DISCHORDTOP 3Graphic DesignSchoolsPg. 37

FEATURE:Russell Toynes:A look into;the designers life!

OPINION:GRAFFITI!Vandalism or Art?

5Top Austin

Music VenuesPg. 6

SPRING 2011

DEGRASSI DilemmaDoes it have good values?

Pg. 86BAD shows that have NOgood valuesPg. 10

Letter from the editors.Dear Readers,

Dischord is a magazine based on the entertainment, music, and arts of now. Our Goal is to keep

you informed on almost everything that’s going on in the entertainment world. From the latest

music, to the best movies Dischord is here to help you.

Dischord means a non-harmonious array of things, and that’s exactly what we hope this

magazine accomplishes. We don’t just offer Music or movies, we offer that and much, much

more. We get our inspiration from sites and magazines like GQ magazine, Entertainment To-

night, Rolling Stone, and Wallflower.

Thank you readers for picking up this magazine and we hope you enjoy it.

Respectfully,

Brandon Reed Kiaya Skinner Grace Cochran Gaby GarzaEditor in Chief Editor in Large Editor at Large Editor at Large

I think that you must know that I love Photoshop, design, Salt Lick, Mexican Food, Arizona,

McDonalds’ Sweet Tea, Football games, Southwest Airlines, Dr. Pepper, and Café Rio. I was

born in Page, Arizona. I am half Navajo and Hispanic. I have to have things done my way. I

hate pans that stick, holes in socks, slow computers and people that ask dumb questions. I’m

hard to get along with but a great person. Did I mention my name was Brandon?

Kiaya Skinner is a freshman at LASA high school; she enjoys hanging out with her friends,

listening to music, and hanging out with her best friend Grace. Her favorite color is blue,

favorite band is Coldplay, her favorite food is pizza, favorite movie is Inception and she love,

love, love, loves Grace Cochran. She is hilarious, and likes to yell random things, like “THIS

IS JANK”, and various other random noises that I can’t really spell.

“Hey ya’ll, my name is grace!” PAUSE!! Okay first of all Grace is not the kind of person who

would say something like this. Grace is more of a “hey” kind of Girl. Now what can I say about

her… well first lets go over the basics. Her favorite food - sushi, favorite movie- Slumdog mil-

lionaire, favorite Color- purple and favorite smell- rain. With her birthday on July 20th, this

crazy cancer is amazing. She loves to have fun and party it up! She hangs out with the best

people in the whole school, and is a very loyal friend.

“Duh duh, duh duh duh duh” is a common thing you will he Gaby singing to herself. Gaby

is very strange in a good way and is always in her own little world. Gaby can often be found

messing around with her best friends, Ariel Kerr and Brittanie Jackson Garcia.

Biographies.

?

DISCHORDSPRING 2011

YOUR ENTERTAINMENT SOURCE FOR THE LATEST MUSIC, MOVIES, AND ART

Opinions:

4 Can Austin be the live music capitol of the world for teens?

8 Is this hit TV show as Bad as Parents think?

12 Is Graffiti Art or Vandalism?How the Art is Changing!

20The Life of a Traveling Musican!

Features:

24 The Life of an Actor.

Most concerned parents do not consider live music venues to be safe and up until recently, live music venues in Austin allowed smoking and were not always careful about serving alcohol to teenagers. Now most of the 200 venues in Austin sell tickets to all ages, do not allow smoking, and are very pre-cautious about serving alcohol to teens. This makes Austin a safe environment for teens to listen to live music on their own.upiet lam fugite liqui acero inimper emodita volent.Vitam et moluptatia vendenim et ut quas doluptate nis porese-qui ut quam, cum reprorestrum imusam, utem dolesti bearchi-cia aspersp erferiat ium que modit que rerumquisqui venim Austin has always been considered by many, “the

live music capitol of the world”, but have the live music ven-ues, always been teen appropriate? In the past few venues in Austin have allowed teens to go to live shows on their own (if they allowed them at all) and were too lazy to worry about checking Id’s and busting teens on drinking under age. Because of this, teenagers could rarely go see live music, or enjoy it on their own, if their parents would let them go at all. Some teens could argue how can Austin be considered the “live music capitol of the world”, if not all ages can enjoy it? The live music venues of Austin were not losing much money by not offering tickets to teens because a lot of the money they were bringing in was coming from merchan-dise and alcohol consumption, but even so, most of the live music venues suddenly started selling tickets to all ages. It is also very helpful that people 21 and over get a different colored wristband from the people 21 and under upon entry. This helps the security and staff know who should or should

not have alcohol in their hand, or should be served alcohol. Over the past few years most live music venues in Austin have started selling tickets to all ages for most shows. Some parents still might be concerned about letting their teens go to live shows alone, but now that some venues do not shows alone, but now that some venues do not allow smoking, and most are more strict about serving alcohol and checking Id’s, parents can be rest assured. Olivia Lambert says that “As a parent, I find that Austin’s live music venues are safer and offer more all age appropriate shows than other places, such as Dallas, Houston, or New York”. Places such as Dallas, Houston and New York, just cannot compete with the safety of Austin’s live shows. Some say that because the people of Houston seem seem to be more hostile they feel more comfortable seeing and letting their teenagers see live music in Austin. Austin and the people of Austin are all very nice in general and give off a great vibe that makes people very com-

fortable. Some people say that there is just something about Austin, a vibe perhaps that makes parents, and teens more comfortable. I myself as a teen who loves going to live con-certs feel very comfortable seeing live music on my own. When I went to see Damian Marley live, i tried to get clos-er but was having trouble because it was so packed, but then adults started pushingme forward say “you go kid”. The atmosphere of Austin is a great place for teens to dothings on their own. A fellow freshmen, Anthony Rasp says that “After attending multiple live shows in Austin over the years, with the friendly people and atmospheres, I have come to the conclusion that Austin re-ally has earned the title ‘Music capital of the world’ ; it is safe, fun, and awesome!”, Anthony isn’t the only one, many par-ents say that they think they would feel less comfortable let-

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AUSTEEN MUSICCan Austin be the live music captiol of the world for teens to? By Grace Cochran

