C. U. R.

Prettify

2008-06-23T11:00:00.001-07:00

There is this cool little tag-cloud fucker-wither called Wordle.

Here's the result of my del.icio.us tags and a few minutes of tinkering.

You can plug in any text that you want: here's "A two-page response to Cixous reading."

Strange Brew

2008-06-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

The rhetoric of the digital conversion commercials.

The illustrative motif of this one is strangely ... analog.

Um

2008-06-12T23:13:00.001-07:00

Her suit really looks like Leslie Fay.

Banalog

2008-06-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Erik Davis has a great, great piece in Arthur about digital and analog TV!

Here is a PDF. The article is on page 5. You download the entire mag or order a copy here.

I found a copy of Arthur at Joe's Record Paradise in Rockville. It was free.

Pope Rocks and Coke: Thougts From the Epicenter (Papal Visit Part 1)

2008-04-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

Pope Benedict XVI visited CUA Wednesday and yesterday, and I was on what were the front lines for the duration. On the whole, I'd say it was certainly quite the experience. It was definitely something worth seeing and sensing: After all, the man is the pope, and regardless of your religious views as long as you're respectful and open-minded, the experience is certainly one worth undertaking.

In the days leading up to the papal visit I was becoming increasingly concerned over the degree to which the Secret Service among other organizations would be infringing on my movement. I live in Gibbons, a dorm which overlooks the lawn outside of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which, according to Wikipedia "is the largest Catholic church in the United States and one of the largest religious structures in the world," and where the Pope said Mass to a gathering of United States bishops on Wednesday. We had already been told that we'd need our ID in addition to a special credential (a sticker on said ID) to enter and exit the building, that the Secret Service would be searching our rooms, and, ominously, that we had to keep our blinds down on our windows at all times.

The Secret Service search wound up being the most inconveinant of these to say the least. Quite frankly, it was a little scary. I had intentionally decided to sleep in that day after a long night before, and what woke me up around 10:45 was repeated rapping sound in intermittent bursts, like a hammer to a nail, gradually getting louder and closer. It turned out one of the DPS guys was knocking on the door with his nightstick, leading in for a few secret service agents and their dog, and we had to get out NOW. The way this worked was you'd leave your door unlocked and open and the dog would run loose and run in if he smelled anything.

Meanwhile, the residents waited outside, and people were talking about how they were almost forced out in various states of undress. The mood was something like a fire drill, except you thought more about your civil liberties. I resolved that if one of the dogs defecated in my room I was moving to Canada. The mood outside, really, was light given the circumstances, if not a little angry and slightly frightened. Security run ins would continue throughout the day, as I got chastised for walking through the parking lot near the Basilica and had to get my ID checked at two separate security points any time I wanted to go basically anywhere outside of Gibbons, at one point having to submit myself to a search with a hand-held metal detector. Word came around midday that after 4:30 until 7:30 PM, we were either inside or outside of Gibbons.

Now I'm aware that someone as prestigious and representative of as large a body as the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the leader of said body, needs to be protected as he is a potential target for myriad terrorists and assassins affiliated with anti-Catholic or otherwise anti-Western organizations (more on the Protestant fringe element who turned out later), but I nonetheless couldn't help but feel a little invaded. This is where I live, study, and socialize and I couldn't help but feel a gut reaction resolutely against the security measures as much as I intellectually understood why they needed to be there, for my protection as well as for the protection of the pope. But to have one's surroundings in which one moves freely on a daily basis cornered off and restricted by some alien force is a surreal experience, and not at all fun.

At around 2:30 I noticed that a large crowd had gathered along Michigan Avenue and 4th street, and, with this blog in mind, I decided to scope out the scene. A conventional news report would probably tell you that this was a gathering of Catholics of all stripes, although that's not entirely accurate. The bulk, really, were these Hispanic church groups, who kept themselves discrete from one another by holding up large banners proclaiming themselves the representative groups of their respective parishes. Each group gathered around a few people with guitars, drums and megaphones and sang spiritual songs, and the result of all of these groups doing this at the same time was a bit gratingly cacophonous, though the mood was good. Mixed in with these Hispanic parish groups were the odd middle class Irish or Italian family and assorted clergy. The traffic was moving pretty lucidly given the circumstances, although buses filled with DC city cops came through every now and then, and this again had my civil liberties sensor going off.

