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Mindset

the zine of WVFI

[Fall 2011]

ndmindset.net

@NDmindset

wvfi.nd.edu



Letter

Love,Laura Mittelstaedt

Mindset Editor

table contentsof

from the Editor

Dear Readers,

Welcome to Mindset , the zine of wvfi. Full disclosure:

Mindset is the most creative, ingenious, innovative, and revolu-

tionary thing on campus. And you, dear reader, are therefore cre-ative, ingenious, innovative, and revolutionary by association. Ac-

colades to you, my friend.

You may ask, “What is Mindset ?” You may also ask, “Why

did I receive Mindset during a paint party/dance party on the

quad?” The answer is, quite simply, that Mindset is a student-run

zine published through ND’s on-campus radio station wvfi. And

you received one of our precious zines at a paint party/dance

party because that’s just who we are: we are fun, we like to do the

unexpected, and we think that up until now, Notre Dame has been

tragically devoid of disorder. And paint.

Mindset is not just a zine. And we don’t just write about

music. Within these pages, you will find cultural commentaries,

satire, and a flippant disregard for what Notre Dame “normally”

publishes. Mindset is different, so we write differently. We aim to

challenge how students typically express themselves in campus

publications, and we aim to expose our readers to new music and

to go beyond “the bubble,” developing fresh ideas about our cul-

ture and even ourselves. These may be lofty goals, but Mindset

writers are not exactly known for being pragmatic.If you want to join us, want to disagree with us, or simply

want to learn more about us, please visit our blog at ndmindset.net,

follow us on Twitter @NDMindset, email us at [email protected],

or come to meetings on Tuesdays at 8:30 in 200 LaFortune. Any-

one can post on the blog by clicking the “Submit Things!” link and

we are always excited to hear from fresh voices and different per-

spectives. Now that I’ve officially plugged Mindset , it’s time for me

to let you get to what you really want you to do: READ MINDSET .

Part One: getting in the miNDset1. Petty Poetic Protests - Various Writers

2. “Get Yo’ Freak On:” Moderately Improbable Party Themes - Various Writers

3.Monologues of a Party: a PopBoy Rant

4. @Thingstopregame - Charlie O’Leary

5. SEEN - Laura Mittelstaedt & Matt Mancini

6. Best Off-Campus Music Venues - Malcolm McCollum

7. Notre Dame Hipsters - Matthew Hentz

Part Two: miND on music (and other things)1. Playing Hooky with Steve Jobs - Alex Rosales

2. Tears from a Red Envelope - Collective Consciousness

3. My Favorite Albums of 2011 - Cameron Kupfer

4. Music We Like: St. Vincent - Alex Rosales

5. Music We Like: Girls - Michael Hathaway

6. Why Jane Austen is Terrible - Ralph Linwood Millett, IV

7. Smells Like Teen Ignorance - Michael Hathaway

8. So Yeah...Remember Classical Music? - Conor Lloyd

9. Artists We Talk To: Ted Leo - Malcolm McCollum & Alex Muench

10: Arists We Talk To: Highways - Laura Mittelstaedt

11. The Brain of Creation - Matthew Mancini



Part One:getting in the miNDset

A b i t a b o u t o ur

wr i t e r s [ i n

f i v e w or d

s ]

Matthew Mancini

Michael Hathaway

Matthew Hentz

Cameron Kupfer

Conor Lloyd

Ralph Linwood Millett, IV

Sally Williams

fairly boring; talks too much

baconed the narwhal at midnight

tall and tired and hungry

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matthew mancini rocks at life

con queso con queso yeaah

uses “transcendental idealism” in sentences ]

The Smile Sessions Nov. 1st

[ Check out more of our articles at ndmindset.net ]



Celi ne

By : Elisa DeCastro

author unknown

Everyone dresses like their favorite giant reptile and dances like a T-Rex. Unfortu-nately, dinosaurs dont t very well into dorms and they probably don’t sell dinosaurcostumes at University Park Mall. But where else could you hear a girl exclaim,“OMG. I can NOT believe that Stacy copied by pterodactyl costume! What a b*tch.”

Famous for being the rst party theme where girls AREN’T called “hos,” the“Ugly Betties and Yetis” theme requires girls to dress like Anne Hathaway atthe beginning of The Princess Diaries and boys to dress like yetis. However,asking girls to wear anything but short dresses and heels is like asking themto stop drinking “lite” beer. Also, ND guys are close enough to Yetis to begin with...we don’t want them to think it would be ok to be any less groomed.

[Moderately Improbable Party Themes]“Get Yo’ Freak On”

Are you searching for the perfect theme for your next party? Do you want it tobe moderately impossible to execute? Check out Mindset’s suggestions and getready to party like we’re not at ND.

.....................................................Theme:

*Ugly Betties and Yetis Party

Theme: Dinosaur Party *

It’s like your 8th grade science fair but the town drunk has somehow gottenin! Make posterboards detailing your experimental beverages and have peo-ple come by and drink the concoctions in the name of science. Medals willbe awarded, even for Timmy, who’s made a disgusting combination of vod -ka, beer, and lime juice. “Honorable Mention” means everyone’s a winner!

Theme: Science Fair Party *

Ever wish you could duke it out against your least favorite politicians? Dressas your favorite politician and settle political differences the good ol’ fashioned way: in a pool of mud.

Theme: Democrat VS Republican Mud Wrestling Party *

Dress as your favorite “rock” (igneous or sedimentary, glam or folk, diamond oremerald, etc.). Eat nothing but rock candy. Listen to nothing but rock music.Plus! Prizes in two categories: best geological outt and best rock star outt.The prize? Pet rocks! Oh, and all drinks are served “on the rocks.” Yum.

Theme: Rock Party *

Seniors: do you miss the days of being crammed into a 10x10 dorm room with100 drunk strangers of your closest friends? Well, now you can relive the glory days! Just set up a 10x10 area in your off-campus house, force everyone to stay in it all night, only play Top 40’s music, and have someone dress up as a rectorand yell about ResLives and leaving enough room for the Holy Spirit (just tokeep everyone on their toes). Party on!

Theme: We’re-not-in-a-dorm Dorm Party *

music of shame

The weekend brings dorm party madnessAnd it always lls me with sadness

‘cause they all forget

That good music existsAnd instead stick to ear-splitting badness

By: Erin Hallagan and Meg Larson

There once was a girl named Celine Dion.From Quebec to Vegas she blessed us with song.

Elle chante en francaisShe's a Canadian, eh?

Without her our "hearts couldn't go on."

cultural desertNotre Dame is a black hole

Mindset is the cure

Notre DameBy: Alex Rosales

Mindset Magazinelisten and dance to music

like a jellysh

By: Laura Mittelstaedt Mindset

archaic software

piercing through my cyber soulless advanced than pong

ConcourseBy: Matthew Mancini

Lafortune

so this one day i was walking through La-Fortune and isaw this guy standing overby burger king and i was likeoh my god thatguy is so cuteand i asked my

friend do youthink he wouldever talk to mehe is like socute and shesaid ew why would you wantto talk to a boy they have coo-ties boys aregross but all icould think wasoh my god he isso cute i wantto marry himand have his ba-bies. luckily i goto notre dameso i only hadto wait three weeks before heproposed to me.

[ Comments? Questions? Disagreements?

Write about it at ndmindset.net ]

[because it’s less offensive when it’s written as a poem. right?]

Petty poetic protests



More Party themes...

No lights (or electricity), sing your own songs, and girls on one side of the room while the men dance together. Sounds like fun, huh?!

Theme: Amish Party *

[ Tell us about your party theme ideas and listen to our “Party Playlist” at ndmindset.net ]

For all you PLS majors out there. To attend the “Socratic Symposium,” you mustrst do the required reading and answer a question about the text in order to beadmitted. Only wine is allowed. The last person to fall asleep wins the argument.

Theme: Socratic Symposium Party *

Quite possibly the best party theme ever. Everyone has to dress up and act likea different Nicholas Cage character. Get ready to do lots of yelling and to haveREALLY bad hair.

Theme: Nicholas Cage Party *

Because everyone loves Creed, right? Picture it: leather pants, rosaries, andarms wide open. Everything you need for a great party.

