New Beginning is one of Onsy’s older compositions, which now has seen a new orchestration and arrangement.
Available on YouTube, New Beginning is part of a bigger project that will include several music videos.
“I plan to release several of my compositions with the new arrangement and orchestration in the coming year. Some of them will be in a music video format, such as the first one New Beginning,” Onsy explained, pointing to the richer musical lining that transposes the composition from a small band format (whether it is a quartet, quintet or sextet) to a full orchestration.
Onsy is known for founding and being the creative dynamo behind the Mood of Oud, a formation which since 2019 performs Onsy’s works across numerous venues in Cairo and Alexandria.
In many of his compositions, Onsy tackles a range of emotions and mind states; he delves into the human condition and all kinds of situations that take place in life; he speaks about choice, divine intervention, persistence and other themes. His original repertoire boasts titles such Promise, By You I Live, Dream, Don’t Give Up, Life, among others.
It is New Beginning however that often resonates particularly well with the listeners who find in it a new ray of hope.
“The composition talks about each moment being a new beginning, providing a new opportunity. It is up to us to seize this opportunity, without waiting for a special occasion to start moving,” Onsy explains.
Coincidentally however, the newly orchestrated composition comes in a particularly interesting moment in the composer’s life. For many years, the 2017 graduate from the Oud House with excellence paralleled his music passion with a corporate career. It was only in November 2022 that he decided to give the corporate life up and dedicate himself fully to music. The new year 2023 was yet another point marking a new chapter in Onsy’s life.
“In many ways, I am embarking on a new beginning myself. However this does not take away from my belief that each day, each tiniest moment is a new beginning to each of us,” he stresses.
In the new music video, the camera shots shift between the musician playing the oud in the studio during the recording session and him walking on the streets of Heliopolis. This perpetual movement underscores Onsy’s philosophy that underpins the composition.
While working on orchestration of consecutive pieces, Onsy has also been making plans for a new project, the details of which he will be ready to share next month.
“All I can say is that unlike Mood of Oud that focuses mostly on original compositions, the new project will introduce vocals while embracing covers.”
New Beginning is composed by Onsy, with arrangement and orchestration by Feras Nouh. The recording and mix on studio tracks is by Simon Samir. The videography is by Morcos Emad, with editing and colouring by Matthiew Samuel
Not long after the news broke that Lisa Marie Presley had died, I watched an old interview she did with David Letterman.
John Krull, publisher, TheStatehouseFile.com
It was from the time her first album came out 20 years ago. The lyrics of the song that made the splash on that album, “Lights Out,” were loaded with references to the ongoing grief she felt about the loss of her famous father, Elvis Presley, and with her struggles to live with his legacy:
Someone turned the lights out there in Memphis
Ooh, that’s where my family’s buried and gone (gone)
Oh yeah
Last time I was there I noticed a space left
Oh, next to them there in Memphis, yeah
In the damn back lawn….
In the interview, Letterman tried to get Lisa Marie to talk about her dad. She gave short, evasive answers and covered her mouth with her hand as she did so, almost as if she wanted to hide.
Finally, she told Letterman she generally refused to answer such questions.
“Something has got to be left mine somewhere,” she said.
That short answer encapsulated her haunted life.
She was born to a fame the world had not seen before. When her father exploded onto the world’s stage in the middle 1950s, mass media worked to unify culture in ways that hadn’t happened before.
Today, everyone is his or her own programmer, choosing which songs to download and which shows or movies to stream at any time, with no constraints other than the limitations of one’s digital wallets.
Then, though, there were only three television networks and, while top 40 was king, radio programming was rigidly formatted, even segregated. Listeners could choose among pop, country or blues, but they had to move around the dial if they wanted to listen to an assortment.
Elvis’ genius involved erasing those lines. Critics say he was the white boy who sang the blues.
His achievement was more complicated than that. He introduced the blues into country music and country into the blues—and somehow transformed all of it into pop music.
His success was stunning.
In 1956, one of every nine records sold in the world was by Elvis. In the 1960s, when his star was supposed to have been eclipsed by the British invasion, he still outsold everyone but the Beatles, outstripping the Rolling Stones and other rock legends from the era. Even in the 1970s, when popular mythology had his career headed to a tragic sunset, he was the biggest concert draw on the planet, selling out hall after hall, coliseum after coliseum, as his health disintegrated.
Fame on that scale is corrosive. It eats away at those things—privacy, trust, intimacy—that make the maintenance of sanity possible.
Elvis came to that level of fame when he was 21 and spent the rest of his life trying to come to terms with what his success would cost him. He surrounded himself with guys he’d known from youth because, one sensed, he needed reminders that he was a human being like everyone else.
His daughter didn’t have a childhood or adolescence isolated from the spotlight. She emerged, infant-small, into the glare.
She struggled her whole life dealing with the intense attention, little of which seemed concerned with understanding who she really was.
Something has got to be left mine somewhere.
She wed Michael Jackson, one of the few people who could appreciate the fame that defined her existence. That union ended after two years. Three other marriages also came and went.
She lost a son to suicide, a young man who bore a resemblance to his grandfather and stumbled under the weight of expectations. She lived out her private griefs on a public stage, always trying to figure out what could be hers and what couldn’t.
