Boston-area campus news round-up, week of Feb. 6: Musical musings

"Student Profile: JP Bouvet" (Elisa Lomazzo, Feb. 6) -- The Berklee Groove
Berklee is full of talented musicians; that much is no secret. One of said talented musicians, Minnesota native Jean-Pierre Didier Bouvet, recently beat out 4,500 other drummers to win Guitar Center’s Drum-Off. In his interview with Lomazzo, Bouvet says that he is “a huge advocate of preparation,” which is solid advice for any musician. Practice makes perfect, after all -- or, at least, makes a pretty awesome drummer.

"Lana Del Rey's 'Born to Die' album enjoyable, does not deserve Grammy" (Emily Merlino, Feb. 7) -- The Daily Collegian
It’s probably safe to say there’s not a more polarizing figure in music right now than Lana Del Rey -- “The online frenzy of revulsion is so potent it’s surprising torch-wielding mobs of Pitchfork bloggers haven’t mowed her down by now,” writes Merlino -- but given all that, this review is actually quite level-headed. “Her sound is decent and occasionally catchy, but the lyrics and tone need to diversify to be taken more seriously,” Merlino writes. (Del Rey’s up for some awards on Sunday night, by the way.)

"Getting down to business: Emerson senior boots his rap career with marketing know-how" (Christina Jedra, Feb. 9) -- The Berkeley Beacon
As the music industry has evolved, artists have found that it’s good to have at least a basic knowledge of the business side of their art. Juma Inniss decided to enroll at Emerson for that exact reason: “I need some sort of business/marketing foundation to support what I’m doing with my art,” he told Jedra. Still, Inniss is hoping to make a lasting impression in the music world. ‘“Music comes and goes, but magic pervades throughout generations,” he told Jedra. “Magic is what I strive for.”

"The Artsy Jumbo: Girltalk influenced, Andrew Dempsey makes fresh music mashups" (Joseph Stile, Feb. 9) -- The Tufts Daily
Only a freshman, Dempsey, who works under the name Kimbo Slice, recently released his debut EP, On The Rise, on a pay-what-you-want basis. “Generally, I go for the unexpected with my songs,” Dempsey told Stile. “I try to combine two songs that you wouldn’t think would go well together but then do.”

Photo by KC Toh (Flickr)

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