Concert Review: Amanda Blank, fierce and pants-less

I got to Terrace just a couple minutes late for Amanda Blank's performance last Thursday night, but the room was already packed. I had to push my way to the front just to get a good glimpse of her in her dark leotard and hot boots. Then, there she was, pants-less and totally charismatic. Blank performed almost completely alone, rapping along to a DJ with a simple loop machine behind her. The crowd was eating it up. For a musician that’s still relatively unknown (every time I asked one of my friends if they were going to see her, the response was, "Amanda who?"), Ms. Blank came across like a star. People seemed energized by how much fun she was having on stage and were drawn in by her lack of inhibition and blatantly sexed-up lyrics. The show’s highlight came when Blank told off the Terrace bouncers for keeping the students away from her. She paused mid-rap, and assured them, “No, it's fine. I don't care." I look forward to Blank’s next performance at Princeton and a chance to be impressed again with her immaculately delivered rhymes and outrageous persona. In the meantime, be sure to check out her debut album "I Love You."

-Jess Turner '12

Read More...

Hide...

Trend of the Week: Feb. 8, 2010

After much careful observation, I come to bring you the Princeton fashion trend of the week. This week's trend certainly has taken Princeton by storm (pun intended). If you recall, it snowed quite a lot this weekend, and students responded by breaking out snow boots of all shapes and sizes. But the trendiest and preppiest of them all could be seen in none other than ... L.L.Bean.

The trusty Bean Boots, sometimes known as "duck boots," are the go-to pick of many Princeton students (male and female alike). Their combination of leather and rubber is certainly not stylish it its own right: the boots are clunky, and may remind you of what your dad wears to shovel the driveway. But, they are classic American (they have been in production in New England for nearly a century), and Princeton students naturally gravitate toward their preppy appeal.

When paired properly, with skinny jeans or even tights for girls, and a good-fitting pair of jeans for guys, the boots can make an outfit work. They'll also help you avoid slipping in the snow - something I have become a bit too familiar with.

-Allie Weiss '13

Read More...

Hide...

Singles of the Week: Feb. 7, 2010

Electronic: Gorillaz- “Stylo” feat Bobby Womack and Mos Def

Everyone’s favorite animated band has concocted a new masterpiece in “Stylo,” and this time it’s a shade darker and funky as hell. Gorillaz’ new single is an elegant crescendo of layers, built around the mechanical thump of an electronic bass line. It starts off with a metronomic chant, followed by Damon Albarn’s floating voice crooning “electric is the love,” while the music swells straight into Bobby Womack’s soulful growl. Then, to top it off, somewhere in the midst of the background Mos Def raps “love electric is a shockwave central” in a few, perfect rapid-fire lines to end the track. It’s retro-disco confusion with a Gorillaz twist, so get your iPod ready because you’re going to want that electric love for your next party.

-Lisa Han '13

Pop: Amanda Blank- “Might Like You Better”

Blank opens this dance-pop, bad girl rap anthem with the risque line, "Might like you better/if we slept together." A few seconds later, the song breaks into powerful pump-up track replete with pulsating bass, synths, rhythmic claps, metronome clicks, and hi-hat hits. Even better, the auto-tuned vocals give the song a highly electronic, I-literally-cannot-stop-tapping-my-foot feel. "Might Like You Better" will be stuck in your head all day, and it will be the first thing you want to play at your pre-game on Thursday night. The song is refreshingly uncensored and bold in an era of Miley and Taylor. Just don't play it for your parents.

-Jess Turner '12

Rap: Bun B – “Pants on the Ground”

You’d have thought the death of Pimp C and the subsequent breakup of UGK would have put a dent in Bun B’s work ethic, but the legendary Southern emcee is hungrier than ever. The 37 year old rapper’s spent the last six months flooding the Internet with all sorts of tasty tidbits, from scene-stealing guest spots (beating Drake at his own game on “Mo Milli”) to ferocious freestyles (beating Jay-Z at his own game on a remix of “On to the Next One”). He keeps up the good work on “Pants on the Ground,” which may be the funniest tirade against tight leg wear since Jay-Z proclaimed that he “can’t wear skinny jeans cos my nuts don’t fit.” Bun’s third solo album drops March 2nd, and I’ll be first in line.

