Band Profile: RJA

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus continue recent trend of releasing music independently


     Appearing on the major music scene in 2006 with songs like “Face Down”, “False Pretense” and “Your Guardian Angel”, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (RJA) soon found their first studio album Don’t You Fake It going gold. Jumping from opening band to headliner in a matter of months of the album’s release, the pop punk, screamo band seemed to be set for a long career with Virgin Records. But the chill of reality soon caught up with these Florida natives.
     Following the success of Don’t You Fake It, which had several songs featured in movies and videogames, RJA continued with Virgin and released their second studio album Lonely Road. It managed to reach the 14th spot on Billboard’s Top 200. Despite being produced by the iconic Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Daughtry, Seether), the album failed to receive the level of attention that Don’t You Fake It was able to.
     The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was soon disillusioned by Virgin’s promotional efforts. In 2010, the band parted ways with the label. During an interview, lead singer Ronnie Winter said, “I think some fans don’t even know that we released Lonely Road.”
     It was at this juncture that The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus took the independent road, dropping further into obscurity. The group took it slow at first, simply writing new material while recording, producing and releasing tracks through their own studio.
     In early 2011, RJA released their first post-Virgin EP called Hell or High Water.
     For this album, the band created a set of three music videos, which when put together, form a mini-movie. The first, for the song “Choke”, is a rather unusual and violent video that displays the various band members killing record label executives. One line out of the chorus even says: “I hope you choke on the letters that you wrote, telling me that you will be here ’til the end.”
     Despite this expression of anger, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is revelling in their newfound freedom, through which they have complete creative control. During an interview with AMP Magazine, Winter says, “There have been zero drawbacks. It has been a big relief, if anything. We absolutely know 100% that this was the right choice.”
     Although major record labels supply safety and longevity for bands, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is not the only one to have problems with Virgin or to leave their label. Recent trends may indicate that in the information age of the Internet where artists can self-promote, a record label may be more trouble than it’s worth.
     Back in August of 2008, progressive rock group 30 Seconds to Mars was sued for $30 million by Virgin Records and EMI Music for violating their contract. In other words, they didn’t deliver their three albums by a certain deadline and Virgin claimed that they “refused” to do so. The lawsuit was eventually annulled when the band finally released a third album. The group subsequently stayed with the label.
     Radiohead, however, is another band that has taken the independent route. After leaving EMI, the band self-released their seventh album, In Rainbows, in 2007 as a digital download on their website and in 2011, also released The King of Limbs independently.
     Currently, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is touring to promote their first, full length independent album Am I the Enemy. And at this point, Winter and bandmates “want to stay completely 100% independent for as long as possible.”

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Movie Review: Immortals

Immortals with new D-BOX experience is hardly an experience
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Immortals brings the classical world back onto the silver screen with a reimagined story about the Greek hero Theseus. Embellished with battle cries and severed body parts, the movie is enjoyable entertainment but is far from spectacular.

For those who aren’t familiar with the new D-BOX system, it is the latest addition to movie theatres to help enhance the viewers’ experience and make it feel like they are actually a part of the film. And at only $21.99 for a 3D D-BOX ticket, you too can experience a moving seat that vibrates, raises, lowers and jerks in accordance to what is happening on the screen.

It’s not worth the money. Sure it’s fun for about the first 15 minutes when it feels like you’re on a ride at Disney World, but soon you forget you are even in this special moving seat.

The storyline for Immortals is a mash up of names from Greek mythology and words that sound like they could be Greek. Essentially, the mortal Theseus (Henry Cavill, The Tudors, and our latest Superman incarnate), chosen by the gods because “he does not fear pain or humiliation”, is supposed to defeat the tyrannical King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke, Sin City, The Expendables) whose army of masked soldiers is laying waste to the Hellenic world.

The plot gets no thicker than that, although it does get personal when Hyperion murders Theseus’ mother. Hyperion seeks the Epirus bow to release the Titans from Mount Tartarus in order to exact revenge on the gods for the loss of his family. He is the basic stock-type bad guy.

Director Tarsem Singh presents a very stylized and almost minimalistic version of Greece and Olympus. There are times when it’s hard to believe that the setting is supposed to be Greece. The sets for the film consist of a bizarre infusion of post-modern architecture with splashes of something that looks Greek. Some walls are adorned with fish hangings and kylix inspired murals, which simply make it look like bad interior design.

