Moved On

Movin' On has come and gone, and after another year with middling attendance and a lot of complaints about the lineup, I just can't help but wonder what the future holds for the festival.

I've looked back at past lineups and wondered what happened. Don't get me wrong — Phantom Planet was awesome; Piebald put on a great, fun show; Authority Zero had people going insane; and Lemonsoul, a local band, got one of the best receptions of any bands on the lawn.

But maybe that's just the problem. Not to take anything away from Lemonsoul, but when there are nine bands from out of town being paid to play a show and a local band outshines six of them, something is very wrong.

I've looked back at past shows and wondered how we got to this point. In 2003, before I came to Penn State, the headliner of Movin' On was Wilco. The band had just released Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, one of the top ten albums of this decade. Apparently, Penn State had no idea, because after that year, Movin' On took a new direction with its booking and progressed towards more "popular" acts. Judging from the crowd at the HUB lawn Saturday night, it's not working very well. Since Wilco, the festival has featured Bowling For Soup (so bad it's offensive), Rusted Root (an over-the-hill Rusted Root, mind you), Talib Kweli (awesome, but as evidenced by Kidz in the Hall's reception Saturday, State College ain't a hip-hop town), and Phantom Planet. Movin' On is a very necessary event for Penn State, but the receptions over the years just go to show that you can't possibly please everyone. Sometimes, it seems, you can't please anyone.

Let's face it: there are 40,000 students here, only some of which really care about who plays Movin' On. State College is a football town, not a music town. If you're going to put on a concert, you can't try to please casual music fans. You've gotta get four or five bands that appeal to the most fervent music fans out there.

Fun Afoot

I’m a little overwhelmed.

As a Penn State student, I’m excited about this coming weekend. As a member of the arts staff, I’m stressed out.

Friday night at Chronic Town (I still can’t believe they call it that) is the aptly named Fallin’ Back festival, comprised of six local bands who, despite having quite a following in State College, all missed the cut to play at the Movin’ On Battle of the Bands.

Saturday evening is the student film festival, screened at the State Theatre and open only to students. I went last year (held at Schwab) and came away impressed, and I’m kind of miffed I won’t be able to attend this year.

Unfortunately, Movin’ On is scheduled to begin before the film festival and end well after it, and as a senior music reporter, I’ll be on the HUB lawn all day.

This isn’t really a big deal as Movin’ On will certainly have its share of highlights as well.

I’ve seen Piebald a few times, and they always put on a great show. When I interviewed lead singer Travis Shettel last week, he promised that they would only play a few songs from the newest album—a good thing, because even though Accidental Gentleman isn’t bad, it’s a little bit of a letdown after All Ears, All Eyes, All the Time and We Are the Only Friends We Have, the latter of which being one of my favorite albums ever.

I’ve seen Days Away a few times as well, opening for other bands, and they’re not bad either. I’ve listened to a little bit of You, Me, and Everyone we know, and they sound like a combination of Fall Out Boy (bad) and Say Anything (awesome). Hopefully the live performance is closer to the latter.

Sunday night is My Chemical Romance and Muse at the Bryce Jordan Center, which has potential as well.

Oh, and my brother is coming up for the weekend, so I have to entertain him as well. I guess that won’t be too hard.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door

It's tough to think about the arts scene in State College after the events at Virginia Tech earlier this week. But it always seems as though musicians do wonders for the healing process in times like these. After 9/11, there was the Concert for New York. After Hurricane Katrina, there were the all-star singles. Then there's Live Aid, Farm Aid, Live 8, Band-Aid, and so on.

In State College, the healing process can start when a couple of bands in the area do what they can to turn this into a positive situation. The Man, a jazz/rock fusion band and one of the winners of last week's Battle of the Bands competition, is teaming up with a bluegrass band called Hay Sugar for a benefit concert this Thursday at Chronic Town.

