TubaChristmas spreads Christmas music across the world

On Saturday, December 15, at 6 p.m. the annual world concert known as TubaChristmas will be held at the Livingston County Courthouse Amphitheatre. Tuba, Sousaphone, Euphonium, and Baritone Horn (high school and above) players are invited to participate and play Christmas carols, all while letting their talent shine.

TubaChristmas is an international event that is held at various times in hundreds of different cities and countries during the Christmas season. TubaChristmas was conceived in 1974 as a tribute to the infamous William J. Bell, who was born on Christmas Day. Through Bell musicians reflect on our heritage by identifying performances and experienced skills.

Traditional Christmas music presented at the first TubaChristmas was produced by American composer Alec Wilder. Wilder composed many solo and ensemble compositions for the Tuba and Euphonium. Through Wilder, and all masterful composers, we articulate our gratitude and embrace these instruments with their compositions and contribute to the ever growing melodies.
In fact out of the five years Howell has been running this event, 15-year-old freshman Jack Crilly has participated in four.

“I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be my fourth TubaChristmas. It’s an excellent, excellent concert. The music is written just right. The director takes his time and goes through all the preparations plus neat work that they have to do. I find it more of an honor because the Tuba is considered the bass and what disgusting people play is the stereotype of a Tuba player,” says Crilly. “Yet to have a whole bunch of neat people with different characters, just meeting other people is half the fun of it.”

Likewise 16-year-old junior Daniel Crisbgy has certainly made his appearance more than a few times. Due to another event that night he will not be returning to make a fourth appearance.
“Throughout the event I feel like I am a part of something. Since I won’t be going this year I feel like I’m going to miss out on something that I don’t want to miss out on. For the newcomers I would say don’t be discouraged because the music is hard. It’s a lot of fun, with good music too,” Crisbgy says.

Not only is this a wonderful way to show our gratitude to those who strive to excel through their talents, it’s also a way to donate to the not-for-profit foundation called The Harvey Phillips Foundation. This Foundation focuses specially on musical instruments and facilitates its goals by providing scholarship assistance.

“It’s for a great cause. It’s just an amazing experience. It’s really fun, it really is. You sit around with a whole bunch of friends, you freeze your mouths off onto a metal mouth piece, and you have fun with it. I mean you’re not the most comfortable when you do it but having fun doing it is what makes up for it,” Crilly says.

Above all it’s a wonderful event to take part in and a joyful way to spread early Christmas cheer.

“It’s almost like a family feeling,” says Crisbgy. “Everyone is there together.”

Country duo blamed for last summer’s tragic disaster

On August 13, 2011 a tragic and disastrous event took place during the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis, Indiana. The power-packed country duo, Sugarland, was to throw a concert that night. Just a half-an-hour before the concert was to begin, a violent storm started to brew.  Billowing black clouds started to fill the sky over the state fair. Winds of over 50 mph blew across the track where over 200 Sugarland fans were standing.

An announcer warned of the advancing storm and gave instructions on what to do if an evacuation was needed. Many witnesses said a wall of dirt and dust blew up from the track below their feet. Seconds after the announcement was made a huge gust of wind toppled the stage on which Sugarland was to perform in a matter of minutes. The rigging fell onto a crowd of fans trapping them under the fallen stage. The collapse killed six people.

Initially, fans and family members of those that were lost blamed Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of Sugarland. Two consulting firms were hired by the state of Indiana to investigate why the stage collapsed. On April 12, 2012 Jennifer Nettles gave her deposition pertaining to the disaster. Kenneth J. Allen, who was hired to represent several of the victims that were involved in the tragedy, leaked portions of the musician’s deposition to the public. Allen said that in a portion of the deposition, Nettles denied responsibility to the fans’ safety. “We are invited to come to a place and play. I don’t feel it’s my responsibility or my manager’s to evacuate the fans in case of danger,” said Nettles.

Fans are now appalled that such a caring and devoted musician would say such a thing, but the fact of the matter is, is that her statement is completely correct. Musicians are simply hired to perform and entertain fans. It is the venue’s responsibility to keep the fans safe and out of harm’s way. The stage was not built by Sugarland, nor was it their property. The stage was the property of the Indiana State fair.

The State Fair is an event spread across several days, and artists had been performing on that same stage days and hours before Sugarland was scheduled to take the stage that night.

