The Berklee Groove

Hit South Korean Talent Show Visits Berklee to Discover Next K-Pop Star on 5/28

Contributing Writer — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:12:35 +0000

Submitted by Nick Balkin

Superstar K, South Korea’s most popular television talent show, is visiting PSY’s alma matter, Berklee College of Music, hoping to discover the next K-pop star. The Berklee auditions will be held on May 28 at 2 pm at 25 Fordham Road, Allston. Auditions are open to anyone, not just Berklee students, and there is no age limit. Applicants are encouraged to fill out the form at Superstar K’s website (English, Korean). Additional auditions will be held in New York and Los Angeles on May 25 and Vancouver on May 28. Last year, over 2 million people applied for the show.

Berklee students have competed in past seasons of Superstar K. Jung Sun Kook advanced to the top 10 in the first season in 2009, and Kim Jung Hwan was a participant in last year’s fourth season. Next season’s first episode will air on August 9, 2013. Contestants compete for $500,000 in cash and prizes, and an opportunity to sing at the Mnet Asian Music Awards. Superstar K is broadcast on CJ E&M’s music channel Mnet. In addition to Psy, famous South Korean Berklee alumni include Bom Park, lead vocalist of the chart-topping girl group 2NE1, rapper/producer ChoPD, and Korean Music Award-winning singers Yangpa and Eru, to name just a few.

Since 2010, South Korean musicians have represented the largest group of international students at Berklee. Some 250 are currently enrolled, and over the past three decades nearly 600 alumni have attended. Alumni returning home have had a major impact on the Korean music scene as singers, instrumentalists, songwriters, composers, producers, and educators. Last month, Korean Berklee film scoring major Soo Yeon Shin won Best Music Composition at the Emmy’s 34th College Television Awards for her score to the animated film, George and Rosemary.

Red Bull Music Academy Brings 34 Shows and 230+ Artists to New York City

Contributing Writer — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:31:30 +0000

Submitted by Will Kiendl

From now until May 31, the world-renowned Red Bull Music Academy will present an unprecedented series of 34 unique shows celebrating music across genres and generations. More than 230 artists are set to perform during the five-week New York City festival, including musical luminaries such as Brian Eno, James Murphy, DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown aka Erykah Badu, Pantha du Prince & The Bell Laboratory, A-Trak, Giorgio Moroder, Skream, Kim Gordon, and Four Tet – as well as 62 hand-picked Academy students hailing from 35 countries.

The 34 shows happening in some of the most iconic venues around town include special live concerts and curated club nights, as well as installations, film screenings and public conversations with some of today’s most inspiring music makers. On May 25, the Red Bull Music Academy will team up with the era-defining DFA Records for an epic celebration of the label’s 12th anniversary. From making indie kids dance again to taking Madison Square Garden by storm, DFA is a New York institution if there ever was one. DFA founder James Murphy will headline an epic nine-hour, multi-room show at the Grand Prospect Hall in Brooklyn, with over 15 live acts and DJs spanning the entire history of DFA, including some first-ever U.S. performances. The party will be accompanied by the documentary 12 Years of DFA: Too Old to be New, Too New to be Classic, a mashed-up, frenzied portrait of the iconic label and the creative minds and recording artists behind it. The 12-minute film will be available for streaming on www.redbullmusicacademy.com alongside hundreds of other documentaries, in-depth interviews, and archived lecture videos.

Click here for the full lineup and tickets.

App Review: Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro 5

Caleb Hsu — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:31:07 +0000

Ariel Ramos, Berklee graduate and Software Writer for mDecks Music, is the mind behind the creative development of the Mapping Tonal Harmony app and workbook series. Just browsing through mDeck Music’s webpage, you’ll find an impressive list of products and their compatible devices. The mDecks series boasts a wide range of products including: technique workbooks, jazz piano voicings books, rhythmic training apps, and practice tutorials. In this review, we’ll be focusing on just one of the products listed above. Even though we cover a broad overview of what the app is generally capable of, we barely scratch the surface of the unexposed iceberg of functionality this app provides.