As of yet, there's no indication that there's a national tribute show in the works. But if history holds true, there should be. And considering this week's events plus the fact that a couple State College bands got a show together in two days, there's no excuse for the national acts not to get something together.

If you're looking to give to a good cause, here's your timely opportunity. The Man is the only original funk/fusion band in State College and they won a spot at Movin' On, so they must be doing something right. Hay Sugar is a new band and one of few bluegrass acts in State College. Plus, Chronic Town is a sweet hang. There's something for everyone, and it's for charity. Rock on, Hokies.

Let's all go to the movies

I don’t know if seeing a couple of Hollywood movies over the weekend counts as “local arts,” but since I will lamentably have to miss the upcoming student film festival, we’ll roll with it.

Friday night, I saw Grindhouse, the Rodriguez/Tarantino (/Roth/Wright/Zombie) double feature, which may be the fastest three and a half hours in recorded history. I have never sat that long in a movie theater without checking the time.

Both films were throwbacks to vintage horror films but managed to be somewhat postmodern in their portrayal. Though the movies screamed “1970’s,” from the wardrobe to the sets to the cars, neither director had any qualms with anachronism, as characters make use of cell phones and talk about Osama bin Laden.

Further, grainy film stock and faux-damaged reels served both to give the film a decades-ago feel and to present the stories in a less conventional narrative format.

On Saturday, I went to see Blades of Glory. I was extremely conflicted going in: members of the cast had me unsure of what to expect. Nick Swardson and Will Arnett can make me laugh with whatever they do, but Will Ferrell is pretty hit-or-miss and Jon Heder is usually just miss.

Will Ferrell as a realistic human being is usually a waste of time. The characters he played in Stranger than Fiction and Kicking and Screaming are too regular for Ferrell’s comedic abilities to shine through. In a movie like Anchorman, Ferrell as a completely out of touch, over the top, completely preposterous character is gold. Chazz Michael Michaels of Blades of Glory, from his nymphomania to his childish bickering with Heder’s Jack MacElroy, was much closer to the latter.

While the movie was one of Ferrell’s funniest, the most turbulent scene of the film came when Jack MacElroy was about to kiss Katie Van Waldenberg. In the context of the movie, this was fine.

What made this troubling was that these characters were played by Jon Heder (star of perhaps the most overrated and inexplicably popular movie of all time, Napoleon Dynamite) and Jenna Fischer (who plays Pam on “The Office,” also known as “The only show on television that’s worth watching on a weekly basis”).

Because of characters they’ve played in the past (and in Fischer’s case, still plays), I have diametrically opposite opinions on these two people, and watching them kiss was nearly unwatchable.

Grindhouse and Blades of Glory might be about as different as two movies can be (even though I spent a lot of time laughing during both), but they were equally enjoyable.

Souled Out

Being a critic often has its downside. Sure, I get to tell everyone about their shortcomings, but after a while, it's hard not being able to enjoy mindless entertainment for what it is. For example, I'm glad that my friends can get a laugh out of Dane Cook, but for me, he wore out his welcome a long time ago. I got sick of Dave Matthews Band in 8th grade, but more power to everyone who can get through his songs anymore.

This burden follows me everywhere, though, and unfortunately, that makes it difficult for me to tolerate the environments at some of State College's finest dance atmospheres like The Cell Block or Players. When I think of dancing, I'm thinking more groove than grind, more funky than freaky. It's for this reason that I went to Chronic Town's monthly all-ages dance party Soulution on Friday night.

I understand that people might question why there's a $2 cover at a place that doesn't serve alcohol. But you can stretch that two bucks as far as you want if you like good soul, R&B, Motown or funk music. And besides the joy of getting down to James Brown, The Jackson 5, and Aretha Franklin, you can also observe a room full of pale indie kids attempting to dance while you smoke a hookah and lounge in the comfy old furniture. It's sort of like a bunch of people in their bedrooms dancing around in their underwear, but without the bedrooms or underwear. Er...with the underwear, plus more clothes.