When she came of age, she first worked for perhaps her father’s most devoted friend, Jerry Schilling, who became a trusted protector, even a surrogate dad. Just before she died, when she attended the Golden Globes to celebrate the triumph of the film about her father’s life she had helped will into being, she walked, unsteadily, into the gala on Schilling’s arm.
A long time ago, when her father had his first monster hit, he sang, almost prophetically, about a soul who came to a sad end.
This four-man group hailing from Cebu bills itself as an experimental band which is partly true if you count mixing ambient sounds with touches of new wave, emo, boy band harmonies and rock and roll to be “experimental” enough. That’s not a complaint because Coloura blend assorted sonic colors into a complete coherent package one song at a time. Like, “First Time” is a funky tune with sections that rock and splashes of cool balladry. Opening track “Drive and Meet You” features the push of hot synth runs and the pull of breathy vocals. “Let This Go” is a sweet ballad that doesn’t go emo-sensitive on you. “In Between” should be a nice place to start a new year of new music.
PB JELLI, Late to the Party
The lateness referred to in the EP title comes mainly from dance tracks harking back to electronica from way back when. But since everything comes around again for another swing, the electronica boomerang sounds freshly minted, what with our main girl PB Jelli hectoring as well as pleading her case as any good modern RnB vocalist should. She’s a showstopper in the club anthem “Daydream” and a bedroom dominatrix in “Control.” She can be a sensitive lover in “Cover Me.” PBJ may be late but she brings life to the party.
JOCKSTRAP, I Love You Jennifer B
UK’s Jockstrap duo are Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye who studied various aspects of music making in college. They apply their learnings to create music that’s been described as ‘an alchemy of modern pop.’ On their new album, the duo focuses on the restless pursuit of young love and surrounds their songs with the edgy sounds of indie pop. Club beats are de facto all over the record but that does not stop them from dropping a sideways slant to the overall atmosphere. For instance, the electronica in “Greatest Hits” devolves to weepy strings then back again to the big thump. Shoegazey ambiance gives “What’s It All About?” its dreamy quality and a sort of post-punk sensibility exude from the weird “Debra.” Jockstrap simply reflects the continuing fusion of musical forms.
WEYES BLOOD, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
With a voice redolent of Karen Carpenter, Weyes Blood elevates to greater heights and a wider audience her tales of mankind’s plunders that brought about climate change impacts and the destruction of the environment. In its wake, she enables her own personal agenda of a return to the natural world. The wonder of it all is that Ms. Blood uses a wider musical palette than The Carpenters’ rootsy MOR. She powers her delicate introspections with girl-group harmonies (“Children of the Empire”), layered orchestrations (“It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody”) and torchy croon (“Hearts Aglow”.) In her astute hands, Weyes skirts the political subtext of the issues she’s taken up to front-load the hope that there’s still time to reverse an impending catastrophe.
ETHEL CAIN, Preacher’s Daughter
Ether Cain’s previous album titled “Inbred” was about troubled family ties. Her latest release hints at problems with her faith. True enough, the opening track on her new album sports this chorus: “The fate’s already fucked me sideways/Swinging by my neck from the family tree.” clearly referring to the tragedy of being born to a preacher man. The next track, a potentially massive hit titled “American Teenager” milks her gloomy condition in pumping rock and roll by way of The Cars. The music and the lyrics turn even darker in the Goth of “A House in Nebraska” and on to the Black metal-scarred “Ptolomea.” The easy conjecture is that Ms. Cain is Lana del Rey’s lost twin but it’s more likely, Ethel Cain is her own person finding unique beauty in a very bad circumstance.
VARIOUS ARTISTS, Malabong Lababo Sessions #01: Squiggle Beware
Overwrought album title aside, the 25-track “Malabong Lababo Sessions #01” collects contributions from nine independent acts — eight from the Philippines and one from Singapore. Proceeds from sales will help fund PH-based The Buildings’ two-week tour of Japan next month. That’s the goodwill part, and the participating bands are no charity cases, at all. Bird Dens’ blues have The Strokes undercurrent. WAX stomp around in powerful guitar rawk ramblings and The Gory Orgies banner rabble-rousing metal while Subsonic Eye conjugate twee and lounge in easy listening bliss. Buy the album, help the indie OPM cause and have yourself a musical adventure.
Check out these albums on digital music platforms, especially bandcamp.
RIYADH: An exhibition showcasing a smart city being built as part of the NEOM project in northwestern Saudi Arabia has gone on display in Riyadh.
The Line development will be constructed using revolutionary architectural designs and urban planning concepts and the exhibition will run until April 29 at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation for Contemporary Art in Riyadh’s Jax district.
Visitors will be given a glimpse into life without streets, cars, or emissions in the futuristic linear city.
(AN photo by Abdulaziz Aloraifi)
A spokesman for the project told Arab News: “The future is here. Unlike traditional cities, The Line will run on 100 percent renewable energy, prioritize health, and promote a sense of well-being for residents and visitors over transportation and infrastructure.”
The city will be 200 meters wide, 170 kilometers long, and rise 500 meters above sea level and will contribute to conserving 95 percent of NEOM’s land and support environmental sustainability.
