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(04/18/07 12:00pm)
Students at the College were transported back to the time of hair bands, Milli Vanilli and the birth of MTV during the "80s Rock- Music in the Video Age" event held Friday night in the Rathskeller.
The '80s Rock event, sponsored by CUB-Rat, featured hundreds of slides containing clips of interviews, music, commercials, pictures and more from the musical artists who shaped the decade of the 1980s. In addition to the visual portion of the event, '80s Rock also featured commentary by Barry Drake, who is considered to be one of rock music's foremost historians.
Drake is a former professional musician who was signed to Capitol Records in 1970. During the following decade, Drake dedicated his time to recording three albums and extensively touring the United States and Europe.
In 1984, Drake added rock & roll lectures to his live performances. He explained how he came to focus his livelihood solely on his musical lectures.
"Over the course of your life, you find all these dreams about what you want to do," Drake said. "After I was signed to Capitol Records, I became interested in different aspects of the music, including its history. I used to make it a part of my concerts, but now I just do (the lectures alone). I'm lucky because I found a love of music and I was able to do it all."
In addition to the '80s Rock presentation, Drake has also created interactive lectures on the decades of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He said that rock & roll is a unique and important part of history.
"Rock & roll music was the first music that was democratically American," Drake said. "Americans aren't one people; we're all different, and rock & roll was the first time that the music spoke to everyone."
Drake also explained that in order to truly appreciate the music, you must understand the history behind it.
"Music is the main thing that changes our lives," he said. "You decide who you are by what you listen to. When you're growing up, you can reject your parent's ideals, but you can find a musical artist that you identify with. You need to understand the history of the music to make the right choices."
CUBRat co-chair Mary Mamrak feels that events such as '80s Rock are a different source of entertainment for students.
"I think students enjoy this type of event because who doesn't love the '80s?" Mamrak, sophomore elementary education/English major, said. "We are all babies of the '80s and love to play around with the decade's music and clothing. . We thought this would be a great way to incorporate music and history into the Rat."
Drake agreed with Mamrak's viewpoint that this type of performance is both beneficial and fun.
"College students need to see this," Drake, who has been voted Campus Lecturer of the Year five times by The National Association for Campus Activities and three times by Campus Activities Magazine, said. "I know the image they have of the different decades. To them, the 1950s were all about poodle skirts and "American Bandstand," but it's so much more than that. I want to show them the way that it really happened and I can do that because I lived through all of the decades of rock & roll."
Drake said that he and his wife/manager Pat have been looking forward to performing this particular show at the College for a special reason: Pat is an alumnus. According to Pat, returning to the College brings back special memories about her time here.
"What I remember most about my college experience are the concerts we used to have on campus," she said. "Artists like Bonnie Rait, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel played here while I was in school. Of course, I remember spending time with my friends, but it's the music that has really stayed with me."
(03/28/07 12:00pm)
Kendall Hall was filled with music, applause and entertainment on Friday night as the TCNJ Jazz Band performed its spring concert to an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.
TCNJ Jazz Band, a product of a course offered at the College, is comprised of approximately 20 members representing the sections of trumpet, trombone, saxophone and rhythm.
According to Dr. Gary Fienberg, who is in his sixth year as director of the Jazz Band, the group puts on an average of four performances throughout the academic year.
One member of the Jazz Band, junior mathematics and statistics major Mike Stein, explained the significance of performing in front of a live audience as a musician.
"Live performances are important because they give musicians the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities, and they also give audiences the chance to hear music being made," Stein, who plays piano and vibes in the band, said.
Fienberg echoed Stein's sentiments and added that jazz, as compared to other forms of music, is a particularly special live experience.
"In jazz, there's a particular emphasis on spontaneity and originality," Fienberg said. "The music really evolves along with things that are happening in that particular performance.
"Even without effort, jazz music changes from time to time," he continued. "Every performance can be different than all previous performances."
Junior music education major and band member Jeff Auriemma agreed with Fienberg's sentiment.
"Musical improvisation is the cornerstone of jazz, so no piece ever sounds the same twice," Auriemma, who plays trombone in the Jazz Band, said. "I love the fact that it doesn't matter if I've been playing (a particular piece of jazz music) for my whole life. I know, and the listeners know, that what I play could only have happened that way at that particular time."