This past Friday, it was hard to take a break from the dancing just to sit down. Every time I'd go to hang out with my friends for a bit, the DJ would start calling my name: James Brown's "Sex Machine," The Jackson 5's "ABC," Aretha Franklin's "Think," Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," and so on. The nights usually start with some more subdued music until about halfway through the party when the funk gets turned up a few notches.

Since the events are monthly, I suppose that leaves room for only one more at the end of April. But for the crowd sick of the same old weekend grind, it's a great experience to see if you've still got soul power.

Happier times in Happy Valley

As regular readers of this blog may know, Roustabout! is one of the most reliable forms of entertainment in all of State College. As a senior music reporter, it’s difficult for me to admit that I didn't go to my first one until last Friday night.

Sometimes, I wasn’t fond of the bands that were playing. Sometimes, plans to go to the event would fall through at the last minute. There are tons of excuses, but none of them are very good, as I learned this past weekend.

After two mostly forgettable bands finished their respective sets, Oppenheimer, a two-piece from Belfast, Northern Ireland, took the Chronic Town stage. The band put on one of the better concerts I’ve seen in my time in State College.

Oppenheimer is a synth-pop pair with music somewhere between the Postal Service and Mates of State on the cheeriness meter and a vocalist who sort of sounds like Kevin Shields. Their recorded material is pretty awesome, but their live show is something to be experienced.

As someone who spends a lot of time complaining about how there’s nothing fun to do in State College and about how Penn State has a terrible music scene, the show was a breath of fresh air.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. This coming weekend is the free Asylum-organized show in the Pollock Rec Room, headlined by Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer. The following weekend will have a Roustabout! featuring Loney, Dear, a band I saw over spring break who rocked my figurative socks. And before you know it, it’ll be Movin’ On time. The State College music scene is beginning to blossom.

It's no New York City

The unfortunate thing about a college town's arts scene is that when the students leave for break, so does the scene. But I couldn't let nine days of vacation go by without getting my fix of live entertainment, so I went a-road trippin'.

With the accompaniment of a fellow Collegianaire, I left my native Philadelphia for New York City. It's not that Philadelphia's scene is bad; it's anything but. This was the result of a sick twist of fate that had one of my favorite bands, of Montreal, playing Philadelphia the night before I came home for spring break. Fortunately, I lucked into a ticket to their sold-out Saturday night show at Irving Plaza in the Big Apple.

Aside from the show, New York obviously had a lot to offer. When there's that much diversity and that many people in a city, there's usually going to be a lot of options for entertainment. We glimpsed amateur painters and new styles before stumbling upon a couple acrobatic entertainers in Washington Square Park named Tic and Tac. The guys cracked jokes with the audience members and performed some awesome stunts to the sounds of an accompanying drummer.

But the highlight of my break came later that night when of Montreal took the stage. The band showcased songs from each of its last three albums, keeping the concert feeling like a dance party. And the band never shied away from stage antics, having one member dress as Darth Vader and employing the aid of a figurative dancer who shoved squashed bananas down his unitard. Bizarre? Yes. But also shockingly delightful.

Apologies to State College, but it's no New York City. But then again, maybe fruit-loving dancers aren't your cup of tea, either.

Get a Clue

It's gotten to the middle of the semester now, and that means the money that I carefully budgeted to get me through the whole semester is completely gone. Of course, Penn State offers the luxury of a number of free arts events on campus. The most consistently enjoyable of those events, I've found, are the No Refund Theatre productions at the Forum every weekend.

Last week, NRT took on an adaptation of the film version of Clue, which I've seen roughly 300 times on Comedy Central in the past 10 years, give or take a couple hundred. Needless to say, the novelty of the occasion piqued my interest.

The production of Clue was especially impressive because the direction and timing had to be perfect. In the film, the director had the luxury of using camera angles to conceal certain characters who were off committing their murders. But in the stage performance, everyone had to be in the right place at the right time. I don't know how NRT pulled it off, but using every inch of the Forum's free space, they did it.

