OCR Text |
Show WeekmdOtwnkua Page 8 Friday, Feb. 15, 2008 Portland-based indie folk-rock band seeks to uplift, inspire use? By KELLY GREENWOOD staff writer CH: Yeah, sometimes we'll use a banjo or an organ. It just kind of depends on the song and what kind of sound and feeling we want to create. On a relentlessly snowy Wednesday, The Utah Statesman got to learn a little bit about a band called Canoe, coming to play in Logan next week. This indie folk-rock quintet is based in Portland, Ore., so luckily they did not have to brave Logan's blitzkrieg of snow in order to be interviewed. The Statesman had a cozy little conversation via telephone with the band's bass player, backup vocalist and spokesman for the moment, Carl Hoiland. Here's what he had to say for himself and his bandmates: Taylor, Kings of Convenience and Death Cab for Cutie. And we've been listening to Sigur Ros lately. But it's kind of hard to say because everyone has different influences and is affected by all music differently. For example, Dave would say that as a drummer, he's influenced by the band Rush. CH: Yeah. Since we are all LDS and some members have children, we couldn't really sign a deal with a major label that would work with our needs and beliefs - like needing Sundays off and time off for families and such. Family is important to us. US: Ah, very interesting. So where does Canoe play? US: So do you have any final words about your band? CH: We've played in Oregon and Washington. And next week will be our first time playing in Utah. CH: Well, our main goal is to make music that is uplifting and inspiring. For a while we struggled with the question, "Why do music when there are people suffering and dying in the world?" But we realized that music provides sort of an emotional healing for people, and that's what we hope to provide with our music. US: And the band is from Portland, correct? CH: Yes, we're all from Portland. US: When was Canoe formed? CH: Well, Matt, Dave and I have been playing together since I was 13, but over the past five years we have had to disband sporadically because all of us went on LDS missions. But we reformed the band over a year ago and added Sophie and Cameron. US: So what kind of music does Canoe play? CH: We're considered to be indie folk-rock. People have described us as a mix between Paul Simon and Death Cab for Cutie. US: And you have an album out, right? US: How many members are there in the band? CH: Yes, we have one studio album called "Places," which was just released in January. We recorded it at the end of last summer and spent about four months mixing and producing it. And we commissioned our friend, an art major at BYU, to do the album artwork. CH: There arefiveof us. My brother, Matt, is the vocalist, songwriter and lead guitarist. His wife, Sophia, plays the violin, bells, keyboard and also sings. I'm the backup vocalist and bass player. And then there's Cameron, who is the second guitarist, and Dave, who plays drums. US: Sounds like you guys use a wide variety of instruments. Are there any others that you US: You mean when you come to Logan? CH: Yeah. We're playing in Logan next Thursday, the 21st. We'll be playing two shows - an acoustic set at the Borders cafe and a full rock show at Why Sound with Libbie Linton. US: So you guys have a Web site and a MySpace page. Are those the best ways for people to find out more about you guys? US: Who would you say are the band's primary influences musically? CH: Yeah. We've found that a lot of people visit the MySpace site before going to the band's actual Web site. But our main Web site, www.canoemusic.net, is actually the site for the recording company we started. CH: I would have to say Paul Simon, James US: Wow, really? Western Wats Western Wats has increased wages, and we are still willing to work around your schedule. We still offer weekly pay, a fun work environment, and we'll give you time off for school events, tests, and holidays. Call Cody 753-1303 or apply online at surveynetwork.com/application. To learn more about Canoe, go to www. canoemusic.net or visit them at www.myspace. com/canoecanoe, where all of their upcoming shows are listed and where anyone can listen to their songs and read the latest reviews on their album. They will be playing in Logan at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21 at Borders and at 8 p.m. the same day at Why Sound, 30 Federal Ave. If you can play thesitur, then you must be really cool. Contact Kelly at kelly.green@agffemail.usu. edu. Jazz Night offers a swinging good time By AMANDA MEARS staff writer Glenn Miller, welcome back. The Skyroom, located in the Taggart Student Center, will transform into a classic 1930s jazz club for USU's annual Jazz Night this