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Monday, March 8, 2010
Read a review of the fashion documentary “Thee September Issue” on yOU at OUDaily.com. Daily.com.
Joshua Boydston, L&A editor dailyent@ou.edu • phone: 325-5189 • fax: 325-6051
BLUES SENSIBILITIES HIGHLIGHT MAYER SHOW RICKY MARANON Assignment Editor
John Mayer took the stage Friday night at the Ford Center and schooled his audience in “Battle Studies,” guitar solos and songs about life and love. Mayer started the show — named Battle Studies after his latest album — with his most recent top-20 hit, “Heartbreak Warfare.” After performing a few songs, Mayer began to interact with his crowd with more than just music. At one time, Mayer read a sign out loud that stated “Come to the 918,” in which Mayer replied, “I don’t even know what the 918 is.” Mayer is one of those artists who sounds just as good, if not better, live than recorded. But the show was not all about Mayer. At many times in the night, he would allow members of his band to go into five-to seven-minute solos on guitar, keyboard and even on drums. Mayer went back to his roots, performing a classic on acoustic guitar — “Your Body is a Wonderland” — with his fellow guitarist Robbie McIntosh. “This song is not back from the dead,” he said. “It was just taking a break.” The night was a wonderful roller coaster ride
between Mayer’s full-band songs with a lot of bass to just Mayer and his acoustic guitar, which gave his band just enough time to take a small break and recharge for another round of blues-like solos. Mayer himself transitioned between at least five guitars throughout the entire concert, all the while entering his own antics into the show. However, Mayer’s feelings were expressed with each guitar, whether it was frustration with the situation occurring in the lyrics or just carefree attitude with the acoustic guitar. Not only was the audience left singing along, but they could feel the tone of each song and get a sense of the true meaning of the lyrics. “I told you guys, I’m only half cool,” Mayer said as he counted off a beat to the next song but then stopped to tie his shoe. “You never see Mick Jagger tying his shoe in the middle of a concert.” Mayer ended the night with an encore that included him wearing a custom Oklahoma City Thunder jersey with “MAYER 1” printed on the back. The encore consisted of at least four minutes of excellent guitar and drum work that left some in the arena gripping the seat in front of them to find their balance.
RICKY MARANON/THE DAILY
John Mayer performs during his concert Friday evening at the Ford Center.
Avett Bros. addition proves his worth ANNIKA LARSON Daily Staff Writer
Reimagining makes for a wonderfully weird time PHOTO PROVIDED
Alas, Tim Burton’s highly anticipated adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s enchanting children’s fantasy “Alice in Wonderland” has arrived. One can always count on Burton to dazzle his viewers with an array of wondrous sights, lovably eccentric characters and narratives as lost as our curious female protagonist. Those anticipating a nostalgic stroll down memory lane will be pleasLARON antly surprised by Burton’s CHAPMAN thrilling re-imagining of the classic tale. The film takes place 13 years after our radiant heroine’s first trip to Wonderland. Alice (Mia Wasikowska), adventurous and peculiar, is unwillingly being coerced into marrying the wimpy Lord Ascot (Tim Pigott-Smith). Before Ascot can even attempt to divulge his wishes for the two of them, Alice is unexpectedly distracted by an unusual White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) that she pursues until ultimately tumbling down an elaborate rabbit hole. It is here that Alice returns to Wonderland (now titled “Underland”), reuniting with her eclectic childhood friends including the Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas), Absolem the Smoking Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), and last but certainly not least, the mysterious Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). Her comrades inform her that she is predestined to slay a ghastly dragon and to reassign the thrown, currently reigned by the savage Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter),
to the alluring White Queen (luminously performed by Anne Hathaway). After re-establishing her relationships with her comrades, the once aloof and stubborn Alice decides to adhere to her calling in hopes of saving Wonderland once and for all. Burton is a masterful visual artist who creates a world of unyielding beauty and bewilderment. Frame for frame, the film remains a gleeful feast for the eyes, full of mystery and intrigue. The film’s only flaw is that it never manages to fully draw the audience into the world it presents (as the film “Avatar” did with such spellbinding force). The film keeps viewers detached from the action while they continue to gaze in awe from afar. Thankfully, the actors instill enough depth and authenticity into the characters they inhabit to supplement this minor limitation. Newcomer Mia Wasikowska is a surprisingly self-assured young actress who plays Alice with an irresistible charm and grace. Also, the dynamic duo, Depp and Carter, are chillingly effective. Carter’s performance as The Red Queen is fiendishly clever and amusing, while Depp remains one of the great character actors of our time, losing himself in every role he embodies. Depp’s Mad Hatter is a character as unpredictable as he is fascinating, performed with the upmost sincerity and compassion. With such impressive production value, it is easy to enjoy getting lost in this dark, ominous and whimsical adventure. While the film is slightly uninvolving, viewers are sure to relish all its gothic wonders. Laron Chapman is a film and video studies sophomore.
