Mount Hood

Ben Platt’s new album “Sing to Me Instead” gives audiences everything they want

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Since the premiere of the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen” on July 9, 2015, Ben Platt has captured audience’s attention with his passionate performances and beautiful voice. After Platt left “Dear Evan Hansen” on Nov. 17, 2017, he performed at the 60th annual Grammy awards and released a mashup with “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Aside from these projects, Platt seemed to become more quiet, possibly taking a break from his intense work as Evan in “Dear Evan Hansen.”

But in January 2019, Platt announced his much anticipated debut album “Sing to Me Instead.” Four singles were released before the album’s official release on March 29.

Platt’s songs feature strong piano melodies reminiscent of his “Dear Evan Hansen” days, and soft, more muted guitar riffs that emphasize the heavy, intricate emotions this album is based on. The more simplistic technical aspects of this album could almost categorize the songs as pop, but their combination with lyrical intricacy creates songs that feel like ballads. Platt’s album could be easily characterized as empath rock due to the highly emotional content that reads like poetry.

The relative plainess of the instrumentals throughout the album only serves to support Platt’s killer vocal ability — his range is incredibly strong. Platt’s vocal runs, belts and the pure emotion injected into his voice are the true highlights of this album. Missing are the flashy, Broadway belting vocal moments, which benefits the album in my opinion.

Another highlight of this album are the lyrics. Platt co-wrote the songs on his album with a team, including Eg White, who co-wrote Adele’s “Chasing Pavements.” The songs lean more toward emotional ballads, but a couple songs have more upbeat lyrics, like “Share Your Address,” a song about wanting to take a relationship to the next level. Platt’s lyrics feel like looking through a window and getting a glimpse into his emotional life, like the listener is reading a diary entry.

In a March 27, 2019 USA Today article by Patrick Ryan, Platt is quoted: “the whole point of this (album) is to be honest about my own experiences and talk about things that have happened to me. A lot of those things just happen to be with men that I’ve been in love with.”

 

Overall Rating: I would strongly recommend this album.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ben Platt

The Willamette Heritage Center highlights the valley’s passionate history through exhibit

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

The Willamette Heritage Center is located in Salem at 1313 Mill St. A cluster of buildings tucked into a scenic corner of the city, the center features permanent exhibits such the historic houses of some of the first families to settle in the Willamette valley, a Thomas Kay Woolen Mill exhibit and Portland General Electric Waterpower exhibit. “The Willamette Heritage Center connects generations by preserving and interpreting the history of the Mid-Willamette Valley,” states willametteheritage.org.

The center also features special, impermanent exhibits. Opening Jan. 24 and lasting through April 20 is an exhibit titled “Romance: Stories of Love and Passion in the Mid-Willamette valley”. The exhibit consists various different displays curated by several different heritage centers in the region that focus on stories of love in the Willamette Valley.

Displays included vignettes on the history of marriage ceremonies from the 19th and early 20th centuries, which didn’t always include a white dress; many brides wore dresses in a variety of colors, such as blue, grey, yellow and even practical colors like brown. An intricate red wedding dress was also on display in this section of the exhibit.

Also included was a collection of artifacts describing the scandalous social dances of the 1800s. Featured were the card and books in which dancers could keep track of their partners, and editorials published in the Oregon Statesman and the Willamette University Newspaper discussed the inappropriate nature of social dances.

The latter newspaper published an editorial by Minnie Frickey in February of 1891, which touched on the subject.

“Thus on every hand stands some monster evil that would destroy all honest, genuine affection, dancing and intemperance alike in fascination and destructiveness,” wrote Frickey, “luxury who would have people so intensely refined that they are unfit for any of the practical duties of life.”

Also included where artifacts such as love self-help books, wedding rings, photographs of young couples and marriage certificates. On display was a law book which included Oregon’s marriage laws over the years. In 1862, Oregon passed a law that made interracial marriage illegal, which wasn’t overturned until 1951. More recently — 2014, to be exact — Oregon passed their same-sex marriage law.