As irritatingly noisy as they sometimes were, it was really nice to see the Hispanic groups I mentioned out in force. The current state of Hispanics, specifically Hispanic Immigrants, in America strikes me as comparable to that of the Irish and German immigrants of the latter half of the 19th century from which I am descended. They face many of the challenges those groups faced, and I believe they are more than capable of rising in the economic and social strata in much the same way those aforementioned immigrant groups did. Because I see their situation as so comparable to my ancestors I have no time for those of similar ethnic backgrounds to my own who favor policies along the lines of building a 700-mile long fence along the United States border. I'm aware, of course, of the difference between legal and illegal immigration, but I still think a lenient immigration policy that acknowledges that these people are willing to work here and succeed is in order.

At around four I decided to leave again, as I decided that if it was "in" or "out," then I wanted "out," and I had to return some damaged iPod ear buds anyway. In a last ditch effort though, I did manage to score myself a spare ticket from some friends to the field outside of the Basilica to see the pope enter for bishops' Mass. Wednesday was an especially pretty day if not a bit hot and humid. I sat with my friends Craig, Luis and Christina on their blanket and really just took in the scene. On the east side of the field there were these elevated booth-like structures for television broadcasters and some sort of papal merchandise stand, complete with a cardboard cut-out of Benedict XVI you could take your picture with. On the roofs of Gibbons on the south end of the field and McMahon, a classroom building, on the north end, snipers were stationed, in addition to, I later learned, on top of the Basilica dome.

There was a lot of waiting. Word got around that the pope was arriving at 5, then 5:30, and finally, 6. The time was easy to pass as a lot of friends came through and I mainly talked with Christina, who mentioned something interesting at some point about Protestants who wish for Christian unity, but yet refuse to rejoin the Church. She and I also found common ground in that it's hard being a good church attending Catholic, though not especially religious or dogmatic Catholic, these days when there's a pretty large and pretty vocal anti-secular reactionary and judgmental element in Catholicism these days.

Finally, the pope arrived at around 5:30, preceded by a motorcade and the thunderous ringing of the Basilica bells. It was difficult to get a good vantage point, so I really didn't see much of him. Nonetheless, the crowd was ecstatic, and people that I know who generally don't show any interest in the Church or religion seemed just as excited as even the most devoted Catholics. He exited the trademark Popemobile and waved the the crowd, and the whole event couldn't have lasted for more than a few seconds. Although he's a lot different from what our generation expects of a pope after having only known Pope John Paul II, he nonetheless seemed to be reveling in the attention. Afterwards I managed to get on the seemingly packed Metro train with no trouble at all by entering through the Brookland entrance to return my headphones.

PART II NEXT

Les Savy Fav @ The Black Cat April 4, 2008

2008-04-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Les Savy Fav, along with now-defunct fellow travelers like At The Drive-In and The Dismemberment Plan, come from of a late set post-hardcore groups that fully embraced lush production values, as well as the elements of disparate genres like dance music and progressive rock which had been lurking under post-hardcore's surface since the late 1980s. These bands were also present when post-hardcore crashed into the mainstream at the turn of the 21st century, shattering the style, as well as many of the bands, into myriad pieces. Chances are, if you like anything remotely art punk today, it owes something to bands like Les Savy Fav and their ilk.

Unlike At The Drive-In and the Dismemberment Plan, though, Les Savy Fav are still going strong. Even after an extended hiatus for a large chunk of the current decade, they remain relevant with their 2007 studio record Let's Stay Friends receiving much acclaim and a live album, After The Balls Drop, coming later this month. Keep a look out for this latter album, as it is their live show which the band really puts their heart and soul into.