HIGHLIGHTS
• THE LINE Experience runs until April 29 at the Diriyah Biennale Foundation for Contemporary Art in Riyadh’s Jax district. Free tickets can be booked online.
• THE LINE is NEOM’s smart city of the future that maximizes sustainable living with innovative design and infrastructure. The city will be 200 meters wide, 170 kilometers long, and rise 500 meters above sea level, with the capacity to house 9 million people.
“There will be no cars, but a high-speed railway will take residents and visitors across its length,” the spokesman said.
(AN photo by Abdulaziz Aloraifi)
He pointed out that The Line design was based on a new concept of zero gravity urbanism, the idea of layering city functions vertically while enabling inhabitants to move seamlessly in the city in three directions – up, down, and across – offering quick access to offices, schools, parks, and residential facilities.
The Line’s unique modular design ensures that all facilities and amenities can be accessed within a five-minute walk.
Using an innovative design that requires minimal space and less water, hydroponics gardens will grow fruit, vegetables, and flowers in half the time of traditional agriculture methods.
(AN photo by Abdulaziz Aloraifi)
The Line, which will become home to 9 million people, was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, chairman of the NEOM board of directors, in July.
NEOM has several ongoing megaprojects, one of them being Trojena, a year-round winter sports complex designed by Iraqi British architect Zaha Hadid. And what will be the first outdoor ski resort in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, is set to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029.
Another megaproject is Sindalah Island, a luxury tourist destination.
Exhibition visitors can opt to take a guided tour conducted in Arabic and English, while free tickets can be booked at https://theline.halayalla.com/en-us.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Joanna Lumley, the actress, campaigner and all-round Good Egg, is practically perfect in every way. The latest example of her ability to bring a light touch to a serious subject is a podcast with her husband, the composer and conductor Stephen Barlow, which launches tomorrow. Joanna & The Maestro explores their joint passion for (mainly) classical music, inspired by their concern about its dwindling accessibility and apparently inexorable decline into a niche subject for a mainly elite audience.
The Government’s National Plan for Music Education, set out in 2011 and reissued last June in a “refreshed” version, announces its “clear ambition to level up musical opportunities for all children, regardless of circumstance, needs or geography”.
But in the decade between versions, that ambition has not been realised: music A-level entries declined by 39 per cent; GCSE entries are down 31 per cent, with students in affluent areas far more likely to study the subject than those in deprived areas.
The star cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, a shining example, with his equally talented siblings, of the excellence that a state music education can offer, seems likely to become part of a vanishing minority.
It was not always thus. My love of music began at my very ordinary state grammar school, where I took music GCSE, seriously considered music A-level and still stumble through Beethoven piano sonatas from a 19th-century edition of the complete sonatas given to me by my music teacher.
The Prime Minister’s enthusiasm for an extended maths education is apparently based on the belief that it will encourage financial literacy. Somehow, I manage my finances with a mere GCSE maths, but without the love of music nourished by my education, I’d be an entirely different person, with a hinterland stripped of the lifelong curiosity, resilience and delight that a musical education supplies.
Lumley is right: classical music is too important to be wasted on the elite.
How to beat Satanism
The bad-boy allure of Satan, poetically illustrated in Milton’s Paradise Lost, may explain the rising popularity of Satanism recorded in the last census, with an increase of 167 per cent since 2011 in the numbers of Satanists in England and Wales. Meanwhile, Christianity became a minority religion for the first time in the history of the census.
Amid the shrinking congregations is a curious anomaly: the growing popularity of choral evensong. Writers with an interest in church matters have sought to explain the phenomenon, citing the allure of free music, and free entry to cathedrals that generally charge for the privilege. But there is a less venal explanation: humans crave the numinous, and choral evensong is the one service from which the beauty and spirituality of language and music has yet to be stripped.
The fact that beauty is a crucial element of belief has been obvious to every generation of Christians except our own. The connection between the decline in congregations and the hideous corporate-speak in which the Church of England largely chooses to conduct its worship is painfully evident – though not, apparently, to those in charge of such matters. For now, we should cherish choral evensong while we can, before that, too, is incorporated into what Private Eye used to call the Rocky Horror service book.
Johnny Rodriguez. Any serious fan of 1970’s country music worth their salt will know the name, the hits, and doesn’t need to be sold on the importance of this man. Six #1 songs, fourteen Top 5’s, twenty Top 10’s, including a run of fifteen Top 10 songs to start his career between 1973 and 1978, Johnny Rodriguez helped define country music as much as anyone in the decade, and continued to mint hit songs well into the 80s.
In a just world, Johnny Rodriguez would be a name at least in the discussion for the Country Music Hall of Fame at this point. But with the log jam at the Hall of Fame and the way today’s country music sweeps large swaths of past greats to the side, some people may be surprised to hear that Johnny Rodriguez is even still alive. Oh he most certainly is, and at 71 years old, people are finally stepping up to honor this country music hit maker and pioneer.
