Xyphl provides unique, shoegazey electronic music, standing out as more of a sonic art project than simply another rock band.

Lien Do, first-year design and music theory major, is the singer and songwriter for Xyphl. Some of her musical inspirations are Bat for Lashes, Dirty Projectors and Björk for their ability to stay out of the mainstream music scene.

“They’re so different and don’t care what people think about them,” Do said. “They really push the limit of what society views as music.”

Do is no stranger to the music world. She has toured California with Xyphl, played at a number of clubs and art galleries and has been creating music for years. At age seven, Do began playing the piano. By age 13, she was playing guitar, drumming and writing songs.

After playing with several different bands, Do decided to go in her own direction in her junior year of high school. She collaborated with Mel Mel Mooring, a first-year at Hampshire College, and Sam Rabourn, percussion instructor at Granite Bay High School, to create a multi-sensory musical project.

Rabourn was a student teacher in one of Do’s music classes and saw her as someone who could make music professionally.

“She seemed to be the only student that I had there who was actually ambitious and who had some real, raw talent,” he said.

While Do provides the sonic art portion, Mooring provides the visual stimuli in the form of video. Rabourn drums at live shows and plays two homemade instruments – a cyral, which is a 12-feet tall and 10-feet long series of metal tubes, and a crystal table.

The table has 12 glasses carefully mounted to achieve a certain pitch, which can be then be tilted by a foot pedal. Rabourn plays the table simultaneously with the cyral, which is rubbed to create a singing, metallic sound.

Do and Rabourn both know music theory and how to read music – something that distinguishes musicians from one another around the world, Rabourn said. They apply this knowledge to their musical creation and use a music notation program rather than audio engineering programs, which is what most mainstream electronic music is made from.

Due to the complexity of their live performances, Xyphl will plan out their big shows for months. Do said that setting up before a performance takes a significant amount of time as well, where video, lights, colored gels and other props take the stage.

This year, Xyphl is focusing on recording an album instead of playing a lot of shows. Xyphl has about 15 songs recorded already, and the anticipated album will be a musical narrative with corresponding video.

Following the idea that everyone has multiple alter egos, Xyphl’s first album will tell the story of one of Do’s alter egos and her passage towards committing suicide.

“It’s about how it’s not in vain but for love,” Do said. “How her life is complete and how that justifies her suicide.”

Do plans to pursue a professional musical career in the future, possibly with Xyphl. Rabourn, who hopes to become a professional film composer, said that he will continue with Do and see where the project goes.

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

It’s like finding a blank canvas amid a pile of Kitsch paintings or taking an Elliott Smith melancholy tune and embellishing it with drum machines and synthesizers. It’s Retrospect: a new and refreshing band that doesn’t exactly fit into a specific mold or genre.

As one of the three finalists in this year’s Annual Search Party contest, Retrospect’s band members Aaron Cooper, Jared Law, Evan Davis and Tyler Kirby are taking the Davis music scene in a new direction. Blending classic hip-hop beats with indie-throw back pop, folk and acoustic influences, Retrospect is a mixture of it all.

“Evan and I started with just an acoustic guitar influenced by acoustic and folk music – but also rap,” Kirby said. “So it was a mixture of Elliott Smith but also, Notorious B.I.G. We wanted to have fun and fill it out more – so we got these guys [Law and Cooper] to start jamming with us.”

The guys had known each other previously through the dorms and various associations such as KDVS. Although each member offer their own distinct style to the table (Cooper supplying the beats on an Akai MPC drum machine, Law on synthesizers, Kirby on guitar and Davis on vocals), the band has a solid common interest: R. Kelly.

“One of the big unifying factors between us is R. Kelly. We all take inspiration from him,” Cooper said. There’s not much of a hip-hop scene in Davis so we try to blend hip-hop into our music. But we aren’t trying to fit any mold. You just have to appreciate the form.”

Although Tyler and Davis had performed together before at small venues such as Open Mic night on campus, the full band wasn’t officially together until recently this year. Performing together as a band at venues such as at the Search Party listening contest was relatively a new feeling.

