The SMC Music Project comes as a joint venture between the city of Jacksonville and music promoters Infintesmal Records. The mayor’s office is funding the project, showing an interest in Jacksonville’s music scene.

Infintesmal Records owners Jimmi Bayer and Nick Schoeppel started the label in late 2008 as a means to get the word out on local artists that they felt needed more exposure. The label released their first compilation CD December 31, 2008. The label has around 20 artists they are supporting.

Bayer and Schoeppel have wanted to play at the Snyder Memorial Church for some time simply because of the look of the building.

“The building alone is incredible,” Bayer said. “We’ve walked by it many times it’s a building we’ve always kinda stared at [and said] ‘I wish we could set up shop in there.’”

Bayer and Schoeppel are optimistic about the local music scene and are looking forward to seeing its rise in the future.

“It’s certainly on the verge of thriving,” Schoeppel said.

Schoeppel hopes the event provides a new look into local cultures people may not know about.

“It’s about getting everybody together and having a good time and supporting local awesome music as well as art in general,” he said.

The night started off with DJ Ian Ranne laying down some old funk and soul tracks on the turn table. Ranne, 30, has been a disc jockey since 2003. Meanwhile, local visual artists set up shop to showcase their work. David Miller, Crystal Floyd and Rebecca Rhyne were some of the artists presenting their work.

Fernandina Beach-based rock group, Friends, started rocking the walls of the church at 9 p.m. The band played some experimental rock that included long interludes of instrumentals reminiscent of dueling guitars. Guitarist Danny Strickland twiddled the frets of his Fender Jazzmaster as the rest of the band continued to play along in syncopated glory. The musical finesse of each band member screamed over accomplished, but the band’s sound as a whole is nonsensical at times. The sound is of course experimental and comes off as a jam band with little attention to structure.

Following Friends, the ocean waves washed in some mellow tunes from Wudun and Honey Chamber. The Jacksonville bands played set lists of moody rock and crunchy pop. Wudun’s drolling moans sounded a bit monotonous at times but after the set list by Friends, it was nice to have a break from the extravagant guitar patterns. The sounds of Wudun made me feel like I was on a bad acid trip, spiraling down the rabbit hole to oblivion. The swooning sounds of Honey Chamber’s rough pop rock came in to end the night with a saccharine flavor.

The bands received a fair amount of people in the crowd, but Bayer and Schoeppel hope more people will get involved in the Jacksonville music scene in order to promote art throughout the city.

“Infintesmal is very much a family and we operate as such,” Bayer said. “We’re just now on the brink of bigger things.”

You can find out more about Infintesmal Records at their MySpace and Facebook.

The Snyder Memorial Church will be hosting events every Friday of the month, with the next show being on July 16. The bands Antarctic, Borromakat vs. Bright Orange and The Great Working will be playing on that date.

I’m here to provide you with some of the top shows to watch over the remainder of the summer. While this list is ranked in relation to Netflix availability and the quality of the show, try and get your hands on these TV shows by any legal means possible. Borrow the DVDs from a friend, rent them from Blockbuster.

These premium shows provide mature-rated television pleasure that don’t hold back on the swearing, sex and violence. But these shows provide something more. Since these shows can include the mature content, the interactions between characters on each are more believable. The writing thrives in these shows, and the audience benefits from that.

5. Californication (Showtime)

Netflix availability: Season one (Streaming), Season two (DVD), Season three (coming soon)

New Season: Fall 2010

David Duchovny wants you to be believe in “Californication.” Duchovny plays washed-up writer Hank Moody who lives in Los Angeles trying to raise his daughter, Becca. Duchovny is hilarious in the show as you see him pick up random girls from the library, only to get punched in the face during sex. Add in an awesome cast of supporting characters, including Evan Handler (Sex and The City), and you will want to go club-hopping every night with Moody and Co.

