For those starved by Lady Gaga, tired of Taylor Swift, and waiting desperately for more Bon Iver, here it is.

When Nick Roberts and Josh Morris, now best friends, met at a college orientation in Florida, they never expected to be in a band together. However, Roberts recalls that when he and Morris began playing together, “it just all kind of fell into place.”

As Blue Eyed Night Owl reported, And The Giraffe came up with the idea for their name when they were “just throwing out ideas. Nick suggested Giraffe as their band name. I then thought we could name ourselves ‘The Pelican and the Giraffe’ after the Roald Dahl book,” Morris said. After deciding that that was too long for a band name, they decided to shorten the name and as a result, And The Giraffe was created.

“Some people think that our name is Giraffe when we get put at the end of a bill, but we love it all the same,” Morris said.

The main musical conception happened through Dropbox, a company founded in 2007 that allows files to appear on any computer. Changes are saved automatically, allowing for Roberts and Morris to collaborate in real time even though they weren’t together in the same room. This program is similar to GoogleDocs and allows for edits to be made in the same file from different locations.

The band was able to write a strong album, although most songs were written while Roberts and Morris were 519 miles apart from each other. They explain it was like, “a handful of surprises,” every time something had been updated.

Their EP, “Something for Someone,” is a beautiful blend of folk and indie music, creating what the duo aptly refers to as “dream-folk.” And The Giraffe has managed to find a place in music that belongs solely to them.

Each song on the album was created by its own unique process; some were pieced together over the course of months (such as “Still”), while others can be created in an hour (as in “Masquerade”).

With gentle drifts of piano and soft sounds of the acoustic guitar, it is all too easy to get lost in the dreamy fog of melody that engrosses this album.

When the song “Still” closes out the album, listeners hear the line: “We are gonna be big stars some day.” If And The Giraffe keeps producing music like this, it is hard to doubt them.

Since And The Giraffe is a new band, their music may not yet be labelled. However, some comparisons may be easily drawn. If you are a fan of Iron & Wine or Bon Iver, you will instantly fall in love with And The Giraffe. However, for people less schooled in the “indie arts,” the sounds of And The Giraffe connect to the feel of the “Juno” soundtrack or any of the “Twilight” movies.

You won’t find And The Giraffe’s music on iTunes, but if you feel like getting lost in the fog of “Something of Someone,” you can download it from their website at www.andthegiraffe.com or www.andthegiraffe.bandcamp.com for the “low, low price of free.”

Despite And The Giraffe’s many powerful influences, they have managed to create a sound that is completely their own.

“We are just two guys who love making music,” Roberts said.

by Anthony Fregroso, Staff Writer

We all recognize the “funny guys” that we see on the stage once a month, but is there more to them hidden behind their jokes?

There is much more to what seems to be a simple group of hilarious guys who are great at improvisation. ComedySportz is a well-oiled machine consisting of a president, a vice president, an advertising agent, a treasurer, and a supporting cast.

Senior Danny Birmingham is the man in charge of it all– el presidente, the head honcho– he watches over the entire operation and mentors others in improv. But do we really know Danny Birmingham? An interesting factoid about Birmingham is that he sleeps in a sleeping mask and wears ear plugs. He is a talented filmmaker and yodeler. When asked what he thinks makes him funny, he said that he “would leave that to the audience to answer.”

Senior Brandon Nourse, Vice President, is equally as talented as his partner Birmingham. They run the program side by side and teach other students to venture into the world of improv. Nourse said that the strangest thing about him is “his good looks” and that his special talent is “rigging.” He enjoys ComedySportz most for the surge of energy that he gets while on stage. Nourse believes what makes him funny is his confidence.

Senior Peter Norton, the program’s advertiser, has made ComedySportz a big hit. Norton claims that having the same haircut since fourth grade is the strangest thing about him. Norton taught himself how to play the banjo and has the ability to keep his eyes open for a few minutes without blinking. Norton also told MavLife that he does ComedySportz for the “babes.”

Finally, senior Cameron Gurley is responsible for managing the program’s money. Gurley’s right eye is two different colors, which he believes to be the strangest thing about him. He also mentioned that he still gets Legos every Christmas. Gurley is especially proud of his ability to maintain a 1.47 Kill:Death Ratio in “Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 3.” His favorite part about ComedySportz is the friendships he has made. Gurley says he does ComedySportz because his mom makes him. He thinks that his funniest attribute is his feminine side.

Cameron Gurley is the entertainment editor of MavLife and is also an officer of Comedy Sportz. He was not involved in the development of this story. 

