Menomena: Rub a Dub Dub, Trippy Indie Rock in the Tub

Photo by Alicia J Rose

(Published in The Mirror 2/15/07)
As recently as three years ago, the members of Menomena were hand-making their albums' packaging in their homes to distribute across the world. Only a select few knew how insanely promising their sound was.

Now, they're getting ready to tour the country, they're selling out shows and they, without a doubt, have this year's best album art. Their album sounds like 10 people are in the band, but there's only three. They write their songs independent of each other and then come together later to record them and learn how to play them. While these days it seems like success only comes to those who sound like everyone else, Menomena is a true phenomena.

I had a candid phone conversation with Brent Knopf (guitar/keys/glockenspiel) about the size of the band, a do-it-yourself approach to album making and their upcoming tour.

Sean: Where are you?

Brent: I'm in Portland.

S: I was hoping you'd be in Hawaii, I read somewhere that you've spent some time there. It's like 9 degrees here.

B: Actually that's Danny. He grew up in Hawaii and I grew up here in Portland.

S: I see. Well, you're a small band of three close friends. I see your whole feel as being very small-scale. What are the benefits of being that small, as opposed to, say, five or more.

B: (Laughter) I was thinking you were heading in the Broken Social Scene or Polyphonic Spree direction. But yeah, I guess it's the only way it can be. We have such strong personalities, and I guess that once you start getting more and more people - you know, already there are too many chefs in the kitchen. I guess that's one benefit, if you add any more people like us to the band, it'd turn into some sort of South Korean parliamentary first fight.

S: And you don't want that, especially if in a Portland band.

B: Yeah, um, I guess… (laughter)…yeah, I'll let it go at that.

S: Cool. And college life, you went to Dartmouth. Where'd the others go?

B: Danny went to the Art Institute of Portland, Justin graduated from PNCA, Pacific Northwest College of Art. And they're both art school grads and I'm a grad of Dartmouth.

S: I saw one of your animation videos online, and I don't know how. I think I just Googled your name.

B: Wow! Cool, cool. Yeah that was fun. That was for an animation class. That was a lot of fun.

S: Do you plan to incorporate that kind of stuff into music videos?

B: I had planned on that, I actually spent a month of two doing that. I was going to do a video for Strongest Man in the World. And then I had a very bad summer. Just ran out of money, gosh, last year was just really rough. And then we headed out on the tour and I had to pack it all - you know, we were ready to shoot and I had to just pack it all away. It's all in my basement, all these sets and storyboards and characters, and everything was all set to go. But now yeah, I'm actually thinking of resuscitating it to try to incorporate it into a music video. But we'll see, again, we've gotten so busy I don't really have time to do that. Unfortunately I don't have - well, I guess I could do a lo-fi animatation, with a mini-DV camera, but if I'm gonna really do it, maybe I should try to collaborate with someone who has a better camera and a better image-capture machine.

S: And who knows, maybe this album will get you there, right?

B: Ha ha! That's right.

S: So you guys are all art students. How do you incorporate that into a live show? Or do you?

B: Oh, interesting. I'd wager to say that it doesn't figure in that much. We're just all so different, you know? If I was doing a solo project, I would do a live show much differently. The ideas that I have that may be more theatrical, or may be more contrived, are frowned upon by my band mates. Because, for those same reasons. We just, when we get on stage, we're just ourselves. And I think the art school background probably enters in more to the artwork and our packaging and we dedicate a lot of time to that. And also maybe, songwriting. Maybe certain thought or techniques enter into that process. But in terms of the live show, we're not too theatrical yet. We don't have any props or any UFOs that fly away or an special lighting. It's pretty much just us and our instruments playing so far. Although, someone suggested to us that we add like a projection but we'll see what happens.


S: I was going to save this for the end, because it's so awesome. But let's talk about the album art.

B: You're right it IS awesome. And I can say that, because I didn't do it.

S: Yeah, were you guys involved in the idea process at all?

B: We came up with a concept, and some questions and some themes that we wanted to explore. And we approached our friend Craig Thompson and said hey, is this something that would interest you, would you like to potentially design the artwork for our album?

S: And what a friend to have.

B: Phhhew. Holy Cow. I mean, I thought he might spend a couple days on it. He spent sooo much time on it. I mean, I don't know if they were eight hour days, but I know that he was working on it steadily for probably a couple months. Holy Cow. I just didn't - I had no way of knowing, or even imagining, how awesome his work was going to be. I knew he was amazing and I knew all his work, but I had no idea that he was going to take it so far, beyond how we imagined it and turn it into its own piece. I can not be happier. I feel so lucky that we had the chance to work with him.

S: Talk about making an impression.

B: (laughter)

S: I can't really think of anything on par with the whole system of layers and spinning the disc to reveal more layers, and flipping the disc over-

B: Oh! You got that! Wow. Well done, touché. (laughter) I applaud you.

S: Oh great. Will this artwork be a trend? And how often do you think you'll put out an album?

B: If I had a magic wand, we'd put out an album every year and a half, I mean every year. The realities of life, having day jobs and touring. I mean, we work really hard when we work, but we can also be kinda lazy. So, all those things combined conspire to a release schedule of no more frequently than a year a half between albums, unfortunately. I mean, boy, it's so hard to know what to do next. Once Craig's done this, it's scary to think of trying to compete with it.

S: It must be so strange to get this critical acclaim for the music itself, and then also the package itself. Especially in the digital age. People don't want to rip this CD, they want it in their hands.

B: Well, we just want our music to spread. We want people to have an experience that they don't regret having. Something that's meaningful in a good way. And so, we try to take a wide-eyed look at that experience, and realize that the packaging is an important component in that experience. And so if we are going to make a physical CD, and try to sell it in stores, that's an opportunity to do a piece of work and so we took that seriously and got really lucky with someone like Craig Thompson.

S: Back to live shows. You use looping in songs a lot, and that's been talked about enough in other interviews. But all the instruments and the thick sound of the album. It's like a mellow Mars Volta or a Pink Floyd with more lyrics and less guitar.

B: (laughter) Oh! I like that!

S: How do replicate that style on stage? Or do you try to?

B: Yeah, we try. You should check out some YouTube clips, although the sound is pretty crappy on that. I don't know, we play what we can and we try to stay true to the song the ebst we can. But, you know, it's always a challenge to translate the song from the record to the song live. We're a very peculiar band, in that, until the record's done we don't actually play the song together. Everything is sort of done in isolation. We're not actually playing with each other at any point during the recording. And so it's kind of a strange process to finish an album and then be like, oh crap! We have to learn the songs! Then we have to rehearse them, and learn them from scratch in a way, and get used to playing them with each other. We have to make all these decision about what to play when and if we have to trim away instruments, what instruments, what parts, what layers to trim away. So yeah, it can be a challenge.

