Saturday night—time to head over to the DCC for the UPAC movie of the week. When I arrived at the DCC, I was confronted with an empty white space where the poster of tonight’s movie should have been. Then I remembered: There wasn’t a UPAC movie tonight because of UPAC Showcase.
Starting at seven o’clock in the Union’s McNeil room, UPAC Cinema, Lights, Sound, Concerts, Comedy, and Mother’s sponsored the showcase event. The evening’s entertainment consisted of solo recording artist Jess Klein, stand-up comedian Billy Burr, and teenage rock band Count the Stars.
Klein, with her short curly blonde hair, tight black pants, sleeveless blouse, and a guitar by her side began the show. Sponsored by Mother’s, Klein sang a variety of well-known songs and even a few new ones.
Klein’s sound is definitely original, but I cannot help but be reminded of artists such as Ani Difranco and Sheryl Crow from time to time. Like rock and roll with a hint of country here and there, but occasionally soothing, melodic, and slightly somber.
Because only a few seats were filled when the show started, Klein joked that by the end we would all know each other’s names. As she sang, however, the sea of empty red seats became steadily smaller.
Between songs Klein talked about how spending time alone over the holidays is not fun, her experiences touring with a band called Voices on the Verge, and how she will begin recording a new album this fall. She also amusingly explained her sniffling: “I’m not a coke addict—-I’m just a little sick,” and added, “I probably shouldn’t have told you that … it’s not very rock and roll.”
After Klein’s performance the next act, comedian Billy Burr, was opened by another comedian friend, who has been on MTV. She gave the freshmen in the audience advice on beer and bagels, relationships, deformed genitalia, and the “ass-off.”
Then comedian Billy Burr took the stage. Burr has been featured on Conan O’Brian’s late night talk show and also the Howard Stern show.
Starting right in on how the Union’s plastic red chairs were a disgrace to anyone—let alone college kids at an engineering school—Burr kept his audience laughing in their seats for an hour.
He expressed some of his political views, like sparing “good people” and college kids, and only drafting the psychos of America to go off to war. He also commented on how he liked President George W. Bush, because “he is the first one that makes me feel like I could be President.”
Burr, who is from New York City, later told stories of how to handle hostile situations on the subway. Stare at the ground, do not look at anyone, do not talk, and above all do not get involved—this is just his way of making the paramedics’ jobs easier, said Burr.
Some of the other funny jokes Burr made included comments on racial PC-ness, the aerodynamics of airplanes being nothing more than “magic,” the side effects of new medications, and the wonder of spell check.
Burr finished his show with his theory on how the government is drugging the American population with fast food. Whenever a conspiracy arises, some new and spectacular food product is introduced to the masses.
About half an hour later, the third and final act of the evening, indie rock band Count the Stars, played for the crowd.
The band and its four teenage members—Chris Kasarjian, Adam Manning, Clarke Foley, and David Shapiro—are the first local Albany band to be signed to a major label, Victory Records. Before signing with Victory Records, they had recorded the album Another Useless Night.
The young musicians, all with dark hair and black shirts, got the crowd up out of their chairs and onto their feet. A space was cleared in the middle of the room and members of the audience gathered around the stage.
If I had to use one word to describe Count the Stars performance it would be “energetic.” The music flowed with an electric pulse out of the speakers and into the air, while the band members jumped and ran around the stage.
Hard punk rock and catchy emo pop tunes filled the McNeil room from ten o’clock until midnight, when the last song was sung, and throats were probably quite sore. The members of Count the Stars put on a spectacular show to finish UPAC Showcase with a bang.
