More Than Just a Concert

On the evening of June 25, 2008, the Park West Theatre in Chicago was blessed with a one-of-a-kind musical experience that left the capacity crowd in a state of shock and awe. During their first and only tour since 1999, Liquid Tension Experiment took to the stage to play one of only 6 shows on their 10th anniversary reunion tour. Comprised of Mike Portnoy, Jordan Rudess, and John Petrucci from Dream Theater and Tony Levin of King Crimson, this quartet is renowned as one of the best in the progressive rock industry. Usually seeing a concert with your favorite musicians playing your favorite songs is a special enough experience in itself, but this night turned out to be much more than that for those lucky enough to be in attendance.

The band began the night at a fast pace with their song “Acid Rain” and progressed through a wide range of musical flavors including their songs “Kindred Spirits,” “Biaxident,” “Freedom of Speech,” and “State of Grace.” From that point, the band progressed into another of their fast-paced song called “Universal Mind” and things started to get interesting. During the song, Jordan Rudess’ Roland keyboard rig started experiencing some serious technical problems causing every fourth key to play the wrong note.

With the keyboards out of commission and an antsy crowd on hand, it was up to the rest of the band to save the show. As Rudess crept backstage to phone the Roland engineers, drummer Mike Portnoy came over the public address system to deliver a reassuring message. He said, “The great thing about this band is that we love to jam, so when there’s a technical difficulty like the keyboard rig going down, it’s ok! because it just means we get to jam some more.” That having been said, the band began what would turn out to be over an hour of completely improvised music. Portnoy came over the PA periodically throughout the session to give status updates on the keyboard situation, but eventually Rudess emerged from behind the curtain with a frustrated shrug. Just when it seemed like the show would be coming to an end though, Rudess decided to throw in a new twist. He made his way across the stage to where Petrucci was playing and raised a finger in the direction of his guitar. Petrucci passed the guitar over, and Rudess improvised a guitar solo of his own with astounding speed and accuracy that most amateurs would kill for. With the crowd going wild, Petrucci decided to follow Rudess’s lead and picked up Levin’s extra bass from its stand. The band continued to jam in this formation until they were surprised by an unexpected visit from Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante. Benante then took over the drums while Portnoy moved out and took over the bass role thus completing an entire shift change. Each member of the band had switched instruments, but somehow their music still held its cutting-edge complexity. During one of his public address statements during the show, Portnoy said, “I hope someone in the audience is bootlegging this, because this could damn well be our next album.” Sure enough, 8 months later, a new album appeared for sale on the Dream Theater website entitled, “Liquid Trio Experiment 2: When The Keyboard Breaks.”

Featuring the entirety of the improvised jam, this album allows everyone not lucky enough to have been in attendance that evening with a small taste of just how amazing it really was. The album starts with the closing seconds of “Universal Mind” as the keyboard began to experience its problems. After a quick PA announcement, the band kicks off their first jam titled, “Chicago Blues & Noodle Factory.” The beginning is a bit slow-going and takes some patience as the band starts to set the tone, but as soon as the group starts to mesh it becomes a high-energy showcase of musical talent and excellence. Throughout the album, listeners are treated to a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience as the band fades in and out of a series of impressively improvised tunes. The album does have its fair share of low points as many of the transitions between jams are rough, but that is to be expected when all of the music performed is being composed on the spot. Considering the nature of the recording, the mastering on the album is also surprisingly high quality. The frequencies all balance well, and there is little distortion caused by noise from the crowd. Overall, this album will not go down in history being as influential as Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” but it is certainly unlike any other that has ever been produced and definitely worth listening to.

Improvised Perfection

What happens when you combine keyboarding phenomenon Jordan Rudess, bass legend Tony Levin, and two college dropouts turned honorary professors Mike Portnoy and John Pertucci on drums and guitar? Liquid Tension Experiment 2. This deep exploration into the world of sound grants listeners with some of the most talented music to ever be recorded in the prog-rock genre. Flawless musicianship is expressed through intricate soloing and complex rhythmic patterns that could leave even the best musicians in the world with their jaws on the floor. Possibly the most impressive part of it all though, most of the songs were created “Biaxident.”

An Explanation for the Universe?

