Archive for July, 2011

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So why lo-fi?

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

lo-fi band Best Coast of California

In today’s music world it can seem like every popular song is terribly artificial, overly processed, and unforgivably marred by auto-tune. Is there no room for humanity in a business that’s dominated by pitch-perfecting, high-tech, expensive machines? Is there any form of originality in pop music? Song after song is practically the same. Live shows are nothing but overdone moments of hyperstimulation. In many ways, it appears that artistic merit is a thing of the past in today’s pop. But hi-fi doesn’t dominate every realm of music—except many people wouldn’t know that, since they’re completely unaware. And it’s not necessarily their fault; after all, such bands and artists receive very little attention from television and radio stations.

In the world of indie and underground music, bands have experimented with lo-fi for decades, and the fuzzy sound has become very popular lately. Lo-fi, for those of you that don’t know, is a recording style that is not intended to sound particularly crisp. In other words, lo-fi music is meant to sound homemade and inexpensive. Don’t get me wrong, it probably sounds a lot better than a karaoke night at Karaoke Boho fueled by student discounts! But there’s no gaudy flash to lo-fi, which is not the case on the billboard charts or on your friend’s Lady Gaga-heavy iPod. Lo-fi has transitioned from being a simple recording technique to becoming a genre in it’s own right. My suggestion is, if you’re bored with the monotony of popular music, then try listening to some lo-fi indie acts.

Four bands I’d recommend checking out are: Smith Westerns, Wavves, Yuck, and Best Coast. Smith Westerns are a young trio from Chicago whose glam-tinged 2011 album Dye it Blonde has garnered a lot of attention from music journals like Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. I’ve seen this band live and I was very impressed by the skill and musical maturity of a band composed of guys my age, yet it was of course wonderfully youthful too. Wavves and Best Coast are probably the biggest lo-fi acts out of California right now (and the two groups’ lead singers are dating!). Best Coast’s debut album Crazy For You cracked the top 40, which is a huge achievement in today’s indie scene, and demonstrates the increasing popularity of lo-fi. I also think it’s pretty cool that this success was realized by a female-fronted band. Yuck’s self-titled album is, in my opinion, by far the best album of 2011, chock full of shoegaze wonder.  Yuck is comprised of musicians from New Jersey, London, and Tokyo, which has an interesting influence on their sound. Many of these bands and other lo-fi acts take their queues from the original kings of lo-fi, the cult 90s band Pavement.

The fours bands I’ve mentioned have been touring extensively, promoting recent albums (I’ve been lucky enough to see all four), so there’s a chance you could still catch them yourself! If you’d like to experience some nostalgia then I highly recommend seeing Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks on Monday, September 26 at Terminal 5. Stephen Malkmus is the lead singer of Pavement, which just finished up a successful reunion tour, and he’s now touring with the Jicks. If you’re bored with what’s playing on z100 you should try listening to these bands and exploring websites like Pitchfork and the music blog Fucking Nostalgic to discover even more. And don’t forget indie darkroom, the only true indie radio station, which is on 87.7 FM!

Anjelica LaFurno (Baruch College)

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Image credit: Pitchfork.com

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Posted in Appreciation, onMusic, onSavings, Upcoming Concerts | 1 Comment »

Friendship for Two

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

A true friendship is one of the most valuable things in the world. Bonds with family are important, but they are also predetermined. A friend is someone you choose, based on your own plans or whims, your own criteria, your own conditions. In a way, the friends you choose say a lot about the person you are.

“So, you’ve never tried bubble tea?”

Tapioca

Two cups of Bubble Tea with tapioca

I’ve never been the kind of person who assertively seeks friends. What does that say about me? I’ve always been the type who wades in the water until a more aggressive swimmer decides to scream “Marco!” first. However, one friendship of mine has changed that.

“C’mon, I’ll take you to the best bubble tea place in Chinatown.”

Two years ago, I met Cassandra Lee through a mutual friend and she single-handedly transformed my life. Of course, when I first met her, I didn’t know that that would be the case. Every friendship starts off modestly, unassuming, even a bit suspicious. Traversing past the introductions is the fun part about meeting someone new, with the hope that you’ll both find something you can relate to.

“Hmm… well we have to find Mott Street. Then I’ll know the way from there.”

