This weekend, the UC Davis music department will celebrate a staple instrument: The flute.

The UC Davis Flute Festival starts today at noon at 115 Music. Performances will continue Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Studio Theatre Cabaret. Tickets are $18 general admission and $9 with a student ID. Featuring prominent musicians of the flute world, the festival will also offer workshops for students interested in flutes and musical performance.

Music department applied faculty member Tod Brody is director of the upcoming festival, as well as a devoted flute player. He cited guest lecturer Robert Dick as one of his biggest inspirations.

“[Dick] has really reinvented the instrument to include all kinds of other sounds,” Brody said. “You really have to hear it – it doesn’t do it justice to put it into words.“

UC Davis alumna Caitlin Roddy, who is among the list of performers at the festival, also lists Dick as a major influence on her as a flutist.

“I saw him perform live when I was in high school,” Roddy said. “The experience stuck with me and caused me to become increasingly interested in learning extended techniques on the flute and playing 20th and 21st century flute music.“

Dick, who teaches at New York University, is famous among many for his revolutionary approach to music. One of the most interesting examples of this is his invention of the Glissando Headjoint. This new instrument allows the notes of the flute to be “bended,” which allows for more breadth in musical range, similar to the pitch-bending effects from a guitar’s whammy bar.

Dick will demonstrate this customized instrument as well as other types of flutes at the festival, and students will have the opportunity to volunteer to play with him.

The festival also delves into the internal process of performance. Performance anxiety coach Helen Spielman will address the problem of stage fright with the workshops “Talking to Yourself Means You’re Sane and Confident” and “Hallucinating Means You’re in Control of Your Performances.“ Designed for performers of any kind, the seminars will include strategies on how to get through high-pressure situations and creative visualization.

“Performance anxiety is something that everyone has to deal with in terms of public speaking,” Roddy said.

For more information about the UC Davis Flute Festival, visit music.ucdavis.edu.

JULIA McCANDLESS can be reached at arts@theaggie.org. 

MUSIC

Connecticut, His Name Shall Breathe, The Squealers

Today, 7:30 p.m.

Sam’s Haus

Oregon-based bands His Name Shall Breathe and The Squealers are just a couple of pieces of evidence that 2008 may have been the year for Portland, but what about Connecticut – erm, I mean, Sacramento? Tim Callahan is the main creative force behind Connecticut, whose ambient dream pop recalls that of acts like Caribou with the melancholy touch of Elliot Smith.

Pepper, Supervillians, Passafire

Today, 7:30 p.m., $20

Empire Events Center in Sacramento

After a weekend of sunshine last week, this new bout of cold weather makes me long for warmer days. Seeing as I have no control of the weather (yet), I’ll settle for the reggae-infused dub rock of Hawaii natives Pepper, whose laid-back music remind me that flip-flops and board shorts don’t always have to mean bro at the beach.

Dave Gleason, Rowdy Kate, The Golden Cadillacs

Friday, 9 p.m.

Luigi’s Fungarden in Sacramento

I’ve been around long enough to know that the whole dark-haired-vintage-wearing-indie-sensibility shtick can either go really well (ahem, Zooey Deschanel) or really badly (ahem, Katy Perry). Luckily, Rowdy Kate front woman Keri Call doesn’t disappoint, and the band will surely appeal to fans of classic country acts like Loretta Lynn as well as newer ones like Neko Case.

Silent Treatment, Days No Different

Friday, 10 p.m., $3 to $5, 21

The G Street Pub

I’ve never been the biggest little fan of Reno, Nevada (see what I did there?), but that doesn’t mean I should transfer my animosity to its music scene. That being said, why do I feel as if I come across as passive-aggressive when I compare Days No Different to other rock bands like Nickelback and Matchbox 20?

Dance Party: Electro Funk Boogie

Saturday, 9 p.m., $3

Delta of Venus

Cutting a rug, busting a move, boogying – call it what you want and take advantage of the opportunity to loosen up on the dance floor.

Tera Melos, Them Hills, sBACH

Sunday, 8 p.m.

Luigi’s Fungarden in Sacramento

For a lesson in the Sactown music scene, look no further than former Roseville residents Tera Melos. The math rockers‘ latest release, Idioms, Vol. 1, pays homage to some of their major musical influences such as The Beach Boys and The Clash and is available for free download at the band’s website.

Disturbed, Sevendust, Skindred

Monday, 7:30 p.m., $37.50

ARCO Arena in Sacramento

Sometimes when I get tired of my super cool indie-rock-underground-music-only listening habits, I like to turn to the Top 40 radio play, and when I get tired of that, I like to turn to the bro-rock frat tunes of nu metal acts like Disturbed and Sevendust. What can I say – call it a guilty, last-resort pleasure of mine.

Calvin Johnson, Dragging an Ox Through Water, Please Quiet Ourselves

Tuesday, 7:30 pm., $4

Delta of Venus

Before the time of musical multi-taskers like Conor Oberst or Ben Gibbard, there was Calvin Johnson. In addition to having bands like the Beat Happening and the Go Team under his lengthy resume, Johnson is also the co-founder, owner and operator of K Records, the Olympia-based record label who has signed artists like Built to Spill, Mirah and Bikini Kill. For more information about the label, see page __.