I arrived at the Black Cat, one of my favorite DC venues, just in time to catch one of the last songs by opening act the Dodos. In terms of stage presence, the Dodos weren't terribly much to speak of. They were in between songs and I was expecting delicate post-rock, and indeed they did play post-rock, albeit with a rhythmic power often lacking in said style of music. Next up was the Big Sleep, a band out of Brooklyn who played spacey, proto-metal tinged art rock, although I couldn't bet feel that there was some of the trilled fury of Unwound and the rhythmic precision of Shellac in their sound as well.

In all honesty I was a little worried for Les Savy Fav before they went on. They have been playing for more than a decade now, and the sound of their records has been increasingly rounded out by high production values and electronic/dance influences. Having only a few MP3s by the band from their early years (from their page on Epitonic), and being only vaguely familiar with more recent cuts, I wondered if they would have the same visceral kick that they would have had, say, in the late 1990s. The Big Sleep's set wasn't spectacular, but it was competent and enjoyable, and as a neophyte to Les Savy Fav I did honestly wonder if Les Savy Fav would be upstage by a band ten years younger than them, absurd as that seems to me now and to those seasoned fans of Les Savy Fav.

Luckily, Les Savy Fav, are a hard-rocking, high-octane punk band know how to put on a show. Anticipation was already high among the crowd when lead singer Tim Harrington, who resembles a cross between Karl Marx and Homer Simpson in bohemian clothing, took the stage to peer out to the audience, and as his band mates took the stage he introduced this narrative to tie together the proceedings, something of a bizarre lampooing of the Die Hard movies and 24. The word on Tim Harrington is showmanship: he stuck to that story the entire show, regularly working in costume changes and props, like some sort of post-punk Alice Cooper. Unlike arena rockers who do this to create a space between themselves and the audience, Harrington is all about engaging his audience, regularly venturing out into the audience to dance with them or otherwise engage them in the proceedings. It's not just Harrington who's larger than life, it's everybody.

Harrington's opening speech concerning the action movie plot concluded with a countdown after which the band kicked in and I found myself, for the first time since about age 14, caught up in a mosh pit. It was a little jarring at first, but I quickly came to enjoy it, pogoing to keep up as best I could and singing along if I could pick up the refrains to songs I'd never heard. I eventually stayed right up front in the center of the cyclone where the band met the audience for the duration, the moshing only becoming to intense for me during the charged encore. It was also the first time in a while seeing an established band with a large audience, and though I've grown to love smaller, more intimate shows, I'd forgotten how exciting big things can be. Les Savy Fav aren't my favorite band, but I felt like it and wished they were during the show, and who's saying they won't be pretty soon? Seeing Les Savy Fav live is an intense, energetic and life-affirming experience, don't miss them next time they come around.

Thanks to Mann's World for the picture up top.

It's About Damn Time

2008-04-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

Stop Living in fear, folks. The world won't bite you

Mom lets 9-year-old take subway home alone.

Washington Post Labor Dispute

2008-04-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing these pretty pointed ads taking shots at the labor practices of the Washington Post in the Metro recently, and wondered what the story was behind them. Admittedly, though, I haven't seen them lately, although I haven't been really into the city in the past few weeks. They bore a web address, WashingtonPostUnfair.com, which took one to the official website of the labor group representing the Posts' production workers. The production workers, according to the background section of the website, are responsible for the following:

At the Washington Post, it is the production workers who assemble the papers and prepare them for delivery. Production workers are the last link in the production line. They receive the printed sections of the paper from the press room and bundle the final product into the paper you get on your doorstep. Some workers feed and operate heavy collating machines and inserters that combine the various advertisements and sections of the paper into a neat package. Others stack, lift and transport bundles of papers from one area to another.

I'm taking it upon myself to email whomever is the press representative for all of this. I'm sure most of you are interested in what the bottom of this is as well.

(Picture from WashingtonPostUnfair.com)

2008-04-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Mac went to see Double Dagger about a month ago. He wrote about it.

