Brookings, SD-Unable to attend the Welcome Back Bash due to a car accident, NEEDMORE is making it up to SDSU on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011 in the Volstorff Ballroom at 8 pm.

NEEDMORE has been named #1 Rock Band by MTV’s our stage and their music has appeared in commercials and movies. NEEDMORE has an infectious sound and their hit single, “Lost My Way” was heard on US National Radio and Internet Radio. They also have created quite a buzz in the UK.

This Los Angeles-formed band is excited to return to SDSU and have fun with the entire campus.

This event is completely free to the public and students and sponsored by the University Programs Council.

For more information contact:

Ashley Dumke

UPC Concerts Coordinater

605-688-6173

amdumke@jacks.sdstate.edu

The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Pavel Kogan came to the Performing Arts Center for one night of symphonic classics.

It was a night to remember and possibly one of the finest classical performances I have seen &- not just here in South Dakota, but in my hometown of Seattle, Wash. as well.

Upon entering the front doors to the Performing Arts Center, my guest and I walked into the crowded main lobby of finely dressed ladies and gentlemen mingling with each other waiting for the show to begin.

Prior to the doors opening to the symphony, Dan Brown, dean of the music department, President David Chicoine and the Brookings Mayor Tim Reed spoke to the crowd to welcome everyone and thank Conductor Pavol Kogan and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra for coming to Brookings.

When the cordialities ended, the doors to the symphony hall were opened, and the throng of guests filed in. We made our way upstairs to the balcony level and quickly found are seats along the right side.

It wasn’t long before the members of the symphony began filing onto to the stage and tuning up their instruments. Then finally the Kogan walked onto the stage with the crowd giving him a great welcoming ovation.

The symphony began the performance with “Capriccio Italien, Op. 45″ by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It started off softly and slowly and quickly gained momentum. Soon the various sections of the symphony were alternately playing off each other in a beautiful synchronicity. Though the opening performance began slowly the ending was a sharp crescendo of music.

After a standing ovation by the crowd and three bowing encores by the conductor, Maestro Kogan returned once more to the stage with featured guest violinist Jennifer Koh to perform the “Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64″ by Felix Mendelssohn.

It was truly a delight to watch Koh accompanied by the symphony work her magic on the violin. In alternating succession they would play off each other in near perfect harmony.

Koh’s solo violin work, so full of passion and depth and emotion, if one closed their eyes they could almost visualize the notes flowing of her violin and out into the crowd. The intricateness of her movements across the violin and how the notes mixed with overall symphony was a work of a rising master.

As before, the performance reached a crescendo and then ended with a flourish. The crowd erupted with cheers and yet another standing ovation for Koh and the symphony lasting several minutes and multiple encore appearances by Koh and Maestro Kogan.

After the intermission, the symphony and Maestro Kogan came back on stage for their final performance of the night, Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibit.” Maestro Kogan knew what he was doing when laying out which pieces they were going to play and in what order.

Although this final performance encompassed multiple individual symphonic pieces as the symphony under the guidance of Kogan began, I quickly became lost within the music and had trouble at times distinguishing where the transitions into the different movements were.

Perhaps this was simply because I gave myself up to simply enjoying the performance as a grand unifying whole and wasn’t concerned so much with picking it all apart. Whatever the case, this final performance really brought the whole experience together and left me satiated at the end but still yearning for more music.

If you want to learn how to “Jane Fonda,” don’t miss Mickey Avalon’s performance Oct. 28 at the Swiftel Center.

This is rap artist Mickey Avalon’s first stop to Brookings, not to mention South Dakota.

“I’m totally stoked to come to South Dakota,” said Avalon. “I want to play all 50 states and this is one of the few that I’ve never been to.”

Before Avalon’s solo career launched, he was in a rap group called Dyslexic Speedreaders. Since then it has been all Mickey. His solo career took off with the release of his self-titled album in 2006.

Avalon is known for his divisive and sometimes controversial lyrics. He uses humor in many of his lyrics to poke fun at certain people, but also to describe certain events in his life.

Avalon is a rap music fan by nature, but he gets inspiration from all different genres of music.

“I obviously listen to rap but I also listen to a lot of Country Music right now,” said Avalon. “Rockabilly was the first music I was introduced to but I would love to work with Lucinda Williams and Hank Williams III.”

Avalon’s new album, Electric Gigolo consists of collaborations with Katy Perry, Ke$ha, and Kid Rock.

Dame Fifty5 and Chanel from MTV’s Fantasy Factory will join Avalon in concert.

