The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com JIUSTL 01. SAL A I/A Friday, January 27, 2012 - 5 'House' can't standup Ryan Adams will be headlining the Ann Arbor Folk Festival tonight. Fests diverse acts to hit ill tonight T Fol ai he Ark's annual k Festival features n array of artists By KATIE STEEN DailyArts Writer Throaty utterances ofheart-felt lyrics. An abundance of banjos. Perhaps, peasant skirts. But also, "fire-breathing circus freaks" who use kitchen utensils as instruments. These are just a few things attendees of the Ann Arbor Folk Festival can expect. This year's Folk Festival fea- tures an impressive group of headliners includingRyanAdams, DeVotchKa, Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith and Glen Campbell, but also intermingles emerging talents Elephant Revival, David Wax Museum and Caravan of Thieves (the self-titled circus freaks). While The Ark as -the - organization that runs Folk Fes- tival, the event's expected atten- dance of six to seven thousand folk fans would be an amount sim- ply impossible to jam into the cozy setting of The Ark itself. Instead, these musicians will share the stage at the Hill Auditorium tonight and tomorrow in an event that has been played since 1977. The Ark's Marketing Director, Barb Chaffer-Authier elaborated on the history of the Folk Festi- val, emphasizing its importance in maintaining The Ark's non- profit mission. The event was created with the goal of raising money for the organization after funding from the First Presby- terian Church began to dwindle, and started as a few friends and performers of The Ark gather- ing at the Power Center to make music and money. While the Ark was originally founded as a cof- feehouse where youth of the 'U0s could discuss Vietnam and Wood- stock, it gradually began to focus more on the music. By 1969, it was the hub of Ann Arbor's folk music scene, and while money was no longer an issue, The Ark decided to stay non-profit. "We're really the longest-sur- viving non-profit music venue of our kind in the nation," Chaffer- Authier said. "There was a time where there were a lot of non- profit music venues, but there aren't a lot of those left." However, the Ark isn't exactly begging for change. The Folk Fes- tival, as per usual, is sold out this year. Part of what attracts such large crowds to the two-night concert is the diverse lineup. While there are Folk Festival devotees who attend every year, there is also a substantial num- ber of attendees drawn by a single headliner. "It's a great opportunity for people to come to the festival to see someone like Ryan Adams, in which case they know the music .and that's what brings them in," Chaffer-Authier said. "But they might leave the festival knowing someone new who might be their future favorite." To accommodate for such musi- cal discoveries, The Ark invites the non-headlining Folk Festival performers to play a full show in the spring. Chaffer-Authier gave a particularly serendipitous example of a Folk Festival artist who achieved a more than solid fan base in just two nights. Chi- cago native Joe Pug had never performed in Ann Arbor and wasn't even on the Folk Festival lineup, and when he performed as a guest appearance, he only played one song each night. But when he returned to the Ark in the spring, he sold out. "I like when young perform- ers get a boost," Chaffer-Authier added. "We book headliners first and then the headliners influence who we pick to round out the bill each year. We try to have a bal- ance of different styles." Sometimes, creating this diversity means booking loud- er, more energetic artists, like 2002's Melissa Ferrick. Some- times it means booking a drum- mer who wears nothing but a loin cloth during performance, as it was for 2007's Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble. "A lot of our bands can be a surprise to audience me'mbers. depending on what they think of when they think of folk music," Chaffer-Authier said. "No matter what folk means to you, we'll have it at the Folk Festival. There's a different definition for everyone." one band in particular, Ele- phant Revival, encompasses a multiplicity of genres in their music. Multi-instrumentalist and singer Dan Rodriguez explained the band's label of "transcenden- tal folke" was eoed -unon +he nalist. "From my understanding, folk music is music created by the people for the people," Rodri- guez said. "You can't really define music through labels. They're