The exhibit at the Willamette Heritage Center brings history into the present, and reminds visitors that love now isn’t much different than love back then.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Chrys Weedon

Marie Kondo’s decluttering controversy: Prescriptivist vs helpful

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

In 2011, Marie Kondo published a book titled “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”. In 2014, the hardcover English translation was released and quickly became a New York Times bestseller.

In her book, Kondo lays out what she calls the KonMari method, an organization method uniquely created through Kondo’s work as a professional organizing consultant. Severely simplified, the KonMari method asks the reader to sort through all their belongings and see what sparks joy — if an object doesn’t spark joy, it should be disposed of. A very important part of the process is thanking an item for its utility before giving the item away or throwing it out.

Kondo has been named on of the New York Time’s 100 most influential people, and many swear by her organization method.

Several celebrities have informally reviewed Kondo’s book as publicity. “I recommend it for anyone who struggles with the material excess of living in a privileged society,” commented Jamie Lee Curtis on the Amazon page selling the book. B.J. Novak also swears by Kondo’s book.

Kondo’s publication has been so successful that Netflix aired a show centered around her and the KonMari method. In the original show, “Tidying up with Marie Kondo”, Kondo visits different families and assists them in decluttering their life. Although this method can be compared to minimalism, they are distinct — hence why Kondo has specially labelled her own method.

However, an incident in episode five of Kondo’s Netflix original show sparked a debate on the internet.

Kondo advised a couple on how they should declutter their books. In a summary of Kondo’s philosophy on books, a Jan. 12, 2019 article by Deseret News wrote that Kondo believes that the true value of books lies in the information within them. Kondo suggests that having books that someone will never read adds clutter to that person’s life. Instead of stockpiling books, Kondo suggests that someone only keeps the books that spark joy, maybe only keeping sections of books that are special.

Many Twitter users were outraged. User Cleve Arguelles, @CleveArguelles, posted: “I’m not sure whether I should love or hate Marie Kondo right now. But she did advise that one can rip out pages from their favorite books & throw away the rest so they can… ‘keep only the words they like.’ So, hate it is.”

Author Jennifer Wright even posted “this woman is a monster,” in reference to Kondo. That tweet has since been deleted.

Danielle Durand, a Western alumna of the psychology program, explained her opinion on the subject.

“She’s not trying to rid people of sentimental items or tell people how much junk they’re allowed to have. She just wants us to be able to recognize what brings us happiness and joy…”

In fact, this is also what Kondo describes in her book. Kondo’s informal motto has become “only keep belongings that spark joy.” Kondo stresses the importance of donating usable books to charities, libraries or schools.

Outraged tweets claiming Kondo wants everyone to get rid of their books may be unfounded. Reading the book and watching Kondo’s show seem to explain her position on decluttering very clearly.

Cait Munro from Refinery29 interviewed Kondo on the subject on Jan. 11. Kondo said, “I think if you’re truly comfortable with clutter in your home, then that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I will recommend that you still … understand how much quantity of each category of things you have and need. I think that’s an important awareness to have.”

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of konmari.com

 

Oscars 2019: Big wins and controversy

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Feb. 24, 2019 marked the first time in 30 years that the Academy Awards went on without a host. After Kevin Hart was looked over as a host after several homophobic tweets were rediscovered on his account. These tweets were posted by Hart between the years 2009 and 2011. According to cnn.com, Hart apologized and stepped down as host.

Instead, the 91st Academy Awards were hosted by a revolving door of celebrities including: Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy, John Mulaney, Jason Momoa, Serena Williams and many others.

Each year, the most highly anticipated categories are best picture, best actress, actress in a supporting role, best actor and actor in a supporting role.

The ceremony started with Queen performing two of their most popular songs with Adam Lambert filling in for legendary frontman Freddie Mercury, in honor of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which was nominated for numerous awards, best picture being one of them. Other performances during the awards ceremony featured Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper singing “Shallow” from “A Star is Born”, Jennifer Hudson singing “I’ll Fight” from the documentary “RBG”, Bette Midler performing “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings playing “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”.

