Artist: Acrylics Album: Lives and Treasure Label: Friendly Fire/Hot Sand Release Date: March 1 Grade: C+ Just about everything to do with Acrylics' debut album, Lives and Treasure, can be described with various interpretations of the phrase "a mixed bag." The Brooklyn-based band draws heavily from a number of different influences.
Gotham City Sirens No. 20 Harley Quinn may best be known for her unfathomable love of "Mr. J.," but this issue explores the lesser-known trait of the Joker's right-hand woman: her temper. In "Gotham City Sirens No.
Russian spies, the geocentric theory, and music have converged in an unlikely partnership under the auspices of local rock outfit Venona. Cobbled together by Western New Yorkers Michael Donovan (vocals, drums), Lance Camann (vocals, guitar), Al Portera (guitar), Bill Sager (bass), and Long Island transplant Justin Gammella (vocals, keys, guitar), Venona has seen its fair share of ups and downs. Originally formed under the banner of A Room With a View by Portera and Camann during high school, the band changed its name as it grew to include Sager, Donovan, and Gammella. After bringing on Michigan vocalist Breanna Broghamer in 2008, parting ways with her several months later, and turning down an unsavory record deal, Venona found itself still searching for that elusive vocalist. "We kind of joked around with the idea of ?Hey, why don't we get vocal lessons and sing,'" Portera said. When Gammella and Camann came forward with a new song, "Carry Me," they made the decision to keep working amongst themselves. "It's always been like us five against the world.
Artist: Chamberlain Album: Bitter Blood Label: The Musebox Distribution Release Date: March 1 Grade: A+ After nearly 12 years of lineup changes, solo projects, and collaborations, the guys from Chamberlain have stepped back into the studio, releasing their first album in over a decade. For those unfamiliar with the band, Chamberlain is an Americana-esque rock band formed in the mid '90s.
Artist: Bayside Album: Killing Time Release: Feb. 22 Label: Wind-up Records Grade: A The punk rockers of Bayside are back with their signature mix of aggression and melodious musicality. "Already Gone" provides an energetic, upbeat start to their fifth studio album, Killing Time.
It's brash, it's lewd and, most likely, it's not appropriate for nearly any age. EPIC Games' latest work, Bulletstorm, truly gives the ?Mature' rating a new meaning. With it's over-the-top violence and extremity related mutilations that designers artfully slipped in to every level, Bulletstorm raises the bar on how graphic a first-person shooter can be, but, overall, it does little to improve on the genre. The story follows a group of renegade space pirates named ?Dead Echo,' a once-upon-a-time group of confederate soldiers now seeking revenge on a general who has wronged them.
Grade: B- Everyone gets stuck in a rut once in a while. Unfortunately for viewers, so did the movie Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids plays upon the seemingly unexciting lives of insurance agents, taking the audience through the middle-class existence of a core group of characters as they all compete for the Two Diamonds award.
The Visual Studies Gallery buzzed with admiration last Thursday as the opening of the Rumsey Scholarship Competition Gallery welcomed the competing works of seven talented UB art students. The annual competition occurs during the early months of the spring semester, giving ambitious art students in their junior year a chance to apply for the opportunity to earn funding for a travel of their choice the summer preceding their senior year. Students are required to submit their work with a proposal describing the overarching concepts behind their entries, along with a brief explanation of their desired destination.
Whoever says punk is dead is a heretic and clearly was not at Rapids Theatre Wednesday night. Two of the biggest names in punk music, Dropkick Murphys and Against Me!, shared the stage and provided a night full of pints of Guinness and circle pits to a handful of lucky fans who got tickets before they sold out. Dropkick and Against Me!
Through energetic acting, lively choreography, and beautiful sets, Shrek the Musical took members of the audience at Shea's Performing Arts Center out of their seats Tuesday night and brought them to a land far, far away. Directed by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, scored by Jeanine Tesori, and written by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsey-Abaire, Shrek the Musical is an adventure of fun.
Grade: B+ In a universe where comic book heroes battle against video game juggernauts, the one true winner is the player. It's been 11 years since Capcom last voyaged into the crossover universe of Marvel vs.
All you need for a good time is some bagpipes, kilts, and a handful of guys that are jacked up on Jameson ? and that's exactly what Dropkick Murphys provides. Dropkick Murphys have returned from the abyss with their new album, Going Out in Style.
Artist: Radiohead Album: The King of Limbs Release Date: Feb. 18 Label: [self-released] Grade: B When Radiohead announced early last week that it was digitally releasing The King of Limbs, its first album since 2007's In Rainbows, the following Saturday, the music world exploded with excitement. When the album surprisingly dropped a day early last Friday, that excitement went in about 1,000 different directions, depending on the listener.
Brightest Day No. 20 The Brightest Day story arc marches forward with a regular turf war, as the Atlantean king's crew will square off against Black Manta and the Xebel soldiers in a rumble that will rock Earth's oceans. Thankfully for the sea-dwelling community, Aquaman's four-man squad has enough power to force the invaders back to their extra-dimensional portal located in the Bermuda Triangle.
Last Comic Standing finalist Ralphie May took to the stage at the Center for the Arts Thursday night with a staggering three-hour set. The night opened with the antics of May's wife, Lahna Turner.
Buffalo, make way ? an ogre is coming to town. The Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation story of the unlikely hero, Shrek the Ogre, traveling to a faraway kingdom to rescue Princess Fiona, is being performed live at the end of this month, as Shrek the Musical is set for eight performances at Shea's Performing Arts Center starting Tuesday and running through Sunday. On his rescue journey, Shrek is accompanied by a donkey whose desire for Shrek's friendship is nothing but annoying.
The Flash No. 9: The Road to Flashpoint After Barry Allen's recent stint with the world's future police, life has slowed down; well, as much as possible for a police-scientist superhero that runs at nearly the speed of light. Allen's life, however, will quickly shift back into high gear, as the death of Central City's up-and-coming junior superhero, Elastic Kid, will test the police scientist's investigation skills to the max. With one of comics' most well known authors at the helm of the series, Geoff Johns has, over the past few months, done something amazing for the Scarlet Speedster and reimagined the Flash's existence within the DC universe.
Despite the absence of Nick Cannon, Drumline Live still managed to bring the noise and the swagger. The Center for the Arts hosted Drumline Live Wednesday night, as an audience of hundreds watched 40 musicians and dancers from several colleges of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities perform their way through African-American musical history. Drumline is a masterful and multi-faceted show that traces the origins of African-American culture.
Artist: A Skylit Drive Album: Identity on Fire Label: Fearless Release Date: Feb. 15 Grade: D+ Boring, repetitive, and, above all, generic, A Skylit Drive have failed to find themselves on their new album, Identity on Fire. The fact that Identity on Fire is the band's third album in four years might lead some to conclude that A Skylit Drive is fairly prolific.
Artist: Clandestine Album: The Invalid Label: Nightmare Records Release Date: Feb. 15 Grade: A- Sporting a name that can simultaneously describe its underhanded subversion of about a half-dozen musical genres and allude to its virtually nonexistent coverage in mainstream musical publications, Clandestine is a band that desperately needs to be heard. Hailing from Los Angeles and fronted by versatile vocalist June Park, the band tackles everything from pop rock to alternative metal to progressive music in its debut full-length album, The Invalid. If Clandestine's name can be taken as a comment of sorts about the band, then the title of the album's first track, "Fearless," can be taken as a mission statement.
Solutions by The State News