Friday and Saturday night. "It's a fancy setting," said Walker Stahle, conference coordinator for the University Inn. "We have a large stage, all the performers are dressed up and catering does centerpieces for the era." Stahle said even the waitresses are dressed to the nines in '30s-style clothing, complete with red lipstick. University Inn Assistant Director Stephanie Pettingill said most attendees usually dress up in period-style clothing as well. "You get to see all the older people in fancy glittering dresses," Pettingill said. Stahle said this is the fourth Jazz Night to take place at USU, and activities include a dinner, performance and plenty of dancing. On both nights, Stahle said the USU Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra will be playing a variety of songs made famous by artists like Miller and Billie Holiday. It's only fitting that songs by Miller would be featured, since Jazz Night got its start as a result of an old USU tradition named after the famous musician. Pettingill said the university used to hold an event similar to Jazz Night. It ran for six weeks, and Pettingill said it was booked solid every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. "When Glenn Miller ended, people still wanted something," Pettingill said. "So we thought this would be a way to do that." Pettingill said so far Jazz Night has been a great success, and Stahle said it could not be done without the partnership of the USU music department, USU Catering and the University Inn. Although Stahle said they are trying to recreate the same atmosphere of previous Jazz Nights, this year they will be offering swing dance lessons one hour prior to the event for Jazz Night attendees who want to learn some moves for the dance floor. Tickets for Jazz Night are $38 per person for dinner, entertainment and plenty of dancing. For $149.95, couples looking for a weekend getaway can buy a package that includes two tickets to the jazz night of their choice, an overnight stay at the University Inn and a catered breakfast the next morning. Stahle said it is a great deal, since reservations to the University Inn alone can be around $76. Although people come from all over Utah for the event, Pettingill said it's a great way for Logan residents to take a mini-vacation, as well for Valentine's Day weekend. All proceeds from Jazz Night will go toward the Larry Smith Jazz Scholarship, a scholarship Stahle said was created especially for USU music majors. For those who can't make it to Jazz Night, Pettingill said the University Inn will be hosting another event called Beatnik Night on March 28. Poets from Salt Lake and Boise will team up with USU students and professors for poetry readings and refreshments. For $5, students get admission to the event as well as handmade mugs created by the ceramic guild. Pettingill said the event was so popular last year that there was standing room only in the Skyroom. "We don't make a lot of money off these events," Stahle said. "It's really just a way for the campus and community to become involved." Stahle said tickets for Jazz Night will be available for purchase up until the morning of Feb. 15. For more information on either event, call 1-800-231-5634. •amanda.me@aggiemail.usu. edu Entitlement theory: Point system of love ., STD testing, providing birth control? -' condoms, emergency contraceptibn, , sexual health care and information x^" BLOOD DRIVE!!! MILITARY SCIENCE BUILDING 2 N D FLOOR FRIDAY FEB. 2 2 N D 9:00 AM - 3 : 0 0 PM S P O N S O R E D B Y IJSIJ ARMY ROTC FREE THROW SHOOTING COMP!!! HYPER GYM 201 FRIDAY FEB. 2 2 N D 12:00-3:00 PM SPONSORED BY USIJ ARMY ROTC QUESTIONS? CALL GREG STUART 797-ROTC U.S.ARMY T he oddly sour taste of regurgitated "Be Mine" candy hearts is still fresh from my post-VD Valentine's Day - vomit. I guess it's that rancid flavor that has love on my mind. Love and I have always had a love/ hate relationship - not that VD is all about love. Far from it. Guys will say it's more about torture. Guys will say it's more about kowtowing to the hormonally imbalanced romantic inclinations of the female of the species. Some will even go as far as to say that the whole thing is just a sham. A sinister plot against men's beer/sports/ automobile-recreation fund. The creation of the diabolical triad involving female show hosts - Kathy Lee Gifford, Oprah, maybe even Sally Jesse Rafael - corporate America and those owning the rights to Air Supply's musical catalog, where women are showered with gifts and sentimental greeting cards all to the soundtrack of carcinogenic love songs. They're all wrong. Men should be thanking women, because VD is all about an easy way to get points. What? You're not familiar with Baker's Point System of