4. Spartacus: Blood and Sand (Starz)

Netflix availability: Season one (Streaming and DVD)

New Season: 2011

Rome never looked so raunchy in this action-packed new series on Starz. Andy Whitfield plays the role of Spartacus, who becomes enslaved as a gladiator and must fight for his freedom and the hopes to see his family again. The show contains a unique art design for the fights during the violent gladiator battles: flashes of red swipe across the screen as unfit warriors lose their limbs to the unstoppable Spartacus and the blood effects are reminiscent of “Kill Bill Vol. 1.” If you miss the days of “300” and the random shouting of “This is Sparta,” then check out this show.

3. True Blood (HBO)

Netflix availability: Seasons one and two (DVD)

New Season: Now (Summer 2010)

Everyone’s talking about “Eclipse” this summer. Forget about that airhead Edward for an hour or so and check out the already widely popular hit “True Blood.” The show’s premise has vampires coming out of the coffin and walking amongst on an international level. Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) becomes romantically involved with vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) and a slew of unsolved murders plague the town of Bon Temps, La. Oscar-winning screenwriter Alan Ball, who was the mastermind behind the HBI masterpiece “Six Feet Under,” created True Blood. The show has sharp writing and emotional depth that gives the undead so much more life than any Stephanie Meyer novel could ever contain. True Blood is the best thing to happen to vampires since “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” so grab some garlic and slip on a turtleneck for a night and get to watching.

2. Weeds (Showtime)

Netflix availability: Seasons one through five (DVD and Streaming)

New Season: August 16, 2010

What if you had to resort to selling marijuana in a suburban town to make ends meet? Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) becomes wrapped up in the illegal drug world in order to keep her upper-class lifestyle afloat and a roof over her kids’ heads in this smart and outrageous comedy. Parker is smooth and vivid on screen as Botwin and the ensemble cast of characters makes this show an awesomely fun watch. Snooty PTA mom Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins) will drive you insane with her ridiculous antics and constant-pot head Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon) brings the laughs when ever the cannabis is burning. You can easily knock out the first five seasons of the show in less than a week. I say grab the munchies and get lost in this show’s puff of smoke.

1. Dexter (Showtime)

Netflix availability: Seasons one and two (DVD and Streaming), Season three (DVD), Season four (coming soon)

New Season: Fall 2010

Meet Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a smart and witty blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department. He’s got a foul-mouthed cop for a sister (Jennifer Carpenter) and a beautiful girlfriend (Julie Benz) with two kids. You could say he’s got it all figured out – except for the fact that he’s a serial killer with a large appetite for murder.

Dexter Morgan is a good serial killer though – if that’s even possible. He has a code. He only kills people that slip through the cracks of the judicial system or the people who think they are above the law. He kills murderers, rapists and child molesters. He’s Miami’s dark avenger. It sounds sick, but you begin to empathize with Dexter in ways you never could have fathomed.

This is Showtime’s current flagship series. The powerful, slightly comical writing of the show provides an astounding framework for the actors to truly become alive. Michael C. Hall, who made waves on HBO’s “Six Feet Under,” is brilliant as Dexter Morgan. This is the show you need to catch up on if you haven’t started. The first three seasons are television gold, all leading up to the legendary fourth season that will blow your mind.

Compiled by Tyler White

Courtney Barriger, a UNF communication senior, began painting at 14 years old. A Jacksonville native, Courtney’s paintings have been displayed in art shows and galleries around Jacksonville and have also featured in an off-Broadway play called “Down the Rabbit Hole” in New York City. Courtney was recently accepted for a gallery opening at Salon Jacksonville Gallery in downtown, opening during ArtWalk July 7. In 2009, she signed with Chicago-based national modeling agency BMG Models. Her first book “Accounts of Correlation” is set to be completed this summer. She is also working on an independent film project with Jacksonville-native and popular author Brenda Jackson. She maintains a 3.5 GPA and is set to graduate this summer.

Q: Why did you choose a communications major as opposed to an art major?

A: I wanted to learn how to market myself. I also wanted to learn how to write. It just seemed if I did only fine arts I would be very limited. Like if I wanted to get a career in anything else it would be hard to.

Q: What was your “ah-ha” moment with your artwork?

