The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Friday, March 9, 2012 - 5
Hoots &Helimouth t TS utrlso
tr folk-up The Ark again t ht"owrA ene
By CHLOE STACHOWIAK/
It h a s e e n a b u s y fi v e y e a rs A r k p tin tu dt B r o ii h ost " Y o u ld o n t Ied in ii d e rsi z eu d Itb l i o o m , "T t
for Hoots & Helimouth, the soul- to go to e ight d~ ifret shos. IBrowtnitSithow"paitop-tots have.
tz
E1
Ct
r
as long as its
singer's scruffy
heard. The Hoots &
hand has lit up Hellmouth
stages across
the country Tomorrow
* with its man- at 8p.m.
dolin, upright The Atk
bass and Fo 2
twangy guitars Fa 2
since its forma-
tion in 2005 - and it's hringing
that same infectious energy to
The Ark tomorrow night.
This won't he the group's first
time in Ann Arhor - the Philadel-
phia natives have graced the town
with their string instruments and
facial hair multiple times in the
past, with a handful of perfor-
mances at The Ark and a spot in
the 2010 Ann Arbor Folk Festival.
* "We've heen fans of A2 for
years now,' wrote lead singer
Sean Hoots in an e-mail inter-
view. "(It) seems like there's a lot
of love for original music there.
The Ark (and everyone involved
from Anya to the volunteer
staff) truly inspires us."
While Hoots is drawn to the
college atmosphere of the town
0- savoring everything from
the used hookstores and coffee
shops that speckle the streets to
the local beer selection at Ash-
ley's - it's Hill Auditorium that
really dazzles him.
"That auditorium there is
hands-down one of the finest
rooms I've ever had the privilege
to sing in," he wrote. "Standing
on the front lip of the stage at
the center, you can cock yoor
head hack and hold a note that
will fill the entire interior with-
out amplification. That gave me
goosehumps."
But it isn't just the acoustics
in the Hill that stands out in the
musician's mind - Hoots per-
formed there with Iron & Wine's
Sam Beam, an experience the
musician rememhers fondly.
r
000
Hoots & itettmoth has perfaormed in Attn Arbot multiple tities.
"Sat
he wr4
togethi
our he,
It was;
TI
per
Sai
Sans
hig na
fornmed
nsembh
with g
Wicket
such a
While
to the
"glitz
feel lik
there i
for qoa
"Sm,
the sal
sonally
witht
"Anda
ing a t
on is ouch a sweethea rtt" before, thosec shows tan some-c
"ote. "We totik a picture tises htinsg out the best band-
ier afterwards ... hitch of audience coisiections, becauise
ards flowing insthe breeze. there's a hit less pretense
gloritos." intoilved."
_________________ Even sith the conistant sowsv
and a n ever-moving toutr hbus,
h~e band has Moots & Hellmouith still finds
time t write and record sew
-formed with music. The hband's third and
orm eu \Vliii favitrite album toi date, Salt is
mn Beam and doe for release April 10.
"Sattt is a citlorful beast," be
others. wvritte. "We totok our time craft-
ing an environsmeist for these
tunes ..store sit thats previtius
studiii experiences, where iv
iBeans is juist otneoftifhis were tryinig to mseet deadlines.
ties tisc band has per- Overall the alhom plays a little
I with, lhiiwever. ITse qcieter chats iirplrevitoseffiirts,
ers have shared the stage butt I feel like thse subtleties atid
rToups such .s Dr. Dog atid dynamsic.shave beens expansied
dSi.ster, playing its cities and becausensore nucaisced withi
Nashville atnd Chicagot. our isewvapproiclh."
Hootts is stitmewhat drawts Hiots & l'ellmutt's msusic
se larger shiiws - the stay have trattfotrtmed sinsce
and glamor" make him . ts' release if their, self-titledl
,he's,"diisng it for real" - L.P its 20017,bitt the hand's ego is
sstill something tithe said ansything bitt inflated - its fact,
tinter veisues. Hootts's visiion for the future is
call-towns shotws bring tint aboust as dowvn-tii-earth as it gets.
Iof the earth, and I per- His goal?
ytend to identify more "Lots muore Motsdays, .Tites-
these folks," he wriite. days, Wednsesdays, T'hursdays,
sihough we may be play- Fridays, Saturdays and Sun-
own we'ye never heard iif days," he wrote.