4 OPINION

fortable. Some people say that there is just something about Austin, a vibe perhaps that makes parents, and teens more comfortable. I myself as a teen who loves going to live con-certs feel very comfortable seeing live music on my own. When I went to see Damian Marley live, i tried to get clos-er but was having trouble because it was so packed, but then adults started pushingme forward say “you go kid”. The atmosphere of Austin is a great place for teens to dothings on their own. A fellow freshmen, Anthony Rasp says that “After attending multiple live shows in Austin over the years, with the friendly people and atmospheres, I have come to the conclusion that Austin re-ally has earned the title ‘Music capital of the world’ ; it is safe, fun, and awesome!”, Anthony isn’t the only one, many par-ents say that they think they would feel less comfortable let-

ting their teens go to live shows on their own in other cities, and that the people of Austin are much more generous. The live music venues of Austin are of great number,

and teenagers here are very privileged to be able to have so many live music opportunities. I would say that live music venues are very safe for teenagers to view live music on their own, but in the end it all

boils down to their parents feeling comfortable, and i think in Austin you can feel very comfortable with this. A fellow freshmen, Anthony Rasp says that “After attending multiple live shows in Austin over the years, with the friendly people and atmospheres, I have come to the conclusion that Austin

AUSTEEN MUSIC

“Listen closely and you’ll hear the sounds that make Austin The Live Music Capital of the World” -Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau

Moonspell, Live 2004

Art C

redit to fotopedia.com

6 EXTRAS

"In the 1970's, Stubb's restaurant became the heart of an explosive music scene."--Stubbs Website Although Stubb’s BBQ-- a very popu-lar music venue in downtown Austin-- is rather small in aize and only holds about 1000 or so people, it quickly became the IT place to go see live shows. Stubb’s offers all ages shows, at a great price. It is an amazing place to see music live.

“The Mohawk is a well trav-eled and beloved Bar and Live Mu-sic Venue, located on the corner of 10th and Red River in Austin, TX." --The Mohawk website Mohawk, was built in 2006, as a one of a kind bar and venue. Mohawk is meant to feel like a parlor so it is complete with draft beer, pool tables, arcade fun with friends.

“Listening to live music at this venue embodies Austin at the heart” - city-search.com Auditorium Shores is one of the most popular places to listen to live music, especially during SXSW, and ACL, when the whole place is taken over by thousands of bands. Auditorium Shores is a cheery place, that gives off a great vibe, no matter the day.

“I’ve seen more concerts at Emo’ years than any place else. I ALWAYS have a good time.”--yelp.com member Emo’s is a prominent nightclub lo-cated in Austin, Texas. Emo’s got its start as a Houston punk club in 1989, with the Austin location opening in 1992. Emo’s is also an official SXSW venue, and is one of the most popular places in Austin for all ages to listen to live music.

“This place embodies everything I’ve grown to love about the City of Austin. That per-vasive, devil-may-care attitude. The scathing wit and banter showcased on hand-written signs. The endless parade of god-awful bands who de-stroy everything you thought you ever loved about music, but do it with style.”--yelp.com member Red7 is a very popular live music venue that is loved by many people, most being in their 20’s. Red7 is a a venue used during SXSW and is loved by many.

Degrassi is offering real life solutions to real teen issues in a modern way that people can relate to, which is why parents need to be more accepting. “Since its debut in 2001, this show has portrayed hundreds of real-life issues through their story lines involving a cast of student characters. The students deal with problems ranging from drug abuse to teen pregnancy and eating disorders.” Because of this parents need to see that if their teen is having issues, Degrassi might actually be able to help. Not all help has to come from a conventional source, and if it helps your kid who cares where it comes from.

Unlike other shows Degrassi uses actual teens,the age of the people they are portraying, giving teenagers a sense of reality. Degrassi followers got to watch their fave characters grow up facing the hardships of life.De-grassi online says that “The most striking way the Degrassi series flouts its classification as standard teen drama is its use and re-use of actors and characters over the course of long periods of time. From the start, the creators of the Degrassi franchise used characters that were carried out over long periods of time.Not only could fans of the original Degrassi shows follow the lives of these characters and actors almost without in-terruption through their adolescence, but with Degrassi the Next Gener-ation, those who came of age with them can now see how the characters have aged too.” See parents, with Degrassi teens can find something to

THE DEGRASSIDILEMMA:Why this hit TV show isn’t as bad as parents think

By:Kiaya Skinner

How do you solve real life issues? Just ask any of the stu-dents of Degrassi. These Kids go through constant dra-

ma, facing the hard side of life. They provide reasonable solu-tions on how to overcome issues and also offer helpful sites for their viewers. While some teen issues can be hard to face, parents need to realize that there is more than one way that a teen can find help. Although Degrassi addresses some issues that may be seen as “raunchy” or “inappropriate” parents need to step back and look at what the show is really doing for their teens.

8 OPINION

Degrassi is offering real life solutions to real teen issues in a modern way that people can relate to, which is why parents need to be more accepting. “Since its debut in 2001, this show has portrayed hundreds of real-life issues through their story lines involving a cast of student characters. The students deal with problems ranging from drug abuse to teen pregnancy and eating disorders.” Because of this parents need to see that if their teen is having issues, Degrassi might actually be able to help. Not all help has to come from a conventional source, and if it helps your kid who cares where it comes from.

Unlike other shows Degrassi uses actual teens,the age of the people they are portraying, giving teenagers a sense of reality. Degrassi followers got to watch their fave characters grow up facing the hardships of life.De-grassi online says that “The most striking way the Degrassi series flouts its classification as standard teen drama is its use and re-use of actors and characters over the course of long periods of time. From the start, the creators of the Degrassi franchise used characters that were carried out over long periods of time.Not only could fans of the original Degrassi shows follow the lives of these characters and actors almost without in-terruption through their adolescence, but with Degrassi the Next Gener-ation, those who came of age with them can now see how the characters have aged too.” See parents, with Degrassi teens can find something to

relate to, why wouldn’t you want them to find help.For the troubled teen Degrassi is an optional source of information. They provide real life solutions, while portraying it in way teens can relate too. It’s often that teens feel that they have nowhere to turn. Who would have thought that a TV show could be a sort of savior to a teen? With Degrassi all this is possible. So parents, wake up, Degrassi is a good TV show that’s doing the impossible.