S: Do you think about playing them live when you write?

B: No. I don't. I mean, sometimes I'll daydream. Say for example "Muscle and Flo," the first song on the record. There's those guitars that go - [Brent mimics the song. Really well.] Just kind of like, chunky guitar sound that's like on your left ear. And there's another one comes in on your right. And I would daydream and be like, oh that's going ot be so fun to play. That's about as much as I ever envision playing live. But we definitely don't, that I know of, constrict ourselves to only recording what we'll be able to replicate. And usually we just try to make the recording please our sensibilities and then later clean up the mess and be like, oh crap, we have to figure out how to do this.

S: You've used a live chorus before. Any other experimental ideas up your sleeve that you'd want to talk about?

B: Oh! Up my sleeve? (laughter)

S: Yeah, you know, or a pant-leg or something.

B: Boy, yeah, we performed a CD release show in Portland and we had that 25-person choir singing with us. And that was absolutely amazing. It was just the most fun we could ever have. Unfortunately, we have neither the resources nor the adequately-sized bus to train them with us anywhere. Most of them are in really awesome Portland bands themselves, and are obviously doing their own things.

But anyways, boy, what was I saying? Yeah, anything up our sleeves. No. Let's see. We should probably start brainstorming, because that's probably something we could improve on, is the live show, in terms of - how can we make it as compelling as possible. We're doing our best, but still have a ways to go. It took us a long time to just get confident playing the songs and now that we're getting there, it's probably time to start coordinating, you know, pink leotards or something like that.

S: Perfect. So, you've got a tour coming up.

B: Yeah it's going to last slightly over a month. It's going to be a big figure-eight across the country.

S: Wow. Have you done that sort of thing before?

B: Yeah, we have. But not with so few days off. So this will be an intense experience. There are a couple drive-days, where we drive for eight or 10 hours. I don't know if that counts as a day off or not. But yeah, we're pretty much playing a show a night, for about a month. I'm really looking forward to it. We'll be playing South by Southwest [a 5-day music/art/film festival in Austin, TX] and up to Chicago and up to Toronto and Montreal and Ottowa and then down the eastern seaboard across Birmingham, Little Rock and over to Denver, so I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully the band holds up.

S: Yeah. Serisouly. And about the label change, tell me some big decisions you guys had to make as a band. Clearly it was a good decision to go to a larger scale, right?

B: Well, I don't subscribe to the idea that bigger is always better. However, Barsuk has been a uniquely wonderful - well, I don't know about unique, because it was really good working with FILMguerrero, the small Portland label, as well. So, I guess working with Barsuk has been an entirely positive experience for us. And I think that's more due to who they are as human beings, and not as much about their distribution deal or something like that. Although that's an important component, what's made it such a wonderful experience is how wonderful they are as people and how supportive they are with what we're doing and how easily they are to collaborate with and bounce ideas off. They don't blow smoke, as far as I can tell, and I just pretty much love them all. We're really luck to have been able to connect with Barsuk, because I think they're a really special label. I get really turned off by really cliquey scenester stuff and I never get that vibe from them. Although, they do have great taste in - well, I mean, I was going to say they have great taste in music but that might sound weird. I can't say enough positive things about them, so I'll just shut up.

S: Main influences. Would you compare yourself to anyone?

B: Well, for my influences, definitely Weird Al Yankovic is the most significant influence. Growing up, I didn't have the permission or the money to buy any quantity of secular records. And since he was kind of a parody and his records weren't all about sex and drugs something like that, they're usually about food and surgery. It was OK to buy those records. And by having Weird Al Yankovic records, you get to know all the great pop songs of the previous years, re-done in his way. And so I think I probably learned more about pop music by listening to him than anybody else. I think he's great.

S: I work at a video store in town. Do you have any favorite movies?

B: Ha ha, definitely "UHF" [starring Weird Al Yankovic] Oh boy, there's so many films I like. I mean, I do have an answer for this, I'm just blanking right now. I could list about 20 movies I love, but probably one or two that I really think are really special. I mean obviously, there's Spinal Tap. That's an incredible movie. I'm a big fan of documentaries, and also so many things. Let's come back to that. (And we did…) Oh I know what one of my favorite movies is - Alien. I'm looking through my collection of movies.

S: People are always looking for some great new music or some great oldies. What are you listening to now?

B: Let's see. I like The National. I like them a lot. I was listening to their record yesterday when I went on a walk and, boy, that just put me in such a great mood. I listened to their album "Alligator." That's another group of people that are just fantastic people. We went on a short tour with them a year and a half ago, or whatever. In terms of other stuff I've been listening to, when we were making "Under and Hour," I listened to a lot to Cat Stevens. I went through a big Cat Stevens stage. I'm trying to think of what I was listening to for "Friend and Foe." I really wasn't listening to very much, if anything. Let me try to look through my music folder real quick, to give you a real answer. You know, I think the Arcade Fire record is just incredible. I think they deserve all the hype that they've gotten. I think it's been a while since a record has really captivated me. There's a little bit of Animal Collective and the New Pornographers. But yeah, I haven't really freaked out over a record in quite some time. I'm paying more attention to old stuff that's sort of in the musical canon that I should have listened to and I never did. How about you?

S: Well, I started to do the same thing with Bob Dylan.

B: Oh yeah, actually. My friend gave me some Bob Dylan about eight months ago. I never liked Bob Dylan and I started getting into that for the first time ever. What do you think of Bright Eyes?

S: I've heard a small amount of stuff, and I like it. I think he's got that singer-songwriter thing down to a real cool, weird way. Raw stuff, you know?

B: Yeah I hadn't really heard his records, and I knew nothing about him, until I saw Austin City Limits. Ad he got up there, just him and a guitar. And man, I just thought that was really brave. It's basically just what people are doing in coffee shops across the country, just their voice and a guitar and that's it. And he was up there just voice and guitar, and I thought, man, that's pretty intense. To just be up there alone, just nothing but your voice and a guitar. But yeah, it reminded me a little bit of Bob Dylan in some ways. But I only saw a couple minutes of it. I'm not an expert.

S: Well, what do you think about pop music these days?