By L.AUREN CASERT!A
Sprcinog lbreatlhss ciotme atid
gonte, anthde coutdownivt untul
finaols taso tfficially commenttcedci.
dletinicsotrimbtle That Brown
trives little Show
tugngithe Uutter- Tomorrow
sit}7's u'ttlcss at 7p.m.
studecnt shiiows, or Cetter
fiorcinig stt- 1,0oo10050
deits to sitk
bteitwee ccfoucttaticcs list
grt'iipS ti'ysstici' lii's' iouldt
tmakte: itietoiiisic.
hasi tlitt t liottighittiofthe
ivera .ge titeu ncituhed, cotuiri'
stirsvcdistiuiient, creatttig itt
c gist-iii-itit ptaIkngi-delosthlit
gutes sttvi'ers n'1-occess pasis
in itttiwoldlif 'Sothatlt sianilt
We'lcomti o theiraffcitinately
ITic shotts-conitsissi f right dif'
cciii t Suthteast :Asiastutdett
group~s, eof * twhiitchi arc gisven
e'igtiuteotsuiof ii'fiirtiaitcc
titite. 'Thouigho cte goupts tailbeent
theiompactiist ticrt V'oif'ncotlec
tive "'IS" sthocase is ai ttto
drcawsfur criiiwds.
"1 I tinkit's suiwesomtha it you
lustily grouips tthcrc arc," satid
toetlielp orfitheiishottowilt
incloudeMichtigani Siltanoa, Miasya,
oico DuoMithite Michigait
Itiatgra ITcliiiMichigant Man.-
zil, I iiandtoil riet oelitatigra.
Each grtopspoecializes in a typoe
tift classicaol IndianiiandiSoustheast
Asiant sotciiititsitc iance style'.
fIhits iieots pterrmance swill
bc tlie stcoditucer fur "TRtS,"
schlwai s ftot'd lost yearcunder
the direciioniioifMichligant Sabs-
I I.Tihought the Iniano Amesricant
Stitdettsssti ontuhailbeetn
showticasinig 1Inidiandantc groups
for years, Michtigant 'tlusitstreal-
coiedttheiteiwas still ino tutifyinig
cvet foicla i ssical Ittilivocial,
groutps.
"Whtsirlst litaiiittic rdca
lasts cvr 1Itughit it ivas the
titlst illito itts oitig cccr."
Avr sasidts. "It sotutiilci like sit
muchtunt i. Anid ttere asre Sit maniti
t~ictisitniCg111)Sit YOstUttuis itt
hits yearsit'lstaltso tails the
first titci''titter Cctetrsoll
hoist "'It'S." 0 ioiii'iciphasizetd
halii. tc ihianoUtinstllg
rOOM, ivtingmtihe iomchir til
iteeditStare slontg iwithi a fewi
AS qiittuicokit YoutTubet'vil-
eos firtttm tci thicreious per'-
hformtantc crecsals ii'sll-to-wvall
cod and' ptuh erformticrsiopackeid
sitola lf-isisscd sttger' ssafar
ity'fr' iiitihcluurtiy of thit''Poce'
(:'enter's nttitiouis stitictitics.
no intectioittofiiilettintg thepate itt
tir staige lights goito tiheir scads.
"We're silt tryinigto itiake it
tutue fotrmtialtortoise tif this,"
Actira said. "It should still suite
a laiid-hoack, fiti atmtospihere. 1t
just heclps shtticoase cte grotups
ini chich-est postsihle 'vay. It's a
relaxed atmstsphtete because it's
everyonei's frictidsitat arcetip
there."
'Thi shtios- sill alsis he a learn-
itig expeiencite for those nt
famoiliar with tlie sheet variety of
claissicaii terfourmanmtcseach mif
wshtich isilltohle a sepatrote facet
oft mdiaiiiind Soitthieast Asiami
cutlture.
"We'lliithtiestimte idifferemnt
fuionttidanmccs,"A croasoid. "Induia
aiti Sotuth Atmimn countries are
cach iknownvimfotithour differeist
stylcs if dam-te and mummsic, andhsit
sic w'amnttshtmissase each idiffer-
emit gtoiitio nemmcsitigle perfitr-
miansce."