Another aspect to the improvisation and spontaneity of jazz deals with the solo sections of the music, which were prominently featured in Friday's performance.
According to Stein, solos make jazz even more unusual.
"My favorite piece is 'Bag's Groove' because I get to improvise a solo on the vibes," Stein said. "Jazz is special because it allows a lot of room for creativity from the individual musicians and the group as a whole."
In Friday evening's performance, the band played 12 pieces of music representing the evolution of jazz throughout the 20th century.
"I like to choose pieces that reflect the different styles and genres of jazz, including swing, Latin, jazz rock, bebop and big band," Fienberg said. "All of these represent different historical eras, and in our concert we have pieces from the 1930s through the 1960s."
Fienberg's intent to include diversity in his selections is evident through the inclusion of pieces from jazz "legends" such as Miles Davis and John Coltrane, as well as the addition of some "unconventional" jazz music.
An example of this type of jazz is Bob Brookmeyer's "Nasty Dance," which Fienberg described as "deconstructive jazz that is an unusual piece of big band music."
Stein said that events such as the Jazz Band concert are both enjoyable and enlightening for students at the College.
"People enjoy coming to (the Jazz Band concert) both to support their friends and to enjoy the music .... It offers a refreshing change of pace," he said.
(02/28/07 12:00pm)
Students at the College enjoyed a night of drama, mystery and fun at All College Theatre's (ACT) fifth annual Interactive Murder Mystery Dinner, titled "I'm Getting Murdered in the Morning." The show was presented in the Cromwell Main Lounge on Friday and Saturday evening.
This year's Murder Mystery Dinner was written by Lee Mueller. The action follows the reception of newlyweds Edward Crock and Brenda Anne Marie, played by Craig Hinners, sophomore interactive multimedia major, and Ashley Kipness, senior psychology major. Their wedding reception is interrupted by the murder of an uninvited guest, and the characters and audience members must work together to uncover the identity of the murderer.
The Murder Mystery Dinner is an unusual type of drama because the characters are allowed to interact with the audience. The audience can play a role in the action by guessing the murderer's identity.
"It really breaks down the wall between the actors and the audience," Susan Pedersen, a sophomore English major who played the DJ, said. "Instead of pretending no one is watching us, the Murder Mystery players thrive on audience participation and feedback."
Amanda Ganza, sophomore biology major and the inebriated mother of the bride, shares in Perdersen's outlook.
"The entire production has such a welcoming atmosphere and it makes the audience feel like they are a part of the show," Ganza said. "A lot of the students come to see their friends and try to get them to break character, and it is fun to be able to ask the actors questions and venture a guess as to who committed the murder."
Another aspect to the Murder Mystery Dinner is that every character is important, from the biggest roles to a member of the ensemble. This is due to the fact that every cast member interacts with the audience and everyone in the play is a suspect in the murder investigation. The murderer turned out to be "the mysterious stranger," played by Jess Noll, junior philosophy major.
"Playing my character is a lot of fun," cast member Lemor Bar-or, junior elementary education/sociology major, said. "Although it is not a principal role, it is somewhat integral to the plotline and it also gives the audience one more reason to question their response as to who is the murderer."
The Murder Mystery Dinner is one of the many productions that ACT puts on at the College each year. According to ACT's president and director of the show, senior philosophy major James Van Strander, ACT is responsible for two small-scale productions and four large-scale productions each year, which he says is an appropriate amount for the organization to handle.
"I feel the current number of productions is quite acceptable," Van Strander said. "Production periods for large-scale productions run about five weeks, so we're busy almost all year long."
The Murder Mystery Dinner, which featured catering by Mama Flora's, proved to be a memorable experience.
Senior finance major Mike Scotto attended a performance and said the cast members are not alone in their viewpoint that this type of show is unique at the College.
"Sometimes I feel like there aren't a lot of activities," he said. "This type of performance really breaks the mold and gives students something different to do."
(02/21/07 12:00pm)
Students at the College were treated to a night of laughter and fun at the Student Comedy Show, held at the Rathskeller on Friday night.
