|photo by kimmee poole|

“It’s smelly, dirty, hilarious and some of the best fun I’ve ever had,” said lead singer/guitarist Geoff Hunker of “Satellites & Sirens” as he described touring across the U.S. with fellow band members and bands “Disciple” and “Decyfer Down.” The three bands have come together to form the Blood, Sweat and Rock and Roll tour that came to Dunkel Gym on Wednesday, April 21.

The concert got off to an early start Wednesday morning in chapel when “Decyfer Down” lead singer/guitarist TJ Harris made a surprise, guest appearance. He performed an acoustic version of the band’s song, “Moving On” off their latest album “Crash,” which came out May of 2009.

The evening’s performance was opened by “Satellites & Sirens,” a band from Tennessee who got their start in a rather unique way when Hunker posted an internet add for musicians.

“We met on Craigslist,” said Hunker. “I had some music and posted an add. Our drummer showed up. I had about ten people show up that I auditioned, but I kept Jonathon.”

The group knew they were possibly going to join “Disciple” and “Decyfer Down” for the tour, but were unsure if they would be touring with them until just a few weeks before the tour began.

“We’re pretty new artists,” said Hunker. “They contacted us. We were competing with another band. Two weeks before the tour we found out we got on it.”

Since they joined the tour, “Satellites & Sirens” has been going from state to state, sometimes going in a day or less, performing. The intense amount of travel is one of the harder aspects touring according to Hunker. Still, after the many miles traveled the band members still manage to have enjoyable moments on their tour stops. One of them, for Hunker, is the people they meet at their concerts.

“My favorite part would have to be the interaction with the people out on the road,” said Hunker. “We have a song out on the radio right now and playing that song and letting people know what it means makes the craziness all worth it.”

During the concert on Wednesday evening the band performed a song off their self entitled album called “Carry On,”a personal favorite of Hunkers.

“It’s a song close to my heart,” said Hunker. “It’s about broken families. I’ve been around some families where I’ve seen how the brokenness has affected both the parents and children. This song is about being hopeful.”

“Carry On” was also a song that stood out to junior Worship Arts major, Carolyn McCabe who attended the concert. McCabe worked for “Satellites & Sirens” merchandise table after she heard about the opportunity through her small group leader. She described her experience in both hearing the concert and working for the band as positive.

“I loved it,” said McCabe. “I was surprised that the opening band was so good. I really enjoyed ‘Satellites & Sirens.’ I got their CD, and really enjoyed the track ‘Come On’. I loved their live performance even more. I wish I could have recorded that.”

The band finds inspiration for most of their music from the world around them, according to Hunker.

“Most of it just comes from life situations,” said Hunker, “maybe not my own, but ones I see in other people have that I think need to be talked about.”

Through their songs, the band seeks to bring a message of hope to their listeners.

“We write about hope in a lot of our songs,” said Hunker. “In the position we’re in right now, we don’t think people have a lot of hope, and we want to remind them that it’s out there. It doesn’t matter how crazy, how difficult or how big life gets. We have a God that’s bigger than that, and there’s hope.”

After “Satellites & Sirens” finished their opening performance and before “Decyfer Down” performed, “Disciple” lead singer Kevin Young came out to talk to the crowd about Compassion International. He shared about his own experience with Compassion, and the child he and his wife sponsor. He encouraged crowd members to strongly consider sponsoring a child before the night was over.

The evening’s concert concluded with a performance by “Disciple” followed by an encore by “Disciple” of two additional songs. There was also a devotional, invitation and time of prayer with the crowd lead by Young.

|photo by kimmee poole|

Textbook buyback time: the time of earning back half the money spent on books used for a couple months and wondering if it is worth it. SAU junior Rachel Eklund now offers an alternative: Better World Books.

Better World Books collects and sells books online to fund literacy initiatives worldwide. There are more than six million new and used titles.

When students sell or buy books from a representative of Better World Books, the company donates the books or money to one of the five primary literacy partners: Books for Africa, Room to Read, Worldfund, the National Center for Family Literacy, and Invisible Children.

Eklund serves as the on-campus operative for SAU. Students interested in selling books and contributing to the cause can contact her at Rachel.eklund@arbor.edu, or by phone 517-750-5443. Designated times in the Student Center for students is also being planned.