Theme: Creed Party *

Themed party to raise awareness for the mess that was the BP oil spill. Every-one spills their drinks everywhere and employs nonsensical methods to cleanthem up (chopsticks, glitter--maybe it will soak up the liquid!--hand sanitizer,etc). $5 donation at the door. All proceeds go to the animals that were harmedand to research new methods of oil-removal.

Theme: BP Oil Spill Party *

Party theme contributors:

Sally Williams

Justine MurnaneAlex RosalesConor Lloyd

Elisa DeCastroRalph Linwood Millett, IV

Michael Hathaway Matthew Hentz

Laura Mittelstaedt

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[A Rant from the One and Only PopBoy]Monologues of a Party

As a theatre major (I hope it goes without saying that because I am atheatre major I know everything and I breathe objective truth), I am enrolled in“Audition Seminar” with Anna Wintour’s scary younger cousin. In this class wemust nd monologues that have an action, address another character, and havean objective. After weeks and weeks of searching for a monologue, I have only found one appropriate monologue, while the so-called “vets” of the class have per-

formed at least six uninteresting and sucky monologues. Analyzing the conditionsof these monologues made me ask myself: “what kind of person monologues dur-ing a conversation?” And then I remembered every. single. party I’ve been to overthe past four years. That is all people do. Conversations don’t happen. Monologueshappen. One person talks, while the other person pretends to listen, secretly plotstheir escape, or plans to fake alcohol poisoning. Below are examples of mono-logues that one might encounter at a party (*with my comments in parentheses).

Saint Africa Hi, what’s your name. Oh that’s cool (*you didn’t wait for me to tell you my name) I justgot back from Africa where I helped orphans (*I didn’t ask) learn how to read and write

(*I still have yet to ask) while encouraging them to take up western fashion styles (*yousound racist) such as tennis shoes (*that sounds like a bad idea). This way the kidsdon’t have to walk barefoot (*I’m pretty sure giving them shoes has been scientically proven to be a bad idea) and not be uncomfortable (*I don’t think they’re uncomfort-able; they grow calluses). They were just so happy when they saw the shoes (*Africansare always smiling because they haven’t been poisoned by western materialism), andI felt like I really made a difference (*those people you gave shoes to probably cannotrun as fast as they used to), and now, I totally see the world from a new perspectiveand know what’s important in life (*why haven’t I walked away yet? I’m walking away).

Theater kid

I hooked up with this guy last night and omg now he’s been calling me every day.(*Didn’t you just say it happened last night?) I just don’t know what I’m going to do. I am so embarrassed. (*I don’t remember your name. I don’t think we’refriends, why are you making me suffer through this?) Why does this always happento me? (*I don’t know, maybe because you’re a nymphomaniac? Just a guess.) Ialways get into these situations (*yeah because you’re an idiot). And oh my good -ness, you’re never going to believe who texted me this morning at 4AM (*I will notplay this game. I am going to check my cell phone now and hope my mom is call-ing me). Mark called me last night (*Let’s not pretend I know who Mark is.). Hehad the gall to call me last night after what he did to me. (*In his defense, you’renot particularly fun, nice, or interesting.). And then I have this show I am in and

omg the professors give me homework like they don’t know I’m in this show (*How tragic). I mean, hello! I am in a show (*are you in a show?) . I am in a show. I amacting in this show (*Wait, you’re in a show?). I am performing in this show. (One

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more time…you----are in a show?) And I’ve been so busy working on this show, it’s just ridiculous that they want me to do homework too. (*Oh I think I re-member your name now…Emma Watson? No, that’s not it...um, Kris-tin Stewart? No, she’s better at acting than you are...Oh! Are youEmma Stone?! No. You’re not. You are not famous. Stop complaining.)

Business MajorMoney! Beer! Drinking! ALCOHOL! Chicks! Party! Hangover! Ah! (*Hey, uh,

my friends and I are going to have people over here to pregame...so can youstop shouting random words while drinking alone in your room? Thanks).

Buy me a drink (*who are you?). I’m not drunk enough buy me a drink (*No.). My feet are hurting. Man, these high heels suck. (*Do I look like I care? If you think yes,

you fail. If you think maybe, you’re wrong. If you think no, you’re right. Walk away.).I am just so tired. That guy that I like won’t talk to me (*What do you want me to doabout it?). Do I look fat? (*Don’t make me answer this question). Am I pretty? (*Seri-oulsy you’re digging yourself a hole) I bought his dress specically for tonight. Doesit make me look hot? (*Let’s pretend we never had this conversation. I’m leaving.)

annoying chick

F resh man I’m drunk. (*…) I am so drunk. (*...) Look at me I am drunk. (*...) I cannot believehow much I drank. I probably drank about a gallon of vodka, two thousand beers, andan ocean of jungle juice (*...). I am so drunk that I think-- (*I’m walking away now).

Jersey ChaserSo I was at the Gug (*Oh god.) the other day and my friends were getting out of practice, and they were really sad. So I was sad because I was like, “my friendsare sad” (*they don’t like you). I was almost as sad as that time when my bestfriend got hurt at a game--he was a wide receiver--and I just started crying in thestands (*you’re a fool). Everyone started looking at me like I was crazy (*no they

were just witnessing a real ho for the rst time--remember, it’s ND. Sheltered stu -dents.), but I’m not crazy. They just don’t understand. (*If by understand youmean care, you’re right). My best friends are out there on that eld and when they lose, I, like, feel their pain (*blah, blah, blah). And so I just like try to be therefor them and support them in any way I can (*Yeah, we all know, don’t worry...).

[ Read more PopBoy rants on our blog at ndmindset.net ]

In brief, I guess my acting professor is right after all. Parties have shown me that thereis so much material out there!

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@thingstopregame[Charlie O’Leary]

meet charlieHi. My name is Charlie. And I’m a tweetaholic. I started tweeting in 2008, way before it

was trendy, and I currently maintain four different Twitter accounts. The rst step isadmitting you have a problem, so at least I’ve got that going for me. I used to be a normal(“normal”) tweeter, with only a personal account. It wasn’t until this past spring that I

created my rst secondary account: @LPalLovesTweets, named after a friend who re -fused to create her own twitter account. Though @LPal initially began as a rough parody of my friend, it gradually morphed into a terrifying personality that had to be deleted sothat LPal (the real LPal) could, you know, “get a job” “in the future” and “stuff.”

meet the new way to tweet

Though @LPalLovesTweets is no more, she sparked in me a re: a special kind of re, wherein you create fake people and make Twitter accounts for them. This is totally nor-mal and not weird. Anyhow. Last month, my friend Dylan and I began a friendly competi-tion to see whose fake Twitter account could get more followers: @1StylishGirl (his) ver-sus @ThingsToPregame (mine). That lasted about a day before we realized that we couldbe much funnier if we collaborated, and now we share responsibilities for both accounts.

And then that lasted about a day before we realized that our friends were much funnierthan we were, so a few of them regularly contribute suggestions to both accounts.

meet @thingstopregame

I can’t speak for @1StylishGirl, but @ThingsToPregame was inspired by Notre Dame’sdrinking culture, specically the fact that Domers seem to rarely go to any social gather -ing without a buzz. Taken to the extreme, this leads to debates over what it is appropriateto pregame. Thus, @ThingsToPregame is nothing more than a parody of that culture, fullof advice that should absolutely not be taken. Pregame away!

Tweet TweetThe #best things to pregame in 140 characters or less...

@thingstopregame : EATING SBARRO PIZZA! Because let’s be honest, they pre-gamed making it.

@thingstopregame : BED! Who wants to go to sleep sober?@thingstopregame : TWITERING!!1 lol this is so much baetter than I thot@thingstopregame : DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS! Turn a routine check-up into a night

on the town.@thingstopregame : INTERVIEWS! You’re never going to go to work sober anyways...

let them see the real you!@thingstopregame : AUDITIONS! My objective is to get my scene partner to leave

the room, and my tactic is to vomit on his shoes.@thingstopregame : YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Kindergarten can be very

intimidating otherwise.

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[ *Note: Neither Charlie O’Leary nor Mindset condones these actions. ]

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SEENThe Spectator | ndmindset.net Excellence. Every. Single. Day.

Playlist of the Week:LETS PARTAYYYY!