Dale Watson and Celine Lee will once again be hosting the Ameripolitan Music Awards in Memphis, TN on February 19th as part of a greater weekend of festivities and showcases after a couple of years off due to the pandemic. Johnny Rodriguez has been selected as the organization’s 2023 Master Award winner, joining previous honorees Ray Price, Jerry Lee Lewis, Charley Pride, Wanda Jackson, Billy Joe Shaver, James Burton, Johnny Bush, WS Holland, Junior Brown and Red Simpson. It’s sort of like the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Also being honored on the weekend will be The Adams Brothers with the Founder of the Sound Award, and rockabilly legend Nick Curran will posthumously receive the Keeper of the Key Award marking the 10th Anniversary of his passing. These awards will be on top of all of the winners in the various Ameripolitan Awards categories voted on by fans.
Born in Sabinal, Texas, Johnny Rodriguez was a good kid growing up, including being an altar boy at the church, and the captain of his junior high football team. But when his dad passed of Cancer when he was 16 years old, and then his brother died the following year in an automobile accident, a broken heart led to trouble with the law and a taste for country music.
Johnny Rodriguez never did anything too bad, at least not early on. Legend has it that in 1969 at the age of 18, Rodriguez was thrown in jail after he and his friends stole a goat and barbecued it. Others say he landed in the pokey simply for an unpaid fine. Either way, while singing in his cell to pass the time away, famous Texas Ranger Joaquin Jackson heard Rodriguez, and told music promoter “Happy” Shahan about him.
“Happy” Shahan in turn hired Rodriguez to sing at the Alamo Village tourist attraction where the 1960 John Wayne-directed movie The Alamo had been filmed. In 1971, Tom T. Hall and Bobby Bare were passing through town, and just like everyone else, they were floored at Johnny’s voice and told him he should move to Nashville. Johnny complied, showing up in Music City when he was 21 with just a guitar and $14. Less than a year later Rodriguez was signed to record songs for Mercury.
After scoring his first Top 10 hit with “Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through),” Rodriguez minted consecutive #1’s with “You Always Come Back (To Hurting Me),” “Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico,” and “That’s the Way Love Goes.” Johnny Rodriguez became country music’s first major Hispanic star, helping to open the door for Freddy Fender and Linda Ronstadt, and sometimes singing songs and phrases in Spanish, making him a crossover star to Hispanic listeners, and making Hispanic listeners fans of country music. In 1973, Johnny Rodriguez was nominated for the CMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year.
Along with minting country hits with rock songs such as “Something” by the Beatles, and “Desperado” by the Eagles, Johnny Rodriguez wrote some of his bigger hits himself, like “Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico” and “You Always Come Back (To Hurting Me),” earning the respect of his peers and other songwriters. Johnny’s affiliation with Bobby Bare and the fact that he was from Texas had some regarding him as a part of the era’s Outlaw movement too.
In 1979, Rodriguez signed to Epic Records and worked with famous producer Billy Sherrill. The hits stopped coming so easily, but Rodriguez would make his mark now and again, including nabbing two Top 10 hits in 1983 with “Foolin’” and “How Could I Love Her So Much.” The commercial era for Johnny Rodriguez ended when he shot and killed a man in his home in 1998, thinking the man was a burglar. Eventually acquitted on all charges, Rodriguez went on to perform for Presidents (Jimmy Carter, and both Bush’s), and be exonerated in the public eye.
Johnny Rodriguez has continued to perform, tour, and occasionally record music ever since. In December he was in the studio recording an upcoming project that will include a duets with Dennis Quaid and Tanya Tucker. But you wouldn’t know that Johnny Rodriguez was still around by the lack of attention he’s received since his heydey in the 70s and 80s.
Rodriguez has remained a hero down in Texas. He was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2010, he received the Pioneer Award from the Institute of Hispanic Culture in Houston. And in November of 2022 he was inducted into the All Cowboy and Arena Champions Hall of Fame in Kerrville, TX.
But it’s about time that the wider country music community start recognizing the contributions of Johnny Rodriguez, and while he’s still walking among us. Good on the Ameripolitan Awards for doing so. And for those who believe he’s deserving, there is also a campaign underway to get Johnny Rodriguez inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Tickets and passes to the 2023 Ameripolitan Awards and Weekender can be purchased here.
Garrick Ohlsson performed the world premiere of Justin Dello Joio’s Oceans Apart with Alan Gilbert conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra Thursday night. Photo: Hilary Scott
Though the Boston Symphony Orchestra didn’t advertise it as such, Thursday night’s concert with Alan Gilbert at Symphony Hall was essentially an evening of premieres. There was, for one, the unveiling of a brand-new piano concerto by Justin Dello Joio.
Alongside that world premiere came the first BSO subscription concert performances of Lili Boulanger’s D’un Matin de printemps and Wilhelm Stenhammar’s Serenade in F. Antonín Dvořák’s Carnival Overture—played in anachronistic fashion at the end of the night instead of its beginning—was the evening’s only chestnut.
Perhaps the program’s general unfamiliarity helps explain why, on Thursday, the paying public kept their distance from the House on Huntington. Or maybe it was the soggy weather. Either way, for one of the few Thursday nights this season, banks of seats in Symphony Hall were noticeably vacant.
A cynic might call this a kind of vindication for the Dello Joio. Then again, one might read too much into the composer’s program note for his concerto, Oceans Apart. Yes, he concedes, the twenty-minute-long score is driven, in part, by worries about the day’s social and political divisions as well as the apparent demise of art music as a part of the broader cultural landscape. At the same time, numerous gestures (including, hauntingly, the last one) sound a lot like seagulls cawing across the waves.
