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Show CULTURE www.uvureview.com March 28, 2011 VOL L ISSUE 28 BATTLE OF THE BANDS: THE CONTENDERS By Kelly Cannon Asst. Culture Editor Photo Courtesy of The Second Round Photo Courtesy of Victoria UVUSA will be hosting a battle of the bands competition on Wednesday, March 30. The event, which will be held in the Courtyard, will see performances from seven different artists. Over 30 bands auditioned to compete in the competition on Monday and Wednesday of last week and only a select few made the cut. During the audition process, the bands were selected on a number of criteria. Preparedness, originality, ability, musicianship and presence were all taken into consideration as these performers battled for the chance to compete. The jury for Wednesday's competition, an undisclosed board of fairly well-known musicians, will decide on the university's most talented act while Adam Kaiser of Orem's pianorock band The Neighbors MC's the performance. Sara Rosenborough, UVUSA's Fine Arts Chair, explained the process by which the winKiss Me, Kill Me Band members: Mikeal Robinson, Michael Pett, James Blakely and Felix Desposorio Influences: "We all listen to different music, anything from 80's pop to punk music. Anything that has great lyrics." Photo Courtesy of Kiss Me, Kill Me Years together/formed: Three years (2008) Genre: Alt. rock/gypsy rock Goodnight Annabelle Band members: Sam Giovanini, Mike Shaver, Byron Garvin, Jaren Soelberg and Ricky Shox. Influences: Dashboard Confessional, New Found Glory, Linkin Park and Muse Years together/formed: A year and a half (2009) Photo Courtesy of Endon Genre: Alt. Rock Victoria Band members: Austin Cross, Justin Woods, Kellen Pugmire and Zac Bryant Photo Courtesy of Goodnight Annabelle Influences: King Crimson, Nine Inch Nails and Led Zeppelin Years together/formed: 4 Years (2007) Genre: "Mini-progressive rock" Endon Genre: Alt. rock The Second Round Influences: Nickelback, Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle and Killswitch Engage Influences: Anberlin, Taking Back Sunday, Terrible Things and Thrice *or, Years together/formed: A year (2010) Band members: Atamu (Adam Scott), Austin Lindsay, Muerte (Jared Montemayor), and Kace. Band members: Braden Dye, Casey Keele, Colby Critchfield and Perry Burton Photo Courtesy of The Hideout ner will be selected. Beyond the aforementioned criteria, "student vote will account for 40 percent of the bands' final score. Students will receive a ticket upon entering the show. During the judging process, students will show their support for the band by putting the ticket in their favorite artist's bucket." Six bands will be competing in the competition. During the judging process, there will be a special performance by solo artist Benji Xechimitl. Admission will be $3 with a UVU ID and $5 dollars without one. The performance begins at 6:00 p.m. In the case of inclement weather, the concert will be held in the Grande Ballroom. With the ticket, students will not only be able to watch the bands perform, but they can also play Rock Band, eat unlimited popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones and even tie-dye T-shirts for the bands to sign. The following bands will be competing. Years together/formed: 4 Years (2007) The Hideout Band members: Eric Michaels, Steve Michaels and Eric Espinel Influences: The Script, Bruno Mars and Boys Like Girls Years together/formed: A year and a half (2009) Genre: Pop rock Genre: Hard rock Production asks, WWJD? By Kelly Cannon Asst. Culture Editor What would Jesus do? Well, according to the New Play Project's latest production, he would do the dishes, skateboard and go out to a karaoke bar. WWJD, written by former BYU student Anna Lewis as a part of her master's thesis, tells the story of a group of friends whose lives are interrupted when Jesus Christ randomly shows up at their apartment and starts hanging out with them. While most of the characters do not consider themselves religious in any way, claiming to be atheist or "unaffiliated," they quickly bond with Christ, giving him the nickname "The Chief." Current UVU Theater major Jason Jensen plays the role of Jesus Christ. Jensen was approached by Davey Morrison Dillard, the producer of WWJD, and was asked if he would be interested in auditioning. The two had met nearly two years ago while working on an independent film together. Though Jensen has acted in several films and plays before, Morrison Dillard specifically asked him because Jensen looks uncannily like Jesus. With long brown hair and a full beard, Jensen is always being told he looks like Jesus Christ. "I get it a lot," he said. "Just the other day, I was dropping my son off for school and was approached by a woman whose husband is a painter. She wanted to know if I'd be interested in modeling as Jesus." The real demand for Jensen playing the Son of God is being able to accomplish physical tasks with spot-on consistency. Every performance, Jensen must fold an origami crane, sing, dance and perform complex skateboarding tricks in full view of the audience. These tasks are even more impressive considering Jensen is not a skateboarder. "As an actor, you're taught to always say yes when asked, 'Can you do this?' and then learn it really quickly," said Jensen. "So it really is like I 'act' like I'm skating." Though the play is a comedy, it does offer a unique conceptualization of who Christ was as a person. This idea is emphasized by Jensen's performance, who considers himself to be an agnostic. While he was raised in Provo within the LDS faith, Jensen has since left the religion and no longer thinks of himself as religious. "It's somewhat ironic," said Jensen. "I'm not religious, but I look a lot like Jesus and portray him a lot." Jensen believes his beliefs bring a unique portrayal of Christ. "I think I give an unbiased performance," Jensen said. "I'm not overwhelmed by the task of being the Savior of the world. I try to por- tray him as a nice guy you would want to hang out with and who has unending love for all people, no matter if they are a non-practicing Jew, atheist or a Christian zealot." Another unique perspective Jensen brings is being a father of two. When in the play a girl named Max, played by Kristen Buchanan, falls victim to domestic abuse, Jesus comes face to face with her moments after the abuse is revealed. "Acting techniques aside, I look at her as if she were my own daughter," said Jensen. "She has made choices that have led to bad things and I'm disappointed in her choices, but not in her. I love her completely and I think having that perspective brings a lot to the performance." WWJD will be performed on March 28 and April 8-11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Provo Theatre, located at 105 E. and 100 N. in Provo. Tickets are $6 for students and $8 for general admission. Groups of five or more are only $5 per ticket. Tickets may be purchased at www.NewPlayProject.org/OrderTickets or reserved by emailing NewPlayProject@gmail.com Jason Jensen plays a skateboarding Jesus in WWJD. Photo courtesy of Christian Cragun |