Written in 1999 by physicist Brian Greene, The Elegant Universe offers a complete and thorough yet somehow still easy-to-read explanation of the cutting-edge “superstring theory” which is suggested as the missing link between general relativity and quantum physics. This missing link could be the key in understanding exactly how the universe was formed and the reasons for its behaviors. Theories that were once reserved for science’s elite minds are opened and explored through this book in a way that even an average mind is still able to wrap around the concepts. Grab this book and give it a read, it will change everything you thought you knew.

Saving Private Ryan

Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” could still be described as one of the most accurate World War 2 movies ever created. Released in 1998, this film follows Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) along with his platoon on a mission to search the battle-torn French countryside in search of Private Ryan (Matt Damon,) who is the only survivor of four brothers in the war. The gut wrenching detail starts right from the beginning with an extremely graphic scene recreating the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Through this film, viewers are allowed a first-hand glimpse into the shock and horror that was World War 2.

DaVinci on Drugs

What would Leonardo DaVinci’s art look like if he did drugs? Exploring the visionary art by Alex Grey at alexgrey.com may just provide an example of what that might look like. The site features Grey’s works ranging from early drawings and self-portraits to his more recent psychedelic and visionary style paintings. Under the paintings tab, viewers are free to explore several of Grey’s series including his early works, progress of the soul, and his most recent project titled “The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors.” The paintings in the progress of the soul section combine aspects of the physical world with symbolic representations of the spiritual and metaphysical worlds clearly influenced by a strong dose of LSD. Human bodies are portrayed in a strange style centered heavily around interior anatomy and feature skeletal structures and elements of the circulatory and nervous systems much like the scientific works of Leonardo DaVinci. Multiple levels of the spiritual chakra including the third-eye and the aura are also explored and represented through vivid coloring and mystical lines surrounding the beings. The backgrounds and settings of the paintings are also brightly colored and are based on complex geometric patterning. This series of Grey’s work includes several different events in the journey of human life including pregnancy, birth, nursing, copulating, healing, and death and are all painted using this same combination of the physical and the spiritual. The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors features all of the human physical and spiritual systems as well, but in this section there is a separate painting devoted to each of them. Grey’s physical and spiritual vision and understanding are astounding and the deep detail and symbolism that he has been able to incorporate into his art can easily keep a viewer engaged for hours.

Mental Institution or Prison?

Currently on exhibit at Roosevelt University’s “Gage Gallery” in Chicago, photographer Eugene Richards’ exhibit entitled “A Procession of Them: The Plight of the Mentally Disabled” is sure to draw emotion out of even the most callous of souls. According to Roosevelt University’s website, Richards began his career as a journalist and then later became a volunteer for the human rights organization Mental Disability Rights International. During this time, he toured mental institutions across the countries of Mexico, Argentina, Armenia, Hungary, Paraguay, and Kosovo he compiled a gallery of images that are not only extremely artistic in their quality, but are also very powerful in their message.

The overall mood of the images is very dark as they convey views of mentally ill patients in their prison-like environment conjuring images in the mind that will easily remind viewers of the dark days of World War 2 and the Holocaust. The photos are all presented in a black and white color scheme adding to the tension and lending an old-world quality to the images being portrayed. One of the major themes of the gallery is imprisonment as many of the photos illustrate patients being held behind bars with their glassy eyes holding just a small glimmer of hope that they might be able to span beyond the gap of mental illness and one day connect with the rest of humanity. Another theme revolves around the heavy drugging of these patients through the gut-wrenching images of patients being held down and injected with various psychiatric pharmaceuticals. The power contained within these images is very astounding and one cannot help but feel the temptation to be magnanimous and humane towards these people. Through this gallery we are allowed a glimpse into the horrid lives to which these patients have been contained, but we can also see that they too are human and deserve better treatment than they are being granted.

To view the gallery visit: http://www.roosevelt.edu/gagegallery/

Addicted to Parenting

With the launch of the fourth season of The Learning Channel’s reality TV series “19 Kids and Counting” eventually one must beg the question, “How many children is too many?” The series, formerly known as “17 Kids and Counting” and later, “18 Kids and Counting,” follows Arkansas couple Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar along with their massive herd of children through their activities in everyday life. Jim Bob, a former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, is a hard-core right-wing conservative Christian who believes strongly in a foundation of good morals and values accompanied by an extreme faith in God. Michelle, who met Jim Bob during her conversion to Christianity, has also become a devout believer in God, which she credits with her decision to discontinue the use of birth control. After suffering a miscarriage in the 1980’s, Jim Bob and Michelle decided to allow God to take over in deciding how many children they would ultimately have.

