At long last I have returned! Since I have graduated I have had A LOT of time to do nothing and listen to a butt load of music all the time. Along with said wonderful activities, I have a few things to share concerning the music world via Milwaukee, Wisconsin! I am sad to no longer be the Publications Director, but I will try to write at least SOMETHING on here from time to time. – Megan Hundley

(pictured above: me keeping it real in Milwaukee by rocking out to Guitar Hero)

Matter of business numero 1:

My beau (John) and I were eating lunch at the amazing Comet Cafe on the East Side of Milwaukee when all of a sudden a notable musician graced us with his presence — Andy Hurley (the drummer of Fall Out Boy)! It’s no wonder that Hurley, being the straight edge vegan that he is, was eating at Comet since they have amazing vegan friendly food. Now, I am proud, and at the same time embarrassed, that I was not the one who recognized him.

Here’s how the short story goes: I was perusing the menu and John suddenly exclaims, “OMGz! It’s Andy Hurley from Fall Out Boy!!!” I, of course, erupt in laughter because my first thought is the fairly known, poorly drawn online parodies of their song “Sugar, We’re Going Down”. To be quite honest, I don’t care much for the band but John insists that their earlier stuff is pretty great. I mean, he is such an indie-snob (points nose up in the air). Joking aside, I just thought it was cool to see a rocker out of his element just hanging out around his hometown. Respecting his privacy and trying not to be a complete creeper, I decided against asking him for an interview. John, on the other hand, told me that he wished he had worn his Since By Man t-shirt since the last time he saw FOB in concert Hurley had commented on his t-shirt saying is was cool.

Matter of business number dos:

I have been shown the light — Vinyl records are exponentially cooler than CDs, mp3s, cassette tapes, etc. The pictures on the cover are cooler, the sound is cooler and the overall feel is cooler.

Last matter of business (3, in case you lost count):

Bjork makes crazy music videos. My friends, Charlie, John, Mary and I were watching a DVD of her music videos and a vast majority of them involve her, “…being nude in front of a green screen leaving the director to do whatever the hell he wants”, commented Charlie. Now, it was a general consensus that the video for “Joga” is a huge let down. It’s just a helicopter going over random landscapes and sometimes the director/editor used a computer program to make it look like the world is being viewed through a kaleidoscope and then hot magma is spewing out of every orifice.

For your enjoyment, here is a Bjork video of her song “Triumph of a Heart”. I love this video, it is hilarious and it has a dancing cat in it. Let the weirdness begin…

Hello there faithful Amp-ers!  I must apologize about the long gap between posts this past month, things just got straight cray cray with finals and moving and working and…well, basically I became quite busy.  But The Amp wasn’t far from my thoughts, don’t worry.  We’re back.

And so, I have for you a troubling new phenomenon that has cropped up in our neighbor to the south, Mexico - Emo hate.  Emo kids have fast become the most-bashed social group in Mexico’s cities, suffering verbal and even physical abuse for their style.  Read on for more on this strange development…

It’s not unusual anymore to see gaggles of dark-clad, skinny adolescents with straightened hair and studded belts cavorting anywhere that loitering is tolerated.  Here in the United States, we’ve been seeing the emo trend, a modern permutation of the goth movement, grow for the better part of a decade, and the fad has become increasingly mainstream.  And whether or not you love them, hate them, emo kids are generally tolerated here.

In Mexico, it’s a completely different story.  Instead of the slow-growing, music-based emo trend that developed here in the U.S., its Mexican counterpart has caught on rapidly, and seems to center largely on fashion.  Super tight jeans, dyed-black and spiky hair, stars, and all of the trappings of emo culture have appealed to a certain group of young people in urban Mexico.  And their peers aren’t looking kindly upon the sudden influx of “emos” into their hang-outs. 

Violence has escalated rapidly in Mexico (see also: here and here for more) where shouting matches have turned into all-out brawls and unprovoked attacks on anyone who even looks emo.  Punks and metalheads, the most agressive anti-emo groups, resent both how quickly the trend has caught on and how eager kids seem to adapt to it on order to fit in.  Fueled by internet message boards full of anti-emo sympathizers, the view of emo style as a means of fitting in, with no real passion or even slight common thread to unite them except fashion.  That sentiment has translated into savage attacks on unarmed (and usually scrawny) emo kids, and high tension in the popular hang-outs of the city.

