6 Arts and Culture November 12, 2009 + Over the Edge Let ner eat cake Indulgence, Asceticism Singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata ain't no Fiona Apple BY SHETU MODI EXCALIBUR (YORK UNIVERSITY) TORONTO (CUP) -- According to her psychic, Rachael Yamagata was a French writer and a rebel in her past life. So, it makes perfect sense Yamagata’s nervous- ness on stage stems from the subsequent stoning death she “experienced.” She, of course, fears the same fate for her present life, as her executioners would be disguised as attendees at one of her shows. Such stories accompany the live music of Ametican singer-songwriter-pianist- guitarist-tambourine player Yamagata, who, along with music and acting, counts astrology as one of her interests. To talk to Yamagata is to be at complete ease, as evidenced by the humorous stories she tells and the down-to-earth excitement she exhibits. When informed that actor-direc- tor-screenwriter Zach Braff recommended her song “The Reason Why” on his Garden State blog, Yamagata exclaims, “No way!” Though Yamagata isn’t exactly famous, such unabashed enthusiasm holds promise if she were to become a‘“star,’ the stardom would leave her personality unfettered. Though a variety of moods are encom- passed in her music, many of Yamagata's songs are rather beautifully gloomy. She's slightly more cheerful than Fiona Apple, an artist she is often -- well, always -- com- pared to, due in part to their similarly deep voices. . I think it’s a really big compliment to be associated with “T absolutely love her . . her,’ Yamagata says. “(But) at the same time, I feel like we're very different in terms of writing styles and performance.” In regards to having the female singer- songwriter label, Yamagata doesn't seem to be worried about fitting in somewhere, nor does she feel obligated by her record com- pany to do so. She sees such labelling as a “marketing strategy.” “T don't feel pressure to do it, but I feel sometimes pressure around me to present me that way, cause I think I threw a curve- ball at a lot of them because of the different genres. I kind of float in and out, in terms of the song writing.” Yamagata'’s parents listened to musicians such as Carole King, Elton John and James Taylor, and these artists are among those who have influenced her. Her favourites in- clude Joni Mitchell, Elton John and Rufus Wainwright. Yamagata, who has opened for Liz Phair and David Gray, released her debut solo al- bum, Happenstance, this past June. Though she plays the guitar and sometimes even the tambourine onstage, Yamagata’s music is primarily piano-based, an instrument she taught herself to play by ear after just a year of instruction in the seventh grade. Before going solo, Yamagata was part of a band called Bumpus and studied the- atre at Northwestern University. When asked whether her theatre studies have influenced the music she writes, Yamagata laughs: “I hope not, ‘cause I got kicked out of acting class.’ She explains theatre has given her con- fidence onstage. It’s “so much more natural for me to be expressing stuff I’ve written versus something that is in a script.’ The confidence, enthusiasm and ability to laugh at herself Yamagata possesses trans- lates into a charismatic persona onstage. At a recent performance, Yamagata casually strolled onto the stage as her band began playing, apparently oblivious to her own presence. She constantly connected with her audience either through her emotion- ally intense songs or, in contrast, by telling amusing tales about herself, her band and the “dicks” she’s dated. As an introduction to one of her songs, she recounted the story of one guy who left her to date “big breast- ed 16-year-olds.” Yamagata also poked fun at the hygiene of her band mates and asked the audience to play matchmaker between her and a hockey player. At one point, she invited those in attendance to sing along with her first single, “Worn Me Down.’ In addition to the effort Yamagata puts forth to involve her audience, her songs of love gone awry are universal, and identifying with her vic- ariously is easily done both through her lyrics and the passion with which she per- forms, Yamagata, aided by her band (in par- ticular, the cellist and violinist), is adept at creating atmosphere. The moodiness of Yamagata’s ballads added to the feel of the place, which was either melancholy or romantic depending on the perspective of the person in question. Although Yama- gata invests much fervour and passion into the performance of her ballads, her higher- energy songs are more engaging to a live audience. Even though Rachael Yamagata’s focus is on music now, shes still open to acting, both onstage and onscreen. “Maybe I'll just hang around Broadway and go try out for some plays or some- thing,” she says with a laugh. 