NRT never fails to impress me, no matter how well the performances go. A theatre troupe made up entirely of students shouldn't be as good at what they do as NRT is. To balance a full-time class schedule with the commitment to putting on a great show is commendable. And though the shows aren't always perfect, I can't fault them for a mistake here or there. Besides, what's the point in complaining about a free show put on by people who work for nothing?

NRT has eight more shows playing this semester, so if your cash supply is running low like mine was last weekend, it's definitely worth the walk to the Forum. The shows are downright terrific.

Homesick for a stomach ache

As a person who has spent his entire life living a 10-minute drive from Philadelphia, I like cheesesteaks. A lot. They’re not something I need on a daily or even weekly basis, but I do get cravings now and again, and I’ve yet to find anything in State College that satisfies my hunger.

Granted, I haven’t yet tried every rendition of a cheesesteak in the area, but because I’m naïve and easily forgiving, I’ve tried a lot of them—and I’ve cursed myself each time for giving State College yet another chance to let me down.

It’s not a complicated sandwich to prepare—it’s literally just meat and cheese and bread. But for some reason, you just can’t get a good one anywhere that’s more than a short drive from Philly. Whatever it is about the cheesesteak, they do something in Philadelphia that they don’t do anywhere else. But we’re not that far from there—only a few hours. Beyond that, there should be enough Philadelphian transplants in State College that someone could competently make one.

I mean, Tastykakes are widely available here, and a Rita’s Water Ice just opened up on Beaver Ave., so why can’t anybody make me a dang cheesesteak?

Philadelphia natives may argue over the merits of Geno’s and Pat’s and Jim’s and a thousand other places, but while all these vendors have their own idiosyncrasies, they’re all infinitely better than anything you can get here.

That’s not the point though—anyone could tell you the best of Philly is better than anywhere else.

My point as that, even at its worst, you can walk into any hole in the wall within an hour of center city, and you can find yourself a steak sandwich better than anything anywhere else.

This doesn’t make any sense.

I can’t stress enough the fact that it’s just meat and cheese and bread. And it’s not like the preparation is some kind of secret: most places actually let you watch them as they make it.

This is all part of a bigger, upsetting trend, though, and that is State College’s lack of culinary identity. Yeah, we have ice cream, and it’s awesome, but what beyond that? I’m not calling for any sort of fine dining establishment; I just want somewhere good to eat. Pizza, wings and Chinese food can only go so far. While I’m here, there are about 600 different food items I pine for, but when I’m home, there’s really nothing food-wise that I miss about Penn State.

Rock the Casbah

I got my first taste of a big bar show in State College on Monday night at Lulu's Nightspot when the Lemonheads came to town. The show was pretty good overall, but more importantly, Lulu's has got a pretty sweet set-up.

I don't know how successful live music can be in a college town where the vast majority of students don't care about live music. But if Lulu's can book some shows that appeal to the more musically inclined among us, it could turn out to be a great venue. The sound in the place was really good, even when The Lemonheads got into their more distorted punk numbers. The drums came through especially well, which was fortunate because the drumming, in my opinion, was the most consistent thing about the show.

The only thing I wondered about Monday's show is why it was a 21+ show. In a college town, does it really make sense to cut out the majority of your potential audience? I'm not sure if it's possible with the way the bars are set up, but a bracelet system would be ideal for the venue. That way you keep your hands clean of furnishing alcohol to minors, and meanwhile all the 21+ among the crowd can still drunkenly heckle Evan Dando.

The crowd on Monday was middling in size, but other than that, Lulu's was a great place to see a show. The decor is pretty sweet and the sound, lights and stage were all up to snuff. I can't wait to see how the place handles an all-ages show next month when The Hold Steady comes to town.

The Big Screen

The thing I've liked most about the State Theatre has little to do with a new venue for the performing arts, either national or local. I'm excited by those things, of course, but they're still trying to find their identity and really get the ball rolling.