The website states that, “The main objective of these books is to provide students, teachers, composers and songwriters with a tool that will aid them in hearing, analyzing, foreseeing, and composing harmonic progressions without struggle, in all keys alike.” We found, however, that this app far surpasses those aforementioned general descriptions. The Mapping Tonal Harmony (Pro 5 version) app is essentially all about developing your ear to guide your creative inspiration and understanding of chords. It visually displays otherwise complex and confusing relationships between chords in a digestible manner, granted you do breach the initial learning curve. Once you figure out the layout and can easily maneuver the layered menu systems, this app is actually a breeze to use. Upon initial impressions, this app admittedly seems daunting and more effort than it’s worth; however, I implore anyone who has an eagerness for grasping new material to give it a chance to expand their mind.

What we like about the app is that it can dually function as a supplement to harmonic ear training, allowing you to develop a familiarity to hearing the relationships between chords and their harmonic functions within certain contexts. It features so many programmable algorithms that enable you to learn voicing variations, quickly transpose keys, adapt voice leading, and even load preset progressions with their analysis and cadences already included.

The coolest feature of this versatile app is its ability to decode and analyze relationships between chord progressions real-time in actual songs. You can load a song and watch the app seamlessly give accurate visual representations of root motions, cadences, modulations, and so much more. If that sounds interesting to you, we definitely recommend checking out mdecks.com/mapharmony.html, where you’ll be sure to find dozens of YouTube tutorial videos and practice examples for using the app effectively.

Whether you’re seeking additional auxiliary material for studying, or you’re looking for a stronger handle on chord progressions for writing music, Mapping Tonal Harmony will certainly assist you in those pursuits. Best of all, if you’re really seeking that perfectionist’s A⁺ or you’re just extremely proactive in learning a new skill, there is an optional collection of tonal harmony workbooks available for purchase here. This app wins our strongest recommendation for an app so far.

Favorite Music Apps, #2

James Blake Captivated All Ages at House of Blues (Live Show Review)

Caleb Hsu — Sun, 12 May 2013 22:05:28 +0000

Photo and review by Caleb Hsu

Last week, English electronic musician James Blake performed at Boston’s House of Blues to honor the recent release of his latest album, Overgrown. Though House of Blues usually attracts a decently varied demographic, this particular night produced a diverse hodgepodge of every ethnicity, age bracket, and gender. The night started off with a questionable DJ performing in the shadows of the stage, lost in the furrows of haphazard live automation. It was unclear whether this was an opening act, or some sort of complacent and trite live performance to stall stage setup. Nevertheless, the inevitable appearance of James Blake served as solace for the eager crowd, which rapidly grew with each passing minute. When the lights finally dimmed, the audience roared with an explosion of unanimous applauses to welcome the man of hour. From this point on, it honestly became quite the struggle for me to hunt for words to adequately describe the musical phenomenon onstage before me. Performances rarely leave me speechless, but from the first delicately sung note, I felt complete adoration for the remainder of this entire show.

Thanks to the combined genius of current technology with the unmatched ingenuity of James Blake, the audience was introduced to the sound a choir of angels would make. James combined various live and prerecorded takes of himself into masterful harmonies and sweetly layered melodies. With such expansive music that allowed space to enhance clarity, there was a sudden shift in temperament of those not on the stage. A silent reverie blanketed the crowd of previously frantic fans, like a seasoned mother calming her distressed baby. The fiery excitement quickly transformed into a mutual peaceful understanding that James Blake is not your typical hyped cliché of a star. Rather, he performs with conviction and unwavering focus, making it impossible not to develop an appreciation for the artistry behind his compositions.

As for the music, though James didn’t really use anything unconventional or totally brand new, the way he utilized technological advancements for live automation were profoundly unique. The level of creativity James can achieve with a few keyboards, microphones, switch pedals, and a pragmatic entourage of fellow band members, only Van Gogh could match with a sheet of paper and a box of Crayola. You don’t have to invent something entirely new to create something unique, you just have to reinvent a new way of using something that already exists. James Blake exemplified this adaptive process by using the same tools available to any musician out there to translate the musical vision he has in a completely fresh way to any audience. Instead of using technology to control or direct his artistic vision, James uses it as an extended representation of himself.

