., .:. The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, March 15, 2013 -- 5 Yo-Yo Ma, Silk Road to honor music, culture Amurrica. A$AP, Francis talk mtvU Woodies By PAIGE PFLEGER DailyArts Writer In 2000, world-renowned musician Yo-Yo Ma founded the Silk Road Ensemble - a chamber music group inspired by the Yo-Yo Ma cultural tra-ant ditions of the historical Silk Silk Road Road. Since its Ensemble creation, the group, com- Sarturday posed of mul- at 8p.m. tiple musicians from different Hi countries, has From $20 traveled the globe, bringing audiences a musical experience that blends cultural boundaries. The Silk Road Ensemble'sgoal is to connect cultures and build relationships with new audi- ences using their unique blend of music from around the world. They combine ideas of travel, transformation, innovation and tradition in hopes of creating a global community. As a result of their desire to spread their distinctive music so widely, the Ensemble travels all over the world, three times a year. They've toured in Europe, Asia, Central Asia and all over the United States since 2000, and their stop at Hill Auditori- um is a part of their most recent U.S. concert tour. University alumn and profes- sor of music Joseph Gramley, is a multi-percussionist and founding member of the Silk Road trainir The Ju him t many from drums keyboa marim phone. "Th explor and in existin missio posers utilize tion,"C great and ge to tho easterr Bec posed from membi ally ur tour, rehear they m Ce an gr gi "It's there's per se, Ensemble. His extensive brings ideas," Gramley said. "It's ng at the University and a process that's based complete- iilliard School has helped ly on communication and trust o become proficient in - trust in each other's musi- percussion instruments, cianship and being able to com- the drum set to hand municate with each other to get as well as a myriad of our ideas across. It's sort of likea ard instruments - the brainstorming session, but with ba, xylophone and vibra- instruments." However, it seems as though e group is dedicated to communication would be diffi- ing some of the tradition cult to maintain for a group that novation that is found in is comprised of so many differ- ig music, as well as com- ent backgrounds, countries and, ning new work from com- of course, languages. from all over the world to "There are language barrier our unique instrumenta- problems, but over the years, Gramley said. "It's a really we've found ways to work with conglomeration of styles various artists from around enres of music dedicated the world. We'll start a con- se far-eastern and near- versation, perhaps without n lands." our instruments. If we need ause the group is com- an interpreter, we have one," of multiple musicians Gramley explained. "And once different countries, the the conversation is started, we ers rehearse individu- do a lot of great communicating ntil two days before the through the music and building when they reconvene and trust." se together. This year, The group works closely with eet in Boston. cellist Yo-Yo Ma - an experi- ence that Gramley and the other musicians are extremely grate- ful for. 'lust virtuoso "fr He is an incredible catalyst .d acclaimed for bringing people together," Gramley said. "He is amazingly oup to bring gracious and open to new ideas. Working with him in rehearsals obal sound. is an incredible learning oppor- tunity. He's not afraid to try new ideas or push his colleagues to try new things. He's an amaz- chamber music, so ing advocate for what the arts not a leader of rehearsal can do for audiences, for young everyone contributes and people and for the community." Awards show to celebrate student- selected champions By ANDREW ECKHOUS DailyArts Writer Apparently, a dungeon exists somewhere in MTV's studios, somewhere that still plays music. Known as mtvU, the television network targets college students and broadcasts a variety of pro- grams about things that we care about, like activism (obviously) and cool robot music. All jokes aside, mtvU panders more convincingly than most other corporate shills. It spon- sors Fulbright Scholars and has a number of opportunities that involve college students. But the opportunities aren't exclusively for service, though, and the mtvU Woodie Awards exemplify just that. Billed as an award show for "the best in indie, underground and everything in between," the mtvU Woodie Awards allow col-' lege students (like you and me!) to make the decisions, and most of the nominees are acts that don't get much love from the main- stream shows. Recently, The Michigan Daily took part in a Woodie