What I've enjoyed the most so far is the theater aspect, the screening of old movies. I don't know if everyone feels the same way, or has stopped to think about it in these terms, but seeing classic films with an audience is really a worthwhile experience.

Some might say that it's silly to spend money on a $7 ticket for a movie that's been in syndication on cable for years, or easily available for rental. But watching a movie on a dinky TV set by yourself or with a friend or two is nothing at all.

I used to get jealous whenever I'd talk to friends who lived in big cities who talked about theaters screening older films. Of course it's got appeal: the Star Wars triology was successfully given a new theatrical run around ten years ago, and Disney's brought back their old films.

For example, I've seen Clockwork Orange many times, and even dressed up as the droog leader Alex for Halloween. I couldn't wait to plop down a few bucks for a chance to see it in a theater. Crowd reactions can change how you feel about a movie: you laugh at things you never considered funny, or feel the anticipation waiting to see the crowd's reaction to a big event.

But, of course, like all things local, that effect was diminished by a lack of interest: there were only a few dozen people there. I suppose it's ridiculous to expect a full house for a classic film, but I can't help but think if more people thought about the second chance afforded by a screening like that, I would have been in better company.

State Theatre Blues

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of watching a fantastic singer and songwriter perform at the State Theatre. Country/folk singer Rodney Crowell played to an enthusiastic audience and put on a two-hour set that didn't drag for a second. But, as I found myself to be the youngest person in the crowd, the show seemed to go unnoticed by the primary readership of a music blog like this.

Low student turnout could be because of unfamiliarity with Crowell. However, I've noticed a trend with State Theatre shows: They're bringing in noted acts, just not in genres targeted towards the student-age crowd. I'm sure most serious music fans I know would have enjoyed the set if they'd heard it; it's getting them in the door that's the problem.

Of course, it's hard to think of what can be done on that end. You can't force-feed someone a genre they don't like. For Crowell, getting most people past "country" is hard enough (though he calls himself folk-rock now, something I attempted to play up in my preview of the show.)

Ticket prices could also be a factor: Crowell's show was more than $20, like most other shows there, and some are more than $40. I don't know if there's a practical way to lower prices, but it's a huge detriment to thrifty college kids who are reluctant to throw down that money for a band they want to see, let alone something you have to convince them to check out.

It's doubly unfortunate, because if the State Theatre continues having lukewarm reactions to these shows, they're unlikely to experiment with bringing in different acts that might draw in this demographic. I just hope we're not stuck in a stalemate where they continue booking interesting shows that go overlooked.

The Mother of Invention

Since we've added a new blog this semester (Inside the Music World), my colleague Dustin Pangonis and I will switch off as we see fit. Posting an entry here kind of feels like sitting in a seat that's long been occupied by someone else--at first it's uncomfortably warm, but hopefully I can become acclimated to the new environment.

Last week, Dustin wrote about the parity of the bands that play Roustabout! every week. While I can say there is a slight overload of britpop/indie-rock/post-punk/etc., there are a few good reasons for this. It all comes down to the bottom line. I would love to see a hip-hop act at a Roust, but I doubt that kind of show would sell many tickets. I'm sure there's enough of a hip-hop market in State College for that kind of show, but the crowd Roustabout! draws often has a lot of the same people coming back. I don't want to generalize, but I assume those people keep coming back because they know what they're getting from a Roust show. Booking a hip-hop act would involve weeks of promotion to get the word out to different groups of people. I might be pessimistic, but I don't think it'd be feasible.

It was funny Dustin should write that blog entry last week of all weeks. Just a day after he posted the blog, Roustabout! took a voyage into eclecticism. The original line-up for the show was a pair of Scranton-bred bands, Dr. Horsemachine and The Minor White. But when a couple members of Dr. Horsemachine had to back out of the show, a re-shuffling was in order. The Bullet Parade stepped in as a last-minute replacement, which--no offense to the band--wouldn't have solved Dustin's issues with Roust's lack of diversity.

