Nothing says “frugality” and “ecological sustainability” better that the 41st Annual Whole Earth Festival (WEF) – a weekend fully equipped with three days of nonstop music, art and education.

The largest green-living event of Davis will take place on and around the quad, featuring local artwork, crafts and live music. This year’s theme is “From the Ground UP.”

Some of the artwork and sculptures on display will allow festival-goers to touch, build, decorate and even sit on them.

“Since it’s such a vibrant festival, I thought it’d be great to have live artists and interactive sculptures,” said Maya McNeil, art director of this year’s WEF. “I’m looking forward to seeing how people react and appreciate the artwork.”

McNeil herself is building a 150-foot labyrinth for the event. Other artists include UC Davis ceramics graduate Cynthia Stepp, whose artwork visually represents abstract thoughts and ideas.

“It’s inspiring to see people look into their own creativity. We also have six amazing artists that will be painting live during the entire festival – they’ll just kind of go off what they get from the crowd, and paint these shapes,” she said.

Harlan Gruber, an artist and New York native, will also be participating in the WEF art events. He is well-known for combining both science and art into his sculptures. Folks will be able to climb, explore and interact with his giant geometrical Amethyst Portal.

And just in case you get overwhelmed with all the massive artwork and crafts, the event will feature live music as well.

“There will be a lot more electronic acts this year, because we’re catering to people our age who seem to enjoy electronic music,” said Brennen Bird, a WEF director. “In my opinion, the [WEF] brings some of the best music to Davis. I’ve been introduced to so many bands through this festival.”

Almost all of the bands performing are local, due to the festival’s tight entertainment budget of $6,000.

“This budget is really nothing if you want to have a three-day music festival, so we have to make do with what we can, and we end up drawing in a lot of local bands because of this,” Bird said. “A lot of the bands come for the love of the festival – not because they’re interested in getting paid.”

Among the performing bands is Wooster, a blues, reggae and rock band from Santa Cruz. They will be performing on Friday at the Cedar Stage.

“We definitely have some Davis roots, and we’re big fans of the festival,” said Bobby Hanson, who plays bass for the band. “Our music is perfect for the event because you get dancing crowd, and there’s always a little something to move to.”

Wooster was featured as an opening band at least year’s WEF. This year, they will be playing a closing slot. “We’re excited to be back, and I’m definitely planning on staying and hanging out afterwards,” Hanson said. “So if anybody wants to hang out, come find us.”

Hanson said that he is looking forward to the Raw Chocolate Workshop with Joy Taylor. This will take place Friday at 4 p.m. at the Sacred Space.

Another band to look forward to is LYNX and Janover, which consists of the electro-acoustic and hip-hop duo known for their folk-style song writing, beat boxing, and guitar playing rhythms.

Other performances include Boco do Rio, Jake Mann and the Upper Hand, Snowlions and the UC Davis spoken word collective Sickspits Poetry Collective.

The quad itself will also be a host to a variety of vendors selling food, arts and craft. However, this year’s event had to reduce its size due to the ASUCD Coffee House construction.

“It’s kind of a blessing in disguise. Because of the event’s reduction, there will be fewer vendors, meaning that we’ll all get a fair mix of the festival’s exposure,” McNeil said. “The new layout of the festival is going to look different, which will give us room to a lot of new and wonderful things.”

Don’t forget that there will be tons of live dance and educational booths as well to expand your knowledge on being green and waste consciousness.

“The [WEF] was started with great intentions, and I think that as much as it changes and metamorphoses over the years the staff always finds some way to combine community and world interests at the heart of it,” said McNeil. “There’s just a lot of art, music and activism for everyone to enjoy.”

For more information about the WEF or a complete listing of events, visit wef.ucdavis.edu. To read more about WEF itself, read the Aggie’s campus article.

LAUREN STEUSSY contributed to this article. VANNA LE can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Not only is Owen Smith’s internationally recognized work on display at the Richard L. Nelson Gallery, but the artist himself will speak in Davis today.

Smith will host two talks – one at the Medical Science Center 180 classroom from 12:20 to 1 p.m. and another in the main room of the TCS building from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Both seminars are free and open to the public.

Smith is a Bay Area painter and illustrator, perhaps most famous for his frequent New Yorker covers. His work is representational and figurative, depicting exaggerated images of macho men and seductive women, said Renny Pritikin, director of the Nelson Gallery.

