The Best of flickr

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inside this is sue
the sundance kids
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the
BEST of flickr
the best of photographs on flickr.com
coffee attacks!
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22
god or nature?
29
political: brand power
32
public displays of art
34
M.Ward
42
top picks from this years sundance
film festival
the health benefits of coffee and the
myths surrounding it
a realistic view about the origin of
the universe
the power of creating a brand name to
make the sell - namely the stimulus
NYC transit authority has a history of
supporting large installations of artisis
the indie folk songwriter doesn’t
particulary like the lime light - he
doesn’t mind it either
notes from the editor
b-movies
the microbrew view
recipies from the road
unsigned bands
fun gizmos
instruments of destruction
pub games
cityscape: NYC
events calendar
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55
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the goons who run this outfit
Meet the staff of SFTF.
They like to pretend they’re pretty cool, but you can judge for yourself.
Nick Marx
Editor-in-Chief & Design Editor
Nick is from the small town of Corning in upstate New York- no one
really knows where that is, somewhere near Canada is what most
people tend to think. He enjoys writing music, and while “The Fridge”
has taken over his life, he enjoys participating in beer drinking and
whiskey drinking - any kind of drinking for that matter. Nick has
worked for a Fortune 500 corporation as well a small publishing
house. Favorite activities include napping and sleeping. He misses New Zealand
where he studied for 6 months, but will find new adventures while teaching
english in Thailand after he graduates. Nick is a Communication Major and Photography Minor at Loyola College in Maryland. He also thinks writing in the third
person is weird. Nick is one of eight children where all but two (himself included)
went to the University of Notre Dame. He claims he’s over it - damn Irish.
Laura was born in Brooklyn, but spent most of her life growing up in Colts
Neck, NJ, not too far from Belmar and Point Pleasant. She graduated
from Loyola College in Maryland in 2009 with a B.A. in Journalism.
Band of the Moment: The Script
Food of Choice: Eggplant Parmesan
Beer Preference: Woodchuck Amber
Favorite TV Show: Anything Food Network
What you don’t know: Back when pop superstardom ruled the airwaves,
Laura, her sister and two friends thought they could be the next Spice
Girls. They danced around in platform shoes, writing and singing songs,
and preaching “girl power” to anyone who would listen. Lucky for the rest laura stagliano
of the world, she quickly grew out of this phase. The only problem: She
managing editor
forgot to destroy the video evidence.
Jenna wilson
promotions director
Jenna hails proudly from the state of New Jersey,
where she swears that it doesn’t all smell like garbage.
When she’s not thinking about The Fridge, she enjoys
dark chocolate, cuddling with puppies, watching the
greatest show on television- Entourage, and drinking
obscene amounts of coffee. An avid Blue Devils fan, you
might not want to go near her during March Madness.
After graduating from Loyola College in Maryland this
spring, she hopes to bring peace and love to everyone in
the world, or maybe just in the nearest vicinity of her.
megan gillen
advertising director
matt kiebus
business manager
Matt is from Westfield, NJ is a communications major with a specialization in journalism. He loves House Party 1-4, the Temptations, and anything deep-fried. His favorite beer is Schlitz. He likes cool unique sneakers, fitted hats, movie trailers, new music, baseball on summer nights,
pick-up basketball on outdoors courts, buying retro replica sports jerseys on Ebay, Bruce Springsteen, wayfarers, Tanqueray, and writing. He
one day aspires to grow a great beard. When he was sixteen Scarlett
Johansson asked him if he wanted to “go steady with her.” He politely
declined. His response was, “I’m not a man who settles down.”
Megan Gillen is originally from Philadelphia,
PA. Her favorite activities involve drinking Carlsberg, watching the Philadelphia
Phillies dominate, and checking out what is
Straight from the Fridge. She loves to travel
the world, and dreams of one day moving
back to Copenhagen, Denmark, where she
studied abroad and made herself look like a
fool trying to learning the Danish language.
After graduating from Loyola College in
Maryland with a major in Advertising, Megan plans to work with the MLB and soak in
the summertime.
7
editor’s note
W
ell look at you- one of the smart folks who
decided to give Straight From the Fridge
a go around. Well its a deciscion that you won’t
regret, because we are unlike any other magazine
out there.
There is something in common between you and
this magazine- we appreciate the finer things in life,
but we’re not assholes about it. No, there’s nothing
wrong with jamming out with the car radio blasting
the latest Kanye or Maroon 5. We just tend to be
the one who keep the windows rolled up so no one
knows.
We’re the type of people who have drank our fair
share of PBR, Miller Lite, and Keystone in the name
of a beer bong tourney. But we didn’t enjoy it- we
like our brews to be made locally, taste of hops and
chocolate, and be far more intoxicating than 3.5%.
And if you hadn’t noticed yet, we like pretty pictures. Hell, we don’t even care if its Annie Lebovitz
or your grandmother who took them, if they look
great then that’s all we care about. We’re tired
of the little man getting sat upon by the big man.
That’s why we feature unsigned bands, artists, and
bad movies.
But SFTF will never be concerned with the latest
fads and trendiest handbags. No, we are the one’s
who start the trends. We discover the “next big
thing” day in and day out. If we were around when
snap bracelets made it big, we would’ve seen it
coming a mile away. I would be sitting poolside in
at my Mediterranean villa while my bulter served
me Cristal mamossas, reaping the benefits of my
snap bracelet stock portfoliio. Rather, I’m the lowly
editor-in-chief of this hip magazine making far less
money. ATTENTION: I do not recommend you take
finacial advise from SFTF, because that would be
stupid.
Quite frankily, we don’t know how the world ever
existed without a publication like SFTF. We are
all encompassing- art, culture, food, music, film,
events.
They say the magazine industry is dying. Well we
might be crazy, but we’re not stupid. We work hard
to bring you materail not easily found on the internet. Time is bank these days and who really has the
time to read 10 different magazines and browse
hundreds of internet sites. My friends, thats what
we here at SFTF get paid for. So look no futher than
our magazine.
We know your type. We are your type. So don’t
be ashamed of what you like. We wouldn’t be making a magazine if you were the only one.
When I tell friends the name of the magazine I
work for the first thing they ask is “Is that a cooking
magazine or something?” And with all the strength
in my body I refrain from a reaction of the violent
sort. Instead I explain to them- “Straight from the
Fridge” is a saying from the jazz culture of the
1940’s that means “Cool from the get-go.” So just
keep it cool kid. Real Cool.
—Nicholas Marx
Editor-in-Chief
8
9
10
WATC
The
In January every year the
best independent film makers around the world gather
in Park City, Utah for the
largest independent film
festival in the U.S., the Sundance Film Festival. Studio
executives, film critics, and
movie buffs find themselves
at a ski resort for a prestigious but relaxed giant
party that celebrates independent films. Which is quite
the opposite of the Cannes
Film festival in the south of
France, the most prestigious
film festival in the world,
that takes place in May in
one of the most luxurious
area’s one could imagine.
Sundance is a bit more
American.
Park City, Utah is where Quentin Tarantino debuted Reservoir
Dogs and there, Kevin Smith
debuted Clerks. Countless independent classics first hit the big
screen at Sundance: Little Miss
Sunshine, Napoleon Dynamite,
Garden State, and The Blair
Witch Project.
Sundance began in Salt Lake
City in 1978 as an attempt to
bring more filmmakers to Utah.
Founded by Sterling Van Wagenen and John Earle with Chairperson Robert Redford, the goal
of the festival was to showcase
what the potential of independent
film could be. At the time, the
main focus of the event was to
present a series of retrospective
Sundance
Kids
500 days of summer
One of the most talked about films of
Sundance this year was 500 Days of
Summer, staring Joseph Gordon-Levitt
and Zooey Deschanel is a modern day
version of When Harry Met Sally crossed
with Annie Hall. Deschanel plays the role
of an intern at a greeting card company,
she had recently moved from Michigan to
L.A. Gordon-Levitt is a writer for the greeting card company. She is a free spirit who
believes people should live in the moment,
and thinks true love is non-existent. He believes in finding his one true soul mate and
is smitten by Deschanel’s character from
the start.
What results is 500 Days of Summer, the story of their relationship. Filmed in a non-linear structure, the movie realistically
shows how sometimes relationships just don’t work out. The
heartache, the giddiness, the beginning and end.
Fox Searchlight purchased the film at Sundance and will
release it July 17th; in what will most likely be the romantic
comedy it of the summer.
black dynamite
Combine the badassness (yes I just created a word) of
Shaft and the hilariousness of the Naked Gun’s take on
cop movies, toss in a great afro/sideburn/mustache combination and you get Black Dynamite.