But there was also another surprise--a member of fellow Roust band Okay Paddy (also from Scranton) joined an amalgamation of The Minor White and Dr. Horsemachine to make a new band. The spur-of-the-moment adjustment alone had me excited, but then I noticed a few quirks about the band: they played no electric instruments. And on top of that, one of the guys had a fiddle. They featured lots of improvisation in an alt-country style, and frankly, it was awesome. And I hope Roust organizer Jeff Van Fossan was paying attention, because the change-of-pace absolutely rocked the Darkhorse Tavern.

So much for a lack of variety.

About a Roustabout!

Something clicked with me at this past weekend's all-ages Roustabout! Mainstays' the Bullet Parade were bookended by the Disconnect and the Brother Kite, who I'd heard nothing but great things about. But I found myself doing something I used to think I'd never do: sit through a show, idly talking, daydreaming, and more or less tuning the band out. And then I realized that this is a habit I've also picked up at a few Darkhorse Rousts, too.

So what was the problem? Well, on the surface, it just wasn't the greatest show. The Brother Kite had good qualities, but the vocals were pretty rough, and the songs were samey. But the more I paid attention, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized the more overarching problem: most Roustabout! bands sound pretty much the same.

It seems weird to say, because I'm a Roustabout! fan and have seen some excellent shows. It's one of the most consistently good concert opportunities in State College. But that virtue of consistency is also a huge failing: I've never hated a Roust show, sure. But I've not often been blow away either, and I've been indifferent often.

The Roustabout! Web site uses the genres "Britpop, indie, garage rock, shoegaze, synth, '60s soul, new wave and psych-rock" as the most common types of bands there. Those last four are red herrings: they just mean you'll see a keyboard now and then. And the first four, though distinct most of the time, kind of merge into a steady 4/4, rough-vooiced, chugchugchug guitar pattern when those bands hit the Darkhorse. It's standard rock to drink to, the kind of stuff where you could keep your head bobbing between sets and still be in synch when the next band comes on.

Where's the adventure? How about a folk or blues guy? How about an experimental band? Hell, how about anything not guitar-based? I'd love to see a rap or dance or electronic based act at a Roustabout! I say this fully realizing that rock bands are going to be the most common, but I'd still rather see a bad act in a fresh genre than a month of typical indie rock bands. I always promised myself I'd never be one of those guys who goes to a show and just drinks and ignores it, but it seems more and more appealing as more bands run together.

To-do list

With the State Theatre newly opened and the new semester starting, it might be a good time to give an overview of some of the arts activities available here and give a little to-do list of things to check out.

-Check out a Roustabout! concert. If you're 21, you'll have plenty of chances to attend at the Darkhorse Tavern on Wednesdays. If you're under 21, keep an eye out for the occasional all-ages shows they do at the hookah lounge (itself freshly renamed Chronic Town.) Roustabouts typically highlight good local groups and draw some great Pennsylvania and national acts, as well, and it's one of the more regular opportunities to see concerts. There is also an all-ages show this Friday.

-Look into a No Refund Theatre show. This is another easy one, as they put on performances most weekends in the forum.

-See an Outlaws peformance, too. They do shows on Thursday nights in the arts building. It's student-written, so the shows have a different flavor from NRT. It's worth checking both groups out at least once.

-Catch a SOMA show. It's a multiple arts club, so it can involve anything from music to film to comedy to visual arts, so it's always different. It can also be a good opportunity to check out a field of art you might not otherwise look into.

-Visit the State Theatre, which also features a variety of events, from concerts to screenings of clssic films.

-Find art showing. Be it the art museum, a display in the HUB, an artist's exhibition, or something else, keep an eye out for articles about art displays and take a few minutes to see one of the.

These are just a few of the basic suggestions. If I'm making any point, it's that there are lots of things going on all the time, and plenty of opportunities to try something new. Keep your eyes open and don't be afraid to try something new and get a better idea of what PSU has to offer.