A: It was a drawing class in high school. I took a lot of drawing classes in high school. One day, we had a free day and I just took a bunch of paints and a piece of notebook paper. I started painting what I had in my mind and it came out really well. I realized I could form the paint. It was just the shock that I could make something out of nothing. I created this fake world that doesn’t exist and could share with other people. I thought that was really cool.

Q: What is your genre?

A: Mainly because I’m such a storyteller, I say that my pieces always convey a story in some sense. I like to do things from experience, so I often research what I’m painting. I want to embody what I paint. For instance, the painting I drew of a girl jumping in the air is actually my friend on the trampoline. We were in her backyard in Orlando last summer and we were jumping on the trampoline.

Q: Where are your paintings currently on display? What are past places they have been displayed?

A: I usually do an overnight thing or Art Walk. It has been displayed at Healthy Way Café at the Town Center. I actually showed at a theatre in New York City. I illustrated for an off-Broadway play at the Bleaker Street Theatre.

Q: What price range does your artwork sell for?

A: The top has been for $1,200. The lowest is $150.

Q: What was the most memorable moment you have had in your art career?

A: I remember the first really big piece I made was 48 X 36 inches. It’s really big. I brought it to Square One and left it to study for my exams that night. I just laid it down and I left it at Square One. When I came back to pick it up, so many people came up to me and asked “Is this yours? We’ve been waiting all night to find out who painted this.” It’s of a lady standing in the fields. It’s just very soft and beautiful and very colorful. I’ve been told that is my masterpiece, just my “spot-on” piece. I’m a little attached to this piece.

Q: How were you signed to national modeling agency BMG?

A: Last summer, in 2009, I lived in Orlando and I decided to email my pictures to BMG Models. They have a division in Orlando. They contacted me back and said they liked my pictures and were interested. So I went in and I was signed. I was 21. (Courtney is now 22 years old).

Q: What type of modeling jobs do you do?

A: Two years ago, when I lived in Los Angeles my roommate was a photographer. She wanted to use me as a subject to build her portfolio. She got me a job with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. I did poster work for them. That was the first time it felt real because it was on such a big set. She set me up with the Love Brigade, a local designer with stores in Brooklyn. In 2009, I was one of ten contestants in Jacksonville’s Top Model for Jacksonville Magazine. That was a confirmation that maybe I should model and make money off of this.

I do all of it. I’ve also done trunk shows, runway, wedding shows, fashion shows and hair shows. I do all kinds of modeling.

Q: Do you remember your first modeling gig?

A: I was an actress first. I did a music video for a band called “Start Trouble” when I was 16. That kicked off the idea of being on-screen and being a model. When I was 18, I modeled for a local surfing brand company called “Strike Designs.”

Q: What do you enjoy most about modeling?

A: I like the performance. It’s one of those things where you have to hurry up and wait. You have to check-in, get all your makeup done, and wait to get to know everyone. Its takes hours and hours usually. The actual time you’re taking pictures or walking the runway is very short compared to everything else. But that’s the funest part is the performance. It’s you and you have to step into your own character. To me a model is a character. I can’t see it any other way. It’s not as if I walk around and pose all the time. I have more fun with shoots that are a developed character. It maybe the actress in me.

Q: What was your most memorable moment in your modeling career?

A: At the 5 Points Theatre we did a benefit show for diabetes awareness. While I was walking down the runway, I got applause from the audience. That was the first time I had ever gotten applause. We were the last designer to show and we were backstage for so long. By the time it came for us to get on stage I was so full of personality. I walked on the stage I wasn’t a model at all I was completely personality. I even got a “We love you.”

Q: Are you working on any film projects?

A: I’m associate producer on a film right now. It’s an independent film called “Truly Everlasting.” It’s an adaption to a romance novel by Brenda Jackson. She is one of the top-selling romance novelists. She is also the executive producer on the set and is funding the entire thing. I think that is the first time that has ever been done before. They are going to pitch the movie to Lifetime and The Oprah Winfrey Channel when that comes out. It should get picked up. She has a ton a ton of fans.

Q: Tell me about your book “Accounts of Correlation.” When is it scheduled to be completed?