Dame said he this is also his first time coming to South Dakota, and he’s excited to play for a group of college students.

“I’m actually from Cincinnati and I haven’t been to that side of the map in a while,” said Dame. “Cincinnati isn’t exactly Midwest, but it’s out that way- I’m really stoked to be honest with you.”

Chanel has been busy recording in her California studio, but she is pleased to take time out of her schedule to make the trip to Brookings.

The CEO of Skyline Entertainment in Brookings, Reza Borchardt, helped arrange these artists’ schedules to make the show possible.

“South Dakota isn’t typically known for attracting a huge volume of Top 40 artists and television celebrities,” said Borchardt. “Our goal was to create a huge concert event, in-between Hobo Days and Halloween that SDSU students don’t often get a chance to attend without making a road-trip.”

Avalon and company have a studio interview scheduled just before the show at SDSU radio station, KSDJ. Tickets for the concert are still on sale, and available at the Swiftel box office.

#1.1731058:3497268999.png:Mickey-Avalon.png:Mickey Avalon will bring his unique rap sound to South Dakota and the Swiftel Center Oct. 28.:Submitted Photo

Superman and Clark Kent, Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus, the Jackrabbit mascot and the Easter Bunny. Although the latter is largely unconfirmed, there are many well-known alter egos, such as the former two, in the entertainment industry. Let me introduce you to one that you may not be as familiar with.

The Garth Brooks that music fans know was born Troyal Garth Brooks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1962. His country music career began in the late 1980s and from there he went on to become a dominant force in the industry. On radio, award shows and in concert, no one could beat him. His charismatic personality and traditional sound resonated with listeners of all ages and backgrounds, making him the Recording Industry Association of America’s best selling solo artist in U.S. history. That is a big deal. But what if I told you that Garth is also a high school dropout from Australia, the son of an Olympic swimmer, and the survivor of a serious car crash, which caused injuries that required extensive reconstructive surgery.

In 1999, the Garth energetic hat-act transformed him into Chris Gaines, a dark and pensive pop singer who lurked mysteriously behind a shadowy black wig and a rather odd-looking soul patch.

Garth created the alter ego because he was slated to star in a movie called The Lamb, which was to focus on the tortured life of the fictional star Chris Gaines. Instead of just portraying Gaines, Garth became him in many aspects of his life. He released a CD entitled The Life of Chris Gaines and made public appearances, such as a stint on Saturday Night Live, where he pretended to be Gaines.

Striking similarities between the life story and personal style that Garth generated for the film project left some to wonder whether he used Keith Urban’s real biography and appearance as a template for Gaines’.

Even though Garth fully embraced his creative venture, the public did not. The movie was never made, the CD did not live up to expectations and frankly people were a little “weirded” out by the whole situation. The failure of such a dramatic and elaborately concocted project proved that Garth could not have his cake and eat it too. It is unknown whether the two events are related, but Garth retired from recording and performing a little over a year after the Chris Gaines flop. Since then, Garth has been in and out of various degrees of retirement and during this time has released several CD boxed sets and performed select concerts.

#1.1655727:1030366358.jpg:Katie Rusch: Music row musings:Katie Rusch: Music row musings:File Photo

Rap music from the middle of nowhere is the resounding theme for the Sioux Falls rap group, Soulcrate Music. The group kicked off its Sleep Awake Tour in Brookings Sept. 17 at the Shamrock Event Center.

The trio is comprised of brothers Wes and Dan Eisenhauer, who provide the vocals and their disc jockey, Corey Gerlach. Wes Eisenhauer said this is Soulcrate’s first tour as a headliner.

“We kind of set this whole thing up ourselves,” Wes Eisenhauer said.

Soulcrate played at Jack’s Place in The Union last year and Wes Eisenhauer said they are glad to be back in Brookings.

“It’s close enough to home where it feels good and we’re happy to be here,” Wes Eisenhauer said.

Soulcrate has the feel of a local band but the release of their new album The Heartland Panic has given them national attention.

This accomplishment, along with a list of others, has not gone unnoticed.

Soulcrate, formed eight years ago, has matured as a group over time.

“If you listen to that first record (From the Neck Up) and you listen to The Heartland Panic, I’d say there’s quite a bit of progression in there,” Wes Eisenhauer said.

Dan Eisenhauer said in the group’s early days people had a hard time distinguishing the brothers’ voices.

“We developed our own styles and being more comfortable behind the microphone,” Dan Eisenhauer said.

Wes Eisenhauer said Gerlach, or “DJ Absolute”, is a big part of the group’s success.