For a brief time in 2003 I mistakenly thought the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were from Baltimore, due to their mention in one of the earliest articles on Double Dagger in my hometown’s Citypaper. In truth, the prospect of Double Dagger and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs emerging from the same scene wasn’t terribly absurd. Back then, both were stripped down post-punk trios playing hardcore-damaged garage rock with a penchant for confrontational lead singer antics. But where the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have descended into major label mediocrity following the mainstream success of their “Maps” single, Double Dagger have only gotten harder, faster, louder, and better, and are finally getting the recognition they richly deserve.

Currently riding the wave of Baltimore’s thriving independent rock scene, Double Dagger is one of the most forward-thinking punk bands in the country, and one of the American independent scene’s best kept secrets. Formed in 2002 by graphic designers Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals, and eschewing guitar for the rumble and roar of a single overdriven bass, Double Dagger’s sound has evolved from thrashy yet clever garage punk into a hip, danceable, and catchy brand of post-hardcore, best heard on 2007’s full length Ragged Rubble, which has been praised in both the Washington Post and even on the somewhat punk-phobic Pitchfork. During an era where a number of British groups have turned angular punk into big business, Double Dagger offers the real deal. It’s a shot of much needed energy and originality into the arm of left-field rock and roll.

Its Double Dagger’s live show, however, where the band truly shines. Lead singer Nolen Strals chants and screams the lyrics as he jumps and contorts himself much like Cedric Bixler-Zalava did during his At The Drive-In years, although Strals adds humor and ironic sexuality into the mix by regularly venturing into the audience to cause consternation among its more fashion-conscious members. Wrangling sounds even more incredible than those on record, bassist Bruce Willen is only marginally more restrained than Strals, and drummer Denny Bowen (who replaced the energetic yet less technically skilled Brian Dubin in 2004), not only plays precisely, but with so much power that broken drum heads and other equipment issues are a typical occurrence. The sum of these parts elevate already hard-hitting songs like the Led Zep-gone-minimalist slam of “The Psychic,” the epic clash of hope and grief that is “Luxury Condos For The Poor,” and the tuneful frenzy of as-yet unreleased tracks like “No Allies” and “New Catalogues” to sublime levels.

I had the chance to interview Bruce Willen via email recently, to gain some deeper insight into the band’s inspiration and plans for the future. Here’s what he had to say:

Catholic University Rag: You've been getting a lot of press lately in publications like the Washington Post and Pitchfork. How have you been responding to this, and has it affected your ambitions in regards to the band?

Bruce Willen: It's always cool when someone writes nice things about your band or album, if for no other reason than to get some form of feedback on your music. The publicity we've received this year hasn't been overwhelming or life-altering, and it hasn't affected our plans or approach as a band. Hopefully it's given a few new people a chance to hear our music.

CUR: One of the most distinguishing aspects of Double Dagger is the absence of a guitar, and your bass work filling the sonic space that a lead guitar would take. Was this a conscious choice to play only the bass guitar, or did it happen by chance?

BW: When we were starting the band, we originally thought that we would have a guitar player. We weren't able to find someone who seemed to fit with the band's direction, so we wound up sticking with just a bass guitar. I had been experimenting with unorthodox bass set ups, and with the addition of some more amps we were able to fill out the sound enough so that a guitar wasn't necessary. It has been a challenge to write songs in a way that forces the bass playing to be dynamic and make up for the lack of guitar.

CUR: Baltimore is a theme that plays in heavily in Double Dagger's music, especially in "Luxury Condos for the Poor," which to many is your signature song. What is your personal history with Baltimore, and thoughts on Baltimore living in general?

BW: Denny was born in Baltimore and grew up in and out of the city. Nolen and I both moved to Baltimore to go to MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) and wound up sticking around after we graduated. My dad's family is from Baltimore too, so I have some personal roots in the city. We all share a love and appreciation for the city. Baltimore obvious has its share of problems (see The Wire), but it's a great place to live. It's a small community with big city amenities (and big city problems).

