Vampires seem to have cornered the mythical horror creature market these days, but zombies are staging a takeover. Zombieland, the latest film featuring the undead, turns typical horror movie undertones into overtones, creating a hilarious, gory, active and intellectually sharp zombie movie in a completely new way.

Refreshingly, Zombieland doesn’t take itself too seriously. It knows its premise of an end of days involving the living dead is pretty ridiculous, so there’s no pretense. It embraces the inherent corniness.

The movie begins with Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus (named for his Ohio hometown), a timid college student forced to brave the zombie apocalypse. Columbus is the shaky pseudo-hero who is forced to adapt quickly to the unpredictable new world.

On his way home, Columbus meets up with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), the originator of the “hometowns as first names” rule to prevent emotional attachment (since people are likely to become zombie-fied).

The two zombie-savvy survivalists encounter Wichita and Little Rock (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin), two sisters whose methods involve more deception of the living than zombie killing (demonstrated as they swindle Columbus and Tallahassee again and again). Together (and sometimes apart), the group trucks on toward an ever-changing destination, the most important thing being that they keep moving.

The tumultuous battle of the sexes is complicated by the zombie presence, and strangely enough for a movie called Zombieland, it seems right that they appear in that order. Instead of taking the center stage, the zombies only seem to complement the film’s fantastic human comedy and quick one-liners.

Instead of falling prey to the dangers of overstuffed jokes and zombie-killing repetition, the film really moves. Zombieland features some gritty killings with unconventional weapons, blending humor and terror pretty well. Even the zombie-less moments provide pure comic gold (with one particular cameo standing out amidst the excellence).

The movie is easy to follow and the characters easy to relate to. Columbus is neurotic and socially awkward, but instead of being classified as a stereotype (Michael Cera’s multiple roles come to mind), Columbus has a quirky kind of humanity that makes him three-dimensional. As the movie progresses the audience learns more about each character, from the idiosyncratic (Tallahassee’s obsessive love of Twinkies) to the influential (the love of his puppy Buck).

The characters seem familiar – they could be that guy you used to know in the dorms, that girl who you’d sit next to in calculus but never actually talked to, your best friend’s little sister or that weird aggressive guy who hangs around downtown some nights. After watching Zombieland, you’ll start to wonder if they’d have the skills to survive the zombie apocalypse with you.

LAURA KROEGER can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

For the next two months the Technocultural Studies Department will be parading a series of speakers and artists through campus, showcasing the many ways one can practically and uniquely experiment with digital media.

Put together by Craig Baldwin, an avant-garde filmmaker and the department’s new guest faculty member, the series began on Oct. 1 and will continue until Nov. 19 on specified days of the week. All of the speakers can be seen in Wellman 1 from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m.

“We’re trying to give students an example of the broad spectrum of work being done in the digital arts,” said Jesse Drew, director of the Technocultural Studies department. “It’s purposely broad and practical in that we’re bringing up artists who are actually doing things; they’re people that think about their work, [and] they’re also people that make their work.”

There will be a total of twelve speakers in the series who will discuss topics that cover every imaginable facet of media, including video games, electronic music, machine art and experimental videos.

During the last week, the first two speakers took turns visiting campus. Visiting artist Kal Spelletich kicked off the series by talking about live robot sculpture and machine art, and John Davis followed with experimental film/video with live sound synthesis.

Steve Rhodes – a journalist and photographer whose work has appeared in publications such as Wired and San Francisco Magazine – will be speaking this afternoon about activism on the social networks.

“Social networks/Web 2.0 (or whatever term you want to use

for Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, blogs and other sites) are just new tools to communicate ideas and create work,” Rhodes said in an e-mail interview. “I will talk about how [social networks] were used in the 2008 elections as well as the Iran elections and the protests which followed. I’ll also talk about how artists and musicians are using these tools.”

Drew said that most of the speakers are based in the Bay Area, making it a great opportunity for students to meet and learn from local artists who are more than willing to share. Rhodes said that he doesn’t “have a specific goal in mind other than to encourage people to use these tools in creative ways.”

“I think [the artists are] all unique in that many of them are working in new areas, in non-traditional art,” Drew said.

Lisa Hodge, a senior technocultural studies major, explained that it is eye-opening and useful to discover new ways to turn technology into art.

“It’s cool to see all the different mediums someone can play with to create an artistic statement and how certain mediums can be melded together to create it,” Hodge said. “Since I’m majoring in the media arts I like to surround myself with many different artists that play with many different mediums for creative inspiration.”

