Student bands fill Blackbox with eclectic mix of music
By Alex Stanley ’12
THE ROUNDUP
The Blackbox Theater was abuzz all night Nov. 22 at the Fine Arts Extravaganza, with school bands and four student acts filling the small theater for more than four hours of music.
The first student organized groups came on at around 8:15 p.m.
The first, Danceforth, featured a collective of numerous Brophy students, as well as one from Xavier. Danceforth was composed of Danny Barsetti-Nerland ’12, Annie Dolan ’12 (XCP), Ian Dominguez ’12, Greg Goulder ’13, Sunil Kataria ’12, Michael McNamara ’12, Connor MItchell ’12, Matt Munhall ’12, Manuel Siguenza ’12 and Joe Skoog ’13.
Nick Giancola ’12 went out first, performing under the moniker “Nicky Ginaj” and sporting a uniquely popped collar and stylish shades. He performed his own rendition of a number of songs by Nicki Minaj and rapped in front of the largest crowd of the night;the entire theater almost filled to capacity.
“I thought my performance went very well. I’m very grateful for all the people that showed up,” Giancola said after his performance. “I hope everybody had a great time dancing and singing along.”
Danceforth took to the stage after Nicky Ginaj, starting with a cover of “North American Scum” by LCD Soundsystem.
Their other covers of “Good Life” by Kanye West and “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson were the most memorable played.
Sunil Kataria played a flawless T-Pain, complete with hat, chain, sunglasses and a better voice than T-Pain himself for “Good Life.”
“Since U Been Gone” was also well played, with Matt Munhall’s vocals bringing it all together as a notable finale.
The next band that played was Moonhouse, featuring Jordan Bohannon ’12, Michael Cullan ’12, Luke Taylor, Carly Barton and Parker Jones ’12.
They played all-original music tinged with a notably indie sound.
A bit like Vampire Weekend, the group played a few songs with names like “Yellow Lights” over a 25-minute period.
They announced at the end of the show that their performance on the night would be the last ever for the band.
The third act was Treefingers, a group made up of Quinn McGovern ’12, Grant Parsons ’12, Mitch Hosier ’11, Michael Lucero ’13 and Austin Tucker ’11.
With two Brophy graduates, this band definitely possessed musical experience.
They skillfully played several original creations as well as a new song entitled “Forest Fire.”
Quinn McGovern’s vocals were well suited to the genre, and his keyboard playing brought a unique edge to the otherwise hard rock sound.
The last show of the night was the hard rock medley by the name of The End of the Line. Kevin Cabano ’12, Robbie Sirven ’12, Zach Cox ’13 and Brad Keller ’12 played covers of old classics and a few originals.
Their heavy, distinct sound was impressive, in addition to the prowess each member seemed to have on their instrument.
Acoustic sets, stand-up comedy occupy Romley basement
By Julian De Ocampo ’13
THE ROUNDUP
Acoustic guitars filled the air of the Brophy Art Gallery beneath Romley Hall throughout the night, with appearances from a number of smaller acts in the cozy basement of the building.
The school converted the room, a former Jesuit dining room, into an art gallery last year and into a tiny, intimate performance venue for the event.
The night began with Connor Mitchell ’12 performing acoustics songs under the moniker Geoff.
The room then took a drastic shift as it turned quickly into a makeshift stand-up comedy club featuring students Chase Stevens ’12 and Miles Kent ’13.
Stevens, now entering his second year of his comedy career, has previously performed at various comedy clubs throughout the valley.
In contrast, Kent performed his material for one of the first times of his life, having comparably little stand-up experience.
Despite being a novice, Kent had the crowd laughing hysterically at his jokes.
“We’ll see if I get a JUG for some of the jokes at the end. It’s kind of on the decision of Mrs. Clarke and Mr. Mulloy,” Kent said.
This is the first year that comedy has been included in the Fine Arts Extravaganza lineup, but Kent said that he sees comedy as something here to stay.
