A Conference with the Reverend
by Raph Tombasco
It’s been three long years since the untimely break-up of the legendary rap group, Run-DMC. Since the tragic death of the group’s DJ, Jam Master Jay, in 2002, Joseph ‘Run’ Simmons has gone through many changes.
Now known as Reverend Run after his ordination in the Pentecostal church, the brother of Def Jams Records’ founder, Russell Simmons, is poised for a major comeback. With a reality-TV program, fittingly titled Run’s House, in production at MTV (set to air October 14) and a new album, Distortion, set for a release on October 18, the good Reverend is eager to bring a positive message through his work.
Fortunately, yours truly was given an opportunity to speak with Reverend Run in regards to his upcoming projects during a conference call arranged by Island Def Jams Records on Tuesday, September 20. Along with writers from countless other schools across the country, I was treated to a half-hour of dead silence before all the proper connections were made.
The following is a transcript of my brief dialogue with the Reverend when I finally got him on the line:
Q: Your brother, Russell Simmons, said, “Run-DMC knocked open the doors to commercial freedom for the rap generation.” What do you feel your new album, Distortion, will bring to the table?
A: This album comes from knowing how to make this kind of music over the years. I didn’t try to pull from new influences at all. It has the Run-DMC sound. It’s honest and refreshing—it sounds like Run and nothing else.
It’s gonna be refreshing meaning, “Wow, we didn’t know he’d have the courage making a record that might not make it with today’s young ear.”
I’m very confident. There are no side artists and there is no great, new, grand producer. It’s a bold statement.
Q: In regards to Run’s House, what do you feel that the reality-TV format offers compared to music?
A: I’m a minister and Run’s House is my ministry. I’m gonna show what I do during the day. I’ve heard a man once say, “Your life is speaking so loud, I can’t hear nothin’ you’re saying’out your mouth.”
So, as a minister, I’m going to try to reach some people, but I’m going to reach them through action instead of words. I’m gonna lead by example.
So, as you look at the show, I believe it will inspire, because in the word “inspire” you have the word “spirit”… You’ll look at the show and be inspired, and this way, I’ll be preaching the gospel without opening my mouth.
It won’t be a preaching thing—it will be a showing thing. The show is going to be a dad with his kids, who’s a reverend and a rapper. It’s going to be refreshing like the album.
Music fans can only hope that the good Reverend will keep true to his promise and bring rap back to its solid roots. However, only time will tell until the release of Distortion. As for now, make sure to keep up on all activities concerning the busy schedule of Reverend Run and check out the new single, “Mind on the Road.”
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH OPETH
Album Review
Opeth: Ghost Reveries
10/10
by Jared Dobbs
Sweden’s most profound act, Opeth, has delivered yet another awe-inspiring masterpiece with their new album Ghost Reveries. Released on August 30 through their new label Roadrunner, it’s the band’s first original material since the release of Damnation and Deliverence back to back in 2003. It was those two albums that set them apart from any normal band: the latter being fully acoustic and the former being straight-on progressive death metal. The band has created something new and fresh without taking anything away from their previous efforts. Even when exploring new territory, this album helps recreate the audio juggernaut that is Opeth.
Opeth is now a quintet with the addition of Spiritual Beggars’ keyboardist, Per Wiberg, who joins singer/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt, guitarist Peter Lindgren, bassist Martin Mendez, and drummer Martin Lopez in their eighth studio album—their first release on a major label.
Be sure to throw all previous expectations out the window. Ghost Reveries contains many different hard rock styles, from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to Tool and Meshuggah. It is the most intriguing music you will hear; it contains dynamics unmatched by any other band and some of the most beautiful melodies that both new and old listeners will obsess over.
The opening track, “Ghost of Perdition,” an 11-minute opus, starts with a clear wave of death metal, and as the album progresses you can catch anything from touches of Eastern music to mind blowing guitar solos, acoustic breakdowns, and some of the catchiest rock riffs ever. In addition, Åkerfeldt’s voice has never sounded better. At times, it can be deep and dark and other times clear and soft. Either way, it fits the music perfectly.