W~ith a idifferettperfomtance
fromteasch stsudiemit grouip, audi-
ciic mecmbers will get te rare
opmsi ciimity toi uatch cemtitries
if cultutral evoluitiomn packed
into ottes'perfoirmtance cdesignted
to kccip vicivecs enggedl atmilmi
thicir tilts.
"It's ccsillys'ootti ottsee that
all tlhese differet uicstyles comue
together," Ator id. "olWhets ymmu
gi toi a sinigle cuioct of a single
glittil, SOuuettttaS It becoitmes
huaing it a oitbteca. uttit's just
the ssieimtintg irepeatedly. Here
you scm. ill thise ifmfeto sblrimiv
organmizaions, just eight inuotes
if cachi tite. anthit's likc a lig cith-
Found-footage party film is
failed, uninspiring 'Project'
By AKSHAY SETH
Daily Arts Writer
It was a novel idea - a teenage
comedy shot in found-footage
format, soaked in the traditional
dose of sadis-
tic vulgarity*
while manag-
ing to maintain ProjctY
a well-defined
connection to At Qualty 16
reality. Even and Rave
the trailers
found a way Warter Btat.
to come off as
hilarious yet relatable. And to cop
it all off, comedic mastermind
Todd Phillips ("The Hangover")
took the reins, promising to
redeem himself after the disas-
ter that was "The Hangover Part
II." Everyone was excited about
"Project X," the film that would
change the comedy genre for the
better. Then the movie came out.
And to be frank, there's no better
way of describing it than saying
chat it flat out sucked ass.
It starts out nicely enough,
pulling the audience through the
boring lives of the three nerdy
protagonists, Thomas (new-
comer Thomas Mann), Costa
(newcomer Oliver Cooper) and
JB (newcomer Jonathan Daniel
* Brown), in expectedly slow fash-
ion. The jokes at this point in the
film are sparse but entertaining,
as if hinting at something great
that's about to come.
Sadly, that something great
never makes an appearance, and
all we're left with is a bunch of
stupid kids getting drunk and
puking into the camera every
other second. All the faux badas-
sery on display could have been
funny, but only if it wasn't the
focal point for the entire film.
"Yo freshmten, tash Shady Phi!t"
Also, is
least or
seem hi
every I
book.
Lik
but
tn az
up as t.
finish I
day cel
Featuri
cheap
topless
bly cur.
Hundri
ers she
at getl.
somseth
the ci
spins o'
is a stnm
Noth
righthb
to hav
It
twotild have helped if at they're douiug and deliver their
ne of the characters didn't lines sum ewhat effectively. 'ihe
ike a hollow projectiountof plotc is rather oihnoxious hbit
eemnage stereomtype in the umnderstandable in a faistastical
s enise'.'The priolem is that suite
________________ tf it fits togetlier.'There's abtst-
litchy nomiioimral chesiveness tit
e a(Superbad 9 give thismomvie the tractimisit
e9 needs tithe effective. "Superbadl"
acutally bad. worketd hecause-ali thie joes stud
1 stupidity were groumnded by the
_____________ loveahie yet oftemn strained rela-
tionship between the three muainm
ny event, the movie pickos characters. Granted, the sappy
the three main charaeters relationship dyisausics ditdist
planninig a miassive births- tahke center stage for msore thiamsa
'ebraciman for Thommas' 17ths. few minutes, buit it becaome very
iog an endless supply of elear that the directoir wasm't
liquor, illegal drugs amid gingogm let tieme ovssie he heist
women, the party inevita- behind a wall of one-dimnsioniii-
ns omt tim be a muassive sit. al jtoes.
eds of misguided teem-ag- Ini "Priject X," it seemts as if
)w up to have their turn the production team is eontent
ing shitfaced and doing with letting the film be coo-
ling stupid, umntil fisally, sumised bty a glitzy, Iaf-assed
otrcolled cl-aos qickiloy attensh o cibe fumnny. Needless
t of control and the house to say, it never works. The film
oldering pile of embers. tuirmisiuit to be a vulgar attemipt
ting in this movie is out- at humnor that sever really man-
ad. All of the actors seem ages to backo up the idioey with
'e amn idea aboit what goodtljokces.
5-
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