The event, sponsored by CUBRat, featured eight student performers that covered material ranging from relationship issues to college experiences to masturbation, all in front of a standing-room only crowd.
Although each of the student comedians had different aspects to his or her comedy, the dominant theme of the night was life at the College.
One of the performers, sophomore communication studies major Adam Mamawala, spoke of the "party scene" at the College.
"I've been going to some parties lately," Mamawala said. "And by parties, I mean the one open party that (the College) has per month."
According to the student comedians, performing at a small college venue such as the Rat allows students to cater their comedy to specific issues that their audience can relate to. Although it may seem intimidating to be performing for an audience of your peers, some of the student comedians feel that this can add to the fun of stand-up comedy.
"I feel more intimidated performing in front of strangers because if you perform for your classmates, you know that they're probably going to laugh at you even if you're not funny . it's always enjoyable to perform at (the College)," Mamawala said.
Jason Cantor, freshman business management major and another performer at the Student Comedy Show, shares Mamawala's viewpoint on performing in front of fellow students from the College.
"I definitely enjoy performing at the Rat because it's where I had my first show," Cantor said. "It would be impossible for me not to appreciate the experience the Rat has given me. I like to try out my new material in front of smaller groups, such as at the Rat, where it's easier to see people's reactions."
There are other advantages to performing at a small, intimate venue such as the Rat.
"I think performing at the Rat is great," Dan Neyman, performer and freshman biology major, said. "You hear about all of these famous comedians who started small, and look at some of them. You have to learn to crawl before you can walk."
The members of CUBRat share these sentiments and work diligently to organize the entertainment featured at the Rat. According to CUBRat co-chair Mary Mamrak, she and co-chair Alyson Greenwood are responsible for putting acts in the Rat every Friday and one Tuesday night per month.
This is not the first student comedy night that was sponsored by CUBRat. This past November, 10 students competed in the "Catch a Rising Star College Comedy Challenge," with the three winners going on to perform at the Catch a Rising Star comedy club in Atlantic City in December.
According to Mamrak, events such as the Student Comedy Show are an ideal way for students at the College to showcase their talents.
"Student nights are a big part of CUB-Rat's shows," Mamrak, sophomore elementary education/English major, said. "Soloist and band nights are always big hits because friends want to see their own friends perform. Comedy nights are another outlet for students to display their talents."
Events such as the Student Comedy Show are important because they are a fun and accessible way for students at the College to showcase their talents, but they can also mean so much more to the participants in terms of support and encouragement.
"Seeing my friends and peers in the audience makes me strive to put a smile on their faces," Cantor said. "Without them I would never have this opportunity."
(12/01/04 5:00pm)
Nationals did not go as planned for the College's cross country teams. The men's team finished in 18th place, while women's team representative, junior Jenna Fasulo, came in 86th at the event held on Nov. 20 at Whitetail Golf Course and hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Expectations were high for both the men's team and Fasulo individually, following great runs at the 2004 NCAA Division III Atlantic Regional Championships on Nov. 13 after the men's team won the NCAA Regional Championship title to advance to the National competition.
The women's team finished in fourth place and did not collectively advance to Nationals; however, Fasulo finished as the runner-up for the 2004 NCAA Atlantic Regional Champion title and earned an individual spot at the NCAA National Championships.
"We went in with high expectations for both the men's team and Jenna Fasulo," head coach Tim Collins said. "After the men won the Atlantic Region, we were hoping to challenge for a top 10 spot."
Senior Brian Donovan was not satisfied with the College's placing at Nationals.
"We're not satisfied with 18th place," Donovan said. "Any year we make it to Nationals we want to go out there and compete. Usually our goal is to be in the top 10 at the National race, and 18th place is not at all where we wanted to finish."
Donovan set the pace for the Lions and finished in 46th place individually. Collins attributed Donovan's placing to a fall the runner took in the beginning of the race.
"Our lead runner Brian Donovan fell early in the race and lost valuable time," Collins said. "He was also exhausted from trying to catch up to the people he needed to be running with so he didn't have the race he wanted to."
Overall though, while Donovan said the fall did cause him to lose some time, he credits mental self-doubt as the reason the Lions fell below expectations in Nationals.
