Friday September 29, 2006 arts.michigandaily.com artspage@michigandaily.com ARTs 5 Method smokes up the Pig By Alex Dziadosz Daily Arts Writer Set against a solid red banner, The Blind Pig looked unusually minimalist Wednesday night. The stage design was sparse: a couple of Sutter Home- Method covered turntables, a bucket Man of bottled waters and a stockpile of blunts thicker Wednesday than DJ Mathematics's At the Bling Pig wrists. In short, the setting was perfect. Method Man's gruff, effortless style and menacing-yet-charming stoner/thug persona thrives without ornamentation. Fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa made an effective open- ing and supporting cast. They warmed up the Pig with a sampling of their solo work and classic Wu-Tang-era rhymes, including Deck's notorious "C.R.E A.M." verse. Over chants of "make marijuana legal," Meth swaggered in with "Method Man," the 36 Cham- bers track that was instrumental in building hype for his solo career. From there, Meth stomped and swayed his way through a spat of familiar Tical material - from the pulsing, vicious "Bring the Pain" to the oddly threatening romance of "All I Need." - into pieces of his latest release, 4:21... The Day After. Then it happened. We hoped it wouldn't, but S"it did. Method Man, um, "performs" at The Blind Pig Wednesday night. The tirade. ing out that he was the only guest appearance on If you've seen an interview or listened to any the monolithic Ready to Die. of Meth's lyrics in the last year, you know he's Meth's concerts would be nearly perfect if he in a "contemplative" stage. Unfortunately, con- did what he refuses to do on his albums: Let his templation for Meth is reduced to undernour- rap speak for itself. He's clearly at his best in front ished claims that the media is brainwashing the of febrile, seething crowds like the Pig's. His voice public to hate him. directs the audience like a conductor's wand. Eyes Between "Ya'Meen" and his critic-bashing sin- expand and the collective adrenal rush pumps as gle "Things They Say" Meth managed to work in he unleashes verse after graceful verse. a stream of savage, affirmation-hungry rants. He's clearly at his worst when he's trying to act "No matter if some magazine gives me two crucified. Entertain us, Meth, and we will love mikes, three mikes, the streets give me five." you. Plead, and we'll be turned off. "Fuck all that shit you read ... They been shit- Fortunately, Meth moved fairly fluidly to the tin' on akid for two years" requisite Ol' Dirty Bastard tribute. The "Shim- "Things They Say" is basically a rhymed ver- my Shimmy Ya" cover was credible, highlight- sion of these sentiments set to a pleasant Lauryn ing some fascinating contrasts between the two Hill sample. ("They writin' that I'm Hollywood, rappers. trying to tell you my shit ain't ghetto when they In place of an encore, Meth returned to the stage hardly hood / come on man / till you guys can to grab a female fan. "You know you're coming write some rhymes keep that in mind when you with me "he said. And she did. If only that kind of find yourself reciting mines.") confidence were more present in his act, he could Even while introducing a fiery rendition of his spenda little less time on the insecure bitching and renowned verse from The Notorious B.I.G's "The a little more on what makes him one of the fore- What," Meth couldn't restrain himself from point- most MCs alive: ecstatic, visceral rap. The Emerson String Quartet will perform tonight at 8 p.m. Quartet hi'ts A Contemplative studies to calm students By Priya Bali Daily Arts Writer "(Music) takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, Emerson and whereto." The romantic String mysticism of Quartet Ralph Waldo Tonight at 8 p.m. Emerson At Rackham couldn't have Auditorium been a better $20-$44 inspiration for Discounted rush the Emerson ticketstudensble String Quar- tet, with music both soft in its subtle melodies and proud in its boisterous crescendos. Tonight will mark the acclaimed chamber ensemble's 13th visit to Ann Arbor since 1989. This time, renowned pianist Wu Han, wife of the quartet's cellist David Finekel, will take the stage during the second half. Ken Fischer, president of the UMS, calls her "a force of nature, active as a concert and recording art- ist, music educator, arts administra- tor and cultural entrepreneur." The audience will also have the opportunity to hear the quartet as a trio - due to violist Lawrence Dutton's four-month hiatus, post- rotator cuff surgery. -Quartet mem- ber Eugene Drucker, primarily the group's first violinist, will substitute for Dutton on viola. Friday's perfor- mance will feature Mozart's "E-Flat Divertimento for String Trio" and Brahms's "Piano Quartet in g minor." With the uncommon nature of the three-part piece, "Divertimento," presents a challenge to the musicians. The composition is unpredictably dynamic in form, giving new feeling to the ever-changing sounds involved in a musical transformation. In the "Piano Quartet," the audience will experiencea four-part harmony with the piano, cello, violin and viola, all of which help create a palpable state of suspense. "The Emersons are one of today's premiere string quartets, so UMS is always honored to present them," said Susan Bozell, UMS's marketing and media rela- tions manager. "U of M students not only have access to amazing faculty, nationally ranked sports teams, and myriad service oppor- tunities, but also world-renowned artists right on campus." The quartet can list among its accolades six Gmammy Awards and three Gramophone