Gus Seyffert is a multi-talented presence in the music industry. He produces with his own label, Sargent Records, tours on the bass with Norah Jones and fronts Willoughby – the opener for Band of Horses that wowed concertgoers at Freeborn last Thursday.

Willoughby has been going strong for approximately three years and Seyffert has been touring with Jones for roughly six months. On top of that, Seyffert is putting out a free monthly song series called Sargent Singles in his recording studio in Los Angeles.

The Aggie had a chance to chat with Seyffert about his career and show with Band of Horses in Davis.

How did your musical career and Willoughby begin?

I’ve been playing music all my life. I started off playing jazz and moved out to LA. At some point I started writing songs. I formed a few different bands, but they were all pretty horrible – coming from trying to get over some jazz damage. Eventually I fell into the scene of the LA Eastside and the Salt Lake area, and then I met Inara George, Mike Andrews and some other people who really influenced me, and I started writing my own music. I did the record all by myself. I had a little eight-track reel-to-reel machine and threw it together, and then I got a band and we started playing around, put the record out and started touring. I’ve worked with a lot of different bands – I’ve worked The Bird & the Bee and right now I’m with Norah Jones. Whenever I have time I try to work on my own project; I’ve been trying to get this band off the ground forever.

Is it weird touring with Norah Jones and someone else’s vision and then coming back to your own band?

When it’s your thing, it’s your thing. I love playing music, so whenever I have a good gig I’m stoked. Norah’s really sweet and it’s a lot of fun. But when it’s your own thing it’s totally different. Right now, I’ve got these guys and they’re really great musicians and we’re all really into it. We’re just trying to get our music out there so yes, it’s a different feeling.

How would you describe Willoughby’s sound?

Somebody coined the term “spy rock” about a year ago, and I kind of like that. But I find it kind of hard to describe. Our first record is a little more folksy and down-tempo – it’s kind of a record [to listen to after a break-up] I guess – but now we’re getting more influenced by early punk stuff, psychedelic music from the ’60s and garage rock. We’re taking it in a different direction. I have a really hard time with that question. Just last night, I was at a bar and someone asked, “What does your music sound like?” You have no idea what turns people off and they don’t really understand how words represent bands. He’ll say “Band of Horses is like a folk band,” and I’ll be like, “what?”

You were a really good match to open for Band of Horses. How did you get that gig?

They kind of found us. I don’t really know how or exactly what happened, but a long time ago they sent us a Myspace message offering for us to open. I didn’t even really comprehend it. Then we just happened to be on tour and met their booking agent almost a year ago, and they called us out of the blue asking us to open a show way back when. Again, this show was last minute. Their agent called like two weeks ago asking us to do a couple last minute shows. And we were like, “Yeah! We’ll do it!”

So what’s in the future for you and Willoughby?

I’ve been writing a lot of music. Mostly everything we’re playing now is new material. I need to get into the studio, record it and put out another record. We’re getting in that mode, trying to make sure we have enough songs, trying to get a label behind us. I’ve done everything by myself so far and it’s really hard.

Have any labels shown interest?

Yeah, there have been some. When we were first shopping for our first record, we did talk to some labels, but there didn’t seem to be anything that was a good match for us. The record industry is in such a weird position right now; they honestly can’t afford to put money into something that they’re not sure they’re going to make their money back with. It’s really hard to get the label convinced of that – you sort of have to get to a certain point on your own. I think we’re getting there. We’ve got some fans, we’ve done some tours, people are starting to know who we are and like us. I think we’re getting into a better situation and I really want to focus on making a record and focus on this band. It’s what I love to do.

JANELLE BITKER can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Text by Brittany Pearlman

Photos by Liam O’Donnell

1. Katie Schleuter

sophomore exercise biology major

“Super Mash Bros. because I love them, and tickets were easy to get! It was fun and I wore sparkly leggings!”

2. Ryan Pass

senior viticulture and enology major

“Elvis Costello because we don’t see very many people at the Mondavi – it’s really rare. And it’s hard to get tickets to see him.”

3. Jessica Stein

senior environmental science and policy major

“Passion Pit because it was high energy, really fun, and everyone was dancing. Also, it was nice that it was here on campus, and I didn’t have to go to San Francisco or Sacramento, I could just bike.”

4. Leray Jize

junior English major

“The Seagull performance because I had a friend in it and it was fun to see him perform. It was different from what I normally go to.”

5. Sara Campidelli

exchange student, communication major

“Some Things Are Private, because I think it was well directed and the scenic design was very good. The topic of the play was very interesting.”

7. Billie Valdez

junior English and history double major

“Midsummer Night’s Dream, because it was a really weird take on it. They modernized it and turned it into a Guantanamo Bay thing. Sort of New Age and Modern. The video production in the background was really cool. Puck was just a mask and the play only had six players to perform like 15 parts which was really interesting.”