The gods on Mount Olympus (who have been scaled down to six) are also featured in this same stylized fashion. Garbed in all gold, these divinities look like they came straight out of a modeling agency.

Along Theseus’ journey, he meets up with Phaedra the virgin oracle (Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire), whose visions of the future help guide them on their quest, Stavros the thief (Stephen Dorff, World Trade Centre) and a monk (Greg Bryk) who remains nameless as he cuts out his own tongue partway through the film (yet appears unfazed).

While the movie looks promising with this diverse group of characters, that is soon dispelled with the overemphasis on graphics, special effects and zero emphasis on character development.

Sure, the landscapes look stunning and fantastical and the fight scenes are well choreographed and bloody. But would it hurt to add some depth to the cardboard characters? They’re so thinly developed that a slight breeze could blow them over.

Character interaction is mediocre at best, and this is highlighted with possibly the world’s worst sex scene between Cavill and Pinto; so much for being the virgin oracle. The entire scene is awkward, mechanical and unrealistic. There is no chemistry between these characters and actors and their relationship seems forced and unnecessary.

The upside to all of this though, is that Rourke as Hyperion makes for a very enjoyable and sadistic villain. While his motives are unoriginal and cliché, Hyperion’s lack of mercy and unique way of killing his prisoners and subordinates is quite interesting.

Immortals does not follow the typical story of Theseus, or Hyperion for that matter – who is actually a Titan, not a human king. So while there is no Minotaur, there is a man with a metal bull’s head who tries to kill Theseus; that’s close enough, right?

The hype this movie inspired did not come close to matching the actual product. Advertising was sure to market the film’s production team, which also previously worked on 300, yet Immortals possesses none of the finesse and subtlety that 300 had. The Frank Miller adaptation far outweighs it in character development, acting, storyline and even score.

As a leading man, Cavill is inspiring, but he is no Leonidas.

The film leaves the audience wanting more; more fighting, more internal conflict, more grandeur. For example: the final battle (for the mortals) takes place in a hallway the size of a walk-in closet. This makes for a very difficult viewing session.

For the Olympians though, their final battle is against hundreds of mini-Titans who look like they just arrived from the set of The Grudge. While the gods are great fighters, they have no powers other than some toy weapons and super strength, which is a big disappointment. Zeus is not Zeus without some form of thunder.

Immortals is enjoyable, yet not memorable. But hey, at least it’s not as bad as Clash of the Titans.

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The Underground

Student Talk: what's the worst gift you've been given?

     I was in middle school when my friend asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told her Christina Aguilera’s album My Kind of Christmas would suffice. Yet she ended up buying me a dust-collector: a stuffed snowman with a weight in its feet so it stood on its own. I told her that I liked it. So while it is the thought that counts, sometimes the gifts themselves just aren’t very thoughtful.

5. The joke
     While she did not receive a bizarre gift herself, Carly Carroll, a 22-year-old worker at Cineplex Odeon, was the giver of an odd present. She once gave both her sister and mother coal for the holiday season. “It wasn’t even because they were ‘bad’, I just thought it was funny,” she said.

4. The undesirable
     Aracely Reyes, a fourth-year drama and English major at UTSC, received a huge package from her aunt for Christmas one year. “It was deceptive because I thought it was a large cream kit or travel bag,” said Reyes. But it turned out to be a tray for baking cookies. “[This was] something I didn’t need. It was disappointing.”

3. The childhood nostalgia
     Nicole Rollon, a second-year English major at UTSC, was in grade 10 when her father gave her a Barbie doll. “I said thanks, but I ended up donating it,” she shared. Parents and grandparents, who still baby their children, are stuck in the past. But while nostalgia is all the rage during holiday season, remember to be age-appropriate while gifting.

2. The impulse buy
     Georgia Williams, a third-year journalism student at UTSC, once received Elmo bubble-bath from her mother. “I was 16 and I got a bunch of stuff for a six year-old,” said Williams. “All I wanted at the time was music and clothes. [My mother] said when she was shopping she thought these things were cute.” Even though the clearance section might look like a good bet when you’re running low on time, remember, you’re not buying for yourself but for someone else.