A: I am completing my book “Account of Correlation.” It is my very first book. It is a book of short stories. I have to get it edited. It will contain three big stories and 18 short stories. I have a literary agent that will send it out to different publishing companies. With this book, I wanted to write the way that no one has written before. It was very hard to write, but I think I did well. Even though it will be more expensive to publish, I also want to use my own illustrations in the book. It will go up in value.

Q: Have you done any internships?

A: I lived in Los Angeles in 2008. I had a summer internship with Environment California, an environmental advocacy organization. I was a canvasser with the organization. Basically we were trying to raise money for the Sierra Club. I would talk and hand out flyers to people on the street. It was a lot of fun.

Q: What are your plans for after graduation?

A: I’m going to continue to work on the film. I hope to move to New York City or Los Angeles and work in the film industry and continue to build on modeling.

http://www.casabarriger.com/

5. Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg “California Gurls”

Who doesn’t love a nice game of Candyland? The D-O-Double-G plays singer Perry on a wildly colorful board game of “Candyfornia,” a world laced with licorice and candy cane anacondas. Perry, who rocks a cotton candy wig, wears a bustier laden with rhinestones and gumdrops to match her candy wrapper skirt. It’s campy and scrumptious while being equal parts sexy and ridiculous. If you’ve ever wanted to see Perry shoot whipped cream from her breasts, your wish has come true.

Check out the music video at YouTube.

4. Gorillaz “On Melancholy Hill”

The duo just released their new video, and the video sports some high production values with the cartoon style the group is known for using in music videos. The underwater graphics are soothing to match the vibe of the song, and there is a blend of several different art styles to create another visual adventure through a song by the Gorillaz. The fictional band members you’ve come to love are back, as well with their odd characteristics.

Check out the music video here at YouTube.

3. Snoop Dogg “O Sookie”

Snoop Dogg makes a trip to Bon Temps, La. in this great tribute to our favorite fang-banger, Sookie Stackhouse. True Blood fans will appreciate this more than the average viewer, but it’s a great little ditty. There are waitresses from Merlotte’s that dance alongside Snoop in the video, and there are clips from the television series scattered throughout. Watch it for a good laugh. Be glad there are no spinning heads in the video.

Check out the music video here at YouTube.

2. Hanson “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’”

Say what you want about Hanson, but the Oklahoma trio has matured enough to make some solid music over the past few years. This music video is a tribute to one of the most iconic scenes from the 1980 classic, “The Blues Brothers,” where The Blues Brothers dance and sing “Shake a Tail Feather” with Ray Charles. In this music video, Hanson and the production crew mimic the scene almost identically. There are people dancing in the street, funky guitar riffs and even a cameo by “Weird Al” Yankovic as the tambourine player. Remove the sounds of “MMMBop” from your mind for about four minutes, and check this groovy track from the brothers. Trust me, it’s not horrible.

Check out the music video here at YouTube.

1. Lady GaGa “Alejandro”

Mama monster is back with another music video to make your eyes go ga-ga. The video starts off with shirtless military men in leather performing a dancer’s military march while Miss GaGa watches from above in her tower. GaGa looks like a cross between Queen Amidala and Darth Vader in this video with her odd steampunk outfit. The dancing is top-notch and fluid. The dancers will make you feel like hitting the gym with their chiseled figures. The context of the music video itself is where the strength of the video lies. There are some subtle and blatant messages implied through the video involving a clash between the Catholic church and gays. GaGa seems to be trying to inhabit the inner conflict between the two opposing groups by swallowing rosaries and mimicking sexual positions. This video continues to show GaGa bringing the music video medium back to an art form.

Check out the music video here at Vevo.

Compiled by Tyler White

This decision comes after the Florida Legislature approved an eight percent increase in tuition over all Florida universities. The increase now stands at 15 percent for undergraduate tuition. The graduate tuition will have a 15 percent increase in tuition, as well.

Vice President Chief of Staff Tom Serwatka presented the plan for increasing tuition to the board before the decision was made by the BOT. The board was given the option by the Florida Legislature to increase out-of-state fees by up to 15 percent, but Serwatka said the BOT would not increase out-of-state tuition any more than it needed to be.

