A Belated My Gen Night Post

I had VIP Airband tickets last fall and told you about it, then posted some vid links the next time around (scroll down in this post if you missed it).  However, I failed to even mention one of my school’s other music-related, fun fall traditions, My Generation Night.  Basically, people cover pop songs from our lifetime, and it’s lots of fun, with “commercials” and gimmicky, fun videos in between.  This year’s was very, very good, and I should’ve posted about it sooner, but I’ve had a lot on my mind.  Also, I didn’t have VIP tickets to that show, so the experience wasn’t quite as surreal as the Airband one I described.  It’s been awhile since My Gen happened, of course, so rather than try to recap, I’ll just post some youtube links and comment…

Show Opener: “Boston” by Augustana
Pretty good rendition.  It’s a rangy song, and the guitars, which were a little sharp and loud live, actually sound pretty nice in this video.  Also, I need more Eric Riggs with his guitar in my life.  If he’s not in a chapel band this fall, I’ll be quite disappointed.

“Drumbone” by Blue Man Group
Yep, that’s my roommate on the left of your screen (he only rehearsed this once, as he was formerly the bass player but stepped up when a sub was needed.  Kudos again, Bryant, and we’re praying you make it back safely from Europe this week).  Anyway, I think it’s great that they even tried this one, let alone did it so well.

 ”Comfort Eagle” by Cake
This one is, in a lot of ways, a huge, TU in-joke-that’s-not-really-an-in-thing anymore (and this performance is when the cat really got out of the bag in a big way).  Anyway, they did a nice job with this, I must say.

“Karma Police” by Radiohead
Okay, I’m going to be a little bit of a nitpicker here, because they did a really, really nice job – the piano, voice, and electric guitar parts are all spot on, which is impressive (vocals especially).  However, the acoustic guitar part is just a little off in a couple places, which is alright, but it’s really not very hard to play this song right on guitar, and the mistakes are subtle but noticeable.  But like I said, that’s nitpicking, they pretty much nailed it, and I enjoyed it.

 ”Hey Ya” by OutKast
Well, this is really a lot different than the OutKast version, but it is a cover of that song.  Actually, it’s kind of a cover of this cover.  That’s all beside the point, this was probably the most fun performance of the night (although the performance of Sufjan Steven’s “Chicago” was also great, there were some mic problems with the choir), lots of that probably due to the call and response “What’s cooler than being cool?”, etc. parts.  It doesn’t hurt that this is one of my generation’s most recognizable and best pop songs.

Well, hopefully you enjoyed this linktastic post.  I had fun reliving My Gen Night ‘07 a little, and my recent unintentional pop music theme might carry over into next post.  Stay tuned.

Filed under: Fall 2007, college, friends , My Gen

An Abridged List of Things for Which I am Thankful

I’m going to steal CWillZ’s idea here and give you a (hopefully short…-ish) list of things I’m thankful for that occurred within the last year.  Without further ado:

I’m thankful for the forwarded emails and “family update” emails every morning from my Grandma because they mean she cares enough to contact me almost daily.  I’m also thankful that all 4 of my grandparents have been alive and healthy for my entire life.

I am thankful for my parents, who support me and pray for me and love me more than I know.

I am thankful for my brother, Wyatt.  I couldn’t ask for a better brother or friend.

I am thankful for a better group of friends, hallmates, and acquaintances than really should be possible:  CWillZ, Neil, BK, Matteo, Rooms, Brent, Smiles, Baby Bleu, Scott (do you need any ham?), Moser, my small group leader HD, Wiki, all the other guys on the floor, Amanda (both of them: Miss Marshall and the Queen), LB, Lil Feist, Sarah, Kayla, and so on.  I’m sure I forgot somebody (or somebodies), please forgive me.

I am thankful for TU, which brought me together with all of those people.