Unfortunately for the Duggars, the decision to allow God to make this choice on their behalf has led them to the staggering number of 19… and counting. Some might call this a blessing, but in today’s society the family appears instead more like a real-life representation of what we would expect from “The Simpsons” favorite redneck “Cletus the Slack Jaw Yokel.” The family’s eldest child, Josh (age 22), has also begun conceiving his own family with his wife Anna who comes from a similar background of a family of 10. Josh and Anna’s first child, Mackynzie, is now 6 months in age and with Jim Bob and Michelle’s most recent child Josie being 4 months in age, Mackynzie now has an aunt who is actually younger than she is. With this startling fact, the Duggar family has now succeeded in completely destroying the lines of generation.

While choosing not to use birth control is a decision that should warrant respect, the Duggar family taken it so far into the realm of the extreme that it has become questionable at best. While they have chosen to share the gift of life with their children, they are also taking away from what a quality life should entail. While Jim Bob and Michelle focus their attention on the youngest of their children, the older ones are then forced to give up the joy and fun of the youth experience because of their inherited responsibility to take care of the middle children who are left seemingly neglected by the situation. We can all hope that Jim Bob and Michelle will eventually see the negativity that their constant child bearing is bringing upon their other children and hopefully they will come to the decision to halt the process so that instead of bringing more meaningless lives into the world they can begin to enrich the ones that are already here.

Chicago's Evolving Skyline

Completed in 2010, Chicago’s residential tower “Aqua” is a rare gem hidden among the otherwise plain and square high-rises of the city’s skyline. The exterior of the building features a square glass substructure accented by shifting and flowing limestone balconies providing the tower with the unique appearance of waves flowing over its surface. When looking up at the tower from below, the edges appear jagged and natural and the tower takes on an almost off balance quality resembling a limestone cliff. Soaring to 819 feet above street level and comprised of 82 floors, it is clearly no dwarf either and it is the twelfth tallest building in Chicago. Designed by architect Jeanne Gang it is also the tallest building in both Chicago and in the United States to be designed by a woman. The primary use of the tower is residential and it includes both condominiums and rental apartments, but it is also the first building in Chicago that will also incorporate hotel rooms in addition to its residential area.

In honor of her extraordinary design, Gang was awarded the prestigious Emporis Award, described as comparable to the Oscars of architecture, given annually for the skyscraper of the year. According to members of the Emporis team, the building was given the award “for its advances is sustainable design and for the imaginative and fascinating architectural effects it achieves.” The group also added, “As the tower starts to loom overhead, it changes shape; straight lines disappear, and a mass of rounded layers stack up vertiginously like a limestone palisade molded by centuries of flowing water.” According to Gang, the idea to use limestone for the balconies was inspired by the topography of the Great Lakes region and is made to mesh well with nearby Lake Michigan.

Aqua is also recognized as one of the more environmentally friendly buildings in Chicago and is expected to receive a silver award from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designs organization because it has “set a higher standard for the next generation of large-scale residential and hotel construction.” Included among the building’s eco-friendly features are a green roof, rainwater collection system, and energy efficient lighting. It also has some other uncommon features such as a fire pit and a running track.

Overall with its innovation in architecture and engineering, Aqua is sure to inspire generations of future architects to build a new Chicago skyline that is not only more visually appealing, but also more environmentally friendly. With the creation of this building, a new age of architecture has been born and an architectural revolution has begun. Through the coming years we can expect to see this building inspire a new breed of architecture which will lead the Chicago skyline into a more unique and cleaner future.

Robert Gober - Untitled

Sometimes, art is just weird. Robert Gober’s untitled work at the Art Institute of Chicago is a prime example. In the contemporary art portion of the museum, viewers will have a chance to walk through a room entirely dedicated to this work of “art.” Upon entering the room, viewers will be surrounded by some of the strangest art that has ever been created by man. A wallpaper featuring two repeated 4”x4” pictures, one of a white woman sleeping, and one of a black man being lynched, covers all four walls from floor to ceiling. At the center of the room there is an empty wedding dress held up by a sculpture of wires, and at the base of the walls the viewer will find several bags of cat litter. Unless you are mentally unstable enough to decode this one on your own, there is also a description on the exit wall written by Gober. According to Gober, the wallpaper represents the “ugly and unforgettable reality of the United States’ history.” Understandable. The wedding dress represents “the supposed white purity that often triggered or justified the violence depicted on the walls.” This is also understandable. The strangeness starts to kick in as Gober describes the bags of cat litter as “sculptures.” Anyone who views a bag of cat litter as a sculpture must have some screws loose somewhere. The rationale behind the litter is that it “absorbs the stench of excrement (the wallpaper) and it allows for domestic intimacy (think diapers).” Some might call this “art,” but a better home for this piece would probably be in a dumpster out back.

