Gnu Room Celebrates Return of Sunbelt Reading Series

Gnu Room Celebrates Return of Sunbelt Reading Series
for The Corner News


The Gnu Room has been Auburn's best source of rare, used, and out of print books for several years and is commemorating the first year anniversary of the change of Ownership with an expanded slate of events.

"We have always tried to provide the coffee shop atmosphere," Tina Tatum said, "And the newest additions are hopefully going to expand our audience." Gnu Room is also widely known and regarded for their coffee specialties.

Gnu Room has a few reoccuring events, such as "Science Cafe", which takes place typically on the second friday of the month, as well as the upcoming "Sunbelt Reading Series" that will bring well-known and published regional and local writers to speak with audiences in Auburn for the second year. The first saturday of each month also features the "Words Cafe Live!", a collection of spoken-word, literary, graphic, and storytelling artists from Auburn and beyond, and all are invited to participate.

Organized and facillitated by Ron Riekki of the Auburn University English Department, The Sunbelt Reading Series returns September 18 at 8:00pm, featuring Jordan Sanderson, Joanna Grant, Barabara Weidemann, and Marian Carcache. Sanderson and Grant are both Auburn University Poets, Sanderson with a recent book out titled "The Last Hedonist", published by Pudding House Press, and Grant was previously a Rhodes Scholar to Oxford University in England.

This month's Science Cafe is Friday, September 12 at 7:00pm and features Dr. Anthony Moss, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Auburn University, giving his talk entitled "Microbes, Jellies and Global Warming: What's The Connection?".

"All of our upcoming guests and events should be really exciting," Tatum added.

Cacti Saves The Day

Cacti Saves The Day
by Michael Bernard
for The Corner News
Published July, 16, 2008.


"It began with a phone call," Cacti's front man explained as my small party excitedly awaited the music's beginning, "Whoever was supposed to play tonight cancelled and as luck would have it, I know the guys who work up here and they recommended us."

Luck was on the side of the crowd, however, as we were all immediately grooving with Cacti's Medeski, Martin, and Wood influenced blend of acid jazz. The ambiance was pure coffee house, although the Ale House is much better known for it's selection of unique brews. Cacti is a five-piece band featuring, in addition to the usual guitar, bass, second guitar and percussionist a saxophonist, which is the first indication the casual observer may have that they are in store for something special.

"I'm not too familiar with this type of music," C.K. of Montgomery said in between songs, "but I really like it. All the musicians seem really talented, but the drummer is my favorite. I'm kinda partial to drummers, however..."

Even though it would seem that the most recognized formula for dance music these days would be hip-hop or techno, members of the audience were compelled into dancing to the vibe flowing forth from Cacti's versatile musical stylings almost from the first beat.

"It's really just a lot of fun to get to play in front of people who are enjoying the music as much as we are," Cacti's lead guitarist mused in between numbers, "I hope we get to do this again, with advance billing even."

I have no doubt that we can look forward to hearing Cacti again around Auburn very soon.

Off The Wagon Rocks The Capitol Sunday Night

Off The Wagon Rocks The Capitol Sunday Night
by Michael Bernard
For The Corner News
Published July 9, 2008

In the very shadow of the Alabama Capitol building, Off The Wagon hosted another in their long line of musical showcases sunday evening. Featuring Veil of Maya, A Life Once Lost, and Emmure in support each's new album, the music was hard and heavy.

Veil of Maya of Chicago, Illinois, began the night with their powerful riffs and gutteral vocals, and it was apparent to all that this was going to be a special concert. Off The Wagon was nearing capacity before the end of Veil of Maya's set, and I was among the many who felt like Veil of Maya had a chance to steal the entire show. Veil of Maya's new album, The Common Man's Collapse, is currently available via special release at Hot Topic.

"We've been around for about four years," Brandon, Veil of Maya's vocalist, said, "We were signed to Sumerian in September and have been on tour non-stop since November. It's really been a blast to be all around the country with all the other acts."

"This is our second show in Montgomery," Marc, Veil of Maya's guitarist, said, "The fans have been really supportive here and we look forward to coming back again."