“For a while I felt like I was going to collapse,” Cooper said. “It was definitely fun. Our last practice before the show was when it had just come together where we felt the pieces had officially meshed.”

As for the future of Retrospect and where they’re headed? “To the moon,” Law joked.

Maybe, maybe not. But one thing’s for sure, Retrospect has a bright future ahead of them.

“We’re all very into this, we do love it,” Cooper said. “I have some of the most fun when I’m practicing with these guys; we’re all pretty laid back so it’s going to go wherever it takes us. It’s important to put work in but more importantly – put in the love. If people can tell you love to do what you’re doing then more opportunities will open.”

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

Citing The Strokes, Funkadelic, Television, David Bowie, Os Mutantes and Jimmy Cliff as inspiration, Life on Mars describes their genre as “space rock” – marked by catchy hooks, psychedelic guitar, slap-funk bass and raucous drumming.

A group of UC Davis undergraduates, Life on Mars formed two years ago while exercise biology major Arran Rogerson (guitar), economics major Fed Martinez (drums) and mechanical engineering major David Buscho (bass) were competing on the same sports team. After talking, they realized they were all musicians and began meeting for music sessions in Martinez’s garage.

The group met periodically, making music despite their full academic, social and athletic lives. They give credit to their large and loyal group of friends for keeping them going, and hope that one day, instead of only practicing three hours per week, they will become a fulltime project.

“As of now, it’s just a gig. We have trouble finding venues in Davis; it’s mostly just bars we perform at,” Rogerson said.

Rogerson added that if Life on Mars ever does become a fulltime project, he foresees their style evolving.

Right now the guys describe themselves as three members who are very good at what they do, but struggle to find their sound, tempo and things they agree on. While experimenting with different sounds and effects, they keep their music approachable with a mix of pop sounds and speed metal.

“Throw in a mediocre, low voice with lyrics about time-travel, elephants and David [Buscho] and you’ve got Life on Mars,” Rogerson said. “But if that doesn’t mean anything to people then I’d say we’re generally a rock/alt band.”

Life on Mars recommends their music to anyone that likes to have fun and does not mind a small blast to the eardrums.

“We are a loud rock band,” Rogerson said. “We are not folk-rock or metal. We like to put on a fun performance and play good music. If the Aggies are people who are capable of having fun, then they will have fun at our shows.”

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

If you’re a UC Davis student, you’ve likely heard of the UC Davis sports budget cuts. Many, however, may not have heard of the budget cuts to the University Gospel Choir, which helped to cut participation from around 150 students per quarter to around 20.

The Gospel Choir was founded by students of the Black Christian Fellowship in 1976 and has been growing ever since. For the last decade it has existed as a two-unit class in the Music Department.

Now, that is changing. The Gospel Choir experimented last quarter by switching from a class to a club. Though it currently exists as a class this quarter, it will be a club from now on.

Its final concert as a class will be held on May 22 at Freeborn Hall at 7 p.m.

However, some dedicated members of the Gospel Choir are not put off by these changes.

Carol Diaz, a junior psychology major who has been a member of the choir since fall 2009, said “It did get smaller, but it still provides the same family type community.”

Kendy Tuazon, a junior sociology major and member of the choir for one year, agrees with Diaz.

“It’s not like a regular choir,” she said. “There are a lot of friendships and connections.”

Tuazon added that the budget cuts have only affected the number of participants and not the enthusiasm of the group.

“A lot of people still look forward to it to having fun and getting away from the stresses of school,” she said.

Still, the club has had changed in response to the new budget cuts. They are now focused on being student-run and organized because they are no longer a class run by university staff.

“This is a return to the type of organization that the Gospel Choir originally had,” said Christopher Reynolds, chair of the music department. “It was for many years run under current conductor Calvin Lymos’ leadership as a student activity.”

Only in the mid 1990s did the Gospel Choir become a class.

Some see the transition back to a club as a way to get back to the original focus of the group.