CUR: Baltimore's independent music scene seems to be enjoying its big moment in the national spotlight at present. What are your thoughts on Baltimore music, and this recent phenomenon?

BW: We think it's great that the Baltimore music scene is getting so much attention. People like Dan Deacon, Ecstatic Sunshine, Videohippos, The DeathSet, Celebration, etc are all making great music and work hard at what they do--- they absolutely deserve to do well. Baltimore has a close-knit music community and everyone helps each other out and seems to be genuinely excited about each other's music. The music press will eventually move on to the next "cool" music scene, but as long as our sense of community isn't replaced by a desire for fame and fortune, Baltimore will be fine.

CUR: You and Nolen also comprise the graphic design team Post Typography. Can you explain in greater detail the work that Post Typography does and some of the accolades your work has received?

BW: Nolen and I started Post Typography as a label that encompassed our collaborative visual work. We began about six years ago (while still at MICA), doing projects after work and on the weekends--- mainly poorly-paying jobs like concert posters and band shirts. Within the past couple of years we started gaining some recognition within the design and art worlds, as well as some higher-profile jobs. Our work has been included in a few nice design books and magazines, and we've been asked to give artist lectures at various colleges around the country. We both were able to quit our day jobs last year to focus on Post Typography full time. We do a wide variety of work from magazine/newspaper illustrations to logo designs, book covers, and websites.

CUR: There's been a mention on your website about some 7" records coming in 2008. What can audiences expect on these new recordings, especially in light of Ragged Rubble's success?

BW: We have two 7"s coming out this Spring. The 7" on Toxic Pop Records features two unreleased songs from the Ragged Rubble recording session, Catalogs and Bored Meeting; and a remix of I Was So Bored I Wanted To Hang Myself on the Dancefloor on the B-side. Our friend Rowen Frazer did the remix, and it sounds great--- it's catchy and dancey, but not your typical remix.

The other 7" on Terra Firma Records will have a brand new recording of Luxury Condos For The Poor on the A-side and two new songs on the B-side. We've wanted to re-record Luxury Condos for the past year, because we play it much better now. This is the extended version of the song and the definitive recording of it.

These guys are playing at UMBC on April 11th, but they have a bunch of dates this month. Check out their MySpace for more deets.

The Capitol of Hip

2008-04-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

Forget the government. Shows like Human Bell’s in-store at Crooked Beat records are what really make Washington great (Picture from myspace.com/humanbell).

In Adam’s Morgan in Northwest DC there’s a little corner of cool called Crooked Beat records. To a rock snob it’s like a candy store in Valhalla, carrying even the rarest releases from all of the most important art rock, punk, and indie bands of the last 25 years, and most of those from before. It’s also something of a shrine to Washington’s legendary punk scene, with a whole section devoted specifically to local groups from the well known like Fugazi and the Dismemberment Plan to the more obscure such as Hoover and The Nation of Ulysses. When Washington’s aging hipster elite start filing in for one of Crooked Beat’s periodic In-Store shows, it’s a bit intimidating. I was the youngest person at Baltimore space rockers Human Bell’s show there in February, and with my short stature and greasy blonde hair, I looked it.

The mood at this show could only be described as hyper-intimate: Crooked Beat is very nearly a literal hole-in-the-wall, and feels even smaller due to the post-punk memorabilia encrusted walls. Human Bell nearly packed Crooked Beat, but the total number of those present outside of the band could not have topped 15. I didn’t see any faces I knew but some I recognized, chiefly Stymphalian Birds’ jovially bald, bearded and rotund drummer, and Alec MacKaye, brother of Ian MacKaye and the weary punk on the cover of Minor Threat’s discography collection, and really just as accomplished and prolific of a musician as his brother.