For all its contemporary concerns, what goes on in the piece, musically, is rather conventional. Disparate materials—pitch-less violin noodling, breathy woodwind clusters, swirling piano lines— occupy their individual spaces. Gradually they transform and coalesce; at one point a full-blown tune emerges and the soloist and orchestra are, briefly, united.
But their concord doesn’t last. The line implodes and the concerto ends as desolately as it began. Taken together, this is basically the stuff of much symphonic composition these last fifty or more years, one in which any sense of triumph or definitive resolution is ultimately undercut.
Yet Oceans Apart rises above the mundane for various reasons. Chief among them are Dello Joio’s keen ear for instrumental sonorities, as well as his rigorous attention to issues of thematic development and strong grasp of structure.
Indeed, the latter qualities run hand-in-hand: the music’s aleatoric orchestral figures all serve particular expressive purposes and aren’t overused. Moreover, their broader shapes are subtly woven into the concerto’s notated proceedings. Accordingly, the relationship between the two types of music is at once apparent to the ear but shrouded in a certain degree of mystery. This makes for compelling musical rhetoric.
At the same time, Dello Joio’s scoring consistently holds the imagination. Oceans Apart fairly brims with captivating sounds: ominous percussive rumblings; eerie, stratospheric string lines; unsettling, muted brass swells among them.
Astonishingly, on Thursday, none of it covered Garrick Ohlsson’s account of the daunting solo part. Of course, the pianist—for whom Oceans Apart was written—is a bear of a man and his keyboard playing commensurately bold. Even so, Gilbert, a crackerjack purveyor of new music in his own right, presided over an orchestral accompaniment that was conspicuous for its blend of discretion, textural lucidity, and dancing energy.
For his part, Ohlsson navigated the thickets of Dello Joio’s keyboard writing with aplomb. While much of Oceans Apart is decidedly dense and abstract, the motoric solo line alludes boldly to some of its dedicatee’s specialties, particularly composers like Beethoven, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and Scriabin. The pianist dispatched these moments with evident relish, as he did the score’s clangorous denouement.
Given the Dello Joio’s complexities (and the amount of rehearsal time it likely ate up), one would have been willing to excuse a bit of flabby playing from the BSO over the rest of the night. Yet there was very little of that, which speaks to the special rapport Gilbert and the orchestra share.
To be sure, there were only a couple of tentative moments in Stenhammar’s 1919 revision of his lovely, slightly overlong Serenade, which the orchestra had only played once before at Tanglewood. Otherwise, Thursday’s was a crisply engaged reading, one that overflowed with character and atmosphere, especially in the swaggering rhythmic sections of the Scherzo and the BSO’s clean-textured account of its charming finale.
In Boulanger’s short curtain-raiser, Gilbert balanced the music’s episodes of limber radiance and sweet sumptuousness with a knowing hand. His Dvořák, too, knew just what it needed to do, offering no shortage of technicolor thrills in its outer thirds and beguiling tenderness over the lyrical midsection.
The Mercedes-Benz EQS 580 4MATIC is a luxury electric sedan that represents the pinnacle of Mercedes-Benz’s electric vehicle lineup. This advanced vehicle boasts state-of-the-art technology, cutting-edge design, and exceptional performance. With its advanced electric powertrain and all-wheel drive system, the EQS 580 4MATIC offers a smooth, quiet, and efficient driving experience that is second to none. The car is equipped with a large and powerful battery pack which provides an impressive range and it’s also equipped with advanced driver assistance systems that make the car feel safe and secure at all times.
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Mercedes
Exterior Design
The sleek and aerodynamic lines of the vehicle are a testament to the masterful engineering that went into its creation. The vehicle’s flowing hood and tapered rear end give it a dynamic and sporty look, while its bold front grille and sleek LED headlights make a strong visual statement. The vehicle’s profile is sleek and elegant, with a smooth and unbroken line that runs from front to back, giving it an air of sophistication and luxury.
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The body is sculpted and chiseled, with a flowing form that is both elegant and sporty at the same time. The vehicle’s roofline is low and sleek, giving it a sporty stance, while the wide wheelbase and short overhangs give it a commanding presence on the road.
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The Hyperscreen
The Hyperscreen is one of the most advanced and feature-rich infotainment systems available in the market. It combines three high-definition displays into one seamless unit, providing a truly immersive and intuitive experience for the driver and passengers. The screen is one of the largest in the industry and measuring over 56 inches diagonally, it’s truly an impressive and unique feature of the vehicle.
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Mercedes
The Hyperscreen also comes with a range of advanced technologies such as augmented reality navigation, which uses live camera footage to overlay navigation information on the screen, providing a more intuitive and accurate navigation experience. The Hyperscreen also comes with advanced voice recognition and natural language processing, which allows the driver to control various functions of the vehicle using voice commands.
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Interior Quality & Design
The EQS offers a high-quality interior that exudes luxury and refinement. The cabin is spacious and designed with clean lines and uncluttered surfaces, which gives it a modern and sophisticated feel. The use of premium materials such as leather, open pore wood, and metal accents, adds to the sense of luxury and opulence. The seats are comfortable and supportive, with a range of adjustments and heating/cooling options available. The ergonomics and layout of the dashboard, steering wheel and center console are intuitive and easy to use.