Across from Barnes & Noble (405) 579-5600
A ticket to an Avett Brothers concert is a ticket to an unpredictable, boisterous and memorable evening. The four members of the folk-punk band dance like fools, stomp, yell and share true emotion with the audience. Joe Kwon, cellist, is a spectacle in his own right in the middle of the three-ring circus that is an Avett Brothers show. With his cello resting on his shoulder, he does an elf-like kick dance, swings his long black hair around and screams the lyrics, all while playing the resounding notes which provide a truly new dimension to the songs. Kwon said the energy on stage doesn’t come from getting wasted before the shows; instead, the band members have a calmer pre-show ritual. “We’re not a very standard idea of what people think a rock band is,” Kwon said. “We eat really healthy and we don’t drink on the road. We want to make sure we’re at 100 percent before the show.” In addition to the laid-back approach to preparing for shows, Kwon said life on the road is tranquil as well, with plenty of time for individual fulfillment. Each band member reads about topics they’re interested in, and Kwon uses part of the downtime to update his food blog —“Taste, on Tour.” He said he holds food near and dear to his heart. “I grew up enjoying good food, and I want to p bring people into this thingg that a lot of p people won said. take for granted,” Kwon He added that eating well is completely possible as a college student, et concerns that despite the budget have become partt of life for most. ing nothing but He remembers eating rice and beans forr months, but said even that can be interesting. th “You make do with what you have,” hee y, said. “I would say, ‘I’m going to makee nd the best rice and beans ever,’ and that’s how it started.” Besides food, Kwon’s passion obviouslyy lies in ed cello music. He has played tarting for 21 years, after starting tructor with a classical instructor he first as a child. He said the
time he branched out from playing classically was after college, when a friend got him out of his shell and they had a band together. Kwon said he credits his friend for getting him into improvising with his instrument. Before joining the Avett Brothers, Kwon played with two other rock bands. He was playing at a venue in Salem, N.C., when the bassist for the Avett Brothers walked in. Kwon said he was starstruck, especially when Bob, the bassist, enjoyed the show so much that he approached the band after the show to ask them to help him record a side project he was working on. A few weeks later, the side project opened up to the Avett Brothers, which needed a cellist for its 2007 release, “Emotionalism.” Kwon said it was definitely a “right place at the right time” situation. He officially joined the band at the end of 2006 for touring after recording “Emotionalism,” and since then he’s been a full member. He said that although it was scary at first to join a band that had already been together for five years, he fit right in. Since the Avett Brothers recently signed to a major label and recorded its latest album, “I and Love and You” with the legendary Rick Rubin, there has been what seems like a small explosion of fame. Where a year ago, a mention of the name Avett Brothers would elicit a blank stare, now that name brings recognition and even excitement. Kwon said he wouldn’t describe the growth in popularity as an explosion, more like a gradual expansion. expans “It’s been growing g at an exponential pace, bu but it hasn’t been like a huge boom of fame,” Kwan said. “This tour tou is proof of a growth of fanbase. It’s a wonderful thing, it makes m me feel great. It makes us all feel great.” It’s clea clear Kwon loves what he does, both bo from his stage performanc mance that is pure celebration and the way he talks aabout music. He said music demands sacrifices, but in the end, it’s worth it. “It always comes down to putting in the time, putting in the practice and putting in the work, work Kwan said. “Eventually someo someone will notice.” PHOTO PROVIDED