Local Students Listen for Non-Local Talent

            Whether someone grew up here, came here to attend college, or came because he or she always yearned to be a part of the Sooner nation- if they stuck around long enough, they would discover many places to get their fix of live music in Norman. Campus Corner is drenched with cafes, bars and restaurants that host live music weekly, along with venues such as the Opolis in downtown. Nevertheless, many of the students at the University of Oklahoma remain unimpressed.

            Several places around the OU campus have racks of local publications such as Boyd St and the school paper, The Oklahoma Daily, which serve as great sources for upcoming events around the area. As well as, posters sloppily stapled up to the event posts, music events chalked onto the campus sidewalks, and Web sites such as Oklahomarock.com lists 20 venues in Norman that host live music. However, to some students these advertising methods are forgetful and ineffective.

Journalism senior and contributing writer
 for Sooners Illustrated Jono Greco. PHOTO: Sarah Davies

            “Honestly, I only pick up [Boyd St.] to look at the little bar pictures to see if I know anyone in them,” said journalism senior Jono Greco. “I don’t really look at those flyers, posters, or whatever either. But I remember in the past when Modest Mouse was on campus seeing a bunch of flyers for that and I thought it was pretty cool.” 

            Greco has never attended a concert or live show in Norman, along with many other students who claim to be “uninterested.” Students like Greco mentioned ticket prices, location, venue and popularity of the band as essential elements in deciding whether or not they should attend a show.

            “There hasn’t been many shows that interest me in Norman,” said communication sophomore Matt Hebert. “If a ‘big name’ artist like the Rolling Stones, Muse, Coldplay or Bruce Springsteen came I would definitely be enticed to go. But, I prefer bigger venues that would cost under $100 per ticket. The only way I would take a chance on an unknown band that was playing would be if I had heard their music before or if it was a free show.”

            The problem does not seem to be minimal advertising or venue deficiency, but a lack of interest in local talent and modest venues. Norman retains at least 20 venues, normanmusicscene.com provides information on upcoming shows- along with 18 other Web sites that supply similar information, Guestroom Records’ store windows are covered with flyers for local shows, and magazines such as Boyd St. provide readers with monthly calendars of entertainment in the area. If students want to entice “bigger bands” to come to their slightly picky college town, they first need to prove there is enough people that support and care about the local music scene and are willing to take a chance on artists that may not be touring with Lady Gaga or repetitively playing on popular radio stations.

            If you would like to experience the local Norman music scene for yourself or perhaps take a chance on an unknown aspiring artist, you can visit any of the links in this post for more information on upcoming events.

Facebook event invitation for CAC Concert Series and
the Opolis' next music event. PHOTO: Courtney Goforth

Advertisement chalked on a campus sidewalk for an international music
concert being held at Catlett Music Center. PHOTO: Courtney Goforth

One of several posts around campus for organizations
to advertise their event. PHOTO: Courtney Goforth

Newsstands in Gaylord Hall that are always filled with new editions of
The Oklahoma Daily, So6ix Magazine, and Boyd St. PHOTO: Courtney Goforth

Ray Bribiesca, the "Crazy" Camerman

            Whenever people watch an interesting news segment or some sort of gripping documentary, they usually remember the people who were on the screen- the reporters, anchors, interviewers or interviewees. But it is the man or woman behind the camera that is telling the story through the images and videos and is responsible for bringing the story to life for the viewers. Ray Bribiesca, 60 Minutes cameraman, who has worked at CBS for more than three decades, has dedicated his life to visually telling a story through the lens of a camera and asking himself, “What does a face look like?”

            Bribiesca, an ex-Marines combat cameraman in the Vietnam War and military photographer, claims to always execute his work manually and “turn off the zoom.” However, Bribiesca has developed a reputation for what he calls his “crazy shots.”  Bribiesca admitted that the name of his footage derived from how he predicted the people close to him would respond to his scary ways of capturing the subject's emotions. “Once my friends, my family sees it, they’ll say ‘crazy shots’, they really will,” said Bribiesca. One look at the footage the daring cameraman documented of the firefight he and CBS correspondent Lara Logan witnessed while in Afghanistan, would almost immediately evoke the same response, or what his friends back home have actually said to him, “You are really f’ed up.”

            Nevertheless, in all aspects of media, the person telling the story has to concede their boundaries and determine where they would cross the line. Unsurprisingly, Bribiesca does not adhere to such a thing.

            “You’ve got to forget the lines,” said Bribiesca. “[The American soldiers] told us if we ask you to hand us ammunition, you hand us ammunition… You don’t think, you don’t. You just react. If anything tragic happens to you, that’s part of the deal.”

            Although the footage Bribiesca has captured is daring and perhaps a little “crazy”, he purports that being a good photographer is through “practice and just being lucky.” CBS correspondent Lara Logan accompanied Bribiesca on the trip to Afghanistan, and although she did not follow suit with exposing herself to open fire, she asserted in a 60 Minutes segment that “He wasn’t reckless, he wasn’t stupid, he just wasn’t afraid.” In fact, before heading to Afghanistan, Bribiesca and his crew were required to take a three-week intensive first-aid course. He found the course essential because he believes that “We can’t do our jobs and call ourselves journalists if you can’t protect your source.”

            Bribiesca mentioned in his lecture that hardly anything could happen anymore without someone recording it. The 60 Minutes cameraman has directed his footage around the emotion of people’s faces instead of point-of-view shots, and removed any boundaries that would stifle his storytelling. Despite Bribiesca’s courageous efforts in documenting the American soldiers, he is already on the move again, this time to Yemen. “You’re only as good as your last story,” said Bribiesca. “As a journalist, I listen, I watch, because everyone has a story to tell.”

           To watch Ray Bribiesca and CBS correspondent Lara Logan's full report, A Relentless Enemy, go to http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6902810n&tag=contentMain;contentBody.

Bribiesca explaining his background before students watched his 60 Minutes segment. PHOTO: Ana Lastra