve) was the only actor to reprise his role in the sequel to last year's star-filled, romantic-comedy blockbuster, He's Just Not That Into You 2. Those who were unaware that this film was being made might know it better by its alternative title, Valentine's Day.
Director Garry Marshall (Georgia Rule) failed to realize that there is no correlation between movie success and the number of celebrities who star in said movie.
Joining Cooper is a who's who of big time Hollywood stars. With most films, this would be a blessing, but Valentine's Day is bogged down with too many characters.
It is nearly impossible to develop a great character in only two hours with such a large cast. If the movie had been around six or seven hours long, then there would have been enough time to fully flesh them out.
Another glaring problem with the film was how hackneyed and unoriginal the story and concept is. It was as if Marshall and screenwriter Katherine Fugate had just watched every romantic comedy made since 1980, took every cliché they could find and threw it onto a reel filled with every star in Hollywood.
Guy runs through an airport to find girl, makeout scene in front of large crowd, girl breaks guy's heart and vice versa – the film is made up of practically every cliché in the book.
There were a few standout performances of the film, but this can only be attributed to the fact that they had the most face time.
Shockingly, Ashton Kutcher (Personal Effects) is probably the highlight of the cast as Reed. He is definitely the best developed out of all the characters and one of the most entertaining.
Another notable cast member is Jennifer Garner (The Invention of Lying) in her role as Julia. Both Reed and Julia naively go though similar heartbreaks, with both showing great character development and acting.
Even the above average acting of Julia Roberts (Duplicity) couldn't save her segment of the movie. The film's purpose was an attempt at encompassing the different feelings that people as young as elementary students and as old as bingo players experience on Feb. 14, but having the tone and story shift so much in Roberts's section – from romantic couples to a mother and son pairing – is quite jarring.
Marshall had the opportunity to shoot an incredibly sentimental reunion between mother and son, but failed. That missed opportunity makes the movie that much worse.
The film also failed to fit the mold of a 'love story.' Every relationship in the movie was pretentious and there was no sincere emotional attachment between any couple.
The name and release date alone is enough to get couples in the seats, but seeing this film is the best way to ruin a date for Valentine's Day.
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
(01/29/10 5:00am)
Since the players do not even care about the Pro Bowl, there is a need for a high-caliber sporting event this weekend.
(12/09/09 5:00am)
Typically when it comes to swimming, the cardinal rule – aside from waiting 15 minutes after you eat – is the less body hair, the better.
(11/16/09 5:00am)
It has been an up and down season for the volleyball team. Entering the final weekend of the season, the Bulls were in the midst of a four-game losing streak and losers of seven of the last 10 contests.
(11/11/09 5:00am)
Red shirt junior guard Ashley Zuber of the women's basketball team doesn't follow the typical 'red shirt' meaning. Usually, the phrase means that a player purposely gave up a year of eligibility, usually his or her freshman year, in order to get an extra year later on.
(11/09/09 5:00am)
Streaks can be hard to snap.
(10/30/09 4:00am)
(10/28/09 4:00am)
Even with the momentum of an impressive performance against No.1 ranked Akron, the men's soccer team could not find a way to end its current winless streak.
(10/26/09 4:00am)
Sometimes, all you need is one.
(10/19/09 4:00am)
Mediocrity is defined by a lack of winning, and losing streaks. A team can be good, but if it can't string a series of wins together, it won't advance in the standings.
(10/19/09 4:00am)
Last weekend, the women's soccer team began its first winning streak of the season after beating Western Michigan and Northern Illinois.
(10/14/09 4:00am)
This past weekend, the Buffalo Bulls rowing team set a new precedent at a familiar meet.
(10/12/09 4:00am)
Home-and-away weekends can have a profound impact on the conference standings. Winning both games can cement you as the team to beat, and getting swept can have the exact opposite effect.
(10/02/09 4:00am)
For those who have followed the football team to any extent for the past two or three years, a few players and moments are instantly familiar. The game-changing runs by senior running back James Starks, the game-winning catch by senior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt against Temple and senior safety Mike Newton's fumble return for a touchdown in the MAC Championship are all moments that any Bulls fan will remember for the rest of his or her life.
(09/23/09 4:00am)
This past weekend, the women's soccer team (1-7-0) traveled 20 minutes down Main Street in its last game before the start of conference play.
(09/14/09 4:00am)
New coach, new attitude, new results.
(04/24/09 4:00am)
Heading into Wednesday, the baseball team was on a six-game skid, which left a huge dent in its record.