Arts & Culture

Just a week ago, I was put in an awkward situation. It wasn’t quite F My Life worthy, but it wasn’t mundane enough to post on Mylifeisaverage.com. Long story short: AGTV put me in front of a camera and interviewed me. Okay, so maybe it doesn’t sound that bad, and it wasn’t. Other than a bee hovering dangerously close to the reporter’s neck during filming, me peppering unrehearsed answers with nervous laughter and breaking the fourth wall by giving the camera a smile, wink and thumbs up when the interview was over, it really wasn’t bad at all.

If your music palate calls for something deliciously indie yet amped up with savory pop tinges, then indie rock group One for the Team will ensure a musical bon appétit. Hailing from Minneapolis, Minn., One for the Team is set to take the UC Davis Coffee House by storm tonight at 8 – and although it will be their first performance in Davis, their music is nothing new to many ears on campus. The show is free with a UC Davis student ID and $3 general admission.

On Monday,the ASUCD Entertainment Council encouraged one and all to put on their best pair of fishnets,dust off their pumps and slap on some red lipstick by presenting a free screening of the tantalizing cult filmThe Rocky Horror Picture Show in194Chemistryalong with a$100prize winning costume contest. There were Brad Majors,Janet Weisses,Columbias,Rockysand Magentas all vying for the honor of winning.ARocky Horror virgin,Nicole Barfknecht,a junior neurobiology,physiology and behavior major,tap-danced in true Columbia style to persuade the room to vote for her.

Student films return to the big screen next week as the ninth annual UC Davis Film Festival will take place on May 27 and 28 at 8:30 p.m. at the Davis Varsity Theatre. Tickets are $5 and available for purchase at the Varsity Box Office. The festival – which accepts film submissions from all students regardless of their major – has seen a spike in popularity this year as over 60 films have been submitted, up from just 30 last year. All of the films are unique and represent a wide-range of genres and concepts from music videos to documentaries.

It’s been said that the message is in the medium, and Vent Magazine is taking full advantage of the old adage. Today, the magazine – which focuses on Asian American politics and pop culture – releases its fourth issue, the “Marijuana Issue.” Vent will hold a release party tonight at 10 at 217 Club, located at 217 E St. Pre-sale tickets are $8 and tickets at the door are $15. Admission is free for those 21 and over. Free copies of the magazine will be issued at the release party.

Editor’s Note: Though albums and films are certainly worthy of review, there are other things that should also be looked at with a critical eye. This first of a new feature compares the various video rental outlets available to UC Davis students. Netflix Rating: 5 Someone once mentioned to me that since getting Netflix the quality of movies he watches has dropped dramatically. Though it was the opposite of my experience (Schindler’s List awaits me at home), it’s a likely outcome. That’s one of the best things about Netflix: whether you watch one movie a month or fifteen, it’s the same price. So what’s holding you back from finally watching The Love Guru, just to see what all the fuss is about? It’s only wasted time, not wasted money. Along with inexpensive pricing and online viewing, Netflix is ideal for the lazy and tech-savvy. The smoothly organized online queue is designed for functionality and yet I could play around on the Netflix site for hours planning my next movie, or maybe more – my queue currently has 480 pending, I kid you not.

Some people may call themselves students of the world,but James Ragan truly is one.He is an internationally recognized poet who has performed at worldwide venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall,the United Nations and the First International Poetry Festival in Moscow with Bob Dylan and Robert Bly.He served as the director of the University of Southern California’s Professional Writing Program for25years andiscurrently teaching as a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Oklahoma.

Search Party 2009 gave student musicians a chance to perform in front of their peers as bands took the stage May 14 at the ASUCD Coffee House. Presented by The California Aggie, KDVS 90.3 FM and ASUCD Entertainment Council, the show brought a diverse set of music to the stage — experimental duo Grandmother Ham, folk rock Boxes, glam-rock prog act Order of the Golden Mirror and indie rockers

MUSIC Search Party2009:Grandmother Ham,Boxes,Order of the Golden Mirror,Captions Today,8p.m.,free ASUCD Coffee House Support your classmates and local music! Presented by The California Aggie,KDVS90.3FM and ASUCD Entertainment Council,this annual student musician search brings in up-and-coming bands of UC Davis to you.Check out page4for the scoop on this year’s winners! Not An Airplane,Travis Vick,Ally Hasche Today,10p.m.,$3,21 Sophia’s Thai Kitchen Oh Travis Vick,I’d totally have a crush on you if I just were a couple of years younger.His airy,atmospheric acoustic folk – think Sufjan Stevens meets The Dodos with a hint of Elliot Smith – is perfect for a warm spring night on the patio.Ladies and gentleman under21,get your arses out on Balcony B for this show.

Though I’ve (hopefully) become a weekly fixture to keep you entertained with your morning cup ofCohocoffee or while waiting at the bus stop,this was not the case a mere12months ago. The deadline for next year’s managerial positions is today,so I’ve been wondering – what happens after an arts editor comes to the end of their term? Where do they go once they clear the piles of press releases and un-reviewed albums off of their sticker-laden desk and leave the cozy confines of25Lower Freeborn?

Dada art is difficult to explain, but easier to experience first-hand. It’s not surprising then that the word Dada is essentially a nonsense word, chosen at random to represent a radical, passionate, anti-art movement. The Dada Cabaret art festival will take place on Saturday from 3 to 10 p.m. The event, directed by theater and dance MFA candidate Hope Mirlis will be broken up into two sections – an afternoon walking tour and scavenger hunt at various locations downtown and an evening cabaret performance at what the official website says will be a “secret” location on campus beginning at 8 p.m.

The Ellen Hansen Memorial Prize is a mixed-media exhibit of photography,performance art,painting,sculpture,poetry,fiction,comics and film produced by female UC Davis students. The exhibit is currently being featured at Pence Gallery in Downtown Davis and will continue until May21. “This is the first year that the exhibit has been hosted by the Pence Gallery,” said Margaret Swain,director of the Women’s Resources and Research Center. “The Women’s Center is very excited for this collaboration.“