The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, April 17, 2009 - 5 Death Cab du es it outon 'Open Door' By DAVID RIVA compatibility. DailyArts Writer More of Walla's production prowess flashes on "A Diamond Mohammed Bennis and the Hmadcha Ensemble perform Moroccan sufi music. UMM A's livingart S p eve the For chantin used as of exp religion tion. Suf has als' appreci concerts films in that is sible e non-beli This we Moham Bennis a will ma ingly ca through gan Mus The i by the ety, and have col perform of what nership ufi chanting reopened. The Hmadcha Ensemble was nt to be held in founded by artistic director and poet Mohammed Bennis, whose museum's apse goal was to preserve the traditions of the Sufi chanting of the city of By PRIYA BALI Fez in Morocco. Their presenta- Daily Arts Writer tions in Ann Arbor will be per- formed in a style similar to those centuries, traditional Sufi featured in the Fez Festival of Sufi g of the Near East has been Culture in Morocco and the Festi- a way val of World Sacred Music. ressing Mohammed The Festival of World Sacred s devo- Music is an annual week-long festi- i music BeNiS and val of exhibits, lectures and perfor- o been the Hmadcha mances featuring some of the most ated in Ensemble renowned musicians in the genre s and of spiritual music. The festival a form 8 p.m. Saturday becomes a meeting ground through acces- and 7 p.m Sunday which not only music, but ideas ven to on religion and democracy, can be ievers. At the UMMA Apse exchanged. The event works to rec- eekend, $40 ognize the importance of allowing med varying cultures and religions to ndthe Hmadcha Ensemble interact with one another. ke Sufi chanting's haunt- This open-minded atmosphere aptivating sound resonate certainly resonates with the goals the University of Michi- of this weekend's performances. seum of Art's Apse. The large open space of the muse- performance is sponsored um Apse not only has great acous- University Musical Soci- tics, but, because there is no stage, though UMS and UMMA it creates a setting where the per- llaborated in the past, this formers and audience are able to ance marks the beginning interact on a more intimate level. will be an ongoing part- The audience will be arranged now that the museum has throughout the space, allowing it to view the stage at multiple perspectives from different lev- els of the museum. With the per- formance out of the context of a concert hall, the museum's setting emphasizes the possibility of expe- riencing the ensemble not only aurally, but through a different visual perspective. Bennis and the Hmadcha Ensemble will be treated as an actual exhibit in the UMMA that will come to life through song and dance. "It will challenge us to think about how performance changes not only acoustically but experien- tially when you move it into a dif- ferent type of space," said UMMA Director James Steward. "It's not just the space which changes the performance, but the performance changes the space," be added. The setting will ask viewers to stretch their preconceived notions of the function of an art museum. It will also suggest more holistic ways of approaching art objects in traditional museums, taking into account the culture from which such objects are derived. In the case of this weekend's per- formance, the museum's inter- national collection - and more specifically its Islamic art - will be given another means through which it may be understood and appreciated. The ensemble will perform five songs, beginning with incantations and progressing into chanting and movement. The chanting consists of spiritual poems devoted to the Prophet Muhammad and other noblemen and is hypnotically beau- tiful, transporting the audience to another world. The songs celebrate and praise the divine through a collection of echoing voices. It isn't uncommon for Sufi chanting to be absent of instru- ments as more emphasis is placed on the intonation and pace of the voices. Traditional percussion instruments are occasionally used during performances, and the final song by the ensemble will feature a guenbri guitar - an instrument commonly heard in Gnawa music, which is heard in Arabic and sub- Saharan African songs. Steward said that elements such as historic Turkish carpets would add to the setting's decor and pro- vide a firm framework that this music would have originally been heard. "We wanted to reinforce the cultural character of the art that is being performed rather than putting it into a neutral space," he said. Oh, sweet irony. Sometimes Ben and a Tether," creating an ambier Gibbard, Death Cab for Cutie's sound that forms an airy yet te: lead singer, relies tured atmosphere. Gibbard dish, too heavily on ***" out one of his weaker metaphors his paradoxical he compares a stagnant relatior wit. But this time Death Cab ship to the objects in the song it seems unin- forCue title. Round two goes to Walla. tentional. On "My Mirror Speaks" includ( "I Was Once a The Open a complacent hand-clappi Loyal Lover" on Door EP rhythm, which superficially di The Open Door Atlantic/Barsuk tracts from the song's simplist EP a jaded Gib- structure. A display of Gibbard bard sings "All questionable vocal range mak( my friends are forward-thinking the third songa push. / getting hitched and quitting A straightforward rocker, drinking / And I can feel them pulling away / as I'm resigned to stay the same," as he reflects on the pains of growing older, which An EP full of was a common theme of 2008's Narrow Stairs. nuanced tracks The irony kicks in with the knowledge of Gibbard's recent cut from engagement to actress and singer Zooey Deschanel. He has induct- 'Narrow Stairs. ed himself into the group of clean- cut, married men he longed to be a part of. Hopefully this won't signal Gibbard's last offering