Love? Here it is: We're all, at least on a subconscious level, putting point values on everything we do for other people. As we accumulate points, we like to cash them in for different things. Men are likely looking to trade in carnal currency - we'll occasionally accept food offerings, as well. Women usually want the perfect evening: "Honey would ya fix the dryer, then get me some ice cream so we can watch re-runs of "Sex in the City" and then you can cuddle me to sleep while 1 tell you about my day?" The guys says, "Yes, sweetie." But what he really means is, "There's got to be some sports show on. Just has to be a game. Hell, I'd watch golf. And the cuddling, I guess I can't just roll over and zonk out. I'm tired, too. At least there'll be some nudity on "Sex and the City" - the old blond one. is usually naked. Damnit, it's on TBS., I wonder if I can just grunt my way through this conversation tonight? Not a chance. If I don't get about 150 points for this, so help me I'll... I'll... I have no recourse. Take me now, Lord." That's generalizing and stereotyping and being misogynous, but the important thing is, we've all accepted the point system, whether we know it or not. We all go to extreme lengths to further the mating game. Ladies, guys only do things like, watch "Fried Green Tomatoes," go to yoga, listen to Jewel, shower, wear something besides their shredded Led Zeppelin Zoso shirt every day, have at least a cursory knowledge of celebrity make-ups and break-ups, wear pants -at all - or take down the inflatable penis and topless Jenny McCarthy pictures decorating their room, because they want to earn points and cash them in for a visit to a yet-unknown destination on the sex continuum. Gents, girls only wear makeup, sit through sporting events, take time to make complex the idiotically simple male psyche, shave their legs, put up with our stinky, sweaty, hairy, gaseous presence to rob us of our body heat, have a strong and knowledgeable ally when the zombies come - because very few girls I know have a Zombie Contingency Plan - a shoulder to cry on when Ryan Gosling dies for the 45millionth time and someone to drive them to get ice cream at any hour of the day or night. Oh, and there is the whole companionship, love thing, but that's a tittle too touchy-feely for my taste, so we'll just stick to superficial things that are easy to characterize, stereotype and parody. We never discuss point allocation out loud because it would take the romantic aspect out of it, and make everything we do into your basic model for prostitution. Although nothing is explicitly said, it's easy to get a general idea of the point values for activities. Dollars are almost directly proportional to points, unless you get over $50, then it should be about 1.5 points per dollar for every $1 spent after the first 50. If Nicholas Sparks has anything to do with anything, multiply the original point value by at least four. Guys should also get credit by multiplying the length of any Lonestar song they make it through without vomiting by 10 to get the total point value. Topics brought up in discussion that also get point multipliers include, but aren't limited to: Politics, religion, "Grey's Anatomy" - or similar trash - shoes, celebrity gossip, female singers (unless that singer happens to be Stevie Nicks. What a hottie?!), anything remotely related to fashion or interior design and programming on either Lifetime or Oxygen. Guys, we should get multipliers for any discussion we actively participate in that doesn't involve sports, beer and whiskey, Will Farrell movies, former SportsCenter anchors, NES games, metal or classic rock, early Adam Sandier comedy albums and beards. But girls, you don't have to take any guff from men in this whole point system thing. You can divide his points by a factor of three if you actively participate in conversations about any of the stuff above. You can take away an extra multiplier for every 12 people killed rn an action movie or every four fart jokes in a comedy. Anything to do with the art of liimberjacking, Steven Segal or carburetors, you can divide his points in half. And if we spend less than $5 a plate on dinner, take all our points away. As guys, we realize you don't want to talk about the finer points of "Rambo" or the intricacies and social implications of the NFL Combine, and we also realize that we're probably losing points all the time, at a healtny clip. Sometimes, you just have to fart and laugh about it. I've had friends lose so many points because of "Madden" video games alone, they had their open-mouth-kissing privileges revoked - on a probationary basis. The thing is, guys aren't good at saving up our points for something big. H See POINTS, page 8 |