English is his second language and Russian is his first, but for the Moscow-born artist Ted Vasin, his native tongue is his art.

Just don’t ask Vasin to communicate his inspirations.

“I try not to talk about my art,” Vasin said. “It is more about the experience. When you talk about it, there is not much you can talk about.”

The artist will try to continue this conversation through his art Friday when he presents a live sound performance at a reception Friday at 7 p.m. at the Davis Art Center, which is located at 1919 F St.

Titled “Painting and Sound,” his work is a fusion of sublime shapes and colors splashed across canvas to the tune of a sound installation, which is currently on exhibition at the Davis Art Center.

“I like the space at the art center,” Vasin said. “We liked the vibe of the space. It is like a church for art. It is open for public -people who would never come [do] because it’s free.”

The Davis Art Center invited Vasin to showcase his work at the gallery. Erie Vitiello, executive director of the Davis Art Center, said that she was struck by Vasin’s unique brand of art.

“We want to show artists and art that haven’t [already] been shown at Davis,” Vitiello said. “We also want to show different media. I thought his work was interesting. Sound and art was something we haven’t done before.”

While he grew up in Moscow, Vasin quickly picked up the brush and began painting at the age of four. He continued to study painting at the Moscow Art College. Though Vasin felt his time in the classroom sapped him of his creativity and limited his artistic voice, he said he knew how to reclaim it.

“All the rules [I learned], I had to forget,” he said.

Along with rules, he also left behind his hometown of Moscow.

He branched out to San Francisco with his partner Julia McEvily 10 years ago and found representation from Frey Norris Gallery. Since then, Vasin has attracted a host of attention from galleries like the De Young Museum and the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

The four paintings showcased at the Davis Art Center are hallmarks of Vasin’s style – oblong in shape and bright in color. Vasin said that he likes to experiment with shapes never seen before. After he pinpoints his shapes, he outlines his intentions on canvas and fills the white space with colors not typically found in a box of Crayola crayons. To finish his pieces, he laces the exhibition room with original sound befitting his works.

“We slowly experiment music with his art,” McEvily said. “Then we tweak until the image can hold the sound that he likes.”

Vasin said that many of his shapes come from his own dreams, which he tries to interpret from their original amorphous state to a more concrete language.

“I am in a dream state,” Vasin said. “I look for that perfect shape. This can go on for months, even years. When I find the perfect shape, it is something that is not of this world. The shape has not [yet] been conceptualized.”

Even McEvily, Vasin’s partner of 10 years, said that she cannot fully put the art pieces in words. However, she does not try: She simply lets the painting speak for itself.

“They are more visual than conceptual,” McEvily said of Vasin’s art. “[His pieces] put viewers in a different mood, working as a trigger for tuning a person into having a more perceptive viewing experience.”

The reception presenting the live sound installation will be held Friday at 7 p.m. at the Davis Art Center, located at 1919 F St. Vasin’s artwork will be displayed at the Davis Art Center until July 28. For more information, go to davisartcenter.org.

JACKSON YAN can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

As a follow-up to 2006’s Flatlanders exhibition, which presented the work of 46 artists residing in the Davis, Woodland and Sacramento areas, the Nelson Gallery is presenting its second biennial installment, Flatlanders 2.

The exhibition will include the work of around 20 local artists, with works generally made in the last two years by residents of the region.

Renny Pritikin, curator of the exhibit and director of the Nelson Gallery, said they choose the term “flatlanders” to refer to the residents of the relatively flat terrain of the Davis, Woodland and Sacramento areas.

Pritikin decided not to include any of the same artists used in 2006’s exhibition, giving newer artists and those he missed the last time a chance to shine.

“We made a decision that it would be good to not repeat myself,” Pritikin said. “I used half as many artists this time, and maybe in two years or so I’ll start using some of the same people again.”

Despite the challenge of having to find a whole new set of artists for this year’s exhibit, he said that he was pleasantly surprised by the level of talent and diversity he found in the regional artists he chose.

“Its amazing how much good work there is in the area,” Pritikin said. “It’s really a healthy artistic community.”

Senior art history major and Nelson Gallery intern Kelly Schantz agreed – before she started helping with this year’s exhibition she said she had no idea how much diversity and talent there was in the area.