1. The disappointment
     Albert Milaim, a student at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, enjoys playing video games, yet it was the same year that the new Xbox 360 came out that he received his worst holiday present from his grandparents. “After ripping off the packaging [I found] the ugliest sweater that I have ever seen,” said Miliam. “It was dark orange, way too big for me and the material was extremely coarse and scratchy…To this day I have never worn the sweater, but I’m unwilling to throw it

out.”

     So just take an extra second this holiday season and ponder on your choices. After all, who wants a lump of coal under their tree?

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The Underground

International students find a home at UTSC

   For most students, moving to a different city would be difficult, much less a different country. But a large population of international students at UTSC regularly face challenges associated with relocating.
   Over 12 per cent of UTSC’s student body is made up of international students. Common challenges that students face are leaving behind their hometown and a familiar support network.
   The International Student Centre (ISC), a division of the Department of Student Life, aims to help with the big move. The ISC offers services for students, ranging from pre-departure checklists to welcome orientations where they meet students on campus or even at the airport.
   But for Lanre Akinwale, a third-year international student studying international development studies, the toughest experience had nothing to do with leaving his home in Nigeria or settling in at UTSC. Instead, Akinwale’s most difficult adjustment occurred when he came face-to-face with blatant racial stereotypes in Toronto.
   “I was walking down the stairs into the subway and I accidentally bumped into a woman. She literally stopped and opened her bag to check that everything was in there,” recounted Akinwale.
Emily Yu Feng, a third-year political science student, came to Canada from China in 2007 and faced a language barrier.
   “I didn’t know how to say simple math and science terms like add or divide,” she said. “I knew how to do the problems, but language prevented me from communicating [my knowledge].”
   ISC provides resources such as the English Conversation Partners program for students who encounter similar experiences. Betty Liu, program assistant at the ISC, said that the goal of these programs is to “help students build confidence.”
   In spite of his challenges, Akinwale is comforted by the knowledge that he will return to Nigeria after graduation. On the day of his departure, Akinwale’s father simply put his allowance on his bed, bid him farewell, and said “see you soon.”
   Akinwale also enjoys the freedom that Toronto offers of “walking around at 4 a.m.”
   But despite a few bumps, both Feng and Akinwale have felt more accepted since moving to Toronto.
   Before coming to Toronto, Feng also studied in Victoria, British Columbia. “Toronto is more socially accepting, people just have different attitudes,” she said. “In China, I felt that I was restricted, [here] I have space to be who I am.”
   Akinwale also gained a new experience when he attended an LGBTQ event at UTSC. “Over here you are accepted, people go out of their way to do [accept you], and it’s not like back home. I have learned to accept [many new things].”
   Erika Loney, manager at the ISC, describes the presence of international students on campus as a “spread[ing] of internationalization.” This is reflected through the ISC’s International Café events, which bring together local and international students to learn about each other’s cultures.
   Although they are leagues away from home, both Feng and Akinwale have made close friends and they attribute it to the close-knit environment at UTSC.
   “Everyone knows each other here, unlike [other campuses] where everyone is scattered. It’s a small community [at UTSC],” said Akinwale.
   Although faced with challenges, it seems as though international students have found a home away from home right here on campus.