a way to conceptualize or compart- mentalize. But we are definitely folk music." But part of what distinguishes Elephant Revival from the stereo- typical folk band image of beard- ed guitarists with a washboard is its wide range of influences and the malleability of its sound.. Rodriguez described the music of Elephant Revival as a spectrum, able to channel a variety of styles - old-time, avant-garde jazz, pop rock. "We all have such different influences," Rodriguez said, "And it all comes together and creates this tapestry. That's why we can play for all audiences. It's all over the map, in a good way. A broad spectrum." Given the band's eclectic nature, Elephant Revival seems like an obvious choice for the fes- tival. Though Rodriguez was a bit surprised at the invitation to per- form, he expressed a contagious enthusiasm. "The lineup looks awesome so we're excited to be on the same stage as so many amazing, tal- ented artists. We're grateful to have this opportunity to play for the folks of Michigan," Rodriguez By SAM CENZHANG Daily Arts Writer At first glance, "House of Lies" seems to be perfectly suited for the zeitgeist. In the wake of the Occupy move- ment, a show * ,;.. skewering the outlandish House lives of the 1 percent was all o s but inevitable. Pilot But "House of Lies" isn't really Sundays at 10 p.m. that show - it's Showtime about a wacky team of management consultants having zany adventures at a dif- ferent struggling megacorpora- tion everyweek - and this kind of procedural storytelling isn't real- ly conducive to making a socio- economic point. Not only that, but the show's topicality is completely under- minedbyitstone-deafness. Show- time often disguises its comedies with the form and tone of dramas, as was the case with "Weeds" and "The Big C." As satire, "House of Lies" may have been better served by the same treatment. Played straight, it's just lifestyle porn in the style of "Entourage" married haphazardly to workplace com- edy and then stapled to antihero drama. Just like the characters it por- trays, "House of Lies" is way too slick and self-satisfied. You could think of it as a clever metatextual technique intended to echo the mocking characterization of ass- holes with MBAs. But really, it's just a show about assholes with MBAs. A strip club scene is por- trayed with completely unironic glamour and thus speaks to the show's lack of self-awareness. The show's most irritating conceit is borrowed from, of all things, "Saved by the Bell": Don Cheadle ("Hotel Rwanda") stops time occasionallyto explain man- agement consulting terms to the audience. This is an unbelievably clumsy way to convey informa- tion. And when Cheadle explains terms with obvious definitions, it's just a meaningless waste of the viewer's time and patience. In the second episode, instead of stop just hol consult looking of a sm show d serious makes' througl Toc ei ta: "Hot differer all of th tioned: innovat Baby's Wall.I ery ofI a more sary se: encoun fake st his cl "House emotio ment ft while t best an it's bett nihilist otherw part of1 Unfc "Do I look like I care about Obama coming to campus?" ping time to talk, Cheadle most promisingschtickis also the ds up abunch of signs with one that gets the least airtime. Ling rules on them while Cheadle's consulting team is a kind of bored. It's a bit murderer's row of talented comic irk, and it's good that the actors. Kristen Bell ("Veronica oesn't take itself all that Mars"), Ben Schwartz ("Parks ly. But the choppiness just and Recreation") and Josh Law- "House of Lies" hard to sit son ("Home and Away") bounce h. off each other and Cheadle, gen- erating both on-point ensemble comedy and funny one-liners. Bell and Cheadle especially have much irony, a deft interplay that could turn ven for this romantic, but frankly shouldn't. These actors are talented enough l.ented cast" to make the mediocre material they're given acceptable. The best scene of the show so far, in which Schwartz (let's be hon- use of Lies" can be a lot of est, he'll always be Jean-Ralphio) nt shows and it tries to be explains to Lawson how he iem. There's the aforemen- would pick up a woman, works smirking attempt at formal because all four characters are tion, which is really just involved and because they all First Breaking the Fourth come off as fairly likeable people The show makes a mock- who enjoy each other's company. premium cable; there isn't Sadly for the show, it's literally gratuitous -and unneces- the only instance in the first two x scene than the bathroom episodes for which this is true. ter between Cheadle's It's too early to give up on ripper spouse-du-jour and "House of Lies," if only because lient's unsatisfied wife. you should watch whatever Don of Lies" also aims for Cheadle is in. Kristen Bell is no nal character develop- slouch either, and anyone who ir Cheadle's character, and loved "Veronica Mars",(which :he writing is unsubtle at should be everyone) will be d occasionally hackneyed, pleased to see her on television. :er than the hollow, almost Beyond the cast, though, there's :ic message that would not much to latch onto other than ise be the most prominent hope that the writing will get bet- the show. ter, an iffy proposition given what rtunately, the show's we've seen. Don't just watch, interact By MATT EASTON Daily Film Editor Two years ago at the State Theater, I was convinced my death was imminent. Huddled in my cushioned seat, I watched the final scene of "Paranormal Activity" through crisscrossed fingers (a special fear-reducing technique I've developed). In the packed rows of the theater, others wailed and assumed similar posi- tions: death-gripping the hands of significant others (as if your boyfriend could save you from the demon) becoming suddenly engrossed by the bucket of pop- corn in their laps or - recogniz- ing that escape was impossible - simply staring at the screen, wide-eyed. This was not the isolated fear oflyingin bed alone as a child, but the shared terror that only mov- ies and ghost-stories can produce. My roommate Brian, one of those special individuals immune to paralyzing fear, was wrestling my hands off of my face. "Watch it, watch it, watch it!" he whispered embarrassingly loudly. My heart stopped as the ulti- mate scene passed. I recall willing it to beat again (I still had so much to do and see!), as the man behind us issued a high-school-girl-like scream and Brian grinned widely. The movie ended, and the air, which into Ia who su hill, w high ot severed up and I felt like hi1 worked of emo normal our en( level. Fili W Wh ronmer of art amplif3 final p ductiot woulda advice it's per scream a char walks: a film' reactio so imp( Besi fear w had felt like lead, turned ple during "Paranormal," other ughing gas. Like soldiers moments stick out in particular: rvived storming an enemy the audience hissing whenever e cheered and chuckled, "Snakes 'on a Plane" went into n the fact that we had per- "snake-vision" (I could write an d through our trial. As I sat entire article about how fun the i started toward the exit, "Snakes" midnightpremiere was), an elated, tired, runner- the 20 guys in Batman outfits for gh. We, the audience, had "The Dark Knight" (my friend I hard, squeezing every bit won the costume contest they tional force out of "Para- had before the movie started) and ." The movie was good, but watching "Drag Me to Hell" alone ergy brought it to another in a theater with about seven or eight close buddies (never have there been more jokes and jumps). In less specific terms, it's safe ms are better to say all comedies are funnier if everyone else is laughing. I 'ith friends, recently talked about this with a friend and she confirmed the idea with an example of her own - everyone loved "Bridesmaids," ere else does such an envi- so she decided to watch it on her nt exist? What other type computer, only to find it unfun- allows hollering mobs to ny because she was watching it y our enjoyment of the alone, without the community of roduct? In a theater pro- joy found in a theater. In many n of the "finer" arts, one cases, it's the companionship that have to be a cad to yell out makes movies so much fun. to the actors on stage; yet It's still the beginning of the fectly acceptable for one to semester, and while January may "Don't go in there!" when feel like a dark time for lovers of 'acter in a horror movie good films, the cold weather pro- into a basement alone. It's vides the perfect setting for get- s openness to immediate. ting together with some buddies, o that makes the audience renting a crappy horror movie ortant. from Askwith and becoming lost des sharing my moment of in the insanity of being an audi- ith a hundred other peo- ence. Glen Campbell will headline tomorrow night's show. WANNA BE POP-UHU-LAR? JOIN FINE ARTS. Request an application at arts@michigandaily.com. Audience members can hear a blend of styles in Elephant Revival's music.