“People think the hot spots are all in New York and Los Angeles, but that’s not the case necessarily,” Schantz said. “It’s amazing. I feel like what we have is a lot more diverse than what you see in a lot of galleries in Davis and Sacramento.”

Schantz attributes this diversity to the fact that many private galleries have somewhat different goals than a university gallery like the Nelson.

“While a lot of galleries tend to choose art that is highly marketable, I think that the Nelson Gallery has the freedom to be a bit more edgy,” Schantz said.

Furthermore, this year’s smaller assembly fostered a greater continuity between the artist’s works, Pritikin said.

“This show is a little more focused, it seems to me,” he said. “It’s hard to put into words, but there seems to be an organic integrity to it, in that all the work seems to fit together well, versus last year’s much larger exhibit.”

Pritikin said that he hopes this exhibition and others like it will help bring more community members into the Nelson Gallery.

“It’s a university gallery and some people are hesitant to come because they are not part of the university,” he said. “By showcasing local work we hope to make people in the region feel more inclusive, more connected to the Nelson – it’s important to celebrate what is here.”

Gioia Fonda, an art instructor at Sacramento City College and one of the local artists to be featured in the exhibition, said that she was excited to have her work on display because of Pritikin’s reputable background. She described her set of airbrushed ink and acrylic portraits as “abstract and highly patterned.”

“One of my portraits is about my dental hygienist and the impressions I’ve gotten from her, based on what she’s wearing, talking about, what she says she’s watching on TV,” Fonda said. “My impressions might be false, but it all filters through me and I create a story with it.”

“Another one is showcasing my favorite breakfast cereals growing up and how they have changed over the years, like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms today,” Fonda said. “They are not the same as the ones of my childhood.”

There will be a reception for the artists at 6 p.m. at the Nelson Gallery today. A color catalogue with short essays corresponding to each artist’s work will be available for purchase. For more information, go to nelsongallery.ucdavis.edu.

SONIA PARECADAN can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

Weezer

The Red Album

Geffen

Rating: 2

It’s been seven months since Weezer’s lead vocalist River Cuomo’s solo release, three years since Weezer released Make Believe and 16 years since Weezer’s inception. After five albums, one would think they would take a change in direction after such a long history as an alt-rock figurehead.

But Weezer is still no different, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be changing any time soon.

The Red Album, Weezer’s sixth studio album and third solid color to date, was released about a month ago, receiving mixed reviews despite its overwhelming popularity. After the disappointing Make Believe, a solid album was needed to bring Weezer back to the level of their past releases. However, The Red Album is nothing more than a plain and uninteresting continuation of what everyone’s already heard.

Fans and critics are calling it a “breakthrough experimental record,” citing Cuomo’s rap sequences and the band’s collaborative efforts as signs of progress and innovation. This claim would be accurate if they had replaced “experimental” with “more of the same.” The amount of new material and innovation on this record is miniscule at best, despite its incorporation of a synthesizer pad and drum machine (there’s only one instance of each).

If there’s anything that describes Weezer, it’s their heavy and slow-churning simplicity. Every album reeks of it, and whether it’s their basic lyrics or three-chord songs, the group never strays far from its original sound.

Lyrically, there’s nothing there – which is troublesome, because there’s not much there musically either, suggesting devolution of Weezer’s maturity as a band. The Red Hot Chili Peppers-esque “Everybody Get Dangerous” is an ode to youthful devilry and the last thing from progression they could have done. “Heart Songs” is a laundry-list tribute to musical influences that sounds more like a 5th grader’s report on the history of rock.

Perhaps most compelling are the first three tracks, which express the defiant thoughts of a narcissistic and self-propelled musician. The album single “Pork and Beans” criticizes mainstream pinheads like Timbaland and lets everyone know that Cuomo doesn’t “give a hoot about what you think.”

This isn’t to say that the album is terribly produced; With the help of producers Rick Rubin and Rich Costey, it sounds fluid and heavy, just like the previous albums. And although the simplicity is still catchy, it’s boring nevertheless.

Weezer is funky, talented and spontaneous, and they should use their talent to actually experiment.

