Tokyo Police Club

Elephant Shell

Saddle Creek

Rating: 3

Maple syrup, hockey and great bands. Suffice to say, Canada has been impressive with their three best exports over the years, and Tokyo Police Club is the latest addition to the third.

With their full-length debut Elephant Shell, the Newmarket, Ontario quartet joins the likes of Arcade Fire, Tegan and Sara, Broken Social Scene and The New Pornographers in the United States‘ rock gift basket from our beloved neighbors to the north.

At first, bits and pieces of Tokyo Police Club appear to come from a familiar puzzle. Lead singer and bassist Dave Monks‘ rough-edged vocals are cushioned by a soft touch like that of The Decemberists‘ Colin Meloy, while guitarist Josh Hook emits a steady charge of Strokes-y guitar melodies throughout the 11-track LP. Once listeners are able to get over the inevitably hackneyed post-punk tinge, Elephant Shell breaks out of itself as a fine debut record.

The album begins both pithily and elegantly with “Centennial,” the shortest song of the collection. Monks gives a warm welcome to the record, “This is skin / you can wrap all of your arms and legs in,“ along with gentle keyboards and guitar harmonics that resonate before the roaring rhythm section enters the fray.

“In A Cave“ immediately follows as the album’s most danceable number, thanks to a punchy bass line and drum beat tandem reminiscent of The Cure’s classic “Close To Me.” Apart from also sharing a name with one of the finest films in recent memory, the gritty “Juno” highlights the album as Monks‘ grinding bass line guides his vocal lamentation of futile attempts at seduction.

“Tessellate,” the fifth track and first single off the Apr. 22 release Elephant Shell, melds Monks‘ buzzing bass, a percussive background of clapping and depressingly forlorn lyrics (“Dead lovers salivate / Broken hearts tessellate tonight“) together into a delectable gem.

The Club doesn’t take long to establish its prestige and convince listeners to join – Elephant Shell clocks in at less than half an hour with only one track crossing three minutes. But then again, those Canadians don’t need much time to win us over.

–Ray LinXXX

For fans of: Bloc Party, The Strokes, Interpol

Listen to these: “In a Cave,” “Juno“

Lyrics to “Tessellate“

All the boys who called their mothers on that dayWere no tough bunch but they had the nerves to go and sayThat all your secrets were drownedwith the pioneers who were flooded from this townThey packed their bags only moments too lateWith the pounding waves crashing up against the weakened water gatesCause dire times call for dire facesSo lovely dancer, call and answerTrade our places in the nightWe’re running barefoot, you and IDead lovers salivateBroken hearts tessellate tonight

Imagine the last final exam of your senior year – walking into a classroom with a pencil and Scantron in hand. However, this image is a bit different for UC Davis music majors.

The culmination of an undergraduate’s college career in music concludes with a senior recital. Picture all your friends, family and faculty in one room waiting to hear the talent you have been developing for at least the past four years.

As all seniors prepare for the completion of their undergraduate experience, those graduating from the music department within the performance track must present a solo comprehensive music recital before putting on their cap and gown.

Admission into the performance track of the major involves an audition judged by a jury of academic and studio faculty members in order to distinguish between those prepared to jump and take hold of a stage, and those who may be better suited for another track. Admitted students to the performance track must present a 30-minute junior recital and a 60-minute senior recital.

Amanda Boardman, a music major studying voice as a soprano, performed her senior recital Apr. 30. As a coloratura soprano, Boardman’s rare type of voice gives her the ability to sing above an F octave. Her repertoire consists of songs in Italian, German, French and Latin, and she will be joined by pianist accompanist alumna Laura Snell for her final performance.

“To make a recital requires a lot of thought, training, being able to find the pieces, learn them, memorize them and interpret them,” said Zoila Muñoz, Boardman’s voice teacher. “You have to be pretty reliable, stable and be firm with yourself to practice.”

To graduate well-rounded students, the music department encourages students to learn all the aspects that go into managing a recital – the entire production is their responsibility, including designing and distributing fliers and posters.

Pleased with her achievements, Boardman said, “If I were to look back on this, I would think ‘How would anyone do this?'”

Boardman has recently auditioned for the Sacramento Opera and after graduating, hopes to continue pursuing her love of performing and plans eventually to teach singing.

Students typically use the entire year to prepare and plan for their senior recital. Faculty and staff attend recitals to ensure that the student has fulfilled all of the requirements. These recitals provide opportunity for performance practice.

Kimberlee Uwate, who is studying the viola, compares performing to public speaking.

