Non-traditionals takes on traditional winter-time tracks

Holiday music appeases two types of people: those anticipating Nov. 1 with their fists still clutching melted Halloween candy, and the second, more traditional, post-turkey-day-only kinds of listeners. Either way, two months of shuffling through the same 100 songs can inspire anyone to spike the eggnog until DJ grandpa finally forgets how to use Spotify. To save you the trouble, here’s a short list of nontraditional holiday re-makes:

Don’t Waste Your Wishes album by The Killers

Alternative rock band The Killers recently released their Christmas album, Don’t Waste Your Wishes. The album’s proceeds benefit RED, an organization that fights against AIDS, adding another reason to purchase their work. This year’s album includes all the usual tracks, but also has a special rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” in which lead singer Brandon Flowers sings a duet with his fourth-grade music teacher, who originally taught him the song. Any Killers fan is guaranteed to enjoy the album, but it also serves as a compromise; it will appease the more traditional listeners while relieving you of the “Santa Baby” monotony.

“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” by The Head and the Heart

Hailing from Seattle, the Head and the Heart are known for their charming acoustics and beautiful harmonies — and this track proves no different. Originally recorded in 2012, this classic song is arguably from the band’s better days, before the pop evolution of Signs of Light. Jon Russell’s vocals are deep and husky, reminiscent of the real classics — Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett — but with a folksy twist. And, for anyone dreading the holidays, what a better way to look past them than a forward-thinking “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” chorus. This track (and most on this playlist) are taken from Holidays Rule, an album featuring various artists from all genres and walks of fame.

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” by Punch Brothers

This stunning track by bluegrass band Punch Brothers serves not as a teary-eyed track for Christmas Eve nor as a bedtime lullaby for excited, Santa-anticipating children. With its banjo, mandolin and incredible acoustics, this song serves as nothing better than the ideal soundtrack to America’s real favorite holiday: Black Friday.

While customers play bumper cars with shopping carts and suburban moms shoot laser beams from their eyes, hum this tume. While a shopper waits all night in line to buy their daughter the newest iPhone, don’t steal the last matching Kate Spade phone case, but instead, sing aloud: “O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free / Thine own from Satan’s tyranny / From depths of Hell Thy people save / And give them victory o’er the grave.”

“Blue Christmas” by Heartless Bastards

As a traditional rock band, Heartless Bastards intentionally toned down their characteristically growly vocals for this rendition. Perhaps it was done in the spirit of the holidays, or even with the idea of experimenting in sound. Either way, Erika Wennerstrom’s voice sounds suppressed in a wonderfully pleading manner. Perhaps Wennerstrom, too, has become fed up with her family’s obsession over the arrangement of the tree’s ornaments, and began hoping those reindeers ran her over instead of grandma.

Written by: Ally Overbay — arts@theaggie.org

The Aggie investigates Davis’ ice cream offerings

It seems ironic for someone who is lactose intolerant to be covering a story on ice cream, but I was looking for any excuse to eat one of my favorite desserts again. I guess I’m just really dedicated to journalism. I taste-tested some of downtown Davis’ favorite ice cream spots, factoring in student budget and, of course, flavor.

Read on to get the scoop:

Davis Creamery:

An employee explained to me that the favorite flavors that week were Avocado Coconut and Trifecta, each voted in by the Bracketology board, a Davis Creamery feature which allows their customers to pick their favorite flavors each week. I got one cone of each, eagerly awaiting the first bites.

Trifecta is a blend of Reese’s peanut butter cups, Butterfinger and Oreo with underlying tones of vanilla. This flavor is definitely for anyone who eats Reese’s on the daily. The ice cream was pretty standard overall, and could have been improved by having real chunks of Reese’s and Butterfinger evenly dispersed with the Oreo bits.

I was extremely skeptical of the Avocado Coconut ice cream, as it was a suspiciously pale green. As much as I love avocado, I prefer my sweet and savory foods to stay separate. Luckily for me, coconut was the overpowering flavor, and the avocado made the dessert creamier. To me, though, the flavor was too weak, and it tasted like eating a cleansing face mask, not a sweet treat.

