Ever wanted to see New York City from far away? Live in the city, but want to get away from it all for a short while?
Then, come to Governors Island, one of the many historical landmarks in New York, just a couple miles out from the city. The only way to get there is by taking the ferry from Battery Park; and the best part: it’s free! The island preserves historical locations from the Revolutionary War. There are houses that used to house members of the Coast Guard and their families back when the Island was a military fort. The island holds weekly cultural events. There are many activities to do such as bike riding. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
Castle Williams,
Governors Island,
historical landmarks
With the WWE’s greatest pay-per-view of the year, Wrestlemania already making its mark on the world for the 28th time, this is the right time to introduce one of the newest games that is sweeping the nation, WWE 12. This game is a big advancement to the Raw vs. Smackdown series with new designs, advanced graphics and new targeting systems. The game has really upgraded the control system with new abilities. According to interviews with the development team, they have used a new kind of technology called Predator that has made the game smoother and faster. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
Wrestlemania,
WWE,
WWE12
"When I listen to jazz, it’s all about how you can interpret it, see the colors that it makes in the rhythm." Photo by Justin Maxon for The New York Times
Recently the TRaC Music Group went to one of the Leading From The Bass concerts at the Jazz Gallery Residency on Spring Street, New York. The group saw Linda Oh, a world renowned bassist who is recognized for what may be considered the magic and style of jazz music. In her opening statement, Linda explained that she had taken time off during her U.S. tour to come to New York to perform. I wasn’t sure what surprises that she might pull in her music. The music was kept so tense and precise, yet so relaxing and smooth. She would sometimes change notes, raise the sound high, and from out of nowhere make it low. It wasn’t too loud or too soft, right in the middle. She kept the bass in tune; the drums, piano and sax were added extra rhythmic performance.
Some of her songs that were intriguing were “Ebony,” “The Upside,” and “The Sirens are Wailing.” Linda introduced her songs by first starting the song slowly to ease the mood of the audience, and then gradually making it fast and exciting. This was something that I would never forget. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
Jazz Gallery Residency,
Leading From the Bass,
Linda Oh
The Tokyo String Quartet, a chamber ensemble, was formed 42 years ago. (Photo Credit: Pete Checchia)
On Saturday, March 17, my Teen Reviewers and Critics group went to see the Tokyo String Quartet at the 92nd street Y. It was not what I was expecting. The rhythm of the quartet felt like a butterfly soaring though heaven. Martin Beaver, Kikuei Ikeda, Kazuhide Isomura and Clive Greensmith are the musicians that make up the group. The choice of composers they made was really good, taking pieces from Franz Joseph Haydn, Bela Bartok and Claude Debussy since a lot of this music was created in Europe.
The first piece was by Franz Joseph Haydn, it had a light fluffy sound by the violins mixed in with a base that was holding the sound together like glue. The notes the cello made were shaped like a ribbon around the sound when it started playing. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
92nd Street Y,
Clive Greensmith,
Kazuhide Isomura,
Kikuei Ikeda,
Martin Beaver,
Tokyo String Quartet
On Sunday, I went to go see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World at the movies and it was awesome! Putting a video game format inside a movie that has romance, fighting and comedy, that is amazing!
The story is about a twenty-two year old living in Toronto, Canada who has many things: a rock band, his friends, his 17 year old girlfriend, Knives Chau — who everyone is criticizing him for having including his roommate, Wallace and his sister Stacy. He sees a vision of a girl he has never seen before and realizes that she is the one he likes. The girl’s name is Ramona Flowers, your average American delivery girl. When Scott sees her, sparks began to fly. There’s just one little problem: Ramona has seven evil ex-boyfriends who want to keep her from dating and Scott must battle them for Ramona’s. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
