It looks like the small town of Davis has a new anthem. It’s reminiscent of a song you’ve heard before – but without references to giving “Knicks and Nets high fives” or being the “city that never sleeps.” And despite the absence of large gleaming city lights, it’s all about the subtleties in living with a Davis state on mind.

With over 50,000 views on YouTube, 18,000-shared links on Facebook and appearing on multiple news sources, the music video parody “Davis State of Mind” has created quite a buzz.

Alex Pacheco, a graduating student at UC Davis School of Law, came up with the idea of creating the video for the school’s annual talent show.

“I really like performing and I hadn’t done anything for Cardozorama, although each year I wanted to,” Pacheco said. “This year was my last chance to make it happen. I figured the best way to do it was to do a parody video and [Alicia Keys’ and Jay-Z’s] ‘Empire State of Mind’ naturally came to mind.”

Pacheco teamed up with fellow UCD School of Law students Daniel Watts and Steve Stratton to create the recording and basic concept for the video. In addition to writing and rapping the lyrics, Pacheco played the piano line for the track. Pacheco joined Stratton in the recording studio to layer the complete track with drums, bass and backing vocals. Singer Jennifer Coombs provided the vocals on the chorus line.

“We ended up doing it all in one night. I went there in the middle of the week and we took the general track,” Pacheco said. “I talked to my friend Steve Stratton who did all of the production for it. So all of the audio took one night and the next day we came in and mastered it all in one session. I was really surprised.”

The production process was relatively rapid – the video took just one day to film. With the help and a cameo from law professor Edward Imwinkelried and student volunteers, the video captures the essence of the community, specifically the law school community, in Davis.

“I think some people got very defensive about the song,” Pacheco said. “What they don’t understand is that law school aspect of it. Law school is a very insular community; we all know each other to the point where everyone is in everyone’s business. There’s a large element in law school like cabin fever, I guess you can call it.”

But undeniably, the video has expanded past the law school community.

The video pokes fun at Davis with lyrics like “middle class in the middle of nowhere.” The video features clips of various attractions associated specifically with Davis, such as Cafe Bernardo’s infamous ‘Wiki,’ Robert Arneson’s Eggheads and Unitrans double-decker buses.

Despite the references to Davis’ small-town nature, the video has sparked a profound sense of pride in students and has been well-received by the community overall.

“I think it’s popular because it’s fun and it speaks to all the different memories many people have of Davis,” Coombs said. “Of course we’ve been really flattered by all the positive feedback, but it is also really incredible to be part of something that is bonding the community in a positive way. A bond that has continued, and will continue well past the college years.”

There is little doubt that the video has been one of the more memorable things to hit Davis in a while. On a national scale, “Davis State of Mind” was entered into Above the Law’s national video contest and placed second behind Boston University of Law.

“The fact that this video is considered a success proves that Davis really is one-of-a-kind,” Watts said. “Only in Davis would a video with 30,000 views be considered ‘viral.'” The mayor of Davis posted ‘Davis State of Mind’ on his Facebook wall, which is pretty cool. I polled the political science class where I’m a teacher’s assistant, and at least half the class has seen the video. They had no idea I was on the team that made it.”

This year, Cardozorama was renamed to Aokirama in memory of the beloved law Professor Keith Aoki who passed away last month. “Professor Aoki was an artist and a musician himself,” Watts said. “He was supportive of all students’ creative endeavors and cared about us students as people, not just as future colleagues in a law firm machine. He had a great sense of humor and sprinkled his lectures with pop culture references. I think he’d have gotten a big kick out of ‘Davis State of Mind.'”

Go to youtube.com/watch?v=Pzztu9xxd9U to watch “Davis State of Mind.”

UYEN CAO can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Cirque du Soleil, the Quebec-based theater company that combines circus arts with dance, acrobatics, storytelling and wildly imaginative artistic design, has traveled all over the world for over 25 years. Now, Quidam, one of Cirque’s 22 unique productions, will perform eight shows from May 11 to 15 at Sacramento’s Arco Arena.

