Month: April 2015

Nashville band brings rock to Volapalooza 2015

Taylor OwensLeave a comment

[Originally published on the Tennessee Journalist on Apr. 28, 2015]

Arman Asadsangabi, lead vocals for The Screens, talks to the audience between sets at Volapalooza, April 24, 2015, World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN. //Photo by Ryan McGill

Students came to celebrate the last day of classes on April 24 atVolapalooza 2015. They came to hear performances from Bad Suns, Cold War Kids and Lupe Fiasco, but they got a special treat when a relatively unknown Nashville band took the stage.

Zephyr Garden, formerly known as the Screens, is  comprised of lead singer Arman Asadsangabi and producer and guitarist Benton Black. The two high school students won the opportunity to play at Volapalooza back in March when they won the Battle of the Bands competition.

Though they only had a week’s notice, the duo still managed to wow the judges and audience members alike.

“We just got invited to play, and it was actually through a family member,” Asadsangabi said. “We went ahead and came here, played and got the spot.”

The two met at a party towards the end of 2014 and have been making music together ever since. Though their musical journey as a band has been a recent one, both Asadsangabi and Black believe that music has been an influential part of their lives.

“I’ve been playing music my whole life,” Black said. “I’ve been playing guitar for over ten years now and making tracks and things like that, so music is pretty much my whole life.”

Describing their sound as “party rock,” Asadsangabi and Black cite indie rock artists such as Tame Impala, the Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys as some of their musical influences. They say that Nashville is a great place for musicians to live, regardless of genre.

“The funny thing about Nashville is that people associate it with country music, but anyone under the age of 30 doesn’t,” Black said. “I’d say it’s one of the biggest indie rock scenes ever.”

The young duo is not wasting any time when it comes to their music. They released an EP, “Plastic Dreams,” on Soundcloud earlier this year and recorded, mixed and produced the whole thing by themselves.

Asadsangabi and Black put in a lot of work to prepare for their Volapalooza performance as well. This included finding a way to make the digital sort of sound on their EP work in a live performance.

“That’s been a lot of hard work, figuring out how to make all of our songs play as close to the album as possible in a live setting and still have it sound really good,” Black said.

Overall, Asadsangabi and Black hope to deliver energetic performances that will please the crowds.

A group stands and listens to The Screens at Volapalooza, April 24, 2014, World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN. //Photo by Ryan McGill

“I hope they [the crowd] just has a good time,” Asasangabi said.

“A lot of people who don’t know what to expect when they see us go on-stage, they really enjoy it,” added Black.

Zephyr Garden is just getting started. With a Volapalooza performance down, they will next be performing at Do Dah Day in Birmingham, Alabama on May 16.

They’re optimistic about what the future holds.

“Hopefully an album is next,” Asadsangabi said. “And a lot more music festivals this summer.”

You can find more information about Zephyr Garden on their official website.

Professors provide ‘Textual Healing’ at Sex Week panel

Taylor OwensLeave a comment

[Originally published on the Tennessee Journalist on Apr. 8, 2015]

(From left to right) Dr. Katy Chiles, Dr.Urmila Seshagiri, Dr. Lisi Schoenbach and Dr. Ben Lee take questions from the audience at the

Sexuality and literature joined forces for Sex Week at the “Textual Healing” panel discussion on Tuesday evening. Associate Professors of English Lisi Schoenbach, Katy Chiles, Ben Lee and Urmila Seshagiri hosted the panel and brought with them the knowledge of their respective fields of study.

“We are so excited to have been invited to do this and be part of Sex Week,” Schoenbach said. “We are so proud of the work you guys are doing and happy to be associated with it.”

Each of the professors discussed pieces of literature and read literary works as they described sex and sexuality.

Schoenbach and Seshagiri both specialize in 20th century literature, but discussed the differences in pieces from the time period.

Seshagiri read selections from “A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf and “The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy and noted the similarities in the themes although they were published 70 years apart.

“I taught both of these novels in the last week at the same time in my two different classes, and it struck me how much sex is itself a narrative concept,” Seshagiri said. “The sex act itself has a powerful narrative component.”

Lee teaches poetry and provided the audience with a handout of “Lana Turner has collapsed!” by Frank O’Hara, a gay male poet.

“It’s a more subtle, joyous representation of sexuality in poetry,” Lee said.

Chiles focused on African American literature and how black female sexuality written in the 1800s and more recently changes with the times. In particular, she talked about the first woman to publish a slave novel, Harriet Jacobs.

The panel discussion ended with questions from the audience. One member wanted to get a professor’s opinion on “Fifty Shades of Grey,” a modern novel about sexuality. None of the professors had read it, but they still had some wisdom to add.

“My guess is that there’s just something flat about the way it represents sex and sexuality,” said Lee. “And there’s something flat about its approach just to characters and narratives.”

Sex Week continues through Saturday. You can see a full schedule of events on their official website.

Opinion: Whole Foods is a magical place

Taylor OwensLeave a comment

[Originally published on the Tennessee Journalist on Mar. 31, 2014]

Retail giant Whole Foods opened up its first Knoxville location on March 24. Though I’ve heard much about it, I’ve never set foot in the actual store before. Not until this past weekend, when I decided to brave the crowds and see what Whole Foods really has to offer.

First things first: it’s an incredibly busy place. It’s new and exciting, so you can expect large crowds for some time to come. Possibly forever.  However, if you can power through and make it inside, you’ll be delighted by the shiny glory that is Whole Foods.

The store itself has an inviting atmosphere. It’s nice and bright with a sort of pleasant scent about it. Plus, the employees are very willing to help you locate something if you find yourself aimlessly strolling down the baked goods aisle.

I found myself the happiest among the beautifully decorated cakes and fresh breads.

Another big selling point for Whole Foods is that it also acts as a sort of restaurant. You can enjoy some fresh sushi, a sandwich or even a few slices of pizza. Overall, it’s relatively reasonably priced.  Plus, there’s even a seating area called “The Rocky” where you can sit down and eat your food, and it’s a pretty happening place. Also, Whole Foods makes a big point of promoting local businesses and growers. I thought that was

very special, and also makes each store a little unique. Also a little bit more expensive, but if you’re willing to shell out a little more cash, it’s worth it to support your community.

I was convinced that everything was going to be overpriced at Whole Foods, and sure, some things were, but a lot of their prices were pretty comparable to Kroger or Publix. However, I couldn’t see myself doing all of my grocery shopping there. I think it’s best if you go in there for something specific or if you need something sort of unique.

Additionally, it’s good if you want a variety of something. For example, there were more types of olives to choose from at Whole Foods than I’ve ever seen in my life. Seriously, I didn’t even know that many kinds of olives existed.

Whole Foods is also a good place to go if you want food that caters to specific dietary needs. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, you can enjoy some tufu ice cream or a vegan cupcake. If you have a gluten allergy, you’re not left out either. The public might not understand what it means to be gluten free, but Whole Foods does. They understand, and they want to help you.

All in all, I was really impressed by Whole Foods. I thought it was an interesting place that clearly cares about where they get their food and the quality of their products. It’s unique, and exactly what Knoxville needs to get people excited about their food.

You can visit Whole Foods at 6730 Papermill Drive in Knoxville and learn more at their website.