Eklund discovered the company while searching for places to buy books online.

“What especially drew me to buy books from them was their focus on supporting literacy while partnering with wonderful programs,” said Eklund.

Two weeks later, Eklund took the job. When selling a book, Eklund enters all ISBN numbers of the books into the program on her computer, tells the student the amount offered by the company and when the deal is made, gives him cash upfront for his books.

The books are stored in a box then sent out to the company to be sorted and stocked.

Eklund views this opportunity as beneficial for students.

Swing Dance Performance
May 5, 8:30-10 p.m.
White Auditorium

Lord of the Rings Movie Marathon
May 7, 1 p.m.-?!
Ralph Carey Forum

“Like Jonathan” Concert and CD Release
May 8, 7:30 p.m.
White Auditorium

Oak Tree Literary Review Release and Poetry Bash
May 8, 8:30 p.m.
Under the Oak Tree

Senior Science Symposiums
Four science majors defend their senior research projects
On May 11
8:00 a.m.  Scott Reese:  Cross-resistance to Isoniazid and Chaulmoogra Oil in Mycobacterium smegmatis
9:00 a.m.  Scott Hasbrouck: An exploration of chemical chaos
10:00 a.m.  Anna Cook:  Effects of Chaulmoogra Oil on the membrane integrity of Mycobacterium smegmatis
11:00 a.m.  Rachael Kafader:  Spectroscopic analysis of diatomic iodine
Polling Center Folk Conference Room #308

Minute To Win It
Game night and much, much more
May 11, 10:30 p.m.
DC

Feed the Homeless
Swipe your card and provide a lunch to someone in need
Every Friday 11:30-1:30 p.m.
Ada’s Kitchen

Last Tuesday versus Northwood, Spring Arbor put Chris Walerski on the mound for the first time in over three weeks. Walerski responded by throwing a very solid outing. He gave up five hits, two runs, and struck out three over the course of seven innings in what resulted in a no decision. Unfortunately, the rest of the Cougars couldn’t pick up the slack as Northwood won a game they trailed the whole way, 4-3.

Thursday, April 22, was a much different, and much uglier story as the Cougars had an opportunity to make the conference race interesting as they hosted league-leading Taylor at Hank Burbridge Field. The first game showed that Taylor is no fluke as they lit up the scoreboard for eight runs while blanking the Cougars. Tyler Spickler, who was 7-1 going into the contest, gave up 12 hits and seven runs through five innings as everybody in the Trojan starting lineup crossed the plate at least once, with the exception of Michael Nassar and Taylor Luna.

The Cougars looked to keep their conference title hopes alive in game two on Thursday, as they made it a much more interesting contest. Leading 4-1 entering the seventh and final inning, the Cougars looked like they may make the race for first tighter than Taylor wanted. The Cougars left ace Colin O’Connell on the mound to aim for a complete game. After giving up a run, the Cougars led 4-2 with two outs and runners on the corners. There, Jordan Coffey hit a shot to centerfield that, instead of staying in front of it and playing it safe, allowing just one run to cross, sophomore Zachary Rediker made a diving attempt to end the game. The ball hit the ground before he was able to glove it, and rolled to the warning track. Both runners crossed forcing extra innings, where the Cougars got dismantled in the first extra frame, ultimately losing 8-4.

The Cougars were planning to upend the Trojans twice this weekend, but the double-header in Upland was rained out twice and will not be made up. The Cougars now have to wait for the MCC tournament to get their revenge on the Trojans.

|photo by kimmee poole|

What happens to an artist when an acquaintance uses their under-the-radar song as the audition track on the show “So You Think You Can Dance”? She will end up like JJ Heller and find herself touring and playing multiple concerts each week. Throw in a secular debut for the Christian artist’s new single in a scene of “One Tree Hill,” and the result will be the dynamic duo known by fans as “The Hellers.”

JJ Heller and her husband, David Heller, spread the message of Truth through their lyrically dynamic acoustic folk music.

On Monday night, SAU students and campus guests piled into the DC, packing the house beyond the school’s sound system capabilities. In fact, audio-visual technicians had more to juggle in their “Hands,” than the Hellers did when playing the song itself. The two did, however, pull off a light-hearted performance amidst a sequence of technological difficulties.