Next up was A Life Once Lost of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in addition to the blistering music, additional lighting and stage effects added to their adrenaline fueled performance. The Tony Danza TapDance Extravaganza was scheduled to play next, but they were unfortunately unable to perform.

Also facing their own challenges, concert headliner Emmure suffered the loss of lead singer Frankie for the night and the stand-in, who presumably is a member of the band's technical team, did a remarkably spot-on performance of Emmure's set mix of hits and songs off of the new album, The Respect Issue.

"This is one of the better venues in Montgomery," Joey Keith of Auburn said after the performance, "It's all ages and just the right size to get you close to the band."

Waverly Brings Out The Crowds Over Weekend

Waverly Brings Out The Crowds Over Weekend
by Michael Bernard
For The Corner News
published July 2, 2008


Photo by myspace.com/mississippijohndoude
Mississippi John Doude played acoustic and slide guitar showcasing his country/blues sound in Waverly last weekend.

“I’ve always wondered about this place,” said Emma Keller of Auburn after being asked if it was her first time to Standard Deluxe. “As long as I’ve been in Auburn I have asked so many people where they got the cute shirt they were wearing and it seems like they are always telling me Standard Deluxe.”

Standard Deluxe, and its 15 years of sought after work in uniquely designed overprint T-shirts and silkscreen posters, may be Waverly, Alabama’s best kept secret.

But what brought the ever growing crowd to normally sleepy Waverly Saturday night was the most recent in Standard Deluxe’s concert performances.

Watermelon and other goodies were available immediately after entering the door, and from the opening strums of Mississippi John Doude’s guitar and beat of his bass drum, it was immediate to all that the all ages fun was just beginning.

“I am really pleasantly surprised at the turnout tonight,” Doude said just before he took the stage. “I come from a place just like this, McCool, Miss., and you really would have a hard time finding a crowd this big coming to anything out there.”

Doude showed great musical range as he switched from playing his acoustic guitar to playing slide, and the energy and outlaw-vibe only intensified.

“Now we are having fun!” Doude exclaimed as he switched from the acoustic to the electric guitar and finished his set with a flurry of deep and energetic blues songs.

Next, despite electrical difficulties that delayed and then halted mid-stream their second song, Blue Mountain of Oxford, Miss., took the stage and their stylized blend of blues and other influences picked up right where Mississippi John Doude left off. At times a listener may be reminded of such diverse bands as Mudhoney all the way to Pink Floyd in just a few bars of music, and the crowd was enchanted with the musical adventure unfolding in the Alabama night.
Auburn’s own Dirtnap took the stage for the finale performance and provided one of their best performances in memory. The sizeable crowd, of a few hundred people, never stopped flowing in as the night progressed. For the many who had made their first pilgrimage to Waverly this night, excited about the next installment.

"Generation Kill" by Evan Wright

"Generation Kill" by Evan Wright
for The Corner News
by Michael Bernard


In arguably the best first-hand account written of the Conflict in Iraq to date, Evan Wright's "Generation Kill" is set to be released as a miniseries by HBO on July 13, and the book has already become a classic in the genre of war reporting. The book was originally published as a three-part installment in Fall of 2003 by Rolling Stone Magazine, and these original articles won the a National Magazine Award for Excellence in Reporting in 2004.

Wright joins the First Reconnaissance Marines during the initial invasion Iraq in March, 2003, and witnesses their retooled role as the "spearhead of awe" in the taking of Iraq's Fertile Crescent. The Marines, despite being highly trained special forces warriors, are in effect reduced to humvee-jockeying rabbits running ahead of the main invasion force provoking ambushes by the embedded Iraqi and foreign insurgent forces. Wright follows two months of the daily lives of a small squad composed of members of Bravo Company, who, despite their varying backgrounds and interests, perfectly embody the spirit of what Wright, on page 17, describes as our generation's perfect storm of influences that have caused us to become just detached and disillusioned with the realities of our modern world enough to become Generation Kill.