MUSE spoke with Meghan Miller, a Santa Cruz, Calif., native and Cornell University graduate who has performed Quidam’s aerial hoops act for the past six years, about her experiences as part of one of the world’s biggest shows.

MUSE: What’s your athletic background and how did you get involved with Cirque du Soleil?

Meghan Miller: I was a gymnast from [the age of] six years old. I competed in gymnastics all the way through college, and I’ve also done competitive cheerleading. I’m also a yoga teacher. I was at the end of college and applying to grad schools and was all set to go to grad school, but I decided to apply to the circus as well because I’d always had that in the back of my mind, that it was really cool and I at least wanted to give it a shot. I heard back from them right away, so I decided I needed to try this now while I still have the opportunity. When you apply you have to submit a video of your athletics so I submitted a video of my skills and what I could do. Then I went to a training program in Montreal for four months. It’s general training; you do not just circus arts but also clowning and dance and acting and singing and the whole performing arts program. There’s no guarantee of a contract when you’re there. At the end of that I finally was able to get a contract and start with the show.

Can you describe your act?

I’m part of a women’s trio act. There are three of us on the aerial hoops, which are large metal hoops in the air. We spin and swing and do a lot of synchronized work. The characters are women who have had their hearts broken but they’re coming back strong. I think it’s probably easier now than when I first started, from muscle memory. You just get used to it and anything you repeat thousands of times becomes easier. We have to really maintain our bodies and make sure we stay in shape and healthy because it is demanding and [we perform] anywhere from 8 to 10 shows per week. We have to stay on top of things and stay awake and aware. When you perform it thousands of times it gets difficult because you can very easily lose attention because it becomes so automatic. I think the biggest challenge is probably to stay present and aware of what you’re doing and not go on autopilot.

What’s it like to interact with your fellow performers?

It’s great. Over the years we’ve had a lot of different people perform the act. I’ve worked with a lot of different girls from different countries. The team that I’m working with right now, we’re very supportive of each other. There are four of us so we always have a girl who’s rotated out to rest for one show. We have to work very hard as a team because if one of us is doing her own thing we lose the whole essence of the act because you lose the synchronization. We have to be very close and help each other out a lot.

What do your costume and makeup look like, and how do they affect your performance?

We have a big red patch in the center of our chest that represents the broken heart and red lines going down all of our limbs which is like bleeding [from] our veins. Our makeup is kind of dark. It’s got red lines down our faces representing tears and also blood, the suffering we’ve been through. But the act itself is very passionate and strong so I think it kind of shows strength overcoming that suffering. I actually really enjoy the time that we have to take every day to do our makeup. When I first started with the company I was totally overwhelmed. We have to take a class to learn how to put on our own makeup, and originally it took me three hours to get through the makeup design, and I was thinking ‘Oh, my God, this is going to be so long every day.’ But now I’ve got it down to about an hour. It’s a good time to sit and listen to your music and prepare yourself mentally and I really value that time now. Putting on your makeup puts you into your character.

What’s it like traveling around the world performing Quidam?

It’s both exciting and tiring. It’s very exciting, because a lot of the places I’ve had the opportunity to travel to I don’t know that I would have gotten to on my own dime or my own itinerary. But it’s pretty exhausting to live out of a suitcase. It’s also not easy because we travel and live and work and socialize with the same people all the time, so we really have to have people skills to get along and keep our group healthy and happy.

What do you enjoy most about being part of Quidam?

I do really enjoy the community of people that perform together. We all deal with a lot of the same challenges and support each other through them. It’s also just a wonderful energy to feel the audience reacting to what we’re showing them every night.

For more information about Meghan Miller and Quidam, go to meghanemiller.com and cirquedusoleil.com.

ROBIN MIGDOL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Brian Douglas didn’t major in film studies when he was an undergraduate at UC Davis, but that didn’t stop him from writing, directing and producing his own movie.

The film, about five college students who debate politics, culture and more as they work on a class project one night, is called I’m Just Saying and was featured in the 2010 Park City Film Music Festival, 2009 Los Angeles Reel Film Festival, 2010 Honolulu International Film Festival and 2010 Moondance International Film Festival.