The night was unquestionably sensual, intensely passionate, and unforgettable. James Blake is a man who combines elements from countless genres to create a style of music that appeals to any musical preference. Whether you’re someone who appreciates genuine heartfelt music, emotive and passionate love songs, upbeat dance anthems, wicked dirty beats, or just simply beautiful arrangements, James has something for you. There was just one question I had in mind as the concert was drawing to a close – what planet is he from?

–

Check out all of our photos from the night here!
For music, videos, press & social media links, check out James Blake Music.

Film Review: Pain & Gain

Contributing Writer — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:00:20 +0000

By Zev Burrows

A Michael Bay film without explosions is still a Michael Bay film. Wait, I misspoke. A Michael Bay film with only one explosion is still a Michael Bay film. That explosion comes in the middle of Pain & Gain, where a car is blown to high heaven in a public parking garage.

Don’t however, let that one fact mislead you. Bay is still one of the most infamous and hated directors of recent years, if not, of all time. And to say that his new film Pain & Gain is his best film to date is still not saying a whole lot. The film does suffer from the usual misfortunes and problems that plague the director’s work, but unlike his previous effort, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, there seems to be something at work here: it is more tolerable than any of the Transformers films. And the only reason I went to see this movie is because it went to number one at the box office, and I take it upon myself to stay up on the latest hits.

The film is based on a true story. In late 1994 to mid 1995, body builder and personal trainer Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) and his two body building buddies, Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and Paul Doyle (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), carried out a serious of crimes that involved kidnapping one of Lugo’s clients (Tony Shalhoub), weaseling away his entire fortune, doing a fair amount of cocaine, and killing two innocent people. We all know more or less exactly where this film is going to end up: the police, along with the aid of private detective Ed DuBois (Ed Harris), catch the three criminals.

Look, I said that the film is Bay’s best yet. That doesn’t mean it’s a good film or one that I’d recommend. The director has often been criticized by many people (not least among them Mike Stoklasa, aka Mr. Plinkett of RedLetterMedia) as showing nothing but contempt for audiences. The amount of that has been reduced from his previous films thankfully, but it probably was not Bay’s intention. The film still looks somewhat ugly, but thanks to a change in cinematographers from Transformers: Dark of the Moon, it is not downright hideous.

What surprised me about Pain & Gain was the fact that the performances given by the three main actors aren’t bad. Wahlberg, Mackie, and Johnson get by just fine with an otherwise lacking screenplay, and they help bring life to the film. The standout obviously, is Wahlberg, who is quite good at playing shallow muscle boy jerks that screw up big time.

The film falters where Michael Bay films usually do. I have already mentioned the cinematography, but that’s probably the least of my issues. Like most of the director’s work, the film is downright misogynist. One of the trademarks in Bay’s films is having an absurdly large amount of models acting like sluts on camera, and to add insult to injury, not one of these female characters (with perhaps the smallest exception of DuBois’ wife, who gets maybe three lines and five minutes of screen time) is in any way intelligent.

My biggest problem with the film however, lies in its execution. There are many instances where we sympathize with jerks that practice violence (Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull is an excellent example of this, where a tormented and jealous boxer flies into rage in the ring). But Bay leads it in exactly the wrong direction. There isn’t any torment or motivation for these criminals other than just money. A few years ago, the Coen brothers directed a film involving a heist and jerks after the same reward. That movie was Burn After Reading, which is a modern-day masterpiece, and a film that I encourage everyone to see. But that film made fun of its characters in every way it could, becoming one of the top comedies of the past decade. Unlike Pain & Gain, it is a great satire.

In Pain & Gain, we aren’t supposed to like any of the guys that are committing these heinous crimes, but Bay wants us to do so. I’m sure he doesn’t mean to do this, but through this film, he promotes not only that women are just objects, but that it’s cool to commit atrocities, just so long as you keep those perfect biceps.