Each scoop is $2.75 each, but if you go on Mondays from 5 to 10 p.m. the ice cream is $1.75 for each scoop, providing a reasonable price point for the money-pinching college student.

Gelato Classico:

Connected to the Varsity movie theater, Gelato Classico was definitely populated by an older crowd. This is probably because a child’s size ice cream is an outrageous $4.00. The flavors were definitely more adventurous, however, featuring options such as Honey Lavender and Fresh Ginger. I sampled Fresh Ginger first, a flavor which packs a punch with chunks of ginger folded into the ice cream. This one will definitely help clear the sinuses. Honey Lavender was the perfect harmony of tastes. Slightly sweet with a tinge of lavender essence, it’s an adventurous choice but is grounded in familiar flavor profiles. Overall, Gelato Classico leaves your stomach happy but your wallet hurting.

CREAM:

Most of us have probably been to CREAM or at least seen a long line out the door. Their famous ice cream sandwiches and cheap prices ($2.50 for one scoop) attract students desperate to improve their Instagram feeds and who want to indulge after a long study session. I ordered one of their best-sellers, Salted Caramel, which has a vanilla base with ribbons of salted caramel coating the ice cream. This flavor is for those of us who have a serious case of the sweet tooth. This flavor represents CREAM as a whole: a traditional and simple flavor executed pretty well.

The Verdict:

I would recommend stocking your fridge with Ben and Jerry’s and not leaving your room at all. More ice cream at a cheaper price and less movement required. Wins on all fronts.

Written by: Abigail Wang — arts@theaggie.org

National Novel Writing Month is over — now what?

Over the course of the past month, writers all over the globe have been furiously typing away, accompanied by endless amounts of stress and flowing creativity, determined to meet one goal — write 50,000 words.

For those who are unfamiliar with the phenomenon of National Novel Writing Month, more commonly known as NaNoWriMo, it is a web-based challenge run by a non-profit organization on a mission to inspire creative minds to find their voices. No fuss, no editing, just continuous writing. The objective of the challenge is to finish a 50,000 word novel within the span of 30 days, which does not leave any room for any excuses or procrastination.

As December is finally here, the challenge has come to an end, meaning that there will inevitably be winners and losers — those who completed their word goal and those who did not. However, whether or not participants finished the challenge, the end of November is hardly the finish line for most.

“I definitely am going to keep writing,” said Caitlyn Sampley, a first-year cinema and digital media major, who reached the 50,000-word mark a week before the deadline. “Even though I won the challenge, I still don’t really consider myself finished because my story isn’t done yet.”

Sampley began outlining her novel well before the starting day, which ultimately aided her in completing the challenge on time.

“[For those who want to do NaNoWriMo next year], I would say plan as much as you can beforehand,” Sampley said. “Plan well enough ahead of time, so that you’re sort of winging it, but you’ve still got a strong outline to go off of.”

As a first-year student myself, I had the special opportunity this fall quarter to participate in NaNoWriMo, thanks to my freshman seminar which focused specifically on completing the challenge. The class provided a supportive community and useful insight throughout this stressful endeavor. Without the seminar, I would have never even known what National Novel Writing Month was. As part of my grade, I took on the 50,000 word challenge and wrote vigorously for 30 straight days. I found that although the experience was demanding, (as many of my classmates would agree), the overall writing process has been enlightening.

I believe that NaNoWriMo process has not only made me a stronger writer but also forced me to simply keep on creating, even when my mind wanted to give up. I found that the infamous “writer’s block” does not truly exist, and that I could keep writing as long as I didn’t let my own self-doubt get in my way. I also discovered the true meaning of time management, as writing an average of 2,000 words a day was no easy feat. Along with classes, midterms, social activities and extracurriculars, fitting in the time to sit down and write for at least an hour a day appeared practically impossible in the beginning. However, there was always a way to make it work in the end.

NaNoWriMo is truly such a unique event, as one can never really understand what it takes to write a novel until actually doing it. I would urge anyone with enough will and determination to take on the challenge.

After all, November’s only 11 months away. Time to get planning.