I’m Just Saying won the Gold Kahuna Award for Excellence in Filmmaking in Honolulu, the Director’s Choice Bronze Medal in Park City and received an Honorable Mention in Los Angeles.

Though his film is just now getting recognition, for Douglas, the project has been over 15 years in the making. He began toying with a screenplay before he graduated from UC Davis in 1993 with a degree in political science.

“Writing a screenplay was always on my mind,” Douglas said. “I was not a writer. I had to write papers obviously, but I had never really written anything before, so my early writings were pretty bad. Really bad, actually.”

With the help of screenwriting how-to books, as well as jobs in programming and publicity at record labels and television stations in Los Angeles after graduation, Douglas taught himself the ins and outs of the craft.

But it wasn’t until years later, after he had gotten a master’s degree in public administration at George Washington University, that Douglas got the opportunity to turn his screenplay into a film. A friend of his, cinematographer Michael Morris, had a break in between other projects and offered to help Douglas film his movie. Douglas was living near Washington, D.C. at the time.

“[Morris] said, ‘Hey Brian, I know you’ve always wanted to do it; if you want to do it, now’s the time,'” Douglas said. “So I said, ‘OK!’ I literally quit my job within a couple of days.”

After moving back to Los Angeles, Douglas posted a casting call online and began auditioning actors.

“I knew from working in Hollywood that if you don’t have the right actor, it’s not believable. [The film] focuses on dialogue so it had to come off as honest and sincere,” he said.

With the cast in place, filming began in August 2008. The actors, many of whom had recently graduated from college themselves, were encouraged to make their characters their own and tweak their lines.

Leigh Dunham, who plays Sylvia in the film, said Douglas’s enthusiasm for the material made him an effective director.

“If I was ever confused about something or had a differing opinion he was very responsive in working through [any] problem or line that I felt wasn’t exactly worded in a way I felt comfortable with,” Dunham said. “He knew the material really well and he believed in it the whole time and he really believed in us.”

Cast-mate Eric Lewis, who plays Sky, agreed that Douglas’s collaborative style made the filming process feel like a team effort.

“He really wanted it to be a collective effort,” Lewis said. “Of course it’s his vision, his story and his ideas, but he was very kind in letting us interpret [the characters] in whatever way we did.”

Douglas said the most difficult part of the filmmaking process came after shooting wrapped, when he began editing. Loud background noises, a product of filming in the middle of Hollywood, proved challenging to edit out, and he had no formal training.

Douglas recalled a conversation with a professional film editor who was skeptical of Douglas’s plan to edit his film on his own.

“He was like, ‘Do you know what you’re getting into?’ And I [said], ‘I’ve got some books,'” Douglas said. “I was like, I’m going to do it. If people think I’m crazy, whatever, I’m still doing it and that was my attitude.”

Douglas did do it, thanks to a brand-new Apple Macintosh computer and editing software, and after a short break, he began submitting I’m Just Saying to film festivals across the country. The film premiered at the Park City Film Music Festival, where a critic approached Douglas to compliment him on his film’s honest dialogue and refreshing take on the subject matter.

Michael Galvez, ‘Rene’ in the film, said he was impressed by the finished product and agreed that Douglas found a way to debate important issues in a way that many people, especially college students, can relate to.

“Brian really shows that sometimes it is not about having the answer but being able to talk about the question,” Galvez said.

Through it all, Douglas, who is currently working on several new screenplay projects, said his experiences at UC Davis inspired his work and ambitions.

“Davis is so politically and socially active. I wanted to dig back into those issues that were so meaningful – politics, religion, sexuality, culture; you name it, the screenplay addresses it,” he said. “When I was younger I thought I knew a lot but then I got to Davis and I realized, ‘Wow, these students know a hundred times more than I do.’ So I was brought into things I never knew existed, and it’s made me who I am today.”

If any other students wish to follow in Douglas’ footsteps and become filmmakers themselves, his advice is simple.