Somewhere underneath all of the hate and misery, there is a good film here, one that could have easily tried to sympathize more with the Shalhoub character when he is thrust into a world of freakish pain. I’m sure with the right director, there would be a fun satire made out of tragic events. But I can’t beneath the fact that Bay just doesn’t seem to get past his childish mannerisms. His overt obsessions with over-the-top masculinity and misogyny get in the way of a film that needn’t be as bad as it is. Yes, I know it’s based on real life events. But couldn’t there have been the slightest attempt to make an audience not feel quite so unclean?

Rating: 4/10

Alum Profile: Jonathan Screnci (General Manager, Blue Man Group)

Lisa Occhino — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:00:42 +0000

By Lisa Occhino

If you’ve read any of our past alumni profiles, you know that many of them tend to feature successful performers. But when The Groove was invited to attend the Blue Man Group College Media Night, we were shocked to find out just how many Blue Men – both musicians and employees – were Berklee alumni. We were fortunate enough to score an interview with Jonathan Screnci, Blue Man Group’s general manager (and former drummer/band captain), in between his insanely busy schedule. Below, Jonathan tells us about the journey that led him to where he is today, what it takes to be hired in the entertainment industry, and gives us an inside look at what his day-to-day as a manager of a bunch of blue people is like (which, as it turns out, is anything but routine).

Berklee Groove: How did your time at Berklee impact the direction your career path took?
Jonathan Screnci: I did my undergraduate work at a state university in their music business program and enjoyed it, but at that point in my career, I really wanted to expand my capabilities as a performer – specifically jazz…. Berklee to me, at that point in time, was the obvious place I needed to be. I attended for a couple of semesters and really enjoyed my time there. I ended up leaving prematurely before completing my program, drawn away by an opportunity to pursue life as a recording/touring musician in a rock band. Sometimes you evaluate the opportunities presented to you and make the best decisions you can at the time. I am glad that I pursued an opportunity and simultaneously regretful of not being able to spend more time becoming a jazz musician. Life’s all about choices.

BG: How did you get involved with the Blue Man Group?
JS: I was playing drums with a band at a local club and one of the members of the Blue Man Group band was in the audience. After the show, he came up to me and mentioned that Blue Man Group was holding auditions the next day and that I should come down and give it a go…. I think it was part random opportunity, part reputation and part people/musical associations that got me to the audition. Having not seen the show, I went into the audition cold because it was such short notice. Some pretty challenging and unorthodox drum parts were presented to me, which I gamely tried to replicate. That evening, I saw the show and was completely blown away by the entire experience – particularly, the drumming…. At that point, I realized I had to be a part of it! I played drums in the show for several years, was band captain for a while, moved into the role of Company Manager, and then General Manager. I became very interested in understanding the operations and found the people and the whole company and culture really fascinating and fun. My background in music and business was a good match for the challenge…. After 800 or so shows performing as a drummer… I feel it was a real asset [to carry] forward that experience and perspective as a performer into a wider role.

“I am inspired every day by the passion, creativity, discipline, and commitment of my colleagues.”

BG: What is a typical workday like for you as General Manager?
JS: The best thing about my typical workday is the sheer variety. There is, of course, the primary responsibility of ensuring that each show goes up as scheduled and that the performance and the overall quality of the experience for the audience is the absolute best it can be. But as the GM, I oversee and collaborate with an amazing team of artists, technicians, business people, and customer service representatives. This team does an incredible amount of work ensuring that each performance is a blissful experience – artistically, experientially, and financially. This includes rehearsals, maintenance work , finance and accounting , sales and marketing initiatives, community relations, and PR. My job is to be a facilitator in each of these areas and ensure that individuals and teams have the appropriate amount of support to achieve their objectives and help ensure that their efforts are aligned with the strategic goals of the organization. This could involve participating in a 2 PM meeting with the local direction team to discuss the creative for an outside appearance, followed by a 3 PM marketing team meeting to develop our annual plan, followed by a 4 PM production meeting with our stage managers and crew supervisors to review tech notes and project planning. Variety is the spice of my day, but that variety is also grounded in the daily rhythm of putting up a show successfully each evening. [It’s] the constant, underlying ostinato, as it were!