In response to the escalating hatred, repeated demonstrations for tolerance have taken place in the streets of Mexico City, with emo kids joining forces with gay rights activists and other advocates for groups that are discriminated against.  A police presence has even been required to keep the warring groups apart in some cases, to keep demonstrations from turning into massive street brawls.

Faux hate for the stereotypes of emo culture has become trendy here in the U.S. (”I wish that my grass was emo so that it would cut itself!”), it’s true.  And sure it’s easy to pick on a group that typically tends toward the emotional and wimpy sort.  But what’s happening in Mexico is a completely different scenario: real harm coming upon young kids just because of how they dress.  I think that’s just wrong…and this is coming from the self-proclaimed fashion police.  I’m not going to bust out my liquid eyeliner and arm-warmers in solidarity just yet, but I don’t think emo kids should be whaled upon just for wearing too much black.  It comes down to the age old tradition of jocks beating up wimps…but now there’s fashion at stake.

After that long-winded diatribe on the perils of emo kids, don’t you want to watch a Youtube montage of pictures of Mexican emo kids paired with a song straight out of their scene?  I thought so…

The Amp’s Editor in Chief, Caroline Doerhoff, could not have gotten a better cuatro de mayo present than watching these two crazy twins kick out the jams at The Pageant…

I’ve been a Tegan and Sara fan since my high school days, so when I heard that they were coming to The Pageant, I could not have been more STOKED to see them live. I refused to be deterred by their “Live at the Phoenix” EP, which made their trademark harmonies and unique voices sound…well, a little shrill. No no. It couldn’t be…I was determined to see for myself.

When we arrived at The Pageant, I was immediately struck by how young the crowd seemed. I mean, I’m tall, so I’m used to being able to see in most conditions…but these people were tiny. And their moms were there with them. In our spot above the pit, I spotted not one but two girls with their moms. I don’t know why I expected the usual crowd of twentysomethings, what with Tegan and Sara’s catchy, tight, melodies and popsensibilities, but for the record I was taken aback. (I was also startled by how many petite young girls could be rocking the fashion mullet pioneered by Tegan and Sara in the “So Jealous” days.)

The lights dimmed right around 8 pm, right on schedule, and girl-boy duo An Horse took the stage, and proceeded to thank us, the audience, for being so polite. Over the course of their 35 minute set, we were called polite maybe three more times, even after an audience member screamed either “You suck!” or “Cubs suck!” (the world may never know). Undeterred by garbled sports-related yelling, An Horse (also known as Kate Cooper of Iron On and Damon Cox of Intercooler and Mary Trembles) delivered a concise set of mid-tempo songs that sounded a lot like Tegan and Sara at their most earnest and straightforward…and plus a dude on the harmonies. Cooper joked with the audience about the ubiquity of sports fans between here and her native Brisbane, Australia, and their unfortunately short set was overall quite enjoyable. The lights came up again too soon, and the blond duo trooped off stage to considerably more applause than they garnered at their arrival. I’d say they won me over. Charming, really.

Tegan and Sara arrived onstage shortly after, bringing on the shortness as well as a backup band of three black-clad guys to fill out their sound. Without a pause, each shouldered a guitar and they launched into “I Know I Know I Know,” barely breathing between phrases as they sped through. I’ll admit that I was concerned that they would just power through all of their songs in this manner and the audience would be in the parking lot in 45 minutes. Luckily, I was wrong…and I’m glad I was.

Over the course of the next hour and a half, Tegan and Sara would deliver amazing renditions of the majority of “The Con” and “So Jealous” as well as a few from “If It Was You.” From their gut-wrenching version of “Call It Off” to crowd pleasers like “Back In Your Head,” they belted out songs they’ve probably sung hundreds of times like they were freshly written. I have to say that I was nervous to hear Sara’s voice live (see above comment about “Live at the Phoenix”), but I was greatly impressed by her vocals as well as Tegan’s. It really is remarkable that identical twins could sound so different, but Sara’s soprano and Tegan’s alto really blend together well, even live.

They seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves, taking time to indulge in witty banter that they seemed to enjoy as much as the crowd listening did. Topics covered included: unicorns, grade 3 boyfriends, hockey, boards with nails in them, Sara running down the streets of the city at night, and their mom. I could never do their dynamic justice…so I’ll let them do the talking themselves. Thank you YouTube!

talk of unicorns…

…and their mom

Overall, the concert was one of the most solid and enjoyable I’ve been to at The Pageant in a while, and I can’t remember the last time that I laughed so much at a show. I’ve been waiting for years to see Tegan and Sara in concert, and they definitely exceeded my (rather high) expectations.

But don’t just take my word for it on their performance…here’s “The Con” (thanks to weaverash01 for all of the videos featured here!)

Amp Editor-In-Chief Caroline Doerhoff has re-realized her love for Feist, thanks to Steven Colbert. What can’t that man do! NOW WITH VIDEO!

You know, I’ve loved Feist for a few years now…her voice is magical, her songs are well-crafted, her lyrics are witty. But I grew complacent in my love, I’ll admit it. I grew comfortable in my affection for Feist, though I sometimes thought she deserved more than her modest success. And then….that commercial. After seeing that iPod commerical for the hundred bajillionth time, I grew disenchanted. Don’t get me wrong, “The Reminder” is the definition of a solid album…I just got to the point where I wanted to punt a baby every time I heard “1234″ coming from some chick’s cell phone.

When I heard that Feist was coming to the Pageant here in Saint Louis, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get tickets because of her overwhelming popularity. The show sold out quickly, just as I assumed it would, and I wasn’t disappointed. Now I see that maybe I should have been…

Tonight on The Colbert Report, Feist agreed to play an impromptu song. Armed with just an acoustic guitar and a microphone, Feist proceeded to blow my mind with her rendition of the song “I Feel It All.” She sounded fantastic…there wasn’t an off note anywhere, and her improvisations felt natural, never clumsy or overdone. My love for Feist was rekindled in those few minutes…and I have Steven Colbert to thank. Let’s hear it for the Colbert Bump!

EDIT: Watch and believe! Here’s Miss Feist on Colbert.

Publications Director, Megan Hundley, has an affinity for going to see movies that pretty much bomb. As per usual, she’s got an opinion and wanted to write about it. This time it is a movie review of “Funny Games”, a movie in which the music plays a fairly integral role in setting the mood/tone.

—–

Listening to nice, calming music on the radio and driving along a serene mountainous landscape on their way to a beautiful landscape. This is how the family in the American version of the film Funny Games begins their story. The viewer is certainly put in their place when the name of the movie is flashed on screen in bold red letters at the same time that an incredibly scary death metal song is played, which is actually the song “Bonehead” by Naked City. I certainly jumped in my seat since I went into this movie knowing only that it was about a family who is visited by some unwelcome visitors, wearing creepy white gloves and what looks like tennis outfits, at their lake house.

Upon further investigation into this seemingly interesting story, I find that this movie is supposed to depict of the way violence is portrayed in the media. My first question was: How is it possible for the same writer/director to make the carbon copy of his previous work within 10 years of one another, let alone at all? Welcome to the world of writer/director Michael Haneke. His latest movie, Funny Games, starring Naomi Watts, is the exact same movie that he made precisely 10 years prior with, oddly enough, the same name. The only differences between the two films are the cast and the language.
My mantra during this movie was literally: “What the hell is going on?!” As soon as one of the creepy white-clad boys came to the family’s house asking for eggs and acted immensely uncomfortable and unsure of himself, I knew insanely weird things were going to happen (as if the death metal song in the beginning credits didn’t give that away, right off the bat). One of the first disturbing occurrences that took place was the disappearance of the family dog, which we later find falling lifelessly out of the trunk of the family’s Range Rover in the driveway. Well kids, the terror did not stop there. From that point in the movie on, the all-white-wearing young men terrorized by playing “games” with the family. While these young men were extremely creepy, they were also very polite. With a plethora of pleasantries exchanged through out the film, they always asked the family nicely to do such atrocious things. It’s no surprise that the tag line of the movie is “It’s easier when things are polite”.
While the two young men are relentlessly torturing the family, they keep calling one another a handful of different names. For instance, when the young man in charge calls his counterpart “Tom,” he then becomes “Jerry;” and then when he calls his partner “Bevis,” he is then “Butthead.” These pairs are both, of course, cartoon characters in relatively modern America and are recognized by the general public rather easily. I can see from this why the movie may have been named Funny Games, but I find even that to be a stretch.
One of the most interesting things about the movie is the fact that the young man who was in charge of the homicidal mania that was this movie breaks the fourth wall on numerous occasions. Periodically, throughout the movie, he asks the audience questions and tells the audience things he is thinking. The most memorable breaking of the fourth wall happens at the end of the movie, when he simply stares the viewer in the eye and you immediately know what is going to happen from that point on.