“All I did was I bought a Mac and I bought the software. Don’t wait for someone else to do it for you, just go ahead and make it, and it’s surprising how many people will help you because they’re excited for you,” he said. “I’ve met a lot of people who’ve done a lot of writing and they’re great writers, but they don’t pursue it. Never wait for someone to make your dream happen.”

For more information about Brian Douglas and I’m Just Saying, go to imjustsayingmovie.com.

ROBIN MIGDOL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Today at noon in Room 115 of the music building, students will get the opportunity to experience a free guitar concert by Mobius Trio.

Formed in 2010, Mobius Trio is currently made up of Matthew Holmes-Linder, Robert Nance and Mason Fish. The trio aims to present a sense of freshness and youthful energy to guitar music and alter some preconceived ideas about guitar music.

“The works we have commissioned all show the guitar in an entirely new light,” Mason said. “Many people associate the guitar with its Spanish roots and music, but the repertoire we have built with these composers points in a completely different direction.  It is also a very diverse collection.”

Mobius Trio focuses on the visibility of guitar and its expansion of sound through repertoire. And today’s repertoire will feature two composed pieces of work of Garrett Shatzer – a familiar face in the music department on campus.

Shatzer got in touch with Mobius Trio in June of 2009 and decided to collaborate on a piece for a seven-string guitar.

“The Transition was the first piece in what is an ongoing collaboration with guitarist Mason Fish,” Shatzer said. “Being a guitarist myself, one of my goals with this piece was to ensure that each of the three parts was idiomatic – as opposed to a lot of guitar ensemble music which is transcribed from other mediums.”

Just last month, Mobius Trio performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. They performed the works of Sahba Aminikia, Matthew Cmiel and Clayton Moser, which will also be featured in today’s concert.

“The music Mobius Trio plays is quite eclectic in style,” Nance said. “Sahba’s piece is deeply rooted in Persian tradition, Clayton’s explores his love and fascination with heavy metal, Anthony’s piece is a fantastic, unique work the likes of which [the trio] have never heard on the guitar, and Matt Cmiel’s piece boarders on the avant-garde while creating a great soundscape.”

UYEN CAO can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

What do an unemployed New Yorker, an Atlantic City gangster and an English countess have in common? They all made my list of the top seven television characters.

I’ll qualify this list by admitting that it is completely biased and not in any way exhaustive of the history of television. But I know what I’m talking about, ‘kay?

George Costanza, “Seinfeld.” It’s the miserly, hapless George (Jason Alexander), not Jerry, who is the heart and soul of the greatest sitcom ever written. It’s impossible to sum George up in a few sentences, so I’ll just give you a few words: Vandelay Industries. Shrinkage. Cashmere. T-Bone. Moops. Okay, you get the idea…

Benjamin Linus, “Lost.” A huge ensemble cast made it challenging for some Losties to be truly memorable, but Michael Emerson made Ben, the leader of the mysterious Others, stand out in every episode. Underneath Ben’s scheming intelligence and misdeeds was a terribly wounded soul, and by the end of it all you couldn’t help but cheer him on.

Nucky Thompson, “Boardwalk Empire.” Steve Buscemi is perfectly cast as the Treasurer of Atlantic City in 1920 who also happens to be a powerful and ruthless bootlegger. His razor-sharp quips and surprising soft spot for the innocent, Irish single mother Margaret combine to form an anti-hero who is at once terrifying and completely human.

Carrie Bradshaw, “Sex and the City.” Single gals, unite! Never have the highs and lows of finding love come alive as fully as in the escapades of jaded yet romantic Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker. She’s the friend millions of women would kill for, and from Aidan to Berger to Mr. Big, her romances were both more entertaining than our real-life love lives and flawed enough to be painfully realistic. Poor Carrie was even dumped via Post-It, for crying out loud.

Jack Donaghy, “30 Rock.” Alec Baldwin’s Jack consistently gets the biggest laughs in every episode of Tina Fey’s brilliant satire of network television. Functioning as a parody of Republicans, network executives, the wealthy and even Irish Catholics, Jack is the combination of sinfully funny writing and deadpan delivery.