-Adam Tanaka '11

Rock: Jason Anderson – “El Paso”

Jason Anderson decides to bike from New Hampshire to New York, and then he does it. He makes sure he has a best friend in all fifty states and sends them personalized post cards every week. And he cried when the horse died in The Neverending Story. You'd be hard-pressed to find a song that better captures the unbearable ache of being young and invincible and terrified, but even if you could, “El Paso” would still rock you harder.

-Dan Abromowitz '13

Rock: Laura Veirs –“Wide-Eyed Legless”

This catchy yet haunting psych-folk tune will leave you chanting “No more looking back / looking back” as you forge ahead into a new semester. The whirlwind of strings that accompanies Veirs’s staccato voice creates a tapestry of sound worthy of multiple listens. In the thoughtful-chick-with-a-guitar-genre, Veirs remains reigning queen.

-Cristina Luzarraga '11

Read More...

Hide...

The R&A Guide to New York

Raleigh's Picks:

Tanuki Tavern

Location: 13th St. between 9th Avenue and Hudson St. in the Gansevoort Hotel

Cuisine: Asian-fusion, Sushi bar, Japanese Gastropub

Dress: Casual

Website: http://www.hotelgansevoort.com/restaurants-bars-lounges/index.cfm

Food: 4/5

Decor: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Price: $$

Recently opened in October of last year, this new Meatpacking District duplex offers Japanese gastropub grub and a retro-futuristic, hot-pink space complete with a bar area and upstairs seating. Tanuki Tavern boasts a wide array of cocktails, sake, and craft beers (try the Hitachino Nest White Ale) to pair with its extensive menu of snacks, small plates and sushi. My delicious order of tuna sliders (a set of savory mini tuna burgers), three sushi rolls, and two Hitachino’s went for under $30. The sushi is exceedingly fresh, their unique creations are delicious and their sometimes rare beer offerings are welcome to any microbrew lovers. All in all, Tanuki is a great late-night, post party pit stop and equally satisfying just for a quick bite.

Bar Boulud

Location: Broadway between 63rd and 64th Sts.

Cuisine: French (Bistro), Wine bar

Dress: Casual

Website: http://www.danielnyc.com/barboulud.html

Food: 4/5

Decor: 5/5

Service: 3/5

Price: $$$

The newest addition to Daniel Boulud’s restaurant empire, Bar Boulud is a little more casual and relaxing than some of his other establishments. It’s less than a block away from Lincoln Center, so go listen to the Philharmonic or see an opera, and finish off your cultured evening with the ever chic, but convivial and casual Bar Boulud. The delectable French bistro fare consists largely of an impressive variety of charcuterie and fantastic wines -- although they do offer some excellent craft beers (Ommegang “Three Philosophers” is a simply beautiful and delicious Belgian-style quadrupel). Don’t come expecting a heavy meal. Do come after a show for the lively scene, a delicious snack, and an excellent glass of wine or craft beer. I had the Pâté Grand-Père (a delicious coarse foie gras with truffle juice and port sauce), but there are many other choices on the menu including saucissons, jambon (the Spanish Serrano ham is excellent), and a variety of salads and soups. The main courses (mostly chicken or beef dishes) are underwhelming. Stick with small plates. Reserve early, because the place gets packed by 9:30.

Aku's Picks:

Cake Shop

Location: 152 Ludlow St, between Rivington and Stanton

Cuisine: Coffee, pastries, draft and bottled beer

Dress: Casual

Website: http://cake-shop.com/

Food: 3/5

Decor: 3/5

Music: 4/5

Price: $

If you’d like to see a concert but can’t deal with crowds, Cake Shop is always a great bet. This small, comfortable space on the Lower East Side is part bar and café, part record shop, and part DIY concert venue. The upper level is exceptionally cozy—I’ve always loved crashing on the long couches in the back and noshing on vegan cupcakes and other baked goods. Most nights, you can also head into the basement to catch a show. This is a great place to see up-and-coming bands before they start playing bigger venues around the city. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart “opened” for one of my friends’ bands here a few years back, and any number of future rock stars—some expected, some totally unpredictable—have paid their dues in this space as well. This weekend, check out the free record release party for garage/surf-rock band The Soft Pack.