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Movie Review: Anonymous

The pen is still mightier than the sword
Rating: 4/5 Stars

   It appears that the billion dollar movie industry of Hollywood has exhausted any possibly original ideas, leaving their creative engine chugging along at a sluggish pace. Audiences have been force fed remakes, sequels, prequels, spin-offs, based-off-true-stories and inspired-by-novels films with such frequency that they are now, well… tired.
   So with all the vampire and wizarding wonder that has played across the silver screen, producers have decided to turn historical theories into live action flicks. (What’s next? Can we also expect an odyssey about Homer?)
   Anonymous explores the hypothesis that literary figure William Shakespeare is not the author of all those legendary plays and sonnets with his name on them, but rather, nobleman Edward De Vere, the earl of Oxford, is.
   Surprisingly, Anonymous is a great film.
   Directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, 2012), this political thriller expresses the power of words and is a true manifestation of the metonymy ‘the pen is mightier than the sword.’
   The turn of the sixteenth century is the backdrop for the Elizabethan film, and the stage is set in London during the declining years of the Tudor dynasty, with dying monarch Elizabeth a pivotal character in Emmerich’s drama. But it is the actors gracing the stage who are truly astonishing.
   Rhys Ifans plays De Vere (his younger counterpart played by up-and-coming British actor Jamie Campbell Bower) and lover of Queen Elizabeth, who is played by Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson. Shakespeare himself is played by Rafe Spall, son of Timothy Spall. And antagonists William and Robert Cecil are played by David Thewlis and Edward Hogg, respectively. Each delivers a realistic and very raw performance.
   The film is composed of two intertwining plots – the first being that Shakespeare was an illiterate actor who couldn’t write. Yet, he was launched into superstardom through a series of fortunate occurrences that allowed him to take credit for De Vere’s plays. As imagined, this incites jealousy, violence and drunkenness.
   The second plot line revolves around the matter of succession for the English throne – for Elizabeth has no husband, and more importantly, no heir. Famously never married, The Virgin Queen defies her advisors until her last breath.
   The movie opens in the 21st century with actor Derek Jacobi performing the prologue before subsequently being thrown more than four centuries back in time. The story itself is illustrated through a series of well-placed flashbacks and flash-forwards, which illuminate the lives of the older and younger characters. These flashing scenes set a rapid pace for the film, which thus feels shorter than its two hours and ten minutes.
   Anonymous is a movie grounded in politics; with that said, there is a certain amount of name-remembering that needs to happen, and a lot of it is thrown at you all at once. While the film would be enjoyable for just about anyone, those who have knowledge of Elizabethan Britain will be more able to keep up.
   Emmerich portrays a very seedy and greedy Shakespeare, yet the plays are immortalized through this character and reign supreme. One thing is clear; the pen is still mightier than the sword.

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CD Review: Evanescence

Rating: 4.5/5
  
 After an approximate three-year hiatus, hard-rock act Evanescence has returned with their third studio album Evanescence. The self-entitled record proves that the group, despite their consistently juggling band members, still has the musical talent and popularity to be on top, reaching the number one position on the Billboard 200 Chart in its first week.
   Fans who are looking for another run of Fallen won’t find it here. While the band still brings forth what they are known for, front woman Amy Lee has altered their sound, image and style, solidifying who and what Evanescence is. And this is evident within every facet of the album.
   The record encompasses a more mature sound where some tunes cross over into the realm of symphonic, like ‘Lost in Paradise,’ in which the host of violins gives the song a mournful quality.
The record opens with the band’s first single, ‘What You Want,’ which has a fast tempo, a driving drum beat and is rhythmically catchy. This cross genre song showcases just how much the band has evolved since The Open Door in 2006.
   Despite being the band’s heaviest record as of yet, Evanescence still carries songs, like ‘Swimming Home,’ that add a reprieve from the raunchy guitar riffs.
   The highlight of this album, however, comes in the form of Lee’s unconventional vocal patterns, which, when layered over piano and guitar, mixes to create a haunting, yet edgy sound. It’s clear Lee has pushed herself vocally with this record; her zigzagging melodies are simply brilliant.
   While ‘Erase This’ displays a masterful blending of hard-rock and classical piano, ‘Made of Stone’ is notable for its double-track harmonies and for being the most reminiscent of an older Evanescence.
   Evanescence is a beautifully crafted hard-rock album and is a great refresher for fans. It delivers a clear, crisp and concise sound that is (almost) tangible. Musically, this album reasserts who Evanescence is.

For a concert review on Evanesence's performance on October 25 at the Sound Academy, visit: http://theutscmessenger.com/?p=4204

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The Great Debate

   I've been called brave for becoming a journalist because of the current job situation.

   But is it really?

   With technology constantly evolving and changing the world around us, the newspaper industry isn't the only thing declining. Take a look at CD sales or book publishing companies. Many places are singing the same song.

   So, am I brave for entering a declining field?

   No. We all are brave for entering an eternally shifting job sphere. There will never come a time when people don't need stories, music or the news, so in reality I will never be out of a job. Rather, as the job sphere changes, so will I.

   Changing and adapting to what is new in order to become what the world needs is going to get me a job after my journalism program at U of T.

   So, am I brave?

   No... just adventurous.