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Mercedes
The materials used in the interior are of the highest quality, and are carefully selected to provide a sense of luxury and elegance. The leather seats are soft to the touch and provide a comfortable and supportive seating experience. The wood and metal accents used throughout the cabin add to the sense of refinement and luxury. The build quality of the vehicle is also exceptional, with tight panel gaps and precise fit and finish, which gives the vehicle a solid and well-crafted feel.
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The EQS also comes with a range of advanced technologies that enhance the overall driving experience. Features such as ambient lighting, a premium sound system, and a panoramic sunroof, add to the sense of luxury and comfort in the cabin.
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The Sound System By Burmester
The premium sound system in the EQS 580 is made by Burmester, a German manufacturer of high-end car audio systems. Burmester is known for its advanced technology and superior sound quality, and has been a supplier of premium audio systems to Mercedes-Benz for many years.
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The sound system is specifically tuned to provide rich and detailed sound, with a wide frequency range and a high level of clarity. The system is powered by a high-performance amplifier that provides ample power to the speakers, ensuring that the audio is always clear and distortion-free. Features such as digital signal processing, equalization, and active noise cancellation, help to optimize the audio quality and provide a more immersive listening experience.
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As soon as the music starts, it’s like being transported to another world. The sound is so rich and detailed, with a wide frequency range and a high level of clarity. Every instrument, every note, every nuance is clearly audible and it’s like being right in the middle of a live performance. The bass is deep and powerful, yet it never overpowers the rest of the music. The mids and highs are crisp and clear, providing a sense of depth and dimensionality to the sound. The active noise cancellation feature helps to eliminate any external noise, and the sound is so pure and immersive that it’s like being in a private concert.
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Range & Battery Size
The battery pack of the EQS 580 4MATIC is very large with a capacity of 108.8 kWh, this allows the vehicle to travel long distances without needing to be recharged. The vehicle also supports fast charging, which allows the battery to be charged to 80% in about 30 minutes from a fast charging station under ideal conditions. During my time with the EQS 580 in the michigan winter, it took 54 minutes to get from 10% to 80%. In terms of range under normal driving conditions you can expect around 340 miles.
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Driving Dynamics
The vehicle’s electric motor provides instant torque and responsive acceleration, delivering an effortless driving experience and with a 0-60 time of just 4.1 seconds it can certainly throw you back in your seat. The vehicle’s advanced aerodynamics and lightweight construction also improve its overall efficiency and range.
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It’s also equipped with 4-wheel steering, which improves the vehicle’s handling and maneuverability. This advanced technology allows the rear wheels to turn in the opposite direction of the front wheels at low speeds, which helps to reduce the vehicle’s turning radius and make it easier to maneuver in tight spaces. At higher speeds, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels, which helps to improve stability and handling on the highway.
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It drives exactly how you’d want your luxury EV sedan to, it’s quick, quiet, comfortable and refined and manages to be a bit of fun too especially in sport mode. While it’s not as engaging as a C63 AMG, it can certainly deliver a bit of fun when you want.
Gwen Stefani recently came under fire for saying “I’m Japanese” in a new interview.
Stefani is just one of many pop stars who have been accused of cultural appropriation over the years.
Insider spoke to experts on race and advocacy about this offensive trend in pop music.
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Pop music has a cultural appropriation problem, and we were reminded of it again this week by Gwen Stefani.
Stefani brought the topic again to the fore by telling an Asian American journalist in a recent interview, “I’m Japanese.”
During an interview with Allure magazine, Stefani was asked to reflect upon her Harajuku era in the early aughts, which has received criticism for co-opting Japanese aesthetics and objectifying her backup dancers — four Japanese and Japanese American women known as the Harajuku Girls. Stefani has also been criticized for appropriating African, Indigenous, and South Asian cultures in the past.
“If [people are] going to criticize me for being a fan of something beautiful and sharing that, then I just think that doesn’t feel right,” she told Allure’s senior editor Jesa Marie Calaor.
Pop music is a ‘repeat offender’
Robert Buscher, a lecturer at the Asian American Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania and chapter president of Philadelphia’s Japanese American Citizens League, told Insider he was “horrified” by Stefani’s latest comments. He was also quick to note that she’s far from the only culprit.
“Pop music, in general, seems to be one of the repeat offenders as far as an art form that tends to commercialize and appropriate Asian cultural aesthetics for the purpose of profiteering,” Buscher said. “We see this time and time again.”
Indeed, Nicki Minaj’s 2018 music video “Chun Li” was accused of parroting an “insulting Asian fetish.” Coldplay and Beyoncé presented India as “a white person’s fever dream” in 2016’s “Hymn for the Weekend.” Major Lazer’s “Lean On” (2015) and Iggy Azalea’s “Bounce” (2013) have faced similar scrutiny. The list goes on.
Buscher specifically called out Katy Perry’s performance of “Unconditionally” at the 2013 American Music Awards, which saw her wearing a kimono, holding a parasol, and performing dainty choreography.
“The lyrics are talking about loving someone unconditionally, and then she dressed up somewhat similar to what a Japanese geisha looks like,” Buscher explained. “[She’s] reinforcing these ideas about Asian women being submissive and demure. Objects.”