ELENA BUCKLEY can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Pablo Picasso once said “bad artists copy, good artists steal.” Sure. We all know that Led Zeppelin stole from early blues artists like Muddy Waters; that Wolfmother stole from Led Zeppelin and so on. As any musician should know, it’s hard to find an artist that doesn’t “steal,” or better said, “borrow,” from someone else.

But from here forward, a sharp distinction should be made between stealing and borrowing. Stealing is when an artist directly takes from one song and shamelessly places it into their own, either through entire audio segments or little under-the-table snippets. Timbaland, for example, stole the instrumentals for Nelly Furtado’s “Do It” from Finnish musician Tempest (no, he didn’t sample, and sampling isn’t a catch-all excuse for everything).

This isn’t borrowing. Borrowing happens all the time, and it’s musically valid. They aren’t the same thing, and if you think so you’re probably wrong. All you self-proclaimed music sleuths haven’t found anything controversial, so really, stop trying.

“Red Hot Chili Peppers stole from Tom Petty”

This one’s hard to put a finger on. Many believe the song “Dani California” (a number that anyone should know if they’ve ever been to a UC Davis football game) stole from Tom Petty’s “Last Dance with Mary Jane.” It’s certainly plausible – the drum beat, guitar part, syncopation and key are almost exactly the same. But stealing? I can just imagine RHCP and producer Rick Rubin in a lavish record studio listening to Petty’s song on Youtube, cackling as they carefully duplicate the song. Just kidding, I can’t.

Honestly, why would a band as popular as Red Hot Chili Peppers steal from a rock icon as popular as Tom Petty? Especially something so basic? The A minor-G major-D minor-A minor chord progression is what most people first learn on guitar, so really, Petty’s song was hardly novel either.

“Coldplay stole from Joe Satriani”

Whether you like him or not, Joe Satriani is by any standard a great guitarist. If anyone thinks otherwise, go back and listen to your shitty Guns N’ Roses Greatest Hits album and keep worshipping Angus Young. But recently, Joe Satriani charged Coldplay with “stealing” the riff from “If I Could Fly” in “Viva La Vida,” one of Coldplay’s most recent singles. When Chris Martin sings “I used to rule the world …,” you’re apparently hearing a Satriani guitar riff.

Yeah, they’re similar. Someone with no knowledge of music would probably think “Viva La Vida” copied and pasted Satriani’s riff right into the chorus. And that’s the problem – the two songs sound similar to people who don’t know anything.

You’d think someone as talented as Satriani would know the difference between stealing, emulation and plain-old coincidence. There’s a limited amount of ways that three notes in an extremely common pattern (the first four notes in a major scale) can be mixed together. Get over yourself, Satch. Your new band Chickenfoot sucks, and you know it. Don’t try to use a Best Buy ad campaign to get over the fact that Sammy Hagar’s voice doesn’t go well with anything.

“Porcupine Tree stole from Pink Floyd”

If you’ve heard of this controversy, congratulations. Porcupine Tree’s most recent album The Incident starts out with a 55-minute epic, divided into 14 sections. Many people think that the longest section of the album, “Time Flies,” directly steals from Pink Floyd.

Pink Floyd’s “Dogs” starts off with a fast-paced, somewhat complicated strumming pattern, and “Time Flies” begins with a repetitive, almost redundant acoustic intro. Listen to the songs – they’re really nothing alike.

Nay-sayers: First off, learn how to strum a guitar. Second, learn rhythm. There’s nothing similar between the two songs other than the fact that there’s an acoustic guitar, fast strumming and that the two bands come right after each other on my iPod. They don’t even share the same time signature.

If you don’t know anything about music, chances are you’re wrong if you make these claims. Yes, Pink Floyd is a huge influence on Porcupine Tree, but there’s really no similarity. At all.

JUSTIN T. HO is definitely right about this. E-mail him with your boring, useless definitions of the word “sampling” at arts@theaggie.org.

KDVS offers many events throughout the year, but none as unique and social as Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom. Now completing its fourth year running, the day-long outdoor music festival collects and presents lesser known indie groups and interesting features that Davis and its surrounding areas proudly offer.

To sum things up, many students had to choose one of the semi-difficult options that this weekend offered – a) stay at home and study/bum around/whatever people do on weekends, b) venture out to San Francisco for its 6th annual LovEvolution, or c) mosey over to Plainfield Station in Woodland for Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom VIII.

Some people are not comfortable around a multitude of reproductive organs flopping this way and that, nor do they enjoy sitting at home and knitting sweaters for their cats. So the natural decision would have been to attend ORMF VIII this past weekend – arguably one of the better options.