“The club has been more intimate,” said Mark Afshar, a senior biological sciences major. “It is less restrictive in a sense.”

“As a club we can pray,” Tuazon said. “We have more freedom religiously as a club.”

Reynolds said that losing these freedoms, such as the ability to pray in class, initially upset students when the club first became a class in the 1990s.

Under the new student leadership, the Gospel Choir has shifted to a student focus. Many of the songs are now written by students themselves, rather than by Lymos, the conductor.

The student leaders are taking charge of their performances as well. Before, the choir would perform in quarterly performances at Freeborn Hall and at churches. Now, they have started to make a name for themselves in festivals throughout the Bay Area.

“There’s a huge gospel music community in the Bay Area, so we’ve been getting more well known and more invitations to gospel events,” Tuazon said.

What do students see as the future of Gospel Choir?

“I see the future of Gospel Choir as being an outreach, an example and a representation of the campus and its diversity and unity,” Afshar said. “It is just a great place where all different types of people can come regardless of background and all come together as one.”

Reynolds agreed, saying that the choir is a unique opportunity at UC Davis that should be preserved.

“I think [the choir students] are crucially important to the cultural diversity of the university and the community,” Reynolds said.

Still, the budget cuts loom large on the choir’s minds. They will no longer have a venue for their quarterly concerts at Freeborn Hall and the music department as a whole has had to make cuts.

“I’ve seen less classes offered, especially during summer session,” Diaz said. “Also one of my favorite [music] professors won’t be teaching anymore because of budget cuts.”

The music department is losing several staff members and plans to increase ticket prices to some of the over 100 concerts they sponsor each year, Reynolds said. They also plan on having fewer visiting professionals and coaching sessions for students.

Still, it doesn’t quite seem fair to Tuazon.

“They are keeping the Hindu [music] class, which is a 20 person class, but they’re cutting this really big class,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me because [Gospel Choir] is more in demand.”

Tickets are $6 for students and $12 for non-students. For more information, visit music.ucdavis.edu.

KELLY KRAG-ARNOLD can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Look out, Quentin Tarantino – UC Davis is bringing you some new competition. Student filmmakers will be showcasing their latest creations at the 10th annual UC Davis Film Festival, from May 26 to 27 at the Davis Varsity Theater.

The show starts at 8:30 p.m. on both days. Tickets are $5 and available at the Davis Varsity Theater box office.

“It’s student work on the big screen,” said Pamela Orebaugh, a junior English and film studies double major and student producer of the festival. “At Davis, we aren’t a huge arts community, but it’s really fascinating to see what we’re making, and what’s unique to our voice in this region and the students here.”

Students from a variety of majors submitted over 50 films for consideration this year. A panel of UC Davis faculty members will choose a selection of films to show at the festival. The only requirement was that films be no longer than 10 minutes.

From the films selected to be screened at the festival, the judges will choose winners in categories such as Best Editing, Best Director and Best Sound Design. The prize is usually a trip to the television or film set of a faculty member currently working in the entertainment industry.

Meredith Sward, a sophomore technocultural studies major, submitted a film for the first time this year. She created Oh Dear out of found footage from the television shows “Toddlers and Tiaras” and “Little Miss Perfect,” as well as from online film archives.

“I used found footage because I’m not very skilled with cameras and I thought it would interesting to see how different footage can be put together to hopefully make a piece that appears whole,” Sward said in an e-mail interview. “Also, I used found [film] instead of creating my own because there is real footage of children getting dressed and made-up already available. I think the impact using the footage of children that actually take part in the pageants is more disturbing.”

For amateur filmmakers, the festival is an opportunity to show their movies to a large audience – a rare experience that is as rewarding for the directors as it is for the viewers.

“I decided to submit my movies into the festival this year because I want people to see them,” said Andrew Blalock, a senior film studies major in an e-mail interview. “My inspiration behind making movies is to create an experience for other people, whether it is evoking empathy for a little clay blob as in my movie Needed, laughing at my dog taking a joy ride through Davis in Ollie Goes to Davis, or reflecting on their own obsession with technology in The Future of Twitter.”

