Category Archives: Features
Starbase Indy, the 16th Generation
Much like Pon Farr and Vulcans, Ferengi and money, or the USS Bozeman and the Typhon Expanse, some things are simply inseparable. Also bonded at the Tachyon Particle level – Star Trek and science fiction conventions. This writer was fortunate enough to have experienced the classic RiverCon events down in Louisville several times in the 70s. Even then the show was populated by various Trek fans decked out in costumes (often hand crafted) to give honor to their favorite characters. Self-published Fan fiction, homemade phasers, starship schematics, Mego action figures – the more things change, the more they stay the same and the Federation of Time would be proud. Over the past 40+ years genre fads have come and gone. Star Wars costumes come and go, men dressed as Predators can be found taking a leak in the men’s room, and the stray Babylon 5 t-shirt can be spotted now and again. But one constant remains: Star Trek has won the war of ages. If you need proof, rest assured it doesn’t require a sacrifice of Edith Keeler proportions to experience the past and future all at once. In fact, one has to look no further than the Indianapolis Marriott East (7202 E. 21st St.).
From December 9 – 11, 2011, the greatest “Midwest fan-run sci-fi convention” known as Starbase Indy holds its sixteenth gathering of genre-soaked bliss. Star guests representing the Trek universe include the legendary actor Tony Todd, John Billinglsley, and Deborah Downey. Despite the threads of Star Trek woven into its DNA, this year’s event also offers a variety of guests for all levels of obsession: stars and guest-stars from shows such as Stargate SG-1, X-Files, and Chuck will be on hand to add diversity. A masquerade, another staple of sci-fi cons, is another must-see event and the Klingon karaoke cannot be missed. In the quest for knowledge that underlies the Trek experience, sessions on actual 21st century science will be offered, and the kids will have an opportunity to build their own Tribbles.
New this year is the first ever battle of the bands, but this year the fate of the neutral zone is at stake. Yes, this battle of the bands will be waged between Starfleet and Klingons. If you wear your freak status proudly and you’ve got a flag, this event will be the ideal time to let that freak flag fly. Full disclosure – I am a self-admitted Star Trek freak on many levels (well, except for ST: Voyager…I was always a DS9 guy myself), and this event alone should be worth the price of admission.
Exploration, adventure, friendship, diversity – Star Trek has always been about many things. One constant that represents the Federation is its desire to help and defend those in need. To that end, Starbase Indy will be promoting and accepting donations for its chosen charities: Cat’s Haven, Jason’s Foundation, and LUNGevity.
These days when local and global events seem oh so heavy, we could all stand a little bit of futuristic optimism. Do yourself a favor this holiday season and visit Starbase Indy, the 16th Generation. Tell them the Emissary sent you!
Link: Starbase Indy
Chris Marshall – Steps Into The Light
Chris Marshall may be one of the most sincere persons in the music business. And August Light (In Music We Trust) may be the best alt country/roots rock album of 2011. His debut release explores love and loss. It’s a typical expression in the style, but for Marshall, all of this comes from pure honesty as part of this album is coming to terms with the loss of a dear friend. But he gets past it with songs about the simplicity of love and the beauty of life itself. The son of a preacher, he’s spent a lot of his life in contemplation. This album brings it all to life.
I had a chance to talk to Marshall about his debut release, how 2011 has treated him, and what is in store for next year.
Link:
What was going through your mind during the making of August Light? What ideas were you really wanting to get out at the time of writing this album?
My mindset while making the record was pretty much just focused on stretching myself and learning the kind of process that works for me. I put a lot of trust in Jeremy Wilson on the production end and tried to allow for other interpretations on the songs and how they might sound. As far as the writing of the record was concerned, my only intention on that end was to just keep it honest. I don’t think there is any unifying thematic strand, excepting just a general commitment to keeping the songs true. I’ll have to decide if we pulled that off later on down the road.
What is it about the traditional elements of Country music that you were attracted to? How did you see that opportunity to explore the style and make it into your own?
I think it’s probably the immediacy in country music that attracts me to it. You have three or four minutes to accomplish something really specific in a country song, and you either do it or you don’t. There is just not a lot of space to hide behind, and I think that measuring stick keeps it honest. Tell a story, rip a lead, nail a vocal; do what you gotta do to establish a connection with an audience. And while I don’t actually consider myself a straight “country” artist, I think that will always be the barometer I use to decide if something works or not.