B: Well, the stuff today that actually crosses over to wider appeal so often, you know, stuff like Nickelback and Jessica Simpson or stuff like that - I guess I have a lot of respect for the music that is true to itself and not as much respect for the music that's true to what marketing executives are trying to get it to be true to, or whatever. So, I have a real hard time with certain "pop music," but I also, in my heart, have a real soft spot for what I believe true pop music to be. And I don't see any reason why something cant be both popular and very meaningful and very fantastic and wonderful in people's lives. I guess, the recent songs that, to me, are etching that - hopefully we're headed back to a place where pop music is both things is: "Hey Ya," by Outkast, was a really great pop song. I think that "Eight Mile," by Eminem, was a really great pop song. And I think "Crazy," by Gnarles Barkley - I think that's a great pop song too. I don't know, though. I don't know where we're headed. I think everything's getting distilled and getting more homogenous with the whole conglomerate, the whole consolidation of media companies. And at the same time it's getting more disparate and it's getting more specialized with the proliferation of internet radio and blog sites, so it's a really complicated time we're living in. And to try to describe music in any sort of general term, I think you're just doomed to inadequately describing what's really going on.

S: With more distribution through Barsuk and going to a bigger scale with your influential reach, more notoriety, do you guys ever think about what that means?

B: One thing I think Menomena lacks, and Danny and Justin may kill me for saying this, and I adore their voices, there's a little bit of the record label CEO in me that recognizes that there isn't a Bono or a Sarah McLachlan or a Bonnie Raitt or a really distinctive voice, that can carry it, that can be THAT voice. And I think they have fantastic voices, but I sometimes think we will never become that popular because we don't have a great formulaic sound like that.

S: What do you think about the popularity of a band like Modest Mouse, though. The singer for that band has a very serious lisp.

B: Actually, Modest Mouse is very popular, aren't they? That's a good question. I mean actually, I really appreciate you revealing this question to me, and wondering about it so openly. Some people just shed themselves behind a smoke screen of, oh I know everything, I know all the answers, but that's a big, that's a great question you're asking. And I wonder, how would you make the distinction between an artist that is doing good work, and an artist who has lost sight of what they should be doing. Like, what is an artist to do, what is the artist's responsibility? What is an artist to do? Because on one hand, you want to give people the chance to listen to you, so that means doing interviews. That means touring, or whatever. But on the other hand, you can definitely get over-exposed. And so, how do you draw the distinction? What's the rule of thumb that you think artists should live by?

The Raconteurs: If Jack White Were in The Beatles

(Published in The Mirror 10/5/06)
When God made rock n’ roll, he had an idea of how it should be performed. Well, Jack White had that same exact idea Friday night. To be in the presence of this kind of energy is strange, weird and exactly what you would expect from one of the only living rock legends today that is still crafting his best work.
The Racon- who’s? No, this was Jack’s house.
The single “Steady as She Goes” starts up with a strong bass line, and Jack White steps into the light for one of the only times all night. He’s telling everyone to clap. And for some reason, it doesn’t sound as cheesy as all the other times a singer has asked his crowd to clap. If you can imagine Snoop Dogg or Elvis asking everyone at one of their concerts to clap, you have an idea of the crowd’s response.
The Raconteurs are Jack White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler. Lawrence and Keeler are both previously of the Greenhornes and Benson is no stranger to the national stage.
White has put out a critically acclaimed album almost every year since his first album with the White Stripes, in 1999. He has become one of the most influential musicians of at least the last ten years. This kid from Detroit has been honestly representing himself through music and changing modern rock since he first picked up a guitar. He’s a Grammy-winning musician and producer and Rolling Stone named him number 17 on their “Top 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” list.
The accomplishments of White and the White Stripes are no doubt largely responsible for the Raconteur’s success, but they are not the only reasons. The band is technically a “supergroup” made up of independently recognized artists, but they simply consider themselves a new band of old friends.
Benson’s impressive 10-year career as a singer/songwriter has been a heavily critically acclaimed one and has drawn a tight following. His music is typically called power pop, which refers to a fast-paced British rock sound, like “My Sharona,” by the Knack or anything by the Who.
Half the band used to be the part of Greenhornes, and their first album was considered by many to be the sleeper hit of 2005. It was almost immediately after its release, in May of this year, that they released “Broken Boy Soldiers” with the Raconteurs.
Together, they’ve created music that is reminiscent of that from which rock ‘n roll was birthed, just sped up a bit with some creepy harmonies. A perfect example of this is the chorus of “Store Bought Bones,” which is based on the slower lyrical style of a barbershop quartet or 40’s folk group. A clear Beatles influence flows throughout all the songs and lyrics; maybe this is what it would have been like with Jack White as the 5th Beatle. This sometimes take a back seat to their Zeppelin roots, though, on tracks like “Level” and “Broken Boy Soldier.”
The album came across a little too rich in pop music for some people, while others complained about the length being not much more than a half hour. The album definitely left a lot to be desired, especially for those fans used to the perfectly crafted 13 and 14-song Stripes albums.
Their live show, however, could kill a guy. The passion, raw talent and pure intensity is unmatched by any rock band today. Jack White knows he’s a rock star. But somehow he still seems humble.
Every problem the “Broken Boy Soldiers” had as an album disappeared as a live show. Some songs came on too weak, but not in concert. Some songs came on too weird, but not in concert. Also, in concert, many harmonies and melodies were either switched around or completely changed, each time for the better. White said to Rolling Stone once that the songs evolve quickly on the road and that the band improvises often.
The musical professionalism on stage was instantly overwhelming. They came out in a psychedelic haze of fog and music and sang nothing for a few minutes. Then, to match their too-short album, the show was not much longer than an hour. The roaring applause at the end did not sound like disappointment, though. Clearly length doesn’t matter to the thousands and thousands of instant fans that bought all the tickets to every Raconteurs show for this, their first tour ever.
This, in combination with Jack White’s raw and unfiltered energy, created one of the most memorable concert experiences anyone could ever experience today. After seeing the Raconteurs, you’ll feel like you just saw the Who or the Rolling Stones in the 60’s, when nobody knew what was coming.

Guster Sells Out ALumni Hall at Fairfield

(Published in The Mirror 11/17/05)
By Kelly Sheehan and Sean Corbett

Fairfield graduate Tara Cushman '05 came back to her alma mater last Thursday to catch what she says is "the best show you'll see at a college."

Guster is a popular east-coast band dating back to 1992, when its members went to Tufts University in Boston. Their first show was at Tufts and their first album, "Parachute," was written and recorded while attending Tufts. Over the last 13 years they have become known as an amiable group of guys with a bunch of good-natured, care-free songs.

