Western Courier

Two music department professors, Bruce Briney on trumpet and Eric Ginsberg on clarinet, performed at COFAC in a recital featuring several recent and contemporary pieces on Sunday. Ashlee Mack accompanied on the piano and Rick Kurasz played percussion. The most notable piece of the afternoon was "And Still, Between" composed by George Hufnagl, a 2005 graduate of Western.… Post the First Comment

Whereas Okkervil River's 2007 effort "The Stage Names" revolved around the stark contrast between life and cinema, "The Stand Ins" gives proof of such in its collection of heartfelt and more bitter than sweet narratives. River's latest was originally intended to be the second half of "The Stage Names," evident when the album artwork from "The Stage Names" is placed on top of "The Stand Ins" to form a complete image.… Post the First Comment

The lights turn off, the curtains rise, and the announcer tells the audience, "please refrain from throwing things on the stage or having sex in the aisles." A woman dressed in a puffy blue dress/stewardess outfit walks the aisles with a tray filled with condoms and an empty case of Budweiser beer.… Post the First Comment

Forget about the old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Harmonix blew that theory out of the water. Still reaping the benefits of the original "Rock Band," released last November, Harmonix made adjustments to an already-successful system and took "Rock Band 2" to a whole new level.… Post the First Comment

Imagine you are on a hill of a thick Venezuelan jungle overlooking a military compound that's armed to the teeth with soldiers, tanks, mounted machine guns and antiaircraft missile launchers. Your objective is to suppress and capture an enemy target that is inside.… Post the First Comment

This is some very angry music. You think I'm joking, but I'm definitely not joking on this front. It reminded me very much of Drowning Pool's "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" the entire time I was listening to this album. By no means is this a bad thing. In fact, the next time I am working out, the entire album "Rattlesnake" by A Static Lullaby will certainly be part of the playlist.… Post the First Comment

When I think of a quilt, I think of a lot of things. The first thing that comes to mind is that it is made up of many different pieces. Often the pieces of a quilt come from old clothes and heirlooms that have some sort of personal value attached to them.… Post the First Comment

World Fantasy Award-winning Patricia A. McKillip's newest novel, "The Bell at Sealey Head," is the tale of a seaside fishing town that is haunted with the ringing of an ethereal bell at sunset and the people who become wrapped up in discovering the truth. Ridley Dow, a mysterious scholar from the big city, comes to Sealey Head in search of the bell and sets up a series of events leading to the destruction of an ancient ritual and discovery of a magical world inside the ancient Aislinn House at the outskirts of town.… Post the First Comment

Upon entering Family Video, I immediately went straight to the new release section, ecstatic at the thought of finally watching two kung fu masters duke it out in the recently released Lionsgate film "The Forbidden Kingdom." Grabbing the last copy, I drove back to my res hall and popped the disc in.… Post the First Comment

In 2003, Billboard magazine stated that Metallica's "St. Anger" was the most anticipated album since the Beatles' "Abbey Road." It didn't take long for listeners to realize that "St. Anger" could also be considered the most disappointing album in history. It has been five years since that disastrous event and Metallica is back with an amazing new album, "Death Magnetic," to make everyone forget what happened in 2003.… 4 Comments