Album Review: Shout It Out! by Hanson

Review By Laura Formanek

After spending the last few years demonstrating their humanitarian side, the Hanson brothers are back with a new album: Shout It Out! Inspired by the classic sounds of the 1960s R&B and rock’n’roll, Shout It Out is unlike anything Hanson has done before. This album has a unique and funky sound, which is new to the Hanson brothers’ typically mellow pop-rock music. Most of the songs incorporate horn arrangements into the mix, giving their music an eclectic and retro feel. It will transport you back to the early days of rock’n’roll. Take their latest single “Thinkin’ ‘Bout Somethin’” as an example. The melody is rich with brass, R&B flair, and even a cowbell. It has already made its way onto song lists and music video countdowns (If you haven’t already seen the cheery and comical music video, check it out on YouTube).

While their last record, "The Walk", had deeper meaning (It was inspired by their visit to the impoverished villages in sub-Saharan Africa affected by the AIDS epidemic, which is also where the proceeds from their record sales went), Shout It Out is light-hearted and filled with optimism and soul. The songs will make you want to get up and dance and since along. The brothers have a talent for harmony and melody, but they also have a knack for writing powerful lyrics. As you listen to these songs, the meaning and depth of the some of the lyrics (“Carry You There” and “Make It Out Alive”) will make you think about life, love, and knowing yourself.

Believe me; these brothers have come a long way from their early days. Give them a chance and get your copy of Shout It Out! You’ll be impressed that these talented musicians are the same kids that first brought you MMMBop.

Summer 2010: Movies We've Seen and Judged

Iron Man 2

By Sarah Holmes

I must say I do enjoy looking and listening to Robert Downey Jr. but I disliked the pompousness of Tony Stark too much in the second Iron Man to really appreciate his presence. Once or twice his quirkiness was fun, taking the remains of a relief map his dad had made and sticking it into the backseat of his convertible. Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) remained a character I could relate to, but the small flame of romance between her and Stark seemed pushed. Her feelings I felt were genuine (though ill-placed), but his were far too selfish when it came to personal relationships for me to trust that he would be nice to her.

Yes, these were my main thoughts after the credits rolled. The action was not quite enough to astound me so I had to pick apart the relationships and personalities of the main characters. Don Cheadle was good in his role as Lt. Cl. James “Rhodey” Rhodes; I liked that he was the one man in the movie that did not take any of Tony Stark’s crap. But I can’t say his performance in that suit was really anything to shake a metal finger at. Mickey Rourke’s performance I did like, his personality, his anger from a misunderstanding made sense. He seemed less of an ass than the main character who is supposed to be the hero. The trick he played on Stark’s rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) was clever. That guy deserved it, although the people harmed in the process did not, but it was still an interesting plot twist. Had Black Widow, not called such within the movie, had more time to be stealthy and beat the crap out of twenty guys more than once, I might have enjoyed Iron Man 2 more. Scarlet Johansson’s performance as an undercover agent of sorts was the most memorable part of this second installment of yet another superhero franchise.

This seemed to be a sequel reliant on special effects and the assumption that the audience will just fill in the gaps left by the lack of mutual affection between Stark and Pepper and the barely explained secret group consisting of Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlet Johansson clad all in black. It wasn’t necessarily a waste of money but it was fairly unmemorable for an action movie. I can only hope there is a more evil nemesis and a better explained secret forces group in the next film, should there be one. Otherwise Robert Downey Jr. can stick to Sherlock Holmes, he’s much funnier and much less annoying in that role.

Toy Story 3

By Sarah Holmes

I was excited and skeptical, as one should be after the decent but unworthy third installments of Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean, as I entered the theater with my family. These were both met well by the adventurous start of the third film which brought back the opening sequences of the first two with some high-tech imaginings added.