Some of the 2011 degrassi cast.

10 EXTRAS

The Offenders

1. Jersey shore- “The Situation”, one of the main characters in the reality TV show Jersey Shore. This show is all about drinking, dra-ma, and sex. Offering no educational values, this show land number 1 on the offenders list.

2. Kate from the Tv show Bad girls Club. This show follows the lives of sev-eral self proclaimed “bad Girls” that are forced to live under one roof. Can you say Drama? With a breakout of fights, sex, alchohol, and hangovers this show lands number 2 on the offenders list.

3.Fly Girls- This Show fol-lowed the “real” lives of 5 Vir-gin American Flight attendants on and off the plane. After watching one episode you can quickly tell that the drama on this show is manufactured. Im sure some flight attendants ex-perience many drama filled situations, but for these 5 girls it’s a no. This show is borring from the beginning and its so fake you just cant handle it.

some of the worst TV shows out there.

12

The Offenders

3.Fly Girls- This Show fol-lowed the “real” lives of 5 Vir-gin American Flight attendants on and off the plane. After watching one episode you can quickly tell that the drama on this show is manufactured. Im sure some flight attendants ex-perience many drama filled situations, but for these 5 girls it’s a no. This show is borring from the beginning and its so fake you just cant handle it.

4.Hollys World- Debuting in 2009 this show is all about Holly Madisen starring in Peepshows and hanging out with her friends. Be-fore I saw this I had no idea who Holly Madisen was, and after an episode I can still say I have no clue. I re-ally cant believe this show, its so terrible. It literally dosent teach you anything.

5.Kid Nation-Take sur-vivor and replace the adults with kids, ages 8 to 15 strand-ed on a New Mexico Ranch with minimal to none adult supervision. As you can al-ready tell this show was a di-saster waiting to happen. One kid got their face burned by grease; another drank bleach out of an unmarked bo bottle.

6. The real Housewives of Miami- This series of shows is all about the rich lives of the so-called celebs in many different cities. This show is main-ly about all th women being able to buy things because they are rich.

some of the worst TV shows out there.

3

4

5

6

By:Kiaya Skinner

43 DISCHORD

“ “Graffiti is the art that has an effective message

ChangeIN

THEArt___________________________________________________________

Take a look downtown. Are the drawings in spray

paint that bad? Most graffiti artists are not teenag-

ers or gang affiliated. Graffiti artists range from

various ages. As young as 13 to 48. Accomplished

artist, 35 year old Neequaye Dsain grew up in the Slough and Wind-

sor area. He is responsible for the graffiti mural adorning the wall

of Slough young People’s centre.There is always much controversy

over this topic. It has its pros and cons but which most do we take

in account.

When you drive by the highway you can see city cleanup workers

paint over the large colorful words. While this may seem like a good

thing, others feel by painting over there large bold colorful words

they are destroying their work of art. Graffiti artists put much time

and effort to perfect their art for the community to see. Profes-

sional artists may disagree that graffiti isn’t art, but I ask the ques-

tion - What is art then? Many people would say that art is a painting,

sculptural or something living or non living thing that expresses

a thought, feeling, mood with different art supplies such as paint,

crayons, markers etc. While we have our opinion about what art re-

ally is, we cannot simply destroy their art.

When you ask people what they think of graffiti, they will tell you

it’s bad because it’s destructing property. Have you ever thought

that that we, the people pay taxes and our money is paying for these

buildings that have this different kind of art? If we are paying for

these buildings shouldn’t the city take a vote to see whether the

public would want to see a different kind of art? The government

should not automatically make the decision to cover up the art. They

should take account of what kind of art it is and what message it’s

sending to the community.

Graffiti is the art that has an effective message or story behind the

large bold colorful words. Most kids and even adults relieve their

stress and keep out of trouble by illustrating their art. If we continue

to cover up their work they will only find more places to illustrate

their work. The government should reuse banned buildings to have

graffiti artists illustrate their work. The community should think of

new ways to help these artists. Graffiti is what makes the city of

Austin keep its title, “Keep Austin Weird.” The government needs

to be called to action to fix this art madness through the city.

“

By:Brandon R.

What’s Your Opinion?Art or Vandaslism?1.

2.

14 EXTRAS

What’s Your Opinion?Art or Vandaslism?

3.

What more can be added to the debate of whether or not the Harry Potter movies do the books jus-tice? The Harry Potter movies have made his-tory in how they are articulately composed and

richly detailed, making it seem as though the scenes one cre-ated in their mind while reading the books have jumped onto the screen. The movies accurately capture the essence and the feelings that J.K Rowling created in the books, and although the Harry Potter movies don’t include every particular de-tail of the books, the movies do the books justice nonetheless. What further helps prevent the book aficionados from jumping out at the screen and ripping it to pieces is that the Harry Potter movie producers have never strayed from the plot of the books and have been sure to include all of the impor-tant facts that correspond to that plot. According to Marshall Fine, author and film critic, “What started out as a series of benign magical fantasies for children has come to more close-ly resemble the works of J.K. Rowling on which they’re based

-- epic (if fanciful) struggles between good and evil, played out against a backdrop of wizardry and witchcraft.” In my opin-ion, the Harry Potter movie producers have followed the sto-ryline whilst making few changes to it and all the changes that the producers did have helped shape the story for the better. Whether it be about a scene that the producers didn’t include in the movie or a occurrence that was never mentioned in the book but somehow crawled its unwanted self into the big screen; book crazy fans will whine, complain and maybe even go to the extent of writing a strongly worded letter to the producer to express their discontent that the movie was not a complete motion picture recap of the entire book. In movie critic, Dan Kois’ words, “A screenwriter struggles to excise everything non-essential from a book and then assembles the rest into a shape that’s pleasing to the eye.” I believe that all of the producers of the H.P movies have done a wonderful job at shaping the movie into an exceptional film series. Some producers have done so better than others in my eyes, but they each have a unique way