Katy Perry performs at the 2013 American Music Awards.
Christopher Polk/AMA2013/Getty Images for DCP
Reinforcing negative and dangerous stereotypes
Much like Perry’s 2013 performance, Stefani’s employment of the four Harajuku Girls plays into “this idea of a sexually available, commodified Asian female body,” Buscher said.
While the Harajuku Girls would frequently flank Stefani at red carpet events and photoshoots, the women never spoke in public; Korean American comedian Margaret Cho described their role in Stefani’s life as ”a minstrel show.”
In one 2004 performance, the dancers can be seen forming a circle around Stefani, bowing on their hands and knees.
“Just from body language and physical gestures, it really describes visually what the hierarchy is in that situation,” Buscher said. “This is a kind of white supremacy — Gwen being this blonde-haired, blue-eyed pop idol in the center and using this Japanese aesthetic to, I guess, celebrate that in some ways.”
An ‘alarming level’ of racist abuse
The fetishization of women of color can have dangerous consequences.
As Insider’s Kristie-Valerie Hoang previously reported, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have been facing “an alarming level” of racist abuse and violence since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, a string of shootings at Atlanta-area spas left eight people dead, including six Asian women. The shooter reportedly yelled, “I want to kill all Asians.”
Although a pop star’s representation of Asian women doesn’t carry the weight of these horrific crimes, Buscher clarified, it may contribute to a pattern of anti-Asian racism and misogyny that has existed in the US since the 19th century. “It’s just another way of pushing that forward into the next generation,” he said.
Other pop stars have also been accused of treating marginalized women like props, including Miley Cyrus, whose 2013 album “Bangerz” was deeply rooted in the sounds and aesthetics of hip-hop, a genre created and carried by Black artists.
In music videos and performances around this time, Cyrus would often twerk and surround herself with Black women, sometimes grabbing their butts or other parts of their bodies. Buscher described this as “egregious objectification.” (She later apologized for her “insensitive” behavior.)
Miley Cyrus performs at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic
The stakes of cultural appropriation are high, particularly given the history of colonialism, imperialism, and slavery Black women in this country have faced, said Riche Richardson, a professor of Africana studies at Cornell University.
“What’s at stake when one is not really a part of that culture’s history — does not share its traumas or the burdens that are associated with that identity — is the potential for commodification and profiteering” at the expense of the people who are the original creators in the culture, Richardson said.
The difference between inspiration and appropriation
Some pop stars have responded to accusations of appropriation by insisting they simply “admire” the culture, or claiming their actions are born from “love and appreciation.” “[It] should be okay to be inspired by other cultures because if we’re not allowed then that’s dividing people, right?” Stefani told Allure.
Many artists have been able to express that “love and appreciation” successfully and respectfully. Beyoncé’s 2022 album “Renaissance” has been celebrated for incorporating queer themes and genres in a respectful way, even though she is a straight woman. The singer also paid homage to many cultures within the African diaspora in her visual album “Black Is King.”
“This gets into the idea of elevation, which I say makes the cultural exchange satisfied, as opposed to putting on a costume and doing things that might defile the sanctity of the culture it’s drawing from,” Ruka Hatua-Saar White, an assistant professor at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, explained.
Of Beyoncé’s recent works, White said it’s clear she did “her due diligence.”
Beyoncé in “Hymn for the Weekend” (2016) and a press photo for “Renaissance” (2022).
Coldplay/YouTube; Mason Poole
“Objectively, I think that there’s nothing wrong with that kind of cultural exchange as long as the person who is doing it is given permission to do that, and that it’s a willing exchange by both parties,” Buscher added. “It becomes a more complicated scenario when one person or one group within that conversation holds a lot more power and privilege than the other.”
Cultural appropriation occurs when someone borrows practices, ideas, or any element of another culture for one’s own fiscal or material gain, White explained. But an artist can use their celebrity to elevate and bring awareness to a marginalized culture.
Madonna, for example, profited from the ballroom scene with the release of “Vogue.” However, the song also elevated the community through her support, giving a platform to ballroom houses and performers and donating to Black and LGBTQ causes.
In Stefani’s case, it’s obvious that she’s profited from Japanese culture through her numerous Harajuku clothing lines, products, and hit singles, but it’s unclear whether Stefani’s adoption has given anything back to Japanese culture.
“It’s about elevation, acknowledgment, and honor within cultural exchanges,” White said. “The question is, how are you giving back?”
City councils: Chula Vista, 5 p.m. Tuesday; Coronado, 4 p.m. Tuesday; Imperial Beach, 6 p.m. Wednesday; National City, 6 p.m. Tuesday
School boards: Chula Vista Elementary School District, 6 p.m. Wednesday; Coronado UnifiedSchool District, 4 p.m. Thursday; San Ysidro School District, 5 p.m. Thursday; South Bay Union School District (Imperial Beach), 6 p.m. Thursday
Classics 4 Kids at CV library
Classics 4 Kids is hosting a free family concert series on intermittent Saturdays at the Chula Vista Library Civic Center Branch. The first concert will be from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, open to all ages. The theme will be “Pattern Play Trio” in which the musicians will connect patterns in music to math, science, and language arts. The library is at Chula Vista Library Civic Center Branch Auditorium, 365 F St.
