Posts by Max Rosero

Despite our determination to “get off the hill” more often, for many a Brown student, venturing beyond our collegiate bubble and into the depths of downtown Providence is all too rare of an occurrence. Unless there’s a monster truck rally at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center or a Girl Talk concert at Lupo’s, we’re usually more than happy raiding the shelves of Spiritus and entertaining ourselves on campus.

But that didn’t stop Ethan Feirstein ’06 from taking matters into his own hands. After graduating from Brown with a degree in sociology, Ethan moved to New York briefly before returning to the Providence to open up a business of his own. Realizing the need for a downtown bar that appealed to locals and Brunonians alike, Ethan opened Salon in the winter of 2010. Since then, the bar has quickly risen to the top of the ranks, becoming one of the most popular destinations in Providence for anyone looking for a pickleback shot and a killer dance floor.

We sat down with Ethan to pick his brain about life after Brown, and to find out what it’s like being a bar owner in the PVD.

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Looking for another excuse to blow off your mounting work? Interested in design and the environment? Have we got the thing for you.

On Saturday, the crew from A Better World By Design will be back at it again, this time setting up shop in Smitty-B for a free one-day “mini-conference” open to the general public. Focusing on design-based solutions to local PVD social and environmental issues, the event will feature design workshops, a locally sourced catered lunch and a rapid prototype contest that’ll net the winner a cool $1,000. Who doesn’t like that? Dolla’ dolla’ bills, y’all!

The event is running from 9:45 am to 4 pm this Saturday, April 28, and space will be limited, so definitely register here if you’re interested. As an added bonus, those who make it to the morning portion get to experience something called the “Providence Granola Project.” Not exactly sure what that means, but let’s hope it’s nothing like the project they’re featuring in the afternoon…

Just when you thought Spring Weekend couldn’t get any more exciting — BAM! — we’re about to throw another winning element into the mix. First announced last week via Facebook, the Greek Council will be sponsoring a night of getting Fratty in the Ratty this Saturday, to help fill that awkward time between when the concerts end and you haven’t quite rallied to rage (yet again).

For the first time ever (we think), the Ratty will be opened from 9–11 the Saturday night of Spring Weekend to provide the ecstatic drunk masses with free food, non-alcoholic drinks (read: mixers), and a little post-concert pump-up music courtesy of DJ A-BE. No need to worry about being off meal plan — the event will be open to all students and guests, including those RISD hamsters.

The only thing that could make this better would be shotgunning a beer with Gail. Does anyone have a keeeeeey?

Big news, y’all! Guess what just changed from “probable showers” to nothing more than “cloudy”?

I’ll give you a clue: it rhymes with fraturday.

Originally formed in 2006, The Glitch Mob got its start as a five-member electro group based in the city of Los Angeles. As part of L.A.’s burgeoning bass-driven ‘beat’ scene, the group quickly gained notoriety for its incredible live performances and use of multi-touch sound devices to remix popular songs on stage. Though they spent much of their early days touring up and down the West Coast, the group now performs at electronic music festivals around the world and will be touring all across the country later this year. Their first album, Drink the Sea, debuted on the iTunes electronic music chart at #5, and their single “Drive It Like You Stole It” was listed as number two on XLR8R magazine’s list of top downloads of 2010.

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With Spring Weekend not but ten days away, chances are you’re kicking work mode into high gear for the next week and a half, and locking yourself in the PBR AQR. Because nothing says lame-o like ditching a dance party with your good friend Molly to write that ten-page paper on structural inequality in post-Soviet Russia. #wherethePutinat?

If that is in fact the case and productivity really is your goal, allow me to apologize in advance for the epic distraction I’m about to bestow upon you and this small, snarky corner of the interwebz. Created by the French media studio So Far So Good, Incredibox is a DIY beatboxing application that allows you to create and record personalized jamz by mixing and matching samples from an interactive library. Hooray! Now you no longer need worry about embarrassing yourself and/or accidentally spitting on people in the name of dropping a beat.

Hello procrastination, goodbye productivity.

Here’s the link to the site: INCREDIBOX

As tempting as it was to list the Brown Marketplace as time-waster of the day (too soon?), we wanted to reward all you wretched souls who forced yourselves awake at an ungodly hour with a little laughter and good ol’ fashioned tomfoolery. That’s where these two chicks come in. Armed with a rigged Polaroid camera and a predatory eye for unsuspecting bystanders, these lovely ladies (and their accomplices) execute one of the more bizarrely hilarious pranks ever to be captured on second-rate cable TV.

Ever had issues figuring out which receptacle to use to dispose of your trash? Ever wondered what the hell “Mixed Containers” actually means? If you’re anything like me (lactose intolerant, of course), chances are you’ve been perplexed by the trash can situation on campus on quite a few occasions.

Lucky for you, the Blue Room has recently installed a visual aid to help you figure out where you should throw out the midterm you bombed Kombucha bottle you’ve been using as a coffee mug. Hooray! We no longer need worry about offending the environmental studies majors!

However, it seems the jury is still out on how to dispose of balloon animals.

As the semester progresses at the speed of light, the senior class is beginning to make peace with that fateful day in May: Commencement. Until the Class of 2012 up and leaves us, BlogDH wants to highlight all the interesting things the class has been up to. To this end, we are (re)starting a series, Last Call, featuring seniors reflecting on their experiences at Brown. Each featured senior will tag another senior for the next installment. Find this year’s other “Last Call” chain here.

Then + Now

People might know me as… the Badmaash guy. I’ve danced on Badmaash, the South Asian fusion dance team, since freshman year, and I think it’s my most public involvement. It’s also one of the most fun. It keeps me sane and drives me insane. In a good way.

Nabeel’s Question: Who has had the greatest influence on you at Brown? Is it a cop-out to say my friends? I feel like I’m always being inspired by the people around me and constantly learning from them. Not that classes aren’t important — of course they are, and of course I’ve learned a lot with coursework — but I would be an entirely different person if I hadn’t been around such amazing people. Special shout out to my Badmaashies, Learning Exchangers, TWC family, and housemates.

Why’d you decide to join Badmaash? Do you have a favorite move? It’s funny, because when I came to Brown I saw Badmaash and sort of laughed… they were good, but I wasn’t especially interested in South Asian dance. Then I decided to try out spring of freshman year because two of my friends were going and we had practiced together beforehand. Now we’re the co-directors, though I’m still not sure how I got in with my awful audition. My favorite move is hard to express verbally, haha. My favorite style we do is probably bhangra.

What’s the culture like in the group? Do you guys rage or is it more of a community? Do we rage? Yeah, I guess we rage (especially at competitions), but it’s a community more than anything. I hosted a team social last weekend and after everyone left, my housemates were talking about what a close-knit community we are. I guess I take it for granted sometimes, but it’s pretty special. Dancing is so much more fun when you love the people you’re sharing the stage with.

On a Friday night, you might find yourself… at a Badmaash social or going out with my housemates. Or at the GCB. (Or sleeping.) [Read more →]