Other standout tracks include the epic “Baying of the Hounds,” which melds light and dark and takes you on an unforgettable journey through Opeth’s audio realm. “Beneath The Mire” expertly incorporates Wilberg’s keyboards and plays on Eastern tones with subtle flourishes of blues and jazz throughout. The true gem of Ghost Reveries, “Reverie/Harlequin Forest” represents the more traditional side of the band with the mix of intricate chord progressions, guitar driven rock, and plenty of Åkerfeldt’s majestic vocals.
In some ways Ghost Reveries sounds like the Opeth albums of the past, but at the same time there are many new and interesting developments. The band deserves all the credit in the world for this album because they have evolved without losing one bit of their unmistakable identity. So make sure to buy this album, and catch the band live on November 4 at the Showplace Theater with Nevermore and Into Eternity.
A Unique Nightlife Experience
Nightlife Review
Allen Street Hardware Cafe
by Evan Smith
Nestled in Buffalo’s oh-so-bohemian Allentown district lays a modest bistro with a rather unconventional name. Well, I guess the name isn’t all that peculiar if you consider the fact that the Allen Street Hardware Café was actually a hardware store before being purchased by Buffalo nightclub owner Mark Goldman and converted into a stylish bar/eatery boastful of its full bodied microbrews, palette-friendly wine selection, and eclectic mix of live music and DJs. This Allen Street hotspot, which opened about a year and a half ago, offers its customers the chance to enjoy tasty meals and sensational beverages in a comfortable and laid-back setting, fitting for dinner for two or drinks and live music.
Hardware is separated into two rooms, but maintains a large horseshoe shaped bar as the centerpiece on either side. Unlike most Buffalo bars, Hardware prides itself on its unique and varied selection of wine and beer. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a fine hundred-dollar bottle of wine for a special occasion or just a $3 glass of Chardonnay to get a buzz going, Hardware’s got fermented grapes in spades. Plus you’ll never get bored with their “choice” selections because the bar is constantly rotating its stock and trying new things. And for the beer lover in all of us, Hardware is guaranteed to have some of the most unique beers you’ll find in the area. From their Pumpkin Ale brewed in Brooklyn to their house favorite, Great White Shark, you won’t find anyone drinking Bud Light in this swanky establishment.
Just large enough to be a nice venue for up close and personal live music, Hardware brings in a wide variety of talented performers to emanate the bar’s eclectic Allentown ambiance. On Tuesdays, Hardware features a live DJ spinning 80s rock and new wave while on Thursday nights various Latin and Jazz acts don the stage for live performances. For the weekend, Hardware brings in more live DJs and rappers to spit out hip-hop as well as assorted local talents that lay out their own brands of soul and R&B within Hardware’s intimate setting on Saturday evenings. But to many of the bar’s loyalists, the highlight of each week is Wednesday night, when resident Gypsy Jazz four-piece Babik gets the crowd going with their unique blend of world music. Consisting of two classical guitarists, a jazzy double bass, and a fluid violin, Babik’s sound is just right for Hardware’s distinctive setting. Every Wednesday you’ll find the regulars stomping their feet and shouting out over the haunting European sounds emitted by this upbeat group.
The best thing about the Allen Street Hardware Café just may be its total modesty. This Allen Street highlight relies mainly on word of mouth and a loyal customer base to keep its bar packed almost every night. No gaudy frills at the Hardware, just the individuality of unique drinks, unique music, and unique people make this place a Buffalo must-see.
*The Allen Street Hardware Café is located on the corner of Allen and College Street and is open seven days a week from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.