“Comedy is an art. It’s a way of looking at the world in a happy way,” Kent said. “Comedians are the ones who crack jokes at bad times to make everybody laugh, and it’s kind of a way of making the world a better place without actually helping anyone – I think it’s good though.”
Afterwards, the trio of Jake Flick ’13, Keaton Leander ’13 and Jeff Bennett ’13 took the stage under the name Bottle the Message.
They played a number of acoustic songs, including covers of songs by bands like Young the Giant.
Jam Brewer, a duo of Jordan Bohannon ’12 and Michael Cullan ’12, took the stage next, playing covers by indie bands including Girls and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.
One member of the audience leaned over to his friend to ask, “Why does it sound like this?”
His friend just leaned over and whispered, “It’s indie, man. Just go with it.”
As Jam Brewer packed up, much of the crowd migrated to the Black Box Theater to watch Danceforth, leaving the hall quiet, save for a number of appearances throughout the rest of the night from a number of students, including Thomas Rainer ’15 and Jacob Browning ’13, who each took the stage one by one with guitars in tote.
At the night’s end, Tiny Ships (Matt Thurston ’12, Nathan Walker ’12, Yuta Shimmi ’12, JP Malham ’12), were the last bands to perform.
Almost comparable to a Deerhunter, the band played original music well-suited to the night’s indie-tinged sound.
Tiny Ships finished up the performances in Romley, a quiet space where few students are normally admitted, before the room was once again closed to the public.
Musician’s Exchange hosts bands in the Octagon
By Julian De Ocampo ’13
THE ROUNDUP
Bands that are a part of the Musician’s Exchange club were given prime space for playing on a huge stage erected in front of the steps of Brophy Hall Nov. 22 at the event.
The area, often referred to as the Octagon, made sure that bands playing were heard by nearly everyone entering the Fine Arts Extravaganza.
Special Means, a metal band consisting of juniors Ryan Dolinar ’13 and Justin Jones ’13, were the first to take the stage, their frantic riffing and manic drumming greeting the first arrivals to the Extravaganza.
After Special Means finished, the Musician’s Exchange hosted a “jam band” consisting of various members who happened to be on hand at the time.
The band mainly improvised during the time slot, showing off their musical prowess for the crowds milling around outside the Student Activity Center.
After an hour-long intermission given in courtesy of choir and orchestra performances in the Chapel, the stage was once again filled with musicians as Jypsy Curse (Brendan Bohannon ’14, Joe Weiss ’14, Van Cummerford ’14) took the stage.
They, like many other bands on the Octagon, played songs by alternative rock staples like Green Day.
“The crowd loved it; they were going nuts,” Brendan Bohannon, brother of Moonhouse/Jam Brewer member Jordan Bohannon ’12, said after leaving the stage.
As people exited the Blackbox after seeing the spectacle of Nicky Ginaj and Danceforth, Jypsy Curse’s crowd grew larger and larger.
Next, You Wouldn’t Believe (Alex Gross ’13, Anchal Jain ’13, Greg Goulder ’13, Pratap Jayaram ’13) took the stage and kept the Green Day trend going with a cover of “Basket Case.”
The band, longtime staples at Brophy’s Friday Night Lights events, played through a usual setlist of covers of bands including Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes and Maroon 5.
Members of Danceforth, having finished their set, came to watch and dance enthusiastically for the band midway through the set.
Lastly, Once Upon a Time (Keaton Leander ’13, Mark Miller ’13, Andrew Long ’10) finished the night with a sugary blend of pop-rock.
The band played well into the night as the crowds dispersed, but they still managed to draw a sizable amount of students and parents.
As Once Upon a Time closed out their set, the Musician’s Exchange sprang back into action and disassembled the stage, once again returning the Octagon to normal.
BLAM brings literature to FAE
By Roan Enright ’13
THE ROUNDUP
Ivan Iotzov ’12 swiftly maneuvers through the rows of chairs to the podium Nov. 22 in the faculty lounge.