Film Forum

Location: 209 West Houston Street, between 6th Ave and Varick

Food Options: Popcorn, pastries, fountain soda

Dress: Casual

Website: http://www.filmforum.org

Decor: 3/5

Film Selection: 5/5

Celebrity-Spotting Potential: 5/5

Price: $ - $$

If an indie rock show is still too much social interaction for you, Film Forum is a lovely place to escape from the rest of the city. Founded in 1970, Film Forum is the best place to check out classic cinema, new documentaries, and avant-garde work. It’s also, as the owners like to brag, home of “the best popcorn in New York.” Right now Film Forum is celebrating the centennial of legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon, The Seven Samurai) with a six-week festival of his work. This weekend’s pick is Ran (1985), one of his most visually and emotionally stunning films. If you know nothing about film, this is the perfect place to start; if you’re a cinema junkie, it’s the place to see and be seen.

-Raleigh Allison '11 and Aku Ammah-Tagoe '11

Read More...

Hide...

Your favorite Vampire Weekend song, but just a little bit sweeter: An interview with Givers

You may not have heard of Louisiana indie darlings Givers, but if you value your being able to declare, “I saw them before they got big,” it's about time you did. The five piece afro-pop ensemble, who sound a little like your favorite Vampire Weekend song slammed together with your favorite flavor of cotton candy, have embarked on their very first headlining tour, which comes on the heels of a string of shows opening for the Dirty Projectors this past Fall. With an infinitely listenable five song EP out and a full-length album in the works, Givers are poised on the brink of indie pop stardom. Intersections interviewed the band in anticipation of their return to Terrace F. Club tonight.

Could you give a rundown on the make-up of the band?

Always a strong rouge, light foundation, easy on the eye-liner, and five friends playing afro-pop danceypants, folkie love music.

In terms of sound and on-stage energy, reviewers have variously compared you to Los Campesinos!, Vampire Weekend, the New Pornographers, and Of Montreal, among others. What do you think of these sorts of comparisons?

We're grateful to be compared to some really cool bands, especially being a group from a small town in Louisiana. It still surprises us.

You've gotten a lot of attention opening for the Dirty Projectors on their last tour. Were audiences expecting what they got when they saw you?

It was our first tour, so most people didn't have expectations because we were such a young band. But the crowds that follow DP were very enthusiastic and showed a lot of love by the end of our set; we are extremely honored to have experienced that.

If it came to it, who would win in a fight, you guys or the Dirty Projectors?

Definitely Dirty Projectors! But what we are really interested in is who would win in water polo...and probably them. Shout out to Matt Little John!

How has touring as a headlining band been different than touring as an opener?

It's awesome finding out what kind of people come out to see us, rather than by chance as an opener. We've also played a handful of new cities, which has been fun, and the people in them have shown much support.

A lot of your songwriting comes out of improvisation and jamming as a group, but some of the biggest moments in your songs come when everything builds to a climax and then drops out at once. How do these moments find their way into your music?

Those kinds of things were more felt out before they were thought out. Then, while arranging songs, we just pay a little more attention to them for detail. Everything comes together pretty naturally and has its own place.

Your self-titled EP ends with a remix of Up Up Up; it's a more experimental track that's kind of offbeat with the rest of the record. Are we going to see more of this on the new album?

We are experimenting a bit more with electronic sounds on the LP. We've also toyed around with the arrangements of the songs while in the studio. We're really happy with all the changes made to the songs.

Is there any binding theme, musical or lyrical, to the EP? For that matter, is there any binding theme for the album?

In a way, yes, the songs naturally have a thematic feel to them, since they've all been written within the past year. We don't really write songs to maintain a specific theme; they sort of are connected in their own way due to the place where we are at in our lives.

What possessed you to come back to Princeton?

We enjoy playing colleges, the people are cool and really enthusiastic about their scene. We love playing Princeton!

Givers will be playing at Terrace F. Club tonight at midnight. Dangerous Ponies will be opening.

Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Dan Abromowitz '13.

Read More...

Hide...

"Fetch Clay, Make Man," reviewed

“Fetch Clay, Make Man,” currently in its world premiere at McCarter Theatre, is playwright Will Power’s response to a peculiar photograph he happened upon one day in a bookstore. Power was struck instantly by the extraordinary clash of opposites depicted in the photo — Muhammad Ali and Stepin Fetchit, whom the caption reveals as Ali’s “secret strategist,” warmly posing together in the early 1960s. What could the self-proclaimed “Greatest of All Time” possibly want with a disgraced Hollywood actor decades past his prime and long reviled by the African-American community for the humiliating racial caricatures he depicted on screen? Power’s play is a sprawling but intriguing look at precisely that question.

