Blog — Page 244 of 282

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez: Why I Sued the U.S. Government

Factory Theatre

Sydney, AUS

February 12, 2017

In October 2000, Zack de la Rocha walked out of Rage Against The Machine.

I am not implying that there is any connection, but there is a gentleman and environmental activist that goes by the name of Xiuhtezcatl (“Shu-tez-caht”) Martinez, who was born in the same year and has already grown to be what would be a formidable step in for the thirty year older American musician, poet, rapper, and activist should a need ever arise: A sixteen year old trilingual Indigenous hip-hop artist, who has inspired youth, politicians and audiences across six continents with his Earth Guardians activism movement.

With his appearance before the UN Earth Summit in 2015 being only the most publicized tip of the iceberg of his mission, the sense of caretaking of the planet instilled into his DNA by his heritage of being raised as part of the Aztec Mashika people thrust him into action and motivated his work with Our Children’s Trust and other youth representative to file lawsuits in all fifty US states to take their state and federal governments to court for a lack of action on climate change. The case rests on the legal argument that climate change is so catastrophic to their future that it threatens their fundamental right to life and liberty.

It raised awareness and garnered support for his claim that there are no true elected world leaders and that the responsibility lies with the people.

In person, Xiuhtezcatl has a refreshingly open, eloquent, calm and positive presence and is prepared to find a mid-ground with people who have difficulties coming to terms with the realities of climate change and its dire implications.

Given his impressive achievements to date and the bigger picture ideas he pursues, e.g. redirecting subsidies for fossil fuel companies into renewables like solar, wind and hydro, his actions exemplify that using one’s voice yields tangible outcomes and makes a difference, which is the basis for empowering young people to be part of something bigger than themselves.

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Photos by KAVV

A Strategic Plan
Griffin Theatre Company
Sydney, AUS
Until March 11, 2017

Griffin Theatre Company’s main tenet if the fostering and support of new writing in Sydney ever since it was founded in 1982.

Fast forward almost four decades, with funding to the arts sector facing devastating cuts, subsequently causing Griffin Theatre’s scaling down of 2017s program, and voilà, the fragile arts sector is sitting on a precipice fraught with the possibility of collapse with Australia seemingly way behind other countries in both acknowledging and promoting arts industries as well as their subsequent influences on education, cultural capital, global relevance and a much simpler but less measurable statistic – public stability, health and happiness.

Set in a not-for-profit organization run by hobbyists, Ross Mueller’s satirical play A Strategic Plan is inspired by the dichotomy between the free spirited, passionate, creative realm of the art world fueled by goodwill of enthusiasts versus the administrative, soulless professional bureaucracy of pen pushers that treat it as a disposable commodity and the oxymoron of the latter with their adherence to rigid guidelines stymieing in its infancy what they are supposed to nurture.

A scenario all too familiar to anyone who has ever ventured into the arts sector and struggled with maintaining artistic integrity against monetary exploitation, based on individuals with competing agendas, confronted with the often poignant, foolishness that plagues the overregulated, form-filling administrative 9-to-5 world, with its clichéd parlance.

Set as a painfully well-observed satire against this office life, it comes with the territory that the characters are somewhat familiar and fit in with well-worn stereotypes, which are at times coloured with a broad brush at the expense of complexity, yet never The Office-esque cartoonish.

It is a wordy piece, with overlapping text and heavy, at times overly ambitious and high-volume dialogue.

Director Chris Mead manages to negotiate the transitions and journey between five different timeframes between past and present, which are blending into another, by utilizing music and lighting.

It appears as if the play has gone through quite a bit of restructuring to refine the effect and ensure comprehensibility for the audience.

The ensemble, spearheaded by Justin Smith, who manages in his role as a passion driven manager of a not-for-profit youth music venture to infuse the play with subtle notes of melancholy, is a tightly knit, well-oiled unit with great timing and engaging conversational rhythm based on clash of personalities. Nuances that are amplified by Matt Day’s sleazy portrayal of the board chair, Briallen Clarke’s radiating yet subtle presence and Emele Ugavule’s well measured delivery.

A Strategic Plan is a dark comedy, however, it is not merely a funny play as it also genuinely highlights the opposition and daily struggles one has to put up with once you have decided to take the road less traveled and live a life of your own.

Killing Heidi
Taronga Zoo
Sydney, AUS
February 4, 2017

Twilight at Taronga is an annual concert series set amongst the environment of Taronga Zoo, in a natural amphitheatre with fully licensed bars and gourmet antipasto hampers on offer – cue cheese and wine - overlooking the picturesque Sydney harbour backdrop, with each stunning sunset competing with the headliner in terms of aesthetic presentation.

Sydney’s daily disappearances of the sun are nothing short of spectacular, especially when the sun has actually already disappeared and only the high altitude wispy, translucent clouds and alto cumulous can still reflect the light, like it was the case tonight.
With all proceeds raised from the Taronga shows going straight back to helping wildlife conservation, scientific research and environmental sustainability, it makes for good cause to support the yearly events on top of the culinary and visually appealing experience of the soft glowing light caused by the reflection of the sun’s rays from the atmosphere.

Killing Heidi is one of a few local Australian bands that performed a reunion show for the occasion of Twilight at Taronga.