I was glad to hear the familiar voices; I dislike it when they change characters and voices equally from film to film (think the disappointment of Aladdin and the Return of Jafar). Even Slinky’s voice was an excellent match despite the death of its original master. Right away the comedy was present, the flow of character interactions, and the logical progression of a boy’s relationship with his toys were present. Emotions were felt right away with the acknowledgement of the loss of toys like Bo Peep and Etch. But plenty new characters were ready to make their debut.

The storyline of a daycare taking the toys, mistakenly, had all the feel of the first two with lost toys, actions taken out of context, and how toys would have to deal with such events. The personalities persisted of Woody (Tom Hanks), faithful to Andy until the end; Buzz (Tim Allen), who is in command of any situation except when it comes to the ladies or particularly Jessie; Jessie (Joan Cusack), always excited for life but still fearful of being abandoned; the sarcasm and fickleness of Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles) and Hamm (John Ratzenberger); the loyalty of Slinky (Blake Clark); and the cowardliness but innocence of Rex (Wallace Shawn).

Of the new toys Lotso (Ned Beatty) was the most abominable, Big Baby, a naked generic baby doll, brought back the chill the toys beneath Sid’s bed in the first film evoked, and Ken (Michael Keaton) relieved the tensions of the new group’s hostility with his flamboyant personality. Little Bonnie (Emily Hahn), the daughter of one of the daycare workers, has her own group of toys that Woody encounters and these introduced characters that weren’t repeats of ones already found in the world of Toy Story with the thespian hedgehog Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton), an easy-going unicorn named Buttercup (Jeff Garlin), a girly dinosaur Trixie (Kristen Schaal) that had the closest personality to another character, that of Rex, and the level-headed Dolly (Bonny Hunt). The Peas-in-a-Pod with names Peatey, Peanelope, and Peatrice were also a cute addition reminiscent of the still present alien toys from Pizza Planet, but not nearly as annoying. These additions could possibly make an eventual fourth film a do-able endeavor.

Not that I would hope the creators would jump onto that bandwagon. The film’s conclusion left us satisfied after the tear-jerking scenes in the junkyard with a feeling of hope as well as what is important: friendship and loyalty. This film, which could easily advocate materialism, shows instead what good people can do by donating, by giving up instead of throwing away or storing what they no longer use. It also shows how some material items connect us to our past, our childhood, and some great memories. But just as the last two films concluded-- without the necessity of another installment --it left us with the possibility and one that might not be so bad.

The Last Airbender

By Sarah Holmes

I must admit that I am a huge fan of this cartoon series and believe it to be one of the best shows that Nickelodeon has aired since the likes of Hey Arnold and even non-cartoons like Are You Afraid of the Dark? I believe it’s probably better because it combines drama, humor, and adventure better than most television series do these days. With such high regard for the cartoon it is hard to say how utterly disappointed I was with the film. Even had I known nothing of the series I can say for certain I would have left feeling like $10 and that hour and forty-three minutes of my life could have been better spent seeing Eclipse (and I detest the Twilight series).

The biggest flaw was the complete lack of characterization. There was no personality to any character and very little in the way of good acting. Two clips in the trailer that appeared to show Sokka’s (Jackson Rathbone) personality were mysteriously absent in the theater cut of the movie. Not that these could have saved it, for Katara (Nicola Peltz) and Aang (Noah Ringer), the main female and male protagonists, were devoid of anything but sadness and remorse with the same corresponding facial expression throughout. Their rival Zucko (Dev Patel) was one of the biggest disappointments with a less-than-noticeable facial deformity (which is prominent in the series) as well as the wrong hairstyle; and I have to mention the complete lack of the bad-ass-hottie factor. And his Uncle Iroh (Shaun Toub) who in the series was a fat, old, tea-loving man was turned into a lean, dread-locked 40-something who lacked the charm of the hand-drawn cartoon.

The second greatest defect, which goes hand-in-hand with the inability to draw out an ounce of characterization, was the need of the characters to narrate the entire film instead of showing it to the audience. It would make anyone in double-digits feel like a moron how much they repeated the plot. M. Night Shyamalan needs to go back to school and take some writing classes, especially since he didn’t have enough sense to look at the series he was given and take what was important and use it, and what was fluff, and throw it out.

