Those who attend concerts got to experience a selection of five different rock bands on Nov. 14 at Wink Arena thanks to Music Industry Management Association (MIMA).

The concert was also sponsored by Y-102, a local radio station. Funding for this event came in large part from the student activities fee allocated by Student Government through the finance division.

As part of their “Sleeping with Giants Fall Tour 2007”, The Academy Is… headlined with three other bands plus a special guest. Along with The Academy Is…, the four hour concert featured the bands Armor for Sleep, The Rocket Summer, Sherwood. Cobra Starship performed as the special guest on the tour. Each nonheadlining band played a set of five or six songs with breaks for audience interaction.

Before the concert, people lined up the entire length of Wink Arena's hallway waiting for the doors to open. All in all, MIMA reported attendance of over 1000 audience members.

Cobra Starship was the first band to take the stage.

They played songs from their album “Viva La Cobra!” such as “The City is at War” and “Guilty Pleasure.” They also played the song “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)” that was recorded as the theme song for the 2006 movie of the same name.

During the performance of “Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)”, lead vocalist Gabe Saporta invited a fan to rap a section of the song. The lead singer from The Academy is… came out on stage to sing as well.

During another song, Saporta got members of the audience to help during the chorus by putting their fists in the air and singing out “hey, hey, hey, hey.”

Sherwood was the next band to perform.

Each band had different visual effects to entertain the audience. Sherwood, probably the mellowest band in the show, used neon lights to add color to their stage performance. They did songs like their recent release, “Song in my Head.”

The keyboardist and percussionist, Mike Liebovich, moved around more than any other member of the band. Liebovich added the use of a tambourine during at least one song.

The Rocket Summer took the stage next.

“The Rocket Summer is the solo work of young Bryce Avary,” states mtv.com. Although traveling with a backup band, Avary has embraced the pattern of artists coming up with a band name for himself. Christmas lights decorated the stage while The Rocket Summer did his songs.

Avary showed the audience his diverse ability as he switched back and forth between guitar and keyboard as he sung all 6 of his songs. He even replaced the drummer and played the drums on one song.

Armor for Sleep had a simple stage setup in comparison to other bands.

The band played about eight songs, including “Smile for the Camera” and “Car Underwater.” The last band to go on before The Academy Is…, Armor for Sleep handled what may have been an increasingly edgy crowd by inviting them to hang out.

Finally, The Academy Is… took the stage.

The Academy Is… played a total of 13 songs. Some of the songs that were played included “Everything We Had”, “Classified”, and “Down and Out.”

During some songs William Becket, lead vocals, was all over the stage, jumping onto the drum stand and picking up the microphone stand to hold it up above his head. Other, calmer songs had the audience singing along. At one point Becket was holding the mic by the cord and leaning it into the audience in order to pick up those fans that knew the lyrics.

Just as Becket came out to sing when Cobra Starship was on stage, Saporta from Cobra Starship and Jorgenson from Armor for Sleep came out to sing with The Academy Is… during their last song.

An elaborate light show was part of the setup for the band’s performance and it increased in intensity as the show went on. Members of three of the bands came out to greet fans after the show. Some members of the audience waited as long as an hour to get autographs, photographs, or talk with lead singers from The Academy Is…, Cobra Starship, and The Rocket Summer. Keytar player for Cobra Starship, Victoria Asher, also came out from back stage to greet fans near the end of the show.

It was at this time that they answered some questions.

Between getting pictures with and signing autographs for fans, The Rocket Summer commented on touring. “It’s fun and it’s long, and it’s a way of life these days,” said Avary, who has been playing music for 14 years.

Becket agreed about touring being a way of life. “It’s like anything. It’s hard to get acclimated,” said Becket. “Going away to college is the same way. You get used to it.”

“College shows are usually hit or miss,” continued Becket. He called this show a lot of fun because “there were a lot of fans of ours, students and walk-ins alike.” While he was on stage, Becket called the audience incredible.

Something that most of the band members in the concert had gotten to do was play ice hockey on the Ferris campus. “I played,” said Avary, “A lot of people [did]--Not everybody but a lot of us.”

For upcoming events and information about MIMA, the website for the organization is fsumima.com or email questions to fsumima@gmail.com.

It’s that time of year; exam season is getting closer by the minute. Entertainment Unlimited (EU) has brought along some comedy routines with “Laugh Your Class Off” to lower the stress associated with this time in the collegiate year.

The series is in its third year at Ferris. EU brings comedians to campus each semester, but the organization decided to start bringing them in at the end of the semester when students were feeling the pressure of projects and exams. Matt Eickhoff, advisor for EU, said that students just needed an excuse to laugh.