“The more and more you do it, the more comfortable you are. You notice how your nerves are going to be. If I have a shaky bow, I have learned how to deal with that, and the best way is by performing.”

Uwate has already completed her requirements to graduate with three recitals and an upcoming fourth recital. After graduation, Uwate will be headed to the Manhattan School of Music for a masters program in music.

“Being [at UC Davis] has really opened my eyes to what music can be outside of just performance – like music theory, composition and history,” said Derek Kwan, senior music and math double major.

Kwan originally entered Davis as a physics major. He said the environment of the music department positively influenced him to switch majors and study percussion.

Kwan’s recital will include many unique percussion instruments such as the snare drum, djembe (an African hand drum), marimba (a five-octave wooden mallet instrument) and a vibraphone (a three-octave metal mallet instrument).

“They get a taste of what it is like to be all by yourself to sell an important piece of music,” said D. Kern Holoman, professor of music and conductor of the UC symphony orchestra. He added that the recital is a right of passage.

“It is a collaboration between the teachers and the student,” Muñoz said. “The teacher does not make the student, the student makes the teacher.”

Senior recitals will be held through the end of May. Go to music.ucdavis.edu/events to find more information.

June Quan can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com. XXX

LAYOUT: Sidebar of schedule

Saturday, May 10, 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Kimberlee Uwate, viola.

Works include Rochberg: Viola Sonata with Peter Hill on piano, and a viola and percussion piece with Megan Shieh on percussion.

Wednesday, May 14, 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Derek Kwan, percussion.

Friday, May 23, 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Lisa Sueyres, soprano, with Laura Snell on piano.

Wednesday, May 28, 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Mary King, oboe.

Saturday, May 31, 1 to 2 p.m.

Carter Mills, soprano, with Jenny Lee on piano.

Works by Poulenc, Rodrigo, Handel, Schumann, Schubert and Britten.

Saturday, May 31, 3 to 4 p.m.

Megan Shieh, percussion.

All recitals are free admission and will take place in Room 115 of the Music Building.

Random Abiladeze

Brutally Honest

Self-released

Rating: 4

Sacramento rapper Random Abiladeze (pronounced “abilities“) really does have some serious lyrical abilities. Listening to his full-length debut, you get the sense he’s “been doing this for a while,“ and it‘s true – he has.The 22-year-old emcee, winner of this year’s Battle of The Bay Poetry Slam at Stanford University, has been rapping for almost 10 years. With his clever social commentary and polished, high energy anthems, the Northern California native has shared the stage with big-timers including Nas, Tech N9ne, Mistah F.A.B. and Luckyiam.His seamless deliveries and political charged lyrics on Brutally Honest are reminiscent of some of the hip-hop greats he cites as influences, including Nas, Tupac and KRS-One. In this vein, “Slowge Boosh,“ sarcastically pays homage to Dubya’s thug-like politics, calling Condi Rice his “little chocolate cupcake.““Don’t Stop It,“ has the kind of fun, colorful, noisy beat that is so raucous and catchy that you are tempted to just ignore the lyrics and bop your head. Nonetheless, this song summarizes some of his basic philosophies as a hip-hop artist – to send a message, while staying fresh and relevant. “Many people wish to be a part of something, so they find an interest that seems popular and dive into it for a moment to see if they can become a part of the fun. That‘s great, but I would have to say this is symptomatic of the Band Wagon Syndrome,“ he posted on his MySpace blog. As just one of the countless rappers around the country, big and small, who are a part of the current wave of politically conscious rap, perhaps one could argue that he seems to have leapt on something of a bandwagon himself. Nonetheless, what seems to separate him from the next guy is he seems fully aware of his place in the rap world – he may not be hugely well known, but he’s real and true. His dedication to artistic integrity over money is apparent in the no-sellout anthem “Lay the Foundation,“: “If hip-hop is dead, then well its steadily returning…. We don’t want to, but we gots to, be the ones who, lay the foundation.“Even if his political lyrics aren’t necessarily mind-blowingly original, he finds clever and creative ways of saying what might have already been said before. Blend that with infectious beats, and it works great.

As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one – and ASUCD and the city of Davis have taken this sagely idiom to heart.

The two institutions are sharing their resources once again for Music on the Green, an annual concert featuring local and visiting bands in Central Park on C Street. This year’s concert will be held today at 6 p.m., and will include performances from rock-pop outfits The Definite Articles, Audrye Sessions and An Angle.