Even the pronunciation of the characters’ names was changed to the “correct” way of saying them. Well, if you are going to adapt a beloved 3-year cartoon series, it’s probably best to stick with what fan’s ears are used to hearing. Nickelodeon showed clips of these changes that were apparently condoned by the original writers. I can only assume that the creators of the cartoon were coerced with money and by Shyamalan’s giant self-worth. A major Hollywood writer/director/producer against two guys that created a simple yet deep cartoon series that kids and adults alike enjoy but otherwise have nothing like The Sixth Sense to their name, well, this movie is apparently what happens when ego trumps talent.

Eat, Pray, Love

By Ariel Puccio

Just as eating far too many mounds of Italian pasta in one day, the more I absorb Eat Pray Love into my system, the less I like it. Its bountifully scenic landscapes and the prospect of epiphanies and romance are not enough to stop my mind’s nagging thoughts: “This is an Under the Tuscan Sun wannabe.”

Liz Gilbert (Julia Roberts) gets a divorce, and to cope goes to live in Italy…and India, and Bali. It’s like Under the Tuscan Sun on steroids, but let’s be honest, people on steroids are not very appealing.

The trouble is the story consistently felt like a flat line chopped up into pieces. We saw a little divorce, a little new relationship, a little Italy, a little India, and a little Bali. I wanted more time to see a true bond with each character, yet I by no means wanted the movie to go on longer—there’s something wrong with that formula. Maybe I’m greedy, but I doubt anyone will walk away from this movie saying, “That was amazing (wonderful/adorable/fill in the positive adjective).”

The arduous journey of getting into the movie starts when Liz Gilbert divorces her husband of 8 years (Billy Crudup) and he begs for her to come back and on and on and I’m bored already. Then a fleeting romance begins with a much younger man (James Franco). The relationship doesn’t seem necessary to the plot; if anything, it awkwardly eats up the time to add yet another character the audience forgets about.

The only solution for this wealthy New York writer is to stop facing her problems and abandon responsibility for a year to “find herself” in exotic locations. Isn’t that nice? I might be less irritated if I saw Liz completely lose herself and break during the movie, but instead, she ends up seeming selfish.

On her trip to Italy, Liz’s Italian friendships appear superficial. Any potential for strong emotional ties are left unbound, other than the preachy bonding speech of gaining 20 pounds in Italy and “muffin-tops.”

However, the movie gets into a better groove in India (finally), when two characters Tulsi (Rushita Singh), an Indian girl about to face arranged marriage, and Richard (Richard Jenkins), a man with his own daemons from Texas, give the movie some emotional grounding. I must admit I shed a tear during Richard’s heartfelt breakdown. Still, I think, why am I invited into Richard’s soul and never Liz’s?

In Bali Liz meets an exotic, not afraid to cry, loving, devoted, yet still manly man (Javier Bardem). Romance is in the air as the kissing commences, but Liz (being the often greedy character she is) creates an extremely awkward conflict scene that we know is only there because every movie needs some conflict (perhaps we should blame this on the writer).

Maybe this movie needed a shot of garlic in its sinews, to bulge the eyes and make the heart flutter faster. Unfortunately, it tasted a little bland. I advise seeing Eat Pray Love once, on television, in your pajamas on the couch. Just don’t attempt to indulge yourself and pay $10 for it.

I Was There: The New Pornographers (Exclusive)

Tuesday, May 4th marked one of the greatest days of album releases in 2010. The Morning Of, Minus The Bear, The Hold Steady and Broken Social Scene all had critically acclaimed albums come out.

Another indie super-group, The New Pornographers, released Together on the same day, the band's first release since 2007's Challengers.

Last night, the band played an extremely intimate set at Woodstock's Bearsville Theatre. This theatre, found just outside of the main streets of historic Woodstock, displays the finest acoustics in Woodstock and mimics the small, intimate set-up that Levon Helm has for his Woodstock studio.