1. “Party Rock Anthem”LMFAO

2. Stereo Hearts

Gym Class Heroes

3. Sexy & I Know It

LMFAO

4. We Found Love

Rihanna

5. I Wanna Go

Britney Spears

6. Born This Way

Lady Gaga

7. Party Rock Anthem

LMFAO

8. Stereo Hearts

Gym Class Heroes

9. Sexy & I Know It

LMFAO

10. S & M

RihannaYou guys. This is like, the best play-

list ever. We are at Notre Dame.

And we are, like, SO ready to par-

ty. And this playlist will keep us

dancing in the dorms ALL NIGHT

LONG. This is the best playlist

because every single song has the

same beat. And four of the songs

are LMFAO. And 90% of these

songs are in iTune’s “Top 10.” So...

yeah. Let’s party. #ilovemusic

Fabulous Fall Fashion

(Look, Alliteration!)

Why does everyone say that NotreDame students have absolutely no

taste in fashion? I mean, I have seen

SO MANY new fashion trends since

school has started. For example, I’ve

seen girls wearing rainboots. And

sometimes students even wear jack-

ets. Jackets are SO HOT right now.

Also, I’ve noticed some girls wear-

ing dresses! So chic! I didn’t realize

there were any options other than

wearing oversized jeans and t-shirts

every day, but dresses are, like, ac-

tually a good option! Oh, also, there

have been so many TOMS on cam-

pus. I am so happy that we are all

beneting the universe by giving

free TOMS to children in Africa! I

was in Africa last summer and I saw

so many kids wearing TOMS and Iwas like, oh my god. We do so much

good for humanity. Fashion does

so much good for humanity. Notre

Dame students are cool because they

pick up on trends that started like

three years ago. Oh and also, I love

it when girls wear leggings as pants.

That is SUCH a good idea! Com-

fortable AND slimming. Who knew

such a thing existed?! You go, NotreDame. Your fashion kicks butt!

SEENThe Spectator | ndmindset.net Excellence. Every. Single. Day.

Eight years after its Broadway de-

but, Wicked is still the best musical

in the history of the world. Wicked

is the story of two witches, one good

one bad. One is green. One oats

around in bubbles. It is funny and

sad. I laughed and cried a lot. There

is a story that has a beginning mid-

dle and end. There is a cast. The castis composed of actors and actresses.

The main actresses have brown and

blonde hair. They dance and sing.

The singing was really good! I was

singing during the whole show. The

singers sing really high. There is

ying too. The lighting is green–

and blue too! (I was surprised by

that one). The costumes were really

cool. I don’t want to ruin it for youso I won’t say any more– I hope I

haven’t said too much! I enjoyed

myself. You will enjoy it too. Tick-

ets are a lot of money and the show

is playing on Broadway now. You

can get your tickets online, but not

on DPAC’s website, because this

show is on Broadway not at Notre

Dame.

NOTRE DAME

LOVES GREENRudy-licious

Rudy is the best movie ever. Thecinematic magic that pours out of

it warms the hearts of thousands

everyday. While watching Rudy ,

one will instantly be surrounded

by a blanket of warmth compa-

rable to drinking an Irish coffee on

the Cliffs of Moher while smoking

a pipe, reciting Gaelic, and pick-

ing four-leaf clovers--in brief there

aren’t many things more Irish thanRudy . After watching Rudy count-

less times, I’ve come to realize that

Rudy is more than a man and Rudy

is more than a movie. It is a repre-

sentation of how a small man--who

transferred to Notre Dame, failed

to make the football team mul-

tiple times, nally made the foot-

ball team, played for ve seconds,

and made no signicant plays--canmake a difference. Thus, Rudy is

not a message about Notre Dame’s

rich past, but a message about how

Notre Dame encourages students

who do something insignicant to

move to LA, write an over-drama-

tized script about their life recount-

ing mundane facts, get rich, move

to Las Vegas, and become a hero

for many. So watch Rudy. OwnRudy . Be your own Rudy.

(Three Shamrocks)

*Note: the opinions expressed in SEEN are denitely not those of Mindset .



Best off-campus music venues[Malcolm McCollum]

You’re probably familiar with the live music offerings at Quincy’s, Fiddler’s, Fever, and oth-er ND haunts. Here are a few off-campus venues that may have own under your radar:.

Langlab. Unquestionably one of the coolest spaces in the area, this converted com-puter parts warehouse south of downtown regularly features local, national, and

international acts of all avors. In addition, Langlab -- which describes itself as a“multi-use co-workspace facility” -- hosts poetry readings, art exhibitions, parties,lectures, lm screenings, etc. and is very open to ideas from the community.

Address: 1302 High St., South BendDistance from ND: 3.5 miles south (south of downtown)Style: Open format: everything from punk to free jazz to interpretative dance

Admission: All-agesPrice: Suggested donation of $5-10Link: http://www.facebook.com/Langlabsb?sk=infoLink 2: http://www.langlabsb.com/ (scroll sideways)

L A N G l a b

Generic. This downtown vintage and custom clothing boutique located around thecorner from the Main Street Cafe has gained a reputation as one of the best all-ages

venues in the area. Listen to local and national indie and punk acts. During thebreaks, shop for a new belt buckle.

Address: 127 W. Washington St., South BendDistance from ND: 2.5 miles south (downtown)Style: Rock, pop punk, indie, etc.

Admission: All-agesPrice: Around $5Link: http://www.facebook.com/GenericSB

G e n e r i c

Subkirke. Hosts indie rocks shows in the acoustic-friendly sanctuary of the SouthBend Christian Reformed Church (the name is derived from an attempted acronymof S.B.C.R.C.). Although afliated with the church, Subkirke doesn’t limit its pro-gramming to Christian rock acts. Indeed, since its birth in 2009, Subkirke hasalready booked some big names (e.g., Bowerbirds, Maps and Atlases, S. Carey of BonIver, among others). Expect four to ve shows a semester.

Address: 1855 N. Hickory Rd., South BendDistance from ND: 2.5 miles east (towards Mishawaka)Style: Indie, etc.

Admission: All-agesPrice: $8-12Link: http://www.subkirke.com/

s u b k i r k e

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The Bender Ballroom. This all-ages venue plans to open its doors sometime during the 2011 fall semester. The proprietor Bill Finn of Finncade Productions (see below)says you can expect live music every Friday and Saturday night featuring local, na-tional, and international acts of all genres. Stay tuned to the Bender’s website formore details.

Address: 1621 Eldora Ct., South BendDistance from ND: 3 miles south (just west of Ironwood and Lincoln Way East)Style: Metal, hardcore, indie, punk, hip-hop, etc.

Admission: All-agesPrice: $5-10Link: http://www.facebook.com/benderballroom?sk=info

b e n d er b allr

oom

The Wander Inn. This dive located south of downtown Mishawaka has been one of the best underground rock venues in the area for quite awhile. For example, theWander’s schedule earlier this year included punk legends the Dwarves, the Queers,and several other national-level acts. Expect cheap drinks and occasional moshing.

Address: 417 S. Main St., MishawakaDistance from ND: 5.5 miles southeast (near downtown Mishawaka)Style: Mostly punk, metal, classic rock, but also others

Admission: 21+

Price: Free-$10Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wander-Inn/143082899042663?sk=wall

T hew a n d er

i n n

Martha’s Midway Tavern. Perhaps one of the most famous blues venues in theMidwest, Martha’s in Mishawaka is a local institution. Since opening in 1924, thisformer speakeasy (which boasted Al Capone as an occasional patron) has hostedlegendary blues acts Pinetop Perkins, Sam Burckhardt, and many others. Expecta 1930’s-era dance hall, an impressive beer selection, and the best blues for miles.Don’t leave ND without visiting Martha’s.

Address: 810 W. 4th St., MishawakaDistance from ND: 5 miles southeast (near the 100 Center in Mishawaka)Style: Mostly blues, sometimes soul, jazz, rockabilly, Motown, etc.