There is one commonly asked question that have left millions clueless: Which has the better burger, Five Guys or In-N-Out?

Both of the famous burgers have put their respected restaurants onto a path to glory. Each of these restaurants have specialties that are uniquely their own and flavors that make your taste buds scream for more.

This question is more serious than life itself and should be answered with intense precision. Both restaurants have completely different backgrounds, yet both have landed in the hall of fame of fast food burgers.

Five Guys started out in 2002 as a small take-out shop in Arlington, Virginia. Founded by a young Jerry Murrell just outside the nation’s capital, Five Guys turned from a small take-out shop to a nationwide chain consisting of over 500 restaurants.

The “Five Guys” in the name include Murrell, the owner, and his four sons. Five Guys has managed to obtain elite status in a relatively short amount of time.

In fact, according to Politics Daily, after President Obama came in for a quick hamburger run, the sales more than doubled in the weeks to follow.

The west coast counterpart to Five Guys, In-N-Out Burger, was founded in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder at Baldwin Park, California.

Harry had an idea of a restaurant which provided “drive-thru” services for its customers. As a result, In-N-Out became the world’s first “drive-thru” restaurant. Harry’s idea of a “drive-thru” caught on rapidly and is seen in many fast food restaurants today.

In-N-Out opened a second restaurant in 1951 and has since spread throughout California, Nevada and Arizona. It has become a common favorite for many local burger lovers. In-N-Out has, without a doubt, reserved itself a spot in the burger hall of fame.

MavLife conducted a survey of students to crack open this impossible question: Which has the better burger, In-N-Out or Five Guys?

In-N-Out earned 35 more votes than Five Guys, which earned just 11 votes.

In-N-Out was said by students as “100 times better than Five Guys” said Freshman Kaci Romley.

“Five Guys and In-N-Out are good but Five guys does not compare to In-N-Out,” freshman Kaci Romley said.

So what makes In-N-Out better than Five Guys?

“The sauce, the price, the dank,” senior Collin Myers said.

In-N-Out is also said to have better fries then Five Guys along with the option to buy shakes.

What makes Five Guys a contender to In-N-Out?

“They have size and you can stack them with bacon,” freshman Andre Chan said.

Five Guys also has more locations nationwide than In-N-Out and offers huge sizes, as well as Cajun fries.

It was clear that Five guys, a seemingly worthy contender, was blown out of the soda and got fried by its local competitor. It seems that MavLife discovered where the loyalties of La Costa Canyon’s students lie.

You’re favorite time of year is finally here. Your bold attitude attracts an unexpected admirer. Now is not the time to chicken-out. Change is coming your way. Be ready and be brave! You can do it!

Capricorn

You are not your usual self lately. Your quiet side seems to throw people off. Just be yourself and let go of whatever is holding you back. Your confidence is itching to get out. Go shine! Be a star!

Aquarius

You will no longer be torn between pulling desires. Your confusion will disappear and you will feel relieved after making the right decision. Choose wisely and you won’t regret it.

Pisces

Patience is a virtue. Don’t get too caught up with what lies ahead. Take a deep breath and find a good, new distraction. Relax and wait. Things can change in the blink of an eye.

Aries

Don’t get too down on yourself. Not everything lasts forever. A brighter future waits ahead. Keep your head up. A new talent is being recognized that will keep your mind off whatever is bothering you. Be careful to not let it define who you truly are though.

Taurus

Try not to stay invisible this season. You don’t always have to be bulletproof. A close friend sees your pain. Don’t be afraid to open up. Trust your instincts. Good luck, Taurus!

Gemini

Calm down, Gem. Things are looking up from here. A slight rough patch helps you learn an important lesson. You are on the right path now. Keep looking ahead. Better things are heading your way.

Cancer

Rep red this season. You will notice all eyes on you. Soak in the good attention, but don’t let it go to your head. This new confidence will rekindle an old flame. Don’t be afraid to follow your heart.

Leo

Your leader-of-the-pack personality can be scary to some people. You are definitely dependable, but tone down your loud confidence. Some may find you a little egotistical right now. Take a step back and let things simmer down for a while.

Virgo

It is a stressful time for you right now. You are faced with a difficult decision. Don’t just take the easy way out. Carefully study what is best for everyone. The pressure is on. Good luck!

Libra

Stop avoiding your problems. Expressing your true feelings will be difficult, but it is time to move on and face your fears. Being cowardly will get you nowhere. You’ve taken 10 steps forward, don’t take 20 steps back. You can do it!

Scorpio

Way to go Scorpio! You just got your life back on track. You are so close to reaching your goals and friends and family are supporting you 100%. Congrats on a bright future.