What made this show a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was the fact that such a huge act consisting of individuals with great artistic abilities (each member is part of a variety of other musical/art projects) played some of the material for the first time since the recording process - evident with Carl Newman's sheet-music on-stage. Each member had brought their charisma in the form of raw musical talent and their sense of humour in the form of witty, comical stories about the band's career that expands five albums and ten years.

This band, best known for packing outdoor stadiums and indoor venues, played their hearts out for the approximately 250 people that could fit in the venue. The chemistry between each musician and the blending of such musical talent is a feat that only few can attempt and even fewer can master.

The setlist from the show is listed below. The band will be touring the United States in June including a New York City date on June 19 at Terminal 5 and a spot on 2010's Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago.

Up In The Dark
Myriad Harbour
Use It
Crash Years
All The Old Showstoppers
Challengers
Your Hands (Together)
Testament To Youth In Verse
My Shepherd
Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
These Are The Fables
Jackie, Dressed In Cobras
Moves
Laws Have Changed
Adventures in Solitude
The Spirit of Giving
Mass Romantic
Silver Jenny Dollar
My Slow Descent
Bleeding Heart Show
Spanish Techno
(encore)
Twin Cinema
Jackie

-Nicholas Palumbo

Sit-Down: Nicholas Orsini

You won’t find Nicholas Orsini, a recent graduate of Marist College, working as a barista or stocking shelves. Despite the horrific state of the economy and the inevitable fate of college graduates everywhere, Nick Orsini has written and self-published a book.
The Radio/TV/Film student has always had a knack for thinking outside the box – clearly evident in his first book entitled Two Wrongs Make A Vice. The book is an ode to his early teenage years while painting vivid images using colourful language and modern slang. Through the book, we see an open-minded protagonist that is caught in very common teenage situations while analyzing his every move using a very in-depth form of contemplation. The book’s most striking characteristic is its emphasis on the impact music makes to his teenage and post-collegiate years.
I recently sat down with Orsini – we discussed details about Two Wrongs Make a Vice and the writing process.
Generator Magazine (GM): “How did you come up with the title of the book?”
Nick Orsini (NO): “The title of the book was found on Facebook extremely late one night. Someone posted an album of pictures with this really long title that began, "Two wrongs make a vice..." I'll just give the credit for the book's title to social networking in general. This entire novel is meant to have a generational feel to it, and to start it off with a Facebook reference just seemed to capture that.”

GM: “What audience are you trying to inspire with this book?”
NO: “I wrote this book with a 15-20 year old audience in mind. My editor and I reworked the book countless times to get the tone right. We wanted something with substance that wasn't a chore to read. I wanted to write a book for people who don't like to read. I looked at the lengths of my favorite novels and realized that they weren't these gigantic sweeping epics, but rather compact and insightful works that pride themselves on the careful and right combinations of words.”

GM: “The chapters in the book are mix-tape track names. How do you come up with the tracks of each song/chapter?”
NO: “I put out a call via Twitter and Facebook for people to just send me the most random sentences they could. I got over 200 responses and used my favorite ones as the chapters in the book. Some of them were written by my friends, some were written by strangers. It plays off this lofty idea that your song title needs to have nothing to do with the message of your song.”

GM: “Are you ever nervous that you've disclosed too much about your life in the book?”
NO: “Nah...The characters in the book are combinations of people I've known throughout my life. Obviously, the main character walks in some familiar shoes, but thats the joy of writing. The character I've written acts and reacts different than I would. The supporting characters in the book are sketches of various people. I was pretty nervous about having my family read certain parts of it. My mom is a kindergarten teacher, so she understands how creativity takes you in some unique directions. My friends have been amazingly supportive of the work. The idea behind the characters is that they are people everyone meets over the course of their young life. The last line in the book reflects the main idea of the whole story. I'm a sucker for last lines so I felt pretty compelled to write a good one.”