Admission: 21+Price: $5-20Link: http://themidwaytavern.com/

M ar th a’ s t a v er n

The Strutt Cafe and Bar. If you don’t feel like going all the way to Chicago, makethe drive to the Strutt in K-zoo. This café/bar/restaurant/venue boasts a greatspace and has been booking some impressive national-level acts lately (e.g., the HoldSteady, Shonen Knife, Dan Deacon, Lightning Bolt, etc.). Check the calendar.Distance from ND: 70 miles northeast (take I-90/80 east to 131 N)Style: Indie, “fresh and weird”

Admission: All-ages or 18+

Price: $5-20Link: http://thestrutt.com/

the s tr u

t t

[ See photos and learn more at ndmindset.net ]

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Notre dame Hipsters[Matthew Hentz]

Attention: a paradoxically mainstream hipster culture has materializedover the past decade. You may recognize it by the blaring noise-pop, the signaturelove of PBR and tattoos, or the endless consumption of coffee and cigarettes. Asa nonconformist, the hipster adheres to a strict standard of taste in music andstyle. Clothes are best, not when purchased from a thrift store, but when found ina dumpster. (However, Anthropologie or Urban Outtters will always do). Though

Arcade Fire is now denounced as “too mainstream” the band won the 2011 Gram-my for Album of the Year and has ofcially solidied “hipster” as the dominantsubculture. Even Wheezy and Kanye are tightening their jeans, donning theirRay-Bans and dusting off some Otis Redding vinyls.

The hipster culture, with its addiction to the fringe, is no longer connedto art schools, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the city of Portland. It has, apparently,nally spread to Notre Dame.

Notre Dame students are notoriously lacking in originality and individu-ality. Case in point: the very fact I am writing this at the end of 2011, over two years after Time Magazine published an article on hipsters, illustrates the generalmindset of Notre Dame students. We don’t like “different” and we, not so secretly,love the rules (be it societal or parietal). Notre Dame students especially decry

the emergence of any apparent subculture and anything that seemingly standsagainst the corporate networking, synergist ways all “good” Domers adhere to.While there is an upward trend in Ray-Bans, skinny jeans and Converse, the gen-eral population of Notre Dame students still loves to label an ambiguous and uidgroup that does not t the mode as “hipster.” Thus, I introduce you to “The NotreDame Hipster.”

What characterizes the Notre Dame Hipster is not an action or connec -tion to a common subculture. Rather, they are dened by their divergence fromthe norm, by any singular distinctiveness. Instead of being categorized by a setof common beliefs or habits, the Notre Dame Hipster is labeled as such merely because he or she doesn’t like the exact same things or strictly adhere to the samelife philosophies as every other Notre Dame student. Further, You might be a Notre Dame Hipster if…Your musical interests extend past the Top 20 (even the Top 40 is too edgy).You do not make an annual pilgrimage to a Dave Matthews concert.You own at least one vinyl and sometimes analyze the lyrical content of songs.Notre Dame clothes and/or sweatpants are not in a perpetual rotation.You don’t wear Abercrombie daily and you have shoes other than Sperry’s or Uggs.Your pants are even slightly slim tting.You’ve grown a mustache.You wear any kind of dark-rimmed glasses.You’ve been to a farmer’s market or artisan fair.You’ve read to the end of this article and already asked yourself whether anyone is truly a hipster, or whether it is a neomythical aspiration of counter-conformity,used to gain a false feeling of individualism and self-worth, while fueling con-sumerism of the indie-chic. Perhaps all hipsters, and not just the Notre DameHipsters, are correct: they are not Hipster.

Part dos:

miND on music(and other things)



It’s a little hard to believe that the man who changed the game in somany ways is gone. The visionary founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, had such agreat impact on this world. Not just in the world of computers, but the worldof music, movies, and the way we live our everyday lives. Take the rst hourof the day I played hooky last week for example:

I tried to wake myself up for class with an alarm on my iPhone. It’sa tired ringtone of the Who’s “Baba O’Riley” I’ve heard a million times, but when I rst created it on Garageband (on my MacBook), I loved it. Next, Ihooked my iPhone up to speakers, pressed the shufe button, and took ashower while listening to my iTunes. After I changed, I decided I “couldn’t”

go to class so I pounded out an email to my professor (on my MacBook) say-ing that I was deathly ill (really I just had senioritis/a hangover) and for thebetterment of the University and myself, I should denitely stay home. Aftermy excuse for missing class was sent, I climbed back into bed and watchedan episode of “Anthony Boudain: No Reservations” from the YouTube appon my iPad. When I realized that I should probably make sure there was noquiz in the class I was missing, I quickly texted my friend on my iPhone. Sheresponded, “UR good”. Phew. Another productive and busy day with all my crazy devices.

What’s the lesson of my rambling story? In just this small amount of time, I had done things that would have been nearly impossible just 10 yearsago. Never before could a lazy student coordinate a day of hooky so easily and be so well entertained.

But in all seriousness, Steve Jobs will be greatly missed.Thank you, Steve.

playing hooky with steve jobs[Alex Rosales]

[ Visit ndmindset.net to listen to our “Playing Hooky with

Steve Jobs” playlist ]

Dear Netix,

You messed up. You owe us an explanation a refund.

It is clear from your emails and your poorly thought-out pricing and namechanges that you have absolutely NO idea what you are doing. All I want is toavoid doing my homework stream movies and watch DVD’s. But apparently, you have nothing better to do than think of ways to mess with your custom-ers and write inane emails.

I wasn’t upset with you after you increased prices. I wasn’t even upset with you when you decided to be completely illogical separate Netix into twodifferent companies (though, P.S. Qwikster is the worst name I have everheard). No. I was upset when, one day, I was browsing through my instantqueue and I noticed that THE LAST SONG STARRING huge-toothed MILEYCYRUS was listed as my top suggestion! Shame, Netix. Shame on you.

So anyways. Now I am writing YOU a letter. Not to apologize for repeatedly screwing up, but to inform you that we are over. It’s been a good run, but I just can’t do this anymore. It’s not me, it’s you.

Goodbye,

Everyone with common sense

[ Comments? Questions? Disagreements?

Write about it at ndmindset.net ]

[collective consciousness]tears from a red envelope



#4

My Favorite Albums of 2011[Cameron Kupfer]

#1 St. Vincent: Strange Mercy

#2 WU LYF: Go Tell Fire to the Mountain

WU LYF--a band shrouded in mystery--hails from Man-chester, England. The band garnered a cult following with their strong live performances and released theirhighly anticipated debut album earlier this year. Go Tell Fire to the Mountain does not disappoint. Ellery Roberts sounds almost pained and remorseful; his voice grumbles over organ and piano chords, as a guitar nimbly pulls thelistener through the whole album. This album is similar to Arcade Fire’sFuneral because WU LYF has something to say; as listeners it is our jobto sit back and watch the story of this amazing new band unfold.

[ Suggested Track: “HEAVY POP” ]

#3 Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues

Helplessness Blues starts right off where Fleet Foxes’ self-titled debut left off. Robin Pecknold and co. continue tocreate beautiful, unique, and organic folk in which thestunning vocals of Pecknold are accented by the back up vocals of the rest of the band. The increase of instrumen-tation in this album along with the still incredible vocalarrangements has helped Fleet Foxes create their new

masterpiece, Helplessness Blues.

...See Alex Rosales’ review on page ...

...See Michael Hathaway’s review on page ...

#5 Minks: By the Hedge Minks, a little-known band from Brooklyn, features goth-ic, new age pop that is heavily inuenced by shoe-gaze,and post-punk acts like The Cure. Like the Girls’ albummentioned earlier, their album is a mixture of a variety of genres; ranging from the shimmering shoegaze-ish“Indian Ocean,” to the gothic pop song “Ophelia.” Thisis the rst of three Captured Tracks records to be in -cluded in the top ten releases of the year.

#6 Pink Grafti: Secret Cities

Pink Grafti, a small band from North Dakota might bethe most surprising addition to this list. Their album Se- cret Cities snuck past almost everyone and only receiveda 7.4 in Pitchfork’s music review. But Pink Grafti craftsa light-funky-psychedelic pop, and their strength lies in

the arrangements of their songs. They deserve a spothere just for the surprising fact that they can manage tocreate anything interesting in a place like Fargo, NorthDakota.