A spoof of the entire genre of cop films, Black Dynamite
takes the black “Shaft stereotype” and multiplies it by 5.
Michael Jai White captures the audience from start to finish with his straight-faced hilarity, over-the-top fight scenes
and ridiculous 70s outfits.
Black Dynamite was purchased by Sony Pictures at the
film festival and is yet to have a
release date, but check out the
red-band trailer online.
11
the sundance kids
adventureland
The trailer has the look and feel
of Superbad circa late 80s, and it is
no coincidence that Adventureland is
director Greg Mottola’s second major
motion picture.
But Adventureland is not Superbad
part II; it is more an ode to the late
80s and the carnival experience everyone experienced as a kid. It’s a nostalgic trip back in time, from the hairstyles to the clothes.
Jessie Eisenburg plays the nerdy James
Brennan who just finished his senior year
in college and was ready to travel Europe
for the summer before heading off to his
Ivy League grad school. When graduation came along his father
had to take a pay cut, forcing Eisenburg’s character to not travel
Europe and find a job to help pay for college. Where he ends up is
Adventureland, as someone who works at a gaming booth, a dead
end menial job that is normally brain numbing.
The cast of characters from Bill Hader as one of the theme
park owners to Kristen Stewart as Eisenburg’s love interest help
give him the real world experience the genius truly needed.
It is a summer job at a place that he felt was below him, which
I’m sure everyone can relate to.
push: based on a novel by sapphire
The big critical hit of the Sundance
Film festival was Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire. It was the winner of the
Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award
prize for best Dramatic film.
The story is about an obese 16-yearold African American girl named Precious from Harlem, who can’t read and
is pregnant by her father. Oh by the
way she also has an extremely abusive
mother, depressed yet? Wait, I forgot
to say why her mother beats her, because she feels her husband left for
her daughter (she was actually raped).
Did I mention she was born with Down
syndrome?
However terrible that sounds the film is actually about
hope, and Precious’s journey to try and achieve a normal
life. She knows that her first 16 years were worse than
a million lifetimes, but she knows she still has a lot of
life left. Through friends she meets in a diverse class of
dropouts, she gains hope for the future.
The film that moved both audiences and critics alike
will be opening in limited United States locations on November 9th 2009.
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films and filmmaker panel discussions; however it also included a
small program of films made outside the Hollywood system, commonly known as independent films.
In 1981, the festival moved
to Park City, Utah.
Over the following years
several factors helped propel
the growth of Utah/US Film
Festival. First was the involvement of actor Robert Redford.
Redford, a Utah resident, became the festival’s inaugural
chairman and having his name
associated with Sundance gave
the festival great attention.
Second, the festival moved
from September to January.
The move from late summer
to mid-winter was reportedly
done on the advice of Hollywood director Sydney Pollack,
who suggested that running a
film festival in a ski resort during winter would draw more
attention from Hollywood.
In 1991 the film festival was
renamed The Sundance Film
Festival as a tribute to Redford’s role as Sundance in
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
This year was the 25th Anniversary of the festival and as
per usual offered a completely
new and exciting set of independent films that were quickly
picked up by major motion
picture studios.
the sundance kids
2009 Winners Circle
Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public
Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire
Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Dramatic The Maid (La Nana)
Grand Jury Prize: World Cinema Documentary Rough Aunties
Audience Award: Documentary - The Cove
Audience Award: Dramatic - Push: Based on a Novel by
Sapphire
World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary An Education
World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic Afghan Star
Documentary Directing Award Natalia Almada for El General
Dramatic Directing Award Cary Joji Fukunaga for Sin Nombre
World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary Oliver Hirschbiegel for Five Minutes of Heaven
World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic Havana Marking for Afghan Star
Excellence in Cinematography Award:
Documentary - Bob Richman for The September Issue
Excellence in Cinematography Award: Dramatic Adriano Goldman for Sin Nombre
World Cinema Cinematography Award: Documentary - John De Borman for An Education
World Cinema Cinematography Award: Dramatic
- John Maringouin for Big River Man
Documentary Film Editing - Karen Schmeer for Sergio
World Cinema Documentary Editing Award Janus Billeskov Jansen and Thomas Papapetros for Burma VJ
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: Dramatic Nicholas Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi for Paper Heart
World Cinema Screenwriting Award Guy Hibbert for Five Minutes of Heaven
Special Jury Prize for Originality, World Cinema
Drama - Louise-Michel
Special Jury Prize, World Cinema Documentary Tibet in Song
Special Jury Prize for Acting, World Cinema Catalina Saavedra for The Maid (La Nana)
Special Jury Prize, U.S. Documentary - Good Hair
Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Independence Humpday
Special Jury Prize for Acting Mo’Nique for Push: Based on a Novel by Sapphire
Jury Prize, U.S. Short Filmmaking - Short Term 12
Jury Prize, International Short Filmmaking - Lies
2009 Alfred P. Sloan Prize - Adam
worlds greatest dad
Robin Williams revisits black comedy for the first time since Death to
Smoochy and is excellent in Worlds Greatest Dad. Williams plays a failed
novelist turned high school poetry teacher, but he’s not saying “Gather ye
rosebuds while ye may” and no one is standing on desks saying “Oh captain my captain” ala Dead Poets Society. His character is the anti- carpe
diem.
His son, an I-hate-the-world-and-dress-gothic-type, accidentally committed suicide by autoerotic asphyxiation, in lay mans terms: putting a plastic
bag over ones head while masturbating. (Hell of a way to go out eh?) To
save his son, and subconsciously himself, embarrassment Williams sets
the scene as though he hung himself and even penned his suicide note.
When word spreads about the suicide and its note William’s son become posthumously popular,
revered as a cult hero at the high school.
With the death of his son, William’s life begins to get tremendously better. The suicide note is the
first piece of his writing anyone has appreciated, as twisted as that is. Also his relationship with his girlfriend takes a turn for the better.
The movie turns into Williams living a lie that spirals out of control, and as sick and perverse of an
idea World’s Greatest Dad’s storyline is, it still works.
Unfortunately no studio has picked up the film yet, no studio head has the brass balls to put out a
movie where a father gains from his son’s accidental death. But, lets hope to see this fine black comedy
and Robin Williams’s most nuanced role since RV (just kidding).
13
The Best of flickr
™
Each month we click through thousands of photographs on flickr.com. Its a great way
to check out some new and emerging artists who you may not be familiar with (its also
a great way to procrastinate and waste time). Here we’ve picked some of our favorites,
and if you like what you see we encourage you to check out the artisit and see what else
they’re up to. Some say “a picture can say a thousand words.” Well we think thats a bunch
of cheesy bullshit. But these photographs are pretty f-ing cool.
flickr ID: mugley
flickr ID: nirvana
flickr ID: thestorey
flickr ID: Thomas Hawk
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flickr ID: flickr.zak
flickr ID: taylor.mcbride
flickr ID: massimo
flickr ID: seoul-lo
flickr ID: primshee pillai
flickr ID: hi my name is heather
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16
The B-List
Movies so Bad, They’re Good
Rocky iv
Roadhouse
TagLine: The dancing’s over. Now it gets dirty.
Patrick Swayze, need I say more? In a totally badass
role, Swayze plays Dalton, whose reputation as a tough
bouncer brings him to the roughest bar in Missouri,
Double Deuce, where he kicks hick-‘hind for 114 minutes. If you want to see the dude from Dirty Dancing
and his perfectly groomed mullet teach the Midwest
that they should be voting Democrat, by throwing roundhouse kicks check it out.
TagLine: He’s facing the ultimate
challenge and fighting for his life.
Patrick Swayze, need I say more? In a totally badass role, Swayze plays Dalton, whose
reputation as a tough bouncer brings him to
the roughest bar in Missouri, Double Deuce,
where he kicks hick-‘hind for 114 minutes. If
you want to see the dude from Dirty Dancing
and his perfectly groomed mullet teach the
Midwest that they should be voting Democrat, by throwing roundhouse kicks check it
out.
Weekend at Bernie’s
TagLine: A lively comedy about a guy
who isn’t.
K-9
So have you ever hung out with a dead
corpse for a weekend in the Hamptons? No?
