Arts & Entertainment

Rhythm de Cuba

Chaim S. A. Eliyah
Arts & Entertainment Editor

This past Friday, October 15th members of JC and the Origins performed in the PUB for Shoreline Community College students. The performance featured all sorts of drums and percussion of mostly African origin with some Cuban instruments. The dominant influence for the popular Cuban rhythms was also African in nature. Also present was a full body dancer, Patti Cage.

Members of the group included leader and director Johnny Conga, Steve Cherena, Tor Dietrichson, Ivan Galvez and Tahoma Hauptmann. The performers gave thanks to Esther Peneiro-Hall for sponsoring the event.

Various movements from all over the world were played, including pieces from West Africa, Nigeria, Brazil and Cuba. Some of the drums approximated the sounds of thunder and lightening, and boomed out music you might hear “in African parties, in Cuba, or even in the South Bronx” – said one JC member.

One of the features of the session was the Puerto Rico Bomba – the national dance of Puerto Rico; another included soulful chants in the Nigerian tongue. Yet another piece featured folklore from Cuba over steady penetrating rhythms. One student was able to jump on stage with the group and perform in unison. Near the end of the performance, members of the group paraded around the cafeteria floor followed by enthusiastic students.

PJ Harvery at the Showbox October 31st.

Zak Bisacky
Layout Editor

I’ve never seen PJ Harvey before (unless I can count my dreams) which is why I am so anxious to see this finely-aging English diva at The Showbox on Halloween. Could you ask for a better appearance on a better night? Well, I guess it could be on a Saturday instead of Sunday, you coud not have just been through 10 custume parties and a thousand drinks yet still the answer’s no, because all tickets evaporated like a one-quarter student loan after a week of classes. She tours in support of her new album “Uh Huh Her” (her seventh), which has been nominated for the Shortlist Prize, the American equivalent of Britain’s Mercury Prize. The album, if you haven’t heard it by now, is PJ’s return to more visceral territory than landscaped on her previous opus, “Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea.” With songs like, “Pocket Knife,” “Slow Drug,” and “Darker Days of Me & Him” I get the sense that her love life is normal by most standards. The new album isn’t as brilliant from start to finish as “Stories” (let’s be honest, what was?), but on a night like this you probably won’t want to be put to bed with a cup of earl grey and a lemon. For this tour she has enlisted a man named Dingo who used to play bass with The Fall (certificate of accomplishment) and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer who was recommended by Vincent Gallo (certificate of nothing). Both, according to PJ have made the band more spontaneous for her and long time (rock-solid) drummer Rob Ellis than previous outfits. As such, the translation from record to the wall of speakers at the Showbox should be nothing short of mind-blowing. Get a ticket or die tryin’.

Living Art

Chaim Eliyah A & E Editor

Artist Patti Bezzo appeared at Shoreline Community College last Wednesday to present and comment on her art. She brought with her two additional paintings from urban landscapes. The paintings on display in the 1000 Building include work completed from 1972 to 2004.

Patti’s work focuses on combining the natural world with what is manmade. The paintings on display were created at various times. She began painting the series as a farm worker in the Yakima and Columbia River valleys in 1972. She usually works from rough sketches that she draws in her sketchbook. Bezzo says that it can be hard to remember masses, shapes and forms from photographs, but occasionally will take a photograph from which to add extra detail. She then paints the scenes onto canvas with acrylic paint, which she notes is extremely versatile. She also says it’s easier to create good texture with the acrylics.

Almost all the scenes she paints are from the Northwest although one of the paintings currently on display features a Brazilian landscape.

Patti works with trees because she finds them aesthetically interesting. She says there are so many different kinds of trees and varying responses. Trees, she says, are perfect for art because some are heavy and dark and some light. She believes the lines are “wonderful to work with” and appreciates that the trees sway and move a lot, creating livelier artwork.

Patti doesn’t like to put people in her pictures because she “doesn’t want them to look too grand.” All pictures on display are without people. However, she compared the natural shape of trees to the human form; she cited another artist’s work, saying that trees can even look erotic at times.

Patti’s work is on display in the Administration 1000 building until November 4, 2004.

Snoop Dogg’s Latest Video “Drop It like It’s Hot”

Dominique
Ebbtide Journalist

“Drop It Like It’s Not” should be the title of his new video. In the latest Snoop Dogg video “Drop it Like It’s Hot” Ft. Pharell Williams, is boring and uninteresting. The video has a homemade look to it. It was almost as if he hired a 14-year-old to do the video. The song itself was repetitive and made no sense. The video had a familiar feel to it. It reminded me of the Puff Daddy or the P.Diddy or whatever his name is now, video “Special Delivery.” It’s as if he is running out of ideas, just like he’s about to run out of record labels to be on. I don’t understand why he can’t just stick with one.

The saddest part of the video is that he has his children in it while he has all these women shakin there stuff and while he is doing what he is famous for which would be smoking, and I don’t mean cigarettes. I think that having your children in a song like one such as this is wrong.

One good thing about this song is that it does have a good beat to it due to the genius styles of The Neptunes who have done beats for other artists such as Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake. So props to them for making another head banger.

Now if you are a die hard Snoop fan then you will probably think that this is another smash hit and that the CD will be tight, as for you on the border I would suggest not wasting your $17.99 on the album. You can find better things to spend your money on.