Arts: Page 403

The Art of Restorative Justice

Eugene conference illustrates how the arts can teach and heal

Arts

More than 130 years after Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote The Brothers Karamazov, UO professor and UNESCO chair Steven Shankman explored the meaning of the Russian novelist’s text within the walls of Salem’s Oregon State Penitentiary. Shankman describes it as “one of the extraordinary moments in class,” or the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, in which Shankman brought students from the UO to discuss literature and ethics with Salem inmates. One passage in particular left a lasting impression on the students: Continue reading →

Robin Williams at the Hult Center

Comedy

If the reach of your Robin Williams fandom extends no farther than Mrs. Doubtfire, then sorry to say it, but shame on you. While the old-school comic-turned-actor has made a lucrative career out of his (often family-friendly) portrayals on the silver screen, it should never be forgotten that his stand-up shows are iconic. Dancing from voice to absurd voice, bit to feverish bit, alcoholic yearning to reformed learning, Williams’ stand-up is near unmatched. Continue reading →

Chasing Terror

Film

Within a minute of Zero Dark Thirty, I was in tears. Director Kathryn Bigelow doesn’t pull punches, and the film’s dark-screen open is no exception: It leaves the images to your imagination as the audio gives you scared, horrified, frantic voices. I assume these are re-creations of audio from 9/11. If they’re not, I don’t want to know.  Continue reading →

Sweet Americana

Music

When Carolann Solebello — one of the original members of the Americana trio Red Molly — stepped down in 2010, it was decision time for the other two women. Should they recruit a new member? Continue on as a duo? Call it quits? After some deliberation they decided to bring in a new “Molly,” and as fate would have it, her name is actually Molly. Continue reading →

Blast Beats Fallujah

Music

Fallujah seems to be a band of contradictions. Ask a handful of metal fans about them, and you’ll get no consensus on what type of band Fallujah is. Either you think their genre-blending works, or it muddies disparate sounds that don’t work well together. Continue reading →

Warm Electric Winter

Music

Canadian songwriter Rachael Cardiello’s 2011 EP, One for the Wind, is a quiet little affair, featuring the classically trained violist’s expressive voice against sparse string arrangements, waltz time signatures, old world acoustic songwriting and classic cabaret atmosphere — like the song “Mandolin; Broken String,” complete with a charming Kurt Weill-inflected piano melody. Continue reading →

The Many Sounds of Casey Neill

Music

Go to a Casey Neill show and you never know what you might hear. One minute, he’s playing a Celtic-influenced folk song called “Paddy’s Lament;” next, an REM-esque country tune “Brooklyn Bridge;” and then, The Pogues-style punk rocker “Dancing on the Ruins of Multinational Corporations.” Some things remain constant: the influence of traditional music of the British Isles, and a fascination with where classic rock, The Clash and Bruce Springsteen intersect. Continue reading →

Certified Organic Folk Love

Music

The stockings are no longer hung by the chimney with care, Saint Nick has come and gone once again and January has fully set upon us. After hauling the tree to the curb and mentally recapping the last few exhausting weeks, a dose of folk music might be exactly what the doctor ordered. If the doctor was a merrymaking nomad, that is.  Continue reading →