Magazine Awards, which have elevated them to the level of the world's paramount chamber ensembles. They uphold this reputation by touring throughout Europe, including Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. The group now resides at Stony Brook University in New York as chamber music instructors. The Emersons are not only diverse in where they tour but in their selections as well. Since the founding of the quartet in 1976 the musicians have incorpo- rated Shostakovich, Bart6k and Beethoven, among others, into their work. Call it classical or con- temporary, vivacious or somber, the Emerson String Quartet are artistic masters at creating what the world recognizes as great music. By Caroline Hartmann Daily Arts Writer Tomorrow the University will host a day-long symposium - Cre- ativity, Con- sciousness and Creativity, the Academy Conscious- - espousing ness and the the philosophy Academy behind the growing field Saturday at of contempla- 8:30 a.m. tive studies. At the E. Moore Bualding The discipline McIntosh Theatre fuses seeming- ly unrelated areas of study through a shared foundation in creativity and consciousness. Creativity is essentially the action of consciousness. Prof. Ed Sarath, chair of the Department of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation Studies, described creativity as "an innate impulse in human awareness to understand, explore and express through art and other disciplines the nature of existence." With a heightened appreciation for all studies and sharper perception, a student can be elevated to higher ground by developing a broader approach to the thinking process. The concept is simpler than it sounds. Scientists can learn as much from a composer or psychologist as they can from their professional peers. The key is holistic reasoning. Modernsociety has invested undue faith in science's factual ground- Hot Almod6var series comes to the Michigan ing, but, Sarath said, there are still "dimensions of reality that science is mystified by" A more comprehen- sive outlook can provide unforeseen insight into scientific investigation that might not otherwise be possible. Speakers at tomorrow's convention make up a diverse crowd who will introduce the audience to meditation techniques and exercises in silence and musical improvisation. Lofty ideologies aside, contem- plative studies doesn't just impact conceptual worldviews, but has also shown practical benefits. Students are more engaged in what they're doing, feel more inspired and have consider- ably reduced stress levels. Sarath said that "knowledge has long been viewed in mainstream Study Participants Wanted The University of Michigan Department of Dermatology is enrolling psoriasis patients (cases) and normal controls for a genetics study [IRBMED 1990-0381]. This type of study requires that the cases and the controls have a similar ethnic makeup. At this time we have openings for psoriasis patients of all ethnicities and adult controls of White and Hispanic ancestry. Additional criteria also apply. Participants will provide about one ounce of blood, and will be paid $20. Please call 800-356-2840. education objective and external." Institutionalized education too often transforms students into vacuous con- tainers. Why dread going to class? "The present generation of college students clearly has a thirst for delv- ing into their inner lives," Sarath said. Students are looking for meaning in their lives, and education as it stands does little to cultivate that craving. Not surprisingly, Yale and Har- vard's progressive law schools have adopted contemplative studies as an integral part of their programs. The University campus, a place of "visionary spirit," is next in line. Pre-registration online is required, but all students get in for free. You can sign up and see the itinerary at www.contenplativemind.org. By Hyatt Michaels Daily Arts Writer For anyone exhausted with the disappointing returns from this fall's rush of Oscar Viva Pedro wannabes, head over to Today through the Michi- Oct. 11 gan Theater At the Michigan sometime in Theater the next two weeks to treat yourself. The the- ater will briefly host "Viva Pedro," a nationwide series celebrat- ing eight great films from one of the most prolific directors of the past 30 years: Pedro Almodovar. Today through Oct. 11, "Viva Pedro" will give art-house heads and Almodovar virgins alike the opportunity to see the Spanish director's work on the big screen. Sony Picture Classics claims to be re-releasing the Almod6var classics in celebration of the auteur's distinguished contribution to cinema, although the series also conveniently works as promotion for his forthcoming "Volver," the Cannes favorite starring his stand- by muse Penelope Cruz. While the T-SHIRT PRINTERY A2'S FINEST & FASTEST PRINTED & EMBROIDERED TEES, SWEATS, CAPS, TEAM SHIRTS, SHORTS -UM Po#S ACCEPTED- -CALL FOR OUR LOW PRICE QUOTE 5-DAY TURNAROUND 1002 PONTIAC TR. TEL. 994-1367 adrianstshirts.com director's most memorable films revolve around strong female leads and dysfunctional families ("Talk to Her;' "All About My Mother"), his most recent - the sexy noir "Bad Education"- was dominat- ed by male international stars. The series will also include "Women on the Verge of a Ner- vous Breakdown;' "Flower of My Secret," "Matador" and "Live Flesh." For most, the "Viva Pedro" series will serve as an introduc- tion to the director's style: If by some chance "Volver" disappoints as so many other recent releases have (though all signs point to the opposite), there's always the older work of Almoddvar to turn to.