While the movie did not end up the way I might have wanted to, it certainly made a great impact on me. I certainly do not ever want to let creepy young men wearing all white anywhere near me. I fear I might never play tennis again because of this movie. Thanks for taking yet another life sport away from me, Mr. Haneke.

I had, what I thought was, a wonderful idea! I was going to listen to an album that recently came out and then draw what I “saw” when I heard it. Well, here’s the result of that brilliance.

I guess it was more of a “free draw”, highly comparable to a free verse or one of those writing exercises where you can’t pick your pen up off the paper and you just write whatever comes to mind. That’s basically what I did except I had to pick my Sharpie up to change colors (or mediums when I used a pen).

Here’s what happened: I listened to Volume One by She & Him, the band that consists of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. Then I drew stuff on a piece of 8” x 11” computer paper. These are things that I thought of when I listened to their music. I hope Zooey and M don’t hate me now because I did this terribly awesome doodle.

Say what you will about my 21 year old attempt at drawing with permanent markers and a Paper<3Mate pen. I think it seriously rivals the Maddox kids drawings.

ROCK!

KSLU DJ Tim Lemieux, endearingly referred to as Mew Mew, gives you his take on the most recent SSLYBY show at the Bluebird. Read and enjoy!

—————-

In one of my infinite acts of wisdom, I decided that, on Monday the 14th, I would go to the Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin concert at the Bluebird instead of studying for my communications test. So I loaded myself into the car with my gal pals Leah Ducey and Lauren Choate and we headed on our path to the Bluebird. After quickly getting lost due to the lack of a big sign for the venue, and the fact that we had never been there, we entered the bar and paid our minor fee.The Bluebird was small and a bit dark but fairly cozy with couches and tables. We waited a bit until the first band, Gentleman Auction House, took the stage.
I had seen Gentleman Auction House, a local band, about a week before at the Billiken Club. They had played an energetic and cute show at the Billiken Club so I was expecting good things. Thankfully, they didn’t disappoint. They started off with a slow and intimate song. They had some small technical difficulties with Kiley Lewis’s keyboard, the continued on. It was clear that, despite their energy on stage, they were someone what uncomfortable with the small and quiet crowd; lead singer Eric Enger called all of us closer to the stage with a promise to cuddle and commented on how quiet the room was in between songs. They played some old songs and new stuff off their EP, The Book of Matches. Overall, a very good set, but maybe not as good as they had been at the Billiken Club.

Next on stage was Via Audio, a fairly energetic New York band. They were very high energy, especially bassist David Lizmi who was bouncing around the stage in his cut off jean shorts and his pink hat. They moved from classic indie-pop rock to including some techno beats in a song about robots and then to a jazzy song. Lots of the songs they played were off their Say Something, Say Something, Say Something. It wasn’t the best thing I had seen, but still good.

The time most of the crowd of 50 was waiting for came quickly and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin took the stage. Phillip Duckey started on drums, Will Knauer and John Cardwell on guitars, and Jonathan James on bass. The energy from the crowd, especially the drunken girl right behind me, influenced the band, and they seemed to be really enjoying themselves. They began playing lots of songs off their new album, Perishing. After about 5 songs, they switched around the who was playing what instruments, with John moving to bass, Jon moving to drums, and Phillip moving to guitar. During a rendition of “Modern Mystery”, Phillip’s guitar crapped out. Despite the problem, he played it off well, first trying another guitar then grabbing a tambourine and then playing air guitar. He got the problem fixed right after the song and they continued on. The set was amazing and very strong the whole way through. The band really enjoyed themselves. I had their last song, “Oceanographer”, stuck in my head the rest of the night. Overall, I enjoyed myself and became a fan of SSYLBY all in the same night.

Amp Staff writer Anna Fields managed to snag an interview with ragtime blues aficionado Pokey LaFarge at Meshuggah Cafe. Read on for insights on life, love, and bow ties. [For reference: ME = Anna Fields, P = Pokey LaFarge.]

