Mindset

[Fall 2011]
ndmindset.net @NDmindset wvfi.nd.edu

the zine of WVFI

Letter from the Editor table of contents

Part One: getting in the miNDset 1. 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 OLeary 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
Dear Readers, Welcome to Mindset, the zine of wvfi. Full disclosure: Mindset is the most creative, ingenious, innovative, and revolutionary thing on campus. And you, dear reader, are therefore creative, ingenious, innovative, and revolutionary by association. Accolades 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 NDs on-campus radio station wvfi. And you received one of our precious zines at a paint party/dance party because thats 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 dont 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 culture 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 mindset@nd.edu, or come to meetings on Tuesdays at 8:30 in 200 LaFortune. Anyone can post on the blog by clicking the Submit Things! link and we are always excited to hear from fresh voices and different perspectives. Now that Ive officially plugged Mindset, its time for me to let you get to what you really want you to do: READ MINDSET. Love, Laura Mittelstaedt Mindset Editor

A bit about our writers [in five words]

Matthew Mancini [ matthew mancini rocks at life ] Michael Hathaway [ uses transcendental idealism in sentences ] Matthew Hentz [ fairly boring; talks too much ] Conor Lloyd [ baconed the narwhal at midnight ] Cameron Kupfer [ The Smile Sessions Nov. 1st ] Sally Williams [ con queso con queso yeaah ] Ralph Linwood Millett, IV [ tall and tired and hungry ]

Part One:
getting in the miNDset

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

Petty poetic protests

[because its less offensive when its written as a poem. right?]

[Moderately Improbable Party Themes] .....................................................

and * Theme: Ugly Betties partyYetis Party girls ARENT called hos, the Famous for being the first theme where Ugly Betties and Yetis theme requires girls to dress like Anne Hathaway at the 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 them to stop drinking lite beer. Also, ND guys are close enough to Yetis to begin with...we dont want them to think it would be ok to be any less groomed. Are you searching for the perfect theme for your next party? Do you want it to be moderately impossible to execute? Check out Mindsets suggestions and get ready to party like were not at ND.

Get Yo Freak On

Concourse Lafortune
author unknown

There once was a girl named Celine Dion. From Quebec to Vegas she blessed us with song. Elle chante en francais She's a Canadian, eh? Without her our "hearts couldn't go on." [ Comments? Questions? Disagreements? Write about it at ndmindset.net ]

so this one day i was walking through LaFortune and i saw this guy standing over by burger king and i was like oh my god that guy is so cute and i asked my friend do you think he would ever talk to me he is like so cute and she said ew why would you want to talk to a boy they have cooties boys are gross but all i could think was oh my god he is so cute i want to marry him and have his babies. luckily i go to notre dame so i only had to wait three weeks before he proposed to me.

archaic software piercing through my cyber soul less advanced than pong
By: Laura Mittelstaedt

By: Matthew Mancini

Mindset

Mindset Magazine listen and dance to music like a jellyfish

* Theme: Dinosaur Party giant reptile and dances like a T-Rex. UnfortuEveryone dresses like their favorite
Notre Dame
cultural desert Notre Dame is a black hole Mindset is the cure
By: Alex Rosales

nately, dinosaurs dont fit very well into dorms and they probably dont sell dinosaur costumes 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. in! Make posterboards detailing your experimental beverages and have people come by and drink the concoctions in the name of science. Medals will be awarded, even for Timmy, whos made a disgusting combination of vodka, beer, and lime juice. Honorable Mention means everyones a winner!

Science * Theme:8th gradeFair Partyfair but the town drunk has somehow gotten Its like your science

music of shame
The weekend brings dorm party madness And it always fills me with sadness cause they all forget That good music exists And instead stick to ear-splitting badness
By: Elisa DeCastro

Democrat Republican * Theme: could dukeVS out against Mud Wrestling Party Ever wish you it your least favorite politicians? Dress as your favorite politician and settle political differences the good ol fashioned way: in a pool of mud.

* Theme: Rock Party (igneous or sedimentary, glam or folk, diamond or Dress as your favorite rock

Celine
By: Erin Hallagan and Meg Larson

emerald, etc.). Eat nothing but rock candy. Listen to nothing but rock music. Plus! Prizes in two categories: best geological outfit and best rock star outfit. The prize? Pet rocks! Oh, and all drinks are served on the rocks. Yum.

* Theme: Were-not-in-a-dorm Dorm Party into a 10x10 dorm room with Seniors: do you miss the days of being crammed

100 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 40s music, and have someone dress up as a rector and yell about ResLives and leaving enough room for the Holy Spirit (just to keep everyone on their toes). Party on!

More Party themes... * Theme: Amish Party your own songs, and girls on one side of the room No lights (or electricity), sing
while the men dance together. Sounds like fun, huh?! Socratic Symposium Party * Theme: majors out there. To attend the Socratic Symposium, you must For all you PLS first do the required reading and answer a question about the text in order to be admitted. Only wine is allowed. The last person to fall asleep wins the argument. a different Nicholas Cage character. Get ready to do lots of yelling and to have REALLY bad hair.

Monologues of a Party

Nicholas Cage Party * Theme:the best party theme ever. Everyone has to dress up and act like Quite possibly

* Theme: Creed Party right? Picture it: leather pants, rosaries, and Because everyone loves Creed,
arms wide open. Everything you need for a great party.

As a theatre major (I hope it goes without saying that because I am a theatre major I know everything and I breathe objective truth), I am enrolled in Audition Seminar with Anna Wintours scary younger cousin. In this class we must find monologues that have an action, address another character, and have an 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 performed at least six uninteresting and sucky monologues. Analyzing the conditions of these monologues made me ask myself: what kind of person monologues during a conversation? And then I remembered every. single. party Ive been to over the past four years. That is all people do. Conversations dont happen. Monologues happen. One person talks, while the other person pretends to listen, secretly plots their escape, or plans to fake alcohol poisoning. Below are examples of monologues that one might encounter at a party (*with my comments in parentheses).

[A Rant from the One and Only PopBoy]

* Theme:toBP Oil Spill Party for the mess that was the BP oil spill. EveryThemed party raise awareness

one spills their drinks everywhere and employs nonsensical methods to clean them 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 harmed and to research new methods of oil-removal.