“We wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing without Cory,” Wes Eisenhauer said. “He’s always been the driving force behind us.”

Soulcrate is also very appreciative of their local following in South Dakota. They make reference to “the plains state” in several of their songs.

Soulcrate has opened for bands including 311 and Atmosphere. Their headlining Sleep Awake Tour finishes Sept. 25 in Omaha, Neb.

Free tracks are available for digital download on Soulcrate’s website, as well as photos, tour dates and biographies: http://soulcratesouthdakota.blogspot.com

If Josh Turner and John Mayer had a baby that could sing, and by some chance came out unusually tall, it would be Corey Crowder. The Covington, Ga. artist found his way to SDSU Sept. 16.

The full, round sound that reminded me of gravel roads in summer, the bump of washboards and starry skies filled Jack’s Place and the ears of what I hope are newly-converted Crowder fans. His music includes the harmonic tones of his guitar and hints of something nostalgic and organically country.

Although he has a developed sound, Crowder didn’t start playing music seriously until college. He began working the open-mic scene of his college town, and until that point, hadn’t considered himself much of a singer.

Crowder’s big break came about thanks to the MySpace music phenomenon. The music supervisor for MTV’s The Real World approached Crowder after hearing his music on MySpace. At the time, they were looking for Crowder to be a cast member on the show. Crowder turned down the option, but offered the show rights to use his music on the show. One of Crowder’s songs appeared on that season’s finale, and from that point on there was no turning back. Crowder quit his job at a guitar store and began playing music full-time. He’s been at it ever since.

“My web presence exploded, and iTunes sales went crazy,” Crowder said. “That was the moment that I said I could do this for a living.’”

Crowder quickly became an Internet sensation. He realizes the connection between the Internet and his success as a musician is more than just a coincidence.

“The months when I’ve had the most social networking traffic are the months that I make the most money,” Crowder said. “Nine times out of ten, if a fan comes to the show knowing my music, it’s because they heard it on the Internet first.”

Crowder recognizes that traditionally the Internet isn’t how country music is spread, but the industry is changing.

“When you sit down at an agency, one of the questions they ask you now is how you are using and utilizing the social networking scene,” Crowder said.

He believes the change is happening because country music’s predominate demographic, 35-50 year-olds, are beginning to join in the social networking scene as well.

There is a lot to be learned about marketing on the social network, too. Crowder said you must pay attention to people who are doing it well.

“You can over do it and you can under do it, but the trick is to find a good balance,” he said. “I try to let people into my personal life just enough that we can form a connection, but I don’t want to overwhelm people either. You have to be more than just another artist.”

Whether it is strumming a guitar or connecting with fans, Corey Crowder definitely seems to know what he is doing.

There is no guesswork in his performance; there is only confidence, great music and a brilliant sound.

To like Crowder’s Facebook page, go to www.facebook.com/coreycrowder

One man’s trash is another man’s musical instrument? Recycled Percussion is a rock band from New Hampshire that plays to a different tune. Instead of conventional instruments, they use recycled objects such as ladders, pots, pans and 50-gallon drums as musical instruments to perform both original songs and covers of popular rock songs.

Recycled Percussion preformed at the grand opening of the Children’s Museum of South Dakota in Brookings Sept. 12.

“I don’t really know how we ended up here,” said Ryan Vezina, a drummer in the band. “We love doing shows for kids and charities.”

Recycled Percussion preformed for a crowd of several hundred kids, their parents and SDSU students. They got the crowd involved by having members of the audience throw drumsticks to one of the drummers as he caught them and continued playing.

The band didn’t stay in Brookings long.

Vezina said they have a permanent show on the “Strip” in Las Vegas. They play six shows a week at the MGM Grand Casino and Hotel.

“Performing in Las Vegas is every performers dream,” Vezina said.

The band now lives in Las Vegas, but their journey getting there is like something out of a fairy-tale novel.

Recycled Percussion has been playing together for 13 years with a variety of members. They hit it big when they placed third on the reality show “America’s Got Talent.” Before all the fame and large venues, Recycled Percussion was performing at local high school talent shows in New Hampshire. They were finally noticed by an elementary school principal and the rest is history.

Vezina said they have done some national touring, but for the near future they will mainly just play shows at the MGM Grand. The Band has confirmed they will be participating in the Chinese version of “America’s got Talent” later this fall.

#1.1602893:3808869357.jpg:Band members of the Recycled Percussion rock band entertain children, families and students alike:Band members of the Recycled Percussion rock band entertain children, families and students alike at museum opening. :Collegian Photo by Robby Gallaher