Concert Review: The Venetia Fair @ The Marlborough American Legion Hall

The Venetia Fair is a Massachusetts based experimental rock quintet that was recently signed to red blue records and is known for their energetic presence and chaotic song structure.



10/10
The Marlborough American Legion hall is considerably small and the sound quality is truly dependent on the technician working the night of the show, however I lucked out in the sense that the show wasn't too packed and the sound tech was excellent. The real headliner of the show was a local band now facing relative success called Fate Kills The Hero, however the band directly proceeding them (The Venetia Fair) quickly established themselves as the most impressive act of the night.

I can safely say after attending a number of shows, professional or otherwise, that TVF's performance topped them all. From the moment they began their set their energy could only be described as insane, every member leaping from equipment or running into the crowd or onto each other, all the while playing their songs at the same quality as their recordings.
My favorite moments included the guitarist holding his guitar up with only his teeth, and the keyboardist dancing on top of his instrument during the last song. On top of the set being phenomenal I had the chance to sit and talk with members of the band who all turned out to be exceedingly humble and complete gentlemen. The band is in the process of filming a music video for their single "The Ringleader" (From which the above picture is taken) which will be up on their myspace October 30th.

The Venetia Fair's musical skill is only rivaled by their energy and commitment to being entertainers above all else, despite the tiny venue and 10$ price TVF has set an incredibly high bar for any future shows I might see.

For streaming MP3's, Concert Dates and more check out The Venetia Fair's Myspace at
www.myspace.com/thevenetiafair

T Shirts Prompt Legality Issues

Following the murder of UConn Football Cornerback, Jasper Howard, someone decided to use Gamedaytease.com to create memorial T shirts to commemorate his loss. However, Connecticut's attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, exclaims that the shirts are illegally using his name, image, and the UConn logo. No one registered with the Public Charities Unit beforehand or had permission to use Howard's picture along with the UConn logo. It is a copyright law says Blumenthal. Hwoever, Gamedaytease.com explains that it was a complete misunderstanding. Their idea was to contribute to the tragedy in any way possible. Their intention was to give all proceeds to the Jasper Howard fund, not slander his image on thousands of T shirts. The Jasper Howard fund is one of only two that the athletic department created in order to help Howard's family, funeral costs and his yet to be born child. "Gameday Tease LLC has not complied with these charitable solicitation requirements," the attorney general wrote. He argues that they violated the law that requires commercial co-ventures to register with the PCU. Blumenthal believes that the website ignored the charitable organization fact and went against laws that stated it had to be done. As another form of remembrance, UConn coach Randy Edsall says that his team will be sporting Howard's initials on their helmets for the remainder of the season and bring his jersey and helmet to the rest of the games.



http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/24/connecticut.football.player.death/index.html

Lake Compounce Haunted Graveyard Review

Around Halloween time, thrill seekers may have trouble finding a scare. I know I spent years looking for a place to release my adrenaline, and you may have too. Well look no more.. Lake Compounce's Haunted Graveyard is sure to scare every bit of that adrenaline out of you.

I went to this place not expecting much, maybe a show or two, maybe some cheesy effects, but no, I was obviously mistaken. My humble assistant (sister) decided to go to the park for her birthday, and check out the graveyard. Maybe for a scare or two. It was 30 dollars for a ride pass, and a pass for the Haunted Graveyard. This turned out a pretty good deal.

We waited in line for about an hour or hour and a half. We could tell this attraction was popular by the massive number of people lining up. After waiting, we were kind-of scared. I could hear faint screams in the distance, as people dressed in monster costumes creeped by us, and even scared my sister a little bit. As we entered, a masked ghoul greeted us and we walked into a dark chamber. Around every corner seemed to be an actor jumping out at you. It was extremely scary. After the first chamber we exited to the graveyard part of the amusement. This was also frightening, people stood behind graves and jumped out. I was amazed to see the people in front of us screaming in terror, especially because these people were a group of men in their mid-30's... I could already see "tough guys" trembling as we walked . We went through a series of other things, including a haunted house, jungle, and medieval chamber, but nothing could compare to what we went through next. It was set up to be kind-of a backwoods camp. People dressed in gas masks and pig faces walked around with chainsaws. The hillbilly's growled in your ear and followed you. Even I let out a few gasps of terror. Everything looked so real, the blood, the meat hanging from the ceilings, everything. I think it was the scariest because the creators did such a good job planning. You could tell a lot of effort went into this amusement, and that's what sets it apart from others.

Lake Compounce did great things with this. I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick scare. This will scare you. The Haunted Graveyard lasts about an hour to walk through and it is well worth the price. Enjoy your scares.