.....................................................
Party theme contributors: Sally Williams Justine Murnane Alex Rosales Conor Lloyd Elisa DeCastro Ralph Linwood Millett, IV Michael Hathaway Matthew Hentz Laura Mittelstaedt

Hi, whats your name. Oh thats cool (*you didnt wait for me to tell you my name) I just got back from Africa where I helped orphans (*I didnt ask) learn how to read and write (*I still have yet to ask) while encouraging them to take up western fashion styles (*you sound racist) such as tennis shoes (*that sounds like a bad idea). This way the kids dont have to walk barefoot (*Im pretty sure giving them shoes has been scientifically proven to be a bad idea) and not be uncomfortable (*I dont think theyre uncomfortable; they grow calluses). They were just so happy when they saw the shoes (*Africans are always smiling because they havent been poisoned by western materialism), and I felt like I really made a difference (*those people you gave shoes to probably cannot run as fast as they used to), and now, I totally see the world from a new perspective and know whats important in life (*why havent I walked away yet? Im walking away).

[ Saint

Africa ]

[ Theater

kid

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

I hooked up with this guy last night and omg now hes been calling me every day. (*Didnt you just say it happened last night?) I just dont know what Im going to do. I am so embarrassed. (*I dont remember your name. I dont think were friends, why are you making me suffer through this?) Why does this always happen to me? (*I dont know, maybe because youre a nymphomaniac? Just a guess.) I always get into these situations (*yeah because youre an idiot). And oh my goodness, youre never going to believe who texted me this morning at 4AM (*I will not play this game. I am going to check my cell phone now and hope my mom is calling me). Mark called me last night (*Lets not pretend I know who Mark is.). He had the gall to call me last night after what he did to me. (*In his defense, youre not particularly fun, nice, or interesting.). And then I have this show I am in and omg the professors give me homework like they dont know Im in this show (*How tragic). I mean, hello! I am in a show (*are you in a show?) . I am in a show. I am acting in this show (*Wait, youre in a show?). I am performing in this show. (One

more timeyou----are in a show?) And Ive been so busy working on this show, its just ridiculous that they want me to do homework too. (*Oh I think I remember your name nowEmma Watson? No, thats not it...um, Kristin Stewart? No, shes better at acting than you are...Oh! Are you Emma Stone?! No. Youre not. You are not famous. Stop complaining.) Money! Beer! Drinking! ALCOHOL! Chicks! Party! Hangover! Ah! (*Hey, uh, my friends and I are going to have people over here to pregame...so can you stop shouting random words while drinking alone in your room? Thanks). Buy me a drink (*who are you?). Im 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, youre wrong. If you think no, youre right. Walk away.). I am just so tired. That guy that I like wont talk to me (*What do you want me to do about it?). Do I look fat? (*Dont make me answer this question). Am I pretty? (*Serioulsy youre digging yourself a hole) I bought his dress specifically for tonight. Does it make me look hot? (*Lets pretend we never had this conversation. Im leaving.) Im drunk. (*) I am so drunk. (*...) Look at me I am drunk. (*...) I cannot believe how much I drank. I probably drank about a gallon of vodka, two thousand beers, and an ocean of jungle juice (*...). I am so drunk that I think-- (*Im walking away now). So 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 friends are sad (*they dont like you). I was almost as sad as that time when my best friend got hurt at a game--he was a wide receiver--and I just started crying in the stands (*youre a fool). Everyone started looking at me like I was crazy (*no they were just witnessing a real ho for the first time--remember, its ND. Sheltered students.), but Im not crazy. They just dont understand. (*If by understand you mean care, youre right). My best friends are out there on that field and when they lose, I, like, feel their pain (*blah, blah, blah). And so I just like try to be there for them and support them in any way I can (*Yeah, we all know, dont worry...). In brief, I guess my acting professor is right after all. Parties have shown me that there is so much material out there!

@thingstopregame

[ Business

Major

[ annoying

chick ]

Hi. My name is Charlie. And Im a tweetaholic. I started tweeting in 2008, way before it was trendy, and I currently maintain four different Twitter accounts. The first step is admitting you have a problem, so at least Ive got that going for me. I used to be a normal (normal) tweeter, with only a personal account. It wasnt until this past spring that I created my first secondary account: @LPalLovesTweets, named after a friend who refused 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 so that LPal (the real LPal) could, you know, get a job in the future and stuff. Though @LPalLovesTweets is no more, she sparked in me a fire: a special kind of fire, wherein you create fake people and make Twitter accounts for them. This is totally normal and not weird. Anyhow. Last month, my friend Dylan and I began a friendly competition to see whose fake Twitter account could get more followers: @1StylishGirl (his) versus @ThingsToPregame (mine). That lasted about a day before we realized that we could be 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 funnier than we were, so a few of them regularly contribute suggestions to both accounts. I cant speak for @1StylishGirl, but @ThingsToPregame was inspired by Notre Dames drinking culture, specifically the fact that Domers seem to rarely go to any social gathering without a buzz. Taken to the extreme, this leads to debates over what it is appropriate to pregame. Thus, @ThingsToPregame is nothing more than a parody of that culture, full of advice that should absolutely not be taken. Pregame away! The #best things to pregame in 140 characters or less... @thingstopregame : EATING SBARRO PIZZA! Because lets be honest, they pregamed 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! Youre 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.
[ *Note: Neither Charlie OLeary nor Mindset condones these actions. ]

[Charlie OLeary] [ meet charlie ]

[ meet the new way to tweet ]

[ Freshman ]

[ meet @thingstopregame ]

Jersey Chaser

[ Tweet Tweet ]

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

The Spectator | ndmindset.net

SEEN

Excellence. Every. Single. Day.

The Spectator | ndmindset.net

SEEN

Excellence. Every. Single. Day.

Playlist of the Week: Fabulous Fall Fashion

LETS PARTAYYYY!

(Look, Alliteration!)

(Three Shamrocks)

Rudy-licious

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 Rihanna You guys. This is like, the best playlist ever. We are at Notre Dame. And we are, like, SO ready to party. 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 iTunes Top 10. So... yeah. Lets party. #ilovemusic

1.

Why does everyone say that Notre Dame students have absolutely no taste in fashion? I mean, I have seen SO MANY new fashion trends since school has started. For example, Ive seen girls wearing rainboots. And sometimes students even wear jackets. Jackets are SO HOT right now. Also, Ive noticed some girls wearing dresses! So chic! I didnt realize there were any options other than wearing oversized jeans and t-shirts every day, but dresses are, like, actually a good option! Oh, also, there have been so many TOMS on campus. I am so happy that we are all benefiting 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 I was 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! Comfortable AND slimming. Who knew such a thing existed?! You go, Notre Dame. Your fashion kicks butt!