Essentially, the afternoon-to-nighttime music festival was an awesome time to meet up with friends, make a few new ones, drink cheap beer, listen to local bands whose genres ranged from garage to noise rock and soak up the pleasant autumn weather.

The line-up included New Thrill Parade, Mom, Yellow Fever, the Mantles, Nothing People, the Four Eyes, GGreen, the American Splits, Migraine, Foul Mouths, Face the Rail, Post Mortem Vomit and Rapes of Grath, with one or two bands dropping out last minute. (Of course my party wished to ask which bands dropped, but many of the event organizers were either busy operating circa-1990s video cameras, helping bands put together their set or fiddling with their sound equipment.)

Like most music festivals, the event started somewhat late, but by 5 p.m. most people had set up their blanket niches on the damp lawn, began drinking PBR by the pitchers and initiated the schmoozing mode with neighbors.

From an outsiders’ point of view, this may not have seemed like much of a unique event as opposed to other Davis events; however there is always more to it than what meets the eye. The opportunity to meet a random mix of people and immerse yourself in their interests and hobbies firsthand hardly ever comes around (easily).

The case for ORMF was just the opposite in the sense that everyone there was merrily gathered together for similar reasons – to listen to good local music and spend time with people who share similar interests. From listening to the Four Eyes sing about hat nerds and tell silly jokes between songs, to watching somebody walk around and pass out cassette tape demos, there was pretty much something for everyone to be involved in on Saturday.

Despite the plethora of tight pants, spandex leggings, American Apparel hoodies, Nazi haircuts, super itchy grass, lack of pitchers at one point in the night and the eventual PBR drought, mostly everybody managed to have a good time – especially yours truly.

SIMONE WAHNG can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Inside a smoky San Francisco lounge, several avant-garde poets and artists gather together over jazz music to share a cup of coffee. Sipping their caffeine, they brought along something else more important to share – their passions and creativity. Having turned their backs on the mainstream media wanting to profit off of their craft, these rebels clutched onto their expressionism and changed 20th century American culture forever, cementing their place in history.

This weekend, the John Natsoulas Gallery will be partnering with the Downtown Davis Business Association to pay tribute to the spirit of the Beat Generation. Featuring 20 jazz bands, performance artists, poets and jazz painters, this free three-day event is a must-go for anyone interested in the Beats or curious to learn more about them.

The mastermind behind this multi-faceted arts festival is John Natsoulas, owner and operator of his eponymous art gallery on 1st Street. A tenured jazz saxophonist, Natsoulas has a long history of interest in the Beat Generation, jazz music and how exactly the beats have influenced modern art forms.

“The whole feeling of this festival is to recreate the ambiance of what [the Beats] had in San Francisco in the ‘50s and ‘60s,” Natsoulas said. “Currently, there is a huge amount of musical talent in the Valley and no real venue for it. Not only is this festival an outlet for the music … but for the collaborative spirit this era demonstrated.“

The festival kicks off Thursday evening at six with poetry readings from up and coming poets set to live music. Taking place on a stage inside the gallery, this event is co-sponsored by KDVS Radio.

“What’s interesting about these poets reading to live music is that many of them have never done something like this before,” Natsoulas said. “It takes the reader out of their element and places them in an inter-disciplinary collaborative experiment.“

Part two of Bay Area filmmaker Mary Kerr’s documentary Swinging in the Shadows will premiere Friday at 7 p.m.

“The Beats were sort of an underground culture that was never very well documented … My film fills in the gaps a little bit,” Kerr said. “These were people who kept to a certain artistic standard; they were completely anti-commercialism, didn’t sell out – they did art for art’s sake. It’s that kind of authenticity that I think is a wonderful legacy and story worthy of sharing.“

Thursday and Friday’s events are only precursors to the big day of the festival on Saturday. Beginning at 11:45 a.m. and going until 9 p.m., two different stages in downtown Davis will feature live jazz music accompanied by performance painters.

What exactly are performance painters? Imagine a large blank tapestry hanging on a stage, next to it a jazz quintet getting set up to play some music. In half-hour to 45 minute sets, one could observe artists creating improvisational jazz music and beautiful paintings side-by-side. Painting on Saturday will be amateur artists from all over the Davis and Sacramento area, as well as some seasoned veterans including performance painting pioneer, Nancy Ostrovsky.

Throughout Saturday there will be additional events that are fun for all ages. A Kids N‘ Clay workshop will be held from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. where kids and adults alike are welcome to come sculpt and mold clay with the help of acclaimed ceramicists. There will also be hands-on painting activities with professional artists as well as a raffle whose proceeds benefit the Davis High School Jazz Band.