By creating films to submit to the festival, students gain hands-on experience in the entire filmmaking process. Most of the students act as writer, cinematographer and editor of their own films.

“The process of creating movies is very exciting – once I come up with an idea for a movie, I try to throw together some actors and shoot it as quickly as possible while I have my creative inspiration,” said Blalock, who submitted five films this year. “A lot of the movies I make I shoot and edit all in a single day because as soon as I finish shooting, I’m so excited that I go home and edit until it is finished usually without taking a break. “

For students who participated in the festival in the past, this year’s festival is an opportunity to improve their filmmaking. Collin Davey, a graduate student in English, said he wanted to correct his mistakes on last year’s submission with his new film, Apartment 9.

“The script is so incredibly important and it’s something that often times people don’t pay a lot of attention to so I prided myself on doing that right first before moving on to even talk to actors about it. Performances are so often overlooked but they were something I set out to really do right this time,” Davey said. “We ran a really tight set because I worked with the same people from last year and corrected a lot of the mistakes to make it go more smoothly. We were better organized and better prepared.”

Orebaugh said that for the audience, the festival is a unique experience and an enjoyable way to support local filmmakers.

“You’re seeing something that no one else has ever seen and you’re pretty much the only audience that will ever see this particular group of films in this particular fashion,” Orebaugh said. “For a lot of people it become really social; the theater doesn’t clear out right away and it’s a very fun experience. It’s the kind of thing you only really have when you’re in college.”

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

The Expendables will perform at Freeborn Hall on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., marking the Entertainment Council (EC)’s final concert of spring quarter.

The Expendables are a Santa Cruz-based band that blends rock and roll style with smooth reggae sound.

“It combines a lot of rock elements and pop rock with Jamaican style like reggae – it has more rock than other reggae bands,” said Don Ho, ASUCD senator and junior psychology and economics double major.

But there is more to The Expendables than just pushing the boundaries of the music industry.

“I really like the messages that their music has. Also, they have great lyrics with well-written songs,” said Patrick Meddaugh, a sophomore environmental science and policy major.

Some of the bands most popular songs include hits such as “Down, Down, Down,” “Bowl for Two” and “Sacrifice,” which was featured in Guitar Hero World Tour.

It seems as if their hard work and originality paid off. Although the band has been around since the mid ’90s, they have remained true to their roots.

“They’re not sell-outs,” Ho said. “They get a lot of respect for staying underground. They’re very true to their fans – they have a close connection with them.”

Thongxy Phansopha, EC director and senior Spanish major, said there was supposed to be a concert with The Expendables earlier in the quarter with another promoter, but it fell through.

“Their agent contacted us to try and book another date and it all just worked out,” he said.

Ho’s former lacrosse coach from his high school actually worked with their management company to bring The Expendables to UC Davis.

“We’ve been trying to get this going for the past year and it’s part of my party platform to bring more reggae music to campus,” Ho said. “He contacted me and told me they were done with their Modesto tour so we could get them to play here. It just happened to work out that we got a really good deal.”

The Expendable’s management company, Silverback Music, also produces other well-known artists such as Revolution, Pepper and, previously, Sublime.

“I started listening to [The Expendables] freshman year when I got on my reggae kick and followed the general direction of the label,” Meddaugh said.

The EC optimistically hopes that the concert will sell out.

“[This concert] should set a precedent for future concerts. It’s testing the ground for Pepper some time next year,” Ho said.

With that said, ASUCD and the EC have some logistical concerns about the date of the concert.

Ho said that The Expendables will perform the Tuesday after Memorial Day Weekend, coinciding with the annual Houseboats event at Lake Shasta.

“I think the concert will be a nice way to transition back into school after the long weekend,” Ho said.

Phansopha said that even though there have been numerous big concerts this quarter, The Expendables are bringing something special to the table.

