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Show ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Page 4 ARTS Alienation' nation Lisa Anderson Tuesday, March 13 The Daily Utah Chronicle Concerts How much has this state changed since 1996? Not much, if you're looking at the fight over gay high school students and their right to have a club in their schools. Senator Chris Buttars, R-Salt Lake, has revived a bill that originated in 1996 and is pushing again to further ostracize outcast teenagers. Ten years ago, Tobin Atkinson had just finished his MFA in directing from the U and was busy running a five-show season at Plan-B Theatre Company. When a Salt Lake City school district banned all extracurricular clubs to suppress the founding of a Gay-Straight Alliance club, Atkinson began researching the subject and putting together this play, "Alienation Effekt." He was still new to writing and was experimenting with his style, which is heavily influenced by Bertolt Brecht, the German These Arms are Snakes $8 7:30 p.m. Kilby Court (741 S. 331 West) Plain White T's $15 7 p.m. In The Venue (200 South 579 W.) Jazz Guitar Ensemble Free 7:30 p.m. Dumke Recital Hall Art of the Depression: Grapes of Wrath by the Utah Opera and Dorothea Lange Free 7 p.m. Utah Museum of Fine Arts pm darity of positive hardcore architects Gorilla Biscuits and Bold as effortlessly as it overcomes the mounting expectations of modern hardcore's struggle for authenticity. drop! Rosie Thomas These Friends of Mine Nettwerk Records Dan Fletcher Tfte Daily Utah Chronicle Aqualung Memory Man Columbia Records These Arms Are Snakes slashes its way into Kilby Court "Angular" is an adjective thrown around ad nauseum when describing post-hardcore bands. It's intended to illustrate the way that the genre's guitar riffs—championed by the likes of Fugazi and Drive Like Jehu—often produce discordant sonic tones. It's a cliche. These Arms Are Snakes' angularity is anything but cliche. Its angles are so finely sharpened that witnessing a These Arms Are Snakes performance comes off more like a bloody knife fight than an indie-rock show. Mic-slinger Steve Sneere's quick snarls and haunting shouts ricochet off every drum stand and guitar pedal on stage as his body hurls itself without direction to the jolting riffs of guitarist Ryan Fredrickson. The acute edges of the duo's screeches assimilate into the perfectly syncopated beats of drummer Chris Common and ground in the guttural lows and atmospheric wails of bassist/keyboardist (as well as ex-member of technical hardcore legend band Botch) Brian Cook. This interlocking of razor-sharp guitar and vocals with structural rhythms segues into the true beauty of the Snakes: the band's ability to transition from chaotic and technical to eerily subdued. Easter, the bands second fulllength release (out now on legendary indie-pacesetter Jade Tree Records), plays intermediary to These Arms Are Snakes' dueling personalities—at times plaintive and spaced out in an almost progressive rock direction and at others sadistic and self-destructive, slashing dissonance into its listener. The Snakes will grace and terrorize Kilby Court tonight alongside equally frenetic Seattle-ites Schoolyard Heroes—think The Misfits meets No Doubt meets These Arms Are Snakes. Both bands must be seen to be believed. Dan Fletcher xpoet and playwright who coined the term "alienation effect." This is a technique implemented to create an emotional distance between the audience and the actors by offering glaring reminders that they are, in fact, watching a play. The play opened quietly at a theater deliberately kept under the radar and enjoyed the freedom of being an underground production company and a part of the "indie" scene. It began to receive publicity and was soon playing to sold-out audiences; the gay community had caught wind of the show and connected with his words. There are white-painted faces and minimal sets, complemented by Atkinson's powerful words and Steven Foster music—"with a few lyric changes that are interesting and ironic," said Teresa Sanderson, who plays several roles in the play. Sanderson is "Jason," a kid from Tremonton who wants to start a Bible Club in his school, as well as "Reject," the kid who wants to start The haunting echo of the Memory Man guitar-effect pedal has come to de6ne the Brit-pop sound from U2's epic ballads to Radiohead's intergalactic jams and most recently through Muse's arena-crushing leads. This sound not only thoroughly soaks Aqualung's sophomore effort, but also titles it aptly. Memory Man tears the finest electronic sparks from mastermind Matt Hale's debut album, Strange and Beautiful. But sadly, the memories of Hale's predecessors ring all too clearly in the oft-rehashed renditions of the British- pop sound. Rosie Thomas' friends comprise folk-pop luminaries Damien Jurado, Jeremy Enigk, Denison Witmer and Sufjan Stevens—all of whom contribute to the ten dreamy depictions of New York City life that make up Thomas' fourth solo album, These Friends of Mine. Snowlined sidewalks and crowded subways somehow shake off their harsh stereotypes in the glow of Thomas' Joni Mitchelllike musings on love and life in the Big Apple. But,. ~i-i^ it's the union of her Seattle soul and y Out of place > Where: Rose Wagner's Studio Theatre (138W.Broadway) > When: March 16 to April 1 at 8 p.m. > Howmuch:$10forstudents;$15 ; for general public of his first theater company. They stage many different styles of theater and seek to expose audiences to lost theatrical gestures, such as masks, one-man plays, Japanese "kabuki" theater and more. "Alienation Effekt" is the story of the struggle in this state—in our city—for equal rights for all our citizens. The play shows both sides with sympathy, with actors playing characters from each viewpoint and reminding audiences that everyone deserves to have his or her rights protected—not only the people whose beliefs you share. landerson@ chronicle.utah.edu themselves in roots-rock, but •• thankfully can't shake the cosmic debris. -'•'.