With over a year since the last iPhone came out, customers were hopeful of getting a revamped appearance. They expected a sleeker body design, a larger screen, and a flash on the front screen for the phone’s camera. Despite the exciting new features, expectations about external design were not met.

The iPhone 4s comes in white and black, has a better 8 mega-pixel camera, 1080 p HD videos, iOS 5, dual-core A5 chip, iCloud, and Siri. Apple claims that the performance is two times faster than the iPhone 4, and that the graphics load seven times faster.

However, the difference is hardly noticeable when compared with the iPhone 4. Both models completed loading a web page at about the same time.

The camera, on the other hand, takes considerably better photos in comparison. Objects appear clearer and the flash does not create a glare and wash out the pictures. In addition, being able to crop and edit photos on the phone directly is a useful and convenient tool.

Combined with the new operating system, iOS 5, which has over 200 new features, the iCloud pushes pictures, music, and more to other Apple devices.

The iCloud, which allows users to save music, reminders and other files on multiple Apple devices simultaneously.

Exclusively for the 4s, “Siri,” is a revolutionary voice assistant to send messages, set reminders, search for information, and more. Siri is amazing, but since it is in Beta stage, sometimes it is not perfect.

Asking about the weather, for example, works well. You can even mention the word “umbrella” and Siri will tell you if it will rain. However, asking about warm weather is not as easy. When mentioning “shorts” and “sandals,” Siri pulls up clothing stores. Asking for web searches, setting reminders, and sending text messages is also great, and usually only takes a few seconds.

One neat setting Siri offers is the ability to add a name so that the phone can address owners by name.

The new operating system, available on iPhones and the iPad, is impressive. The iOS 5 allows users to know when others are texting them. A new “reader” button re-formats articles in order to allow easy reading on the iPhone’s small screen.

Consumers are now faced with deciding wither to upgrade now to the iPhone 4s, or wait at least a year for the next iPhone to come out. However, the pre-orders for the iPhone 4s, at one million, were the most for any of the iPhones thus far. In its first weekend on the market, four million were sold, according to Apple’s website.

The early-released song “Born To Lose” gives listeners a taste of the more intense breakdowns and deeper vocals. Mike Hranica uses harder vocals in the beginning of “Constance.” Daniel Williams increases the speed of the 808 drums, Chris Rubey and Jeremy DePoyster keep a steady, deeper tone with the rhythm guitars, and Andy Trick and James Baney rattle eardrums with the use of the lower notes of the bass and keyboards.

This hardcore group completes their collection of four albums with a new, darker twist. With the release of their EP “Zombies” in 2010, The Devil Wears Prada hoped to create a thematic progression between albums. “Dead Throne” succeeds “Zombies” with harder vocals, low-tuned guitar riffs, and chilling keyboard tunes that leave listeners itching for more.

Take Albert Einstein for example. Here’s a man so smart that he had more to worry about than his exterior, like the space-time continuum. Or picture Bill Gates. Another brilliant mind who fashions tacky sweaters and has an outlandish haircut that reminds the unfortunate few who have to see it of a hungry rhino chasing a squirrel. But who cares? A man with a brain his size probably was solving algorithms in his head while picking out his clothes and didn’t even notice what he was doing. That would have to be the only explanation when he picked out the stripes with plaid combo.

Albert and Bill, both too smart to care about their appearance, were too concerned with solving the mystery time warps inside the Internet. Or the mystery of women. Both equally confusing for them. And while neither of these brilliant minds wore comically baggy pants, black skate shoes, and an over-sized white T-Shirt, the trend of hiding your intelligence was nevertheless born.

These academic anomalies of students (scientific name: pile) are, surprisingly enough, extremely intelligent. By this point in their lives they are masters of camouflage. As they are sitting in class, using their phones and “pretending” to play games or text, they perfectly multi-task that with catching up on sleep. They don’t turn in homework because their brains are actually busy at work getting everything they need to get done (…in their heads?).

Not only are they saving trees in this process, but also they wait for a perfect time to strike. All this secret time “planning” looks, to the untrained eye, like falling asleep in class and not paying attention. These creatures blend in and go through high school virtually unnoticed from an academic standpoint and a contribution standpoint.

When analyzed from a third party point of view, their plan is quite brilliant. The teachers, untrained in this expert analysis, see them as beyond help of the current, brilliant, American education system. Fellow classmates see them as comical, mysterious, and tired. When you get past the phones, the sleeping, and the folds of fabric, you will see that these students are simply waiting for the opportune time to unleash their intelligence. And believe me when I say that I wait patiently for this amazing feat of effort.