Written by: Sydney Odman — arts@theaggie.org

Student-run class provides students with experience in event planning

Every spring, the Student Fashion Association (SFA) hosts an elaborate charity fashion show in which student designers can showcase their work. An incredible amount of effort, organization and planning goes into the annual event for it to run smoothly, and this is all accomplished by the students who participate in the SFA Fashion Show Planning Class, held every Winter Quarter. Facilitated by the board members of SFA, this one-unit class helps students expand their knowledge of what it takes to plan and organize such an exciting event.

Camille Ramos, a third-year textiles and clothing major and SFA social media coordinator, touched on the club and class’ welcoming environment for students of any major.

“We’ve very inclusive […] our members can range to an animal science major, to a pre-vet student, pre-law, to textiles and design majors,” Ramos said. “Especially during the fashion show planning class, you get to be in contact and learn how to communicate with professionals, whether that be designers, the entertainment or photographers, and we try to enhance those skills for [students] to become better communicators and be able to facilitate such a huge event.”

The board members are in charge of facilitating the student-run class, and it becomes a collaborative effort to bring all aspects of the fashion show together. The class is split into different committees — decorations, marketing, fundraising, stage design and talent. According to SFA president Jeannette Chiu, “It’s all about group work!”

Chiu, a fourth-year design and communication double major, strongly believes that the value of teamwork is essential for any student’s success.

“When we graduate, we’ll have to work in groups, so it’s building on communication skills and leadership skills,” Chiu said. “Even if you’re not very vocal, you can still be a leader.”

Alana Williams, a second-year design major and SFA club member, also emphasized the benefits of the fashion show planning class, regardless of major.

“Anyone outside of the design and textiles major could take the class, because you get to meet new people and network,” Williams said. “We work with a lot of clubs on campus, and you get to learn business aspects for what it takes to run a fashion show, or anything in general.”

Even for those who have no prior experience, SFA has them covered, too.

“It’s all a learning process, and you’ll have many people to support you if you don’t have any experience,” Williams said.

The theme for last year’s fashion show was “Wanderlust,” and all funds from the show were donated to the Children’s Literacy Foundation.

“Our funds helped the organization give books and school supplies in areas where they don’t have the educational materials that are needed, and this also encourages [kids] to grow their passion for reading and writing,” Chiu said. This year’s theme and charity choice are still undecided.

There may be a lot of work involved, but it’s worth it to the students involved, who are doing what they love.

“It’s a lot of planning, but it all comes together because we have a common goal,” Chiu said.

For more information, readers may check out SFA’s Facebook page and its website, sfaucd.com, for information and videos of past fashion shows. The class will be held Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. in Wellman 216. The course is P/NP, and the CRN is 42413.

Written by: Pari Sagafi — arts@theaggie.org

Liquid Hotplates host annual showcase this Saturday

The Liquid Hotplates, a co-ed a cappella group on campus, is here to offer students a gleeful time in the form of AlottaCappella 2016, its annual concert.

“[Singing] has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, so joining a college a cappella group was the next logical step after a lifetime of choir, and the Liquid Hotplates was my personal favorite based on the quality of their sound,” said Kiersten Allison, a third-year animal science major and co-public relation chair for the Liquid Hotplates. “I absolutely love being a member of this group, and it is by far the highlight of my college career.”

This quarter, the Hotplates has been preparing for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) in April 2017, a competition for top-notch student groups around the globe.

“Right now, it’s not just the competition [though],” said Cole Hofberg, a third-year civil engineering major and co-music director. “[We] try to figure out what the group wants and then decide what arrangement we want to do, and how we want to spend our time. One of our goals is to do the competition but as well as one of our biggest shows: AlottaCappella.”

Most of the Davis a cappella groups will be performing, including Davis Chamber Choir, The Spokes and the Lounge Lizards. The majority of songs performed in the show will be R&B, soul and pop music. As the host of the show, the Liquid Hotplates will perform several songs, including “Hey Ya” by Outkast and “Here,” an R&B mashup song by Alessia Cara.