“He’s particularly interesting because he’s an artist who has one foot in the art world and the other foot in the commercial world,” Pritikin said.

Unlike most artists, Smith has paintings up in art galleries and also does magazine covers and illustrations for children’s books. In addition to The New Yorker, Smith has designed for Rolling Stone, Time and Sports Illustrated.

Pritikin said usually artists think entering the commercial world will be compromising or that their art will not be taken seriously. However, both the art and design departments are interested in Smith in part for this reason.

Smith will speak in Professor James Housefield’s History of Modern Design class at 12:20 p.m. today.

“This is a great opportunity for our community to hear a sought-after designer speak about the creative process,” Housefield said in an e-mail interview.

Pritikin said that Smith is a role model for students due to his integrity in his work.

“He is really uncompromising,” Pritikin said. “He does what he does, but he has found a way to make it in the commercial world.”

The commercial element will separate Smith’s talk from the rest of the art studio department’s visiting artist series. Typically, visiting artists will present a slideshow with their work from when they left school until the present. They will talk about the back-story and how they came to make it, and in Smith’s case, commercial opportunities.

Smith’s inspiration is rooted in the 1930s, particularly in pulp fiction covers of inexpensive magazines and books, Housefield said.

“It’s like looking at contemporary life through the lens of the 1930s, which is odd and interesting,” Pritikin said.

Housefield hopes students will hear Smith talk about his work and will also be inspired by the past.

“Ultimately, I hope that our students will look for common ties between the art and design of our own times and that of an earlier era of hard times like the Depression era 1930s,” Housefield said.

Smith’s work can be viewed at the Nelson Gallery now, allowing students to see the artist’s work in person and not just the slides that artists will present.

“Usually what happens is an artist comes from New York or Los Angeles and they do a talk with slides, but the students don’t get to see their real work,” Pritikin said. “Here is an opportunity to not only meet the artist but see their work and compare what they have to say with what their art really looks like.”

For Jamie Lew, first-year design major and student of Housefield, Smith’s back-story may be the most interesting.

“I’m particularly looking forward to seeing how passion leads designers into very different fields,” she said.

Smith’s work actively motivates the viewer to be inspired from the past, Lew said.

“The motivation for a designer is to create the future,” she said. “To create the future, you need to understand and appreciate the influence of history.”

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

If you like ’90s classics, electronica beats, modern music or all of the above rolled into one, then come to Freeborn Hall May 20, to see Super Mash Bros. perform live from 8 to 11 p.m.

Tickets are on sale at the Freeborn box office for $12 with a student ID.

This will definitely not be what some consider conventional, as the band offers their own approach to musical style.

Tim Zamanigan, a sophomore English major who volunteers at the Entertainment Council, said “the band offers electronica kind of stuff with a mesh of popular songs from the ’90s.”

Based in their hometown of Los Angeles, Nick Fenmore, Dick Fink and Ethan Dawes take all the great hits of our beloved childhood and juxtapose them against the edgier, catchy tunes of today.

But that doesn’t strictly mean it’s Britney Spears meets Jay-Z. The band offers a wide selection from each decade and combines them to fit harmoniously. Each song could potentially include German pop, rock ‘n’ roll, hip-hop, easy listening or healing, according to their Myspace page.

Thongxy Phansopha, a senior Spanish major and director of the E.C. also said, “It’s really dance-y, a blend of ’90s with our top 40 songs of today.”

Although they have no original material, there is an aspect in their creativity that is extremely appealing.

Tim Kerbavaz, a sophomore technocultural studies major and productions coordinator for the E.C., said Super Mash Bros. “represents our generation as a youth and what we get excited to listen to.”

This newest concept of creatively blending multi generational music has been growing more and more popular, with the Super Mash Bros. leading the way.

“There are actually a lot of these small mash up artists out there, and these guys have been around for a while,” Phansopha said. “They’re more well known than the others, one of the more popular ones.”

The concert itself had a much slower start than usual, but turned out to go smoothly after its rough beginning.

Phansopha said that Sam Sugarman, another staff member of the E.C., created a Facebook group to try and see how many would support the band performing here. After enough people had joined, Sugarman approached Phansopha and they began to set up negotiations with their agency.