Suspicions also arose as to why the concert was not canceled or at least delayed. It was said that Cindy Hoye, the Directory of the Indiana State Fair Commission asked Sugarland’s tour manager, Helen Rollins, if they would be willing to delay the concert. Hoye recalled that Rollins dismissed her suggestion to delay the show because Nettles had already warmed up, and prepared for the show. Nettles explained that she had no idea that the conversation between Hoye and Rollins even took place.

A lawyer asked Ms. Nettles why she had not made the call herself. Nettles responded that she had no idea that she had the authority to carry out such action. “I do not believe it was my responsibility,” said Nettles. “I believe it was the responsibility of the promoter of the concert, that being the State Fair.”

Nettles had also made the statement that if she herself had been asked to delay the concert that she would have done so. The weather that night was not clear to Bush and Nettles. Nettles says that Rollins had approached her about 90 minutes prior to her taking the stage, and  told her that they were going to have some weather in the area, but was not informed to the extent of it.

Bush and Nettles were indoors and underground of the stage, how could they have known what was going on above? Nettles claimed that she and her partner are not blaming the fans for what happened that night.

So who is at fault for the deaths of six people? Many have said that if Sugarland had not had all of their heavy equipment hanging from the stage that it could have withstood up to the 50 mph winds. Days after the collapse Indiana State Police and authorities surveyed the damaged of the collapsed stage. According to MSNBC U.S News, after many investigations and allegations, reports found that the stage rigging was not built to code. Therefore, this removes Sugarland from the accusation concerning their equipment being to massive for the arena. Allen hopes to silence Sugarland from making any comments regarding the lawsuit until the trial comes to a close. Kristian Bush’s deposition has not become public, but both musicians’ depositions as a whole will remain confidential.

Although Sugarland has already given their depositions, it is said that the trial will not end until sometime in 2014. In the end all Nettles had to say was this: “In all the back-and-forth between the lawyers, the suggestion’s been made that we’ve somehow been trying to avoid having to answer questions about last summer’s terrible tragedy. This is simply not true. There is no one who wants to get to the bottom of what happened more than we do…The judge has put limits on what can be discussed, but within those limits, we intend to be as honest and open as we can. We want all the facts to come out, not only for the sake of all the victims and their loved ones, but also so we can make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.”

After viewing the video of her deposition I believe that there should be no question whether Sugarland cares about their fans, and should not be held responsible for the deaths of those who were in attendance for their performance. The fairground officials should ultimately be held accountable for not evacuating the fans in such dangerous weather, and for the faulty stage rigging.

Band concert tonight at HHS

Everyone at Howell High School enjoys the music often made through evening band, choir, or other fine arts performances. This year has been successful for the band, including their trip to New York and their strong performance of O’ Fortuna in the Collage Concert.

But the last concert of the year is fast approaching. The final band concert is on Tuesday, May 15 at 7:00pm in the auditorium. As always, entry is free and the concert promises to be an exciting one.

A twist in this year’s final band concert is the fact that the 2012 Howellpalooza, a special event put on in the auditorium for bands and other acts, will be mixed into the band concert next week. Those expecting to go to the performance should prepare themselves for an interesting night that includes rock as well as classical music.

One of the most talked about pieces for this concert is a song titled, “Godzilla Eats Las Vegas”.

“It’s an unconventional piece and it’s really fun,” says sophomore Natalie Dunn, a member of the band. “It’s a thirteen minute piece and literally tells a story. The audience gets a script that tells them what is going on.”

Said to include actual sound effects and some surprising suspense, “Godzilla Eats Las Vegas” is just one of the many reasons you should attend the concert. As well as the fun pieces they play, band is also a well liked experience that many have something to say about.

“Being in band is like being a member of a second family,” says sophomore Eliza Bengala. “I didn’t join band until halfway through the year, and never once did I feel like an outsider. We all get along really well. It’s amazing how strong all of our bonds are with one another.”

Even if you are an outsider to the band and are looking for more entertainment in the area, this concert is still a beneficial way to spend the evening. As  the seniors last chance to play for you, it is also known to be an emotional night.

“The last concert is the best because so many people show up,” says sophomore Anne Potts of the band concerts she has played in. “It is the last concert before the seniors go to college. It is when we all get to play and have our time to shine together.”

Going to a band concert is one of the easiest ways to get involved in the performing arts section of Howell High School, even if you are just supporting it by being there. According to Dunn, it is very important for the members of the band to hear that the audience is there and appreciates all their hard work.

“The best part of any concert is being on stage and when we play something really cool. When it just works and the audience claps not because they’re supposed to, but because they actually like it, it makes me feel like, as a musician, I did my job.”