Nicolas Poussin - Landscape with Saint John on Patmos

While navigating the maze of galleries that make up the European painting and sculpture portion of The Art Institute of Chicago, viewers will become immersed in a vast collection of biblical scenes and portraiture of royal figures from centuries of European talent. One painting that is sure to stand out is “Landscape with Saint John on Patmos” by seventeenth century French painter Nicolas Poussin. This was a very influential painting for its time as it is one of the first paintings in the history of art that features landscape with the intent of depicting its natural beauty. The painting’s overall content features ruins of roman architecture in a beautiful landscape of green trees and lush rolling hills set on the banks of a clear blue river. Saint John’s image is depicted in the foreground in a relaxed position as he peacefully studies from a scroll juxtaposed alongside a dark brown bird that appears to be his companion. The painting is peaceful and serene and contains no suggestion of movement or conflict within either the landscape or Saint John’s figure. Its strong influence on the art world could be credited to that very simplicity and serenity. It is easy for the common viewer to relate with, as it does not incorporate any of the heavy religious symbolism or deep coding common to that time period. Overall, it is the beginning of a new era in art which does not require an art scholar to understand, it is simply painted as an appreciation of the beauty of the natural world.

Jason Burhmester's "Black Dogs"

“The possibly true story of classic rock’s greatest robbery.”
In July of 1973, one of the greatest robberies in the history of rock ‘n’ roll took place as $203,000 went missing from Led Zeppelin’s safe deposit box at the Drake Hotel in New York City following a series of three sold out shows at Madison Square Garden. Jason Burhmester’s Black Dogs offers us a fictional take on what may have gone down on that famous night. The story follows a group of four deadbeat teens from Baltimore, Maryland including the main character, Patrick Sullivan, and his gang of criminal friends, Keith, Frenchy, and Alex as they plan and carry out this famous heist.

Patrick, who had recently left his life of crime behind to move to New York City to work as a caterer, becomes the ring leader of the operation after he learns that Led Zeppelin is paid in cash following each of their shows. Being an avid hater of the band, stealing that cash seems like the perfect idea to resurrect him in the eyes of his friends who he had left behind after their most recent failed robbery attempt landed Alex in jail. As soon as Alex’s uncle Danny gets involved in the matter however, things start to get a lot more complicated for the crew. While robbing the local pawnshop of their prized ’58 Les Paul, Danny decides it would be a good idea to steal a safe out of the back room. As it turns out, the safe is a very important possession to the owner of the pawn shop who is also the leader of a notorious local biker gang. Conflict quickly erupts following the theft of the safe as the owner, Backwoods Billy, tracks down the boys and demands that it be promptly returned to his possession. What would seem like a simple choice to just return the safe becomes more and more complicated though as the local district attorney learns of its theft and shows a strong interest in retrieving its contents. As the day of the heist approaches, the boys continue along with their plan despite the extreme conflict surrounding them, but just as in their other heists, nothing ever goes according to plan.

The writing style used in Black Dogs is a very simple, laid back, and easy to read tone and the dialogue between characters is what most people would expect from a group of teenagers with its frequent use of profane language, violence, and sexual content. Overall the book is a quick and easy read at only 250 pages, and the constant action from page 1 will keep readers locked in until the conclusion. Burhmester’s premier novel will not likely be taking home any literary prizes, but it will serve as great entertainment for a weekend on the beach or for any Led Zeppelin fan who wants to put a story behind the heist that occurred on that famous night in 1973.

