March 2023 Pine Press

To my fellow co-opers, Welcome to this edition of the Pine Press! This edition is bigger, and hopefully even better, than our last edition. Thank you to everyone who contributed! Here are just a few reminders before we get into the rest of the issue: -

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Skillshare is coming up! To those who don’t know, skillshare is a yearly event where co-opers host workshops and classes on topics they care about. We’ve had a lot of different topics, everything from cooking to beekeeping to finances! See the back page of this article for a QR code that links to the sign ups—feel free to sign up! :) The election is also coming up! From March 26th to April 2nd, you will be able to vote on your next Vice President of Education, Vice President of Membership, President (our last vote on the presidency tied, so we have to revote), and best pet (vote Miralax!!!!). There will be a debate this Friday (the 24th) at 7pm between the candidates for VPE and VPM, respectively; the presidential candidates will also be available at this time to answer questions. More information on this can be found later in the issue!

Let’s get into the issue! As always, you can send Pine Press submissions to me at education@spartan.coop. Questions can also be directed to my email or sent to my discord (lucinda #2251). Also, thanks to Sky from Orion for making this month’s cover.

Pine Cones Thanks to mal from ohaus for always being there for everyone!!

Thanks to Sarah for being a wonderful friend :) -Lucinda (Apollo)

Thanks Alana for working so hard to bring Bower together around a great meal!

Shoutout to my housemates (all of them) for just being epic -Anna (Raft) Thanks to Kaz from Hedrick for making 10/10 blueberry muffins

Thanks to Abba for being the cutest ✨ -Teah (Phoenix)

pet spotlight Poppy and Daisy! Poppy loves the kitchen (goes in the ceiling sometimes, kitchen is off limits for cats) Daisy is a sweetheart and has nasty shits -Anna (Raft)

Raven, she eats souls!! -Jo (Orion)

Katniss, she begs for cheese -Leo (Orion)

Miralax, she is actually not a hamster but the smallest opossum of all time -Lucinda (Apollo)

ND U O S

E SHC H

S

OF T

Ursa Minor by Nana Grizol -Clayton (Bower)

Creative Differences (band) -Abby (Orion)

Dial Tone by Couch Dog -Zack (Howland)

The Drive by Everyone You Know -Sebastian (Raft)

Cupid by Fifty Fifty -Teah (Phoenix)

V by Unknown Mortal Orchestra -Jake (Hedrick)

Ready to Be by Twice -Rebecca (Howland)

Out of Tune by The Backseat Lovers -Jo (Orion)

Rebel Girl by Bikini Kill Lucinda (Apollo)

Music Review: Nonagon Infinity Connor Webster Hello everyone, my name is Connor and I am here to talk about one of my favorite albums, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard’s Nonagon Infinity. King Gizzard and this album hold a very special place in my heart—they made my two most hated genres, prog rock and the jam band, cool. I rarely listen to bands like this—I’m usually listening to either doom metal, Beatles-esque indie (hi Kevin Parker!), or underground country/roots music—but the Gizzard scratches an itch for me that I don’t really get in any other albums or artists, and that’s embracing whatever ideas come to you and running with them in full force. A lot of you know who King Gizzard is, so I won’t bore you with the details (and if you don’t know, do yourself a favor and listen to this album), but King Gizzard is a rock band, to put it simply. Even that label does them a disservice—they’ve delved into so many genres in over 26 (!) albums in the last 13 years. You can’t really put a proper label on them. But we’re here to talk about one record, not the other 25, so let’s get to it.

Nonagon Infinity is nine tracks and 45 minutes of some of the most loud, throttling, blood pumping, psychedelic, and visceral garage rock you’re gonna get.

There’s elements of punk, old school hard rock, prog rock, kraut rock, and psych with a touch of heavy metal in there as well. This album may have nine tracks with individual names, but don’t be fooled: they’re all a part of a larger picture. Each track seamlessly transitions from one to the next, with the final track looping back to the first track without any bumps (trust me, I’ve tried to find the skip, you can’t—it really is cool). And that brings me to the main concept—since the album loops seamlessly, it’s more like a never-ending concert, the most sweaty, beer and LSD soaked concert you can imagine.

The first track, “Robot Stop”, is the band’s thesis statement for this record, both lyrically and musically. The very kinetic and propulsive instrumentation that never strays from the odd timed 7/4 groove would be pretty hypnotic if it didn’t sound like it was a ritual summoning a mosh pit from Hell, wild and frantic guitar solos, howling harmonica, and somewhat sinister keys all sound like a satanic ritual. Even the lyrics join in, with vocalist leader Stu chanting about opening doors, being a robot, waiting for answers. It’s all pretty… satanic, even if the song is actually about how exhausted the band is from constant touring. I still love this groove though; it’s a headbanger's dream. You should get used to it, as it's a groove the band returns to again and again throughout this album.

We don’t really get to breathe before we’re hit with the next track, “Big Fig Wasp”, which is a song about how wasps are in a fig. Weird. The 7/4 time signature is still here, but the groove morphs a little. The melody is catchy as hell, and there’s a lot

of really cool effects on the vocals, but it mostly plays off the groundwork of the opening track. It has some cool guitar feedback throughout before we’re thrust back into the groove from before.

“Gamma Knife” has an insanely catchy harmonica riff along with some foreboding, ascending chords and lyrics about milk and honey, wanting youth, the unborn self—am I the only one noticing that these lyrics are simultaneously hilarious and frightening? There’s also a drum solo—it fucking rules. “People Vultures” hits us off with a sinister guitar melody and some more hilariously frightening lyrics about someone or something spewing something down… who knows man, it’s fucking weird. It’s almost kind of snide in how the lyrics are delivered. Stu is talking about having to create art constantly while the “people vultures” are constantly begging for it. Oh wait, I think I get it now.