Well me neither. But I’ll tell you one thing
Bernie Lomax has more fun than any posthumous person I’ve ever known. He hangs
out at the beach, parties at his beachfront
estate, and has sex, after he died. Now how
does he do it you may ask? Well Andrew McCarthy (from brat-pack fame) and Jonathon
Silverman carry around Bernie’s dead body
adorned in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses,
and make it seem as if he still has a pulse.
With such a relatable and believable premise
how can you miss it?
TagLine: Meet the two toughest cops in town.
The less talented in the Belushi gene-pool but still adequately funny James
Belushi stars in Turner and Hooch part II. Wait, I’m sorry there is no relation
to the two movies except a wild cop that teams up with a dog and they hate
each other at first then grow close and solve crimes together. Think ScoobyDoo without the “gang” and Mystery Machine and you have K-9.
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Tas
18
1
Te
We like to drink beer....a lot. So here’s our picks for this month.
Lagunita Brewery India Pale Ale
Brewed In: Petaluma, CA
Variety: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6%
Crisp, with an extremely dry hoppiness tang.
Citrus-grapefruit peel taste in background that
finished with a mild ripe peachy pine aftertaste. It’s made with 43 types of hops and 65
various malts that will leave you wanting more,
more, and more.
Troegs Dreamweaver Wheat Beer
Brewed In: Harrisburg, PA
Variety: Wheat Beer
ABV: 4.8%
Brewed In: Baltimore, MD
Variety: Uber Abbey Ale
ABV: 9%
Uber Abbey Ale, brewed in Belgian style
with approx 9% alcohol. It is a carbonated
brew that’s full-bodied with a sour yet sweet
flavor. It begins with a sweetness, followed by
a zesty fruit flavor and ends in a fairly clean,
citrus and oily taste. There’s also a bit of spiciness to it to add some bite.
Magic Hat Spring India Pale Ale
This has zingy and bright flavors that go
down smoothly, and incorporates bananas,
spices, pepper, and clove tastes. A little
weight for a spring/summer ale, but is still
worth a taste. I mean how many beers have
bananas in them and are actually good? Just
try it.
Brewery Profile:
Clipper City Brewery, Baltimore, MD
Clipper City Brewing Company
Red Sky At Night Saison Ale
Brewed In: Burlington, VT
Variety: India Pale Ale
ABV: 6.8%
This has zingy and bright flavors that go
down smoothly, and incorporates bananas,
spices, pepper, and clove tastes. A little
weight for a spring/summer ale, but is still
worth a taste. I mean how many beers have
bananas in them and are actually good? Just
try it.
Hugh Sisson opened Baltimore’s first brewpub Sisson’s in 1989,
encouraging the re-emergence of craft beer in Baltimore.
In 1995, Hugh decided that it was time to leave Sisson’s and move
the beers to a larger platform, so he established and developed the Clipper City Brewery .In late Fall of 1998 Clipper City merged/acquired the
Oxford Brewing Company, Maryland’s first craft brewery.
In 2003, Clipper City developed another brand for the beer aficionado: Heavy Seas. The Heavy Seas line represents our highest expression
of the brewer’s art with very robust styles and ABVs usually in excess of
7%.
Currently Clipper City Brewing produces over 14 styles of ales and
lagers, is distributed in over 18 states and has won hundreds of International, National, and regional awards.
19
20
R e c ip ie s fr o m t h e R o a d :
Each month our favorite bands giv
e us their favorite recipies from the tou
r.
Qu
ick
,
he
althy, and
delicious, these are bound to satis
fy
you
appetite.
This month the:
Yeah
Yeah
Yeahs
Spicy Chili For Two
Serves 2 | Prep Time 0:10 | Cook Time 0:25
Ingredients
1/4 teaspoon Eden Hot Pepper Sesame Oil, or to taste
1 teaspoon Eden Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup Eden Organic Diced Tomatoes
or Eden Organic Diced Tomatoes w/Onion
1 cup Eden Organic Chili Beans (seasoned dark red kidney), do
not drain
1/4 cup organic bulgur
1/4 cup ground cumin
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons Eden Shoyu Soy Sauce, or to taste
Directions
Heat oils in a saucepan, and sauté onions and garlic for 2 to 3
minutes. Add water, chili beans, tomatoes, bulgur, and cumin.
Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the flame to medium-low,
and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so the bulgur
doesn’t clump. Reduce the flame to low, add shoyu, cover, and
cook for another 5 minutes. Serve.
Hot Apple
Rum Punch
Serves 2 | Prep Time 0:02 | Cook Time 0:02
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Eden Organic Apple Juice
1/2 cup EdenBlend
1 Tablespoon rum
1 pinch ground cinnamon
Directions
Whisk apple juice, EdenBlend, cinnamon, and rum
together in a small pot and set over medium heat
until piping hot, whisking almost constantly, about 1
minute. To prevent curdling, do not allow mixture to
boil.
21
Coffee Attacks!
preventing diseases one antioxidant at a time
22
I
t’s seven a.m. The alarm clock is
ringing, the dog is barking to be
let out, and you peer through your
fingers at the glaring sunlight. The
morning is not your favorite time of
the day. You sit up, rub your eyes
and slam your hand down on the
alarm clock.
“It’s too early,” you mutter under your breath. “I need coffee.”
Coffee has become part of
many people’s daily routines. It’s
the morning starter, the extra jolt,
the pull-an-all-nighter cure and the
catch-up-with-friends beverage of
choice.
In the past, coffee has been associated with some negative connotations. Drink too much, and
you’ll get jittery. Your hands will
shake and you’ll have so much energy, you’re not really sure what
to do with it. Coffee is the culprit
of stained teeth, shirt stains, and
burnt tongues. It is scrutinized
for the amount of caffeine found
in a single cup, but what you
never hear about is coffee’s rich
source of antioxidants.
With the health craze picking
up speed and organic foods finding their way onto every grocery
store shelf, new studies argue
that coffee could actually be one
of the best things for you. Caffeinated or not, coffee provides a
significant source of antioxidants
in many peoples diet.
According to study leader Joe
Vinson, Ph.D., a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton,
“Americans get more of their
antioxidants from coffee than any
other dietary source. Nothing else
comes close.”
Most people think of fruits or
vegetables when talking about
antioxidants, but Vinson analyzed 100 different commonly
consumed food items for their
antioxidant content with coffee
coming out on top by a long shot.
The second largest source of
antioxidants is black tea, followed
by bananas, dry beans and corn,
respectively. Not only does coffee
have the most antioxidants, it is
the most frequently consumed.
Antioxidants work to rid the
body of free radicals, which are
destructive to DNA cells, and the
potential health benefits of the
ease and certain cancers, such
as liver and colon. Most recently,
studies have shown that coffee
can help prevent type two diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
Cardiologists from the Univer“...drinking up to four
sity of California studied 10 of
the biggest heart disease trials
cups of coffee a day reand found that there was no link
duces a person’s risk of
between coffee and the risk of a
developing diabetes by 30 heart attack. In fact, a study that
followed 27,000 women for 15
percent.”
years found that drinking one to
antioxidant-rich coffee seem to be three cups of coffee daily reduces
an on-going list of positives. Stud- the risk of heart disease by 24
ies have found that coffee helps in per cent.
the protection against heart disIn 2007, the review of 66 clini-
James LaSalle lost his job 4 months ago after major company layoffs at
Bank of America. He still manages to get his caffeine (and marijuana) fix.
23
cal trials concluded that coffee is
not carcinogenic, and shows no
links to cancer. It is believed that
the cigarette-smoking typically
associated with coffee drinking
was to blame for the misconception of coffee causing cancer.
Studies in Sweden of 59,000
women ruled out the connection of caffeine consumption to
breast cancer.
In Japan, 90,000 men and
women were monitored for over
a decade regarding their coffee
consumption and the prevention
of cancer. The study concluded
that regular consumers of two
cups of coffee daily showed half
the risk of developing liver cancer than those that did not drink
coffee.
Many different studies show
that drinking up to four cups of
coffee a day reduces a person’s
risk of developing diabetes by 30
percent. Lucky for you, caffeinated and decaffeinated have been
proven to have the same effect.
Dr. Peter Martin of the Vanderbilt University School of
Medicine says, “We found that
there are compounds in coffee
that enhance the capacity of the
liver to burn sugar much like
anti-diabetic medications.”
While there are always contradicting reports, recent studies have consistently praised
coffee’s newly discovered health
benefits. The positive effects
don’t stop there. In the coming
years it could be suggested that
1. Coffee is a diuretic.
. Caffeine in coffee causes
osteoporosis.
Reason it’s not true: Adding a
couple tablespoons of milk to
your diet offsets the effects of
the caffeine on your bones.
2
. Coffee improves your sense
of well-being, happiness, energy,
alertness and sociability.
Reason it’s not true: Studies
show that if you are not a regular coffee drinker, having the
occasional cup can cause anxiety
and a feeling of being unwell.
s
h
t
y
m
5 about coffee
Reason it’s not true: In order
to be a diuretic a single beverage must contain 550 mg of
caffeine. A large coffee only has
330 mg of caffeine.
. Coffee increases high blood
pressure.
Reason it’s not true: Studies
have found no link between
coffee and heart attacks or
abnormal heart rhythms. In fact,
drinking one to three cups a day
reduces heart disease by 24
percent.
3
. Coffee increases the risk of
pancreatic cancer.
Reason it’s not true: Studies
confirmed that coffee is not
carcinogenic. In other words, it
is not a substance that produces
cancer.
24
4
5
all athletes begin drinking coffee
prior to working out, or at least
in-taking caffeine. Some studies have shown that the caffeine
found in your average cup of coffee could help reduce the pain of
exercise.
Robert Motl, a professor of kinesiology and community health
at the University of Illinois, says,
“Caffeine works on a system in
the brain and spinal cord [the
adenosine neuromodulatory
system] that is heavily involved in
pain processing, and since caffeine blocks adenosine, the biochemical that plays an important
role in energy transfer and thus
exercise, it could reduce pain.”
The results of the caffeine/
exercise test were unexpected.
Both regular coffee drinkers
and people who did not regularly
drink coffee had the same reduction in pain as a result. “The
study concluded that caffeine
reduces pain reliably, consistently, across different intensities, across different people, and
different characteristics,” Motl
concluded.
And all this time you thought
your coffee addiction was something you’d have to give up.
There has never been a better
time to continue the habit. So
grab your favorite java and keep
them coming.
25
26
27
T
28
K
N
I
H
K
Origins of
the UNIVERSE
by Edwin Poché
Founded in Faith or Founded on Science? Which
one makes more sense?
The Religious Explanation
G
ather round kiddies, have I got a story for you
all today. It involves a young lady with golden
curls, a trio of bears, and far more porridge than
you’d know what to do with. Wait, no, I’m thinking
of the wrong fairy tale. Let’s start over.
Today’s tale actually involves a fellow with long
white curls and a big bushy beard. No it’s not Ian
McKellan, but you’re in the right ballpark. This gent
is known as God and he is said to have created the
entire universe. That may sound like a tall task for
any other man, but as you may have heard God
is not a man. He is an all-knowing, all-seeing, and
all-powerful deity. God is capable doing anything
the human mind can think up and can simultaneously be at all places in the universe. Of course, it’s
interesting that out of the six billion people on this
planet, no one outside of a mental ward has actually seen or heard from God. Even Bigfoot has grainy
video footage.
Well at first it was just God, the universe and
darkness. Then one day, probably after God got
tired of tripping over himself going to the cosmic
kitchen to get a late night snack, God created light.
Except there really wasn’t anything around to shine
light on, so God spent the next six days creating
mountains, oceans, clouds, trees and all forms of
life. Being all-powerful and capable of anything,
it sure seems like he could have done it all in one
day, but he probably wanted to draw it out to make
it more dramatic. Then on the seventh day God
rested, because all-powerful or not, Sunday is foot-
ball day and what better way to cool off after a hard
week of creating than sharing a few freshly created
brewskis with the Holy Ghost?
Of course there are a few things that the Bible
leaves out of the tale. Like it doesn’t mention on
which day God invented dinosaur bones infused with
aged carbon, then scattered them across the Earth
like a fun little scavenger hunt for humans to find.
Or, if God crafted the human body so perfectly from
scratch, why did he feel the need to give us organs
that have no practical use, like male nipples? So
they would know when it’s cold out?
Still all in all it is a fairly charming anecdote. It
could use a little sprucing up, perhaps a big Hollywood movie to help modernize the whole thing.
They should see if Ian McKellan is available.
It just sure would be nice if there were alternative that had actual facts to support it.
29
The Scientific Explanation
O
k, let’s start at the beginning. Well not exactly the beginning, it’ll probably be easier if we
start half a second in with the elementary particles
floating in space. That first half second of how all
those particles came into creation from complete
nothingness is all murky business, so why bother
with it. Probably not very important, but just know
whatever did happen, was very very scientific.
Well now these space particles instead
of wandering aimlessly through the eternal abyss
were all pulled together by gravity. What’s that?
How does gravity work? To be honest, scientists
don’t know that either. I believe the current theory
involves an apple hitting some Victorian in the head.
Now with all these microscopic particles being pulled into a stew and jostled
against each other caused a bang that created the entire universe. Why not try and
recreate this experiment at home kids? Just
take a bunch of small pebbles and throw
them at each other as hard as you can. See
how many tries it takes to cause a cataclysmic explosion that forms into a new universe. Three tries tops.
Naturally this big bang created Earth, our
home. It created the Earth just the ideal size for
life. It created a unique atmosphere for Earth,
which without life would not be possible. It even
created Earth at the perfect distance from the Sun
to accommodate for both the size and atmosphere
to create a climate necessary for life. It is simply
30
miraculous when you consider the million and more
things that had to go absolutely right in order for
life to come about scientifically.
Which leads us to the question of
how life actually did come about on Earth.
Again, scientists are not exactly sure how it
happened. They think it might have been
caused by an asteroid hitting the planet.
This is also how scientists believe water
may have appeared on Earth, as well as how
the dinosaurs mysteriously died out. It is
funny how many different scientific problems can be answered with a simple giant
space rock hurtling straight into the side of
our humble planet. Maybe the answer to
global warming has been sitting under their
noses the whole time.
Sure there a lot of questions left unanswered by this theory of creation. At least the
parts that are there are backed up by cold, hard
science. Ahhh science, proud inventors of the atom
bomb, Chernobyl, and a steak knife that can chop
through shoes. Certainly a field that has never
been wrong in the past.
Still, it sure would be nice if there were an
alternative that had all the answers.
31
This stimulus is
brought to you by...
Brand identity is just as important to the sell as
the actual product.
by Andrew Gravina
he panic came in the fall.
As the nation prepared
for a presidential election and
bought more Venti Caramel Macchiatos from Starbucks, families
started to concentrate on their
pocketbooks. They might be the
best politicians in the world, but if
there are no taxpayers left to be
politicking to, they’ll have to use
their taxing skills in some other
way, like getting China to buy
more U.S. Treasury bonds.
That’s why the Obama administration decided to save the U.S.
economy. The first idea was to
pass a stimulus and launch infrastructure improvements putting
people back to work. Then they
had some more Venti Caramel
Macchiatos, allowed the shots
of espresso to jump start their
brains and came up with the perfect solution: brand power. (Read
“How Venti Caramel Macchiatists
Rule the World.”)
Just like how Toyota is selling
cars that aren’t saving the U.S.
economy and how AstraZeneca
is selling medications that aren’t
saving the U.S. economy, last
year companies through U.S.
ports like Los Angeles, San Diego,
Seattle and San Francisco imported over three hundred billion
dollars of goods from China that
aren’t saving the U.S. economy.
This upset lots of people because
they were losing their jobs as
32
U.S. dollars escaped oversees.
This marked another time people
neglected to remember that they
bought the Chinese goods in the
first place.
Twitter users, comment below.
To get taxpayers to embrace
the administration’s radical solution, they decided to be the first
law enforcers to brand stimulus
projects. This would also allow
them to show their bosses just
how valuable they are — with
brand new bridges. If their offering tax relief and free health care
and the Republicans have nothing
but Sarah Palin, I think we know
who’s going to survive the next
set of elections.
Unfortunately, the banks they
The highly designed government stimulus logo
closely resembles that of President Obama’s
campigh logo- a clear sign that he’ll want it
known that it was his administration that
would be responsible for a recovery.
T
gave money to first had a hard
time earning the public trust.
Like almost impossible. Same
with the mortgage lenders and
investment banks. They started
to get worried when health care
bills, education bills and energy bills faced some opposition.
There is nothing scarier than
branding a recovery and discovering that the economy is not
recovering.
They were starting to worry
about the value of their macchiato-fueled brainchild when
they had success with April 1st
tax relief, as American families
started to see extra money in
their weekly paychecks and saw
the stock market rebounding.