All of this transfers to the band of Portland musicians you gathered for this album. How did you get that vision out to this group and what was the process like having prominent indie and alternative rock musicians playing the Country/Americana style?
It was really Jeremy that connected me with the core group of guys that tracked the album, and it really wasn’t a stretch for them stylistically. The grooves were really natural, and Paul Brainard was in the pocket the entire time on steel. I actually really enjoyed watching them flesh out the songs and was able to just kind of get out of the way a lot of the time. Now, that isn’t always the best way to go and I don’t think I’ll approach an album that way again, but for this experience it was a lot of fun.
You took time out to communicate with your bandmates. How did this dialogue help transcend the album?
There was a couple different times where I had unique opportunities to connect with the guys playing the songs, and that was important for me. Allen Hunter actually proved to be kind of a sage in a lot of areas, and there were several times when he offered timely insight that I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
One thing that most impressed me about August Light is that you don’t go out of your way to show off, it’s just a solid album from front to back. Does that have to do with the album’s honesty? Musicianship? What do you think?
Well thanks a bunch, that means a lot to hear actually. I hope it’s all of the above! The only risk in that is that the album might come off to others as being restrained or underwhelming. So I think with the next batch of songs I’m writing, I’m feeling the impulse to take some more risks, but I’ll definitely continue to put a premium on keeping things purposeful and honest.
How did being the son of a minister have an effect on you?
I think to some degree that’s tough to answer, because it’s just my experience and I don’t necessarily have the ability to separate myself from it. I will say that I’m thankful for having been raised with a developed spiritual impulse, because I think it pays off to live the examined life and to be sensitive to meaning, values, truth, poetry, etc. I’m lucky because my folks did a pretty great job of making it a healthy spiritual experience growing up, rather than an oppressive one, which is what a lot of preacher’s kids have to contend with. I was given a lot of room to find myself and my own faith, so for that I’m lucky, or maybe, in this area, I should say I’m blessed.
It’s common for someone with a religious family background to rebel, but for you and this album, you look at natural law and the metaphysics of life. What is it about this time in your life to feel that way?
I think it’s probably just a process of getting older. Because I’ve gone through the rebellion thing like most have, and it was really a cyclical thing all the way through adolescence for me. But at some point it just evened out. I trip up or goof up a lot, but I feel a little more grace for myself these days and am more interested in the larger narrative of existence, not just my own deal all the time, if that makes sense. I guess I just feel more connected to the whole story and I want my contribution to reflect that.
I should also mention that this album is also an homage to the spirit of your friend who unfortunately passed away. What would you like to say to him regarding this album, and what would he think about the sentiment?
That’s a tough one. I’d probably have to ponder that a long while before answering, I’m sorry. Down the road a ways, maybe I’ll get there.
Are you taking the music out on the road? If so, will it be you or any of the other band members involved?
I’ve been doing regional stuff in the Northwest since the album came out, and of course locally in Portland. Right now I’m actually finally able to say I have a full-time band backing me for the first time, and we’re doing an incredible amount of writing, which is what I’m most excited about. The hope is that we’ll get this unit more road-tested here pretty soon, so that is exciting as well. All of the guys that recorded the record are extremely busy with their own projects and other more long-term ones, so I’ve worked really hard at finding the right folks to have on my team to carry the torch forward, and am actually happier than I’ve ever been with where that’s at.
What now and for the future?
Well, just to kind of piggy-back on the last question, the stuff I’m writing right now with the entire band is completely regenerating my love for music. Christoph Cesarez, who plays lead guitar with me, is also contributing songs to the project, and they happen to be really good songs. Such a great group of folks and it’s taking on its own life as a result, so it’s like a whole new beginning really. Didn’t see that coming a year ago when we started working on “August Light,” but it’s exciting to see the evolution and be a part of it.