Berklee Groove Editor-in-Chief, Lisa Occhino (left) and Promotional Director, Alyssa McCord (right) at Blue Man Group College Media Night.

BG: What do you find to be the most rewarding about your job?
JS: The people. I am inspired every day by the passion, creativity, discipline, and commitment of my colleagues. It’s very rewarding being involved in helping shape an environment; sometimes leading, sometimes gently guiding (and sometimes getting out of the way, honestly!), that encourages passionate engagement, allows creativity and inspiration to flourish, enables great ideas, and implements them successfully. Watching that output and energy connect with an audience who is moved by the experience is the final payoff – and knowing that we have done it well enough after 500 shows to do it all again next year!

BG: Any fun facts you can tell us about the Blue Man Group that people would not expect?
JS: As successful as the show is, there remains a powerful artistic impulse to create and evolve and connect with audiences in fresh ways. Blue Men actually speak in real life and have hair (most of them anyway). And the band members, although they appear as such, are not really shaman like apparitions that hover over the stage. Lastly, a willingness, if not an insatiable passion to dance is required to get the into the band.

BG: The Blue Man Group has obviously proved to be extremely successful. What do you think it is about the show that keeps people coming back for more?
JS: That’s a great question. Amidst the eclecticism of the show’s elements and throughout its many iterations, there is a through line that’s grounded in the Blue Man character, and that’s connectivity – realized through play, curiosity, discovery, and humor, which are some of the great joys of being human! The show, for kids, is an embracing of these qualities that are very prescient for them, and for some adults, maybe a reawakening or reminder, and always an invitation to engage those sensibilities with the performers and fellow audience members. The fact that this very human exchange or connectivity takes place makes each show experienced feel unique, fresh, and special in its own way.

“If you have an unshakeable desire to be involved in music or the arts, pursue it with passion and purpose.”

BG: The live music is such an integral aspect of the performance, and the band is always incredible. What does it take to earn a spot in the band?
JS: I think what distinguishes musicians who excel in this show is an openness to embrace the Blue Man Group musical approach, coupled with prowess as true ensemble players. The instruments are unorthodox, the way they are played is unorthodox; it’s a highly stylized, idiosyncratic music. The music is not written down, but there are specific parts. You’ll need to learn it through demonstration and listening. Improvisation is part of it, but developing a vocabulary of appropriate choices, or more a mindset or musical vernacular that enables you to make choices that fit within the style, is necessary. These improvisational choices will often be precipitated by the action that is taking place on stage and in the audience, which can vary performance to performance. You will be required to play instruments… in unique ways. You’ll need to sometimes suspend your sense of what role your instrument plays in the musical hierarchy, and embrace moments of stretching beyond what you might normally be called on to play. Technical ability is important to a certain degree, but more important is overall musicianship and a passion for embracing all of the above and owning it!

BG: Any advice for our readers who are looking to break into the music/entertainment industry?
JS: I am not sure if this is entertainment-specific, but building a career in the arts is challenging. There are often no obvious ladders to climb or linear ways to pursue your aim. I am not big on giving advice, but happy to share some inspiration and a personal insight or two. There’s a great quote from Joseph Campbell: “Follow your bliss.” If you have an unshakeable desire to be involved in music or the arts, and that’s what you love doing, pursue it with passion and purpose. The path you start down might not always be the one you end up on or intended, but that’s all part of the journey. The more keenly in touch you are with what motivates you and makes your work NOT feel like work, but something essential or part of your life’s purpose, (and that may change and evolve over the course of your career), you will be fortified with the ability to evaluate each opportunity and choice through that lens, and be more likely to place yourself in situations where you are best positioned to succeed and find rewarding.

BG: Where can people find out more about the Blue Man Group?
JS: Come see the show at the Charles Playhouse – no better way than experiencing it. You can also visit blueman.com.

The Berklee Groove

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Alum Profile: Jonathan Screnci (General Manager, Blue Man Group)

“I am inspired every day by the passion, creativity, discipline, and commitment of my colleagues.”

“If you have an unshakeable desire to be involved in music or the arts, pursue it with passion and purpose.”

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