GM: “What made you want to write a book?”
NO: “I went to Marist for Radio/TV/Film and Cinema Studies. While I was completing my degree, I realized that narratives, even those you structure around an exam question or a paper, were my real passion. I might get in some trouble for saying this, but college is this gigantic story and yes, it involves classrooms and assigned readings, but perhaps more importantly it involves how you build up relationships with other people. I had wanted to write a book since I was 18, and every summer I would write 30 pages and hate it. It wasn't until my 22nd summer that I became ok with the story. Two years removed and I still have a great affection for my time at Marist. The people I met, professors and peers, are on every single page of Two Wrongs Make a Vice. I owe them a gigantic thank you.”

GM: “How long did it take to write?”
NO: “I began the book in May 2008 and finished the rough draft in December of 2009. It went through 5 rounds of editing. The original manuscript was 250,000 words. The final manuscript is about 80,000 words.”

GM:” Is there a way for readers to contact you?”
NO: “Yes! People can e-mail me at readattheshow@gmail.com or find me on Twitter. (twitter.com/NICKORSINI or twitter.com/READATTHESHOW) I am always looking for people to read my book and I love getting feedback.”

Want a copy of Two Wrongs Make A Vice? Generator Magazine is giving away one copy of the first edition to go to print. If interested, Direct Message us at @GeneratorMag with your name and phone number.

I Was There: Echo & The Bunnymen

The Fairfield Theatre Company at the Klien welcomed the 80’s post-punk band to Connecticut for a spectacular and intimate performance. After an impressive opening performance by Kelly Stoltz and a round of his stalker-esque trivia about the band, the group took the stage and immediately killed the lights.

Ian McCulloch, lead vocals, couldn’t get the house shadowy enough as he let go his dark lyrics and sinister chords. Their iconic 80s sound kept its promise by echoing clear and feeling numinous. Breaks in play were filled with short but (generally) love filled heckling from the audience. One fan requested McCulloch take his glasses off, which he kept on the entire performance. Ending his set with fight-hair, a hoodie, sunglasses and a ring of smoke (he went through nearly half a pack during the show) he looked more rock and roll than anyone the audience had ever laid eyes on, off MTV.

The group is best known amongst college-aged listeners for their single The Killing Moon which was on their 1984 CD Ocean Rain. It was also the scene music for the first sequence of the 2001 cult classic Donny Darko (theatrical version). Their first single to make it on a soundtrack was Bring on the Pretty Horses, the final song for John Hughes’ Pretty in Pink. It recently made a comeback on the Hot Tub Time Machine soundtrack.

Bunny-aficionados could be happy to have the chance to see McCulloch back on stage with fellow member Will Sergeant, another of the original Bunnymen. The group reformed in 1997 after a nearly decade long split. Of late, bass player Les Pattinson left the group after their reunion album Evergreen reached success. Most recently McCulloch and Sergeant released The Fountain in 2009.

The band wasn’t the only thing being discussed in the post-show adrenaline jabber. As the admirers spilled into the parking lot revenge was on their tongues. Towards the end of the show a fan, sick of the tongue and cheek exchange McCulloch had with fans, jumped on stage and took a swing. He was immediately crushed under a pile of security, band-mates and roadies.

The group ended the night with covers by The Velvet Underground and James Brown.

-Justine Mann

Sit-Down: Moving Mountains

This weekend is Marist College's Spring Concert. For those not attending, it is also Bamboozle weekend. The festival is headlined by Paramore, Weezer, Something Corporate, Drake and MGMT.

I am attending the Festival on Sunday. For those attending the festival, I highly recommend Moving Mountains - an experimental rock project from the area. (Purchase, NY) The band will be playing a highly anticipated set on Sunday of the Festival.

I recently sat down with Greg Dunn, vocalist/guitarist of Moving Mountains. Here is what he had to say about Bamboozle, the band and pizza.

Generator Magazine: For those who don't know the Moving Mountain name, describe your sound.

