February 2009

At today’s pep rally, Thursday February 26 2009, the chant heard over and over again was “Pack the DAC”.  Free tickets were handed out, Mario bobble heads were abundant, and so was the free food.  Students cheered in the main hall for their team.

But, you see the woman’s basketball team needs your help.  Currently they are tied for 1st place and hope to gain the top spot tonight against the VCU Rams.  They need every member of the campus to come down and cheer them on as they try and take the 1st place spot for the first time in school history.

Don’t let Calvin be the only one there!

Photos and post by Aaron Walizer, Triangle Photographer

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A look at the photographers behind The Triangle lens.  A few of us (3 Editors and a photographer) took a walk Thursday night after production on the Friday edition was finished.  Here are a few shots of us in action.

If you would like to join us, E-mail photos@thetriangle.org

*DISCLAIMER:  Dave is holding a tripod, NOT a gun.*

Aaron’s Shots:

Dave’s Shots:

Mike’s Shots:

Olive’s Shots:

SO…. Triangle Photos by: Aaron Walizer, Dave Hernandez, Mike Arrison, Olivia “Olive” Garrity

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The following is an interview done with Benjamin Curtis (ex-Secret Machines) from School of Seven Bells.  Along with identical twins Alejandra and Claudia Deheza the band are due to play a Trocadero gig on Wednesday February 18th, opening for Fujiya & Miyagi.  The band has gained momentum over a short period of time, touring with M83,  Blonde Redhead and Prefuse 73 over the last couple years.  Their full length, Alpinisms is out now on Ghostly International.

ME: What are your non-musical influences?

Ben: Probably our lives.  Just… I mean our points of view, really.  It’s a boring answer but I guess that’s all I can say.

ME: What do you like about making music?

Ben: You know, I don’t even know anymore, that’s all I’ve been doing for so long.  I guess sometimes it can be the pleasure in the result, but that’s not really it, because I have fun doing it while I’m doing it.  I don’t know, it’s just what I do.  It’s all I’ve done (chuckles) for a really long time.  I find it hard to put any perspective on it.

ME:  Well, you’re still a very young band.  Is the whole process just too raw right now?

Ben: Yeah, for sure.

ME: Who produced your record, and where was it recorded?

Ben:  We did it all ourselves, at our own studio in Brooklyn.

ME: What inspires your music, feeling or thought?

Ben: More feeling than thought.  We don’t really speak when we’re writing, we don’t really discuss it much.  We’re much more impulsive than we are analytical.  On the micro level we each have our own unique perspectives, but on the macro level we all come from the same place musically.  It is a collaborative process.

ME: How would you describe your own creative process?

Ben: It’s really kind ofa scatter shot.  I lay down a bunch of ideas, and kind of go without any intention in mind.  Ideas pick of speed of their own merit.  Bad ideas just kind of die off on their own.

ME: what record or artist changed your life?

Ben: A big moment for me was at a Fugazi show, I grew up like most kids on punk rock.  This band called Bedhead were opening and they were this super quiet slow, slow band; beautiful music.  It was such a jarring experience for me.  There was something intrinsically rebellious about them (playing a Fugazi show), just beautiful and calm.  That was an important musical moment for me.

ME: How would you describe your music, to someone who has never heard of your band?

Ben: I guess would just say that we do our best… and are unashamed to be beautiful and textural.  Rhythm is very important to us too.

ME: Any Philadelphia bands you’re particularly fond of?

Ben: Umm… that’s a good question.  I can’t recall any offhand.

ME: I could throw some out for you: Man Man, Dr Dog…

Ben: I haven’t listened to them much, but I really like the band Icy Demons, but they’re probably more a Chicago band.

ME: Favorite book/author?

Ben: favorite book is the Charles Mingus: Triumph of the Underdog.  My favorite author is Jorge Luis Borges.

ME: Favorite Film?

Ben: The director I find most skillful is probably Sergio Leone.  Movies just my favorite movies are dumb ones, I’m not like an archivist, I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge about movies.  I try to watch as much as I can.