“It’s safe, exciting, affordable and non-alcohol based,” said city of Davis public relations manager Bob Bowen.

The concert is a result of the Entertainment Partnership established in 2006 when former ASUCD president Caliph Assagai and then senator Kareem Salem approached the city of Davis with an idea to organize a free, non-alcohol based entertainment event for underage students.

Now in its third year, the concert was organized by current ASUCD president Ivan Carrillo, who said that the importance of the partnership lies in its dedication to providing students with alternative entertainment options.

“I think it shows that you can have an outdoor concert with college students without things getting rowdy,” he said. “It sets a good example by having an alcohol-free event that doesn’t charge admission.“

In addition to this, however, the concert also has an effect on the local music scene.

Three band members from The Definite Articles can personally vouch for this. Vocalist and cellist Shawn Alpay, violist Melody Mundy and drummer Arjun Singh are all Davis alumni, and recalled a time when local shows were few and far between until a student organization called Davis Music Scene came to fruition.

“The music scene was pretty low-key,” Singh said. “Later, when I heard that there was a student organization that was working to put on more shows … I donated as much time and effort as I could to help.“

Unfortunately, as Alpay said, the Davis Music Scene dissipated; while venues such as Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, the Delta of Venus and the ASUCD Coffee House are available music venues, the problem of an all-ages venue still persists.

“A show like [Music on the Green] is an opportunity for people to see some good bands play, despite the availability of appropriate venues to accommodate them,” Alpay said.

Mundy shared the same sentiment, expressing her wish for more shows like Music on the Green.

“It’s a shame there aren’t very many places to play. I wish the Davis and Sacramento area had a good all-ages venue.“

The Definite Articles will be playing tonight with An Angle and Audrye Sessions to fill Central Park with danceable indie-pop tunes and the occasional melancholy, down-tempo track of heartbreak. Though Carrillo said that this line-up is smaller than previous years, longer sets from each band will compensate.

Apart from the Music on the Green, the Entertainment Partnership has also managed to sponsor back-to-school events last fall, and Carrillo mentioned that there are plans under way to turn Music on the Green into a quarterly event as opposed to an annual concert.

Music on the Green takes place today at 6 p.m. in Central Park on C Street between Third and Fifth streets. The event is free and open to the public.

JAYNE WILSON can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.XXX

Throughout history, the mix tape has taken on an endless amount of meaning. It is a token of affection, means of self-entertainment, an auditory letter of confessions, a symbol of exquisite taste or ability and is of utmost didactic importance.

As efficiency increases in our McDonaldized world, the process of compiling tracks on a cassette tape has been reduced to mere clicks on a computer only for it to spit out a digitized version, the mix CD. Well, technology got that much “cooler” when it birthed the Internet – may I present to you, muxtape.com.

As bitter as I sound about the evolution of technology taking away from the start-to-finish pleasure of making a mix tape, Muxtape is actually pretty radical. My first experience with the website lasted for hours.

Created by Portland native Justin Ouellette (chromogenic.net), the “project” allows registered users to make MP3 mixes for free that non-users can listen to as well. There is the option to purchase the individual songs from an external link to amazon.com. Attached to the website is a blog containing user tips, such as how to stream from an iPhone or add Muxtape as an application to your Dock on a Mac (don’t worry, the website is more than PC-friendly too).

A good mix tape, regardless of its format, is one that either travels gradually through different styles or ties together songs by single or multiple elements. For someone who is looking for new music on Muxtape, this is key. Say you click on a random user name from the homepage, and it takes you to a list where you only recognize one or two bands that you like. If you give the list a chance, you’re pretty likely to hear more things you like. That’s the spirit of the mix tape – aside from giving a message, it gives you that “similar artists” function naturally instead of calculating it the way last.fm does. But I’ll admit, I use last.fm too (add me: unxfinished).

From my experience, using patience to give Muxtape pages full listens as opposed to using the sampling method is really effective for both enjoyment and education aspects. For example, I learned a lot about bluegrass-inspired contemporary music by exploring JBIRD’s list, which included the solo work of Band of Horses‘ Tyler Ramsey (who played at Sophia’s last weekend). The same playlist drifted into the rootsy origin of Ramsey’s sound, with artists like Dire Straits‘ Mark Knopfler and eventually a track from the honorable Doc Watson. It’s funny what the Internet can teach you when you’re not looking to learn.

Also from exploring Muxtape, I was turned on to new music I had never considered before from genres I hold a lot of ignorance about. For example, who knew French hip-hop was so good, and what mainstream radio rap fan in the United States wouldn’t enjoy MC Solaar?