8. Tatiana Bush

junior political science major

“Slam at the Mondavi Center because throughout the whole day they put on workshops for the kids. They got a lot of people from the community to go on stage. Some of the artists even wrote pieces for the performance so the kids were really feeling it.”

10. Deena Freel

sophomore design major

“Super Mash Bros. because it was really upbeat and fun to dance with my friends. I like how energetic and super excited everyone was!”

11. Emily Randall

sophomore communication major

“As a member of the Spokes, my favorite performance we put on was Hella Capella because it was in Freeborn Hall and we had like 1,200 people there so that was huge. The sound in there was really great and the lighting is really cool. Also, we had other groups from other schools come in.”

13. Antonia Huang

junior textile design major

“Super Mash Bros. because they pumped up the crowd and it was a good atmosphere of people. They’re quirky guys I know from YouTube.”

The UC Davis Music Department hopes to begin construction on a new performance building and recital hall in the next couple of years. The facilities will satisfy the department’s burgeoning number of students and members, along with its need for stronger acoustics.

The 400-seat hall, designed for vocal and ensemble performance, will neighbor the present Music Building. It will also include four new practice rooms, recording controls, a music studio, artist and audience amenities, production and teaching offices, and the Artists’ Courtyard – an outdoor site for lectures, informal performances and artist receptions. Parking will be available at the corner of Third and A Streets.

“The music department has much outgrown its old building,” said Joshua Paterson, events and production manager for the music department. “Our largest class, Music 10, takes place in Wright Hall simply because we don’t have space here.”

Paterson said that the foremost reason the department wants to undergo construction is to have an acoustically superior place for their students to perform in.

“It won’t quite have the same magnitude as the Mondavi Center – Mondavi has both a hall with 200 seats and a hall with 1600 seats – but this hall will perhaps fill the gaps, with 400 seats,” Paterson said. “It’s also slated to have some teaching studios and practice rooms that are much needed.”

Among its many perks, the recital hall will boast 100 concerts annually – becoming one of the most active venues in the Sacramento area – as well as a weekly free concert at noon, music festivals, and artists-in-residence events. Collaboration between the Mondavi and the Music Department is sure to take place, as Mondavi staff will use the facility for some of their shows that currently take place in the Mondavi’s smaller concert hall.

“What the recital hall will offer is not just a place for music groups, but classrooms as well, with as many as 375 seats,” said Christopher Reynolds, chair of the department of music. “Such a large number is relatively rare on campus. The class I’m currently teaching on history of rock and roll is over-filled, which demonstrates a need for larger classrooms.”

State bond funding will constitute 75% of $21.6 million needed for funding, with the rest of the funding provided for on behalf of generous citizen donations. Expenses include production costs, performance recordings, visiting artists, outreach, patron services, marketing, and operations.

“We’ve raised nearly two million dollars and we need state funding for $11 million to $13 million,” Reynolds said. “The California economy needs to recover enough for this to go forward. With luck, we’re just a few years away from building.”

Reynolds said that former UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef has named this hall one of the top campus priorities. The chancellor proclaimed his plan for a collection of campus performing arts venues in his 1994 inaugural address. Along with the Mondavi Center, that plan also included a more intimate concert hall to house chamber, vocal, and solo music recitals.

The purported concert hall would cater to the vast growth of the Department of Music, which has shown itself to be one of the most active academic programs at UC Davis. The number of undergraduate majors has increased from 11 to 150 since the construction of the music building in 1966.

“The music department is very blessed to have the involvement of the community that has given 1.7 million dollars to make this project a reality,” said Maureen Miller, Assistant Dean of the College of Letters and Sciences. “This is a tremendous show of support. We’ve received some very generous gifts.”

Further fundraising methods will include production costs for concerts and performances, performance recordings and production of CDs, visiting artists and ensembles, performance and outreach, and patron services, marketing and operations of the Recital Hall.

For information on gift opportunities, contact the Department of Music.

ELENI STEPHANIDES can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

The pairing of music to invigorating visuals to make a well-executed music video has become its own industry in many aspects. Luckily, thanks to the KDVS Music Video contest, the art form of making music videos is no longer in the exclusive hands of massive industries belonging to MTV, VH1 or other forms of corporate media.

The to-be-annual KDVS music video contest allows local musicians and art enthusiasts in the Davis and Sacramento area to express themselves through a new kind of medium: film.

Prompted by the desire to bring local musicians to light, Matthew Torres, graduating UCD student and assistant studio tech for KDVS, created the music video contest in hopes of promoting an incentive for artistic creation within the community.

“It’s the synergy of it: giving a voice, attention and publicity to those who don’t have it,” Torres said. “Even though they’re not seeking it, it happens in a fun way. It’s a learning experience through music and other mediums, too. In the same vein of community, it’s about each artist or musician being a part of Davis.”

