Over the Edge + December 1, 2010

13

The Brains Return to Prince George
UNBC hosts Montreal psycho-billy band

DARCIE SMITH
ARTS EDITOR

On November 15, Montreal's The Brains paid UNBC a visit,
bringing with them The Hypnophonics, also from Montreal.
Local bands sparethelove | spoilthechild and Illicit Dissent
opened for the two psycho-billy acts. The event was put on
by CFUR 88.7 FM and held at the NUSC event space. With
the relative diversity between all the bands came a diversity
of energetic attendees.

Sparethelove | spoilthechild, a local hardcore/pop/rock
band, were the first of the bands to play, and they gave a
great half hour set. The venue added a slightly different
sound to their music, making it louder and fuller for the
audience, which certainly enhanced the performance.
Vocalist Jocelyn Siddall has a powerful voice that
contributes some flair to the music and sets sparethelove
| spoilthechild apart from other bands of that genre. Their
next show is set for November 30th at the Rum Jungle,
opening for Econoline Crush. Tickets are $15 and can

be purchased at the Rum Jungle, Alfredo’s Pub and
Homework.

Following stl|stc was the punk rock band Illicit Dissent. Illicit
Dissent always draws a huge crowd, and this evening was
no exception to that. A few songs into their set, bassist
Spencer Hammond said, “We're Illicit Dissent and we’re
going to play 21 songs in 30 minutes.” He wasn't lying.
The songs were short and fast, but well-delivered to the
welcome audience. A mosh-pit was quickly formed, riling
up all the crowd members before the headliners took to the
stage. If there was ever a band that made punk rock music
feel like a family affair, Illicit Dissent surely excels.

The Hypnophonics stole the show. Before taking the stage
they were all laid back and soft spoken. Once on the
stage, they erupted with energy and charisma. Speaking
with them before the show, it was evident that they were

a band to look forward to, and it was surprising to see just
how much they came alive during their set. The psycho-
billy stylings and fantastic dance moves of the frontman,

1aE

DARCIE SMITH

Montreal band The Brain's came to UNBC to lend thier talents to a CFUR hosted event

Angus, were sensational. During The Brains set that
followed, Angus was seen posing for several pictures with
an audience member’s young baby.

As there were three bands before The Brains took the
stage, it was satisfying to finally see the headliners perform.
The Brains are an interesting group of people with an
intriguing sound, and it was a pleasure to watch them
perform. Rene De la Muerte has a unique voice that is

not typical of the genre, and listening to their album is a
different experience to actually seeing them live. Pyscho-
billy bands are one of the best to see perform live, as they
always have great antics and little tricks they can do with
their instruments. The Brains are no exception to this.

Some Girl Talk About Girl Talk

His music let’s you take a stand AND enjoy the song Single Ladies in a new light

ECATERINA CIUGUREANU
FEATURES EDITOR

Sweet and sour, bitter sweet, reality TV and self-respect. We live in a
society that just can’t make up its mind. But have no fear, Girl Talk is on it.
Girl talk, which consists of Gregg Gills, specializes in mash-ups, allowing
you to have your cake and eat it too. This man has the unquestionable
talent to fit the whole Billboard chart and the classics into one six minute
track. With a degree in biomedical engineering and five albums under his
belt, he is the modern Clark Kent. He has a noble cause as well. He uses
unauthorized samples of songs in his tracks and calls his music a law suit
waiting to happen, a statement concerning copyright culture and the state
of current media. To put his money and mp3s where his mouth is, all of his
albums are available online for the price of YOUR choosing, with the latest

one All Day being released to his audience for free.

So let’s talk about his latest album. It’s 71 minutes of sheer flow from the
end of one track to another. Perfect for people with A.D.D. below the
clinical threshold, the tracks switch so quickly, there will never be a need
to push the forward button on your iPod or iTunes. The twelve tracks

are so versatile, they make good background studying noise, a gym
soundtrack, and/or sing along driving jams. Each track consists of around

twenty different song samples.

Some of the artists featured (illegally) on the album are Beyonce, Willow
Smith (the 9 year that whips her hair back and forth), Neil Diamond (the 69
year old who covered the 9 year old’s song about hair whipping), Rolling
Stones, Jay-z, John Lennon, Phoenix, the Cars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pitbull,
Lady Gaga, Rage Against the Machines, Michael Jackson, Prince, Iggy
Pop, Lil Wayne (who knows all about illegal), and many, many, many

more.

Aside from being upbeat and fun, his music perfectly captures our desire
for more in little time. His music let’s you take a stance AND enjoy the
song Single Ladies in a new light. What more can you ask for? By using

such a diverse collection of artists, Girl Talk is permissive of a well
rounded taste in music. It’s okay to appreciate the Talking Heads and

remember all the lyrics to Juicy by heart because, like Notorious B.1.G.

says, “and If you don’t know, now you know.”

Their set included several tracks from their most recent
album, Zombie Nation, a few old tracks, and a cover of
Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”.

One of the greatest aspects of this show was how it brought
fans of each band out to the event. There were crowds out
to specifically see a certain band, and it was neat to see
everyone stick around for the entire show and watch the
other bands play too.

CFUR Radio is aiming to bring a band from out of town in
each semester, and based on the success of this show and
the past shows they have put on, a strong tradition is being
created that will hopefully continue throughout the year.

ONLINE SOURCE

Specializing in mash ups, Girl Talk allows you to have your cake and eat it too