They started going back to Starbucks and discussing, over delicious Venti Caramel Macchiatos,
what kind of president Obama
would be. Someone reminded
them that taxpayers often forget
how their money is being spent
and that many of them only care
when they are reminded about
how its spent. They asked themselves how much it would cost to
put a brand on all those projects
from the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Those Venti Caramel Macchiatos
are strong. (See the top 10 Starbucks drinks of 2008.)
They were prepared to have
the president reject the idea.
Instead, he came up with a cool
logo. They were hoping for tacit
agreement, and they were expecting it less in logos and more
in Michelle Obama’s fashions and
first puppy names. A fancy logo
would more than justify all those
Venti Caramel Macchiatos, even
including the banana chocolate
chip cakes they claimed on their
expense reports. They quickly ac-
cepted the logo on the project’s
behalf, promising that they’d
quickly work the 100% Americanmade, stimulus recovery logo into
the marketplace in a way that
everyone would notice.
Then they called their pollsters to find out exactly how to
approach government product
placement. In addition to supplying information on what phrases,
images and symbols to use, the
pollsters were experts on running market research surveys
like those used by advertising
companies to begin a product
rollout. “We wouldn’t talk about
social security benefits on college
campuses,” said a senior administration advisor. They were feeling pretty confident and secure
until the pollster told them that
they couldn’t get a spot in one of
those brand power commercials.
When they asked if the logo
would premier better than New
Coke, they were relieved to find
out that New Coke’s advertising
cost more than the whole stimulus. Product placement was
going to do less damage to the
government’s image than George
W. Bush on a bad day.
It was all going very smoothly
until people started to see the
logo on stimulus projects but had
no idea what it was for. Oddly,
they thought that brand power
would save the economy all along.
Instead, all their efforts did was
teach them exactly why brands
work and how hard it is to get a
new one into the market. Not
only does brand power work, but
it takes something special to
get people to love Venti Caramel
Macchiatos.
President Obama takes questions from the press after meeting with top economic advisers.
33
PDA is OK!
(Public Displays of Art)
34
by Jenna Wilson
In New York City, artists are using the subways, parks and bridges as
their canvas. These gianormous installations bring tourisits to the city
and help establish the city as one of the art capitals of the world.
S
ince the 1980’s, The Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Arts
for Transit program has placed
artists’ renderings in subway stations to “enhance the experience
of travel” as they say. Although
they may have missed rehabilitating some stations entirely (I’m
looking at you Chinatown), they
have welcomed various artists to
showcase their work in stations
all over the city. Not only do the artists have millions of people looking
at their artwork everyday, but the
underground city becomes renewed through contemporary art
and design.
Identical twin brothers Mike
and Doug Starn are the first
artists of the program to have
their work on display in the new
South Ferry Terminal. Their work,
See It Split, See It Change is a $1
million installation made of glass
panels depicting the comparison
between branches of the trees
and the format of the New York
subway system. The new subway
stop was opened in February with
the artwork displayed from the
opening day. The brothers were
the first to be given the chance to
collaborate with the MTA on the
actual design of the station. “It’s
the first time the art has been
part of the process from the getgo,” Mike says. They were invited
to add their thoughts about the
layout and even give input regarding the placement of doors in the
station.
Wanting to incorporate nature
into the structural and underground station, See It Split, See It
Change includes glass slates with
paintings of trees, echoing those
found within Battery Park. Also included in the work is a mosaic of
an old map of Manhattan dating
back to a 1640 image of the city.
“The South Ferry station is
thought of as just the terminus of
the 1 train. But we see it as the
beginning of the city, from which
everything else branches out,”
Mike says.
The Starn brother’s work is
only a small part of the major
exhibitions that have graced the
cities of the world. Art on a major
scale is nothing new. Exhibits
have taken up entire museums,
sculptures have spread across
cities, and cities themselves have
been regarded as works of art
because of the sheer brilliance of
practicality mixed with beautiful
architectural style. The beauty of
the world’s major metropolises
brings a type of inspiration that
can take an artwork to an extreme, because an artist has no
boundaries for where they can
take their work. With no limitations, artists can design a piece
of art that may have been too
large for a gallery and actually
create it for a large-scale exhibition.
Four years ago, Christo and
Jeanne Claude famously unveiled
their 26 year-in-the-making project The Gates: Central Park, New
York, 1979-2005. The dates
signify the amount of time it took
the couple to convince the city of
New York to allow them to use
Central Park as their canvas.
They attended 41 meetings with
officials over a period of 23 years
and finally were given the permission to spread 7,500 gates
across the park.
In the beginning of their campaign, they were met with a great
deal of criticism because of the
harm they thought they would
do to the park and the attention
they would receive just because
of the size of the project. One
of their proposal meetings in
2001 became heated with one
attendee being quoted as saying,
“Here’s an event of 27 miles of
shower curtains around the park.
35
Mike and Doug Starn’s $1 million dollar installation is the first of the program to be shown on display in the new South Ferry station.
Is that necessary, Mr. Cristo, to
promote yourself?”
Clearly, New York needed a
little more time to accept this
massive project overtaking the
place that so many New Yorkers
used every day.
The timing, this time though,
was right.
There was a lull in the tourism numbers of New York City
because of 9/11 and Mayor
Bloomberg, a supporter of the
arts, was in office. He was an
advocate for Christo and Jeanne
Claude’s work and ultimately was
the reason for The Gates to be
put in the park in 2005. When
the installation was unveiled,
Bloomberg said, “The Gates- the
largest artwork in our City’s history- will draw thousands of tourists from around the globe and
add immeasurably to New York
City’s rich history of public art.”
He also added something about
the inspiring artwork, but really,
what was really on his mind was
the money that would be generated for the City just from the
installation alone.
With the massive influx of
people who came to the city just
to see the Christo and Jeanne
Claude’s work, Bloomberg realized there was something to be
made out of these public displays.
Fans of the artists came from
all over the world to witness this
gigantic installation in the park
and it was reported that $254
million was brought into the city
because of the art.
Now, $254 million is a hefty
chunk of change. New York City’s
economy was revitalized for
those 16 days The Gates were
up and tourism numbers skyrocketed. But you do have to ask, is it
all in the name of art or is there
more to it?
Can the word “art” be substituted for “stunt”? Mayor Bloomberg was a supporter of the
artists and of the arts, but is he
more of a supporter because he
knew the work would draw in millions of dollars? Probably. What
mayor wouldn’t be extremely
happy to generate that much
money in a time when the city
needed it most? With this realization this would mean that Christo
and Jeanne Claude, with most
of their artwork being publicly
displayed and being slightly more
than average sized, are really in it
for the recognition and their art
can not really be considered art.
They are the famous “wrapping
couple”, wrapping the Reichstag
building in Germany, the Pont
Neuf bridge in Paris, small islands in Miami and of course The
Gates. Public relations would call
all of these a publicity stunt and
so would the rest of the world.
Christo was even quoted as saying the installation of The Gates
was pointless, but he worked for
23 years to try and instate it in
the city. So, what is the point?
Most recently, New York
City tried for another public art
Left: “The Waterfalls”
36
display in an unstable economy
during this past summer. The
Waterfalls, a controversial and
complex project created by Olafur Eliasson brought about the
same thoughts that The Gates
did back in 2005. Learning from
the past, the NYC government
instated the art to revitalize
tourists once again. It generated
$69 million alone, but cost those
living there, in particular Brooklyn, much more than that. The
spray from one of the waterfalls
underneath the Brooklyn Bridge
caused the soil to become contaminated, resulting in possible
stroke and hypertension.
But, they stayed up through
most of the summer, and were a
success for the city, even if most
saw it as another stunt for an
artist. Bloomberg even pushed up
the date for its opening because
he wanted to make sure they
would be seen in the nationally
televised 4th of July fireworks
displayed. This, along with the
fact that Eliasson allowed the designers to light up the waterfalls
once they were installed despite
the fact that he refused in the beginning because waterfalls don’t
naturally light up, leads to some
questions about the authenticity
of the project.
It was his largest artwork to
date, so of course he was feeling the pressure, but he strayed
away from his original inspiration
of a real waterfall for the bright
lights and superficiality that can
come from the big city. In an
exhibit as big as this and The
Gates, is it okay to lose a little bit
of authenticity in order to achieve
the kind of notoriety and success
that they had?
True artists would say no, it is
not okay. But, money always plays
a role especially when you are
dealing with a public art display.