Apart from the tuition fee, the BOT approved the proposition an additional academic enhancement fee to be paid by the students. The fee will support academic advising in order to improve retention and graduation rates. Other benefits may include expansion of distance learning and additional sections to class schedules. The money raised through the fee will also be channeled into transformational learning opportunities (TLOs) and need-based financial aid.

Richey, the erstwhile SG Elections Supervisor, went up for appointment April 7 and proceeded to take on the form of a punching bag.

Richey stands accused of manipulating the election results by leaking the first day’s vote count and generally acting against the interests of the Reds.

Without proof of any wrongdoing, Senators jumped on allegations of dubious merit — dubious not because of the truth or fiction of the charges, which we just can’t know at this point, but because of their irrelevance.

All we know for certain is Richey said she leaked the first day’s vote tally to a former UNF student whom she called her mentor. There is no evidence she told anyone else, only hearsay.

More importantly, nowhere in SG Constitutional statutes is the elections supervisor bared from sharing the first day’s results with anyone. Richey could have posted them on Facebook or in the pages of the Spinnaker if she wished.

This makes us wonder if our esteemed SG senators have taken the time to actually read their guiding document.

To be clear, the Senate was under no obligation to appoint Richey. The appointment process is, more or less, completely within senators’ prerogative. No rhyme or reason is required for a nominee to be confirmed or rejected.

What is disturbing about the events which transpired in the Senate last week was the shameless character assassination used as the rationale for denying Richey’s appointment.

Despite a rocky start, Richey has proven to be an effective senator and student representative. She learned from the canceled fall elections debacle and executed a fair, transparent spring contest which brought the most students to the polls in UNF history.

The Spinnaker has not been shy about lambasting Richey in the past, and if evidence emerged showing a breach of statutory imperatives, we would be obliged to agree with her removal from office.

But no such evidence has been produced.

Leveling baseless accusations of malfeasance isn’t in the job description of an SG Senator. A senator’s duties, as far as we can gather, encompass paying nauseating lip service to “fiscal responsibility” while inexplicably throwing profligate sums of money at religious-centric concerts and Greek-centric events.

This wasn’t about principle. This was a hit job. Sour grapes from a fading political dynasty. Putting the icing on the cake was the perplexing actions of former Red Team student body presidential candidate Tom Blanchard in sending Richey a sardonic text message to pour salt in the wound.

We can only hope the Yellow Revolution continues through the fall elections and replaces the embittered Reds currently placing the need to settle scores above the need to serve the student body.

US Senators should repeal questionable ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ rule

People who believe in and reciprocate one another’s belief in one another constitute a nation.

One acknowledges another as an American and hopes the other acknowledges her as an American. As a result, we unify and validate our group.

One of the strongest ways to acknowledge another as “part of my nation” is to defend that other person – to fight for them, and by extension, the nation.

To tell openly homosexual individuals they cannot fight for our country is, then, to deny their attempt at acknowledging others (and by extension, themselves) as part of the nation. It is to judge that individual’s acknowledgement of national unity as invalid and effectively ostracize him or her.

“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” gives homosexuals two options: forfeit their right to acknowledge themselves as part of our “more perfect union” or deny their identity as homosexuals in order to serve the country.

Neither of these options is acceptable.

We strongly believe the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is detrimental to individuals, the country’s safety and national unity.

The U.S. military is struggling to make enlistment quotas as it is, yet they deny healthy, driven and competent individuals based on a sexual preference that is out of anyone’s control.

More than 12,000 individuals have been discharged under DADT, and about 5,000 homosexuals annually decide not to re-enlist after their terms of service has expired because of DADT.

Moreover, it is profoundly ironic that the military – a subtextually homoerotic institution – would discriminate against homosexuals. To be sure, we are not saying that is gay as such; nor are we accusing anyone in the military of being homosexual.

Consider the qualities that the U.S. military espouses: strength, courage, tenacity and discipline – all “masculine” qualities in our society. To put it colloquially, you have to have balls.