Marly Young, a director for the event, said “this event is free and will be a lot of fun.“

“Davis students have no excuse not to attend,” Young said. “Whether you’re interested in arts, culture, history or music, there’s going to be something at this festival for you.“

ANDREW ALBERTS can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

In a birthday celebration for longtime patron Barbara K. Jackson, Christine Brewer along with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra performed pieces from Wesendonck Lieder, Cantata and New Moon – operas renowned for their prodigious level of difficulty. It is safe to say that Sunday’s performance left a profound musical impression on the audience and a curiosity to venture into other genres.

There has never been a performance quite like this to celebrate Jackson’s 91st birthday and the arrival of new conductor Christian Baldini. With the new school year starting off with jazz performer Wynton Marsalis and now the Grammy award-winning Brewer, a tremendous amount of talent has already been showcased in the acoustics of Jackson Hall – a hall specifically named after Barbara Jackson herself.

The performance started off with Brewer, accompanied by pianist Craig Rutenberg, performing Wesensdonck Lieder. Though Brewer and Rutenberg were alone on stage, the simplicity of piano and voice was not to be mistaken for paucity, but rather a refined, pared-down complexity that exhibits both performers‘ caliber. Brewer’s performance epitomized charisma and at the same time showcased the technique of Rutenberg.

Rutenberg, who has collaborated with world-renowned vocalists, is the head of Music Administration at the Metropolitan Opera and regularly teaches at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Pittsburgh Opera Center. His performance with Brewer displayed his depth of talent in only a mere hour.

With only three rehearsals, the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra performed impeccably. The symphony orchestra’s opening piece “Oblivion” was performed without the accompaniment of Brewer. Composed by Astor Piazzolla, an Argentinian composer from the same hometown as Baldini himself, the piece is reminiscent of Argentinian tango. The selection brought alive a dance between the strings and woodwinds on stage – transitioning the symphony orchestra into the second half of the performance in which each song varied from traditional opera to more spiritual pieces.

Many students stray away from opera simply because the genre itself is intimidating. However, the preconceived esoteric notions of opera are far from the truth. Opera showcases the voice in a way that is different from any other genre out there. The range, the spectacular control and the ability to fill an entire hall without a microphone gives live performance a new meaning.

“We are from a generation [of] digital recordings – [with] equipment and an iPod, you can put anything in your car,” Baldini said. “Music is everywhere. You can go to a hotel and there’s always music playing in the elevator and even in a restroom. So many people of our generation have completely lost the sense of what is truly special about the live performance … this sense of real people breathing with you, with a real heartbeat.“

Put another way, opera is for anyone who can appreciate music for what it is. The voice is one of the most natural instruments that the human body is able to produce. No matter what language you speak or what your musical tastes are, everyone has access to this instrument. Opera is an unappreciated art form that should be explored at least once in one’s life. The Mondavi Center allows for students to attend performances in convenience and affordability.

“When I look back to my college days, I think it’s important [to try] something unfamiliar,” said Don Roth, executive director of the Mondavi Center. “Everybody likes to go to something they know. I think it is particularly good for students to go and see these performances because you’re at a learning point in your life. Pick something out that is offbeat.“

In what may have sounded like the end of the concert, Brewer surprised the audience by joining the symphony orchestra in singing “happy birthday” to Jackson.

“It was a really nice way of finishing this performance because it was a celebration of Barbara Jackson’s birthday,” Baldini said. “She is so full of energy and an angel for music here. She has really helped a lot and the UC Davis orchestra has a lot to thank her for, the Mondavi Center as well.“

For more information on performances and up coming events this year, check out mondaviarts.org

KAREN SONG can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Backnbloom

Self-Titled EP

Self-released

Rating: 2

I read the one sheet included in Backnbloom’s first EP before I started listening to their music. I was intrigued by the fact that Lori Steele, the lead singer, also plays electric violin because it’s not really something I run across all the time. It’s also a two-person operation with Lori and her band mate Alberto – something else that I like running across. However, I found myself disagreeing with the descriptions listed about each of the four songs as I actually started playing the disc.

The one sheet describes most of the songs as catchy, haunting, very upbeat or perfect for dancing. A melody has to be extremely powerful in my experience to be described as haunting and I do agree that the songs are upbeat but I didn’t really find anything haunting about the vocals or melodies. “Am I Pretty,” the second song on the EP, does have an opening violin solo that is really entrancing. It sets the song up to be sort of serene and melancholy but as soon as the vocals begin it loses that quality and thus the beautiful haunted feel that the song could have had disappears.