All of the artists mentioned financed their own art and installations and weren’t paid for the art,
but they are given the opportunity
to advance their careers like
they never had before. The Waterfalls brought in almost $70
million for the city of New York
and made people actually want
to look at the Hudson River for
once. Although most people walking through the park may have
thought the gates were an annoyance, or just simply tarnishing it,
there is something to be said for
the way in which it revitalized the
city. So, while art enthusiasts are
questioning the motivation for the
work, I’m sure that the owners of
local businesses are extremely
grateful for the Christo’s work.
Whether it is a mural on the
side of a subway station, or a
giant waterfall underneath the
Brooklyn Bridge, art can take
many shapes and forms. Cities
are becoming the new galleries
of the East Village and the best
way to make a statement with a
piece of artwork. It is art encased
within art. From a mural on the
walls of a subway to the crashing
of water down a 20 foot waterfall
in the middle of the Hudson River,
art is being shown to the masses. It is now up to the audience
to determine if it is really art, or
really just an artistic stunt.
In 2005, Christo and
Jeanne’s “The Gates” were
installed in Central Park after
23 years of persistance. In a
post 9/11 slump, New York’s
tourism business skyrocketed
the 16 days it was on display
by bringing thousands to see
the exhibit.
Right: “The Gates” layed out in
Central Park.
37
LISTEN
Top Shelf Music Code: A37QXND9
38
The Yet to Be Discovered
Little bands who are beginning to make some BIG noise.
There are plently of bands out there with a great sound, but lack the giant label to push them forward.
In an age where nearly anything can be found on the internet, artists are able to get their name out
without out the tens of thousands of dollars. These three bands show promise. They’ve more than proven
themselves and have hundreds or thousands of dedicated fans already. It time to support the little guy
and fight “the Man” that is the mainstream music industry.
You, Me, and Everyone We Know
Latest album: So Young, So Insane
Listen: Party for the grown and sexy
See: On tour with Forgive Durden and Anarbor during
May and then they are hoping on Warped Tour in July.
Instead of waiting on their big break, You, Me and
Everyone We Know have learned to embrace their
unsigned status and give a big “f you” to major labels.
“The days of needing a label are gone for us. If and when
we sign, we will look back on this knowing it was the
smartest decision we ever made for this band,” says
guitarist Rico Vigil. For both of their EP releases, they
allowed fans to download their music free of purchase
for a limited time. Party for the grown and sexy, their
first EP, quickly received 30,000 downloads soon after
its release.
Through a few lineup changes, the band now consists of Ben Liebsch, Rico Vigil, Aaron Stern (formerly
of Matchbook Romance), and Noel Milford. Their music
boasts a pop punk anthem with witty lyrics proclaiming
“I speak as if I’ve lived one minute/with eyes not fixed
upon this screen/stalking the girls I could never fuck/ I
mean, their sluts, but it seems I lack that luck.” Speaking
of his music, Liebsch has said, “A lot of the stuff is a mix
of what sits in the back of your head. Most of the songs
are more cautionary tales then anything else. In the end
we’re trying to write exciting music that’s catchy and
throws you for a loop at the same time.”
39
A Million Engines in Neutral
Latest album: TBR
Listen: myspace.com/amillionenginesinneutral
See: April 25, Bowling Green, OH with Vesta
Indie band A Million Engines in Neutral, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, bring together a mix of instruments and layers of voices to create their own experimental alternative rock sound. Made of brothers
Russell and Robert Courtney, Jeffery Wynn, Steven
Calmes and John “Bubba” Baker, the band began in
the summer of 2006 and are in the midst of recording their first EP. Their slow-tempo songs feature
collaborative group vocals accompanying traditional
instruments along with some non-traditional, like a
glockenspiel. Concerned with just getting their music
to as many people as possible, the band is giving free
downloads on their myspace pages to all of their
songs.
The Phenomenauts
Latest album: For All Mankind
Listen: All of their music is free on myspace.
See: On tour throughout the U.S. in April
Begin transmission:
The Phenomenauts are a band brought to you
from the future, or Oakland, CA. With music made
up of upbeat, techno-rock, and a wardrobe that can
only be from the Star Trek world, they are a one-ofa-kind band looking for as many earthlings to listen
to them as they can find. The band was formed from
the cover band, Space Patrol, which played on homemade instruments in the 1980’s. Known for their
exciting, inventive and entertaining live shows, their
music makes you want to get up and jump around,
if not for them, then for science. With song titles
including “Cyborg”, “Robot Love” and “Galaxy Detour”,
it’s hard not to be a little bit intrigued by this Bay
Area band.
End transmission.
40
M.Ward
42
Matt Ward doesn’t like to be
interviewed, but since it comes
with the territory of being a musician he has to do it. Don’t expect
to get straightforward answers
though. He leaves you wondering
what is truly behind his words
and just how he is able to create
the remarkable and progressive
songs he does.
He brings his broad array
of talents together in his new
release Hold Time,
and displays his precise guitar playing,
wonderful melodies and layered
atmospherics.
Collaborations with other artists have shown his wide range
of musicality through songs with
Bright Eyes, Cat Powers, My
Morning Jacket, Norah Jones
and Zooey Deschanel. The new
disc focuses on issues like the
Iraq War, spirituality and English
literature, although he finds it
hard to steer away from that
standard L.O.V.E. topic.
“It’s one of those things like
God. People are going to be
talking about it as long as there
are people. It only makes sense;
it only adds up that love is going
to wind up in people’s songs,” he
remarks.
In wake of his newest release he agreed to sit down with
us, but we were left hanging at
the end of his sentences. Let’s be
honest though, we dig him even
more for leaving us yearning.
SFTF: When you sit down to
put an album together, what’s
your process like?
M.Ward: The process remains
the same as it’s always been. Every song starts with a four track
at home and an acoustic guitar.
The key is to keep everything
as fresh as it was when I first
started.
Every writer has ways or tricks
of getting back to that place. For
me, especially when I am traveling and I have to do the same
song over and over again, more
often than not it’s a question of
how can I return back to the spot
that inspired the original idea of
a song. A lot of times it’s remembering the people that I was with,
the thing I had read in some book
or some newspaper article. I
have learned that if I can make
sure I hold on to that spark, then
it will be able to fuel the song and
ideally propel it to the time when I
either have to record or perform
it.
SFTF: Your last album, Post
War, seemed to be talking
about the future after the Iraq
war. Does your new album,
Hold Time have any deeper
meaning?
M. Ward: I always prefer other
people’s interpretations over
my own, so I’m not very quick to
make explicit what exactly a song
or record is about.
43
In 2006 Ward and Zooey
Deschanel joined forces to
create the duo “She & Him.”
The two toured extensively
and considered it more than
just a side project.
SFTF: In the past you’ve
worked with many of music’s
most talented women. What is
it about you that makes these
women want to work with you?
M.Ward: [Laughs] I’ve worked
with just as many talented
women as I have talented men,
and I feel fortunate enough to
have that great balance. What
the draw is, though, is for other
people to determine, not me.
They all have a great passion for
music.
SFTF: Zooey Deschanel was
a wonderful surprise on She
& Him. And she’s back on this
album, singing on “Never Had
Nobody Like You” and “Rave
On.” She’s got quite a distinct
sound. Can you explain it?
M.Ward: Her voice belongs
to no time. That is a very evocative place for a listener to be.
As somebody who produces
records, I am more often than
not aiming for that healthy
confusion where listeners have
44
to ask themselves some fundamental questions: What is
happening here? What is that
sound? Where did this happen?
When did this happen? Did this
recording happen a year ago or
thirty years ago? I recently heard
Aretha Franklin covering God
Bless the Child on the radio in
San Francisco. It’s from the sixties, but it sounded like a recording that could have been made a
few months ago. Certain artists
have the ability to do that. Zooey
is one of them.
SFTF: You’re only 35, and
you’ve already got an old voice
in a young man’s body. What’s
going to happen when you actually get old? Will your voice
then become ancient, like Bob
Dylan’s? Or will you pull a Benjamin Button and get younger?
SFTF: You’re a bit of a collaboration maniac. A lot of artists
will wait until later in their career to start collaborating. Why
so much so soon for you?
M. Ward: Like Dorian Gray,
you mean? It’s a question I ask
myself every day. It seems like
I should know the answer but I
don’t.
M.Ward: I’ve never gone out
of my way to ask to be on somebody else’s record. It’s always
been a very organic creation.
