Arts & Culture

On average there are five student-run dance and theater productions held in Wright Hall each year, but the upcoming "Always/All Ways North" is one of the few to offer live nudity.

"The nudity differs slightly with each performance," said Jenna Templeton, recent UC Davis alum and stage manager for "Always/All Ways North."

"Always/All Ways North" is a piece of performance art that combines dance, theater, cinematography, live music and yes, nudity, to comment on themes such as location, identity and pilgrimage. All shows run at 8 p.m. on Oct. 2, 3 and 9 in Wright Hall Main Theater. Each show lasts for 40 minutes.

Friday, Sept. 25; with the clock nearing 8 p.m., an overwhelmed Mondavi staff scurried about in an attempt to seat a full house before the lights dim. It was opening night of the eighth season at the Mondavi Center and a diverse and excited crowd waited for jazz legend Wynton Marsalis to take the stage.

Following a brief introduction from Mondavi Center executive director Don Roth, the performers finally took the stage. In accordance with Marsalis' traditionalist aesthetic, even the orchestra's attire hearkened back to an older jazz age - 16 performers sporting matching black suits, lavender shirts and black ties. Marsalis, acting double duty as lead trumpet and music coordinator, took his place in the middle of the back row, overseeing the entire ensemble.

It's a story far too often told in the music industry: a band refuses to mature their sound and grow as artists, and because of it, they wind up scheduling their own downfall. Portugal. The Man on the other hand, a four-piece band hailing half from Portland, Oregon and half from rural Alaska, knows all about musical evolution and experimentation.

reCREATE & the Davis Art Center

Tomorrow afternoon the Davis Art Center and Roseville-based reCREATE will present a recycled art competition to celebrate California Arts Day. The Arts Day takes place annually, on every first Friday of October. This year's Arts Day theme is "The Art in Me."

Sometimes a story or an article can leave you wanting more, wondering where the ideas came from, what they mean and how to go about accomplishing something like it by yourself. The University Writing Program has opened up the opportunity to discover these answers with the Conversations with Writers Speakers Series. Faculty members work to bring speakers to the campus that have influenced them in some way or that they feel have beneficial and interesting knowledge to share.

MUSIC

Yolo Mambo

Today, 7 p.m., free

John Natsoulas Gallery

Yolo Mambo, who appeared in Davis for events such as the Whole Earth Festival, will be featured in this week's Thursday Night Summer Concert Series at the John Natsoulas Gallery. Check them out for a slice of Yolo County Latin/Caribbean fusion.

The California Honeydrops

Today, 10 p.m., $3-5

Sophia's Thai Kitchen

In these troubled times of furloughs and fee increases, upbeat soul and blues is more than fitting, and The California Honeydrops will provide. They do a pretty solid rendition of Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman." Check them out on Myspace for a preview.

Whether you've just made Davis your new home or you've been here for years, exploring the town's culture is a must. Davis isn't a metropolitan area but it has a surprisingly active art scene. Profiled here are several choices for the art-minded among us. Luckily, admission to these galleries is free.

The cover of the album resembles the fantastical outer space wallpaper of a seven-year-old boy's room. Inside the CD jacket are cartoon replicas of children's storybooks and childhood fantasies. But upon closer inspection, all of these vibrant images have a slight acid-trip feel to them. I was left confused and had no idea what to expect when I finally listened to the music.

College students agree: There is no better way to start the year than with a sobering dose of challenging, genre-clashing art. Well then, the Richard L. Nelson Gallery and Fine Art Collection has you covered. Beginning Sept. 24, the Nelson will simultaneously be hosting two different collections, African-American Quilts and Merch Art. The following is a brief preview of the exhibit.

There's nothing like the feel of elitism. Whether it's a road bicyclist sneering at a passing fixter's inferior gear ratio or a shaven swimmer scolding a newbie in a lap lane, elitism gives people a real edge to hone - especially in these times of ingenuous mediocrity.

My favorite elitist outlet is music. That's probably why I'm the California Aggie's arts editor now. After writing multiple hasty album reviews about why I'm better than Weezer, Dragonforce or Mims, I had to get somewhere, right?

The Davis Summer Symphony, consisting of students, faculty and community members in the Davis and Sacramento area, completes its fifth year of operations this year and will be performing today at noon in the Grand Lobby of the Mondavi Center. The performance is this quarter's first Free Noon Concert Series presented by the UC Davis Department of Music.

Heavy rock meets classical - The Resistance is Muse's fifth studio album and a failed attempt to thread symphonic ballads with rhapsodies of Matt Bellamy's soulful vocals. The Resistance is clearly not their best album recorded - their magnum opus was the Origin of Symmetry - but this album is far from average in comparison. Its pompous influences are all over the place - which is what makes The Resistance, well, disappointing.

MUSIC

Davis High Jazz Combo

Thursday, 7 p.m., free

John Natsoulas Gallery

The Natsoulas Gallery's Thursday Night Concert Series will present the Davis High Jazz Combo this week. This is definitely worth consideration because high school jazz bands are by far the only "cool" high school music ensembles. Concert band will never be cool, nor will wind ensemble, marching band or glee club. Coincidentally, FOX's "Glee" sucks as well.

Japanther; NinjaSonik; Elders

Thursday, 8 p.m., $5

Delta of Venus

Cool Japanese word combinations unite - Japanther's punky-yet-danceable tunes will meet NinjaSonik's Brooklyn vibe on Thursday. Davis regulars Elders are also scheduled to perform. Check them out on Myspace for a preview.

On David Guetta's breakthrough effort to bring his Euro-club music to America, the French DJ's fourth studio album One Love lacks one cohesive resonance.

On first listen, One Love seems to be a hip hop-techno mash up. Rather, it then ventures into something entirely different - a messy, unorganized album with no direction that is only appealing at first.

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy a good marriage between hip hop and club beats, but this has got to be one of the most ostentatious albums in music history. Name-dropping in every song, Guetta collaborates with Kelly Rowland, Kid Cudi, Akon, Estelle, Ne-Yo, Winter Gordan, Will.I.Am and even Chris Willis.

The Nickel Slots, a Sacramento-based band consisting of Guitarist Tony Brucsca, bassist Paul Zinn, guitarist Steve Amaral and drummer Christopher Amaral will be releasing their self-titled debut album on Sept. 11. The band, who has performed together since November 2008, combines rustic melodies and riffs with rock beats to create a unique alternative country/folk rock sound.

Their single, "Lucky Number 7s," spent roughly a month on KWOD 106.5 FM's playlist until the station shut down in May. The track demonstrates the band's ability to form a story line that fits their upbeat music. Brusca sings, "From the darkest nights/ come the brightest days/ and the best is yet to come/ I say the best is yet to come."