Making Magic Through the Movies

By: Gaby Garza

16 OPINION

“What started out as a series of benign magical fantasies for

children has come to more closely resemble the works of J.K

Rowling on which they’re based - epic (if fanciful) struggles

between good and evil, played out against a backdrop of

wizardry and witchcraft”

-Marshall Fine

of adding their own interpretation of how the movies should be. Unfortunately, often times the book fans can’t look beyond the haze that overcomes them with discovering that a scene in the movie isn’t accurate to the book to realize that when the pro-ducers are bringing the movie to life, they don’t want their only audience to be the book readers, but rather a expansive array of people while yet still keeping their audience engaged even if they haven’t read the books. I think that due to that, the viewers (the ones who have read the books) deem that the movie didn’t do jus-tice to the book when in reality the Harry Potter films are some of the few films that stay true to the book they correspond to. If books and movies where exactly the same, then what would be the point of having both? Should we not just cut one or the other out if that were the case? With that said, I bring up the fact that many a time, Harry Potter fans will be too upset when something is missing from the movie to realize that the movie would be incredibly boring if everything from the book were past-ed onto a film. According to Lisa Schwarzbaum, movie critic for

EW, “One of the movie’s sweetest wordless moments, [is where] Harry comforts Hermione. Ron has stormed off after a fight with Harry, Hermione is sad and troubled, and Harry spontaneously leads his dear friend in a dance. The scene isn’t in the book; it’s the rare deviation of an addition to the sacred text, rather than an unavoidable cut made for Muggle-driven movie purposes.” I think that adding or removing scenes, as long as done correctly can be a powerful aspect to any movie based off of a book. Books have the ability of creating a special kind of magic with the intri-cate placement of text on pages, however in order to be able to be successful, movies have to have a careful concoction of scenes. In conclusion, the movies may not be exact rep-licas of the books, but they shouldn’t be, for the mov-ies purpose is different than that of the books; to enter-tain an audience beyond those that are avid readers. All in all, the Harry Potter movies are a masterpiece of film and do justice to the books they are based off without a doubt.

Making Magic Through the Movies

Image provided by official psds

vs.

SHOWDOWN

Harry PotterBy: Gaby Garza

Images provided by google

18 EXTRAS

What Andy thinks:Andy believes that the Harry Potter movies dont live up to the books. Andy says that the Harry Potter books are better because they have way more detail and it is easier and more entertaining to create the characters while one is reading.

Andy’s Credentials:Andy has read the entire Harry Potter series and has watched each movie over 100 times.

What Daniel thinks:Daniel thinks that the Harry Potter books are better than the Harry Potter movies. He claims that since the books are able to go into more depth, it feels as though the readers get to know the characters.

Daniel’s Credentials:Daniel has read books 1 through 3, 16 times and has read books 4 through 7, 2 times. Also, he has seen all of the movies about 2 times each

What Akshara thinks:Akshara believes that the Harry Potter books outdo the films. She thinks this because the Harry Potter movies can only include a lim-ited amount a information within a short timeframe whilst the books can take its readers above and beyond.

Akshara’s Credentials:Akshara has read the Harry Potter series over a staggering 20 times. she has also seen all 6 of the Harry Potter movies too many times to count.

Harry PotterBy: Gaby Garza

Images provided by google

43 DISCHORD

The Life of the Traveling Musician y age 16 Randy Akin had already become serious about music andstarted getting live music gigs. “I moved to Austin and played clubs and studio gigs for manyyears. I finally got an opportunity to tour with a band in 1999.”For about ten years, Randy Akin has been travelling around theUnited States, as a musician. He has played with a variety of differentbands, always on lead guitar. Randy Akin was born in Texas City, Texas in 1959, where he

grew up learning, and loving music. He lived in Richardson, Texas, a small suburb of Dallas, from ages two to six. He moved away when he was six and traveled to many different states, but returned to Richardson at the age of 11 where he stayed until he was 16, when he moved to Austin. When he moved to Austin he immediately loved it, and realized how many people there shared his love for music. When asked what his favorite music venue is he responded by explaining a little dive here in Austin. “Hands down my favorite venue was a little dive in Austin during the 1980s called The Austin Outhouse. I never made much money there, but it was down the street from where I lived and I knew everyone who played/hung out there. It was like a second home and a hell of a lot of great music and good times were made there. I miss it, a lot.”, Akin says. When Akin first started out as a touring musician, he made sure to al-ways have a what he calls a “real” job, so make ends meat, and pay the bills. “Unless you are pretty big and fa-mous, its very hard to make ends meet as JUST a musician, especially as you get older and have doctor bills, family, rent ect... to worry about. I had jobs that I could work full time but still do gigs at night. You learn to appreciate coffee...” Says Akin. Randy hasn’t always been with the same band, but played with many different bands.

BBy Grace Cochran

The Life of the Traveling Musician “The longest time I have stayed in ONE band with the same members is roughly 5 years. However, there are a couple of musicians I have worked with on various projects for decades.” Says Akin. Traveling in a band can often create stress and conflict but Randy deals with it well. “Every band I have been in has conflict, the only variables are the degree of and frequency of the conflicts. Traveling itself doesn’t create conflict, but it does create stress. Going to a different city everyday for even just a week, and having commitments to play at venues you have never been in, makingsure motel arrangements are correct, being where you need to be in a timely fashion, ect...all createstress, and stress makes conflict more likely when everyone is on edge.” Akin explains. Akin has been to almost every major city in the Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska area, as well as a number in Missouri, Ohio, Mississippi, Ar-kansas, and of course Texas. For Akin the best part about traveling is “...seeing things/people/places you have never experienced. The worst, by far is boredom. Hours every day in a van with people that are not nearly as amusing as yourself can get really dull. That, and too many meals at Denny’s, fast food ect.”

Randy contributes to the bands he plays with by playing the lead guitar. “In most bands I have been in, I write or co-write the songs, arrange or contribute in the arrang-ing of the parts and play lead/and or rhythm guitar. I have been told before that the actual playing of myinstrument is not even the most important contribu-tions I make to a band. I also make people laugh,and that sometimes can be a very important thing too!” Says Akin. Akin currently lives in Houston with his wife of eight years. Currently he produces and records music from his office at home. Although Randy doesn’t tour on a daily basis like he used to, he still often tours with a variety of different bands. When asked why he still enjoys playing live music so much he said, “Music is my first and greatest love, to watch people moving, dancing, and generally enjoying something as I am creating it is a very moving expe-rience. There is nothing else like it.”