“All in all, the talented Hellers worked smoothly amongst the issues and hopefully everyone was able to hear the songs and have a good time in the crowd,” freshman Ryan Garrison said.

Throughout a laid-back, dialog between each other and the audience, JJ and David graced the crowd with their soft notes and heartfelt lyrics.

“I thought that her performance was amazing,” assistant coordinator for the event, senior Andrea Gustin said. “It was a great turnout, and we were so glad that everyone could come and enjoy her music.”

JJ is working closely with her producer Mitch Dane to experiment with new material and record several tracks. Although many of her latest tracks have not yet been released, she and her husband performed some exclusive numbers. Her latest single, “Control,” proved to be a hit with the crowd.

JJ Heller’s musical career started the moment after she was let down from her dream play college basketball. During her sophomore year, JJ decided to pick up a guitar, learn the chords, and begin writing.

That same year, JJ met her future spouse David Heller, and shortly thereafter, the two began performing in the San Franscisco Bay area. Although the fame and fan base are relatively new to the young musician, she takes the publicity in small doses and owes her gratitude to Christ.

In addition to new songs, the Hellers brought a few small requests to Spring Arbor University with them as well. After a detailed childhood story about a teacher who forced JJ to eat a hot dog after hiding it in her own sock, the Hellers proclaimed how important it is that we are aware of child starvation. As sponsors of four children through an organization called “World Vision,” they are excited to bring awareness to others.

“It’s a joy to know that we are making it possible for these four children to go to school, to have enough food to eat, to play a game during the day instead of looking for food,” JJ said. “We just want you to know that you can be a part of it as well.”

At the wrap of the program, audience members cheered JJ and David back on stage to perform an extra song. After admitting that their final song was partially inspired by the band “U2″, JJ and David performed the “Boat” song to close the show.

JJ Heller’s music, concerts, and updates can all be found at www.jjheller.com. Fans and music enthusiasts alike are encouraged to check out her site.

According to records in the COM department, Ink Blots began in 2003 with Jennifer Rork as advisor. The group was under the faculty guidance of Dr. Daigle-Williamson until she retired and current faculty advisor Dan Runyon took over her position, according to Carol Ann Bunnel, COM Department secretary.

Ink Blots meets every Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. in room 305 of the library. During the meeting, students sign up for a night to bring in their latest creative writing project, and the rest of the group reads it and offers them creative criticism.

“Basically everybody has the opportunity to sign up for a day to bring in their stuff,” said Ink Blots president, Ethan Ross. “They bring in copies and people read it. People give their ideas on how it could be improved, what they like, what they didn’t. It’s kind of like peer editing.”

If students want to participate in the group but do not necessarily have something to be read, there are other ways they can be involved. One thing they can do is be a reader for someone else.

“People who come are not required to bring work. They can just read,” said Ross.

The group is not comprised of only creative writing majors. A variety of students are involved who have a number of different majors.

“The group is open to anyone who is interested,” said Ross. “It isn’t department specific. We have a mixture of students and majors.”

Ink Blots member, freshman Jordan Cuatt, is a video film major who attends to gain experience he believes will help him in his major.

“Part of it was through me trying to gain film-writing experience,” said Cuatt. “One skill good film writers have is a writing skill.”

The group tries to offer its members as much of a chance to explore their creative writing opportunities and expand their experiences. One way the group seeks to do this is by providing field trips for members to attend. One of these trips will be the Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing held April 15-17 at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. During their time there, the group will be given the opportunity to listen to speakers and attend a variety of workshops.

Ink Blots is looking to grow as a group on campus. The number of attendees are low right now, but the group is hopeful that they will see more growth this year. Ross and Cuatt encourage students who are at all interested in creative writing to give Ink Blots a try.

“As far as Ink Blots itself goes,” said Ross, “for writers, it is important to have the community because writing is such a solitary event. I think it’s very important. I would definitely encourage anyone with even a remote interest in creative writing to attend.”

“From just the [perspective] of a creative writer,” said Cuatt, “storytelling is fun. Come check it out for yourself.”

Gaunt with crinkling, blind eyes. White, bearded. Flowing long hairs flapping against darkish burlap robes. A heavy oxe-horned helmet deftly cocked over a serious furrowed brow, sagging with Nordic virtue. Sword at the belt and beating music from a homemade instrument. Surrounded by screeching traffic and the hot, quick crowds of New York City.