“It’s been a while since we had a big reggae act to play at Freeborn Hall and it’s also one of the big concerts this quarter that is organized and run by students. We’re expecting mostly students at this event, which makes it a lot more fun,” he said.

BRITTANY PEARLMAN can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Integrity in sponsorship is a big deal. When the news of Tiger Woods’ lustful debauchery reached the public, sponsors like Tag Heuer and Gillette rightly dropped him from their billboards. And in the end, nobody really cared.

Things get a little trickier when the sponsors themselves are the problem. Take BP, whose world reputation plummeted after its oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico and leaders criticized its response. It’s troubling, then, that the arts and the news media, two institutions who have felt more than their fair share of hurt throughout the past decade, and who are often tied to such troubling financiers.

But faced with a desperate need for funding, it’s hard for institutions that rely on their sponsorships and advertisers to turn down cash, even when their sponsors mess up. Though the dilemma is as embarrassing as it is lucrative, staying on board is often the correct decision in the short run – even when your sponsor is BP.

A Los Angeles Times article published Wednesday discussed the potential issues that BP’s sponsorship of non-profit organizations might create, in the wake of the current oil spill. The LA County Museum of Art and the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach both receive millions of dollars in donations from BP, resulting in what the article calls a “public relations landmine” and an incredible fit of irony (BP’s name is a part of the aquarium’s new sea otter habitat).

On the surface, the idea is simple – you need the money, so take it. Institutions like LACMA and the aquarium lend society a benefit far larger than a troublesome tie to a corrupted company. The California Aggie itself published a semi-facetious editorial earlier in the school year calling for more corporate sponsorships in the wake of the budget cuts – joking or not, millions of dollars in revenue for a “Budweiser Stadium” might not be such a bad short-term solution after all.

The catch – that sponsorships are riddled with problems and downsides – still remains huge. In addition to their potential for dramatic irony, advertisements are simply annoying and cumbersome. Sponsorships reek of cronyism and capitalist evils. It’s the heart of the free-rider problem. Institutions like the arts and journalism, though private, largely resemble public institutions – ready to be consumed and exploited at relatively little cost. Players have to scrounge for funding elsewhere, and really, they should take whatever they can get.

Tuesday’s Amgen Tour of California was, among other things, an orgy of advertising for sponsor companies like HTC, Radioshack and whatever other companies Lance Armstrong currently sports. The mess of logos looked pretty neat on the speeding peloton, but Radioshack posters look better in the trash.

But this “problem” of advertisements is nothing new, and is entirely unavoidable. Despite the negatives of a tie to BP, the donation is still an act of benevolence. Continuing to receive money from such a mess might be tantamount to giving out a “best collaterized debt obligation of the year” award, but it’s also somewhat appropriate.

Corporate funding nonetheless is not a viable long-term solution. Since such extreme measures are often problematic, it’s refreshing that they aren’t always necessary. Many troubled media outlets have a dedicated funding line, or at the very least a supportive community. As annoying as those pledge drives are, community radio stations need the money. Perhaps its time for other media to take heed – even if it simply means holding a fundraiser. The New York Times wasn’t wrong to explore the idea of a paid online subscription, and we shouldn’t whine if it’s implemented again.

Maintaining corporate sponsorship and selling out obviously isn’t the best solution. The benefits of donations to art museums exceed the benefits of corporate sponsorship for a university, and in the long-term, it can absolutely lead to further risks and deeper issues of ownership and liability. But it’s still no reason to cut off a link to a valuable source of funding when funding is scarce to begin with.

JUSTIN T. HO is shedding all ideals of integrity in this one, because now’s not really the time to pick and choose your financiers. E-mail him at arts@theaggie.org.

MUSIC

Super Mash Bros.

Tonight, 7 p.m., $12

Freeborn Hall

Los Angeles-based electronic-pop-rap group Super Mash Bros. will hit Freeborn Hall tonight for an unforgettable performance. With songs like “Bruce Willis Was Dead the Whole Time” and “From Honor Role to Out of Control,” you know these guys won’t hold back.