The play centers on the days leading up to the 1965 bout between Muhammad Ali (played commandingly by Evan Parke) and Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight title. Ali has recently changed his name from Cassius Clay and embraced the Nation of Islam, and he travels to Lewiston, Maine, for the fight with a small entourage representative of his newly adopted beliefs — the stone-faced and immutable Brother Rashid (John Earl Jelks), two other brothers in the Nation of Islam (Ray Fisher and Kenric Green) who silently guard Ali throughout the play, and his wife Sonji (Sonequa Martin), dressed in a white veil but less than enthused about her husband’s conversion. Into this serious-minded group bounds Stepin Fetchit (Ben Vereen), aged and world-weary but still in command of his quick wit and zeal for performance and conversation, a worthy verbal sparring partner for the Louisville Lip. Ostensibly, he has been summoned by Ali to provide information about Jack Johnson’s legendary punching techniques, but boxing quickly takes a back seat to an improbable friendship between two men struggling to make sense of life as a black American in the 1960s.

Stepin Fetchit, (Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry’s stage name which is a portmanteau of “Step and Fetch It,”) was Hollywood’s first millionaire black actor, rising to prominence through the sensational popularity of his stock character—a degrading portrait of the African-American worker as lazy, servile, and mentally deficient—with Depression-era white audiences. Vereen’s performance as Fetchit is captivating; a nuanced portrayal of a man who is at times defeated and defiant, boisterous and earnest. We see him caught in a lifelong struggle to disentangle his own life from the demeaning characters he portrayed with such chilling effectiveness during his Hollywood career. Ali, who works to build an identity that satisfies both his own ideals and the exacting standards that the Nation of Islam has for its most prominent member, immediately empathizes with the tension between public and private personas that has haunted Fetchit for decades. In the serene isolation of Ali’s training room, they sit and talk for hours, their meandering conversations always fresh, crisp and plausible. Power’s fluid and natural dialogue effortlessly makes the improbable duo into the confidants they were in real life.

Through Power’s meticulous and sympathetic depiction of Fetchit, we learn much about the intelligent and complex man long obscured by the specter of his screen career. A handful of flashbacks to his meetings with the corpulent, slick-talking, Cuban cigar-smoking William Fox (Richard Masur) vivify the pressure (and alluring material benefits) Fetchit received to keep up his act. By the 1960s, Fetchit is still quick with a joke — prompting hearty laughter, he tells Brother Rashid that forgoing pork is the deal breaker on his conversion to Islam — but also retains a sincere desire to break free from the ridicule and contempt he has been subject to for decades. “I turned shit into gold,” he tells Ali near the end of the play, supremely confident that his early, incremental work paved the way for Ali’s ascendance.

In a choice reminiscent of artistic director Emily Mann’s own documentary dramas, projected images of the real Fetchit and Ali provide an effective backdrop to the action on stage, subtly reminding the audience of the work’s historical underpinnings. The set, a gleaming, modular representation of a boxing training room, is similarly effective. The absence of walls, coupled with the continual wordless presence of the brothers patrolling the perimeter, captures the divide between public and private so central to Power’s message. Seating the audience on three sides of the stage mirrors the configuration of a boxing ring while extending this idea further.

Sadly, Power does add a good deal of filler conflicts to the mix — ranging from Brother Rashid’s disapproval of Fetchit to Ali’s growing concerns for his own safety — that detract from the play’s core. And, the play regrettably concludes just as the repartee between Fetchit and Ali is most tenuous and tense, with an ending as abrupt as Ali’s first-round knockout of Liston in the final scene. Nevertheless, these distracting lapses aside, “Fetch Clay” is a powerful, thought-provoking historical drama that does justice to a wonderful premise.

4 paws

Pros: Great idea for a play brought to life by superb acting

Cons: Script loses focus

-Joseph Dexter '13

"Fetch Clay, Make Man" is showing at McCarter Theater until Feb. 14, 2010.

Photo Courtesy of T. Charles Erickson.

Read More...

Hide...