“I [also] think this series is a fun way for students to bond before everyone leaves for the semester,” said Eickhoff.

“Each show is only about an hour long so it’s not too long for someone to take a break,” said Shanyn Leonard, EU member. “And it’s a free event, so you can’t get much better.”

This year two comedians, one male and one female, have been chosen to provide the campus with laughter. Neither of these comedians has been to Ferris before.

“We try to put some care into choosing the comedians. We saw both of the comedians for this semester at our NACA conference and everyone agreed that they would be good for the show,” said Leonard.

The first comedian is Johnny Cardinale. The Cleveland born comedian is known for his guitar and impersonations of famous musicians, according to joeyedmonds. com. He is often compared to Adam Sandler and Jimmy Fallon.

Cardinale has toured with Pauly Shore and since then has performed at all of the major comedy clubs in Los Angeles. He has also hosted a game show called “Clean Shots” on the Game Show Network since touring with Shore.

“He sings some pretty hilarious songs and does spot-on imitations,” said Eickhoff.

Michelle Buteau will be in the second show of “Laugh Your Class Off.” The woman from Jersey and Miami is on many comedy shows on television. She has been on VH1’s “Best Week Ever”, NBC’s “Last Comic Standing”, and is in many different commercials.

According to her bio on comedycentral. com, Buteau has an “exclusive style of urban funk and girl-next-door comedy.”

Buteau is currently on Oxygen’s “Mean Girls” television series.

“I’m really looking forward to both of these comedians. I hope students can take a break and laugh with us,” said Leonard.

The free shows will both start at 8 p.m. in the Rankin Center Dome Room. Cardinale will be on stage on Dec. 3 while Buteau will perform on Dec. 6.

Thanks to Entertainment Unlimited (EU), Ferris students were mystified once again by The Evasons, who first came to Ferris in 2002. This was definitely a show for non-believers, including me, to attend.

I got the chance to participate in what many of the audience members would agree was the most spine-tingling moment of the night. The Evasons asked spectators if any of them had ever witnessed a ghost.

Linda Becker, a cosmetology graduate of the Mecosta- Osceola Career Center and coincidently my younger sister, raised her hand and was pulled on stage. She claimed she had seen the ghost of an elderly woman three years ago.

She was then asked who in the audience she felt she could connect with the most. Without blinking, she pointed her finger in the direction of my seat, and I knew I was done for.

I was then asked to come closer to the stage and was told to focus all of my energy on Linda. The Evasons planned to use our energy to summon the ghost my sister had seen.

Another member from the audience was asked to take a picture of Linda, who sat on the stage in front of a white projector screen.

Before taking the picture, The Evasons had to test the energy between my sister and I. Jeff Evason, who was on stage, had my sister close her eyes, while Tessa Evason came to the second row to stand beside me.

“You and the girl have a very strong, similar energy,” Tessa told me. I bit my lip so not to leak the fact that we were actually sisters.

Tessa then tapped me in the back, twice, on each shoulder. Jeff then instructed that my sister open her eyes and tell us if she had felt anything out of the ordinary.

“Yeah, someone just hit me, once on each shoulder blade,” said Linda. That’s when Tessa revealed that she knew we were sisters and Jeff clarified her discovery to the rest of the audience.

If that didn’t blow away the audience, what came in the next two minutes had people running from their seats to the stage.

The volunteer photographer, using The Evasons’ Polaroid camera, took a photo of Linda. After the picture cleared and appeared normal, Jeff grabbed a new box of film and loaded the camera.

While performing a small hypnosis on Linda, Jeff took her back to the night she witnessed the ghost of an elderly woman, and he signaled for the volunteer to take another photo.

Jeff then awoke Linda and told the photographer to watch as the picture developed. The audience waited in anticipation as the poor volunteer’s eyes grew wide.

“Linda, is this the same ghost you witnessed three years ago?” asked Jeff. He then handed the photo to Linda, who just stared at the picture in shock.

“The experience was surreal,” said Linda after the show. “What I saw in my mind appeared on that screen.”

Jeff also held the picture out to the audience to see. Many of those in disbelief flocked to the stage to get a glimpse of an older woman’s face on the white screen behind Linda.

All night The Evasons continued to amaze the audience. Four volunteers from the audience lifted a girl using only their fingers and a blindfolded Tessa guessed the first and last names of audience members.

They ended the show by throwing a ball out to the audience and each person who caught the ball was asked a question.

The first had to pick a winning lotto number, the second picked the winning amount, and the third picked what she would do with the money. The results ended up being 234, $500,000, and the third said she would buy a red Ford Escape.

Jeff then pulled out a sealed envelope containing a letter that Tessa had written earlier before the show began. In the letter was Tessa’s prediction to the previous answers.