Beirut at Bogarts in Cincinnati
Beirut
Live at Bogarts
Cincinnati, Ohio
November 11, 2011
[Article by Andrew Duncan]
I admit that I was one of those people who geeked out over the 11.11.11 time rarity. I had it all planned from my waking moments not to miss that magical celebration when the clock turned over not once but twice. It was my own personal New Year’s Eve just for one minute. Like when I streamed the final shuttle launch, I knew I will never experience this moment again in my lifetime. My office became the center of the universe as I picked a specific song to help celebrate 11:11 a.m.; it was AC/DC’s “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).” I felt that to be an appropriate departure from the morning, although a somewhat traditional rock song that bodes a simple call and response. For those about to rock, we salute you! It was Friday, a lovely post-autumn day, and a day filled with anticipation for the night to come. Thank you, I will accept that salute. Not that I was going to rock out in the traditional rock and roll sense of being, but it was going to be a night to remember with arrays of traditionalism meets indie modernism.
I have always wanted to see Beirut. It’s a moment I never thought I would get to experience and maybe never will again in my lifetime. It’s been flowing through my veins since seeing the Take Away Show videos online with them doing “Nantes” and “The Penalty.” It led me to the even more amazing “St. Apollonia,” This video has meant so much to me and perfect in every sense. The way the video starts so simple and organic, built around a mysterious backdrop. How beautiful and delicate the song develops is entrancing. And when the band communicates as a whole and the camera pans around each member, it reminds me of the way Orson Wells used natural sound to filter in and out of clubs in the beginning shot of Touch Of Evil. By the end of “St. Apollonia,” you feel like it was all just a dream.
And maybe that was what Bogarts was to me, just a dream. With a club that is primarily geared to the hard rockers and the rowdy, Beirut was a calm surprise to be listed to perform in Cincinnati’s Clifton area.
I have not been to Bogarts in about a decade. The last time I experienced the club was Mr. Bungle performing their California album. Times have changed. No more is there a Sudsy Malone’s across the street taunting those to come for a late night rendezvous of drink, underground music, and a chance to get caught up on your laundry. A lot of the shops surrounding the club lies vacant. It’s like Bogarts survived the war and they are the lone soldiers of musical justice left standing, a beacon to one of the great rock clubs in the Midwest. And as many concerts I have attended shows at Bogarts have stuck with me as being the most memorable. This night is no different.
A sold out show, Beirut had every open space in the club filled. Despite the sea of people stretching across the floor, it was a kinder, gentler crowd. And when Zachary Francis Condon and his band took the stage, physical space no longer mattered.
The stage set up was simple: scattered instruments were propped within reach of the musician, the band spread across the stage in a traditional manner. Horns on one side, rhythm on the other. Strands of lights trailed from the stage out into the audience, like a charming Old World festival accentuating the group’s song and celebration.
Cheers upon cheers were met by Perrin Cloutier’s accordion as he broke the crowd noise and the band launched into “Scenic World.” As the song developed, you immediately got a feel for the mystic and charm the night would behold. When the horns came together for that chorus, their exuberance was felt by all and waves of approval echoed across the room.
By the time the band went into “Elephant Gun,” the crowd swooned, sang along and swooned again. Beirut sounded great and in true form. You could hear any point of the band from any angle of the song, be it a full blast of horns or the intimate introduction on “A Sunday Smile” from The Flying Club Cup, that ended in the band’s bravado blowing fan’s minds and opening hearts. The dedicated were truly dedicated.
Something surprised me. When the band went into the songs “Sante Fe” and “East Harlem,” both from their recent venture The Rip Tide, the crowd went crazy, dancing and singing along like they were songs that have been with the band for years. It was a true feeling of gratitude that could be felt from the audience, to the band and back again.
The hour plus set gracefully bounced around their three album. And with an encore that featured four more morsels (“The Penalty,” “My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille,” “The Gulag Orkestar,” and “Servian Cocek”), we got one more dose of true musicianship that included a wicked tuba solo transitioning into one horn solo to another in true jazz fashion.
Hoping to fulfill the other side of the 11:11 time orbit with sounds of Beirut echoing into the night, the show ended well before 11 p.m. The only thing I could think about in that one minute of the 11th hour was not just how I wanted more from this band, but how memorable this show was to not just myself but hundreds of other people.
Sydney Blu: Welcome to the Blu World
Have you ever heard of the First Lady of House? If you haven’t you soon will.
Hailing from the land of hockey, tuques and the Looney, producer/DJ/musician Sydney Blu is taking the club world by storm with her hard-hitting, in-your-face style of spinning. Sydney now spends her downtime in the warmth of Miami trading in a parka for a constant tan.