“If you’re not A-list, then it’s a lot easier to contact and get the process started,” Phansopha said.

However, Phansopha explained that the concert was originally intended for winter quarter. The show was pushed back to spring, due to the Super Mash Bros.’ performance schedule.

After securing a performance date, it took the E.C. staff two months to prepare for the event. This included working out dates and negotiating prices for the band.

“We already had the venue ahead of time because we placed a hold on it.”

This show will be the fourth concert the E.C. has put on in Freeborn Hall – a rare number for one year.

“I don’t even remember the last time that many happened in one year.” Kerbavaz said. “Basically, the success of next year’s concerts depends on the success of current shows.”

“Although they’re not the most popular band out there, the more people we get to attend the better it will be to ensure better performances for future concerts.”

Although the Super Mash Bros. may not be as popular as the top 10 artists on iTunes, attendance does not seem to be a likely problem for this event.

For more information, visit the group’s Facebook event page.

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

It’s great when titles say it all.

Take a recent NPR.org article titled “The Abramoff Saga: Reads Like A Movie, And Now It Is” about the upcoming film, Casino Jack and the United States of Money. The film’s title, like the Abramoff story itself, is almost too simple to be true.

These stories make headlines on an almost weekly basis, so it’s refreshing when they’re portrayed creatively. And when they’re done right, they’re all the more powerful.

After all, the news often reads a bit like a cheap romance comedy – way too perfect and ridiculous, and chock full with bad actors. Tom Delay never got his makeup right; John Ashcroft couldn’t sing; Sarah Palin always forgot her lines. It’s almost as if they’re paid to give artists their material.

It’s also a little sad when politically conscious art bypasses these gaffes and dives straight into the dirt – when the bad actors actually oppose health care reform, betted against the financial health of their own clients and permitted risky mortgage-backed securities. Portraying these darker issues creatively is no easy task.

It’s not impossible, though. Ira Glass, creator and host of NPR’s “This American Life”, demonstrated just how at the Mondavi Center last Thursday. In his own snarky way, Glass railed against the “crazy theatrical seriousness” of local news. His program, in conjunction with fellow NPR producers Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson of Planet Money, explain topics like the economic crisis and health care reform better than any economics class I’ve ever taken at this college.

Their work – notably this more recent news coverage – puts a creative touch on something that can easily be described as alienating, especially if all you have is local news. This innovative and creative approach lets people get it, and people need this understanding if they’re going to actually do anything about it.

Some say this approach dumbs down the news for the younger, college-aged “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” audience (“stoned slackers,” as Bill O’Reilly affectionately labels us). This is far more applicable to the “The Daily Show” itself, since such an assertion about a show as renowned and celebrated as “This American Life” would be ludicrous. But to say the creative approach of the “The Daily Show” is negative for America is entirely missing the point. If people are watching, people will care. That’s enough to cause something bigger down the road.

Maybe focusing on the funny is too easy – which gives way to long and complex documentaries, be they facetious or on-point. Documentaries might be a different story, but they’re still artistic. Regardless of the accuracy of Michael Moore’s documentaries, Moore consistently delivers a thoughtful and entertaining piece of work – an approach more serious documentary makers could learn a lot from.

Finally, take graffiti artist Banksy, whose work recently popped up in San Francisco. As cliché and overrated as it may be, and regardless of the ethics of his medium or the irony that his own work is often vandalized, Banksy turns heads.

We’re receptive of the simple message. If it can cause all the rage necessary to bring a movement into action, then I’m all for it. As long as the rage isn’t wearing Revolutionary uniforms and quoting Thomas Paine.

JUSTIN T. HO knows that the vandalism of Banksy’s work isn’t necessarily ironic, but finds the whole everything-is-your-canvas excuse a bit corny and naïve. E-mail him at arts@theaggie.org.

Artist: Frog Eyes

Album: Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph

Label: Dead Oceans

Rating: 4

Just a few years ago, after the release of the critically acclaimed Tears of the Valedictorian, Frog Eyes found themselves at the forefront of “indie rock.” But amidst all of the hype surrounding their release of Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph, the biggest lament for both fans and critics alike is the absence of the eccentric pop-payoff that made Tears such a dynamic album.