With Cassandra, introductions were completely unnecessary. She likes to jump right into the thick of things only to pull something out and make it into something new. When I met her, there was no awkwardness and no second-guessing. Her can-and-will-do attitude was infectious. No, I wouldn’t jump off of a bridge if Cassandra wanted to, but then again, she would cancel whatever was on her schedule if the jump included bungee cords. Like I said, she loves getting into the thick of things, but within reason.

“See, there’s fruit-flavored tea and milk teas. We could each get one and share.”

That’s the most amazing thing about Cassandra. She doesn’t act too radically to a point where it’s simply outrageous, but she doesn’t hesitate when she knows there’s some risk involved either. She is the eye of the storm: calm, but central to the integrity of all the commotion that surrounds her. And when we met I was proud to become a part of that commotion.

“You stab the straw right through the top. I always aim for the little guy’s nose: dead center!”

Since I met Cassandra, I’ve begun to realize a lot about myself. Life is certainly worth living more than once. After all of the mistakes you make the first go around, it would be interesting to see how things went if you were given a second chance. But the life you live now is the only one that’s guaranteed. You have to make the most of it despite what anyone tells you. When I met Cassandra, I realized I had to start making the most out of my life.

“The tapioca is the best part! I’m learning how to make the bubbles myself.”

Cassandra taught me how to live life in the moment, and I’ll always value our friendship for that. I didn’t choose to be friends with Cassandra, but I’m glad she chose me. It’s helped me recognize that decisions are to be made in life and you shouldn’t shy away from them. You have to make those decisions and not let them make you.

“Of course, I like to get one to-go and throw it in the fridge when I get home. At least until I’m really good at making my own.”

Cassandra has always been good at making her life her own and as a result, I’ve started to do so as well.

–Christopher Cusack, Hofstra University

Photo Credit: http://bubbleteablog.tumblr.com/

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Bookstores with Grandma

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

One of the things my grandmother and I have in common is that we both love to read.  Although the language each of us reads in primarily is different—my grandmother is Japanese and speaks no English, my own Japanese has certain gaps in it—at the heart of it, we both love stories.  My grandmother will read just about anything, from novels recommended by my aunt, to manga about pirates, to crime and suspense stories.  In Japanese, I tend to stick to manga, mostly because there are so many pictures. Not only do the pictures help enormously with comprehension, they also make reading more enjoyable and less frustrating for a painstakingly slow reader like me.

Image credit: genjipress.com

So it was a perfect idea for the both of us to check out some of English-Japanese bookstores in Manhattan.  We started at Book-Off, on 45th Street.  Book-Off is a used bookstore, and customers can sell back books here as well.  The main floor contains English books, and although the selection isn’t endless—particularly being a medium-sized used bookstore—there is still a substantial amount of books in various categories.  There are also plenty of shelves that carry books for only a dollar!  This floor also has used CDs, primarily J-Pop and K-Pop, for any enthusiasts that are looking for a deal.

The basement floor mainly carries manga, as well as some instructional books.  There are both manga in English and Japanese, with English copies generally running for about six or seven dollars a volume. Price depends fairly heavily on the series, and this is especially apparent with the Japanese volumes.  Again, there are several shelves of books that are only a dollar, some series running for three, but the more popular series or the newer volumes cost about five or six dollars a volume.  I was however, able to find the first few volumes of a series I’d been meaning to start on the dollar shelves, and it’s finds like this that make Book-Off worth a visit.  The second floor carries Japanese novels, which I don’t know a lot about personally, but my grandmother seemed pleased with the selection!

Image credit: pwpbooks.blogspot.com

Books in hand, my grandmother and I then headed towards Kinokuniya Bookstore, which is located by Bryant Park.  Although a little more expensive, Kinokuniya has a generally wider selection than Book-Off.  The main floor and basement carry novels, textbooks, and other similar books, both in English and Japanese. Kinokuniya also sells Japanese stationary, T-shirts, figurines and other knick-knacks, many of which make great gifts for those who are interested in Japanese culture.  The second floor of Kinokuniya carries manga and anime, and the selection in both languages is impressive.  There is also a café facing the window on this floor that sells lunch foods and desserts.  The café is great, but on the small side, and quickly becomes crowded around lunch time.  My grandmother and I were there at around 4:30, though, and were able to find a table easily; I’d definitely recommend going at an hour between meals.  At times like this it’s totally acceptable to take your time with a book, which is part of what makes it so enjoyable.  Although it’s the great deals at Book-Off that make it one of my favorite bookstores, the café, the selection, and the other fun items at Kinokuniya make it definitely worth a look as well!

