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WI DM SDAY, ( )CT< >bl K 10, 2007 PAGE 7 Dashboard Confessional release The Shade of Poison Trees By Grant Wallace Staff Writer grannntS7@yahoo.com ______ —— Photo courtesy Wikimedia.or^ Barely a year since Dashboard Confessional's last album Dusk and Summer was released, Chris and Cos. have already recorded and released the newest installment in the lengthy Dashboard disco. Five albums in, Chris Carrabba has returned to his roots, going for his patented acoustics-only approach. The Shade of Poison Trees should please everyone from The Swiss Army Experience creativity at Mia Bella's Free Verse By Fontez Brooks Staff Writer Falridg / @My. westga. edit On Tuesday night at 10 p.m. Mia Bella's welcomed back the Soul Star crew for another installment of the Free Verse Experience. Hosted by Estrelle Young, a.k.a Just E., the Free Verse Experience is, just as the name suggests, an evening of free artistic expression for the students here at West Georgia. The event opens the floor for students Your Collegiate Readership Program is back and better than ever! University of West Georgia v Pick U P y° urC °P^ mm The New York lines, #V rii'JsL and the ■ Times-Georgian 19 ’Z*3s£l! I at the following r locations: -mm jap v Technology Learning Center, “Z-6” Cafeteria and the University Community Center. 1 Sponsored by the %’ i VP of Academic Affairs, your SGA and the 4* Black Student Alliance News happens! Keep up! Inspiring Thought Sljc iNcUt JJork Simcs Knowledge Network Romance die-hard fan to their more recent A Mark. A Mission. A Brand. A Scar era. For a lot of fans, DC’s earlier work will always be their favorite, and for me, MMBS will be mine, but Poison Trees shows that even though Dashboard’s best years have come and gone, there's a reason why we can call these albums our favorite, and this is why. The man has been at it since 1999, and at 32 years old, he’s still going strong. DC's latest. Dusk and Summer, was the band's loudest record, utilizing all of the members, not just focusing on Chris. Despite being their least lik • record (generally sp, wing), it sold a respectable 440.000 records: that showed they still had something in to perform their poetry, singing abilities, instrumental skill and a variety of other talents. With a crowd just as diverse as its performances. Free Verse is a haven for talented people searching for an audience that will listen. The crowd did listen as Marcus Adkins performed the song “I Will” to a welcoming crowd, and West Georgia's own trumpeter Justin Thomas debuted his newest song “School is in Session.” them. The decision to release anew album so soon after this raised a bit of hesitation in me, but 1 was ready to move on. Poison Trees is all Chris but the band backs him up on half of the album’s 12 songs. Clocking in at just half an hour, each song barely scrapes the three-minute mark; musicianship at it's best. This is the first time in awhile that 1 can make it through an entire album without having gotten bored halfway through. And although 1 prefer the acoustic-only songs, the full-band tracks make for great variation. The only complaint would be Chris's choice to try to take back the word gold digger in “Where There's G01d..." Pardon me for being naive, but 1 believe Kanye West coined this phrase and 1 think that’s how it should The night was. according to the members of Sou! Star, the most successful night of the year, drawing a crowd that pushed Mia Bella's to standing room only. The Free Verse Experience, states vice president Asahei Barnes, is the perfect middle-of-the -w eek entertainment for students. Running every other Tuesday at Mia Bella's in the Square at 10 p.m. sharp, The free Verse Experience is always looking for new talented performers. •USA TODAY Education # hr (dKmilgL ■ {■raßcHra " wifi:, ‘SKT •* ~ stay. Ami despite my plea for the “heavier” tracks (drummer Mike Marsh only opens his hi hats maybe three times throughout the record), "The Kush” secures its spot as my favorite. I could see this being their next single, but I might be biased as it could have UWG Theatre tames crowd with entertaining production By kevon Marshall Staff Writer The University of West Georgia gathers its finest actors u igetlter to ft >n n tlte cast for William Shakespeare's The Tuning of the Shrew. Gist week, the West Georgia Theatre Company presented one of the 16th century's most popular comedic plays. 