"I got right up after the fall, but there are so many fast people in the Nationals race that over 30 people had already passed me," Donovan said. "Stuff like this happens in cross. It shouldn't have affected my race that much."
This is where Donovan says the mental aspects of cross-country running took over his race.
"I just wasn't completely in it mentally and I started doubting myself throughout the race," Donovan said. "That's the absolute worst thing any cross country runner could do. Distance running is so mental and you need to stay focused and sharp the entire race or it won't end well. That's what happened on Saturday. A few of us Lions lost it, mentally, and that's why we ran poorly."
Fasulo was also expected to finish high in the individual standings at Nationals after her impressive showing at Regionals.
"Jenna was runner-up (at Regionals) and we thought she would have a chance for the top 35 or 50," Collins said.
"I was not satisfied with the 86th place showing at nationals," Fasulo said. "Although I improved from placing 129th last year, based on this season, I had still hoped to perform better. My coach told me to shoot for the top 50 and I felt that was a feasible goal considering the way I have been racing this cross country season."
Although Fasulo, Donovan and the men's cross country team collectively did not meet their high expectations for Nationals, Collins said this does not take away from the stellar cross country season on a whole.
"Although we didn't race as well as we would have liked, that doesn't detract from the outstanding job both teams did this year," Collins said. "We're still very proud of our accomplishments, especially Brian Donovan and Jenna Fasulo who had terrific seasons."
(10/13/04 4:00pm)
The College's women's soccer team recorded two impressive shutout wins this week, improving to a 10-1-1 record on the season. The wins allowed the Lions to retain their No. 8 ranking in Division III.
The team began the week by defeating Kean University on Monday by a score of 5-0 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) match-up. The Lions dominated offensively, scoring four goals in the first half and adding their fifth and final goal late in the second half. Sophomore midfielder Caitlin Brennan scored two goals in the game.
"Offensively, we just dominated," Brennan said. "We've been pushing up more as a team and that's helping us offensively a lot more."
In addition to being an important NJAC victory, Monday's win also extended the Lions' unbeaten home streak to 50 consecutive games. The last time the Lions lost on their home turf was a 2-0 loss to William Paterson University on Oct. 14, 1998.
Senior defender and co-captain Jamie Acheson said she feels that this winning streak makes each home game a little more important and special. "I think when we play at home it adds more of a sense of meaning to us because we haven't lost on our home turf since 1998," Acheson said. "That tends to fuel the fire for us to play that much better at home."
Although the Lions have been dominant at home, they have also been successful in their away games. Thursday's game at Gwynedd-Mercy College was no exception, as the Lions defeated the Griffins by a score of 6-0. Senior midfielder Stephanie Peters scored a goal in each half of the Lions-dominated match.
Thursday's victory extended the Lions' current winning streak to eight consecutive games. The Lions have been offensively dominant, outscoring their opponents 11-0 and out-shooting their opponents 54-5. The defense has also been stellar, as the Griffins did not register a single shot-on-goal in Thursday's match-up.
Head coach Joe Russo said the combination of offense and defense is what is leading to the team's current success.
"It's been a combination of good offense and defense that's led to our success. We've been pretty well-organized in the defense, and if you defend well it leads to a lot of attacking opportunities," Russo said.
Although the team has been playing well, Russo thinks they are handling their success aptly.
"The team is feeling confident right now, but they've been very business-like about it," Russo said. "They don't get too high. It's a senior-laden group, so they understand where they are now, where they have to go and how they need to get there."
Acheson agrees that while the players are feeling confident, they are not letting the success dictate their play on the field.
"We don't usually worry about a winning streak or anything like that," Acheson said. "We are feeling confident, but we're taking it game by game. We worry about how we feel and not how it looks to other people. It's a great position to be in at this point in the season."
The Lions have two NJAC games remaining on their regular season schedule.
Russo said the team is doing well and that the Lions are on their way to achieving their goals for the season.
"Our first immediate goal is to win the conference," Russo said. "I think we've had great success against our conference opponents so far. Ultimately, our goals are to win the regionals and the national championship."
They look to take their next steps toward achieving their goals today, when they take on Rutgers University-Newark away in an NJAC game.