With the help of current KDVS general manager, Neil Ruud, Torres created a guideline for submissions, which were collected from March 1 through May 15. Guidelines included that someone from the band or film crew be from the Davis-Sacramento area, consent for the usage of original music and a video run of less than six minutes. The winners were chosen based on a variety of factors on a complex matrix of consideration.

With such a large variety of genres ranging from folk, rap, hip-hop, bluegrass, foreign, experimental, etc., submissions were scaled upon time that went into editing, effort, quality of music, etc.

The KDVS music video contest winners received prizes donated by local sponsors and agencies such as Watermelon Music.

Winner: “Kitchen Raps” by Randy Random Abiladeze Murray, Leejay Abucayan and Ruby Ibarra

Among the large variety of submission, hip-hop topped off the list with “Kitchen Raps.” The opening scene starts out with Random Abiladeze answering the door with a humorous “What the hell?””Kitchen Raps” is six minutes of pure entertainment and impressive beats.

The video is taken in one continuous shot with the camera rolling to Random Abiladeze and Ibarra’s continuous rhymes layered on top of Abucayan’s beat boxing. Practicing with five takes off camera and 25 takes on-camera, the process was a challenging one.

“I just realized how much I love doing one-take music videos,” Abucayan said. “It’s a tedious process and requires a lot of patience and memorization, but the end result is just so rewarding. I think I want to explore the concept further. Maybe we’ll all do another video.”

The three artists have been collaborating and making music together since Ibarra met Random Abiladeze at the 2007 SickSpits Poetry Slam and Abucayan at the Filipino-American organization on campus before they graduated over two years ago.

During the process of filming and experimenting with choreography, the three got to know each other better. In particular, Random Abiledeze learned more about the Filipino culture and how the process brought them closer together.

“I thought Ruby was just droppin’ it like it’s hot,” Random Abiledeze said. “But after several comments about her, I found out she was doing a cultural dance called the ‘otso otso.’ I also learned about Mang Tomas sauce. I already knew they were dope, so I wasn’t surprised that they did such a great job. It was an honor to be involved.”

With the chemistry captured on tape, there’s no doubt that the three have a great passion for what they do while they learn from one another as artists.

“I learned the importance of being comfortable enough with your craft so you can jam spontaneously with other artists,” Ibarra said. “It also reminded me that although practicing is important, connecting with your art and fellow artists is just as important.”

Runner-ups: Agent Ribbon’s “Dada Girlfriend” by Chelsea Wolfe, White Gold by Sevi Katur, “Dear Langston” by Delorean and Sami Abdou, and Wet Lab’s “Vet Dreams” by Margot Law.

Honorable mentions: Please Quiet Ourselves’ “Ideal Roomates” by Elisa Hough and The MagiKool Doods’ “I got the runs/Golden Shower for the World”.

For more information on featured artists, videos, and list of the KDVS music video contest winners, make sure to check out kdvs.org.

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

What do a ball of clay, a dog named Ollie and a young man running through a cornfield have in common? All were subjects in short films at the 10th annual Davis Film Festival, which took place both May 26 and May 27 at the Varsity Theater.

Composed entirely of student submissions, the film festival was just under two hours with films that ran from two to 10 minutes long. While some of the films took on more cryptic and politically conscious themes, others were lighthearted and fun, shot at locations that many Davisites could easily recognize. Some films were almost entirely dialogue driven; others had no dialogue.

One of the films used clips from Toddlers and Tiaras, Little Miss Perfect, and other online film archives to create a shocking mosaic of U.S. beauty pageants and their utilization of young girls’ bodies.

Another film followed a clay blob’s journey to happiness. In “Ollie Goes to Davis,” a puppy wakes up in his owner’s bed, sneaks out with the car keys once his owner has left for the day, and surreptitiously drives the car to the UC Davis campus where he ventures through the arboretum, the Death Star and other Davis hot spots. Finally he drives home at the end of the day and goes back to bed where his owner returns and sees that the little angel has been there “all along.”

Another memorable film was a parody of “The Office.” With our very own UC Davis Bookstore serving as the premises for the Michael Scott Paper Company, the characters lived up to their “Office” counterparts, providing us with laudable performances by a pseudo Dwight Shrewd, Michael Scott and slightly dopier version of Jim. The plotline unfortunately was disrupted by technical glitches in the film reel, but the viewable portions were enjoyable.

Varsity Theater was a great venue to theatrically present work that has not been widely released yet. There was something a bit surreal, albeit refreshing and organic, to see recognizable places and faces on the big-screen. It localized the whole movie theater experience while allowing students to showcase their myriad film-making styles.

With short films that are “indie,” silent, comical, animated, or composed entirely of clips and slides, the Davis Film Festival displayed the work of Davis students that each has their own cinematic vision.