The Finches, Key Losers, Katie Delwiche, Coal Beautiere

Friday, 7 p.m., $5

Bike Forth, 1221 ½ 4th St.

Who knew Davis’ bike repair collective also put on shows? Catch four great acts on Friday – maybe it’ll inspire you to treat your bike with more love.

Jackstraw, TV Mike and the Scarecrowes

Friday, 9 p.m., $3

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, 129 E St.

Bluegrass reigns Friday night at Sophia’s. Portland-based guitar/mandolin duo Jackstraw and Oakland’s “cow punk string band” TV Mike and the Scarecrowes bring their four-city joint tour through Davis before wrapping up in Santa Cruz.

The Common Men, The Kimberly Trip

Friday, 9 p.m., small fee

G Street Pub, 228 G St.

Local punk-alternative band The Common Men will hit the G Street Pub stage, joined by “geek pop” band The Kimberly Trip. Both groups are highly accomplished and gaining in popularity, so catch this show to say you knew them from way back when.

Music on the Green featuring Thao Nguyen, Boxes, AshEL, Lounge Lizards, David Ronconi and Seamoose

Saturday, 6 p.m., free

Central Park, Downtown Davis

Get your Saturday night off to a great start by listening to Get Down Stay Down’s Thao Nguyen, the UC Davis a capella group Lounge Lizards, spoken-word performer AshEL and more at Central Park’s Music on the Green. Music just sounds better outside, doesn’t it?

Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom IX

Sunday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., $10

Plainfield Station, 23944 County Rd.w 98

KDVS presents a diverse group of bands and musicians for this year’s O:RMF concert at Plainfield Station. It’s sure to be a great afternoon/evening of music and food, including burgers and a beer bar, in the truly unique setting of the extremely rural County Road 98.

AT THE MOVIES

10th Annual UC Davis Film Festival

Wednesday – Thursday, 8:30 p.m., $5

Davis Varsity Theater, 616 2nd St.

View short films created by UC Davis students in a real theater setting at the 10th annual campus-wide film festival. You may just see the work of the next James Cameron.

THEATER/MONDAVI

The Turning Pointe: The Arts Unite for Freedom

Friday, 7 p.m., $8

Wright Hall, Main Theater

Anti-genocide student coalition STAND and the Elite Dance Company are teaming up to raise money and awareness for some very important causes in this combination of dance, spoken word poetry, a capella and art. Part of the proceeds will go to the City of Joy in DR Congo. All attendees are sure to be entertained as well as enlightened about the tragedies of genocide and mass atrocities around the world.

University Concert Bands

Wednesday, 7 p.m., $4

Mondavi Center, Jackson Hall

As a former member of the University Concert Band, I can say with absolute authority that Wednesday’s concert is sure to be a knockout. Expect to hear some great music, including Johan de Meji’s The Lord of the Rings-inspired Symphony No. 1, played by your very talented fellow students.

ART/GALLERY

Ann Foley Scheuring Book Signing

Friday, 7:30 p.m., free

Logos Books, 523 2nd St.

Local author Ann Foley Scheuring will discuss her latest book, Valley Empires. The book is about the Central Valley’s cultural heritage as told from two men’s perspectives. Sheuring will sign copies of her book and answer questions, and light refreshments will also be served.

Nada Brahma Concert and Indian Music Workshops

Saturday, workshops 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., $40, concert 8 p.m., $15

Davis Art Center, 1919 F St.

Classical Indian musician Nada Brahma will teach two workshops, on percussion and instrumental/voice, before giving a concert herself at the Davis Art Center. Sounds like a great opportunity to learn a new kind of music straight from the expert.

Friends and Strangers: The Making of a Creole Culture in Colonial Pennsylvania

Tuesday, 12 to 1:30 p.m., free

UC Davis Bookstore Lounge

John Smolenski explores the unique Quaker culture of colonial America in his new book. He argues that Quaker leadership arose from the combining of Old World culture with New World diversity and delves deeply into the roots of English culture in North America. A Q&A and book signing will follow the discussion.

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