I am thankful for the Student Union/Grille, which allows me to eat breakfast each morning without crossing campus, employs me, and introduces me to new people all the time.  I am thankful for the ladies who work there:  Susan, Teb, Cindy, Leah, Penny, and Karen.  I am thankful for Gary, too.

I am thankful for coffee, tea, and coffeehouses.

I am thankful for music.

I am thankful for Ireland, and the people with whom I went there, and everything that goes along with that.

I am thankful for FlatTop Grille, Ivanhoe’s, Bosco Stix, Payne’s, Qdoba, Casa, and probably a million other restaraunts.

I am thankful for every home cooked meal I get, especially if it’s made in my home by my mom.

I am thankful for my mind, and all that it allows me to do and feel.

I am thankful for airplanes, because otherwise I wouldn’t be seeing my family this weekend.

I am thankful for Thanksgiving, even if I don’t really love turkey that much and even when Grandma puts vinegar on the green beans.

I am thankful that I was comfortable outside all day yesterday in a sweatshirt and jeans.

I am thankful for cell phones, email, text messaging, and other technology that allows people to stay in touch across large physical and geographical distances.

I am thankful for frisbees, and walking back from class to find 25 guys right outside the place I call home most of the year, standing in a circle, throwing them around, laughing, and just generally loving each other.

I am thankful for the people who cook my meals, clean my bathrooms, and teach my classes.

I am thankful for chapel.

I am thankful that I am loved by my Creator and can love Him and His creation.

Filed under: Fall 2007, Music, Thankful, friends, memories , Thankful

Sunday 4 November 2007

I’m going to take my mind off the anticipation of the biggest regular season NFL game ever momentarily to write for awhile.  Actually, I’m taking my mind off several things:  last weekend’s fall break, Broomball, the silliness and irrationality of people who irrationally dislike entire genres of music, Thanksgiving break, some assigned reading…

Tomorrow I’m hosting a variety show, and I’m pretty excited about it.

Here’s how this happened:   One of the guys who lives on my floor, my friend Neil, is a New Media/Communications major, and he’s taking a Multi-Camera Live Production class this semester.  As part of the class, he and his classmates tape and produce and direct and edit and sometimes broadcast live events that happen on campus–sporting events, chapel, etc.  For a final project, they have to write, direct and produce some sort of variety/entertainment multi-camera show of a certain length individually (help operating cameras and such is allowed, of course).

Neil picked me as his host.

I’m a lot more excited about this than you might expect, for a variety of reasons.  One, I like late night variety shows a lot.  The type of humor you find on them is basically right up my alley in a lot of ways.  Also, I enjoy the musical guests; it’s a great chance to see a live performance of a band you may or may not know much about, but the musicians generally take it pretty seriously.  Every now and then, something really funny happens, of course, like when Letterman incessantly asks Paris Hilton about her time in prison, or the like.

Secondly, I’m pretty sure it would be a great job to actually host one of these, and I’ll probably never get the chance other than this.  This is my one chance to actually figure out if it’s as fun as it looks.

Also, our musical guest is very good, and it will be fun to watch him perform.  The interviewee(s) should also provide a good time.  And this is a pretty non-threatening way to get this experience:  I’m not getting graded on it, and it won’t really be broadcast, so I can’t make too much of a fool at myself.  Although the live studio audience could make me nervous.

BONUS Airband 2007 Videos!

Winner Gerig Hall:  from Fiddler on the Roof: “Tradition”

Runner-Up Second East Wengatz:  from Grease:  “Greased Lightning”

Third Place Second West Olson:  from Wicked:  “One Short Day” (short clip)

 Broho Medley Airband Tryout (they didn’t make the actual show, but this is awfully entertaining and fun–as the commenter said, life is less boring thanks to Broho).

Note:  There are a couple of other videos on youtube from Airband, but they’re either not very long, or not very high quality, or whatnot.  With a little digging you can find a handful of Nostalgia Night or My Generation Night videos, too.  Enjoy.