“The Blue Album” is considered by many as one of the best debut albums of all time. This album entitled “Weezer” but called The Blue Album, becuse of its color, by many fans, is known through out the alternative rock scene. It was realeased May 10, 1994, with an instantly booming sucess. The album was certified gold, just under seven monthes, and certified plati-num in just one year from the release date. Since then is has gone multi platinum three times.

The Blue Album is said by many, to have a cultural impact on the 90’s, winning over a fan-base the size of california. On June 6th, at Subbs Austin, Texas, Weezer will be per-forming their album, The Blue album. The show sold out almost immediately, and has been all the hype. Along with their per-formance of The Blue Album, Weezer, will be performing songs from their most recent album, Hurley. On June 7th they will also be performing Pinkerton, which was released in 1996.

In my opinion Weezer’s, The Blue Album is put together very well using differnt styles of classic rock and alternative rock to cre-ate an awesome album. Each song has more variability than the one before that, creating a “spasmodic” rockout at any time, while in the very next song do the exact opposite and drop out for a gentle vocal interlude. Even the cover album is the perfect touch, showing the geekiness of Weezer, and their song lyrics (“You can see her between molecules of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide”). Its a simple album cover, but it also is interest-ing, because instead of throwing a bunch of differnt colors on to it, its just a simple blue, with the four band members. This album is close to perfect, but it does have some problems. It seems a bit too short and even though Weezer was never good at packing on songs, they could have added a few more to their debut album. They also could have started out the album with some stronger songs, for example, the song Buddy Holly.

Other than that, the album is almost perfect, and the band members definetly deserve a round of applause, with excellent song writing by Rivers Cuomo (lead vocalist, guitar), Pat-rick Wilson (drums, guitar, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), and Scott Shriner (bass, backing vocals, keyboards).

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The Life of an ActorBy:Kiaya Skinner

24 FEATURE

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Rosalind in her 1950’s get up. Photo cred- R.f

Backstage evertything is choas. People running around and the theater teacher, Ms. A ordering people left and right. Its like a toned down ver-

sion of a human zoo. One minute from the opening act, and adrenalin is filling every inch of the body. Its show time. Lights, camera, action... Its time to act.

This is what senior Rosalind F. is used to. Ever since she was a little girl she has had an interest in the theater. being on stage is an amazign experience for her, getting to live out a childhood dream in real life is like living out a fantasy for her.

“The best part in acting is definitely telling the story,” Rosalind said .“I mean basically you get to keep playing pretend even though your grown up you know?”

Rosalind is a senior at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (iin Austin, texas) who has grown up in the theater since she was born. Although she hasn't always been interested in acting as a main pro-fession she’s always loved the theater. The first play she ever did was Homer (when she was eight years old) where she played a Danish courtier and a few other roles.. Since then Rosalind has been able to put on many other plays including some at LASA

like Grease, Hamlet, and Treasure Island. At 18 years old, and still acting, Rosalind is looking forward to continuing her acting into college. at the University of Texas. in addition to these acting opportunitie, Ro-salind has had , she has also gotten to be a part of some outside performances too.

Rosalind’s favorite production was a per-formance of The Comedy of Errors with the Young Shakespeare group (an off-shoot of the Austin Shakespeare Festival).

“That was such a fantastic experience” said Rosalind. “We got to perform [the comedy of errors] on a replica of the globe theater. It was really cool getting to work on a smaller version of the stage that Shakespeare’s ac-tors would have worked on.”

Rosalind said that the stress and ner-vousness of being on stage can get a little overwhelming at times, but each per-son has their own way of dealing with it.

“I mean [for me] it kind of usually ends up working to the advantage of being an adrenaline thing.” the senior said . “I usu-ally find that the 30 seconds before you go on stage are the most stressful, but as-suming that the rehearsal process has gotten you where you need to be it be-comes very easy once you step on stage.”

Although she hasn’t had the misfortune of forgetting her lines, or having a truly traumatic experience, Rosalind has gotten to experience some very amusing things.

“On our [high school] production of Trea-sure Island there was this apple barrel, and earlier on it has a lid on it with apples piled on top of it.” she remembered. “At a certain point the top is supposed to be taken off so a character is able to jump into the apple barrel, but the top didn’t get taken off, and at the point where she was supposed to hide in the apple barrel she was just throwing apples everywhere! It was really funny !”

However the acting world is not always full of fun and games. Acting can be-come very difficult especially when an actor is put into a situation one might not be comfortable with. Sometimes recreating romantic scenes can be difi-cult.

“There’s always a lot to struggle with, especially when you have to be more intimate with a person that you don’t know or don’t like,” said the actress.” “There’s a certain amount of work that goes into selling romance on stage.”

Rosalind in the play Ham

let, as the ghost. Photo credit- Joe freeland

Rosalind at the Blanton Mueseum. Photo Cred- Lauren vunderink

Photo Cred- Lauren Vunderink

Photo cred- Jessica L. Rife

Other times its stong personali-ties that interfere with actors abilities to get along.

“ I mean I think there is, unfor-tunately, a certain amount of truth to the fact that actors all have a big ego. So there defi-nitely can be conflict with that,” Rosalind said.

While dealing with the issuesof acting one can look to other unconventional sources to spark their inspiration.

“I read this book called audi-tion a while back, and they were talking about what is the more interesting choice, and about what is the most compel-ling relationship you can see between characters, the senior

said. And the author talked about how it really is love. Like to hate someone is easy, but to love them and still be frustrated is harder, and it gives you a lot more depth, and complexity to the relationship.”

The Audition even made Rosa-lind view acting in a new light.

“I thought that was really good advice for actors to think about because its easier to get truly angry with the person you love and that’s always the more interesting choice… to see a relationship where love has gone awry maybe, but it comes out as that instead of this toss away of “oh I don’t like you”. I thought that was a good thing

to think about when acting,” said Rosalind.

Although acting comes with its ups and downs , overall Rosa-lind views it as a life changing experience.