—Justin Ho

Give these tracks a listen: Greatest Man That Ever Lived, Automatic

For fans of: Nirvana, Timbaland

MUSIC

Last Night in Town, Bears Doing Human Things, A Legion of Thieves, The Shotgun Effect

Today, 7 p.m., $10

Club Retro in Orangevale

Curious to see what sort of music a band called Bears Doing Human Things could procure, I did the necessary research. The results? A hardcore thrash band from Sacramento with a penchant for searing guitar riffs and aggressively abrasive vocals. Question answered.

The Animations, The Solid Fellaz, Scarred First Class, Stick History, Hooker Fight

Today, 8 p.m., $10

The Boardwalk

Straight out of the suburbs is band Scarred First Class. And although they cite My Chemical Romance as one of their musical influences, these boys deserve some credit: They’re only babies! Fourteen years of age and freshmen in high school, to be exact. Now if only I were a pre-teen girl…

Another Damn Disappointment

Today, 9 p.m., $8, 21

Onyx Club in Roseville

Sounds promising, doesn’t it? Amid all the cynicism is this Sacramento punk band who take a page from Epitaph acts like Bad Religion, Pennywise and NOFX.

Alex Levin, Low Red Land, Drunken Prayer

Today, 10 p.m., $3-5, 21

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

Expect a vibe of living room intimacy from Low Red Land. After these guys played their first house show, they recorded their EP in their apartment. Fans of Iron and Wine or Elvis Perkins, this is for you. Changing it up will be Drunken Prayer, whose sound is more New Orleans-turned-country than their Portland origins would suggest.

Phantom Planet, Bright Light Fever

Friday, 8 p.m., $15 in advance

The Boardwalk

I’ll refrain from the obvious “California” and “The O.C.” references – even without the weekly help of Seth Cohen and the gang, this Los Angeles foursome is still making catchy pop-rock diddies worthy of any television soundtrack looking for some shred of trendy “indie” credibility. One thing must be said, however: I miss former drummer Jason Schwartzman. I mean, the man’s a triple-threat – actor, singer and all-around babe.

Last of the Blacksmiths, Prairie Dog

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

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

For those looking to unwind with their beverages, a solution is near: San Francisco folk-rock trio Last of the Blacksmiths have that quiet, soothing sound down pat. The night will also feature another threesome from the City – make sure to listen for “Run Around Town” by Prairie Dog.

Canja Rave

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

The G Street Pub

Bringing a taste of Brazil to Davis is Canja Rave. They have that boy-girl dynamic working for them (Paula Nozzari on drums, Chris Kochenborger on guitar) as well as the whole exotic foreigner schtick – the duo sings in their native Portuguese.

Damage Over Time, Sexciety, Graven Image, Counterstep, Redone

Saturday, 8 p.m., $10 in advance

The Boardwalk

Describing their sound as “a brutal mixture of pain and pleasure,” Sacramento band Damage Over Time promises a lineup of heavy music set for the Boardwalk on Saturday night.

Baby Grand, The Poplollys, Ricky Berger

Saturday, 9 p.m., 21

Old Ironsides in Sacramento

According to the band’s Myspace profile, “poplolly” is a term of endearment that can translate to “lil darlin'”. With songs like “Surefire Kisses,” their upbeat Americana tunes are as cutesy as their band name would imply.

Emily Jane White, Garrett Pierce

Saturday, 10 p.m., $3-5, 21

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

San Franciscan Emily Jane White evokes the dark folk sensibility of artists like Devendra Jackson and Joanna Newsom with the vocal stylings of Cat Power.

Eat Skull, English Singles, Ganglians

Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Delta of Venus

Providing an interesting combination of garage punk and new wave synth is Portland band Eat Skull. Their latest release, the 7″ Dead Families, features a fuzzy static reminiscent of the retro, slightly off-kilter pop of the sixties. Meanwhile, Ganglians will give listeners a sample of their jangly alt-country tunes with songs like “Radically Inept Candy Girl.”

OneRepublic, Carolina Liar

Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., $25 in advance

Empire Events Center

I haven’t heard much from OneRepublic since last year’s overplayed and annoyingly catchy single “Apologize.” Frankly, I’d like to keep it that way. And despite the misleading name, opening act Carolina Liar isn’t a female Americana solo act – in fact, they are an all male, six-piece Americana act.