Filed under: Fall 2007, college , Airband 2007, Hosting Neil's show

2007 Airband Extravaganza in Review

Considering most of my readers probably know what I’m talking about when I say “Airband,”  I think it might be enjoyable to do my own personal review of it.  The school paper here had a decent review, considering it was “on newsstands” the day after the event, but I’d like to go for a slightly different perspective on the night. 

 

Gerig won, of course, with “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof.  They deserved it; I think everyone would’ve been surprised if they didn’t win.  After first place it gets hazy for some; I certainly agreed with the judges that 2^nd East Wengatz’s rendition of “Greased Lightning” was the second most impressive, but my roommate was unimpressed.  Similarly, 2^nd West Olson had great costumes for their rendition of Wicked’s “One Short Day in the Emerald City”, but didn’t bring much else to the table.

 

So, without further ado, an Airband 2007 rundown…

 

Best Performance:  Gerig, of course.  They had costumes to rival anyone’s, energy to spare, great lip-synching and choreography…the clear cut number one effort.  Even accounting for the fact that their show-stopping, bottle-balancing climax was doctored (the bottles were attached, surprise!!  Oh wait…duh), this was no contest.

 

Runner-up:  2^nd East Wengatz, as detailed above.  Their show was fun and energetic, well-choreographed…the only thing it missed was that, um, “One Shining Moment” that really set it apart.  It was among the most fun to watch.

 

3rd place:  Well…I can’t really award a third place.  The other acts I really enjoyed were Sammy II+2^nd East Olson doing “West Side Story”, Sammy II’s “Shake Your Tailfeather” from The Blues Brothers, 2^nd English and Foundation and their Elvis Medley, and 3^rd East Olson’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”  Hopefully I’ll cover all those in greater detail further on down. 

 

Here comes the fun part…

 

Certified Superstar:  James Wahl.  Seriously, Mark Williamson’s flaky Texan character overshadowed (almost) all other commercials (the exception being the fake movie trailer for the rockumentary, “Out of Tune”).  Mark’s a junior, so next year…

 

Best part about sitting in the 2^nd row:  You’re a part of the show.  Things that actually happened during the show:

1.  One of my friends in the Elvis Medley heard me whisper her name, looked up, and smiled.

2.  Baby Bleu handed my roommate his cardboard guitar.

3.  Handsome Rob heard me yell his name.

4.  Baby Dan jumped over my roommate, who was sitting right next to me.  No kidding.

5.  Everyone makes eye contact with you.

 

Oddest Cameo by someone I know:  A senior I’ve known for my entire life humorously playing a seductive heiress in a commercial. 

 

Best Faculty Cameo:  Tie:  Jessica Rousselow-Winquist/Jerry Cramer trashing the WTUR studio, Justin “Crazy” Heth on a dance solo in “Shake Your Tailfeather,” and Dr. Habecker’s show-ending cameo…even if he was late on his cue.

 

Show that wasted the best gimmick:  3^rd South English/1^st Berg’s “Hairspray.”  I mean, you had a very large man dressed as a woman  and didn’t finish in the top three?!?!  And it’s not like they got gipped…

 

Costliest “Wardrobe Malfunction”:  The falling skirt during the Elvis Medley.  The dancers, of course, are prepared for things like this, with leggings and such, but the only things that weren’t great about the Elvis Medley were that one falling skirt and some awkward lifts.

 

Musical I could live without:  Wicked.  I haven’t seen it, or even really heard the music other than the songs used by 2WO and Swallow-Robin, but it was just reeaaaally bland.  Sorry if you’re a fan, but…

 

Most fun show:  I might sound like a homer here, but I loved “Shake Your Tailfeather” by Sammy II.  It was brimming with energy, featured Crazy, plus my floormates, and how can you not love Noah and Paul as the Blues Brothers?  Or Dubem as Ray?  Just loved it.  But really, they were all great.