“Sometimes its mundane situations and sometimes its fantastical but you are getting to live out a life that isn’t yours, and you get to share it with the audience, and I think that’s thrilling”.

26 EXTRAS

Can you remember the LYRICS?Test you music skills and see if you can remember the lyrics to these hit songs! Calculate your points and check you results on the bottom of the next page!

1“You’re from a whole other world a different dimmension, you open my eyes, and im ready to go” 2 pts

A. Christina Perri- Jar of heartsB. Katy Perry- E.T.C. Ingrid Michealson- The Chain

2“Tell the devil i say hey when you get back from where your from, mad woman, bad woman thats just what you are...” 3pts

A. Maroon 5- Wont go home without youB. Plain White T’s- Natural DisasterC. Bruno Mars- Grenade

3 “boy i think about it every night and day, im addicted want to jump inside your love, wouldnt wanna have you any other way” 5pts

A. Black Eyed Peas- just can get enoughB. Rihanna- Oh nana C. J-Lo- Alive

4 “You’re so mean when you talk about yourself. Change the voices in your head; make them like you instead. So complicat-ed look happy, youll make it Filled with so much hatred.” 5pts

A. Avril levigne- ComplicatedB. Adele- To make you feel my loveC. Pink- f****** Perfect

5“ when all you wanted was to be wanted wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now.” 5pts

A. Taylor Swift- Fifteen B. Miley Cyrus- When i look at youC. Selena Gomez- Naturally

6”You can feel it in your mind Oh you can do it all the time Plug it in and change the world “ 5pts

A. A Fine Frenzy- Electric TwistB MGMT- Electric feelC. Weezer- Island in the sun

7”b-b bruises cover your arms, shaking in the fingers with a bottle in your palm and the best is, no one knows who you are..” 4pts

A. Blue October- Hate meB. 3Oh 3- Dont trust meC. Muse- Supermassive Black Hole

8“ Revolutionaries wait, for my head on a silver plate im just a puppett on a lonley string, oh who would ever want to be king..” 1pt

A. Green day- King for a dayB. Coldplay- Viva la VidaC. Jonsi- Go do

15-24 pts Musical ProYour a musical pro! While being fairly good at recongizing music, you arent the best. Aside from this no one could say your music choices are bad. You tend to relate to songs that have a special meaning to you, and you are a pretty chill person. You stick to mostly the same friends and like to keep it simple. Parties are a som-times thing for you, but you dont like to get too wild. Expand your options a little and you will be a musical genius in no time!

3-15 pts Musical AmateurYou are a musical amateur. Sorry to say, but your skills need a little work. You dont quite keep up with the hit songs to often, and probably listen to music no one has heard of. Maybe start taking some time to start listening to the radio a little more and you will be on the right track! Dont give up!

24-30 pts Musical GeniusYou are a musical Guiness! you know mostly everything from pop to hip-hop ,country to rock! Your friends should be impressed by your musical ability! You are relatively creative with a sense of how to read people. You usually dont stick to one social group and like to expand your options. You can make friends anywhere and always like to have a good time. In short you are a party animal! You know hit songs like the back of your hand. keep up the good work and try to pass your awe-some skills onto your friends.

15-24 pts Musical ProYour a musical pro! While being fairly good at recongizing music, you arent the best. Aside from this no one could say your music choices are bad. You tend to relate to songs that have a special meaning to you, and you are a pretty chill person. You stick to mostly the same friends and like to keep it simple. Parties are a som-times thing for you, but you dont like to get too wild. Expand your options a little and you will be a musical genius in no time!

3-15 pts Musical AmateurYou are a musical amateur. Sorry to say, but your skills need a little work. You dont quite keep up with the hit songs to often, and probably listen to music no one has heard of. Maybe start taking some time to start listening to the radio a little more and you will be on the right track! Dont give up!

Answers: 1. B. 2.C. 3.A, 4.C, 5.A, 6.B, 7.B, 8.B.

43 DISCHORDImages provided by Georgia’s facebook page

By: Gaby G

Instead of lying around all

day and watching TV like

most teenagers do, Geor-

gia strives in the theater.

“It consumes your life,” Georgia said,

“but, I think it’s a much more valuable experience

if you immerse yourself in what you’re doing,”

As a matter of fact, Georgia has im-

mersed herself so much in her passion that

especially recently, that she is engaging in

the LASA/LBJ theatre productions that Mon-

days she has practice until 6 and during the

rest of the week (except for Wednesdays be-

cause there is no practice then) practice can

go until 7 or 8. Georgia even dedicates her

Saturdays, when practice goes to 10 or 2.

Georgia has been in theatre since the fourth

grade and is cur-

rently a theater student

at LASA/LBJ. Her theater

journey started out as a battle

against her brother Hutch. Georgia’s

parents had made her brother join theater;

for Georgia however, it was a different story.

“Being somewhat stereotypi-

cally younger sibling, I was like, if he

can do that, I can do that,” Georgia said.

As time progressed, it became less of

a fight for a place in the spotlight and more

of just creating her experiences out of theatre.

“It has become less about out-

doing him and more about do-

ing things my way,” Georgia said.

Images provided by Georgia’s facebook page

Georgia’s theater experience

started out with a program called Kids

Acting, a program that enriches and

develops theatre skills of children of all

ages. Georgia however, didn’t require

so much of that help.

“It wasn’t too hard, it seemed

relatively natural to go onstage and

portray a different person because I’m

very hyper and exuberant and loud and

being that way and channeling into

someone else just feels sort of normal,”

Georgia said.

Georgia’s ease with portray-

ing an entirely different persona has

allowed her to be in at least 20 plays

ranging all the way from Hamlet to

Cinderella and probably many more

plays to come. Yet, this isn’t all of Geor-

gia’s accomplishments, not only is she

a member of the LASA/LBJ Alley Cat

Players, but also does semi-profes-

sional work with Austin Shakespeare,

which according to austinshakespeare.

org, “presents professional theatre of

the highest quality with an emphasis

on the plays of William Shakespeare,

bringing to the public performanc-

es that are fresh, bold, imaginative,

thought-provoking, and eminently ac-

cessible, connecting the truths of the

past with the challenges and possibili-

ties of today.” Georgia even sent in an

application to be a part of the Oregon

Shakespeare Festival.

