Catherine Stahl 
Arts and Entertainment Editor
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Reivax Records Showcases Xavier Talent
By Catherine Stahl
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Photo courtesy of Katelyn Bordini
Daren LaCour was one of three artists who played guitar and sang at Friday night’s concert.
Reivax Records, Xavier’s newly formed record label, had a show of artists associated with the label last Friday night.
Although the record label, founded by Xavier junior Steve Boller, does not currently have the capability to record students’ music, that is their future goal. For now, they are working diligently to get students’ music heard.
“The label serves to improve the music and artistic community on and around Xavier’s campus and offer student performers opportunities to share their music,” said Boller. “[It] is supported by a promotional team of Xavier students interested in real-world experience with event planning, marketing and the music industry.”
The concert last Friday at Taza (located at 2900 Jefferson Ave.) was the second of a continuing series of concerts featuring local musicians and Xavier students.
The show featured sophomore Mike Pekel, junior Steve Boller and senior Darren LaCour, as well as the local band A Wayward Heart.
There was a lack of parking near Taza resulting from the UC football game on Friday that seemed to affect attendance at the concert, though Boller still described the turnout as “excellent.”
I got a chance to talk with all of the Xavier artists that played that night. Here is a look at the music they make.
Mike Pekel
Pekel opened the show and like Boller and LaCour played acoustic guitar and sang. Unlike the other two acts, however, Pekel played without accompaniement.
Pekel said of his music, “It is entirely the result of me [messing] around in my free time. I have never taken lessons and never seriously pursued any recording endeavors.
“Mostly I play for myself as a sort of private meditation; that’s the zone I enter into on stage as well.”
Pekel likes coming up with his own covers of songs by his favorite artists, especially Iron & Wine, Elliott Smith and the National.
“Sometimes I write songs. Generally I try to write sincere and creative music; usually it sounds pretty folksy. I think I am pretty good at writing kind of clever chord progressions and melodies, but I don’t fancy myself a poet, really. Nor do I ever really feel like anyone who hears my music gives the slightest bit of a damn,” Pekel said.
Pekel also plays bass in a local punk/noise-pop band called Weakness with friends from Indiana University, University of Cincinnati and Wright State University. The band has a small following in the local punk scene.
Steve Boller
Boller followed Pekel playing guitar and singing. He was joined by his drummer Walter Piper III, who played a mix of drum kit and djembe.
Boller described his music as “a mix of pop, folk and rock” and as “similar in style to artists such as Jason Mraz, Guster and Dispatch.”
Boller played mostly original music Friday night, including all five of the songs on his new EP, “Feel Just Fine.’”
He handed out download cards to those in attendance, which allowed them to download a copy of his EP for free. Boller plans to do the same at his next show.
Daren LaCour
LaCour was the final Xavier performer to play Friday night. He primarily played guitar and also sang, which he said he does “in order to make things more interesting for the audience.”
LaCour also ran a drum machine, which he programed to match up with his songs for a fuller sound that complimented his music.
“My MySpace page (www.myspace.com/darrenlacour) has my genres listed as ‘Acoustic/Alternative/Rock,’ which I feel are as adequate of labels as I can get.
“I don’t have a pop-sound, but a darker, minor tonality set of music that is mostly down tempo, but with some faster, funky stuff mixed in with that,” LaCour said.
LaCour recorded a 5-track EP of some original songs in his basement this summer and he hopes to expand it to a full length album when he gets better equipment.
“Those 5-track demos are going for only $2 each, and I’ve sold upwards of 30 since I started selling it. I’ve definitely approached the music industry from a do-it-yourself angle, which, though it’s really tough, is also really rewarding.
“I also have 3 songs on the verge of completion, and I hope to flesh those out in time for one of my next shows.”
Reivax Records’ next show will be Saturday December 12th at Rohs St. Café. It will feature Boller, LaCour and Xavier junior Katie Gray.
Editor’s Note: Daren LaCour is a writer for the Newswire.
‘Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)’
By Des Dale
Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor
Newswire photo by Jessica Thimons
Juniors Alex Craven and Sarah Wieten sword fight at a dress rehearsal.
The award-winning play, “Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)” is set to hit the Gallagher Student Center Theater stage this weekend.
The show is unabashedly silly. Director Cathy Springfield seems to have embraced and amplified the comedic, light-heartedness of Ann-Marie MacDonald’s play.
The play follows the hijinks of Constance Ledbelly, an English academic who sports a hokey red winter cap and a dull lifestyle, on an amazing journey to find her calling. Constance soon finds a mysterious document, which she believes encases the true endings of Shakespeare’s “Othello” and “Romeo and Juliet.”
