Minggu, 01 Juni 2008

Neurologist, choir explore music's healing power By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - Noted neurologist Oliver Sacks has found common ground with the pastor of Harlem's Abyssinian Baptist Church: Both men believe in the healing power of music.
Sacks, the best-selling author of "Awakenings" and "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," shared the church stage Saturday with the famed gospel choir as part of the inaugural World Science Festival, a five-day celebration of science taking place in New York this week.
"It should be an exciting and unusual event," Sacks said in an interview this week. "I will talk about the therapeutic and beneficent power of music as a physician, and then their wonderful choir will perform. ... And the audience will make what they can of it."
Sacks' most recent book is "Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain," which examines the relationship between music and the brain, including its healing effect on people suffering from such diseases as Tourette's syndrome, Parkinson's, autism and Alzheimer's.
"Even with advanced dementia, when powers of memory and language are lost, people will respond to music," he said.
A Baptist church is an unusual venue for Sacks, a professor of clinical neurology and clinical psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center who was brought up Jewish but is not a religious believer.
But the central role of music in church makes Abyssinian a good place to discuss the myriad ways that music affects the human brain, said Sacks, who was played by Robin Williams in the movie version of "Awakenings."
Abyssinian's pastor, the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, said the choir is looking forward to performing with Sacks. He noted that music plays a central role in the healing power of prayer.
"What we have been studying ... is that when you pray, there's actually a physiological change in the body," he said. "Music is very much a part of this. There are certain notes that generate in the human body a kind of peacefulness."
Abyssinian was founded by Ethiopian sea traders in 1808 and is celebrating its bicentennial. It is a popular destination for European tourists, who line up around the block in Harlem for Sunday services.
The event there is one of two Sacks is participating in during the World Science Festival. The other focuses on vision and the brain.
The festival was conceived by Columbia University physicist Brian Greene and his wife, Tracy Day, a broadcast journalist.
"Our intent is to help shift the public perception of science, so that people realize that science is as important as art, literature, film, theater," Greene said.
Panelists include Nobel laureates, as well as actors, dancers, philosophers and science journalists.
Greene said he hopes the festival will spread to other cities.
___
On the Net:
http://www.worldsciencefestival.com/
http://www.abyssinian.org

Alternative band Seether accepts "Chopper Challenge" by By Kamau High

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Consider it the latest case of a band becoming a brand. When the producers of "Chopper Challenge" needed a brand to feature in an upcoming episode of the motorcycle-building reality show on CMT, they opted for a different approach from the cable and insurance companies they had already used.
Every week, the 10-episode prime-time series presents a different bike builder constructing a custom motorcycle that incorporates a brand into the vehicle design. Previous shows included the Incredible Hulk, insurance company Geico and Time Warner Cable's RoadRunner broadband service.
Now, Billboard has learned, "Chopper Challenge" will for the first time use a band as the featured brand. The band in question is South African post-grunge alternative act Seether.
The band's image and logo will appear on the June 4 episode's custom bike, and three of its songs will be played during the show. The finished Seether bike will be donated to a charity of the band's choosing. Band members will appear in the episode to chat about motorcycles.
Reuters/Billboard

Java Festival: Diramaikan Empat Band Nagri!

Siap-siap New Found Glory, Simple Plan, One Republic, Lost Prophets akan mampir ke Jakarta. Mereka akan tampil berbarengan, jack!
Empat band internasional itu akan tampil sebuah festival musik baru bertitel Java Festival yang dipromotori Java Muskindo. Kalo nggak ada halangan festival musik ini akan digelar tanggal 31 Juli-1 Agustus 2008 mendatang.
New Found Glory dan Simple Plan akan tampil di hari pertama. Sementara One Republic dan Lost Prophets akan main ditanggal 1 Agustus. Selain empat performance nagri,ada Andra and The Backbone dan Melanie Subono yang akan mendampingi. Masing-masing di hari pertama dan hari kedua.
Sejauh ini Java Festival udah lebih dari sekadar gosip. Pihak Java Musikindo melalui situs mereka, mengklaim baik band nagri ataupun band lokal udah menandatangani kontrak. Jadi mereka memang udah siap untuk tampil di Java Festival.
Tiketnya 650 ribu perak, per satu hari. Festivalnya sendiri rencananya akan dimulai pukul 18.30 dan berakhir pukul 23.00. Venue yang dipilih adalah Tennis Indoor Senayan, Jakarta. Siap-siap nabung, jack! (boim)

Seurieus mengeluarkan Serdadu Rock!

Album ke empat Seurieus akhirnya keluar. Itu pun diwarnai dengan perkelahian. Tapi isinya bisa bikin kita ketawa. Bingung kan?
Penggarapan album Serdadu Rock termasuk lama. Butuh waktu sekitar dua tahun untuk merampungkannya. Karena apa? Karena berantem, jack!
Bukan berantem secara fisik juga. Tapi lebih kepada brainstorming bagaimana musikalitas Seurieus di album ini. "Dulu sih, salah dikit, hajar aja. Sekarang nggak begitu lagi. Malah kebanyakan berantem," bilang Candil, vokalis berambut kribo palsu itu.
Pada album Serdadu Rock terdapat 12 lagu bervariasi. Nggak melulu rock. Dan menurut Seurieus, album ini lebih "berisi" ketimbang album sebelumnya. Beberapa lagunya akan membuat kita tertawa. Tapi sekaligus membuat kita berpikir mengenai dunia yang kita tinggali ini.
Mau bukti? Hayati aja singel Gelap Mata. Lagu ini mengusung balada romantis. Gimana seseorang begitu mencintai kekasih impiannya. Pokoknya akan menyadari apa arti cinta yang kita miliki. Siap! (reza)