Mark Logan inducted into the CHSCA Hall of Fame

Mark Logan, athletic director at RHAM High School, has been inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association(CHSCA) Hall of Fame.

"I look at it more as a recognition of the programs that we've had, you know cross country and track & field over the years," explained Mr. Logan who has been coaching sports teams at RHAM since 1981. "When I first started I did boys and girls outdoor track and boys and girls cross country... And then I started the indoor track program... I did that for a while. I was also an assistant coach for basketball for a short period of time." Mr. Logan mentioned that he mainly coached cross country, indoor & outdoor track programs. "The only one I still do is girl's cross country."

Mr. Logan described his appreciation for the award, "When you look at the individuals who are members of the Connecticut High School Coaches Hall of Fame, I mean it's a who's who of coaching legends in the state... And, to be in the same kind of recognition category as those guys... Really flattering and humbling... They put the plaque inside Rentschler field so when you go to watch a UConn home football game or an event there, the plaques will be there. And it's kind of nice because you know it's something that my kids and you know my family can see and my friends and relatives, it's kind of nice... I'd just like to thank the administration, the students, the atheletes, and all of the people who have been my assistant coaches over the years because again this is, this is really recognition of a collective effort." He finished with, "It's never a single person effort."

There will be an induction ceremony on November 9th, 2009 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington starting at 7pm. There will be a dinner as well as the inductees giving short acceptances speeches. Tickets are availible at the CHSCA office at P.O. Box 632, Southington 06487, by calling 860-628-4122 or by e-mailing John Fontana at jfontana01@snet.net.

Windows 7 Hits Shelves Worldwide

On Thursday, October 22, Windows 7, the newest operating system from Microsoft, began to be sold worldwide. The completely refined software was carefully created to address problems created by Windows Vista as well as to add completely new features. While some say that Microsoft develops their software in secret and suddenly releases it globally, Windows 7 has taken a whole new approach. Since its earliest plans of creation, the company has been speaking with PC creators such as Acer to get suggestions of changes to make.

The discussions have resulted in a critically acclaimed addition to Microsoft's line of software. New features include upgraded iPhone and NetBook support as well as "XP Mode", which is described by CNN as "an option that allows Windows 7 users to run a free, virtualized copy of Windows XP to run older applications that aren't compatible with newer operating systems. In some cases, one incompatible program was keeping businesses from even considering a move off Windows XP".

Overall, the new operating system has been given a thumbs up by critics and customers, but it is still too young to see if it will make the desired impact on the world of PCs. As CNET reviews said, "Windows 7 is more than what Vista should have been, it's where Microsoft needed to go. How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now."

(information courtesy of CNN.com and CNET reviews)

"The Fantasticks" Play Review

"The Fantasticks" originally opened at the Sullivan Street Theatre in 1960 and ran up until 2002. At the Long Wharf Theatre, in New Haven, the play has been revived for the audiences enjoyment.

There are eight main characters. The play begins with two of the characters coming on stage in silence. They are the Macigian, El Gallo, and the Mute. El Gallo, while he is a character serves as the narrator. He tells a story of two young people in love, Matt and Luisa. Matt's and Luisa's fathers both secretly hate one another and put up a wall between the houses. The wall is designed to pull the attraction of something you can't have higher so that their children will marry. The fathers devise a plot to have young Luisa 'raided' or 'abducted.' The plan is to have Matt come to her rescue.

The play was well directed, well-lit, and well choreographed. What was lacking was the chemistry between the characters. For such a small cast, consisting of only eight people, there must be connection outside of the theatre to recreate the realistic feel needed. Two of the characters, Luisa and Matt, are in love. It is very apparent that they were acting during one of their scenes where they kiss. This relationship is the focus of the play, and I felt that they were the least capable.

The musical voices, on the other hand, were excellent. All the characters belted out their songs with great passion. Although I did not think that all the voices blended well, they were all very talented.

rating= 4.5/5 stars
for more local plays go to http://www.longwharf.org/

Students From RHAM Expand Self-Created Football Games

Years ago, a small group of friends began playing games of tackle football in their backyards. Recently, the group has expanded and moved to new territory as the group's weekly pick-up football games, in their third year, are catching more popularity. Anthony Blake, a sophomore at RHAM and the creator of the games said, "I get exercise and get to play with my friends. We all like football but we want to play in a casual, non-competitive way." Anthony and around ten other participants play at 1:00 on Sundays at Colchester field, and they are looking to expand with new members. "We used to play in backyards, but we expanded to an actual field and get more players," said Blake. He has been talking to friends and classmates about coming down to the field and playing with them. "Once I heard about the pick-up games, I was really interested in going," said Brandon Henley, a sophomore participating in the games this weekend for the first time, "...pick up games are always a good time".