GODDAMN FOURTH GRADER
Album Review
Kanye West - Late Registration
9 out of 10
by Peter Ludwig
It would be foolish to say that Kanye West has redefined a style of music on Late Registration. He reinforces his sometimes-floundering lyrical style by bringing in some of his favorite MCs (Common, Paul Wall, Nas, Jay-Z). He includes skits which make you laugh while also examining the self-conscious ways of the artist. He sings songs about being broke, being rich, enemies, friends, hardship, and celebration. Like almost all records, he sometimes blurts out something which just isn’t smart, tactful, or funny (“like old folks peeing/ I guess it all depends”), much like a close friend. But then, even in some of the strangest breaks and corners of the record, he demonstrates an understanding of just how hypocritical and difficult it can be to examine your life (“…I’m trying to right my wrongs/ But it’s funny these same wrongs helped me write this song”) and live it in front of millions of friends at the same time.
With a mouthful of cookies, Bernie Mac appears as Kanye’s fourth grade teacher to open the album. He lectures toward the value of staying awake through school just long enough to get his ass kicked when he realizes he’s destined to fail. This leads to a sweet piano intro and the vocal solo of Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, proving that handed a simple task, he can pull it off just as well as computer with a face. Its catch drops you off just in time to hear your favorite Curtis Mayfield horns on top of a battering drum part on “Touch the Sky.” The album’s second single, “Gold Digger” follows with at least a great rhyme scheme and a rant that makes you think twice about the last girl you had. The album swirls through the awful lows of such songs as “Hey Mama” which kisses ass all sloppy-like over a similar guitar line and “aiiight!” chant, and “Drive Slow,” (or as I like to call it, “Goddammit, drive faster”) featuring Paul Wall and the incredible four-minute nap.
The album’s unquestionable strong point, “Gone,” comes in real quietly. Otis Redding starts singing “Wish I…” and you can hear Jon Brion in the background on the strings coming in. It’s not long before the background becomes Brion’s own creation with Kanye and Killa Cam over the beat like they’re riding out the storm on a six-foot boat. The song is dynamic and poetic, leaving its audience with the fact that, honestly, they’ve never heard anything like that before. Not on the Roc.
When Kanye comes in with “Crack Music,” a track featuring the Game, you want to believe him. “Now former slaves trade hooks for Grammys” is a strange thing for a man to say who has sold himself in basically every format. West is hard to stay mad at, so rather than look at his albums as inconsistent, the payoff comes in forgiving him for his insecurities.
Kanye West doesn’t have a primarily black audience in the United States, nor have many hip-hop artists for the past five years, in any of its subgenres. He wears pink shirts. He speaks politics with fear in his voice that makes him look like he’s shaking. He seems nervous about a lot of things, but that same self-consciousness is what gives him the ability to continually challenge his genre and his contemporaries and leave them collecting XXLs in his dust. When Ye comes on television, even if he’s selling soda, he has the look of a man who knows just how mortal he is, even on channel 29.
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT MAKES TV WORTH WATCHING!
TV Review - Arrested Development
7 out of 10
by Audrey Odhner
Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. EST, Fox reveals one of its most precious remaining gems—Arrested Development. This Emmy-winning sitcom is a thinly veiled satiric response to the reality television mania which has been reluctant to release its grip on the attention of American audiences for about five years now. Like the once popular The Osbournes or The Simple Life, Arrested Development chronicles the daily life happenings of a wealthy family who (more akin to The Surreal Life, which is about has-been stars) has lost everything through unscrupulous business practices.
Thus, the Bluths are, like all of these wealthy families, left awash in their dysfunction. They are dependant upon an opulent lifestyle full of neuroses caused by their being abandoned by money and left to their own devices. With the only “normal” family member, nice-guy son Michael Bluth, left to single-handedly save the family business and the family itself from... itself, the show manages as a refreshingly smart and funny comedy whose loose reference to its reality television predecessors works because, unlike them, these characters are interesting. And since this is fiction, we needn’t feel guilty or too anxious for America about the complete lack of self-awareness they so shamelessly “live out” on-screen.
September 19, 2005 welcomed the premiere of Arrested Development’s third season. The audience found all of the Bluths in just the same condition of disarray that they were left in at the end of the second season.