Paul’s Tomb features distinctively epic songs that are guided by lush arrangements and band nucleus Carey Mercer’s articulate verses. But for maybe the first time in his career, Mercer’s erratic barks ebb at the expansiveness of his songs. Though he sounds more energetic and intense than ever, his voice drags the crescendo of the songs and they quickly lose steam. But as unpleasant as it is to be denied a classic “pop song” from an indie rock band, Paul’s Tomb carves an arc deep enough for the introspective complexity of Mercer’s songwriting.

Give these tracks a listen: “A Flower In a Glove,” “Odetta’s War”

For fans of: Swan Lake, The Tallest Man On Earth

– Amber Yan

Artist: LCD Soundsystem

Album: This is Happening

Label: DFA Records

Rating: 5

Summer’s inching closer, and LCD Soundsystem’s latest album This is Happening may just be the perfect summer jam.

In his third album, one-man show James Murphy eases into each track with hypnotic instrumentals, later exploding the hazy feel with jackhammering synths.

Murphy teases us with his staccato singing-style in the opening track, “Dance Yrself Clean,” until the 3 minute-mark when the drums, synths and vocals pick up. Even LCD Soundsystem’s infamous cowbell from past track “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” makes several noticeable re-appearances.

The majority of the tracks run over six minutes, but they don’t feel like they’re dragging on too long. Think of each track being like the progression of a dance party – starting out slower, then picking itself up as the night goes on and you fall into a complete and utter trance.

Give these tracks a listen: “You Wanted a Hit”, “Dance Yrself Clean” and “I Can Change”

For fans of: TV on the Radio, Caribou

– Uyen Cao

Artist: Black Tambourine

Album: Black Tambourine

Label: Slumberland

Rating: 4

Black Tambourine’s latest album is a compilation of oldies transformed into goodies – and frankly, there is not a damn thing wrong with that.

The band split in 1991, but managed to stay true to their ’90s indie-pop roots while releasing a contemporary album that is completely of the moment. Old hits like “For Ex-Lovers Only” and the unreleased demo version of “Throw Aggi Off the Bridge” still stand as memorable classics. Boldly built into the album’s highlights are remastered covers of Buddy Holly’s “Heartbeat” and Suicide’s “Dream Baby Dream.” Both tracks lilt into a fever-dream of fuzz guitars and sleepy vocals. It’s a pleasantly droned-out twist on two classic singles, to say the least.

This is noise-pop and lo-fi to the core, but owing much to The Jesus and Mary Chain as primary influences. Perhaps being produced by Slumberland Records helps with the shoegaze pop sensibilities – but then again, that’s nothing to complain about.

Give these tracks a listen: “For Ex-Lovers Only” and “Heartbeat”

For fans of: The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Pastels, Velocity Girl

– Vanna Le

In the high-profile world of sports movies, bicycling often plays second-string to films about football, baseball or hockey. But next weekend, cycling takes center stage when the Bicycle Film Festival hits Sacramento’s Fremont Park for the first time in the festival’s 10-year history.

The festival will kick off at 7 p.m. on May 14, with a pre-party at Hot Italian restaurant, located across the street from downtown Sacramento’s Fremont Park. The program of 16 short films begins at 9 p.m. in the park.

On Saturday at 9 p.m., following an evening of music, food and more, the feature film Where Are You Go will be screened. All screenings are free and open to the public.

Guests are encouraged to continue the party and return to the park on Sunday afternoon to view the fifth annual Tour of California professional bicycle race pass through Sacramento.

Bicycle Film Festival founder and director Brendt Barbur started the festival after he was hit by a bus while riding his bike in New York City. He said he wanted to create something positive and artistic out of the experience.

“I’m more involved in the arts and film, and I’d rather do that than lobbying and put on a tie or talk to City Hall,” Barbur said. “I do share some of those same goals – I’d like to see more bikes around. But I think doing something more fun and art related is more of what I’m into.”

The festival has traveled to dozens of cities all over the world, including London, Tokyo, Montreal and New York, and soon it will make its first trips to South America and South Korea. Barbur said the festival has been well received in every city so far.

“We’ve sold out almost every show since we’ve started. People enjoy it,” he said. “They get audible, they get excited. It sounds much closer to a rock show. It’s like a party – people have a good time.”

Films featured in the festival are tailored to each host city. Sacramento’s program will include Northern California filmmakers and celebrities, such as professional skateboarder John Cardiel, as well as favorite films from past shows.