Rudy is the best movie ever. The cinematic magic that pours out of it warms the hearts of thousands Eight years after its Broadway deeveryday. While watching Rudy, but, Wicked is still the best musical one will instantly be surrounded in the history of the world. Wicked by a blanket of warmth compa- is the story of two witches, one good rable to drinking an Irish coffee on one bad. One is green. One floats the Cliffs of Moher while smoking around in bubbles. It is funny and a pipe, reciting Gaelic, and pick- sad. I laughed and cried a lot. There ing four-leaf clovers--in brief there is a story that has a beginning midarent many things more Irish than dle and end. There is a cast. The cast Rudy. After watching Rudy count- is composed of actors and actresses. less times, Ive come to realize that The main actresses have brown and Rudy is more than a man and Rudy blonde hair. They dance and sing. is more than a movie. It is a repre- The singing was really good! I was sentation of how a small man--who singing during the whole show. The transferred to Notre Dame, failed singers sing really high. There is to make the football team mul- flying too. The lighting is green tiple times, finally made the foot- and blue too! (I was surprised by ball team, played for five seconds, that one). The costumes were really and made no significant plays--can cool. I dont want to ruin it for you make a difference. Thus, Rudy is so I wont say any more I hope I not a message about Notre Dames havent said too much! I enjoyed rich past, but a message about how myself. You will enjoy it too. TickNotre Dame encourages students ets are a lot of money and the show who do something insignificant to is playing on Broadway now. You move to LA, write an over-drama- can get your tickets online, but not tized script about their life recount- on DPACs website, because this ing mundane facts, get rich, move show is on Broadway not at Notre to Las Vegas, and become a hero Dame. for many. So watch Rudy. Own Rudy. Be your own Rudy. *Note: the opinions expressed in SEEN are definitely not those of Mindset.

NOTRE DAME LOVES GREEN

Best off-campus music venues

bender ballroom

[Malcolm McCollum]

.....................................................
Langlab. Unquestionably one of the coolest spaces in the area, this converted computer parts warehouse south of downtown regularly features local, national, and international acts of all flavors. In addition, Langlab -- which describes itself as a multi-use co-workspace facility -- hosts poetry readings, art exhibitions, parties, lectures, film screenings, etc. and is very open to ideas from the community. Address: 1302 High St., South Bend Distance from ND: 3.5 miles south (south of downtown) Style: Open format: everything from punk to free jazz to interpretative dance Admission: All-ages Price: Suggested donation of $5-10 Link: http://www.facebook.com/Langlabsb?sk=info Link 2: http://www.langlabsb.com/ (scroll sideways)

Youre probably familiar with the live music offerings at Quincys, Fiddlers, Fever, and other ND haunts. Here are a few off-campus venues that may have flown under your radar:.

LANGlab

.....................................................
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, the Wanders 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., Mishawaka Distance from ND: 5.5 miles southeast (near downtown Mishawaka) Style: Mostly punk, metal, classic rock, but also others Admission: 21+ Price: Free-$10 Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wander-Inn/143082899042663?sk=wall

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, national, and international acts of all genres. Stay tuned to the Benders website for more details. Address: 1621 Eldora Ct., South Bend Distance from ND: 3 miles south (just west of Ironwood and Lincoln Way East) Style: Metal, hardcore, indie, punk, hip-hop, etc. Admission: All-ages Price: $5-10 Link: http://www.facebook.com/benderballroom?sk=info

The wander inn

.....................................................
Generic. This downtown vintage and custom clothing boutique located around the corner 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 the breaks, shop for a new belt buckle. Address: 127 W. Washington St., South Bend Distance from ND: 2.5 miles south (downtown) Style: Rock, pop punk, indie, etc. Admission: All-ages Price: Around $5 Link: http://www.facebook.com/GenericSB

.....................................................
Marthas Midway Tavern. Perhaps one of the most famous blues venues in the Midwest, Marthas in Mishawaka is a local institution. Since opening in 1924, this former speakeasy (which boasted Al Capone as an occasional patron) has hosted legendary blues acts Pinetop Perkins, Sam Burckhardt, and many others. Expect a 1930s-era dance hall, an impressive beer selection, and the best blues for miles. Dont leave ND without visiting Marthas. Address: 810 W. 4th St., Mishawaka Distance from ND: 5 miles southeast (near the 100 Center in Mishawaka) Style: Mostly blues, sometimes soul, jazz, rockabilly, Motown, etc. Admission: 21+ Price: $5-20 Link: http://themidwaytavern.com/

Generic

Marthas tavern

.....................................................
Subkirke. Hosts indie rocks shows in the acoustic-friendly sanctuary of the South Bend Christian Reformed Church (the name is derived from an attempted acronym of S.B.C.R.C.). Although affiliated with the church, Subkirke doesnt limit its programming to Christian rock acts. Indeed, since its birth in 2009, Subkirke has already booked some big names (e.g., Bowerbirds, Maps and Atlases, S. Carey of Bon Iver, among others). Expect four to five shows a semester. Address: 1855 N. Hickory Rd., South Bend Distance from ND: 2.5 miles east (towards Mishawaka) Style: Indie, etc. Admission: All-ages Price: $8-12 Link: http://www.subkirke.com/

.....................................................
The Strutt Cafe and Bar. If you dont feel like going all the way to Chicago, make the drive to the Strutt in K-zoo. This caf/bar/restaurant/venue boasts a great space and has been booking some impressive national-level acts lately (e.g., the Hold Steady, 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: $5-20 Link: http://thestrutt.com/

subkirke

[ See photos and learn more at ndmindset.net ]

the strutt

Notre dame Hipsters

[Matthew Hentz]