50,000 words and counting Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to write a novel by Nov. 30 BY ZALINA ALVI EXCALIBUR (YORK UNIVERSITY) TORONTO (CUP) -- This November is National Novel Writing Month. For most of you, this means absolutely noth- ing, but for all you aspiring novelists out there, this means it is time to log off MSN, put your Blockbuster card aside, put up a threatening sign on your door, and get to work, For 30 days, you can put things on hold and finally get that book you have been concocting down on paper -- well, in your computer, in any case. The goal is to write a 175-page, 50,000- word novel by midnight, Nov. 30. But fear not, it is not expected you type out 50,000 words of pure artistry and intellect. Instead, those who wish to partake in the stress-inducing fun are just encouraged to get the words out in a flurry of uncontrolled creativity, You may not end up writing the great Canadian novel, but at least you will be working those slumbering literary minds of yours, and that is the whole point. There is no need to worry about tweaking and perfecting along the way. This is a process of risk-taking. By December, you will not only have something to show off and be mighty proud of, but you may also have a starting point from which you can edit and mould your novel into something possibly worth publishing. The National Novel Writing Month website, www.nanowtimo.org, provides a place for writers to meet, discuss and sup- port each other's efforts online. You can share your work, read what other people have written, give and receive criticism, and share in the woes of the ever-infuriat- ing writer's block. There are also occasional meetings at local events, where you may emerge from hibernation for a break and meet your fellow novelists in person. Then, when the month is over, and the overlords at Nanowrimo calculate the final word counts, the celebration lasts through Box- ing Day. Think you can't possibly do it? Have too much studying to do? Not a good enough writer? People from all over the world, from every possible profession and writing background participate. There were over 25,000 participants last year (and there's no shame in not finishing -- only 3,500 people reached the 50,000-word goal in 2003). All those people had normal, busy lives too, but sometimes the need to create overpowers all else and perhaps you need to give yourself a chance to see what you can really do. Prazma Presents Jeff Andrew number 5 on CFUV’s Roots Chart and has been getting many dif- ferent reviews. Jeff Andrew has traveled all across Canada playing ASHLYNN HURLEY QUEEN OF METAL On November 11th Prazma Entertainment presents Jeff Andrew with local artists An Amber Grey Dawn and Jamie Bell. Jeff An- drew’s music is creative; it will enchant and mesmerize you. Jeff An- drew’s band consists of six people with Jeff on guitar, vocals, fiddle, banjo, harmonica, resonator, piano and percussion, Tobias Meis on standup bass, Hammond on organ, Larissa Ardis on accordion, O’Mally & RadaR on harmonies, Shelder on trumpet, and Corwin Fox on percussion (and promotions). Jeff Andrew plays solo and also in a duo called Ghosts of the Highway or as a fiddler with the Joey Only Outlaw Band. In January this year Andrew released his crowsatmidnight first full-length album, Vagabonds & Wastrels. The album has hit many shows. He has been called a “Ghost of Folk” and a wanderer. Jamie Bell is from Prince George; he plays his own acoustic songs and is also in a local band called Cera. An Amber Grey Dawn is another local artist who plays her own acoustic songs. This show will be at Pizzaricos on November 11th. Tickets are ten dollars at the door, and doors open at 8:00pm. This will be one of the most eccentric shows of the year! You can check out Jeff Andrew's myspace at www.myspace.com/ Jamie Bell at http://www.myspace.com/jamiescottbell and the PGSO A. J. MITTENDORF CONTRIBUTOR On the evening of October 24th the Prince Symphony Orchestra (PGSO) joined forces with musician/com- George poser Andrew Downing to present two wonderful motion pictures from a century ago. The first was George Melies’ The Im- possible Voyage, from 1904, Until the night of this performance, I didn’t even know they made moving picture shows that early, so I was particularly dazzled by the abundant humour and classic charm of this Disney- esque film. In a brief twenty minutes, view- ers travel on board a train to Earth's tallest mountain peak from which they blast off into outer space, fly through the mouth of the sun (you'll have to see the film to under- stand what I mean), and make a frighten- ing, but otherwise safe, landing. Yes, you read correctly—they land on (in?) the sun. Shortly thereafter, they travel, via subma- rine, to explore the depths of Earth's oceans where they meet fantastical sea creatures, including a giant octopus. (Jules Verne, eat your heart out!) After a fifteen minute intermission, the audience was treated to a first-hand view of the living contents of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in the 1920 film that runs about an hour and a half, Holding the distinction of being cinema’s first horror flick, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in its entirety is described as being produced in the style of German Expressionism, which is a description that you don't often hear associated with movies in our modern times. A film may have cer- tain qualities or moments that can be de- scribed as expressionistic or impressionistic or perhaps even surreal, but for a movie as a whole to be described in these ways seems lost on recent