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About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2007)
■ » Entertain Yourself Portland indie/pop band blooms this spring K elsey S chrader ___ "Pop is not a dirty word" Page Editor i i . Î At first look, The Shins, a growing-in-popularity Portland-based band, may look innocent with their flannel shirts and their quiet persona. But don't let it fool you, according to an interview by Blender magazine, our favorite indie/ pop band members battle with insecurity, mayhem, and super models just like any other rock group. The Shins are one of Portland's more famous rock bands. The band includes band members James Mercer, Martin Crandall, Dave Herandez, Jesse Sandoval and Eric Johnson. The Shins are all 30-year-old, "Oh, Inverted World." From slightly balding, sweater- there, The Shins went from vest-wearing guys from a side project to selling out Alburquerque, N.M. (they _ the Crystal Ballroom in 20 later relocated to Portland, minutes. You could say Ore.). Their name was based The Shins have done some on a fictional family in the growing. Broadway show, "The Music Three years ago, the notion Man," which was a favorite of of this modest retro-pop Mercer's father. outfit performing for a sold- The Shins released two out arena with sceaming fans singles, "Nature Bears of all ages would have been a Vacuum" in 1999 and hard to fathom. Yet ever since "When I Goosestep" in 2000. "New Slang/' appeared in While on tour with Modest the hit romantic comedy (and Mouse, they were met in my favorite movie) "Garden San Francisco by a Sub Pop State," the Shins have gained representative who offered popularity. to release their debut album, Like Death Cab for Cutie Page Editor 11 It's startling to think that Disney got away with not having an African American princess until now. Arriving better late than never is Maddy, a 19-year-old black housemaid living in New Orleans in the 1920s, in the new film, "The Frog Princess," to be released in 2009. Before the fact that she's a maid gets you riled up, keep in mind that nearly every Disney princess has been oppressed. For instance, Mulan can’t fight because she's a woman. So, no, it's not necessarily racially discourteous or irresponsible. Maddy could just as easily be white. The story presumably follows the classic Grimm brothers fairy tale, "The Frog Prince" though the movie will be a musical adaptation. In the original story, a king sets out his three sons to find ; f ! 1 brides. One way or another, the youngest prince ends up with a frog. The king puts each of the brides-to-be through various tasks; baking bread, doing laundry and any other household chore that would undoubtedly be expected of a wife. The two human brides are lazy and fail at each of their tasks while the frog miraculously excels in all of her chores. Even so, the youngest prince is ashamed of his frog bride xmtil she magically transforms into a beautiful princess. These types of things happen in New Orleans even today, so it shouldn't be a difficult adaptation. Jennifer Hudson and fellow "Dreamgirl," Anika Noni Rose are reportedly top contenders for the lead, though Alicia Keys has apparently contacted Disney's studio chief to express her interest and beg for the role. her when she was 17." Well stated, Chris. Although the Shins unfortunately couldn't fit me into their tight interview schedule (but, mind you, I did try!), their publicist provided many answers to questions such as, "Why Oregon?" The Shins moved from Arizona to Oregon because after they were signed, the Shins felt like they had the freedom to move somewhere new. Going on tour exposed the band members to different parts of the country, and they were really drawn to Portland where they moved in 2001. No doubt, the Shins have become one of the most in- demand bands in America. Their music has been used in Gap commercials and McDonald commercials, but the Shins prefer other venues. Whether it's a commercial, a sound track in a major motion picture, just another ground breaking album, the Shins will go down in history for their music, their quirky looks, and, I think, being one of the best bands of all time. Adams reveals bottom Disney names first African American princess; better late than never M argaret A dams r I listen to the songs "We Will Become Silhouettes" and "Kissing the Lipless." You’d think after all this publicity and touring, the Shins might feel a little pride in their work, but actually they are sm *. quite humble and pW k, maybe a little insecure. "People think I'm a better person than I am," Mercer said in Blender, "just because of these Photo courtesy of internet pretty songs." Martin Crandall, who or the Arcade Fire, the Shins could win a Chris Parnell are what some are calling look-alike competition hands "yindie" rock: "half yuppie, down, has quite the history half indie — palatable with America's Next Top enough for the masses, Model's first-runner-up edgy enough for the snobs" according to urbandictionary. Elyse Sewell. In fact, they've been dating for the past com. seven years. "People think, If you haven't listened to he's in a rock band, she's a the Shins already, they sound model, it must be like E! True like a mix between the Cure Hollywood Story!" Crandall and Simon and Garfunkel. said in Blender. "But here's all Even with their soaring you need to know: I bagged vocals and their pop hooks, this band is far from the pop genre. If you're not yet accustomed to their different sound, you might want to M argaret A dams Graphic courtesy of internet "The Frog Princess" will be a 2-D animated production, either primarily hand-drawn or created using computer generated imagery. While 2004's "Home on the Range" was set to be Disney's last 2-D animation film, the new leaders of Disney's animation department would like to see more movies done in the classic form of animation. Page Editor So they gave me this column where I get to rip on stuff people are into. You can't get insulted though, that's part of the rules. Plus, if you really do like what I hate then you shouldn't let me tell you it sucks and it won't get you down. Keep up that attitude. 1. PT Cruisers are all over the place for some reason, but I'm still always surprised when I see one on the road. It's difficult to pity the person driving though. It's not like their economic situation forced them to resort to a Cruiser; they aren't even cheap. It's twenty-five grand for a PT with a turbo and exclusive sport bucket seats. So people buy them because they're attracted to them? Attracted? To a PT Cruiser? Come on. 2 .1 just found out Sean Paul won a Best Reggae Album Grammy in 2004 for a record called "Dutty Rock" that sold six million copies. 3. Everyone knows that we are trashing the planet and I swear a gum wrapper will fit in your pocket. Who decided it would be okay to use the ground as a garbage can? Litter at your house if you love to do it so much. 4. Tattoos are permanent and seem like the kind of thing you would take the time to think through. Enter Celtic armband tattoos. Is that really the best you could do? 5. The Ice Cream Skate Team wears Ice Creams by Reebok x Pharrell on their feet. It's sort of like The Wiggles of skate teams judging by the shoes. One of Pharrell's clothing lines, Ice Cream, sells denim with running dogs on the crotch and $80 t-shirts with money rolls on them. The running dog is their signature pattern, I guess, so you can also get an all over print bucket hat to go with your pants. That sounds really good. Billionaire Boys Club is super hyped too, and it's all aboi’* 1- diamonds, money signs ■ bullets.