[ Suggested Track: “Pebbles” ]

#7 Morning Teleportation: Expanding Anyway

During most of last year Morning Teleportation could befound opening up for acts like Modest Mouse and Cage theElephant. Without having released a single recording theirreputation grew on the strength of their live performancesalone. After signing to Isaac Brock’s record label, GlacialPace, they released their debut LP Expanding Anyway ,to the delight of those who had seen them live. While thesongs are lacking the energy they contain in their live performances, theband now has a greater emphasis on lyrics and musicianship. Not only canthey create 8 minute epics such as “Wholehearted Drifting Sense of Inertia,”but they can also masterfully produce short and intimate songs like “Day-dream Electric Storm.”

[ Suggested Track: “Expanding Anyway” ]

#8 Craft Spells: Idle Labor Craft Spells, the bedroom project of a Stockton Califor-nia native Justin Vallestros, exploded when his nostalgicdream pop appeared on internet blogs and music websites.

Guitar melodies played over the top of a pulsating synth,appear through most of the album. And Vallestros’ voicemournfully tolls the laments of his life. Some of the songsare among the best of the year, but the overall lack of con-sistency in the album bars it from having the distinctionof being one of the most best albums overall.

[ Suggested Track: “Ramona” ]

[ To listen to Cameron’s suggested tracks and see our otherfavorite albums of the year so far, please visit ndmindset.net

and click on the “Print Issue” link.]

[Suggested Track: “Helplessness Blues”]

[ Suggested Track: “Out of Tune” ]



This is what I’m talking about. Annie Clark keeps taking steps forwardas an artist with each new release. From Marry Me ’s charming, yet too-innocentpop to Actor ’s dark and mysterious sound, Strange Mercy hits the perfect spot in

between the two. At times, I could hear her previous albums converged into one.The rst track is a great example: St. Vincent begins the album with

“Chloe in the Afternoon”. This song is a beautiful contradiction. Using heavy synth and electric guitar that contrasts with her delicate voice, Clark describesthe scene: she’s “black lacquered” with a “horse-hair whip” in hand (put two andtwo together). Despite this bad-girl moment, she feels a deep regret and recites,“No kisses, no real need”.

My favorite track on the album isalso its most upbeat. “Cruel” really showsoff Clark’s hidden gift that many of us didn’t

know she had: Annie can kick some ass on theguitar. With crazily distorted guitar riffs play-ing over a very danceable drum beat, Clarksings of the cruelty of indifference. Just watchthe music video; that creepy family denitely personies the subject matter of the song.

“Strange Mercy”, the title track, por-trays an innocent young girl who only knows her father through a “double pane” visitation room in prison. She has a yearning to know him and feels a strangemercy for him, stating, “If I ever meet that dirty policeman who roughed you up…No, I don’t know what.”

All in all, St. Vincent’s third album has exceeded my expectations. Clarkhas matured musically, while still retaining that signature tension between dark-ness and innocence that makes her such a mysterious and alluring artist.

[ Listen to Alex’s Suggested Tracks at ndmindset.net ]

[ Suggested Tracks: “Cruel,” “Strange Mercy,” “Cheerleader,” “Dilettante” ]

San Francisco band Girls recently released their sophomore LP, entitledFather, Son, Holy Ghost , which is somewhat misleading, as religion isn’t exactly the central subject matter of this nonetheless existential album. With this release,Girls join the ranks of bands like Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver who, over the course of three releases, simply refuse to write a bad song. Since their debut album, Album ,Girls frontman Christopher Owens has emphatically bared his soul in each song,only garnering more condence with each release. Owens’ vocals strongly con -note a cathartic sense of pure, innocent, yearning for love, meaning, and trust.For a dude who grew up watching his mother prostitute herself in the City of Godcult, Owens’ emotional maturity and honesty with himself is remarkable, andmakes the success of this record all the more impressive.

music we like: girls[Michael Hathaway]

[Suggested Tracks: “Honey Bunny,” “Die,” “Vomit” ]

Perhaps the greatest testament to Father, Son, Holy Ghost ’s strength asa record is that its songs vary wildly in sound and structure while maintaining astrong feeling of cohesiveness throughout its sprawling 55 minutes. From rapidhard-rock anthem “Die,” to “Vomit”’s triumphant “Great Gig in the Sky” climax,to the gospel singers in “Magic,” this album is full of depth of production andstyle. And in each song, Owens laments and preaches and grieves about the mostuniversal, yet personal topics that concern us, expressing sentiments close to hisheart with a sobering passion and reverence that stuns anyone who spends thetime to listen closely to the album in its entirety.

Barring Thurston Moore and J. Mascis, theindie music scene is not particularly well-knownfor sporting skilled guitarists. Considering Owens’

seemingly vulnerable and emotional character, itcomes as even more of a surprise when, 5 minutesinto “Forgiveness,” Owens breaks into an absurdly righteous and melodic guitar solo that successfully panders to everything we love about classic rock mu-sic. But Owens is also perfectly well-rounded in hisinstrumentation, as the tenderly intricate acousticngerpicking at the beginning of “Just a Song” read-ily demonstrates.

[ Listen to Michael’s suggested tracks atndmindset.net ]

Music we like: st. vincent[Alex Rosales]



Most kids from our generation will tell you that they grew up listen-ing to the oldies because of their parents. We all think that, to some degree, we have an awareness of music from the 60’s and 70’s and 80’s because ourparents force-fed us the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Police. But none of us were brainwashed with the same stuff. While I was getting a heavy dose of the

Police and the Pink Floyd, my friends were slowly realizing that their parents were cool because they listened to Zeppelin. While some would say a householdis not complete without a copy of Pet Sounds , when a friend and I brought it upin conversation, a girl we were talking to looked at us quizzically and said, “PetSounds, what’s that??” Somehow we all grow up both cultured and clueless. Ihadn’t listened to Led Zeppelin or Davie Bowie until sophomore year of college,but I was arguing about the critical importance of Syd Barrett to Pink Floyd’smusical development before I learned to drive. This puts us in a strange position,because the music we listen to today pilfers many facets of the past, which means we often nd ourselves entirely ignorant of the inuences our favorite bands call

upon. What does this mean for our capacity to appreciate the bands we call ourfavorites?

Unfortunately, my parents did not introduce me to Zeppelin or Bowie,and nor did my friends. Instead, sophomore year, I had an epiphany. I’d spentmuch of the year trying to listen to more modern indie music and acclimatemyself to bands I thought I should listen to: The White Stripes, Arcade Fire, TheNew Pornographers, and so on. I listened to their albums over and over and readtheir album reviews, and in doing so, I couldn’t help but notice how often thenames of older bands get name-dropped in album reviews. It became more and

more clear to me that the people reviewing these records had a deep and intel-lectual understanding of the music that impacted the albums in question, andthat this knowledge was vital for them to understand what they were listening to. I never read anything about the Pains of Being Pure at Heart without hearing about this mysterious My Bloody Valentine group, whatever they were about. Itook it upon myself to diverge my listening habits into the new and the old. And,invariably, it was considerably easier to get into the new stuff than the old. Zep-pelin was dark, Sonic Youth was loud and obnoxious, the Smiths were just plain weird, and Joy Division made me really, really sad. But the more I forced myself to catch up on music I’d missed growing up, the easier it got, and the more I

came to appreciate what was once difcult to swallow. More importantly, how -ever, I started being able to pick out inuences of old music in new music. Therst time this happened was when I was listening to one of the more orchestral

[Michael Hathaway]smells like teen ignorance

A brief moment of honesty, dear readers: I hate Jane Austen. In fact, Iloathe almost everything about the woman. From her myriad muddled works tothe legions of tittering fans it has since spawned, I can’t stand anything abouther (on a side note, you know who else spawns legions? Hint: Satan / StephanieMeyer). But before you descend upon me with acerbic remarks and relegate meto the desolate land of chauvinism, ladies and English majors, let me assure youthat I’ve had ample exposure to the woman that so many adore Not only has the(clearly failing) American educational system coerced my unwitting teenage self to read two of her novels, but a friend also dragged me to the Jane Austen mu -seum, the only blemish on the otherwise awless Georgian visage of Bath. I thinkI can say with condence--bordering on certainty--that the Pride and Prejudice ,perhaps the author’s most famous work, is nothing but a sensational and socially narrow-minded account of an upper middle-class family meant to appeal to com-moners with a taste for romance and pettifoggery of the basest sort.