Shutter Island

Shutter Island is the story of two U.S. Marshalls (Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) who are sent to a psychiatric institute to investigate the case of a missing mental patient. The film begins with a very intense and unsettling soundtrack as the two main characters arrive on the island to begin their investigation of the missing patient, Rachel Solando, who is reported to be the murderer of her own children. The investigation begins with a search of the island which turns up nothing more than a small note found in Rachel’s room that says “The law of four, who is 67?” There are 66 patients on the island, and the question is, who is the 67th? The next step of the investigation involves the questioning of some of the patients on the island. After questioning a few patients, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Teddy Daniels, begins to wonder if there are mental experiments being performed on this island. Soon after, he has a dream of his past. In the dream he is a World War 2 soldier involved in the raid of a concentration camp. At this point Daniels thinks he has uncovered a conspiracy and begins to search the island to find out what exactly is going on there. He begins discussing the conspiracy with his partner and relates the possible mental experimentation on the island to what was happening in Nazi concentration camps during World War 2.
The next day, as he resumes his search of the missing Rachel Solando, he also begins to investigate the conspiracy. Just as he begins to scratch the surface of the conspiracy though, Rachel is found. The plot line continues to twist as Daniels continues to have dreams of his dead wife and his experiences in the war. Soon thereafter, a storm overtakes the island and all of the patients are released as the electronic door locks fail. Daniels sees this as a perfect opportunity to continue his investigation of the conspiracy since he is now able to wander the island without being deterred and misled by the institutional workers. At this point he decides to go to ward C, which is where all of the most dangerous patients on the island are housed. Just after entering the facility, he runs across one of the guards who has been showing him around the island. Strangely, the guard allows him to continue wandering around the restricted access ward. While inside the ward, he comes across a man who he apparently knows and begins to question why he is there. Once again, Daniels has visions of his wife, but this time she is inside the cell with the man. Daniels is now determined more than ever to uncover the conspiracy so that he can get his friend off the island. The last place to be checked on the island is a lighthouse just off the coast which Daniels decides to investigate by himself. Upon reaching the top he finds all of the answers he has been looking for and Daniels uncovers the truth. He is actually the 67th patient, and the conspiracy was all a fabrication of his mind.

Caspa & Rusko - Fabriclive 37

The number of sub-genres beginning to appear in the electronic music field is becoming almost as difficult to comprehend as the expansion of the universe. In 2007 another new genre known as “dubstep” emerged from the UK underground into the mainstream with the release of Fabriclive 37 featuring Caspa and Rusko. Dubstep draws its influence from several other electronic genres including drum and bass, dub, and grime as well as some organic genres such as reggae and hip-hop. The foundation of the music is built on a polyrhythm of 4/4 rhythm sections layered over 6/8 bass lines. Syncopation is also a key element to the music as accents are often placed on off beats giving a feeling of unstable rhythm. Sonically, the bass lines used in Fabriclive 37 could be described as what a robot might sound like sitting on a toilet after a meal of bad sushi. To say the least, the sound is a bit unsettling. The melodic portions of the music include a wide variety of styles and instruments. The opening track on the album entitled “Girl From the Codrine City” features a jazzy saxophone melody while the album’s second track, “Cockney Violin,” incorporates a classical sound with the use of violin and flute melodies. Other tracks include soothing reggae style vocals comparable to what might be found on a Bob Marley album. Overall the melodic portions of Fabriclive 37 are pleasing to the ear, but the strange bass lines are likely to leave the listener wondering where to find the nearest bathroom.

Chicago's Brightest Star of Hip-Hop

Lupe Fiasco’s 2007 album “The Cool” started out looking like a complete waste of time. The introduction was okay, but the first few songs seemed like nothing more than the “I’m full of myself” crap that we have come to expect from Chicago hip-hop artists (Yes Kanye, that one is directed at you). Let’s give him a break though, with lyrics like “got my hood riding high on 28’s” he has to be one of the most innovative artists out there today. Honestly, who has ever heard a rap song about rims before? Lupe’s singing left a bit to be desired at the end of “Paris, Tokyo” as well. But just as this album seemed like it should be thrown to the trash heap along side Lil Jon’s “Kings of Crunk” and Kanye West’s “College Dropout” something strange happened. Inspirational and influential music started pouring out of the speakers as “Hip-Hop Saved My Life” started playing. It came as quite a relief to hear hip-hop vocal content that did not center around big butts, a Cadillac on 22 inch rims, or one’s helium inflated ego. “Intruder Alert” continues the quality section of the album with a very emotional story of a girl who had been raped and her attempt to trust again. The song also includes a stellar vocal performance by guest singer Sarah Green. “Streets On Fire” is also one of the best songs on the album with its driving beat and lyrics that actually require the listener to think about what the message may be that lies behind it all. The next few songs show the darker sides of the world and describe the problems plaguing inner-city neighborhoods. Overall, if you can get past the first eight songs, this album does go beyond the stereotypical crap that most hip-hop has become and is actually worth listening to.