Father “Pop Pop” Bluth (who is responsible for the failing family business) is discovered by Michael to have escaped from prison again. This time, he was able to evade the law for some time since his twin brother, Oscar, took his place as the inmate.
Once again, a new discovery obliges Michael to step up and set things right. Meanwhile, the Bluth son-in-law, Tobias (who failed in his attempt to be cast as a member of the “Blue Man Group” ), and the rest of the family become entangled in the catastrophe.
Monday night’s premiere served predominately as a re-introduction to the Bluths. The episode was a behavioral sketch of each character and an overall survey of the current state of the Bluth family affairs.
Unfortunately, this episode lacked some of the great memorable lines and narrative ironies that made the show so addictive. However, this seems to have been the expense of allowing for a recap starter episode, which can make the third season accessible to new viewers. In light of this, the season looks hopeful for all viewers, if not the Bluths themselves.
Comedy is not something that can be easily utilized. As most people know too well after vain efforts at trying to create comedy, to fully relate the humorous impact of some witnessed mishap or ironic circumstance, one “just had to be there.” This same conundrum applies to the humor of Arrested Development—a show that proves one may have to be there not once, but perhaps a few times over to really appreciate the scope of the humor.
Indeed, most of this rests upon the dynamics generated between the odd caricatures portrayed in the show. But, even though it may not be to everyone’s taste, Monday nights at 8:00 p.m. may be a good time to audition a new guilty pleasure to diligent college students.
NO SPINNING HEADS IN THIS
EXORCISM
Movie Review
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
6.5 out of 10
by Lara Nardone
The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a film that takes on the subject of possibilities. It presents the ideas that facts are still open to the unknown and that there is nothing to say that supernatural powers do not exist.
The film is based on the true story of a 19-year-old girl, Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter), and her struggle with what was thought by herself, her family, and the family priest, Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson), to be demonic possession. Conversely, Emily’s erratic behavior was deemed by medical examiners to be a rare intermixed form of epilepsy and psychosis. After having a taxing exorcism performed on her by Father Moore to rid her body of “the demons,” Emily eventually died, leaving the priest to be pulled into court for negligent homicide.
What’s interesting about The Exorcism of Emily Rose is that it interweaves the courtroom drama with the characters’ subjective takes on the events. While the characters are describing the events during the trial, the audience watches everything unfold in flashbacks.
To keep with this idea, the filmmakers decided that when the people who were close to Emily are on the stand, the camera presents demons in Emily’s surroundings. These are the scenes where the true horror of the film takes place; they show disturbing images of demonic faces, Emily’s violent behavior towards herself and others, and her paralytic body poses due to her struggles with “the demons.”
On the contrary, when medical examiners are on the stand, the audience sees Emily’s visions and erratic behavior from a scientific point of view. It is explained that she is going through such terrifying experiences and paralysis because of mental conditions that needed to be treated medically.
The film stars Laura Linney, who does an efficient job of playing the character of Erin Brunner, the defense attorney for Father Moore. However, much is lost when Erin begins to experience haunting visions in her own life and Father Moore assures her that the demons are at work. This detracts heavily from the main theme of subjectivity in the film.
The film should have focused solely on telling Emily Rose’s struggle. This would have left more open to the audience. It also would have enhanced the overall quality of the film. Since The Exorcism of Emily Rose shows us images of present characters being haunted, it sways the opinion in favor of Emily really being demonically possessed and shuts out the other, more rational possibility.
Meandering aside, the film was quite interesting and easy to get into. The fact that it was based on a true story of a girl named Anneliese Michel, who underwent similar struggles in Germany during the 1970’s, makes the tale even more haunting.
Although this film is formulaic in regards to its horror film and courtroom drama roots, it sets itself apart from recent horror films in the way that it makes you think. What really did happen? Was it a matter of the supernatural or of science? Was Emily really possessed by demons, or was she simply a sick girl plagued by mental illness? The film clearly leans in the direction of the supernatural, but as an audience we can still form our own opinion as to what really happened to Emily Rose.