Another brief moment of honesty, to those still reading: I have a thing

for the Kardashians. Before you go getting all “Ew, some of them are, like, re -ally young/old/male,” let me clarify by saying that my love for them is strictly platonic (except for you, Kim). Now, I don’t claim to be an acionado on the show or anything, but I will admit that a strange fascination washes over me when Istumble upon an episode, holding my hand immobile on the remote until it’sover. Why, you might wonder, do I nd this so troubling (besides the obvious is -sues of quality and my masculinity)? Because the Kardashians are nothing butthe curvy, Armenian, 21st century embodiment of the Bennetts. You've got thedoting mother who pushes her daughters into romance and orchestrates busi-ness affairs (which, in 19th century parlance just means arranging a benecial

marriage), the placid eldest daughter who also happens to be the most attractive(and who marries the modern equivalent of Mr. Bingley - wealthy and himself at-tractive but without substantial character), the vacuous younger sisters obsessedboth with physical attractiveness and entering unnecessarily into relationships(because, let’s face it, they’ll never be qualied for anything else), the brother who kind of sucks at everything and that nobody really likes but rather tolerates(read: Mary), and the kind of ineffective father gure of Bruce Jenner. Heck, if you wanted to stretch it, you might even compare Khloe to Elizabeth.

Now I’m going to lie and claim that this article actually has a point. Be -cause I don’t really have anything else to say. But just know that Jane Austen isterrible. And the Kardashians, though vapid and self-centered, are more enter -taining than any character Jane Austen ever could have created.

why jane austen is terrible[Ralph Linwood Millett IV]



songs on Nick Drake’s Bryter Layter. All of a sudden, I was like, “holy sh*t, thisis Belle & Sebastian! He sounds just like Belle & Sebastian!” No, B&S sound likeNick Drake. I then listened to some B&S songs, waiting to hear the Nick Drake inthem. It was undeniable; these guys had listened to Nick Drake a LOT. And having discovered this connection, my love of both artists grew immensely, just because Ihad a better understanding of who Nick Drake inuenced and how B&S expressedtheir appreciation of him.

Seeking familiarity with music from the past makes me appreciate mod-ern music because I think it’s interesting to see these connections. Not everybody cares, and that’s okay. But if you’re simply not that interested, the value of look-ing back doesn’t stop there. Having nally gotten around to listening to My Bloody Valentine’s sublimely beautiful Loveless, I’m now more prepared to accept andappreciate modern music that heavily draws on it (which is, like, everything). Lis-tening to Loveless has broadened my modern musical horizons. And it will neverstop broadening those horizons. I am permanently predisposed to liking anything that successfully incorporates MBV inuences.

Indie music is typically synonymous with “young people music.” WhileI’ve somehow gotten my dad to listen to The National, he will never really “get” why the Flaming Lips’ lead singer’s terrible, terrible voice makes me happy none-theless. It seems that as people grow older, they inevitably become set in their ways and stop being adventurous with what they listen to. I don’t want to be likethat, and catching up on all the music I missed because I didn’t exist yet is what will help keep me from becoming like that. So you don’t have to be interested in webs of inuence or trends in music history, but if you want to be able to under-stand or perhaps even enjoy what your kids are listening to in 20 years, listen tothe music that’s responsible for what you listen to now.

I think I’m taking a safe bet when I say most people like classical music--it’s a bit hard not to, since pretty much all music since Bach and Beethoven andtheir lot has really been a creative slew of plagiarism. Don’t believe me? Takeany popular song today and compare it to one of Mozart’s symphonies. Go on,I’ll wait right here. You back yet? Yes? All right, cool, that was pretty fa – wait.

What, you didn’t notice how they were similar? Bah! Well...then just take my wordfor it, ok? Anything popular and “new” that you hear today has probably beendone before. Anyway, as to the actual point of this little rant...I miss classicalmusic. There’s something really powerful about those old orchestral pieces. Casein point: Handel’s “Messiah.” Even ignoring all the religious connotations andlistening to just the music, there’s something unbelievably powerful and moving about “Messiah.” You stand during the Hallelujah Chorus not just because you’resupposed to, but because you want to. Because it’s so awesome – and I don’t meanlike ‘Dude, that was totally I awesome!’ I mean that you are lled with complete

and total awe.So, where did that go? You don’t really hear a new symphony nowadays,and orchestras are more likely to play renditions of pop songs than to come up with new pieces. Now, as an avid lover of classical music, this saddens me. Why can’t there be new arias? What’s wrong with an original concerto? I think the an-swer is money. Most songwriters nowadays could probably come up with some fan-tastic pieces (and quite a few do, in the modern sense), but instead turn to what’spopular when composing songs. In a world where “in” music changes monthly,it’s incredibly important to stay as close to the top of the curve as possible if one wishes for success.

When I realized this, I despaired a bit. Was there no hope for me to hearnew compositions that don’t involve hip-hop rhythms or “fat beats”? *Dramatiza-tion*: As I sat sulking in a dark corner, bemoaning my lot in life, I was set uponby a most magnicent revelation! I HAD heard new music that harkened back tothe times of old(e)! But where? Where had it been? Two places! One obvious andone not so obvious, but neither on the radio.

The rst was to be found in movies – and I think maybe one or two of my readers have perhaps nodded their heads in assent? Or perhaps let loose a little“Aaah, I see?” Well, to the unconvinced, I ask you to think back to the last Oscar- worthy movie that you watched. I would be surprised if you remember hip-hop

songs as being part of the soundtrack, mostly because those types of songs aren’tall that successful when it comes to creating an emotional reaction in the

[Conor Lloyd]

[ Listen to some of Michael’s favorite

songs at ndmindset.net ]

so yeah...remember classical music?



audience. Perhaps some of the best “classical” minds of today – people like HanzZimmer and John Williams – are composing scores for big budget lms.

And so you ask: “But wise and all-knowing Mindset writer, what of theother place? Where else have you heard new music with a ‘classical’ feel?”

Oh, don’t worry young ones, I won’t leave you hanging.

That’s just not how I roll.The other place is — believe it or not — video games. Now, some of you arealready shaking your heads in disgust, but I think one or two of you are now curi-ous. And so I am writing for you, curious reader! I’ll pull out the big guns rst:Halo (HA! Did you like my pun? Guns!). That song that always plays during theopening screen? The song that’s practically the theme music for the whole Halofranchise? It’s depressing, haunting, and powerful. And, without a doubt, it has a very classical feel.

Big gun #2: Sephiroth! Dun dun duuuuuuun. To anyone who as everplayed/heard of Final Fantasy 7, that name immediately evokes feelings of fear

and frustration – and the theme music “One Winged Angel” does the same thing.It’s a massive orchestral piece lled with ominous latin chanting. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Look it up! [Though skip past the (admittedly very cool)rock version and check out the original].

Yeah, not exactly “modern,” right?So, we’ve found ourselves a bit of what could be called ‘classical’ music,

but what does that really do for us? “Great,” you say, “People are still making clas-sical music. So what?” So what indeed! I will hold nothing against you if you de -cide to take nothing from this article, but for those of you looking to get a bit outof this whole thing, I give you this: if we should ever forget the genesis of modernmusic – if we should ever turn completely away from those massive gatheringsof musicians all working together to perform songs which a few speakers and acomputer can now emulate on their own today, I think we would lose something very important. I’ll not say what it is—though perhaps it is because I’m not sureof it myself—but I am sure it is something we want to hold on to.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

[ Listen to “modern classical” music at ndmindset.net]

Artists we talk to: ted leo[Malcolm McCollum & Alex Muench]

Q [ WVFI: You’re not on tour right now? ]

TL: I had a tour booked. I was going to be coming from Cleveland. But stuff hap-pened at home and I had to cancel the whole thing. It’s arguable whether I’ll haveanother chance to come back and play Notre Dame anytime soon. And also, whenI had to cancel stuff, I knew that after a couple of weeks it would probably be really healthy for me to come play a show. So, I kept this one on the books. And, I gotplane miles. [laughs]

a

Q [ WVFI: There’s a rumor on the internet that you were born in South Bend? ]

TL: Yeah. My dad was in law school here. But, my family’s all from New York andNew Jersey. So, I don’t have any family or roots here. During the last couple of

years of Vietnam, my dad was stationed in Indianapolis. So, for the rst couple of years of my life, I was here. And, I ended up coming back here

a

Before his show at Legends this past January, indie rock legend and former WVFI DJ Ted Leo sat down with PR Director Malcolm McCollum and Mindset Editor (and, current Station Manager) Alex Muench to discuss Notre Dame, college radio, new music, and the

joys of tweeting.

