Concerts Launches First ‘
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Concerts launches first ‘Cyber Gardner’ Grinnell artists MXLCXLM (Malcolm Davis `21) and Loqum (Deniz Sahin `20) will headline the College’s first-ever ‘Cyber Gardner’ on Saturday at 8 p.m. CST and 8:30 p.m. CST, respectfully. Broadcast live on Instagram, the concert is one of many events moved online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the College’s closure in mid-March. Grinnell students Saketan Anand `21, Cat Dang Ton `22 and Victoria Park `22, who tours under ‘Pictoria Vark,’ organized the event. The idea for a virtual concert emerged from a conversation between Park and Anand just a few days ago. “We’re catching up and she’s been talking about how she and artists she knows have been doing with concerts online and that kind of stuff, as well as how venues are really struggling, artists are really struggling at a time like this,” Anand said. “I, on my end, was kind of thinking about how much I miss Gardner concerts and how everyone seems to be starved of some kind of community event.” Thus, Cyber Gardner was born. The event will take its place within a sea of virtual gatherings, concerts and events suddenly available online as Americans nationwide shelter in place. The star-studded One World: Together At Home concert, for example, drew 21 million viewers Saturday, featuring Beyonce, Lady Gaga and the Rolling Stones, among others. Poster by Victoria Park, contributed by Saketan Anand. Yet this concert promises to be extra special for Grinnellians at home, thanks in no small part to the headlining acts: Loqum and MXLCXLM. Deniz Sahin `20, a December graduate, performs as Loqum and is currently an engineering intern at Classick Studios in Chicago. “[He] was kind of on my radar at the time that this idea came up,” Anand said. Sahin performed a DJ set before OSHUN, a New-York based duo, at a concert in the fall. Malcolm Davis `21, who opened for rapper Oompa at a real-life Gardner this February, only began producing music in the fall of 2019. Nonetheless, he’s quickly found his footing in the campus music scene as MXLCXLM. “I had seen that Malcolm was working on some new stuff with his cousin [Jelani McCray ‘21], who’s also going to be on as a featured guest,” Anand said. “So, we were like, okay, let’s reach out to them. And if they’re interested, that will be our first show.” Anand intends for virtual concerts to bring in a wider range of musicians, from current students to recent alumni and artists otherwise familiar with Grinnell. “We began thinking, can we raise funds, either toward these artists … or toward other causes that might really benefit from charity at a time like this?” Anand said. To drive turnout, event organizers are reaching out to specific parts of the Grinnell community, such as the Class of 2024 – the ‘Coronavirus class’ – who were deprived of experiences like Admitted Students Day, during which student bands often perform. You can attend the inaugural Cyber Gardner by heading over to @grinnellconcerts on Instagram on Saturday at 8 p.m. CST. No tickets are required, and every spot is front row. Oompa, MXLCXLM perform in Gardner MXLCXLM (Malcolm Davis ’21) performs in Gardner Lounge with Jon Gomez ’21 as DJ. Photo by May Phuong Vu. By Shabana Gupta [email protected] Last Friday, Students poured into Gardner Lounge to hear MXLCXLM and Oompa perform. The stage was lit with pink, green and blue mood lights with MXLCXLM (Malcolm Davis ’21) vibing on stage to instrumentals. The crowd comprised of people sitting on couches and a few swaying to the music on the dance floor. After a few minutes the floor started to fill up and MXLCXLM opened the show. He kept it chill for a while with the bass resonating through the room and people moving with the rhythm. Davis opened with new songs he created over the past few months. He only started producing music this past semester. “Some of those beats were beats that I purchased, because I listened to a beat and was like ‘Oh wow, I can imagine something with that.’ Sometimes I produce my own beats,” he said. Many of Davis’ instrumentals are mixes of sounds you might not normally hear together. There were some haunting voices and clashing swords mixed with everyday sounds like bass drums and flutes. After Davis finished his set, rapper Oompa’s DJ joined the stage to get the audience ready for her to perform. People started nodding along in time with the beat. Oompa knew how to interact with the audience. She talked about her life and showed how human she was by sharing that she accidentally left her show pants at home, so she had to wear sweatpants instead. When her song “Work” came on, people started jumping as they counted “One, two, three!” Each time Oompa hit ‘three’ a small mosh pit would almost form as people crashed into each other. Periodically throughout the show, Oompa would get people moving by having them ‘stretch’ into a position. Each of the ‘stretches’ moved into a particular dance move. One of the moves was twerking, which people did with barely any prompting. She also sang from her album “November 3rd” and talked about the meanings behind a few of the songs. During “Your Girl,” after the line “I got this girl, and she don’t like girls,” Oompa interjected, “Yeah, you didn’t expect that, did ya?” and moved on with the song. Oompa also used her platform to discuss mental health issues. She talked about how her girlfriend pushed her to seek help and how, when she finally did, it was like a release of emotions overtook her and she spilled everything to the therapist. Oompa and Davis’ music focused on racial justice. In his recent album, “Lion,” Davis talks about the expectations placed on black men. “Imma lie and say I used to flip bricks” and “Know I’ve never been convicted of a crime” are two of the lines in his song “Lion,” which he rapped during the performance. Davis said that his main focus when writing music is on the lyrics. “I like the poetic side or rap more, so I’m more of a lyricist. I write lyrics, I write songs, I also write plays,” he said. Davis has found a lot of inspiration in the Grinnell music scene. He said, “I was inspired to become a performing artist because I’m good friends with Marco [Saffold ‘20] and seeing what he was able to do being a recording artist and a performing artist at Grinnell.” He was also influenced by the lyricist Jake Hull and Kanye West’s old music. “I see myself as a lyricist because of Jake Hull and other people who are sort of doing the same kinds lyrically that I want to do,” he said. This was Davis’ first performance of his own songs ever. “I was nervous but being able to see my peers and people I knew I could rely on to show up was great. It made me feel a lot easier.” He also had the pressure of only a two-week notice that he would be playing this performance. Originally, he expected it to be a week later with more time for preparation. Davis can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and Instagram as MXLCXLM. Oompa’s music is on Spotify and her website, oompaoutloud.com. CHAI brings body positivity and brightness to Gardner CHAI perform their highly energetic set. Photo by Ariel Richards. By Audrey Boyle [email protected] Here at Grinnell College, we are currently in the middle of a lot of things — the state of Iowa, the 2019-20 school year, a contentious election season, a long, cold winter, multiple major administrative changes (goodbye, President Kington …). While I could buy into the rhetoric that the journey transcends the destination, mostly it just feels a little like we’re deep in the middle of … nowhere. Far enough from the beginning that I can’t pinpoint where we started, but far enough away from the end that I can’t quite see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. Part of me isn’t totally convinced there is a light, and I’m certainly not sure what that light might look like. Maybe it’s seasonal depression speaking, or maybe I’ve just fallen victim to the cliché of liberal arts student cynicism that gets us all in the end. Whatever the case may be, last Thursday, (allow me to indulge in this extended metaphor for just a little longer) the deep, dark, tunnel cracked a bit to let in the light that is CHAI, a four-person band that hails from Nagoya, Japan and specializes in optimism and celebration. For this reporter, at least, a dose of bright pink cheer was just what the doctor ordered (another metaphor, as I’m still waiting for my SHAW therapy appointment). CHAI has curated a specific aesthetic they deem “NEO KAWAII,” redefining the concept of kawaii, or cuteness. On their website, CHAI defines NEO KAWAII as the concept that “all girls are pretty from the moment they were born, and that there is not a single girl who is not KAWAII. … Our insecurities make us who we are. The insecurities become art. KAWAII is a never-ending journey!” The resolutely unfaltering exuberance of CHAI’s performance belies the radical message behind it, especially for an audience unfamiliar with their work.