All of the songs have bits and pieces that are really enticing such as the openings to “Hollywood Blvd.,” “Am I Pretty” and “New September.“ The songs all lead with outer-space-like electronic sounds, some pretty cool drum beats and the aforementioned violin solo. At the same time though, bits and pieces of the EP felt like songs I had heard before and I couldn’t really get into them towards the middle to end.

The songs definitely have potential and do contain some really unique components but I didn’t get the urge to play the songs over and over again. The elements of excitement and distinctive sounds were just missing for me.

Give these tracks a listen: “Am I Pretty,“ “Hollywood Blvd.“

– Elena Buckley

MUSIC

Laurel Ensemble

Today, 12:05 p.m., free

Mondavi Center, Rumsey Rancheria Grand Lobby

Another impressive free noon concert – UC Davis‘ Laurel Ensemble, a faculty-comprised clarinet, flute, viola, cello and piano ensemble, will perform pieces by Beethoven, Rebecca Clarke and Martinu. Visit music.ucdavis.edu/events for parking info, in case you somehow forgot where the Mondavi Center was.

Mumlers; Buildings Breeding

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

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

Mumlers and Buildings Breeding have seen a lot of Aggie press within the past year or so, but that doesn’t mean we’re tired of them. Mumlers, a San Jose-based outfit, will perform along with Davis/Sacramento-based Buildings Breeding for a nostalgic night, because alas – Buildings Breeding is calling it quits after four more shows. Catch their second-to-last Davis performance tonight.

Davis Jazz Artists Festival: Beyond the Beat Generation

Saturday, 7 p.m., free

John Natsoulas Gallery

Poetry, art and jazz mix at the Natsoulas Gallery’s Beyond the Beat Generation festival. A reception will be held Saturday night. Read Muse’s article for more information on the festival.

Missouri Mule; Leopold and His Fiction

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

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

Davis‘ own Missouri Mule is a country, blues-ish four-piece; Leopold and His Fiction is a San Francisco-based folk group. Join them for an indie evening at Sophia’s.

Capybara; Sea of Bees; Fine Steps

Saturday, 7 p.m., free (donations welcome)

1315 L St.

Ah, another backyard house show. KDVS is presenting Sacramento performers Sea of Bees and Fine Steps, as well as Missouri’s Capybara, who is currently touring around the area. Check out the event’s Facebook event page for more information, as well as links to each band’s Myspace.

Lady A and Her Heel Draggers

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

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

Don’t you hate heel draggers? Ugh. The noise they make when their shoes drag across the ground is just unbearable. Or is that shoe draggers? Either way, talk about a non-appealing band name. But if you’re into country western swing, this night just might be for you. Check them out on Myspace for a sample of the San Francisco-based band.

ART / GALLERY

SECOND FRIDAY

Friday, all day, free

Downtown Davis

Yes, Friday is this month’s Second Friday. This means downtown art, pho phree, all day long. For more information on the 13 events, visit davisdowntown.com.

eARTh

Opens Today through Nov. 13, 7 p.m., free

Davis Art Center

Earthy and earthly – Earth-inspired art and environmentally conscious work will be shown at the Tsao Gallery at the Davis Art Center starting today. After all, you can’t spell “earth” without art. I honestly never noticed this before. Following the exhibition’s opening, an artist’s reception will be held on Friday at 7 p.m.

Collective Imagination meets The Sound of Fashion

Friday, 7 p.m., free

The Wardrobe at 206 E St.

Napa-based mosaic artist Sofia Harrison will present her glass and textual-centric work. KVMR 89.5 FM (Nevada City) DJ Joel Brungardt will spin some eclectic tunes for the evening.

GEO-MORPH Reception

Friday, 7 p.m., free

Pence Gallery at 212 D St.

If you haven’t checked out the Pence Gallery’s GEO-MORPH exhibition yet, here’s a chance to visit its reception. The exhibition features 13 local and national artists whose work “specializes in geometric and biomorphic abstraction.” The exhibition continues until Nov. 15.

Marie-Thérèse Brown

Friday, 7 p.m., free

The Artery and 207 G St.

Figurative artist Marie-Thérèse Brown’s work will be featured at The Artery’s Second Friday vein, and if you’re into California coastal scenery, this might be the venue to visit. Live music will also accompany the evening.

THEATER / MONDAVI

Lyle Lovett; John Hiatt

Tuesday, 8 p.m., $27.50

Mondavi Center, Jackson Hall

Four-time Grammy award winner Lyle Lovett, an American country singer-songwriter and guitarist, will join blues guitarist John Hiatt at the Mondavi. Check out next week’s Muse for a review of the concert.

JUSTIN T. HO can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.