 

Random ending thought:  It seems to me that it would be a very good idea for the small dorms (i.e. Gerig, Swallow) to focus on being just flat-out awesome at things like “Airband.”  And also, I am forever spoiled with regards to Airband—great show, VIP treatment and seats…it’ll be hard to top.  So thanks to everyone involved (although I doubt you’re reading this) for making it a great time.

Filed under: Fall 2007, college, friends , Airband, Airband 2007, college

Thursday 23 August 2007

I’m awfully excited about this fall, so I feel like running through some of the fun stuff I plan on doing in the coming months. Here we go…

This weekend: Arrive back at school. I’m really excited about this. Not much more to say about that.

First weekend in September: This is still a big time “maybe”, but the Aubrun Cord Duesenberg Festival is a lot of fun, and this is coming from a person who doesn’t even like car shows (If you’ve heard The Moderately Cute Story you know all about this). Part of it is the location, the fact that it’s normally really, really hot that weekend, and the fact that one of my grandpa’s brothers is on the Wall of Fame there make me like it, I think. It might be unlikely that I go, because 1. I don’t have a car at school; 2. There’s a good chance I’ll be something school- or floor-oriented that weekend; 3. I won’t go unless I can drag some folks with me. Brent is probably the most likely victim, due to his enjoyment of cars.

All Fall: Frizolf/Frisbee golf/whatever you want to call it. As often as possible. With as many people as possible. At as many different times of day as possible. And doing everything that goes along with frizolf, The Deuce style.

September 14: My Birthday! And it’s on a Friday, which makes it slightly better. I doubt it can top last year’s birthday: Gap of Dunloe, Muckross House, then the Killarney music-and-pub scene with some of my favorite people. Still, this year I’ll be able to go to the next item on this list…

September 15 & 16: The Johnny Appleseed Festival. I missed it last year due to being in Ireland, but I’ll be glad to be back this year. You’re invited (and invited to invite your friends), it’s a ton of fun, there’s plenty to do, and you probably couldn’t have a better tour guide than yours truly, except maybe Johnny Appleseed himself.

All Fall:  Monitoring baseball’s pennant races and later playoffs.  Especially since the Cubs are involved.

September 21-23: This is Parent’s Weekend, and my parents will be there, along with my brother. That should be a lot of fun.

September 23 & 24: The first Campus Visit Day of the year. If you don’t think the chapel on the 24th is going to be awesome, I don’t know what to tell you. Plus, with Grant and Matt on CREW this year, the potential for unforgettable moments increases greatly. I hope I see one of them leading a tour.

September 26-October 3: Something called “Freshman Irish Studies Program Week.” I’m intrigued, but clueless. Stay tuned.

Throughout the Fall: Intramurals, baby.

Also throughout the Fall: TABS. Should be fun.

October 18: Airband.

October 19-21: Homecoming weekend. I don’t know what to expect.

October 25-28: Fall Break Weekend. No idea what I’ll be up to, I just know it’ll be a good time.

October 31: Halloween. I doubt I’ll be able to top last year’s Harry Caray costume, and I don’t even know if being at school would lend itself to dressing up–I’m getting a little old for that (I can’t remember the last time I dressed up prior to last year).

After that, things get a little hazy…actually, things are a little hazy before that, too, but at least I have some good ideas about what I’ll be doing for fun–I suppose I could just put “frizolf/TABS/intramurals” a lot more, but you don’t want to read that. If you’ve got good ideas that fit into this schedule, let me know.

Also, a couple more notes: Thanks to those who commented on the Ireland entry; I’m glad you liked it. Lastly, I’ve got an idea for a post on how liking music of certain styles and/or bands can be a very subjective thing possibly coming soon (it’s marinating in my brain right now).

Oh, and with moving back to school this weekend and starting class next week, my writing schedule might be slightly screwy, so bear with me, please, and take solace in the fact that you’ll probably be seeing me face to face a lot more often, starting in a couple days.

dk

Filed under: Fall 2007, ISP, Ireland, college, friends