It’s without a doubt that with

being in so many plays, Georgia has

encountered all sorts of different char-

acters. However, she has her favorites

which are at a tie. The first of her two

favorite roles are M’ling from the Is-

land of Dr. Moreau. In this role, her

character, M’ling is a result of one of

Dr.Moreau’s experimentations of ge-

netically altered animals and becomes

dog-based servant of Montgomery,

the Dr.’s assistant. In simplest terms,

M’ling is a dog that can talk. Thus, be-

ing a dog allowed Georgia the opportu-

nity to be crazy and have her mind all

over the place because that’s what her

character’s persona called for, which is

why M’ling is one of her favorite roles.

The second of Georgia’s favor-

ite roles is Dromio of Syracuse from

Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. Geor-

gia’s character, Dromio of Syracuse is

the type of character which is funny,

does silly things, gets caught up in

all sorts of crazy situations, and does

nothing but talk.

“I like playing the funny char-

acters,” Georgia said, “I guess I mean

I enjoy playing serious characters but

there’s always something fun when

you’re like the one making the jokes or

the one where people go, ha you’re so

adorable and silly, so yea I guess I like

funny characters, their fun.”

However, Georgia can’t always

get a role that she loves so it’s not a par-

ticular surprise when she does have to

encounter a particularly unappealing

role. Georgia says that there are differ-

ent reasons why a certain role can be

unfavorable. One reason is that the role

doesn’t meet up to the theatrical capa-

bilities of the actress. This can make

the role disliked because the actress

feels like they are better than the role.

In Georgia’s words, “I very well could

have been a more important character

and by more important I mean, you

know a main or a secondary character

instead of just a, I have like two lines

character.”

Nevertheless, Georgia has

ways to turn that role from the undesir-

able to the desirable.

“I decide personally that I am

gonna make that character the coolest

character that I can think of and be like,

now everyone is gonna be so jealous

that I came up with such an awesome

story for my character because I guess

one of the things that I think about is

that it could be a real joy to be one of

these characters that you don’t know

very much about because it allows you

to come up with whatever you want for

them,” Georgia said.

“ “You want to play a

character, not an

asset

-Georgia

30 FEATURE

In the first play that Geor-gia did at LASA/LBJ was Treasure Island and the original role she was cast was Dan Hunt (she ended up having about 5 roles due to other people dropping out of the play) and he only got to say a few lines then died so Georgia decided that she would make a huge back-story for him. In her story, Dan Hunt used to be a young sailor but since he was suppose to be old-ish, he had a wife and he and his wife were madly in love with each other. However, he kept having to go away on trips and that was putting a strain on their relationship but then his wife was killed and this devastated Dan Hunt so he was old and alone until he was killed. “I came up with this whole long story for him and it made it so much more entertaining for me because then I was like oh yea, he’s so awesome and nobody else knows and I know that my character is awesome,” Georgia said. Yet, a very minor role isn’t the only type of role that can be un-enjoyable. Georgia claims that ac-tresses can get stuck with characters that they simply don’t like, either personality or action-wise. For ex-ample, in Grease, she played Marty, who Georgia calls “dumb little skank face” because the character was completely obsessed with boys, sort of careless and neither very smart nor super-nice all the time. Geor-gia confessed that in the beginning, she just kept thinking how dumb she thought Marty was but then she came to the realization that thinking that wasn’t being in any way helpful.

Georgia realized that in order to ex-ecute her role well and correctly, she had to find things about Marty that she could accept and learn to love. “You want to play a charac-ter, not an asset,” Georgia said Whether an actress loves or hates her character, she still has to get into character. Georgia is no exception.Georgia says that for Hamlet of her sophomore year during January she was playing Laertes and for a par-ticular scene her character was co-lossally angry because he had just found out that due to Hamlet, his father was dead. However, Georgia wasn’t mad, as a matter of fact; she was feeling nice and happy. To re-solve the issue of being happy, Geor-gia said that she would get into place and work out what Laertes was do-ing right before and slightly act it out, and concentrate on things that would make her angry, and even jog around a bit since she thought that he was most likely to have been run-ning to reach the room. But that is only for attaining the correct emo-tion. To actu-ally getting into character, Geor-gia realized that for her, she isn’t just in character all of a sudden; it’s more of a pro-cess. First she has to remember who her character is, then which type of character, and lastly get into the characters mind-set and think as

the character would, and she does all this before even walking on-stage since she said how actresses shouldn’t walk onstage unless she is fully in character. “You never want to show the audi-ence yourself, it’s always your char-acter,” Georgia stated. Despite all the acting that Georgia has been engaged in, she is torn between pursuing theatre or an environmental science field after high school. However, Georgia did add that if she doesn’t go into acting professionally, she will most likely do acting in some other way. Geor-gia also mentioned that her parents haven’t told her which they would prefer her to go with, but said they would be supportive of whatever she were to choose. Her parents’ in-difference is bittersweet for Georgia because she claims to be very inde-cisive. “Currently I am un-able to make the decision, which drawbacks are larger or which pros are better,” Georgia said.

Image provided by google

The trilogy leaves readers wanting moreStarving For More

Katniss Everdeen is a 16-year-old girl liv-

ing with her mother and 12-year-old sis-

ter, Prim, in the poverty-stricken District

12 known as the Seam. They live in a na-

tion called Panem that consists of 12 dis-

tricts and is located in what used to be known as North

America. Katniss keeps her family from starving by hunt-

ing in the forbidden woods near her home along with her

best friend, a boy named Gale Hawthorne. Katniss’ father

taught her survival skills and how to use weapons at a young

age before he was killed in a mine explosion five years

earlier. The forbidden meadow is the only place where

Katniss and Gale can speak openly and be themselves.

There were once 13 districts in Panem. But many

years ago the districts tried to rebel against the Capitol

and lost. As a result District 13 was obliterated and the

other 12 districts were defeated into submission. As pun-

ishment for the uprising, each year the 12 districts must

each choose one boy and one girl between the ages of 12

and 18, called tributes, to compete in a televised fight to the

death called the Hunger Games. The 24 tributes are then

dropped off in a vast outdoor arena that contains various

terrains including a forest, a desert, and a frozen wasteland.