••'• /. Ken Andrews Secrets of the tost Satellite Dinosaur Fight Records Failure's 1996 hit "Stuck on You" rocketed the last breaths of the grunge era deep into interstellar territory on rockets of delayed guitar and stoic sensuality. In light of the nu-metal debacle that followed, frontman Ken Andrews made a wise choice in never re-entering the atmosphere. After a decade of journeying through sonic territory with the group Year of the Rabbit and solo-venture On, Andrews is returning to Earth to deliver, Secret?tofth$I*ost Sqt-^ ell\te—z collection of anthems that ground : ; V > .What: Plan-BTheatre Company's "Alienation Effekt" a Gay Club in his school. She also plays the part of a senator on each side of the debate, and she said the play is written so well, she can see all sides of the issue and relate to each of the characters. She has been acting, producing and directing for more than 20 years—ever since her days as an eighth-grade misfit. Atkinson co-founded Plan-B Theatre Company in 1991 with Cheryl Ann Cluff. Plan-B always focused on being under the radar so playwrights could tackle important, often difficult issues. Under the artistic direction of Jerry Rapier, it has continued to pursue this direction while still enjoying a place closer to the forefront of the theater scene in Salt Lake City. After six years with Plan-B, Atkinson joined the Army and has since settled in Washington, D.C., where he started a new theater company two years ago called Meat and Potatoes. He considers this Plan-B Jr.—a new version Stevens' New York heart on the duet of REM's "The One I Love" that steals the show. Tuesday, March 13,2007 Sherwood > A Different Light . MySpace Records ', ; -. , Coming to Salt Lake City on April 20 at In The Venue. A Different Light is the quintessential soundtrack to teenage, text-message love—and Sherwood can emote it all: the welcome sting of Cupid's arrows set to Dashboard Confessionalesque acoustics; the highlights of young love through almostpunk hooks a la All-American Rejects; and even haunting heartache in echoes of Coldplay balladry. Make the mascai;a7ii(i( streaking yearns and symphony accompaniment of T i n Asking Her to Stay" your profile song, and you'll be swimming in elove before you have time to check for new picture comments. d.ftetcher@ ronicle.utah.edu The Geeks Every Time We Fall Think Fast Records Hurl a fistful of breakdowns a la straightedge crossbearers Youth of Today and a lecture on work ethic via Get in the Van-era Henry Rollins onto a 747, chart course for every all- ^ ages venue on Earth and on arrival you'll meet something that closely resembles South Korea's hottest new export, The Geeks. Every Time We Fall . travels through the upbeat sing-a-longs and street-level soli- THESE FRIENDS of MINE SHERWOOD Wn The Flying Tomato in Park City Shaun White takes first place in World Superpipe Competition Shaun White—Olympic gold medalist, X Games gold medalist and ESPN The Magazine—dubbed "American badass"—won the 2007 World Superpipe Championship in Park City on Saturday. The world's best skiers and snowboarders were at Park City Mountain Resort to compete in the championship, an annual half-pipe competition. Among the competitors were J.J. Thomas (USA), Xaver Hoffman (Germany) and Iouri Podladtchikov (Russia), who is the current Ticket to Ride World Snowboard Tour leader. But the day belonged to none other than The Flying Tomato himself—White. White was like a rap star as he flew down the pipe accompanied with hip-hop music. Fans rushed White for autographs, pictures and hugs. Other competitors received cheers and applause, but none had the celebrity status of White White's first run, like most riders', was moderately conservative. It was his second and third runs that earned him a first-place spot. On his second run, White started with a back-side 540 into a frontside 720 and ended with back-toback 1,080s. White impressed the judges with his versatility on his third run. His first two airs were back-to-back i,o8os. Only White and one other rider, Danny Davis, were able to hit 1,080s back-to-back at the beginning of the competition. White said he felt really good in the pipe, though the snow was something he needed to get used to at first. White wasn't used to riding a half-pipe in such soft snow, and to perform his high-altitude airs, he just needed to "pull out of the slush," he said. Nevertheless, The Flying Tomato took first place and the $15,000 purse. Second place went to Danny Davis, and Mason Aguirre took third. This win puts White in fifth place on the Ticket to Ride World Snowboard Tour. Jonny Glines PHOTO COURTESY BOB PLUMB |