From an evolutionary stand point, these students toy with us. Typical students use layers and layers of coats and sweaters in the winter to keep warm. However, the baggy-panted students use all of that extra room and fabric to create a convection layer of heat underneath the mountains of cotton and denim. All that extra room might as well be a sauna or a space heater and, consequently, while the rest of us complain how cold it is during fourth period, the “piles” are sound asleep under a heated blanket of bagginess and lethargy.

So then next time you see one of these students in your classes, try analyzing their approach to school and work ethic from a different point of view. They are probably already done with the homework for the week and would just rather not share it with anyone. Including the teacher.

The album begins with the hit, “Swingin’,” originally by John Anderson; a song Rimes first covered in June 2010 at the Country Music Awards. It is a perfect country swing song that makes the listener feel the music.

But as for the rest of the album, the tone turns somber, focusing on themes of break-ups and wrong-doings. In the second song, “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” Rimes channels the voice of the late Patsy Cline, creating a hallowing sensation that invites listeners to think of their own wasted days and wasted nights.

This is a beautiful album for people who enjoy the sound of country music from the days of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. This album fits into the puzzle of Rimes’ discography very well, mostly into her earlier works, with songs that mainly depend upon vocals rather than instruments or synthetic sounds. “Lady & Gentlemen” is a great stepping stone in LeAnn’s career, and proves she hasn’t forgotten her roots.

The first restaurant in the investigation was Rudy’s Taco Shop. Rudy’s was on the expensive side for such a poorly scored California burrito. Based on the review, the taste was not very flavorful, but the meat was “perfectly” cooked. The reviewers suggest when you are going to Rudy’s to get a Carne Asada burrito instead.

The second restaurant in the investigation was Roberto’s. Roberto’s was deemed well worth the money, as its flavor had a personality of its own. This California Burrito had a great mix of cheese, golden french fries and an assortment of spices, and comes highly recommended.

Next was Rico’s Taco Shop. Based on the reviews, the California burrito lacked flavor. On top of that, the burrito was pricey and “was a horrible flavor that stuck in your mouth,” according to staffer Julian Sanz. Surprisingly, Rico’s didn’t score anywhere near expectations. Reviewers thought this burrito was an overall waste of money. Reviewers recommend that if you go to Rico’s to order the “Justin” burrito instead.

Jorge’s Mexicatessen earned the highest rating overall, despite its low price. Jorge’s California burrito exceeded all expectations and proved to be authentic and tasty. The food critics said that it was “weak on spices but strong on overall flavor,” and that the mix was a perfect formula of meat, cheese, sour cream and French fries. “If you want to fill up your stomach without emptying your wallet, do it the right way and go to Jorge’s,” said one staffer.

Cotixan’s California had its strengths and weaknesses, but this restaurant offered a twist: salsa fresca on the inside of the burrito instead of sour cream. While scoring well with reviewers, it was suggested you order the Carne Asada burrito instead.

Each restaurant had its own perspective on what Mexican food should be. Although the reviewers only tried one type of burrito, the restaurant’s specialties were apparent. Next time you are looking for a good burrito, you’ll known where to start looking.

Striped attire has been a prevailing style for years now. However, navy blue and white stripes are very popular this season and will be seen even more once summer hits. The color combination can remind you of a sailor-look, but is very trendy and cute. The look is most popular when applied to a top, a fun dress or a simple tee. But watch out because the stripes are dominant. Pair the stripes with something plain.

Cropped tops are not a new style for 2011, but have always lingered as only a surfacing trend. This season the cropped top is beginning to show up more and more to accommodate the warm weather around the corner. The top shows midriff, which is a less mainstream style and more risqué than other summer styles- the main reason the trend has not become a hot item in past years. The look can be achieved in a less body-revealing way by pairing it with high-waist shorts or a skirt, by finding a modified-long version of the “crop top.”

A few summers ago, the popular romper was seen everywhere and a must have. Although it has gone in and out of style since then, the piece known as the “romper” was trendy this season. The loose and flowing short style of the jumper is most popular for summer, even though the lengthy styles have been showing up more on runways. This more sophisticated, long look most likely will not become a popular trend on campus.
Lace is a trend that hit runway summer season and will continue to be a popular wardrobe item. Lace dresses and skirts are becoming trendy in spring. The lace itself will be be more of an antique lace for a delicate look. Lace can also be a good way to make a statement. Wearing the material as a sheer garment is daring and can look amazing if worn right.

Now with these trends and ideas for spring styles, you can start organizing your summer wardrobe incorporating more lace, rompers, stripes and cropped tops.