Greg Dunn: As any band would probably agree, that's a tough question to answer. Our sound is always evolving, and we're still exploring that. I like to say we're an aggressive rock band with ambient, and post rock influence.

GM: You're from Purchase, NY. Was it hard starting a solid fanbase in what seems like a low-key music scene?

GD: Absolutely. We're still little known in the Purchase scene. People know us, but on a more personal level. We're all friends. Although we don't live in Purchase, we attend the College there, where there is a fairly thriving music / art scene. It's very dense, and there's a lot of musicians and artists, so it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. But yeah, we've found our fans extend around the world, and not as much concentrated in one single area. Gotta' love the internet.

GM: Name some of your musical aspirations? Do you get your sound from them?

GD: Oh god, so many. Some of my biggest aspirations (musically, and everything else) come from bands like Thursday, Hammock, Springsteen, Pedro The Lion, Peter Gabriel. It's hard to really pin point, as you become inspired everyday but so many things. Some of my more recent favorite records include As Cities Burn, Underoath, David Bazan. I do get a lot of musical influence from these people, but find I feel overall aspirations through them. I think that's more important, too.

GM: Have you prepared any surprises for Bamboozle 2010?

GD: I suppose If I told you, I'd ruin it. But honestly, nothing crazy. We're hoping to perform a new song off our record. It's going to be fun for us, as we haven't been on the road in a few months. We may pass out. We get out of shape really easily. That could be fun to watch.

GM: Who are you looking forward to see at Bamboozle 2010?

GD: Minus The Bear, Piebald, Say Anything, All The Day Holiday, Mute Math, Dear Hunter, Polar Bear Club... I'm mostly excited just to talk to everyone. I'm still, and always will be, a major fan boy. That stuff never gets old for me. To meet some of the people whom inspired me to be in a rock band. It's a crazy feeling.

GM: Are there any big plans on the horizon? (album, tour, families, etc.)

GD: We're wrapping up writing our 2nd full length (and first full length as a full band), and will be heading into the studio in the coming months. We're also finding a new place to release the record and call home. Have some tour planned this summer (which I'm insanely stoked on), and then more touring in the fall. I'm also going to be an uncle. I can't wait to be the cool uncle that's in a rock n roll band.

GM: Fill in the blank: The best band we toured with was ___________.

GD: That's tough! The most overwhelming experience for me was probably Thursday. It was overwhelming, and at points almost distracting. I had to constantly ground myself, because I couldn't believe we were sharing the same stage multiple nights in a row. I think the most fun I had was on tour this past fall with Moneen, Eisley and Say Anything. I would love to be on the road again with Moneen. They're such a great band, and you end up learning how to become a better band, just from being around them.

GM: Fill in the blank: I am on the road and I am craving _____________.

GD: Pizza. Or anything that I can find on the road that's edible. Being a vegetarian in a band of meat lovers can be tough at times..

Set times will be announced soon here. Check out the band's music here.

-Nicholas Palumbo

The Leadership Institute

On April 19th, the Dean's Circle was invited to tour the grounds of the new Raymond A. Rich Leadership Institute that was donated to Marist back in January. Raymond A. Rich, upon his passing at age 97 in June of 2009, decided that the building across the river--and previously owned by the Marist Brothers--would be best enjoyed and used by the college once more.

This estate, along with the property it's on, has deep roots in the Hudson River Valley region. The mansion that stands there today was commissioned by Colonel Oliver Hazard Payne and built by the famous Carrère & Hastings in the early 1900s. The Marist Brothers purchased the mansion in 1942 after some years of inactivity and used it to house the Wiltwyck School for Boys, which focused on helping emotionally disturbed children. After twenty years of operation in Esopus, the school relocated in 1962, and the property was sold off in parcels. Raymond A. Rich eventually purchased the main house and 60 acres of the property after his retirement in the 1970s, and the rest is history.


Above are some pictures from the Dean's Circle visit!


-Sarah Dubrule