Before the show, sitting in the back room of the band's magnificent tour bus with Adam Gardner, The Mirror discussed the band's past, present and future. It was hard not to feel like the man's old friends.

"I think we're pretty normal, approachable guys," he said.

It was even harder not to be excited for the evening's show. They have played at European music festivals, Bonnaroo and in all the big United States cities, but Gardner still said he looks forward to the small college shows.

"The great thing about playing colleges is that they're fun. Everyone's in a good mood. Everyone's ready to just enjoy the show, and there's no pressure," he said. "So my expectations are just to enjoy it, just like everybody else and hopefully everyone will be loud and raucous."

He does not remember the band's 1999 StagStock performance at Fairfield, but he agrees that they have come quite a long way since then.

Six years after their StagStock performance, the mellow Gardner stood to the right of the witty Ryan Miller on Alumni Hall's stage last week as the ridiculously enthusiastic drummer, Brian Rosenworcel, peeked over his towering bongos.

They were met by the cheers and screams of thousands of their fans.

The band opened with "Happier" off their first album, "Parachute."

With a good mix of old and new songs that were both upbeat and intimate, the band seemed to please everyone. They even gave Fairfield a taste of the new songs that will presumably make up their next album.

FUSA President Jessica DiBuono '06 said that at least 2,000 people attended the sold-out show.

"It was great to see all of us gathered together in the same place, enjoying something right here on campus," she said. "The band played great songs, interacted well with the audience and were great guys to work with."

Chris Martin '07 felt the same way. He said he could not believe how many people attended the event.

"Usually it's very hard to get people to come to university events, but I felt like people really wanted to attend this concert," he said.

DiBuono said she thought the concert was "phenomenal."

"I was happy to hear a lot of great feedback," she said.

DiBuono's claim was accurate. Students raved about the band's performance.

"Guster is my favorite band," said Ryan Tougias '06. "When I heard that they were coming to Fairfield, I stopped breathing. I almost died from happiness. My expectations were so high. And they were met. The performance was everything I hoped it would be."

Katie Quell '05, who came back to Fairfield for the event, said she has seen Guster play many times.

"But this was one of the best performances that I've seen," she said.

Some Guster fans traveled great distances to see their favorite band.

"It took me three hours to get here," said John Cifelli, a senior at Rutgers University. "But when I heard that Guster was playing at Fairfield, I had to come."

"All their non-college tour dates were sold out," he added. "I feel lucky to be here."

Guster has undoubtedly left its mark at Fairfield. The band's unique sound of the guitar-keyboard-bongo mix will be remembered.

Death Cab For Everyone: A Discussion with Bassist Nick Harmer

(Published in The Mirror 10/27/05)
THE REVIEW

In a world where simple yet powerful poetic lyrics take a back seat to the musical superabundance and watered down attempts at brilliance that flood the airwaves, bands like Death Cab for Cutie serve as humble messianic figures, forcing the pop crowd to think a little.

A young man in the front row leans on the edge of the stage, smiles and shuts his eyes. The girl next to him puts her arm around him.

That's sort of what a Death Cab for Cutie concert is; a friendly arm around the shoulder. It's plenty energetic though, and they fit a surprising amount of layered sounds into their songs, which is surprising for such a humble quartet. In fact, the live versions of their songs are much more energetic than their studio album counterparts.

Taking the stage casually and confidently in Providence, RI at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel Saturday, lead singer Ben Gibbard sauntered in the darkness toward his microphone as over a thousand fans filled the air with their praise. He gently thanked them for coming.

With a face you'd expect to see in a coffee shop, leaning over a thick philosophical novel ignoring the people around him, he smiles across the stage to guitarist, producer and friend Chris Walla. They begin with the first track off their new hit album Plans, "Marching Bands of Manhattan."

The show continued with the "The New Year" from Transatlanticism, and their new single "Soul Meets Body" and eventually into a wide but carefully chose range of new and old songs.

Watching the next song "Title and Registration," as Gibbard snaps a drum stick on two electronic drum pads to produce the song's unique beat, he strains his face and body to let out the introspective and soft high notes he's known for.

From 5 feet away was as surreal as it gets for this wide-eyed college boy who can't bring himself to take the band's new album out of his CD player and who's rented the band's documentary twice.

The show sustained a level of passion and intensity that is unparalleled by most other humble bands and rarely achieved by most over-the-top light show wielding bands. Determined to hit every note perfectly and to reproduce every song fairly and accurately, Gibbard and Walla sometimes bounced from keyboard to guitar during the course of one song, in a balancing act.

Instead of using their celebrity and money to purchase an extra band member to relieve them of these duties, they embrace the "indie" feel that this brings to the show.

Many are noticing the film companies are following the pattern of less-is-more today too, with movies like the Constant Gardner, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Garden State. Of course, in both genres there are many underground and independent projects that use this same minimalist approach. Most with this mindset never get to see the profits that come with the success of a blockbuster or a hit album.

Death Cab for Cutie, on the other hand - they have the Spin Cover story, the MTV appearances, the Rolling Stone feature story, the OC appearances, the NPR webcast and interview and the year-long line of sold out shows across the whole world. They've been mass-produced and mass-consumed ever since their 2003 release of "Transatlanticism," but they still feel like art.

The men ended their show after only an hour and a half or so. But it was the encore that brought the already warm and affable crowd closer together in an emotional episode that few could expect.

Gibbard approached the microphone in near darkness alone with an acoustic guitar to play his song about a dying loved one, "I Will Follow You into the Dark." After a lesser-known song, "Title Track," the show ended with the slow and powerful song "Transatlanticism," and Gibbard belted out the line "I need you so much closer" in a very personal goodbye to all his new friends at Lupo's.

THE INTERVIEW

After years of touring and millions of albums sold, it is refreshing to see this popular band still playing the medium-large sized clubs when they could easily fill stadiums. It's easy to wonder if the next step will be to abandon the living room feeling of the clubs and fill the larger, less intimate venues.

In a telephone discussion about mass production and consumption in reference to his band's creative process, Death Cab bassist Nick Harmer said, "We can't play a place like Lupo's four nights in a row [to accomidate the masses], but there will be a limit to how big we go."

He expressed the band's conviction to not play in "ultradomes" but their desire to give everyone who wants to see them a chance to see them.

Death Cab's lyricist Gibbard has a unique approach to songwriting that draws comparisons between things like glove compartments, hospital waiting rooms and foggy eye-glasses and emotions like love, pain and loneliness. These unconventional associations give their music a strong and beautifully original artistic feel.