of Was Once a Loyal Lover" employ songs about heartbreak and lost excessive distortion and a heavi opportunities, an art he has per- basslinethannecessaryfor aDeat fected over Death Cab's 12-year Cab song. Histrionic lyrics lit existence. "There's so many bridges engulfe The Open Door EP is a collec- in flames behind me" are expect tion of four new songs that didn't from Gibbard, but with his quirt make the cut for Narrow Stairs, delivery, its difficult not to fall f as well as one demo from the their utter sincerity. The four LP. Essentially, the EP is a talent offering is a victory for Gibbard. show featuring Gibbard's simple Although the four songs pro yet insightful lyrics matched up to be just as worthy as many son, against guitarist/producer Chris on Narrow Stairs, it's understan Walla's anal-retentive production. able why they weren't include The competition between the two on the album. "Little Bribes" at is playful and a unique element to "I Was Once a Loyal Lover" bo theband's success. Gibbard's emo- sound incomplete, neither co tional nature balances out Walla's taining a definitive ending. "M perfectionist song crafting, and Mirror Speaks" harkens back1 vice versa. the sound on 2001's The Pho In "Little Bribes," a angsty Album, displaying more cot Gibbard expresses his dissatis- plex melodies, which contra faction with the modern world's the strum-heavy sound heardc prevailing tendency toward Death Cab's last two albums." impulsive desires. Walla flaunts Diamond and a Tether" is a ligh his mastery by blending a rock- er-waving ballad with a twang steady acoustic line with an guitar line and is too complace anticipatory background guitar to fit in with the more upbe that seamlessly ushers its way tunes on Narrow Stairs. into brief yet energizing piano Standing on their own, tl and electric guitar flourishes. songs of The Open Door EP a If the EP were a boxing match, solid and certainly worth a liste round one is a toss up between especially when accounting f the competing talents of Gibbard Gibbard's position in song-writi and Walla, displaying their tight limbo. WANT TO COVER UMS EVENTS? Report on performances and work for our Fine Arts staff. E-mail battlebots@umich.edu. ant !x- Les as in- l's es ng s- tic d's es "I ys ier th ke ed ed ky or th we gs id- led nd >th )n- Uy to 9to m- ast on "A ht- [gy nt eat :he ire n, or Ing The life of Hollywood's 'Party' By TOMMY COLEMAN Daily Arts Writer What would Vincent Chase from "Entou- rage" be doing if he never broke through with his role in "Head On," the movie that launched his fabled acting career and propelled him into stardom? Pary Dow Well, he'd probably be work- ing at Party Down Catering. Fridays at Starz's new original series 10:30 p.m. "Party Down" takes a more Starz cynical look at Tinseltown than the dream-like Holly- wood success story of "Entourage." "Party" follows a gang of wannabe writers and actors who never quite got their feet in the door, and are now reduced to having to pay the bills by working for a catering service. The catering company, Party Down, is home to a wacky set of characters, some of whom are more realistic about their chances in Hol- lywood than others. The show's lead, Henry Pollard (Adam Scott, "Step Brothers"), is the most sensible of the bunch. His 15 minutes of fame are over he was featured in a series of beer commercials - and now he just wants to get through life without being asked to repeat his catchphrase. Scott has the talent to pull off the more real- istic-minded Pollard. He plays the part perfect- ly, having mastered the blank, judgmental stare necessary for moments like when his coworker Kyle Bradway (Ryan Hansen, "Veronica Mars") pathetically recites lines for his upcoming audi- tion to get a role in a shitty "O.C."-esque drama. Conversely, when geeky wannabe science- fiction writer Roman DeBeers (the hysterical Martin Starr, "Freaks and Geeks") babbles about how he's more badass than George Lucas ("Everyone knows Lucas is kiddie bullshit. I'm hard sci-fi!"), that stare of utter disbelief sport- ed by Scott is money. The most memorable performance, howev- er, is delivered by Jane Lynch ("Role Models") as Constance Carmell, the crew's eldest mem- ber. She tells stories of glory days hanging out with Gene Hackman and working on "Mat- "When I snap my fingers, you'll be able to move again." lock." Most side-splitting are the moments where Constance imparts her knowledge - or, often, lack thereof - about acting and the movie business to the younger caterers. Following the unglamorous world of L.A.'s burnt-out party caterers. The group of Hollywood misfits have a gig at different locatiions each week. They've worked everywhere from a homeowners' party in a yuppie-infestedneighborhoodtoSeniorlicious, a place where senior citizens can meet to hook up. The mobile setting, which takes away the stage and laugh track, puts a refreshing twist on the tired workplace sitcom recipe. "Party Down" also benefits greatly from having fewer restrictions than the average sitcom. The show airs on Starz, so, unlike its network counterparts, there isn't strict censorship on the show's raunchy comedy. There's full frontal nudity in the series pre- miere, pot-smoking in the second episode and more dirty words in the series so far than net- work TV comedies could ever dream of using. The show's venue turns out to be a blessing. The rude, sometimes downright vulgar sense of humor in "Party Down" is used perfectly to sell the show's brand of comedy. "Party Down" is unlike any other work- place comedy out there, and that's its biggest strength. With that in mind, maybe Starz will stop showing "The Jane Austen Book Club" and "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" over and over to make room for more original programming like "Party Down."