Then over a period of weeks, the Hunger Games tributes

must survive against the elements and fight each other to

the death. The last tribute standing wins a life a luxury.

When District 12 draws its first name from the

thousands of entries, it is Prim who is chosen to com-

pete in the Hunger Games. However, Katniss volunteers

to take her younger sister’s place. The next name cho-

By: Gaby Garza

32 EXTRAS

The trilogy leaves readers wanting more

sen take part in the Hunger Games is 16-year-old Peeta

Mellark, a boy that Katniss knows from school. Katniss

and Peeta are taken to the Capitol to be groomed, pre-

pared and put on public display. With cameras follow-

ing their every move, Peeta reveals on-air that he has

always been in love with Katniss. Katniss assumes that

Peeta is playing to the audience in an effort to gain sym-

pathy from audience members who are permitted to send

gifts to the tributes during the Hunger Games. So Kat-

niss plays along pretending to also be in love with Peeta.

When the Hunger Games begin, Peeta and Kat-

niss are separated. When Katniss finally finds Peeta,

he appears to be working cooperatively with other dis-

trict tributes. Katniss later finds out that this was just

a ploy for Peeta to keep Katniss safe. Later Katniss and

Peeta team up and end up being the last two survivors

of the game. But since the rules state that there can be

only one winner, they both threaten to commit suicide.

This forces the Capitol to declare them both as winners.

Katniss and Peeta return home to celebrations and

parades, but both knowing that they have upset the Capi-

tol. Katniss and Peeta are unsure what the Capitol will

do to them or their families. Katniss is also unsure about

her feelings towards Peeta. Was it just an act? And what

about her feelings towards her long-time friend, Gale?

Read the rest of the books in order to find out shock-

ing truths and be compelled by the hardships faced

Image provided by google and edited by Ron and Gaby Garza

34 FEATURE

IN THE LIFE OF A GRAPHIC DESIGNER

BY: BRANDON REED

Graphic designer Russell Toynes quick-

ly scrambles looking for a pen to write

down a potential idea he could use for his

next design. He doesn’t let anything slip

his mind. As a matter of fact Toynes writes on his fridge

with dry erase markers and puts sticky notes on his wall

because he doesn’t know when an idea might come to him.

“Design is everywhere,” Toynes said “if I could just leave this

world a little better looking than how I found it, it’s all worth it.”

Just five years ago Toynes was a freelance film-

er, soon, however, he recognized that that film was

time lengthy and his clients were less than pleasant.

“Design seemed like an avenue that provided a quicker

turn around with little to no reliance on additional talent,”

Toynes said, “I could be a one man show unlike with film

where I needed the help of others in addition to actors”

With no real education in design, Toynes be-

gan classes at Austin Community College.

“You can go to any college you want, it doesn’t matter,”

Toynes said “unless you want to become a better designer.”

Toynes has been a professional design-

er for about five years. Doing an assortment of proj-

ects for different clients he has picked up a few things.

“What they don’t tell you in school, unfortunate-

ly,” Toynes said “is that the biggest problem you will

ever find is trying to educate the client on how to treat

BY: BRANDON REED

36 FEATURE

When Toynes works with his clients he teaches them to

respect his professional opinion. Toynes has had many ex-

periences where the client has a specific vision but Toynes

has told his clients that it isn’t the most affect way. The

client sometimes doesn’t care and says “I’m paying you.”

“Even though in your heart it wasn’t your best work,”

Toynes said, “there are times where as a designer you’re hungry

and you just have to get this project done and pay your bills.”

Toynes also adds that sometimes he

has to “Pick and Choose [his] battles, and

sometimes [he has] to put up a good fight.”

Even now Russell is a designer he too has his fa-

vorite designers. He has a strong respect and jealously

for type designer Jessica Hisch whom he describes her

as “down to earth and a really cool chick.” He had the

privilege to meet her at a Design Ranch here in Texas.

“These young designers are coming out with new

things way to early in their careers,” Toynes said.

Toynes’ favorite process is concept. Toynes loves

sitting down with a client and just having a nice con-

versation and getting to know them as much as possi-

ble, this will give Toynes an idea to go about the project.

“You’re only good as you are, as a design-

er you only have your ideas,” Toynes said.

He adds that working in teams is important.

“Working with other designers and getting criticism from

them, is the most important thing that can happen,” Toynes said.

“You have to set your feelings aside getting honest feed-

back from people that only respect you to get better,”

Toynes said. “Every idea you have is not a good one.”

When Toynes is thinking of an idea for concept he

thinks of every word that associates with that cer-

tain project he is working on. By writing down ev-

ery word big key factors will start to come up.

“I love design,” Toynes said “I love seeing my solu-

tion working too communicate some ones or even

my own message. Toynes loves art across the board.

To the right is one of Russell

Toynes’ graphic work. He uses

different elements such as gradients and space.

1. Carnegie Mellon University Founded in 1900, the university began as Carnegie Technical Schools before becoming the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1912. From there the school merged with Mellon In-stitute of Industrial Research in 1967 to become the Carnegie Mellon we know today. The school is world renowned, earning the 21st overall position in the Top 200 World Universities done by Times Higher Education, and US News and World Report ranked Carnegie Mellon 22nd in the nation amongst national research universities.

2. Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia Commonwealth University was initially founded in 1838 as a medical college and has expanded throughout the last century to become the well respected, state affiliated university it is today. The skilled teaching of the faculty members and the col-laborative information derived from professional resources within the local community ensure graduates receive a comprehensive and rigorous educational experience. The 120 credit Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program in Graphic Design offered at Virginia Commonwealth University

3. Rhode Island School of DesignThe Rhode Island School of Design, one of the finest stand alone design schools in the country, was founded in 1877 in Providence, Rhode Island. Today the school offers a rich student life that includes shared resources with contiguous Brown University including social, academic, and community resources. Students at RISD have the op-portunity to attend joint courses with the Ivy League school. Over 2,200 students and 350 faculty and curators call the Rhode Island School of Design home, and the school also receives visits from over 200 artists in a typical year.

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1