Anais DiCroce

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Podunk

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011

Image credit: coldspringsstudio.blogspot.com

I wouldn’t quite call teatime American, if anything can be called American at all.  I think maybe of a snack of pretzels after school, but otherwise not much more than that. займ 15000 рублейю I have a friend with English relatives who always had tea in the kitchen, and a friend who is into organic foods who dedicatedly keeps several different types in her dorm, but otherwise, tea doesn’t seem to be all that widespread.  Mostly when I think of teatime, I think of a hyper-stereotyped British teatime: tea, biscuits and crumpets-style. Maybe it’s just habit and history—I suppose several hundred pounds of tea dumped in a harbor isn’t a great precedent to appreciating the drink.  While I’m certainly no connoisseur, a mug of hot tea is great when going over late-night readings at school, and who doesn’t love iced tea in the summer?

With these thoughts in mind, I decided to try a place that specialized in tea.  I headed downtown to Podunk, a small tea shop by Cooper Union.   I admit I was somewhat worried it was going to be too cute of a place for me to handle.  Sometimes tea shops are alarmingly filled with doilies, and frankly it can be overwhelming.  Walking through the door, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.

Podunk is sweet but not stiflingly so.  It’s filled with mismatched chairs—wooden chairs, painted chairs, garden chairs.  I chose a deep Adirondack that I nearly fell into if I sat back too far.  There are shelves full of picture books, and little knick-knacks like a straw hat and a watering can along the walls
.  I checked my phone for the time, and, bizarrely, felt almost bad about it.  Although it’s not exactly like stepping back in time, Podunk is definitely a books and paper and conversation type of place.

The tea came in a wooden tray pained blue, with a yellow polka dotted tea pot, a jar of sugar with a pear painted on it, and a spoon set neatly on a napkin. The tea—apple chamomile–was home-brewed and lovely.  I was charmed against my will.  It’s certainly a unique sort of place, and it welcomes all sorts of people.

Unfortunately, Podunk is on the expensive side.  A pot of tea is $8 for one person, $7 a person for more than one person, and smaller options than a pot don’t seem to be offered.  There are, of course, plenty of other less expensive cafes around the city for those who are wallet-conscious.  Podunk is different, though, and worth it for the experience of it.  Small but charming, it’s the perfect place to take your mom on her birthday.

Anais DiCroce

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Find Happiness In Your Own Hands

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011

http://www.theminimalists.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Happiness-Hands1.jpg

My mother has always told me to take care of myself; told me I had to look beautiful and dressed up in order to truly feel beautiful. My mother is the old fashion type that wears diamonds and red lipstick.  She was a trend-setter in the 80s and wore the sparkles and electric blue dresses with no shame. My mother has never been cheap when it comes to beauty. My sisters have gotten their hair colored and straightened and perfected since middle school and I have been wearing makeup since I was 14. My mother always had the best intention for my sisters and I, but somehow in the middle, beauty became an unattainable dream. For me going through puberty, the worst years of ALL teenager’s lives, was like being told: “this is what beautiful is, and kid, you just don’t got it.” Instead I had acne and sudden stretch marks (fries and junk food were immediately cut after those appeared). I had self-consciousness that would control my life for the following 5 years. I would get facials and new clothes and my hair done and nails done all the time; but I still wasn’t happy. My mother did everything she could but no matter what I still felt ugly. The last straw came when a boy talking to me said, “she’s really hot but she’s got acne everywhere, you would know what that was like. She’s kind of like you.” That day I went home and told my mom I wanted to go on Accutane, the powerful prescription drug that eliminates acne from the inside out. It’s a pill you take everyday that has a side effects list that’s two pages long.  I took the pill for six months and luckily only got the most common side effects of bloody noses, extreme chapped lips, and paper thin skin. I had to get blood tests done every month to make sure my liver wasn’t shutting down and to make sure I wasn’t pregnant. It was a very serious medicine and taking it was the biggest medical risk I’ve ever taken. Once I got off the medicine I was healthy and had flawless glowing skin. The only lasting side effects was my skin being drier and needing to be heavily moisturized (very manageable, no complains) and that I was still self conscious, only this time it was another issue. Instead of my skin being the problem it was my weight or my hair or my teeth. I realized rather quickly that no matter what I changed, I would never be happy. I was just unhappy. So the summer before going into college I decided that I was beautiful. As simple as that. I worked hard, people genuinely liked me and I was off to start a brand new life in college. I realized at that point in my life, I was the only one bringing me down. When the boy said that nasty comment to me years earlier, it should have registered in my brain that he was also saying something really mean about that other girl with acne. I realize now that that kid was just a jerk and just one of the reasons why high school is so hard (another reason being that nobody skips out on the awkward phase of teenage life and we’re all full of raging hormones and awkward conversation). He didn’t have to say anything at all but instead he hurt not one, but two people. You have to remember that high school isn’t meant to be enjoyed; it’s meant to be endured. And who you were then isn’t who you are now. You are stronger, smarter and better than you ever were back then. The most important lesson I learned going into college was to leave your troubles behind you, leave all those nasty remarks and all those negative feelings of self doubt behind because its not only that you have to look good to feel good, its actually more that you have to feel good to look good.