Attention: a paradoxically mainstream hipster culture has materialized over the past decade. You may recognize it by the blaring noise-pop, the signature love of PBR and tattoos, or the endless consumption of coffee and cigarettes. As a nonconformist, the hipster adheres to a strict standard of taste in music and style. Clothes are best, not when purchased from a thrift store, but when found in a dumpster. (However, Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters will always do). Though Arcade Fire is now denounced as too mainstream the band won the 2011 Grammy for Album of the Year and has officially solidified hipster as the dominant subculture. Even Wheezy and Kanye are tightening their jeans, donning their Ray-Bans and dusting off some Otis Redding vinyls. The hipster culture, with its addiction to the fringe, is no longer confined to art schools, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the city of Portland. It has, apparently, finally spread to Notre Dame. Notre Dame students are notoriously lacking in originality and individuality. 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 general mindset of Notre Dame students. We dont 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 stands against the corporate networking, synergist ways all good Domers adhere to. While there is an upward trend in Ray-Bans, skinny jeans and Converse, the general population of Notre Dame students still loves to label an ambiguous and fluid group that does not fit the mode as hipster. Thus, I introduce you to The Notre Dame Hipster. What characterizes the Notre Dame Hipster is not an action or connection to a common subculture. Rather, they are defined by their divergence from the norm, by any singular distinctiveness. Instead of being categorized by a set of common beliefs or habits, the Notre Dame Hipster is labeled as such merely because he or she doesnt like the exact same things or strictly adhere to the same life 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 dont wear Abercrombie daily and you have shoes other than Sperrys or Uggs. Your pants are even slightly slim fitting. Youve grown a mustache. You wear any kind of dark-rimmed glasses. Youve been to a farmers market or artisan fair. Youve 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 consumerism of the indie-chic. Perhaps all hipsters, and not just the Notre Dame Hipsters, are correct: they are not Hipster.

Part dos:
miND on music (and other things)

playing hooky with steve jobs [Alex Rosales]

Its a little hard to believe that the man who changed the game in so many ways is gone. The visionary founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, had such a great impact on this world. Not just in the world of computers, but the world of music, movies, and the way we live our everyday lives. Take the first hour of the day I played hooky last week for example: I tried to wake myself up for class with an alarm on my iPhone. Its a tired ringtone of the Whos Baba ORiley Ive heard a million times, but when I first created it on Garageband (on my MacBook), I loved it. Next, I hooked my iPhone up to speakers, pressed the shuffle button, and took a shower while listening to my iTunes. After I changed, I decided I couldnt go to class so I pounded out an email to my professor (on my MacBook) saying that I was deathly ill (really I just had senioritis/a hangover) and for the betterment of the University and myself, I should definitely stay home. After my excuse for missing class was sent, I climbed back into bed and watched an episode of Anthony Boudain: No Reservations from the YouTube app on my iPad. When I realized that I should probably make sure there was no quiz in the class I was missing, I quickly texted my friend on my iPhone. She responded, UR good. Phew. Another productive and busy day with all my crazy devices. Whats 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 years ago. 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. [ Visit ndmindset.net to listen to our Playing Hooky with Steve Jobs playlist ]

tears from a red envelope

[collective consciousness]

Dear Netflix, You messed up. You owe us an explanation a refund. It is clear from your emails and your poorly thought-out pricing and name changes that you have absolutely NO idea what you are doing. All I want is to avoid doing my homework stream movies and watch DVDs. But apparently, you have nothing better to do than think of ways to mess with your customers and write inane emails. I wasnt upset with you after you increased prices. I wasnt even upset with you when you decided to be completely illogical separate Netflix into two different companies (though, P.S. Qwikster is the worst name I have ever heard). No. I was upset when, one day, I was browsing through my instant queue and I noticed that THE LAST SONG STARRING huge-toothed MILEY CYRUS was listed as my top suggestion! Shame, Netflix. 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. Its been a good run, but I just cant do this anymore. Its not me, its you. Goodbye, Everyone with common sense

[ Comments? Questions? Disagreements? Write about it at ndmindset.net ]

My Favorite Albums of 2011 [Cameron Kupfer] #1 St. Vincent: Strange Mercy

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

#6 Pink Graffiti: Secret Cities

#2

WU LYF: Go Tell Fire to the Mountain

WU LYF--a band shrouded in mystery--hails from Manchester, England. The band garnered a cult following with their strong live performances and released their highly 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 the listener through the whole album. This album is similar to Arcade Fires Funeral because WU LYF has something to say; as listeners it is our job to sit back and watch the story of this amazing new band unfold. [ Suggested Track: HEAVY POP ]

Pink Graffiti, a small band from North Dakota might be the most surprising addition to this list. Their album Secret Cities snuck past almost everyone and only received a 7.4 in Pitchforks music review. But Pink Graffiti crafts a light-funky-psychedelic pop, and their strength lies in the arrangements of their songs. They deserve a spot here just for the surprising fact that they can manage to create anything interesting in a place like Fargo, North Dakota. [ Suggested Track: Pebbles ]

#7 Morning Teleportation: Expanding Anyway

#3 #4

Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost

...See Michael Hathaways review on page ...

Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues

Helplessness Blues starts right off where Fleet Foxes selftitled debut left off. Robin Pecknold and co. continue to create beautiful, unique, and organic folk in which the stunning vocals of Pecknold are accented by the back up vocals of the rest of the band. The increase of instrumentation in this album along with the still incredible vocal arrangements has helped Fleet Foxes create their new masterpiece, Helplessness Blues. [Suggested Track: Helplessness Blues]

During most of last year Morning Teleportation could be found opening up for acts like Modest Mouse and Cage the Elephant. Without having released a single recording their reputation grew on the strength of their live performances alone. After signing to Isaac Brocks record label, Glacial Pace, they released their debut LP Expanding Anyway, to the delight of those who had seen them live. While the songs are lacking the energy they contain in their live performances, the band now has a greater emphasis on lyrics and musicianship. Not only can they create 8 minute epics such as Wholehearted Drifting Sense of Inertia, but they can also masterfully produce short and intimate songs like Daydream Electric Storm. [ Suggested Track: Expanding Anyway ] Craft Spells, the bedroom project of a Stockton California native Justin Vallestros, exploded when his nostalgic dream 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 voice mournfully tolls the laments of his life. Some of the songs are among the best of the year, but the overall lack of consistency in the album bars it from having the distinction of being one of the most best albums overall. [ Suggested Track: Ramona ]

#8 Craft Spells: Idle Labor

#5

Minks: By the Hedge

Minks, a little-known band from Brooklyn, features gothic, new age pop that is heavily influenced by shoe-gaze, and post-punk acts like The Cure. Like the Girls album mentioned 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. This is the first of three Captured Tracks records to be included in the top ten releases of the year. [ Suggested Track: Out of Tune ]

[ To listen to Camerons suggested tracks and see our other favorite albums of the year so far, please visit ndmindset.net and click on the Print Issue link.]