Dowager Countess of Grantham, “Downton Abbey.” Anyone catch PBS’ miniseries from across the pond about an aristocratic family and the servants who wait on them? Anyone? Watch it on Netflix or look out for Season 2 if for no other reason than to see Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter) play the tough, impatient, traditionalist Countess of Grantham. A scene in which she struggles to make sense of a newfangled swivel chair is the stuff of legends.

Michael Scott, “The Office.” Dunder Mifflin/Sabre will not be the same without the World’s Greatest Boss (played by Steve Carell, who better win an Emmy this year). Michael’s social faux pas and deluded idea that his coworkers were his best friends may have driven us up the wall, but in terms of comedy, he always kept us satisfied. That’s what she said.

Is ROBIN MIGDOL totally off-base? Which TV characters would you have added or left off the list? E-mail arts@theaggie.org.

MUSIC

Sing It On: Local Tones

Friday, 8 p.m., free

Social Sciences 1100

The Spokes and The Afterglow will host all the UC Davis a capella groups in a concert Friday night. All-male group The TA, from UC Santa Cruz, will also perform. Donations will also be accepted and will go toward the Spokes’ ongoing charity, the Daraja Academy school in East Africa.

Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom XI

Saturday, 2 p.m., $15

Plainfield Station, 23944 County Road 98, Woodland

Are you ready for another all-day music extravaganza out in the boonies of Woodland?! Yes, I thought so. The 11th installment of KDVS 90.3 FM’s low-cost answer to the big college music festivals will include Alak, Moon Pearl, Ellie Fortune, Produce Produce and more.

Vocal Art Ensemble: Cloudburst – Sounds of Nature

Sunday, 7:30 p.m., suggested donation $6-20

United Methodist Church of Davis, 1620 Anderson Road

The Vocal Art Ensemble is based in Davis and made up of 21 talented singers, who mostly perform a capella pieces. Sunday’s concert, however, will also feature the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis’ Juliebells handbell choir, instrumentals by choir members and poetry readings.

Rene Hell, Wet Hair, Swimsuit

Wednesday, 7 p.m., donations accepted

802 Villanova

Rene Hell’s latest release, Porcelain Opera, is described by the artist as “a surreal electronic explosion of abstract sonics and cracked experimentation,” while Wet Hair describes its music as acousmatic/tape. Swimsuit is a new-wave band out of Michigan. Should be a good night at the Villanova House.

THEATER / MONDAVI

Comedy Binge

Tonight, 8:30 p.m., $5

The Davis Graduate, 805 Russell Blvd.

Comedians from all over Northern California will gather at the Grad for a night of stand-up comedy. Performers include Diego Curiel, Des Henderson, Ray Molina, Chazz Hawkins, Nick Pettigrew, Carlos Rodriguez and Bryan Yang. Who knows, one of them could be the next Jerry Seinfeld.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)

Tonight – Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., $8

UC Davis Arboretum Gazebo, Garrod Dr.

The Davis Shakespeare Ensemble must be preparing for the 2012 apocalypse, because their latest production combines all of Shakespeare’s 37 plays into one jam-packed night of theater. It even includes a high-speed Hamlet performed both forward and backward. Think of it as Shakespeare with a remote control.

Julius Caesar

Tonight – Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m., $6

School of Education Courtyard (in front of Sproul Hall)

Michael Lutheran, who starred as Melchior in Studio 301’s brilliant production of Spring Awakening last quarter, now steps behind the curtain as director of the group’s spring play, Julius Caesar. Perhaps most intriguing about the production is the performance space. Is the courtyard outside Sproul conducive to great theater? We’ll find out.

The Moby-Dick Variations

Tonight – Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.

Mondavi Center, Vanderhoef Studio Theater

You still have one more weekend to catch this reimagined version of Herman Melville’s classic novel, Moby-Dick. The production, which encompasses a variety of mediums, allows audience members to walk among the actors and create their own theatrical experience.