Muxtape possesses a multidimensional function, and especially for me, it opens up my eyes to new things while making it quick and painless for me to find music to listen to as opposed to an overwhelming iTunes library. My only criticism is that because all MP3s are linked to an Amazon search, sometimes clicking “buy this MP3” will result in “search has found no results.” But if a listener is truly interested, a little web browsing will do for finding a place to purchase the song.

But for a music listening website, I’d place Muxtape over Pandora.com or last.fm as one of the best ways to find new music, although it does not customize itself to your interests after it learns your listening habits. But in a way, that’s for the better – I’d prefer to seek out music than to be handed it; it’s a more valuable and earned experience.

You can view NICOLE L. BROWNER’s carefully crafted first muxtape by visiting unxfinished.muxtape.com. Tell her how much it sucks or how much it moved you at nlbrowner@ucdavis.edu.XXX

080508_ar_caseyneill.C

Layout: events box with both shows please!, also, picture

Headline: Entertainment spotlight: Casey Neill and the Rodents

Layercake: Members of The Decemberists come to town for Sophia’s, Whole Earth Festival

By JUSTIN HO

Aggie Arts Writer

Though the Seattle grunge movement took the ’90s limelight with such figureheads as Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell, other genres and styles consistently poured out of the region long before “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Casey Neill, frontman of the Portland-based Casey Neill and the Norway Rats, used the Seattle musical explosion as a foundation for his own musical expression, which is centered around folk and traditional styles rather than heavy, distorted guitars.

Neill will be performing at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen on Friday and at the Whole Earth Festival Saturday night. Graduating in 1989 from Evergreen State College in Washington, he went on to pursue roots-based folk music. Soon after his graduation he wrote and recorded a Celtic and Americana-based album, released by the folk and roots-oriented label Appleseed Recordings.

Neill’s most recent album Brooklyn Bridge is a product of six years of writing, planning and producing. The record combines multiple genres, including slower folk melodies, fast-paced punk lines and an underlying country twang. Contributions to the album include performances by Decemberists keyboardist and accordionist Jenny Conlee, who will also be in town with Neill this weekend, as well as Chris Funk of the Decemberists, folk musician John Wesley Harding and Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, guitarist for Steve Earl and the Dukes.

“[Neill] has more of a Celtic and punk influence, all the while being a roots and folk performer,” said Michael Leahy, Sophia’s Thai Kitchen’s live music booker. “He brings those other elements into his music, and that’s what makes him stand out.”

Neill’s distinctive storytelling style of singing, emphasized by his deep and hard-edged vocal style, takes a narrative approach and touches issues of world problems, environmental issues and social consciousness.

“I listen to a lot of Springsteen, who does a lot of intense storytelling,” Neill said. “The outside world is inherently telling stories, and if you’re addressing political issues, people find the more didactic, cheerleading political thing preachy. I like stories that draw people into the issue.”

Neill, who will be performing at the Whole Earth Festival on Saturday, naturally identifies with the festival’s overall themes of consciousness and world concern. Neill and Conlee have played at the Whole Earth Festival in past years.

“We’re all very aware, and we have a lot of environmental concerns,” Conlee said. “We love being affiliated with these kind of events.”

“[Neill’s] music is very personal,” said Evan Kersnar, entertainment director for the Whole Earth Festival. “I think the reason that a lot of people are so connected to the Whole Earth festival is that they find it to be a more of a family thing. It has a good vibe, and people feel a personal connection to it.”

Conlee and Neill both have a history of playing in Davis, as Conlee’s college band often frequented the G St. Pub and Neill’s first festival performance was at WEF. When asked about the differences of playing in smaller venues like Sophia’s, Conlee expressed a strong liking for the closer and more intimate atmosphere.

“I’ve played venues of all sizes, and I’ve toured with many different bands,” Conlee said. “It’s fun playing in a small venue – there’s a lot less stuff, and you can really talk to the fans if you want since you’re not whisked away to some backstage private zone. There’s a much better connection to the audience.”

Casey Neill and the Norway Rats, with Jenny Conlee of the Decemberists, will take the stage this weekend, at Sophia’s on Friday at 10 p.m. and the Whole Earth Festival on Saturday on the Walker stage. Casey will also be playing live on KDVS 90.3 FM during Leahy’s Cool as Folk show on Friday, from 6 to 8 p.m.

JUSTIN HO can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.XXX

LIVE MUSIC

The Definite Articles, An Angle, Audrye Sessions

Today, 6 p.m.