During the vagaries of the "fog of combat", instances of violence and tragedy take place involving innocent civilians, and one highly-ranked commander repeatedly, in pure blood lust, tries to murder his own men and civilians during the rush of combat. Through the clear eyes of Wright we can see that the realities of war have not changed, that despite our technology, best intentions, and excesses of heroism and sacrifice, conflict of nations mainly entails the pain and suffering of people far removed from the decisions that ultimately determine their fate.

"Hello-I'm Special: How Individuality Became The New Conformity" by Hal Niedzviecki

"Hello-I'm Special: How Individuality Became The New Conformity" by Hal Niedzviecki
for The Corner News
by Michael Bernard

Taking examples from such wide ranging cultural phenomenon as backyard wrestling leagues to "American Idol", from YouTube and Myspace to smorgasbord religion and Rebellion-As-Commerce, "Hello-I'm Special: How Individuality Became The New Conformity" by Hal Niedzviecki picks up right where Tyler Durden's impassioned soliloquies in the movie "Fight Club" left off.

We were, indeed, raised to believe we could do anything and be anything we wanted, living out our dreams of fame and fortune. Reinforced by almost every angle of popular culture, our ideal of becoming a celebrity center of our own personally revolving universe is now as common a yardstick for members of the Digital Generation as bank statements and a house in The Hampton's might have been for our forbearers. While technology has increasingly sped up the cycle of creation (and destruction) of the Popular Culture Myth, the psychological and social ramifications of many of the trends we are in the midst of evolving have not been better analyzed or more clearly articulated. Niedzviecki delves into the subject matter both humorously and very thoroughly, never failing to entertain as he shines the light on the darker corners of the full-extension of our shared cultural mythos.

Niedzviecki is himself a life-long "rebel", whose middle-class and conservative parents fostered a strong individualist streak, and as he approached the age of 30, Niedzviecki found himself wondering what is left to rebel against once individualism has become the overwhelming cultural imperative. An astonishing panorama of the very near future can be seen, and the vision is likely to horrify and amuse in equal amounts. Niedzviecki is tremendously talented with a reputation as one of the wisest and funniest writers working in this often ignored but vitally important field of research. As Sun Lzu's "The Art of War" states--"Know Thyself", and this book has more to teach us about our selves than many of us are ready to accept.

Another "Hulk" of a movie for Marvel

Another ‘Hulk’ of a movie for Marvel
Michael Bernard
For The Corner News
published June 17, 2008



Photo by movies.yahoo.com

With our ears and eyes just barely recovered from the excitement of “Iron Man,” Marvel Studios kicks off the summer tradition of highly-bloated, mega-mortgaged, super-million dollar budget blockbusters with “The Incredible Hulk,” not to be mistaken for the ill-received 2003 “The Hulk,” which was a failure none of us can be blamed for forgetting entirely.

This time around Edward Norton takes on the role as Bruce Banner, tortured scientist in pursuit of the cure for the radiation that has caused him to become an overly aggressive beast when properly motivated. The comic book movies are here to stay, with a long slate of forthcoming projects from Marvel Studios (not to mention DC Comic’s own Batman returning yet again in July), and it is easy to see why our long fascination with The Hulk continues.

After the ultimately disappointing results for the 2003 film, Marvel rebooted the franchise, and despite months of speculation that “The Incredible Hulk” would disappoint, the CGI-Fest is on with The Hulk battling a new nemesis, the Abomination, with pre-requisite explosions and a muddled love story in tow.

This time Liv Tyler, the daughter of General Ross (William Hurt), plays the object of The Hulk’s affections, and by the end of the movie I was left wondering if I was watching the video game being played by someone else as The Hulk and the Abomination culminate in their predictable final fight.

Sadly for me I have never been a big fan of video games, comic books, or superhero movies, but even so the movie does delight more than expected with the formulaic mix of laughs, thrills and intrigue.

If you enjoyed “Iron Man,” “Spider Man,” “X-Men,” “The Fantastic Four,” or any of “The Punisher” movies, then you will no doubt either be perfectly pleased with this movie or have the usual comic book fanboy laundry list of complaints about how the movie doesn’t word-for-word follow the comic books.