Awards conference call with DJ Dillon Francis and rapper A$AP Rocky, in which both artists talked about their craft, their rising popularity and what the awards nominations mean to them. Francis was first known for his forays into moombahton, a Latin- infused brandof electronic music. Soon after, he signed to Diplo's Mad Decent label and has seen his notoriety grow since being anointed an "artist to watch" by MTV's electronic music show, "Clubland." Nominated for "Breaking Woodie" (Best New Artist, for you squares out there), Francis considers a Woodie win as an achievement, but only a tem- porary one. "If I win it, I think it will be really cool ... but, for me, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and keep making music that I really love, and that's it," he said. While many of Francis's dreams have already come true, like working with DJ Calvin Har- ris, he won't let such success go to his head. From a hardworking family in Los Angeles, Francis often describes his unyielding work ethic and seems serious about sitting atop the throne of EDM (electronic dance music) one day. He's "aiming for 10,000 hours (of work)" by next year, and with his debut album on the way, Francis could be a big name for years to come. Back for the second year in a row, Harlem's A$AP Rocky took a step forward this year. Last year, A$AP performed and earned a nomination for "Breaking Woodie," but this year, he's up for "Woodie of the Year" as the odds- on favorite. A$AP's flavor of New York rap contains a shot of Houston siz- zurp, and the hype surrounding him has been growing ever since he signed a 3-million dollar con- tract with Sony in late 2011. Like Francis, success means more to A$AP than any award. "Coming up to me and telling me that you enjoyed my music when (you're) a total stranger is better than winning a Grammy to me." Randomly peppering the con- versation with "swag" and "they call me flocka," the slow-talking A$AP described the legacy he wants to leave, and it's one for the kids. "Legacy? I'm teaching the youth ... through all my songs and my energy. ... It's a new day and age; we need to get back and bring back the hippie power.... We (are) all one people; we need to get high and enjoy life together the way we did back in the '70s, and that's the legacy I'm gonna leave behind. Swagswag." For all of his praise of the hip- pies, A$AP displays tremendous business savvy as well. When asked what he's bought with his money so far, he yelled "not a damn thing," emphasizing that the money is an investment in his career. He considers himself "the future" and, with his meteoric rise to fame, it seems like he might be right. ASAP wouldn't mind some hardware on his mantle, though. He declined to make a prediction on the voting, but said, "I hope I win. That's it." TV REVIEW 'Red Widow' spins lifeless tale YAHOoSCREEN "Who's ready for the midnight release of 'Spring Breakers'?!" Webseries 'Burning Love' falls into stereotypical satire By MOLLY WEBER Daily Arts Writer "Red Widow," which debuted March 3 in a two-part event, isn't a strong addition to ABC's lineup, though its pilot didn't C+ prove terrible - at least not Red Widow yet. The net- work's female- Sundaysat centered 10 p.m. venture was ABC said by some to be a "wannabe 'Breaking Bad,' " if one considers the common element of drug traf- ficking. But any other similarity stops there. Solid names are attached to the show, though experienced talent may not be enough to keep the series in production. Melissa Rosenberg ("Twilight") produces the new series about recently widowed Marta Wal- raven (Radha Mitchell, "Finding Neverland"). In the San Francis- co Bay Area, Marta is left to care for her family after her flip-flop- wearing, pony-tailed husband, Evan (Anson Mount, "Hell On Wheels") is shot in front of their son. But before Evan is murdered, audiences quickly learn that the Walravens are no ordinary family. Evan, with his sketchy brother-in-law Irwin Petrov (Wil Traval, "Underbelly") and his friend Mike (Lee Tergesen, "Oz"), run a fishing charter business. But the business is only a front for their real work - exporting marijuana. Marta is a sweet and fit blonde "Mob parties are so fun?" mom - not to mention the daugh- lacks the panache and charisma ter of mob man Andrei Petrov that made "Alias" a favorite for (Rade Serbedzija, "In the Land many. "Widow" ultimately shows of Blood and Honey"). Her family signs of a series that has a num- is "Bratva," or Russian mafia, but ber of good elements, but fails to Marta fights to shield her chil- become "good TV." And, though dren from realizing how closely the