Music we like: st. vincent

music we like: girls

[Alex Rosales]

[Michael Hathaway]

This is what Im talking about. Annie Clark keeps taking steps forward as an artist with each new release. From Marry Mes charming, yet too-innocent pop to Actors 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 first 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 describes the scene: shes black lacquered with a horse-hair whip in hand (put two and two together). Despite this bad-girl moment, she feels a deep regret and recites, No kisses, no real need. My favorite track on the album is also its most upbeat. Cruel really shows off Clarks hidden gift that many of us didnt know she had: Annie can kick some ass on the guitar. With crazily distorted guitar riffs playing over a very danceable drum beat, Clark sings of the cruelty of indifference. Just watch the music video; that creepy family definitely personifies the subject matter of the song. Strange Mercy, the title track, portrays 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 strange mercy for him, stating, If I ever meet that dirty policeman who roughed you up No, I dont know what. All in all, St. Vincents third album has exceeded my expectations. Clark has matured musically, while still retaining that signature tension between darkness and innocence that makes her such a mysterious and alluring artist.
[ Suggested Tracks: Cruel, Strange Mercy, Cheerleader, Dilettante ]

Father, Son, Holy Ghost, which is somewhat misleading, as religion isnt exactly

San Francisco band Girls recently released their sophomore LP, entitled

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 confidence with each release. Owens vocals strongly connote 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 God cult, Owens emotional maturity and honesty with himself is remarkable, and makes the success of this record all the more impressive. Barring Thurston Moore and J. Mascis, the indie music scene is not particularly well-known for sporting skilled guitarists. Considering Owens seemingly vulnerable and emotional character, it comes as even more of a surprise when, 5 minutes into Forgiveness, Owens breaks into an absurdly righteous and melodic guitar solo that successfully panders to everything we love about classic rock music. But Owens is also perfectly well-rounded in his instrumentation, as the tenderly intricate acoustic fingerpicking at the beginning of Just a Song readily demonstrates. Perhaps the greatest testament to Father, Son, Holy Ghosts strength as a record is that its songs vary wildly in sound and structure while maintaining a strong feeling of cohesiveness throughout its sprawling 55 minutes. From rapid hard-rock anthem Die, to Vomits triumphant Great Gig in the Sky climax, to the gospel singers in Magic, this album is full of depth of production and style. And in each song, Owens laments and preaches and grieves about the most universal, yet personal topics that concern us, expressing sentiments close to his heart with a sobering passion and reverence that stuns anyone who spends the time to listen closely to the album in its entirety.
[Suggested Tracks: Honey Bunny, Die, Vomit ]

[ Listen to Alexs Suggested Tracks at ndmindset.net ]

[ Listen to Michaels suggested tracks at ndmindset.net ]

why jane austen is terrible

A brief moment of honesty, dear readers: I hate Jane Austen. In fact, I loathe almost everything about the woman. From her myriad muddled works to the legions of tittering fans it has since spawned, I cant stand anything about her (on a side note, you know who else spawns legions? Hint: Satan / Stephanie Meyer). But before you descend upon me with acerbic remarks and relegate me to the desolate land of chauvinism, ladies and English majors, let me assure you that Ive 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 museum, the only blemish on the otherwise flawless Georgian visage of Bath. I think I can say with confidence--bordering on certainty--that the Pride and Prejudice, perhaps the authors most famous work, is nothing but a sensational and socially narrow-minded account of an upper middle-class family meant to appeal to commoners 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, really young/old/male, let me clarify by saying that my love for them is strictly platonic (except for you, Kim). Now, I dont claim to be an aficionado on the show or anything, but I will admit that a strange fascination washes over me when I stumble upon an episode, holding my hand immobile on the remote until its over. Why, you might wonder, do I find this so troubling (besides the obvious issues of quality and my masculinity)? Because the Kardashians are nothing but the curvy, Armenian, 21st century embodiment of the Bennetts. You've got the doting mother who pushes her daughters into romance and orchestrates business affairs (which, in 19th century parlance just means arranging a beneficial 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 attractive but without substantial character), the vacuous younger sisters obsessed both with physical attractiveness and entering unnecessarily into relationships (because, lets face it, theyll never be qualified 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 figure of Bruce Jenner. Heck, if you wanted to stretch it, you might even compare Khloe to Elizabeth. Now Im going to lie and claim that this article actually has a point. Because I dont really have anything else to say. But just know that Jane Austen is terrible. And the Kardashians, though vapid and self-centered, are more entertaining than any character Jane Austen ever could have created.

[Ralph Linwood Millett IV]

smells like teen ignorance

[Michael Hathaway]

Most kids from our generation will tell you that they grew up listening to the oldies because of their parents. We all think that, to some degree, we have an awareness of music from the 60s and 70s and 80s because our parents 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 household is not complete without a copy of Pet Sounds, when a friend and I brought it up in conversation, a girl we were talking to looked at us quizzically and said, Pet Sounds, whats that?? Somehow we all grow up both cultured and clueless. I hadnt 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 Floyds musical 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 find ourselves entirely ignorant of the influences our favorite bands call upon. What does this mean for our capacity to appreciate the bands we call our favorites? Unfortunately, my parents did not introduce me to Zeppelin or Bowie, and nor did my friends. Instead, sophomore year, I had an epiphany. Id spent much of the year trying to listen to more modern indie music and acclimate myself to bands I thought I should listen to: The White Stripes, Arcade Fire, The New Pornographers, and so on. I listened to their albums over and over and read their album reviews, and in doing so, I couldnt help but notice how often the names 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 intellectual understanding of the music that impacted the albums in question, and that 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. I took 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. Zeppelin 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 Id missed growing up, the easier it got, and the more I came to appreciate what was once difficult to swallow. More importantly, however, I started being able to pick out influences of old music in new music. The first time this happened was when I was listening to one of the more orchestral

so yeah...remember classical music?