AT THE MOVIES

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Opens today at the Regal Davis Stadium 5 on G Street

I could have sworn that this movie was destined to be a straight-to-DVD release. Evidently not.

Revolutionary Road

Opens tomorrow at the Varsity Theatre on Second Street

Kate and Leo, back together again on the big screen! I haven’t been this excited about an on-screen reunion since Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock and The Lake House.

ART / GALLERY

subject/verb/object

On display now at the Design Museum

Artist and designer Simon Johnston investigates the nature of visible language, including issues of semantics and operation. A free opening talk and artist reception will take place Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. in Everson Hall.

THEATER / MONDAVI

UC Davis Flute Festival

Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., $18 general admission, $9 with a student ID

Studio Theatre Cabaret

Important question: Will a demonstration of the “yazz” flute be included in this festival? One can only hope.

RACHEL FILIPINAS can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Formed in the summer of 1982 in Olympia, Wash. by Calvin Johnson, K Records still embodies much of what it did when it began nearly 30 years ago as an independent label dedicated to releasing underground artists from the Northwestern and Midwestern U.S.

The bands on K Records – like underground music itself – are difficult to categorize and diverse in their sounds.

Modest Mouse, the popular rock band who found mainstream success with their 2005 single “Float On,” originally released their first EP Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect? on K-Records in 1994. Kimya Dawson, another K Records artist, attained widespread popularity with her prominent featuring on the soundtrack for the 2007 film Juno. Artists like Beck and Built to Spill were also launched by the label early in their careers. Even Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain – perhaps the most well-known icon ever produced by the northwestern U.S. music scene – had the K Records logo tattooed on his forearm.

On the other hand, many of the artists on K Records remain relatively underground. The label is widely known for an aesthetic mission that embraces the do-it-yourself attitudes of punk music and home recordings. Perhaps the K Records motto sums it up best: “Exploding the teenage underground into passionate revolt against the corporate ogre since 1982.“

Johnson has said himself that he will always be interested in the “weird guy in his bedroom making a record on his own no matter what is going on in the mainstream or what is successful.” That might, in fact, be part of the reason that K Records is still around today, even as the major labels struggle to survive. After all, those people in their bedrooms never actually go away – and with today’s affordable recording technology, they probably never will. In other words, K Records is protected from today’s whirlwind economics, not because it has insurmountable wealth, but because K Records has its roots in a place that is unfailingly sheltered from mainstream forces – the underground.

Recent releases from K Records:

Arrington De Dionyso, I See Beyond the Black Sun

De Dionyso uses Tuvan throat singing and various other eclectic instruments to craft bizarre compositions that sound something like elephants, didgeridoos and jungle birds packed together in a dorm room.

Kimya Dawson, Remember That I Love You

As with her work on the Juno soundtrack, Dawson’s music is cutesy, simple folk that can hold listeners‘ attention with its distinctive style. It’s perfect for those times when you want a musical throwback to the days of your youth, when money and school didn’t matter.

The Blow, Paper Television

Paper Television is pure lo-fi electro pop. It’s catchy, warm and worth a listen.

Calvin Johnson, Calvin Johnson And The Sons of the Soil

Johnson is not only co-founder and operator of K Records but also an accomplished musician. Known for his droning, deep voice this album is no exception. It’s also the only release on this list to capture the lo-fi punk and underground sounds that have made K Records famous. On “Tummy Hop,” Johnson’s voice booms over heavily distorted guitar and crashing, tinny drums. If you told me this album was in fact recorded physically underground, I wouldn’t be surprised.

ZACK FREDERICK can be reached at arts@theaggie.org. 

090122_ar_videogamereview.c

Summary:

Headline: Game review: Prince of Persia

Layercake: A simpler prince than you once knew

By SHANE PARK

Aggie Arts Writer

The new Prince of Persia (released in December 2008) is actually the fourth and most visually stunning series released by Ubisoft. It has nothing really to do with Persia, and it has nothing to do with the game’s previous Sands of Time trilogy, either. But unlike the previous games, Ubisoft takes a new direction by simplifying things for casual gamers to break into the hardcore scene.

Taking control as the prince, you start off wandering through the desert looking for your donkey and run into a mysterious girl named Elika, who has magical powers. After a run-in with her father, you learn through a string of dialogue that the kingdom is “Corrupted” due to an evil god trapped in a tree that Elika’s father cut down. Your job, with Elika in tow, is to clear the Corrupted areas by cleansing the fertile grounds in the four sections of the kingdom, with four areas per section. Simply put, it’s your job to clean up the mess that Elika’s father made.

Don’t worry, doing the task is more fun – and aesthetically pleasing – than you would think. Whenever you enter a Corrupted area, everything is dreary with globs of Corrupted sticking to walls and floors dangerously reaching toward you as you run by. After the fertile grounds have been cleansed, greenery and life fill the area. The visually stunning part is that within whatever section you are in, you can see the other three areas and see what parts you have cleansed and what parts you haven’t. After each area is cleansed, completionists can collect every last Light Seed (45 per area) that will give Elika new powers to use.