Barbur said the festival has encouraged a dialogue among the bicycle community.

“It’s spread ideas throughout the world,” he said. “There’s a [bicycle repair cooperative] Bike Kitchen in L.A. and now Vienna. I have a feeling that may have started because they saw a movie about it.”

The Friends of Fremont Park volunteer group is helping to organize the event. Community organizer Lizz Barringer Lagomarsino said films in the park are always great fun.

“The Capital Area Development Authority has done several movies in the park and they’ve been very popular,” Lagomarsino said. “It’s really nice to be out in the park on a nice evening and watch a film sitting in the grass or on a blanket.”

In addition to the films, guests will enjoy food, a beer garden and music provided by DJs.

“There’s going to be a bike valet, so people can come out and hang out with other people in the community, watch some independent films, have a good time,” Lagomarsino said.

Calvin Diep, a sophomore exercise biology major, is a frequent biker – like most UC Davis students.

“I can get around a lot faster. It’s good exercise,” he said. “[The Bicycle Film Festival] sounds like a good thing – to raise awareness of [the benefits of] riding bikes.”

For more information about the Bicycle Film Festival in Sacramento, visit bicyclefilmfestival.com/sacramento.

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

The most unconventional spaces stripped of trendy adornments often become the most conducive places for artistic creation. Hidden in the basement of the art building on campus, the stark walls of The Basement Gallery continually transforms itself and embody the artwork of various students throughout the year.

This spring, the Basement Gallery continues its annual tradition of hosting the senior art show; displaying artwork created by graduating art studio majors each week. This week marks the sixth installment of the senior show, where undergraduate students Karen Angel, Chris Jee, Mami Tomita and Shalley Duarte bare themselves with pieces they feel are representative of their overall experience as art students in Davis.

“The senior show helps artists engage in a more professional way,” said Jennifer Urrutia, co-director of the Basement Gallery. “This is good practice for the artists to be able to work with other artist, which is a big part of working in the art industry. But ultimately, the gallery allows a lot of artistic freedom.”

As each piece of artwork reveals a sense of individual character and disposition, each artist similarly reveals how they vary in vision and sensibility toward art.

For Tomita, drawing and painting was an outlet to adapting to life in the states after she moved from Japan.

“I think I liked art ever since I was little, but when I moved here, my English was really bad and I couldn’t speak English at all. I used art as a way to communicate with others,” Tomita said. “For example, the piece “Winter Cherry Blossom” depicts my background and it is something really sincere to me.”

Across from Tomita, Duarte displays her artwork of various mediums. Although oil painting is her forte, Duarte explains her growth as an artist through explorations with other mediums such as collage and printmaking techniques.

“One of my goals this quarter was to go back and finish pieces that I hadn’t gotten done. Three or four of these paintings I had gone back and painted in a few weeks,” Duarte said. “I had to keep repainting the canvas. I ended up doing texture experiments, where I shredded some old paintings and glued them together and painted them.”

Angel also showcases her paintings; one in particular being a self-portrait on canvas. Among others, portraits, landscapes and drawings emphasize Angel’s sensibility as an artist and dynamics as a painter.

In contrast to the paintings done by Tomita, Duarte and Angel, Jee showcases a series of photography.

Jee displays a series of black and white photographs which depict the body in different spaces and contexts – utilizing objects such as stockings and clothespins. Also, Jee adds an intriguing dimension in a color series titled “Self-inflicted” in which he creates an effect of a single frame utilizing multiple shots.

The Basement Gallery will feature four additional installments this quarter. The gallery is open and free to the public and for anyone interested in experiencing local art.

“It’s kind of shame how people don’t know where the basement gallery is, or let alone where the art building is located. It just shows you that not everyone is aware of the art scene,” Urrutia said. “I would tell people to open up to art because there are some really creative students here. You never know – you could be passing someone by and not know how amazing of an artist really are.”

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

Upcoming installments of the senior show:

Week 7: Kevin
Frances, Sheng Lor, Kat Meler

Week 8: Nova Maldonado, Hannah
Blazek, Carrie Persson

Week 9: Joelle Provost, Elizabeth
Ottenheimer, Mikaela Watson

Week 10: Eric Hu, James Lillich, and
Michael Ramstead