Q [ WVFI: It says in the WVFI records that you were the ‘Hardcore ProgramSupervisor’. ]

TL: [laughs] My roommate and I started a Hardcore Show. So, I guess, sometimes Imight have been referred to as the Hardcore Program Director. So, maybe because

we did that, we were de facto Hardcore Program Supervisors? [laughs] But the only ofcial position I ever held was Program Director.

a

Q [ WVFI: What was WVFI like when you were here? ]

TL: I know that being bumped off the airwaves and going to the web initially seemedlike a real bummer; but there’s probably no question that it’s a better situation than

what it was like when we were here, because it was carrier current AM signal; it wasn’t actually broadcast. So you couldn’t even get it in the quad. You had to beplugged in somewhere on campus to get it. The web probably – even early on – made

it a much more broadly available station relative to what it was.

a

Q [ WVFI: Where did you hang out when you were at Notre Dame? Was there muchinteraction between ND students and South Benders in the music scene? ]

a TL: Well, I’ll tell you I’m kind of freaked out walking around. It’s so completely different. I’m actually staying at the Faireld Inn over there. And, I’m like: “Wow!There’s this hotel right next to where I’m at!” – and, then there’s all of Eddy Street .There’s a Chipotle! Wow. [laughs] All the roads are different. Everything seemstotally different. I’ll need to walk around in the daylight tomorrow. But, in terms of

where I used to hang out, Grace Hall used to have a coffee house in the basement.And, they used to have a weekly thing that bands would play. Also, when I rst gothere in 1988, there used to be a dance night at Theodore’s. This was in the upstairsof LaFortune. They had comedy shows there and dance things and bands wouldcome to play there. And we’d sometimes book bands from out of town to play there.But, as far as interaction with South Bend goes, there were some bands and somepeople in the late 80’s that we had contact with. There was a club in Mishawaka in



Q [ WVFI: In the current economic situation, many universities have decided to

sell off their college radio licenses (e.g., KTRU at Rice and WRVU at Vanderbilt).Given this growing trend, do you think - as many are now saying - that collegeradio is dead or perhaps dying? ]

a TL: Tough to say. I certainly, in my own experience, think that college radio mightnot play as big a part as independent radio of various kinds - for instance, variouspublic radio stations. But I think that it is one medium that can probably – pro -

vided that the funds can be met for the FCC fees and transmitters and all that eachfund-drive cycle – I don’t think the web is something that’sgoing to hurt radio. I think it ’s something that can probably only enhance its value. I think it’s very shortsighted, un-fortunately, of all these schools that are closing down theirstations. This also just happened to KUSF in San Francisco.

This was sort of like the Rice situation, where the station was sneakily sold. Musically, I think that the web and all of the access that it grants to content of various kinds prob-ably has had a deleterious effect on the value of college ra-dio’s music programming - at least in terms of listenership.Because all of this stuff is so readily accessible – whetherit’s YouTube or blogs or other things – the role that collegeradio played musically - on a broad basis, and I hate to say it, but it probably has lost its importance in that regard. Ona personal basis, you will probably nd lots of people all overthe place that would really hurt if their college radio station

went under and who really value the services that it provides. I think that one of the more unfortunate things about these stations shutting down is that there prob-ably could have been a creative solution in almost every case – some attempt torepurpose some of the air time. If music isn’t the real raison d’être of college radioanymore, then, on a simple access-to-music-that-isn’t-played-elsewhere level, whatelse can you do? College radio provides the community with music that isn’t usu -ally played on 99% of the mass media outlets. But college radio can also provide alot of information, a lot of advocacy, etc. that also doesn’t get dealt with in 99% of the mass media.

the Century Center [Riverside Tavern]. Black Flag actually played there, which wasalready a legend when I came here in the late 80’s. It was right before they brokeup. [laughs] And, then there was Club 23, which I know is probably still there. Weused to play there all the time with Chisel. Also, we used to do a lot of outdoor showsin the spring. These were often just kind of hit-and-run: someone would rent a gen-erator or run to the activities ofce and ask if they could have a band play (or notand get shut down). Chisel played here [Legends] once when this was the AlumniSenior Club before it was Legends. The big things were: Club 23, houses, upstairsin LaFortune and the coffee house in Grace.

Q [ WVFI: What’s inuenced you the most musically? ]

TL: It’s almost too broad a question to do justice to. Everybody goes through fazes with what they’re listening more to this past six months than the previous sixmonths and it always changes. When I rst started writing music, I was in highschool and in hardcore bands; and I was mostly listening to a lot of hardcore, alsolots of reggae, 80’s stuff - like the Smiths. I was always into mod culture, even asa little kid - – the Who (especially the early era), the Jam, Small Faces, and a lot of

a

Q [ WVFI: Is there any new music that you’re excited about? ]

TL: Absolutely. In 2010, we did a lot of touring with this band called the Screaming Females, who are my favorite band on the planet. They’ve got a few incredible records.But, as great as their records are, to see them live is a whole other level. Also, thisband Jeff the Brotherhood. They’re incredible. They’re from Nashville - a two-piecethat’s kind of garagey with a little bit of a droney prog element in there. Incredibleband. Also, there’s been a lot of good metal - this band Kylesa from Savannah, GA.They’re amazing. And, oh yeah, Titus Andronicus. We always try to bring a lot of

younger bands on tour. And, sometimes we gel; sometimes we don’t. Sometimes they break up; sometimes they last. The past few years have been really great for us interms of being continually inspiredby a lot of people whose bands have just been starting out and getting big – like Titus,Jeff [the Brotherhood], and Screaming Females. We took all three of them on tour last

year before they started getting big - it’s been a joy to be involved in that.

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Q [ WVFI: You’ve got a big Twitter presence. Why? ]

TL: It’s fun. I like it. I come from a pre-internet world, where there was a personable

aspect of artists that I really admired growing up in the punk world. I always thoughtthat that is one of the most important aspects of what separates, let’s just say, ‘my world’ – you can call it punk or you can call it underground or whatever – from the world of self-important rock stardom, etc. And, to that end, I’ve tried very hard tocarry that over through all the years that people have actually looked for that kind of contact from me. At rst, I would very dutifully answer every f*cking email that camein. When that got a little too much to handle on the spot, it’d be like: “Ted Leo neverresponded. F*ck that guy.” [laughs] But, I used to respond to every single email. And,

when it just got to be too much to do right away, I’d set one night aside a week - and itstarted to just take hours to get through them all. Then Myspace came along. It wasmaybe less pressure than emails – another way to just have a quick back-and-forthbetween people. And then, that got to be too much pressure. [laughs] And, then Face-book: same thing. And, I found Twitter to actually be a really nice balance of being

able to kind of put myself out there as a guy who’s going through his day thinking things and doing things - as opposed to just this entity on stage - and share that withanyone who cares about it. The limitations of the medium with Twitter actually lendsitself to not getting overwhelmed. It’s short. You’ve only got 140 characters. That’sall you’ve got. From there, something can lead to deeper discussion. And, there a lotof creative people who express themselves really well in short verse. And, it’s fun tofollow that. I just enjoy it.

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Q [ WVFI: What’s next for you?]

TL: Well, I don’t know. I can’t physically keep up the pace anymore. I’m nding thatI’m not as “teon” to the rigors of touring life as I once thought I was. It’ll be a littlebit of a slowdown. And, the fact that nobody buys records anymore actually affects me

in a very real and palpable way. That’s something I’m trying to negotiate again. I’mtrying to think of creative solutions for how I can remain an artist and be able to actu-ally survive doing what I do, which is getting tougher and tougher. But, all that said, Iam writing music. And, there will be a new album at some point - probably next June.

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R&B and 60’s soul. That became more important to me in the college years whenChisel started going from being a melodic hardcore band to bringing in more modand soul. I listened to a lot of Celtic music. I’ve been playing under my own name forso many years now; and I can kind of do whatever I want. I don’t have a band imageto conform to. And so, I can bring in almost anything.