My favorite collaborations are
the ones going on right now. I’m
working on another project with
Zooey. We’re in the demo process right now. I’m also working
on an album with Conor Oberst
SFTF: A lot of your songs
have a moment that feels like
release. Obviously, a lot of songwriting aims to create tension
and release, but yours can feel
blissful. “For Beginners,” on
this album, has that aspect to
it. How do you find that in the
songwriting process?
and Jim James, for our band
Monsters of Folk. We’ve done
two tours together, but the gears
are moving slowly on the record.
It’s still in gestation. Hopefully, it
will be a bit of a beast.
Discography:
Hold Time
2009
She & Him
Volume 1
2008
Post War
2006
Transistor
Radio
2005
Transfiguration
of
Vincent
2003
Live Music
and the
Voice of
Stangers
2001
End of
Amnesia
2001
Duets for Guitar
1999
M. Ward: That’s a great question. I feel like if it happens, it happens accidentally. Certain things
you have to stumble on to. They
can’t be preprogrammed.
SFTF: Your use of lyrics often
has a wonderful meandering aspect to it, with lots of wordplay
and double meaning. Take “Fisher of Men” from this album:
“He’s got a line in the water…
He’s a fisher of men…he’s got a
lot on the line.” Are you sitting
there with a thesaurus when
you’re writing tunes?
M. Ward: When I hear that
song, I think about the movie The
Mission a bit. It might be about
a missionary. And a missionary has a lot on the line. But it
all happens so fast. It happens
subconsciously. So much of it is
stumbled upon. Sometimes you
will find yourself when you’re writing and playing guitar chords, you
will be mumbling something that
turns into words.
try, for example, to imitate a
guitar sound from Howlin’ Wolf’s
great guitarist Hubert Sumlin. To
try and get Hubert’s sound is an
incredibly amusing challenge. And
then to imagine Hubert being in
a room with Chet Atkins—some
impossible meeting like that—is
endlessly entertaining.
SFTF: Any other current
projects?
M. Ward: I am producing a
record for a songwriter named
Carlos Forster. He’s from San
Francisco. I’d like to think that will
come out at the end of 2009.
SFTF: People have had a lot
of fun labeling you—You’re a
modern folk interpreter. You’re
an acoustic retro whisperer.
Label yourself.
M. Ward: Guitarist. That’s the
way I started out and that’s probably the way I will end up.
SFTF: The song “Chinese
Translation” on your last album
seems to suggest that the answer to the big questions is just
wonderful music. Am I right?
M. Ward: You are right. The
customer is always right. But
I’ve had a lot of interpretations
of that song. I think the worth of
a song can be measured by the
amount of interpretations you get
from it. All of my favorite books
and movies, you can have discussions about what they mean. Like
David Lynch movies. Great songs
are the same way.
SFTF: You obviously draw
from the past in much of your
sound. But it’s also startlingly
original. How do you thread that
needle?
M.Ward: Sometimes when I
am writing a song I will have a
specific sound in mind. I might
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Y
Fun GizmoS
Cool Toys that You Probably Don’t Need
“Ruby” Rocking Chair
by Pouyan Mokhtarani
Inspired by human anatomy, the “Ruby” by designer Pouyan
Mokhtarani is an anatomic rocking chair that lets users experience an eternal power to control every adjacent object. The
rocking chair comes with 10 liquid pillows, eight in the back
that resembles the structure of abdominal muscle packs in human anatomy, while other two (a bit larger) are located at the
base and looks like the hunkers muscles. Though, it wouldn’t be
rational to envisage the eternal felling and comfort, until you sit
on it and experience the same, but one cannot argue about its
unique design that if came in production would make an entirely
different furniture in your living space.
Leica Digital M8 Rangefinder Camera
The LEICA M8 doesn’t only look like an M - it utilizes all the
benefits of the analog Leica M system for sophisticated and
creative digital photography. It is the only digital camera for enthusiasts and professionals alike to incorporate the rangefinder system with its advantages of discreet and quiet operation,
speed and precision. Full compatibility with nearly all M lenses
means that their unique imaging performance is available
for digital photography, too. The CCD image sensor has been
specifically matched to the compact lens design to guarantee
superlative photographic quality. The controls and functions of
the digital M still concentrate on the essentials.
Sony KDL-40ZX1, 40’ LCD HDTV
Only 9.9mm Thin display is only 9.9mm
thick at its narrowest, and 26 pounds. The
display itself has only 1 HDMI port, while a
wireless box can send the 120Hz, 1080p
display up to 1080i images over a 5GHz
channel many suspect is WHDM. That external port box will have 3 HDMI, 2 component, s-video, VGA, and even USB, mouse,
and LAN port. All menus will be driven
through an XMB Play station-style cross
media interface.
Apple iPod Shuffle
The new iPod Shuffle has
a VoiceOver feature, which
gives the iPod the ability to
“speak” song titles, artist
names and playlists names.
The device can “speak” in
14 languages. According to
Apple, the third generation of
its low-end iPod Shuffle is significantly smaller than a AA
battery and it can store up to
1,000 songs.
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InstUments of DestRuctIon
Ear Splitting, Mind Blowing, and Gut-Busting, but Far Less Lethal
Korg SP-250 Keyboard
Korg brings a heightened level of realism and feel to its line
of portable digital pianos with the new SP-250.The SP-250
provides an expanded range of expression and performance
with an outstanding new stereo piano sound, which is matched
to a third-generation RH3 graded action keyboard. The SP-250
Digital Piano is the perfect answer for any pianist looking for
rich piano sounds and the convenience of a lightweight, portable instrument.
Fender Vintage Hot Rod ’62 Stratocaster
This sweet mama mixes today with yesterday for classic
looks and a modern tone and feel. The classic features include
vintage styling and a thin-skin nitrocellulose lacquer finish; modern features include three American Vintage Strat® single-coil
pickups (with reverse-wound/reverse-polarity middle pickup), a
satin-backed neck with a flatter radius and medium-jumbo frets.
Looks, sounds and feel both vintage and brand-new at the same
time!
Marshall MG10CD Guitar Amp
The mammoth road of this 10 Watt, twin channel, mini
monster has to be heard to be believed! Coupled with great
features like FDD, a CD input, Emulated Headphone jack and
Emulated Line Out, this sturdy 1x61/2’ combo is the perfect
practice amplifier.
Roland TD-12SV Electronic Drums
The Roland TD-12SV Electronic Drum Set offers mesh
V-Pads all the way around. This electronic drum set is
loaded with over 500 percussion sounds and 262 backing
instruments to deliver the flexibility you need. Roland incorporates the VH-11 natural-feel floating hi-hat. An ultra realistic feel comes courtesy of features like snare/cymbal
interval control that changes sound based on the speed of
your strokes. The Roland MDS-12BK Drum Stand has advanced gripping clamps on the pipes and conceals cables.
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51
PUB GAMES
Tired of Beer Pomg? Three drinking games that you’ve probably never heard of.
Quoits
Number of Players: 2 to 4
What You Need: Quoits Board, Quoits Rings
Goal: Be the first to score 61 points.
The thrower stands 10 feet from the spike and throws all
four rings at the spike. The second thrower then throws their
four rings at the spike. Players receive 5 points for the spike, 2
points for the inner circle and 1 point for the outer circle. Players must achieve an exact score of 61 to win. If their points go
over the points from the previous throws do not count.
Toad in the Hole
Number of Players: 2 +
What You Need: Quarters, Circular Piece of Paper
Goal: Be the first to count backward from 31 to 0.
Place the circular piece of paper in the center of a table.
Players stand 8 feet from the table and throw 4 quarters at
the table. If the quarter lands cleanly on the circular piece of
paper, that team scores 2 points. If the quarter lands on the
table, that team scores 1 point. A team can’t throw more
quarters than points they need to win the game.
Shut the Box
Number of Players: 2 to 4
What You Need: Dice, Pice of Paper with Boxes Numbered 1-9
Goal: Cover all boxes on the piece of paper to “Shut the Box.”
Each player begins their turn with all boxes uncovered. Take
turns rolling 2 dice to try to cover the different boxes on the piece
of paper. For example, if the die show a 2 and a 3, box 5 can be
covered or boxes 1 and 4, or 2 and 3. If all boxes less than 6 are
covered, players can roll one dice. A player’s turn ends when they
cannot cover any numbers on the paper. The player with the lowest
score wins. A player’s score is the sum of the numbers remaining
uncovered at the end of their turn.
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EXPLORE
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CITYSCAPE:
the f i v e b u ro u g h s
Being the inagural
issue and all, we
thought we’d give
you a quick run
down of the biggest
and the best- New
York City. Check
out some of these
lesser know places
while visiting the Big
Apple to get away
from the crowds.