Making a splash with music: Upcoming spring and summer concerts for every genre, budget

Spring is here and summer is fast approaching, which means popular music artists and legendary rock bands are going to be performing in the Detroit area. Below is a concise list of seventeen major bands of all genres that are going to be playing this spring and summer, May through early September. However, for a quick overview, here are a few choices that might be worth your while:

Best Country Value: Brad Paisley with The Band Perry and Scotty McCreery, $46 per ticket
Best Classic Rock Value: KISS and Mötley Crüe, $50 per ticket
Best Rock Value: Thrice, $28 per ticket
Best Pop Value: Foster the People, $67 per ticket
Best Overall Value: Queen Extravaganza $25-$40 per ticket
Most Anticipated: Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, about $105 per ticket

Spring Concerts
Who: LMFAO, Far East Movement, Quest Crew, Sidney Samson, Eva Simons, and Natalia Kills
Date: Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Time: 07:00 PM
For about $80 per general admission ticket, you can see the popular “Sexy and I Know It” electro-pop group at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. There’s also a VIP Package available for the extreme fans, which includes various prizes including a possible meet-and-greet with LMFAO. The package prices vary, but of course the best way to get a good deal is to buy the tickets early. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

Who: Drake, J. Cole, Waka Flocka Flame, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, French Montana
Date: Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Time: 07:00 PM
Last-minute tickets are still available for purchase to see Drake and the other musicians who will perform at the DTE Energy Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan on May 30. The best seats offered right now are in the lawn section for general admission; ticket prices are about $50 per ticket. VIP Packages are also available, but the cost is pricey- about $325 per person. The VIP Packages include a concert t-shirt, early entry into the venue, and a premium reserved ticket for admission within the first fifteen rows. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

Who: Creed
Date: Thursday, May 31, 2012
Time: 07:00 PM
Currently, for about $85 you can purchase a ticket to see rock band Creed at the Fillmore in Detroit, Michigan. The best tickets available now are at center stage, several sections back from the front row. Since tickets are going fast and price will continue to increase in value, it’s best to make the purchase soon. For more information, visit livenation.com.

Who: Queen Extravaganza
Date: Thursday, May 31, 2012
Time: 07:30 PM
As a tribute band to Queen with their iconic drummer, Roger Taylor, the Queen Extravaganza will be touring across North America and will make their stop on May 31 to the Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan. The tribute band will be playing Queen’s most famous and beloved songs, so the show is expected to be worth the wait. Tickets are currently on sale; one ticket near the front of the stage is about $40, but for a bit more farther back in the theater tickets can range from $25 and under per person. To get the best seats available, purchase these tickets as soon as possible. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

Who: Thrice, Animals as Leaders, and O’Brother
Date: Friday, June 1, 2012
Time: 07:00 PM
On their Farewell Tour, Thrice will be performing with Animals as Leaders and O’Brother at the Saint Andrews Hall in Detroit, Michigan. For about $28 per ticket you can join the other rockers in the mosh pit (general admission floor), or bring a friend and the cost will only be $55 for the pair of tickets. This is a smaller building to hold a concert, so tickets may go fast. For more information, visit livenation.com.

Who: Country Throwdown (Gary Allan, Rodney Atkins, Josh Thompson, and more)
Date: Friday, June 1, 2012
Time: 03:00 PM
For those who love country music, several country artists, including Gary Allan, Rodney Atkins, and Josh Thomson, and more are set to perform at the DTE Energy Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan on June 1 as part of the Country Throwdown tour. Right now the best seats available are on the very left of the stage, just before the lawn area. The tickets are not at the ideal price at $62 each, but unless purchased soon, ticket prices will only continue to rise. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

Who: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Date: Friday, June 1, 2012
Time: 08:00 PM
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are playing at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan on June 1, but the seat availability isn’t the best; for one ticket in the Upper Bowl, it’s about $75. So unless you are a die-hard Peppers fan, or you’re forced into going, be prepared to not see the band much and hope for an exciting ambience- that will be the only bang for your buck. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

Who: Radiohead
Date: Monday, June 11, 2012
Time: 07:30 PM
English rock band Radiohead will be performing at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan on June 11. A pair of tickets can range from $81 to $135, depending on location of the seats and the time that the tickets are purchased. To get the best seats available at the best price, visit vividseats.com.

