Leisure

Black and white and pop all over

Beach Boy Brian Wilson once claimed he was making “teenage symphonies to God.” Wilson knew, perhaps better than any musician of his time, that a great pop song can be deeply spiritual, each melody crafted as an offering to some unknown musical deity.

By Traviss Cassidy March 15, 2007

Leisure

Getting politcal with Ted Leo

New Jersey native Ted Leo isn’t your typical semi-knowledgeable, politically-charged artist. He’s a punk rocker, yes, but he also earned an English degree at the University of Notre Dame. In his recent interview with the Voice via e-mail, Ted discussed in depth the political themes that run through his latest release, Living with the Living, demonstrating a mastery of syntax seldom seen in the world of indie rock.

By Traviss Cassidy March 15, 2007

Leisure

Maya Roth’s Big Love is a lot to love

Big Love just isn’t big enough to conquer all the staples of a social drama—free will, “love thy neighbor” and unrelenting feminism are just a few issues tackled in this revival of an ancient classic. Nevertheless, the performances are captivating, and the script is tinged with enough humor and cynicism to redeem the occasional dragging monologue.

By Madeline Reidy March 15, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices

Low never used to be a surprising band. These pioneers of the minimalist, glacially-paced subset of indie rock called slowcore made a name for themselves, beginning with their early ‘90s debut, by doing exactly what everyone expected: producing album after album of quietly gorgeous songs stealing plays from the Velvet Underground.

By Chris Norton March 15, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices

Album number seven from Andrew Bird finds the midwestern singer-songwriter returning to many of the elements that made his last few albums beloved by his fans. It makes for a good album, and while Armchair Apocrypha can’t quite match 2005’s excellent Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs, it nonetheless stands as another remarkable entry in an increasingly varied and impressive oeuvre.

By P.S. Hepburn March 15, 2007

Leisure

You Taste Like A Burger: Red Ginger

Red Ginger is unusually quiet for a Wisconsin Avenue restaurant, but don’t let the empty tables fool you: this Caribbean eatery is everything you could want in a restaurant, and then some.

By Kathryn Brand March 15, 2007

Leisure

Jack Gilbert says no to Heaven

Jack Gilbert’s collection of poems, “Refusing Heaven”, deserves the second round of attention its paperback reissue has received for its beautiful reflection upon the American poet’s adult life.

By Patrick Yarborough March 1, 2007

Leisure

Indie film: “Love in the Wrong Places”

Besides the frightening presence of Joan Rivers on every entertainment channel, there may be only one thing you can predict about Oscar season. Every actress on the red carpet is thinner than you. You can avoid this strange and recurring phenomenon by exploring the assortment of films offered by the DC Independent Film Fest.

By Madeline Reidy March 1, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices: Arcade Fire, Neon Bible, Merge

The music that tugs most at our heartstrings is often the most divisive. In one camp you have those who prefer their music served raw and doused with emotion; in the other you have vicious detractors shouting labels like “emo” and “over the top” with bitter disapproval. The Arcade Fire’s emotive debut, Funeral, won over both camps by shrouding many of its emo leanings in ambiguity and lyrical imagery.

By Traviss Cassidy March 1, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices: !!!, Myth Takes, Warp

With eight members and an emphasis on rhythm and danceability, !!! (conventionally pronounced “chk-chk-chk”) have sometimes lacked focus. While the band provides the perfect sound track to running really fast or freaking out, the human touch is often lost in the conglomeration of sounds. With Myth Takes !!! realize that those exclamation points can refer to emotion, not just excitement.

By Shira Hecht March 1, 2007

Leisure

Mezze Madness

By Alysse Cohen March 1, 2007

Leisure

Eating in: late night for the lazy

It’s 2 a.m. and I’m two pages into my 10-page econ paper. My mouth feels like sandpaper and my forehead’s dripping sweat. I can’t leave the room, but I can order from DC Snacks.

By Kathryn Brand March 1, 2007

Leisure

Reviving the Georgetown music scene

Generally speaking, starting a band in college does not involve much of a hassle. Given spare time, money and energy, virtually anyone can pick up an instrument, gather a few friends together and have a jam session. However, for Danny Murphy (COL ’09), Sean Croft (SFS ’09) and a handful of other musicians on campus, the logistics of maintaining a band at Georgetown have proven to be more complicated.

By Daniel Cook February 22, 2007

Leisure

Beards: like a scarf for your face

From every angle, Chris Svetlik’s (SFS ’10) beard is a sight to behold. The whiskers on his upper lip reach their full potential in two woolly peaks extending from the chin. Between these peaks, below a subtle soul patch, is a valley of shorter hair left over from an experiment in mutton chops. Svetlik and others show that campus is no stranger to the whiskery classmate and in many ways beard life and campus life intertwine as facial hair makes a fashion comeback to Georgetown.

By Michael Keller February 22, 2007

Leisure

Of Montreal rocks

Of Montreal, the critically acclaimed psych-pop band out of Athens, Georgia, returns to the Washington D.C. area for spring break. Fronted by Kevin Barnes, the group released their well-received eighth album, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, on Feb. 23. Guitarist Bryan Poole detailed the band’s updated sound on the new record.

By Justin Hunter Scott February 22, 2007

Leisure

The Chimes charm

At the 34th annual Cherry Tree Massacre, hosted by the Georgetown Chimes, you will be torn between raucous laughter and oppression, trying not to sing along to all the cheap love songs.

By Ryan Maye Handy February 22, 2007

Leisure

Next round’s on me

A rotating bi-weekly column about drinking.

By Chris Stanton February 22, 2007

Leisure

Vietnamese art exhibit is pho real

At first, the road sign seems rather ordinary. Bold, green and functional, it could have been plucked from any interstate highway. Yet contradicting its mundane appearance is its content: “Little Saigon: Next Right.”

By Frances Bajet February 15, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices: Field Music, Tones of Town

With their third release, UK-based art-rock trio Field Music have created an album that is complex and accessible enough to merit multiple listens. Indeed, Tones of Town’s tracks draw strength from the band’s ability to weave rhythmic layers of sweet vocals, staccato piano punctuations and sharp, post-punk guitar riffs almost effortlessly.

By Chelsea Paige February 15, 2007