songs on Nick Drakes Bryter Layter. All of a sudden, I was like, holy sh*t, this is Belle & Sebastian! He sounds just like Belle & Sebastian! No, B&S sound like Nick Drake. I then listened to some B&S songs, waiting to hear the Nick Drake in them. 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 I had a better understanding of who Nick Drake influenced and how B&S expressed their appreciation of him. Seeking familiarity with music from the past makes me appreciate modern music because I think its interesting to see these connections. Not everybody cares, and thats okay. But if youre simply not that interested, the value of looking back doesnt stop there. Having finally gotten around to listening to My Bloody Valentines sublimely beautiful Loveless, Im now more prepared to accept and appreciate modern music that heavily draws on it (which is, like, everything). Listening to Loveless has broadened my modern musical horizons. And it will never stop broadening those horizons. I am permanently predisposed to liking anything that successfully incorporates MBV influences. Indie music is typically synonymous with young people music. While Ive somehow gotten my dad to listen to The National, he will never really get why the Flaming Lips lead singers terrible, terrible voice makes me happy nonetheless. It seems that as people grow older, they inevitably become set in their ways and stop being adventurous with what they listen to. I dont want to be like that, and catching up on all the music I missed because I didnt exist yet is what will help keep me from becoming like that. So you dont have to be interested in webs of influence or trends in music history, but if you want to be able to understand or perhaps even enjoy what your kids are listening to in 20 years, listen to the music thats responsible for what you listen to now.

[Conor Lloyd]
I think Im taking a safe bet when I say most people like classical music-its a bit hard not to, since pretty much all music since Bach and Beethoven and their lot has really been a creative slew of plagiarism. Dont believe me? Take any popular song today and compare it to one of Mozarts symphonies. Go on, Ill wait right here. You back yet? Yes? All right, cool, that was pretty fa wait. What, you didnt notice how they were similar? Bah! Well...then just take my word for it, ok? Anything popular and new that you hear today has probably been done before. Anyway, as to the actual point of this little rant...I miss classical music. Theres something really powerful about those old orchestral pieces. Case in point: Handels Messiah. Even ignoring all the religious connotations and listening to just the music, theres something unbelievably powerful and moving about Messiah. You stand during the Hallelujah Chorus not just because youre supposed to, but because you want to. Because its so awesome and I dont mean like Dude, that was totally I awesome! I mean that you are filled with complete and total awe. So, where did that go? You dont 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 cant there be new arias? Whats wrong with an original concerto? I think the answer is money. Most songwriters nowadays could probably come up with some fantastic pieces (and quite a few do, in the modern sense), but instead turn to whats popular when composing songs. In a world where in music changes monthly, its 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 hear new compositions that dont involve hip-hop rhythms or fat beats? *Dramatization*: As I sat sulking in a dark corner, bemoaning my lot in life, I was set upon by a most magnificent revelation! I HAD heard new music that harkened back to the times of old(e)! But where? Where had it been? Two places! One obvious and one not so obvious, but neither on the radio. The first 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 Oscarworthy 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 arent all that successful when it comes to creating an emotional reaction in the

[ Listen to some of Michaels favorite songs at ndmindset.net ]

Artists we talk to: ted leo

audience. Perhaps some of the best classical minds of today people like Hanz Zimmer and John Williams are composing scores for big budget films. And so you ask: But wise and all-knowing Mindset writer, what of the other place? Where else have you heard new music with a classical feel? Oh, dont worry young ones, I wont leave you hanging. Thats just not how I roll. The other place is believe it or not video games. Now, some of you are already shaking your heads in disgust, but I think one or two of you are now curious. And so I am writing for you, curious reader! Ill pull out the big guns first: Halo (HA! Did you like my pun? Guns!). That song that always plays during the opening screen? The song thats practically the theme music for the whole Halo franchise? Its 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 ever played/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. Its a massive orchestral piece filled with ominous latin chanting. Dont know what Im 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, weve 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 classical music. So what? So what indeed! I will hold nothing against you if you decide to take nothing from this article, but for those of you looking to get a bit out of this whole thing, I give you this: if we should ever forget the genesis of modern music if we should ever turn completely away from those massive gatherings of musicians all working together to perform songs which a few speakers and a computer can now emulate on their own today, I think we would lose something very important. Ill not say what it isthough perhaps it is because Im not sure of it myselfbut I am sure it is something we want to hold on to. And thats all I have to say about that. [ Listen to modern classical music at ndmindset.net]

[Malcolm McCollum & Alex Muench]

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: Youre not on tour right now? ] a tour booked. I be coming Cleveland. But stuff hapa TL: I hadhome and I had towas going towhole thing. from arguable whether Ill have pened at cancel the Its Q [ WVFI: Theres a rumor on the internet that you were born in South Bend? ] dad law familys all from York and a TL: Yeah. MySo, I was inhave school here.orBut, myhere. During the New couple of New Jersey. dont any family roots last

another chance to come back and play Notre Dame anytime soon. And also, when I 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 got plane miles. [laughs]

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

WVFI: It Q [Supervisor.says in the WVFI records that you were the Hardcore Program ] My I started a Hardcore Show. So, a TL: [laughs]beenroommatetoand the Hardcore Program Director.I guess, sometimes I might have referred as So, maybe because

Q a

we did that, we were de facto Hardcore Program Supervisors? [laughs] But the only official position I ever held was Program Director. [ WVFI: What was WVFI like when you were here? ] TL: I know that being bumped off the airwaves and going to the web initially seemed like a real bummer; but theres probably no question that its a better situation than what it was like when we were here, because it was carrier current AM signal; it wasnt actually broadcast. So you couldnt even get it in the quad. You had to be plugged 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.

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

TL: Well, Ill tell you Im kind of freaked out walking around. Its so completely different. Im actually staying at the Fairfield Inn over there. And, Im like: Wow! Theres this hotel right next to where Im at! and, then theres all of Eddy Street. Theres a Chipotle! Wow. [laughs] All the roads are different. Everything seems totally different. Ill 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 first got here in 1988, there used to be a dance night at Theodores. This was in the upstairs of LaFortune. They had comedy shows there and dance things and bands would come to play there. And wed sometimes book bands from out of town to play there. But, as far as interaction with South Bend goes, there were some bands and some people in the late 80s that we had contact with. There was a club in Mishawaka in

the Century Center [Riverside Tavern]. Black Flag actually played there, which was already a legend when I came here in the late 80s. It was right before they broke up. [laughs] And, then there was Club 23, which I know is probably still there. We used to play there all the time with Chisel. Also, we used to do a lot of outdoor shows in the spring. These were often just kind of hit-and-run: someone would rent a generator or run to the activities office and ask if they could have a band play (or not and get shut down). Chisel played here [Legends] once when this was the Alumni Senior Club before it was Legends. The big things were: Club 23, houses, upstairs in LaFortune and the coffee house in Grace.