But with a thousand audience members singing every lyric, wouldn't that lessen the value of that art? Wouldn't that make it too popular to be considered significant and thought-provoking? No, Death Cab for Cutie pulls it off.

Harmer explained this by saying, "I strongly believe that how readily accessible something is does not diminish its artistic value."

Harmer majored in English and Cultural theory in college and said about the band as a whole, "we are life-long learners."

Maybe that's it; that the band is made up of a bunch of intellectuals as opposed to a bunch of rock stars. This new brand of rock star is not foreign to the public, but for some reason Death Cab makes it refreshing and exciting.

After trying to explain the mysterious reason behind the fact that all Death Cab songs have such a high quality to them, and why the band is continually successful with their quaint little tracks, Harmer laughed and offered these words of wisdom:

"Never ask a centipede how it walks, or it will trip."

The men are millionaires, and they get that money because of creative prowess. They're kind of a big deal. And still they aren't pompous asses. They know where they stand and what they stand for and it is ridiculously apparent that nothing can stand between them and what they want to do.

A perfect example of this is their new record label contract with Atlantic. Big-name record companies like Atlantic are notorious for their cramping approach to production.

Harmer said, "We have a very artist-friendly contract with Atlantic"

To put an end to an inspiring telephone interview with a member of one of the most intriguing bands of today, Harmer assured his fans, "we've always made decisions we've wanted to make...and we are not interested in betraying ourselves or betraying our fans or betraying our legacy."

Hanging By A Moment at Toad's

(Published in The Mirror 5/5/05)
Jason Wade, the lead singer of Lifehouse, took his over shirt off to the sound of girls screaming from the audience, and he later wiped the sweat from his brow and threw the towel into the crowd to more screams.
Maybe the baby-faced 20-something isn't your everyday rock star, and maybe the band Lifehouse can be considered a top 40 band to a certain extent, but the unforgettable rock n' roll quality of the Toad's Place stage was perfect for the presention of their music last Tuesday.
After a year-and-a-half break from music, other band members and touring, Lifehouse recently came back together to produce and release a new self-titled CD and to go on the road for a national tour. No matter how poppy some people think Lifehouse is, any city they land in during this tour will bear witness to a powerfully impressive show.
Lead singer and guitarist Wade and drummer Rick Woolstenhulme are the only remaining members of the original band, and they have been through two bass players to get to their current one, Bryce Soderberg.
The three were joined by their touring guitarist Ben Carey for this show.
It was more than obvious that the band had rehearsed vigorously for the tour with their professionally and tightly arranged song compositions. Musicians' emotions are what makes a show most enjoyable when you're as close to them as you are in a venue like Toad's Place, and Lifehouse had energy to spare.
Woolstenhulme, adorned with a side-tipped military-type hat, beat the drums as if he was at war with them.
Wade sang as if his life depended on hitting every single note with the precision of a sniper. He would contort his face and body to expel a deep and strong voice in every single song.
It's one thing to go to a show that sounds great, but when the show looks great too, it becomes memorable.
The most impressive display of his vocal talents were displayed in what he told the audience was the first song he ever wrote, "Trying". Carey and Wade played acoustic guitar side by side for this quiet song and the simple silence of his powerful voice was almost chilling.
Carey, the only one not officially part of the band, was the most animated. The highlight of this show was during the song "The Sky is Falling" when he easily switched back and forth between playing both necks of a double-necked Gibson guitar as well as a nearby mounted acoustic.
Smiles, evil grins, head-banging and bending backwards gave Carey much of the spotlight Tuesday.
They would be smart to hold onto this performer and after the show, Wade hinted at this possibility.
"I couldn't be happier with this band," he said. "We just click."
Standing on the sidewalk outside Toad's Place beside their tour bus, Lifehouse mingled with a small group of fans, signed CDs, shirts and tickets, told stories, answered questions and posed for photos. The humble group stayed outside in the brisk air for about 35 minutes before their tour manager told them they had to get going.
Before they got back on the bus, I was able to pull Wade aside and talk to him for a couple minutes.
To help explain the show's intensity, he said they prefer the intimacy and personal feel of club shows like at Toad's Place rather than the detached feel of a stadium. He said it makes them more energetic and pumped to make the show better.
Lifehouse has been known for their first single, "Hanging by a Moment", and for a while this song exemplified the mindset and musical feel of Lifehouse. There has been a shift recently, though, with the new CDs mellower feel.
More focused on lyrical quality and relaxing songs as opposed to the harder feel of the first two CDs, Wade said this new CD really does represent the band's musical position most accurately.
He said the new songs people should focus on to get the best idea of what kind of band they are "would have to be 'Everything' from the first CD, and 'Blind' from the new one. Those are my favorites," Wade said.
Ten years ago, did Wade see himself ever having three records to his name?
"Not in a million years," he said. "Every single day we wake up blessed to have had this experience. I love every minute of it. I'm having a blast."
He said they love listening to and making music and that it has become an important part of the band members' lives.
"I think what we love about music is that it is always there and becomes a part of your past," Wade said. "It becomes difficult to think back and not relate certain experiences to various songs, and I love that we get to make some of those songs."

Tim Reynolds: Guitar Virtuosu Talks About His New Album

(Published in The Mirror 5/5/05)
During a serious conversation about music and his new album, legendary guitarist Tim Reynolds heard a knock at the locked green room door and instantly yelled out in a high-pitched voice, "We're naked!"

He was humbly seated backstage on a red satin couch, handling an alien pin with blinking red eyes that he wished he had worn on stage to accompany the large blue mixing bowl he wore as a hat.

He performed for about 300 at Suffolk University's C. Walsh Theater on Thursday in Boston, MA and again the next night in Brooklyn, NY. Having the ability to attend one show as a reporter and another simply as a fan was quite a joy.

Reynolds has been playing the guitar since he was very young and has been pushing the musical envelope ever since. A majority of his songs have no lyrics, but the titles still somehow match up with the emotions evoked through the music. Few have this ability.

Reynolds has attributed his creativity and songwriting ability in past interviews to things like hallucinogenic mushrooms and marijuana, his wife, his daughter and music itself.

To further explain why he writes music, Tim Reynolds said after the Boston show, "I can't not. You know, it's a disease, it won't go away."


Reynolds played an hour and a half set in Boston of all acoustic guitar songs. Most were original compositions spanning over 20 years of songwriting. There were also two Beatles songs covered with such originality that they almost sounded like completely new songs.

"Come Together" was composed without lyrics, with the melody played in unison with the rhythm. A blind audience member would have thought a second or third guitarist has stepped on stage for that song. "All You Need is Love" was later sung with assistance from the audience.