Q [ WVFI: What is your creative process like? ]

JZ: I sort of alternate between touring, writing, and recording. I used to try to plan

the writing days out and try to get into a routine, but that never worked. A lot of my favorite ideas for lyrics, songs, or hooks come at the most inconvenient times, likeright as I’m laying down in bed, so I’ll have to jump right out and spend all night

working through the idea. For the past two years, we’ve had a studio with a wide variety of instruments and gadgets attached to our apartment, which has been sohelpful, especially in the writing stage. Running also helps me think through things.Another big resource is lm. That was my major at Notre Dame, and I love losing myself in lm or TV. A lot of the Highways lyrics come from lms - Sarah’s Song and Watch the Light for instance. I try to write a song every day, and every day I’mconvinced that what I’m doing is amazing, but over time, the songs just weed them-selves out very naturally. The ones we end up using are just the ones we like playing the most, for whatever reason.

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Artists we talk to: Highways[Laura Mittelstaedt]

Q [ WVFI: Do each of you have specic roles (lyrics writer, composer, etc) or do you work and write collectively? ]

KB: This album was put together pretty organically, in that we each lled a role asit came up—for instance, Johnny had some songs, and wanted piano on them, so Istarted playing with him. As we began recording, we needed more input and moreinstruments, so Joe, Dave, and Elisia stepped in with their own ideas and instru-ments. The plan is for the next album to make it more of a collective process, writ-ing and brainstorming and recording together, since we all write, and now that we’veestablished a sound and an aesthetic that we all really love.

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Q [ WVFI: What other bands or artists are you inspired by? What else inspires you? ]

JM: Leonard Bernstein!KB: Dreams, and energy drinks.

JZ: The television show Chuck. I’m a daily watcher. I think we’d all say coffee too.EG: Yeah, denitely coffee. And we all really love Radiohead.DL: And the Head of the Bed.

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Q [ WVFI: If you could see any artist perform, who would it be? ]

KB: The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. I saw them come out for a song at a My Morn-ing Jacket show this summer, and I’ve been digging them ever since. I’d love to seea full set. Or maybe Portishead.

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Q [ WVFI: Why Brooklyn? ]

JM: Because clearly it’s just the best place to be. a

Q [ WVFI: How does the scene shape and liberate your sound? ]JZ: There’s just so much in New York, it’s quite innite, but I actually think touring helps me think about our sound more than anything else. Between playing every night, seeing two or three other bands, meeting two or three more,

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ND grads Johnny Zachman, Kimberly Bunker, Dave Lucas, Elisia Guerena, and Joe McLean

released their self-titled dubut album Highways in September. Mindset had the chance to speak

to them about their creative process, Brooklyn, and what it’s like to pursue a music career after graduation. Check out the interview below and be sure to read more about them on our blog.

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[ WVFI: Do you nd that there are pressures from music consumers to produce acertain sound? ]

JM: Thanks to the internet, that’s not as much of an issue anymore.JZ: I always want my vocals to be quieter and end up losing arguments with the people

who mix and review our records.KB: I think the pressure is a good pressure, because it’s pressure to sound individualand original, not to adopt a certain sound or style.

[ WVFI: How are you breaking into the music scene? ]

EG: I feel like we’re all pretty fun and weird. We’ve met a lot of people at parties.

[ WVFI: What is it like to pursue a music career after college? ]

JZ: There was never any time to question the decision because I can’t imagine doing anything else - but it’s tough sometimes. We all have had to work random odd jobsto get by now and then - and it’s weird, sweeping a oor in a convenience store andhearing about your dorm buddies getting huge promotions and ying around in nicesuits and buying their mothers nice things. Every day or so, there’s a time when I feellike a total bum. Hanging out with Kimmy’s parents is probably the worst. Her sister’sboyfriend just bought a house. I couldn’t even keep my plant alive that they bought mebecause I was on the road so much. We’re together, by the way.

[ WVFI: What is your dream goal and how have you progressed toward it? ]

DL: Just getting paid to play music with my friends. Making enough to get by withouthaving to do anything else.KB: Honestly, mine is to publish a novel. So far, I’ve gotten two speeding tickets, seenPhish twenty times, learned to cook fajitas, turned vegetarian, recorded an album,and started my novel over three times.JZ: I think I’m alone on this one, but my musical goal is to play Deer Creek - theamphitheatre three hours south of ND. I grew up going to shows there, and I know that if I can make it there, it will really bring my life full circle. I’ve been making a lotof progress: other than Highways, which is really just starting up, I’ve been playing in the band Blow!, as well as doing producing, playing classical guitar at weddings,and I had a house gig as a blues bassist for awhile. Blow! has checked off quite a few measures off success - publishing deals, record deals, festival appearances, national

tours - but in our world, there’s no overnight blowup - but you can build up a sustain-able role in music if you put in the time honing your craft. And I think that’s a goodthing. I look at bands like The National, who have put out ve albums, and each one isfar more rened than the one previous. It took them awhile, but they’re there now andall the better for it. I’m not too anxious - I think we’re in a great place. My real life goalis to live by the sea with the ones I love. That comes up a lot in this record actually.

[ WVFI: Describe Highway’s sound in 5 words. ]

Dreamy urban existential driving soundtrack.[ Learn more at ndmindsetnet ]



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b i t a b o u t

W V

F I

What is WVFI?WVFI is the only student-run radio station at the University of Notre Dame.WVFI: The Voice of the Fighting Irish broadcasts daily from 10 a.m. to 1:30a.m. at wv.nd.edu. We also sponsor on-campus concerts with Legends of NotreDame. Bands WVFI has brought to campus include The Unicorns, Clap YourHnds Say Yeah, The Antlers, Pedro the Lion, Kimya Dawson, and Margot & theNuclear So and Sos.

Who DJs at WVFI?Any Notre Dame student can sign up to be a DJ at WVFI. Last year we had over160 student DJs broadcasting daily! Some famous WVFI members include Char-lie Weis (‘78), who worked as a Sports Broadcaster, and nationally-acclaimedmusician Ted Leo (‘94), who was a DJ and a Music Director.

What Kind of Music Does WVFI Play?Though WVFI primarily plays independent label “college rock,” we also featureprogramming slots of hip hop, punk rock, metal, clsassic rock, comedy talk, andsports talk.

How Do I Listen to WVFI?Please visit wv.nd.edu to listen to our programming. Shows stream from our website daily---just click the “Listen Live” link to check them out! Also, the pro-gram schedule is published on the main page of the WVFI site; you can see whatshows are scheduled and if any of your friends are current DJs!

Become a DJ. If you are interested in having your own WVFI show, please emailus at [email protected]!Write for Mindset. Mindset is a zine produced by WVFI. If you want to writeabout music and pop culture, email us at [email protected], check out our blog atndmindset.tumblr.com, follow us @NDMindset, or come to our meetings at 8:30on Tuesdays in 200 LaFortune. Anyone can post on the blog and we are alwayslooking for passionate writers!

How Can I Get Involved with WVFI?

WVFI Radio prides itself in the vibrant community that it fosters. We invite youto listen online, become a DJ, attend one of our concerts, or write an article forMindset so that you can participate in this totally unique and dynamic campusinstitution.

Love,The WVFI Executive Board of Directors:

John QuinnPatrick NguyenErin Hallagan

Alex Rosales

Brian DuSell

Alex MuenchMeg LarsonTim Ryan

Eric SecviarMalcolm McCollumLaura Mittelstaedt

A b i t a b o u t t h e B o ar d [ i nf i v

e w or d s ]

Alex Muench, Station Manager

Meg Larson, Assistant Station Manager

Malcolm McCollum, Public Relations

Laura Mittelstaedt, Mindset Editor

Brian Dusell, Graphics Director

Alex Rosales, Web Director

John Quinn, Music Director

Patrick Nguyen, Music Director

Tim Ryan, Head Music Director

Erin Hallagan, Archive Manager

Eric Secviar, DJ Relatons Director

can count to four. tim.

this is malcolm mcCollum’s bio

laughing parisian jellysh drink coffee

also I have great grammar

candy corn and raisinette enthusiast

facial hair grown: age 18

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ask me about my height

my limerick says it all

can play guitar while driving

i think stealing is wrong

makes real good art

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mindset fall 2011

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