The ceremony came to a head when the winner of the best picture award was about to be announced. Finally, “Green Book” was presented as the winner of arguably the most anticipated awards of the show. This award has sparked much controversy — according to the Washington Post in an article posted Feb. 25 of this year, Don Shirley’s (the musician played by Mahershala Ali in the film) family contacted the media claiming that they were not contacted until after the movie was released, and that how the movie portrayed Shirley was inaccurate.

The same Washington Post article also discussed controversy surrounding Viggo Mortensen, who played the driver of Shirley, Tony Vallelonga. Washington Post also wrote Mortensen is reported to have used racial slurs while promoting the film.

“Green Book” winning best picture has proven to be a controversial decision, but does not overshadow the other awards of the show. “Bohemian Rhapsody” won four awards, including Rami Malek taking home the award for best actor, and “Roma” was presented with three awards.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@gmail.com

Accomplished pianist Paul Roberts visits Smith Hall

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Paul Roberts can be described as many different things: a writer, lecturer, teacher and pianist. Piano expert Bryce Morrison wrote that “Paul Roberts is an exceptional musician, a fine and deeply sensitive pianist, teacher and an author of the greatest distinction.” Morrison added that “his books on Debussy and Ravel are quite simply the most outstanding and perceptive I have read.”

Roberts has regularly performed in Portland since 1999, according to his website paulrobertspiano.com. Roberts is the artistic director for the international piano summer school, Music at Chateau d’Aix, in France, and also teaches at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. Roberts has written three books and is in the process of writing a fourth.

On Feb. 20, Paul Roberts came to perform in Smith Music Hall. In a performance of two acts, Roberts played selections by Debussy, Liszt and Albeniz.

The first half of the performance consisted of pieces composed by Debussy, an Impressionist composer from the late nineteenth century. The second act consisted of compositions from Liszt and Albeniz. Liszt is a composer from the Romantic era; Albeniz, the post-Romantic era.

Before each section, Roberts explained the individual pieces he was going to play, so the concert was a mixture of lecture and actual performance. On Portland Piano International’s website, portlandpiano.org, founding artistic director Harold Gray wrote that Roberts’s “public lectures immerse the listeners in a magical world of images and ideas … his communicative abilities, whether as performer, writer or teacher, are without equal.”

Roberts’s playing style is passionate and highly expressive. His’ clear enthusiasm for his work brings to mind the concept of “a calling.” Roberts plays with his entire body and moves along with the pieces he plays. He paints a clear picture with his musicality and captivated the audience with his lecture of the history behind each piece.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy Ashlynn Norton

The Nat Turner project brings three mini-exhibits to the Cannon Gallery

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Nat Turner was a Black man that led the 1831 Southampton County slave rebellion — the only large-scale slave rebellion in American history. It is after him that the Nat Turner Project is named, a project whose goal is to give a voice to artists of traditionally marginalized groups.

The two members of the Nat Turner Project are Melanie Stevens and maximiliano. They state their mission statement as follows: “NTP allows artists of color to go beyond the usual initial expositions inherent in presenting art borne of marginalized perspectives to a dominant culture; allowing artists of color freedom to create or express their own language within and without the parameters of racial commodification or designation.”

The project has recently introduced three new mini-exhibits into the Cannon Gallery of Art in Campbell Hall. Artists Carla Javier-Brea, Holland Andrews and Alejandra Arias Sevilla are on display in the gallery, which opened on Feb. 20.

“I think each of the artists, all of whom I’ve been long time admirers of, are using print and illustration in these really beautiful, soft, and intimate ways.  Each of them, of course, is very different,” said Stevens. “However, I think the that the way Alejandra Arias Sevilla’s work combines the formalities of print and language with social engagement pairs nicely against the rhythmic flow of Holland Andrews’ thoughtful studies of space and body. And Carla Javier-Brea creates these amazing characters that whisper of worlds past and future; memories long gone but lingering on.”