Many present were unaware of Reynolds' unique voice and singing ability because of his history with the popular Dave Matthews Band as a backup guitarist.

"This was the first time I have ever seen Tim Reynolds outside of DMB, never mind hearing him talk or sing," said Colin Barden, a 24 year-old fan.

Reynolds has recently released a double CD that he has been recording since 1998. Reynolds and his management are all very excited about this release and describe it as the best representation of his musical tastes and abilities.

"I actually spent more time on [it] than any other CD ever," Reynolds told The Mirror in a backstage interview.

The CD featured many electric guitar tracks accompanied by drum machines, helicopter samples, distorted vocals, loud bass lines and ape screams

To explain the reasoning behind the inclusion of music that is much harder than many of his past acoustic albums, Reynolds said, "I go back way before DMB and all that, and I was much more into Rock music. That's sort of a late reference point for the public as it were. I mean, it's hard, but it's just a lot of different stuff."

In a follow-up phone interview, Reynolds explained that touring, recording and performing for him is not about the money.

"I get a certain high off that when I play solo. It's a positive experience."

The creativity that he exudes into his music is not mainstream. It can be considered an acquired taste, like a fine espresso: bitter to some, necessary to others. He wants to stay true to what he hears in his mind. This is hard for many to understand until they hear his music.

On stage he will suddenly turn on the drum machine and play the acoustic guitar over it or sing in a raspy voice about how the US government is a propaganda machine. He will walk on stage about moon boots or suddenly go off on a tangent about physics and the sixth dimension.

Despite the obvious differences from popular music, all who hear him or see him perform envy his level of creativity and his freedom and raw ability to express himself flawlessly through the guitar and the many other instruments he has perfected over the years.

Many audience members do not know how to express themselves after a Tim Reynolds concert. And that is the beauty.

Last year Tim Reynolds said after a different concert in Boston that he realized the kind of music and art that he has respect for is "the kind that you don't understand, because that's pushing forward."

"I always heard he was weird," John Ginelli, 19, said. "But I had no idea how weird until tonight. And I loved it, every second of it."

You Knew Them When: Miles Standish Monument

(Published in The Mirror 4/28/05)
With all the negative press recently about Fairfield University's disturbing homogeneity, one of its bands unknowingly lends a helping hand.

Yes, it's made up of four young white kids. And it is very possible that their parents bought their instruments for them. The Miles Standish Monument brings a fresh breath of musical diversity to campus.

It is important to note that this does not mean that bands like White Noise and Johnny Proud are not musically diverse, because they are. But these are the new guys.

The Miles Standish Monument was born just a little over a month ago. Songwriters, vocalist, guitarist and pianists Bo Moore '07 and Lou Janetty '08 came together in December for Dolan Ghost and have been picking each other's brains ever since.

They joined forces with bassist Evan Barden '08 and drummer JP Francini '08. They categorize themselves Indie rock/pop.

Some stories surrounding the band members include hanging out with Aerosmith on multiple occasions, heckling from the popped collared students for their apparently threatening clothing and hair-style choices and submitting Sodexho comment cards filled out with beef stew in place of ink.

"As a band, everyone contributes something of their own to every song, so we're all happy and rocking," Moore said. "And if you catch us playing at a party, we're extra happy and rocking"

Moore is the only sophomore in this mostly-freshman band, so they'll be here for a while. "I think in two years we could easily be signed to some Indie label, maybe even sooner," said Moore. "The more we play, the better we're getting."

The band wants to play at least a couple more times before summer break, so keep checking the walls in your residence hall for their posters.

They're young fledglings and it's hard not to see their potential.

Reasons to support The Miles Standish Monument include their songs' warm simplicity, all with a sort of summery feel to them and their ease of listening.

Lyrics are clear for the most part and the songs are happy and upbeat.

There's nothing too loud, nothing too soft and no swearing.

Do you remember The Beatles? These guys actually sound like a new version of them, with a slightly more punk feel.

Moore says their other influences include Ted Leo, The Strokes and The Pixies.

Bands that would definitely not make the list of influences would be The Dave Matthews Band, Howie Day, John Mayer and Gavin DeGraw.

That's why they are refreshing.

Favorites include "Stay Quiet," with its very unique and catchy chorus composition, and "Sodapop Curtis," which requires a little audience participation.

Both can be heard on their Web site, www.purevolume.com/themilesstandishmonument

Their name may change this summer, but when they come back they plan to have a studio CD under their belt, more show experience, more songs and a larger following.

Everclear Never Left the 90s - And What's Wrong With That?

(Published in The Mirror 4/21/05)
The smoke filled the stage, the floor shook, and the crowd at Toad's Place was taken back to the days of grunge-punk mid-'90s rock, courtesy of the band Everclear.

Front man, founder and only remaining original member Art Alexakis stepped out from the darkness in a black knit hat, with his tattoo-covered arms, and humbly found himself back in the spotlight.

Later, the humility would fade and he would find himself posing for my photos, stealing audience members' hats and inviting 30 or so carefully chosen young women on stage to dance with him. Unfortunately, he knows all too well that he is really who you are talking about when you say Everclear.

I went to the concert expecting it to be a teeny-bopper festival, because of the band's somewhat recent pop hits such as "Wonderful" and the cover of Van Morrisson's "Brown-Eyed Girl." I was pleasantly surprised to find a real rock show. Many of their fans were far older and more diverse than I could have imagined, and it made for a very interesting atmosphere.

The audience was composed of two clearly separated groups, though, thanks to Toad's bouncers. On one side of the barrier were the teens and preteens, who seemed to all be hopped up on ecstasy partaking in various orgy-like behaviors. The other, larger side (21-plus only) was filled with a more mature crowd of drunken soccer moms, college students and some possible heroin addicts.

Life stories like Alexakis' are reminders of those of Keith Richards and the like. But you would never guess after seeing him perform that he has done more drugs than the average rocker and you would never believe that he is 43 years old.

He started drinking and using drugs at a very early age, according to his bio on allmusic.com. Another bio says he started at age eight.

After his brother and girlfriend died from drug overdoses and after Alexakis himself survived suicide attempts and overdoses, he cleaned up and became very active in the music industry. When he formed Everclear in 1992, he had the experience in the industry to move to the mainstream quickly.

Emerging as nothing special in the shadow of bands like Nirvana, Everclear was at their hottest when they released "So Much for the Afterglow" in 1997. Based in Portland, Oregon, Everclear has experience nearly 15 years of semi-stardom.