ART / GALLERY

Conversations with Writers: Pat Pattison

Today, 4 p.m., free

Voorhies 126

Want to be the next Paul Simon? Then a talk by Berklee College of Music’s Professor Pat Pattison is a must. Pattinson will discuss the art of writing lyrics, which he knows a little about, as the author of three songwriting books, two dozen articles and an online lyric writing course.

Author talk: Gregory Dobbins, Lazy Idle Schemers: Irish Modernism and the Cultural Politics of Idleness

Wednesday, noon, free

Memorial Union Bookstore

Associate professor of English Gregory Dobbins will speak about his new book at the Bookstore on Wednesday. Dobbins connects the idea of “idleness” to much of Irish modernist literature. A Q&A and book signing will follow the discussion.

ROBIN MIGDOL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

The minute you step foot in the School of Education’s courtyard, in front of Sproul Hall and next to Olson Hall, you find yourself no longer in a graduate student building but in Rome. Tall pillars abound, drapes flutter in the wind, and all you’re asked to do is sit on the grass and enjoy the ride.

So starts Studio 301’s production of William Shakespeare’s historical play Julius Caesar, based on the true story of the assassination of Roman dictator Julius Caesar by his best friend Brutus. Although the story is well-known to everyone who has studied basic mythology, or caught a bad made-for-television movie on the History Channel, director Michael Lutheran manages to put a fresh spin on the story that completely changes its dynamics, injecting chemistry in what could be a very political play.

Lutheran was first inspired to change the gender of the character Cassius, Brutus’ good friend and the main person who convinces him to join the conspiracy against Caesar, when he and his female friend had to read a scene of the play out loud in his sixth grade class. The realization of his dream on the stage is a phenomenal switch.

The chemistry between Cassius, played by Shayna Carp, and Brutus, played by Matt Canty, is electric. Every subtle touch Cassius places on Brutus’ arm or caress of his cheek as she struts around in a power suit and high heels is not only a lesson in seduction for women, but gives the play a romantic love story that Lutheran believed it was lacking. The change fits in perfectly when Brutus is confronted by his sick wife Portia, played wonderfully by Annie Dick, who barely contains half the power of femme fatale Cassius.

Lutheran continues this theme of female power by also switching the gender of the soothsayer, who leads the characters’ destinies throughout the play, from a man to three women. Played with chilling seriousness by Yana Zhovinsky, Gillian Heitman and Hannah Sharafian, the actresses bring the perfect amount of creepiness.

A major standout star is Alex Newhouse, who plays Caesar’s best friend Marc Antony. Both incredibly moving as he mourns the death of his best friend, and cunningly manipulative as he incites the commoners into revenge against Brutus and Cassius, Newhouse perfectly embodies the major theme of manipulation in the play.

Julius Caesar features a mix of discussions and very intense scenes of violence that leave nothing to the imagination with their utilization of fake blood. The fight scenes are well-executed and fun to watch, and, even in their play format, verge on surprisingly disturbing as violence and bloodthirst consumes the play’s characters to an extreme.

Another unique aspect of Studio 301’s production is the involvement of the audience. The up-close-and-personal seating makes you feel as if you’re one of the townspeople, and as the actors try to convince the commoners to follow their lead you start feeling as if they’re talking to you. Lutheran’s decision to have the audience move from the lawn to the pillars during intermission is a brilliant change in perspective, as you are forced to sit in the very place where a massive amount of bloodshed takes place. The switch in seating also provides a nice change as the pace of Act 1 to Act 2 changes significantly.

Clocking in at two and a half hours long, there are a few brief moments where Julius Caesar can feel a bit slow, especially in the politically-focused discussion scenes. But the high-energy action scenes, wonderful acting, and sizzling chemistry really help the production flow into something enjoyable to watch.

It is suggested that audience members dress warm and bring blankets, as the outside venue can get especially cold at night. Lawn chairs are also welcome.

Julius Caesar opens tonight at 8 p.m, doors open at 7:30. The show will continue through Saturday at the same time with a 7 p.m. show on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time at the Freeborn box office, or at the door. Tickets are $6 for students and $10 for general audience members.

ANNETA KONSTANTINIDES can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.