As glad as I was to be there, I did feel a bit like an outsider among the midst of a secret society, though once Human Bell cranked up their vintage, elegantly beat Danelectro guitars, division was dead. Human Bell, led by guitarists Nathan Bell and Dave Heumann (hence the name), play a style of post-rock that refreshingly rocks. It’s like Pink Floyd sans the bullshit, or perhaps Explosions In The Sky bathed in the smoky neon-lit cool of electric blues. There’s something undeniably urban about Human Bell’s sound; one cannot listen to them without imagining traffic lights on deserted city streets at three in the morning, changing for no one. With Human Bell’s droning yet tradition-rooted guitar riffs and heavy but never bombastic drumming, the band’s sound is much closer to Nathan Bell’s old band Lungfish than the solo work of Lungfish frontman Daniel Higgs. Go buy Human Bell’s self-titled album, preferably at Crooked Beat. Try and catch Human Bell live if you can. These are rare treats reserved for those who live in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, easily a hotbed of post-punk activity on par with New York City or Manchester, England.

Human Bell’s self-titled debut is out now on Thrill Jockey records. Human Bell can be found online at myspace.com/humanbell.

Stupes

2008-03-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

The Internet is all up in arms about this: the makeover and re-release of the Sweet Valley High series, in which Jessica and Elizabeth have gone from a size 6 to a size 4. To which I say: bummer. That's fucking stupid. At face value, this is an unnecessary and vain slimdown.

But speaking of vanity--1983's size 6 is at least a 4 today, if not smaller! Also, do they wear a 4 in Gap or in Juicy Couture? Etc, etc. Was Random House attempting to compensate for the de-standardization of American sizing, or are they just plain old shitheads of the Anna Wintour* variety?

That's not what I came to complain about, however. The worst thing about their makeover is the Oracle is no longer the school's newspaper, but their website! Seeing that after reading this deeply upsetting New Yorker piece (yes, upsetting--talk about the disappearance of newspapers brings a legit tear to my eye), I am like basically a fetal ball of crybaby. I LIKE NEWSPAPERS. Can we please keep reading them?

*Talk about a clusterfuck.

Mexico

2008-03-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

. . . is interesting. Quite frankly, I'm sick of this "emo" foolishness in all respects.

Double Dagger and Human Bell articles coming soon!

Tomorrow!

2008-03-10T09:58:00.001-07:00

Wealth and Wzt Hearts at the Black Cat!

2008-03-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/07/AR2008030703320.html

Sucks about all this.

I'm really excited to read her book.

The Nietzsche Family Circus

2008-03-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

http://www.losanjealous.com/nfc/

No more cuteness is necessary in the world. We've had enough. Thanks.

2008-02-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

Come to this show. (It's tonight.)

2008-02-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

How??

2008-02-12T08:40:00.001-08:00

Girl-gle!

2008-02-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

(Lame post title. It should be "Women-gle" but that sounds like a sound something makes when it is dying or choking. No thanks.)

Marie Claire presents the top-ranking women at Google.

It could be worse

2008-02-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

With stuff like this materializing in cafeteria food, how far are we from this?

2008-02-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

"Flawed Cindy McCain has grudge list"

Hm. Flawed Emily Ruane has a grudge list, too.

(From the Sunday Times.)

Double Dagger

2008-02-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

The world's coolest punk band is interviewed in our first issue.

Coolly enough, I'm in this video at certain points . . .

-Mac

Friday Funnies

2008-02-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

Sea Monkeys!

Let's get this party started right.

2008-02-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

The Tower reports that CUA Dems support Obama, while more Repubs are going for McCain.

C. U. R. will try to post as much politically relevant info as possible.

That being said, here's Hillary. (From the the New Yorker.)

February 10th

2008-02-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

We'll be there!!!

Hello there . . .

2008-01-30T10:12:00.000-08:00

I'm Mac. I did a lot of journalism in high school and wil be hosting a radio show on WCUA Friday afternoons at 4. I'm probably going to write a lot about music, specifically that in a punk/art rock vein. My first article's going to be about the tres cool Baltimore post-punk noise machine that is Double Dagger. Do look for it!

-Mac

2008-01-30T07:43:00.000-08:00