Holy shit

On Saturday, November 19, indie weird noise darling Atlas Sound will be playing at Zankel, with indie folk pop darlings Laura Stevenson and the Cans.

Doors open at 7, and the show starts at 8. Last minute tickets are available here or at Case for $5 for students and $12 for the general public.

To be honest, Atlas Sound was an act that I pretended to like in high school, because he was “provocative,” and I read about him on Pitchfork or Hype Machine or something. But having spent a few semesters up here and hearing “Walkabout” every fucking day, I’ve actually grown to like him quite a bit. Thanks Skidmore!

(fbook)

Fabulous job, WSPN/SEC. Hands down, best Falstaff’s show of the year.

On Friday, October 28, WSPN and SEC are hosting Start Making Sense—the premier Talking Heads tribute band in the greater tri-state area—in a Halloween show at Falstaff’s. This is a “Once in a Lifetime” opportunity, because these guys will be “Burning Down the House” all night!

But really, as the WSPN janitor office manager, I guarantee this will be fucking amazing. Tribute bands are a blast, and a surf rock band called The Great White Caps is opening. There will also be a costume contest with the chance to win WSPN prizes. Just dress up as your parents in the early 80s and pretend the Talking Heads are actually playing at Falstaff’s.

“God, Reagan is such a dick, you guys. Let’s check out Red Dawn and watch MTV all night.” See? So easy, and you’ll definitely win if you go all out. I expect to see you all there in your finest Salvation Army finds.

(fbook)

gwaaaa!

Well done, SEC. Well fucking done.

Yom Kippur is the day of atonement, when Jews fast and pray. It’s a time for quiet reflection on a year’s worth of sins. This October, observant students are in the unsavory predicament of being forced to choose between their religion and a campus-wide social event that occurs once a semester.

It seems to me that most of the anger and tsktsking in the past few weeks has been directed solely at SEC. This is, in some respects, wrong, and I think it’s important to understand the process by which SEC schedules its events before holding it responsible. For the Big Show, the Administration gives a series of dates (this year, October 7th or October 8th) to SEC at the beginning of the semester, who in turn confirms the dates with the band, with TV on the Radio choosing to play on Yom Kippur.

Thus, SEC is not solely to blame; since the Administration chose the dates, it’s the Administration that should be held at fault. While obviously not malicious, the decision to schedule the show on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar displays a certain lack of awareness and respect for almost 20 percent of the student population. Would this happen on Christmas? What about Easter? Probably not. Is that 20 percent somehow illegitimate in the eyes of the Administration?

I am a Jew, but I’m not observant and I don’t plan on missing TV on the Radio. Still, the assumption that  every other Jew at Skidmore is like me, and willing to forego their religious obligations for the opportunity to drunkenly shove townies and scream the lyrics to “I Was a Lover,” is, frankly, offensive.

At this point, the two groups seem to have reached an understanding, with a joint statement to be released in the coming days and an unwritten promise to avoid such clashes in the future. However, one can only hope that the School institutes an actual policy change respecting religious holidays in the future. It is hypocritical for Skidmore to grandstand and trumpet its “diversity,” even as it refuses to honor a very basic tenet of a minority population’s beliefs.

Am I missing anything?

Not the Securities Exchange Commission

Tonight is the first meeting of the wonderful Student Entertainment Committee (SEC).  The SEC is responsible for entertaining us although this, unfortunately, is generally limited to concerts.

Anyway the meeting tonight is in Ladd 307 at 9pm.  This is the perfect opportunity for you to save your reputation and make sure everyone knows you are not actually as awkward as you came across at the club fair.  It’s also a good thing to do if you want to vote for their new board members or if you want to suggest your friends really amazing (still unsigned) band to play an intimate but intense show at Falstaff’s.  Or just go because it’s 9pm on Monday and what else do you have to do?

Owl fun

I was in high school when Return to Cookie Mountain first came out. All of my friends started listening to it, but I was going through a Jethro Tull phase, and I thought I was too cool for TV on the Radio and “modern music,” so I pretended to really hate it. At every turn, people would ask me, “Have you heard TV on the Radio yet?” and “‘Wolf Like Me‘ is so good!” I would scoff and wave them away, launching into a reasoned diatribe on why I didn’t like them (“They fucking suck ass!”)

Thank heavens I grew up! SEC recently confirmed the many rumors that TV on the Radio will be playing the Big Show on October 7th. This will be a great chance to stumble into people and be embarrassingly sweaty, all the while trying to figure out the least unnerving way to initiate a sweet grind sesh with that girl from Human Dilemmas.

Tickets for Saratoga townsfolk and non-students go on sale online tomorrow for $25. For everyone else, tickets will be sold in Case at a discounted price ($7) in the coming weeks.

WSPN, SEC, Lively Lucy’s and EAC are teaming up to bring you the Earth Day Festival and make sure you that your Saturday is fucking awesome. All you gotta do is show up and open your ears.

Picture this, Saturday from noon until 8pm on South Park Green you and your amigos spread out on a blanket listening to music and eating delicious food, joining hands in a celebratory dance circle of joy. It’ll be like Coachchella without any of that annoying California stuff.

What should you expect? Two stages, food, ill WSPN merchandise to show your allegiance, solar powered shit and a generally good time featuring music from Railbird, The Forms, Readnex Poetry Squad, The Tony Castles, Big Tree, Mokaad and the Flexpoints, Miniature Tigers.…AND MORE

Get ready buddy, this is going to kill your bad feelings and turn them into great feelings.

(fbook)

SEC’s Spring Semester Big Show with Dan Deacon and Dead Prez is Friday April 22nd, which means they could probably use your help selling tickets, setting up the show and generally being nice, so I encourage you to get up off your lazy ass and attend this meeting and, like, sign up to do shit. SEC is also a great way to meet nice people that might be interested in speaking with your about your mutual appreciation for contemporary grooves. Less loneliness!

If you’re interested in running for a board position with SEC next year, congratulations, you’re signing up for one of the most thankless positions on campus and should begin repeating the mantra ‘you can’t please everybody’ over and over in your head right now. Also, you must attend this meeting because that process starts this week.

SEC has officially announced that Baltimore weirdo Dan Deacon will be opening for angry rap duo Dead Prez at this year’s Spring Semester Big Show on April 22nd.

Tickets for the event, which will set students back a measly five bones, will be on sale beginning Monday in Case Center. $10 general population tickets are available at BrownPaperTickets.com.