2008 Woodie Awards
The cure for the summertime blues? The arts!
By: Amy Shaunette, Arts Editor
Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: The Arts
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What can I say? I'm an arts editor for The Mac Weekly so obviously I spent the summer recording three albums, selling my paintings and directing plays. I also started my own fashion line and made a replica of a Frank Lloyd Wright building. But whenever I had free time, I tried to catch a few shows, check out new music and go to movies, and that's what this is supposed to be about, right?
In reality, I spent the summer working and watching "Jeopardy." But away from the time clock and past 7:30, when "Jeopardy" ends and "Wheel of Fortune" comes on, I found time to experience what this world's got to offer. Here are the highlights:
1. Air, at First Avenue in Minneapolis on May 3
It's not everyday that Frenchmen Nicholas Godin and Jean Benoît-Dunckel of the ambient-electronic band Air grace the United States with their presence, so I was really looking forward to this. When Air walked on stage, it was like seeing God descending from the heavens. With blue stage lights dancing on their crisp white shirts, Godin and Dunckel were glowing. After seeing their dainty faces on so many album covers and posters, it was overwhelming to realize how real they were. Electronic music can be strange live because you realize how manufactured and technology-based it is, but live, Air is organic. I could see what instrument made each sound, which man sang each line, and sometimes they'd warp their voices with microphones, producing robotic vocals. It was unbelievable. Of course, the best part was when a drunk girl slung her arm around my shoulder and danced with me, singing into my ear. She also screamed at the band, "You made my sex life real!" while her drunk frat-boy boyfriend grabbed handfuls of her ass-he'd never heard of Air. But drunk people included, the whole thing was the most beautiful, peaceful experience I've ever had with live music, and I felt privileged to be a part of it. My summer could have ended right there and I'd be satisfied. But of course, it didn't.
In reality, I spent the summer working and watching "Jeopardy." But away from the time clock and past 7:30, when "Jeopardy" ends and "Wheel of Fortune" comes on, I found time to experience what this world's got to offer. Here are the highlights:
1. Air, at First Avenue in Minneapolis on May 3
It's not everyday that Frenchmen Nicholas Godin and Jean Benoît-Dunckel of the ambient-electronic band Air grace the United States with their presence, so I was really looking forward to this. When Air walked on stage, it was like seeing God descending from the heavens. With blue stage lights dancing on their crisp white shirts, Godin and Dunckel were glowing. After seeing their dainty faces on so many album covers and posters, it was overwhelming to realize how real they were. Electronic music can be strange live because you realize how manufactured and technology-based it is, but live, Air is organic. I could see what instrument made each sound, which man sang each line, and sometimes they'd warp their voices with microphones, producing robotic vocals. It was unbelievable. Of course, the best part was when a drunk girl slung her arm around my shoulder and danced with me, singing into my ear. She also screamed at the band, "You made my sex life real!" while her drunk frat-boy boyfriend grabbed handfuls of her ass-he'd never heard of Air. But drunk people included, the whole thing was the most beautiful, peaceful experience I've ever had with live music, and I felt privileged to be a part of it. My summer could have ended right there and I'd be satisfied. But of course, it didn't.
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