The army romanticizes the image of the manly man and tell soldiers to aspire, to lust, for that ideal. Soldiers eat, drink and sleep with a fully automatic phallus slung over their shoulder and high-ranking personnel are awarded with a sabre.

The army also prescribes the aforementioned “masculine ideals” to enlisted women. Female infantry wear masculine clothes and are essentially told to “grow a pair.”

We are by no means saying women cannot or should not posses said “masculine” qualities. We simply want to point out the hypocrisy that the military denies transgender individuals while surreptitiously engaging in gender-bending practices which serve its own ends.

Furthermore, the armed services’ term for romantic relationship between two soldiers – fraternization – is also implicitly homoerotic. To engage in any sexual act with another soldier is to engage in that act with one’s brother – “frater” being Latin for brother.

Washington: Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and accept the fact openly gay individuals can and do love this country as much as any heterosexual. If empathy ain’t your bag, then at least realize the larger pool of qualified people from which our military can draw, the better off we will be.

All of them pretty much echoed a similar sentiment: Going vegan is cheap, easy and healthy. This got me to thinking, which is usually a dangerous proposition.

In the interest of experimental journalism, I decided to give it a try — the vegan thing, that is. Like any good journalist, I was resolved to find the truth, or failing that, manufacture it.

So, I attempted to adhere to the strictures of the vegan diet for an arbitrarily selected number of days, in succession. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I seem to recall someone telling me doing something or refraining from doing something for 21 days makes or breaks a habit. Thus, I settled on 21 days.

Being a vegan, for the uninitiated, means cutting out all products derived from animals — it’s not as simple as just not eating meat. No cheese, milk, eggs or pretty much any other dairy product you can imagine. Or honey.

What follows is an account of my experience as I remember it from notes and the gray matter I haven’t gotten around to murdering with excessive drinking.

I began my journey March 9, the same day the “Meatless Mondays” story hit newsstands on campus.

I ate a grapefruit for breakfast. For lunch, I spent around $8 on the vegan dumplings available at the Outtakes in the Student Union. I can’t exactly recall what I had for dinner that night, but I’m relatively certain it was Coors Light (which ain’t got no animal products at all).

I could eat whole-grain rice. I could eat bean burritos, but not with Old El Paso instant black beans, which contain something called “hydrolyzed chicken protein.”

I religiously studied the ingredients list of every foodstuff package before I consumed it. I was told to especially look out for gelatin and albumen, as they are derived from animal products.

I found myself eating a lot of junk food — lots of chips and salsa. You see, in order to be a successful vegan, you have to cook for yourself. This presented a conundrum, as my culinary acumen has traditionally been limited to the utility of the microwave.

I did try to cook some vegan-friendly pasta, which didn’t turn out too bad, actually. I boiled some noodles, added a bag of frozen vegetables and copious amounts of Tabasco and garlic. Not too shabby.

Beca became concerned I wasn’t eating “real food.” She let me borrow some vegan cookbooks and ginned up a grocery list for me. She was my biggest cheerleader during this process, an island of succor amid an ocean of slack-jawed detractors, incredulous and derisive about my experiment — all in good fun, I’m sure.

I ran into a major problem attempting to conduct this lifestyle change over Spring Break. Not so much. I backslid.

Upon arriving in the Great State of Minnesota, after not eating anything besides airplane peanuts, my aunt offered to make me a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. I didn’t have the heart or the energy to explain to her my newfangled vegan ways.

The Monday following Spring Break, March 22, I got back to it.

Things were going swimmingly until Friday, March 26. On the way back to Jax from Miami, I lapsed again. Feeling weak and nodding off on the drive home, I succumbed to the call of convenience food. It’s virtually impossible to eat out on a vegan diet.

Something I noticed during this experiment was a pervasive feeling of fatigue I endured throughout its duration. I don’t know if this was the result of my deficient sleep schedule or the shock of removing animal products from my diet.

Anyway, I proceeded to try again Monday, March 29. The third time was indeed the charm, as I was able to last through the week on a vegan friendly diet consisting mostly of fruit, veggies, beans, rice, hummus and potato chips.