He tightly grips the podium, lifts his head, peers over the crowd and then confidently reads to his audience at the annual literary competition that BLAM, the Brophy Literary Arts Magazine, hosts every year.
Twenty-five Brophy students of all classes gathered to share and compete against each other in the faculty lounge during the 2011 Fine Arts extravaganza.
These 25 students were divided into four different categories: poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction and the featured Noir-themed category that BLAM added this year.
BLAM took on an open-arms policy this year, taking in all pieces as long as they fit the published requirements.
Jack Flynn ’13, the publication’s managing editor, said the readings were a success.
“We had a lot of great readers and a lot of great pieces which were very diverse as well,” Flynn said.
The pieces ranged from short poems like Nick Kush’s ’13 “Beauty” to fiction like “An End to Silence” by Austin Tymins ’13, which features a character who struggles with murderous thoughts and actions.
“It’s really about the writers, and BLAM really wants to showcase their work,” Flynn said
Flynn said it is important to not only showcase their work in BLAM’s spring publication, but also to give the writers a chance to share and preview their work before the publication.
The authors choose different styles to share to the audience at the readings like Iotzov’s untitled poem.
“To be completely honest I picked the most depressing piece I had because I thought it would be more interesting than picking something happy because figured a lot of people were doing that,” Iotzov said.
Along with the different styles the authors approached they also had to choose how they were going to present it to the audience.
“You also get the addition of tone and affection in their voice, and when you hear the writer inhabit the voices within the dialog in a story you get to understand his intentions with the word choice,” said Mr. John Damaso ’97, one of BLAM’s advisers.
The BLAM readings was one of the many showcasing’s that the Fine Arts Extravaganza had to offer.
Even though BLAM was limited to only the readings at this event, the magazine will become integrated again by placing some of the visual art on display in their spring publication.
“It really helps complement everything else that is here. We have other artists that will be later featured in BLAM, but it really helps widen the spectrum,” Flynn said
The individual winners for the Noir division were Jackson Santy ’13 in first and Brad Keller ’12 as the runner up. In creative non-fiction, Aakash Jain ’14 took first and Jack Hutt ’14 took second. Austin Tymins took first and Colton Chase ’12 took second in the fiction category. Lastly, there was a first place tie between Jimmy Crnkovich ’14 and Jeremiah Johnson ’14 in the poetry category.
Looking forward from what Mr. Damaso called a “rare experience at Brophy,” the BLAM staff is optimistic about the development of new literary readings that Brophy students can be a part of and can attend in the future.
Visual side of FAE shines through the night
By Josh Galvin ’13
THE ROUNDUP
The Student Activity Center sharply contrasted against the hustle and bustle outside of its doors.
The television crackled as an artificial fireplace glowed warmly on its screen.
At its “hearth,” the Mothers’ Guild set up concessions while students lounged on chairs and sofas.
However, the main attraction was the hundreds of photographs displayed prominently on four large boards: the product of students in photography classes and other photo enthusiasts on campus.
Among the numerous parents admiring the work were several Brophy teachers; Mr. Andrew Bradley strolled around with his wife and baby, and Mr. Chris Calderon, S.J. was also spotted throughout the night.
Transitioning from Keating to Eller, attendees were greeted by the calming sound of a steel drum rendition of “Under the Sea,” played by Nick Wren ’12.
Inside the first floor of Eller, art students presented their original drawings, paintings and sculptures.
Wooden busts with wild hairstyles juxtaposed the solemn Jesuit crosses lying at their bases.
Much like the SAC, the two-dimensional works were posted on large display boards.
Down the hall, the jolting sound of a car crash drew wandering parents into the video production studio.
Backdrops, lights and other cinematic tools littered the back of the room, but the emphasis was placed on a large projector screen airing various student productions.
The content varied from drunk driving PSAs to stop-motion animation short films.
Yet regardless of what was playing, a small group of Loyola Academy boys stayed entertained for the greater part of an hour.
2011 Fine Arts Extravaganza: The Art Work from The Brophy Roundup on Vimeo.