They have been out of the spotlight for some time now, in the midst of a musical society that is not as welcoming of a 43 year-old's rock music as it is of welcoming pop sensations.

The energy that poured from Alexakis' face, his music and his voice was passionate and helped to show the crowd that he still had it. What "it" is for Everclear is hard to say. They are no Nirvana, no Black Crowes, no Greatful Dead, but they can still put on a great show. They are a California rock band whose music can make it feel like its summer and you are on the beach playing Frisbee.

As the show progressed, it was obvious that even in concert, many of their songs sounded alike, but they performed them well. I'm not sure if those two things even out or not, but I do know that I enjoyed myself.

I think most of the enjoyment came at the end of the show, when Alexakis let the women on what he called his stage. It was obvious that he was almost literally humping the American Rock n' Roll dream, but it's a unique touch. He told them they had to dance.

The show was a party and everyone became a part of the band. A woman came on stage to play guitar for one song. One man lost his hat to Alexakis. And everyone else got the chance to jump up on stage with them. "But you have to dance!" he said.

Oh yeah, and one more thing:

"Even though I enjoy you rubbing against my ass, it's hard for me to perform as an artist, so mellow out or I kick you off!" said an obviously satisfied Alexakis.

I had seen this before, in Worcester, Mass. Everclear was opening for Matchbox Twenty and invited women on stage to dance. After asking one to leave for not dancing, she gave him the finger, and he stopped the show. He would not begin again until the girl was out of the building.

Never mess with a self-proclaimed arrogant rock star.

He'll tell you in his song "Rock Star" that he wants "to make those girls on the Real World fantasize about" him. Well, he was successful in that regard.

He named all the women who were more than half his age and ferociously groping him Jenny and began playing the Tommy Tutone hit "Jenny (867-5309)" to end the evening. The lights then came on and everyone got a chance to meet the band on stage.

Advice came before the song "Buy You a New Life" from the man who has experienced first-hand everything from death to drugs to bankruptcy this year.

The bleached blonde hair, black goatee and the dark tattoos all serve as reminders of his troubled past all seemed to grow fainter and more innocent.

"Please enjoy every day of your lives," he said, "because, man, you have no idea when it'll be over."

Mr Crowe's Garden at Toad's Place

(Posted 3/24/05)
In order to warm up for their seven night string of sold out shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, The Black Crowes, hidden behind the alias of Mr. Crowe's Garden, took the stage at Toad's Place, a bar/concert venue in New Haven.

Rick Demko, the bookings coordinator at Toad's Place, explained how the venue had to remain faithful to their gag order, as defined by the band's tour manager. To paraphrase, he told me that if Toad's Place were to break the news to anyone, the band would not play a single note.

Back in 1984, when Chris and Rich Robinson formed their band, it was called Mr. Crowe's Garden, and it is common to find them warming up under this name before a large tour. I have come to find out, after talking with Rick Demko and other serious fans of various bands that warm up shows played under alias names are not rare. Bands such as Phish, Pearl Jam, The Rolling Stones and others do it regularly to keep in touch with their true fans in a much more intimate setting. So keep your eyes peeled; your favorite band could be playing at a local bar this weekend, and you wouldn't even know until afterward.

Not being an intense fan of The Black Crowes did not hinder my experience at this particular show. They are an eight-piece band, with two lead guitarists, a keyboardist, a bass guitar player, a drummer, two soulful backup singers, and of course, Chris Robinson right up front with a microphone and an occasional harmonica or tambourine.

The crowd at Toad's Place, eager to see the band take the stage, screamed, clapped, chanted and banged on the floor for nearly an hour until that last light went out, and the band followed a flashlight's beacon onto the stage from the dressing room below. They took their places and without a word broke into song. The rest of the night was filled with first class Rock n' Roll. Present-day classic rock poured seamlessly from the instruments and vocal chords of the eight rock stars, hard at work.

The sea of people at their feet begged them to stay for nearly two-and-a-half hours. They complied with great enthusiasm and played many fan favorites. Fan favorites, I came to find out, are not the same as radio hits. Songs such as "She Talks to Angels," "Hard to Handle," "Twice as Hard," and "Remedy" were not heard. One surprise was a Bob Dylan cover to kick off the encore, "It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry," reportedly being played for the first time by the band.

Some of the unique aspects of the night included a large tour bus parked right out in front of the venue, an appearance from Chris Robinson's wife Kate Hudson on the back balcony, and a false rumor that lingered for the entire evening that Keith Richards, of Westport, would play during the encore.

Chris Robinson's unprecedented vocal performance encompasses everything that is great about music. With a wide range, a unique rasp, a toe-tapping funky quality and an overwhelming stage presence, Robinson's performance rivals that of seasoned veteran Steve Tyler of Aerosmith.

Anyone who has their hands on a Hammerstein Ballroom ticket for their appearances from the March 22 to March 30, consider yourself blessed by the gods of Rock n' Roll. These guys put on a ridiculously entertaining show, even if you don't know a single song they are playing. Tickets are still available for their April tour of the south.

If you have never heard of The Black Crowes, or if you are somewhat unfamiliar with them, their music is, without contest, worth investigating, purchasing or downloading.

There's Never Someone Cooler Than Ben Folds

(Published 2/24/05)
"You're going to learn a great deal tonight," Ben Folds said with a smile last Thursday at the sold out Jorgensen Theatre at University of Connecticut in Storrs.

Behind him on stage were a bassist and drummer. Folds has not performed an entire show with a band since 1999, when his former band, Ben Folds Five, broke up.

Overnight sensation Gavin DeGraw opened the show for Folds. However, his piano skills, lyrics and overall show seemed juvenile and flaccid in comparison to what was to come.

The audience liked DeGraw, but there was an overwhelming level of respect for Ben Folds throughout his entire 2-hour show. It was as if Folds was teaching a well-disciplined class of some sort. Maybe he was.

Lesson One: How to Choose a Song to Cover.

Folds has been known to cover such piano-based classics as "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John, which is perfectly fitting. But it is always more impressive and enjoyable when an artist attempts a cross-genre cover. Ben chose a song by Dr. Dre called "Bitches Ain't Shit."

The chords that made up the song were among the most beautiful and uplifting of the whole night. Dr. Dre may indeed have something to learn from this jazzed out version of his famous vulgar ode to working girls.

As Fairfield University's Whitney Maus '08 put it, "I discovered the meaning of life somewhere between 'Bitches Ain't Shit' and 'Zak and Sara (played after the Dr. Dre song).'"