1 Tie play was directed by Amy Cuomo, who added some clever twists to the over-.ill plot that allowed it to better appeal to a more contemporary audience. Though the underlying satire found in Shakespeare's work might not have Ivon easily understood by today 's viewers. West Georgia's production was full of comedic references that could be grasped by everyone The play was lfee for students, and was well worth seeing. The thought and effort that was put into its production was more than evident in the craft w itli which it was presented, flic actors emanated a chemistry that seemed the result of brilliant directing. Cuomo obviously took into consideration the fact that Shakespeare's humor could not be soundly appreciated without a proper exaggeration of the characters as well as various well-placed, and funny, interjections. A middle finger here, and a punch to the groin there, along w itii a lew sexual innuendos by Senora Baptista (Jenny Lyle), subtly added to the play's over-all comedic value. Phntn h\ Tprt*ni •/> Hmhm Tl II WI ST .IAN A&l very well passed off as a b-side for MMBS. And it should go without saying but Chris can sing. The man has pipes like an organ. Crisp. clear, and strong as ever. He transcends effortlessly from quiet singing to his unmistakable yells that can only be fully The play follows the pursuits of various men out to win the heart of Senora Baptism's younger daughter. Before they can court her however, they must find the elder daughter a husband. Because Bianca (Amanda Smallwood) cannot he courted before her elder sister Katherine (Tangela Large), the men after her affection must deceiv e every one if they hope to have a chance at her. Hortencio (Alex Turbyfield) and Gremto (Daniel Barnes) convince an old friend, I’eUnchio (Matthew Liner), to ask for Katherine's hand in mamage so that they can attempt to woo Bianca with* >ut inteiierence from her mother. Petmchio agrees, despite the assurance by those around him that she has one of the most unpleasant temperaments in Padua. Meanwhile a new comer to Padua, Lucentio (Casey Sheahan) eyes Bianca and falls in love with her as well. He then hatches a plan to disguise himself as a tutor that could enter Baptista’s house aid pursue Bianca in secret. He trades clothes and status with his servant Tranio (Andrew Chance) aid sets into motion an intricate plai to w in Bianca’s love. The plot follows into a series of schemes aid deceits that serv e as the basis for the plays witty representation of the trials of love. The manner in w hich tire characters handle themselves is purposely inflated to emphasize the comedic aspect that it is famous for. This is all performed skillfully by the Photo ( ourtrw My span' < om appreciated in a live sett ing. Two tracks are streaming now over at the band's myspace, and I would strongly suggest a good listen or two. Or three, ww w. myspace.com/ dashboardconfessional actors w itliout cheapening the general theme of the play . The supporting character’s not only add to a certain comic relief at times, but also serve as essential assets t( > the flow of the story line. It was hard not to laugh at the antics of Grumio (Chris Ringkamp). and Biondello (Hope Mullinax). The eiatx .rate webs spun by the characters, such as the acquisition of numerous identities, challenged the actors to conform to different personalities. The trading of identities between Tranio and Lucentio allowed for a hilarious interaction with Lucentio’s father, Vmcentio (Matt Williams), involving nearly the entire cast. It was impressive to wiuiess how highly structured the set was. and how smoothly scenes transitioned from one to the other. The production staff is to be commended for the effort put forth to make The Taming of the Shrew such a success. As for the acting itself, a better venture could not have been taken on by the cast, each actor performed effortlessly and w ith charming talent. Tangela Large left a stirring impression as she issued Katherine’s mi .noli >gue toward the end of the play, but all the perfonnances were equally memorable. The Tuning of the Shrew alluded to the misconceptions many people have about what it means to be married, and even more so, what it means to love. Its direction under Amy Cuomo along with its vibrant cast led to its inevitable success.