Central Park

The yearly Music on the Green is back to take over Central Park in downtown Davis. This year features several UC Davis alumni in various pop, indie and folk-related genres.

Whole Earth Festival

Friday through Sunday

UC Davis Quad

It’s the hippie’s version of Picnic Day, and it’s going to take over your campus this weekend. Enjoy live music, food and crafts from all over the world at this incredibly eclectic, free-spirited and fantastically fun festival. More information can be found at wef.ucdavis.edu.

The Pyronauts

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

The G St. Pub

Slick back that pompadour and throw on some OP corduroy short shorts with your favorite Hawaiian shirt for a rockabilly-surf inspired set. The Pyronauts may not come from the warmest waters, but their Dick Dale-esque songs with long-winded solos will get you hot and bothered for a quality spy film.

Casey Neill and the Norway Rats, Run On Sentence

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

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

It’s the Decemberists season for Davis shows – we’ve already hosted their previous female drummer Rachel Blumberg, and now we have current female member Jenny Conlee in another Decemberists-related ensemble.

Open Mic at the Colleges

Friday, 8 p.m.

147 Colleges at LaRue

Bring your poetry, music, spoken word and any type of performance that involves being at the microphone out to the Colleges. It’s a free-speech event by the bonfire.

‘78 Beatles, Mucky the Ducky, Many Many Blogs

Saturday, 5 p.m.

Old Firehouse

Okay, I’ve got some good news and some bad news: The good news is that this is a Craig Fergus Presents showcase of KDVS DJ musicians, free of charge. The bad news is that there won’t be any free chocolate soymilk like there usually is at this venue. More good news, however, is that you’re likely to get your fix of parking tickets read aloud, live blogging and much, much more.

Hillstomp, Patrick Ferris

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

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

There’s been a long absence of the local young blues fanatic Patrick Ferris, a UC Davis student and steel guitar-playing extraordinaire. And he’s the perfect precursor to a night of hillstompin‘ with a taste of Portland’s impressive bluegrass. Hopefully the weather will be nice enough to make this a shirtless evening out on the patio.

Alicia Keys

Sunday, 7 p.m., $37.75-$123.25

ARCO Arena in Sacramento

The braided R&B pianist will most likely take your breath away as she belts out numbers so good it hurts the soul. I hope that she changes through a wide array of headwear between songs. Just make sure you don’t bring up gangsta rap with her.

Eisley, The Myriad, Vedera

Tuesday, 8 p.m., $15 in advance and $18 at the door

The Empire

They’re cute, they’re Texans, and guess what else – they’re all related! You can’t lose with those kinds of qualities. Witness cuteness at the utmost level with rock-pop’s Eisley, a band that started out by opening for Coldplay and now attracts its own huge audiences.

Makana

Tuesday, 8 p.m., $15

The Palms Playhouse in Winters

Guitarist and Hawaii resident Makana has sailed the seas and is touring the mainland this spring. Witness his delicate guitar and voice which hits styles of slack key guitar while touching on folk, rock, ethnic, bluegrass and so much more. He is considered one of the greatest living slack key guitar players, so don’t miss this unique opportunity!

GALLERY

Joseph Grigely

Friday, 4:30 p.m.

University Club

The visiting artist lecture series nears the end with this highly accomplished and multidisciplinary artist and cultural theorist. Grigely will draw from is experiences in both realms of work for this intimate campus lecture.

Faces of Yolo Hospice

Friday, 7 p.m.

Pence Gallery

Hospice is an often-overlooked profession since it’s hidden within the homes of the sick and dying. In order to expose this realm of work and its many wonders, there will be black and white photographs from Yolo County hospice, supplemented with narratives from interviews taken with patients and nurses.

(waning) Extended Ambient Set

Saturday, 6:30 p.m.

Center for Contemporary Art in Sacramento

Second Saturday is back for the month, so if WEF isn’t your thing, the weekend won’t be a total bust. Art by painter Boyd Gavin and UC Davis professor Matthias Geiger will be at this location. Other live music and art exhibits will mark the Sacramento area, such as Bodytribe, The Blue Lamp and Javalounge for Joshua Hunt’s work. For more information on the events, visit sacramento-second-saturday.org.