ME- I wanna know how you got into playing this style of music, what draws you to it?
P-Well, I would have to say that the appeal of it was I’ve always been attracted to acoustic music rather than electric music. I guess that’s at the heart of it. I didn’t really like a lot of music that was coming out when I was a kid. I still don’t like a whole lot of music that’s out today. There is a lot of good stuff, but obviously there is more music that’s coming out today ‘cause it’s easier to record music.
ME- What kind of music do you not like?
P-Well I’m gonna refrain from that. I don’t wanna piss anyone off. But I like all kinds of music, if you are doing it with integrity, if you’re not doing it from a fake side. If you mean what you’re saying and there’s honesty in what you’re playing, then I think you’re doing a good job. Sometimes it’s a little harder to tell that. I started playing this kind of music when I was 14. And I got into playing old time fiddle, I picked up guitar a couple of years ago. I got tired of playing in bands. I found my own voice a wanted to go out on my own. But it’s just that it’s the heart of American music. We created rock n’ roll, we created blues, we created jazz, we created all this stuff. That’s why America is the best. Not cause we have all the money, or cause we have all this other bullshit, it’s the culture. And I’m trying to preserve it. And definatly advance it cause I don’t play a lot of songs… I write my own. I listen to a lot of old time music, I always have.

ME- what’re some of your favorites?
P- I really like clarinet music, I wish I could play the clarinet. Sidney Bechet, the greatest clarinetist of all time. He was rumored to actually kill a guy. His best friend actually.
ME- He killed his best friend?
P- Over a woman, yeah,
ME- Wow.
EDEN- That’s pretty hard core.
ME- Yeah, I’d say that’s pretty hardcore.
P- But anyway, a lot of people from St. Louis. Like Henry Townsend, obviously Chuck Berry and Ike turner are from here, I don’t particularly listen to them all the time. I like more acoustic. But like the reverend Gary Davis. I like a lot of Jug band music, which was created in Louisville. I love Ray Charles, I think he is the greatest singer of all time.
ME- Oh, really?
P- Yeah, especially his country songs. But I like a lot of 20’s and 30’s music. I really like to tell people about that cause it’s not accessible to people always. Well it’s accessible, but people don’t listen to it every day, but they would like it if they heard it.
ME- Do you think that being from Louisville has influenced your style?
P- Oh absolutely, I think it’s because of spending time on a river. A river is a magical thing. I mean granted you grow up on a lake, or you grow up on an ocean, it’s primitive at its heart, so people are influenced by the land that they live on. So being from St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, they’re all river towns. And they’re all the heart of American music.
ME- Yeah, that’s true. Have you spent a lot of time thinking about that?
P- Well, I drive around the country an awful lot, so yeah. I think a lot. I think too much.
ME- Do you have a muse?
P- Rivers and the land defiantly, the country . I really like old cities, that’s why I love St. Louis. The bricks are just amazing. I love bricks. The elements. I’d have to say my ultimate muse would be my girlfriend, we’ve been together almost 5 years now.
ME- Oh, that’s exciting, congrats…
ME- Do you name your instruments?
P- I used to, but I don’t any more.
ME- Got out of the habit?
P- I guess.
ME- Did you name them actual names or…?
P- Yeah, I used to name them actual names.
ME- Girls’ or guys’?
P- Both.
ME- Why [wear] the bow tie, verses a normal tie?
P- A bow tie is so much classier. Perhaps it’s just part of the influence of the music that I listen to. A lot of those people back then wore bow ties as opposed to neckties. It wore off on me, as other things have. I’m sitting here wearing 2 tone shoes…
ME- Do you have a guilty pleasure?
P- Oh god… I probably shouldn’t tell you that one.
ME- You definately should, now that you’ve said that.
P- No, I shouldn’t.
ME- Please…
P- No. I definitely shouldn’t.

Staff writer Christian Skoch offers his take on Tuesday night’s show at the Billiken Club.  Was it really worth it for Justin Vernon to stay in that cabin all winter…?

Bon Iver’s debut CD showed up on the new release racks in KSLU a month or so ago. It probably would have gone without notice if it weren’t for the Billiken Club show a few weeks away. I listened to the album a few times straight through and loved it. The story behind the making of the album is that Justin Vernon moved into northwestern Wisconsin and lived alone on a property for three months, writing and recording in periods as long as 12 hours. He stayed all winter, and by the spring he had a nine song album he entitled For Emma, Forever Ago. I decided I couldn’t miss the show.