-Jackie Aqel

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How to Get Tickets to Late Show with David Letterman

Friday, July 1st, 2011

Are you a fan of Late Show with David Letterman? Guess what, you can watch the show live for free! The entire audience of the show consists of fans who get free tickets to the show. So, your chances of getting a ticket could be high. But there is one strict requirement – you have to be a fan of the show. In order to verify that you are indeed a regular viewer and a fan, you will be asked a trivia question related to Late Show which you must answer correctly.

You can visit the show’s website and obtain tickets by:

  • Filling out the Online Ticket Form
  • Going to the Ed Sullivan Theater and submitting an In-Person Request
  • Calling them at 11am on the day of the taping you wish to attend and getting Stand-By Tickets.

Sometimes members of the show’s crew can be seen walking around in Times Square wearing the Late Show t-shirts and going up to random tourists in Times Square and inviting them to watch that day’s show. If you happen to spot one of them, you can always try stalking them and requesting tickets and you might just get them, provided you answer the trivia question correctly.

The questions are not really something to be worried about as they are supposed to be simple and something that any frequent viewer of the show can answer. Like, what is the show’s stage manager’s name? Answer: Biff Henderson.

If you are lucky enough to score tickets to the show, you will have to be there at 3.30pm as the show is taped at 5.00pm. Note that there are no cameras, phones or large bags allowed in the theater. And, if you fail to provide an ID or are under 18 years of age you will be turned away. There are two shows taped on Monday and one show on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Besides Late Show with David Letterman there are several other popular talk shows hosted in NYC like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Tyra Banks Show, The View, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Rachel Show, The Nate Berkus Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and so on. Most, if not all, of these shows offer free tickets and they all have individual processes of giving tickets, but a little bit of online research will help you a great deal.

If you are a student visiting New York, check out The Campus Clipper iPhone App which allows you to have the coupons right in your pocket. The great deals include an all you can eat lunch buffet at Jackson Diner, an Indian restaurant for only $9.95. And, special discounts at Zen Palate, a vegetarian restaurant.

Bushra Tawhid

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Gaming to a Beat in the City

Friday, July 1st, 2011

Where do we go now?!?!

To me, music gaming is all about the arcade. Guitar Hero and Rock Band may be nice party games, but in my years as an arcade rat, my friends and I spent countless weekends and dollars working up a sweat playing Dance Dance Revolution and other music games. If you’re interested in a type of gaming that requires more than pushing buttons, or just need to know where to go to find a functional machine in the area, here is a list of my favorite places to drop quarters and Dance Dance.

Port Authority Bus Terminal (8th Ave. & 42nd St, 2nd Floor Arcade)

This is one of those arcades attached to a bowling alley, but it just so happens to be inside the busiest bus station in the world (literally—ask my friend, Wikipedia). Fortunately, the bus patrons are too busy trying to get back and forth from work and home, so the arcade is never crowded, usually occupied only by tired tourists with kids. Despite its less than cozy feel (the bowling alley next door is super upscale), I rate it so highly because it’s never a long wait to play any game, and the DDR Supernova machine is in excellent shape. If you’re a beginner, you might not want to go at rush hour, since passengers for a bunch of NJ buses line up right outside, and you’ll be in full view. Also, avoid the expensive food and drinks in the bus station and pick up a lunch elsewhere, like a Subway sandwich using a Campus Clipper coupon, and use the savings on more games!