Javier-Brea was born in Berkeley, California to a Dominican family. Her passion for the Dominican Republic’s history and mythology heavily influenced the pieces hanging in the exhibit. “Criaturas que Nacen del Viento” is a series of drawings that are, according to the artist, “executed entirely in graphite, as a form of meditation… a representation of childhood, natural curiosity, and an embrace of the parts of our heritage that modern day colonialism still looks to erase.”

Holland Andrews is a self-taught artist based in Portland, OR, whose exhibit “Low Synth Bass” focuses on representations of the human body and ponders on the nuances of being seen. Andrews’s illustrations are simultaneously minimal and emotional.

The exhibit’s program writes: “frequently highlighting themes surrounding visibility, vulnerability, and identity, Andrews chooses to create a world in which subversion of the status quo is seen for its elegance and power.”

Alejandra Arias Sevilla is a Mexican artist who is also based in Portland, OR. Her work “los susurros de mi ser” focuses on: “the limbo and duality of two opposing identities.” Sevilla’s pieces are done in letterpress and consist of stories and poems in both her native Spanish and in English, touching on the reality of code-switching and hiding parts of her identity in order to assimilate. The intricacy of Sevilla’s work reflects the experience of intersection of two cultures and two identities.

“Garima Thakur gave us this amazing opportunity, and we have been fans and following the work of Carla, Alejandra, and Holland … and love to be able to exhibit it and pay them,” commented maximiliano.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Paul F. Davis

How the Percent for Art program altered Western’s campus

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

If a stranger were to stroll through Western Oregon University’s campus, they would stumble across many different art pieces of many different mediums: sculptures, tapestries, paintings and more. Oregon’s Percent for Art program is the biggest reason Western’s campus is brimming with art.

Discussions about the program began in Oregon in the year 1975, and by 1977 something that only existed in Marion and Polk counties was extended to a statewide project. The Percent for Art program dictates that when a public construction project is under way, no less than one percent of the project’s funds must be put aside “for the acquisition of public-facing artwork in all state building construction plans with budgets over $100,000,” according to oregonartscommission.org.

The Oregon Arts Commission states that the Percent for Art program places “high quality, accessible, and mostly visible” art where the public can enjoy it. The OAC’s collection now contains more than 2,400 art pieces that represent over 800 artists.

Art for public buildings is collected in one of two ways: existing art pieces are purchased from an artist or gallery, or a site-specific piece is commissioned from an artist. Commissions can be chosen through proposals submitted by artists through either an open call or exclusive invitation. Art pieces are then chosen by a selection committee.

Mike Elliot, the associate director of Facilities Services at Western, outlined the process of choosing an artist.

“It requires setting up a committee to help (with) defining the most appropriate type of art design based on: 1. size of the project, 2. budget of the project (and) 3. appropriate type of art based on the building program and is it new or existing construction.”

A pre-project information checklist for Percent for Art selections, provided by Elliot, states that the selection must consist of one to two representatives of the department where the artwork will be displayed (for example, housing or athletics), one student, one project manager from facilities, a project architect and one landscape architect.

These committees discuss potential art pieces, styles and themes the most appropriate for each building.

“There is a pool of prequalified artists that proposals can be solicited from,” added Elliot. The process for selecting an art piece takes “typically, about 1 year,” according to Elliot.

Elliot also provided forms in which instructions for maintenance of the art piece can be outlined by the artist. These guidelines include sections where the artist can detail handling instructions and “physical qualities for which (Western) should strive in order to maintain the artist’s intent.”

An example of the Percent for Art program is the current renovation of Natural Sciences. According to Western’s website, the renovation budget for the building is six million dollars. Therefore, $67,000 of that budget will go toward buying the art itself, through the Percent for Art program. Originally, $79,000 was set aside, but $7,900 was paid to the Oregon Arts Commission for an administration fee, minus $2,000 for an artists stipend, and minus another $2,100 as contingency.

The Percent for Art program has made a significant impact on Western’s campus, with its newest installation being the flower sculpture in front of the Richard Woodcock Education Center. What installation will the program bring next?

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

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