AT THE MOVIES

Mongol

Playing now at Varsity Theatre on Second Street

Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov undertakes the story of a young Genghis Khan, who grew up in a life of starvation and slavery to become the legendary founder and ruler of the Mongol Empire.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Opens Friday at the Regal Davis Stadium 5 on G Street

After George of the Jungle and that game of gay chicken on “Scrubs,” I find it difficult to take Brendan Fraser seriously. Based on the science fiction novel by Jules Verne, this adaptation features Fraser as a volcanologist who goes on an adventure to (surprise, surprise) the center of the earth.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Opens Friday at the Regal Davis Stadium 5 on G Street

The demon superhero is back in this second installment based on the Hellboy comic book series. Killer special effects, costumes and make-up are a sure to be a given.

ART / POETRY

Flatlanders 2

Opens today at the Nelson Gallery

Following 2006’s well-received exhibition is Flatlanders 2, which features local artists from the Davis, Woodland and Sacramento area.

Ted Vasin

Friday, 7 p.m. at the Davis Art Center

San Francisco-based artist Ted Vasin is no stranger to the arts: His father was also an artist and his grandfather was a circus stage and costume designer. He’ll be presenting a live sound installation Friday.

Rebecca Morrison, Garland Thompson

Wednesday, 9 p.m. at Bistro 33

UC Davis alumna and faculty member Rebecca Morrison will read her works at Poetry Night, which occurs every first and third Wednesday of the month.

RACHEL FILIPINAS can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

Editor’s picks:

Emily Jane White, Garrett Pierce

Saturday, 10 p.m., $3-5, 21

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

Eat Skull, English Singles, Gonglians

Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Delta of Venus

Coldplay

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends

Capitol Records

Rating: 4

The past few years haven’t been very kind to Coldplay.

After selling nearly 50 million copies worldwide of their first two critically-acclaimed albums, the guys from London disappointed many with 2005’s X&Y, even getting dubbed the “Most Insufferable Band of the Decade” by the New York Times.

To make matters worse, the band became a gay joke punchline in The 40-year-old Virgin, and a media circus surrounded frontman Chris Martin when he and wife Gwyneth Paltrow decided to name their firstborn child after a fruit.

Three years later, Coldplay has reincarnated itself with the appropriately-titled Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (“Long live life!”).

The band has crafted their most daring and experimental effort yet by throwing out the old playbook and enlisting the help of famed producer Brian Eno (U2, Talking Heads, David Bowie). Taking a page out of the book of The Arcade Fire, whom Martin once called “the greatest band in history,” Coldplay sought to find itself again by recording in churches everywhere from Latin America to Spain (co-producer Markus Dravs was also an engineer on The Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible).

The holy touch pieces together the backbone of Viva la Vida, which is as majestic as it is haunting. Lead single “Violet Hill,” taking its name from a street near Abbey Road, features a distorted, ghostly guitar riff that plays off Martin’s piano line written to evoke memories of his childhood.

“Viva la Vida” is unquestionably the catchiest and most repeat-friendly song Coldplay has ever written. The anthemic title track is as toe-tap happy as it gets even though it is nearly percussionless – drummer Will Champion steadily pounds away with just a bass drum and a mallet while a dramatic string section accompanies Martin’s lament as a deposed French king.

For many years, naysayers have bashed the band for trying too hard to emulate their fellow countrymen Radiohead or attempting to be the “Biggest Band in the World” à la U2. Viva la Vida is neither OK Computer or The Joshua Tree, but the influences that it draws from both work nicely in Coldplay’s favor.

The off-kilter “Yes” borrows from Thom Yorke’s darker stylings, while the instrumental lead track “Life in Technicolor” is sure to give listeners flashbacks to “Where The Streets Have No Name.” And yet, both are also something entirely new for the band.

Viva la Vida thrives on Coldplay’s ability to forget about X&Y and step out of their comfort zone with the help of Eno. The result: A redeeming record that is the perfect combination of shoe-gazing darkness and arena-rock brightness.

Time to find a new punchline, Judd Apatow.

Give these tracks a listen: “Viva la Vida,” “Lost!”

For fans of: Travis, Snow Patrol, U2