R&B and 60s soul. That became more important to me in the college years when Chisel started going from being a melodic hardcore band to bringing in more mod and soul. I listened to a lot of Celtic music. Ive been playing under my own name for so many years now; and I can kind of do whatever I want. I dont have a band image to conform to. And so, I can bring in almost anything.

Q [ WVFI: Is there any new music that youre excited about? ] 2010, we band called the Screaming aTL: Absolutely. Inmy favoritedid a lot of touring with thisgot a few incredible records. Females, who are band on the planet. Theyve
But, as great as their records are, to see them live is a whole other level. Also, this band Jeff the Brotherhood. Theyre incredible. Theyre from Nashville - a two-piece thats kind of garagey with a little bit of a droney prog element in there. Incredible band. Also, theres been a lot of good metal - this band Kylesa from Savannah, GA. Theyre amazing. And, oh yeah, Titus Andronicus. We always try to bring a lot of younger bands on tour. And, sometimes we gel; sometimes we dont. Sometimes they break up; sometimes they last. The past few years have been really great for us in terms of being continually inspired by 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 - its been a joy to be involved in that. [ WVFI: Youve got a big Twitter presence. Why? ] TL: Its 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 thought that that is one of the most important aspects of what separates, lets 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, Ive tried very hard to carry that over through all the years that people have actually looked for that kind of contact from me. At first, I would very dutifully answer every f*cking email that came in. When that got a little too much to handle on the spot, itd be like: Ted Leo never responded. 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, Id set one night aside a week - and it started to just take hours to get through them all. Then Myspace came along. It was maybe less pressure than emails another way to just have a quick back-and-forth between people. And then, that got to be too much pressure. [laughs] And, then Facebook: 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 whos going through his day thinking things and doing things - as opposed to just this entity on stage - and share that with anyone who cares about it. The limitations of the medium with Twitter actually lends itself to not getting overwhelmed. Its short. Youve only got 140 characters. Thats all youve got. From there, something can lead to deeper discussion. And, there a lot of creative people who express themselves really well in short verse. And, its fun to follow that. I just enjoy it. [ WVFI: Whats next for you?] TL: Well, I dont know. I cant physically keep up the pace anymore. Im finding that Im not as teflon to the rigors of touring life as I once thought I was. Itll be a little bit of a slowdown. And, the fact that nobody buys records anymore actually affects me in a very real and palpable way. Thats something Im trying to negotiate again. Im trying to think of creative solutions for how I can remain an artist and be able to actually survive doing what I do, which is getting tougher and tougher. But, all that said, I am writing music. And, there will be a new album at some point - probably next June.

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

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 college radio is dead or perhaps dying? ] TL: Tough to say. I certainly, in my own experience, think that college radio might not play as big a part as independent radio of various kinds - for instance, various public radio stations. But I think that it is one medium that can probably provided that the funds can be met for the FCC fees and transmitters and all that each fund-drive cycle I dont think the web is something thats going to hurt radio. I think its something that can probably only enhance its value. I think its very shortsighted, unfortunately, of all these schools that are closing down their stations. 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 probably has had a deleterious effect on the value of college radios music programming - at least in terms of listenership. Because all of this stuff is so readily accessible whether its YouTube or blogs or other things the role that college radio played musically - on a broad basis, and I hate to say it, but it probably has lost its importance in that regard. On a personal basis, you will probably find lots of people all over the 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 probably could have been a creative solution in almost every case some attempt to repurpose some of the air time. If music isnt the real raison dtre of college radio anymore, then, on a simple access-to-music-that-isnt-played-elsewhere level, what else can you do? College radio provides the community with music that isnt usually played on 99% of the mass media outlets. But college radio can also provide a lot of information, a lot of advocacy, etc. that also doesnt get dealt with in 99% of the mass media.

Q a

Q [ WVFI: Whats influenced you the most musically? ] do to. Everybody goes a TL: Its almost too broad a questiontotothis justicesix months than thethrough fazes with what theyre listening more past previous six
months and it always changes. When I first started writing music, I was in high school and in hardcore bands; and I was mostly listening to a lot of hardcore, also lots of reggae, 80s stuff - like the Smiths. I was always into mod culture, even as a little kid - the Who (especially the early era), the Jam, Small Faces, and a lot of

Q a

Artists we talk to: Highways

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 its like to pursue a music career after graduation. Check out the interview below and be sure to read more about them on our blog.

[Laura Mittelstaedt]

WVFI: Do you Q [certain sound? ]find that there are pressures from music consumers to produce a to the internet, thats not as much an issue anymore. a JM:IThanks want my vocals to be quieter and endofup losing arguments with the people JZ: always

Q [ WVFI: What is your creative process like? ] I sort of alternate between touring, used to try a JZ: writing days out and try to get into awriting, and recording. Iworked. A lottoofplan the routine, but that never my

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

favorite ideas for lyrics, songs, or hooks come at the most inconvenient times, like right as Im laying down in bed, so Ill have to jump right out and spend all night working through the idea. For the past two years, weve had a studio with a wide variety of instruments and gadgets attached to our apartment, which has been so helpful, especially in the writing stage. Running also helps me think through things. Another big resource is film. That was my major at Notre Dame, and I love losing myself in film or TV. A lot of the Highways lyrics come from films - Sarahs Song and Watch the Light for instance. I try to write a song every day, and every day Im convinced that what Im doing is amazing, but over time, the songs just weed themselves out very naturally. The ones we end up using are just the ones we like playing the most, for whatever reason.

Q [ WVFI: How are you breaking into the music scene? ] a EG: I feel like were all pretty fun and weird. Weve met a lot of people at parties. Q [ WVFI: What is it like to pursue a music career after college? ] was any time to question decision because I cant imagine a JZ: Thereelse -neverits tough sometimes. the all have had to work random odddoing anything but We jobs

to get by now and then - and its weird, sweeping a floor in a convenience store and hearing about your dorm buddies getting huge promotions and flying around in nice suits and buying their mothers nice things. Every day or so, theres a time when I feel like a total bum. Hanging out with Kimmys parents is probably the worst. Her sisters boyfriend just bought a house. I couldnt even keep my plant alive that they bought me because I was on the road so much. Were together, by the way.