MONDAVI / DANCE

“Floorcraft“

Today through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., $15

Davis Veterans Memorial Theatre

Spotlight Dance & Fitness is a group of both professional and amateur ballroom, Latin and swing style dancers, many of which are UC Davis students and alumni. “Floorcraft” is its sixth annual performance and will include choreography by Ron Montez, who has been featured on the television show “So You Think You Can Dance.“

UC Davis Baroque Ensemble

Friday, 8 p.m., $6 for students and $12 for non-students

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Baroque music explores periods of classical and European musicianship, typically post-Renaissance. The in-residence ensemble here at UC Davis will take the stage for an annual performance of Bach, Vivaldi and more.

Khayaal: Dreams Unfold on Stage

Saturday, 5:30 p.m., $15 for students and $18 for non-students

Jackson Hall at Mondavi

It’s an evening of UC Davis performers from the South Asian Student Organization (SASO), taking on the various realms of Indian dance from the modern, folk and classical perspectives.

AT THE MOVIES

Young @ Heart

Opens Friday at the Varsity Theatre on Second Street.

Just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re unable to be hip. These geezers sing covers of Coldplay, Sonic Youth and more. The 2007 documentary by Stephen Walker has won an award at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Asian American Film Festival

Today through May 16

194 Chemistry

It’s time to throw out everything you preconceived about Asian Americans and enjoy quality films all for free. For a full schedule see aaafilm.org or the feature and event information on page __.

Be Kind Rewind

Wednesday at 8 p.m.

123 Sciences Lecture

Jack Black, Mos Def and Danny Glover under the instruction of Michel Gondry? That’s a trippy thing to imagine, but anything works for me when it’s free.

Editor’s picks

Whole Earth Festival

Friday through Saturday, UC Davis Quad

Hillstomp, Patrick Ferris

Saturday, Sophia’s

This week in Davis:

Audrye Sessions

Whole Earth Festival

Be Kind Rewind

ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

Take one, or many, of the opportunities to view free Asian American films this week. Schedule inside.

REVIEW: IRON MAN

Your favorite Marvel Comics metal man has fused with the silver screen!

MUSIC ON THE GREEN

Take your picnic basket out to Central Park today for a free concert with An Angle, The Definite Articles and Audrye Sessions.XXX

Whether it is being relegated to the role of the “model minority” or being automatically associated with martial arts, the portrayal of Asians and Asian Americans in films has been limited. Trying to break these boundaries in mainstream media is the UC Davis Asian American Association Film Festival.

The AAA Film Festival is going on now until May 16, screening all films for free in 194 Chemistry. Today at 7 p.m. will be a showing of the Chinese 2007 film Dark Matter.

Now in its fifth year, the mission of the film festival is to shed light on the social experiences and issues of Asian Americans – a community that is largely underrepresented or ignored within the mainstream.

“The mainstream media kind of clumps Asian Americans together,” said AAA Film Festival co-director Angelina Yu, a senior human development and Asian American studies double major. “Our films really highlight the diversity within the [Asian and Pacific Islander] community, because ‘Asian American‘ reflects so many different ethnic groups.“

The film festival also works to dispel the common typecasting of Asian Americans that are the result of such a narrow portrayal within the media. Co-director Hilland Chiu, a junior sociology and psychology double major, explained that these films could help create a better understanding devoid of any stereotypes through “creat[ing] a new perspective of how they see [Asian Americans].“

Important topics within the Asian American community are addressed in the films, Chiu added. Tonight’s film Dark Matter, directed by Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng, deals with the challenging transition of an outsider to life in America. It follows a Chinese physics student who has to adjust to a new lifestyle when he is enrolled in an American university.

The AAA Film Festival also gives UC Davis students a chance to showcase their own work. Student filmmakers were invited to submit short films that will be screened at the end of the festival on May 16. A panel of judges from the Asian American studies and film studies departments will award a prize to the best film.

“Our main goal was to encourage students, whether in groups or individually, to produce films,” Yu said.

Chiu said that there has been a definite expansion of the Asian and Pacific Islander community within the mainstream media. Besides the rising commercial success of Asian American actors like Kelly Hu and directors like Justin Lin, Chiu also added that the availability of screenings of such films has spread across the country.

“A lot of festivals have been [held] around the country over the years,” Chiu said. “Before, it was just in San Francisco. It also caters to non-Asian audiences.“

Senior biological sciences major and AAA Film Festival fundraising coordinator Johnny Wu said that people both inside and outside of the Asian American community could also benefit from the screenings.

“[We showcase] films that Hollywood might not greenlight that portray Asians and Asian Americans in a different light,” Wu said. “We’re a multifaceted group and we’re not just one face.“

The AAA Film Festival continues now until May 16. For more information and a schedule of films, visit aaafilm.org.

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