Summer Concerts
Who: Brad Paisley with The Band Perry and Scotty McCreery
Date: Saturday, June 16, 2012
Time: 07:30 PM
Calling all country fans! Even though the seats aren’t the best, you may still be able to purchase lawn seat tickets to see Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, and Scotty McCreery. They’re going to perform at the DTE Energy Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan on June 16; one ticket can be bought at around $46, and the concert should be full of fun and life, even from the view of the lawn. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

Who: Foster the People with Tokyo Police Club
Date: Sunday, June 17, 2012
Time: 07:00 PM
Grammy-nominated Indie-pop band Foster the People will be performing at the Fillmore in Detroit, Michigan on June 17. Ticket prices range from $67 to upwards of $200 (VIP seating), but general admission tickets can be purchased by several different websites. To see the best deals, visit vividseats.com or livenation.com.

Who: Aerosmith and Cheap Trick
Date: Thursday, July 5, 2012
Time: 07:30 PM
For all the Aerosmith fans out there, now may be a time to see them in concert. The legendary rock group is going to be performing at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan on July 5. The seats available seem to be in the “nosebleed” section, but tickets can be purchased at about $90 apiece; seats closer to the stage can range from $130 to $300 per ticket. VIP Packages are also available, with the options of meeting the members of Aerosmith or Cheap Trick. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com for VIP tickets, or vividseats.com for various ticket prices from private vendors.

Who: Rascal Flatts with Little Big Town
Date: Friday, July 20, 2012
Time: 07:00 PM
For around $90 per ticket, you can set up a lawn chair on a nice evening at the DTE Energy Music Theater and see the Rascal Flatts play live. The tickets will officially go on sale on April 20, but to order them ahead of time you may choose to become part of the fan club for $25 if you are not already. Otherwise, you’re able to go to vividseats.com to get great seats from private vendors. However, with that route you pay upwards of $200 for a seat close to stage, while a general admissions ticket in the lawn area can still cost around $50. For more information, visit vividseats.com. or ticketmaster.com.

Who: Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival (Slipknot, Slayer, Motorhead, Anthrax, As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, Asking Alexandra, High on Fire, and White Chapel)
Date: Sunday, July 22, 2012
Time: 12:00 PM
This year’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival will feature popular metal bands Slipknot, Slayer, Motorhead, and more! All music groups will be performing at the DTE Energy Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan. Tickets are on sale now. The best seats available are in the pavilion area near the stage for about $105. However, for about $100 more you can get a VIP package ($200 per person), which provides you with special gifts and prizes, early entrance into the venue, and a reserved seat within fifteen rows of the stage (a.k.a. mosh pit). For more information, visit rockstarmayhemfest.com.

Who: Florence and the Machine
Date: Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Time: 07:30 PM
Indie-pop band Florence and the Machine will officially be performing on July 31 at the Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan. Tickets are on sale now; they currently range from $41 to $77, depending on the location. To view seating options or for the best deals, visit vividseats.com. or ticketmaster.com.

Who: Coldplay
Date: Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Time: 07:00 PM
British alternative rock band Coldplay is ready to set the stage at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan this August. While tickets are somewhat pricey- at about $90 per seat in the “nosebleed” section- people will get to experience the performance of Coldplay live. Other tickets could be purchased for about $112 to get seats closer to the stage (and facing towards the back of the artists). Since the seating isn’t the best, those who would like to go to the concert should purchase the tickets soon to reserve their place. VIP Packages are also available, but of course they come with a pretty expensive price tag. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

Who: Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw
Date: Saturday, August 18, 2012
Time: 04:30 PM
Country artists Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw are planned to perform on their Brothers of the Sun Tour at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Ticket prices are already starting to escalate, but if you buy them soon there are optional ticket prices of around $77 per ticket, and the seating location isn’t too bad. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

Who: KISS and Mötley Crüe
Date: Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Time: 07:00 PM
To see the classic rock bands KISS and Mötley Crüe live in concert, ticket prices are merely $50 per person when choosing the lawn section at the DTE Energy Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan. Of course there are other seating options available, but tickets that allow you closer to the stage can easily grow in cost. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

Winter concerts draw near

As the holidays draw nearer, so do winter concerts for HHS band and choirs.

The choir concert, entitled “Fanfare for the Holidays,” will take place on December 14 and 15 at 7:00 PM in the high school auditorium. Each concert will feature nine HHS Choirs: Varsity Women’s, Varsity Men’s, Highlander Men’s, Women’s Select, Women’s Chorale, Calamity, Classicality, Highlander Chorale, and A cappella. The concert will feature a wide variety of music befitting the holiday season. Due to the number of people who attend, it will be split into two separate nights. The finale will feature alumni of A cappella choir singing “The Hallelujah Chorus” and all choirs performing the traditional “Peace, Peace.”