Having formed in Violet Town in 1996, with the meaning of the band name to signify a play on the end of innocence and embracing imperfection, they recorded three albums and achieved considerable mainstream success on terra australis with their mix of teenage angst, adolescent energy and sing-along pop with just enough grrl-rock edge to mollify young audiences before they parted ways and went on an infinite hiatus.
The band disbanded in 2006 with siblings and founders Ella and Jesse taking a lower profile with an acoustic folk duo, The Verses.

While the question is if something that was so youthful in essence could be reproduced in a convincing and adroit manner twenty odd years on, the band presented itself well-oiled with an enriched reinterpretation of their songs and playing them in a mature and reinvigorated way, instead or merely rehashing the spirits of days gone by pretending to be teenagers.

The audience seemingly enjoyed the stroll down memory lane as front woman Ella Hopper, who has become a radio presenter and media personality in her own right, danced and pranced around the stage through a dynamic set, soaking up the "welcome back" love.

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Photos by KAVV

DJ Z Trip

Factory Theatre

Sydney, AUS

January 28, 2017

Turntablism is an art form. 

Period. 

An art form that more often than not has been diluted by applying a simple formula and reducing it to the lowest common denominator to make it appealing to the mainstream palate in a day and age where the democratization of technology has lowered the entry tariff 

DJ Z Trip is fundamentally different: Strip the preconceptions, arm a man with turntables and vinyl records and focus on the crowd and the system. 

Old school.  

Add creativity, sprinkle in technical precision, pepper it with sincere passion for what he does and a capability that seems to be hardwired into his DNA when it comes to detecting what makes a song and altering it, amplifying its merits and taking it over the top via prolonging its climax. 

DJ Z Trip channels the essence of songs, infuses them with his own arrangements and brushstrokes his mixes by using the originals he chose as his canvas.

No matter if your pedigree is coloured by block parties, old school hip hop or rock, watching DJ Z Trip trawl through his vinyl connection is an infectious endeavour. 

It is not hard to tell that he has absorbed every beat of it, learned to love it and with great respect emits it back to an appreciative audience, while riding the wave of the mood in the room. 

We are talking limitless explorations: The way that DJ Z Trip imaginatively constructs his transitions, especially in a live environment, has a myriad of shades and deliberate connotations, that should urge one to take a step back, and envision his performance as a rich tapestry based on a history lesson of what has been proven to work in music, and a deconstruction and reassembling of the parts that make it tick, lending it a different and enhanced dimension. 

Great technique means nothing if the selection is not on point and it is enhanced further if it is personal. With Z Trip the love is felt in the mix. There is groove. There is rock. There is dance floor. There is hip-hop. He mashes what is often perceived to be diametric opposites to form a fusion that makes you instantly vibe and appreciate the colouration that was given to the originals.

Crowd participation to the extent of heartfelt singalongs? Enter DJ Z Trip.  With a profound disregard for what is considered to be restricting in terms of genres, layering becomes the instrument that evokes associations, reconnection and reassessment of what is commonly believed to have been shelved and compartmentalized in the canon of popular music.

Here’s a guy that is fueled by a healthy disregard for barriers, simmering down the essence of a great song, and boiling it up and having it fusion it with the DNA of another, encapsulating the essence of multi-tasking and blending old and new school.

His live sets are both delicate and dedicated, there is technical prowess galore while not neglecting the fun part. It is a delight to watch him in action, as it is an experience similar to watching an actual band and not a DJ merely pushing buttons. 

Summa summarum, a rollicking good ole time, man!

Being a DJ can be a conflicting role in that there is a need to entertain and please the crowd in some way to make them pay attention to your music without sacrificing your own tastes and aesthetics. 

DJ Z Trip creates his own environment while he is on stage reflective of the diversity and demographics of the audience. 

The fact that he nearly sold out the Factory Theatre in Sydney with the city’s biggest annual electronic festival happening simultaneously is testament to his relevance, longevity and standing.

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Photos by KAVV

Periphery
Metro Theatre
Sydney, AUS
February 3, 2017

“Periphery” denotes the external boundary of a body.

If the body in question is modern and progressive metal, the name of the band would be quite inadequate.

With their signature triple-guitar attack, which lends their oeuvre a particular rhythmic dexterity, mathematical cacophony and complex grooves, Periphery’s intertwined conceptual albums provide a solid canon of modern metal.

With their distinctive high-gain fuelled by extensive use of overdrive pedals, virtuoso soloing, distorted, palm-muted, low-pitch guitar sound, Periphery have become one of the spearheads of what has become known as the djent niche, named for an onomatopoeia of the sound that was coined by bands like Meshuggah and SikTh.

The palpable sense of excitement and anticipation of the sold out crowd spoke volumes for the band’s status in the modern metal scene: As soon as the band hit the stage, they were welcomed with open arms and received enthusiastically.

The band reciprocated with delivering a set list spiked with crowd pleasers and fan favourites, which elicited crowd reactions running the gamut from heartfelt singalongs to testosterone driven circle pitting.

Even if you are not at home in the land of progressive metal, it proves difficult to not be impressed by Periphery’s craft of technically astute musicianship blending crushing and aggressive parts with more quiet moments, which highlights the band’s attention to detail.
With the recent emission on the album front tapping into the heritage of classic rock bands, e.g. The Who and Pink Floyd, it adds yet another layer to the experience that is Periphery live: An entertaining mélange of heaviness and melodic components emphasized by Spencer Sotelo’s stage presence, audience engagement and varied vocal range, seamlessly transitioning from guttural growls to clean singing.

Seeing the band being in the moment and passionate about the act of performing only adds to the spectacle that Periphery in a live environment has become.

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photos by T