March 2009.indd - Kellogg Community College

10
Jake Boley
Staff Writer
MARCH 2009
Music that I have and you should
Welcome to March! Living
in Michigan my entire life has
taught me that winter weather
throws an ice-cold monkey
wrench in my outdoor plans for
a solid three or four months.
During this sabbatical from nature,
I like to grab my Sony Studio
Monitor headphones, go to
my CD rack and pick up some
tunes to pass the time. I enjoy
this pastime so much I thought I
would dig into my archives and
present to you, the reader, a list
of albums that I own, and that
(if you don’t already) should.
Artist: Cake
Album: Prolonging the Magic
Cake is just one of those
bands that don’t quite fi t into
any one genre of music. Prolonging
the Magic combines
alternative rock, funk, and 70’s
jam band music, and somehow
these guys pull it off. Someone
at work once told me that the
fi rst time they heard this CD
was at a wine-tasting in France,
and somehow this seems appropriate
for a band named after a
dessert. Great with dinner, at
the beach, in the car, through
the headphones, this CD can
Alan Hester
Editor-in-Chief
Mondays are a literary
kind of day at Kellogg Community
College, especially since
the Crude Arts Club meets at
4:30 pm. Gathering as a student-led
workshop, and facilitated
by KCC student Jeremy
Erksine, members of the Crude
Arts Club can expect to read and
discuss poetry and prose that is
written by fellow members.
Also keeping up with the literary
fervor of Reading Month,
guest authors will be at KCC
go anywhere. If you don’t own
it, get it.
(Noteworthy tracks: Never
There, Mexico, Sheep Go to
Heaven)
Artist: Ben Folds Five
Album: The Unauthorized Biography
of Reinhold Messner
A lot of things can be said
about one’s ex-girlfriends, but
I have to give mine credit for
turning me onto one of my favorite
artists/bands of all time:
Ben Folds Five (now just Ben
Folds). I remember falling in
love with the song “Army” before
I even liked Ben Folds Five!
I picked up this
CD in the
discount
rack
about
a year
after
we broke
up, and upon
re-listening I found myself
fl oored by what I heard. …Reinhold
Messner is a very introspective
album, not quite as upbeat
as Ben Folds Five’s previous
albums, but it still is full of poppy
hooks (“Army”), oddball lyrics
(“Narcolepsy”) and is a perfect
complement to a good cup
with readings and discussions
open to the public. On March
2, Bonnie Jo Campbell graced
the Café Connection dining
CULTURE
of coffee at Brownstone Coffee
House. I have since passed on
my original copy of this gem to
a friend, but it is still one of the
best to grace my collection.
(Noteworthy tracks: Don’t
Change Your Plans, Army, Lullaby)
Artist: Electric Six
Album: Fire
While everything from the
catalog of Detroit rockers Electric
Six is fantastic, Fire is
by far the best starting
point for anyone
looking to start a
blaze in their local
discotheque (or whatever
the kids are calling them
nowadays). Front man Dick
Valentine just has one of those
great voices where he can say
whatever he wants and it will
rock (a la Brian Johnson of AC/
DC). Throw in a little synthesizer
driven disco/punk dance
music behind it, and you’ve got
room with a reading. Campbell
is the author of the very wellreceived
collection of short stories,
American Salvage.
March 23 will see the arrival
author David James. At
2:00pm in the Café Connection
dining room, James will deliver
a reading open to the public.
Students are welcome to attend
in order to see creative writing
performed fi rsthand.
Though one doesn’t have
to be a literary buff to enjoy an
author’s reading, the even tjust
might be a conversion to the
realm of creative writing. Luck-
the makings for one HECK of
a good time. If you have the capability,
fi nd a copy of this on
vinyl because the opening drum
ticks of “Dance Commander”
sound like they were just made
for a record player. The lyrics
are ridiculous and hilarious, the
music will make your legs move
uncontrollably, and a
careful listening will
show Jack White’s (The
White Stripes) uncredited
guest vocals on “Danger!
High Voltage!” Buy/borrow/download/steal
this album,
but just get your hands on it
and thank me later.
(Noteworthy tracks: Danger!
High Voltage, Improper
Dancing, Gay Bar)
That’s it for me today. If
you have questions, comments
or suggestions for me, feel free
to email me at: wayfastwhiteyboy@yahoo.com
A literary kind of month
Bonnie Jo Campbell
ily, KCC has various outlets,
aside from guest authors, in
which students are welcome to
express their interest in writing.
One active club is the Crude
Arts Club.
The Crude Arts Club oversees
the submissions for KCC’s
literary magazine, Mosaic. By
reading and reviewing each
piece of writing that passes
through, the members of the
Crude Arts club decide to content
of the semester’s Mosaic.
Poems and short stories
are often submitted by creative
writing students. However, the
Crude Arts Club welcomes and
encourages submissions from all
students interested in creative
writing.
All submissions can be
made to Tom Webster’s offi ce,
C-161, or his email, webstert@
kellogg.edu. Though the deadline
for submissions is March 6,
there is no deadline to join the
Crude Arts Club. Any student
interested in joining is encouraged
to attend a meeting, taking
place Mondays in the LRC at
4:30 pm.