Soon, through the powers of a magical wastebasket, Constance is teleported into an alternate realm where she finds herself alongside Desdemona and Juliet with the ability to determine how the plot will thicken; however, as Constance soon finds out, with great power comes great naughty ability.
Xavier’s take on “Goodnight Desdemona” boasts in a whimsical set, covered in bizarre parchment with a bawdy stained glass window displayed in the center, a desk masquerading as a tomb, an oddly placed wastebasket and a couple of marble-like fixtures.
The stage offers an intimate setting that will effectively bring the audience into the action, which is one of the play’s major themes. The fight scenes are dynamic, full of grunts, exciting choreography and tumbling action.
“Goodnight Desdemona” could be a big hit among those that have some experience with the literature it covers.
And luckily, most people are familiar with the plot of “Romeo and Juliet” and possibly “Othello,” given the plays’ wide-reaching influence on many recent theatrical hits. Although, members of the audience may not understand the entire context of Shakespeare’s plays, they will most likely be able to enjoy the plot twists that make the show what it is.
“Goodnight Desdemona” will be shown in the Gallagher Student Center Studio Theater this Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 19-22 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 day of the show.
When in Rome...
By Des Dale
Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor
Newswire photo by Jessica Thimons
Senior Maggie Prosser, who went on the Rome trip, checked out artwork made by her classmates.
The Xavier Rome experience exhibit opened its doors on Thursday, Nov. 12 in Art Gallery A in the Cohen Center.
Xavier students who studied in Rome this past summer brought back their own artistic reflections of what can be called the mecca of art.
The Rome summer study abroad has been introducing students to one of the pinnacles of artistic creation for 15 years.
Art department chair Suzanne Chouteau currently leads the program, which she has been teaching since 2004.
Chouteau’s love for Rome and its massive collection of art is exhibited in the way she praises the city’s potential for education.
“Rome is a historic center of great art, culture and learning,” Chouteau said. “It provides a rich environment to study from a variety of disciplines.”
While in Rome, students are encouraged to experience the atmosphere that has inspired many revered artists such as writers, scientists and theologians.
Chouteau’s Art in Rome class requires students to transfer what they observe of the city into artistic expressions.
They spend nearly six hours each day in the city looking at art, learning its history and incorporating what they feel into the writing or drawing process.
Chouteau said that by seeing the fruits of the diligent work ethic demonstated by many of history’s most celebrated artists, such as Michelangelo’s David in Florence, students might be influenced to do everything to the best of their abilities.
The Rome Experience exhibit is a culmination of all of the students’ hard work and dedication.
Chouteau, along with Gallery Director Kitty Uetz and Rome program coordinator Dr. E. Paul Colella pushed to find some way to allow the student’s work to be showcased to the general public.
Although formerly consisting of work created mostly by art majors, the works in the art exhibit have grown to include pieces done by many non-art majors as well, showing how rich the Rome experience can be for students of all disciplines.
This year’s exhibit marks the fifth anniversary of a young, prospering tradition in the Xavier art community.
The Rome experience exhibit will be on display up until Friday, Dec. 18. Art gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Puppets?
By Rachel Gabbard
Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Cathy Springfield
Look Out Galileo was the first of three productions of the Hats Off series.
The Gallagher Student Center Theater has been invaded by a crazy mob of life-sized…puppets?
You read it correctly. Xavier Players and the performing arts staff have teamed up with Cincinnati’s Madcap Puppet Theatre to bring the “Hats Off” series, comprised of three puppet productions, to Xavier University.
Madcap kicked off the series last weekend, selling out several shows, with “Look Out, Galileo!”—a wild journey into the struggles of Galileo and a tribute to the 400th anniversary of the invention of the telescope. Audience members were transported back to the 17th century to join the astronomer in his struggle to prove that the earth really does revolve around the sun.
“Look Out, Galileo” is the first of three productions of the “Hats Off” series, which will also include later performances of “Toby and the Ice Goblin” and “Annie Oakley’s Wild West Show.” Even though the series is targeted at children, Madcap has ensured that the shows will be fun for all ages.
Three productions are not the only things that Madcap Theatre has to offer students, however. Xavier’s performing arts staff, led by Director for Performing Arts Cathy Springfield, has built a residency with the theater to create workshops, paid internships and professional connections for students involved in theater on campus.
Madcap is strongly committed to integrating education into performances and has now expanded the mission to include Xavier students, who will receive the unique opportunity to hone their skills in children’s theater and puppetry. Because many students involved in theater later pursue careers in education, Springfield explained, the opportunity to acquire these skills is extremely valuable.
“If you are interested in working with children, puppetry is a rich resource you should know about,” Springfield said. “There are interesting psychological underpinnings for why puppets are so successful with children.”
While the first production of the “Hats Off” series was acted solely by Madcap performers, the opportunity remains for students to audition for roles in the upcoming shows.