“We are so excited to perform at AlottaCappella again this year,” said Amanda Beardsley, a fourth-year psychology major and president of The Spokes. “In the fall, we usually travel to LA and Berkeley for various showcases and it’s so much fun. With being so busy, it’s so nice to end the quarter with a show in Davis surrounded by a great a cappella community. The Liquid Hotplates always put on an amazing show and we are very excited to hear them perform.”

For the Hotplates, one of the most exciting parts of the performance this year will be its new sound equipment. In past years, the host rented sound equipment for performances, and had all the performing groups share four microphones on stage.

“This is the first year we will be using our own sound equipment, and we will also ramp up the decorations more than ever this year. SciLec will truly be glowing with musical bliss,” Allison said. “Those attending should prepare themselves for a night of wonderful music and being endlessly entertained by the variety of talented voices performing in the show!”

AlottaCappella 2016 will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 8 to 11 p.m. at Science Lecture Hall 123. Pre-sale tickets are available online for $10. For more information about the show, please visit its Facebook event page.

Written by: Betty Wu — arts@theaggie.org

Wildly popular Netflix drama speaks to unease of current generation

Black Mirror doesn’t hesitate to be full-on effed up from the get-go: the pilot episode is about the kidnapping of a British princess who can only be saved if the British Prime Minister agrees to perform sexual intercourse with a pig and broadcast it live internationally. It’s bizarre, yes, but in a way, it captures the insanity of the modern age.

Black Mirror, a British break-out hit available on Netflix, isn’t just a TV show; it’s smart, sharp commentary on 21st-century technology development and consumption. Copying the stand-alone dramatic style of The Twilight Zone, each episode of Black Mirror has a different plot that cuts deep into our psyche which has become so closely braided with the mysterious nature of contemporary technology. The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror overlap in not only framework, but in concept as well. The Twilight Zone aired in the midst of the Cold War and featured the confusion and dismay of the time as many episodes’ plots centered around the end of the world, bomb shelters and neighbor against neighbor.

It is no wonder why Black Mirror has taken so much inspiration from the cult classic — the show deals with a similar anxiety but in a modern context. In each episode, the show explores psychological and societal problems that stem from social media and technology. The episode “White Christmas” features chips planted in people’s heads that copy an individual’s consciousness to then be placed into a device that controls a Smart House based on that specific individual’s likes, dislikes and daily patterns. The program knows just how an individual likes their toast, and seems to know people better than they know themselves — an eerie thought in an era of smartphones and self-driving cars.

Another subtly haunting example occurs at the end of the first episode. As the Prime Minister sits in a bathroom covered in sweat and vomit (after his sexual encounter with the pig), his cell phone continues to ring as the frame slowly turns black — even in our most vulnerable moments, an omnipotent social media presence still reigns supreme. There is no personal space. Silence fails to exist.

Black Mirror is not the only show currently exploring the repercussions of technology. Mr. Robot portrays a social outcast, Elliot, who gets involved in a revolutionary computer hacking group named fsociety that plans to take down a major tech corporation. Both shows express the subconscious fear and anxiety surrounding society’s increasing dependence on technology. Moreover, both shows tap into this unease and translate it to fit a larger, more accessible platform. Black Mirror has plots that are absolutely insane and downright creepy, but are relatable at the same time. That’s the truly scary part.

As for Mr. Robot, it portrays the subtle isolation embodied in technology — genuine social interactions are gone, as demonstrated by the socially isolated Elliot. Nonetheless, underlying the show is an anger concerning the control technology possesses and ultimately leads to a social revolution in the show. Maybe something similar is on the horizon in reality.

The haunting party of these sci-fi shows is that while the ideas may seem far-fetched, they really are not once reflected on. With the current trends and progression of contemporary technology, the concepts of both shows are somewhat feasible. There lies the dualism of technology: while it provides us with the gift of limitless information, it also poses the potential for horrifying results.

Entertainment is entering a new stage of content, one that centers around the anxiety of our current age. Like in the The Twilight Zone, having content that was able to express the population’s emotions and anxiety served to motivate discussion, to prevent a bottling-up of emotions. These shows are well written, well-produced and, most importantly, make their large audiences think; that’s the beauty of entertainment.

Written by: Caroline Rutten — arts@theaggie.org