generations, alas, But I promise you, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a movie well worth watching once before you die, if for no other reason than to enjoy the stylized, contorted, chaotic and (to be succinct) disturbing sets. If you're prone to vertigo, be sure to watch it in a seated pos- ition. If you're interested, the movie can be viewed in its entirety at the following URL :http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=- 8455250375270835043&ei=mwLWSqO aAYWUgAOJo9CSCg&q=dr+caligari# The music, however is not that of Andrew Downing. If you missed the concert, you missed out. So, all this begs the question: why would the PGSO make such a presentation at a musically oriented performance? Simple: the Symphony's guest performer, acting as the principal double bassist for the evening, composed original scores for both films, and the PGSO played the music in concert with the films. Rest assured, Downing’s music fits the moods of both films and their respective times, and it fits them with all the eerie reverence of a distinct and dis- tinguished movie buff. I must confess, as one of the symphony’s double bass players myself, I was both relieved and grateful that Downing was available to play is own music because it is certainly of a virtuosic level and style that I would never have been able to pull off, not even on a particularly good day. The PGSO got a workout on the even- ing of October 24th make no mistake. As for the audience attending this rare and wonderful event, it was surprisingly sparse, considering the sheer novelty of the event; it wasnt a bad turn out at all, but there were plenty of seats yet available for quite a number of students and their dates. Where were you? I willingly admit that asceticism has its place, everyone. It’s healthy, responsible, even admirable—taken in moderation. But, to be perfectly frank, if you're deny- ing yourself an evening with the PGSO more than once in a season (OK, I'll give you twice—once per semester), it becomes a detriment. Yes, it’s true that I play in the symphony, but I'm just a volunteer musician. A larger audience means nothing to me but louder, and hopefully longer, applause. So believe me when I tell you that concerts with the PGSO, with YOUR symphony, are not in- dulgences like extra chocolate syrup on aan already excessively full bowl of ice cream; they are simply and clearly necessities. Denying yourself a concert with the PGSO is nothing short of denying yourself your one phone call when you're under arrest; it's like declining a single glass of water after crossing the Sahara with an empty canteen; it's every bit the same (let’s be honest here, shall we?) as denying yourself an orgasm on your wedding night after a lifetime of pure, unadulterated, virginal abstinence. You need to come to the concerts; it's as simple as that, and it’s not all that difficult, so you really have no excuse. Bring your student I, D. and tickets are only $14.50. You can buy them in advance at Studio 2880, located at 2880 15th Ave (phone 250 563-2880), or at the door. The symphony’s next concert is at Vanier Hall (in PGSS) on Sunday, November 15th at 3:00 pm. It’s a matinee performance, so you wont be kept up late before Monday morning's class, and it promises to be a delightful performance of some of the finest music the Baroque era has to offer from the great composers J. S. Bach, George Frederic Handel and Henry Purcell, Come early and meet G. F, Han- del in person (well, kinda’) and hear a solo performance by José Delgado-Guevara, the Symphony's own Concertmaster. I appeal to you as a former student my- self: a concert with the PGSO IS that single phone call before a night in jail; it IS that cool drink of water after dry, delirious days in the desert; it IS that . . . well, let’s just leave it at that. Be an ascetic no longer; bask, revel, indulge yourself in the auditory delight of the PGSO, your orchestra; take the time—close to home and yet away—to enjoy it. Just do it, damn it! You won't regret it, and you may just gain a moment's peace. Spa Night Fundraiser in its 3rd Year! ARIA HANNOLYN CHENG PHOTO EDITOR For the third year running, the North- ern Women’s Centre invites you to indulge yourself at their Spa Night fundraiser event with the goal of raising funds to support its ongoing projects and programs for women. ‘The night provides an evening of relaxation and pampering by a number of different services and activities such as massages, pedicures, manicures, facials, and the serv- ing of delicious desserts for the deserving individuals in the community. This year, the NWC has joined forces with PrideUNBC to assist in organization. The spa night not only acts as a fund- raiser but also provides an opportunity for the two organizations to give back to the community by donating 15 tickets to indi- viduals from the AWAC shelter, Phoenix Transition Society, Elizabeth Fry Shelter, Northern Womens Centre and people in the QLGBT community. The Spa Night takes place on Saturday, November 28th from 7pm to 10pm at St. Michael's Church Hall (1505 5th Ave). 50 tickets are available for purchase at $25 each at the Northern Women’s Centre at UNBC and at Meow Records (#100-300 Brunswick St).