Watch her spin “Freak” by Auto Erotique:
Nominated for America’s Best DJ of 2011, Sydney is currently on tour in North America promoting her recent release Nervous Nightlife: Live at the Mansion. With hardly any free time, Sydney has gracefully given time to answer a few of our questions.
How long have you been DJing/Producing/ Creating your own music? What is it about House music that makes you want to push the envelope of that style?
I have been DJ-ing for 12 years. I’ve been writing music for about 7 years now. House music is just basically the love of my life. I have played all different genre’s of house through out my 12 years of DJ-ing …..but the bottom line if HOUSE is what made me get into DJ-ing and will always be the reason I do what I do.
Why did you start your own label vs. trying to get on a major label? Is this a harder process to do? What are the drawbacks and the gains of doing this?
Well I was on a major label (Mau5trap) and then i started the label. I started it to get my own identity and to start my own brand. It’s been a success. I am, however, really swamped with it and ready to probably partner up with a bigger label management company that will take the stress off my hands. Artists can only really run their own label for a certain amount of time until they realize …this is just too much!
Is it hard for a female DJ to get noticed in a male dominated industry? For you, what sets yourself apart from the boys when it comes to performing?
I do not consider myself a ‘female’ DJ…..that’s probably why I do as well as i do. I don’t use that as a way to get gigs or attention. The only thing that sets me apart from boys is my body parts. Haha! … and clothes … and, I guess sometimes I dance a bit more like a pop star. I used to be a cheerleader … you can definitely see the cheerleader come out in my sets sometimes. But other than these little things, I’m just a musician working hard.
I see that Madonna is a main influence.. What is it about her that makes her an influence? What are your other primary influences that motivate the direction of your music?
She is my icon, my inspiration. I just love her SO much. The reason I think she is such a huge influence in my life is her long-time career of evolving and pushing the boundaries, her success at literally being the BEST at what she does, her message in life, and hows she’s grown as a person. She really has a message out there for people. Maybe it’s because of having children, but the point is she knows that in life there are things that matter and things that don’t. You can really tell how much she evolved from Ray of Light and her albums onward. Anyway, I think everyone could learn something from her. Other influences of my own music are just the artists that i am currently listening to. I love Funkagenda. I love Thomas Gold. I love John Dahlback. Those guys are my friends but also people who’s music I listen to and definitely get inspired by.
Where do you see the future of electronic music going and how do you want to play a role in that direction?
I see it going commercial. I also see some of it staying underground. I love it all…..well not ALL of it, but I really try to have an open mind to all kinds of electronic music. I even enjoyed a Skrillex set this summer at a festival I played at with him. I think it’s just good for the industry to have such a buzz right now. We’ve been waiting for this for how long? Let’s not complain about it now.
What was your reasoning of releasing “Live At The Mansion?” What was it about that mix that defines who you are? I noticed that one of your tracks on the album “Come with Me” contains a same sample that Moby used on his “All I Want is To Be Loved” of the Move EP with the lyric being “Can’t you see I want to be with you.” Is this a shout out to him or is it purely coincidental?
The album was something I decided to do when I moved to Miami and take up the residency at Mansion. The mix was some of my favorite songs and my own music most importantly. It was 80% my own production. The song ‘Come With Me’ by Manufactured Superstars, Trent Contrelle and Jeziel Quintela is a classic tune remade. I put it on the album because I loved it then and now!
If there could be one person you would want to either spin or collaborate with, whom would it be and why? What has been your absolute favorite place to spin? And why? Festivals versus the club scene, which do you prefer?
A person I’d love to play with ? I’d love to play with Mark Knight. He’s probably one of the few people who I haven’t played with that I would like to DJ with. Favorite place? There’s a lot …Beta Denver is probably my favorite club to DJ at. I love festivals, they are another thing compared to clubs. I play different music at festivals than I do clubs. So I don’t really have preference over either.
What do you have planned for the rest of the year and into 2012? Any chance we could be seeing you in Indy?
2012 I plan to do a new album and just travel, travel, travel. Expect music from progressive to techno. Expect big things. I’m ready for it all!
Sleeping Bag Release Show with DMA and Everything Now!
Sleeping Bag
With Everything Now! and DMA
White Rabbit Cabaret
August 26, 2011
Sleeping Bag celebrated the release of their self-titled debut (Joyful Noise) with a release show at The White Rabbit Cabaret. Joining was DMA and the always popular Everything Now!
