Who is Lady Danville?
For such a star-studded city like Los Angeles, the City of Angels' underground rock scene is one of the strongest in America. The city has produced cult favorites like Elliot Smith and Rilo Kiley and continues to thrive.
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For such a star-studded city like Los Angeles, the City of Angels' underground rock scene is one of the strongest in America. The city has produced cult favorites like Elliot Smith and Rilo Kiley and continues to thrive.
By PRETY SHARMA Staff Writer Saturday night, the Student Association held one of its biggest events of the year. This year's Springfest showcased not only a heavy rock band, but also a well-known eclectic rap group and an upcoming Indie rock band from the West Coast. Some 2,700 attendees rocked out at Alumni Arena, enjoying the wide-range of musical genres. The show opened up with newcomers Lady Danville. Hailing from Los Angeles, this was the group's first performance on the East Coast and earning them $3,000. The band's acoustic-based sound added a bit of ambiance to the power chord domination that characterized most of the show. Drawing upon Indie rock influences, the band played several tracks from its previously released self-titled EP. Although new, the trio proved that they could hold their own alongside rock veterans like Three Days Grace. Jessica King, a senior English and math major, was pleased with the new band. "Lady Danville was surprisingly good," King said. "Everybody keeps saying [SA] should have gotten better bands but… everybody seemed to like them." Up next was Anberlin, a band known for its Christian rock vibe. The band changed up the laid-back mood set by Lady Danville and got people moving. Anberlin played numerous songs, pulling from all of their albums. Joseph Westlake, a sophomore exercise science major, was especially pleased with this act. "Just because they are rising and upcoming bands doesn't mean they are bad bands…I hadn't heard of Anberlin," Westlake said. "I gave them a chance, and they ended up being better than I thought." Carrying on with the diversity was N.E.R.D., who was paid $50,000 to come to UB. They switched up the rock nature of the show, changing over to a set that was mainly rap-based. They played several songs off their previous albums, including "Beautiful", "Maybe" and "Rock Star." Even though N.E.R.D. had two drum kits, the simplistic nature of the beats added nothing to the band's bland stage performance. The only time the crowd seemed to care was when the band was covering Nelly's "Hot in Herre." There was no doubt that the star of the show was Three Days Grace, earning their $75,000 paycheck. The haunting lyrics of Johnny Cash's song "God's Gonna Cut You Down" floated through the dark arena as the band began to arrive. As the band members took their spots, an emergency themed light show began with several red siren lights flashing. Within seconds, the arena was lit by pyrotechnics as the band went into their first song "Break." They followed up with other fan favorites, including "Bitter Taste," "Never Too Late" and "Riot." Part of Three Day Grace's set included a drum solo, which mixed over the top special effects and turned out to be a genuine crowd pleaser. As 3DG exited the stage, the crowd demanded more and refused to leave the arena. The band was happy to oblige. They returned, and much to the crowd's pleasure, played three more songs. "The [pyrotechnics] was amazing," said Christine Chonka, a junior physics major. "The singer came out into the audience for part of [the set]. It was amazing. I haven't seen that happen at all at any concert." Some students, though pleased with the show, wished that SA had made more of an effort to get an accurate student opinion. Liann Burgos, a senior theatre major, says she never got to give any input on the concert's lineup. "[SA] said they had polled all the students, but I never got polled for Fallfest or Springfest," Burgos said. Tim Britt, the SA Entertainment Music Director, defended SA's decision. "We put together the best show we could," Britt said. "I'm definitely proud of it for the work I put into this show. We went after a lot of bands…some were available some were not." Di'Monique George, the SA Entertainment Director, acknowledges that most student requests are out of the SA budget. "Unfortunately we are really limited by our budget," George said. "Most of the artists that are requested…we would have to [use] the budget of three Fests. [We] put a lot of hard work into it and [then] you have people telling you that you're not trying hard enough and they really don't see what goes into it." E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
Saturday night, the Student Association held one of its biggest events of the year. This year's Springfest showcased not only a heavy rock band, but also a well-known eclectic rap group and an upcoming Indie rock band from the West Coast. Some 2,700 attendees rocked out at Alumni Arena, enjoying the wide-range of musical genres.
The Japanese Student Association held its annual Japan Night, which depicted the rich cultural heritage and traditions of their country, last Saturday. An integral part of the UB community since its foundation in 1996, the JSA put on a play to demonstrate one of the most important components of Japanese culture: family. The play was written and directed by Masato Uenishi, a physical therapy graduate student from Damian College. Uenishi has been a part of JSA since 2003 and has been directing Japan Night since 2008. "My primary objective is to have fun with the audience," Uenishi said. "I [prefer comedy] because the actors are enjoying themselves as much as the audience." Using comedy as a medium, the play portrayed the importance of family ties. The play centered on an extended family getting together for a family reunion. But just like any family reunion, there is tension, and this tension soon leads to conflict between the family members. The grandfather watches helplessly as his family fights around him. In order to instill an understanding of the importance of family in his relatives, he prepares an elaborate scheme with his clever butler, Sebastian. The grandfather suddenly dies of a heart attack as he tries to stop the feud, and Sebastian, the butler, announces that he will read the will. The grandfather made a series of questions that his relatives must answer in order to retrieve the will. The relatives work together throughout the process. They each use their individuality to help the collective effort. Upon finding the will, they realize the importance of family bonds. As they recognize this, the grandfather returns, revealing his grand scheme. The audience was very pleased with the show. Samantha Melendez, a senior management major, loved the drama involved. "I liked the dramatics…it was very funny," Melendez said. "I'm not part of JSA, but I can definitely relate to their family aspect." According to Chris Streb, a senior health human services and psychology major, the show was a success. "I loved how they [brought] different cultures and the conflict between different cultures [into the show]," Streb said. " It's a bigger message here on the college campus because there is a lot of diversity." According to David Cobb, a sophomore linguistics major and a participant, the family theme is essential in the present times. "A lot of families these days are separated…if not nonexistent….our play shows that family membership [is necessary and important]," Cobb said. Fellow participant Emmanuell Mcbryde, a junior theater major, agreed. "It makes you think about the deeper aspects of your own family," Mcbryde said. "It's a life lesson…and hopefully people don't have to go to the extreme of their grandfather having to play a trick on them for them to realize this." After the show, JSA held its annual Japan Night Festival, called Matsuri, in the Student Union, which included several booths of traditional Japanese food as well as games and other activities. The coordinators of Japan Night began organizing the event well over a year ago. The dedication and the enthusiasm really did show during the event. "We began planning around September," said Kosuke Benny Higo, JSA vice-president. "They had the idea [for the play] about a year ago…It takes a lot of time…the last two months were very hectic." According to Cobb, it took sincere dedication. "It has to be something you love…it has to be willing," Cobb said. "You have to want to be in it…to learn about the culture." JSA encourages and welcomes all cultures into their association. "JSA is open not only to UB students but the community as well," said Jessica Senaga, JSA president. "[JSA] spreads Japanese culture not just throughout UB but throughout the [entire] Buffalo community." Senaga, who graduates this May, hopes the club will continue to develop. "I hope that it keeps growing," Senaga said. "I hope they gain recognition within UB." E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
Friday night, the Center for the Arts was filled with the sounds, colors and dances of the world. Despite the frigid weather, International Fiesta was sold out with many students still clamoring for last minute tickets.