Q [ WVFI: Do each of you have specific roles (lyrics writer, composer, etc) or do you work and write collectively? ] album was put pretty organically, in each a role a KB: Thisupfor instance, together had some songs, and that we pianofilledthem, soasI it came Johnny wanted on
started playing with him. As we began recording, we needed more input and more instruments, so Joe, Dave, and Elisia stepped in with their own ideas and instruments. The plan is for the next album to make it more of a collective process, writing and brainstorming and recording together, since we all write, and now that weve established a sound and an aesthetic that we all really love.

Q [ WVFI: What is your dream goal and how have you progressed toward it? ] a DL: Just getting paid to play music with my friends. Making enough to get by without having to do anything else.

Q [ WVFI: What other bands or artists are you inspired by? What else inspires you? ] Leonard a JM: Dreams, Bernstein! drinks. KB: and energy
JZ: The television show Chuck. Im a daily watcher. I think wed all say coffee too. EG: Yeah, definitely coffee. And we all really love Radiohead. DL: And the Head of the Bed.

Q [ WVFI: If you could see any artist perform, who would it be? ] The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. saw for song My a KB:Jacket show this summer, and IveI beenthem come outeverasince. at alove Morning digging them Id to see
a full set. Or maybe Portishead.

KB: Honestly, mine is to publish a novel. So far, Ive gotten two speeding tickets, seen Phish twenty times, learned to cook fajitas, turned vegetarian, recorded an album, and started my novel over three times. JZ: I think Im alone on this one, but my musical goal is to play Deer Creek - the amphitheatre 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. Ive been making a lot of progress: other than Highways, which is really just starting up, Ive 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, theres no overnight blowup - but you can build up a sustainable role in music if you put in the time honing your craft. And I think thats a good thing. I look at bands like The National, who have put out five albums, and each one is far more refined than the one previous. It took them awhile, but theyre there now and all the better for it. Im not too anxious - I think were in a great place. My real life goal is to live by the sea with the ones I love. That comes up a lot in this record actually.

Q [ WVFI: Why Brooklyn? ] a JM: Because clearly its just the best place to be. Q [ WVFI: How does the scene shape and liberate your sound? ] New but actually think touring a JZ: Theres just so much insoundYork, its quite infinite,else. IBetween playing every helps me think about our more than anything
night, seeing two or three other bands, meeting two or three more,

Q [ WVFI: Describe Highways sound in 5 words. ] a Dreamy urban existential driving soundtrack. [ Learn more at ndmindsetnet ]

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an explanation
Questions have been raised about why Mindset, a zine published through an on-campus radio station, should include articles about anything but music. To put it simply, the culture fostered by wvfi is not limited to the studio. And music is only one part of what makes wvfi the success that it is. For those of us who are involved at wvfi, music is a huge part of our lives, not only because we listen to it on a daily basis, but because in a way it becomes a part of how we understand our surroundings and how we understand ourselves. Music influences us, makes us examine our culture, and reminds us not to take life too seriously. Life, like music, should be meaningful, but fun at the same time. And Mindset strives to make a statement about our campus culture, our greater culture, and ourselves, in a meaningful and fun, yet new and creative way. We have spent long hours working on this issue of Mindset; we sincerely hope that you enjoy it. We recognize that our articles often poke fun at the cultural landscape, and that we write about many subjects that one wouldnt necessarily associate with wvfi. But we hope that you will also open yourself up to what Mindset stands for: it is an outlet for new and different student voices to be heard. We believe that our readers, like our writers, are interested in examining what we experience everyday. For this reason, we have written articles that any student at Notre Dame can read and--whether they listen to alternative music or not--know what we are talking about. We encourage you to join our dialogue. Tell us if you disagree with us, if you like us, if youre confused by us. Become a part of our culture and let music motivate and inspire you.

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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 1:30 a.m. at wvfi.nd.edu. We also sponsor on-campus concerts with Legends of Notre Dame. Bands WVFI has brought to campus include The Unicorns, Clap Your Hnds Say Yeah, The Antlers, Pedro the Lion, Kimya Dawson, and Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos.

Alex Muench, Station Manager [ can play guitar while driving ] Meg Larson, Assistant Station Manager [ candy corn and raisinette enthusiast ] Malcolm McCollum, Public Relations [ this is malcolm mcCollums bio ] Laura Mittelstaedt, Mindset Editor [ laughing parisian jellyfish drink coffee ] Alex Rosales, Web Director [ also I have great grammar ] Brian Dusell, Graphics Director [ makes real good art ] Tim Ryan, Head Music Director [ can count to four. tim. ] John Quinn, Music Director [ i think stealing is wrong ] Patrick Nguyen, Music Director [ facial hair grown: age 18 ] Erin Hallagan, Archive Manager [ my limerick says it all ] Eric Secviar, DJ Relatons Director [ ask me about my height ]

A bit about the Board [in five words]

Who DJs at WVFI?

Any Notre Dame student can sign up to be a DJ at WVFI. Last year we had over 160 student DJs broadcasting daily! Some famous WVFI members include Charlie Weis (78), who worked as a Sports Broadcaster, and nationally-acclaimed musician Ted Leo (94), who was a DJ and a Music Director.

What Kind of Music Does WVFI Play? How Do I Listen to WVFI?

Though WVFI primarily plays independent label college rock, we also feature programming slots of hip hop, punk rock, metal, clsassic rock, comedy talk, and sports talk. Please visit wvfi.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 program schedule is published on the main page of the WVFI site; you can see what shows are scheduled and if any of your friends are current DJs!

A bit about W V F I

How Can I Get Involved with WVFI?

Become a DJ. If you are interested in having your own WVFI show, please email us at wvfi@nd.edu! Write for Mindset. Mindset is a zine produced by WVFI. If you want to write about music and pop culture, email us at mindset@nd.edu, check out our blog at ndmindset.tumblr.com, follow us @NDMindset, or come to our meetings at 8:30 on Tuesdays in 200 LaFortune. Anyone can post on the blog and we are always looking for passionate writers! WVFI Radio prides itself in the vibrant community that it fosters. We invite you to listen online, become a DJ, attend one of our concerts, or write an article for Mindset so that you can participate in this totally unique and dynamic campus institution.

Love, The WVFI Executive Board of Directors: Alex Muench John Quinn Eric Secviar Alex Rosales Meg Larson Patrick Nguyen Malcolm McCollum Brian DuSell Tim Ryan Erin Hallagan Laura Mittelstaedt