"Really dirty and really loud": An interview with rapper Amanda Blank

If you've gotten a taste of her music already, you probably either love or hate Amanda Blank. The 27-year-old female rapper and dance-pop phenom from Philly has been known to sing/rap/talk openly about sex, sex, sex, and sex. On her debut solo album, "I Love You," Blank raps, "Ride no lie just get inside me/Like you better if you just ride me," and "I get off on top and get on again." But despite the vulgar lyrics, the album is extremely fun and catchy, and Blank's gotten several killer opportunities in the industry as a result of her gritty appeal. She’s collaborated with Santigold and MIA and scored several collaborations with rappers Spank Rock and Ghostface Killah. Blank will be performing live February 4th at Terrace Club, so come out to see a show that will be, in her own words, "quite the spectacle." Intersections talked to Amanda to find out more about her writing, rapping, and how she became such a firecracker performer.

Q: How did you start rapping and writing? Was there a specific moment when you realized that's what you wanted to do as a career?

A: I started writing music when I was in high school in a 2 man band with my friend but didn't start "officially" rapping until Spank Rock, my good friend, told me that the verses I was writing were dope and I should start rapping seriously. That's when I performed on his single "Bump" (2005). The first performance I ever did was terrifying - I was so nervous before I jumped onstage, but as soon as I grabbed the mic and started rapping in front of an audience, it just clicked. Now performing is everything for me.

Q: Who are your major influences?

A: I listen to everything, but I really like female rappers. Missy Elliott and Eve are some of my favorites, and Lil Kim, Foxy, and MC Lyte.

Q: So as I was looking at some of your interviews online, I came across a headline that read, "Is it wrong to think of sex when you hear the name Amanda Blank?" You're very open about your sexuality in your music - what would you say to people that say you're too open or oversexed?

A: (laughs) I'd say it's like speaking German to people that are speaking French. I really don't think they get it. It's a double-edged sword. If I didn't rap about sex, people would say I'm prude, or a lesbian. But when I do, people call me a slut.

Q: You also convey this really tough, I-do-what-I-want attitude in your music. Is that you in real life? Who's the real Amanda Blank?

A: I definitely do what I want. Me on stage is sort of an exaggerated, obnoxious version of me offstage. But I'm me all the time. I would never act on stage like I do in front of my parents though!

Q: You've talked about being a sort of sensitive singer-songwriter as well as a rapper, and it comes out on a couple of the songs on the record. Can you tell us about that part of your music?

A: 10 years ago, I would have thought I would turn out like Susie Suh if I did music as a career. It was never my intention to be a rapper. I grew up playing guitar, and everyone in my family is a trained musician. I write that sort of acoustic stuff as well - it's just more private.

Q: What's one thing fans would be totally surprised to learn about you?

A: I'm a complete homebody. I sing about parties and drinking and boys, but my favorite thing to do is make food, watch movies, and chill with my sweetheart.

Q: Have you ever had any particularly memorable or embarrassing performance experiences?

A: Yes! Actually, last week, while I was on tour in Australia, my sound guy dropped acid before the show, and there was so much effing feedback on the stage because he was just dancing around in the booth doing jack shit. I couldn't hear anything and got totally turned around. And at another show on that leg of the tour, there was a huge dipbro in the front row heckling me and being entirely obnoxious and rude so I smashed my beer bottle over his head and spat on him. We got into a fight on stage and I was like, "shit, I'm getting arrested." Luckily, it was fine, but looking back, I can't believe I did that.

Q: Is there a musician you've been dying to collaborate with?

A: Andre 3000. But the person who I'd dream to sing a song with is Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode.

Q: What do you do for fun when you're not doing music?

A: I'm pretty much always working, and if I'm not working on solo stuff, I'm working with my friends. I play with my band Sweatheart in my spare time. And I take yoga and love hanging out with my boyfriend.

Q: What's your honest opinion of the music industry and big name labels today?

A: There's so much good about the power of the Internet and being able to hear anyone online, but big artists today also make a ridiculous amount of money, and people who work super hard are not making as much. We kind of need a reality check. I don't know how such a high price got put on music. Big artists are making billions of dollars. Like guys, it's fucking music.

Q: If your life were a song or a rap, what would the title be?

A: Heavy metal vomit.

Q: What's the ballsiest or bravest thing you've ever done?

A: I think starting a fight with a huge dude in Australia was pretty ballsy. I've also done a lot of weird shit. My best friend and I used to teach aerobics to homeless women.

Q: What's the show on the 4th gonna be like in a few words?

A: Really dirty and REALLY loud. Quite the spectacle.

Amanda Blank will be performing at Terrace Club on Thursday at midnight.

Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Jess Turner '12.

Read More...

Hide...