As Jeff read the letter, an audience member confirmed that her predictions were dead on. Whether people went to the show disbelieving or suspicious, everyone left with a new perspective.

“Their performance erased any doubts I had about the possibility of someone reading my mind,” said Dave McNeil, a junior in the computer-aided drafting program.

After wrapping up the show, Tessa offered her psychic abilities to anyone willing to purchase a book for $10.

Still skeptic, I forked over the $10, and sat down with Tessa one-on-one. In sixty seconds she told me things about my present life and what I might expect in the future. Whether I believe, time will tell.

This Friday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m., the “Boys of the Lough” will be spreading holiday cheer by performing “A Celtic Christmas” at Williams Auditorium.

The Boys are the first professional full-time Celtic band in the world, with their first album in 1973. The band is comprised of five men, all with Scottish-Irish origins. The “traditional heroes,” as said by Irish World magazine, are Dave Richardson, Kevin Henderson, Cathal McConnell, Brendan Begley, and Malcolm Stitt.

The musicians play a variety of traditional Celtic music with a variety of traditional Celtic instruments including the fiddle, the flute, variations of piping, the accordion, and the utilization of certain vocal traditions as well.

According to their official website, boysofthelough.com, they are said to have gained much respect “on both sides of the Atlantic” by performing truly traditional Celtic music. They have established a reputation for “recognized technical brilliance and integrity in their performances.”

The supposed “most respectable aspect of the band” is their deep passion for traditional music and their ability to perform extremely technically challenging pieces. They stick infinitely by their classic acoustic instruments, enriching their vivid music with the beauty of “natural tone colors.”

They keep their performances personal and interesting with their “ready wit and fun” according to their official website, and combine it magically with their “warm and vital” traditions.

The band has recorded 20 albums and has completed over 60 tours just in the United States.

On one of the band’s tour dates, Rolling Stone magazine states that “They set the Saturday night crowd howling and dancing in the full fury of an August thunderstorm.”

New York Times calls them “one of the finest bands in traditional Celtic music,” and are also described as “the crème de la crème…unadulterated, pure integrity” by Classic CD magazine.

They will be in town for one performance only at Williams Auditorium. “Boys of the Lough: A Celtic Christmas,” an experience “music that tastes of itself.” Advanced student tickets are $8 or at the door for $10. Advance adult tickets are $25 or $30 at the door.

For additional information call x5863 or e-mail terrym@ferris.edu.

Maria Falzone visited Ferris on Thursday, Nov. 15 to speak at Williams Auditorium about safer sex rules and what sex should mean to us as college students and young adults.

She used personal experiences as examples, explored immense amounts of humor, and even played around with condoms.

Some say that she covered the topic expertly and agreed that she had a wonderful point of view, while some were not nearly as impressed.

Her lecture was very personal and extremely honest, and while I believe that most students respected it and enjoyed it, I saw more than one group of people get up and leave before the lecture was over.

Whether they were offended by her loose employment of profanities or were discomforted by her in-depth and detailed descriptions I’m not sure. Personally I thought that the lecture was very informative and disclosed essential information pertaining to the “do’s and don’ts” of students and their sexuality.

She was extremely detailed when incorporating her own life, her mistakes, her own received lectures from her mother, and other similar things into her speech. She even talked about how she used to party all the time when she was younger, getting completely wasted and wondering how she ended up where she was.

Some of her stories were very funny, while some were actually sort of scary. Either way, her information was interesting and seemingly pleased the crowd.

Pharmacy major Cherry Kwong said, “I thought it was very funny and interesting… And I had never seen someone put a condom over their head before!”

In the audience I saw a lot of couples together, one sitting right in front of me. Each time Falzone would mention a typical situation for a girlfriend and boyfriend, the couple in front of me would either nudge one another or give each other knowing and amused looks.

Falzone’s main point was simply that “knowledge is power” when it comes to sex. She believes that sexual predators are given “a leg up” due to younger peoples’ ignorance to their sexuality.

In addition she believes that people are more likely to make disastrous mistakes in their sex life if they are uninformed and unfamiliar with themselves, or if they lack the necessary emotional maturity towards the subject.

When I spoke with her afterwards, she said that her favorite part about doing what she does is that she is making a vital impact on students. “I hope that [the students] can take something from this and understand themselves better…and not make bad choices.”

I thoroughly enjoyed her lecture, even if I was slightly uncomfortable with her demeanor at times. I believe that the material was something that most of us in the audience could relate to.

Ferris State’s “Symphonic Santa Sunday!” will feature a collaboration of the Symphony Band, West Central Concert Band, and West Central Chamber Orchestra. On Dec. 2 the bands will join together in holiday banter at 4 p.m. in the Williams Auditorium. The show is free and open to the public.

