10 Arts The Pioneer Log, March 4, 2011

STUDENT BANDS CLASH TO BASH
(Left to right) Julia Cosgrove (’13), Canaan Schlesinger (’13) and Jenny Louthan (’13) of the Dancing Hats perform at the Battle of the Bands
Continued from page 1
Following the Dancing
Hats was Maudlin Moon,
a band new to LC, formed
only about a month ago. The
band began their set with a
funk-rock style song filled
with bass-heavy guitar riffs,
energetic vocals and articu-
late drumming. Their basic
guitar/drum setup lends a
minimalist approach to their
music and the instruments
are complimentary to one
another. Maudlin Moon’s
darker and moodier sound
gave way to jazzy melodies,
emphasized by the addi-
tion of the keyboard in the
last song. By the end of the
set, the drummer wield-
ed her sticks like a baton
twirler and seriously rocked
out, which generated much
cheering from the crowd.
The fourth band to play
was Kohū, who brought
soulful jams to the night.
Their tight rhythms and
py sound. With the addition
of a wah-wah pedal, Kohū
closed their set with a lively
song and left the audience
wanting more.
Next up was Faster Than
Radio, a one-man band with
a sampler and a Mac. Stu-
dents, submerged in Faster
Than Radio’s atmospheric
vocals and loose math-rock
mixes, displayed the kind
of hair-flipping, fist-pump-
ing, booty-dropping dance
moves seen only in neon-lit
nightclubs.
Gus Griswald began their
set with every member of
seven-member band bang-
ing rhythmically on their
instruments (fiddle, trum-
pet, guitar, accordion, clari-
net, tambourine, string bass
and compost buckets) and
singing sweetly to the au-
dience. As the band traded
PHOTO BY AMELIA WALSH leads on melodies and made
seamless transitions between
catchy riffs entranced the songs, the audience jumped
crowd. In the midst of and twisted under Gus
groovy guitar strumming, Griswald’s gypsy folk trance.
drumbeats and spacey key- The band members them-
board playing, Kohū threw selves joined in the dancing,
in ghoulish organ sounds theatrically leaping around
that contrasted nicely with on stage and adding to the
their jams. The spurts of excitement by blowing bub-
spook meshed beautifully bles and throwing streamers
with the band’s overall trip- into the crowd. The instru-
ments sang as loudly as the
vocalists during the chorus-
es, with the trumpet break-
ing out like a racehorse, the
clarinet and accordion spew-
ing color and the string bass
adding a jazz flare to the
mix. Covers were tossed into
the set, some expected (“The
Candyman”) and others al-
most in jest (“Ode to Joy”)
as a grand finale to the night.
As everyone anxiously
awaited the judges’ decision
to announce which bands
would play at the Crystal, a
drum circle formed. Buck-
ets, tables, bongo drums
and friends’ backs all served
a musical purpose and the
night’s energy seeped into
the crowd once again.
Banshee screams and
wild howls sang out from the
drum circle until the judges
finally announced their deci-
sion: Jonah Luke (’11) and
Friends, Faster Than Ra-
dio (Jack Yaguda (’13) and
Mervin Mckenna (’12)) and
The Dancing Hats (Cos-
grove, Ricardo Huerta (’13),
Shohei Kobayashi (’13), Jen-
ny Louthan (’13), Cate Mar-
geson (’13), Jordan Buysse
(’13), Canaan Schlesinger
(’13)) will be playing at The
Bash.

Wrangell explores Milagro Teatro Presents:

multiple mediums Ana en el Trópico
in senior recital
BY DYLAN DISALVIO
Staff Writer
Multiculturalism and nature
will take form in sound, movement
and images this Sunday at Catalina
von Wrangell’s (’11) senior compo-
sition recital. Wrangell’s recital is
the culmination of more than two
years of composing, and promises
to be an exciting exploration of
sound and visual art.
The recital will feature “Elemen-
tal Tao,” which Wrangell described
as a “moving painting.” A electron-
ic work recorded with live percus-
sion, piano and violin, Wrangell
took the five traditional Chinese
elements of nature—wood, fire,
earth, metal and water—and repre-
sented them as motifs in her music.
Throughout the piece, the ele-
ments interact and change as they
do in nature. Accompanied by a
video of a shifting, moving work
of art that’s constructed as a matte
of many paintings, the piece is de-
signed to be looped and to exist as
a hanging moving display. The ef-
fect is both serene and personal,
promising to be visually stunning
in its large projected form.
Wrangell’s recital will also fea-
ture another exciting multimedia
piece, entitled “Intertwined,” with
oboe and soprano saxophone In-
structor Mitch Imori on the ham-
mer dulcimer. The piece, which is
meant as an exploration of com-
monalities between cultures, is ac-
companied by two dancers, who at
first embody the estrangement of
opposing cultural viewpoints, but
over the course of the work become
increasingly intertwined and con-
nected.
Wrangell, who grew up in Eu-
rope, Asia and South America,
again explores the theme of unity
between cultures in the exciting fi-
nale to her recital, “Post-Bellum.”
A work for choir and instrumen-
tal accompaniment, the work is a
PHOTO COURTESY OF TIM KRAUSE
multi-lingual statement about war.
The Pulizer Prize winning play Ana en el Trópico will close this weekend at Milagro Teatro in Southeast Portland
The lyrics begin in German and
BY HANNAH PALMER In this way, the play self-conscious- en screens and several nondescript
move to Spanish, while Chinese is
Staff Writer ly emphasizes the universality of piles of books and cigar boxes.
interjected throughout. Such unity
human emotion. Most importantly, the set remains
of languages within a single work
The award-winning play Ana en The tradition of hiring lectors constant from the play’s beginning
reveals the commonalities between
el Trópico has been running Thurs- to read in factories is an important to end, emphasizing continuity
cultures, effects and perceptions
day-Sunday for the past month at focal point of the work. Although and simplicity. Sound and lighting
of war and promotes a message of
Miracle Theater Group, a small this practice was common within effects are highly traditional and
unifying cultures. This piece fea-
performance arts center in SE Port- the cigar industry in the late 19th non-experimental, simultaneously
tures four LC alumni: Nik Wal-
land. There are two performances and early 20th centuries, by the stressing tradition over innovation
ton (’10), Stephanie Taimi-Mandel
remaining before the play goes time Ana en el Trópico takes place, and lending the production a sense
(’10), Molly Montagna (’10) and
offstage: tonight and tomorrow at lectors had become a very contro- of timelessness.
Louis Prahl (’10).
8 p.m. The play is performed in versial subject. Additionally, by performing
These more serious and pro-
Spanish with English subtitles pro- In an increasingly industrialized in Spanish and displaying English
grammatic works are contrasted
jected above the action. world, many of Cruz’s characters subtitles, the production encour-
with three absolute pieces of mu-
Written by Nilo Cruz, Ana en el are in favor of modernization ef- ages a multi-lingual audience. Mir-
sic: “Baby Steps,” featuring Barra
Trópico received the Pulitzer Prize forts that included more machin- acle Theater Groups’ presentation
Brown (’12) on the flute and Erin
for Drama in 2003. The play is set ery and cutting frivolities, such lends support to the play’s convic-
Ohashi (’11) on the oboe, “Pre-
in Florida in the 1920s, in a Cu- as lectors. Regardless, the play as tion that art and emotion are uni-
cipitation,” a piano piece for four
ban-American cigar factory. Curi- a whole functions as a strong ar- versal.
hands performed by Emma Gomis
ously, it is also based around Anna gument for downsizing industry, While Ana en el Trópico is per-
(’11) and Kylie Cassidy (’12), and
Karenina, Tolstoy’s acclaimed 19th producing handmade goods and formed in Spanish, many of Mir-
the first movement of Wrangell’s
century novel chronicling a tragic recognizing the importance of in- acle Theater Group’s productions
first String Quartet, performed by
love affair. Cruz’s characters meet troducing a little more humanity are performed in English or a com-
players from the Portland Youth
Tolstoy’s when the cigar factory into the workplace. bination of English and Spanish.
Philharmonic Orchestra. All in all,
hires a professional reader to enter- In Miracle Theater Group’s Miracle Theater Group specializes
the night is sure to be a memora-
tain the workers as they roll cigars. rendition of the play, several di- in Latino pieces and is dedicated to
ble, exciting and unique explora-
The juxtaposition between Rus- rectorial choices function to fur- cultural expression and creativity.
tion of culture and art.
sian high society and the struggling ther accentuate Cruz’s themes of
Sunday, March 6, 4 p.m., Evans factory workers is striking as work- universality and tradition. The Tonight and tomorrow, 8 p.m.,
Auditorium, free. ers come to feel deeply connected sparse set features heavy wooden Milagro Teatro (525 SE Stark St.),
with the sentiments of the novel. desks, rickety chairs, slated wood- Box Office (503) 263-7253