On November 10, I went to see Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
perform at the 9:30 Club in D.C. Oberst (formerly the lead singer of
Bright Eyes) and his fellow band members gave the crowd an hour and
forty-five minutes of quality music and intelligent conversation as they
jumped around on stage and snuck in a few comments on the recent
political events.
Before singing Corina Corina, a Bob Dylan cover, Oberst dedicated the
song to “our adopted homeland, Mexico” and voiced his strong feelings
against building a wall along the U.S./Mexico border. To introduce the
song “I Don’t Want to Die (In the Hospital)” he commented, “Maybe if
they give us health care then we can afford to die in a hospital.” His
comments were met with mostly positive cheers from the seemingly
pro-Obama crowd.
The relatively small 9:30 Club was packed with Oberst fans young and
old, all cheering in response to Oberst’s songs and statements. It was
interesting to see people of so many different races and ages reacting
similarly to Oberst’s political views. I left the concert appreciating
that Oberst didn’t find it necessary to censor himself to please others –
he spoke his mind like he should in our democratic country with freedom
of speech. He spoke to his fans like equals rather than speaking down
to them or ignoring what the true pressing issues of today are.
If you’re interested in checking out Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley
band in action, NPR.org has the entire concert available to listen to.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97559029#stars
Also here’s a video from the concert with Oberst performing two of the
songs from his album, NYC and Souled Out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpr3pJFpL3o&feature=related
Just So There's No Confusion...
Culture. Now there’s a loaded word.
We’ve seen the Wire and the Corner, we’ve read the headlines, seen the statistics – Baltimore is a city with a crime problem. Poverty and AIDs are rampant, property theft and homicide threaten peace and Baltimore is developing a reputation Mr. Clean wouldn’t dare touch. So the stereotypes are right – eh, in a way. They’re accurate, but not entirely representative of the city. The rough patches are undeniable, at times overwhelming, but they’re not everything.
This is where Petri Dish comes in. As students of Loyola College, we have a unique perspective: that’s our advantage. We are a conglomeration of ideas, forged in our respective contexts and homogenized in Baltimore. So we’re bringing you Petri Dish as a vehicle for this perspective, a vehicle to showcase the hidden particles of culture hiding in the seams of Baltimore. Let’s explore. The national perceptions of Baltimore are written in permanent ink, but the pen is our tool as well. Let’s flip this city over and examine it belly-first.
Frustrated with the objectivity of the mass media, we’re out to impose well-formed, opinionated dialogue on culture. Our goal is to unapologetically summarize and critique cultural aspects of Charm City and beyond, opening up a forum of discussion. Petri Dish will be a site that promotes interaction and reaction. Don’t like our viewpoint? Bark back!
We can dish it out, but can you take it?
Monday, December 8, 2008
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