“Mr. Beat” is a fun track that modulates between 7/8 and 8/8, which the lyrics cheekily reference. I love this groove, the organs, and the ascending and quirky bassline during the verse. Before we go into the next track, “Evil Death Roll”, we get a strangely blissful segue using harmonics; it’s nice. I’m not gonna lie, “Evil Death Roll” is not my favorite track on the album. The same formula from the rest of the album is there, with noisy guitar, sinister chord progressions, and weird rhythms, but it all seems a little bit too much on this track. The melody seems kind of thrown together, the shrieking guitar feels like it’s too noisy and brittle, and the song just kind of meanders a bit before transitioning into the groove of the next track as a teaser and then going back to the melody from the end of “Mr. Beat”.

“Invisible Face” is this kind of odd meter bossa nova garage rock track with another killer bassline. It’s one of my faves due to how dynamic the track is, as well as the way that the chord progressions never really resolve before the end and transition into “Wah-Wah”, which is more of that psychedelic weirdness that I enjoy.

There’s also a zurna on this song, which adds this really whacked out and wild layer to the song’s instrumental. The album’s last track, “Road Train”, is, to put it simply, fucking badass. The groove sounds like a train coming from Hell just to cause mayhem and chaos wherever it goes, which the lyrics reflect—it’s literally a song about Satan conducting a train from the ninth circle of Hell just to cause destruction, and I love it.

I love this album. It’s incredibly detailed for how loud and chaotic it is, and the themes of being on the road, the creation of art, and the perception of art are incredibly engaging. This is much more than a balls-to-the-wall heavy psych record: it’s about how art, its creation, and how it’s sold, and how it’s perceived takes a mental toll on artists, no matter how much they enjoy making that art. It can be an endless cycle, and I think that’s what the band is trying to convey on this album.

April moon 2023 Apr 6, 2023 at 12:34 am The Full Moon in April is named the Pink Moon after the pink flowers that bloom in spring. Other names are Breaking Ice Moon, Budding Moon, Awakening Moon, Egg Moon, and Paschal Moon.

The Native American names refer to the spring thaw and the signs of new growth each year—including names like the Breaking Ice Moon and The Moon of the Red Grass Appearing.

April's Pink Moon Will Offer the Zodiac Signs a Chance to Start Fresh. After the damp (but transformative) worm moon of March, we're more than ready for April's full moon, which is known as the pink moon — a cheery sign of spring.

Spartans Study Abroad For Spring Break Chloe Lester I went on a Study Abroad program for the Full-Time MBA program at Michigan State University. We went to Portugal to tour a variety of businesses focusing on aspects of the local culture as well as Corporate Social Responsibility. On this trip, I joked often about not being able to find any spicy food in Portugal. However, I learned simple cultural preference was not the only reason for this change from my preferred flavor palate. Alcohol production in many countries and the flavor palates of the local cuisine are often closely intertwined due to social meal traditions as well as historical water quality concerns that are decreased by the fermentation process.

These preferences largely persist today in the form of tradition.

We visited the Casal Sta. Maria Winery to learn about traditional Portuguese wine. I was most intrigued by Ramisco. These wines are produced in Portugal due to favorable climate conditions and are exclusive to the Colares region of Southwestern Portugal. The ability of large hills to block the effects of cold wind coming from the water allows a specific microclimate to be chosen for red wine production within the vineyard. This allows red varietals to excel in areas that would be poor choices for red wine production without such topographical conditions. Ramisco has had long lasting success as a stable wine in Portugal as it is a phylloxera-resistant varietal.

When other red wine production in Portugal had to be delayed so their stalks could be grafted on American phylloxera-resistant rootstocks due to a mite infestation, Ramisco strived as its vines thrived in sandy soils inconducive to mite survival.

The intersection between traditional wine and food in Portuguese cuisine is best described by addressing the potential for bitterness in Portuguese wine. Bitterness is typically not a desired element in wine, so careful thought is put into wine and food pairing to ensure both aspects of the cuisine uplift each other and bring out their best elements. Traditional Portuguese food tends to be acidic, salty, and fatty.

These foods pair well with Ramisco and other regional wines as astringency and bitterness in red wines is suppressed by acidic, salty, or fatty foods and emphasized when paired with hot or spicy foods. These foods compliment the white wines from the region as well as white wines take on environmental flavors much easier than red wines. Due to proximity to the water, white wines in the Portugal area are not very sweet and take on earthy flavors from the sea water and soil, resulting in a good pairing with seafood, vegetables, and other non-spicy foods. This tracks with my experience of Portuguese cuisine. My favorite restaurant that I visited was a beachfront restaurant called O Nosso Prego Costa de Capricia. I had the opportunity to try a fish that was freshly caught that day. The flavors of the fish were strong and dominated the meal. Supplemental food items included fresh ceviche, vegetables with minimal spice, bread, and salty cheeses. Although wine is not an essential

element in all Portuguese meals today, traditional wines likely had a significant impact on culinary preferences and traditions.

Apollo

The House of Apollo presents the latest

Open Mic Come join us for a night of music, poetry, comedy, and art!

April 7, 2023 Food + Friends starting at 8pm Open Mic at 9pm Want to sell your art at the event? Have other questions? Reach out to Lucinda on discord (Lucinda #2251) or by email (lucindagleespen@gmail.com)

OPEN SIGN-UPS

SKILLSHARE 2023

WEEKEND OF APRIL 22ND REGISTER NOW: