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Some students are outraged after an MU student newspaper prank went wrong.

This year’s “April Fools” edition of The Maneater is making waves, and people say it’s more vulgar and profane than ever before.

Now RHA Speaker Kathy Rudd is sending a letter to the editor, and it’s getting big attention.

“I was just overwhelmed by how much of it was really offensive,  a lot of words I don’t think you can even say on the radio, let alone print in a newspaper,” Rudd said.

More than two hundred people signed Rudd’s letter, and now she’s sending it on to the Maneater.

“It’s evolved into really saying, this isn’t satire, and this isn’t journalism,” Rudd said. “And if you’re going to do the April Fools edition in the future, you need to think about how you can be funny, and witty, and work with what’s here, as opposed to just cussing for the heck of it and doing something that’s profane and trite.”

After talking with Maneater staff members, it turns out most of them actually agree.

Editor Kelly Olejnik was very surprised by the paper’s content.

“I am just as offended as everyone else,” Olejnik said. “The editorial board was not as involved on the decisions made on the issue and the majority of us did not know what it was going to look like.”

In fact Olejnik said she didn’t even know the title would be as raunchy as it turned out.

“We thought that it was going to be called the HumanEater or the PersonEater and not have as much offensive language,” she said. “I for one wasn’t happy about a lot of the bylines that were in there… a lot of things just went very wrong, and a lot of us aren’t happy.”

Staff member Pat Iverson echoed Olejnik’s sentiments as well.

“If you’re going to do an April fools issue, you need a balance,” Iverson said. “The risk of doing it wrong is what we have now. If not done carefully, then you have this on your hands.”

Olejnik said the paper’s Managing Editor was largely responsible for the questionable content put in this year’s joke edition.  Iverson agrees that although the blame may fall on just a few people, the entire paper’s reputation is on the line.

“We’re going to make an effort to prove to our readers that we are a serious business,” Iverson said. “We can only hope to regain that trust in the coming months.”

Olejnik and Iverson said the paper plans to respond quickly and forcefully to the issue, and Rudd hopes her letter, along with the support of hundreds of students including Maneater staff writers, will help.

“If something good comes from this, if the Maneater editors pay more attention to what goes into their paper, then I think that will be a positive outcome.”

Dan Deacon (Stubbs-NPR Showcase)

He was spectacular. The venue was a large one and not one I had been a fan of most of the week. I actually avoided it as much as I could, but Dan Deacon rocked it. He started the show off with a few beats, but quickly made the crowd part into a circle so that he could make two guys dance-off. Once that commotion was said and done, he worked the audience for the rest of the show. After I left the Press Pit, I made my way into the crowd, which was full of dancing people and high energy. At the end, he had the crowd part again and I guy came out in the middle of the circle and the audience was instructed to follow his lead. Deacon gave a solid show while forcing enough crowd interaction to really get people excited. A+, Dan. A+.

White Rabbits (Hype Hotel)

As a (basically) Columbia-native, I am a big fan of the White Rabbits. Their new album is awesome and I was excited to see them all week at SX. When I finally was able to see them it was at Hype Hotel and I missed a little of the show due to being stuck outside the venue in a line (I was there 10+ minutes early for the show, btw). When I finally got inside, I moved as far to the front as quickly as I could. The boys gave off an energy that was quickly reflected by the audience and you could tell all parties involved were having a good time. Definitely not a show to miss when they come to the Blue Note on April 4 (which is tonight!).

GIVERS (Chevrolet Sound Garage)

This was the last show I saw at SX and it was at 1:30 am on Saturday night. I had literally squealed with joy when I saw the newly updated schedule that included them on it. I was upset about missing them and Dr. Dog at the Blue Note, and now I was able to see half the show.  GIVERS started off strong and didn’t falter for the entire show. The two lead vocalists are rock stars, including a kick-ass girl who played the ukulele, the xylophone and rocked the drum set that was at the front of the stage. They ended with their most well known song, Up, Up, Up and the crowd went wild. It was the only show I saw all of SX that the entire crowd was dancing and moving. That says something right there.

Norah Jones (La Zona Rosa)

Of course, being a big name, Norah Jones was a little more of a hassle to see then some other musicians. When I finally got to the end of the badge line  (went down two block and wrapped around two more-all badges), I realized it was going to be a packed house. She played entirely songs off her new album and they were met with rave reviews from viewers. I’ve always been a fan of Norah, but seeing her live took me into a trance and gave me goose bumps. A reminder as to why you love music is a pretty good after-concert effect.

Girl in a Coma (Easy Tiger Patio)

Easy Tiger Patio was a packed venue. Alabama Shakes had just finished and the after effects lingered for a bit. When Girl in a Coma reached the stage, the people who were left were there because the loved the band. That right there was enough to tell me it was going to be a good show. The three-women band is everything the Donnas couldn’t be and much more. They rocked out the stage and got people excited, which is impressive considering it was a 1 am show.

The Milk Carton Kids (St. David’s Sanctuary)

The Milk Carton Kids were a complete accident. I went to the church to see The Lumineers and just caught the end of the Milk Carton Kids set. These two guys had a stage presence without dominating the stage. The lead guitarist did the best guitar-work I saw all of SX and the crowd gave a standing ovation at the end. Their humor also played a part. At one point they referenced getting all their music for free online and then something to the effect of “you can also find it on iTunes if you want to buy it. We give you the option and you decide what kind of person you are.” The end of the set made me wish I had seen three more.

-emily

Venues can make and break concerts. AT SX 2012 there were over 80 venues so as you can imagine, there were many different types of concerts. The venue size ranged from Auditorium Shores and Stubbs which are both large, outside venues to Bat Bar which is a bar on 6^th street where the stage was right next to floor to ceiling windows and half the crowd was watching from outside. Although obviously I was unable to go to every venue, I still can easily inform on my favorites from the festival.

Hype Hotel-This was a venue that I kept coming back to and it wasn’t only because there were solid showcases almost every night. Hype Hotel was a medium-sized venue with a separate area for drinks. This allowed for the immediate area around the stage to be viewers only. There was enough energy in the atmosphere and just enough breathing room in the space to remind you that you were at a concert, not just one of the thousands of shows at SX. If I went back to Austin during the year, I would see if any shows are playing at Hype Hotel.

Bat Bar-Bat Bar is tiny. Very tiny. There are floor to ceiling windows right behind the stage so many of the viewers are actually standing outside on the street. If you’re far back, I can imagine this would not be a very good venue. The stage is only about a foot/ foot and a half tall so there isn’t much elevation to give a good view. But with press status (and sticking around for four sets) secured me a place up front. I was about a foot from the lead vocalists in the groups and have never been so close to a band (yes, that includes Mojos).

St. David’s Sanctuary- The great thing about SX is the variety of venues. St. David’s Sanctuary is, as you probably guessed it, in a church. I was able to see Joe Pug, The Lumineers and The Milk Carton Kids here and it was a breath of fresh air. There were benches, so you were expected to sit. The fact that you’re actually able to sit down is a godsend at SX. The lighting was low and the venue gave an ominous effect. It was enough to give goose bumps a few times (but that could have obviously been Joe Pug’s presence).

-emily

Top 5 things learned

In no particular order…

1)   Press badges are god. I had the unforuntate inconvience of not being 21 during this trip and although many of you would say “man that sucks, you couldn’t drink?!?!” the entire time I was saying ”Man this sucks, I can’t get into the shows I want to see.”  They wouldn’t even mark up my hands-something I sure as hell tried to see the Shins. But wait, there’s a god send (see previous god-like comparison)-Press Badges. When all was said and done, there had only been a couple of shows I couldn’t get into even with my press access, but honestly, if I wasn’t a member of press I would have been restricted to about three of the 80 venues. That might be an exaggeration, but seriously if you’re under 21 and want to go to SX, make sure you either: a) know someone in all the bands you want to see that can get you in b) only want to see bands in 18+ venues (Zona Rosa, Red 7, etc) or c) get the damn press badge. Make it happen. You also get to take sweet up-close pictures.

2)   Unless you have a set schedule starting at 11 am and keeping you busy until the showcases start (at 7pm each night), don’t even try and get downtown before 1. Each night we all had shows basically back to back from 7pm to 2 am and wouldn’t get back until after 3 because of the over-crowded buses. Needless to say after seeing concerts for five to seven hours straight made it hard to pull yourself out of bed unless you got that doctor-recommended eight hours.  For those badgeholders who worked all day and night, I salute you. SX is not a time for sleep. For those of you looking to go sometime, know this and stock up on energy drinks, coffee, or your respective caffeine-drug of choice.

3)   The men and women who have to clean up 6^th street every morning after the bars close deserve to make more money than Justin Beiber any day. If Beiber is your thing, they deserve to make more money then any politican or althete. For those of you who have never been to Austin, 6^th Street at night is a completely different world. They close off the street each night and the (near professional) bar hoppers take to the street. I’ve been to Austin before and knew of what 6^th street lay in store for us, but that experience did not even begin to prepare me for 6^th street during SX. Many of the venues are either on 6^th street or near by and the crowds were unbelievable. I’ve never thought that if I walked on a sidewalk it would be LESS crowded then the street, but I began to take the road less traveled.

4)   Time is of the essence. The best and worst thing about SX is that there are a ton of shows. It is extremely overwhelming and easy to miss something unless you are adequently prepared  (the redundancy was for emphasis, I swear). I was able to interview Polica on the first official day of SX (Tuesday) and they had already played one unofficial show and had, I believe, 10+ shows that week to play. With over 5,000 events, it’s easy to miss something and that 5,000 doesn’t even count the unofficial day parties happening constantly. I began to develop the false ideology that if I missed a show, I could just catch the next one. This is not a good habit to get into, especially if you are under 21 and not guaranteed entry into every venue. If you have bands you want to see, see them as soon as you can before the week flies by and you don’t know where all the shows disappeared to.

5)   Utilize public transportation. Although the buses were beyond frustrating at times and almost always 20 minutes late (towards the end of the week), they are a huge time (and money) saver.  Plus you may have the chance to randomly meet a group of people from Australia, a middle-aged man who has been living in Austin most his life and remembers the first SX, or a group of drunken boys singing “olay, Olay, Olay, olay” to their hearts’ content at 3 in the morning.

(unofficial add-ons)

6) SX likes to give out sunglasses and Matt Brown now has enough to last two apocolypses.

7) Kyle Black likes tacos way more than any sane person should.

8 ) Most guys (or at least the three I accompanied down to SX) almost always notice a “cute girl in the band.” Personally I think the stage acts like rose-colored glasses. To be fair, the same goes for guys in bands. 

- emily

These are three shows I saw at SXSW that blew me away, some I knew about before, some I stumbled upon with great surprise. Take a look at them, I think you’ll see what I mean.

1. Michael Kiwanuka

A British soul artist equipped with simply a guitar and bassist, Kiwanuka takes from the book of Bill Withers and Van Morrision. His performance has a certain rawness to it, like the experiences he drafts his song writing from are incredibly new – but the wisdom he has gained from them is one that is time-tested. A hard middle ground to find.

Kiwanuka lets his songs take the role of stage presence, instead of other bands that must kinetically create their on-stage energy. The words he sings are clear and emphasized by his impressive guitar playing; but never over taken.

He is a part of the Communion label, an artist led organization – which has featured such artists as Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, and Noah & the Whale.

2. LP

This was my pleasant surprise of SXSW. I was waiting for the Punch Brothers to come on at Zona Rosa without knowing the schedule of the venue. As soon as I entered, LP begun her set and blew me away. Laura Pergolizzi has spent a large majority of her career writing songs for the likes of The Backstreet Boys, Rihanna, and even Heidi Montag. Stick with me here, while her song-writing is good, her voice is amazing.

On stage she first struck me as Cate Blanchett from the Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There.” But that is where all Bob Dylan references stop. She plays the ukulele for several of her songs, and whistles incredibly on a few as well; but her voice over shadows all of that. She has a control in her voice that is rarely seen, she goes from hard to soft, loud to quiet, tame to wild. It’s incredible.

Yes, you may have heard of her all ready – or least heard her. As she is featured in a Citi commercial running on air now. You know, the one that has a rock climber? Give LP another listen, she is well worth more than 30 seconds of your time.

3. Of Monsters & Men

If you listen to my show on KCOU (The Carolina Hours) regularly then you are well aware of OM&M – I’ve made dang sure of it. And from what I’ve been hearing around the neighborhood it sounds like they’re finding their way onto mainstream play as well, which makes me super excited for them.

OM&M is an Icelandic folk-pop outfit that has been gaining momentum in the States over the past year. With their US release due in April, they are surely about to hit it big. They have wonderful song-writing and composition matched with layer instrumentation that makes for a great sound. A lot of their songs are bouncy without being too thin, and others are thick with lyrics and composition.

I caught their set at SXSW at Stubb’s, one of the largest outdoor venues. Needless to say it was almost completely packed which is impressive for a band that has yet to truly release a record. The have the approachability of Mumford & Sons, so look for plenty of Moms and Dads at their future concerts and certainly catch them when you can!

-Kyle

I didn’t have quite as many tacos I hoped for down in Austin, but I did break a dozen – so there’s something to write home about with salsa stained fingers. And here is where I review three locations to get tasty texan tacos. And without further ado, the list:

1. Torchy’s

Originally only a local Austin vendor, this business has since expanded and can be found in Houston and Dallas. But throughout their growth the quality of taco has not suffered. Our first day on the ground I encouraged the group to have lunch at a Torchy’s, they agreed without knowing the magic that was in store.

I ordered up three tacos – “the trashy trailer park” (fried chicken on the inside), “the fried avocado,” and my long running favorite “the democrat” (shredded barbacoa). To be fair, I’m a bipartisan when it comes to tacos and have had the republican the last time I visited Torchy’s. It was quite delicious as well.

Of the three my heart still belongs to “the democrat,” it has the perfect amount of spiciness – match with the sweetness of the salsa fresca. But the fried avocado was also amazing – so much so that others at the table requested “a bite.” I never knew bites to be so big.

Three tacos was a bigger number that I believed it to be. But my gluttony overpowered my resolve for healthy eating and I made it through, I left Torchy’s needing a Tex-Mex nap and it was glorious.

2. Hickory Street

As a Kansas City boy, I stick to my guns when it comes to BBQ. While I have tried Memphis, Carolina, and Texas style – none of them trump KC. Aaron consistently tried to bring this up in public, especially on the bus, where many dirty looks were shot in my direction. But they never said anything, because the knew, deep in their Texas sized hearts, that I was right.

So, when I ordered a Texas BBQ taco at Hickory street – Aaron was in shock. It was brisket, pickled onions, and cilantro. And it was good. I never thought I could be a fan of pickled onions – but I am! And the outdoor patio of Hickory Street made the experience. It might have helped that we were 5 days deep into SXSW and sitting in general was appealing.

3. Polvos

I myself did not eat at Polvos, our General Manager, Matt Brown did. He was a guy who had never had a breakfast taco before and came back preaching the gospel that is Tex-Mex. Which is enough to convince me that Polvos deserves a spot on this list.

While I can’t go on about how spicy, sweet, complex, life changing Polvos’ breakfast tacos are since I never actually consumed one. I trust that the way Matt Brown did is enough to merit your patronage at Polvos the next time you find yourself in Austin, TX.

-Kyle

In particular I will be reviewing their show on 3/15 at the SXSweetwood Party at the Beauty Bar in Austin, TX. While this was not an official SXSW showcase, it was one of the many day parties that brought in great bands like The Lumineers – and this was indeed a terrific performance.

While Three Blind Wolves cleaned up the stage, The Lumineers scrambled onto stage to get set-up, knowing they would want to make the most of their time. As an up-and-coming folk band, they’ve got a lot to gain from SXSW performances – and by no means wanted to compromise that by going short on time.

Comprised of Wes, Jeremiah, and Neyla – the trio brought support of a bassist and a keyboard player. Not looking like much – just some folks dressed in slightly dated clothing, such as their ionic suspenders – it’s hard to expect what the band will deliver.

Their album remains unreleased, so there was only a few of us in the room who were aware of their capabilities, but they convinced everyone by the end of the show. What happened was a stomping, shouting, sing-a-long of a performance; where Jer would consistently instruct the audience on what to “sing back” to the band after they themselves had sung it – such in the track “Gun Song.”

Their most passionate performance during their planned set was from “Ho Hey,” the one song most people in the room might of heard. During the song, everyone was encourage to alternately repeat “Ho” and “Hey” while the band went on with the lyrics. A good amount of people in the crowd seemed into it – which made for good fun.

While the set overall never felt a decay in charisma – it had to come to an end. But not before they set out into the crowd to play a last acoustic song where an audience member was required to hold onto a glockenspiel. The intimacy really brought the whole performance home.

They said their thank your, and hugged each other ready to wrap things up – when a member in the audience shouted out another unreleased song, “Slow It Down.” Wes seemed taken aback that someone knew that song and asked the sound guy if he could possibly keep playing. The equipment was all turned back on and Jer came out on the stage – where their show yet again peaked. Their passion while singing “Slow it Down” was the kind that makes you have faith that song-writing indeed remains an artform. You could see in both of them how real this song truly was.

Cheers were had, more hugs shared, and plenty of photos with the enamored crowed. I hope these guys go places, they deserve it.

Check ‘em out: http://thelumineers.com/

Wes and Support

Jer & Neyla

Wes Shoutin’

Neyla

Into the Crowd

Hugs!