The free show began with Collections of Colonies of Bees, a side project of the post-rock group Pele started by Chris Rosenau and Jon Mueller. They started the project to explore the mixing of traditional folk with modern technology. The result was a series of electric compositions that usually blended together very well, although at times they were very repetitive and it seemed like I was listening to a skipping CD or a broken record. There were two laptops and at least two keyboards on stage that I could see, with cords running all over the stage.

The stage couldn’t have looked more different when Bon Iver (pronounced bohn eeVAIR, an intentional misspelling of the French phrase meaning ‘good winter’) took the stage. Justin Vernon’s minimalist setup consisted a few effects pedals, a drummer, and a guitarist. I wasn’t sure before he took the stage if he was able to perform his characteristic soundscapes of beautiful harmonies live as well as he recorded them, but his first song dispelled any concerns I had. All three of the people onstage were singing, and their voices melded together so well that it was difficult to hear which person was singing which part most of the time.  What’s more, there wasn’t one voice out of key or one break in the complex harmonies during the whole show.

He made an unusual choice to play For Emma, Forever Ago through in its entirety, but it seemed to work out for the best. Most artists avoid doing this to avoid making the audience feel that they are just sitting at home listening to the CD. Bon Iver did vary the makeup of his songs a little, but it didn’t seem to flow with the overall feel of his album. He seemed too much like he was trying to imitate his proclaimed heroes Collections of Colonies of Bees and not staying true to the folky, mellow rock he plays so well. However, his choice to play the album straight through meant I got to hear all of my favorite songs such as Skinny Love and Re: Stacks.  Overall it was an amazing performance, though, and one I was glad I didn’t miss.

Resident bad ass, Christian Skoch, gives you fine readers his overwhelmingly amazing experience in written form of the Explosions in the Sky concert that took place at the Pageant on Saturday, March 29. ROCK!

—-

When I learned the Explosions in the Sky concert last Saturday wasn’t sold out, I assumed that it would be one of the less crowded Pageant shows I had been to. I mean, who would go to a concert to hear compositions that are more conducive to studying or sleeping than rocking out? Apparently everyone. This is why I was also surprised to find out there were no assigned seats, or scarcely any seating at all. I guess the only thing I was right about going into the Pageant was that I was in for an epic experience.

The opening act for Explosions in the Sky was Lichens, the stage name for a man named Rob Lowe. He plays as the bassist for the math rock band 90 Day Men who turned to his solo project for more collaboration opportunities and more room for expression in live performances. His performance was indeed quite remarkable. It consisted almost entirely of wordless, looping, effected vocals while his guitarist played along. The unique set began with him sitting in center stage recording and looping what would eventually become a chorus of birds using just quiet whistling through his teeth. From there it went to loud, distorted guitar and harmonic vocals overplaying each other. I say it was unique because if he played more than one song, the audience was not aware. When his performance seemed like it was transitioning to a new theme, or he paused for a few seconds, there was no applause as the audience was entranced in silence. I lost track of how long he kept us captive, but I’m sure it was more than half an hour. He could have kept us for an hour and a half and I would not have noticed the difference.

When Explosions in the Sky took the stage, there was a short introduction by the guitarist Munaf Rayani. He introduced the band and gave a shout out to a few family members, and began to play. There were no banners, no elaborate stage props and no bombastic lighting. In fact, it was one of the more empty stages I’ve ever seen at the Pageant. It consisted of simply a drummer in the back and two guitarists and a bassist in the front. The stage may not have been flashy but the music was loud. I would describe it more as thunderous rather than obnoxiously deafening. Every time the bassist hit the lower notes I could feel it in my chest. As they played I realized more and more that my studying soundtrack was really more of a series of epic masterpieces that were just as intense as any other band I had seen; and they play with an energy that make their compositions incredibly interesting.

I call them compositions because they are much more than normal songs. The driving rhythms, grand harmonies, and admittedly quieter melodies give you the feeling that you are watching an art form at its finest. In fact, a character in the crowd five or six feet from me was so moved he felt the need to conduct, with his hands, most of the performance. If I had been by myself or even if I had no one behind me trying to see I may have done the same thing. As it was, I decided not to be ridiculous. It was enough for me to motionlessly enjoy the great artistic form that Explosions in the Sky expresses so well.