D @ vA COIN is a dime > ‘COIN’ concert review Sonam Kaloti Arts Editor kek Kk magine hearing “Holy Ghost” by COIN but muffled from downstairs because your'e in the upstairs washroom. Does it sound good? Well, despite the tragedy of missing my favourite song, it still sounded amazing from up there—and that says something. COIN is an indie-pop band consisting of Chase Lawrence on lead vocals and synthesizers, Ryan Winnen on drums, and Joe Memmel on lead guitar and backing vocals. The band performed an all-ages show at Venue Nightclub on February 24. Most of their songs had quite a bit of reverb which gave the concert a relaxed vibe. The crowd wasn't rowdy and I could barely even hear the crowd singing (aside from myself, who was embarrassingly loud). The people were very nice though, and the atmosphere was positive and fun. The lights were generally stable for slow songs, which made up about half of the setlist. However, the lights added to the dreamy, reverb- laden aesthetic of the songs, with twinkling white circles and strips of violet bathing all the band members in neon. During faster songs, the lights did what they do best during concerts: Pulse along with the beats and match the rhythm of the dancing crowd. The band felt very connected to the audience, which was likely due to the small venue and close stage with no barricade. There were at least a couple of times when I was sure the lead singer Lawrence looked me in the eyes, but I’m also sure he did that because I was screaming along to his quiet acapella when nobody else was. Lawrence is an energetic frontman who was bouncing and dancing throughout most songs as well. Like any live band, they made some mistakes including missed beats, incorrect pitches, or other unavoidable errors. What Have an idea for a story? M arts@theotherpress.ca always appreciate during these slips, however, is that there is no uncertainty that they are playing live and they are trying their best to put on a show with everything they've got. The crowd was at its peak during COIN’s most popular song, “Talk Too Much,’ which had everyone jumping and screaming in joy. One of my personal favourites live was “Growing Pains,’ which has steady drums accented by playful cymbals, groovy guitar, excitable vocals, and a chorus that goes, “I can’t seem to make up my mind! Now what does that say about me?” It’s extremely easy to find yourself dancing to this tune, but that can be said for all of COIN’s faster-paced songs. “Hannah” being played was funny because I happened to have gone to the ¢ ‘Kingdom Hearts IIl' video game review ¢ ‘To the Moon’ video game review e ‘Truth’ by Becca Hess album review ..and more! 9g 2 = o i o) a] we) 9° g ° a oa concert with my friend named Hannah, and if you get the chance to see COIN live, I'd suggest taking a Hannah with you too. Singing, “I’m sorry Hannah, but I’ve got other plans!” to your friend is very fun, as it always is when there's a recognizable name inasong. The concert ended on “Fingers Crossed,” which was beaming with energy from every band member, as though they were pouring the rest of their souls into that performance. The song finished with an intense instrumental, during which the singer thrashed around the stage while the crowd went wild. Overall, COIN is atalented band with a relaxed fanbase who you can groove or thrash along with, and these kinds of concerts are some of the best there are. Demogorgons and devoted spiders » My first experience playing ‘Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition’ Sonam Kaloti Arts Editor irst of all, I did not run into any Demogorgons. Second, I had no idea what a Demogorgon was before Stranger Things introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons as a game that wasn't completely uncool, despite the characters who play it in the show being, well, uncool. The characters in the show are given nicknames like “Frog-face” by their peers, communicate over walkie-talkies, and dwell in their basements roleplaying as wizards, for crying out loud. As usual, bullying and mob mentality against certain genres of anything are almost always misinformed. Too quick was I to judge this form of entertainment for most of my life (probably like most people), and my roleplaying awakening had to come eventually—which it did. Luckily for me, some of my friends had experience playing D&D and taught me the basics of the game quickly. Using the Fifth Edition book and an app called “Fight Club 5th Edition,” I created my character. I thought this was going to be my favourite part of the game, like it is for video games such as The Sims, but I was wrong. The character creation isn’t unlike many video games I’ve played thus far. RuneScape, Dragon Quest, and Diablo come to mind when thinking about the multiple layers of character creation. Whether you want to bea rogue, wizard, a a a fs) rw) uv eS is es 3 Ms 3 eg oO NN ay > & a fis} Rs YY & = fe) or anything else, these other games incorporate very medieval-fantasy-esque themes into their gameplay as well. I took a while to create my character because there are so many things to learn at this stage of gameplay. I chose Dragonborn as my race because it sounded cool (that’s how I made a lot of decisions at this point in the game), and then I wanted to choose Sorcerer as my class but quickly realized I couldn't understand a single word in the description. My friends told me it was one of the most complicated classes if not the most, and therefore not best suited for beginners. Disappointed, I chose the Wizard class instead. There are innumerable technical aspects to the game, many of which you can play without if you desire, but if not, there is a /ot to learn. I’m sure it would come naturally the more campaigns you play. Soon, I introduced Sir Longjohn to the world. I never chose a gender, so the pronouns alternate. He is overly confident, ambitious, and always seeks out the most exciting and entertaining situations. He also gets bored easy, sometimes resulting in leaving fights and conversations with NPCs early. My favourite aspect about him is his pet chameleon, Crueller, who didn’t do anything except be there because I wasn’t allowed to start with an actual pet. We played an adventure that involved getting a magic stone fora bartender in a local tavern. One thing led to another and I acquired a horse who the dungeon master named Australia (but I changed his name to Cece) and a giant spider who apparently loved me. I gave the spider away at first but got him back due to a charm spell that wouldn't have worked had my dungeon master not rolled a one that turn. I chose spells based on what sounded powerful, and somehow I ended up being a little too powerful. In fact, I almost killed everyone in my adventure (including my chameleon) by casting a level one Thunderwave spell. My fellow players were not happy about that one, but my dungeon master found it hilarious. The adventure we played was thrilling and filled with plot twists that were unexpected and changed the plot completely. Our dungeon master changed a few parts due to the writing of said parts being kind of bland, which was disappointing to hear, but I love that the game is malleable enough to play however you want to. I'm glad I put my baseless ego aside and played Dungeons & Dragons because it was a great creative exercise, a nice bonding time with friends, and most of all, it was just fun! I might have gotten lucky with my rolls, spells, and whatever else to cause a bias, but I really do think everyone should get together with their friends and try it out if they haven't already. It’s sure to be amemorable experience.