Gun owners group to meet
San Diego County Gun Owners will host its January 2023 monthly membership meeting for San Diego’s South County region from 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday at La Bella Pizza, 373 Third Ave., Chula Vista. The meeting is free and open to the public; guests are welcome. Topics will include updates on education and advocacy efforts, gun safety training classes, recent legal rulings and San Diego County’s recent “Gun Violence Reduction Listening Sessions.” Visit www.sandiegocountygunowners.com.
Help needed for annual homeless count
San Diego County residents can learn about the lives of the homeless in their neighborhoods by taking part in the annual point-in-time count on Jan. 26. The count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which uses the data as part of a funding formula for homeless programs. Last year’s count was conducted by about 1,400 volunteers with the Regional Task Force on Homelessness. The count is conducted before dawn, with most volunteers gathering at 4 a.m. Volunteers can expect a four-hour commitment as they count people and conduct interviews. The count is not considered exact and is believed to miss a number of homeless people, but it can reveal important information. An increase in homeless seniors led to the creation of a committee to examine the issue, while an increase in homeless youths led to the task force receiving a grant for youth-focused programs. For more on the count, visit bit.ly/3GRtmw8. Register to volunteer at sandiego.pointintime.info.
Black College Expo coming Jan. 26 to San Diego
On-the-spot college acceptances and scholarships will be part of the 2023 Black College Expo, set for Jan. 26 at Bayview Baptist Church in San Diego. High school juniors and seniors of all racial and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to attend the free expo, hosted by the San Diego County Office of Education with the National College Resources Foundation. The event takes place from 12:30 to 5 p.m. at the church, 6134 Pastor Timothy J Winter St., San Diego. The expo will include representatives from more than 20 historically black colleges and universities. Students can learn about education options and possibly receive a scholarship or on-the-spot college admission. There will also be seminars on financial aid, internships and other topics. Students, families and education professionals are asked to reserve to bit.ly/3VQsD2G. Students are encouraged to bring at least 10 copies of their transcripts. ACT or SAT test scores are also welcome. To be eligible for a scholarship, students must submit an essay of 500 words or less on “Why is a college education important to me?” at bit.ly/3vIoB1E. Submission deadline is Monday. Call (877) 427-4100 or visit blackcollegeexpo.com.
Chamber hosts ribbon-cutting at florist
Petals by Jenc hosts a ribbon-cutting with the National City Chamber of Commerce from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday . The floral shop is at 2424 Hoover Ave., Suite J, National City. Call (619) 773-6333.
Economic Roundtable coming Wednesday
The San Diego Workforce Partnership, University of San Diego’s Knauss School of Business and the County of San Diego host the 39th annual Economic Roundtable, with experts assessing the national and local economies for 2023. This year’s free event takes place from 8:30-10 a.m. Wednesday at USD’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego. Featured are a fireside chat with Ray Major, deputy CEO of business operations at SANDAG, and Daniel Enemark, chief economist at the Workforce Partnership. A panel of experts will discuss economic trends in their industries and how public investments can stimulate local growth. Register at bit.ly/3WXhrT9. Check-in starts at 8 a.m.
Applicants sought for free oral treatment
The Smiles For First Responders program offered by the Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Specialists of San Diego will provide one first responder in the San Diego area with a free treatment to restore their smile with a fully functioning set of teeth. First responders living and/or working in the San Diego area who have multiple missing or failing teeth and who can’t afford treatment are encouraged to apply through Feb. 2 at sandiegooralsurgery.com/hero. The oral surgery practice wants to recognize local heroes who are going above and beyond to protect and serve their community. Email info@sandiegooralsurgery.com.
Car-seat safety checks offered in Chula Vista
The Chula Vista Fire Department offers free car seat installation checks twice monthly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Macy’s parking lot at the Otay Ranch Town Center. The next check is on Saturday. Bring the car seat and learn proper installation from a nationally certified technician. Chula Vista Fire Paramedic Ben Harris is offering the service in an effort to reduce injury or worse from improperly installed car seats. No registration needed.
Imperial Beach surveying senior residents
Imperial Beach has joined the Age-Friendly Community network and is looking for input from residents 50 years and older. Age-Friendly Imperial Beach is a citywide initiative that aims to make the community a great place to grow up and grow old. The Age-Friendly Project Team and a consulting team from the San Diego State University Social Policy Institute will be conducting reviews of public policies, doing surveys and outreach, and holding community forums. Take the survey at tinyurl.com/AgeFriendlyIBSurvey to tell the city what you would like to see in Imperial Beach regarding transportation, outdoor spaces, community support, communication and information, housing and other areas. The survey is open through Jan. 22.
Small Business Expo opens Friday
Southwestern College is hosting a free Small Business Expo from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday. Entrepreneurs and small business owners are invited to explore area resources so they can start and grow their small businesses. Network and learn about everything from new opportunities to funding options and government contracting opportunities. Reserve at bit.ly/3Qel5We. Southwestern College is at 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista. For details, contact Katty Ibarra at kibarra@swccd.edu or (619) 216-6719.
Please send items to fyi.south@sduniontribune.com at least two weeks before events take place.
This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.
