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Artvoice Weekly Edition » Issue v6n20 (05/17/2007) » Section: See You There


Lifesavas

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that hip hop isn’t only about today’s modern culture, with all its hyping of bling and bullets. The Portland, Oregon-based rap group Lifesavas brings us back in time with the use of funky horns, soulful beats and those unmistakable seventies grooves. Formed nearly 20 years ago, Lifesavas is a power duo based on the skill and friendship of two emcees (JUMBO “the Garbageman” and VURSATYL) whose styles couldn’t be more different or more complementary—just listen to their 2003 debut Spirit in Stone and you’ll hear how it works. Seriously crafted, thematic lyrics are the highlight of their just released sophomore album, 2007’s Gutterfly (Quaanum), which was inspired by 1970s blaxploitation films. Lifesavas delivers an incredibly well executed record that features signature beats and lyrics with a tag-team flow. It also features a third member, DJ SHINES in the role of “Jimmy Slimwater.” Playing a fictional “ghetto superhero” on Gutterfly, SHINES stars opposite JUMBO’s “Sleepy Floyd” and VURS’ “Bumpy Johnson” in a kind of hip hop allegory. The guest list for this album includes Camp Lo, Dead Prez and the incomparable George Clinton, adding to the campiness and mystique but ultimately helping to create a nostalgic and meaningful album. Also performing are Strange Fruit Project and DJ Marc Sense.



Dr. Niel Levine

Harvard professor of Art and Architecture Dr. Neil Levine, a lecturer in the series “The Image of Water in the Work of Frank Lloyd Wright,” emphasizes the immensity of Wright’s accomplishments—which in his opinion are being undermined by the current developments underway for the Wright-designed Buffalo Filling Station. Wright’s final plans for the Station were never finished, and therefore it is up to whoever is leading the job production (Wright scholar and one-time apprentice Anthony Putnam) to finalize the design in a way that Wright would approve of. The Station is to be built as a part of the Pierce-Arrow Transportation Museum, only a few blocks away from the originally intended site at Michigan and Cherry St. Considering Levin’s take on maintaining the integrity of Wright’s work, his collaboration with the Graycliff Conservancy, Inc. (which specializes in such) and his belief that the designs should come wholly from Wright and also be built by him, the project currently in the works will be an interesting topic for him to address. Dr. Levine is a definitive Frank Lloyd Wright expert, author of the seminal volume The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright (Princeton University Press), which focuses not only on the work of Wright as an architect and a writer but also on his fascinating and tragic life.



The Great Plant & Bulb Sale & Rare Plant Auction

Be as contrary as you’d like as you plan how your gardens will grow this spring, thanks to the enormous selection of plants and bulbs for sale at the great sale event and auction held at Buffalo’s Botanical Gardens this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. They’ve got hanging baskets, annuals, conifers, English ivy, lilac trees, shrubs, Japanese maples...the list goes on and on. Not only do you have the option of choosing from hundreds of different flowers and trees, you also have the opportunity to turn your home an exotic escape if you attend the rare plant and tree auction on Saturday evening at 5:30pm. Choose from several different types of soil to sew your new seeds with, as well as landscaping bargains put together by the Gardens’ experts, who’ve grouped plants with similar ecological qualities together, so when they’re planted you know they’ll thrive in the same environment. Tickets for the auction are $20 in advance or $25 at the door and include dinner and drinks, a silent auction and a live rare plant auction, with all proceeds from this event going to benefit the Botanical Gardens



The Faint

In 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska, a band called Norman Bailer was started by Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos), Joel Peterson, and Clark and Todd Baechle. With the departure of Oberst soon after, the band reconformed as the Faint, adding Jacob Thiele on keyboards in a move that would eventually define them as a rock/synth/pop band echoing the sounds of the 80s. The Faint’s second release, Blank Wave Arcade (Saddle Creek), cemented the band’s reputation within the Omaha area as it moved toward a dance/techno sound. The follow up, Danse Macabre, included the talents of death metal guitarist Dapose (formerly of the band LEAD) and finalized the band’s lineup. Danse Macabre was a national success, as was its follow up, 2005’s Wet From Birth, echoing the sounds of retro bands the Cure, Soft Cell and Heaven 17. Groups like Cursive, Desaparecidos and the Faint — along with the acoust-icky poster band for the scene, Bright Eyes—have cemented Omaha’s reputation as the Athens, GA or Seattle, WA of a new era. The Faint is rumored to be at work on producing a new album, which may include a move from Saddle Creek. Also along is NYC duo Services, in a first time national tour, and Transmission Dance Party’s DJ Bill Page opens the show.





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