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The five boroughs of New York
hold a lot of adventurous sights and
sounds for the average tourist. But
the real New Yorker would rather
spit in their own soup before spending the afternoon with a lot of picture
taking, map reading, brightly dressed
and over excited vacationers. The
spots you’d rather be found in aren’t
on the map. They’re not brightly lit
P
laying the with big leagues
in Manhattan? Take a look
outside of the city when visiting
the Complete Traveller Bookstore at Madison and 35th.
You’ll find their various arrays of
maps, guides and books. It was
put together for the traveler that
knows the ins and outs of everywhere else somewhat beyond
the average tourist. Sit in their
lounge and skim over their century old travel and history books.
After the day of mischevious adventure, head over to the Canal
Room on W. Broadway. Their dim
lit lounge is good for conversation
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and the internet doesn’t hold pictures of them. They’re the places
the excited vacationers pass over
because they’re ‘nothing to see.’ It
doesn’t matter which borough you’re
in, they all hold something hidden
from view. We’re just here to let you
in on it- but lets keep it our little secret. Ok?
and a beer, unless you’d prefer a
cup of coffee. If you care to stay
into the night, you’ll be around
for the first gig of new groups.
Those tired of the same old tune
often welcome their unknown
performers and unheard music.
Late night in Hells Kitchen
should direct you to the Galaxy
Diner on 9th and 46th. Those
most aware of it include neighbors and Europeans. The not so
average diner has an extensive
menu that makes sure to offer
plenty of veggies and wholewheat options for the health
conscious. Make sure to try the
French Onion dip and splurge the
extra $1 for fried onions.
For those who reside in Staten
Island, a dinner recommendation
is Sapporo Sushi House. This
underground little connection is a
delight for the raw fish coinsure.
Located in the back of the Coral
Island Shopping Center, it is often
frequented by the Japanese
of the area. The sashimi bento
comes highly recommended.
After dinner, stroll over to the
Snug Harbor Music Hall. Enjoy
the artist of the evening or act of
the night. Best of all you can buy
alcohol to make the entertain-
ment… more entertaining.
Dominick’s Restaurant is
where you want to eat in the
Bronx. If you’re staying in, they’ll
deliver to you. Otherwise, enjoy
the cramped and menu less dining experience. The marinara and
primavera are entirely worth it.
After dinner, try Jackie’s West
Indian Bakery for a local taste of
abroad. They’ve been there for
years and only continue to perfect their Indian pastries. From
baklava to Rasgullas in decadent
Rabdi they can be found on E
233rd. For a night out in the
Bronx, try to visit the Jet Set
Café. Established twenty years
ago, the family owned restaurant
holds a nightclub underneath. Its
diverse atmosphere, extensive
wine and liquor list, and continental cuisine with a Spanish
twist are excellent and not to be
missed. They’re located on Webster Ave.
An evening in Queens should
unquestionably involve dinner at
Dee’s. If you’re there earlier,
lunch is fine as well. The chef
studied at the French Culinary
Institute and has applied her
knowledge to her Italian cuisine,
perfecting her pizzas in every
aspect. With countless specials
daily the restaurant offers a homey and comfortable atmosphere.
It is located on Metropolitan
Avenue, directly across from the
The water taxi at the South Street Seaport provide quick access
across the East River from Manhattan to Brooklyn.
Cinamart Movie Theater. Enjoy
the newest indie craze before
dining with Dee. If there is time
before or after, walk down Metro
Ave and venture into their various
shops and boutiques. Don’t miss
the antique shops either. While in
the area, Water’s Edge shouldn’t
be missed. Lounge on the deck
and watch the ships over the
Hudson during lunch. Take your
appetite and make sure to order
from all three courses. If not,
sample the sushi option. The best
way to experience your meal is to
arrive and depart by way of the
complimentary water shuttle. It
can be found from the east 23rd
St. Skyport Marina.
You should be made aware
that from now until early July, the
Brooklyn Museum is holding an
exhibition of Gustave Caillebotte’s
impressionist paintings from
Paris to the Sea. The exhibit is
fabulous, for an afternoon in the
area. For dinner out, take advantage of Dine in Brooklyn, their
current restaurant week. It is the
best way to sample the borough’s
finest 3 course meals for $23.
Café Buno Gusto is a great stop
for Sunday morning brunch in a
French style. Casa Pepe Restaurant is the Spanish Mexican
choice for dinner. And don’t forget the new Pearl Room. Serving
Brunch, Lunch and Dinner, the
New American restaurant can be
found on 3rd avenue and should
not be missed.
You can’t ask for much more
on a normal day in the city, especially with a list of tourist free
spots to embark upon. The dining
opportunities are fabulous and
the entertainment is intriguing.
Find the time to spend in different atmospheres, environments
and cultures, and enjoy the diversity that you can add through
such a colorful city.
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Music Festivals
Music festivals are the number one place
to find great music. No matter what your
musical appetite, you can almost always
find something you like. Plus you can’t get
a better bang for your buck anywhere else,
saving you money for the bottle.
H.U.M.P Festival – Lexington, NC
4/10/09-4/11/09
Two days of humping! Just kidding, HUMP actually stands
for Heavenly Underground Music Paradise and it is a two day
festival that “steps out of the realm of reality” to showcase the
talents of local musicians and artists. Camping is strongly encouraged and is included with the ticket price, and it is a BYOB
event. Tickets are $15 at the gate or $12 with a donation for
the 2nd Harvest Food Bank. The event begins at 5:00 p.m. on
Friday with an open mic night and ends on Saturday around
11:30 p.m.
Solution for Dreamers Festival – Santa Barbara, CA
4/11/09
Now in its second year, the festival
brings together music in support of the
Santa Barbara area non-profits and
eco-friendly businesses to raise money
for Heal the Ocean, a non-profit action
group which works for cleaner beaches
in California. The event hopes to educate
and empower people to care for the earth
through different kinds of mediums like
music and art. Check out www.solutionsfordreamersfestival.com for more info.
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McDowellel Mountain Music Festival– Scottsdale, AZ
4/25/09 & 4/26/09
This is the fifth year of the festival and it
keeps getting larger over time. It was developed
to support local children in receiving food, education and opportunities that they are not able
to receive currently. The Flaming Lips, Matisyahu and Michael Franti and Spearhead headline
the festival this year. Ticket prices begin at $40
per day and become more expensive closer to
the day of the festival, so make sure you get
them early!
Unicity Performing Arts Festivals – Salisbury, MD
5/15/09 - 5/16/09
This is the fifth year of the festival and it keeps
getting larger over time. It was developed to
support local children in receiving food, education and opportunities that they are not able to
receive currently. The Flaming Lips, Matisyahu
and Michael Franti and Spearhead headline the
festival this year. Ticket prices begin at $40 per
day and become more expensive closer to the
day of the festival, so make sure you get them
early!
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film festivals
Houston
“WorldFest - Houston’
EVENTS
CALENDAR
4/17 - 4/26
Will screen 55-60 feature films and 100 Short Film Premieres within this 9 day period. There is an individual spotlight on an individual country and its films.
New York City
“African Film Festival”
4/2 - 5/26
Featuring directors of Africa and the diaspora it is presented at Lincoln Center, and various venues
across the US.
Akron
“Akron Independent Music Festival”
4/3 - 4/6
An Independent Film Festival with film and video work from national and local filmmakers.
Los Angeles
“Short Film Festival of LA”
4/26 - 4/30
An Independent Film Festival with film and video work from national and local filmmakers.
Art Exhibitions
New York City
San Francisco
The Drawing Center, 35 Wooster St.
The accumulation of information, errors of transmission, junk faxes, “fax lore,” as well as drawings
and text.
Gallery 16, 501 Third St.
Cold Turkey will present a selection from Six Realms,
a very large and diverse body of brush and ink drawings, as well as several recent paintings.
“FAX”
“Cold Turkey” Bruno Fazzalori
San Antonio
Chicago
1906 Gallery, 1906 S. Flores
4 Art Inc., 1932 S. Halsted Unit 100 Chicago, IL
Philadelphia
Seattle
“Steve Smith”
“Pulling from History:
The Old Masters”
Various Artisits
The Print Center, 1614 Latimer St.
A group exhibition bringing together the work of contemporary artists whose work has been influenced
by old master prints.
“Phase viii” Various Artists
“Centennial International
Juried Exhibition”
Crawl Space Gallery, 504 E. Denny Way #1
March 28-April 26
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