show runs oriented on plot in reach they are of organized rather than character develop- crime. ment, it's awkward to watch as the few intimate moments between actors draw attention to This is not the lack of chemistry. Initial reviews called the pre- 'Breaking Bad.' miere ratings "woeful," and it most recently took a 20-percent drop from its already shaky pre- miere weekend. Most TV critics But when Evan is killed, Marta are predicting the show's can- learns that hostility, discord and cellation, especially after similar secrets plagued the trio-part- numbers were roused by another nership of her husband's busi- recently cancelled ABC show, ness. Something went wrong, and "Zero Hour." Marta must settle the debt. Give "Red Widow" a try, but The pace and tone of the show most viewers will end up check- is similar to another ABC hit, ing their email and drifting fur- "Alias." Though the new series's ther and further from the TV background plot is intriguing, when it's on. Might as well skip and Radha Mitchell is likable, the pleasantries, and just do your "Red Widow" unfortunately homework instead. By JULIAN AIDAN Daily Arts Writer Lampooning reality television has become as much a corner- stone of popu- lar culture as C the slobbering, drunk, poor Buring decision-mak- ing and endors- LOVe ing half-hour Thursday mainstays of & Friday weekday pri- metime. "Burn- Yahoo! Screen ing Love" jams 16 one-dimen- sional pseudo-bachelors into a parody of "The Bachelorette" with Julie (June Diane Raphael, "American Dad!"), an emotion- ally unstable wreck whose own brand of crazy puts Snooki and company to shame. Having been rejected from the first season, in which an incompetent Ken Marino ("Wanderlust") waded knee deep in eligible bachelorettes, Julie decides that the only logi- cal thing to do is to spend 10 months as a lesbian with anoth- er former contestant. When she decides this is only a phase, the newly single woman is left with only two options: first, a fixation on sex and emotional manipula- tion matched only by her com- plete lack of rational thought and, second, a desire to find love in the most public, least practical way possible. Obviously, a net- work's massive revenue stream disguised as shallow, scripted speed' The series the ste and a and ne Each t trait being,I gy or I birth. watchi can av the cor ring to ineptit The ate the wardn audien camera a laye believa and th length show - events penedi I d As i initial remain Leo ( dating is her top choice. Five-0") joins separation anxi- "most romantic web ety-ridden Alex (Joe Lo Truglio, that will ever be" takes "Wreck-It Ralph"), dependent reotypical array of crazies "Prince" Simon (Rob Huebel, mplifies their insecurities "Childrens Hospital") and so- uroses to comical heights. far-pretty-normal-guy Henry bachelor has exactly one (Jerry O'Connell, "The Defend- that defines his entire ers") in the fight for Julie's affer- be it Judaism, a nut aller- tion. There's no doubt that the his two-month-premature future holds many an identity At the very least, those crisis and mental breakdown ng the 15-minute episodes for the show's star-crossed cast, oid the need to remember but, realistically, that's all any- ntestants' names by refer- one watches reality TV for any- them by their respective way. udes. As a satire, "Burning Love" writers flawlessly recre- excels at making dating shows same forced-reality awk- look like the bizarre mistrust- tess that has captivated inspiring, ultra-competitive ces the world over. Shaky social experiment that they awork and jump cuts add are. Unfortunately, that doesn't r of authenticity to the prevent it from becoming just ably terrible scenario, another tick gorging itself on the re program goes to great lifeblood that is "reality" televi- S - for a fictional reality sion, a genre that stumbles and - to inject allusions to past refuses to die off. The watcher depicted as if they'd hap- spends 15 minutes at a time off-air. engrossed in the phony personal lives of a crew of satisfyingly less-than-perfect men and their reality Tv relationships as they vie for the attention of someone whose last oesn't even shred of credibility was lost well before her show's first season. eserve to be Less funny than annoyingand sad, "Burning Love" ironically parodied. beats the dead horse that is real- ity television in what is hopeful- ly the last bastion for innovation in the genre: admittedly scripted t stands, only four of the and fake scenarios of paid actors 12 eligible bachelors acting like unloved, spoiled : The prematurely born children looking for love and Martin Starr, "Hawaii approval.