ME: Favorite recent record?

Ben: Yeah, Fever Ray, the singer from The Knife, her solo record.  Been playing the shit out of that.

ME: What would you be doing if you weren’t a musician?

Ben: I don’t know, it’d definitely be somehow–it’s a good question.  Never really considered the option.

ME: Would you be doing something in the creative arts?

Ben: I think so, I’m not really great at administrative stuff.

ME: Yeah, that’s soul crushing work.

Ben: (laughs) I meant, I probably wouldn’t be very good at it, period.

ME: Any offbeat story from a past tours?

Ben: Yeah.. well that’s a tough one.  Every night is a weird adventure.  We recently played NYE in Tokyo.  We played at this banging techno dance club, we didn’t know anyone there and were unsure if the crowd had ever heard of us even though we’d been invited to come.

ME: In Shibuya or Roppongi?

Ben: Shibuya, at a club called Unit.  We got there quarter to 12 went downstairs took a cab over to the club, and in the dressing room we could hear the crowd losing their minds to this techno music, and then the countdown happened and everyone blows right through it.  We didn’t know anything about how we were going to go on in the middle of this, y’know how they were going to shut down the music and have us start.  It was crazy, we went up there at 12:30 and the crowd went nuts.  We didn’t even see the crowd, when we get up on stage.  The place is like sold out, and they’re singing everywhere.  We felt so lucky, we thought it was going to be a disaster.  Turned out to be the best show we’ve ever played.

School of Seven Bells are playing w/Fujiya & Miyagi @ The Trocadero on February 18th.  Doors at 7pm, show at 7:30pm.

-Karan (Sunjay) Rampall

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Popular gossip site Juicycampus.com announced Feb.4, that they will be shutting down the site Feb. 5.

Since its start, JuicyCampus now includes over 500 campuses nation wide, with more than a million visitors to the site each month. JuicyCampus is shutting down due to financial issues—they can no longer afford to run the site due to lack of financial funding and venture capital, according to a release from JuicyCampus.

JuicyCampus has definitely raised issues that have forced opinions on both sides about the web site, but wants to be remembered for a fun gossip site.

“While there are parts of JuicyCampus that none of us will miss – the mean-spirited posts and personal attacks – it has also been a place for the fun, lighthearted gossip of college life. I hope that is how it is remembered,” Matt Ivester, founder and CEO of JuicyCampus, wrote in an e-mail.

Post by Alexandria Phillips.

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We got fun and games.
We’ve got everything you want….

As long as it’s The Triangle.

Welcome to the “Tales from the Gator” blog. Here we will chronicle the wondrous adventures of Obie & Jeff, the Triangle distribution team. Every Friday morning (ok, sometimes afternoon) we brave the unfathomable traffic of Drexel University and West Philadelphia to bring you the news. Not to discriminate — sports, op-ed and entertainment are probably in there too…unless it’s really windy.

The paper is so hot off the presses, it’s on fire!  No, not really, but it would seem that way from the picture.  What you’re actually seeing is a combination of diesel exhaust and steam. Meet the Gator, that magnificent six-wheeled, green vehicle that maneuvers its way to campus hot spots to bring you Drexel’s best and worst. If you have class on Fridays, there’s a good chance you may have already seen the Gator, crossing streets as a pedestrian, driving the wrong way down Market Street (hey, the sidewalk was closed for construction), and slowly tailing students as they ignore the fact that there is a vehicle behind them.  What you may not have seen, though, is the hard work and dedication that is put into every delivery. Through rain, sleet, snow, and Septa, it is our mission to get The Triangle to you in any way possible.

So if you see us on a Friday, riding along, come say ‘Hi’. Come grab a paper. We aim to please.  But most importantly, when we’re moving along at our 15 mph top speed, GET OUT OF OUR WAY!

Just kidding, Drexel, you know we love you…

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Triangle Photos by Dave Hernandez

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