Eight on the Break (Dunellan, NJ)

8otb is the mecca for music gaming in the Northeast. Not only is it a great arcade in general, with almost every fighting game ever created in addition to pool tables and the latest racers, it houses popular music games like DDR and its American counterpart In the Groove in addition to games that are super rare in the states. This is by far the most convenient place to find Beatmania IIDX, Pop’n Music, and even Keyboardmania all in one location. If you want to make the trek from the city, take the PATH train, which has a stop right across the street from the arcade and makes trips back to New York late into the evening. It’s definitely worth the ride.

But before you go, make sure there aren’t any tournaments going on, which will either make it impossible to get time on the machine of your choice or make the place maddeningly crowded, or both.

Next Level Arcade (40-13 8th Ave, Sunset Park, Brooklyn)

Even though this arcade doesn’t have DDR yet, I have to mention it because of its history and its bright future. In the past year, the iconic Chinatown Fair arcade that had serviced hardcore gamers for decades closed its doors due to rising rent prices. For an arcade rat like me, CF was the only place that really felt comfortable as somewhere to come every week, hang out, see the same people I always do, and play popular and classic games, all in the beauty of Chinatown where it was tucked away in a section of Mott Street generally not frequented by tourists.

Well, rumors of its relocation have finally come to fruition, and a few months ago, the owner of the old CF opened the doors of Next Level Arcade in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Currently, the only music game they have is DJMax Technika, but they will be slowly reopening all of their old games over the next year in addition to possibly installing an in-house bubble tea café. Though the new Brooklyn venue allows for greater possibilities and a snazzier atmosphere, it will be the returning clientele of dedicated gamers that will make the new CF feel like home.

-Avia Dell’Oste.

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Posted in onEntertainment, onFun, Out On The Town, Outside Manhattan | 2 Comments »

Spend an Hour (Or Two) at Teany Café

Friday, July 1st, 2011

The inside is just as bright and sunny. Photo © foodworksnyc.com

I’m a big fan of cozy places that let me take my time eating a meal while I’m reading a book and sipping tea. This is exactly what I got at Teany Café in SoHo.

This vegan-friendly tea-and-sandwich paradise has enough atmosphere to make it worth frequenting without even considering the food. It’s a small place—practically a hole in the wall—but fixed up to look like a cute West Village café, complete with outdoor seating and fresh flowers on the tables. They play music inside, which isn’t everyone’s thing, but I enjoyed their selection of popularly accessible indie hits. The servers are sometimes difficult to wave over, but the food comes quickly, and what’s the rush anyway?

As for the food, I appreciated that, although they are not an exclusively vegan establishment, their menu is full of vegan options and presents them with clarity. It’s the mark of a considerate business not to only accommodate different diets, but also t0 make it easy for the customer to see her options without having to ask the server a million questions. I got the vegan BLT, and the smoky tempeh combined with Veganaise eliminated any remnants of longing for pork belly that lingered in my taste memory. They also have plenty of fresh salads and some heartier fare like macaroni and cheese, but Teany’s menu is best suited for light meals and sipping on drinks while chatting with friends.

I can’t consider a review for Teany complete without mentioning their tea selection, which they present in a separate menu book with pages and pages of different kinds of tea, 98 varieties in total. To compare, the menu they gave me for food was one double-sided sheet. To get the best value, order a pot and split it with a friend. Or just drink the whole pot yourself while reading. Pair it with one of their amazing desserts, all of them delicious, moist, and cruelty-free, and I can sit there contentedly for as long as it takes to solve an amNY sudoku. However, I wouldn’t try a New York Times crossword puzzle unless it’s the middle of the day, since I’m sure the place can get crowded on weekend evenings.

Try out Teany Café at a discount by using the Campus Clipper coupon below and take advantage of student savings. With the coupon and your student ID, you can get a whopping 20% off! Be assertive when trying to catch the attention of the waiters, and then enjoy a relaxing meal, imagining yourself at an expensive café and knowing that the bill will be a lot smaller than in your dreams.

-Avia Dell’Oste.

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