Also featured in the show are special guests, Rachel Schumann, a vocalist; the WCCB Tuba/ Euphonium Ensemble; the WCCB Low Brass Quartet; the Blaczdowcztswcski Family Polka Band; Dynamite the Clown; and Santa Claus.

“The concert will feature the FSU Symphony Band, the West Central Concert Band, and the West Central Chamber Orchestra in a lively presentation of holiday tunes,” Scott Cohen, director of instrumental ensembles, said in a press release.

This holiday event is new this year, replacing the Holiday Gala Concert. For more information about this concert event, Scott Cohen can be contacted at x2484.

Santa Claus will also be there to hand out treats for young children who attend the concert.

Traditionally, a big holiday gala would be featured with all of FSU’s concert bands. This year, the Jazz Band and Choral Choir will have their own holiday concert on Tuesday, Dec. 4.

The West Central Concert Band has been around for 14 seasons. The Symphony Band and West Central Chamber Orchestra, with the Jazz Band and Choral Choir, were later formed as part of Ferris’ “Music for Life! Initiative.”

The “Jazz and Choral Holiday Concert” will commence at 8 p.m. in the Big Rapids High School Auditorium. This event is also free and open to the public. For more information about this event please contact Matt Moresi at x2587.

If any special accommodations are needed to attend these events, please contact Cohen at x2484 or Moresi at x2587 at least a week in advance.

Last issue I began reviewing the different crime shows on television and I conclude my review this week beginning where I was forced to cut it last week.

“CSI: Las Vegas” isn’t a normal crime show. While the other crime shows focus on one crime, “CSI” has at least two different crimes being solved. This makes it slightly more interesting.

There were a few moments I thought were corny, like when the detectives were looking through the window and instead of saying someone is shot they called it a 419. Please note that it was not said over the radio.

The show had many crazy twists and nothing was like it appeared. The episodes build on each other and end in cliffhangers. I give it a B+, because of the cliffhanger and corny dialogue.

“Law and Order: CI” is, in my opinion, the weakest “Law and Order.” The main detectives don’t seem to have the same chemistry that is found in the other Law and Orders. The lead detective Gordon Eads ruins it for me.

I am unable to move past a character and enjoy the show. Eads reminds me of a perp from “Law and Order: SVU.” His voice is slow, and his dialogue must have been written by a 5-year-old.

While some writers would write in dialogue to inform the audience about something that happened, these writers decided he needed to ask what happened, take a long pause, and then explain it.

I give “Law and Order:CI” a B. While it’s weaker than the other Law and Orders, it’s still strong, except for dialogue.

A satirical farce of all crime shows, “Psych”, is set in a southern California suburb, and is centered around an eccentric “psychic,” Sean Spencer, and his reluctant sidekick, Gus. Before the opening credits a clip is shown of Spencer and Gus interacting with Spencer’s father when they are children.

The clip shows how Spencer’s father made him notice the smallest details in the diner before he was allowed dessert. Its Spencer’s fine attention to detail that allows him to psych out the police department and solve crimes.

The show follows Spencer running around and acting like a hyperactive 8-year-old. Spencer has dressed up in costumes, made up languages, and does some offthe- wall stuff leaving the viewers trying to figure out what he is doing.

“Psych” is the furthest thing from the routine crime show, and keeps the audience constantly guessing on what Spencer, along with the perp, will do next.

Overall, I give “Psych” an A, for creativity, dynamic characters, and unique story line.

The best “Law and Order” is “Law and Order: SVU”. While the story lines are more gruesome then the other crime shows, the dialogue is strong, the camera angles remain constant, and the chemistry between the characters is probably the strongest of all the shows.

The way the characters solve the crime is probably the best out of any show.

While the other shows look at each other and make up reasons about why this person could be the perp, SVU says this is what this person did, they go find the perp, throw him or her into a wall or car and then question them.

The one liners in the show are great, the writers know that SVU isn’t a happy topic and throw in humor that matches the characters, which is lacking in “CSI: Miami.” I give “Law and Order: SVU” an A.

The show “Numb3rs” can prove that crimes can be solved through numbers. I’m not the best at math, but I can keep up with the plot, and how the crimes are solved. The show centers around two brothers; one is a detective, the other a math genius.

They work together to solve different types of crimes; one was a kidnapping while the other was a meth ring. They were able to figure out what set off a bomb through angles and math. Who knew you actually used math in the real world?

I give “Numb3rs” an A-. The concept is cool but I felt like the plot was stretched beyond reality. It is fun entertainment.

I was unable to view “CSI: New York”, and “Law and Order” for this column.