Lesson Two: How to Conduct a 2,600 Person Audience in a Four-Part Harmony.

"If a couple thousand people can't do it, how can three guys?" Folds pointed out as he began teaching the audience the four complex harmonies of "Bastard," an unreleased song off his upcoming CD. He cut the audience into four neatly defined sections. He taught each section a different part of the song. He lifted his arms into the air. The audience sang. He became the conductor of nearly 3,000 people, all eager to learn from the master.

In a slightly more famous display of his musicianship which appears on his official live CD, he later transformed the audience into a horn section for the song "Army."

"This side's saxophones, this side's trumpets," he said. The next minute, the audience was singing like the Vienna Boy's Choir.

Lesson Three: How to Nearly Murder a Piano.

For those who have ever known anyone with a piano in their house, the convention is to tune it once or twice a year. Ben Folds, though, wailed on his Steinway & Sons ebony grand piano with such passion and intensity Thursday that after only 2 hours of playing, it could no longer hold a sufficient tune.

Commenting on the encore, pianist John Cusick '07 of Wesleyan University said, "the piano was noticeably out of tune, which is next to impossible. It's the musical equivalent to a lightweight boxer taking down a guy five or six times his size, in one punch."

Lesson Four: Ironic Stage Presence.

Ben Folds arguably has one of the largest cult followings today and he seemed to handle it quite well on stage. This powerful man has an appetite for commanding melodies and brilliant rhythm that shines through his humble and slender existence.

He successfully personifies his ironic humor and anger by pounding on the black and whites while giving the audience a goofy look or two.

At one point during the concert, he told a vulgar story about Santa, stood up, ran around the stage and beat-boxed a bit, only to sit down and say, "after you build up this kind of weird vibe, the best thing to do is to go right into a slow real song."

In another possible attempt to entertain, he only brought ten t-shirts and 20 or so singles for merchants to sell at a fold-out card-table, while pop sensation Gavin DeGraw had an endless supply of merchandise set up in an elaborate display.

Folds performed songs mostly from his solo career. He did, though, perform some Ben Folds Five favorites such as, "Where's Summer B.?" "Emaline," "Army" and "Philosophy."

With constant smiles from Ben to his band mates and to the audience during and between songs, Storrs stood witness to a proud and joyful Ben Folds, despite rumors of recent dissatisfaction with performing.

Great Dane! Future Superstar's FU Performance a Hit

(Published 12/2/04)
With talk of pelvis-shattering rams, the universal love of car accidents, scented markers, murderous rampaging co-workers and a conclusion of naughty sexual remarks, Dane Cook was repeatedly thanked by the thunderous screaming and applause of the standing crowd of about 2,500 on Nov. 20. He entered Alumni Hall adorned in an LA-style leather jacket, a hint of the stardom this Arlington, Mass. native has risen to over the last 14 years.

After speaking with Cook on the phone before his show, everyone can now know what drives this "hottest comic," as Rolling Stone likes to call him.

"Hard f---ing work, dude."

Of course it helps that the man has completely forgotten what it is like to be nervous or apprehensive on stage.

"I don't remember ever being nervous, just apprehensive," he said. "And now that that's gone, I am able to just have a good time."

Since the record-breaking release of his Comedy Central CD/DVD combination "Harmful if Swallowed" a year ago, Cook's fan-base has grown exponentially. He thanks his fans daily by reading every piece of mail he is sent, as well as messages left on his self-run website, AIM and his MySpace.com webpage. Embracing his popularity, he stays after every show to greet everyone, a requirement that is actually expressed in his contract. Approximately 15 minutes after the show, amongst the empty chairs and bleachers was when the man truly shined. He signed everything from a dollar bill to a shopping list to a camera. He talked to fans across the country on cell phones, blatantly ignoring his agent's disapproval. He smiled and sported his trademarked double-middle finger move in each and every picture. He calls it "su-fi" (like hi-fi); Dane-Speak for super finger.

"I was in Berkeley, Ca. last night for an audience of about 4,000," he told the small crowd. "Fairfield was more than twice as loud, so baby, you guys got twice the show!"

Cook explained his affection toward fans and even non-fans.

"I love that guy who comes up to me after a show and says, 'I'm sorry, but you suck.' It happens from time-to-time, and I learn from it," Cook said. "What I love even more is when that girl runs at me, screaming my name in the street and jumps on me, licking my face, and there's five people around us stepping back saying, 'who the f-k is this guy?' And then they find out, hear my s-t, and tell more people."

Who are his fans?

"I've always got the college kids to thank; they seem to be my greatest fans," he said.

However, after watching people enter Alumni Hall the night of the show, one couldn't help but notice the many middle-aged double dates. Bottom line: if a venue books Dane Cook, they will come.

And thanks to FUSA, they sure did come. Selling tickets for $15 to students was a real privilege. FUSA sets the student price lower than the public price and subsidizes the difference.

For this completely sold-out show, a reported $35,000 goes to Cook's agency, according to Deirdre Eller, director of new student programs. Another $10,000 or so goes into planning and setting up for the event. Most of these costs are also subsidized by the FUSA.

"Most campuses our size can't have one concert in a year, let alone two," Eller said. "Fairfield students are pretty lucky."

The sound quality, another major problem from last year's comedy performance, was also improved. Students who attended Dave Chappelle's performance last fall described his act as inaudible due to poor sound quality. However, after increasing the quality of speakers, FUSA erased this problem.

If you went, you laughed. If you didn't go, your friends will be talking about this show until they get you to see him. Some people were still disappointed that FUSA did not get a musician this time around.

"Back in the 80s FUSA got acts like The Police and U2. Why are they getting comics now?" asks Kimberly Packer, a Fairfield alumna.

With a pilot filmed for a Seinfeld-esque sitcom and with the rock and roll-esque month-long comedy tour scheduled for April that resembles a Robin Williams move, Dane Cook could quickly be heading toward becoming a household name. His CD/DVD has sold close to 200,000 copies, with the next one scheduled for release after Christmas and expected to break the records now held by Cook himself.

"After next year, he will not be priced for college shows," Eller predicted.

After the show, it was hard to find someone unimpressed by Dane Cook.

"From the moment he stepped on that stage, I knew he was something special," said Michael Paddon '07.

Michelle Holmberg '08 agreed.

"His energy was just palpable, and there were never any low points in the show," she said. "I can't imagine another comedian having been as energetic or having a better connection with the audience."

With all his recent success, Cook cannot help but love his job.

"You know what? Thank God I'm good at this, man. This is the best job in the world."