Moving from area to area is fluid and rather easy. You have a jump button, a Gauntlet button to grab onto rings as you move and an Elika button to perform a double jump to reach those platforms just out of your reach. The game helps you so you don’t have to make every jump perfect, but it won’t make jumps for you. Don’t worry about missing a jump, Elika will be there to pull you to solid ground before you fall to your death. Essentially, there is no death in this game.

Combat is also simple. With only four buttons (sword, acrobatic, gauntlet, Elika) there is no need to worry about complex button combinations and double quarter back to a 360 rotation on the directional pad. After the sword button, simply press one of the other buttons to perform combos. If you press the buttons at the right time with some variation in order, you’ll perform a beautifully complex dance between the prince and Elika. Also, each enemy you encounter (a Corrupted solider) is more like a mini-boss and most of the time, the fight is short enough as not to disturb the fluidity of the game.

But as much as I praise Prince of Persia, it has one big flaw: The plot. I won’t say any more than that.

If you want to see the most beautiful game of 2008, go pick up a copy of Prince of Persia for your PS3, Xbox 360 or PC. Pity about … Whoops, I wasn’t going to talk about that. Go find out for yourself.

SHANE PARK can be reached at arts@theaggie.org. XXX

Sure, it may be the oft-picked on butt of many jokes, but I have to say that I’ve always found Canada strangely endearing. Loonies & toonies, universal health care, sexy foreign accents – really, how could I not have a crush on our northerly neighbor?

So when I heard that Canada was making a mixtape for President Barack Obama entitled “49 Songs from North of the 49th Parallel,“ I could hardly contain myself in the cutesy preciousness. I cooed, I giggled, I died in an explosion of bunnies and rainbows and lollipops and Hello Kitty.

The mixtape compiling worked as such: Organized by popular station CBC Radio, Canadians had a week to submit song choices and nominations of songs of Canadian content for a short list of 100 songs, then the public could vote once in each category for their “favourite” songs, the top 49 of which would go into the final playlist. The list was divided into four categories: English pop folk, jazz, classical and Francophone.

Unfortunately, things turned a bit rockier when I actually got a look at the final compilation. It wasn’t terrible, but let’s just say that if I were Obama, receiving this gift would result in a faltering smile, a pity hug and an embarrassingly obvious high-five goodnight. That being said, I give to Canada my own expert tips on mastering the art of the mixtape.

First of all, mixtapes are the perfect opportunity to show how sensitive and thoughtful you are. Obama needs to be wined, dined and wooed into getting to know Canada better, not overwhelmed in a sea of, well, Canadian-ness. There was a severe lacking in the number of recognizable Canadian artists. My suggestion: Start off with some of the more famous artists, Canadians so well known here they may as well be American. Neil Young, Michael Bublé, Rush, Arcade Fire and even Barenaked Ladies all made the final countdown, but other U.S.-embraced artists like Nelly Furtado didn’t even make the nominating process.

Secondly, there was a severe lacking in the type of categories available in the playlist. Mixtapes are a chance to show off your creativity (you know, vicariously through the talent of other people) as well as your vast musical knowledge; four seems incredibly inadequate when you think about all the possible mixtape categories available.

In lieu of the conventional genre classifications that appeared, Canada could have shown Obama what a great sense of humor they have with some sort of wittily themed playlist. In this day and age, irony rules: Why not make a “Thanks, Canada!” collection full of highly appreciated and beloved treasures like Nickelback or Celine Dion, the greatest singer in the world? And I’m sure that Barack-O would have grasped the brilliant hilarity of making a nostalgic throwback compilation to chronicle Canada’s awkward adolescence. This is where artists like Simple Plan, Sum 41 and Avril Lavigne come in.

After proving that they can make him laugh (because that’s an important quality in any relationship), Canada would have to regain some cool points – Obama is the president of the United States, after all. Canada could have tried to impress ol‘ Obama by presenting a mixtape devoted to obscure “indie“ acts. Canada could have also tried dazzling Mr. President with their remarkably diverse musical taste – where was Montreal noisemakers AIDS Wolf (who performed in Davis last year), Fucked Up, Caribou or even Canadian hip-hop like Swollen Members or Moka Only?

Still, the mixtape was a sweet gesture, Canada – but maybe we can just be friends?

RACHEL FILIPINAS wishes Canada would make a mixtape for her. Canada and other people, please send your thoughts to rmfilipinas@ucdavis.edu. 

The Favorite BIcon Movie Night, a part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center’s “Beyond the Binary” Week, is a chance to gather with friends and fellow students to eat cupcakes and watch an award-winning film that deals with bisexual issues. The best part? You get the chance to dress as your favorite bisexual icon (or “bicon“). Here’s a short list of possible bicons to dress as:

David Bowie

Frida Kahlo

Lady Gaga

Bessie Smith

James Dean

Margaret Cho

Favorite BIcon Movie Night takes place Friday at 6 p.m. in 6 Olson. For more information, visit lgbtcenter.ucdavis.edu.

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