The Spectrum
Orientation 2009
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AR T S & LI F E Cinematic storytelling By JOHN RANIC Christopher Di Matteo Arts Editor
Bonnaravenous I will never forget when I got that text. It was May 31, and I was in Fenway Park in Boston, but not to see a Red Sox game. I was there for something that I think is about a million times better—Phish. I checked my phone in between sets and saw that my girlfriend sent me a text message telling me that a friend was selling two tickets to one of the biggest music festivals on earth, Bonnaroo. The show was only 11 days away but doing things on short notice never bothered me. How could I not want to go Bonnaroo? I could see bands such as Elvis Costello, Beastie Boys, and David Grisman, oh my. Phish, who I had already seen, was also scheduled. We left late Wednesday night for our drive, a drive that would be over 11 hours with no stops, to try to avoid the line to get in. This plan didn’t work. There were so many cars going to the show that two highway exits were closed down. My friends and I were directed down the highway for 15 miles and were brought to a line that would bring us into the festival through another entrance. After almost seven hours in the line, during which I was panicking because I thought my car was going to run out of gas or overheat, we got in. Entering the festival grounds was simply overwhelming. It was incredible to see the sea of people and cars that filled the almost 700 acre area. After we set up our campsite we went to “Center-roo,” the location of all of the stages and madness. The area was massive, filled with five enormous stages, countless tents, a Ferris wheel, and even a cinema. It was easy to see the massive size the festival. Being at Bonnaroo was an eyeopening experience. I felt and saw why so many people wanted to come, why it was considered such a big deal, and why so many bands want to play there, but I also saw how full of bull it all was. Many members of the media try to portray the Bonnaroo Festival as this generation’s Woodstock. To them I must ask one question; how many people drove an RV to Woodstock? How many people at that summer of love show in 1969 went to “The Fuse Barn” to charge their cell phones and update their MySpace, Twitter and Facebook statuses? And if there had been a Ferris wheel at the original Woodstock, would they have charged $5 a ride after charging people $250 to get in? Those times are dead and gone. People who try to compare festivals from today with that epic concert of the past are only lying to themselves and blowing smoke to their readers. Bonnaroo is not as much about the music as it is the money. There is proof of this in the bands they book. I respect the fact that they schedule bands and musicians from every genre. However, I do not think that the organizers did this to include the biggest acts of see Di Matteo page 13
Senior Arts Editor
Swirling in a whirlwind of road-worn success, Craig Owens, vocalist of Detroit post-hardcore act Chiodos, found that love was almost his decay. Taking every ounce of criticism personally and drowning in what was often an overwhelming following, Owens found himself flirting with an early demise and a starring role in his own bone palace ballet. With an outpouring of sup-
port from friends and family, Owens is finding himself with a legacy in the making by performing with three groups; Chiodos, Cinematic Sunrise and his own solo stint to promote his forthcoming E.P. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a body full of tattooed artwork, Owens strolled down Mohawk Place and took his spot as a curbside poet—singing, philosophizing and setting a vast collection of records straight in the process.
Before, during and after his show and interview, Owens took time to address every fan that mustered up the courage to approach him. To every flash, he offered a smile. To every story and compliment, he did the same. Even during his performance when an eager concertgoer asked him to watch the tribute video he made, he gladly offered to do so—when he was actually at a computer. John Ranic / The Spectrum
see OWENS page 6
Craig Owens of Chiodos.
Giving the gift of freedom By RACHEL LAMB Asst. Life Editor
Imagine being a normal person with a normal life, and one day everything comes to a grinding halt. For many people, losing the ability to see might seem like the end of it all. However, one organization wants to show that it doesn’t have to be that way. At Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Labrador retrievers and German shepherds are trained to obey and be the eyes for those who cannot see. Guiding Eyes, a non-profit organization started in 1954, has since graduated over 7,000 guide dog teams. Dogs are placed in every state in the United States and in countless countries including Spain, Portugal, Italy, Columbia and Poland. Linda Damato, Guiding Eyes director of puppy program support services, believes the organization is one of the best out there for those who are looking for a partner in life. “It is a top guide dog school with cutting edge training,” Damato said. “We are very see DOGS page 7
Courtesy of Linda Damato
College students are perfect candidates for raising guide dogs for Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
A chunk of Americana By JOHN RANIC Senior Arts Editor
Courtesy of Jamie Bradburn
Buffalo has a cornucopia of cultures and things to do.
A bountiful area By SHANE FALLON Asst. Life Editor
The idea of moving into a new place is hugely intimidating, often inundated with questions of where to go, what to do, and who to hang out with. Incoming students first settling into Buffalo will often find the task of paving their own way difficult. Despite contrary statements from both locals and students, those with a watchful eye and an air for adventure can discover
that there is, in fact, a plethora of entertaining venues to fill the idle hours of college life. It’s best to think of the city of Buffalo as a piece of fruit. While not necessarily appearing too good on the outside, once the skin has been peeled off, a horde of fun essentials appears. The most basic desire of a college student is to eat great food at even better prices, and one of the most underrated aspects of Bufsee WNY page 11
Over the last 25 years, The Offspring have sold over 33 million albums, influenced the sound and direction of countless punk acts, strummed the notes to a sure-fire hall of fame nod, and redefined a genre in the process. From seedy underground dives filled with snot and graffiti to heavy rotation in the MTV mainstream, punk as we now know it owes its commercialization to The Offspring. Spawned in the vein of Social Distortion and TSOL, crosscountry teammates and friends Greg Kriesel and Dexter Holland decided to put their prowess to use and start a band. Add the school janitor/guitarist and a fresh-faced drummer in Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman and Ron Welty and voila—you have history. Despite a few lineup changes behind the skins, The Offspring remains intact and as strong as ever. With “Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?” riding Da Hui sized waves on mainstream
Greg Kriesel
radio, a huge summer tour raging full steam ahead and aspirations to release a new album over the next year, the band has not only caught it’s second wind, they’re out to prove that Smash was really only the beginning. Light-up bass and all, cofounder Greg Kriesel was nice enough to phone in en route and see OFFSPRING page 12