Most passersby shook their shoulders sympathetically at the odd street musician dubbed “The Viking of 6th Avenue,” sometimes tossing small change or purchasing samples of his music and poetry. Most never suspected that this “Viking” had recorded his compositions on CBS, Prestige, Epic, Angel, and Mars labels, guest-starred on both the Today Show and Tonight Show, and nearly single-handedly birthed the minimalist music movement.

Louis “Moondog” Hardin was born the son of an Episcopalian minister in May 1916. At the age of 16, he was permanently blinded when a blasting cap detonated in his hands. Upon entry to the Iowa School for the Blind, Hardin developed a passion for music composition, which was strongly influenced by his exposure to American Arapaho rhythms and instruments. The name is inspired by a dog “who used to howl at the moon more than any dog I knew of.”

By the late 1943 Moondog had moved to New York City on a mission to become a great composer. Over the days he spent outside Carnegie Hall, Moondog developed a relationship with the Philharmonic’s conductor, Artur Rodzinski. Rodzinski was so impressed by the young man’s distinctive musical style and philosophy that the conductor vowed to have a concert featuring Moondog’s music once he wrote a symphony. However, Moondog was unable to afford assistance transcribing his Braille music onto manuscript and soon found himself working as a street entertainer.

Not easily discouraged, Moondog spent the time mastering improvisation, exploring rhythm, designing new instruments (the Trimba and Oo), and burgeoning among jazz contemporaries such as Charlie Parker and Benny Goodman. By 1947 Moondog had completed his first symphony and in 1949 recorded over thirty pieces. Despite his accomplishments, he chose to live on the streets of New York until 1973 still dressed in his homemade outfits in defiance of culture. After being asked to conduct a Phillip Glass tribute concert, Moondog gained attention for conducting the orchestra in the corner, tapping shyly on a timpani. Moondog relocated to Westphalia, Germany where he established a holding company to support his art, and continued to live there until his death in 1999 (note: only with much persuasion did Moondog finally give up his Viking outfit in old age).

Moondog’s mark on the world spread subtly but far-reaching. His music was both simple and complex, covering a variety of styles such as classical, pop, jazz, and even rock. Most prominently, Moondog incorporated ambient street sounds (subway, foghorn, crowd-talking, etc…) and spoken poetry into music, which at the time was only done by avant-gardes. His minimalist style, or “pattern music,” has influenced popular music to this day. So when you listen to Radiohead on your i-pod, thank the Viking.

Check out Moondog covers “All Is Loneliness” with Janis Joplin, “Bird’s Lament” with Mr. Scruff, and “Synchrony No. 2” with Kronos Quartet. His piece “Stamping Ground” is on The Big Lebowski soundtrack.

“The only one who knows this ounce of words is just a token is he who has a tongue to tell that must remain unspoken” – Moondog

http://www.thetruevinerecordshop.com/MOONDOG.htm

“Golevka” by The Evpatoria Report
Funny names, serious music. But not too serious. Again, another post/progressive rock group that has found the use of words utterly unnecessary. And I’m down with that. This album uses a little more ambient type sounds than “Young Mountain”, but it’s worth the listen.

“The BQE” by Sufjan Stevens
Ok, if you’re from Michigan you should know who I’m talking about. Even if you’re not from Michigan, you’ll learn quickly about Sufjan from all your cool artsy friends. And you’ll love them for it. Stevens was actually commissioned to compose music and this is the result. After hearing his other albums, “The BQE” is a little unexpected. But it’s a pleasant surprise and it only makes you like him a little more. Not to mention the amount of respect for someone so young to be able to think of music like that of “The BQE”. With his compositions such as “Movement I: The Countenance of Kings” and “Movement II: Sleeping Invader,” you’ll find yourself in a wonderfully peaceful state of mind.

“Old Stories” by Giants
Once again, another post/progressive rock group in the scene these days. Unfortunately this band isn’t as well known as others in its genre like Explosions in the Sky and Sigur Ros, but that’s what I’m here for, right? The band has placed an illustration of a raging and emotional ocean on their cover and it’s quite appropriate for how the music makes you feel. At times, you’re calm and sailing along underneath a blanket of puffy clouds and blue skies. Another minute (or second) you’re navigating your way through the stormy seas wondering if the literal and emotional roller coaster is going to let you off for at least a break. But if you stick with it, you’ll end up in your destination safe and a little more experienced. How’s that for a metaphor?

“Light” by Matisyahu
I’ll change it up for you just a little bit. Matisyahu’s been around for some time and his music just gets better and better. This Orthodox Jew uses his rapping talents to bring you the Word and other messages through “Light”, a fantastic mix of soulful rap lyrics and reggae instrumentals. You’ll be thinking Bob Marley’s come back from the dead and he’s seen the light (no pun intended). And if you think that’s cool, wait! There’s more. His hit, “One Day” was recently featured on the 2010 Winter Olympics. Yep, he’s so cool, Olympians eat their breakfast to his music.

ALBANIE Student Alliance met Wednesday, Feb. 24 in the Varland house to complete their sixth week of leadership training. Michael Eatman, Director of Intercultural Programs, has established the ALBANIE Student Alliance, with the help of students, in order to nurture and develop intercultural relations at Spring Arbor University.

ALBANIE started out as ALANI student alliance, which stood for Asian, Latino, African American, Native American, and Intercultural. Eatman heard of the ALANI Alliance happening on other campuses, but the original group format didn’t fit exactly what the Office of Intercultural Relations (OIR) was looking for at Spring Arbor.

The name went through several changes in order to ensure acceptance and inclusion for each racial possibility. A biracial student asked about her place in the organization and Senior Brandi Clark, who works at the OIR, suggested adding the letter “B” for biracial. After that suggestion, Eatman added an “E” to stand for “European”. The alliance was now called ALBANIE, which seemed to include all prospective races.

Students from Kenya, Russia, Italy, Japan, France, Malaysia, and the United States are all participants in the campus movement, as the group is undergoing training from Eatman for thirteen weeks in order to learn more about diversity. After seven weeks of training, students will begin to ignite conversations among their peers in the campus residency halls about race and culture in Christ.

The walls of Varland house are decorated with posters entitling the topic of discussion each week. The group has conversed about issues that deal especially with racial exclusion. One point was how it feels to be excluded, and in the related activity, everyone stood in a circle while a solitary group member stood outside fighting to be included. The lonely person was symbolic for an entire race struggling to survive while being excluded from other races and cultures. Eatman firmly believes in embracing diversity, a message he is trying to convey to his trainees.

“We are all God’s people,” he said. “God gives us the ability to change and make the world better.” His passion shows through in his enthusiasm for the group and their work.

Eatman also encourages affirmation in action and speech. He is hopeful for the continuation of Spring Arbor’s campus to welcome diversity and ignite passion for inclusion apart from the University as well.

“It is such a blessing to have this opportunity,” Eatman said of his involvement with ALBANIE.

This is ALBANIE’s first year as a student organization, but students have enthusiastically stepped up to meet the challenge of racial reconciliation. One student introduced a quote by Carl Rogers that says, “If I let myself really understand another person, I might be changed by that understanding, and we all fear change.”

ALBANIE advocates have made it their mission to fight for the change that will bring racial reconciliation to their peers and into the world.

One such fundraiser, the Coin War, was a recent donation collection that took place out side the DC. Each of the seven jars, represented a different professor candidate for receiving a pie in the face. Every penny that was donated, counted as a vote. The winner of the Coin War was Dr. Philippa Web who was pied at dinner on March 10 in the DC. The money raised by the Coin War, will go to support an inner-city Jackson School.

Epsilon Chi holds monthly meetings which generally bring in 20-50 people. In past years, the group has participated in several off campus activities including a visit Washington DC and speaking to seniors from Western High School about their college transition. Other events that the group ran this past year include helping to paint a tutoring center, holding a movie night and an ice creme social, and co-administrating the mock interviews with the Career Service office.

The Pen-pale program that Epsilon Chi has ran for several years, provides further opportunities for education students to connect with the teaching community by writing letters to students in 2nd and 3rd grade at Cascade Elementary

The program is “one of our more successful programs at reaching out to schools kindergarden through 12th,” says Professor Miriam Sailers the advisor of Epsilon Chi. It “gives our students a window into what 3rd grade is like.”

The leadership team of Epsilon Chi is currently at work planning future events that will take place this Spring, including seminars and student panels that will focus on drama in the classroom, international teaching, and men in education.