I must say, hummus wins the most valuable food award for me during this process. It was a life saver. Oh, and peanut butter, too. Clutch.

In total, I was a vegan for about two weeks out of the three when one takes into account the days I lapsed.

At the end of this little experiment, I came to the following conclusions: For someone who lives my lifestyle, going vegan is not cheap or easy.

In the end, however, I’ve grown to respect the vegan community more through this process. Vegans may say it’s easy to purge cheese, milk and eggs out of their diet, and maybe for them it is, but I found it nearly impossible to do so for an extended period of time.

I have profound moral qualms with the factory farm system in this country, the treatment animals receive in slaughterhouses and the exploitation of undocumented immigrants all wrought through the consumption of animal products and their derivatives. These are issues we must face as a nation.

And I’m going to try to keep up with “Meatless Mondays” as a way to help, and I would urge all the carnivores in the audience to consider doing so. But for me, veganism cannot be the means toward this end.

Jacksonville’s quartet of mood music creators doesn’t even know how impassioned they really are. On a Saturday afternoon in a neighborhood in Arlington, Paige McNullen, Summer Wood, a UNF graphic design senior, Michael Martin and Pringle (all dressed in blue) managed to flood an entire backyard and all of its occupants with the most gorgeously galvanized music Jacksonville’s heard in a while.

With only a lead guitar, rhythm guitar, drums, a much exploited tambourine and overwrought vocals, RICE literally involves any soul that consumes their sound.

When it comes to their music, it’s been described as poppy, western, jam band-ish or just flat-out random. Whatever it is, they make excellent use of drawing in listeners with an initially charming melody which builds with every hit of the drum and bash of the tambourine.

Once the sound has grown so big it’s about to topple over, RICE adds stimulated vocals into the offbeats which create a pulsating effect that wills everyone in the crowd to lean into every beat with much vim.

“So, our name originally just meant rice, as in the food,” said Pringle. “But then Paige, our guitarist, came up with this clever acronym. RICE stands for the four stages of healing: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.”

Up until a few weeks ago, they were more or less a revolving band, with temporary keyboard, violin and bass players, but have recently decided to stop being fickle and make the member list official.

Wood, drummer and Jacksonville native, is a recent addition to RICE. The band’s temporary keyboardist introduced her to Martin, Pringle and McNullen.

“We needed a new drummer,” said Pringle. “Summer just came over one day and really complimented our music.”

Wood is a classically trained pianist and has been playing drums for about five or six years now after taking only a year of lessons. In addition to playing in RICE, she also drums in Matrix Infinity, an all-girl, avant-garde drum-synthesizer duo.

In RICE, she’s been able to seamlessly blend her drum parts with their pre-existing parts by focusing on the feelings of the songs.

“I think most of the lyrics are about love,” said Wood. “And I try to incorporate those feelings with the music.”

McNullen comes from a punk background but can write extremely smooth leads, Pringle said.

“Paige writes the guitar leads,” said Wood. “Chris writes the guitar rhythms, Mike writes almost all of the lyrics and I write my drum parts.”

It’s a collective effort, and they’ve really unified as a band as of late.

“We always have a mini five to 30-second meditation before any performance,” said Pringle. “And I think it works.”

This summer, a possible tour is in the making with local group Opiate Eyes.

“This Friday, we’re recording at the storage unit with Tom Essex from Skinny Records,” said Pringle. “We plan on bringing a handle of whiskey and some cranberry juice along to keep hydrated.”

They met Essex in a park in Riverside. They were just drinking red wine, playing music and cloud-gazing when, through serendipity (never having met Essex before) began making plans to record and play together.

“It’s such a small, little artistic community,” said Pringle. “It’s so awesome to make connections like that.”

As for Wood, after graduating, she hopes to travel and continue to play music, she said.

“A lot of people in Jacksonville have so much talent, and I hate to see amazing bands play a lot locally and then see people get sick of it,” said Wood. “I hope that bands here will eventually tour and bring their music elsewhere.”

RICE plays the Sinclair May 1 with Opiate Eyes.