The band’s winter concert will showcase a mixture of “legit” non-holiday music along with more festive tunes. The band also performed at the Fantasy of Lights parade. Band director Jason Smigell encourages students who aren’t related to band members to come anyways. “You might just have some fun!”

Fall concerts rock southeastern Michigan

As the sound of the bass pounded through my skull and the vibrations from the drums hammered at my ears, I knew there was no better place to be. What some may consider a hectic scenario I, as well as many others, sincerely enjoyed. There is truly nothing better than being surrounded by hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who are all ecstatic to hear their favorite bands perform live.

Music is an emotional experience. The performer, whether a classically trained pianist or the singer of a rock band, takes you on a journey with their music. Listening to music on an Ipod or the Internet is nice, but hearing it performed live is a completely different experience.

I have been to many concerts in my time, and have enjoyed every one of them. Each is unique, and is truly based on the performance.

Luckily the metro-Detroit area is fortunate enough to have several concerts this fall season. A few that have already happened would include Blink 182 with My Chemical Romance and Matt and Kim, which was on September 11 at DTE Energy Music Theater. Another great concert was Uproar Music Festival at DTE on September 9, which featured seven bands including Avenged Sevenfold, Seether, and Three Days Grace. The Foo Fighters headlining with Rise Against as their opening act was also a popular event. Lastly, Jason Aldean, a favorite to many in Howell, played at DTE on September 16.

“It was one of the best I have seen, partly due to the talent of the band, most of them are self taught, and partly because Dave Grohl is hilarious on stage,” commented senior John Yelinik. Yelinik, a veteran concertgoer, saw the Foo Fighters live on September 16.

“My favorite part of the show was after the third song. Dave asked the crowd, rhetorically of course, if it would be okay if the band played for three hours, and immediately began playing “Learn to Fly.”

Most bands enjoy interacting with the audience. Avenged Sevenfold honored their late drummer, Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, by playing their song “So Far Away,” which was written after his death. The whole audience sang along and held their lighters in the air. It was a touching moment, and involved everyone in the crowd.
Three Days Grace is another example of a band that can get the crowd going. I have seen them twice, and at Uproar front man, Adam Gontier, rapped “Lose Yourself” by Eminem, an anthem that many in our area know. Though it was a different genre than what was expected, the crowd ate up every bit of it.

Some tactics bands use to get the audience involved is to play well-known songs, like Gontier did with “Lose Yourself” or to play a few acoustic numbers.

“I would definitely see them again,” Yelinik mentioned. “They played for almost twice as long as any other band I have seen, and the crowd gets really into their songs, which always helps to have a good time.”

The venue of a concert is very important, because it sets the tone of the event. We are lucky to have many great venues in the area such as The Palace of Auburn Hills, DTE Energy Music Theater, The Fillmore, and Royal Oaks Music Theater.

Senior Joseph Brennan, who also attended the Foo Fighters concert, told how he preferred the Coldplay concert he previously attended because of the outdoor setting at DTE.

“For me, the smaller venues are better because the band is so much closer to the crowd, and the interaction between fan and musician seems much more intimate. It is also fun when the band comes out and hangs out with the fans in these smaller venues,” Yelinik stated.

With all these great venues in our area, one can expect great artists to make the rounds. This fall rock and alternative fans were able to see Smashing Pumpkins at the Fillmore on October 15, Evanescence at the Royal Oak Music Theater on October 24. Hollywood Undead and Asking Alexandria will be appearing on November 9.

Another great event coming up is Gym Class Heroes on October 30. Also the Watch the Throne Tour featuring Kanye West and Jay-Z will be coming to The Palace of Auburn Hills on November 26. Country fans will be happy to know that Darius Rucker is playing at Dow Event Center on November 4. Lastly for all dubstep fans the Global Dub Festival featuring Benga, Zeds Dedd, Mimosa, and many more will be at the Royal Oak Music Theater on November 4.

Whether you enjoy rocking out to dubstep or to heavy metal, concerts are a totally different experience. Seeing a favorite artist perform is an opportunity that all music lovers alike should have. In the midst of high school we don’t always get a lot of breaks. Seeing a show, even just a local one, is a great way to let your hair down and take a break from life. With the energy of the crowd, the music blaring in my ears, and an enthralling night ahead of me, I know that I will be attending many more concerts to come.