ELENI STEPHANIDES can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

The Entertainment Council worked hard this year to successfully bring multiple bands to Freeborn Hall. Whether or not you liked the performances, their efforts to diversify our big shows shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Many have duly expressed that they want bigger shows on campus with bigger names next year. The sentiment that concert choices this year were esoteric, uninviting and “too indie” is a popular one.

The EC surely understands the concern. The proposed ASUCD budget for the 2010-2011 school year will increase the EC’s allocation for large show sponsorship from $20,907 to $44,000, giving EC more ability to promote larger performances or co-sponsor them with outside promoters – potentially leading to more shows per quarter. The new director has also expressed interest in exploring the possibility of larger shows, and resources are clearly headed in an expansive direction.

The debate, then, centers around whether the new school year and the increase in funding should be spent on several smaller performances or a few big performances. The former would likely mean more of what we’ve seen this year. The latter would mean, for example, Kid Cudi at the ARC Pavilion. And little to nothing else.

It’s not hard to see why bringing more big name concerts would benefit the larger Davis community more than a big concert at the Pavilion. A more mainstream performance will still alienate a large portion of the Davis community, and the chances for more revenue are matched with an equal chance that the show will flop.

Some go further to argue that smaller performances at Freeborn lose money when ticket prices are steep. Band of Horses suffered a loss after failing to sell out its tickets, but since the show was co-sponsored by the EC and independent concert promoter Goldenvoice, the loss solely fell on Goldenvoice.

After all, the cost of putting a show on at Freeborn is considerably higher and more complicated than a concert in a private venue in Sacramento or San Francisco. Promoters don’t want to undercut themselves by dropping prices for a college venue while maintaining an otherwise fairly reasonable cost for their city shows.

The number of performances this year itself benefited the Davis show scene. This year’s shows were a dramatic improvement from last year’s big name shows – which often didn’t even reach the stage. An E-40 show at the Theta Xi house was cancelled last year, leaving most students unable to get refunds for their tickets. Gym Class Heroes, after a planned concert at the Pavilion, never came to campus. Bloc Party went home sick on the day of their performance.

These flops aren’t just laughable – they made a precarious situation for courting promoters, even when the cancelled shows had nothing to do with the EC. Davis alumni Dallas Imbimbo, one of the masterminds behind the failed E-40 and Gym Class Heroes concerts, the neglected refunds and nude self-photographs, could have likely harmed Davis’ reputation for large-scale concerts with these cancellations.

Freeborn Hall, which will reach its 50th anniversary next year, has a history of booking bands at the peak of their emergence. I recently talked to Stephanie Eich, associate director of Event Services for Campus Unions, who noted the tendency for Freeborn to feature artists on their rise to global fame. Jason Mraz, who played last year, was booked right before his rise to glory and the “I’m Yours” feeding frenzy. Muse, Tegan and Sara and Death Cab for Cutie also played on campus at the height of their rise in popularity.

In a way, this tendency mirrors the venue itself. Freeborn Hall is a perfect medium between small Davis venues like the Sophia’s deck or Delta of Venus and enormous venues like the Pavilion or ARCO Arena.

So really, it’s hard to find any credibility in the indie shrug-off. Passion Pit might be called “indie” on Wikipedia, but they’re hardly an esoteric, obscure act. Neither is Band of Horses, whose recent album Infinite Arms was released on Columbia Records and is on sale at the U-Mall Starbucks.

If one big concert at the Pavilion is your thing, complain all you want. Just know you are supporting the same kind of situation that alienated you in the first place – a concert that many students won’t want to attend.

JUSTIN T. HO appreciates the EC’s work in bringing several well-known artists to campus this year, especially as a follow up last year’s dismal failure by certain other local bro-moters. E-mail him at arts@theaggie.org.

Sea of Bees

Song for the Ravens

Crossbill Records

Rating: 2

With an outwardly gloomy and eerie feel that seeps into each track, Song for the Ravens snatches onto elements of nostalgia and sad melodies.

As the lead vocalist, Julie Baenziger offers unique murmuring vocals reminiscent of a whisky-drinking and broken-hearted girl.

However, some tracks offer light into the seemingly depressing feel of the overall record. Combining lyrics about rosy cheeks, pale skins, and feelings about being like a child, playful drums pulsing in the background of the track entitled “Skinnybone” offers some moments of interest.

As with the spiritual and dark symbolism associated with the raven, Songs for the Ravens is not an album for easy-listening. Although one can definitely appreciate Baenziger’s alternative insights and lyrics, the album is definitely one you should be in the right mood for.

Give these tracks a listen: “Gnomes,” “Skinnybone” and “Willis”

For Fans Of: Eisley, Lixian Hantover

– Uyen Cao